Episode 7 – Hunters
Skywalker's Fist! Ever since their formation at the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the fighting 501st Legion has remained the undisputed elite soldiers of the Old Republic, Galactic Empire, and now the New Republic! But these vigilant cloned soldiers aren't the only surviving remnants of the Old Republic! On Ossus, two veterans of the Clone Wars continue their unending service to the Jedi Order!
Ossus
Jedi Temple Dormitories
It was early morning on Ossus as Able checked himself in the refresher mirror. Despite being in his sixties, he had aged gracefully. Part of this was attributed to the serum that stopped the accelerated aging in the clones. The serum, as was later discovered, overcompensated and slowed the clones aging to the point where a clone that should be the equivalent of at least seventy eight years, like Able, had the appearance and strength of a man in his forties. Only Able's hair color, a solid white, kept in the same style worn by Jango Fett himself, was the only indication of his true age.
Able had just finished his usual routine (refresher, shower, shave, breakfast, calisthenics and one final check in the mirror, always in that order) and was zipping up the black body glove that was worn under the Clone Trooper armor as his roommate and brother, Sev, stepped inside.
"Didn't see you when I got up. Where've you been?" Able asked as Sev, already in his Temple Guard uniform, rolled up his right sleeve.
"Just getting the last of my ink put in." Sev replied. Around his right bicep was a fresh tattoo, with the symbol for Delta and under it the designation numbers of his late squad mates from Delta Squad, along with their informal names. Their numbers and names were each set against a colored stripe that wrapped around Sev's entire bicep. The stripes were orange for Delta 38 "Boss," green for Delta 42 "Fixer," and yellow for Delta 62 "Scorch." Able gave Sev a curious look.
"Where on Ossus did you find a tattoo artist?" Able asked as he put on his armor.
"General Skywalker brought a few 501sts. One of them does ink work." Sev explained as Able gave an understanding nod.
"I see." Able said, earning a suspicious look from Sev.
"You're not going to start spouting regulations regarding body art are you?" Sev asked.
"There weren't regs against that in the GAR, were there?" Able asked as he locked down his armor plating.
"No but there might be now. I'm still not up to speed on the new regs these days." Sev said as Able smiled, picking up his helmet.
"At ease, Sev. Still no regs against body art. Besides, we each remember fallen brothers in our own ways." Able said, putting his helmet on and picking up his blaster rifle before heading out the door to begin his patrol. As he walked towards the temple Command Center, he passed Grand Master Skywalker and Mara Jade walking past, Ben holding onto their hands between them, the two taking the toddler out for a walk. Able gave the two Generals a salute as he passed.
"Morning General." Able greeted.
"Able." Luke greeted back with a smile and a small salute of his own. Able carried on, heading towards the Command Center. The Temple Command Center was used more for military and security measures. It allowed for Jedi Generals to remain in touch with the recent tactical data as well as acting as the Command Center for the Temple Guard, of which Able was the second-in-command, second only to Master X2, but the highest ranking non-Jedi in the whole of the Jedi Temple. The Command Center was a round chamber with a holotable in the center and an array of consoles and terminals dotting the edges of the room. The Holotable constantly had a display of the entire Galaxy but with the edges of the Republic and the Sith Empire projected, Republic highlighted in blue and Sith highlighted in red with neutral systems in white and contested systems pulsing in the color of their previous owners. As Able entered the Command Center, Kam Solusar, the acting Head of Temple Security with X2 away on Jedi business, stood at the holotable, looking through a datapad.
"General Solusar." Able greeted, standing at attention. Kam gave Able a smile and nod.
"Able. Doing alright this morning?" Kam asked.
"Yes sir. No deficiencies to report sir." Able replied.
"Good. Master X2 wanted me to inform you that we've a new batch of volunteers for the Temple Guard. You know the routine. They'll be here in an hour." Kam said as he handed Able a datapad with a list of names.
"I'll show them the ropes but from the looks of it they're mostly veteran Rebel soldiers. So it'll be more of a refresher course for them." Able said as Kam smiled and gave a nod in agreement.
"True. Oh and lest I forget, Galen asked me to tell you something specific. He said, and I quote, 'It happened over Dac.' Any ideas what that means?" Kam asked. Able had immediately stood at attention, Kam sensing surprise coupled with a sense of joy coming from the old clone.
"Yes sir but it's classified." Able replied as Kam smirked.
"Uh-huh." He replied, unconvinced but he opted to stay out of Able's business.
…
Able had immediately returned to his quarters and removed his armor, giving it a polishing, even touching up some of the maroon colored paint work. By the time he had finished, it had almost been an hour and the transport carrying the new temple guards was just arriving. Able and some of the veteran guardsmen were gathered near the landing area just as a Lambda class shuttle with the symbol for the New Jedi Order adorning the dorsal wing touched down. Soon a dozen men and women of various species, disembarked the shuttle. Some were in civilian garb while others were in Republic Military uniforms. There were even a couple older men wearing old Rebellion era uniforms. The recruits gathered around near Able who removed his helmet, tucking it under his arm.
"On behalf of the Jedi Order, welcome to the Jedi Temple Guard! Some of you are veterans and are no stranger to military service! Some of you look like you've never even held a blaster in your life! And then there are those of you in between! Well, no matter your history, you've volunteered to serve and protect a group of individuals who, some would argue, don't need our protection. The Temple Guard knows this but even the Jedi acknowledge that they are not invincible nor infallible! We serve and protect them anyway as a means of giving back to those who keep the peace. As a great Jedi Master once said, the Jedi are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. That's what we're here for. We protect the Jedi here on Ossus so they can be free to relax and meditate, to be at peace when there is an enemy that would like nothing more than to destroy them all and has nearly done so several times in the past. Now, you didn't come here to listen to flowery speeches from an old man so let's cut right to the chase!" Able declared. He was quietly looking over the recruits, looking for someone in particular amongst them. He had gotten halfway through his speech before spotting that person, hidden near the back smiling warmly at him with a pair of sparkling blue eyes to go with them. Able, played it cool, not once losing his stoic expression although internally he was grinning like a Nexu.
"I am Commander Able, second-in-command of the Temple Guard. I answer directly to General and Jedi Master X2. We are not a true military organization. We are not as strict or stringent like common military posts. But we expect nothing less than 110% from each of you. If you need training or experience in any specific field, we have the facilities and the staff to assist you. Each of these men with me are your fellow guardsmen. Each of you have been paired with one of them so that you can learn the routine. They can answer all of your questions. That is all." Able said before giving a salute and putting his helmet on. He then put a hand to his helmet comlink.
"Female, blue eyes, back row." He whispered into the comlink. The other guardsmen had heard him through their comlink earpieces and understood what he meant. They all quietly met up with each of the recruits, escorting them away until all that remained was the woman that had been smiling at him. They both waited until they were the only ones on the platform. Able quietly approached her, looking her over for a moment before standing at attention and saluting.
"BL-1707 reporting, Director Shan." Able greeted. The woman smiled before standing at attention and returning the salute.
"Only you would introduce yourself by number and not by name to me." Deena Shan, former Rebel Commando and the current Director of the New Republic Intelligence Bureau, said as they ended the salute. Deena then threw her arms around Able, embracing him almost tearfully.
"It's good to see you again, Shan. Seems being the head ghost has paid off for you." Able said as they ended the embrace.
"It keeps me busy. Not a lot of time to sit around and get fat in the intelligence business, at least not my end of it." Deena said as Able chuckled.
"You? Get fat? I'd find that hard to believe. How's your son by the way?" Able asked as they started to walk into the temple.
"He's doing alright. His dream job of the month is to become an artist. He may actually have some potential there." Deena said as Able chuckled.
"He always did have a knack for doodling." Able said as Deena chuckled.
"True. But I'm afraid this isn't a social call. It's business." Deena said as Able gave a nod.
"I got the General's message. Usually only uses Dac in his coded messages to me whenever you're involved. I knew if it came from him, there was work involved. I assume I've been reactivated?" Able asked as Deena gave a serious nod.
"Ever since 22:37 hours last night." Deena said as Able led her towards his quarters, which didn't go unnoticed by a certain ex-Republic Commando. Able showed Deena inside, the old clone closing and locking the door behind them. Deena took a moment to look the room over.
"Nice place. You bring all the girls here?" Deena asked playfully as Able removed his helmet.
"You know I strictly adhere to the regs on fraternization, even if they don't exist in the Temple Guard." Able said as Deena sat down in a chair nearby.
"Oh I know but even you've got to live a little sometimes. Anyway, let's get to business. The Bureau has some covert ops work for you." Deena said as Able sat down across from her.
"Why me though? I'm retired. I'm not really cut out for ghost work anymore." Able said but Deena wasn't convinced.
"Actually, your experience makes you the most suited for this mission. We're sending you to an Old Republic Outpost near Garel." Deena explained, earning a curious look from Able.
"Garel? Last I checked, Garel was still Republic territory and not even on the front lines. Possible Sith infiltration?" Able asked but Deena shook her head.
"No. This actually relates to something a little more…shall we say, controversial." Deena said as Able looked even more curious.
"How classified is this controversy?" Able asked as Deena leaned back in her chair slightly.
"Let me ask this. Do you know the circumstances surrounding the presence of Doctor Jerine Roa here in the Jedi Temple?" Deena asked as a look of realization swept Able's face.
"Ah, the Yularen Incident. I'd heard of it but didn't exactly press for details." Able said as Deena nodded.
"Right. Well our investigation into Captain Gault has yielded some interesting results. We've pieced enough evidence together to implicate that the party that abducted and later executed Captain Gault's family initially held them in an abandoned Republic Outpost near the Garel system. We would like you to lead the team that investigates the base, seeing as how you have more experience with those outposts." Deena explained as Able gave a nod.
"It's not like I have a choice, but I'm more than happy to come along. I don't suppose you're joining us, are you?" Able asked as Deena smiled.
"Actually I am. One of the perks of being Director means I get to choose who goes on what missions, even putting myself on any team if I so desired." Deena said as Able smirked.
"It'll be good to have someone I can relate to on this mission." Able said but Deena's smirk tightened.
"Ah but I won't be the only one." Deena said as she stood up.
"I thought we were last survivors of our old team from the Rebellion." Able said, confused.
"We are, but we're bringing in some fresh meat." Deena said as she opened the door to reveal Sev, knelt down with his arms up as if listening in through the door.
"Welcome to the New Republic Intelligence Bureau, Delta Oh-Seven." Deena said with a smirk.
Hours later…
A modified Corellian Gunship with civilian markings dropped out of hyperspace into the Garel system. Onboard, Sev was staring at the helmet of a suit of brand new armor that strongly resembled the old Katarn Class Commando armor but Sev was able to spot the differences with ease. The most noticeable difference was that the armor was matte black with dark blue markings.
"How did I get roped into this?" Sev asked as Able stepped up next to him, securing his own matte black New Republic Commando armor into place. NR-Commando Armor was very similar to the armor used by Rebel Commandos during the Galactic Civil War only black and blue instead of black and red.
"Well you were the dikut who chose to spy on Deena and me." Able said, picking up his helmet which was essentially a matte black Phase-I Clone Trooper helmet with blue markings.
"I thought you were actually going to break a rule. I was going to sell tickets." Sev replied with a coy smirk, hoping to get a rise out of Able but, to his surprise, Able merely chuckled.
"Ah Sev, eventually you'll understand why I did this." Able said before decking him across the left cheek, sending the Republic Commando to the floor. Able was standing over him, shaking his hand out to the side. Sev looked up at him in surprise.
"What in Geonosis is wrong with you?!" Sev asked as Able grabbed him by the collar of his armor and pulled him up, a calm and collected look on his face.
"Do you know what Deena is to me? Do you have any idea of what we've been through? Of what she's been through? I have no designs on her because I already know what I am to her and I know what she is to me. Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad." Able said, earning a surprised look from Sev for a moment before Sev's look of surprise turned to a soft smile.
"In my defense. You never have mentioned her. Now I get you, shiny. I was out of line." Sev said as Able released him.
"Just so we're clear." Able said as Sev picked up his helmet.
"Crystal." Sev replied, a look of respect in his eyes. Able gave a nod before putting on his helmet and leading the two out into the corridor of the gunship where Deena was waiting for them near a ladder leading down into an access hatch.
"What took you two so long? Taking your meds before we left?" Deena asked with a coy smirk.
"Had to show Sev how to put on his armor. He's a little out of practice." Able said as Sev chuckled.
"Not as much as you, wise guy." Sev mumbled.
"No time for chatter. We drop in five." Deena said as she started making her way down the ladder, Able and Sev following after her as they climbed through the top hatch of a modified Krayt Gunship that was attached to the bottom of the larger gunship. There were five other commandos already on board. Able was recognizable because his helmet closely resembled a Phase-I helmet. Deena was recognizable from the red markings on her armor instead of blue. As soon as the three were onboard and the hatch secured, Deena pulled on her helmet and rapped on the cockpit blast door. This was the signal to the pilot that they were on board and to launch. They felt the gunship shake beneath them before hearing the engines start up, feeling the inertia of the craft moving through space. The Commandos then started checking their weapons.
Their weapons were a modern equivalent of the DC-17 interchangeable weapon system from the Clone Wars and had the same blaster, sniper, and anti-armor attachment options only with optional silencer attachments for the blaster and sniper attachments. They all had blaster pistols with recharging power cells as well as special field packs with a variety of devices and equipment including explosives for whenever the need would arise. After a few moments of riding in silence, the starboard door to the gunship opened, revealing a number of sharp rocky hills and crags rolling past beneath the gunship. Deena then turned towards the two clones, putting a hand to her helmet comlink.
"Our mission is to slice a working terminal for any information that can link these pirates up with whoever perpetrated the attack on the Yularen or kidnapped Captain Gault's family. We have no idea what we're going up against here. Able, Sev, I'm relying on the two of you to guide us through the outpost. You both know it better than we do." Deena said over the comlinks, the other commandos nodding in agreement. The gunship then slowed to a stop in midair before beginning to turn and lower itself down towards the ground. As they turned, they saw the outpost a short distance away. The Outpost was almost shaped like a gunmetal grey mushroom with a flat top. Sev and Able both recognized it.
"Outpost? That's a bloody fortress!" Able said in disbelief.
"Type-II Prefab Frontline Fortress. Heavy blaster cannons, ray shielded battlements, four light surface-to-air missile turrets, with room for optional shield generator. (Inhales) They just don't make them now-a-days like they did in the GAR." Sev said with a grin clear in his voice, the gunship coming to a stop some twenty feet over the surface of a rocky canyon that led straight towards the fortress. (A/N: If you've played Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns, it's the Republic's Fortress at Tech Level 4)
"You see, this is why I brought you two along." Deena said as the gunship opened the other side doors, the Commandos immediately attaching grappling bases to the floor plates of the hold before they all started repelling down from the gunship, all safely reaching the bottom before the grappling bases disengaged and retracted back down onto special grappling guns that each of the commandos carried. The gunship then rose into the air slightly and flew off as fast as it could, disappearing in seconds. Deena then took point and motioned for the others to follow.
The walk from the insertion point to the fortress took only a few minutes and soon they reached a bend in the canyon, around which was the fortress entrance. As the commandos peered around the corner, they saw something that surprised them.
"What the-…" Able said as they saw the fortress doors had been blown open, the doors lying on the ground inside the entryway and there were bodies of dead pirates and mercenaries scattered about the entrance.
"Stay sharp. Whoever did this may still be here." Deena instructed as the commandos approached the entrance, Deena putting her rifle away while drawing her blaster pistol and pulling a small device from her belt. The device had a small scanning dish with display on it. It didn't make any noise, but the display would flash periodically.
"Is that a droid detector?" Sev asked as they stepped inside the fortress. The area inside was a large corridor that led straight across to the opposite side of the fortress where another pair of doors were located. These doors were closed. In the middle between both sets of doors was a large round commons room with an old holotable that was non-functioning due to having sustained severe damage during whatever firefight had taken place. There were also two more hallways that branched off in both directions from the main entrances, following the curvature of the fortress itself. There were more bodies strewn about around them too.
"That's right." Deena said as they cautiously made their way into the commons room.
"Expecting to tussle with some clankers?" Sev asked.
"A Mandalorian Team encountered some old friends of yours on a previous mission. Almost the exact same situation too. No life forms, no traces of who did this, just a lot of bodies. Check any terminals or equipment for explosives before using them." Deena instructed, as they gathered around the holotable. There was a working terminal near the table. One of the commandos quietly pried off the panel beneath it but found nothing inside the terminal's workings.
"This one's clean, ma'am." The commando reported as Deena gave him a nod to proceed. The commando began slicing into the terminal while the others looked around for any sign of intruders.
"I don't like this." Able muttered.
"Reminds me of the time my squad and I had to board an Assault Ship that'd been overrun by Trandoshans. Similar situation at first. Didn't know what had happened." Sev commented.
"How'd it turn out?" One of the other commandos asked.
"Killed a bunch of lizards, blew up a Trade Federation Battleship, saved the Assault Ship, made real good friends with the Wookiees. Good times." Sev explained as Able stepped over towards Deena who was still scanning the area for droids.
"Anything?" Able asked but Deena shook her head.
"Nothing, and this is a top of the line droid detector. It'll pick up droids in standby mode. I have a very bad feeling about this." Deena said as Able nodded.
"Me too. There's something familiar about all of this." Able said as Sev approached.
"Thought I was the only one getting the warm fuzzies about this place." Sev mumbled before the console the Commando was working at let out a brief buzzing sound. The Commando at the terminal then cursed under his breath.
"Problem, Lieutenant?" Deena asked.
"Yes ma'am, I just got shut out of the main system. We're not alone." He replied as they all started looking around in alarm.
"Defensive formations!" she ordered, the Commandos all scurrying to take up a defensive position around the room.
"Able, where could someone have unrestricted access to the main computer?" Deena asked as Able looked up at the ceiling.
"Command Center. Top floor." He replied.
"Right. Able, you, Teem, and Yold are with me. Sev, you and the others hold this position. We're heading up." Deena said as Sev gave a nod.
"Have fun." Sev replied as Deena, Able, and two of the commandos headed out and into the hall, Able taking point, unaware that they were being watched from the Command Center by a squad of Sith Commandos.
"Commander, you might want to see this." One of the Sith said to an armored figure in the shadows. The figure stepped towards the hologram of Able and Deena's group, the figure's armor being illuminated by the hologram.
"Republic Commandos. They're probably after the same thing we are." Commander 24 said with his filtered voice.
"Orders sir?" one of the Sith Commandos asked.
"Take this data-disc and return to the transport. I'll signal you when I'm ready for exfil." Commander 24 ordered as the Sith Commandos gave a nod.
"Right away sir, but what about you?" the Commando asked as Commander 24 looked squarely at the hologram of Able.
"There's something I need to look into first."
…
Meanwhile, Able, Deena, and their team made it to the turbolifts without incident but were dismayed to find the turbolifts had been sabotaged and were rendered inoperable.
"Plan B?" Deena asked as Able looked the turbolift shaft over for a moment then ducked out in contemplation.
"That's interesting." He muttered.
"What?" she asked.
"The maintenance ladder inside the shaft has been sabotaged as well. Some of the rungs have been broken off. But they're designed to be hidden. You wouldn't know they were there unless you already knew about them. They had those same ladders on Assault Ships back in the day. I remembered one of the engineers was constantly complaining about having to climb the ladder to fix a turbolift that consistently malfunctioned on a routine basis. That's how I knew about them." Able explained as Deena looked inside the turbolift, spotting the broken rungs. The rungs had been more than broken though. Carbon scoring near them indicated that they had been blasted off, and recently too as the scoring was still fresh.
"Someone doesn't want us getting up there." Deena said as Able pulled out his ascension cable launcher.
"You were asking about Plan B. Here it is." He said as Deena nodded.
"Right. Ascension lines." Deena ordered as the four Commandos stepped inside the shaft and fired the cables up towards the top of the shaft. They then began walking up the walls of the shaft. As they climbed, they were watching their footing so none of them noticed a figure quickly slip past the doorway. Commander 24, peered around the corner slightly as he started slicing into the turbolift controls. They were roughly forty feet up the shaft, all on opposite walls of the shaft. One of the Commandos was climbing next to one of the turbolift's rails when it suddenly started giving off sparks and crackling with energy.
"Yold! Watch that rail!" Deena exclaimed as Yold did what he could to avoid the rail.
"Trying to, ma'am!" he replied, struggling to keep from losing his footing. None of them noticed as Commander 24 pulled his electrified nightstick from his belt, activated it and quickly swung out and struck Yold's ascension line, electrifying it. Yold cried out in pain as he was electrocuted.
"Yold!" Able exclaimed as Yold lost his footing, swinging out slightly only to swing back and hit the rail! Yold's screamed in pain before his cable suddenly broke and he went tumbling forty feet straight down to his death on the bottom floor.
"E chu ta! Sev! We just lost Yold!" Deena exclaimed into her comlink.
"Turbolift eight!" Able added. When he spoke however, it drew the attention of Commander 24 on the top level.
"A clone?" Commander 24 asked himself softly, recognizing Able's vocal tones and accent as a Fett Clone. He then quietly ducked away towards an adjoining turbolift and pried the doors open.
"On it!" Sev replied over the comlinks. Down on the bottom floor, Sev and his men rushed down the hall and towards the turbolift where they found Yorn's body at the bottom of the shaft. His armor was smoking from having been electrocuted but even if he had survived that, his neck had been snapped on impact. Sev sighed heavily at this.
"Damn." Sev muttered softly.
"DOA?" Deena asked over the coms.
"Affirmative." Sev mumbled.
"Osik." Able cursed.
"You can say that again, Shi-…" Sev said but was interrupted by a knocking sound coming from the adjoining turbolift door. Sev and the Commandos quietly raised their weapons, moving to flank the doors. Sev was stood by the open turbolift as two of the Commandos flanked the doors and one stood on the opposite wall in front of the doors. They looked to Sev who gave a nod, all of them with their blasters raised. The two by the door began to pry the door open but as they did, the commando by the wall widened his eyes as a shrill electronic whine started winding up.
"DET CHAR-!" He yelled before the door suddenly exploded. In the first shaft, Deena and Able had managed to reach one of the floors just beneath the top level and were just helping Teem inside when they heard the explosion.
"Sev! What was that?! Sev! Come in!" Able yelled into his comlink before slamming his fist against the wall in grief at the lack of a response.
"Able…" Deena said as Able removed his helmet, snarling with a pained expression on his face. He then looked towards Deena who motioned towards the turbolift shaft. He nodded before putting his helmet back on.
"Sev, if you can hear me, sit tight, I'm on my way!" Able said as he reattached his ascension line and began repelling back down the shaft. Deena watched him repel safely down to the bottom, detaching his line before turning to Teem and motioning for him to follow her. They were in a curved hallway with several large blast doors over what they correctly assumed to be windows. If under attack, these blast doors would open and activate one-way ray shields that allowed blasters, grenades, and RPGs to be fired out while deflecting or absorbing incoming weapons fire from the outside, allowing the troopers inside to safely fire at incoming enemy troops and vehicles.
As Deena and Teem moved down the hall, Deena took point with Teem walking behind her, back-to-back, watching their six. They soon reached a curved staircase that led up, leading to the Command Center and started to make their way up. Deena took a quick look at the droid scanner but again it wasn't detecting anything. The Command Center took up the whole of the top floor and was a large circular room with windows running the whole length of the outside walls. Most of the windows had been sealed by emergency blast doors but some were still open, allowing light to shine into the otherwise darkened Command Center. Like the rest of the fortress, the floor had the bodies of countless dead pirates and mercenaries all across it. Deena then spotted a working terminal and tapped Teem on the shoulder.
"Teem, there's a console. See what you can do." She said as Teem quietly nodded and headed for the terminal. He checked inside the panel for explosives but again didn't find any. He then stood up and began slicing into the terminal. Deena began looking about the Command Center, searching for signs of trouble. To her, the fact that they had lost over half of the team was no mere set of unfortunate incidents. Someone was picking them off and masterfully so and the fact that they had as of yet to encounter anyone that was still alive made her nervous. Teem's console then beeped.
"Ma'am, I've got a problem here. I can't get into any systems. It looks like it's been severed from the main hub. I'll need to check the circuit." Teem said as Deena gave him a nod.
"Be careful." Deena said as Teem knelt down, setting his blaster down on the holotable behind him, prying off the floor panel. Deena was across the room from him but the moment she turned away, there was an explosion behind her. She spun back around to see Teem get launched across the room with severe burns before crashing against a console and slumping down onto the floor. He was dead before he even hit the floor. Deena looked at the dead commando's corpse in shock and disbelief. She started to reach for her helmet comlink when she heard footsteps coming from the staircase and spun around with her blaster raised in time to see Commander 24 standing at the top of the staircase, his left arm raised towards her.
"Rebel scum." 24 said as Deena opened fire with her blaster but the blaster shots merely impacted harmlessly against a shield around 24 who calmly fired an arm mounted stunner, knocking her unconscious.
…
A little earlier, Able had reached the bottom of the shaft and saw the damage. The doors to the adjoining turbolift had been blown clear off. The other three commandos were dead, killed by the force of the explosion but there was no sign of Sev.
"Sev! Where are you?!" Able called.
"Shiny?" he heard Sev's gravelly voice ask from nearby. He turned and saw Sev poking his head and blaster out from around a corner.
"There you are! Why didn't you answer?!" Able asked as Sev cocked his head to one side, confused.
"Huh?"
"I tried to raise you on the comlink." Able said as Sev paused and then removed his helmet, looking at the right side of it and letting out a "humph."
"Must've gotten damaged in the explosion. Hit my head pretty hard but no skull damage." Sev replied before they both heard a muffled explosion from overhead.
"Deena!" Able exclaimed in alarm as Sev put his helmet back on.
"This is definitely familiar." Sev muttered when they heard muffled blaster fire followed by a stun blast, everything falling silent immediately afterwards.
"Osik! This mission has gone straight to Mustafar!" Able cursed as he hurried back towards the turbolift shaft.
"Hold it! You know as well as I do that charging up like that will only get you and Shan both killed!" Sev said, grabbing Able by the shoulder. Able growled in frustration.
"We have to do something. We can't just leave her!" Able said as Sev nodded.
"And we won't. We're getting her back." Sev said as he motioned to follow.
"You're not supposed to give me orders. I out rank you." Able said.
"Not where it counts Shiny. Besides, I think I know what we're up against." Sev replied as they headed down the hall.
"You found something?" Able asked.
"During the war, our war, my squad and I worked a mission on Coruscant with an ARC. After the mission, he shared some of the standard ARC tactics with me. He said the best method was to isolate enemies and pick them off one-by-one or in small groups if possible. Best way to do it was to make each death look like an accident if possible. Barring that, be a little more devious." Sev explained as Able looked at him in alarm.
"Sev, are you suggesting that we're dealing with an ARC Trooper?" Able asked as they reached another set of turbolifts that had similarly been sabotaged.
"No. All of the ARCs are dead. I know this because I checked when we were on Kamino with General X2 and the Commander. This is something else." Sev replied as he stepped into the shaft. The rungs on the ladder were sabotaged here as well but it didn't seem to stop him as he was able to scale the shaft wall with ease, nimbly free climbing the wall.
"What's your plan?" Able asked as Sev looked down at him. Able could almost see his smirk through his helmet.
…
Up in the Command Center, Deena's eyes started to flutter open. When she did, she found herself staring down the barrel of Commander 24's DC-17 hand blaster. The Commander was stood a few feet away from her. She tried to move but there were binders on her wrists and ankles, her helmet was on the floor next to her, and her weapons were piled up on the floor next to 24.
"Don't bother trying to break out of those binders. They're custom built. They're rated for holding Wookiees. An ordinary human can't break them. They're even lined with a special alloy comprised of phrik and cortosis. Lightsabers won't be breaking them either." Commander 24 said as Deena scowled at him in defiance.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707." Deena said but Commander 24 snorted in amusement. She was deliberately using Able's name, rank, and serial number to try and throw off 24 as well as to hide that she was the Director of Republic Intelligence.
"That's a clone designation. You Rebel Commandos still use a lot of old tricks. I should know. I helped write the book." Commander 24 said as Deena looked at him curiously. There was something eerily familiar about his accent.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707." Deena repeated as Commander 24 quietly holstered his blaster and pulled out his electrified baton.
"I have to give you credit, 'Able.' You really do enjoy sticking to protocol. I admire that in a soldier. A real by-the-book attitude. It'll get you far, regardless of whose army you're in." 24 complimented.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707." Deena said.
"I guess I'm not going to get much from you but the old name-rank-serial number routine for now. But that's fine. Your mere presence has confirmed our suspicions." 24 said, confusing Deena.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707."
"See, according to our intelligence, something happened that has your Republic all riled up. A leak perhaps? Security breach? Whatever it was, your investigation has led you here, just like it led us here. So all this exchange does is confirm that there is a breach in your security. I'll tell you this though, it's not us." 24 explained as Deena scowled.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707."
"Hard to believe, I know. But we aren't the ones who breached your security, Empress knows we've tried. But now that we know there's a breach, all we need to do is find it, and keep picking at the wound, keep it bleeding, so that all your secrets will eventually be ours." 24 said as Deena's scowl deepened.
"Able, Commander. BL-1707."
"You can keep repeating that all you want but you aren't what I'm after at this point. We have what our mission called for so now I'm after the clone in your unit." 24 said as Deena looked at him in surprise. She quickly realized that she was the bait for a trap and Able was the prize.
"Able? What do you want with him?" She asked.
"Able…so that's the name of the clone. So that's what he calls himself." 24 muttered to himself, tapping the baton menacingly in the palm of his hand.
"Don't you dare harm him." Deena said in a murderous tone.
"He's a traitor to his uniform. He should've joined our brothers in the Empire instead of joining you rebels." 24 said as Deena's eyes widened in alarm.
"Our brothers?" she asked but Commander 24 didn't answer. They both heard the sound of a rifle cocking nearby. 24 turned to see Able standing at the top of the stairs behind the Commander, his blaster trained on him.
"Answer her question, bucket head." Able ordered as Commander 24 looked at him in silence for a moment before reaching up and removing a hose attached to the front of his helmet and then proceeded to remove the helmet, revealing a very familiar face, the face of a Fett Clone, an old one, with neatly kept stark white hair and a few wrinkles from age. Able let out an audible growl at the sight.
"State your designation." Able ordered but 24 scowled at him.
"You don't give me orders, trooper. I've outranked you since birth." 24 said as Able let out another growl.
"Oh, a commissioned bucket head. I take it you're one of the ones who obediently carried out Order 66 too." Able said as 24 gave a nod.
"That's right. Ordered my men to fire on my Jedi without hesitation and if I had it all to do again, I'd still do it exactly the same as before because good soldiers follow orders." 24 replied simply as Able sighed heavily.
"You…you're just like all the other clones that joined the Empire. You keep spouting that whole 'good soldiers follow orders' poodoo to try and justify the complete betrayal of everything we stood for back in our day. It wasn't hard for me to pull the trigger on my brothers then, it's not hard now." Able said as 24 glared at him, his hand near his blaster.
"But you won't. We both know you won't." 24 said simply.
"And why not?" Able asked.
"Because I have a hostage. Standard procedure for New Republic Commandos prioritizes the rescue of any and all hostages over mission objectives. Even the old GAR regs outlined that protocol clear as day." 24 said, pointing his blaster at Deena again.
"You're not the only one who knows the tactics of the enemy. You'll kill her regardless of what I do. So we both know how this is going to go down." Able said as 24 arched a curious eyebrow.
"I'm impressed. It seems you've earned those Commander's Pips after all." 24 said.
"Whereas you had them given to you at birth." Able said as 24 put his helmet back on, reaffixing the hose to his helmet as well.
"That might be true, but at least I am still a good soldier. I've followed my orders unquestioningly ever since the Clone Wars, and now I'm the head of the most elite force in the Sith Empire." 24 replied. When Deena heard this she tensed up slightly, eyes widened in alarm.
"Then might I assume that your name is Commander 24? Head of the Sith Empire's 66th Legion?" Deena asked. 24 didn't look away from Able.
"That's right. Good to know we have a reputation." Commander 24 replied.
"Yeah but I know one area where you're not getting a good rep." Able said.
"Oh?" 24 asked before Able raised his hand and pointed towards him. 24 froze for a moment as he realized Able was pointing at something behind him, before turning. When he did, a straight narrow red beam struck him in the chest, knocking him to the floor. From the opposite staircase, Sev lowered his rifle, the sniper attachment in place on the stock.
"Nice shot, Sev!" Able said as he lowered his blaster, rushing to Deena.
"I was aiming for his head." Sev grumbled as Able approached Deena but the Director shook her head frantically and kicked Able in the stomach with both feet just before a blaster shot rang out, the shot narrowly missing Able but hitting Deena's left calf. Able turned and saw 24 sitting up with his blaster in hand and armor undamaged but flickering with the soft blue glow of his shield unit. Able quickly kicked the blaster from his hand before 24 rolled onto his stomach and proceeded to spear Able in the stomach, tackling him to the ground. Deena was struggling to climb to her feet as the two clones grappled with each other, Sev rushing in with his blaster attachment, keeping it trained on the two clones with one hand while helping Deena to her feet with the other.
"Shiny! Hold him steady will ya?!" Sev yelled. Able didn't reply, both clones struggling to gain the other hand, rolling on the floor. Sev kept his blaster trained on the both of them, waiting for a clear shot. It didn't hurt that Able was in black while Commander 24 was in a greying white. Able managed to kick 24 over him, jumping to his feet and charging at 24 as he tried to climb to his feet, Able managing to grab 24, slamming him against one of the blast doors over the windows.
"Able! Arm stunner!" Deena yelled, noticing 24 attempting to aim his arm stunner at Able but Able quickly countered, belting 24 in the stomach before moving to slam his arm against the blast door but 24 shoved himself off the wall, reversing the situation and pinning Able against the wall. Sev had a clear shot but he didn't dare fire. He knew 24 would be the kind to try and fake a move so that Sev would end up shooting Able instead. Finally Sev groaned and threw his blaster down, charging in with a yell, slamming 24 against the wall next to Able, dazing him long enough for Sev to pick up 24 in a fireman's carry before slamming him to the ground, pinning the Commander beneath the Republic Commando's weight.
"Rebel scum!" 24 coughed as Sev spun around towards him, grabbing the collar of his armor and pulling him to his feet before ripping off his helmet, revealing his Fett Clone face, stunning 24.
"No. Republic Commando." Sev growled before punching 24 in the gut, stabbing him with the knuckle-plate vibroblade in the stomach, causing 24 to cry out in pain. Sev then drew his blaster and fired at one of the open windows, shattering it before running 24 towards it and throwing him out of the window. Sev watched 24 fall for a moment but quickly leapt back when they heard 24's jetpack fire up, the Sith Commander hovering up until he was parallel to the windows, his hand on his wounded side while staring at Sev.
"You shouldn't have done that, brother." Commander 24 said as he raised a detonator, pressing the button. Suddenly several hidden explosives within the fortress detonated, ripping apart the fortress, multiple levels set ablaze from secondary explosions. 24 then turned and flew off towards a Sith Stealth Shuttle sat in the distance. In the Command Center, Sev, hurried towards the battered Able as he helped the wounded Deena to her feet.
"Come on! Let's go!" Sev yelled as he got on Deena's left side, the brothers helping Deena towards the shattered window. Deena in the meantime had retrieved her gear and pulled a transmitter from her belt, activating it as they hurried towards the window.
"Ascension guns!" Able exclaimed as he secured Deena's belt to his, Sev doing the same on his side before all three of them leapt from the burning fortress, turning and firing their cables at the same time, grappling onto the side of the fortress, slowing their descent. The Fortress was still burning and they could still hear explosions ripping it apart from the inside.
"Osik! They must've rigged the generator! We're gonna be landing in a future crater!" Sev yelled before they heard the sound of a gunship's engines overhead. Deena smiled as they saw their solid black Krayt Gunship flying towards them.
"Not for long!" she said as the gunship slowed to hover beneath them, the top hatch opening, the three landing safely on the roof, Sev helping Deena inside with Able close behind.
"That's all of us! Go!" Able ordered as soon as he was inside, the gunship turning and racing away, heading for the atmosphere just as the Fortress started to collapse from the damage done to it. Flying away from it in the opposite direction was the Sith Stealth Shuttle where Commander 24 watched the fortress's destruction via a viewscreen as a medical droid tended to his wounds.
"Sir, the Republic Commandos have escaped." One of the Sith Commandos reported as 24 looked towards him.
"Do you have the data?" he asked as the Commando raised a data-disc.
"Yes sir." He replied before 24 snatched the disc from his hand, putting it in his belt.
"Then we can safely say that our mission was a success." 24 said as he reclined against the wall, feeling the shifting of the shuttle beneath him as it jumped to hyperspace.
Later near the Rishi Maze…
The commandos had rendezvoused with the Corellian Gunship which had in turned rendezvoused with the Redemption, the same Nebulon-B Frigate that had treated Luke's wounds after his duel with Darth Vader at Bespin. The Redemption was no longer a Republic vessel though, now manned by the Jedi Temple Guard and Jedi Healers as part of the Jedi Order's small but serviceable fleet.
Deena sat on one of the medical beds in a medical gown and was having her leg treated in a small bacta tank that only went up to her knee. Able, in his usual white Phase-I armor sat near her while Sev, back in the standard Temple Guard uniform, leaned against the wall by the door.
"I'd like to apologize for all of this. I didn't realize we were walking into a trap." Deena said but Able and Sev both scoffed.
"We're Commandos, Deena. How many times have the two of us dropped into a situation with no Intel, not knowing what to expect? Hell, we half expected to run into Darth Vader some of those times but we pulled through it anyway. We knew what to expect, and so did the others. They knew the risks." Able said, comfortingly.
"Plus, we could've said no." Sev added, a big smile on his face.
"What's got you smiling?" Deena asked as Able groaned.
"He got into a fight. To him, that's a good day. I warned you he was defective. That said, I'll never question his fighting chops ever again." Able said with a look of respect towards Sev who chuckled.
"It's been a long time since I got into a good fight. Besides, no one beats up on my brother or his daughter while I'm around." Sev said as Deena smiled at him and then looked to Able.
"You told him?" she asked.
"He assumed I was going to break fraternization regs. I set him straight." Able replied as Sev massaged his right cheek.
"Yeah but with a belt to the face." Sev chuckled.
"You probably should understand that legally, I'm not really his daughter. He just verbally adopted me after a mission on Dac during the Rebellion." Deena said but Sev raised a dismissive hand.
"You don't have to explain to me. I was raised in the same culture as he was." Sev interrupted.
"Then I suppose I better start thinking about what I'm going to tell General Marek. The trail's gone cold and now the Sith know we have a possible security breach. Plus the Sith may very well be able to trace the breach to its source and exploit it with whatever data they managed to recover from that fortress." Deena said as Able scratched his chin.
"One trail perhaps, but knowing the General, he's already working on the other trail. Personally I'd like to know more about this, Commander 24. If he's an old clone like us, then identifying him shouldn't be hard." Able said as he stood up.
"There were thousands of clones produced during the Clone Wars. How can you be sure you can identify him? It's not like you can pick him out of a line-up." Deena said as Able smiled towards her.
"Don't worry. It takes a clone, to find a clone. Besides, the best place to look is on Kamino and we're near it anyway." Able said as he looked towards Sev.
"You in, brother?" Able asked as Sev smirked.
"You know it." Sev replied as they headed for the door.
A little over an hour later…
Able and Sev were escorted into the archives room of the Tipoca City Cloning Facility.
"I take it you have an idea of where to start looking?" Sev asked as Able stepped up to the console.
"He didn't know it but he gave me a few clues to help identify him. He admitted to being bred as a Commander, or at least an officer, that he served in the Clone Wars and willfully participated in Order 66. Plus his stance and demeanor implicated a calculating personality and the way he picked off our squad mates implied a tactical mind. This almost confirms he was at least a Commander. Plus there's his number, 24. I'll bet that's part of his old designation number. So if we filter the search by Clone Commanders with the number 24 in the designation, we should at least get a list of possible candidates for our enigmatic Commander 24." Able explained, entering data into the console.
"Was there any basic in that?" Sev asked, confused but Able ignored him. Able then hit enter on the search. The console then beeped almost instantly.
"That was fast." Sev said as Able blinked.
"Only one result." Able said as he selected the result, a hologram activating behind the console, showing a Clone Trooper in customized Phase-II armor with a sort of visor over the eyes and a pill-shaped jetpack on his back. The helmet was held under the trooper's left arm and the trooper was saluting. He also had a well-groomed and military length hairstyle. Able furrowed his brow at the hologram while Sev arched a curious eyebrow, approaching with his arms crossed.
"That's him." Able said as Sev scowled.
"Really? I'd have never have guessed it was him. Not surprised though." Sev commented as Able looked towards him in surprise.
"You know him?" Able asked.
"I know of him. He was one of the most respected commanders in the whole Clone Army." Sev replied as Able downloaded the data to a data-disc.
"Well then at the very least, we can give Deena some kind of good news. We now have put a name, to a number." Able said as he wrote Commander 24's full designation number on the disc's casing…
…CC-2224
Meanwhile on the Sith Capital World…
Darth Akul was stood looking out the window behind her throne as Commander 24 entered the room, saluting upon reaching the foot of the throne.
"Commander 24, reporting milady." 24 said as Akul turned towards him.
"Report." She stated simply.
"We ambushed a number of pirate and mercenary forces based out of an Old Republic Outpost near Garel. We downloaded their data core and are in the process of deciphering it. We also had a bit of a run in with New Republic Commandos. They did not get any data, and we eliminated five of them. It seems that our Intel is correct. They're investigating a possible security breach. If we can find that breach, we can exploit it." Commander 24 reported as Akul smiled at him.
"Once again, my friend, you serve as an example to your peers and as a model soldier of the Sith Empire." Akul complimented.
"Good soldiers follow orders, ma'am." 24 said as Akul chuckled.
"Yes they do. Much like you followed orders when Order 66 came through. You were on Utapau at the time, weren't you Cody?" Akul asked as Commander 24, formerly Commander Cody, gave a nod.
"I only wish the damned gunner on that walker hadn't have missed." 24 grumbled.
"You have done well, Cody." Akul said as 24 saluted.
"Thank you, milady. As always, I am only doing my duty to the Empire."
End Episode 7
Admit it, you all thought Commander 24 was Rex. Rex's Shadow Wars fate will be revealed eventually though. I've not forgotten about him.
Also, a little clarification from the previous episode. Saleucami is not desolate or abandoned now. Higo and his men did not kill everyone on the planet, just a group of farmers. There's still plenty of people on the planet.