The Horrors of Jabiim
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Summary: As Anakin and the 501st deploy on Jabiim to help the Rebellion fight back against the Separatists, he contemplates how different the day would be if he was still a Dark Lord of the Sith. Meanwhile, Obi Wan has taken charge of all Republic forces in the sector and is executing an offensive strike as Ventress prepares to annihilate the duo by luring them into a trap…
Warning: For those who have not read my story "A Messed Up Destiny: Before the Dark Times", it is needed for context of what's going on here and for the other side stories I plan to write that will take place in the same universe. So I suggest you go read it or you'll be completely lost here.
Note: Because this story relates to an extremely bloody battle of the Clone Wars, visual descriptions will match the theme of the conflict, so viewer (or in this reader) discretion is advised and should be seriously considered.
Jabiim, Republic Landing Site, Anakin's point of view:
I had a bad feeling about this. Nothing more and nothing less, but in my time as both a Jedi and a Sith Lord, I've learned not to ignore such warnings from the Force, so I had instructed the 501st to be on guard when we made landing near the Jabiim Resistance's base. The encampment looked much like the Rebellion's bases I would occasionally raid in my time as Darth Vader, but it was more organized, even if the atmosphere gave off the exact opposite feeling.
As I walked off the shuttle and into the camp, I could see the apparent mess that was ongoing as I observed the Republic's newest allies. Technicians were repairing –or modifying, I wasn't sure- weapons, soldiers were working on their aim, and Captain Orliss Gillmunn was doing his best to take charge and direct everyone to where they needed to go, or to the jobs they were meant to do. To give credit where it's due, he was certainly trying, but he was failing miserably.
Rex, who had come down on the surface with me gave me a look behind his helmet, one that I now –having known him for almost four years if one counts the time travel- knew to be a silent question of 'should I do something?'. I nodded an affirmative as Captain Orliss seemed to notice us and hastily made his way to Rex and I, almost tripping in the process.
"Master Jedi!", he greeted me, obviously relieved that we were here. "Thank the Gods you are here! I was beginning to lose hope!", he confessed, though I could sense it to be more of an exaggeration that a fact.
I smiled politely as Rex gave a nod of what was meant to be assurance. "The Jedi will always protect those in need, Captain. Now, how can we help?", I inquired, doing my best to calm the man down without having to directly address his anxiety.
The Captain gave a stiff nod and mumbled something, thinking to himself, before his face lit up as he remembered what he had meant to say. "A base! We'll need to establish a base to defend against the Separatist forces that those damned Nationalists have with them!", he said, feeling angry at his own mention of the enemy.
Deciding to keep myself relaxed for now and simply follow protocol while I still could, I relayed orders to the men and engineers as they began to work on guarding the encampment and constructing the base. Rex had left my side by then, starting to tend to his other duties as Jango approached me, accompanied by a young Jedi, no older than nineteen.
The two seemed to be arguing and I let out a long sigh –internally of course- before walking towards them, leaving Captain Orliss to handle the mess of an encampment we were standing in.
"And I'm telling you, Bounty Hunter, that your plan is going to get us all killed. We have lightsabers! Why not use them all at once instead of splitting our forces like idiots?", the boy argued, with Jango giving no response and instead turning to face me.
Fett shook his head, exasperated by the Padawan –or maybe Knight, if the Council was still as stupid as I remembered and continued to send barely grown teenagers to war- and pointed to me before replying in a tone that conveyed how little of the boy's crap he was having. "Take it up with your superior kid. I'm just following orders. Besides, Kenobi is the one who made the plan and he's already off to the south, so stop pestering me, would you?", he snapped at the kid, now very irritated and quite possibly a little furious at the young Jedi.
Not being in the mood or having the mental energy to deal with some random kid who thought he knew better than an actual general, I hastily put an end to his Bantha Poodoo and tasked myself with overseeing the construction of what would soon become as Shelter Base, which had been destroyed on the 21st day of the conflict in the original timeline, an action that I wouldn't allow to be repeated.
Ten hours of relentless work later, Republic and Jabiimi engineers had finished the construction of the base, mostly because of me aiding them with the Force whenever it was needed. The other Jedi Generals had taken command of the main attack force and had already overrun several dozen Separatist outposts, but Fett –who had gone with them on my orders- had thankfully managed to warn them about spreading our forces too thin, and thus, Generals Sirrus and Norcuna had decided to prepare a solid defense using the abandoned Separatist positions before moving onwards with the main assault unit, a move that was perhaps exactly what we needed to protect Shelter Base from the upcoming Separatist attack.
Deciding that it was time to contact Admiral Yularen and get him in on granting us areal support before any heavy storms rolled in –the very thing that had nearly doomed us last time- and sent a mental message to Obi Wan, requesting the coordinates of the Separatist position he was closest to. My brother quickly provided me with the Intel, prompting me to immediately send it over to the Admiral, who relayed the orders for an air attack through the comm.
Meanwhile, Jabiimi plains, Obi Wan's point of view:
I definitely had a bad feeling about this… With Ventress on world and our forces split in three, it was up to Cody and I to take command of the main force –the one under our authority anyways- and capture her, as well as this…other…presence. The Force wasn't revealing much about whoever was with the Dathomirian, only that they were highly dangerous and that I should be careful when facing them.
I was irritated by the lack of details, especially since it was likely a Bounty Hunter, someone like Aura Sing or Cad Bane, who were trained in killing Jedi and were a massive pain in anyone's behind. Add to that the fact that I didn't have any other Jedi with me –all the others having either stayed behind to protect Shelter Base or gone with Masters Sirrus and Norcuna- and I suddenly knew why Anakin had insisted on speaking with Revan before we made landing. This…was going to be a bloodbath.
With no warning from the Force, the ground beneath us suddenly exploded into a million bits and I could hear the screams of dying men as Rocket Droids descended upon us, along with Ventress and surprisingly, Durge. The so called "immortal Bounty Hunter".
Anakin and I had both fought him in the original timeline, with my brother having finally killed him by launching the wretched being into a star, but he had been one of our toughest opponents, easily rivalling General Grievous and was even a match for Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon, who had almost been killed by him at some point in the Clone War, though I couldn't recall when exactly, not that this was a time for reminiscing.
Knowing I wouldn't even have the time to look around, I used the Force to sense the environment and try to figure out how many of my men were alive…and out of the three thousand Clone Troopers I had brought with me, less than half were still standing –Cody amongst them, thank the Force-.
"Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi.", Ventress purred, standing calmly next to Durge, from whom I could only sense bloodlust and a deep hatred for the Clones.
I was curious as to why he hated them so badly, but there would be a time for answers later. Locking eyes with Ventress, Ι used Anakin's beloved Force Choke to lift her and Durge both in the air, allowing Cody and I to fall back with the rest of the men.
The clusterkriff that ensued was no battle, and calling it a bloodbath would be an understatement, not when the brutality of it could easily rival some of Anakin's early missions from the time of the Empire. For what seemed like days, I could only hear the screams of dying men and the clanking of mechanical feet stomping on the ground, accompanied by the cackling of both a madman and a Sith as Ventress and Durge tore through my men like they were nothing, soon leaving Cody and I as the only Republic soldiers left standing, opposed only by Ventress and her partner.
In that moment, I thought that even against all odds, our men had destroyed every single droid that had come for us, a number which easily outshined their own by several times, not that it mattered to them during the carnage that this –a 'light skirmish' as the battle reports would later call it- had brought upon our ranks.
We were dead men, both Cody and myself. Maybe alone I could try and take either Ventress or Durge and go down a hero, but with Cody here there was no room for reckless stuns if I wanted to keep him alive. Ventress let out a sadistic cackle before turning to look me in the eye, ignoring my Commander as if she didn't even see him as a threat. A mistake to be sure, but only under better circumstances.
"For a mighty hero, you sure are easy to defeat, Master Jedi.", Ventress mocked me, trying to get a rise out of me.
I smiled at her, not wanting the Sith Assassin to realize that she was succeeding. "And for a Sith, you sure need a lot of help to go up against one Jedi and some Clone Troopers. Dooku would be disappointed.", I quipped back, watching in satisfaction as Ventress' face turned into a scowl.
She let out a cry of anger –and perhaps an accidental Force Scream given that my ears were ringing, though that might have been the explosions from earlier- and motioned for Durge to execute Cody and me. "Kill them both.", she ordered, though the order wasn't quite needed, seeing as Durge would have probably done it anyways.
Cody and I looked at each other for what may perhaps be the very last time as we both reached a silent agreement and turned back to Durge, staring death in the face as two shots were fired…only to never reach us.
They had been stopped in midair by an invisible Force, by something far more powerful than a Jedi. I knew it wasn't Anakin since he was at Shelter Base and it couldn't be Qui Gon since I'd recognize his presence anywhere, which left only one possible candidate.
"What took you so long?", I asked in a tone unbecoming of a Jedi as Revan let out a chuckle, amused by the situation I had found myself in.
The Force Ghost shook his head as he waved a hand in front of Ventress and Durge, who looked like they had been frozen in time. The duo collapsed in the mud and Revan called one of their coms to his hand, signaling the nearest available droid unit to come and retrieve their commanders.
He then turned to face me, and even I could tell he was looking smug underneath that helmet he always wore. "I couldn't find a takedown that I really liked.", he quipped. "I mean, there are so many ways to take those two out…", Revan trailed of as he pointed at Durge and Ventress, his voice full of sarcasm.
I let out a sigh at the quip, but said nothing as I signaled for an evacuation gunship to come pick Cody and me up. To his record, the man had said nothing about this –in his mind- bizarre situation, but when I looked at him, I discovered why. He was frozen as well, much like Ventress and Durge, though he looked to be moving the slightest bit, hand reaching for his blaster, most likely trying to take a shot at our opponents.
Revan shrugged innocently as he released whatever hold he had over the Clone Commander, causing the man to fire a shot to where Ventress had been standing before the ex-Sith's arrival. Cody looked confused to seem the duo neutralized, but didn't say anything as he looked around…and saw nothing, as Revan had apparently dematerialized right after releasing him.
"Sir? What just happened?", Cody asked, confused.
I let out a small chuckle and glanced at him nonchalantly. "Just another day in the Clone Wars, Cody. Don't worry about it.", I quipped at him. If he found the answer strange, he never told me, though he seemed to accept the explanation, probably chalking it up to 'Space Wizard Magic', as some Vod called it these days.
We then began walking away from where Ventress and Durge lay, hoping to avoid detection from incoming droids as we waited for an extraction. It didn't take long for the gunship to arrive, nor for us to get to Shelter Base, though I now found myself wishing it had taken a bit longer as Anakin approached us with a smile on his face and I realized that I'd have to face a lot of teasing from my brother about my defeat.
"Bad day?", he asked, as if were on Coruscant having a drink, instead of on a battlefield, fighting in the war.
In what Cody would later state was a rare case of me not looking stoic, I playfully slapped Anakin on the shoulder as I let him help me inside the base and immediately collapsed onto the makeshift bed that had been provided to me. From Anakin's future remarks, it would seem Cody did the same, the only difference being that he was mumbling something about 'those karking space wizards' under his breath while going to his assigned bunk.
And…scene! There you have it everyone! Chapter 2 of Horrors of Jabiim! This chapter served more as an introduction to the main plot/characters and of course, Durge. This was also meant to expand on Anakin and Obi Wan's mentalities a little bit, since we get the part with Anakin thinking about his situation and noting the irony, while Obi Wan is shown to prioritize Cody over the objective, a sing that he's not denying his attachments anymore. The next chapters will focus more on the actual conflicts than the characters, but that's for later.
Anyhow…now we move to our regularly scheduled exposition!
Firstly, Anakin's thoughts on Shelter Base. Anakin remarks that the Jabiimi Rebels' camp is much more organized than the Rebellion's in the time of the Empire, which should be taken as a compliment in this context. We also see that he's retained some characteristics from the original timeline, even after becoming Vader, because he's the one helping the engineers put Shelter Base together in so little time by using the Force and this ties into him never ordering others to do something he isn't willing to do himself, something that he actually did even as a Sith Lord.
Secondly, Durge. The backstory used for and comments made by Obi Wan about Durge in this chapter are taken directly from his Wookiepedia entry in Legends since he hasn't made a cannon appearance yet and is meant to appear in an upcoming comic that hasn't released yet. Durge actually is a match for the likes of (canon) Grievous, given the fact that in Legends, Dooku actually used him and Ventress to test the cyborg by having them bump into him on a mission.
Durge is extremely powerful and the complete destruction of his body mass is the only way he can die, since he is capable of regenerating any and all parts of himself after he's been damaged. To say that Deadpool's powers have nothing on his would be an understatement, but he's also fought Sith and Jedi alike, as well as the Mandalorians in a period of time where they were focusing heavily on war. For context, Durge is about two thousand years old, meaning that he's had plenty of time to hone his skills as a fighter and is an incredibly dangerous opponent.
He's going to serve as a main antagonist in this story and because he's so hard to kill, he might even survive a fight against the likes of Anakin himself, even if the latter is using Vader's powers against the Bounty Hunter.
Thirdly, Obi Wan and Revan. The relationship between these two has been left completely unexplored so far and that's for good reason, that reason being that I had no idea what their interactions would look like. I eventually settled on basing them off Anakin's and Obi Wan's interactions since Anakin and Revan are very similar, but as one can see during the scene where Revan shows up to help, the humor is a bit stale, the familiarity that Anakin and Obi Wan have isn't all there, but that's what makes this encounter interesting in my opinion. Let me know what your thoughts are on this in the review section.
Lastly, Obi Wan and Cody's encounter with Ventress and Durge. This fight is…interesting, mainly because of the fact that there is no fight in this scene. One would expect this to be the first time Obi Wan and Ventress have a duel, but it's intentionally avoided because Obi Wan's priorities are not the same as they once were. As I stated in the first paragraph of the epilogue, Obi Wan is more concerned about Cody's safety than defeating Ventress. He even comments on this by saying that if it was just him he would have already tried to fight back and if he were die, he'd have gone out a hero, but with Cody there…he can't afford it.
When Revan arrives to help, Obi Wan is at a loss of what to do. He knows that if he fights he risks losing Cody and is trying to figure out how to get both of them away from Durge and Ventress, and Revan provides just the opportunity that Obi Wan needs. Note that Revan doesn't even try to face off against the enemy –which is very unlike him-, but this happens not only because they don't Sidious to know he exists, but also because there is no need for a confrontation. Too many lives have already been lost and neither Obi Wan nor Revan are risking another, hence Revan opting to neutralize the evil duo as Obi Wan and Cody escape, while also being careful to not be discovered by anyone just yet, since it isn't the right time.
Next time: With General Kenobi's forces having been annihilated by Commander Ventress, the Separatists make a push towards Shelter Base, intending to destroy it and leave with Republic without a command center as Anakin Skywalker is tasked with defending the compound from enemy forces, bringing him face to face with the Immortal Bounty Hunter, Durge.
That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask a question or to chat, and I'll see you all next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!