Star Wars 2.0
Episode 6: Vengeance of the Sith
Chapter 6
Fighters and other support craft blasted away at the defense emplacements and armored vehicles on the planet, covering the landing craft bearing the clone troopers. Getting to the ground, the doors opened and the troops disembarked, making their way to cover right away.
Obi-wan Kenobi landed among this. He leaped out with his lightsaber lit and flipped into action, landing before some of the clones and deflecting shots that were coming at them. He called out orders that organized them into squads where they would be most effective. The terrain was rocky and rough, so there was a lot of cover for defense. Obi-wan made a perimeter around the landing area, then recognized one of the commanders. "Cody," he said. "Gather your command and come with me. We're on the attack."
He pointed at the entrance of the building they would be assaulting. It was constructed into the red stone of one of the hills. All of the buildings on this world were built this way, with pieces of them peeking out of the ground. Obi-wan had chosen this one to land next to and attack because it was supposed to house the headquarters, where General Graves would be commanding.
The clone troopers blasted away all the automated door protections and their droid guards. They made their way through the entrance with covering fire assaults. Then Obi-wan took the lead. The hallways would siphon all fire into a narrow range, so he could deflect most shots coming down at them while the clone troopers fired from behind. Their shots narrowly missed Obi-wan, but he trusted them and kept his focus down the hall at the battle droids firing at them.
Obi-wan emerged into a large manufacturing chamber where conveyor belts crisscrossed carrying machine parts that were pieced together or smashed apart by automated tools. On one side, lava-like melted metal poured into vats which forged new parts. On another side, big metal plates smashed pieces flat beneath them, along with any person or droid who happened to get underneath at the wrong time.
Blaster bolts flew at Obi-wan from every direction. He rolled further into the room to avoid the shots and get behind cover. A few of the clones behind him took hits while the rest fanned out, taking cover as well and firing at the targets that were well camouflaged in this industrial setting. Commander Cody used the sensors in his helmet to locate another exit. "General Kenobi!" Cody exclaimed, pointing at a doorway across from them. It had a look of importance and said 'Keep Out'.
Obi-wan rushed it, deflecting shots along the way. Cody led a small team behind him. When they reached the doorway, Kenobi did not even try to open it, assuming it would be locked. Instead he cut across the handle and hit it with his shoulder. It flew open and he rushed inside. The troopers followed, and they hurried up a tall flight of stairs behind their general. Obi-wan had to deflect a few shots, and the troopers shot down a couple guards, but there was much less resistance than any of them had expected. Nobody dwelled on this.
Reaching the door at the end, the troopers blasted it open and Obi-wan rolled inside. He Force pushed a few battle droids to the side, and he stood in a stance prepared to deflect shots coming at him. He heard the clone troops pour in behind him and knew they had his back.
As expected, this was the control room. Consoles stretched from one wall to the other with droids working at them; some battle droids, some workers. Strangely, none offering resistance. In the center was General Graves, hunched over and watching Kenobi's athletic tumble like a bemused parent. Behind Graves, the wall opened up to the large manufacturing chamber over which the headquarters watched and through which the Republic warriors had just passed.
"It's over, General Graves," Obi-wan said sternly. "You're trapped in here and have nowhere to run. Surrender and stand down your…"
Graves laughed a hearty, ominous cackle. Obi-wan waited patiently. The droid general wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't even trying. While Graves was still chuckling, it told Obi-wan, "You fool. We're all trapped. He has set us up perfectly, and now he will spring it."
"Who are you talking about?" Obi-wan asked.
"The cloaked man," General Graves told him.
Despite having been spotted by Sheev Palpatine, Tosho Shiro managed to escape to the surface level of Coruscant without incident. He was surprised that the chancellor had not caught up with him, or cut him off with allies. Tosho had, after all, detected great darkness within the man; enough to be some powerful user of the dark side of the Force. Perhaps even a member of the Sith, like the warrior Obi-wan had fought.
Whatever he was deep down, he had to be stopped. Any amount of Force power added to the chancellor's already formidable political power could be disastrous to the galaxy. So he went to the Jedi Temple and gathered a handful of Jedi Knights. The masters were all out on missions, so he gathered the best and most reliable he could, along with a few clone troopers, and hurried over to the Senate building.
Tosho Shiro's small team barged into the chancellor's office. Palpatine was relaxed in his chair, as if waiting for them. Tosho led, his lightsaber lit and thrust forward as he said, "Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, you are under arrest for conspiracy against the Republic. Stand up and place your hands behind your back."
Palpatine's eyes watched Tosho Shiro, but he did not move from his chair. He remained watching calmly. Tosho Shiro suddenly noticed that his desk communicator was on, but who it was set to send a signal to, Tosho Shiro did not know. "I think not," the chancellor said; and he said very clearly for everyone in the room and on the communicator to hear, "Execute Order Sixty-Six!"
For a moment there was a confused silence in the room. Tosho Shiro waited for something to happen, but nothing did. So he began to repeat his order one last time to the chancellor.
Then blaster fire rang out behind him and two of the Jedi fell. The third turned just in time to get only a grazing blow, and she slashed through her attacker; one of the clones! Tosho Shiro saw that one of the other troopers was pointing at him. He dodged the shots and sprang at the clone, slicing through it and two others. The injured Jedi slashed through one more, leaving only two remaining. They fired at the two Jedi warriors, who deflected the shots and started in on them.
The injured Jedi suddenly flew toward the ceiling at incredible speed! She hit the roof, splitting open her head which killed her instantly! Tosho Shiro felt the darkness that had made that happen. It came again from the chancellor. He turned his head to see Palpatine standing up behind his desk. Turning his back on the troopers might mean he'll be shot in the back, but Tosho Shiro knew that he had to destroy this threat. He leaped at the man, who raised his hand. And in an instant, Sheev Palpatine was firing lightning bolts out of his fingers. It was an ability only those on the Dark Side could use, and it was the last thing Tosho Shiro saw before falling into the deep shroud of death.
Across the galaxy, Jedi warriors and masters were surprised by their clone escorts. Some were in battle with the Separatists, some were traveling, some were asleep, and still others were helping the clones in some way. Nothing mattered. The clones acted as if something beyond themselves was pulling their strings, and they fired into the Jedi they were sworn to protect.
Yoda felt all of them fall. The flood of emotions was overwhelming, and it hit him at the most inopportune time. He had returned to the surface of Kashyyk and had reported to the Republic base. He could sense that something was wrong, but he had needed them to tip their hats as to what exactly it was. In the meantime, Yoda was attempting to get direct answers as to why the wookies were being mistreated, and why the clones were so certain of a droid invasion. The weight of the other Jedis' demise weighed so heavily on him that he fell to his knees. That was perfect for the clone troopers. Now all it would take was a coup de grace. They raised their weapons, ready to fire.
Then a choir of deafening roars screamed through the place as the wookies flew through the door, the windows, even down from the ceiling. They smothered the troopers, crushed them, and smashed them through their armor. Within half a minute, every Clone trooper was dead, and Yoda was being helped back on his feet.
There was no endearment from Yoda. He immediately asked how many more bases there were on the surface, then said that the wookies would need to destroy those while he escaped the planet so he could return to Coruscant. He would take with him the information the wookies had given him regarding a round, orbital space station.
The small group of assassins on Naboo had to abandon their posts to avoid being spotted for loitering too long near the space port where Senator Amidala would have been landing. The port guard who had been bribed to let them in told them that he would let their commander know if the senator had landed while they were gone. They went to meet in their basement planning room. There, they had a long-range comm. they were able to use to call to their headquarters.
Vice Chair Mas Amedda, assistant to Chancellor Palpatine, received the call from the assassins in secret. He told them to stand by through his voice modulator, then thought about where Queen Amidala might have gone. He usually spoke with Palpatine about this, but he was busy with the work they had spent years preparing for. The time had finally come and the wheels were in motion. Amidala's death was a crucial part of the plan, but this complication came at the worst possible time, and it was up to the vice chair to figure out what to do.
He looked up what ship she was supposed to be on. A nameless transport which was also delivering supplies to the Death Star project. Could it be they were making their deliveries in reverse order? This would be disturbing as it would mean the queen of Naboo was getting a glimpse of this very secret design.
Mas Amedda called Director Orson Krennic, design lead on the undercover project and currently overseeing construction. He told the director the description of the ship and that the crew may be saboteurs. All hands were to be taken into custody. Krennic said he knew just what ship they were describing and that the crew would be in their hands momentarily.
Young and ambitious, Orson Krennic was very protective of his enterprise. He believed that it was the future of the Empire; the fear needed to get all systems in line. The mere suggestion that a supply ship might have saboteurs was enough to have the ship scrapped and everyone on board eliminated without investigation. He turned to his Death Troopers, all clad in black and speaking in their own hissing, coded language, and told them to find the crew of the supply vessel and kill them all without mercy or question.
Owen's cargo ship had landed in the hangar of the staging base and the three crew members were unloading their cargo. Padme Amidala, disguised quite well in her crew outfit and facial hair, guided one of the crates on a hover skiff to its intended location. As the dock droids took over, the queen stopped and looked out the window. She spotted the framework of the large sphere being built. It was a long way from completion, but its size would obviously be massive; something beyond the scale of anything that had ever been built before. She had seen it before while they were coming in for a landing, but she could not figure out its intended function, nor could she understand it now. But she set it to her memory.
A squad of troopers' marching feet entering the hangar grabbed Padme's attention. She looked over to see a dozen or so troopers in all black marching by. Their eyes were scanning the perimeter, taking notice of everyone, including Padme. But they stopped for no one until they came within 20 feet of Baroo. Suddenly, they raised their blasters, leveling them on her. It seemed they hesitated because another worker was standing next to her. The commander gave an order that could not be understood, but Padme did not allow anything more. She pulled her blaster pistol from a hidden spot, and shot the guard square in the head.
Unfortunately, though its diminutive size made the gun easier to conceal, it had little punch, and the blast did not cut through the helmet. But it did grab the Death troopers' attentions. Padme dashed for some cover just as they pointed their rifles toward her. As they did, Baroo pressed a button on a detonator she had in her pocket.
A crate they had unloaded exploded right next to the Death Troopers! All of the Death Troopers flew from the blast. Half of them got back up, and by that time Baroo and Padme were running for the ship. The Death Troopers found them and took aim.
By this time, Owen was walking away from the port master and watching what was happening. He saw Padme running. He saw the Death Troopers raising their rifles. He heard the chaos. But mostly, he saw the look of fear on his wife's face. That was enough to build the rage within him.
Owen raised his hands just as the Death Troopers fired. The green bolts of light emerged from their rifles… but froze in midair before them. The troopers straightened up, confused. Owen clenched his fists tightly and the bolts exploded into bright energy which tore apart the troopers who had fired them.
Baroo turned to her husband. He was turning red. All of his hair was standing on end. His rage was visible. He turned to face guards behind him who were drawing their guns. With a sweep of his hands, they tumbled off the ground and past the force field into deep space where they quickly froze to death. More soldiers ran into the hangar; not clone troopers, but men clad in helmets with faces that looked like frowns; Stormtroopers they were called. Owen raised his hands, but not in surrender. Another transport vessel raised into the sky in unison with his motion; and as he flung his arms forward, the ship crashed into the troopers, exploding on top of them. One of the troopers survived, stumbling away. He had left his carbine behind and was trying to get out of there, but Owen would not let him. He held up two fingers in a pinched position, and the man raised off his feet, choking to death.
Baroo had passed him, but, seeing her husband was not coming with them, she ran back and called to him. But he was a man possessed. As dock workers and landing coordinators tried to run, Owen shot lightning out of his fingers at them. Some fell over convulsing, others exploded.
"Owen! Come back to me!" Baroo begged. She got in front of him and knelt before him. Owen pulled back suddenly, afraid he might hit her. He panted hard, and looked at her. His eyes faded from red to their natural blue. His hair fell limp again. Looking around, he saw what he had done. Looking at himself, he saw what he was becoming. He remembered why he had turned from this power, how much he had within him, what danger it would be, and he swore never to use it again. His hands grasped Baroo and pulled her up. Padme was standing behind him, pistol in hand. He knew she was there and why, but he did not react. He said instead, "Let's go, my love."
The couple turned and ran into the ship along with their friend the queen. They took their positions and pulled out of the star base. Republic fighters were on an intercept course, but they would not get close. Owen had them turned away in no time and they jumped into hyperspace.
Obi-wan was confused by General Graves' statement. Who was the cloaked man? That would be something they would have to get out of the general, if he would be taken alive. It was seeming quite plausible, but this had all been too easy. Even the firing in the distance had faded. Something was wrong.
Then Command Cody received a message. Obi-wan heard him pulling out his holocomm disk, so he turned to see who would appear. The shape of a man dressed in a dark cloak appeared. "Execute order 66," it said.
"That's him!" General Graves said. Obi-wan turned to look at Graves suspiciously, but found it reacting to the clones with surprise. Obi-wan turned back around to face them. They were turning their rifles… on him!
"Cody," Obi-wan said.
"I'm sorry, sir," Commander Cody said. And he fired. The others followed suit. Obi-wan defected the first few, but he would not be fast enough to cover himself from all of them, so he leaped backward, over his former adversary. General Graves lit all four of his lightsabers, and it did its best to deflect blaster bolts coming at it. But Graves was never a Jedi or a Sith. It had no skills beyond a master swordsman. The blaster bolts crashed into the general one after the other. It took many of them, and some even landed against its plasma blades. But the shots soon overwhelmed it, and the large droid crumpled backward.
Obi-wan almost felt sorry for the beast. But the clones were still gunning for him, and the battle droids were now firing back. Blaster bolts were filling the room. Behind him, he heard the window wall smash open from the blaster bolts. He leaped through it, falling far toward the factory floor where combat had resumed. He softened his drop as he reached the floor, then hurried for cover.
It was difficult to find any. Now his enemies were both sides, and they were all taking cover from each other and firing as often as they could. To make matters worse, the factory machines were still operating, and giant tools were, moving, swinging, and smashing. Some droids and clones were trying to maneuver only to find themselves swept away by conveyor belts that carried them into an oven, or into a shredder, or dropped into a mold where hot metal was poured onto them.
Obi-wan started in the direction where they had entered. He had spotted ways onto this floor from the hallway they had gone down. Along the way, clones and droids appeared around him. With no need to consider whether someone was friend or foe, he swiped them with his lightsaber before seeing them; sometimes around a corner, sometimes behind his back. He did not stop; just continued toward his destination.
Close to the exit, he was foiled by a wall of the clones. He could just hear over their blaster fire that they were ordering him to surrender. Obi-wan leaped to the top of one of the machines, prepared to hop from one to the other to escape, but he quickly found himself shot at from catwalks, so he leaped back down for cover. As he panted for breath, he realized that it was much quieter. The blaster fire had died down. The droids were almost entirely subdued. They would all be after him now.
Looking around, Obi-wan noticed that one of the conveyor belts disappeared into darkness. A sign above it read "Exports". He peered into it with the Force and found what he had hoped. It led to a space port where a transport would carry the finished goods! Obi-wan sprinted for the conveyor belt, weaving around machine parts. He did his best to expose himself as little as possible, though occasional blaster bolts flew by him.
When he came within range, he dipped into the Force once again for a burst of speed and to leap into the hole. He landed on the conveyor belt and fell. There he remained, staying low while a few more blaster bolts flew above him.
When he emerged into another room, he hopped off immediately and found the closest ship. It wasn't much, an unarmed transport carrier, but it would do. He jumped inside and powered up. The clones had gotten in behind him as he took off, and rifle shots chased after him as he flew out, and into the sky.
Once in orbit, he tried to call Anakin. He was at a neighboring system, and could be reached quickly. Another voice answered his comm.; the voice of a clone. "General Kenobi," it said. "There has been an accident. You need to come here right away."
Obi-wan knew what that meant. The clones had turned on his friend the same way they had turned on him. Anakin was gone. Obi-wan turned off his comm. as he wept. He suppressed those feelings as quickly as he could. He needed to escape now, before the clone ships got in range and shot him out of the sky. So he connected with his hyperspace ring, and shot away out of the system.
To be continued…
