In low orbit over Bracca…
Albedo Brave Training Deck
An hour before departure to Courscant…
Cal sprung backward from his opponent, trying to gain some breath, but for all his years, Master Eno Cordova was as nimble as ever. Master Jaro Tapal watched from the observation deck as his apprentice and the aging Jedi Counselor sparred, the youth of Cal against the wizened experience of Cordova. Tapal knew who was going to win, but it was less about Cal losing and more about the lessons of combat, of learning from defeat, recovering, and rising to fight again. So long as Cal remained unbroken, he would never truly lose a fight.
"You know, sir, it always amazes me seeing the Jedi fight," Commander Ironsides noted, "even the old ones can still deal out punishment."
"A necessity of the Clone Wars," Tapal stated, "Master Cordova's methods were always about conflict resolution, stopping the fight before it happened, more so then they were about winning the fight."
"All the same, I'd put my boys alongside him any day." Ironsides said. A beep on his comnlink alerted him.
"Commander, incoming priority message for you." Another trooper said.
"I'll be up in a moment." Ironsides said. "Duty calls, sir, be back in a moment."
"Until then." Tapal said, turning his attention back to the sparring match below him. Ironsides turned and left the training deck, heading for the turbolift, nodding to BD-1, who stood on a crate nearby. As he entered the lift, he wondered what could possibly be for him alone, and not General Tapal. The answer to his question followed shortly; the turbolift arrived at the command deck and he stepped off into the bridge.
"Is the transmission ready?" He asked an aide.
"Yes sir, putting it through now." The clone replied and a hooded figure appeared before the clones.
"Commander, this is Darth Tyrannus," the figure said. Somewhere in Ironsides' head, an acknowledgement of the name was transmitted, accepting the authority of the name Darth Tyrannus. "Execute Order 66." Another transmission shot through Ironsides' brain, and in his mind, Jedi Masters Jaro Tapal, Eno Cordova, and Padawan Cal Kestis became priority targets.
"As you wish, Darth Tyrannus." Ironsides replied, automatically in a monotone.
"Bring me Padawan Kestis and the holocron Cordova carries but kill the others. I have sent an associate to collect what I am due, do not kill him."
"Understood, we will not fail you, my lord." Ironsides cut the transmission and turned to the aide. "Contact the clones and crew of the Ever Scholar, inform that Order 66 has been enacted." The aide nodded and carried the order out without question as Ironsides keyed the clones on his private comn. "Attention all troopers, execute Order 66. Switch to comn channel 6-6 and await further orders."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Down in the training deck, both Tapal and Cordova felt a slight twinge in the Force. Cordova stopped mid-swing, which alarmed Cal.
"Master?" He asked, his voice a near whisper.
"Something has been set in motion," Cordova said, "but I know not what."
"Master Cordova, Cal, rendezvous with me immediately." Said Master Tapal over the intercom. The training room shifted, providing the two Jedi with easy passage to the training room control center.
"Master Tapal, what's going on?" Cal said as soon as he entered. The Lasat raised a hand to call for silence.
"Do you sense them?" He asked Master Cordova.
"I do," said the older Jedi, "I can feel them massing at key points around the ship…and on the Ever Scholar."
"What are you talking about?!" Cal asked, confused and afraid.
"Is this…is that what you felt before?" Tapal asked.
"Yes…the doom I feared approaching was the betrayal of the clone army." Eno said, the realization bringing a note of concern into his voice.
"What?"
"The clones have betrayed us, Cal," Tapal said, taking his lightsaber off his belt, "we must escape the Brave."
"What, why? I don't under-" Cal started.
"There's no time to explain, Cal; we must leave, now!" Tapal stated firmly. Cal gulped. Tapal took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Do you remember our drills, in case a situation such as this ever arose?"
"Yes master, I remember." Cal said, nodding.
"Go through the vents and passageways, meet me and Master Cordova at the escape pods. Remember, trust only in the Force, and let it guide you in all things."
"BD," Eno turned to the small droid, still nestled on a crate, "go with Cal."
"Why? I should go with you; you'll need me!" The droid protested.
"I know, but…I need someone I trust, just to be sure." Tapal, BD, and Cal all gave the old Jedi a funny look, but the droid relented. He hopped onto Cal's shoulder and nestled onto his back, just behind his left shoulder.
"Cal, go, now." Tapal ordered. Cal nodded wordlessly and headed for a side door. As soon as he was through, Tapal turned to Eno. There was a look shared between the two, an acknowledgement of what was to come.
"They're amassed outside the door." Eno said, drawing his lightsaber.
"Then let us meet them together." Tapal said. He rose a hand, opening the door with the Force, igniting his lightsaber, as did Eno. The hallway beyond was filled with clones, all with blasters pointed at them.
"Open fire!"
Cal flinched as he heard the blasterfire, accompanied by the sound of lightsabers. He paused momentarily, considering going back, then pushed forward, heading for the nearest maintenance duct. He rounded a corner and found himself staring down a short hallway, on the other side of which was the entryway to the maintenance ducts. Commander Ironsides, Sergeant Burns, and eight other clones stood in the way.
"Cal, wait!" Ironsides called, raising a hand instead of a blaster.
"Stay away!" Cal backed up, raising the hilt of his lightsaber, but not activating it. "Why are you doing this?"
"Stand down, Cal," Ironsides said, hand still raised, the clones around him keeping their blasters held low. "We don't have to fight, you're wanted alive."
"Alive for what? Who wants me alive?" Cal asked.
"Orders from above, Cal, just stand down," Ironsides said, trying to sound calm. Cal looked between him and the nine other clones as BD seemingly tried to burrow into his back, his optic flicking around.
"I don't think I can do that, commander." Cal replied, igniting his lightsaber.
"Take him alive!' Ironsides barked. The clones leveled their weapons as Cal darted to the side, dissipating the stun bolts as they came. He ran, BD holding onto his back for dear life, the clones chasing after them.
"All forces, be advised, Cal Kestis is on the move!" Sergeant Burns barked into his comnlink.
"Why are they sparing you?!" BD asked over the din of blaster reports.
"I don't know; we just need to make it to a duct, and we'll be okay." Cal replied. He turned again, saw clones down the hall, the made a hard right. A maintenance duct awaited him, and Cal dove for it. He shoved the door open, slammed it behind him, and began to clamber his way through the innards of the Brave.
"Commander, he's in the ducts!" A clone called.
"Gotta move fast." Cal breathed. He pushed his body hard, cramming it through spaces and gaps in cabling and pipping. All the while, he heard the armored boots of the clones pounding through corridors and decks, and his heart felt as though it would beat itself out of his chest. So he worked his heart and went faster, eventually reaching the turbolift shaft. He leapt, landed on the turbolift, and was immediately under fire; clones standing in one of the open turbolift doors. Three of them fired to kill.
Cal deflected the bolts, one back into the attacking clones, but he was off balance, unprepared. One bolt struck the hilt of his lightsaber, knocking it from his hands.
"No!" He cried, diving for the blade as it clattered to the deck, rolled, and fell off the turbolift, just out of his reach. Cal stretched out with the Force, trying to pull his lightsaber back to him, but three bolts landed around him, breaking his concentration. It tumbled down, down, down into the depths of the Albedo Brave
"What are you doing?! Stun him, don't kill him!" A fourth clone yelled. As the other clone switched to stun, the sound of a lightsaber filled the corridor behind them. They turned, and three heads fell away from three bodies. Master Tapal filled the doorway.
"Apprentice, your lightsaber!" He cried, both in frustration and worry.
"Sorry master!" Cal yelled back.
"Keep going, we'll meet up ahead!" Tapal ordered.
"Yes master!" Cal scrambled up the turbolift and kept going. He leapt off the turbolift, exited the shaft, slipped through another set of pipes, and found himself in a small corridor.
As he stepped out, BD screeched a warning in Cal's ear "Left, left!", and the padawan dove forward.
A stun pulse hummed by as Commander Ironsides attempted to capture the Jedi. Cal rolled, turning towards Ironsides, and thrust a hand forward. Ironsides flew backwards, slamming into the wall, air exploding from his lungs, and helmet tumbling from his head. He was still conscious, so Cal brought his hand around, throwing Ironsides into the opposite wall, and the clone slumped to the floor, a trail of blood flowing from his nose.
"Sorry, commander." Cal breathed. He stood and turned to leave, but a tinge made him turned back briefly. Cal bent down and placed a hand on Ironsides' helmet, closing his eyes for a moment. A vision flooded his mind, and he found himself on the bridge facing a hooded figure.
"Commander…. execute Order 66. Bring me Padawan Kestis and the holocron Cordova carries but kill the others. I have sent an associate to collect what I am due, do not kill him." The figure said, and Cal found himself in the corridor again.
"What happened, what did you see?" BD asked quickly.
"I dunno BD, but the clones…the clones were ordered to do this by someone else, and they want me and…Master Cordova!" Cal turned and broke into a headlong sprint to the escape pods. He threw open doors with the Force, leaping through them before they were fully opened in a desperate bid to reach the two masters.
He turned a corner and found himself face to face with two squads of clones. One clone had already turned with a Z-6, and upon seeing Cal, quickly stepped forward and swung the weapon. The rotary blaster slammed into Cal's ribs, knocking the air from his lungs and he fell. Another clone stepped forward with a carbine, switched it to stun, and took aim, the barrel staring Cal directly in the eyes. A loud hum filled the air, followed by multiple hisses and screams. Heads, limbs, and blasters fell to the ground, forcing the rest of the clones to turn.
"Contact, contact, Corridor Echo 1-4!" A clone cried into a comnlink, then opened fire on Masters Cordova and Tapal. The two Jedi stormed forward, lightsabers blurring across the corridor. Cal scrambled into cover, allowing the masters passage forward.
"Master Cordova, they're after your holocron!" He called.
"What?"
"They're after the holocron, I don't know why!"
"And you as well," Master Tapal stated, "I don't care why; they'll get neither today! Push forward!"
"I'll hold the rear, Cal, take the holocron." Cordova reached into his tunic and withdrew the holocron, turning to Cal. As he did so, the corridor behind him became filled with clones from the Iron Battalion and blue lasers. Eno Cordova was struck four times, once in the upper left thigh, twice in the torso, and once in the throat. He fell sideways to the floor, lightsaber and holocron tumbling down with him, clattering across the metal panels. Jaro Tapal assessed the situation, seeing his fallen comrade and the cargo he carried, then his padawan, unarmed and terrified. In that moment, Tapal decided what was more important to him.
"Cal, run, now!" He bellowed and went on the offensive. The Lasat thundered towards the escape pods, double bladed lightsaber spinning and swinging. Cal followed behind, watching as his master became a force of nature, weaving through the blaster fire coming from all directions. The clones fell before him and soon the pair were before the doors to the escape pod launch room. "The door, quickly!"
"Yes master!" Cal scurried forward and opened the door. Tapal turned briefly as he stepped back into the room, and a clone took the opportunity to squeeze off a shot. The bolt struck Tapal in the armored shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. "Master!"
"The escape pod, apprentice!" Tapal said through gritted teeth. Cal hurried forward to the nearest pod and began punching in commands, then overrides for the locks. Tapal followed him, deflecting whatever bolts as they came, doing his damndest to keep both of them safe as the escape pod hatch opened. Then the main door opened, and more clones from the Iron Battalion came through. Cal watched in horror as Master Tapal was shot six times across the torso, with one bolt striking one of the two emitters on his lightsaber and destroying the emitter. The world seemed to slow as he fell, and the young apprentice let out a cry of fear he barely heard. The clones advanced.
"No!" Cal roared. Acting on instinct, he thrust his hands forward and willed the clones to stop. A shimmering field of energy appeared around the clones; their movements slowed as if they were under water. Not questioning how he had accomplished it, Cal hooked his arms under Master Tapal's shoulders and dragged him into the escape pod. He punched on the launch button, the hatch slammed down behind them, and the pod shot away from the Albedo Brave. The pod away, Cal quickly knelt by his fallen master. "Master!"
"I'm sorry, Cal," Tapal coughed, clutching one of the wounds in his stomach, "I'm afraid I will not be able to finish your training."
"No…no." Tears threatened to overwhelm Cal as he cradled his dying master.
"You can accomplish…so much, but first….you must survive. Escape Bracca, return….return to Courscant, and tell the Council what has happened. Remember…trust only…in the Force."
"I will, master, I promise." Cal managed. Through blurry eyes, he watched as Master Jaro Tapal took a final breath, exhaled, and went slack in his arms. The escape pod plunged through Bracca's atmosphere, and Cal wept.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Albedo Brave
Commander Ironsides watched as the escape pod disappeared from the ship's sensors and enter Bracca's atmosphere. He ground his teeth together, planning how he was going to retrieve Cal Kestis and eliminate Jaro Tapal. His soldiers had informed him that General Tapal had sustained heavy injuries, but he had seen the Lasat shrug off some serious wounds. As he thought, a deck officer approached.
"Sir, a Death Watch dropship has just exited hyperspace nearby. They're transmitting codes consistent with Darth Tyrannus's transmission." He stated.
"Allow them to board; bring the holocron." Ironsides ordered, leaving the bridge. The mission was a third of the way successful; General Cordova had been eliminated and the holocron he carried had been captured, but General Jaro Tapal and Commander Cal Kestis had escaped. Granted, Tapal was injured, his weapon damaged, and Kestis lacked a weapon, but they had still escaped. Ironsides was still planning follow-on operations as the dropship landed in the ventral hangar bay.
The ship doors opened, allowing the occupants to exit. Six Death Watch stepped out, one of which had a built-in crown of spikes on his helmet…and then came the Zabrak Nightbrother. Painted crimson and black, with a pair of cybernetic legs and yellow eyes, he cut an imposing figure as he descended the ramp.
"Are you Darth Tyrannus's…associate?" Ironsides questioned.
"Indeed I am, and you are Commander Ironsides?" The Nightbrother asked.
"Yes sir, Iron Battalion CO."
"Report, commander."
"Sir, mission is incomplete; we have successfully eliminated General Cordova and captured his holocron, but General Tapal and Commander Kestis have escaped to the surface of Bracca." Ironsides reported, standing ramrod straight as he spoke.
"No, Padawan Kestis has escaped; Jaro Tapal is dead," the figure said, "I have felt it in the Force."
"The Force, sir?" Ironsides questioned, his troopers shifting slightly. The order was still very fresh in their minds, and any Jedi, unless otherwise specified, had to be eliminated.
"I am no Jedi, commander, keep your weapons lowered." The Nightbrother ordered. "But…Padawan Kestis has still escaped regardless."
"We are preparing to capture him now, sir, we-"
"Capturing Kestis is not a priority," the Nightbrother stated, waving a hand in dismissal, "dispatch a detachment to track and apprehend him if possible. As for your two vessels, you will travel to these coordinates." He handed Ironsides a datapad with the necessary information, who took it.
"Sir…may I ask a question?"
"Ask."
"Is this operational standard? Are we conducting similar missions across the GAR?"
"Not in the grand sense, no; Darth Tyrannus has deemed it necessary to execute Order 66 across selected units. The rest of your kin are ill-positioned, and some may not even follow the order."
"If that's the case, what is our mission now?" Ironsides asked.
"Go to those coordinate and you will understand," the Zabrak stated, "a time is coming where soldiers of your caliber will be needed to reinstate order from the chaos caused by a failing Republic. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
"Yes sir." Ironsides said, but in truth he was still confused.
"Then go and prepare for what must be done." The Nightbrother turned and returned to his ship, followed by the Death Watch. The clones watched as the ship took off before turning away.
"Sir?" A trooper with a bleeding heart on his chest plate asked Ironsides.
"What is it?" The trooper stopped in his tracks and looked at his commander.
"What have we done? And why?" Ironsides paused before answering.
"I dunno, trooper, but good soldiers follow orders, no matter what." He said firmly. The trooper said nothing, merely nodding his head, but Ironsides, like all clones, could read their brother's body language through their armor, and the trooper wasn't convinced.
"What's your name, trooper?"
"They call me Hearty, sir."
"Don't think about what happened today anymore than you have to; we have a job to do, focus on getting that done."
"Will do, sir." Hearty moved away, leaving Ironsides with his thoughts. The drive of the previous hour was wearing off, and he too was having his doubts. He remembered when Cal had come to the Iron Battalion, wide eyed and afraid, and he had left them the exact same way, only afraid of them instead of the droids. He shook his head and entered the turbolift, already ordering a trio of Nu-class attack shuttles to load up and descend to Bracca. They had a Jedi to find.
