Chapter 1- Deluxe Model
Republic Crusier Prosecutor hung in orbit over Curilla, awaiting the final resupply vessel to board and deliver the necessary supplies before the ship could make the hyperspace jump back to Couresant for debrief after their mission. Republic Dock Master Sin strode through the primary Hanger Control Room, glancing over an occasional trooper's shoulder to watch his display screen as thousands of pieces of data cascaded across the screen, each telling a different component of the story of the ships status. Overall the preparations for the return to Couresant appeared almost complete.
"Dock Master" One of his officers called for his attention. He walked over to the young man's side as he stared down into the same black and white visor he knew the officer was staring back up at. "We have detected a vessel inbound towards us" The trooper spoke with the usual Jango Fett accent that all troopers, being clones of the bounty hunter, had.
"Put it up on main view screen trooper" Sin again spoke with a similar Jango voice that he heard from his brothers, but Sin's voice sounded far deeper and lower in pitch. Sin watched with great pride as his subordinate typed out the commands on the keyboard with the lightning efficiency born of a decade's flash training at the hands of the Kaminonians.
A small supply vessel snapped onto the main view screen, backed by the dark veil of space and the faint glow of the planet that hung precariously below it. The transponder code flashed up on the view screen, the TIV Silent Spirit. Sin tapped the COM unit. "Hailing Republic supply vessel Silent Spirit, this is the Dock Master of Republic vessel Prosecutor. You are cleared to land in Hanger-A. But if you over do it on the thrusters and scratch my hanger you'll be saying hello to the barrel of my DC"
The voice that returned had a thick alien dialect Sin couldn't quite put down. "Understood Dock Master, we will begin our approach towards Hanger-A. Silent Spirit, Out".
Sin watched silently as the vessels thrusters' brunt a bright blue as they threw the ship into the waiting arms of the Prosecutor's hanger bay. But as he watched the ship approach something seemed odd about it. "Sir" he heard the wary voice of another of his officers call for him. He turned to see the man; this one had his helmet laid out on the console next to him. As he looked into the man's worried face he knew something was wrong.
"What is it Trooper?" The soldier turned back to his console.
"I'm picking up some kind of field around the ship" The readout displayed the approaching ship. "But I can't tell what it is"
Sin froze, than suddenly sprang to life. "Punch up the interior Camera's in Hanger-A"
The officers stared at him as though he had said something crazy. "Sir?"
"Just do it" He barked at the trooper, this sent the man into a flurry of typing.
The image of Hanger-A crackled on to the main view screen, it was then he realized it was too late. The TIV touched down in the hanger bay as engineers and attendants encircled the craft, ready to unload its cargo. The loading ramp dropped to the hanger floor as the clone troopers stared into the dark void inside the ship.
Suddenly a reptilian snarl echoed off the high walls of the hanger. The encircling soldiers took a step back in surprise, some reaching instinctively for the blaster pistols that hung loosely from their belts while other's looked sheepishly towards their clone brothers in some desperate hope that their blank visor would offer them the answer they so desperately searched for.
But that became unnecessary as the answer leapt from the open ship, gliding through the air and crashing down onto the torso of the closest clone trooper and forcing him to the ground, wrenching the datapad out of his gloved hand. The green creature drew a blade from his forearm as he stabbed it into the exposed black rubber lip below the engineers chin. Red blood gushed from the wound as the trooper grabbed desperately for a hold on the creature. The creature jammed his blade deeper into the wound, the trooper eventually going limp, and the crash of his helmet against the hard deck waking the other troopers from their stunned slumber.
The lead trooper raised his pistol as he fired a blaster bolt into the side of the creatures head. The creature dropped onto the deck, its green blood mixing with the red blood of the slain trooper. The death cry of the first creature was the signal that the other creatures were waiting for as a wave of fresh aliens ran on all fours or leapt over the first wave of creatures as they swamped the line of stunned troopers. The TIV that they called home started to crackle and fizzle with static across its hull as the TIV was soon replaced with the sleek green hull of a Trandosian Dropship. As each of the troopers fell another lizard would run free of the now unveiled Dropship. One trooper survived long enough to contact Sin on his radio.
"Sir we have a situation in Hanger-A. Trandosian's, they've stealthed on board the ship and have overrun us. We need immediate ass-". The transmission died with those final words. Sin stood watching the Trandosian's swarm across the hanger, kicking each of the fallen Troopers to ensure they weren't getting back up again. One suddenly looked towards the camera that hung from the hanger wall. The creature snarled at the machine before drawing his weapon, and firing into the lens.
Trooper Shar had always hated patrol duty. Patrolling the empty sterile hallways of the Prosecutor was nothing compared to the constant drone from his partner, Kraal. Kraal was his commanding officer and always ensured to make it known to those around him and especially those he commanded. When the Prosecutor came under assault and the remnants of its Security force became scattered Kraal eagerly leapt at the opportunity to appoint himself leader of the small band of five that had taken refugee in corridor 18-B.
While Shar, Kraal, Darm and Tarn worked desperately to hold off the unrelenting wave of Trandosian invaders Trooper Ral worked desperately at the command console in a vain attempt to gain control of the corridor turrets that hung lifeless overhead. "We could sure use those turrets right about now!" Kraal yelled in a worthless gesture to convince Ral to activate the turrets.
"I'm working on it" He replied through shaking lips, every explosion rocked the mans concentration for a few brief micro seconds, each piling up to seconds that could mean the difference between surviving this apocalypse or falling prey to the murderous aliens that had laid claim to the ship.
A screech ran through the corridor, distracting Shar long enough to see Tarn drop to the floor behind a damaged supply crate, clutching his bleeding shoulder. "I'm fine. Keep shooting"
It was as though he had read his brothers mind. Shar continued to fire his DC-15 into the barrier of green Trandosian flesh that stood before him. As one creature ran on all fours towards him, leaping into the air and raising his blunt weapon, Shar knew he was done for. He tried to raise his weapon, but it was too late.
Suddenly he heard the high pitched whine of blaster fire ring out from behind him. He watched as the attacking alien was ripped to shreds and collapsed to the ground at his feet. He turned to see the dormant turrets spring to life, raining blue plasma fire into the Trandosian line. Shar took this opportunity of safety to finally tend to Tarn's wound. He knelt down next to him. Ripping off the man's helmet he placed it down next to him. "Are you hit anywhere besides the shoulder?"
He stared into his brothers face, his pain evident in his eyes. Shar removed his comrades shoulder plate and began to peel back the black rubber layer that supported his arm and kept it in place. The sound of gunfire distracted him from his work, it was the sound of DC fire but it was far too quick and silent to be that of a standard DC-15, that only meant one thing.
"Better not let them take over the turret" He heard another clone yell, but again the sound was different to that of the standard trooper. He looked up to se one of the slimly aliens perched over the turret control terminal.
"They're trying to turn them against us" he thought. But before he could even react somebody pumped a burst of fire into the creature's brain, blood spilled from the bullet wounds as he collapsed over the console, his green blood staining the keyboard. The stragglers were cut down in a hail of combined fire from the three troopers, the turrets and the mystery figure.
As the gunfire ceased the troopers turned towards the shadows that had concealed their hidden savoir. Out of the dark stepped another clone, but this one wore the Krantian armour and held the DC-17 only Republic Commandos were issued with.
Kraal was the first to speak. "Well if it isn't one of the deluxe models. Come to save us with your 'Superior Training'."
Everyone froze at Kraal's statement; every clone in the Republic Army knew you never insulted a commando.
The commando stepped forward, his helmet mere inches from Kraals and the height difference given by the Krantian armour only emphasising his point.
"This deluxe model is the only thing standing between you and a bloody death" Drawing his vibroblade and holding it uncomfortably close to Kraal's neck, if only to make his point clear.
"Yes sir. What are your orders sir?" Kraal quickly saluted, his voice cracking with fear.
"Hold the line..." He looked out over the squad of troopers, Shar still tending to Tarns wound. "...kill any lizards you see. I'm going to get to the bottom of this"
And with that the Commando ran off down the corridor, leaving a squad of stunned troopers in his wake. That was why Shar had always remembered the attack on the Prosecutor, because it was the time that Commander Kraal was finally taken down a peg.