Author's Note: Dearest readers, please keep scrolling after today's chapter for an IMPORTANT STORY UPDATE. I wish you all well and thank you for your ongoing support!
This week, we ignite our lightsabers and offer review shoutouts to: CJG98 and Darth Dracul!
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with You,
~ Michael
Chapter: 102 Skywalker's War (Part II)
"If you've never failed, you've never lived."
Teth offensive! The jungle planet sees some of the most ferocious fighting in the Clone War. The Flying 54th has been locked in a heated campaign against Separatist forces, with neither side gaining a true advantage. But the arrival of the 501st Legion and an elite squad known as the Deathchasers could see an end to the conflict. Now, Anakin Skywalker and his partner Anna Dellian must reclaim Teth from the cunning Admiral Trench...
The longer Anna Dellian had worn her armor, the lighter it felt on her body. Each piece of custom-shaped plastoid had become a part of her. On the go and prepared for anything, Anna had opted to sleep in her equipment. As she descended into a deeper slumber, she felt her muscles relax. The jungle's nighttime humidity faded with a cool breeze flowing through her tent. Yet as she drifted further into relaxation, Anna found herself resting elsewhere. The gentle winds became vibrant gusts of frigid air. Her collapsible cot softened into a pile of bent blades of grass. And as she opened her eyes, she glimpsed a sky of silver clouds.
"Anna!" a woman's voice echoed from beyond the winds. "Anna!"
"Huh?" the Jedi murmured. "What?" Still groggy from her slumber, she slowly sat up and observed her surroundings. Her tent and the Republic camp had disappeared entirely. Instead, Anna sat in a lush and expansive field. Rolling hills stretched on for miles along a glistening fjord. The serene vista was coupled with the return of that pleasant voice.
"Little crocus!" the woman called again.
Anna spun towards the sound and felt her braids strike her shoulder. Peering down, she noticed that her hair had been tied into flowing pigtails. Her armor had been replaced by a silky, emerald dress. "What the?" she whispered before noticing the woman from afar.
"Anna!" the distant stranger called. She stood amidst a thriving meadow and ecstatically waved her hands. While her face was mostly obscured in the shade, Anna could faintly make out her violet dress. Gentle sunbeams crept between the clouds and reached her chestnut bun. "What are you waiting for?" the woman asked. Anna squinted and tried to make sense of the stranger. She'd heard her voice before. It had come to her in the darkest and most forgotten recesses of her mind. But in that desperation, a familiar bond crept back towards her heart.
"I told you I'd never leave you," the woman said as the winds howled across the field.
Anna's eyes widened and breaths shortened. And although she was unsure about where she was or how long she'd been there...one truth remained clear. "M-...Mom?" she uttered.
"Come on!" the stranger beckoned and jogged up the hill.
"Mom?" Anna inquired once more and rose to her feet. "Wait! Come back!" The apparition didn't cease and forced Anna to chase after her. As the young Dellian pursued, the grass around her grew. The field's thin blades thickened until Anna had to barrel through them. She picked up the pace and desperately tried to keep her mother in her sights. When the grass became too high, Anna only had her mother's laughter to guide her. The jovial, welcoming chuckles led Anna up the hill. Yet as she drew closer, the sounds took an ominous turn. Her mother's gentle laughter subsided to a series of whimpers. "Mom?" Anna worried as she pushed through the fields. Her parent's cries loudened once she reached a clearing. There she saw the woman collapse to her knees.
"Mom!" Anna shouted and dashed to her side. Thunder rumbled overhead as she knelt to catch her mother. "I've got you," she said and clasped her shoulders. "What's going...on?" Anna murmured as she looked beyond the hill. The tranquil horizon became poisoned by smog. Thick splotches of tar polluted the fjord while flames spread across the nearby city. And as buildings crumbled, an opposing force laid siege to a royal castle. Anna's mother continued to weep as Anna held her close. "What...what is this?" the Jedi gasped.
"I never left," her mother cried and bowed her head. "But you. You did."
"Aren?" Anna realized as explosions rang out in the distance. "No," she asserted. "I didn't leave. I-...Look! I'm here. I came back!" Anna knitted her brows when her mother refused to look up. "Mom? Mom! I'm right here! Look at-" As Anna pulled her mother up from the ground, her weight suddenly lightened. Sheer terror gripped the young Jedi once her mother's head fell back against her arms. Not even a whimper remained as Anna held nothing more than a withering skeleton. "Mom!" She screamed, yet held on to her disintegrating bones. "No no...Please don't leave me. Not again. Not again!" As Anna begged the skeleton to listen, a sudden whistling sounded from above. Anna nervously glanced up to see aircraft dropping proton bombs across the fields. Each projectile's bright glow ignited across the sky and set the clouds ablaze. "No!" Anna hopelessly wailed.
"Mom!" Anna bolted up from her cot. Her free-flowing locks clung to her sweat drenched temples. Her armor felt heavier than ever as she desperately tried to catch her breath. While Anna came to terms with her surroundings, the commotion beyond her tent had her wondering how much of the nightmare had been real. Anna had to rub her eyes, because she swore that a bright light akin to the proton bombs was zooming above her tent. Seeking the truth, Anna stumbled outside and found clones scrambling into battle stations. Noticing that it was still night, she wondered how many hours of sleep she'd actually gotten. Looking up into the night sky, her groggy eyes observed a strobing fireball.
"A droid attack flare?" she mumbled until the realization hit her. Anna shook her head to fully wake up. "Oh kriff!" she blurted and fumbled for her lightsaber.
"Ambush!" a 54th clone warned. "He reloaded his flare launcher and fired a second round across the camp. "Amb-" Several scarlet lasers struck him across the back as a trio of commando droids leapt over the barricade.
Anna was quick to engage the commandos and drew their fire away from the rallying clones. Her heart leapt when she heard the Onasi pistol blasting from the left side. "We can't even get a good snooze!" Blazer growled while firing it. Sparx and Speedy formed up on Anna's opposite side as the Deathchasers held their line.
After scrapping the commandos, Anna raised her lightsaber. "Push up on the barricade!" she commanded her squad and any clone in the vicinity. "Don't let it fall!"
On her orders, the clones reestablished a defensive line. The bodies of many Republic troopers lay strewn across the makeshift fencing. Smoke still fled their fresh and sizzling blaster wounds. A volley of red lasers spewed from the shadowy jungle as B1 battalions advanced on the camp. "I can't see a damn thing!" Speedy growled.
"Just shoot at the muzzle flashes!" Blazer ordered. "You'll hit something!"
"Bring up the mortars!" Captain Rex commanded from the opposite side of camp. Explosive projectiles sailed through the air and bombarded incoming droids. Gav and Chuza held their respective side while Talon took his unit to the sky. Any jet trooper aid was short-lived as droid snipers picked them off in midair.
"Dive!" Talon frustratedly ordered and forced his men back to the ground.
Back at Anna's side of the camp, it seemed as though they'd hardly dented the droid offensive. Sparx was about to return fire when a distinct sphere clanged at his side. Its high-pitched beeps had him yelling, "Grenade!" In that instant, an astromech's claw arm extended downward and snatched the explosive. Sparx and the others watched in disbelief as R2-D2 nonchalantly flung the grenade back over the barricade. The ensuing explosion sent B1 parts scattering through the air as Anakin advanced.
"Nice work pal," he said and patted R2's head. Anakin sparked up his lightsaber and slid alongside Anna.
"How's the rest of camp looking?" she asked him while deflecting blasts.
"We're completely surrounded," Anakin said. "We were wrong to make camp here and listen to Master Chuza. You and I could've advanced our forces while we had Trench on the run. We gave him time to regroup."
"Any ideas to un-group them?" Anna jested.
"Just one," Anakin pondered while squinting towards the jungle. "Right now, the droids have a tight circle closing in on our base. So we're gonna punch a hole through their line. Once it's done, we can advance through it and break apart the rest of our opposition."
"Let's do it," Anna affirmed. "But the whole area beyond our barricade is a kill zone. How do you plan on getting through?"
"Not us," Anakin assured and activated his comlink. "Cloak," he said as Anna raised a brow. "Dagger...you're up."
"Care to fill me in, Skywalker?" Anna asked.
"Just keep the droids focused on us," he assured while blocking a shot. "And wait for that opening."
"But how will we-" Anna's question was cut short by a sudden clatter. She stared across the barricade and observed a pair of swift shadows. They weaved between the droid advance and cut down several B1s.
"There," Anakin directed and charged over the barricade. "Follow me!"
"What the kriff just happened?" Anna blurted, yet followed him anyway. Before she'd started working with Anakin, Anna was used to being the spontaneous one. Their respective clones found it humorous to see the Jedi trying to keep up with each other's recklessness.
"Through the breach!" Captain Rex ordered and sent the rest of the 501st charging. Master Chuza issued a similar command to the 54th as their soldiers poured through. Although Anakin's plan had worked to break apart the droid attack, their enemy was far too numerous. Instead of attacking them in their doomed camp, the droids turned towards the breach instead.
"They'll pin us all over again if we stay here," Anna warned. "We need to fall back and regroup."
"And lose more ground?" Chuza cawed.
"The point of our camp was to hold it," Gav added.
"Lose the ground or die on it," Anna scoffed. "Take your pick."
Anakin's decision was hastened when stray shots gunned down one of his men. "We don't have the momentum to attack again," he said. "Retreat into the understory! Use the trees as cover!" Whether willing or reluctant, Republic forces followed Anakin's plan. They ran deeper into the jungle, utilizing foliage and the nighttime shadows to screen their movements. Scattered throughout Teth's dense forest, the battalions fled until enemy fire became a distant echo. "Hold...Hold!" Anakin panted as they reached a gravely river. "That's far enough."
"Do you think so?" Master Chuza hooted. The old Avinarian's snark had Anna rising to counter him. Anakin held her back as the master continued. "Sure. Let's stop for a cold drink now that we've lost the very advantage we'd fought for. How many men died just to reach that clearing?"
"We would all be dead if General Skywalker hadn't pulled us out of there," Anna spoke up anyway.
Chuza scoffed. "I thought the 501st Legion was made up of the Republic's finest. And yet here I observe them retreating under their so-called fearless leader. And the same is true for you, Knight Dellian. Following him around like a pup."
"Watch it," Anna growled. "We came here to help you."
"And what a fine job you've done," Chuza grumbled and extended a wing to Blazer. "This wouldn't have happened to soldiers in the Old Republic. Legendary Admiral Carth Onasi would never have given up." Chuza stared Blazer down and added, "You don't deserve to wield his weapon."
Blazer fought to bite his tongue against a Jedi superior. He gritted his teeth beneath his helmet just as Anna snapped. "That's enough!" she brayed and stomped up to the elder. "I don't care if you're a master...I don't care what battalion you command...and I sure as hell don't care about how Bastila Shan was the best thing to bless the galaxy since blue milk!" Anna didn't let up and jabbed a finger at Chuza. "You are no one to call my sergeant unworthy."
"Hey!" Gav screeched and stepped between the two. His black beak was inches from Anna's face as he snarled, "Back off."
"Make me," Anna taunted. "Looking for a rematch, Riden? Let's go."
"Quiet!" Anakin roared in a horrific tone. His deepening scowl silenced his squabbling peers. "Are you leaders or younglings?"
Anna took a deep breath. "These ungrateful Avinarians have no respect for the aid we're giving them."
"And it's not our mission to earn their respect," Anakin intoned. "Nor is it theirs to relinquish our assistance." He folded his arms and walked among the Jedi. "We're stuck together, whether we like it or not. But losing the camp doesn't mean Trench has us against the ropes. If anything, he thinks he has us beat. Now is our chance to use his underestimation and take him by surprise. R2..."
R2-D2 swiveled his dome in an effort to remove excess jungle muck. With a dutiful beep, he projected a holomap onto a nearby tree. Its indigo hue joined the moonlit bark and produced an iridescent anomaly. The holomap showed schematics of Teth's varying terrain. A strobing blip glided across the landscape before ultimately extinguishing.
"The homing beacon Lieutenant Sparx placed on that droid traveled eight klicks east of our position," Anakin explained. "At least, that's how far it got before being destroyed. But in my experience with these droids, they go to recharging stations after long engagements." Anakin let his finger hover over the target position. "Whether this area hold Trench's base or not, we should find a Separatist outpost for our counterstrike."
"At least now you're talking sense," Master Chuza mumbled. "My Padawan and I will lead the 54th to attack the base from above. We'll decimate the structure in its entirety."
"Now hold on," Anakin retorted. "We have a general area, not a fixed location. Trench will see you coming if you aren't quick enough."
"Rubbish," Chuza replied. "It'll be over sooner than you think. We'll have the high ground."
"You underestimate our power," Anakin insisted. "If we follow this river and keep our advance low, we can use the jungle as cover. We'll still reach the same destination and remain out of sight."
Chuza shook his head. "I thought we were pushing for a counterstrike," he squawked. "That doesn't sound like much of a plan."
"I'm improvising the plan," Anakin intoned. "Pray I don't have to improvise further," he mumbled under his breath. "Let's move out." While Chuza grumpily shook his head, he and his Padawan ultimately followed Skywalker's lead. Anna dutifully joined her partner as they trekked along the river.
Admiral Trench's vigilant glare soaked up his entire holomap. Every readout had him stroking his furred fang with intrigue. Having observed the battle report, Trench activated his personal holoprojector. He waited patiently, clicking his maw as a hologram of Dooku emerged. "Admiral," the old Sith greeted. "What news from Teth?"
"Count Dooku," the Harch greeted. "I have beaten back the Republic's forces. Their foolish attempt to establish a foothold was no match for my ambush. Although-" Trench pondered. "-I believe my opposition isn't fully routed. The 501st legion has arrived on Teth."
"Skywalker," Dooku brooded.
"Yes," Trench affirmed. "But his leadership will only take them so far. I have encountered this Jedi before. I consider his unorthodox tactics to be a challenge. And make no mistake, I will win this game of cat and mouse."
"See to it that you do, admiral," Dooku instructed. "Your reputation has always preceded you. I know I don't have to warn you about the consequences of...underestimating Skywalker." Trench's six eyes squinted towards his cybernetic arms.
The Republic's riverside hike was as tasking as it was lengthy. Anna yawned and groggily rubbed her eyes. "So," she said while stifling a second yawn. "Why Teth? We're more in Wild Space than we are the Outer Rim, so why has this become such a crucial battleground?"
"Teth resides at the center of the Triellus Trade Route," Chuza explained. "If we allow it to fall into Separatist hands, supplies for Republic aid will be severely cut off."
"Supplies for aid?" Blazer snarked. "Or trade?"
"Does it make a difference?" Gav cawed.
"As a matter of fact, it does." Blazer doubled down. "Sparx, Speedy and I are all that remains of a unit once stationed on Felucia. We watched them get massacred over the damned, Perlemian Trade Route."
"My condolences for your fallen brethren," Chuza hooted. "However, they fought in the name of their sworn duty."
"Our duty is to defend the Republic," Blazer affirmed. "As in its people." His remark had members of the 501st and 54th turning their heads. All the while, Sparx and Speedy stood in support of their sergeant. "My days of protecting interests and fattening pockets are over." Chuza leered at Anna as if she was supposed to stop Blazer. Instead, she shrugged and encouraged him to keep speaking freely.
"I hate to tell you this, mate-" Fives said and patted Blazer's shoulder. "But that's exactly what we're doing here." Realizing that even other troopers were aware of this truth, Blazer sulked and trudged forward.
"You okay, Sarge?" Speedy asked.
"I'll be fine," he grumbled. "The sooner we get off of this rock, the better."
As the situation diffused, the shadowy treelines reminded Anna to ask Anakin a question. "So what was that plan of yours back in the camp?" she wondered. "The whole 'Cloak and Dagger' thing?"
Anakin curled his lip, as if unsure over whether or not to disclose the truth to her. "I'm sure by now you've realized that this isn't the first close call we've had in battle," he said.
"That'd be putting it mildly," Anna quipped and leaned closer as they walked. "Come on," she urged. "Spill."
"Rex," Anakin beckoned much to Anna's bewilderment. "Keep the men marching ahead. I need to speak to General Dellian privately." As everyone else continued down the river, Anakin guided Anna towards a fallen log. Resting his foot atop it, he activated his comlink. "Cloak," he called. "Dagger. You're clear."
Anna raised her brows as something rustled in the canopy above. She would've easily mistaken the subtle sound for passing birds had Anakin not called attention to it. Within seconds, a pair of black-armored clone troopers leapt down from the branches. Unlike the soldiers Anna was used to seeing, these men had nothing to tell them apart. They were mirror images of one another with sleek variations of Phase II helmets. While their visors were narrow slits, they had filtration systems similar to those of the Deathchasers. Retracted vibroblades were locked into place against their vambraces while blaster rifles lay strapped to their backs. The dark and silent duo stood at attention, looking like they could kill whatever Anakin pointed to in that moment. "General Dellian," Anakin introduced. "This is Cloak and Dagger. They alone make up the 501st's stealth trooper unit. Remaining undisclosed and undetected, they provide us with detailed reconnaissance."
"And save our skins apparently." Anna added before addressing the emotionless troopers. "Thank you," she told them both and was alarmed when they didn't respond.
"That's normal," Anakin assured. "They do what they need to and a successful mission is gratitude enough. While Dagger is our newer trooper, Cloak and I have been fighting this war since the Battle of Christophsis. He co-piloted our stealth corvette when we first faced off against Admiral Trench, so it seems only fitting that we're hunting him again." Cloak nodded firmly as Anakin concluded. "Return to scouting positions," he ordered. As if sharing the same mind, Cloak and Dagger raised their wrists in unison. Ascension cables launched from their vambraces and pulled both clones high into the canopy.
"You're always full of surprises," Anna told her partner. "Aren't you?"
"It helps to have options when you're in a bind," Anakin replied as a sharp blastershot rang out. The heavy blast had the Jedi instinctually dropping their heads.
"Speaking of which," Anna groaned as they rushed towards the sound. They could hear their units scattering beside the river with each closing step. By the time they regrouped, they found Republic troops ducking for cover. Even Chuza and Gav had taken up positions behind a mossy boulder. "What happened?" was all Anakin could say before another sharp shot went off.
"Get down!" Chuza squawked as Anna and Anakin hit the ground. They crawled into cover with the others and caught their breath.
"We were gone for two seconds," Anna huffed. "What the kriffing hell happened?" She peeked from behind the boulder and observed the river's end. A plethora of smaller streams fanned out into a muddy delta. The waters were reddened by the morning sunrise and blood of a fresh kill. A clone's body lay strewn along the delta's shore. A heavy laser hole smoked from his chest while the recoil had shattered portions of his helmet. As a result, glass and plastoid fragments had sliced across his face. Streams of blood trickled down and tainted the soldier's pale armor. Whatever blood didn't stain his gear dampened the soil instead. It formed a dark puddle, oozing downward and dyeing the water crimson.
"Blasted sniper," Rex grunted. "Does anyone have eyes on him?" R2-D2 beeped from behind cover and projected the holomap from earlier.
As Anakin observed the lay of the land, he made his conclusion. "There," he said and gestured to a cliff across the delta. White water cascaded from its cracked and sunlit ridge. "It would give the sniper a vantage point over the entire clearing."
As Anna checked over her Deathchasers, she suddenly realized that she was a man short. "Wait," she stammered and thought of the second blast. "Where's Sparx?" She, Blazer, and Speedy barely peeked to see their lieutenant sprawled across the shore. The top of his helmet had been blasted off and was sinking into the mud. By the time they saw Sparx's arm move, a third shot came zipping towards their position. "Kriff!" Anna cursed as she and the others dropped. The heavy laser scorched the boulder's edge just above them.
"We've gotta get 'em!" Speedy blurted, but was immediately pulled back down by Blazer.
"Stop," the sergeant intoned.
"I'll be quick!" Speedy panicked. "Let me do this! He's alive!"
"I know he's alive!" Blazer roared and shook Speedy by the shoulders. "And I want to save our brother as much as you do, but we have to use our heads. This is a textbook sniper trap. They'll wait for someone to grab Sparx without a plan and then pick them off. Then another...then another!"
"I'll go," Anna asserted.
"Respectfully general-" Blazer continued. "-it doesn't matter how good you are with that lightsaber if you can't see the shot coming."
Anna scowled but knew her sergeant was right. She crawled through cover and approached Anakin. "Skywalker, my lieutenant doesn't have the luxury of waiting this sniper out. And if it's a droid, that thing can hold position for days. How quickly can Cloak and Dagger reach the target?"
"Not quick enough if they're staying out of sight," Anakin said. "That ridge is on the completely opposite side of our position."
"Damn it," Anna cursed. "And its not like our feathered friends and their jetpacking wonders will be any help. We'll need to improvise." Suddenly, an idea sparked within both Anna and Anakin. They slowly turned towards R2-D2 and smiled at one another.
In any other setting, the cliffside cascade would've been one of beauty. Instead, it served as the deathly nest for a commando droid sniper. Painted in camouflaged colors, this elite unit was tucked away in the outcrop beside the waterfall. A mix of tan and gravelly hues coated its once black plating. Even the droid's sniper rifle had been wrapped and sprayed to blend with the environment. Keeping its photoreceptor against the scope, the droid scanned over potential targets. Its processors tuned out excess noise from the waterfall and focused on its enemies.
Sparx was still laying on his back. The clone held his breath while towards the blinding sun. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that the shot had met its mark. And that the light he witnessed was calling to him from the Other Side. Blazer's hushed voice kept him grounded in reality. "Just don't move, Sparx," the sergeant whispered sharply. Sparx stiffened and remained unsure over what was about to happen.
The sniper kept a metal digit on the trigger at all times. Its conditioned programming prevented any kind of nervous slip. The droid would shoot to kill as soon as a target revealed itself. Proving such rapid precision, the droid's limbs slid as a clone emerged from behind the boulder. Without delay, the commando pulled the trigger and sent a scorching laser darting toward Captain Rex. The projectile traveled with an ominous hiss, but phased through the clone. The droid might've been precise, but it was focused on speed rather than perception. Its photoreceptors refocused and observed the blue, ethereal tint around Rex. R2-D2 had inched his way out of cover in order to project a hologram of the captain. While the commando had shifted sniper positions to engage, the Jedi siezed their opportunity.
"Now!" Anna shouted as she and Anakin revealed themselves. With outstretched hands, they called upon the Force to swiftly pull Lieutenant Sparx into cover. He briefly flailed through the air as the droid resumed its position. The next shot narrowly missed before Sparx landed in Blazer's arms.
"Gotcha!" the sergeant grunted and pulled him down. "Are you hit?"
With his helmet destroyed from the initial shot, Sparx felt across his face. He ran his fingers through his orderly, black hair and said, "I'm good."
"Great," Blazer concurred before punching his arm. "Don't scare me like that again, brother." While Sparx recovered from the hit, Speedy was quick to happily pat his shoulder.
"We're sitting porgs if we don't take out that sniper," Captain Talon reported. "And the longer we wait, the more time it has to send intel to its base. There goes the element of surprise. General, permission to engage."
"No," Anakin asserted. "We-"
"You may be assisting, Skywalker-" Master Chuza cawed. "-but you are not the general that Talon answers to." He turned to the jet trooper and nodded. "Permission granted, captain. Search and destroy." Talon nodded and soared into the air with several clones.
Chuza scoffed at Anakin before continuing to observe the 54th. "Just wait till I'm a master," he whispered to Anna before all eyes fell on Captain Talon.
Skywalker's precautions were well warranted. As soon as members of the Flying 54th took off, they immediately came under sniper fire. Without any cover overhead, the commando droid could pick off any jet trooper of its choosing. Red beams darted through the air, each meeting their mark and sending a clone spiraling towards the delta.
"We must push up!" Chuza squawked and ignited his lightsaber. "Now!" Gav's green blade waved alongside his as the rest of the 54th launched into the air. Rex looked to Anakin while Blazer searched Anna for a response. While neither Jedi enjoyed seeing jet troopers die needlessly, it would be an even greater loss to not act on their sacrifices. With a firm nod, Anakin and Anna joined the charge. Both the Deathchasers and the 501st legion sprinted across the vacuous delta. They kept their sights set on the cliff as the commando droid became overwhelmed.
"There!" Talon directed once he finally saw a muzzle flash. The camouflaged droid turned its rifle upward just as the captain twirled his pistols. Quick on his triggers, Talon fired a blast from each firearm. While one laser struck the droid's chest component, the second went through the sniper scope and into its photoreceptor. The droid collapsed with a gaping hole in its data brain as Talon called in from the air. "Sniper down! Prep ascension cables and-"
Chuza's feathered brows furrowed as he dashed below. "And what, captain? What's going on up there?"
Talon and his jet troopers had halted their advance. Their jetpacks stalled as they observed a compound beyond the waterfall. The likes of which packed an arsenal of anti-air and anti-infantry turrets. Thousands of battle droids marched out across grated platforms in preparation for defense. "It's the base, sir." Talon murmured as a dreadful grinding sounded. Within a matter of seconds, one of the platforms split open and revealed a bizarre apparatus.
The lone sniper was never meant to keep Republic forces pinned. It was merely bait to draw them out into the open. By pushing such a bold advance, Master Chuza had played directly into Admiral Trench's hand. Having battled the 54th jet division for weeks, Trench had studied their aerial-based attacks. Inside the base, he watched holofootage of the jet troopers hovering over the cliff.
"Admiral," one of his tactical droids reported. "The ion pulser is ready."
Without hesitation, Trench tapped his cane and bellowed, "Fire!"
Outside, Talon and his men braced themselves as the heinous weapon energized. Vibrant bolts of indigo energy spiraled through its pronged tip. "It's a trap!" the captain realized. He and his men scattered through the air just as the ion pulser fired. Unlike its cannon counterpart, this weapon sent a wave of electromagnetic energy rippling through a designated area. Those caught in its field found all of their technology rendered useless. There was an ominous weight to Captain Talon as gravity took hold. He couldn't make it out of range in time and losing comms became the least of his worries. He and countless other troopers had lost complete control of their jetpacks, finding themselves in a deathly freefall from the cliff. While some clones continued to plummet, the less fortunate collided with the cliffside. Green-streaked plastoid crunched with each crash as mangled bodies rained from above.
"No!" Gav squawked at the atrocious sight.
"There are still survivors!" Anna alerted and shut off her lightsaber. "Try to catch them!" While she was still honing her skills, she hoped every lesson Elsa had given her would return.
Come on, Anna, she told herself while raising her hands. See them in your mind. Picture what you want...deep breaths...relax and- The amount of screams and explosions only added to Anna's stress. "Kriff it," she cursed, knowing there wasn't a sliver of inner peace to her. Instead of trying to gently catch falling clones, she unleashed a series of frantic Force pushes. Her maneuvers were random, sporadic, and absolutely chaotic. If anything, all they did was partially slow some clones down and make her look like a lunatic. Meanwhile, Anakin and Chuza strived to catch as many clones as they could. While Anakin smirked at Anna's display, Chuza shook his head disgracefully. Still, Anna persisted and had those around her bouncing on invisible trampolines. "I can't catch you-" she hollered to them. "-but you'll reach the ground eventually!"
Captain Talon flailed through the air and braced himself for an inevitable collision. His body suddenly lurched forward as all momentum came to a halt. When Talon opened his eyes, he found his face inches from the ground as a pair of taloned feet stood before him. "Commander Riden," he realized as Gav set him down. "Nice catch, kid."
The Avinarian nodded. "I only wish I could've caught more."
"I think that's everyone!" Anna hollered and caught her breath. While the other troopers had been gently lowered down, those who endured Anna's Force pushes could hardly stand. "You guys okay?" she asked. As if on horrid cue, one of the troopers threw down his helmet and ran off to vomit.
With the jet troopers rescued, Republic forces regrouped at the base of the cliff. While they were still formulating a plan, the droids above had advanced to unleash a laser barrage. "Great," Gav grumbled. "We're pinned again."
"Not for long," Anakin asserted.
"The base is up there," Talon explained. "But there's some sort of EMP launcher at the front. Our jetpacks don't stand a chance," he huffed while tapping on his powered down tech.
"We won't need them," Anakin assured. "Master Chuza, Knight Dellian...Have your men prep ascension cables. We're scaling this thing and fighting our way to the top."
"Without an overhead advantage?" Chuza chirped. "Are you mad?"
"I've done it on this planet before," Anakin boasted. His daring grin faltered as memories of his previous visit to Teth returned. Sounds of similar laserfire flooded his mind and he recalled the young Padawan at his side.
"Sounds fun," Anna quipped and snapped him back into the moment. She glanced at the cliff above and jested, "Race you to the top."
Anakin's eyes slowly widened while his lips gently parted.
That was what he had told her. How young and eager they'd been. Every valiant memory came surging back like a lightning bolts striking within. They hadn't just raced each other those years ago, they'd sparked a bond like no other. And yet all of their wondrous moments together became somber blurs to him. They were drowned by a single conversation that continued to haunt his mind.
"I'm sorry, master..." she had said. "But I'm not coming back."
"Ahsoka, wait! Ahsoka, I need to talk to you. Why are you doing this?
"The council didn't trust me, So how can I trust myself?"
"What about me? I believed in you. I stood by you!"
"I know you believe in me, Anakin, and I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you. I can't stay here any longer. Not now."
"The Jedi Order is your life. You can't just throw it away like this. Ahsoka, you are making a mistake."
"Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own, Without the council...and without you."
"And without you..."
Those three, final words chilled Anakin to his core. "Well," Anna blurted and snapped him back into the moment. "It's now or never!" she brayed and stepped away from the cliff. She was about to aim her grappling vambrace when Anakin stopped her.
"Belay that command!" he snapped.
"Wait, what?" Anna muttered.
Without giving her an actual reason, Anakin instead opened comm channels to the Republic fleet. "Admiral Yularen," he beckoned while inputing a code on his vambrace. "Do you copy?"
"I read you, General Skywalker," the admiral responded. "What are these coordinates that you're sending me?"
"The position of Trench's base," Anakin said. "At least it's safe to say based on the fire we're taking. Gather available Venators and turn your turbolasers planetside."
"But sir," Yularen considered. "You can't positively be considering a bombardment when your forces are so close."
"I will get everyone clear," Anakin asserted. "It's time to end Trench's role in this campaign once and for all. Commence orbital strike!" Anakin ducked under a volley of incoming laserfire. "Now, admiral!"
Reluctant yet willing, Yularen nodded to an officer on his bridge. "You may fire when ready," he commanded. At his order, the Republic's Star Destroyers turned their turbolasers on Anakin's coordinates. Blue, heavy lasers ignited from the massive cannons and darted towards Teth's surface. Each high-powered projectile pierced the atmosphere and became visible to troopers on the ground.
"Pull back now!" Anakin commanded and urged the 501st to back away from the cliff. Shocked yet willing, Anna led her team back as well while the 54th followed suit. As they regrouped at the delta, the Republic watched heavy lasers rain down from above. Each prominent and destructive projectile struck the cliff and surrounding areas. While many of the initial blasts bombarded the cascade, others laid waste to the base. The Republic's laser barrage was so powerful, that it severed the very cliff itself. A tremendous rockslide formed as Republic forces fell back. The ion pulser and its surrounding, smaller turrets were engulfed in the explosive inferno. The barrage became so chaotic, that its smoky remnants could even be seen from Shang's bridge in space.
He leaned against the Legacy's command balcony and shook his head in awe. "Sir," a clone officer inquired. "Our laser cannons are primed. Should we join the bombardment?"
"No," Shang uttered while observing the destruction. "Nothing could possibly survive that as is."
The continuous barrage caused the entire cliffside to collapse. So much so, that Republic ground troops could hardly evade the incoming boulders. Chuza and Gav called upon the Force to shield clones from the hazardous terrain. It wasn't long before chunks of the ravaged base were also toppling towards them. Noticing the enhanced annihilation, Anakin yelled into his comlink. "Ceasefire!" he ordered. "Admiral, ceasefire!"
Even after Anakin's command reached Yularen, it took a lengthy moment for the Venators' turbolasers to cycle through. The remaining rounds zipped into billowing smoke clouds as all fell eerily silent. Shredded droid limbs plummeted from the ashy air. The jungle river became deeply polluted with soot, debris, and leaking fuel. Flames climbed high beyond the rubble and extended towards the woodlands, sparking a nearby forest fire. With a powerful Force push, Anakin cleared a tuft of smoke to observe the wreckage. Dented chunks of the fallen base protruded from craggy piles of debris. With the cliffside decimated, Anakin activated his lightsaber and leapt to the rocks. "Advance!" he declared and scaled the natural staircase.
Following his lead, the other Jedi readied their blades and rushed the base's remnants. Clones ascended the rocky heaps while jet troopers soared above. With the primary Separatist defense destroyed, those who'd survived the bombardment resumed formation. Red lasers darted through the smoke and the Republic was quick to return fire. As Anna cut down a B1, she kept her head swiveling in search of Trench's body. "There's no way he could've survived this," she remarked.
"Just find him," Anakin growled, his tone far colder than it'd previously been. He took out his excessive frustration on the incoming droids. As he batted away each laser, so too did he deflect memories of Ahsoka from within. Even the green glint from Anna's lightsaber was enough to provoke more thoughts. He'd often been able to stave them off, but her comment and their location on Teth made the sensation unbearable.
As the battle echoed from the surface, its chaotic rumbles were observed by Admiral Trench. Once the orbital bombardment had commenced, the Harch had raised his base's shields. While the deflectors hadn't held for the full turbolaser bombardment, they did keep Trench's underground war room mostly intact. With the base's power grid destroyed, Trench's holomap and all of his datascreens were rendered useless. He kept himself stable by propping all six of his arms against a corner. There was a dull ache in his organic limbs as he pushed himself back up.
Trench glared at his less fortunate tactical droid, who had been crushed under a portion of the collapsed ceiling. His surviving tactician rose from the debris and slowly advanced. Sparking wires illuminated the tentacled emblem on his metal chest. "Admiral," the advanced droid spoke in a voice as deep as his own. "My scanners are still optimized. Your shuttle remains undamaged in the hangar. We must evacuate before Republic forces overwhelm us."
"Evacuate?" Trench scoffed. "Retreat is not the way of the Harch, Kraken. See if we can get a signal out to command posts in the region. Get me more droids to push the Republic back!"
"The base's planetary beacon has been destroyed," Kraken computed. "All command posts are cut off. We must evacuate."
"Are you cross-wired?" Trench derided. "Fleeing is not an option and Teth will fall into Republic hands without my expertise. Dooku would kill me for losing this planet."
"On the contrary," Kraken responded. "I have my own directive from Count Dooku." Trench's scarlet eyes narrowed as the droid raised a holoprojector. Dooku's bearded visage appeared as he spoke directly to Kraken.
"Admiral Trench is vital to the Confederacy's war effort. Despite his famed intellect, he will not surrender under any circumstances. While this ideology is admirable, I'd prefer he utilize it on a far more...crucial battleground. Evacuate the admiral and await further orders."
Trench clicked his fangs while observing the hologram. "This doesn't sit well with me," he murmured. "But if giving up this jungle means striking the Republic elsewhere, so be it. I will trust Dooku's judgement."
Kraken stomped over to a set of malfunctioned blast doors. He forced his metal digits through the crack and aggressively pried it open. "This way," the droid said. "We can still make it to your shuttle."
Trench hobbled behind his droid and issued a final command to the remaining base units. "Kraken," he dictated. "Have all surviving battle droids form a wall around the hangar. Overwhelm the Republic at all costs, even if it means total destruction." At his word, Kraken's photoreceptors strobed and the command was relayed.
Above the surface, every remaining battle droid suddenly increased its aggression. They stopped seeking cover altogether and rushed the Republic head on. Their ranks were scattered messes, combining B1s with shielded destroyer droids. "Defensive positions!" Chuza warned and had his clones hold their line. Republic troops used rubble for cover as waves of droids converged on their location.
"I can't say I've faced this tactic before," Anna remarked while going back to back with Anakin. "Think it's some kind of failsafe?"
"Or a distraction," Anakin considered. Their theorizing was cut short as another laser volley came upon them.
Across the firefight, a super battle droid launched its wrist rocket and forced Rex to roll for cover. As the captain did so, he glimpsed a pair of figures traveling beyond the enemy offense. Dropping his rangefinder for a closer look, Rex zoomed in and saw the admiral departing with a tactical droid. "General Skywalker!" Rex called in. "I have eyes on Trench! He's making for what's left of the base's hangar!"
"Distraction indeed," Anna realized as Anakin prepared a course of action.
"All units-" he began. "-converge on the hangar! Cut everything down in your path, but don't let Trench escape!"
Despite the Republic's counter push, the droids were equally aggressive. Charging out into the open prompted lethal exposure to laserfire, even if clones were desperate to reach Trench. "There's too many of 'em!" Anna grunted and sliced through a super battle droid. "Trench will sacrifice every machine in his army to keep us from reaching him."
"So be it!" Anakin roared. "Scrap them all!" He lunged towards a gap in the line, but it was quickly filled by a squad of commando droids. Furious, Anakin dueled the elite foes while trying to keep Trench in his sights. "Cloak...Dagger!"
"We're trying to breach, sir." Cloak lamented. Both he and Dagger were pinned on the opposite side of the rubble. The droid waves seemed endless even as the Republic massacred their lines. "No good on our end!"
Chuza and Gav fought to break through as droids swarmed their unit. Jet troopers tried to reach Trench from overhead, but heavy laserfire kept them grounded. "He's getting away!" Anakin warned and bisected a commando droid. He endured another's elbow to the chest, further enraging him.
Even Anna's efforts to reach the hangar were hindered by the insurmountable and desperate cluster of droids. "Come on!" she groaned while battling her way forward. As Sparx and Blazer blasted at her sides, Speedy slid in with a proposal. "General," the trooper said.
"Make it quick, Speeds." Anna huffed.
"I intend to," he assured as his superior raised a brow. Shaking out his cybernetic legs, Speedy stomped up to Anna. "I can get him," he intoned. "I know I can. Just give me as much cover as you can." Anna bit her lip as Speedy's dark visor met her gaze. "Please," the ARF trooper implored. "Let me live up to my name."
With a deep breath and time against them, Anna relented. She leaned in and gave his helmet a firm knock. "Go, brother," Anna said. "Run!" Without a second thought, Speedy bolted into the heart of enemy lines. "My ARF trooper's going for Trench," Anna called over comms. "All units, give him suppressive fire!"
"What?" Chuza blurted. "By himself?"
"And I'll be damned if he doesn't get all of the support he needs!" Anna brayed.
"You heard her, boys." Captain Rex hollered. "Covering fire!" Spinning his pistols into position, Rex and the rest of the 501st opened fire.
"Revan's redemption," Chuza scoffed yet obliged. "54th! Covering fire!"
While Anakin and Gav battled commando droids, Speedy dashed into the fray. Anna kept an eye on her squadmate as he sprinted and weaved between lasers. "Come on, brother." Anna whispered to herself. "Run, Speedy, run!"
Speedy's cybernetics whirred and gyrated. They carried the rest of his body onward with a valiant stride. His heart sank briefly when a battle droid took aim. Relief came over the trooper as a blue laser struck the droid. Having saved Speedy's life, ARC trooper Fives continued to blast droids in his vicinity. Blazer and Sparx cleared droids on the opposite end, paving the way for Speedy's sprint towards the hangar. Its bulkhead doors were creaking open just as Speedy rounded the corner.
"Quickly," Kraken told Trench as he boarded his shuttle. With the admiral secured, Kraken stomped towards the cockpit and powered the engines. As he did so, he observed the lone ARF trooper standing at the hangar's entrance. "Highly unlikely," Kraken calculated. "But futile nonetheless." He proceeded to get the shuttle airborne.
"Oh no you don't!" Speedy panted and quickly aimed his blaster at the shuttle. Several well-placed shots darted for the ramp's extension mechanism. The rod-shaped device sparked from the impacts and forced the ramp to stay open. While Kraken raced to override the malfunctioning ramp, Speedy siezed his opportunity. "Come on," he grunted through gritted teeth. Eyeing a stack of munitions by the entryway, Speedy planned his ascension. His timing had to be perfect if he was to launch himself aboard the shuttle.
Acting on instinct, Speedy propelled himself towards the crates. He alternated between containers and picked up speed with each thrust. The nearby shuttle's engine had Speedy's heart racing as he tightened his grip. His cybernetic legs briefly rattled before mustering all of their strength. Speedy then propelled himself through the air and targeted the approaching ramp.
Time seemed to slow as Speedy leapt towards the shuttle. His legs had launched him as far as they could, leaving the rest up to his arms. They flailed and stretched across the open air as Speedy eyed the ramp. He could already imagine himself crashing against it and prepared to board. But as he neared the ramp...Kraken rebooted the system. The mechanism clicked back into place and the ramp receded from whence it came. Speedy's eyes widened as he desperately reached for any edge of the ship to grab on to. Horror took him when his fingers barely grazed the ramp's tip and he went tumbling below.
Speedy struck the hangar floor with a tumultuous thud and daunting crack. Having landed in a position where he was still reaching for the shuttle, the clone had broken his wrist on impact. And as he lay there, catching his breath and clutching his limb, all he could do was watch the shuttle escape.
As Trench's ship exited the hangar, the Republic's greatest fears sunk in. "Wait," Anakin uttered. "Is that..." Without wasting another moment, he jabbed his lightsaber up to issue a command. "All units, fire on that-"
To his surprise, Kraken made the jump to lightspeed in Teth's lower atmosphere. Its thunderous boom into nothingness was followed only by the destruction of surviving droids. All was chillingly silent over the battlefield. Flames crackled across the rubble as Anakin stared upward. He observed the cloudy skies where Trench had fled and folded his hands behind his back. Fearing the worst with Trench's escape, Anna and her Deathchasers set their sights on the hangar. "Speedy!" she worried and sprinted to investigate.
"Oh no no no," Blazer whispered while following her.
As the trio entered the hangar, they saw their squadmate's hunched silhouette. "Speedy!" Anna shouted and slid to his side. Relief passed over her as the trooper started moving. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Are you hurt?" Blazer inquired.
"Check his head," Sparx suggested and prompted Anna to reach for Speedy's helmet.
Before she could do so, the trooper held up his good hand. "Speeds?" Anna beckoned as he rigidly shook his head.
"They...got away," Speedy uttered. "I just-...I-"
"What happened?" Anakin bellowed while stomping into the hangar. Teth's midday sun was left behind as he stepped into the shadows.
"Just give him a moment," Anna defended, yet Anakin didn't back down.
He squared up against the youngest Dellian and reasserted himself. "What...happened?" he growled.
"I wasn't fast enough," Speedy spoke up. With the help of his brothers, the ARF trooper rose to his feet. Ashamed yet unafraid, he removed his helmet to look Anakin dead in the eye. "I failed, general," he continued in a broken tone. "The ship's ramp was within my reach, but I-"
"I don't need to hear your excuses," Anakin scolded. "You summed things up well enough. You failed." Speedy winced as Anakin practically spat the words out. "And because of you, who knows how many campaigns will suffer."
"Hey," Anna interposed. "Ease up on 'em. Speedy has always given his all."
"And his all wasn't enough," Anakin countered. "I don't think any of you realize what we've lost. So long as Trench lives, he'll continue to force the Republic's hand and cost us engagements. He can turn the tide of the war and this was our chance to stop him! A chance I entrusted to one clone."
"Like you've never trusted your men with something damn near impossible," Anna scoffed. "We've come from behind in battles before and we'll do it again. We'll regroup and put a stop to Trench!"
"Not with reckless orders like yours being thrown about," Anakin argued.
"Are you kidding me?" Anna's face reddened as she jabbed an accusatory finger. "You ordered an orbital bombardment of this entire base!"
"To kill Trench!" Anakin snapped and stormed out of the hangar.
Anna didn't let up and chased after him. "And how well did that work out, Skywalker? He still survived and made a last ditch effort to hold us back. At least Speedy broke through. Where do you get off telling him that this is his fault?"
"You're right," Anakin mumbled. "Because it's as much yours as it is his."
"What?" Anna raised her voice, drawing the attention of their other companions.
"You may be a decent fighter, but we've only succeeded in every campaign because of my strategic planning. Maybe it's better if I continue the hunt for Trench alone. Without the Deathchasers...and without you." Anakin turned away from her and addressed Captain Rex. "We're done here. Contact the fleet for immediate pickup."
"Yes, general." Rex obliged.
Exasperated and flustered by Anakin's words, Anna reached a breaking point. "What did I ever do to you?" she asked.
"Enough, Dellian." Anakin sighed.
"No!" Anna snapped, causing even Master Chuza to ruffle his feathers. "Why are you shutting me out? Why are you shutting my team out?" Anna knelt down and angrily scooped a stone from the rubble. "What are you so afraid of?" she yelled and tossed it towards him.
True to his Force-sensitive reflexes, Anakin furiously spun and caught the stone. Enraged, he slowly squeezed his mechanical fist and crushed it into powder. Dropping his hand and opening his eyes, Anakin stared Anna down. "You're not Ahsoka," he told her. "And you never will be."
A deafening silence fell across the battlefield, as Anna furrowed her brows. "Are you saying that for me?" she asked. "Or for yourself?"
Anakin drowned any greater response beneath a deepening glower. "We're done here," he hissed again and set off with Captain Rex.
Fleeing a planet under his command still didn't sit well with Admiral Trench. He fiddled with his cane's spherical tip while losing himself in the void of hyperspace. Only a trill from the shuttle's dashboard holoprojector could break Trench from his trance. Count Dooku's transparent visage was as welcoming as it was foreboding. "Well done, Kraken," the Sith Lord admired. "Your elite programming came through."
"As you can see, the admiral was ultimately cooperative." Kraken computed.
Rather than spout off any excuses regarding his defeat on Teth, the proud Harch focused on his future. "What is thy bidding, count?" he clicked.
"With you gone, Republic reinforcements will soon leave Teth," Dooku explained. "Once they do, General Grievous will deploy a garrison to reclaim any lost ground." Trench squinted, for he was discomforted by any operation involving the brutish Grievous. "And what is to become of my services?" he inquired. "Surely a situation must be dire for you to deem me worthy of rescue."
Dooku slowly nodded as a secondary hologram projected onto the dashboard. "We need to break Republic morale before more systems join the war effort. The heroism of the 501st has become a banner to rally behind. In order to snuff out this beacon of hope, we must cripple another foundation." Trench examined the image of a ringed planet as Dooku continued. "The Mid Rim world of Ringo Vinda serves as a trading hub. Encircled by a planetary-wide space station, it will be the first of many to fall."
Trench gingerly stroked his fang. "To make such an offensive will bring our forces dangerously close to the Core Worlds," he said.
"And I could not think of a better admiral to lead the first invasion," Dooku affirmed.
Trench bowed his furry head and replied, "It will be done, my lord."
The Legacy's departure from Teth was as swift as it was silent. Admiral Shang issued his required orders and the ship's crew made the jump to lightspeed. Before the stars stretched beyond the interstellar void, Shang took a long look at the Fifth Fleet. While Anna had been partial about the events below, he worried that whatever transpired between her and Skywalker would cost him future work with Admiral Yularen.
The rumble of hyperspace consumed all. Its roaring ambience was numbing on the mind as it rattled the Legacy's broad halls. The Deathchasers' armor had been been stored for cleaning. Maintenance droids were hard at work, buffing out scuffs and scrapes across each plastoid piece. Yet despite how much they toiled, no amount of polished machinery could remedy the scars within.
Anna sealed the crew quarters and took a moment to herself. She sunk into her squad's couch and pressed an ice pack to her strained bicep. The incoming chill had her wincing while memories of Anakin's words plagued her. Like her squadmates, Anna wore nothing more than a black tank top and grey sweatpants. As she peered across the lounge, she couldn't help but glance at Speedy. The often social clone was now trying to keep to himself. His efforts to do so were less than fruitful as Blazer and Sparx approached him.
"It's like the general said," Sparx began as Speedy sat at the foot of his bed. "You did your best. What's done is done."
"But Trench got away," Speedy murmured and glared at the floor. "You heard General Skywalker. Things are going to be so much worse for the Republic now." Speedy sighed and buried his face in his hands. His broken wrist was braced in a tight set of bacta wraps. "And it's all my fault."
"Now hold it right there," Blazer scoffed. "As if Count Dooku hasn't been making the Republic's job harder. Or Grievous! Or some other uniformed sleemo! I'd barely heard of Trench before that Jedi drama queen said anything!" Blazer's eccentric description of Anakin at least coaxed a brief smile out of Speedy. "Come on, brother." Blazer urged and gripped his shoulder. "Don't let this get you down."
Speedy dropped his faint smile and looked upon his squadmates. "I appreciate it, Sarge...lieutenant. I just need some time." Nodding to one another, Blazer and Sparx gave him all the time he needed. Exhausted and with far too much on his mind, Speedy leaned back into his bunk. His eyes listed towards the 501st poster directly above him.
THEY CAN'T DO IT ALONE! SUPPORT THE TROOPS TODAY
As Speedy observed the print of 501st troops, the words of his fellow clones echoed within.
"We were created to serve the Republic," Captain Rex had told him.
"It's like Mattias said back on Ilum," Blazer reminded. "We take our wins and our losses together."
"I like to think of it as a symbolic gesture," Lieutenant Sparx had said. "The 501st consists of thousands of clones. Our squad is made up of three. The poster groups us all into one unit. We're all brothers."
One unit, Speedy thought while looking at the Deathchaser stick figures he'd added to the poster. But did we ever see eye to eye? Did our leaders? No matter how hard Speedy tried to forget, he kept replaying his failure. He saw his fingers barely missing that blasted ramp and while Trench's shuttle slipped away. The thought was so repeatedly infuriating that Speedy bolted from his bunk. In a fit of frustration, he tore down the 501st poster and threw it across the crew quarters. The balled up paper bounced twice before meeting Anna's toes.
As she picked up the crinkled poster, Speedy said, "I'll be faster next time. Count on it."
"I know you will," Anna calmly assured. Speedy watched as she properly disposed of the poster and approached his bed. "Nothing against your artistic abilities-" Anna began and Speedy raised a brow. "-but those additions weren't your best work anyway."
"General?" Speedy worried as Anna withdrew a folded card.
"I always preferred this one," she said and proceeded to pin it above his bed.
Speedy's brows relaxed once he realized what she'd given him, or rather...returned.
It was the same card Speedy had given Anna when she was going through a difficult time. He'd done his best to draw Blazer, Sparx, and himself gathered around her. Speedy had playfully drawn an arrow with the word 'You' next to the Jedi. "Get well soon," Speedy read his own card. "Sincerely, Speedy." Sparx and Blazer had signed beneath the trooper's artistically superior signature.
"Think of it as a letter to yourself now," Anna said as she revealed a stylus. Speedy watched as she too wrote her signature on the card. As Anna stepped away from his bed, she gently pointed towards the card. "I can't speak for anyone else," Anna began. "But we will always be here for you, Speedy. And you know what? Kriff Anakin Skywalker."
"General!" Speedy gasped.
"I mean it," Anna snapped. "Kriff 'em. Anyone who messes with one of us, messes with all of us." Anna simpered as Speedy's grin returned. "Now get some sleep, trooper. That's an order."
Speedy nodded, but not without whispering, "Thank you, sister." The crew quarters' lights dimmed as Speedy sunk beneath his blankets. Even in the shadows, he could still look up and find his Deathchaser drawing. No matter where the war took him next, he found comfort in two beliefs: That he'd have his family at his side...and that he'd always be faster.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's installment! It was an honor and pleasure to entertain you as always. I'd like to take a moment and thank you for your ongoing support. Especially this season as life comes at me with its ups and downs. I'm getting thrown some curveballs again in regards to my father. Overall everything is okay. I am certainly in a better mental state than I was when this all started. Either way, I need to return to my hometown for a few days to get paperwork, personal items, etc sorted out. Between these steps, spending quality time with him in his facility, and also managing my job, I want to call a CODE: JAWA. (I like making themed names for things XD ).
Under a Code: Jawa, "The Frozen Force" will switch to updating every other week again. This will remain in effect just until I get more time to produce chapters weekly once more. The average Season 4 chapter ranges between 9-13k words. I don't want to sacrifice quality and the vision I have for this story. So I'd rather update every other week instead of giving you a rushed mess. But rest assured that I will always have updates on what is going on in my chapter notes to keep you informed. Thank you for your patience and understanding. So Chapter: 103 will premiere on Friday, March 25th.
Codes for future reference:
Code Jawa: Story is updating every other week
Code Lothcat: Story is now updating every week
Code Wampa: Story is on temporary hold due to an emergency with the author
Code Kenobi: Story is on break between seasons
Code Naboo: Author is on family vacation
I can't wait to share more adventures with you as there's so much more story to tell. We don't get to decide what life is going to throw at us, but we do get to choose our response. We're standing together. We're still creating. All in the right time.
Long Live Imagination and I love you all,
~ Michael