Classified Droid Research Foundry, Lola Sayu, The Last Hours of The Clone Wars

It had been three years since war broke out on Geonosis. Two since Gareth Macchiavel attained knighthood and was given command over this squad of clone commandos, with whom he had gotten close with.

'Arguably a little too close, according to the Council,' He thought, brushing the shaggy rust colored hair out of his bright turquoise colored eyes,as CT-0000/999 -or "Cate" , as Gareth called her- entered the cockpit of their heavily modified Sheathipede-Class Transport Shuttle-The Cloaked Duellist- which had been his first mission and he had captured it on Geonosis.

Cate eyed him. "So, Gareth, lets go over the plan one more time..."

"Why Cate? You afraid? Jeez, you're more skittish than a slave-circuit freighter in a mynock nest..."

"That's not it, Gareth. I just have a bad feeling about this."

Gareth raised an eyebrow at that. He had learned to trust her about those gut feelings of hers. Her batch was unsusual in a couple of aspects, but most importantly she was what the typical clones called a splicer; Her DNA was partly that of the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, but also partly spliced to include the compatible genetics of an unknown volunteer Jedi Knight. As such, her batch were gifted woth some rudimentary gifts in the force. For Cate, it meant she was what Republic High Command called a Precog. Of course, the Jedi knew it was a version of Jedi Battle Meditation. Either way, the fact she could see a period of fifteen seconds in the future was a major asset in this damned war.

"It's a simple job. An in and out sabotage like we've done a thousand times. Besides..." He kissed her and her belly. "Shatterpoint Squad is the best. They'll bring me home to you. And our child."

Cate tensed a little. She wasn't showing yet, but of course it would only be a matter of time. "Make damn sure you do, Gareth. I love you."

"I know." Gareth sighed. "If it makes you feel better, put the Duellist on overwatch protocol, my love. I gotta meet the boys down below. Just stay alert but don't be too stressed, alright?"

Before she could reply he left to meet Tex, Ringo, and Goggles by the cargo doors. As he made his way, he went stopped by Whisper's quarters. Gareth was concerned for the former Jedi. Gareth admitted it was partially out of selfishness. He still needed answers from the man who called himself Gareth's brother. Shaking his head he pressed onward and took in the sight of his crew.

Goggles sat in his mix of Clone Armor and that of his native Onderon. He wasn't a clone, but because he'd been a volunteer bounty hunter who had signed for augmentation from the seperatists before he defected, no one wanted him in the unit. Naturally, Gareth had. The man could hack like no one else he knew, probably due to the extra droid augmentations. And despite his past, he was loyal. Certainly, Gareth trusted him enough to tell him his secret. "Goggles, buddy. I need you to keep an eye on Cate and the ship."

Goggles raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Stay safe down there then. I'm picking up a battalion of droids and a single flight of vulture droids. The chatter suggests they are just there to act as guard-dogs while the other busybodies are clearing out data from RD mainframe. I'm already in the system saving what I can."

Gareth nodded and then looked to Tex and Ringo, who each were polishing up their modified DC-15A Carbines. At their belts were each a lightsaber that they'd taken off of fallen Jedi. These two were the last of the only batch of successful splicers and to himself, Gareth called them 'The Twins'. Their specialties were not dissimilar from his own; But unlike the twins, He knew his gift with Tutaminis was far less than rudimentary. He liked the twins well enough. But he didn't trust them. They'd shown to be ruthless, very profit oriented, and not very willing to at nice with others. But Gareth hoped the camaraderie and rapport he'd built up with them would be enough of a deterrent that they blasted the clankers and not him, at least until the war was over.

"Alright, boys. It's just going to be us three. Tex, you're taking the east gate. Shut it down and level it. Ringo, you'll do the same in the west. I'll take the North. After that, we'll rendezvous back in the South and hold out until Goggles and Cate swing back by and pick us up."

"Sound plan, Jedi." Ringo said, with a dismissive grunt. "What about any spoils we come across?"

Tex eyed Gareth, coldly. "I know we're on a schedule, sir. But me and my brother didn't get any spoils last time."

Garth forced a smile. "As long, as you're back at the rendezvous point in enough time and it doesn't impede the mission take whatever spoils you want." If it will keep you happy and your fingers off the triggers with me in your sights.

They nodded and went back to it and Cate came on over the comms. "Get ready to drop, guys. Meet you back at the rendezvous in one hour."

Gareth adjusted his dark brown leather gambeson and dropped the hooded cape that had been clasped at his throat. He tightened the cortosis vambraces one last time and put on the plasteel gorgelet normally reserved for a clone sergeant. Then readied himself to jump as the hanger's cargo door opened. The wind whipped and howled and roared like a hungry Krayyt Dragon. He pulled out his lightsaber and felt reassured by the coolness of its curve hilt and then activated the rich glowing turquoise blade, followed by the flicker of a single turquoise crossguard. And he stared into it, preparing for battle.

Then he closed his eyes for a heartbeat. Everyone had always said he looked like Dooku. Gareth smiled at the thought. Even after everything, the old Jedi master had shown him kindness when no one else had, except of course his old master. They may be on opposite sides of the war, but he'd still try to make his mentor proud. He may not have been Gareth's master, but he'd learned much from Dooku. Then everything was silent except the waves of the force. Another heartbeat and he leapt, simultaneously opening his eyes when his feet hit the roof of the compound. The turquoise fire was burning in his both his eyes and hands as he tore through a B2 battle droid like butter.

"Stick to the mission. Last one back buys beers at next cantina." Combat changed him. He could hear it. Despite the fun words, his voice was colder than ice. Gareth was always good at toeing the line of light and dark. He revelled in a good fight almost as much as a good book. Jocasta Nu had been an excellent mentor after Dooku and Master Juro, but she still couldn't compare.

Gareth made his way to the North Gate with ease absorbing blaster bolts and channeling them outward into small jolts of electricity. His powers and skills made him a walking EMP to any droids foolish enough to get close. His style was very reminiscent of the best of Makashi and Shien; Every motion- every step, stab, slash, lunge, cut- was meticulously calculated. Every attack was seamless, and every riposte more so. Gareth made it to the main controls and stabbed his lightsaber through them, setting off Klaxons and locking off the northern area. He then pulled it out passed his hand over the blade of his lightsaber, focusing all his willpower to do another clever trick he'd figured out. Timing his breath with the hum of the blade, Gareth gripped the blade and temporarily shorted out his saber, his hand crackling with electricity as he punched the back up systems shorting them out. He then began to set explosive charges up and was getting ready to leave when he noticed the twins standing in the doorway.

"The rendezvous point in in the south..."

A vision cut his way into his head as a disturbance echoed in the forced. A whisper of words from a chillingly familiar voice, but this time laced with the full malevolent willpower of the darkside.

Execute Order 66.

And the twins pulled out their sabers and attacked. Blue and Green clashed midair with Turquoise as they pressed him back.

"Just, do us a favor and die already, Jedi!" Tex snarled. "You had your fun! Toppling the republic!"

Gareth shut him up with a punch to the face and a stab to the throat.

"Tex!" Ringo cried out, lashing out with his blade. "You just gave me the pleasure of killing you that much more!"

For all his weapons training and minimal force skill, Ringo was still no Jedi. But Gareth was. Mid-parry, he deactivated his blade and sidestepped reactivating it in his leg, his reflexes like lightning compared to the poor clone. "What the hell, Ringo?! I don't want to kill you, but I will if I must! Why now? Why did you decide now to betray the team?!"

"You had to know it was coming. Besides, the way I hear it you Jedi betrayed us all..." The clone chuckled bitterly and with a roar Gareth decapitated him. The sardonic laughter cut short as the head his the ground with a wet thud.

Then, a glow of a light on one of his vambraces blinked on: The Emergency Beacon from The Jedi Temple. Gareth looked at it. It was an order to reconvene and regroup. Gareth didn't have time to process this all right now. He still needed to make his way to the rendezvous point. They'd blast it back to the temple to see exactly what the hell was going on.

It felt slower going this time. The force felt less like waves and more like walking through glass, like the force itself was broken. Cursing, Gareth removed the gorgelet. It was starting to affect his breathing. There was no comfort in the force at this moment; It was suffocating, maddening. Like the screams of a dying world. It was like shards of glass in his soul. Gareth wasn't sure how, but he'd finally made it but he staggered his way to Cate and Goggles in the cockpit and nearly collapsed by them when he saw a new transmission from the beacon. So he played it. Standing before him, was Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Do not come back! I repeat do not return to the temple! It's a trap. Run as fast and far as you can. Hide, if you must, but do not return here. For the good of what's left of the jedi order, I beg you. Please do not walk into their trap..."

Afraid, Gareth shit it off ripped off the vambrace and chucked it away from him. This was a nightmare. It must be.

"My love," Cate said softly, hoarsely, as if she'd been crying. "You need to see this."

She flicked on a secure channel and on it was playing a holonet reel straight out of his nightmares.

"...In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire..." Thunderous applause cut him off for a second, but there was a new malevolence in how the chancellor tiredly smiled. His eyes almost glinted golden beneath that blood colored hood. Blood, like what was on his hands right now.

As he collapsed, Gareth had realized they'd all been part of an elaborate game and everyone just lost. "The Sith have returned at last..." He croaked as everything faded to black.