Storm Over Ryloth
“The campaign to liberate Ryloth is the perfect example on the horrors of war. There are three different moments that embody its darkest traits. The first occurred when my father, his Padawan and War Machine were dispatched to break the blockade. The first attempt was a tragic loss. And that is where the first lesson was learned. Lives will be lost. And sometimes, they will be lost needlessly. It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.
-An excerpt from The Fight For Justice, by Luke Skywalker.
Aboard the Separatist command ship over Ryloth, the Neimoidian Captain sat in his chair, speaking to the hologram of Wat Tambor.
“Captain, are you prepared?”
“Our blockade is impenetrable. When the Republic attacks, they will get quite a surprise.,” the Captain smirked.
“I am counting on you, Captain. The Separatist Alliance has lost so much ground already. We cannot allow the Republic to invade this planet.”
Speaking of the Republic, Skywalker’s fleet was moving at lightspeed towards the system. In the Bridge of the Resolute, Anakin stood around the holotable with Rhodey, Rex, Ahsoka and Yularen. Also with them were the holograms of Obi-Wan, Windu, Steve, and Natasha.
“We have a total of five Venators in our fleet,” Yularen reported. “We shall keep our ships at a safe distance to fire on our opponents, while the fighters lead the direct attack.”
“And you’ve taken into account the reinforcements they have on standby?” Natasha asked.
“Indeed,” the Admiral nodded. “Which is why Commander Tano and her squadron will remain with the fleet as protection.”
Steve smiled at the Padawan.
“How you feeling, kid?”
“Like I’m ready to take on the whole enemy fleet,” she grinned.
“Remember, Ahsoka,” Romanov began sternly. “Your men are counting on you. Don’t let them down.”
“I won’t,” the Padawan promised.
“Something on your mind, Colonel Rhodes?” Windu questioned.
The others turned to see War Machine frowning at the display of their fleet.
“Just thinking of better ways this fleet could be structured.”
The others shared a look.
“Go on,” Kenobi encouraged curiously.
“The Republic Navy seems to rely on the Venator to serve as an upfront attack vessel when it’s designed to be a long distance carrier. It’s a strong ship, but it doesn’t have enough weapons. The hangar has enough room for over a thousand fighters, and it’s carrying what? Half that? Not even? I just think you guys are really misusing it.”
“The new Star Destroyers should provide the Venators with more security and the fleet with a heavier arsenal,” Yularen reported.
“I’m not so sure,” James shook his head. “Bigger doesn’t mean better. Relying on capital ships to do all the work isn’t a good idea.”
“What would you suggest instead?” Windu asked.
“Have the attack fleets be mostly made of Accalamators and Victory cruisers. Throw in about two Consulars as well.”
The group silently thought it over.
“This is a sound structure,” Yularen praised. “Let us further discuss this after the battle.”
“I’m down for that,” Rhodey nodded.
“With that out of the way,” Obi-Wan began. “Best of luck to you all.”
The holograms cut out and the Jedi and Avenger left for the Hangar. Yularen walked down the Bridge.
“Sir, coming out of hyperspace,” one of the clone officers informed the Admiral.
“Prepare for battle. Raise the shields.”
The attack force of five Venators jumped out of hyperspace, finally arriving at the occupied world. In the Hangar, Ahsoka sat i8n her fighter as an astromech was lowered into in.
“This is my first time commanding a squadron, R7. Let’s make a good impression.” The droid turned its head around to face her and beeped a response. “Of course I’m not nervous.”
“Hey, Snips!” Anakin greeted as he and Rhodey reached her. “This is it. Your first command. Don’t be nervous.”
“I wish everyone would stop saying that,” she complained.
“The men you’re commanding are depending on you. With their lives,” her Master stressed.
“Thanks. That sure takes the pressure off,” she said sarcastically. “If I wasn’t nervous before, I sure am now.”
“Hey, I have faith in you,” the Jedi comforted her. “I wouldn’t send you out there if you couldn’t handle it.”
“You’re gonna do great, kid,” Rhodey smiled. “Just stick to the plan, and everything will go fine. Remember…”
“Stay in the back to protect the fleet, so our ships don’t get swarmed. I know,” she said, causing the Avenger to grin.
“That alone is already a good start.” The two men turned to leave.
“May the Force be with you,” Anakin called out.
“I won’t let you down. I hope,” the Padawan murmured. The cockpit closed and she put her fighter in hover. “Okay, you boys ready?”
“This is two-Axe. Ready when you are, Skipper.”
“Ready on three. This is Slammer, over.”
“Ready on four. Kickback, checking in, over.”
“Swoop to Blue Leader, Group Two is standing by, over.”
“Tucker on five. Waiting for mother bird, over.”
“War Machine leading Group Three. Ready for departure, over,” Rhodey finished as the fighters left the vessels. As the Republic forces flew through Space, the Separatists unleashed their own squadrons upon their enemies. “You know, a few years ago back on Earth I made the argument that nothing is better than a true pilot’s intuition, and that a machine could never replicate that.”
“What do you think now?” one of his men asked over the comms.
“After seeing you boys in action, I’m pretty sure I was right,” the colonel grinned, eliciting a cheer from the clones.
The two factions of fighters met in the middle and immediately opened fire, casting the area into a large blur of explosions and speeding spacecrafts alike.
“Alright men, break off into three groups. We’ll do a pincer attack from both sides and blitzkrieg down the middle.”
“Sir, yes sir!” they all responded.
Two groups of fighters broke off, one on the left and the other on the right. The Vulture droids made a move to Swarm the middle squadron. This turned out to be a severe miscalculation when the left and right squadrons hit them from the sides, causing their attention to be spread thin.
On said command ship, the Captain examined a hologram of the lead Venator.
“That’s General Skywalker’s flagship. He is leading this attack,” the Neimoidian observed.
“Sir, their fighters are closing fast,” a droid officer warned.
“Patience. Let’s see what trickery the Jedi have planned for us.
“Echelon formation,” Rhodey ordered as the fighter with him did so, and cut right through the droids. After a few moments the entire enemy attack force was defeated. “Make a bee line for the enemy ships.”
“Sir, multiple squadrons of fighters are attacking,” a droid informed the Captain. “They have a clear path right to us.”
“Now is the time to bring in the first wave of our reinforcements,” he smugly stated.
After a few seconds more Separatist vessels jumped out of hyperspace.
“Admiral, four more Separatist cruisers have joined the blockade,” a clone officer said.
“It’s alright, we already knew this was coming,” Skywalker placated. “Agent Romanov’s intel said as much.”
“Commander, you’re clear,” Yularen said into the comms.
“Thank you, Admiral,” Ahsoka smiled. “Okay boys. While Colonel Rhodes leads the main assault, our job is to intercept the new enemy fighters. That understood?” The clones responded in affirmation as they flew across the battlefield.
The Republic opened fire on the Vulture droids that came their way.
“Let’s clear a path,” Tano ordered.
“Right away, sir,” Axe responded.
“Pick your targets.”
The squadron continued to fire, not letting a single droid reach their ships.
Anakin and Wullf watched the battle from the bridge, feeling hopeful but remaining cautious.
“Dropped another bogey. You are clear. You are clear.”
“Nice work, Blue Five.”
“Two new targets, closing.”
“Colonel Rhodes, Commander Tano, you may engage the enemy fleet. All ships move forward and open fire!” Yularen ordered.
“Yes, sir,” everyone responded.
The Venators pressed forwards and shot upon the Separatist cruisers as soon as they were in range. The two fleets traded blows, but the Republic clearly had the upper hand.
The Neimoidian grinned as the Republic fleet moved in.
“The Republic fleet is pulling into the trap. Now is the time to spring it. Summon the rest of our reinforcements.”
“Roger, roger.”
“Commander Tano, take your men along the left while I take men on the right,” the Avenger ordered.
“Copy that, War Machine.”
As the fighter groups broke off, the unthinkable happened. Another four Separatist cruisers emerged from hyperspace and fired upon the Venators. Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, this was unexpected,” Anakin admitted.
Yularen glanced around at the enemy ships and paled.
“We’re outnumbered and too far in. They have our right and left flanks surrounded. All fighters, protect the fleet!”
“We can’t reach you!” Rhodey exclaimed over the comms.
“The new fighters are keeping us busy! We’re being cut off!” Ahsoka shouted.
“Ahsoka, Rhodey, get you and your pilots out of there now!” Anakin ordered urgently.
“Sir, we’ve got their fighters surrounded,” a droid officer said.
“Good,” the Captain grinned, clenching a fist.
“Axe, are you still there? Come on boys, stay in formation!” Ahsoka pressed.
“I’ve got two on my tail! I can’t shake them!” Axe exclaimed.
“I can’t help you, Axe. I’ve got my own problem,” Slammer said before a few shots from a chasing fighter caused his ship to explode.
“We’re far too outnumbered! They’re breaking our lines!” Yularen began to panic as Vulture droids began to kamikaze into their ship. “Intensify deflector shields!”
“There are too many. We can’t shoot them all down!” the clone officer reported.
“Fighter squadrons, where are you?!”
“We’re coming, just hang on!” Rhodey said as he dodged multiple blasts heading for him. Republic fighters one by one began to burst into flames.
“We’re almost there–woah!” Ahsoka shouted as two of the Republic Venators took too much damage from the enemy cruisers and were destroyed.
“Too late!” Wullf yelled as a Vulture droid flew right for the Bridge.
“Run for it!” Anakin added in haste as the two sped down the room as fast as they could. The Separatist fighter crashed into the Bridge. The shields kept it intact, but the impact was still harmful for those inside.
“Admiral, come in. Admiral!” Ahsoka spoke through the comms.
“Hang on, Admiral,” Skywalker comforted his top officer as the older man writhed in pain on the floor. The alarms of the ship blared over them loudly.
“Get us out of here!” Yularen said with as much volume as he could in his weakened state.
“Get those fighters on board and prepare for lightspeed!” Anakin ordered.
What was left of the fleet turned around to retreat. As they did so one of the three remaining ships blew apart. The Defender and Resolute were the only ones left.
“All fighters return. We’re preparing for lightspeed,” the pilots heard Rex say over the comms.
“Axe, stand on it! We only have a few seconds to get on board!” Ahsoka stressed.
“Don’t worry about me, Skipper.”
“Captain, the Republic space forces are in retreat. Shall we pursue?” A droid asked the Neimoidian.
“No, do not break our formation. Let those cowards rot.”
“Ah, my power converters, they’re failing,” Axe complained.
“Hang in there, man,” Rhodey said.
“Just stay with me, Axe,” the Tano comforted, though the worried frown refused to leave her face.
The Republic fighters were almost at the Resolute. Then three Vulture droids tailed Axe and opened fire.
“Overload! Overload!” the clone exclaimed. His engine caught on fire and the fighter began to spiral. He let out a final scream before he and his ship were gone in a fiery explosion.
“Axe!” Ahsoka yelled in dismay. The remaining Republic fighters finally reached the command ship. “Close up the hangar doors. We’re home.”
And just like that they jumped to lightspeed and left the system. After a few minutes they arrived in an empty part of Space. Anakin and Rhodey stood together in the Hangar talking to a few pilots.
“Get your squad together. Give me a headcount. We need to know how many we lost today,” Anakin said before they went to do as told.
“All that intel Nat got from the Malevolence is officially outdated,” Rhodey sighed. “We got our asses handed to us.”
The two turned to see Ahsoka forlornly sitting on her fighter, her head down. Their faces fell and they walked over to her. There was a full minute of silence before any of them spoke.
“A hundred and thirty-eight,” Rhodey said, getting their attention. “A hundred and thirty-eight combat missions. That’s how many I’ve flown, kid. Any one of them could have been my last but I flew them because the fight needed to be fought. It’s the same with worlds like Ryloth under Separatist occupation. I signed on because it was the right thing to do. And yet it sucks, this is uh… there’s a bad beat. But it hasn’t changed my mind. I ain’t done.”
“We lost so many…” Ahsoka said after a bit.
“So did I.” She looked up to face him. “I was first given a command half a year ago on Muunilinst. I lost all my men when Ventress showed up. Couldn’t do anything.”
“Ventress is a Force adept. These were droids. I…”
“All that means is that I understand what you’re going through,” he comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“But I failed.”
“It was a trap, Snips. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I lost so many of my pilots.”
“Take heart, little one. That’s the reality of command.”
“Lives are gonna be lost. There’s no avoiding it,” Rhodey bowed his head.
“General, we’re approaching our staging area,” Rex informed as he walked in.
“Very good, Captain,” Skywalker said, his eyes never leaving his Padawan.
“Master Windu and Captain Rogers are requesting a report on our progress.”
“Our progress, huh? We haven’t made any progress,” Skywalker noted.
“I’ll tell them, sir.”
“No Rex. We’ll tell them ourselves.”
“As soon as our wounded are taken care of, get us a damage report,” Rhodey ordered.
“Right away, sirs,” Rex nodded and left.
“Now, Snips. I’m gonna need you to…” Anakin trailed off as he noticed that his Padawan had left, causing their faces to fall.
“Captain, what is the status of the enemy attack?” Tambor inquired of the Neimoidian officer.
“The Jedi were crushed, of course. They fled the system, their ships in flames. I assure you, Emir, our blockade is very much intact,” the Captain proclaimed.
“And what of the Avengers? Were any of them present?”
“The footage indicates that Colonel James Rhodes was among the enemy fighters. He fled as well.”
“Congratulations are in order, Captain, but do not underestimate the Jedi and Avengers. They have cost the Confederacy so much territory already. We cannot afford another loss,” the member of the Separatist Council finished and ended the transmission.
“Commander, bring me the archive data on General Skywalker and Colonel Rhodes. I need to learn more about our opponents.
“Roger, roger.”
“They caught us by surprise, Master. We were outnumbered,” Anakin explained to the holograms of Windu, Kenobi, Rogers and Romanov. Steve placed a fist over his mouth and closed his eyes.
“How many men did you lose?” Obi Wan asked.
“We lost three cruisers and four three squadrons of fighters,” War Machine answered.
“And the kid?” Natasha asked with some hesitation.
“No, uh, Ahsoka is fine. She’s just recovering from the battle. Losing her squadron was… hard to take,” Skywalker said, causing the Russian to give the smallest sigh in relief she would allow herself to display.
“Give her time, but Anakin, you are going to need her help to get through this,” Kenobi responded.
“Your forces have been cut to a third,”Windu stressed. “If you can’t break through that blockade beforethe next planetary rotation, we’ll have to postpone the invasion.”
“The Twi'leks on that planet can’t wait forever, Master. The longer the Techno Union keeps control of Ryloth, the more difficult it will be to free them.”
“We need reinforcements,” Rhodey argued.
“That’s gonna be a problem,” Cap said, finally speaking up. “We have the twins, but they’re not suited for space combat. And Sam and Vision are still wrapping things up on their own mission, and won’t be available until after we’ve landed on the surface.”
“I’m not talking about the team,” he responded, getting confused looks from the others.
“What do you mean then?” Obi Wan asked.
As War Machine began to explain, Anakin turned and whispered to Rex.
“See if you can find Ahsoka.”
Speaking of the young Padawan, Ahsoka sat in Yularen’s personal quarters, looking after the older man as the medical droid tended to him.
“He is stable for now,” the droid reported.
Ahsoka nodded as he left, leaving the two alone.
What are we going to do? What am I going to do?! I took command of those men, and I failed them.
“I’m so sorry, Admiral.” She took his hand. “They’re all gone,” she forlornly spoke and bowed her head with closed eyes, the guilt and despair enveloping her.
I can’t let it happen again. I won’t let it happen again.
The door opened behind her.
“Commander Ahsoka, General Skywalker is looking for you,” Rex said.
Ahsoka stood up left with him. After the door closed, Wollf finally woke up.
The young Togruta arrived in the hangar to see Anakin underneath her fighter. Beside him was R2. The girl ran her hand along the droid’s head, seeking comfort.
“You wanted to see me, Master?”
“Ahsoka, hand me that socket plug.”
R2 procured said tool out of his head, and she passed it to Anakin.
“Here.”
“Thanks, Snips. How are you feeling?” he questioned softly.
“Oh, I’m fine, Master, just fine,” she lied.
“Ah, that’s good to hear,” he said, returning to his work. “I’m gonna need you level headed if we're gonna pull this thing off.”
“Pull this off? Pull what off?”
“I talked to the others,” he grunted. “We are to proceed with our attack on the blockade.”
“What?!” she exclaimed. “Uh… we can’t! I–I–I–”
“Ahsoka,” Skywalker spoke firmly as he rose from under the fighter. “We have to break that blockade. The Twi’leks on Ryloth are depending on us.”
“I understand that, Master, but we’ve lost so many men. Did we get more support?”
“Yes. And no. Our reinforcements is gonna come in during the battle itself. We have to make do with the forces we have to keep the blockade busy and vulnerable. And I need to come up with a plan.”
“You don’t even have a plan?! What does Rhodey think of this?!”
“Actually, it was my idea,” the Avenger said, literally walking into the conversation. “I convinced the others to send the reinforcements. It’ll be risky, but if we can do our part well enough, it’ll work.”
“But… but we can’t just smash through that blockade!”
“Hey,” Rhodey cut in, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You're justifiably skeptical and upset. I've been through a lot of battles and suffered a lot of losses. I get it.” He looked at her face closely. “Have you gotten any rest since the battle?”
“No,” she sighed.
“Go to your quarters and get some rest. Okay?”
She nodded after a moment and walked away. Anakin sat down on the fighter and sighed, the astromech rolled up to comfort him. Then he perked up.
“Smash through that blockade,” the Jedi realized with a grin. Rhodey raised a brow in response. “The Defender.”
James chuckled after he put two and two together.
“Oh man. Tony would love you.”
“Can’t wait to meet him. The trans-galactic hyperspace ring should be ready next week, right?”
“Yeah. And since I’m kinda the least useful without my suit, I’m the one who's gonna go.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“A few weeks maybe?” he shrugged.
“Anyone else going with you?”
“Well, the Senate and Jedi Council want to establish contact with Earth, so they’re sending a few Senators and Jedi to serve as emissaries.”
“Who?” This was news to Skywalker.
“Windu said the Council is still deciding, but they’ve agreed to send Plo and Fisto at least. As for the Senators, pretty sure it’s Organa and Padme.”
“What?!” Anakin exclaimed before he could stop himself.
“You alright?” the Avenger asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Uh, yeah,” the Jedi lied. “I just wasn’t expecting Padme to go with you.”
Rhodey then shook his head with a chuckle and patted him on the shoulder.
“She’ll be safe, man. Don’t worry.”
Then he walked away, leaving Anakin frozen where he stood.
Suddenly facing an enemy fleet with fewer men wasn’t his number one problem of the day.
“Not a conventional Jedi to say the least, it would seem,” the Captain noted. “Neither is this Avenger. Commander!”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Prepare all cannons, and send all droids to their battle stations.”
“Yes, sir,” the droid marched off before halting. “Um, Captain, are we under attack?”
“No, but if Skywalker and War Machine’s records indicate anything, they’ll be back,” he wickedly grinned.
Ahsoka opened her door upon hearing the alarms blaring across the ship to see several clones running down the hall.
“Trooper, what’s going on?”
“The starship Defender is being evacuated, sir.”
“Evacuated? Why?”
“I’m not sure, Commander. We’re on our way to help General Skywalker and Colonel Rhodes in the Hangar.”
Padawan Tano marched into the Hangar to see several shuttles and fighters landing in. Anakin stood on a crate directing the movements of the arriving soldiers. Rhodey stood with Rex not too far away doing the same thing.
“All right, men, all right. This way, come on. Move it. Let’s go. No time to waste.”
“Master? I’m almost afraid to ask,” Ahsoka deadpanned.
“I ordered the Defender evacuated.”
“I can see that. Why?”
“Well, actually I got the idea from you.”
“Oh. Great,” she said, sarcasm clear in her voice.
“Don’t worry. It’s actually good,” the Avenger grinned.
“Rex, take over, will you?” Anakin stepped down and walked with Ahsoka and Rhodey. “You said we couldn’t just smash through the blockade. I decided that’s partly true. You also implied that my plans put a lot of people at risk, and I agree with you on that one.”
“That’s a first,” the teenager snarked, causing Rhodey to chuckle.
“The Defender, however, is a damaged ship that is now empty,” War Machine added. “So we’re gonna crash it right into the command ship and take out the Commander.”
“How?”
“I’m gonna pilot it myself?” her Master answered.
“What?!”
“This way, I’m the only one at risk,” he argued.
“You can’t be serious, Master. You’ll die!”
“No I won’t,” he waved off. “I’ve got too much to live for to let myself die now,” his expression changed to a serious one for a second. “That’s where you two come in.” He walked up the ramp of a shuttle. “The enemy can’t stop that ship from taking them out. R2 and I will get into an escape pod and jettison right before impact.”
“But the enemy fleet is right there!”
“I know. And I’ll be pretty much defenseless in an escape pod, so I’m depending on you to engage the remaining fleet with the combined forces we have here.”
“So, Rhodey’s taking the lead?” she questioned, turning to the pilot.
“No. You are,” the Avenger answered, causing her eyes to widen.
“What?”
“Consider this part of your training with us. You need to learn how to be a leader.”
“He’s right, Snips.”
“Master, I… uh… I can’t. If something goes wrong, I can’t be responsible for–”
“You are responsible, Ahsoka. These men are depending on you. And this time, so are we,” Skywalker said sternly.
“But Master, last time, I… Rhodey, back me up here!”
“Attention! Everyone, attention!” Rhodey called out, gaining an audience of the clones. The Padawan nearly growled upon seeing his grin.
“Alright men, listen up. I’m taking over the Defender, and I’m leaving Commander Ahsoka in charge. She’ll lead the second half of the mission when we engage what’s remaining of the blockade,” the Jedi explained.
“Try to leave some ships for us, General!” Rex grinned, punching his palm.
“Will do, Rex,” Skywalker laughed. “Now, Commander Ahsoka will fill you in on the full plan.”
“Master, wait!” she whispered.
“Good luck,” he winked at Tano.
“Master…” she tried but stopped as he entered the shuttle.
“Awaiting orders, Commander,” Rex said.
“I’ll be on the Bridge,” she said in a defeated tone. She and Rhodey walked away side by side. As soon as they were far away from the others, she whirled on him with a glare. “You were no help.”
“Hey,” he raised his hands in surrender. “Not like I could take command anyways. I’m here as a mercenary.”
The two eventually arrived at the Bridge where Rex and a clone officer were waiting for them.
“Commander and Colonel on deck!” Rex declared.
“At ease,” Ahsoka said.
“General Skywalker wishes to speak with you.”
A hologram of her master appeared.
“Alright, Ahsoka. We’re ready to get underway.”
“Master, are you sure you won’t reconsider this?”
“This is the only way. Trust me.” The transmission ended as the Defender jumped into lightspeed.
“So, Commander? What’s the plan?” Rhodey asked.
“Right.”
“Count Dooku has assured me that the Republic is stretched thin in our sector. They will be unable to mount a counterattack. Any attempt to do so would be suicide,” Wat Tambor informed.
“Still, I am certain Skywalker and Rhodes will return. Their ultimate defeat shall be my greatest victory,” the Captain boasted.
“You admire them?”
“As military leaders, yes. Their records show they are great warriors. And I want them to know it is I who has beaten them,” he grinned.
But unbeknownst to the Separatist, he had know idea that he had already lost.
“Well, I have to say this plan is questionable,” Rex admitted.
“It’s full of holes, sure. But it can work. Honestly, I’ve seen my friend Tony do dumber shit and still come out on top,” Rhodey argued.
“With their General destroyed along with their battleship, the droid Commanders will be in chaos,” Ahsoka explained.
“Only temporarily,” Rex countered. “And there’s still General Skywalker to find in all that mess.”
“I know, but–”
“In our first attack, we had five fully armed cruisers, and we failed,” the clone officer cut in.
“Colonel Rhoeds, I wish you and General Skywalker had discussed this plan with us. The odds are very much against us,” Rex said.
“When are they not?” Rhodey questioned.
“Yes, but normally we have General Skywalker to lead us in–” the officer stopped upon seeing Ahsoka’s frown and Rhodey’s glare.
“I meant no offense, Commander,” he apologized.
“None taken,” she frowned.
Speaking of General Skywalker, the Defender jumped out of Hyperspace, returning to the Ryloth system.
“Sir, an enemy ship is emerging from Hyperspace,” the droid Commander informed the Captain.
“I knew they’d return,” he grinned.
“There is an incoming transmission, sir.”
“Ah, put it through.” The Neimoidian stood up from his seat and went to the communicator on the wall behind him.
“Greeting’s, Captain. I am Anakin Skywalker, General of the Grand Army of the–”
“I know who you are, Skywalker,” the Captain interrupted.
“Well, my reputation precedes me, then. I’ve been ordered to surrender myself, the entire crew of this vessel, and my ship in exchange for safe passage of food and medical supplies to the people of Ryloth.”
“A noble gesture, Jedi” the Separatist said, cupping his chin. “And your capture would make me the envy of the Separatist fleet. But tell me, where is Colonel Rhodes? I know he fought by your side in our previous battle.”
“Colonel Rhodes will not be involved in this. He is classified as a mercenary, and is not subject to such arrangement with the Grand Army of the Republic.”
“Very well. I shall be satisfied with your surrender.”
“Sir, even if Skywalker is successful and destroys the battleship, how will we stand up to the combined firepower of the remaining frigates?” the officer asked.
“I thought about that, and well, I have an idea,” the Padawan began.
“Go ahead, Commander,” Rex said.
“We’re here to listen,” Rhodey smiled.
“If we took the Resolute and angled her hull against the incoming frigates, the Bridge and Hangar deck would be relatively safe from their attack,” she explained as the hologram of the battlefield displayed her plan. “We could draw them in and then use the bombers to outflank them. The bombers would be too fast, and they would be trapped.”
“And then our reinforcements could tear apart what’s left,” Rhodey nodded.
“Hmm,” Rex went.
“I’m not sure about this, Commander,” the officer said.
“I… I think–”
“If we were certain the shields would hold…” Rex said.
“Perhaps a different strategy. We need to take more time and plan,” the officer suggested. Rhoedt was about to tell the clone to deal with it when Ahsoka did it for him.
“No!” the Padawan raised her voice, something in her finally snapping. “We don’t have any more time! Master Skywalker needs me now! He needs us now.”
Rhodey inwardly smiled at the girl. She’s finally taking charge. Good.
“The Commander is right.” Everyone turned to see Admiral Yularen enter the Bridge with a bandage around his head. Not that it hampered his presence, mind you. The way he carried himself was just as confident and imposing as ever. “I know this strategy is very bold. But these circumstances call for drastic measures.”
“Then the strategy will work, sir?” the clone officer asked.
“Well, will it?” Yularen faced Ahsoka.
“Yes. It will,” the Padawan nodded.
“We have completed the scan of the enemy ship,” the droid informed the Captain.
“And?”
“The ship is heavily damaged. All power is diverted to the forward shields. There is only one lifeform on board.”
“What?!” the Neimoidian whirled on the droid.
“The ship is heavily damaged. All power is diver-”
“No, you insolent scrapheap! Skywalker, what treachery is this?! You have nothing to bargain with!”
“In that case, I’ll be going,” the Jedi chuckled. “Oh, you can still have my ship.”
The Captain looked out the window to see the Defender was still moving in their direction.
“Uh, sir, there’s a second Republic ship entering the system.”
The Captain’s face fell, fear sweeping into his heart. The Defender soon sped up and headed straight for the Lukerhulk.
“All cannons, fire! Fire!”
Anakin and R2 grinned, well, the droid would if he could, as their escape pod left the soon to be destroyed Republic ship. The Jedi and droid sat back and watched the show.
“We can’t stop it! What should we do?!” the commander asked.
“You stay here. I’ll be back,” he lied as he went to find his own escape pod.
“Oh, that’s great,” the droid sassed.
The Defender crashed into the side of the half ring around the ship before meeting its mark and colliding with the central orb. Explosions emerged from within and spread all around, blowing the entire Separatist vessel to bits.
“See! I told you it would work,” Anakin smirked as his old friend made a shrugging motion.
“Skyguy, we’re approaching your position. Stand by for retrieval.”
“Right on time, Ahsoka.”
The Venator angled it’s bottom side to face the enemy fleet, and after a few moments of trying to figure out who was now in charge, the droids opened fire on the Republic ship.
“Droids are attacking, sir,” the officer reported.
“Commander, on your order, commence flanking maneuver,” Yularen spoke into the comms.
“Okay boys, here we go. Follow my lead,” Ahsoka ordered.
“You heard her. Let’s pile drive these clankers,” Rhodey grinned, causing the pilots to cheer.
The Y-Wings flew from around the Resolute and right over the Separatist frigates. They unleashed their proton torpedoes and littered the ships with explosions.
“We’ve been outflanked!”
Affirmative! Ah!” one of the droid Commanders reported to the others right before his ship went down. His hologram disappeared, causing the others to exchange worried glances.
“That a girl, Ahsoka,” Anakin smiled as he watched the Separatist fleet lose ship after ship.
“Where is the Captain? What is going on?” Wat Tambor questioned one of the droid Commanders.
“He’s in an escape pod.”
“Idiots! The blockade has been broken!”
“Not quite, sir. We still have four ships that are perfectly intact and-”
Suddenly, three Accalamators jumped out of Hyperspace.
“All ships, open fire, now!” Windu ordered.
The Accalamators let loose everything they had. They fired on the remaining ships with lasers, missiles, and proton torpedoes. It was only a few moments before their shields started to wear down and damage was done.
“Ah, where are those escape pods?” the Commander screamed as the ship began to tilt.
“You seriously were not using these things for much combat before this?” Widow asked the two Jedi on the Bridge with her.
“Perhaps it is time we reevaluate our military structure,” Mace suggested.
Steve looked out the window to the ship they’d just fired on blowing up.
“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.”
“Ahsoka, Rhodey, this is Obi Wan. May we begin our landing?” Kenobi asked into the comms.
“Yes, Master. You’re cleared for ground assault,” the Padawan answered.
“I won’t even ask where the rest of Anakin’s fleet is. Or why he’s in an escape pod.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Hey, Rhodey? What did he do?” Romanov smirked.
“He evacuated his damaged ship and used it as a kamikaze,” War Machine answered simply, causing the Jedi to groan or sigh, and the Avengers to laugh.
“Yeah, that sounds like Anakin,” Steve chuckled.
A shuttle flew out of the Resolute and headed right for Skywalker’s escape pod.
“General, you still there?” Rex asked over the comms.
“Yep, I’m just sitting here, watching the show,” he grinned.
The shuttle magnetically attached to the pod and carried the Jedi and his droid back to the command ship. It wasn’t an easy road, far from it, but in the end, the people of Ryloth would have a chance to be free again.
Earth
It was absolute mayhem in the Avengers compound. No, this was not because of an attack. Nor a new threat. Honestly, it couldn’t even be labeled as actually dangerous. But it sure was as frustrating as it was fun.
The Avengers were having a prank war.
Scott walked into the kitchen and pulled out the standard ingredients for a sandwich. Bread, cheese, ham, tomatoes and lettuce. Then he saw a bottle of ketchup and shrugged. He took the bottle and squirted a lot on his sandwich.
This turned out to be a terrible mistake when he took a bite and his tongue felt like it was on fire.
“Oh my god!” he exclaimed and spat the food out into the sink. “Who put hot sauce in the ketchup?!”
His own girlfriend came down the hall and started laughing.
Elsewhere, Tony and Clint were chuckling down the hall with a can of paint.
“Alright, here’s a map of the ventilation system. And here is the kid’s room,” Tony said, trying to contain his laughter.
“See you in five minutes,” Hawkeye smirked before climbing into a vent. After a little bit of time crawling around, he found himself overlooking the teenager who was reading on his bed. Clint carefully removed the lids off the vent and paint can. They with a maniacal grin, he dumped the paint on Peter, covering him from head to toe.
“What the fuck, man?!”
“Hey, not my fault that it was so easy,” Barton laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to have this tingle thing?”
“I have the tingle thing, just not for paint.” Parker looked down at himself and groaned loudly. “Why is it orange?!”
After a very long shower, Peter and Carol giggled as they walked through the crawl space of the building until they found the pipes.
“Okay, these should connect to all the showers?” Peter said.
“Which one is Barton’s?”
“That one,” Spider-Man pointed.
She placed her hand on the pipe, and it started to glow, emitting heat. After a moment they heard a yelp from the other side of the walls, causing them both to laugh.
“Payback feels sweet, doesn’t it?” Carol laughed.
“Oh, absolutely,” Peter laughed as well. “But we’re not done yet. We still have to get Mr. Stark. I think it’s this pipe here.”
Danvers did the same thing as before to that pipe. But instead of hearing Tony’s yelp from the other end, they heard an angry shout. A very familiar angry shout that made their blood go cold.
“You said this was the right pipe!” Captain Marvel whispered.
“I thought we were facing West! Mr. Stark’s room is on the West side of the building!” he responded in the same way.
Suddenly, a metal arm punched through the wall.
“Danvers! Parker! I will get you for this!”
“Run,” Carol said, clearly terrified.
“Aren’t you invincible?”
“Run!”