A/N – Before I begin, I will be skipping over the arc where Ahsoka is captured by Trandoshans. This is because I honestly have no idea how to include Vex into that place and time. Instead, I am beginning the Umbara arc, as it would be interesting to have Vex deal with Krell and his suicidal operations. I will be breaking this up instead of having one big chapter like the Citadel. This is so I can figure out how to deal with Vex and his actions and attitudes towards Krell, yet still update within a few days. I am still open to different shows, books etc to add into the story. Enjoy.
Umbara. I decided to bring Echo along with me on this mission. Knowing what would happen had its benefits, but also its disadvantages. I can't kill Krell straight up, as that would create suspicion, even if we made it seem like he was killed in battle. The amount of Brothers we were going to lose and the fact I could do nothing to stop it hurt like hell.
"Masters Krell and Tinn will be supporting my troops in the south while Anakin's battalion including Vex and Echo will come in from the north and take out enemy reinforcements. It is imperative that we conquer the capital city as soon as possible, and hold it." Obi-Wan briefs the men.
"Our biggest problem will be the local militia. The Umbaran's have allied themselves with the separatists and are heavily armed. ARC Trooper Fives, Major Vex and Corporal Echo will be helping my unit with the mission." Anakin gestures to us.
"We're ready to do our part General Skywalker." Fives says proudly.
"Nice to have you all on-board, it will be like old times." Rex says to us.
"Knowing what I do Rex, this is the worst mission to be saying that. But it means a lot to us that you think that way." I say.
"Remember Anakin, Cody and I will be twelve klicks to your south, we're counting on you to take out those local fighters, or I'm afraid the capitol will never surrender." Obi-Wan states.
"Does my battalion have to do everything?" Anakin jabs at Obi-Wan in a playful manner.
"You seem to always volunteer." Obi-Wan quips back, leaving Anakin with his troops.
"Alright, lets move." I motion for the men to board the gunships. In the air, we are greeted by an alarming amount of Flak defences. "They have a lot of surface fire, we are going to take a large amount of casualties just getting on the ground." I warn.
"They got nothing we can't handle sir." Hardcase replies. I give him a look that says he has no idea how bad it will get, and he stiffens in understanding. A gunship is hit next to us and plummets to the surface in an inferno. "This gunship, maybe, but what of the rest Hardcase." I clarify.
"Hanging in there Tup?" Rex asks the newcomer.
"So far so good Captain." He replies.
"General Skywalker, I have turned the lights out, our night-vision sensors are having a hard time seeing through this fog, I hope we don't overshoot the landing sight." The pilot says.
"Just get us as close as you can." Anakin eases the Pilots nerves.
"Time to lock and load!" Hardcase readies his mini-gun in one hand. I smile at his antics. The AT-RT troops deploy from the surviving gunships and head for the Flak cannons, and the Umbaran's guarding them.
"AFTER EM BOYS!" The rider in front calls to his brothers.
"Yeah give it to em!" "Lets GO!" "Hell Yeah!" The chanting, anticipation and adrenaline could be felt through the force. Some of the cannons begin aiming towards the walkers and open fire, disintegrating multiple troops in the process. The cannons are overwhelmed by the walkers, however, and are soon destroyed. The gunships, now able to land, deploy the assault forces. Walking out, my lightsaber immediately ignites, its vibrant yellow giving a small amount of light on the planet of shadows.
"We need to move now!" I call out to the men. "Anakin, send a few engineers to the destroyed Flak Cannons, see if they can get the technology understood, and also try to get a few working for our own men!" I say to him. As the engineers head back I move to Echo, "Go join them, you know quite a bit, and you may be able to decrypt it for them. Stay safe." I say to him. All around me, I feel the deaths of our men. Before it becomes uncontainable, however, the Umbaran's retreat. We continue to push them back to clear the ridge.
"I can barely see the enemy!" Tup calls out to no-one in particular.
"That's why they are called the Shadow People Tup!" Another trooper, Jesse, answers him. An enemy ship suddenly bombs a small group of about 5 troops, killing them, but leaves soon after. Hardcase nearly trips on a root or something.
"It's just a vine, keep moving Hardcase." Jesse helps him stay on his feet.
"Yeah, I got it under control." He replies. As the move away, however, a creature similar to a sarlacc, begins to stir, as Hardcase had almost tripped on one of its tentacles. It grabs Hardcase, Fives and another trooper, which it soon eats. "THAT'S NOT RIGHT!" Hardcase says, shooting at the beast with no stop. Fives, using his brain, primes a grenade and lobs it at the creatures tongue, which grabs a hold of it, and swallows, soon an explosion kills it. "Nice work Fives." He says.
"Hardcase, right?" He asks.
"Yeah, that's what they call me." He affirms, as they begin to catch back up with everyone else. After the ridge is cleared, we take refuge in it.
"Tell the men to take a rest while they can." I say to Rex, "As for you Dogma, we need to have a talk about your future." I say, taking Dogma with me.
"Am I in trouble sir?" He asks me. I chuckle.
"No. You're not in trouble, I am just concerned about how literally you take the chain of command. For one, no one calls me sir, as I have earned their respect to beyond that. But I am more concerned about if you were temporarily put under the command of a different Jedi." I say.
"I don't understand." Dogma shakes his head.
"There are some Jedi who will use clones as sacrificial men to achieve victory. You need to be able to realise that, but don't overstep their authority. Say you were suddenly told to march for 18 hours straight, then fight against an equal number of Umbaran's as the troops you are with, and the Jedi who gave you these orders refused to send back up. What would you do?" I ask.
"Fight and die for the Republic." Dogma says.
"No. The most important thing for living beings is live to fight another day. If you have to disobey orders to save the rest of your platoon, you do it in a heartbeat, sacrificing your life for everyone else if there is no other option. That is what being a good soldier means. This mission will show whether you can do that, and I have faith in you. Now, go and rest, otherwise you will not be in good enough condition to fight." I dismiss the trooper, and return to Skywalker. Suddenly the Force screamed in warning. I knew what it was warning us about before it happened. Igniting my lightsaber, I slash the critter in half. "AMBUSH, EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE RIDGE!" I call to everyone. "Anakin, call in air support, make sure everyone is clear in case the bombers overshoot." I say.
"Already done, lets get a move on." He replies. Once the troops were clear, the whining of bombers could be heard, and soon after, the ridge we had just been in, erupted in flames. Gunships descended on our location. In the door, stood the Basilisk humanoid, Jedi General Pong Krell. My mind began cursing behind my mental barriers.
"Master Krell, my thanks for the air support." Anakin says.
"Indeed General Skywalker, the locals have proven to be more resourceful than anticipated." He replies in a gruff voice.
"That's not the reason you have come, is it General?" I ask.
"No, the council has ordered you back to Coruscant, effective immediately." He says.
"What? Why?" Anakin asks bemused.
"The request was made by the Supreme Chancellor and the Council obliged. That is all they would tell me." He explains.
"That's not right. Not only is the Chancellor being all high and mighty, ordering a General back during a Campaign, but the Council agreed to it? I am going to have some words for them when we return from this!" I seethe.
"You can always go with him." Krell suggests.
"Fuck no, and I am insulted that you suggested that." I turn on Krell. "Someone who suggests a high ranking officer to leave is someone who needs to be watched for treasonous acts. Be wary Krell." I say, storming off with Fives.
"Any word from Echo?" He asks me quietly.
"Yeah, he contacted Obi-Wan and asked him to collect him, the engineers and a few cannons they managed to repair and are using them in our favour." I assure him. "I take it Echo told you my story? You wouldn't have stormed off with me if you hadn't." I say.
"Yeah, and I understand why you can't do much to avoid the bloodbaths. And the one Krell will cause has to happen for us to prove to the Jedi that he betrayed us." He says sadly.
"I'll do what I can to avoid the battle against each other. I am thinking of just saying they aren't Umbaran's and saying the force told me." I say. Eventually, Rex walks up to us. "I take it he is getting on your nerves already Rex?" I ask.
"I have a bad feeling about him, but I can't do anything." He says.
"I have spoken to Fives about it, we decided to keep an eye on him together. He likely won't send me into battle with you unless I disobey him, which, depending on the situations, I will." I elaborate. "But for now, I will get the men ready." I walk off to gather the men.
After walking for several hours, the men began to tire.
"Quicken that pace battalion, this isn't some training course on Kamino!" Krell shouts to them. Using the force, I do what I can to rejuvenate the men, so they can stay standing if they suddenly were attacked.
"The General has a way with words." Fives says to both Rex and I.
"No, he is just downright punishing us, I can sense it, he is enjoying it." I whisper to them, then motion for them to quieten so we don't get yelled at. I fall back to Kix, "If anyone looks ready to drop, pull rank on the Bastard and halt our advance, I will gladly back you." I whisper to the medic, earning a nod reply. Before I could reach Rex, two creatures advanced towards us. "Keep moving, I'll handle them." I say, gripping the creatures with the force, and crushing their internal organs. After that, I sprint back to Rex, and walk beside him. After reaching the staging grounds to attack, we are informed that we are to execute a full forward attack on the Capitol.
"Sir, General Skywalker was going to have us attack from both sides." Rex tries to reason.
"I am not General Skywalker, now do as I command!" Krell yells at Rex.
"If that is the case, I will be down there with them." I state.
"NO! You will be with me, waiting on the success of the men." Krell tries to order me.
"Here is the thing General, I outrank you, if you try to order me again, I will detain you and you will lose your rank, am I clear General?" I ask.
"Crystal." He replies. And with that, we march onward, to what could be our doom.
A/N – Uploading this chapter while avoiding Athletics Carnival for the last time, THANK THE FORCE! I am still having trouble expressing the emotions Vex feel about Krell, so I am not sure when the next update will be. For now, Nut Out.