Chapter 152: A War on Two Fronts
Fear is a malleable weapon.
Recap: Separatist takeover complete. Another Republic planet has fallen. Onderon has seceded to the Confederacy of Independent Systems under the rule of a new king. However, a small band of rebels have taken refuge deep within its vast and savage wilderness. From an abandoned outpost, they plot to take back the heavily fortified capital city of Iziz and end the Separatist occupation.
After returning, Storm and Twilight took a moment to settle in their quarters before being called in. The boy was still thinking about his date with the princess. And then the falling out of what happened with her father. The Jedi really had his mind on so many things.
"Maybe I just need to meditate," said Storm, hoping it would help calm his mind.
The boy sat as he closed his eyes. He focused on being in tune with the Force, hoping it would allow him some clarity. As Storm meditated, the Force responded to his mind as he saw flashes and voices.
"You've allowed this dark lord to twist your mind."
"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."
"There's a high price to pay for wielding such power so foolishly. Even if you were to defeat me by some miracle, you'd only soon fall to your own ideals. Why be forced to choose? Equis will see many a foe in its future. Would it not make sense for us to stand against them together? You have an opportunity in front of you. Together, we can show everyone what it means to fear."
"Someone must put a stop to the cycle of the strong trampling the weak!"
Some of the voices the boy heard were familiar. Some he'd heard in the past as they reiterated. He also heard some new voices speaking.
"It is the Jedi who are responsible!"
"When you first came here, I said I would pass judgment, and I pass it now! EXECUTION!"
"You are my vessel and will carry out my command."
Storm gasped as he opened his eyes. The new voices rang in his mind as he clutched his head. They eventually faded, but the boy still felt some pain.
"What's... happening to me?" said Storm.
The Jedi Knight had to shake it off as his Master requested him to come before the Jedi Council. All the Jedi Masters were seated as a rebel group from the planet Onderon was contacting them. Twilight, Ahsoka, and Anakin stood next to the hologram transmission.
"Unfortunately, the only way to reclaim Onderon will be through armed struggle. But we lack sufficient hardware and supplies," stated Lux, who had disappeared after his latest mission involving Ahsoka and Twilight."
"Onderon is in your king's rule. And at the outbreak of the Clone War, he chose to align it with the Separatists," stated Luna, emphasizing the people of Onderon were on their enemies' side.
"Our true king has been silenced. The one you recognize is a traitor and a Separatist minion. We need your help to survive this." said the rebel next to Lux.
"Find a way, we shall," said Yoda, stroking his chin.
"We await your answer," replied Lux as he and the rebel bowed. He shot a quick glance to Ahsoka as the girl did the same, both having a smile before the transmission ended.
"There are pockets of rebels on many of these planets that just need guidance. With training and resources, they could attack soft targets while the Republic continues to engage them on the battlefield," suggested Anakin to the Council.
"That sounds like terrorism, Anakin," responded Obi-wan to his student's idea.
"Well, I think of it as an insurgency to help realign these planets with the Republic," responded the Jedi Knight to his teacher.
"We can divide the Separatist forces and press them on two fronts," said Windu.
"A means to an end fear cannot be. Stop those who spread terror the Jedi must," said Yoda.
"Indeed. What you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities. And we must not train terrorists." added Obi-wan.
"Eh, rebels," scoffed Anakin.
"There's a very thin line when one fights for justice and when one looks to invoke fear," stated Luna, not liking how Anakin shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"How we conduct war is what distinguishes us from others. Funding rebels to overthrow a legitimate government puts innocent lives at risk. That's something we cannot afford to take!" stated Celestia with her fingers against each other and leaning back.
"If I may," said Storm as he cleared his throat and got the attention of the entire Council. "With all due respect, Master Celestia. But Anakin and I come up with a temporary solution."
"Is that so?" glared Luna, seeing that her apprentice didn't run this "plan" by her so that she could have brought it up in their meeting. "And pray tell, what is this solution?" The woman kept her firm stare toward her student.
"We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect droids," said Storm.
"Hmm..." Luna stared at her student as if judging him on a test.
"The least we can do is help them defend themselves, test the tactic while we're at it," said Windu as Yoda looked concerned.
"This could be a great new weapon for us," stated Anakin.
"Hmm. Train and observe. Send advisors we will." said Yoda as he gave the order.
"I'll assemble a team."
"I'm going with you," said Obi-wan as he stood up.
"What, you don't trust me?" smirked Anakin to his teacher.
"Too much. That's what worries me," said Obi-wan with a smile as he placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder.
A shuttle was now traveling through space. The shuttle was approaching the planet Onderon as it entered the atmosphere. It was the dead of night as the shuttle flew over a dense jungle.
"This is Valkyrie 2929. We're coming up on the drop zone," said the clone pilot as he began to open the doors.
"Go, go, go, go!" shouted the clone as five cloaked figures and one trooper jumped out.
The robed figures all jumped and used their momentum to roll and safely land as their hoods came off to reveal the Jedi, as the trooper with them had a backpack and was revealed to be Rex. They all looked back at their shuttle as it was leaving before they put their hoods back on, with Ahsoka and Twilight taking to the trees while the males were on foot.
As our heroes silently lurked through the forest, a pair of eyes watched them as they passed them by without notice. He lifted his comlink and spoke.
"We've spotted them, sir."
Anakin continued to move through the jungle before he came face to face with someone holding a rifle. Soon other figures appeared around him.
"Stay where you are. Identify yourselves," said the person in front of them as it was a girl with a rifle aimed at them.
"It's all right. We're friends," said Anakin as he took his hood off to reveal his face.
"Jedi," said the girl.
At that moment, the others and Rex jumped and appeared, each taking their hoods off.
"I'm Commander Tano. We're here to help you take back your planet."
"My name is Steela. I'll guide you to our secret base," said the girl.
The sun rose as Steela guided our heroes to where her allies were all night. After pushing aside some shrubbery, they came to the base where the rebels were. Some were doing their own thing when they saw Steela bringing in their guests as they looked at them.
"Hmm. A bit rough around the edges, wouldn't you say?" said Obi-wan to his friends.
"That's why I brought Rex here," said Anakin.
"They're not exactly what I would call shinies, sir, but I could work with them," said the clone captain.
They arrived in the center as a shadow flew above them. They all looked as descending on an animal was another rebel as he stood next to Steela.
"General Skywalker."
"At your service," said Anakin as he introduced himself before moving on to the others. "This is General Kenobi, General Storm, General Sparkle, Commander Tano, and Captain Rex."
"We're looking forward to taking the fight to those scrappin' droids," responded the teen to the Jedi.
"Yes. All in good time," said Obi-wan, indicating they were just here to train and not get involved.
"Saw. Saw Gerrera," stated the teen.
"He fashions himself as our leader, though no one elected him," said Steela with a smile as she playfully punched his arm.
"Well, for now, we're in charge, and there is much to learn," stated Storm as they had some teaching to do.
After rounding them up, the Jedi and Rex stood before the group as they began to explain.
"The Separatists have strength in numbers. We're gonna show you how to target and destroy them," said Anakin.
"Now, to be clear, we are not here to fight your war. Rather, to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible," said Obi-wan, glancing at his student before addressing the rebels.
The group nodded as they understood and turned to listen to the Jedi.
"Captain Rex," said Storm as the clone approached to address the group.
"I'll show you how the 501st destroy clankers. First, I need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point, a half-klick west," stated Rex,
"Shouldn't be a problem," responded Saw.
"Excellent," said the clone captain as they began to head over to where they would train. Anakin, Obi-wan, and Storm hung back to discuss some things as Ashoka noticed Lux and went over to talk to him. Twilight decided to accompany her as she silently left the males to talk.
"Lux, it's good to see you again," said the Padawan, almost smiling at seeing the boy.
"It's good to see you too, Ahsoka. As well as you, Twilight," said the teen to both girls with a smile.
"I didn't realize you had such strong ties to Onderon," replied the princess to the senator's son as they walked.
"Onderon is my home. My mother represented it in the Senate," explained Lux.
"Your voice is strong like hers was," said Steela as she appeared and walked by his side.
"Have you reconsidered joining the Republic Senate?" asked Twilight, reminding the boy of their offer on their last adventure.
"Even if we do take back Onderon, it won't change how I feel. I'm not fighting for the Republic," stated Lux.
"Well, what matters now is we need each other's help, just like we did on Carlac," smiled Ahsoka.
"Carlac? What happened on Carlac?" said Steela, as Lux didn't tell her about this.
"Ahsoka and Twilight are the reason I'm here and not with Death Watch," said the boy.
"Really?" responded Steela with a look.
"What he means is..."
"They saved me from a huge mistake," said Lux, cutting Ahsoka from explaining.
Steela continued to stare as Lux left, leaving the girls to talk, with Ahsoka turning to look at him with her arms crossed and a smile.
"Hmm. Lux obviously thinks highly of you two," said Steela as she approached the pair.
"Well, moreso for one of us," said Twilight so that only Ahsoka could hear what she was implying about how their touching lips moment. The Padawan elbowed her friend silently, trying to keep a cool poker face before addressing Steela.
"I guess so," responded Ahsoka.
"Let's hope that respect is well founded," said Steela, kinda getting in Ahsoka's face as she walked off.
The Padawan had a look at what the rebel getting in her face before heading over to Rex's lesson.
The rebels were on the outskirts of their base as the Jedi and a decoy tank were in front of them. Twilight and Ahsoka were currently going over how to deal with these machines.
"The pilot in the front hatch controls the tank, the shelves, and the short-range blasters. The commander in the top hatch controls the turret and the main cannon," said the Padawan as she gestured to the tank behind her.
"You have to take out both chambers. Otherwise, the tank will remain operational," said Twilight.
The princess then turned to Rex as she nodded. The clone then began to demonstrate for the rebels. He jumped on the tank and tossed open the hatch to toss in an EMP bomb before grabbing onto the cannon and swinging up to the top hatch to throw another bomb in. He flipped off as the bombs went off and sent an electric pulse through the machine to disable it. The rebels took in what they saw and were impressed.
"Everyone divide up into teams of two, and we'll practice an assault on both hatches," ordered Anakin as the group began to get into pairs.
"I'll take the top," said Lux as he and Saw were a team.
"Let's see what you're made of, Bonteri," replied Saw as he playfully hit his arm.
Rex tossed them bombs as they caught them. Saw grabbed Lux when he ran forward as he shoved the teen back a bit before he ran. While Saw took care of the bottom hatch, Lux jumped to grab hold of the cannon and tried to pull himself up to get to the top hatch but slipped. He fell down and crashed into Saw as both tumbled to the ground.
"Sorry about that," said Lux as he grunted and offered a hand to Saw.
"You're a terrible soldier, Bonteri," stated Saw as he swatted away the teen's hand, not accepting his help or apology as he stood up.
"I'm not sure if they're more interested in fighting the droids or each other," said Obi-wan as he, Anakin, and Storm all walked off to the side to speak with each other about what they saw.
"They'll learn," said Anakin having confidence in the rebels.
"They better. 'Cause they need to know how to fight and cooperate if they want their home back. As Master Yoda says, alone we can do so little: together we can do so much." stated Storm.
"We just need time to train them properly," chimed Anakin to his teacher.
"Keep your eyes on the quick learners. In this fight, time is not on our side," instructed Obi-wan to his pals as they were on a deadline.
"Go, go, go, go, go!" shouted Rex to the rebels.
The trio watched from the side as they saw how the rebels were doing. Safe to say, they had their work cut out for them. At the same time, a droid station was looking at something outside the city's gates. Our heroes might have arrived at night, but the droids' scanners picked up on that. As tanks entered the city, three probe droids appeared before a B1 droid.
"An unscheduled ship entered the atmosphere in sector S-11 and failed to register. The rebels may be operating in that area. Check it out." said the droid to the probes.
The probes then turned as they began to fly toward where the ship came in.
"Come on! Move it like a soldier, like a real soldier!" shouted Rex.
The clone captain yelled his instructions to the pairs as they practiced taking out a tank with EMPs.
"Come on, Dono. Pick it up, Hutch. You can do better than that." Saw said as he stood beside Ahsoka and Twilight as they watched.
As Rex continued to shout, Saw turned around to see Lux sitting on a tree root. Steela was checking on him as she had a cloth in her hand and patted his face. He had a glare before walking over to the pair.
"You sure you're up for this?"
"Saw!" said Steela.
"It was an accident," said Lux, as it seemed that Saw was still not over the slipup he did during their practice run.
"You would've had us both killed!" stated Saw as he got in Lux's face.
The teen got up and stared down Saw as both had glares. Ahsoka sensed it as she turned to see Steela stepping in and pushing the two back.
"Just stop it," said the girl, trying to get her allies not to fight each other.
"Sit down, boy. This isn't the Senate. You've got no talent for this!" stated Saw as he wasn't intimidated by a senator's son.
"It's going to take a lot more than muscle to defeat the Separatists," countered Lux.
"Politics have failed us. We have no choice," said Saw as he turned his back.
"We always have a choice," said Lux.
"Then make yours," said Saw as he threatened him.
"Look, if we're going to succeed, you'll need to be exceptional with words and action. There will be time for both," said Steela, trying to keep the peace between them.
Saw merely walked away as Lux sat down. Ahsoka had been silently watching and listening to what went down as she had a look. Later on, Anakin and Storm moved on to another lesson for rebels. Behind them were some destroyer droids teaching them how to handle these foes.
"Destroyers are quick, pack twin blasters, and come with their own shield generators. Nothing short of a cannon will pierce it," said Anakin.
"But they do have two weaknesses, and you will need to work together to exploit them," stated Storm.
The pair looked at Rex, who touched his wrist and made the droids pop up as their shields came on. He fired at the droid with his blaster, and the shield deflected his shots.
"The shields deflect high-velocity attacks. What the shields don't stop are slow or stationary objects. They're designed to absorb them, so nothing hinders their movement." said Anakin.
Ahsoka stepped forward as she turned on a bomb and rolled it on the ground. The bomb rolled into the droid's shield and then went off as the EMP rendered the droid useless and shut down.
"Destroyers are blind from behind. A distraction combined with a rear assault will give you a kill. The trick is to get the right speed on the droid popper." said Ahsoka to the group.
Rex touched his wrist again; this time, all the destroyer droids popped up and had their shields on.
"These are unarmed. Just concentrate on getting it past the shield," said Rex as he held a bomb up and tossed it at Saw.
"Watch and learn," said Saw as he boasted before Lux.
He then tossed the bomb as it rolled along the ground. However, he misjudged the power of his throw as it rolled a bit too fast and bounced right off when it made contact with the shield.
"Quite brilliant," mocked Lux with a smirk.
Saw glared as Ahsoka tossed the bomb to Lux. The teen then concentrated as he tossed it. It rolled along the ground as he managed to get the right momentum and power behind his toss. The bomb rolled and bounced a bit as when it came to the shield, it rolled in without any problem and would have deactivated the droid should it be armed.
"Hmm. Nice touch," said Ahsoka, impressed by what Lux did as there was some slight flirtiness in her tone.
"Thanks," responded Lux with the same tone as he looked at the Padawan.
While the two exchanged looks, Steela was behind Lux and saw how the pair were eyeing each other.
"Not bad," said Steela as she playfully punched Lux's shoulder.
She then stepped forward as Twilight tossed her a bomb. She caught it and then tossed it to the ground. It rolled and tumbled, but she put too much into it as it bounced off the shield when it made contact inside of rolling inside.
"Ugh!" grunted Steela in frustration.
"Be mindful of your frustration. It'll only hold you back," said Obi-wan taking a step forward and offering Steela some advice as he could sense her feelings.
"Here. Use your shoulder, let your arm swing, and keep your eyes on the target," said Lux as he grabbed Steela's should and held her arm with his hands.
The boy was showing her how to throw the bomb properly. At the same time, Ahsoka's eyes widened when she saw what Lux was doing with another girl. Safe to say, inside of her, she was feeling something.
"Great," mumbled the Padawan.
Twilight's instincts seemed to kick in as she sensed her friend's feelings. A feeling the princess knew all too well as it seemed she might need to converse with Ahsoka.
"Okay, let's get back to work. Everyone pair up. We'll practice in groups." said Rex.
Everyone began to group up to begin. Ahsoka pulled out a bomb and began walking as she was looking to practice with Lux. However, instead, he walked away with Steela as the Padawan had a hurt look on her face and was clutching her heart. Deep down inside, she wanted some alone time with him. Twilight didn't need to use her Jedi senses to know her friend's feelings.
"Hey, Commander, how about helping me practice?" said Saw as he approached the Padawan.
Ahsoka just nodded and put on a fake smile to hide her feelings of hurt and envy.
"Seems I'm not the only one with this issue," said Twilight.
The girl looked at her partner as he gave some tips to rebels. The princess had a smile on her face at seeing him and a reminder of their date. As our heroes were helping the rebels, the probe droids sent out were shown hiding in the jungle behind them. They were seeing the rebels as they began to transmit their signal.
"Roger, roger. This is command. Copy that. I'll send a squad out now." said the commando droid as the transmission ended. He then turned to the tank next to him as he signaled the gunner and got on. "We've located the rebels. Proceed to sector S-29. Shoot to kill."
Tanks and some droids began marching behind them as they headed for our heroes.
Twilight was with Storm as the pair were in a jungle close to the camp as they talked.
"You think they have a chance?" asked Twilight as she sat on a stump.
"They're a bit rough, but I'm sure we can whip them into shape," stated Storm as he leaned against a tree with his arms crossed.
"I mean, they're not well-equipped to fight, say, compared to my people."
"I doubt anybody is well-equipped to fight as your planet is, Sparky," teased Storm, as he knew how advanced Twilight's homeworld was compared to the entire galaxy and other planets.
"Y-Yeah, that's a fair point," stated the princess.
Do you not recall what happened with her parents? Why do you insist on keeping close to her?
"I was wondering when you were gonna show up," mumbled Storm as he heard the voice in his head.
Every time you get close to her, you end up in danger. If you're not careful, she might cost you your life one day.
"I can take care of myself. Besides, I put my trust and faith in Twilight."
Here I thought you were smart. She's nothing but trouble. Her father doesn't even like you; he'd rather have you dead so that he can be assured that you never get close to her. She's more trouble than she's worthy. She's a liability. Forget her!
"I can't!" shouted Storm.
Twilight was taken aback by her partner's sudden shouting.
"Storm, are you okay?" asked the princess.
The boy ceased his growling as he looked at his partner. Twilight was looking at him with a state of confusion.
"Are you talking to someone?"
"Yes, I mean, no. I mean," grunted Storm as he clutched his face and sighed. "... I'm good, Sparky."
"You sure?" said the girl as she got up.
"Positive. Come on, let's get back to the camp before they come looking for us," stated the boy.
"Okay, then," said the girl as she watched her partner leave. The princess was still worried about the boy she loved.
Storm was walking back to camp when the female voice spoke in his mind.
If you are to be my vessel, we need to work on some things.
Back at camp, the rebels were still practicing getting the right toss to deactivate the droids. Saw was with Ahsoka as the rebel had been going at it for quite a while, but every time he threw the bomb, it would either roll too fast or not far enough.
"I can't get the distance or the speed right!" said Saw, upset at failing.
"Don't give up. Learning this could save your life and those around you. A little backspin might help." said Ahsoka as she tossed him another bomb.
"Just take it easy. " Don't get frustrated," said Lux, still holding Steela's hand and trying to teach her.
Ahsoka saw this as she made a small fist, the feeling inside getting more intense. At the same time, Saw took the Padawan's suggestion and tossed the bomb. It rolled along the ground as, this time, it penetrated the shield and rolled inside.
"You got it," said Ahsoka with a smile.
"You're a good teacher, Jedi," said Saw.
"Ugh, just forget it. I'll never learn this!" shouted Steela as she tried to do it but kept failing, even with Lux's instructions.
She walked away as Ahsoka heard that and looked at her.
"Uh, keep practicing," said the Padawan to Saw as she excused herself.
Steela made it to a nearby tree root and sat on it. She had her rifle in her hand as approaching her was Ahsoka.
"You made it look easy," said Steela to the girl.
"It wasn't always that way," responded Ahsoka.
"Right. The Force. That your secret?" asked Steela.
"No. Perseverance. Look, you'll get the hang of it. I wouldn't let it get you down."
"I'm not feeling down. I just know what I'm good at," said Steela as she held her rifle and looked through the scope.
Ahsoka smiled as the pair returned back to the others. As they were walking, a probe droid was high in the tree tops as it saw them before zooming its scope up and seeing the other rebels. It then left to give the details to its comrade.
The rebels were now moving onto target practice as the Jedi had lined up droid heads on a wall with X's on them. Shots were fired as some droid heads were blasted off the wall.
"Impressive. Most impressive," said Anakin at how precise Steela was when sniping.
"Fixed targets are one thing. How about this?" said Ahsoka as she upped the challenge.
The Padawan put her hand out to grab one of the droid heads and began to move it about. Steela took aim and began to fire as her shots hit the droid's head in the air.
"Nice job," smiled Ahsoka.
"You have clearly mastered your ability to focus," said Obi-wan as he could sense that Steela's mind was no longer clouded.
Ahsoka was walking as her mind was running amok.
"Snips, are you losing focus?" said Anakin as he seemed to sense something was on his student's mind.
"No, Master," answered Ahsoka rather quickly as she told a half-truth.
"Good," responded Anakin.
"A headshot is the only decisive way to disable a droid. They don't need arms, legs, or even bodies to pass intel to central command. All right, shoot at will!" instructed Rex to Steela.
The girl aimed her rifle and looked through the scope. She was looking at the heads when she noticed something else.
"Wait a minute. What is that?" said the girl, looking through her scope again.
"Droids!" shouted Saw.
True to what he said, when Steela zoomed in on her scope, she saw the droids marching through the jungle. They were soon upon them as they began to fire at the rebels.
"Take cover!" shouted Rex.
A Superbattle droid fired his missile arm as it headed toward the rebels. They all moved out of the way as Anakin, Obi-wan, and Storm all backflipped and turned their lightsaber on when landing. Soon the rest of the droids began to open fire as they marched forward. The Jedi turned on their lightsabers and began to sidestep while blocking as they got behind some cover.
"It appears the training is over," said Obi-wan as they were behind some barrels.
"I'll take the left flank if you take the right."
"No, Anakin. We can only protect them. We cannot fight this war for them." said Obi-wan to his student as he reminded them that they were just peacekeepers here and not warriors. He then turned to look at Steela, who was shooting next to him. "There are too many. But we can hold them off while you get your people out of here."
"You didn't teach us to run," said Steela before speaking into her comlink, "Saw, use your disruptors to take out the droids."
"I'm on it. Ready disruptors!" said Saw to some rebels. "On my mark. Now!"
The rebels then threw their disruptors as they landed near the droids' feet.
"What is that?" asked one of the droids as they stopped shooting.
"It looks like an explosive," responded another one.
"How can you te..."
Just then, they blew up as the droids were taken out.
"Not bad," said Storm.
"That is only the first wave," said Obi-wan.
True to the Jedi Master's word, the tanks rolled in as they began to fire.
"We'll handle this," said Kenobi.
"No, I will. Duck!" said Steela as she aimed her rifle in their direction.
All three Jedi moved out of the way as she took the shot. She fired her blaster bolt, and it took out the hitches holding the Eopies as they took off. They ran over some remaining droids and even launched some into the air.
"Hey, Bonteri, you ready to try again?" said Saw as he tossed a bomb to him, and both ran.
"Hey, what are you doing?" shouted Ahsoka as she deflected with her lightsabers.
"What you taught us!" said Lux as they ran and used the remaining Eopies as cover to get in close.
They got to the tank as Saw tossed the bomb into the lower hatch, as Lux tossed the bomb into the top.
"Surrender, rebel. Uh..." said the droid as he caught the bomb from Lux. "You will answer for your crimes against the Separatist Alliance." The droid continued his speech as Ahsoka put her hand out and used the Force to shut the lid on him.
They ran as the tank blew up, sending pieces in all directions. The others approached them as Steela helped Lux up.
"We, uh, need to clean you up," said the girl.
"I like it. Now you look more like a soldier than a politician," said Saw as he noticed some dirt on Lux's face and clothes.
"Well, maybe a good politician needs to get dirty now and then,"
smiled Steela as she was impressed by Lux.
"Take confidence from this victory. But rest assured, there will be more droids coming now that they know your position," said Obi-wan.
"It doesn't matter. You're ready now. We are going to take the fight to the droids. You don't have to hide in the jungle any longer." said Anakin.
"Droids were a bit dim, more so than I imagined," said Saw.
"They make up for it in numbers. They're designed to overwhelm," explained Twilight as while the droids were dumb, the fact that they outnumbered the clones and could be mass-produced much faster than clones meant they used their numbers advantage to win.
"But they're not designed to deal with our approach," said Anakin.
"We hit them where they least expect it. And before they realize what happened..."
"We fade in with the rest of the population," said Steela as she finished Lux's sentence.
"Exactly," stated Storm.
"We need a plan to get inside the city," said Ahsoka.
"I have an idea," said Lux.
The capital city of Iziz was shown. Approaching the gates was a caravan of transports. On it were the rebels, and the Jedi, as they had their hoods over their heads to conceal their faces. Several droids came marching out for security.
"Halt. What were you doing outside the city gates?" asked one of the droids as the commando began to walk toward the transport and look at it.
"Hunting. We've been trekking for days," said Lux as he was at the head of the caravan.
"Did you register before your excursion?" asked the droid as he activated the ray shield.
"No, but most of our time is spent in the bush, collecting our traps. We come to the city to sell. You can't get thrip larva like this in Iziz. Only the biggest trees on the other side of Onderon." said Lux.
"Hey, listen, we need to deliver all of this in time for supper," said Steela, trying to hurry things along.
"Hmm. Are you scanning anything?" asked the droid to his superior.
"It's hard to tell with so much organic matter."
"Come on! Our merchants are waiting inside. Can you hurry it up?" shouted a rebel on Anakin's caravan as she was getting impatient.
"Let them through," said the commando droid.
"Roger, roger."
The ray shield turned off as our heroes and the rebels ventured in.
"Good plan," said Ahsoka.
"Like Saw said, those droids are dumber than we thought," responded Lux.
Soon all the transports entered, and they stopped for a second.
"Not a bad start. But now the hard work begins," said Storm as he was on an Eopie with Twilight riding behind him.
"You must find recruits and choose your targets wisely," advised Obi-wan to the rebels.
"They'll be looking for us," said Steela.
"We should split up," suggested Lux.
"Regroup after nightfall. I'll alert our brothers," said Saw as he jumped off and began to walk.
"We'll make sure you have the supplies you need," said Anakin.
"Rex and I will take care of that," said Ahsoka.
"Good luck," smiled Lux.
"You too!" said Ahsoka and Steela in unison as they thought he was referring to them respectively.
Both looked at each other when they registered what had happened.
"Oh, boy," mumbled Twilight, seeing what went down.
With that, everybody left as they began to move out. Twilight told Storm she would tag along with Ahsoka, as he had no problem.
"How do you think they'll do?" asked Anakin.
"I have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised," responded Obi-wan.
"So you admit our new strategy will work?" said Anakin with a sly smile.
"I am hopeful, Anakin, hopeful," reiterated the Jedi Master to his student.
"Let's move out. We still have many things to do," said Storm as the trio split up in separate directions.
It was sometime later as Ahsoka and Twilight kept watch as some rebels began to do their stuff. Seeing they were alone, the princess cleared her throat and addressed her friend.
"So... do you... want to talk about it?" asked Twilight.
"What do you mean?" asked Ahsoka as she turned to look at her friend.
"You know... you and your feelings..."
"Oh, come on, Twilight!" said the Padawan as she couldn't believe one of her closest friends would be instituting what she thought.
"So... you weren't jealous earlier?" asked the Jedi Knight.
"Jealous of what?"
"You know, of Steela and Lu-"
"It's nothing. Can we just keep our minds focused on the mission?" said the girl to her friend. "Besides, we can't all be like you, Twilight. As a princess, you have tons of boys falling at your feet for you. The only problem is choosing which one you like."
"If only my life were that easy," muttered the girl as she put her head down. "As for the boy I like, if only. I want him. I want him so bad."
The princess clutched her heart as she thought about her partner.
Author's Note: A bit of things happening in this story arc. One being the introduction of a young Saw Gerrera which many people know based on what he does later in his life and during the Empire's reign of the galaxy. The beginning of his tale as a freedom fighter/terrorist. And the idea of Anakin training rebels which will inevitablecome back to bite him in the ass when he's searching for the rebels as part of the Empire due to the fact that he's training these cells which will become the Rebel Alliance. And for Storm, it seems the voice in his head is still conflicting with him. And the small sort of love triangle that Twilight attempts to talk to Ahsoka about. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.