"Obi-Wan, what's wrong?" I asked as he exited the hologram chamber.
"An old enemy wants to face me. The one who killed my Master." He answered gravely.
"I thought you cut Maul in half on Naboo." I took a step back.
"So did I. But it appears he survived the fall and dismemberment. He will kill a whole colony if I don't face him alone." I sighed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek while the hall was clear.
"Be careful. I don't want you to lose this time." I hugged him. "I have to go. I'm being sent to Muunilinst with Master Rancisis. The Banking Clan is about to be taken out of commission."
"I wish you the best of luck." He bowed, walking away. I sighed, knowing he had to act normal. It was a long, lonely walk to the hangar, where a gunship picked me up to take me to a star destroyer.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" One of the clones asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you." I nodded, not really paying attention. It had been months since we got together, but this was the first time I was worried. The problem was that, despite the fact it happened without me here, I was still scared he would die. His judgement could be clouded by me, and that could change everything.
"We've arrived, General." Informed the same clone, jerking his head towards the massive ship.
"Alright." I got up, heading up the ramp and to the elevator. As I entered the command center, the Admiral saluted.
"We are fueled and ready for take off, General." He reported.
"No time to waste, then. We have a battle to win, Admiral." He nodded, walking away to make necessary preparations. I watched as all of the clones hit switches and buttons, the ship rising and taking off into the atmosphere.
"Sir, you've been issued a team of A.R.C. troopers to disable the defensive cannon within the city." Informed the Admiral. "They're waiting in the hangar."
"Thank you." I nodded, making my way down as the ship entered hyperspace.
"General." Greeted the Captain, ARC-77 or Fordo.
"Captain. You're aware of our destination and objective?" I asked, gazing at the set of ten.
"Yes, General."
"But, I won't bore you with words. You're here for a reason, and it's necessary. Get into position, and I'll meet you there." None of them said a word, so I took that as an okay. I nodded and left, heading for my own squad.
"General." Gravity stood at attention.
"Hey, boys. At ease, I'm not strict." I waved my hand down, allowing them to relax. "So, I'm sure you know our mission. You'll be following me into battle while the ARC troopers take their point."
"Was that supposed to be a pep talk, General?" Nomad asked.
"I don't know, I'm just making conversation. We've got a few minutes before we might die, and I want to spend them comfortable. So, ease up. Think good thoughts before you see more bloodshed." They all agreed to that in some form, though Solitaire just went back to his game. The ship rattled a bit, and the troops began to move out.
"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Genesis asked, grabbing his blaster and helmet.
"You've seen your fair share of battles. This one is just a bigger challenge. I'm not going to lie, we're about to deal a serious blow, and lives will be lost. Best way to go about this is making sure it's not you." I put a hand on Gravity's shoulder, entering a gunship with them. While Rancisis and his fighters left to battle above the planet, an army of troopers were being deployed with me to the capital city. As we entered the clouds, our ships were met with heavy fire.
"ARC troopers, peel off." I ordered. Their gunship went off, away from the battle.
"We won't make it much further, General." Commented Gravity.
"You're right." I muttered, switching the comlink on. "Ground troops, deploy."
While the rest of the gunships landed, ours flew overhead and to the front. The boys and I hopped out, already being bombarded by blasterfire. "Orders, General?"
"Charge, men! We need to get inside the city!" I hollered, running forward with my squad hot on my heels. There were shouts and screams around me, from both clone and droid alike. While the losses were heavy, I had to remember that half of them were just machines. I was the first to meet the clankers, slicing through it's mechanical torso and pushing the halves into two super battle droids. I jumped in the air and brought my lightsaber down on another, dashing out of the way of a blaster bolt. I grunted, using the Force to crush it and throw it into the sea of metal.
"General!" Genesis called to my right, taking cover behind a pile of droids. "We're getting overrun here!"
An idea sprang to my head, recalling that day in the With temple. "On my mark!" I spoke into the comlink, deflecting one more blast before putting my lightsaber away. I threw my hand out towards the enemy, praying I was doing it right. A few shouts of 'Fire!' told me I succeeded, a good chunk of the droids shaking in place. of course, the rest of the army continued on their way, unbothered by the carnage. The battle raged while we tore into them, up until we neared the city. A large mortar shot hit the ground behind me, throwing me forward and into the dirt. Debris and bodies landed around me, most if not all laying motionless in burnt armor. It must have been from the cannon I was warned about.
"General Lyons." Fordo broke my attention away. "Target sighted."
"Very good. Proceed as planned." I switched to another channel. "Artillery, move within range of the city."
"General." I shut off my comlink and turned to the clone addressing me. He was battered, dirty, and bleeding; but he was my commander.
"What is it, Gravity?" The rest of the squad formed behind him.
"We've..." He trailed off, looking at the grass. "We've lost Genesis."
Everything stopped, a heavy weight setting in my chest. "How?"
"He was hit by the main cannon." He sighed. I shook my head, fighting the sting in my eyes.
"We'll mourn our losses when we're out of danger." I growled, continuing our march towards the buildings. We were only a couple miles out now. The cannon kept firing, blasting holes in our ranks without mercy. A shock wave hit me, making me stumble backwards a bit.
"Was that the main cannon, sir?" Nomad asked.
"That it was." I climbed up onto one of the tanks and looked to the clones. "Let's take it, boys!" They all shouted and charged, being met by battle droids. The tanks stopped a short distance away, firing at the closer buildings and enemy troops. A series of explosions began to set off down the row of tanks a half mile in front of us.
"General Lyons. Our cannons are being destroyed." Reported one of the clones beside me. He handed me a pair of binoculars, pointing to the offenders. I followed and spotted the leader of a band of speeders. It was some huge man in grey armor
"Orders, General?" Gravity requested.
"Mount up." I muttered, turning to another. "Where do you keep your spare armor?"
"This way." He pointed to the storage compartments inside the tank. I grabbed a helmet, chestplate, gauntlets and leg armor. Gravity helped me situate it all around me, as well as take me to our speeders. I let out a growl as I snatched up my pike and reved the engine to life. I was feeling darkness, and nothing could stop it. The battalion rode out, zooming across the flat stone towards the droid riders. Our two groups met in a head on collision, throwing bodies and broken pikes everywhere. I met the leader head on, our pikes clanging together and my helmet ripping away from my head. I tossed away my broken weapon and drew my lightsaber, making another charge for him. The brute stepped forward and stopped me with ease, throwing me out of my seat and over his head. I landed and rolled painfully across the stone, getting to my feet and wiping blood from my mouth. He ran at me, weilding the speeder as a club. I slashed back and forth, cutting the vehicle to pieces. I saw my opening and stabbed, cutting straight through his chest.
There was a pause, and then a chuckle. The laughter he let forth was cold and metallic. I looked him in the eyes, finding darkness through the helmet.
"Shit." A fist snapped my neck sideways, another one following in quick succession to my stomach. I couldn't do anything as he beat me senseless, the final blow throwing me back a few feet. I looked up just in time to see darts flying at me, using the Force to cast them away. I summoned my lightsaber and lashed out with the Force, choking him and raising him in the air. He grasped his throat, then slackened. I let him go, only to find him getting to his feet and releasing a stream of fire. I threw my blade and cut the weapon in half, cutting through his arm as it came back. I dashed forward and made another clean slice through his chest, letting him fall in pieces to the ground.
"General, we're in position." Fordo reported on my wrist.
"I'm on my way." I stood a fallen speeder upright and mounted, gunning the accelerator through the streets. As I got to the base of the tower, I kicked my bike up and rode up the slope of the building. When the speeder reached it's limit, I leapt off and used the Force to propel me to the roof. I landed gracefully, getting to my feet and looking to the red Captain.
"We're set, General."
"Good. Let's finish this." He detonated bombs on the floor, rappelling down and taking out the droids in the room. I only had to take care of three droidekas by the time I got down there.
"Mercy, I beg you. I am merely a banker." Pleaded the leader of the banking clan.
"Once you've given your unconditional surrender, of course." I stopped, sensing a presence outside. I looked to a large window, the whine of a jet pack becoming clearer. The same monster from before crashed through, immediately being annihilated by the clones.
"Control room secure, General." Fordo said to my right.
"No. I've seen too many movies." I answered, narrowing my eyes. Tentacles flew out of the smoke, beating down the clones around it. The creature struggled to it's feet, a mass of squirming veins and tentacles making up it's body. Despite the clones' best attempts at stopping him, he just demolished the soldiers. I dodged and sliced, but barely did anything to him. A slimy fist wrapped around me, shoving me into it's insides where it's stomach would be. I was startled when an electric current ran through everything and hit me. I couldn't breathe, so I built up the Force and sent it out. the monster exploded and left entrails across the floor and walls. I heaved deep breaths, flicking slime off of my soaked body.
"General, are you alright?" Fordo asked.
"Never better. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program." I turned to face the cowering clan member, who slammed his fist on the floor in defeat. "Take him back to one of our venators and lock him in a cell. We'll take the rest of the city." I ordered a few of the clones. They nodded and took him away. I headed outside with the rest of the ARC troopers and began to do just that, walking through the streets and looking for any droids.
"General." Alerted Fordo. "You have an incoming transmission."
"Indeed I do." I pressed the flashing button, immediately hearing blaster fire.
"General Lyons. We have a situation." Said the Admiral.
"What kind of situation?"
"General Rancisis has fallen. The battle is almost won, but we need support."
"Not for much longer. The banking clan surrendered." As if on queue, a few droids around us shut down. "That marks the end of the battle, Admiral."
"Very well." The transmission ended, and I sent a call out to all of the clone Commanders and Captains.
"The clan has surrendered. The battle's been won." I could hear distant cheers throughout the streets from the other squads. I called for a gunship to take us to the command ship and make preparations. Fordo and his team boarded with me, staying silent and professional. I made a call to Gravity, telling him to round up the squad and return with us. It was a long trip, but I sighed as the air conditioning of the hangar met my face with a gust of wind. My team was there, sitting on some smaller crates with their heads down.
"General on deck." Gravity stood and saluted, the others doing the same.
"At ease, guys. take a seat." They did as ordered, looking to me. "It's okay to show how you feel, boys. Genesis was a friend to all of us. He deserves to be properly honored." All of them sighed and rubbed their heads.
"General. Permission to speak freely?" Nomad raised his hand.
"Granted. That goes for all of you."
"We've all seen a lot of battles. But this? This was a massacre." He commented.
"I'm with him on that one." Solitaire spoke up.
"I know. Believe me, I know. We had a battle that this reminds me of back on my planet. Soldiers storming beaches with enemy defensive towers placed. As they were going in, they knew they wouldn't make it out. They accepted it as a fact, but faced it anyway. I choose to believe that they decided to make their death a great one, and that's exactly what Genesis did. We lost a lot of good men today. Good people. But, don't remember Genesis for how he died. Remember him for how he lived." The four stayed silent, not meeting my gaze. I sighed, sitting beside them.
"General. You are needed on the bridge with Captain Fordo." Reported the Admiral.
"I'll be back later. Take as much time as you can to mourn." I got to my feet and went to the elevator, riding up and entering.
"The planet is under Republic control." He said when I entered. "You must give your mission report."
I nodded, pressing the button to contact the Jedi Council. "Masters. Muunilinst is taken, and the banking clan has surrendered."
"Well done, Knight Lyons." Congratulated Master Windu.
"Thank you, Master, but I also bear grave news. Master Rancisis fell in battle and a great amount of our clones were lost. We will need more troops if we hope to hold the planet."
"Send more clones, we will. A very serious blow to the Separatists, we have dealt." Master Yoda agreed.
"Captain Fordo. You and your team are being sent to Hypori. You must rescue any surviving Jedi from General Grievous' assault." Master Windu ordered. "Knight Lyons. Report back to Coruscant as soon as possible."
"Yes, Master." The transmission ended, our ship making ready to go to light speed. I went back down and mingled with my squad, comforting them in their time of need.
