A/N: Sorry bout the wait. I know last chapter might have been a little slow. It was more of a setup chapter. But there is more action to come! Hope you all like the story so far. Last time we left off Ron beginning his training and Kim is on her way to Malastare. Its been Five weeks since we left Kim constructing her first lightsaber. So whats happening now...
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Disney's Kim Possible or Lucas's Star Wars.
Chapter 8 A Rising Malevolence
I.
Ziost. At its zenith a beautiful planet in the Outer Rim covered by lush green jungles that held dark secrets and many evils. But as time wore on its climate shifted changing the lush world into a frozen wasteland that was largely forgotten. Its importance was little to none
Except for those few who strived to find darkness, it was a beacon. But the planet wasn't as nearly as important as was the ancient Sith Citadel that was constructed on it millennia ago. The very place that held the dark secrets of the Sith.
It towered over the landscape of the frozen valley it was centered in. Mountains dominated the horizon capped with ice and snow surrounding the basin the temple was in. It looked peaceful and undisturbed, but eerily so.
But as the Sun of Ziost set below the horizon, it was clearly visible that someone currently occupied the primeval fortress. The South tower that jutted out of the steep walls was lit up and small shadows could be seen keeping guard along the tower's ridge.
To no surprise its denizen was Monkey Fist and his small coalition. He stood quietly at one of the paned widows that lined the two sides of the tower.
His back was turned away from the ensuing argument between Gemini and one of the new associates he had picked up in the past weeks, Jack Hench. The others talked passively to one another.
Brinley stood near the entrance not concerning himself with any of the commotion. Khorde one of Fist's first apprentices's stood adjacent to Brinley while the others stood guard outside.
Monkey Fist stood there looking out at the expanse of frozen tundra that made up much of Ziost. Over the past weeks he had recruited helpers. He let them talk of whatever useless rubbish they needed, he didn't care.
For now his concern was with his two greatest enemies who had managed to slip into this realm. It was hard to track them but he managed. Possible was in the Malastare System with her new Jedi Master Kenobi while Stoppable had been spotted on Mandalore, but wasn't sure since the informant was killed.
As long as those two are kept apart I have nothing worry about, for now. He thought weighing positives and negatives. If the informant had been right about Stoppable he had nothing to worry about. Possible and Stoppable were on opposite sides of the Galaxy leaving them both vulnerable.
But one fact haunted him to the very core of his being. No matter how far apart they were, no matter how many light years, armies or wars were in their way, they always found each other. And that connection was something he had to break.
No I have to keep them away from each other as long as possible or… Monkey Fist smiled crookedly the thought enticing him. Drakken might have failed but he did prove more resourceful than I thought.
His thought was interrupted by Gemini pounding the table shouting.
"Fist!"
Monkey Fist arched his brow growling balling up his hand into a fist. He turned around and glared down on the group, specifically Gemini.
"What is it?" Fist asked keeping his anger in check.
"What are we doing here sitting around, it accomplishes nothing." Gemini pointed at Fist outraged, "You promised that we would be taking Earth."
Monkey Fist cooled his pooling anger and paced to the table, "And we well Gemini."
"When!? When well we do it?" Gemini yelled back, "I've promised you all my assets and investments and I want results."
Fist stood at the end of the table with everyone's eyes on him. "I assure you Gemini in due time we will take action."
"I want action now!" Gemini demanded.
"Patience my friend, first one must plot his course, if one doesn't they lose themselves in the sea unable to navigate themselves," Monkey Fist responded.
Gemini gritted his teeth grumbling , "But it's been six weeks and all we've done is stolen a DNA template, I would like to know our course of action but you haven't presented any yet."
"Here's one course of action I do suggest Sheldon that you should take," Monkey Fist scowled. "Shut up! We don't want things getting out of hand do we now?" Monkey Fist sneered while Brinley put the muzzle of his pistol at the base of Gemini's head.
Gemini didn't gulp still holding onto his chagrin, but he knew when to back down from a fight so he did.
"Thank-you Sheldon," Monkey Fist nodded toward the tempered W.E.E. leader.
He looked out at the others. "Now then, shall we get started. First things first, does anyone believe in the need for a change of leadership because we'll start off with an elimination vote," his accent putting extra emphasis on elimination.
Everyone stayed silent. Monkey Fist smiled, "Good, now then I'm sure you all have had the chance to meet each other in one way or another but let's introduce ourselves properly, hmm." Monkey Fist nodded toward Gemini.
Brinley pulled his pistol away from the base of Sheldon's skull, "I'm Gemini and I am the leader of W.E.E." he glowered.
Killigan burst out laughing, "And jus' what kind of name is that laddy?" Killigan asked hysterically.
Gemini growled at Duff from across the table, "You're next skirt man."
Duff stopped and stood glaring down at Gemini, "It's not a skirt it's a kilt!" he shouted.
He stared at the rest of them. "I'm Duff Killigan," he sighed and sat down not even mentioning his assistant Perkin's.
"Not much of an introduction," Gemini smirked.
"Shut up!"
It was Hench's turn and he stood up like he would at any business deal, "I'm Jack Hench, manufacturer and distributer of weapons and doom's day devices," he said with a smile. He sat down dismayed when no one showed too much of an interest.
Gemini looked over at the two other's who sat right next to Fist who were dressed in a military like uniform that was snow white and decorated with badges and medals, "And you..?"
Monkey Fist walked over to the strangers, "Ah, my apologies, these next four will be introduced by me, these gentlemen are Volo Fulstum and Sahdra Rollen, they are military strategists, the general's of their day."
"Hmm, I've never heard of them. What country are you from?" Gemini asked.
Fist snorted, "You and your ignorance, they're not from Earth, they're from Calif in our own Galaxy," Monkey Fist stated.
"But that's not possible," Jack declared openly, "There hasn't been a man to make it out of our Solar System let alone the Moon."
Gemini smiled quietly amused, "Indeed that is true."
"Not in the present or near past there hasn't," Monkey Fist said with in a chilling tone. He moved over to the two Khordites that sat opposite of Fulstum and Rollen. "And these are our special delegates from the Khorditian Empire in the northern regions of the Milky Way gentlemen, they're here to provide us with something we don't have a lot of…"
"And what's that?" Gemini asked.
"Space… you see they control a vast quantity of systems about ten thousand or so and we desperately need them."
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Because for one we don't control Earth yet. Now the DNA template we stole from Kamino is to be used to create a new army."
"Clones?" Gemini questioned, "But those take years to form and train and it can all backfire on us…"
"Not clones you idiot," Fist interrupted, "But synthodrones." Monty pressed a small blue button on a keypad that was in front of him and a small hologram of Drakkens synthodrone appeared. "They are made of a stable biological compound that can form any being depending on what type of DNA is introduced to the compound," Fist explained while slowly walking around the table.
"And just how are we gonna mass produce these in sufficient enough quantities?" Gemini asked.
"That's where you come in, you will use all your assets and knowledge to mass produce these and these two Khordites well provide you the necessary materials to do so."
One of the Khordite tossed up a small ball that turned into a floating droid. The Khordite with its slimy brown tentacles hanging over its mouth began to speak in its own alien language and the droid translated for it.
"I am A'ghol Laek and this is my assistant Ithalig Anek. We are weapons and arms manufactures, simple business men as you would say. We are willing to let you all use fifty of our systems for development and production," the small droid translated his gurgled speech pattern.
"What's your corporation's name?" Jack queried.
Anek responded and the droid translated, "Phubot Industries."
Fist cut into what ever Jack was about to say and spoke, "And with Phubot Industries providing you gentlemen compensation on their planets. You will be able to raise an army like no other."
"But what are our parts in this?" Killigan asked.
"Your heads, most importantly… and a seat on the council of a new order which will rule not only Earth but the galaxy," Fist gloated.
"What galaxy?" Hench asked.
"Our own you idiots… ye of little faith," Monkey Fist grumbled. The rest of the villains were unsure if Fist was crazy or not but went along with it.
"Okay, but what aure we gonna do, heh?" Killigan asked.
"You well develop weapons and explosives with Hench here and Gemini will produce the Synthodrone Army and a space fleet to hold them."
"A space fleet, ha!" Gemini burst out.
"Yes you idiot," Fist came back around and pressed blue button again. A large wedge shaped ship replaced the hologram of Drakkens synthodrone. "This is a Imperial Star Destroyer, you and Phubot Industries will begin to construct these and many other ships that I have acquired the layouts for."
"What? You can't seriously expect that!" Gemini protested. "I don't have the resources to build one of those!"
"But they do," Monkey Fist replied motioning at the two Khordites.
"Still, how do you expect me to build that? I don't even know how advanced it is. It would take years for any genius to find how to work the systems in that schematic properly."
"No it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out! Now stop your babbling."
"Then why don't you do it yourself?" Killigan asked.
"Because I have other matters to worry about," Monkey Fist shot back.
"So you have the layouts for more weapons?" Hench asked.
"Yes and they will be split up between you all for you to make improvements or new variants. Within a year we should have the most powerful force in our Galaxy…" he looked around, "That is if you all agree to the terms?" he asked.
Killigan and Hench looked at each other and then back at Monkey Fist, "Alright Fist, we're in."
"Hench Corporation well help support it," Jack responded.
Gemini gritted his teeth, "I'll tag along, as long as you follow through with your promise."
"Of course Gemini, why wouldn't I?"
"Then you have W.E.E.'s full support."
The droid spoke A'ghol Laek, "The Phubot Industries will devote all resources to your cause without question Lord Fist."
"Good! With all of your support, you have made it entirely possible to create this new order," Monkey Fist declared.
"Before we start talking of that, just how are we going to get our assets off of Earth?" Gemini asked.
"Fortunately for you, you won't have to lift a finger, Laek will have ships transport your goods off-world in the guise of night."
Gemini leaned back in his chair, "When do we begin?"
"Immediately, go and Darth Khorde will escort you back with the Monstrum Simia." Lord Khorde bowed and waited as everyone began to get up and leave, but Fist spoke out, "Gemini, Fulstum, Rollen stay here," he ordered.
As the rest left Gemini and the military advisors Fulstum and Rollen stayed behind and Darth Khorde left with the others.
"Brinley, shut the doors," Fist ordered the assassin at the door.
Fist turned around, "From now on, you shall all refer to me as Lord Fist. Is that clear?" Fist asked stopping at the window again.
"Yes."
"Yes What?"
"Yes my Lord," Gemini uttered the words. It wasn't his custom to view others as higher than himself. "But why'd you have us stay?"
Monkey Fist clasped his hands behind his back, "Because I am appointing you leader of the Council that was just adjourned and Commander of the future armed forces, both army and naval, all the branches."
If Gemini was surprised he didn't show. "Really, why me?"
"You don't need to know, but these men are now under your command. Fulstum as Admiral of the new Navy since he specializes in that area and Rollen the General of ground forces."
Gemini turned to Fulstum first and then Rollen shaking their hands. He turned back to Monkey Fist. "So where are we going?"
"Back to where you came from, but Fulstum and Rollen will be with you at all times helping you unless I say otherwise."
"Yes…" Monkey Fist stared him down, "My Lord," Gemini muttered.
"Good, now leave with the rest. Brinley open the doors," Fist commanded. Gemini and the rest left the room quickly.
"Brinley?"
"Yes my Lord," Brinley responded.
Monkey Fist pressed the blue button again and the hologram of the Imperial Star Destroyer transformed into a holographic film of a young girl with a light-saber cutting down battle droids on a battlefield. "You see this girl?" Monkey Fist pointed her out.
"Yes… she's quite a skilled Jedi isn't she," Brinley observed.
"Yes, but she's also a Gatekeeper," Monkey Fist retorted as he slowly paced around the table skimming his hand over the surface.
"Interesting… she's one of the five?"
"Yes."
"So… what do you want me to do about it?" Brinley asked taking out his pistol.
Monkey Fist stopped and put his hand in front of his face looking at the dust that he'd collected on it. He brushed it off patting his hands and then turned to Brinley and stared into the assassin's cold grey eyes.
"Kill her."
II.
A bead of sweat slowly trickled down his forehead. He tried his best to keep a straight face with commissioners and executives chatting around him.
Hanson flirted with Janet yet again like he always did. It was a shame that Janet Lasorda didn't really care for him, yet he tried so hard. Mason told the usual jokes and funny stories about his old lady.
Ashley Dutton was telling another story of rejecting a guy that she had met at a mall because she was just too good for him, but he thought she was the tramp of this place. She had been out with almost every guy in the room excluding him… at least that's what he'd been told, and knowing her she had taken the guy on a date, maybe more. It was just all about her.
Wheeler bragged how he had just hooked up with another agent named Flores. If there was one thing Will had learned about the board of directors, it was that they were full of themselves.
Right now Will Du wasn't worried about anyone's love affairs or any other problems they had right now. He had his problems to deal with and that was enough. He looked down at his watch then at the suitcase down at the side of his feet. Twelve minutes to go.
"Hey there! So you the new guy to the club right?"
Will turned back to see Dutton standing at his side looking down on him. He had to admit she was kind of cute… for someone that had just turned thirty-nine. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun in that professional manner and her icy blue eyes.
Will forced himself to smile trying not to look suspicious, "If you wanna call it that."
"I don't think I've properly introduced myself," she said with a frown. You don't have to I already know you Will grimaced.
"I'm Ashley, Agent Dutton if ya wanna be all proper 'bout it, but you can just call me Ash if you'd like," she told him holding out her hand.
Will grabbed her hand shaking it heartedly, "Nice to meet you Agent Dutton, I'm Agent Du."
"Nice to meet you, mighty strong grip you have there don't ya," she complemented him.
Will laughed, "As do you." Will didn't mind the chat but he had to stay focused as the clock ticked.
"So Agent Du… just how old are you?" she asked taking a seat on the edge of the table.
"I'm twenty-two, I'll be twenty three next month and what about you?" Will asked in return.
"Well, I just turned thirty-eight last week," she replied shyly looking down at her feet.
Wow, okay wrong by one year. But I have to give it to her If I didn't know her I'd think her twenty-five or something. Will thought. But strangely enough the thought did provoke another in his mind making him snicker.
She looked up at him, "What it is it?"
"Oh its nothing really just something that popped in my mind," he made an excuse to go along with it. He wasn't going to really tell her what was on his mind.
"Tell me, please," she asked.
"No, you wouldn't laugh trust me," he told her suppressing the urge to burst out.
"Com' on just tell me please," she begged.
"No, I'm telling you you won't think its funny," Will replied.
"Try me," she said crossing her arms. She put on the puppy dog pout, "Please?"
Will rolled his eyes, "Oh what the hell. Well don't tell anyone I told you…" she nodded her head as he lowered his voice to a whisper, "But last week I walked into the guy's room and guess who I heard screwing around in there."
Dutton's eyes went wide like a kid who found out where the secret stash of candy was.
"Who?"
Will leaned in closer to her so no one would hear, "Dr. Director and Hanson."
Ashley sat back up eyes wide open like saucers. "No way?" she didn't believe it and glanced over at Hanson who was still messing around with Janet.
Will nodded trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. It wasn't his character to start a rumors especially about the Director, but he wouldn't see her after today.
"No… Hanson is so into Janet I don't think he'd mess around with the Director of all people," she concluded. "Come to think of it I don't see the Director as someone to mess around with anyone, especially another agent," she reassured herself.
"You better believe it, I heard them screwing around in the stall. Who else's names are Hanson and Betty Ash?" he asked. "And come on, you know how much stress the Director puts up with? She's got to blow off steam some how."
She shrugged her shoulders and mulled it over, "But it's not like Hanson, not his style Du."
"Whatever you say, he looks like a desperate man to me, I might be to if I was trying to get with a girl like Janet."
"Maybe… but what about you?" she asked making circles with her finger on the glass table.
Will focused back on her, "What about me?"
"Well do you have your own girl, hmm?" she asked flirtatiously.
Will's face flushed with color. Maybe he was wrong about her, he'd never seen her talk to a guy in this place like this and she usually was stuck up and too good for everyone else. But that would mean she likes me, eh?
"Nah, I don't get into relations with cooperatives and partners it always ends up a big mess one way or the other," he answered. Especially ones that are nearly twice my age.
She frowned at his response, "Well you don't have any girl at all, I mean I'm sure you're not just limited to this place right?"
"I don't have time for stuff like that, it's not my interest right now and I doubt it will be for some time, I just got to much stuff to work on," he tried to make it clear that he wasn't interested.
Dutton apparently didn't register the hint, "But Agent Du you gotta relax some how?" she insisted.
Will nodded, "Yea I do in my work," he replied.
She laughed, "That's not what I mean…" the door behind them opened and in walked the Director. Everyone stopped talking and stood up in attention. Will thought it funny when Agent Dutton quickly scooted off the table brushing off her pants and straightened them out.
"At ease," Dr. Director ordered walking to the head of the glass table. As soon as she sat down so did everyone else. Will turned away grabbing the handle of his suitcase and slid it under the table where no one would notice it.
He stood up and looked at Agent Dutton who was about to ask him one last thing, "Excuse me but I really have to… GO!" he said putting emphasis on go. He turned around leaving a speechless Agent Dutton behind and walked out into the lobby.
One late board member, Agent Smither rushed through the double doors of the lobby and dashed to the conference room. He looked at Will shocked he was rushing the opposite way.
"Agent Du, the meeting is about to start." he told him baffled.
"I know, just gotta take a little restroom break I'll be back," he said rushing through the double doors where Smither had just come through. "Yea right," he scoffed.
He looked at his watch. Six minutes left. He didn't know he'd cut it so close. He started jogging to the elevator and stopped in front of the closing doors and put his hand between them. The heavy doors opened back up just short of crushing his limbs. He rushed in and pressed the button for the lobby floor.
He began his decent, thirteen floors to the bottom and the seconds kept ticking away. His heart was pounding against his chest becoming louder and louder. He looked at the watch. Four minutes to go and it wasn't just the suitcase that was rigged.
"God I hope they haven't figured it out," he grumbled under his breath.
He had carefully planted bombs all over the building. Ten pounds of C-4 in the suitcase and a hundred pounds scattered everywhere else would do it. He'd spent weeks smuggling it all in.
The Elevator stopped and the doors opened. Will walked out casually into the main lobby where many agents were sitting on chairs and guards with guns walked around. He passed the main desk toward an x-ray machine.
"Stop right there sir," A guard stopped him in front of the scanner. Will froze in fear. No way, they couldn't have…
"Identification please suh," A second guard asked in a southern accent. Will quickly pulled out his card showing it to the guards. The second guard took it and looked it over while the first one wanded him down.
"Lift up your arms… now turn around… and your good sir," the first guard told him.
The second guard gave him back his card, "Here yah go suh, someone been stealin' things from thus place."
"Yeah sorry for the delay sir, you're clear to go," the first said moving out of the way.
Will took back his card and moved through the scanner.
"Thanks," he muttered walking through the sliding doors into the parking lot. He walked past his own car knowing that if investigators found it missing they would suspect him. He had to keep a low profile.
He began running and looked down at his watch. 17 seconds.
Will knew he didn't have time to get away from Global Justice Headquarters which was seconds away from being blown into oblivion. But he needed cover and after looking left and right he spotted it.
A few yards off to his right was a small ditch that ran through the parking lot splitting it in two and weaved its way out to the wooded areas surrounding the complex. It wasn't a bomb shelter but it was a good four feet below the level of the parking complex.
All he could do was hope it would work and he took one last step gritting his teeth pushing off the ground and leaping into the trench. He crawled up against the side of the ditch closest to the structure and cuddled himself up into a little ball.
He counted down in his head…Five…Four…Three…
III.
Doctor Director looked up from her files watching Agent Smither rush through the doors and quickly take a seat by Agent Dutton.
"Glad you could join us Smither, elevator malfunctioning again?" Betty asked sarcastically.
Smither stacked his papers and folders into a neat pile on the table. He let out a nervous laugh, "Actually, my wife just called and… she's pregnant again."
Dr. Director smiled, "Oh really, how far along is she?"
Smither was quite happy Dr. Director understood, "Two months, we're just really excited it's our second kid you know."
"Oh that's so sweet," Agent Dutton commented, "Congratulations." Everyone else smiled and followed suite with their complements.
"Alright that's enough, I'm sure we'll all get a chance to see the kid someday," the Director stated. "But right now we got business to tend to." Everyone settled down except Smither who was still jittery from his wife's news.
"Okay so just where are we at Director?" Hanson called out, "What seems to be the issue, Villains, Terrorists?"
Director waited until Smither got his composure together and went on, "Actually Drakken and Shego are behind bars and so is Motor Ed and Senor Senor Sr. is under close surveillance." The Director stopped.
"So most of the major villains are behind bars, what's the problem?" Wheeler asked.
"Have we got any leads on Monkey Fist's whereabouts?" the Director asked.
"Um… a negative there ma'am. None of our agents have been able to locate him anywhere," Hanson answered.
"Maybe it just confirms what that Sensei said in Japan, that Fist has really gone off-world, I mean we sent Possible and her geek, Dementor and Stoppable had gone before they even did…" Wheeler explained.
"It's possible but I want all other possibilities explored first before we make any conclusions," the Director stated.
"But we've been searching for weeks already and we've gone through all our resources, reliable or not," Hanson objected. "He just vanished."
Betty frowned, "And that's why else we're here… Sheldon's vanished too."
Smither frowned, "Your egomaniac twin brother, he's always managed to evade us…"
"Not like this though, we've always been able keep up with him at least," Hanson retorted.
Lasorda added to the Directors concern, "Its not just Gemini… every other villain that we didn't capture in the Diablo crisis or have behind bars has vanished into thin air." Hanson and Smither looked stunned.
"What?"
She pulled out a paper from her folder and read out a list of names, "Duff Killigan, Hank Perkins, Gemini, Jack Hench and most of his clients and associates, hell the entire Hench Corporation and W.E.E. have disappeared over night."
"All of them, everything is gone?" Dutton asked.
"Yes, it's like their agencies dissolved over night, there hasn't been a word of a deal or smuggling operation with the name Hench on it in weeks," Lasorda exasperated tossing the paper back onto her folder.
"That's strange, they all disappear right after Possible and her geek go to another dimension," Dutton added.
"You think they're planning something big, I mean it's in their character to do something like that right after the super hero leaves," Hanson suggested.
"Yea but we would know about it if something that big was going on," Smither pointed out.
"Maybe they've just gotten better," Dutton said dimly.
"Ha! That's preposterous, there's no way they could get past our eyes, we would have picked up on some sorta trail weeks ago," Wheeler responded bluntly.
"Maybe, but that leaves us back at square one," Smither sighed tapping his pencil against the table.
"Maybe its Monkey Fist," Lasorda suggested dimly. "Maybe he kidnapped them and is using them or they're just part of an elaborate distraction of his…"
"You think too much," Hanson muttered.
"Excuse me, at least I try," she snorted.
"Relax everyone… lets see what Agent Du has to say about this… hey where'd he go?" Betty asked baffled at his absence.
"Who, Du?" Dr. Director nodded. "I saw him rushing outta here just a few minutes ago," Smither answered.
"He said he had to take a piss," Dutton added.
"Will, that's a first anyone has had to take a break from a conference meeting, hasn't he heard of holding it in," Hanson vexed.
"Or going before," Lasorda added.
"That's not like Agent Du at all," Betty mused.
Dutton eyes happened to glance under the table and she spotted Du's suitcase.
"You'd think he'd be done by now, it's been about five minutes now," Lasorda complained with a groan.
"Well, he brought his stuff with him; he's got it all in a suitcase," Agent Dutton said pulling up the unusually heavy case from under the table and placing it on top. "Does he have a lot of files or what it's pretty heavy."
Dr. Director was disturbed at what Dutton said and quickly waved for her to hand it over, "Right here now!" she ordered pointing at the case.
Dutton didn't hesitate and slid the case to the Director. Betty stopped the backside of the case and quickly flipped it around and unfastened the locks. She opened it up to reveal what was really inside, "No…" she gasped in horror.
Five…Four…Three…Two…
She grabbed it with both hands and flung it toward the windows that overlooked the parking lot of GJ headquarters…but it was too late.
KABLAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!
IV.
Will unfurled taking his bloodied hands off his head looking up. All the explosives had gone off and hot shards of metal and glass had fallen around him along with what he recognized as tidbits of shredded burnt flesh. It was over.
He propped himself up grimacing in pain using his cut up hands. He stood up in the middle of the ditch and looked around to find burnt and shattered pieces of glass and metal all around him.
He turned toward the Global Justice Head Quarters. Once a twenty-three floor gray building was in ruins. The windows of the top floor where the Director had been meeting up with top executives were completely blown out and smoke was billowing out. The five top floors on the left side of the building had collapsed.
He smiled at the feat he had just pulled off. He was sure super villains all around the world could only have dreamed of pulling off the same feat. He was pleased with himself. He had killed the Director and with Kim Possible gone the world was once again vulnerable.
He smiled turned and ran from the smoldering ruins of G.J. Headquarters never turning back.
V.
The green lightsaber crashed down onto Ron's blue one that blocked a vertical slash to his right shoulder. The blades threw out blue and green sparks of energy grinding against each other.
Ron pulled his own out of the power struggle that had ensued and sidestepped a horizontal slash to his waist leaving his opponent off balance. Ron smiled and brought his saber down to his side and push-forced his opponent into a wall behind him.
Ron's eyes shot open as a car sized crate whizzed through the air straight for him. Ron quickly leapt up somersaulting over the crate that crashed into the floor behind. He landed back on his feet only to be met with another smaller crate heading straight for his head.
He quickly brought his saber from his waist up in front of him . The box hit the blue blade head on and it split in half missing Ron completely and falling on to the floor behind him. His opponent now charged at him with his green saber ready to hack at Ron.
But Ron had something else planned for him and using Force picked up some rubble and blasted it at his oncoming contender.
His masked opponent stopped in his tracks but wasn't deterred. He held up his hand deflecting the projectiles with ease. Using his free hand he gathered up rubble of his own and flung it at Ron.
"How many times do I have to say it, never lower your guard," he shouted as the last of Ron's flying debris went around him.
Ron charged after some of the rubble hit him deflecting the rest aimed at him with his blade and leapt into the air bringing his saber behind him like a lumberjack would with an axe.
But he was already awaiting the attack and Ron's saber met his green one. They again engaged in a power struggle which Ron knew as right now he couldn't endure for the long run. He only held the advantage as his masked foe was still leaning back trying to maintain his balance.
Ron used all the strength in his body as their sabers crackled. He gritted his teeth feeling his opponent pushing back.
"Focus, don't think," the grudging opponent advised.
Ron did just that and lowered himself and performed an effortless sweep-kick knocking his adversary off his feet enabling Ron to break free from the grapple.
His rival saved his fall and back-flipped away from Ron's blade. He deactivated his own saber and sheathed it in his belt while two battle droids took his stead in front of him and fired their blasters at Ron.
Ron yelped as one of the blasts grazed his shoulder singing his blue tunic. Ron growled at the stinging pain and looked at the the two battle droids who were marching towards him. He deflected the other blasts with his saber and charged.
He deflected a blast back at the droid on the left hitting it square in the torso. The other droid watched its partner fall and looked up in time to see Ron leap in the air. He somersaulted over the droid with his lightsaber sticking out like a deadly thorn.
"Uh-oh," the droid said in its falsetto voice recognizing the threat but too late. The droid fired its blaster which was deflected. Its head was cut in half by the blade and sparks flew. The droid twisted around to follow its target but fell to the ground.
Ron landed in a squat with his saber sticking out behind him. His gazed shifted from the floor and up to armored warrior who never flinched hands folded behind his back.
"Very impressive… very impressive," he told Ron gruffly.
Ron didn't know how to take it, whether it was a compliment that he had succeeded or an insult to deter him.
Ron stood up and pointed the blue saber at his quarry, "It's over, I've won this time," Ron told him with a steady voice.
"Surrender Beta," Ron smiled.
"Ha! You think it would actually be that easy," Beta scoffed. Ron didn't catch what advantage Beta had.
"Try this on for size?" Beta told him as he took a step back.
But Ron understood the situation clearly when he heard a loud thud from behind him. He turned to see a Super standing with its right forearm locked upright. Then another landed right where he had been facing before and Ron quickly turned to see the one closest to him unfurl its own laser cannons.
Ron was quick to respond not being fazed by the Supers menacing appearance and quickly disarmed it cutting off its extended forearm and pulling it toward him and stabbing it.
The other Super had unfurled its own arm and had trained its cannons on Ron and fired. Ron was quick to respond and twirled around bringing the decapitated Super in front of him to sustain the others fire.
Ron didn't hold the Super in front of him for long and hurled the droid into the other with the Force disabling them both. Ron smiled but only for a short second as he heard the whirring sound of Beta's saber firing up.
He ducked and lifted his saber up behind head as Beta's own feinted him. He shot back up finding Beta landing in front of him.
Without any hesitation Ron bolted forward bringing his blade to bear with Beta's. He hacked down at Beta's right shoulder only to be blocked but Ron didn't give up and kept up his attacks keeping Beta on the defensive.
Ron cut away at his left side and then pulled away and thrust towards Beta's torso making him leap back and parry his blade away.
"You don't want to be in a stalemate the whole time do you, control my central line," Beta ordered gruffly as he deflected another hack from Ron's blade.
Ron reacted swiftly faking a slash horizontally at Beta's left leg. It worked Beta fell for the feint lowering his saber. Ron followed through and pulled back bringing it under Beta's and back up and thrust at Beta's center.
Beta couldn't parry it so he sidestepped Ron's attack but he wasn't given the chance to recover. Ron swung around and cut down at Beta's ankle forcing him to keep on his toes. He was surprised with Ron's newfound speed finding his blue saber again arcing up toward his face.
Their sabers clashed grinding against each other as they fought for power once more. Beta might still have possessed more strength than Ron, but this whole seven weeks Ron had also been working out toning his own strength and was able to hold out against Beta… for awhile.
"Very good, controlling your opponent's central line is key in battle," Beta instructed while pushing back on Ron's saber pressing it away from him. "You control his central line, you have more leverage in the fight."
Ron listened intently writing down mental notes in his head but keeping his focus on the struggle. That was another thing he had to learn and acquire in training, multitasking. It was hard enough to learn stuff on its own, but while fighting was on a whole different level. It forced him to keep a tab on what he learned and be more aware of his surroundings.
Ron forced Beta back hoping he was still off-balance but to no avail as Beta skidded back and stopped on his heals.
Beta didn't criticize him for his failed effort, "Good, use the Force around you."
Ron caught on and lifted two crates on opposite sides of Beta and pulled them together attempting to sandwich Beta between them. But in the knick of time Beta had leapt back landing in a crouch while the crates pulverized each other.
Ron already anticipated Beta evading the collision and had hurdled himself over the smashed crates his lightsaber tightly held in both hands bringing it down on Beta who was waiting.
Again Ron found himself grappling for power. "Don't use the same moves and style Ron. You make it harder on your self."
He pushed Beta back holding onto the hilt of his saber fiercely.
"Your holding the saber too tightly," Beta warned.
Ron loosened his grip finding as soon as he did Beta grinded down and forced the saber right out of Ron's hands and into his own. Ron frowned looking at Beta who had sheathed his own weapon and held Ron's.
"That time too lightly," Beta chuckled handing Ron's weapon back. Ron bowed in respect as he took the weapon back from Beta.
"You're excelling faster than I would've ever anticipated," Beta complimented removing his Mandalorian headgear.
Ron looked back up clipping his saber to the magnetic strip on his belt, "Really you think so?"
Beta only nodded bringing his helmet down to his side and began to walk toward the exit of the training room. Ron turned and followed suite.
"So you think I'm almost as good as you?" Ron asked hopefully.
Beta let out a mighty laugh that rung out through the halls of the underground base, "Not quite Ron but we'll get you there."
Ron frowned but kept up as Beta marched through the main halls. "Don't worry you will," Beta reassured.
They stopped the turbolift and the doors whooshed open. Ron smiled at the thought of how Senior Senior Sr. would have loved to have the luxury of owning such a base where the doors went whoosh. They entered the doors closed behind them and the lift shot upwards.
The thought brought Kim to mind and some of the missions they took up against the billionaire. He wondered how she was doing now still feeling terrible for leaving her going after Dementor. But in a weird kind of way he didn't regret it. It was all for the best, for her and himself. This new destiny he had been introduced to might shape his future and prove to others that he could be Ron Stepuppable.
Besides she's probably happy with 'Pretty Boy' and now that school's probably over they're having lots of fun together… no room for me.
Ron's thoughts drifted from Kim to his pet. Man I hope she's taking care of Rufus poor fella' Ron thought. She had been a good baby sitter of Rufus before when he and his parents had traveled to Paris so he didn't doubt she couldn't take care of him now.
An unsettling silence had befallen over the two and Beta didn't like it as the lift continued its way up to the top floor.
Beta looked over to Ron who was deep in thought. "So what's on your mind Ron?" he asked.
"Huh?" Ron shook the glaze off his eyes and brought his gaze up to Beta.
"I said what's on your mind?" Beta repeated his question again.
Ron sighed.
"Nothing much just thinkin' about home n stuff like that," Ron answered.
"You miss home?"
Ron rubbed the back of his neck not wanting to dwell too much on the topic.
"Yea, just miss my parents and my pet and my place… my bed," Ron chuckled a bit at that and so did Beta. "But… yea just home ya know," Ron said as his eyes glazed over again just thinking about it.
Beta smiled slyly, "Any girls at home you worrying about?"
Ron's eyes shot open and he lifted his gaze up to Beta who was glancing over at him. Ron's face turned bright read and it told Beta everything.
Beta gently laughed, "Don't worry you don't have to tell if ya don't wanna."
Ron looked down smiling sheepishly rubbing his arms as if he were cold, "Nah, I… I… I don't have a girl, just someone I wish I could be with."
"O-o-o-o-h," Beta whistled at Ron's statement.
"She's with another guy I… I just hope she's happy n all, she's my best friend."
Beta frowned, "What's her name?"
Ron sighed.
"Kim… Kim Possible," he replied dreamily.
Beta turned away and looked at the doors again, "Hmm, sounds like a girl who can do anything."
Ron shook his head, "You have no idea…"
Ron turned to Beta who looked at him with a certain curiosity and then away again smiling to himself.
"What is it?"
Beta simply shook his head.
"Nothing… but you're probably the strangest kid I've ever met."
Ron crossed his arms defiantly.
"One could say the same about you- I mean you're only a kid and you're the General of an army and what not… who knows what else you are," Ron scoffed.
Beta smirked, "And some things you'll never know."
"Besides, I'm eighteen now and the way I've grown up Ron, I just don't see myself as a kid anymore."
"But… but you never told me when your birth-"
"Like I said, some things you'll never know."
The doors slid open and they stepped out into the fresh air of the top floors of the base, even though it was still mostly underground.
"So… what about you?"
Beta cocked an eyebrow and looked over to Ron, "What about me?"
"Well… ya know, do you have a girl?"
Beta's face fell blank.
"No."
"Come on, I'm sure you could get any girl ya want," Ron told him.
"Nope."
"Okay."
Beta put his helmet back over his head fixing it to make it more comfortable and kept on walking. Ron had the feeling he was hiding something but he just couldn't tell.
That helmet Beta wore always conveyed the message not mess with him. That Mandalorian helmet hid his face and all the emotions it might have shown. The helmet did its job well as it did strike fear into the hearts of its enemy and if didn't it wouldn't show any fear of its wearer.
Ron followed at Beta's side walking past security droids, Neimoidians and Muuns. Over the past eight weeks Ron hadn't only honed in his skills with the force and a lightsaber but also learned about the various species that strolled through underground base. Beta had been training him with the various battle droids that patrolled the crowded halls. He learned every types, their specialties and weaknesses and so much more.
He had even learned how to fly in space on his own which was the best part about it to Ron. He didn't even have a driver's license and he was flying around in a fighter in space. Everything from cruisers to battleships and droids to the enemy and the star maps. Beta had drilled this information into his head as part of his training.
Ron broke the silence as they continued their march down the aisles toward the assembly chamber.
"So… what's this whole meeting about?"
Beta glanced over and then back, "Well the first part is a little ceremony at the beginning…"
"What's the ceremony for?"
"If you'd let me finish I'll get to that."
Ron chuckled nervously, "Sorry bout that."
Beta was looking at him but Ron couldn't tell if he was irritated or just bemused. Ron thought it safe to think he was the former.
Beta looked forward again as they made a left down the hall passing a pair of marching super battle droids.
"So first is the ceremony and then we debrief the officers and the rest of the delegates on the new operation and its objectives."
"We?"
"Yes Ron, you are partaking in this operation too… and don't worry I have a few assignments for you to keep you busy in your training."
Ron had a mixed reaction to that response. For one he was more than happy to help on any mission, it practically was his occupation back on Earth. On the other hand he didn't like the idea of more strenuous training even though it was good for him.
"Well here we are," Beta stated stopping in front of thick duranium doors that sealed the assembly room from anyone. A probe droid leached out from a hole in the ceiling like a worm from the ground and came down and scanned both Ron and Beta.
"Identities confirmed."
It stated simply and slipped back into its hole in the ceiling. The large doors slowly opened making a soft low hissing sound. This would be the second time that Ron had seen this room, except last time he had been up near the emergency exit. This time he saw it from the actual floor level and the long conference table with officers and scientists alike sitting at it.
Among them were Colonel Coryn, Captain Gune who had been the other Neimoidian that he'd seen at the meeting with Grievous, and Kushro who were situated at the nearer end of the table.
Dementor was seated near the far end with a couple of other officers on either side of him. Every seat was occupied except two which were at the center of the table. Everyone was wrapped up in a conversation but as soon as Beta stepped in everyone went quiet.
Everyone including Dementor stood straight up in attention.
"At ease," Beta told them motioning with his hand pacing to his seat with Ron by his side.
Everyone took a seat including Ron but Beta remained standing behind his chair. Ron looked over at the door and as expected OM-2 and OM-4 were guarding it.
"Now in our first order of business we must get a couple of major adjustments to our structure out of the way."
Everyone nodded in agreement looking back and forth at each other.
"Now we do have three new officers entering our ranks and I'm sure most of you are familiar with them in one way or another."
Everyone kept quiet as one candidate was obvious but the other two were a little more mysterious.
"Receiving the rank of lieutenant…" everyone ears perked up. "…Lieutenant Dementor."
Dementor was one of utter shock and Ron had to laugh because his expression was priceless.
The man who had threatened to throw him in prison or worse if he didn't work for him had just given him rank. Everyone clapped lightly yet respectively of course and Dementor stood up and took a slight bow thanking Beta and sat back down.
"Our second new officer is Lieutenant Morker."
Again everyone applauded for the new officer who stood up and thanked everyone and took his seat.
"And our final introduction is to our newest commander…" Ron watched as Beta slowly turned to him.
"…Commander Stoppable." Everyone applauded fervently, except Dementor.
Ron's eyes turned into saucers. He couldn't believe that Beta had given him the rank of a commander. All this time he thought that he was going to be a regular foot soldier who was Beta's sidekick just like he was back at home.
The large doors opened up and two sentry droids walked in. The first carried battle armor, the same armor that Beta wore except that it was neatly stacked on top with the chest armor, the gauntlets, and lightly armored pants. The other droid carried the signature piece of armor, the one that defined the whole set. The Mandalorian battle helmet with its menacing look.
The droids put them in front of Ron and he looked at them with gleaming eyes like a kid who got a brand new Halloween costume on the night before.
But before Ron could make a grab at the lustrous gear, Beta put his arm in front of him.
"Other than me…" Beta looked around the table of officers and scientists, "…And any other higher members of the Confederacy you all fall under the command of Commander Stoppable with the exception of Colonel Coryn and Kushro."
Beta's stern voice echoed against the rocky walls. Everyone understood the new command structure. Beta removed his arm and Ron was able to get a look at the battle helmet in front of him but he was interrupted yet again.
"Alright then let's get down to business shall we…"
A large holographic map of the galaxy was projected above the table as Beta moved from his seat and began to slowly pace around the table.
"Tomorrow we will finally take our greatest organized initiative of the war… Operation Durge's Lance."
Ron finally understood that this was the operation that Beta was preparing him for and it probably had been planned out months before.
"General Grievous will be in full command of the entire operation, but he will be caught up with occupying the southern belts of the Colonies and the Core worlds launching the First Fleet from Yag'Dhul and the Third Fleet from Thyferra to attack up through the Corellian Trade Spine."
A Captain whom Ron did not know raised his hand in question.
"Yes Captain Thano?"
"If our First and Third Fleets are putting all their efforts into taking the Southern Core, then won't that leave the four other Trade Routes to attack?"
Dementor thought this as a good question and intervened.
"Yes, how are ve going to protect our other holdings in the Outer Rim?" Ron glanced over at Dementor surprised. It looked like he'd been looking into the Galaxy too.
Beta nodded continuing his slow pace around the table. He opened his mouth to speak but the Captain Gune spoke out first.
"While Grievous takes the First and Third Fleets up the Corellian Trade Spine, Admiral Suvan well be in charge of the Sixth Fleet and well be tasked with protecting the Corellian Run, the Rimma Trade Route and the Hydian Way in the southern slice."
"Then who well protect the Perlemian Trade Route and the Hydian Way here?" Captain Thano questioned.
"That's where we come in… the Fourth and Second Fleets are to be launched from here…"
Beta told them pointing to its location in the galaxy. But before anyone else could ask, Ron felt the impulse to speak up.
"And what is the objective, Master?"
The tension in Ron eased when he saw Beta was pleased that he was finally getting involved. Ron could feel a confident courageous feeling dwelling deep within him that he'd never felt before.
"Well… there are two objectives really," he explained. "I will lead the Second Fleet down the Braxant Run with Colonel Coryn and Captain Gune. At Agamar Captain Gune and Colonel Coryn will depart and head up the Celanon Spur while I lead the rest to Bandomeer."
Colonel Coryn stood up. "Our task force will make our way up the Celanon Spur and blockade Shaum Hii."
"Only a blockade, sir?" Thano asked.
"Yes only a blockade and break off any communications it has with the Republic. We will then go down the spur and attack Celanon, recapture Ord Cestus, and capture our primary objective… Botajef."
"Vhat's so important about Botajef?" Dementor asked.
"Its shipyards." Captain Gune quickly pointed out the map zooming in on the planet and its system.
"Yes… you see Botajef produces two things for the Republic... public transports and troop transports," Coryn explained.
"And if we capture those shipyards, we'll be able to cripple the Republic's ability to ferry troops to the Outer Rim," Gune continued.
"Not to mention we could relocate some of our own naval shipyards from here to Botajef," Beta added.
Ron thought he had figured it all out. If the primary objective of the mission was to capture Botajef, then Beta's mission to Bandomeer was a distraction.
"So Bandomeer is a distraction then?"
Coryn quickly responded to the question, "Yes… and no."
"Bandomeer carries great strategic importance and we well need all the help we can get to capture it."
Beta decided that Coryn and Gune had done enough explaining on their part.
"Bandomeer is not a distraction... however the attack will divert much of the Republics resources away from Botajef…"
Beta paused and stopped his pace around the room.
"Bandomeer well be one of many jump points to invade the Inner Rim and Core Worlds."
"We've already leaked information to the Republic on our attack on Bandomeer…" Beta paused and thought for a moment, "Which well occur in ten hours."
Everyone in the room was shocked, even Ron.
"But why?" Captain Thano asked.
"That is ridiculous!" Dementor shouted. "You vill let your enemies muster up their strength and defeat you?"
"No."
"But vhy then?" Dementor asked in confusion.
"Because, it's a trap trap."
Dementor puzzled looked over at Ron and laughed. To him the notion that an idiotic sidekick knew the reason for Beta's mistake was absurd.
"Ha! And how does that verk sidekick?"
Ron took the initiative and stood up.
"No it does!" Ron shouted out and he gave Dementor a sly grin. "And I believe you are to refer to me as sir."
Dementor tried to utter a plea to Beta for help but he only found him nodding with his arms crossed in agreement. Dementor shut his mouth and turned back to Ron and crossed his arms.
"So how does this verk... sir."
He uttered gruffly using every fiber in his body to call Ron sir.
"Well you see we do control most of the Braxant Run and most of the systems in and around the Northern Territories… but."
"But vhat?"
"But the Republic does control key systems and outposts where it keeps extra garrisons of troops," Ron explained.
"And when I attack Bandomeer, and Gune and Coryn attack Botajef they well deploy their extra garrisons and our Fourth Fleet well ambush them and capture their outposts. Another thing we leaked out is that General Grievous is leading the attack which will give the Supreme Commander himself a clear shot at the Core."
"And who is tasked with leading the operation to ambush and capture these outposts?" Captain Thano asked.
"Commander Stoppable will lead the campaign along with you, Captain as well as Dementor and Morker," Beta answered.
Ron looked over at Beta with an expression that said I won't let you down.
"And what are our objectives sir?" Thano asked.
"Stoppable's objectives are the capture of Garqi, Moltok, Fedje, Ketaris, Dantooine, Dathomir, Ord Biniir, and Cassander," Beta answered.
"At the same time!?" Ron asked.
"Yes, but Captains Thano, Nook, and Tuuk well be helping you…" Ron looked to his left and saw two Neimoidians in their purple hats.
"Also our newly christened officers, Lieutenant Morker and Dementor and our other Lieutenants Crowe, Vadith, and Meln," Beta told Ron.
"You well also have command battle droids at your disposal," Captain Gune said.
Ron nodded looking over at Beta with thanks and gratitude shining in his eyes. Beta only nodded and looked out at the rest.
"Those of you who were not called out are with me and Colonel Coryn. You're dismissed."
Ron watched as almost all of the officers stood up and began filing out the doors except Kushro, Gune and Coryn who stood at Beta's side and oddly enough Dementor had stayed as well. He looked down at his armor and began putting it on. First with the chest armor and shoulder pads with the back armor which were all interwoven with a sturdy and thickly layered leather-like material. He then clasped the gauntlets on which had quite a few gizmos.
Next he pulled the blue pants that had shin guards, knee pads, thigh guards and groin armor all sown into the fabric. Ron took special notice of the groin armor.
At least someone thought that that part needed protection, Ron mused.
The utility belt that came with it strapped on below the abdomen armor and right above the groin guard. Attached to it were two holsters for blaster pistols that connected by straps.
But perhaps the most intriguing piece was the battle helmet. Its darkened T-shaped visor was fearsome, menacing. The color around it was green unlike Beta's red color.
"Green stands for duty."
Ron quickly turned finding Beta standing behind him.
"And the two yellow marks on your chest plate…" Ron looked down at the two horizontal yellow stripes on the armor, "… those signify your rank as commander."
Ron looked back up and examined Beta's armor more closely and found that he had four yellow stripes which Ron knew signified his rank as general. In addition there were more vertical stripes of other colors like red, blue and gold.
"And what do those symbolize?" Ron asked as he examined his armor more closely and found that his right should pad sported the CIS emblem and the left with a black circle with a lightning bolt cutting through it.
"You'll learn about those when you receive them," Beta answered.
"And this one?" Ron pointed at the circle with the lightning passing through it.
Beta took off his helmet and held it at his side, "You are not only in command of the Fourth Fleet but also in charge your fleets' armies and the newly formed Storm Commandos."
Ron was confused.
"Say what?"
Beta turned around to Dementor who was busy pacing back and forth thinking aimlessly.
"Dementor!"
Dementor turned around when Beta shouted and hurriedly walked over to them both.
"Yes sir."
Beta looked back to Ron and smiled.
"Show Ron what you made for him," he instructed.
Dementor nodded and pressed a red button on his small wrist gauntlet.
"Activate," Dementor commanded and looked over to a darkened corner in the back of the room.
Ron's eyes followed Dementor's and found five silver battle droids, one with colored yellow patches unfold from their stand-by position. But as they stood up and walked over to them Ron noted that they were noticeably different from the other battle droids and even OM-1 and his commandoes. One key difference was that their heads weren't as long but shorter and their eyes sensor color was white.
"And these are...?"
"Your own personal commando squad," Beta answered his apprentice's question.
"They're based off the BX-series commando droids… except with some very drastic modifications.
Upon further observation Ron noticed the squad bore navy blue colors over most of their silver metal frames and the Commander sported a yellow marking on his torso and head. All had blaster rifles clipped to their backs.
"I am S-1 of Storm Squad, sir."
The commander of the group told Ron saluting him.
"Yes…" Dementor grinned, "… These droids may look like BX commando droids but are in fact part of the new OOM-BX series, modified to solely serve you and anyone whom you give command of them." Dementor explained while pacing around.
"Of course you know the commander but the two vith red markings are your lieutenants, S-2 and S-3, and the two vith green markings are your sergeants."
Ron also looked them over noting that they looked similar to OM-1 the others. The difference being their changes in physical appearance and the CIS emblem present on their torso and shoulder along with the Storm Commando symbol.
"They have any specific roles?" Ron questioned glancing over the sergeants.
"Yes in vact they do… S-1 iz your leader, commander, vhat ever you like to call him and specializes in almost anything but mostly in battle tactics and strategies."
"And the rest?"
"S-2 specilizes in recon and has excellent marksmen ship…he has the most advanced targeting system software in the Galaxy," Beta helped explain.
Dementor glared and then darted his eyes back to Ron and opened his mouth to speak but was again interrupted by Beta again.
"S-3 specilizes in demolition and assault…anti-tank, vehicle, any bunker or moving transport, you ask it, it'll take it out."
Dementor snorted crossing his arm eyes beginning to turn red.
"I'm sorry lieutenant…" Beta chuckled, "… You were saying?"
"As I vas saying… your ozer two, S-4 and 5 are advanced combat troops train exceptionally with rifles and hand to hand combat. S-4 however is an engineer and can fix anything or learn it and five is a medic. And ze are all capable of learning… very fast," Dementor explained.
"Yes anything you do they well learn and take to it. Anything you teach them they incorporate into their functions whether in battle or not."
"They have independent thought," Dementor summed it all up.
Ron listened to Beta and Dementor carefully and moved his gaze from the droids to Beta.
Beta pointed at Ron's battle helmet.
"Your helmet is also a little touchy. It has a HUD system and can track up to thirty targets and this antenna is actually a range finder," Beta explained the function of it.
"What is HUD system again...? I mean so I can explain it to anyone else who needs to know," Ron asked sheepishly.
"A heads up display," Dementor answered bluntly.
"You can also direct your whole fleet and army through your helmets communication sensors."
"Can I hear a boo-yah," Ron yelled throwing his fist into the air.
S-1 watched Ron and did the same with its techno voice.
"Boo-yah."
Beta laughed aloud.
"I told ya they'd learn from your example."
` "Yes, les just hope zey don't become total idiots," Dementor commented.
"Can I name them?" Ron asked not liking their assigned unit names.
"Sure." Beta replied.
Ron looked over his new commandos conjuring up new names or nick-names for them.
"Hmmm…" he thought it over, "S-1 I'll call Scythe, S-2 is Ghost, S-3 is Buster…" Ron thought of couple cool names for the others that he would like.
"And S-4 is Slicer and S-5 is Slicer," Ron said pointedly looking at Beta.
"Well don't tell me…tell them."
Beta motioned over to the droid commandos.
Ron nodded looking over to the droid commandos and put his battle helmet over his head.
"You get your names?" Ron asked. The helmet drastically deepened his voice just as it did to Beta's, except his masters was already kind of like that.
Scythe looked at him and nodded his head, "Yes, sir."
"Good."
Ron looked back at Beta and stood tall and straight.
"Go meet with your subordinates and give them their orders for Operation Durge's Lance. In your room you'll find your weapons, pick them up before you leave." Beta ordered.
"You are to conceal your abilities and powers at all times, especially to the Republic unless I state otherwise."
Beta ordered him handed him a magnetized cylinder container.
"This is for your saber, hook it to your belt. And after you meet up with your officers, you and Dementor will be board your flagship, 'Patriot Fist'."
Ron nodded and bowed out of respect, "Yes Master."
Ron turned ordering his newly commissioned commandos to follow him with his hand and Dementor close behind.
He exited the conference room and walked into the halls of the base. Captain Thano, the pair of Neimoidian Captains, Lieutenant Morker and the other subordinates behind them stood waiting for him.
Captain Thano was the spoke first saluting Ron.
"Sir, I'm Captain Thano," he held out his hand which Ron shook heartily. Thano was a tall but thin man that had light brown hair and cold blue eyes. But despite his icy eyes he seemed like a happy guy. He was older than Ron which was apparent with the creases in his face and the five o'clock shadow that he had.
"Nice to meet you captain."
Ron looked them all over from Thano to the Gossam Lieutenant Vadith. He went back to Captain Thano.
"So do you represent the all of the officers or…?"
Captain Thano smiled.
"I only represent them now… they'll be communicating with you directly when the Operation begins."
Ron resumed his walk down the halls back to the turbolift and the rest followed.
"So do any of you have any assigned positions?"
"Well, me, Tuuk and Nook are assigned task forces…"
"Which are?" Ron asked.
"Groups of the Fourth Fleet that are to attack…"
"Do you know your task force?" Ron asked stopping in front of the turbolift doors.
"Well… no sir, you're suppose to assign those to us."
Ron sighed.
"O-o-o-kay then… everyone is to report to a meeting in two hours on my flagship," Ron ordered.
"And your flagship is…?"
"Patriot Fist," Ron stated as the elevator doors opened. He stepped in and turned back to see his subordinates. Scythe and the others followed him in.
Captain Thano looked as if he wanted to say something else but couldn't as the doors began to close.
"Yes sir."
Ron nodded as the doors sealed shut and the turbolift began its descent into the lower floors. Ron looked over at Scythe and just like OM-1 would, Scythe was scrutinizing him and Ron didn't like it.
'Sometimes these things just creep me out.'
The Elevator stopped the doors sliding open and he stepped out. The warm air of the lower floors didn't feel that good to Ron and he had asked Beta to be moved up but told him this was also part of his training, learning to be at peace in some place you don't like.
Ron glanced over his shoulder to Scythe.
"Stay here."
Scythe nodded at Ron's demand.
"Yes sir."
Ron turned left and walked down the hall to his room. The door slid open and on his bed Ron found a complement of weapons and gadgets. One was a jetpack which he looked at with glee as picked it up.
"Deng… I didn't think it'd be that heavy."
Ron put over his shoulders and found it clipped perfectly into the grooves in his back armor.
"Cool."
The jetpack and the missile it held inside showed up on his HUD. Next he took up the two pistols and slid them in his holsters which hung on either thigh. The other things were smaller, a food package, and small canisters of water which all fit in his utility belt. But as he looked himself over and now that he was ready for the battle ahead all he could say was one thing.
"Boo-yah!"
VI.
"Roger roger."
"Shoot them down!"
Unit Commander 892 order Unit 352 as clones and a Jedi dove down an embankment near the cliff behind a line of trees.
"Sir, we've lost them," A super told the commander folding up his right arm.
"Well don't just stand there! Advance!" he shouted.
With the order all the battle droids which numbered in the hundreds began marching down the hill firing there blasters and wrist launchers over the ditch where the clones and the Jedi had ducked down for cover.
892 watched from the top safely inside his AAT watching his regiment besiege the enemy below.
"892, Are you there?"
A hologram of TX-41 appeared from the top of his tank.
"Yes sir."
"Have you eliminated the Republic forces in the jungle yet?"
"No sir, they have entrenched themselves. I need reinforcements!"
"We do not have reinforcements. You need to wipe out the enemy before their reinforcements land."
"But sir…"
"Do it or I'll order the bombers to destroy you and your position for you."
TX-41 threatened him.
892 nodded. "Roger roger."
TX-41 nodded and the hologram disappeared. Unit 892 looked to the AAT driver in the tank to his left and ordered him to mover forward.
"All units… Charge!"
VII.
Captain Rex looked over to General Skywalker and Commander Tano gasping for breath. There were only ten others left in the group, the rest had been cut down by the droids blasters.
"Sir… there are too many of them! What are we goin to do?" he asked panting.
"We've got to hold out, General Kenobi well be here with reinforcements soon."
"I don't know if soons' good enough sir," Rex said as he popped up and shot at the charging enemy scoring a couple kills. A group of supers turned in his direction and opened fire. He ducked back down pushing himself against the wall of the embankment.
"Well we're going to have to… I haven't got word from Kenobi for awhile," Anakin grunted cutting a droid in half when it fell over the side.
"Where was he when you contacted him?" Ahsoka asked.
"He was sixty clicks to our east… I think," Anakin replied.
"What!? He wont get here in an hour," Rex griped preparing droid poppers in his hand.
"It could be days," Toomer added sarcastically.
"Have a little faith in him boy's… he'll be here soon," Ahsoka shouted as rocket burst in the trees to there right.
"Well he better… we're not gonna last much longer here and we got no where else to go," Toomer shouted preparing his own droid poppers.
"Throw those droid poppers Rex!" Anakin shouted jumping up deflecting the incoming laser fire.
"Right away!" Rex yelled standing up and threw the grenades with Toomer over at the a group of advancing droids. The grenades popped sending out an EMP frying their circuits and they all collapsed.
"That should stall them for awhile," Anakin said ducking back down.
"Yea… two seconds…" Rex retorted. "Hawk you have any rockets left?" Rex yelled.
Hawk looked into his pack of munitions, "Two sir!"
"Take out those advancing tanks when they get close, it'll buy some time," Rex ordered.
"Yes sir! Right away."
"Maybe even create a barrier for us," Toomer added.
Hawk loaded the first projectile inside and readied the bazooka on his shoulder.
"Get ready, me and Ahsoka well cover you," Anakin shouted out standing up with his padawan deflecting more incoming blaster fire. Hawk stood up and aimed at the first tank that was nearing them and fired.
The missile zoomed out and slammed into the tank which burst into flames and charged metal.
"Great job!" Hawk yelled out as the rest of Torrent Company stood up and fired on the droids that walked around the wreckage.
"Load another one!" Ahsoka ordered as a Persuader tank rolled around the first. Hawk crammed the last shot inside and took aim again and fired. The tank ground to a halt as its tracks and sensors we're blown off.
"That'll give them clankers an obstacle!" Toomer shouted proudly.
"Great work Hawk!" Rex rejoiced.
All of them watched as endless hordes of battle droids came running around the tanks right into the clones' crosshairs.
"Should we advance?" Ahsoka asked her master.
"Not yet we have to wait for Master Kenobi Snips!" Anakin shouted back.
"Well I hope he gets here…" Ahsoka grunted as blaster bolt whizzed past her arm.
"… Soon."
VIII.
"Look out!"
"Grenade!"
Kim's eyes darted to her right where a grenade landed by a pair of clones just a few yards away. She quickly reached out and yanked the clones away with the Force.
The clones landed at Kim's feet as the grenade exploded blowing a small hole in the ground.
"At least those clankers don't know how to cook their grenades," Commander Cody spat striding up to Kim's side.
Kim smiled, "No kidding."
"You all right troopers?" Cody asked looking down at the shocked men.
"Yes… sir," they both grunted pushing themselves up and dusted themselves off.
"Good…"
"Sorry if it was a rough landing an' all…" Kim apologized turning around to see where the grenade had come from.
"There they are!" Another clone said running up firing at a platoon of battle droids that had jumped out of the jungle brush.
Kim deflected a blaster bolt aimed at her and deflected it right back and the droids squad leader.
"Attack!" Cody shouted as his troops as he took aim at the ambushing droids. Another set of droids along with supers sprung up on their right and shot down the two troopers who Kim had just saved.
Kim gasped, "Great…" Kim growled as she turned her attention to the second group.
"Take care of them Cody… I'll take care of the these tin cans," Kim ordered as she made a dash for the supers.
"Yes ma'am… you heard her men, move it," Cody motioned his troops onward.
Kim sprinted toward the stationed supers as the regular battle droids charged at her. She cut them down like going through Drakken's goons. She leapt in the air over the last one and push forced it into the first super in the bush destroying them both.
The other watched as she landed in a crouch at its feet and she back slashed at the supers legs and arms.
"Argghhh!"
Cody ran up behind Kim, "You alright ma'am?" he asked.
` "Yea, piece of cake," she told him confidently sheathing her saber.
Beep beep beep
Kim looked down at her new wrist communicator that Wade had given her just before she and Kenobi had assaulted the droid forces on Malastare. During her training Wade had also done some training of his own… Mostly geek stuff like computers and things like that but he never had seemed to lose interest in it. Kim thought that this was kind of where Wade belonged.
Now he flew with Admiral Yularen in the star destroyer 'Resolute'. And so far that Kim knew, he loved it.
"Who is it?" Cody asked.
"Wade…" Kim answered as she turned the communicator on and Wade's face appeared on screen.
"What's the sitch Wade?"
Wade smiled, "Haven't heard that in awhile… Anyway me and the Admiral haven't been able to patch through to General Kenobi or Skywalker. The Separatists are jamming their communications."
"That's why we haven't had any contact between them," Kim said shaking her head.
"When was the last time you had contact with anybody?" Commander Cody asked Wade.
"Other than you we had General Kenobi a few hours ago. He was working on taking back the City."
"Anyone else?" Kim asked.
"Commander Tano tried to contact us but all we got was static."
"How long ago was that?"
"About an hour… how far out are you from there position?"
Kim sighed, "Don't know… like I said we lost contact… you think you can locate our position with there last position."
"Sure thing… give me a sec…" Wade look behind him as someone in the back spoke to him.
Wade turned back and looked at Kim, "Before I give you that info ya asked for… Admiral Yularen wants to talk to you."
"Sure thing Wade," Wade moved out of replaced by Admiral Yularen.
"Commander Possible, our reinforcements have just arrived in the Malastare System and are ready to land on the planet but the Separatists Orbital Defense Grid is still up and we can't land anywhere to help you right away."
"You don't have any clearing you can land in?" Kim asked.
"No, the Separatists occupy almost all the clearings available," Yularen replied.
"But why not send a small contingent down?"
"That what you and General Kenobi were for," Yularen retorted.
Kim thought of what to do. Maybe that's why the Separatists are fighting so hard, even if we win they want to take as many of us down as they can.
"Not to mention that intelligence has reported Separatist reinforcements to be arriving within the hour," Yularen added.
Or their just holding us off until their reinforcements storm the system Kim reconsidered.
"Can you hold?" Kim asked.
"I don't know Commander Possible, All I know is we have three cruisers available and a garrison of troops and armor waiting to be off-loaded," he scorned.
The image of Yularen paned out and Wade came back into the picture.
"Well Kim… Skywalker's last location was about a little less than a click from where you are… surrounded in a clearing," Wade added.
An idea snapped out of thin air, "Admiral..?" Kim questioned as the plan formulated in her head, "What if I told you me and Commander Cody could take the clearing within the hour and relieve Skywalker and his troops. Do you think you'd be able to land troops and armor?"
"Yes we'd be able to land at least some reinforcements," Admiral Yularen thought pensively. "Just how many troops do you have?"
Kim and Cody looked behind them as more clone troopers coming up from the rear walked toward them. There had to be a hundred or so.
Kim turned back to Yularen. "Enough."
"Alright, but I don't know how Skywalker well take to the relief."
Kim smiled, "I'm pretty sure he won't mind."
"Kim, there is one little snag. You see, there position is across a canyon… hundred feet wide and half-a-mile down… and there's no way around it!"
It was a dilemma but Kim knew she would solve it somehow on the way. "Not a problem Wade, just be ready to send in the reinforcements."
"But Kim…"
"Wade, since when have you seen me fail at something?" Kim interjected.
"Well…" Wade looked away thinking.
"Grr…" Kim growled arching her brow.
Wade laughed, "Not any that I can remember of."
Kim smirked, "Good answer."
"So is it possible? Can you do it?" Yularen asked skeptically.
"Well get it done Admiral, you won't have to worry about that," Kim told him coolly.
Admiral Yularen nodded respectively, "Then I'll ready my troops to land… remember Commander… we're counting on you."
And with that the screen went blank.
"What are your orders ma'am?" Kim turned to Cody who stood at attention, ready along with all the other troopers who had gathered around.
Kim smiled slyly, "Alright… here's our plan of attack…"
IX.
"Incoming!" Toomer shouted and dived away along with Hawk. An assault droid fired a missile that arched over the ditch and straight into it.
BLAAAAAM!!!!!!
The rocket exploded sending shrapnel and dirt everywhere. Luckily Anakin and Ahsoka were prepared and moved the clones out of the way.
"Sir, we can't hold out much longer!" Rex shouted out to Anakin.
"We have to!" Anakin shouted back.
"Master! Hawk's hurt… bad!" Ahsoka yelled leaning over a groaning Hawk.
Anakin growled, there were too many droids and there weren't enough able clones left to push forward, especially when the enemy had armor… and lots of it. He might be able to survive but not the rest… not without sacrificing them and he couldn't come to bear that on his soul.
"Sir… what are your orders?" Rex asked breathing heavily with his blasters in hand. He was ready to fight to the end.
Anakin looked over at his padawan of whom he had taught through most of the war. She looked up at him desperately seeking out his help. Below her on the ground was Hawk who was holding his side where a shot must have hit or shrapnel cut him open. Anakin grimaced but saw no other way and motioned for his apprentice to get ready.
"Ahsoka, Rex… get ready." Anakin said igniting his saber. He took in one last breath before he ordered his men and padawan to charge.
VROOOOOM!!!
Rockets zipped over their heads nearly crashing into the crevice they had jump over for safety and exploding not far on the other side.
A scowl crossed Ahsoka's face.
"By the looks of it sir, they have us surrounded."
"No… I don't think so," Anakin smiled as he looked across the canyon.
"What do you mean Master?" Ahsoka asked looking over the deep chasm where the Anakin had fixated his eyes.
Ahsoka watched as a young read headed girl leaped out of the jungle from the other side of the canyon, her shoes on fire and green saber in hand. She watched as the red-head somersaulted over the embankment and in front of the advancing Droid Army.
Ahsoka darted up to watch the girl land in a crouch and stand up in defensive position. Every droid turned their attention to her and opened fire. But the girl was already on the move deflecting every bolt that came her way and slicing through clankers like cheffa cake.
"Uggh…"
Ahsoka turned around to see Commander Cody and other clones pulling themselves up from over the edge.
"How..?" she asked baffled to how they came across the canyon.
"Grapplers," Cody responded holding up a grappler that was Kim's purple hair-dryer.
The roar of Republic gunships swooping in from the skies above drew everyone's attention as they fired rockets down below onto Separatist tanks.
Everyone cheered except Ahsoka who was still in awe. Anakin cheered lifting his saber into the air at the arrival of reinforcements, but Ahsoka was still fixated on the Jedi who was slaughtering droids left and right.
"Who is she?" Ahsoka asked quietly. Anakin looked down at his padawan and smiled. A Gunship touched down softly on the grounds that the droids had held only moments ago.
Both Anakin and Ahsoka crawled over the top and waited for the gunships doors to open. When they did, Master Windu and his padawan, Yuri stepped out of the LAAT.
"Skywalker…"
"Master Windu…" Anakin and Ahsoka bowed in respect as did Windu and Yuri. "…So you're our reinforcements?" Anakin smirked.
"We were…" Mace said after looking around, more gunships landed, off-loading fresh troops and then far off to where Kim was, "… But after Commander Possible is done I don't think we'll need anymore. General Kenobi has already stormed the Separatist Command Center, the planet has been liberated," Mace smiled.
Ahsoka looked at Kim in the distance who was nearing the lead tank at the other edge of the clearing.
She's just a padawan?
X.
"Unit 892!" the hologram of TX-41 scorned its subordinate.
"Yes sir!" Unit 892 jumped to attention at the sound of TX-41's voice.
"Why haven't you taken the field?"
"Um… there's a slight problem sir… the Jedi are destroying our forces…"
"I don't care, destroy them at all costs!" TX-41 ordered. But Unit 892 didn't listen instead watching a Jedi creep up behind TX-41.
"Sir…"
"What… Argh!" The transmission was cut off as soon as the Jedi cut through TX-41's body.
Unit 892 tried to reestablish communications with the bunker in the city, but he got no response.
"Uh sir?" the tank driver called out to 892.
"What?"
"We have a Jedi in our sights…"
"What's the Jedi's position?"
"Um… heading straight for us sir!" the driver shouted out nervously. 892 panicked and tried harder to make contact with the base.
"She's taken out our second wave!" another said alarmingly.
"Anyone out there… hello … hello..!" 892 began to shout trying to reach any other droid.
"Sir… I think you're in charge of the whole thing now," another droid of the tank crew responded.
"Um… right…"
"What should we do sir?"
892 took little time to think about it and said the one word that was programmed into his chip over and over, the only thing he really knew how to.
"Attack!"
"Roger roger."
The tank opened fire with everything it had and soon it was the only fight left on the field as the clones began to march up and mop any droids that were left.
"I can't… get her sir. She's moving too fast!" Another droid told 892.
"Open the hatch!"
"Roger roger."
The top hatch of the tank opened and 892 popped out and found himself face to face with the Jedi who had stalled their advance… and she didn't look happy.
"Oh-no," 892 muttered.
XI.
Kim Possible kept a perfect balance atop the AAT's cannon glaring down at the droid commander 892.
"Um… please don't hurt me." 892 asked holding up his hands.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"Uh…" 892 looked back and forth trying to think of an excuse when two supers rush passed the tank in attack position. "You two… attack her," he ordered pointing out Kim.
They turned to fire on her but were cut in half as Yori rushed in ripping the supers apart with her blue saber.
892 looked back at 892, "Um… sorry."
"I don't think so," Kim deadpanned and severed 892's narrow head from its body. Kim cut through the cannon then vaulted off.
Yori strode up beside Kim sheathing her sword.
"Are you alright Possible-san?"
Kim sheathed her own sword and turned to Yori as the tank behind her exploded. "Yea sorta, a scratch or two but I'll be fine."
Clone troopers ran past securing the clearing as more gunships offloaded fresh troops which stormed the jungles taking out any remaining droids. Blaster fire came from all directions but it faded away.
"Well we beat this one," Kim said.
"We?" Yori remarked with a smile. "You took out a whole army of droids Possible-san, it is you who kicked butt."
Kim smirked, "Yea, I guess but I couldn't have done it without the clones."
"Great work Kim." Kim turned around finding Mace Windu, Anakin and his padawan.
Kim bowed, "Thank-you Master."
"Yea, thanks for saving our skins back there," Anakin thumbed back to the embankment near the edge of the cliff. "We were in quite a pinch."
"Yea thanks for the save," his padawan added.
Anakin eyed Ahsoka furrowing his brow.
"Ahem."
Ahsoka looked back up to a glaring Master.
"Oh," she chuckled nervously turning back to Kim, "I'm Ahsoka…" she held her hand out to Kim, "… Ahsoka Tano."
Kim looked at the young alien Jedi's hand, not that she wasn't use to it. She had seen all sorts of them since she'd been traveling the galaxy. But this Jedi padawan was different, more like her in a sense that she wasn't formal when she didn't have to.
Kim shook her hand and smiled, "I'm Kim… Kim Possible."
Yori on the other hand was still formal like she had been before and bowed. "And I am Yori."
"Nice to meet you both," Ahsoka smiled looking back at her Master.
"Yori is Master Windu's padawan's and Kim is Master Kenobi's," Anakin further introduced.
Ahsoka nodded and then looked back at both of them, "So you're new, huh. I've never seen you around the temple. Where you from?" Ahsoka asked crossing her arms.
"Earth."
Both Kim and Yori replied looking at each other and then back to Ahsoka.
Ahsoka furrowed her brow.
"Earth…" she roused thoughtfully, "… hmmm, never heard of it."
Anakin chuckled, "Let's just say they're not of this galaxy."
"Yea, what he said," Kim assured.
"Okay…" Ahsoka rolled her eyes.
"That reminds me …" Yori said reaching into robe and pulled out a sleeping Rufus in the palm of his hand, "Master Yoda say's that he's ready to partner up with us again."
"Rufus!" Kim shouted.
Rufus woke up yawning stretching his little arms out. When he saw Kim and Yori he jumped up from Mace's hand and onto Kim's shoulder squeezing Kim's cheek.
"Kim!" He squeaked.
Kim laughed, "I'm happy to see you too Rufus," Kim exclaimed as she nuzzled him affectionately. Both Anakin and Mace grinned.
Commander Cody ran up beside Mace. "Sir… General Kenobi is waiting for us at the Separatist Base with urgent news from the council."
Mace Windu turned to the young teenage Jedi, "I'm sorry to cut this introduction between you three short, but you can talk on the way there," he instructed and marched away with Anakin.
Kim and the rest followed them to a gunship that had landed on Commander Cody's orders.
"So you're not from our galaxy?" Kim turned to Ahsoka who was walking on her right.
"You said it," Kim smiled. Ahsoka reminded Kim of herself back on Earth when she was on missions. A brown crop-top that showed her midriff and to replace the robes was a brown warrior's skirt. Kim had to admit she liked the girls look... for her anyways.
Ahsoka smirked, "Okay but where are you really from?"
"A planet named Earth," Yori replied.
"Really?" Ahsoka asked. "So what's it like?"
"It's little bit of everything…" Kim responded, "Jungle, desert, cities, mountains, oceans and all the rest."
"Sounds like a fantasy, no trouble there at all huh?"
Kim laughed, "Not at all, there's a lot of that too… in no sense is it perfect but we manage."
"Hmmm… sounds like this place…" Ahsoka thought aloud.
"Malastare?" Kim questioned.
Now Ahsoka cracked a laugh slapping her knee. "Not at all… the Galaxy."
"Oh… I guess? But I hardly see any similarities between the two," Kim fumbled the idea in her mind a few times.
"There are many Possible-san… just on a much larger scale," Yori remarked.
"I guess?" Kim deadpanned not really taking her opinion into consideration. Truthfully she was done thinking about the familiarities of this place with her home, it just brought back memories. "So where are you from?"
"Shili."
"Where's that?" Kim asked.
"It's in the expansion region near the Hydian Way."
Kim smiled nervously. "Um… Just so ya know I'm still not all to familiar with the map of the Galaxy and how it works."
Ahsoka grinned. "Okay… just a long way from here is all you need to know then."
"Hurry up you guy's!" Anakin ordered the young teens. "We don't have all day."
Kim looked over at Ahsoka, "Guess we'll have to catch up with each other later."
"Right," and Kim and the other's took off for the gunship Anakin had boarded.
XII.
General Grievous stood tall and erect in the bridge of his infamous Separatist flagship the Invisible Hand. It was placed in orbit around the main CIS naval base, the planet Yag'Dhul along with the rest of the First Fleet. His gaze was captured by the immense accumulation of starships that had encompassed his commanding vessel and there were thousands upon thousands more newly christened vessels that continued to flow out of hyperspace from the far-flung Confederate shipyards in the Outer Rim.
It wasn't just his fleet; of course he was the Supreme Commander so every fleet was under his command but this was his personal fleet, but every Separatist fleet building up for the his grand plan that he himself had drawn up. The invasion of the Republic Core and its fall along with the Jedi Order. He would take the Core by storm and annihilate any resistance or rebellion. It was his day.
The only thing stopping him from giving the order to launch the invasion from every known Hyperspace lane was the final approval from Count Dooku and his master, Lord Sidious. But he hated the wait and was becoming impatient.
He turned around to a hologram of the Galaxy and who controlled what. So far the Republic was in control of most of it, while the Confederacy held the Outer Rim and portions inside the Mid and Inner Rim. But with this new offensive he would grab the Republic by the throat and put it up against the wall.
"General…" A random battle droid spoke out from behind Grievous.
"What?" Grievous asked annoyed from the disturbance.
"We have an incoming transmission from Count Dooku," the droid replied.
Grievous growled, "Now he contacts me… patch him through." The droid did what it was ordered and soon enough a hologram of Count Dooku replaced the image of the galaxy.
"General, my Master has gone through the plans…"
"And…" Grievous asked impatiently.
Count Dooku narrowed his eyes. "Well how're the sieges in the Mid Rim fairing, I already have received the misfortunate word that Malastare has fallen…"
"Malastare was a distraction as were Bomis, Ossus and many other worlds, we just happened to lose Malastare and few others."
"Hmmm… General you do realize that Malastare was an important key world…"
"Yes… which is why I ordered the attack as a distraction… with the Jedi tied up there by the hundreds and else where I can make an easier strike… it was an expected and necessary loss."
The Count frowned. "Then I must regrettably inform you that your plan was a failure…"
"And how is that?" Grievous questioned.
"Because most of the Republic hasn't strayed away from their Colony and Core worlds and remain in place as do the Jedi."
"But it should have taken dozens of Jedi to take Malastare…" Grievous argued.
"No… only two…" Dooku countered.
Grievous let out a low guttural growl. "Skywalker and Kenobi I presume…"
"On the contrary… Kenobi did play his part in foiling you but it was another who secured the Republic victory…"
"Oh… and what other Jedi could do that… Master Mundi or perhaps Windu..?"
"Actually a padawan General… one that is rumored you let escape in the defense of our prized naval base at Ord Canfre," the Count mocked the Commander.
"What!? That runt…"
Count Dooku looked down upon Grievous with disgust. "So the rumor holds to be true indeed. How misfortunate General… I thought we we're making progress in your training but perhaps I was wrong to assume that."
Grievous was infuriated and knocked the heads of an unfortunate droid that walked right in the path of his fist. "It wasn't my fault she…"
"She didn't even have her saber General."
"But…"
"Your failure no longer matters General… perhaps in the future you will be more careful on how you conduct yourself in battle and not be as reckless."
"Grrr…"
"Your new task is to take the Republic Core by storm..."
"But if the Jedi are no longer occupied…"
"The Jedi are always occupied whether you realize it or not… but yes General Beta has already come up with an elaborate distraction as you remember… just in case you made any errors," Grievous eyes clenched. "He will attack first and then you, after the Republic is entrapped in his snare." Dooku's explanation was perfectly sound and Grievous had nothing else to argue with.
"Any other order's my Lord?"
"Yes… in fact you do have one new mission in addition to your many others… destroy this padawan you let escape from your grip."
"I don't even know the stinking Jedi's name…"
"You don't have to… you should recognize the girls face…"
"…"
Grievous didn't reply.
"Her name is Kim Possible and this isn't my order but my Master's… now contact General Beta," Dooku ordered ending the transmission.
"He ended the transmission sir," the droid stated the obvious.
"Contact General Beta, I want to speak to him now!"
"Roger roger."
XIII.
General Beta overlooked Group One of the Second Fleet in orbit around the Naval Shipyards of Ord Canfre's third moon. His ship the Lucid Voice was the sister ship of Grievous's terrifying Invisible Hand.
"General we have an incoming transmission from the Invisible Hand," a pilot droid shouted out.
"Patch it through." A hologram of General Grievous appeared in front of Beta. "What can I do for you, sir?"
"Begin your attack along the Braxant Run just like we discussed… except be expecting the Republic to reply with everything they have," Grievous ordered.
"Where not attacking at the same time? You'll loose the element of surprise. It'd be better if we attacked at the same time and…" Beta suggestion was cut off.
"I've thought of that and yes it would but the Republic would spread out and we'd still face a organized resistance."
"But they'd be easier to over-run."
"It'd be easier for me and the rest of us though if they concentrated most of their efforts on you General… all you need to do is ensnare them into a trap and hope you win, and I don't give a damn if you die just make sure you succeed… prove your mettle," Grievous made his point sound and clear.
"Not that you know anything about mettle General."
Grievous growled, "Your lucky I'm not there to strangle you alive! Now do it!"
"Yes sir."
The hologram of Grievous disappeared and Beta took off his battle helmet and turned to the Captain of his ship.
"Captain Cors…" Beta turned and called out, "…Prepare to make the jump to hyperspace."
The Neimoidian officer turned to his left.
"Put the new coordinates into the navi-computer and make sure the power converters are online," he rasped ordering the crew.
Beta paced around the bridge overlooking the crews' efficiency giving orders. "And get the other commanders on the line, especially Captain Gune, tell him he is to attack Dathomir immediately."
"Roger roger."
"And get me Commander Stoppable… do we have those coordinates yet?"
"Yes sir."
"Transmit to the rest of Group One… we're making the jump in five minutes."
"Roger roger."
XIV.
Ron sat in the Captains seat in the Patriot Fist not that he needed a rest it was just a time for him to relax. He found it wasn't as comfortable as he thought it would be to sit in his new armor so he had taken his helmet and belt off and but them in his personal quarters.
Below him on his right sat Captain Nook who was making sure the ship and the rest of the task force was ready to make the jump to hyperspace. His new team of commandos stood behind him guarding the perimeter… even though they didn't have to.
"Sir, incoming transmission from the Lucid Voice," a droid below Ron informed.
"Patch it through," Ron commanded.
General Beta's hologram appeared and Ron immediately jumped up. "Um… Master I was just… um… thinking about how…"
Beta sighed, "Cut the jabber Ron."
"Um… Yes Master."
"Now… Ron we have a new development …"
"What kind of development?"
Beta groaned, "Maybe I'd be able to answer your questions if you don't interrupt."
"Sorry Master."
Beta nodded. "Now as I was saying… the new situation calls for us to split up our forces far thinner than before and divert most of our resources to the taking of Bandomeer and Botajef."
"So you guys are getting most of the ships and stuff yeah," Ron responded dully.
"Exactly, so half of the fourth fleet well be transferred to the Second Fleet."
"But that only leaves us with…"
"Plenty of fight left in you Ron, you just need to manage your resources wisely… and besides Captain Gune has been assigned a different task other than helping the Colonel," Beta explicated.
"And that is..?" Ron crossed his arms.
"Capturing Dathomir… well actually drawing the brunt of the Republic Force's away from you and giving you one less objective to worry about."
"So that affects me how? It's a good thing," Ron said.
"Well you'll loose your Lucrehulk Battleship and most of your troops."
"Ah man that tanks..." Ron frowned.
"Just expect to be ambushed by Republic reinforcements… but you still have to keep those extra garrisons on Garqi away from us… it's essential," Beta pointed out clearly.
"Yes Master."
"You'll make the jump to hyperspace to Garqi in twenty-two hours… prepare you're ship for battle and may I ask why don't you have your weapons on you?" Beta arched an eyebrow.
"Um there in my quarter's sir," Ron answered nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
"And your sabers..?"
"Same place Master…" Ron gave him a deflated smile.
"Ron you do realize this is war… what are you gonna do when you get there and you realize you have no weapons and you gotta run back all the way to your room to get them, you're gonna waste a lot of time that's what you're gonna do," Beta ranted on pointing at Ron. "That ship is over a kilometer long Ron… you should at least have your sabers on you at all times now go get your weapons!"
"Yes Master…" Ron saluted and turned on his heels and stumbled towards the bridge doors. "Nook your in charge and all of you…" Ron called to Scythe and the other commandos, "Stay on the Bridge."
"Yes sir."
Beta shook his head on the hologram and slipped his battle helmet back over his head. "Captain Nook…"
"Yes General."
"Make sure that Commander Stoppable and his task force are accounted for when you make the jump to light speed… and make sure he debriefs the other officer's, I've already debriefed them but I want him to make sure they're up to speed."
"Do not worry sir, I'll make sure he does just that."
Beta nodded and he disappeared. Nook looked out the across the empty space as hundreds of ships from the Fourth Fleet changed course away from Ord Canfre and toward the Lucid Voice near the far third moon. And in another instant they were gone making the jump into hyperspace.
XV.
"So the question is why the Separatists poured in so many resources into taking Malastare?" Anakin Skywalker observed as he and the rest conversed with Yoda and the rest of the Jedi Council.
"Hmmm… perhaps a prelude of what to come it is," Yoda pointed out.
"But why would the Separatists put so much effort into taking this planet and without a experienced commander?" Windu asked prudently.
"Mind you it isn't just Malastare they attacked with sheer force but other planets too?" Obi-wan reminded Master Windu.
"It's just so unsettling, it isn't like Dooku to waste so many resources on a few worlds when they can be better used elsewhere," Windu told the council.
"And since when does Dooku care for anything… he's a Sith Lord," Anakin remarked.
"He may be a Sith Lord but he is also careful and very intelligent… it is completely out of his nature to be reckless," Mundi replied back.
"Ah, but we also thought that Dooku was just a political ideologist… we never imagined him plotting a war with the Republic and look where we are now," Obi-wan pointed out.
"Very true that is, hmmm. Agree I do that Dooku has changed much," Yoda sided with Kenobi.
"Still it doesn't make any sense why the Separatists would attack just random targets all over the Mid Rim," Anakin exclaimed frustrated.
"Maybe they're becoming desperate?" Mundi suggested.
Kim watched from afar as her Master and the other higher members of the Jedi Order bickered back and forth on why Malastare was attacked so viciously by the Separatists. It reminded her of how she and Will Du argued about the reason and purpose for Duff Killigan stealing Professor Greens super grass formula.
Kim turned to Ahsoka who was as amused as she was. "So is this how they always act?" Kim asked crossing her arms.
Ahsoka sighed and nodded, "Almost all the time?"
Yori laughed, "They do not all act like children."
"Not so much like children… more like they can't make up their minds," Kim pointed out to Yori. Ahsoka nodded her head.
"Someone should just take action," Ahsoka said pounding her fist into her other hand.
"But one must also stand back and observe before running into a fight head on," Yori remarked.
Kim and Ahsoka smirked at each other and then back to Yori. "I tend to make my observations while on the mission," Kim remarked.
"So what do you guy's think the Separatist's are up to?" Ahsoka asked. Kim and Yori looked at each other not sure of what to think of the whole situation.
"Well…" they said in union.
"I know you two have different agenda's then the rest of us…"
"It's not that…" Yori responded, "…We just haven't given the situation a lot of thought."
"Oh…" Ahsoka mouthed and turned her attention back to their squabbling masters.
Kim continued to ponder over what Ahsoka had asked her. What were the Separatist's planning? Random attacks with excessive amounts of droids and force but with no seasoned commander… and not to mention the fact that they tried to keep the fight up as long as possible.
"It's a diversion," Kim said aloud as Rufus crawled out of her robe and onto her shoulder. "What do think Rufus?"
"What's a diversion?" Both Yori and Ahsoka asked.
"The attack on Malastare. You asked me what I thought about the whole attack and I think it's a diversion." Kim looked back at Rufus who just shrugged his shoulders and stretched. He didn't know what was going on he had just gotten up from a nap.
"Well, that's interesting I was just thinking over Master Mundi's suggestion that the whole thing is an act of desperation. You know we have been crushing…" Ahsoka recited what Mundi had gone over but Kim didn't believe it.
"No." Kim shook her head back and forth. "If they were desperate the attack would've at least had some leader not just a droid commander."
"Well why don't you go share your views with the others?" Yori suggested.
Ahsoka gave Kim a timid smile, "Um I wouldn't do that… they don't really like to be interrupted."
"Well someone's got to tell them what we think the Separatists are doing. If they sit there babbling all day the droids might conquer the whole galaxy," Kim exaggerated but she knew that her idea might be right and no one else had mentioned it. Which she thought odd for a bunch of Jedi.
"Well maybe we should take Ahsoka's word Possible-san."
Kim rolled her eyes and turned to look at Yori, "Look were not getting anywhere standing around here and no where closer to finding Ron," Kim laid down the fact blatantly. Yori looked down at her feet, she hadn't thought of that point and she also wanted to find Ron. She looked up and nodded back at Kim.
Ahsoka reached out and grabbed Kim's shoulder and turned her back. She opened her mouth to protest but couldn't after she saw the determined look in her green eyes. "Go ahead."
Kim nodded and walked forward toward the arguing Jedi with Yori and Ahsoka following close behind.
"Maybe it was Gunray…" Mace suggested.
Kim squeezed in between her Master and Anakin. "Excuse me," Kim spoke softly at first but no one seemed to acknowledge her presence except Obi-wan.
"Kim…" He tried to stop her from speaking up again but it was too late.
"Excuse me!" This time she raised her voice a little too high for the Council's liking. Everyone's attention was drawn toward Kim and her Master.
"Master Kenobi, have you taught your padawan anything about respect," Master Rancisis admonished. Kim bit down on her curled lip as Master Rancisis glared at her with demeaning eyes.
Kenobi turned to look at his padawan who knew she had made a mistake. Kenobi looked back at Master Rancisis. "Please excuse my padawan Master but she is new to the order and this… place."
"As if this excuses her uncouth behavior," Rancisis fussed.
"I'm sorry Master, I'm sure Kim is more than sorry," Obi-wan told Rancisis as he turned to Kim.
Kim looked down at her feet and then back up at Master Rancisis. "I'm sorry Master, please forgive my interruption but…"
"That is all we require young padawan… now about this Separatist threat…" Kim glowered at how the Jedi Master treated her like a little child and she raised her hand to speak but put it down. It was no use to tell the Council until they had made there own decision.
However one member of the council was watching Kim and could feel the urge in her to speak out.
"Hmmm… Master Rancisis, perhaps listen to young Possible and her advice we shall," Yoda suggested. Kim turned her eyes back to Yoda who was smiling down at her.
Rancisis looked back to the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. "But she is a padawan and doesn't even hail from our galaxy, what advice could she possibly provide us?"
Yoda narrowed his eyes. "Step outside the situation, sometimes someone must. From afar to look inside the fray, one might have more insight do they not?"
"Yes, maybe someone who hasn't entangled their opinions and feelings so much with the truth," Master Fisto added.
Master Rancisis did not entirely agree with his former Master or the fact he was giving Kim the chance to make her voice heard. So he only nodded in response to Yoda.
"Young Possible, continue you may."
Kim nodded and looked to her Master, Kenobi who only smiled and motioned for her to speak. All eyes were on her.
"I'm sorry for interrupting but… maybe the Separatists aren't becoming desperate at all and I really don't think that this is their major move."
"Then what do you propose it is?" Master Fisto asked.
"Well they're throwing in a few big chips, getting us distracted from the main prize," Kim explained.
"But why would they attack key strategic worlds with a great value and not minor ones?" Rancisis challenged.
"Because it's a bluff, attacking key worlds would gain more attention…"
"Not for the Jedi…" Rancisis protested.
"But from the Senate and Chancellor it would," Mace added.
"And not all of the attacks were on major planets, some were on small and at best random," Obi-wan interjected.
"And that's exactly what they want us to think, anything but a distraction," Kim said.
"All an elaborate distraction you say?" Yoda asked Kim. She nodded showing him that she was a hundred percent sure she was right. "Convincing it is, much deceit and treachery Dooku uses."
"Then what are the Separatists real goals?" Kenobi mused.
"Hmmm... Clouded, the future is. A storm threatens our near future."
Before the council could meditate more on Kim's suggestion a hologram of Admiral Yularen appeared in the midst of the rest of the council.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but we've just received a distress signal from the planet Dathomir…" The admiral looked behind to see who was interrupting.
Wade came into view, "Hey Kim."
"Hey Wade."
The Admiral turned his attention back to the Jedi, "Well it seems like the better part of the New Territories are flaring up. We have distress signals and word of Separatist invasions on Dathomir, Fedje and Salin. It seems they want to take everything to the Hydian Way."
"Anything else you've learned Admiral?" Obi-wan asked.
"In fact there is… intelligence suggests that their primary target is Bandomeer," Yularen stated .
"Hmmm… more distraction, this is?" Yoda suggested.
"Possibly…" Obi-wan thought rubbing the beard on his chin.
"Maybe… but the attack is believed to be led by General Grievous himself sir," the Admiral augmented.
"That changes everything, it's seems the General has finally come out of his shell," Obi-wan declared.
"Hmmm... Master Kenobi, this you will investigate," Yoda said. "Go, too Bandomeer you and Skywalker will, and find the truth about this attack and its leader."
"How can you be so sure?" Obi-wan asked.
"The dark side clouds the future sure I am not. But you will find the leader on Bandomeer," Yoda answered.
"Bandomeer is a three day journey, by the time we arrive it might be too late," Obi-wan said.
"But there are reinforcements on other planets in that sector, I'm sure they can hold until we get there," Anakin tried to reassure.
"We better leave immediately, come on Kim," Obi-wan waved.
"No."
Obi-wan turned to the hologram of Master Yoda who stood up. "Go to Dathomir she and her friends will."
"But she's never been on a mission alone," he protested lightly. Inside her head Kim scoffed at his reply but when Yori gave her a look as if she knew what she was thinking, she found it to be only half true. Usually Ron or Rufus, even Wade was there to back her up.
"Neither has Yori," Mace spoke on behalf of his padawan.
"Ahsoka can lead them, she's experienced enough too know what to do Master," Anakin suggested.
"That's a wise decision Anakin," Kenobi complemented.
Yoda turned to Ahsoka, "Lead your new friends, you will. To Dathomir go, find the secrets of the Separatists, you will. Hmmmmm."
Ahsoka bowed out of respect. "Yes Master."
Yoda shifted his gaze back to Kim and Yori. "Of the force be mindful. Humble yourself, listen, and take caution."
Kim and Yori both bowed humbly, "Yes Master Yoda."
"May the Force be with all of you." And with his final message to the group the hologram of the council flickered away.
Mace Windu turned to the hologram of Admiral Yularen. "Admiral, take Ahsoka, Kim and Yori to the Dathomir System and stop the Separatist advance there."
"Yes sir, as you wish."
"I will go to Fedje to see where the source of this attack came, prepare the ships Admiral and send a shuttle down, we need to hurry."
"Right away sir," the hologram of the Admiral and Wade disappeared.
Ahsoka and the other's walked out of the room of the captured headquarters and out into the open city of Pixelito. "So you guy's ready?"
Kim smiled, "I was born ready. How bout you Yori?"
Yori eyed her, "As ready as you are Possible-san."
Ahsoka looked on Kim's shoulder. "How bout you Rufus?"
"Uh-huh," Rufus nodded up and down ready for the mission ahead as a shuttle landed in front of them.
XVI.
Monkey Fist looked outside the Panoramic view from the tower's red tinted glass and out to the frozen wasteland of Ziost. For some reason he was captivated by the planets inhospitable terrain and climate.
"Lord Fist…"
Monkey Fist turned around to find Eric, Fukushima, and Katsumi all lined at attention with their staffs. "Its about time you all found your way here, I sent Dereth over an hour ago."
"Sorry Master… we were occupied with our training and…" Katsumi tried to excuse their late arrival but Monkey Fist wouldn't have it.
"I know what you were doing…" he spat. "… It was I who sent you to train so when I call you up you obey, is that clear?" he asked.
"Yes Master," she answered hanging her head dejectedly.
Monkey Fist glared at them all for there disobedience. He turned around toward the windows with his hands folded behind his back. "Do you know the reason I called you here for?" he asked.
They all looked at each other with blank faces to fearful to answer. Katsumi spoke for them. "No Master."
Monkey Fist sighed. "Because… the time for us has come… we have been waiting for thousands of generations to strike and now everything is in place. Are time sitting around and preparing is done. It is time for us to take the fight to our enemy!" Monkey Fist growled shaking his fist in front of him.
Katsumi couldn't help but grin as Fist turned around and ambled in front of them. He took out the Lotus blade which was held by a string to his sash.
"This sword is more than a what it looks…" with his monkey powers he changed the blade into a nun-chucks. "You are three of six Deceptor's that wield the Mystical Monkey Powers… and those six alone in this brotherhood that can use this weapon to its full potential."
"What are you trying to tell us?" Eric asked.
Monkey Fist stopped in front of him and turned the Lotus Blade back into a sword. Eric watched out of the corner of his eye as the cold metal blade grazed his skin. Monkey Fist changed it yet again into something his students had never seen before.
"What is that a flashlight?" Eric taunted.
Then Monkey Fist turned on the instrument he had just formed from the power of the Lotus Blade.
FRVOOOOOMMMM!!!
Eric froze as the red energy blade streaked by his neck barely skimming the surface of his skin. It was blazing hot! Monkey Fist pulled back the saber twisting and turning it like a regular sword showing his skills with a lightsaber.
"You all have learned the skills of Tai-shing-pek-kwar not only as a hand-to-hand combat skill… but also as a sword skill." Monkey Fist eyed them as he finished twirling the hilt of the saber in his fingers while the blade cut through the air.
"Yes Master."
"Well… now it is time that you apply that technique to new weapons." He grinned and sheathed the saber version of the Lotus Blade in his sash.
"And how do we acquire these new weapons?" asked Katsumi.
Monkey Fist smiled, "You will either build your own… or kill another member in the brotherhood for one."
Katsumi smiled wickedly but Fukushima and Eric weren't as interested… not as of yet. "And how do we build our own?" Fukushima asked.
Monkey Fist glared down at him. "You'll figure it out you imbecile like you did in the rest of your training."
"Yes my Master."
Monkey Fist turned around facing away from his students and paced back to the window. "Katsumi, Fukushima."
"Yes Master," both replied.
"You will go and do what you must to construct your weapons," They nodded.
"Leave us."
At his orders both Katsumi and Fukushima left through the dark doors and into the halls of the citadel. Monkey Fist walked around the table skimming his hands across the surface while gazing up at the ceiling.
"Eric…" he said shifting his eyes back at Eric stopping at the center of the table.
"My Lord… what do you request of me..?" asked Eric.
"No to the others you go by Eric… and your old identity may still have some use to me, but from now on between you and me, you'll have a new name," Monkey Fist said with a pondering voice.
"And what will that be?"
"You will go by Darth… Ecrio."
"Yes Master," Eric now Ecrio said kneeling before Monkey Fist.
"However you will be known by Eric to everyone else," stated Fist.
"Why..?" Ecrio asked feeling deprived of his glory wanting the other pupils to know of his name.
"Because of your relations to Kim Possible," Fist spat back.
The look on Ecrio's face was clueless. "But Master… Kim no longer thinks of me like that, she thinks of me as just a friend. She has feelings for the buffoon, she's was just to embarrassed or shy to admit it and I don't think…"
"No one here cares what you think… they only care what I think and what I think is right…"
"So was the plan you gave Drakken foolproof… cause' the last…" Ecrio was forced back into the door.
"Drakken and his plot were a ploy, a plot to find the two hero's unlikely weakness and exploit it and you of all people should know that!"
Monkey Fist jumped over the table fire in his eyes. "I teach you everything that you know…" he laughed grabbing Ecrio by the neck and tossing him like a rag doll into the adjacent wall. "And you still have so much to learn, but its obvious what I needed to teach you in the first place and that is to learn how to have a little gratitude!"
The fear rose in Ecrio's center a lump making its way up his throat. He was grabbed by the neck and shoved against the wall.
"Now are you going to listen or am I going to have to teach you a lesson… Eric," Fist said degradingly.
Ecrio looked into Monkey Fist's fearsome eyes and cast his gaze down. "No Master."
Monkey Fist dropped him and then backed away smiling sinisterly.
"Good. Now… I do know that Kim has feelings for Stoppable, its been apparent for quite some time… however what you did had more of an effect than anything I can do…"
Ecrio propped himself up and rubbed his neck. "And how'd I do that?"
"Because you caused a rift in their friendship they share… Stoppable still thinks Kim has feelings for you and he has lost the battle for the girl," Fist explained walking back to the table.
"And what makes you think that?"
"Why else would the poor boy run… If Stoppable knew he had won Possible's heart then he would've stayed," Fist replied.
"So what do you want me to do?" Ecrio asked.
"Well tell me… you left things off with Kim Possible on a good note, right?" Monkey Fist asked.
"Well… I guess, she thinks were friends," Ecrio replied.
"Ah, well then perhaps we can correct your failures of the past," Monkey Fist grinned. Ecrio let out a low growl. "You are to go to Ord Canfre and fake an escape from the Separatist forces of Count Dooku, you'll be picked up a couple days later by Republic Commandoes and brought before the Jedi Council…"
"What!? And just what do expect me to do there… get slaughtered…" Ecrio protested.
"No, I expect to you to get decapitated." Ecrio looked at him in horror and Monkey Fist burst out laughing hysterically and stopped. "Are you stupid boy? I want you to go in and pretend that you're still the good guy…"
"But won't Kim and her friends, not counting the Jedi figure that something is up?" Ecrio eyed Fist's logic.
"Yes but it shouldn't be a problem, just deceive the council and her friends… tell them Master Sensei sent you." Monkey Fist advised.
"They're not going to believe that, especially with that Yori girl…"
"They will… I'll make sure of it," Monkey Fist ended Ecrio's protests and excuses tired of hearing them.
"How?"
"One my student… I know powerful people, one being myself and two… you will tell them that you had to fight a Sith Lord named Dooku… and you barely managed to slip out alive and then go off from that," Monkey Fist explained.
"But if I'm not going to really fight Dooku… then how am I going to present myself to her friends and the council that I really got down with the Sith Lord?" Ecrio asked.
A smile crept onto Fists face, one that showed contempt, a demented one. He took out the Lotus Blade and ignited the crimson energy blade and glanced back at Ecrio. Ecrio's eyes went wide in utter horror realizing his Master's plan.
Monkey Fist turned around and stalked toward his student who was backing away into the door trying to open it only finding it locked. "You know… Eric, you actually made an excellent observation…" He looked down on his apprentice as he brought the sword back ready to swing, "One that I intend to fix!"
He brought the blade back around starting his swing.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
XVII.
The Patriot Fist slowed exiting hyperspace into the Garqi System along with six other ships.
"Commander Stoppable we have entered the Garqi System," Captain Nook called out to Ron.
"Um… good, we have any visual on the enemy."
"Yes sir. Two cruiser class and four assault class sir," a Pilot droid answered for Captain Nook who was below him.
"Their shields up?" Ron asked.
"Yes sir… they've began firing sir!" Nook shouted out as blue lasers began to streak across the vastness of space toward them.
"Forward shields on at Maximum!" Ron shouted as he jumped up from his chair as the lasers exploded above the ships hull rocking the ship.
"How many ships we have Captain?" Ron asked holding onto his seat.
"Seven sir." Ron thought over his options on how to deal with the situation. He hadn't expected two cruisers, just one and they were shielding the assault ships which Ron guessed were getting ready to make their jump to Beta's position at Bandomeer.
How am I gonna make this happen? Ron thought. Then a memory of something he had learned in history class from Mr. Barkin crossed his mind.
'Now class in the battle of Surigao Straight, to defeat the enemy, we decisively lined our battleships in a row crossing the 'T' with the enemy, enabling all our guns to bear on the enemy ships.'
Ron shook his head never imagining that Mr. Barkin's over-explanatory telling of battles in World War Two would help him. But again he never imagined ever being in a place like this.
"Captain! Move our cruisers into a defensive line and don't let those enemy ships get through it…"
"Sir… we're in the middle of attacking."
"Yea, we are… and by that I mean this ship but the others I want in a defensive line with all port side weapons facing the enemy and ready to fire… Now!" Ron ordered.
"Yes sir…" Nook replied turning back around talking into the comm. "NO! All ships move into a defensive line now!" he yelled repeating Ron's orders.
Ron turned to Scythe who looked occupied with watching the battle. Ron hated how their eyes didn't show any kind of emotion but he'd come to realize that they would look weird with any other set of eyes or sensors.
"I want you to board a shuttle and get down to the surface of that planet!" Ron ordered pointing back to the small green and blue planet that they were getting closer to.
"You mean Garqi, sir?" Scythe asked.
"Yes I mean Garqi… you need to find a safe landing zone near the capital Pesktda…" Ron looked at them nervously not really having anything else for them to do, "Think you can do that?"
"Yes sir!" Scythe and the others saluted and he directed his team through the door and to their shuttle in the hanger bay. Ron turned back to the space battle that was intensifying every moment they went through.
Sorry about destroying your gifts so soon Dementor Ron thought.
"So vhere are your commando droids going?"
"Dementor!" Ron shouted jumping up.
"Yes sir?" Dementor stepped back surprised by Ron's jumpy behavior.
Ron turned to face him. "I'm sorry I didn't get what you said… it's this darn helmet ya know…" Ron chuckled nervously.
"No I don't," Dementor deadpanned.
"So anyways… what are you doing here?" Ron asked.
"Oh, jus valking avround ze ship… vhen I heard ze alarms sound I rushed up here as fast as I could. And I saw your commando team rush off. Vhy is that?" Dementor sounded curious to see if they were going to withstand their first mission, but Ron took it the wrong way and thought it wise to make something up.
"Oh their just getting some good exercise and…"
"There trying to grab a foothold on Garqi while we fight the space battle," A pilot droid to Ron's left responded with the truth.
Ron looked over at the droid angerly who was staring at them both. "Hey! Who gave you permission to speak, get back to work." Ron turned back to Dementor who was smiling. "I'm sorry I just needed them to do something…"
"Zis iz good zat zey are going out," Dementor told Ron.
Ron was baffled and pointed out to the battle outside, "But they'll get pulverized!"
Dementor glared at Ron, "Do you not truzt my design Sidekick. There built for missions like zis… as long as you keep the enemy busy zey'll be fine. At least there not with you here getting stupider." Dementor grumbled.
"What did you say?" Ron asked aggravated.
"I said at least there not here…"
"No before that!" Ron shouted.
"Oh I called you a Sidekick like you are," Dementor shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.
Ron followed Dementor who strode past him. "What!?"
"You heard me Sidekick, I'm not going to treat you like a commander especially if Beta iz gone," Dementor replied.
Ron's shoulders tensed and he fumed, "Oh-O, that is it Dementor… you… you've crossed the line and…"
"We have enemy fighters approaching us sir!" A pilot droid pointed outside as several fast moving Republic vessels zipped around Ron's vessel.
"Launch the first wave of fighters! Fire all point defense cannons!" Dementor shouted.
The pilot droid turned to Dementor as if to question the order and then to Ron questioning who was in charge. "You heard the lieutenant. Get to it!"
"Roger roger."
Ron past Dementor who seemed pleased that Ron was finally warming up to him or at least giving him more privileges. "Thank-you Sidekick," Dementor saluted mockingly.
"Don't get to comfy with me Dementor… I still don't like you," Ron stated to make sure there was no misunderstanding between the two. "Captain, pull up an image of the battle."
Captain Nook did and a hologram of the whole space battle between Ron's force and the Republic Forces appeared in front of Captain Nook's seat. Every little detail could be seen including the fighters chasing each other and the laser and flak. Ron's flagship was steadily heading in the direction of the two Republic cruisers while the Banking Clan Frigates scrambled into a defense line.
"So vhat's ze plan of attack sir?" Dementor asked.
"Well these frigates are going to line up defensively at our five o'clock while we go for the two Republic cruisers," Ron explained pointing the ships out.
Nook looked over at Ron with fearful eyes, "Are you sure this is going to work?"
"It well… " Ron looked over to the pilot droid that had interrupted him before. "You! How are the shields holding up?"
"Forward shields are at eighty-five percent sir."
"Our shields well never hold by the time we engage them broadside, will be destroyed!" Nook exclaimed.
"Yes and how are you going to bring down zose cruisers shields?"
"That's what the defensive line is for, you see all those frigates port side cannons well have a clear shot at both cruisers. With their combined firepower and ours, we should be able to take out those cruisers shields before they get ares," Ron explained.
"Perfect. Vhich means once ve engage both zose cruisers broadside, ve'll tear dem to pieces!" Dementor shouted.
"But what about their assault ships, we have to stop those shipments of troops from getting to Bandomeer or Botajef," Nook pointed out.
"That's what the Defense line is for, while we go broadside, those ships should turn right into our trap and run into a wall of laser and flak, they'll be atomized before they can even turn on their hyperdrives," Ron explained.
"Drive are directly into the cruiser on are starboard side," Dementor suggested.
"What?" Nook protested.
"That's insane, we'll crash!" Ron shouted.
"Exactly, and there not, there gonna veer away giving us an advantage," Dementor argued.
"And how is that?" Nook questioned.
"If we head straight for that ship it has two choices, to veer to its left or right, either way it'll be destroyed, either by crashing into its sister cruiser or demolished by our firepower," Dementor laughed. This has to be the perfect job for him Ron thought.
He looked back and forth between Nook and Dementor, "Great plan guys! Let's get it started." Ron felt a metal hand touch his side and he slowly turned to find the same pilot droid standing over his shoulder looking at the battle plan.
"What are doing up!?" Ron shouted.
"Um… nothing sir just doing my duty," the droid hurried back into its seat.
Ron shook his head and looked over to Captain Nook, "Begin firing all forward batteries." He turned to Dementor, "Order all the landing craft to prepare for attack."
Dementor nodded and left back through the double doors.
"Sir, were coming up on the enemy cruisers," the pilot alarmed.
"Divert all power to our Starboard and Port side shields," Captain Nook ordered the droids.
Ron walked down the bridge's plank to the viewport watching the ever looming Republic cruisers.
"Their shields are down!" the pilot droid shouted out.
"Prepare for attack!" Ron yelled to his crew as the ships volleyed lasers at each other that exploded around them.
XVIII.
Captain Gune sat in his chair daunted by the task before him. Taking Dathomir had been easy to take and from what he heard it had been easy victories for the Second Fleet along the Celanon Spur and Braxant Run. Delderaan had fallen, Ord Cestus taken back from the Republic and Salin in the process of surrendering.
Yes everything had been going swell in the first couple days of the Confederate advance through the New Territories of the Outer Rim and they'd reached the Hydian Way. But plans had changed just like Beta had warned him. They were being used as bait so General Grievous could achieve is plan.
Now he realized just how bad they were in it for as the serene view of space had been replaced hours ago by a Republic Fleet and then a chaos.
"Sir we've lost cruiser 401 and 412," A pilot droid at a control station to his right informed him dismally.
Gune looked out the starboard windows and watched two of his cruisers exploded in the distance and Republic Star Destroyers began to surround him.
"How are the shields holding up?" he asked
"Thirty-five percent sir… and we lost our last cruiser sir."
Gune turned away from the view port and walked back to his seat in the center of the bridge and sat down. It wasn't just his fleet or army that was locked in a vicious battle for survival. These easy victories they had shared only yesterday had all become a bitter stalemate.
The double doors behind him opened and a command battle droid rushed in waving his hands in the air frantically.
"Sir! Sir!" It shouted.
"What is it?" Gune asked.
"Jedi have landed in the port-side docking bay!" the droid yammered.
"What!? How is that possible! Are shields are still up!" Kushro cried out to the droids.
"Sir… all Republic Cruisers have stopped firing on us," the pilot droid below notified.
"Track those Jedi! Fire all cannons on their lead cruiser!" Gune ordered.
A Neimoidian Advisor Kushro rushed inside through the double doors fear plain as day in his eyes. "They've… they've gotten through the… they're in the main hall!" he rasped breathing heavily.
Kushro took a glimpse in the direction of the open doors where sentry droids stood on guard. His eyes shot open in horror when they turned their heads to the right and fired their blasters.
"Close the doors!" Kushro demanded pointing at the only entrance… and exit. He began to pace around the bridge nervously .
"I don't think that's going to work sir," Kushro informed.
"Close the blast doors! I want magna-guards up here at once!" Gune ordered a droid.
"They're going to break through," Kushro walked beside Gune paranoid.
"Shut-up… you…" he pointed fingered at a group of security droids, "Get over there and watch that door."
"We'd best just surrender."
Gune ignored Kushro as the blast doors sealed shut and the security droids prepared for anyone to come through. Outside he could hear an intense struggle ensue. Blaster fire ricocheted off lightsabers and then metal being cut into pieces.
Silence.
A green lightsaber pierced through the blast doors and slowly began to arc around in a circle to create a hole.
"Where are those guards!?" Kushro shouted.
Kushro looked at Gune and pointed at the door. His arm trembled, "There coming through!"
"Turn on the ray shields!" Gune ordered the droids who scrambled to do it. The red shields turned on and the lightsaber was pulled out.
"Sir the magna-guards are here!" a droid called out.
"It's about time," Gune muttered.
Kushro eyed him, "That won't slow them down…"
"You obviously over estimate these Jedi…" Gune stopped as sparks and shards of hot glowing metal began to rain down from above. Everyone in the room looked up to see a green saber cutting around the edges of a ventilation shift.
"How is that Possible!?" Gune shouted in terror. The metal mesh fell from the ceiling and Rufus jumped out with a lightsaber in his paws, cutting down all the battle droids in his path.
"It's a rat!?" Kushro hollered
The battle droids didn't know what had hit them and never fired off a single shot. Kushro watched as the hairless pink rodent jumped at the control panels for the bridge doors and deactivated the ray shields and the lights in room flickered on and off.
Gune and Kushro watched as the green lightsaber of the rodent deactivated and the other pierced through the door again completing the circle. The metal fell to the floor like a hammer. He looked up as three figures stepped through the breach all of whom had their sabers readied for anything they threw at them.
"Sir, the magna-guards have been destroyed," a pilot droid from somewhere in the bridge pointed out the obvious.
But the most profound figure was the foremost one with red hair and green eyes. The small rodent that had broken through ventilation system crawled up the young girls robe and onto her shoulder.
Gune took a step back when she pointed her green saber at him.
"Surrender Captain."
XIX.
Kim smirked at the Captain and his advisor who trembled in fear. They were escorted out by clones who had boarded the ship after its surrender. The droids had all been deactivated and thrown into a pile outside in the hall. The battle had been won. Once again the world… or rather a world had been saved, spared from the darkness of evil.
"I told you sending Rufus through the ventilation shafts ahead of us was a good idea," Kim told Ahsoka as Rufus slipped down Kim's robe onto the floor.
Ahsoka looked over to Kim shaking her head back and forth smiling. "I have to admit it… I didn't think the little guy would pull through."
Rufus crossed his tiny little paws in protest.
"Hey!" he squeaked.
Ahsoka squatted down and held out her hand and smiled at Rufus. "But now I know don't I Rufus."
Rufus smiled nodding his head up and down.
"Mmm-hmm."
Ahsoka reached into a pouch hanging from her brown sash. I wonder if he likes cheese? Ahsoka thought.
She brought out a small creamy cubed piece of cheese. Rufus's eyes glazed over and his mouth watered at the sight of cheese and it looked like, no it couldn't be but Swiss cheese…
"Cheese!" Rufus shrilled.
Nailed it Ahsoka thought
Ahsoka put her hands on her hips and turned to Kim. "I have to hand it to you guys, never thought you two would have experience with clankers, especially the tough kind," Ahsoka thumbed at deceased magna guards on the floor.
"No big, it's the villains' number one choice for taking over the world," Kim told her waving her hand.
"Back on Earth?" Ahsoka asked.
Kim nodded and gave Ahsoka a half-hearted smile as her mind dwelt back on thoughts of home… her family… and Ron.
"Miss home?" Ahsoka asked.
Kim looked down at her feet clasping her saber to her waistband. "Yea, I just thought by now I would've found Ron… I just never imagined I'd have to search a galaxy, especially one in a war of all things," Kim sighed shoulders slumping.
Ahsoka frowned putting a hand on Kim's arm. "I know what you mean. I left home when I was three, I haven't been back since but I always wonder what it would be like to just be…"
"Normal." Kim finished.
Ahsoka chuckled, "No… just different. I don't think anyone is normal."
Kim smiled. "Just like Ron would say."
Ahsoka crossed her arms, "What would Ron say?"
Kim pointed her finger in the air imitating Ron, "Oh he would say, 'Never be normal KP!' It was his motto."
Ahsoka laughed. "I'd like to meet Ron."
Kim looked down sullenly, "Soon… hopefully." She cast her gaze out the windows. The planet was out of view and now only countless stars replaced it. Ron was out there… somewhere and she would find him no matter how long it took.
"We'll find him Kim. I know it," Ahsoka reassured stepping beside her.
"The prisoners have been escorted off ship to the Resolute," the two turned finding Yori in the doorway.
Kim looked to Ahsoka, "So what now? Interrogate them."
Ahsoka nodded, "Yep. What about the rest of the droids?"
"They have all been deactivated Tano-san."
"Great! Let's get off this piece of junk," Ahsoka suggested.
"Wait!" Kim held up. "I asked Wade to go through the ships logs and see what he could find."
"And what did he find?" Ahsoka asked.
Kim sat in the Captains chair running her hands over the touch-screen navigation computer. She was locked out but she knew Wade could break in.
"How long is going to take because we got a couple of Separatist scum to question," Ahsoka crossed her arms impatiently.
"Knowing Load-san, not very long," Yori remarked.
The wrist communicator beeped and Kim turned it on. "Wade. Did you get anything from this ships computer?"
Wade's face looked alarmed but focused and determined. "Well, the Captain managed to erase most of the computers memory banks except…"
Kim furrowed her brow, "Except what Wade?"
Wade gazed into Kim's curious eyes. "Kim… I think I found Ron."
XX.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Captain Nook shouted at his droid crew.
"Roger roger."
The Patriot Fist was caught in a maelstrom. Its escorts were occupied preventing Republic troop carries from escaping and it was alone fenced in by two cruisers with no where to run.
Dementor's plan had worked but only for a moment. The ship rocked back and forth while its shields were worn down.
"I want a status report now!" Ron shouted at the crew. Its time to get serious Ron thought.
"Our shields are at twenty percent sir!" a pilot droid shouted.
"And the enemy?" Ron asked.
"Ten percent sir."
"Both of them?"
"Roger roger."
Captain Nook looked up from his own station. "Sir, our frigates have destroyed the Republic transports."
At least one thing has gone right so far Ron thought.
"They've commenced attack on the nearest cruiser!" Captain Nook informed.
Ron shook his head. He'd always thought war would be a little less chaotic. You fight and whoever wins wins. But that was the big picture. When fighting the battle you had so many more variables. Transportation, ammunition, supplies, and much more to worry about. Ron hated it all, it was just too much to think about.
"Their bridge deflector shields are down!" Another droid pilot rang out.
But which cruiser… ugh they know which one Ron thought.
"All guns fire on that command bridge… lets even out the odds!" Ron ordered.
"You heard the commander! Fire!" Nook enforced.
Ron watched where the ships laser fire was redirected. Most of it was aimed at the cruiser on their right and bombarded the command tower. Ron felt bad for whoever was in that tower or what was left of it.
"Concentrate all firepower off our port side onto that other cruiser!" Ron shouted.
The ships turrets swung around and fired at the only remaining Republic vessel.
"Their shields are down." Soon after the pilot droid commented the ships status, the vessel was torn to shreds by laser fire.
"Sir, all Republic vessels have been terminated."
"Boo-yah!" Ron triumphed stressed out from the battle. It seemed like hours had gone by but really it had been thirty minutes. The rest of the crew cheered as well.
Nook swiveled in his chair, "Sir, our fighters are mopping up the enemy squadrons. We should be able land troops within the hour."
"Begin landing them now," Ron ordered.
"But sir, we don't even have a staging area set up on the planet yet," Nook croaked.
"We don't have time, we've already lost the element of surprise, they'll be preparing for us," Ron countered.
"The enemy fighters well tear our landing craft apart," Nook insisted on waiting.
Captain Nook was right. The main enemy ships had been taken out, but there were still hundreds of fighters threatening Ron's mission. He had only one choice. To step up.
"Captain…"
"Yes sir?"
"You're in charge of the ship and fleet," Ron said.
"But sir..?"
"No 'buts' Captain just take care of things up here and I'll settle everything out there," Ron thumbed out the window.
Nook nodded and looked back at the rest of the crew. "Stabilize our thrusters and shields. Prepare to enter orbit around Garqi."
Ron turned to a command droid standing near another droids station. "Open the hanger doors and prepare my fighter… be ready."
"Roger roger."
Ron looked around his bridge one last time. Hard to believe I was in charge of all this… Kim would be so proud. Ron thought.
He turned and walked through the entrance and into the grey halls. This was the first time he'd really been assigned a mission, and a real one at that. The best part was is that he succeeded… and the worst part was that it was war.
Ron didn't know the people who were on those ships… most were clones but what of the others. He had ordered the destruction of a whole battle group. It was something he would have to think about.
He entered the small hanger bay and focused on the small fighter that Beta had given to him personally. It was flanked on either side by droid tri-fighters. Three droids were fueling it and making sure it was ready.
It was suppose to be a new design that the Confederacy didn't back. Probably because it required someone to fly it and the Separatists had more than enough droid starfighters.
The body of the starfighter was small but the thrusters for it were huge. Deng, this thing must be fast Ron thought. Ron climbed the ladder and opened the glass canopy. He hopped inside the cockpit and tried to make himself comfy.
It's kinda a tight fit Ron thought trying to fit in. I'm definitely gonna tell Beta to make it a little roomier.
"Your ship's fueled sir," one pilot droid informed while the others detached the fueling hose.
Ron saluted and closed the canopy. The droids saluted and backed away.
Ron flipped a couple of switches and the engines fired up. The fighter lifted up off the hanger floor and the landing gear retracted and the fighter slowly inched its way out of the hanger.
"Lower shields…" Ron ordered. "Unit T30 and T31 follow me," Ron motioned for the two droid tri-fighters to follow him.
"Shields are down sir," a pilot droid from the bridge stated.
Ron smiled grabbing the joystick it forward and the A-wing shot forward into space, "Here we go!"
XXI.
"Where Wade?" was the first thing Kim demanded. She wanted to know where Ron was and now. She could care less if the Separatists were advancing all over at the moment. She wanted to find Ron.
"Whoa Kim…" Wade waved his hands motioning Kim to slow down. "You're jumping to conclusions.
"Jumping to conclusions!" Kim shouted. "You just told me you found Ron!"
"No, I said 'I think I found Ron' Kim," Wade repeated.
Kim crossed her arms frowning. "Okay, go ahead. What did you dig up?" she asked.
"Well like I said, the Captain managed to erase most of the data the computer held, but he forgot to erase the Navi-computer."
Kim arched her brow, "And that helps us how?"
"Well according to the data, this ship has only been two places, here and where it was made," Wade informed typing furiously.
"And where was it made Load-san?" Yori asked.
"Ord Canfre."
Kim rubbed her chin, "Isn't that where we…"
"That's exactly where we ended up after falling through that vortex!" Wade finished.
Kim frowned. Even if this ship was from the same system, how would it help them find Ron? He wasn't on board it, Wade had checked when they had exited hyperspace.
"But how does that help us? There were hundreds of Separatist ships over that planet," Kim replied dimly.
"Yes, but this ship is a lead ship," Wade remarked.
"And…?"
"Kim, it holds the records of all Separatist ships that have run through that system before we've been there till now," Wade explained.
"I thought you said only the navi-computers memory was left?" questioned Kim.
"It is, but it also holds all records of other ships in its memory banks... including their access codes," Wade replied.
"So you have access to all the ships that have visited Ord Canfre?" Kim remarked.
"Not only that Kim, I was able to gain access to all detained enemies and prisoners shipped off that planet, and not one mentioned or matched a description of Ron," Wade told her.
Kim eyes lit up, "Where is he? Which ship? We're going after him now!"
"Hold on Kim, he hasn't gotten to that part yet," Ahsoka put on hand on her shoulder.
"So Ron never left Ord Canfre?" Yori questioned.
Kim pounded her fist into her other palm. "I knew we should've stayed there."
"Or Ron was found but instead of being detained he helped them," Wade suggested.
Kim's jaw dropped, "Wade, It's not like Ron would join the bad guys unless he was forced," she scoffed.
"But Kim," Wade protested, "Maybe Ron doesn't think they're the bad guys. Remember he was after Dementor."
"Well if you think Ron's back on Ord Canfre lets go…"
"No Kim, I scanned the whole planet before we left, Ron wasn't there. I think he's on a separatist ship, but as a worker, maybe even a soldier," Wade suggested.
"A soldier!" Kim exclaimed worriedly.
"Stoppable-san is a great warrior Possible-san, it isn't hard to believe that they wouldn't take him as a warrior," Yori retorted crossing her arms.
Kim cringed at the venom in Yori's words. Almost everything Kim said about Ron Yori took as an insult to him.
"Well its better than being dead," Ahsoka commented. Both Yori and Kim turned around to Ahsoka with horrified expressions on their faces.
"What?" Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just telling you the positives."
Kim turned her attention back to Wade. "So you think Ron is… on one of the enemy's ships?"
"Well, I'm positive that if he's anywhere in the galaxy, he's in the northern quadrant," Wade assured.
"Well that narrows things down," Kim remarked sarcastically drooping her shoulders.
Wade smiled, "Well at least we're not searching the whole galaxy on some wild goose chase, we have a lead."
"I guess," Kim sighed her shoulders drooping.
"We must not lose hope for it is what keeps us going," Yori told them.
"She's right," Ahsoka reaffirmed. "If you guys lose hope, it'll make it all the more harder or even impossible."
Kim smirked, "Nothings impossible for a Possible… even if its finding their best friend who's lost in a another galaxy."
Yori frowned and uttered, "Yes, and its even possible for a Possible to screw up." Kim looked away from Yori disheartened closing her eyes and hanging her head. Yori wasn't gonna let her live this up at all and she knew she deserved it.
The image of Wade zoomed out to include Admiral Yularen in the picture. "Commander Tano…"
"Yes Admiral?" Ahsoka stepped over to Kim's side looking down at Yularen on the wrist communicator.
"General Kenobi and Skywalker are trapped on the surface of Bandomeer. Most of the other Republic forces are still tied up and we're there only reinforcements," the admiral explained.
"So were on route to Bandomeer?" Ahsoka asked.
"As soon as you get off that ship and on the Resolute commander, we'll be on our way."
The screen paned back to Wade. "Well, ya guys ready to jump ship yet. I've got most the data the ship holds, there's nothing left to search."
Kim nodded. "Alright Wade, we'll be there, just prepare the ship for the jump to hyperspace." Wade nodded and logged off.
Ahsoka smirked, "And I thought I'd have to worry about you guys."
"Please," Kim snorted turning around and walking out the doors leaving the bridge.
Ahsoka was puzzled and looked over to Yori. "Do not worry, Possible-san just needs some time to herself."
"Whatever you say," replied Ahsoka shrugging her shoulders.
XXII.
Kim kept up a fast and steady pace down the main hall toward the docking bays. She had to get away from Ahsoka and Yori for just awhile. She didn't know why but she couldn't be around them when she was like this.
She felt weaker. She couldn't stand the thought that Ron was out there not as a prisoner, but possibly in war on the side of the bad guys. The war was already horrible enough, never before had she seen so much destruction, death and it was finally getting to her.
Kim hung her head low her hair falling over her face. The air around her became cold and goose bumps crawled up her arms. She held herself for warmth and comfort. A tear slipped down her cheek.
Please be okay Ron, Please.
A/N: Sorry I was late with this chapter, but I combined two together so its double the length. Hope You liked it. Read & Review Please.
