Mission 20: For the Republic!

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\\ Accessed: Commander Redwing’s Files //

 

// LOG 63.27: Rho Cortack IV - Last Recording \\

 

My squad and I had narrowly escaped the behemoth of droid by simply running from the B3. We were able to demobilize the droid with a combination of well timed teamwork and some extra boom. Wedging a thermal detonator inside it’s left leg we stopped it from chasing us and left it laying there in the corridor, immobilized but alive.

 

After that we decide to keep going deeper, in sesrch of our real objective, the trandoshan’s supposed leader, Sask. We were told he was a petty scientist, most likely hiding away in his lab.

 

“CRZZCH...crzzch...”

 

The static of blocked comms penetrated all our helmets. Stopping to adjust a sensor on my comms helmet I was able to get a clearer signal.

 

“Redwing and company, return to the— CRRZCH... come back up. We need support, droids have reinforc—CRRZCH. The scientist is gone, he was replaced, CRZZCH three jedi dead. Return at once—“

 

The static of the comms fizzled out and left us to our own devices, each clone turned to face me. Using their posture and probably expressions under those helmets to ask me what to do next. I didn’t know at that moment, we had to return, Jester’s orders. But 3 jedi dead? Someone had to pay for that.

 

“CT-9856 and CT-7723 you’re with me, the rest of you had back to command for a status report. Relay as much data as you can to me. I want to know what’s going on out there.”

 

“If you’re not going to command, what are you doing?” Titan asked me, with a hint of weariness in his voice.

 

“I’m going to find out what killed those jedi.”

 

“Yessir” Titan snapped back and signaled for his troops to follow him. Turning and leaving the small dark corridor they were in.

 

The two clones I had selected walk forward from the retreating group cautiously and somewhat weary of my presence. They were disturbed and frightened by my choice to use them to search these wretched halls.

 

Before Titan left the corridor, I could see him speaking to a clone that had just entered the far end, Captain Pharaoh took iff his helmet along with the rest of the clones in that area and looked in my direction.

 

“Pirunir sur’haaise, tal’galar vod.” Mando’a for ‘Make their eyes water, spill blood my brother.’ Titan and Pharaoh recited in unison. Placing their helmets back on and saluting myself and the two clones.

 

“Vode’ an brothers”

 

We turned in unison, heading towards both our undecided dooms. One of us most likely meeting ours sooner.

 

We solemnly trudged through the inner workings of labs, mechanical bays, a few mine shafts before finding a more active part of the facility. Lights were fully functioning as well as doors that didn’t need slicing. An aura of dread settled over me, this was the place.

 

As we stepped through a final set of blast doors we were greeted by a massive sprawling courtyard of sorts. Barren of the normal greens and bright colors in regal courtyards, replaced by the glow and hidden beauty of dark translucent fungi. Coating the walls and the floor in an iridescent blue glow. Accompanied by draping clothes and capes. Crisscrossing across the large room. The colors were reminiscent of a street market or a backwater main drag. It was genuinely beautiful.

 

But in all this beauty there was still violence and death, abominations and horrors. Clones and jedi alike strewn across the floor, surrounded by blood and refuse. These were the jedi Jester had spoke of, but it was more than three, at least a half dozen jedi lay motionless in the courtyard. Settled between rock and plant, coated in blood and death.

 

Across the grand room was a throne, that slowly swiveled to reveal a massive, disgusting mass of gears, metal and flesh. A horror of a creature, brandishing his large claws, sharpening them with a small blade, scraping away caked blood and guts.

 

“Mhmmm, more clonessss, kill them.” The large beast’s mouth opened to reveal a ling tongue and rows of teeth, the order barely caught my attention as I was focused on the visuals of the new threat.

 

Two guards awoke from behind us, shooting one of my troopers while the other had an unreadied blaster. Turning from the behemoth I threw one of my knifes directly into the lizard’s scaly neck. While the second guard was peppered in lazer bolts by the other clone.

 

As we turned back towards the larger, disfigured trandoshan, we readied our selves. Just in time for a spear to come flying towards us, impaling CT-7723 and sending him flying back into another pile of clone bodies.

 

The large half lizard half droid rose from his throne. I drew my vibronato and readied myself. Tossing my cumbersome helmet to the floor.

 

“For Tal’akaata, blood must be spilled.” I murmured.

 

The lizard seemed ready to lecture me, as if he hadn’t deterred me enough of his company. I charged towards the beast, lunging forward with my blade and slashing the fleshy, writhing muscles of it’s leg. The lizard easily brushed my aside and threw me against the side of the room. Crashing into a shelf of weapons.

 

A blaster rifle clattered to the floor before me, picking it up, I aimed between the lizards large yellow eyes. One fully white and glazed over, most likely a failed part of his transformation.

 

“Who are you!?” I yelled at the lizard, seeking to catch my breath and waste time.

 

“I am a sssscientist, an inventor, a thinker. I am the Republic’ssss worst enemy, it’sss downfall, it’sss doom! Call me sssSask, because now I’m an unstoppable force, with the body of demon, intellect of a god and the killer instinctssss of a trandoshan, I am your Republic’ssss worst enemy.” The creature’s single eye expanded, showing how crazed he was, licking and smacking his massive jaws together, preparing for either myself or his future rampage.

 

“You on the other hand clone, you are nothing. Worthlessss trash, thrown together by the Kaminoansss to collect a profit. They don’t care who wins this war, as long as you cost creditssss, they’re in businessSss.”

 

“You know nothing lizard! The jedi value us, without us there would be no one to protect the republic.”

 

“Oh you sSsilly clone, the jedi think the sssame. Using you as weaponssss, as toolsSs, who are you clone? If not another tool for the jedi?

 

My trigger squeezed tighter on the trigger and released a volley of shots toward the lizards head, but before they found skin, a metal plate greeted them instead. The plasma diffusing just as it had on the B3.

 

As the trandoshan came closer, I could do nothing but freeze. Frozen by the pure horror the being projected, scared to move, the lizard clutched my torso, lifting me into the air.

 

As he pressed his claws into my face, puncturing my scars, he screamed out in another tormenting volley of questions.

 

“You are nothing clone! Who are you? Who do you fight for for!?”

 

As his claws dug deeper into my face I grabbed one of my vibroknifes and stabbed it into the fleshy, writhing muscles of his exposed arm. Releasing the claws tension enough that I could fall to the ground. Backing up I found my vibrojato, picking up the blade I brandished it, wiping it through my kama.

 

“I fight for Democracy, for my brothers....

 

FOR THE REPUBLIC!!!”

 

The blade left my hand and flew towards the beast’s glazed, white eye. Lodging itself deep within that murky white, which was replaced by a deep dark red. The lizard buckled and his knees fell to the floor. Careening towards my lifeless body, it crushed me and sent the blade deeper into whatever brain was left in that beast. The noise and chaos settled in the courtyard, leaving only a pile, a clone and a mutated trandoshan in it’s wake.

Done