!"Jaeger sat in the captain's chair in the Imperial Bane, watching as the B1 droids that piloted his ship prepped to launch, the hangar doors wide open so they could rise once everything was prepped. The doors to the bridge slid open, causing Jaeger to look back, and what he saw would have brought a smile to his face if he still had a mouth. Three figures walked in, two of the commando droids, and Lucia wearing the Red Death armor. It suited her, almost like it was designed for her. The storm trooper walked up and stood next to Jaeger, her arms clasped behind her back.
"Sir, the Red Commandos are all aboard and ready for tasking. Also the prisoners have been separated into two cells. The Inquisitor was overly aggressive." Jaeger nodded, turning away and looking forward, leaning in his seat.
"As to be expected with a person trained to hunt down traitors, Jedi or not." Jaeger commented, tapping his claws against one of the arms of his chair. A tactical droid walked up to Jaeger and Lucia. This droid's body was painted red and tan, the colors of Jaeger's ship. It was also what many of the newer droids were marked as, signifying that they were not CIS, but rather this new fledgling faction.
"Sir, I have just hacked into the buoy orbiting near Tatooine and apparently there is a battle in orbit." The droid spoke, its feminine voice very different compared to the droids of old, based off of Grievous' recollection.
"Between who, droid?" Jaeger asked, leaning forward now. The B1 droids were turned as well, shouting that the ship was prepared in their annoying high pitched voices. Jaeger's eyes shifted and Grievous lunged forward, causing some of them to jump. "Then launch already, can't you poor excuses of material see I am busy?" The droids, panicking at the return of their feared leader, turned back around, and the vessel began to rise from the hangar and out towards the surface. The tactical droid continued as Grievous' yellow eyes slowly returned to Jaeger's green.
"It appears that a Rebel incursion who had modified a civilian transport and an Imperial patrol fleet." The droid said, raising its hand. The hand produced a holographic image, with the planet of Tatooine and three vessels. Two were obviously Imperial Star Destroyer, and one was not obvious, but it was shaped like a VCX-350 light freighter. How it was even putting up a fight was beyond Jaeger.
"Make the jump once we break orbit. Let's show support to these rebels." Jaeger ordered, the tactical droid nodding in confirmation, stepping away and relaying the orders just given to it. Jaeger looked towards Lucia, who was firmly standing next to him. "Prepare the Commandos if we need to commence boarding. We may need to steal information from one of the vessels." Lucia nodded, beginning to walk away. Before she could get far, Jaeger grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She jumped slightly as the claw wrapped around her arm, and she looked back to see Jaeger looking up to her. "You'll be breaching through the hull." She didn't quite understand, but nodded, walking away.
As Lucia left the bridge, the two Commando droids that accompanied her followed. One stepped up to her side and placed its metallic hand on Lucia's shoulder. "The helmet has been outfitted with a rebreather and can withstand the vacuum. Obviously we'll be fine." The Commando informed, getting a nod from the other droid. Lucia nodded as well, focused on the mission coming up.
"Making the jump to light speed in 3..." The tactical droid's voice filled the bridge, drowning out the chatter of the B1 battle droids. "2..." Jaeger focused as the vessel ascended and the blue sky slowly turned black. "1."
The ship jolted and entered light speed, covering the bridge viewport with the streaks of passing lights. Jaeger leaned forward, weaving his claws together while waiting for the drop out of lightspeed.
The Imperial Bane dropped out of Lightspeed, jolting to a slower speed as it entered the Tatooine system The battle was clear ahead of them, two Imperial Star Destroyer in a battle with a rather large freighter, as if they had fused multiple ships together.
"Sir, the Star Destroyers have began to alter course. They are going to target us soon." The tactical droid said, turning its head to face Jaeger.
"Give them a full bombardment of the Heavy Turbolasers. Show them that we are not to be taken lightly." Jaeger ordered, getting a nod from the tactical droid. He stood up and moved to the viewport, watching as the ship turned and the starboard turrets released a volley of laser on the Imperials. The hulls of the vessels were struck, debris flying away from the ships and into the void. "Excellent, now approach and keep hitting them. Try and make contact with those rebels. Perhaps we can come to an accord." Jaeger said, turning from the battle and walking to the holotable.
"Sir, they are deploying TIE fighters. Shall I sortie Vultures?" The droid asked, getting a nod from Jaeger. The droid send the order out and the hangar doors began to open.
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Lucia watched as the doors slid open above her and multiple Vulture Droids began to crawl out of their respective hangars and launching. The ten Red Commandos at her side were in formation, focused on her. She turned and focused on the droids, mentally preparing for the upcoming mission. "Alright, Commandos, we're going to board one of those Star Destroyers. They must be holding some intel that could help General Jaeger in his quest to bring down the Empire. We'll be breaching from vacuum, so prepare your magnetic locks." She stated, getting a nod from each droid.
An HMP gunship began to hover towards the group, its missile rack replaced with restraints. As the vehicle hovered over the commandos, they reached out and were secured along the gunship, compacting into small portable box shapes. Lucia saw the outlier that was meant for her, a large cushioned restraint. She reached up, grabbing the handle bars that the ship offered. It then pulled her up, securing her E-11D next to her. The ship restraints rapped around her, and held her snuggly against the ship. The HMP then began beeping as if it was speaking. Lucia couldn't understand, but her confusion was relieved when one of the commandos spoke to her.
"Ma'am, please activate the seal on your helmet." Lucia felt around her new armor, trying to find something to press. Finally, she felt a small switch on the underside of her helmet, flicking it. Her armor felt tighter than before, yet she was breathing normally. She watched as the HMP left the hangar barrier and entered the vacuum, the only signal of change being that sound almost vanished.
The gunship launched, flying out and towards the Star Destroyer, getting escorted by a wing of Vulture droids. Lucia couldn't help but watch as the stars came into view, amazed that this was happening. The only thing she could hear was her own breathing, and she saw one of the Vulture droids fly into view, it's head nodding at her, as if to say something.
"Ma'am, the Vulture droids are going to take out the laser cannons near our landing zone. Please stand by." The commando translated, and Lucia turned away from the vast expanse and towards the Star Destroyer they were approaching. She watched as the Vulture droids made a run along the base of the bridge tower, debris flung into space as the hull was damaged. The HMP flew in, avoiding laser turret fire as it approached. She watched as the black was replaced with grey, and the grey growing closer as they approached the hull.
She activated the mag locks on the soles of her boots, and the commandos unfolded, blasters in hand. She was turned into a standing position, and the eleven of them were placed on the hull. The HMP flew away, and retreated from the battle. "He said he'll come back once we signal him." Lucia nodded, not turning to look at the commando droid who has been translating for her, moving towards the hull breach the Vulture droids made.
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A holographic image of a Trandoshan hovered over the table, looking down at General Jaeger. Jaeger's eyes focused on the reptilian alien, seeing that one of his arms were missing, He also had a bandage wrapped around his head, covering one of his eyes. "A Republic vessel deploying Separatist forces. What trick are you playing, droid?"
Grievous forced out a chuckle before Jaeger took control once more, clearing his throat. "You are mistaken, hunter. I am General Jaeger, and I've come with a proposition." The hologram flickered as the Trandoshan lost balance, an indicator that his make-shift battleship took damage. "I am going to lead an uprising against the Empire and am looking for allies. I would like you and your ship to be the first of many."
The alien regained his balance and looked to the side, contemplating his options. After his vessel took another hit, he quickly faced Jaeger. "Speak to me after the battle!" The hologram cut out and Jaeger let out a chuckle of his own.
The red cyborg turned suddenly, raising his right claw and making a fist. "Focus fire on the nearest Star Destroyer!" Grievous shouted, walking up to the view point to watch the battle unfold. He wrapped his hands around his back and hunched over, staring out at the current battle.
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Lucia approached the hull breach, her ten commandos still close behind when she saw the flashes of laser fire coming from the Imperial Bane. Turning her head, she saw the bolts bombard the other Imperial Star Destroyer, pieces scattering around as the armor was destroyed. She looked back to her droids, and all of their heads nodded in agreement: They needed to move before their destroyer was scrapped next.
The eleven rushed as fast as they could to the breach. The rupture was large enough for them to fit in, so they just walked past the floating bodies that were unlucky enough to be in the rooms when they lost pressure and walked towards one of the sealed blast doors. She realized her security tubes were on her old armor, but one of the droids came up from behind, tapping her shoulder. "I can breach the door ma'am, but prepare for a fight." Lucia nodded, ordering the droid to unlock the door. The rest of them raised their blasters, ready to light up what ever was on the other side of the blast door. Lucia knew that there would be a Storm Trooper attachment on board, and they would likely try and intercept them as they breached.
Sure enough, as the Blast door slowly opened, Lucia could see the white armor of Storm Troopers waiting to open fire. There was also a field that protected them from the vacuum, also protecting them from any blaster fire. She took aim at one of the trooper's blaster barrels and shot at it with her E11-D, hitting the field a few times before striking the barrel. The droids did the same, and while there was a small fire fight, the trooper's blasters were damaged beyond use.
The door opened and the eleven stormed in, sealing the blast door behind them. Lucia was glad to be able to hear properly, and deactivated the suits seal. She took a deep breath in and appreciated smelling something other than her own scent. Sighing, she raised her blaster and pushed on, the ten droids following closely. "The bridge should be where any important intel is stored. Let's get there before they try and delete any files." She ordered, running through the halls. The droids nodded, their lout metal feet echoing through the corridors.
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Grievous chuckled as the Star Destroyer began to break apart under the Imperial Bane's bombardment, the vessel separating into two parts, lights flickering all across the hull. "This brings back memories of Republic vessels falling to my hand!" Grievous shouted, his claws grabbing the command console lining the viewport, crushing some of the input stations. The tactical droid walked up from behind him, keeping a good distance away as it knew Grievous' reputation.
"Sir, there are two more Star Destroyers approaching from somewhere in the system, but according to the buoy, no distress signal has been sent out. Our scrambler has been able to keep the system silent to their sensors." Grievous turned to face the droid, his eyes the only indication that he was pleased.
"Excellent work, droid. Continue the assault, and then unleash my wrath upon..." Grievous stopped speaking, stammering as he coughed. The droid stepped back as he did so, watching as the General fell to the floor, grabbing his head. The tactical droid simply watched as the droid general struggled with himself before the writhing stopped. The general stood up straight, and he now had a calm demeanor.
"Make sure to attack that second destroyer after our troops disembark. Unless we can turn the crew. And contact Kha to send out salvage crews." Jaeger ordered, getting a nod from the tactical droid. Jaeger slowly walked towards the chair, twitching slightly as he tried to contain the imposter in his mind.
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Lucia had taken down at least seven Storm troopers as she lead the way through the ship, heading for the main lift. In total, the unit had taken out a total of fifty troopers. The bridge had been sending squad after squad to try and stop us to no avail. The siren was blaring throughout the destroyer, and an officer was frantically shouting orders through the comm.
Lucia turned a corner, spotting the turbo lift station. A squad of Storm Troopers were waiting for a lift, but some had turned around when they heard the clanks of the droids approaching. The other soldiers in the squad soon turned and opened fire.
Lucia was glad that her new armor was more durable than her old armor, and she was amazed at the resilience of the Commando droids. She watched one take three bolts to its chest, but the form merely reeled back, its "spine" contorting in a mechanical way, before the droid corrected its posture and took a few shots against the troopers.
The Storm troopers fell easily to the commandos, and the lift door opened just on time. Since all of them couldn't fit in one, Lucia and four of the droids piled in and entered the lift, heading for the bridge. The other six droids opened up another lift shaft and began climbing up towards the bridge.
"Ma'am." Lucia turned as the droid she put as her second in command spoke once again. "General Jaeger has ordered us to try and commandeer the vessel." Lucia tilted her head, then sighed, returning to face the lift doors. Securing intel was much more simple. Who knew if they could even convince the crew to defect. She shrugged, collecting herself as she felt the lift slow down to a halt. The doors slid open, and she saw a hall filled with black armor. The heads turned and she shuddered, seeing the neon green staring back at her.
Death Troopers.
The commando droids slithered past her shocked body and opened fire on the elite troopers. The soldiers quickly ran for cover, and a fire fight broke out. Lucia, having been knocked out of her stupor by a laser bouncing off her chest and knocking her back, ran to cover, panting hard. She was now realizing the gravity of her newfound allegiance. She would have to fight not only common Imperial soldiers and Storm Troopers, but also all of the mythical and terrifying groups that the Empire had up its sleeves.
"No need to fear, Ma'am." A Commando droid replied, this one having the voice of an older man. Lucia turned to see the droid that addressed her was crawling out of the lift shaft, having used a vibroblade to pry the doors open. "We were the Red Death, and no mere Death Trooper will top our reputation!" The other droids raised their fists, slowly marching forwards towards the sealed bridge blast doors. The Death Troopers that had been fighting were now showing signs of panic, looking to one another as they fell one by one.
Eventually the Death Troopers fell, having been bested by the reborn Red Death. One of the troopers, bleeding out, tried crawling to the command console, but Lucia shot at his arm, ending his struggle. She walked up to the blast door and looked to her commandos, two having pulled out a set of explosives. "Plant them and let's get this over with."
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The bridge was in chaos. The captain of the vessel had ordered multiple times to send out an S.O.S., and every time the officer replied that it had been a failure. His vessel, a magnificent Star Destroyer in the Imperial navy was getting destroyed by antique Vulture droids and a scrapper's nightmare amalgamation. He would have preferred to try and fight that massive Venator looking Destroyer like his ally. It would have been a more honorable death to be destroyed by such a beautiful ship. He had given up on giving orders and was simply staring out in space.
His concentration was broken when the blast doors blew up, and blaster fire filled the bridge. He turned and watched as some of his officers who tried to fight back, only to be riddled with holes. Knowing that it was futile to resist, he shouted his final command. If he was released, the Empire would have his head. If he was kept prisoner, he was sure he'd be tortured to death. "Stand down now!" As his voice filled the bridge, the fighting almost stopped immediately. His still breathing officers looked to him, shocked that their captain had ordered such a thing. "Stand down. No need to throw your lives away."
The officers looking back at the soldiers that had breached through, realized that their captain was correct, dropping their weapons and raising their hands. A red trooper walked up to the captain, who was waiting for the woman to open fire on him. She instead grabbed his chest and pulled off his cylinders, pushing him to the side and moving to a console. "Ma'am?" One of the droids spoke, its feminine voice throwing the captain off guard. Those droids only had low monotone voices, what was this attractive voice he was hearing.
The red trooper looked back and focused on the captain. "Order your ship to submit to us, or I'll cut the life support." The captain, seeing an opportunity to save his crew, nodded, walking towards the console.
"I will require one of my cylinders." He said calmly. The trooper, hearing the defeat in his voice, gave him one. He took it and inserted it, activating the comm system. "This is your captain speaking. Stand down. This battle is decided."
Lucia smiled, feeling some form of accomplishment. The captain removed his cylinder and handed it back, allowing Lucia to continue shifting through files. "Ma'am?" The same droid asked, getting the other officers to look at it once more in confusion.
"Tie them up. We'll see what Jaeger decides. Speaking of him." Lucia nodded, and the droid returned the nod, relaying the message to the tactical droid. Lucia turned to look at the Imperial Bane, seeing a swarm of dropships leaving its hangar and approaching the destroyer. She also watched as the jerry-rigged freighter approached Jaegers ship, leaving a trail of debris in its wake.
"That ship is beautiful." The captain said, disrupting Lucia's train of thought. She looked back at the Imperial Bane and nodded, agreeing with the old man.
"That ship is the flagship of a new galactic order." She replied, a hint of pride in her voice.