I'm not dead! What a shocker! Unless you've been reading my Jurassic Park/World stories, or even my other Star Wars one, then you know I'm alive.
In all seriousness though, I never intended to wait this long to update. I just, got a bad case of writer's block. I've done a bit of updating regarding accuracy and timeline stuff, so you might want to go reread the earlier chapters, so you don't get lost. Enjoy the chapter guys!
Grace is awoken the next morning by her beeping commlink. She sits up and answers it.
"Kid, the General wants you and your squad in the command center. You'd better hurry." Havoc's voice issues from her commlink.
"I'm on my way. Thanks Havoc."
"No problem kid."
He ends the transmission and Grace gets to her feet, clipping her double bladed, green lightsaber to her belt. The Padawan shrugged her robe on as she slips out the door and strides swiftly for the barracks, where her squad has been given bunks to sleep in.
When she opens the barracks door, she finds her squad already ramming blasters into their holsters.
"We're wanted in the command center. It's important."
Fin grabs his helmet off a bunk and puts it on, striding towards her, "We know."
She just nods and they hurry for the command center in tense silence. Her master is standing near the holotable. Blitz is standing there as well and as usual, doesn't acknowledge her presence at all.
Master Ti turns to face Grace and her squad, "Senator Bail Organa is trapped on Christophsis without supplies. You and Star Squadron are to go in ahead of Master Skywalker and gather what information you can on the situation."
Grace rallies her courage and nods, "Yes master."
"There is a shuttle waiting for you in the hangar. Best of luck to you all."
Grace just nods and turns to leave, her squad following. It's silent all the way to the shuttle and all the way up the ramp. Once they're all gathered in the cockpit, with Click flying, Fin breaks the silence, "Our job is to get in and provide relief for the troops there, enough supplies to last till General Skywalker can deliver more and be a source of information on the battle to take the planet."
Grace doesn't interrupt, he knows more about this sort of thing than she does. But, she does pay careful attention as Van lays out the planet of Christophsis and the city where Senator Organa is. And makes note of the droid base, which she notices has heavy artillery.
They exit hyperspace with a slight lurch of the ship and Click motions for them to sit down, "Strap in, this might get rough."
Grace ends up in the back of the cockpit, but the view of the Republic fleet engaged in combat with the Separatist blockade is enough to remind her that she really is fighting in a war now.
But she steels herself, she's been given a task and she'll see it through.
After entering the atmosphere, it doesn't take long for their shuttle to start taking fire. Fin grips the copilot's controls as Click takes evasive action.
Van pulls up the holomap again, "Head northeast, we don't want to lead the clankers to Senator Organa's camp."
The ship shakes and Fin calls back to Tech, "We're losing shields!"
"Not much I can do right now, unless we quit taking fire!"
"Wait." The kid speaks up from the back, a little pale faced, but looking determined, "the base has heavy artillery. You marked it on the map. If we can get out of its range, we can loop around to the camp."
Fin just nods to Click, who urges the ship forward and away from the artillery. But just before they get out of range, their shields go down and a bolt hits their wing.
The ship goes into a nosedive, and Fin swears, pull up on the controls.
Click does the same, "Brace yourselves!"
So much for an easy mission.
The shuttle hits the ground, or rather, the street, hard and skids along, alarms blaring and systems failing everywhere. Fin nearly smashes his head on the controls several times. But eventually, the shuttle hits the side of a building, and stops.
It's silent for a moment, save for the hissing of steam issuing from some piping, and groaning metal. Fin shakes his head to clear it, and sits up, "Anybody hurt?"
Van picks himself up off the floor, "Just bruises."
"Negative." Tech is checking his gear.
Click frowns at the completely fried console, "Just fine."
Spark gives him a thumbs up, and Patch says, "I'm fine."
Fin stands, turning to the Jedi, waiting for her response. She picks her lightsaber up off the floor, it's the first time he's noticed that it's not a single bladed one, clips it to her belt, and stands, "I'm okay."
Fin nods, "Tech?"
"Ship's completely ruined." Tech ducks out of the cockpit and picks his way further into the ship, "We've got some salvageable supplies, some parts I'll take, but not much else."
"Right. Van, figure out where we are. Click, make sure this thing isn't going to blow."
"Copy that." Van pulls up his hologram.
Click vanishes toward the engine with a, "Yes sir."
Fin pulls out his blaster, "Spark, Patch you'll help me with perimeter sweep. Tech salvage what you can."
Tech mutters, "What do you think I'm doing?" earning a snort of laughter from Patch.
Fin rolls his eyes under his helmet and fires a couple shots, breaking the cockpit window. He's about to jump out when the Jedi speaks up, "Wait. What should I do?"
"Stay put, stay out of trouble and make yourself useful." Fin hops out the window, Patch and Spark behind him, and starts a sweep.
"Hold her steady."
Grace stifles a sigh and switches the flashlight to her other hand. She's holding it for Tech, who's trying to remove some part from a panel. Something about it being useful for rigging communicators in a pinch. He manages to pry it loose and adds it to his pack, which he slings back on, standing and holding out a hand for the flashlight.
She passes it to him, and they head back to the cockpit, and then out the window. Van is nearby helping Click pass the few supply crates they managed to salvage down into the sewer system of the city. They'll take the system to an exit a block away from Senator Organa's base.
She follows Tech over and climbs down behind him. It's nearly silent as they walk along, pushing the crates, the only sound being when Van uses his holographic map to guide them through the sewers.
Eventually, they reach the exit, and Fin climbs up, easing the cover open. Almost immediately, a blaster bolt whizzes in, narrowly missing the commando's head.
He slides back down, letting the cover clatter shut, "Full on fire fight out there. We're going to have to leave the crates here. Van and I will go out first and cover the rest of you. Tech, Spark, Click, I want plan 58, Shockwave, the moment we get out there. Patch, you'll help us cover them."
Grace steps forward, "What if I went first? I could better cover you by deflecting fire."
Fin looks at her, contemplating for a second, "That's not a bad idea."
"She could give us cover during Shockwave too," Click adds the sniper attachment to his DC-17.
Fin nods, "Up you go kid."
Grace swallows and slips past him to climb the ladder. She unclips her saber as she reaches the top, using the other hand to open the cover a little. Blaster bolts whiz past above her and something explodes off to her left. With a deep breath, she uses the Force to help her push the cover off and out of the way. The Padawan jumps up, igniting her saber, using the double green blades to block incoming droid fire.
Fin clambers out behind her and immediately opens fire, dual DC-15's blazing. Van is right behind him, then Patch. The others come out and immediately take up some sort of formation behind Grace. Fin, Van and Patch group up behind them, facing the opposite direction.
"Just stick in front of us and keep deflecting," Tech says to Grace, flipping his helmet's visor down.
She nods, running forward as they do. Tech calls for a stop, and Spark throws a droid popper. Tech tracks it, saying to Click, "45, mark 342."
Click raises his rifle, waiting a few seconds, and then fires, hitting the droid popper dead on and taking out at least twenty droids with the subsequent activation of the popper.
They run forward a bit more and stop again. Spark throws another popper, and Tech calls out the numbers. Click fires, and it wipes out around 25 droids.
In what seems like no time at all, they've demolished a whole wave of droids and fought their way to the base. Grace turns and deflects bolts, covering the others as they vault the base wall. She jumps up after them, and very nearly doesn't clear the wall. Fin gives her a hand over, and she lands safely on the other side.
She wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it's certainly not this. Clones lay injured and dying all over, and she can only see two medics, frantically moving between men. There's a makeshift command area, manned by a couple clones and a very tall, broad-shouldered man who must be Senator Organa.
"Patch, help the medics. Tech, see what you can do to repair artillery and communications. Van, Spark, Click, go retrieve those supplies," Fin orders, holstering both guns.
There's a chorus of "Yes sir!" and they split off in different directions, leaving Grace standing next to Fin.
She swallows nervously, asking, "What should I do?"
Fin looks down at her, and even though she can't see his expression through his helmet, she almost imagines that he looks surprised. He looks up, looking the base over, "Work on moving barricades into place."
She nods and clips her saber to her belt as she moves toward where several troopers are hauling barricades into place. A few minutes later, she finds herself using the force to pull them into place, guided by the troopers.
It takes them nearly an hour to get everything in place, and Grace is sweating by the time they are done. But the base is much more secure, and they've even cleaned up some of the debris to make it easier for troopers to hurry about.
She accepts some water from a trooper and sits down in the shade of the command center, crossing her legs.
"I did not look to find a Jedi with a commando squad," voice speaks from beside her.
Grace swallows her mouthful of water and stands, turning to find a very tall, very broad-shouldered man towering over her. But there's a kind smile on his face as he holds out his hand, "Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan."
"Padawan Grace Ream of the Jedi Order," Grace shakes his hand, which nearly swallows hers up completely.
"Master Ti's Padawan, correct?"
Grace nods, "Yes sir."
"And what are you doing with a commando squad?"
"I've been assigned to work with them, in order to make a more effective infiltration team."
"Ah, I see." He nods, "Have you seen combat before?"
"No, I have not. This is the first battle I've seen."
He frowns but doesn't comment. Grace just folds her arms in front of her, tucking her hands in her sleeves. The senator opens his mouth to say something else but is cut off by one of the clones near the barricades shouting, "Incoming! We've got incoming!"
Grace and Senator Organa look up to find a barrage of artillery fire flying through the air toward them. She pushes the senator toward the command center, not that it really works, "Get to cover Senator!"
And when she turns around, there's a rocket heading right for her.
Sorry, not sorry.