Broke: A Clone Wars Tale - Volume 1 Chapter 289 Talz And Pantorans
Even though he had noticed the furry creatures – which he supposed were the Talz – the moment the ship landed, Dageer also saw that all they had were spears. Without blasters, they couldn’t harm the clones even if they wanted to.
As such, he decided it was safe to let his men unload the speeders. And he also knew that Dab had the Talz on his scope. Five hundred meters were enough for the sniper to kill at least twenty of them before the natives could even get close.
“They are probably just observing us. This is their planet after all.”
Senator Amidala looked towards where Dageer had pointed, but all she could see were white dots that stood out a little more. However, she trusted Dageer when he said the Talz were there.
“You should get on your speeder, ma’am. Cell and Brain, you two go ahead. We will give you two minutes of advantage. Report as soon as possible.”
“Understood, sir.”
The two clones hopped onto their BARC Speeders, and flew away. With the speed of the vehicles, it took less than a minute for them to disappear behind the cliff where the Talz were. The natives didn’t move, only looking at the speeders as they went by.
Dageer waited two minutes before jumping on his own speeder, and setting off at a much slower speed than Cell and Brain. He showed his left fist to Hell Squad, and they acknowledged the gesture, creating a formation around Senator Amidala’s vehicle.
“It’s all clear, commander. The Pantorans and the Talz are already here. They are watching us, but they didn’t do anything. However, you and the senator better get him quickly.”
After a few minutes, Brain’s voice came through the comlink, and Dageer speed up. The others followed him.
What greeted them when they got up the plateau was a tense sight. On one side were the Pantorans – short beings, with pale blue skin, and white hair. There were about thirty of them, all wearing dark blue clothes, and carrying blasters, with the exception of two, a woman and a men. On the other side of the plateau, facing the Pantorans, were tall creatures, with long white fur, and several small black eyes. They only carried spears and bows, but there were about ninety of them. Dageer couldn’t identify who their leader was.
And, forming a barrier between those two groups, putting an end to the tensions before they even started, were Cell and Brain, still on top of their speeders. By the hostile glares that one side was giving to the other, Dageer could guess that if the Republic party had arrived just a little later, a fight would have broken out.
Getting down from the BARC Speeder, Dageer held his blaster high. He wanted both sides, Pantoran and Talz, to see that Hell Squad was there to maintain balance, and that they had the power to do it. That strategy worked mainly on the Talz, since Dageer had long learned that primitive species respected the strong.
“Please, may the representatives come here.”
Senator Amidala raised her voice loud enough for everyone to hear her – not that it was necessary, because there hasn’t been a sound since the Republic group had arrived.
The two civilians from Pantora were the first to approach, also bringing a translator droid with them. The Talz probably didn’t understand what Senator Amidala said, but when they saw the Pantorans walking towards the middle of the plateau, two of them stepped forward. One of them was small and had a hunched back, while the other was over two meters tall, and clearly muscular.
“It’s good to see you again, Padm. This is Tokoi Arlont, my advisor.”
“Senator Chuchi.”
The Pantoran woman smiled friendly to Senator Amidala. The senator, on the other hand returned the smile, but in a contained way. Clearly, she knew the Pantoran, but didn’t want to show any sides any favors.
“Yghhhh… Atyllii Jjiso”
The smaller Talz uttered words in a language Dageer didn’t understand. The droid the Pantorans brought with them started translating.
“I am Atyllii. This is Jjiso.”
“I am honored to meet you. My name is Padm Amidala.”
The senator gave a courteous bow to the two Talz, and they used their left hand to touch their foreheads in a greeting. The man next to Senator Chuchi scoffed, but was quickly silenced by a stern stare from his partner.
Senator Amidala looked at the two opposing parties, and signaled for them to approach. Knowing that they would now engage in a long discussion, Dageer gestured for Hell Squad to step back. They were there only to protect the senator, and had no need to hear what they were talking about. Still, it was clear by the angry faces of the Pantorans, the gestures of the Talz, and the frustrated expression on Senator Amidala’s face, that things weren’t going well.
…
The peace talks went on for over five hours, during which Hell Squad stood unmoving, watching the Pantorans and Talz. No side made any hostile movement, although there were some angry gestures whenever one of the representatives raised their voices.
When night started falling, Senator Amidala returned to where the BARC Speeders were, and mounted one of them. Hell Squad followed suit, and, in a few seconds, they left the plateau, headed for their ship.
“How did it go, senator?”
“Not too well. Both Talz and Pantorans recuse to share the planet. The Pantorans want the Talz to limit themselves to certain areas, while the Talz want the Pantorans out of Orto Plutonia. It will take a few more days before we can arrive at any solution.”
Senator Amidala seemed exhausted and exasperated. It was pretty obvious the negotiations weren’t good.
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“Has Senator Amidala arrived on Orto Plutonia?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good. Order the attack then. And remember to leave no clues that it was us.”
“Of course. When a Republic senator is killed, and no culprit is found, the Pantorans and Talz will enter a civil war. When we step in, they will gladly join the CIS.”
In a dark room in the underworld of Coruscant, Count Dooku and a hooded figure talked. No one would have ever thought that the Separatist leader was so bold as to go to Coruscant, the heart of the Republic.
And yet, here he was, talking to the hooded person in a deferential manner. That person was the one he feared the most in the galaxy, and also the one who gave him everything he had. His master.
“Hahaha… Soon, very soon, my precious apprentice, I will rule this galaxy, with you by my side. The Jedi Order is getting weaker by the day, and their pathetic efforts can’t stand on our way. The seeds of chaos I threw amongst them are starting to grow, and when they do, the Republic will fall. A glorious new era shall begin! A new empire shall reign! Hahaha!”