Hello, to the second chapter of Unexpected Places. It's been a while, I know, but I've mostly been updating my other work, sorry. Anyway, I do not own Star Wars or any characters that are associated with Star Wars, aside from a few I made myself. Last chapter, the Clone Wars had just finished and Order 66 was enacted galaxy wide. While some were killed, others managed to escape, such as Alyss Vrax, with the help of the Antarian Rangers (last chapter). Now, the Antarian Rangers race to Bakkah in order to save Jedi General Bdaris Telnari, before it is too late. Well, thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review when you're done, thanks!
On the desert planet of Bakkah, a listening post resided. While it was important in keeping the Separatists away from a nearby system which contained cloning facilities, on this particular day it was the subject of an inspection by the renowned Jedi, Bdaris Telnari. Not only was Telnari to be present, but the clone commander of the 34th Legion as well, CC-1986, aka Arachnid. All nine of the clones stationed there were standing outside on the flight pad. Four stood on either side of the pad while the commanding officer of the station, Sergeant CT-4131, or Clanker as he was known to his men due to his extensive cybernetics, stood apart from his soldiers, addressing them.
"Alright men, listen up! We are receiving a very special inspection from not one, but two high ranking officers! I want to see you men on your best behaviour, no shenanigans! I'm looking at you, Mohawk!" Clanker barked, glancing at the base's most rebellious soldier.
"Whatever." CT-7921 said in a bored tone of voice.
Ever since he had been shipped there following the Battle of Tibrin, Mohawk had been nothing but trouble. He harassed the communications officer, CT-2668, aka Soundwave, frequently got into arguments with the base's pilot, CT-5257, aka Jolt, and until recently, had secretly been riding off into the desert to hunt the native Tusken Raiders. Ever since then, Mohawk had been prohibited from using the base's vehicles and armoury, and had been kept under close observation by Clanker himself.
"I mean it soldier!" Clanker snapped "But just to make sure, you'll be sticking close by me for the duration of the inspection!"
Soundwave snickered, causing Mohawk to turn and growl at him.
"You find something funny, shut-in?" Mohawk asked.
"Maybe the fact that the sarge's is keeping you on a leash like the dog you are!" Soundwave said, sneering from underneath his helmet.
"They're at it again." Indigo whispered to his friend, Bishop, who nodded.
"It's all they ever do." Bishop replied.
"Alright, break it up you two!" Clanker barked, moving towards Mohawk and Soundwave "I do not want you two putting so much as a toe out of line during this inspection, so Soundwave, you're being confined to the communications station!"
Soundwave was secretly pleased, it would keep him away from that degenerate, Mohawk for most of the day, and he would be where he was most comfortable.
"Yes, sir." Soundwave said, grinning under his helmet.
"Mohawk, you're with me! Indigo, you'll be cleaning the mess hall, Scorch, you and Bishop will be patrolling the halls-"
"Oh...joy..." Scorch said sarcastically.
"Watch the lip, soldier! Stun, you're monitoring the all clear signal..."
Stun sighed, another boring operation in the rut that was his life.
"And Spanner and Jolt, you'll-" Clanker said, before being cut off.
"We'll be in the garage, fixing up the LAAT." Jolt broke in.
Clanker rolled his organic eye "Fine, there are no other duties for you anyway, just stay out of my way!"
"Yes, sir!" Spanner and Jolt said, giving salutes.
"Good, with any luck, this inspection will go off without a hitch. Bishop, you see anything?" Clanker asked the deck officer.
"Yes, sir, the ship is just entering atmo now." Bishop said as he lowered his electrobinoculars over his visor.
"Excellent, remember, best behaviour." Clanker said, staring at Mohawk.
"Understood...sir." Mohawk replied.
A few moments later, a Nu-class attack shuttle touched down on the deck. With a hiss, the boarding hatch opened and the landing ramp extended. A tall, blonde, Human male wearing Jedi robes and modified clone trooper armour quickly strode out, soon followed by a clone commander wearing battle scarred armour. Commander Arachnid's armour bore the standard grey stripes of the 34th Legion, and in addition, he had an arachnor painted onto the sides of his helmet and a web like design on his shoulder plates. Accompanying the two were eight other clones, six standard clone troopers and two clone pilots.
"General Telnari, Commander Arachnid." Clanker greeted as he strode up to the two.
"Sergeant Clanker, I presume?" Bdaris asked.
"Yes, general, that's me. Sergeant Clanker, designation CT-4131." Clanker replied.
"Sergeant, I am commander Arachnid" Arachnid said as he stepped forward, before motioning to the soldiers behind him "And these are Flak, Razorback, Yellowjacket, Aerosol, Sprocket, Foundry, Nova and Starlight."
"Well, now that we've been properly introduced, shall we get this inspection underway? I would like to get back to the frontlines of Algarra II as soon as possible." Bdaris said.
"Ah, yes, I understand you and general Vractil are fighting there." Clanker said, reffering to the Anomid Jedi Master, Radek Vractil.
"Indeed, we are. Or rather, he is, while I am out here, inspecting this listening post." Bdaris said, a clear note of impatience in his voice.
"Yes, well, I suppose we should begin then. This way, sirs." Clanker said as he directed Telnari and Arachnid to follow him.
"Men, come along," Arachnid spoke up, motioning for the troopers he had brought along to accompany him "You two, stay with the ship." Arachnid ordered the pilots.
Clanker frowned "Your men will be accompanying us?"
"Of course, they're highly experienced, unlike the group of shiny's you have here. If they spot any errors that your troopers have made, they'll be sure to inform me. Then you can administer the correct form of discipline." Arachnid said.
Clanker was displeased, to say the least, that this commander was insulting his men and his leadership. Nevertheless, he bit his tongue.
"Of course, sir. This way, please. Mohawk, come along." Clanker said, leading the group to the entrance of the listening post "Everyone else, about your business."
The Bakkah station clones stood at ease.
"Of all the arrogant-!" Scorch hissed.
"Stow it, Scorch, if they catch you out of line, we'll all cop it." Soundwave said, although he was frowning underneath his helmet.
"Not very polite, are they?" Stun asked.
"Definitely not...you think all experienced clones are like that?" Indigo asked.
"I hope not..." Bishop murmured, thinking of his hatch-mate, who was off Force knew where, fighting on the frontlines.
"Still, I do envy them..." Stun said wistfully.
"Well, now that we don't have to stand around and get abused, I guess we should follow orders. Spanner?" Jolt said, looking to his friend.
"Right, time to work on the LAAT, I suppose. It sure beats that hunk of junk, that's for sure." Spanner muttered, giving a contemptuous glance in the direction of the shuttle.
"Off to the communications room for me then." Soundwave said as he walked off.
"And we have patrols to get to." Scorch said as he walked up to Bishop.
One by one, the clones marched off to fulfil their respective duties.
"So far, everything seems to be in...Adequate condition." Bdaris said as he surveyed the control room of the listening post.
"Thank you, general, we do our best." Clanker replied.
"Yes, you certainly have." Bdaris nodded, sounding slightly bored. Before he could continue, however, his com-link buzzed to life "Master Vractil? Come in."
In the palm of Bdaris' hand was the small holographic figure of the Anomid Jedi, Radek Vractil.
"Bdaris! This is-Kzzch-Transmitting aboard the LAAT/i Gunship, Hypori 7, on Algarra II! Our base has been-Kzzch-Separatist forces! We need immediate assistance!-Kzzch-Under heavy fire!" Radek shouted to be heard over the sound of missiles going off.
"Master Vractil, hold on! We'll be back as soon as possible!" Bdaris attempted to reassure his friend.
"-Kzzch-Can't hold out much-!"
At that point, the transmission ominously cut out entirely.
"Master Vractil? Radek! Radek, come in!" Bdaris shouted into his com-link.
Behind him, Arachnid was also receiving a transmission, although of a vastly different kind.
"Sir!" Arachnid snapped to attention as a hologram of Mas Amedda sprang to life.
"Commander Arachnid, the Jedi have been deemed a threat to the Republic and to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. As a result, you have hereby been ordered to enact Order 66." Amedda said solemnly, before disappearing entirely.
"It will be done." Arachnid whispered, before turning to the clones "You heard him, you know what to do."
Slowly, the clone troopers upholstered their weapons and steadily walked towards their former commander.
At that point, Bdaris turned "Commander, we have to go back, immediately! Something has happened to-What is going on? Why have you-?" Bdaris asked, puzzled by the fact that the clones had their weapons out.
"Blast him!" Arachnid exclaimed as his finger tightened around the trigger of his blaster.
Bdaris surrendered his mind to the Force. With a snap-hiss, his lightsaber sprang to life and a vibrant yellow blade lit up. He quickly raised his hand, and Clanker, Arachnid and Yellowjacket were sent flying across the room. Before the others could open fire, Bdaris swung his lightsaber down, cutting through Mohawk's cybernetic hand as he raised his blaster.
"Argh! Blasted Jedi!" Mohawk cried out as he scrambled to get out of the reach of Bdaris' lightsaber.
"Open fire, quickly!" Razorback ordered.
The room was suddenly illuminated by dozens of blaster bolts flying across the room. With lightning quick speed however, Bdaris' lightsaber spun wildly, deflecting the bolts which were sent his way. Foundry cried out as his own reflected shot pierced his heart, and he toppled to the ground.
By this point, Clanker and Arachnid were back on their feet and joined their fellow troopers in their attack on the Jedi.
"He's too good! We have to fall back!" Flak cried out.
"Hold your ground! We must overwhelm him!" Arachnid roared.
Bdaris, however, had other ideas. With one quick flourish of his lightsaber, struck down Aerosol, who had ventured too close, cutting him from shoulder to hip and ending his life. Turning quickly, he plunged his blade into the chest of another unfortunate soldier, Razorback.
"Cut him down!" Arachnid shouted to the other clones.
Another one of the clones Bdaris and Arachnid had brought with them, Flak, was finished; cut in half at that hip as he turned to flee from the Jedi's wrath. The last clone that was still standing in Bdaris' path, Sprocket, raised his blaster carbine in a futile attempt to block his opponent's lightsaber, only for the blaster to be split in half and for the clone to receive a fatal strike.
"What now?" Mohawk hissed to Clanker as the survivors.
"Only one thing left to do." Arachnid murmured as he grabbed a thermal detonator, activated it and tossed it at Bdaris.
Bdaris gasped as he saw the projectile coming straight for him and dashed off down the corridor. There was a deafening roar as the explosive went off, and the four clones who were still alive were blinded by the explosion.
"Did we get him? Is he dead?" Yellowjacket asked.
"I doubt it, he took off fast enough!" Clanker spat.
"That coward! He ran off!" Mohawk exclaimed.
"Sergeant, I want you and your men to search this outpost. The general is an enemy to the Republic now and he must be stopped." Arachnid said calmly.
Clanker nodded and activated his com-link "Soundwave? Soundwave, report!"
"Yes, sergeant, what is it?" Soundwave asked from the communications room.
"Soundwave, I want you to listen to me very closely. I need you to put out a red alert, the Jedi is now an enemy of the Republic and Order 66 has been initiated. Notify everyone within the base to be on alert!" Clanker said to the communications officer.
There was a brief pause before Soundwave made his reply "Yes, sir, right away!"
Clanker sighed "Thank you. When you're done, lock down the communications room, I don't want to lose anyone over this."
A few moments later, Soundwave commed the sergeant back "Sir, I was able to alert everyone but Jolt and Spanner. Either they've turned their com-links off, again, or else the Jedi got to them."
Clanker's blood ran cold "Send Scorch to check on them, now!"
"Right away, sir." Soundwave said.
"We'll have to spread out and search for the general. Yellowjacket, you're with me. The sergeant and his...soldier can go another way." Arachnid said.
"Wait! Is it really wise to split up?" Clanker questioned.
"We have no choice, we need to find the general and find him quickly! Who knows what kind of damage he could do?" Arachnid snapped.
"And what about Mohawk? That damned Jedi cut his hand off!" Clanker pointed out as Mohawk picked up his severed limb.
"It's a cybernetic attachment, isn't it? There's no problem, he can get it reattached! For now he'll just have to wield a blaster in his left hand! Now stop griping and start searching! That's an order, sergeant!" Arachnid said.
Clanker scowled, but nodded "Very well, commander. Mohawk, you're with me."
Mohawk glared at Arachnid before walking off after his commanding officer "Yes, sergeant."
Elsewhere, Bishop and Indigo were searching in the generator room, nervous as to what they might find.
"You think we'll find the general in here?" Indigo whispered to Bishop.
"I don't know, we'll just have to find out." Bishop whispered back.
"And...What if we find him? You think we can take on a Jedi?" Indigo asked.
"Well, I guess...I guess we'll just have to keep our heads and hope for the best." Bishop said, then immediately regretted his choice of words.
"Keep our heads? That didn't do the prime much good when he fought a Jedi, did it?" Indigo asked sarcastically.
Before Bishop could make a retort, they heard something make a noise to their right.
"What was that?" Indigo hissed, raising his blaster rifle.
"Ssh! If it's the Jedi we'll-!"
"Plunk. Plunk." A gold plated PLNK-series power droid said as it waddled past.
Bishop sighed in relief "Just a power droid."
Indigo sat down and took off his helmet, revealing his brightly coloured hair, from which he received his name "You really think the Jedi could turn traitor?"
Bishop sat next to him, took off his helmet and exhaled "I don't know, but if we got the order, then I guess they must have."
"Didn't...didn't your hatch-mate fight alongside general Telnari?" Indigo asked.
Bishop looked down "Yeah, during a reconnaissance mission to Farquar III. Most of his squad was wiped out there. He said the general saved his life, if not for him, Rook would be dead."
"And now...now he's an enemy of the Republic. How does this happen?" Indigo asked bitterly.
Bishop sighed again and put his helmet back on "I don't know. Come on, we better get back to our search. Who knows what the general is planning?"
Stun, meanwhile, was also looking for Bdaris.
Finally, this could be what I've been waiting for! Excitement at last! Stun thought to himself, shaking with anticipation. Just think, if I take down the traitor, I'll be a hero! Then I'll finally get off of this miserable, kriffing rock!
A sudden noise made Stun turn. He peered around cautiously. Nearby was the armoury. If the Jedi went in there, then he'd be trapped! I could take him out easy! Stun thought with glee.
Stun moved slowly towards the armoury and entered it. The room appeared to be empty, But looks can of course be deceiving, can't they? Stun turned his attention to the weapons lockers. He slowly opened the first one and found nothing. The second, nothing. The third, nothing. The fourth, a flash of yellow suddenly bore down on the hapless clone trooper.
"Oh, he-!" Was all Stun could get out before he was struck down. Before he faded into the darkness, Stun thought one final thing I wish I hadn't wanted excitement, I wish...
Bdaris panted as he stood over the body of the dead clone. What was going on? He thought to himself, his mind ablaze. Why have the clones turned on me? Is this some kind of Separatist trick? Bdaris shook his head, whatever the reason, he would have to get off of Bakkah as soon as possible. Surely a listening post would have some means of transportation. A shuttle or a LAAT, anything.
With one final glance at the clone which he had just killed, Bdaris ran off to find a way off world.
Not far away, Scorch was patrolling the storage room, where the speeder bikes were kept. He had decided against warning Jolt and Spanner. If they had been stupid enough to turn their com-links off during an inspection, then they deserved whatever happened to them.
"Jedi traitor, he's not gonna get far with me looking for him. Yeah, I'll get him." Scorch said to himself as he lifted up a tarp in search of the enemy.
A noise behind Scorch made in jump in fright. Scorch whirled around, only to see nothing.
"Must just be hearing things..." Scorch said nervously.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened and a bright yellow light illuminated the darkened space. Scorch gasped and ducked down, it was the Jedi! Scorch hid behind a crate as he heard the Jedi's footsteps. There was a brief ruffling sound as Bdaris seemed to examine something.
"Speeder bikes, perfect." Scorch could hear the Jedi murmuring to himself.
While Bdaris was seemingly distracted, Scorch leapt up and fired at the Jedi. However, with a mere flick of his wrist, the blaster bolt was deflected by Bdaris' lightsaber blade and hit a wall instead.
"You shouldn't have done that. I knew you were there, little clone. I would have spared you if you had stayed hidden." Bdaris said to Scorch.
Scorch instantly hit the ground and crawled around the crate, trying to find a new hiding spot. Behind him, he could clearly hear the Jedi as he made his way towards Scorch. Scorch tried to muffle a whimper as he darted behind a tarp covered speeder bike, hoping that he had not been seen. If I can just get to the door...
Scorch peered around the tarp, but could not see Bdaris. Steeling himself, he got up and made to run for the exit...
...Only to feel a hand on his shoulder, which pulled him back onto the blade of the Jedi's lightsaber. Bdaris wrenched it free of the clone's body, and Scorch let out a pained groan, before he collapsed. Deactivating his lightsaber, Bdaris turned and looked at the speeder bikes.
"I could take them, and...And then what? There are no settlements for kilometres, and even then, they'd just be Tusken Raider villages..." Bdaris said to himself.
He sat down and ran a hand through his hair. At this point, he was beginning to think that he would never escape this miserable ball of dirt. A thought suddenly occurred to Bdaris and he turned to the speeder bikes again.
"This might just work..." Bdaris muttered as his mind raced.
In the armoury, Clanker and Mohawk had just discovered Stun's corpse. Clanker clenched his fist in fury as he kneeled over the corpse of one of his men.
"He'll pay for this!" Mohawk said through clenched teeth.
"We'll get him, Mohawk, we'll get him." Clanker said solemnly as he crossed Stun's arms over his chest.
Suddenly, the pair heard a loud revving noise coming from nearby.
"That sounds like a speeder bike!" Mohawk exclaimed.
Clanker cursed "The storage room! Quickly, before he gets too far!"
The two rushed off to the storage room, just in time to see a robed figure on a speeder bike fly off into the desert.
"Frak!" Clanker snapped, before reaching for his com-link "Soundwave! I need all available men to come to the storage room! The Jedi is attempting to flee on a speeder bike! We'll need to pursue him!"
"Understood, sir. I'll send the order for everyone to meet in the storage room." Soundwave replied.
A few moments later, Arachnid, Yellowjacket, Indigo and Bishop were rushing into the room.
"Wait, where's Scorch?" A nervous Clanker asked.
"I haven't been able to get into contact with him, sir. I'm afraid that he's lost." Soundwave said, a touch of regret in his voice.
Clanker's face darkened. The Jedi would pay for this.
"We'll need to pursue the Jedi. With any luck, he won't have gotten too far." Clanker said as he unveiled five more speeder bikes.
"There aren't enough speeder bikes for all of us." Arachnid pointed out.
"No, so one of us will have to stay behind with Soundwave, in case the Jedi tries to return." Clanker said "Mohawk, you'll have to-"
"Actually, sergeant, I think it would be best if Yellowjacket remained behind. Frankly, I don't trust your men to apprehend the general, look what's happened so far." Arachnid broke in.
Clanker was furious at the commander's arrogance, but knew that there was no time to argue "Fine, everyone, mount up. We've got a traitor to catch."
Arachnid turned to his sole surviving soldier "Yellowjacket, you go find the communications officer and stay with him. If the general comes back, notify me immediately."
Yellowjacket nodded "I understand, sir!"
Arachnid put his hand on Yellowjacket's shoulder "Good man, let's make sure our brothers didn't die in vain."
Yellowjacket nodded as his commander and the others got onto the speeder bikes and rode off into the desert. As soon as they were all out of his sight, he turned and headed towards the communications room.
Bdaris panted as he rushed into the hangar of the listening post. With any luck, the clones would not uncover his deception until it was too late. Now, if he could just find what he was looking for, he could-
"General?" A surprised voice asked.
Bdaris' eyes widened and he quickly activated his lightsaber. Immediately, two clone troopers jumped back. One was dressed in old clone trooper phase-I pilot armour with what seemed to be a zillo beast's eyes and mouth painted on the helmet. The other was clad in the armour of a clone trooper engineer and was wielding a nasty looking shotgun which posed a significant risk to the Jedi.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Bdaris exclaimed as he raised his lightsaber defensively.
Jolt raised his hands up slowly "Easy there, general. We're not going to hurt you."
Bdaris looked confused "You're not? And why should I believe you?"
"Because we're on the same side, general. Now, just take it easy..." Spanner said, trading a confused glance with Jolt.
"Then you're not...You don't know?" Bdaris asked.
"Don't know what, sir?" Jolt asked, puzzled.
Bdaris lowered his lightsaber. For whatever reason, these two clones were not attacking him like the others had. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage...
"There's...there's been an attack! The clone troopers who came with me, they're not clone troopers!" Bdaris exclaimed quickly.
"Sir?" Spanner asked.
"They're BX-series droid commandos who were stowing away aboard my shuttle! They killed my men, and now they've done the same to the clone troopers here!" Bdaris said in a rush.
The two clones stiffened "Just like the attack on the Rishi outpost!" Spanner exclaimed in shock.
"Exactly! So, we're going to have to get out of here as soon as possible! Is there a LAAT nearby?" Bdaris asked.
"Well, yes, but shouldn't we try to fight the droids off, sir?" Jolt asked.
"Yeah, with you on our side, those clankers should be no trouble!" Spanner added.
Bdaris shook his head "Too risky, these...these are a new model. Proficient Jedi killers, we wouldn't stand a chance!"
"So, we flee, like cowards?" An indignant Jolt asked.
"There's no other option! We have to!" Bdaris snapped.
"But the LAAT won't be able to get far. There's no hyperdrive installed." Spanner pointed out.
"I don't care; it will just have to do!" Bdaris said.
"Uh, very well then, general, we'll just have to take a moment to prepare for liftoff." Jolt said as he and Spanner rushed off to prepare the LAAT.
"Right, be as fast as you can about it." Bdaris said as he ran towards the LAAT.
Making sure that the clones were not looking, Bdaris ducked inside the gunship and took a seat in the cockpit. Working quickly, he made sure to destroy the communications systems onboard to ensure that the clones could not be informed of what was really occurring.
"Right, we're ready, sir. We can take off." Jolt said as he and Spanner walked into the LAAT.
"Very good, trooper. Take us away." Bdaris said as he strapped himself into a seat and hoped for the best.
In the communications room, Soundwave and Yellowjacket were anxiously awaiting for news of the Jedi.
"The commander will catch him. He will, you'll see." Yellowjacket murmured.
"With any luck, he will. Although given the fact that the Jedi has already killed seven, maybe nine men, he'll have his work cut out for him." Soundwave said without taking his eyes off of the console in front of him.
"He will kill the Jedi!" Yellowjacket shouted, slamming his hands on a nearby console.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure he-Wait, what was that?" Soundwave asked as he began to hear a frantic beeping "That's the LAAT signal! It's taking off!"
Yellowjacket jumped up in surprise "What?-!"
Soundwave was confused for a moment as he struggled to realise what was happening "That's impossible! Jolt and Spanner must have-!" The credit dropped "They didn't get the order! Their com-links were switched off!"
"What? What's going on?" Yellowjacket asked.
"The Jedi has tricked them and he's getting away!" Soundwave exclaimed.
"I'll notify the commander at once!" Yellowjacket said as he pulled out his com-link.
Meanwhile, the other clone troopers were still racing after who they believed to be the Jedi.
"There he is, open fire!" Arachnid shouted as the group spotted the elusive speeder.
Mohawk and Arachnid quickly fired upon the speeder. Clanker however, noticed something odd.
"He's not dodging or trying to evade the shots. Why...?" Clanker said to himself, before realisation set in "Wait, that's not-!"
At that point however, the speeder that the group had been hunting struck a rock, cartwheeled through the air, rolled roughly on the ground, before coming to a stop.
"What the-?" Arachnid asked as he and the others pulled to a stop.
They dismounted from their vehicles and approached the downed speeder bike. As they drew nearer, they saw a figure clad in tattered, burned Jedi robes and clone trooper armour.
"Scorch!" Clanker exclaimed as he realised who it was they had been chasing.
Indeed, it had been Scorch, who's lifeless body had been tied to the speeder bike's throttle.
"Then where is the general?" A furious Arachnid said.
At that point, his com-link activated.
Back on the launch pad, Nova and Starlight were waiting outside of the shuttle, hoping for news of the Jedi.
"You think they'll get him?" Starlight asked his co-pilot.
"The general? Oh yeah, the commander is the best of the best. Not even a Jedi could stand up to him." Nova said.
At that point, the two heard a loud whooshing noise. A few seconds later, the listening post's LAAT flew past them, almost knocking the pair off of their feet.
"What in blazes do they think they're doing?" Nova exclaimed as he righted himself.
"They must be helping to look for the general." Starlight said.
"No, it looks like they're trying to break atmo." Nova replied as he followed the LAATs movement.
"Break atmo, but why would they...?" Starlight trailed off as clarity struck.
"Damn it! Get in the ship, quick!" Nova exclaimed as he ran for the shuttle.
Starlight's com-link went off, and Arachnid's voice came through "The Jedi is attempting to escape using a LAAT! Repeat, the Jedi-!"
"We see 'im, commander! We're heading after him!" Starlight replied as he strapped himself into the cockpit "Nova, you take the guns!"
Nova nodded as he raced off to man the ship's laser cannons.
Aboard the LAAT, Bdaris was shaken by what had just happened. Why? Why would my own troopers turn on me? Is it some kind of Separatist trick? No, that can't be it, I've fought alongside Arachnid for the entire duration of the war, he'd never fall for a trick like that. Then what-?
Bdaris was roused from his musings by Spanner calling out from the cockpit "General, we've breached atmo, any idea as to where we go next?"
Before Bdaris could reply, the ship rocked violently, and alarms went off within the ship.
"Frak! We're under attack! Looks like those droids don't want us to leave!" Jolt exclaimed.
"General, we need you to mount the anti-personnel laser turret, it should be near the door!" Spanner called out.
Bdaris nodded dumbly as he unstrapped himself from his seat and manned the turret. Even for a Jedi, hitting his target was difficult, as both ships were enacting evasive manoeuvrers.
"It's not looking good, they have superior speed and shielding!" Jolt said as another shot hit the LAAT.
"if we can just get behind them, we could launch a few missiles and-!" Spanner began, before a frigate suddenly dropped out of hyperspace in front of them.
"By the Force!" Jolt exclaimed.
"I recognise that ship! It's the Antarian Rangers ship, the Order!" Spanner said.
Bdaris' heart leapt. An Antarian Ranger ship out here?
A turbolaser bolt suddenly shot out from the Order and struck the pursuing, causing it to explode in a flash of brilliant light.
"They must know about the droids!" Spanner exclaimed.
They opened fire on a clone ship without provocation? Then perhaps-! Bdaris' blood ran cold as he realised that perhaps the betrayal at Bakkah was not a lone incident.
"Hang on, they're powering up their weapons again! They must think we're hostiles as well!" Jolt cried out.
Bdaris leapt to his feet. No! It could not end like this! Not when he was so close, not after what he had just been through! There was only one chance. Bdaris reached out through the Force in an attempt to contact the captain of the Order. Stop! We are not your enemy! This is Jedi Knight, Bdaris Telnari!
There was a brief, terrifying moment of silence as Bdaris waited. Finally...
"They're weapons systems are powering down!" Spanner exclaimed, relief flooding into his voice.
Bdaris exhaled in relief, before slumping down into his seat.
"...And this is happening all over the Galaxy?" A stunned Bdaris asked the captain of the Order.
"We regret to inform you that yes, it is." Gargos said to Bdaris, in a grave tone of voice.
"Is...Is there anyone still alive?" Bdaris asked.
"We cannot speak for the rest of the Jedi Order, but we did manage to save Jedi Knight, Alyss Vrax before her clones could execute her." Gargos said.
Bdaris' heart raced "Is she safe? May I see her?"
Gargos nodded "Of course. We've given her a room. She's resting off a nasty head wound she sustained, but she should be well enough to speak. I'm sure she'll be glad to know a fellow Jedi survived."
Bdaris nodded and made to walk off, but was stopped when Gargos placed a hand on his shoulder "Yes?"
"And what of them?" Gargos asked, motioning to Jolt and Spanner, who Bdaris had placed into a state of Force induced stasis shortly after arrival aboard the Order "Given the circumstances, I doubt any of my men would be comfortable with them aboard."
Bdaris nodded "Would you allow them to leave? Once the stasis wears off, they could pilot the LAAT back to Bakkah."
Gargos looked hesitant "You do not wish to kill them?"
Bdaris shook his head "They helped me to escape, even if they don't know from what. No, their lives would weigh on my conscious if I were to kill them."
Gargos sighed "Very well then, I shall permit them to leave."
"Thank you, captain." Bdaris said, before turning to find the other Jedi aboard.
"Hey there." Alyss Vrax said tiredly as she propped herself up in a seating position.
"Hello, general Vrax." Bdaris greeted.
"I don't think I'm a general anymore, actually. You can just call me Alyss."
"Alright then...Alyss." Bdaris said, uncertainly.
"So, they saved you too, huh?" Alyss asked.
"Yes, I was very fortunate in that regard. If not for them, I would have been killed."
"It was the same with me...I can't believe they turned on us. Sunny was my friend, and yet he tried to kill me." Alyss said, placing a hand over where the clone commander had struck her.
"I fought beside Arachnid since the very start of the war. From Sakiya, to Bestine IV to Algarra II..." Bdaris murmured.
"It really is...just unbelievable." Alyss said.
"Do you think...do you think that we're the only ones left?" Bdaris asked.
Alyss smiled and gently took Bdaris' hand "Not a chance. I'm sure Masters Yoda and Windu are fine, they're the strongest Jedi in the order after all. So is Skywalker for that matter. In fact, I bet the temple is still standing. That place is impregnable, I mean, it has so many Jedi there. Master Drallig, Master Ti, Master Piell, Master Kcaj, they were all stationed there. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be just fine and we'll get to the bottom of this."
Bdaris tried to smile "I hope you're right."
And, end of chapter 2. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, please remember to review and finally...thanks for reading!