Chapter Two:

Raid on Imperial Base Rohka

Rohkaro, the Southern Reaches of the Outer Rim, Ken'dy Sector.

In the months following the end of the Clone Wars, the Republic-turned Galactic Empire had established it's presence in the region and began setting up military installations there. During the war, the Republic had sent troops to the planet in the event of a Separatist attack with the promise of a temporary occupation.

Only now, the occupation was no longer guaranteed to be temporary. Clone Troopers patrolled the streets of Ho'lar'tuuk City, guarding spaceports and maintaining their positions in strategic areas outside the towns and settlements.

With the Empire's rise and the Imperial occupation, shady dealers and criminals had found it hard to conduct their business without facing a crackdown. Any dissidents were executed or imprisoned.

Fear would keep the citizens in line, fear of the Empire.

Far from the streets and eyes of the citizens, the 52005th Battalion guarded the Rohka Imperial Outpost, one of the Empire's main bases on Rohkaro.

It had been constructed atop the ruins of an ancient monastery that had long been abandoned before the Clone War, Clones patrolled the base's walls, blasters ready and turrets manned.

"What do you make of the T-8s that just came out of the factory?" A trooper asked.

"The others were talking about how the T-5s are faster with superior firepower." Another said.

BOOM!

"What was that?"

"Likely another training exercise."

"It didn't sound like a training exercise to me, I think we may be under..."

PYEW!

A blaster shot struck the Clone in the helmet, knocking him over, then another shot hit his brother and the second Clone went down. Nearby clone troopers prepared their weapons and an alarm shouted, turrets rotated into position, they were under attack!

Speeder bikes raced in, driven by humanoid beings in masks wearing specialized uniforms. Fingers squeezed triggers and the bikes' blasters exploded, firing on the troopers rushing to defend the base.

A turret on the side of the base's wall exploded, struck by heavy blaster fire, followed by another turret, causing the clones mounting the big guns to go flying in flames. The gates of Rohka exploded from blaster fire and guards scattered, a pair of beings of different species in various outfits charged in, their weapons ablaze.

Every Clone fought to defend the base, but they were taken out in seconds.

The speeder bikes parked and their drivers, a pair of Pikes, dismounted and rushed towards the gates, firing at the Clones even as some of their allies were taken out or injured by Imperial firepower. A lean Transdoshian wearing modified Clone armor threw a grenade, knocking out a Clone with red markings on his helmet.

"Red alert!" An Imperial captain yelled into his com, "We are under attack by insurgents! I repeat, we are under attack! Send reinforcements, all squads on... AH!"

A Twi'lek with a scar on his leku wearing a camo-decorated uniform knocked the captain unconscious and then proceeded onward with storming the base's walls alongside his comrades.

On the other side of the area surrounding the base, a dark figure made his way over the wall and ambushed on the nearest guard, taking him out of commission. And then, he made his way inside the base, swiftly.

Inside the facility, Clones rushed to their stations, blasters ready, a battalion of guards racing to combat positions in Hall 3. Alarms blared and blaster fire went off in the halls. Despite their limited number, the insurgents had pushed their way through the defenses and taken out as much of the guards as they could.

"Natives?" A Clone asked.

"Unknown..." Another answered, "...and we can't even tell if they're with the Separatist loyalists still at large. Keep the insurgents at bay and drive them back, defend the base at all costs."

Just then, the lights flickered and the rooms went dark, the alarms continued wailing and the sounds of blaster fire continued to echo through the base's walls, getting closer and louder. The clones in the corridor firmly gripped their blasters, prepared for the impending attack...

Someone snarled in the dark, footsteps came closer. And then, a thrumming sound filled the audio sensors of every Clone's helmet and pierced their ears, a vibrant light illuminating the dark as a cloaked figure with yellow eyes came closer with a gleaming black-and-white blade.

The clones opened fire, aiming for the intruder, who swung the blade and deflected the shots back in the guards' direction. One trooper went down and the dark figure raised his hand, smirking evilly as another guard was lifted off the ground, gasping and gagging before being thrown into a wall.

The sinister warrior sliced up a blaster with the stroke of his blade and plunged it into the heart of the Clone, ending the soldier's life.

"JEDI?!" One guard cried.

"Is that some kind of lightsaber?!" Another screamed before the blade came up.

Blaster fire struck several Clones, taking them down, the dark wielder went for another and the blade went through the Clone's neck. The head fell away and the body dropped, more Clones rushed in, gunning for the intruders.

An explosion ripped the halls, followed by more blaster fire as the intruders battled with the guards, taking them down.

Darth Maul, the former Sith Lord, smiled and led his followers, the militants of Crimson Dawn, through the corridors to the main control room of the base, maiming and slaying every last Imperial in the vicinity.

"HALT, IDENTIFY!" One Clone yelled, he was cut short with the stroke of the Darksaber, a special lightsaber once wielded by the Mandalorians.

"Let us plunder the resources stored within this base's walls..." Maul told his forces, "...and then we shall leave this outpost to ruin, hitting Darth Sidious' Empire where it hurts. We shall show no mercy, Crimson Dawn will never capitulate to Imperial demands and we shall never submit."

Maul grabbed some explosives from one of his followers' bags and tossed them about the room with the Force, laughing with glee, as his forces plundered the Imperials' equipment, the stored fuel in the storage, and gathered as many logs as they could find in the computers.

And the guards didn't stand a chance, not even against the Force...