"Sir. We've made it through the other ships without being noticed in all the chaos. We should be arriving at Razor Coast within 10 minutes," Captain Fordo reported

"Hmm. I hear that this place has been a true hell to battle on for the past month. We have lost 16 Jedi, 10,000 clones, and several of the Republic's newest toys in only a month."

"That's right, Sir. The currently confirmed survivors of the command structure are General Leska, Captian Gillmunn of the Jabiimi, and the Padawan Pack which now has 9 members in it."

"That doesn't leave us much to work with," Kavuk complained before looking over at his Padawan that was shivering in fear. He reached over to pat her head in an attempt to calm her nerves but he knew that it wouldn't help.

'This was not the first mission I wanted my Padawan to accompany me on.'

Jabiim was a brutal world where both sides not only had to fight each other but also the environment. This was also a Jedi meatgrinder that killed many powerful Jedi. And even though they had been fighting for over a month, the signs of the battle ending were nowhere in sight.

"Trilla. Do not worry. You will not be sent to the front lines. You are just here to see what warfare looks like and the true cost to it. If the fighting gets too bad, you and the other Padawans will be brought off-world."

Trilla nodded but there was obvious fear on her face.

Once the LAAT entered the atmosphere, it began to get very rough. The storms that constantly plagued the planet made its repulsors act wonky. If not for Daredevil's skilled piloting, the reinforcement group may join many of the Republic forces that lay within the swamps of the planet.

When the LAAT landed, Kavuk was the first to walk out with the rest of his group close behind. Daredevil remained on the gunship in case they needed to extract immediately, however.

When General Leska saw Kavuk, she nearly let out tears.

'Reinforcements have finally arrived!'

But when she saw Trilla behind him, the relief she felt turned to rage.

Master Leska stormed up to Kavuk and pressed on his... belly since she couldn't reach his chest without jumping.

"You brought another Padawan here?!?! I have been trying my best to keep the Padawan out of the battle! This is completely reckless Master Anurai!"

Kavuk didn't get angry at his fellow Master. He understood that this anger was out of concern for the younger Jedi. She had already seen nearly 20 Jedi die in the past month around her, most of the time to save their Padawans.

Kavuk took her hand in his before kneeling and pulling the Jedi Master into a hug. He then whispered in her ears to ease her emotions.

"Calm yourself, Master Leska. Use the Force to feel what I feel."

Leska was still angry but did as Kavuk suggested. She placed her head against his as she used Force Empathy.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Leska was able to feel the sympathy and sadness that Kavuk felt over the loss of the many Jedi, his anger at the Padawans and clones put in danger, and his resolve to get as many people out of this battle alive.

Leska soon left Kavuk's embrace and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Master Anurai. This past month has been very stressful."

"I know. That's why I want you to allow me to take command of the army."

Master Leska nodded. She knew that she was no general. And she made for an even worse general with the emotional state that she was in. If she stayed in command, all she would be is a liability to Master Anurai.

"That is fine with me. But do not think that you shall get me to leave you behind, General Anurai. I have been on this planet for 34 days. I shall not leave it or the battlefield until it is over."

Kavuk flashed the Jedi a smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Master Leska."

With her approval and his new position as the Jedi General of the army, Kavuk turned to the army under him.

"Everyone! We will be falling back to Cobalt Station! Make sure you stay in line and keep your eyes open. My Alpha-ARCs will be doing recon and Daredevil will be watching us overhead but do not let your guards down.

The Nationalists have been using guerilla warfare to defeat you day after day. They shall not defeat us another day! We shall win this battle! We shall avenge the fallen! We shall be victorious!"

The clones and Jabiim Loyalists cheered. Even the ones who didn't believe in his words cheered. Because this is what they needed to hear. They needed to know that someone still had faith in them and that someone cared about those that had been lost.

The Muunhilist 10 split off from the main army as they went ahead to act as scouts for the main army on its way back to Cobalt Station.

While several minefields had been set up between Razor Coast and Cobalt Station, the ARC troopers were able to deactivate enough that the main force was able to make it back to the station without incident.

Soon after they arrived, the members of the Padawan Pack rushed out to greet Master Leska but were surprised to see the Na'vi Jedi and his Padawan were with her.

"Did reinforcements come? Where are the rest?" one of the younger, human Padawan asked eagerly

"It is just the 13 of us. We intercepted word that Count Dooku had sent an elite strike force of assassin droids to kill off the remaining members of Republic commanders so we are here to deal with them as well as take command of the rest of the forces to ensure a victory against the Separatist and Nationalist army."

Kavuk looked over the various Padawan that had lost their masters during the battle. While he recognized a few of them, most of these kids he had never seen before.

'Doesn't matter though. It is time for me to take over and end this battle.'

"Master Leska. Have the enemy been able to hijack our communication lines?"

"Yes. They were able to use our 3 previous lines to find out about our plans. It seems that our current set is good though."

"Perfect. Fordo, use one of the old lines and 'leak' that we are organizing a retreat. The ships will arrive in 3 days and we are to hold position here until they do."

"Yes, General!"

Fordo rushed into the base to send the message to the various clone squads that were patrolling around the station. Kavuk and the other commanders followed in after him as they walked steadily but were stopped by the Padawans.

Hearing his plan, several of the Padawans became worried.

"Why would you leak our plans like that?!" an angry Falleen complained to Kavuk as she ignited her lightsaber. "Now they will attack that day when we least expect it and can't afford to send all our soldiers to battle!"

"That's entirely the point, Padawan. We show our hands and let them think that is what shall happen. They will want to conserve their strength over these next two days so there will be nothing more than light skirmishes during this period. We will use this time to organize our troops and set our traps.

And when the 3rd day comes and they expect most of our forces to be powered down or unprepared due to being ready to load into the escape ships, that is when we will make the Separatists suffer their biggest loss."

Kavuk's plan required deception.

He knew they couldn't take the offensive as the terrain was unfavorable and they were outnumbered. The best course of the strategy was to prepare for a siege battle where they could set the stage.

When the other Padawans understood his plan, they looked at Kavuk in a new light. Most Jedi Generals just gave the command to attack this point or retreat to that point or hold their ground at this point. Few would use deception and more advanced planning such as this.

When they entered the command center, Fordo had just gotten done sending out the message to the clones outside while also sending the real message on the encrypted line.

And just like Kavuk thought, the Separatists listened in one the message that Kavuk relayed to their clones, thinking that the new commander was unaware that the line used had been compromised.

So for the next two days, there were small skirmishes all around Cobalt Station but no major battles. Neither side sent out their commanders or elite soldiers. At least not until the third day.

Alto Stratus stood at the front of the Separatist forces as he looked at Cobalt Station with intense hatred. When he got word that the first gunship come down and the Jedi boarded it, Stratus ordered the attack.

"Without the Jedi, you all are sure to die."

Kavuk looked at the approaching army from the top of Cobalt Station and nodded.

"They think all of our forces are ready to leave and that the commanders left first. And all I had to do was put a couple of cloaks on a few clones to get them to fall for my trap so easily."

When the first enemy tank exploded due to the minefield, the Republic's forces opened fire. The tanks and walkers that should have been shut down and prepared to board the ships exited the hanger and began opening fire on the Separatist army.

It was only then, that Stratus realized that they had fallen into a trap. And he had no choice but to continue going along with it if he wanted any chance of winning the war.