The Renegade Battalion
Now we build the Rebellion. I hope you all enjoy where we go now.
I do not own Star Wars. I am merely borrowing the galaxy to practice my craft.
The Naboo Senatorial transport had been taken apart and sold for a good sum. Anakin had purchased a Dothan transport with the money from parts, large enough to contain the rather numerous group, as well as carry cargo. A speeder and two fighters were also purchased from the sale of the jewelry in Padme's emergency kit, meant for such a purpose. They did not plan to immediately land somewhere, but created a false identity for the ship, modified the transport to include concealed turrets, and began to look for work. While Padme's emergency kit meant they did not need the money immediately, they would not say no to the money. Their travels in the outer rim also helped them meet new contacts and lay the foundation for the intelligence network.
The outer rim had many dubious opportunities. Within a few months, the Shield was an accepted transport ship, having avoided pirates and the expanding Empire alike. They built contacts and gained a few favors. Around the twins first birthday they discovered a small, backwater planet where a war between two rival pirate clans had left a battlefield. They proceeded to salvage from the field, selling somethings, but finding two rusty, but easily fixed shuttles.
Padme was officially the Captain of the ship. Her appearance was by far the easiest to change, since the elaborate make up and dresses she had worn as queen and as Senator meant she barely had to do more than wear rough clothes, allow her skin to become tanned, and chop her hair. Anakin grew a beard and cropped his hair, while investing in a skin like hand.
Shaak Ti and Ahsoka had already fixed somethings with their tattoos, but altered their lekkus, which could be shaped by surgery with little to no pain. Obi Wan did not leave the ship often, and his hair had begun to go gray despite being in his thirties. He did not regain all the weight he had lost, and walked with a limp. The confident carriage had vanished amid the torture, and on the rare occasions he did venture into a small town or port he wore a black robe with the hood drawn up to conceal the scars on his face and neck.
The rest merely needed rough clothing and skin, and they looked like a sturdy transport crew seeking to make a living on the outer edge.
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"Have you heard about the ghosts?" A nervous man asked Anakin Skywalker as the young man purchased supplies for his ship. "There is a ghost ship haunting the mid rim, full of clones who were killed on Kamino."
"I don't believe in ghost stories." Anakin answered.
Padme's contact, a dubious merchant, overheard this and looked thoughtfully at the young man. "It's not just a ghost story." She said. "I've heard of the group. They call themselves the Remembrance Fleet. Story goes they claim the clones had chips in their heads that caused them to obey the order to kill the Jedi. If you really belong to the Angel, that bit of information might be worth something."
Padme's code name in the world had come about when Anakin and Padme had told the story of how they met to their curious crew. Obi Wan had started to teasingly call Padme Angel, and had used it during contact with one of his old 'friends'. Despite Anakin's humiliation that his childhood nickname for his wife was used this way, the name stuck. Since neither had told the story before, its personal connotations were lost on the rest of the Galaxy.
"Yet you freely gave it to me."
"I owe the Jedi my life." She answered. "The Angel is the only voice for them. If I run no danger, then I will give freely."
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"Do you think it is possible?" Ahsoka asked eagerly.
"There is usually a grain of truth to rumors." Shaak Ti answered calmly.
"Then let's go find them!"
Anakin shook his head. "Hold on, Snips. We don't know what happened on Kamino. We don't even know if the chips were the reason the clones attacked."
"Isn't it obvious?" The girl cried. "Arim accidently shut the 501st chips down only two days before the attack on the Temple. They had probably just arrived on Kamino when the order to attack came. Kamino is rumored to have been destroyed by the Jedi, but what if it was the clones? What if Rex and Cody didn't betray us?"
Padme gently wrapped an arm around the young Padawan's shoulders. Even though Shaak Ti and Obi Wan had started to explore attachment, they retained a still very detached view, often failing to recognize when affection could be used as comfort. A glance at the three grown Jedi showed an echo of Ahsoka's question in their faces. Padme had forgot that for over three years the Jedi had lived and fought with Clones. Battle had forged friendships that had made the attack so much worse.
"We must consider that Palpatine knows of our friendships and has created this rumor to lure us." Anakin explained gently.
"Can any harm come of considering the rumors?" Obi Wan asked. "We don't openly wear light sabers anymore. We shouldn't be recognized if we just ask around."
"Perhaps we should add some Imperial Uniforms to our closet." Padme said thoughtfully.
"Are you sure that is a wise idea? The new uniforms are not known on all the worlds. The Empire is known to have replaced the Republic, but so far that appears to only matter on the Core worlds. Out here the Imperials are just getting started in building their outposts." Anakin protested.
"But they are here." Padme answered. "Even if we don't use the uniforms now, it will help us in the future."
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The Color Guard soon had requisitioned the required Uniforms. After some discussion, the uniforms were used. When close inspection of the outposts and Imperial armies spreading into the rim showed that they were primarily made of Humans, Anakin and Sabe Blue were chosen to go undercover.
Shaak Ti entered the bridge of the transport to find Ahsoka at the controls while Padme, her one year old son clinging to her leg, studied the latest news from the Core. Leia was likely in the common room with Lira or Obi Wan, but her brother grew upset when separated from his mother. Not even his father could calm him down sometimes and with Anakin off ship this meant that Luke went wherever Padme went. He was hugging his mother's leg, but staring in awe at the window and Ahsoka.
"Have we heard from anyone?" Shaak Ti asked.
"There were several missives from new enclaves. It appears that Kaim and Jade went to Corellia and are building an enclave there." Padme frowned. "It worries me how many enclaves are built in the Core worlds."
"We have spread throughout the entire galaxy." Shaak Ti replied. "If we vacate the Core Worlds completely we will be forgotten."
"I know." Padme rested her hand on her son's head. "It makes me feel responsible. Kaim and Jade chose Corellia because of the need to have news from the Core. I hate the cost of the Rebellion."
"It will be needed." Shaak Ti said softly.
"I know." Padme shook her head and turned back to the holoprojector. "The Empire is beginning to appoint Governors over the Core Worlds. C3PO's calculations show that ninety percent are human."
"I had noticed." The Jedi Master knelt to offer Luke a bracelet from her arm. "Your species is by far the most populous. You are from so many worlds."
"If the appointments were equal to the species populations humans would hold only a quarter of the appointments. It makes me wonder if I should lead this rebellion. It should not be human against human."
"It won't be, Padme." Shaak Ti promised. "If anything, you will have the support of more and more species if Palpatine continues this xenophobic path."
"Padme, we are receiving a message." Ahsoka called.
"Anything suspicious?"
"No. It has the Red call sign."
The color guard worked as Padme's intelligence officers, and each had created a network which was named after their surnames and given a different call sign and code to use.
"Let's hear it."
"By the Angel's call." A distorted voice began. "This is Mid-Rim Voice seven. I have been asked to pass on a message to the Angel. Captain Rex of the Remembrance Fleet is seeking contact. He says he has evidence the Angel may wish to learn, and desires an alliance. If the Angel, or a representative is willing to meet him, he has given me a contact to work out the details. There are no droids in the way."
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Anakin and Sabe Blue were soon recalled to the Shield. They had gathered a good deal of rumors, a few possible leads, and little more than proof that there was a group out there disrupting the flow of Imperial Forces to the Mid-Rim. No contacts had been found, so they were all dubious about the Remembrance Fleet. Ahsoka had argued and begged that they take the risk, until Padme had sent her out of the command room. Obi Wan had said they should take the risk and left the other three to make the decision.
"What if this is a trap?" Padme demanded.
"Obi Wan and I used to have a policy that we would always spring a trap." Anakin said.
"That was when you had a vast Jedi Order and an Army that could come after you if you were caught in the trap. That is changed. This ship is all that could come after you." Padme replied.
"If the Clones are being used to lure Jedi they may not even realize it. Ayala Secura's testimony showed that she did not have any warning and it was only the sacrifice of her partner that allowed her to escape alive. She had sensed no betrayal, or duplicity, or even intent." Shaak Ti pointed out.
"I would go into this meeting with that knowledge. I've studied Arim Jade's report on what he found and I could look for the chips. If they aren't in those meeting us it could be a sign that Jade's deactivating the 501st did keep them from receiving, or at least obeying the order to attack." Anakin argued.
"What would we gain?" Padme demanded.
"If it was the implant and the 501st was on Kamino and disobeyed the order, they would have evidence. The fact that all Clone facilities were destroyed so immediately upon the order seems to be evidence that someone figured out why the clones had attacked and decided to put a stop to their production. If this is the 501st they will have that evidence, and if they are free of the orders to kill the Jedi, they will be experienced allies. They could be the beginning of the Rebellion's army." Anakin replied.
Padme's fists tightened around the edge of the holoprojector. She sighed.
"Let's put it to a vote."
"I vote take the risk." Anakin replied.
Padme looked at Shaak Ti, who thoughtfully considered the holoprojector for several moments.
"I agree. It is worth the risk." She agreed.
Padme closed her eyes. "I agree. We will set up the meet."
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A cloaked figure hid in the shadows of the large walls of the barren crater called Death Valley on the planet of Aleena. In a small cave shut off from the Aleena underworld three more pairs of eyes and scanners watched the arrival of a small gray shuttle. Anakin watched patiently as the shuttle landed. Four men exited, scanning the crater with their eyes and weapons before standing at attention while a fifth man exited the shuttle carrying a flag pole with a white flag with a blue circle on it.
The young General stretched out with the Force, searching the men for any sense of duplicity or intent to harm. There was nothing but nervous hope. It was true that the five presences were familiar. They were definitely clones. Closing his eyes Anakin sought the cold metal in their brains. Padawan Jade had called it a void in their thoughts, one that had collapsed on itself with his probing.
He found nothing of the sort.
"I am going to go meet them. Be prepared to leave in a hurry." He murmured at the cave entrance. It was dark inside, so he did not see Ahsoka's nervous nod, but her agreement reached him through the Force.
He headed down the rocky walls into the deepest part of the basin. The five men soon caught sight of his cloaked figure and stood waiting patiently. As he approached he noticed that they wore clone armor, but it had been painted over with blue and a small insignia, which he would soon learn was the image of his and Obi Wan's lightsabers, rested on their breast plate. They did not wear the helmets.
"I am the Angel's Voice." Anakin called, deepening his voice. "I have been sent to learn of your offer."
"You are welcome." The man holding the flag called back. "My name is Captain Rex. I was the Captain of the Clone Battalion known as the 501st and we served proudly under General Skywalker. I have here several implants we removed from ourselves as well as recorded testimony of what we saw and witnessed on Kamino. Do not think if you destroy it that it removes the evidence. We have thousands of the implants and copies of the evidence hidden around the Galaxy."
"A wise move."
One of the clones carried a small black case to midway between the group and Anakin. Waiting until he had returned to the others, Anakin scanned the case. There was no detectable explosions or booby traps so he cautiously opened it with his mechanical hand, holding his lightsaber concealed in his other hand. The case contained exactly what Rex had said and Anakin risked a look in his direction. He was now certain that it was Rex. He saw that Cody was there as well. Cody had been somewhere in the Mid-Rim with the 212th when the order came.
Turning the Data Pad in the case on he read the information that scrolled across the screen.
He flinched several times before he shut it off. His scanners could detect no virus. The clones watched gravely. Cody and another shifted nervously when he stared at them from the shadow of his cloak. A momentary desire to end those two lives flashed through him, but he calmed himself. Mar Lester had been only two years older than Anakin. He had fought in the Clone Wars for just as long, and it was possible that Anakin, had Arim Jade not caused the 501st to be sent to Kamino, would have shared Mar's fate.
"I know it will be hard to trust us." Rex spoke up. "I know that if you are friends of the Jedi, it will be hard to forgive those of us who did have a hand in the Purge. All I can say is that we are certain we are free of the implants and that it was the implants that made those who took part obey without question. We were built for such a purpose per the evidence we took from the Clone Facilities. But those of us here and in the Remembrance Fleet are free from the implants. We are making the choice to stand against the Empire in the names of the Jedi who led us and who we were made to kill."
Anakin nodded. "You are right. It gives me pride to think that you have overcome that and come to our help. For my own part," He slid the hood of his cloak down and met Rex's eyes, "I forgive you."
"General Skywalker!"
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy. Please tell me what you think.