Night of Solace
Captain Rex and Gregor's ship came out of hyperspace behind Kamino's moon. As they rounded the moon and the Ocean world of Kamino came into view, so did a Praedor class Star Destroyer; one of only two in the entire Republic Navy. Swarming around the gigantic ship were half a dozen Venator class Star Destroyers, like bees surrounding their hive. The Praedor class Star Destroyer was a top-secret project that had been initiated in the final months of the Clone Wars. The idea was to create a ship so powerful and so intimidating that the enemy would cower before it, and surrender when they found out that the Republic had a fleet of them. At almost five kilometres long, the behemoth dwarfed the surrounding Republic capital ships. Clearly, there was something that the Empire needed to protect on Kamino. Even during the height of the clone wars, when the Republic was still using Kamino to create their army, the planet wasn't this well fortified. Rex and Gregor continued slowly towards the blockade. The Emperor's personal shuttle would ensure that they weren't fired upon until they were close enough for the ships to identify them as imposters, however, as soon as that happened, they would be obliterated. They needed to come up with a plan before the blockade identified them. They could use the shuttle to get within close proximity of the blockade, potentially close enough to make cover the rest of the distance with thruster packs.
"See if there are any thrusters on board, I think I have a plan" Rex ordered Gregor, who in turn exited the cockpit and searched the shuttle.
"Umm, I don't want to ruin whatever you have planned, but there aren't any thrusters on board this whole shuttle." Gregor reported back.
"Shit" Rex uttered under his breath. But after a moment he regained composure, "All good, if there's one thing us clone troopers do well, especially in the 501st, it's improvise. Did you bring a canister of biofoam?" Rex inquired.
"Of course, I did" Gregor smiled as he caught onto what Rex was suggesting, but there was one problem "If we use the biofoam as a thruster through space, how are we going to patch up our wounds if we get hit once we're on Kamino?"
"Simple" replied Rex with a hint of madness in his eyes "We don't get hit".
"So, what's the plan then?" Asked Gregor, liking the captain's confidence.
"The second this shuttle gets within interior scanning range, it's going to be blown to pieces. So, we let them do that, only we won't be on the ship by then. We'll be thrusting right towards the blockade. Without a ship, we'll be too small for them to pick up on their senses. If we're fast enough then by the time we reach the capital ship, it's hangar doors will be open for the search party that they will send to search the wreckage. We climb in through the hangar doors and take one of the orbital drop pods down onto the planet's surface. They're the only transport fast enough to get down there without being shot down."
"What are we waiting for then?" said Gregor, sliding his commando helmet on and checking over his weapons. Rex set a course right for the capital ship and left the cockpit to retrieve his duffle bag. For the duration of the flight, Rex had remained in his civilian clothing, only now thinking to get changed back into his clone trooper armour. Alongside his armour in his duffle bag, were the two blasters that had accompanied Rex throughout the clone wars and about a dozen explosive charges, as well as a field first aid kit, which contained the canister of biofoam which he needed. After getting ready, he walked back out into the hanger bay. The bodies of the six guards that had occupied this space before Rex and Gregor had commandeered the ship were still lying there; perfect for the search party to find. Rex and Gregor waited silently in the hangar for the right time to jump from the main door. Finally, from cockpit's console, came a warning tone that an unknown vessel was scanning them. That was the cue Rex had been waiting for.
"Let's go" He ordered and smashed his fist against the hangar door controls. The vacuum caused by the opening door instantly sucked the two troopers out into the depths of space, as the shuttle continued its course towards the Praedor class behemoth. The temperature regulators in their suits kicked in instantly, protecting them from the harsh conditions of space. They twisted their bodies so that they were lying with their bodies face down, relative to the imperial blockade. Holding the biofoam at their chest, they let out a burst in synchronization, propelling them towards the blockade. They continued on their course towards the blockade, quickly passing the shuttle that they had just left, and continuing towards the Praedor. As they got closer, they could make out the massive letters printed down the starboard hangar door; Night of Solace.
"So, this is the legendary ship that Palpatine himself flew on its maiden voyage" Gregor commented.
"It would appear so" Replied Rex, in awe of the sheer size of the beast. Up close, the Night of Solace appeared even bigger, stretching on for what seemed like forever into the distance. The clone's train of thought was derailed as a single burst of light was fired from one of the huge starboard cannons, blasting the shuttle that he and Gregor had occupied a mere couple of minutes ago, instantly vaporising it. As predicted, the hangar doors slid open. The design of the Praedor class was almost identical to that of the Venator, only on a much larger scale. The doors that ran almost the entire length of the deck, to the base of the bridge towers, of which the Praedor had two pairs, slid open to reveal a four-tiered hangar, lined the entire way with fighters, bomber, shuttles and transports; including two acclimator class warships on each side.
Rex and Gregor froze, as just mere meters above them, a shuttle, and four search ships, equipped with flashlights and powerful sensors of all types whizzed over the two clone troopers heads, towards the wreckage of their abandoned shuttle. Rex silently motioned for the two of them to continue scaling the side of the enormous warship. The made their way over the edge of the ship, and onto the main deck. Just in front of them were the enormous hangar doors, which had slid open only moments earlier. Long Night of Solace was packed. Between every starfighter, bomber and transport was a group of armed Kamino guards. The elite clone troopers donned armour that bore markings identical to that of the prestigious Coruscant Guard, only in grey. Rex and Gregor spotted one unoccupied hangar bay on the top floor, only about twenty meters away from them. With the last of their biofoam, they propelled themselves over to the empty hangar, it must have been where one of the search ships was docked.
Once the clone troopers were through the energy shield, which was quivering with energy, they felt their bodies being gripped by the familiar force of gravity, and being pulled to the ground. Gregor landed smoothly, absorbing most of the impact with his knees. His many years as a clone commando he had experienced boarding enemy ships many times. Rex, however, was not so experience, and stumbled forward as he landed, unable to perfectly absorb the 3-meter drop. He was able to stay on his feet, and together, the two troopers exited the hangar bay, and entered the pristine corridors of the star ship.
"Drop pods are normally near the bridge, so I guess we start there" Rex stated and began walking down the corridors of the ship, towards the bridges, slowly, as not to draw too much attention. The two clones, dressed in their 501st dressage and Republic Commando armour stood out in the sea of grey marked troopers, however, no one stopped them.
"Just one question" Greogor whispered to Rex on the move "You're plan with the drop pods was a good one, but that only gets us onto the planet. Right now, for whatever reason, these clones aren't attacking us, but the moment that they notice two drop pods have gone missing, they'll know somethings up. After that, it won't be long before a clone battalion, the size of one I've never seen before, comes raining down all hell on us. So, I've got another idea"
"Go on" Rex replied, making sure the guards on either side of them didn't overhear.
"We hijack this ship, and use it to take out the rest of the blockade, giving us right of way onto the planet. A ship this size would have jammers which are easily capable of blocking the signals from the Venators. No one down there would even know we're coming."
"And how do you think two clone troopers are going to take over the largest ship in the entire Republic Navy? For a starter, there are two bridges, that means we have to split up, stacking the odds even further against us." Rex replied.
"We make the odds as much back in our favour as possible. You're captain of Anakin Skywalker's 501st; everyone knows he's caught up in this, they'll trust you in a heartbeat. As for me; I'm a clone commando, I probably outrank everyone on this ship… Except maybe the captain" Gregor smirked. As much as Rex didn't want to admit it. To try and take on a Republic Praedor class vessel was a suicide mission. But Gregor was right, the original plan was doomed. If they were going to do this, Gregor's option was the only way. After several minutes of continuous walking they reached an intersection, where they would have to separate, each to go their own way.
"Good luck" Rex said to Gregor as they peeled off in different directions, Rex took the left, towards the communications bridge, whilst Gregor took the right, towards the controls bridge.
"I'll contact you when the shooting starts. You'll need to jam those ships once that happens." Gregor reminded Rex.
"Aye, aye." Saluted Rex.
Rex made his way down the hallway for another couple of minutes until he reached the elevator that headed towards the communication bridge. At the bottom stood two clone officers, dressed in the same clone armour as the rest of the Kamino Guard, only each with a dark grey, military cape draped over their outside shoulder. Rather than wielding rifles in their arms, each held a matching grey force pike. As Rex approached, the two officers tilted their pikes towards each other, crossing infront of the door to deny Rex access. Rex continued to stride confidently towards the officers, his Kamas bouncing of his legs.
"I'm here to see your starboard captain" Rex stated confidently.
"Show me credentials" Said the left-hand guard. However, before Rex could respond, the guard realised who he was talking to.
"Sorry sir, I didn't realise you were captain of the 501st!" The guard exclaimed. "Heil Lord Vader" he added as their pikes uncrossed and Rex stepped into the lift. The moment the word Vader reached his ear he knew who the officers were referencing. Rex's suspicions had been right, Anakin Skywalker was more than aware of what was happening, he was helping to lead it. The ride up the shaft was short. It took no more than 15 seconds for the elevator to ascend the 100 meters or so between the corridors and the two bridges that were linked to form one command bridge in charge of all things communications. His elevator arrived and Rex stepped out into the left hand-side room. The room he was in was identical to the on the Venator class star destroyers. Two pits in the floor were used for most members of the crew, whilst a raised command walkway separated them, with the captain and his left and right-hand men patrolling the area. To his right was a linkway to the other room; an identical room, which together with the room he was in, formed the communications bridge. In the linkway was a control panel, with one well decorated general in the middle, Rex assumed that this was the Starboard captain. Rex scanned the spacious bridge. On each command walkway stood one clone commander; one of the highest ranks in the Republic Navy, supported by two officers. In each pit, of which there was a total of four, worked six crew members, each attached to their various screens and monitors. Other than the general, the commanders, and their officers, there were only four other armed troops in the room. These were the officers guarding the exit to the elevators, they were identical to those who guarded the bottom of the lifts. The lack of guards was due to the Republic's focus on stopping any opponents before they reached the bridge. If they did make it there, protocol was to make sure they didn't get their hands on any sensitive data, this often-meant self-destruction. Therefore, the guards up here were only there to by the commanding officer, in this case the general, enough time to self-destruct the vessel. Out of the panoramic windows, Rex could see the search party return from their search. Rex hoped that the general hadn't put two and two together, and realised that he was responsible for the theft of the Emperor's personal shuttle. He walked over to the general and saluted.
"My name is general Encerom" said the general as he stuck out his hand towards captain Rex.
"Captain Rex sir." Replied Rex as he eyed up the general. The general was the only person who wasn't a clone that Rex had seen so far onboard the Night of Solace. His hair was completely shaven, revealing a tattoo of a double headed eagle covering his scalp. The mark of the Chancellor's, now the Emperor's, personal guard. The best of the best, handpicked for the most elite roles in the military. Encerom stood about 4 inches taller than Rex, and had a much bulkier build. His standard grey admiral uniform, worn by all ships' commanders, was heavily decorated in medals, pinned across his chest. A gold chain went from his general's shoulder pad, to his collar. Rex knew the chain, it was awarded to all commanding officers who survived the battle of Theed, the first time that the Trade Federation had used their droid army against the Republic. As he looked at the general, Rex was assessing him. His sheer size and strength was undoubtedly greater than that of Rex, but that would mean that he would most likely be slower than the clone captain.
"I'm so sorry Rex but I don't seem to remember you boarding this ship, did Lord Vader send you?" The general's line of inquiry made it clear that he was suspicious. Rex did not yet have a plan on how to single headedly take control of the bridge, especially now he knew there was a member of the Emperor's guard onboard.
"Yes, he did, I've been onboard since your last supply delivery, I have simply been checking out this fabled warship." Rex knew his reply was weak, but it should hold up long enough for him to formulate a plan. There was no way he could take on the General. Alone? Maybe, but not with the other officers and captains on the deck. At that moment, his commlink lit up, signalling that it was time to disable the communications. If he didn't get disable them soon, all of Kamino would know they were under attack, and Rex and Gregor wouldn't stand a chance. An alarm sounded in the bridge. The emergency red lights began swooping around the room. General Encerom's eyes narrowed, he knew that the trooper who had mysteriously boarded his ship was behind this. He lashed out with a closed fist, slamming it into captain Rex's face, knocking the 501st commander to his knees.
"Get him!" Encerom yelled at the surrounding guards and officers, as he shifted his focus to warning Kamino of the eminent threat. But before anyone else could react, Rex raised his blaster, not at the general, but towards the panoramic windows.
With a bang, the room was transformed into chaos. Rex, had already activated his magnetic boots, gluing him to the floor. But the ship's crew were not so prepared. The instant vacuum sucked out the shattered glass, followed instantly by the crew onboard. All except one. The general had seen Rex raise his blaster out of the corner of his eye and instantly reached out for the command console, and holding onto it for dear life. Less than a second after the chaos had begun, the Night of Solace security systems kicked in, slamming the blast doors shut over the broken glass, and restoring normal gravity to the bridge.
Rex was already up and moving, slamming his entire body into the general, forcing his hands off the console. The two of them rolled across the hard-metallic floor ending up a meter apart. Once again Rex was first to his feet, his speed and reflexes giving him the upper-hand so far. In the collision, his blaster had gone flying across the room, but he still had a second one strapped to his belt. The alarms were still ringing out through the entire ship, and if Encerom made it to the command console, they would be ringing out in every ship in the whole blockade, not to mention the cloning facility itself. Rex had to prioritise. He needed to get those elevators offline, trapping the rest of the clones onboard the body of the ship, and keeping the bridge under his control. In the same amount of time it took for Rex to fire two precise shots at the control panel of each elevator, rendering them useless, Encerom had gotten back to his feet and was halfway to the command console. Rex couldn't risk shooting at him, in case he hit the console, making it impossible to jam the other ships. Instead he threw his blaster with all his might at the back of the general's head, and sprinted to intercept him. With a thud, the blaster crashed into the tattooed skull of the general, causing him to stagger forward, almost losing his footing, but he stayed upright. But, the trip had slowed him down enough for Rex to catch up. Coming in from the side, Rex slammed his foot into the general's abdomen. The pain forced the general to turn around and face his attacker.
Encerom realised that he wasn't going to make a broadcast whilst this clone was still breathing, so he changed his focus. If this trooper wanted a fight, he'd give him one. Rex kicked again, this time aiming higher; at the general's neck. But the imperial guard was the best of the best. With extra human strength, Encerom grabbed Rex's foot with both hands, stopping it dead in its tracks, then tossing it aside. This threw Rex completely off balance. He stumbled to the side, and Encerom seized the opportunity to land two swift blows, one with each fist to the sides of Rex's helmet, followed up with an uppercut, which slammed into the clone's breastplate. Rex doubled over, winded from the brutal salvo of attacks that he had just endured. But he didn't even have time to catch his breath before a knee slammed into his helmet, cracking his visor and whipping his head back, right into Encerom's elbow, which drove Rex's face into the floor. Rex quickly rolled onto his back so that he could look up at his foe.
Encerom knelt down and rose a fist, ready to slam it over and over into the traitor's head, pummelling him in the name of his new Emperor. But Rex had other idea. He waited just long enough for Encerom's fist to begin its flight towards his head, before rolling out of the way and kicking up with both his feet, sending the general stumbling backwards. Rex leapt to his feet and charged at the general, tackling him into the wall. Using one arm to pin the general against the wall, Rex ripped one of the medals that was pinned to his shirt, off his chest, and drove the pin into the general's left eye.
"Traitor!" Encerom howled in pain, thrashing around. His strength was too much for Rex to keep pinned against the wall. Encerom broke free, and grabbed Rex's throat, holding him up in the air so that his feet were about six inches off the ground. Rex wriggled around, trying desperately to grab some air, but to no avail. He was losing consciousness. His vision was fading.
"You and you're useless kind. No one created in laboratory could ever truly withstand the might of the Empire" Encerom sneered. Taking his time to gloat in the face of victory. In one last effort, Rex kicked out once more, but this time he connected, causing just enough of a wince for him to break free. He wrapped around behind the general and grabbed the end of the chain connected to his shoulder pad. He unclipped it and twisted it round the general's throat with lightning speed. The general was caught off guard, and just for a moment, Encerom froze. This momentary lapse of judgement was all Rex needed to tighten his grip on the general. Soon the general's body began to spasm, before stopping, and staying completely still. Rex dropped the body and slid down against the wall, until he was sitting on the floor, panting and exhausted. The sirens and flasing red lights had faded into the background as he sat there. After a minute to regain his breath, Rex activated his commlink.
"Gregor, we're all clear on my end."