Fighting For Freedom (G.I. Joe x Star Wars)
Chapter 1: To Boldly Go
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Black Forest, Germany
The sky is black as midnight over a large, forested mountain range. Stars decorated the night sky like they are jewels in a treasure box. The darkness almost made the trees indistinguishable from the shadows - if it weren't for the dim moonlight to illuminate the dense canopy. A blissful silence filled the atmosphere.
But this night, that silence was about to be broken. High in the sky, a dagger-like object passed through the moon. Beneath it, small lights as bright as the stars emerged. They grew bigger with each passing second as they moved. It wasn't until the lights entered the troposphere that their real form is revealed. Streaking towards the forest with the roar of engines is three-winged spacecraft. When they got close enough, the wings folded at the sides and extended landing struts as they touched down.
When it landed, a sharp hiss rang out. Steam shot from a pair of pistons at the belly of the ship as a ramp lowered down. From out of the gray and lit-up interior came ten men clad in stark white body armor, perfectly polished and shined. Their helmets are set into a grimace and carry black bulky rifles that are not of this world. They carried themselves with an air of professionalism and intimidation.
At the lead is a soldier with an orange shoulder pad, signifying his status as a commander. As he and his squads moved away from the spacecraft, the other seven shuttles landed and deployed more squads of white armored soldiers armed with the same weapons. The squads convened on each other while lining up and standing at attention. The commander faced them at the front and addressed them.
"Alright, you know our orders," the commander ordered. "According to intelligence, the terrorist's hideout is somewhere within this forest. We are to capture as much of them as we can for interrogation. They don't know we are coming, so to keep it that way, keep your lights off and your mouths shut. Now let's move it out."
Together, the soldiers marched towards the forest. As per orders, they didn't activate their firearms lights. Not that it was necessary as their helmets allowed them to see through the darkness.
"Say…why do you think these Earthers call this place the Black Forest?" CM-431 asked.
"Kriff if I know," U-217 asked sarcastically. "Maybe because the forest is black?"
"I thought it's because it blends well with the night," CM-431 said with a shrug. "I mean, what else do you expect from these primitives when they name their forests after something so obvious? For crying out loud, they named their planet after dirt."
"True, but you have to admit, the Black Forest makes it sound ominous," another trooper, BW-136 added while surveying the area.
"Yeah…well, ominous isn't going to help these terrorist scum," U-217 retorts before barking out a laugh. "Now that sounds better than rebels. Even after we took them in, this is how they repay us! They keep popping up one after another. Why don't we just blow up the whole planet?"
"And lose our only foothold in this galaxy, good luck explaining that the emperor," CM-431 retorts. "But you've got to admit, they have guts going up against squads of Stormtroopers armed with slugthrowers. I heard that some of them could pierce our armor. Guess that another to add to the list of complaints."
"Careful trooper. You don't want to get arrested for treason, do you?" The Commander, having overheard the conversation, ordered firmly. Immediately, the troopers clammed up and the squad continued walking through the forest in silence.
He would never show it, but he genuinely cared about the soldiers under his command. He knew that the helmets were purposefully designed to have no volume setting, which is how he heard them talking. Back on the Executioner, there is an Internal Affairs officer that is scanning every one for signs of disloyalty and sedition. One word will be enough evidence that will send them to the firing squad without a court-martial. Something that he had witnessed first-hand when he was fresh out of the Academy. The only good soldier follows orders.
Especially if you are unfortunate to be at the mercy of the emperor's fist.
"Commander, are we coming up on the terrorist hideout?" U-217 asked as they continued to advance.
"We should be seven meters away right now," the Commander answered. "While their technology is primitive by our standards, they're creative. Ever since we took out their military, the remnants have been getting desperate for supplies and ammunition. We take this base down, we can choke their supply lines as well as discover more Rebel bases."
"As if we'd never find them in a forest," U-217 commented sarcastically.
"We won't' if you don't keep quiet," the Commander ordered with steel-edged in his voice. While these Earthers may be primitive, they are far from fools. He had heard from other Stormtrooper platoons about how they lost men to Earther guerillas. They appeared and vanished like ghosts.
"Whatever you say, commander…"
The stormtroopers proceeded in silence. They kept their weapons up as the Commander took point. Eyes scanned the forest in search of rebels hiding among the trees. The other squads are doing the same. Yet there was no sign of any rebels or the base. The commander had a bad feeling about this.
CM-431, who is watching their rear, had just taken a step backward when the ground exploded. Compressive force shot upwards, creating a cloud of soil around the Stormtrooper. It happened so fast for them to react. Their ears are ringing from the sound of the explosion that occurred. The troopers turned around just in time to see their comrade on the ground.
"My leg!" CM-431 cried out in anguish as he clutched his left leg. To their horror, the plastoid armored had been stripped away revealing a bleeding stump of flesh with a tip of bone poking out. Immediately, the medic in his squad began applying a bacta patch.
Unfortunately for them, they weren't the only troopers experiencing what CM-431 went through. All around them, more explosions happened at a trooper's footstep. Some lost their legs while others were blown sky-high. There was even one trooper who got both his legs blown up, fall to the ground, and got his head blown up as well.
"Kriff! What is going on?" BW-136 yelled out he stayed in place. Ignoring the cries of CM-431, The commander looked at the area where he stepped on. A medium-sized crater was created from the force of the explosion.
"They buried explosives beneath the ground," The commander realized.
"Damn Earthers!" U-217 cursed as he brandished his E-11 blaster rifle. "Where are they?! Those no-good dirty—"
He didn't finish as the back of his helmet exploded. U-217 fell forward with a gaping hole in his helmet. It appeared that the helmet cracked from the impact of the projectile. Blood seeped through it. The commander recognized the type of wound from previous engagements on Earth. Especially the loud sound that came before his trooper's death.
Both belonged to slugthrower weaponry. Which could only mean one thing.
"Ambush!" the Commander yelled out as he scanned the area with his rifle. There were still explosions, but the remaining troopers have thought it wise to either stay still or stick to the trees. That only made them sit targets to the enemy that's hiding in the darkness. Somehow, their laughable slugthrowers are piercing their armor.
"They're everywhere!" A trooper cried out before he was shot by blaster fire. The Commander blinked but knew that the rebels must've scavenged blasters from the Stormtrooper squads that have been reported missing or declared KIA. Everywhere he looked, Stormtroopers, the elite soldiers of the empire, are being picked off one by one.
How could he have been so stupid? The rebels must've known they were coming! So, they set these explosives up and lay in wait for them. They had walked into a trap! The commander knew that the mission has failed. His superiors aren't going to be happy, but they can't complete a mission if they are all dead. But that didn't mean he can't request backup while he gets his men out of here.
"This is LX-106 calling Executioner," The commander said into his helmets integrated commlink. "We're pinned down and we need—"
As he was making the call, he didn't notice the shadow of a figure dressed in a ghillie suit rise behind him. Quickly, the figure wrapped a strong arm around him and put the edge of a knife against the neck. In one swift motion, the assailant slit the commander's throat. Blood seeped through the black fabric and the Stormtrooper gurgled blood from his mouth before he fell forward.
It was happening everywhere. In the chaos of explosions and gunfire, more assailants in ghillie suits emerged from hiding places such as behind trees or among piles of leaves. Armed with knives, they attacked the Stormtroopers where their armor is the weakest. Some managed to wrench the Trooper's blasters out of their hands and use it against them. Blaster bolts scorched their stark white armor.
That didn't mean the Imperial ground forces weren't putting up a fight. Some troopers, who managed to collect themselves, managed to throw off their assailants. The ones that are still standing trained their blasters on the enemy and fired. Yet their number is significantly decreasing more than the enemy.
It took several minutes for the silence to fall upon the forest.
"Salvo to Brothers Grimm. The imps are neutralized. I repeat, the imps have been neutralized."
"Copy, Salvo. Secure any salvageable equipment and report back to base."
"Wilco, Sparks, but there's more. A few of my boys didn't make it out. I must insist that you allow me to give them a proper burial back in the States."
"Understood Salvo. You'll get your chance after you relocate to the Pit."
"The Pit? Been a while that we've been there. Also, if you can deliver this to Duke before he leaves…tell him to make it count. We'll be returning to base shortly in time for evacuation. Salvo out."
The line went dead. Taking off a headset, a man dressed in urban camouflage fatigues turns away from a laptop hooked up to military-grade radio equipment to face the man standing behind him. The man is dressed in the same fatigues with the inclusion of a black leather jacket, a black undershirt, and a black beret. The berets cap badge is that of an eagle head over a five-pointed star.
"Assault team has reported in, General Hawk," Sparks reported. "The ambush is a success, but we sustained a few casualties. We've managed to jam their communications."
"I can imagine Salvo was more than happy to use all of those land mines," Hawk said wryly. Sparks let out a laugh at that.
"With all due respect sir, the Ottawa Treaty went out the window as soon as the Imps decided to attack us."
"Among other things," Hawk said with a chuckle before his face became impassive. While casualties are to be expected in war, it doesn't change the fact that he lost good men under his command. He experienced it in many conflicts before this war for Earth.
It began only seven months ago and with a few eggheads in NASA. They were testing out a new telescope when they detected a burst of Hawking radiation - thermal radiation that is theorized to be released by a black hole's event horizon. Thankfully, it disappeared immediately, but they also detected an object in its place. The only reason that they were able to see it was because they were looking at it at the time. At first, they assumed it to be a meteorite that got dragged into their solar system.
That was until they got the shock of their life when they found out that the object was man-made. Floating through space is a dagger-shaped vessel about a thousand and six hundred meters long. Hawk never thought the day would come when humanity would have first contact with an alien race.
Eventually, the news of the alien vessel spread like wildfire despite attempts to contain it. Alien fanatics were already on the streets holding signs celebrating alien life. Even the military was called in to assist in the surveillance of the vessel as they launched a multitude of objects towards them. They immediately assumed that they are launching an attack. But when one of the objects landed on Earth, it was revealed to be a probe. Fortunately, nobody was stupid enough to destroy it and took it into custody.
Now that Hawk thought about it, that might have been one of the reasons that the vessel, later revealed to be an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, headed towards Earth. He was pretty sure that Earth is the only planet capable of sustaining life in this solar system. When the Star Destroyer came to Earth's orbit, it sent down what they called a 'First Contact' package. The aliens managed to reply.
When they received the reply, Earth got even more of a shock when humanity came face to face with…humans. The alien's biology was relatively like theirs. They had the same skeletal structure, muscle structure, the same red blood, and even breathed oxygen. Immediately, there was speculation as to how there were human aliens out there. One popular theory was that some were abducted from Earth long ago and put on some other planet.
Things were a little difficult at first due to communication. Not surprisingly, English wasn't a universal language. It took a while for them to find a solution to that problem. Luckily, both sides utilized binary code as the basis for their computer software. By translating their language into binary, they could then translate it into their own.
After that was settled, they could get down to business. They scheduled a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York City. Every country sent its representatives for what should've been the most important event in history. The aliens sent a shuttled filled with an armed escort and the representative, Admiral Diegter Allver of the Imperial Navy.
They introduced themselves as soldiers of the Galactic Empire, formerly known as the Galactic Republic. After nearly being destroyed by a war dubbed 'The Clone Wars, they rebuilt themselves from the ashes of the Republic to bring back peace and stability to their galaxy. Their government structure functioned as a democracy.
Upon experimenting with a giant gate in space that could create wormholes, they found themselves in their solar system. In exchange for helping them find a way to work out the 'Space Gate' and establishing communications between galaxies, they offered Earth an alliance. They will assist their planet in advancing technology, medicine, and other innovations. They even offered to help them with their space program along with a terraforming project that will allow them to colonize Mars and any other planet within the Milky Way galaxy. Nearly all the nations jumped at that offer.
But some remained skeptical of the Empire's intentions, including General Hawk. It was a gut instinct honed after years of fighting a covert war against a terrorist organization determined to rule the world. They would put on a face that fools everyone into believing that they have altruistic intentions before revealing their true colors. He knew one such terrorist that is locked away with his leader in a secure facility. Anyone else affiliated with them is still unaccounted for when he and his team dismantled their organization. They remained on high alert following their leader's final vow…retaliation.
Now that he was facing the Galactic Empire, his gut at the time told him that they are giving out too much honey. Luckily, his superiors shared the same sentiments and asked his team to monitor their activities. That included their efforts to ingratiate themselves into Earth society, where the Empire has assisted them in stamping out terrorist activity. Their armor and weapons were more advanced than their munitions, which they've derisively called 'slugthrowers'. Joint operations were successful so far.
At least that is what they are showing on the outside. Once the Empire was able to work out the gate, the number of Star Destroyers in Earth's orbit increased. Acting on his suspicions, Hawk authorized a covert mission to infiltrate a Star Destroyer and retrieve some data from the Imperial Network. The mission was a success and it bore rotten fruit. The data listed things that the Empire never mentioned in the First Contact conference besides military occupation and questionable practices. Razing planets for their resources, slavery, and orbital bombardment of planets. This was enough evidence to start planning an offensive against the Empire before they strip their planet dry.
But then things went FUBAR forty-eight hours after the data was stolen. Having established communication between the other Galaxy, Andromeda, Emperor Sheev Palpatine had invited the world leaders along with imperial senators to a celebratory feast of a friendship between galaxies. The senators were the first to arrive in London where the world leaders have gathered. Before the Emperor himself could arrive, a bomb went off, killing everyone present. That incident was broadcast to the entire world. When he received word, the emperor began demanding justice for the deaths of his representatives.
Earth's authorities were scrambling to resolve this incident, especially his unit. But it got worse when evidence that implicated Hawk and his team was discovered. Their team had been exposed to the world and their newfound alien enemy. Within minutes, the world has declared them terrorists. He just knew that the Empire is behind everything to prevent them from exposing the truth.
Hawk recalled getting the orders to disband his team and report to his court-martial back in the States. His soldiers were also being recalled by their heads of state to stand trial for a crime they didn't commit. It was as if they are saying that if he and his men were innocent, they would have no problem turning themselves in. The general knew that if his team was gone, then who will be left to stand against the Empire and their manipulations.
Ultimately, he and his team chose to go rogue to better combat the empire. Hawk still had a few friends who didn't believe the Empire's lies. They helped him by 'accidentally' overlooking certain assets that his team held and inside information. From then and onward, they waged a cover war to expose the enemy and clear their names.
Tonight, their most daring offensive against the Imps begins.
"General Hawk, we're ready," Sparks called out as he and several other technicians begin packing up their equipment. Sparks had already disconnected his laptop from the radio equipment and closed it. Anything they couldn't take with them is disposed
"Let's get going then," Hawk said with a wry smile. "Don't want to be left behind and give the Imps something to shoot at, do we?"
"No, we don't sir," Sparks said as he and the others began to exit the room. They exited the building complex that is at the center of the Black Forest. Around the base, men and women dressed in the same fatigues are packing up equipment and destroying what they can't bring with them. The last thing they want is for the Imps to discover more of their bases, especially when they send more when they find out that their assault squads failed to report in. Some of them are already boarding silver VTOL jets called Howlers. They are old-fashioned compared to those TIE Fighters that the Empire showed, but they get the job done.
Hawk and the technicians proceeded to a waiting Howler. He remained outside while the others boarded. Once the last man is inside, he entered the howler and stood next to the door. Rapping his fist against the metal of the howler, signaling the Pilot to take off. He didn't move as the Howler rose from the ground and watched as it became small.
From the open door of the Howler, something else caught his eye. In the distance, he could make out ten faint lights rising from the edge of the forest. Hawk wasn't concerned at all but smile all the same. He watched the lights as they flew where he knew the Star Destroyer is and spoke three words.
"Good luck Joes."
Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer, ISD Executioner, Geosynchronous Orbit
At the bridge tower of the Executioner, a meeting is taking place. In a small room, a male human dressed in a double-breasted tunic with a round collar and matching trousers, a pair of black boots, a belt, and a kepi cap. On his left breast is a badge symbolizing his status as an Admiral. He carried an air of professionalism mixed with fear. And for good reason.
The man stood stiff as a board in front of a table, which projected the image of a hooded head with a decrepit-looking face. Yellow eyes blazed out from the shadows of the hood and scrutinized the Admiral who is sweating drops.
"Admiral Allver," the head spoke in a quiet croak. "Report."
"My lord," Allver gulped nervously. "The United Nations have signed the weapons treaty. With our assistance, they will be able to produce their ships and blasters. Our scientists are collaborating with theirs to Terraform the planet they call Mars."
"Excellent…soon they will possess the capacity to expand from their primitive rock…making them even more grateful to us," Emperor Palpatine said with a chuckle before it died down. "But why do I have a feeling that you are holding something back?"
This made Admiral Allver gulp more. He didn't want to deliver this news, especially to the emperor. The last time he spoke to his excellency is when they managed to establish communication with his galaxy and operate the gate. The emperor cannot make public appearances, which is why he acted as his hand in this galaxy to settle intergalactic relations. He had ordered him to let Earth have her independence for now and nurture the alliance between the galaxies. It was easy considering he was the one who successfully facilitated what the Earthers called 'First Contact'. And the bombing of the world leaders and several senators has been becoming a nuisance in the imperial senate. Not that anyone would utter that out loud.
"We're still having trouble with the…terrorists," Allver said. When the emperor narrowed his eyes at him, he tried to amend, "But we are putting them down as we speak! We received a tip about a terrorist supply base. With the full authority of Earth's governments, I've dispatched ten squads of Stormtroopers to capture as many as they could so we can learn the whereabouts of more terrorist cells."
"I hope so Admiral…for your sake," the emperor warns. "After a breach like that, everything that we have built will come crashing down. Our galaxy already has whispers of rebellion. We cannot allow another to grow in this new galaxy before we could claim it. Is that clear?"
"Understood," the Admiral nodded profusely. This was bad. He's on thin ice with the emperor right now. If these terrorists aren't stamped out, he could lose his position as admiral. Or worse, his life. Fortunately, he had several cards left to play. "There is one more thing I would like to report to your excellency."
"Oh? What is it?
"We've discovered that the Earthers have developed Nuclear weaponry," the admiral said at last. His Emperors face widened in surprise at this information.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. According to their historians, they developed nuclear technology in the 1930s. They utilize radioactive elements such as uranium and plutonium. It's nowhere powerful as our solar ionization reactors, but they provided power and allowed the development of their nukes."
"Fascinating…" Emperor Palpatine said with interest. "I thought this knowledge died with the Mandalorians of old. How much do they have?"
"There are approximately 3,750 active nuclear warheads and 13,890 total nuclear warheads on Earth," Allver answered much to the emperors. "Each of them is under heavy guard for good reason as they are the primary reason that the countries are at peace…otherwise they will destroy themselves."
"A sound strategy," his excellency praised with a smile that revealed yellow teeth. "Are they still mining these radioactive elements?"
"No. They ceased mining after 2002," Allver said. "I assume it's because they have too many nukes. But I ordered a secret scan of Earth, and there are around 40 trillion tons of untouched uranium within the crust. I can also confirm that they once conducted a test on a thermonuclear warhead, codenamed Starfish Prime, outside their atmosphere…I can confirm that it detonated."
Allver held his silence and waited for the emperor's response. Those yellow eyes unnerved him every time, but he couldn't let that show. This is the man who brought an end to the Clone Wars and established the New Order.
"You've done well, Admiral," the emperor said at last. "Perhaps I should make you Earth's governor when we claim dominion. I will be dispatching the Grand Moff to the galaxy soon."
"Pardon me, your excellency…Grand Moff Tarkin is coming here?" Allver asked nervously.
"Yes. He will be coming to the Milky Way Galaxy to assist in stamping out the terrorists before they could spiral out of control. I'm certain he'll find a way to persuade Earth to share their nuclear secrets. You will focus on our promise of terraforming Mars and expanding Earth's reach."
"I will your excellency. Though if I may point out…most of their nuclear secrets are public."
"Making it easier for us," the emperor nearly snorted. "You know your tasks Admiral."
With that declaration, the hologram vanished. Allver released a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. Talking with the emperor has always been a tense matter for the servants of the empire. Although he shared his thoughts on making the instructions of how to make nukes public. It
Straightening himself, he walked around the holo table towards a set of blast doors. They opened to admit him to the command bridge where he is greeted by the abuzz of activity. He along the walkway towards the windows which displayed the expanse of space. On both sides of the walkway are elongated pits at floor level, with walls lined with monitors and control panels. Each has six more duty station consoles mounted perpendicular to the walkway.
"Sir!" One of the technicians called out. "The squads deployed to the Black Forest have returned. The mission is a success and they have detained prisoners. They are requesting clearance to board."
"They have?" Admiral Allver asked. If they are back, then that must mean that the terrorists have been dealt with. What would he have expected from the primitive Earthers? Their slugthrowers are no match for their superior firepower. Hopefully, they brought back prisoners intact so that they can interrogate them for the whereabouts of other terrorist bases. It is much better than ordering an orbital bombardment or a TIE strike. This is a waste of resources, and it will make rooting out these terrorists before they could stage a rebellion.
"Request granted," Allver order. "They are cleared to board. Have squads of Stormtroopers on standby to transport the prisoners to the detention center."
"At once, Admiral," the technician replied. Allver drew a deep breath as he anticipated the extraction of information. Nothing like a good Interrogation Unit and truth serum to get them talking. Soon, he will have the locations of any potential terrorist cells and stamp out any dissent.
Little did he know that things were going to go crashing down on him.
Inside the second hangar of the Executioner, the crew was abuzz with activity following the deployment of the strike force to the Black Forest. Above them, various TIEs are hanged from clamps, devoid of any pilots. Said pilots are running around dressed in insulated black flight suits with black helmets. Lined up information, and awaiting the arrival of the shuttles carrying prisoners, are four squads of Stormtroopers all armed with the standard E-11 blaster rifles.
"You have to admit, these Earthers make good music," a stormtrooper tells another standing next to him. On his belt, an iPod is playing music, which his companion took notice of.
"How are you listening to that?" He asked. "Don't you need one of those headphones?"
"Yep. Turns out, some of them have this thing called Bluetooth earbuds. You can listen to it without the wires. I'm already listening to Free Bird."
"Free Bird?" A trooper behind him asked. "I would go with Shake it off."
"Me? I'd want to cut loose to Footloose," another said excitedly.
"How about my favorite music? The sound of silence?" A Stormtrooper commander asked sarcastically. As they snapped to attention, he pointed to the one listening to music. "And you, turn that off! If I hear that being played while on duty again, you're taking the fall when Internal Affairs finds out."
"Y-Yes sir," the trooper stammered as he scrambled to turn off the iPod. The last thing he'd want is to be court-martialed for listening to music. The commander sighed and turned back to face the open entrance of the hangar.
"The shuttles are approaching. Be ready to transport."
Several seconds after he said this, they heard the whine of ion engines. Four Lambda-class shuttles rose to the entrance to the hangar and entered. Each shuttle folded its wings as they land in front of a Stormtrooper squad. The commander knew that the other four shuttles are at the first hangar. They waited patiently as the shuttles hissed out steam and lowered their ramps. They waited several seconds for troopers to descend the ramp with prisoners. But no one came down, which made the commander irritated.
"Are you coming down or what?" The trooper asked as he marched to the foot of the ramp and stare into the open belly of the Lambda shuttle, only for his eyes to widen. "Wait…you're not—!"
The trooper was caught off guard as he is gunned down by a barrage of blaster bolts. This sudden development put the squad behind him off guard. They didn't get a chance to move as a spherical object fell from the belly of the shuttle and bounced on the floor with a blinking red light. Eyes widened behind their helmets as they recognized it as a Thermal Detonator.
"Take cover!"
The troopers threw themselves away from the shuttle as the detonator went off. Slowly, they lifted their heads to see who was responsible. What stood in the shuttle wasn't a fellow stormtrooper. It was a blonde-haired man dressed in a custom Earther military uniform with a beige shirt and black body armor over it. His face is hardened at the sight of Stormtroopers.
"Hey, boys…Christmas came early, and I forgot to wear a red suit," the man said with a tone sharp and hard as steel before he runs yelling at the top of his lungs, "YO JOE!"
At the sound of his battle cry, more voices joined in. More people dressed in custom uniforms and body armor emerged out of the shuttle. They spilled into the hangar with their weapons blazing. They weren't the only ones as the occupants of the other shuttles emerged. None of them were stormtroopers either. The stormtroopers were caught off guard as they are being assaulted. Everyone who saw what happened dropped what they were doing and drew their blasters to join the fight.
"Come on! There's plenty for everyone!" A tall heavyset dark-skinned man wearing a green vest with a star on his left breast and gray pants boomed out. He held a B-572 Breacher with exposed muscular arms. Instead of bullets, it shot out arcs of lightning that streaked towards the nearest troopers. They cried out in pain as the electricity seeped into them, leaving burn marks on their armor as they fell twitching.
"I hope you're speaking for the rest of us, Roadblock!" A black-haired man with a mustache in a green beret and custom uniform yelled out as he fires an M17 Sig Sauer from behind a metal crate. "Leave some for us new to the front-liners!"
"Then you better get off your ass and move to the front of the line, Dial Tone!" Roadblock shouts as he continues to fire electricity into the imperial forces. A few stray blaster bolts flew by him, one managing to graze him. Roadblock gritted his teeth but managed to withstand the pain to keep standing.
"Don't stay out too exposed Roadblock! Some of them may be lousy shots, but you're a sitting duck," their leader called out. "Scarlett! You sure you know your way around this tin can?"
"How can I not?" a red-haired woman dressed in black and yellow body armor yells out as she fires a blaster bolt from a modified Osprey crossbow. "They might as well have given me a map to read when I got the tour!"
The leader, now named Duke, nods in affirmation as he held up his weapon. It is a modified Heckler & Koch HK416 that he affectionally named Bronze Betty and painted it bronze. Despite having the appearance of a slugthrower, what came out at the end are blaster bolts instead of bullets. They slammed into a nearby imp's armor, knocking him down. They're not dead, but they are down for the count. It took every ounce of self-control to reign in his rage as he continued firing upon the enemy.
These guys have picked the wrong Earthers to mess with. These people are G.I. Joe, a highly trained Secret-Ops team composed of men and women from around the globe. They're the first and last line of defense against forces that seek to threaten human freedom. Even if they are declared a rogue unit or terrorists, there is no change to their motto. Wherever there's trouble over land, sea, air, or even the depths of space, G.I. Joe is there.
And right now, nearly every Joe available is on board this ship and fighting them with a ferocity they've been waiting to unleash. Ever since the tragedy of London, as his fellow Earthers and the Imps coined it, they've suffered hell. He wasn't the only one who was dragged away from their homes in front of their families. To stand trial for a crime they didn't commit and shipped to prison to rot while their planet is oblivious to the enemy bearing down on them. Hell, some of their fellow Joes were executed without trial. If what the data Scarlet stole from them is true, then the Empire needs to be stopped.
He'll have to thank their techies for doing their research on the stormtrooper's armor and weapons. Each of these troopers is wearing 18 individual overlapping composite plates made of a material called plastoid. Duke personally tried it on, and it was uncomfortable to move in. He also wondered how these troopers could aim with the helmets. But unlike the standard body armor of Earth, it's capable of stopping anything below .50 caliber. Anything above can penetrate it, which greatly limited their options as their planet began to move away from 'slugthrowers' to blasters, bullets were becoming a relic of the past and difficult to acquire.
But if it's one thing the Joes are good at, it's adapting. The Empire was kind enough to 'share' their toys with them. Their techies were able to jury-rig their weapons to fire blaster bolts, which proved to be more effective against their enemy and give them body armor similar to the Stormtroopers. The imps armor protects the wearer by dispersing the energy of a blaster bolt across the surface of an armor plate. This also decreases the chances of a blaster bolt penetrating the armor to the soldier, even against attack at close range. That didn't mean there aren't any drawbacks, however. For example, while the plate isn't penetrated, the dispersed energy from the blaster bolt still causes burns to the wearer of the armor over the area covered. This causes the soldier hit to feel significant pain, often resulting in them becoming winded and struggling to catch their breath. In more serious cases, they experienced short blackouts. However, the trooper can recover in less than a minute and get back on their feet.
That is something no Joe is going to give them the luxury of. Tonight, they have launched their most daring offensive against the Joe fired concentrated shots upon the Imps, unheeding of the blaster bolts whizzing past them. Like dominoes, the imperial forces began to fall. Some of the smarter Stormtroopers seemed to have noticed this and immediately began to fall back into the ship.
"This is CPL-64! Reporting intruders in the hangar!" A Stormtrooper calls in his commlink. "We need reinforcements! I repeat we need—"
The Stormtrooper was cut off as he was hit by a blaster bolt to the head. He fell forward and landed on the metal floor unmoving. That was the last Stormtrooper that had to be taken down. The Joes converged on each other.
"Nice shot, Hollow Point," Duke called out to a Joe with a red cap. He nodded in acknowledgment as he and the Joes ran towards the hangar entrance. Suddenly, the doors closed just before they were a few feet away from them.
"Damn it!" Duke cursed. "Sci-Fi! See if you can get these doors open!"
"I'm on it, Duke," A man in a green and white hi-tech suit steps forward while holstering a heavy-looking weapon on his back. Hovering near his shoulder is s white high-tech drone bearing the same color scheme. Operating a holographic interface on his gauntlet, the drone floated to the side of the doors where a wall socket is. When it stopped in front of it, it ejected a scomp link that plugged in. After turning it a few times, the doors opened themselves.
"And presto, the Ships infrastructure is under my control," Sci-Fi announced as he operates his gauntlet. "You know, for such an advanced civilization, they have lousy cyber security."
"Let's hope our boys back on Earth take too long to update their software," Duke said before turning to the rest of the Joes. "Alright, phase one of the plan is complete. Time for phase two. Flint and Stalker, take your groups and sweep the ship for every imp trooper or crew member. Make sure you check every corner. I don't want to see any of still around to try anything when we get to Andromeda."
"You got it, Duke," Stalker, a dark-skinned man with a dreadlock ponytail and dressed in green affirmed.
"10-4! It's refreshing to give the Imps some serious payback," Flint, a Caucasian man wearing a black shirt and beret, snarled.
"Take Sci-Fi with you. He'll share the map," Duke ordered. "The rest of us will head to the bridge and take down the admiral manning this ship. Let's move it out!"
Every Joe in the group nodded and proceeded to accomplish their assigned mission tasks. They exited the hangar and split up in different directions. Duke and his team which included Scarlett, Dial Tone, and Roadblock, to their path. Following Scarlett's directions, they took a turbolift, which is a fancy term for a high-tech elevator. They sped up to what the Imps call, the Officers' Row.
As expected, the turbolift's doors opened to reveal Stormtroopers that had taken position. The Joes pressed themselves against the walls of the turbolift just in time to evade the barrage of blaster bolts. They held their breath as the blaster bolts singed the durasteel metal.
"I'm making an opening, cover your eyes and ears and be ready…" Duke said to his team as he pulls out a cylindrical grenade from his belt. Each one of those E-11 blaster rifle power cells carries energy for about two hundred shots. They didn't have time to wait for an opening. Priming the grenade, he tossed it into the hall. The troopers stopped firing as a bright light illuminated the hallway, followed by a loud bang. Lucky for the Joes, they had listened to Duke and protected themselves from the blast of the flashbang
"NOW!"
At Duke's command, they bolted out of the turbolift with their weapons hot. Duke's flashbang managed to disorient the bulk of the troopers blocking them. Roadblocks Breacher electrocuted most of the Stormtroopers that the explosive didn't get while Duke and Scarlett picked off anyone that he didn't get. They had taken a step forward when they felt an explosion from beneath the metal floor.
"Looks like someone made Sci-Fi use that new Thermodynamic Entropy Cannon," Roadblock chuckled.
"So long that it wasn't Bazooka firing it," Duke said cautiously. "I want this vessel intact by the time we take it to the gate. Speaking of which, how is our advanced team?"
"Don't worry," Scarlett assures him with a smile. "I got a feeling they are already at the bridge as we speak."
Executioner Command Bridge
"Sir! Intruders have been reported in the Officer's Row!" A technician called out from the pit to Allver's left. "They are being overwhelmed and they've sent a request for reinforcements!"
"Send more men down there!" Allver ordered immediately. "I want this contained!"
"Admiral!" Another technician reports. "We're getting reports from the Engineering deck of intruders."
"We're getting the same from Systems Control!"
"Seal off all entrances!" Allver ordered frantically. "Keep them trapped and contact the rest of the fleet!"
"But sir! We're being jammed! Somehow, they've taken control our our systems! They're rejecting our every order!"
"Then get them back under control!" Allver nearly screamed to his technicians. He palmed his sweating face as the technicians scrambled all over their consoles. Two Stormtroopers stood at his sides, ready to protect him if necessary.
How is this happening? What was supposed to be a simple search and destroy mission ended up being a battle on his ship. Somehow, the returning party turned out to be a boarding party of Earther terrorists if what the reports are saying is true. The idea that eighty of the finest soldiers of the empire had been taken down by primitives is appalling. And somehow, they are losing control of the ship!
This will be bad if the rest of the Imperial Navy get word of this. Especially when Grand Moff Tarkin is coming here. If it were anyone else, he would just get reassigned to some supply depot somewhere in his Galaxy. But the Grand Moff doesn't tolerate failure. Allver heard rumors of men being executed for even the slightest bit of failure. He had to deal with this situation somehow.
Then, he heard something metallic falling onto the floor behind him. Allver turned around to see a vent had fallen onto the walkway. Looking up, he saw the open vent it came from. But how did it get open? He didn't have time to wonder that as two spherical grenades came out and landed on the floor. Instead of exploding, they popped out clouds of smoke that blanketed the bridge.
The admiral covered his mouth to protect himself from the smoke. He wasn't wearing the same buckets as the Stormtroopers. Coughing several times, he heard the cries of the technicians that we're panicking become silent. He couldn't speak as suddenly, the Stormtrooper on his left vanished. A few seconds after that, the one at his right vanished.
"What's happening…?" Allver managed to breathe out. as the smoke began to clear. He saw, to his terror, that everyone on the bridge had been taken out. The technicians were slumped over their consoles and the Stormtroopers are crumpled on the floor. Fear gripped his mind and he tried to flee.
But as soon as he turned, he came face to face with an expressionless black visor. A man in a black bodysuit and balaclava stood on the walkway with him. The admiral froze when the stranger pressed a forty-inch blade against his throat. Allver felt held his breath as someone came out of the vent. It is a man shorter than the assailant dressed in a custom Earther uniform of fatigue pants, a white t-shirt, and a red beanie. The newcomer let out a low whistle in approval.
"Smooth moves Snakes," the man quipped in a Brooklyn accent before looking up at the open vent, "Yoh Breaker? You want to come down sometime today or maybe later?"
"Coming…just give me a second Tunnel Rat," a British voice called out. Wiggling out of the vent is another man dressed in a green uniform and wearing a green helmet and headset on his head. He dropped down on his feet with a slight wince.
"That was my first time crawling through a vent mind you. Never thought it would be so tight than what it said in the schematics."
"You'll get used to it," Tunnel Rat shrugged before gesturing to the consoles. "What say we get our new ship."
"Your ship? You people have just invaded an Imperial Vessel. There will be serious consequences for this—" Allver didn't get to say more as Snake Eyes pressed the blade against his throat.
"Yeah…probably not a great idea to threaten us when a ninja is holding a sword, don't you think?" Tunnel Rat asked. "So…what's the name of the ship?
He directed that at the admiral, who answered nervously, "The Executioner."
"Okay, we are changing the name when we get to Andromeda," Tunnel Rat said. "Cuz we're taking over."
The admiral's eyes widened in shock as Breaker hopped into a pit and removed a technician from his seat. At that moment, the blast doors to the bridge opened to admit Duke and his team. They stepped onto the bridge and surveyed the area before lowering their weapons.
"Nice job Snake Eyes," Duke said as he approached the black-clad Joe, who sheathed his katana and forced the admiral to his knees. The leading Joe narrowed his eyes as he recognized the man. "Well, well…if it isn't the poster boy of the Glorious Galactic Empire."
"H-How…"
"Let me guess. An anonymous tip about a terrorist base in the Black Forest, codenamed Brothers Grimm?" Scarlett asked, earning a look of surprise on Allver's face. "Yeah, that was us. Thanks for falling one of the oldest tricks in the book."
"Duke, this is Flint, do you copy?" came a small voice from the admiral's belt. With a flourish, Snake Eyes used his katana to knock off a silver cylindric device with a black base of the belt. The device flew over to Duke's awaiting hand. According to intelligence, these devices are called C1 personal comlinks. They're like walkie-talkies for the imps.
"This is Duke speaking. Report."
"We've secured the rest of the ship," Flint reports. "The imps we've apprehended are being transported to the detention cells as we speak. I should probably mention that Lifeline wants to treat them."
"Of course, he does. Tell him to wait until we get to Andromeda. Once you're done putting the prisoners away, have all Joe's report to the bridge," Duke said before he turns off the commlink to focus on the imperial admiral. "We need to take this ship to the gate. You know…the one that brought you and the Empire to our solar system. Tell me, admiral…are you going to make this easy, or do we have to expand our crime resume?"
"There's no need for that," Scarlett said with a smirk. "Last I checked…these Imps have a steady supply of truth serum onboard, no?"
At the end of Scarlett's sentence, Snake Eyes held out his hand. On the palm is a syringe filled with a liquid. Duke gave the ninja a glance of approval before turning back to the admiral. Allver sweated as he caught the sinister smiles on their faces.
Uh-oh.
Somewhere in the solar system, there is a megastructure floating in space in the shape of a ring. As if in perpetual motion, it spun in place. Geometric patterns decorated the hull of the ring, details of an alien language for anyone to see.
Then, in a blink of an eye, a Star Destroyer popped into existence. Its ion engines drove it towards the ring. It is the Executioner, and onboard the bridge is it's new commandeers, G.I. Joe. Most of the Joes have their place at the monitors that once were operated by Imperial technicians.
"So…that was hyperspace…" Tunnel Rat asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, it was," Sci-Fi said with excitement. "A dimension that allows ships that enter to travel at lightspeed! Another Science Fiction element changed to science fact! I might want to change my code name at this rate!"
"Glad to see the excitement, because we're approaching the Space Gate," Dial Tone announced from the pit.
"Space gate?" Duke asked from the walkway with a raised eyebrow. He didn't like using the walkway. The way it was built seemed to make the officers feel superior to the crew. He missed the U.S.S. Flagg.
"What else are we going to call it?" Dial Tone asked with a roll of his eyes.
"Fair enough," Duke conceded before turning to Breaker. "Breaker? What's the status of the gate?"
"Thanks to our new friend, we were able to figure out how to get the gate working," Breaker said as he taps away at the console. "The imps were clever enough to build a cipher that allows them to operate it. All you need is passcode and the coordinates of a corresponding gate. I'm inputting the coordinates of Andromeda right now."
"Get right on it," Duke said as he turns to face the assembled Joes. Each of them looked at their leader as if expecting him to say something. And he was going to say something.
"This is it, ladies and gentlemen," Duke began. "Everything we've been working up to for Operation Orion is finally paying off. Thanks to your efforts, we have secured the spacecraft of our new friend, the Galactic Empire. Ever since they came to Earth, they've lied about their intentions, bombed London and the world leaders, attempted to put down the only team that could mobilize against them…"
"Executing our fellow Joes," Cover Girl, a woman with auburn-colored hair and wearing a dark jacket over a beige uniform, said forlornly. Everyone's faces became grim. Some had sadness while the rest had barely restrained anger for the injustice their comrades had suffered.
"Yeah…" Duke said, looking down sadly as he remembered several Joes, he knew personally who died because of the empire. Some were killed in front of their families by Stormtroopers and the crowd ate it up. Steeling himself, he looked back up at the Joes.
"But we are more than a few good soldiers. And we are more than just weapons and tech. They've underestimated us and that is going to be their greatest mistake. Right now, General Hawk is holding the fort back on Earth. It's up to us to carry out our newest mission…take the fight to Andromeda and take down the Empire on their home turf!"
"So, when do we start?" Roadblock asked with a feral grin.
"Right now," Breaker announced. "I've uploaded the coordinates and the gate is activating in three…two…one…"
As he spoke, something is happening to the gate. The patterns glowed a neon blue as mechanisms shifted. Light erupted from the edges of the ring and converged at a single point. A few seconds later, a burst of light occurred, and a portal formed within the ring. This spectacular phenomenon mesmerized the Joes. Despite the pain and suffering it brought, it was amazing to see something that was built by an advanced civilization even though the empire didn't build it.
"Brace yourselves!" Duke ordered as the ship moved forward. The portal pulled them in, and the Joes watched as the stars became pinpricks. As they moved at lightspeed, the Joes sounded their battle cry.
"YO JOE!"
Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Einsargen Subterranean Prison, Germany
In East Germany lies a secret prison that the world doesn't know to save for the United States of America. This facility was constructed in the deepest mine shaft. It is so far underground that it is in international territory, allowing the warden to exercise certain jurisdictional freedoms. Temperatures in the facility can exceed two hundred and ten degrees when it is not artificially cooled to sixty-eight.
Deep within the prison are the most dangerous prisoners in the world. They are sealed into tanks filled with water and dressed in white suits. Tubes extended down from the top, feeding them oxygen. They are being kept in an artificially induced REM sleep. On catwalks, guards patrolled the prison, armed with the latest E-11 Blaster rifles, courtesy of their new friend from the stars. It seemed that security got stronger ever since first contact.
But things were about to change.
The guard's attention snapped to the steel doors. What drew their attention were the cries of the guards patrolling outside the heavy steel door separating them from the elevator and prison. They heard screams of terror and pain.
Everyone held their breath as they aimed their blasters at the door. Slowly, it began to open with a grinding sound. It fully opened to reveal a cloud of smoke obscuring their view. IF that didn't scream that there is a break-in happening, then nothing will. One of the guards got onto his radio.
"This is John Doe, reporting a break-in! I repeat, there is a break-in happening—"
Then, with what sounded like a twang, a black arrow with red fletching flew out and impaled the guard in his throat. The guard coughed blood before he fell off the catwalk. That was the cue for the rest of the prison guards to open fire into the smoke. Blaster bolts streaked into the cloud in hopes of striking the unknown enemy hiding within.
After several moments, the guards stopped firing. The leader signaled two of the guards to go forward and investigate. Nodding, they complied with the silent order. Slowly, they approached the entrance to the prison, their fingers on the trigger of the blasters they carry. They approached the entrance just as the smoke cleared…
…to reveal nothing.
"What the?" One of the guards whispered as he surveyed the tunnel that leads to the elevator. On the ground are several of their own are on the floor dead and unmoving. Some of them had arrows in their hearts while others had stab wounds or throats slit. Yet there was no sign of the intruder responsible.
Behind them, they heard a gasp. They turned around to see their leaders fall to the ground. A pool of blood formed on the floor from a slit throat. The guards looked around, keeping their blasters aimed.
"Argh!" The guard turned to see that his companion also had his throat slit and fall, gurgling blood before he died. Frantically, the last guard searched for what seemed to be an invisible enemy. His heart was pumping and blood flowing from the fear he was feeling.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Here."
White pain erupted as a long-curved blade penetrated his body from the back and exited through his heart. The guard looked down at the blade with wide eyes. His blaster fell from his limp hand as the owner of the blade withdrew it and cleaned it by wiping it against his forearm.
The owner of the blade is a ninja dressed in white. Strapped to his back are a quiver full of black arrows, two scabbards for katanas with one empty, and a black bow. On his left breast is the red symbol of a Cobra head. His face is covered in a balaclava that matched his attire.
Sheathing his katana, he moved towards the tank in the middle. He pulled out a golden flintlock pistol with the handle styled to look like a snake with a similar engraving on the barrel. The ninja fired a few bolts against the glass of the tank.
The impact of the bolts made the tank crack and fall apart. The occupant fell out with the tubes disconnecting from the apparatus. It seemed that the chemical that forced him to sleep wore off because the occupant is awake and having trouble breathing. The ninja procured a small chrome mask from his person and held it out to the man struggling to breathe. He snatched it out of his hand and pressed it against his face. After a few seconds, he began to breathe properly. The sound of breathing slowly became something reminiscent of a snake's hiss. Slowly, he stood up and turned to face the ninja. The expressionless chrome mask betrayed nothing as he spoke out.
"Storm Shadow," he greeted with a distorted baritone voice. "Never a doubt."
The ninja, now named Storm Shadow, stood at attention. In his hand, he twirled the gun until he grasped it by the barrel. He held it out to the former prisoner, who received it gratefully. Storm Shadow spoke the name of the leader of the most ruthless organization ever to plague Earth.
"Cobra Commander."
[~][~]
Greetings and Bienvenu readers.
As you know, I am about to undertake a journey to get my life in order. I wanted to update a few fics before that day comes. Then, I decided to act upon an idea that has been dying to be written. That idea is this crossover…G.I. Joe and Star Wars. One thing you should know is that it's going to be a mash of continuities such as Real American Hero, the Movie Verse, Resolute, Renegades, Sigma Six, etc.
If you are a fan of G.I. Joe, then you can expect a colorful cast of characters in this fic. Right now, the Joes are about to fight their greatest battle in another galaxy. The Empire has begun to dig its fingers into Earth's dirt. At first, I wanted to make it that the Empire invaded earth and took over, but that wouldn't sound plausible as we Earthers can give the Empire hell before they can take over. So, I took inspiration from Renegades and the tv show 'V' and decided to have the Galactic Empire come to Earth with a peaceful façade until G.I. Joe discovered that they aren't what they seem. But before they could expose the empire, they are accused of a crime they didn't commit. Now they are fighting a covert war to clear their names and expose the insidious enemy. This war will spread to the galaxy far, far away. But as they take the fight to the Empire, and an old enemy from the Joes past rises.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Until next time.