Outer Rim under siege! Separatist forces
have launched a major offensive. Led by the
evil cyborg General Dark Oak, Republic forces are
pushed to the brink. In response to this overwhelming attack,
the Shinobi Council has dispatched its Generals, sending
them far from the Core Worlds to bolster the beleaguered
clones. On the distant planet of Teragosa,
we find Commander Armand of the 212th
in desperate need of reinforcements….
A squad of Republic fighters flew towards a bridge when Eggrobos appeared behind them and shot them down. On the bridge the clones were charging across from one side while The Separatists were defending the other side with badniks, tanks and spider walkers. Armand was leading his men across "Take cover! Take cover!" they were being bombarded by cannon fire. Dozens of clones were getting killed as they charged towards the Separatists. Armand saw a cannon shell coming right for him, he covered his face and waited for the end when Espio jumped in front of him and cut the shell in half. "General!" "Armand, get down!" they all fell back and took cover. Espio sighed "Well, I can see thing are going splendidly on this front" "It's no good. We can't locate the tactical Swatbot. He's staying out of sight". An explosion went off near them "Shadow, where are you?" "Right here". Espio saw Shadow calmly standing behind them "What're you doing down there?" "We are taking cover. Now get down!". Shadow looked across the bridge "You're not serious. There's only a thousand badniks down there, tops" "What're you up to? Where's Captain Fang?". Shadow started walking forward "We already finished our battle, so we decided to come help you with yours" "You're overdoing it, again" Espio said irritated. Shadow turned around "Master, I meant no disrespect. If you want, we can stay here and let the people in the city suffer longer. Or we can do things my way and help them now".
Armand rolled his eyes as if this weren't the first time he's heard these two argue. Espio sighed "Alright. I know better than to try and stop you. What's your plan this time?" "Stay here". Shadow walked out across the bridge; all the Separatists guns aimed at him, but he put his hands up "Hold your fire! Hold your fire. I have come to surrender". The badnik commander was confused "Surrender? That's a relief. Notify the Swatbot". Shadow smirked "Your forces fought valiantly, and I must admit we are overmatched by your superior firepower. I congratulate you, for I have fought in many battles on many planets". Emerl stuck his head out form the side of the bridge before climbing underneath where Fang was waiting wearing a jetpack "Emerl. How much longer are we stuck down here?". Emerl beeped "Great. I'll tell the boys". He moved over and looked at a group of clones who also had jetpacks all hanging onto the bridge. "Alright, men. Hang in there a little longer" they all sighed impatiently "Sir, yes, sir". The Swatbot stepped forward in front of the army "Why have you ceased fire?" "Shinobi Knight, Shadow the Hedgehog, has surrendered to us, Commander". Shadow smiled "There he is". The Swatbot saw him "It's a trap, you fools. Open fire!". "Now, Emerl!" Shadow yelled before pulling the Swatbot towards him with the Force and cut him in half. The clones all flew out from under the bridge and started dropping grenades down on the badniks destroying most of them. Armand chuckled "General?", Espio smiled "Yes, Armand. You may join in the fun as well" "Yes, sir. Blast them!". The 212th clones charged forward and Espio walked up next to Shadow "Bravo Shadow. You've done it again" "Oh, I can't take all the credit. Your state of helplessness really sold them on my surrender talk" "Always glad to help, my friend". Shadows commlink then activated "Shadow here. What is it Admiral?" "Sir, we've received a transmission from someone using your subspace frequency 'Ortiz'". Shadow turned to Espio "Harvey", Espio nodded "Perhaps the siege at Delphius has taken a turn for the worse" "No, sir, it's not Harvey. You had best take this transmission here on the ship. Both of you". Shadow and Espio glanced at each other confused.
Shadow and Espio entered the bridge of the Republic cruiser "Alright, Admiral. What's so important you brought us all the way back here?". He then realised who it was talking to on a holo-unit, there was Whisper wearing her mask but next to her was Amy Rose. She turned to him with an emotionless face "Hello, Master. It's been a while". Espio and Gerald remained silent while Shadow was trying to process "A-Amy. Wha-. Ha, I don't believe it! How are you? Where are you? Are you okay?" "I'm alright. Thank you. I wish we had more time to talk, but I have urgent information for both of you". Espio stepped forward "What is it, Amy?" "Whisper and I have located the renegade Raiju Lord, Scourge the Hedgehog. And if we move swiftly, we believe we can capture him".
They entered the hanger with Emerl, Shadow was smiling "It all makes sense now" "What?" "If Amy hadn't left the Order, then she wouldn't have been where she needed to be". Espio glanced at him "That's one way to look at it, I suppose". Shadow got in front of him "It's the only way to look at it. We're gonna capture Scourge, finally. Avenge Master Maria. I thought you would be more excited about this". Espio walked past him "I'm cautiously optimistic". They saw a Wispon shuttle landing, and they walked up to it. The doors opened and Amy walked out, Emerl beeped happily and ran up to her. Amy smiled and patted his head before walking on with Whisper and three of her soldiers. Shadow grinned "Amy, I'm so glad-", Amy put her hand up "We'll have to catch up another time. Things are moving quickly". Shadow's face dropped slightly but listened as Whisper stepped forward and removed her mask "Every minute we waste here gives Scourge an opportunity to slip away". Espio nodded "We understand. Please, follow me".
They were back on the bridge standing around the holo-unit "Whisper has been tracking Scourge's movements for several months. I was able to obtain some transmission codes from the Battle Kukku Empire on Coco, which helped her pinpoint some of his previous locations". Shadow stared at Amy "What were you doing on Coco?" "Just some stuff. It's not worth bringing up". Whisper stepped next to Amy "What matter's now is that we know Scourge is on Planet Wisp in the city of Yacker. He arrived two days ago, I'm certain of it". Espio glared at her "So why not take him yourself? Or to be more specific, what do you want from the Republic?". Whisper sighed "I don't have the numbers needed for a siege. Without a complete lockdown of the city, Scourge will escape again. That's why I'm proposing a joint operation. If we're successful, you'll have Scourge and I'll have Planet Wisp". Espio and Shadow looked at each other before the former answered "If the Republic forces aid you in your assault, it will break treaties that are 100 years old. We will effectively be drawn into yet another war" "What's one more?" Whisper asked. Shadow shrugged "Well, we still have the first one to win". Espio nodded "I will have to advise the Shinobi Council of this development". He turned around, Whisper looked angry, but she suddenly looked desperate "Please, there's no time". Espio turned back to her and listened "I've made mistakes, I played a part in bringing Scourge to power. But now his influence on Planet Wisp is destroying my people. He murdered their ruler, my sister! Please, I can't let him get away again". Espio sighed "Liza meant a lot to me. But I cannot allow my feelings to cloud my judgement. The Council will decide what our course of action will be", Shadow stared surprised at him. Espio entered the main part of the bridge, Whisper put her mask back on "I told you that was a waste of time" she said to Amy before leaving with her soldiers. Shadow crossed his arms "So, that went well, all things considered". Amy smiled "You two certainly haven't changed" "Is that a bad thing?". She smirked, Shadow nodded "Come on. I have a surprise for you".
They walked through the hallways of the ship, every time they passed a clone, they would salute Amy "Commander". Amy didn't seem to like it "They shouldn't salute me anymore. Not since I left the Order". Shadow smiled "It doesn't matter to them. It's a sign of respect. They know what you went through for them, day after day, battle after battle. Loyalty means everything to the clones". They stopped at a door to the hanger, it opened revealing Fang standing in front of a company of clones, their weapons were painted green, orange and pink. Fang smiled when he saw her "Company, attention!" they all turned and formed an opening in the middle. Shadow smiled "Go ahead. They've been waiting to see you". Amy walked past the clones clearly touched, she turned back to Shadow, "As soon as Fang and the guys knew you were back, they got to work". Amy walked up to Fang who happily showed her one of the blasters "The paint job's a little crude, but we think it gets the idea across. Glad to have you back, Commander" "Fang, thank you. But you don't have to call me commander anymore". Fang smirked "Sure thing... Commander", Shadow then came over with a case "I have one more surprise for you". Amy was about to open it but suddenly an alarm blared.
Espio ran inside "Shadow, Fang, prepare all forces. We're jumping to hyperspace immediately" "Yes, sir. Men, with me!" Fang yelled. "So, the attack on Planet Wisp was approved?" Shadow asked, "No, it's Mobotropolis. Dark Oak has attacked the capitol". Amy's face dropped, "What about the Chancellor?" Shadow asked, "Lara-Le has been sent to protect him, but Master Merlin has lost contact with her. Our fleet can be there within the hour". Amy sighed which Espio noticed "I'm sorry, Amy, this is-" "A pivotal moment in the Clone Wars. I know, Planet Wisp isn't going anywhere". Espio nodded guiltily "I promise we will come back for Planet Wisp". Shadow however looked to be in thought "I could divide the 501st, make a new division under Amy's command" "Unfortunately, Amy is no longer a part of the Grand Army of the Republic". Shadow shrugged "We'll promote Fang to Commander and have him lead the new division. Amy can go with him as an advisor. If she accepts" "I do" Amy nodded. Espio smirked "Very well. May the Force be with you. One thing though: I killed Scourge once. Best to capture him. He doesn't seem to stay dead" he left the room. Amy looked to Shadow "Thanks for the support. As always" "That's what friends are for. if you're going to face Scourge, you'll need these". He took out the case again, Amy slowly opened it and saw her lightsabers "I took care of them. They're good as new". Amy smiled and ignited the lightsabers. Shadow nodded "You capture Scourge. I'll take care of Dark Oak. With any luck, this will all be over soon" "Master Espio always said there's no such thing as luck". Shadow shrugged "Good thing I taught you otherwise". He was about to leave but "Shadow" he turned around "Good luck". Shadow just nodded before leaving.
Three Republic Cruisers descended on Planet Wisp and released gunships, fighters and Wispon shuttles. Onboard the lead shuttle Fang's commlink activated "Commander, I have Prime Minister Menniker of Planet Wisp on the comm" "Put him through". A hologram of an angry Menniker appeared "What is the meaning of this invasion? The Republic presence here is a direct violation of our treaty". Whisper stood in front of him "Your time has come, Menniker. We know you're Scourge's puppet, and we're coming for him". Menniker crossed his arms "Ah ha! Mistress Whisper, the traitor. I should have known you were behind this incursion. Siding with the Republic will make you an enemy in the eyes of the people" "I'm fine with that" she cut him off.
The throne room if the city was full of Wispons with green masks. Menniker was speaking to a male orca wearing a mustard yellow jacket and a cloaked female bird next to him. "Akhlut, prepare our forces for an all-out attack. Vale, inform the syndicates of the invasion". Everyone got ready, Akhlut looked excited "It's been a while since we had a fight like this. Are you ready?", Menniker didn't answer.
The invasion force headed towards the city, Whisper activated her commlink and it showed a hologram of a green female howler monkey wearing her mask "Claire, can you confirm the target's location?" "I can only confirm that Scourge has not left the city. All other attempts to locate him have been blocked. Akhlut is already scrambling his defences". She cut off when the ship suddenly shook "We've got incoming!". They opened the doors and they saw gunships getting shot down. The Wispons jumped down with their weapons turning red and flew towards the city themselves. Scourge's men flew up and started boarding the gunships. Whisper jumped out from her gunship to help. Fang and his men put jetpacks on and turned to Amy "Sorry, I didn't think to bring you a jetpack". Amy smiled "Don't need one. Race you to the surface". She jumped out and landed on top of another gunship. She killed the two enemy Wispons on the top before jumping to another gunship and doing the same. She jumped inside the gunship and killed the four enemies inside before picking up one of their wispons and using it to fly towards a damaged gunship that was going down. She climbed to the cockpit and saw the chipmunk pilot not being able to eject. Amy cut through the window, "Thanks, Commander" the pilot ejected. Amy used the Force to alter the trajectory of the ship slightly, so it was now heading to a landing platform full of enemy Wispons. Amy jumped off right before it crashed, and she landed on another part of the platform safely. Amy deflected shots fired at her when Whisper, her men and the clones arrived and chased the enemies away. Fang landed next to Amy who smiled "Beat you". Fang laughed "Some things never change". The battle entered the city, Akhlut and Vale managed to take out a squad of advancing clones before the former spoke to a hologram of Menniker. "We're meeting stronger opposition that anticipated. They've already taken the docks and are moving on your position" "Escape to the Undercity. You will be met there". Akhlut nodded "Understood" they both flew away.
Fang and Amy were fighting in another part of the city when his commlink activated "Commander Fang, this is CT-0292. I think we have something". Amy heard and nodded "Let's go, Commander". They made their way to a stairway down to a tunnel entrance. They met with an echidna clone "Captain Vaugh, what have you got?" "We were cutting of this access point to the Undercity, when we engaged one of the leadership, Akhlut. He disappeared through there. Seemed in a hurry". Amy looked down "What's in there?" "A system of tunnels, sewage ports, mainly. Some conduit pipes" "Let's move in".
Menniker was still in the throne room now wearing a mask and wielding a wispon. He was speaking to a hologram of Vale "The Shinobi is moving through the lower levels, sir" "Then it's just as our lord predicted". The doors suddenly blew open and Whisper charged in with her soldiers. The two sides fought but Whisper headed directly for Menniker who tried to hit her with a cyan laser. The two started fist fighting but Whisper managed to throw him to the floor, knocking off his mask "Where's Scourge?". Menniker didn't look scared "You were never the politician your sister was". He couldn't see her face, but he could tell that angered her "He wanted you to bring the Shinobi here, but you brought the wrong one". Whisper paused, stepped back and then got on her commlink "Amy, come in. You're walking into a trap. Amy!?" there was no response.
Amy was cautiously walking through the tunnels while her squad were searching another tunnel on their own. Amy suddenly heard screaming and ran in their direction. She passed multiple dead bodies of clones with slashes on them. She entered an intersection between two tunnels and found a dying Vaughn. She kneeled down and took his hand, he weakly turned his head to her "I'm... sorry, Commander" he said weakly before dying, and Amy lowered her head respectfully. She then heard steps and ignited her lightsabers. The Wispons surrounded her, she took a defensive stance but she then heard metal clanking coming from one of the tunnels. She turned and saw a shape walking out of the shadows "I was hoping for Espio. Why are you here?" he walked into the light revealing it to be Scourge.