-Chapter 32: Payback-
Location: Gandolo IV
"Payback's a... well, you know..."
The small, dark red YT-1760 transport exited hyperspace over the barren world of Gandolo IV. It was a barren and rocky moon in the Lahara sector's Gandolo system. There was nothing special about this world, but there was something special about the airspace above it.
Or, more accurately, what was going to take place above it.
The pilot of the transport was a blue-haired and pink-skinned Zeltron man known to most Darius, who had been hired by the Separatists to carry The Wraith undercover to the Republic world of Dantooine where he would then carry out acts of sabotage. High command was trying a new approach to getting Wraith deeper into enemy territory in order to inflict crippling strikes. By paying smugglers and pirates a simple fee, they figured they could launch all kinds of assaults right under the Republic's nose.
Little did they know that Darius was loyal to the Republic and did not believe in the Separatist cause. When he had been asked to do this, the only thing the smuggler could think of was handing Wraith over to the Republic... in exchange for what could be a most bountiful reward.
He cared not for what world the Separatists wanted Wraith deployed on, only that he needed to do the right thing and hand over the super commando. He had sent a brief, coded message to the Republic before jumping into hyperspace, indicating when and where he would be heading along with who he was transporting.
Footsteps behind him indicated someone had joined him in the cockpit.
"Why have we stopped?" Wraith questioned, knowing they had dropped out way too soon to have already arrived at Dantooine.
"Picking up some strange fluctuations from the hyperdrive. Figured I'd let it cool off before taking a look under the hood." Darius lied.
"Be quick about it. The Republic could be nearby." Wraith muttered, deeming this freighter inferior compared to his own transport. Turning about he paused in the doorway to check over his gauntlet. As he did, Darius quietly stood up and drew the blaster strapped to his hip. Wraith remained oblivious to this until he heard a weapon powering up directly behind his head. Looking up, the back of his helmet clinked against the barrel of a blaster. "What are you doing?" He slowly asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.
"Keep your hands where I can see them." Darius stated. "The Republic will be here shortly, I'm turning you over to them."
"You're betraying me then? Going back on the deal?" If there was one thing he hated more than Clones, it was traitorous and backstabbing scum who looked out for only themselves.
"Nothing personal. It's just business." Darius calmly replied. Wraith suddenly realized that whatever the Separatists agreed to pay him for this job, the Republic was offering much more.
"You smugglers are all the same: all about the payout and never about the job." Wraith growled, quickly forming an escape plan in his head.
"We do what we have to. Sometimes you have to save your skin instead of delivering the cargo."
"If saving your skin is all that matters, then you should know you've just made the worst mistake of your life!" The commando growled. Suddenly whipping about, Wraith used his elbow to knock the blaster from Darius' grip. Drawing a knife with his other hand, Wraith slashed the Zeltron's chest, cutting a deep wound before driving his blade through skin and muscle. Darius gave a quick cry of pain before Wraith drew his second knife and shoved it deep into his waistline. With two blades buried deep in his body and blood dripping from both wounds, Darius fell over backwards as he clutched his wounded body.
"What did they promise you?!" Wraith thundered.
"Nothing!" The Zeltron gasped. "I've only contacted them, I have yet to be rewarded." He explained. Hearing this, Wraith drew a slug pistol and took aim at Darius' head.
"You won't live to see what the Republic will reward you with, but here's your payment on behalf of the Separatists: a traitor's death!" He growled, pulling the trigger without hesitation. The slug ripped through Darius' head, painting the floor of the cockpit with blood and brains. Holstering his weapon and wrenching his knives from the corpse, Wraith quickly took up position behind the controls and activated his comms. "Scipio, come in!" The reply was immediate.
"Everything alright, Wraith?"
"No, we've hit a snag. Darius sold me out to the Republic, they're en route as we speak!" He reported, quickly scanning the space before him and the barren gray world below.
"What?! That vermin!" Scipio exclaimed. "Where is he now?"
"His corpse is about to be ejected into space, once I'm out of here." Wraith replied, beginning to power up the ship once again. But just as he started, a single ship burst forward as it dropped out of hyperspace. Seeing the significantly larger vessel enter his view, Wraith growled in displeasure, "And that's going to be a problem."
"Why? What's wrong?" A nervous Scipio asked.
"A Venator-class cruiser has just arrived." Wraith stated, taking the controls and proceeding to pilot the ship.
"Wraith, you need to move before they grab you with a tractor beam!" Scipio cried, desperate for his creation to avoid capture.
"Working on it!" Wraith called back as he put his small amount of pilot training to good use, moving the ship away from the cruiser and towards the planet below.
Aboard the Resolute...
With his ship being the closest to the Gandolo sector, Anakin Skywalker had been commissioned specifically by Chancellor Palpatine to rendezvous with the smuggler called Darius in order to pick up The Wraith. While he had no idea what good a smuggler would do against Wraith when legions of Clone troopers could barely put a dent in his armor, Anakin was more than willing to capitalize on an opportunity to take down the super-soldier.
Arriving in the Gandolo sector out of hyperspace, the ship's scanners were quick to locate the ship belonging to Darius. But then...
"General, it appears the YT freighter has started to move away from us." Admiral Yularen informed the Jedi.
"But I thought Darius wanted to meet with us?" Anakin replied, a questioning look on his face.
"Indeed, sir. However, The Wraith might've stumbled upon his plan and taken matters into his own hands." Yularen stated, having already thought of a reason why.
"Which means Darius is dead and Wraith is trying to get out of here." Anakin finished, realizing what had likely occurred. "Well, I'm not going to waste this opportunity." He determined. "Admiral, have our guns open fire on that ship, make sure it goes down intact." He commanded. "I'd rather he face Republic justice alive."
"Right away, sir."
"This is the last time I trust someone else to take me anywhere!" Wraith growled in frustration. The cruiser had opened fire on him and he was now being forced to dodge incoming laser fire while he attempted to make his escape. But the controls of this ship were severely dated and were slow to respond, giving him more problems than ever. "It's a wonder that Zeltron could fly this hunk of junk!" He grumbled, feeling like a sitting duck.
"I'm sorry my boy, but it was not my idea!" Scipio apologized, desperate to get Wraith out of this situation and back to safety.
"Then make it known that I can take care of myself!" The super-soldier retorted, tension running high as cannon blasts streaked past his from viewport in droves. "I wouldn't be in this situation if I were piloting my own ship and not the passenger of some greedy Zeltron filth!" An explosion rocked the ship with a shudder and Wraith swore loudly as he realized he'd been hit. Double-checking the instrument readings, he concluded there was definitely a problem. "We're in trouble now." He muttered.
"What's wrong?" Scipio worriedly asked.
"A shot clipped the engines, I'm losing power fast!" Wraith urgently reported. Fighting with the controls, Wraith was unable to sustain his flight as the ship began nosediving towards the surface of the planet below. There was no way he was going to be able to control the ship any longer. "I'm on Gandolo Four, repeat, I'm crash-landing on Gandolo Four! Send help immediately!" He shouted into his comms, still vainly attempting to salvage this crash-landing.
From the bridge of the Resolute, Anakin watched as the freighter began to plummet, a direct hit from one of the guns tearing apart the ship's engines and a fiery plume trailing behind the ship as it began a steep arc towards the planet's surface.
"Guess he's a better soldier than he is a pilot." He quipped, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"General, we've successfully shot down the transport." Yularen reported out of formality. "Your orders?"
"Track his descent and mark the crash site. I want Jaeger Company down there as soon as he makes landfall. They're best equipped to handle him in any state." Anakin replied. "I'm hoping he'll be at least a little worse for wear by the time he crawls out of that wreck."
"Understood, General."
Down on Gandolo...
The barren, unappealing gray landscape of Gandolo Four was really nothing to look at. A lifeless hunk of rock passing off as a moon, there was absolutely nothing special about this place. Dotted with craters and the odd mountain range, Gandolo Four was as deserted a moon as possible. But now, a new feature appeared on the topography, taking the form of a wrecked YT-1760 transport. It's dark red plating was twisted and burnt, the engines completely engulfed in flame. Bits and pieces of the ship had been shorn off, scattered around the blackened impact crater in a debris field that was easy to spot. The plexiglass dome surrounding the cockpit had been shattered, a body pitched out and laying under the shadow of the wreck. Wraith had been momentarily knocked out by the crash and came too only as a voice crackled through his audio receptors.
"Wraith! Come in!" It was Scipio and by the tone in his voice, he was worried. Wraith groaned as he forced himself up, making his way to his hands and knees before finally replying.
"I'm here, Doc."
"Oh, thank the stars!" Scipio sighed in relief. "Are you well? What's your status?" He wondered.
"A little battered, a little shaken up... madder than a hungry Wampa. But I'm fine." Wraith growled in reply, standing up and brushing the chalky rock dust off of his duster.
"Well, that's good news." Scipio noted. "No broken bones? No lacerations?"
"Maybe a bruise or two..." Wraith muttered, glancing around the flat terrain around him. He had crashed near a more rocky range of high rocks with an open plateau off to his right.
Not the most ideal place to pick a fight. The Republic could see him clear as day.
"Tell Dooku Dantooine isn't happening any time soon... and that I fly solo from now on!" Wraith added, growling the last part.
"I'll make a note of it." Scipio quickly replied. "I'm getting in contact with the nearest Separatist battlegroup. Hang in there, Wraith, we'll pull you out as soon as we can!" The news was good, but Wraith wasn't paying attention to him. Scipio's words sounded distant as Wraith's mind was busy with tactics and calculations. The super-soldier was pondering his chances of survival against the Republic. While they were decent, the terrain would certainly come into effect. The last thing Wraith wanted to do was have a gunfight in and around the wreck of this ship or out in the open on these deserted plains. The mountains would be his best bet for optimum cover and to get the drop on whatever Clones came his way. But if the blaze troopers happen to come... he would likely gave to rethink his strategy. He couldn't just run from them forever...
No. He was done running. He was done with the Republic beating him time and time again. It was time for him to renew his status as an opponent to be feared. He was done with becoming the brunt of Anakin's humiliating tactics! The trend that had started on Makem Te ended here!
Scipio had kitted him out with a weapon that could not only handle the blaze troopers but would also be a weapon that would renew his fearsome reputation: the DXR-six disruptor rifle. A weapon of immense power, the disruptor rifle might have a slow rate of fire but made up for it with the ability to turn opponents to ash. Literally. It's powerful shots ripped apart the target at a molecular level, able to disintegrate a heavily armored man with one round.
The Wraith could now turn a man to ash.
"Take your time, Doc." Wraith replied. "If I'm going to be marooned here, I'm going to enjoy myself." He said, rolling his shoulders and limbering up.
"You... You are?" Scipio sounded surprised by his response.
"Yeah..." Wraith growled, drawing his disruptor rifle and arming it. The weapon began to hum as the energy cells powered up, destructive forces coming to life in an instant. He looked up towards the starry sky and the outline of the Venator cruiser sitting up there.
Gandolo would be his stand. Gandolo would mark his resurgence! Gandolo would not become another failure!
A pair of gunships dropped off the 501st Legion's Jaeger Company. Consisting of six blaze troopers and a collective of Clone commandos, spec ops troopers and Clone assassins, this Jaeger Company might've been small, but they made up for it with determination and skill.
All of which would be put to the test soon enough...
The one in charge of this unit, Clone Commander Vex, led the men as they encircled the wrecked YT freighter. The blaze troopers hovered overhead, scanning the area from above.
"General, we've arrived at the crash site." Vex radioed. "Moving to investigate." The grounded Clones began their search for Wraith, the spec ops troopers using the advanced headphones in their helmets to listen in for any out of the ordinary noises. One of the commandos made his way to the front of the ship, where he discovered the broken plexiglass bubble and a grisly corpse. Although a little mangled during the crash, there was no mistaking who it was.
"Commander. I found Darius." He declared. Vex walked over to his position and eyed his finding.
"You sure?" He asked.
"Zeltron with stab wounds and a slug through his head? Pretty sure." The Clone replied.
"Well, not the corpse we were looking for. But it's a start. Clearly the General was right in his assumption, Wraith figured out Darius' plan too early for his liking." Vex mused, his assumption quite correct as to what had unfolded.
"Commander! We've got footprints heading into the rocks!" One of the spec ops troopers stated, standing a little further ahead.
"Follow them!" Vex commanded. The Clones did as ordered, even the blaze troopers flying on ahead as they scaled the mighty rocks before them. Vex opted to stay behind and investigate the crash site. It seemed possible that Wraith might be hiding somewhere nearby and he wanted to have all his angles covered. The rest of the company could handle themselves, of this he was certain. The climb was not an easy one, the solid rock too steep to climb and what was climbable was loose and unstable. The blaze troopers had the easiest time, using their jet packs to propel them higher. Atop the rocks they found a flat ridge that encircled the actual mountain. It seemed as though a landslide had taken place some years before, knocking down all of these boulders and leave empty patches behind along the rising slopes. Three of the blaze troopers arrived first and scoured the area, searching for some sign of their target.
"I got nothing." One of them reported.
"He couldn't have gone far, could he?" Another one wondered.
"I doubt it. His ship is wrecked, he's all alone, there's not way he'd be in prime condi-" the trooper was suddenly interrupted as Wraith burst out from behind a rock and fired a single shot from his disruptor rifle. The round slammed into the blaze trooper and the destructive properties immediately came into effect, ripping apart the trooper's armor and disintegrating his body in the process. With a short cry, the Clone had no time to react before he, armor and all, had been reduced to a pile of ash. His startled comrades quickly recognized the immediate danger they were in.
"Sonuva-!" One of them growled as he raised his flamethrower. But Wraith was quick on the draw and blasted him, turning him to ash in seconds. The other Clone attempted to make a run for it, using his jet pack to fly off and away. He needed to tell someone, to alert his squad mates. But the five second cool-down was up and Wraith blasted him in the back, the Clone dissolving in mid-air, his ash raining down on the slope below. Relaxing a little, Wraith looked proudly on at the results of his work. With the element of surprise on his side, none of the blaze troopers stood a chance.
None of the Clones would stand a chance.
Leaping over the edge, the super-soldier targeted the other blaze troopers and opened fire. He knew he needed to wait at least five seconds before he could fire another shot, but the destructive nature of a disruptor blast would thin their numbers fast and make up for the slow rate of fire. As one blaze trooper disappeared into a cloud of ash, Wraith bounced across rocks as he fired again and destroyed another one.
"What is he using?!" One of the assassins cried.
"That's a trando disintegrator." One of the commandos replied. "It's outlawed on basically every world in the galaxy!"
"You're telling me! We can't get close to him while he's using thaAAAAHHH!" The assassin was cut off as he too was ripped apart, falling victim to another blast from Wraith. The blaze troopers were all gone, their fire support destroyed. Now Wraith had turned his sights on the rest of Jaeger Company. The Clone commando pulled out his commlink to alert Vex.
"Commander! Commander!" He shouted into his comm. No immediate response came back. Desperate to reach someone, the Clone continued. "If anyone can hear me, Wraith is-YEEEAAAAAGGHHHH!" Interrupted mid-sentence, the Clone screamed in agony as his molecules were ripped apart as another disruptor blast turned him to ash. His communicator fell to the ground, passing through the dust of his fingers, as did his weapon. Having seen his actions before his demise, Wraith walked over to his remains and picked up the commlink from within the pile of dust.
"If anyone can hear me, feel free to listen in as I execute your men." He growled before crushing the device in his hand.
Back on the bridge of the Resolute, Anakin was starting to pace when a call from the surface came through. He wasn't expecting Vex to be reporting in so soon, but was hoping it was because they had found Wraith and had him ready for prisoner transport. When he switched on the holotable, Vex looked anxious and afraid, not exactly the proud and victorious stance Anakin was expecting to see him in.
"Commander, what's the good word?" He asked.
"General! We've got a huge-" Vex suddenly turned to dust before Anakin's eyes, disappearing from view after being hit with a blast from behind.
"Vex? Vex! Respond!" Anakin cried, wondering just what had transpired on the moon below. A few tense seconds passed as Anakin waited to see what was going on. Hearing the commotion, much of the bridge crew had turned to watch, Admiral Yularen among them. Suddenly, the commlink was picked up by another figure, soon revealed to be The Wraith. His glaring visage seemed to pierce the airwaves as he regarded Anakin with a look of contempt. Anakin put on his bravest face. "What's up 'Stinky'?" He asked, referring to when he dropped him in the vat of manure. Wraith said nothing, letting out a low growl instead.
"Your 'Jaeger Company' has been annihilated." He curtly declared. "You want me Skywalker? Come and get me yourself!" The image suddenly fizzled and shorted out, Wraith obviously ending the connection. Silence fell across the entire bridge. Evidently, Jaeger Company, the most advanced and powerful Clone unit designed specifically to combat The Wraith, had failed. An unspoken fear swept through the bridge crew. Maybe they should just leave, surely it was no longer worthwhile to pursue Wraith, especially if he had the power to wipe out Jaeger Company.
But Anakin did not share this sentiment. Instead, he felt a sense of determination.
"He's calling us out." He stated aloud. "This can't go unanswered."
"Yes it can, General." Yularen retorted, attempting to diffuse any foolhardy initiatives Anakin might be planning. Wraith was no joke, even he knew that. "You saw what happened to Commander Vex."
"I know. But I can't let him get the best of us." Anakin replied. In his mind, he had to prove that the Republic was not scared of Wraith and that they wouldn't run from him at the slightest sign of trouble. Maybe it was an expression of the pride and fame he'd lost on Tibrin. But Anakin would've claimed it was his desire to ensure the Republic was still a viable power in this war. Afraid of nothing and ready for anything. Anakin moved to leave the bridge, a plan forming in his mind. "Keep your guns trained on his position. If I order a full bombardment I want you to do so. Understood?" He commanded.
"Understood, General." Yularen affirmed, sounding reluctant in having Anakin go ahead with this. But the Jedi Knight took no notice and reached for his communicator to dial up Rex.
"Rex, round up Torrent Company and the rest of the five-oh-first. We're heading planetside." He ordered.
"Roger that, General!" The Captain replied. Entering the turbolift, Anakin rode it down to the hangar bay. Upon stepping out, he was greeted by Ahsoka.
"Master, I heard we're going planetside." She said.
"That's right Snips. Wraith is calling us out, so we're going after him." Anakin replied, voice full of determination. Then he turned serious, entering full-on Master mode as he regarded Ahsoka. "You're coming with us, so I want you to be careful. Wraith might try something with you and I want to keep you safe at all costs. Don't let that monster get anywhere near you." He stated.
"I think you're overreacting a little, Master. Wraith wouldn't try anything with me, not when he's busy trying to take you down." Ahsoka replied. She knew Wraith to have an unstable mind and personality, as Commander Thrawn had so pointedly noted. But she had a feeling he wouldn't try anything. He was too goal-oriented to focus on anything except survival right now.
"Real funny Snips. But I'm serious. Stick close to me and the men. Don't let yourself get isolated, there's no telling what he might try." Anakin responded, sounding very serious indeed. Ahsoka took that as a queue to not be so lighthearted and gave a quick nod of understanding.
"I will, Master."
Some time later...
Line upon line of 501st Clones stood tall in formation on Gandolo Four. Having disembarked the multitude of dropships, the group looked smartly clad in their freshly-shined armor, standing in formation. Rex, Anakin and Ahsoka stood at the front of the group, devising a strategy as they looked on at the wreck of the YT freighter. Piles of ash lay strewn about the site and more ash fluttered about the air as it slowly rained down from the mountain of rocks before them.
"By the Force..." Rex breathed, stooping down and stirring the pile of his hand. "He's using disruptor tech. It's the only way he could do this."
"The monster." Anakin growled. "Not even that which is outlawed galaxy-wide is off-limits to him." He mused. Rex stood as he finished.
"Orders, General?" The Captain wondered.
"We've got to find him first. Best we divide and conquer." Anakin stated in reply. Turning back to his troopers, the General filled them in on the situation. "Alright men, we're going to split up and encircle the area, Wraith can't have gone far. Our objective is to find him and bring him down, we came here for a prisoner transfer and we're going to get one." He stated. "We stand a better chance taking Wraith as a whole, so if you see him, track him and report your position." He commanded, explaining the plan. Finished, he turned to Rex. "Rex, you and Torrent Company come with Ahsoka and myself. Divide up the rest of the men as you see fit." With a salute, Rex walked down the line and divided up the Legion into squads of five each, breaking them down by company. "We'll encircle the area, cover all areas." Anakin continued. With the orders in place and the Clones ready to go, Anakin ordered his men to move out.
Their search for The Wraith had begun.
Roughly an hour into the search, the 501st Legion was spread out across the mountain range. Some were walking around the edge, scaling ridges and boulders. Others made the treacherous climb up to the somewhat walkable path the encircled the peak of the range, following a worn trail made after untold years of landslides and gradual destabilization. Five Clones, Sergeant Coric, Nax, Del, Attie and Zeer, all members of the first iteration of Torrent Company and survivors of the near-disastrous Battle of Teth, slowly traversed this path as they searched for some sign of The Wraith's presence.
"Not gonna lie, guys, but I'm a little on edge about this." Nax commented.
"Why? Because it's just the five of us if Wraith shows up?" Attie wondered.
"Yeah." Nax nodded. "Backup's at least a few kliks away, probably take a while to get here what with all this blasted rock to crawl over." He explained. "I just think that General Skywalker should've kept us all together."
"I hear you, soldier." Coric agreed. "But the General's right about one thing: we cover more ground split up like this." He added. "We play our cards right and we'll come out of this alive. We're survivors. All of us. It'll take more than Bucket-head to stop us." He said, encouraging his men. Nax and Attie straightened up, feeling a bit better and ready to keep hunting. Just then, Del, who had been a few feet away from them, called out with a find.
"Sergeant! We got footprints! And they're too big to be ours!" The rest of the Clones hurried over to his position and saw the clue Del was pointing towards. There, imprinted in the soft lunar dust, was a mighty big footprint. Way bigger than any a Clone could make.
"Those aren't regulation treads either. Good find, Del." Coric thanked him. "Zeer, put out a call to the General. We've picked up his trail." Zeer did so, alerting Anakin to their find.
"Finally!" The General replied, satisfaction evident in his voice. "We're not far from your position. I'll alert the others." He stated.
"Copy that sir." Zeer signed off. "Sergeant. General Skywalker's on his way." He reported.
"Right men, let's track down this monster." Coric commanded, powering up his blaster. The group broke into a jog, Del leading the way as he followed the footprints. The trail rounded a corner and revealed to the men a tunnel into the mountain. With blasters raised, the Clones half expected to see Wraith sitting there, waiting for him.
Instead, all they saw was the dark, open maw of a cave.
"A cave... that's never a good thing." Attie mused.
"Looks like he might be holed up in here." Coric said, assessing the situation. "We should fortify our position here, just in case he pokes his head out." He surmised. But Nax had another thought. A good one... but one that would doom them all...
"Sir, what if these prints are old? He could be anywhere." He suggested. "We wouldn't want to call the rest here if there wasn't anything to find." Coric nodded.
"Good point, Nax." He agreed. "Squad, lights on. Let's check this out." He ordered, switching on the lights mounted on either side of his helmet.
"But sir, what if Wraith really is in there?" Zeer wondered.
"Then we hightail it outta there and wait for backup." Coric answered, sounding sure of his tactics. The Clones followed suit, lights ablaze and entered the cave. They moved as a unit, carefully watching their surroundings as they knew their opponent to be stealthy and incredibly dangerous. The cave turned out to be a deep one, much longer than any of them had anticipated.
"This would make for a perfect hiding place. He's around here somewhere." Coric muttered. He turned to his side. "Attie, anything on your side?"
"I've got nothing Sarge. But where else could he go?" Attie reported, equally confused. Coric was beginning to wonder if Wraith was here. Either that or he was an expert at making no noise.
"Nax, Del, watch our backs." He ordered, deciding to play things safe. "Zeer, you and Attie watch our flanks." Assuming the directed formation, Coric took the lead and the Clones moved ahead, watching for any out of place movement that could be their quarry.
Little did they realize that Wraith was not far in front of them, concealed by his cloaking field. Unnoticed and undetected, the super-soldier had all the time he needed to forge a plan of action. His ride out of here wasn't too far away. All he had to do was handle this group and any others that came to join them.
For him, this was hardly a challenge.
The sudden sound of rocks skittering across the ground made all five troopers turn and point their weapons towards the cave entrance. But they saw nothing.
"Did he leave?" Zeer wondered.
"How could he get past us?" Nax replied, finding it strange they saw absolutely nothing. "Wait, doesn't he have a cloaker or something?"
"I don't like this." Coric muttered, eyeing up their surroundings once more. "Stay sharp." He ordered, believing Wraith to be somewhere in front of them.
But while the Clones were concerned with the possibility of a successful one-dimensional tactic, they should've been getting into Wraith's head and thinking the way he did.
The commando had pitched a pair of small rocks well over their heads, creating enough of a distraction so that every Clone's back was to him. Shutting down his cloaker, Wraith chuckled darkly as his blades were engaged, choosing to remain cloaked for the time being. The shrill ringing of metal was enough to make the Clones whip around.
"You know what you call a group of Clones alone against me?" The shadow with blood-red eyes asked them. "Dead." He answered, beginning to advance towards them.
"Open fire!" Coric shouted. The Clones did, the staccato of blaster fire loudly echoing throughout the cave. But their efforts were too little too late.
The super-soldier was already upon them.
Anakin and his group were quick to hustle over to Coric's position. But the uphill climb and difficult terrain made the climb a hard one to say the least. It took too long for Anakin's liking and he was more than happy to reach the trail where Coric and his men had been sent. They were quick to follow the path and the footsteps left in the lunar dust. But before they could round the bend and arrive at the cave, a bloody Clone helmet bounced across the ground before rolling to a halt a few feet away from them. Anakin, Ahsoka and Clones slowed to a halt, realizing that something grim had befallen the Clones. Suddenly, Zeer burst out from behind the rock, running for his life and screaming as he did. But a grapple cable suddenly snared his neck and pulled him back.
"No! NO!" He shrieked before disappearing from view. His cries were heard for only a short while later before they were silenced by the sound of a blade stabbing through flesh. Anakin and the others quickly sprinted around the corner... only to be met with a gruesome sight.
The Wraith stood tall, covered in blood. The bodies of Coric and the others lay scattered around his feet in various stages of mutilation. Some were missing limbs, others were missing heads, most had been chopped and hacked at until their armor was more red than white. Zeer was impaled on his arm blade, breathing his last as his blood soaked Wraith's weapon. The super-soldier turned to face the newcomers.
"The survivors of the original Torrent Company," He mused, dropping Zeer's body next to the others, "dead at my feet. Too bad I wasn't sent to Teth, I would've made sure none of you survived in the first place." He rumbled, blade disappearing back into his arm. But Zeer wasn't quite dead yet and he managed to move to his knees, but the pain from the wound in his chest kept him from raising himself up any higher. His groans alerted Wraith and the super-soldier drew his slugthrower pistols, pressing the barrel against Zeer's helmet.
"Why don't you join your 'brothers'... in hell." Wraith growled, pulling the trigger. The slug tore through Zeer's head, painting the ground behind him with blood and bits of brain matter. The Clone fell dead, missing a significant portion of his skull. The brutal execution of the men Rex had served alongside, veteran members of Torrent Company, was a sight that simply overwhelmed the captain. His hands shook, his breath quickening as he grew angry.
"They were my brothers!" He shouted, ready to take Wraith to task.
"Aw, don't cry Rex." Wraith replied, nonchalantly stowing his pistol. "I'm sure Kamino will make you some new ones." He sneered. His insult hit home and Rex was ready to lash out, if not for Anakin holding him back with the Force.
"Where did you get a disruptor rifle?" Anakin demanded, igniting his lightsaber.
"What? You want one too? Copycat..." Wraith retorted, drawing the weapon in question from behind him.
"That kind of tech is outlawed. Even in war!" Anakin declared. "You've broken Republic law before, but now you've really crossed a line Wraith."
"If I do not respect Republic law, does that mean it still exists?" Wraith wondered, sounding suddenly philosophical. "Not to me it doesn't." He answered. "Things exist so long as people respect their existence. If not, then they cease to exist." Snapping up his rifle, Wraith fired a single blast at the nearest Clone. Anakin and the others witnessed firsthand the horrific properties of his disruptor rifle, frozen in place as they watched the Clone disappear from their view, his blaster falling to the ground next to the ashes that began to pile up. "Much like that Clone... because I did not respect his existence." More Clones suddenly appeared, arriving as per Anakin's orders. Each of them leveled their weapons in Wraith's direction. "Doesn't matter how many you bring, Skywalker. With this rifle, I can level the playing field. The odds will always be in my favor."
"That doesn't mean we won't stop trying!" A random sergeant declared. "We're not afraid of you!" He shouted, opening fire without any orders. Wraith turned his sights on him and promptly reduced the Clone to a pile of ash with a single blast.
"I'd like to hear him say that again." He mused. "Now... are we going to have a fight or what? Your Jaeger Company isn't here to save you and I've got an ultra-powerful trump card... but odds like that haven't stopped you before." Wraith stated. Anakin frowned, gripping his lightsaber tightly. Ahsoka ignited hers, waiting for her master's orders.
"Rex, flanking position." Anakin quietly ordered.
"Yes sir." Rex replied, still seething. "What about you?"
"I'll draw his fire!" Anakin cried, charging forward with both hands gripping his lightsaber. Moving automatically, Wraith opened fire with his disruptor rifle, only for Anakin to deflect the bolt. Closing the gap between them, Anakin swung his saber, aiming to cut the deadly weapon in two. But Wraith dropped low and raised his arm. blocking him with his gauntlet. Anakin quickly retaliated by pushing him hard with the Force, sending Wraith sprawling back towards the cave. Disruptor sliding from his hands, Wraith rolled backwards to his feet and drew Tyth from behind him. The blade snapped on with a burst of flame, glowing yellow amid the drab grey terrain. The Clones who had an opportunity to shoot opened fire, peppering Wraith with blaster bolts. The super-soldier shrugged them off, his gaze fixated on Anakin. The Jedi and the super-soldier began to duel, truly trading strikes as they fought hard, blue solidified-plasma clashing with solid flames. Wraith proved to be a worthy opponent, a real heavy-hitter. But Anakin had plenty of training under his belt and the two fought on, equals in sword-based combat. The Clones fired when they did, sporadic shots slamming into Wraith's armored body. The super-soldier decided to take back his dominion over this fight and stowed Tyth behind him after giving Anakin a hard shove. Although confused by his actions, Anakin sought to press his advantage and leapt forward with his arm primed to deliver an overhead strike. Wraith was quick to advance on Anakin and, grabbing his arm, Wraith kept a firm hold on his limb as he drove his body into Anakin with a hard push, dislocating his shoulder. With a cry, Anakin was flung to the ground and rolled over, Wraith pinning him with his knee against his back. Grabbing Anakin by his hair, Wraith painfully forced his head up.
"You have given your men a suicide mission, Skywalker. Now you will watch them die!" He growled, holding his heavy weapon with one hand as he forced Anakin to watch him continue. Firing a single shot, another 501st Clone was turned to dust, crying out as he died. "This is for Makem Te!" He shouted, disintegrating another Clone. "And Aphran!" He blasted two more, turning them to ash. "And Salliche!" He continued with a roar, turning two more Clones to ash, one after another, with perfect headshots. Rex forced the men into retreat, all of them taking cover behind rocky outcrops.
"No!" Anakin cried forcing himself out of Wraith's grip with a well-aimed blast of telekinetic power. Wraith shrugged off the assault and was on his feet instantly, Anakin less so as he clutched his dislocated limb.
"This is why you don't kriff around with me." Wraith growled. "You had your fun on Makem Te and Aphran and Salliche. But they only served to fuel my vengeance... and now your men have paid the price for your insolence."
"If it's revenge you want then take it out on me!" Anakin shouted, desperate to keep any more men from falling by his hand. "And leave my men out of this."
"I am taking it out on you, Skywalker." Wraith retorted. "But this is only the beginning of my retribution."
"So, what, you'll start a 'campaign of terror'?" Anakin wondered.
"Call it what you will. By the time I'm done, you'll think this tame compared to the other things I'll do." His threat was not one to be taken lightly. Ever since his humiliation on Makem Te, Wraith had been plotting his revenge, devising ways to personally attack Anakin in such a way as he would never forget.
Nobody humiliated The Wraith and lived to talk about it.
His sensors suddenly alerted him to the presence of an incoming craft and, upon turning around, Wraith watched as his own shuttle landed at the base of the mountain.
"About damn time." He mused, holstering his rifle across his back as he turned back to Anakin. "Until next time, Skywalker." Wraith said, mock bowing in farewell. "For there will always be a next time." With those parting words, Wraith lept off the side of the mountain and continued to bounce off rocks in a display of immense agility and careful precision. Still clutching his arm, Anakin raced to the edge to watch Wraith's descent as his men and Ahsoka crowded around him.
"General? You alright, sir?" Rex wondered.
"Contact Yularen, order an orbital strike on that ship! Now!" Anakin commanded, ignoring Rex's query.
Sliding to a halt at the bottom of the mountain, Wraith sprinted to his shuttle, desperate to get off this rock. His enhanced biology caused the trip to last only a few seconds and he was soon ready to enter his ship. Stepping into his craft Wraith was greeted by a surprising, yet familiar face at the controls.
"Doc?" Scipio turned to him with a grin.
"Surprised to see me?" He wondered.
"Maybe a little. I thought you said you made contact with a battle group?" Wraith wondered as he sat down next to him.
"They were delayed! So I said to myself 'if you want something done right, do it yourself' and came to get you myself." Scipio replied. "I happen to be a decent pilot. You're not the only one who's good a-"
"There's no time for that, we've gotta go!" Wraith urgently exclaimed. "There's a cruiser in orbit and they'll likely try to blast us!"
"Say no more, my boy!" Scipio replied, launching the shuttle ahead with a burst of speed. Pressed back into his seat, Wraith watched as the grey landscape of Gandolo Four disappeared beneath them, growing smaller and smaller as they lifted off. A series of blue bolts started to streak past them as the Resolute opened fire. It appeared they were gone too quickly to perform an orbital bombardment. But that wouldn't stop the Republic from trying to put them down. "Hold tight, Wraith, I'm making the jump to hyperspace." Scipio said as he quickly keyed their destination into the navcomputer. A few seconds later, with the push of a throttle, the starts turned to streaks of light as the shuttle shot forward and into hyperspace. Scipio breathed sighed in relief. They had made it out safely. "Well... that was certainly cutting it close."
"You don't say." Wraith replied with his own sigh of relief. He felt better now that he was in Separatist company and even better now that he was in a vessel he could trust. It felt good to be back in his own ship. It was better than any smugglers piece of junk anyway.
"You alright, my boy?" Scipio asked him.
"Yeah. I'm fine." He answered. "That disruptor rifle works perfectly. A good few Clones are nothing more than piles of ash now."
"Excellent! That is good to hear." Scipio replied. "At least this little detour wasn't entire fruitless."
"I guess." Wraith mused, starting to grow lost in thought. He remembered what he told Anakin just before his departure. He had every intention to live up to his threat. Now he just needed a means and a method...
"Everything alright, my boy?" Scipio queried, noting his silence. Wraith took a moment before answering.
"These past few missions... Makem Te, Aphran, Salliche, none of them went as planned. Each time Anakin Skywalker found some way to humiliate me. I want revenge. But this, this little turnabout doesn't cut it. I need something more..." he stated. Scipio mulled over his words, knowing he had far more scientific training than any sort of revenge or militant strike training.
"I'm no expert when it comes to that, Wraith. I left that up to those military texts you study." He informed the super-soldier. "But, if I could offer you any sort of suggestion, maybe you should do something so hurtful it pierces his very heart. Wraith let that option stew in his mind for a little bit. It seemed good. Problem was, he'd already put the screws to several of Anakin's close allies. He'd vaporized his troopers. He'd beaten Obi-Wan and imprisoned him. He had yet to do anything to Rex, unless traumatizing him by butchering his closest men counted, and there was no way in hell he'd do anything to Ahsoka. He'd taken his pride, he'd sent him packing, he'd stolen victory out from under him. What else was possibly left for him to-
Wait.
His mind flashed back to Tibrin. He remembered a certain senator among the observers. Even though the Jedi and Clones cheered him, there was a senator there who was also rooting for Anakin. The senator representing Naboo if he recalled correctly.
Maybe there was something left for him to do.
Wraith started chuckling. It was a deep, throaty noise that slowly rose in pitch and volume as a plan formed in his mind. It would require some research, but it would certainly bring about the results he sought.
"I think I have an idea..." He mused, a broad smile beneath his mask.
Coruscant, Senator Amidala's apartment. Later that day...
Another day, another long and strenuous timetable filled to the brim with meetings, negotiations and more meetings. Feeling quite tired, Padme Amidala had finished a relaxing hydroshower and had redressed in a far more freeing nightgown. Her senatorial robes were nice, but they felt constrictive and weighty after a day. Besides, there was a far more special occasion on her mind. Desperate for her day to be over, tonight would be something special.
For today was her and Anakin's anniversary.
Even though her day had been long, Padme was more than ready for tonight. Finally, after many long months, she and Anakin would finally have a night to themselves.
"Now, let's see..." she mused, eyeing her bedroom. Even when not in senator-mode, Padme had always been a list-maker. "Wine, check. Drinking flutes, check. Freshly made bed, check." She listed off. "Now... to wait for my husband. Gods, it's been so long." She sighed, sitting down on her bed and letting her hair down. She really was looking forward to tonight. Hearing the sound of a door opening, Padme quickly stood and switched off the lights, deciding to set the mood a little. Reclining on the bed, Padme laid back and waited for Anakin to arrive. She heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall towards her, anticipation growing in the pit of her stomach.
Although they did sound significantly heavier...
The footsteps walked right up to the bedroom door and the entrance opened moments later. Padme watched as the shadowy silhouette of a broad, tall man appeared, stepping into the room as the door closed behind him. He said nothing, did nothing, remaining silent and unmoving. Padme felt a sudden rush of uneasiness. Something about this man seemed wrong and off, like he was not who she was expecting. "Ani?" She wondered, partially curious if Anakin was trying to be suspenseful or dramatic.
Then, a pair of red optics flashed to life. Padme gasped in horror as she realized who was here with her.
"Hello, Senator..." A mechanized voice greeted her. Scrambling for the nearest light switch, Padme triggered the lights and found The Wraith himself standing before her. "Security systems are down and any guard in the immediate area has been vivisected." He casually informed her. "Oh... and you may wish to call off your anniversary plans." Before she could move or say anything, Wraith flicked his arm out and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Looking down, Padme saw red beginning to stain her gown and the handle of a throwing knife protruding from her waist. Clutching her wound, Padme slowly fell to the floor as Wraith walked over. Stooping down next to her, his fingers curled around her neck as he launched a static chip into his opposite hand. "You're coming with me..." He growled. That was the last thing Padme heard before a shock ripped through her body and she blacked out.
