Ahh, its good to be done with this chapter. Longest one so far, but I guess its fitting considering its the tenth chapter. I will be briefly introducing a familiar face in this chapter, I just hope my writing is a worthy representation of him.
Again, thanks for all the support everyone, but I've got one reply to a review 312 left:
Believe me, I don't know everything that will happen in between, but the arrival of the Halo universe is already planned out, as well as the possibility (inevitability) of infected force users. I'm leaving it at that, though. We've still got some time to go before Halo shows up.
Anyways, enjoy!
"There is not a truth existing which I fear or would wish unknown to the whole world" -Thomas Jefferson
Outer Rim Territories, Moddell Sector, Endor System,
Day 2, 19:43 Hours Senate time
The Endor sun set peacefully over the horizon on the forest moon of Endor, casting its gentle light through the thick canopy of trees. Endor was a heavily forested planet, home to numerous plants and animals, as well as one of the most serene planets in the galaxy. What it was most famous for, however, was a race of furry, teddy-bear like creature called Ewoks.
The Ewoks were an intelligent but incredibly primitive civilization. They lived in tree-house villages overwatching the forest floor below. Although they were a intelligent species, they were still rather small. Standing at about a meter tall when fully grown, the Ewoks were on constant watch for predators, hence the reason for the tree villages. Although they did grow some food, most of the Ewoks food supply came from what they could hunt, fish, and forage.
Not far from the village of Shadow Forest village, a Ewok hunting party had been organized to gather food. Crawling silently through the foliage, the little creatures worked well as a team. Three brown Ewoks carried spears, while a grey and a black one held a simple bow and arrow in their hands. Their leader, a little brown one with a tan hood named Oosa, quieted the group with a single phrase in their native language. He was sure that he heard something at the base of the hill. He lead the group of primitive hunters down the hill, darting behind trees and bushes for concealment.
Their efforts were rewarded when Oosa spotted a small red bird called a Geejaw, hopping across a downed log in a quest for bugs. Oosa raised his little spear, and threw it at the bird.
The spear sailed harmlessly over the head of the bird. The Geejaw squawked surprise, and used its wings to fly for the canopy. Oosa sighed, and toddled over to the dead tree to retrieve his spear which flew over the dead tree. Oosa's legs flayed wildly as he attempted to gain his footing on the log, and with a short rally of heightened effort, he pulled himself up. He then leapt into the bushes to find his spear. Eventually, he found it sticking up in the ground like a javelin. Grabbing it with his furry hands, he pulled it out a little too hard, landing square on his backside.
When he was done complaining about how hard the ground was, he saw something big in the clearing up ahead which was mostly obscured from sight by bushes. He crawled through the foliage for a closer look, loudly calling the rest of his party to investigate.
Up ahead, he found a small Z-95 fighter, a large site in his little eyes. Oosa pointed his spear suspiciously at it, as if he was expecting it to charge him at any moment. However, it wasn't the ship that approached him: a infection form plopped down from the wing, squirming until it was upright again and slithering toward the Ewok.
For a moment, Oosa hesitated. The creature looked harmless, rather cute in fact, and it seemed like it could be friendly. Perhaps they could domesticate it? He took a quick glance around, and saw several more crawl out of the ship toward him. The closest form continued toward him, and leapt into the air.
The last thing Oosa remembered was giving into his curiosity, and lowering his spear.
Venator-Class,"Resolute"
Day 2, 21:02 Hours Senate time
"This is CT-7567 piloting Gunship #49. Clear the hangar for my landing!"
As Rex continued to approach the Venator, he grew more nervous about the landing. The clone pilots had always made take off and landing look so easy, anyone would assume it was a piece of cake. That is, if they weren't about to try it themselves.
"Roger, Captain, your cleared to land. We'll give you a wide berth." A pause,"Do you know how to land that thing, sir?"
Rex replied,"I'd take any pointers you've got."
"Ok, make sure to come in slow..."
He listened closely to the instructions the pilot gave him. The pilot ran through landing 101, covering all the curcial points of the process."Thanks, trooper. Your a lifesaver."
The clone on the other end laughed,"Don't mention it. Just take it slow and and steady."
He slowed the gunship to a crawl as he approached the hangar. The opening seemed to get smaller the closer they got, but he knew that wasn't the case. With a slight adjustment to their trajectory, he flew the craft through the shield into the near empty hangar below. Rex smiled slightly at how empty the room was. Apparently, they didn't trust him not to squish them with the ship.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced back at Ashoka. The Togruta smiled knowingly at him, as she could sense his worry. She said,"You want me to take over?"
He said,"I would, but we're already landing. Besides, the pilot-"
Ashoka's hand tensed,"Watch out Rex!"
Rex shot his gaze forward again, and realized he was about to crash the ship into the wall. He turned hard and slow, but he was too close. The LAAT's wing scraped against the wall, causing a large piece to fall off. He continued to adjust the ship, praying he hadn't just destroyed the expensive equipment. Finally, he steadied the ship, then began the landing sequence per the clones instructions. After another intense moment, he put the ship down. Hard.
Rex bounced a couple of feet in his chair, before landing smoothly back down. He shook his head, and called out,"Are you guys ok? Sound off!"
Slasher said,"I'm alright sir. So is the prisoner. Ashoka-"
"What he is trying to say is that I just about had a heart attack, but I'm alive."
He smiled, and slid out of the seat, pressing a button to open the doors. The white walls on both sides, separated, revealing the hangar,"I don't know about you guys, but I think that landing wasn't half bad."
Ashoka prodded,"Yeah, I thought we landed on a landmine for a second."
Slasher helped Tharell up, adding,"Just be thankful Bly wasn't landing us. Its not his strong suit."
Rex leapt out of the ship, and offered Ashoka a hand. She shook her head,"I'm ok, its just a couple scratches." She very gingerly crawled down to the floor, using her good hand for balance. When she landed on the floor, he thought he saw her wince.
Rex asked,"Nothing's broken?"
"Well, my legs aren't."
He heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see several security officers and medical technicians approaching them. The security walked straight past Rex and Ashoka, and grabbed Tharell by the arms,"Come on, Separatist scum."
Slasher put a hand on the clone's arm,"Woah, take him to the medical bay first. I think I shot him in the leg."
Tharell groaned,"You think?"
The security guard glanced at the man's legs. Sure enough, he spotted a blast wound on his right thigh. He sighed"Alright, but we're doing it. The medics can attend to general Tano."
As the guards lead Tharell away, the technicians did a quick examination on Ashoka. They carefully examined her body for wounds or bruises. When he gently put a hand on the side of her chest, Ashoka recoiled a little, trying not to yelp out in pain. The medic said,"I think you've busted some ribs, general. Let's get you to the medical bay."
She sighed, and allowed him to lead the way. Before they were out of sight, Rex called out,"General Tano!"
They turned to face him. Rex said,"A couple of scratches, eh?"
She smiled, then turned and followed the technicians out of the room.
Slasher slipped beside him, his blaster rifle still in hand. The clone trooper noted,"She's certainly a tough customer, wouldn't you agree?"
Rex answered,"Stubborn might describe her better, but yes, she can certainly take a lot of punishment."
"I guess it runs in the 501st, Captain."
Rex smacked his helmet playfully,"Watch it, Slasher."
He glanced around at the hangar, which was slowly returning to life. The droids that were once cowering in the corners of the room were now buzzing about their tasks. Several mechanics were out again, working on a couple of ARC-170's that had taken some laserfire. Slasher said, "Looks like the all clear has been given. Good thing all you squished was a bunch of crates."
Rex turned, and saw several crushed crates peeking out from under the LAAT. At least he knew why the landing was so rocky. He said,"Those sneaky crates, I could have sworn they weren't there when we landed."
"But they are."
"Wow, your observant today."
Slasher grinned under his helmet,"I guess it runs in the 501st, Captain."
He took a step back, anticipating Rex's strike, but the Captain just stared at the gunship. He couldn't help but think how many of his brothers had died in one of those things. He said quietly"I just wish Crest and Chip got to see me fly."
Slasher nodded solemnly,""Yeah, I'm sure Crest would have a lot more to say about that landing then I did. But at least they didn't die for nothing." He looked at the ground, remembering the way Chip died,"Well, at least Crest did."
Rex nodded. More casualties because of this war. The two warriors stood in silence for a moment, until he heard footstep to their side. They turned as one, recognizing the clone as Sergeant Appo. Appo walked straight over, and saluted,"Congratulations on a job well done, Captain. Is everyone ok?"
Rex saluted sadly,"Chip and Crest didn't make it."
Appo fell silent, and stared at the empty gunship for a moment. He clenched his fists, remembering all the things he had been through with Chip and Crest. If only they had stayed!
Appo muttered quietly,"More brothers, dying for a jedi." he sighed, watching Rex carefully to see if he would react, who just stared at him coldly. Appo added,"By the way, some of the brass wants to talk to us. All of us."
Rex crossed his arms,"Any idea who?"
"No, all I know is that they want to see all three of us."
Rex glanced at Slasher, who just shrugged. Leaving the damaged gunship behind, they followed Appo out of the hangar.
Venator-Class,"Peacemaker"
Day 2, 14:18 Salis D'aar time, 19:41 Senate time
The small republic task force seemed to stretch into existence over Bakura. Hyperspace was truly a wonder of the modern age, allowing interplanetary travel throughout the galaxy. Were it not for hyperdrives, individual planets would still be isolated from each other. Except, perhaps, for planets like Tatooine and Geonosis, which orbited extremely close to each other.
Luminara Unduli had been somewhat skeptical as to what they would find on Bakura. She was expecting a large battle, both in space and on the ground. She had ordered all the pilots on stand-by in anticipation of the coming battle.
What caught everyone off guard was how dark the planet was. Bakura was technically part of the Outer Space, but it was well populated, and major cities like Salis D'aar should provide beacons of light to passing ships. But the large planet was almost completely dark. What's more, there was no space battle in sight, or remnants of a space battle, for that matter.
Luminara turned to Gree, who seemed to observe the planet with interest,"Commander, what do you think is going on here?"
The commander didn't reply at first, he simply stared ahead at the world. Eventually, he whispered,"I don't know, sir. Its like the planet's asleep."
She glanced back at Bakura. Something certainly seemed off. Luminara delved into the force, searching for answers, but she found nothing but silence. Closing her eyes on in concentration, she waited patiently for something. Anything, really. But all she could detect was dust and echos.
She put a hand to her chin, eyebrows knitting in concern. What was going on here? It certainly didn't look like the CIS was here. She said,"Gree, contact the local government. I'm sure they will be able to explain the situation."
"On it, general." The green-striped clone went over to the communicator, and started typing away. She couldn't see his face, but Luminara could sense his confusion.
She heard the door open, and turned to see who was coming. A clone sergeant marched through the door, his stride reflecting his purpose. Luminara went to meet him, her black robes gently flowing along the floor,"Sergeant Darius." She said with a nod.
Darius saluted,"Sir, my men and I are ready to deploy to the surface immediately."
Luminara replied,"hold up, Sergeant. We need to find out what is going on down there."
The clone glanced over her shoulder. She guessed that he was observing the planet, which he was."It certainly looks quiet, sir."
"Yes, a little to quiet. Return to your men and be ready to move out at a moment's notice."
Darius saluted,"Right away, general."
When he left Luminara turned and walked back across the bridge to the window. Her senses told her something was wrong. Something... big. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She put a olive green hand gently on the glass, and watched the planet slowly orbit. She hoped this wouldn't turn out to be the next Felucia, or Malastare, for that matter, but every passing moment made it evident the 41st would be there for awhile.
A familiar voice dismissed her thoughts, "General?" She turned to face Gree,"I'm getting nothing from the local government."
Her face registered surprise."Really Not even local chatter?"
"Not a word. The cities and military bases are also not responding. Its like they're gone."
She pursed her lips. After fighting a war for three years, she had grown used to the stress of battle. But the unknown? That had always been her greatest fear. Something was obviously wrong here.
She looked out the window again. It was like the planet was dead, a graveyard of what it use to be. She just hoped it wouldn't be theirs. She said,"Keep trying Commander, and make sure all men are at their stations, this could be a trap."
Shiritoku Mining Vessel, Bakuran atmosphere
14:48 Salis D'aar time, 20:11 Senate time
"You coward!"
The pilot's premature departure from Bakura without Varan and the others had struck a nerve with Jimas and Mith. More appropriately, it left them fuming with rage. The two soldiers promptly got in a shouting match with the pilot, who ended up being more hot-headed then they were. The pilot slugged Jimas in the jaw, prompting Mith to body-slam him out of the chair. The three men wrestled bitterly, throwing each other across the room and leaving splatters of blood on the floor and consoles.
Mara and the other man on board, the one who worked with all the locks, just stood in the doorway and watched. Neither of them were particularly happy with him either. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent they weren't going to stop until they had done serious damage, so lockpick stepped in to break up the fight. He pulled Jimas and Mith off of the man, using all his strength to hold their rage back.
"Woah guys!" He said, arms outstretched,"Break it up! Your going to kill him!"
Jimas shouted,"He deserves nothing but death."
Mith added,"He's a coward, leaving the others behind like that!"
The pilot slowly rose to his feet, spitting out a wad of blood from his mouth onto the floor. He felt like his jaw might be broken, but he couldn't be sure. He shouted,"If I didn't take off immediately, we'd all be dead!"
"That's not true! We should've tried!"
The man yelled,"Guys! The past is the past, there isn't anything we can do for the others now." He paused, hoping his words would sink in. They were staring daggers at each other, at least they were keeping their distance."Like it or not, we are on the same side. We need to get as far away as we can from this planet, and we can't do that if we are trying to kill each other." Judging by the looks on their faces, they were still unconvinced. He could feel the tension in the room, like he was just barely holding a fight apart.
"Let-" He turned to face the pilot,"Uh, what's your name?"
The man wiped some blood from his lip,"Call me Myek."
He nodded,"Let Myek get back to the controls, so we can get out of here."
Mith crossed his arms,"And go where?"
He shrugged,"Anywhere but here, I guess."
Mith said,"And who are you? Or do you go by Lockpick?"
He snorted,"My name is Cole. Cole Travos. And I already know you two are Mith and Jimas."
The two friends exchanged a look. They turned to look at him curiously,"You did?"
He tipped his head toward the doorway. They took a look and saw Mara standing in the doorway, "Apparently, you guys are good friends with her."
Jimas gingerly put a hand on his face, feeling a jolt of pain when he touched the wrong spot. Myek had nailed him good. He wiped a droplet of blood from his lip, and brushed it on his pants,"We just met her yesterday, really. She was at the Senate, where we were posted."
What then proceeded was the three of them exchanging stories from the previous day. It was very obvious the defense had gone badly.
Venator-Class,"Peacemaker"
14:25 Salis D'aar time, 19:48 Senate time
"Any luck, Commander?"
Gree pulled his helmet off, and tucked it under his arm. He put a hand on his forehead,"Nothing, general. Nothing at all."
Luminara had to resist the urge to pace. While she had a considerable amount of patience, something was nagging at her about all this. The fact something wasn't right was obvious to everyone, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really, really wrong. She adjusted the black headdress she wore, then clasped her hands together in front of her,"Drag, are there any other ships in the area?"
The clone trooper Drag, sitting by a computer terminal, said,"Nothing big enough to confirm, sir, but there is something on the other side of the planet orbiting toward us."
She replied,"An enemy fleet?"
"I don't know, general. Its not big, as in much smaller then our own ship. It could be an enemy fleet of fighters and patrol craft. It could be wreckage from a battle. Or, of course, it could be asteroids." He pointed the the screen to add emphasis,"Whatever it is, its coming this way."
Luminara glanced out the window in the direction Drag indicated. She strained her eyes for anything, but all she could see was stars and space. After a moment, she said,"Are you sure your equipment isn't malfunctioning?"
Drag shook his head,"I doubt it, general."
She watched the distance for a moment longer, then glanced at her own fleet. The two Acclamators were orbiting the planet peacefully, side by side in front of the Peacemaker. Unduli realized they were probably waiting for orders. she said,"Gree, tell the captain of the Nova to broadcast a message to the planet. Have him send it out every 2 minutes, until we get a bite. Also, any ships that come from the surface are to land on the Nova. Tell the captain of the Conviction to stand down for now."
Gree saluted,"On it, general." He returned to his position at the communication terminal, and typed a message out to the two Acclamators.
Luminara closed her eyes, delving deep into the force in a search for answers.
Keldabe-Class,"Resolute"
Day 2 14:27 Salis D'aar time, 19:50 Senate time
Katan Bo'dar was still trying to digest the information from the Supercommandos when the Republic ships left hyperspace. Not only did he have to deal with this new horror, but the Republic was nosing around as well. And Bo'dar was no fan of the Republic. He grimaced at the ships, immediately running strategies through his mind if it came to a confrontation.
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly. "Admiral, we are receiving a transmission from the Republic cruiser!" A young officer called out from the other side of the room. From the way he was typing, Bo'dar could tell he was unnerved by the report about the flood. He couldn't blame him, they all were.
Bo'dar glanced back at the ships, then at the officer suspiciously, "Are they contacting us directly?"
The man shook his head,"No, sir. They are transmitting the message to all vessels within range." He paused, reading the text across his screen,"It looks as if they have no idea what is going on.'
"Let me see." Bo'dar joined the young man by the computer, and read the transmission:
To the people of Bakura,
This is jedi master Luminara Unduli, I have come with a relief force consisting of the 41st clone Legion. Wherever you are, stay calm, we are here to help.
We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to contact the Bakuran government, or anyone else in the system. If you are picking this up and you have means to respond, please do so immediately. It is of the utmost importance we know who we are fighting, and the state of the planet below for our relief efforts.
If you are a member of the defense force, take heart, help is here.
If you are part of the occupying force, leave this system immediately. We are offering leniency to any vessel that leaves this system within the next 2 hours, and you will be allowed to return where you have come from.
Again, if you have any information on the current situation, please contact us immediately. There is a substantial reward waiting for any person who brings us accurate information.
May the force be with you all.
Bo'dar scowled as he read the short message. While he didn't like the fact the Republic was here, but he was even less excited about a jedi master. The jedi were the enemies of the Death Watch, and they were responsible for the devastation of their homeplanet, Mandalore. Bo'dar despised most jedi, and their twisted morals and views on the galaxy. But he was wise enough to understand the implications of Unduli's presence. Not only was she a good general, but a jedi made a fierce opponent in combat, even more dangerous then a Mandalorian. Bo'dar may not like them, but he had always respected the Order's strength.
The officer asked,"Admiral, what do you want to do?"
Bo'dar took a deep breath, and straightened his posture. His footsteps echoed across the bridge as we walked back over to the window, observing the Republic ships again. They seemed unaware his fleet was there, meaning he could possibly spring a ambush on the three ships, and Bo'dar believed he had the firepower to win the day. But still, perhaps he could learn more about this knew enemy's abilities by allowing the Republic to walk into them, which would weaken both of his enemies further.
He sighed, sensing all eyes on him. He turned around, and said,"Contact Lord Maul immediately. He will want to know about this... development."
Another,"Yes admiral" came from the communications officer. Bo'dar was no incompetent, he didn't need Maul to hold his hand through every decision. But he knew the Sith Lord would want to know about the arrival of the clones and Unduli. Besides, Maul was no fool either, perhaps he could think of some angle he hadn't thought of.
He added,"And tell the teams that just returned to suit up again. I have a feeling things are about to get dicey."
Outer Rim, Esstran sector, Horuset system, Korriban orbit
Subjugator-Class,"Invisible Hand"
Day 2, 22:03 Hours Senate time
General Grievous was in a very bad mood. An incoming transmission from the remnants of the Taris fleet had just informed him that the blockade over Taris had been broken by a large Republic fleet, resulting in the loss of several ships, including a Lucrehulk and the captain of the fleet, Rayce Tharell. He clenched his mechanical fists together in anger, making great effort not to smash the hologram projector of the tactical droid before him. He knew it would do no good, and it wouldn't kill the droid anyway. So, he just stood and fumed, wishing he could ring its neck.
The droid was in the middle of saying,"We are currently returning to friendly space, General, with 5 of our original 18 ships. We have lost contact with Captain Tharell, forcing us to assume he went down with the battleship."
Grievous snarled,"Tell me, droid, was the good captain able to destroy any Republic ships?"
The Tactical droid seemed to nod,"Yes we did, sir. I saw at least 2 Acclamators explode, and I am pretty sure a final one was destroyed right before we made the jump."
"Only 2? You imbeciles were only able to destroy 2 Republic ships?" Grievous felt like he was about to explode, and slammed a fist on the dashboard,"That's all you were able to accomplish?!"
The droid seemed intimidated by Grievous' temper, and took a step back. He enjoyed scaring the daylights out of the useless hunks of metal, even if they were on his side. Despite the moment of pleasure he took in its fear, Grievous was still ready to destroy something,"And what of the jedi? Which ones were present?"
"We know both Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano were present, and we believe the 501st lead the assault. Its not looking good for the ground for-"
"I can see that!" Grievous yelled,"You droids have proven incapable of even slowing down Skywalker and his little pet."
The droid paused,"Uh, sir, about that. We might have some good news about the jedi."
The cyborg general suddenly felt his fury dissipate as it was replaced by hope. Could the droids have actually killed something? If so, this captain Tharell was the type of man he needed. Eager for some good news, he leaned in closer, making his appearance more intimidating, but spoke in a much quieter voice,"I'm listening."
"Please understand nothing is confirmed. For all we know-"
"Yes, I understand! Now get to the point!"
The droid jumped at his outburst, but quickly recovered,"Ashoka Tano crashed in the hangar of the Lucrehulk. Assuming Captain Tharell was able to detain her, it is probably safe to assume she died when the ship exploded."
Grievous coughed,"Are you sure?"
"Sir, I said nothing is confirmed."
"Very well, get the surviving ships back for repairs. Perhaps this wasn't a total loss." He pressed a button on the transmitter, ending the feed. Grievous stalked over to his seat, and sat down rather happily. Ashoka Tano had always been a pain in his side, and while he was more then capable of besting her in combat, as he had proven many times, the death of one of the wretched jedi was always a pleasure to him. Just a shame he wasn't there for it. He would have taken great joy in stealing her lightsaber, then recording her execution and sending it to Skywalker.
Ah well, he would settle for her death. The only true loss was her blade. That, and most of the fleet. Grievous understood why the CIS was keeping so many ships back, but he still regretted their defeat.
Upper Bakuran atmosphere
14:51 Salis D'aar time, 20:14 Senate time
Myek was suddenly distracted from piloting by a beeping noise, coming from the communications terminal. He glanced over at the projector, which had a small, blinking red light on its front.
The others seemed to take notice too. Cole held up a hand to silence Mith and Jimas, and gazed at the terminal curiously. Myek said,"Aren't you going to answer it?"
The others all looked at each other, as if they were trying to decide who would take one for the team. Mith finally shrugged, and went over to the terminal. He pressed a button, and started reading the incoming text. He said slowly,"Looks like we have company."
Cole said,"What do you mean?"
"This transmission is from a Republic battlegroup." He read the transmission out loud.
The others listened intently, while Myek started looking around for the Republic ships. He had never actually seen a Republic cruiser, but he knew they were big and shaped like triangles. After a moment of silence, Myek said,"Tell them were coming to land. When I find them, that is."
Venator-Class,"Peacemaker"
14:53 Salis D'aar time, 20:16 Senate time
Within minutes of broadcasting the transmission, hundreds of responses came in from all across the planet. What baffled Gree, however, was where all the signals were coming from. He said,"General, we have received exactly 462 different transmissions from the surface, and of the 243 that I can trace the location, none of them came from populated cities or military bases." He ran a hand through his hair,"Its like every small town radio operator is responding. I have no idea which one to read first."
Luminara came beside him, watching the flow of transmissions incoming. Almost every one seemed to indicate the planet was in full-blown panic mode. She spotted a particular transmission, and felt a nudge to read it. She pressed a button on the screen,"Hey, what are you doing sir?" Gree seemed like he wanted to slap her hand away, but he resisted the urge.
"Patience, commander." She said, reading the text,"It seems this one originated from a ship." She read the text,"Tell the captain of the Nova to make sure our guests land safely."
Gree nodded,"Right away sir." And started on the message
Unduli still couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. At least these people would be able to clear things up. At least, she hoped. She turned her attention to the clone manning the sensors, whose body language betrayed a bit of concern,"Drag, what are you seeing?"
Drag swallowed, and said,"First off, general, its not an asteroid field or junk. A horde of IPV-1s and Z-95s are closing in on our position. I think it could be the planet's defense fleet. Second, they are getting awfully close."
"How close?" She asked.
Drag pointed a finger out the window,"How about you take a look for yourself?"
She went over to the window, and saw dozens of small ships heading straight for them. Her eyes narrowed, at the sight. Something still didn't seem right. Luminara ordered,"Gree, make sure the Conviction and the Nova's crew are at their battlestations, then hail the incoming fleet."
"On it, sir."
Keldabe-Class,"Resolute"
14:30 Salis D'aar time, 19:53 Senate time
Eight Mandalorian warriors stood at rigid attention, their visors occasionally reflecting the light from the planet. Admiral Bo'dar summoned them for a personal audience, meaning something big was about to happen. The team leaders stood in the center, flanked on either side by their teammates.
However, Bo'dar was on the other side of the room, next to a large hologram projector. He stood at attention himself, expecting his leader to appear at any moment. Sure enough, a hooded figure with a tattooed face and yellow eyes soon appeared. The Sith Lord crossed his arms, but no one really knew if it was impatience or just habit.
Maul spoke first,"Admiral Bo'dar, I assume you have good reason to contact me?" He was unusually quiet, causing the bridge to tense up.
Bo'dar, however, didn't flinch,"Yes, my Lord. A Republic fleet has arrived over the planet. They are lead by Luminara Unduli."
Maul was silent, as if expecting him to say something else. Eventually, he said,"And?"
Bo'dar raised a brow under his helmet,"Sir?"
"I was assuming you had a plan to get rid of them."
He shook his head,"Actually, sir, I was thinking they could be useful. A test subject, of sorts. If the Republic makes contact with these supposed monsters, we could get a front row seat of their abilities. As an added bonus, it would weaken their force, making it that much easier for us to eliminate them later."
Maul stroked his chin,"Very well, Admiral. When you do attack, do not underestimate master Unduli. You and your men are some of the finest warriors I have ever met, but none of you are a match for a jedi master alone. I look forward to the after action report, Admiral, good luck."
With that, the hologram fizzled into nothingness once more. Bo'dar glanced out the window, then walked over to the commandos, who were still at attention. He said,"Commanders, get your teams ready. You will be infiltrating the Republic fleet."
Sa'tor said,"Sir?"
"I have an idea, but it may be awhile before we can execute it. I need both of your teams ready to deploy at a moment's notice."
Acclamator-Class,"Nova"
14:34 Salis D'aar time, 19:57 Senate time
The Acclamator-Class Nova silently orbited over the planet of Bakura. A reflection of the Republic's military might, the Acclamators had proven themselves many times over in battle. While it wasn't as powerful as the Venator, it was designed to be an assault ship. And although it did carry a much larger crew, it wasn't as well armed as the Venators for space combat. A Venator could utterly thrash a Acclamator in space.
The Nova also carried a large ground force which had been intended for the surface of Bakura. General Unduli had not expected to find a silent planet, so they were on standby until something happened. And while the clones were professional soldiers, they were not immune to boredom, which was quickly taking control of the whole ship.
So when security was ordered to Hangar 2 in preparation for an unknown spacecraft, a large group of clone troopers tagged along, hoping to alleviate their boredom. The hangar was quickly filled with soldiers in white phase-2 armor, all standing at attention as they awaited the ship's arrival. One such clone, a sergeant by the name of Stinger, actually brought his entire squad down, because why not. He stood with them as they watched the hangar doors for any sign of the mysterious vessel.
One of his men, a trooper named Rattle, whispered,"What are we expecting, sir?"
The clone next to him, Dart, said,"I heard its some sort of civvy transport."
Rattle replied,"So, we get to do some babysitting?"
"Nope, the Senate is in session."
There was a pause, before the others got the gist of the joke and started laughing quietly. Stinger made a noble effort to control himself, which was just enough to keep his squad from losing it. The clones didn't have a high opinion of politicians. After a moment, Stinger glanced ahead and cleared his throat,"Quiet guys, its here."
Dart and Rattle turned their attention to the hangar doors. A small, elliptical vessel was making its way through the opening. It looked like it was about 75 meters long, and was painted grey with the words,"Shiritoku" adorning both sides. Stinger guessed correctly it was some sort of shipping vessel. It slowly came to a landing, the familiar sound of its engines slowly shutting off. Several clones, the ones actually assigned to security, rushed ahead to the door. They raised their weapons at the ramp, which was slowly lowering itself.
The ramp touched the floor, but no one came down. Eventually, the head of the security team called out,"Alright, come on out, but don't do anything stupid." He paused, waiting for a response.
Eventually, a man in a soldier's uniform casually walked down the ramp. The clone troopers gripped their weapons a little tighter, but kept them pointing at the ground. The newcomer glanced at the soldiers of the Republic, as if he had never seen them before. Truth be told, he hadn't in person,"I've never met a clone trooper before. Are you guys as good as they say?"
Rather then answering his question, the trooper who called them down asked,"Sir, is there anyone else on that ship?"
He nodded,"Yes, two soldiers, a pilot, and a girl in her late teens. We are all armed, and we don't intend to turn our weapons over."
The clone responded,"That's not your choice to make, sir, its ours. Now kindly call your friends down so we can meet them."
The man nodded, and called out,"Come on out guys, this ship is clean."
Clean? The clone troopers exchanged a glance.
After a moment, four more figures came down the ramp. Stinger watched them closely as he had been trained to do, sizing them up and watching for suspicious movements. The two soldiers seemed fine, but the pilot looked as if he had been in a fistfight earlier that day. Ironically, he was. The girl, who Stinger would have guessed to be about 16, was wearing civilian clothing, and had a bandage over her arm. She had obviously been shot at some point. While the two soldiers glanced at the troopers suspiciously, the pilot seemed to be glaring daggers at the them, while the girl looked like her dog died, and from the way she watched the ground, Stinger wondered if her dog really did die or something.
The clone in charge of greeting them said,"Some introductions are in order, gentlemen." He nodded at Mara,"And lady."
The man who first stepped down said,"My name is Cole. Cole Travos. I am a member of the Bakuran defense force, as well as Jimas and Mith." he pointed at the men as he said their name, who simply nodded solemnly."The guy who looks like he got in a wreck is Myek, also in the defense force but a pilot. The girl is Mara, a civilian volunteer who joined the militia to defend the capitol."
When he was done, Stinger stepped forward, earning some looks from the other clones."Call me Stinger, I am a clone sergeant. I believe you have some information that general Unduli and commander Gree would be interested in?"
Cole's face immediately turned grave,"Indeed. It would be best if we made haste. Lead the way, sergeant."
Stinger was a little surprised by his boldness, but lead the way anyway. As he walked by the security officer, he earned a glare, which told him that he didn't like Stinger taking his job. The sergeant ignored him, instead asking Cole,"What's going on down there? How bad is it?"
Cole swallowed,"You have no idea, sir."
Several million Kilometers away...
A horde of IPV-1 patrol cruisers, as well as dozens of Z-95 starfighters continued their march toward the Republic fleet. The crew of the ships were already ready and waiting for the coming battle. Hundreds upon hundreds sat in every available space, brushing up against their comrades. Soon, this Republic would feel their wrath. And none of them could wait.
Venator-Class,"Peacemaker"
14:37 Salis D'aar time, 20:00 Senate time
Luminara Unduli nodded,"Thank you, captain. As soon as the natives make their way to your bridge, I want to speak with them immediately."
The captain of the Nova saluted,"Right away general." as his hologram disappeared. Luminara immediately typed in a command, requesting to speak with the jedi council to make a report. She waited for a minute, until the hologram of Mace Windu appeared. She bowed her head respectfully to the Master of the jedi order, who nodded in return,"Master Unduli, I assume you have something to report. Would you like me to bring the council together?"
The Miralian jedi shook her head,"No, master Windu. As long as someone is here to listen." she shuddered a little bit,"Master Windu, something is very wrong here."
The older jedi crossed his arms,"I sense you are nervous. What have you found?"
Luminara glanced out the window, back at the silent planet. Windu was unsure why she seemed so distracted, but he decided to wait rather then ask. After a moment of silence, she said,"I have found... nothing."
Her statement caught Windu off guard. He raised a brow,"Nothing, you say?"
She sighed,"Master, Bakura is here, I see it right in front of me. But its like its... dead, really. There are no signs of a major space skirmish, and yet, I have failed to get in contact with the government, or the military, or anyone on the surface. Its like everything has disappeared." She glanced at Windu, who seemed was beginning to show some concern,"There are no signs of Separatists. In fact, I would bet anything that this isn't the Separatists' doing."
"The Shadow Collective, perhaps?"
She shook her head,"No. I don't think so, at least. We managed to pick up some natives, I will be meeting with them shortly so we can figure out what exactly is going on here."
Windu nodded,"Then that is where you need to be. As soon as you are finished with them, contact me again with an update. May the force be with you, Master Unduli."
She bowed respectfully,"May the force be with you, Master Windu." And with that, his hologram faded.
Just in time to miss out on the fun. Drag called out,"Sir! The unidentified ships, they are coming in fast!"
Luminara spun around, and rushed over to the window. She could just begin to make out the small ships headed their way. She said,"How far out, Drag?"
He typed in a few commands,"They should be here within 60 seconds, general."
She narrowed her eyes at the approaching ships. Her senses told her she was about to meet whatever was responsible for what happened here. She turned to Gree,"Commander, get all hands to their battle stations! Copper-" She said to the clone working the communications,"Hail the incoming fleet. Tell them if they don't respond in 30 seconds, or come within 100 kilometers of our ships, we will open fire."
Copper cried,"Right away, general!" he hastily put together a message to the newcomers, then sent it out.
The next few seconds were incredibly tense on the bridge of the Peacemaker. While the clones had no doubts they could handle the assembly of patrol craft and fighters coming their direction, they had no idea what to expect. When they were fighting the Separatists, they knew to expect the dumb metal droids pouring out by the thousands. When they fought criminals, it was a little more dicey, but they were experienced against the likes of pirates. Whatever was coming at them, they had no idea what it was. And man's greatest fear is the unknown.
Luminara knew the crew would be looking to her, so she put on a calm appearance. But on the inside, every second those ships got closer, her senses screamed louder that something was wrong. Luminara trusted her senses, but what if there were civilians on the craft? What if it were allies, and she was wrong and shot them down? She shook her head to clear her mind. The transmission had been sent out, it was up to the newcomers whether or not blood would be shed.
Finally, Copper broke the silence,"General, incoming transmission from the unknown contacts!" Luminara, as well as Gree and several other clones, rushed over to him, peering over his shoulder at the message. For whatever reason, everybody was on edge. Luminara kicked herself mentally when she realized it was because she was nervous. It was hard to hide her emotions from people she had spent the last 3 years with.
Copper was reading the transmission out loud,"We have wounded on board, as well a refugees from the planet. We request permission to land on your cruisers for aid."
Gree growled,"This could be a ploy. Something to let our guard down."
Luminara thought for a second, reading the short message again. As general, the final decision was hers, despite the fact she didn't particularly want to make this call. She said,"Gree, get your men down to the hangars, I will allow them to land, but we'll be there to greet them." She paused,"I will be down in a minute myself."
The clone commander stood erect and saluted,"On it sir!" And he ran off, already saying something over his communicator.
She turned her attention back to Copper,"Tell them they have clearance to land. We'll be there to meet them." She turned and went back over to the windows, watching the ships approach ominously. They were now close enough to identify with the naked eye. At least, the larger ones were. They were IPV-1 patrol craft, commonly used by neutral planets for a defense force. She could also sense the smaller ships were fighters, Z-95s to be exact. She pursed her lips together. Why were there fighters with them?
She took another deep breath, and checked her belt to make sure her lightsaber was still in place. Sure enough, she felt the hilt to her side. Luminara walked quickly across the bridge for the door.
She reached the door, which slid open with a whooshing noise. As she walked through, she suddenly heard Copper call out,"Sir, wait!"
Luminara stopped, and did a 180 back towards the clone. Copper said,"We've got another transmission coming in, but its not from the patrol craft." He stared at the screen for a second,"I have no idea where its from, but you may want to take a look."
She leaned forward, reading the text on the screen: If you want to live, don't let those ships land, Jetii.
She said,"Copper, find out who sent this, and ask them who exactly they are."
He started pressing buttons again, trying to navigate to the right screen. Before he could finish, Luminara's communicator came up. She pulled it off her belt, and turned it on. The image of commander Gree appeared.
He said,"Sir, the ships are landing. Are you coming?"
She sighed,"I'm on my way, commander. Copper, finish the task without me."
Before she closed her communicator, Gree's head suddenly shot over his shoulder,"What in the-" The sound of laserfire erupted,"General, get down here now!"
Venator-Class,"Peacemaker" Hangar 2
14:42 Salis D'aar time, 20:05 Senate time
The flood craft had approached so innocently. It landed right where it was told, and didn't put down until it was directed where to do so. The clones in the hangar had begun to assume that, perhaps, they were actually Bakurans. And while they were, it wasn't in the way any of them imagined.
The moment the ramp went down, a horde of flood combat forms poured out the door, firing and swiping at the unsuspecting clones who made the mistake of approaching the ship. Their comrades training kicked in a moment later, and they all started firing at the horrid looking creatures.
Within a few seconds, Gree was beginning to get a hint of what kind of enemy they were facing. The clones were pelting the combat forms, as well as the little infection forms which made an appearance as fast as they could, but the combat forms seemed to shrug off the lasers. Gree himself watched as he blew the shin off of a combat form, who simply made a high-pitched shrieking noise and charged another trooper. Gree actually froze with shock for a moment, before regaining his barrings and putting a round through its head. Despite taking off about a third of the back of its head, the thing kept going.
He took cover behind a crate, and pulled his communicator out, summoning the captains of the Conviction and Nova. The holograms of the captains appeared, whose faces registered some surprise by the sound of laserfire. Gree shouted,"Close your hangars! These things aren't friendly!"
The captain of the Conviction cleared his throat,"Commander, I am afraid they have already landed. Security should be able to handle it"
"Same here, Commander. The Nova has several thousand clone troopers on board, ready to fight at-"
He shut the communicator off, and popped over the crate to return fire. Another IPV-1 had landed, as well as a number of Z-95s, which all immediately ejected their cargo into the hangar. It didn't take a genius to see the clones were now outnumbered.
Gree shouted to the clones around him,"Keep firing lads! Let's send them back-" After squeezing off another round, he spotted something strange by the ship. When he took a look, he suddenly stopped shooting, lowering his weapon in shock. Many of the other clones did so as well, as they watched an infection form burrow its way into a dead clone's body. A combat form had ripped his chestplate off, making room for the little creature to plunge into its chest. The body convulsed, then began to transform into a combat form. It stood, up, made a growling noise, and charged straight at him.
The sight of it barrelling toward him was enough to snap him out of his trance. Gree raised his rifle again, and shot the creature in the head. Once again, it seemed to shrug it off, as it continued to run at him. As it leapt into the air, Gree screamed a Mando'a curse word at it and shot it square in the chest. It finally slumped mid-air, and came crashing down to the ground with a sickening thud.
Things weren't going very well elsewhere, however. The majority of clones had already been wounded or killed, leaving only 20 or so to continue firing. The clone standing next to him suddenly took a round to his face, and collapsed to the ground. Gree knelt down beside him, and took his helmet off so he could check his pulse. The hole in his face told him all he needed to know, so he just dropped the helmet and stood up to fire again.
Several combat forms had taken advantage of his distraction and closed the gap with him. Three hideous looking, yet somewhat human creatures lumbered toward him, making gurgling noises as they went. Gree managed to hit one in the chest, which caused it to collapse, but the other two leapt into the air and down on top of him.
Thinking quickly, he rolled out of the way just in time, and fired another couple rounds at them. He hit one in the thigh, which ignored the injury and swung a tentacle at his head. Gree ducked, rolled to the side, and shot him in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground.
The final one screamed with rage, and swung its tentacle at him. Gree raised his blaster to block it, but the force of the blow knocked the blaster out of his hand and him to the ground.
The creature leapt on top of him, their faces inches apart. Gree stared at the frozen expression of terror on his face with horror, which simply emitted a gurgling noise, spitting some sort of greenish mist at him as it did. He threw a punch at it, landing a blow square in the side of the head. He felt bone breaking beneath his fist, so he pulled his hand back to swing again. Before he could, the combat form swung its tentacle at his right arm. Gree raised it to block the blow, but all that did was allow the claw to shred through his armor, leaving three deep gashes on his arm. Biting his tongue, the clone desperately head butted the form, smacking his helmet square in its nose. Even though its nose started bleeding, his attacker seemed to ignore the effects.
Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of a lightsaber, right before a green blade passed through its torso. The combat form fell in two, which allowed Gree to push the top half off. He made his way to his feet, his left arm clutching his right. Next to him, Luminara Unduli began deflecting blaster bolts with her lightsaber. Gree said,"Thanks, commander, I owe you one."
Unduli, replied,"Don't mention it." She glanced around, surveying the battlefield. The flood was continuing to land forces in the hangar, dozens of Z-95's littered the hangar floor, cockpits open and abandoned. The IPV-1's were to big to stay, so they flew out to make more room. Several dozen combat forms were charging Luminara and Gree. The jedi master shouted,"Soldiers! Fall back!" She pushed Gree with a blast of the force through the door, who landed with a grunt. She then quickly walked backwards, still deflecting shots back at the flood.
Well, there you have it. Grievous, Mandalorians, the 41st, Luminara, Rex and the flood all in one chapter. Feel free to guess why Rex and Appo get to see their superiors, there are serious implications in the Star Wars universe tied in.
Poor Luminara just happens to get all the zombies, doesn't she? The flood, however, makes the Geonosians look like amateurs. I've already got some more fun times planned for her future, as well as Gree's.
There is so much I wanted to put into this chapter, but as always, I'll have to save it for next chapter. I've got a lighter homework schedule this weekend, so perhaps I can get the next chapter up on Saturday.
Chapter 10 is in the books.