Star Wars: Inferno Company

Enderdez45

This is a work of fiction detailing a Clone Wars-era version of Inferno Squad from Battlefront II. It is not at all related to Lucasfilm or Disney in any way, and I do not claim any ownership of anything in the franchise.

Chapter 1: Inception

"Master Yoda, about this proposal of yours…"

The small Jedi gazed up as Marshall Commander Flint entered the room. "Looked at it, the Council has? A decision, they have made?"

"Well, Sir, the War Council is still in deliberation, but High Command and the Defense Procurement Office are well in agreement with the idea of your 'Inferno Company'. I have faith that it will see the light, however."

Yoda sat in his specially prepared hoverchair, which promptly floated up to meet the Commander at the conference table. "Good, this has become. For the sake of our future, these clones shall fight. Potential candidates, you have been seeking?"

"Yes, Master Yoda. I have been personally reviewing soldiers from over 30 battalions."

"Plenty of skill, these men have?"

"Well, right now there are only enough for two special forces squads."

"Of tens of thousands, only eight…" The ancient Jedi swiped his hand over the table, a hologram appearing over it. Eight clones hovered in the air before him, in varying suits of armor. "The names of these men, I would like to know."

"Yes, Master Yoda." The first clone grew larger, the image slowly rotating. The clone had a prominent scar rising vertically just to the side of his windpipe, a jagged reminder of some long-gone conflict. He was wearing an orange-striped suit of armor, a worn kama circling his waist. A DP-23 shotgun sat in his hands, and a grenade belt crossed his chest. "This is 'Quint', officially CP-5-5555. He's a paratrooper with the 212th Attack Battalion. He brought attention to himself when he led a squad that successfully infiltrated a secret Separatist factory on Bespin. After his LAAT was nearly shot down by a lone Vulture Droid, he leapt from it and landed on the droid, wrapped his grenade belt around its wing, and dove off as it exploded. He landed on a stray cloud car and met back up with his squad, helping to repair the gunship before destroying the factory."

"A brave man with no regard for his own safety, hmm? Considers his allies above him, he does. A model clone, he is."

"Yes, sir. I believe him to be a fitting addition to Inferno Company. Next, we have 'Falcon', a sniper from the 41stScout Battalion." The image of Quint changed to one of a clone in camouflage-patterned scout armor. His helmet was on, obscuring his face, but something behind his visor told Yoda that this was a clone who had seen a lot of battle. Resting on his shoulder was a standard-issue DC-15X sniper rifle, but equipped with an expanded clip, a larger scope, and a barrel extension. On his waist, a Bluurg holdout pistol was clipped next to a set of electrobinoculars and several other gadgets. "He is highly trained in stealth and survival tactics, and is an expert in Jungle warfare. I selected him after learning of his feats on Umbara. One accomplishment that stood out to me was his squad's story of an ambush he sprung on an unsuspecting Separatist battalion. He left his company after believing they were taking too long to come up with a plan, proceeded to eliminate a squad of Commando Droids guarding a hostage emissary, and then circled around the encampment, taking shots from various positions to trick the enemy into thinking they were surrounded by a platoon. After forcing a surrender, he brought the emissary back to his company before any of his teammates realized he was missing."

"A rogue spirit, hmm? Abandons the reins of control, he does. Guide him, we must."

The image flickered to one of an ARC Trooper, dual pistols in hand and a WESTAR-M5 rifle slung across his back. Blue armor was accented by yellow stripes and a thick black kama and dual shoulder pauldrons, and two oxygen cables ran from his helmet to his survival pack. "This is ARC Major Rhino, nicknamed the 'Cobalt Hero' for his efforts in defending Christophsis. He singlehandedly took out no less than three Octoparra droids and almost a dozen B-2 super battle droids. Currently, he serves as the leader of the Christophsis Global Guard."

"'The Cobalt Hero;' quite a title, that is. The leader of the Company, he will be?"

"Yes, Rhino will be the leader. He's held a leadership position for two years now, and as one of the most senior clones he has had the most experience."

"A wise man, he has become."

"Indeed." The image changed once again, this time the image bringing a raised eyebrow to Yoda's forehead. A clone commando, armed with his DC-17m repeater and pistol, stared back, clad in unusual pitch-black armor and a glowing red visor. "This is Clone Commando Noctus. He's a Major currently deployed with a group of Shadow Troopers in the Unknown Regions. He elected to use the special scanner-proof armor reserved for Shadows, and engineers managed to install a miniature cloaking device in his survival pack, at his request. It wasn't cheap, but the speed he finishes his missions is far beyond any other soldier. His agility, his precision, his focus… It's hard to believe he's really a clone."

"No problems, he will have, with his loss of independence, hmm? Commandos report to none but themselves, yes?"

"Well, Master Yoda, he actually volunteered for this." Flint shrugged his shoulders at the Jedi's intrigued look. "I don't know how he found out." The image changed once again. "In any case, this is the team's medic." The next clone was wearing white armor with orange shoulder pads and emblems on the helmet. His utility belt was larger than normal, to accommodate the medical supplies he carried, and he carried a large medical pack on his back, but his image still wielded a training blaster. "CT-4-8264. He's a cadet right now, but he ranked as one of the highest medical trained troopers in Tipoca City's history. He was originally destined to serve as the chief medical officer aboard the Kaliida Shoals Medical Center in the Outer Rim, but he is currently receiving sharpshooter training and will be ready for deployment very soon."

"Other medics on their ship, there will be, I presume?"

"Yes, the ship will have around fifteen additional non-combat medical officers under 8264's command, along with a few clone engineers, navigation officers, and flight crew members. Ah, that reminds me, the clones are receiving flight training as well. The DPO has reserved funding for the troops to utilize modified Eta-2 Actis Interceptors. They will be equipped with triple thrusters, increased armoring, cloaking devices, and more storage space for their equipment."

The hologram temporarily swapped over to display the aforementioned starfighter, painted black with red accents. The primary cannons extended slightly further than usual, and a third thruster sat on the rear, directly behind the cockpit. "That third engine is a heavy-duty sub-lightspeed thruster normally designed for torpedoes, but Kuat Systems managed to retrofit them to the fighter. They're now capable of achieving almost fifteen thousand kilometers per hour atmospheric speed, which is ten times as fast as the next fastest fighters." The hologram changed back to the clones, showing one in a suit of armor that Yoda recognized.

"The 91st, hmm? Out of eight men, three are scouts? Almost half the group, that is."

"CT-4-5872 has shown unusually high reflexes, and it was proposed by the DPO to train him to be an Advanced Recon Force commando. However, he has declined this opportunity, instead requesting something that, and I quote him exactly, 'isn't some boring, stick-up-the-ass job. AT-RT's are too slow for me and I don't like standing still.'" This brought a chuckle from the ancient Jedi.

"Spirit, this one has. Hold together the crew, he will."

The next clone displayed over the table was wearing orange armor, and had a large backpack with several detonators strapped to the outside. "This is Smokey, an Ordinance Specialist. He was selected out of necessity of the types of missions Inferno Company will be undertaking, but his skills in detecting and disarming traps of any kind are quite useful. He doesn't see as much combat as some of the other clones, but he joins the Coruscant Guard when important dignitaries arrive so that he can sniff out any threats." The hologram faded into that of a heavily armored clone carrying a missile launcher. He wore a set of rangefinder goggles on his helmet and there were metal plates on his chest and shoulders. An ammo pouch rested on the rear of his belt, and six small rockets were clipped to his sides. "Their heavy weapons specialist is Trigger. He's an older clone who served on Geonosis and Christophsis, and has worked with Smokey on a few sabotage missions."

"Good men, they seem. Meet them, I would like to."

"I'll arrange that right now, Master Yoda."

Umbara; 212th Attack Battalion

"Hey Quint, got a minute?"

The paratrooper in question stood at once. "Yes, Commander Cody." He set his rations down on the rock he had been sitting on and jogged over to Cody's command station: a simple computer and hologram projector on a flat rock.

"Marshall Commander Flint of the 9th wants to see you ASAP. I called a shuttle to take you to a transport heading to Coruscant."

Quint looked over his shoulder at the rest of his weary squad mates. "With all due respect, sir, I'd much rather prefer to stay here and help you guys."

"These aren't my orders, they're orders from General Yoda himself, relayed through Flint." Mention of the ancient Jedi brought the eyes of a few clones within earshot. "Nothing bad, it seems. Go collect your gear. Shuttle lands in three minutes."

Quint saluted and made his way back to his rock, sitting down and swallowing the rest of his rations. His teammate and friend from training, Lucky, glanced up at him as he scarfed down his meal. "Quint, what was that about?" He shrugged, finishing his meal and tugging on his helmet as a shuttle landed a few dozen meters away.

"Marshall Commander Flint wants to see me, on General Yoda's orders."

"Seems pretty big. Good luck."

Quint nodded as he grabbed his shotgun and slung it over his shoulder, climbing on board the shuttle with one last glance at his friends, then turned and sat as the hatch closed behind him.

The Elysium, Venator-class Star Destroyer; 41st Scout Battalion

Falcon awoke with a start, his sensitive ears picking up the sound of approaching metallic footsteps. Tightening his unconscious grip on his pistol, he slowly rose, then sighed and sat back down as a green camouflage-painted protocol droid stopped at the door to his quarters.

"Falcon, Commander Gree wishes to see you on the bridge. And put that thing down before you shoot someone's eye out."

"Oh, shut up before someone turns you into can." Flicking a middle finger at the departing droid, who returned the gesture, Falcon picked up his rifle and went into the hallway, turning the opposite direction of the droid and entering the elevator. A few minutes later, he stood before Gree on the bridge of The Elysium, overlooking Coruscant.

"At the request of Marshall Commander Flint, General Yoda would like to see you." Gree took off his helmet, a glint in his eye. "What'd ya do?"

"I haven't done anything, Sir. And if I may, can I ask that you not send your little errand boy to fetch me next time? Just call me."

"I get that you and TC-104 butt heads, but you ought to lighten up a bit. I'm still pissed at you for teaching him how to shoot the bird at people he dislikes, because for whatever reason General Unduli was at the receiving end of that, and now I'm in trouble. Get moving." Falcon saluted him and turned, Gree rolling his eye as the rebellious soldier stuck out his foot, nearly tripping TC-104 as the droid entered the bridge.

Christophsis; Global Command

Major Rhino stood outside the door, guns aimed at the small window peering out. Slipping one back into its holster, he retrieved a mine from his utility belt and stuck it to the latch, the magnetic seal making a dull thunk against the metal. Checking his oxygen levels, he backed up a few feet and hit the button on the detonator. The door dented inwards at the explosion, then immediately exploded out into the abyss, the rapid loss of air pressure in the ship sucking bits of debris out into space. Gradually, the flow of air ceased, and he walked across the surface of the vessel, his magnet boots clanging as he charged towards the entrance. Leaping into the gash, he slammed the control panel, an emergency blast door sealing off behind him as air quickly flowed into the corridor, repressuring the ship as alarms blared. Making his way further into the belly of the ship, he made it to an elevator shaft when the lights suddenly cut off and the buttons stopped working.

"Cut the power, eh?" Rhino activated his helmet-mounted light and, using his raw strength, pried the elevator doors open. Glancing up and down the shaft, he spied his target: the door to the bridge. Retrieving his rifle from his back, he slipped a grappling hook launcher under the barrel and aimed up, firing into the ceiling. Reeling up to the door, he frowned under his helmet and clipped his rifle to his belt, suspending himself from the ceiling. Reaching behind him into his backpack, he pulled out what looked like a metal plate with four magnets on it. It was a breaching plate, designed for scenarios just like this. He stuck it to the door and hit the primer button, then unclipped his gun and reeled himself up a bit more. He began to swing, building up momentum, then as he swung forward one last time he let out the line, flying forward into the door as he kicked at the plate.

A small explosive charge on the underside went off as his feet hit it, the clone flying through the now-destroyed doorway. He rolled to a halt and trained his rifle on the band of panicked criminals. "Hands up, all of you! Put the blasters on the ground and kick them away!" Trembling, a few of them did as instructed, but two growled and charged Rhino.

He fired a single shot at the one on the left, hitting him in the knee as he jumped at the second criminal, vibrodagger flipping out of its sheath into his hand and halting just millimeters before the criminal's throat. "Get back in line and put your hands on your head before I tear your throat out." As the first criminal lay whimpering, holding his knee in agony, the second dropped his blaster and backed up, hands shaking as he glared at Rhino, who trained his rifle on them as he radioed the Sarthe, the cruiser that had dropped him off on the stolen ship. "This is Rhino. I got nine ship thieves in here at gunpoint. One's injured and another shit himself." The second criminal who had attacked him growled, but went silent as the rifle pressed against his forehead, Rhino sending a glare at the criminal. "Send a team in to take them away and take the ship back down."

"Copy that, Rhino. Also, when you get back on board the Sarthe, we got Marshall Commander Flint of the 9th on the line. He wants to talk to you."

[LOCATION REDACTED], [UNIT REDACTED]

[THIS SECTION HAS BEEN CENSORED IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE REPUBLIC. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING]

Tipoca City, Kamino; Cadet Training Grounds

"Congratulations, CT-4-8264. You are now a Clone Trooper." The orange-armor clad clone saluted his superior, unease visible in his eyes. "Were you destined to be deployed as a Medical Officer, you would have automatically been promoted to Commander based solely on your aptitude, but because you are being drafted to combat, you're the same as everyone else. I'm sorry."

"That's all right, sir. I'll be happy to do what the Republic needs of me." It was a lie. 8264 hated lying to his superior officer, and he was fairly certain the officer knew, but he elected to do what he had been trained to do: shut up and follow orders.

"At the very least, in anything related to medicine, you DO possess the rank of Commander. If someone is injured, you will outrank nearly everyone in your new squadron, and will have the final say. But in combat, or training, or anywhere else, you are a Trooper. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Sir, if I may, what unit will I be assigned to?" He was really hoping for an assignment in the Inner Core. If he were to be assigned there, he wouldn't have to see much combat, and he would most likely serve aboard a medical ship as an officer.

"Marshall Commander Flint would like to speak with you about your deployment." 8264's face went white for an instant, then back to normal. Marshall Commander Flint was in charge of the 9th Assault Corps, one of the most battle-oriented units in the Republican Army. But if Flint had personally called a trooper like him forward, then that could only mean-

"Am I being transferred to the 41st, sir?"

"I do not believe so, but you will find out when you get to Coruscant."

Star Destroyer Endurance; 91st Scout Battalion

"Oi, Speedy! Get the hell off your bike! You're wasting fuel!"

The aforementioned clone whirled the BARC speeder around the hangar bay, skidding to a halt in front of Clone Commander Neyo. "I get that you're feeling cooped up, but for the love of all that's holy don't go racing your speeder around the hangar while we're in hyperspace!"

"Neyo, if you got a problem then take it up with Kamino, they're the ones who made me this way."

"What seems to be the issue, Commander?" Stass Allie, the Jedi currently leading the 91st, approached the two clones. "If he's feeling restless, then by all means he should be able to burn off his energy." She threw a wink at the problematic clone, who saluted. "In fact, I was thinking of organizing a little race around the hangar. When you're in hyperspace for five hours straight, it can get quite boring, you know?"

"General, it is unsafe to be piloting a speeder bike while in hyperspace. Look, the only protection we have against space right now are those shields." He pointed behind Allie, at the deflector shields covering the open hangar doors. "They won't prevent a speeder bike from flying out into space if he's not careful. Besides, he uses over a fifth of our bike fuel reserves alone. Speedy needs to learn when to shut up and sit down, especially considering his transfer."

"I'm getting transferred? When was I going to be told this?"

"That's why we're heading to Coruscant right now. Marshall Commander Flint of the 9th will tell you about it personally."

Coruscant, Level 4,937; Lone patrol

Smokey walked through the middle levels of the city, trailing his scanner. Following him, a few meters back, a squadron of riot troopers marched, stun guns at the ready. Smokey checked his navigator, pushing through the crowds, until he finally reached a little girl wearing a backpack, standing in the middle of the streets. She seemed to be looking for someone, and upon spotting Smokey, her eyes lit up and she ran over to him. He dropped to a knee as she approached him, tears welling up. "Excuse me Mr. Clone, I'm looking for my daddy. I got lost. Can you help me?"

Smokey glanced down at his scanner. He was right on top of it. He cursed internally, then removed his helmet, a smile on his face. "Of course, little one. My name's Smokey. What's yours?"

"Leela," the girl sniffled. "Daddy was supposed to be dropping me off at the daycare while he went to work, but I got separated in the crowd."

"Alright Leela, don't worry." He stood up and lifted Leela into the air, setting her atop his shoulders. "Do you see him from up there?" She looked around, but shook her head. While she was looking, he secretly lifted a small scanner and waved it behind her. Checking the display, his face momentarily darkened, but returned to normal as he set Leela down. "That's a lovely backpack you have there. I have one too, you know." He turned, showing the little girl the utility pack strapped to his back. "Where'd you get yours?"

"My daddy gave it to me this morning. It's different from the one I usually bring, but he said it had something important in it. He had one just like it." His face went white, unnoticed by the girl. He motioned to the riot troopers, who began clearing a path as one called in a skyspeeder.

"Do you know where your dad works?"

"He works in the Center of Military Operations as a maintenance worker."

Smokey stood up quickly, strapping his helmet back on his head. "Come with me. I'll take you to him." Grabbing her hand, he led her to the speeder, strapping her in before leaping in the pilot's seat, slamming the thrusters as he rocketed off into the sky. Flying through the air, the speeder soon arrived at the upper level and made a beeline for the CMO. As they flew, he turned to the girl. "What's your dad's name?"

"Jarvey Morkus."

Smokey lifted a hand to his helmet's commlink. "I need a team of riot troopers at the CMO as soon as possible. I also need to know where Jarvey Morkus works."

"Hold on, let me check…" He heard rapid typing over the radio. "He works in maintenance. Right now, he's still outside the building."

"Does he have a backpack on?"

"Um… yes, he is wearing one."

"Don't let him get into the building, but don't deliberately block him. Don't make him suspicious."

"Copy that."

A few minutes passed, and the speeder landed in front of the Center of Military Operations. Smokey hopped out, unstrapping Leela and walking her over to a man wearing a backpack, currently engaged in conversation with a clone officer.

"Daddy!" Leela ran forward, and Jarvey turned around, shocked, as he knelt down to hug her.

"Leela? What are you doing here? You should be at the daycare right now!"

"She was lost in the streets, sir. You should take better care of your daughter." Jarvey's face went white as Smokey stepped forwards. "On that note, I need to speak with you. Leela, can I see your bag for a moment? I'll give it right back."

"Okay!" She handed him the bag, which Smokey noticed was disturbingly heavy. The clone grabbed Jarvey and pulled him off to the side, a ways away from his daughter, who was now being questioned by the officer. A team of riot troopers surrounded the two, shields out as a precautionary measure. Once he was a safe distance from the girl, Smokey stripped the backpack off of Jarvey as a squad of shock troopers surrounded him. As one cuffed him, Smokey opened the bags.

"Just as I thought." Inside each bag, a large bomb sat primed and ready to detonate. Reaching into his pack, Smokey pulled out a set of wire cutters and a screwdriver. As the clones escorted Jarvey away, a squad armed with blast shields surrounded Smokey as he set to work defusing the bombs. He worked fast, removing the cover plates in short time and sorting through various wires. The smaller one that was hidden in Leela's bag was easy, but the large one wasn't as simple. After a few minutes, Smokey stood up, motioning for the other clones to back up. He placed a small remote grenade on the bomb and set a portable shield around it. Once it was encased in the shield, he backed up a few meters and pressed the detonator.

Even with the shield, the ground shook as the shockwave from the blast ricocheted within the shield, violently imploding upon itself and dissipating. The shield collapsed, and a cloud of smoke rose above the scorched pavement. Smoky sighed, then his commlink crackled to life. "That was the fourth one today, Command. I'm really tired. What now?"

"Marshall Commander Flint of the 9th wishes to see you. Report to base immediately."

Kaliida Shoals Medical Center, Outer Rim

Trigger winced as T-9O pulled yet another piece of shrapnel out of his back. "Can't you give me anything for the pain?"

"I consider your pain to be a fitting punishment for your immense stupidity, Trigger." At this point, Trigger and the medical droid were basically friends, considering how much time Trigger spent in the hospital. "I cannot comprehend how such a highly-trained clone such as yourself can be so careless. Your chest plate is equipped with reinforced armor for a reason."

"Yeah, but when a cadet's mortar misfires, you can't really stand still and take it. You grab the kid and protect him."

"Would it kill you to remain healthy for just one mission? Actually, no, it would have the opposite effect. Please do. It is pathetic for a soldier to have such close relations with a medical droid such as myself."

"Come on, T-9O. You're the only one who understands me."

T-9O was less careful pulling out the next piece of metal, making Trigger yelp. "At this point, I know your physical form better than the cloners who made you. Your mind, however, is a mystery to all."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll try to be more careful from now on. I'm sure you'll miss me if I die."

"My programming prevents me from feeling emotional attachment to anybody." He sprayed a mist of bacta over Trigger's back, then wrapped it in a bandage. "You're fine. Get out of here." As the clone slipped his armor back on and left the room, T-9O watched him for a moment, then turned to the next patient.

Outside the operating room, Trigger was stopped by a protocol droid. "CT-2-2947, Marshall Commander Flint of the 9th Assault Corps would like to speak with you. There is a transport waiting in docking bay Nine-Gamma." Trigger nodded and walked down the hallway, passing dozens of clones with various injuries; a few broken arms, some burns, a cut across the chest… the list went on. At Kaliida Shoals, just about any injury a clone could receive was being treated. Trigger's mind went over a short summary of the many injuries he had treated here, almost always by T-9O: concussions, broken ribs, broken arms, broken legs, ruptured kidney, blaster wounds, shrapnel wounds… not that he was a bad soldier. It wasn't his fault that he got injured so often. Being specially bred for proficiency in heavy weaponry like mortars, rockets, heavy repeaters, cannons, tanks… it isn't an easy job, even when you were literally born for it.

Briefing room, Coruscant Command HQ

Marshall Commander Flint saluted the clones as they entered the room. They were surprised to see Master Yoda sitting beside the commander, and saluted the Jedi.

"At ease, you may be." As Yoda bowed to the clones, Flint sat down and addressed them.

"You eight are here because you are the best clones in the army. We have selected you, along with two Jedi, to form a team of elite troopers who will carry out high-security missions across the galaxy. Rhino?"

"Sir!"

"As the highest-ranking clone, you will lead Inferno Company. Take your squadron to the shipyards. You'll be assigned to an Arquitens-class cruiser called the Vorpent. There you will meet the Jedi assigned to you. Dismissed!"

A half-hour later, the clones stood before the Vorpent. It was a smaller cruiser, painted jet black. Just in front of the main hangar doors stood two female Jedi, looking up at the ship. The older one turned and smiled as the clones approached. "Ah, you must be the rest of Inferno Company. I am Jedi Knight Jiana Razhuli." Jiana was a Zeltron, a gorgeous, red-skinned woman with navy-blue hair. She pulled the younger Jedi over, a blue-skinned Twi'lek girl. "This is Uliia Nodulu, my Padawan. We're glad to be fighting with you."

"Major Rhino of Christophsis Global Command, at your service, General." He gestured around him, introducing the clones. "This is Sergeant Quint of the 212th, Sergeant Major Falcon of the 41st, Lieutenant Smokey of the Coruscant Guard, Sergeant Major Speedy of the 91st, Lieutenant Trigger of the 21st, our medic CT-4-8264, and- where'd Noctus go?"

"Already on board, sir," Quint said. "He said there wasn't time to waste talking and brought his supplies in."

Rhino sighed. "Alright. Sorry, General, you'll meet him later. He's a character, for sure." Once the clones and Jedi brought all their supplies into the ship, it took off, sailing into orbit while they awaited their orders. The squad explored the ship, and encountered Noctus bringing all their belongings into the barracks.

"Hey, why are we sleeping here with the clones?" Uliia asked. "Don't we get our own rooms because we're Jedi?"

"You're here, little girl," Noctus said, "because if we get an emergency call, we all need to be able to instantly group up."

"Little- listen, you! I am stronger than you will ever be! Plus, I'm a Commander! I outrank you!"

"No, you don't." Noctus turned to Uliia. "Commandos don't take orders from anyone but a General."

"He's right, Commander." Quint, who had removed his helmet, sat checking his shotgun. "Commandos pretty much do what they want."

"Relax, Uliia." Jiana placed a hand on her exasperated Padawan's shoulder. "I apologize for my Padawan's behavior. She is uncomfortable around men." The clones shared a knowing look. Slave. "Uliia, it's okay. These are good men. They won't do anything to you. Their job is to protect you."

"I don't need protecting. I'm perfectly strong enough as it is." Uliia hopped up to the top bunk of her and Jiana's shared bunk bed, laying down. "I'll prove it."

A message came through on Rhino's commlink. "Alright squad, we got our first mission." A hologram shone from the ceiling, displaying an image of a desert town. "We're going to Tatooine for an extermination."

"What the hell do they think we are?" Falcon complained. "Why are they sending an elite clone squad for an extermination?"

"It seems that the town of Mos Eisley has had a problem with a Separatist warship. There's at least six battalions of battle droids there, along with a complement of commando droids and spider droids."

"They're sending ten people to wipe out almost four thousand droids?" Trigger lifted his chaingun, grinning beneath his helmet. "Count me in!"

I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and I figured I'd do something different than most fanfics on this site. Instead of rewriting the main characters' stories, I decided to write a completely original story based as a precursor to the Empire's Inferno Squad. The events in this story are not canon, but the story will be written in a way that it doesn't interfere with the canon. It's a non-canon canon. Enjoy!

EDIT (8/13/20): I have received a message stating that an Arquitens-class cruiser does not have a hangar, and cannot carry Inferno Company's starfighters. I am aware of this; I have done a lot of research while making this story. During the time of the Empire, there was a separate version unofficially referred to as the "Command variant" that contains room for ten to twelve TIE fighters, bombers, and interceptors. As a highly-trained Special Forces task group, Inferno Company receives advanced and experimental technology. Thus, the Vorpent is an early prototype of the Command-variant Arquitens. Considering their interceptors were modified to include cloaks and another engine, this is nothing to them.