Elite Corps among Squads
Tainted Honor
Static from a comlink mixed into the cracklings fire around the Senate Commandos. The inside of the LAAT was dark, emergency red lights illuminating the rugged interior. The pilots sat still, clearly in pain, the impact injuring them, while the Senate Commandos in the back lay groaning from the pain of impact. They remember hearing the Pilots yell about a missile and then the explosion. They noticed, as they rose to their feet, seeing the Blast Doors were open. Their leader, Bullseye, made his way out into the dirt and grass all piled together from the crash. He looked around, the sun shining off his visor, slightly blinding him.
"It's all clear. Jab, Arsenal, get out here," Bullseye ordered his men. They groaned, climbing outside and using their hands as shields from the sun. He suddenly turned, walking back inside.
"Thanks, our straps are jammed, can you help us out?" A pilot asked. The other nodded in agreement, but both froze at what they saw. Bullseye had a pistol aimed at them, and shot both in the head.
"You'd only hinder our progress," Bullseye said coldly. He went back out, Arsenal and Jab knowing what he did but had the same view of it as him.
"So, this is still the right planet?" Arsenal inquired. Bullseye looked at him, taking off his helmet so they could see his straight face. His dirty blonde hair was stained with blood, as with some dried blood going down his head. He had a scar going from his right eye to his left cheek. Besides those features, he was an average clone, but one of the few to become a Senate Commando.
"Answer that yourself," he said, fixing his black cape. He examined the white 'Mohawk' on his helmet, seeing the blood red tips of the bristles. He set his helmet on, then looked to Jab.
"Jab, climb that tree, scan the area," Bullseye said, finger outstretched to point at a few trees, one in particular being taller than the rest. Jab nodded with a quick 'Yes Sir,' and made his way up. As he climbed, Bullseye looked around for weapons, ammo, and the food pack. Upon finding the food pack, he heard a yell to him.
"Sir! I see a Village, and some boys in blue!" Jab lowered his enhanced-view-binoculars off his visor and dropped down branch by branch. Bullseye grinned inwardly on his squads little 'nickname' for the 501st. He set a DC15x on his back, tossing some DC17's to his comrades. They started walking to the nearby village, noting the mountainous region it was in. They made their way through the woods, slicing at small trees and branches with their vibroblades, clearing a path. They made their way in silence, upon reaching a gate.
"Halt! Who are you three?" Bullseye looked to see a 501st trooper in their way from entering the Village.
"I am Senior Commander Bullseye of the Chancellor's Defence. This is Major Jab and Major Arsenal of my squad. We crash landed after encountering what I assume to be Anti-Air equipment. The pilots died on impact." Bullseye's voice never wavered, even knowing what he truly did, he had no regrets. Killing his brothers was part of his job, they were still less expendable than Jedi though.
"Oh uh, sorry sir." The Clone stepped aside, letting them in. They walked forward, Bullseye slightly in front as they went up to a more high ranking Clone.
"You. Where is your C.O.?" Bullseye demanded more than asked this, but the trooper was hesitant to answer.
"Who's asking for him?" The Clone looked them up and down as he said this.
"A Senior Commander. Now answer the question Captain," Bullseye eyed his Kama and made his rank assumption on that.
"He's KIA, Sir. I'm their new C.O." The Clone shifted his stance a bit, trying to be more intimidating.
"Well, I was sent here about a Battalion of Droids. I see nothing of the sort," Bullseye stated dryly. The Captain seemed to realize something.
"Right, I heard help would come, but there' store of you..."
"We are better than this Corps you have," Jab interjected. Arsenal looked at him and nodded.
"You expect me to-" The Captain was cut short.
"All of your weaponry, barracks, and even your vehicles are in the same area, a few grenades eliminates all of that. Then, if I take to the left and get to those taller buildings near the entrance into your Mountain 'Fort' I could shoot Clone by Clone. These two charge the right and middle, giving me support fire, taking out Anti-Air support. We get to the cache of Rocket Launchers near the Anti-Air support that I know is there from basic protocol, then take out groups of you. Take three hostages, and shoot down Clones who don't sacrifice one for the many. Eliminate hostages, sweep perimeter, kill off survivors. That's your downfall from only three soldiers." The Captain stared at Bullseye, clearly surprised even with the helmet on.
"Fine. You can take three BARCs, they are over in the other mountains. Once there, you take out the Droids, and we give you a ride out of here. Deal?" The Captain offered his hand, to which Bullseye shook.
"I'll grab some ammo," Arsenal said quickly, walking off. Bullseye and Jab followed and hopped on a BARC after receiving their respective ammo. They rode off, passing the gates and the little path in the forest. They reached a plain, where they made their way with no obstructions to the next base. They stopped just outside the motion detectors.
"Disabling Motion Sensors now," Jab said as he started hacking into the base with his Holo-Pad. Arsenal waited for Jab to nod and continued on. He made his way to the Force Field entrance, hacking the keypad. Bullseye readied his blaster, and when the Force Field lowered, he shot twice. The shots hit droids turning the corner to check the entrance. They made their way in silently, taking droids out one by one. Arsenal snuck his way to the Generator for the base. He set charges on the structure, then went to the entrance. Bullseye heard a transmission on his comlink.
"Bullseye, Jab, get their vehicles and ammunition set with charges, I already got the Generator. Should be enough to take out quite a bit and hinder their forces." With that, the transmission ended. Jab and Bullseye split up, setting the charges in both places. They made their way out, then just hopping on their BARCs, the multiple explosions leaving them unfazed. They drove off, making their way to the UGR base. Once there, they just went to the Captain, anyone else there was irrelevant.
"We hindered their forces extremely, now we want an LAAT with your best Pilot," Bullseye ordered. The Captain used his comlink and got the job done. The three man army made their way to the waiting Pilot and LAAT. They shambled inside, no words but 'Fly' being said. They took off, and once they exited the atmosphere, their Pilot gave them some bad news.
"You're not leaving the planet. Complete blockade ahead, their planning an invasion." The Pilot said as if he had seen this happen before.
"Understood, head back to the outpost," Arsenal said, and the Pilot turned around. Then they heard something saw into the hull.
"Fierfek. Saw Droids. Ready your blasters," Bullseye barked. The Senate Commandos raided their DC17Ms at the source of the sound, but noticed something. Nothing was sawing through. They looked at each other, the noise still audible.
"If nothing's sawing in... Pilot, are any Confederate Ships near?"
"No Sir," the pilot replied.
"Sir, what's your guess?" Arsenal looked at Bullseye as if expecting an answer.
"I honestly have no clue... The hull could be..." Bullseye trailed off, realization dawning on him.
"Sir?" Now it was Jab's turn to look for an answer.
"Pilot, get to the ground now!"
"Understood."
"Wait what?" Jab and Arsenal spoke in unison.
"This a newer model of the LAAT, some beskar around the engines, right?" Bullseye seemed frantic.
"Yes, Sir," the pilot responded. Bullseye pressed a button, keeping all sound out of the cockpit.
"So if a saw droid sawed that part..." Bullseye trailed off, letting another finish the thought.
"We hear it, but don't see it. Then by the time we guess, it breaches the engine," Arsenal ended the train of thought.
"As if crashing once wasn't kriffing bad enough." Jab muttered.
"Entering the lower atmosphere now, Sir." The pilot seemed to have himself kept together, in his own bliss of not knowing the danger at the moment.
"We might make it low enough to land-" An explosion cut Bullseye off, shaking the LAAT.
"Our luck, eh?" Jab shrugged at Arsenal's rhetorical question. Bullseye looked at the two, then braced for impact. No amount of bracing prepared him though as the jolt of hitting made him fly into his comrades. The darkness and bliss of unconsciousness slowly took it's hold, letting him fall under. He didn't even wake to the sound of a dropship landing and the blast doors being moved.
Bullseye woke to the sound of metal feet on metal ground echoing in the hallway outside and room he was in. He noticed he had been set into a field of electricity, the electricity acting as cuffs and holding his legs and arms still. He looked to his sides, both of his allies there. He heard the hiss of doors sliding open and looked forward, not believing the site in front of him. Zerd Terrorly. Bullseye was reminded of their last encounter where Dunkel and he fought Zerd and threw him out a window. A very high window, but he survived clearly. The Bounty Hunter chuckled, walking over, vibroblades in his left hand, a remote in the other.
"You should know to not cross a Bounty Hunter, especially a Terrorly." His cold voice came out with static as he spoke. He pressed a button on the remote, the electric field shocking not only Bullseye, but Arsenal and Jab as well. They were jolted awake.
"Damn you Terrorly... You should have died on Coruscant." Bullseye snarled, his helmet of, the anger for Zerd clearly shown. Arsenal and Jab looked quizzically at Bullseye, not knowing the full story behind this.
"Well... Imagine my surprise when the Invasion force hiring me turns you up." Zerd conveyed mock surprise in his voice. He paced across the metal-plated floor, hands either gesturing to the side or behind his back. He stopped, walking to Bullseye.
"If you're doing this to kill me, do it," Bullseye snapped, spitting on Zerd's helmet visor. Zerd merely wiped it away, slamming a fist into Bullseye's face.
"Well I can't. You work for my 'employers' as well. I have orders keeping you alive, that's it." Zerd released the three from their captivity.
"And this is for...?" Arsenal inquired, still confused.
"You have orders too. We wipe this place out, a Jedi task force and some clones are sent, kill them, you go free, I get payed. Done." When Zerd finished Bullseye looked at the three.
"Jammed Communications-"
"Yes."
"We're in." Bullseye shook Zerd's hand, his line of work trumping the memories of the Bounty Hunter who killed his first squad.
Coruscant, Jedi Temple.
Ren Wilson walked with hands behind his back, at a slightly fast pace. He rounded the corner of the long hallway, reaching the Council. His beskar armor that covered everything but his hands and head adding sound to his footsteps, alerting them of his presence.
"I have a message from Palpatine. His personal guard was on a mission with a Senator and stopped to refuel at a Republic Outpost on a distant planet, but found the clones wiped out. We have reason to believe they are still alive but cut off from escape from the unidentified attackers. Palpatine requests three Jedi and a squad of ARCs to investigate." Ren eyed the Council, awaiting response.
"Tell him we will send Master Günhi, you, and your former Master, Master Kinal," Mace Windu said this, noting Ren's sudden scowl. Eventually the scowl faded and became a curt nod and Ren trudged off, readying himself to kill his former mentor.
Jukurr, Republic Outpost
Blaster fire and rockets screeching across the sky along with the shouting of droids and clones just overwhelmed Arsenal's ears. Jab yanked Arsenal into cover, Blaster fire slamming into the wall behind them.
"Keep low- Where's Bulls?" Jab had cut himself off, wondering out loud. They then noticed Zerd and Bullseye working in sync, charging through the middle of the battle. They fired, having each other's back, but also getting their sides. They made their way through to the middle of the clones, firing around them. Zerd ducked, having Bullseye shoot above him as he shot around Bullseye. They ducked in and out of cover, having a Thermal Detonator now and then. Soon, the Clones were all but gone. Zerd and Bullseye looked at each other. They nodded slightly, heading off in different directions.
"Bullseye. One thing, you won't be able to see the downfall of this base by the hand of one man," Zerd said this calmly. Bullseye turned, confused. His world went black as blaster fire met his chest, Zerd holstering his DC17s.
Author's Note: I'd like to mention. You guys may have noticed our writing style was different than it usually is. That is because this one-shot story was written by a guest! It was RenCrasher, and I'd like to thank him publicly for making this story for the ECaS story.