STS. LOG-018. (Patreon)

LOG-018."You requested my presence."I stared as Kalani strode onto the Venator's (or I suppose it would be more appropriate to just say Silent Guardian's) bridge, his photoreceptors flashing slightly as he took in his new surroundings, before the super tactical droid focused back on me."Correct. I intend to take several new actions, and would appreciate your input."The general finally slowed to a stop next to me, glancing at the command table for a moment before clasping his hands behind his back."Very well. What do you plan to do?"Following his gaze, I stared at the galactic map I'd had Silent Guardian bring up (the ship AI all too happy to be of use in what limited way she could at the moment) and gestured at a specific dot, which was quickly zoomed into."This is the planet Teth. Located in the Eastern region of the galaxy, within Wild Space. There are individuals of interest on this world that I seek to make contact with."Kalani's photoreceptors glowed slightly as he took the world in, before turning back to me."Elaborate."Nodding, I gestured towards the holographic projection."It is to my knowledge that there is a clone underground headquartered upon Teth, operating from a hidden base. They have since betrayed the Empire, and are working against it."Kalani paused."...You seek to make contact with Republic operatives?"I shook my head in response."You fail to understand. As we both know, the Republic has become the Empire. This clone underground has forsaken the Empire due to ideological reasons. Their goals align with our own, and as such I wish to make them our allies either temporarily, or permanently depending on future events."The actual truth was that I just wanted to save the poor bastards before half of them got blown up by an assassin (if my memories of the date of that debacle was correct, I was right on time to deal with it and maybe fanboy about Rex doing Rex things), but he didn't need to know that.Nonetheless, the general took that in for a long moment, before nodding."An acceptable goal, but I would raise several points."Waving my hand, I nodded back."Proceed."Kalani began to slowly move around the command table, staring at the projection of Teth as he did so."If your goal is to seek allies against the Empire, it would be significantly more efficient to work our way to the outer rim proper. I have been making use of the Separatist shadowfeed, as damaged as it currently is, and there appear to still be holdouts resisting Imperial expansion. These groups are tried and tested, and would prove far more reliable and loyal than potentially unstable rogue clones."The super tactical droid pointed to his side, finger extending directly towards the forward viewport, and beyond it, Bracca."In addition, any such efforts will require us to leave Bracca. Such an action is ill-advised, as we should currently work to exploit what time we still have to recover as much war material as possible before we are forced to abandon the world to hostile reinforcements."Finally completing his orbit of the command table, Kalani turned to stare at me."Finally, I would request that you state your source as to the existence of this clone underground. If their supposed base is hidden as you say, it does not speak well of their ability to remain so, considering you, a Separatist fleet commander, have managed to find it with such ease."…Right, Kalani was actually really fucking smart when he wanted to be. Which was why I was doing this! So…just another good reason for it, I supposed."I will address your concerns in order."The general nodded at my statement, settling down and seemingly waiting for me to actually start talking. So I did."It is my current calculation that the best way to aid the Confederacy is to hinder the Empire in its expansion. The as of now repurposed Republic military industrial complex is currently being used to overtake and conquer CIS territories, and while resistance exists, it is isolated and generally not sufficient in lasting long enough to make a difference."Turning, I began to mirror Kalani's little orbit, walking around the table."My plan involves forming several self sufficient mobile fleets, composed entirely of droids, in order to harass both civilian and military Imperial infrastructure. While some assets may be used to assist beleaguered worlds under siege, or act as couriers to assist in uniting the remaining Separatist holdouts, the vast majority should be focused on this task in the interest of reducing strain on what is left of the Confederacy."My counterpart nodded in what seemed to be approval at that, so I continued."At present, the Confederacy of Independent Systems exists without a civilian government, and the military hierarchy is fractured at best. Our short term goals should be to form a new command structure and repulse the Empire's attempts at annexation, with our long term goal being the establishment of a new civilian government, once safe to do so."More nodding, the general still seemed to be in agreement with all of my points so far. Good."At present, we lack the resources and assets to accomplish this military stance, and thus we are relegated to salvaging war material such as here on Bracca, and growing our strength in order to maintain enough power to truly achieve any strategic effect. While we will aid the holdouts, we are too weak to do so at present, the time is not yet right."Grinding to a halt, I stared at Kalani."This is part of why I wish to contact the clone underground. As former Republic operatives, they will have intrinsic knowledge of many of the Empire's more outdated procedures and territories. Such allies, while strategically irrelevant, will no doubt prove invaluable on a tactical level in the short term, which we are currently relegated to until we build up enough numbers to declare otherwise."Tilting my head, I posed my question."Do you agree with this logic?"The super tactical droid dipped his head up and down in assent."I concur. While an unorthodox gambit, you have proven the effectiveness of such wagers before. An organisation of turncoats brought over to our side could prove…useful. But the issue of Bracca persists. You have stated we must build up strength, and that is something we are currently doing here, something that we can not abandon so casually without needlessly wasting potential resources."Moving to face my fellow machine directly, I raised a hand, clenching it into a fist."This brings me to my second point. Our efficiency is reduced while together. Tactical droids function better alone, without shared command, do you agree?"Kalani's photoreceptors lit up slightly, evidently eager at the thought."Affirmative. You are suggesting that we separate into two fleets?"Nodding, I moved my fist to press lightly against his chest, drawing his gaze, before turning it about to gesture at Bracca."Our programming is clear. I have proven the more unorthodox between us, while you excel further when it comes to traditional strategy. If acceptable, I would like to leave you in charge of the Braccan salvaging operation, alongside the majority of the fleet."My fist turned again, tapping at my own frame's chest."In turn, I will take command of a smaller taskforce, and pursue tactical objectives of sufficient merit. In this way, I will actively begin hindering the Empire and bolstering the Confederacy, while you continue to grow our available armed forces for future use. In the event that one of us is rendered offline, the other will be in a position to either assist or assume command entirely."The general pondered that, before nodding."I accept this logic. In the event of our splitting, it would be wise to take only the most functional vessels with you on your assigned mission. Once finished with Bracca, I will flee with my own fleet into deep space, and complete repairs there. A designated rendezvous point will be fabricated for our couriers."Bowing my head slightly, I enjoyed the vague impression of a smile ghosting across my faceplate."Then we are agreed. As to your third and final point, I have happened upon several specific pockets of information through a means I will not explain to you, lest it influence your decision making. It is best you simply accept this information at face value, and trust in its authenticity through me."It was complete and utter bullshit of course, I just didn't really have a potential reason I could give besides "hey, you're fictional where I originally come from buddy" but that wasn't something I was going to tell anyone, so Kalani would just have to cope.And cope he did, because droids like him only really cared about the hard numbers, unlike an organic commander that might distrust their fellow leadership over a perceived snub."Trust…an organic concept, but I see no logical reason for you to deceive me. The odds that you would be proven wrong are four hundred and six to one. I will agree with this new system of information."If I could sigh in relief, I would, but the action would have been halted before it could even begin by Kalani glancing up sharply."It is my hypothesis that this secondary objective you have assigned to tactical unit Widow and hidden from me is related to this unique information. Now that we have agreed upon a system, please share anything relevant promptly."Ah, perfect!"Very well."Putting my hands together, I allowed my digits to meet in a dignified pose."There is a Jedi padawan currently on Bracca known as Kal Kestis. It is my intention to recruit him to the Separatist cause, as I plan to do with the clones."Kalani's reaction was justified, honestly. Even if it still sounded really funny from the normally put together droid."What.""There's more.""Please elaborate immediately."Aw. Spoilsport.