Chapter 15: Birth of the Rebellion

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 31 – Location: Polis Massa

"By the time of the raid on Polis Massa, the men of the 501st were starting to get a little sick of this so called "Rebellion". In the past, we'd secretly enjoyed putting down a local insurrection or two. They kept the troops sharp and the Empire feared, but these Rebels were different. They were organized, they were growing, and they were everywhere. The raid on Polis Massa was a perfect example of how things were starting to fall apart. We were supposed to go in, wipe out a small band of Rebels, and recover some stolen Imperial plans on an encrypted holodisk. Before we knew it, we were nearly overrun by Rebel forces, with the holodisk nowhere to be found."

If the members of Orion Squad thought being stationed on the Death Star was boring then they hadn’t seen anything yet. Ever since the rebel prisoners escaped with the Death Star plans, they’ve been on a wild womp rat chase.

They were able to track the shuttles last known location on the planet Lothal. But that ended being a trap set up by the newly surfaced Rebel Alliance. Forcing the 501st to fight their way off the planet and continue their search.

No matter where they went, they could not escape these rebels. In such a short amount of time, many planets have joined forces to form this Rebel Alliance. They had everything the Empire had. Soldiers, star ships, weapons, even a symbol for the galaxy to rally behind. A symbol of hope as they called it.

Ghost doesn’t care what other systems think of the Empire. He and his brother will admit they understand why they were viewed as the bad guys in their eyes. No peaceful order would have a planet destroying space station. But as ruthless as the Empire can be, they were able to establish law and order to what was once a chaotic galaxy.

But now that peace is being threatened by this Rebellion. Forcing them into yet another Galactic Civil War.

On the bright side, at least the men of the 501st legion can truly be soldiers again and fight for what they believed in. The past few years since the end of the Clone Wars have been boring for some, while others actually enjoyed some down time.

But on the negative side of things, more and more of them are probably gonna die. Ever since the destruction of Tipoca city on Kamino, all cloning facilities have been shut down, with only the force sensitive clone still being made. Meaning that every single clone aboard the Conqueror… is the all that remains of the 501st legion.

They are and always will be the very best battalions serving the Empire. They could always strengthen their numbers by having some of the new human recruits join their ranks. But Ghost was faithful to Fangs legacy, and he would rather be force choked and then cut in half by Darth Vader then taint his precious battalion with inexperienced, arrogant recruits.

And he was not alone on this decision. His brothers within Orion Squad, Admiral Sigan, and even Darth Vader agreed that they were better off that way. Because if there was one thing he learned from Fang and his years of experience. It’s that numbers don’t win wars. It is the trust and faith you have in your brothers that constantly brings them victory. Their numbers may be depleted, but they are still as strong as ever.

But still, they can’t underestimate these rebels. Their numbers and resources have grown exponentially in only a few months. They’re no laughing matter, like the Battle Droids were.

At the moment the members of Orion Squad were interrogating a rebel prisoner they captured on one of the Rebels many outposts across the galaxy. They’ve been chasing false leads long enough. They will find out where the plans are hidden, no matter what.

The rebel prisoner was tied to the wall, bound in energy chains that were programmed to electrocute him and increase its voltage every time the rebel refused to talk. Ghost, X-Ray, and Apex were the one interrogating him while the others were occupied with other tasks. The rebels skin was slightly burned and smoking, implying that he’d already been shocked multiple times. Ghost grabbed the rebels chin and force him to look up at him.

“Your body can’t take anymore punishment. Do you really wanna throw your life away for a cause that’s doomed to fail?” Ghost asked him in a calm but eery voice. “If you comply with us, the Empire will give you a lighter prison sentence, and your friends and allies will be spared. But that’s only if you tell us where your allies are hiding the Death Star plans.”

“I’ll never talk, you Imperial dog!” The rebel shouted at him.

Ghost wasn’t intimidated by his voices increase in volume, nor was he in any mood to listen to his complaints. He tried to be rational to their prisoner, but he was really forcing his hand here. Ghost then pulled out his lightsaber and ignited one of the blades inches away from the rebels face, causing him to flinch with fear.

“You thought the electrocutions were painful? You clearly haven’t felt a lightsaber cut into you. I’ve seen these blades cut up many beings, both enemies and allies.” He started intimidating the prisoner. His voice becoming more malicious as he slowly waved it around the rebels face. “When one gets cut by a lightsaber fast, their wounds are cauterised instantly, and they die long before they feel the pain. But if I were to slowly plunge this blade into your chest. The pain that will follow will be unlike anything you can hope to imagine. Your organs will slowly roast like meat on a barbecue, while your blood slowly boils you alive. You will literally be made into a human oven, until your body is incinerated from the inside out. And the best part is, your blood will have been fully evaporated into steam, so we won’t have to clean up the mess afterwards.”

The rebel was completely consumed with fear. The mix of Ghosts yellow lightsaber and red visor glowing around him in this dark room only made him feel even more uneasy. What the hell was this Stormtrooper? The way he talks and acts, it was exactly how Darth Vader would interrogate someone. It was as if this clone was a perfect copy of Vader. Though he can’t see his face, he can tell by the tone of his voice that he was serious with this.

“It’s up to you, rebel scum! Either you tell us what we need to know and I can make it quick. Or I make it much, MUCH worse for you and we probe your mind for the information when we’re done!” Ghost then lowered the lightsaber to the rebels chest. Though it hadn’t touched him yet, he could still feel the heat emanating off of it, making him feel more uneasy then before. “Where. Are. The Death Star plans.” He asked him one more time.

The rebel was completely consumed by fear to find his voice right now, which only made him even more scared. He need to speak now otherwise Ghost will follow through on his dastardly threat.

Ghost then began to slowly move the lightsaber forward, inching it closer and closer to where his heart is.

“POLIS MASSA!” The rebel finally shouted as loud as he could in terror.

Ghost stopped what he was doing and pulled his lightsaber away. “Say that again?” He asked/ordered him.

“We’ve hidden the plans on the asteroid base Polis Massa in the Outer Rim!” The rebel repeated himself. “The plan was to lure you clones to various bases we’ve set up across the galaxy to weaken your forces and buy us more time to formulate a proper plan of attack. Our temporary base of operations is on Polis Massa. Our best soldiers are there guarding the plans, ready to tend with even Stormtroopers of your reputation. That’s all I know I swear!”

Ghost said nothing in response. Instead he turned off his lightsaber and placed it back on his belt. The rebel let out a sigh of relief, barely escaping a long and painful death.

“For your sake you better not be lying. Apex here is a living lie detector. He can instantly tell when a person is lying from the slightest of facial movements. Another unique ability he has alongside never missing a target… So Apex, what do you reckon?”

“He’s telling the truth, sir. At least he thinks he is.” Apex replied.

“I’m not lying, I swear on my mother’s life!” The Rebel shouted, interrupting them.

“Be careful what you say, kid.” Apex warned him. He then turns back to Ghost. “We have the location. What do we do with him?” He asked.

Ghost looked back at the prisoner for a brief moment. He then pulls out his rifle and blasts the rebel in the chest without hesitation.

Apex was not surprised that he would kill him, and the whole lighter sentence thing was just a façade to get him to ease up. After what happened on the Death Star, the Empire was no longer taking any prisoners.

X-Ray however was horrified by the obvious change happening within Ghost. He’s noticed this for a while now. Ever since the Jedi Purge, he felt that he has  changed for the worst. In the past he was kind-hearted, determined, and slightly cocky he’ll admit. He was a great ARC Trooper and an even greater brother. But now he’s become this cold, vicious, merciless killer. He doesn’t blame him for being this way. Being the leader of the 501st, a Purge Trooper and the main enforcer for Orion Squad put a lot of pressure on him, and all the deaths of allies didn’t help matters either. Fang, Shiny, Shadow. He was barely holding on after that. One more death of a close friend will probably cause him to finally snap. He prays for the galaxy that this day will never come.

“We’re done here, boy. Let’s go report this to Sigan and set course for the Polis Massa system. And get someone to clean up this garbage in the interrogation cell.” Ghost instructed as he left the room, followed by Apex. X-Ray looked back at the now dead rebel for a moment, wishing he didn’t have to die. Yeah he was an enemy, but he was still a human being. One who probably had a family.

With the information gathered from the rebel prisoner, the 501st were finally given a solid lead on where the Death Star plans are currently hidden.

They don’t know much about Polis Massa, other than fact that it was a lone asteroid in a field of thousands in the Outer Rim. The base there doesn’t get many visitors, as it was mostly used as a hospital. Some of the clones even remembered being transferred there when they had highly severe wounds beyond anything X-Ray’s lab could fix. But ever since the Clone Wars ended, the base had been shut down by the Empire. With all the new medical technology they’ve developed, they no longer had a need for it.

No wonder the rebels were hiding there. None of them would have thought twice about searching an abandoned hospital. It blends in perfectly among the many other asteroids in the field, and it was too covered up for the Star Destroyer to simply fly in and blow it up from orbit. But their orders were to retrieve the Death Star plans, not destroy them.

“Before we begin the briefing, I feel I should remind you that these rebels we’re about to face will be tougher to face then the ones we fought on the many planets we visited. This base has the plans hidden there, so its guaranteed the rebels will have their strongest forces guard them.” Sigan spoke up. He knows that they all know this, but he feels he should let them know anyway just in case.

“According to our instruments, there are no Rebel transport ships. They only have a couple shuttles they’ve stolen from us docked down there. So we know that this base only has a small band of them, and not an entire army.” He brings up a hologram image of the entire layout of the asteroid base. “You will enter through the south entrance. I’ll talk you through the rest once your inside. Now get out there and show these rebel scum to never mess with the Empire!” Sigan said with pride, trying to raise their spirits.

The men of the 501st responded with a light cheer. Not the usual thunderous one they usually do. They’ve been tracking and fighting these rebels for weeks now, and every victory they obtained yielded no results. Hopefully this time will be different.

It didn’t take too long for the shuttle the 501st were all travelling in to single out the base among the many asteroids around them. As soon as the ship landed in the south hanger, they all stormed out of the shuttle and begun their assault. They’ve grown tired of this endless chase these rebels have forced them on. It was time to end this.

Something was off. They’ve entered the base and haven’t seen so much as a single rebel. Where is everyone? Had they arrived too late and they’ve already left? No, they couldn’t have. Ghost made sure that all communications devices that rebel they capture had were destroyed before bringing him aboard, they couldn’t have anticipated this.

Ghost halted their assault, feeling uneasy by the quietness of the room. No doubt the rebels are probably still here, and are attempting to ambush them. Ghost then looks over to the two doors out of the hanger on both sides of the room.

“Do they really think they can ambush us that eastly? Nice try rebel scum, but we know all your tricks.” Ghost mentally boasted to himself.

He then signals Boomstick and Daxter to set explosives on the doors, suspecting the rebels were hiding behind them. “Ok men let’s begin searching the facility for the plans. Thunder, X-Ray and Apex will take one unit down the left corridor.” He then began shouting out loud random orders to his troops, while hand signalling his men to ready their weapons at the doors. “Boomstick, Daxter and I will lead the rest of you down the right corridor.” He continued until the explosives had been set.

“NOW!” he shouts to Daxter.

Daxter hit the detonator and blew the doors off the walls. It would seem that Ghost’s hunch was right as he could hear the sounds of many rebels behind the doors crying out as they were killed in the blast. The surviving rebels stormed inside the hanger and opened fire on them.

The members of Orion Squad stood in the front of the battalion with their force fields up, protecting the men from blaster fire, while also returning fire from behind it. They were not taking any chances with them, if they were smart enough to plan an ambush like this.

The 501st were able to push forward, depleting the rebels numbers faster than they can fire blaster bolts. The rebels were forced to fall back and regroup with the others in the centre of the base. The 501st have them on the run…for now.

Once things have quieted down, Sigan decided now was the perfect time to fill them in on the rest of the mission.

“Alright men, Lord Vader wants this raid done by the book. You may’ve seen through these rebels ambush, but they will try again. Our first objective is to capture the comm centre just beyond this hanger. If you can take that, you’ll have control over the base, which should give you an edge in recovering the plans. Get moving now before the rebels come back in greater numbers.”

After receiving their next instructions, Ghost pulled out his hologram projector and pointed out the fasted rout to the comm room. He then signalled the troops to follow him rather than just shout the order. If they’re gonna succeed in this mission, they need to be vigilante. They can’t let their guard down agianst these organised rebels.

The men of the 501st fought their way through the Polis Massa base with all they’ve got. These rebels have proven to be very dangerous. Even though they saw through their little ambush earlier, that didn’t stop them from fighting back even harder than before.

It took a lot just for the clones to even reach the comm room. Ghost can admire their dedication to guarding the plans from them, but he was also frustrated that a lot of his men have already died trying to get to their location.

Eventually they were able to successfully take over the comm room. Daxter then begun setting up auto turrets at the three entrances to the main computer area, just in case any more rebels show up.

“There, these turrets outta keep em out for a while.” Daxter commented to himself.

X-Ray was looking through the computers files, hoping to find the Death Star plans inside. But nothing turned up. “The Death Star plans are not in the main computer, Ghost.”

“Of course they aren’t. That would’ve been way too easy. We’ll have to go back out there and begin a thorough search.” Ghost stated.

He and his troops however didn’t get a chance to plan this out as they received yet another call from Admiral Sigan.

“Nicely executed troops, but we’ve only just begun.” Sigan interrupted again.

“Please tell us that you know where the plans are, Admiral.” Boomstick asked frustratedly.

“If they’re not in the comm room. Then the next likely place would be the base command building on the far side of the facility. If our intelligence is correct, along the way you should be able to find a rebel holodisk containing some information that could prove vital to us in case we don’t find the plans.”

“That area is where the rebels are currently hold up after we forced them out of the comm room.” Thunder pointed out.

“We won’t risk anymore of our troops.” Ghost stated. He then turns to his men after getting off the call with Sigan. “I will lead a group of troopers along with my squad to retrieve this holodisk and hopefully the plans. X-Ray and the rest of you will remain here and guard our outpost. Kill any rebel that enters this room, that’s an order!”

The clones obey their commander and stay put in the comm room, while the rest of Orion Squad – apart from X-Ray – left the comm room and began making their way towards the command building.

Daxter draws Ghosts attention to him as they were running down the hallways. “Ghost, do you really believe that the Death Star plans will be there?” He asked.

“Probably not if I’m being honest. These rebels are too smart to just keep them here if they knew we were coming. But if we do manage to get that holodisk Sigan mentioned, we might actually figure out where the plans may actually be.”

“Well I for one can’t wait to get to blasting those rebel scum.” Boomstick said proudly as he raised his rocket launcher. “They’re gonna regret the day they ever declared war on us.”

“If only we all had your confidence, Boom.” Thunder spoke up.

“I agree. These rebels are more troublesome then the Separatists were. At least with Droids we don’t feel anything when we shoot them down. But these guys… They’re just people that refused to accept the Emperors rule.” Apex pointed out.

“Don’t feel sorry for them.” Ghost interrupted him. “They all made their choice the moment they joined this so called “Rebellion”. Like us, they’re willing to throw their lives away to protect their cause. As soldiers I respect them. But as our enemies, we can’t afford to show them the slightest hint of weakness. They won’t hesitate to kill us, and we won’t hesitate to kill them… Let’s just hope that when they see the many dead rebels we’ve killed, they’ll start questioning if what they’re fighting for is even worth it in the end.”

As the made their way to the command centre of the base, Ghost and his squad ended up being completely outnumbered by rebel forces. It was definitely a good idea to keep the rest of the men back at the comm room. Ghost doesn’t have the mental capacity to see any more of his men die.

When they first arrived they were only expecting a small group of rebels stationed here. But instead, they were overrun by a whole army of them. This will not stand. They have to get those plans back, or else it’ll be their heads.

“Screw this!” Boomstick shouted, fed up with these meddling rebels constantly in their way. He tosses a thermal detonator towards a large chunk of them, hoping to blow them to smithereens.

But instead, one of the rebels was both brave and crazy enough to grab it and throw it back at them.

“TAKE COVER!” Ghost warned.

He and his men quickly duck out of the way as the grenade went off.

“Forget thermal detonators. Use your rockets!” He ordered him.

Boomstick didn’t object to that at all, and readied his rocket launcher. He fires a standard rocket at the biggest group of rebels ahead, killing them all in one shot.

The men of the 501st have grown to really hate these rebels ever since the Rebellion first appeared. They’ve killed so many good troopers, both from the 501st and other battalions. So it was no surprise that they felt nothing for the rebels that just exploded into a million pieces. This was personal the moment they made them look weak on the Death Star.

“We’re almost there.” Daxter spoke up. “But there’s too many of them in the command centre.”

“Use your cloaking device to sneak in there undetected and retrieve that holodisk. The rest of us will hold them here until you get back.” Ghost suggested.

“I’ve got just the thing to keep them distracted.” Thunder spoke up as he got out of cover. “I’ll fry these rebel scum with my ARC Caster!”

The rebels didn’t notice Thunder until it was too late. He unleashes the full power of his ARC Caster, firing multiple bolts of lightning in all directions, chaining several rebels together, frying them to death. These rebels had no idea just deadly a first generation Dark Trooper can be. While not as advanced as the Mark 3 Dark Trooper Droids, Thunder is the deadliest among the first generation.

Daxter activates his cloaking device and turns invisible behind cover. He then uses the distraction provided by his brothers to slip past the rebels and make his way upstairs to the command centre.

Once inside he quickly checks the room, making sure there were no rebels around. Once the coast was clear he deactivated his cloaking device to recharge it. He then quickly accesses the computer and searches its files for the plans. Sadly, nothing came up.

“Damn. Should’ve known it wasn’t gonna be that easy.” He continues to search through the files for anything of else that could prove useful. Until finally he does manages to find something. “Hello, what is this?”

The file he finds doesn’t contain the plans, but it did contain coordinates of where they are right now. After all those days of traveling from planet to planet, they finally found some useful information. He quickly copies the data on the holodisk and takes it out of the console.

“Ok, I got the info, now I need to get-

He suddenly stopped his thought process upon hearing a very faint sound around him. it wasn’t the fighting or the sounds of dying screams he heard. No. this sounded more like…breathing.

He then suddenly hears the sound of a blasters safety being taken off. Upon realising what was going on, he ducked behind the computer, just in time as several streams of what appears to be cloud of smoke went off right where he was standing.

“These rebels have cloaking technology too?” Daxter thought to himself.

Have they been standing there this whole time? If so, why’d they wait till now to attack him, rather than wait until he downloaded their data?

Daxter then switched his visor to thermal vison, and he was now able to see the body heat signatures in the room. There were a total of three invisible rebels in the room. All of them were the same species, which was – to Daxter surprise – Bothans.

Among the many species in the entire galaxy – apart from Yoda’s species – Bothans were the most mysterious to him and his brothers. They haven’t seen many of them as they mostly keep a low profile. During the Clone Wars they chose to stay out of it, remaining neutral. But like most worlds, the Bothans had no love of acceptance for the Empire. If they chose to abandon their pacifist ways and joined the Rebellion, then they must really, REALLY hate the Empire.

Daxter always wondered why Emperor Palpatine wouldn’t allow other species to join the Empire. Was it because he was racist? Or was it because he believed Humans were the dominant species in the galaxy. (Which kinda is the same thing as being racist if you think about it) The only exception was Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was the most intelligent officer within the Empire, blessed with a great tactical mind, and can come up with brilliant strategies in only a matter of seconds.

Daxter shook his head. Now was not the time to talk about racism. He needed to deal with these Bothan Spies before he can re-join the others. The Bothans decloaked and revealed themselves to Daxter before blasting him with their Incinerators, which works sort of like a flamethrower, except it unleashes a stream of high energy particles, capable of literally disintegrating a victim in less than a second. Not even Cortosis of Beskar can protect him from it (If he even had those)

The Bothans themselves looked like humanoid lion- like creatures with long hair and fur underneath their clothing. Daxter was nearly distracted by their strange appearance, but was able to keep his distance and blast them with his shotgun.

Once they were dead, Daxter examined their bodies and technology. It appears that the Rebel Alliance has also developed advanced technology of their own. Creating cloaking devices similar to thew ones he developed. And those Incinerator guns were indeed something deadly to have in the hands of the enemy.

He collects their incinerator guns and puts them in his backpack. Once they got off this rock and were safely back aboard the Conqueror, he can examine them and find a way to build his own version of this deadly weapon.

Back in the comm room. X-Ray worriedly awaits the return of his comrades with the other clones. A couple rebels did attempt to take back the comm room, but were quickly disposed of thanks to the auto turrets they’ve set up at every entrance. At the moment things were quiet, with only the sounds of fighting being heard in the rooms north east of their position.

“X-Ray, somebody’s coming!” A Stormtrooper warned him.

All the clones ready their weapons, aiming at all three entrances in case it was more rebels. But they were relieved to see that it was Ghost and the other returning with the holodisk they set out to get. The clones deactivate the turrets, allowing them to enter unharmed.

“Thank goodness your back. Did you get the plans?” X-Ray asked.

“No I’m afraid not.” Apex told him regrettably.

“But.” Daxter spoke up, trying to lighten the mood with the holodisk he got. “I was able to copy all their info in this holodisk. We may not have the plans, but this disk can tell us where they are.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Ghost reassured him. “X-Ray, I need you to transmit this info to the Conqueror. Can you do that?”

X-Ray nodded in response and took the holodisk from Daxter. He then plugs it into the comm rooms transmitter, gaining control of its satellite dish. However the data transfer ended up taking a lot longer than any of them had anticipated.

“How long is this gonna take?” Boomstick asked annoyingly.

But before anyone could answer his question, they were startled by the sounds of the auto turrets going off at all three entrances.

“Sir! The rebels are trying to retake the holodisk we stole. There’s too many of them out there. I doubt those turrets will hold them back for long.” A random Stormtrooper warned him.

“Boomstick, Thunder, Apex!” Ghost called out to his brothers. “ Stand by the entrances and activate your force fields. It should keep them out for a while until we can safely transfer the data.”

“Right!” they all said in unison and made their way to the three entrances. Ghost then quickly turns his attention to X-Ray. “How much longer X-Ray?”

“It’ll take time to realign the comm dish and transmit the data from the holodisk to the Conqueror. Two minutes tops.” He replied.

“Then we’ll have to hold off the rebels until the transfer is complete. Then we can all finally get off this base.” Ghost stated. “Defend this post with all you’ve got. We can’t let the comm room fall into enemy hands!”

The troops saluted and all took their places at the three entrances. The all stood behind the Orion Squad members, using their forcefields for cover while they safely blast away at the rebels.

Though the rebels vastly outnumber them ten to one, the 501st held the advantage of forming a strong perimeter with their auto turrets and forcefields. But those defences won’t last for long. Without taking any hits, the forcefields can last up to three minutes. But the more hits it takes, the more time gets taken off it until it shuts down completely. So the troops have to keep blasting them down to prevent that.

Suddenly, one of the Wookiee rebels picks up an entire table and uses it as a shield to block the incoming fire. It then charges down the hallway, knocking the auto turret over, followed by Apex and his squad of men.

Wookiees. Why did it have to be Wookiees? They all knew what they were capable of when they fought beside them during Krakens invasion of Kashyyyk. And now they were fighting agianst them. And this one Wookiee was kicking their asses.

Apex fights back against the Wookiee. But he wasn’t strong enough to hold him down. Why him of all the Orion Squad? Why couldn’t it have tackled Boomstick? He was the strongest physically among them all. Apex was only strongest with his sharp eyes and-

He then realised that his profile on Kamino also said he had strong leg strength. So maybe instead of punch the Wookiee, he should kick his furry ass…literally.

The Wookiee swings a punch at him but he dodges it and backflips onto the fall. Which he followed up by leaping off the wall and actually headbutted the Wookiee with his helmet, knocking the wind out of it. Before the Wookiee had time to recover, he finished it off by stabbing it in the heart with his concealed wrist vibro blade.

As for Boomstick and Thunder, they too were struggling to keep the rebels at bay. They started chucking tons of grenades at their force fields, causing massive damage to them, forcing them to shut down. Now there was nothing holding the rebels back from storming the comm room.

Boomstick however retaliated by firing a rocket at the hallway while lying down. He ended up hitting the ceiling, causing the roof to cave in and come down on the rebels, crushing them to death.

Thunder however had no such luck. His ARC Caster was still recharging after the massive burst he unleashed earlier. Forcing him instead to rely on his blaster pistol and flamethrower. He could’ve used his jetpack missile, but he only has one, and he’d rather save it as a last resort in case they really need it. Besides, Boomstick has his rockets.

“How much longer?!” Ghost shouted back at X-Ray while he was blasting any rebels that managed to get in.

“It’s done!” X-Ray replied thankfully.

“Push forwards men! We’re getting of this rock!” Ghost encouraged them.

The 501st fought back against the rebels, fighting as hard as they could agianst them. Now that they got what they came for, they don’t have to worry about holding back and damaging the equipment. This wasn’t theirs anyway, so who cares if they destroy it.

They fought their way back to the south hanger. Thankfully the rebels haven’t destroyed their shuttle, otherwise they’d be trapped. And that’s the last thing they’d want is to be stuck here fighting he rebels until they die. That would be an embarrassing way to go out. It wouldn’t have even counted as going out fighting, as they’d die of exhaustion long before the rebels finished them off.

One by one, the men of the 501st boarded the shuttle whilst Orion Squad held off the rebels. Maybe blowing up the doors wasn;t the best idea. They would’ve came in handy when they needed to keep them out.

“Is that everybody?” Ghost asked.

“Yeah that’s everyone.” Thunder replied. “Everyone still alive anyway.”

“Ok boys, let’s get out of here-

Ghost then receives another call from Admiral Sigan on through his helmet.

“Admiral, did you get the info we sent you?” He asked.

“I did indeed, Commander.”

“Good, because we’re ready to board the shuttle and get back to the Conqueror.” Ghost interrupted him. Too focused on killing the remaining rebel scum trying to stop them from escaping.

“Listen to me, Commander.” Sigan raised his voice slightly, getting Ghosts full attention. “You can’t leave Polis Massa yet. Deep within the caverns underneath that complex, the rebels have a databank that holds Imperial encryption codes, that can be used to eavesdrop on our ship to ship communications. You must make your way to the caverns and destroy that databank. The last thing we need is the Rebellion gaining an advantage over us in this war.”

“How do you know this?” Ghost asked.

“It was in the holodisk data you sent me, as well as many other secrets they’ve been hiding form us. Hurry and make it swift if you want to get off this rock alive.” He instructed them before ending the call.

“Great, so we can’t leave yet!” Boomstick complained.

“We’re not leaving, But the rest of the men are.” Ghost muttered. He then calls out to the pilot at the front of the shuttle. “Pilot, get the shuttle back to the Conqueror now!”

“What? But Commander-

“That’s an order! Don’t worry about us, we’ll find another way off and join up with you later. Now go!” He ordered.

The pilot didn’t like this, but he obeyed his commander, nonetheless. The shuttle takes off and exits the hanger, leaving only Orion Squad to fend for themselves. But Ghost had faith in himself and his brothers. If they could fight a Bull Rancor, A Super Tri-Droid, an Ultra Battle Droid, and a dark Jedi, they can fight an army of rebels. And if they do die, they’ll do it together and with certainty that they destroy that databank.

It wasn’t easy, but the members of Orion Squad were able to evade the rebels and retreat underground. They are now in the lower levels of the Polis Massa base where the underground caverns were. Unfortunately for them Daxter couldn’t cloak again since he wasted all of his armours battery power. But luckily for them they can use the darkness of the caves to hide their presence from the rebels. Once they find the databank and destroy it, they can finally get off this asteroid base for real.

“What makes you think there’s another way off this base?” Thunder whispered to Ghost.

“Because how else would the rebels have got here?” He whispered back. “Considering the fact that they’re still here, their ship is likely in one of the many hangers here. And I doubt their leaders left them here with no way off should they need to make an emergency escape.”

“He’s got a point there.” Daxter added. “From what we’ve seen of these rebels, they treat each of their own the same way we treat each other. As brothers and sisters in arms. They’d never abandon their own, not even to stop us.” Daxter whispered.

The members of Orion Squad will admit that they and the rebels are not so different. Fighting them reminded them of the day they first fought together on Geonosis during the start of the Clone Wars.

But they will not let that stop them from killing them. This is war. There’s no room for weakness.

“I think I see it up ahead.” Apex pointed out quietly.

The others look towards where he was pointing and see the massive data bank just sitting there out in the open, with only a couple rebel soldiers guarding it. Normally Ghost would question why there weren’t more of them guarding it, but he was too impatient to sit around on this asteroid any longer. Even if the rebels are setting up some kind of trap for them, they can easily hold them off. They always do.

Apex then takes aim at one of the lights hanging above on the cave roof.

“What are you doing?” Boomstick asked quietly.

“I’m taking out the rebels.” He replied.

“The moment you shoot one of them the others will notice.” X-Ray warned him.

“Just watch this.” Apex said.

He then fires his rifle at the light. The shot bounces off its reflective surface and begins flying around the room. One by one the rebels drop like fly’s as the bolt passes through them, until it finally come to a stop when it hits what they weren’t expecting to be an explosive barrel.

“Oh man, I thought that barrel was full of water or blue milk.” Apex said sheepishly. Things didn’t go according to plan, but it did the job just fine. The databank was destroyed, and now they can finally get back to their Star Destroyer.

Ghost calls Sigan, telling him the good news. “The databanks destroyed, Admiral. Please say we we’re done here now.” It was his time to complain now, which Sigan cannot blame him for.

“I was surprised to see the 501st legion return without you. Though that’s to be expected of the Orion Squad.” He pauses briefly before telling him if they’re done or not. “Listen up Orion Squad, I’ve got good news and bad news… The good news is that it is indeed time for you to get off that dreary rock.”

Now that was a big relief to hear. They hated this asteroid infected with rebels. Getting back to the ship and to their comfy beds is so what they want right now.

“And the bad news?” Ghost asked hesitantly, hoping it doesn’t involve more fighting.

“The bad news is that the rebels are planning to evacuate in the north hanger in their dropship. That dropship is your only way off that exoplanet. So if you wanna escape, your gonna have to fight your way out.”

“Can’t you just send a couple fighters to take them out, or send the shuttle to pick us up again?” Boomstick asked.

“If I send the shuttle, the rebels will most likely blow it up, leaving you stranded. As for fighters, I think it’s best you don’t sacrifice anymore men just to save yourselves… Once you’ve cleared the base, we’ll open fire on the asteroid, blowing it and the rebels into oblivion. Consider it their punishment for all the suffering they’ve put you through.” Sigan replied and cut the connection once again.

“No wonder there weren’t many rebels down here. They’re all trying to escape and leave us trapped… Those damn rebel scum!” Thunder said while clenching his fists.

“But their ship is in the north hanger, which is on the other side of the base. We’ll never reach them in time. How are we gonna get there in time to stop them?” X-Ray asked.

The members of Orion Squad took a moment to think of a plan on getting to the north hanger fast enough to stop the rebels from escaping.

“Hey guys.” Daxter spoke up getting their attention. “Why don’t we use that?”

They all look over to where Daxter was pointing. At the end of a cave was a small garage area with a forcefield acting as the gate separating them and the air they’re breathing from the vacuum of space. Sitting in the garage area was one of the Rebel Alliances AAC-1 Tanks. A tank that was big enough to hold five people, and came equipped with dual missile launchers and large cannons.

“That’ll do nicely.” Ghost replied in a positive tone for a change.

It took a while, but Daxter and Ghost were finally able to handle the tanks strange controls. Who’s the idiot that thought it be a cool idea to have this tank be controlled by TWO pilots. They have to make sure their movements are the same as the other in order to fully control this thing.

Boomstick and Apex had no problems on their end. But that’s mostly because they were manning the tanks guns and rocket launchers. X-Ray was just sitting in the middle, not manning any controls apart from looking through the tanks periscope to keep a lookout for any signs of danger.

As for Thunder. He was sitting on the outside of the tank, exposed to the vacuum of space. Luckily for him his Dark Trooper armour came equipped with a rebreather to recycle the air he’s breathing, allowing him to breath infinitely. His sit was also air tight, so he won’t have to worry about having the air sucked out of him.

“Brrrr! It’s so cold out here!” Thunder cried out. The only downside to his suit is that he had to focus all its power on the rebreather, meaning he can’t use its internal heating systems.

“Sorry Thunder but the tank only had enough room for five people.” Apex pointed out.

“We’re almost there now anyway, so you just need to endure it a little while longer.” Daxter reassured him.

“You only chose me to sit out here because of my armour and jetpack. Had I been a different kind of Trooper class we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” Thunder replied sarcastically.

Fortunately Thunder didn’t have to endure it much longer. They have indeed reached the hanger. And just in time too as the rebels haven’t left yet. The members of Orion Squad were suddenly awestruck at the sight of the dropship they planned on escaping in. It was an old Republic LAAT Gunship from the Clone Wars. Somehow the rebels were able to obtain and repair this relic of a ship and stashed it away on Polis Massa.

“Can it be?” Thunder spoke up first.

“It’s an old Republic Gunship. I thought all Clone Wars vehicles were melted down and recycled into the Imperial vehicles we use today.” X-Ray added.

“Obviously these rebels managed to get their hands on one.” Boomstick replied.

“How or where they got it doesn’t matter.” Ghost interrupted. “This is actually a good thing for us. We all have experience flying those ships. Stealing it back from the rebels will be a piece of cake.”

“Can we use the tank to blow up the rebels? Pretty please?” Boomstick jokingly asked.

“As long as we don’t hit the Gunship I don’t see why not. They’re gonna die anyway once Sigan blows up this asteroid.” Ghost replied.

With that said, they sped up the tank and drove into the hanger. Once inside they immediately begun unleashing the tanks destructive firepower upon them (without damaging the gunship of course)

The rebels however chose not to fight them, instead choosing to board the gunship and escape now.

“Oh no you don’t!” Thunder shouted.

He ignited his jetpack and flew over to the gunship, cutting off the rebels before they could escape. He decided that now was the time to fire off his jetpack missile. The missile locked onto the rebels and killed them on impact, giving Thunder the time needed to get into the gunship first. Once inside he fired up the ships engines and prepares it for take-off. The sound of the Gunship powering gave him a sudden sense of nostalgia. Taking him back to the good old days of the Clone Wars. Back when the galaxy saw them as heroes instead of villains. Oh how he – and the others – wish they could go back to the way things were before.

The gunship begins to hover off the ground, but he held it in place and waited for his brothers to finish off the last of the rebels. He however was suddenly ambushed by a male Twi’lek rebel heavy gunner. He wrestle the controls from him, trying to steer the ship into the tank bellow in an attempt to crash it into Orion Squad.

Thunder elbows him in the jaw to knock him out of the choke hold he was holding him in. He then grabs the rebel Twi’lek by its two tendrils and proceed to slam his head repeatedly into the wall until he cracked his skull and killed him.

Orion Squad were successful in taking out the rebels in the hanger. There was no reason for them to stick around any longer. They all quickly boarded the gunship that was struggling to stay airborne after Thunders little skirmish.

“What was that all about Thunder?” Boomstick asked. “You forget how to fly one of these or something?”

“I was attacked from behind by one of the rebels. I took care of him though.” He told them.

They all look down at the dead rebel at their feet. His face was completely smashed in and there was blood everywhere.

“Yeah, we can see that.” Daxter commented.

Boomstick picked up the body and tossed it out of the side doors just as they were closing. Last thing they need is a corpse stinking up the ship, and they can’t exactly open the window to let some air in, considering there is no air in space.

The gunship exits the forcefield and flies out into space, leaving the base and the remaining rebels far behind.

The members of Orion Squad finally caught their breath and collapsed to the floor, apart from Daxter who took over the ships controls.

“That. Was. The worst!” Apex spoke up breaking the silence.

“You said it.” Thunder added.

“You all performed exceptionally well tonight boys. Our raid was a success. A small pyrrhic victory, but a victory none the less. And even though the holodisk didn’t have the plans we were looking for, it will lead us to someone who does.” Ghost told them. “Once we regroup with the others and see if all that data was worth it, we can finally take a well-deserved rest.”

“Amen to that.” They all said in unison. They would follow that up with a jynx, but they were too exhausted to even bother right now, both physically and mentally.

Once they were back on the Conqueror, it immediately began to open fire on the Polis Massa base, destroying it and any surviving rebels in the process.

The men of the 501st welcomed Orion Squad back onto the ship with open arms, ignoring the fact that they came back on an old Republic Gunship. They were just relieved to see all of them alive and well. They all salute them once they exited the gunship, showing that they’ve never lost their respect to this badass force sensitive squad of super soldiers.

“Welcome back Orion Squad.” They all say in unison.

“Good to be back, gentlemen.” Ghost replied. “You men have all fought valiantly today. You all deserve some time to kick back and relax.”

With that said Orion Squad began to make their way to the bridge of the ship. They want to know once and for all of that information was really worth all that sacrifice. All that suffering they’d endured from those rebels. If not, then Ghost is gonna punch Sigan in the face.

“Wait Commander!” A random Stormtrooper spoke up. Once he got his attention he continued. “We all really appreciate you as our leader, and we all agree that Commander Fang chose wisely in making you his replacement.”

“Thank you, trooper.” Ghost replied moved by his kind words.

“However.” But it seems he has more to say. And by the sudden change in tone in his voice, probably nothing good this time. “I think it was unfair and cruel that you and your squad chose to stay behind and face these rebels alone. We respect your leadership, but I am sorry to tell you sir. But your plan was severely flawed.”

“Excuse me?” Ghost replied with both confusion and a hint of disrespect.

“You are the finest soldier among the strongest battalion in the Empire. There is truly no one among us that can ever live up to you. Which is why we ask that you stop putting you and your squad on the front line while we retreat like cowards. We are more than just clones, we are soldiers!” The clones began raising his voice. “As a proud member of the 501st, I will follow you to the ends of the universe. I only ask that in return you put your complete faith in us as well as your squad.”

Ghost and the others were all surprised by this clones speech. Ghost had spent so much time trying to keep his men alive, that he forgot what their purpose for existing was. They were built for fighting, not running away when the going gets tough. This was the second time now that Ghost ordered his men to fly away in their ship while they fought the bigger threat. The first time was on Mustafar with the Ultra Droid. He never meant to make them feel useless. He just wanted to keep them all alive. If the entire 501st legion were to die under his command, he’d feel like he failed Fang.

“You’re right.” Ghost slowly spoke up, addressing every clone in the area. “He’s right… I never asked to lead the 501st. When Fang died, his dying wish was for me to lead you into this new era. But lately I’ve seen a lot of good men die, and it made me feel like a failure. I thought that by keeping you all out of harm’s way I’d keep the 501st legacy alive. But instead, I have tainted that legacy by making my men appear to be a bunch of cowards, while my squad and I fought he bigger threats and took all the glory for ourselves… I am sorry everyone, truly I am. Can yo- Can you all forgive me?”

All the clones turned stormtroopers step forward and salute him. “WE’RE WITH YOU ALWAYS SIR!” They all shout in perfect unison.

Ghost was then awarded with his own squad standing with the troops and join in on the unified salute. “WE’RE WITH YOU TOO, SIR!”

Ghost had never felt happier in his new life as an Imperial soldier until now. Despite his actions, despite the fact that he’d been acting cold lately to them, and how he prioritised him and his squad then his battalion. They all still devoted themselves to his leadership. The visor on his helmet then changes from blue to green? That’s the first time they’ve seen that colour.

“What does green mean?” One of the clones asked.

“Don’t laugh, but I’m actually shedding a few tears of joy right now.” He paused so that he could regain his composure, and so he could take his helmet off. Showing them the proof that he was indeed crying. “Thank you all so much. For believing in me, and sticking with me despite the many mistakes I have made ever since we joined the Empire. I am very proud to be living and fighting by your side…Thank you, my brothers.”

Once he let everyone get their emotions out of them, Ghost and his squad began to make their way to the bridge. But first he had one last order to give his men.

“Now all of you go have fun, that’s an order!”

The clones all cheered upon hearing that. Now that was an order they could never refuse. They’ve earned it over everything they been through the last couple days of chasing rebels.

“That was a very heartfelt thing you did back there, Ghost.” X-Ray spoke up.

“You were right all along X-Ray.” Ghost said while looking over at him. “I have been letting this Rebellion get the better of me. I almost couldn’t recognise who I was anymore. But you, you helped me come back to my senses.”

“I mean, it’s not like this was all my doing. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t lose track of what’s really important.”

“And I didn’t.” He said with pride. After a long pause, Ghost thought back on what X-Ray once told him, and decided to address it again. “You once said you believed you were the weakest amongst our squad.

“Yes. But I know now that I was wrong.” X-Ray attempted to reassure him.

“Oh I know. I just wanted to say that each of us are stronger than the other in our own way. Boomstick’s stronger physically. Thunder is strongest in the air. Apex is strongest mentally. Daxter is strongest with technology. Me, I am at my strongest when it comes to leading this team.” He pauses so that he could stop walking and look directly at him. “And you X-Ray. I think you are strongest when it comes to making us better. Not just in terms of medicine, but in terms of guiding us to the light, helping us not forget who we really are as people. Without you, we would’ve gone down a dark path a long time ago… Thank you, X-Ray.”

The others all give him a little clap which made X-Ray feel a little embarrassed.

“Please stop it guys. Your gonna make me blush.” He said jokingly. “But in all seriousness, I’m just happy to help. It is what a good medic does for his patients.”

They continued to walk to the bridge after that little heartfelt exchange between brothers. At last they have reunited with Cornelius Sigan who was looking out the window, observing the many asteroids still floating about.

“Welcome back, Orion Squad.” He said without looking back at them.

He then decided to join them at the holotable to share not only the information he’d learned, but also his congratulations.

“I saw what you did down there. I am very pleased to see you all made it off that rock alive.” He started. “I also couldn’t help but overhear one of your men stand up to you, and then later truly devote themselves to you again. In all my years as a soldier, I have never seen such commitment and respect you clones share with one another. It honestly moved me.”

Ghost walks up to Sigan, his helmet still tucked under his left arm, and extended his right arm to him.

“You are a part of this team too. At first I was against the idea of having someone like you assume command of this ship and give us orders. But over the years I’d gotten to know you, I now realise that not all Imperial Officers are bad. My men and I are happy to have you around, Cornelius.” He said with a smile.

Sigan smiled back and accepted Ghosts hand. “I am also proud to be a part of this team, Ghost.”

The rest of Orion Squad were kinda weirded out by this little exchange, as wholesome as it was. The whole time they’ve known Admiral Cornelius Sigan, he always called Ghost by his rank. This is the first time the heard both parties call each other by their first names. They just hope this was a onetime thing, and nothing more than that.

“Sorry to interrupt this touching moment.” Daxter said, even though he secretly wasn’t sorry. “But were you able to find out anything from that information we sent you.”

“Ah yes, I did.” Sigan said proudly. “According to what you sent me. The Death Star plans are aboard an Alderaan counsellor ship known as the Tantive 4.”

He then brings up a holographic image of the Tantive 4 on the holotable. Next to the ship was a woman dressed in white. Upon looking at her, the members of Orion Squad first thought that she was beautiful. But if she was with the Rebel Alliance, then they can kiss any hope of taking her prisoner goodbye.

“Who is this woman?” Ghost asked Sigan.

“Princess Leia Organa. Her father is Bail Organa, one of the few senators that betrayed the Emperor and helped build the Rebel Alliance. If she’s with them, then she’s been keeping a very low profile.”

He then brings up the ships coordinates, which shows them a desert planet. A planet the members of Orion Squad recognised instantly as Tatooine. The planet Anakin Skywalker was born on, as well as the planet that Boba Fett is most likely on right now.

“The ship is on course to the planet Tatooine. I have already informed Lord Vader of this news, and he will personally meet us there to reclaim the plans as well as place the princess under arrest.” He deactivates the holotbale and faces Orion Squad once again. “You should all get some rest before we arrive. You have definitely earned it. Lord Vader is very impressed with your actions on Polis Massa. Well done Orion Squad.”

With that said the members of Orion Squad left the bridge and made good on that promise they made to each other. Time to sleep. And by the time they wake up, they’ll be ready for what they assume will be a simple capture mission.

“Pilots, prepare for lightspeed.” Sigan instructed them. “Set course for Tatooine. We’ll cut them off before they even know what hit them.”

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 32 – Location: Polis Massa

"Even though the Polis Massa raid was only a partial success, we finally had a lead on the whereabouts of the Death Star plans, which suited the 501st just fine.”

To Be Continued