Sorry for the late post. Let me explain, I had a day of emergency meetings and fix-ups yesterday. By the time I logged off from work, my brain was fried and posting the new chapter completely slipped off my mind! To make it up to you, next chapter will come out 3 days from now. :)
Night of the Final Mission (Final pt5) *Mid-arc finale
The last night in the world is the most beautiful of all nights
Coal grabbed the last of his equipment. Blasters, poppers, the standard artillery—and a few extra new toys, before making his way to the rest of his comrades. He had no idea how it came to this. Just days ago, he was enjoying nice long naps, and never woke up until it came time to eat. His best brothers made sure he wouldn't miss out on mealtime and always saved a tray for him in case he slept too long.
And then the Senate Guards came.
They took down every one of their officers and held the rest of them—himself included—at blaster-point. Saying they're all under jurisdiction of the Chancellor.
Why? Coal thought as he joined up with his battalion at the main hangar. Why?
Why did this happen? Why were they accused of treason against the Republic? Why was Kal kidnapped? Why isn't the commander here with them? Of all times for Steele to be absent…why are you hundreds of parsecs away when we need you the most…?
The sound of the Pirate's ship ramp being lowered snapped Coal out of his trance. All around him, he could feel the eyes of the watching Kaminoans burn deeply into all of them. Their creators, some may even say their 'gods', ironically seemed unaffected at the sight of the battalion heading off to an operation they have so little intel on. Perhaps the Kaminoans never cared for them at all. Or the Republic, and the Separatists. Then what was the point of this war?
"First battalion, move out!" Prime Minister Lama Su announced from the front.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all. What matters now—and should be the only things that matter—are me, my brothers, rescuing Kal, and everyone I care about. I can make it through this….
Coal marched onto the ship.
~ O O O ~
It was a quiet day on Coruscant for everyone. News of Master Plo Koon's imprisonment was finally released to the public. And transportation of the arrested 304th clones were taking place right this instant.
Palpatine met up with the infamous pirate leader himself. Usually, he wouldn't bother associating with the likes of Hondo, but he needed to ensure his loyalty won't waver between his payers and his transports.
"Here you are, Mr. Ohnaka, 23 million credits all in spice. Along with a little more, for buyer's assurance…" Palpatine gestured for one of his guards to hand out the briefcases containing Hondo's monetary reward. The pirate was more than pleased at the sight.
"How rare it is, to meet an official who actually lives up to his promises," Hondo mused. He motioned his two lackeys to get on with taking the money back to their ship. "But I must say, why the need for the little extra on the side? These transports aren't considered to be…well, 'dangerous', I surely hope? I'd like to make the trip in one piece to enjoy all of my newly-earned money."
Palpatine had the guards hand him another briefcase. He opened it for the pirate to see. "Perhaps another million credits would be sufficient enough for an answer?"
Now Hondo understood just how far these 'transports' he's to be moving has fallen from grace. But he accepted the briefcase nonetheless. "Good doing business with you."
Palpatine called Tarkin on his comm and ordered for him to round up the clones along with their Jedi leader and have them prepped for boarding once it came their turn to move out. He smiled. It was finally coming all together now.
If things go well, there'll be nothing standing in way of Order 66.
~ O O O ~
"So…I've given you some time to think about it. Is there anything you can do to help?" Wolffe asked a very quiet Ahsoka.
"Did Master Plo leave you with any other instructions?" Ahsoka asked while pacing about her makeshift home in the undergrowth of the industrial district.
Wolffe shook his head. "Just to find you and ask for aid of any sort."
Ahsoka groaned in frustration. "I want to help, but I'm not sure how to help! It's not that I can't get off this planet just fine, anyone with enough credits can do so, but Aliyah and those guys are entering Separatist capital territory."
"You never entered pure Separatist worlds before?" As a regular recon member, Wolffe had his fair share of sneaking on and off predominantly Separatist-populated planets.
"Well, the last time it was with Senator Amidala," Ahsoka thought back to the secret mission she went on with Senator Amidala to negotiate peace with the Separatists. "And we only managed to get in because of her friend—"
Suddenly, an idea struck Ahsoka. Why didn't she think of this sooner? "Wolffe! Can I borrow your long-distance comm? I need to contact someone."
"Who exactly?" Wolffe asked in caution.
"An old friend," Ahsoka answered. Or at least she hoped he'd still be a friend of hers after what she's become. "One who might be able to help, if I ask."
"I need to know who, before I let you borrow my equipment," Wolffe insisted.
Reasoning that Wolffe has seen the bad side of the Republic ever since Plo Koon's arrest, Ahsoka decided to let up. "He's the current Senator Representative of Onderon, and a…former member of the Separatists. Lux Bonteri."
~ O O O ~
The officers of the 304th's gear arrived from Kamino this morning. Finally, after so long they reunited with their equipment. Things that have kept them alive for this long. It almost felt safe, being armed and armoured once again. But it didn't shake the reality of their situation from them. Being soldiers, they were built to cope with the fact every step into battle might be their last. Yet, never had they felt existential fear at this level—even during their first months with Krell.
Steele sat at an empty table trying to get some rest. Aliyah was sent off again by request of the Council—possibly for one last lecture, he hoped not. She didn't need her morale to fall any lower than it already is.
Out of nowhere, Dogma showed up and took the seat next to him. He looked over in concern but didn't know what to say.
"Hey, sir."
"Hey."
More silence.
"So how's Compass doing?" Steele nodded over to where the soldier of question was leaning against the wall. Egad stood nearby, the two were having a conversation of their own.
"A lot better actually, he's able to walk on stairs now without crutches," Dogma answered. Despite the opaque goggles, he could see the concern in his commander's eyes. It's true, a wounded soldier should be kept off the battlefield, but it's not like the Chancellor could make an exception just for Compass. "Egad and I'll look out for him, you don't need to worry."
"You have no idea how many I'm worried about right now…" Steele muttered in the back of his throat. But it was loud enough for Dogma to hear.
Buried guilt began digging itself out and flooding Dogma's psyche. He said in a low voice, "I'm sorry." Steele turned his head towards him as the latter began releasing, "If I hadn't pushed us all to investigate, none of this would've—"
"—Stop," Steele gently interrupted. "Now's not the time for regrets."
Dogma looked at his commander incredulously.
"What's happened happened. If we start regretting, we can't focus on the present. If we can't focus on the present, we can't plan for the future. And besides…" Steele recalled the night from a couple of nights ago. "By making me become so damn attached to you!" That night now seemed like a far-off memory. But at least it wasn't a dream. "I don't regret everything that came out of this dilemma. If anything, it just revealed a sea-load of truths. And a few, in particular, I'm glad is revealed."
~ O O O ~
Aliyah was surprised that when she arrived at the Temple, it wasn't the entire Council whom she met with, but rather, just Master Yoda. And he didn't request her presence to give her one last lecture, but rather, to just have a talk. Nothing more.
It felt odd, speaking on such casual terms given the current situation and her state of reputation. But Yoda did his best to make the young fallen Jedi feel at ease.
"Times are tough, especially in times of war. Difficult it to be a Jedi, right now, I know," Yoda said as he and Aliyah took a private stroll across the Temple rooftops.
The view of Coruscant that Aliyah once thought was so beautiful now looked grey and dangerous. Everywhere she looked, it was as if a pair of yellow eyes would stare right back at her. She looked to the clear skies instead.
"I know I disappointed the Order," she plainly said.
"Say that, how come?" Yoda asked, turning around to face her.
"Being the former Padawan of a prestigious Jedi Master will be a big blow to our already crippling reputation." Aliyah drooped her eyes a tiny bit. "As well as Master Plo's."
"Worry not, about Plo Koon's reputation, or well-being, young one." Yoda put both hands on his stick. "Entrusted to you and your men, his life, he has. So trust in you, I shall as well."
For the first time in a long time, Aliyah felt validated by the Jedi as a person. Not as a member of their Order, but as a sentient being. She never knew she needed to hear this until now. Doors closed and windows shut, the Jedi are a family. Perhaps not the best kind of family, but a bond nonetheless. And just like with other families, they should be allowed to branch out and start new ones.
~ O O O ~
Time passed. Night fell on Coruscant. Ships flown by members of Hondo's crew went back and forth between Kamino and the Raxan moon. Each time transporting members of the 304th onto the surface, and each time being more careful than the last. This was just the start of the rescue operation, nobody wanted a slip-up to occur now. Nobody save for Palpatine.
Eventually, it came time for the arrested clones on Coruscant and Aliyah to board Hondo's very own and newly-revamped cruiser. Something that 'rivals the overrated liners the Republic and Separatists use for transporting their armies', or so Hondo claimed. Nobody bothered to say anything back, they knew the Chancellor paid these guys to not make any deals with them. They were just the deliverers, nothing else.
Steele gauged the situation before stepping on the ramp. We outnumber them 6 to 1, if needed, I can definitely twist things my way. These guys operate on short-term indulgences. He finished thinking and entered the ship.
It took off into the dark Coruscant atmosphere, to the longing hope of the Council Masters and to the satisfaction of Palpatine.
Elsewhere in Coruscant, Wolffe watched the ship takeoff from the safety of his own apartment.
"Good luck, everyone," he said to the window. "Stay safe."
Behind him, Ahsoka—whom he had snuck into the surface level of Coruscant and here to his place—was attempting to call her 'old friend' for the 5th time tonight. She spent most of the day prepping a video of introduction to be used with Aliyah if this 'old friend' does agree to help out. But it seemed like he wasn't answering at all.
Just when Ahsoka was about to end the pending transmission, a hologram of a young man finally came up.
"Ahsoka?" The young man, Lux Bonteri, was shocked. "So it was you this whole time? I was wondering why I was receiving nonstop transmissions from a member of the Republic military—but turns out, it was just you."
"Yeah," Ahsoka smiled and shrugged. "Just me…"
Wolffe could feel the awkwardness in the air. He tried to block it out until Lux began speaking again.
"I…um…heard about what happened with you, and the Jedi." He looked at the Togruta in concern and curiosity. "Are you doing alright now?"
"Yeah, I'm…more or less improving." Ahsoka looked over to Wolffe who gave her a 'I can't really speak for you' look. She quickly got to the point of making this call. "Look Lux, I have a huge favour to ask of you. It's not something to be taken lightly, are you in the middle of anything big right now?"
"Well, yes actually. I've been reaching out to a lot of my mother's old friends and allies back on Raxus," Lux confessed. His expression turned serious. "Turns out Onderon wasn't the only world who wanted out of Dooku's den of empty promises. Lots of Separatists are starting to question the integrity of their allegiance to him and well, I've been working to help them break free from the Confederacy. Apparently, there's been talk of some inhumane experiments being done by one of their admirals. Ugh, it sickens me to even think about it. And to think I once thought the Republic was bad."
Oh, kid. You don't even know the half of it… Wolffe said in his mind to Lux's comment.
"But what is this huge favour you're asking of?" Lux asked at last.
Ahsoka looked at Wolffe, this time for reassurance rather than support. She explained to Lux the favour. "You're a former Separatist, and you just said you still have friends and allies over on Raxus." Ahsoka took a momentary pause. "I need you to help out a friend of mine, she's the Jedi Knight whose entire legion is claimed to have turned against the Republic."
"Aliyah Korentayer?" Lux confirmed.
"Yes, that's her!"
"Now hold on, Ahsoka—"
"—I know it sounds crazy but please, trust me," Ahsoka pleaded. "There are bigger things at work here and I know that whatever it was Aliyah, or anyone in her legion has done, it must've been for good reason. Jedi Master Plo Koon believed in her enough to stake his life on the line for them. Now the only way for him and all of them to be released is to free their captain from Admiral Trench. But with the way everything's been setup, they don't have much of a chance to do so. Not without some outside help."
Lux thought hard. It wasn't too long since Onderon freed themselves from Dendup—and by extension, Dooku's rule—and joined the Republic. And now, the same Jedi who helped liberate his people is implying to him that the government they joined is just as corrupt, if not worse, than the one they left. Perhaps the late Senator Kerch Kushi had the right idea of branching off and forming his own side. If only he didn't get the reckless idea of stealing confidential Republic information…
Lux came to a conclusion. "So you want me, specifically my Raxus allies to help this legion out. By helping to locate their captured comrade wherever Trench is keeping him." The young Senator of Onderon let out a hefty sigh.
Both Wolffe and Ahsoka braced themselves in anticipation for what answer was about to come.
"Alright, I'll make some calls and see what I can do," Lux said.
In his relief, Wolffe nearly fell back against the window he was looking out of. He caught himself at the last second. Ahsoka immediately showered Lux with gratitude. This new development could very well mean the difference between a mission success and failure.
~ O O O ~
Onboard the ship to the Raxan moon, Aliyah was holding a briefing with Steele, and a couple of their top legion officers. They were using a room Hondo let borrow for an entire hour. She had to go over the missed details from the transport and drop-off plan presented to them a day ago. For most missions, the big picture was all that was needed to be prepared, but for this one, every little detail missed could mean certain death.
"The moon is sparsely populated. Apart from a few civilizations for visiting traders and labourers, and whoever has reason to come here." Aliyah pointed to a couple of town landmarks on the holomap table. "But just like any world, there's always a place for non-legal entry and exit, which is where we'll be landing."
One of the officers at the table, Cleaver, nodded. "So, avoid the lil' towns on the map en-route to our rendezvous point. That shouldn't be too bad."
"Civilians aren't on my list of worries," another officer said. "If Trench or Dooku knows that we're coming, and I'm pretty sure they do, they'll have droids patrolling the place. Forget about Kal, we'll be having a hell of a time just reaching the rendezvous if that's the case."
"But knowing the admiral's play style, he'll most likely set up a trap or something. It won't be as obvious as having clankers patrol the streets," a third officer joined the talk.
"How do you know that? Maybe he's already thought that far ahead and decided to setup patrols because we just thought of that."
The discussion went on for another minute or so. The group's time in the room was almost over when Aliyah began wrapping up their meeting. "Alright then, it's all clear. Relay these updates to the rest of the men. And get some early rest. We've got a lot ahead of us, starting tomorrow."
"Yes, general."
"Oi! You're 3 minutes to our agreed-upon time limit!" Hondo suddenly appeared at the door, to the dismay of everyone in the room.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be listening!" Cleaver shouted.
"I wasn't! I mean I was listening, but I wasn't 'listening,'" Hondo reasoned. "Don't worry, your Chancellor didn't pay me to get involved with the politics of this. Though I can't say I'm not the least bit curious to what you guys done."
"Ignore him," Aliyah sighed.
The officers swiftly headed towards the door and walked past Hondo, a few brushing him back towards the exit on purpose. But the pirate wasn't letting up. "Aye, c'mon! I was paid to transport you, not to be inhospitable! Why not have a couple of drinks? Huh, what do you say? Toast like it's your last night in this world—"
Steele pushed Hondo out of the room and shut the door in his face. He then proceeded to lock it, turn back around, and face Aliyah. His expression was somber.
"Do you wish to tell me something?" Aliyah asked from the other side of the table.
Steele stood up straighter against the door. "The men don't know. Other than me, Dogma, and Compass and Egad. They don't know anything about Order 66. I intend to tell them once we all regroup at our rendezvous point, they're obligated to be let in on the existence of this protocol."
Aliyah nodded. That made sense to her. It was only fitting for them to know the truth of their origins. "Of course. No arguments there. Anyways, once we retrieve Kal, we'll need to make plans for how to deal with the Chancellor. It's clear he doesn't want us to return."
"Yes. It's clear as day." Steele's expression turned from somber to serious. This topic he was about to go into wasn't something either would want to hear. "We grossly underestimated the level of influence the Chancellor has over everyone, especially the Jedi. He's got them all wrapped around his little finger. Even if we do rescue Kal, I highly doubt we'd be able to touch that guy, given where he's standing at right now."
"'Do nothing?' That's your plan after rescuing Kal?" Aliyah asked.
"What goes around, comes around. It's what happened with Krell, it's what's going to happen with Palpatine," Steele argued. "Right now, he's surrounded by hundreds of loyalists willing to lay down their lives for him. Wait until it comes crashing down. The number of enemies he'll be making will be greater than any number of feeble allies he has now. And I intend for you to be there when that happens."
Aliyah could see where this conversation was headed. She clenched the edge of the table tightly.
"Let me call the shots," Steele finally said. "If I fall in battle, then Cleaver shall take up my position. If he falls, then the next. And so on and on the goes. But if you bite the dust mid-mission, then we're immediately doomed. Palpatine wants us stripped of our consciousness but wants you dead more than anything. There's no way something isn't gonna go wrong this operation. So don't get off at the moon and return with these pirates back where they came from. We'll hold Hondo hostage until they agree to do so."
There was truth in Steele's words, Aliyah knew that. But even then, she couldn't bring herself to go about this logically. Memories of her final talk with Plo in that cell came to her. "Don't die while doing it," was the last thing Plo said to her. Usually, going about hard decisions with a rational mind was easy for her, so why was it so hard keeping her emotions out this time?
"No," Aliyah answered. Steele didn't flinch. "If we play it too safe, then we'll lose as well. I like the idea of going forward no matter what happens. If I fall, you take up my place. If you fall, then Cleaver, if he, then the next. But Kal will be rescued by the end of this, and Plo Koon will be set free."
"Yes. Assuming that we don't become human B1 units before then." Steele wasn't budging one bit from his standpoint. "The best thing for us is to keep you alive—"
"—I disagree. The best thing for us is to go forth and give it our all—"
"—Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Now just hold on a minute." Steele's expression immediately became panic-stricken. He held out a hand as if to stop Aliyah from moving a single inch. "If you're gonna bluff with me like that I'm gonna bluff back. Stay out of this mission, or I'm gonna break your lightsaber. For a weapon that you call 'your life' it sure gets damaged easily, Skywalker's a prime example. True, you can still participate without your weapon of choice, but you'll just end up more of a liability than a leader. Not to mention completely plummet our success rate, and I'm sure you won't want that right?"
Despite the very real threat Steele's presenting her with, Aliyah held back mild laughter. "Yeah. I certainly don't want that. But still…there comes a time when there is no more middle ground in the choices we make, it's either all or it's nothing, and now is that time."
Steele was going through so many emotions it was impossible for him to determine what he was feeling. When he finally found his voice again, he took a step forward. "So that's it? That's your final decision. Even though your prized weapon's life is on the line?"
Aliyah tightened her grip on the table. "Yes."
Steele took another step forward. "Even though I'm doing this because I want you?"
The pits of Aliyah's core became something comparable to Mustafar's molten landscape. Perhaps even hotter. The same could be said for Steele. He gritted his teeth, anxiously waiting for an answer.
"…Yes," was Aliyah's final say.
There was a long, reflective silence. Then Steele finally budged from his standpoint. He muttered under his breath, "The effect you have on me…"
Aliyah didn't say a word in response. She just watched as Steele turned around to leave the room, but stopped to say one last thing to her. "Aliyah. I'll honour this decision you made. Just make it out alive."
The ship jumped into hyperspace as Steele walked out the door.
Next time on The Clone's Hero…
…"Commander, we need you to make a decision"… "Commander!"… "Commander!" …"Commander!"… "Commander please!"…
…"Do you have any idea, what you're asking of me?"…
…
…"Execute Order Sixty-si—"…
The squads of the legion have each landed on the Raxan moon, and are working to rendezvous with each other, only to meet up with unexpected folks whom they're wary of calling 'allies'…
A/N. Yep, this is the mid-way of the Final arc (more or less). Everything from here on out will be difficult for me to write—but not because of the writing work itself, but more so because we're nearing the end and I'm getting a little emotional myself too. ;_;
But yeah, it's been a good journey with all of you, and I look forward to posting the next couple of chapters that'll bring this story to its conclusion. Please remember to fav, follow, or review if you can!
See you all next time! :)
- MiraLake