Alright, time to take a break from the main story and get some clone action. I don't know why many of you are thinking I'm going to be killing of Pyrrha, but I can assure you that is not going to happen. I've got plans for the fourth-member of Team JNPR.
Now, in honor of the remaining month before Star Wars: The Bad Batch is aired on Disney Plus, the newer more awesome trailer and the fact that I just got Republic Commando on Xbox One, I'm going to do a chapter involving them, along with Delta Squad and the Ghost Squad. I've started to think of them as the Star Wars galaxies version of Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six from Tom Clancy.
Alright, lets get some reviews answered.
Monster King: Thank you.
Darth Cody: Thanks, and don't worry about it. March's sister will appear, but the reunion between brother and sister will not be for a while.
42: I really didn't expect or intend to make the last chapter so short, but no harm done.
54godamora: Mercury is indeed weak-minded, and like I said to you, Volume 3 is going to be a hell of a lot different than canon. Again, I stick to the canon 50/50 making the changes I want to make.
Spartan-626: Thanks.
Luffy L Deathwalker: Whatever the reason RT decided to kill of Watts, I'm just glad he's dead. As Deadpool said 'I don't trust guys with porno mustaches.' Plus, that guy seemed to have a couple of screws loose or something. Now, in regards to Galen tipping off Ruby, Ozpin and Ironwood, you never know what might happen, but I can assure you that Cinder isn't going to get away with her plans without getting her ass kicked.
Alright, lets get started.
Disclaimers are the same as always, please enjoy.
Chapter 35: Going Commando
The turret of a wrecked AAT was tossed into a wrecked MTT by Wrecker as he waited impatiently for Fixer and Tech to finish downloading the date from the terminal still operational in the only intact building left in the remains of the base.
"Take it easy, Wrecker. You want to trigger a booby trap the droids might have left in this thing?" Niner asked.
"I'm tired of all this standing around. I want to blow something up already!" the muscular clone groaned, picking up rock and threw it with all his might outside the base before he turned to Hunter. "Why are we even out here anyway, Sarge? I was hoping to see Starkiller kick some ass in the four-on-four match."
"We're out here, Wrecker, because Ironwood is being a damn fool into thinking that the droids have fully retreated. We've fought the droids more than anyone from this planet and he knows it." Hunter replied. "Not to mention everything else that's happened ever since Torchwick was arrested." He said to himself.
He wasn't wrong. After Roman was arrested, violence around the kingdom of Vale had stopped completely and the White Fang had gone completely silent. The only notable thing was the droid attack in the Round Table a week ago and the attack on the military base during the battle, but even still Ironwood was convinced that the worst of it was over. Hunter wasn't convinced and tried to convince the General to further investigate the base the droids had been using, but the General refused.
'Battle droids don't just give up unless they were ordered by their superior. We still don't know who's been giving them orders. Ironwood thinks they are just like his crappy knights and paladins. Droids are more intelligent than he gives them credit for, especially the tactical and commando droids.' Hunter thought.
Just then, Boss arrived. "We've secured the perimeter around the base, found nothing but wrecked droid equipment around the area, but they look like older models of AAT and MTT. Whoever ordered the droids to retreat must have decided to use the older versions to throw Ironwood off their trail. We found some crates of weapons and ammo, crates with markings of the White Fang. Scorch, Trace and Darman are placing demo charges on crates so those terrorists can't get their hands on them. Fixer and Tech are still slicing the terminal in the command building. Sev, Crosshair and Climber haven't found anything." He explained.
"It doesn't make any sense. Those droids couldn't have just vanished into thin air, aerial reported that the droid ships retreated over the ocean, but all the armor and infantry had to go somewhere." Niner pointed out.
"That's what Ironwood can't understand. Battle droids are more advanced and skilled then his men, especially the commando droids. Those units have better armor and built for stealth operations. They could easily sneak into the kingdoms and cause a lot of damage from the inside. Not to mention his militaries weapons wouldn't be able to do scrap on them." Hunter added in agreement, pulling out his knife and threw it towards one of the buildings. "Why don't you stop hiding and come on out." He spoke.
A young teenage girl with tan skin, brown hair and gray eyes wearing ninja gear that consisted of a fully bodysuit with matching red sleeves and stockings, metal arm and shin guards, high-heeled sandals with red straps, a pair of gloves and a face mask that covered their lower face appeared as if they were using active camouflage of some kind while they held a type of assault rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher and type of scope in their hands. "How did you know I was hiding here?" the female asked, raising their hands in surrender and placing their weapon on the ground.
"When you've been on the battlefield for as long as we have, you tend to learn to watch your surroundings." Hunter replied, collecting his knife from the wall. "So, who exactly are you? You don't look like a Huntress or bounty hunter." He asked.
"All you need to know is that I am ally of the one you call Fulcrum who has assigned me to find out why this base was suddenly abandoned by the machines you call 'droids." the girl replied. "And just so you know, I am not alone either." She added, lowering her mask and whistled.
Emerging from nearby much to the surprise of the commandos was someone wearing Katarn-class clone commando armor with digital camo and yellow/orange markings of the 212th Attack Battalion and a DC-17m ICWS blaster in their hands. "Let her go or you'll have to deal with me." The unknown person demanded.
"You sound like a clone, who are you?" Boss asked.
"That's not important right now. Right now, let my partner go or else I'll use force if I have too." The 'clone' demanded again. Before anyone could make a move, the ground suddenly began to shake. At first everyone thought it was an earthquake, but they were proven wrong when Hunter saw rising from below directly behind the main building and right in the middle of the section of train tracks that ran through the base was an elevator for the rolling stock.
"Looks like Tech and Fixer came through." Hunter said impressively, before he turned to the two newcomers. "I don't know who you two are, but if you're after the same thing we are, then by all means you're welcome to join us, just don't get in the way." he added.
The two newcomers nodded and followed the commando's who regrouped at the secret elevator. "It looks like there is a lot more to this base then meets the eye, Sergeant." Tech replied. "Looks like after the Great War, this base was constantly used by various companies who were testing new weapons. Problem is, this area of Vacuo is isolated and far away from any of the settlements or ports so supplying the base became an issue, hence the rail-line that was built to transport supplies from the ports in Vacuo to the base, but they crossed through some heavily infested Grimm territory." Tech explained.
"The trains would stop here and uncouple the cargo from the base and move them into the sidings before taking the rest of their cargo to Vale and other parts of the Kingdom. As for the elevator, it seems that someone decided to build a tunnel that travels underneath the base and avoid the Grimm. The project was abandoned twenty-five years ago, but it looks like there were various reports of tunneling and underground explosions reported over the years, but they were classified as mining operations. Seems like someone decided to finish the tunnel." Fixer added.
"So, if the tunnel wasn't finished then the line intended for the tunnel was closed off before it was finished. Someone decided to finish the construction in secret, must have been done by someone who's hiding a dirty little secret." Hunter mused.
"Speaking of which, you'll want to hear this." Tech added and pressed a button on his gauntlet, playing a recording he and Fixer recovered from the main building.
"The loss of the Malevolence II was a necessary sacrifice. Now, that fool Ironwood has brought in more forces in order to protect the people. All he's done is bring more lambs to the slaughter. Even without the Black Queen virus fully infecting the CCT, Cinder's part of the plan will continue without hinderance. All the equipment given to us by our 'most gracious' benefactor has been moved to where the White Fang will distribute it to its forces. I must admit, using those animals is quite an ingenious move on young Cinder's part, especially considering Adam Taurus's hatred towards the humans." A mysterious and yet sinister voice said.
"Ironwood is a fool, but we mustn't underestimate the Jedi protecting the kingdom. They will be the first to move to defend the kingdom, which is why our ally has been able to send us much needed assistance to begin the plan. Beacon will fall and when is all is said and done, the relic will be ours and Cinder will have the power she so desires. Not only that, but the Empire may even establish a foothold on the planet. 'Lord' Vader's interest in the new Demon Lord and that 'Ahsoka Tano' will be nothing more than a memory once Vale and Beacon are reduced to rubble." Another voice said.
"Let Vader and the Empire deal with the Jedi and the remains of their grand army. Salem will have what she desires and the world will be plunged into chaos, making it easier for us to bring about a new world order with the maidens and relics." A third voice said before the recording ended.
"I can't figure out who those in the recording are, but at least this indicates that Galen's suspicions about Cinder and her team were correct. They're working the droids." Tech confirmed.
"Then let's get back to Beacon and kick their asses!" Wrecker exclaimed.
"Not a chance, Wrecker. We still need to locate the equipment the White Fang was promised and destroy it. If I'm right, the Empire is going to be returning to Remnant and this time they'll have a lot more firepower with them this time. Best thing we can do is eliminate whatever the White Fang has before we warn the generals." Hunter reminded.
"He's right. Adam, Cinder and whoever else is behind all of this, we can't let them get away with this. We have to stop them, or at the very least sabotage whatever they have planned." the girl said with determination.
"Guess that means we got two more allies." Boss remarked before he and the others boarded the elevator and pressed a button on the control panel sending the elevator back down below the ground as the night sky quickly vanished. "Fixer, give us a list of the Atlas equipment that was stolen." He ordered his brother.
The second in command of Delta Squad tossed down a holo-projector and within seconds, holograms of numerous military equipment that was used and currently in use by the Atlas military. "Aside from the stolen MG-29's, MG-31's, S33's and S35s, dozens of older MG-21's have also been stolen from several storage facilities. We know the older Sentinel fighters are commonly used by the White-Fang, but as for the newer versions we have no idea who or where they sent too. What we do know is that the fighters were to be sent to reinforce Ironwood's men after the recent battle in the Round Table." Fixer began. "The ships transporting the aircraft were loaded in Atlas and arrived in Vacuo before they were loaded onto trains, but when the trains arrived in Vale the manifests showed no aircraft being transported. Those fighters were moved somewhere and the manifests were altered. The White Fang has capable pilots, but even they wouldn't risk stealing the more advanced SE and S models. Among the stolen equipment was also several battle droid dispensers that were classified as 'Atlesian Knight repair stations.'" He added.
"Obviously, those planes were offloaded somewhere before the trains continued on their way. The droid dispensers are also a concern since they can spit out a lot of battle droids. Question is, what does the White Fang need them for?" Hunter questioned as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom, in between a locomotive and several freight cars. "Split into separate squads, find the control room and see what data we can find. If you find any hostiles, eliminate them with extreme prejudice." The Sergeant ordered before he turned to the other two. "You two, you're with me and my squad. Don't take it the wrong way, but we just don't completely trust you." He added.
"I understand." The one in the commando armor said understandingly. The female nodded her head in agreement and followed Hunter and his squad in one direction while Ghost Squad headed off in the other direction, while Delta Squad headed for the freight cars behind the elevators.
The door the Bad Batch entered lead them past numerous rooms that looked like they were used for experimentation and testing for an unknown project. An insignia of unknown origin was plastered on the door of one of the rooms, covered in dried blood. "Looks like something happened here." Hunter said, peering into the room and saw the skeletal remains of a dead scientist. "Looks like some eggheads didn't make it out of here alive." He added.
"Let's just hope whatever's in these rooms is dead." The girl voiced in concern, a bit scared until her partner placed a hand on her shoulder, assuring her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Hunter to Ghost and Delta Squads. We've got some kind of labs in our area. Lots of casualties here and it looks like it happened a long time ago. Keep your eyes out for anything out of the ordinary. Remember, we need whatever intel we can find." Hunter reminded the others through the commlink. The other commando's all acknowledged his reminder.
Back at the freight cars, Delta Squad boarded the lead freight car and had begun to sweep the cars for any signs of hostiles. The first dozen boxcars were empty but secured to the flatbeds behind them were dozens of the stolen aircraft Fixer mentioned earlier, along with multiple missile crawlers and tanks. "Looks like we found some of the stolen equipment." Sev observed, looking at one of the missile crawlers with the White Fang logo. "Someone must be taking a lot of risks if they are willing to steal military vehicles like this." He stated.
"Forget about the missile crawler, why are so many of these flatbeds empty?" Scorch asked from several cars down. "More boxcars over here, Boss. Want us to check them out?" he asked.
"What do you think, Scorch?" Fixer asked, preparing to pry open the doors on one of the boxcars. "Sir, I'm picking life-signs inside this car, but there emitting some strange energy signatures that I've never seen before. I advise caution."
"I was thinking the same thing, Fixer." Boss agreed before he issued an order to his brothers. "Execute door breach!" Sev and Fixer moved into position while Scorch threw a grappling hook onto the roof of the boxcar and placed a couple of breaching charges on the boxcar's door, pulling himself up to the top of the car as the charges detonated, destroying the locks on the door which was then pulled open before Scorch threw a thermal detonator into the car which exploded, followed by another explosion. "Scorch, how many grenades did you use?" Boss asked.
"Only one, Delta lead. Whatever caused the second one wasn't a grenade." Scorch answered entering the train car with his brothers, scanning the inside with their blasters for any signs of hostiles, only to find nothing but a large cage. "Ok, why is there some kind of cage in this train car?" he asked.
"Only way we're going to find out is we search the rest of the train, Six-Two." Fixer answered as the four-man squad headed for the next car.
While Delta Squad continued to investigate the train, Ghost Squad had found themselves investigating several laboratories that focused on experimentation on Grimm. "Merlot Industries?" Climber questioned as he searched through a terminal in one of the labs. "I thought they focused on artificial intelligence, not genetic manipulation. Yet the terminal seems to indicate that they were focusing on studying the Grimm. It doesn't make any sense." The commando captain noted.
"I agree with you on that, but it doesn't explain why there is locomotive sitting several feet away from multiple freight cars and underneath a military base that was supposed to be abandoned. I think there might be more to this then any of us know." Darman said in agreement. Seconds later, they heard something banging on a nearby door before a crashing sound was heard.
"We've got contacts!" Trace shouted as he open fired on a Beowolf that unlike the basic creature had glowing green eyes, spikes and markings. Blaster bolts slammed into the Beowolf, killing it but not before it exploded and created a wave of crystal-like bone spikes that destroyed several other doors, releasing more of the strange Beowolfs. "We got Grimm! We've got Grimm!" he shouted as his squad mates rushed out of the lab and opened up with their own blasters.
Blue blaster bolts flew towards the Grimm which like the one before it exploded upon death. "Ghost squad to Bad Batch and Delta Squad! We've confirmed creatures of Grimm down here but genetically modified! I say again, we have confirmed multiple genetically modified Grimm down here!" Darman shouted into the commlink, throwing a grenade towards several glowing Creeps that much like the Beowolfs exploded upon death. The grenade exploded, killing the Grimm before a wave of the same crystal-like bone spikes smashed several more doors and releasing more of the mutated Grimm.
A garbled response over the commlink made it difficult for the four commandos to confirm if the others heard Darman's message, but nonetheless they kept on firing their blasters slowly moving forwards as each mutant Grimm was killed. "We're not making any headway at this rate! Trace, Darman! Switch to your Heavy ACP Repeaters! Shred these monsters to bits!" Niner shouted.
The two commando's he shouted towards nodded and quickly whipped out their scavenged Trandoshan weapons and quickly unleashed a barrage of disintegrating plasma cartridges towards the oncoming horde of creatures, tearing through their ranks as Niner and Climber decided to make use of their own scavenged Trandoshan weapons, in this case an ACP repeater gun or Trandoshan SMGs commonly used by the lizard mercenaries. Compared to the Heavy ACP Repeaters, the SMG was weaker than the heavy repeater but just as effective against organic opponents, but almost ineffective against droids and had a tendency to overheat after full on use.
Even still, Niner and Climber kept on using the Trandoshan weapons, firing in short-controlled bursts to keep the weapons from going off target. They continued to move slowly forwards firing their scavenged weapons at the mutant creatures of Grimm before the creatures soon started to take fire from behind. The four commandos were quick to catch a glimpse of a female Nite-Owl warrior with a red and black Wester-35 blaster pistol with card symbols painted on it her left hand and a Vibrosword in their right hand. Further completing their arsenal was a Jetpack like the one used by the Nite-Owls, Protectors and other Mandalorian warriors. "Who's that?" Darman asked, loading a fresh magazine into his weapon.
"I don't know, but I think it's safe to say they are on our side." Climber observed as the new warrior shot a jet of flame from her vambrace, burning multiple of the mutant creatures while out of their second vambrace multiple guided projectiles whistled through the air and killed the remaining creatures with a small explosion, again followed by the creatures exploding in the same wave of crystal-like bones. This time, no more Grimm arrived. "Thanks for the help. We owe you one." Climber thanked, loading a fresh pack into his ACP repeater. "Didn't figure we would run into one of are Vods down here. I thought you all would be focused on pushing the Empire off Mandalore." He added.
The Nite-Owl removed her helmet, revealing her blonde hair, one blue eye and one green eye to the commando's. "I have my reasons for being here, reasons that didn't include getting shot down in this part of Vacuo with only my Astromech copilot Q9 in need of some basic repairs." The warrior replied as an R7 astromech with red and black paint scheme as their blaster rolled up from behind the warrior, showing that the droid was indeed damaged. "That would be R7-Q9, my partner." The warrior introduced.
"We can get a proper introduction later, right now we need to figure out what else is in this place. Hopefully, we figure out what the Grimm are doing down here and why someone was experimenting with Grimm." Darman reminded, stowing his Trandoshan weapon and pulled out his blaster rifle.
"If you're planning on going forwards, it won't do any good. The stairwell leading to the next floor is completely blocked and unless you want to risk a cave in, I don't recommend the use of explosives." The warrior advised.
"Then we better…." Niner began before they heard the howling of several Grimm behind them, quickly turning around to see a horde of basic Beowolf's and Creeps charging towards them. "Weapons free!" Niner shouted and the group once again opened up with their weapons.
Blaster fire echoed throughout the underground as the Bad Batch and their allies had located the control room where Tech was downloading the data from the only active terminal as the others covered the computer expert of the specialized clone squad.
The girl loaded a fresh magazine into their rifle before spraying the creatures of Grimm with bullets as her companion in clone armor unleashed a barrage of blaster fire at the Grimm. "Are you sure you shouldn't use your grenades? It might make things a lot less difficult for us if we use explosives." She reminded.
"Too risky. If the Grimm unintentionally kick the grenade into the command center, it could destroy the evidence we've acquired against Cinder and her team! Unless we want to go back to square one, no grenades!" the commando replied, plunging their vibro-blade in their gauntlet into the torso of a staggered Beowolf, splattering his visor with a bit of blood. "How much longer until you're finished in there!?" they shouted.
"Thirty-seconds!" Tech shouted, continuing to download the data as their communications were starting to return. "We're done!" Tech called out, joining his allies and firing his twin DC-17's at the Grimm. "I suggest that we have Wrecker clear us a path back to the train! It will take us straight to where its cargo is being offloaded too! Though I have a feeling that it will confirm our suspicions about who is supplying the White Fang with this gear!" he added.
Back on the train, Delta Squad was continuing to clear out the train of the remaining Grimm that had somehow managed to break out of their cages. The creatures of Grimm stood no match to the superior firepower the four commandos possessed as Delta Squad worked their way to the back of the train where a single flatbed with several chain-gun turrets were mounted as a horde of Grimm began to run down the tunnel directly towards the train which lurched forwards as the locomotive coupled to the train. "We've got an incoming horde of Grimm! Sev! Scorch! Get on those turrets and start unloading on those kriffing monsters!" Boss shouted as he and Fixer switched their blasters into their sniper modes as Niner and his squad arrived and joined in on the defensive.
"Good thing you cleared the train we arrived! But where are all these Grimm coming from!?" Niner shouted.
"Don't know, but we need to get moving before get…." Boss began before the train began to move forwards away from the ever-increasing Grimm horde. "Looks like someone started this bucket of bolts! Good timing!" he said as the horde of Grimm finally disappeared.
The commando's sighed with relief before heading towards the engine where the Bad Batch and their new allies were waiting. "I get the feeling that this mission got a lot more complicated with the Grimm and the cargo this train is carrying." Fixer surmised.
"'Complicated' is putting it mildly, Fixer." Tech began before he pulled up the data he acquired from the terminal. "Based on the data from the terminal, it looks like the White Fang is transporting the stolen Sentinel and Sabre fighters to an unknown client, while also transporting the older MG-21's to their own forces. The amount of empty freight cars suggests that they are making an exchange with the newer fighters for something else entirely. As for the 'mutant' Grimm, it looks like they were created by Doctor Merlot who believed them to be a 'superior species' to the humans and Faunus. As a result, Merlot industries began to run experiments on the specimens they captured but the experiments resulted in attracting more Grimm to Mountain Glenn, which as we all know was soon overrun and abandoned by the Grimm." He went on.
"I'm going to guess that the experiments resulted in the Mutant Grimm exploding and creating those crystal spikes when their killed." Sev surmised. "And I thought Trandoshan's running through their own minefield was messed up." He added.
"There's more." Tech continued. "It looks like that after the droid attack failed, the droids used older and wrecked vehicles to fool the Atlas forces sent to investigate the base in the event that it was a trap. As we know, General Ironwood firmly believes the droids to have retreated from this sector, but the terminal data confirmed that the White Fang has been using this train to smuggle these planes to a drop-off point, before continuing on back towards Mountain Glenn. I don't entirely know what the point of all this is, but from the recording its possible that they could be working with the Empire, but I doubt that Ironwood would believe the intel we've acquired."
"Ironwood is the same as he always is. He doesn't trust anyone but himself, so if even if you tell him that you found evidence against Cinder, her team and an incoming threat to Remnant, he'll probably even try to launch a full-frontal assault against whatever is coming and lose a lot of men." The female in Mandalorian armor added.
"For all the good he had intended, he doesn't seem to care that he went behind Ozpin's back and brought his army into the Vale." Niner stated as the train exited the tunnel, continuing its way along the tracks as abandoned settlements and mines flew past them. "It doesn't make any sense. If the White Fang was going to make a move, wouldn't they have done it before Ironwood brought his forces into the kingdom?" he added, getting a concerned look from the other commando's. "It's warfare 101: attack the enemy before they can mobilize their forces, catch them off-guard and cripple their forces. But if that was their plan, why is the White Fang waiting?"
"What if they are waiting for something?" Wrecker suggested. "If the Empire is involved in this, then they are either on their way or already sent an advance force or something to cripple the defense forces. I mean, the Galm Team is very touchy about their planes, only allowing the crews that usually work on them, especially considering the new personal they got on the base. A Lieutenant Colonel Ford was supposed to be put in charge of the air forces, but he got killed on his way and a Major Hamilton was appointed as head of the air forces and there's nothing on him in the database." He continued.
"Wrecker's right for once. Something about that Hamilton guy rubs me the wrong way." Hunter said in agreement just as the train suddenly began to slow down in the middle of the moonlit desert. "Why the hell are we slowing down?" he demanded.
"Take a look." The ninja girl said, pointing outside the engine's windows. Looking out the windows of the engine, all fifteen individuals looked in surprise as coming into view were several repulsor lift transports and mobile cranes lined up alongside the tracks while Imperial Desert Stormtroopers and Storm Commando's stood guard on platform of a secret imperial outpost that was unknown to them, until now.
As the train came to a stop, the imperial forces began to quickly unload the, missile crawlers, MG-29's, MG-31's, MG-35's, S33's and S35's while they loaded multiple AT-ST's, TX-130T fighter tanks and 2-M Saber-class repulsor tanks onto the train, leaving the MG-21's untouched and not even bothering to confirm whether the train was being operated by the White Fang. A grin appeared on Hunter's face as he quickly explained a plan that he had just come up with, a plan that would not only eliminate the Imperial outpost, but also allow them to fool both the White Fang when the time came. Once the plan was explained, the fifteen-person force readied their weapons for battle.
Further in the imperial outpost, Commander Darjah Geecard of the Imperial Storm Commando's walked into to the communications building to make his report to the Emperor. A grizzled veteran of the Clone Wars with silver hair and red eyes who led Clone Shadow Troopers on 'special' missions to demoralize the citizens of the enemy, Darjah was a man that no one would dare wish to meet in a dark alley.
Born in the slums of Corellia, Darjah fought for everything from food and water to clothing. As a result, dozens of people in the slums lost their lives when Darjah pulled the trigger of his blaster. For seventeen years, he fought to survive until he made his way to Coruscant and joined the Republic Intelligence. As the Clone Wars raged on, Darjah found himself accompanying Shadow Trooper squadrons on covert operations behind enemy lines in intelligence gathering and most often multiple massacres against civilian contractors working for the Separatist's.
These massacres further fueled the flames of the Clone Wars as more and more planets left the Republic and joined the Confederacy, but for Darjah he showed no mercy for those he killed, even if they were children. On numerous occasions, he was brought to trial for war-crimes, but the charges were either dropped or the troopers that reported the crimes somehow wounded up being found dead in their sleep.
When the Empire came to power, Darjah continued to serve the Empire with the same type of missions he carried out during the war, hunting down 'Jedi Traitor's' and massacring anyone who came into contact with the Jedi they tracked down, even going far as to instigating various small-scale conflicts to bring out the dissidents who rejected the new government, which led to multiple settlements of planets like Dantooine and other outer rim planets.
His motto was simple; show no mercy to the enemy and wipe out everyone who gets in the way of the Empire's progress, even if they were loyal to the Empire. A motto that he continued to follow to this day. Dressed in the standard jet-black storm commando armor, Darjah removed his helmet before the image of the emperor appeared before him. "My Emperor, we have established an outpost on the planet as you requested. We established a working relationship with Miss Fall and her White Fang associates and have proceeded to the second stage of the plan." He said, dropping to one knee and bowing his head.
"Have you been discovered?" Palpatine asked.
"No, my lord. Per your instructions we have taken all the necessary precautions to avoid being discovered by the enemy. Our squadrons have been efficient in destroying any enemy craft that comes into our airspace. As a result, Bernitz, Heimeroth, Zubov along with the Drossel, Meteor and Falke Squadrons have been integrated into enemy forces. When the time comes, they will eliminate the pilots that are a threat to us." He went on.
"Good. Using the enemy's own weapons against them will cause the people to loss trust in their leaders, allowing the Empire to move in and 'protect' them. Lord Vader's fleet will be arriving when Miss Fall makes her move and we've already taken precautions to ensure the Rebellion doesn't interfere." Palpatine said with a grin.
"My Lord, do you still intend to help the White Fang with their goal of supremacy against the humans of this planet? They are nothing more than filthy animals and animals don't deserve the same rights we humans. They are nothing more than terrorists." He inquired.
"Even animals have their uses. Let them believe that we plan to assist them in wiping out their enemies, once their usefulness has come to an end, they'll be nothing more than workers for the imperial war machine." He reminded the commander.
"Then you'll not object if I request to personally execute Adam Taurus and Sienna Khan?" he asked.
"Commander, they are our allies and as such, we cannot attack our allies… yet. I guarantee that when the time comes, you may execute them. But remember to take caution, the remnants of the Clone Army and several Jedi are on the planet and may prove to be a complication to our plans. Find their base and wipe them out for good, but make sure that you are not discovered by anyone. Remember, my dear commander, the price for failure is your life." he reminded.
"Not to worry, my lord. I have already taken the necessary steps to ensure that we are not discovered until it is too late." He assured the emperor who's form soon vanished. Once the Emperor's figure vanished, Darjah was about to instruct several of his men to contact the White Fang of the next and final delivery when the noise of blaster fire alerted the entire outpost. "What in the hell is that noise?" he demanded.
(Red Fraction starts)
Just seconds after two Desert Troopers opened the doors to one of the boxcars, they were greeted to a barrage of blaster fire from the commando's and their allies downed multiple imperial troopers, catching them off guard. "Delta Squad! Flank left with the Mandalorian and her droid! Try and capture one of the stolen fighters and place a tracker on one of them! Ghost Squad! Flank right and hit the armory! Everyone else, with us! We'll hit them head on! Tech! Jam their communications! Last thing we need is getting hit by enemy air-support!" Hunter shouted, firing his twin pistols at the imperial forces.
"Yes sir!" the commando's shouted and headed off in the directions of their objectives.
Scorch took cover behind a crate and lobbed a flashbang grenade towards several imperial soldiers who were hunkered down behind several crates. The soldiers, thinking it was a thermal detonator quickly dived for cover only for them to be blinded when the grenade exploded. Having lost their cover, the imperial forces were quickly gunned down by Delta Squad and their Mandalorian ally who identified herself as Alice.
Activating her Jetpack, Alice rocketed into the air before firing more of her guided projectiles, killing several Storm Commandos before swooping down and slashed several imperial soldiers with her Vibro-Sword, killing them before landing on the ground and started to use her weapon like it was a lightsaber, blocking blaster fire as Sev lobbed a frag grenade towards several troopers.
The grenade exploded, sending the bodies of the stormtroopers flying before Sev took up a sniping position behind his brothers and started to pick off the enemy one by one. "That's one." Sev announced as he nailed one trooper with a headshot. Another trooper fell to a headshot. "That's two!" Another one fell after catching a blaster bolt to the torso. "That's three!" a fourth trooper fell from blaster bolt to the stomach. "That's four!" His last shot slammed into the head of a fifth trooper, taking their helmet off. "That's five bucketheads!" he shouted.
"Sev! Keep us covered, we need to reach those planes before they take off!" Fixer shouted downing several Imperial soldiers with his blaster rifle, emptying its current clip before reloading. As he did, an imperial soldier tackled him and knocked his rifle from his hands, but the soldier was soon killed when tech expert of Delta Squad plunged his knuckle-plated vibro-blade into the exposed area by the soldier's neck, killing them. Fixer was quick to pick up his blaster rifle, finished reloading his weapon before he continued to back his squad up.
His twin DC-17 pistols in hand, Boss sprinted forwards blasting any Stormtroopers or Storm Commando's that got in his path as he moved towards the makeshift airfield with his brothers, Alice and her droid right behind him. As they got closer, the stolen planes were beginning to take off. "We need to place a tracker on one of those planes before they take off!" he shouted, stopping only briefly for his shields to recharge. More planes continued to take off, but a shot from Sev killed one of the MG-29 pilots as they prepared to climb into the cockpit of the plane. "At least that's one plane they won't be using!" he exclaimed, once again impressed with Sev's sniping skills.
His shields now back to full power, Boss once again sprinted forwards as the last S33 taxied onto the runway. As its engines powered up, Delta Squads leader quickly tossed a tracking beacon onto the plane's fuselage before the powerful exhaust from the engine knocked him down just as the plane took off for parts unknown. Three-Eight was quick to get back to his feet and snap a Stormtroopers neck before Alice and her droid arrived with the rest of Delta Squad, taking up positions on the runway. "Protect this plane!" Delta Squads leader shouted, holstering his pistols and whipping out his blaster rifle.
On the right flank, Ghost Squad used the rest of the ammo for their LS-150's tearing through the imperial ranks like their armor was made of tissue paper. Mobs of imperial soldiers fell before they could even fire a shot as Niner and Climber fired one final burst of plasma cartridges downing an entire platoon of Storm Commando's while Darman and Trace used their blasters, cutting down trooper after trooper as the armory came into view. "Clear these bucketheads out and torch their weapons!" Niner shouted.
Darman quickly moved onto the enemies right flank and downed several enemy soldiers with precise and accurate shots, covering the others as they made their way towards the armory. Switching to the anti-armor mode of his DC-17m, loaded a grenade into the launcher and fired a single grenade at the armory door, blowing it open and allowing his comrades to sweep and clear the entire building before they began to place thermite-charges on the weapons crates. "Ghost leader to Delta leader and Bad leader, we're placing charges on the weapons now. We'll regroup and hit the main command building!" Niner shouted into the commlink.
"Solid copy, Ghost leader!" Hunter shouted, slashing several hostile troopers with his knives while Crosshair nailed multiple imperial soldiers with precise headshots. Wrecker fired off a single round from his own blaster's grenade launcher, killing four Storm Commandos while Tech calculated the trajectory of the two newcomers' grenades.
"Fifty-six, mark one-oh-five!" he shouted to the two who lobbed a pair of grenades towards several hostiles armed with heavy blasters that were guarding the entrance to the main building. Both individuals lobbed their grenades at the angle Tech gave them, killing the enemy soldiers before they moved up to the command center as the other two groups joined up with them.
"Tech! Fixer! Get inside and download the data! We'll keep the Empire off your backs!" Hunter shouted just as Wrecker tossed a crate towards several hostiles, crushing them before he went wild and unleashed his full might against the imperial forces. "There he goes again! Rushing recklessly into battle against overwhelming odds. I honestly almost feel badly for those troopers, almost." Hunter sighed before tossing his last grenade towards the enemy.
As the grenade exploded, Tech and Fixer ran out of the command room. "We got the data! We've got the Empire's plans!" Tech exclaimed.
(End song)
"Good work, Tech! Everybody get your asses back to the train! Alice, take your droid and that fighter and get out of here! We'll handle the rest." Hunter instructed Alice, who nodded and quickly scooped up a fallen imperial blaster before rocketing towards the airfield. Three minutes later, the remaining MG-29 took off into the air as the commando teams continued to gun down the remaining imperial soldiers trying to stop them from reaching the train.
The superior firepower and training of the clones plus the masked girl made quick work of the imperial forces, but just as they were a few feet from the train a blaster bolt from behind slammed into Tech, who's armors shields were in the middle of recharging. The blaster bolt caused him immense pain before he climbed aboard the train just as Wrecker picked up a rocket launcher, took aim and fired at the Darjah, who was the one who fired the shot at Tech. "You don't shoot my brother in the back and get away with it!" Wrecker snarled as he pulled Tech onto the train, which began to move as Darjah laid on the ground, dead with the rest of his men.
As the train left the outpost with its cargo, things took a turn for the worst. The shot that hit Tech had destroyed the data-pad that contained all the evidence they had collected along with the recordings. Fixer also reported the same thing, but the data he collected was destroyed by a virus they had failed to locate when they were slicing into the imperial systems.
"Great! We're now back to square-one! Ironwood won't simply take our word about Cinder, her team, the White Fang or the Empire. What do we do now!?" Wrecker asked and complained, breaking the rocket launcher he just used.
"We reacquire the evidence we gathered." Hunter stated before turning to Tech. "Tech, how much of the data did you save?" he asked.
"Only the recordings between Cinder and whoever was talking about them. All the data regarding the Empire's plan was lost. It's my fault sir, I should have backed up the imperial data and scanned for a virus." He admitted.
"Well then, why don't we see where this train is heading?" Hunter suggested. "Even if we lost the data, if we find out where this cargo is heading, we find the White Fang, cripple their operation and bring down Cinder at the same time."
"I like this plan." Niner agreed, removing the top of a supply crate that they brought into the engine earlier which held hundreds of clips for the DC-17m's. "Everybody, grab some ammo. This is going to be a long mission." He added. As the commando's grabbed more ammo, the train continued through the desert as the sun began to rise.
And done. Now, before I forget again, the A-10 Rattler is the A-10 Thunderbolt. Now, the MG-21 is the MiG-21. Just want to clarify that.
Good news, the Bad Batch, Delta Squad, Ghost Squad and their new allies have learned that Cinder is behind everything that has been happening in Vale, but all the evidence they had gathered was lost except for the recording they recovered. I used some material from GI Joe: Renegades.
The Grimm they encountered are the mutants seen in RWBY: Grimm Eclipse, which is a pretty good game for those who like hack and slash type games.
Now then, when I was writing this chapter, I had an interesting idea for Team GARM in the doubles match. I won't tell you what it is, I want it to be a surprise. But I will ask you all this, should I go to the surprise and skip the fight between Yang, Weiss, Flynt and Neon or add that in for kicks? Leave your answer in your reviews and place your votes on my new poll.
Until then, please read and review and I'll see you all next time. Oh and please feel free to guess who masked girl and commando are.