Chapter Two
The Kamino Mission and the Duel
During the assembly which broadcasted the speech made by Sidious at the Galactic Senate, Nala Se watched the assembled men with a stoic face. Unknown to many personnels, there were many clones who have had their inhibitor chips removed but remained to assist in the covert evacuation of rogue Kaminoans and equipment to a hidden prototype Venator, aptly named the Infiltrator, in the ocean. This particular Venator model has been stolen by two groups of Clone Commandos and parts of the 104th 'Wolfpack' Battalion. It is three times bigger than the normal Venators and faster. Much more heavily armed and comes with a faster hyperdrive core. The prototype bay, which was to house 400 ARC-170s, was temporarily converted to carry the cloning equipment, ammo supplies and other important but classified materials that would serve the greater good than the newly christened Empire.
As the speech went on, Nala Se discreetly tapped her wrist comm twice. The signal was sent to a squad of Clone Commandos who had just arrived at the capitol in a prototype LAAT/i that had a cloaking device.
This squad was Delta Squad consisting of Boss, Sev, Fixer and Scorch. The four commandos fought in the Battle of Geonosis and were the first to remove their chips at the beginning of the war.
"Adviser, we have arrived. Will move to extract genetic materials now." Reported Boss as he and his squad slowly surveyed the hangar bay.
"Understood. Be advised, Madame Se has signalled the all clear. Security should be light but proceed with caution. Some of our brothers are inhibitor chip free so use your scanner that can detect the chips to differentiate the security clones. Good luck, Delta Squad and may the Force be with you." The Adviser said as he signed off.
Delta moved forward in the shape of a diamond to cover all areas. They knew the layout of the city like it was etched on the back of their hands. Thanks to the assembly, there was very little security. They made their way to the genetic storage lab and found the DNA samples of their progenitor, Jango Fett.
"Target acquired. Scorch, open up the cooler pack. Fixer, Sev, watch the door and cover us." Ordered Boss as he gently picked up the samples and put them into Scorch's backpack that had a special refrigerator to keep the samples viable. Once they were done, the squad quietly made their way back but before they could even make their way to the hangar, the hallway was filled with Kamino Security Teams and other clone soldiers doing patrols.
Knowing that there's no other choice, Boss made a decision. "Okay, boys. We need to blend in. We should be alright as long as no officer comes to us to ask about our presence. We'll blend in, gather intel and fly back to the Infiltrator for extraction."
The group nodded and proceeded with their plan. They walked about, looking like they were on a patrol. They had turned their recording on and discreetly looked around, hoping to find any new information or structure that could reveal anything about the now occupied Tipoca City. They went on until Boss notices a group of Clones talking to a little girl. Clone Force 99 gathered around the girl as they chatted.
They don't seem to be under the influence….we should check this out.
Boss and his men carried on until they reached the hangar bay and quietly boarded their ship that was parked on the far side of the hangar. The LAAT/i went off and once secure, Boss called the Adviser.
"Adviser, targets are secured but there's been a development. We have encountered Clone Force 99. They don't seem to be under the influence of the chips unlike the rest." Boss informed.
The Adviser took this in and replied, "Move forward with the current mission for now. Once you have dropped off the samples, stay at Kamino and discreetly follow the Bad Batch. The Infiltrator will set off for Kaliida immediately after your rendezvous. Will provide more mission parameters soon. Adviser out."
Boss nodded as he sat down and contemplated on the current situation. Almost all the Jedi are killed save a few and now an Empire has been formed. This may be the end of the Clone Wars but it was the beginning of a new war.
(Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, Naboo system)
The 501st Legion, the 7th Sky Corps, the 327th Star Corps, along with the recently-arrived 322nd Legion, 21st Nova Corps, the 41st Elite Corps and the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps, stayed at the facility to defend it from the Empire. The rest of the reformed fleet moved off to various planets that would house the hidden bases of the newly formed Grand Army of the New Republic. Rex, Appo, Cody, Bly, Bacara, Neyo, Grey and Gree were all currently talking about setting up hidden bases on remote planets, such as Tatooine, Hoth, Yavin IV, Felucia and Kashyyyk, when Obi-Wan contacted them.
"What can we do for you, General?" asked Cody.
"I need our Battalion as well as the 501st and 322nd to go to Mustafar. It seems Anakin is there. Our orders are to stop Anakin and should we have no choice, kill him," replied Obi-Wan.
Rex sighed heavily. "Yes, sir. We'll move out straightaway." He put his helmet on and faced Cody. "Well, this is it, brother."
Cody nodded and put on his helmet. The loyal clones immediately left for Mustafar aboard the Negotiator and Tribunal. Within minutes, the ships arrived at said planet and sent five LAAT/is, each with five clones from their respective units in their transport bays, to the surface, with more back at the ships as backup.
(Klegger Corp Mining Facility, Mustafar)
The five LAAT/is arrived and the clones exited the transport bays to support Obi-Wan. The clones were led by Commander Rex and Cody with ARC Trooper Jesse as second in command. The clones arrived and saw Obi-Wan kneeling over Senator Padme Amidala. Rex quickly ordered Kix, the team medic, to take care of the Senator as the clones began to surround the former Jedi Knight.
"Sir, you're under arrest. Please don't make this any difficult for the men," said Rex as he pulled out his dual DC-17 blaster pistols from their holsters.
"YOU HAVE ALL BETRAYED ME!" roared Vader as the clones circled around him.
"You have done that yourself," retorted Obi-Wan.
"You are a traitor, sir. Killing Younglings in cold blood isn't the right thing to do but you can still change. Come with us quietly, sir. Please." said Jesse as he levelled his own dual DC-17s at the Sith Lord.
Vader discarded his cloak as he began pacing back and forth, all the while glaring at Obi-Wan and the rogue clones. "None of you will take Padme from me!"
"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that," replied Obi-Wan as he too discarded his cloak before he and Vader began to circle one another, while the clones, minus Kix, kept their weapons trained on the Sith Lord. "You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now...until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."
"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan," said Vader darkly. "I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do."
As the Sith Lord turned his back, Obi-Wan glanced at Kix, who was checking on Padme's vitals, before looking back at Vader as he continue with his monologue, this time in a zealotic tone: "I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire."
"Your new Empire?" asked Obi-Wan and Rex incredulously in unison.
"Don't make me kill all of you," growled Vader in a dangerous voice.
"Sir, the Empire is corrupt! We fight for the Republic, not the Empire! Please, don't make us do this!" pleaded Jesse with tears streaming down his face.
"Anakin, the clones and I are loyal to the Republic-to DEMOCRACY!" shouted Obi-Wan.
With his back still facing Obi-Wan, Cody, Rex and Jesse, Vader said, "If none of you are with me, then all of you are my enemies."
Obi-Wan and the others couldn't believe at what they were hearing. Behind the helmets of the 322nd that had Ahsoka's markings, their face had tears freely flowing down as they realised their General was now gone and truly a lost cause, who had been corrupted by the dark side of the Force and was fully immersed in Sith philosophy. The 501st troopers held back their tears and readied themselves. Jesse was distraught as well but steeled himself for the now inevitable battle.
"Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes," said Obi-Wan as he unhooked his lightsaber from his belt before igniting it. "I will do what I must."
"You will try, my old friend." replied Vader as he too ignited his lightsaber.
"Get him, men!" shouted Rex as he fired his dual DC-17 Blaster Pistols.
The other clones started firing, but Vader deflected the blaster bolts and managed to slice two clones that have gotten too close to his lightsaber. More blaster bolts fired at him but they were deflected back multiple times at three clones of 322nd, killing them. Before he could kill Cody, who was also near the Sith Lord, Obi-Wan intervened and blocked Vader's blade.
"General!" shouted Cody as he got up.
"Cody, leave some of the men to protect Senator Amidala. I want you and Rex to lead several clones with me." ordered Obi-Wan as he continued to fend off Vader's brutal barrage of attacks.
"Yes, sir! Jesse, stay behind for now! We'll signal you once we are done." shouted Cody as he relayed the order and gave chase to the two lightsaber duellists.
(Meanwhile, on Coruscant)
Thire managed to find Senior Commander Stone and his squad of three. Currently, they were riding in a LAAT/i, with Rys and Jek as the pilot and copilot respectively.
They were contacted by Yoda, who ordered: "Hurry. Careful timing, we will need."
"Activate your homing beacon when you're ready, sir." replied Stone. "Rys, we'll be receiving Grand Master Yoda soon."
"Copy that." replied Rys.
Yoda managed to make his way to the rendezvous point and a lone LAAT/i appeared. The former Grand Master of the Jedi Order jumped down and made his way through the gunship's side doors. When he got in, the side doors closed and they all headed towards the atmosphere.
"Into exile, I must go." said Yoda as he sat down. "Failed, I have."
(Meanwhile, back on Mustafar...)
The duel carried on, and the clones tried to take a shot at Vader, but they couldn't for fear of hitting Obi-Wan. They managed to get into the control room, where they were greeted with the sight of the dead members of the Separatist Council. In the adjacent conference room, Vader, now disarmed, had grabbed hold of Obi-Wan's lightsaber hand with his left while clamping down on the Jedi Master's throat with his prosthetic right and began bending him back, simultaneously throttling him and forcing Obi-Wan's weapon closer to his face.
Fortunately, Obi-Wan narrowly managed to kick Vader away and charged at him, but the Sith Lord countered it by sidestepping and kicking Obi-Wan in the chest, disarming him. The Jedi Master flipped over and landed heavily on his back, at which point Vader telekinetically reclaimed his lightsaber and moved to finish his opponent, only for the clones to fire at the Sith Lord, causing him to deflect the blaster bolts back at the clones and injuring two of them, one from the 501st and the other from the 212th.
This distracted Vader long enough for Obi-Wan to telekinetically recall his lightsaber and defend himself. The three other clones from the 322nd carried their two wounded comrades back to the gunships, while Rex and Cody decided to stay behind to help Obi-Wan. The duel continued all the way up to a river of lava. Both clone officers were unable to get a good shot at Vader and were forced to follow the two along the lava river as they duelled on the mining droids. Obi-Wan then Force-leaped, while simultaneously avoiding a strike from Vader's blade that would've severed both of his legs had he been a second too slow, onto an embankment where Cody and Rex reunited with their commanding officer and aimed their weapons at Vader.
"It's over, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, gesturing towards the embankment. "We have the high ground."
"The three of you underestimate my power!" replied Vader arrogantly.
"Don't try it," warned Obi-Wan, making one last chance to reason with his fallen apprentice when he sensed what the Sith Lord was about to do.
Blinded by both his rage and his own arrogance, Vader refused to listen as he Force-leaped after Obi-Wan with a shout, his blade angled for the kill. However, he left himself open, and Rex and Cody took the shot, successfully hitting both of his shoulders, while Obi-Wan delivered a devastating strike that severed Vader's remaining organic limbs.
Said Sith Lord cried out in pain as he dropped his lightsaber and began to roll down the embankment and stopping right before he hit the lava while Obi-Wan and the others looked over him.
Vader moaned in agony as he tried to climb back up with his prosthetic right arm, but the more he did, the more he struggled as the steep embankment began to slide him down towards the river.
Cody and Rex lowered their weapons and Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt as Vader looked up at them in anger and hate as his blue eyes turned a sickly yellow like those who are deeply immersed in the dark side of the Force. The three clones who took their wounded comrades back were led by Jesse to regroup with the trio. Jesse and the three clones saw Vader's dismembered body and behind their helmets, tears started to flow down on their face.
"You were the Chosen One!" shouted Obi-Wan as he let all of his emotions out. "It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"
Rex picked up Vader's lightsaber as he, Obi-Wan and Cody turned around and slowly walked up the embankment as the Sith Lord's cries of pain still filled the air. The group paused to look back at Vader.
"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" roared the Sith Lord as he tried once again to crawl up the embankment to destroy his former master and the two clone officers, and from what Obi-Wan, Cody and Rex saw in Vader, there was no trace left of Anakin Skywalker in him, only pain, arrogance, pride and vengeance.
"You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!" said Obi-Wan as tears fell from his eyes. "So did Ahsoka, Rex and your men! But we could never hate you!"
Vader kept trying, sliding further and further down the embankment. Unfortunately, he got too close to the lava river that the intense heat sparked a fire, and the second it did, Vader let out a bloodcurdling scream as the flames began to consume him.
Obi-Wan and the clones looked away as they couldn't bear to watch as the man they once knew as Anakin Skywalker was being burned alive as they heard his agonizing screams of pain. The fire started at the stumps of what use to be Vader's legs before it spread throughout his body, completely engulfing him. It burned for minutes, and when Obi-Wan, Cody and Rex took a peek, they saw that Vader's hair was gone and his clothing had melted onto his skin, and his skin melted away, leaving him horribly disfigured.
Not wanting his former commanding officer to suffer such agony, Rex raised one of his dual DC-17 as he prepared to put the Sith Lord out of his misery, but Obi-Wan lowered his weapon as he shook his head. The group then left Vader to burn on the embankment.
For Obi-Wan, it was a long walk back to the landing platform as memories of Anakin and the Clone Wars filled his mind. Eventually, he and the others returned to the landing platform, where R2 and the other wounded clone troopers were waiting for them.
"Oh, Master Kenobi! We have Miss Padme onboard. Yes, please. Please hurry. We should leave this dreadful place." said C-3PO as Obi-Wan shared an exhausted look with the protocol droid as he boarded the ramp of Padme's ship. The Jedi Master patted C-3PO's left shoulder and went inside with the droids right behind him, while Rex, Cody, Jesse and the other clone troopers boarded the LAAT/is and returned to the Negotiator and the Tribunal.
Immediately, Obi-Wan went to the star skiff's medical suite, where Kix was currently checking on Padme's condition.
"General, I've done all that I can for Senator Amidala, but her vitals aren't improving," reported the clone medic after finishing his diagnosis. "We need to get her back to Kaliida, and fast."
Kix then left the two to give them some privacy as he went to the ship's cockpit to punch in the coordinates for Kaliida into the navicomputer.
Obi-Wan placed a hand on Padme's left shoulder as she regained some sort of consciousness.
"Obi-Wan...is Anakin alright?" asked Padme since she was too exhausted. She quickly returned to her sleep as Obi-Wan ran a hand down her face since he didn't had the heart to tell her about Anakin's fate. For all he and the clones knew, he was burned alive. Still traumatized by the events that had just occurred, Obi-Wan went to the cockpit with C-3PO, while Kix went back to the medical suite to check on Padme. As the ship took off, the Jedi Master contemplated his actions since there was no rest for the weary.
Soon, the ship boarded the Negotiator and with that, the two Venators jumped into hyperspace, with their course set for Kaliida. Two minutes later, a Theta-Class T-2c Shuttle arrived. Onboard was the Emperor, who had come to rescue his apprentice….
That's that for this chapter. I'm looking at the timeline and making sure that this story is in line with the timeline. There will be changes of course but there are some events I would like to happen before delving into the true alternate events. Yes, I have included the famous Delta Squad and Omega Squad to this story's canon. In the next chapter, the events of the Bad Batch episode one will play out with a twist at the end. Furthermore, the next chapter will close up Revenge of the Sith and delve into the alternate age of the Empire which will now be the new Civil War. One last thing is I'm contemplating on switching Luke and Leia around. What do you think?
