Chapter 16: Payment

"Admiral Lasky, thank you for coming on such short notice." President Lockhart looked up from her computer terminal, swiping the Hard Light display away with a quick flick of her wrist.

"Of course, Madame President." Lasky nodded, stepping through the open door. "What did you need?"

"It's about the… instability within the Republic." Lockhart explained, leaning forward and clasping her hands atop her desk. "I've received some interesting reports from Admiral Cutter regarding the Republic Senate's apparent prolonging of the Clone Wars. I was hoping you could shed some light on this?"

"I'll answer what I can." Lasky nodded.

"The driving force behind these pushes to escalate the conflict, and simultaneously keep our military leashed, seems to originate with the supporters of Chancellor Palpatine as well as the Chancellor himself."

"Came as a bit of a surprise to me, to be honest." Lasky began. "The Chancellor himself won the Senate over on his promise of a swift end to the hostilities. No offense intended, Madame President, but he's a politician that was granted immense emergency powers for the duration of the Clone Wars. As a military-minded man, I'm not surprised."

"Give a man and inch, and he'll take a light-year." Lockhart agreed. "How did your report describe the creation of the Clone Army, again?" She asked.

"Its official explanation is full of holes, Madame President." Lasky explained. "According to Kaminoan records, the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas was the one behind the contract to begin cloning procedures. Stranger yet, the cloning actually began a year after his death, and vastly exceeded the numbers as outlined by the Jedi."

"And the genetic template for the army was a Mandalorian?" Lockhart asked.

"Yes, a Mandalorian bounty hunter by the name of Jango Fett." Lasky affirmed. "According to the Jedi Temple's history, Mandalorians are one of the few groups that are capable of standing against Force-sensitive individuals."

"This practically reeks of subterfuge…" Lockhart muttered, shaking her head. "As much as I'd like to think it's just paranoia, I can't ignore that something just feels wrong with this war. The Republic's forces are better trained, better equipped, and have had nothing but victories against the CIS, even from the beginning of the war."

"I'd recommend the… quiet observation of Republic officials." Lasky offered. "Including the Chancellor."

"Agreed…" Lockhart nodded. "I'll get OMI on it."

XXXXX

The Galactic Coalition battle fleet under the command of Admiral Cutter slipped into real-space near Shilli, the Coalition bearing its real teeth for the first time in the Clone Wars. Two Infinity-Class Dreadnoughts and two smaller Unity-Class Dreadnoughts took up the spearhead formation of the fleet, a formation of twenty Singularity-Class Cruisers, fifteen Nebula-Class Battlecruisers, eighty Orion-Class Frigates, twelve Nebula-Class Battlecruisers, five Pulsar-Class Supercarriers, and one hundred Constellation-Class Light Cruisers taking up position behind the four Dreadnoughts of the Coalition battlegroup.

The dozens of Lucerhulks, Providence-Classes, Banking Clan frigates, and even a Malevolence-Class Dreadnought immediately turned to open fire on the arriving GC fleet.

The orbit around Shilli turned from a black, star-lit void to a blinding flurry of turbolaser fire and Hard Light bolts as the two fleets exchanged fire. Starfighters weaved and danced their way between exchanged volleys to engage their enemies, and the void was occasionally brightened for the briefest moment as a starship exploded, scattering metal shrapnel and its crew in all directions.

Despite the clear technological edge of the Coalition, they were not without losses. The smaller vessels in the fleet were no match for sustained fire from Separatist turbolasers and ion cannons, resulting in hefty losses in the Light Cruiser and Frigate fleets. The Capital Cruisers, Carriers, and Dreadnoughts fared far better due to their immense size, armored plating, and Hard-Light shields. However, for the first time in Coalition history, a Dreadnought was lost in combat.

One of the Unity-Classes became the target for the Malevolence-Class' powerful Ion-based weapon. The weakened shields of the Dreadnought had held against turbolaser fire, ion cannon batteries, and bomber squadrons that managed to squeak by the Coalition's fighter screen, but the Malevolence's broadside-mounted weapon proved too much for the vessel's partially-depleted shielding to handle. The internal systems aboard the dreadnought all failed, the lights scattered across the decks flickering out and fading away. After a few minutes of sustained, focused fire, the armored plating of the vessel gave way. Turbolasers ripped through the armored plating, eventually punching through to the ship's Zero-Point Reactor Core. The core destabilized, resulting in an overload of the Slipspace drive, and the vessel was ripped in two by the resulting tear in the slipstream. Any unfortunate enough to be near the center of the vessel were sucked into the black void of Slipspace, the immense energy of the mirror dimension disintegrating them.

As the Coalition watched one of their flagships return to the void, all of the vessels focused down the Malevolence, obliterating the smaller vessel in a matter of moments. With this, the Separatist lines began to thin, and the Coalition fleet pressed their advantage. Within ten minutes, the Coalition fleet had reduced the remains of the CIS fleet to dust. Salvage vessels were deployed from the three remaining Dreadnoughts of the GC fleet to pick up any life pods, and wounded sub-capital ships limped to their mobile command centers, the Infinity-Classes, for emergency repairs. With that, the Carriers and Dreadnoughts began converging on the nearby garden world of Shilli, the surface burned and scarred from Separatist orbital bombardment.

XXXXX

"Admiral Cutter, we've detected hyperspace jumps on the far side of Shili, unknown vector." The Kig-Yar Sensors officer declared.

"Separatist?" Cutter asked.

"Unknown, the drive signatures are of an older, civilian design." The Kig-Yar answered. "I will cross-reference with Republic data."

"What do you have?" Cutter asked.

"The drive signature matches Zygerrian design with 99.6% certainty." The Kig-Yar responded. "This suggests an… alliance between Zygerria and the Separatists."

Cutter accessed his new Neural Lance, searching the databanks of the GC-wide Battle Net for any information on Zygerria. What he found disgusted him to his core. They were a slaver empire, beaten down by the Republic and Jedi centuries prior. "Order ground forces to begin their operation." Cutter barked. "Comms, link up with the Ark. I need to speak with Lasky."

XXXXX

Ahsoka stood in one of the many hangar bays of In Spirit of Fire, surrounded by GC Marines of all species. While most were Human, the towering Sangheili, fragile-looking yet agile Kig-Yar, powerful Mgalekgolo, short and stout Unggoy, and insectoid Yanme all stood near their Pelican Dropships. All eyes were locked on the Arbiter, standing near the center of the massive hangar as he spoke to the soldiers of the Coalition.

"You have all seen the surface of Shilli." He began, his booming, baritone voice carrying out over the massive room. "The native Togrutans below are, without a doubt, the victims of this war, and we are here to provide them the help that the Republic is unwilling to give!" As the Sangheili around the hangar gave a rumbling war-cry, raising their weapons up, Ahsoka chanced a glance over to the two Jedi Knights that were on the vessel as well. Obi-Wan appeared to be looking at the spectacle with an interested look on his face, while Anakin seemed displeased with the Arbiter's words regarding the Republic. She also glanced over to Fireteam Gamma, who were watching their High-Commander's speech with a sense of pride.

"As I look around to the young faces before me, I think… we are in Hell right now." The Arbiter continued, watching the deployment countdown out of the corner of his eye. "We are not here without reason. As opposed to standing about, watching the life in this galaxy destroy itself as the Republic has, we are fighting to bring these people back from the brink!"

"We can help these people climb out of their Hell… one inch at a time." The Arbiter declared, eyes wandering over the crowd of hundreds of Marines, SPARTANS, and Force Recon. "In the Coalition, we fight for that inch. We tear ourselves, and the universe around us, to pieces for those who cannot. We know, that when we gather our strength… stand as one… and put all of those inches together, that we will be the ones to decide between life and death for those unable to do so themselves!"

"Men and women of all species died, wearing those same uniforms you are now. They fought to save those who could not save themselves." The Arbiter shouted, his mandibles flaring in a gesture of sincerity and heartfelt belief. "Today, that green and blue world beneath us is painted red with the blood of innocents. The Separatists carry malice in their hearts; they destroy families, civilizations, and lives. We will take a lesson from our dead, come together on that world just as we have so many times before, and carry ourselves through the fire and brimstone of Hell to drag the innocent out!"

The hanger shook with the combined shouts, cheers, and war cries of the Marines. Even the SPARTANs to Ahsoka's right joined in, albeit in a bit more of a restrained manner. She couldn't help but feel moved by the Arbiter's shouting speech. No Jedi had ever shown such pride before a battle, such drive to help the innocent, such willingness to lay down their lives to protect everything. The more she looked at the GC, the more she saw what she wanted the Jedi to be: protectors, not generals.

"To your transports, Marines!" The Arbiter declared. "I will join you on the ground. Mandle guide us!"

XXXXX

"Go, go, go!" A GC Marine Lieutenant shouted, the Marines, SPARTANs, and Jedi aboard the Pelican pouring out into the battlefield of Shili. The lush grasslands that covered the world had been charred and burned from orbital fire, smoldering ruin left in its wake. In the distance, the capital of Corvala was but a shattered shell of what it once was.

As the ODSTs were dropped during the heated orbital battle, landing zones across the planet had already been secured, and temporary firebases had been set up. Distant battles made themselves known as traces of blaster fire and the streaking gold of Hard Light weapons veered off towards the heavens.

"SPARTAN Team Gamma." The Arbiter called out, striding over to the SPARTANs and Jedi. "Resistance on the ground is minimal, the Separatist Scorched Earth attack relied on orbital bombardment. You are being reassigned from combat operations."

"Sir?" Alice asked.

"You will join the Engineer Corps, World Builders, and First Mechanized Infantry Division on a relief mission to Corvala to recover survivors and render medical care." The Arbiter explained. "Mantle guide you, SPARTANs."

XXXXX

Ahsoka grunted, helping to lift the charred rubble of a demolished building up with Anakin and Obi-Wan. As they pushed the fallen wall aside with the Force, GC Engineers and Combat Medics sprinted over, emerging a few moments later with a few Togrutans carried over their shoulders.

The Mechanized Infantry division had secured the city, sweeping it of the few battle droids that had been marching through, killing every sentient being in sight, and gave the Engineers and World Builders the room they needed to work. The entire miles-long boulevard was filled with GC personnel, all of them working tirelessly to save everyone they could.

Ahsoka glanced over to the SPARTAN team, watching them effortlessly lift an overturned speeder off of a woman, Kathryn immediately kneeling down to treat her wounds. Perhaps Kathryn was more right than she had initially thought… the Jedi were failing to uphold their very purpose: to be guardians. This alien civilization that had jumped into their galaxy seemingly from nowhere had already thrown themselves into the fires of war to protect the innocent of this galaxy. As the Clone Wars dragged on, she found herself agreeing less and less with the Jedi, and more with the Coalition. After all, they had brought lasting peace to their Galaxy.

"This sector of the city is clear, all survivors have been recovered." A Promethean Lifeworker, taking the vague appearance of what Kat had described as "Warden Eternal", explained. The goliath of Forerunner Alloy stood up from the rubble of a destroyed building, a teenage girl held gently in his metallic arms. "Lifeworkers across the planet report similar levels of success."

"Good." Alice sighed, standing up and linking with In Spirit of Fire. "Admiral Cutter, SPARTAN Alice. Sector November-1 has been cleared, awaiting transports to the ship."

"Copy that, SPARTAN." Cutter answered, his voice coming over the entirety of Gamma's comms network. "Pelicans are en-route to bring survivors aboard for medical care. You four, along with the Jedi, are needed aboard. Lord of Admirals Lasky needs to speak with you."

"Understood, sir." Alice answered. "Gamma out." She turned to call out to the Jedi. "Transports are on the way, we're heading back to the ship!"

"Are we done here?" Ahsoka asked, confused. She had thought that they would be spending more than two days on Shili.

"The Marines and Lifeworkers can handle this from here." Alice answered. "Lord Lasky needs to speak with us."

XXXXX

"You mean to tell me that this slaver empire is allied with the Separatists?" Lasky asked, his holographic form looking down at an invisible computer terminal. He gently shook his metallic head, hoping to clear the buzz that the transfer of his consciousness through the Domain had left in its wake.

"That's right." Cutter nodded. "The drive signatures of the fleeing vessels were a near-perfect match. Our current estimates suggest that they've taken around two thousand Togrutans from Shili."

"Disgusting…" Lasky's face twisted into a sneer.

Cutter glanced over his shoulder as Fireteam Gamma, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka stepped into the conference room. "Lord of Admirals." Alice saluted, quickly being waved off by Lasky.

"At ease, SPARTANs." Lasky stated. "Vice-Admiral, I think you should be the one to deliver the news."

Cutter nodded, launching into his explanation. "Miss Tano… we believe we've discovered the location of your parents."

Ahsoka's eyes widened as Cutter's words hit her. "What? Seriously?"

"Yes… we believe that they're alive." Cutter nodded, his tone grim and solemn. "However… there has been a complication." Cutter swiped a hand across the surface of the conference table, bringing up a projection of Shili, depicting the faint hyperspace trails of the arriving Separatist fleet… along with a few newer drive signatures that jumped away from the system. "The Lifeworkers have confirmed the identities of the deceased and the survivors on Shili, and your family was not among the dead."

Cutter strode over to the two-dozen faint hyperspace signatures that jumped on a seemingly random vector away from Shili. The twenty four trails highlighted in gold as he touched the Hard Light projection. "These signatures match Zygerrian design… we believe that your parents were taken off-world on one of these vessels."

Instantly, Ahsoka went from elated to terrified. The thought of her parents being taken by Zygerrian slavers sent her heart plummeting into her gut. "D-Do you know where those ships jumped to?" Ahsoka asked, her voice breaking for a moment.

"We do not…" Cutter admitted. "They all jumped on a random vector, differing among the vessels, likely to avoid tracking."

Gamma's Neural Lances immediately updated them with all available information on the Zygerrians, and the four SPARTANs looked about ready to explode. Obi-Wan and Anakin seemed far more controlled, but a slight flicker of… something could be seen behind Anakin's eyes. "Hyperspace travel to Zygerria has increased by over six hundred percent since the beginning of the Clone Wars." Lasky spoke up, swiping away at the invisible computer. "Despite the Jedi crippling their slave empire centuries ago, it seems that the Zygerrians are attempting to regain power. I'm sure you all know what protocol dictates?"

"Hammer-Down." The SPARTANs all echoed, nodding. Their voices were a… practiced calm. Ahsoka could tell that the SPARTANs were enraged by the existence of a slave empire, it was all in their body language. Their clenched fists, their tight jaws, that deathly glare in their eyes.

"Hammer… Down?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.

"This protocol is classified, even to the Republic." Lasky immediately responded. "All I am able to share with you is that the Hammer-Down Protocol is rarely used, and reserved for species that are… unfit to be spacefaring."

"You mean genocide?" Obi-Wan asked, concern heavy in his voice.

"Absolutely not." Lasky defended. "As I've said, the Protocol's exact details are classified. All you need to know is that no undue harm will be caused to the existence of this species." Lasky turned back to Gamma. "I'm re-assigning your fireteam to OMI for the time being. Your mission will be the crippling of the Zygerrian Empire and the emancipation of their slaves."

"OMI's handling an invasion, sir?" Alice asked, confused by their reassignment to the Office.

"No… this will begin as an infiltration operation." Lasky explained. "I need the location of these Togrutans found, as well as their primary slave… processing facilities."

"I'm coming with you!" Ahsoka declared.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin attempted to restrain his Padawan while in the presence of a GC High Command official, but Lasky merely chuckled in response.

"I expected a response like that…" Lasky smirked, looking to the Jedi. "I want you three joining Gamma on Zygerria. I'll clear this with Republic Command and the Jedi Council. The GCSS Per Aspera ad Astra will transport you to Coruscant. I'll keep you updated."

XXXXX

"I really fucking hate this idea." Kathryn muttered, fiddling with the GC-manufactured mockup of Mandalorian battle armor. The metallic plates felt heavy and foreign to the SPARTAN that was used to suspended power armor. She was sat in the back of a transport freighter, along with the rest of Fireteam Gamma, dressed in similar armor. Obi-Wan and Anakin were quietly discussing details with Ahsoka, all of them dressed in Zygerrian Battle Armor. All of them except Ahsoka. Ahsoka was dressed in a bright turquoise top and long skirt. The cut of the top left her midsection exposed, only partially blocked by the dangling golden harem jewelry. At least… that's what Kathryn assumed the jewelry to be. Ahsoka obviously looked uncomfortable, only having paper-thin cloth to provide her with decency, and the mere sight of it made Kathryn sick to her stomach.

"I don't like it any more than you do." Delta-62 piped up from nearby. Kathryn glanced over to the Clone Commando, who was working to attach a GC Active Camouflage module to his armor. "Damn Seppies. Leave it to them to ally with slavers. I thought I'd seen everything they had to offer after that incident on the Prosecutor."

Kathryn was rather surprised when she learned that the legendary Delta Squad would be joining them on this operation. From what she had heard, these Commandos rivaled even the old SPARTAN-IVs in combat prowess. Naturally, they were nowhere near a SPARTAN-V, but they were certainly impressive. She was surprised by the amount of independent thought these clones were capable of, surpassing their "brothers" in every way when it came to personality.

"Trando or Zygerrian, doesn't matter to me…" Delta-07 shrugged, attaching his sniper module to his rifle. "Gotta say…" He looked over to Kathryn, his blue visor shrouding his actual appearance from the SPARTAN, not that she didn't already know what he roughly looked like. "I owe you SPARTANs for Kashyyyk."

"Yeah, kept Sev's dumb ass from getting blasted on that AA gun." Scorch chuckled. "Hope that little blast on Felucia didn't rattle you too hard, Sev. We need your aim sharp for this one."

"Ha!" Sev chuckled. "Slaver queen won't know what hit her."

"Can it, Delta." Boss shouted out, walking over to secure the last retention bolt into Sev's active camo unit. "We touch down on Zygerria in two."

"Alright." Alice declared, standing upright. "Comms check." As everyone reported in, she gave a curt nod. "Excellent. Delta Squad, you're on recon. We'll keep you posted as we go."

"Copy." Delta Lead nodded, experimentally activating and deactivating his active camouflage module.

"Kat, you're with Skywalker and Ahsoka." Alice continued. "Gamma, the rest of us are with Kenobi."

As the transport touched down on Zygerria, rumbling as the landing gear made contact with the metallic landing pad, the four Clone Commandos activated their active camo, and the SPARTANs grabbed their blaster rifles, completing their disguise as Mandalorian mercenaries. Ahsoka pulled a thin veil over her body, revealing only her ankles and her eyes. Kathryn felt her grip tighten on the Mandalorian blaster rifle. She had to make the conscious effort to not crush the weak metals and plastics that formed the weapon's chassis.

XXXXX

"My mother was sold in a market just like this one…" Anakin commented under his breath as he, Ahsoka, and Kathryn walked through the slave markets of Zygerria. People of all races, excluding Zygerrian of course, were bound in chains. Kathryn's blood ran red with rage as she looked around, the only thing keeping her from tearing through the nearest slaver being her grip on the rifle in her hands. She wanted nothing more than to reduce this worthless rock to dust, but kept herself grounded. "One… two… three… four… inhale." She thought, fighting back the desire to raise the rifle in her hands.

The next half-hour was practically a blur to the enraged SPARTAN. They had avoided a near-confrontation with a Zygerrian, only to be summoned to the Zygerrian Queen's palace by a droid. After their long walk through the streets of the city, escorted by evidently jumpy Zygerrian guards, she found herself walking into the Queen's throne room.

"Make certain all preparations are complete for this evening." The queen demanded of her Prime Minister, who gave a short bow. As she glanced up to see a Human in Zygerrian armor, a Mandalorian, an astromech droid, and a veiled slave girl, she looked to a Twi'lek slave. "And fetch refreshments."

"My Queen, I present… Lars Quell, and his Mandalorian companion." The Prime Minister gestured to Anakin and Kathryn.

The Queen smirked, looking down at the pair from her throne. "So… you're the man who claims to be acquainted with Bruno Denturi?"

"Yes, your highness." Anakin removed his helmet, carrying it in the crook of his arm. "But when I spoke with him, he failed to mention your beauty. Well… before I struck him down."

"Really?" The Queen asked, suddenly interested in Anakin.

"Here is a slave from his palace… compensation for my efforts." Anakin gestured to the veiled Ahsoka, pulling the cloth veil off.

"Let me go!" Ahsoka shouted, quickly recovering from the slightly stumble that the yank of the veil had put her into.

"You impress me, Lars." The Queen noted, standing upright. As she did, the Prime Minister and all of the slaves in the Throne Room kneeled down. Anakin pushed Ahsoka down as well, and Kathryn barely contained the enraged growl in her throat. She strode down the stairs as everyone stood again. "You must be quite the warrior."

"I did have some help." Anakin nodded to Kathryn, who seemed to be watching the exchange indifferently from behind her helmet.

"Mandalorian… a fine warrior." The Queen gave Kathryn a small smile as she glanced over, only further enraging the SPARTAN. "Tell me… what is your name?"

"Mira Ordo." Kathryn answered.

"Clan Ordo… a well renown clan of powerful warriors." The Queen's smile widened. "This is fitting work for you. Did you take a trophy from Denturi's palace?"

"No." Kathryn answered, her voice practiced and stern. "The pay's more than enough."

"Hmm… a shame." The Queen shrugged, looking to Ahsoka's barely-covered body with a clinical eye. "This slave is certainly of fine stock. Bruno always did know how to choose a beautiful female."

Kathryn's teeth ground down as she saw the Zygerrian run a hand along Ahsoka's back, causing her to flinch back, pushing her hand away. "Don't you dare touch me!" She declared.

"She requires further processing…" The Queen commented, narrowing her eyes at Ahsoka. "Her demeanor leave much to be desired." After a moment of thought, she looked to Anakin with a smile. "What is your price for her?"

"With respect… how could I put a price on this slave when I am in the presence of such beauty?" Anakin asked of the Queen.

The Queen gave a light giggle. "Lars… you flatter me." She nodded towards a balcony overlooking the city. "Come, walk with me. Perhaps we can find a way to put a price on your slave."

"Of course, your highness." Anakin followed alongside the Queen, Kathryn and Ahsoka a few steps behind. Kathryn stood close to Ahsoka, making a silent promise to herself that if the Queen laid another hand on her, she'd find herself missing that hand.

"I am surprised, Mira." The Queen noted, dragging Kathryn back into the situation at hand. "Slavery is the natural order of things."

"Meaning?" Kathryn asked, stopping to overlook the city. She couldn't deny, the city was a stunning sight. She couldn't shake the knowledge that it was likely built by all hands other than Zygerrian, however.

"The weak deserve nothing more than to kneel before the strong, bound to our service." The Queen explained. "The Mandalorians are quite strong… we could use people like you to help spread our ways across the galaxy."

"And what happens when someone stronger than you comes along?" Kathryn asked, looking to the Queen from behind her visor. Kathryn suddenly felt all eyes around her turn to lock onto her. "Will you kneel before them?"

Surprisingly, the Queen laughed. "That has yet to happen, and there are few in the galaxy who have the stomach to do what we do."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Kathryn said. "Arrogance has put a lot of rulers in the ground before."

"Well, perhaps I can change your opinion." The Queen noted. "I would like you and Lars to accompany me to the slave auction this evening as my personal guests."

"We would be elated, your highness." Anakin answered, smiling.

XXXXX

Kathryn glared out of the window, down to the surface of the Arena from which slaves would be auctioned off to Zygerrians and off-worlders alike. The mere sight of so many cheering on such a practice made her sick to her stomach. The knowledge that the Hammer-Down Protocol would be launched soon gave her solace, however.

Behind her, Ahsoka stood next to the Queen's chair, shock collar around her neck. Anakin stood off to her right, watching the auction floor with an indifferent look on his face. As Kathryn glanced over to R2D2, she could see that he was preparing to return Anakin's lightsaber.

"Kat, this couldn't have gone better." Alice came over her Neural Lance. "Delta's in position on the walls of the Arena, Gamma's in position in the crowd, and Kenobi's in the rafters. Sev's got sight lines on the Queen."

"Negative on the shot." Kathryn answered. "Booth is shielded."

"Are you sure?" Sev asked.

"Slight shimmering on the outside of the glass." Kathryn affirmed.

"Damn…" Sev commented. "Shifting target down to the auctioneer."

"Kat, when you get the location of the Torgrutans, take her down." Alice ordered. "In Spirit of Fire is waiting on our signal to exit the slipstream."

"Copy." Kathryn acknowledged. Right on cue, the auctioneer shouted out, his voice carried through the cheering crowd over loudspeaker.

"The auction begins with slaves of unmatched quality, and unreal quantity! I give you… Togruta, from the Shili System!" As he shouted out, the aging alien was shoved out of a tunnel and into the blinding sun of the arid world. The crowd went wild with cheers as he was ushered towards the stand. "This one represents a lot numbering at ten thousand! Notice the compliance! There will be no rebellion here!"

"So…" Anakin began. "Where do you keep ten thousand slaves?"

"On Kadavo, of course." The queen stated as if it were the simplest fact in the world.

Anakin and Kathryn quickly exchanged glances, and Kathryn smirked beneath her helmet. "Good… that's all we needed to know." Kathryn allowed a predatory tone to slip into her voice. An instant later, she wheeled around and fired her blaster at the two Zygerrians guarding the exit. Anakin's lightsaber was launched from atop R2D2's chassis, and he quickly pulled it into his hand with the Force, igniting it. Ahsoka caught her own lightsabers as they were launched from the astromech droid, cutting the shock collar off her neck.

"Cover the door." Kathryn ordered. "Go!" She declared over the BattleNet. As Kathryn wheeled around to level her rifle at the Zygerrian queen, causing her to take a defensive step back towards the window, a shot rang out from atop the walls of the Arena. Instantly, the precision blaster bolt speared through the auctioneer's head, causing him to fall over in a heap. Three more shots speared towards Zygerrian guards throughout the arena, and a lightsaber ignited in the rafters as Obi-Wan set to work on the guards there. Gamma stood up from their positions in the crowd, firing their Mandalorian-pattern blaster rifles at any armed hostiles.

Simultaneously, forty Slipspace ruptures sounded off above Zygerria, a full Coalition Battlegroup jumping into the system. The fleet, comprised entirely of capital ships, made quick work of the unprepared Zygerrian orbital defenses, as well as the small Separatist fleet in orbit. Up above, even in broad daylight, the explosions of destroyed starships could be seen. "On your knees, hands on the back of your head!" Kathryn shouted, letting the rage that had been building up over the past seven hours bubble to the surface.

"Do you really think killing me will make a difference?!" The Queen shouted, standing defiant. "Kill me or spare me, my guards will kill all of you!"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Ahsoka chuckled, looking out of the shielded window to the sight before the entire city.

Above the city, two massive Slipspace ruptures opened up, allowing the vessels they brought with them to emerge from the depths of the void. From the two rifts, a pair of Infinity-Class Super-Dreadnoughts emerged, the In Spirit of Fire, commanded by Admiral Cutter, and Infinity, commanded by Lord of Admirals Lasky.

As the two massive vessels emerged, weapons and shields already powered, their rifts closed. The closing Slipspace rifts sent out a thundering thrumming noise as they shut, the dimensional tear mending in its wake. As the two vessels began engaging the ground-side defenses of the city, a signal from Infinity overrode the airwaves of Zygerria. Admiral Lasky's combat form took the place of any image on any electronic screen across the planet, his voice carried to radios, view screens, and all manner of broadcasts. The Queen stared intently at the image of the Promethean form, her heart dropping into her chest as she turned and saw the two massive super-capital ships bombarding the defenses of her world before they even had time to acquire them on sensors.

"People of Zygerria, and all… guests from foreign worlds." Lasky began, his slightly modulated voice stern and verifiably enraged. "This is Lord of Admirals Thomas Lasky of the Galactic Coalition, speaking on behalf of the sentient life that you have enslaved. Your Empire… and your ways… end now." As Lasky's address finished, his image disappeared. Above, Infinity unleased a pulse not unlike that of a Guardian, shutting down all electronics on the surface of Zygerria. While GC tech was shielded from this, the blasters that the guards carried, the view screens that he previously occupied, and the speeders of Zygerria's surface, were not.

Kathryn smirked as her blaster powered down. She tossed the primitive instrument aside, activating the quick-release on her armor. In sync with the falling plates of the Mandalorian armor, her MJOLNIR took its place. The plates neatly arranged themselves over her body, and a Light Rifle fell into her hands, which she quickly leveled against the Zygerrian Queen.

"Appreciate the warning, Kat." Ahsoka snarked, gesturing with her deactivated and inert lightsaber.

Kathryn gave a smirk as she tossed the Mandalorian helmet aside, her MJOLNIR helmet quickly taking its place. Suddenly, six Promethean Soldiers dropped from Slipspace rifts in the room, all of their weapons leveled against the Zygerrian Queen along with the SPARTAN's. "Kneel." Kathryn ordered, drawing looks from Ahsoka and Anakin. "Soldiers, cover the door."

"Understood, SPARTAN." The Prometheans obeyed, moving to cover the only entrance to the booth.

Obediently, the Zygerrian woman fell to her knees, looking up at the towering SPARTAN. "Such a fitting end for a slaver queen…" Kathryn mused, walking towards the Queen. She brought her knee up, striking the Queen in the chin and sending her back. As the Queen lay on the ground, Kathryn planted an armored boot on her neck, cutting off her airway. Kathryn felt the Queen scrambling to remove the SPARTAN's boot from her throat, and simply pressed down a bit harder in return. "Just like everyone you've ever shackled and bound… you die on your knees." She raised her rifle, a single bolt of Hard Light spearing through her head and splattering her brains on the floor.

Kathryn glanced up to the window, removing her foot from the Queen's throat. She saw thousands of Prometheans emerging from their Slipspace portals, subduing the population of the Arena. Across Zygerria, millions of Prometheans were emerging. They would free those shackled and bound on this world, and when they did… then the Protocol would be carried out.

XXXXX

"Lord of Admirals, the First through Fourth fleets report missions success across Zygerrian space." Infinity's AI declared, catching the ancient admiral's attention.

"And the slaves?" Lasky asked.

"The vessels transporting the slaves are awaiting your word, sir."

"Begin transporting them to Respite, notify the Shield World's defenses of their impending arrival."

"As you command, Admiral." The AI answered, its formless hologram fizzling out.

"Comms, send the Mission Complete burst back to the Ark!" Lasky declared, earning a cheer from the bridge crew. "Bring the hammer down."

"Deploying Constructor Drones, Admiral." Weapons Station announced. "Lifeworkers are reporting that the Zygerrian strain of the regression virus has been completed, and is awaiting the deconstruction of Zygerria for deployment. ETA: twenty four hours."

Lasky gave a satisfied smirk as he watched the swarm of millions of Constructors bear down on Zygerria's surface. They would strip the cities, towns, technology, everything artificial on this world down to nothingness. The Zygerrians would be reduced to Tier-7, and given a chance to rebuild… under the close watch of the Coalition. Over the millennia it would take for them to regain spaceflight, they would pay their debt to the galaxy.

XXXXX

Ahsoka watched in bewilderment as millions of small drones departed their gargantuan motherships, bearing down on the surface of Zygerria as the refugee ships departed. The refugee ships carried slaves, non-Zygerrians, and pieces of technology deemed too important to destroy by the Galactic Coalition. Ahsoka had never seen something on this scale. The GC had reduced the defense fleet of a planet to ash, completely dismantled their government, and shut them down technologically. It was, without a doubt, the most awe-inspiring sight she had ever laid eyes on.

"Couldn't have hardened our blasters to that pulse thing?" Fixer asked, fiddling with the power core to his DC-17 to no avail. His blaster was completely inert.

"Not without handing you a GC rifle, Delta." Alice answered, watching the surface of Zygerria fade away as the Pelican slipped into the hanger of In Spirit of Fire. "Engineers can fix it up for you. Same with your lightsabers." She nodded to the three Jedi.

"What are those little droids doing?" Ahsoka asked, gesturing to the planet below.

"Classified." Alice answered without missing a beat. "The Zygerrians won't be enslaving anyone for the foreseeable future, however."

"What about the slaves?" Anakin asked, concerned.

"They'll be brought to a GC Forward Operations Base for medical treatment before being transported back to their homeworlds." Alice explained. "We'll be taking a… short detour before returning to the front, though."

"Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To that same FOB." Alice responded. She turned to Ahsoka, a small smile on her face.

XXXXX

To say that Haywood was displeased with this plan would perhaps be the greatest understatement of his career. He carried the neural patterns of his XO in his pocket, strolling into one of the pro-tem GC Embassy's many network databanks that were linked directly with Coruscant's own. He didn't like the idea of plugging a close friend into the network of an alien government, not just for the sake of good relations with the Republic, but for her safety. Mostly her safety, the more he thought about it.

From what he had seen, this Republic was broken… rotten to its very core. It made no attempt to fight back the slaver empire on its border, no attempts to bring about a negotiated peace, and showed no desire to allow the GC to simply stomp out the enemy. Relations had already soured after the GC had taken both Raxus and Zygerria into its own hands, with many Senators voicing their distrust of the Coalition. To be fair, they were right to distrust them, the leadership of the GC looked down upon the Republic as a Human would an insect. Such potential, such possibility, all squandered in pointless Senate hearings to prolong and escalate a conflict.

"Are you sure you're up to this, Aphrodite?" Haywood asked of his Neural Lance, connecting with Aphrodite's storage drive that he carried in his pocket. "I'm sure Lasky can find another AI to handle this."

"I will be fine, Captain." Aphrodite assured him, her voice the image of calm. If she was at all intimidated by the concept of sifting through an entire government's inner workings, she sure didn't show it. "The artificial intelligence of this galaxy is millennia behind our own. I'll be amazed if they even suspect me."

"So long as I've got you back on the Prowler soon…" Haywood muttered.

"Joshua… I promise, I will be fine." Aphrodite assured again. "Plug me in." She asked as Haywood came to a stop before the largest network hub in the building.

With a hefty sigh, Haywood slid Aphrodite's storage drive into the appropriate slot. He watched the green light on the drive shift to yellow, signifying her completed transfer to the network. "Good luck…" He offered, removing the drive once the transfer was complete.

A/N:

I wanted to get this out before I released what might be my longest chapter yet for another story, and I couldn't help myself. Expect further updates for my other stuff relatively soon (tm).

As always, I love all of the reviews you guys left, but I figured I should address a few of them.

Doombuilder: Grevious will be making an appearance soon (tm). Don't worry.

Trife: I'll admit, no idea why I didn't simply say "Combat Medic". Would've made it easier on me. As for why the SPARTANs aren't wearing the helmets due to the two points you brought up, being potentially hostile first contact and biohazards, I'll address the former first.

Put simply, from the perspective of an outside observer making contact with the GC, what would look more threatening? Four seven-foot tall suits of armor armed to the teeth, or the same suits of armor, but lacking the helmets, showing that they're Human. It was a conscious decision, meant to make first contact go a bit smoother due to the familiarity. The "Assume Hostility" doctrine of the UNSC has faded with the passage of time, and the GC's first contact protocol is "Assume Passivity".

As for the biohazards, the Prowler had scanned the entire system. They knew every potential hazard on the planet before the drop pods even hit the surface. If there were significant threats on a biological level, they would have been ordered to keep their helmets on.

Overfic23: Well, it wouldn't exactly make much sense for the 5th Generation of the SPARTAN program to be less-effective than the millennia-old (by this point) SPARTAN-II program, now would it? Especially with all of the comparatively hyper-advanced technology that they now have access to. That's essentially like saying the men that stormed the beaches of Normandy are superior to the average modern U.S. Army Infantryman based solely on their historical achievements. In every quantifiable way, the modern U.S. Infantryman is superior to the infantry of 1944, nobody calls them superior because of their achievements. They just acknowledge the achievement in the context of the time period.

Everyone that I didn't answer directly, because there's so damn many: I really appreciate all of the love, guys. Thanks for sticking with me. I love all of the reviews I get, so keep 'em coming. I've started doing these responses to questions or reviews at the end of chapters in my other fics, so I figured I'd carry it over to this one, too, so long as nobody has any issues with it.

As Always,

-TallYapflip

P.S. Sorry if this one's pace seems all over the place. I couldn't bring myself to split this into two separate arcs. Right about here is where shit gets REAL AU, REAL fast.