Author's Note: I'm back! Did you miss me? I hope so. After a particularly grueling end to the semester, I'm back in the writer's seat and ready to give y'all some chapters this summer... and maybe celebrate this story's one-year anniversary...!
Also, a few cosmetic updates: the title of this story has changed, from 'Wraith Rising' to 'Rise of The Wraith'. Why, you ask? Well, if all goes as planned, you'll see why in the future. Also, new story cover! I like the red styling of the Clone Wars logo, gives off some real sinister vibes... just the kind of tone for this story.
Enough of that, now for another chapter!
-Chapter 19: In Need of Clarity-
Location: Mygeeto
"The unstable are the most dangerous."
The blue tunnel of hyperspace swallowed his ship as it was sent hurtling towards his newest destination. It occurred to him he had not set foot in his base for some time, something he normally did after completing any mission.
Such was the life of an elite soldier: always on call.
Although, with this nagging voice in his mind, part of him wished he could return to his base, even for only a moment. But he had his orders, and those orders involved him traveling to yet another world.
To his knowledge, there was nothing truly special about the planet in question. No major resources to fight over, no people worth rescuing, no factories to control. So why was it considered a member of the "Triad of Evil" as Chancellor Palpatine so eloquently phrased it? Like its counterparts, Saleucami and Felucia, several major members of the Confederacy had bases and headquarters stationed on each of these worlds. Saleucami fell under the sway of the Techno Union, Felucia boasted the headquarters of the Commerce Guild and Mygeeto had fallen under the rule of the Banking Clan many years prior, becoming thought of as a sister-planet to Muunilinst by the local Muuns. This fact resulted in some of the fiercest and costliest fighting in the Clone Wars taking place on these three worlds alone. Some might call these planets notorious, others might say they were synonymous with hardship.
But to Wraith, they were just another mission.
The particular planet he was traveling to, Mygeeto, was an ice-covered world. Jagged crystalline structures covered the frozen world amidst towering cities built by the Muuns many years prior. Apart from these single aspects of civilization, Mygeeto was a wasteland of cold and barren icy rock. It was inhospitable and frigid, nowhere near the ideal place to live. Suffice to say, the environment was better fitted for droids than it was for organics, given the extreme temperatures.
But Wraith was no average organic.
His body had been specially engineered to handle extreme environments, granting him an immunity to cold-related illness like frostbite and hypothermia that had been built up over time. His tech would not allow him to suffer either. His jacket possessed a great deal of thermal insulation to protect him from the most frigid of temperatures and the treads of his boots were capable of clinging to even the slipperiest of surfaces. Heck, he could climb a vertical slope made of ice without any specialized equipment apart from the boots he now wore! He knew this from experience. This wasn't his first trip to Mygeeto and, given its prominence as a major battlefield, he had a feeling it wouldn't be his last. He had been here once before, trying to break a stalemate between Republic and Separatist forces only to be interrupted and summoned to beat the living daylights out of Anakin Skywalker. A fun distraction for sure, but he had returned to Mygeeto and broken the stalemate, helping Separatist forces claim new ground and maintain a stronger hold over the planet.
But now it seemed like this had been undone, as a general needed rescuing. He was by no means worried about his upcoming assignment, nor was he concerned about the odds he faced.
His only worry was this voice. Irritating and disruptive, it had proven its power over him on Saleucami which was of great concern. He could not allow another incident like that to take place, especially not now when he would be traveling behind enemy lines. Fortunately, it seemed like stimshots were the key to keeping it at bay. The one he had already injected himself with would be wearing off soon enough and he had four more to work with.
But this was by no means a permanent solution. He had to return to Scipio as soon as possible.
Breathing deeply as he accepted his situation, Wraith leaned back in his seat and started to plan for his upcoming assignment as he continued to fly through hyperspace.
On the surface of Mygeeto...
The Republic cruiser Resolute and its equal, Vigilance, arrived in Mygeeto's airspace to meet a sizeable Republic fleet awaiting them. Jedi Master Kid-Adi-Mundi and Master Mace Windu were already on the planet and were doing their best to push back the Separatists.
And if Wraith was headed here, they would be needing all the help they could get.
Resolute and Vigilance were the first to arrive, ahead of the transport carrying Master Plo. Anakin Skywalker had no plans in sitting this out and ordered Rex to assemble Torrent Company and to be prepared for eventual arrival of The Wraith. Standing on the bridge, Anakin was wrapping up a few last-minute preparations before heading planetside.
"Obi-Wan just called, he's on his way down. Master Plo, Bultar and Ahsoka aren't far off." He was saying, informing the bridge crew of the impending arrivals. "I trust you'll be able to handle things up here Admiral?" The Knight asked of Yularen.
"No need to worry General. Your fleet shall remain as you leave it." Yularen positively affirmed. This wasn't the first time he'd taken charge of space operations while Anakin was on the ground. With a nod, Skywalker turned to Thrawn.
"Care to join us on the ground, Commander?" He offered.
"Thank you for the offer General, but I believe I will remain here with Admiral Yularen." The Chiss quietly replied. "I wish to take in the incoming reports and observe the Separatists' strategies."
"You mean how they retreat?" Anakin responded with a smirk, knowing the Republic currently had the droids on the run.
"On the contrary. A fighting force is most formidable when it is cornered and wounded. I am curious to see how they will strike back against you." Thrawn stated. "Their military capabilities are far more impressive than what you give them credit for General." Anakin raised an eyebrow as Thrawn's statement sank in. That sounded a bit too much like someone cheering on the opposite side for his taste.
"I thought you were on our side."
"What I am is an observer. And presently I wish to observe both sides of this fight." Thrawn responded. "In fact, I believe the Republic could learn much from Separatist tactics, given how advanced processors and algorithms devise their strategies and not fallible organic brains." Now that was a harsh blow. To commend the Separatist droids over the Republic's strategists was something that pushed Anakin from friendly to defensive.
"If you admire the Separatists so much, why didn't you join them?" He curtly wondered.
"Because, General Skywalker, the Separatists have no law whereas the Republic is law. And I very much prefer order over chaos." Thrawn coolly stated.
"Well if that's all..." Anakin muttered with a slight roll of his eyes.
"It's not perfect order... but it is a start." Thrawn quietly added, mulling over the current political situation and seeing room for much improvement within the Republic's current form of government. Hearing no response from Anakin, Thrawn simply added, "Now I believe you have a flight to catch, General Skywalker." Taking this statement as a prompt end to the conversation, Anakin turned on heel and made his way towards the bridge exit, giving Thrawn one final glare over his shoulder as he did.
Suffice to say, his opinion of Thrawn had quickly soured.
Down in the hangar bay, Rex and the heavily armed Torrent Company stood waiting next to a gunship, patiently anticipating Anakin's arrival before they could depart. The Clone Captain spotted his General as he appeared, matching towards the gunship at a rather brisk clip. Noting Anakin's grim expression, Rex could tell something was up.
"Everything alright, General?" He asked.
"Just finished having a chat with the visiting officer. Turns out Thrawn prefers Separatist tactics over ours." Anakin grumbled. "He thinks we could 'learn a lot' from those fraggin' droids." Rex looked surprised, finding it odd Thrawn would say such things. He did know the Republic were the good guys, right? That he should focused on helping them rather than applauding the Seppies?
"I suppose we'll just have to prove him wrong then, sir." Rex replied, trying to be positive.
"We better." Anakin muttered, stepping into the gunship.
A short trip later, Anakin and Torrent Company arrived on the surface of Mygeeto alongside Obi-Wan and members of the 212th Battalion. They were greeted by Masters Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi, Generals of the 187th Legion and the Galactic Marines, respectively. Out of them all, Master Mundi had been here the longest, fighting hard to detain the strong Separatist presence. The Cerean Jedi had forged a good relationship with the commander of the Galactic Marines, CC-1138 or Bacara, and the two worked hard to push the Separatists back and, hopefully soon, out of Mygeeto.
The two arriving Jedi stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, inhaling sharply as a cold breeze hit them. Mygeeto wasn't known for being a warm planet and they were now figuring out just how cold it really was.
"I think I'm glad I opted to join you on Aefao first, where it's less chilly." Obi-Wan joked with a brief shiver. He could see his breath coming out in puffs, thanks to the less-than-hot environment.
"And yet here we are anyways." Anakin mused. For all he knew, they would've been on their way home right now if it weren't for The Wraith.
"Regardless, we appreciate the assistance." Master Mundi stated as he greeted them.
"We figured you had enough men, so we only brought a few of our best." Anakin responded as he quickly glanced over his shoulder to see Rex and Torrent Company exiting the shuttle.
"I take it Master Koon is still on his way?" Mace wondered, having not been in contact with the Kel Dor master.
"Indeed. He couldn't afford to bring any additional manpower, given the conflict on Saleucami is no longer in our favor." Obi-Wan reported. Mace nodded in understanding.
"While we're waiting for him, we should plan our course of action, before Wraith arrives." He continued. "I'd very much prefer it if we could act upon Wraith's arrival instead of reacting to it."
"Thrawn thinks that he'll want to bring his all against us, since he seemed rather hindered on Saleucami." Anakin stated, believing Thrawn to be right despite his current feelings about him.
"Surely he's not coming to simply wreak havoc. There must be a reason he's coming here." Ki-Adi commented, placing his hands on his hips. Anakin had to disagree, spreading chaos seemed to be Wraith's MO.
"He has come here once before, right after the events of Tibrin. That was when he put us in the mess Master Mundi and I just finished straightening out." Mace added.
"Boom. Retaliation. He wants to undo what you've done, just like Aefao." Anakin suggested, believing he saw a pattern.
"Such 'tit for tat' actions doesn't seem like him, or else he'd be on many other worlds right now." Obi-Wan interjected with a shake of his head. "This will be the third planet in a row he's visited. Clearly he's being sent to each of these worlds to fulfill some purpose." The Jedi paused to start thinking. While Anakin was quite set on his opinion of the matter, the others wish to start thinking outside the box. "Well, if I could think like our resident visiting officer for a moment," Obi-Wan mused, thoughtfully stroking his beard, "we should look for some goal, some purpose for Wraith to be here."
"You mean aside from destroying the entire one eighty-seventh?" Anakin wondered, throwing his friend a glance. To him, it was obvious why Wraith was here. He had dispatched their forces on Aefao, dispatched their forces on Saleucami... or at least tried to, and how he wanted to dispatch their forces here on Mygeeto. He wanted to ease the pressure the Republic was putting on the Separatists and give them a numbers advantage so they could strike back.
However, that wasn't what Obi-Wan was thinking.
"He couldn't possibly be here for that. There's too many of us."
"I wouldn't put it past him to try." Anakin replied, crossing his arms. As far as he was concerned, Wraith was nothing more than a bloodthirsty monster. Someone who killed for the sake of killing.
"Master Windu, Master Mundi, is there some objective either of you have yet to accomplish?" Obi-Wan queried, turning to the two Jedi who knew the situation best. Mace shook his head, nothing coming to mind at the moment.
"There is one thing," Ki-Adi noted, speaking up, "Commander Bacara and his men have cornered Separatist General Kir Losan inside one of the cities we recently took control of. He's locked down in a tower that is very well defended, our troops can't seem to get through to him."
"That could be what Wraith's coming here for. Rescuing a Separatist General would be right up his alley." Obi-Wan nodded as he started to see an opportunity.
"If that's the case, we need to double our efforts to detain General Losan and capture him as soon as possible." Mace determined. "I recall Commander Thrawn saying that we may be able to frustrate The Wraith into submission. Removing his objective before he even arrives would do just that."
"Sounds like a plan. I guess." Anakin replied with a shrug. "I'll let Rex and the men know we'll be moving out." He decided. But before he could, a Clone trooper, sporting the purple markings of the 187th Legion, walked up to Mace and saluted.
"General Windu. We've received an incoming transmission from General Koon, he's just exited hyperspace and is on his way down." He reported. That was good news indeed. Soon there would be seven Jedi on Mygeeto, more than enough to create a headache for The Wraith.
"Thank you trooper." Mace nodded. "Continue to ready your men, Skywalker. We will inform Master Koon of our plans when he arrives." Anakin nodded and moved to do so, Obi-Wan also going to explain things to Cody and his men.
It did not take long for Plo Koon's Jedi shuttle to touch down and the Jedi trio of him, Bultar and Ahsoka departed, also promptly greeted by Mace and Ki-Adi. Anakin was quick to spot his apprentice as he was mapping out the terrain with Rex. And there was something he wanted to discuss with her...
Prior to arriving on Mygeeto, and over a private communication, Plo had informed Anakin that Ahsoka had made a rather... risky move during her time on Mygeeto. Refusing to elaborate further, Master Plo simply suggested to Anakin that he talk with his apprentice about the matter and offer some correction, given he was her master.
With his curiosity having been at ridiculously high levels for the past while, Anakin was ready to find out more. Finishing up the quick debrief with Rex, Anakin turned back to Ahsoka and started waving until he got her attention.
"Ahsoka, over here!" Anakin called her over. The orange Togruta was quick to jog over to where he was standing.
"What's up Master?" She wondered, slowing to a halt. "Been a while."
"Yes it has Snips. Glad to see you're still in one piece." Anakin joked before getting down to business. "Master Plo was telling me you did something a little... ill-advised, shall we say, while you were with him on Saleucami. Care to explain?" His question made Ahsoka's eyes widen in fearful surprise. She didn't think that Master Plo had gone and told Anakin about what she had done. Knowing his desire for avenge his losses and to put Wraith down for good, she had a feeling that only telling him the truth would result in some unnecessary emotional stability. She quickly decided to respond with a safe answer.
"I... I snuck into the Separatist camp the night before the battle. W-Without telling anyone." She explained, quickly deciding to leave out the part that had been accidentally revealed to Master Plo.
"So you performed your own infiltration mission." Anakin mused. He could tell from her reaction that was the innocent part of the story, or a straight up lie. It was obvious there was more going on here. "As much as I'd like to say I appreciate the initiative, something tells me you went there for another reason." He mused. Ahsoka didn't reply, nervously shifting her balance from foot to foot. Anakin's voice suddenly turned stern. "Don't lie to me, Ahsoka." He commanded her. Ahsoka swallowed nervously, fearing Anakin might explode.
"Did... Did Master Plo tell you anything?" She hesitantly wondered.
"Not really, just that I should ask you." He replied, crossing his arms. Ahsoka could feel the weight of his gaze on her, practically boring through her as he awaited the truth. For a second, Ahsoka tried to come up with something other than the truth to tell him, hoping to avoid any consequences Anakin might want to give her after he found out. But deep down, she realized she had to do the right thing. She couldn't lie to her master. Despite the potential consequences, she had to tell him the truth. With a sigh, Ahsoka continued.
"I went to talk with The Wraith." She admitted. Anakin's immediate reaction was exactly as she had anticipated.
"You did what?!" He exclaimed, mostly shocked but also a little upset.
"Please just let me explain Master!" Ahsoka quickly interjected, hoping to soften the situation a little. "I remember Commander Thrawn saying that he may fight so viciously because he has no choice, that the vision I experienced was just a snapshot of what would become of him should he not perform to their standards." She explained, hoping to justify her reasoning. "I just wanted to see if this was true and if he would be willing to join us." Finished, Ahsoka paused and anxiously waited to see what Anakin had to say. Skywalker mulled over what she had to say, his brow creasing as he weighed the variables of this situation in his head.
"And?" He finally said. "What did he say?" Ahsoka's let out a breath of relief, considering Anakin hadn't immediately reacted to her explanation.
"He said he was open to talking again, but was also adamant he would never leave the Separatists." Ahsoka answered. Anakin grunted in response, deeming that just the kind of thing Wraith would say. "But if I could just try again-"
"That's where I'm going to stop you Snips." Anakin interrupted her. "Wraith only understands one thing: violence. He's not someone you can reason with. Remember what he did to me?" He asked. Ahsoka slowly nodded, remembering how she felt in that moment as she watched him be beaten beyond recognition. "You were only able to get that close to him because he's apparently got a crush on you... or something like that." Anakin continued, feeling very concerned with the idea that Wrath had a thing for his apprentice. "If you were any other Jedi, he would've killed you on the spot. I wouldn't push your luck with him Ahsoka. Wraith is no different from Dooku and Grievous and Durge and everybody else the Separatists send our way. So we have to treat him the exact same way we treat the others: as despots and war criminals." Ahsoka could tell Anakin was firm in his answer and was ready to deny her any further attempts to try and save Wraith. She was really disheartened by his response, it seemed like out of all the Jedi she was the only one who wanted to try and redeem him instead of eliminate him. All she wanted to do was try and see the bright side of this situation. Anakin could sense her disappointment and figured he'd better say something reassuring. "I know you're compassionate and I know you want to help people. But I think you need to start considering the fact that Thrawn may be wrong about Wraith being forced to do these things and that he may be right about Wraith having been specifically engineered with our destruction in mind." With that, Anakin started to walk over to where the other Jedi were meeting. "Now let's go. And don't go sneaking off again, understood?"
"Understood Master." Ahsoka nodded as she quickly fell in line beside him. Although she verbally accepted Anakin's wishes, Ahsoka was determined to try and try again to save Wraith from the Separatists and bring him to the light. Her task would be a lot harder though, now that Anakin was aware of her efforts and had voiced his displeasure with them. He really seemed adamant that Wraith be dealt with like other Separatist leaders and not be given a shot at redemption.
Hopefully he wasn't just carrying a grudge. That was not the Jedi way...
It had been something of a pain to bypass all the Republic cruisers in orbit over Mygeeto, but a simple jamming transmission was enough to hide his signature long enough for him to sneak his way down to the planet's surface. His shuttle was buffeted by cold winds in the upper atmosphere, giving him a slight taste of the environment to come. The grey, billowy clouds gave way to a sprawling landscape made of ice and rock, towering buildings from a far off civilization silhouetted in the distance.
He had a feeling he would be traveling there soon.
Wraith aimed to set his craft down at the nearest possible Separatist base to the front lines, choosing to use his time wisely as the Republic was already here. The Separatist base was your typical affair; full of bustling droids, surrounded by vehicles... but also in much better shape than the one on Saleucami. Wraith set his craft down next to a pair of Vulture droid fighters on a nearby landing pad. Upon exiting, and getting a lungful of crisp air, he was greeted by a single battle droid commander and two other B1 droids.
"I take it you're the one in charge?" Wraith wondered as his boots stepped onto the permacrete ground.
"Yes sir. Count Dooku told us you were coming and to give you any assistance you may require." The droid responded.
"That won't be necessary." This was true. Wraith had been trained to not be a burden on others, able to hold his own in any situation.
Well... almost any.
"Tell me the situation. What has become of General Losan?" He continued, stepping forward. The droid commander moved to walk beside him.
"The General was in the upper levels of a central spire within the city, I think it was his bunker or personal stronghold of some kind. When we were overrun by the Galactic Marines, we were forced to retreat so quickly he was left behind in the confusion." The droid explained. "Now the Republic has complete control over the city and there's no way we can retake it, now that they're fortified."
"Could Losan still be there?" Wraith wondered, beginning to plot out his course of action.
"Probably. Between you and me, General Losan's something of a coward. He doesn't like to be out in the open when there's fighting going on." The droid confided.
"Understood." Given the Neimodian's less-than-bold nature, it seemed like he would stay where it was safest and not bother moving. This would mean that Wraith only had one destination to visit. But getting into the city and getting out of the city would be far more challenging. "I need a map of the city. Do you have one?"
"Right here." The droid replied, stopping in place and withdrawing a holo-display from behind him. Moments later a blue image of the city in question appeared in great detail before Wraith. "The city was built next to the slope of a cliff that ends in nothing but ice. There's one bridge in but it's pretty hard to use with all the sleet."
"Good to know." Wraith mused, eying the thick walls surrounding the foundation of the city. Perhaps he could use the walls to his advantage. With the Republic focused on their internal problems, they would not be looking for another invader. With luck, Wraith would be able to put his climbing abilities to the test and avoid the Republic altogether.
Not that he wanted to avoid them, that is. Any chance to publicly humiliate the Republic was a good opportunity. There was always the potential that the republic had posted guards along the walls. They would be something to look for.
"General Losan is located at the top of the spire located to the south of the central tower." The droid added, a red blip suddenly appearing in the stated location. "I trust you can find your way there."
"It's pretty obvious." Wraith mused, glancing at the city off in the distance. "I should get going. I need to find Losan before the Republic does." The droid powered down the holomap as Wraith turned to leave.
"Right. You go get 'em!" The commander applauded. One of the droids walked over to him.
"Uh, sir. Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked.
"Oh yeah! That's right!" The droid commander suddenly recalled a package that had been delivered to them not long ago. "Go get the package." He ordered.
"Roger roger." Wraith stopped in his tracks as he heard the conversation behind him. He turned around as the battle droid commander stepped up to him.
"Something was delivered here before you arrived. Apparently it's designated specifically for you." Wraith cocked his head as the droid's words registered with him. That seemed odd.
"Any idea who it's from?" He wondered.
"There was a signature on a holotape. Does the name 'Scipio' ring a bell?" The droid asked.
Yes. It most certainly did.
"It does." Wraith simply replied, wondering what the good doctor could've had delivered. Minutes later, a droid returned with a small crate in its arms.
"Here we are." He announced, presenting it to Wraith.
"Did you bring the holotape?"
"Of course I did!" Ignoring the two, Wraith flipped on the typed note and read Scipio's words in his head.
So, your third assignment in a row. I hope you're happy. When I heard you were traveling back to Mygeeto I made arrangements to have this delivered to you. It should come in handy, given your surroundings.
Best of luck. And do come back soon. You're overdue for a checkup.
Wraith chuckled. He could hear Scipio's voice in his head as he read over those words. It sounded just like something he would say.
And boy was he ever in need of a checkup. Especially his head.
Tucking the holotape into his jacket, Wraith lifted the lid off the crate and found a new jacket folded away inside. Unlike his current attire, this one was coloured grey, white and black, the shades of urban camouflage. And given the kind of environment around him, Scipio was right, this was perfect.
"You always know what's best, Doc." Wraith mused. Slipping off his jacket and donning his new one, Wraith quickly rolled his shoulders to help break in the new material.
"Not bad." One of the droids noted. Wraith folded his own jacket a couple times before passing it over to the droid commander.
"Toss that in my shuttle for me. I'm off to find General Losan." He commanded before turning on heel and beginning to walk off.
"Need a speeder?" The droid called to him.
"No. I'm fine." Wraith simply replied. As he reached into his new jacket and withdrew one of the dispensers Aurra had given him. Hoping to stave off this voice for as long as he could, Wraith injected himself with the stimshot and promptly discarded the tool. Besides, it was almost time for the one currently in his system to start wearing off.
He had three shots left. He needed to use them wisely, space them out as much as he could in order to prolong the silence. Time could not be wasted.
Breaking into a sprint, Wraith took off towards the city at his top speed, bounding across the terrain like a hungry predator hot on the scent of its prey.
While he didn't know the city's name, he also didn't really care. All he knew was it was his objective and that was enough. What was once a silhouette in the distance slowly grew larger and larger the closer he got to it, until the walls of the city were towering above him. It felt like many hours had passed since he left the base. But with his speed and stamina being twice that of any other being, it must've only been half and hour.
Perhaps he needed to ask Scipio to install a chronometer in his HUD.
A single permacrete road led towards the gates and was littered with the bodies of destroyed droids and wrecked tanks, all indicators of the hasty retreat that was made. The road was exposed, offering no form of shelter on either side and was slick with ice and sleet, formed from the ashes and extreme cold due to the fires of battle. It stretched across a chasm filled with massive crystals made of frozen ice. Before Wraith lay the open entrance to the city, surrounded by large walls built into the side of the cliff the city was perched on. It appeared the droid's were quite accurate with their information.
Although he was a ways away, Wraith was still worried about the possibility of sentries being posted on the walls. If he was spotted, his mission would become significantly harder.
Ducking behind the ruins of tanks, Wraith paused as he mapped out the walls of this city through his optics. They seemed to be made from either durasteel or permacrete and would hopefully hold his weight. So far there were no Clones in the immediate area, which was good, but he also hadn't spied any on the walls. He'd been too preoccupied with hiding himself to thoroughly check. That could be easily amended and he soon did so by switching his optics to thermal and scanning the top of the walls. In an environment so cold, heat signatures would be easy to detect. Poking his head around the edge of the tank, Wraith checked back and forth, looking for any sign of movement or heat.
There was none. No Clones were in the area.
"Odd." He mused. "You'd think they'd be on a total lockdown right now." Shutting off his scanners, Wraith quickly dashed to the wall, wanting to say unseen despite the lack of immediate threats. He assumed the lack of Clones was due to the fact the city had not yet been completely taken. It wouldn't be, until General Losan had been dealt with.
And if that was the case, then every Clone in the city would be trying to break into his stronghold. Which meant Wraith would have to approach this as stealthily as he could and not raise any alarms whatsoever.
A cloaking device would've come in very handy right now.
Looking up, Wraith immediately spied the tower where Losan was hiding. It was plain in design but shimmered in the dim light, durasteel body twinkling despite the ashen surroundings. It was identical to others surrounding a central tower, which was much thicker and far bigger by comparison. The city was shaped like a circle, unlike most of the others on Mygeeto, with the tallest buildings in the center. It reminded Wraith of the construction of the Ryloth capitol of Lessu, another world he had visited once long ago. He had to wonder what the Muuns were thinking when this one was constructed, given how most other cities on Mygeeto were sprawling and less clustered like this one was.
Regardless, these were the circumstances and he would abide by them.
The wall was definitely made from permacrete and was easily several inches, possibly even several feet, thick, and stood well over twenty feet high, at best guess. Triggering the shorter blades under his hands, Wraith dug them in and began to climb. Ascending the wall until he was significantly high off the ground, Wraith began to maneuver his way to the side, blades sinking deep into the permacrete and creating a strong foundation to hold his weight... not to mention leaving behind a trail of puncture marks. His plan was fairly straightforward. His grapples had a certain limit when it came to their reach so he needed to draw closer, if only to conserve the pneumatic systems. That tower was several hundred feet up and Losan was at the very top. Despite his jacket, he could be easily spotted if a Clone looked the right way. He had to be quick but also efficient about this. "Better take advantage of the quiet. Use their distraction for my gain." He muttered. Once he was directly before the tower, Wraith scaled up the wall until he arrived at its edge. He laid eyes on a footpath that had been carved into the top, no doubt as an easy access route for defenders to travel. Retracting his blades and holding on tight, Wraith stretched his right arm above his head and took aim at the tower. Flicking a single finger down, the grapple exploded out from over his wrist, arcing through the air until it snagged the side of the tower with a 'chink'. The pneumatic retrieval system kicked in seconds later and Wraith was pulled from his perch at a very high speed. He was grateful Scipio had designed such a sturdy system, or else the amount of strain put on the cable would not have been enough to hold him. Whizzing through the air, Wraith was pulled several dozen feet up from the wall until he slowed to a halt right at his grapple's point of impact. Triggering his wrist blade once more, Wraith dug in and decided to hold his position to evaluate his new angle. Ash and snow floated down around him and a crisp breeze whipped the tails of his jacket around. His optics took in the entirety of his surroundings, coming to an understanding that this city was significantly smaller than others around Mygeeto.
But as he was surveying the area, a quiet sound resonated in his mind.
Ugh... What... What hit me?
No! How? How could the voice be here? How could it speak? He was still on a stimshot! What was happening?
Now was not the time for distractions. Now was not the time for this! Reaching into his jacket, Wraith quickly drew another dispenser.
Wait, where am I? The voice wondered. It was obviously coherent enough to recognize its surroundings.
"Nowhere important." Wraith growled. "Now shut up!" He commanded, injecting himself with another stimshot. A sudden rush of energy filled his body as it took effect. But he didn't need it, he only needed the quiet.
He was now down to two. This was not good. He needed to get Losan out of here now. Filled with a sudden sense of urgency, Wraith planned his next move.
Discarding the now-empty device and precariously balancing on his feet, Wraith quickly snapped up both arms and fired his twin tethers towards the top of the tower. As soon as they were taught, Wraith took off like a rocket, his body just inches away from the durasteel surface. Whipping through the air at an incredible speed, Wraith waited until he had arrived at his grapples before throwing his arms down and forcing himself to fly another few feet higher. There was the edge of a window just above him. That would be his point of entry. Quickly flinging his hands forward, Wraith grabbed hold of the ledge and pulled himself through. Rolling across the floor and coming to a crouch, Wraith looked up from his position to find the room he was in was empty.
Well-furnished and luxurious, but empty.
Quickly rising to his feet, Wraith pinged his scanners and quickly detected a heat signature in an adjoining room. He could also hear voices. From beyond a closed door, numerous different voices conversed back and forth.
"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" One of them was muttering.
"You needn't worry, General. The doors to this compound have trilithium locks and a five-step unlock sequence. The Republic will not be breaching them any time soon." A second, monotone voice replied. That sounded like a tactical droid.
"They will find a way! I have heard too many stories of their exploits, they always find a way to win." The voice retorted.
"Not always." Deeming General Losan the one sounding seemingly hopeless, Wraith decided it was high time he got him out of here. Opening the door and stepping into the room, Wraith made his presence known.
"General Losan?" His question made the short pudgy Neimodian jump in fright. Whirling about, Losan was most surprised to face a tall, armored man whom he did not recall sharing his bunker with. Wraith quickly sized up Kir and deemed him to be an average Neimodian. Wearing the common blue robes of a Neimodian official and the wartime decor of a military leader, he definitely matched the description of the General he was rescuing.
"How did you get in here?!" Losan cried. But his surprise wore off as soon as he recognized the man before him. "You...! You are The Wraith!" The commando nodded.
"I am. And I am here to rescue you on orders from Count Dooku." He explained.
"Excellent! Most excellent!" A now-joyous Losan applauded him. "Now that is what I call service!" Wraith rolled his eyes, having momentarily forgotten just how pompous Neimodian's could be. "How do you intend to do this?" Kir asked.
"For that, I'm in need of your tactical droid." Wraith replied. He turned to the standard issue unit. "Tell me the situation. What are we currently facing?" He asked.
"The Republic has a squad of Galactic Marines attempting to break into this bunker. They have been trying for the past several hours." The droid reported.
"And they will be in here with us before we know it! We must act quickly!" Losan eagerly chimed in.
"Calm yourself." Wraith quieted him before turning back to the droid. "Give me a map of the city." The droid did so, a projector near the top of its head displaying a nice big map for Wraith to study.
"Recent reports indicate the Republic has this tower and the outlying areas completely surrounded. They have nearly completed their capture of the city." The droid stated. Wraith took in their location as he examined the area in which he had recently crossed. His grapples had been able to pull him from the wall up to the side of the tower, a distance of several hundred feet. There were several buildings and roads he had completely bypassed on his own, something that could not be repeated again if he had a passenger. He would need another way to smuggle Losan out of the city.
Something easier said than done, given the size of his passenger.
Not to mention the fact that time was not on his side. The voice in his head could return at any minute and if it plagued him now, failure was sure to follow suit.
Closing his eyes, Wraith paused to examine the map in his mind and map out as many routes as he could. His calculating mind There had to be some way of doing this. With the Republic everywhere, this would not be an easy task.
Perhaps the best thing to do would be to return the same way he entered the city. Surely he could retrace his steps back to the entrance and call for some reinforcements, if need be.
Maybe stealth was officially out of the question.
As long as none of the Clones raised the alarm, they would be fine... hopefully.
"We'll leave the same way I came here." He finally said, returning to the present. "It'll be tricky and a little dangerous, but it's our best bet right now." Losan did not seem too keen on the words 'tricky' and 'dangerous' but was willing to try, as long as he was with Wraith. "General, prepare yourself to leave." Wraith commanded. Turning to the droid, he continued. "Contact our eastern base and call for a strike team to meet us at the east road, we'll need cover fire. Should the Republic break in, tell them nothing and hold them off for as long as you can. Keep them guessing." The droid nodded in acceptance with his order. Turning around, Wraith returned to the room he had entered, Losan following right behind him.
"What do you have in mind Wraith?" He timidly questioned.
"First we're going to drop down to street-level. Then I'll do my best to sneak you past Republic forces where we'll make our escape out of the city and hopefully into Separatist hands." Wraith explained. Losan fell silent as Wraith looked out the window he had entered and triggered his thermal scanners. Sure enough, just as the droid had stated, there were a plethora of new heat signatures he hadn't spied before.
Clones. Dozens of them.
"And? If we do not?" Losan wondered, interrupting his thoughts. Wraith powered down his scanners.
"I'm working on a backup plan." He mused, firing his grapple into the window ledge. In reality, he wasn't. But, should the need arise, he would rely on his tactical mindset to see them through. Using his boot to firmly plant the prongs in the permacrete, Losan could tell where this was going.
"Wait, you mean to tell me we're dropping down from the window? From this height? In this weather?" He questioned. "I don't think that's a good idea." Wraith quickly recalled what the droid commander had to say about Losan being something of a coward and avoiding less-than pleasant situations.
He had no time for such misgivings.
"With all due respect General, you're going to have to suck it up. We're in dire straights right now and I will get you out of here by any means necessary." He stated. Losan was shocked by his firm words.
"But... B-But I..." The Neimodian stammered, not expecting such forward treatment. Usually his needs were always catered to.
"No buts. Now hold on." Wraith cut him off as he grabbed the General's arm and jumped out the window.
Down below...
The group of seven Jedi were quickly working their way through the recently conquered city. By starting from the western entrance, they slowly worked their way east, destroying any remaining droids as they and their Clones performed a thorough clean sweep in an effort to cut off any aid that General Losan might find. While they covered the southern half of the city, Rex and Cody took their men to the north, all of them moving like a well-oiled machine.
If only they had looked up and seen the wild rescue attempt taking place...
After brief fit of screaming, which Wraith had been forced to silence with his hand and an awkward shift in position, the commando and the general made it to the ground. Hidden in an alley at the base of the tower, General Losan was most unsettled by the sudden rush of activity and the ash raining down around them.
"Was that drop really necessary?!" The Neimodian demanded.
"I told you I would do whatever it took to rescue you." Wraith curtly replied as he pinged his scanners. With a sigh, Losan dusted off his robes.
"Now what do we do?"
"You are going to keep to the shadows, keep quiet and follow me." Wraith replied as he drew his carbine and armed it. "I am going to deal with any Clones who get in our way." As he focused on his scanners, trying to determine where the Clones were along their escape route, Losan warily eyed Wraith's rifle.
"But won't you draw attention to yourself if you use that thing?" He wondered. "Blasters are quite loud, you know." Wraith glanced back at him before stowing his weapon behind him once more.
"Just making sure it was ready." He muttered. "Now follow me." Their first target just around the corner and down the street, taking the form of a single Clone. The purple markings on his armor suggested to Wraith he was a member of the 187th Legion, those led by Mace Windu. Wraith slowly crept up behind the white clad trooper, who was busy scanning the street before him, completely distracted from who was behind him. Striking with sudden swiftness, Wraith grabbed the Clone's helmet and viciously twisted his head, snapping his neck. Losan swallowed queasily as he watched the dead body hit the ground.
"Well that was... particularly unpleasant."
"Such is war." Wraith growled, not caring in the slightest. The two moved on, Losan gingerly stepping around the body. His scans suggested the Clones were spread out in a strategic manner, matching urban sweeping patterns Wraith had studied. This meant no alley would be safe and every corner had to be thoroughly checked before they ventured anywhere. The streets were also slick with sleet, Wraith's boots crushing it to fragments beneath his feet, leaving a very obvious trail behind.
These streets were not optimal for being stealthy.
Perhaps they would have to rethink this plan, divert their course to someplace less-occupied by Clone forces. Wraith and Losan moved ahead until they were forced to duck into an alley to avoid an incoming patrol, only to discover a pair of Clones already in the alley. Drawing his knives, Wraith quickly stabbed both in the neck, blood dripping from the wounds as they fell forward onto their faces.
Wha...? What the...? Hey! Stop! Enough killing! The voice suddenly commanded him. Sheathing his knives as quickly as possible, Wraith grabbed another dispenser from his jacket and injected himself without a second thought.
This was getting ridiculous.
It appeared this voice was growing immune to the effects of the stimshots. It had returned much sooner, compared to previous uses. While the outcome was good for his body, it seemed that his constant reliance on them had helped the voice in his head adapt to them as well, resulting in blissful silence for only a short period of time instead of hours on end.
This was not good.
Losan was watching his actions as Wraith injected himself with the contents of the pneumatic dispenser, curious as to what he was doing and why, but also unnerved by them.
"Are you alright?" He wondered, worried his guardian was in trouble. Wraith casually tossed the dispenser aside.
"I'll be fine." He muttered, not wishing to dwell on the matter. The sooner he finished this task, the better.
"Bacara, have you managed to breach General Losan's compound yet?" Ki-Adi asked his commander via holocom.
"Negative, General. We're doing our best but it seems we can't blow through the door. We're working on a solution, though. It appears there's a series of electronic locks keeping us out, we're gonna try and overload them. I'll be sure to report in once we try." The Clone reported.
"Understood Commander." Mundi nodded as the communication ended. He looked up to his fellow Jedi, knowing they heard every word.
"Well, on the bright side, Losan will have nowhere to go." Anakin replied. "We've got this whole city locked down."
"And yet there's still been no sign of The Wraith." Mace added, sounding very concerned. "This is worrying. You would think he'd had made an attempt of some kind by now." The other Jedi shared his sentiment.
"Cody and Rex have reported no signs of Separatist activity, apart from a few droids. It would seemingly appear that Wraith is nowhere to be found." Obi-Wan stated, no believing himself in the slightest.
"That is exactly what he would want us to think." Plo mused. "Lull us into a sense of security before he struck, taking advantage of our disadvantage."
"Let's double-back and secure the eastern gate, make sure not a single escape route is open... for either of them." Windu suggested. The Jedi agreed and moved to do so.
One Clone fell dead with a throwing knife through the back of his helmet while his partner was promptly downed with a punch to the throat and a quick twist of the neck. Wraith's sixth and seventh kills were nothing fancy, but they did accomplish the task of keeping his and General Losan's escape a secret.
They were nearly to the gate. Freedom was within reach.
Wraith couldn't be happier. Losan was nothing short of a pessimistic whiner, one who needed to be constantly silenced so the commando could do his job. It honestly surprised Wraith that none of the Clones had detected them by now.
Maybe they were even dumber than he first imagined.
"The gate's not far, less than one hundred meters." Wraith reported from a crouched position as his scanners surveyed the area. "We'll approach from the side, use these buildings as cover."
"Well, it's about time." Losan muttered, looking forward to getting away from this place. Wraith said nothing and continued to stalk forward, using the foundational wall beside them as cover as he warily eyed his scanners for any movement above or behind them.
The end was so close, he could afford for nothing to go wrong now.
The meters passed seemingly within record timing, bringing Wraith and Losan to the edge of the gate. As they did, Wraith's scanners picked up voices. Stopping and crouching, motioning for the Neimodian to follow suit, Wraith carefully examined the data filling his audio receptors.
He recognized each voice as it spoke, each belonging to a foe he'd encountered before or studied prior to this moment. He knew exactly who his opponents were without even seeing them.
"Jedi." Wraith growled. Triggering his thermal imaging, Wraith found them standing just a few feet from the gate, firmly between the two Separatists and freedom.
"Jedi?!" Losan gasped. "We're doomed! They'll find us and capture us! I know it!" He lamented. But Wraith wasn't about to give up so easily.
He counted seven Jedi, all by themselves. No Clones around. Finally... something for him to enjoy.
Pulling Losan back into the shadows of the buildings, Wraith indicated with one finger for him to be silent.
"Remain hidden at all costs. Understood?" He whispered. Losan nodded in reply. Accepting his answer, Wraith made to step out into the light as he developed a plan to take his opponents by surprise. Losan saw his movements and grew fearful once again.
"Wait! What are you doing? Don't leave me! I'm coming with you!" He exclaimed. But Wraith stopped and motioned for him to stay put.
"Stand back General, I'll handle this pack of fools. The Jedi won't take us this day." He stated. "I know what I'm doing." Turning back towards the gate, Wraith drew the last dispenser from his jacket and injected its contents into his thigh.
Now was not the time for any distractions.
Assembled before the eastern gate and having briefly surveyed the destroyed Separatist forces scattered across the road before them, the group of Jedi stood along the road leading into the city, forming a rather formidable blockade.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting cold." Ahsoka muttered, rubbing her arms and wishing she had brought a robe of some kind.
"Sorry Snips, we gotta make sure Wraith doesn't show up and surprise us." Anakin told her, hearing her comment.
"I know, I know." Ahsoka sighed, preferring to be indoors right now. Glancing over the side of the road, Ahsoka looked down at the massive ice crystals below. "That's a long way down." She whistled.
"Anakin, Cody's checked in and there's still no sign of Wraith." Obi-Wan reported. "Anything from Rex?"
"Nothing." Anakin shook his head. "Master Plo, are you sure Wraith was coming here? We haven't seen anything resembling his work and we all know he loves to leave his signature behind." He wondered.
"I can confirm the scans, Anakin." Koon replied. "It puzzles me too that we have not heard from or seen our quarry."
But at that moment, Ki-Adi received a very unfortunate report.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news. I've received word from Commander Bacara that General Losan has suddenly disappeared. The Marines have successfully broken into the compound and they can't seem to find a trace of him. Only a tactical droid was left behind." He explained. The Jedi crowded around the Cerean master, equally shocked by the report.
"That doesn't make any sense. We've locked down all possible escape routes, combed the city with our Clones... how could somebody have made it past us?" Obi-Wan asked, feeling quite flabbergasted. "There was nowhere for him to go!"
"There's something strange going on here. And I get the feeling we need to investigate... now." Anakin stated.
"Perhaps we should head back to the tower and rendezvous with Commander Bacara." Bultar suggested. "Maybe we can-" Suddenly, the sound of metal bouncing across the ground caught their attention, moments before a small disc-shaped objected skittered to a halt in the midst of them.
After a pair of beeps, the explosive detonated.
It was more flash and smoke than anything, but carried enough concussive force to knock everybody backwards and a few off their feet. Anakin was quick to recover, coughing as he waved away smoke from his face. But before he even had a chance to wonder what that was, a boot was driven into his ribs which knocked him to the ground. Groaning in pain, Anakin fell to his back and shook his head, clutching his bruised side. A heavy metal boot was suddenly pressed against his throat and Anakin looked up to see a familiar pair of blazing red optics.
"Did you miss me, Skywalker?" Wraith wondered rhetorically. Anakin tried to grunt a response, but Wraith increased his pressure on his throat, placing the Jedi in a dangerous position.
One wrong move and his windpipe, maybe even his spine, would be crushed.
"I'm guessing you really wished you'd checked to see if I was dead back on Cono." Wraith mused. Checking on the still recovering Jedi, Wraith whipped a pair of throwing knives that speared Ki-Adi in the leg. The Cerean Jedi cried out in pain as blood began to soak through his robes. "If you'd bothered to check, instead of relying on the falsehood of your so-called tactics," he continued, gaze shifting back to Anakin, "you wouldn't be in this position."
"I was... wondering... when you'd... show..." Anakin rasped, despite the weight on his throat.
"Which brings me back to my business here." Wraith replied, removing his foot from Anakin's neck, only to stomp down on his chest. "You all are in my way. Obstacles needing to be cleared. So either stand aside, or face destruction." He stated, loud enough for them all to hear.
"You know we won't do that." Mace replied as he crawled his feet, lightsaber hilt already in hand. Several of the others were already prepared for battle, cautiously waiting for Anakin to be out of harm's way.
"Destruction it is then." Dashing towards the Jedi, Wraith leapt forward and struck with a whirlwind kick, striking everyone around him with equal force. The Jedi who were struck were surprised by his move, something that generally required a great deal of skill and agility. It was clear Wraith was back in top fighting form, seemingly not hindered in the slightest after Anakin's orbital bombardment. The suddenness of his attack was enough to throw all of them off-balance.
But that didn't mean they weren't ready for a fight.
Plo was the first to strike, the Kel Dor swinging his lightsaber around and into Wraith's raised left hand. The commando struck back with a quick but hard blow to the chest, knocking the Jedi away. Ahsoka followed up as she launched herself towards Wraith, spinning around and sending both blades crashing into Wraith's armored arm. But he was quick to roll back, allowing the momentum of the blow to carry Ahsoka across his body so he could send her flying by snapping out his arm and pushing her away. Obi-Wan jumped in to strike, not wanting to give Wraith any breathing room. Crossing his arms, Kenobi's blue blade crashed into Wraith's defence, sparks erupting as the elder Jedi fought to push Wraith back. "The cold is sapping your strength, taking a toll on your mind and body." Wraith told the grim-faced Jedi. "But I don't feel a thing." Suddenly grabbing Obi-Wan by the arms, Wraith proceeded to turn and throw the Jedi over his shoulder, effectively knocking Obi-Wan flat on his back. His scanners detected movement behind him and Wraith turned with gauntlet raised just in time to block an overhead strike from Bultar's lightsaber. "I can take you all on and not break a sweat. But you'll all succumb to the elements soon enough." He rumbled. Pushing her blade aside, Wraith landed two kicks to her hip and ribs before following up with an overhead left cross that knocked Bultar to the ground with a crack. "I just need to keep you all going until you're exhausted... and frozen." Turning around, the duo of Anakin and Mace rushed in to engage their foe, lightsabers ignited and humming through the air. Wraith cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as he limbered up, ready to show these Jedi, once more, who the boss was around here.
But in the time before engaging him, Anakin and Mace had put together a plan to outsmart The Wraith.
Drawing their arms back, the seemed prepared to strike, just like the others. Wraith raised his arms to block but received a most unexpected shock as the two Jedi stretched their arms forward and blasted Wraith back and off the road with the Force. The Separatist flew wildly out of control before disappearing as he fell off the road and disappeared from view.
"Well, that seemed to work." Anakin stated, slightly surprised that worked.
"Indeed. But, we should make sure he has fallen." Mace replied, deciding Wraith had cheated defeat more than once for them to simply accept what their eyes saw.
But just as the Jedi were venturing closer to the side, Wraith, having used his momentum and grapples to swing under the road, flew up from behind them and landed a hard dropkick square in the middle of Anakin's back, putting him flat on his face. Before Mace could even act, Wraith jumped up and landed a roundhouse kick on the back of the Jedi's head, knocking him flat on the ground too.
"A bold move." Wraith commented, rolling his shoulders. "But even your Force cannot stop me." The other Jedi were watching Anakin and Mace's assault and they took careful note of how effective the Force truly was.
"But it does work against you." Ki-Adi muttered. Although he was wounded, he could still participate in this fight. Flexing his hand a burst of Force energy knocked Wraith flat on his back. Growling in irritation, Wraith whipped yet another throwing blade at the Cerean, impaling his outstretched hand. Mundi cried out as he clutched his bloody hand, Obi-Wan moving to his side instantly. Wraith attempted to sit up but was immediately set upon by Bultar and Plo, the two Jedi trying to strike him with their lightsabers.
But Wraith would not be downed so easily.
Barring Bultar's attack, Wraith struck with a quick punch across her face, knocking her away. Snapping his arm back, Wraith's elbow connected with Plo's face, stunning the Kel Dor long enough for Wraith to grab his head and smash it into the ground. Leaping to his feet, Wraith turned to find Ahsoka barrelling towards him. Leaping forward, Wraith cleared her by many feet, rolling across the ground as he landed. Finding her target had avoided her, Ahsoka slid to a halt and instead moved to help Master Plo. Anakin and Mace, still reeling from Wraith's heavy blows, scurried to help Ki-Adi.
Wraith couldn't help but feel pleased with himself as he took in the seven downed Jedi before him.
"We need to call Bacara... and Rex and Cody. We need every available Clone right here, right now." Ki-Adi mused as his allies helped him.
"Please, by all means, bring on your expendable soldiers. You can watch as I lay waste to them all." The commando jeered, taunting the fallen Jedi. Standing as tall and rolling his shoulders again, Wraith couldn't help but feel powerful as his foes were enveloped in his shadow.
Suffice to say, Wraith was very menacing individual. The width of his shoulders and chest were already twice that of the average Jedi, who were quite physically fit thanks to the Force, but he he was also practically towering over them.
Anakin Skywalker, for example, was a fairly average male, around 6 foot and 1 inch in height. Wraith was a mighty 6 foot, 4 inches, a whole three inches taller than Anakin and a good four inches taller than the 6 foot tall Clones. And considering how others like Obi-Wan were only 5 feet, 9 inches and Ahsoka being just 5 feet and 2 inches, Wraith was practically a giant, being nearly a head taller than all of them.
With this massive size, combined with his devastating abilities and clearly superior skills, Wraith was the walking definition of dangerous.
The Jedi knew this well. All too well.
"We can't afford to lose them." Obi-Wan countered. "He'll cut them to pieces, shoot them before they even have a chance to attack. All they'll be is cannon-fodder." Anakin jumped in at that moment.
"We have to do something! We're not letting him and Losan get away!" He firmly stated, determined to not let his adversary get the better of them again.
But as they conversed, with Wraith hearing every word and just ready to lunge into battle at a moment's notice, the super commando began to hear another voice.
Ugh... Good grief, you really gotta stop pumping your body fully of stimshots. That can't be healthy for you.
"Not now, voice. I'm working." Wraith curtly muttered in irritation.
Looks to me like you're just standing there looking smug. Is that your definition of working? Wraith growled in response and said no more, desperate to keep this secret away from the Jedi. You know you can't keep this up forever. And when I break free, I'll tell them all about it. Wraith found that statement absurd, believing he would always remain in control. By now the Jedi had crawled to their feet and were preparing for another assault. Wraith was prepared to trigger his arm blades but a sudden thought stopped him.
Maybe he could change things up a bit.
"Time to mix things up." Snapping up his arms and firing his grapples, each tether shot through the air and snagged hold of both Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers. With a quick jerk of his arms, Wraith whipped the weapons from the Jedi and pulled them into his hands. Grapples disappearing back into his gauntlets, Wraith sized up his startled opponents as he gripped the hilts tightly.
The Jedi were quite terrified of the prospect of Wraith using lightsabers against them. But Anakin did his best to try an ease the tension.
"I'd relax if I were you guys, he probably doesn't know how to use them." He mused aloud. "He's all arm blades, no style like us."
"Every time you open your mouth you sound dumber and dumber, Skywalker." Wraith hissed as he snapped on both lightsabers and assumed an attack stance. "Needn't be a Jedi to know how the most deadly weapon in the galaxy works." He shot back. Ahsoka was one of the first to recognize his position, given just often she herself used it in her own dual-wielding training.
The Wraith knew Jar'Kai.
Seeing this as a common ground she could use to her advantage, Ahsoka leapt forward with both lightsabers drawn, ready to strike. But Wraith moved first and brought both sabers crashing down towards her, an attack she blocked with crossed blades.
"Why you?" He growled. "Why must you attack me so?"
"Because out of everyone here, I know Jar'Kai, just like you do." She replied.
"It pains me to fight you." He rumbled, rebuffing her. "But I am curious to see more of your skills." Assuming a defensive posture, Wraith beckoned her forward with one finger. "Show me what you've got!" Steeling her nerves, Ahsoka calmed her mind as she fulfilled Wraith's wishes by leaping forward and executing a series of rapid slashes. The commando blocked each one, Ahsoka's green and yellow blades glancing off his blue sabers. Not pausing in her steps, Ahsoka leapt up high before bringing her crossed blades down in a hard blow, which Wraith found quite impressive and even a little hard to hold off. "Not bad." As Ahsoka backflipped away, Wraith spun his sabers to hold them upside down before lunging ahead at the young girl. Ahsoka quickly blocked his strike before Wraith struck with back to back slashes, forcing Ahsoka back with each heavy strike. "Not bad at all." He mused. "You fight as well as I do."
"Your... Your Jar'Kai is strong... Too strong!" Ahsoka replied, doing her best to fend off his blades. "You fight with anger. A lot of it! You need balance..."
"Anger is strength, my dear Ahsoka." Wraith retorted. "It gives me power, allows me to dominate. I need nothing else."
Geez, are you for real?! The voice in his head wondered.
"Ahsoka! Get down!" Anakin cried, startling them both. Heeding her master's call, Ahsoka ducked before rolling out of the way just as Ki-Adi, who had cleansed his pain through the Force, leapt in from above with his own lightsaber drawn. But Wraith, calculating his angle, anticipated the Cerean's move and countered with a well-aimed kick to the Jedi's wounded leg before pushing him away with another kick. Adrenaline was pumping hard through his body as watched Ki-Adi land hard on his side and grimace in pain.
But in that moment of revelry, he realized he still had a job to do.
This fight was getting out of hand. He needed to create an exit for Losan. In the heat of battle, he had forgotten his true mission.
"Time to put an end to this." He muttered, devising a way to shatter the Jedi's defenses in order to create a way of escape for them both. But his planning was promptly interrupted.
No unnecessary means, Wraith! Don't do anything I wouldn't do! The voice commanded.
"You keep up this incessant chatter," Wraith growled, "and I will cause irreparable damage."
Is that so? Am I driving you mad? Am I making you angry? The voice shot back.
"Yes..." Wraith growled as his focus returned to the fight at hand. He would plow through these Jedi to create an exit, a simple job that required all the strength and agility he had. The Jedi weren't about to give up, though, and Mace, Bultar and Plo quickly rushed in to attack Wraith simultaneously. With Anakin and Obi-Wan tending to Mundi, not daring to even try to get their weapons back, and Ahsoka thoroughly winded, these three alone remained the biggest threats to his goal. But they were growing quite aggressive in their attacks, striking him numerous times over and forcing Wraith to go on the defensive. Lightsabers struck his armor and his blades again and again, the Jedi working hard to try and wear him down. Wraith was starting to feel confused, dazed even, struggling to fight back against such Force-enhanced strikes. He felt helpless...
And he hated to feel helpless.
With the blows to his defence increasing in consistency and the voice continuing to agitate him, Wraith's emotions began to reach their peak. The driving forces of anger and hate began to reach the point of boiling over.
He was getting quite tired of this non-stop assault. And he would do something about it.
This assault triggered a small spark of something locked away deep within him. A symptom of a far greater issue that lay beneath the surface. A dark secret of the anger that fuelled him was this much closer to coming into the light...
With a loud growl, Wraith spun about as his blades lashed out at the attacking Jedi, forcing them back. As anger began to fuel his moves and flow through his body, Wraith felt a rush of energy fill him as he looked to destroy the first Jedi that came into view.
And poor Bultar Swan fit the bill.
Wraith attacked her with rapid strikes, pounding away at whatever defence she could muster. But his anger was too great, granting him such strength that not even a Force-enhanced being could withstand. Swinging his blades around in a quick cross-cut, Wraith managed to cleanly remove Bultar's hands. The girl cried out as her limbs were severed, much to the shock of the other Jedi. Staggering back, a petrified Bultar looked up at the savage mask of her foe, desperate to try and survive even without her hands. With a roar, Wraith lashed out with another cross-slice, cutting her to pieces without hesitation. Plo Koon looked on in shock as his former apprentice was brutally killed. Such hostility and bloodshed was enough to make even him queasy, especially considering he had just seen someone close to him be viciously murdered. Wraith turned around to face the horrified Jedi, shoulders heaving as adrenaline flowed through his veins and pure anger saturated his mind.
In that moment, the Jedi saw something that deeply frightened them. They saw, not a man, but a thing who relished in death, who thrived on violence, who craved bloodshed. They saw something eager to kill, to maim, to slaughter... to destroy.
He wasn't normal. He wasn't natural. He was violence personified, wrapped in muscle and sinew and encased in unbreakable metal. The Wrath was not a man.
The Wraith was a beast.
Sizing up the disturbed Jedi before him, Wraith rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"You can't stop me... no one can!" He thundered. "You will all fall before me!"
"Pride goes before the fall." Anakin muttered. Quickly shaking off the shock of Bultar's death, Anakin summoned the Force and ripped both his and Obi-Wan's lightsabers from Wraith's hands. Wraith's anger wore off instantly as he suddenly realized he had been disarmed.
"No matter." He rumbled. "I don't need your trinkets to cut you to pieces." But Anakin went unfazed and promptly snapped out his hand, pushing Wraith onto his back with the Force.
He had been watching, learning from his opponent just as Thrawn had suggested. And he realized that, for all his thick armor and heavy-handed attacks, Wraith was still as susceptible to the Force as anyone else was. And Anakin would use that to his advantage.
Wraith launched himself back to his feet, growling as he sought to cause Anakin great pain for his attack. But the Jedi promptly blasted him again with another Force push, this time sending Wraith off the road entirely. But Anakin suspended the commando in mid-air, completely entrapping Wraith with the Force, holding him at his mercy.
"Going down?" Anakin cheekily wondered with a smirk before dropping his hand and sending Wraith plummeting into the ravine below. The commando dropped like a rock, shattering multiple crystals on his way down before slamming into the ground. Bits and pieces of ice rained down around him as he struggled to rise, the fall hard enough to rattle even his armored frame. The Jedi gathered by the edge, wounded but triumphant, and looked down upon their foe. While hopeful they had finally defeated their foe, the slowly stirring Wraith made them think otherwise.
"He's still in one piece, likely able to crawl out of there." Obi-Wan grimly mused.
"Then let's make sure he doesn't." Anakin stated. Summoning the Force once more, the Jedi ripped free one of the bigger crystals and slowly floated it overtop the downed commando. Wraith looked up as a shadow enveloped him to see a crystal being levitated above him. Cocking his head as he slowly understood his situation, he had no time to react as the giant piece of ice suddenly started to fall.
The Jedi wished to see him buried... or crushed.
"No-!" His cry was cut short as the crystal dropped on top of him, silencing his outburst. Shattering into millions of tiny pieces, Wraith was effectively trapped under a mountain of crystalline shards.
The Jedi were certain he would not rise again.
Breathing hard and heavy, most of them nursing bruises from his assault, the Jedi were finally glad the immediate threat had passed.
"Well, I think I can speak for all of us when I say, I'm glad that's over." Ki-Adi sighed.
"Agreed. Now, to find General Losan and put an end to this day." Mace determined. The Jedi agreed, happy that they were actually winning a fight involving The Wraith but also saddened by the heavy cost that came with it.
"Poor Bultar." Ahsoka whispered, finding it hard to believe the ally she had just been working with was now dead. She could feel Master Plo was saddened in the same way, similar emotions rippling through the Force. "I'm so sorry, Master Plo."
"She is one with the Force now, Ahsoka." The Kel Dor calmly replied, putting his grief behind him. "Besides, there was nothing any of us could have done. May her memory rest with the knowledge that we have finally defeated our foe."
It didn't take them long to find the cowering Separatist General hiding near the edge of the gate. And upon seeing the Jedi advance towards him and The Wraith nowhere to be seen, the pudgy Neimodian attempted to flee only to be trapped by the Force. Ki-Adi was more than happy to say,
"General Losan, you are under arrest for crimes against the Republic."
Beneath the mountain of rubble that buried his body, Wraith had been knocked unconscious by the hard blow to his body. Lying quiet and remaining perfectly still, the super-commando slipped into a state of oblivion, his consciousness awakening within the ethereal recesses of his mind...
Wraith came to with a groan, a faint pounding still reverberating off the walls of his skull. A shadowy mist surrounded him, veiling his surroundings behind impenetrable blackness. Slowly rising to his feet, Wraith had to wonder if this was truly what his psyche looked like or if it was merely a reflection of his perception of such astral matters.
He knew the quality of a sharp mind. But also the dangers of a darkened and cloudy one.
Glancing around it appeared Wraith was alone. But what was he doing here? He had never been in a position like this before. He'd always deemed such strange, almost spiritual, things irrelevant, preferring tactile experience over ethereal suggestions.
But he soon discovered he was far from alone.
The mists began to part, gaining his attention, and a shadowy silhouette stepped into his view. After a few more paces, Wraith could clearly make out the identity of this person.
They looked exactly like him. The real him, what he looked like without armor and his helmet.
"So you're the voice that plagues me." He surmised.
"What I am is the being who belongs here. Unlike you." The other retorted.
"A lofty claim." Wraith muttered as he took a few steps closer to the mysterious persona that had plagued him on Aefao, Saleucami and here on Mygeeto. "How do I know you're not some form of insanity, trying to disturb me further by taking my form?"
"Would insanity possess the components of an individual personality?" The other retorted.
"Clearly you've never heard of dissociative identity disorder. Having split personalities means no two are the same." Wraith shot back.
"Then you wish to see how genuine I am." The other said. "When compared to someone as superficial as you, I supposed I do appear to be the real deal."
What an insult!
Wraith growled and lunged forward, ready to do away with this plague once and for all.
"Let's see if you're all you claim to be!" Wraith shouted, striking with a lunge kick.
But, to his utter shock, the being before him calmly raised his arm and took the full force of the kick, not phased or hurt in the slightest.
"What?" The genuinely surprised soldier landed on his feet and froze in shock, moments before his equal turned the odds against him and struck with a hard blow to the midsection.
"I know your every thought, I see your every move before you even make it. What you've learned, I've learned." He told the downed Wraith.
"Impossible..." Wraith breathed, trying to put the pieces together in his mind and figure out just how good this persona was. Jumping to his feet, Wraith struck with a pair of jabs that the other parried. Then the personality performed a low sweep that knocked Wraith off his feet, landing him on his back once more.
"No. Possible." The being stated. Shock and surprise wore off quickly, replaced with irritation and anger. Wraith jumped to his feet and lashed out with as many strikes as he could think of, executing assault after assault in an effort to down his shadow. But the other personality calmly and effectively blocked and parried each strike with seemingly ridiculous ease. The deftness of his moves and the sheer superiority of his deflections served to increase Wraith's hatred of this being, wanting nothing more than to totally obliterate it. Another blocked punch resulted in the being grabbing his arm and twisting it. "You strike without true cause, merely lashing out for the sake of lashing out." It reprimanded him, shoving him away with a kick to the side. Wraith boiled over.
"You dare to lecture me?!" He thundered. "You are nothing but a voice, I am perfection incarnate!" Rushing headlong towards his opponent, Wraith only found himself on the receiving end of a knee to the jaw before the other jumped up and threw a mighty punch that knocked Wraith to the ground.
"Don't seem so perfect now." It muttered. Forcing himself off the ground with a growl, Wraith's anger once again reached its peak.
Only this time, he found good cause for it.
It suddenly occurred to him that this was not a matter of who truly belonged, but of who could hold their position the longest. And right now, Wraith was in control of his head... he had the upper hand.
Which meant he had the power to do as he pleased.
He allowed his anger to swell and expound, growing so great it surpassed common hatred to the point of utter rage. It felt like a newfound power was coursing through him. The most primal of all his faculties was now on his side, ready to support him and help him overcome his opposite. It appeared the other could also feel the strong emotional sensations filling his mind.
"What is this...? This... anger?" He asked, astonished by the overwhelming amount of negative emotions surging through the atmosphere.
"My anger." Wraith growled, crawling to his feet and bringing himself to full height. "My fury, my hatred, it's all coming to a head... because of you!" With a mighty bellow that shook the confines of his mind, Wraith grew empowered by the rage coursing through his body. His double looked surprised, even scared. Never before had such terrifying potential ever been seen before. Wraith's emotions had reached a boiling point.
And now he was erupting.
The other personality had no time to move as Wraith lunged forward and tackled him with a mighty bear-hug. Literally hefting the other off the ground, Wraith slammed the persona onto its back before crawling atop and pinning it to the ground. He started throwing punch after punch, heavy blows coming one after another, fuelled by an unstoppable rage and a desire to destroy. What were once calculated strikes were now becoming frenzied hits, bashing his opponent with blow after blow. A kind of blood began to soak his hands and splatter his body, apparently drawn from his opponent as Wraith beat him senseless. The bludgeoning continued for many minutes until Wraith's rage abated and his opponent was quite silent. With shoulders heaving, Wraith waited to see if the other would move.
He did. Slightly.
Groaning in pain and beyond immobile, the persona gasped two simple words,
"I... yield..." Wraith's vision narrowed, wanting complete and total victory instead of just a temporary defeat. His right hand balled into a fist once more.
"Now die... and never plague me again!" He shouted, rearing back his fist. With one final, thunderous blow, Wraith silenced his double with the mightiest punch he could summon.
It was over. It was finally over.
Wraith's heavy breathing filled the silence as a sense of calm returned to his mind. At long last he was able to completely take control of his psyche and feel strong again. Rising to his feet, Wraith cast a quick glance at his bloodied form, finding it odd that a separate persona would be able to bleed like this. His thoughts then turned to the anger that had helped him triumph. This was the first time he had ever felt so enraged before, but the strength that came with it was definitely worth it. The feeling of allowing anger to take control granted him an even greater rush than adrenaline and left him wondering how his body could handle such an emotional build up and near-cataclysmic release.
Maybe he could find a suitable use for this pent up anger. A kind of release that he might use to help him on the battlefield.
With these thoughts lingering in his mind, Wraith's surroundings began to dwindle and fade as he returned to consciousness...
He awoke to the sensation of cold pressed in all around him. Then he remembered becoming trapped under a giant crystal the Jedi had dropped on him, believing it would be enough to keep him down.
But he would not be beaten.
With his strength renewed, Wraith burst out from under the rubble with a roar. Pieces of crystalline fragments rained down around him as he rose to full height, freed from his icy prison. Crisp, cold air filled his lungs as he breathed in deeply and looked up check his surroundings. The road was empty, no one else was standing there.
He was alone. The Jedi had gone and General Losan was no where to be seen.
It appeared he had been unconscious for some time.
Pinging his scanners, it appeared that no one was in the immediate vicinity either. Which meant that General Losan was not where he had been hidden, most likely found and taken prisoner by the Republic.
Understanding that gravity of the situation, Wraith determined his next course of action and knew what he needed to do.
"Alright, Skywalker... you took your best shot," he growled, balling his hands into fists, "now, it's my turn!" He declared, blades sliding out with a shrill metallic ring that echoed throughout the empty surroundings. He would not suffer failure this day. He would avenge his loss and he would rescue General Losan, just as he had been ordered to. The Republic would know his power soon enough.
The Wraith would have his revenge!
Author's Note: Looks like things have taken a rather dramatic turn, but whatever will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!