Chapter 9: The New Republic Strikes
Nevarro was a hostile planet to settle on in terms of climate alone, and this seemed to be enough to keep most settlers away. It was a volcanic planet, its soil dark with ash and yielding no vegetation, and rivers of lava coursed over its surface and made the potential for any settlement nearly impossible. Thankfully, Nevarro was far less volatile than its cousin planet Mustafar; while the latter was a geological chaos due to its erratic orbit between the two largest planets of its system, Nevarro was less prone to violent eruptions and its atmosphere was not so sulfurous, though it was hot to a incredible degree.
To the First Order, this was the most suitable planet from which to launch their operations. No settlers lived here, so the inconvenience of removing curious locals was nonexistent as was the possibility of attack from nearby worlds. However, this other convenience was moot to those in the First Order who feared that the New Republic would soon find them and remove them from Nevarro. Snoke himself knew that the possibility was there, but he was not worried about the New Republic. He had brought the First Order together from dozens of Imperial factions and militias by stirring up the idea that the New Republic was weak and could be destroyed in a short time if they acted soon. He spread the same lies that Emperor Palpatine had concerning non-humans and the way authority should be used, and the most devout Imperial loyalists listened to him. Now here he was, making preparations for what he hoped would be an easy matter of conquest.
At the moment, the Supreme Leader of the First Order was in his chambers, seated on a throne of dark metal with several red-armored guards stationed at every door and corner. An FX-9 droid was giving him a pain-numbing capsule while a WA-7 unit wheeled over with a jug filled with a liquid that looked like molten green amber. Snoke looked at the drink with a look of disgust before weakly setting the jug's plastoid tube to his lips. He drank as though he were dying of thirst, only stopping and sending the WA-7 droid away when the main door to his chamber opened. An officer clad in a dark uniform entered, only to be stopped by two guards who were armed with electro-staffs. However, Supreme Leader Snoke said, "Guards, stand down."
His two acolytes raised their staffs and allowed the officer to approach. Then Snoke asked coldly, "What is it, Lieutenant Helix?"
"My lord, our scout ships have searched the area around the star system for any probable incursions into the system," the man answered. "Com-Scan has detected a fleet of ships coming out of hyperspace in Sector 7. A handful of these vessels are Star Destroyers, but they don't bear the design and insignias of our Destroyers."
Snoke scowled and said, "Only one organization in the galaxy would have the nerve to strike at us now: the New Republic. Prepare for battle, and activate the Dark Troopers as well. These invaders will give us no trouble when they bear witness to our supreme power."
Lieutenant Helix saluted with a fist and left the chamber to carry out the Supreme Leader's orders, hoping that his confidence in the First Order's troopers was not misplaced.
...
The Star Defender Legacy sped through the starry vastness of space with the task force vessels following in lines of three. The CR-90 vessels and the Mon Cal cruisers flanked the other Star Defenders while the Munificent frigates and GR-75 vessels remained in the back. On the bridge of the Legacy, Ahsoka was waiting with the other five Jedi on board to initiate the first landing. Each of the Jedi was aware that Nevarro was a dangerous planet to be landing troops on as its surface was so inhospitable, but this was a risk they were willing to take if it meant securing the New Republic's borders for the time being.
Ahsoka was soon addressed by Captain Juno Eclipse, who had been an Imperial officer of high rank before she defected to the Rebel Alliance due to understanding how regardless of life the Empire had proven to be. Now she was in the service of the New Republic and had been granted an officer's rank on having the courage to get out from under the Empire's heel.
"We're approaching Nevarro, General Tano," the young woman said to Ahsoka.
"Good. Send a detachment to the surface and have them search for the First Order's base. Master Kestis, Solaris, Mawlekk, and Seek will go with me and our main force and we'll soften them up a bit. Once we've tested the First Order's strength, we'll contact Master Skywalker and see if Coruscant can send some extra aid."
"Yes, ma'am."
Captain Eclipse saluted and went to marshal the New Republic's best scouts for the reconnaissance mission. Ahsoka remained deep in thought for a moment, hoping that if the First Order had agents elsewhere in the Outer Rim, handling them at their home base would not be too difficult. She could only hope that Luke and his friends were having an easier time on Tatooine, but she could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that there was always the chance she may not see them again.
Tor Solaris placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder and said to her, "Ahsoka, are you all right?"
"Yes. I just got a funny feeling in my stomachs, like this morning may have been the last time I saw Luke and Leia," replied Ahsoka with a vulnerable look. She never liked feeling uncertain, even when her master was around, and the knowledge that Luke and Leia were Anakin's offspring made her concern for them all the more poignant.
Tor said to her, "Don't center yourself on concerns of the future, Ahsoka. Master Skywalker is as strong in the Force as his father was. For now, we handle the mission, and then we shall attempt to aid him on Tatooine."
Ahsoka nodded and then went with the other four Jedi to lead the ground forces in their surprise attack. The Legacy descended through the atmosphere of Nevarro and took position in the sky while the ground troops got to their shuttles. Ahsoka, Cal, and Tor were on board the lead shuttle with fifty New Republic ground troops.
"Be ready, gentlemen. Spies could be lurking behind every rock on this planet," warned Ahsoka. "If you see a person or device that is not affiliated with the Republic, do not engage unless given orders. Understood?"
"Yes, General," replied the troopers. Nothing more was set until a red light activated in the ship's interior. It was the signal to await orders to move.
"Red light. Stand by," said the ship's pilot.
Ahsoka breathed and focused on the Force. She let the world around her drift away and concentrated on the will of the unseen energy field that fueled her Jedi powers. Cal, Tor, Mawlekk, and Lung-Seek noticed this and meditated with her. They took their lightsabers in hand, but kept them deactivated for safety reasons and for focus. Suddenly, the shuttles touched down, and the whole group heard, "Green light."
The doors of the landing craft slid open, and then Ahsoka and her fellow Jedi disembarked, followed by the reconnaissance troopers and a few probe and astromech droids. The troopers were clad in armor that was designed off that of the stormtroopers of the Empire, but their helmets allowed a full view of their faces and the armor itself protected their vital areas while a gray bodysuit covered them up to their necks. They whipped out their DC-18 blasters, which were improvised models of the DC-15 used by the stormtroopers of the Empire. Then Ahsoka directed about 500 of the troops to go with Tor Solaris, Mawlekk, and Lung-Seek to scout the area while she and Cal Kestis took the other sixty to find the First Order's base of operations.
"If we don't report back within the hour, send your party as quickly as possible," Ahsoka told the other three Jedi.
"Understood," replied Lung-Seek.
If she had been any younger, Ahsoka would have wanted to embrace her companions. So she opted to salute her Jedi companions and then gave the order to move out.
…
Cal and Ahsoka led their reconnaissance force of sixty men across the volcanic flats at a slow pace. They would have taken speeders, but it was unwise to attract attention on this mission. As they went along, the group noticed steam rising from fissures in the ground and the smell of sulfur stinging their noses as they went along. Looking around, they saw no signs of any First Order agents, but none of them felt the urge to take chances and search on their own.
There suddenly came a clacking of rocks falling from the cliffside above, and the New Republic troopers primed their blasters and stood ready to fire if anything tried to attack them. Then one trooper looked up at the cliff top and saw what had caused the disturbance. A dark-haired caprine animal was skipping along the cliff, each step calculated in a way that few other beings could understand.
"It's all right, everyone. It's only a qartuum. They're very common on this planet," the trooper said as she lowered her blaster.
"Now, don't get jumpy, troops," warned Cal. "The New Republic is counting on us to find the First Order's fortress and disrupt their efforts to rally against us. So keep your eyes open, but do not give yourselves away. General Tano and I will sound the alarm if necessary."
The troops all nodded assent and continued the long walk across the plains of Nevarro. After four hours of walking with a rest every half an hour, the company came to the top of a cliff overlooking a valley that was a mile wide and streaked with rivers of lava. One would have to be bold to the point of insanity to try setting up a dwelling there, but a look to the far side told the group that the First Order had done just that several yards away from the rivers of molten rock. A wall of durasteel that seemed to meld into the rock was the only indication of settled life on the entire planet. It looked unassuming, but Ahsoka, Cal, and the others knew better than to test it.
Cal took a pair of macrobinoculars and peered at the fortress wall. The group's suspicions were confirmed when Cal said, "We've got about thirty stormtroopers patrolling that wall. Ground crews loading and unloading supplies. A handful of droids, as well."
"Should we try going around the cliff? Find out if there's more to that hideout than we can see?" inquired one New Republic trooper.
"It would take too long. We could be spotted before we had a chance to get back to Master Solaris and the others," said Ahsoka. "I suggest we contact the main force and inform them that we found the First Order's base. We transmit the coordinates and rendezvous at seventeen-hundred hours."
One of the New Republic troopers, Major Prestor Ruwal, activated his comlink and contacted Tor Solaris and the strike force. "General Solaris, this is Major Ruwal. We have found the First Order's base. Grid coordinates are…"
The major never finished his sentence, for a blaster bolt pierced him from behind and he collapsed to the ground with a barely audible gasp. The rest of the New Republic troopers turned and saw a few hundred stormtroopers run up the hillside, all armed with DC-15 blasters. They were not alone, for about fifty probe droids were hovering toward the Republic reconnaissance party along with five AT-ST walkers.
"Take positions!" Ahsoka cried.
The New Republic troopers did so as the First Order's forces stopped at least twenty yards from their position and immediately took their positions and began firing. In moments, the volcanic plain was lit with a very different fire and the air was filled with the screams of wounded troopers and the garbled screeching of damaged droids. The New Republic troopers dove for cover in between shots, and they managed to take the First Order troopers by surprise with this dodging tactic. However, the New Republic unit was far outnumbered, and twenty men had been killed in only the first two minutes.
The First Order stormtroopers were already confident that this skirmish would be over quickly, but Ahsoka and Cal Kestis proved to be a far greater challenge. Ahsoka leapt into the air with her lightsabers already activated, and the stormtroopers immediately turned their attention to her.
"A Jedi!"
The stormtroopers on the front line barely had time to prime their blasters when Ahsoka landed a blow each on two troopers and cut them down on the spot. She and Cal were moving through the lines of stormtroopers with the strength of a snowstorm on Hoth, and several of the troopers fell after firing only two or three shots. This urged the forty remaining members of the reconnaissance team to press on and continue the fight, and soon they were thinning the enemy lines.
The walkers proved to be a much deadlier challenge for the New Republic agents. Though they were not AT-ATs, they were every bit as deadly if not as difficult to break. Their blaster cannons could easily kill several troopers in a single blast, and the concussion grenade launchers sent those who were still on their feet running. Fortunately, even a walker is not immune to a lightsaber, and Cal Kestis managed to cut the right leg from under one of them. Ahsoka managed to disassemble another AT-ST using the Force and then cut the feet from under a third.
In half an hour, the New Republic troopers had dealt considerable damage to the First Order's stormtroopers, and Ahsoka and Cal quickly dispatched more troopers and damaged the probe droids beyond repair. Suddenly, one of the astromech droids who had gone with the group began whistling and beeping loudly, and the reconnaissance party jumped as several dark shapes appeared overhead. The Dark Troopers had arrived.
"Blast them!" came the order from a New Republic lieutenant.
The New Republic troopers released a deadly barrage of laser bolts on the Dark Troopers, but the blasts barely shook them, and even a blaster rifle could not defeat these horrible machines. Then Cal realized why the troops' blasters were not affecting the Dark Troopers.
"They're made of Beskar metal!" he cried, and with a quick nod, he and Ahsoka rushed to take on the Dark Troopers. But there were a hundred of them and only thirty New Republic troopers remained, and if the Dark Troopers were not cutting down the men with their blasters, they were pounding them to death with their metal fists.
Ahsoka and Cal quickly cut through the Dark Troopers, for even Beskar armor was useless against a lightsaber, and the Dark Troopers were not immune to the Force. But victory was not to be earned this round, for one stormtrooper set his blaster on "stun" and managed to zap Cal unconscious first before a second stormtrooper stopped Ahsoka.
"They'll be all right," the commander of the First Order unit affirmed. "Inform the Supreme Leader that we have a couple of prisoners to interrogate. Then scrap these astro-droids. We can use them for spare parts."
The Dark Troopers bound Ahsoka's hands and then Cal's hands, and then marched back to the headquarters with the unconscious Jedi in their arms. The stormtroopers quickly blew the astromech droids to scrap and gathered most of their parts while leaving the rest to be slowly blackened and burned into they became monuments of the volcanic planet's cruel environment. The First Order agents were unaware that one New Republic trooper had survived by playing possum and was now relaying the events that had occurred to Luke and his friends on Tatooine and the grid coordinates of the First Order's base to the fleet.
A/N: I hope you found this chapter good and action-packed. Next chapter, you'll see Ahsoka and Cal meeting Supreme Leader Snoke and hear his terrifying origin in my fanfiction.
Chapter 10 will have some more action, don't you worry, and then we'll return to Tatooine to see how Luke, Leia, and their companions are handling the connecting emergency there. Stay tuned!