Chapter Five: Shadow Soldier

Darth Caedus sat cross-legged on the chair, meditating in the chamber. His eyes were closed,

his breathing was steady, and his terrifying mask hid all his emotions. He reached out with the Force, recollecting what was happening across Panem. So far, during the past months, two of their bases out on the Great Plains had fallen, and their forces in turn had captured three airbases from the Jedi Republic Union. So far, Darth Caedus, who had once been known as Jacen Solo, sensed nothing unusual.

But then...suddenly...

"What?" he thought. "Can it be? The Mockingjay herself has...?"

He continued reaching out, now fully alert and searching for more things that were out-of-place.

"Her friend, too? Interesting...wait...what...no, this can't be true! How can he be alive?!"

The door to the meditation chamber hissed open, and Caedus opened his eyes. Darth Sion

entered the room. Darth Sion, like all the other Sith, was a figure feared and respected by their troops. But, unlike other Sith, his body parts were held together by sheer will and hatred.

"Have you sensed anything?" Sion asked.

"Yes," Caedus replied, his voice laden with rage ready to explode. "It seems Katniss, the

infamous Mockingjay of the Jedi forces has grown in power along with her friend, Gale. I am not sure, but I believe the treacherous Jedi scum have trained them to use lightsabers."

Darth Sion held only a hard stare, but Caedus sensed the anger rising within him.

"What?! That's impossible!" Darth Sion exclaimed.

"Apparently not." Caedus replied. "And I sense something else...I believe Mace Windu's

apprentice is alive as well."

"What?! How?!" Sion exclaimed now angrier than ever. "He was killed in the siege of

Malastare!"

"It appears things were not all as they seemed." Caedus replied.

Darth Sion held his hard gaze, rage radiating from him strongly.

"Something sinister in the Jedi army is rising," Caedus said. "And I don't like it."

............................

Gale had met many extraordinary soldiers during the war, but this one seemed unlike any other.

Before them in the room stood Mace Windu's apprentice...not only was he covered in weapons

head to toe, but he looked younger than most Jedi Gale had met, even apprentices.

"This is my apprentice, Charleson," Mace Windu explained. "He is known as Shadow Soldier

in our ranks. He commands his own squad of four ARF troopers, and I have trained him for five years."

Shadow Soldier gazed at each of them silently as he was introduced.

Katniss couldn't help but be nervous looking at him. Although she knew he was on their side,

she did not particularly like the stone-hard look chiseled into his face...it seemed cold and numb, and filled with hate. His eyes were equally serene, maintaining a grim stare, something that told you he could break your neck in a second if you dared to challenge him. His face was just like Mace Windu's...a look of stern, no-nonsense that betrayed almost no emotion and complete discipline.

"He and his squad will assist you on a mission I have assigned for you." Mace said, and

activated the holoprojector.

A hologram of an Imperial Sith Shadow Empire base materialized. It looked like a typical

base, except Katniss noted there seemed to be an area where an excess number of explosives were stored. Cranes lined the side, ready to move the explosives to their desired location.

"This is an enemy weapons base, located just a few miles west of District One," Mace Windu

explained. "From what intelligence we have, the Sith forces only recently created this base in to produce various kinds of bombs that will be used to defend the Capital. In order to strike at the Capital successfully, we must neutralize this base before it can make its first shipment of defense explosives to the Capital."

Shadow Soldier stood by quietly, absorbing the information.

"Your mission will be to infiltrate this base, and first find a way to divert their troops attention

from an assault our forces will commence upon completion of your objective," Mace Windu instructed sternly. "Which will be to find a way to destroy the factory where they produce the bombs. After you have achieved this, you will contact our battalion, and they will swoop in to help you finish the job while their defenses are in chaos."

Even after over a year of war with President Snow, Petta was amazed at the ingenuity of this

plan.

"Any questions?" asked Mace Windu.

"Sir, what is our main priority if we lose contact with the battalion?" Finick asked.

"If you lose contact, then you must find a way to get out of there." Commander Gree answered.

"The Sith forces won't be as disorganized, but it's still worth a try."

"Will I be taking my squad on this mission?" Katniss inquired.

"No," said Jace Malcom. "Shadow Soldier will accompany you and your friends, but we will

keep the count low, because often sending a large amount for infiltration of a base is risky."

"Why are you sending all of us then?" asked Prim. "Just curious."

"This base is larger than most, and there could be multiple things you need to do to

complete your mission. Is that understood?" Mace Windu replied.

Everybody nodded.

"Shadow Soldier, will you lead this mission?" Mace Windu asked.

"Yes Master." Shadow Soldier replied and saluted.

Prim was equally surprised by the sound of his voice...it sounded similar to Mace Windu's,

yes. The same, no-nonsense, stern tone, the one that said he knew what he had to do. Yet somewhere beneath his voice there also seemed to be buried...guilt? Remorse from choices made in the past? Prim couldn't tell. But even after only this meeting, she now considered Shadow Soldier to be mysterious.

"That must be how he got his name." Prim thought.

"Make ready," Jace Malcom said. "You depart at 1600 sharp."

Mace Windu deactivated the holoprojector, and they all filed out of the room.

Gale turned to Shadow Soldier in the hallway and held out his hand.

"I'm Gale," he said. "And these are my friends Katniss, her sister Prim, Petta, and Finick."

They all shook Shadow Soldier's hand in turn as they were introduced.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Mockingjay." said Shadow Soldier.

"Likewise." Katniss replied.

"Come. I will take you to meet my squad." he beckoned, and they began following him.

Ten minutes later, they were in the quarters of Shadow Soldier and his squad of four ARF

troopers. Two of them were dressed in orange-brown armor, while the other two were dressed in armor that had a pattern of green and blue.

"These two are Boil and Waxer." Shadow Soldier said, gesturing to the two ARF troopers in

orange-brown armor. "They served alongside Master Obi-Wan in the first siege of Ryloth, and also in the second battle of Geonosis."

"Pleasure to meet you." they said, saluting in unison.

"And our names are Razor and Stak." said one of the ARF troopers in blue-green armor. "We

fought with Mace Windu in the liberation of Ryloth."

"It will be an honor to fight with you." Petta replied, shaking Razor's hand.

"Troopers, get your gear ready." Shadow Soldier instructed. "Take only your sniper rifles and

other usual equipment. We have been assigned to infiltrate a Weapons Base a few miles west of District One, and we must not openly engage the enemy unless necessary, so heavy weapons such as rocket launchers will not be permitted."

"Sir, yes sir!" Waxer, Boil, Razor and Stak chorused in unison.

"Our main objective," Shadow Soldier continued, "Will be to eliminate a bomb factory in the

base that is being used to create various types of bombs to defend the Capital. We are permitted to create chaos in their defenses to do this, but we must not take the whole base head-on. We will only take one, I repeat, one, backpack of explosive charges each, so we must use it wisely."

"Acknowledged sir!" said his squad.

"Make ready." Finick piped up. "We leave at 1600."

The four ARF troopers then hurried about the room, gathering their necessary supplies. Finick

saw them checking their sniper rifles and loading their blaster pistols. Stak loaded a handful of what looked like six or seven explosive charges into a backpack, and put it on, carrying his sniper rifle. The other ARF troopers simply strapped their sniper rifles on their backs, put their two blaster pistols in their holsters, sheathed their combat knifes on their thighs, and were ready.

"We'll go back to the main barracks and get ready. We'll be back soon." Gale told Shadow Soldier, and Shadow Soldier nodded in response.

Back in the main barracks, Finick did a little sharpening of his vibro-trident, while Petta

checked his blaster and loaded his pistol and combat knife into his ammunition belt. They had their main weapons, yes, but they still needed weapons fit for long-range combat. Finick himself had switched out his sniper rifle he had used in the siege of District Six with a DH-17 blaster that Rebel troopers commonly used. Katniss checked her arrows, then put on her quiver. In addition to a lightsaber plus a bow and arrow, Katniss was also expert in the use of a DC-15a blaster and had four throwing knives in her ammunition belt. Additionally, she had modified her arrows extensively to the point where she no longer used regular arrows. Instead, she had a complete arsenal of explosive and heat-seeking arrows, fit for taking out even aircraft if she aimed right. Prim hoisted her backpack of medical supplies on her back and holstered her DC-17 blaster pistols into her grenade belt. Due to training from Clone Commander Wolfee, she now was expert in pistol and grenade combat, as well as hand-to-hand combat. She had also acquired a pair of rocket boots from Commander Wolfee...not one hundred percent effective, but it would no doubt give her an edge in battle. Gale, after cleaning his A280 blaster rifle, put his lightsaber on his belt, along with his WESTAR-34 blaster pistol, and they were ready.

"Another mission together guys." Petta said. "Let's do this."

Before they left, Katniss talked with her squad, assuring them she would be safe.

"Of course you will," Tup remarked. "How else would you be able to put up with us?" and her '

squad chuckled.

An hour later, Shadow Soldier and his squad, along with Katniss, Gale, Finick, Petta and Prim,

departed on a gunship towards the enemy base. Prim, although she was nervous, kept a calm demeanor on the flight. Her sister had survived the Hunger Games, so she was not about to back down from a mission like this. After all, she had been on the frontlines of battle for almost two years now.

She would not falter in the face of this challenge, let alone any future obstacles.

............................

President Snow paced in the hallway of his mansion in the Capital. Imperial Red Guards now

stood at every doorway, and battle droids marched outside in the courtyard. None of the other Sith had taken an interest in sharing his estate with him. Why that was, he did not know.

"No matter though." he thought. "Once they have assisted me in regaining control of Panem, I

shall become the ultimate power-holder and won't have to share power with those mystical fools."

He arrived in his main office and sat down at his desk. He activated his holo-map, and surveyed

the progress of the war. So far, no major changes. A few bases and camps seized here and there, but nothing importantly strategic.

"This stalemate has gone on for almost two years." Snow thought bitterly. "The pathetic

little fools. Wanting a revolution just because their kids are sent to the Hunger Games. Crying over stupid "morality". Had they simply accepted my rule, this would've never had to happen."

Just then, his holoprojector beeped, disrupting his train of thought. He closed the holo-map, and

a hologram of Darth Caedus appeared.

"What is it?" President Snow asked immediately.

"I have sensed a disturbance in the Force." Caedus replied.

"Imbeciles." Snow scoffed in his head. "A "mystical energy" that grants you power and holds everything together." But that would have to wait, he decided, as it was clear Caedus had something important to say.

"Have the Jedi forces unleashed a secret weapon of some kind?" Snow inquired, rubbing his

chin thoughtfully.

"No." Caedus replied. "I have sensed Katniss, the Mockingjay, and her friends, are growing in

power. If I'm correct, Katniss and her friend Gale now know how to wield lightsabers."

Snow shuddered. There wasn't much that scared him, but he had seen the damage lightsabers

were capable of, and he knew their wielders, if well trained, were even more deadly.

"Anything else?" he asked, a hint of nervousness now tinging his voice.

"I also believe the apprentice of the Jedi Mace Windu is alive." Caedus added. "If this is true,

the tide of this war may quickly turn against us."

Again, President Snow shuddered. "What is his name?"

"Charleson."

"Is there anything you want me to do in response?" Snow asked.

"Not at the moment." Caedus replied. "But be on guard, because he could be anywhere."

"Noted. I will increase security measures in the Capital." Snow replied, although he wasn't sure

how much it would help.

"Contact me if you think you get a lead on him." Caedus said, and his hologram disappeared.

President Snow put his face in his hands and absorbed this information.

"Katniss having a lightsaber is bad enough, but what of Mace Windu's apprentice?!" he

thought frantically. "His name is Charleson? Is it the Charleson I know? No, it couldn't be...could it?"

Just then, his train of thought was again interrupted by a coughing fit. Instinctively, he covered

his mouth with his elbow. The fit lasted a few seconds, and his sleeve came away with blood.

"Great, and on top of that, tuberculosis." he thought with a sigh.

He looked at the doorway and saw the Imperial Red Guards looking at him.

"I'm fine!" he exclaimed, and they quickly looked away.

............................

Finally, after a tiring hour and a half flight, the gunship descended downward toward the forest,

where a battalion of Rebel troops were encamped. The gunship doors opened, and Shadow Soldier, his squad, along with Katniss and her friends, stepped out, and the gunship departed. Katniss looked around and was slightly startled to see the battalion was already here. It looked like they had been here for a while too, she observed. Transport speeders loaded with supplies maneuvered through the camp, along with Alliance ARC-1 speeders and speeder bikes. Katniss saw someone coming toward them out of the corner of her eye and looked to see who it was. A dark-skinned man was walking toward them, dressed in a blue cape and mostly brown uniform. His boots were black, and he had a mustache and dark curly hair. Shadow Soldier and his squad saluted, and, realizing they had to as well, Katniss and her friends acted likewise.

"Shadow Soldier and Phantom Squadron, reporting as ordered General Calrissian!" Shadow

Soldier said briskly.

"At ease soldier." replied Lando Calrissian, returning the salute. He then looked at Katniss, a

look of mild surprise on his face.

"I'm Gale." Gale said, reading Lando's mind. "These are my friends, Petta, Finick, Katniss, and

her sister, Prim. We were assigned on this mission with Shadow Soldiers squad."

"I know about you already." Lando explained. "Mace Windu just never told me you'd be

coming."

"Our apologies for not letting you know on the way sir." said Stak.

"Not to worry trooper." Lando smiled. "You know I like surprises."

"I assume you still remember the rest of the plan?" Petta asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yep, I sure do." Lando assured him. "We got plenty of speeder bikes to spare if you want em."

With that, all ten of them were soon zooming through the forest on speeder bikes. However,

they had only required five speeder bikes, since these speeder bikes could each fit two people. They had laid out their plan while in Lando's camp: they would use speeder bikes to travel three-fourths of the way to the enemy base, then walk the rest of the way. Once they had infiltrated the base, they would first notify Lando, so his troops would be ready for the assault. To start off, Boil and Waxer would sneak into the control room and eliminate any enemy troops that were there, while Shadow Soldier would make his way to the bomb factory. Boil and Waxer, to help their progress, would disable all surveillance and other security measures, and doing this would allow Razor and Stak to move to the armory, plant some thermal detonators, and leave. Meanwhile, Finick and Petta would infiltrate the generator room and plant some EMP grenades, while Gale, Katniss, and Prim snuck around to the area behind the base. This would set the stage for chaos: Finick and Petta, after Razor and Stak obliterated the barracks, would then detonate their EMP grenades, disabling the main generator and shutting down all power to the base. After the explosion and loss of power in the base, Boil and Waxer would sound the alarm, but they would sound both alarms for power outage and an air raid. Doing this would throw the enemy troops into confusion, allowing Shadow Soldier to blow up the bomb factory of the base. Katniss, Gale, and Prim, after all this was done, would leap out from their hiding place behind the base, guns blazing. The enemy troops, now having four problems at once, would be vulnerable to the assault from Lando's battalion.

It was all they had to do...but nevertheless, Gale's adrenaline was racing.

"I know I've been on many missions like this already." he thought. "But more people often

means a higher chance of failure."

He tried not to think of the Resistance's first attempt to take the Capital...how he, Katniss, Petta,

and Finick, along with Lieutenant Jackson and Star Squad, had been assigned to eliminate the POD's in

the Capital's streets. It had all seemed so simple...yet they had lost four members, one of them their leader and Lieutenant Jackson herself, who was savagely mauled by mutts when they had been forced to sneak through the sewers. Even Finick had barely escaped with his life.

"I won't let that happen here." Gale thought, a new surge of determination rising within him.

"No one will be lost. We will not fail."

After about two hours of travel, they dismounted and began walking through the forest.

They all looked around warily, alert for any traps that might've been set. Petta couldn't see signs of any...but he knew looks could be deceiving.

Suddenly, Shadow Soldier stopped and raised his hands. They all froze, and the four ARF

troopers raised their blasters instantly.

"Everyone hide," Shadow Soldier warned, and they all dispersed to the sides. Razor and Stak

crouched behind some bushes, while Boil and Waxer hid behind a large tree. Gale and Finick hid under a nearby log, Petta and Prim lay flat on the ground in some thick undergrowth, while Katniss also hid behind a tree. Shadow Soldier force-leaped into a tree, and they all went silent, waiting for the danger Shadow Soldier had warned of.

They soon found out. A patrol of ten Sith Hover Speeders zoomed in, each piloted by a Sith

Trooper in imposing black armor. The guns on the front of the speeders glistened in the sunlight, and Prim tried not to think of what would happen if they were discovered. The Sith Troopers dismounted, and unholstered their blasters. One of them turned to the Sith Trooper Commander, who was dressed in black and maroon armor.

"I don't see anything here, sir." he said.

"Look anyway." the Commander replied sternly. "We always check this area as part of patrol."

Shadow Soldier looked down at where Razor and Stak were hiding. They looked back, and

Shadow Soldier could sense their anxiety as they waited for his orders. Shadow Soldier pointed to himself, then to a rock near the bushes they were hiding in. He pointed at them, then to the two Sith troopers closest to where they were hiding, finishing with a cutting motion across his throat. Razor and Stak nodded in understanding. Shadow Soldier looked and saw Boil and Waxer gazing up at him as well. Shadow Soldier pointed at Razor and Stak, then at the Sith troopers near their position, and concluded by pounding his right fist into his left hand. Boil and Waxer nodded as well.

"What is he saying?" Petta wondered as he watched.

Shadow Soldier made his move. Reaching out with the Force, he grabbed the rock by the

bushes Razor and Stak were hiding in and bounced it between the two Sith troopers closest to them.

"Huh?" one of them exclaimed, and they both turned to look at the ground...as did the two Sith

troopers near the tree Boil and Waxer were behind.

"What is it?" the Commander asked warily.

Immediately, Razor and Stak leaped from behind their bushes, unsheathed their combat knives,

and head locked the two Sith troopers before they could respond. Using their right hands, they stabbed the Sith troopers in the necks, right under their helmets. The two Sith troopers crumpled to the ground without a sound. Meanwhile, the two Sith troopers near Boil and Waxer's hiding place turned in surprise. It was all Boil and Waxer needed. Waxer somersaulted to the left, pulled out his blaster pistols, and shot one in the back, while Boil jumped behind the other Sith trooper and snapped his neck.

The six remaining Sith troopers opened fire but were ignorant of the danger behind them. Katniss spun out from behind her tree, combat knife already unsheathed, and threw it at the Sith trooper Commander. Her aim, as always, was straight and true, and her knife struck in between the Commander's shoulder blades. Prim, Petta, Gale, and Finick shot down three more. Shadow Soldier, knowing now was the right time to strike, leaped from the tree, igniting his lightsaber. He landed between the last two Sith troopers, and they turned in surprise. Before they could react, his crystal blue blade sliced through the stomach of one and cut a gash across the other's chest. They fell to the ground, and the Sith troopers were no more.

They all lowered their weapons, and Shadow Soldier deactivated his lightsaber after looking

around into the forest one last time and looked back at them.

"Let's keep moving." he said, cocking his head in the direction of the enemy base.

"Yes sir." the four ARF troopers replied, and they resumed their walking, this time more wary

than before.

Prim couldn't help but shiver after looking into Shadow Soldier's eyes. His eyes, after the battle,

seemed to be laden with fire. Not the kind of fire in a regular soldier's eyes, but something different...

She pushed the thought aside. "He's the apprentice of Mace Windu. Give him a break."

Finally, after an hour of walking, they reached the enemy base. Crouching behind a thick cluster

of bushes, they gaped in awe at the size of the base. There was the main gate, with a small airfield on the right. But the building on the left was the biggest, with a massive wall protecting all four sides of it. Sith troopers lined the walls, and sniper towers were on all four corners.

"I will make my way into the factory." Shadow Soldier said. "Are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be, sir." Stak replied.

............................

"Inform me if any problems arise."

"Yes sir!" replied the Sith Trooper.

The Fifth Brother then turned on his heel and strode from the control room.

Currently, he was one of four Inquisitors in the Imperial Sith Shadow Empire. The other three

were The Grand Inquisitor, the Seventh Sister, and the Eighth Brother. There had been some times where the four of them had worked together in an operation, but as of now, they had been dispersed to different parts of Panem. His mission was simple: make sure this base, the one practically on the doorstep of District One, did not fall. Not only did this base make bombs that would serve to produce the Capital, it was also the producer of a secret weapon: Dr. Nuvo Vindi, a mad scientist here in the base, had developed a bomb that released a shock wave that only targeted clone trooper DNA. Even worse: it could be detonated in the thick of battle, and their troops would be relatively unharmed. Lok Durd, the top weapons designer for the droid army, had helped Dr. Nuvo Vindi create this bomb. From what the Fifth Brother understood, the design had been somewhat based on Lok Durd's Defoiliator Tank shells. Dr. Nuvo Vindi, at one point, had created bombs that unleashed an airborne form of the Blue Shadow Virus. Unfortunately for them, his lab had been discovered by the Jedi, and all the bombs had been disabled before they could be used.

"This must be his way of revenge." the Fifth Brother thought, with a wicked smile on his face.

On the way to his meditation chamber, the Fifth Brother passed by Nuvo Vindi's lab. The

Doctor appeared to be focused on some important project. His gray head was bent intently over a screen, his big eyes squinting in concentration. One hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully, while the other danced over the keyboard in lightning speed.

"What are you working on?" asked the Fifth Brother, his curiosity piqued.

"Ahhh!" exclaimed the doctor, his gloved hand leaping to his chest. "Learn to knock!"

"My apologies, Doctor." the Fifth Brother apologized.

Dr. Nuvo sighed. "I'm working on an update for the Clone-Bomb."

"What is it?" the Fifth Brother inquired.

"If I calculate correctly," Dr. Nuvo began, "This should increase the bomb's power to even

eradicate clones inside vehicles, as well as increase its radius."

The Fifth Brother became eager. "How long until it is finished?"

"I do not know, but I estimate perhaps one more day at most." Dr. Nuvo replied.

"Alright. Notify me when you are finished." the Fifth Brother said and continued on his way.

Three minutes later, he sat in his meditation chamber, eyes closed, and brow furrowed in

concentration. His soul was tuned into the Force as he reached out, searching for anything he needed to be aware of.

And then he felt it.

"What? Shadow Soldier...alive?!"

............................

"So, how do you think we can get in?"

"I'm trying to think, Waxer." replied Boil impatiently.

Their plan was off to a rough start. Boil and Waxer were hiding in the bushes, about

fifteen meters from the base's Eastern Wall. Security measures were higher than they had anticipated...several Sith troopers stood guard atop the wall, and another two Sith troopers stood guard at the wall's entrance. Clearly, the entrances were not easy targets.

"Wait a minute...that's it!" Boil realized.

"Waxer, do something to get their attention." Boil told him.

"Like what?" replied Waxer, doubtful of what Boil had in mind.

"I don't know, shoot one on the wall or something!"

"Alright, if you say so." Waxer said.

Waxer jumped up ran out toward the edge of the trees. Once in sight of the Sith troopers, he

waved his arms frantically.

"Hey you! Sith scum!" he taunted, shooting at one of the Sith Troopers on the wall.

"Gah!" the Sith trooper exclaimed, ducking just in time.

"Catch me if you can!" he yelled, sprinting back into the forest, just as some Sith troopers

started to aim at him.

"You two, go in there and find him!" a Sith trooper on the wall yelled to the two below guarding

the entrance.

The two Sith troopers complied and ran off into the forest after Waxer...little did they know they

had taken Boil's bait.

Back in the forest, Boil and Waxer were back in their hiding place.

"Any minute now." Waxer said.

Sure enough, the Sith troopers soon came close to their hiding place. They aimed their blasters

around warily.

"Where do you think they went?" one of them asked the other.

"Right here!" Boil answered him, standing up in unision with Waxer. The Sith troopers were silenced before they could reply.

"Alright, now let's get these uniforms on." Boil instructed.

"Ah, so that's what you had in mind." Waxer replied, smiling as he took his helmet off.

Minutes later, they were walking toward the Eastern entrance dressed in the Sith trooper armor.

"Just let me do the talking." Boil whispered to Waxer.

"You're back!" a Sith trooper on the wall exclaimed. "What took you so long?"

"There were two clone troopers hiding there, and they put up a good fight." Boil explained

quickly, trying to change his voice as best he could. Sweat dripped from his forehead in a torrent underneath the helmet.

"I can see that!" the Sith trooper replied. "Is your helmet damaged? Your voice sounds weird."

"Yes. I was punched in the mouth by one, and it damaged my vocabulator." replied Boil anxiously, thinking on his feet. "We're going inside right now to get it fixed, and we'll send two other troopers out here to take our place."

"Okay, got it." the Sith trooper replied.

Boil and Waxer walked through the entrance into the base's small airfield. Vulture droids were

lined up evenly, along with some TRI-Fighters, and Boil tried not to think about them. It took them ten agonizingly long minutes to reach the control room, but finally, they did. They readied themselves outside the front door.

Boil gave Waxer a nod.

They opened the door, and their blasters were already aimed. They burst into the control room,

and opened fire. Droids manning various consoles and computers were obliterated before they could react. The four Sith troopers in the room, however, were a different story. Waxer was able to shoot one before he pulled his blaster was ready, but the other three returned fire, and Waxer somersaulted to the left behind a computer, and Boil dived for cover behind a holoprojector. Waxer popped up from his hiding place and spotted one of the Sith troopers trying to get to the alarm. He shot him in the back before he reached it. Boil, in turn, after Waxer ducked, jumped up and picked off the last two Sith troopers with well-placed shots in their chests. Once all the enemies were eliminated, Waxer went and quickly shut the door. Boil, meanwhile, went to one of the consoles and observed it.

"This one appears to be a security console." Boil reported. Waxer examined another.

"So does this one." Waxer replied. After further investigation, they discovered that four

of the computers were for security, while the others served the purposes of things like communication, the base's defenses, and held all sorts of intel. Waxer turned on the holoprojector in the middle of the room and accessed a holographic map of the base. They discovered other various security measures, including electrified walls and tripwires in the ventilation system.

"Tripwires in the ventilation system?" Boil exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeesh, whoever designed this base must be thinking pretty far ahead. Unless..." Waxer

suddenly stopped short.

"Unless what?"

"What if they're trying to make some kind of secret weapon here?" Waxer replied, now

suspicious. "Why else would they have such extensive security here? Not even the Death Star had this much security. At least, if I remember Han Solo and Luke's story correctly."

"First thing's first, let's loop the security footage and disable all the security measures." Boil

replied, anxious for them to complete their part. "If the map of the base is right, there are other places where they can monitor the security cameras."

After some time, Boil and Waxer had successfully hacked the computer system, effectively

deactivating all additional security measures and looping all the security camera footage. While Waxer notified Lando of their success, Boil accessed his comlink.

"ARF Trooper Boil reporting." he said. "Waxer and I have competed our objective. We have

disabled all other security measures, and the security cameras have all been looped."

"Acknowledged, trooper. Good work." Shadow Soldier replied.

"Took you long enough!" Finick exclaimed.

"Hey, like you could've done it any better!" Boil retorted jokingly.

"Guys, stay focused." Gale said sternly.

"I will begin infiltration of the bomb factory. Boil, Waxer, get all the intel from the control room

that you can." Shadow Soldier instructed.

"Sir wait," Boil warned. "Waxer and I, considering all the security measures present her, believe

there might be something else out of the ordinary going on in this base. Tripwires are in the ventilation system, along with electrified walls near the hallways leading to the bomb factory. We advise all of you to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, or other people or things of interest."

"Acknowledged." Petta replied. "We'll keep that in mind."

"If any of you see anything, make sure to notify the rest of us." Shadow Soldier instructed.

"Affirmative sir." Boil replied.

Shadow Soldier deactivated his comlink.

The entrance in the wall that led to the bomb factory was fifteen meters away from where he was crouched in the dirt. Two battle droids stood guard, and two sniper watchtowers were on either side, both at least twenty feet away from the sides of the entrance. Five battle droids patrolled on the wall in between each watchtower and the gate.

"Sneaking in without being noticed will prove difficult." he thought.

He pushed that thought aside and pulled out his holoprojector. It hummed to life with a

hologram of Lando.

"Have you reached the enemy base?" Lando asked sternly.

"We have, General." Shadow Soldier replied. "We are in the process of infiltrating the base as

we speak."

"Good, I'll be ready. Don't do anything stupid." Lando instructed.

"We won't, sir. Shadow Soldier out." The hologram of Lando faded away, and Shadow Soldier

put away his holoprojector.

Suddenly, he sensed something approaching behind him from the right. He crawled over to the

left, and looked at the entrance to see what was happening. Two more Sith trooper scouts on Sith Hover Speeders cruised in towards the entrance. They slowed down to be admitted into the base.

"Did you see anything?" inquired one battle droid.

"Nothing, just like last time." a Sith trooper replied.

Neither of them noticed as the Sith troopers up in the two watchtowers suddenly dropped dead...

without a single shot being fired.

Both Sith troopers were cleared to go through the entrance, and the entrance re-sealed after

they drove through. The battle droids resumed their guard duty, knowing nothing unusual was going on...or so they thought. Shadow Soldier reached out with the Force, snapping their puny metal necks, just as he had done with the Sith troopers in the watchtowers.

"Now to distract the battle droids on the wall."

Shadow Soldier pulled two flash grenades from his belt and held them in midair with the Force.

After calculating the distance to the wall, he hurled the flash grenades with perfection, one landing on each side of the wall in the center of the battle droids. As he had anticipated, they looked at the flash grenades in confusion.

"Hey, where did those come from?" one of them asked.

The two flash bang grenades exploded, blinding the droids, and they covered their eyes as they

yelled in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Shadow Soldier sprinted from his hiding place to the entrance. To bypass the lock, he simply short-circuited it with the Force, and ran in undetected...all in only three seconds.

"Radio for help!" one of the battle droids cried frantically.

Shadow Soldier knew what that meant, and quickly hid behind two AAT's. Seconds after he had

heard one of the battle droids relay a frantic call for help, a small group of five battle droids marched out the entrance towards where he had been hiding earlier. He did not need to stick around to see what would happen and looked around for the bomb factory. He did not need to search for long. A large building just a little distance away from his hiding place showed obvious signs it was the bomb factory.

Cargo transport speeders were being loaded with crates of antitank mines, along with tripod-mounted Surface-To-Air Missile turrets that had four small barrels.

"They're probably a lot more powerful than they look, though." Shadow Soldier told himself,

remembering Yoda's favorite phrase, "Size matters not!"

After confirming a path he could use to reach the bomb factory, he began creeping through the

courtyard, using supply crates and vehicles as cover, ignoring the flurry of angry and surprised battle droids that sprinted past him.

............................

"Duck!" Finick hissed, and he and Petta crouched behind the sandbag barrier just in time. Three Sith troopers walked by, not noticing them, but it was still a close call, nonetheless.

It had taken awhile, but eventually, they had been able to penetrate the defenses on the wall.

After careful observation, they realized the sniper tower on the right corner was a blind spot: if they ran to the base of the tower at an angle fast enough, the sniper wouldn't be able to see them coming, and hopefully not the other Sith troopers. It was a big gamble of chance, but it had worked. Moving quickly, they shot ascension cables to the top of the tower when they were in position at the base. The cables pulled them up fast, and before the Sith trooper sniper could react, Petta had quickly swung his legs through the window and knocked him out with a kick to the face. Remembering not to attract attention, Petta finished him off with his combat knife. They discovered that the snipers accessed the top of the tower via a small elevator in the back that took up half of the room in the tower. Now, after descending, they were trying to find a way to reach the generator room, as they were supposed to. So far, they had come up short. Finick activated his comlink while Petta kept watch.

"Boil, this is Finick." he said. "Petta and I have successfully infiltrated the base, but we haven't

been able to find a way to sneak into the base to reach the generator room. Do you have any suggestions for us?"

"Where are you?" Boil asked.

Finick looked around a moment. "We are behind some supply crates, near what looks like to be

a vehicle maintenance hangar."

"Hold on a minute." Boil answered, and Finick listened as he conferred with Waxer.

"Look around. Do you see any cargo or maintenance transport speeders nearby?" Boil inquired.

Finick and Petta did as he said, and soon saw what he was talking about.

"Yes, we do." Petta replied. "What do you think we should do?"

"If one of them comes by your hiding place, hop into the back where all the crates are." Boil

explained. "If I'm correct, it should pass by the maintenance hangar as part of its regular route around the base. After that, try to sneak into the ventilation system if you can."

"How did you know the speeders do that as a regular route?" Petta asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The computers in the control room gave us all the information we need." Boil clarified.

"Alright, we'll update you soon. Petta out."

Sure enough, a painstaking five minutes later, a cargo speeder passed by their hiding place.

Petta and Finick leaped aboard quickly into the back as it passed, and the droid pilots, being in a closed cockpit, didn't hear a thing. Petta and Finick squatted in the middle of six weapons crates, looking out to the sides anxiously to see when they were close to the maintenance garage. Finally, just as Boil had promised, the speeder cruised close to the maintenance garage. Finick and Petta waited until the right moment, then jumped out of the back. They found themselves near a row of three Sith Hover Speeders, and quickly ran over and knelt behind them. They had jumped out at a good time: they were only a few feet away from the left side of the entrance. They looked for a good spot to hide in the hangar, and saw an AAT having its big turret fixed. After knowing they wouldn't be spotted, they crept up and knelt behind a pile of crates near the AAT.

Finick scanned the walls for an entrance to the ventilation system, and found one a few feet to

the left from their hiding place. Tapping Petta on the shoulder, he jerked his thumb towards the vent. Petta nodded, but they quickly realized a problem: the vent was exposed with no hiding spot, and they would easily be spotted. They exchanged a nervous glance...they couldn't sit here forever, but if they moved, their entire mission was in jeopardy.

Just then, when they were beginning to think their mission impossible, a Sith Hover Speeder

cruised into the garage, and the Sith trooper piloting it parked it...right by the vent. A battle droid colored with blue markings (to designate its maintenance role) strolled up and asked what the problem was.

"Doesn't go as fast as it should." the Sith trooper replied glumly. "Probably something wrong

with the power couplers."

"We'll get it fixed soon." the maintenance battle droid promised.

Finick and Petta knew this was their chance. The Sith trooper soon left, and the battle droid

walked off to get the assistance of an astromech droid. When they were out of sight, Finick slid on his side behind the speeder, and quickly pulled the vent covering from its place. After he crawled in, Petta followed, putting the vent covering back over the shaft as he entered. Knowing they shouldn't waste time, Finick and Petta crawled up the shaft rapidly before anyone outside could see them. As they progressed further down the shaft, the shaft tunneled upward. Not until they reached the top did, they give themselves a moment to catch their breath. At this spot, the passage was big enough for them to both crouches.

"Whew, that was close!" Finick panted.

"Too close." Petta replied. Suddenly, his comlink began beeping. He pressed the button, already

suspecting who it was contacting him.

"Did you make it?" Boil inquired nervously.

"Barely!" Petta exclaimed. "But yes, we did. Can you tell us where we are in the base?"

"What does the passage you're in look like?" Boil asked.

"We've got a straight path ahead of us for quite a way, with one turn to the right just a few

feet in front of us." Petta replied as he described the passageway.

"Give me a minute." Boil said, and he went quiet for a while.

"The turn to the right leads eventually turns left and leads towards the mess hall." Boil

explained. "If you go straight ahead, you will pass by a few rooms...private quarters for some important people by the looks of them...and maybe pass by the barracks. You should end up at the generator room after a few turns. We'll guide you along the way."

"Alright Petta, we better get started." Finick said, and they began creeping through the

ventilation system towards their destination.

Meanwhile, Katniss, Prim, and Gale had went around to the back of the base, just as they had

planned. They lay crouched in a cluster of shrubbery just out of eyeshot of the enemy troops on the back wall, waiting for their chance. Gale commed Waxer for an update on the situation.

"Waxer, have Finick and Petta penetrated the generator room yet?"

"Negative." Waxer replied. "But they are on the way to their objective. They are travelling

through the ventilation system as we speak.

"Any word yet on Shadow Soldier?" Gale asked again.

"Not yet." Waxer replied. "But if I'm correct, he should be in the bomb factory by now."

Waxer was indeed correct. Shadow Soldier had infiltrated the bomb factory after Force-leaping

onto a balcony and was now on a walkway above all the machines down below.

What he saw in the bomb factory was a nightmare.

There were various machines everywhere, some producing land mines, along with EMP mines,

gas bombs, and buzz droid missiles. Droids and Sith troopers loaded crates with the bombs, to make them ready for transport. There were even some bombs being made by hand. But there was one thing that communicated a sinister message. A large bomb sat in an enclosed case just near the back of the factory, guarded heavily by droidekas and a squad of six Heavy Weapons Sith troopers. The bomb was colored black with a red skull on the side and was labeled Exterm20-Ky5 in electric blue letters...this was clearly a weapon to be reckoned with. He immediately accessed his comlink to inform the others.

"Shadow Soldier reporting. I have made my way into the bomb factory, and I have spotted what

appears to be some sort of secret weapon." he spoke urgently.

"What kind of weapon?" ARF trooper Stak asked, his voice now laden with curiosity.

"It is a bomb yes, but it doesn't look like a regular bomb." he explained. "It is labeled with what looks to be a code, Exterm20-Ky5, and is in a heavily guarded case near the back of the factory. It is obviously a weapon with incredible magnitude, as it looks to be about two and a half meters long."

"We'll keep our eyes peeled for anything that can give us leads on this." Finick replied.

"We'll let you know if we gain any other information, sir." Waxer promised.

"Thank you. Shadow Soldier out."

Deactivating his comlink, he looked around and below him. The balcony he was on not only

covered the wall on his side of the factory but ran along all other three sides of the factory. Several bridges from one wall to the other stretched across the center, along with many stairwells that descended downwards towards the main floor. Shadow Soldier glanced around and saw several doors along both sides of the walkway. He decided he'd go into them one by one and see what each one had to offer.

"Hopefully I might find some intel on their special bomb."

Looking above him, he discovered another ventilation shaft. After making sure no one would

notice, he force-lifted the cover, then force-leaped into the shaft. After force-lifting the cover back on, he turned to the right and began crawling through.

Meanwhile, Razor and Stak, for their part of the plan, had ditched their armor altogether in the

forest, having caught two Sith troopers coming back from scouting unawares. Just as Boil and Waxer had done, they donned the Sith trooper armor, and were now navigating the base to locate the main armory. Currently, they were walking by a droid repair shop, and had been unsuccessful in locating the armory. Ducking behind a corner in the hall, Razor kept watch while Stak contacted Waxer for instructions.

"Waxer, Razor and I have been trying for almost twenty minutes now, and we just can't locate

the armory." Stak whispered in frustration. "Can you tell us where it is?"

"Where are you now?" Waxer asked.

"We're in a hallway near a droid repair shop, and I think we might be near a vehicle

maintenance hangar as well." Stak explained.

"Hmmm..." Waxer furrowed his brow as he studied the holo-map of the base. After finding their

location, he charted a route to the armory.

"Go up the hall you are in now and turn right when you come to the barracks. Walk down until

you reach the mess hall, then turn left. The armory is the tenth door down on the right."

"Copy that. Thanks Waxer." Boil said and deactivated the comlink. They followed his

instructions, and soon arrived at their destination.

"Jackpot!" Razor exclaimed delightedly, as they stood in the room stored from front to back

with an endless supply of weapons.

"Let's do this quickly before anyone shows up." Stak said. Understanding his warning, Razor

primed a thermal detonator and concealed it behind three crates of blasters. Stak placed three, two behind explosive-munitions crates, and the last one under a pile of rocket launchers.

"That should do the trick." Razor remarked with satisfaction.

Before they could be caught, they were outside and back in the forest, their rightful armor back

on, and adrenaline levels significantly lowered.

"Whew, we did it!" Razor celebrated.

"We better let the others know." Stak replied, activating his comlink.

"ARF trooper Stak to squad." he began. "Razor and I planted the bombs in the armory, and we

are ready when you are."

"Excellent. Katniss, Gale and I are just sitting here." Prim grumbled.

Boil piped up. "Be patient. You'll get your chance soon. Petta and Finick are almost at the

generator room."

............................

"How close are we?" Finick whispered over the comlink, sweat dripping from his brow.

"Almost there. You should be passing by the barracks about now." Waxer assured.

Petta saw another ventilation cover and peeked around the corner warily.

"Yup, we're here."

"Okay, now take a right at the next two-way, then a left." Waxer said.

They did as he said, and so far, they hadn't found anything worth noting...until after their left

turn, they heard maniacal laughter, and froze.

"What is it?" Waxer questioned.

"Shhh!" Finick replied urgently, and Waxer understood.

"This better not be who I think it is." Petta thought, his blood running cold as he and Finick

listened quietly. But it was.

"And now, after programming this new data into the bomb, it will be able to annihilate an entire

base of clones without us even sending a battalion! How humiliating it will be for them!" Dr. Nuvo

cackled deviously.

Finick and Petta exchanged a horrified glance...they were near the lab of none other than the

infamous Dr. Nuvo Vindi himself. The mad scientist of the Sith forces who, they had learned from

Ahsoka, had been responsible for almost destroying an entire world with his destructive biological

weapons. And now, he was back, crafting a new weapon sure to change the course of the war and wreak havoc on their forces if it was completed.

A boiling fury rose inside of Petta, and he clenched his fist angrily. No, he was not going to let

this heartless psychopath succeed at his ambitions. Looking at Finick with a fierce determination in his eyes, he unholstered his blaster pistol, and Finick understood what he was going to do. Finick went wide-eyed for a split second, and Petta could tell what he was saying.

"We need to stay focused on the mission!"

"If we don't do this now, we'll be responsible for the deaths of millions of good soldiers later."

was Petta's silent reply.

Moving stealthily, Petta crept up to the ventilation grate, and peeked around the corner subtly.

There was the Doctor, working on his computer, a gleeful evil grin across his thin gray face. Petta wasted no time...before the Doctor knew he was there, a blaster bolt had gone through his head, and he lay dead on the floor.

Finick breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He and Petta crept away some distance before clarifying

what happened.

"That...was Dr. Nuvo Vindi we just killed." Petta informed Waxer.

"What the...Nuvo Vindi?!" Waxer exclaimed alarmingly.

"Yes." Finick said. "There was no one else with him. And I think he has something to do with

the bomb Shadow Soldier saw."

Waxer was momentarily at a loss for words. "Well...good job eliminating him."

"My pleasure." Petta replied with a bitter satisfaction.

After notifying the rest of the squad, Petta and Finick continued their course. After another

ten minutes of crawling, they finally reached the generator room, way at the back of the base. They saw what they had mostly been expecting...Sith troopers for security, a huge generator, maintenance droids...except for one slight complication.

"Two backup generators?" Petta groaned.

"Looks like some of our intel was off. This means it'll take more than just a couple of EMP

grenades to disable the power." Finick sighed, clearly exasperated.

"Well, there's not much security around. If we're sneaky about this, we can find another way."

Petta stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, here goes nothing then." Finick snorted.

It took a while, but eventually they were able to neutralize all the Sith troopers, and disabled all

the maintenance droids in the generator room. After making sure the doors were locked and no one else was around, they found the main control and got to work.

"I learned a bunch of computer-hacking from an ARC trooper squad leader I met named

Nathan." Finick explained. "If I'm able to reverse the functions on the backup generators, this generator will go up in flames easily."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Petta laughed.

While Petta kept watch, Finick busily worked at the console, trying to do everything necessary

to override the security protocols. After three minutes, he eventually reversed the function, guaranteeing when the main generator was down, it would spread to the backup generators, and they would all explode.

"These Sith freaks are in for a blast!" Petta chuckled.

"Pfft, finally, a good pun!" Finick joked.

After planting six EMP grenades on the main generator, Petta and Finick hastily exited,

crawling through the ventilation system the way they came. They stopped to catch their breath after reaching the spot above the barracks.

"We did it!" Petta hissed gleefully to the others over his comlink.

"Finally!" Katniss said in relief.

"Way to go!" Razor congratulated.

"Anything else we need to do?" Gale asked impatiently.

"No." Shadow Soldier replied. "Detonate the bombs."

Momentary silence.

Then all hell broke loose.

Razor and Stak set off the bombs in the armory, igniting the other explosives their bombs were

near. After which, Petta and Finick detonated the EMP grenades on the generator. Just as Finick had planned, the malfunction spread to the backup generators. A second later, a massive plume of flame and smoke rocketed sky-high, sending shrapnel and rubble everywhere. The enemy troops on the wall ducked and covered their heads in surprise. Frantic hollering ensued as Boil and Waxer, for their part, sounded both alarms for an air raid and a power outage. Droid emergency crews began running to and for, clueless as to what to do. Workers in the bomb factory shouted in surprise as the power was cut off, and the base went dark. Gale, seizing the opportunity, leapt out of the bushes behind the base, blaster rifle blazing, followed by Katniss and Prim. As they had anticipated, their attack from behind threw off the troops even more as they scrambled to deal with the onslaught of problems assailing them.

Their plan had worked.

...........................

Shadow Soldier uncovered his head as the vibration from the expolsion faded. Cramped in the

ventilation system, he had been relatively shielded from the force of the blast, but it had still been somewhat disorienting.

He shook off the feeling and quickly pulled out his holoprojector. Lando's hologram again

materialized, this time his face laced with anticipation.

"We set off the bombs." Shadow Soldier said serenely. "We are ready for the attack."

"Alright." Lando said. "We've been traveling slowly, but my air forces should arrive their first.

My ground forces ETA is about ten minutes. You'll have to keep them busy until then."

"No problem, sir." Shadow Soldier replied and deactivated the holoprojector.

He then turned to address his current situation. Crawling through the ventilation system, he had

ended up above one of the control rooms in the bomb factory. The staff in there had descended into chaos, and he knew now was the right moment to strike.

Pulling back his hand, he Force-shoved the ventilation cover outward, propelling it into one of

the Sith troopers below. They looked up in surprise, and before they knew what was happening, Shadow Soldier somersaulted down to them and soon stood in their midst, lightsaber blazing. Two Sith troopers fired at him from the right, only to have Shadow Soldier deflect them back at them, and they crumpled to the ground. Shadow Soldier threw his lightsaber to the left, and it struck the Sith troopers and control crew down to the ground before they could react. Using his other hand, he pulled out one of his blaster pistols, and spun around to face those behind him. Shooting too fast for them to react, he took out the last two Sith troopers and three control crew members, catching his lightsaber in his other hand. After that, it was all over. Shadow Soldier then moved to swipe intel from one of the computers...then suddenly, the door hissed open and he froze.

"It is you!" the Fifth Brother hissed.

Shadow Soldier immediately ignited his lightsaber, ready for the attack. The Fifth Brother, in a

fury whipped out his lightsaber in return and the duel began. His double-sided disk-handled lightsaber spinning wildly, The Fifth Brother swung at Shadow Soldier's legs. But Shadow Soldier, too skilled to be bested by that one simple trick, flipped backward over the control consoles. The Fifth Brother, his anger boiling, force-shoved him against the back wall, and Shadow Soldier gritted his teeth as his back impacted the wall with a whoompf. The Fifth Brother leapt forward in rage, lightsaber blazing over his head. But Shadow Soldier was too quick for him and blocked it just in time. Determined to go down fighting, Shadow Soldier sent the Fifth Brother flying back with a kick to his midsection. Shadow Soldier was back on his feet, staring down the Fifth Brother courageously. They circled around the room, their blades raised, waiting for which would be the first to move.

"Good to see you survived the Siege of Malastare, Jedi Scum!" the Fifth Brother hissed.

"You know it takes more than just a pack of robots to kill me." Shadow Soldier countered

calmly, never breaking eye contact.

The Fifth Brother charged toward him, but Shadow Soldier was ready. Extending his hand, he

sent a burst of Force-lightning at him, and the Fifth Brother slammed into the ground with electric sparks crawling up his torso. Shadow Soldier again shot Force-lightning at him, but the Fifth Brother never made the same mistake twice. He raised his blade and caught the lightning just in time. Shadow Soldier persisted, and they appeared to be at an impasse. But Shadow Soldier was not one to give up easily. Deactivating his lightsaber, he replaced it with one of his throwing knives. The Fifth Brother's lightsaber was locked; his blade had been rendered useless. Before he knew it, Shadow Soldier's throwing knife penetrated his leg armor and sank into his upper thigh.

"Aaahhh!" the Fifth Brother cried in pain.

Shadow Soldier lowered his hand, and the Force-lightning dissipated. Nevertheless, he followed

up with a Force-push that slammed the Fifth Brother into the corner of the room, blood beginning to well from his leg wound. Shadow Soldier whipped out his pistol to finish him off, but the Fifth Brother desperately threw his lightsaber. Shadow Soldier quickly Force-vaulted over the blade, which narrowly missed him by a hairsbreadth. He landed as the lightsaber was coming back around...and shot it out of the air with a precisely timed shot.

The Fifth Brother gasped in horror. "He has grown more powerful!"

Shadow Soldier again turned to finish him off. But just then, a squad of eight Sith Troopers

appeared in the doorway.

"Is everything all right-" the Sith trooper stopped as soon he saw Shadow Soldier, knowing the

answer without finishing.

Recovering from the surprise, Shadow Soldier took out his other pistol and shot two of them

dead. The other six opened fire, and Shadow Soldier somersaulted to the right over the consoles to evade them. The Fifth Brother, seeing his chance, got to his feet and hurriedly hobbled out the side entrance.

"His death will have to wait another day." he told himself bitterly.

............................

Meanwhile at the back entrance to the base, Katniss, Gale, and Prim had the attention of the

Sith troopers and droids. Katniss aimed her arrow and fired it into the center of a group of three Sith troopers on the wall. The arrow lodged into the neck of one Sith trooper...and then exploded, dispatching all of them at once. Prim, remembering Wolfee's training, went airborne with her rocket boots and targeted the turret over the entrance with a thermal detonator. Flying to the side, she expertly dodged the turret fire. Before it could get her, the detonator exploded and reduced the turret to scrap metal. The job done, she flew to the ground and landed perfectly.

"Destroyer droids!" Gale exclaimed.

Sure enough, a pack of five destroyer droids rolled out of the entrance. Gale quickly took out

two of them. But the other three uncurled, deployed their shields, and began laying down swaths of deadly laser fire. Gale, Katniss, and Prim were forced to hide behind the rocks as Super Battle Droids with jetpacks came out to back up the droidekas.

"Where the heck is Lando's battalion?!" Gale yelled above the laser fire.

In response to his question, lasers suddenly rained down from the sky and obliterated the droids.

"What the-?" Prim explained in confusion.

"Hey guys, you didn't think I'd miss out on the fun did ya?!" a joyful voice screamed on

Katniss's comlink.

"Poe Dameron!" Katniss exclaimed in delight, a big grin coming onto her face.

"Yup, and my squad and I are here with Luke and Rogue Squadron!" Poe replied.

Katniss and Prim had met Poe Dameron only three weeks ago, but it hadn't taken them that long

to befriend him. He was the leader of Black Squadron, one of the Jedi Republic Union's ace squadrons. His squad had been the one responsible for the destruction of Starkiller Base and had worked alongside Rogue Squadron many times.

And now, here he was with Lando's battalion.

"You should be getting support soon!" he assured them.

Sure enough, a pack of Rebel Alliance dropships soon roared overhead. Scores of Rebel

Troopers with jetpacks descended upon the helpless droid forces.

"What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Gale shouted, charging the now defenseless back

entrance. Katniss and Prim followed closely behind, and the battle was on.

At the front, Razor and Stak had been diverting the Sith troopers on the front wall. Two AAT's

rumbled out of the front gate...only to be pummeled to bits by missiles that suddenly rained down from behind Razor and Stak. Turning in surprise, Razor saw an entire line of at least fifteen Alliance ARC-1

speeders zooming toward them. Backed by speeder bikes and scores of Rebel soldiers, Lando's battalion surged forward, pouring out of the forest with a mighty battle cry.

"For the Republic!" Stak cried, and he and Razor joined the charge.

Vulture droids and droid TRI-Fighters shot up from the airfield, and were soon deadlocked in

combat with Poe's squadron and Rogue Squadron. Rebel dropships relentlessly rained down Rebel troopers upon the enemy base, while the Alliance ARC-1's continually hammered the area behind the wall of the base with their missile batteries.

In the midst of all this, the Fifth Brother hurried to his TIE Fighter in the airfield, fending off

Rebel troops with a blaster he had picked up and Force-pushes. Miraculously, he made it to his ship, and wasted no time lifting off. Flooring it, he zoomed out before any of the Rebel pilots had time to pursue him.

"The Sith High Command must know of Shadow Soldier!"

.............................

Inside the base, Shadow Soldier was busy with his own battle. The Sith troopers had called for

reinforcements, and that had kept him busy for quite some time. And even after he had won, the Fifth Brother had still escaped.

"The least I can do is take on their forces in the bomb factory."

And so he did just that. Hurrying outside onto the balcony, he ignited his lightsaber, took a deep breath, and leapt off the edge. Before the droids below could react, he slammed into the center of factory, sending out a Force-shockwave that sent droids and Sith troopers flying everywhere. Machines crumbled and consoles were torn from their places. Not pausing for a moment, Shadow Soldier threw his lightsaber to the right, taking out five Sith troopers who were charging towards him. Turning to the left, he threw two grenades at a pack of super battle droids. Running to and then front-flipping over a stack of crates, he caught his lightsaber as it came back. Pulling out his blaster pistol in his other hand, he fought off pack after pack of Sith troopers and battle droids. Any Sith troopers that got too close were met with his expertise in martial arts.

An hour later, the battle was over.

Out in the courtyard, Shadow Soldier reunited with Katniss, Gale, Finick, Petta, Prim and the

four ARF Troopers. Lando's battalion secured the base, and a team of special-ops commandos went in to obtain the bomb and study it.

"Those clankers never saw it coming!" Stak proclaimed proudly.

"Great work guys!" Prim rejoiced.

"This'll send a message to Snow for sure." Gale stated confidently.

"We shall be ready for the next battle, sir." Boil said to Shadow Soldier proudly.

"Yes, we shall." Shadow Soldier replied.

"Shadow Soldier...did you encounter anyone else of interest? Were there other important people

here besides Dr. Nuvo Vindi?" Petta asked curiously. All heads turned to Shadow Soldier.

"Yes." Shadow Soldier replied. "I engaged in a duel with the Fifth Brother, another one of the

Inquisitors. I almost killed him, but he escaped when Sith troopers showed up in the bomb factory control room."

They looked at each other nervously.

"Why would he be here?" Katniss asked.

"Whatever it was...it wasn't anything good." Finick replied.