201OKAY, here is my latest chapter. It took long because I am busy with school and other stuff. Also, if you are confused by how the Spartans are called, go back to Episode 3 and Episode 8 for the names of my OC Spartans. OH and thanks to Patriot-112 for his Mandalorian Trooper Besk Vorp and Clone trooper OCs, Besk Vorp, Topsy and Pinger.
And someone asked for Blue Team, well, here they are.
Episode 11: House Cleaning.
{Mandalore, Upper Atmosphere, 5 hours into the assault}
Kal was getting reports that while the invasion was making incredible progress, things slowed down when Sundari and Keldabe had beefed up their manpower. Keldabe was caught off guard, and already lost a small district, but the fighting was intense and Death Watch was not giving it up without a fight.
Also, he has heard reports that Death Watch has sealed Sundari and are now preparing to take their last stand. He allowed the AI to sabotage them as best they can but also found something else through the cameras: The Death Watch was using civilians.
Whether drafting them off the street, to making them live bombers, albeit with much threatening by soldiers, it was clear that Death Watch was now gonna hit them hard and were gonna sacrifice countless civilians in the city to do it. Lost Legion Commander, Overlord, promised to commit 4 squads to help out, two for aiding his troops, and another to strike at the Sith who hold their reigns. But it seemed that the chances of keeping the civilians out of the crossfire are now out the window. And while he had confidence his men can handle this, Death Watch was going to maximize the collateral damage, something Kal Skirata was trying to minimize.
Kal reconsidered asking Overlord recommit his forces to help out with the hostage crisis and retake the city, but then remembered that there were two extra Spartan Squads waiting in orbit to assist. As much as he wanted to make this a victory he and his people could call his own, the lives of his people, innocent civilians, were hanging on a very thin thread. And from what he remembered, these were veterans from the Great War the UNSC and Covenant waged, so if they decided to play dirty, these Spartans can help keep rank.
He was even given a code to activate such assets to his designated location. Sighing, he tapped on the comms as his ship began its descent onto the planet below.
"Echo-X-Ray-November 97652312. Authenticate." He said.
"Stand by." An automated female voice responded. "Confirmation successful, Assets Blue and Red are activated. Please input coordinates for drop-off."
Kal Skirata typed in the coordinates to the domed city of Sundari. The female voice then said. "Coordinates locked, T-Minus 5 minutes to landfall. Good Hunting, Skirata."
He was told and he has read how these particular Spartans have pulled victory from the Jaws of defeat.
Now, he will only hope that the Spartans had the strength to save his people from the cruelty of Death Watch and the Sith.
{Sundari, Domed Capital City of New Mandalore, now under Death Watch Mandalore control.}
If you could see it in space, Sundari would appear as a black dot in the middle of all the drab olive of the desert that surrounded that place. It was protected, both from the environment and any invasion force that dared to approach the walls. It was also a place of enlightenment and progress, one which the Death Watch had put down hard and fast. In the months that followed their takeover, they had killed many students and teachers and drafted many innocents to be part of the army, as a way of bolstering forces for their war-mongering.
With the arrival of the coming Ne'tra Kad and Rogue Clones, the Death Watch are now using tactics that would normally disturb any morally conscious soldier: using civilians as bombs, drafting children into soldiers, even binding women and tying weapons on their hands and use them as bait as other Death Watch would ambush from the shadows. It was a desperate time for them, so if they can make the enemy weep and bleed as they defeat Death Watch, they would do so.
If they were gonna lose, they were gonna make them bleed out long after they die.
But unfortunately, those plans were short-lived when the defenses, both air and ground, in the entire dome-city, suddenly blasted away at the Death Watch forces that were in the area, forcing them all to destroy their only chance of holding the line against the New Mandalorian/Rogue Company invasion force. That left only Death Watch soldiers and vehicles capable of fighting the enemy. And the cameras caught it all.
"Gotcha." Rei, the AI in charge of overseeing the cyber-warfare and AI operations in the invasion, smiled.
{Sundari, lower atmosphere, 1 mile away from entrance to the city}
"Kal, all forces are accounted for and ready to launch on your orders." Captain Rex reported as the drop ships he and Kal Skirata are in are now hovering close to the city. It had been relatively quick, and in less than 12 hours, backed up the main Death Watch force to Sundari and the rest fled to Keldabe or the mountainside.
He had regrouped every free company or trooper not occupied with the enemy and gathered outside to prepare the push to retake the capital. Keldabe was as good as theirs, so the most defenses came unto Sundari. So now, everything led to this.
Truly, the UNSC was to thank for taking so much from the enemy without paying a lot blood for it.
Kal finally snapped back to reality and began assessing the situation. So far, the AI told him that there were at least 100 cases of civilians used as either suicide bombers or bait in some of the tighter areas of the city. And to rescue all of them would be impossible unless the reinforcements he ordered from the UNSC would arrive in time. He had ordered all combat-ready Commando squads ready to do their job and protect and rescue the civilians as much as they can.
Suddenly, the communications officer was hailed by the New Mandalorian rebels, promising their support and ready to fight. Their leader was, surprisingly, Duchess Satine.
She was a far cry from her regal outfit, looking more and more like a battle ready Mandalorian of old than a pacifistic and tame leader that most of them thought they were. She even had a scar running down her left cheek and her eyes had bags underneath. Clearly, the months had not been kind to the woman.
When the Sith brothers came to power, she refused to run against such a horrible foe, and to ensure her people are not harmed under their rule when they (violently)took power. Though she was peaceful, their methods of subjugation over her people, mass murdering, threatening, raping and even flaying her people for standing up against such an evil made her learn a very important lesson: How to loathe the Sith. Maul and Savage then tortured her with extreme prejudice, even planning to execute her afterwards, in front of a band of political opponenents who defied Death Watch. And it would have worked too. They took her to a prison, unannounced and unexpected, to put her down swiftly and without mercy, and was gonna broadcast the whole thing to the entire planet, as they did not wish to contain their lesson of why you shouldn't go against the Sith Brothers to just their opponents alone
As they were about to end her, a Mandalorian rebel team then stormed the prison she was held in, and blasted their way to free as many prisoners as they can, Satine included. Although her saviors were Mandalorians who hates the pacifism of the New Mandalorians, they hated Deathwatch even more for selling their people out to the Sith. She begged her saviors to give her the means to save her people, even if it meant forsaking her values. She was strong-willed, but the Sith broke her along the way.
Now, here she was, seething and back for revenge and justice, not necessarily in that order.
"Kal Skirata. Glad to see you made it." Satine said in a professional manner. Kal found it rather weird considering that he knew how pacifistic the New Mandalorians are, none more so than their leader.
"Duchess Satine. You are a proper Mandalorian now. Not unwelcome, but very surprising." Kal remarked.
Satine smirked. She was no longer a stranger to violence. "What can you say, Skirata? Peace can only hold out for so long when my people are butchered like cattle for retaliating." She snarled. Kal saw some anger, but she kept it controlled, waiting to unleash it on the right foe.
"From what I understand, you've been doing this for 6 months now. Very impressive, indeed." Almost a year ago, she would have been the last person you would be seeing wearing Mandalorian shock armor. Now she looks like a proper warrior, her posture was no longer graceful, but more erect, disciplined, and even fierce. Whoever taught her to fight must have been a harsh teacher for her to look like and act like this.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Duchess," Kal said the last word with emphasis "but almost a year ago, you wouldn't be caught dead wearing a Mandalorian armor but here you are, looking like one of the Cuy'val Dar. Tell me: who trained you?"
She stepped aside and suddenly, 3 Mandalorians suddenly dominated his holo communicator. Kal took a moment to realize who they were.
"Isabet Reau, Dred Priest and Cort Davin. The Forbidden Three. I must say, this is a welcome surprise, given your reputation." He and they are good allies, but their penchant for collateral damage was rather astounding. Isabet and Dred were an item when Cort came into their circle. During the beginnings of Cuy'val Dar, they raised their reputation as the most rough, no-holds barred type of warriors that ever existed, with all of their missions usually ending in collateral damage of all sorts, with blowing up a car their most minor "collateral" damage they had.
Also, they were once Death Watch's most ardent supporters, until their leader, Pre Vizsla, began to use extreme methods, even so much as use civilians as bombs. While they longed for a Mandalorian Empire, using methods that harmed the Mandalorians more than helping them drew a line, but they crossed it when Vizsla teamed up with Maul and Savage. And had been leading New Mandalorian forces not crushed by Death Watch into open rebellion, with their first act to raid the prison Satine was in at the time. Thought reluctant, they brought her along too after Cort explained that they must have all the men and women they can get to oppose the Sith.
Pure Coincidence, but they had more than they gained, with Satine their newest and most eager member.
Isabet chuckled. "Say what you will about us, Kal. But I hate Death Watch lap dogs and the Sith Overlords who rule this place. And we just so happens that we had an open slot in our ranks. So I think it's safe to say that our interests for our people lie with this young child you talked to earlier." She said.
Dred then talked to Kal. "And we heard that you are the man we have to thank for this invasion force. I must say, the UNSC are good with their word, and considering how they kicked ass in Coruscant. Word of an enormous UNSC ship ramming into a Venator is sure to turn heads." He chuckled. Although at first many thought that the reports about a Massive Terran warship ramming a Republic cruiser as nothing more embellished stories, they were soon made to eat their words when footage taken by a civilian freighter over Coruscant at the time surfaced, showing the Terran Flagship doing just that. Needless to say, it had turned many heads in the Galaxy and the forbidden 3 were no different
"Whatever you think of them," Kal said in reply. "Know that they are not the type of people who would backstab us. They have as much riding on this as you do."
"And what interest would they relegate to a planet such as ours? Warriors? Weaponry?" Cort asked.
Kal knew the answer when he was briefed just as he descended into the planet. So that means that it was either the UNSC was coming clean now, or they had found the object already, with the two scenarios now more likely now.
"Well, it will take a while, but I will explain everything once we finish this." Kal promised, to which the 3 Mandalorians agreed.
Kal then turned his attention to one of the officers "Status on those reinforcements."
The officer turned and said, "They said, watch the skies." It was cryptic, but Kal knew what that meant.
The officer before then detected unidentified objects falling down from the sky and headed straight towards the domed city. Kal then gave the order to strike, and the AI opened the doors for the, and let loose the hounds of war.
{Keldabe, Underground Catacombs, 30 minutes before the assault.}
Fireteams Napalm and Gospel began moving slowly as they approached their targets. It was 10 minutes in and already they saw many civilians hiding underneath, trying to escape either the Death Watch or the explosions that rocked the city. Though cloaked, some children noticed them, due to their inquisitive nature and the fact that they were leaving tracks behind, in spite of their cloaking.
But fortunately, it was just the children as the adults were too busy hiding and preparing for the worst.
Eventually, they reached an empty intersection where there was mining equipment found and some power cables leading upwards. The Spartans then knew that the Sith must have found it, but are still unable to open the ruins themselves.
"All Elements, break off and scatter. Cover all entry points and booby trap the exits." Firebrand ordered and the two Spartan Fireteams broke off and began to move into different points, using their maps to guide them in. Sofia "Firebrand" Hendriks, leader of Napalm, was paired with Billy Leina "Magician" Kidd of Fireteam Gospel and went through the main entrance, cloaking up as they go, followed closely by Eliza "Voodoo" Klien and Lulu "Tokyo" Zandakiri-Prince as they proceeded inside.
As they reached closer, they heard noises of people talking, machines welding and even the occasional blaster fire. Signs that they were getting closer to the Forerunner structure.
They reached a large, open chamber, large enough to place 5 companies of Marines inside, there was death watch everywhere as some of them alternated between talking, guarding, sparring, readying and basically preparing to deal with all outside threats, but it was at the end of the hall that got Firebrand's attention.
It was a large silver gateway that was basically powered down, it was metallic silver, old, yet looked so new and brilliant. Firebrand then saw lots of people surrounding it, doing everything from studying, to examining some of the tech to even trying to breach their way inside using a large laser cutter. Firebrand smirked. The Forerunners built things to last, even from lasers. She had the activation codes for the device alone, but she had to clear the chamber first.
"Firebrand to all elements: Treasure is found, regroup on me and prepare to engage the targets designated." She ordered, and soon began to mark the turrets, heavily armored Soldiers and other targets of opportunity.
Once in position, Firebrand began to sync all neural links to her for maximum synchronization of the action. Now, all the targets were marked in her HUD and it was up to her to take the first shot. Now all she had to do was wait for the right moment.
{Sundari, Peace Park.}
A large recreational area developed as a place for young men and women to appreciate the peace of Mandalore, Peace park a place where people could visit, relax and enjoy the newfound prosperity of Mandalore.
Today, it is now littered with enough blood and corpses to turn it into a mass cemetery. Explosions blew apart enemy soldiers, lasers blasted everywhere and mechs stomped everywhere.
Captain Rex moved, giving orders left and right, hoping to keep the pressure up for the invasion. He had been fighting since he hit planet side and has been fighting ever since. Torrent Company had retaken 2 towns and an outpost and held a small AA emplacement against air forces not blown up by the fleet above. And now here he was, taking part in the final push.
The entire group had been informed of Spartans in the area but have so far yet to see them. The only thing they did see, however, was the numerous bullet casings, holes and dead bodies they left behind. Sometimes, some civilian claiming that a green metal droid with a golden visor saved him or her from certain death. Certainly, this made Captain rather anxious to meet them.
It wasn't as though he doubted his skills or his men's. It was simply because of how the UNSC brought them up that made them look legendary, or simple propaganda. He has still yet to see one really fight in action.
He got his wish.
One of his men, a Clone named Jessie, heard it. "Sir, sounds like a fight up ahead." Captain Rex gave no hesitation when he gave the next order.
"Men, form up on me. We are gonna assist them. Hardcase, try and get contact with them." Rex ordered. And the men began to form up on him, advancing with haste and caution to the sound of gunfire and laser blasts.
Rex peeked around the corner and saw the carnage. Death Watch soldier were laying on the ground, bleeding and dying, some with limbs torn off. The ones that were not dead are firing into a building structure. Whoever was inside was giving hell because 5 seconds later, 3 more hostiles fell to the ground, dead or bleeding out. He began to order his men into a nearby building which provided a good area to flank the enemy.
Now, he did not see the Spartans themselves, but the flashes coming from the building indicated their positions. Rex realized that they were pinned. He had to wait until the Death Watch advanced then he can cut them down as they moved to the building.
However, the Spartans are not pinned down, as they are led to believe. They are in fact, baiting the enemy, as the Death Watch slowly closed its forces on the building, and they failed to notice the giant metal men silently stalking the buildings surrounding their would-be attackers, ready to pounce on them.
However, Rex did see them, just before he was about to get into position. "Hold up." He ordered. Two of his men, then went to side, asking for orders. He then began to formulate a plan.
"Stand by, be ready to engage on my command." Rex gave his orders, and the rest of the Clones all chorused in affirmatives. He was gonna help the Spartans, but he held back, since apparently, they knew what they were doing. Seeing the positions of the Spartans, if they remain on the building adjacent to the building , he could crush the enemy with the Spartans on one side and the Clones on the other, and Rex began to hold his breath, waiting for the Spartans to fire first.
It did not take very long.
Suddenly 3 large figures erupted from the ruins of a nearby building and began to raise hell on the Death Watch, cutting down 1/3rd of the group in the initial ambush. The rest got their bearings and sought to use cover, but their backs were turned to the Clones.
"All units, engage!" Rex took his blasters and blasted two in the back, while the rest poured blue blaster fire on the enemy's back. The Death Watch was now panicking as they were now caught between the Spartans and the Clones. It did not take long to finish them off in the combined fire. Once the last enemy soldier fell to the ground, minus his head, the Spartans finally allowed themselves to ease up at the reinforcements.
Rex clearly saw the Spartans, but was astonished at their sheer height. They were colored olive drab green, with some having different insignias on their shoulder plates. All of them had the same golden visor helmet that showed only the reflection of the person looking at it. Rex swore that those helmets gave him some shudders as he was sure that if he fought against them, he would see his own reflection in there, dying while this giant stares him down.
There were 4 of them and the one in the middle approached the Clones.
Must be their leader. Rex thought.
"Sierra-117, Fireteam Blue." The green giant introduced himself, with one advanced silver rifle on his back and holding the Assault rilfe in his hands. And his team began to designate themselves as 104, second in command and the one holding the battle rifle; 087, who was holding the shotgun, and 058, holding the sniper rifle and the one using an Assualt rifle on her back as she jumped down from the house that was under attack earlier.
"Captain Rex, Torrent Company. Saw your group pinned, and moved to assist, but I think you got this well in hand." Rex said, gesturing to the carnage surrounding the two groups.
"Don't worry, we'll be sure to leave more for you next time." A female voice said, coming from the left of the leader, holding the shotgun. 087 seemed to be a bit twitchy for Rex.
"Well, onto other concerns," Rex began. "We were headed to the Royal Academy of Governemtn just a few clicks north of this position so that we can rescue the students there. That place is a major outpost aside from the palace grounds itself, so resistance is heavy. Now, I know you guys have your own thing, but I was hoping to get some extra firepower to bear on those targets. Think you can help us out?" Rex asked.
Truthfully, while he had a briefing on Spartan history and their adherence to command structure, they were, through and through, a black-ops squad whose very existence bordered on missions like these to go behind enemy lines and ravage them before the main force could arrive. They were like Clone Commandos, but with larger armor, energy shielding and taller than them.
"This is Kal Skirata's op, so we are helping his forces in whatever way possible. We can assist in this, Captain." Sierra-117 replied, and then turned to his fellow Spartans. "087, you are on point. The re-" 117 was cut off when blaster fire pinged off a nearby table, forcing everyone to take cover as nearby enemy reinforcements began to pour in and laying suppressing fire as they brought heavy laser turrets and rockets to bear.
"Jessie, 12 o'clock! Take that turret out!" Rex yelled as blaster fire and gun fire began to drown out the sounds of the dying and the fires that were currently burning the city. He also began to order his men to suppress and some of his officers and best troopers to flank. Another enemy got too close with a rocket and fire on 058's position, taking out only her shields as 117 took him down with the Assault rifle.
Ne'tra Kad Shock Trooper Besk Vorp had been near the area and came in with two additional Ne'tra Kad Shock Troopers as they began flanking the enemy left and right, cornering the enemy. 117 took out his silver weapon and suddenly discharge a beam of energy that disintegrated a nearby Death Watch trooper, making the rest pause, as they marveled how the Terrans, with their penchant for using slug throwers, had a weapon that made the laser gun in his hands look primitive. Rex himself was amazed but took cover once more as enemy fire came close onto his position. More Clones came in and flanked the enemy as well.
The Enemy, while outnumbered and outflanked, was putting up fierce resistance as 5 Clones dropped dead and an additional 10 Clones ended up injured and even nicked 058 in the arm, but it was minor and her shields came up soon after before more additional damage could be dealt. One of the Ne'tra Kad troopers was injured and soon he was pinned as some Death Watch advanced on his position.
Rex jumped over his cover and advanced, despite heavy cover as he used his twin blaster pistols to put down two of them before they switched their targets from the injured Mandalorian to the Clone Captain, and now he was trapped. Rex blindfired but he was pinned against heavy weapons fire. He knew this is one bind he might not get out off as the enemy closed in on his position while the others were being suppressed.
Suddenly, a blur rushed past the line and two of the enemy hit the floor, bleeding with another blasted to oblivion. Kelly, or Spartan 087, rushed to his aid and used her shotgun to down 3 more before she switched to her Warframe melee weapon and used the claymore setting to change her weapon into a Claymore and proceeded to cut down two enemies in one swing, while bringing her M9 Sub-Machine gun from her hip and began shooting and mincing the foe before her and her claymore in another taking down two more and maiming a third who was near them. Slowly but surely, they made progress.
Rex was impressed as he received new orders and began to push ahead with his men. This invasion may turn out better than he thought.
{South Side, Sudari Medical Ward, Roof}
Two Arc Troopers who accompanied Besk, ARC- 7789 Pinger and ARC-9966 Topsy, saw that and were amazed at her combat prowess. Their teacher, Besk Vorp, was impressive as their combat tactics are similar to his, but the way the Spartans moved made their old teacher look like a total FNG. "Sir," Topsy began. "We are made, we need to get out of here." He said, as they were located up on the rooftops trying to snipe the more threatening of the Death Watch to the invasion force. But the enemy took notice and began to fire rockets at their position.
Besk drew his blaster rifle. "I couldn't agree with you more. Let's get in there." And they used their jet packs to get into the action. As they touched down, the enemy noticed them and pandemonium reigned as Besk took his KiSteer 1284 Projectile Rifle and took out the Death Watch Trooper on the top of a building manning the heavy gun emplacement before using a DL-44 to deal with incoming threats, with his associates taking cover and giving their fellow soldier some cover fire. Topsy took a thermal detonator and threw it in a building filled with blaster fire and second later, it detonated and a Death Watch soldier flew into the air and onto the street to escape the blast radius, only to be cut down by Besk as he ordered them to move up towards Rex's position.
The battle intensified as more enemy reinforcements poured in. Despite advanced weaponry and superior numbers, the Death Watch Mandalorians did not back down as they gave everything they had and began to blast their enemies. Both the Rebel New Mandalorians and True Mandalorians banded together to take them down as their forces helped the Rogue Battalion retake it bit by bit. Besk then found another tall building and motioned for his men to retake it, with the help of a few more squads at his back.
It will be a long fight if they don't take out the head of the snake soon.
{Keldabe, Underground Catacombs, near Unidentified gateway}
A shot rang out and the soldier manning the gun emplacement went down, along with 12 other soldiers who were blasted or sniped by the Spartans as the combined might of the Spartan Fireteams as Napalm and Gospel began to raise hell.
Firebrand began to leap over the crates and began letting loose with her Assault Rifle filled with depleted uranium rounds as it tore through unarmored soldiers left and right, but found the more armor covered troopers a bit ineffective as some bounced off their armor, but was still not enough to stop all the bullets as two of them dropped like rocks. Titan got out of his hiding spot and used his experimental Typhoon SMG to mince multiple soldiers, armored or not, into small pieces. Tokyo took out her Scatter gun and began blasting away at nearby threats while the Spartan Snipers began to take out the officers and leaders and disorganized the enemy.
Despite that, some officers still survived and began to fight off the assault as they began throwing thermal detonators and sonic grenades at the Spartans, forcing them back a bit. Using their Slipspace modules, Voodoo, Gopher, Nova and Magician as they disappeared then reappeared behind the enemies and soon, 2/3rds of the enemy are now dead.
The remainder were able to regroup and soon they provided fierce resistance to all those unwelcome in the chamber. Firebrand had to admit, this was getting fierce.
Natasha Fleur "Filler" De Castro had to add her two cents in this. "You know, they kinda fight much more viciously than our ODSTs." She commented.
Titan scoffed. "Are you kidding? I think we should take notes on how those boys should fight. Hell, even our Marines and Army boys should take some notes on how to fight like these guys."
Hannah "Nova" Novak put her foot down on this. "Cut the chatter, boys. We need to clear this before Kal's Commando group gets here. Clearing this place is only a job half done. We still need to check the contents of that structure first." She mentioned, and all chatter was gone, unless it was an order or if they pointed out high-priority threats.
Now, it was getting desperate as most of the surviving hostiles had heavy armor and heavy weaponry. But they pose no threat to Titan's Fuel Rod Cannon or Tokyo's Scattergun. It was a pure massacre and even with the heavy weaponry, they all fell down like dominos.
It took less than ten minutes, and by that time, they room had small fires, bullet holes, blood and even the smell of burnt bodies now permeated the atmosphere.
Signaling the all clear, Firebrand opened her comms and reported all clear in their end. "This is Firebrand. Objective Bravo is secure, standing by for new orders, over."
"Copy, Firebrand." The AI Rei responded. "I have received reports that some of Kal's Commandos are headed your way to investigate this area. You are to wait for them to rendezvous to your location before opening the Treasure Chest, How Copy?" Firebrand realized that Overlord no longer wanted to keep his cards hidden anymore.
"Solid Copy, Awaiting RV. Firebrand out." And she closed the link.
{Sundari, Royal Academy of Government, 60 minutes into the assault.}
The Royal Academy of Government was one of the first targets the Death Watch attacked when they took to power. They realized that such a place was where future rebels or political opponents could sprout up and oppose the Sith, so they immediately put their boot on it, desecrating it with Death Watch propaganda and executing the majority of the staff and civilians that were in the building at the time. The Death Watch and their Sith Master laughed at the horrors they inflicted on the populace as they turned it into a big torture building with the only function is to send an example to the populace.
Now, things have changed. The Clones were pushing back the Death Watch and the New Mandalorians fought with a fury that was matched by their predecessors, the True Mandalorians. It was brutal and at least one member of the New Mandalorian rebels have lost a friend or family member to that place alone. Now they shot anything that was wearing anything that bore the enemy's insignia.
Normally, Kal would have ordered to take prisoners, but he had heard reports of numerous Death Watch forces surrendering, only to use explosives hidden in their armor to take as many Clones with them as they could. And the few that did genuinely surrender brutally killed by the rebels as they were either paranoid of suicide bombers, or stricken with rage. So he decided to order a kill on sight command to alleviate this, with prisoners only to be taken if they can.
Now the building itself was riddled with blaster fire, with explosions shaking the ground around them. Aka'jor-class Shuttles that were taken by the rebels were used to fly in and take the wounded out of the battlefield, despite the rockets fired by Death Watch. Rex and his Spartan associates arrive as one of the shuttles blew up and crashed onto a nearby AT-TE, blowing it up as well.
"We have to take out those rockets on the roof!" Rex yelled as he began to take out his DL-44 blaster pistols and began to shoot at two enemy soldiers who were trying to set up a heavy turret, taking out one, but the other got the job done as he began to open fire and kill 6 Clones in a single volley before overheating.
Linda-058 took her sniper rifle and aimed for the ammunition stocks behind the soldier as she took the shot and blew the turret, the soldier, and two other enemy hostiles sky-high.
"We can get your guys up there." 117 said. "You'll have to be in physical contact for us to slipspace your boys up there."
"Will that even work?" Rex asked. "Or is it even safe for us? Because your armor is tank grade compared to ours."
"The eggheads in R&D are pretty sure that this can work, although the maximum limit is about 4 guys per slipspace as it won't put a lot of strain into the module itself. And how it works is just too classified for you to know." 104 replied. Seeing one of the gunships getting shot down by another rocket, Rex needed to act fast.
"Alright, gents!" Rex began. "Pick your Spartan and lock and load." 3 Clones grabbed onto each Spartan as they began to activate their slipspace modules.
As they did the reappeared on the edge, surprising the enemy racketeers as the Spartan/Clone Team began to lay waste and soon all of them were dead with almost no resistance.
"Rex to Prosecutor, we have successfully taken out the AA rockets and you are now clear to land your shuttles and gunships, over."
"Copy that, Captain." A female voice responded. "The flyboys wanna extend their thanks for clearing the skies. We have secured 75% of Sundari. Take this and this battle is won. Commando Team Bacta is already touching down on your position. They are under your command for now, so take the Academy and rescue any hostages inside." She ordered.
True to her words, an LAAT gunship landed with a few heavily armed Clone Commandos arriving on his position. Rex nodded to their leader as he turned back to his comms.
"Consider it done." Rex cut the comms and ordered his men into position, with the Spartans taking another entrance into the building.
Inside, they found lots of dried blood that stuck to the walls and the ground as they treaded inside the building, with the Death Watch retreating deeper into the building. CC-6588 Mosaic, leader of Commando Team Bacta, took point as the hallways were desolate and devoid of hostiles. Though no one said anything, they had a lot on their minds. How could the Death Watch do this to their own people, the Mandalorians, even though they surrendered? It infuriated the Cuy'val Dar and the Ne'tra Kad to no end. Even the Clones were disgusted. And no one knew why they would do such a thing to their people.
But what they did know is that no one was leaving the building alive, aside from the hostages.
Meanwhile, Fireteam blue had switched to their upgraded Promethean vision modes, which allowed them to not only identify armed and unarmed targets, but can also pinpoint weak points in the structure or even plot alternate routes based on the situation. He saw the Clone team moving slowly, with another group of hostiles located just across their location ready to fire at the incoming Clones as soon as they moved further in the building. 117 wasted no time in contacting Rex.
"This is Sierra One-One-Seven. Be advised: 15 hostiles are on the floor you are in, 5 of those are in the room 3 meters to where you are with about 6 hostages and one of them is barricading the door.10 of the others are in the room next to you, ready to ambush, I would highly suggest that you take caution. How Copy?" Rex had no idea how the Spartans got the information so fast, but he wasn't gonna complain something that could save his men's lives.
Rex replied. "We heard, thanks for the heads up, Sierra one-one-seven." HE relayed the information and then turned to an alternate route, making sure not to give out any indications that the ambush the Death Watch set up for them has been compromised.
They began to crouch as they began to double back to their entry point and began to move through a different hallway. Blaster fire was still echoing outside so it was clear the Death Watch was still defending this building for now. Rex had to move quickly or risk his fellow Clones being slaughtered in droves trying to retake the building.
He saw a Death Watch patrol, 6 men strong, roaming the hallways for potential infiltrators. Rex began to signal his men to lower their weapons and bring out their CQB weaponry, which consisted mainly of vibro blades and wrist blades. Slowly approaching the patrol, Rex took out the one dealing the rear, with his comrades quickly subduing and neutralizing the other five with speed. He saw there was another patrol and were too far away to intercept, even if they threw a vibro blade into their skulls. As they raised their guys to fire, the guns were suddenly yanked out of their hands, and were crushed right in front of them, stunning and horrifying the two soldiers as Fred and Kelly dematerialized behind them and slit their throats while kicking them in the back, crushing their spines.
Their bodies flew forwards and slid on the floor, their blood painting the blue and white floor beneath them as they came to a stop in front of the Clones.
Mosaic's sniper, CC-7554 Ruckus, whistled. "Those are some smooth moves." He commented. The rest of the Clones didn't say anything, but they were just as impressed. Soon, the two groups are now moving slowly in the corridors, getting into position to breach the wall behind the ambush party.
One new toy the UNSC had created was the Pulse Bomb. Studying the use of the Pulse Grenade yielded interesting results, and with help from Monitors they uncovered in a few Forerunner Ruins and Shield Worlds, they slowly began to reverse-engineer some weapons to work differently, like using a Pulse Grenade, find out how to make the yield stronger and the blast radius larger, resulting in the creation of the Type 090 Pulse Bomb.
Master Chief planted one such bomb and began to back away. Normally, he would have heard Cortana making a quip about this, but she was with Halsey trying to sort out a few files and was currently receiving a small upgrade to her memory chip.
He began to set the charge and told them to get away. Jessie began to quip something about how primitive their remote detonation charges are. John said nothing, as he would let the device prove him wrong.
Once they reached max distance, he activated it, and soon an orange bright light blossomed, disintegrating the wall, and the 5 Death Watch in a spectacular show of light before if violently imploded, leaving the Clones and the Death Watch who watched the whole debacle stunned. The Spartans capitalized on this and their weapons flashed multiple times as all the hostiles were wasted to the last man, with the hostages now frightened for their lives.
Master Chief stood in through the now vaporized hole and the shadows that illuminated the dim room made the already imposing Spartan more intimidating than he looks. Some tried to scream through their bindings, as some had their mouths covered.
"Alright, we are here to get you people out, no need to panic." The Spartan said calmly. Immediately all the muffled screaming stopped. Clones came in and began to cut the bonds and led them onto the roof, where another group was waiting to extract the hostages. As they left, a young woman in her early 20's stopped to thank the Spartan, who replied "It's my job." She nodded and left.
Rex was slightly beginning to understand why they were regarded heroes. It was a shame that their own futures were taken away from them to be such powerful warriors. He respected him like his Jedi Generals before them.
Rex then regrouped and proceeded deeper in as multiple hostiles began to enter the floor and fighting began anew.
{Sundari Royal Palace}
The area surrounding the main government building was heavy fighting. Most of the Death Watch was stalling the Clones and their Mandalorian allies as they began to push towards the building. The brothers were trapped but they will take many of them down if they do. The UNSC expected them to do this, so they sent in their "Jedi".
"This is Chariot-One-One. Touchdown in 30 seconds." The pilot of a cloaked Pelican announced as it's two passengers began to steel themselves to take them out.
Agents Offee and Ventress loaded their utility belts. Aside from the Warframe and Lightsaber, they also had Hardlight shield modules and Cloak Modules as their weapons as they began to embark on their assassination mission to kill the Sith. Ventress loaded her magnum and kept it later for emergency use, as Offee activated her Eclipse cloak module to check its use. She deactivated it as soon as she was satisfied. The Pelican landed in a small empty space just 500 meters from the Royal palace.
As they touched down, two Fireteams of Lost Legion, Crimson and Royal, led by Overlord, greeted the CBMI agents. "Welcome to Mandalore, ma'am."
They greeted each other briefly, as they went straight to business. Overlord spoke first. "The levels leading up to the main throne room are heavily guarded and booby-trapped. The AI disabled some of these, but there are manual traps as well."
"How should we proceed then?" Barriss asked.
"We split up. Royal and I will provide the distraction and weaken defenses for the rest of the army to pass, while Crimson escorts you to the targets."
"Anything sounds good as long as it leads to them." Ventress agreed.
"Alright, ma'am, wait for my signal then strike. Good luck to you." And soon Royal and Overlord used their slipspace modules to teleport themselves into position.
Barriss took charge. "Gentlemen, let's go kill a king and his prince."
Secondary Story: Self-Encouragment
{Glinn's Field, Dr. Schofield's Office, 5 days after birth of Twins.}
Glenda Schofield has had a rather eventful month, with not a single break for her in sight. Truthfully, she did not care. She had been busy helping the Jedi Masters, Knights and the various Padawans to work through their issues and their traumas. Every day, she seemed to help at least 3 out of 4 Jedi who enter her office almost instantly, with the rest coming back since some scars last longer than others.
She had many multiple sessions with the Jedi, yet her most interesting and traumatic was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight with a history of violence and emotional baggage long before the Clone Wars began. She would see him almost every day, but the visits are getting less and less with each passing session. Eventually, she had seen him at least once a week now.
Now, she had a feeling that this might be the last time she might see him for some time. He had a family and most of his issues have been worked out.
As he began to drone on about his current problems, Glenda had noticed a pattern in his speech that was irregular: For one thing, he was droning on about other things aside from his current topic, with one topic going from one area to the next.
Glenda held her hand up to stop him from rambling on as she took her glasses off and asked him seriously.
"Master Skywalker, I know of those issues a long time ago and we already worked them out. You are stalling for something Skywalker, so please, spit it out?" She asked bluntly. She had to be hard on her patients sometimes, especially warriors as they tended to be hard-headed than most.
Skywalker looked into her eyes and said. "I'm scared, Miss Schofield, and not just because of my duties and responsibility as a Jedi, but mostly the duties and responsibilities as a parent." He admitted.
"Go on."
"I've been told a few times that I'm the "Chosen One." He emphasized the title. "The man who would bring balance to the Force and bring peace and unity within the Republic and in extension the Jedi as well, but now look at what it has become now. It is now ruled by the Sith, it's people are being oppressed and they all blame the Jedi for it all, with the Jedi now exiled to a foreign power whose strength is greater than ours, and we are now its inhabitants. And now I am a father to two young twins, with a mother whose will is stronger than mine. I should be excited at the prospect of raising them, but in light of all my failures now, how can I? How can I raise my children in despite all that?" He asked.
Glenda looked at Anakin with a sympathetic face. She has faced multiple patients of the same nature: Soldiers facing a dilemma as they believe themselves unworthy or unfit to raise a parent due to their own nature as a person who takes people's lives.
"Master Skywalker, I have to be honest with you. Why is it that you feel this unfit when the people around you say differently?"
"Excuse me?"
"For one thing; you broke your Jedi Code, one that prohibits relationships such as yours to exist. Yet here you are, having children and becoming a shining beacon for other Jedi to follow you. I've seen couples with Jedi wrapped in another's arms. I've seen them ask their hands in marriages, and do you know who they want to thank the person responsible? You, Master Skywalker."She stated.
"Our home is in shambles and most of our Jedi died in the Temple, with my "best friend" Palpatine is responsible for killing off more than 2,000 Jedi across the Republic by their own troops."
Glenda decided to give him a fact. "And are you sure you are the only one who feels that way?"
"I'm the only Jedi who feels that way and feels it could happen again to his children, if that's what you are asking."
Glenda took a breath. "Anakin, every single patient who came in here blame themselves, but the most, if not all of them, blame the Council for it."
Anakin's eyes widened. "Why blame them? They did what the Code told them to do, and they don't act without proper reason."
"That's the problem: There was a lot of inaction before we came along. Their very Code confined them with a sense of deadness you would see in a computer. They hated the Code's strict upbringing when you came along, and now in conflagrated to a point where that very same Code was used against them by Palpatine himself. And the Council members themselves? They blame themselves for putting them in that position, for taking a gift horse in the mouth and almost getting the Jedi killed for it by trusting the Chancellor in the first place."
"So if you think are the one at fault here, I'm giving you a reality check: You ARE NOT AT FAULT FOR EVERYTHING. Chosen one or not, it is bullshit to believe you could have possibly seen that coming."
Glenda then decided to do something for him to get it through to his skull.
"Well, if you feel unconvinced, follow me." She said, standing up as she went and walked towards a terminal with a monitor as the center piece. Anakin looked at it. "What is it? A Security interface Terminal?"
"Something like that, but the cameras are wired to the outside, overlooking the cliffs. I had that installed so I could see the sunset without leaving the office. I wanted to put my office there in the first place but it was all taken by some military bigwig." Dr. Schofield explained. "This also inadvertently also covers the balconies, or as I like to call them "lover's refuge" due to the number of romantic escapades here. Let me show you." She switched the video on and Anakin saw something he never expected.
He saw his apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, being a bit too friendly with a young man that doesn't even remotely look like military. How Ahsoka got him inside, is beyond him, since he knew that the UNSC never allows common civilians inside a military base unless he/she has family in the military or is a civilian liason. Part of Anakin is outraged that his former apprentice is being oogled and another part of him is whispering "blackmail" when he asks her a favor. Then the two hug each other and kiss, both shocking and amusing Anakin, who was rather surprised that his apprentice is already intimate with a young man she has yet to introduce to.
"His name is Rory Sato, a 17 year old boy living with a family in New Plymouth. They run a small business downtown and he and young Tano met when she and the other Padawans took a tour of the city some time ago." She explained, after some reports from her contacts in the city told her of the encounter. "She was able to convince some of the brass to allow him to visit her, but I have no idea how she convinced them to get that boy in a military installation."
Anakin had a sneaking suspicion it involved a certain small green Jedi Grand Master.
Anakin looked a bit frustrated, but Glenda could tell he was slightly happy for her. "She and I are gonna have a rather nice chat later on." Glenda chuckled at Anakin's semi-angry statement.
"You say you're afraid to be a father because of your failures? If this is all a failure," She gestured to the couple on the sceen. "Then I say you should make more failures."
Anakin chuckled at her attempt to make him feel better, which is beginning to work. Glenda pushed on.
"Now, I am not claiming to be the foremost expert on how the Jedi should be, but I know when a person is hurting, and I know there is no evil in letting it all out." She said softly this time. "And we all have to face a moment in our lives when we get kicked down, we get back up."
"And that brings us back to the children. Whether or not you will accept the fact you lost your home is completely up to you. To them, what they have now is what they will cherish and remember, not the blood and the tears you shed in the past. They will need someone to raise and help them get through life as a normal person, to make them forge their own way through the stars. This is their home now, as is yours. We in the UNSC know how much you've lost, and compared to our sufferings, yours are simple wounds you can patch up and heal." Glenda proclaimed. She continued on.
"I know this will never be easy for you, but life is like that. Your children's upbringing will not depend on your failures, Master Skywalker. It will depend on the successes of today, and the mistakes learned from the past will be used to give them a childhood you've always wanted for yourself. Your mother did not want a perfect Jedi, she wanted a very good son who knew that he loved her too and that she can have that love be given to your family and the generations after them."She paused as she took a deep breath.
"I've said my piece. But keep this in mind: The only true easy day, was yesterday. Tomorrow will always be the hardest. Those children may need a strong hand to guide them through it."
Anakin looked at the scene of love between his master and his lady friend. She was right; he has given the Jedi something stronger than just their conviction in the Force and the Republic. He had given them a chance to truly connect with the people in a meaningful way. He should have known about that by now, but Dr. Schofield drove it home for him.
"Thanks, Doc. No wonder they called you the best. I needed to hear that." Anakin said.
"It's my job. As a famous Spartan once said: We don't to obtain a reward for doing a job that is expected of you," I took it to heart. And I hope you take this to heart when being a father, Anakin. The lessons you learn now, can be passed on for future generations to come."
Anakin smiled. He felt better now, and wondered if she had a family of her own. "Do you have a family, Miss Schofield?"
Glenda shook her head. "I have not found a time or place outside my work, Master Skywalker. And before you even ask, I appreciate your offer, but I have much to do for today."
Skywalker took none of it, however. "Look, you did so much for me in return for nothing. But I choose to give something back in return. I'm no soldier, I'm a Jedi, remember?"
"You won't take no for an answer, will you Skywalker?" Glenda asked, as Anakin shook his head.
"Fine, I suppose I can come along for now." Smiling, Anakin waited for Glenda to walk and she came with her hair braided up and her glasses kept in her left breast pocket. She was smiling. "I hope your idea of lunch isn't from the barracks."
"No, nonsense. I ordered something you Terrans called pizza. Some of your Terrans called it a masterpiece, but those were the soldiers talking, what do you think?" He asked as Glenda locked her office behind them and began walking away.
Glenda laughed slightly, realizing that Anakin doesn't really know what it is. "Okay, I'll tell you. Picture bread that is flattened and-"Her voice became distant as they moved towards the barracks where Padme was resting with Anakin at the moment.
OK, I hope this was nice for you guys. About Ahsoka and OC Rory Sato, we will go for that story in a future secondary story for later. Next chapter is extensive as it explains why the Forerunners were so interested in Mandalore and we see some Regicide in the next chapter.