Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Darkness on Umbara
The first step towards loyalty is trust.
War in the Expansion region! As Separatists tighten their grip over isolated but vital supply routes, the Republic launches a lightning strike into a remote ghost nebula to control the strategic system of Umbara. Republic forces smash through the Separatists blockade in an effort to claim the shadowy world.
Ashara's P. O. V.
I walk into the main hanger bay on the Republic Assault Frigate me and my master are currently on. I survey the area to try and find my master, but only see Clone Troopers and ARF Walkers boarding gunships for the soon to commence assault. I walk around a bit more and spot Obi-Wan and Anakin with R2 and some other clone troopers next to a gunship. I quickly run over to them as Obi-Wan spots me.
"Your late." Obi-Wan says in a fatherly tone.
"Sorry, just had to clear up a few more squadrons of Seps with the troopers." I reply with a smile.
Obi-Wan sighs.
"I'm just glad your safe." He adds.
"No need to worry about me master, but thank you for your concern." I say.
"Well since everyone's here we can now begin, R2 if you would." Responds Obi-Wan.
A holo image of the Umbaran Capital appears in in the center of the group being projected by R2.
"Masters Krell and Tin will be supporting my troops from the south while Anakin's battalion comes in from the north and takes out enemy reinforcements. It is imperative that we conquer the capital city as quickly as possible, and hold it." Obi-Wan informs us while pointing out important implacements for troop movement. Anakin then steps up to follow up on what Obi-Wan had just said.
"Our biggest problem is going to be the local militia. The Umbarans have aligned themselves with the Separatists and are heavily armed." Anakin says then looks toward Fives who I was standing right next to.
"ARC Trooper Fives will be assisting my units on special assignment." Anakin informs.
"Ready to do my part, General Skywalker." Fives replies.
I look at Fives and say "Nice to have you on board."
"Just like old times, Ashara." Replies Fives in a chipper mood.
I've known Fives for a very long portion of the war. Me and him have become good friends along side Rex, Cody, and a few other Clone Troopers that were in the 501st and 212 battalions. Not to mention Anakin and I are like brother and sister as we train together a lot with his padawan Ashoka who is like a little sister to me. We usually compete with one another to see how many droids we can take down in each battle. He usually wins at space battles, but on ground assaults I beat him most of the time. Then of corse is Obi-Wan, he truly is like a father to me.
Ironically he was trained by my father Qui-Gon Jinn who was killed by the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul.
I never really knew who my mother was, but I was raised by the peace loving ruler of Mandalor, Satine. She still feels like my actual mother, but I guess that's natural due to I never knew my real mother. When I was 5 years old Master Plo Koon found me and I was assigned to be Obi-Wan's padawan when he finished training Anakin. Ever since the first time I met him I've always loved him as a father and a mentor. We've both been together throughout the Clone Wars battling the Separatists on different planets along side The Clone Army.
But when I was taken to the Jedi Temple they were surprised to hear Jinn had a daughter, but accepted me into the order nevertheless. They checked my force level only for it to be double that of Anakin's. Only the console and me know about my powers and have kept it a secret from the others. Although Jedi and Sith alike can still sense the force power radiating off of me.
Focusing back onto the conversation Obi-Wan turns to Anakin.
"Remember, Anakin, Cody and I will be 12 klicks to your south. We're counting on you and Ashara to take out those local fighters, or, I'm afraid, the capital will never surrender." Obi-Wan reminds Anakin.
Anakin sighs and replies "Do me, Ashara, and the battalion have to do everything?" Anakin jokingly questions.
"You two seem to always volunteer." Obi-Wan replies jokingly as well.
"You sure you'll be okay without me backing you up Master?" I question.
"I am more than sure I'll make back in one piece, besides I need someone to watch over Anakin while I'm not here" Obi-Wan jokes walking away with a smile as Cody and his team follow behind.
"Hey!" Anakin says with a mock hurt tone while I laugh.
I turn to Anakin and say "Ready Skyguy?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Anakin replies.
We both walk on board the gunship behind us as Rex turns to the men.
"All right, let's go!" Says Rex to the other troopers with enthusiasm.
As soon as everyone boards the troop compartment of the gunship the doors close leaving us in darkness until the red emergency lights activated. I feel the shaking of the gunship and hear the humming like flight noise it makes as we exit the assault cruiser and enter into the orbit of Umbara.
I equip my custom Clone Trooper helmet with orange markings signifying I was with the 212 legion. I was also wearing a combination of Jedi robes and Clone armor with orange makings of my design.
I then hear the explosions of anti air battery's as they try to take us and the other gunships out of the sky. Along with star fighter blasters going off in the many dogfights around us. Anakin then looks at me and nods signaling for me to open the gunship doors.
We all look around only to see complete war raging on out in the sky, along with all of us hoping we don't get shot out of the sky like so many others before us.
Rex then turns to Anakin and says "There's a lot of surface fire."
Hardcase, one of the troopers in the 501st legion quickly responds "They ain't got nothin' we can't handle, sir."
Just then we hear a gun battery to our left and all turn quickly to see one of our gunships shot out of the sky turning into a mess of fire and shrapnel as in falls helplessly to the surface.
I turn to Tup and ask "You hangin' in there Tup?" who had both of his hands griped on the safety harness from the sealing of the ship.
"So far, so good, Ash!" He says semi-calmly.
Ash is a nickname I go by with some of the troopers.
Just then Anakin's wrist com went off "General Skywalker, I'm turning the lights out. Our night vision sensors are having a tough time in this chop. I hope we don't overshoot the landing site." Hawk informs worried.
"Just get us as close as you can." Anakin replies steadfast.
Hardcase turns to me "Time to lock and load." He says excitedly while lifting up his assault cannon.
The ARF Trooper who had seemingly been hiding in the back of the ship mounts his ARF Walker stored on board the ship as we begin to reach the surface. The ship quickly starts to hover above the surface as the back door to the gunship comes open letting the ARF walker make the short jump to the surface to join in the battle below. I then jump off the gunship to the surface landing with grace with a little help of the force.
I pull my lightsaber from my belt and activate it revealing its yellow energy blade as I quickly rush into the fight cutting down Umbarans and deflecting blast bolts back to their senders. On the rampage of the battle I rush past Anakin and the legion once they had landed taking out more enemy soldiers and the occasional Umbaran Tank. Through the mist of the battle I notice a creature borrowed into the ground of the field darkness and exotic plant life. I quickly kill it knowing it was another form of a Sarlac and that leaving it alive would only hinder our progress in the assault.
I hear over the com on my helmet "Ash, we're moving on a ridge 23 degrees northeast, meet us there quickly!" Rex informed.
"Rodger that, on my way!" I respond.
I quickly meet up with Anakin and Rex and begin helping the assault on the ridge by moving ahead of the group and taking out multiple enemy soldiers and tanks with my lightsaber and force powers. Soon enough the enemy retreated back into the vine like forest and we began our long march to the ridge, hoping not to encounter anymore trouble unexpectedly I moved ahead of the group to scout out the area along with a few other troopers.
As me, Anakin, and the legion make to the ridge Anakin gives orders to the soldier to take cover and go into overwatch and get some rest for the encounters ahead. Me, Rex, and Anakin stand side by side surveying the area from the ridge. Anakin pulls out night vision binoculars to survey farther off into the area. In the distance we see what looks to be a massive firefight underway. My guess is that's Obi-Wan and his forces making there way to the capital.
Rex turns to Anakin "General Kenobi's battalion, sir?" Rex asks.
"They're pushing towards the capital. We'll need to move out as soon as the men are ready." Anakin responds.
Just then, Dogma I think his name was, came running up behind us as we all turn around to listen to what he has to say.
Dogma looks towards Anakin "All platoons have reported in, General." He informs us.
"Get some rest Dogma, you'll need it." I say in response.
"Thank you' ma'am. I'm fine." He tells me.
Rex then butts in "The Commander is giving you an order, Dogma." He says back.
"Of course, sir" Dogma steadily replies walking off.
Rex turns back around to face me "He's wound tight, but he's loyal." Rex informs.
I laugh and reply "He kind of reminds me of you."
"Maybe...back in the day." He responds with a smirk.
Then a sudden spike in force jolts through me like a spark of electricity. We're not alone out here.
I need to warn the others, I sense the Umbarans are right behind our formation and are ready for a surprise attack.I grab my lightsaber from my utility belt and activate it revealing to the Umbarans that I had caught on to their plan. I swiftly turn around and waste no time in revealing their position by using a massive force push that knocked down the vine like trees closet to us killing some Umbarans and revealing the others.
"Everyone behind us, we're under attack!" I shout out alerting the other Clones.
The Umbarans begin to open fire as I deflect a few shots aimed for Anakin and Rex who were now just responding to the surprise attack.
"Thanks, Ash!" Rex calls out as he pulls out his twin pistols to open fire at the Umbarans
The Clones take cover on the vine trees behind the ridge as me and Anakin were in the open deflecting blaster shots and occasionally taking down Umbarans with deflected blaster bolts. I run to the cover Rex was at, Anakin right behind me, we both take cover next to him. Rex was the first to speak.
"I've called in an air strike on the enemy positions." Rex informs us.
"Let's hope they're not too busy helping Obi-Wan." I quickly respond.
"There's an opening to our south. I recommend we move all platoons off the ridge in case the air strike overshoots." Rex recommends to Anakin.
Anakin quickly agrees "Good thinking, Rex."
"Everyone, move out now!" I yell as we get out from our cover to make it off of the ridge before the air strike commenced.
The Clones follow quickly behind us, I turn around and deflect a few more blaster bolts while also moving backward. We break our position and gun it out of the ridge, behind me a few troopers who were unfortunate enough to have of been assigned in the back of the ridge were being shot down while desperately tailing behind us, trying to make it off the ridge. An ARF Walker explodes beside me, shaking me up a little, but I quickly dismiss it as I move behind the group to protect the remaining troopers with us trying to make a break for it.
Soon enough we make off the ridge as green laser fire shooting all around us as the Umbarans try to take us out in our still quick retreat. Little did they know what was about to happen. Me and everyone else take cover to brace ourselves from the air strike in more of the vine like trees in a open plain. Rex walks up behind Anakin.
"All here, sir."
"Stay covered. We have to hold the position." Anakin informs.
Tup, who was right next to me, turns to look at me.
"Are you sure those bombers are coming?" He asks.
I reply with silence, we all look around, hoping that the bombers would be coming soon rather than later. Suddenly two Y-Wing Starfighters fly over us aiming for the ridge, they fly across it dropping heavy explosives on the Umbaran position completely wiping them out. As they make their turn back to the Assault Carrier, Kix speaks up.
"Good old Odd Ball, always on target." He says with relief.
"Glad we got off that ridge." I speak up as the Clones start to converge and regroup.
"Yeah." Replies Rex.
"Ha! That'll teach 'em." Hardcase says patting me on the back.
After the Umbaran ambush me, Anakin, and the legion all regrouped in another location not far from where we hid for the bombing run, and are currently prepping to march on to the capital. That is until a gunship being escorted by two Republic Starfighters landed at our regrouping point. Me, Anakin, and Rex went to see what was happening, hopefully we were getting reinforcement. I was painfully wrong.
As we were facing the gunship the side doors opened to reveal General Krell with two Clone Troopers. Krell stepped off the gunship and walked toward us in holding that said he demanded respect. From behind us I hear Dogma talking to Fives.
"General Krell's here?" Dogma questions surprised.
"Something big must be going on." Fives replies.
Focusing back on Master Krell, Anakin speaks "Master Krell, my thanks for the air support."
"Indeed, General Skywalker." Responds Krell.
I had never liked Master Krell, he was one of the worst leaders in the entire Republic Military. Sending his troops on frontal head on assaults into enemy implacements was insane, he never forms a creative strategy on how to approach the enemy always walking his troops up to their front door only for them to get riddled with gunfire. He also has the biggest casualties for Clones under his command in the history of Republic Warfare.
"The locals have proven to be more resourceful than we anticipated." Informed Krell
"But that's not the reason for your visit." Anakin stated.
"No. The Council has ordered you and Padawan Ashara back to Coruscant, effective immediately." Krell informed.
"What!? Wh-why?" I ask.
"Padawan Ashara I don't believe I was speaking to you." Krell remarks.
That son of bi-
Anakin quickly puts his hand on my shoulder giving me a knowing look that he isn't liking this idea either, and I quickly calm myself.
"Why are we being ordered to Corusant?" Anakin questions.
"I'm afraid a request was made by the Supreme Chancellor, and the Council obliged." Krell informed looking at Anakin, then turning to look at me.
"Padawan Ashara, you are to report back to the Jedi Council, that is all." He informed.
"Why?" I ask curious.
"They would not tell me the reasons to why they wanted you two to come back to Corusant, only that you had to arrive there immediately." Krell said.
"Well, we can't just leave my men." Anakin states.
"I'll be taking over in the interim." Krell informed.
"Don't worry about a thing, sir, ma'am. We'll have this city under Republic control by the time you're back." Rex says butting in.
"Master Krell, this is Master Skywalker's first in command, Rex." I say motioning over to him.
"You won't find a finer or more loyal trooper anywhere." Anakin follows up.
"Please, excuse me Masters, there is something I need to do before I leave for Corusant." I say turning around and walking towards Fives.
"Hey, Fives." I call out to him.
"Yeah, what do you need Ash?" Fives questions.
I take a quick look around to see if anyone was listening in on our conversation, and seeing that no one is I speak to Fives.
"We both know Krell is a terrible leader, and I really have a bad feeling about this, so contact me if things go side ways and I'll come here to assist you guys."
"Thanks Ash, me and the boys will keep you updated." Fives replies in a thankful tone.
"Alright then, stay safe out there." I say as I walk back to the gunship and already see Anakin was on board. I quickly climbed aboard taking one last look at the troopers as the Gunship begins to take off in the air and heading back in the direction to the Assault Cruiser.
I hope everything goes as planed, and nothing goes wrong on the assault. How wrong I was...