[20 BBY]
[Zygerrian Royal Palace, Zygerria City, Zygerria, Choralian Sector, Outer Rim Territories]
'Ask later, conquer first' I told myself momentarily distracted by the bizarre decision of Anakin and Obi-wan to bring a padawan, a young padawan, dressed in what appeared to be a cross between Leia's slave outfit and a black strap across her chest. Because I watched as the girl went down in pain as somebody apparently set off a slave-shock collar they'd gotten around her throat.
I shot down one of the guards surrounding Anakin and Kenobi as Aaron and Abigail slammed down on either side me, joined seconds later by my bodyguards and Ventress coming into the arena. The royal guards weren't ready for this, caught off guard by better armed and trained troopers; with better mobility...it was a one-sided slaughter.
Many of the Zygerrians were still armed with laser/electro-whips for dealing with slaves, not heavily armoured jump-infantry...but it would be all for naught if the Queen and Prime Minister escaped along with so many others here. Now I reached out with the Force, dropping my blasters and telekinetically attaching them to my armour as my lightsaber flew to hand. Jump jets ignited again, a short burst, and I was up into the royal balcony overlooking the courtyard where the slaves were to be sold.
Snap-hisssss*
My blade sang to life, deflecting one blaster shot, then another, back at the shooters. In close quarters combat, that this was as I stepped inside the Royal Box, the lightsaber was supreme in the hands of a Force user. Well, not exactly, but close enough to matter in a fight like this as I saw Padawan Tano struggling on the floor as the shock collar continued to go off, and guards coming through the doors. One nearest to me swung a staff weapon as I watched the Queen and Prime Minister moved towards the exit...
I stepped forward, the staff swinging down behind me. Then my hand came up, the Force surging as I slammed power into his body and sent him flying out over the balcony into the Courtyard as I moved forward, moving my blade through Form III as blaster fire rang out. Tano could be dealt with in a moment, now though strode forward killing two more of the guards, reaching out again with my powers and slamming the doors closed to trap them inside the room. The guards died, or were sufficiently injured as to be out of the way, in seconds as I moved towards the Queen and her Minister.
"Turn off the shock collar" I instructed calmly, mechanically, holding up the shining energy blade towards both of them "Now"
"Yes! Yes!" came the panicked response of her Majesty as she brought up her hand to press some buttons on her wrist as my two bodyguard droids came through balcony, with the armoured form of Ventress a few seconds behind "...deactivated!"
"Tano?" I asked, not looking behind me but hearing the electrical-crackling noises end, and the hoarse screams ended "...can you stand?"
"Ugh...ugh...yes...a...ahhh, moment" came back and I nodded fractionally to myself "Aaron, Abigail, secure the prisoners. We'll need them momentarily"
"Affirmative. Commander" came back the dual monotone mechanical voices of my combat droids. Neither were truly 'alive' in the way of standard droids, I'd opted for high level combat power but I really wanted to avoid the whole issue of creating a sapient and sentient slave just because the galaxy said that was okay. Droids didn't have the Force, therefore aren't actually people was not a valid argument to me after all. Though that was irrelevant right now; both clicking, an extra pair of arms was extending from them, as they grabbed the two struggling prisoners, while I turned around to see Tano rising to her feet.
"Stormcrow Actual, this Stormcrow Assault; Primaries Secured. I need uplinks to Zygerrian Command channels prepped immediately"
"Understood Assault, Stormcrow Actual confirms, preparing to drop Black Out by your command"
"Here" I pointed at the floor as my two droid bodyguards shoved both prisoners to their knees in front of me, gesturing at Ventress and Tano, who seemed to have recognised her from her defensive stance "Tano"
A hoarse "What?" came back along with a "Why is she here?"
"Changed sides" I replied calmly "I pay her now, so please, behave, both of you. I need to get this job done"
That done, three more of my squad arriving in the wind as explosions out where the doors were, along with updates on my HUD, indicated the Royal Guards there had been dealt with, I turned my attention back to the dynamic kneeling duo "Now, conveniently enough I have both of you, so I just need one of you to order your forces to stand down...actually its more so to abandon their posts and flee. Well call it...evacuating the battle-zones, and for your civilians to get under cover. End all this pesky resistance basically. It's for the good of your people in the end, we're going to bomb those bases regardless, and free those slaves"
Mr. Prime Minister was defiant, anger roiling with contempt and other such emotions, while the Queen seemed more shocked and confused at what was happening. It seemed to be a thing about the species, defiant and strong-willed, as one of troopers executed one of the injured royal guards after the male Zygerrian spat at her for whatever reason. The Prime Minister's words then shouldn't have surprised me, and I allowed the drone-cam to come up inside to record as I calmly allowed him to speak "Murderers! Pirates! You'll never get away with this! Zygerria will never surrender! Never! We will break you..."
I cut off the rant, keeping the tone emotionless as my HUD reported the Royal Palace as mostly secure , along with the priority targets within the city "I require you to order your forces to stand down, the slaves to be freed, and your military bases evacuated. Will you do this?"
"Never Republic dog! Dooku will crush you like a bug..."
"You're an avowed slaver and enemy of the Republic..." I replied calmly interrupting the start of a rant "...ordering your forces down will ensure many lives are saved on your side. Now, again...Do you surrender?"
"Kriff you Republic Scum..."
I slashed my lightsaber, dark purple blade shimmering its shrouded shadows cut across his neck, the head tumbling off his shoulders and thumping at my booted feet "
"I respect your decision! Now...now, that you've made your choice..." I stated without emotion I turned my gaze down upon the struggling, and increasingly frantic, Queen "...so, Your Majesty, can I accept your surrender, and you ordering your forces to stand-down?"
A fraction of a mental 'push' brought her over the edge, almost "You cannot...I am..."
"I know you are your Majesty..." I cut her off gesturing with the blade "...now, order your forces to lay down their arms if you please?"
This pressure worked the trick, tears flowing, head bobbing, as she sobbed out words "Yes...Yes...heavens no, mercy...mercy please..."
"You can't do that!" Tano protested, seemingly have been shocked by my executing of the non-surrendering Zygerrian government minister "...what? You...why?"
"Quiet please, I'm negotiating the surrender of the enemy here" I replied just before I pressed on the command circuit to the Stormcrow with my free hand "Stormcrow Actual, this is Stormcrow Assault, temporary drop of Black Out. The Zygerrian Queen is about to order her forces to cease resistance"
"Copy that Assault, Stormcrow Actual dropping Black Out in 3...2...1"
"Your Majesty..." I stated gesturing at drone-cam beside me and scanning the kneeling and defeated Queen "...if you please?"
--
[20 BBY]
[Zygerrian Royal Palace, Zygerria City, Zygerria, Choralian Sector, Outer Rim Territories]
'Well...this could be a problem' Obi-wan Kenobi admitted to himself as he managed, with Anakin's help, to enter into the Royal Box, where the headless body of the Zygerrian Prime Minister lay on the ground. The Queen was sobbing on her knees while being restrained by one of Daron Stormcrow's MagnaGuards, while his Troopers watched everything warily...oh, and Asajj Ventress stood with a yellow coloured lightsaber while disguised in armour. Or attempting maybe? They'd admitted it was her after knowing her through the Force after all...
"Well, Hello there!" he opted for after a seconds thought as Anakin and Ahsoka milled about, and the guards wariness of them was palatable. Because this was *exactly* the situation they needed to encounter the former padawan with trust issues in the Jedi Council after he'd gone and sparked a mini-war within the GAR's ranks, and then this great rampage through the Outer Rim. Now they were in the middle of his army in the middle of planetary assault, had Anakin all worked up, found that he'd somehow recruited Ventress...and he himself was barely combat capable after the Zyggerian torture and then fight outside.
"General Kenobi, a surprise meeting you here..." came back from the Stormcrow in the helmet adjusted voice as he deactivated his lightsaber, attaching it his armour "...now why don't we all turn off our lightsabers and avoid any misunderstandings? Hmm?"
Obi-wan forced himself to smile despite his injuries, clicking his own blade off "An excellent suggestion I believe, we are all on the same side..." he glanced at the armoured and helmet Ventress "...it seems?"
"Ventress, weapons off if you please" the young imitator of Jedi Lord Hoth ordered in a calm tone, and to Obi-wans surprise was obeyed with a sigh through the Mandalorian style helmet, hands coming up from the more feminine form.
"Fine, Fine, see, weapon stowed away on belt..."
"Why is she here?!?" Obi-wan resisted groaning, or rubbing at the growing mignrane, as Anakin and Ahsoka somehow managed to speak in unison. The commanding General of the mercenary army currently causing all the explosions he could here outside, along with the ripples of fear and panic coming through the Force, appeared to sigh as best he could tell.
Then gestured with his hand in a cutting motion "Okay, right, this can be done later. We are all allies here right now, and We Need to Focus. We've slaves to free, get into transports, ensure slave chips are deactivated, and have my fleet batter the Zygerrian defences down, threats to make good on"
'Which is part of the problem we find' Obi-wan wanted to say, along with the nature of the Force, Emotions, and the general piracy that seemed to follow the mercenary armies of the Republic. But this wasn't the time for that, and he still needed to get in touch with Admiral Yularen...and more importantly right now "Hmm, all true points, now I must say one of our Clone Commanders, Rex, is outside, so if you could confirm if he is alright?"
General Daron nodded a moment, a hand touching his helmet, as a silence passed for a few seconds before he replied "The Commander is okay, he's holding a position with a squad of my Troopers on the far side of the Palace. Now, can you help me getting transports and slaves organised..."
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