"Without me, you'll never be free!"
"Our time has come!"
"A man can have anything… If he is willing to sacrifice."
"I'm not accepting surrenders."
"NO! WE WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE! KEEP PRESSING THE ATTACK!"
"We are who we are, and to change for anything other than survival is a fate worse than death."
"Like a million daggers, our power is divine."
"I want utter defeat, crashing down upon you."
"Then you will die!"
"A home is the people you interact with, not the place."
"ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!"
"LOOK OUT!"
"WHERE ARE OUR REINFORCEMENTS?!"
"I'M HIT!"
"Sergeant, behind you!"
"Let's make the end memorable!"
"I promised to protect you, and I failed… I am so sorry."
"I'll stand with you until I die, Sir."
"A wolf stuck in a trap will chew off its own leg to survive… Fire!"
"This wasn't how it was supposed to go."
"This was meant to be a new start, really."
"Nothing lasts forever, nor are things set in stone. Time is always in motion."
"You were deceived. And now your Republic, shall fall."
The voices fade, as does the darkness. The ground beneath is rough and rocky. A faint ringing enters his ears, as he looks around. All around him, towers of crystal reach for the heavens, craters from wars littering the ground, bodies of armoured soldiers and robotic builds lay scattered. He notices the weapons alongside both flesh and metal bodies, before eying one of the discarded weapons and picking it up. It's heavy and uncomfortable at first, before some reshuffling has it held in a more comfortable position. Weapon in hand, the teenager begins to wander, passing more and more bodies. A soft hymn begins to call to him, as he takes note of two of the taller towers. Following the song, he enters the building.
The sound of heavy footfalls and blaster shots gain his attention. His eyes trail up, the roof of the current floor not blocking his imagination, an image of the armoured soldiers he'd seen previously as corpses, fighting off an army of metal. He then moves methodically, checking each room, finding them all empty. With the floor clear, he moves to the elevator, swiftly pressing the button for the top floor. Out the corner of his eye, he can make out two ghostly figures, their faces missing as they seem to talk to each other incomprehensively. The elevator begins to slow, but not yet at the top level. He brings the carbine up, level with the chest height of an average human. The chime sounds, and the doors begin to open. Four droids appear from the other side, and he quickly fires the first shot, taking them by surprise.
"Blast him!" One of the droids order, the high-pitched voice almost comical, but their order is far too late, as the teenager had already dashed to the side, slamming the button to close the door repeatedly, as blaster bolts fly to where he had been standing before. The two ghostly figures had dashed to the other side. This time, when one of them speaks, he can hear and understand what he says.
"Oh fuck. I think we just invaded fucking China." The elevator resumes its climb as the teenager tries to mull over the words, while the ghostly figures fade away. When the door opens next, the light of day once more reaches his vision, alongside an army of droids fighting against a small number of armoured soldiers, and two... Jedi... the word feels right in his mind... and he knows he should help them. He brings his blaster up and fires on the droids, shooting them down from behind, before taking cover behind a small concrete barricade. A few hundred meters away, the evacuation transport was approaching. He breaks cover and rushes towards the group, firing a few shots towards the droids as he ducks behind yet another barricade.
"Give the kid some covering fire!" A voice calls from the group of soldiers. They begin to fire as the transport hovers by the edge of the building. He makes another dash towards them. A few meters from the transport, a blaster bolt passes through his left shoulder, though he is numb to the pain as he continues to run towards the vehicle. An armoured figure grabs him and hoists him aboard. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees one of the soldiers tearing the head of a droid that looked vastly different to the main units. The soldier then leaps aboard the transport, its doors closing as it lurches away. No one tries to ask the teenager anything, instead they chatted among one another, though they were tuned out as the teenager gathers his thoughts. Soon enough, the vehicle lands and one of the Jedi places a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention.
"Come on, kid." He guides him through the rush of armoured soldiers, into a lone building, gesturing for him to take a seat on the bench to the side. He then takes a seat next to him. "You alright?" He asks hesitantly, placing a hand over the hole through his shoulder. Pulses of energy, calm and soothing pass through the wound, which had begun to ache. The teenager nods his head in answer. His other hand brings a Bacta patch over the wound, attaching it without hesitation. He grabs another, and places it on the exit wound, before wrapping the arm in a sling. The Jedi stays silent for a moment, before speaking again. "Can you tell me your name?" He asks. The question makes him pause, before answering.
"Vex." The teenager answers, the name coming to him without issue.
"No last name?" The Jedi asks. Vex shakes his head, before gazing at the Jedi, taking note of his young, yet already battle-hardened features, his messy, sandy brown hair tousled in an un-militaristic style.
"Your name?" Vex then asks.
"Anakin Skywalker." He introduces, holding out his hand, hidden within a heavy-duty glove. Vex grasps it, shaking it and taking note of the hidden strength in the limb, one beyond human ability, though he doesn't understand how he knows as such. "I'm curious though. We had the area evacuated of civilians; how did you get there?" Anakin asks.
"I think..." Vex begins, the image of dying, mid-forties, a lightsaber through his heart. "I died." Anakin looks at him in confusion but Vex soon speaks more. "I see a Temple burning, falling apart. About fifty... I think the word I'm looking for is Sith... all fighting and killing the young that are trying to escape. I'm fighting one by myself, trying to buy time, but I can feel it has no effect." He then looks to his hands. "I feel a blade piercing my heart, a voice I can't actually hear, saying something unintelligible to me." Vex doesn't know why he speaks of this to Anakin, just that something about him makes him want to trust him, like a harmony in song. Before he can speak any more, however, a device on Anakin's wrist begins to chirp. He activates it, bringing it closer to his face.
"Skywalker here." He states.
"General. We need you in the Command Centre." The soldier on the other end informs, to which Anakin sighs gently.
"On my way." He answers, deactivating the device. "Come on, kid." He guides Vex along, the two of them asking questions, answering each other. Anakin explained about the War, how it started, and what's happened since. Seven months had passed since the start, and the war was already taking a toll on the Jedi and Clone Troopers. Anakin asks about what Vex remembers, though his answers were really limited, as most of what he remembers is just small visions and snippets of a memory. Their questions were endless, but the base was not, and they soon reached the Command Center. Two troopers are awaiting them, alongside the other Jedi, whom Anakin had told Vex was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Both troopers look to Vex, in both confusion and concern.
"You brought the kid?" Rex, the Captain of the 501st asks, not out of spite or hate, but concern for Vex's safety. The look Rex gives him, is one that brings a familiar face to Vex's mind, a single name coming to the back of his mind. Dunn.
"Someone's gotta keep an eye on him, Rex." Anakin retorts with a small smirk, his voice bringing Vex back to the moment.
"Not like I'm that much trouble." He then adds in dryly.
"And besides that, I trust him. I don't sense any kind of deception or malice towards us." Anakin assures. "Anyway, what did you find?" He then asks, returning to the reason he was called.
"They knew all our intel, General. Our positions, our plans, everything about what we were going to do." The other trooper, Cody, answers.
"Then how could we have left ourselves so vulnerable to a security breach?" Anakin asks in concern and confusion.
"I don't think we did." Obi-Wan admits, running a hand through his beard in thought.
"You think someone infiltrated our defenses?" Anakin questions, seemingly reading the man's mind.
"Possibly." Obi-Wan muses.
"But that still wouldn't explain how they got our intel." Rex notes.
"No. Your right." Obi-Wan agrees. "They wouldn't act alone. They'd have someone working with them."
"A spy, sir? But who would want to betray our troops to the Seppies?" The other soldier asks.
"That's the question." Vex mutters to himself. While several thoughts whirl around his mind, one possibility repeats, though he keeps it to himself for the moment, glancing at the astromech, which is plugging into the main computer and digging through files.
"I think it would be a good idea to take a peek behind enemy lines." Obi-Wan states. Vex then notes one of the communicators is on, it's light faintly flashing, a faint beeping emitting from it.
"Hate to interrupt." Vex begins. "But is this supposed to be on?" His question alarms the others, as they too notice the communicator. Anakin and Obi-Wan then look to the hallway, a dark shadow looming in one of the corners.
"No. It's not meant to be on." Cody responds, gritting his teeth in anger. Rex then glances around, before narrowing his gaze towards a humanoid shadow in the hallway.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!" He calls out, a little stupidly in Vex's opinion, before both he and Cody rush after him. While they chase their spy, Anakin and Obi-Wan begin to leave.
"Tell them we're off to go say hi to our foes. Hopefully you'll apprehend the traitor before we return." Obi-Wan states, leading Anakin out of the base. Artoo, the astromech, then bumps into Vex, gaining his attention as he chatters in his binary language.
"Sorry, buddy. I can't understand you. Can you talk to me any other way?" He asks the astromech, who spins his domed head, before plugging in to the console, and projecting a frequency table. "You want me to look at this?" Vex asks, to which the droid beeps what Vex assumes is an affirmative. Vex scans over the table, checking all the communication logs. At first glance, it seems normal, with regular chatter throughout the barracks between each Sergeant and his men. But every now and then, a longer ranged communication would cause a spike in the overall table. It showed as a spotty, irregular frequency every few days, before disappearing again. "That isn't normal, is it?" Vex asks. Before the robot could answer, both Rex and Cody return.
"One of us? Why?" Cody asks.
"Both of you should come and see this." Vex immediately calls them over, gesturing to the frequency table. "Notice anything unusual?"
"Yeah. Every few days, there is one unusual transmission. On a regular basis, you wouldn't notice it." Rex admits. The robot then whistles something, to which both Rex and Cody raise a brow at. "From Slick's barracks?"
"Slick's not gonna like that." Cody notes.
"Well, I hope you two have fun with that. I'm off to go find a shooting range." Vex says, attempting to walk off, only for Rex to place a hand on his shoulder, halting him in his steps.
"Sorry, kid. But we can't leave you out of our sight. Not with a mole around, even if General Skywalker vouches for you." Rex explains. With a sigh of acceptance, Vex nods his head. He follows them through the base, with Rex contacting Slick's squad, and Cody contacting Slick. They guide Vex into a specific room, where an unmarked trooper is waiting for them. Rex and Cody immediately begin relaying what they knew about the traitor to him, explaining how irregular transmission frequencies were originating from his barracks, and how his men were subject to questioning.
"No way. My guys are the best." The Clone, Slick, argues. "No way they're capable of something like this."
"Something like what?" A voice calls out as the door opens and four soldiers make their way in and stand by the seat nearby.
"You called them here?" Slick asks, seemingly surprised.
"Of course, we did." Rex states.
"We need to get to the bottom of this." Cody adds.
"Look, let me have a few minutes with them first. It's gonna hit them hard." Slick says to Cody, though his actions at this point were concerning, at least in Vex's eyes. Caring for one's troops was fine, but Slick was acting rash, almost in fear, and he seemed to be trying to stall things.
"Your men were the best, you said. I think they can handle this." Rex began. "Take a seat, gentlemen." With practiced discipline, the four of them sit without question. "We have a turncoat in our midst. And evidence points to this squad." At this, the soldiers all look at one another, uncertainty and confusion evident on their faces. Rex makes his way to the closest trooper to him.
"What's your story, trooper?" He asks.
"I don't know. I was doing the things I always do after missions." He speaks, a little jumpy.
"Things like what?" Cody presses.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just a little nervous. You're my C.O." He replies.
"The way I figure it, you tell the truth, you got nothing to be nervous about." Cody notes.
"Jester is telling the truth, sir. He cleans his weapon after every mission. First thing, every time." The soldier next to him backs him up. Jester passes his rifle over to Rex, who inspects it, before returning it to the soldier.
"What about you? Were you cleaning your weapon too?" He asks the soldier who stood up for Jester.
"No, sir. I was hungry. After coming here and seeing Jester, I went to the mess." He replies immediately.
"Anyone with you?" Cody asks.
"Sketch, sir." He motions to the soldier next to him.
"Punch and I got to the mess at the same time, got our grub, and sat together." Sketch affirms with a single nod.
"Anyone else in the mess able to confirm?" Cody prods further.
"Oh, yeah." Punch affirms
"There were lots of guys there. Ask any of them, sir." Sketch answers with confidence.
"We will." Rex assures and moves toward the soldier half hidden by his bunk, having moved there shortly after being told to sit.
"So, Chopper, old boy. What's your alibi?" Rex asks.
"I was in the mess hall." He states dryly.
"No, you weren't! I mean... you…" Sketch tries to back down, realizing that he may have just caused more trouble.
"Kid, if you know something, you should speak up." Rex says.
"Chopper came in a lot later… After everyone else." He replies reluctantly.
"So where were you before you went to the mess Chopper?" Cody asks.
"Nowhere. Walking around." He replies, tone still monotonous and dry.
"Chopper, we need to catch this traitor. Even if you fear about revealing what you were doing, it's better than being accused of betrayal." Vex speaks up for the first time. His eyes showed a deep pain, something that Vex feels familiar with. It was not a look of someone who would betray their brothers. Chopper sighs in defeat.
"I was hiding at the south exit. Didn't want anyone to see me string these together." He shows a ring of metal fingers.
"This isn't good Chopper. Lying about where you were, taking forbidden items from the battlefield. How can any of us believe your words now." Cody pushes.
"Wait, no! Hang on! I'm no spy!" He stands up, and Vex begins to move towards him, only for Slick to beat him there, placing a hand on Chopper's shoulder.
"It's okay. We'll get you a proper investigation. You don't have to say anything until the Jedi come back." Slick slips up. No one knew that the Jedi were gone. Chopper, along with the other soldiers in his squad eye him curiously due to his words, proof that they were wondering why the Jedi were gone, and if they were, how did their Sergeant even know.
"That was a pretty big mistake there, Slick." Vex states, with a low chuckle. "The only ones informed of the Jedi not being on base was Rex, Cody, myself... and the Traitor." A frown soon appears on Vex's face, something wasn't right. His instincts were screaming at him in warning.
"I really wish you hadn't noticed that, kid." He says darkly, before kicking out at Chopper, knocking him down, before rolling forward once to get a head start towards an escape. The door hisses open, then once more as it closed behind him. Rex and Cody gather themselves in mere moments and give chase. Vex helps Chopper up, the room now quiet enough for a low, rhythmic beeping to become audible.
"Ah, shit." Vex mutters, recognizing in the back of his mind the sound of an armed bomb. Chopper quickly pushes him down and covers him with his own body. The detonation is deafening and causes Vex's ears to ring. The heat of the initial explosion fades quickly and Vex pushes Chopper off of him. His vision no longer obscured, Vex notices all the damage that had been done. Not only was Slick's Squad Barracks destroyed, but the explosion was large enough to tear into the adjacent rooms, injuring a few other troopers who were resting. Vex notices the sprays of blood and gore from those closest to the explosion who had been torn apart. Chopper had shrapnel from the bunks embedded through his armour, which barely stopped from piercing straight through and hitting Vex.
He glances across to the adjacent rooms, noticing a blaster pistol on the ground. He walks over and picks it up, looking to the injured trooper with concern. The Trooper looks back at him, in pain, but his gaze steeled.
"Don't worry about me, kid. Just go get the fucker that did this." He states. Vex simply nods, and heads out the barracks, the base shaking momentarily as more bombs detonate, though these ones were further away from the heavily populated areas. In the chaos of all this mess, Vex finds himself oddly at peace. His mind clears, and he walks on autopilot, his feet carrying him towards the Command Center, something pulling him towards it. As he walks along the halls, he begins to hear the fighting.
"-aranteed the best odds, right? You knew I was here." Slick voice hisses in the distance.
"Of course, we knew. You think we wouldn't have a plan?" Cody's voice replies.
"But I'm not the traitor. YOU ARE!" Slick shouts, followed by the sounds of a brawl, bodies impacting with the floor. Vex calmly walks into the room, with no one noticing, too focused on their fight. Rex and Cody were being beaten down, Slick tearing Rex's left leg out of its socket in a short brawl on the ground. With him immobilized, Slick grabs one of his pistols and points it at Cody. "All of you just blindly follow orders, for what? At least I got something out of all this suffering. I got my freedom!" Slick aims at Cody, but before he can pull the trigger, Vex fires, the blue bolt of energy from the borrowed pistol passing through Slick's head, killing the traitor instantly.
"Good shot." Anakin's voice calls from behind him, though is face shows some concern. Vex lowers the pistol and places it on the holo-table. He then turns to both Anakin and Obi-Wan.
"Fucker murdered his own squad and injured a number of others. I wasn't planning on letting him live." Vex seethes with venom. Rex cries out momentarily, as Cody puts his leg back in place. Cody then helps him up, letting the injured man lean on him.
"He knew all of our moves, before we even made them. He fought hard and dirty, something we didn't expect from one of our own brothers. We stood little chance." Cody explains, pain and humiliation radiating from his voice. "He went after our weapons depot and destroyed most of our armour. All that's left are the heavy cannons."
"Well that isn't good. The Separatists have a full invasion force coming after us. They'll reach us sometime next rotation." Obi-Wan states, his shoulders slumping.
"Then we get tactical. We find a way to draw the fight out as long as possible, giving us a better chance to live long enough to see our reinforcements." Vex states, moving over to the holotable. "Rex, can you bring up a map of the base and the surrounding area?" With the pressing of a few buttons, a map of the whole base, along with the Crystal City that surrounds them arises, the blue hologram casting a glow across the room. "What's the usual attack pattern of the enemy forces?"
"Brute Force with overwhelming numbers." Rex answers gruffly. "Large columns in formation, Heavy weapons mostly kept at the back, with a few tanks and heavy droids at the front to pierce through an enemy's defenses."
"Excellent. That means that they are ill equipped for an attack through the city." Vex notes immediately, gesturing to the narrow streets and alleys through the cityscape.
"He's right. We can engage the droids from several areas in the city." Anakin agrees.
"And they'll be forced to divide their forces anyway to get through, and their tanks and heavy weapons won't be able to break our front lines, allowing our cannons to decimate them from a distance." Cody adds.
"Exactly. But if you say that we will be against overwhelming forces, know that we will take heavy losses over time. There is nothing we can currently do to stop that. We just have to survive as long as we can in hopes we will get some form of reinforcements. Though that would mean we can't use the city from the get-go. We'll have to hold them back until we're overwhelmed." Vex admits.
"This is war, kid. Death is inevitable." Rex responds solemnly.
"I know. That's what concerns me."
"I'll send up several squads to get a perimeter set up." Cody states, quickly changing the focus. War was upon them.
Two days later
As Vex stands by Anakin, two pistols holstered at his hip for emergencies, an explosive shell impacts several meters away, marking the return of the droid forces.
"Seems they're back." Vex states bluntly.
"I told you this victory was too easy. We never should have sent the ship back for supplies." Obi-Wan complains to Anakin.
"It wasn't my idea to send the ship back." Anakin snaps back swiftly, his argument valid, considering it was indeed Obi-Wan, who had the ship sent away.
"Just get your men out there. I'll continue doing my job." Vex bites out, tired of this war, even though he had only been a part of it for a few days. He activates the comlink on his wrist. "Snipers, pick your targets. Focus on the heavier droids. Squads three and five, return to the buildings, make sure the snipers aren't flanked." Vex orders with ease. In his mind, he can envision himself giving orders to a squad of his own, fighting against overwhelming forces and yet coming out victorious. He then switches frequencies, coming into contact with the Heavy Cannons. "Now that they've pushed us back to the edge of the city, we could do with some artillery fire. Pick your targets." Within seconds, barrages of ionized blaster fire focus on the oncoming assault. The incessant chatter as each soldier relays which droid sect they target becoming a constant hymn. The only other sound being the AV-7 Anti-Vehicle Heavy Cannons firing on their own targets, the deafening sound faded by distance.
While Anakin and Obi-Wan fight on the frontlines, Vex promised to stay back. Not only was he technically a sixteen-year-old in a battlefield, but his shoulder was still healing. He still fought, but mostly through the sights of macro-binoculars, a sharpshooter by his side taking his suggestions on targets, or, like right now, at the makeshift Command Center. Artoo would take position by him, mostly as a caretaker from Anakin, as well as some more company, beyond just the sharpshooter he works with, though it seemed that the astromech felt insulted at being delegated to such a simple task. Vex pats his domed head in silent assurance.
Before long, the droids fall back, as their numbers were dropping faster than before, and the cannons were shredding their armour. The troopers continued to pick of the droids as they retreated, while Anakin and Obi-Wan, lacking any real ranged attack, returned to the staging area. The low, yet loud thrum of an engine passes overhead, as a Republic shuttle lands a few blocks behind Anakin and Obi-Wan's front line.
"I'm heading off with Anakin and Obi-Wan. The Shuttle has returned. Stay sharp and contact me if you see anything." Vex orders gently to the marksmen, before switching off the comlink and making his way to Anakin and Obi-Wan, who had managed to reach the Shuttle. "It's been two hours... they couldn't have loaded enough fresh supplies in such a short time, let alone gotten any extra hands to send to us." He murmurs to himself.
As he walks up to the Shuttle, he notes a few things that ring warning bells in his mind. First, there was no stock of supplies, no new troops, nothing to help them in that way. Second, was onboard alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan while they stand around a Holo-Table.
"Someone mind explaining why there is another kid on an active battlefield?" Vex asks in concern and exasperation, though still taking note that he himself was technically a kid as well. She was a species that Vex had never seen, or at least, had no memories of, so this was certainly a new experience for him, though he would admit she looked cute. From what he could deduce, she was a predatory species, her sharp canines showing in her smile, though said smile turned into a pout at the fact he called her a kid. She had a lithe, fit figure that was beginning to show faint muscles from her training. Anakin's light chuckle drags him back into focus, his gaze having not yet left her.
"I'm not a kid! I'm a Padawan!" She squawks in protest.
"You're what, my age?" Vex asks rhetorically, before sighing softly. "It's nothing against you, but we're still kids. The only difference is in our skillset and experience." Vex then turns his gaze to Obi-Wan. "Now, I did hear something about you wanting to take a new Padawan on, but during a war? Really?" Any attempt of a reply is stopped, however, as the hologram appears, the form of a small, green troll-like person standing before us, his shoulders brought up in a tense way.
"Master Kenobi, glad Ahsoka found you, I am." The creature states with relief, his shoulders no longer looking as tense.
"Master Yoda, we are trapped here, and vastly outnumbered. We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything. Our Support Ships have all been destroyed." Obi-Wan reports, emphasizing their need for help.
"Send reinforcements to you, we will… we… wo… an... wh…" The response fizzled and stuttered before disappearing completely
"Signal's being jammed." Vex notes immediately. A vision of a VTOL vehicle crashing into the water after a wave of condensed energy is emitted coming to his mind. "For now, we're on our own."
"My apologies, young one. It's time for a proper introduction." Obi-Wan states after a few moments.
"I'm the new Padawan Learner, Ahsoka Tano." She introduces.
"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new Master." Anakin's eyes flicker in response to what is likely a memory at the word Master, Vex only noticing due to a surge of... something... he can't quite put his finger on.
"I'm at your service Master Kenobi, but I'm afraid I've been assigned to Master Skywalker." She explains sheepishly, gesturing to Anakin, who almost has a panic attack.
"What? No, no, no. There must be some mistake. He is the one who wanted the Padawan." Anakin points at Obi-Wan, who was having difficulty in containing a sly smirk.
"No. Master Yoda was very specific. I'm assigned to Anakin Skywalker and he is to supervise my Jedi training." Ahsoka explains with an innocent smile, her canines once again visible.
"Honestly, that makes me feel more at ease." Vex admits.
"What?" Anakin asks in confusion.
"Well, considering that Obi-Wan intended to even bring a kid, even if they are a Jedi in training, into a battlefield, I'm not sure I'd trust him to actually keep them alive." Vex explains. "At least with you, Anakin, even if you don't want her here, you'll do your best to make sure she lives to see tomorrow."
"Says the other sixteen-year-old fighting in the army, and one without the Force." Obi-Wan retorts with a smirk.
"With said kid having memories and visions of fighting dozens of Sith at once and almost winning." Vex retorts with a massive smile, though it's completely fake. "Please, don't say something like that again, Obi-Wan. I've proved my mettle many a time in just a few days."
"I suppose you are right." Obi-Wan sighs. "I apologize."
"As do I." Vex returns honestly with a sigh, before looking to Ahsoka and Anakin, a look of escape in both of their eyes. "I think she should be shown around while you check up on everyone." Vex notes to Anakin, no smile on his face, just a serious suggestion. "I'll go check on my guys too." Vex then leaves before the others, needing to get away from everyone for a moment. As he wanders through the defensive lines, he thinks back to what Obi-Wan said. Yes, he was only a kid, yes, he was less trained, but he could hold his own. Bringing someone who has never fought, killed, or at least has visions of killing in a past life let alone experienced the death of others could be dangerous. He doesn't really hold it against Obi-Wan, as he can understand where the Jedi is coming from, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to hear it. In all the faint memories he has, not once was a youngling forced to fight against the Sith until they were a year through their Padawan training, and even then, considering the circumstances of that time, they were trained far more for war. His comlink chimes, bringing him into focus, as he answers. "Vex here."
"Vex, we've got eyes on a shield heading towards us. There's a whole lot of droids hiding behind it too." One of the troopers stationed in the forward sniping nests informs.
"Do the others know yet?" Vex asks.
"If they haven't already seen it, they will in a few moments." The trooper replies.
"Alright. Keep an eye on it and see if you can pinpoint the location of the generator. Vex out." He cuts the connection, and makes his way to the makeshift Command Center, meeting up with Rex, Ahsoka and Anakin on the way.
"I take it you noticed it too." Vex states simply.
"Yeah. You good?" Anakin's voice asks gently.
"I will be once I can start shooting again. Getting shot in the shoulder is the worst injury for someone like me." Vex answers.
"I suppose it could have been worse." Anakin admits softly. "I think you know what I want to say next."
"I guess I'll just do it through binos, as usual for the last couple of days." Vex sighs.
"Sorry. But until your shoulder is healed, I'd rather not have you joining the front lines." Anakin apologizes.
"Don't be sorry. You're just looking out for me. I'm grateful for it." Vex assures, before sighing. "I need to go and sort out a new formation for the nests. As they are now, they won't be able to give much help when the droids enter the city."
"Just keep your comlink on. You can join into the briefing from wherever you are at that moment." Anakin states. Vex nods in thanks, and heads off, barking out orders to the snipers through his comlink. On his way to his own building, preparing to join up with a group of his men, his comlink chimes. He activates it, listening as voices filter through.
"I've got Vex on the comms." Anakin's voice calls through the comms.
"I'm here." Vex assures.
"Alright. From what we know, the shield generator is somewhere in this area, a good ten klicks from the edge of the city, due South. They are slowly increasing the diameter and keeping it just ahead of their troops." Obi-Wan notes, ensuring to give enough detail for Vex, without a holo-map as he scopes in on the shield and the encroaching droid forces.
"Heavy Cannons are going to be useless against that." Cody explains with irritation.
"As they get closer, I suppose we could try to draw them into the buildings. This might level the playing field a bit." Obi-Wan muses.
"That was why I suggested the current layout, Obi-Wan. It will not only slow them down, but in large numbers, force them to either split up into smaller groups, or pile together, giving us an advantage either way. But the tanks are gonna be the main issue. Without those cannons, they will eventually march right on up to them, and take them out." Vex explains.
"If that shield's gonna be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?" Ahsoka asks innocently.
"While that may be easier said than done, it's the only thing we can do if we want to live through this." Vex agrees solemnly. "Two people could find a way through their lines and blow it to Helheim."
"Well, since Ahsoka suggested it, why doesn't she and Anakin go ahead with that mission?" Ob-Wan wonders aloud.
"It's the safest place she can be. Especially for one who hasn't fought in an active warzone just yet. A good place to test the waters." Vex agrees. He can imagine the pout and glare Ahsoka is giving his hologram form, but he's just being careful. He doesn't want her to be overwhelmed around all the death that will likely occur during this fight. "Trust me, Ahsoka, this is a good way to start, before being thrust into this war."
"But I'm perfectly capable of fighting off droids!" She exclaims.
"It's not your skill that concerns me. It's how you will deal with the mental strain in combat." Vex replies. "Besides, you are still going to fight, just not where most of the enemy will be at."
"He's got a point, Snips. This kind of thing will at least prepare you for when you do lead soldiers into battle." Anakin agrees.
"And how is that so?" Ahsoka asks.
"Experience outranks everything." Rex and Vex say simultaneously, earning a chuckle from Anakin.
"What they said. Come on." Anakin calls for her, as he begins to walk off, finally ending the transmission, leaving Vex in relative silence. He activates his comlink, joining the frequency of the snipers he commanded.
"Alright. That glowing red thing, for those who haven't figured it out, is a shield. As long as it is between us and the droids, we have no way to hurt them. Once it passes us, however, we can tear them apart one by one. But, until that shield passes you, stay as hidden as you can. I don't want anyone gunned down because the droids could see us before we could shoot at them." A chorus of 'Yes, Sir's echo through the channel, before everyone takes a hiding spot. Vex enters one of the buildings, walking into the elevator and climbing to the 12 level. The door opens, and a number of troopers are set up by the windows. Tables and other pieces of furniture have been upturned and set up as makeshift barricades, small little gaps set up between them to allow the blasters to poke through. Vex takes his place by one of the snipers, a member from Rex's Torrent Company. Vex brings up his macro-binoculars, zooming in to see the shielded army of droids. "What's your name?" Vex asks suddenly as he scans the enemy.
"Denal." The trooper answers.
"Alright, Denal." Vex begins. "Our job will be identifying and killing leadership." He then glances at the other troopers preparing themselves. "The rest of you, focus on any heavy weapon droids that you can confidently destroy. Only fire if you are certain you can take it down instantly. Feel free to coordinate in pairs if need be. Spotters, be ready and wary if the elevators are called. We don't want to be snuck up on."
"Aye, sir." The troopers affirm. Half an hour passes, when the forward most nest reports in.
"We've passed through the shield. Picking our targets." A Spotter reports through the comms, before going silent. In the distance, the faint sound of blaster fire begins, echoing through the city. The noise begins to increase as the minutes pass but Vex continues to scan through his macros in silence. The moment that the shield passes over them, Vex begins his orders.
"B1 Commander. 033 degrees 400 meters." His words are followed by the single shot from the rifle. The droid falls instantly, its head blown off. "Another, 326 degrees, 600 meters." Another shot, another downed. This process is repeated over and over again. 15 minutes in, the elevator heads down, and Vex turns to look at the closed doors, unholstering his pistol. "Keep searching by yourself. I'll return once we drive off our uninvited friends." Vex states, standing up and moving to the elevator, two other spotters joining him. "Get the elevator door open. We'll destroy the pulley system and force them to use the stairs." Vex explains. The two troopers take a door each, yanking them open with effort, revealing the pulley system. With a few well-placed shots, Vex destroys the elevator, the sound of the cabin impacting with the ground floor echoing through the building. With that done, they move to the staircase, and traversing down one level, before setting up a small barricade, before the droids arrive. "How close do you estimate the droids are?" Vex asks the two troopers with him, the sound of heavy metal feet marching up growing louder by the second.
"I'd say two levels below, sir. We're lucky we got this couch up in time." One of them explains.
"At least we won't have to wait long." Vex notes, bringing up one of his pistols. "If we go down here today, we go down fighting." It takes the droids about a minute, before coming into sight. Immediately Vex fires upon the front droid, alerting the rest. With the bottleneck set up, the three of them are able to hold off the droids for quite some time. A few shots manage to get through, one trooper taking a bolt to his right arm, Vex tossing him his spare pistol to use rather than the bulky carbine, as the remaining trooper covers them, before both rejoin the fight. The other trooper takes a bolt to the chest, but his armour protects him from what would normally be a fatal injury, though he was likely feeling the pain of impact and heat. They find their reprieve as the Heavy Cannons begin to fire, alerting them to the shield being taken down. The droids in the stairs halt for a few moments, allowing them to be shot down quickly as orders are given to retreat. With the stairs cleared, the three make their way back up to the nest, when Vex's comlink chirps, a recorded message popping up.
"This is Admiral Yularen. If you are hearing this, we've broken through the blockade. We'll have Gunships arriving shortly." The Admiral's message brings relief, the sound of Gunships echoing through the city as they give fire support and deploy more ground troops as they land. Vex then activates his comlink once more.
"Rex. When you can, could you come and give my nest a ride back to base?" He asks.
"I'll be there shortly." Rex assures. The troopers in the nest pack up, cheering quietly among themselves. The spotter that took a shot to the arm holds the borrowed pistol out to Vex.
"I believe this belongs to you, sir." He states. Vex smiles gently as he takes it and holsters it.
"Thank you." He then looks to the other injured spotter, being helped by his sharpshooter partner, bowing in thanks for his support. A gunship appears by the window, the doors opening to reveal Rex.
"You needed a ride?" He questions with a smirk. Everyone hops aboard, the small gap between the window and gunship posing no issue, even to the injured. Once aboard, the doors close, the gunship lurching as it makes it way further out of the city.
"Have you heard from the other nests?" Vex ask. Rex stiffens, looking to him solemnly.
"Only three others have reported in. The other six have been silent." He admits.
"Could you get some search crews to try and find any survivors? I've got the coords of each nest."
"I'll do what I can." Rex affirms gently as the gunship lands once more, the doors opening to Anakin and Ahsoka, both covered in dirt and dust. They board the gunship, the doors closing once more. "You did good, kid." Rex assures Ahsoka, who looks exhausted. She smiles back to him and Vex chuckles. They return to the Command Center, where most of the troopers depart towards the med bay for a checkup. Rex stays in the gunship with Vex, while Anakin and Ahsoka head to where Obi-wan stood, his Starfighter before him, alongside the troll-like creature, Yoda.
"Is it normal for the Jedi Grand Master to greet us on planet after saving us?" Vex asks.
"No." Rex admits. "Normally, we would be a part of a debriefing in either a Holo-call, or the Generals would report before the Jedi Council, who would in turn, report to the Chancellor." His words bring apprehension to Vex, who looks to Anakin and Ahsoka who are making their way back, with Anakin looking rather unsettled. as they board the gunship, and the doors close, Vex places a hand on Anakin's shoulder, looking at him in concern.
"I'm alright." He sighs. "But we've got another mission."
A/N - I do want to add a note here, saying that if I could figure a way to have Vex arrive during the time Bail Organa is still on Christophsis, I would, but I don't have enough of an idea and plot for it at the moment.