"Sometimes she's like a child," Solo thought, shaking off his musings. "Seeing new 'toys' makes her forget everything else."
He smiled wryly, recalling Ahsoka's excitement when she first saw the armor.
The process of creating this armor had been nothing short of an "epic struggle."
Solo had initially wanted to craft it himself. After all, his predecessor had experience forging lightsabers. He drew upon his memories of discussions with Star Wars-obsessed friends about armor forging techniques, brimming with confidence as he began.
But reality struck a heavy blow. When he tried to manipulate duranium alloy slabs with the Force, he either lost control and reduced them to powder, or the forged components emerged riddled with cracks.
After three grueling hours, he had no choice but to secretly toss all the "failed prototypes" into the waste chute, lest someone see and laugh at his botched attempts.
In the end, Solo had to seek help from the ship's technical crew.
He gathered seven technical experts, armed with his rough sketches, and convened a "consultation" in a specialized armor repair workshop.
The techs discarded half of his designs, rejected the other half, and rapidly cast and stamped the required shapes from metal scrap. They then cut and polished the pieces.
The helmet proved even more troublesome. Since Jedi could perceive through the Force, there was no need for additional sensors or systems. Half of the internal components had to be removed due to size constraints, and the observation system and protective visor were also stripped out.
This "light armor" was more akin to a "protective plate ensemble." A series of small plates were secured to a leather base, which was further reinforced with woven armor pieces. The original "Phase One" armor plates were shrunk to half or even a third of their original size.
Solo personally painted the armor to match his own, affixed the 13th Legion's emblem to the pauldrons, and added rank insignia to the breastplate: five blue squares and one yellow square, adhering precisely to the Republic Army's rank standards.
"That's enough rest." Solo muttered as he climbed to his feet. "Time to train for a bit, then I need to sleep..."
***
The Republic Fleet's arrival at Donovia went remarkably smoothly. The fleet entered orbit, circled briefly, and began landing in an orderly fashion.
The Dingyuan was the first to touch down at the base, followed by the modified Carrier. The second Hailfire-class assault ship remained in orbit on watch, awaiting rotation.
During their absence, the base's runway had been paved with a locally produced concrete-like material. The ships landed without kicking up any dust, the process remarkably smooth.
Well done, Solo thought. Fortunately, the two Pelta-class frigates were on duty, and the Star Falcon was patrolling the system; otherwise, the base wouldn't have had enough space to accommodate all the vessels.
Upon returning to the base, Solo immediately convened a meeting to hear reports. Understanding the major events in the galaxy would be crucial for planning their next moves.
Commander Bram reported first: "Sir, during your absence, there were no major incidents. Everything has been peaceful. The landing platform is complete, contact with the locals has been minimal, personnel remain combat-ready, and fuel supplies are being replenished as planned."
"Good," Solo nodded. "I received notice that a reinforcement unit is arriving. Do you have any details?"
"Yes, sir! The reinforcements are en route to Lantilles, but we need to send a ship to escort them. The unarmed transports dare not enter our area of responsibility due to Separatist raiders operating here."
"I see." Solo paused in thought before issuing an order. "Prepare the Dingyuan for departure. I'll take one infantry regiment, ten gunboats, and four squadrons of V-19 Torrent fighters. Unload the rest of the equipment for maintenance and repairs. Empty all available cargo holds, and have the soldiers get as much rest as possible. We may be tasked with patrolling trade routes next."
Bram nodded in acknowledgment. Then, the engineering manager, Captain, stepped forward to report. "Sir! All units, ships, and the base are in good technical condition. Routine maintenance has been completed according to regulations. We successfully repaired one AT-TE walker and four AAT tanks. Additionally, we reprogrammed and returned 2,722 B-1 battle droids to service."
"So many?" Solo was startled to hear about two thousand robots. "Where did all these robots come from?"
"We salvaged approximately four thousand B-1 battle droids and several dozen vehicles from the wreckage of Separatist ships in orbit. We also stripped four turbolaser turrets and several blaster cannons."
"Good work! You clearly haven't wasted any time, Captain!" Solo quickly calculated in his head. "Now we have roughly six thousand robots. It's not a game-changing force, but they'll be useful in a pinch."
"Sir!" The clone trooper nodded and respectfully handed over a data pad. "You need to sign the authorization documents."
Solo entered the command on the data pad, completed the authorization, checked the time, and addressed the commanders. "Brothers, I'm very pleased with your work. Departure is set for ten hours from now. Use the time to prepare. Bram, you'll be in charge of guarding the base. Also, what are the serial numbers of those two Hailfire-class ships?"
"TR-724 and TR-792, General. TR-792 is currently on the ground."
What a headache! What should I name them? "Hailfire One" and "Hailfire Two" sounds ridiculous! Solo grumbled inwardly, not exactly skilled at coming up with names. After a moment's thought, he finally spoke.
"Let's name them now. TR-724 will be renamed 'Akagi,' and TR-792 will be renamed 'Shinano,'" Solo ordered. "Each ship will carry three battalions, with one battalion remaining at the base for rest and recuperation. Akagi will patrol Donovia's orbit, while Shinano will protect the fuel factory. Complete the deployment within three hours."
"Yes, sir!" Bram saluted and acknowledged the order.
"Oh, I almost forgot something." Solo slapped his forehead. "Arrange funeral services for the fallen soldiers and update the memorial plaques."
"Understood, sir! Will you be delivering the eulogy at the funeral?"
"Of course," Solo replied softly, his voice tinged with remembrance. "They deserve a proper farewell."
***
During the eight-hour journey to Lantilles, Solo finally got a good night's sleep.
He was utterly exhausted. Even just delivering the eulogy to the Clone Troopers at the funeral had drained him. Not only did he have to recite all the beautiful words about combat, brotherhood, and heroes never being forgotten, but he also had to announce to the newly arrived units that they were now part of the Legion.
Now he had units numbered seven through twelve.
An hour before arrival, he woke up, took a quick shower, had a simple breakfast, and meditated briefly.
When the ship emerged from hyperspace, Solo preferred to be on the bridge. This way, he could both admire the magnificent sight of the cosmos and respond immediately to any combat alarms.
As he was heading to the bridge, he suddenly felt a strong surge of the Force, and blurry images flashed through his mind.
Several ships were engaged in fierce combat.
Amidst the chaos, another vaguely familiar figure emerged deep within his mind.
"Damn it, what's the Force up to? What was that just now?" Solo staggered, instinctively grabbing the wall as a sharp pain shot through his head, like a migraine was coming on.
"Was that a Force vision? That was sudden..."
After regaining his composure, Solo knew the Force wouldn't give him a warning without reason. He had to prepare for battle immediately.
He stormed onto the bridge and barked, "Captain Ragnos! All hands, enter First-Class Battle Readiness! Load the torpedo tubes! The enemy is at the hyperspace exit point, to our port and starboard—Munificent-class frigates!"
Though bewildered, Captain Ragnos immediately carried out the orders. Crew members swiftly manned their battle stations, and the turbolaser turrets began tracking their predetermined targets.
"Hyperspace exit countdown... five, four, three, two, one! Jump complete!"
The Dingyuan emerged from hyperspace between the two Separatist Munificent-class frigates. The Republic Fleet was hot on their tail, and two more Separatist vessels could be seen to the starboard.
"Fire!" Captain Ragnos commanded. The Dingyuan's turbolaser turrets erupted with green energy beams, while the smaller cannons opened fire in unison.
The smaller cannons also contributed their firepower.
However, the battle lasted only about a minute.
They successfully destroyed one Munificent-class frigate. Seeing the situation turn against them, the remaining three ships quickly activated their hyperspace engines and fled the battlefield.
As the battle concluded, the communications officer immediately reported, "Commander, Commander Rinuan's fleet is directly ahead."
"Oh, an old acquaintance," Solo sighed in relief, then ordered, "Open the communication channel."
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