The firefight began and the Reds and Blues stood their ground returning fire to any Fed that fired right at them. The white-armored soldiers shot their laser blasters, but Jena took the defensive by deflecting the blasts. On the other side, however, Freckles was engaged in a dangerously close right with Dos.0.

"We need something to draw their fire!" Washington stated.

Strike and the Reds looked around for an answer. Turns out, they had one. Their eyes were fixed at the very same tank that Sarge claimed to renovate the base.

"That'll work." Strike said.

"Shotgun!" Simmons called out.

By the time the Feds caught up to them, Sarge was already in the cockpit. He fixed the targeting system to lock in on them.

"'Tanks' for dropping by, dirtbags, but it's high time you left!" Sarge stated before pulling the trigger. The shot fired, but it went over the enemies instead of at them.

"Still inverted, sir." Simmons said.

"Right." Sarge lowered the targeting system a bit and fired again. This time, he got it right.

"We need to get the hang of that today." Strike said. He saw a soldier arriving and quickly blasted at him.

Jena kept defending until her attention was brought to something that arrived out of nowhere. A few new Federal soldiers drove in on a jeep. On the back of the jeep was a large turrent filled with missiles that began to fire.

Jena dodged out of the way landing beside Wash and Felix. "Where did they come from?"

"They must be getting in through the caves!" Felix said.

The jeep kept firing bullets until something landed right beside it. A flash of light shot out causing the vehicle to disappear. Another flash appeared a second later from above and the jeep reappeared to fall and land on a few more soldiers.

"Whoosh! Future cubes, bitches!" Grif stated proudly revealing himself.

"What was that?" Wash asked.

"Future cubes, the cubes of the future!" Donut answered.

"Well, it certainly came in handy." Jena said.

"I still think they work better with grenades!" Sarge shouted from the tank.

"Kiss my ass!" Grif returned.

"Guys, Freckles is in trouble!" Caboose said pointing at the Mantis fight. Dos.0 was beginning to gain the advantage over Caboose's pet robot. "We have to help him!"

"I can help him," Jena said, "But I need someone to defend in my…"

"Wait!" Donut said seriously. "I know what to do." He turned and ran toward the giant robot fight.

"You should have joined me Freckles." Dos.0 said. "They would have bowed down to us as their Robot Overlords. But now, it's time to put you down."

"All right! That's enough!" Donut yelled getting Dos.0's attention. "Don't make me hurt you!"

"You? Hurt me? I'd certainly like to see you try… Pinky."

"It's not pink. It's lightish red." Donut corrected in Spanish.

"Wait? YOU SPEAK SPANISH?" Dos.0 asked in surprise.

"Yes. Just not very well." Donut tossed a future cube right at Dos.0's feet.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dos.0 yelled before he disappeared. The next time he reappeared was when Donut threw a second future cube… right on top of the minefield. When he did, all the mines around him blew up destroying him in an instant.

"Say hello to Robot Satan, you teriyaki pencil circus."

"Wow." Jena said. "He has a very impressive arm."

"Tell me about it." Tucker agreed.

"Okay, it wasn't a volcano, but I'm still taking credit for the idea." Grif said.

Jena continued on the defensive meeting up with Strike and the Reds in the tank. "You doing fine!"

"Time of my life, sunshine!" Strike yelled out. "This reminds me of the Clone Wars, but with organics as the enemy instead of clankers!"

That's when a cylinder device shot right past them. It went right past them and stuck itself right at the side of the tank. It was then blinking red making a beeping sound.

"What's that?" Strike asked.

"GET OUT OF THE TANK!" Felix commanded. Everyone proceeded and ran away from the tank just before it burst into flames.

"HOLY SHIT! THOSE THINGS EXPLODE?" Grif yelled.

"Did you guys see me?" Donut asked running back to the main fight.

"Yes, we did!" Jena said. "Now, put those skills to work and start tossing…" She quickly turned to deflect a few blasts before turning back. "…some grenades."

"Got it!" Donut took a handful of grenades and began throwing them at the Federal army that invaded. "You get a bomb! And you get a bomb! And you get a bomb! We all get bombs!"

"Energy levels low." Freckles said weakly.

"Guys, Freckles is in trouble!" Caboose said. "We have to help him!"

"Hook him up to the ship!" Tucker yelled "We have plenty of power!"

"I'll take care of it!" Simmons ran off to the inside of the ship toward the computer. A few minutes of later, he called out. "Uh, Wash, Jena, we have a problem!" The Freelancer and the Jedi broke away from the fight to get to Simmons. "I hooked up Freckles, but for some reason, he's not getting any power."

"What do you mean?" Washington asked. "We should have plenty of power!"

"I know, but it's all being diverted somewhere else!"

"Well, where is it going?" Jena asked.

"According to the system… Red base?"

"Uh, oh." Donut said showing back up. "I… think I know what it is. You see, I'm currently downloading a picture on Basebook since yesterday… and by now, it's probably at 25%."

"DOWNLOADING A PICTURE ON BASEBOOK IS DRAINING OUR ENTIRE POWER SUPPLY?!" Washington asked.

"It is a very high quality picture." Donut said.

"HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!" Washington asked.

"Forget about that!" Jena yelled. "We have to cancel the download!"

"But we're pinned down!" Donut yelled. "How are we supposed to… AAHH!" He was silenced by a sudden sniper shot that sent him to the ground.

"DONUT!" Simmons yelled. "Is he dead?"

"No," Jena answered looking at the body, "But he's unconscious."

"Oh, good, because I did NOT want to go through that shit again." Simmons said.

"Felix, where is that backup?" Washington asked.

"I don't know! They should be here by now! We just need more time!"

"We don't have time!" Washington yelled. "If we don't get Freckles online, we don't stand a chance!"

Tucker was right outside of the base when he heard Washington say that. He groaned while he was upset. "Such bullshit!"

What came next was a great run through the battlefield. Tucker had practiced this in the intense training that Wash made him do for days. He ran over a bridge, shot a couple of covered soldiers, jumped over a gunman before taking him out with a landmine, and swung his alien energy sword at a foot soldier in front of Red base.

He then ran up to the main console before slashing at it. "Eff you, Basebook!" With the computer shut down, power quickly returned to Freckles. However, Tucker's brief moment of victory was cut short by a Fed who aimed a gun at him.

"Freeze! You and your friends have caused us a lot of trouble! Now, come quietly or…"

BAM!

"What the…" Tucker asked as he turned. The Federal soldier who held him at gunpoint was shot down by a certain Spanish speaking robot.

"Pendejo."

"Dos.0?" Tucker asked.

"No, idiot."

"Lopez! Man, where'd you get the body?"

"I took it from an annoying moron."

"I don't know what you said, but it's good to have you back. Let's go." He ran out with Lopez beside him.

After power was being drawn to Freckles, Jena returned to the front lines, this time, going on the offensive. She swung her lightsaber and began cutting down Federal soldiers.

"Haha!" Sarge yelled. "Eat lead you seemingly infinite number of soldiers!"

"Yeah! How does it feel to get your ass kicked by a bunch of losers?" Grif asked before realizing what he said. "Wait."

"All right!" Washington called out. "Everyone, keep it up! We can do this!"

"No. You can't." From afar, Locus raised his energy railgun and pulled the trigger. It sent a blue blast flying through the battlefield until it hit Wash. He grunted as he was knocked off quickly.

"Wash!" Strike gasped.

As Tucker and Lopez returned to the battlefield, the robot was unfortunate enough to get shot by a sniper rifle. He couldn't move his new body after that much to his frustration.

"You bastards stay the hell away from my men!" Sarge yelled. "If anyone's gonna kill them, it's gonna be me!"

"Sarge, look out!" Strike yelled as he jumped in front of him. Locus fired his energy railgun again and it hit Strike. He was pushed backwards right at Sarge. They both hit the wall roughly knocking them both out.

"STRIKE!" Jena yelled out.

"SARGE!" Simmons yelled too.

They were about to head to their aid when something stopped them. Another jeep with a rocket turrent drove up aiming its ammo. The rockets fired, but Freckles marched in the way. The rockets struck at him making him collapse and burst into flames.

"This isn't good!" Jena yelled. "We've got five men down and Freckles is crippled!"

Thankfully, a miracle finally came. Out of the caves came new soldiers. They had tan armor with visors covering their faces. As they emerged, they fired their guns at the Federal soldiers.

"FOR THE NEW REPUBLIC!"

"We came as quickly as we could, sir!" one rebel said to Felix.

"Good! We need to get out of here!" Felix said.

"But what about Wash and Freckles?" Caboose asked.

"Where's Strike?" Jena asked.

Unfortunately, they couldn't have the time to find their friends. Out in the distance, Locus was seen assassinating the rebels one at a time. With no choice, everyone rushed over to the cave. Tucker and Jena stopped when they saw one of the rebels planting metal devices to the cave's wall.

"Are you bombing the place?" Jena asked.

"We have no choice! If we don't seal this tunnel, they'll follow us back to base!"

Tucker turned and saw Wash and Strike groaning and struggling to stand up.

"Wash! Strike! Get up!" Tucker yelled out.

"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Jena cheered.

Wash knew he couldn't move a muscle, at least not in time to get to the tunnel. Strike had the same thought. In order for their friends to escape, Wash made the only choice he had. He turned to Freckles, who returned to his feet fighting back against the villains.

"FRECKLES," he cried out, "SHAKE!"

Freckles raised on of his feet and stomped it hard. Upon impact, the entire ground began to shake, including the tunnel. Rocks and rubble were falling down to seal the tunnel.

"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tucker cried out.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Jena reached out her hands where the boulders were falling and they stopped falling in midair. With all her concentration, she levitated the rocks so they wouldn't fall.

"Oh, yeah! Thank God for Force power!" Tucker cheered. "Now's your chance, guys! Come on!"

Washington did his part, so Strike did his next. He exchanged his blaster for a different kind of gun. "Sorry, sunshine. But this is for your own good." He aimed his gun at Jena and pulled the trigger. Suddenly, a blue circle shot out and waved across the field until it made contact with Jena. The Padawan collapsed instantly blacking out.

When she came too, Jena found herself in an underground cave with doctors around her. To her left, she found Felix along with another rebel with a bold blue visor.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Felix said.

"What happened?" Jena asked. "Strike! Did he…"

"I'm afraid he's not here." Felix said. "He hit you with a stun blast and knocked you out cold. He's a prisoner for the Feds like the others."

Jena sighed heavily. "This can't be happening."

"Hey, it's like I told Tucker, that's war. Not everyone makes it back."

"It's hard to believe that I'm looking at an actual Jedi." Said the woman in the blue visor. "I've heard stories."

"I've seen her in battle, general," Felix said, "And believe me, stories don't do her justice."

"And you are…" Jena said.

"Vanessa Kimball, leader of the New Republic. Your friends are over at the mess hall. You can talk to them there."

Jena nodded and got out of her bed. She made her way over to the mess hall in question and found Tucker, Grif, Simmons, and Caboose circled there and arguing.

"It's a small rebel army, Grif!" Simmons said.

"It's poor customer service."

"You were eating all their food!"

"I'm an emotional eater! What can I say?"

"Hey, guys." Jena said.

"Jena!" Caboose greeted with glee. "Are you okay?"

"I could be better."

"We all could." Tucker said. "We started with just thirteen. Now, we're just five." That truth hit everyone hard for a moment before Felix arrived.

"Hey. The general wants to speak to you all."

The five followed Felix to the main control room. Kimball marched herself to confront them all.

"Michael Caboose, Dexter Grif, Richard Simmons, Lavernius Tucker, and Jena Isa. The five of you have traveled great distances, retrieved ancient artifacts, brought corrupt men to justice, and bested the most dangerous war criminals this galaxy has ever known. Now, it appears fate has brought you to our doorstep."

"No pressure." Grif commented.

"I am aware that you've been informed of your situation, and I understand your reluctance to fight a war that is not your own, but we've just received word that the Federal Army has your friends alive and in captivity."

"They're okay?" Tucker asked.

"That's a relief." Jena said.

"What's gonna happen to them?" Simmons asked.

"We're not sure." Kimball answered. "But if they're alive, it means they can be rescued. And it means this war may become yours after all. So I'm going to make you all a promise. If you help us take back our planet, we'll help you take back your friends. And when it's all over, you can take our best ship and fly as far away from this place as you want. I know it's not the best offer, but what do you say?"

"Look, lady," Grif said, "I don't know what you think we can do, but I seriously doubt we can actually do it."

"This war has gone on for too long. Too many people have died and our remaining forces are young, inexperienced, and scared. But you give them hope. They've heard what you've done and they will look to you for guidance. They will run with you into battle, they will follow your orders, if you choose to lead them. I can't do this alone."

"Sarge is gone. Wash is gone. Strike is gone." Simmons said. "How the hell are we supposed to do this without them?"

"Yeah. None of us has ever actually lead anyone before." Jena said.

"Well, not for very long." Caboose corrected.

"I know," Kimball said, "But you just need to try."

Tucker took those words to heart. He thought back to an earlier conversation he had with Washington about trying. Realizing what he had to do, he walked on out with the others. Jena stood right next to him gazing out at the rebel soldiers who awaited their commands.

"This isn't going to be easy." Jena said.

"I know." Tucker sighed. "But… let's run some drills."

"Oh, man." Grif complained.

"Aaaaaand break!" Caboose called out.

In a dark room, Locus made sure that no one was listening in. Once he was positive, he made a certain call. A holographic image appeared before him in the shape of an armored man covered in black. There were a few buttons on his chest and his heavy breathing could be heard. The very presence of him made even Locus petrified.

"What is your report?" the black-armored man asked.

"Lord Vader, I have confirmation." Locus said. "There is in fact a Jedi among the simulation troopers."

"Do you have her in your custody?" Vader asked.

"No. She managed to escape and is under the protection of the New Republic. Not to worry, sir. We'll get her."

"I'm not the one who should worry, mercenary. Control may be in control of your contract, but you're far from my reach. Remember, no matter where she goes on Chorus, the Jedi will not be safe. Aside from your primary objective, you now have an additional goal. Kill the Jedi."

"It shall be done."

"And to make sure this goes without a single error, we will be sending in assistance. The Empire will provide you the aid… of an Inquisitor."

Author's Note: DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUN! Darth Vader makes an appearance and he's sending an Inquisitor. The Empire's involved in the Chorus Trilogy and the Reds and Blues are in their sight. This should be very interesting.

Any and all comments are welcome.