Hey folks, Grubkiller here.
This is an arc that I've been wanting to work on for a while now.
It will combine the dreadnoughts of Rendili comic series from Dark Horse, and the Wrong Jedi arc from the 2008 cartoon, exploring the darkness taking over the Republic.
Hope you enjoy.
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Clone Wars Intro music plays.
STANDOFF AT RENDILI!
A provisional military government has taken over the planet Rendili. The Republic fleet is dispatched to the planet, only to arrive too late, as the new government has aligned itself with the Separatists.
Hoping to find a peaceful settlement, Jedi Master Plo Koon and Padawan Ahsoka Tano, must negotiate with the military's divided leadership, as both fleets face each other in a tense standoff.
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RSD Resolute, in orbit over the planet Rendili.
The planet Rendili.
A heavily industrialized planet that was home to 600 billion people, and a founding member of the Republic, the planet was home to Rendili StarDrive, a starship manufacturing company that made Rendili the heart of the Republic's military industry. Before being overtaken by Kuat Drive Yards.
Hoping to regain their place as the master shipbuilders of the galaxy, many disgruntled Rendillians - including citizens, soldiers, politicians, and even StarDrive executives - launched a coup that installed a Separatist-loyal government.
With the military of Rendili divided, the Republic stepped in, hoping to retake the planet and keep its home fleet from falling into Confederate hands.
At the moment, half a dozen Venator-class Star Destroyers, and a series of support ships from various classes stared down with more than twenty dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers from the Rendili Home Defense Fleet.
Though old, these ships packed some serious firepower for their size, and very strong defenses.
On the bridge of the Republic flagship, the Resolute, Jedi Master Saesee Tiin was speaking to a hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Commander Cody.
"We're still at an impasse, Master Kenobi. However, the Rendili fleet commander is a man named Jace Dallin, a veteran of the Stark Hyperspace Wars, and he has a deep loalty to the Republic." Tiin explained. "Master Koon knows Dallin from that time, and has gone over to negotiate, along with Captain jan Dodonna - who also served in that time - and Skywalker's apprentice. They hope to convince Dallin to defect."
"What happens if Master Koon is unsuccessful?" Obi-Wan asked.
"The Senate and the Surpeme Chancellor have determined that the fleet must be neutralized. The Rendili fleet alone is a serious problem, but if every home fleet were to follow their example, it would be a disaster." Tiin explained. He then heard a hissing noise behind him. He looked and saw Anakin entering the room. "Ah, your former apprentice has returned from the Sundiver. Greetings Master Skywalker."
"Thank you, Master Tiin. It's been too long," Anakin bowed respectfully. "Has Obi-Wan found the research vessel that was supposed to rendezvous at Mycroft yet?"
"We're in the sector where the ship was last reported." Obi-Wan said. "It's probably nothing, but the exploration corps on Mycroft asked if we could spare anyone to take a look. Since we were on our way, Master Tiin reasoned that we should take a quick look."
"Commanders Wolfe and Appo are getting your men settled in now. Rex and I can grab a squad and join you Obi-Wan..." Anakin said, before Obi-Wan cut him off.
"Don't. If the negotiations fail before I return, Master Tiin will need you to take command of your troops, and mine." Obi-Wan said.
Anakin looked over at Master Tiin, who had wlked off to speak with Admiral Yularen.
Obi-Wan then noticed Anakin's frown.
"Don't worry. It's probably a faulty hyperdrive. This'll be a quick blue milk run. I'll let you know what I find."
Then the hologram flickered away, and Anakin was left to fight boredom on his own.
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The Titavian IV, research vessel.
The Intergalactic Zoological Society (IZS) was devoted to gathering and studying lifeforms from all over the galaxy. It was based on the planet Mycroft and worked with the Jedi Exploration Corps. Throughout the Clone Wars, the Society refused to take sides, insisting that politics should remain out of science and that knowledge belonged to everyone.
But knowledge and understanding had become casualties of war.
This was apparent as A Nu-Class Shuttle began to investigate the derelict hulk of the missing research vessel.
"I don't think this is a blue milk run anymore, General." Cody said.
Obi-Wan looked at the hologram of the ship that was being projected by R4-P17, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "You're right. But who could have done this?"
"Must be pirates. Or Separatist privateers." Cody said.
"Maybe, but they usually go after merchant freighters. What would they want with animal and plant specimens?" Obi-Wan reasoned.
That's when the astromech gave off a series of beeps and whistles.
"A Jedi distress signal? Let's see it." Obi-Wan ordered, and the droid's holo-projector showed the signal. "It looks like an older code but it checks out. Who could be out here? Hm, Arfour, send a coded message back to Coruscant, regarding what we've found."
"Fwoot boop?"
"No, not Rendili. We need Anakin where he is. We'll have to check this out on our own." He turned to Cody. "Cody, get your men ready to board the ship. We'll sweep the ship and find out what happened, and who's transmitting."
"On it, sir," Cody said, snapping a salute, before he walked off to gather some of his men, while Obi-Wan continued to look at the signal before him.
Who could it be?
As their shuttle dropped them off and flew around the ship, Obi-Wan, Cody, and three of his men looked around the ship.
They found blast marks, damaged doors, dead bodies, and dark corridors with flickering lights. The specimens, many quite disturbing, were oddly still in their containment units, watching the clones and the Jedi as they walked by.
The crew of the ship, from various species, were sprawled out in different poses, some carrying blasters. Oddly enough, some of them had lightsaber injuries.
Arfour plugged into the ship and brought up an image of the ship's schematics.
"It looks like we're in one of the main containment labs." Cody said. "The bridge appears to be intact. We can head over there and see if we can't check the flight recorders, find out what happened here."
"Very good, Commander. Let's get those flight recorders." Obi-Wan ordered.
Obi-Wan and his men moved through the labs, where they found busted containment units, dead specimens, and more dead crewmen.
But then suddenly, up ahead in a much larger room, Obi-Wan could see a man surrounded by floating spheres the size of sports balls, and they were blasting the man, who was deflecting the shots with... a red lightsaber?
"Be on your guard, men." Obi-Wan said as he activated his lightsaber and Cody's men armed their weapons.
As they moved through the room, behind cover and keeping to the shadows, Obi-Wan could see who it was.
"Quinlan?!" He softly exclaimed.
Quinlan Vos. Jedi.
Renegade.
Traitor to the Jedi Order and the Republic.
Cody and his men aimed their blasters. "Just give the word, General."
But then Obi-Wan put his hand on Cody's rifle, pushing it down, much to the commander's confusion.
"Sir?"
Obi-Wan frowned. He had seen the holos of his crimes. Butchering Dooku's political enemies, murdering Senator Viento, and inflicting grievous injuries on Jedi master K'kruhk for trying to defend the late senator. He had heard from Aayla Secura, Vos' former apprentice, how she and her men were nearly killed by Vos, on the planet Hongohr.
But during the Stark Hyperspace Wars, Obi-Wan and Vos were both padawans, friends. They had fought side by side. But now?
Qui-Gon Jinn had always taught Obi-Wan to trust in the force. And Obi-Wan's instincts are telling him that his one-time friend was fighting for his life.
"Keep me covered. If I don't make it back, head back to the ship and be ready to pick me up." Obi-Wan said to his men as he ignited his lightsaber and dove into action, slicing apart several droids and kicking one droid into the ground on his landing.
"Wha- Obi-Wan!?"
"Quin. You're no more surprised to see me than I am to see you. I just have one question-," Obi-Wan said as he deflected several blaster bolts that were meant his old friend. "-Whose side are you on?!"
"The same side I've always been on..." Vos said as he deflected more blaster bolts away. "...The Jedi and the Republic!"
"Really?! Because there has been some question of that lately, given your most recent activities."
More droids started to enter the room from every corner.
"Let's make a deal. We survive this, and I'll explain everything." Vos said as he slashed his blade through another droid, and into a deflection stance, which destoyed another droid with its own weapon. "If we don't, then... well it won't matter, will it?"
"Agreed." Obi-Wan said as he slashed through another droid. "This room is too open. It gives the droid's the advantage. Head for..."
"The corridor, right." Quinlan agreed, and they bolted from cover, running past many grotesque alien specimens, as the droid swarms followed close behind.
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Rendili, the Home defense fleet, The flagship Mersel Kebir, commanded by Captain Jace Dallin.
In a massive mess hall, with tall transparasteel windows that looked out into space, a fair-skinned man with slicked back brown hair, and several scars on his face, looked out the window.
Bedside him was the Kel Dor Jedi Master, Plo Koon.
Standing nearby were Captain Jan Dodonna and Padawan Ahsoka Tano.
The latter of whom wore a tight, form-fitting burgundy top and skirt which hugged her curvaceous rump. The top hugged her mature breasts firmly, which had a cutout that revealed her cleavage, which it barely contained. Her back, and her front, both had a large oval cut out, revealing her back and her navel. Her black leggings only went up just above her knees, and were tucked into her boots
The Rendili captain was in deep conversation with his old Jedi friend.
"Your points make sense, Master Plo, but you always made sense. Even when the situation seemed impossible. Still," he said as he looked out over his planet, and the fleet that defended it. "It's difficult when you have to choose where your loyalty lies: with your home-planet, or with the Republic.
Plo Koon placed a hand on Captain Dallin's shoulder, who looked over his shoulder at him.
"The answer is with both, Jace. It's a matter of where your greater loyalty must lie. You know the debt in pain and blood that has been paid to preserve the Republic."
As this conversation was going on, Ahsoka Tano was keeping a close eye on the Rendili crewmen, some of whom were giving her flirtatious looks. But other were talking into their earpieces. She used her lekku to try and pick up on their conversations. But he was too far and too quiet. But she could have sworn she heard the words 'security' and 'reinforcements'. She didn't like where this was going.
But Plo continued.
"You will not dishonor those who died to preserve it. All our friends who fell during the Stark-Hyperspace war. You've worn the scars on your face as a badge of honor from those days. This is simply being true to the man you have always been."
Captain Dallin looked at his old friend, deep in thought.
But before he could answer, several crewmen got up from the mess tables. Several more, heavily armed, entered the mess hall.
"Uh, master...?" Ahsoka spoke out.
"I see them," Plo answered.
One officer, with dirty blonde hair, took leadership of this group. "I am sorry, Captain Dallin, But this is just wrong!" He exclaimed. "Our first loyalty is to our own homeworld, and our orders..."
Dallin turned to face these insubordinate men. "I know the orders, Lieutenant Yago. Rendili has been taken by the Separatists, and told what to say. You are a junior officer, and need to learn when to be silent."
"So we should obey orders when you will not? I don't think so, Captain." But when Dallin took a step too close, Yago and the others quickly drew blasters and electro-batons (for Jedi). "You're under arrest in the name of the Independent Provisional Government of Rendili. We're taking command of the ship, traitor!"
Plo Koon and Ahsoka Tano activated their lightsabers, while Captain Dodonna drew his service blaster.
"It appears that negotiations have failed." Dodonna said.
"No, captain, they have merely gotten more aggressive." Plo said.
"My favorite," Ahsoka said.
Yago, realizing that all his armed men may not be able to challenge Jedi, acted quickly. He grabbed Dallin and held him hostage as a human shield. "These talks are over. Twitch even a little bit, and the traitor dies," Lt. Yago said as he pressed the blaster barrel into Dallin's neck.
"I'm not important. Do what you must, Master Koon!"
Plo Koon and his companions froze for a moment, wondering what to do. But ultimately, he deactivated his lightsaber and relaxed his battle stance.
Ahsoka looked at her old friend, her first master, arguably her father figure. "Master Plo, no!" She exclaimed, under her breath. "We can beat these guys."
Plo merely placed his left hand on her right wrist, carrying her green primary blade, and gently forced her to lower it. "When there is a choice between life and death, it is best to choose life, little 'Soka." He then spoke up to their soon-to-be captors. "We Surrender."
Ahsoka and Jan still hesitated.
"There will be another time," Plo whispered.
Plo's two companions looked at each other, and slowly lowered their weapons, Ahsoka's blades retracted into their hilts.
The guards kept their blasters trained on the three Republic representatives, while two of them slowly moved forward to collect their weapons.
When the weapons were collected, Lt. Yago let go of Dallin, and pushed him forward, and he walked over to the other prisoners. The guards then started to cuff them.
"Take them and the other senior officers and lock them in the restraining cells." Lt. Yago ordered his men, who started to march the prisoners out of the room.
But one crewman turned to the Lt. "Why Yago?!" He objected. "Why not just kill them and be done with it?"
"Because, Gallan, they are better use as hostages than as corpses." Yago responded calmly, but slightly perturbed. "The Republic won't sacrifice a Jedi like Plo Koon, or a noted officer like Captain Dodonna."
"Ahem!" Ahsoka exclaimed, cheekily.
Yago rolled his eyes. "...or a Jedi brat."
Ahsoka smiled proudly at getting a small rise out of her captors, before one crewman shoved her.
"You obviously do not know Saesee Tiin, Lieutenant Yago." Plo Koon said calmly, his back still turned to his captors. "He has his orders. The Rendili fleet will not be allowed to escape. Master Tiin will mourn us if he must, but he will do what is necessary."
Yago smirked smugly. He walked over, holding Plo's lightsaber hilt, tossing it in the air, spinning before it fell back in his hand, until he was standing face to mask with Plo Koon.
"We only need to delay your forces. Count Dooku himself promised Confederacy ships will come to our aid. We give the signal and we'll be joined in twenty hours," he taunted as he pointed Plo's lightsaber in his masked face. "Take the prisoners away."
The guards complied and marched the prisoners forward.
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Titavian IV, research vessel.
Back on the derelict research vessel, Obi-Wan and Quinlan continued to run away from the automated security droids, deflecting their blaster fire as they ran.
"When you jumped to my rescue, did you have some sort of plan?"
"Not really," Obi-Wan responded. "I was following my instincts, and letting the force guide me. It's what Qui-Gon did."
"Uh-huh," a frowning Quinlan said, destroying a droid with its own blaster bolt. "Tholme always made me have two plans."
"Really? Do you have one now?" Obi-Wan asked.
Quinlan nodded and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. At the end of the corridor that they'd been running down was a pool, either for sewage or for use as a holding tank for aquatic life.
"Into the pool! Access tunnel underwater at the far end."
Obi-Wan nodded and they bot used the force to push the droids back, buying them a precious few seconds to run for it. Obi-Wan dove into the pool, but just as Vos was about jump, an explosion behind him threw him forward, and he slammed into the pool, unconscious.
As Obi-Wan swam through the pool, which was a holding tank after all with small aquatic sea creatures, he noticed that Quinlan wasn't behind him. He looked back and saw a body floating motionless on the holding tank's sea-floor, complete with actual algae and rocks.
He yanked the motionless Vos by the collar and dragged him to the other side of the access tunnel.
For a few moments, the only light was from the bottom-dwelling predators, which used their lights to attract prey. But soon, lights from the ship began to appear. Obi-Wan shot to the surface, and yanked Vos up to the edge.
As Vos began to cough up water, Obi-Wan looked back at the water.
"We seem to have shaken our pursuit."
"KAFF! KAFF! Maybe... for the moment. But we must keep... moving." Vos said in between breaths. "But I know our pursuers... and they'll never give up."
A tall man with long dirty-blonde hair, broad shoulders, and wearing black armor, walked out of the destroyed room and knelt down next to the containment pool that he saw his quarry jump into.
"It looks like Vos has an ally."
A woman, a near human with pale gray skin and a bald head, walked up beside him. "It's Kenobi. I can sense his presence a parsec away." She then summoned the assassin probe droid on her back. "I owe you Kenobi. You escaped my prison, and stole my master's lightsaber. I owe you a death, but first... I owe you much pain."
She then leaned into the droid hovering over her arm, crackling with electricity.
"Seek."
With her one command, the droid bolted off of her arm, looking for its Jedi prey.
On the other side of the ship, Obi-Wan was bandaging up Quin's arm. Pieces of burnt shrapnel that were covered in blood littered the floor.
"That's the best I can do. The privateers didn't leave very much. This med kit is better suited for animal specimens than humans."
"Thanks." Quin said as he bit into a ration stick. "The food tastes good. I've been on the run for days. Not sure how long. I've lost all sense of time."
Obi-Wan allowed himself to crack a smile. "Or just lost all sense." But then he became more serious. "You said if we survived, you'd explain. We're still breathing. Begin. You claim to be on the side of the Republic but-."
Quin cut him off. "Only a few knew. But, while I was, I ... I can explain- but I'm not sure how to make you understand. Back in the pool, when I nearly drowned once before. You were there..."
"I remember vividly. It was shortly after the stark hyperspace war. Tholme was away and he left you with Qui-Gon and myself. We were on a training mission on Ragoon VI, as I recall. We were by the edge of the river, above a large waterfall, trying to impress each other, doing the usual stupid things male padawans seem to excel at. You were especially obnoxious. You also weren't quite as good as you thought. You fell... made no movement. I couldn't tell if you were alive or dead, and I reacted without thinking. The waterfall's power forced us both down into the darkness. I lost sense of direction. I was running out of air. I knew if I let you go, I could make it, but I wasn't about to release you. Nor was the river going to release us. I really thought we were about to die. Then I saw a dim light and thought I heard Qui-Gon's voice. Then Qui-Gon pulled us out of the river. You recovered but you refused to talk about it. So why bring it up now?"
Quin scooted closer to the bulkhead and leaned back against it.
"When I was drowning back then - and just now - It seemed easier to just let go. To surrender myself to a comfortable and very familiar darkness. Going to the dark side is like that, and Dooku's camp is a bottomless well of it. I've lived in the shadows for so long that It's hard to fight darkness sometimes, Obi-Wan. Back on Honoghr, I faced off with Aayla. That made me look deeply into that dark well with the force, and I suddenly saw it clearly - saw its hollow emptiness..."
Quin closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, choking up slightly.
"I almost killed her. for the sake of the mission. "I returned empty handed - and Dooku does not tolerate failure. So that's my story. Believe what you want. or can." He said before he buried his face in his palms in shame.
Then, after processing what he had just heard, Obi-Wan finally responded. "Qui-Gon gave me the benefit of the doubt when others did not, and took me as his padawan. I have tried to do the same with Anakin, especially when he took on a padawan of his own. I am prepared to do the same with you, old friend. Call it a debt of honor."
He got up and stood in front of Quinlan.
"We should get moving, don't you think?" Obi-Wan asked as he extended his hand down to Quin.
The renegade jedi looked up at it for a few seconds before he accepted it.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan continued to move throughout the damaged corridors as they made their way back to the hanger bay.
"How'd you wind up here?" Obi-Wan asked.
Quinlan pressed against a wall and peered around the corner to make sure the coast was clear before answering his old friend.
"Dook set two of his dark Jedi on me. I was leaping in and ut of hyperspace when I found this wreck. The Skorp-ion was damaged so I hid, hoping to make repairs before they double-backed and found me. I got the repairs done and was hunting for any supplies I could scrounge when they arrived. They spaced my ship so I couldn't reach it. Skorr was probably the one who did that. He always wanted my ship for himself. Ventress would have simply destroyed it."
"Ventress...!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, a clear frown etched into his forehead.
"You know her?"
"We've met."
They moved on, and found themselves in a large storage area, which was above some kind of reservoir, with steam coming out of it.
Suddenly, they heard little metallic taps and robotic whines nearby, getting louder and louder.
"Hear that?" Vos asked, igniting his red lightsaber.
"Yes." Obi-Wan said, igniting his own. "Something's coming!"
Then, out of the shadows and from the ceiling, a cluster of probe droids began to surround the two Jedi, crackling with electricity and sighting them with menacing red glowing eyes.
"MORP droids! Ventress' doing! They electrocute anything they touch!"
As if in response to Vos' warning, they all began to move as one, blue energy dancing along their metal pronged arms, and they all joined, their energy forming a deadly net, which began to spread throughout the room, leaving the Jedi with fewer and fewer options.
"Too many of them!" Obi-Wan said as he used the force to push them back, but only slightly. "Run!"
The two Jedi bolted in the opposite direction, as they avoided the lightning, and deflected oncoming blaster bolts.
"Air shaft!" Vos pointed out.
Without thinking, they both jumped into the shaft, clinging to the walls, before they jumped up the shaft, clinging to the sides, and plunging their sabers into the wall to steady themselves. They kept jumping upwards.
The droids still followed, their energy filling the shaft as they ascended.
More droids appeared from above. With no other options, the Jedi continued to jump from gap to gap, slashing through whichever droid was bold enough to get in their way first. But for every probe droid they slashed, several more took their place.
"Here!" Vos said, as he pointed out a ledge that they could use to climb out of this hell shaft.
They jumped up and found themselves in another storage area, and they had company.
A human male with long dirty-blonde hair and a go-tee, and a bald gray-skinned woman, both with red lightsabers, and surrounded by more droids.
"Ah! Not exactly the escape we wanted, I think..." Obi-Wan quipped as he saw a familiar face.
"My pets brought you where you to where we wanted you, Obi-Wan." Ventress sneered. "You and I have some unfinished business!"
"It's Vos that the master wants." The other dark Jedi, Too Skorr, told Ventress.
"Fine, Skorr! You take him!" Ventress said before she force jumped toward Obi-Wan, sabers raised spinning like a red hurricane of death. "Kenobi is mine!"
"Only when your skill matches your arrogance!" Obi-wan quipped as he parried the dark assassin's vicious strikes.
At the same time, the battle between Vos and Skorr was underway, and both duelists blocked parried and struck with vicious precision. But in the middle of the fight, Skorr was able to land a nasty kick to Vos face, knocking him back.
"No Sith-hound to distract me now. HA!" Skorr laughed as Vos stumbled. Rather than use his saber, Skorr decided to get more hands on. He punched him, kicked him, and used the force to knock him around a bit. "I took your ship. I'll have your lightsaber and the Count can do what he wants with what's left!" Skorr exclaimed with barely contained hatred.
Meanwhile Obi-Wan and Ventress were continuing their own duel, when they were suddenly caught in a lightsaber block.
Obi-Wan took this brief lull in the fight to taunt her.
"Still smarting from how I beat you last time, Asajj?"
"YOU NEVER BEAT ME!" She screamed. "You tricked your way out of my prison! You stole from me. Humiliated me before the count! I will do the same to you, then I will see you dead!"
Vos, head pounding, and with blood dripping from his lips, was trying to crawl away from Skorr.
"I never liked you, Vos. Acting like you were so much better than me!" Skorr said, as he bent down and seized Vos by his top and dragged him towards him. "But you lied to the Count! You tried to deceive him! Fool! He was on to you from the start!" Skorr then grabbed Vos by the collar and cocked his fist back. "I'm glad he chose me to bring you down!"
Obi-Wan and Ventress' duel eventually brought them to a large open area with multiple large shipping containers, which were all magnetically sealed.
"There are many ways to win a battle, Ventress." Obi-Wan said as he casually blocked her attacks. As Ventress made one final slash, Obi-Wan jumped up out of the way and onto one of the containers, whereupon he slashed at the locking mechanism with his saber. "A good Jedi simply uses the best means to the end."
"Like running away?! Coward!" Ventress spat out, as she crossed her sabers in front of her face, assuming an aggressive stance. "All Jedi are cowards at their core!"
"A fight is never a goal in itself. Sometimes it is simply a distraction from the true goal," Obi-Wan said as he used the force to open up the container he was standing on, "and best countered with a larger distraction."
Out of the container, to Ventress' shock, a massive rancor pushed the cage door open and let out a terrifying roar.
"GRAHHHHR!"
"A rancor?!" Ventress asked in shocked horror, before she turned to the other side of the room and called out, "SKORR!"
The other dark Jedi took a break from pummeling Vos' face and looked over at the new threat that Ventress was trying to tackle. He looked back and forth between a unconscious Vos and the rancor before making up his mind.
"I'll finish with THAT and then I'll finish with you, Vos, before throwing him down and using the force to grab Vos' lightsaber. "The count doesn't want your death to be quick!"
As Skorr rushed off to help Ventress fight the rancor, Obi-Wan began to drag Vos out of the way. As he did so, he got on his communicator and tried to pull up Cody or any of his men.
"Cody, do you read me?" He asked.
There was static for a moment, then the sounds of blaster fire in the background, and men shouting orders.
"CODY!?" Obi-Wan shouted into the unit.
The a reply came, shouting through the sounds of blaster fire and static.
"General Kenobi, we've managed to get the flight recorders from the bridge. We're under attack by MORP droids, they're all over the ship, we couldn't get to the engine room. They've taken out two of my men. We're falling back to the hanger. I've got our ship on standby."
Obi-Wan, aside from hearing about some of his men not making the return trip, was relieved to hear that his men had completed their mission. Though since he saw Ventress, it became clear to him why the ship's crew were all dead.
"I copy, commander. I have someone that we're taking back with us. The Council will want to see him." Obi-Wan said, as they entered the hanger, and Obi-Wan set Vos down next to a pile of crates.
"Roger General, Cody out." Cody said, and cut the feed.
Obi-Wan looked at Vos to check that he was still breathing, which he was, and then looked to see the Republic shuttle craft coming in for a landing. It rotated its large wing section and touched down to the deck with a clanging sound. The ramp lowered and a pair of clones rushed off of the ramp.
Obi-Wan smiled, recognizing them immediately.
"Waxer, Boil, glad you two could join us." He then gestured toward Vos. "Get this man aboard and tell the pilot to keep the engines warmed up."
Both men snapped a salute and got to work. Waxer lifted Vos up off of the deck and threw him over his shoulder before disappearing up the ramp. It was at this time that Obi-Wan could feel that Cody was near, as the sounds of blaster fire were getting louder and louder.
Suddenly, a pair of doors to the side of the hanger slid open and half a dozen clones came bursting through, some of them laying down covering fire as red blaster fire zoomed past them. Two clones were injured, nothing serious, and began crawling out of the line of fire.
Cody was the last man to enter the hanger, the doors closing behind him. But one last droid tried to pry open the door with its claw-like legs. Cody shoved his blaster into the droid's glowing red photoreceptors and unleashed a hail of blue plasma fire, before he kicked the malfunctioning droid back through the door, allowing it to close, but not before two clones tossed a cluster of EC detonators behind it.
As he walked towards Obi-Wan, he gestured back toward the door, and a pair of clones rushed over to start welding it shut.
"Time to start packing General?" He asked.
"Not yet. I want two of your men to start setting your charges around the hanger, mostly the refueling station. We need to scuttle this ship anyway we can."
Cody nodded. He pointed to Boil and Trapper, and both men ran off with all the charges.
About five minutes had past before an ear-splitting roar shook the bulkheads all around the hanger. This was followed by a series of loud clangs as the massive doors connecting the cargo hold to this hanger were being pounded on loudly, the metal bending sickeningly inwards.
"This can't be good," one of the men piped in.
Ob-Wan drew his lightsaber and turned to Cody. "Commander, hand me the detonator and get your men aboard, I'll distract it while you begin the lift off procedures.
Cody motioned to his men with hand signals. "I'm guessing that means you have a plan?"
Obi-Wan chuckled. "More like improvisation." He said, before Cody turned and ran up the ramp with the rest of his men.
The roaring and banging continued. Then, between the gaps in the metal, huge clawed hands began to peel the door open like a piece of fruit. At the rate this door was being demolished, the shuttle didn't stand much of a better chance.
The door flung open and that's when he saw one of the most horrid sights he could imagine. A massive rancor, bigger than he had even seen previously, with Asajj Ventress riding on the head, lightsabers drawn, and wearing a massive smirk on her face.
"Surprised Kenobi? I've exercised some influence over the rancor! It turns out he's a very suggestible beast! His hunger made him easily dominated!" Ventress gloated. "I see you have a little shuttle to take you and your pathetic clones home. I don't see Vos. So tell me, did you really become stupid enough to let him aboard?" She began to cackle. "Of course you did. How stupidly noble of you!"
She then pointed a saber forward, and the rancor lunged after Obi-Wan.
Moving quickly, he ducked and jumped, avoiding massive swipes that the beast took at him. It stomped all around the hanger, chasing after Kenobi. He took every opportunity to swipe at it with his lightsaber, but that only seemed to make him upset.
Anything to keep him away from the ship, and closer to Boil's little surprise.
All the while, Ventress continued t gloat.
"Vos has crossed over to the dark-side! Couldn't you sense it?! Whether working for the Count or not, he has crossed over!"
Obi-Wan slashed his sword across the creature's nose, causing it to roar in anger and annoyance, but mostly annoyance.
"You expect him to come back for you, don't you?! FOOL! He used you, Kenobi!" Obi-Wan ignored her, avoiding another swipe and jumping underneath the rancor's legs and swiped its backside. "He manipulated you! Did he make you think it was your idea? You've been abandoned, Obi-Wan Kenobi! You are betrayed, and very soon you'll be dead!"
Obi-Wan ran to the other side of the hanger. He spotted the shuttle beginning to lift off of the ground steadily. He then looked up at the charges in the other corner, so close to the rancor.
"You are blinded by your own hatred, Ventress. If you truly were once a Jedi, then your master would be ashamed of you."
That seemed to enrage Ventress. She let out a loud yell as she goaded the rancor to attack Kenobi.
But before the rancor was within reach, Obi-Wan pressed a button on his comm-unit. A dozen red indicator lights blinked all over the place, and soon they exploded, ripping the hanger bay apart. The rancor was engulfed in flames and shrapnel, bucking wildly and throwing Ventress from her mount. She tried in vain to search for Kenobi, only for her to see the Republic shuttle take off and leave the stricken ship.
She snarled and fled threw the hanger exit, as it was totally engulfed. She eventually met up with Skorr on their ship
"Next time, Kenobi. Mark my words."
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I finally had time to finish this chapter.
Hope you enjoyed.
Until next time, Grubkiller out.