Separatist takeover complete! Another
neutral planet has fallen. Delphius
has seceded to the Confederacy of
Independent Systems once again, now under the rule of
a new king. However, a small band of
Freedom Fighters have taken refuge deep within
the vast and savage wilderness.
From an abandoned outpost, they plot
to take back the heavily fortified
capital city of Oracle and end the
Separatist occupation….
In the Council chamber they along with Shadow and Amy were listening to a hologram of Cyrus the Lion and a young Harvey Who "Unfortunately, the only way to reclaim Delphius will be through armed struggle. But we lack sufficient hardware and supplies". Espio sighed "Delphius is in your king's rule and at the outbreak of the Clone Wars he chose to align with the Separatists". Harvey Who stepped forward "Our true king declared us a neutral system after the murder of Senator Aleena. But he has been silenced. The one you recognise is a traitor and a Separatist minion. We need your help to survive this". Blaze nodded "We shall find away". Cyrus bowed his head "We await your answer" he then glanced over to Amy and the two shared a nod before the hologram cut off. Shadow stepped to the middle of the room "There are pockets of Freedom Fighters on many of these planets that just need guidance. With training and resources, they could attack soft targets while the Republic continued to engage them on the battlefield".
Espio didn't seem to like this "That sounds like terrorism, Shadow" "Well, I think of it as an insurgency to help realign these planets with the Republic". Merlin pondered "We can divide the Separatist forces and press them on two fronts". Blaze however looked apprehensive "Fear cannot be a means to an end. The Shinobi stop those who spread terror". Espio nodded "Indeed. What're you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities. And we must not train terrorists" "Eh, freedom fighters" Shadow corrected. Espio sighed "Yes, well, the Separatists have been training their own 'Freedom Fighters' on our side. How we conduct was what distinguishes us from others. Funding insurgents to overthrow a legitimate government puts innocent lives at risk". Shadow didn't seem convinced "We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect badniks". Merlin looked to Blaze "The least we can do is help them defend themselves, test the tactic while we're at it". Shadow chuckled "This could be a great new weapon for us". Blaze hesitantly nodded "Hmm. Train and observe. We will send advisors" "I'll assemble a team". Espio stood up "I'm going with you" "What, you don't trust me?" "Too much. That's what worries me" the three of them exited the council chamber.
A hawk clone pilot flew a shuttle into the atmosphere of Delphius and flew above a forest "This is Valkyrie 2929. We're coming up on the drop zone". It hovered over part of the forest and the bay doors opened. Shadow, Amy and Espio were all in cloaks and jumped out of the shuttle along with Fang who used a jetpack to land safely. The shuttle flew away as the four of them sneaked through the forest. Suddenly a large lizard creature appeared in front of them being ridden by a white female bird with a yellow beak "Stay where you are!" she ordered. They then realized they were surrounded "State your business". Shadow removed his cloak "It's alright. We're friends". The bird was surprised "Shinobi". Amy and Espio removed their hoods "I'm Commander Rose. We're here to help you take back your planet". The bird nodded "My name is Chloe. I'll guide you to our base".
By the next morning they reached a camp that was hidden in ancient ruins. The whole camp watched as they entered "Hmm. A bit rough around the edges, wouldn't you say?" Espio said. Shadow shrugged "That's why I brought Fang here" "They're not exactly what I would call rookies, sir, but I could work with them". Suddenly a huge non-anthropomorphic eagle being ridden by Harvey landed in front of them. He jumped off and stood next to Chloe "General Shadow" "At your service. This is General Espio, Commander Rose and Captain Fang". Harvey smirked "We're looking forward to taking the fight to those damn badniks" "Yes. All in good time" Espio said. Harvey nodded to them "Harvey. Harvey Who". Chloe rolled her eyes "He fashions himself as our leader though no one elected him" she punched his arm. "Well, for now, we're in charge and there is much to learn" Shadow said.
They were all standing around a holo-unit, Shadow stepped forward "The Separatists have strength in numbers. We're gonna show you how to target and destroy them". Espio then stepped forward "Now, to be clear, we are not here to fight your war, rather, to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible" they all understood this "Captain Fang". Fang stepped forward "I'll show you how the 501st destroy niks. First, I need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point a half klick west". Harvey shrugged "Shouldn't be a problem" "Excellent" Fang left with a group. Cyrus was about to go with them when "Cyrus". He looked back on saw Amy catch up with him "It's good to see you again" "It's good to see you too, Amy" "I didn't realize you had such strong ties to Delphius". Cyrus smirked "I may have lived on Syphon but Delphius is my home. I just wish I could speak for her as well as my mother did". Chloe started walking on his other side "Your voice is strong, like hers was". "Have you considered joining the Republic Senate?" Amy asked, "Even if we do take back Delphius it won't change our stance. We're not fighting for the Republic". Amy nodded "Well, what matters now is, we need each other's help, just like before" "What happened before?" Chloe asked. Cyrus chuckled "Amy's the reason I'm here here and not with the Diamond Cutters. She saved me from a huge mistake". He walked away and Chloe stood next to Amy "Cyrus obviously thinks very highly of you. I hope it's well founded" there was slight distaste from Chloe as she walked away.
Amy was standing a group with a Separatist tank behind her "The pilot in the front hatch controls the tank, the shells and the short-range blasters. The commander in the top hatch controls the turret and the main cannon. You have to take out both chambers otherwise the tank will remain operational". Fang then demonstrated by climbing the tank and throwing a detonator in both hatches before jumping off. The poppers activated and disabled the tank. "Everyone, divide up into teams of two and we'll practice an assault on both hatches" Shadow said. Cyrus smirked "I'll take the top", Harvey hit his back "Let's see what you're made of, Cyrus". Fang threw them both a popper, Harvey immediately pushed Cyrus back before running to the tank. Cyrus followed him and tried to use the cannon to get to the top of the tank, but he slipped and fell on Harvey knocking them both off. Cyrus stood up "Sorry about that?" he tried to help Harvey up, but he just hit his hand away "You're a terrible soldier, Cyrus". Espio and Shadow walked out of ear shot "I'm not sure if they're more interested in fighting the badniks or each other" "They'll learn. We just need time to train them properly". Espio nodded "Keep your eyes on the quick learners. In this fight, time is not on our side". They watched Fang ordering the troops on the tank "Come on! Hussle! Go, go!".
Just outside the capital thousands of badniks with tanks and probe bots stood guard. An Egg Pawn spoke to one of the probes "An unscheduled ship entered the atmosphere in Sector S-11 and failed to register. The insurgents may be operating in that area. Check it out". The probes flew away and entered the forest.
The group were watching Fang training Harvey's men "Come on, move it like a real soldier!". Two of them ran onto the tank but were taking too long "Come on, Dono. Pick it up, Hutch. You can do better than that!" Harvey told them. He then looked over and saw Chloe helping Cyrus with a bruise on his head. He walked over "You sure you're up for this?", Chloe rolled his eyes "Harvey" "It was an accident" Cyrus said. Harvey glared at him "You would've had us both killed". Chloe got between them "Just stop it". Harvey ignored her and pushed Harvey back "Sit down, boy. This isn't the Senate. You've got no talent for this" "It's going to take a lot more than muscle to defeat the Separatists". Harvey turned his back to him "Politics have failed us. We have no choice" "We always have a choice" "Then make yours". Chloe turned him back around "Look if we're going to succeed, you'll need to be exceptional with words and action. There will be a time for both". Amy watched as Harvey walked away. Behind her a duo managed to successfully disable the tank
Shadow was now showing the group three disabled Gammas "Gammas are quick, pack twin blasters and come with heavy armour. Nothing short of a cannon can pierce it at long range. But they do have two weaknesses and you will need to work together to exploit them". Fang activated one of the Gammas which then stood up. Shadow continued "Their armour is able to block the energy from a badnik popper. However, if close enough…". Amy threw a popper which landed right under the Gamma "The wave is strong enough to get through". Amy stepped forward "Gamma's are blind from behind but are able to turn their top haves quickly. So you'll need a good distraction combined with a rear assault to allow you to get close enough to shoot into the small joints in between the armour". Fang threw the group a badnik popper each "You have to throw these just right to take out a Gamma. These ones are unarmed so all you have to do is focus on getting close enough". Harvey stepped forward "Watch and learn" he threw it and it stopped behind the Gamma. It detonated but it did nothing, "Quite brilliant" Cyrus said sarcastically. He then tired and managed to get it under the Gamma disabling it. Amy chuckled "Nice one" "Thanks". The two smiled for a moment but Chloe then hit Cyrus' shoulder "Not bad". She stepped forward and Amy threw her a popper. She then threw hers, but it landed in front of the Gamma causing the detonation fail "Ugh" she said in frustration. Espio looked to her "Be mindful of your frustrations. It'll only hold you back". Cyrus helped her "Here. Use your shoulder, let your arm swing and keep your eyes on the target". Amy looked away from them "Great". Fang got the others into groups to keep practicing. Amy was about to go over to Cyrus but saw him walk away with Chloe. She looked upset by this but Harvey walked up to her "Hey, Commander. Could you help me practice?", Amy nodded. None of them noticed a probe watching them.
The Pawn Commander received the information "Copy that. I'll send a squad out now". He turned to a squad of Omegas with a tank "We've located the insurgents. Proceed to Sector S-29. Shoot to kill".
Harvey had been practicing for a while, but he never got close enough "Uh. I can't get the distance or the speed right" "Don't give up. Learning this could save your life and those around you". Amy threw him another one "A little backspin might help". Amy then saw Cyrus helping Chloe when Harvey finally manged to get close enough. The others clapped which allowed Amy to notice "You got it" "You're a good teacher, Shinobi". Chloe meanwhile had missed again "Ugh, just forget it. I'll never learn this" she walked into the forest frustrated. "Uh, keep practicing" Amy told Harvey before walking over to Chloe who stopped and sat down at a rock. She looked up to Amy "You made it look easy" "Wasn't always that way" "Right. The Force. That your secret?". Amy smirked "No. Perseverance. Look, you'll get the hang of it. I wouldn't let it get you down" "I'm not feeling down. I just know what I'm good at" she glanced at her sniper rifle.
Pawn heads were all on crates, Shadow watches as Chloe manages to hit one "Impressive. Most impressive". Amy then lifted one of the head with the Force "Fixed targets are one thing". She started moving the head around, but Chloe was still able to hit it multiple times, Amy smirked "Nice job". Espio stepped forward "You've clearly mastered your ability to focus". Cyrus started congratulating Chloe, Shadow looked over to Amy and saw she suddenly looked unhappy. He walked over to her "Snips, are you losing focus?" "No, Master" "Good". Fang stood next to Harvey and Chloe as they were preparing to fire "A headshot is the only decisive way to disable a badnik. They don't need arms, legs or even bodies to pass intel to central command. Alright, shoot at will". Chloe used her scope to target the heads when she suddenly saw something moving in the forest "Wait a minute. What is that?". Pawns suddenly stepped out form the trees "Badniks!". Omegas then appeared one firing a rocket at the group "Take cover!" Fang yelled as everyone ran. Shadow and Espio gave everybody cover "It appears training is over". The Freedom Fighters started firing on the badniks, as Shadow and Espio backed up "I'll take the left flank. You take the right". Espio shook his head "No, Shadow. We can only protect them. We cannot fight this war for them". Espio then turned to Chloe who was shooting the advancing badniks "There are too many. Shadow, Amy and I can hold them off while you get your people out of here". Chloe watched the badniks "You didn't teach us to run. Harvey, use your disruptors to take out the badniks" "I'm on it". Harvey and two others threw bombs into a group of badniks blowing them up "Not bad" Shadow said with Espio replying "That is only the first wave".
A tank then arrived and fired on two of the insurgents killing them "We'll handle this" Espio said. Chloe shook her head "No, I will". She fired at the base's pen which released a large group of animals who charged into the badniks. Harvey took out two grenades "Hey, Cyrus, you ready to try again". Cyrus nodded and took one, they ran out and climbed the tank. Harvey threw his in the middle hatch and Cyrus threw his to the pawn at the top hatch "Surrender insurgent. You will be punished for your crimes against the Separatists alliance". Amy used the Force to drop the Pawn inside the tank. Cyrus and Harvey ran back as the tank exploded behind throwing them forward. Chloe ran out and helped Cyrus up causing dirt to get on her hands, she smirked "You're filthy". Harvey chuckled "I like it. Now you look more like a soldier than a politician" "Well, maybe a good politician needs to get dirty now and then" Chloe said. Everyone met up at the centre of the base where Espio spoke "Take confidence from this victory. But rest assured, there will be more badniks coming now that they know your position" "It doesn't matter. You're ready now. We are going to take the fight to the badniks. You don't have to hide in the jungle any longer" Shadow added. Harvey smirked "Badniks were a bit dimmer than I imagined" "They make up for it in numbers. They're designed to overwhelm" Amy said. Shadow nodded "But they're not designed to deal with our approach". Cyrus grinned "We hit them where they least expect it. And before they realize what happened" "We fade in with the rest of the population" Chloe said. Shadow nodded "Exactly" "We need a plan to get inside the city" Amy said. Cyrus pondered "I have an idea".
Two hovercraft holding cargo covered by a tarp was being pulled towards the city by two lizard creatures. The lead craft was being driven by Cyrus with a cloaked Amy next to him and Chloe behind him. They made it to the entrance where a Pawn stopped them "What were you doing outside the city gates?" "Hunting. We've been trekking for days" Cyrus answered. "Did you register before your excursion" the Pawn asked as another walked up to the back of the craft. Cyrus shook his head "No, but most of our time is spent on the bush collecting traps. We come to the city to sell. You can't get larva like this in Oracle. Only the biggest trees on the other side of Delphius". Chloe sighed in frustration "Hey, listen we need to deliver all of this in time for supper". The Pawn turned to another "Are you scanning anything?" "It's hard to tell with so much organic matter". A female Lynx on the other craft stood up "Come on. Our merchants are waiting inside. Can you hurry it up?". The Egg pawns stared at each other before backing up "You may enter" "Thank you". The shields opened and they entered the city. A cloaked Shadow and Espio moved beside Cyrus and Amy "Not a bad start. But now the hard work begins" "You must find recruits and choose your targets wisely". Chloe looked concerned "They'll be looking for us" "We should split up" Cyrus suggested. Harvey nodded in agreement "Regroup after nightfall. I'll alert our brothers". They jumped off the craft "We'll make sure you have the supplies you need" Shadow told Cyrus. "Fang and I will take care of that" Amy said, Cyrus nodded to her "Good luck" "You too" Amy and Chloe said in unison. They then all split up, Shadow looked to Espio "How do you think they'll do" "I have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised". Shadow stared at him "So you admit our new strategy will work?" "I am hopeful, Shadow, hopeful".