The Hurst landed on a snow planet near a crashed Separatist supply ship. Fang, Sonic, Tex, G-merl and Tails walked out as Sally watched "You're sure you don't need help?" "I'm sure everything will go horribly wrong" Sonic said. Tails shrugged "We'll be fine. We got a Clone Wars veteran with us" "Ready, Captain?" Sonic asked. Fang nodded "Yes, sir-Uh, General. Sonic". They left and the ship took off behind them. The group headed towards the ship "There was a battle here during the Clone War. This old transport's the perfect place to find weapons, ammo maybe even some proton bombs". Tails hit something with his foot, he leaned down and pulled an Egg Pawn head out of the sand "Hey, was this a badnik?" "Yeah. This place used to be crawling with them. We call them niks". Tex chuckled "Niks. I like that. How many of these things you think you blasted?" "I don't know. Thousands. Probably tens of thousands. Never kept count like some of the boys". Fang lowered his hat slightly to make his face less visible. Tails threw the head away "They don't look very dangerous".
Fang turned around and stopped Tails "Listen, those badniks wiped out a lot of Republic troopers. A lot of them… were my friends" he walked away. Sonic glanced at Tails "Fang has been through a lot. Battles leave scars, some you can't see". They entered a hanger "Hold up. Let me recon first". Fang ran deeper inside and used his binoculars too look around "Well look at that. The munitions depot is fully loaded. More proton bombs in there than we can carry" "Good job, Fang" "Way to go, Captain". They headed for the depot but G-merl stopped thinking he heard something and ran in a different direction. Fang stopped Tails from entering the depot "Careful. The badniks used to protect their armoires with shields" "Shields?". As if to answer a shield appeared around the four of them "Yeah, shields". Suddenly a group of Pawns emerged and surrounded them "You have been captured by the Separatist Alliance", Fang glared at them with rage in his eyes. They were about to shoot them but the commlink in his head activated "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Roger, roger. We have new orders. Incapacitate and capture. Activating stunner". Electricity passed through the shield and shocked the four of them knocking them out "Take them to the command centre". G-merl hid ad watched as they were taken anyone away "We haven't captured anyone in years" "We haven't captured anyone ever".
Fang woke up with his hand restrained "Uh. Where are we?" "How intriguing. Well done, B1-268". He looked up and saw he was on the bridge of the ship and there was a Swatbot staring at him. Fang began to panic "No. No. The war, it's not over!" "Fang. Fang". Fang turned "Armand?", it was Sonic "Talk to me" "Ah, Sonic. Sorry. I-I thought you were someone else" "I need you here now, buddy. We're in the usual mess. I thin the Commander's a super tactical Swatbot". Tails was on Fang's other side "Is that bad" "It's really bad. That bot's extremely intelligent". The Swatbot stood in front of them "Near the end of the war, Separatist badniks significantly outnumbered Republic units. By my calculations, our probability of being defeated was only 23.6%". Fang glared up at him "After Cloner Order 06, the whole badnik army was given a shutdown command. How are you even operating?" "The Shinobi betrayal ended the war for most of the galaxy. But here Glacierland, I assumed it was a Republic trick and prevented the shut down command".
Fang tried to struggle against his restraints "Well, it doesn't matter how it ended. The war is over. Let us go" "Negative, Captain. I calculate that this will be my only opportunity to end the Clone Wars as I planned, with a victory for the Separatist Alliance". Fang rolled his eyes "What do you want from us? Surrender?" "On the contrary, I want you to fight, to prove once and for all, whose tactical strategy was superior". Tex struggled "Well, you can count me out. I'm not playing some stupid war game" "That is correct, Sand Blaster. Your species were not in the Clone Wars, so you will be the hostage your allies must save. The Shinobi rescue is a recurring scenario based on 132 battles I have reviews". Tails smirked "Yeah, we've done that a few times. I've been both". The Swat bot stared at him before turning to Sonic "Shinobi, is this your apprentice?" "When he's doing well" "Good. A complete set of Republic opponents will make this authentic". Fang angrily shook his head "No, it won't, because we're not fighting!" "If you will not fight, you will be terminated" "I'll do it" Tails said. Sonic and Fang turned to him in surprise "What?" "Tails, no" "Hey, you both talk about the Clone Wars. What it was like. I wanna help you win this last battle. Besides look at them. How can we lose?". Two Pawns heard them and stared at each other "Uh, hey". Sonic sighed "Okay, it might be easier to fight them head-on than to get out of our current dilemma". Fang sighed "Fine. Fine, we'll do it. If we win. We go free and we get the proton bombs in the hanger". The Swatbot nodded "I accept your terms".
G-merl was watching the Pawns move through the ship to take their positions. He then ran through the hanger and saw and old shuttle. He entered and powered up the ship.
Somewhere in space the Hurst was getting chased by TIEs "How much fuel did we get before the ambush?". Wave answered form the turret "Enough for the whole fleet. I just hope Sonic, and Fang aren't expecting us back on Glacierland anytime soon". Sally tried to avoid the laser fire "If Sonic needs help, he'll call us". Wave scoffed "Since when?" "Fine. If G-merl's in over his head, he'll hide and call us" "That's more believable".
Infinite and Nephthys watched form a Scarship "Congratulations. Your ambush worked like a charm" "Only if we catch them". An officer stood up from his chair "Excuse me, Governor. We've intercepted a Freedom Fighter transmission from Glacierland system before it was received by the Hurst. The message is encrypted, but it repeats like a distress signal". Nephthys smirked "Interesting. They must be desperate for help that will never come. Locate the nearest Imperial outpost to Glacierland and deploy them. Immediately".
Sonic, Fang and Tails were outside the ship when the PA activated "The objective of this battle is simple. You must fight your way back to my command centre and capture it to free your friend". Sonic turned to Fang "Well, you've got more battlefield experience than either of us. You lead" "Alright. Our first goal is to get inside the hanger. Swatbots are war machines programmed to kill, and this one's got the numbers and the firepower to do it. Our only chance is to be aggressive, surprise him, hopefully put him on the defensive". Tails nodded "How many badniks do you think he has?" "The last battle will begin now". A small army of Pawns marched out of the hangers "A lot. He has a lot of badniks!" Sonic said. Fang took out his pistol "We've got to scatter them! Use the sword and shield manoeuvre" "What's that?" Tails said. Sonic ignited his lightsaber "We block, he fires", Tails ignited his as the Pawns started firing. "Tails, get ready to duck!" Sonic yelled, "Okay" "Now!". They did and Fang threw a grenade over them and into the army of Pawns destroying a large amount of them. They repeated this until there were only a few Pawns. Fang grinned "That scattered them. Everybody forward!". Sonic and Tails charged and started cutting through the remaining Pawns "Stay close. We gotta stick together!" Fang told them. They ran to the hanger "It looks clear" Tails said but Fang stooped him, and they took cover "Wait. That's not how it normally goes" "What's wrong?". Fang peaked his head out "Badniks usually keep coming, wave after wave". Sonic nodded "That Swatbot has had a long time to think about this. And remember he want to win" "I'm surprised it means so much to him". Fang stared into the hanger as he answered "Yeah, it means a lot to his programming. Means a lot to mine as well". Tails was confused "Your programming?" "We clones were bred for combat. With few exceptions, there was no other way of life for us". Sonic put his hand on his shoulder "We should mover" "Right, Commander. Uh, Sonic".
Tex watched a screen smugly as the other entered the hanger "Looks like my friends are doing pretty good. You might as well surrender now" "I am not programmed to comprehend your humour" "I'm not joking". The Swatbot watched them run through the hanger "Your Republic friends have taken the bait. Send in the Gammas".
The Gammas appeared on the catwalks above the hanger and fired down on the trio. Tails and Sonic covered Fang as they retreated "Can't advance with those Gammas up there. Armour's too strong for blaster". Tails looked out and saw the crane "Look. We could use that to destroy the catwalk. I just need to get to it" "Or we could use the Force to move it" Sonic said blankly. Tails went silent for a moment "Right. Yeah. That works too". Tails looked out to see the catwalk but suddenly G-merl was in front of him. He fell back "Gem, where've you been?". G-merl beeped "How'd you send a distress signal?". He beeped again, Sonic nodded "A shuttle. Good find. But we're not leaving without Tex. So, you get it running". Fang saw more Pawns enter the hanger "We're gonna get trapped here!" he tried to shoot them but a bolt his shoulder "Fang?". Sonic gave him cover when Tails uses the Force to make the crane hit the catwalk taking out the catwalk and crushing the Pawns. Sonic helped Fang up "You okay?" "I'm good. Just a graze. I don't need that armour their wearing now". The three of them ran out of the hanger and through a hall "This is going well" Tails said. Fang stopped him "It won't be if you keep acting like this. You broke formation outside. Got distracted by G-merl and you took to long to destroy the catwalk. This is not a game! This is life and death! Every move you make affects the rest of us. If we're gonna survive this, we're gonna do it with strategy and discipline!". He walked away leaving a guilt Tais who Soni reassured "It's not you. Heeds to finish this battle his way" "Just like the Swatbot".
They ran through but Gammas arrived on both sides. Tails and Sonic got on either side of Fang to protect them "Push and fire, Fang" Sonic said. He used the Force to make the Gamma leaned back revealing an unarmoured joint which Fang quickly shot destroying it. They then turned to the one Tails was deflecting but it's blasters suddenly stopped allowing him to charge forward and cut it in half. Sonic examined it "The blasters overheated. That Gamma's od" "Just like me" Fang said. They ran into the bride "Well, looks like we win" "I disagree, captain" the Swatbot answered. Pawn pointed its blaster at Tex's head". Tails got in front of Fang "No! Don't! We didn't win. These badniks are so old, they malfunctioned. If they hadn't, we'd be goners". The Swatbot nodded "The boy is correct. The badniks would have prevailed. So, technically, victory is ours". Tails rolled his eyes "No it's not! I never really thought about it. I never asked. I know the Shinobi were wiped out, the clones were decommissioned, and the badniks were just shut down. The Clone Wars ended, but why? If none of you won, who did?". None of them said anything but Tex raised his head "Uh, the Empire" "Right. Tex understands" "Uh, no. The Empire is here". They looked out the window and saw a Scarship enter the atmosphere "And they're about to win again". Tails looked to Fang and the Swatbot "I've got a new calculation for you. What are the chances your army can defeat the Empire?" "My resources are depleted. However, the badnik army is not currently at war with the Galactic Empire. B1-268, analyse the threat".
Outside four Pawns walked out of the hanger to meet two Imperial shuttles that land. Troopers come out and see them Is that what I think is?". The lead Pawn waved "Greetings. I am unit B1-268. My commander has sent me to report your intentions". The troopers just looked at each other "Yeah. Clone Wars badnik. Surprised its battery hasn't run out" "Don't see many of these anymore. Alright, you know the drill". They shot two of the Pawns, the third one screamed and ran back to the ship but a walker suddenly stepped on him.
Tails watched "I think we have a common enemy, now". Fang shook his head "Ah, wait a minute!" "Let him finish, Captain" Sonic said. Tails turned to the Swatbot "Clones? Badniks? You destroyed each other. And when you were both weak enough, the Empire took over. General, what were the Separatists fighting for?". The Swatbot thought for a moment "According to my programming, freedom from the tyranny of the Republic "According to my programming, freedom from the tyranny of the Republic". Tails nodded "Hmm. Fighting tyranny. Sound like the Empire has always been your enemy" "You are against the Empire. I am against the Republic. Now the Republic has become the Empire. I accept your logic". The Pawn lowered its blaster form Tex "Sorry". Fang sighed "I guess we are" "However, as I stated, my forces are depleted for me to plan a successful counterattack". Sonic smirked under his mask "Fighting insurmountable odds? We can help you with that".
They were now standing around the holo-unit when Tails heard G—merl over the commlink "Yes, G-merl, we know the Empire is here. How's the shuttle coming?" "We have more than one shuttle. But their unarmed" he heard the Swatbot. Sonic pondered "No, but they can get us out of here" "A successful retreat is improbable. The walkers will destroy the ships before they escape the hanger". Fang surprisingly agreed "We don't have the firepower to take on walkers" "What about the bombs?" Sonic asked. "We have no cannons to fire the shells. Otherwise, I would have used them on you" the Swat bot said. Sonic crossed his arms "Thanks". Fang examined a projection of the hanger "We could roll the proton bombs to the feet of the walkers and blast" "My badniks targeting systems are degraded. However, you Master Shinobi can allow us to hit them without danger". "I don't understand" Sonic said, "You and the Pawns can use the cover and deflect blaster bolts accurately to the shells without exposure to the enemy". Fang was amused "Well, this takes trust to a whole new level". Sonic sighed "G-merl, get the munitions ready to roll".
Everyone was now in the hanger using the large crates as cover "I have never attempted such a desperate strategy" the Swatbot said. Fang stared at him "That's why we always won" "Not always". Tails rolled his eyes "Hey, guys, focus on the present". Tex was speaking to a squad of Pawns "Once those shells explode, get to your shuttles". He and a group of Gamma ran out and fired on the troopers as Pawns started pushing the bombs forward. Once they reached the feet of the walker four Pawns fired on Tails and Sonic who deflected the blasts to the bombs, destroying the walker "Get on the ships!" Tails yelled. They all got on the shuttles and took off. Fang watched the lead shuttle heading for a walker "Bank right! Bank right!". The shuttle was shot down as the other two managed to escape. Tails got on the commlink "Swatbot, did you hear us?". A hologram of the Swatbot appeared "Affirmative. We have survived the battle. It was not a victory, but a successful strategy nonetheless". Fang smiled "No, it was a victory. We all just won the Clone War, and you ended it Tails. A group of Senators couldn't do that. An army of Shinobi, clones and badniks couldn't find the middle ground, but you did. None of us were meant to win and we needed to hear it". Tails nervously chuckled "Stop. You're gonna make me blush". The Swatbot nodded to Fang "I agree. I am satisfied if you are, Captain" "I am" "Very good. Now, based upon this battle, I calculate that you have less than a one percent chance of staging a successful resistance against the Empire, so this is where we must part ways". Tails saluted "Roger, roger". The hologram cut-off "I can't imagine fighting that many badniks all the time". Fang chuckled "Well, if you think that was bad, let me tell you about the time a met a Raiju".
They eventually made it to the Hurst "This is Hurst to away team. Naka-One, are you there?" "Sally, I was just about to call you. How was your day?" Sonic said sarcastically. "We're tracking two shuttles leaving the system. Is everything alright? Did you have trouble securing the bombs?" She asked. Sonic sighed "Well, the bad news is, we didn't get the bombs. The good news is we don't need a pickup because we found a new Sneak. Tell Wave she's gonna need a paint job".