Leaving the hall, Kinaun and I quickly made our way to his office, while Captain Ragnos rushed back to the Terminus to supervise the loading of the fighters.
Opening the holomap, we began coordinating our actions.
"How many ships do you have, Commander?" I asked.
"At the moment: six Acclamators, six Consular-class corvettes, and four Peltas. Though according to the list, there should be twelve Acclamators. Fighters total six hundred and ninety-six."
Now I understood why I had been brought into this operation. That Ditmar fellow must have the same problem with ships.
Rinaun projected the proposed route onto the screen.
"Ditmar is already en route to Togoria. Estimated time of arrival: five and a half hours. If we manage to depart within half an hour, we'll still be thirty minutes late."
"Yes, not ideal," I muttered. "All right, Commander—let's not waste time. I'll head to the ship and meet you in orbit. I'll take my personal starfighter, the Silencer, and move ahead to protect Ditmar's fleet. The modifications make it capable of arriving nearly an hour before him. The main threat will be Vulture droids, and the Confederacy won't risk their own capital ships for accidental damage."
Kinaun didn't like the plan. A general flying alone into contested space was dangerous—but he didn't know how capable I had become. Reluctantly, he agreed.
After a brief farewell, I headed for the speeder parking lot.
Thank the Force we hadn't had time to fill all the holds. Local dockworkers were professionals, but there was simply too much cargo. Gathering it all had taken hours. I had spent nearly the entire day running between storage bays. The fleet's supply officers were beasts—compared to them, even the Order's Toydarian quartermaster seemed almost cute and cuddly. Where did they even get all this? Well, considering local armies and fleets existed, there had to be supply officers, ensigns, and the inevitable bureaucracy.
And aside from that, I had reasons to be dissatisfied. Just imagine—they had taken half of my clones! I had no recourse. Other Jedi generals were of the same rank, and I couldn't challenge their decisions without appealing to the Council. By the time that bureaucracy concluded… it would be too late. In short, four regiments waved goodbye, departing for unknown destinations.
Still, complaining wasn't an option. I'd have to make do with what I had. The list of what I managed to scrape together from the supply officers was extensive.
First on the list were three full clone regiments—7,512 troopers, probably still first-generation, barely eleven years old. They had to be loaded first. I left Ethan to procure equipment while my starfighter was fully loaded with rhydonium missiles and anti-capital-ship torpedoes. I quickly jumped to hyperspace.
---
### Ethan POV
For reasons unknown to me, several specialized clone units had been stranded on Lantilles: five detachments of clone commandos, a company of clone spacetroopers (500), a platoon of "close-combat troopers" in powered battle armor (200), and two clone bomber squads (35). Naturally, I requisitioned them immediately. The supply officers hadn't known what to do with them, so there was no friction.
Dagon left me in charge. Smarter than even the more advanced tactical droid, I still hated paperwork.
I was particularly intrigued by the close-combat clones. Experimental and rare, they weren't in high demand—the GAR primarily fought droids. These two platoons had arrived for testing: standard clones encased in heavy armor, nearly twice the weight of normal gear, fitted with servomotors, and armed with twin vibroblades built into their gauntlets. I was impressed.
The Consular-class corvette allocated to me felt almost like a joke—fast and maneuverable, ideal for decoy missions or drawing attention, but not much else.
The main cargo consisted of 15,000 tons of various supplies: ammunition, uniforms, weapons from multiple systems, spare vehicle parts, and countless essentials without which the troops couldn't function. Some smaller containers were loaded onto the corvette; the rest went into the Terminus.
The equipment list was impressive: ten AT-TE tanks, three dozen AT-RT light walkers, twelve TTX-130 Saber-class fighter tanks, three dozen AT-XT walkers, six LAATs, six Nu-class attack shuttles, one Kappa-class shuttle, and—two Delta-7 Jedi starfighters. We managed to load most of it into the holds.
---
### Reviewing the Machines
The TTX-130 Saber was fast and highly maneuverable, reminiscent of the AAT. Its armament included two heavy laser cannons, one medium twin-laser turret, and two launchers with sixteen missiles total. Armor and shields left something to be desired.
The AT-XT, however, pleased me. An upgraded AT-RT with a fully enclosed cockpit, a twin-barreled laser cannon, and two grenade launchers (eighteen proton grenades total). Its shield could withstand medium blaster fire—or even a single heavy blaster shot—while still moving, albeit slowly. This machine could replace mortar crews and a few infantry squads—useful, given my shortages.
The Nu-class attack shuttles weren't new—they had simply taken their time arriving. Designed to complement LAATs, they could deliver cargo and troops directly into combat. Armament: four twin light laser cannons. Their strong shields and lighter armor made them survivable. Each had magnetic clamps capable of carrying two tons of external cargo.
The Kappa-class shuttle, of which I had one, was large—35 meters long, capable of carrying forty infantrymen and two light walkers, plus up to fifty tons of cargo. Well-armed, it could defend itself and "clear" a landing zone for troops, with walkers deploying first from side ramps at the stern and infantry following via the main ramp beneath the cockpit neck or side ramp doors.