Chapter 11
A/N: You might wonder why this chapter took so long. Maybe not. The truth is that I wasn't fully satisfied with my original story Gatekeepers, so I wrote Lotus Wars. Against better advice, I completely gutted the original story and now that I look back I didn't like the results. However, I wasn't aware that I could replace chapters and their content. An overlook on my part.
Anyway, I went back and rewrote, and added much of the story I stripped out and wanted to write in the first place. So all chapters up until now have been rewritten or added to, including new scenes. Feel free to go back and read. Now that I have written the story as I have wanted, I will continue with the story and hopefully at a faster pace. Haha. Once again, sorry for the delay.
As always, I hope you enjoy and please leave a review.
All characters of Kim Possible are owned by Disney.
I.
Everything was quiet aboard the bridge of the Urnin. A clone trooper watched on as Rear-Admiral Walren stood aboard the bridge talking quietly with three Jedi. The bridge was uneasy and unusually calm. The lone cruiser had exited hyperspace almost seventy hours ago in the Comra System on its outer fringes. Rumors were that intelligence had intercepted transmissions about an illegal transfer of arms between Separatists and Drixo the Hutt.
Everyone was on edge as no one knew the size of the Separatist fleet that was accepting the transfer of arms. It could be a single freighter, or it could be Grievous himself with an entire fleet that would wipe them out before they could do anything about it. Most of the crew just didn't know. Not even the Jedi were aware of the scope of the transfer, or even when it would take place. That was Rear Admiral Walren's excuse for parking the Republic cruiser so far out and away from Comra itself. Since he didn't know the scope of the threat, he didn't want to overwhelm his crew.
The Jedi were frustrated with the lack of information the admiral was forthcoming with. They left the bridge to the hangars to prepare their interceptors for battle. As they disappeared behind the turbolift doors, the clone trooper on guard quietly receded from his post and into a maintenance room off to the left of the turbolift shaft.
The clone shut the door behind him ensuring it was locked, inaccessible from the outside. The clone put down its carbine on the floor and removed its helmet. It wasn't a clone at all. The armor was a ruse, the person under the helmet was no one that was in the Grand Army of the Republic. It was Katsumi. One of the many students of Monkey Fist and his older order of the Sith.
Her short dark hair fell around her shoulders. Removing the rest of the clone armor revealed her more smooth, skin-tight fitting attire. It was a black bodysuit that left nothing exposed, save her head. She turned to a set of embedded shelves behind her and removed a metal container from the top, setting the container on the floor kneeling beside it. Entering a passcode opened the lid revealing its contents.
Inside was her other usual attire and gear that she normally would use. There were her black Sith robes and a utility belt that held small capsules of rations. Each one contained enough nutrients to last her three days. She donned on the attire, pulling the hood of her robe over her head. Its shadow obscured enough of her face to where no one could see enough to remember her.
She reached down to grab the last two items in the container. One was her lightsaber, its simplistic yet elegant design. It wasn't cylindrical like that of most lightsabers of the Jedi or Sith. Instead, its guard was more rectangular in design. It was shaped like the hilt of a katana. It was cross-braided in black leather. Underneath, the phrik metal was embroidered in gold and silver shining through where the leather didn't cover. She held the weapon above and smirked fiercely, her dark energy connecting with the weapon.
After basking in her own murderous aura, she quickly sheathed it under her cloak. The last item in the box was a communicator. It wrapped around and snapped to her wrist. She donned it and proceeded to quickly replace the contents of the box with the clone troopers armor and blaster. The helmet didn't fit, so she stuffed it on the shelf first before putting the container in front of it.
Katsumi checked the door, there was no one near. She turned around and tapped the communicator on her wrist. The device bleeped and holograms of two hooded figures appeared atop. One was familiar, it was her own headmaster, Lord Fist. The other was less familiar. However, she knew who her master was with, Darth Sidious. Her master was taller than the older Sith Lord who ruled the Order of Two.
"Master. Everything is proceeding as planned. The Jedi have left the bridge and are on their way to the hangar to prepare for battle with the Separatist threat," Katsumi bowed her head subserviently to her overlords.
"Excellent Katsumi. You have done well in keeping your presence from the Jedi hidden. They have no idea what awaits them in this attack," Monkey Fist snickered audibly, so much so that Katsumi feared one of the clones outside would notice.
"And what of Rear Admiral Walren? Has he complied with the plan set forth?" Darth Sidious asked. He held a far more serious tone with the dark acolyte.
"He is far more willing than one might have thought. He has kept the Jedi in the dark about the actual threat that lurks near them, master," Katsumi said with a devilish smirk.
"Excellent my apprentice. So the Jedi have left for their fighters to gear for battle. I believe it is time to test clone protocol," Monkey Fist grinned. Katsumi could tell her master was also eager for the results of the experiment they were about to test. "Initiate the next phase of the plan," Her master ordered.
"When the protocol has been completed, contact us immediately without delay," Darth Sidious ordered. Their hologram flickered away and once again Katsumi was left alone in the maintenance closet. She ensured her face was sufficiently covered so no one could recognize her. To the unaided eye, she was another Jedi.
She unlocked the door and it whooshed open. She stepped back out onto the rear of the bridge. She strutted toward the admiral, confident now all would fall into place. In the terminals below the bridge's main floor, the usual clone officers had been replaced by naval officers from the academy on Anaxes. She smirked, there would be no complications, especially since her teacher was placing precautionary measures around the rest of the ship.
She stepped up confidently to the admiral's side. Crossing her arms she could see out of her peripheral that the admiral was staring at her. He still stood confidently, in his dark gray Republic uniform. He was an older gentleman in his late fifties if Katsumi had to guess. He was bald for the most part, a few stray white hairs lining the sides of his head.
"I see you have finally come out of hiding?" He remarked snidely as if he was repulsed by her presence. She paid it no mind, for he didn't know the whole truth of who he worked for.
"I couldn't watch you like this. Not with your general's standing by so closely. You would have had a blood bath on your bridge before anything exciting could have happened," Katsumi smirked almost letting out a snicker. She faced the admiral leaning to his ear. "It is time admiral. I have direct orders from the chancellor himself. We are to begin the experiment. I assume the Jedi by now have already reached the hangar and are preparing."
The admiral sighed as if he had signed a deal with the devil himself. "Yes of course. They insisted since I had little information available to them, they would be preparing the troops and their fighters in the bay."
"Excellent," Katsumi hissed sounding more like a snake than a human for a second. "Then it is time, admiral. Execute protocol sixty-six."
II.
The works of Coruscant, a dense sector of industrial and manufacturing facilities either abandoned or still belching out large amounts of pollutants. It was morning, not that anyone could tell with the pollutants making the atmosphere look like hell hanging over the industrial wasteland.
Along the railed walkway lining of an industrial smoke column, two hooded figures walked together. Anywhere else on the world and they would have been held with high suspicion and reported to the authorities or Jedi. But here, where little attention was paid they were able to hatch their schemes without consequence.
"Do you think that protocol sixty-six will be effective? Against the Jedi?" Monkey Fist was one of the hooded figures. "I do still think that your deceased master's plan on creating a force of Force-resistant soldiers was a far superior idea."
"Time and again throughout the history of the Sith, it has proven fatal for us to clash head-on with the Jedi or the Republic. Besides, it is far more appealing to watch the Jedi fall on their own sword of arrogance. This test will prove the worth of the clones of Jango Fett," Darth Sidious replied.
Monkey Fist nodded at his response. "Tell me again, who was this Jango Fett and why did you see him as a viable candidate for the clone army."
"My apprentice, Tyranus could tell you more of the candidate if you would like. I personally had no affiliation with the bounty hunter. What I do know of him, is that he has killed far more Jedi by his own hand than mine. It is something I myself envy," Sidious smirked.
Monkey Fist mused at Sidious's reply. If the bounty hunter Jango Fett proved viable, then perhaps having Grayson obtain the DNA was a fruitful endeavor. As soon as facilities were ready and the formula more complete, he would introduce the DNA template into synthodrone production.
"Do your assassins have the situation in the Comra System under control?" Darth Sidious asked.
Monkey Fist smirked, "I have high confidence they will carry out their mission without flaw. And before you ask, I have provoked a nearby element that will create a suitable cover story for the missing Jedi. My only condolences are that there can be no survivors, even if those officers were loyal to you to their core."
"Loyalty and servitude can be easily replaced. I'm curious to what you have provoked," Darth Sidious asked as they neared a landing platform with a ship waiting. It was a ship for Monkey Fist, preparing to depart from the Core and back to the citadel on Ziost. "I only ask because I already had a plan to cover up the incident."
"Come now, Sheev. If I told you all my secrets, then I would have surrendered myself to you right here and now," Monkey Fist smirked clasping his hands behind him. He stepped aboard the platform as the ramp to the shuttle lowered for him to board. He turned around facing Darth Sidious, "By the way, I couldn't help but noticing at the last war meeting you had with the Jedi, there was a certain young girl in their circle at Malastare."
"Yes. Her name is Kim Possible if I do recall correctly. Master Yoda and his entourage brought her and her friends in one day to introduce me to them. Her arrogance was overflowing," Sidious seethed. "Why do you ask?"
Monkey Fist snickered. He thought the same of her, but he already knew she had entered this conflict some time ago. He deduced that if Kim Possible was here serving the Jedi and the Republic, then Ron Stoppable must be on the other side of the war. "Let's just say I may have insightful information."
III.
The Droch landing craft was cramped, the air so humid it was tangible even with Ron's gloved hands. Even though half of the seats remained empty, it felt crowded. Ron sat in the front with his new commando team that Dementor had built. They were modeled after the BX series, so their heads were more human-like than the B-1 battle droids. Their sensors glowed white instead of the typical black or red.
They weren't bulky like the super battle droids, but not flimsy either. Aella described, that unlike original BX commando droids, their armor was composed of two dense layers of Mandalorian iron called 'beskar' like Ron's armor. Only they were built of it from head to toe, literally. Aella had told Ron that usually, the Mandalorian blacksmiths kept their traditions of forging beskar secret, so she wasn't entirely sure how Dementor figured out how to use the metal. However, the idea behind it was they could take a wall of blaster fire and remained unharmed.
They were serialized S-1 through five. Their call sign names were all Sokol. Ron had yet to know their specialties, but he would find out later. He planned to ask in some way when they arrived on the Urnin. He didn't want to focus on the mission or the new commando droids. He already felt queasy about going into battle. He instead was more interested in his new partner.
He watched Cecily intensely out of the corner of his eyes. With the battle helmet concealing his face, he was certain she wouldn't know. She was a young fair girl no older than he was. Her short auburn hair was cut just above her shoulders. Her brown eyes were glued to her knee-high leather boots. Athletic legs were covered by black stockings that disappeared underneath a white belted skirt from which her lightsaber and blaster pistol hung.
Modified Mandalorian armor suited for her bust protected her upper body. However, unlike Ron, she did not wear a helmet. Her shoulder armor was mismatched, as only her left shoulder was protected by beskar. Flawless upper arms were exposed until her forearms, which were fitted with leather gauntlets that were branded with the hexagonal Confederate symbol. Her only other weapon was a blaster rifle like Ron's, strapped to her back. She looked deep in thought.
"Do you like what you see, pervert?" Ron quickly averted his eyes to Alex who was cleaning her weapon across from him and Cecily. She was wiping the blaster with a cloth but her eyes were focused squarely on him.
"What?" Ron wasn't sure what she trying to do. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from the mercenary. He wasn't checking her out. Not like that anyway. He was just observing the other apprentice he had heard about. He had never met her before.
"Oh come on! I'm not blind. You've been sitting perfectly still for the last ten minutes staring at the floor. Either you're dumb or you're admiring your new partner's assets," Alex explained, a scary smile stretching across her face.
Cecily was now staring intently at Ron and he could feel her eyes cool his shoulder. "It's… it's not like that. She just kinda reminds me-"
"So you were staring at me!?" Cecily erupted blushing vividly, pushing down at her skirt. She bore a look of shock. A nervous smile crossed her face as she obsessively pushed her fingers together repeatedly.
Alex laughed, "I don't see how you didn't see that revelation coming. He's young and his hormones are boiling," she snickered, humiliating Ron's maturity.
"How do you know I wasn't staring at you?" Ron blurted out defensively. He had her now. He wasn't being perverted or anything of the sort. So he would deflect it right back at her. It didn't work out as well as he thought it would.
Alex stopped laughing, her amber eyes returning to the daggers Ron remembered them as. That cold piercing stare that Ron had quickly come to know about her. "If I thought you were staring at me you'd be a dead man," she replied coldly, taking time to stop cleaning her weapon just to drive the point across.
Ron gulped in fear. Although Aella and Beta had taught him different fighting and defensive forms with a lightsaber, he had no doubt she could slip one past. Earlier, when they were still on the Asura, he had stumbled upon an indoor shooting gallery near the ship's kitchen. He was surprised a droid capital ship had a kitchen, but that wasn't the point.
He had stood around the corner, spying on the mercenary that General Beta had hired. Clone holograms had appeared in front of her at varying ranges. The gallery was small so to compensate, some of the holograms were smaller to simulate the distance. None of that mattered. She hit every target, every time, with every shot. Her precision was unreal to Ron. It rivaled that of OM-1 and his team.
"Ha!" Ron turned to see Cecily chortling, which confused him. "If you think you could kill him then you're dreaming! OM-1 told me how at the end of his training he could dodge anything with his lightsaber and running away," Cecily slapped her thigh in her fit of laughter.
Fire now burned in Alex's eyes, turning her attention to Cecily. She didn't expect Cecily to turn against her. "You little-"
"We're exiting hyperspace. We'll be arriving at our destination within sixty seconds. Prepare for battle," Sokol-One, the designated leader of the specialized BX-commando droids informed standing at attention with its blaster rifle in hand.
"What? Already?" Ron groaned standing up, not ready to face the war he trained for.
Alex twirled her pistol in her hand until it stopped firmly in her grip, finger over the trigger guard ready. "You guys just better not die on me out there. I don't want to lose any compensation from your boss," Alex commented snidely.
"Prepare for impact. Magnetize!" Sokol-One ordered, leaning his mechanical arm against the wall.
"Impact!?" Ron shouted alarmed at Sokol-One's choice of words. Ron watched Alex and Cecily grab onto the handles on the wall behind them. Ron quickly reached up as the craft began to shake, grabbing one himself. He watched as Sokol Two through Five stood up, grabbing their own weapons.
Ron lurched forward as the landing craft impacted the Republic cruiser. His face strained, veins beginning to show across his forehead from the increase in G's. Below he heard the yawning cry of metal being torn and ripped apart. When it stopped, the door below him opened. Sokol One looked over his shoulder and directly at Ron.
"After you, sir," Sokol-One nodded with his head toward the floor below. Sparks burst from busted cables within the hull and onto the light gray floor. He nodded releasing his hold of the handle dropping to the floor below. He still felt dizzy from the impact and landing on the metal floor didn't help. He looked up and found himself in the brightly lit halls of an enemy ship. And about thirty meters ahead he could see them, a group of clone troopers clad in white phase I armor.
"We got clankers! Shoot em'!" Ron heard one of them shout.
"Oh great…" Ron became sick to his stomach. Here he was, thrust into a war that he wasn't sure of. He reached back and brought his blaster rifle around and aimed down the sights. Blue plasma bolts pelted the floor around him as the clones tried to zero in on him. Ron purposely shot around the clones causing them to duck and roll. Behind him, his newly christened commando droids had been quick to leap down and return fire.
Ron sighed in relief as his commando droids slowly pressed the advance pushing the clones back down the corridor. For some reason, he didn't feel as bad if his commando droids did the work. Ron took his finger off the trigger guard and propped himself up.
WHAP!
"Hngh!" Ron grunted in pain and fell back to the floor breathless. He rolled over to find Alex's blaster pointing directly at him. Fear rose in his throat as he coughed, "What was that for?"
"I swear Stoppable. If I ever see you pull a stunt like that again, I'll kill you myself. Do you understand me!" Alex growled. Behind her, Ron could see Cecily holding her blaster rifle in a ready position watching their rear, but glancing back at him. There was a glimmer of worry in her eyes, but he could feel that she also felt some contempt for him.
"What are you talking about?" Ron moaned as he struggled to get back up again.
Before he could he felt Alex's boot step onto his chest. "Do you take me for an idiot? You crinking buffoon. You missed those shots on purpose and let your droids do the dirty work. Man up! If those clones had seen through your feint, we might all be dead because you couldn't shoot to kill."
"What do you know? You don't know anything-" Ron grunted trying to push her foot off him, but she only pressed down on him harder.
"What do I know? It won't matter if I blast you in the neck right now! This is war! If you're gonna wear that damn Mandalorian suit and carry around weapons you better live the part. You think those clones give a damn about your life, think again."
"They're people too! Is it really right to kill them?" Ron asked finally managing to push her foot off.
"Yes! You damn crink! They're bred for war, you think they care if you think they're people. You're a damn Separatist! They're programmed to kill you," Alex was getting angrier at Ron's replies. "I swear Stoppable, I don't care if you're Beta's pupil. Give me another reason and I'll make sure you become one with the Force myself."
Ron wanted to reply but Cecily interjected first. "She's right Ron. I understand where you are but right now, at this moment you have to let go. If you don't… we might die."
"Sir! We have clones advancing from section three. They'll be on top of us in two minutes," Ron looked to Sokol-One whose back was to him, unaware of Alex pinning him down. With all the chaos, he was directing the other commando droids. "We need orders! If you don't give orders I will act on my own accord."
Alex grew even more furious, "You numb-skull! You realize the professor slaved those commando droids to you. In a sense, you're the leader of this little boarding party. Your master and that damn scientist gave you gear that most mercs like myself would have worked a lifetime to get, or kill! And you had it handed to you. You spoiled brat!" Alex glared down at Ron with disdain increasing the pressure from her heel to his chest.
Blaster fire erupted again in the hall as clone troopers rounded the intersection ahead. "Sokol-Three lay down suppressive fire! Sokol-Two, you're the marksman. Don't miss a single shot!"
"They've brought repeaters!" Sokol-Five yelled out.
"Sokol-Four and Five set up on the other side of Commander Rammel!" Sokol-One looked to Ron. "Sir! We need or-" Sokol-One saw the blaster pointed at Ron's throat and immediately replied by aiming its blaster at Alex's head. "Lower your weapon or I'll disintegrate you!"
"Back off!" Alex growled. "I'll shoot him and I'll be content with just that. I'll die satisfied," she huffed.
A standoff in the middle of a firefight, Alex's blaster aimed at Ron, and Sokol-One with its blaster aimed at her. "Ron!" blue plasma streaked past Cecily and down the hall. "Ron!"
Everything seemed to slow down for Ron. Clone troopers advanced down the hall, behind them a team set up a heavy repeater that would rain down destruction upon him and the group. The commando droids were doing their best but were being pinned down. With Alex's gun still in his face, he realized he had to make a choice. He had decided this path and these were some of the consequences that came with it. Beta and Aella had warned him of this. He could have left and become a simple farmer or bus-boy back on Ord Canfre. He had that option, but he chose this.
Ron pounded his fist into the ground. "Fine! Sokol-One! Advance and take out that heavy repeater. Alex! Bring up our rear with Cecily and make sure that any approaching enemies are taken out on the spot. We're all moving to the bridge!" Alex removed her foot.
Ron propped himself up with his E-5A blaster and glared down Alex. "Is this what you wanted."
Alex glared back lowering her blaster down. She still wanted to shoot Ron, to her he was a smug little punk. Sokol-One followed in turn by lowering its blaster rifle. Behind them, Sokol-Two and the other commando droids quickly advanced toward the clones. "I just want you to get your ass in line and fight, commander. If you can't, I will kill, without a second thought. So consider this your last chance."
Ron looked to Cecily who was smirking at him. "Don't worry Commander Stoppable. I'm sure you'll see in the end." Ron was confused by her words. It sounded as if his partner was mocking him in a way but he couldn't tell.
"You ready for the fun to start?!" Cecily grinned. Ron didn't know what she meant until she broke into a full sprint toward the remaining clones in the hall. He watched her elegant handling of her weapon as if it were an extension of herself. She was just as good with her E-5A rifle as the commando droids.
"Let's go dweezer! Get up there with your partner and kick some ass!" Alex shouted firing her blaster down the hall.
Ron frowned and charged forward to catch up with Cecily, his new partner. He was beginning to accept his new life. His new occupation as a soldier, not a sloth. A skilled killing machine and no longer just a normal, underachieving high school student. This was the beginning of the new Ron Stoppable.
IV.
Aella and Svana had managed their assault with Dementor's new battle droids. Without help, the battle droids had managed to take out the first clones they had encountered in the hangar bay without having to intervene. Per Beta's instructions, they had kept out of the fight despite Dementor wanting to see how effective the droids would be with wizards leading them. Now the battle droids prepared to defend the hanger.
They walked amongst their new mechanized soldiers observing how they acted differently from the basic models. They were more cooperative with each other. Their advanced thought processing enabled them to formulate better strategies and tactics. They actually sought cover instead of acting like a horde. They split into smaller units. They didn't need Dementor to figure out some of the changes he had implemented. Dementor's company of battle droids managed to perform better than anticipated.
What they were more interested in was the reality that there were no Jedi. "Jedi are not known to abandon their soldiers in battle, or ignore them," Svana, the fair blond maiden informed.
"It is unusual. Beta's intelligence wasn't off, so far that we know," Aella replied, arms crossed contemplating what Beta was after on this starship. "However, he wasn't exactly clear either."
"Whatever it is he wants, we have to trust that he knows what it will lead to," Svana answered moving her hand toward her double-bladed lightsaber. She could sense that the battle wasn't over. Something dark lurked within the ship, she could feel it. "Let's just hope that our faith in Beta is sound and hasn't led us to our deaths."
"Trusting Beta isn't the issue. I'm more concerned about his well being. He left himself completely unprotected during this operation. I don't like it," Aella huffed looking her equal up and down. She was awkwardly dressed up in her Confederate military uniform as per usual. She even sported the light blue beret. Her gray-blue eyes had no life in them, they were depressing and serious.
"Don't let your feelings for him cloud your judgment. He can take both of us. You know that he can handle himself, even if I think right now he is being reckless. And he has his posse of commando droids with him," Svana replied, poking fun at her taller friend. Aella had feelings for their master ever since she had met him, even if he had a complete disregard for such feelings.
Aella huffed as she pushed her jet-blue bangs back behind her ears. Svana was her friend but sometimes she couldn't stand her. She always liked to poke fun at the fact she had feelings for General Beta. It got on her nerve in ways she didn't think Svana would ever understand.
"It has nothing to do with Beta. I'm worried about our pupils. I don't like how we're separated from them," Aella wasn't comfortable about Ron being alone.
"You're not alone. We both agree that bringing the students along was headstrong of our master. But I believe having them separated is reckless," Svana replied.
"I've only trained Ron in the basic arts. I haven't even touched the subject of balancing the two sides of the Force within him yet," Aella was concerned that the war would taint his perception of the Force.
"Our students should be back on Ord Canfre studying. Not here trying to investigate the machinations of this war," Svana replied angrily. "Our students shouldn't be anywhere near here."
"How do you think they're holding up?" Aella asked. "I honestly hope that Ron will be able to overcome this."
"I think right now we should be focusing on the mission at hand. At least they're not alone," Svana grumbled.
"Commander!" the commanding battle droid in charge of the force walked in their direction with two improved super battle droids flanking its sides. It seemed excited by the way it shouted. "We have found three bodies that were dragged behind crates on the opposite side of the hanger."
"Bodies? I assume you aren't talking about clones then," Svana crossed her arms. This was something new. The droids hadn't reported facing any resistance from any other beings other than clones.
"No ma'am. According to my programming, the bodies are dressed in the traditional robes of the Jedi," the droid officer replied.
Aella and Svana looked at each other surprised. "Are you sure?" Aella stared back at the droid officer. Aella was shocked. She had never sensed any presence of Jedi, especially three. How would she even miss that? Had she not paid enough attention to the battle while staying up in the boarding craft. She looked over to Svana, who also still looked stumped.
"Although their weapons seem to have been removed. I am confident they were Jedi. They have multiple blaster wounds and when analyzed, were not inflicted by our own forces. They were in inflicted by DC-15S carbine blasters, a clone trooper weapon," the droid officer informed.
"Are you saying that clone troopers killed the Jedi?" Svana asked. She was terrified of what the droid's answer would be. Was Beta right?
"It is the only logical conclusion. I would calculate that other scenarios are plausible, but only remotely. I am sure that the clone troopers fired on the Jedi. The wounds themselves are fresh, my calculations put them being inflicted just before we arrived. By where the wounds are located, on the posterior, the Jedi never were able to defend themselves."
"You're saying that these wounds were inflicted less than an hour ago? That's impossible." Aella replied. "Have you disturbed the bodies at all?" This is exactly what Beta had feared. This is exactly what they needed to gather for Beta, evidence.
"No. We're awaiting your instructions on what process you would like us to carry out," the battle droid replied.
"Take a holo-recording of the bodies and any other analysis you need to carry out, captain. Relay all information to the Asura once it exits hyperspace. We need to get this to General Beta as soon as possible," Aella explained to the droid. As she did she also sensed a dark presence lingering nearby. She feared that if they tried to physically gather the evidence, they would be stopped.
"Roger roger. Also, one of my platoons have secured the entrance to the hanger and have set up defenses around the main entrance. When the clones enter, we'll have them cornered," the captain seemed unusually proud for being a battle droid.
"Good, now order the others to prepare for battle. Set up explosives in all the fighters and bombers. Leave the transports untouched but guarded. I don't want anyone to escape," Svana pointed with her hand at what she wanted done.
"Yes ma'am. We'll get it done," the droid answered walking away barking orders at the other droids.
Aella looked down at the dead clones lying twisted and mangled on the hanger floor, "Do you think the clones will attack?" She looked at her partner for answers. The fact that Beta had been right that something was amiss out here in the dead zone was disturbing enough. She just wasn't aware that it would be this disturbing.
"Not likely… not without being provoked. But I'm sure our battle droids have already seen to that, I can help draw them out. Now that we have ascertained the Jedi are dead, the rules of engagement have changed. We are no longer just mere bystanders," Svana replied igniting her double lightsaber, one side red, the other silverish-white, walking toward the entrance that the battle droids had secured. Before she could get there, the doors opened and white-clad troops charged into the hanger being greeted by the droids blaster fire.
The first few clones that had charged into the battle droids trap had fallen. Dementor's battle droids had put two B-1's with specialized E-5C blasters behind a set of crates. Their blasters were designed to act as light repeaters and the effect was brutal. Flanking each emplacement was a modified super battle droid, adding to the rapid, suppressing fire that had been unleashed. The other battle droids remained behind cover, either taking shots at clones that got through or the ones that tried to take cover.
After the first wave of clones had fallen, behind them they had revealed other clones had set up heavy repeating blasters and unleashed a wave of plasma onto the droids. The two emplacements had taken the brunt of the fire. The droids, however, were able to retract behind crates they had used as a barrier and take minimal damage. Just this small exchange of fire impressed Svana as she continued her somber advance toward the skirmish. Dementor had indeed instilled an immense amount of self-preservation into the units and a great sense of teamwork.
Now, however, her battle droids were pinned down. It was her turn to turn the tide. Dementor would get his wish so he could see what would happen when a wizard intervened and aided his droids. Svana leapt from her position somersaulting through the air, landing in front of the droid positions. She quickly whirled her lightsaber with both hands turning her double blade into a spinning wall, deflecting all of the blaster fire away.
With her focus on the clones in the halls of the ship, she hadn't noticed the threat from above. Aella looked up finding more than a dozen jet-troopers aiming their blasters from a walkway overlooking the rest of the hanger.
"It's a trap! Focus your fire up there!" Aella directed battle droids attention to the threat with her fiery violet lightsaber. She had only been able to spot the threat by staying behind. Two battle droids came to her side and lifted their blasters aiming at the walkway opening fire.
Realizing that their cover had been blown, the jet-troopers opened fire on the battle droids and Aella below. The battle droids on either side of her were hit and taken down as the rest found cover trying to adapt to a two-front battle. Aella defended herself from the shots taken at her. She deflected two plasma bolts back and hit two of the troopers who fell to their death, their armor crunching as it hit the hard metal floor.
She jumped in front of a squad of battle droids defending them from the clone blaster fire. The battle droids quickly recognized the opportunity and concentrated on taking out the leader who wore special blue-collar armor. The battle droid captain took two hits to its torso, before directing a super to launch a wrist rocket at the trooper. As the jet-trooper dodged, the captain zeroed in finally managing to take out the enemy leader with its own blaster.
Once the battle droids had dwindled down the jet-troopers' numbers, Aella leapt up onto the walkway deflecting all their fire on the way. Of the few left, the first clones fell as she swung her lightsaber from her right to left cutting through their torsos. One tried to shoot her in the back, which she quickly deflected back at him.
She brought her lightsaber back over and thrust the hot violet blade into the last ARC trooper's chest. He groaned out his last breath falling to his knees, doubling over the railing. Aella watched below as Svana and the other battle droids defended their position.
Aella stepped off the railing landing in front of the clones repeating blasters with her back to them. She instinctively leaped back into the hall, the blaster fire passing underneath her. She bounced off the wall and pushed herself to the nearest repeating blaster. The clone's fire arced toward her as her lightsaber cut through the air toward his neck.
V.
"All our communications are down!" the officer yelled, sweat running down his scruffy cheeks. The collar to his gray uniform had become soaked. "I can't get through to anyone! We need to turn on the distress signal!" the junior officer pleaded to his superior standing behind him.
"I already said no! Do you not understand that this ship no longer exists in the Republic Navy!" the superior officer responded.
"But the Separatists have already boarded! That means this ship exists to them. Won't the Republic send help!" the junior officer asked.
"No. They can't without the Jedi getting involved. We're under strict orders that no Jedi ever know this ship's operations until all evidence is disposed of. We've already committed the order and there's no going back," the commander reasoned. The commander was Rear admiral Walren.
"But the Jedi are the ones leading the Separatists! Haven't you been watching the monitors!" the junior officer jolted out of post confronting his superior.
"Stand down soldier!" another officer adjacent to him ordered.
"My answer is final. If we send a distress signal, the chances of us being found out by the Jedi are too great," Rear admiral Walren looked at the monitor of the hangar. "As for the Jedi leading the droids. I can't tell if they're genuine turncoats or a trick by Dooku."
"Sir?" One of the officers looked to the admiral for guidance.
"I can't tell. Begin erasing all sensitive information in the archives!" Walren ordered. The other junior officers on the bridge did as they were instructed. Walren looked behind him toward the entrance where a cloaked figure had stood ominously. He tsked at the sight of her. They could have initiated the protocol without her help. So why was she here?
"Sir, all remaining clone troopers are attempting to dislodge the Separatists from the hanger. A separate droid force has infiltrated section six and has reached the elevators to the bridge," another junior officer informed.
"Close the blast doors to the bridge. Shut down power to the elevators if possible," the admiral replied.
"All escape pods have been deactivated, sir!"
"We're trapped anyway. They're useless unless the clones can get the situation under control," the admiral replied.
"Data is being erased, sir. Thirty-five percent complete!" another officer informed.
The admiral heard hushed voices behind him and they weren't from his subordinates. There was only one person behind him and that was the dark figure. The mysterious envoy that had been sent by Chancellor Palpatine himself. Communications had been jammed so who could he or she be talking to. Curious, the admiral turned to see what the cloaked figure was up to.
His eyes shot open in pain upon turning around. He was staring into the crooked smile of the hooded girl, her orange glowing demon-like eyes. Upon looking down he found a red lightsaber piercing his heart.
"Chancellor Palpatine sends his highest regards. Glory to the Republic!" she sneered.
VI.
"Damn cowards! Republic officers can't face us like soldiers, so they turn off the power to the lifts and I have to climb all the way up this shaft behind your dumb ass!" Alex griped loudly behind Ron. They had pushed through the ship in the face of fierce resistance. The clone troopers weren't like the henchman Ron was used to on Earth when facing off against Drakken or Dementor. They were composed and competent.
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear you say that," Ron sneered checking the grappling wire on his gauntlet. He hit the small lever on his gauntlet to release the grappling wire as he and Alex climbed over the wall of the shaft and into the hall to the command bridge.
"What did you expect? They're not clone troopers," Cecily stated crawling out of the shaft after Alex.
"If they're intelligent, then they should be smart enough to surrender instead of cornering themselves. That would make this much easier," Alex complained. Ron knew it to be an unreasonable demand of the enemy.
"I would do the same thing. I would blockade myself in if I knew we were on the ones busting through," Ron defended the Republic officer's stance. Ron found Alex staring at him with an expressionless face.
"If you agree with being a coward, why don't you go knock and ask if they'll let you in. That way when they open the door, I can shoot you too," Alex replied sardonically.
Ron was glad that Alex couldn't see his face. One of the benefits of the battle helmet was it hid his physical expressions. The scowl he was giving her could have burned a hole through the door if he could shoot lasers out of his eyes. Ron chose to ignore her, which he was learning that even ignoring her didn't help his cause.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! You clanking coward, why don't you say something!" Alex shouted, squaring herself up with him. She might not have seen his scowl but she seemed to have a keen sense of reading the room.
"Calm down Alex!" Cecily urged walking past both of them. "The command bridge is right through those doors and it's crucial we get in there fast," Cecily pointed down the hall. Just as she pointed it out, the blast doors slammed shut.
"Great! Thanks for letting them know we're here," Alex griped pulling out some clay-like substance from one of her utility pouches.
"What's that?" Ron asked curious about the substance that she was molding in her hands.
"It's a baradium charge. It should blast those doors wide open," Alex chuckled placing a green wire into the explosive.
Before Ron could reply to Alex's response Cecily interrupted. "Something's wrong…" she said as if in a trance staring blankly at the blast doors. "I can't explain it, but I just got this gut-wrenching feeling," she put her hand to her head as if a headache had come on.
"What is it?" Ron asked looking at the foreboding blast doors that separated them from the Republic cadre inside.
"I don't know. Just a second ago there was nothing and then I just started feeling sharp pain. It felt like… I felt someone else die and then nothing. I can't sense any fear, just anger," Cecily explained ominously.
"That's strange…" Ron looked back at Cecily and then again at the blast doors. He couldn't feel anything, he looked back at Svana's apprentice, "I can't feel anything. What are you talking about?" Ron replied.
His partner looked at him in bewilderment as if he were the crazy one. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. "You don't feel anything?" she asked.
Ron shook his head and then back at the blast doors. "I don't feel what you're describing. That doesn't mean I don't feel anything. I have this… foreboding feeling as if something is coming," Ron said staring back at Cecily.
Cecily looked back at the blast doors to the bridge and then at Ron and Alex. "Everyone we were after in that room… is dead," she whispered coldly.
Alex rolled her eyes plastering the baradium charge onto the blast doors. "Well, let's rendezvous with Aella and Svana and inform Beta of the bad news now," Alex sighed mockingly pulling another baradium charge from its pouch.
"No. Get back! It's not over. I still feel something… hostile. It's dark and… it's coming!" Cecily grabbed Alex pulling her away, raising her blaster. Ron aimed his own blaster as the blast doors reopened revealing the previous set of doors, opening right after. The doors revealed a dark-haired young woman with orange eyes. She was cloaked in black robes and a shawl.
In her right hand was a glowing red lightsaber. Blood not of her own stained her cheek. She licked her lips. Ron was terrified and marshaled at the same time. Here was someone that radiated hate. Trusting his instincts he took a step back, she just murdered the cadre of Republic officers he had been sent to capture. She wasn't one of them. Aella and Beta warned him about persons like her. She was Sith.