First off, sorry for the long wait. Second... Oh my Gosh! This story now has over 100 favs and follows, and I'm really happy that you all like this.
Hope you guys enjoy the first part of this episode chapter.
I own none of the content, except Tessa.
Innocents of Ryloth (1)
"So, what do you think the General wants us for?" Echo asked.
"Number of things. Who knows, we just have to wait until we get on the Bridge." Attie said.
Beta squad had been called the Command Bridge by Captain Rex, he said that General Skywalker to see them, and they had to get there quickly. That sent everyone on edge, and they looked to Tessa for answers. Due to the fact she was talking to Commander Tano not too long ago, and might have some information. But, she didn't know either, which led everyone to wonder what was going to happen.
Once they got to the doors to the bridge, the sentries let them through, and walked in. General Skywalker, the Captain and the Commander were at the Holo-table. While the Admiral was nearby, talking to a clone.
They all saluted them, and said 'sirs' but then noticed who was on the Holo-table.
General Kenobi, and Commander Cody were on it.
"You wanted to see us sir?" Zeer said.
"At ease, and helmets off. Yes, but, this is something that General Kenobi, and the Commander here." Anakin said.
The Squad took off their helmets, with Zeer saying, "General Kenobi, Commander, what seems to be the problem?"
Cody spoke by saying," Well, Sergeant, we will head down to the surface pretty soon. The 212th will be leading the ground assault and help General Windu's forces land safely. But, Captain Rex here has been telling me recently about what some member of your squad have been doing."
Beta gave each other confused glances, with Zeer saying a little concerned," And what might that be sir?"
Cody smirked and said," I can assure you it's not anything bad, Sergeant. He's been praising you, especially to our only sister here."
Everyone looked at Tessa, she blushed little at the attention.
"Thank you sir." Tessa thanked.
"Sure thing kid. What I'm trying to say is that I asked General Kenobi and Skywalker about this and they are ok with it. Beta Squad is going planet-side with us during the assault. You 9 will be fighting with us. Get on a gunship, and head to our ship as fast as you can, that's an order." Cody said.
"Yes sir, also, not to sound mean General Kenobi, if you wanted the 501st help in the invasion on the ground. You could've asked. Pretty sure General Skywalker would've been happy to obliged." Zeer said.
Everyone chuckled at that, but the Commander and Captain were trying to restrain themselves.
"Yeah, Master. I take it this another time I had to save you from something?" Anakin joked.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and said in a slightly exasperated way, which looked familiar to him and said," Fortunately it isn't, Anakin. But I am looking forward to see what this Squad can do. I will see you soon. May the Force be with all of you."
"Same, we'll see you on the Gunship." Cody said, and the transmission ended.
"Well grunts, go and get your gear. Have fun out there." Rex said.
"Thank you, sir. Alright, let's move out." Zeer said.
The 9 of them placed their helmets on and walked out of the room. Them and Tessa were quiet for a moment, they were pretty much speed walking to get their bunks to get their equipment.
The silence was broken when Coric said," Sarge, I need to go to the Med Bay for a second, I need to get some supplies."
"Alright, meet us in the hanger. Also Attie, you'll have to use your blaster instead of a Z-6. There's a possibility that where we are going, civilians will be in the way." Zeer said.
"Right, Sarge." Attie said.
Tessa could tell he was feeling sorta down about not being able to use his Z-6. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said," Looks on the bright side, brother. At least you'll be able to blast some droids."
Attie chuckled and said," You always find the bright side of things, huh sister."
"It's all part of my sunny personality. Also shut up." Tessa said the last part to Fives, Echo, and Cutup.
Echo held his hands up in mock surrender and said," What? We didn't say anything. Right guys."
Fives and Cutup nodded their heads in unison, but Tessa didn't believe them.
Tessa rolled her eyes and mumbled," Like I'm going to believe that."
15 minutes later, the squad was in a Gunship, and they were descending into one of the Assault Ships. Once they landed, the doors opened, and they were greeted by Commander Cody and a couple of other clones.
"Sir!" They all said with a salute.
Cody saluted back, and said," Glad you boys, and girl can make it. For now, welcome to Ghost Company."
"Well it's time to meet the natives." General Kenobi said as he got onto the Gunship, after talking to General Windu.
"I see the members of Beta Squad have arrived. Welcome aboard, when Cody suggested this idea, I was intrigued." Obi-Wan said.
Tessa was the one who spoke by saying," Thank you sir. And just like our Sergeant said, if you needed the 501st to help you, you could've asked. I heard General Skywalker say you need his help a lot of times."
Everyone ended up chuckling at that, with Obi-Wan saying," Lucky for me, Anakin isn't here to hear this, but it's true, and vise versa. But, now we to get down to the task at hand. One thing we need to make to aid the Twi'lek's, and not to destroy their homes. Cody."
"That means we're taking it back the hard way. Minimal destruction with blasters and Droid Poppers only. No rockets and detonators, check your aim and look out for the locals. Am I understood." Cody said.
"Sir, yes sir!" They all said.
"If we're going to save the tail-heads, the least they can do is get out of our way." One of the 212th clones, who had a goatee gruffly said.
"it's not that they have a choice, the droids probably have them as prisoners. What's your guys names?" Tessa whispered.
"Boil, that's Waxer. I would be in awe, but we heard about you through the military news."
Waxer, who was bald, rolled his eyes and said," Don't mind him, he didn't have his Caf this morning."
Tessa snorted and said," Same can be said for our Sergeant."
"I heard that."
"Sorry sir." Tessa innocently said.
By that time, enemy flak started to off around them. The holo-projector soon started to beep, and Obi-Wan answered it, and General Windu's hologram appeared.
"Mace, what's the problem?"
"The enemy fire is too thick, and they already took a transport. We can't land the transports until you take out those guns." He simply said.
Obi-Wan nodded said," Pull back, we'll take care of it." As soon Mace's hologram faded, he said." Who's up for a challenge? We're not getting any reinforcements until those guns are out of commission."
Tessa felt her adrenaline spike up, and tightened her grip on her Rifle. She ready for some action, and she was glad that her squad was with her. Even though she was still kinda nervous.
"Don't worry, Tess. We got each other's back." Fives said.
"And I wouldn't have any other way." She said with a smile under her helmet.
The doors to the Gunship opened, and the Gunship started to land. Once it did, everyone ran out into a wooded, dry area, and headed straight for the town. Tessa could see it from the distance, but that wasn't all she saw.
She looked to her left and saw Nax, he turned to her and nodded, which meant he saw it as well.
"General Kenobi! I see two bunkers up ahead!"
"Everyone spread out!" He yelled.
By that time, the droids started to fire at them. Tessa ran as fast as she could, blaster fire was kicking the dirt around her, and a couple of shots almost got her. She then got behind a tree, and took a quick breath. She got out of cover, crouched, aimed, fired a couple of shots, and saw one of her shots got a droid. She hid, and did it again, and got another.
"Huntress, Nax! We need you, Waxer and Boil to follow the General! The rest of you, give them covering fire!" Cody said.
Tessa readied herself, shot out from behind the tree, along with Nax, Waxer and Boil. They fired as they ran, and dove behind some boulders that were close to the bunkers.
"Let's take them out, now."
Tessa and the others got out their Droid Poppers, and threw them, unfortunately they were too far, and the Droid Poppers exploded short of the intended targets. Tessa gritted her teeth, she was a good shot, and had a good throwing arm, but she did miss like any other person would. But missing caused people to be hurt or killed, and she didn't like that.
"We gotta get closer to the wall." Waxer said.
"Try again, I'll give you some help." Obi-Wan said.
"How about it, 501st, do you two want to give it a go." Boil said.
"Very well." Nax said.
He and Tessa got two more Droid Poppers, and threw. Obi-Wan helped them, by using the Force to propel them into the bunkers. They detonated, and the bunkers were out of commission. Once that happened, the others advanced, and they soon took out the rest of the droids.
All of them walked cautiously into the outskirts of the wall, and then inside the town. Tessa looked around, and didn't hear or see anything. She heard someone walk behind her and turned around to see the rest of her squad.
"You guys ok?" She asked.
"Yeah, felt like I was back on the Citadel. Nice work with taking out those Machine Guns." Fives said.
"The General helped us. A few more minutes, and we would've been goners." Tessa said.
"Boil, Waxer, Huntress, come with me." Tessa heard the Commander say.
"Well, looks like I'm needed elsewhere. Save some droids for me if you guys find them, Sarge." Tessa said.
"Just follow the Commander's orders, Trooper. You're representing the 501st." Zeer said.
Echo leaned to Fives and whispered," We're doomed." He said and Fives chuckled.
Luckily for them, Tessa didn't hear them, and said," You got it Sarge." She said and did a lazy salute, and walked away.
"You wanted to see me sir?" Tessa asked Cody.
"The General wants a small team to scout ahead. You'll do so with Me, Wooley, Waxer and Boil.." Cody explained.
Tessa nodded with a 'yes sir', and followed them to scout ahead.
They were already walking for a good few minutes, and so far there was nothing. It was quite nerve wracking, and the possibility of an ambush or a sniper was highly likely. For Tessa, it felt like being back on Maridum, when she and the Captain were on the lookout for those creatures. And also the couple of days they were staying at the Lurmen village.
Except the wildlife made sounds, which wasn't the case right now.
"Building are just buildings. What really makes a city are the inhabitants that live in it." The Commander said.
"So, where are they?" Boil asked.
"50 thousand people used to live here, now it's a ghost town." Tessa muttered. [1]
"I highly doubt 50 thousand civilians live here either now or before. And I gotta say, that sounds spooky." Waxer said.
Tessa shrugged and said," It just came to me, and the number was an added effect."
They soon made it to an intersection of the road, that went right or left, and Cody held out his fist to signal for them to stop.
He turned towards Tessa, Waxer and Boil, and said," We'll check out the courtyard. You three take the south sector. Be back at command by 0620."
"Yes sir." The three of them said and went the other way.
The three of them walked down the street, Tessa had her weapon trained every time she saw a shadow, and if something moved. She never liked when things were too quiet.
It gave her the creeps.
Waxer shared the sentiment by saying," I tell you, you two, this is creepy. Do you think they killed them all?"
Tessa shuttered at the thought of that. She didn't want to imagine the carnage of that scale if the Droids had done that.
"Well, there are no bodies." Boil said.
"Maybe not around this area. Possibly somewhere else. What do you think they did to the remains of the garrison that was here? I heard Jedi bodies are usually cremated after they die." Tessa said.
Boil disagreed by saying, "I highly doubt the clankers gave us that courtesy. The civilians on the other hand, were probably driven from their homes. I don't think they had a-"
A small sound was heard that sounded like something running. And they aimed their weapons at the origin of it. They didn't hear anything else, and moved on cautiously.
"A choice." Boil finished.
Meanwhile, back with the others, Nax was sitting down with the rest of the squad, except for Del, who was near the communications stand with General Kenobi and the Commander, who were talking to General Windu. He had his Rifle in his hand, and was busy inspecting it, just in case if there were any issues with it. It was a habit he had, even though he took care of it like Attie did with his Z-6, but it didn't hurt to check.
He heard snippets of what the General's and Commander were saying. Apparently the droids were using the remaining civilians as shields, which made it harder for them to take the guns.
It was cowardly, and low to do that. And the droids weren't going to be let off scott free for doing that.
He finished his inspection of his weapon, and aimed it at the air. He did a double take at what he saw.
"Sirs! Up there!" He jumped up, and fired a couple of shots.
General Kenobi, Commander Cody, Del had to duck, due to the shots being close to them.
Zeer jumped up and pushed his weapon down. Everyone else around the area had gotten up, and was looking around for any targets.
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.
"I believe he just took out a new friend." The Commander said, as he picked up a destroyed probe droid.
Obi-Wan frowned at that and said," I believe we'll be inspecting company soon. Good work." He said to Nax.
Nax nodded, and felt smug that Tessa wasn't the one to see that. That made him wonder what was taking her so long.
Back with Tessa and the others, they were going to where the noise was, and they discovered it was coming from an Alleyway. The three of them were against the sides leading into it.
Waxer nodded at them, and the three of them rushed in, weapons drawn. What they found surprised them.
A little Twi'lek girl was hiding behind a couple of crates. They lowered their weapons, and Tessa inspected her. She looked to be around 5, and looked dirty, and thin. She felt a pain of sympathy go through her.
"Ah, it's just a little girl." Boil said.
"Well, what are we gonna do with her?" Waxer asked.
"Yeah, I mean we can't just leave her here." Tessa said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why do we have to do anything? We got a mission to finish." Boil said.
"We should do something. I say we take her with us" Waxer suggested.
"You can't be serious. She'll only slow us down." Boil disagreed.
Tessa was about to say something, but heard a droning sound, and looked behind them.
"Probe Droid, we gotta hide." She said.
The three of them hid behind some things, and waited for it to disappear. And sure enough it did.
"That was a recon unit. Do you think the others know about them? That would explain the shots we heard earlier." Tessa said.
"Possibly, that means we gotta move." Boil said.
"True, but not without her. We gotta take her with us." Tessa said.
Boil sighed, as if he was about to regret he was about say, and said," Fine we'll take her."
He started to walk over to her, but Tessa stopped him.
"Wait, let me handle this." She said.
"Why? Motherly instincts kicking in kid?" Boil joked.
Tessa glared at him, even though he couldn't see it and said," No… I mean, look at us, we're wearing armor. She might think we're droids or something, and get even more scared. We have to take off our helmets so we can gain her trust. Also, I speak a little Twi'leki."
Tessa took off her helmet, and Waxer and Boil did the same. Tessa smiled at the little girl, and she looked at them in awe. Tessa also noticed she looked hungry, and that made her realize she hadn't eaten in a while.
Another reason to be angry at the droids.
She took out one of her ration bars, and held it out to her. The little girl looked skeptical of it. Tessa broke off a small piece, and ate it, and she held the rest to her. The girl took it, and started to eat.
"My name is Huntress, this is Waxer, and Boil. We're friendly. We mean you know harm." She said and she pointed to each of them.
"Nerra. Nerra. Numa." The girl finally spoke.
Tessa chuckled at what she said, and said," Yes, they are my nerra's, and I'm their numa. May I ask your name? And also, you are very pretty."
The girl looked shy again, but she also had small tint of red on her face. Tessa found that to be adorable, and she also knew the girl would open up more in time.
"Alright, you made a friend. Can we go now?" Boil impatiently said as he put his helmet back on.
Tessa glared at him, but changed face at the girl and said," Come along, little one."
The girl stayed where she was, and continued to eat the ration.
"Look, she doesn't even want to go. The little monster was fine before we came along, so let's move." Boil said.
Tessa sighed, smiled at the girl again, waved goodbye, and walked with Waxer as Boil led the way.
"Is he always like this?" She asked Waxer.
Waxer sighed and said," You'll get used to it. Also, good work with the kid."
"Thanks, I just wish we could do more for her."
"Well, us liberating her village, and the rest of the planet will do."
As they walked, Tessa knew for a fact the girl was following them. She heard her footsteps, but would always hide when one of them looked behind them. Despite the situation, it was kinda funny.
"I wonder what happened to her family." Waxer said.
Tessa shook her head and said," Best not to think about it. But unfortunately, we may have to assume their dead. Poor kid."
"So what happens to her? I mean after we leave?"
"I don't know, but taking her with us is not a good idea." Boil said.
Tessa knew he was right. Even though a part of her wanted to bring her along. She had a funny thought that she would end up either going with everyone either in the 501st or 212th, and become their unofficial mascot in a way.
But, this wasn't their job, and was up to whoever was left to help this planet once the Separatists were gone.
Tessa looked behind her again, but didn't see the girl. She stopped and looked around, Waxer and Boil did the same.
"Where did she go?" Tessa asked.
"Who knows, pretty sure she'll turn up." Boil said.
Tessa turned around, and was surprised to see her behind them.
Waxer got on his knee and said," Hey! There you are." He said and booped her nose, and she giggled.
Waxer got up, and Tessa walked over to her.
"Not bad kid. You got us there."
The girl then started to pull on her arm, and pointed in a direction, and said Nerra again. Tessa was skeptical, that was where that Droid went, and she didn't want the girl to go anywhere where she could get hurt.
Tessa had a feeling the girl thought she was too slow, and then ran off to the direction she was pointing, and then took off. Against her better judgment, and she knew she would be reprimanded for it later, she ran off after her. Waxer and Boil called out to her, and then followed her. They had to jump over some debris on the way, and they soon stopped near some houses.
"Sheesh, kid, your pretty fast." Tessa said.
"Heh yeah, I'm impressed." Waxer said.
"Well you both caught her. You know, I have binders if we need them." Boil suggested.
Both Tessa and Waxer looked at him. He couldn't see them, but they were giving him glares.
"What?" Boil asked.
Tessa mumbled something under her breath, and looked at the girl. She got worried when she saw she was giving her a sad look.
"What's wrong, little one?" She asked.
She held out her hand, and Tessa blinked, but did the same. The girl pointed straight ahead, and led her ahead. Tessa was confused and worried, but did what she wanted her to do, and Waxer and Boil followed them.
Tessa looked up, and saw she was leading them to a house, the roof was caved in.
"What are we doing here anyway?" Boil asked.
Tessa then realized why the girl was leading them to the house. And she felt her heart break a little.
Once they were inside, Tessa and the others placed their weapons on the ground, and took off their helmets. Tessa wiped her eye, and looked around. There wasn't much left of the place, and that just made her sadder.
"I guess this was her home. Poor little thing, she lost it all." Waxer said in realization.
"You alright?" Boil asked Tessa.
"Yeah… I'll be fine. I'm a girl, and I guess we're a little more emotional." Tessa said with a shrug.
"Well… that's nothing to be ashamed about. We may be Clones, but we're still human." Boil said.
Tessa nodded, she bit back a joke of Boil finally being nice.
"Look what I found." Waxer said.
Tessa turned around to see that Waxer found a stuffed doll. He dusted it off, and handed it to her, and motioned to the girl, who was looking around the room, and she could hear audible sniffing.
Tessa walked over to her, go on her knee, and tapped her on the shoulder. Tessa gave her a sympathetic grin, and held the doll out to her. The girl grabbed it, and she held it as she finally started to cry. Tessa felt like crying as well, but she stayed strong. And she felt like some instincts that wasn't in her training was taking over.
She didn't know what it was, but it was telling her to comfort her, and keep her safe.
Tessa's heart went out to her and she said," Shhh. It's alright little one. We're here to help. You're safe now."
Waxer kneeled next to them, and the girl then hugged him. Waxer was taken back for a second, but he then hugged her, and patted her back.
"Don't' worry kid. Everything's fine." He said.
Boil kneeled next to Tessa and said," Yeah, don't cry, kid. The… three of us promise to keep you safe."
The girl then hugged him as well, and Boil patted her on the shoulder. Tessa almost laughed at how inexperienced he looked.
[1] A little Call of Duty Modern Warfare (The first one) reference. I can't wait for the new one that's coming out soon.
