Chapter 11: Tying up Loose Ends

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 23 – Location: Mustafar

"By the time we'd made our way to the molten surface of Mustafar, it was apparent that Dellso had been a busy little bug. All by his lonesome, he'd found a previously hidden droid factory, fired it up and cranked out his own private army of Battle Droids. Needless to say, this got the men of the 501st...a little hot under the helmet, and not just because of all that lava. Truth be told we'd all had our fill of those gear heads during the war, and we couldn't stomach the thought of going through another one. So we blew them up. Blew up the droids, blew up the factory, damn near blew up the planet.”

The shuttle has entered Mustafar, and all the troopers could already feel the rise in temperature as their bodies started to sweat under the armour. Fortunately for them, the new Imperial Stormtrooper armours came equipped with its own built in heating and cooling systems, to help them survive the harshest environments.

Unfortunately for them however, it won’t protect them from the lava slowly cooking them alive should any of them accidently fall in during the battle that will soon unfold once they land.

“Look at that. The whole planet is just one big fiery death trap. A literal hell.” Boomstick uttered to himself, even though his fellow Clones can all hear him. “What kind of nutjob would build a Droid Factory on this planet?”

“A Geonosion nutjob.” Apex pointed out. “If Dellso’s Droids are as intelligent as you say they are. What are the chances they’ll ambush us as soon as we land?” He asked rhetorically.

“Pretty high I will admit.” Ghost begun, drawing all the 501st Clones attention. “The Droids we fought in the past were purposely made stupid for Palatines plan to create the Empire. But these Droids are different. They’re not only smarter, but they’re more organised, and they’ll be swarming the whole facility once we arrive. They have a major advantage against us as there are few of us and basically an infinite amount of them. This is their turf, so we must be vigilant and flawless if we are to defeat them once and for all.”

“Commander Ghost, we’re closing in on the mining facility.” The shuttle pilot called back.

“Any signs of the Clankers?” He asked the pilot.

“Negative sir, the landing platforms empty.”

“Huh? Maybe they’re not as smart as we thought.” Thunder hypothesized.

“No. I have a feeling they know we’re coming, and are probably planning on setting a trap for us.” Daxter theorised. If these new Droids are highly intelligent, then there’s a slim chance they wouldn’t think of this. The old Droids obviously, but not these ones.

“Daxters right. Land the ship and I’ll come up with a plan of attack.” Ghost ordered the pilot.

The pilot nodded and carefully landed the shuttle on the landing platform outside the facility. This one looked very much like the other mining facility that was destroyed during Anakin and Obi Wan Kenobi’s fight. But instead of completely being built on a river of lava, it was actually built into a huge volcano.

The top of the volcano was protected by an energy shield, preventing it from erupting on top of the facility. If all fails in their plan to kill Dellso and destroy the new Droid prototypes, they could always destroy the shield and let the volcano do the destroying for them. (After the got off world of course)

The 501st all exit the shuttle and gather round Ghost as he brought up a holographic layout to the whole mining facility.

“Alright troops, today’s the day we wipe out the final remnants of the CIS. Eventually we’ll be blowing up the hidden Droid factory.” He then points over to the mining facility they’re currently standing on the holomap. “But for now, we need to infiltrate and secure that nearby mining facility. Remember, these Droids are nothing like the ones we fought in the Clone Wars. Do not under estimate them. Let’s move em out!”

The clones all readied their weapons and prepared to march towards the entrance to the mining facility. As they were crossing the bridge to the entrance, Ghost suddenly halts their approach, as he heard a strange beeping sound.

“GET BACK!”

The clones all moved back as the bridge suddenly exploded, cutting off their only way into the facility.

“Just as I thought. They rigged the bridge to explode as soon as enough pressure was put on it. These Droids are no joke!” Ghost said as he caught his breath, relieved that none of his men were killed in the explosion, or fell into the lava below them.

“Well the bridge is out. Now what sir?” A Random Stormtrooper asked.

“Luckily we thought ahead of this. Right Daxter?” X-Ray asked.

“Yep. Watch this.” He announced as the droid arm reached into the backpack and handed him four small metal balls. The then throws two of the balls across the huge gap made by the explosion and dropped the other two at his feet.

The four balls opened up and shot out beams of light that connected to each one of them, forming a rectangle. The gap of the rectangle was then filled in with pure light.

“A bridge of solid light. Made by yours truly.” Daxter proclaimed proudly. Some of the clones even clapping for him.

“Is that bridge safe to walk across though?” Boomstick asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Ghost muttered to himself as he takes a step forward, slightly worried that the might be a malfunction. But he had faith in his brothers engineering skills.

To his much needed relief, Ghost was indeed standing on the solid light bridge. After pausing for a moment to process what he just did, he spoke out to his men. “Alright men enough distraction, don’t forget why we are here. Let’s move!”

He and the clones wasted no time to cross the bridge and enter the facility. Some of them still hesitated as they set foot on the bridge, which is understandable as they were playing with fire here. (no pun intended)

The Clones have successfully entered the mining facility. And as soon as they did, they were suddenly ambushed by dozens of Battle Droids who were waiting for them. A huge barrage of blaster bolts flew throughout the facility’s hallways as the Clones fought their way further inside.

“Keep pushing forward men! We need to take control of the lava observation room just ahead!” Ghost shouted as he blasted row after row of Battle Droids.

“They may be smarter, but at least they can still die easily.” Apex pointed out as he snipped a Droid from a distance.

“There’s too many of them!” Boomstick!” Ghost turned to Boomstick expecting him to clear the path.

“Way ahead of you, Commander.” Boomstick knew exactly what Ghost wanted. He gets behind cover and takes aim at the Droids with his new rocket launcher. He turns the dial on the side of it and sets it to the EMP setting.

With that done he fires a small EMP missile at the droids in the distance. The missile impacts the ground and explodes EMP energy everywhere, shutting down all Droids in the area.

“All clear,  let’s move it!” Ghost ordered.

All the troops ran to the end of the hallway and enter the lava observation room, as well as take out any Droids stationed inside.

After setting up a temporary base of operations in the room, the 501st begin to advance even further into the facility. Deciding next to take control of the lava walkway.

“Apex, Boomstick and I will scout ahead and make sure there aren’t any more traps. The rest of you remain here and guard the way we came in case they attack us from behind. Daxter, stay here and man the walkway controls. If any Droids come down this way, I’m counting on you to lower the bridges and melt the Clankers down.” Ghost instructed him.

“What if your all still out there when I do lower it?” He asked worriedly.

“We’ll be fine. Just be ready when I give the order.” Ghost instructed again.

Daxter only gave a little nod in response. Soon Ghost, Apex and Boomstick exited the lava observation room and crossed another lava bridge onto the outside walkway. Best not to take another chance and get any men killed if they rigged this one too.

Luckily for them they didn’t, as they safely made their way onto the walkway. Upon arriving they can see the entrance to the factory.

“Looks like we’re closing in on the factory. Not long now until we wipe out the last of the Droids.” Boomstick commented.

Suddenly out of sky, a bunch of Geonosions appeared and start firing their heat beam lasers at them.

“Watch out! Dellso’s got some bug backup!” Apex warned as he snipes one of them out of the sky with his sniper rifle.

“That’s the thing about Geonosions. They’re never alone.” Ghost pointed out as he pulls out his rifle and begins firing away at them.

“All these bugs look exactly the same. How will we know which one is Dellso?” Boomstick asked as he too blasted away at them with his Death Trooper pistol.

“First of all, that’s racist. Second of all, Dellso has cybernetic augmentations on his body, so we’ll instantly know him when we see him.” Ghost explained.

Ghost and his two brothers didn’t struggle with the Geonosions at all, and killed them all like swatting bugs off a wall, some of them even falling into the lava below. It’s a good thing they’re wearing helmets, because they cannot imagine what cooked Geonosion would smell like.

Once the Geonosions were cleared out, Ghost signalled the 501st to continue their assault on the Droid factory itself.

The Clones made their way deeper into the facility, finally arriving at the Droid Factory itself. It was a lot smaller compared to the one they destroyed on Geonosis at the start of the Clone Wars. And fortunately for them there weren’t any huge column sized tanks of Rhydonium this time. The thought of what a Rhydonium explosion would look like on Mustafar was inconceivable.

As they fought through the droid factory, blasting what felt like an infinite amount of Battle Droids standing in their path. Ghost receives a call from Sigan, still aboard the Conqueror.

“You’re doing well so far, Commander. The Imperial fleet has finished off the last of the Droid fleet over the planet. But that won’t stop Dellso from sending more ships to take their place.”

“We won’t let that happen. We’ll wipe em out before they have a chance to leave the planet.” Ghost reassured him.

“That’s easier said than done, Commander.” Sigan replied. “These Geonosions are holed up in the command centre. That’s also where the new Droid Prototype scymatics are. You must destroy the scymatics before they could use them to build the new highly advanced Droid Army.”

The call ends and the last of the Droids in the area had been wiped out. Ghost then turns to his men as they closed in on the command centre of the factory. “You heard the admiral men. Any Droid we don’t destroy today will come back to haunt us tomorrow. We need to destroy the scymatics for the new Battle Droid prototype, as well as destroy any of them that are still in production.”

Ghost once again brings up a holographic layout of the whole factory. Ghost then looks over to a group of Stormtroopers with bulky looking backpacks on their backs, similar to the one Daxter has. “The bombing squad will head towards the back of the factory building were the communications relay tower is, and set up the orbital strike beacon Sigan gave us. Once its’ said up, the Conqueror will lock onto our coordinates and blast the factory to bits from above, after we’ve evacuated of course.”

He then points to where the command centre is, which wasn’t that far off from where they are now. “My squad and I will enter the command centre and destroy the scymatics, and hopefully Dellso as well.” He then turns to Shadow. “Lieutenant Shadow will lead the rest of you to the factory area. Your task is to destroy it and every other Droid on its conveyor belt. Once we destroyed Dellso and his new Droid Prototype, we will signal the Conqueror and destroy every last trace of the CIS.”

The 501st all raise their arms and let out a battle cry. They are all determined to ensure the past stays dead and buried on Mustafar. They then all go down different corridors and carry out their assigned missions.

Ghost and his Orion Squad enter the command centre where they were immediately ambushed by dozens of Battle Droids of all kinds, from the standard B1’s to Supers, to Droideka’s, and even Commando Droids. They all raise their weapons in response, but quickly realised that the Droids weren’t attacking them…yet.

Then in the centre of the room, a hologram of a Geonosion appears before them. He looked like any ordinary Geonosion warrior, except he had features that immediately make him stand out from the others. He had a cybernetic arm that looked exactly like a Super Battle Droids, complete with a built in blaster. He also had a red robotic eye on his left that looked like one that belonged to a Super Tactical Droid, reminding them of Kraken.

“Ah, the infamous Orion Squad of the 501st legion. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Gizor Dellso.” He spoke with a little tint of autotune in his voice.

The clones were honestly a bit surprised that he was actually talking to them in their language. Geonosions could only communicate in their own native tongue, not even the Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser, or the Geonosion Queen could communicate like that. And this wasn’t a result of their helmets built in translation either. Ghost could only estimate that his cybernetic enhancements have allowed him to speak to them.

“Yes, we know who you are.” Ghost replied.

“Did Darth Vader send you?” Dellso asked. The clones didn’t answer him, but he knew that he did, given what he’s heard about them. “I don’t even need to you to answer that, I know how important to the Empire you are to him. Still, he is a coward for sending you here, instead of coming himself to finish me off!” He then points to the half of his face that was all technical. “I barely survived his massacre. His lightsaber cut me in half from my head to my torso. I had to fake being dead until he left before I could repair my wounds. Replacing my damaged body with spare parts from the factory. Even my voice box was damaged by his glowing blade, hence why I am now only capable of speaking your fluent tongue.”

“So what? You expect us to feel sorry for you by telling us your life story?” Thunder replied, not at all interested in listening to him.

“Yeah. We came here to kill you and wipe out the last of the CIS.” Boomstick added.

“You rebuilding the Droid Army is a threat to our galaxy. We didn’t fight two years against these Clankers only to have you put the Galaxy through a second war.” Daxter spoke up.

“And you have the guts to call Lord Vader the coward, when you yourself aren’t even brave enough to face us, having a hologram take your place.” X-Ray added.

“They’re all right, Dellso. There is nowhere for you to run. We will find you, and we will kill you. And even if you do somehow escape, there is nowhere in the galaxy you can hide from the Empire. We are everywhere!” Ghost threatened.

Dellso only laughed in response, unamused by his threats. “What makes you think the Empire will forever rule the Galaxy? Even if you stop my Droid Rebellion, many more rebellions will rise up. No one will ever accept your Emperor’s rule. That very same Emperor that promised us peace!” Dellso shouted back at them.

Suddenly all the Droids that were currently standing by turned their blasters on Orion Squad. “As long as I live, the Separatist movement lives on. And my new Droids will tear your precious Empire apart, starting with you. Destroy them!” He ordered his droids.

The hologram shuts off and the Droids all open fire on the members of Orion Squad. The clones however were protected by their armours forcefield generators. Apart from X-Ray who had a built in Ray shield in his arm. (The same one he used on Naboo) The Droids blaster bolts bounced off their forcefields like nothing.

“Hey, that was our thing first!” One of the B1 Battle Droids complained.

“Huh? They’re smarter, but there’s still some old Clanker still in them.” Apex pointed out, ignoring the Droids complaint.

“Throw all the Clankers you want at us, Dellso! We’ll just keep on dismantling them!” Boomstick blurted out as he blasts away at the Droids around them.

The Commando Droids then charge towards the clones and penetrate the shields with their vibro blades by slowly pushing it in. This causes them to split apart and deal with them individually.

Now that they were separated, the rest of the Droids begin attacking them in a randomised pattern, constantly switching targets. This was completely different to the usual attack strategy they used in the Clone War. They’re trying to exhaust their shields by hammering them with blaster fire, hoping that they would all shut down at the same time, leaving them all vulnerable to attack.

“Don’t hold back boys!” Ghost encouraged his brothers. “They’re trying to exhaust us before finishing us off. Don’t let them succeed! Let’s show them the true power of Vader’s Fist!”

The members of Orion Squad shout “Right” in unison before running around the command centre, splitting up even further. The Droids were all forced to start moving towards each of them, weakening their defences now that they’re splitting up. Now it was their turn to use their own strategy against them.

Boomstick readied his rocket launcher and took aim at a Droideka. But instead of shotting it like the Droideka assumed he would, he instead gets behind the Droideka and forces it back into ball mode by kicking its shield generator. He then smacks the Droideka with his rocket launcher and it ends up rolling down the staircase and crashes into a group of Super Battle Droids, knocking them down like bowling pins.

“STRIKE!” Boomstick shouted out. But nobody was listening to him. Not even the Droids.

Ghost, Apex and Daxter were all fighting the three Commando Droids. Two of them were wielding the standard blaster rifle the Droids use in one hand, and a Vibro Blade in the other. While the third was armed with an electro staff.

One of the Commando’s leaped towards Daxter, firing its blaster at him mid jump. Daxter still had his forcefield up so he was fine. But the droid performs a roll towards him upon landing and swings his vibro blade at him. Daxter wasn’t quick enough to complete dodge the attack and ends up being slightly wounded by the blade. It sliced him in one of the loose joins ton his arm where there was no armour.

Daxter clutches his arm as he fights through the pain. The Commando then attempts to take another swing at his head. But it was stopped by one of Daxters robotic arms on the side of his backpack. The second arm then restrains the droids blaster arm, preventing it from moving.

“Let go, let go!” The Commando Droid ordered.

“As you wish.” Daxter replied. He then uses his undamaged arm to sim his shotgun at the droids head. He blasts not only the Droids head off, but the impact was strong enough to rip the droids arms from its body. Daxter briefly looks at the droids severed arms for a moment before programming his backpack arms to drop them.

Apex was mostly holding off the second Commando Droid with his sniper rifle, using it as a melee weapon instead of what it was made for. The Commando Droid attempted to slice it in half with his vibro blade, but it didn’t work. Apex learned his lesson with the Jedi on Naboo. There was no way in hell he’d allow his main weapon to be destroyed a second time.

“Nice try, Clanker. My new improved Sniper Rifle is made of Cortosis. Not even lightsabers can cut through it.” He briefly explained, which was followed by him gun butting the Droid, knocking it backwards. He then spins the rifle back around really fast, and fires it at the droids head.

Ghost used his double bladed yellow lightsaber to battle the electro staff wielding Commando Droid. They both exchanged a couple of blows. But unlike the first time he fought a Commando Droid during the space battle of Coruscant, Ghost easily overcomes the Droids defences and cuts it in half with his lightsaber.

X-Ray and Thunder were finishing off the last of the Battle Droids in the command centre. They look over at the others fighting the Droids in the other side of the room, quite impressed with their brothers actions.

X-Ray thinks back on the very first time they fought a huge group of Droids on Geonosis, and compares it to how they fight now. They’ve certainly came a long way since that day. Going from rookies to the best of the 501st legion.

“What are you zoning out for?” Thunder asked as he finished off the last droid in front of him.

“Sorry. I was just thinking about how far we’ve all come since the Clone War. I can’t help but imagine what Fang would say if he were still alive?”

“If our former Commander knew about the re-emergence of these Clankers, he’d probably go mad.” Thunder pointed out.

X-Ray can’t argue with him there. As much as he hates thinking it. Maybe it’s sort of for the best that Fang died before the rise of the Empire. He may’ve been loyal enough to warrant the slaughter of the Jedi. But would he actually be loyal to the Empire itself? Especially after what he told them on his holodisk about the chips in their heads?

His thoughts on the matter had to be put on hold as the members of Orion Squad gathered around after wiping out the last of the Droids.

“That takes care of the Clankers. Now let’s hurry and find those scymatics.” Ghost instructed.

The clones begin searching through the command centres computer files, searching for the scymatics for the new Droid prototype.

Daxter was the first to find the scymatics on one of the holotables connected to the main computer. Upon activation a hologram image of the new Battle Droid prototype appeared before them.

The Droids appearance was based on the B2 Super Battle Droid model, except it had different features to it. It had four arms instead of two, each one equipped with a different weapon. It’s left shoulder had a rocket launcher. Above it were the words B3 Ultra Battle Droid, which they assumed was what it was called.

“This must be the new Droid Prototype.” Daxter assumed.

“It looks like a highly weaponised B2 Super Battle Droid?” Thunder added.

“I’ve never heard of a B3 Ultra Droid before? Nor have I ever seen one during the Clone Wars.” Boomstick pointed out.

“None of us have.” Ghost interrupted. “I’ve heard rumours about these kind of Droids. They stand at 4 meters tall, and contain enough fire power to wipe out an entire battalion of Clones, even kill a group of Jedi.”

“Damn!” Apex muttered out. “If that’s true, then how come we’ve never seen one before until now?”

“Most likely these Droids were way too expensive to mass produce. I can’t even imagine how much it costs the CIS to build just one.” Daxter explained.

“Just one of these Droids alone poses a huge threat to the Empire. We must ensure not a single one of them leaves this factory.” Ghost stated.

Boomstick then surprises everyone by smashing the computer consoles with the butt end of his rocket launcher, causing all the systems to shut down including the scymatics. “That should be the end of it, right?”

“Not yet, Boomstick.” Ghost pointed out. He then contacts Shadow through his helmet communicator before continuing on.

“Shadow, do you copy?”

There’s a slight pause he finally receives a reply from Shadow. “I read you loud and clear, Commander Ghost. My men and I have succeeded in destroying the factory area. Dellso won’t be creating anymore Droids anytime soon.”

“Good work, Lieutenant. Gather the men and return to our command post. I’ll call in-“ Ghost suddenly receives another call from someone else. “Hold that thought, I got another call coming in.”

Ghost quickly hangs up and answers the new call coming in. The clone on the other end starts speaking to him, but he could hear a hint of worry in his voice. That means that he possibly has bad news.

“Commander Ghost, this is the bombing squad. We’ve successfully placed all the orbital strike beacons, but we’ve run into a little problem!”

“What’s the problem?” He asked straight to the point.

“We’ve ran into a couple of Geonosions, one of which was Gizor Dellso himself. My men and I were able to fend them off. But now they’ve sent in some kind of Droid monster.”

Over the communicator Ghost could hear Dellso’s voice in the background. “There you are, the last one. Kill him my creation!”

“Sir, I need help, this Droids too powerful, our weapons have- Ahhhhh!”

The sounds of the clones screams can be heard along with the sounds of rapid blaster fire, which was then concluded with the sound of static. Ghost immediately knew what must’ve happened. He then begins clenching his fists and the visor on his helmet changes from blue to red, implying that he was angry.

“What happened?” X-Ray asked him.

Ghost slowly turned around and answered the question. “We’re too late. Dellso has activated the Ultra Droids. One of them wiped out the bombing squad.”

The members of Orion Squad looked amongst each other in slight shock. This was something they hoped they’d avoid at all costs.

“How many Ultra Droids do you think he’s awakened?” Thunder asked?

“As far as I know, only one. But even that doesn’t ensure things will be easier for us, fighting it. Let’s just hope Shadow and the others managed to destroy the factory conveyors before any more of them were completed.

“What about Dellso? We can’t let him escape.” Apex asked.

“I’ll handle Dellso.” The clones all look over at Daxter who was the one that volunteered. “The only way off Mustafar is that landing platform we came here on. But from what I’ve gathered from the facility layout, there is a hidden hanger bay where they keep all the Droid cruisers. He’ll most likely try to steal escape in one of them. I’ll kill him while you lot focus on stopping the Ultra Droid and saving our men.”

“No, it should be me.” Apex spoke up. “Your still wounded from your fight with the Commando Droids.”

“What do you think we should do, Commander?” Daxter asked Ghost.

Ghost looked at his brothers as he thought long and hard on what their next move should be. Whatever he picks he better do it fast, as every second wasted means more clones meet the same fate as the bombing squad.

In the end, Ghost chose to let Daxter go after Dellso with X-Ray accompanying him to provide medical assistance as well as backup. The rest of Orion Squad met up with the rest of the 501st in the now destroyed factory.

Some of the clones were killed by the Droids, but the majority of them were able to come out of this mess alive.

“Commander Ghost, we’ve succeeded in destroying-

“Where is the storage unit for the new Droid Prototypes?!” Ghost interrupted him.

“In the storage vault to the right. But we’ve blasted it to oblivion, they’re all destroyed.” Shadow tried to reassure him.

Ghost signals Apex to check it out, confirming if all the Ultra Droids were destroyed.

“What’s wrong sir?” Shadow asked him.

“The bombing squad were all killed by what we believe is the new Droid prototype. We believe that Dellso was attempting to mass produce B3 Ultra Droids.”

Shadow and the rest of the 501st were all shaken upon hearing that. While none of them have ever actually seen an Ultra Droid, the have heard rumours of how just one of them manages to mow down an entire squad of clones and their Jedi generals like it was nothing.

Apex exits the storage vault and approaches the squad. “We got a problem sir!”

“Don’t tell me that-

Apex nods in confirmation. “While the majority of the unfinished Ultra Droids have been successfully destroyed. One is missing, meaning.”

“It’s loose somewhere in the factory!” Thunder finished the sentence for him.

“We can’t let that Droid leave Mustafar, we have to destroy it before it wipes out any more of our men.” Ghost stated.

“What do we do sir?” Shadow asked him.

“Have the men return to the shuttle and evacuate. If the rumours of this Droid are true, then the Orion Squad must be the ones to face it. I will not sacrifice any more of my men today.”

Ghost normally didn’t want to order his men to turn tail and run like cowards. But he knew that if they all fought an Ultra Battle Droid, they’d all be dead before they even lay a scratch on it. The chances of him and his squad surviving the fight are also slim. But next to his men fighting it, the chances are slightly higher. Thank the maker that they only have to deal with just the one. Had they fought a whole group of them, they’d never survive… Maybe they should’ve asked Lord Vader to get involved in the matter.

Daxter and X-Ray were making their way deeper into the facility, trying to locate the hanger bay where all the droid cruisers were. They need to find and kill Dellso before he could escape.

“How’s your arm feeling, Daxter?” X-Ray asked.

“It’s still a little sore, but I can still fight.” Daxter reassured him.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“Yeah.” Daxter replied. He quickly pulls out a holodisk and waves it in front of X-Ray’s face. “Before Boomstick smashed the computers, I downloaded the facility’s data. This disk contains the location of every other hidden Droid factory across the galaxy… Once our missions complete here, we can return this to Admiral Sigan, and he’ll inform Lord Vader of this. No way in hell we’ll be seeing a second droid rebellion anytime soon.”

“Good thinking Daxter, I’m impressed.”

Daxter quickly silences X-Ray by pushing him agianst a door. They both keep quiet as they listen in on Dellso talking with a couple of Geonosions.

“Those clones may’ve destroyed the factory and scymatics.” They could barely hear him speaking through the door. “But my Ultra Droid will soon wipe them all out.”

A random Geonosion then starts speaking to him in their native tongue, which sounded like a bunch of clicks and groans.

“The Ultra Droid is an unstoppable killing machine, of course they won’t survive. Even if they do somehow defeat it, there are hundreds more hidden in storage in the many factory’s hidden across the galaxy. We will awaken them all and destroy the Empire!”

“So that’s why he’s leaving in such a hurry.” X-Ray whispered to Daxter.

“It’s now or never. Let’s get him!”

The two of them burst through the door and raise their weapons at Dellso and his Geonosion comrades. “Is this a private meeting or can we join in.” Daxter boasted… Yeah, entrances weren’t his thing. Probably best he leaves that to Thunder and Boomstick.

The Geonosions turn around and point their sonic cannons at them. Dellso however turns around slowly, as if he’d been anticipating their arrival.

“Only the two of you? I admit I was not expecting that. If your whole mission was to kill me, you’d think your commander would send more then an Engineer and a Medic.” Dellso pointed out.

“I offered to face you alone, X-Rays only here as backup. I wanted to deal with you personally, one engineer to another.” Daxter explained.

“Really now? Tell me then. Was there something I did to you in the path that made you angry? Did you come for revenge?” Dellso asked.

“No, nothing like that. I never said I volunteered because I hated you. I just simply find all you Separatists to be unforgivable. Everything you’ve done has all been for the sake of war. Two years of suffering could’ve been prevented had your superiors agreed to coexist peacefully within the Republic. And now that they’re all dead, your trying to drag the galaxy into more bloodshed!”

Daxter then pulls out his shotgun and takes aim at Dellso. “For the Empire, and the Emperor, I will destroy you and rid the galaxy of the CIS threat forever!”

Without giving him a chance to give a comeback, Daxter immediately began shooting at Dellso. Dellso however was protected by a ray shield that appeared on his droid arm, blocking the blaster fire. Yep, this bug was an engineer alright.

Dellso then raises his right wing and out of his back, a energy bug wing appeared. He starts flapping the two of them rapidly, allowing him to lift his body off the ground.

If Daxter wasn’t mildly surprised before, he sure is now. He didn’t think Dellso was skilled enough to build a prosthetic energy wing generator on his back, allowing him to fly again. He really wanted to ask him how he managed to accomplish this, but at the same time he didn’t want to admit that he was more skilled in inventing then him.

Dellso then raises his droid arm like how a Super Battle Droid would and fired rapid red blaster bolts at the two clones. The other Geonosions join in and fire their weapons also.

Daxter grabs X-Ray and activates his forcefield, protecting them from the blast.

“Dellso’s more skilled then I thought.” Daxter openly admitted.

“What do we do now?” X-Ray asked him, hoping he had a plan.

“We’ll take out his Geonosion followers first, then we’ll focus on Dellso himself.” Daxter suggested.

X-Ray gives a little nod in response and the two of them begin splitting up as soon as the shield goes down. X-Ray uses his ray shield to block the incoming sonic blasts and fires his blaster pistol at the Geonosions. Blasting them out of the air like bugs to a zapper.

Daxter was more focussed on attacking Dellso, who proved to be more of a challenge then his more common brethren. He was currently blocking all his strikes with his ray shield, staying on the offensive.

As they fought, Daxter analysed his cybernetics, hoping to find some kind of weakness he could exploit. But found nothing so far. As he got around Dellso, he manages to catch a glimpse of what looked like a glowing red orb acting as his power supply.

Dellso quickly turns around and deactivates his shield in order to start blasting away at him again. As Daxter dodged for his life and analysed his equipment, it suddenly hit him.

“I knew it! His cybernetics all share the same power source. He can’t use his shield while he’s firing his blasters. Nor can he stay airborne for too long as maintaining flight while fighting drains it faster.” He thought to himself.

He then starts to formulate a plan. He starts charging towards Dellso and manages to get behind him. Dellso puts his blasters away and switches to his shield as he turns around.

“Don’t think I don’t see what your up to.” Dellso stopped him. “Your trying to get behind me so you could take out my power supply… Your definitely a lot smarter then the other Clones. But not smart enough to outwit me.”

Daxter then started to chuckle upon hearing that. Dellso dropped his guard and looked down at Daxter in confusion. Just what was so amusing about their situation?

“What are you laughing about?” Dellso demanded to know.

“You Geonosions are all the same, even smarter ones like you…Your always to focussed on what lies ahead of you, that you don’t ever bother turning back.”

Before Dellso could clarify on what he was talking about, he suddenly felt a painful bun strike him in the back. His energy wing malfunctions causing him to lose control and crash to the floor. He looks back and sees that his power supply had been blasted by X-Ray, who had just finished off the last of his followers.

Have of Dellso’s body was now paralysed. The only parts he could move being his organic arm, leg, and wing. Daxter and X-Ray stand over him and point their blasters at him.

“From one engineer to another, I’m willing to allow you to say your final words.”

Dellso struggled to speak as his voice box was also damaged from the blaster fire. Suddenly the whole facility lit up red and the sound of an alarm blasted all over the place.

“What’s happening? What did you do?!” Daxter asked as he grabbed him.

“My power source…is connected to… the factory.” Dellso struggled to get his words out. “This place…was rigged to shut down should… my heart stop beating.”

“The forcefield!” X-Ray shouted out, realising what he was talking about. “The Factories power supply was rigged to shut everything down if he dies. The lava from the volcano will erupt everywhere, and the base will have nothing protecting it anymore. Just like the facility that was destroyed during Lord Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi’s fight years ago.”

“Then there’s no time. We must get off this planet before that volcano destroys the entire area!”

“What about him?” X-Ray asked as he pointed at Dellso.

Daxter doesn’t hesitate as he shoots Dellso in the chest, killing him for good. And hopefully the CIS will die with him.

The two of then then turn tail and run for the exit. They have to warn the others before it’s too late.

Back with Ghost and the others. They all arrive back at the collection base near the central antenna where all the orbital strike beacons have been placed.

Something was off. They were able to make it out of the factory and back to where they made point. And the whole time they haven’t encountered a single Droid. Even though they destroyed the factory, there still had to be more of them in the facility right?

As they were moving, Ghost receives yet another call from Admiral Sigan.

“Commander report. Did you and your men kill Dellso?”

“Not yet sir. I’ve sent Daxter and X-Ray after him. Right now we’ve got an even bigger problem. The new Droid prototype Dellso was working on, were the B3 Ultra Battle Droids, and one of them is fully operational.” Ghost explained.

“This is serious indeed. Have you activated the beacons?” Sigan asked.

“Yes Admiral. Once we’ve returned to the Conqueror you can begin the bombardment.”

Ghost and the majority of the clones were suddenly interrupted by the sounds of heavy blaster fire coming from behind them. A couple clones were caught in it and were shredded to pieces by it.

“It’s here!” The clone in the back warned as he tried to get away in time.

“Everyone behind me!” Ghost ordered.

All the 501st clones gathered behind Ghost and stood in silence as they waited for the droid to appear.

Far down the open walkway, around the corner came the B3 Ultra Droid. Each step it took could be heard for miles. It felt as if it could cause tremors just be walking.

Just like the scymatics showed. This new Droid resembled the B2 Super Battle Droid, though it was far larger and bulkier than the B2. It stood at 4 meters tall and it had black shiny metallic armour, and It had a red visor.

The B3 had two large primary arms: the right arm, containing a tight-spray flamethrower; and the left arm housing a wide-spray plasma cannon. Two smaller secondary arms, located underneath the primary limbs, featured deadly rapid-fire forearm blaster cannons, similar to the B2 battle droid.

Built into the droid's left shoulder was a missile launcher containing brilliant missiles, capable of highly sophisticated target acquisition and tracking. The design also featured a Density projector, a device capable of increasing the droid's weight twenty-fold. This enabled it to lock itself in place and made it nearly impossible to topple over, counteracting the droid's high centre of gravity, although doing so would make it an easier target for Republic heavy weapons.

The clones trembled with fear at the mechanical monstrosity slowly approaching them. It begins readying its weapons for the rest of them.

“Shadow!” Ghost spoke up without even looking back. “Get everyone back to the shuttle. We’ll handle this… If we’re not back in twenty minutes, leave without us.”

“But sir.”

“That’s an order, Lieutenant!” Ghost shouted back at him.

Shadow didn’t like this at all. But he obeyed his commander, nonetheless. He leads the 501st legion away from the battle that is about to unfold and they all make their way back to the landing platform.

With the clones safely out of the way. Ghost, Thunder, Apex and Boomstick all ready their most powerful weapons. Ghost activates his lightsaber and takes a stand. The Ultra Droid closes in on them and immediately begins firing its secondary heavy blasters at them.

They all have their force fields up but the impact of the heavy blaster bots causes them to stagger back.

“It’s blasters are too powerful!” Thunder panicked. “Our shields won’t hold out for long!”

“Keep it busy.” Ghost instructed as he runs up the stairway next to the walkway. He then leaps behind the Ultra Droid and attempts to stab it in the head with his lightsaber. But to his surprise, the lightsaber wasn’t even able to penetrate the droids armour. The lightsaber blade then begins to short circuit and switch itself off.

“It’s armours made of Cortosis! My lightsaber can’t cut it.” He warned his brothers.

The Ultra Droid then grabs Ghost by the leg and throws him to the side, tossing him over the balcony and into the lava below.

“GHOST!” They all shouted, drawing the Ultra Droids attention to them now.

Thunder quickly ignited his jetpack and flew down to Ghost, catching him just in time as he was getting very close to hitting the lava.

Boomstick fired his rocket launcher at the Ultra Droid. But all it accomplished was knocking it backwards a bit. The Droid then decided to return the favour by firing its plasma cannon at him and Apex, who they narrowly escaped.

They quickly moved behind cover behind the stairs. The Ultra Droid slowly made its way over to where they were in hopes of finishing them off. But it was suddenly shot at by Ghost being carried upwards by Thunder. His rifles blaster bolts bounced off the Ultra Droids Cortosis armour, but he was able to lure it away from them.

The Ultra Droid unleashed its flamethrower at them. Thunder dropped Ghost back on the walkway and quickly countered it with his own flamethrower. The flaming collision lasted only seconds before the Ultra Droid began firing its blasters again.

Thunder flew out of the way just in time. The Ultra Droid followed him with its blasters, leaving it vulnerable to attack.

“Boomstick, fore the EMP!” Ghost ordered.

Boomstick readied his rocket launcher and turned the dial, setting it to EMP rockets. He then blasts the Ultra Droid in the back with everything he’s got. The EMP was able to temporarily stun the Droid, forcing it down on one knee.

“This won’t hold it down for long. We’ve gotta destroy it now!” Ghost stated.

“How? Our weapons can’t even damage it. Even your lightsaber is useless.” Boomstick pointed out.

“There’s only one thing that can destroy it now. The lava!” Ghost replied.

He then brings out his lightsaber again. Activating the end that wasn’t short circuited and began cutting into the walkway the Droids standing on. He quickly cuts a huge circle around the droid, in hopes of it falling into the lava directly below.

The Ultra Droid however was starting to move again as it was rebooting its systems. Apex, Thunder and Boomstick all open fire at the Ultra Droid, keeping it down as long as possible while also trying their best not to hit Ghost.

The Ultra Droid manages to get back up again and backhands Ghost, sending him flying onto the others. It slowly got back up and targeted them with its two main arms.

Luckily for them, Ghost was successful in cutting a hole in the walkway, as it started to give way under the Droids intense weight.

“Uh oh.” The Droid uttered as it fell through the walkway and drops straight down into the lava below.

The four clones look down through the whole to make sure it was dead for good. They breathe a sigh of relief as they watch the droid slowly sink into the lava until it was completely submerged.

They all collapse on the ground and take several deep breaths, taking in their intense moment of victory.

“We did it!” Boomstick was the first to speak after their moment of silence.

“Yes we did, Boom. We always do.” Apex spoke up.

“Compared to the Super Tri Droid and Kraken, I’d say this is by far the toughest Battle Droid we’ve ever fought.” Thunder added. “Sigan wasn’t exaggerating when they said these Droids posed a massive threat to the Empire. We barely escaped this fight with our lives. It’s a miracle that none of us sustained any serious injuries.”

“Let’s just be thankful that that’ll be the first and last Ultra Droid we ever see.” Ghost replied.

Their moment of silence was then interrupted by the sound of an alarm sounding throughout the entire facility. They then notice that the whole facilities force fields were coming offline one by one. Including the one keeping the volcano from erupting.

“What’s happening? What’s that alarm?” Boomstick asked.

They then all receive a group call from Daxter and X-Ray through their helmets. “Guys, this is Daxter and X-Ray. We’ve got a big problem here.”

“Don’t tell me Dellso escaped and set the factory to self-destruct.” Apex hoped.

“No, we eliminated Dellso.” X-Ray started. “But he’s programmed the whole facility to shut down should he his life signs drop to zero. The whole factory is now exposed to the volcano’s erupting volcano!”

The ground then begins to shake as lava starts to erupt out of the volcano high above them. Lava then starts sliding down its sides and is heading towards the mining facility.

“Get back to the shuttle, we’ll meet you there!” Ghost instructed before hanging up. “Let’s move it boys. It’s time to get off this hellish planet!”

The others all nodded, picked themselves up, grabbed their gear and made a run for it back to the landing platform.

Shadow and the rest of the 501st legion were all waiting patiently for the Orion Squads return in the shuttle. A lot of them were scared of staying for too long, as lava was slowly making its way down the volcano towards them. If they don’t leave soon, they’ll all be set ablaze.

“It’s been twenty minutes. Remember the Commanders orders. We are to leave if they don’t arrive back before then.” Shadow reminded the clones. He then calls out to the pilot in the front. “Prepare for take-off, set course for the Conqueror!” He ordered.

“Wait!” A random clone shouted out. “They’re here!”

The clones all look out the window and see all of Orion Squad regrouped and running for their lives. Ghost waves his arms, telling them to open the doors.

“Hurry, open the doors and get them inside!” Shadow ordered.

The clone pilot complied and opened the shuttles door as it was airborne. One by one the members of Orion Squad leaped onto the shuttle and climbed in. Ghost being the last one to climb aboard.

“We’re all here, now get us out of-

Ghost was suddenly interrupted by a missile coming out of nowhere and hitting the shuttle, knocking it off balance. Ghost ends up falling off the ramp and lands back on the platform.

“What happened?!” Daxter demanded.

“Something hit us! But what?” The pilot asked.

“Take a guess.” Apex spoke up as he pointed in front of them.

The clones were all shocked at what they saw. The Ultra Droid was still alive! It climbed out of the lava and manages to get onto the landing platform. It’s body was glowing orange from the intense heat of the lava, which was dripping off its arms.

Instead of targeting Ghost, it instead readied its shoulder mounted missile launcher for another attack.

“Get out of here now!” Ghost ordered his men.

“No, we’re not leaving you behind! This whole facility could blow at any minute!” X-Ray warned him.

“GO NOW! I’ll keep him distracted! I won’t ask you again!” He shouted back at them, showing how serious he was.

“He’s right. There’s no point in all of us dying. Get us out of here pilot!” Shadow ordered.

The pilot takes control of the shuttle and attempts to escape. With one of the shuttles wings damaged, flying has proven to be more difficult. And the weight of all the clones and weapons inside didn’t help matters.

“We’re coming back for you, Ghost!” Daxter shouted down to his brother before the shuttle doors closed. “DON’T DIE! YOU STILL HAVE A PROMISE TO KEEP!” He reminded him as the doors closed and the shuttle flew off into the sky.

Ghost readies his rifle and lightsaber as he faces the Ultra Droid. The two of them stare each other down as a burst of lava erupts to their left, lighting up the whole platform with a deep orange glow.

“Let’s go, Clanker!” Ghost muttered to himself.

He then bravely charges for the Ultra Droid, blasting it with his rifle. The Ultra Droid returned fire, but Ghost was quick and agile, two things it was not.

Unfortunately for Ghost, the whole platform was huge and open, so there wasn’t much cover for him to hide behind.

The Ultra Droid then decides to fire a plasma shot directly at him. Ghost quickly makes a run for the edge of the platform and leaps off of it as the blast impacts the platform.

As the smoke clears the Ultra Droid noticed that Ghost had disappeared. It approached the platform edge and begun scanning for him.

“Scanning for Clone Trooper.” It spoke in a really deep autotuned robotic voice, which was even deeper the Super Battle Droids.

Ghost was hanging off the edge of the railing, holding his nerve as the Ultra Droid closed in on him. He takes a couple deep breaths and begins to swing back and forth.

He does this several times, building up momentum until he finally let go and launched himself up and over the Ultra Droid. He then makes a run for it in direction he and his men just came from, heading back into the facility.

The Ultra Droid turned around and fired its blasters at him again. One of its blaster bolts managed to hit him in the leg, causing him to fall over inside the facility.

Ghost musters all his strength to reach up to the door panel, slamming his hand onto the buttons. Luckily for him he managed to hit the right one, as the blast doors closed, sealing him inside.

He takes a moment to grab one of X-Ray’s bacta bottles. He pours it on his wound, which began sealing it up. Ghost grunts in pain as the bacta did its job.

“Great!” He muttered to himself. “As much as it pains me to say it. I don’t have the skills or weapons to defeat this thing alone. Now that I’ve got a wounded leg, I’m not even in any condition to even run from it.”

His thoughts were interrupted by the Ultra Droid banging on the blast door with a loud bang, shocking him out of his train of thought. Another banging sound could then be heard, and another.

It was trying to punch its way back into the facility. What was this feeling going through Ghost’s mind? Was it fear? It felt like such a long time ago now when he last felt genuine fear. None of his men can fault him for it either. The Ultra Droids were built to be a truly unstoppable killing machine. And this one won’t stop until he’s dead.

He didn’t wanna do this. But he had no other choice. He was forced to run away, deeper into the facility and outrun the mechanical monster. None of his weapons had any affect on it, so his only option was to find another way off the planet and fast.

Ghost limped away as fast as his only working leg could carry him. He could hear the Ultra Droid continue to punch its wat through the steel doors. The banging got louder and louder until finally he heard the sound of its huge fist punching through the doors.

“Crap, its inside!” He mentally panicked to himself. He quickened his pace as he limped through the labyrinth of hallways the facility had.

He then catches a glimpse on the security cameras of the Ultra Droid ripping the blast door in two, and then tearing it off the wall before entering the facility.

Ghost hurried away to the direction of the central antenna, the area they fought the Ultra Droid in before. The beacons have already been activated, so hopefully the Conqueror will appear at its location and send a ship down to collect him before bombarding the whole area with heavy lasers.

Ghost started to panic even more as the sounds of the Ultra Droids heavy footstep grew closer and closer to his location. He lips for dear life towards the exit of the hallway area and outside to where the central antenna was.

The Ultra Droid was closing in on him, however. As it came around the corner behind him, it once again fired its blaster bolts at Ghost hoping to finish him off.

Like before Ghost slammed his palm on the doors panel and seals the droid inside with the blast doors.

But he knew it wouldn’t hold it for long, so he hurried over to the central antenna.

He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the Conqueror entering Mustafar’s atmosphere and begin to slowly descend to his location. He looks back at the blast doors and sees that there are already dents in it from the punches the Droid is pummelling into it.

“Come on, hurry up! Just a few more minutes and I’m home free.”

However, his hopes of being rescued were starting to drift away as the Conqueror stopped its decent. Why did it stop? Surely Sigan has agreed to his rescue. Fang has made Ghost the new leader of the 501st. Something that Darth Vader himself agreed with. He wouldn’t dare leave him to die here.

Once again Ghost was snapped out of his train of thought by the Ultra Droid that punched the blast doors down. It then began slowly making its way towards his location.

Ghost attempted to run again, but a burst of lava erupted from the lake below and landed on the opposite hallway. He was trapped!

Ghost looked back and began to panic as the Ultra Droid closed in on him, reading its blasters for another attack. Was this it? Is this truly how he’s going to die? Being slaughtered by an unstoppable Ultra Droid, all alone?

Ghost always hoped that he and his brothers would die together in the heat of a great battle. But he always feared being all alone to die. If he was alone, then there would be nobody left to read his journal and pass on the stories he’s told to future warriors.

As the Ultra Droid stood before him, it pointed all its weapons at him. Ghost however decided not to give up, instead choosing to stand and fight. He has never been a coward before, and he will not become one for a Clanker.

“For the Empire. For my brothers. For Commander Fang.” He said to himself as he took what might be his last breath and prepared to attack.

Blaster bolts fly through the air and hammer the Ultra Droid, causing the huge behemoth to stagger backwards. But this was not Ghost’s doing. His rifle’s blaster bolts are blue. These ones were…green?

Ghost looks up and behind him to see that the blasts were coming from a single TIE-Fighter. But this one was a completely different model compared to the standard version. The TIE-Fighter continues to blast away at the Ultra Droid, knocking over the railing and back into the lava below.

Ghost knew that won’t stop it. If it survived a swim in the lava once, it could damn well do it again.

The TIE-Fighter lands on the platform where the stairs led up to. Ghost limped up the stairs to see who it was he needed to thank for his rescue.

He was shocked to see that the one piloting the TIE-Fighter and saved him…Was Darth Vader himself. He exits his fighter and approaches Ghost who removed his helmet and got down one knee, kneeling before him. Though his leg started to erupt with pain again, he was willing to take it just to show his superior the respect he deserves.

Vader looked down at Ghost. But not like he would most Imperials, as nothing more but insects for him to step on. But rather, he looked at him as a brave warrior.

After losing all that he loved, and later being encased in a life support system that disconnected him from his fellow peers. Darth Vader felt nothing more then hate and despair towards himself and those around him. This hatred caused him to become a cold, heartless man, who is feared by many Imperials who served under him.

Mainly due to the frequency of executions the dark lord formed for even the simplest of mistakes. And these frequent executions and punishments were fuelled by Vader’s absolute distain towards Imperial Officers and the like. As he viewed many of them to be lazy cowards who only gained their positions due to nepotism rather than actual talent and hard work.

Only a few within the Empire gained his respect. Ranging from the men of the 501st legion, to a few higher ups such as Grand Moff Tarken. But these relationships were mainly professional and didn’t go beyond that. Even Emperor Palpatine himself viewed Vader as nothing more than a tool for him to use. To which Ghost suspects Vader came to quickly realise, considering the Emperor sent assassins after him, to see if he was still strong enough to be his apprentice. He even remembers overhearing Palpatine openly admit to Vader that he will one day replace him with a younger, less broken force user to be his new apprentice.

However. Vader viewed Ghost as someone that he may’ve genuinely liked, and perhaps even considered to be his friend. Even though he could tell Ghost was in unbearable pain, he still chose to show his respect and allegiance to him.

“Rise Commander. Today is not the day you will die.” Vader told him.

Ghost slowly got back up and looked directly at him. “Thank you for rescuing me, Lord Vader.”

“Your squad has informed me of your noble sacrifice to save the 501st legion. I have foreseen these events, and felt it best that my personal battalion doesn’t lose its fearless leader.” Vader informed him.

Vader then started to look over the horizon of Mustafar. Being back here reminds him too much of his failure to kill his former master, Obi Wan Kenobi. And how he was severely burned almost to death.

He however decided for once in his new life as a Sith Lord to hold back his anger, and instead focus on the positive feelings he has towards his finest Clone turned Storm Trooper.

“Do you fully understand the magnitude of how pleased I am with you?” He asked as he turned around and faced Ghost.

“I only did my duty to the Empire, and my men.” Ghost replied.

“You have done more than that. Your dedication and resilience in your duty have been far beyond that which could be expected of a Stormtrooper. I believe your faith has been rewarded by the force, yet you have chosen to bestow its gift upon me by fighting with your life against a Droid that even the Jedi feared.”

Ghost was mildly surprised by this exchange of words. This has to be the first time ever that he heard Darth Vader genuinely compliment him. He formed a little smile on his face upon hearing this. Kind words from Darth Vader were very, VERY rare. So he will treasure those words for as long as he lives.

And just when he thought this day couldn’t get any better. Darth Vader offered to shake his hand, to which Ghost accepted. Despite his libs being cybernetic, Vader’s grip wasn’t crushing his hand. Probably because he’s holding back his true strength. As they shook hands, Ghost only had one thing to say in response.

“I will continue to fight for the Empire. To the end of the universe.”

This little moment of pleasantness was soon interrupted by the Ultra Droid once again climbing out of the lava and onto the platform. It targeted Darth Vader with its flamethrower arm.

Without warning him Ghost got in front of Vader and shielded him from the huge blast of fire from the Ultra Droid. Ghost cried out in agonising pain as the flames consumed him.

Ghost collapse onto the ground, his body and armour being badly burned by the flamethrowers extreme heat.

Vader was shocked by this. As he watched Ghost’s body go up in flames, it suddenly reminds him of his own burns he got after his defeat by Obi Wan. He vowed to never let something like that happen again, and that his former master would suffer once he found where he was hiding.

Vader’s rage suddenly took over as he ignited his crimson lightsaber and faced thew Ultra Droid. The Ultra Droid fired its blaster at him, but Vader blocked every single one of them with his lightsaber and the palm of his hands, using the force ability, Tutaminus.

All the blaster bolts were deflected back it with such ferocity that it’s Cortosis body armour was starting to crack under the pressure. Vader then single handily grabbed the Droid with the force. Due to its density projector, it could not be lifted up or pushed backwards with the force.

That didn’t stop Vader though as he decided to go on the offensive. He then reaches out with the force and pulls Ghost’s double bladed yellow lightsaber to him. He ignites it and dual wields with it and his own lightsaber.

He charges towards the Ultra Droid with such speed that it couldn’t keep up with him. He throws his red lightsaber at its visor, blinding it. Which was then followed by him jabbing the joints of its legs with Ghost’s lightsaber, crippling it.

The Ultra Droid thrusts its left arm forward in an attempt to punch him, but Vader catches it with his hand. He then musters all his strength to force the Droids arm backwards, crushing its fist and flamethrower in his grip. Ghost was right. He was holding back his true grip strength.

Vader then rips its left bottom arm off with his bare hand. He then channels the dark side of the force into his fist and lands his own punch into the Ultra Droids chest. The punch was strong enough to shatter the Cortosis armour plating, leaving it vulnerable to lightsabers now.

Vader then thrusts both lightsabers into the Droids chest. The Ultra Droid starts to collapse on the ground and begins losing power. But it was not done yet, as it sent Vader flying backwards with a close range plasma shot.

Vader however was completely unharmed from the blast. It was time to end this. He looks over to a burst of lava erupting behind him. Using the force he redirected the lava, and had it drop down on the Ultra Droid. And without its Cortosis chest plating, its body began to melt from the inside out.

But Vader still wasn’t done yet. He then proceed to use the force to grab the massive central antenna and actually manages to rip it out of the ground with one hand. He levitates it over the Ultra Droid and then begins to flip it over. He then finally finishes off the Ultra Droid once and for all by quickly slamming the antenna down on it, finishing it off for good.

After the battle ended, Vader approached Ghost and held him in his arms. Despite all his burns, Ghost was still alive, though barely. Vader then began to comfort him, using the force to ease his pain and keep him alive. Which is quite possibly the only time he has ever done so.

“As I told you before, Ghost… I forbid you to die here today.” Vader softly spoke to him.

He then picked Ghost up and began making his way towards his TIE-Fighter. As Vader flew his TIE-Fighter off the surface and set course for the Conqueror, he continued channelling the force into Ghost to keep him alive long enough until he can get him back to X-Ray’s medical bay.

He then receives a holographic transmission from Admiral Sigan. “Lord Vader.” Sigan spoke up, addressing his superior.

“Have Medical Trooper X-Ray and his staff bring a medical capsule in that hanger immediately. The Commander has suffered sever injuries. I want him tended to and fully rested as soon as possible. Once we’ve landed, you may begin the bombardment at once.”

“It will be done my lord.” Sigan bowed his head before cutting the connection. Ghost was one of his best troopers within the empire. He can’t afford to lose him. To most, he is but another disposable Clone. But to Vader and the Emperor, he and his brothers within Orion Squad were much more than that.

Upon landing in the Star Destroyers hanger area, Ghost was quickly loaded into a medical capsule and rushed off to the medical bay.

Vader hadn’t said a single word upon arrival. Though he did briefly stop and address the rest of Orion Squad, informing them that their leader will survive. The members of Orion Squad were so relieved to hear this great news.

The members of Orion Squad later appear on the bridge of the ship. Daxter hands Sigan the holodisk containing toe coordinates of every other hidden droid factory in the galaxy. At long last, the CIS threat is well and truly over.

They all watched in satisfaction as the Conqueror begins its bombardment. Firing its heavy cannons directly at the mining facility, destroying it and every trace of the factory.

At long last, the men of the 501st can sleep peacefully knowing that the Clone Wars is now truly behind them. They can finally move forward and look to the future…A future of order and peace.

As soon as the Conqueror finished its bombing run, the ship exited Mustafar’s atmosphere and jumped into hyperspace, heading back to the Imperial fleet stationed around the still being built Death Star.

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 24 – Location: Mustafar

"The destruction of the mining facility put an end to any thoughts of a second droid rebellion. For the first time in years, the men of the 501st could relax, and get about the business of maintaining an Empire, rather than building one."

To Be Continued