Several minutes later we arrived at the Droid Factory proper. "Look heavily defended, probably can't get in through the main entrance, what should we do sir?" Sargent 0285 asked of Padme Kaha.
"Simple enough Sargent, we find another way in. Luckily Anakin thought to scan this planet for once, had to twist Anakin's arm of course." Padme said.
"Where exactly?" I asked.
"Just follow my lead." Padme said as we walked up to the giant door that was the main entrance of the droid factory. Then she moved across the left of the door, knocking on the wall at random intervals.
"Sir, what exactly are you doing?" Asked 5971, or Nurse as I should probably call her from now on.
"There should be a structural weakness around here, one that we can use to get in without the droids noticing us." She said as she continued to knock on the wall, eventually there was a dull thud.
"Bingo," she said as she placed a detonator on the wall, "now get clear girls!" She said, the detonator blew off the wall. "And that's how you make an entrance. Now let's move, keep your eyes downrange, and shoot anything that's inorganic. If we do encounter anyone who isn't a droid, either stun them or try to calm them down." Padme said as we drew weapons. She had what looked like a Trandoshan shotgun. We all followed after her with our weapons.
"Oh boy, this looks like close quarters. Better use my pistol." Deadeye said as she put her sniper rifle away, and pulled out her pistol.
Several minutes passed without incident, it was far too quiet. Eventually we came to a pair of corridors. "Well this is easy enough. You two follow me, Sargent; take Tost and Deadeye with you down the other corridor." Padme said to me and Nurse. We went our separate ways down the corridors.
"So... you were going to give me my name before we ran into that minefield?" I asked.
"It's your name, you should pick it." Padme said.
"I don't understand." I said.
"Well, most clones have picked their own names; I already gave three of your squad mates. You and your Sargent have a right to pick your own." Padme explained.
"Oh, I see. Do you mind if I ask where you got that gun? It's a Trandoshan weapon isn't it?" I asked.
"Short version, I had a run in with a Trandoshan slaver, killed him, freed the slaves he was transporting, and kept his gun as a memento." Padme said.
"And General Skywalker, how do you know him?" I asked, she was silent for a moment.
"That's... that's a little more complicated. Suffice it to say I was hired by a senator from Naboo to serve as his bodyguard, nice guy but a bit naïve. The Trade Federation invaded, I'm sure you both know about that. Two Jedi broke us off world but the hyperdrive was damaged, and we had to make a pit stop on Tatooine to find a new hyperdrive. And that's where I meant Anakin... by Canderous he was cute as a kid." Padme said in a dreamy tone.
"Uh... sir?" Nurse asked, as confused as I am.
"What? Oh right, well after that whole thing surrounding Naboo we went our separate ways, Anakin began his Jedi training, and I had a run in with my mentor Jango Fett and..." Padme was silent for a moment. "Do either of you know how Jango and I got caught up with the Kaminoans in the first place?" Padme said
"Well... no, we just assumed you wanted to serve the Republic." Nurse said.
"Well, it's far more complicated than that. Suffice it to say he and I went around the galaxy looking for a Dark Jedi and cult leader, I knew from the start the whole thing was trouble, five million creds and the leader of the Bando Gora. I just knew something was fishy the minute we got the bounty in the first place. And... well the short version, the old man who gave us the bounty in the first place knew where she was the entire time, and he gave us the second reward. The 'honor' of being templates for a clone army, and then I went along with Jango to Kamino. And the split second some of my own Clones were developing I left Kamino, and left Jango to take care of training of you clones." Padme said in a bitter tone.
"I see."
"No, you really don't. The only reason I even went along with that whole mess was because Jango was my mentor, I didn't want to be cloned, or have an army of me's running around doing... whatever it is the Grand Army was created for in the first place! I told my father that he'd get me into more trouble then I'd want, but did he listen? My point is, I just wanted to be mercenary, just go around the galaxy and save people, and hunt down criminals. But the whole nonsense about a Clone army?" Padme ranted, both Nurse and I were upset by what she was saying. "Look, my animosity with my clones has nothing to do with you personally our your squad. It's just... I'm sorry if I'm upsetting any of you or if I'm rambling, I just didn't want anything to do with say, inadvertently starting a war." Padme said
"What are you talking about-"
"I was on Geonosis when this mess started! I was held at blaster point by my own mentor, and his only excuse he had was that it was 'just business', I barley even cared when Windu struck him down. I was stripped of my armor and nearly killed by a kriffing Nexu in the Geonossian Arena! And to top it off-" But before Padme could continue ranting, we seemed to have wondered into the actual factory proper; Padme nearly stepped off of a ledge. "Oh... looks like we found it." Padme said nonchalantly.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
"A lot simpler than you're probably thinking." She said as she pulled out a rope with a hook at the end of it. She loaded the rope onto her blaster, and fired it. "Okay, nice and tight. Now we get ride down the rope." She said as she rode down the rope, followed by me and Nurse joining her.
"What the?! Clone Troopers!? Blast them!" A B1 Battle Droid said.
"Blast! Open fire on them!" Padme commanded, we opened fire at a line of droids. Unfortunately the rope was cut off by a stray blaster shot. "Brace yourselves, this is going to hurt!" Padme hollered as we fell to the ground. I felt pain when we hit the ground, but probably not as bad if we weren't wearing armor. "Get to cover!" Padme said as she fired her blaster into the crowd of droids.
"5972 are you alright?" Nurse asked as I clenched my legs.
"I'm fine, really, I can still fight." I said.
"Sargent 0285, where on the production floor of the factory, were under fire and we need immediate support!" Padme hollered over the squad's com channel.
"Understood, we're on the production line as well but we don't have a visual of you, just hang on." Said 0285 over the com channel, several minutes passed, we were outnumbered five to one, but thanks to Padme's ingenuity we managed to survive until 0285, Tost and Deadeye arrived to take care of the rest of the droids.
"Well, with luck we can find the core of this place soon enough." Padme said. "General Skywalker to Specialist Kaha, are you there?"
"Yes Anakin we're alive, we're inside the factory. In fact we just had a firefight with some droids, no casualties. We'll be moving on to the main core of the factory in-" Before she could continue, the sound of thundering footsteps. "Actually, we might be delayed." Padme said, and then a large droid appeared. "And the rumors of those Golem Droids were true." She said, the Golem droid had a single clawed hand, and the other seemed to be some manner of large blaster, and it seemed to have a single eye. "Take up positions! I'll cover you!" Padme said as she ran up to the droid, fire her shotgun at it.
Nurse and I stayed where we were with 0285, Deadeye got up on a ledge, along with Tost who laid down cover fire with her. Padme's shotgun was thrown out of her hands by the droid into the chasm below. She then took out a vibrosword and jammed it into the droids ankle. "Time to be scrapped tiny!" Padme said as she jumped up the droids eye, and then sliced it off with the vibrosword. Unfortunately it wasn't disabled like she probably thought it was, and threw her off of its shoulders, her helmet flying off and her landing on her head.
"5971, get to Padme! We'll cover you." 0285 ordered the droid then through a crate at us. It missed but a number of weapons were scattered around the floor. Acting on instinct I grabbed one, took aim at the Golem Droid as it held 0285 in its arm, and fired it. It fired some manner of grenade, it electrocuted the droid.
"Well, that's rather impress-"
Deadeye was cut off as the grenade exploded, incinerating the droids wreck. "Well like I said that was impressive." Deadeye finished nonplused.
"5971, what's Padme's status?" 0285 asked.
"She's fine, she just has a head injury." Nurse said as Padme slowly tried to get up.
"Is everyone alright?" Padme asked, completely ignoring the blood coming out of her forehead.
"Yes, we're all here. 5972 destroyed that Golem, with what looks like some manner of experimental Separatist weapon." 0285 said, handing her the grenade launcher I used.
"Yes, this looks like the weapon there making here, anti-vehicle grenade launcher that can disable a walker, or tank or what have you, and then disintegrate and destroy the remains. Not bad for some Shinies." Padme explained.
"Excuse me sir?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's just something the older Clones call you rookie clones, something about your armor being shiny when you leave the clone factories, but I don't see it myself." Padme explained
"Understood, now do you know how to get to the factories core?" 0285 asked.
"Yeah, just let me get my helmet." Padme said, over the next hour or so we made our way down to the factories core. "Now place the bombs on the core. Then we run and blow this place to rubble." Padme said, we did so, laying detonators around the large core.
"Cease and desist at once!" Shouted an ethereal sounding voice, it looked to be a Givin, a skeletal like race of aliens.
"I take it you run this place?" Padme said nonchalantly. "I am the Overseer of this factory, and you are trespassing." Said the Givin as a compliment of battle droids appeared behind him, along with another Golem Droid.
"Wow, I'm so sorry, we'll just be leaving right- open fire!" Padme said, we obeyed as we gunned down the droids. Of course we couldn't defeat the Golem Droid that easily. Padme jumped up on the droid, and managed to stick a grenade into its chest, destroying it. "Now, will you come quietly, or are we going to have to get rough with you?" Padme said, the Givin capitulated.
Eventually we returned to base. "One thing I want to know, is why they didn't just send in the army? You know, not send in a bunch of shinnies like us to do a whole armies job?" Deadeye asked as the dropship landed.
"Well as I'm sure you know this is a remote system, the Senate didn't feel that sending in an entire fleet was good for the war effort. Apparently the Separatists didn't think to protect this factory beyond a small garrison." Padme explained.
"So, what are our next orders?" 0285 asked.
"Well we head on up to the Resolute, then we see where were needed next in the war." Padme explained, and then General Skywalker ran up to us.
"Padme! It's good to see that you're alright!" He said as he hugged Padme.
"Thanks Ani, it was no problem really, but the mission's success is thanks to Carcharodon Squad." Padme said, even 0285 grinned a little with us.
"But it was still a reckless decision for you to assign rookies for something like this. Even if it was part of a harebrained scheme to get me to like my clones better, never pull something like that again!" Padme said sternly to the Jedi General.
"Alright, alright! No need to get so upset. Now we should go up to the Resolute, we've got a war to fight." General Skywalker said, several minutes later we were onboard the Venator-class Star Destroyer. I honestly don't know why there called 'star destroyers', why not just capital ships? Anyway, we found our way to our room.
"I call top bunk!" Deadeye called out as she climbed up to the top bunk.
"Well, we better get some shuteye. It's been a long day." Sargent said, several minutes passed as we all got ready for bed.
"Well, aside from personal drama from our commanding officers, I'd say we had a fine first day." Nurse said.
"Yeah, and after today I think I thought of a good name for myself." I said. "Oh? And what's that?"
"Novus." I said.
"Okay, why that?" Nurse asked.
"Because, I still have a lot to learn, you remember what we saw down there today, I don't know about you, but this war might be harder than just shooting at droids, like we all first thought back in training." I said.
"Well, that's very mature of you actually. But I don't see this war lasting too long, who knows this could all be over pretty soon." Nurse said optimistically, of course I didn't share her optimism. We were created for one purpose, to fight this war. As were our enemies, they won't give up any more then we will. And I swear, whatever it takes, I'm going to do my best to ensure that my brothers and sisters survive to see this wars end. Who knows? We might even get a new life when the war is over.
For now, we have a job to do.