"This strike force has been commissioned by the Senate to hunt down the enemy's new battleship." Admiral instructed the group of clones in front of us. I stood just behind Anakin who was to the left of Admiral. Plo was standing on the sidelines watching. "As the bulk of our fleets are engaged on the front lines, we'll be on our own. General Skywalker has prepared our attack strategy."
"Thank you, Admiral." Anakin said as he stepped up to talk to the clones. "While our capital ships are vulnerable to the enemy's attack, I believe a squad of bombers can outmaneuver their ion weapon. Our target will be the bridge and General Grievous. Our bombers will attack at high speed to evade the enemy's ion weapon. We'll concentrate our firepower on the bridge superstructure, here. We destroy Grievous, and the ship will fall with him. Any questions?"
"Just tell us where that metal-head is, sir." A clone called out.
"Yeah." Another clone agreed. "We've been waiting for a chance to take him out.
"All right, men." Anakin chuckled at the clones' enthusiasm. "Settle down. This is an important mission. We destroy Grievous, we can bring the war to a quicker end. Pilots, prepare your bombers." The clones got out and scattered to get ready for the attack.
"Skywalker, this is an aggressive plan." Plo said. "Are you sure your squadron can complete this mission?"
"Let's ask them. Matchstick, you think our boys can pull it off?"
"Yes, sir." Matchstick answered. "There hasn't been a mission Shadow Squadron couldn't complete."
"That's right." Tag agreed. "Minimal casualties, maximum effectiveness. That's us."
"I admire your confidence, pilot." Plo said. "Even so, minimal casualties may be enough to prevent you from breaking Grievous' defenses."
"Master Plo is right." I told my master. "With Grievous on that ship's bridge, it's bound to be well-protected."
"Don't worry, Aroara." Anakin reassured me. "We'll destroy that bridge and Grievous along with it." He turned on his heel and walked away from us with Admiral right behind him.
"Master Skywalker seems to inspire great confidence in his men." Plo said and I chuckled.
"He does lead by example." I said before following after Anakin.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
R2 beeped behind Anakin and me as we walked to the starfighters, ready to launch the attack.
"Which one's mine?" I asked Anakin, looking in wonder at the fighters.
"You're with me." He said and I turned to look at him in shock. "You'll be my gunner. Somebody's got to watch my back."
"Broadside could do that. Besides, you have Artoo." R2 whistled in agreement.
"But I so enjoy your company, my Padawan." I glared up at him to let him know that his sweet talking wasn't working.
"Just admit it. You don't like my flying."
"No, I—No, it's not that." I rolled my eyes in defeat as my master stuttered to think of an excuse. "It's just, I—"
"Skywalker, the enemy warship has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia." Admiral informed Anakin as he walked up behind me with Plo at his side.
"Medical transports?" I inquired angrily, canines growing sharp. "Only General Grievous would go after clones who can't fight back." Anakin rested his hand on my shoulder, warning me to calm down.
"The Ryndellia system, near Naboo." Anakin muttered. "Isn't that where our medical base is? I'll bet that will be his next target."
"There are many star clusters in that area." Plo said. "With a ship that big, he will be unable to chart a course that's less than ten parsecs."
"Looks like we're gonna have to take a shortcut. Admiral, warn that station what's coming."
"This journey may be treacherous. If you lose any ships before you reach the target—"
"We won't lose anybody."
"I will come alone and fly fighter escort."
"Any help is welcome, Master Plo. Just try not to fall behind."
"I had a feeling you'd be coming along." I told Plo as I climbed the ladder to the fighter behind Anakin. "Your ship has already been prepped." I followed Anakin up the ladder as he got in the cockpit and I got in the gunner and set everything up. "I can't believe that I have to be gunner."
"Relax, Aroara. I wouldn't want anyone else watching my back."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
We exited out of hyperspace and floated in front of a nebula that was mixed with the colors of orange, purple and red and stars around it.
"Okay, if we can just manage to navigate through my shortcut, we'll be all right." Anakin said.
"A nebula can be very unpredictable." Plo said. "I advise caution."
"Don't worry about us, Master Jedi." Matchstick said. "We can hold our own. Right, Shadow Squadron?"
"Copy that, Shadow 2." Broadside agreed.
"Does anyone care what the Padawan thinks?" I asked nervously.
"Of course we care, Snips, but we're still going through that nebula." Anakin said. I groaned and leaned back in my seat, ready for the ride of my life.
"Of course we are." I sighed and looked at the path in front of us as we entered the nebula. The gas was so thick, you couldn't see past the ship's nose. I was hoping there wasn't going to be any surprises through here.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"This soup is thick." Matchstick said as we ventured deeper into the nebula. "Can you see anything?"
"Just keep your eyes on my thruster, Shadow 2." Anakin assured him. I fumbled with the scanner in my gunner, trying to see if there was anything around us but they weren't working. I growled as I banged on the scanner to see if that would help. It didn't.
"They'll have to." I snapped. "The scanners are useless."
"This is old-fashioned flying. You have to feel your way through to stay on course." I growled and snapped my canines together.
"How are you supposed to do that when there's nothing here to feel for?"
"Calm yourself, little 'roar." Plo came over the communicator. "Skywalker is right, Aroara. Clear your mind, young one, and you will see the path."
"Right now, I can't see anything at all."
"Close your eyes and calm yourself, Aroara." Anakin ordered and I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, closing my eyes, feeling the Force grow stronger within me.
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The engines of the bombers roared as the smoke around us got thicker and thicker. I looked around and awed at the stars around us.
"So, Skyguy, how did you know about this shortcut?" I asked my master.
"It's an old smuggler's route." Anakin answered. "The pilots used to talk about it on Tatooine."
"Smuggler's route? Ugh, that makes me feel better."
"They call it The Balmorra Run."
"Balmorra Run?" Plo exclaimed. The scanners began to beep and I looked at it in shock as I examined it.
"I think I'm picking up a contact." I announced.
"Skywalker, listen to me. We need to turn around."
"We can't." Anakin protested. "Not if we're gonna catch Grievous." The scanners continued to beep.
"Another contact." I said. "This one's much larger."
"Skywalker, Balmorra's the nesting ground of the giant neebray mantas." Plo explained.
"Another. Another!" Something caught my attention outside my gunner and I gasped as a large, manta came out of the smoke and flew right over my gunner.
"Take evasive action!" Anakin ordered. I crouched low in my gunner as one after another came out of the smoke until the point where we were surrounded by them.
"Those gas-gulpers are huge."
"Don't shoot or they'll panic." Plo said.
"They'll panic? I'm about to panic."
"There are so many of them." Matchstick exclaimed.
"These things are gonna make a meal out of us." R2 whirred and beeped as he looked around at the mantas.
"All wings, line up behind me." Anakin demanded and the bombers fell right in line behind him.
"Hurry." Plo said. "They will not follow us beyond the nebula. The mantas growled and snarled at us as he maneuvered around them.
"That one looks hungry." I whined as another manta popped up in front of us, showing its large teeth that lead to its dark abyss mouth.
"Nah, it's just smiling at you." Anakin joked. I looked past the smoke and calmed down when I saw that we were almost out of the nebula.
"We're coming out of it." We exited the nebula and I sighed in relief when we were back in space. "Let's hope your shortcut paid off."
"We're not far behind Grievous now."
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
"Sir, another contact." Matchstick addressed Anakin.
"Another one?" I inquired. "I thought those things wouldn't follow us."
"Not following. Coming out of hyperspace. It's a ship. It's the Malevolence." The same massive vessel as before came out of hyperspace, floating right in front of us. They automatically detected us because droids became to come out of the ship and head straight for us, shooting at us. I grabbed the controls of the gunner and fired at the incoming droids, clearing a path for Anakin to get through.
"Get those fighters off of us." Anakin snapped at me.
"I'm doing my best." I snarled. "Your fancy flying is making it difficult." A humming noise sounded behind me and I turned the gunner around to see a plasma grid heading directly towards us. "Incoming!"
"Make towards the edge of the ray now!" Anakin took evasive action and headed for the top of the ray. "Give it everything you've got." I looked around to make sure all the bombers were following our lead when I noticed that Matchstick was following behind.
"Shadow 2, your speed is dropping. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, sir." Matchstick answered. "Just trying to keep it together."
"You can make it, Matchstick." Anakin said. "Hang on."
"Augh!" An explosion came from one of Matchstick's engines dropping to behind the formation of the bombers. I gasped as another bomber collided into him, causing a bigger explosion. We managed to maneuver up and over the ray with some of the bombers behind us. Once we were past, Anakin slowed his speed.
"Shadow Squadron, check in."
"We lost Matchstick and Tag." I answered. "Shadows 6, 7, and 10 were caught in the ray." More droids from the Malevolence came at us and we continued to push forward.
"Stay on course." Plo ordered.
"This flak is heavy." Broadside said.
"All deflectors double front." Anakin instructed. I looked at the vessel and the droids around realizing that Anakin's plan wasn't going to work. They were coming at us too hard from all directions.
"Master, we need a new plan." I insisted.
"We can make it, Aroara. Hang in there. Watch those towers, boys." Anakin glided the fighter over the top of the Malevolence, dodging the lasers that were firing at us.
"We're too close." Broadside said. "Loosen up." A bomber crashed into the vessel, going up in an explosion."
"Master, you can make it." I restated. "But everyone else is getting shot down." There was no response from him. "Master!"
"If we can do enough damage, the weapon may overload when Grievous tries to fire." Plo suggested. Anakin was silent as he thought the idea over in his head.
"Shadow Squadron, new target." Anakin announced. "We're taking out the starboard ion cannon. Anakin put on full speed and charged behind the ion cannon as it began to charge up. "Torpedoes away." The bombers behind us launched their bombs at the ion cannon exploding off the metal. We managed to get out from behind the cannon just as it fired and watched it as it failed and shut down, exploding. We started to head for the medical station.
"Good work, Shadow Squadron."
"Nice job, Aroara." Three republic war ships came out of hyperspace and headed to us.
"Anakin, do you copy?" Obi-Wan's voice came through the speakers of Anakin's ship.
"I'm here."
"Congratulations. It looks like your mission was a success."
"Partially, but Grievous is still alive. The battle was pretty tough on my men. We're heading for the medical station."
"We'll take it from here. But don't worry, we'll call when we need you."
"I'll be waiting, Obi-Wan."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"Great job, Master Skywalker." Plo said as Anakin climbed down the ladder of the fighter after me. "Your leadership skills are most impressive."
"You didn't do so bad yourself." Anakin smirked, hopping off the ladder and turning to face Plo. I looked from Anakin to Plo and back again in confusion.
"Uh, excuse me?" I butted it. "I believe it was my suggestion to change the plan."
"That's kind of true, Snips."
"From a certain point of view." Plo added as Anakin and him began to walk away from me with me glaring at their backs.
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
"Make sure our ships are ready." Anakin ordered a clone. "We'll only have a short time before Obi-Wan calls us for support."
"Yes, sir." The clone answered before walking away from us. I followed Anakin into the main room of the medial station to talk to the mistress of the entire station. She was a very skinny white alien looking creature with a very long neck and soft black eyes. She spoke with a soft, gentle high soprano voice.
"General Skywalker, I wanted to thank you for your valiant effort today." She said. "Do not take the lives you saved lightly."
"I don't, but I also can't take the lives I lost lightly." Anakin said.
"I see."
"If you will excuse me, I must prepare for the coming battle." Anakin gave a small bow of respect before turning and walking away. I turned on my heel and watched him go.
"Your master is a very curious Jedi."
"He is one of a kind." I awed before following after Anakin. I found him by his fighter with R2 by his side and the both of them were staring out in space at the stars. I walked over to him and stood by his side and crossed my arms behind my back and took a respective stance in the presence of my master.