Star Wars: Force of Nature

by General Rage

In a carefully laid trap, the King of Monsters is hit with a devastating super weapon. While the Nations of the World cheer they do not realize they have not destroyed him, only sent Godzilla to a new world. It is here the Atomic Titan shall come face to face with a new enemy, as he walks straight into a war long ago in a Galaxy Far, Far away...

4. Not Equipped to Fight Monsters

Chapter 3: Not Equipped to Fight Monsters

The news trickled in slowly and was difficult to process at first. Before long things became more clear, that Airfield 01, or Solar Flare Field as the men called it, had been virtually annihilated. The cause was a giant monster, akin to a Krayt Dragon that could breathe some kind of blue fire. It had destroyed the main bulk of their air power and, worse still, had seen fit to demolish the Communications Tower. The loss of an estimated seventy-five percent of their air based assets planetside was one thing, but the Communications Tower was devastating. It was why it had taken so long for all the relevant information to come through. Without the tower, the sun's radiation was playing havoc with all transmissions. It had taken them forever to acquire appropriate holo-footage that had been recorded during the creature's attack. What General Sakal and the rest of the assembled Chief Staff saw of it was terrifying.

The creature did indeed bear some resemblance to a krayt dragon, although there were clear differences. Mainly, it was lacking the trademark horns and possessed an ability to stand erect. It certainly matched the Krayt's infamous ferocity, perhaps even surpassed it. What was truly off putting, however, were its weapons. First there was that beam breath it fired, the next was that pulse it had let off. Sakal instantly realized that it had been electromagnetic in some fashion. That was how the creature brought the TIEs down, he disrupted their power. It had limited range though, not powerful enough to kill the power to the entire base. It stood to reason that the pulse attack was a close range weapon. The real concern though was what else the monster was capable of.

They had received these scattered reports from various Stormtroopers who had survived the attack and regrouped at one of the nearby outposts. It wasn't much to go on, the footage was admittedly of poor quality. It was enough to discern the course of events and it was disturbing. This monster had assaulted an Imperial Fortification and had been able to bulldoze through it with nary a scratch. Then there was that distinctive roar. It wasn't an easy noise to describe certainly, but it was unique in its sound. No other creature Sakal knew of made such a noise. It seemed almost like a battlecry, a defiant angry call that dared you to face it. And that let you know you would fail when you did.

Darth Vader was in the room with them, watching the footage as it came in. Sakal did his best not to look at him, but eventually failed. Although the black mask he wore betrayed no emotion, the General could tell Vader was not pleased. He did his best not to show his concern or fear, but Nulon didn't even seem to be trying. The man was sweating profusely, holding his hand to his mouth in shock. Boll, to her credit, did her best to look attentive and thoughtful. Not that it helped, not when Nulon opened his fat stupid gob.

"This is unprecedented," he shouted in fright. "No creature like this exists on Tsuburonda. We have nothing of it on record! How did we miss this? How?"

"It is possible this creature was dormant for the seven years we've been here," Boll suggested astutely. "Perhaps the Solar Storms have woken it from its hibernation."

"And now that it's done napping it has decided to hunt us down for its breakfast!" Nulon screeched frightfully. "We... we need to act! We need to stop it somehow! General, I order you to find a way to kill that thing!"

Sakal just rolled his eyes, as if he needed an order to know what to do.

"I have already sent an order out to all Field Commanders telling them to do so while we were observing the footage," Sakal explained. "I've made it their primary concern. Klusto is in fact about to forward the holo footage to them personally."

"It's already done, sir," Klusto assured. "Unfortunately, the monster's destruction of our Communication Tower means it will take some time to fully transmit. I've also sent probe droids to track the monster's movements. We will not be caught off guard again. I have gone ahead and designated the monster as Alpha Predator One, per protocol."

Good, that would make things easier than just calling it "the monster" or a "giant krayt dragon" or whatever. However, it did nothing to quiet Nulon's simpering cowardice. He kept clutching his head and pacing about the room in a fright.

"Oh this is terrible," he stated. "Absolutely terrible! We need to send out everything we have! Throw them all at this Alpha Predator! Maybe even send the prototype to-"

"No," Vader suddenly shouted. "I will not jeopardize the only Zillo-Beast you have managed to properly clone and outfit. You are in no position to make such decisions regarding the prototype's use."

"My Lord, I was only-"

"Displaying behavior unbecoming of a man of your station," Vader finished for him as he approached. "If you wish to retain what authority and prestige you believe you've earned than you will keep your mouth shut."

Nulon stopped talking, something that gave Sakal great relief and a slight sense of joy. He didn't show it though, not wanting to invoke Vader's anger on himself by accident. However, as stupid as Nulon was, there was a small bit of truth in his panicked words.

"Lord Vader, I think it would be wise if we considered our available forces," he explained astutely. "With the loss of the majority of our planet-based air power and the ineffectiveness of our weapons, we should consider some form of reinforcement."

"That may indeed be necessary," Vader admitted. "I will see to the matter of reinforcement personally. However, General, the task of eliminating this Alpha Predator is ultimately your responsibility. Keep that in mind."

Sakal shuddered a bit at Vader's words. They sounded near close to threatening. The grave tone they were spoken in forced him to better adjust his hat as Vader turned away. Thankfully, he next turned to Boll. It was her turn to get chewed out no doubt, which suited Sakal fine.

"Doctor, what more can you tell me of this new creature?" Vader asked, motioning a hand to the monster's holographic image.

"Without sufficient data, I can only offer hypothesis and conjecture," she explained. "I would need more hard evidence to formulate a proper theory."

"I do not want theories, I want you to discover its weakness and how it might be exploited," Vader argued.

"Well, typically, you would need a theory to test in order to discover that," Boll hesitantly answered back.

Vader looked at the Doctor with a frightening glare.

"Have you suddenly decided to act insubordinate towards me, Doctor?" Vader asked, his voice boiling at the edge of rage.

"No," Boll insisted raising a hand in her defense. "I was merely explaining the proper process of-"

Vader suddenly activated his lightsaber and raised it to Boll's eye level. The Doctor stood dumbstruck in horror as the red laser blade filled the space between her and Vader's, nearly blinding her as it did.

"I will not stand here and have my intelligence insulted and my authority undermined as such, Doctor," he said glaring at her. "Do not think so highly of yourself that you cannot be replaced and that your mouth is allowed to make slights at my expense."

"For-forgive me, Lord Vader," she pleaded. "I meant no disrespect."

Vader didn't bring the lightsaber down, he let it hang in the space between him and Boll. Sakal honestly thought he was about to watch the good doctor get decapitated in front of him. As much as he didn't like the woman for all the spats they had gotten into over the years, he didn't want to see her killed. Not when they still needed her to complete the project on schedule and not over something as small as her trying to explain the scientific method. Luckily, for Boll at least, Klusto stepped in.

"My Lord," he announced. "Doctor Boll was only trying to clarify her statement. She never meant to suggest anything else. She recognizes your authority as the Emperor's right hand, we all do."

Vader lowered the blade slightly, staring at the frightened Doctor Boll for another moment. He finally deactivated the blade and the Bivall woman breathed a sigh of relief as Vader turned.

"You are forgiven, Boll, this time," Vader assured her. "But only because the Empire still needs you. I want you to determine this new monster's potential weaknesses, discover what if anything can harm it. Your schedule to complete the Zillo-Beast for testing still stands, however. I suggest you prioritize your time wisely."

"Yes, Lord Vader," Boll responded, bowing and nearly our of breath. "I will do as you command. And thank you for your show of mercy. I apologize once more, I meant no disrespect. I am the Empire's humble servant."

"I do not require apologies or groveling, I require results," Vader demanded. "Do not disappoint me."

After that display, Sakal dreaded it more when Vader turned to him. He did not expect the man's anger to have subsided in the last ten seconds. Sakal just hoped whatever he had to ask he could answer effectively.

"What is your strategem against this creature, General?" Vader asked. "What plan do you have to insure its swift destruction?"

"I am formulating one as we speak, my Lord," he assured. "Within my specified orders I mentioned previously, I requested all available Field Commanders make preparations to contact me by the third quarter of this rotation. We need to re-establish some kind of Command and Control without the tower if we are to plan against Alpha Predator One accordingly."

"Good, I will see to potential reinforcement and call every available Star Destroyer in the nearby systems to make their way here," Vader proclaimed. "I will leave my own forces in reserve for now. You will be in command of the reinforcements once they touch ground and will direct them towards the task of destroying this creature. See to it that it is accomplished quickly. Nothing must be allowed to jeopardize this project now."

With that, Vader left the room, his Cape billowing behind him as he marched. His two Stormtroopers followed shortly after and the door closed shut behind him. All at once, Doctor Boll exhaled heavily and was forced to prop herself up against the holotable. Klusto moved over to help her up.

"Thank you, Commander," she said gratefully. "You may have just saved my life."

"Think nothing of it, Sionver," he insisted. "But I suggest you pick your words wiser next time."

"Indeed," Boll agreed. "I did not think he would be so quick to anger. Again, thank you."

Klusto smiled brightly at the crested alien, all Sakal could do was groan lightly at the scene. He didn't have much time to do so though, as Nulon felt like talking again.

"Are you sure you can find a way to kill this thing?" He asked. "It seems nearly indestructible."

"Nothing is invincible, Overseer," Sakal assured. "I suggest you keep your concerns towards completing the prototype where they belong. I will handle this monster personally, rest assured of that."

As Sakal looked to the creature's holo-image though, he wondered if he was reassuring Nulon or himself. This thing wasn't an army of droids or unruly dissidents. This was something he and his men had never been up against. He just hoped whatever backup Vader acquired would arrive soon, before the fate of Solar Flare Field became their own.

---

"A giant lizard?" Ahsoka's holo-image asked in astonishment. "A giant lizard that breathes blue fire stomped out of the forest and helped you burn that airbase to the ground?"

"That's the long and short of it," Hera admitted. "To be fair, it mostly did all the work."

Ahsoka groaned, rubbing the side of her head in frustration.

"Why is nothing ever just simple?" She asked aloud. "Now we not only have the Empire to deal with, but this thing. This is not good."

They knew as soon as this little wrinkle appeared they'd need to contact their ex-Jedi compatriot. Luckily their long range communications on the secure line to Fulcrum weren't as hampered as the Empire's own transmissions. The Ghost's boosted transmitter was more than adequate at cutting through the radiation. It wasn't all bad news of course, the objectives had been accomplished and their air support would have more free reign when they arrived. The problem was that now they would have to deal with both the Empire and possibly this monster when the troops landed here.

"Maybe we should just let the blasted thing continue its rampage and call off the mission," Zeb suggested. "Chances are he'll do all our work for us."

"And leave destroying that Zillo-Beast Cloning Lab and all the research up to a rogue overgrown dewback?" Kanan asked rhetorically. "No, too risky. The Empire might kill him before he even gets close to the Lab. We'd be leaving the objective up to chance."

"Kanan is right," Ahsoka concurred. "The mission at hand is too important to leave in the hands of a chaotic element like this. Besides, perhaps we can use it to our advantage. The Empire will be out for the monster now and will probably send the bulk of their forces after it. That should give you a better chance at taking over the Orbital Gun site."

"But chances are that the Empire will also beef up their forces in preparation to either defend or attack the creature," Hera warned. "This thing may simultaneously eat up and increase the forces we have to face in the assault."

Ahsoka nodded at Hera's words, acknowledging her point. She offered a counter though.

"There is still a window of opportunity we can exploit before those reinforcements arrive," she explained. "If nothing else, it could make getting down to the planet easier for us. If you can get the Orbital Gun down in that time frame, it will give us a greater chance to blow past the blockade surrounding the planet."

"We won't have long," Sabine warned. "Average time for Imperial Reinforcement is pretty quick once it's called in. If we want to exploit this window we gotta do it soon."

"We'll recon the Orbital Gun and see what we're up against," Kanan decided. "Hopefully that thing is as far away as possible from it."

"Our own forces will be in position soon," Ahsoka cautioned. "You have to get that gun on our side or we're not setting foot on that planet period. Keep an eye on this monster regardless, if it continues attacking Imperial Installations it may yet prove beneficial to our mission. Otherwise, steer clear of it. You're too valuable to the operation to go off monster hunting. Good luck. Fulcrum, out."

Ahsoka's image faded and the group turned to each other in response. As if they needed her explict orders not to go near that monster. They appreciated the concern at least, even if it wasn't needed. However, Kanan himself recognized something he potentially agreed with.

"I sense Ahsoka may be right," he informed the team. "That creature isn't going to stop at the airbase. It's probably already preparing for its next assault."

"But this time the Empire will be ready for it," Hera noted. "I don't envy getting into the middle of that fight."

Kanan agreed, he was more than willing to let both the Empire and the giant monster hounding them at the moment destroy each other. It would make all their lives so much easier. However, there was something about the giant lizard that gave Kanan pause. Something that Hera and the others seemed to pick up on.

"Can you sense anything from this monster?" Hera asked him. "What is it? What does it want, if anything?"

"I'm not sure," Kanan admitted. "Something about the way you described how it fought though. It reminds me of the Zillo-Beast footage we saw before. Directed, focused, not random. I felt something from it when I saw it, very faint, anger... a lot of it."

"Yeah," Ezra agreed rubbing his own head a bit. "I felt it too. I think it wanted to fight actually. The fact it opened fire on the Imperials suggests as much."

A troubling prospect, animals didn't seek battles on their own accord often. The attack and the monster's fighting style suggested some level of sentience. That did not bode well with Kanan.

"If this thing is intelligent, we shouldn't underestimate it," he warned the team. "I could tell just by looking at it that it is impossibly powerful. If it's smart, that just makes it more dangerous."

"Well its a good thing we don't have to deal with it then," Zeb reminded them. "Its after the Bucketheads, not us."

"For now," Hera stated cautiously. "What are the chances it gets bored and comes after us instead? Like Ahsoka said, we should keep an eye on it. Try to find out more about it, where it came from, why it's attacking the Empire."

Hera's words suddenly sparked something in Kanan's head. He was surprised he hadn't thought of it until now, but Hera always seemed to bring out the best in him even when she wasn't trying. He now had a way to accomplish getting more intel on their target and observe their monstrous friend at the same time.

"Here's a question for everyone," he stated abruptly "If you were the Empire and you lost your Communications Tower like they just did, what would you do?"

"Well I'd imagine they'd want to get eyes on Big Grey to make sure it doesn't sneak up on them again," Sabine suggested. "Only without the Tower it won't be very easy to communicate with the ships in orbit."

"But a probe droid could keep an eye on the thing," Zeb slowly realized for himself. "The giant lizard probably won't even notice something that small."

"And with their transmission link capabilities they could easily cut through the interference caused by the radiation," Hera added jubilant realization. "They'd just have to pass the data on from droid to droid down the line until it arrived."

Ezra was the last to realize Kanan's plan, but to his credit he didn't need it explained to him. He was able to discern his master's intent pretty quickly.

"I get it! We find one of these probe droids, we disable it, reprogram it and then send it off to spy on the Empire for us!" He declared happily. "We get to see the monster in action some more and steal us a way to spy on the Orbital Gun so we can plan our attack. It's perfect."

"Chopper could easily rewire the little Imp Droid," Sabine stated. "The tricky part is making sure we disable it before it spots us or transmits anything that could give us away."

"Tricky, but not impossible," Kanan assured. "I got a plan. All it requires is waiting for the Empire, droids included, being distracted by another monster rampage. And if what we saw earlier this morning is any indication, our big grey friend is probably already itching for another scrap."

---

There wasn't much in the way of blue paint at the outpost, but Kamo made due. It may not be regulation anymore, but armor didn't feel right to him if it wasn't personalized in some small way. He carefully creased a blue half-crescent that spread over his helmet's forehead and peaked under the edges of both his eyes. He then spread a small blue line down where the bridge of the nose would be and parted it at the end with an upside-down V that passed over the mouth crease in the design.

It was the closest he was going to get to how he had painted his original helmet. If he had more time he'd have probably done the chest and arms, but he imagined he'd get guff from any Field Officers if he went that far. He had heard some Stormtroopers liked to stylize their own helmets, it just depended on if their commander let them or not. Usually it was not. He never understood why the Empire had made a big deal about that when the Stormtroopers took over from the Clones. He supposed it was to be more uniformed, more rigid and imposing. Kamo just thought it was ironic that the new guys were now required to look exactly alike and the Clones were allowed to a greater expression of individuality. It was almost enough to make you laugh.

"Sweet War Paint, sir," Arch said, currently sitting across from him in the Transport. "They only let us do that kind of stuff for camouflage."

"Thanks, Private," Kamo replied as he looked over. "Just an old habit, I guess. Glad you like it."

"How's it feel being back in armor then?" Arch asked next, rather enthusiastically.

Arch couldn't see it under the helmet, but Kamo was practically beaming.

"Honestly? Fantastic," he admitted sounding more upbeat than ever, but his tone soon turned sour once more. "Wish it was under better circumstances."

"I think everyone feels the same way," Arch concurred cautiously. "This was not how I wanted my first real bit of combat to go."

A full-scale retreat from a giant rampaging monster was hardly the way anyone wanted to get baptized on the battlefield. At least they hadn't been massacred or got split apart. The survivors of Solar Flare Field had made it to the next outpost past the forest trees. However, they soon found themselves abandoning it as well when news came in that the Monster was spotted heading in their direction.

Near as Kamo could tell, they were being redeployed to ahead of the creature's path. They were going to counter the monster on the road to its next target. That was at least what he had deduced on his own. He didn't know specifics, but suspected the Officer in charge of the ambush or counterattack would want to debrief him. He hoped it was quick though, as he didn't want to waste much time explaining and reliving the events from a few hours ago again. He wanted payback and he could tell Arch did too, the Private had been hunched over and uneasy since they had left the outpost.

Wanting something and actually getting it though was another thing. Kamo had faced a lot of scary things in his life, this monster though was a whole other thing. Arch had mentioned their outpost's turbolaser did nothing to stop it, but then again it was only one. Maybe more guns, bigger guns, could make a dent in the creature. Something told him though it wouldn't be that easy. Something about this grey lizard felt off.

"So how does a Clone end up out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?" Arch suddenly asked, probably trying to get his mind off their current problem.

"I got lucky I guess," Kamo admitted with a shrug. "Most of us got discharged after the war. I was able to stay in though when I made an appeal to my superior. He was able to pull some strings and instead of getting discharged I got transferred to General Sakal's division. I've been doing communications work ever since and I ended up here when the General and the division were sent here to provide security. I'm probably the only Clone left in the Rep- I mean, Imperial Military."

"Lucky us then," Arch told him. "Almost everyone else in the division is fresh out of the academy or has been pulling grunt police work across the Outer Rim. Nice to know that we have someone with some combat experience right now."

Kamo just let out a short laugh.

"I didn't really get much experience against gigantic angry dewbacks to be honest," he stated jovially. "Right now, I think I'd settle for a few bigger guns."

"I hear that, sir," Arch agreed wholeheartedly. "Hopefully whatever the brass has in mind is enough to stop that thing. I'm telling ya, they need to bring down some Star Destroyers and a hell of a lot of Walkers. Only chance we got."

An excessive strategy? Maybe, but Kamo understood where it came from. He hoped the Field Officers were going to take this thing seriously himself. This monster wasn't going to be an easy kill.

"You know, the Academy gave lessons on a lot of the battles you guys fought," Arch noted. "Really inspiring stuff."

"Really? I didn't think they cared enough to mention us anymore," Kamo responded in surprise.

"Well they leave out a lot of names and they never mention specific soldiers," Arch admitted. "They usually talk about you from a command perspective. They also made us run a lot of the same courses you did from what I hear and learn up on the fights you got in to prepare for them."

Typical, Kamo thought, they mention the battles but hardly think of the people who fought in them. Specifically they never really mentioned the Clones as anything more than what they had been labeled as now, as expendable units. The Officers were the heroes of those battles, more specifically the Imperial Officers. The Jedi were never mentioned and individual feats of valor by Clones was more of a curiosity than anything else. No names, just actions and events. Kamo would've been insulted, but really it was better than being omitted entirely like the Jedi were. At least it proved that there was still some reverence for the Clones left.

"Always wondered what it was like being bred and born for Combat like that," Arch recalled. "I mean, I'm probably not even half the soldier you are. You were made to be one, I just picked up the job cause it sounded exciting."

"Don't sell yourself short yet, kid," Kamo tried to reassure him, noting how he sounded a bit ashamed for having confessed to all that. "You got a long career ahead of you. Chances are you'll turn out just as good as any Clone."

"Well assuming we takeout the big grey flame spewing lizard of course," Arch added a bit nervously.

The transport suddenly came to stop, they had arrived. Quickly they and the other troopers inside piled out. It was already late mid-day, although it was hard to tell through the bright dancing lights in the sky. More relevant was where they were. From all appearances, they were on one side of a very large canyon somewhere in the badlands of the planet. There were at least three or so armored companies, tanks and artillery pieces, lined up along both ends of the canyon. Kamo could see the edge of the opposite cliff as well, where there were several turbolaser emplacements inside small caves within the cliff face. It stood to reason that there were more in the caves on their side too.

"Looks like they're rolling out the welcome wagon," Arch observed.

"But is it an ambush or a defensive line?" Kamo asked.

"Bit of both actually."

The two turned to see an Imperial Officer standing behind them. He had a hard look to him and he was giving Kamo a deeper glare than Arch for the moment.

"I was told you are the most Senior Officer to survive the destruction of Airfield 01," he began. "I was not told you also felt inclined to decorate your uniform in such a manner."

Kamo decided to take off his helmet, hoping that would be enough to explain. The Officer just sighed when he saw the old soldier's face.

"Ah yes, a Clone, I should've known," he responded in a rather tired and annoyed voice. "Well I suppose that I can allow it in this case, given the special circumstances. I am Lieutenant Commander Agiri, I am in charge of this operation."

"Communications Officer Kamo, sir," the Clone saluted in reply. "This is Scout Trooper Private Arch. He first encountered the monster at his outpost. He was brought to the Airfield when a TIE Fighter Flight picked him up in a state of shock. They thought he had been attacked by Mantises."

"I assume this TIE Pilot was killed in the ensuing battle at the Airfield then?" Agiri questioned.

"I can only assume, sir," Kamo admitted.

Truth be told, he was a bit confused about that initial report now himself. However, Arch barely remembered anything after he blacked out during the attack. He couldn't really get the details he needed out of him to better explain matters, but he trusted Arch was telling the truth so far as he remembered it. He didn't know the TIE Pilot's side of things so most of the story was lost. It didn't matter now anyway, the monster was the real concern so far as he knew.

"I don't suppose the Private has some insight he wishes to share," Agiri asked.

"Just one, sir," he stated. "I hope you're bringing in a Star Destroyer or two."

Agiri just huffed at the suggestion, as if to mock the very thought of it.

"Such measures won't be necessary I'm sure," he informed him. "The creature so far has only been engaged with small arms. Currently we have deployed a number of heavy weapons within and around the canyon, all of them high yield. General Sakal's strategy has been laid out to the letter, we are following those directives as per his orders."

"And what exactly, if I may ask, is the plan, sir?" Kamo asked curiously.

Agiri just walked past the Clone Trooper towards the edge of the canyon, keeping his back stuff and jaw firm as he did.

"Our probe droids are currently tracking the creature on a direct course for the canyon," he began as he looked up down the large crack within the earth. "We are unsure of the reason for its present course, but we do know that a number of our key resource and power installations lay beyond it. When the beast arrives, two tank squads will engage upon his approach. They will lure him into the Canyon and the rest of the companies shall then break cover while our artillery opens fire. The creature, designated Alpha Predator One, will be trapped within the crossfire as turbolasers and tanks lay into him. The canyon's depth will bring him down to a considerable size from this position. We aim for the eyes and wherever it's hide appears weakest. That should finish it."

It was a pretty textbook strategy. They had used it on droids during the Clone Wars. You lured the enemy in, pulled back, allowed him to encircle himself and then surprise him with a lighting assault. It worked on battledroids, it worked on regular armies, but Kamo wasn't sure if it was the best for this situation. This creature was far bigger and tougher than a group of droids were after all.

"Is this wise, sir?" He asked respectfully. "We'd be engaging in such close-quarters, especially inside the canyon itself. Our long range capability seems to be our best bet and a Star Destroyer could even the odds a bit."

"The Destroyers are needed to blockade this planet from potential intruders," Agiri stated. "More importantly, I and the other Field Commanders agree that it would be an excessive waste of air power. With communications hampered by the tower's destruction, we cannot effectively coordinate orbital bombardment either. It seems pointless to use such weapons on blowing up one angry reptile. Our forces will be sufficient."

He pointed to one of the nearby tanks. It sported two large pointed repulsor lift treads on either side while the main body was a stout little section of the vehicle with a swiveling turret atop it. It was also armed with two missile launchers on either side.

"That is an 2-M Repulsor Tank," Agiri informed him. "It is an effective anti-armor weapon, with a heavy laser cannon and missile launchers to boot. I have three full companies mobilized in this canyon. One on our side, the other on the adjacent side and the third split between the two with a few within the canyon itself. They alone are worth at least the equivalent of one Star Destroyer's fire power."

He then motioned over to another of the vehicles, a large, eight-legged, low to the ground walker with a slopped cockpit and a heavy turbolaser cannon on its back. It reminded Kamo a little of their own walkers, back during the Clones Wars.

"That is an SPMA," Agiri declared proudly. "The real thrust of this attack. Self-Propelled Medium Artillery, enough firepower to level a skyscraper on Coruscant to rubble in a single barrage. The heavy turbolaser up top is more accurate than even the tanks. I have a full two platoons worth of them on either side of the canyon. They will blind Alpha Predator One with relative ease, disabling his ability to strike back. While he's wounded the tanks will finish him off."

Agiri looked back to Kamo with a very pleased look.

"So you see, Communications Officer Kamo, the situation is well in hand," he declared rather stiffly. "We do not need a Star Destroyer to clean up this mess."

"I wouldn't presume this is enough to take on that creature, sir." Kamo warned once more. "This thing is extremely dangerous and possesses abilities more akin to actual weapons than anything I've ever seen from an ordinary animal. It destroyed several transports back at Solar Flare Field with just one blast."

At this point Agiri grew ever more tired and annoyed by the Clone Trooper's arguments. He shoved a finger into the old man's chest.

"The decision has already been made and we have committed to this strategy," he informed him. "We are not going to alter the plan now. You may appear to be seasoned, soldier, but that is because you are a lab experiment with an overactive aging rate. I have fought several battles against droids, insurrectionists and terror groups in the past. It is why the General poached me from another division, why his second, Commander Klusto, put me in charge of training new recruits and why I am leading this task force. We are only talking because, among your group of survivors, you are the only remaining officer of significant rank."

Kamo didn't care for Agiri's tone, but kept his mouth shut and let him go on his spiel. Let him boast for a bit longer, there was no sense in talking back and getting in more trouble. Agiri now raised his back up proper once more and took on his air of professionalism again.

"To be frank, having a Clone placed in such a capacity is most distressing," he explained. "Your kind is... defective and hard to properly command in my experience. I would hope, however, that you follow my instructions and will endeavor to make sure the rest of your unit does the same."

"Sir, I have no intention of disobeying orders," Kamo assured him. "I only wish to advise caution on a course of action I believe is potentially costly."

"I don't want to hear your complaints, I want your compliance," Agiri reiterated. "So inform me of whether I have it or not."

Kamo just sighed, there was no point in going on. It was like talking to a brick wall.

"Yes, sir," he relented at last. "You have it."

"Very good," Agiri declared with a smug smile. "Full briefing is within the hour. We expect a report from our probes by then on Alpha Predator One's progress. I expect to see you there for your instructions on how your people are to function in this operation. Good day, gentlemen."

Agiri left them, marching as all Imperial Officers like him seemed to do, his chest puffed out like a proud old bird with a big head. Kamo just glared at the man's back as he put his helmet back on. At least the Jedi, regardless of what they did in the end, respected the Clones they commanded for the most part.

"Guess he's not interested in listening to us, huh?" Arch asked.

"Well, maybe he has a point," Kamo admitted. "Maybe all these tanks and guns will be enough to take that thing down. If we can just find a weak spot, there's a chance we can pull it off."

"Any ideas where it might be?" Arch asked.

"No, but maybe that probe droid report will give me an idea," Kamo told him. "Go meet back up with the men, Arch. I'll see about Agiri's briefing and get back to you."

Arch just saluted and took off to meet back up with the others. Kamo knew now this wasn't going to be that easy. He was already thinking a whole new set of holes in this plan as Arch was leaving. By the time his mind settled down, he realized that they may all be in over their heads here. If nothing else, maybe this fight could reveal an actual weakness. He just hoped not too many people would die to discover it.

---

The Ghost kept out of visual range, making sure its scrambler was running at full capacity. To every Imp with a scanner down below, they were just more cosmic radiation in a sea of it. As for their big grey friend, they could see him from all the way up here just fine. He wasn't exactly hard to spot anymore since he started moving through the desert. Hera and Kanan watched the big grey reptile as it lumbered across the arid sands on its way towards a canyon in the distance. Sensors could read several probe droids circling it regularly, probably trying to get a read on the creature for the Empire to better combat it.

"You'd think they'd have sent down a Star Destroyer to bombard it," said Hera curiously.

"They're probably worried about the energy beam it fires," Kanan suggested. "Either that or they think that measure would be overkill."

"You can always count on the Empire to be overconfident," Hera huffed in response.

Although one wondered if the monster could be accused of the same vice. It didn't seem deterred from its present course, intent on entering the canyon it was heading towards. Hera suspected it could now see what her long-range scanners had already detected, a mass of repulsorlift tanks taking up positions along the ridge near the creature's approach. It didn't seem at all threatened by the show of force. The confrontation was inevitable now.

"How long do you think we'll have to get our probe?" She asked Kanan.

"Not long," he warned. "Either the probes will get shot down by friendly fire or that thing's massive tail when they go in too close. We need to move quickly if we're going to get one intact. Otherwise we're going to lose time fixing one."

That was certainly something they couldn't afford. They needed to get it back up, running and spying on its former masters quickly. All they needed to do was knock one out before it could spot key to accomplishing that was speed.

"You really think we can grab the probe fast enough?" Hera asked Kanan once more.

"It all depends on making sure they're all focused on the big scary titanic lizard," Kanan reiterated. "Which won't be too hard since he's kind of an eye catcher. I'm just hoping that this all pays off in the end."

Hera looked at him curiously upon that remark.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, her face somewhat rumpled into suspicious glare.

"I mean I'm wondering if this is going to pay off the way you and Ahsoka want it to," Kanan argued. "No matter what happens, security at that cloning facility is going to be tightened. I'm thinking we need to consider changing the plan."

"You agreed to the plan," Hera reminded him.

"That was before the giant angry lizard showed up," he retorted. "I know you were hoping to show a united front, but maybe we should consider just bombing that place with our air support and hoping that's enough. Otherwise, I think we might be wasting the opportunity to kill that thing they're building."

Hera understood his concerns, Kanan had been hesitant about this whole operation from the start. The reason he had gone along with it was to stop the Zillo-Beast they currently had close to finished. If it wasn't dead, it would probably be on Lothal within a month. Kanan didn't want that to happen. Partially because off all the people they had left behind would suffer for it. Hera suspected thought that it was mostly because it was Ezra's home.

He couldn't have the young padawan worrying even more about the planet they had left behind like they had. At least that was what Hera thought Kanan felt. Ezra had clearly felt horrible about abandoning his home to the Empire like they did. A monster parading around on it that they could've stopped would just compound the guilt. It made this mission more personal to Kanan because it was potentially personal to Ezra. This wasn't just about the history behind the cloning project, that much Hera was certain of.

"Believe me, I get where you're coming from," Hera assured him. "But you need to have faith in the overall picture. I'm positive Ahsoka will adjust the plan given these new circumstances. She wants that cloned Zillo-Beast dead as much as you do."

"I'm just worried we may have gotten in over our heads here, again," Kanan elaborated. "I want to do more, really. I just don't want us getting forced into something we can't get out of. I want us to be ready, not jumping into things we're not prepared for. It's not fair expecting this much of us this soon. We've lost too much already, especially Ezra."

Hera shared in Kanan's crestfallen look. She recognized the problem of moving too fast, doing things beyond their capability. They probably weren't ready for a lot things, honestly. But the Galaxy wouldn't wait for them to be and neither would the Empire. They couldn't find out what they were capable of if they didn't take the risk to test themselves.

"We've all lost a lot, it's true," she agreed. "But we're part of something bigger now and we have to accept that. We need to believe we can do this or we're not going to get far in anything. It's like that old saying goes I guess, trust in The Force."

"Yeah, that's always a bit of a wild card to be honest," Kanan responded with a bit of a jovial huff.

It wasn't meant to be dismissive, just an acknowledgment that the saying was a bit abject in some things. You couldn't really put all your eggs in the basket of an overarching mystical energy that bound the universe together, Hera knew that. Still, it helped to know there was something out there that could potentially help them, even if it was in a less than direct way. At least he sounded a bit more lighthearted again.

"Well, if you need something more tangible," she suggested comfortingly. "Trust in the crew. In Zeb, Sabine, Chop, Ezra... and me."

"I always trust you, Hera," Kanan assured her with a grin. "How many times have you been there to pull me out of a fire after all?"

"Well I can get the score chart and check," she slyly admitted.

Kanan let out a surprised snicker at that.

"You keep track?" He asked.

"Someone has to," she stated smiling coyly. She then bent over to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll go over the plan with Ahsoka when she lands. We all realize things are going to have to change now. We all know that. Let's just focus on actually getting the landing ships to the surface first."

Before the conversation could go further, the sensors picked up something. The Tanks were opening up on the monster. The Empire was putting its plan into motion.

"Time to get to work then," Kanan declared, his face turning back to his more serious disposition. "I'll get the others ready."

"Nabbing a probe from under the Empire's nose during a fight with a giant monster," Hera stated as she took up the Ghost's stick. "If this wasn't on my bucket list before, it's about to be checked off now."

---

The attack was now underway. The tanks along the ridge had opened fire as soon as the monster got into range. They shot volley after volley as fast as their turrets and gunners could manage. The creature didn't seem at all bothered by the constant barrage though, if anything to Kamo it looked like it was just making him angrier. He roared as the shots continued to battered his hard grey scaly hide. Stand from a forward observation post among the other Troopers, watching the opening moves of the attack unfold, Kamo radioed Agiri about the progress so far.

"Alpha Predator One is taking every shot the tanks are throwing at him," he reported. "He hasn't fired back yet, but he certainly doesn't feel welcomed."

"It's nothing to be concerned about, Officer Kamo," Agiri informed him rather plainly. "We are merely luring him into the trap. Advise the Tank Commanders to pull back once he's within half a kilometer of the Canyon entrance. He won't be able to resist the chase."

"Yes, sir," Kamo replied, holding back a few of his less than agreeable thoughts on the subject.

It was true, the monster probably wouldn't resist the chase. The problem was did they really want him to chase them? Especially when all they seemed to be doing was annoying him. There wasn't much Kamo could though, he was lucky enough that Agiri decided he could man the observation post. The Lieutenant Commander was leading this operation, he had to carry out his orders. Didn't mean he wouldn't act on his own initiative though, as he suspected he would soon have to.

It wasn't long before the creature passed Agiri's line in the sand of sorts and the tanks pulled back from the edge. The lumbering lizard still hadn't fired his beam weapon again and Kamo wondered why. Maybe it didn't have as big a range as he had once thought or maybe he just didn't feel like wasting it just yet. Who could say as far as a mammoth reptile was concerned. Kamo had been trained to anticipate the tactics and moves of enemy soldiers, not monsters.

As Agiri had predicted, the monster soon entered the Canyon. Kamo and the rest of the observation post pulled back to a safer position near the artillery positions hidden in the rocks nearby. These weren't mobile guns like the ones on the SPMAs. These were stationary and used when one wanted something with a longer range. They were slightly upgraded models from the ones Kamo had seen used in the Clone Wars. It was among these guns that they then waited for Agiri's order to spring the trap. Kamo found Arch manning one of the artillery cannons.

"I'll give Agiri this much," Arch began as he hefted a shell into the cannon. "These are some major guns. And compared to the ones on the walkers, they're kids toys. Maybe we can at least make the lizard think twice."

"Let's not assume anything until we actually get some results," Kamo warned. "I've been in enough scraps to know battles rarely go how you'd like them."

Agiri's voice suddenly came over the nearby command channel.

"All guns, the creature is entering the total saturation target mark," he declared. "Fire at will! Reduce this monstrosity to ashes!"

On the Commander's orders, Arch quickly closed the shell hatch for the artillery cannon and gave a thumbs up to the gunner. Within moments, that gun and several more opened up with a furious barrage of super-heated plasma. They cascaded down upon the monster, colliding with his head. The beast roared back as the barrage continued, pouring shells down the length of his back.

"I think we're actually hurting it!" Arch state jubilantly as he loaded another shell.

Kamo looked through his marcobinoculars, seeing for himself that the young Private wasn't wrong in his assumption. This time, the lizard did look to be in pain. Pain wasn't the same as wounded though and when the smoke cleared all Kamo could see were those same angry yellow eyes from mere moments before.

The tanks and artillery walkers lurched out of their cover and sped towards attack position. Missiles and energy blasts hurtled into the monster's body from both sides of the canyon. They continued to pummel him repeatedly, eliciting more angry roars from him. Yet nothing seemed to be piercing the hide of the reptile. Kamo couldn't make out any damage, no blood, no cuts. It didn't make sense. Agiri apparently noticed it too, as his next orders over the radio came down.

"Focus fire on Alpha Predator One's head," he ordered. "Blow it clean off if you have to!"

The monster acted before the tanks could. He smashed his tail into the side of the canyon walls, shaking the very ground beneath them with each swipe. The miniature earthquakes threw off the aim of the Imperials just enough that the creature was able to escape their barrage and duck down into the canyon for cover entirely.

"Tanks, move up and fire down at the dumb animal!" Agiri ordered. "Finish it off!"

Finish it off? Clearly the Lieutenant Commander didn't take the creature's move for what it was, but Kamo could. It was getting itself out of the range of fire, not falling down in pain. Those tails swipes of his had probably destroyed the turbolaser cannon positions he had seen in the caves before. He could still hear the shaking and rumbling beneath his feet now. The monster was punching or slamming itself into the rock to get rid of the remaining turrets harassing him from below. At the same time, he was avoiding the tanks and artillery walkers hitting him from the side. The worse part was though, that Agiri was closing the gap between the those same tanks and the monster itself. Kamo quickly got on the line and tried to report in.

"Sir, I strongly advise against sending the tanks," he warned. "They'll be in danger at that close a range to the monster."

"Thank you for your advice, Officer Kamo," Agiri replied haughtily. "I shall take it under advisement. Tank Commanders, proceed to the canyon edge and lay into the target!"

Now all Kamo could do was watch as the tanks moved closer for what they probably thought was an easy kill. It would not be. As the 2-Ms approached the edge, a grey scaly head crested back up from below. It roared briefly and then slammed its massive skull into the side of the canyon, crushing three tanks as it. The creature's tail then slashed across the opposite side of the canyon, smashing the tanks beneath its massive weight. The monster's hand raised up from below next and dug into the rock where another 2-M squad was positioned, crushing them all in his grip. The Imperials had now been lured into Alpha Predator One's trap.

"We need to get him off them!" Kamo shouted at Arch. "He's slaughtering the tank crews at that range!"

Arch was already loading another shell into the artillery piece before Kamo finished talking. He then looked up to the gunner.

"This one's danger close! Hit him on the nose!" Arch yelled at him. "Square between the nostrils!"

"I'll do one better," the Stormtrooper manning the weapon promised back. "I'll get one right up it!"

The gunner fired the shot and let the shell fly. It flew through the sky before plummeting back down. True to the gunner's promise it landed as close as was reasonably possible to where he said he'd put it. Alpha Predator One seemed to snuff and snort as the shell exploded on his nose. He wasn't sure it had gone up the nostril, but Kamo admired the shot nonetheless.

"Good aim, right on target," he reported to the gunners. "Do it again, force him off the canyon wall!"

"Yeah," Arch agreed, grabbing another shell to load up. "He'll be picking plasma out of his nose for the next decade when we're through with him!"

As Arch loaded the shell, however, Kamo noticed something through his macrobinoculars. One of the Artillery Walkers was closing into range with the monster's head. It apparently had gotten a similar idea and was trying to hit Alpha Predator One in the nose to make him back off from what was left of the tanks near the edge. Moments later, the second artillery shot plummeted onto his head. An energy blast from the walker hit him in the aftermath. They were really laying into him.

The monster shook his head about and scratched at his scorched nasal passage for a moment and then, Kamo swore, the monster locked eyes with him right through the macrobinoculars. A red hot rage seemed to surge in the creature's yellow eyes. It was as if the beast's gaze was focused solely on Kamo, seeing him and only him as it stared back in utter contempt.

The battle itself suddenly vanished and all Kamo could soon see were those eyes. Those angry, vicious, murderous eyes, the likes of which he hadn't seen since the Clone Wars on the head clanker, General Grievous. He had only seen them in propaganda holovids the Seps transmitted on hijacked transmissions, but they felt so like his. The creature's gaze was permeated with violence and wrath, a desire to kill and destroy. It was almost as if the monster was saying 'I know that you hurt me. I know it was you. And now you'll die for it.'

Alpha Predator One broke the long murderous gaze at last and then looked back down towards the walker that was still shooting at him. Kamo wondered why the creature hadn't just fired its beam at him, but he didn't wonder long. The lizard grabbed the artillery walker in his jaws. Between its gigantic teeth, the reptile raised its enormous head up, reeled back and then released the captured walker. It tumbled through the air, end over end like a child's toy. Kamo didn't need to guess where it was headed and he knew that it would stop looking like a kid's plaything the closer it got.

"Everyone! Evacuate!" He shouted aloud to any who could hear. "Get the hell out of here! RUN! Walker incoming!"

He pointed up to the tumbling little black dot that was approaching them and everyone instantly followed his lead. They jumped from their guns, abandoned their positions and made a mad dash for safety. Kamo grabbed Arch and pushed him in front of him. The two ran as fast as they could manage. When they got to a group of rocks, they both vaulted over them and ducked down into cover.

The walker collapsed onto the guns soon after. The artillery pieces were crushed under the massive metal weight of the walker and the shells faired o better. When detonated, the entire area was filled with exploding plasma and fire. Kamo kept Arch's head down as the blaze rocketed past them, along with several bits of debris.

When it was over, there wasn't a single gun left standing. Kamo could see the bodies of troopers who hadn't made it out of the blast radius in time nearby. Their armor was melted and scorched from the plasma blast, their corpses burned beyond recognition.

"Holy crap," Arch said as he and Kamo poked their heads up. "He just destroyed our entire artillery position! With one of our own walkers even!"

It was worse than Arch knew. That creature could've just fired his breath at anytime and got the same effect. It hadn't, probably because it was keeping that in reserve. Perhaps it used up much of his power and it didn't want to waste it just yet. He could even just be toying with them, letting them forget he had it before he fired the damn beam and incinerated them all. He had a sneaking suspicion though that it was something else.

The creature's murderous glare had given it away. He wanted to hurt them, show them that he could rain down death from the sky with just as deadly precision as any of them. Worse yet, his method had been more effective. This wasn't a dumb animal like Agiri had thought, it was, as Kamo had suspected, something far worse. The old Clone Trooper had only now just realized that they had made a big mistake, one that would probably cost every Stormtrooper here their lives.

---

This had probably been the strangest plan Kanan had come up with, but Ezra had to admit that not even the Imperials would see it coming. How could they, when they were too busy getting their white-armored behinds handed to them by a rampaging reptile. Ezra almost felt sorry for them, almost. They should've just backed off instead of trying to engage the big grey lizard again. The fact it had destroyed most of their planetside TIEs was enough evidence of that. He couldn't think about the bantha fodder the bucketheads had just stepped in right now though, they had a job of their own.

"Alright, Chop, I think you're all set," he told the rusty droid as he pulled tightly on the chord one last time.

Chopper grumbled at the young boy angrily, expressing his distaste for this entire exercise even more. Zeb was quick to put him in his place once again.

"Would you relax?" He scolded the droid. "You're going to be fine. That cable is near as strong as my arm."

"Besides," Ezra reminded him. "You're the only one that can get close enough to shock one of those probes. The Phantom is too big, they'll pick it up on sensors. But another droid flying around isn't going to get much attention until it's too late."

Chopper beeped and grumbled a series of sounds, filled with several expletives no one dared repeat. The gist of the response to Ezra was essentially 'Why don't you go fishing for them with yourself as the hook then?' but in a far less polite way.

"They'll pick up our lifesigns and heat signature as organics," Ezra said, repeating Kanan's words exactly. "You are more likely to be seen as just another probe droid. Besides, if something goes wrong you can fly. You have the jump jet after all."

Chopper's little arms sprung out of his head as he spouted off several angry beeps at Ezra faster than one could process.

"You are not going to fall into a war zone if you're careful," Zeb told him aggressively. "Now either you get ready to jump out or I'm going to throw you out, you little mouthy pile of bolts!"

Chopper grumbled something about the Droid Gottra and how maybe they had the right idea about organics and the like. Ezra just sighed and patted the surly droid on the head.

"Look, buddy, we're not going to let anything happen to you," he promised. "We'll be right up here, making sure nothing goes wrong. And we won't get you too close to the big ugly lizard currently making life hell for our Imperial friends."

Chopper let out a robotic 'grr' of acceptance and rolled over to the edge of Phantom's shuttle door, muttering another series of beeps as he did.

"Yeah, yeah, extra oil bath and everything when we're done," Zeb promised, his hand waving about. "Honestly, this isn't the craziest thing we've asked of you."

"Alright," Ezra said, looking up to the cockpit. "We're good to go, Kanan."

Ezra's Jedi Master took up the control stick in his hand and grinned back at them.

"Let's go fishing then," he stated. "Scanners say we're right over a cluster of probes documenting the fight. We're out of range of their scanners, but we need to be quick. Good luck down there, Chop."

The droid gave another series of disgruntled beeps and then rolled off the side of the Phantom's open shuttle door with a guttural robotic scream. The cord he was attached to spun out of its reel from the belly of the Phantom's exit at a frantic speed. Zeb kept his hand on the locking mechanism, waiting for Kanan's word. A mere minute later it came.

"Lock it!" Kanan yelled back.

Zeb pulled the lever and the reel stopped spinning. The chord went taught and began to swing about in the sky. Ezra looked out the window, several hundred feet down to where he could just make out Chopper swaying in mid air.

"Is he okay?" Ezra called back to Kanan.

"His signal is coming through fine," Kanan assured his padawan. "I got it on the scope now."

Ezra walked back over to see how things were going from Chop's point of view. He saw the little droid was now staring at several Imperial Probe Droids, all recording the gigantic lizard still assaulting the Stormtroopers. Chopper had front row seats to all the action and was able to catch the enormous reptile stamping his hand into a column of Imperial Tanks like they were nothing but tin cans.

"They're really getting torn to shreds down there," Ezra spoke aloud, not really trying to hide his slight sense of sympathy for the Imps and their predicament.

"All the more reason to wrap this up quickly," Kanan replied, not taking anymore pleasure in the sight than Ezra was. "That megaton krayt dragon is going to mop them up eventually and he'll take the probe droids with him. All Chop has to do is snag one, so let's hope he can be inconspicuous."

Chopper swayed for a few more seconds, lining up his shot with one of the probe droids. When he thought he had him in his sights, the old astromech rocketed forward with his jump jet. Humming some kind of weird tune to himself as he did. Kanan just sighed as he listened over the monitors.

"I'm just remembering he doesn't do inconspicuous well," he said as he exhaled. "Now I feel really stupid."

"Now?" Zeb chortled from the back. "I thought this was pretty dumb from the start. I didn't say anything because I thought it would be funny."

"You are not helping," Kanan grumbled back.

Chopper did manage to close in on one of the probes, but for some reason it suddenly moved tot he left. Kanan was worried that it had spotted them, as was Ezra. They both gritted their teeth in fear that their plan had just been blown and that the Imperials were going to learn they were here any second.

Chopper in the meantime sailed past the probes and inched even closer to the giant reptile, getting a good view of it as it roared ferociously at the Stormtroopers below. Chopper quickly swung himself around, turning away from the creature and fired his thrusters to come at one of the probes from the side. The chord twisted and turned as Chopper blasted around to the side. Finally, he collided with one the Probes. He shocked it shortly after impact with electroshock prod and then grabbed at it with his little arms as it shorted out.

"He's got one!" Ezra shouted happily, shaking the back of Kanan's seat in delight.

"Zeb, pull him in, fast!" Kanan shouted. "We need to get it aboard and shut it down before it can turn back on and transmit!"

Zeb pulled the lever once more and Chopper began to ascend. To speed up his climb, Chopper blasted his jump jet and boosted back up into the Phantom with his prize. He dropped the probe on the floor and began to spin his head around while whooping excitedly. Zeb quickly grabbed the still depowered probe and quickly found the off switch for it.

"Well, you actually pulled it off," Zeb said to Chopper. "Color me surprised."

Chopper poked one of his forearms into Zeb's chest, beeped a series of angry electronic sounds and rolled up to the cockpit.

"Yeah, next time I'm the bait," he huffed at the droid. "Like we're ever gonna do something like this again."

At least they now had their probe droid. All that they needed to do now was fix it up and make it work for them. They didn't need to stick around here for that though, which was fine by everyone involved.

"I'll contact Hera and let her know we're coming back in," Kanan said. "With any luck we'll be at the Orbital Gun by sundown and we can send in the droid to assess their defenses."

"Hopefully they haven't sent too many Troopers there by now," Ezra added.

The young Jedi briefly looked out the side cockpit window at the Stormtroopers below. The monster was still on the warpath, now using its tail to smash down on tanks along the Canyon ledge. Ezra could see smoke and fire rising from all along the ridge.

"Those guys probably won't be a problem at least," he stated with a sullen look on his face. "Kanan, is it wrong I feel little sad for them?"

"Jedi don't take pleasure in seeing things die," Kanan reminded him. "There's nothing wrong in feeling bad for a life ending."

"Yeah, but they're still the enemy," Ezra reminded him. "It feels weird. Aren't we supposed to not feel bad about this?"

"It's something every Jedi has to reconcile," Kanan admitted. "The fact that our enemies are people too and we will probably be forced to kill them. It's the sad fact of any conflict."

Ezra had never thought of it like that, but he supposed it made sense. He did hate the Empire, for everything it did, but he did recall his time infiltrating the Academy on Lothal. Those kids there were mostly just normal people like he was. How many of the Stormtroopers they had fought against were once like that? He supposed in this case he could take solace in the fact it wasn't him doing any of the killing this time. He still felt weird though.

His eyes were soon drawn to the monster, as Kanan fired up the engines and got ready to leave. He wasn't sure, but as he looked at the creature he got a weird feeling. Kanan had described it before, anger, ferocious primal rage, seemed to emanate from the giant reptile. However, it didn't feel like hate, no not hate, but righteous fury. Like he had felt when he stood up to the Inquisitor on the Star Destroyer to help Kanan, or before then when he had made that speech through the hacked Imperial Communications Tower. That kind of anger, that's what Ezra felt, but he didn't understand why. What was motivating this big grey monster?

As the Phantom turned to leave, Ezra finally got a hint to his answer, a trickle in The Force that resonated something beneath the fury and rage. Pain, deep, unrelenting pain. For something that happened, for something someone did? He didn't know. Ezra was sure of one thing though, this wasn't a random attack. This thing had an endgame of some kind. He didn't know what it ultimately was, but Ezra knew what the creature's current goal was; making the Troopers hurt. The big grey lizard was definitely doing a good job of that so far.

---

Insects, the lot of them, full of arrogance, pride and insolence. So much like the humans from home. They still thought themselves stronger even after everything. Unlike the humans he had fought before though, these ones had stronger weapons and they did hurt far worse than others. Godzilla knew he could withstand them, but he dared not do so for long. He found their most potent weapons in their arsenal and endeavored to render them useless. Without the huge guns launching their plasma into his nose, he had regained the initiative. Godzilla would now teach them a lesson in true pain and crush them beneath his might one at a time. Their pitiful tanks were nothing more than bits of tin to him.

That didn't seem to deter them from firing on him though. Godzilla took a barrage of missiles up along his back from a column of tanks moving up into the carnage. He could never tell whether the humans behind these war machines were brave, stupid or just mindless in general. They were indeed like a hive of insects, buzzing and crawling about in their little formations and carrying out their little strategies. As if whatever plans their hive mind, or whatever it was that drove them, would be enough. He'd reveal how great an error in judgment this was now. Godzilla's fins lit up bright blue and he fired a blast of his atomic breath. He held back its full power to retain energy, but even holding back the power of his nuclear blast was enough. The tanks went bright red and began to melt into molten slag, their crews included.

As he kept firing, a series of energy beams slammed into the side of his face, partially hitting his eye. Godzilla turned, snarling as the beams kept hitting and scorching his skin. It was one of their little walking guns, like the one he had picked up and thrown moments before. The stupid humans inside thought they could somehow fare better than them. So much confidence in their little toys, how sure their were of the power they could wield. They knew nothing of real power though, just in how they could abuse what little they had obtained. For that mistake their toy would now become their tomb.

Blocking the incoming beams from the little walker with his hand, Godzilla turned around and then swatted the tiny machine with the tip of his tail. Looking back over his shoulder, he watched the puny weapon of war roll sideways across the ground. Pieces of its gun and chassis snapped off, more of the little white-clad humans in its way were crushed beneath it. Eventually the vehicle came to stop when it smashed into a pile of large rocks. Flames rose up from the machine's belly, its useless little legs flopping to the side.

As Godzilla moved his head back to the front, a series of laser blasts struck him under the chin. Growling, he peered down on a single tank surrounded by more white-clad soldiers. This was getting tiresome, did they not see what their comrades had suffered? They should've just retreated by now as they did before. Did they just not care? Did they all have death wishes? If that was the case, he'd oblige them.

He raised a fist over the tank and the soldiers standing beside it. Then he dropped the fist down on all their heads and crushed them beneath it. Godzilla then dug his claws into the rock and slashed it across the canyon edge, churning up rock and earth. The upturned bits and pieces of the canyon's cliff rained back down on the soldiers below, burying them alive.

Godzilla turned back to the canyon trench ahead of him once again, just in time to see a true surprise. A column of tanks were moving up towards him along the canyon floor. They fired missiles and laser cannon blasts in repeated succession. The shots slammed into his chest and followed up towards his neck. When one missile hit him along the side of his head, Godzilla let loose a furious roar. Their weapons were indeed stronger, they did hurt him. Hurting him was a mistake.

He stomped forward through the canyon, stamping his foot down on one of the nearest tanks. He then raised his head up, swiveled it around as blue lights emanated from his fins. As atomic fire boiled in the back of his throat, Godzilla could see the tanks starting to back away from him. Only now, too late, did they understand. He let loose a full blast, stretching it from the front to the back of their column, obliterating one after the other as the beam cut through them. The tanks' turrets exploded off of them in little towers of flame, others were simply incinerated.

When it was over, the canyon floor was a sea of fire. Those beneath it who were not dead yet soon would be. Now the white-clad humans would know there was no defense, not against him, not against what he was. Godzilla turned towards his left and prepared to fire again. Blue energy burned and broiled through his teeth and then he released it in a massive beam that set the canyon edge ablaze with a wall of fire. Several more tanks, walking guns and white-clad soldiers just melted away.

Godzilla prepared to fire another blast along the opposite side of the canyon. They would learn. He'd turn this whole arid rocky desert into glass if he had to. Force was the only thing the human respected and understood. And these humans would respect him or die.

---

Everything had gone wrong faster than even Kamo had predicted they would. This wasn't a battle, this was a slaughter. Even the fighting on Felucia in the Clone Wars was never this bad, at least there they could hide behind the giant multi-colored trees. That and none of the Clankers were three hundred and fifty feet high and spewing fire. They weren't going to win this fight, Kamo knew that now for sure. He wasn't about to run away though, not with good men still dying on the field.

With no guns left to man, Kamo sprung into action with the surviving artillery men. Somehow they managed to make their way through the devastation to locate a few Speeder Bikes near the back of the lines. They all took the steering wheels and started the bikes up, racing them back towards the front. They weren't heading in to fight Alpha Predator One though, they were looking for wounded.

"There's a 2-M in Section Two near the rock formation," he shouted on the radio as Arch drove them through the fiery debris. "Could be survivors, get someone over there if you can."

"We're close to it, sir," came a response. "We'll check on it and report back."

"Officer Kamo," another team suddenly reported in. "We found some troopers alive! They got trapped under an 2-M strut that crashed down on their position when it exploded. We're getting them out now."

"Good," Kamo replied. "Get them out of here fast as you can. Me and Arch are going to see about an SPMA that got tossed into some rocks up ahead."

Arch stopped the speeder just a few feet away from the downed artillery walker. With the monster's rampage still ongoing in the background, they clambered onto the belly of the upside down vehicle. This would've been easier if these things had proper cockpit windows, but things weren't completely hopeless. All walkers, no matter how big or small, had an escape hatch below the chassis. They just needed to find it. Luckily, Arch had a keen eye.

"I got the hatch here, sir," Arch said banging on the metal stomach of the walker.

Kamo walked over and saw the outline of the hatch. The mechanism appeared jammed, but that wasn't going to keep him out. He told Arch to stand back as he raised his blaster rifle to the locking mechanism. He stomped a few times with his foot on the hatch, hoping anyone nearby would hear and stand back. The metal was too thick for his voice to carry through. In a blaze of red blaster bolts, the lock was blown away and Arch forced open the heavy steel door. Inside they found two troopers, still alive, staring up at them.

"Anyone else in there?" Arch called down.

"Just our driver," one responded. "But he's stuck in the cockpit! We need a cutting torch to get him out."

Kamo had thankfully packed a cutting torch from the emergency supplies they found near the speeder bikes. He passed it over to Arch and ushered him down into the walker.

"Cut the driver out," Kamo ordered the Private. "I'll help them up."

Arch jumped down into the vehicle while Kamo reached his arm down to help the trapped Troopers out of the vehicle. As he did he got a report back from one of the rescue teams.

"Found a survivor, sir. He's unconscious but alive."

"Good, get him back to Command," Kamo ordered. "We're bringing in three survivors ourselves."

As the two trapped Troopers finally got out, Kamo looked towards the enemy for a moment. The super-sized reptile was still trashing what little remained of their attack force. However, he seemed more focused on the opposite side of the canyon for now. Nothing he could do for the soldiers stuck over there. He had to keep focused on what he could do here. However, that quickly became a lot more difficult.

"Officer Kamo, where are you?"

Agiri, great, what did he want? Reluctantly, Kamo answered the transmission in the most respectable manner he could muster. Although he really didn't feel like being all the respectable right now.

"Lieutenant Commander, I'm currently in the thick of it right now," he explained. "I'm trying to find survivors in the wreckage with what's left of the artillery team."

"Well at least I've finally managed to get through all this chaos on the airwaves," Agiri growled. "I take it the stationary artillery cannons are all gone then?

They haven't been firing for the past ten minutes so yes they're all gone, he wanted to say. He also wanted to add to that 'I'm alive and uninjured by the way, thank you for asking' in the most brazenly sarcastic way imaginable. Kamo's filter was in full effect though, so he went with what Agiri expected.

"Alpha Predator One completely destroyed the position, sir," he explained. "We only have a squad and half left of men now. We're doing our best to find survivors."

"And who exactly authorized this rescue operation of yours?" Agiri questioned sternly.

Was he really upset about what Kamo suspected he was about to get chewed out for? He didn't realize he needed to clear it with Command to help save soldiers. Again though, Kamo just sucked it up and responded how he was supposed to, how he had been trained to.

"I took it upon myself to coordinate the effort," he informed Agiri. "We've found several men alive so far."

"I don't care," Agiri shouted back. "You are a Communications Officer, you relay orders, you do not issue them of your own accord! Get those men you've commandeered back here, now! I want all infantry off the field! We're going to send every vehicle we have left in a concentrated assault while the creature's back is turned! We're going to fire everything we have at him!"

Kamo was almost out of respectability now, but he did his best to put up a decent front.

"Sir, I don't believe that will work," Kamo reported. "The monster's hide is too thick and those fins of his provide extra protection. We need to fall back and conserve what forces we have left."

"I am not about to take a lesson in strategy from an aging lab experiment!" Agiri yelled back in a rage. "Return those men to my command and clear the field for the assault now! I have every tank and gun left on the other side of the canyon distracting Alpha Predator One! I need to attack now before they're exhausted! So clear the field at once!"

Kamo shut the radio off. He wasn't going to abandon the rescue efforts just so Agiri could send more good soldiers to die pointlessly. He had to stop the attack, but he couldn't think of any way to do that. Save for one, Agiri wouldn't send the rest of the tanks and walkers in if Alpha Predator One decided to return his attention back to this side of the canyon. He knew the monster hated the artillery weapons most, but there were practically none left on the field he could use to get the lizard's attention. Even the one he was currently standing on was in no shape to start firing again.

Arch came back up a few seconds later, hoisting up an injured SPMA driver through the hatch. Kamo helped get him out and passed him down to his two crewmates waiting below. Arch managed to climb out of the overturned walker by himself.

"Where to next, sir?" He asked. "We bringing these three back to the medics?"

"Yeah, along with everyone else," Kamo replied with a grave tone. "Agiri wants the field cleared so he can launch a full-scale assault while our big friend is distracted."

"What? That's crazy!" Arch shouted in shock. "That's just gonna add to the body count at this point!"

"I tried to tell him that and he didn't listen," he informed the private, shaking his head. "We need to find a way to get that thing's attention. If it turns away from Agiri's distraction, he'll be forced to call off the attack."

He pointed to Arch's macrobinoculars and the Scout Trooper handed them over. Kamo scanned the battlefield in front of him, trying to find something they could use. Through sheer luck he spotted something, a badly damaged SPMA with a great big hole in its side. Probably caused during one of the creature's tail or claw swipes. However, what mattered to Kamo was that its gun was still intact. He pointed it out to Arch.

"There, we can use that thing's gun to get his attention!" He told the Private.

"Okay, but are you sure about this," Arch asked hesitantly. "I mean, Agiri ain't gonna like you spoiling his plan."

"He doesn't like me already," Kamo reminded him sternly. "All I care about is making sure we don't lose more people to this meat grinder. You know as well as I do that we've already lost this fight. We need to save what we can or we'll never take this thing down. Are you with me, Arch?"

There was barely even a hint of hesitation in Arch. He stood up, balling one of his fists as he did.

"I'm with you," he swore. "Just tell me what to do."

"Call in one of the bikes nearby, we'll have them pick them up," Kamo said, pointing to the rescued crew below them on the ground. "Then, we're going to get to that damaged walker and get that monster's eyes back on us again."

Arch followed Kamo's orders to the letter, calling in a nearby speeder group to help get their survivors out of here. Kamo then called up the rest of the bikers and told them to clear the area, if only to make sure they wouldn't get caught when the monster's rage turned back to their side of the canyon. Mostly though it was to give the illusion he was following Agiri's orders. By the time the Lieutenant Commander figured out what was happening, it would be too late.

They drove up to the damaged SPMA walker in a matter of minutes. Alpha Predator One was still attacking the forces on the opposite side of the canyon. Given how quickly it had made scrap out of their side's forces, Kamo didn't think they'd last much longer. Agiri would be launching his attack any moment. If they had any chance of stopping it they'd have to fire up the gun now.

Arch rushed inside the torn open vehicle and took up the targeting controls. The artillery gun extended from the vehicle as it rose up into the sky. Kamo stayed on the gun's sensory terminal, it was badly damaged but still functional. He attempted to direct Arch's aim towards the most sensitive spot on the creature he could identify from this position, right behind the temple.

"Increase the energy dial to full power," Kamo suggested. "We need to get him focused on us within the first few shots."

"I got it as high as it can go," Arch replied. "Hopefully the power cell isn't cracked or we're going up with it."

"We'll be fine," Kamo assured. "The real problem comes when he spots us."

Arch fired the gun and sent a pulsing beam right into the back of creature's head. The monster's rampage suddenly stopped and he turned slowly back around to stare down at the damaged walker. His mouth opened slightly as blue fire started pooling in his mouth. Kamo's stomach tightened, there was no way they could run fast enough to get away from that. Unless they tried something desperate, wouldn't be the first time to today though. Kamo's brain started working overtime and he came upon an idea.

"Arch, shoot at the mouth just as he's about to fire!" He shouted.

Arch quickly nodded at Kamo's order, instantly understanding the plan. He re-targeted, using the big blue ball of flame welling in the back of the creature's throat as a bullseye. When he fired once more, a powerful beam of energy raced out of the artillery gun and collided with the blue light forming in the monster's maw. There was a terrible explosion as the creature's blast backfired, part of it spewing out of the side of his mouth and the rest erupting within.

Alpha Predator One roared in pain and anguish as it stumbled backwards, slamming into the canyon wall behind him. Smoke billowed up from his jaws as his giant hands scrambled at his inflamed snout. Arch and Kamo ran out to get a good look at what had happened, surprised the blast hadn't blown the creature's own head off. It looked like they had at least taken him down a peg, but the grim reality soon came back.

Alpha Predator One forced himself off the canyon wall he had crashed into and back onto his feet. With smoke still pouring from his mouth and nostrils, the giant lizard raised both of his fists in the air and singled out the damaged SPMA. Arch and Kamo started slowly backing up before breaking into a sprint. The two powerful fists soon crashed down on top of their position. They had barely managed to just escape the crushing weight of the monster's claws.

The shockwave they could not avoid, however, and both slammed head first into the rocks as they were thrown back. Arch got pushed up against a rock, but luckily didn't crash into it head first. He was hurt, but at least his neck hadn't been snapped. Kamo managed to roll with the wave better and got to his feet quickly. He raced back towards the fist, firing his blaster as he did.

This is stupid, he thought, really stupid. This thing had killed a lot of good soldiers though and at least one good friend. He had hurt it badly just now, him and Arch. Kamo didn't feel like letting up now, not while it was hurting. He raced to the still enclosed reptilian fists and grabbed onto one of the scales. He began firing into the hand at point blank range while he held on. The laser bolts seemed to scorch the skin a bit, but not by much. This was little more than a big bite to him, nothing. Kamo now instantly regretted this pretty foolhardy little attack of his.

Suddenly, the fist started rising into the air. Kamo wasn't sure if the monster had noticed him or if he was just raising his arm back up. Either way, Kamo didn't feel like sticking around to find out. The Clone Trooper fired one last time as he prepared to jump back down off the hand. That was when he heard something crack and he slipped off. He landed with a thud on the ground, his armor now covered in dirt. He looked and saw his hand was still clutching a piece of the monster's scale. Perhaps all that shooting had done some damage after all.

The creature now turned back towards where the majority of the fire was coming from. However, he didn't go back to fighting them tooth and nail. Instead, he used the gash his body had created in the canyon wall as a step ladder to get out of the canyon. He scrambled over the rock and onto the ledge, standing at his full height over all once more. He started stomping through what was left of the tanks and mobile artillery, moving away from the canyon altogether.

Kamo supposed he couldn't blame the lizard from leaving, the creature had to know it had won. He had broken their defenses and there was nothing left to preoccupy him in the slightest. The monster just walked away from the battle with no real injuries of note. Not even the artillery shot that had hit him in the mouth and caused his breath to backfire moments before seemed to register with him anymore. They had thrown whole columns of tanks and heavy guns at this thing, yet to him it was nothing. All they had to show for their efforts were a lot of dead men, broken equipment and a piece of giant dewback scale.

Arch eventually rushed over to help Kamo up and they both watched the giant grey reptile lumber away. Arch eventually noticed the scale within Kamo's hand.

"You ripped that off him?" He asked.

"Yeah, guess I did," Kamo nodded. "At least we managed to break something off."

"And we know a weakness," Arch added. "We hit him in the mouth next time, not the eyes. Bigger target, less armor."

That sounded like a good idea to Kamo, but it would have to get past one person in particular. Speaking of whom, Kamo just now spotted him. Agiri was racing towards them, riding on the strut of a 2-M tank. Kamo gave him credit, he half expected him to show up in a fancy landspeeder. Didn't mean Kamo suddenly liked the prospect of getting chewed out by the womp rat though. Agiri jumped off the strut and approached Kamo and Arch now, his face boiling with anger.

"Are you suffering from cell degeneration, Clone?" He rhetorically demanded. "I gave you specific orders and your disobeyed them! I had the tanks ready to get underway and your little hero stunt ruined everything! Not only did we lose our chance to catch him with his back turned, but you gave Alpha Predator One a means of escape! You just cost us our one chance to end that monster quickly and efficiently! What possessed you to disobey my direct orders?"

"With respect, sir," Kamo began astutely. "I followed your orders. You told me to send the men back to your command and clear the field. I did. I acted within my own judgment from there and I decided that we needed a better plan. I believed using the creature's own weapon against it could be more effective than a full on assault."

"So you decided to play hero then?" Agiri asked haughtily. "Well look how that turned out, Clone. We lost the objective! He's now stomping off to who knows where! Probably to another Imperial instalation to demolish it!"

"To be direct, sir," Kamo continued. "We had already lost this fight once it destroyed most of the heavy vehicles. I think it is clear we need far bigger weapons than just tanks."

Agiri moved up into Kamo's face, his glower growing ever wider. The Lieutenant Commander's eyes glared angrily through the helmet's visor at the old clone.

"I will decide what our strategy is and what we need," he declared. "You do not make decisions, period."

He prodded Kamo in the chest with his fingertip, but the Clone refused to back down. It was Arch who finally broke the tension between the two.

"Sir, Officer Kamo recovered a piece of the creature's hide," he explained.

The Scout Trooper forced Kamo's hand up into Agiri's field of vision.

"We can use this," the Scout Trooper insisted. "We just need to send it down to the scientists in that big old lab."

Agiri eyed the scale for a moment longer and then took it from Kamo's hands.

"Very well, I suppose we can snatch a victory from this defeat with any luck," he relented, still sounding threatening as he did. "But trust me, Clone, this insubordination will not stand. I will see to both of these matters personally. Do not attempt to undermine me again. Dismissed."

Agiri walked away, heading back to the tank. Arch breathed a sigh of relief as he left. Kamo just kept staring. Once again his thoughts drifted back to the Jedi and how they commanded their soldiers. Regardless of their faults, at that moment Kamo felt he would give anything to have any Jedi here instead of Agiri. It was the first time in a long time that he had ever wished a Jedi was leading him. They weren't here though, this wasn't the Republic anymore, it was the Empire. And this was just how the Empire treated its soldiers. But he kept that thought buried inside, where no one could hear, see or even sense it.

However, when Agiri had left, the other soldiers that had followed him gathered around the old Clone. The Stormtroopers started patting him on the back, complimenting him and Arch for what they did. Not just for hurting Alpha Predator One, but for helping to save so many of their comrades. There was a lot of praise to go around and it didn't stop when Kamo and Arch started heading back with them to regroup with everyone else. A few even started chanting his name for a bit during the walk back, only briefly though. Kamo then thought that maybe, just maybe, a little of the Old Republic was still alive after all.

---

They had hurt him, badly. He would recover, but it didn't matter. They had hurt him. The worthless little insects had hurt him. With his own power no less! How dare they. Their kind had no right, no right at all. They had already done more than enough to him. More than they could ever realize.

As Godzilla stomped away though, he did not feel hate for the white-clad humans. No, he felt pity for them, as he knew how much they would suffer for this insult. He could already feel a great power residing in the mountains beyond. He could feel its energy resonating in the very air. That would be where he'd strike next.

They still believed they had power, that the small victory of sorts they had earned in the middle of a crushing defeat somehow vindicated them no doubt. He'd show them how wrong they were. How easy it was for that power to be stripped away. Then they'd know pain, greater than anything they had ever inflicted on him.

Break their toys, the monuments to their egos, the symbols of their dominion and they would crumble, they always did. These humans would be no different. Let them think they knew a weakness, a method to exploit. It would make no difference, they would still be crushed. True power did not come from weapons, technology or even strength. It came from will and his will would prove stronger in the end. It always had. For unlike the human, he had nothing so material to lose.

---

AN: Please do review, and if you are curious as to some of my thoughts for this chapter check out the update on the profile page under the Imperial Emergency Broadcast announcement. It should give you some better insight into some of my ideas for the story. Thank you for reading and good luck on finding those Easter Eggs I've hidden.