STAR WARS JEDI: THE DARK TIMES

Chapter 34. The Briefing

At the Ethosian Moon Base...

   Ahsoka, Clodd, and R3 are following General Kunn through the halls of the facility on their way to the briefing room. Along the way, they come across quite a few Ethosian Guardsmen who salute the General the moment he passes by them. "You all arrived here at a perfect time," General Kunn tells the trio. "The Droid Forces are now completely gone from this rock. Their last remaining foothold on the moon just got sent packing not too long ago."

   "Yeah, we figured as much," Tano replies. "We saw vulture droids in retreat as we came out of warp. I imagine they'll be...prioritizing the war on the planet itself from here on out."

   General Kunn nods. "Exactly what I was thinking." He says. "It's safe to assume that our people on the ground need support now more than ever."

   Clodd's expression goes from sad to resolute. "We'll uh...do what we can to help out," the lad says. "Just point us the way."

   "Happy to oblige," the general says.

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   As the entire group reaches the briefing room and the door closes behind them, the General stops and asks "I take it you've already been briefed on the situation by Fulcrum?"

   Ahsoka clears her throat and nudges Clodd with her elbow. The lad himself nervously says "We uh...have a basic understanding of things."

   "Good," says Kunn. "That'll make my job a little bit easier." The old man immediately gestures for his staff to exit the room, leaving the General himself alone with Tano, Clodd, and R3. The three of them appear unnerved by this, but as soon as the doors close General Kunn presses a button and takes a breath. "Look guys. I want you to know that you can trust me, so I'm gonna be honest with you off the bat. I know what you two really are. You're both Jedi. I know that."

   A surprised Clodd and Ahsoka look eachother in the eye, then the two of them look at the general and the lad asks "H-How do you figure that?"

   "I've worked alongside the Jedi for a long time..." The old man says. "...and they all have a similar pattern to em. For example...you say you both have military experience despite being as young as you are. Jedi are trained from an early age to fight. You also seem quite sure of yourselves despite there only being two of you plus a mech. The Jedi have a knack for subverting expectations. Rest assured however. Your secret is safe with me."

   The General pauses very briefly, then turns away. "It's only been a short while since we re-established communication..." He says sadly. "...but I've heard what's been going on these past few weeks. Hell of a thing. Thousands of innocent souls lost in a short period of time." He turns toward Clodd and Ahsoka again. "I'm uh...sorry about all of it."

   Clodd breaks his silence and says "None of it was your fault, General. Even if you knew what was happening to our people, you couldn't have stopped it."

   Ahsoka rolls her eyes and scoffs. "So much for being secretive," she says.

   "Again, you have nothing to fear," the old man tells her. "The surveillance in this room has been turned off, so nothing will get past these walls."