Chapter 18 – Unification Part 2 (Part 2)

The Senate Building, Coruscant…A Week Later...

Anakin sighed as he walked through the corridors of the Senate Building, a brief respite while his ships were re-provisioned and re-equipped not to mention receiving some emergency repairs after recent battle damage and take on replacement clones. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were both at the Temple to attend to their own business which for Ahsoka meant meeting her friends that were there; Master Sinube, Barriss Offee and Kalifa, one of the younglings she had rescued from the Trandoshans when she had been captured by them.

His pride in Ahsoka was strong as she showed time and again how good a Jedi she was and how powerful she was becoming, in his mind she was already stronger than many of the so-called masters of their order and more accomplished but Ahsoka refused to take credit for her achievements, always saying that it was a result of his teachings, in-particular saving Kalifa which she insisted wouldn't have been possible without them.

Her humility was again humbling and only made him even more proud of her.

He was taking advantage of the opportunity to visit his wife and check on her well-being, the pace of the war and constantly being on the move had meant it became difficult to stay in touch. She had looked tired on Naboo, the last time they had managed to meet in person and he was worried she might have gotten worse since then.

Anakin walked into her office and saw her sitting at her desk with a depressed look on her face, she looked up and brightened at the sight of him though which of course made Anakin smile. She got up and embraced him as soon as the door closed and he wrapped his arms around her, doing his best to provide comfort as she leaned into his embrace.

"Padmé, I've missed you." Anakin said, wishing they had more time before he had to head back out to the front. Padmé sighed and said softly.

"And I you, it's just been so hostile here right now." She said with a tired voice and Anakin gently turned her face to meet his and asked her.

"What do you mean?" He asked with worry as he had thought Padmé was in a good position here and popular in the Senate but now saw that something might have changed.

"Ever since the mess with the Mandalorians I have been an outcast here." She told him sadly. "The Senate is blaming me for the situation and the war turning against us with Duke Ordo leaving, most of my so-called friends and colleagues here have abandoned me. Only a few like Senators Organa and Mothma have stayed with me and I am being frozen out of most discussions and debates. The Queen back home is even talking about removing me as Senator and replace me with someone who has a clean record."

Anakin was surprised to hear that and was infuriated to know that Padmé was being blamed for the situation, he honestly was ready to go to Naboo and knock some sense into the Queen's head not to mention some of these senators but seeing Padmé needed him more he just held her and tried to reassure her.

"It will be fine, don't worry." He as he held her but she was doubtful.

"I'm not sure, a lot of people are blaming me for the war turning against us. All my enemies in the senate are circling like sharks around me and I am being excluded from sessions of the senate. If something doesn't change soon I honestly think my career in politics is finished." Padmé told him with depression.

Anakin held her tighter as he fumed at the situation and decided in that moment that something had to be done to fix this.

"I will deal with this." He told her and kissed her deeply and Padmé while she did enjoy her intimacy with her husband was confused at what he meant.

- x -

After spending more time with his wife, including taking her on the desk of her office, Anakin marched through the building to the Chancellor's own office, knowing that if anyone could help Padmé now it was him. The aide outside said something as he appeared but Anakin force pushed them aside, not caring at all if he was busy or not, focusing solely on his mission.

The office door opened on its own which was just as well because Anakin probably would have blasted it open with the force if it hadn't, his state of mind not allowing him to care about anything other than his wife's plight.

Ahead of him he saw that the Chancellor was in a meeting, the familiar face of Brigadier General Meebur Gascon was there speaking the Chancellor who looked up, surprised to see him there and didn't seem to be annoyed at the intrusion...quite the opposite in fact.

"Anakin, just the man I wanted to see. Come in, I was just discussing the situation with the war with General Gascon." The old man said and Anakin was so surprised at his reaction he didn't say anything and just came over to the desk and sat down next to the general who nodded in greeting to Anakin before continuing his report.

"The situation has begun to calm down Chancellor but given signal intercepts and data our spies have managed to obtain we believe it is only a brief respite. As soon as their factories can accommodate they will be using a fresh wave of reinforcements at us and our current strength might not able resist in some key sectors." Gascon said gravely.

"I see General, then we need a new or rather an old advantage back. We need Duke Ordo back here." Palpatine said with a calculating look in his eye.

Both Gascon and Anakin were to say the least surprised at the solution he had presented. Anakin having been there when the whole thing had gone down and said with concern.

"Chancellor, while I agree if anyone could turn this situation around he could it is very unlikely given what happened that he would be willing to come back." Anakin said with reluctance. Palpatine nodded and said.

"Then it will be a test of your own abilities to convince him to do so." Palpatine said with an expectant look in his face while Anakin looked shocked at him. "He's been quite busy since he left, gathering the loyalty of all the Mandalorian factions and unifying them into a stronger whole. He and the other house leaders are meeting on Graavis very soon to discuss their own future plans. So you will need to go there and speak with him. Promise him what you must, the Republic needs his expertise." Palpatine concluded.

Anakin was speechless, not sure what to say given this sort of mission was far from his usual thing and he would have expected another better skilled person to try and approach the Mandalorians to ease relations.

"Chancellor, while I am glad of your trust I am no diplomat." Anakin said but the Chancellor interrupted before he could suggest anyone else for this mission.

"Which is exactly why I am sending you. You are a warrior Anakin, its your nature and despite being a Jedi they will respect that. All your accomplishments in battle go a long way with them and you had the best relationship with Duke Ordo, so he will at least give you a fair hearing. I need you to convince him to return to his position here and we will do our best to meet their demands. This goes beyond your normal duties and is the highest priority. Good luck Anakin, the Republic is depending on you." The Chancellor told him with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Anakin was so taken aback that he could only nod and leave the room to prepare his starfighter for the long flight to Graavis. He had only intended to help Padmé by asking the Chancellor if could do something to help her and even demand it if needed. This however was far outside his comfort zone and he would not have Obi-Wan there who was a far better person for a job like this but what else could he do? Anakin thought with anxiety, as the Chancellor himself had pointed out the fate of the Republic could well depend on him not screwing up this mission.

The fact that if Duke Ordo did come back and managed to turn the tide of the war back around things would hopefully get better for Padmé, Anakin reasoned not to mention he would get more time to spend with her if he wasn't having to dash from one front to another all the time.

So he ran down back to his starfighter as he had a long journey to make.

- x -

Watching Anakin rush off so he could 'save' the Republic and his wife's reputation was amusing Palpatine thought privately to himself.

He had been enjoying all the Jedi casualties caused by the war but alas he thought sadly for now it was time to rein things in, at least he consoled himself Order 66 would deal with the Jedi soon enough he thought with a sense of anticipation.

To be truthful watching Ordo gain control of all Mandalorians was starting to become a possible concern so it would serve his purpose to get him back here so Palpatine could keep him close by and under his watch.

To use him and eventually remove him when the time came.

Graavis, Mandalorian Space…

Graavis was an uninhabited world in roughly the centre of Mandalorian Space, a rough and dusty world it had a breathable atmosphere and was unclaimed by any faction. No resources were worth mining and it had no strategic value so no one came here.

Which made it perfect for a secure meeting place. An old mining base had been recommissioned for the meeting and now teamed with personnel as all the representatives arrived for the meeting.

A number of ships were in orbit guarded the planet as the leaders gathered and prepared themselves. All of them had much to say and suggest as they tried to find a path forward.

Haron was standing on the observation deck of the Stormfront as he waited for the other dukes and duchesses to arrive, normally he would have waited for them down on the planet but first there was something he wanted them to see.

Ijaa was standing with him, both in full armour as they waited for each of the house leaders to arrive. One by one they appeared until finally all of them assembled on the hanger deck. Haron turned to face them before saying with a smile.

"Firstly welcome, it is good to see you all again. I know you are eager to begin the conference but I wished to show you a ship that my house acquired the design for. As you are all aware while the Janus-class Battlecruiser and the Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser are robust designs and currently are the heavy firepower of our limited fleet. However they lack versatility and suffer from a number of key design flaws that are difficult to resolve. To that end my house acquired a design that was created by the same company as the Dreadnaught. Let me introduce you to the Mirskto-class Heavy Cruiser." Haron said, gesturing with his hand to the large vessel that appeared as if on cue.

The ship had a narrow and aggressive hull shape, presenting a smaller and more evasive target than most ships its size. It was far less squat than the Dreadnaught and had a more streamlined hull with more curved edges. The guests looked at it with some interest but little more.

"So you have a new toy. Does it light up?" Alain Ma'Gard said with a little mock which Haron ignored as he briefed them on their new warship.

"Six hundred and fifty metres long, two hundred and forty metres wide. Fairly strong armour with a powerful defence shield and driven by four large sublight engines. It is quick and fairly manoeuvrable for a ship its size and as you are about to witness, has a lot of teeth. Begin the weapons test." Haron added into his comm link and turned back to look at the Mirskto.

His audience watched too as its twelve medium turbolaser batteries opened fire on some targets that had been left for them. Moving ahead at impressive speed it quickly with almost white blasts tore the asteroids and derelict ships to pieces in moments while its smaller twenty quad-laser cannons ripped into anything they got close enough.

Then it started firing long range concussion missiles from its six launchers all with different yields before turning in an almost impossibly small arc in time for a modified Munificent-class ship to fire a spread of missiles at it. The other house leaders watched confused as the ship took no real evasive action and almost seemed ready for the missiles to hit it.

Only to be shocked when all along its hull small laser rapid fire cannons and a number of regular flak cannons opened fire, creating almost a wall of flack and lasers that shredded the missiles the moment they got close enough before ever hitting the ship.

"The ship's hull is covered by small laser cannons and flak guns that can create a near impenetrable point defence system against both fighters, missiles and even small ships if they get close enough. Twelve medium turbolasers and twenty quad-laser cannons alongside its six variable yield missile launchers provide the ship with impressive firepower against larger targets. But also the flight pods along side of the main hull fix a key weakness in the Janus and Dreadnaught." Haron said, gesturing with his hand as from three launch tubes on the bottom of each flight pod started spewing out starfighters longitudinally.

"They carry twelve starfighters and other small craft in each pod while automation allows a crew of only eight hundred to operate the vessel. While the Dreadnaught will be the immediate front line warship of our fleet it is the Mirskto which will I hope become its eventual replacement." Haron said, eager to show them the capabilities of the new ship.

"I like." Alain Ma'Gard said with a look of amusement in his eyes.

"It will be a fine weapon in our arsenal." Duke Ge'hark said with pride.

"But..." Eliza Kane said with a suspicious look in her eye. "You wouldn't show us this if you didn't have something better on the drawing board."

The other house leaders all looked at him with guarded looks but he just smiled as he shrugged before telling them.

"It's not so much on the drawing board, its just not finished yet. This ship has a bigger and more powerful sister." He told them plainly before projecting a hologram of another ship, similar in shape to the Mirskto but with less angular and more smoother lines and six sublight drive units rather than four.

"The Atin-class Battleship. The first Mandalorian Capital Ship in centuries. Twice the size of the Mirskto with a crew of two thousand five hundred, far more powerful shields and heavier armour. She carries a hundred starfighters and support craft with a rapid launch and recovery system. The same point defence system of flak guns and laser cannons but with double the number of missile launchers, eighteen medium turbolaser cannons, twelve ion cannons and twenty four heavy turbolaser batteries. Slower than the Mirskto but far more resilient." Haron said, proud of the work his ship designers had put into the vessel after receiving the original flawed design.

"What a beast." Harlan said with awe at the design as did the others.

"With larger warships becoming more common in the galaxy we must keep up with our rivals." Ceta said with a nod of approval.

"But we will need more, a balanced fleet if we are to be a true military power once again." Yal Takan said with a calculating look in his eyes, easily seeing opportunities here.

"That is part of the reason for this conference." Ijaa said. "We must combine our knowledge to assemble the forces we need. The Dreadnaughts and these large vessels are a good start, the Crusader-class Corvette is a reliable support vessel but there are other roles that must be filled."

"Hence why we will bring together all our ideas to create a fleet and army capable of rising to meet any challenge we might be faced with." Haron said, taking back control of the meeting.

- x -

Duke N'Val meanwhile was silent but stroked his chin as he considered the designs that Ordo had acquired and saw just how capable they would be in a future war. He was immediately interested in obtaining some of them but also his imagination was stoked by them too.

In his mind a design for a starfighter was already taking shape, a fast and agile one that would match the Atin and Mirskto, be worthy of them, he would need to work on some of the details but it would be a major asset to their people in any future war.

- x -

Later that day after going down to the surface they sat in discussion of their new fleet and first, the distribution of the remaining Dreadnaughts.

"With open access to shipyards maintenance will be eased for all the fleet." Duchess Lila Kast said with a smirk at having such heavy fire power.

"Indeed, those who have the shipyards can help maintain ships for those that don't, not to mention producing more fighters and corvettes to support the larger cruisers." Haron said before moving on to the next part of their discussions. "We have the Lucrehulks to act as carriers and battleships for now although the Atin-class will probably have to take over that role eventually. But we do need smaller warships that can act as support vessels or deal with smaller tasks so we can reserve our larger ships for when they are truly needed. Any designs we can find to suit these roles would be useful."

"Heavier corvettes and lighter cruisers will be useful for that purpose but we will need more than that. Vehicles for the army, dropships that can carry more warriors not to mention a dedicated bomber. There is a great deal of work to do." Sel'ban said looking at the holes in their armed forces.

They all nodded, knowing there was a lot of new vehicles and ships needed before they could call their still rather divided and disorganised force a military.

"Houses will be allocated an even number of the Dreadnaughts each, as for the bomber we have a potential candidate for that role already in the modified U-Wing design but we will look in alternatives to be safe." Deera said from her chair as she looked through her data pad. The rest of them nodded before Lila Kast spoke up.

"There is a pair of designs one of my people came up with awhile ago, a Missile Cruiser called the Halberd-class and a heavy corvette called the Gladius-class. They might fill some of our needs." Lila told them and Haron said.

"Show the designs to our shipwrights and we shall see what can be made of them." Amili said which received a nod of acceptance.

"I had an idea that is a little different but sounds a lot more fun." Eliza said with a cunning look in her eyes which made them all a little wary. "We could create a drone fighter that rams into the hull of a vessel then explodes slightly inside the hull. A droid carrier that could be useful in supporting fleet actions and dropping those Basilisks for fights in space or on the ground." Eliza said, letting her idea hang in the air for them to absorb and process.

Haron thought it was certainly a unique idea but potentially one that could be a major asset for them. Despite knowing now that Eliza could keep her word he was still a little uncertain of her which he knew was what she wanted.

"That would be an interesting concept." Haron admitted before telling them. "Stay unpredictable. Break with convention in war and no one will be able to fully anticipate you. Ideas like this give us an advantage over our enemies. Develop the idea, try to make it into something tangible. The RP DF Project is yours." He said, coming up with a name off the top of his head and she smirked in triumph.

While the others stared Yal Takan then brought up an idea he just thought of along those same lines.

"The Basilisk in a fierce weapon but as a ground vehicle it is somewhat limited. The Canderous Tank is a good companion to it but if we are willing to expand the range of Basilisk war droids into newer more focused models we could expand the range of our forces and their strength." Yal said. The idea was a rather strange one as they had never really changed the design of a Basilisk in thousands of years and it immediately met with some resistance from one of their number.

"Never! The Basilisk is the greatest war machine ever created, it needs no change!" Sarek raged and the others looked at him, his outburst having raised concern in them about his inflexibility. Haron decided it was probably best to reassure him and give him a greater role to ensure he felt he had a voice.

"We are not changing it. The version that we have now is always going to be a symbol of our people. This is merely expanded its lore by creating variants to focus on other threats and we haven't actually decided to do it yet...we must first see if it is possible but in the meantime yourself and Duke Ma'Gard will look for possible ground vehicles we can use to bolster our warriors and the Skytroopers. We need powerful and capable units if we are to contend with the rest of the galaxy. Clear?" He asked sternly to them all and reluctantly they backed down, Duke Sarek seeming to understand and calm down but Haron knew this might not be the last time they fought over this.

"In regards to the ships, houses and clans will have direct control over the ships they have to use as they choose but when called on to defend us then they must meet the call, standing as our sector fleets. It will be expected to maintain your ships and if that proves a problem then reach out to others. A stronger Mandalore is a Unified Mandalore." Haron said before he put his hand to the comm link.

"Haron." Vysa said from the Stormfront in orbit, sounding concerned. "We have a visitor. A single Jedi Starfighter just dropped out of hyperspace and is approaching at high speed. Do you want us to shoot them down?" Vysa asked.

Haron looked at the others who he knew had heard the report and were looking very uncomfortable at the Jedi coming here. What the hell did they want? Haron frowned and then felt a familiar tremor in the force, he was surprised at just who it was but why would Anakin be coming here? He asked himself and said to the others and Vysa at the same time.

"No." Haron said surprising them all. "Let him land, we need to see just what would get a Jedi to dare to come into our territory. Then send him packing." Haron said with a firm stare directed towards the other house leaders.

None of them looked happy at this and neither was he.

"The Jedi could pose a problem for us. We need to find out why he is here and deal with it." He told them and they nodded in agreement. Their plans had only just begun and they didn't need the Jedi poking their noses in. If they shot him down then others would come and that was the last thing they needed. Better to find out just what Anakin wanted so they could deal with it quickly.

- x -

Anakin was very surprised to see the number of ships in orbit of Graavis, flights of ARC-170s and another smaller fighter were quick to surround him as he headed towards the planet but he was glad did not fire on him.

Flying past the ships in orbit, many of which he had never seen although Dreadnaught cruisers and several captured Separatist ships he did recognise. He had no idea the Mandalorians had so many he thought with astonishment and wondered if there were other ships that he hadn't seen.

Flying down to the old survey base he saw the presence on the ground was no less intimidating. Landing his fighter he found himself surrounded by a lot of Mandalorian warriors with their weapons drawn and a pair of vicious looking Basilisk war droids which he had only ever seen on history holos. As he got out of his fighter he saw that the odds were definitely stacked against him. His hand was near his saber, ready to draw it if needed, all the hostile looks and glares of disdain were unsettling even for him and wondered briefly if coming here without warning them first wasn't a huge mistake.

"Anakin, what are you doing here? This isn't a good place for you." A familiar voice spoke and it was a blessed relief to see Haron appear nearby along with the other Mandalorian leaders.

"The Chancellor sent me." Anakin said, the sight of him made him feel a little more confident. "We need you to come back to Coruscant immediately, the Republic's situation is getting a lot worse since you left."

"The Republic threatens my people with invasion, now it wants my help." Haron said with a dismissive look on his face which Anakin could only grimace at, knowing what an uphill struggle he was facing here. The other Mandalorian leaders too looked rather dismissive or incredulous at the request.

"The Separatists are winning the war." Anakin said in a gambit that he hoped would get them to at least think about it. "If the Republic falls just who do you think they will come after next?"

That seemed to resonate with them, all sharing troubled looks as they considered that possibility very likely. Haron himself nodded which made Anakin a little hopeful.

"That is quite true, but my people are aware that the Republic itself might invade us if it wins." Haron said which made Anakin's heart sink while also feeling very troubled at that word. "We have seen it change since this war began, become more corrupt and power hungry. Some parts of it would love nothing more than to see our territory subjugated under the Republic. What can you do to assure me that won't happen?" Haron said with an expectant look which was soon copied by the other Mandalorian leaders.

Anakin was unsettled for a moment that Haron was against him but then realised he was giving him a chance to make his case rather than dismiss it out of hand. Anakin was grateful for that but now was faced with a difficult decision, just what did he say now? He racked his brain, wishing dearly that Obi-Wan was here as he was far better at these things than he was but surely he thought he must have picked up something about this after all those missions they had been on together.

Anakin knew it was the threatened invasion of their space that had made Haron and the others withdraw from supporting the Republic, he knew that the Chancellor had tried to revoke the motion to invade should Satine Kryze be dethroned but too many senators who wanted to gain from the invasion stood in support. So he knew he couldn't promise them that, they'd leave the moment they realised that it wouldn't be honoured.

Then Anakin realised something, the motion named Mandalore specifically...none of the other worlds in their space. An idea formed in his mind that might just be doable though.

"The invasion motion can be altered to only target Mandalore itself and not the rest of your territory, that way even if Pre Vizsla does manage to somehow overthrow Satine Kryze you wouldn't be invaded but would have Republic support to remove him." Anakin offered, hoping it might work and they might accept the deal.

Haron and the other house leaders all looked thoughtful at his words, seeing perhaps that they might turn the situation to their advantage and told Anakin.

"We need to discuss this." An older man with great hair and strange extra padding on his armour. "Stay here and we will talk."

They all turned to go back inside the room they had come from but Haron stopped for a moment, turned and gave Anakin a smile and a nod.

- x -

"If they won't remove the threat of invasion then there can be no deal." Alain said sternly which Sarek, Ge'hark and Sel'ban nodded in agreement. Eliza Kane however had a point that could be important to raise.

"But it would allow us to keep an eye on both the Republic and the Separatists, not to mention allow some of our people to infiltrate their military to learn all their secrets." She said with a calculating look on her face. Amili in agreement with this spoke.

"It would also lower the threat level against us. We would only have to wait for Kryze to fall and then use the Republic to invade and retake Mandalore before installing someone we want in charge. You know, take a problem and turn it to an advantage." She said with a pondering tap to her chin.

"True, but getting back into bed with the Republic is against the grain after what they threatened us with." N'Val said grimly.

Haron sighed, he knew the dangerous course of action this could be and dedicated to share some of his concerns with them all.

"During my time with the Republic I noticed some things that made me doubt it will remain a democracy for long." Haron said with a grim tone that had them confused at what he could mean. "The corruption inside it is so great and the Chancellor keeps gaining more and more power for himself. The Jedi, the ones who to be honest would probably keep it from changing are growing weaker and less trusted by the Republic due to not only the war but their own self-isolation from the galaxy. It might not happen but I could see it getting more likely with each passing day. Eventually if it does become an empire it will seek to enforce its will on all outside its own sphere, even us." Haron said laying out his worries without revealing the fact they had visions in the force of it happening.

The other Mandalorian leaders all exchanged looks and were both confused and worried by his assertion although some nodded having already heard these suspicions from him. They could scarcely believe it but given it had already threatened them with invasion once to support a leader in favour of it, the idea it could do so again if it was turned into a dictatorship was too likely to ignore.

They all stayed silent, most of them now understanding why he was so obsessed with building up a military and uniting them all. If what he claimed came to pass then they would be under the threat of occupation, one that they would be hard to resist against an empire the size of the Republic even if they were prepared...without those preparations it would have been near hopeless.

"Then we should take the deal and insert some people into their forces as spies, so we can learn more and make more contacts within the Republic which would be useful regardless of what happens." Ceta said with a pondering look in her eyes. The others all looking on quietly in contemplation.

In truth they all knew it might still be stretched to include their other worlds but the Separatists winning the war was something they couldn't ignore. As long as the war went on, they had time to work and prepare themselves for what might be to come and perhaps work to prevent it.

Haron shared a look with Deera who nodded, seeing they had managed to convince them to play along with the Republic for now at least.

"If I am to return to Coruscant then I will appoint the vote Ordo has in our alliance to my sister Deera who I trust the most to represent our interests in this matter. Without question or hesitation." He added, letting all of them know that she had his support and trust which given his own reputation was a big endorsement.

"So be it." Ijaa said with acceptance. "Your sister will have the vote of Ordo and Qarl in your absence."

Haron smiled at Deera who raised an eyebrow before smiling slightly herself.

- x -

Anakin meanwhile was glaring at the warriors that were all trying to intimidate him, he wasn't afraid as regardless of what happened he would do what he must to get out of it. One of the guards that had closed in on him from behind threw a punch straight at the back of his head but Anakin felt the attack coming and managed to move his head out of the way in time to miss the punch and step aside so it instead struck one of the other warriors who stumbled back as the armoured fist hit him.

Anakin saw the other warriors all ready to fight and he immersed himself in the force and rather than escalate it any-more used his fists and feet instead of his lightsaber.

He twisted out of the way and landed a hard kick against the chest of one warrior and punching another in the unprotected gaps in the side of his torso. Both staggered back and Anakin wasted no time grabbing the fist of one warrior and using it as leverage to force the owner into another warrior who collapsed into a heap on the floor.

One warrior activated his cable gun but Anakin showed why such tactics might work against some Jedi but not him. Anakin with a fluid grace moved out of the way and it wrapped itself around another Mandalorian warrior while Anakin grabbed the wire and pulled them both together.

"ENOUGH!" Haron's voice called out and they all stopped to see Haron standing there with a furious look on his face. Anakin wondered if he was angry about him fighting with the warriors and if that was the case his heart sank as it meant the end of any chance of Haron coming back to Coruscant.

"If you wished to try your luck against a Jedi then you can challenge him fairly and with honour. Attacking him without warning and in such a group is cowardly." Haron said coldly to the warriors who all seemed to lose most of their spirit and some Anakin could feel their fear of Haron and their respect for him. That confused Anakin but he was at least glad that Haron was not angry at him.

"This one might be a Jedi, but he has a warrior's spirit. Rare among your kind." The older grey haired man with tattoos said with a curious look on his face and all Mandalorians even Haron looked at him with surprise but at least Haron smiled a little.

"Shame he's a Jedi, among us he'd be a legend. And pretty too." A woman with very bright blonde hair said with a calculating and mischievous look in her eye, one that unsettled Anakin a little. Haron however came to his rescue.

"His heart belongs to another."

"Spoilsport." The woman said with a slightly childish pout but Deera Ordo thankfully got them back on track.

"Well General Skywalker, as long as the invasion plans only affect Mandalore and not the rest of our territory, I think we might be persuaded to allow Haron to return and help you in the war. But only if that condition is met." Deera told him with a stern look in her eyes which Anakin nodded at, knowing she was serious in this and it was not such a big concession.

"It will be Countess Ordo." Anakin said with a respectful nod. The honouring of her title did seem to grant him a little more respect.

Haron smiled a little as he walked over to stand next to him, in the time since they had last seen each other nothing much had changed for either of them but Haron did look at his armour with a critical eye and said.

"Impressive, as is your performance in the war from what I have heard." Haron told him and Anakin felt a bit of pride at that but returned the compliment.

"You haven't done so badly yourself."

The two men shared a moment of silence before Haron broke it to tell them.

"I have a few things to put in order and then we will go to Coruscant." Haron told him and Anakin was immediately relieved to hear it.

- x -

Katale Ma'Gard was a little bored by the conference, she knew it was important and she would have to replace her grandfather at some point in these things but that didn't change how she felt. She hummed quietly to herself and was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice until a knife appeared at her throat. She gasped in shock as she felt the cold metal against her throat.

"I see I'm not the only person whose a little bored." A sly and almost childish voice said, out of the corner of her eye Katale saw it was Duchess Eliza Kane who was holding the knife with a lazy hand. "I have a proposition that might be more entertaining." Eliza whispered in her ear, sending a shiver up Katale's spine.

"I'm all ears." Katale said nervously. Eliza seemed happy with that.

"My own sources have found a couple of good ships that might serve our new fleet well. The problem is that they happen to belong to someone else. Now I need some extra help to get them...you interested?" She asked with a cruel smirk.

"How can I refuse?" Katale said, scared this crazy woman was going to slit her throat but her agreement at least made Eliza take the blade away although she she held onto her shoulders and whispered in her ear.

"Good, but I think we need a practice run to make sure we have the right team and can work together." Eliza said which only filled Katale up with more anxiety. "I think I have a job in mind, one that will humiliate that prissy little Naboo senator and her world for messing in our business."

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" Katale asked with a grimace. Eliza just smiled.

"Taking something they prize as a trophy."

- x -

Haron and Deera spoke by hologram to Ara. She did not look amused at the idea of Haron returning to Coruscant especially now.

"Sometimes I think you are running off to the Republic to escape our marriage." She said with annoyance and Haron looked affronted at first before telling her.

"You know as well as I do that isn't true. At least this way we can prepare for war with the Republic better. Besides we are now in a far better place than we were before and preparations can now accelerate now we have the other houses fully onboard." Haron said. But before they could speak again Vysa entered the room and with a nervous look on her face said.

"If you are going back to the Republic then I had best be making tracks. Thank you for having me along...it was fun." She said with a smile that looked completely natural and without sarcasm. My, Haron thought with slight amusement, we have come a long way.

"It has been good to spend time with you too." Haron said smiling back at her and she looked a little touched by that but soon retreated back behind her mask.

"Yeah, don't get all messy on me. But seriously though, I'll stay in touch." Vysa said with a smile before walking over to give Deera a hug which surprised her and then doing the same to Haron who returned it and she left with her head held high before she lost her mask completely.

Haron and Deera let her leave, knowing that was her doing her best to express how she felt in her own way. Seeing Din likewise standing there Haron smiled at him and told the fast growing boy.

"I trust you will keep learning. The Clone Wars might not be your war but your time will come to prove yourself." Haron assured him and Din nodded in quiet acceptance.

"I will your grace...Mandalore." Din said adding the last part so only they could hear it. Haron smiled a little at that, feeling the strength Din's faith in him. It was troubling in other ways though and he just hoped not to let the boy down.

The Senate Building, Coruscant...A Couple of Days Later…

Anakin's starfighter dropped out of hyperspace followed by the Canderous, flying straight to the Senate Building. They both flew down at high speed till they landed at the docking area of the Senate Building and as Anakin climbed out of his cockpit and R2 ejected to follow him, the loading ramp on the Canderous lowered and Haron emerged followed by a group of his warriors.

With Anakin at his side Haron marched forward, the sight of him and his warriors scaring many of the senators, aides, staff, Jedi and military officers that saw them. They jumped out of the way and stared in surprise as they passed.

Arriving in the familiar military control centre Haron looked at the barely organised chaos going on around him and sighed, seeing the Chancellor standing there sent a chill up his spine. Haron hated having to come back here but being around Palpatine was perhaps the thing he was most concerned about. Palpatine saw them and smiled a little which to Haron's mind looked creepy.

"Alright." Haron called out loudly, his voice loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room who all looked on in surprise...even Tarkin who raised an eyebrow while others gaped at his sudden appearance. "I need a screen with all active campaigns listed."

"Duke Ordo..." Tarkin started saying, probably to remind him that he was no longer in a position of power here but Palpatine cut in.

"Do as my freshly reinstated military adviser says...there is much work to be done to get this war back on course." He called out with his voice full of authority, so much so that even Tarkin obeyed without question.

Haron was forced reluctantly to admire that, walking forward to the interactive screen where a list of nearly a hundred and fifty separate campaigns, both offensive and defensive. Haron sighed with frustration, seeing the complete mess that greedy senators and idiot Jedi had created. Too many campaigns had spread the Clone Army thin, far too much for them to gain much ground especially when unskilled people were leading it.

He began highlighting campaigns immediately and divided them into two groups, his fingers moving at lightning speed as was his mind as he took in the situation. He quickly divided the campaigns, one group was larger than the other and began giving his orders.

"All units assigned to these campaigns." He said pointing to the larger group. "Are to be pulled out immediately." Haron then moved a couple over to the other smaller list of campaigns. "Transfer these units to support those while assembling all the remaining freed units here in System 33469, while maintaining comm silence." Haron said as a plan to blunt the CIS war effort and turn the tables back in the Republic's favour formed in his mind. Everyone was somewhat confused at why they would need so many ships and troops in a deserted and overlooked system. Tarkin, ever the ambitious politician however spoke up.

"Duke Ordo, many of these campaigns were requested by some very powerful senators...it would be unwise." Tarkin said as he looked at the list but Haron cut him off with a stern look.

"So they can't fill their pockets with credits or otherwise improve their own status. I am here to win a war Admiral, not cater to their whims." Haron told him which didn't even phase the older man before turning to Anakin. "Join the assembled taskforce in System 33469, you have complete charge of it. Wait a week then launch concentrated attack on these targets." Haron said turning to the star map and highlighted a number of star systems. Some of which were key industrial centres for the Separatists.

"I want you to smash them to be pieces while most of their units are concentrated on the front before making your way back to Republic space, use orbital bombardment if you can or regular bombing runs if needed. Only engage in a ground fight if strictly necessary." Haron said with a smirk that Anakin was soon wearing too.

"This is where the fun begin." Anakin said and Haron nodded.

"Indeed, have some. It will take us awhile but we will turn this around." Haron told Anakin who nodded and went to get his fighter refuelled to join the taskforce, followed by R2.

"Welcome back Duke Ordo. I trust your time away was restful." Palpatine asked and Haron could almost see the gears moving behind his eyes, Palpatine already knew exactly what he had been up too and was just toying with him.

Laugh at me in private if you wish Sith, Haron thought privately to himself with his walls up at full. But I will find a way to stop you, Haron swore to himself. He would have attacked him if he thought it would help but that would only play into the old man's hands and give him an excuse to attack his people if it failed.

Seeing that Palpatine was expecting an answer Haron nodded politely and said.

"It was Chancellor, very much indeed."

Jedi Cruiser Carnage, One Week Later…

Anakin stood with his arms behind his back on the command deck with over twenty Venator-class ships at his command, none of his regular friends were with him but in some ways that was liberating as he didn't have to worry about them so much.

His fleet was larger than this but other ships were attacking other targets while their defenders were at a minimum, most of the units being sent to help their push into Republic space.

Anakin stood on the bridge of his temporary ship as it left hyperspace right above the planet and saw only a handful of frigates in their path. Turning to his comm officer he commanded.

"Cruisers 5 through 8 engage the frigates, launch fighters, the rest of the ships close on the planet and the moment we are in position begin planetary bombardment of industrial complex."

"Yes sir." The clone said and issued his orders to the fleet, Anakin watched as the ships closed in and the moment they were in possible, they opened fire on the industrial complex below.

It was strange watching this happen, Anakin thought to himself with a strange feeling of disconnection from the devastation he knew the ship's turbolasers were causing. A sight being repeated on five other worlds right now. He guessed distance really did make you feel separate he thought to himself.

But there was a sense of satisfaction, enough that made Anakin smile. This he knew would really damage the Separatist war effort. They would have to pull back units to protect their own industrial sites and these while they were being rebuilt and have at least for awhile a limited production capacity. The Republic could catch its breath and regain some lost ground in that time, not to mention lick its wounds.

He was grateful for that and glad that Haron was back to help them in this war, hoping that he could finally spend some more time with Padmé.

The Senate Building, Coruscant...A Few Days Later…

Haron rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked at the tactical and strategic picture.

His surprise attack had done its job and scared the Separatists, forcing them to stop their forward advance and pull back into their own space for now. That meant the Republic was able to concentrate on more important campaigns and defence for the meanwhile.

Haron estimated that the war might have been put back as much as a year by all the damage and wastage being caused. The fact that incompetent Jedi were now more widespread than ever didn't help and he was trying to reassign them but as usual he thought with annoyance the Jedi were fighting him.

Still he thought with his tiredness, not having gotten much sleep over the last week as he oversaw several campaigns and battles personally and reassigned the units he had pulled to reinforce other campaigns.

He chuckled as he saw a particular message being sent around the network, one of the communication officers had a sense of humour and he had begun sending a simple two word message from one unit to another until it was bouncing around the entire Republic.

It said simply "Ordo's Back".

He could almost hear the groans of the Jedi at that and it amused him but as he left to get some rest in his ship he remembered he had another briefing to give...one to his own people, held in his ship as it was one of the few places he could be reasonably sure wasn't bugged.

A number of his warriors always watched it and he gave them a nod as he passed, walking up the ramp and into the small cargo hold where a dozen or so volunteers from different Mandalorian planets had assembled.

"Your grace, we were told to report to you." The leader of the group said, a man that was younger than him with red hair, blue eyes and fair skin.

"What's your name?" Haron asked and the young warrior bowed in respect.

"Fenn Rau sir. Here to prove that not all Mandalorians have forgotten honour and obligations." Fenn told him and Haron nodded. Turning to the group he briefed them all.

"You are all here for a very important purpose, myself and the other house leaders have grown to believe that a war with the Republic maybe brewing in the future. While not yet certain we are taking no chances with the safety of our people so to that end, you have all been chosen to join the Republic's war effort and learn everything that you can learn about it. Its strengths, its weaknesses...anything that might give us an advantage should the worst come to pass." Haron told them, giving them the task he was asking of them.

The group even Fenn looked a bit uneasy at effectively working for the Republic so that they might learn how to beat it later but out of the volunteers they had the strongest loyalty to their people and were the smartest and most capable.

They would do their job and learn how to fight the Republic...Haron just hoped it wouldn't be necessary.