November 14th
2583/20 BBY
2:30 UNSC time
Onboard G9 Rigger Freighter
In Hyperspace on route to Earth
3rd person POV:
The ride to Earth is short and tense.
Captain Rex, Sergeant Johnson, Rtas 'Vadum, and Ahsoka Tano sit in the side rooms of the small freighter while Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer and Lopez pilot the freighter that they recovered from Onderon and Obi-Wan Kenobi helps them keep the ship from falling apart.
"So…we were given a voice recorder that has mercenaries confess the laid-out plans of the Confederacy bastards. How exactly do we get the message out?" Johnson asks, holding the recorder that Locus gave them in his hands.
"Well, I think that we need to find a way to hijack all open communication channels and broadcast the message." Rex answers, looking down at the ground.
"Well," Palmer says, looking thoughtful, "I've heard rumors that in the case of an emergency, the UNSC had started creating a tower that would send broadcasts across all channels. They started building it based off the design of the Temple of Communication on Chorus."
"Well, then why aren't we going to Chorus? At least there we know there's a place there that will confirm that our plan will succeed. We're about to throw ourselves into the most dangerous battle of the Clone Wars." Rex asks.
"We need to go to Earth because there, we can save as many lives as possible." Rtas answers, sitting there and waiting anxiously for the battle to start.
Before the conversation can go any further, the door slides open and Sarah Palmer walks in. "Everyone, we are approaching our destination. Get ready." She says before walking away.
The occupants of the room then stand up, preparing their weapons one last time before walking to the front of the ship, where Kenobi and Lopez are working together to pilot the freighter. Before them is the narrow light blue tube of swirling light that is hyperspace travel. Kenobi then pulls the lever on his side towards him and the freighter pulls out of hyperspace. The scene that they arrive at is one that they were somewhat expecting, but still horrified at the sight. Republic Acclamators and Venators staying in a dangerously tight bundle, sending out turbolaser shots and fighters to try and curb the largest UNSC fleet the Republicans have ever seen and their own fighters. All around the battle, scraps of ships that were destroyed in the fight drift aimlessly.
"May I present to you the Home Fleet. The crown jewel of the UNSC military." Johnson says proudly, staring at the battle with slight awe.
"And that same fleet is attacking my men now." Rex answers dryly, although he too is impressed with the magnitude of the scene before them and the vast planet that is the UNSC homeworld. "So, that's your homeworld."
"Yes and no." Palmer replies, then continues. "This is where the UNSC is headquartered at, along with the UEG, but most of us come from different systems across our galaxy."
The freighter flies towards the giant battle, watching as a Strident-class heavy frigate pulls out of the larger group and flies away, with a particularly cocky Venator following close behind. With a jolt, Rex realizes what is going on, but it's too late. The Venator had put itself into range of an ODP, which takes advantage of the open space and fires a MAC shot. The Venator tries to get out of the way, but the bullet punches through the center of the Star Destroyer, cracking it in 2 and the halves start floating away from each other. "So much death…" Kenobi mutters, pulling his eyes away from the scene. The Force is radiating the pain of all those who are dead because of this invasion.
"We need to find a way around the battle so we can set down on the planet safely." Ahsoka says calmly.
"We can't do that, Ahsoka." Rex says sternly, watching the defense platforms, now understanding why they aren't firing. They don't want to risk the lives of their own men, so they are waiting for a clear shot without anyone on their side possibly getting in the way.
"He's right. If we go around the battle, we put ourselves at risk of being shot at by the defense platforms. Even 30 years ago, the platforms were powerful enough to punch through a shielded Covenant vessel with ease." Rtas answers, watching the battle and mentally calculating the possible routes they could take that won't lead to them getting blown back to Onderon.
"Well, I suppose I could try out something Anakin would do in fly right through the middle. That would save us time." Kenobi adds, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"That's suicide. This dump does not have the maneuverability that the fighters do. We would we torn to pieces." Palmer nearly shouts, gripping onto the rifle in her hands tighter than before.
"Except we don't have much time. The longer we argue among ourselves, the more people will die. Right now, General Kenobi's idea is the only plausible one." Rex answers stoically.
A long moment of silence passes before Palmer sighs in resignation. "Fine. We go through the middle of the fight."
"Well then, we best be on our way." Kenobi says, then primes the controls. "Let's do this, Lopez."
"[Yes, lets. The sooner this suicide solution is done, the sooner I can die and never see the assholes who made me again.]" Lopez mutters, also working the controls before him with surprising efficiency. The freighter lunges forward and dives under a pair of Republic fighters chasing after a UNSC Wasp. The freighter then spirals downward and straightens out, flying towards the backside of a Republic Acclamator that is firing at 2 Paris-class frigates, both parallel to the ship. The Acclamator continues spitting out fighters particularly on the Paris frigate on the right, firing turbolasers much more brutally on the already-damaged ship. The deflector shields had already been depleted and the heavy barrage particularly on the bridge area depletes what is left and the frigate starts exploding, knocking the Acclamator away and causing the other frigate to evade. The freighter pulls upward in time, flying past the bridge of the Acclamator and skimming the top with the downward-pointing wings before flying off the top and making its way towards another Acclamator, its turbolasers blazing in all directions as well. A split second later, 2 MAC shots goes off and they both punch through the transport ship, making it split in half, the insides spilling out into open space.
"Hang on everyone!" Kenobi shouts then brings the freighter into the wreckage of the ship, weaving left, right, up, and down. It turns out this was a smart move since a missile tried to hit the freighter only to hit the wreckage. After a few seconds of dangerous maneuvering, the ship then flies through the only open docking bay door, avoiding another missile strike from a Broadsword that is tailing them.
"[What the fuck were you thinking?]" Lopez demands once they safely exit the wreckage.
They all look in the direction of the shots and they nearly freeze in place. There, floating in the middle of space, are 5 new ships. The 2 largest ships are the Infinity and the Pillar of Winter respectively. "So, the UNSC is not holding anything back anymore." Johnson comments, watching as the new ships also join the fight and rain fire on the Republic fleet.
The Republicans can only watch in awe as they charge into the clustered battle. "What's with the Halycons following the Pillar of Winter?" Rex asks, finding that rather odd.
"Those ships make up the Pillar of Winter's personal escort. According to rumor, they can come together and charge up the power behind the MAC shots, but if it's true, that ability would require months of experimenting before it can be used in battle effectively." Palmer explains, then the freighter starts shaking violently again.
"What's going on now?" Rtas asks, looking around for any fighters coming their way.
Lopez pushes some buttons on the screen before him and the image of the ship they are flying appears on the screen along with a yellow arrow following close behind. "[We have not shaken that asshole off yet.]" He says to Kenobi who looks up.
"I'm sorry, but I do not understand Spanish." Kenobi says. Lopez just makes the rolling eyes gesture and lifts his right hand off his steering wheel to point at the screen before him. Kenobi bends over so he can see as well. "Everyone, we still have one last fighter coming towards us. We need to shake him off. Hold on tight."
With those words, Kenobi starts swerving the freighter around in a zig-zag motion to avoid the autocannons on the Broadsword as they approach the still-disabled Cairo Defense Platform. Kenobi and Lopez work together to keep the freighter moving, not maintaining a straight course for more than a second. The chase goes on until Kenobi pulls off a very risky maneuver of violently swerving to the right. The right wing falls off after striking the main MAC cannon. "This is why I don't fly the way Anakin does. It's complete suicide." Kenobi mutters, as he directs the ship towards the planet and starts flying down.
"At least you admit it." Rtas mutters, then grips the handle even harder when the freighter starts shaking violently again.
"Well, there goes our maneuverability." Johnson says sarcastically, watching as the bottom wing flies into space, having been shot off by the Broadsword. The exterior of the freighter starts glowing orange and starts shaking even more violently than before, tiny pieces of the freighter breaking off and vaporizing.
The shaking is so strong that Kenobi and Lopez have to grip their steering wheels even tighter than before and everyone else on the ship get knocked to the ground. "This primitive scrap heap will not survive much longer!" Rtas shouts as the roaring outside the freighter gets louder and they start flying through the clouds of the planet.
"We already lost both of our wings, so a crash landing the best case possible." Rex says quickly, watching as the freighter clears the clouds and stretching out before them is vast green and right in front of them is a small warehouse.
"Everyone, I can't evade at all. Brace for impact!" Kenobi shouts, gripping the wheel to the point where his knuckles start turning white. The rest of the passengers run to one of the nearby rooms and brace themselves against the wall. Lopez starts letting out a mechanical battle cry as the freighter gets closer and closer to the small, abandoned warehouse and crashes into it. The impact knocks everyone onboard unconscious.
30 minutes later…
Kenobi feels his face resting on a hard, rocky surface and his eyes start twitching before his eyelids slide open. Slowly, he sits up and has a look around as to where they are. To Kenobi, it looks like they are in the middle of an underground cavern full of crates and ancient-looking metal platforms. Suddenly, he hears groaning and turns around, his hand reaching for his lightsaber. On his right, the freighter lies on the ground and on fire. The twin blades of Rtas' blue energy sword sticks out of the side, quickly cutting a rectangular shape before the blades pull back inside and the cut sheet of metal goes flying deeper into the cavern, its crashing echoing in the cave.
The Sangheili Shipmaster jumps out of the ship first, with Ahsoka and Sergeant Johnson following close behind. After them comes Captain Rex holding up Commander Palmer. "Are you all right?" Rex asks.
"Yes, Captain. I must have sprained my ankle slightly from the impact. It's nothing to worry about." Palmer responds then pulls herself back onto her feet.
"Hey, where's Lopez?" Ahsoka asks, looking around. The others do the same thing, realizing the brown-armored soldier isn't with them.
"[Right here.]" Lopez says, his headless body standing up, much to everyone's surprise. Lopez's body then walks over to where his head is lying and after picking it up, screws it back into place. "[I'm sorry to say I'm used to shit like that happening.]"
"All right, let's get going. I got a bad feeling about this place." Kenobi says, activating his lightsaber. The rest of the small group also raise their weapons before proceeding deeper into the cave. The fire from the demolished freighter casts an orange glow over the cave, illuminating some of the metal crates that line the left side of the metal bridge. The rusted metal ground creaks dangerously under their feet after each step is taken.
"Let me find a way to turn these on." Johnson says, walking towards a tall metal rod on the right side of the platform, leaning against a flimsy and decaying railing. "God, these things are ancient. But with a little luck…" He adds, connecting wires together before he lets out a deep growl and punches it. Light suddenly fills the cave as the giant lights, along with several others, activate simultaneously. The scene before everyone makes them pause in their eagerness to stop the violence raging on the surface. Metal crates upon metal crates of weapons, armor and the Powerloaders just standing there, rust covering everything to the point where they are unusable.
"What is all of this? The UNSC or ONI don't use any of these weapons in battle. These look ancient." Ahsoka asks, leaping over the flimsy metal railing and walking forward, picking up one of the rusted over rifles, with specks of the original dark green color still visible on the side and an indention also on the side, flashing the number 36 in red lights.
"These weapons are primitive, indeed. From the looks of them, they haven't been used in centuries." Rtas remarks, picking up one of the rusted pulse rifles lying on an open crate and looking at it with interest.
"Shipmaster, you are right. These weapons haven't been used in centuries. Have a look for yourself." Palmer replies, jerking her rifle in her hands to the side of one of the crates that is sandwiched between 2 larger metal boxes. Everyone walks towards it and stares at the logo on the side. It is a W overlapping a Y and the insignia 'Weyland-Yutani' written on the bottom.
"We-Yu, huh? Should have known those sons of bitches would have a hidden facility that wasn't confiscated." Johnson says darkly, glaring at the symbol.
"What is this 'Weyland-Yutani'? I have never heard of it." Rex asks, staring at the symbol with interest.
"Yes, I would like to know as well. Even I have never heard of them." Rtas adds, looking to the Sergeant and Spartan Commander.
"You wouldn't have. Weyland-Yutani was a super-corporation that was at the peak of its influence in the 23rd century, about 300 years ago. They developed various weapons and methods on terraforming various planets for colonizing. They had always been suspected of being involved in shady dealings, but no one could provide concrete evidence. That is, until a former branch of the UNSC, the United States Colonial Marines sent hundreds of marines to a desert planet to investigate the disappearance of another ship, the Sulaco. The measly 100 who returned from the mission reported to their superiors that the corporation had sent mercenaries to the planet to kill everyone, resulting in a battle that cost the lives of hundreds of marines, 2 warships and a colony on the planet. Once the ONI interrogated an android that the survivors brought back, it listed enough crimes involving Weyland-Yutani for the ONI to immediately dissolve it." Palmer responds, having heard stories of the corporation and the battle during her training to be a Spartan-IV.
"Damn, I almost forgot about androids. I've heard that those guys haven't been used in centuries. They were declared obsolete after several uprisings that resulted in many deaths, the destruction of numerous warships and a commerical freighter, and replaced with Artifical Intelligence programs." Ahsoka mutters.
"And we stumbled into one of this corporations' facilities." Rex responds, looking around warily and lifting both his blaster pistols. He stares at the pistols as they spark slightly and steam starts curling out from it. "Great. My pistols were damaged in the crash." He then sheathes his pistols at his side.
"We need to find a way out of here. And fast." Kenobi adds, staring intently at the smooth cave and enough weapons to equip an army just lying around, even if they are useless.
"How exactly do we do that, Jedi? Scale the walls?" Johnson asks, sarcastically.
"[Am I the only one who can see the huge-ass elevator?]" Lopez asks, staring at the large elevator at the end of the large cave.
"I'm sorry, Lopez, I can't understand what you are saying." Kenobi says, then follows the Spanish-speaking robot's gaze to the ancient elevator. "Well, it may be primitive, but that elevator is our only way of escaping this place. Good job, Lopez."
"You don't belong here, you know." A calm, borderline emotionless voice says. The group jumps, either pulling out their weapons or activating them and turning to face whoever spoke. They come face to face with a tall, lengthy man wearing a surprisingly clean grey uniform with the symbol of the Weyland-Yutani corporation sewed into the uniform. The man himself has short black hair, each half going in opposite directions, a long pale face and crystal blue eyes.
"Who the hell are you?" Johnson demands, staring at him intently.
"My name is Fred. It is a great pleasure to meet you." Fred says, bowing to the group in respect.
"It is nice to meet you, Fred. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. My companions are Ahsoka Tano, Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer, Captain Rex, Lopez, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson and Fleetmaster Rtas 'Vadum." Kenobi replies, gesturing to each person as he introduces them.
"What are you doing down here?" Rtas asks, pointing his activated energy sword at Fred's throat.
Fred's face changes from stoic and professional to complete surprise, staring at the Sangheili then turning to look at Ahsoka. "Strange. I acknowledge that you are alien of differing species, but I am uncertain as to what species you are." Fred states, looking at them with great interest.
"[What is this guy's problem?]" Lopez asks, staring at him incredulously. The UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios have co-existed for decades and the Bitter Wars has been happening for almost a year, so knowledge of hundreds of alien species is common.
Fred stares at Lopez before responding in his calm manner. "I can assure you, sir. There is nothing wrong with me."
"[Wait. You can understand Spanish? What the fuck?]" Lopez asks, incredulously and shocked. The only other person Lopez had met who understood Spanish is the ex-mercenary who saved their lives.
"[Indeed, I do.]" Fred replies in perfect Spanish, his attention now on the robot.
"[I'm sorry. I'm used to being surrounded by idiots who don't understand me all the time.]"
"I can see that, Lopez." Fred responds, then turns to Johnson when the man lets out a sharp cough.
"I knew there was something different about you. You're not an actual human being, you're a synthetic man."
"My creator always preferred to call me a 'synthetic,' but I prefer the term android myself. What year is it?" Fred asks, staring at their weapons with his piercing gaze. They look much more advanced than anything he has seen since he went into his cryo pod.
"It is 2583." Palmer replies crisply.
"Well, I can see that this time is vastly different than my own." Fred remarks, his brief moment of shock being replaced with a small smile working his way onto his face.
"Wait a second. If you were asleep in a cryo pod for centuries, how did you manage to wake up at all?" Rex asks, finally getting suspicious on that.
"I am not certain. My thesis is that after this facility for my creators got shut down, they activated the several motion sensors and scanners installed here so that if someone who isn't from the corporation comes down, all the cryo pods can activate and their security forces can clear out the intruders." Fred replies calmly.
"[Wait. What the fuck did you say?]" Lopez asks.
"There they are. Kill them!" A rough male voice shouts and numerous bullet shots go off. The group take cover behind the crates as about 24 men in full white battle armor and what looks like black goggles and mouthpiece cover his face and a black stripe running down each shoulder. Palmer sticks out from behind her cover and fires her rifle, the bullets piercing the centuries-old armor and hitting him in the shoulder. The man screams and goes down while his companions continue firing their pulse rifles, with 1 soldier wielding a huge flamethrower.
"Alright. To do this, we need to work together." Palmer says over the noise.
"Agreed. Commander, you and everyone who can use a gun hold the line here. General Kenobi, Sergeant Tano, we will take on the enemy with our energy swords. Hold nothing back."
Obi-Wan nods and the trio run around the cave, with the mercenaries retaining their attention on the Spartan commander and the rest of the group as the firefight continues. Rex is using a better-looking pulse rifle in the battle as well, but the gun's locking up is giving him problems. Rtas lets loose a battle cry and slams his energy sword into the flamethrower-wielding soldier's chest. He lets out a grunt the doubles over and falls to the ground, dead.
The rest of the soldiers turn to meet the 3 sword fighters and pause as they take in the alien looks of Rtas and Ahsoka. That moment of pause lets Palmer and her group get several shots in, killing 5 more enemies. Between the blazing guns and the 3 masters of the sword, the mercenaries are quickly killed.
"Your skills in combat are impressive." Fred says, coming out from his cover and looking at them with an expression of respect. "Thank you for freeing me from the influence of my creators. They were…unpleasant to be around."
"You're welcome. You can start helping us by telling us how we can operate the elevator so we can get out of this pit." Rex answers, glaring at the employee's corpses.
Fred doesn't say anything for a few long moments, as he walks over to the bodies and stares at the soldier's corpses. "You can't operate it. I know how it works, but if what you say is true and that I've been asleep for 3 centuries, the elevator won't work."
"Well, Mr. Optimistic, do you have any other ideas on how we can get out of here?" Ahsoka asks, a sarcastic tone in her voice.
"…Actually, I do know of a way. Follow me." With those words, Fred runs off towards the metal bridge, and after jumping over the railing, he walks down the path towards a rather squat building that is square-shaped and has no windows anywhere.
Soon, the rest of the group follows close behind and they walk to the door to the bunker. As they reach the 6' tall door, they notice that the door is sealed shut and a password lock dead in the center.
"Oh, dear. I doubt anyone besides Mr. Weyland himself would know the password to get in here. I'll have to hack into the door." Fred says calmly, but Obi-Wan walks towards the door as well.
"Don't worry, Fred. I can get us in quicker." He then activates his lightsaber and stabs it into the door. He then twists it downward until he makes a large circle in the sheet of metal. The Jedi then uses the Force and pulls the circle of metal out and releases it instantly, the metal clanging on the ground violently.
"Fascinating." Fred mutters as he walks into the small bunker, with everyone else following close behind and their weapons at the ready. Inside lies 25 open cryo pods of a model that hasn't been seen since the 23rd century all lined up in rows of 2, each facing opposite directions. On the walls lining the facility are full of lockers. Fred starts walking to the lockers and examining each one carefully. "I suppose I should explain what I'm doing. As the corporation was about to go out of business, the former CEO tried desperately to find new technologies, weapons, anything that would get them a better reputation. So they raided the facilities of other older companies that have gone out of business long ago. This facility holds everything that was salvaged from Aperture Labs, a corporation that went out of business centuries before because everyone was mysteriously killed. Ah, here we are." He then pulls open one of the lockers, revealing a full suit of battle armor that is surprisingly clean along with a pulse rifle without any rust on it. Fred then walks forward and pulls on the rifle.
An audible click can be heard and the cryo pods slide apart and a new platform creaks and groans dangerously as it rides to the top. On the platform lies 5 strange cubes with grey ends on each and in the middle, 3 crates are set up in a triangular design, and in the center of the 3 is a black stand holding a white gun with black appendages sticking out at the front barrel which is also black. The tops of the crates are off, revealing that 2 of them are full of boxes of kits lying horizontally for making something the boxes call a 'Sentry Turret;' a white, oval-shaped robot with a single red eye in the center and 3 sharp grey legs to hold it in place. Next to the robot is a red dialogue bubble that advertises the turret as 'Now Talking!'
"Kriff. These things remind me of battle droids." Rex remarks, staring down at the kits with an unreadable expression since he is still wearing his helmet.
"My God." Johnson says, causing everyone to look at him. He is standing in front of the 3rd box, his assault rifle sheathed as he holds up a medium-sized white ball with a handle on top and on bottom with a single black eye in the middle and 2 dots on the top-left side. "Is this what I think it is?"
"A personality core." Palmer mutters, slight awe in her voice. Upon most of the groups' questioning look, she continues, "During my time when I trained to be a Spartan, we were all taught about various histories, including the origins of shipboard AIs. After the androids were declared obsolete, the UNSC stumbled across a crate full of deactivated personality cores in an underground facility. They experimented with the unique personalities each core possessed, and after a while, they combined the personalities to create the first Artificial Intelligence that can install themselves onto portable chips at will."
"Wow." Ahsoka says after a long pause from hearing the history lesson.
"I am interested in hearing more about what has happened on the surface, but we came here for this." Fred walks past the crates and grabs the gun off the stand. "This is a prototype of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Captain, I believe this will be a suitable replacement for your damaged weapons." He then throws the portal gun at Rex, which he catches with ease.
"Why aren't you going to use it?" Rex asks, as he examines the gun's weight and how it operates.
"I was built to work for science. I have no training on how to use a gun nor do I intend to. Consider it a token of my gratitude for freeing me from my creators."
Rex continues examining it before slipping it onto his right arm. "Huh. It's lighter than I was expecting. Here's the trigger. Let's see what it does." Rex then points the gun at one of the far walls and fires. A light blue ball of light fires from it and lands on the far wall, producing an oval-shaped wall of swirling light blue light. "Uh…right. How about a second time?" He turns around and fires again at the wall in front of him. This time, an orange ray shoots out and strikes the wall, producing an orange oval. The difference now is that he can see out of the blue portal, at least he guesses since he can see his own back. Curious, he walks through it and comes out the 1st portal he shot. "Damn. If the CIS gets a hold of this, the war would be over for the Republic."
"Indeed, Captain. We need to get out of here; we don't have much time." Kenobi says, using the Force to run out of the bunker, his Jedi cloak billowing behind him.
Not wanting to be left behind, everyone else runs out of the bunker and towards the elevator shaft. Once they regroup with Obi-Wan, they look up to the ceiling and see him using the Force to push aside any trapdoors that would hinder them. After a few seconds, the security measures are pushed aside and their route to the surface is revealed. "Captain, fire your new gun at the wall to our left as high up as possible then at our feet."
"Yes sir." Rex says, then complies with the order. Seconds later, they all jump through the portal and use their momentum to land on the corridor of the top floor.
"Right. Guns out and be prepared for anything." Palmer barks, holding her rifle in hand once again. They all walk out of the corridor, coming to an empty warehouse that leads to the outside world, the night sky and endless grassy fields being the only things that can be seen.
Slowly and cautiously, they walk out of the warehouse to get a better view of their surroundings. In the far distance, the city of New York can be seen and large explosions go off, showing that a large-scale fight is already underway. Even farther away is the island of Manhattan, with only the large deflector shield-based dome being visible. Overhead, the battle is starting to really get intense, with a single Republic ship firing turbolasers at the UNSC fighters that are flying around in all directions.
"That doesn't look too good." Ahsoka mutters as the smoke curls into the sky.
"Alright. Where is this communication tower with the ability to broadcast on all channels the treachery?" Rex asks stoically, ignoring Ahsoka's sarcastic comment. Deep down, he suspects that Ahsoka's time with UNSC troops has changed her in more ways than one.
"It's in Manhattan. But it's protected by a shield generator since the UEG holds its annual meetings there. We need to find another way in." Palmer responds, then a split second later, another explosion goes off and the shields start wavering.
"[Oh shit.]" Lopez states, realizing that the Republic must have succeeded in damaging the barrier.
"We better find a way in. If we can't find stop this violence now, there will be no escape for any of us." Kenobi states, staring at the city with a sympathetic look.
"Alright. The key to making it through alive is to get ourselves some reliable protection. The second we walk exposed through the streets, we will be blown to pieces by the crossfire." Rex says, raising his portal gun and checks their perimeter one last time-when he notices something that makes him smile for the first time that day. "You might want to see this."
Everyone follows Rex's gaze and they blink in surprise. For lying in the middle of the field is a single AT-TE in surprisingly good condition. Admittedly, there are a handful of bullet holes from sniper shots in the glass that protects the driver, bullets imbedded in the side of the ship and the corpses of clones and an entire battalion of marines in the distance. "It may be damaged, but it will have to do." Palmer states, looking at it with an almost condescending look.
"[I'm not looking forward to this.]" Lopez mutters, but climbs up the ladder on the back and climbs around to the pilots' seat since he is no doubt expected to drive it. The rest of the small group climbs onto the tank, and take up certain posts on the side of the tank while Lopez fiddles with the controls, figuring out how the tank's controls work.
Eventually, Lopez finds the button to activate the AT-TE and presses it. The tank whirs and groans violently, damaged from what the UNSC inflicted on it. "Get this thing moving already!" Palmer shouts with a hint of anger in her voice, smashing a fist into the side of the tank. The AT-TE suddenly lets out a long shudder before standing up on all 6 legs, knocking the passengers off-balance for a brief moment. Then the Republic tank starts surging forward, still shuddering and groaning but to a lesser degree.
While Rtas walks into the command center inside the AT-TE with Rex, Fred and Johnson so they can formulate a strategy on how best to proceed, Palmer, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan maintain patrol duty in case things go south. Ahsoka gets into a meditating position on the front of the tank to clear her mind of the death that is radiating from the planet and Obi-Wan walks towards Palmer. "You should not let your anger get the better of you. It will leave you wide open to be killed."
"You think I don't know that? I'm just tired of nothing going right for us." Palmer responds, a touch of bitterness still in her voice.
"Sometimes you need to have faith that in the end, it will turn out alright."
"What does…" Palmer asks but then the sounds of whirring engines fill the air. Her eyes widen in shock and she looks at Kenobi. "Grab Ahsoka and stay out of sight. My motion scanners indicate we have a Mammoth about 15 klicks away from our current position and closing fast."
The Jedi's eyes also widen and he only nods, running to the barrel of the tank to alert Ahsoka of the incoming threat. Both of them have seen Mammoth tanks in action, and Kenobi is honestly scared of the tank that is built for war. The AT-TE stops moving and the sounds of the approaching Mammoth get louder and louder before the desert-colored war machine appears in all its glory behind them. Palmer ducks to her side to stay out of sight.
of the AT-TE, watching as the Mammoth drives past them, manned by dozens of Spartans of differing colors and designs. "Come on guys. Can't we stop for one second to admire the scenery?" A Spartan in lightish-red armor asks pleadingly.
"No Donut." Another soldier in red armor responds with a gruff voice. Palmer's eyes widen as she realizes that it's the famous Blood Gulch crew, along with dozens of other soldiers.
"Come on Sarge. We need to not be in such a rush sometimes. You already know that you guys have both my front and back."
"Shut up Donut!" A chorus of voices shout as the Mammoth rolls past them without sparing them a second look before hitting the main highway, smashing past toppled cars and trucks as it continues
The backdoor swings open and the occupants look out, watching the Mammoth riding away. "Who were they?" Fred asks, confusion in his voice for the first time.
Lopez runs towards them before stopping. "[Those assholes are my makers. They're not that smart.]"
"It doesn't matter who they are. It's pretty obvious that they are heading to the city like we are."
"We need to find another way to get to our destination. This AT-TE will only make things harder." Ahsoka adds, looking at their tank. She has seen a Mammoth in open combat and even manned by simple marines, the tank was able to destroy 5 AT-TEs before it was destroyed when the UNSC tried establishing a base on Dantooine.
"I can see the city from here. I'll just use my new gun to take us there." Rex states, raising the portal gun in his hand and looking at one of the many skyscrapers in the distance.
"Let me help. May the Force guide your aim." Kenobi says, raising his hand and closing his eyes in concentration. Rex nods and raises his portal gun to one of the buildings, focusing with all his might then fires a blue ray. They stand there for several minutes before Rex shrugs and fires an orange portal at his feet.
The orange portal materializes and shows nothing but sky and a long grey platform. "It worked." Rtas mutters, surprise in his voice.
"Let's get going." Rex states then falls through the portal. Not wanting to be left behind and eventually be ambushed by either the Republic or UNSC, they fall through the portal. The 1st portal Rex shot is a truly remarkable one, for it lands them on a large grey metal platform that overlooks the city of New York. The Mammoth from earlier is now on the bridge that leads to Manhattan, riding towards a set of heavy cannons and Republic troops that are surrounding a small group of the soldiers from earlier. A split second later, the Mammoth fires a shot from the miniature MAC cannon that the Mammoth boasts and destroys the Heavy Cannon instantly. Seconds later, the concrete wall that supports the barrier around the island starts crumbling, with pieces of the wall falling into the water.
"That doesn't look good." Johnson states as watches with his binoculars as the shields start failing before they fizzle out altogether. In the distance, he can see the Jedi Knight Aayla Secura fleeing towards the city with a handful of clones who are supporting an injured Anakin Skywalker. Overhead, Republic fighters start rallying towards the larger ship to coordinate their bombing strikes.
"We are running out of time. We need to get to that tower now." Palmer states, pointing towards the tallest tower in the distance. It is a tall grey tower in the center of the city and is structured like a rod with a pointed tip.
Rex watches the city with interest, mentally calculating where would be the best place to shoot his portals at. "No matter what happens, the Force will be with us." Ahsoka says with optimism.
"Let's hope so. For everyone's sake." Rex says then fires an orange ray at one of the distant buildings. As they walk through the new portal, a single Republic Acclamator descends from the sky after abandoning its previous base on Earth; for this is where the last fight for the battle of Earth will be fought.
AN: Yup, this chapter was more of a filler than anything else.
Call me insane or stuff like that, but I dedicated this chapter to the other series' in this story. Don't ask me why, but I thought that Weyland-Yutani from the Aliens series raiding Aperture to find something to keep themselves in business sounds like something they would do.
I am so sorry for having a botched-up update session. The start of my summer vacation has been…busy to say the least. I promise to try and make a more thorough update session. Until my new school starts, but one thing at a time.
As compensation for my terrible update session, I will be starting a new story next week featuring Camp Camp. I like to think of it as celebration for the start of Camp Camp Season 2. Trust me, once I work out everything, I think that it will be a real treat for me to write.
Anyway, see you next time when the Second Battle of Earth comes to a close.