Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 23 - Tann's Goal

Geonosis, the Geonosis Galaxy.

Alcanis Sector.

Severn Tann is not used to kneeling.

Following the ritual of Count Dooku's dark followers, she knelt stiffly before Count Dooku's holographic projection.

This was certainly annoying, but Dooku never missed an opportunity to remind her of her role as the head of the many Dark Side apprentices.

She sensed that Vinok and Carrock were on the same wavelength as her, and their actions seemed to mirror her own.

They were brothers, twins, given to her by Dooku as her personal guards.

And they are also followers of Dooku.

They were at best mediocre in terms of Force, and while she acknowledged they could serve as decent cannon fodder, Tann would never let things escalate to that point.

Putting everything else aside, they were extremely loyal to her and learned very quickly.

For Tann, none of this mattered.

Dark side, light side—

What meaning do these things have for a Qis?

In her view, all these things related to mysticism and religious ignorance were meaningless and purely pretentious.

For the Qis, "foresight," or what the Milky Way calls "the Force," has no further value beyond its basic function.

They do not distinguish between "light" and "darkness".

Because "precognition" is extremely rare among them, it only appears in female children, and this mysterious phenomenon gradually disappears with age, completely disappearing by the age of fourteen.

Unlike the Force, "foresight" is not presented in a flashy or exaggerated way, but rather through more subtle and practical abilities.

Tann possesses "Third Vision," which is the ability to foresee the future and know everything before events occur.

As a child, she served her country as an "Ozli Esehebo," or "Skywalker," because the gift of "Third Vision" was needed to navigate safely through the chaotic, unmapped hyperspace routes.

When she came of age, her precognitive abilities did not disappear, and the expansion fleet did not hesitate to recruit her into the Chess Academy.

After attracting the attention of Captain Thrawn and Admiral Alaarani, she learned that her presence had caused unrest among the defense class, and even more troublesomely among the nobility.

So she was "exiled" to the Milky Way and became a military commissioner of the Independent Galaxy Confederation.

Dooku said coldly, "General, report the situation."

“Geonosis is now under our control,” Tann replied. “The Republic’s garrison has surrendered unconditionally.”

This was her second time visiting this red wasteland, and she didn't miss it at all.

Despite the local industriousness being crucial to the war effort, and despite the lack of culture in their society, Tann was still deeply impressed by their work.

“We must demonstrate our strength to the Republic,” Dooku commanded, “and execute them as you see fit.”

General Alaalani was so angry at such a crude strategy that he almost vomited blood, especially when dealing with valuable resources like prisoners.

After all, those captured were not only cannon fodder cultivated from the hive like clones, but also officers who had been awarded ranks.

Tann considered whether to protest, but ultimately decided against it. "As you command, I also captured a Jedi commander alive."

She did not mention Ventress or Captain Bontley.

Originally, Ventress had no intention of informing Dooku in the first place, so she would remain silent.

Tann did this for two reasons.

One claim is that capturing a Jedi would help her campaign for Supreme Commander.

Secondly, she wanted to keep Bontri's existence a secret from Dooku for as long as possible.

This captain is, so far, the only person in the galaxy who has escaped her premonition.

Tann believed that even the Force could not detect his presence.

She could see the consequences of Bontri's actions, but not the actions themselves.

This has kept her in a state of speculation for a long time.

Fortunately, Bontri doesn't seem to realize this.

Moreover, this also keeps Tann's mind sharp at all times; over-reliance on "premonition" is a threat she must balance.

Curiosity aside, this human is invaluable in the face of any other Force-sensitive individual, including enemy Jedi, and even Count Dooku and his apprentices.

His loyalty will be an invaluable resource. “An apprentice?” Dooku’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s remarkable, Tann. Send him to me immediately.”

There is no doubt that Dooku will either turn him into another apprentice or kill him.

For now, his Dark Followers are the Confederation's only means of fighting the Jedi.

But Tann understood that they could never truly contend with the Jedi.

There are tens of thousands of Jedi, but very few believers.

Tann firmly believed there was a better way to use the apprentice for their own benefit.

This is something she should protest.

“I believe there is a better way to utilize this Jedi, my lord,” Tann reported. “Instilling anti-Republic sentiment rather than anti-Jedi sentiment in them would open up more possibilities. For example, we could mold them into a propaganda figure that the Jedi cannot refute… because they are still a Jedi, or we could use them as spies infiltrated into the Jedi Order.”

As she elaborated on Bontri's ideas, Dooku's expression gradually became serious.

The old man maintained a calm and dignified expression on the surface.

Tann knew everything with a quick glance through his "premonition".

“This is not something you can decide, General,” Count Dooku glared at him. “Please do not overstep your authority. You either kill this apprentice or hand them over to me, you…”

Tann stared at the face of the Sith Lord, unmoved.

She could feel the Force swirling around her, like gentle waves lapping at the shore.

It foreshadows the coming storm.

Dooku was so powerful that she could sense his displeasure from light-years away, but not enough to truly affect her.

“Do you understand, General Tann?” Dooku warned again when she remained silent, “Don’t force me to remove you.”

Tann didn't care whether he would be dismissed.

She is a military commissar.

Dooku either forgot or misunderstood her purpose.

Tann continued to obey his orders because his knowledge of the Force was valuable to her.

Even though she could never use the Force to strangle someone or move objects with her mind, every bit of knowledge she acquired brought her one step closer to uncovering the truth behind the mysterious "Second Vision."

This is a secret hidden very deeply by the Qis hierarchy, and almost no one knows about it.

She was an outcast among Dooku's dark followers.

Tann was not a soldier, but an officer.

She was an expert in lightsabers, but even she knew that she had no talent for it.

In her view, a lightsaber was nothing more than a weapon, a tool.

Unlike truly talented duelists who insist that lightsabers are an extension of their arms.

In this respect, Tann is far inferior to Count Dooku, and even less so to Asagi Ventress.

“I will obey your orders,” Tann finally conceded, but no one could fathom his thoughts. “I will prepare to attack Camino.”

Her mission was to become a general.

Tann would never have achieved what he has in Qis.

There, due to her precognitive abilities, she will be pulled in different directions by various competing families and will not have real power.

And now, she commands an army that is far larger than any other force in the Chaos Starfield, including the Qis Ruler.

When the Confederate army is united under the banner of her Supreme Commander, she will command the most powerful military force in the entire galaxy.

Tann will be worthy of this position.

She has something to prove.

She must win this war.

Currently, the separatists hold the upper hand, but as the war drags on, the Republic will be able to mobilize its powerful industrial forces.

Therefore, they must strike at the Republic's main source of manpower.

Without human intervention, the hardware will be worthless.

“You can’t go,” Dooku firmly refused again. “One of our double agents has told me that the Jedi already know the details of our invasion, and our operation plan has been leaked.”

(End of this chapter)