Chapter 37: The Clone Wars
Nathan's P.O.V.
We had arrived in the realm of Star Wars about twelve years ago now, during that time we had all learned the ways of the soldier. We had become renowned over the past five of those years, as a small elite squad that was called to various systems to offer aid. All of us had learned to pilot just about any ship in this world, as well as how to repair and maintain them. Ethan was the only one who had been found to be force-sensitive, though he had refused training. The reasons for this were simple enough, he had other means of performing most of the force techniques we knew of, and he wasn't really one who would wield a lightsaber. In addition to us learning about the ships, we also learned how to work most of the other technology this world had to offer. We could build droids, repair holo-communication devices, every piece of tech a Star Wars junkie might mention we knew how to take apart and put back together.
While we reported to the Galactic Senate, and often worked with the Jedi Counsel, we didn't associate with many people outside the five of us. We had trainers who held our respect and gratitude, and a few colleagues who we would hold friendly conversation with, but no friends. We were all still hurting from the loss of Neal and the others we had lost to Fairy Tale. We didn't even have neighbors since, for the last seven years, we have lived on a ship, which we have christened 'The Cowboy'.
Our 'home' was a capitol ship that allowed us a home base away from interactions with people. While most ships of this size would need a crew numbering hundreds, we had a couple hundred droids to handle things while we could not. Our hangar held our four Starfighters, one large transport ship, one large cargo ship, and one luxury vessel if we were to have a notable guest. Among the small army of astromech and similarly purposed droids, we had a protocol droid that served as translator should we encounter a language Ethan is unfamiliar with. This protocol droid is also usually tasked with ensuring any guests on board are tended to, though Mason usually does so as well. We also have about fifty high grade combat droids, Ethan designed these droids by combining the best parts of the Droidika, Super Battle Droid, and Spec Op Droids.
When the Clone Wars began three years ago, we continued to serve as we had been, only now we fought in a continuous war rather than small skirmishes and border disputes. Most of our time was spent behind enemy lines, but when we did return to the front, we were generally assigned to the battles where the republic faced the heaviest losses.
Currently however we were within our own territory, chasing a potential threat. Intelligence has intercepted a separatist communication from Count Dooku and an unknown woman about testing a new droid. We were about to land on Naboo when we sensed one of the immortals. We knew we had not met this one, but whoever it was had a power that didn't belong here. Jedi don't have particularly high levels of power themselves, even Yoda isn't much higher than most of the soldiers we'd met, but we can tell when a force user is near because the ambient power in the air is more active. What we sensed now, was a high power, not the largest we've ever felt, not by a long shot, but high enough that we could track its owner easily.
"Alpha in position." Nick said as we positioned ourselves on either side of the front door of the lab we had just found.
"Beta in position." Natalie's voice came over our coms.
"On three." Mason said over the coms, he was monitoring from the ship and had a dozen drones he could utilize as support for us if we were outnumbered. "One… Two… THREE!"
On the signal I opened the door and we began our raid. Clearing the first floor, Natalie and Ethan took the upper levels while Nick and I took the lower. In the third underground level we found the droid. Standing seven feet tall, and looking mostly like a normal, attractive, man with short brown hair, what gave him away were the eyes. His eyes were clearly mechanical and while they could have just been cybernetic implants, what happened next solidified our suspicion.
"Get down!" I yelled as I tackled Nick to the floor to avoid the blaster fire. Looking up at the droid I saw it had come from his fingertips, rather from the tiny blaster barrels protruding from his fingertips.
"HAHAHA!" A woman's voice carried as she laughed, stepping next to the droid. Nick and I, now behind cover, peek out to look at our target. She was a short woman who was dressed in something that just screamed 'mechanic' yet somehow showed off her figure and a good amount of skin. Her dirty-blonde hair was held back in twin ponytails and she even had the almost comically large pipe wrench that seems to be the weapon of choice for TV mechanics. "How do you like my masterpiece? I call him Pendrell, and I am his creator the empress of machinery Kikaiko!" I glance over at Nick.
"Why are they always crazy?" I whisper, Nick responds with a soft chuckle and a shake of his head.
"I knew it'd be you four that would be sent. I actually was looking forward to facing that Merlin kid, Ethan I think was his name." So she was one of them after all. "Oh well, you two will be good playthings for Pendrell. Too bad Uchumaru, looks like I win." She started laughing again as she walked back behind Pendrell. I guess there is one more here as well, this Uchumaru. I am distracted from my thoughts when two small missiles start pushing out of Pendrell's palms, which are directed at us. I jump out from behind my cover and raise my blaster.
"Nick stay down!" I call as I fire, hitting one of the missiles dead on causing it to explode before it was fully out of his palm. I was thrown back from the force of the explosion but was relatively unharmed, since I had cloaked myself in coldfire right before the blast. Nick was fine as well since he had maxed his defense and was behind a good cover. Pendrell was still standing though both of his arms had been destroyed. "Heh so much for her masterpiece….. Oi that's just not fair!" His arms were rebuilding themselves. It was almost as if Pendrell had a device or program that would draw in nearby materials to repair any sustained damage, that or he was made up of freaking micro-tech.
"I don't think we can beat him using conventional methods." Nick said as he stepped beside me.
"Agreed." I tossed my blaster-rifle aside and glanced at him. "Though punching it may not work too well either." Nick nods before replying.
"Which is why you will be the one fighting him, once I can, I'm going after Kikaiko. The last thing we need is her making more of him."
"Right." I say just before my wings burst to life and I rush Pendrell. I use a moderately sized coldfire blast which gives Nick an opening. Unfortunately Pendrell recovered faster than expected and sent a missile right into his path. "Did you just shoot your tongue at him?' I ask as Pendrell stands back up and closes his mouth.
"Negative, it was simply a missile fired from the launch bay in the back of my throat." Okay, that sounded almost exactly like a Dalek… I need to be sure.
"Hey Pendrell, can you say 'Exterminate. Exterminate!' for me real quick?" I ask, getting a confused look from Nick.
"Certainly. Exterminate. Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!" On the third 'Exterminate' he fired a yellow-white laser from his forehead at me, which I wasn't expecting and barely avoided.
"Yep definitely sounds just like a Dalek." I say as I recover from the sudden dive I had just made. "Now I really have to kill you. Not only are you an enemy, but you kind of terrify me now, also I really want to watch Doctor Who now… but I can't." I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I inhale, after holding the breath for a few seconds I exhale slowly. Nick recognized the signal and slipped out after Kikaiko. "Yeah, you're dead."
I breathe out a wall of coldfire at Pendrell, moving as soon as I stop my attack launching spheres of coldfire as I circle around him. Even when I start to think I might have managed to destroy him entirely, I continue to intensify the flames and add to them. Only when Nick came back with the body of Kikaiko do I condense the flames until there remains only embers. Waiting there for several minutes and seeing nothing, Nick and I agree that Pendrell is gone and move to clear the rest of the basements. An hour later the four of us are back outside heading to our ships, Nick and I both immensely happy that Pendrell had not been able to reform after my last attack. Ethan was looking forward to seeing the footage of the battle, and Mason was currently radio silent with us to report our mission's success to the Senate.
Though I told the others that there seemed to be another immortal in this world, we would not find Uchumaru until the day that the Clone Wars came to a close. During our time here, I had finished crafting the pocket dimension I had started at Yokai, and had designed it with five entrances. The key was designed to attach to a door and, when a passphrase was given, the door would open into the pocket dimension. Each of us had our own passphrase, which led into our own house within the dimension. They would actually open a door near the house, but the point still remains. We had already started moving smaller things to our houses, such as weapons we found interesting or what we had brought with us from the previous world. We had already decided that before we left here, we would move our droids and ships into the world as well.
On the day that order sixty six was executed, we were in a remote system far from the war. We had found Uchumaru, or he had found us. A report had come in that the separatists had a powerful new weapon or soldier, and we were to destroy it. When the five of us landed, having taken the luxury ship since all five of us were going, we were soon greeted by Uchumaru as he seemed to teleport to us.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Congratulations on destroying Pendrell, getting past him was the hard part of defeating Kikaiko." He teleported again, causing us all to spin around when he spoke again. "However I will not be so easy." He was standing directly behind us now, Mason specifically, and was about to strike. Nick barely managed to intercept the blow, taking it instead, and allowing the battle to begin.
Mason healed Nick quickly, however Uchumaru turned out to have spatial powers. What this meant was not only could the practically teleport by instantaneously condensing the distance he wanted to travel before taking a single step, but he could expand or condense any space. Ethan was unable to provide offensive support as he was completely occupied trying to counter his abilities, Mason was constantly healing someone from injuries sustained when Uchumaru would teleport behind one of us. Natalie, Nick, and I had our hands full just trying to attack fast enough to actually connect. By the time we killed him, all five of us were exhausted to the point of being unable to do anything more than sleep where we fell. When we woke up, we got back on the ship and flew back to The Cowboy. Upon arrival we learned that the Jedi had been eliminated and the Republic was now the Empire. We also learned that we were presumed dead and there would be no efforts to find us. We decided to take the opportunity to leave this world. We finally felt ready to face society again and wanted to do so in a new world. Once we had moved everything into the pocket dimension, which we had now decided to refer to as The Ranch, we used the relic that would summon Gosora. Once he confirmed there was no further need for us to be here, we moved on.
Omake: The Third Year
Mizore walked through the halls of Yokai Academy thinking of everything that had led up to where she was now. Her mother had insisted she attend the school to find a husband, she had met Ishiku who she had believed would be her husband. Through Ishiku she had met several good friends, though most of them were now dead or missing, she held each of them in her heart. Ishiku had not been the one she would marry, during the battle against Fairy Tale where Ishiku had disappeared she had realized there was another who held her true attention.
"Hey, there's my little snow-bunny." A voice said with an Osaka accent. She looked at him and smiled, Morioka Ginei, she would never have believed you if you had told her when she had met the werewolf that she would be married to him, and would be bearing his child, by the time she graduated.
"Give her a break you perverted mutt, she's a little slower than normal because someone couldn't wait for the honeymoon." Shuzen Cocoa yelled at him as she and her boyfriend Miyamoto Haiji rounded the corner. Ever since the final battle at the Floating Garden, these four had been inseparable, them and one other couple who were currently in China preparing to welcome the four of them and Ginei and Mizore's new baby. That couple was Wong Fanfan and Sendo Yukari. Itsuki Kenta was also a treasured friend, though he was unable to be here, nor would he be able to join their trip to China, since he and his new wife were expecting their own little ones, and Kenta couldn't get the time off, taking over as the Chairman of Yokai had proven to be a very time consuming job, even if he was only the new Chairman's assistant. The new Chairman was Shuzen Issa, who had taken the job at his daughter's behest. He would not let Yokai close, no matter the obstacle. So while they all still held pain at the loss of the friends who died against Fairy Tale, they lived good lives to honor their sacrifice, and so if their missing friends were alive somewhere, they needn't worry about the welfare of those left behind.
~A/N~
I own nothing.
Hey look! A world that was only around for a single chapter! Admittedly I wish I could have spent more time with Star Wars, but there just wasn't anything I could see that they would get involved with. At least without it feeling forced. Add to that, they are mourning the loss of Neal also. It may not be the smart or healthy thing to do, but locking yourself away is a common thing people try after losing someone close.
As for Pendrell sounding like a Dalek. That is the fault of my friend. He is a massive Whovian and finally convinced me to watch some of it. He has been helping me proof this thing since chapter one, so when I got to the robot fight here, I couldn't help it.
Any other parts of the main chapter you want to know more about, you'll have to drop a Review.
For the Omake, I thought it would be nice if we saw a little glimpse of what was going on in the world left behind. I will only be doing one Omake for each world left, they will be at the end of the following chapter, so there will be one next chapter as well.
This A/N has gone on long enough by now, possibly too long. Review, Follow, Favorite, you know what they are. Hope you enjoyed and continue to do so. See you next chapter!