Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars: Clone Wars.
A/N: The poll is down and yes won. I will leave it up for one rotation (Ch 68 for Ninja in the Web) to let people see it and will skip uploading Shinobi for another rotation (Ch 69 for NITW.) to think up ideas for not only what fruit Naruto will get, but the prize for the colosseum fight.
Beta: Chaos-PSD. Contributor: Kuronodono12.
Chapter XLV: Citadel Rescue.
Without Honor, Victory Is Hollow.
Trapped behind enemy lines! Carrying secret information vital to the Republic's war effort, Jedi Master Even Piell and Captain Tarkin were taken prisoner by the Separatists. An elite strike team, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi Naruto Uzumaki, and Anakin Skywalker landed on the planet Lola Sayu and infiltrated the prison.
The team rescued Master Piell and Tarkin, but they were pursued by the prison's evil commandant Osi Sobeck. During the escape, their ship was destroyed. Now we find them on the run, desperate to escape the trap that is the citadel….
The Jedi.
"We're clear!"
Rex yelled as he and Hevy looked out at the entrance. "What's our next move?" Ahsoka asked as they walked into the cave.
"We're going to have to fight our way off this rock," Anakin replied as Naruto knelt, having BD jump off.
"Contact the Council, see when they plan to rescue us," Obi-Wan spoke as Even looked up.
"I'll handle it." BD then brought up a hologram of Mace.
"Master Piell, it's good to see you alive, my friend."
"Likewise, Master Windu. Our escape route has been compromised and there are several squads of droids closing in on us."
"When can we expect your arrival?" Naruto asked as Mace looked at him.
"Master Plo is already en route." He replied before they heard Yoda speak.
"Gunships will arrive to evacuate you and your men, but do not delay, only a small window of opportunity shall we have." He then had a hologram of the area up with a small island on it with red arrows pointing to it. "Your rendezvous point will be this island."
"Understood."
"May the Force be with you," Mace said before the hologram shut off.
"Incoming!"
A clone yelled as Commando droids ran at them shooting
"No doubt there's more on the way," Naruto said, pulling his saber and shooting up to block the shots before Rex threw a grenade, causing the ground to break.
Boom!
The Citadel.
Sobeck was in one of the crab droids before a small hologram of Dooku came up. "Count Dooku, My Lord."
"Commander Sobeck, you've been avoiding my transmissions," Dooku said, hands behind his back.
"My deepest respect. I was hoping to surprise you with good news." Sobeck said as the Sith raised an eyebrow.
"Good news would indeed be a surprise. Have the prisoners been captured?"
"Not yet, My Lord. But we've located their position and my droids are moving in now."
"I need not remind you that the prisoners are carrying secret hyperspace coordinates into the core systems of the Republic and our Separatist home worlds. This information will allow us to launch a surprise attack on Coruscant, striking a crippling blow to the Republic and the Jedi." Dooku explained having Sobeck nod.
"Yes, My Lord. I will see to it that they are soon back in our possession."
"You should know, Commander, right now your honesty is the only thing keeping you alive." Dooku finished before the hologram turned off.
The Others.
The group ran to the cliff with crab droids following them off the cliff wall. "They're boxing us in!"
"Lock in your cables!" Naruto yelled as they all shot their grapnel on the edge. "R2, we need your droids to hold off the enemy as long as possible." R2 beeped as Everyone walked down the edge. "Good. Everybody, follow me!"
A moment later, R2 flew down after his droids were destroyed.
Hyperspace.
"Master Tiin, you should be leading the fighter attack." Plo Koon said to the Master who appeared via hologram with Kit as well while Adi stood on the other side of the table he was at. "Once you punch a hole through their defenses, I will lead the gunships down to the surface and extract the team.
"Depending on the size of their force, I don't know how much time we can buy you," Saesee explained, crossing his arms.
"You will do your best, I'm sure," Koon replied as Adi sighed.
"If the team isn't at the extraction point when you arrive, you may be forced to leave them, or put us all at risk."
"I'm afraid Master Gallia is right," Saesee said, looking at Plo Koon.
"They'll be there. Remember Master Uzumaki's track record for these kinds of missions."
Sobeck.
"The prisoners have evaded us long enough. Bring out the anoobas! Use them for tracking only! Contact me as soon as the fugitives have been located." Sobeck ordered the droids, who let loose dog creatures.
The Others.
"What if your Jedi friends are not there when we arrive?" Tarkin asked as Naruto looked back.
"Move faster and you won't have to wonder."
"Why did Master Piell have to share half of the intel with that guy?" Ahsoka asked her Master. "It's like he's not even grateful we rescued him."
"Captain Tarkin feels the Jedi should be relieved from the burden of leading the war effort."
"That's ridiculous."
"He shares a lot of views," Naruto said as he walked behind the Padawan. "Most think we should have stayed as PeaceKeepers. Most of the Jedi code often prevents us from going far enough to achieve victory."
"A rather simple point of view," Obi-Wan said looking back as Naruto looked up.
"Why do you think I fought so hard to start changing it?"
They then heard howling forcing them to look around. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes. We're going to have company." Even said before they continued walking toward the lava lake
"You know, it's not wise to argue with Master Uzumaki. It's certainly not a good career move." Anakin spoke up as he walked beside Tarkin.
"General Skywalker, I stand by my principles. No matter what. Besides, I needn't worry about my career. I've fallen in favor with the Chancellor. He shall support me."
"I happen to know the Chancellor quite well, myself," Anakin explained, surprising Tarkin.
"Oh... Really?"
"Really."
Naruto looked back at them before speaking. "Quiet down, we don't know what Sobeck is looking for us… Let's keep moving. If we're not at the rendezvous at the exact time, we'll miss our window."
"Those creatures are gaining," Rex said as Hevy readied his heavy gun.
"If they've caught our scent, they'll lead the droids right to us." Even explained before Anakin spoke.
"We're gonna have to deal with them."
"What about using this cave to surprise them?" Ahsoka said pointing to a cave by them.
"If we can get them to pass by, we can attack them from behind. But we need a distraction." Even said as Anakin looked back.
"Leave that to me."
"(Ahem!)"
"And Obi-Wan, of course," Anakin said as Naruto walked to the cave.
"Okay, the rest of you, follow me." He said as Obi-Wan, Anakin, and R2 walked ahead
A moment passed before the cave group saw the creatures and droids run past them.
Up ahead, Obi-Wan kicked one dog away before slicing another one as Anakin stabbed one and both used the Force to throw several more away. Anakin then blocked several blaster strikes from Droids on speeders while dodging more dogs.
With the others, they ran alongside a lava river before the crab droids appeared. "Keep going!
Ahsoka, Master Piell, and I will take care of the droids." Naruto yelled out as the clones ran off with Tarkin to help Anakin and Obi-Wan. One clone officer sacrificed his life by shoving Captain Tarkin out of the line of fire by a STAP droid, taking the shots for himself. Tarkin responded by picking up the officer's blaster and shooting down the STAP that was responsible; the commando piloting the craft was decommissioned by R2-D2 after being flung to the ground.
Obi-Wan managed to take down two STAPs by launching himself off a rock and swiping at one with his saber in mid-air while landing on another one and destroying its pilot. After landing back on his feet, an anooba attempted to lunge at him, though Kenobi's reflexes allowed him to launch the beast into the river of lava using his legs. The rest of the hunting party was cleaned up by Cody and Rex.
Ahsoka, Naruto, and Even were holding their own against the wave of crab droids emerging from under the cliff side. The single surviving anoobas of the hunting party, which failed to keep pace with the rest of the party, lunged at Piell while he was disabling a crab droid with his lightsaber. The beast brutally mauled the Jedi Master before being launched into the lava by a Force push from Ahsoka.
"Master Piell!"
Naruto ran over as Even spoke to the Padawan. "Listen to me carefully, child. The information I need you to deliver back to the Council."
"I should find Anakin or Obi-Wan. They need to hear this." Ahsoka said before Even stopping her.
"No. You must listen."
"But I wasn't assigned to the team. I lied just so I could be a part of the mission." She said as Naruto looked over at her.
"We all kinda knew."
"Whether you were meant to be on this mission or not, you are now the most important part of it. Remember this. And see to it that the information I'm about to give you is revealed to no one but the Jedi Council." He said before whispering in her ear.
Up ahead, the Jedi and clones finished the last of the droids before Hevy looked up. "So much for the hunting party."
"There are more squads on their way," Tarkin said as Obi-Wan looked out over a cliff while Naruto and Ahsoka walked up carrying the body of Even.
"Oh, no."
"He died honorably," Naruto said as Anakin walked up.
"What about the information?"
"I have it. He told me just before he died." Ahsoka replied while she knelt.
They then wrapped his body up and placed it at the edge of the cliff over a lava river. "We don't have much time," Obi-Wan said as they nodded. "Let's take this moment to honor him, then we must move on. He would have wanted us to complete our mission."
Naruto, Anakin, and Obi-Wan lifted Even up and placed him in the river where it went off a lava fall.
Atmosphere.
The Republic Fleet appeared by the planet with each Jedi Master in a Delta-7 or gunship.
"There have not been battles like these since the days of the Old Republic," Sasses said from his Delta-7.
"Indeed. Good hunting." Plo Koon said from his gunship.
The Republic fleet exchanged volleys of turbo laser fire with the Confederate ships. Separatist and Republic starfighters clashed, and although a droid bomber was able to drop its load on a Republic cruiser, the rest were destroyed by ARC-170s.
The Jedi.
Down below the others made it to the small island from the mainland. "There's the extraction point.
Rex and Anakin shot a tether over and had everyone start to crawl over, with BD on Naruto's stomach as he went behind Tarkin, Rex, and Hevy. "(Trills.)"
"Not the worst we've been in huh, bud?"
"Incoming!" Rex yelled as Sobeck on a speeder shot at them.
"Look what I found!"
Forced to hold their own until Plo Koon and his forces arrived, Anakin and Obi-Wan both hijacked two different STAPs. In the ensuing confusion, R2 produced a thick cloud of smoke which temporarily blinded Sobeck, allowing Fives to take a shot at his STAP, destroying it and flinging Sobeck onto the small island. Tarkin used this opportunity to attempt to execute the commandant; however, the inexperienced Tarkin missed his shot.
And had Naruto shoot Sobeck, in the head with his baster before putting it back in the holster. "The rescue ship should be here by now."
They started fighting the droids just before Hevy was hit in the leg. Just then, they saw a gunship with Plo Koon before all but Hevy got on.
"I believe you've worn out your welcome."
"Hevy! Get on!" Naruto yelled as Hevy leaned on his gun for a second.
"No can do General! I won't make it without the ship exploding, Get out here!" Naruto makes to jump out of the gunship to get Hevy only for Hevy to point his blaster at Naruto. "Can't let you do that General so stay on that ship and get the hell out of here!" Hevy then turned and started firing at the crab droids.
The gunships take off and the last Naruto sees of Hevy is him surrounded by Crab droids taking several blaster shots before detonating an explosive killing himself and the droids.
BOOM!
Naruto punched the ship as they flew up to the Star Destroyers and went into hyperspace.
Coruscant, Jedi Temple.
"Of Master Piell's loss, we are sorry to hear," Yoda said as he and the other Masters stood outside the hangar with the team.
"He will be missed," Mace said before Plo Koon looked over.
"Because of his great sacrifice, we now have the Nexus Route coordinates."
"Captain Tarkin and Ahsoka have each memorized half," Obi-Wan spoke, gesturing to the two.
"Debrief them both, we must," Yoda said before Tarkin took a step forward.
"With all due respect, Master Jedi, I was instructed by Chancellor Palpatine to bring the intel directly to him for debriefing."
"I promised Master Piell that I would deliver it only to the Council," Ahsoka said as she stepped forward. "And that's what I will do."
"Hmm… Personally, I will meet with the Chancellor, I will. Decide what is best to do, we shall." Yoda said before leaving.
"Master Plo, there's something we want to ask you." Anakin stopped the Master. "Did you assign Ahsoka to the mission?"
"It appears I did." Plo Koon said after looking at the Padawan.
"A job well done, General Skywalker," Tarkin spoke up to Anakin. "I wish more Jedi had your military sensibilities. Perhaps I can inform the Chancellor of your valor."
"Master Uzumaki has the same valor," Anakin said as the Captain left.
"I'm not sure what to think of your new ally," Naruto said walking up.
"Well, I think we need people like him. This is a war. If we aren't willing to do what it takes to win, we risk losing everything we try to protect." Anakin said as Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Can you live with your conscience then? Unfortunately, war tends to distort your point of view. If you sacrifice your code of honor, even for victory, you will still lose. Me? I'm fine with dirtying my hands so the innocents can sleep at night." Naruto then took his leave at that.
To Be Continued.
A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes.
Beta: Chaos-PSD Kuronodono12.
A/N: The poll is down and yes won. I will leave it up for one rotation (Ch 68 for Ninja in the Web) to let people see it and will skip uploading Shinobi for another rotation (Ch 69 for NITW.) to think up ideas for not only what fruit Naruto will get, but the prize for the colosseum fight.
Next to be updated will be Avatar Maelstrom.
Nothing else to say.
Talk To You Later,
Lone Wolf Out.🐺