Anakin flexed the fingers on his new mechanical arm as the two Jedi entered the briefing room of the corvette Liberator, Phoenix Squadron's temporary command ship. "The destruction of our command ship has severely limited our ability to fight the Empire in this sector." Sato explained over hologram.
"So maybe we don't fight- Uh, Commander Sato, sir. When things got tough for me on Lothal, I'd go find some place to hide." Ezra said to him. "You are never shy with your opinions, Ezra Bridger, but establishing a base is a good idea." the commander commented.
"Problem is, none of the potential bases we know of have the tactical advantage we need to protect what's left of our fleet." Hera explained. "Or aid the nearby systems suffering from Imperial oppression." Kanan added as Hera turned to face him. "We can't help others if we can't help ourselves, Kanan. If only we had more allies." she replied.
"I know someone who might be able to help us. A great military commander with a vast knowledge of the Outer Rim. He could assist us in finding a base, and his experienced leadership would make him a powerful ally." Ahsoka explained as they all turned to face her.
"How do we recruit this leader?" Sato asked her. "That's the problem. I lost track of him a long time ago, and all my transmissions have gone unanswered." the Togruta replied as she walked over to his hologram. "We can find him. Let us try." Ezra suggested.
"Well, there is one option I've not yet attempted." she replied with a smile.
The crew of the Ghost minus Zeb entered the ship's cockpit and before Ahsoka walked in carrying the head of an old Separatist tactical droid. "Is that the head of an old tactical droid?" Kanan asked as she handed Sabine the head.
"These droids were great at finding things, calculating. Found me, my master and husband a few times when we didn't want to be found." the Torgruta replied. "How in all the galaxy is that droid gonna find your friend?" Ezra asked sounding a bit skeptical before Chopped let out an annoyed warble.
"Well, I heard he was last seen in the Seelos system. You can start there." she replied. "You're not coming with us?" the Padawan asked as she made for the door. "I have something else to attend to." she replied. "The Sith Lord." her son realized.
"There are questions, questions that need answering." she replied cryptically. "I wish we could go with you." he said as she turned to face him. "You have your own mission, Ezra. And, Kanan, if you find my friend, you must trust him." she said before turning to the older Jedi.
"If he's all the things you say, we can't afford not to." he replied. "Trust him." she stressed lightly before the door closed. "What was that about?" the younger teen asked. "I have no idea." his Master replied before sitting down in the co-pilot seat as Hera detached the ship from Liberator and entered hyperspace.
"Do you know who your mom is talking about?" the Mandalorian girl asked her boyfriend before getting a shrug in return. "No idea. Before I met you guys, my dad did't want me getting involved with Rebellion. So whoever my mom is talking about I have no idea who they are." he explained.
Once the ship dropped out of hyperspace the crew, minus Hera and Chopper who had stayed behind to fix the hyperdrive, took the Phantom down to the planet. "Well, let's fire this thing up. I think it's scanning for a signal of some kind." Sabine said as she connected the droid head to the shuttle's console before it started beeping.
"Good luck. You could really get lost out here." Ezra said dryly. "Maybe that was the idea. What if this great commander we're looking for doesn't want to be found?" Zeb asked from where he sat in the back of the Phantom.
"7567. 7567." the droid head suddenly spoke as Anakin frowned. '7567? Why does that number sound so familiar...?' "It's homing in on something." his girlfriend said as the head continued to repeat the numbers.
"There. Up ahead." the Lasat said, stepping up behind Kanan and pointing ahead before they saw something in the distance. "Whoa..." Ezra said in awe as they came up beside an old modified AT-TE. "Now that is a work of art." Sabine complimented. "Looks like an old Republic tank, used during the Clone Wars." the older Jedi said.
Kanan brought them around to the back of the tank and before landing the shuttle. "Ezra, be on guard." Kanan said to his apprentice after the group exited the shuttle before making their way to the front. After a few minutes three old men with the same face came out of the tank and stepped out onto the makeshift balcony.
Anakin's eyes narrowed behind his helmet upon noticing they looked familiar. "It's just a bunch of old geezers." Zeb said as he folded his arms. "Well-armed old geezers." Sabine commented. "What do you want?" the middle on asked as he leaned against the railing. "We're looking for someone." the older Jedi replied.
"Well, that's too bad, 'cause there's nobody out here." the middle one said. "Hey, uh, does the number 7567 mean anything to you?" Ezra asked him. That seemed to get the old man's attention as he suddenly stood up straight.
"What did you just say?" he asked sounding surprised as the other two stood to attention as well. "Uh, I said 7567." the younger teen replied. "I haven't heard those digits in... Well, that's my birth number." he said mostly to himself.
"Birth number?" the Padawan mumbled as Anakin smiled behind his helmet upon realizing who the middle one was. 'Rex!'
"They're clones!" Kanan realized, shooting the three a glare before stepping forward and igniting his saber. "Kanan, wait. Stop!" Anakin exclaimed as he tried grabbing the older man's shoulder. "Jedi! They've come for revenge!" the left clone exclaimed before aiming his DC-15 at them and firing two shots.
"Drop the blaster, old man!" Zeb growled as he and Sabine readied their blasters. "Don't try it, boyo! I'll gun you down." the right clone said, aiming his DC-15 before Rex pushed the barrel down with his hand.
"Stand down, troopers. Now! That's an order, soldier." he ordered the other two. "But he's a Jedi. A Jedi!" the left one exclaimed before the middle one managed to calm him. "Kanan, my mom said to trust him." the former merc reminded.
"Sorry about the, um, weapons malfunction. My friend here is just a little defensive. See, we haven't seen a Jedi since, uh. Well, it's been a while." Rex apologized before Kanan sheathed his saber as Ezra stepped forward.
"Well, my name's Ezra. This is Kanan. That's Sabine, Zeb and Anakin. It's nice to meet you, 7567." the Padawan said, gesturing to each, and while Rex's eyes widened a bit when he said the former merc's name, Zeb and Sabine holstered their blasters.
"Actually my name is Rex. Captain, 501st Clone Battalion. Meet Commanders Gregor and Wolffe." the clone captain said while gesturing to the other two. "We were sent by Ahsoka Tano." Ezra explained.
"Ahsoka Tano. I fought by her side from the Battle of Christophsis to the siege of Mandalore. And a friend of hers is a friend of mine." Rex said with a smile.
After Kanan moved the shuttle onto the makeshift landing pad of the AT-TE, Rex lead them into the command room of the tank where Gregor and Wolffe were already waiting. "Hey. You're a big one, aren't you?" Gregor commented with a smile as Zeb passed him. "Bigger than you." the Lasat replied with a small glare.
"Whoa." Ezra said in awe as he picked up Rex's Phase II helmet while said clone sat in one of the chairs. "Hey, hey. Easy with those, son." the clone told him as the younger teen dropped it back onto the table.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. I might move the dust." he said sarcastically with a smirk while the two in Mandalorian armor removed their helmets. "How is Commander Tano?" Rex asked.
"Uh, well, in need of help. We all are. Look, we're trying to fight the Empire, but we're outnumbered, overmatched and taking a beating. We could use your help." the younger Jedi explained as he took a few steps towards the clone.
"Well, I'm not sure I'm much help to anyone these days. Didn't you hear? The Emperor said the clone army has outserved its purpose and retired us. Now we spend our days just telling stories and slinging for joopas." the Captain replied as he leaned back in the chair and folded his hands behind his head.
"This was a wasted trip. You heard the clone. He's not interested." Kanan said with a frustrated groan before making his way towards the door. "Wait. You don't like the Empire, do you?" Anakin asked him as the older Jedi stopped.
"Well, the Empire certainly isn't the Republic, but you can't do anything about that." he replied. "You could fight." the older teen said. "Sorry, son. My days as a soldier are over." Rex replied.
"Well, okay. Okay, then maybe there's one thing you can help us with. We need a base. Mom said you knew about all sorts of secret locations in the Outer Rim." the former merc said as the clone looked at brothers before sitting up in the chair.
"Well, my memory isn't what it once was, but, um, there are a few spots I never bothered to report to the Empire. Look, why don't you wait outside and I'll put together a list of coordinates." he suggested as he stood before Anakin and the other rebels headed back outside to the balcony.
Anakin stretched his arms from where he and Sabine were leaning against the railing before resting an arm around her and sharing a smile. "You know, I was thinking, since we're providing you with a list of bases, um, there's something you can do to help us." Gregor suggested as he joined them on the back balcony.
"No, thanks." Kanan replied. "Sure. What can we do?" his Padawan asked with a smile. "Out there, deep below, roam the joopa. Elusive big game. When we're lucky enough to sling one in, it'll feed us for the whole year." the clone explained, mirroring the younger teen's smile as he gestured outward at the salt desert before leaning against the railing.
"Okay. What do you need?" the former merc's girlfriend asked him. "Him." the clone replied while pointing at Zeb. "What?" he asked, sounding confused while turning to face them.
After being fitted with a backpack that connected it to a regulator attached to the top of the main gun via a laser line, Zeb climbed down to the planet's surface and started walking ahead of the AT-TE as Wolffe drove behind him.
"If we're lucky, we'll catch Big Bongo today." Gregor called down to him as Ezra joined the clone and two older teens on the front balcony. "Let's get this over with. I'm getting hungry." the Lasat complained. "Keep on going forward. Just a little bit more. We're coming up on a hot spot!" the clone replied excitedly.
"Your hot spot looks like everywhere else on this desolate rock." Zeb grumbled stopping as they all heard something move in the distance. "Out there!" Sabine said as she pointed ahead.
"All right, full stop." Rex ordered from where he sat at the main cannon's controls before Wolffe pulled the tank into a full stop as ordered. "All right. Just a little bit more. Little more." Gregor said after a moment of silence before turning to the teens as Zeb started moving forward slowly.
"You know, we really appreciate this. I mean, we, we should do well today, with your friend here." the clone added with a smile. "Yeah, well, Zeb packs quite a punch." the Padawan said.
"Oh, oh. I'm sure, I'm sure. But really, I mean, joopa supposedly love Lasats." Gregor replied before Anakin's eyes widened in horror upon realizing what the clone meant. "Oh, shit!" he swore as his girlfriend gave him a confused look before turning her attention to Gregor.
"They love them? What do you mean?" she asked, giving him a confused look. "Well, they say they love the smell, or I guess they love the taste as well. And maybe it's about the texture. You know..." he trailed off, smile still plastered on his face before Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose.
"He means Zeb's the bait not the hunter." Ahsoka's son pointed out. "Oh, hunter, bait, it's all the same." the clone waved off as he turned back around towards the Lasat. "No, it's not!" Kanan snapped from where he stood by the gun's barrel before they heard another rumble, only closer this time.
"Zeb, you better get back here right now!" the older Jedi exclaimed urgently. "Zeb, what is that?" Sabine yelled as fissures started opening up in the ground. "Buddy, run! You're the bait! Zeb, it's gonna eat you!" Ezra yelled as the fissures opened closer to their friend.
"Zeb, run!" Kanan yelled. "Get out of there!" Anakin yelled. "What are you doing?!" the older Jedi exclaimed. "Run!" the Mandalorian girl yelled before the ground cracked and they saw a big long tongue wrap around him.
"Zeb, no!" the Padawan yelled in horror as the Lasat disappeared underground. "Whoo-hoo! This could be him! Our Big Bongo!" Gregor exclaimed with excitement as the laser line was moving away from them quickly while Wolffe started driving forward again.
"Hey, I bet you know a thing or two about mechanics." Rex said to Sabine as he got her attention. "Yeah, good bet." she replied with a smirk. "Keep an eye on this regulator. The line can overheat and shut down. No line, no joopa, no Zeb." he explained while gesturing to the arm-thick red and yellow wires.
"Got it." she replied before hopping up beside the main gun. "What about us?" Ezra asked the Clone Captain.
"You got the best job of all! When the line swings around, you'll charge it with the electro-poles. Hit the line with the rod, and it'll send a bolt of energy down to the joopa. Do it enough, and you should bring it up to the surface." Gregor explained as he handed an electrostaff to both teens.
"Here's one for you, General." the clone said to Kanan as he held another electrostaff out to him. "Don't call me that. I was never a general." the Jedi replied with a glare. "Uh, my mistake. Sorry, Commander." Gregor apologized.
"No, it's not-" Kanan cut himself off with another frustrated groan as he took the electrostaff from the clone before walking over to the laser line.
"Hit it! Now!" Rex said quickly after Wolffe turned the tank in order to keep up with the joopa. The three Force-wielders quickly pressed one end of their staffs to the line which in turn sent a jolt down it.
After getting shocked the joopa tried putting some distance between it and the tank. "That's it! That's it! Ooh! He didn't like that! Hit him again!" Gregor exclaimed in excitement before the three sent another jolt down the line.
"He's a runnin'. Hit that line! Bring him up." Rex said before Ezra jumped onto the railing and tried reaching the line with his staff while Kanan and Anakin helped steady him so he wouldn't fall.
"We're losing the regulator!" Sabine warned. "Full stop, Wolffe! Dig in! This is where we finish the battle!" the Captain said as Wolffe stopped the tank and tried to keep it from being dragged by the joopa.
"Whoa! I can't reach it! Lift me up!" Ezra excalimed to the other two Force-sensitives before they both used their free hand to try lifting close to the line. "Sabine!" he yelled as the line became thinner from a lack of power. "I know, I know. Working on it!" she yelled back. "Got it!" she said after the line returned to full power a few seconds later.
Kanan and Anakin barely managed to keep from falling and dropping the younger teen as the joopa made the tank shake before the older Jedi handed his apprentice his staff and the teen sent another jolt through it.
The last jolt seemed to do the trick as the joopa finally emerged from the ground screeching. "Go!" Kanan said urgently as the massive joopa towered over them as he and Anakin let the Padawan down.
As soon as the joopa roared at them Rex quickly fired a shot into it's mouth, killing the creature before the line disappeared as the joopa fell onto its side. After a few seconds passed the mouth suddenly opened to reveal Zeb, unhurt and covered in joopa saliva. "What a smell." he complained with a disgusted groan.
"Ah, Zeb!" Ezra exclaimed in relief. "Nice catch, old-timers." the Mandalorian girl complimented with a smile as she folded her arms and turned to her head to the side to look at Rex who saluted in reply. "Yeah! Way to go. Now that, that was impressive." Gregor complimented with a laugh as he climbed down the ladder and dropped onto the ground before running over to Zeb and the joopa.
"Impressive? You almost got my friend eaten!" Kanan snapped as the clone helped Zeb up. "Yeah. Ugh. I was in that thing's mouth!" he growled while pushing away from Gregor. "Oh! Head to toe. But look at you. You brought in our biggest catch ever." he complimented with a grin while turning the Lasat around to look at the joopa.
"I- I did? Actually, it wasn't so bad, Kanan. I knew I had the beast from the beginning." he said with a proud smile while turning back around. "And you are a natural." Rex said to the younger Jedi after climbing down the small ladder that lead to the gun controls and landing pad.
"It's gonna be delicious!" Gregor exclaimed excitedly as Wolffe, Sabine and Anakin climbed down to the ground and walked over to him and Zeb. "That thing tried to eat me. Only fair I get to see how it tastes." the Lasat said with a smile while placing the back of his hands on his hips.
"Can't say no to that. Right, Kanan?" Ezra asked as Kanan shook his head in annoyance.
Seelos: Sunset
The three teens were hanging out on the back balcony of the tank when Rex suddenly stepped through the door. "I've assembled a list of potential bases and clearance codes and a few protocols the Imperials still use. Should be of some use." he explained to them.
"Thanks, Rex." Anakin replied with a smile. "They're on our main computer. You're gonna need-" he started while gesturing to the door with his thumb before Sabine cut him off while smirking. "Data tapes? I got this." she said before heading back inside with her boyfriend right behind.
Sabine pressed a few buttons on a console before they both noticed a datapad displaying the Empire's logo on it. Both their eyes widened when they realized one the clones had contacted the Empire, along with messages from Anakin's mother that were never answered. 'There's no way Rex is the one who did it!'
"The clones gave us up. They warned the Empire we're here." she said while shooting a glare at Rex and Wolffe as they stepped out onto the balcony. "Wait, what?" Ezra asked in surprise. "You're mistaken. We would never do that." the Clone Captain defended.
"Oh, We found the binary transmission to the Empire. And there are messages Ahsoka sent to Rex, and he never answered her!" she accused. "What? I never got any messages from Commander Tano." Rex replied, sounding genuinely confused as he took the datapad and looked through it.
"I knew it! I told you, they can't be trusted." Kanan growled, walking up to them before Ezra stopped him. "Kanan, wait. Is this true?" his apprentice asked before Rex turned to face Wolffe who was looking out towards the salt desert.
"Wolffe. What did you do?" he asked his brother. "I- I contacted the Empire. If they found out that we were helping Jedi, they'd wipe us out." he admitted. "Sabine, go warn Hera. Tell her to scan for incoming ships." the older Jedi ordered her quickly before she took off towards the shuttle as Wolffe turned to face Rex.
"I wanted to protect you guys, protect our squad." Wolffe defended before Rex grabbed his shoulders gently but firmly. "The war is over. We are free men. We can't live under the fear of the Empire for the rest of our lives, Wolffe. That's not freedom." he explained while letting go as a look of regret washed over the other clone's face.
"You're right. They're not our enemy. I'm sorry." he apologized.
"Anakin!" Sabine suddenly yelled, getting the others attention just in time to see blaster bolts fly overhead. Worried for girlfriend, the former merc Force-jumped and landed beside the Phantom and behind Sabine before both dodged two shots from a probe droid.
Anakin quickly followed it around the shuttle as it tried to flee before diving as it fired off two more bolts, one hitting the back of the shuttle and another hitting the roof of the tank.
The Mandalorian girl's boyfriend watched it float off the left side of the tank as he stood back up before quickly jumping off the side and landing, just as reached the other side of the tank.
Just as he was about to use the Force, a blue blaster bolt hit the droid before it exploded. The former merc shrugged before Force-jumping back up to the shuttle. "Huh. Nice shot." Sabine complimented the Captain with a smile.
The Mandalorian girl and her boyfriend walked up to the remains of the droid where Rex and the other rebels were currently standing around it. "How long has this thing been watching us?" the younger teen asked while looking at Kanan.
"Long enough." Kanan replied with his arms folded. "How's the Phantom?" he asked Sabine as she and Anakin stopped in front of them. "Well, engine took a direct hit. We're not going anywhere until I can fix it." she replied. "Wait. You mean we're stranded?" the Lasat asked.
"Yep. And the Empire's on its way." Rex replied grimly as they all looked up at the sky.
Chapter 14 is now done.