Chapter 25: Bloodletting
In the rotation since the rescue operation at the Jedi Temple, the situation had only seemed to deteriorate.
The operation at the Temple had alerted every Imperial vessel within one hundred light years of Coruscant. The two vessels were now surrounded by the enemy, cut off from escape.
As the Misfits sat in the desolate equipment room, each tried searching for any positive outcomes that Talon Fury had succeeded in causing. The only one they could see was the obvious; they'd saved over a hundred lives. But apart from the obvious, nothing seemed to have changed.
Drues Regulan sighed in frustration. He'd thought that Talon Fury would at least convince those under the grip of Imperial rule that the new order was wrong.
How wrong I was
At present, the Misfits were gearing up for their next operation. The op would be focused purely on death, and destruction. The Misfits hoped that by taking out senior officials of the new Imperial government, the newborn dictatorship would fall.
"How are we going to do this?" Agent Mahan Sirandes spoke up, the agent tilted his head in curiosity.
Agent in Charge Kafinka rotated to look at the Zabrak. "What do you mean Sirandes?"
Sirandes sighed and huffed in frustration. "How in the hell are we going to get past the hundreds of Imperial ships surrounding us? Nevertheless, how are we going to land on the most secure planet in the galaxy?"
"Well for one, Mahan, we have a card up our sleeve." Kafinka said confidently. He gestured toward the hanger door, the other agents turned to stare at the imposing blast proof door. It slowly opened to reveal a ship, its sleek black surface shining in the dim light. "Meet the XPOL-1789, she's only a prototype but she works." Slowly Kafinka began to walk towards it, the other agents followed. "Full stealth technology, can outrun the fastest ship in the new Imperial military, and the best hyper drive in the galaxy. The ship has been under wraps, even from the director of Intelligence. Gentlemen, this is our key for this operation." Turning back, Kafinka grinned as he saw the huge smiles his agents had on their faces.
After saying goodbye to Smokes, Commander Stone, Deviss, and Bollum, Regulan boarded the small stealth ship as it began to lift off. The agents had no idea what to expect. Would they topple the government? Would their operation fail? Would they be blow out of the sky before they even landed? The concerns did nothing to reassure or uplift them as they headed towards the capital planet. As they punched through the many Imperial ships and past the atmosphere, they saw the ruins of the Temple where they fought the day before.
For Regulan, the fighting brought back memories of the firefight in the Temple. Clones fighting against clones, it seemed to go against the natural order of the galaxy. On one side, clones that saw the galaxy as it really was and hoped to change it, on the other, masses of poor manipulated souls, unknowingly bringing about galactic destruction. Regulan hoped one day that that would change. One day the Fett clones would see the wrongs committed by the now Emperor Palpatine, one day that they would all fight for what's fair and just.
Regulan sighed, he knew that the day would never come when all the clones saw the truth. While he still believed that a great many would join their little rebellion, there would always be those that remained loyal, clones like Fox, Appo, and Vill. For the foreseeable future, clones would be fighting against themselves. Brother against brother.
Regulan was startled out of his thoughts when he felt the ship thump down on a hard surface, looking around he was surprised to see that they had landed.
As he stepped out, Regulan saw that they'd touched down in a lower income area close to the Senate Building.
"What's with the Senate Building?" Regulan asked, pointing towards the said building.
"That's where I want you and Banquee to head to. Sirandes and I will head over to the main military base. "Kafinka saw all parties nod and continued his train of thought. " Regulan, your target is going to be the Senator Boo Kata, who represents Kuat. With him out of the picture, there will be a rush for power amongst the nobles there. We're hoping that mad dash will disrupt future Imperial shipbuilding for a time." Kafinka turned to Banquee, the young agent stared back at him. "Banquee, you're going to be terminating one of our own… the Director of the ISB, Jerrod Dandar. While he was the director of Republic Intelligence, I have sufficient information that he went along with Palpy's plan of galactic domination. I also have found that he may have played a part in your death." Kafinka saw the anger burning in Banquee's eyes. While the young agent tried not to bring emotions into his job, Kafinka knew Banquee would enjoy toying with the former director before he killed him. " Sirandes, your to head to the main Coruscant base with me. Your target is the newly appointed Moff Eziler Frgue, he's an excellent tactician, with him gone, it will take Palpy months to find a replacement. I will be going after Moff Dogas Illict, he's in charge of getting supplies to the front line." Kafinka took a moment to catch his breath. "You all know what to do, get to it." With that the agents scattered, all heading to their targets.
Waylon Kafinka would never say he was doubtful when on a mission. However, as he looked over the Imperial Base streaming with thousands of clone troops, he began to think otherwise. He'd hoped their action in the Jedi Temple would've convinced other clones to desert the new Imperial Army; he still hung to that hope, however as of now it didn't look good. He looked to Sirandes, the Zabrak nodded and moved off, heading for his own target. For now Kafinka was by himself with no back up. That's never stopped me, he thought as he began moving towards his target.
Kafinka snuck his way past the numerous patrols and guards. He'd successfully dodged security cameras and droids, in his book that was cause for jubilation. However, he still had to terminate his target.
Coming upon a large building, Kafinka stopped and ducked behind an unused crate. Gazing into the window, he saw a burly man filling the panes; it matched the description of Moff Illict. The man appeared to be smoking a cigarra, the noxious smoke filling the room he was standing in.
" Bingo." Kafinka said a smile on his face.
Reaching down into his pack, he pulled out a piece of cigarra, along with some rolling paper. Next he pulled a fragmentation grenade from his pack and carefully extracted some of the high explosive. He put the cigarra and explosive next to each other, and promptly rolled the two together into a cigarette.
Kafinka stood from the cover, and, using the shadows as cover, entered the Moff's building. He was surprised to find no guards as he stalked through the halls.
We're on Coruscant after all. No threat here, at least that's what they think.
He entered a lift to take him to the second floor. When he exited, he found himself in a stark grey corridor with little lighting. Up ahead a large metal door came into focus. Deciding he had nothing better to lose, he strode to the door, which promptly opened. To his surprise he found no Moff in view. Almost instantly, he heard sounds emanating from an adjacent room. To Kafinka it sounded like the Moff was….
Going to the bathroom?
Clearing his thoughts, he looked around and spotted a burning cigarette. Smiling he picked up the cigarette and stomped it beneath his boot. Taking the "special" cigarette out of his coat, he lit it and promptly exited the room.
When Moff Illict reentered, he found his cigarette still burning. Smiling, he took it in his hands and puffed happily away as he gazed over his base, his new creation. His smile was abruptly ended when he and the room around him exploded into heat and flames.
Sirandes heard the blast; he knew that Kafinka had done his job. The blast caused an unexpected side effect; it directed attention towards the burning building. As he neared the location of Moff Frgue, he noticed the man was looking over a holotable at what seemed to be troop movements.
Looking around, Sirandes could see that the Moff was all alone. Smiling in satisfaction, the Zabak made his way behind the communications tent containing the Moff, and removed the necessary equipment he needed. Removing a easy to conceal shiv, along with a pen, Sirandes made his move.
He virtually walked right up to the Moff and tapped him on the shoulder.
The Moff looked up, his grey eyes dull and unfocused from staring at the hologram. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" The Moff demanded.
"Let me show you." Sirandes said, instantly wrapping a hand over the Moff's face he took his shiv, and cut the Moff's throat ear to ear. The blood gushed from the wound, the Moff stuttering as he died.
"What? You can't die like the fodder you are? I have a solution." Sirandes said, a wicked smile forming on his face.
Taking his pen in hand, Sirandes kicked the bleeding but alive Moff down to his knees, placing the pen point up on the table, he slammed the Moffs head down onto it. The man's sputtering ceased as the pen was driven through his eye socket and into his braincase. The body feel face up, revealing to Sirandes the damage he'd done. Hearing footsteps nearing his position, the agent sheathed his shiv and made his escape.
Morti Banquee couldn't help but feel sadness as he neared the place of his former employment. He was walking the very same route he would take every day he was needed at Intel HQ, to him spying wasn't a job, it'd become his life.
Now the building he'd always gaped at seemed to be laughing at him. Laughing at his weakness to stay with what was left of the Republic, laughing at the thought that he would actually kill the Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, his former boss.
The benefits of working at HQ was that he knew all the security measures, and as a result, found himself entering through a drainage pipe. Moving up the pipe he finally exited in an underground training room.
Images flared into his mind of training in the very same room. Dressed in sweat clothes, his partner, Drues Regulan opposite him, the two practicing hand to hand combat. Shaking away the memories, he began his journey to the director's office.
It took quite awhile before Banquee came upon the office of his former director. Having slipped past ISB agents and troopers, all of whom seemed quite inexperienced.. The man, who he looked up to, was now nothing more than a power hungry, genocidal maniac. He pressed his ear up to the door, the voices of two people one male the other female met his ears. It seemed that Director Dandar had company this night. The thought of the man caused rage to fill Banquee. Acting on impulse, he kicked open the door, startling the pair into inaction. The woman went for a hidden weapon; however, her hand was stopped when Banquee hurled a meat knife into her heart. Her red drab body crumpled to the floor. Director Dandar began to recover from the shock and attempted to pull his blaster.
Banquee stopped him by smacking the blaster out of his hand and landing repeated blows to his head. For good effect, Banquee slammed the director's head into the corner of the table, dazing the man. He looked around and smiled, as he saw a fitting way to end a traitor's life.
He took the open bottle of ale off the table and poured it all over the dazed form of Director Dandar. After emptying the alcohol onto the man he took one of the numerous candles in his hand. Picking up the injured director by the collar of his jacket, he led the man over to the window.
The director looked at him with pure fear in his eyes.
"It's a little cold outside, why don't we warm you up?" Banquee whispered venomously.
The agent touched the candle to Dandar's alcohol soaked coat, the man lighting up like a wick. His agonized screams bringing pleasure to the vengeful Banquee. With a forceful push, the flaming director was sent through the window and plummeted to the streets below.
Morti Banquee walked away with a smile on his face.
Regulan was nearing his target, he could feel it. Whatever that feeling was, it started when he became an agent. Perhaps it was his gut, telling him that he was on the right track. He was briskly walking through the Senate Building as though someone where hot on his tail. He knew the two bodies of those unlucky Coruscant policemen would be found soon, he had to carry out his mission before that happened.
Walking up and in the Senate Building, he was surprised that he noticed no Coruscant Guard shock troopers, or any other clone troopers for that matter. He knew that the 501st was on planet, but so far he hadn't seen any Fett clones anywhere. Perhaps they were at the barracks, awaiting the numerous other legions from across the galaxy. The Emperor had ordered all troops to return to Coruscant for an update most likely, and Regulan wanted to crash that party.
His was shaken from his thoughts as he bumped into a door, he swore silently at himself. His inattentiveness could've cost him more than just a bruise. He also noticed the nametag that adorned the door, Senator Boo Kata.
Regulan entered an immediately found the Senator to be staring at him. Regulan knew he had to act quickly; he lunged at the man and withdrew his shiv.
Regulan was lost in thought, the anger over his attempted killing, the destruction of the galaxy, Order 66, and most of all the extermination of the Jedi Order only added fuel to his rage. When he finally snapped back to reality, he found himself on his knees, the body of the Senator beneath him. Blood covered his shiv, covered the walls, his cloths, and pooled on the floor.
In his blind rage, Regulan counted at least fifty one stab wounds on the body of the Senator. Swearing to himself over the loss of control, Regulan beat a hasty exit back to the meet up point.
As the Misfits lifted off, their operation had been a success. Their targets would never again breathe; the Empire had been dealt a major blow. While they knew those dead men would be replaced, for now, they were an invaluable loss to the tyranny that spread across the galaxy.
As clones and citizens alike awoke the next morning, the government was in a fit of chaos. Some of the most important and influential members were dead, slain by enemy agents thought to have fallen as the Republic did.
Reading over the news in the barracks, Clone Commander Cody, a leader of the newly formed Stormtrooper Corps shook his head in disappointment. The Empire said it was morally right, Cody thought otherwise. The numerous legions that had arrived last night were awaiting a visit from the Emperor himself. Cody knew he wasn't alone in the search for the truth, he'd found it, and the truth was much more sinister than he could've imagined. The holorecordings of the Chancellors dealings with the Separatists during the war, and the knowledge that the Emperor is a Sith, caused a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew many of his brothers felt similarly, while many of his brothers couldn't be swayed, he knew he had to try.
He called the numerous clone commanders down to the briefing room. They formed up in a neat and orderly circle. Cody stared at all of them before he addressed them.
"Tomorrow night, after the Emperor has inspected us, we are free." The clone commander said simply, many head nodding in agreement.