So… Battle Meditation.
What did I actually know about it?
When used in battle, a gifted practitioner could raise the morale and combat effectiveness of their allies while sowing uncertainty among their enemies, suppressing their will to fight. That made sense when dealing with organic soldiers—but how exactly do you instill doubt in a droid?
Looks like we're unlucky on that front.
Still… onward.
The technique was said to be most effective in large-scale space battles, though it could also prove invaluable in smaller engagements such as clashes between ground forces. By using Battle Meditation, the practitioner immersed themselves in the Force, dramatically expanding their perception. In that state, they could sense every participant in the battle—their emotions, movements, and intentions.
And not only sense them.
Influence them.
Those fighting under the guidance of Battle Meditation felt absolute confidence in their abilities and in victory. The Force seemed to flow through them, granting renewed energy and clarity. Warriors fought with purpose and determination, acting in harmony with one another and dramatically increasing their combat effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the enemy experienced the opposite.
Battle Meditation worked in two directions at once. While allied forces were strengthened, the opposing army was subtly weakened. Fear, panic, and confusion could spread through enemy ranks. Their minds could be clouded by doubt, their decisions distorted by fleeting illusions or terrible imaginings. In that chaos, they would struggle to organize defenses or execute orderly retreats.
Ships and soldiers could then crush them with decisive blows.
Or drive them to surrender.
To use Battle Meditation, the practitioner had to completely clear their mind and achieve perfect inner balance. Only then could they draw upon the Force to sustain the technique. External distractions had to be minimized as much as possible.
The classic example was the meditation sphere used by Darth Vader.
Sith practitioners had mastered the technique as well as the Jedi, though they typically drew upon the Dark Side and used it primarily to spread terror among their enemies.
That… however, was not our method.
Still.
Let's give it a try.
Waiting is unpleasant. Waiting while trying to catch up with events is even worse. If nothing comes of it, at least it will pass the time.
I slipped into meditation as I usually did.
Call it subconsciousness or something else—it hardly matters. Meditation works in strange ways.
Something felt different this time, though.
Still, I managed to focus.
Clear your mind…
No emotions…
Find balance…
The Force…
Learn…
No emotions…
See clearly…
The Force…
See.
---
I don't know how long I remained in that state.
Soon it felt as if I woke up.
Or perhaps… I hadn't woken up at all.
The sensation was strange—sitting here in headquarters, yet being everywhere at once.
I could feel each of my soldiers.
The vague sense of danger that had been troubling me suddenly sharpened. I could almost see it—not the future exactly, just vague impressions. But even that was astonishing.
The feeling reminded me of fencing—when you anticipate an opponent's strike before it happens.
At the same time, it was completely different from ordinary meditation. Usually I retreated inward, into my own mind.
Now the opposite was happening.
My awareness expanded outward, leaving my body and spreading through the surrounding space. It felt as though my consciousness stretched across the battlefield, touching every soldier, every machine, every movement.
For a moment it seemed as if I was embracing the entire universe.
And yet, at the same time, I felt like nothing more than a speck of dust within it.
The sensation lasted only a moment.
Then the headache arrived.
It slammed into me like a hammer, splitting my skull apart.
Why is it always like this? Something useful, something fascinating… and immediately afterward it feels like someone set your brain on fire.
A thick hint from the Force, perhaps.
Think for yourself.
---
It took several minutes before the pain finally subsided.
Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus on the coming battle and piece together what I had sensed.
To do that, I needed the tactical hologram.
Not with my eyes—they were still closed.
But with that strange inner perception.
"Lieutenant," I said quietly. "Display the landing zones used by the CIS during the first battle for Va'aart. Add the landing sites from the recent assault."
Second Lieutenant Li Noriega moved immediately.
Although my eyes remained closed, I perceived everything as clearly as if I were looking directly at the display.
Four red circles appeared on the map.
They lay roughly fifteen kilometers from the base, positioned in four mountain valleys surrounding our location.
Two of the circles nearly overlapped, forming a wide six-kilometer landing zone.
The other two were narrower. One opened onto the plains, while the other extended deep into the mountain range before ending in a dead-end valley.
In short, our base controlled a crucial land route between two plains separated by mountain passes. The former CIS outpost we had destroyed earlier had served the same purpose.
Merchants once used that route to control trade between native settlements.
"Sumeragi," I said, "mark these points. They're the most likely landing zones for CIS forces."
"How do you know, General?" Sumeragi asked. "The droids could land slightly closer—or further away."
"Unlikely," I replied calmly. "Tactical droids are highly effective, but their main weakness is their lack of emotion—and their inability to truly understand it. They operate purely on logic."
I tapped one of the holographic markers.
"If a landing zone proved effective before, their calculations will recommend using it again. There's no logical reason for them to change it."
"Master," Ahsoka suddenly interjected. "If we know where they'll land… why not give them a surprise?"
I opened my eyes.
"Good point," I said.
Standing up, I walked to the table.
"The enemy likely knows our defensive layout—including our anti-ship weapons. If they won't come to us… then we'll go to them."
I pointed to two points on the map.
"Marshal Blam. We can position one J-1 cannon here… and another here. These locations give excellent firing angles on the landing zones."
Blam studied the map.
"We can do it. We'll transport the cannons using Nu-class attack shuttles. What about the crews?"
"Select four volunteers," I replied. "Two gunners per cannon."
Blam understood immediately.
"Provide transport," I continued, "and perhaps a company of captured B-1 droids as security."
"Yes, General."
Lieutenant Noriega typed rapidly. New markers appeared across the map as she began calculating firing sectors and trajectories.
She adapted quickly.
"Lieutenant," I added, "run simulations based on previous landing patterns. Predict likely enemy movements."
"Already running the models, General."
I turned back to Blam.
"Do we have mines?"
"No," he said. "But we can deploy explosive charges using the proton cannons and trigger them remotely. The cannons don't need their full ammunition loads anyway."
The implication was obvious.
The gunners stationed in those forward positions—directly inside the enemy landing zone—would essentially be suicide teams.
Does the end justify the means?
Hutt…
After a moment, I made my decision.
"I'll go with them," I said.
Blam looked up sharply.
"I want to test the limits of the new lightsaber rifle."
"Blam, when the teams depart, I'll accompany them. Ethan will remain here and maintain communications with me from the front lines."
Blam nodded slowly.
Meanwhile, he signaled to one of the clone troopers, spoke quietly, and handed him a datapad. The trooper saluted and hurried out of the headquarters.
Orders were already moving.
Fast.