Credit to: Whatever it Takes by klcutting
It is a hot day for Summer on Ryloth as Arla looks around. She was in the small Twi'lek city of Nabat. The sun beat down on her as the sounds of the residents echoed. The scent of earth and heat wafted as she stood on the rough ground. Everyone could see the haphazard nature of the repairs, though only Arla could tell the Clone's influence on the area.
As Arla looked around, she suddenly heard a low hum. She jumped and looked up. To her horror, she saw a massive swarm of LAAT Gunships swarming overhead and landing all over the planet. The Empire was launching a massive attack on Ryloth. Stormtroopers were storming the City, and Arla immediately started firing on them while running for cover. The panicked Twi'lek people ran for cover as Stormtroopers started raining blaster fire, TIE fighter shots, LAAT Gunship rockets, artillery and heavy weapons.
Suddenly, Arla heard a scream. She ran down a nearby alleyway, determined to help. However, when she arrives, she only catches up in time to see a green-skinned Twi'lek get shot in the chest.
"NO!" Arla yelled as she shot the trooper responsible and ran for the fallen Twi'lek, only to discover, to her horror, that it was her friend, Hera Syndulla.
"NO! HERA!" Arla yelled.
Arla awoke with a start, shaking from head to toe, drenched with sweat, tears stinging her eyes. It was a cold Autumn, Dantooine Night, in her bedroom. There was a night light glowing in her room. The sound of her music player sang, and the scent of the air freshener wafted as she sat in her soft bed.
Arla sighed. It was the same nightmare she had for weeks now. It was the same nightmare about the Empire attacking Ryloth and killing Hera Syndulla. Arla took a deep breath to calm herself before getting out of bed, opening the door, and heading for the Kitchen.
The Kitchen was milder than her bedroom, and as Arla turned on the light, artificial light flooded the Kitchen. The hum of the light echoed, and the scent of wood and marble wafted as Arla walked on the hard floor. Everyone could see the old style of the wood, though only Arla or Crosshair could see the infrared stars in the ceiling.
Arla sighed as she grabbed a sachet of chocolate powder from the pantry and milk from the fridge. She couldn't stop thinking about these nightmares. She was scared that her nightmares were premonitions.
As Arla sat at the table, slowly drinking the glass of chocolate drink she had made, she wondered what she could do to help. Who could she talk to who can find out what the Empire has planned? She was also concerned her brothers would discount her fears.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Corna, who had sensed Arla's distress. Corna snuffed Arla's hand, and Arla looked down at the Canid.
"Hey there, Corna. You could sense my distress, so you came to help," Arla smiled as Corna leapt lightly on Arla's legs and sat on her, like she was saying, "I'm here for you,"
Arla patted Corna. The weight of the Canid on her legs grounded her in reality. She was on Dantooine, not Ryloth. As she slowly drank her way through her drink, the combination of the grounding sensation of Corna on her legs and the drink calmed her, distracting her from her nightmares.
After about half an hour, Arla would finish her drink and drag herself upstairs to her room, Corna following her, determined to continue comforting her. The last thought she had before she drifted back to sleep was to talk to Cid tomorrow and see if she had any Imperial spy contacts who might help with her situation. Corna curled against her and fell asleep.
The following morning, the Batch entered Cid's Parlour. It was warmer inside the Parlour compared to outside. The sounds of the jukebox playing echoed. Artificial lights lit Cid's Parlour, casting a glow through the Parlour. The scent of spices, Alcohol and electricity from the holo tables wafted as everyone sat around one of the holo tables except Arla, who was standing at the entrance with her eyes staring at the ground.
"What's up with Ponytail?" Cid whispered.
"She's been having nightmares every night for the past two weeks," Hunter replied, "I've heard her walking past my room several times. So I know something's going on,"
"Maybe you should talk to Ponytail about it, Dark and Broody," Cid suggested, glaring at Hunter.
"I could try," Hunter sighed as he left the holo table and approached Arla.
"Hey kid, are you alright?" Hunter rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I keep having nightmares and night terrors," Arla admitted.
"What's it about?" Hunter enquired. Arla turned to face her dad and replied, "It's about Hera,"
"She's fine, Arla. Nothing bad will happen to her," Hunter tried to reassure her.
"But, the Empire destroyed her father's resistance movement. What makes you think the Empire won't try a retaliatory attack to wipe them out?" Arla asked, a half-sob in her voice.
Hunter stepped back and asked, "What do you mean a retaliatory attack? Is that what happens in your nightmares?"
"The nightmare starts with me on Ryloth, Nabat City specifically. It's a plain day until I hear a swarm of LAAT Gunships flying overhead and landing all around the City, pouring Stormtroopers from them as TIE Fighters sweep overhead, firing at everything and everyone. I start fighting while looking for cover. I hear someone scream and run down an alley, only to watch Hera get shot dead by an Imperial Officer. And every time I have this nightmare or night terror, the realism gets stronger. Like it's going to happen, and soon," Arla took a shuddering breath as more tears spilled from her eyes.
"Arla, the Empire wouldn't waste a significant amount of resources to launch an attack like that," Hunter attempted to reassure Arla, but she shook her head.
"How do you know they won't? Hera's father has been a thorn in the sides of the Separatists, the Republic, and the Empire. How do you know the Empire won't do that to stop him from reforming his resistance movement?" Arla argued before she stormed off, leaving Hunter to sigh and reenter the Parlour.
"What did you do to upset Ponytail, Bandana?" Cid sneered as Hunter returned to the holo table.
Sighing, Hunter replied, "Arla's convinced that the Empire is about to launch a massive attack on Ryloth to wipe out the Syndulla family. After the Empire destroyed Cham Syndulla's resistance movement, I'll admit that I have been concerned about the Syndullas. However, in the last two weeks, Arla had nightmares every night about the Empire attacking Ryloth and killing the Syndullas, including Hera. Arla is sure her nightmares are an omen of what the Empire is about to do,"
"I've noticed Ponytail's been acting odd lately. That explains it," Cid replied.
"What do we do?" Tech asked.
"Well, Dark and Broody over here will find Ponytail for me. Maybe I can talk to her about her nightmares and see if I can help," Cid stated.
"She doesn't want to talk to me right now," Hunter replied.
"You won't be talking to her," Cid sneered, "You'll be finding where she is. I'll be the one to talk to her,"
"Alright," Hunter sighed, getting up and exiting the Parlour.
"Do you think Hera's in as much danger as Arla says she is?" Echo suggested. Cid thought momentarily, "Knowing how brutal the Empire can be, I wouldn't rule it out. That's why I want to talk to Ponytail about it,"
"If she's willing to talk about it," Crosshair sneered, "She still hasn't told us everything about what happened around Survivor,"
"Who's Survivor?" Cid asked.
"He's the sole surviving Spaarti Clone of a group of five created by an evil Kaminoan Scientist. She intended for his Spaarti Clone squad to do unspeakable things with Arla, but Fives and I unknowingly foiled that. More recently, Arla and he interacted while on Kytaro, and whatever happened between them led to Survivor giving himself up to the Empire. We helped rescue him about eighteen months ago, but Arla still won't tell us about it,' Echo explained.
"Sounds like a terrible past," Cid replied before she got a message.
"What is it, Dark and Broody?" Cid stated.
"I've found her," Hunter replied, "She's sitting on one of the benches at the park,"
"I'm on my way," Cid replied before turning to the other Batchers, "Hold down the fort while I'm gone,"
"We will," Tech stated.
"I hope so, Bandana," Cid replied as she departed.
Owing to her age and slower movement, Cid took almost an hour to reach the park Hunter had indicated. The day had warmed noticeably, and the sun shone light on everything around her. The sounds of children playing echoed, and the scent of the trees and grass wafted as Cid approached Arla, staring at the ground on a park bench.
"Hey, Ponytail. Can I sit here?" Cid asked as she approached.
"Go ahead," Arla replied, indicating the space with her. Cid sat at the table and said, "You seemed pretty upset at Bandana, Ponytail. Mind telling me what's up?"
"It's nothing," Arla replied.
"It certainly isn't nothing if I find you brooding here and you yelled at your dad," Cid pointed out, making Arla flush awkwardly.
"Just getting frustrated. Hunter doesn't believe me when I tell him about my nightmares," Arla replied.
"So that's what it's about. Bandana doesn't think that your friend is in as much danger as you say she is," Cid replied. When Arla nodded, Cid pressed, "Could you please tell me what your nightmares are about, Ponytail?"
Arla took a breath and then explained what she was seeing. Cid listened attentively, determined to understand everything about what Arla was seeing. When Arla finished, Cid sighed, "That's rough. I get why you're worried. How about I page Grumpy and see if he can find anything?"
"I appreciate that someone shares my concerns enough to do something, Aunty Cid," Arla smiled, which Cid returned.
"Now, when you get home, get some sleep, alright? You look terrible," Cid replied.
"Alright," Arla replied, getting to her feet and waiting for Cid. Once Cid got up and started moving, Arla followed her to the Parlour.
When they returned to the Parlour, Tech looked up at Arla and asked, "Is everything OK?"
"Cid's going to get Boba to check for what the Empire is up to around the Ryloth sector," Omega replied. Hunter gave Omega an apologetic nod.
'I'm sorry I upset you earlier," Hunter said.
"I just wish you'd believe me more often. You've had this happen to you before, and I share your mutations, so you should take my nightmares and night terrors more seriously," Arla replied.
"To be fair, this is your first series of nightmares where you consistently dream about something that might happen in the future," Crosshair replied.
"That is fair," Arla sighed.
The following night, a scream awakens Hunter. Jumping out of bed, Hunter races to Arla's room. He opens the door and sees Arla thrashing in her sleep, caught in a horrid Night Terror. Hunter's heart breaks seeing this, as he couldn't do anything to help except let it pass. Arla thrashed, screamed and sobbed for five minutes before she calmed down. Hunter walked over and rubbed her back, speaking soothing words to her. As Hunter went to leave, he heard a whimper.
"Arla? Are you OK?" Hunter turned and saw Arla look at him.
"Please, cuddle with me," Arla asked. She looked like the same 12-year-old girl he comforted after rescuing her from Cad Bane and Fennec Shand despite being 18 now. Smiling, Hunter walked over and climbed into her bed. Arla pressed herself against Hunter, begging for comfort. Hunter nodded and closely embraced her. He watched as she visibly relaxed and quickly drifted to sleep. Hunter soon joined her in dreamland.
Meanwhile with Boba
Boba Fett is watching the stars on Tatooine. It was a hot Summer's night, and Mos Eisley hummed with the sounds of late-night revellers. The lights of the various establishments were still open, flooding light onto the streets. The scent of spice, Alcohol and sand wafted as Boba sat on the rough sand.
Suddenly, Bossk appears at the door to the syndicate behind him. Turning around, Boba asked, "What's up?"
"You've got a message from Bossy," Bossk replied, "Apparently, your twin sister's worried about something, and Bossy wants you to investigate,"
"Alright," Boba got up and followed Bossk inside, bewildered. What has got Arla spooked?
It was warmer inside the syndicate than outside, and the scents became more rocky than sandy. Cid's face was projected on a holo table, looking more severe than usual.
"About time, Grumpy," Cid called as Boba reached the holo table.
"What's up with Arla?" Boba asked.
"Ponytail's having nightmares and night terrors about the Empire attacking Ryloth and killing Hera," Cid replied.
"Oh boy. I like Hera, so her dying wouldn't be good in many ways. I'm guessing you want me to investigate the Empire's activities to see if they're indeed about to attack Ryloth?" Boba asked.
"You figured that out quick," Cid replied, surprised.
"I had a feeling that's what my twin sister wants," Boba rubbed the back of his head, not looking forward to what he had to do, "I have an idea to do it, but there's a good chance that I'll need assistance in that,"
"Should I send the squad to help?" Cid asked.
"Put them on standby in a nearby star system," Boba replied, "I heard earlier today that Grand Moff Tarkin will be over Tatooine soon,"
"I will," Cid replied before the communication ended.
Back to Clone Force 99
It was warm on the Havoc Marauder 2.0 as Tech flew the craft towards Andooweel, a backwater outer rim planet notable for its closeness to Tatooine. Warm, Artificial lights light the interior, and the engine hum echoed as the scent of metal wafted. Everyone can see the almost invisible Ion Mine attached to the edge of the craft. Omega can sense that this might be their only shot at preventing her premonition nightmares from coming true.
Arla heard Hunter ask her, "Are you ready?"
She nodded anxiously, pushing her thoughts out for now. They had a mission to complete. A mission she had insisted on. She needed to know if her friend was in as much danger as her nightmares and night terrors told her.
"Boba Fett here. Set the bomb. I've got a tracker on Tarkin's craft. But I'm tailing him, so wait for my signal so you don't hit me," Boba called through the communicator.
"Be careful when you come out of hyperspace, and we'll be fine," Tech replied as he pulled the Marauder from behind the moon and let the bomb go.
"And now, we wait for Tarkin," Arla said.
"And get out of its blast range," Echo replied, concerned.
The Havoc Marauder 2.0 took off, and seconds later, Tarkin's Imperial Star Destroyer jumped in from Hyperspace.
"He arrived too soon. Strap in," Tech called, and everyone strapped in as Tech stepped on the gas. Arla was pinned to the seat as the G-forces took hold. Arla looked out the window and saw Slave 1 dashing for the edge of the system, where they would be safe from the ion bomb.
Suddenly, both craft shook. The ISD was firing on them.
"I'll get in the back and shoot back," Wrecker called as Tech threw the craft left and right to avoid the fire.
"No use. The shields on that Destroyer are far too strong, plus it would slow our craft," Arla replied, a note of panic in her voice. Tech mirrored what she said, still seemingly cool as a cucumber.
Finally, Hunter called, "The Ion bomb has detonated. The Star Destroyer has been disabled,"
"Now get to the craft and find out what Tarkin has planned for your friend, Arla," Boba messaged.
"Agreed," Tech replied as he pulled the Havoc Marauder 2.0 into the infamous Tech Turn. Once completed, Tech charged the craft towards the disabled Star Destroyer.
"How long until the Star Destroyer is back online?" Hunter asked.
"We don't know," Crosshair sneered, "Get to the bridge quickly. The sooner we get there, the more likely we are to get the data on the Empire's plans,"
Arla nodded at Crosshair. Unlike the others, Crosshair believed her immediately when she told him about her nightmares.
Suddenly, they hit another complication. TIE Fighters were sweeping towards them.
"I'll handle the TIE Fighters. You get to the Destroyer," Boba messaged. Once more, Tech steered the craft left and right to avoid the Fighters now swarming them.
Bang, bang, bang, the Marauder was hit. Two TIE Fighters had managed to land shots on the Marauder's side. Immediately, Wrecker barrelled towards the back of the craft and climbed into the gunner's nest as more shots whizzed past.
Arla increased the noise cancelling on her helmet, owing to the external noises stressing her senses. More shots were fired out, this time from Wrecker, and two TIE Fighters exploded.
"We're almost there," Tech called as the craft closed on the Star Destroyer.
"Set your weapons to stun. We want to make this as clean as possible," Hunter called. Arla heard this through her helmet. She set her blasters and bow to stun—no vibroblades, flamethrowers or sniper rifles on this mission.
Soon, Tech was in the hangar bay, landing the Marauder. Opening the door, Hunter led the squad out. Echo was next, followed by Arla, Wrecker and Crosshair, with Tech bringing up the rear, who sealed the door. It was warmer on the Star Destroyer versus the Marauder. The star lighted the hangar. The sound of blaster fire echoed, and the scent of blaster residue wafted as Arla crouched on the hard floor.
Stormtroopers waited for them when they descended the ramp, forcing the squad to use the Marauder as cover while sending stuns at the troopers.
"Let me handle this," Wrecker called as he threw a stun grenade at the troopers, scattering them and stunning several of them. The scattering of the Stormtroopers meant the Batch had an easier time stunning them and opening up a path towards the bridge.
"Be careful, this is Tarkin. He'll be ready for us," Hunter reminded everyone as Wrecker barricaded the other doors.
"Wrecker, Arla, create a distraction. See how many troopers you two can draw away from the bridge, and then the rest of us can storm the bridge," Crosshair suggested.
"Leave it to us," Arla replied as she led Wrecker down a nearby corridor. Crosshair nodded to the others, and Hunter led them down the original corridor.
The corridor was milder than the hangar as Hunter led his squad towards a room just off to the left. The sparking of ion energy provided light, scents, and sounds as Hunter ran on the hard floor.
"We've got company. This way," Hunter called. The quartet hid behind a nearby pillar and waited as two Stormtrooper groups marched past without noticing them.
"They're headed for Wrecker and Arla," Crosshair sneered.
"We'll give our position away if we warn them. And we don't have long to get to the bridge," Tech stated.
"Then we'd better move. The sooner we get to the bridge, the sooner we can gain the information we need," Echo replied.
"Then let's move," Hunter replied. When the others nodded, they headed for the lift.
When they reached the lift, Hunter immediately activated it. Behind him, Crosshair had a stun grenade ready. When the door opened, the Batch scattered as Crosshair threw the stun grenade, and Hunter closed the doors again. The stun grenade went off, and all the Stormtroopers were stunned.
"Good going," Tech stated as Wrecker and Arla joined them.
"Managed to distract Tarkin. The bridge has a skeleton defence," Wrecker said.
"The ship is on backup power, so the lifts work. We'll be able to get the data, but we'll have to move fast if we want to get off the craft. Tarkin's going to reset the power once he's done," Arla added. The Batch nods and crams themselves into the lift. It was uncomfortable with all six inside, especially with Wrecker taking up a significant amount of space. But soon, they reached the passageway to the bridge. Immediately, the squad scattered to avoid an ambush from two stormtrooper teams. There was barely enough space for cover, but the suppressive fire prevented the Batch from getting more than a few shots at a time.
"Draw their fire. I think I have a way to split them," Aria called, grabbing something from her bag.
"What is it?" Hunter asked curiously. Arla showed off the discs that Crosshair used.
"I like your thinking, but let me help you with that," Crosshair grabbed his discs. Hunter, Wrecker and Tech then opened fire on the Stormtroopers and pushed them back enough for Arla and Crosshair to get several discs around them.
"Fire," Arla called, and both she and Crosshair bounced stun shots off the discs, stunning every Stormtrooper in seconds.
"That's always cool," Arla smiled at Crosshair, which he returned.
"Come on, we've got data to retrieve," Hunter said, and everyone exited their cover and headed for the blast door. Wrecker managed to get it open, and Echo ran straight for the control panel. Before plugging in, Echo switched his hand for a scomp link. The others stunned the people at the various stations on the bridge before they could react.
It took a minute, but Echo found the data.
"Got the data?" Arla asked after two minutes, during which they heard the Star Destroyer groan into life.
"Just then," Echo replied as he withdrew his scomp and switched to his hand.
"Let's get out of here," Hunter replied.
"There's an auxiliary hangar bay about 200 meters below us. I've programmed the Havoc Marauder 2.0 to pick us up there," Tech stated as Wrecker called a lift.
Meanwhile, with Grand Moff Tarkin
It was warmer in the primary hangar bay than anywhere else on the Star Destroyer as Grand Moff Tarkin entered with a small group of Stormtroopers.
"Break the breaches. Clone Force 99 is on their way. They can fight through two Stormtrooper squads. Let's see how they handle a hundred Stormtrooper squads," Grand Moff Tarkin sneered as the Stormtroopers worked to move the barricades. Once the barricades were gone, Stormtroopers swarmed into the hangar just as the Havoc Marauder suddenly whirred into life.
"What the?" Grand Moff Tarkin asked as he watched the craft fly out of the hangar.
"Stormtroopers, spread out and find Clone Force 99 before they escape," Grand Moff Tarkin ordered, and the Stormtroopers exited the primary hangar and spread out across the Star Destroyer.
Back to Clone Force 99
The squad engage a formation of Stormtroopers while waiting for the Havoc Marauder 2.0.
"How long will it take for the Marauder to get here?" Hunter asked as they pulled behind a corridor wall to avoid the almighty volley of blaster fire headed their way.
"Another minute. Anyone got a smoke grenade or flashbang?" Tech replied.
"You know I always come prepared," Arla replied, grabbing a flashbang from her bag.
"Well, that is one good thing Boba had corrupted you with," Hunter admitted, recognising that having all the weapons she does has come in handy.
"Corrupted? Come on, Hunter. If I'm going to survive the Empire, I need as wide a variety of weapons and tools as possible," Arla replied, making Hunter chuckle.
"I approve," Echo replied, making Arla smile.
"They're closing in," Crosshair called as he checked the path.
"Now!" Arla called as she bounced the flashbang against the nearby wall, causing it to land directly at the Stormtroopers' feet.
"Shield your eyes," Arla called, and everyone closed their eyes as the flashbang went off, blinding the Stormtroopers and stopping their progress as the Havoc Marauder 2.0 arrived.
"Move!" Hunter called, and everyone ran past the Stormtroopers and leapt onboard the craft. Tech ran to the controls and flew away, just as the Imperial Star Destroyer returned to life as the effects of the Ion Bomb wore off.
The Havoc Marauder 2.0 was milder than when they exited. Echo and Tech were decoding the data they had obtained. Hunter was flying the craft through Hyperspace. Arla sat at the control panel while Crosshair sat in the co-pilot seat.
Suddenly, Echo sighed.
"What's up?" Hunter asked.
"We need to redirect. Redirect straight to Ryloth. Now," Echo turned to Hunter. The tone of voice told Hunter everything he needed to know. Tapping the navicomputer, he charted a course for Ryloth.
"What's going on?" Wrecker asked.
"Arla was right. Her nightmares were a premonition. The Empire, under another admiral, is within a rotation of launching an almighty attack on Ryloth. And the Syndullas are their target," Tech stated.
"I knew it," Arla immediately tensed as she turned to Hunter.
"Now, do you believe me?" Arla asked.
"I wouldn't have boarded the Star Destroyer if I didn't believe you," Hunter replied, making Arla blush awkwardly.
"Right, sorry," Arla awkwardly replied. Hunter got up, walked over, and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"We're going to get to Ryloth and save as many of the Syndulla family as possible. We will at least rescue Hera. You keep in contact with her, and we'll find and save her. Alright?" Hunter said.
"Alright," Arla replied.
The race was on. And so was the Battle of Ryloth.