Counterattack! With the clone army
stretched in desperate attempt to engage
Dark Oak's Starfleet, Separatists
planets that were once thought secure are
now rising up against the Republic. On
Waspnosia, Separatist leader Vesper the
Wasp, safe in his newly ray-shielded
factories, creates thousands of terrible new
weapons which march off the assembly
line against the outnumbered clone army.
The Shinobi, resolute in the effort to restore
order to the Republic, mount a massive
invasion to retake Waspnosia and shut down
Vesper's factories once and for all...
A huge fleet of Republic cruisers were flying towards Waspnosia, on the bridge of the lead ship Espio was standing next to Nate. "I can't believe we're back here again" Espio said regretfully, "It is unfortunate. The resistance from the native Wasps were stronger than we anticipated". Espio nodded "The same can be said for their loyalty to DImitri" "A fact which is often overlooked". Shadow and Amy then entered, Espio glanced at them "You're late". Shadow looked pleased with himself "Sorry, Master. Amy and I were busy routing the Seppies near Secco". Amy smiled "My squad alone had 55 kills" "Yeah, but mine had 76" Shadow replied Amy rolled her eyes "Show-off". Espio stared at them disapprovingly "Well, I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves", Shadow shrugged "It's just a little friendly competition, Master. Nothing to worry about" "What I worry about is the way this war seems to have no end in sight". Nate nodded "Which is why it is crucial our invasion meets with success" "Agreed. Amy, contact the Outer Zones Command. We're ready for our briefing" Shadow said. "They're already waiting for us" Amy replied.
They went to the holo-unit which projected a hologram of Merlin, Blaze and Solaris with a projection of Waspnosia in front of them. "Our ships are in position, and we are ready to begin our campaign against the wasps" Espio told them. Merlin nodded "What about Vesper? Any report on his location?". Espio then showed them a hologram of a Waspnosian structure "It seems he's holed up at the primary badnik foundry here" the factory was shielded and had a bridge going over the top of a large trench. "Shadow, Nate and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defence lines to a staging area just short of the shield. Once we've landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target" Espio said. Solaris looked troubled "Isn't it risky committing three generals to one area of the attack? If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow". Blaze turned to him "We need to ensure that the wasps don't rise again, for that we need to capture Vesper". Solaris nodded "Of course. As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Shinobi" "Our thanks, Chancellor" Espio said sounding slightly irritated. "May the Force be with you" Merlin said before the transmission cut off.
Fang, Armand and a crocodile captain entered, "Good, Armand. These are the rendezvous" Espio said. "Yes, sir. When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter there. Getting past the defences will be the trick" he pointed to a marker on the map. "General Nate will come across the defensive lines from the north. We will make our assault through the middle. General Shadow will make his attack on the defensive lines from the south and we'll meet at the rendezvous point at 0700 exactly". Nate nodded "If we meet with strong resistance and are forced down away from the landing zone, hold out until we join our forces before attacking the shield generator". Amy looked concerned at a structure in one of the mountains "Their front lines are heavily fortified. Look at the giant wall with all the gun emplacements. That won't be easy to get past". "Don't worry. We're not going anywhere near that" Shadow replied calmly making Espio glance at him "Come now. What happened to all the enthusiasm I saw earlier?". Shadow smirked "You just make sure you get yourself to that landing zone in one piece" "Yes. I shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive". A hologram of Master Elizabeth appeared "Gentlemen, if you're quite finished, we have a battle to begin". "Quite right. Armand, prep the gunships. I'll meet you in the hanger" Espio said, "Yes, sir".
Espio and Armand were in the hanger walking towards a gunship "No, sir, I wasn't involved in the first assault on Waspnosia". Espio smirked "Well, you didn't miss much. Last time, I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monster" he boarded the gunship. Armand looked amused "That sounds… entertaining" "It was… for the Wasps" the gunship took off and Armand ran to another one. The squad of gunships flew out of the cruiser with some of them carrying walkers.
Cannons on the ground started firing on them and a squad of bombers were released to try and take them out. Shadow and Amy boarded their gunship where Fang was waiting "We all ready, Fang?" "Yes, sir. General Espio is already underway" "Well he's got a head start. We'll have to catch up". Gerald watched Nate board his gunship "Good luck, General" "There is no such thing as luck" all the gunships took off. A clone on one of the gunships looked out and chuckled "Good thing those bugs can't aim" the ship then exploded. The ship carrying Shadow, Amy and Fang was hit causing it to crash. Shadow tried to get back on his feet "Come on, get up! We have to keep moving!" he opened the ship doors and they all charged out into the battle. Nate turned to his commander "Get the tanks down now!" the ship was then hit. The commander activated his commlink "Armand, get the tanks down! Come in, Armand!"". On his ship Armand heard this "Copy that. Pilot, begin landing sequence!" the gunships and tanks created a perimeter at the rendezvous zone. Waspnosian ships started attacking as all the troopers ran out of the ships "General Espio, don't land. The zone is hot!" Armand said. Espio was on his own ship hearing this as it shook from the constant barrage of fire "But there's nowhere else to go!" his ship was then hit "Brace yourselves!" he yelled as it crashed far from the rendezvous.
Nate was being helped out of the wreckage by his commander while tanks and other clones caught up to the rest of the squad. "What were our losses, Commander?" he asked, "We got pretty hard, sir. I think only Espio's forces made it through the flak to the landing zone". Nate just managed to stand on his own "What about Shadow?" "Captain Fang reported they're still in the middle of a firefight, but his tanks are gone. They're trying to contact General Espio's group for support but in the meantime they'll press on to the rendezvous point". Nate nodded "Very well. Load the injured onto the tanks. We'll make for that ridge. With any luck, we can meet up with Shadow on his way to Espio's position.
Fang was in a trench just receiving a message from Armand "Okay, Armand. I'll speak to with General Shadow", Shadow then jumped into the trench "What's the word? Can Espio send support or not?". Fang fired a few shots out of the trench before answering "I don't think so, sir. Armand says General Espio never reached the landing site. His gunship got shot down". Shadow rolled his eyes "The one time I actually ask for his help", Amy jumped into the trench "But what if something's happened to Master Espio? He could be injured or-". "We can't focus on that right now. Fang, we need to mobilize now. Get the men together. We're gonna rush the turrets. Amy, you're with me. We'll give Fang cover". Amy looked concerned but nodded "Got it. Just give the word" "Hey, I'm worried about him too. But you have to keep your mind in the here and now, otherwise we'll never be able to help Espio". They both ignited their lightsaber "Ready. Now!" they both charged out followed by the clones.
Armand was directing the defences for the perimeter as the wasp army advanced. He looked out to Espio's crashed ship when Rotor and Jeff ran up to him "Reporting as ordered, sir" they both said. Rotor had a drawing of the face of a young mongoose on the side of his hat. Armand turned to them "We've got a downed gunship about a klick east. We believe it's General Espio's. I need you to get out there and check for survivors" "Sir, yes, sir" they said. They ran out while the tank cannons gave them cover. They managed to avoid getting hit and made it to the wreckage and used it as cover, Jeff sighed "Why do we always get the fun missions", Rotor smirked "Oh this isn't the fun part. Getting back is the fun part". They opened the doors and saw an injured Espio and a spider clone. Despite his injuries Espio smiled "Rotor, Jeff, am I glad to see you. Trapper and I are the only ones still alive".
Rotor helped Espio while Jeff helped Trapper "Good to see you, sir. Commander Armand's established the square just beyond this position. The bugs are on the move and trying to surround us as we speak, sir". They started heading back, Armand saw them and got the clones to provide cover fire. Once they made it back Rotor put Espio down against a crate in the middle of the circle. Armand came up to him "Are you injured, General" "No, nothing too serious. What's the situation here?". Armand didn't look confident "We've got no air cover, two generals on the ground beyond our position, and a mess of bugs surrounding us. The enemy was more than prepared for our attack, sir. They knew our every move". A medic came up and gave Espio a shot, "I'm sure General Shadow and General Nate will make it to our position. We just have to make sure we're still here when they arrive".
Nate in spite of being injured was managing to lead the tanks through the ridge. There were metal pillars being used to block their way with Nate cutting through them to allow the tanks to continue. The Captain was on the lead tank speaking to Gerald "Negative, captain. We will be unable to provide any air support at this time". "I understand that, sir. But we have three attack forces on the ground and only one at the landing zone" he said frustrated. "This is a planetary wide invasion, Commander. If I devote resources to your position, it will mean sacrificing other areas of the campaign. All we can do at this time is help you find General Shadow". He sighed "Alright, sir. I'll report to the General. Commander Ridge out".
Shadow, Amy, and the clones were taking cover from the wall they saw on the map earlier. It was covered with turrets and badniks were standing on top firing down. "Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into" Amy said mockingly, "What? Hey, it's not my fault. You were supposed to study the holo-map". Amy looked angry "What! I did! Remember, when I reminded you about the giant wall, and you said, 'Don't worry, Snips. We won't be anywhere near that'". "Just get ready to climb" Shadow said dismissively.
Nate, Ridge and a group of clones were walking on a path on a mountain side "General, I left a squad to protect the tanks. Are you sure this is the shortest way to the landing zone?". "No, I'm not sure, Commander. All I can do is trust my instincts" they entered a cave and readied their weapons. A clone holding a scanner stopped "Wait a minue. I've got something up ahead". All the clones stopped when suddenly wasps flew out of the holes in the walls. Some of them grabbed some of the clones and dragged them away. "Don't stop. We must push on" Nate yelled as he cut through on of the wasps.
Shadow and Amy were both handed a backpack "What's the plan, General?" Fang asked "Just keep us covered, Fang. There's too much laser fire for all of us to climb. Amy and I will handle this. Just be ready when that wall comes down". The two Shinobi ran towards the cliff side and used ascension cables to climb up. They started running towards the wall "How many badniks have you shot down so far?" Shadow asked, "Twenty-five" "Ah, you're falling behind. Let's go!". They jump down and start cutting through the line of badniks. Once they were done hatches then opened up on either side of them and released gammas. The two went back-to-back to deflect the blasts when Amy saw Fang sneaking up behind the Gamma she was facing. He put the pistol in between the gamma's armour and fired destroying it.
Shadow managed to charge forward and take out the other one. "I thought I told you to stay on the ground" Shadow said half joking, Fang shrugged "I thought you needed help". An Egg Pawn poked his head out of the hatch "Hey, did you get them?", Shadow smirked "Catch" he and Amy threw their back packs to the Pawn before pushing back down the hatch with the Force. Amy chuckled before turning to Fang "Up and away" she used the Force to throw him over the wall "No! No!" he started screaming. Shadow and Amy jumped off just before the backpacks blew up causing the wall to collapse. Shadow and Amy slowed themselves down before landing and then caught Fang who landed on his feet. Shadow and Amy then caught the debris stopping it form landing on any clones. Fang looked slightly shaken "Next time, just tell me to jump" he said trying to hide it. "Now where's the fun in that?" Shadow said. He then looked in the direction of the rendezvous "Come on. We can't keep Espio waiting" "You heard him, lads. Let's go" they ran through the newly created path.
Nate was leading his men slowly through the caves as more wasps appeared "We're almost through. Bring out the flamethrowers!" three clones charged forward with flamethrowers and fired at the wasps burning most of them and the remaining ones scattered. They managed to get outside and were on a cliff side. They saw the landing zone and then Shadow and his group on the ground, his commlink activated "General Nate, are you alright?" "We're fine, Shadow. We took a slight detour that put us out of communications for a bit" "This has been a day for detours, Master". Nate nodded "Indeed. But the road is clear now. I see the landing zone. It doesn't look good". Shadow on the ground turned to Fang "Get me Admiral Gerald". Fang took out a disc which projected a hologram of Gerald "Admiral, we're at the breaking point. You've got to get some fighters down here" "You're in luck, General Shadow. I have one squadron available".
Espio was watching as all the men around him were getting killed while the wasp army was still advancing "Retreat! Go, go, go!" one of the clones yelled. They closed the doors of the gunships to give them as much cover as possible. The clones all began backing away and formed circle around Espio to keep him safe "There's too many!" "Make every shot count!" "Show them you got!". Espio stood up with struggle and ignited his lightsaber ready to fight to the last when "Reinforcements! The reinforcements have arrived!" he heard a clone yell. He looked and saw a squad of bombers drop their payload on the wasps causing the clones to cheer. They all then ran back to their defensives positions with reinvigorated morale. Espio sat back down as Shadow, Amy and the two other clone battalions entered the perimeter. Amy came up to him "Master Espio", he smiled and put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Shadow then smirked "Well, what happened to you?" "I could ask you the same question". Nate then arrived with ridge.
After regrouping Armand placed a holo-disc in front of Espio which projected the map, and everyone surrounded him to hear the next phase of the plan. "Our combined forces should be enough to destroy the shield generator. Shadow, you'll need to take a small squad through the shield, as close as you can get to their gun emplacements. From there, you'll be able to temporarily jam their scanners, so they are unable to target the incoming tanks. Once the tanks knock out the shield, Master Nate can bring the rest of the troops in with the gunships". Shadow nodded "Consider it done, Master".
Shadow was with a large group of clones including Fang on the road to the factory "Begin the attack" they heard Ridge say over commlink. Shadow ignited his lightsaber and they charged through the shield. They was blaster coming from all directions and multiple clones were killed. He met up with Amy and her group and they all got as close as they could to the shield generator before cannon fire forced them to take cover. "Let's jam their scanners. Badnik poppers ready" Shadow told Amy. They both threw them at the cannons, and they managed to shut them down. Shadow got on his commlink "Bring up the tanks". The tanks advanced and fired everything they had at the shield generator destroying it. The shied went down allowing gunships to land and release more clones and Master Nate, the remaining wasps surrendered.
After the battle Shadow was helping Espio to a gunship that Nate was in. Amy ran up to him "So, Master, what was your total?" "Not now, Amy". Amy smirked "Come on. Are you afraid you lost this time?" "Fine. 55, that's my count. And you" "Sixty. Looks like I won". Shadow stopped and turned around desperately trying to think "Yeah... but I called in the air strike. Tie", Amy rolled her eyes "You're impossible" she walked away. Espio shook his head "I'll never understand how you can simplify these battles into some kind of game". Shadow helped him onto the gunship "Well, take care of yourselves. I expect to see you both back here by the time I've destroyed the main factory". Espio nodded "We shall do our best", Nate smirked "65, Shadow" "I'm sorry?" Shadow said confused. "My total. 65. So what do I win", Shadow paused before smiling "My everlasting respect, Master Nate" "Oh" Nate said sounding disappointed. Espio smiled "That is a gift Shadow rarely bestows, I assure you" right before the gunship took off leaving Shadow who went over to Fang and Amy to plan the next phase of the attack.