Part II
Marauder Omicron Class Attack Shuttle
On board the shuttle, the Bad Batch prepared for the mission. Wrecker prepared a number of small explosives, Tech worked on the computer to gather any intel especially intel regarding the Inquisitors, Echo fine-tuned his right arm and Crosshair cleaned his 773 Firepuncher Rifle. The last member turned to Obi-Wan who was deep in thought and sat next to Boil who was currently having a nap with his helmet still on. Stone was sending an encrypted message to the Organas, updating them on the mission. The figure moved to sit next to Obi-Wan and asked, "Are you alright?"
Obi-Wan, startled, turned to the figure and replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. And you are..?"
The figure took the helmet off, revealing a short blond hair with several bangs on the forehead. "Omega. We met 10 years ago on Kaliidaa Shoals Medical Centre, General Kenobi" she said with a smile.
Obi-Wan then remembered a girl who was with the Bad Batch. "Ah yes, Omega. It has been a long time."
"Yes it has, Sir. I heard we are rescuing one of the twins. The boy?" Asked Omega as she put her helmet on her left lap.
"Yes…Bail insisted that I go and help. Honestly, you are all capable of mounting the rescue without my help." Said Obi-Wan.
"That is true but I think Senator Organa just wanted to make sure that this mission gets some extra help. After all, any help is always appreciated. I think Hunter and the guys are ready to go through the mission briefing if you want to come?" said Omega as she stood up with her helmet under her arm.
Obi-Wan stood up and woke Boil up. Boil woke up and followed Obi-Wan to the main room of the shuttle. Hunter then began the briefing, "Alright, here's the situation. According to Stone, the signal used to track the Prince is from a small droid he keeps with him. Once the ship landed, it disappeared. Daiyu is known for blocking signals in or out. However we know the kidnappers are there and knowing them, they have probably created a trap for General Kenobi. We'll spring that trap. We'll land the ship on one of the empty cargo ports. Crosshair, you will provide overwatch. Tech, hack into every cameras in the city. We need to have eyes and ears everywhere if we are going to make it out of here. Wrecker, prep a small demo charge in case we have to blow our way in. But make it so that it disorientates them. We need information from them. General Kenobi, Stone, Omega, Echo, Boil, Wrecker and me will make up the strike team. Once we have the hostage, we return to the shuttle and make the jump for hyperspace to Alderaan. Anything to add, General?"
Obi-Wan thought for a bit and then said, "Do you know where to find the place or places that the Prince could be?"
Stone came forward and answered, "We have a contact by the name of Haja. A little greedy but he means well. The New Republic Service Bureau has given me the payment to get the information we need."
"Alright. We all know what to do. We must be quick and clean. Lest the Empire or even worse, the Inquisitors find us." Said Hunter as he puts his helmet on and moved to the cockpit to prepare for landing.
Crosshair put his rifle on the side of his backpack and then looked at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looked back and Crosshair went up to him. "I heard you didn't want to go. Why take the mission, Sir?"
Obi-Wan turned to Crosshair and said, "I suppose I wanted to move forward. Leave the past be."
"Hmmm. I'll make sure to cover you…if you haven't forgotten how to use your weapons or the Force…" said Crosshair as he walked to his seat.
Obi-Wan wondered what Crosshair's deal was until Omega placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't mind Crosshair. He's very observant. I think he could tell you haven't been in action for a long time. He just cares for us in his own way, I guess." Explained Omega as she put her helmet on and sat as well.
Obi-Wan looked down and then moved to his seat next to Boil. Boil looked at Obi-Wan and wondered whether he was up for it. He trusted his General fully but after 10 years of trauma, he was a little concerned for him. Boil thought back on the conversation between him and the High Command.
6 hours ago, Meeting Room 22
Boil: "Sir, me and the Commander feel that…General Kenobi is not up for this. We could use your advice on this."
Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano looked at each other. Plo Koon then, turned to the two 212th clones.
Plo Koon: "Obi-Wan has never gotten over the fact that it was Skywalker that had turned to the Dark Side. While we realise that it wasn't entirely Skywalker's fault but the fact still remains. Kenobi still feels that he bears a certain responsibility for what happened 10 years ago…"
Waxer: "Yes Sir. Are you saying that this is his way of 'dealing' with the trauma, Sir?"
Ahsoka: "What you must realise is that Obi-Wan has lost many good people in his life. He saw his master killed, Duchess Satine killed and dying in his arms and then, Anakin turning to the Dark Side…With all those events, I'm certain that all of built up trauma has caused him to not be his usual self. Hopefully, the mission will allow him some closure."
Boil: "Yes Sir. Permission to come along with General Kenobi to look after him?"
Plo Koon: "Permission granted, Captain. Make sure he is prepared and ready. May the Force be with you, Captain."
Boil swore to uphold the oath that he has taken 10 years ago. To stand by Obi-Wan's side until the end and protect the last remaining light in this era of darkness.
Daiyu
The Marauder landed on one of the empty cargo ports. The door opened with both Crosshair, Boil and Stone coming out to check for anyone who was around. Boil signalled the all-clear and the rest came out of the shuttle. Tech was the last to exit the shuttle.
"Okay, I have hacked the system's security cameras. And the intel is correct. This planet has a complex system that blocks incoming and outgoing signal that is not Imperial. I cannot hack it without the needed equipment." Reported Tech as he fiddled with his personal tablet.
Hunter nodded and faced the rest. "Alright. Stone, take the General and Boil to your contact. We'll be on standby and listening in. Once we have the location, the strike team will converge onto the location and rescue the Prince. In and out. No detours or anything."
The rest nodded. Clone Force 99 then ran to the door with the others heading towards the location of the contact.
Street Market, Daiyu
Commander Stone, Captain Boil and Obi-Wan had their hood over their heads. The two clones packed their helmets into the backpack they had. Along the way, they saw an aging clone begging for money in his deteriorating phase II armour. Boil made a reminder to come back for the clone once they were done with the mission. As they walked down, the approached a door where a large room with a lone table and chairs sat in the middle and a man sat at one of the chairs. The man, Haja, stood up and said, "Welcome! I am Haja Estree, Jedi."
"You can drop the act, Haja. It's me, Stone. We were in contact through a mutual organisation." Said Stone as he took of his hood and cloak to reveal his red Phase II armour with the symbol of the Jedi Order on his left shoulder plate.
"Commander Stone, my apologies. Yes, one of your agents informed me of your arrival and the payment for the information for which you require." Said Haja as he relaxed.
"Here. 30,000 credits. What have you got?" said Stone as he threw the pouch containing the credits to Haja. Haja then looked up and said, "Okay. The kid you are looking for. Spice smugglers took him. They are not your usual spice smugglers. They do other things like the kidnapping for instant, if the price is right. You want to go to The Den. They have a sabaac store but that's just a front. What they are really hiding is a spice laboratory. There are two doors. You want to hit the back and that's where they store their spices and most likely, where your hostage is."
"Thank you, Haja, for your information. Stay safe." Said Stone as he put his helmet on.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Said Haja as he stored his credits.
The Den
The squad regrouped with the Bad Batch on the rooftop overlooking the compound. Tech sent a small drone the size of a pebble to map the whole den.
"Found the boy. He's in one of the storage cells. The smugglers have set up a trap in another cell." Explained Tech as he laid out a holographic map for everyone to see.
Hunter then formulated a plan, "Crosshair, provide overwatch. Tech, stay with him. Keep an eye out for inquisitors or any Imperials. The rest will break into the compound the backway. General, are you ready?"
Obi-Wan let out a breath and nodded. Hunter then flicked his arm up and gave the signal to go. Crosshair set his sniper rifle on the ledge of the roof while Tech continued to fiddle on his personal tablet to make sure no Imperials would notice them.
The Assault group moved to the back door, ready to breach. Obi-Wan had his DC-17 pistol out with Wrecker holding a DC-17m blaster in one hand and a detonator in the other, Hunter and Echo had their modified DC-17 pistol, Omega had her modified DC-15A Blaster Carbine with Boil and Stone having their Carbines ready as well. Wrecker started the countdown. "Blasting in 3…2…1…Boom"
The doors blasted with most of the smugglers caught off by surprise and clutching their ears as the loud blast made their ears ring. Wrecker, Stone and Omega went through first. Omega spotted a smuggler about to get up so she fired her Carbine, sending a stun ring to the smuggler. Wrecker encountered two smugglers who were trying to re-balance themselves.
"Oh, what do we have here?" said Wrecker in a joyful tone as he put his blasters behind his back and placed his hands on the heads of the smugglers after which, he knocked them out by colliding their heads together.
Stone, Hunter, Echo, Boil and Obi-Wan moved forward with Hunter leading the four. "Tech, are we close?"
Tech replied on the comms, "Yes, just two doors down, the Prince is hiding in the corner. I would advise Stone to go in first."
Stone nodded with Hunter opening the door with Tech's assistance. Stone went into the cell and said, "Your Highness, it's Commander Stone."
The young Prince looked up and dropped a bar that he was going to use on his kidnappers. "Stone!" said Luke as he rushed to hug the clone's leg.
Stone bent down and patted Luke's back. "Are you alright?" Stone asked as he checked the young boy for any injuries.
"I'm okay. Who are they?" asked Luke as he looked at the others.
Stone replied, "They are helping me to rescue you. Do you remember I told you all about the Jedi? Well, we have one here."
Obi-Wan stepped forward and greeted the young Prince. "Hello there, Your Highness."
Luke was in awe but at the same time, was a bit confused. "But…you are so old."
Boil and Echo laughed a bit at the comment, causing Obi-Wan to look at them with his eyes rolling at their antics. "Age can be deceiving. But listen. We are all risking a lot to be here, Your Highness. So stick close to Stone and listen carefully to each of us. Hunter, let Crosshair and Tech know that we have the Prince. We should move back to the ship now."
"Roger that. Crosshair, keep covering us. Tech, prepare to go." Said Hunter as he tapped his helmet.
"Understood. Be advised, we have an Inquisitor on the way. Based on our intel, it's the Third Sister." Tech said as he watched the live camera feed on his tablet.
Crosshair looked at Tech and said, "Where is she now?"
"She's on her way to the main entrance. Have you got your eyes on her?" Asked Tech
Crosshair moved positions and saw Third Sister walking fast to the smuggler's den. Crosshair steadied his rifle on the ledge to get a better shot at the Inquisitor. The rest of the squad packed up and left the den with Luke. As the squad moved away from the den, the Third Sister entered the building and saw scavengers looking dazed and unconscious. Her anger grew even more when the boy they captured was no longer there. So she grabbed one of the smugglers and asked in a furious tone, "Where is he?! Where is Kenobi?!"
Clone Force 99, Obi-Wan, Boil and Stone quickly made their way through the busy streets of Daiyu to get to their ship. However, Tech noticed something was not right.
"I have been tapping into Imperial comms. It seems that there are more Inquisitors here and they have ordered an increase in Imperial security. I recommend we move fast now!" said Tech as the group walked in an even faster pace.
Just as they reached the sector near their ship, a group of six bounty hunters saw them and started firing. Crosshair saw them first and shot two bounty hunters down with his rifle. Soon Wrecker, Boil, Hunter, Omega and Echo joined in. Blue and red blaster bolts were being exchanged. Obi-Wan also fired his pistol, joining in the fight with Stone holding onto Luke at the back with Tech. The group hid behind a small barrier for protection. The firefight has attracted the Third Sister who leapt from rooftop to rooftop to get to where it was happening. Meanwhile, the firefight became more intense as more bounty hunters flooded in to capture the group for the Inquisitor. Hunter then, shouted at Omega.
"Omega, toss three smoke grenades!"
Omega nodded and threw the smoke grenades. The street then, filled up with smoke with Crosshair aiming down his sight, which was set in thermal mode. Each bounty hunters were then shot down with a blue blaster bolt to the head. Hunter nodded to Crosshair and said, "Right, let's move."
The group then reached the platform. While the Bad Batch went to the ship to prep for departure, Stone, Boil and Obi-Wan remained behind with Luke to tell him to remain careful and to always stick to them.
"Okay, Your Highness. Stick with me and the others. In fact, stick with General Kenobi and Captain Boil if you'd like. And finally, don't be stubborn like your father." Said Stone.
Luke looked a bit indignant. "I'm not stubborn, Stone."
Stone laughed and said to the two men, "You see? Stubborn."
Obi-Wan chuckled at that, "Reminds me of someone I knew. She was fearless and stubborn."
The group walked towards the Marauder until a voice echoed through the cargo bay.
"Obi-Wan…"
The group went to hide behind the many crates and containers. Stone moved Luke behind him with his Carbine ready. Boil hid with Obi-Wan, who took out his lightsaber, ready to fight. Boil tapped his comm to let the others know that trouble had arrived.
"I can feel you….Your fear betrays you….You don't have to worry…You are not going to die…today…..I'm just going to take you and the others to him….Lord Vader will be pleased." Said Third Sister as she roamed around the crates, looking for them.
Obi-Wan and Boil looked at each other, both having a look of incredulity. Even Stone lowered his Carbine in shock at the name. The Third Sister, however, burrowed her eyebrows in a slight look of confusion.
"You all didn't know. He's alive, Obi-Wan…Anakin Skywalker is alive…"
Obi-Wan began to breathe heavily. Boil was fully in shock, having read the after-action report of the duel on Mustafar. Stone began to move Luke to the ship with the other two, still in shock, still hiding behind the crates.
"He has been looking for you for a long time and I will be the one to deliver you all to him." Shouted Third Sister as she tossed crates away with the Force.
"THIRD SISTER! I can stand the reek of your ambition no longer." Shouted The Grand Inquisitor. The duo used this opportunity to sneak back to the ship and board the shuttle. The duo boarded with Boil shouting towards Tech, "Take off NOW!"
Tech obeyed and lifted the Marauder. However, Third Sister appeared on the platform and Force threw her lightsaber at the shuttle, hitting one of its engine. The shuttle stumbled a bit before resuming its lift off to the atmosphere.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE HIM! WE WILL FIND YOU! WE WILL DESTROY YOU ALL" shouted Third Sister as she recalled her lightsaber.
Obi-Wan stared off into the empty space through the back turret window while the clones did whatever they could to repair the damage. Omega stopped for a bit and went up to the Jedi to ask what was wrong. Obi-Wan couldn't reply, still in shock at the information he received from the Inquisitor, only uttered one word.
"Anakin."
There we go! The long-awaited Part II of the spin off series! Hope I did the series justice! The next part will come out in sometime in December but before the New Year. Same goes for The Grand Rebellion. I should be able to finish this series by January if things goes well. In the meantime, please leave a constructive review and I'll see you in the next part!