Chapter 4 – The First Shot
Author's Notes:
Hi everybody, sorry it took so long. I have been busy with the college. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter.
For those who are confused on why the UANS jumped straight into the fight, let me explain. One is that many of the UANS, especially the Sangheili, see the CIS as cowards by using just machines to do all the fighting. They see that the war crimes that the CIS have done are unforgivable, and action must be taken to stop them. The UANS has decided to follow the Mantle, and that means they must protect all life, even in another galaxy. Too many lives have already been lost in this war and they will end it now. They also don't want the CIS finding out about the Forerunners, the Flood, or the Halos. Can you imagine what they could do with those? They are stupid and would try to control them, just for profit. But, they wouldn't be able to. And they would end up releasing the Flood on two galaxies.
Also, changed the Republic ship's name to the "Spirit Adventurer", because the name "Twilight" already belongs to a different class ship. Made this change to all chapters mentioning it.
Also, the UANS and the Sangheili are the big brother types. Remember that.
Now enjoy Chapter 4
Oh, and please don't forget to review. Also, the chapters before this one have been updated and the ending was changed a little at the end on the last chapter, so you may want to look at the changes. Not big, just Team Epsilon is given a different assignment.
Update!
Place: Planet Tatooine, Republic defense position surrounding Jabba the Hutt's palace
Time: 0910 hours, November 23rd, 2600 UANS calendar
Commander Cody was preparing his troopers. They had come down as soon as the Spirit Adventurer had gotten to Tatooine and surrounded Jabba's palace. With him, was the Spirit Adventurer's entire assortment of men and vehicles, which included: 40 LAATs, 24 AT-TEs and AT-RTs, 30 BARC speeders, 10 Turbo Tanks, and at least 2,000 troopers. There was also close to 70 bounty hunters and other mercenaries the Hutts had brought for there own protection. It wasn't much, but it would have to do till reinforcements arrived. Cody already knew that he was going to lose a lot of brothers during this fight.
He was at the make shift communication station with Jabba the Hutt, the rest of the Hutt Grand Council, Senator Organa, Representative Binks, and Senator Amidala's personal protocol droid, C-3PO, were there with him. The station was inside the palace, making it a less vulnerable target. There were also a few of the Hutts' bounty hunters with them. Three of them Cody was acquainted with or knew someone who was, all Cody was not happy to see. One was Cad Bane, a Duros bounty hunter who had caused a lot of problems for the Republic over the war. Another was Aurra Sing, a female near-human who had caused troubles for both Padmé and Ahsoka since the beginning of the war. They were not going to like seeing her again. The other was Boba Fett, the "son" of Jango Fett, the Mandalorian bounty hunter who was the blue print for the clone army. He had grown over the last few years and now wore his father's armor. He also did not liking having to work with Aurra Sing. They had worked together before and he felt that her actions were too aggressive and she did not care who got hurt, as long as she got her target. There were also a few other bounty hunters that Cody did not know their names. There was a Zabrak female, a Kyuzo male, some sort of exosuit-armored bounty hunter, a Gungan male with one eye, a huge vibroblade, and most of one of its headtails was missing, a Rodian male, and several other human, alien, and droid bounty hunters. They were preparing for when the CIS ships arrived and started deploying their droids.
Also present was some late arrivals that had arrived there during the night. These guests were a surprise to everyone, all of them being Jedi, or at least they said they were. They had told them that the Council would probably not know they were here and for some, could not confirm them as Jedi. They said they weren't a part of the war, but they would help defend the Hutts while they were there.
The first to arrive was an elderly male Veknoid by the name of Zao. He had just walked up to the front of the palace from the desert with his cane and asked to be let in politely. The guards then tried to push him out, which proved to be the wrong choice. Zao had then used his cane to simple disarm and defeat the five guards. He then entered the palace and introduced himself as a Jedi Master. At first, the Hutts did not fully believe him, but they soon believed him when they realized that he had taken out all five guards, while totally blind in both eyes. He said he saw the galaxy with the Force only. They realized only a Jedi could do such a thing.
The next to arrive was an even bigger surprise, especially to the clones when they arrived. Arriving in an old beaten up Z-95 Headhunter starfighter was a female Kaminoan Jedi Master by the name of Kina Ha. She said that the Council could not confirm her as a Jedi or a Jedi Master. She had been trained by a Jedi Master without the permission of the Council and probably could not be considered a real Jedi Master. She was also surprising over a thousand years old. She had been genetically altered to survive long hyperspace journeys. Unfortunately, the other Kaminoans treated her as an outcast due to a miscalculation that altered her Force-sensitivity and allowed her to become a Jedi. As soon as Cody met her, he immediately knew she was very different from other Kaminoans. She did not have the general disdain for imperfection seen in most Kaminoans, probably because she was seen as imperfect amongst her own people. She had journeyed around the galaxy during her early years. She had been living in seclusion on the sea floor of Kamino for a while now and only came here after having a vision a few days ago.
The last to arrive was an interesting group of so called Jedi. They arrived together in some ancient old rust bucket of a ship. Out of the ship came one male Sunesi by the name of Aqinos and twelve droids that consisted of old Juggernaut war droids, FLTCH series droids, and Uulshos Justice droids. The strangest thing about these droids was that they all carried lightsabers and were named after lightsaber crystals. Aqinos had told the Hutts that he was officially no longer a member of the Jedi Order due to him training his "Iron Knights" in the way of the Force during the Arkanian Revolution. The Iron Knights were in fact members of the sentient silicon-based crystal species known as Shards. In their natural state, Shards were immobile and had to be installed in specially modified droids if they wished to explore. When Aqinos discovered this group of Shard as Force-sensitive on Orax, he decided to train them as Jedi. When the Jedi Council had excommunicated and exiled Aqinos for training them, they followed him to Dweem. They had all come here after Aqinos had a Force vision telling him to come.
Cody was certain something big was going on. There was no way all these Jedi would come here for no reason and without knowing about the meeting with the Hutts. The arrival of the CIS ships also proved to be just another problem for him. He had called the Republic to tell them of the new situation with CIS ships and these Jedi. The Chancellor and the Jedi Council were equally surprised with the arrival of these Jedi. The Council talked about how something strange was going on Tatooine and that in fact a back up fleet was on its way, being lead by Grandmaster Yoda and several other Jedi. Yoda and these Jedi had also had a vision about Tatooine and was interested in why so many Jedi were being called through the Force there as well.
But, the Hutts were apparently more concerned with the unknown arrivals. The Hutts did not like unexpected surprises and these new contacts were quite the surprise. They were thinking about if they should send some of their bounty hunters to deal with them. Senator Organa was trying desperately to keep them from starting another war. The Jedi were conversing with each other over how they had all been brought there and wondering if these new contacts were somehow involved with their visions.
Cody was getting worried about all these strange events and was worried it was a bad sign for them. Just then, one of his soldiers ran up to him and the group at the comm station.
"Sir, we have two contacts approaching from the east."
With that, Cody ran outside with the Hutts, Senator, and Jedi right behind him. Cody grabbed his macrobinoculars and looked up.
He saw the two contacts. He identified one as the LAAT that General Kenobi had taken to the new contacts base, but the other was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was smooth and graceful like the unknown ship in space, but black with a white skull painted on the front. Right before he could think of anything else, his communicator went off. Cody answered it. It was General Kenobi.
"Commander Cody, we are inbound to the palace. Do not fire on us."
"General, I see you. Who is that behind you?"
"They are a special forces team from the group we met. They are here to help us defend the Hutts. They are also sending more troops to help defend the main line of defense. Do not fire upon them when they arrive. You'll know them when you see them. Myself, Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex and his men, and this team will be there shortly. When the reinforcements arrive, tell your troopers to get in touch with their commanding officer, a Fieldmaster Kado, and bring him to the palace. I wish to speak with him. Also, get in touch with the Jedi Council and the Chancellor, we need to discuss some things."
"They want to help us? Why would they risk war so quickly? Who are they?" Cody asked, confusion starting to make its way into his voice.
"I don't really know yet, but from what Padmé has told me so far, they are called the United Alliance of National Species and they are from an entirely different galaxy. Good luck Cody."
"Okay… wait what?"
But Obi-Wan had already disconnected his communication device, and leaving Cody more confused then ever. An army from a different galaxy, and they wanted to help them. This battle and war had just gotten even more complicated, again.
At this same time, inside the LAAT heading towards Jabba's palace, Obi-Wan was going over what he had just learned from Padmé, Satine, and Typho. To say that he was just as confused as Cody was an understatement, he was beyond confused. He basically had no knowledge of what was going on.
As soon as the news of the CIS fleet arriving had made it to him, he had ordered his men and the Senator's group back onto the LAAT. As they waited for the LAAT to get prep, Obi-Wan saw the strange armored human and his team head towards and enter one of the many aircrafts on the field, except this one was black with a white skull painted on the front. Seconds later, the two aircrafts lifted from the airfield and headed towards Jabba's palace.
On the way, Padmé began to tell Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, and his men what she and her companions had learned from the UANS. She began with telling them that they were from a different galaxy, and that they were here because of some ruins that were buried under the sand. After that, she was silent on the subject. She wanted to discuss everything else with both the Chancellor and the Jedi Council. She said that she would need a lot of time to explain everything and she did not feel like saying all she had to say more then once. She had explained a little of the species that made up the UANS, but not much else.
Obi-Wan knew that there was still more to learn, and then explain to the Jedi Council, but they had other more important matters to get to, which was to safely escort the Senator to Jabba's palace and to protect him and the rest of the Hutts there.
But, Obi-Wan's mind kept coming to this UANS. Why were these ruins they came here for so important to them? Why did they jump so quickly into this fight? Something was up and the UANS was hiding something. His mind also kept turning to this Captain Max. If he was right, this "Spartan", as he was called, was even more special then the UANS knew or was revealing. That also went for the two other soldiers as well that were a part of his team. He just wondered how much special they really were.
At this same instant, Max was giving his team prep. He had the night before ordered his team get all of there equipment onto the Hawk-Bat, he did not want to be caught off guard. He was not going to wait for the CIS to attack first. No, he was going to be prepared and ready for action right when they attacked.
Max spoke to his team. He said, "Alright Epsilon, our mission is to guard the Hutts and the Senators. I do not want any of you picking fights and trying to arrest these Hutts. They may be crime lords, but they are the responsibility of this galaxy's government and therefore their responsibility only. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," his teammates shouted their answer.
"Good, now that everyone knows what we need to do, we will use our call signs during this battle. Give green light if understood."
Max then lifted his hand to his helmet and the comm came on. He then saw the rest of his team reach for their comm devices as well. He heard all of his team give the green light, with the green light appearing on his HUD, acknowledging it.
"This is Lightning," Caltore spoke up from the "Hawk-Bat's" co-pilot seat, "Green light." He had his two energy daggers on his shoulders and his two energy swords on his thighs. He also had several smoke grenades, an energy garrote, and a Radar Jammer around his waist. He also had his Arc Rifle on his back. His armor's built-in active camouflage was fully charged and ready to be used. Max also noticed how Caltore was roughly 8 ft tall, as compared to the average Sangheili being 7 ft. Caltore obvious taller height was a rare genetic defect, but the extra height did not hinder his assassination skills.
"This is Blade," Alue spoke, "Green light." Her energy stave was on her back. Her energy blades were on her thighs. She had her Arc Rifle by her side. She had her katana blade out and was currently wiping it with a cloth.
"This is Heracles," Brutus spoke up from the pilots seat, "Green light." He had his Gravity Mallets were attached to his belt. His Stinger Shotgun was on his back. His Blazer Machine Gun was lying behind his seat, with a huge canister filled with extra tanks of ammo for it behind his seat. He had also grabbed an Armor Lock device for his armor, should he need it. He also had grabbed three Spike Grenades. He also had an "Avery Cigar" lit in his mouth and some big goggles around his neck.
"This is Fly," Diblo's mechanical voice spoke up from his wrist computer, "Green light." He had his Plasma Needler and his Double Barrel Pistol at his waist. He had also added his anti-gravity units to his wings to allow him to fly faster and higher. He was typing away at his computer, working on a project of his. Max noticed that beneath his purple armor, Diblo had a red shell. Diblo also had two horns going backwards on his head. Max looked at Diblo and thought of how if Diblo had never been born an unmutual, he would have been given command of a Yanme'e attack swarm.
"This is Bang," Mok spoke, "Green light." He had his Plasma Magnum on his left leg and his grandfather's Beam Rifle on his back. He had his Sentinel Rifle in his hands. He had also grabbed an energy gauntlet, just in cased someone got to close for his comfort. He had also grabbed a jet pack, to allow him to get to heights faster and easier. He was currently looking at a totem necklace around his neck. It was of a Kig-yar with two cutlasses crossing each other. The necklace was a family heirloom of his and was his good luck charm.
"This is Tracker," Dax spoke, "Green light." He had his Jackal Knife on his robotic left arm. He had also asked Fixer to install one of his wrist gauntlets into his robotic hand so he did not have to remember to grab two each time last night. It allowed him to use it better and faster. The other gauntlet was on his other arm. His Needle Pistol was at his waist. His Assault Needler was on his back. His hologram gear was attached to his armor. He was currently taking apart his Magnos Beam and cleaning all it's parts.
"This is Fixer," Just Right spoke, "Green light." He had his two Needle Pistols and two energy knives on top of his armored back. He had also grabbed a Drop Shield device to help defend himself and heal his allies. He had also grabbed some bio-foam canisters, just in case he needed it. He was currently working on a blaster that he had borrowed from the Senator. As Max watched his medic/engineer work, the blaster was taken apart into a million little pieces in seconds and then put back together in the same seconds. Though it looked exactly the same, Max knew that Fixer had probably improved it in a million different ways.
"This is Boom," Lelek spoke, "Green light." He had his two Plasma Magnums at his waist. His Plasma Rocket and PlaFrag Launcher were both stripped down to smaller modes and magnetically attached to his tank of methane. He was currently going through a bag of explosives he had put together. It was filled with PlaFrag Grenades, C-4 charges, Bouncing Betties, Plasma charges, and other explosives.
"This is Singer," Kalmar spoke, "Green light." He was kneeling down at the entrance with his bond brother. His body and spikes were vibrating while he spoke. His gravity broad and assault cannon were ready for action. He was humming a small tune at this time.
"This is Writer," Jala spoke, "Green light." His gravity broad and double barrel assault cannon were ready as well. His body and spikes were vibrating while he spoke as well. He was currently rumbling some words, probably trying to think of a good battle poem to celebrate this great battle that was going to happen.
"This is Redeem," Jalo spoke, "Green light." He had his two silenced Plasma Magnums in holsters on his gravity belt. His silenced Calpor SMGs were at his side for the moment. He was looking through his backpack of mystery. No one actually knew what was in there, except for Jalo.
Max then answered his team with, "This is Sparta. Green light for go." His energy katana were on his chest piece. His energy knife was at his waist. He had his Folra Rifle on his back and his Helic Rifle in his hands. He cocked the Helic.
Max then looked at Alue and Jalo. They nodded their heads, knowing what he was going to say next. Max then looked at the rest of his team. They saw the look he was giving them and knew that there was more he needed to say.
"Alright team, here's the deal. You are all probably wondering what the authorization code the Shipmaster gave me, Alue, and Jalo allowed us to do. So, here's the deal and my story. It all began with my childhood and then Project: R . . ."
A few minutes later, the two ships slowed and then landed outside the main door of the palace. There were a number of spacecraft around. There were also a number of clone troopers and other aliens and robots outside watching over the palace. Further out, there were even more clones and vehicles and walkers. A number of the clones approached the strange black craft with a skull painted on the front and raised their blasters by instinct.
As Obi-Wan's team exited their ship, he saw Commander Cody approached him. Right behind were Senator Organa, Representative Binks, C-3PO, Jabba and the rest of the Hutt Council, and their apparent bodyguards. There was also a group of people he didn't know a little bit back watching the "Hawk-Bat". Obi-Wan could not figure out who they were at first. He then noticed one was Jedi Master Zao, who Obi-Wan had met once at the Temple in his early years. Obi-Wan wondered why he was here. He was against the war from what he heard. The Hutts were also looking at the new ship with interest.
As Cody neared, Obi-Wan spoke. He said, "Cody, you can tell your men to stand down and let our guests get off their craft."
"Yes General," Cody said, "Troopers, stand down!"
The clones obeyed and lowered their blasters, but they were still prepared to use them in a second.
"Padmé, it's so good to see you unharmed. You had me worried when you did not come back yesterday," Senator Organa spoke to Padmé as he walked up to her and hugged her.
"I am sorry Bail. Things came up and by the time everything had slowed down, night had arrived and we could not travel without risking danger. We are lucky that our new friends invited us to spend the night. They are an interesting group. Speaking of which, Max and his team have not exited yet. I wonder why?"
"Probably getting their gear ready Senator," Captain Typho spoke, "From what I have seen and heard of them from the rest of their comrades, they are some of the best and considered quite serious soldiers when in combat. Yet, some of the most peculiar as well. The "marines" mention several nicknames that they have for them."
"Really," Anakin asked, "name some?
"Well, there was the Deathdealers, Hell's Keepers, Warriors of Silence, and Death's Musicians from what I heard."
"Strange names if I must say, but who are we to question the ways of others." said a new voice. Everyone turned to see Master Zao and the group he was with. The group consisted of a Sunesi, some droids, and oddly enough a Kaminoan. But, what was stranger was that they all had lightsabers and had a presence in the Force, even the droids.
"Indeed, and what a pleasure to meet you once again Master Zao," Obi-Wan spoke, "but, I must say, I was not expecting to see you or your friends here. What are you all doing here?"
"We were all called here by the Force for some reason," spoke the Kaminoan.
"Something big is going on here on Tatooine and the Force is trying to tell us something," spoke the Sunesi, "even Yoda is coming with the back-up fleet to investigate."
"Hmmm, this is strange," Obi-Wan spoke silently to himself, "I wonder. Could it somehow involve those three?"
Zao heard Obi-Wan's statement and spoke. He asked, "What three?"
Zao and everyone else were looking at him. But, Obi-Wan could not give them an answer. For at that moment, the ramp of the "Hawk-Bat" slowly started lowering. As the ramp touched the ground, Team Epsilon started to exit. Obi-Wan watched this special forces team members as they all started to get out.
The first out were two behemoths, each one crouching down as they walked out. When they got out, they stood to their full 12 ft height. Padmé had said they were called Mgalekgolo and that they were made of a smaller eel-like race called Lekgolo, which formed a "hive-mind" effect inside the Mgalekgolo armor. Each Mgalekgolo was just a whole colony made of Lekgolos. A Lekgolo colony came in a massive Mgalekgolo that could easily be the size of an AT-TE, as two Mgalekgolo who were around the sizes of these two, and many other forms, each with a unique purpose. Pairs were always near each other and were called bond brothers. The spikes that came out of their backs showed this. One of these Mgalekgolo wore a blue armor with green stripes and who had a huge cannon for a right arm and a giant shield for its left. It's other wore a green armor with blue stripes and who had a huge double barrel cannon for a left arm and a giant shield for its right. Both also had some sort of board on their backs, which Padmé had told him were gravity boards and could support their weight and get them to the battlefield fast. Their shields was made of the same material that their ships hulls were made of and could deflect almost all small arms fire, sometimes even larger firearms as well. Their cannon arms were covered in green pods of what Obi-Wan could only guess were filled with the plasma Padmé had said powered a lot of their tech and that they used as weapons. Obi-Wan also noticed orange flesh that seemed to keep moving on its own in places where there wasn't armor, mostly the neck, head, and their backs. Obi-Wan guessed these were the Lekgolo themselves. They were commonly called Hunters by the other marines.
The next out was one of the small, oversized forearm aliens with a cylindrical tank on its back and some sort of gas mask covering its entire face. It was about 5 1/2 ft tall and had a mottled gray, wrinkly skin. It wore fire orange armor with black smudges all over it. It had some sort of blasters at its waist and two large weapons attached to the tank on its back, which looked liked they had been taken apart so as to allow easy transportation. It also had a bag strapped across its right shoulder. It was called an Unggoy, but the marines just called them Grunts. They came from a world whose atmosphere was made of methane. They could not live outside their home world without the tank of methane or living in a methane filled home or room for very long. They were the weakest members of the UANS, but the most numerous. The Unggoy reproduced like mad and strict laws had to be placed on them to keep them from over populating and using up methane reserves. This Unggoy to Obi-Wan's eyes looked pretty tough for something considered the weakest member of an organization, but then again, Master Yoda had time and again proven size does not matter.
Right behind it came a floating squid/jellyfish looking alien that was a mix of pink, purple, and blue coloring. It also had six appendages, some sections of it were bulbous, a small snout, and several eyes. It wore a pinkish armor that had panels jutting out of its back. Obi-Wan noticed some sort of blasters on its panels and some sort of mini lightsaber rods. It was called a Huragok, but more commonly referred to as Engineers by the marines. They were apparently a race of biological supercomputers that were created by a long dead race known as the Forerunners. They were the UANS's researchers, engineers, and most recently, medics, both for the military and normal life. They could take apart any sort of technology down to microscopic level and put it back together, repaired and improved, in seconds. They were apparently docile and not violent in nature, but they would fight to defend themselves and their friends. They had just become medics in the military when some scientists invented a gel that could heal minor wounds on the battlefield. As the Huragok analyzed the gel, they learned they could reproduce the gel on their own and eject it from their tentacles. The Huragok apparently reproduced just by building more of themselves. They may have looked organic, but they in fact did not possess any true tissues or organs, but they had nano-mechanical surrogates that so closely mimicked their biological parts that they almost seemed organic to most observers. Huragok had mostly stayed out of the business of sides and only stayed with anyone to explore new technology. But, this changed when a Huragok absorbed the data of an advance AI and spread the data to the other Huragok. With this, they become more involved with politics and the other races. As Obi-Wan focused on the creature, he found that it was indeed alive and that it was as connected to the Force as any other living being.
The next out was a flying insect, which was around 6 ft tall and had a greenish-yellowish color, in purple armor. Obi-Wan noticed it had a red shell beneath the armor and two horns coming out of its head. It had two arms and four legs. One pair was attached to a pelvis like body segment, which were being used for walking, and the other pair was attached to an abdomen segment, which weren't being used at the moment. Its wings were underneath its shell. It had some sort of blaster with pink crystals, which were filled with some sort of glowing energy, sticking out of it and another blaster that had two barrels at its waist. It also had some sort of device on its left wrist, it looked like some sort of computer and had several wires connected to it. It was called a Yanme'e, but most perferred to call them Drones. They apparently were, like many insect species, centered on a hive-mind. This included queens, drones, workers, and soldier classes. They would usually work together in swarms to attack enemies. They used some sort of anti-gravity device to allow them to fly easily on any planet, which Obi-Wan could only assume were the strange devices on his shell wing cases. They may have looked weak, but a full-grown Yanme'e could lift a human into the air for several feet and then drop them to their deaths. The Yanme'e were the UANS's aerial insertion experts, scouts, surveillance, and could prove great distractions. They also helped out the Huragok as engineers on their ships. They apparently once had a deep jealously of the Huragok taking their jobs as engineers, but they had overcome this and grew to acknowledge the Huragok's intelligence and ask for advise from them on things that were hard to fix, then learn from them. As Obi-Wan focused on this Yanme'e, he wondered why this Yanme'e was not with its own kind. If they were hive-mind based, then it should not be able to work well with a team made up of different races.
Right behind it came two bird-like aliens. They both were about 6 to 7 ft tall. One had a dark brown armor on that resembled what Obi-Wan had seen the tall saurian aliens wearing mixed with what the humans were wearing. Its helmet had an open faceplate, to allow its extra long mouth through, that had some sort of scope attached to the right side and an opening in the back to let out its quill hair. Its armor had flaps at its arms that allowed quills to come out as well. Its eyes were an unearthly pale color and its skin was an orange color. It was also wearing some sort of necklace around its neck, with a wooden sculpture of one of its kind with two blades crossing each other. It was carrying a long rifle on its back and a different, equally long rifle in its hands. It also had some sort of device on its right wrist. It also had a small blaster at its side. The other one was wearing a lighter looking armor. This armor was exactly the same color of the sand. It had a cloak that covered its left side that was the same color. If it hadn't been moving, Obi-Wan probably could not have noticed it. The creature obviously looked like it knew camouflage. Obi-Wan then noticed that it was wearing a helmet that covered its eyes with yellow eye shields, and that instead of quills, it had feathers colored a rainbow of colors. Its mouth was slightly smaller then its counterpart and its body also looked more built then the other. Its skin was also a dark gray color. It had a very long blaster and another kind of blaster with pink crystals on it's back, a small blaster at its waist, and another device of similar design as the one on its companion on its right arm. They were called Kig-yar, or Jackals by most. They appeared avian, but they were in fact saurian in nature. They came from a society of pirates. They had stolen from rival clans in ancient times, and now they continued to pirate from everyone as space pirates. They had established a government, but numerous times it had collapsed on it self. Due to the help of the UANS, the government had become more stable and there were less Kig-yar pirates around now. There were still some, but they mostly stayed out of the UANS' problems and just worked on simple scams. They specialized as scouts and snipers in the military, since they had excellent senses of smell and sight. They also had a subspecies, called by most as Skirmishers. They had more built bodies and had feathers instead of quills. They were the Kig-yar shock troopers and specialized in both close and long range combat.
As soon as they got off, the bigheaded alien from before with gray armor came off. It was about 7 ft tall and had a brownish-pinkish skin color. It had two small blasters at its waist and two longer blasters in its hands. All four blasters looked like they had been modified from their original forms. The barrels looked longer then they were supposed to. It was also carrying a bag pack. It was called a San' Shyuum, but most called them Sans, Thinkers, or Science Dudes. They used to be called Prophets, but everyone thought of that as an insult to them now a days, especially the San' Shyuum. Obi-Wan did not get any real Intel on why, but Padmé said she would explain later. They were weak and had to use gravity belts to walk around straight without bending over. They did not usually enter the military as soldiers, more of scientists, engineers, intelligence agents, instructors, and technicians. They were also doctors and medics as well. They and human scientists worked together to build new tech to help the UANS in everyday life and military as well. They especially worked well with the UANS' OAI, which stood for "Office of Alliance Intelligence" and worked on many secret projects for the military.
Right behind the San' Shyuum, came the tall saurian with the blade and staff on its back. It was wearing an armor that was a green color mixed with a gold color. It was a little over 7 ft tall and had a gray skin color. Also, Obi-Wan noticed that there were a series of runes etched into the armor. It was wearing a helmet that was pointed in the back and let its mandibles out, but they were currently closed to make it seem like an ordinary jaw. It was carrying some sort of huge weapon that was glowing green were he could only assume it fired from. There were also two rods on its thighs that were similar to lightsabers. It was called a Sangheili, or Elites as most called them. As Obi-Wan looked upon the creature, he could not help but smile, the name suited it. The creature was covered head to toe with muscles. According to Padmé, the Sangheili society was centered on a militaristic government. The Sangheili were trained at an early age to fight. Their leaders were also chosen because of their skills and history in battle. It seemed barbaric to Obi-Wan, but they had apparently been doing this since before they had been space traveling. They were also very honor driven and if they drew a weapon, they were honor bound to use it. The loss of their blood was shameful, the Sangheili saw their blood as their physical honor and did not have many doctors among their people due to them believing that those who spilt blood for a living were dishonorable. The Sangheili mostly entered careers in the military as soldiers, captains of ships, generals, strategists, and other areas that involved combat. They had calmed down a little bit to at least let most human, Huragok, and sometimes San' Shyuum doctors patch them up and look over them. There were a few Sangheili that had little respect for the San' Shyuum, something over a conflict they had had a while ago.
As Obi-Wan looked over the San' Shyuum and the Sangheili, he felt their presences in the Force again. He was definitely right about those two, as well as their commanding officer. As he looked over the Sangheili again, he felt there was something different about it from the Shipmaster. But, he could not place what it was. He also noticed that Master Zao's group was looking at the two as well and the San' Shyuum and the Sangheili were looking at them back. But Master Zao was more focused on the craft. He couldn't see anything with his eyes, but Obi-Wan guessed that he was sensing the same thing that he had discovered as well.
Then Obi-Wan heard a grunt. He turned back to the aircraft and saw a huge mammal in white armor come out. It had a brownish fur color and was about 9 ft tall. Its face was hairless, showing gray skin, and had a fanged snout. It was carrying a few long spike sticks and two very large hammers with blades at its waist. Obi-Wan could not imagine why a creature would bring hammers onto a battlefield. There was a large canister in its right hand. It also had a strange blaster on it back with a huge blade on top and some sort of device under it. But, what was the most amazing was the huge weapon with three blades on the barrel and two small tanks near the middle, which it was carrying slung over its left shoulder with its left paw on it, like it weighed nothing. It was obviously strong by showing this action. The weapon had to weigh a few tons; along with the other gear it had on it. Obi-Wan then noticed that the creature had black skulls painted onto its shoulder guards. They looked almost exactly like the skull on the aircraft, but black instead of white. It also had some sort of goggles around its neck and a cigar in its mouth. If Obi-Wan had to guess, it was the pilot of the team. But, it apparently still could fight on the ground if it had that much firepower. It was called a Jiralhanae and apparently had anger problems. Their whole society was based on a warrior life style, giving them their nickname of Brutes. If someone got a Jiralhanae angry enough, they would enter a blind blood rage and kill anything in their path, even their own men if they weren't careful. As Obi-Wan observed this Jiralhanae, he did not sense any anger. Just calmness and relaxation, like nothing big was about to happen. This Jiralhanae was different from other Jiralhanae, Obi-Wan could feel it.
Next came another Sangheili, this one in a totally black armor and slightly taller than its counterpart, being around 8 ft tall. Its skin was more of a darker gray color. Its helmet was pointed at the front and enclosed its mandibles. It had two of the lightsaber like devices at its waist and one smaller rod on each shoulder. He also had several small canisters, a small red orb, and a thin rod at its waist. It was also carrying another of the same huge green blasters in its hands.
Right behind it came the Spartan soldier called Max. As Obi-Wan looked more closely at him, he noticed that the armor was not all red. The red plates were interlocked onto a black suit underneath. He also, along with his ridged helmet, had ridged armor on his shoulder and knee guards. There was also a small rod, similar to what the Huragok had, at its waist. On its chest piece were two bigger rods going in a down v-shape. There was some sort of blaster on its back that had a scope attached to the top. In its hands was another blaster, similar to what the Skirmisher had, but minus the pink crystals. Obi-Wan also noticed a small wrapped bundle at his waist. There also seemed to be a symbol on his shoulder guards. They were of a small circle at the top and within a bigger circle, with a line connecting it to the bottom of the bigger circle. There also seemed to be a R in the middle of the smaller circle.
As he exited the craft, all eyes fell on him. He also turned and observed his surroundings. After looking around, he approached Obi-Wan. He then spoke in his emotionless tone.
"I am Captain Spartan Maximilian-251 Washington. Address me as either Max or by my call sign, Sparta. Now, where are these Hutts my team is supposed to protect?"
"Oh, they are right there," Obi-Wan spoke and pointed towards Jabba and the rest of the Hutt Grand Council who were right behind him.
"Hmm, alright. Epsilon! Form up!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his team formed into a straight line in front of their aircraft. Max slowly walked to the front of his team. He turned his head to look each in their eyes, and his team in turn locked their eyes on his visor. He then addressed them.
"Okay Epsilon, here's the plan. Lightning, Fly, Tracker, Fixer, Redeem. I need you to lead the Hutts and the Senators into the palace and guard them from there. Lightning, you're in charge till I say otherwise. Redeem, I need you to act as ambassador for me and the entire UANS."
"Understood sir!" Caltore, Diblo, Dax, Fixer, and Jalo shouted. Max then turned towards his heavy weapons specialists.
"Singer and Writer, I need you two to guard the front entrance to the palace. Do not let anyone in unless the Jedi, the Senators, the Hutts, or I say so. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Kalmar and Jala both spoke.
"Blade, Heracles, Bang, Boom, you're with me. We'll stay out here and defend the outside of the palace. Understood?"
"Yes sir," Alue, Brutus, Mok, and Lelek responded
"Good. You all have your orders. Move out!"
"Yes sir!"
And with that Team Epsilon split up. Both Kalmar and Jala went and stood at the sides of the palace entrance. Max, Alue, Brutus, Mok, and Lelek decided to stand around the "Hawk-Bat". Caltore, Diblo, Dax, Fixer, and Jalo went towards Obi-Wan's group. Obi-Wan was impressed with how quickly this Spartan was able to give orders and get his team in motion.
As the group that had been told to watch the Hutts and Senators approached, the extra tall Sangheili in black armor raised his fist and slammed it into his chest. He then extended his hand. He then spoke in a calm, powerful voice.
"Greetings, I am Special Operations Major Caltore 'Voltar. My call sign is Lightning. I am Team Epsilon's second in command and assassin."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Caltore," Obi-Wan responded and took Caltore's hand.
Then the Yanme'e walked up and started typing on the small wrist computer. Then a computerized voice emitted from the device.
"Greetings, I am Major Diblo. My call sign is Fly. I am Team Epsilon's scout and hacker."
It then raised its hand and Obi-Wan took it as well.
Then the Kig-yar Skirmisher walked up and extended its right hand. It then spoke in a raspy, gruff voice.
"Name's Dax. Major Champion Dax. Call sign, Tracker. And I'm Epsilon's tracker/hunter."
Obi-Wan grabbed Dax's three-fingered hand and when he did, he felt something. This Dax had a small presence in the Force, just untrained. Obi-Wan also noticed that it still had its cloak covering its left side. Obi-Wan wondered why.
Then the Huragok approached and extended one of its tentacles. It then began whistling and moving it's other tentacles in many different motions. Then Diblo walked over and began typing on his computer. The mechanical voice then spoke up again.
"This is Minor Just Right, but he prefers to be called by his call sign Fixer. He is the team's engineer/intelligence gatherer and also our medic. He is honored to meet you."
"Oh, thank you Fixer," Obi-Wan spoke and then gently grabbed the tentacle offered.
Fixer then turned towards Padmé and floated over to her, Diblo following close behind. When Fixer was in front of Padmé, it grabbed a blaster that had been underneath one of its panels and presented it to her. Padmé accepted the blaster. It then turned to Diblo and started moving his tentacles in similar motions as before. Diblo then began typing on his computer again and soon the voice emitted again from the device.
"Fixer would like to thank you Padmé for letting him analyze blaster technology. It was a fun experience taking it apart and putting it back together."
"Oh, you are welcome Fixer," Padmé spoke.
With that, Fixer and Diblo went back to their group. As soon as they were back, the San 'Shyuum headed towards Obi-Wan. As it grew nearer, Obi-Wan focused more on it. He felt that it's mind was indeed strong and that it was pushing him back. Obi-Wan noticed that it face showed that it was calm, but he noticed a few spots of sweat dripping down. This San 'Shyuum had been trained to fight with it's mind, but it apparently had little experience with dealing with it in reality. Soon it was in front of him and right beside Caltore. It then extended its three-fingered hand and then spoke in a wise voice.
"Greetings, I am Major Jalo Kialo. My call sign is Redeem. I am Epsilon's translator/researcher/espionage specialist. I am also trained to act as an ambassador and a politician. As of this moment, I will be acting as the current ambassador between our two governments."
"I understand Jalo, so are you all ready," Obi-Wan spoke as he shook Jalo's hand.
Jalo then turned towards Caltore. Caltore nodded his head in a yes. Jalo then turned back to Obi-Wan. He then spoke.
"Yes, I believe we are."
"Excellent, now lets go and speak with the Jedi Council and the Chancellor. We need help and soon. We also need to learn a bit more about each other. Agreed?"
"Indeed," Caltore spoke.
At this moment, Jalo was looking at the group before him. He was frowning. He then spoke again.
"If I can offer some words of advice, I think your group might want to split up as well so that the palace doesn't become overcrowded."
Obi-Wan then looked behind him and noticed that Jalo had a good point. The group consisted of about 50 people. That probably would be overcrowded.
"Hmm, you are right. Rex, tell your men to surround the palace and guard it from all sides.
"Yes General," Rex spoke, "You heard him troopers."
"Yes sir," Rex's men shouted and began to surround the palace.
Then the Sunesi turned towards one of the droids and spoke to it.
"Ilum, ask for several of your children to stay here and help too."
"Yes Master Aqinos," the droid known as Ilum spoke in a feminine voice.
She then turned towards the other droids that had a presence in the Force. Soon most of the droids began to walk off to join the defenses. In the end, there were only two of the twelve droids left, Ilum and another. There were now about 20 people in the group.
"That's a good amount," Jalo spoke, "Large enough to allow us to be well defended and small enough so that we don't bump into each other if fighting starts. I believe now we are ready."
"You are correct. So, let's go meet the Jedi Council and the Chancellor. We need to get our facts straight."
The groups then headed towards the palace and the communication station where the Jedi Council and the Chancellor were waiting to speak to them. As they neared the entrance, the huge Mgalekgolo pair allowed them to pass. The last one in was Master Zao. As he was about to walk through, he turned his head to the side so that his blind right eye was looking in the direction of Team Epsilon. He did not need his eyes to see what he was sensing from a certain red armored soldier and a certain wrapped bundle at his waist. Then with a small smile, he turned back and continued into the palace.
Fieldmaster Kado 'Lodam was in the side seat of a new UANS Warthog. There was a human driving the Warthog. There was a Jiralhanae on the turret on the back. The Warthogs were basically the same as during the Human-Covenant war, but now it could switch from a four-wheeled vehicle to a hover vehicle. This changed was made after seeing both the positives and negatives of both types. They saw that hover tech allowed for faster speeds and wheels helped to increase maneuverability.
As soon as the Shipmaster had announced the situation, Kado had gotten his men battle ready and had headed for this Jabba's palace. This was going to be their first real battle for most of them. Of the Avery Johnson's 900 crewmembers, he was bringing 600 soldiers. 100 men had headed to the Johnson as engineers, officers, pilots, and other essential crewmembers. The last 200, Kado had ordered to stay back at the base and guard it and the ruins. He had also ordered them to continue excavating the ruins by using the 5 Tarantulas they had brought along to get started on digging.
The Tarantulas were the UANS's new improved Locusts units. They were mainly used for mining and excavating, but were just as capable of defending themselves as their predecessors. They had changed to the UANS's green color and had been changed from 4 legs to 8 legs, with a cockpit that could hold 3 or more crewmembers. Its charged plasma cannon had also been upgraded, allowing for them to fire more powerful and precise shots. They also had built in scanners that could detect structures in the earth. This allowed the Tarantulas to dig with their beams without damaging the ruins.
Kado had left them to continue incase the base was overrun and they had nowhere else to go. They could use the ruins as a back up base. They might also find a defense system and Sentinels. Those could be useful against these droids.
He had ordered his men to grab any weapons they could carry. Those weapons included the old Human-Covenant era weapons and equipment, which included Plasma Rifles, Needlers, Carbines, Spikers, Needle Rifles, Brute Shots, Flame Grenades, Concussion Rifles, Energy Swords, Gravity Hammers, Spartan Lasers, Sniper Rifles, Bubble Shields, Deployable Shields, Energy Drainers, and Regenerators. They had also brought Arc Rifles, Stinger Shotguns, Gravity Mallets, PlaFrag grenades, PlaFrag Launchers, Plasma Rockets, Plasma Needlers, Needle Pistols, Plasma Magnums, Sentinel Rifles, Magnos Beams, and Calpor SMGs. He had also told everyone to grab as many of the new EMP grenades as they could carry. The EMP grenade was in the prototype stages and had just been sent to the crew of the Johnson 5 months prior to test them out. They were meant to discharge an electromagnetic pulse in a 6 ft radius, taking out all electronic devices, be they powered electrically or by plasma. They hadn't really had time to test them. They definitely weren't expecting to get to test them out on an army of machines. Kado was glad they had something that could be useful, hopefully. They also grabbed a few Plasma Cannons and Machine Gun turrets. They had also brought some sand bags to help create defenses around the palace.
He also had every military vehicle they had. This included: 18 Warthogs, 20 T-Rex tanks, 15 Owl aircraft, 12 Raven transports, 30 Hawk transports, 40 Ferret cycles, and 20 Wraiths tanks. This was the every vehicle the Johnson's had onboard. It wasn't much, but it would have to do till the back up fleet arrived.
The Wraith tanks were the same, except they were a new UANS green color and had a better targeting system, making it easier to fire and hit the target you wanted. The T-Rex tanks were a different story. They were the UANS's new improved Scorpion tanks. It was basically the same in shape, except with a few exceptions. They were changed to hover tanks and been given a speed booster system. They also had two cannons, one larger then other, which was in fact a mini MAC gun. The mini MAC could fire up to two MAC rounds every 10 seconds without overheating. It also had 2 stabilizer legs in the front and 2 in the back that could grab onto the ground when the MAC needed to be fired, this would allow the tank to fire the MAC and not suffer from the recoil. The other cannon fired the same kind of round as the Scorpion, except this round was filled with plasma. It also had a machine gun turret in the front with a metal dome around it to protect the turret operator. The tank was also made of the same Wraith armor and it was the UANS green color. The tank driver's cockpit was also completely sealed like a Wraith, leaving the driver less of a target. The tank had also been given a shielding system to take more fire.
The Owl gunship was the UANS's new improved Sparrowhawk gunship. It was basically the same in shape, with a few new upgrades, one being a built in shield generator and a cloaking system. It still used dual ducted air fans to get into the air and fly, but it also had been given a speed booster to help it be as quick as any Banshee. It also had two dual GUA-23/AW/Linkless Feed Autocannons, which could switch from firing superheated metal rounds to plasma blasts. It also had two Spartan Cannons, which were the new and improved Spartan Lasers that were smaller and more powerful than their cousins, under the nose of the craft. They were the new UANS green color and were made of the same metal that the Banshees were made of. The Owl could hold one pilot and one gunner. It was also as silent as an owl before it attacks, giving them their name.
The Raven transports were the UANS's new improved Falcon transports. They were like most of the UANS's vehicles the same in shape. It still used twin turboprop engines, but it also had a speed booster system as well. It had been upgraded with a shielding system and the rotors could spin at a faster and quieter rate. It had also grown a bit. The cockpit could hold one pilot and one co-pilot. The nose of the Raven had also had a M638 Autocannon and a grenade launcher. The hold could also hold 8 people now, 4 door gunners and 4 passengers. The two door gunners nearest the nose were machine guns and the two in the back were grenade launchers. Doors had also been added to help protect the crew inside the hold and the gunners as well. The guns were in the hold with them and there were holes in the doors to let the guns barrels through.
The Ferret cycles were the UANS's replacement for the Mongoose and Ghost units. They combined both units into a pretty quick unit. It was used mostly for recon, but they could defend themselves. Their shape was the same as the Ghost, except that it could switch from a hover mode to a 4-wheeled mode, with two wheels in the back and 1 wheel on each wing. This was done for the same reasons as the Warthog. It also had a speed booster system like the Ghost. It was the UANS's green color. They fired twin plasma cannons, like the Ghost, but that were more powerful. It was also a two-seater, the front being the pilot and gunner and the back for a passenger. They were the UANS's fastest land vehicles in action now.
Kado's Warthog was leading the small army. Every single soldier and weapon had been loaded up inside every transport. The soldiers that could not fit inside a vehicle was riding on top of the T-Rex tanks and sweating from the heat. Some had also stayed back at the base till a transport could drop off their load and come get them. Kado was glad to know that the Leviathan and the rest of the back-up fleet would be here in a few hours, he did not know how long his men would last.
He was wearing his battle worn maroon Zealot armor, with blue lights running down the helmet and the shoulders. There were numerous marks and scratches on it from old battles. He was tapping on the Concussion Rifle he was holding. He also had his trustee Energy Sword and Plasma Rifle at his waist, as well as several PlaFrag and EMP grenades. Kado was over 100 years old, a veteran of both the Human-Covenant War and the War with the Loyalists. He had seen more action then anyone on the Johnson.
As they were traveling to Jabba's palace, Kado's old mind began to wander. He began thinking of battles and memories that always came to him when he was about to enter a battle. He slowly moved his hand down to his waist and grabbed something. He slowly brought the object up to his face.
It was a huge metal ring. It was about the size of a Sangheili fist. The strangest thing though was that there were old dog tags on it. There had to be at least 50 dog tags on it. As Kado continued to look at the ring, his mind went back to the time when he gained them.
Flashback: Sometime during the Human-Covenant War
The human soldier screamed as Kado thrust his blade through his heart. After a few seconds, the soldier became silent and moved no more. Slowly, Kado pulled the sword out. He then kneeled down to the human and closed the soldiers eyes shut. He then reached for the deceased soldier's dog tags and ripped the chain from his neck. He then removed the chain and added the tags to his ring, which Kado had been adding to from every human soldier he killed with his hands personally. He then spoke a silent prayer.
"Rest in peace warrior. It was an honor facing you in combat. May you find a place of safety for you and your kin in the afterlife."
"Fieldmaster!" someone shouted.
Kado turned to see one of his Sangheili Minors running up to him. Kado also looked around and notice that the rest of his soldiers were finishing up the rest of the human soldiers stationed at this outpost. He then turned back to the Minor.
"What is it soldier?"
"Fieldmaster, the Shipmaster has called us back to the ship sir. The glassing of this world is to begin shortly. He wishes to speak to you when you get there."
"Understood. Gather our men. We're reporting back to the ship."
A few hours later, Kado was walking up to the bridge of the Victorious Storm, the ship he was stationed aboard. As he approached the bridge, the automatic doors opened for him. As he stepped onto the bridge, the Shipmaster's chair turned towards him. He then spoke.
"Ah, Fieldmaster Kado 'Lodamee. Congratulations on another victory against the human filth. I am also glad to report that you have been promoted to …"
"No," Kado interrupted his Shipmaster.
The Shipmaster looked Kado in the eyes. He then sighed.
"Again? Fine, I will inform the Council of Masters of your answer."
"Thank you Shipmaster," Kado spoke and then exited the bridge.
After a short while, Kado came upon the ship's mess hall. Kado noticed a few of his soldiers already there grabbing something to eat after the hard fighting they had gone through today. He got nods and bows as he walked by, even some of the Jiralhanae there showed their form of respect. Apparently news of his promotion and declining of it had spread again. This would be the fifth time this month.
Kado grabbed a small bundle of bread and a large glass of water. He then took a seat at one of the tables. He slowly lifted his helmet off his head and placed it by his side. He started nibbling on the bread. After a while, he stopped. He then grabbed the ring of dog tags from this battle. There were about 40 tags on it from this battle. Kado then started removing the tags from the ring and laying them down on the table. He then started dipping each one into the glass and sucking the water off them. He then placed the tag down on the other side of the glass and continued the process with the rest of the tags.
As Kado was finishing off the last tag, he heard footsteps behind him. Then a voice spoke up.
"I will never understand why you do that brother."
Kado smiled. He then spoke.
"What I do may never be truly understood by anyone but myself, little brother."
Kado turned around to face Minor Thel 'Lodamee. The two of them had been born from the same female. They did not know if they shared the same sire or not, but they did not care either way. They were happy just being bonded by their mother. Kado had been watching over Thel since he was born shortly before the war. Kado was glad that Thel had finally entered the military a few months prior and been stationed under his command. Kado had a feeling that one of the higher ups had done this on purpose, either as a way to make sure Kado gave it his all or maybe to create another warrior in his image.
As Kado took in his little brother, he noticed something new. Instead of wearing the normal blue armor of Minors, Thel was wearing a new red armor. Kado knew this could only mean one thing. And with that, Kado began to laugh out loud for everyone in the mess hall to hear and turn to him.
"Ha ha ha ha! So, my dear little brother has become a Major already. And you have only been in the military a few months now. Congratulations! I hope you earned it."
"I did brother, and thank you," Thel spoke.
"So, are you sticking with us or has the Council of Masters stationed you somewhere else," Kado asked.
"I am to join the Third Fleet of Glorious Consequence when we return to High Charity, brother."
"Oh, Luro 'Taralumee's fleet. Be careful with him. He does not consider the humans as strong and wise as they really are. His thoughts may one day cause great problems and you will need to be prepared for that day when it comes, little brother."
"I will brother."
Kado then turned back to his meal and tags. He began to munch on what was left of the bread and then began to put the dog tags back onto the ring. As soon as he was done with the tags, he looked at his glass of water. It was filled with bloody water. He then grabbed the glass and then began to gulp down the dirty water. After a few gulps, the glass was empty. Kado then spoke.
"To those who fought valiantly to the end."
"Brother, if I may ask? Why do you do these things that you do?"
"What things?"
Thel then took a seat on the other side of the table in front of Kado. Thel then spoke.
"One, why do you always turn down promotions. By now, you could be a Fleetmaster and leading entire fleets now against humanity. I have even heard that your name has been whispered between the Councilors as a possible future candidate on the High Council."
"Hmmm, now that is news. Funny. I can't believe those aristocrats would allow someone of my social status to enter their ranks. Ha!"
"This is serious brother. You joining them would mean raising our clan's status back on Sanghelios. You've already been given a sword and you are not even of noble birth. You are extremely important to Sanghelios and everyone knows that. You are one of the best Fieldmasters and warriors the Covenant has."
Kado then got a bit more serious. He then said, "Oh I know little brother. Now, the reason I don't want to rise higher in rank is simple. I don't want to become like those other Sangheili, like Luro. I don't want to become over confident in myself and miss important details. I also want to die on the battlefield, not in space where my body will wander for the rest of internality or die of old age dealing with politics. If I am to die, it will be on the ground, with my brothers and soldiers fighting with me, till the last breath. I will fight an honorable fight and will not end a fight just by glassing the area that my enemy is at. Now, is there anything else you need to know?"
"Yes brother," Thel spoke with a new look of seriousness on his face, "Why do you collect those metal words the humans wear around their necks."
Kado slowly began to move the dog tags around the metal ring. He was in deep contemplate on how he should answer. He soon decided to tell his little brother everything.
"I do it to remember those I killed with my own hands. These metal words are the names of those soldiers who I personally killed and watched as their lives ended honorably."
"Honorably?"
"Yes, little brother. Humanity may not look like it but they are some of the best warriors I have ever witnessed. Some even out match some Sangheili I have met. They fight even when there seems to be nothing left worth fighting for. They fight on no matter what and fight with every ounce of strength in their bodies. For every ounce of ground they still have and have lost in this war. They will never surrender and never give up. Do you know why?"
"Why," a voiced asked next to them. Both of them turned to see one of Kado's Sangheili warriors had taken a seat next to them. They also noticed that several other Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-yar, some Jiralhanae, and even an Mgalekgolo pair had gathered around to listen. They were all under Kado's command and would follow his orders to the death, even the Jiralhanae. The Jiralhanae's pack leader had died in a battle a few months ago and they had yet to get a replacement leader, so Kado had been acting as their pack leader till then. While under his command, the Jiralhanae had grown to respect him and other Sangheili more. He would not lead his men on suicide missions or leave one of them behind if they could still fight and breath. The whole crew worked well together under his command.
Kado smiled. He had single-handily earned the respect of every crewmember on this ship. No matter what he was ordered to do, they would only obey it if he gave the ok. He could not ask for any better warriors or brothers.
"Because they do have something worth fighting for. Hope," Kado spoke, "Hope that their sacrifice will not be in vain. Hope that they will be remembered for their sacrifice. Hope that their children and loved ones will be able to live thanks to their sacrifice. Hope that they will have died for a brighter future. And the hope that they will win this war and live to see peace at last. That is why humanity fights on. Because they still have a noble cause to fight for. A noble cause I know will be remembered in the centuries to come by all of us. So, let us toast to humanity and hope that no one forgets how the slightest bit of hope can change the outcome of any battle, no matter the odds. To Hope!"
"To Hope!" Shouted the members of the crew in the mess hall as they raised their glasses and roared to their Fieldmaster.
As the celebrating ended, Kado's men slowly started to leave the mess hall, probably to spread the words of his speech. Soon, there was only Kado and Thel left. Thel then spoke his mind again.
"Be careful brother. The Hierarchs might see your actions as a sign that you do not believe in them or the Great Journey. They might band you as an heretic for your ways."
Kado slowly got up and grabbed his helmet. He then gently placed it back on his head. He then started walking towards the main door. Right as it opened for him, he turned back to face Thel.
"Oh, don't worry little brother. My faith in the Hierarchs and the Great Journey cannot be broken that easily. I just wish that humanity wasn't full of heretics. They would make a great companion on the Great Journey."
Kado then turned back to the door and began to walk while speaking his last thoughts.
"I will return to my quarters little brother. When we arrive at High Charity, I will be there to say good-bye. Till then, rest up soldier! Ha ha ha!"
Thel smiled and then spoke, "As you wish, Fieldmaster."
At few minutes later, Kado walked into his private quarters. He then took the ring of dog tags and placed it on a hook sticking out of the wall. He then approached a metal rack and slowly removed his combat harness and helmet, revealing an aged and scarred body from years of war and fighting, and placed it on the rack. He then grabbed a bundle of clothes that were on the rack and put them on. They were simple and not anything fancy, perfect for sleeping in.
He then approached the simple bunk in the room. He slowly sat down and got beneath the covers. Before he shut his eyes he looked around his room. On all the walls were hooks similar to the one he had placed the ring on. And on every one of those hooks was a ring as well; some even had more than one. There had to be at least 30 rings on his walls, with at least 30 or 50 dog tags on each ring. Kado then spoke a small prayer.
"Rest in peace warriors. Rest in peace, honor brothers."
Soon, he was asleep and resting for his next mission against humanity.
Back to present
"Fieldmaster!"
Kado awoke from his memories and looked to his driver, who had spoken.
"Yes?"
"We're approaching the Republics front line defense. Sir."
Kado looked up and saw that indeed they were approaching the main defense. He could see soldiers clad in white armor and huge walker tanks. The walkers weren't as big as a Scarab, but they would do for now. Kado then put the ring back at his waist and got a good grip on his Concussion Rifle. Now it was time to act and remember things later.
"Excellent, now we see how these clones fight in a battle."
Neimoidian Captain Kav Duk was at the bridge of his ship. The 6 CIS ships had just arrived in the system. They were all Munificent-class star frigates, and they had been sent ahead of the main fleet to start the invasion by Count Dooku. Kav was in a good mood.
It began when the young captain had been told to head ahead of the main fleet and to begin the invasion of Tatooine. He though that if he could take care of the Hutts before the main fleet arrived, he might be able to savage some of their resources and maybe get a promotion in the CIS at the same time.
He then noticed two ships heading towards them. He had order the scout fleet to stop. One was a Republic cruiser and the other was a kind of ship he had never before seen. But from what Kav saw of it, it looked like it had cost a lot and was worth even more.
At this moment, while Kav was calculating how much he could make from salvaging the ship, the door to the bridge opened. With it, a strange white cyborg walked in. This cyborg wore a brown cape and had several lightsabers on his belt. He was none other then General Grievous. He had been sent along to make sure the Hutts died.
"What are you doing? Why have we stopped," Grievous shouted.
"Good, General, you are here," Kav said, "so, what do you think of that ship. Quite a bit of credits was put into making it. Must be a wealthy merchant or one of the Hutts personal ships. Eh General."
As he said this, he pointed to the new ship. As Grievous examined the unknown ship, he saw the truth. He then spoke.
"You are wrong about that captain."
"Oh really. And what makes you say that General."
"The ship is indeed what you may call beautiful and does look costly, but it is far more than that. You Neimoidians may be good businessmen, but you are not military geniuses. That ship is most definitely military in origin. It is probably made that way to show that they would prefer to make peace, but it is quite oblivious that it is capable of fighting us head on."
"Hmm, I wonder if we can get them to join us in the war."
Just then, the droid at the communications station spoke up. It said, "Captain, we are receiving a transmission from the unknown ship. Should I put them through?"
"Yes, do so droid. I wish to speak to this group."
"Roger, roger."
A few seconds later, a hologram appeared on the bridge. As Grievous looked at the strange saurian creature before him, he felt a familiar sense of kinship from it. This creature was a warrior like himself. They both had the spirits of fighters inside and they knew war like it was in their blood. Grievous also noticed that the creature had a rod on its thigh that very much resembled a lightsaber.
The creature then spoke in a calm, yet powerful voice. It said, "Greetings, am I speaking to the commander of the ship?"
Kav then spoke, "Greetings, I am Captain Kav Duk. And who may I ask am I speaking to?"
"I am Clador 'Taluo, the Shipmaster of the UANS Avery Johnson."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, I think that with time we can become …"
Kav never got to finish his sentence, for Clador decided to interrupt and end this conversation quickly.
"I am sorry to say that there will not be another time to meet if you do not leave right now or else I will be forced to fire on your fleet."
For a second, Kav was silent. So was Grievous. Neither one of them was expecting this "Shipmaster" to declare something like this so quickly.
Kav then asked, "And why would you want us to leave so soon."
Clador's face began to show, what Grievous could only guess as, anger and seriousness. He then spoke.
"Do not try to fool me. We already know who you are, CIS, and we know what you have done, especially your war crimes. I will fight you if I have to, but I will give you a chance to leave and live to see another day. My government will probably officially join the Republic in its war with you, to end this war, in a few weeks, but we are not officially allied to them, yet. But, should you attack my ship or my people stationed on Tatooine, it will be seen as a declaration of war on us and I will be left with no other choice but to attack you and all your ships. My people have taken an oath to protect and defend all forms of life, and that includes the Hutts, who have come to this planet for a meeting, and the clones, who, as we speak, are right now setting up defenses against you. This is your only warning. Goodbye." And with that, Clador's hologram disappeared.
With this, Kav lost it. He then yelled.
"How dare he try to lecture me! Order all ships to destroy that new ship immediately! We cannot and will not allow them to join the Republic!"
As Grievous looked at the shouting Neimoidian, he turned around and started to head to the hanger. As he was about to exit the bridge, Kav asked him a question.
"And where do you think you are going General?"
Grievous looked back at the Neimoidian captain with a hard stare. He then answered.
"I am heading to my fighter to observe this fight. I will not die due to your mistake Neimoidian. I will info Dooku of your death."
And with that, Grievous left for his fighter. Kav grew even angrier. Even that fool Grievous was a coward at heart he thought. But, he was not going to let anything stop him from a promotion and riches beyond his dreams. He was going to destroy that ship and take it for savage.
"Tell the fleet to move forward and have 60 percent of power diverted to the forward cannons. If we destroy that ship quickly enough, we might be able to pin it on the Republic and get this government of theirs on our side."
"Roger, roger," the bridge droids responded.
A few minutes later, the 6 CIS ships moved forward again and moved towards the Johnson. As soon as Clador noticed this he sighed.
"Athena."
A hologram of a human woman in Greek armor with a spear appeared by his side from a holographic pedestal.
"Yes Clador," the AI asked in a sassy voice.
"It looks like our opponent is either very young, very stupid, or both. Agreed?"
"Indeed Shipmaster. Probably both."
"Are our MACs ready to fire?"
"Yes Shipmaster. Just give the order. I can tell by the energy readings they are giving off that their power is being diverted to their weapon systems more and their shields are weak right now. Also, at full power, I believe that all 6 ships are at the same strength as us, sir."
"Excellent, an even fight. Communications, I want you to contact the Republic ship and tell them to stay on standby for now. I believe we can handle our selves right now. Also, get in touch with Serenity squadron and tell them to get in their Cutlasses. I want them to be prep for launch at any time. I don't want to get swarmed by these fighter droids they have."
"Yes Shipmaster," his communications officer responded.
Slowly, the Johnson moved forward to intercept the CIS ships. The Spirit Adventurer tried numerous times to hail them and tell them it was suicide to go up against them on 6:1 odds. But all they got in return was the message "1:1".
Kado then spoke again.
"Athena, are we in firing range?"
"Yes Shipmaster."
"Excellent. On the count of three, fire two MAC rounds at the closest ships."
"Aye, aye Shipmaster," Athena said.
"One… Two… Three. Fire!"
And with that, two large booms echoed in space and the UANS's first battle in the Clone Wars began.
There we go. Again sorry it took so long. But I hope it was worth it and that you enjoyed this chapter. I do not know how long the next chapter will take, but I will get to it as quickly as I can.
Also, Thel 'Lodamee is not the Arbiter, who is Thel 'Vadam. They just share the same first name. As Lodamee is a real character, from Halo Legends: The Package. Check him out on Halopedia. Zao, Kina Ha, Aqinos and his "Iron Knights", and the bounty hunters I described a little of are all real. Check Wookieepedia. Also, try and guest who these bounty hunters are and maybe I will put some of your ideas in my story, if you want.
Also, sorry if this is way too long. Please review and give me your opinions on it and other chapters.
Thanks Fans!