The Watcher gazed out at the vast expanse of space, observing the Stellar Sentinel as it gracefully navigated its way through the twinkling stars with the Protectors on board. Ever since their heroic rescue of a family on Ryloth, the crew had been keeping a low profile, taking on small jobs that often required them to engage in smuggling activities. Currently, they were wrapping up a risky task involving the smuggling of weapons right under the Empire's watchful eye. As they soared through space, they were also eager to explore the information they had acquired about the notorious Maul.
Maul posed a significant threat to the galaxy and needed to be dealt with swiftly. Despite the Empire's apparent ignorance of Maul's continued existence, he remained a menacing force, relentlessly expanding his criminal empire unimpeded. It seemed that the responsibility of stopping Maul and preventing the devastation he could unleash upon the galaxy fell squarely on their shoulders. They were determined to take every possible action to protect the galaxy from Maul's nefarious plans.
"There seems to be a lot of places where Maul has been spotted," Rex said as he looked over the data that they were given. "Raydonia. Naboo. Tosste. Mygeeto. Dathomir."
"Wait, Dathomir?" That one piqued Peter's interest as he took the pad and looked it over. "That is his homeworld. Ever since Grevious ravaged it, nobody has gone around it."
"You think Maul got homesick?" Kate asks. "That wouldn't be very smart of him."
"I mean, everyone that knew about him thinks that he is dead." Amber reminded them. "So, going to the first place people would expect you to go would be a smart move."
"Hiding in plane sight," Peter agreed with her thoughts. "We should..." But then they heard a beeping coming from their commlinks. "Uh... that's not Hera and her family again, is it?"
"Nope. This is someone new." Rex commented as he walked over. "I... don't recognize the signal."
"Should we answer it?" Kyle asks.
"I was never a fan of answering unknown numbers," Kate admitted.
"Well, what is really the worst that could happen?" Peter shrugged.
"They track our location," Kate stated.
"In Hyperspace?" Peter questioned.
Kate looked out the window and remembered that they were currently flying through Hyperspace. "Fair."
"Cheep? Answer the call." Peter said, wanting to see who was calling.
Cheep hesitated briefly, feeling a surge of uncertainty, before reluctantly maneuvering towards the controls. With a palpable sense of urgency, they meticulously initiated the call, taking extra care to establish a secure channel to prevent any potential interception of the communication.
As the call was answered, the screen displayed a mysterious figure cloaked in a hood and adorned in what seemed to be Vibranium armor, sending a shiver of recognition down Cheep's spine. Slowly, the figure lowered the hood, revealing none other than Princess Shuri. She had assumed the role of her brother, the King of Wakanda, by donning his iconic armor, adding a layer of complexity and intrigue to the encounter.
"Shuri?" Peter asked in shock.
"What?" Kate was shocked to see her alive. "You are alive?"
"I am happy to see you all again," Shuri said with a smile. "When I heard the rumors of survivors... I didn't believe them."
"Where are you, Shuri?" Kate wonders.
"Hiding from the Empire since surviving Order 66, same as the rest of you, I would guess..." Shuri said, seeing the Jedi and Mandalorian on board. "Considering your current cargo."
"Yeah, we've been trying to get around the galaxy on our own," Peter said with a sigh. "How did you get this contact?"
"This family I was helping out referenced you," Shuri answered.
"Hera." Peter sighed and looked at Amber. "No more giving out our number to strangers."
"I only did it once." Amber defended.
"Is there a reason you wanted to contact us, or is this a social call?" Kate wonders.
"I wish it was social," Shuri said with a groan. "I haven't had one in a while. No, the young T'wilek just happened to overhear that I needed help and told me about you guys." They then saw blaster fire going off around her, and Shuri turned her fists into her sonic gauntlets and fired, shooting Clone troopers backward. "Sorry, I can't talk. I am busy with something. I'll have to jump to the point." She then did a spin kick and managed to attack another trooper. "I have received a distress signal from a clone trooper, but as you can see, I'm a bit tied up at the moment to retrieve him."
"You want us to recover a reg?" Rex questioned.
"He's an old friend of ours, and he's in trouble," Shuri explained.
"Who?" Rex wonders.
"CC-5576." Shuri answered, using her claws to attack a clone's weapon and impaling his chest with the same claws.
"CC-55... that's Gregor," Rex said in surprise. "Where is he?"
"He has sent a distress signal," Shuri said, beginning to use her gauntlet to send the signal. "I need you to get him out of whatever he has gotten himself into."
"Out of what exactly?" Rex wonders what his friend got himself into,
"Can't talk right now," Shuri said as she was dodging fire. "Sending you his signal." She then started to cut off the signal. "I'll be in touch."
Then she was gone. "What was that about?" Kyle wonders.
"The distress signal she sent is originating from Daro," Rex said, pulling up the signal.
"Never heard of it," Peter said.
"Seems to be a terrestrial planet in the Outer Rim with no known settlements or installations," Rex reported.
"Odd," Peter said as he looked over the data. "What's Gregor doing all the way out there?"
"Well, does it matter?" Rex asks. "We've gone on missions before without much intel before."
"He is right." Kate agreed.
"But aren't we looking for Maul?" Kyle asks. "The longer we have to keep hunting, the more than likely he is going to get away."
"He's also right," Kate agreed. "God, it was easier when we were an army."
"Maul can wait. If we are lucky, he will hide long enough for us to manage to find him later." Peter stated as he looked at Rex. "Let's check this out."
"Setting course to Daro," Rex reported as they set course.
The Stellar Sentinel emerged from the swirling vortex of Hyperspace and set a course for the distant planet Daro. The entire crew was on high alert, strapped into their seats as they cautiously approached the enigmatic signal. Every member of the crew scanned the surrounding space, wary of any potential threats or traps that may lie ahead. As the ship began its descent, Peter, though not a Jedi, couldn't ignore the strange sensation that washed over him. His time spent alongside the Jedi had honed his instincts, granting him an uncanny ability to sense the presence of others. Despite never fully mastering his latent Sixth Sense, he attempted to harness its power to locate Gregor before they drew too near. However, an unseen force impeded his efforts, as if another individual with similar abilities was actively thwarting his attempts.
"Pete?" Kate got his attention. "Anything?"
"No, something is up with my senses," Peter stated. "Rex? You got anything?"
"I am picking up a shuttle of sorts," Rex pinged on their scanners. "Should we take a look?"
"On foot." Peter nodded. "If it is the Empire, I don't wanna tip them off."
"Landing now," Rex reported as they landed safely.
The team gathered at the exit of their spaceship, making final checks on their gear and ensuring they were prepared for the mission ahead. Dressed in their customary attire, they were ready to put their abilities to the test. As they descended the stairway into the dense jungle, their primary objective was to locate Gregor, guided by the signal they were tracking. Rex took out the tracker and indicated the direction they needed to head in.
Following the signal, they were closing in on their target when suddenly, Kyle inadvertently stepped on a twig, causing the entire team to freeze. Their attention turned to their Mandalorian companion, who had unintentionally made the noise. In an instant, they found themselves under fire, prompting everyone to react swiftly, seeking cover. Amber swiftly drew her saber, deflecting the incoming blaster fire, while Rex, Peter, and Kate scrambled for protection. Kyle, clad in Mandalorian armor, absorbed the hits, only being pushed back by the impact.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Peter cried out. "Hold on! Hold your fire!"
They actually managed to do so as they heard nothing and they saw the blaster fire stopped. "Commander?" They recognized that voice.
"Hunter?" Peter asked, standing up and seeing that they were under attack by the Bad Batch. "What the hell?! You guys always shoot first and ask questions never?"
"It's been working out for us so far," Wrecker shrugged.
Kyle raised his blaster to shoot him. "Let me..."
"Easy, Kyle, they are friends," Kate reminded him, lowering his blaster.
"Guess you guys are here for the same reason as us." Rex guessed as he approached his brothers. "But how did you hear about the mission?"
"We got a surprise contact from James Buchanan Barnes," Tech explained, shocking them all. "He seemed to have survived Order 66 himself and asked for us to help out as he was preoccupied."
"That's... weird," Peter admitted as he looked at Kate. "How many of us survived?"
"I mean, I am not surprised so many of us did, but where are they all hiding?" Kate wonders.
"So, where's this reg?" Wrecker asked, already bored with their conversation and already moving on.
Hunter focused on the ground and seemed to have picked up on something they couldn't. "We're already too late." He said, standing up and looking around. "The clone was being hunted. He was dragged."
"Where?" Amber asks.
"That way," Hunter said as he began to lead them deeper into the jungle.
"If an Omnidroid comes out of this, I actually might be okay with this," Peter told Kate as they followed the Bad Batch.
"Ha!" Kate laughed as she got the reference. "That would be cool."
"Hang on." Hunter suddenly stopped, getting them to stop at the base of a mountain. He then knelt down and felt the soil. "There's something here, inside that mountain.
"I believe you are right," Tech said as he held a scanner. "My scans are being jammed."
Kyle tried to use his Mandalorian gear and noticed the same was happening. "Yeah, there is something going on."
"You said there was nothing on this planet." Amber and Wrecker said to Tech and Rex.
"Obviously I was wrong," Rex said.
"It would appear that data was inaccurate." Tech defended.
"Wrecker, you and Omega wait on the ship," Hunter tells them.
"Wait, why can't-" Omega was about to ask when Hunter stopped her,
"Coming here was up for debate. This isn't." Hunter tells her.
"Amber, Kyle, you two head back to the Stellar, too," Peter tells them as Tech, Echo, and Hunter make their way up the mountain and Wrecker and Omega head downward. "We don't know what we could be walking into, and we might need you guys to get us out in the Protector or Defender."
Amber nodded as she saw it made sense. "Alright."
They then split off as they headed up the mountain and saw the Bad Batch crew already up on the top. "What is it?" Rex asked, wondering why they stopped.
"A shuttle landed here," Hunter said, looking up the mountain.
"What exactly is in that mountain?" Kate asked curiously.
"Only one way to find out," Peter said as they headed upward.
As they reached the peak of the mountain, their eyes scanned the landscape below and caught sight of what seemed to be an extensive military compound.
"This looks like some sort of military base," Rex commented. "But not one that I've ever heard of."
They then watched as a shuttle was coming in and Peter pushed them down so they were on their knees as the ship passed.
"Let's get a closer look," Kate said, getting up and walking off.
Sneaking around, they reached the top of the hill and made their way downward. In addition to the usual clone troopers, they observed a variety of other troopers outfitted in unique and unfamiliar armor, suggesting the presence of a diverse and powerful military contingent below.
"I'm clocking a couple of commandos and squads of clone troopers," Tech tells them.
"And they've updated their armor," Rex commented, seeing their armor was changed.
"Let me see," Peter said, taking the binoculars and looking for himself. "Wow. Kinda like the new helmet look."
"Really?" Kate asks.
"Honest opinion." Peter shrugged.
"The mountain's natural composition makes this base well-fortified and nearly impenetrable," Tech said.
"This is no longer just a simple extraction," Hunter said with a sigh. "Let's get back to the Marauder and leave word for Barnes."
Echo stayed behind as they left. "But what about the mission?
"We do not know for certain if CC-5576 is even in there. Or if he is still alive." Tech said. "We'd be going in blind without any reinforcements."
"You did that on Skako Minor when you rescued me." Echo reminded them. "I'd still be trapped in that place if you hadn't."
"He's right." Peter agreed as he stood up. "We came here for a job and we are going to see it through, If there's a chance that trooper's being held against his will, we have to try to get him out." He then shot out a web and dropped downward into the base.
"Peter!" Kate cried quietly as he fell downward without being seen and sneaked his way inside. "God, he is nuts."
"But it was an effective entry," Tech complimented.
Kate then saw an elevator coming up while Hunter was contacting the others. "Come on."
On board the Stellar Sentinal, Cheep and Kyle were playing a game of holo chess while Amber was practicing her forms using the training Holocron.
"Guys, you hear us?" Peter called in.
Kyle tapped the comms. "Yeah, we hear ya. You find the clone?"
"Not yet. We found some base here. Inside the mountain. The comms are gonna go down, so you guys are gonna have to sit back and wait for our signal."
"Wait for us! We'll help." Amber said, stopping her training.
"Negative," Kate responded. "Stay on the ship. You're our backup."
"You surea about this?" Kyle asks.
"You've gotta get used to never asking that question, kid," Peter stated as he dropped the comms channel.
Sneaking through the facility felt effortless with Spider-Man's heightened senses, allowing him to anticipate the approach of any troopers. The unfamiliarity of the new armor puzzled everyone, considering the previous one had been virtually flawless. Echo navigated to a control panel and connected himself, initiating a search for their prisoner.
"Anything?" Rex asked as he and Hunter were guarding the door.
"This encryption's new," Echo warned him. "This might take a while." But the further he got into the systems, the more confused he got. "This doesn't make any sense. The muster report lists 50 clone commandos and 1,000 TK troopers."
"TK trooper?" Kate asked. "I haven't heard of them, Tech?"
"That knowledge is not in my databanks," Tech confirmed it was something new.
"What are these guys doing?" Peter asked, feeling a strange sense in his head. He never felt lightheaded when his senses alerted him of something like he did right now. It was a new sensation, but he wasn't sure why. "Whoa. That was weird."
"How much longer?" Hunter asked.
"Almost got it," Echo answered. "Found him. Cellblock 25, four levels down."
"Let's go." Peter said, shaking off whatever it is he felt.
Gregor was in his cell when he saw a TK Trooper passing. "Hey, newbie, how about you be useful? Get me some food."
"Quiet, traitor!" The TK Trooper said, walking away.
"That's Captain Traitor," Gregor stated, laying back down. "Insubordinate plebe."
That was when he began to hear fighting and watched the TK trooper being sent flying. Peter leaped over and used his electric gloves ot fry the controls and release Gregor.
"Gregor," Peter said with a sigh.
"Commander Parker?" Gregor was shocked to see him, and even just as surprised to see Rex. "Rex?"
"We're here to bust you out, old friend," Rex stated.
Gregor laughed when he heard that. "Took you long enough!" He then picked up the "Now let's move out."
They made their way down the halls and noticed that a whole lot of the troopers were making their way to one location. And it happened to be the only path they could take since the elevators were their only escape.
"They're gathered for inspection," Gregor explained. "There's no way past 'em."
"If we can't reach the lifts, we can't get out of here." Kate sighed.
"I can redirect them." Tech offered, walking to a terminal.
"Armor like that, I take it you're CCs like me?" Gregor asked the Bad Batch.
"CT-99s." Hunter corrected.
"Defective clones? If you ask me, it's the ones who want to stay here who are really defective." Gregor scoffed.
"What was your assignment?" Echo wonders.
"I was an instructor," Gregor answered.
Then there was an alarm going off, getting them to look towards Tech. "What's going on, Tech?" Kate asked.
"I keyed a Code-16 to redirect their forces," Tech explained, just as confused. "I don't know what happened."
"Clone codes don't work here," Gregor explained. "You just triggered a security alert."
Then they watched several troops run out and open fire on them, getting them to run for cover as Peter sent a blast of electricity.
"Intruders on level six!"
That didn't last long as Hunter used the smoke created by the blaster fire to get in and Kate shot arrows into the weak points in their armor. That managed to give them the leg up so Rex could shoot the last trooper standing.
"Is there another way off this base?" Hunter asked Gregor.
"Only one way out," Gregor said, gesturing upward. "Up."
Kate scoffed as she kicked the trooper, getting over him. But then she noticed something when she saw his helmet slip off. "Whoa." She then removed the helmet from the rest of the armor and saw that it wasn't a clone underneath: It was a civilian. "Hey, guys. You might want to see this."
Rex walked over and saw the trooper. "What the...? He's not a Clone Trooper."
Tech decided to test something as he removed the other trooper. "Nor is this one."
Peter walked over picked up the last two and removed their helmets. "These guys either. None of them are clones."
Gregor laughed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. These are our replacements. If you can believe that."
Then there was more blaster fire and they ran down the halls, shooting back whenever they could. They were mostly following Gregor, hoping that didn't turn out to be a mistake.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Tech asked him.
"Hey, I'm the one who escaped here before." Gregor reminded him.
"And was captured," Peter stated, zapping one of the door controls, causing it to close; shutting the other troopers off from them.
"After I made it out," Gregor stated.
There were a few more troopers ahead of them, but Kate only needed to draw a single arrow, which while in flight split into three parts. Each fragment slammed into the troopers, giving the others a chance to shoot as they kept running.
""I thought you said you trained these guys," Rex commented, knowing Gregor was a better shot than this.
"I didn't teach them everything," Gregor explained as they reached an elevator. "That wouldn't be very smart, would it?"
"Fair point." Kate shrugged.
"These new troopers, what do you mean they're our replacements?" Hunter asked as the elevator began going upward.
"Well, we clones are soldiers of a Republic that doesn't exist." Gregor reminded them. "These recruits come from all over the galaxy. They swear loyalty to the Empire. They're not as skilled, but there's an endless supply of 'em."
"Numbers aren't everything," Kate stated.
That was when the elevator doors opened, and dozens of troops were already there. But to their shock, that wasn't the most surprising thing. One of them was dressed in a strange uniform that charged and slammed into Peter. She was so fast he didn't even register her closing in. He slammed through the glass of the elevator and the two were sent falling.
Kate shot several arrows as the doors closed and they headed down. "Peter!" She yelled, seeing Peter and the new girl falling. They slammed into an elevator across, getting them to groan as they got back up and were preparing to fight. Kate drew an arrow and fired it, creating a distraction for the girl. And that gave Peter the upper hand. He kicked the girl and got her off the platform.
But to his surprise, she shot out two strands of webbing and swung around, slamming Peter against the wall. "What the hell?" He was shocked to see this girl had powers like him. "What are you?"
"You." She answered, only getting more questions than answers. "Just loyal."
Peter was then thrown off the elevator, flying across the facility. He saw across that Rex, Kate, and the Bad Batch were running away from the troops. He slammed into the other side and began to crawl his way back upward. But she was able to make it over faster with her webbing and slammed his head into the wall.
"Ow." Peter groaned again.
Peter deftly maneuvered his legs, using them to grasp onto the girl like a latch, and then swiftly pulled them back, dislodging her from on top of him. As he did so, he reached for the girl's face and forcefully removed the mask. To his astonishment, he was confronted with a sight that shook him to his very core.
Before him stood an uncanny likeness of himself, with only subtle differences, but unmistakably resembling him, albeit with more feminine features. It was as if he was looking at a mirror image of himself. She was a perfect clone. She had his powers and his skills, and apparently, she was loyal to the empire.
"What?" Peter whispered in shock.
She seemed to be trying to get her head out of a daze as she shook her head and tried to focus. "Wait... no... why am I doing this?"
Peter seemed to notice there was a small scar on her head...right where the clones had inhibitor chips. She was being controlled but was fighting back against the programming.
When he took a step towards her, she came out of her daze and quickly shot two webs at him, but Peter quickly grabbed onto the webs and yanked them. But that didn't help as she reached her leg out and knocked him down.
.
.
.
.
The clones reached a safe spot as Kate drew an arrow and shocked the controls to the door. Gregor was shot on the way over, but he seemed to be okay.
"How bad?" Hunter asks.
"Ha! Don't worry about me," Gregor assured them. "This is nothing. I got blown up once and survived. I can survive this."
"They have all access points to the central ring blocked off," Tech warned them. Then he looked up to the vents. "There. Those pipes are reactor conduits."
"And?" Echo asks.
"Well, they should lead to the main reactor's external exhaust port." Tech explained. "That is our path to the outside. The exhaust vent's halfway up the mountain."
"We can't survive that jump," Rex stated.
"No, but we would be able to signal our ship," Tech explained, tossing a small explosive.
They all climbed their way inside, seeing as Kate knew she couldn't go back the way they came and she was going to need help to fight whatever was fighting Peter.
"How did you even end up in this place?" Hunter asked as he and Rex carried Greggor.
"I was sent here with other commandos and quickly realized I wanted out," Gregor explained. "It turns out the Empire doesn't take too kindly to desertion."
"Yeah, no kidding." Kate scoffed.
"Wrecker, Omega, come in." Hunter began contacting the team.
"Amber, Kyle? You guys there?" Kate asks.
"We're here," Amber confirmed. "What is it?"
"We found the clone, but we got a problem," Kate explains the situation. "Some woman is here, and she and Peter are fighting inside the facility. Get the Defender, and rescue him."
"Got it. What about you?" Amber asks.
"Kyle, you get the Defender to Peter and get him out of there." Kate came up with a plan as they approached the ledge. "Amber, you can fly the Stellar, right?"
"Uh..." Amber looked over to the controls, knowing she didn't exactly get pilot training.
Kate groaned. "Okay, new plan, Cheep, go with Amber in the Defender. Pilot her in and she can get Peter out. Kyle, you get the Stellar up here."
"Got it," Kyle confirmed.
They reached the end of the tunnel and saw how high up they were. "Glad we're not going that way." Gregor laughed.
"We are on approach!" They heard Wrecker say as they saw the Stellar and Bad Batch ship approach
As the Defender separated and made its way into the facility, the Stellar turned towards our group. When the Empire dispatched ships to intercept them, the Stellar unleashed precise and deadly fire, showcasing Kyle's exceptional marksmanship. As the Stellar and Wrecker's ship flew in to load up, Gregor joined them on the Stellar just as enemy reinforcements arrived. Making a last-minute attempt, Hunter leaped but missed as he fell valiantly and landed safely where he then began to hold off the attackers while the rest of them made their escape.
Peter was being thrown around by his female clone as he grabbed her by the hands, getting an idea when he ripped one of the web shooters off her arm. He then used that to his advantage as he shot a web towards her, which she grabbed and yanked towards herself. But Peter wasn't holding it anymore and was holding onto the elevator.
"Made ya look," Peter stated.
She then felt her senses alert her just as the Defender came flying downward and Cheep was shooting the female clone. As the female clone gracefully evaded the relentless blaster fire, she jumped around and dodged all of the blaster fire while Peter used the web shooter to shoot upward and latch onto the Defender. Then he yanked himself upward to the ship as they flew off while the troopers were still opening fire.
They flew over and reattached the Defender to the Stellar Sentinal and they were relieved to have completed the mission, not realizing the Bad Batch had to leave Hunter behind. They jumped into Hyperspace and left them behind.
"You want us to turn round?" Kate asked over the comms.
"Negative," Tech warned them. "We will rescue Hunter. You get Gregor somewhere safe."
"Roger that." Kate nodded as she hung up with a sigh. "You think Hunter will be fine?"
"Hunter can handle himself." Rex nodded.
Peter sighed as he walked over. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine," Kate promised. "What was that? Who was that girl?"
"A clone of me," Peter answered in sorrow. "She's being controlled by the Empire."