Hey folks, Grubkiller here.
Here's Part 7 of this story.
It will pretty much be the Imperial mission to Naboo in Battlefront II (2005), but it will be from the perspective of Captain Rex.
Hope you enjoy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"During the rise of the Empire, the Emperor's home planet of Naboo rapidly established itself as a major irritant. After a number of Naboo's ambassadors were sent home in various states of dismemberment, her newly elected Queen broke off diplomatic ties, and began exploring military options. Clearly it was time for a regime change, a change that would be effected by the 501st, now under the direct command of Darth Vader."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
19 BBY
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Royal palace, Naboo.
Theed.
It stood as the very center of Naboo culture, going all the way back to when it was first settled 800 years ago.
Beyond, the buildings of Theed stretched away toward the horizon, a vast sprawl of high stone walls, gilded domes, peaked towers, and sculpted archways. Sunlight bathed the gleaming edifices, their architecture in counterpoint to the lush greenness of the planet.
The rush of waterfalls and bubble of fountains formed a soft, distant backdrop to the people of Theed who went about their daily lives.
Towering high above it all was the Royal palace, made of polished stone and topped with green domes.
The people of Naboo were known for their warmth and cordiality, their love of peace. There was an art to living, they felt, and their food, their buildings, and their clothes indicated this. It was a beautiful, ornate world, and Malorum wanted to blast it into space dust.
Everywhere Reva turned, she was met with smiles and bows. When she asked questions, she was met with earnest desires to help her, thoughtful frowns, fingers clicking on data keys, careful reviewing of records.
But no answers. "Alas and sadly.." the functionary would say with a helpless shrug.
It was infuriating. No one defied her, no one refused her, but no one gave her what she wanted.
As soon as she thought she had grasped something as firm as carbonite, she found she was holding only air. And there was no way she could threaten them, for they seemed to cooperate fully.
Why did she get the feeling that behind her back they were delighted to thwart her?
She could see why the Emperor decided to send an Imperial battalion here despite the objections of Queen Apailana. They hadn't interfered in the planet's governance, but their presence was a necessary reminder of who was actually in charge. They had completely taken over one of the gracious domed government buildings in Theed, right next to the vast hangar. It was a smart choice.
They could monitor all official comings and goings, and also use the hangar to store explosive devices should the people rebel. Strictly against Senate rules, of course, but who would ever know?
Reva thought that the citizens of Theed would have learned something from the Trade Federation blockade years ago. They'd discovered just how vulnerable they were. The fact that they had won that particular skirmish had been mere luck. If the Emperor had been in control they would have been cowed and defeated.
Naboo was completely reliant on the rest of the galaxy for its industrial materials. They had no factories to speak of. If Reva had been in charge, Naboo would have attacked surrounding worlds that were rich in minerals and industry. But no- they just kept on making their clay pots and their paintings and their clothes and stupidly left themselves vulnerable.
The Third Sister walked by the Imperial garrison, hoping the sight of it would give her fresh energy. She had visited the place where Senator Amidala's body was prepared for burial. She received no new information... except a crash course she didn't need in the funeral rites of the Naboo. Apparently the grandmothers were designated as the ones who dressed the body and prepared it for the last time.
The fact of Padme's death was recorded... but that was all. There was no hint of how she'd died, nothing for her to go on. Naboo customs precluded any questions about the possible father of her child; the family was given privacy. There was no doctor's report.
Reva's steps slowed. How stupid. Of course, if the records did not show her what she wanted, she must go to the source. Padme Amidala's grandmothers.
One problem was that the Naboo did not have a world directory. Citizens did not have to register with the government, something she knew that the Emperor would change as soon as he got around to it. Privacy was prized here. In addition, everybody seemed to know everybody else, through a network of clans and families. If you had to ask for an address, it was proof that you didn't know the person well enough to contact them.
A small problem. Not an insurmountable one.
Reva crossed to the building that housed the Naboo Essentials Provider, a typically gentle name for the office that controlled the power grid. She paused just inside the door to examine a large holo-map on the wall, a graphic image of the main power generator. She noted the corridors lined with electron gates, the catwalks, the bridges to dozens of levels, the deep central core. Impressive.
The Naboo did have some technical expertise after all. This would be an excellent world to exploit.
She strode into the main office and demanded to see the manager. In the usual display of polite evasion she was told that the office was about to close, but if she'd come back tomorrow...
"I am a personal representative of Emperor Palpatine. Get him for me now," Reva snapped.
She couldn't wait to squeeze the information out of these maddening people like pulp from a muja.
The clerk rushed into an inner office, ornate robes flowing. Reva had been waiting, hoping for this. She strode after him. She force-pushed the door, almost knocking the man to the floor.
The manager stood up from his desk, his mouth gaping. He was older, his graying hair standing out in tufts over his ears. He had a kind face and gentle eyes. Reva despised him immediately.
"I am looking for the addresses of the grandmothers of the former Senator Padme Amidala."
"Senator Amidala, alas and sadly, is deceased."
"I am of course aware of that." The Third Sister slammed her hand down. "This desk is aware of that! I am the eyes and ears of the Emperor himself. Tell me the names of her grandmothers. I know you know them so don't waste my time with denials."
The man swallowed. He quickly consulted a handcrafted ledger. "Winama Naberrie. Ryoo Thule."
"Give me their addresses."
"Winama Naberrie, alas and sadly, died before the Battle of Naboo."
"Then the other one!" Reva roared at the man. She didn't like to lose her temper - her fellow inquisitors were always quick to remind her that a loss of control was always a mistake, but she'd been provoked by hours of evasions. And it could be effective.
To her surprise, the man stood his ground. "Ah, well, I don't have that information per se, you see. This is the office of the Essentials Provider -"
Reva had had enough of this. Always it was the same. The person would tell her she really didn't have the ability to help her while maintaining an expression of deep concer, then repeat his title or the name of the agency, and Reva would be led round and round in a helpful, polite way that got her nowhere.
With a swift motion of the force, her lightsaber was summoned from her belt and the red blade ignited, extending next to the man's check. "Do you see this?" No more yelling now. Just a quiet voice that held menace.
The man's expression turned to fear. "Yes."
Slowly she rotated the blade until it was pointing toward the outer office. "I am going to take this blade and cut open everyone in this office in front of your eyes if you don't give me the information."
The man looked up at her. Incredulity turned to horror as he realized that Reva was perfectly capable of doing it.
He bowed his head. "Ryoo Thule now lives in the lake district of Naboo in the family villa called Varykino. In Translucence Cove."
"That isn't much of an address." Reva gave the blade an extra push against his check.
The man raised his head, as the blade just barely singed against his cheek. Something flashed there, some defiance that Reva decided she didn't have time to smash. Naboo would come to understand, as all worlds would, who was in charge.
"That is the way we do things on Naboo. It is the only direction I can give you."
Reva wanted to decapitate him, but she stormed out instead.
She had what she needed. It was tedious to have to do her own investigating, but she couldn't trust anyone else, least of all her own brother and sisters, who were content with feeding on the surviving scraps of the Jedi Order, when she could be digging for the greatest treasure of all... Obi-Wan Kenobi's whereabouts, and the connection between him, the death of Amidala, and how they were connected to her master, Lord Vader. She had to dig and dig until she had what she wanted. She knew the lake district was remote; she'd need local transport. All to see an old woman who might hold the key to something she still didn't fully understand.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Jedi that the Queen of Naboo had been hiding landed their ships on an entry platform on the outskirts of Theed. They knew the Imperials were monitoring the hangar. At this point, each of them was familiar with Theed and they moved through the streets.
"The people of Naboo are no fans of the Empire," their guide told them. "They'll keep their mouths shut. Just follow me. I know Theed well."
"We don't need a tour of cantinas," Master Roan Shryne told him suspiciously.
"Hah! I can show you those, too, mate. But let's start with some contacts. I know a former captain in the army who can help us - Gregar Typho."
"Lead on," Ferus Olin said.
Captain Typho was in an office off one of the wide boulevards of Theed. He rose from his desk a bit awkwardly, in the way of an active man who was unused to office work. He had a small eye patch over one eye and was wearing a uniform over his powerful build.
"Welcome back, Master Jedi," he said, greeting his guests warmly.
"I wasn't crazy about the accommodations. These are my fellow Jedi, Ferus Olin, Olee Starstone, and Solace. We're all here to help investigate Imperial activity."
Captain Typho nodded. "We know he's here. We've been tracking his movements. He began at the Imperial battalion offices - we know they're setting up a spy network here. We're keeping them under surveillance even as they spy on us. They've taken over a government building next to the hangar. Despite the laws of Naboo, which forbid it, we suspect they are secretly stocking weapons and explosives there."
Ferus frowned. "That's against the laws of the Senate as well. Do you think they're planning to take over the government?"
Typho nodded grimly. "It's possible. They have assault ships in orbit. They've done this with equally uncooperative worlds, under the guise of 'keeping order in the galaxy."
"I'm well aware of their tactics," Ferus said. "They did it on Belassa, where I come from."
"I've heard about that," Typho said. "It's what we fear. That's why we've been keeping a watchful eye on that Inquisitor. We don't know how close they are to Emperor Palpatine. The curious thing is that she doesn't seem to be on official business. She checked in with the Imperial regent, of course, but after that, she's been on her own, keeping a low profile."
"So what has she been up to?" Solace asked.
"We've been receiving reports from government officials that she's been investigating the funeral of Senator Amidala."
Typho's face darkened. "I too have investigated the Senator's death. I don't believe the official reports that the Jedi killed her. They were her friends. She believed in them absolutely; she never believed the rumors during the Clone Wars that they were abusing their power."
"I don't know why this Inquisitor is interested," Ferus said. "I only know she must be stopped."
Typho nodded. "I'll do what I can to help you. What will you do?"
"Do you know where she is right now?" Ferus asked.
"She's no longer in Theed," Typho replied. "We just got word from the Director of Essentials, who said that this Third Sister forced him to reveal the whereabouts of Senator Amidala's maternal grandmother. We've been trying to contact her, but she lives in seclusion and hasn't answered our comm signals."
"You'll have to direct us there. But first, I need to speak to Queen Apailana."
The Jedi were ushered into the Queen's presence in the throne room in the palace.
She was wearing her omate ceremonial robes -deep blue with a matching headdress. Her face was painted white, with a red slash on her upper lip, called the scar of remembrance.
"Queen Apailana," Master Shryne said, bowing his head again. "I have come to ask you something I have no right to ask you."
"Yet here you are," Queen Apailana said.
"I request that on my signal, you shut down all comm systems on Naboo. Internal and external comm systems."
The Queen looked startled. "That is quite a large request," she said.
"Queen Apailana, the Jedi as we knew them are no more," Shryne explained. "Jedi knights Olin, Solace, and Olee and I are among the last left alive. You were once a friend of the Jedi and the Republic. Please trust us once more. The Empire's presence is dangerous not only to Naboo but to a peaceful future for the galaxy. I know what I ask is difficult."
"I am reluctant," the Queen said slowly. "Yet you are right - our history with the Jedi has led me to trust what they say. I never believed the official story of Senator Amidala's death. I have encouraged Captain Typho to keep searching for answers, even though it seems there are none to be had. Near the end of her life, the Senator still had faith in the Jedi. We were in constant contact, so I am sure of this. I still think of the Jedi as friends - no matter if there is one or one thousand."
"Then you'll do it?"
"On two conditions," the Queen said. "One, that you send the signal only out of the most dire necessity."
"That of course would be the case," Roan Shryne answered.
"Two, I will shut communications down for one hour only," Queen Apailana continued. "I cannot endanger the citizens of Naboo for longer than that. We can fake an outage for a time, but the Imperial garrison will become suspicious if the outage lasts any longer."
Roan inclined his head. "That should be all I need. Thank you." He gestured to his knights. "Master's Ferus and Solace will go and investigate. Olee and I will go near the Imperial base and intercept him if he returns."
Ferus and Solace stood up from their bow.
"Thank you for your service," the Queen replied. Now it was her turn to incline her head in a gesture of respect to Muln and the others. "Thank you for not giving up."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lake Country.
Ryoo Thule had been up before dawn. She had walked down to the lake to see the sunrise. She had noticed on the way to her home, as she climbed the steep grade back to the house, that she was out of breath. Yet she didn't feel winded, exactly.
She pressed a hand to her side, then against her heart. She was an elder now, but she was still surprised when her body told her so.
She remained robust and strong, still capable of walking the steep, winding paths of the cliffsides along the lake. She just had to learn to walk slowly, not scamper up the way she had when she was a child.
That must be it.
On those early morning walks her family strolled beside her. Not the family who still lived, her daughter Jobal, her son-in-law Ruwee, their child Sola and her children, her own namesake Ryoo and her sister Pooja. Not her sister and her children.
It was her husband, long dead, who walked beside her. Her good friend, Winama Naberrie (how they had plotted to marry off their children! How surprised they'd been when they'd actually fallen in love!) and her beloved grandchild, Padme. In some ways Padme felt closer to her now that she was gone.
From an early age Padme had been on her way to somewhere else. Oh, she had been the most loving granddaughter possible, but her visits had been respites from a busy life. She'd never suggested, by word or look, that this was the case. Her whole heart had been in those visits. Ryoo had felt it just the same, because she was closer to Padme than any of her other granddaughters.
She'd had her secrets. Ryoo knew that. She'd known before Padme had that she was in love. She'd known that love was entwined with heartbreak.
Padme's death had broken her own heart. Ryoo had, according to custom, been the overseer of her funeral. She had kissed her granddaughter's cold cheek. She had tucked small white blossoms into her clothing and hair. She had wept on a cold floor.
The grief was still a stone in her belly, but she'd found peace here. Padme had loved this place, and Padme was all around her. Padme was part of the galaxy now.
Part of her stays. Somewhere out there in the stars. I feel it. It is enough to feel it. Perhaps someday...
Ryoo stood at the window looking out at the azure lake. She pressed a hand to her chest and felt her heart flutter. Why had she woken this morning with such a sense of foreboding? Why did Padme feel so especially close to her today? What was this feeling? Why was she so restless?
She had been here for three months, mourning. It was time to return to her life in Theed. She wasn't
too old to find a renewed sense of purpose. Padme would want that.
Maybe that was the source of her anxiety. She knew it was time to let go of her grief, and she was reluctant. She had to remind herself that leaving this place wouldn't mean leaving her memories of Padme behind.
Ryoo paused by the comlink station. Its insistent blinking told her of messages she should listen to. But she wasn't ready. Not now. Later. Her family was used to her returning messages later in the day. They wouldn't worry. They knew her grief needed solitude.
Ryoo smiled at that insistent red light. It spoke of the warm voices of friends and family, eager to bring her news or check on her well-being. It contained the threads of her life.
It was time to pick them up again.
She would leave tomorrow. It was time.
She heard footsteps in the reception hall below. Strange. She was alone here, without servants, and the neighbors weren't close. She would have seen a gondola, or a speeder, if someone had come to visit.
She walked down the stairs, her slippers whispering on the stone.
The stranger stood, her dark face in shadow. Her armor was jet-black, cape a deep maroon on the inside, the color of dried blood. For a moment her steps faltered. It was as though Death himself had come to call.
Then she recognized the flutter she had felt all morning, the unease. It wasn't old age at all, it wasn't restlessness or the realization it was time to be gone.
It was fear.
Padme, Padme, I'm afraid.
She told herself she was being ridiculous. She'd been right; she'd been here too long alone. She walked forward, her hand outstretched, ready to greet the stranger, for on Naboo every stranger is a potential friend.
The figure threw back the hood. She saw her eyes, and suddenly she understood, with absolute certainty, what she'd felt the moment she'd awakened. She'd looked for the streaks of lavender that meant the sun was rising, light infiltrating darkness. Now she knew what had been chasing her throughout the day, what she'd believed, what she'd feared.
She was going to die today.
The old woman was still strong. At first she appeared to greet the stranger with respect. She even offered her tea, which she refused. Reva hadn't received the title of Inquisitor for nothing. She knew when even the most skillful being was holding back.
No matter. She would find out. She had come to the end of her journey. She had no more time to waste.
"I know about Naboo rituals," she said. "I know that you were in charge of your granddaughter's funeral."
The woman, small and sturdy, her white hair coiled in back of her head, smiled in a condescending way that made Reva's vision go red for a moment. "No one is 'in charge' in our funeral rites. I was there to support our grieving family. Naboo, you see, is not hierarchical like your system. Yes, we have a queen, but we elect her, as well as her advisors."
Reva felt her lips purse and her teeth grind. "I don't need a lesson on Naboo political philosophy."
She inclined her head, but she could see its meaning. She thought her a pompous fool.
She would learn.
"The grandmother is there to make sure everything runs smoothly. This can be quite complicated in a state funeral," she continued.
"Senator Amidala died of what, would you say?"
"We don't know."
"Were there marks on her body?"
She saw her flinch. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Who brought her to Theed?"
"I don't know. I was summoned after she'd arrived."
"She couldn't have come on her own," Reva said dryly. "She was dead when she got here."
The grandmother's cheeks suddenly flushed with anger. She didn't like the casual way she spoke of her beloved granddaughter. Yet she was choosing her words with great care. The only way she would get anything out of this woman was to anger her.
"Whoever brought her to us did so with great care and gentleness, and that was all that concerned us at the time," she answered.
"She was pregnant."
Her lips pressed together.
"Did the family know who the father of her child was?"
"That is a private matter."
"Would you like to spend some time in an Imperial prison?"
"No, not really," the woman said. "But if you think threatening me with it will give you the answers you want, you're mistaken."
She looked at her. Her eyes were dark gray dusted with gold. Unusual eyes. She was almost mesmerized for a moment, seeing herself reflected in them, seeing all the contempt she felt. She got a sudden flash of what she was inside, what she was feeling.
Love. Great love.
Strength. Courage.
Reva pushed those irrelevancies aside and looked beneath.
Something she'd suspected, something only she suspected...
"Padme did not share with us the father's name," she said. He could see perspiration around her hairline. She was nervous. "We didn't ask. Such things are private matters on Naboo. Because of the Clone Wars we hadn't seen her in several months. She was the light of our lives, and our sorrow and grief is more than you could possibly know. Why you think you have a right to come here and question me is beyond my understanding."
"I do have a right," The Third Sister said. "The Emperor has given me that right. I am his personal representative."
She was talking, but the words were too familiar, she had said them so many times. She was listening now. She was hearing what she was feeling, not what she was saying.
"Did you know Anakin Skywalker?" he suddenly barked.
"He was a friend of my granddaughter's," the old woman said.
"Did you ever suspect that he was the father of her unborn child?"
Something flashed in her eyes, not anger this time. Something... it was the key.
She knew something.
No... suspected.
She thought of the intuition inside her, what she thought of as her "river." It had always been there.
When she was younger she believed she was just smarter than anybody else. Now she knew it wasn't intelligence, it was another sense, bigger than she was. Her frustration was that she couldn't control it the way she wanted to. But it was here now, and she could focus it on Ryoo Thule.
Her gaze must have unnerved her, for she looked away. She felt something rise in her, some hope, something she was grasping even as she battled against his will. Something she did not want her to know, and would never betray.
The knowledge ripped through her brain like a rip in fabric, tearing away her misconceptions. She almost leaped with the exaltation of it. Only the most strict discipline, the habit of years of interrogations, kept her standing, with the same expressionless face.
The child was alive.
She had spoken of her granddaughter, but never of the child she carried. That she did not was in itself a signal.
"The child is alive," she said. She could see on her face that she believed it. Now the questions came quickly as she advanced upon her, as she shrank before her. "Have you ever seen the child? Has anyone contacted you about the child? Has anyone visited the child? Did Padm" know the child was living before she died? Did she give the child to someone? Is someone hiding the child? Where is the child?"
The questions kept coming. The old woman threw up her hands as if to ward them off like blows.
When she regained control and lifted her face, it was filled with defiance. She knew little, she could see, and she would tell her nothing.
So Reva killed her.
The beauty of the lake was astonishing. Varykino perfectly fitted into the landscape, turrets and domes rising from the rocks and water as they sped toward it, so close to the lake that their Naboo water craft, a gondola speeder, kicked up a wake.
Ferus barely noticed the deep jewel color of the lake, the arcing sky overhead. Before the gondola speeder had come to a halt he vaulted off it. He was filled with foreboding.
He and Solace left the others behind as they Force-leaped up the cliffs, finding toeholds and handholds while in midair. The others charged up the path.
The door to the graceful villa was wide open. He charged inside, his lightsaber held aloft.
Ryoo Thule lay crumpled on the stone floor. He leaned down and with great gentleness touched her cheek. It was warm.
Suddenly her eyes opened, giving him a shock. He'd thought she was dead. Her life force was almost extinguished.
Her eyes widened just slightly when she saw his lightsaber. He felt her fear dissolve and she looked at him with something like friendship. With that one glance he knew Padme's family did not blame the Jedi for her death.
"She suspects," she whispered.
"The Inquisitor?"
A nod. Then suddenly she seemed to gather strength. Strength enough to grab his tunic. "She can't tell anyone what she knows. You must protect..."
She lost her breath. Her fingers opened and she fell back.
"Protect what?" Ferus felt the urgency. He was lost in implication and mystery and everything he didn't know.
"For Padme," she whispered. "For Padme." Life left her then.
He turned. Solace sat behind him on her haunches as easily as if on a chair
"Want to tell me what's going on?" she asked.
Ferus looked at her helplessly. "I can't. I don't even know. I just know there's a secret that threatens the galaxy. Ryoo knew it, and now the Inquisitor does, and we have to stop her. Obi-Wan Kenobi warned us."
She rose smoothly, quickly. She didn't need any more information. What he said was enough.
"Kenobi? Then let's do it."
They ran out the door. The NSF officers that had accompanied them were just hitting the top step.
"It's too late," Ferus said. "He's gone. But I think he's around here - we would have seen him take off."
"He must have hidden his craft," Captain Typho said.
"This flaming coastline is full of coves," the Sergeant said. "But we should send the signal now!"
As soon as that was done, Ferus said, "Let's split up into twos. An Inquisitor can be a handful."
Ferus took off alone. His heartbeat drummed inside him with urgency. The future of the galaxy is at stake, Obi-Wan had said, when the Jedi Master found them after Order 66, as they were caught in a fight between Imperial forces and CIS holdouts. He had given them all hope that the Order may indeed live on, and the Empire could fall.
But for that to happen, the secret can't get out.
Luckily the communications were being jammed, so the Inquisitor couldn't share her information.
Until the hour was up.
Ferus leaped to a spot on the steep side of the cliff, then jumped again. His boots landed in soft grass. He heard the lapping of the blue water. The song of a bird. He felt the Force gather and now he could not only hear everything with crystal clarity but feel it as well, pulsating through him.
The Living Force was near. The dark side of the Force pulsed. He raced down the beach in that direction. A cluster of large rocks was scattered in the bay, and he Force-leaped onto the first, leap-frogging from one to the other until he was past the point of the land. Now he could see the Inquisitor in a speeder gondola, ready to take off. She looked over and saw him and the craft shot forward over the lake.
Ferus vaulted into the air and soared toward the craft. Reva suddenly yanked on the steering mechanism, so the craft was headed straight toward him now at top speed. Ferus reacted as a Jedi.
He did not retreat. He used the advance of his enemy to his own advantage.
He stopped his momentum in midair, waiting out the microsecond it took for the Inquisitor to reach him. Then he somersaulted neatly over the craft. He used the updraft to power himself out of harm's way, then dropped onto the gondola.
Well - not dropped, exactly, in the neat way he could have accomplished even as an apprentice.
Rather, he fell awkwardly, sprawling on the hull.
Sometimes the Force worked for him. Sometimes it didn't.
Reva yanked the craft to the right, dipping it close to the water. Ferus flipped over, his feet skipping over the surface. At this speed, the water felt like permacrete.
"Ow," Ferus grunted through his teeth as the gondola bumped along and he hung on for his life. "Ow, ow, ow."
Using all his strength, he flipped himself back into the boat. This time he was able to access the Force with more precision, pivoting on his hands and delivering a well-placed kick to Reva's chest. The Inquisitor was knocked backward, loosening her grip on the controls. The gondola began to spin crazily. Ferus was almost thrown off the craft but reached out and grabbed on to the curved stern to steady himself. He reached for his lightsaber and activated it just as Reva began to use the force to pepper him with spare parts that were lying in the back.
It was impossible for the Inquisitor to concentrate with the Force in these conditions, but she was doing a good job of trying. Ferus used the curved stern as a fulcrum, swinging around it as the gondola bounced, his lightsaber fending off the flying debris.
Off in the distance he saw the other gondolas approaching, carrying Typho's men. Typho himself piloted one. But where was Solace?
Reva pulled back the fabric of her robe on one arm. Ferus felt the warning as propulsion. He leaped at his assailant. In midair he saw the gleam of the rocket launcher on Reva's wrist.
Reva surprised him by rolling underneath him and then releasing the rocket Solace saw it before the others. Typho turned his gondola violently. But the other was too late. Unable to save the ship, the officers onboard leaped into the water. The explosion sent shock waves across the lake.
Then another shape began to enter Ferus' peripheral vision.
It was a fast craft, sleek, with a chromium hull and a repulsorlift engine. Larger than the gondolas, it was still highly maneuverable and tremendously fast. Solace, the thief that she could be sometimes, was piloting it straight at Ferus and the Inquisitor.
The gondola was still moving at top speed, but without a pilot it swung in ares and bounced on air currents and waves. Solace was heading straight for them, no doubt hoping to distract the Third Sister. It was a good plan. Ferus only hoped he didn't fall off before it happened.
Suddenly the air was alive with armored Imperial IPV-1 patrol craft. The Inquisitor must have called them in before the Queen had been able to cut off communications.
The water around them exploded as the missiles hit. The missiles were designed to intimidate.
They couldn't risk hitting Reva. But some of the patrol craft pecled off to attack the other gondolas and Solace's boat.
Ferus watched as one patroller dipped toward him. He leaped at reva, who used the Force to try and throw Ferus overboard. Ferus managed touse his own Force push to absorb the blast, and even steadied himself, but Reva dove toward a liquid cable that suddenly appeared above, higher than Ferus imagined she could. Reva didn't bother to hook the cable, she just hung on as the IPV-1 took off higher, trailing Reva behind.
Ferus leaped and managed to grab the tail end of the cable. In midair he saw the missiles heading for Solace's boat, she leaped off at the last possible second as their vessel was obliterated. At the same moment, two other patrol craft went after some of the other officers, bobbing in the waves. The other Imperial pilots all turned toward Typho in the last gondola, who was fishing the surviving officers out of the water.
Ferus looked up into the muzzle of a repeating gun. He saw Reva's fervid, triumphant face.
He let go of the cable and dropped into the cold blue lake.
He plunged into the cold water as far down as he could to escape the fire above, inserting his Aquata breather into his mouth as he swam. He pushed forward in the direction he'd last seen Solace.
The water was so clear he should have been able to make out the others, but instead he saw nothing, just endless blue. Ferus fought against disorientation. He'd seen the others dive into the lake - where could they have gone? He swam farther down, feeling the pressure on his ears. He began to feel anxious. He couldn't abandon his friends, but he had to get back to Theed.
Suddenly he saw a strange sight - a shimmering transparent bubble heading toward him through the water. Was it some strange sea creature?
No - it was a ship. A ship shaped like a creature with a long tail. Inside he could just make out the shapes of beings.
Gungans.
Of course. Gungans ruled the underwater world of Naboo. From all he'd heard, they were friendly beings. Although they could wage a pretty nasty battle if they had to.
Just his type.
The strangely beautiful sub bobbed closer to him. The cockpit seemed to bend as it came closer, and Ferus stopped, motionless in the water, fanning his arms to keep himself in place. He felt no fear, only wonder.
A hand reached out through the cockpit bubble and somehow pulled him in. The rest of the group was crowded inside. Solace gave him a smile. Water streaming from her clothes. Ferus planted himself into the seat next to her.
"Nice rescue," he panted to their guests.
"Meesa welcome you to the bongo on behalf of all Gungans," their smiling pilot said. His friendly eyes twinkled at Ferus. "Good to stay underwater when the mackineck troopers are above."
"Where's the Inquisitor?" Solace asked.
"She escaped," Ferus said. "I have no doubt she's on her way to Imperial headquarters at Theed. That's surely where she left his transport." He turned to their pilot. "We need to get back there and help the others, warn the Queen. For that, we'll need your help."
"Meesa can take you anywhere you want -"
"No," Ferus interrupted. "All of you." He reached quickly for his comlink. After only a few seconds, he was able to get a hold of Typho in the last gondola on the surface, who put him directly through to Master Shryne. It was the one of the only channels that had been left open in the communications blackout.
"Master, we have a problem" he said.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Otah Gunga.
Now Ferus had seen everything. He couldn't get over it. The underwater city had suddenly appeared, a series of huge bubbles like illuminated lamps. Inside were wide pathways with shadowy patterns and a murky green light.
And Gungans - he'd never even heard of them. He liked their friendliness and their loose-jointed strides. He felt safe in their underwater city. He would have liked to forget about everything happening above, but of course he was a Jedi.
Ferus asked to be taken immediately to their leader, explaining that he and Solace were Jedi.
Their rescuer, the pilot Yunabana, had been so excited that he'd taken them directly to Boss Nass, who resided in his own series of bubbles. While most of the Gungans were slender, Boss Nass was huge. His green skin had a grayish tinge, and Trever could tell he was an elder. He had three double chins and was wearing an elaborate coat the same color as his skin, so he resembled a giant greenish blob. He sat in a huge chair with waving fronds.
Now the Queen of Naboo was on holoprojector. The Naboo and the Gungans both felt that they owed the Jedi a great debt. They believed that the Jedi had been their only true friends during the Trade Federation blockade and had been responsible for helping them liberate their worlds. They readily agreed to a conference with the Jedi.
Ferus and Solace stood aside, as Master Shryne's holo-image appeared next to the Queen's in the presence of the Gungan Council's own conference bubble.
The Queen and Boss Nass thanked the Jedi, and the Queen thanked Boss Nass, and Boss Nass thanked the Queen for what seemed a very long time, and finally everyone was silent.
"What is it that you want from us?" Queen Apailana finally asked.
"Wesa glad to help if help is needed." Boss Nass said. He placed his hands on his belly and leaned back.
Ferus shifted back and forth on his feet a bit nervously.
But Master Roan Shryne was calm and collected.
"I need you both to use your security forces to attack and destroy the Imperial headquarters," he said without missing a beat.
Boss Nass jumped to his feet. "Yousa crazy?" he roared. "Attack Imperials? Maxi-bad strategy mesa friend! Yousa noticed they be controlink the wide-sea galaxy?"
Queen Apailana's tone was milder, but it was clear she was shocked as well. "You and your knights ask for much, Jedi Master Shryne. Surely you realize the retribution that would be inflicted afterward upon both the Naboo and the Gungans. The Emperor would crush us. It would be swift and terrible, and many civilians would perish."
"That's for sure," Solace said under her breath. Ferus shot her a look and she was silent.
"I understand the magnitude of what I ask," Muln said.
"Why do you ask then?" Queen Apailana said.
"The future of the galaxy depends on it," He said. "That I can promise you. The Imperial Inquisitor, known to us as the Third Sister, has found out an important secret. If she is able to reveal it to the Emperor it could destroy any hope we have of someday living in peace, freedom and true justice."
"What is this secret?" the Queen asked.
"That I can't tell you. Yet you must trust me. We must strike this blow here, now." There was a pause, so Muln continued. "The Empire is spread thin, and the Senate would be very much sympathetic to your cause. The Emperor's won't be able to afford a long term occupation."
"Your plan depends on our winning the battle," Queen Apailana said.
"The combined might of the Naboo and Gungan warriors can defeat a battalion," Solace said. "They've gone up against far worse and won."
"We have the greatest confidence in the courage and daring of both your peoples," Ferus added.
Queen Apaílana said nothing. Because of her elaborate makeup, Trever couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Suddenly Boss Nass lurched up, slapping the arms of his chair. "What a berry good trick, you say. Jedi! Get rid of Empire, protecting all our people, and no onesa ever thinkin' well of us! Bringsa out the fambaa anda power us up!"
They all turned to the holographic screen. The Queen's image was still impassive
"Yes." she said slowly. "It is a berry good trick, as my friend Boss Nass says. And it might remove the Empire from Naboo for some time. If it works."
"Will you commit your forces?" Ferus asked. "We can draw up the battle plans here and coordinate when we reach Theed."
"Faster issa to goes underwater," Boss Nass said. "Wesa can bring the army thatta way."
"We'll be ready" Queen Apailana said.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Imperial Garrison, Theed Hanger/Power Generator Complex.
Amidst the early dusk setting over Theed, The Third Sister boarded her transport in the Theed hanger and prepared to make for the skies. As her Nu-class shuttle started to take off, she walked up to the cock-pit. Standing behind the two pilots, she punched in a few buttons on the communications console. Moments later, a small hologram of Lord Vader materialized on the console in front of her.
Thanks to the Imperial outpost's efforts, they were able to cut through the communications blackout, and the signal was relatively clear.
"Lord Vader, I have investigated the matter on Naboo as you requested, and I've come across something quite interesting." She said, very proud of herself.
Vader sat up straighter in his meditation throne. "What did you find?"
"I've discovered that the Senator's family may have-" she was interrupted by the sudden termination of the transmission, and the shuttle rocked violently. She slammed her fist against a computer. "WHAT NOW?!"
"We're taking heavy fire from below." The pilot said as he tried to fly through the flak clouds that dotted their field of view.
The Third Sister looked out the window and saw NSF officers and armored speeders attacking the Imperial base. The comm's array was a smoldering wreck and Clone Troopers were being pushed back towards the Hanger or over a tributary of the Solleu river, their patrols being ambushed from the buildings and alleyways.
Suddenly, a tank blast struck her shuttle and the engine caught fire. The alarm in the cock-pit started to go off.
"We're hit. We're losing altitude." The Clone pilot said as he turned around sharply to head back to the hanger, rather than crash into a field far below. "Brace for a hard landing!"
Reva strapped herself in and waited for the shuttle to crash down into the hanger, before everything went black.
Outside Theed Hanger.
The signal came. The Gungan ships rose slowly and then burst through the surface of the Solleu River. Ramps slid out and connected with the land. Ferus and Solace raced off the ship.
The Naboo security force was already mobilizing in the streets, marching toward headquarters.
Ferus could see several panicked stormtroopers racing to return to the building. Already ranks were forming lines on the building's wide steps. The first fire rang out from the front lines.
He would join the fight, but first he had to find Reva.
They raced around the corner of Imperial headquarters and released liquid cables. It brought them up to the first bank of windows. Ferus had already networked with the Naboo and knew where the officers were located.
The NSF officers were instructed to use their stun blasts unless absolutely necessary, in order to save face once Imperial authorities came to investigate. Of course, the Empire was likely going to respond harshly regardless.
But Clone troopers were still the best of the best. The guardians of the Empire and the Republic before them. Bred for war, and knowing nothing else. They weren't about to be outdone by some spear chucking frogs and glorified policemen. The Clones held their ground, and returned fire. Gunning down many Gungans and NSF officers. It was only their sheer numbers that caused the clone's to thin out and lose ground. Most made for bridgeheads that lead across the river, and establish firing positions of the westernmost section of the city. Others made a fighting retreat into the hanger, the hub of Imperial operations on this planet.
N-1 Starfighters shrieked in from overhead, mostly from air-bases outside of the city, rather than the Imperial controlled Theed Hanger. V-Wing Starifhgters scrambled to meet them, and vicious dog-fights raged above the city.
They could see Master Shryne and Olee already, lightsabers blazing, deflecting blaster fire back to their origin point, slashing through rifles and force-pushing stormtroopers into walls and knocking them out cold.
Ferus and Solace met them, and the four Jedi battled their way into the hanger.
"Nice of you two to join us." Olee said sarcastically. "Where in blazes have you been?"
"We uh, took the scenic route." Solace joked.
Captain Typho came up to the Jedi, firing his blaster at Imperial troopers as is men pushed into the hanger. "Master Jedi, we have a problem. Our long-range scanners have detected an Imperial Starship entering the system. They must be here for the Inquisitor. Whatever you're gonna do, you'd better do it fast.
"Ferus, and Solace, go inside the hanger, find that Inquisitor and stop her. Ana and I will help Typho's men hold off the Empire."
Ferus nodded, but Solace paused. The sounds of battle had escalated. "May the Force be with you," she said.
Roan and Olee gave a nod of affirmation as their fellow Jedi took off toward the hanger.
As they stayed to help their Naboo allies mop up, the Imperial presence on Naboo just expanded. The clones who took up position along the west bank of the Solleu river began to open fire on the Naboo forces. An Imperial Star Destroyer parted the clouds, and it began to launch fighters and gunships, deploying more troops to the surface.
The battle of Naboo was turning into a rebellion quite quickly.
Ferus and Solace moved down the halls, which rang with confusion as Imperial officers scrambled to load data onto computers, no doubt following some sort of Empire protocol for a surprise attack. Others ran toward the back of the building where Ferus knew it connected with the Theed hangar.
With the force as their ally, stealth was very much a viable option, as they snuck passed Stormtroopers who were more concerned with the battle raging outside.
This was most likely where the Inquisitor's shuttle resided, and thus any shuttle that tried to escape was a prime target. According to NSF installations around the city no shuttles have left between the time of the lake country skirmish and the start of this battle, aside from one they shot down moments ago.
They wouldn't stand and fight. They would cut and run.
The Jedi increased their speed, mowing down stormtroopers that got in their way: The thud of their boots sounded out their purpose. They held their lightsabers aloft.
Both Jedi burst through the grand double doors of the hangars. Amid the gleaming ships and stacks of cartons, a burning wreck with skid marks between it and the hanger door was surrounded by fire-crews. Amidst the extinguishing foam, the flicker of a red and black cape. The 3rd sister, pushing the fire-crews aside with the force out of annoyance, had seen him and was running away.
"Come on!" Ferus exclaimed, and both Jedi took off into a sprint.
"Stop them!" The Third Sister shouted as she took off towards the generator room.
The Clones turned on the Jedi and began to charge them from all over the hanger, carbines blazing. Solace stopped and started deflecting blaster-fire and slashing clones that were getting too close.
"You go, I'll hold them off," Solace said.
Ferus nodded and continued chasing after the Inquisitor.
For several minutes, Solace, with a blaster from a fallen clone in one hand and a lightsaber in the other, fought off the clones as best as she could. But she was soon blasted in her leg, her saber arm, and her abdomen.
Solace slumped over and fell to the ground, on the very edge of death. As the clones approached, ready to put her out of her misery, she looked over, and lo and behold, a massive cache of explosives and weapons were piled up on the far side of the hanger. With the last of her energy, she raised her blaster arm and fired on the illegal cache of weapons outlawed by the senate, and a massive explosion ripped through the hanger, including the fuel lines for the star fighters, and Solace and her assailants were engulfed in the fires of rebellion.
Imperial shuttle.
Over the night sky of Naboo, amidst the illumination of blue and green blaster fire, an Imperial shuttle began to touch down from the ISD Exactor. The Star Destroyer hovered above the city, using its heavy firepower to blast targets on the outskirts of the city, demolishing smaller scale star-fighter hangers.
V-Wings and N-1's battled for supremacy over the city, and AT-TE tanks opened fire on key locations within the city, as Clone Troopers began to advance over the river under heavy fire.
They were also reinforced by a unit of clones with blue markings, as opposed to the standard white of the local garrison.
The men of the 501st Legion had arrived. The Elite of the Elite, battle tested from many campaigns during the Clone Wars. Geonosis, Ryloth, Umbara, Mygeeto, the skies above Coruscant, Felucia, Kashyyyk, Utapau, and most famously, the halls of the Jedi Temple.
Clones Troopers, supported by TX-130 fighter tanks in the streets, began to fight house to house, room by room, clearing out the rebellious NSF officers, who seemed content with firing into the clone's backs from apartment windows or alleyways, and running through the underground passages that connected all of these positions. That's fine, because the clones were more then happy to clear them out with thermal detonators, and even armored flame troopers.
Vader's fist had come to smash the rebellion.
Speaking of Vader, the shuttle finally touched down, and the ramp lowered. As the depressurizing gases were released from the shuttle, so was the dark figure with the mask in the likeness of a skull.
He marched off the shuttle and onto the battlefield, which raged hard around him, yet barely seemed to even draw him draw his attention. Stray blaster shots flew around him, clones fell near him, and an explosion nearby sent a wave that sent his cape flapping in the breeze very briefly. This was where he was most at home these days.
An Imperial officer ran up to him. The original garrison commander walked alongside the Sith Lord as he continued to march towards the bridge.
"Lord Vader, we were ambushed by the local security forces and a few Gungan units and were forced to abandon the east bank of the river, but I have the situation well under con-" He started before he was interrupted by a sudden and violent, yet unseen, grasp on his throat. Before he could drop to his knees, the officer was lifted up into the air as he continued to struggle for breath.
"I have no interest in your failures, commander. I'm here on a mission of my own." Vader said, just as an explosion belched flames out of the Theed hanger across the river, and off to his right.
Vader then dropped the officer, who struggled for air, and marched across the bridge.
Everyone who got in his way was slashed to pieces. Every blaster bolt was deflected by his lightsaber before he swung it through the necks and torsos of every rebel in his path. Explosions were absorbed by his armor, and NSF officers ran for their lives as the Emperor's enforcer led them to their doom.
Ferus Olin chased the Third Sister down a long hallway that connected to another grand building. The hallway opened up into a gigantic circular area. Platforms and bridges were stacked hundreds of meters high. The space was filled with a low-level hum. He was in the Theed power generator.
The knowledge thudded through his brain. This was where the great Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had fallen. Every Padawan had heard the story.
It was here, Ferus thought. This is the place Obi-Wan fought Darth Maul to the death.
But now it was different. He wasn't fighting a Sith. He was fighting an Imperial Inquisitor -
skilled, with powerful weapons, yes. But not a Sith.
Then Reva turned, baring her teeth in a smile. And showed Ferus her lightsaber.
Ferus was startled. He and Obi-Wan had both felt that the Inquisitors were Force-sensitive. But that was a long way from being proficient with a lightsaber.
Where had she received lightsaber training? Reva held the lightsaber easily in a classic ready stance, the red shaft projecting downward.
Ferus circled her slowly, holding her dark gaze. So. A former Jedi and a Sith pretender were about to fight. Interesting.
Reva charged. The two lightsabers clashed. Ferus felt a surprising amount of power from Reva. Maybe this wouldn't be so easy.
But it would be done.
He whirled around in a one-hundred-eighty degree turn, kicking out with his foot at the same moment. He missed Reva's chin by a whisker. Ferus liked to fight with his boots as well as his lightsaber. He had learned to fight without a lightsaber when he'd been a regular citizen of Bellassa. Some that meant fighting dirty.
Looking for openings, using whatever materials came to hand. He could still street-fight if he had to. He fought without urgency just yet, circling Reva, challenging him, watching him for weaknesses. Ferus ticked them off in his head. Reva relied on agility but had little grace. She had strength but did not know how to use it effectively. But most of all - and this was what Ferus was sure would defeat her - Ferus could feel Malorum's emotion in her style. Anger fueled her attacks. It was a mistake many made. Not a Jedi.
After feints and attacks, they came to a long passage with curving walls. A series of energy gates ran down it. Electron rays pulsed in a rhythmic fashion. Ferus remembered this from the story be'd heard as a Padawan. The energy gates had slowed Obi-Wan and he'd been unable to come to his Master's aid in his final battle with Darth Maul. In those crucial seconds, he'd watched Qui-Gon receive the fatal blow and fall, right before his eyes.
Here he was in the middle of a battle, and he was suddenly pierced with a sharp sympathy for Obi-Wan. For the past weeks he'd been intimidated by the Jedi Master, irritated by his silences, upset at his decisions. Now he fully realized how little he understood of what lay beneath.
I can't imagine what he's seen. How he's suffered. What he's lost.
He made it through the first energy gate but suddenly they buzzed shut behind and ahead of him.
Reva was in the next chamber. How odd it was to see your enemy and be unable to move.
He could just make out the Third Inquisitor's words.
"You can't stop me," Reva said. "You can only slow me down."
"Oh, I'll stop you," Ferus replied. "Even though I'll miss our little dance lessons."
The energy gates sprang open. Ferus jumped forward, swinging his lightsaber. She parried and came a little too close to connecting to Ferns's shoulder. He had to leap backward, and the energy gates shut again.
"I've learned from the best," Reva grunted through her teeth.
"SIN Tachi, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Soara Antana. Yoda himself." Ferus didn't know if Reva could hear him, but he felt the names of his teachers resonate inside him like a powerful chant. "You don't know what the best is."
The energy gates opened again and Ferus surged forward, driving Reva backward. "Want to be a Sith, Reva?" he taunted. "Is that it? Palpatine's puppy is tired of biting ankles?"
Rage darkened Reva's face. Good. Exactly what he'd hoped.
She sprang forward in a fast combination that Ferus had a tough time parrying. The dark side of the Force hummed with her now as her anger grew.
Okay, maybe it was time for a new strategy.
Reva reversed directions and was able to run out onto a catwalk. Ferus leaped to follow him.
He wondered if Reva was heading for an exit. He knew if Reva was able to get out of here, he would lose her. It was almost as if Reva knew the way and was leading him on. Maybe she was trying to lead him back to the Imperial army, hoping they were still fighting.
They fought furiously now, using every inch of catwalk. They fought around the deep central core, hundreds of meters down. Ferus used his advantage of Force agility to leap and somersault giving power to his thrusts. He fought using the lightsaber only, saving another kick or an elbow for when he needed it, when Reva wouldn't be looking for it.
He pushed Reva back, forcing her to rely on balance to avoid falling into the pit below.
Reva twisted and turned, but she was beginning to sweat.
Ferus saw his chance. He left himself slightly open, and Reva charged. As she came in, Ferus slammed his elbow directly into reva's forehead. It stunned her for a split second, and Ferus used the hilt of his lightsaber to smash Reva's lightsaber out of her hands. The lightsaber shot outward, directly over the pit.
Reva's mouth opened in a cry that echoed off the walls. "No!" She shouted. Ferus could feel the Force pulsing as Reva leaped into the air, straining to catch the lightsaber as it spun, straining to harness the Force to push the lightsaber hilt toward her and carry her safely to the next catwalk.
Don't.. strain... Ferus watched Reva make the elemental mistake of any early-year Jedi student.
He saw that Reva was blinded by need. If she lost the lightsaber, she would be disgraced. She would never be a Sith.
Reva's lightsaber dropped like a stone. Still in midair, Reva lost her grip on the Force. Her cape flapped around her, and Ferus saw the panic in her eyes. Then she dropped down, down, down, into the central core. And her secret went with her.
But just as Ferus turned to leave, a tall figure marched down the central walkway, escorted by a squad of Clone Troopers.
"It's over, Dark Lord. Whatever secret your inquisitor held is lost forever."
He then re-ignited his lightsaber and charged. The clones opened fire, and Ferus deflected the blasts. He used a force push that sent two troopers flanking Vader flying off of the platform to the depths below.
But just as Ferus exited the passage with the red laser gates, the the shields came back online, and Vader used the force to push him into the first gate, vaporizing the Jedi completely with one last horrifying scream.
Vader then turned back, ready to join the rest of the battle.
Theed Royal Palace.
With the Main Hanger and Generator complex firmly back under Imperial control, the the Naboo Royals decided to detonate the secret passages to keep them from getting to the Palace on the other side of the city, and the gungans withdrew for the most part, being driven away by Imperial forces, and the dreaded Darth Vader. With their loss of friends and ground, the Naboo began to retreat, the bulk of the remaining guards now holding position in the courtyard outside the palace gates.
The rest were in the underground passages, ambushing Clone trooper patrols, with mostly negative results.
The Air battle was also winding down, as N-1 Starfighters were being blasted out of the sky, and their home bases reduced to smoldering ruins by ARC-170 fighter-bombers.
The few remaining guards outside the palace were supported by Anti-Air cannons, some of which toped the turrets of the Naboo Palace, and a few were in the courtyard, and they blasted anything that entered the courtyard, forcing Captain Rex and the men of Torrent Company to take the surrounding streets, using the buildings as cover.
Their objective was to disable the Palace's EMP countermeasure, put in place after the Trade Federation invasion long ago. It was meant to shut down all electronic devices within the city, outside the palace. Lord Vader wanted it disabled before he went to the frontline.
Rex moved through an archway that ran the length of a wide building, as they moved towards the left flank of the Theed Royal Palace. He took cover at corner of the building they were next to, and peaked around it, only for him to nearly be blasted by a group of NSF officers who were dug in deep.
He gave a series of hand signals and he and two clones, Hunter and Tech, dashed across to the other side of the street, drawing the enemy's fire.
Just then, sniper fire from another trooper, Crosshair, picked off several officers, with Echo acting as spotter.
This gave Lt. Jesse, Sgt. Coric, Kix and Wrecker the chance to charge the enemy positions, blasters blazing. They gunned down the remaining officers and moved deeper into the city.
Suddenly, they heard the whine of a engine. It was moving quickly around the corner.
"You hear that?" Hunter asked.
Rex nodded. "Yeah. Take cover!" He called out as a land speeder came around the corner in an attempt to drive the clones back.
But Rex and his men held firm, pouring concentrated fire onto the relatively weak speeder, even as a second speeder brought up the rear. Echo and Crosshair were forced to abandon their vantage point as their cover was slowly eaten away at by heavy blaster fire. More guards began to pour into the plaza.
"Wrecker, take it out!"
The trooper raised his DC-15LE blaster rifle, which was modified to fired explosive bolts and began to mow down several guards, blasting scorching holes into them. He then activated his portable energy shield, which covered his torso, as he opened fire on the nearest enemy vehicle. The land-speeder's engines took several sustained hits and exploded. The other tank was suddenly vaporized out of no where.
Everyone looked back to see a TX-130 fighter tank enter the plaza, with a fresh squad of clones.
"Heard you could use a hand, Captain!" He saluted.
"Anytime. Alright troopers, we've gotta shut down those Auto-cannons if we want to get inside the palace. Move out!"
"You heard him lads, let's go," Jesse called out, as he rallied the men ahead, with the tank moving in slowly behind. They fought their way to the rear of the enemy lines, despite taking fire from the archways and overpasses that connected many of the buildings.
Clone Trooper Tech was holding a scanner when he went to Captain Rex. "Captain. I'm getting a large energy reading from the building on our end of the courtyard. It appears to be the controls for the auto-turret grid. A few well placed droid poppers should disable the controls, and keep them from being used."
"Nice job Tech. Get some droid poppers into that building!" Rex ordered.
Several troopers surrounded the building, and produced several EC detonators. On Sgt. Coric's signal, every trooper threw their grenade at the same time through the windows on the top floor.
Rex could have sworn that he heard someone shout grenade, before an electronic pulse enveloped the building.
He then reached for his comm unit. "Lord Vader, the enemy's countermeasures and defense turrets have been disabled. You may commence your assault on the courtyard."
Darth Vader marched onto the palace, red lightsaber drawn.
Naboo guards opened fire on him with everything they had. But he swept them aside with a wave of his hands, knocking them to their feet. Clone blasted the disorientated guards and continued to advance.
The few remaining tanks opened fire on him, but their missiles were spotted midair, and then launched back at them, blasting them to pieces.
A final squadron of N-1 Starfighters dove down from the night sky and began their strafing run on the courtyard. Vader lifted the debris scattered about, including the destroyed tanks and even bodies and lifted them high above him. They absorbed the blaster fire from the small wave of Naboo fighters, but then he used the fore to propel them skyward, hitting the ships. The ships that were hit by large debris were destroyed immediately. Smaller debris caused the ships to lose altitude and crash into the city below.
Vader, with his troops bringing up the rear, marched up the steps to the Palace and then used the force to summon a powerful shockwave, which he used to blast the doors open. As the dust settled, Vader entered the palace and was met by a pair of robed figures.
"Dark Lord, in the sovereign system of Naboo, I demand you to turn back and leave this system."
"You cannot disguise yourself from me, Jedi."
Both figures ignited their lightsabers, and were soon backed up by a cadre of Royal Guards, taking cover on the grand staircase leading to the thrown room.
"Turn back," Roan Shryne shouted as he used a force push that pushed several troopers to the ground, and was followed by him and Olee charging Vader. All three combatants viciously slashed away at each other.
Then all of the guards and the clones began to exchange fire, leading to the last stand of the Naboo.
Commander Appo, who was leading his men, was able to make out a woman with white makeup and red robes moving about up stairs, behind her guards, moving off to a side passage.
"Lord Vader, the Queen and her royal guard are trying to escape!" He called out.
"Stop her, while I focus on the Jedi." Vader ordered as he used the force to pull Olee towards him, clasping his gloved hands around her fragile neck, while parrying Master Shryne with just one hand.
Appo gave a hand signal to Rex, ordering his men to go after the Queen, all while Vader snapped Olee's neck, leaving just her master to content with.
Queen Apailana and her men moved off to escape to a secret landing bay that was built after the Trade Fed. occupation. But they were being pursued by Captain Rex and his crack squad of clone trooper veterans, some who'd seen action with him on Geonosis.
The royal guards fired as they ran towards a ferry that would take them to Broad-berry meadows across the river, hoping that they could get some lucky hits and discourage their pursuers. But the clones were relentless, taking up firing positions on the river, firing at the small barge.
But just as they made it across, hoping to get inside one of the secret passages that could lead to the main hanger, Apailana found herself in the crosshairs of a sniper's rifle on the top floor of Guido's tower on the Imperial side of the river.
A blaster bolt hit her square in the back, and she tripped to the ground, dead.
Her remaining guards fled, only to be captured or killed when they entered the main hanger, which was already under Imperial control.
Rex and his men crossed the river and checked on the body of the Queen. He turned the body over and felt for a pulse.
Nothing.
He took his helmet off and looked down at her. Even though his eyes showed no emotion, the pain in the pit of his stomach was unbearable.
Rex's superiors weren't going to be happy that he and his men killed the queen. They wanted her alive. But he hoped against hope that perhaps maybe, just maybe, this terrible crime that would haunt him for the rest of his life could generate sympathy for Naboo in the Imperial Senate.
And if not, then he just saved the Queen from a fate worse than death.
Shryne's slashing strike to Vader's lower left leg, owing as much to luck as to skill, released another shower of sparks.
Vader's enraged response was Shryne's only assurance that he was fighting a living being. Whatever had happened to Vader, by accident or volition, he had to be more flesh-and-blood than cyborg, or he wouldn't have raged or been able to call on the Force with such intensity.
They stood facing each other in the smoke-filled main lobby of the Theed palace that had two grand staircases which led up to the throne room, the gloom cut by shafts of explosive light from the continuing battle within the palace, as the last of the royal guards were making their final stand in the throne room above them, as the 501st secured the palace.
Shryne's determination to thrust his lightsaber into the control box Vader wore on his chest had forced the Sith to adopt a more defensive style that had left his limbs vulnerable. Throughout the fight that had taken place in the marble halls of the palace, Vader had kept his crimson blade straight out in front of him, manipulating it deftly with wrists only, elbows pressed tightly to his sides. Only when Shryne left him no choice did he shuffle his feet or leap.
"Artificial limbs and body armor seem a curious choice for a Sith," Shryne said, poised for Vader's riposte to his lucky strike. "Belittling to the dark side."
Vader adjusted his grip on the sword and advanced. "No more than throwing in with separatists denigrates the Force, Shryne."
"Ah, but I saw the light. Maybe it's time you did."
"You have it backward."
Shryne was steeling himself for a lunging attack when, abruptly, Vader halted and withdrew the blade into the lightsaber's hilt.
Before Shryne could begin to make sense of it, he heard a creaking sound from below, and something flew at him from the ceiling. Only a last-instant turn of his sword kept the object from striking him in the head.
It was a chunk of marble ripped from above.
Shryne gazed in awe at unreadable Vader, then began to race toward him, blade held high over his right shoulder.
He didn't make half the distance when a storm of similar chunks of ceiling came whirling at him. Vader was using his dark side abilities to dismantle the palace!
Surrendering to the guidance of the Force, Shryne swung his lightsaber in a flurry of deflecting maneuvers-side-to-side, overhead, low down, behind his back-but the stone chunks were coming in larger and larger pieces, from all directions, and faster than he could parry them.
One struck him on the outer left thigh. Another slammed him across the shoulders. Smaller pieces flew at his face; other sharper pieces speared into his arms. Then a fist-sized one hit him squarely in the forehead, knocking the wind out of him and dropping him to his knees. Blood running into his eyes, he fought to remain conscious, extending the lightsaber in one shaking hand while clamping the other on the post of the stone handrails that led upstairs. Five meters away Vader stood, his hands crossed in front of him, lightsaber hanging on his belt.
Shryne tried to keep him in focus.
Another chunk came out of nowhere, hitting him in the kidneys.
Reflexively the hand that was grasping the railing went to the small of his back, and he lost balance. Trying but failing to catch himself, he fell through space.
Above him, Vader reached his hand out, and Shryne's body raised in response and he was flung upstairs, into the throne room, where he landed in front of the throne room.
Captain Typho was directing his men, most of whom were injured, covered in batch patches, scavenging ammo from their fallen comrades that littered the floor.
They looked at the Jedi that landed near them with shock in their eyes, which turned to horror when they saw Darth Vader using the force to lift himself up to the balcony overlooking the lobby.
"OPEN FIRE!" Typho ordered, and the trembling guards fired their blasters wildly at the advancing Dark Lord, who easily batted the blasts away with his lightsaber.
He used the force to push one blast back into a guard, and then pulled many of their rifles away, before he cut down the defenseless guards.
While his men were being slaughtered, Typho noticed Master Shryne's saber on the ground next to him. He picked it up just as the last of his men were cut to pieces.
Typho ignited the saber, which was heavy in his hands being inexperienced, getting Vader's attention.
He gave a battle cry as he charged at Vader with the Jedi weapon, firing his blaster pistol as he ran. Vader blocked the blasts, but then he batted the saber out of Typho's hands with his own.
Before Typho could recover, he felt himself being choked before he was pulled right into Vader's gauntleted hand. As the brave Captain tried to gasp for air, Vader thrust his saber through his chest, piercing and burning his organs, before he slowly expired. Vader then tossed the captain aside.
The battle was over.
More importantly, Vader's bloodlust had been appeased; replaced by self-possession of a sort he had never before experienced. It was as if he had crossed some invisible threshold to a new world. He could feel the power of the dark side surging through him like an icy torrent. He felt invulnerable in a way that had nothing to do with his durasteel prostheses, his suit of armor and gadgets, which now seemed little more than an outfit. And it had taken a Jedi-yet another Jedi-to usher him over that threshold.
He gazed down at Shryne, emblematic of the defeated Jedi order, as Obi-Wan should have been. He recalled the way Dooku had gazed down at him on Geonosis, and the way Anakin had gazed down at Dooku in the General's quarters aboard the Invisible Hand.
Someday he would gaze down at Sidious in the same way. After he took an apprentice, perhaps. Someone with the same rebellious spirit that Shryne demonstrated.
Shryne coughed weakly, showing that he was alive, if barely. "What are you waiting for, Darth? Strike me down. You're only killing a Jedi."
Vader used the force to summon Shryne's blade into his hands, pointing it at his throat. "I will... but not yet. I have other uses for you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The battle was over. Royal security guards lay on the streets, riddled with blaster marks. Fallen officers were in the building where they'd taken refuge, mostly wounded and taken prisoner.
Captain Rex strode through the streets with his squad, and they came up on the royal palace, where dozens of clones, a hundred by Rex's count, were being gathered up.
A hundred too many for Rex's liking, especially in 'peace time'.
"Well boys, we've got another successful mission to add to the wall," Hunter said, referring to the wall back in their barracks, in which they carve tallies into the wall for every mission. "You know what that means?"
"HAH, first rounds on Hunter!" Wrecker exclaimed, slapping Crosshair's shoulder, much to his annoyance.
Some of the other clones started laughing.
But then Rex turned around. "If you think this calls for celebration then I want all of you to take a good long look at our brothers." He said, pointing to the rows of deceased clones outside.
"I'm sorry Captain," Hunter said. "We didn't mean anything by it."
"Those men died so that we can other-throw the government an Imperial-loyal planet. If you think we shold be taking any pleasure in this..."
"Imperial loyalist don't attack Imperial troops, Captain. You would do well to know that." Said a new voice.
Rex turned around, and did his best to hide his annoyance at the slender Imperial officer. "General Rohn," Rex said, snapping to attention.
"You're an enigma Captain. You berate your men for celebrating the take down of a monarch who used her citizens as human shields for Jedi slime, but then you kill that queen in cold blood. Speaking of which," Rohn said, getting in Rex's face, "what the hell could have possessed you to kill the queen, when the Emperor himself wanted her to stand trial on Coruscant? Thanks to you, the Senate may end up sympathizing with the Naboo, and the last thing we need right now are more separatists tearing this galaxy apart."
Rex didn't say anything. Before he even could, a new voice boomed across the lobby, followed by hissing, robotic breathing.
"Where the Jedi are concerned, the Senate is of no consequence."
They all turned to see Lord Vader approaching, dragging the bruised, battered and unconscious body of Jedi Master Roan Shryne.
"L-lord Vader, I-" Rohn tried to say, but Vader barely acknowledged him. Instead he walked up to Captain Rex, who was a head shorter than him. The tensions were high, and the color was draining from Rohn's, and even Rex's, face. Until finally, Vader spoke.
"Captain, I require your assistance for a moment. Come with me. The rest of you," he said to the other clones before he tossed Master Shryne to the floor at their feet, "make sure he gets to his cell."
Vader then turned to walk away. Rex just stared after him for a few seconds, before he found the strength to go after Lord Vader.
In another part of the city, away from the palace, Rex could see a mausoleum. A statue of the late Senator and former Queen, Padme Amidala, stood before it. The large gray, rectangular structure was covered by a door, which was adorned with the seal of Naboo.
They walked up to it and stopped before it.
"Um, sir, I don't understand. What are we doing here?" Rex asked.
"Understanding is not required of you, Captain," Vader said, as he used the force to open the doors, slowly, which a rumbling sound of stone moving against stone.
When it opened, it revealed what was inside. A rectangular sarcophagus, which was also decorated with the emblem of Naboo. On either side of the sarcophagus, a stone pot filled with red flowers stood on a pair of columns. Between which was a soft-colored stained-glass window showing the image of the deceased.
Customarily, Naboo's monarchs were cremated, and their remains poured into the Solleu river, which would then carry them to the waterfalls below, scattering the remains across the planet, much like their influence and achievements.
But Amidala was made a special exception to that rule.
Vader turned to Rex. "Wait out here. Discourage the curious."
"Yes sir," Rex said, putting his helmet back on as Vader walked inside, and turning to face the path that led them here.
After a few moments of breathless waiting, standing guard for intruders that didn't appear to be arriving, Rex heard Vader speak very softly.
"Forgive me, Padme."
Rex turned slightly and leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of what was happening, and he could see Vader resting his hand on the sarcophagus, his head bowed slightly. And then it hit him.
'It can't be', Rex thought.
Suddenly, Vader withdrew his hand from the tomb, and Rex immediately snapped back to attention, as if he had never moved.
Vader came walking back out, using the force to shut the doors again.
"Captain, we're done here."
Rex followed Vader back to the Theed hanger, where his ride off world was waiting.
When Rex met up with his men, he couldn't stop staring at the shuttle as it took off and headed back up to the Exactor.
"Captain, are you alright?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost." Coric piped in.
Rex looked at his men and stared at them for an uncomfortably long amount of time. "You have no idea."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Well folks, that was the latest chapter.
Hope you enjoyed.
Next part will be out much sooner than this one.
Until next time, Grubkiller out.