The Boundless Jedi (anakin skywalker)

Part 30

Ａ Ｃｉｔａｄｅｌ ｏｆ Ｍｅｍｏｒｉｅｓ
(Season 3, Episode 18)

Anakin's POV:

Master Plo activates the hologram of the exterior view of the Citadel, the most impenetrable prison the Separatists control. This facility is known to only imprison Jedi, and was specifically made to keep them from ever escaping. A Jedi's recent capture by the name of Master Even Piell has forced myself and Obi Wan to attempt something impossible: break in and out of the prison alive. As Master Plo goes over the lack of information about the layout of this fortress, I'm already thinking of ways to get in. Sadly, nothing that involves heavy explosives and bold tactics, which is usually the route I would take. Instead, this mission relies on us being able to walk in and out without anybody noticing. If they realize we're there, then we're practically dead already. So no explosives, no shots fired, and definitely no aggressive negotiations, unless absolutely needed of course.

"No one has ever escaped," Master Plo emphasizes, but all I hear is a challenge.

"There's a first time for everything," I chime confidentially, trying to give my listening battalion some reassurance. If I let my men think that I'm wary going into this mission, then that's all they will feel too. "Indeed there is," Obi Wan adds in agreement. It seems my former master and I are on the same page for once. That probably won't last for long.

"The security has prevented our probes from obtaining recent reconnaissance, so we've been forced to construct a crude map based upon data from the archives," Master Plo continues, pulling up another image of the tunnel systems.

Just by looking at the inaccurate map, my self-assurance begins to falter a bit. That makes the percent of failure increase significantly. Luckily I've never cared much for statistics.

"And since the data is extremely old, the map will be difficult to rely on," Obi Wan says sternly, clearly unhappy about our odds of actually succeeding. His last words catch my attention and I think out loud when I say, "So we're essentially going in blind." You've got to be kidding me. I'm all for a challenge, but this is starting to sound like a death wish.

"Beg your pardon, General," Rex intervenes, "but how do we know Master Piell is still alive?" Good question as always.

"The Separatists won't dare kill Master Piell until they have what they need," Obi-Wan answers assuredly, crossing his arms comfortably. Without needing to ask, Master Plo states what the information is that Master Piell carries.

"He obtained the coordinates of a secret hyperspace lane, known as the Nexus Route, which travels into the heart of both the Republic and Separatists homeworlds," he reveals, putting a bad taste in my mouth. If someone were to use this information, it would mean a huge tilt in the war. If this lane is approached with strategic intelligence, it could even end the war. I, for sure, don't want to be on the end with the short stick. "They could prove vital in maneuvering our forces deep into remote Separatist sectors," adds Obi-Wan, putting the situation into a better perspective for myself and the troops. I take a second to consider my former master's point of victory, then my mind thwarts toward the other, less favorable, point. This is the first I'm hearing of this mission, so as much as I hate to admit it, I'm glad Obi-Wan is blabbing so much during this meeting.

"Or the enemy could use them to slip through our defenses and attack Coruscant," I put forth with a sour expression. If, by any circumstance, the separatists were able to torture the information out of Piell, that would be extremely bad.

As Master Plo continues his debriefing, I let my mind wander for a moment, and consider weighing in my options. I've already decided that I'm not allowing Ahsoka to go on this mission. It's simply way too dangerous for a padawan. I mean, kriff, it's extremely dangerous for a fully-fledged jedi master such as Obi Wan to attempt this. But what needs to be done, has to be done. No matter the cost.