Chap. 85 - Enemy of my Enemy

Then, the colossal being charged at the imperials. An imposing mountain of pure muscle and pure brutality. In his eyes was a chilling trace of hatred and resentment, one that even the bravest feared to face.

As soon as the Lasat released the head of his first victim, his hands rummaged under his own cloak, revealing a peculiar rifle that none of those present had ever seen. One that, with just two shots, pierced the black armor of one of the purge soldiers with little effort,friendo your heart instantly.

Like a chance of the Force, the purge soldiers were now carryingelectrovaras those who had the disadvantage. When entering the caves to hunt their prey, they did not have the protection of their comrades, being unable to penetrate the bottleneck that the commando droids and this unexpected reinforcement maintained.

Bly had no idea who it was, but this was not the time to ask questions. As soon as the clone saw that his life was not in danger, he stood up, holding his rifle to shoot the enemies behind the impenetrable defense of the droids and the lasat. Of course, not before finishing off the purge soldier who just two seconds ago was about to end his life. Since, unlike in the movies, a well-trained soldier would never leave an enemy alive behind him that can recover andattack them unprepared.

The fury with which this lasat fought was impressive... chilling. More typical of a wild beast and not a conscious being. Still, within all that maelstrom of violence, the lasat seemed to be enjoying such a massacre.

One by one, the purge soldiers withelectrovaras They were eliminated, which gave the defenders a slight respite, but outside the cracks there were still several dozen Imperials with rifles, who were already outnumbering both the marksmen and Sev and Kurt.

From a distance, Inquisitor Howlhell could do nothing but laugh, while a simple Purge soldier stood by his side. Surely the unit sergeant, who could do nothing but watch as his men fell before the ferocity and skill of their enemies.

The sergeant was aware that the purge clones meant nothing to the inquisitor. Mere expendable tools that if they were to die this is how it would have to be. But he was so subjected to the chip that was implanted in his brain that he was unable to do anything about it.

Sergeant: - Should we call for reinforcements? -

Howlhell: - Pathetic. They are incapable of defeating such a mediocre handful of insurgents. -

Sergeant: - Apparently these... insurgents... are more skilled than expected. -

Howlhell: - I don't want justifications, sergeant. Wannaresul... -

Before he could even finish his sentence, the inquisitor turned his head upward, as if he were prey to a supernatural instinct. The purge soldier was frightened by such a sudden reaction from his superior, raising his gaze only to see the Imperial Destroyer in orbit, without understanding what was happening. and much stranger, was seeing how Howlhell grabbedthe communicator and held it in his hand for two seconds doing nothing but waiting. He knew...

Suddenly, the light and sound barrier were broken. Space-time broke before their eyes, and two imposing capital ships appeared that Howlhell quickly identified as hostile. His face, more than astonishment, showed anger, rage. Asking one thing: How? Then, the communicator rang.

Officer: - Inquisitor. Two hostile ships have... -

Howlhell:- Kill them! Kill them all! -

Without giving his subordinate any time to give him a response, Howlhell destroyed the communication device as rage took over his body. I could no longer wait for an outcome. He had to act on his own. The inquisitor took his weapon in his hand and marched straight into battle, to finish off those insurgent bastards with his own hands.

Meanwhile, on the orbit ofOrdinary, two imposing battleships now wage an all-out battle against one of the most powerful warships to ever hit the galaxy. With its imposing laser cannons, the Star Destroyer unleashed all its fury on the battleship Kandosii, whose shield was subjected to relentless brutality, testing the skill of the Star Destroyer's engineers.Gwori.

Swarms of TIE fighters lashed out furiously, only able to be contained by resistance pilots in combination with Typhoon, Spear, or the few dozen Vulture droids that were operational. And at the head of all that maelstrom of destruction was Mirana, leading the forces from her Trident ship. Still, a reckless ship was ready to descend into orbit.

Doom: - General. Are you sure you don't want to take more reinforcements with you? - He was speaking from the command post of the battleship Kandosii towards the Kestrel Nova.

Icarus: - Affirmative. All available units must be ready for the assault. He is in charge of operations in the orbit of Lasan. -

Doom: - Royer, royer. -

As soon as the call ended, the Kestrel Nova could be seen leaving the hangars of the frigate Munificent, heading directly towards the surface ofOrdinary. Icarus had been able to contact Bly now that communications had been restored, and the news was not good at all.

Inside the Kestrel Nova was a small detachment ofsuperdroides. Waiting was Tífany, the Rodian doctor who had to take care of Wag Too's condition as soon asthey will arrive to the surface. Commander Bly was not able to describe the Lurmen's condition, other than that he remained unconscious but was still breathing. And piloting the ship itself was the now captainHelgait, which had been required for this very dangerous mission. In addition to two surprises that remained deactivated for the moment.

Doom: - Unit TR-1. Status report. - He called the tactical droid, which was in charge of the Munificent frigate.

TR-1: - Stable shields. Ninety-eight percent hull integrity. -

Doom: - Noticed. Maximum power to the front shields and engines. -

TR-1: - Royer, royer. -

Doom: - Captain Li Mu. Report. -

Li Mu: - Assault units ready. -

Doom: - Noticed. You already heard the general's orders. Board the battleship and capture it. -

Oblivious to the conflict raging behind it, the Kestrel Nova passed through the layers of Lasan's atmosphere like a ball of fire. Helgait pushed the ship to its limit, knowing that it would be able to resist such forces, since time was a resource that they did not have at their disposal. But within a few seconds, they managed to break through the atmosphere and the fire dissipated instantly, allowing the crew to see the battlefield on the desert surface of the planet.

Helgait: - Enemy ships are approaching! -

Imperial shuttles may notwere ships specialized in combat, but four of them could easily engage a ship using their pair of twin bow cannons. Those ships that transported the platoon of Purge Soldiers had taken flight on orders from the inquisitor himself to shoot down any attempt at reinforcements.

Icarus: - Bring us as close as you can. -

Helgait:- Understood... But it won't be an easy task. -

Despite the oncoming fire, the Kestrel Nova plunged into free fall across the surface, leaving the shuttles straggling behind it. The ship's cannons were controlled by B1 droids, so their accuracy would be much more limited.

With a temper of steel, Helgait kept the ship flying just a few meters from the sand dunes, while behind him he could feel the heat generated by the shots of the imperial shuttles. The shields were receiving a good dose of strength, and nowould resist much if they continued that way. Fortunately, they were already close to the designated position.

Icarus: - Now! -

At the general's order, the Kestrel Nova's hatches opened, while a horde of droids emanated from inside like a swarm of insects. Fighting their first battle since the fall of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, were the B2-RP droids, a variant of thesuperdroides equipped with thrusters, although with slightly less armor than the base units.

The droids fell on the purge troopers like birds of prey. Equivalent in armor and weaponry, droids and clones saw war again after five years of apparent tranquility. The purge soldiers now had to fire into the skies to defend themselves from the two dozen droids that were bearing down on them like a hammer on an anvil, while still taking fire from those defending themselves from the crevices of the rock.

Now with the tides of battle in their favor, those who were defending themselves with every iota of their being from certain death had some time to regroup. If they wanted to escape, that was the right time.

Fixer: - May I be struck by lightning. I never thought I would see those tinkers again. -

Sev: - Hey Boss... Doesn't it remind you of a certain raid inside a separatist ship? -

Boss: - Jokes for later. We have to regroup. This is our chance to escape. I don't know your name, but we are in your debt. - He went to the lasat, who was cleaning the blood stains from his Bo rifle.

Zeb: - My name is Garazeb Orrelios, member of the High Honor Guard of Lasan. -

Kurt: - I never thought I would see a lasat. Not after the news. -

Zeb: - And he won't do it again... I am the last of my kind. -

Garazeb's words were full of sadness and a perceptible rage and thirst for revenge. Still, what he said seemed not to be a lie. Even beneath his weather-beaten cloak, a tattered uniform could still be seen, with some military decorations adorning his shoulder and chest. Furthermore, his imposing size and muscles cried out for respect.

Zeb: - Clones and droids working together... I don't know what kind of joke this is. -

Holdo: - It's not a joke. But now we don't have time for explanations. We must find some way out of here. -

Icarus: - I couldn't agree more. -

Icarus's voice gave a good scare to everyone present, who turned their heads in amazement at what their eyes saw. Like a gift from heaven, the superdroide tactician appeared along side Tifany, which without even greeting or saying anything, jumped on the lummen to check its condition. And behind them were four B2-RP droids, surely the form they used to descend to the surface. But without a doubt, the most impressive thing were the two magnaguard units behind them.

Tífany: - His condition is not good. We must take him to the medical bay of theMunificent immediately. -

Icarus: - Understood. Bly, Kurt. Take the rest out the back, the droids will provide support so the Kestrel Nova can land. Take the disabled commando droids. Commander Boss, go with them. -

Holdo: - Wait a moment. Who are you supposed to be? Do you think we'll listen to you just for the sake of it? -

Bly: - What are you talking about? He is... -

Boss: - Are you Icarus? It is not like this? - He interrupted.

Icarus: - Correct, clone commando. I don't know who you are, but if you're on our side you should go with us. -

Sev: - Don't you remember who we are? -

The commando clone's question was valid, since technically, the main body of Icarus had never encountered them.

Kurt: - General. Tome. -

Like a frightened child, Kurt approached the droid with his hands raised, carrying the lightsaber and memory disk. He couldn't be more satisfied with accomplishing his mission, and in a way, he could breathe a sigh of relief once again.

Icarus: - Great job, lieutenant. Great job. -

A few words and a nod were all Kurt needed to feel the pride of completing such a dangerous mission. Who knows? Perhaps the Commander Thorn armor he was wearing was becoming tighter and tighter.

As soon as he got it in his hands, Icarus connected the memory device to his modified arm, and in just a second he recovered all the information and part of his consciousness that he had deposited in the imperial droid. And with it, all the information he had managed to recover, as well as the memories of the destroyed unit.

Bly: - I guess we're ready to go. -

Fixer: - I couldn't agree more... Hey... Garazeb... Where are you going? -

When everyone turned their gaze, they could see the lasat, who seemed to care little about the escape plan, and was heading forward through one of the caves. Alone and on your own. With a deep hatred marked in his eyes.

Zeb: - I appreciate the offer... But I can't leave while the imperial scumpose your feet on my planet... I can't. -

And without saying anything else or waiting for a response, Zeb left everyone behind and continued on his way towards the battle. The lasat was wounded, spiritually wounded. He watched as the Empire massacred his people and reduced them to ashes. I would never be able to forgive something like that, andwould cry his long-awaited revenge sooner or later.

Zeb now stood at the entrance to the caverns. He watched as the Purge Troopers battled the B2-RT droids, maintaining incredible resistance despite the enemy having the advantage of terrain. He would not forgive them... He would never forgive them... For his world... For his family... For his daughter... Just one word... Revenge.

Zeb was about to take a step forward when a figure stopped next to him. A figure of metal and computations, which had its core radiating with anger when it recovered its memories, and with them, the image of Wag Too seconds from his death by the tyranid hand of the inquisitor. One who also... cried out for revenge.

Zeb: - I thought youwould withdraw with yours. -

Icarus: - They will be safe. I have unfinished business on this battlefield. -

Zeb: - I guess there are two of us in this. -

Icarus: - I agree. I hope... that you will allow me to join your cause in this battle. -

Zeb: - My cause? - He said ironically. - I don't fight for anything so noble... Not anymore. I just... I want revenge for what they've done. -

Icarus: - That's where you're wrong. - Words that left the lasat stunned. - We fight for a cause greater than you are able to imagine. -

Zeb: - Oh yeah? And what cause would that be? - He said between laughter and sadness.

Icarus: - Justice. -

And after that single word, Icarus took a step forward, closely followed by the colossal magnaguard units. Zeb stopped for a moment, thinking about those words so simple... and yet... so true. He looked up and saw the three droids walking away towards the battlefield and thought... Maybe he was right.

His fight for the justice that he and this galaxy both demanded... It was about to begin.

------------------------------

Remember:

Zeb - Garazeb Orrelios, the lasat of Rebels

Sev - Sniper Clone commando