Chapter 9: Imperial Diplomacy

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 19 – Location: Naboo

"During the rise of the Empire, the Emperor's home planet of Naboo rapidly established itself as a major irritant. After a number of Naboo's ambassadors were sent home in various states of dismemberment, her newly elected Queen broke off diplomatic ties, and began exploring military options. Clearly it was time for a regime change, a change that would be effected by the 501st, now under the direct command of Darth Vader. Our orders were simple: to infiltrate the city, take out their leader, sending a clear signal to other potential troublemakers in the Empire."

Ever since the Clone Wars ended ten years ago, the galaxy had finally succumbed to peace. The Empire had brought law and order to every known planet within the vast galaxy.

Many worlds have evolved due the Empires influence, many of their peoples thriving on them. Their communities becoming a better version of what they once were before and during the Clone Wars. Many worlds even viewed the Republic as incompetent and unsuccessful in providing law and order to the galaxy, understandable as all the tax money they give them immediately goes to the creation of more clones. As efficient as Jango Fett’s Clones were, many planets went bankrupt as a result of their creation.

But now that the Republic has been replaced with the Empire, they no longer had to worry about bankruptcy, as all their funds were replaced with credits taken from the Banking Clan, after they were killed alongside the other Separatist leaders.

The clones themselves continued to serve within the Empire (most of them at least) The majority of which have now become a new variant of soldier known as Storm Troopers, as a part of the now Imperial Army.

For some clones things haven’t changed. For example, the Clones of the Coruscant Guard are still maintaining their rolls as well “Coruscant Guards”

Other clones however have been given new roles within the Empire. Most of which involves keeping the peace among planets, arresting criminals and all that. While others had more boring assignments such as being stationed aboard Star Destroyers and guarding their vital systems.

The clones all thought that once the war has ended they could finally relax. While they are entitled to some free time every now and then to do with as they please. Most of the time they’re just standing around wasting their fast aging time. They are soldiers, they were bred to fight. But now there’s no enemy to fight now that the CIS is disbanded.

Nobody understands this feeling more than the members of Orion Squad. Each and every one of them have been given the rank of a special Storm Trooper in the Empire, due to their actions at the Jedi Temple during Order 66. Boomstick was made a Death Trooper, Thunder a Dark Trooper, Apex a Shadow Scout Trooper, and their new leader Ghost was given the honour of being one of the very few Purge Troopers within the Imperial Army. Purge Troopers were created and specifically trained by Darth Vader himself to engage Jedi.

As for Daxter and X-Ray. Though they were made regular Storm Troopers, they had permission from Lord Vader to customise and construct it anyway they desired. Choosing instead to recycle their old clone armours and change it into their new ones, rather than use the pathetic, brittle armours the rest of the Storm Troopers were using.

At the moment, the members of Orion Squad were in their ships training area, brushing up on their techniques (with their helmets off). It may’ve been so long since they’ve had any true combat, but that doesn’t mean they should not prepare for it.

Boomstick, Apex, Thunder and Daxter were all firing at targets in the shooting range, trying to get used to the new weapons they were given. Whilst they were all the same kind they’re used to, the feel of them was way different then the Clone Wars era weapons they had.

Ghost was practising melee combat with his new double bladed lightsaber he stole from one of the Jedi Sentinels. He kept it as a reminder of how Fang died, and vowed that any other Jedi he encountered would fall to their own weapon.

X-Ray however was lifting weights in the corner of the room. He technically didn’t have to get stronger physically if he didn’t want to, but he wanted to do his part as a member of the team rather than just heal wounded clones.

“There, that’s much better compared to last time. “Boomstick said after just finishing his target practise. “How the hell can you see outta these new Storm Trooper Helmets? It makes it difficult to aim.”

“At least we don’t have that issue with our new armours.” Daxter stated. “Lord Vader is more reliant on us then the others. We can’t exactly fight for the Empire if we can’t even aim properly, right?” He asked as he turned to Apex.

“You got that right. I’m a highly skilled marksmen. If I couldn’t aim properly then I’d be a joke amongst the ranks.” He pointed out.

Upon finishing his sentence, Apex and the others look over to Ghost who was able to pull off a couple of impressive moves. He somehow was able to rapidly spin around his double bladed yellow lightsaber around without injuring himself of scorching the floor. And to top it all off, he then does a summersault in the air with the lightsaber and actually nails the landing. He then deactivates his lightsaber and places back on his belt. He then looks over to his brothers who were just staring at him with a shocked expressions on their faces.

“What are you all looking at?” He asked.

“How the hell are you able to do that?!” Thunder being the first to ask what they were all currently thinking.

“I’ve been training with Lord Vader with the other Purge Troopers, obviously.” Ghost replied simply.

“No amount of training can give off results like “that”. No, this is something else entirely. The way you move around with that lightsaber, it’s almost as if your fighting like a Jedi.” Daxter pointed out.

“I am NOT a Jedi!” Ghost shouted at his brother in anger. “Don’t compare me to them! It was the Jedi killed Commander Fang. It was the Jedi that threatened the peace of our galaxy. It was-“ He suddenly stopped himself from yelling even further, realising that he was lashing out to his own brothers. While he too had no idea why he was so skilled with a lightsaber even after years’ worth of training by Vader alongside his fellow Purge Troopers.

So far by his count, the empire has a total of 10 Purge Troopers. Each one of them wielding a different kind of weapon to contend with Jedi, such as Vibro blades, electro staffs, batons, specialised blasters and the list goes on. But out of all of them, he was the only one that wielded a lightsaber. And it was Vader’s decision that he should continue to train with it, using it only in case he ever encounters a surviving Jedi.

“I- I’m sorry guys, I don’t know what came over me.” Ghost apologised to his brothers.

“It’s alright.” X-Ray started speaking as he approached him from behind. “We’re all still upset over our Commanders death. But it’s been ten years now. We’re eventually gonna have to learn to move past it. The Emperor is depending on troops like us to maintain peace in the galaxy.

Ghost knows that X-Ray is right. But he can’t help but think back to that night when Quinlan Vos slashed him with his lightsaber, and how he never even had a chance to take revenge. Instead, the Jedi ended up falling to his death in the city streets below. It anger Ghost so much that he took the easy and cowardly way out… But he made a promise to Fang that he would be a strong leader and guide the 501st to greater heights.

His thoughts were then suddenly interrupted by a voice speaking over an intercom. This voice did not belong to a clone, instead it was a person entirely. Ghost and the other let out a slightly annoyed groan upon hearing his voice, implying that they can’t stand who it belongs to.

“Attention all troopers of the 501st legion. Please report to the bridge of my ship at once, you lot finally have a real mission to carry out.”

The men of Orion Squad were surprised by this news. It has been so very long since they had a proper mission in the field. But they’re not gonna get their hopes up just yet. For they know this could be another recon mission, or an escort, or -they hope for their sakes it’s not- another shield generator that needs guarding.

“Ugh, I hate this Admiral guy!” Boomstick complained to his brothers.

“While I agree that the decision to have someone like him assign our missions is not a good one. This was Lord Vader’s decision, and his personal squad, we have to obey every order he give us. Even if we don’t agree with it.” Ghost explained.

Ghost then briefly has a flashback to when this Admiral he spoke of was first assigned to their ship, back in the first few years of the Empire.

The entirety of the 501st was present in the Conquerors hanger bay. Darth Vader was standing before them, waiting as an imperial shuttle lands in the hanger.

The shuttle door opens and out of the ship comes and a man dressed in the outfit of an advanced Imperial Officer (similar to Director Krennic from Rouge One) He had grey hair and he wore an eyepatch on his left eye. His outfit also came equipped with a utility belt with a holster containing a single blaster pistol. The Imperial Officer exited the shuttle and stood next to Vader.

“This is Admiral Cornelius Sigan. He will be assuming control of the Conqueror. His position involves assigning you all missions the Emperor or myself deem worthy of your skills, as well as assume command of the ship when you’re not aboard. I am still in command of the 501st legion, but most of my time will be spent elsewhere. You would all do well to follow his instruction, as an order from him is an order from me. Do I make myself clear?” Vader instructs his soldiers.

The clones all salute him in unison. Vader then turns to Sigan. “These men are essential to the Imperial Army. The Emperor will be very displeased should anything happen to them once you assumed command.”

“I understand the great responsibility of guiding these troops. I will ensure that every mission I assign them, they will live through it with ease.” Sigan attempted to reassure him.

“I hope so for your sake, Admiral. You know where I stand with failures.” Vader threatened him.

Sigan held his nerve and watched as Vader boarded the shuttle he came abord in. As the shuttle takes off, Sigan turns his attention to the men of the 501st. They’re his responsibility now, so he better not let Lord Vader or the Emperor down.

Looking back on that moment, Ghost realised that Sigan’s not like the other cowardly officers serving the Empire. Most of them would flinch at Vader’s threats, but he didn’t. He respects him enough for that. But that doesn’t change how he and his brothers feel about him. It’s not because he’s not a clone they don’t trust him, or the fact that he’s appeared out of nowhere and assumed control over their ship. It was the fact that they didn’t have a bond with him, nothing at all similar to the respect and loyalty they had to Fang. In their eyes, Sigan is like a sad excuse of a replacement for the leader they were fearlessly loyal to.

All they know about Sigan, is that he was born on Mandalore. He was once a royal guard to the planets pacifist monarch, Duchess Satine. But ever since she’s been dethroned by the Mandalorian terrorist group known as “Death Watch” things fell apart for his people. He was even present when Satine was murdered in cold blood by the reborn Sith Lord, Darth Maul and his older brother Savage Opress.

He remembers him telling him about the how he fought during the siege of Mandalore in an attempt to free it from Maul and his organisation of criminal syndicates known as “The Shadow Collective”

But once Mandalore had fallen under the Empires rule, he chose to join them rather than be executed alongside the many of those who resisted. And over the years he rose through the ranks and was eventually promoted to Admiral.

Now here he is on their ship giving them orders and giving them their assignments instead of Lord Vader himself. Like it or not, they’re gonna be stuck with him for a very long time. So they better get used to this, or the years are till retirement are gonna get longer and longer.

“Welcome to the bridge, soldiers. Glad to see you’ve made it on time for a change.” Sigan started.

“Keep talking you none clone scum, and maybe I’ll pluck out your other eye!” Thunder mentally threatened him.

Ghost and the others then realised that they’ve been so busy complaining about their new advisor, that they failed to notice until now that the Conqueror is currently orbiting the planet Naboo.

“Your all probably wondering why we’re orbiting the Emperor’s home planet of Naboo, am I right?” Sigan asked.

The clones didn’t respond, so he decided to continue. “As I’m sure most of you have heard. Naboo is one of the many planets that still resists our new order. Originally we didn’t think it was necessary to send a task force down there to force them into submission. But all of that’s changed once we learned that the newly elected, Queen Apailana, has decided to form her own military operation to oppose us.” He explained to the clones.

The clones looked amongst each other in confusion. Does the new Queen of Naboo seriously think she could produce an army strong enough to battle the Empire? That would take decades to bring together enough weapons, starships and people with the courage to use them to oppose the Emperor.

“The only reason this present s problem to us now is that Lord Vader’s spies reported that she has been sheltering fugitive Jedi.” He continued.

It was then that the 501st forgotten any doubts they had about the Queens army being a threat to them. The may not have the numbers to counter the Empire. But one Jedi is equivalent to twenty soldiers. And now that they’re order is destroyed, there’s nothing holding back these Jedi from going all out. Yeah, they definitely need to put a stop to this before it begins.

“According to Vader’s spies. The queen has a total of fifteen Jedi under her command. Lord Vader suggested that instead of sending an entire fleet of ships to engage them, that we should sent the 501st Legion, the very same clones that wiped out the Jedi Order on Coruscant.” Sigan then turns to Ghost before continuing. “Ghost will continue acting as your commander, but I will be providing the mission objectives to him. Your job of course is to follow your commanders orders. I will be reporting your every action back to Lord Vader. For all our sakes, I hope you clones haven’t grown sloppy in your old age.”

“We’re not that old!” Daxter thought to himself.

Ghost then turns to his men. He’s still not used to calling them “his” men yet. Even though it’s been years since the end of the Clone Wars, and they’ve been on several smaller, harmless missions for the Empire. This was his first true mission that he’ll be leading. Let us hope he doesn’t let Fang down and get the men all killed.

As soon as a squadron of the 501st led landed on Naboo, Ghost immediately led them in the direction of the capital city known as Theed. He’s taking this very seriously. If the Queen and her Jedi servants succeed in forming an army, then they’ll be dragged into yet another war. It’s not like they can’t handle it, it’s just that they don’t wanna have to explain to the Emperor how his own people are declaring war on him.

Ghost looks back at his squad mates as they marched towards Theed. He will admit that he was relieved that they finally have a proper mission, and that there are some Jedi still alive. This gives him the perfect opportunity to test out his new skills as a Purge Trooper. He’s also curious to see what new skills his brothers will show agianst them as well.

As they were nearing Theed, Ghost gets a call from Admiral Sigan through his helmet. “Welcome to the capital city of Theed. Tonight we will be performing a radical destabilisation of the Theed government via the elimination of their queen. She is heavily guarded in the central plaza by a group of Jedi and an auto turret grid. In order to defeat these defences, you must set up a perimeter around the central plaza and shut down the auto turret grid. Careful Commander, your numbers are few, and the mission success rests on your shoulders.”

Ghost then hangs up and faces his men. He explains the situation of the mission to his men, telling them what Sigan just told him. The clones all salute their new commander and continue marching towards the city.

Upon arriving they are immediately under attack from the city’s police force. Ghost and his troops returned fire and pressed forward. These petty soldiers were nothing compared to them. They’ve all fought and survived the Clone Wars; they can handle them no problem. Hell, even the Battle Droids put up more of a fight then these guys.

The 501st begin carrying out their plan to form a perimeter around the central plaza by taking over the small outposts around it. Once the Naboo soldiers were cleared out, they set up a temporary base of operations.

“Haha, we still got it!” Boomstick said proudly.

“I have to admit that the Empires new technology is working well for us so far.” Daxter added.

“I can’t wait to test out our suits true capabilities on the Jedi hiding here.” Thunder stated.

Ghost then addresses his men once again as soon as they’ve rested up. “Well done men, now we must move on to the embassy plaza. Things may seem easy for now but keep in mind that the Queen has 15 Jedi bodyguards at her disposal. Unlike the Jedi we killed during Order 66, these ones are not bound by their code. They’ll be out for blood.” Ghost warned his men.

The troops all complied with the warning. They have faith in their new leader. So far he has proven to live up to the legacy Fang gave him, and they’d rather follow him into battle then Cornelius Sigan.

Ghost then brings up a holomap of the entire central plaza and the Queen’s palace. He then points to where they currently are on the map which is south of the palace. “This is where we currently are, and the Queen is located here.” He then points to other points located around the palace. “The palace will be heavily guarded in the palace, along with the Jedi she’s hiding. Our plan is to launch a full scale assault on the palace gates, this will cause the queen to try and evacuate round the back entrance where her ship is. Once she’s out, Apex will take her out from a safe distance using these buildings.”

“What about her Jedi bodyguards?” X-Ray asks.

“They’ll most likely be escorting her to safety personally. Orion Squad and I will deal with the Jedi so no more of our men have to die.” Ghost then turns to a random stormtrooper. He stood out amongst the others as he was the only one among them that wore a full set of black armour instead of white like the others. He was revealed to be the only Shadow Trooper within the 501st.

“Lieutenant Shadow will be assuming command of the full frontal assault team. I trust that you won’t let me down?” He asks to Shadow.

“I understand, Commander. I will ensure that these people learn their place in the Empire.” Shadow replied.

“But we can’t go through with this plan yet, not with that auto turret grid still online.” Apex pointed out.

“That will be our next objective before we full through with the plan.” He then points to the west side of the palace. “According to Admiral Sigan, the controls for the auto turret grid are located on the west side of the palace in the defence building.” He then turns to Daxter. “Daxter, can I count on you to shut down the auto turret grid and meet back up with us to eliminate the Jedi?”

“Always brother, I’ll have it down before they even notice us.”

“I’ll go with him. Provide cover, plus my jetpack would be able to get us back to you guys in half the time it would take to walk.” Thunder suggested.

“Good call. Alright men, it’s time to bring Vader’s Fist down on these traitors once and for all.” As the men were about to move out, Ghost quickly grabs Shadow’s shoulder stopping him. “Remember Shadow, until the auto turret grid is down, keep you and your men out of the central plaza until I give the order to advance on the palace.”

“Understood sir!” Shadow replied and then finally took his leave. The men then all go their separate ways and carry out the tasks they were assigned.

Suddenly a dropship flies in and heads towards their location. The dropship was carrying an Imperial Hover Tank. It was exactly the same in appearance to the hover tanks they used in the Clone Wars, with the obvious difference being the colour. Originally it was red and white, but now its grey.

The dropship drops the tank in a big open clearing near where they currently were stationed and then flies off again. “I didn’t order a tank?” Ghost thought to himself. He then receives another call from Admiral Sigan and immediately knew who did.

“So far so good, Commander. Now all you have to do is go after the Queen. I figured you’d need some extra fire power, so I sent in a tank for your mission. Use it wisely.” And with that said, Sigan cut the connection.

“Does this guy doubt our skills against the Jedi so much that he thinks we need a tank?! The nerve of that guy!” Boomstick stated angrily while clenching his fists.

“We don’t need it. But our men will for the frontal assault… Shadow!” He calls out to his lieutenant.

Shadow rushes over to him and salutes him. “Yes Commander!”

“Use this tank for the assault, it may give you an advantage.” Ghost ordered.

Shadow nodded and climbed into the tank. Now with that out of the way, Ghost and his squad could get back to their task.

Daxter, Apex and Thunder were traveling round the left side of the central plaza on foot. They figured it be best that Thunder saved the jetpack fuel for when they need to re-join the others at the palace.

They sneak their way past the Naboo guards undetected using their armours new built in cloaking technology Daxter invented during the Clone Wars. Daxter thinks back on the many technological advancements the Empire achieved with his assistance. Their new armours having cloaking tech, built in forcefield generators like the Droideka’s they used to fight. Thunders longer lasting jetpack flight time and the list goes on. He feels really proud to be a member of the Empire, as he now had all the time in the world to build and develop new things.

His inventions even led to the creation of the Dark Trooper project, to which Thunder serves as one of the first few perfect test subjects. Sadly the Dark Trooper project started changing from new advanced suits, to replacing them with Droids. If that wasn’t karma for them, they don’t know what is.

“Ok guys, this is where I leave you.” Apex whispered as they were close to the palace itself. Apex still needed to take position in one of its tall towers and be ready to snipe the queen when she shows herself.

“Good luck” Daxter whispered back.

The two of them then went right while Apex continued forwards towards the palace. In the distance they can still here the fighting between the 501st and the Naboo guard. It would seem that Shadow has already led the men into battle against them. Which means they better hurry and shut down the auto turret grid before they reach the palace courtyard, or else they’ll get blasted into oblivion by the heavy guns.

Daxter and Thunder at long last reach the building where the controls for the auto turret grid are. Daxter peers inside through a window and sees a couple guards hanging around. By the way they’re just chilling, Daxter could tell that they’re bored. This could give them the element of surprise.

“What do you see?” Thunder asked him.

“The controls are guarded by a couple of sloppy guards. They don’t seem to be taking their assignment seriously.”

“That’s what makes us clones stand out among regs like them.” Thunder stated.

Regs? Daxter remembers the Bad Batch from Clone Force 99 calling regular clones like him by that name. He never would’ve considered it being used for regular humans like these guards.

Thunder then pulls out his new weapon that replaced his EMP launcher. The droid army is no more, so he had no reason to keep on using it. Though he still kept his EMP grenade just in case they do somehow fight droids again. His new weapon was an ARC Caster rifle. He’d been meaning to test it out for a very long time. Daxter however places his hand on his arm stopping him.

“No. Best you don’t use that while in a closed space full of computers and other gadgets.” Daxter warned.

“Oh, good point. That would end horribly, both for them and for us.” Thunder admitted to himself more than he did to Daxter.

Daxter then pulls out a smoke grenade and tosses it through the open door. The guards inside didn’t have much time to react as the grenade went off. The guards began coughing at how much smoke was in the room. To which Daxter and Thunder took advantage of. They break into the building and begin blasting the guards with their pistols, shooting them with perfect accuracy in hope of not damaging any of the equipment. They came here to shut down the auto turret grid, not blow up everything with them still inside. They may need to man the controls for other things to aid their fellow clones.

Now that the guards are dead and the smoke has cleared, it was safe for them to deactivate their cloaking devices. He the contacts Ghost through his helmet.

“Ghost, this is Daxter. We’ve successfully infiltrated the grid control station.”

“Excellent, now you just have to shut it down, clearing the men a path to the central plaza. Once they arrive the queen will be ours.” Ghost replied.

As Daxter was talking to Ghost, he suddenly sees Thunder use the butt end of his rifle to smash the auto turret grid controls.

“What was that noise?” He asked.

“Oh that was Thunder smashing the controls with his weapon.” Daxter replied instantly.

“Ok, I guess that works too. Anyway, both of you see if you can make it back to our position, we could use your help in taking out the queens Jedi bodyguards.” Ghost stated.

“On our way.” After cutting the connection he turned to Thunder. “What the hell Thunder?! You could’ve accidently destroyed something vital.”

“Relax, that was indeed the auto turret controls, there was a blueprint of the turrets on the screen before I smashed it. And besides, what do you care if I destroy other things essential to them? This is their tech not ours.” Thunder explained.

“I’m an Engineer, I can’t stand the thought of seeing great tech being smashed like that, even if it belonged to an enemy. Plus there could’ve been something explosive in here, hence why I asked you not to use your ARC Caster.” Daxter pointed out back at him.

Thunder had to admit that Daxter had yet another good point. Maybe he should stop hanging around Boomstick too much, his recklessness is starting to rub off on him.

Back with Ghost, Boomstick and X-Ray, they were making their way towards the back of the palace in hopes of ambushing the queen before she could escape in her star ship.

Ghost was honestly looking forward to testing the new lightsaber fighting styles he learned from Darth Vader against a true Jedi opponent, with his own lightsaber instead of a vibro blade.

It looks like the plan was working, as the Jedi staying with the queen have exited the back entrance of the palace. Just as Ghost and his squad hoped they would.

“The queens personal Jedi bodyguards have broken from the palace. Destroy them!” Ghost ordered.

Boomstick and X-Ray nodded and readied their weapons. X-Ray had a built in shield in his left arm and held the new Imperial E-11 blaster in his right hand. He honestly missed the old Republic weapons they had then these tiny less accurate weapons.

Boomstick had a new modified rocket launcher. It was a MiniMag PTL Rocket Launcher, and it included special features such as multiple rocket types, including his own custom Cluster Missiles he used on Felucia. He is so happy that the Empire have made them a common weapon to use amongst Death and Shock Troopers like him.

He takes aim at a group of Jedi with his new rocket launcher and fires a cluster rocket at them. The rocket split into smaller missile and locked onto some of the Jedi, killing them instantly.

The rest of the Jedi look in their direction and waste no time dealing with them. Normally they would think that three clones weren’t a match for them. But they were no ordinary clones. Some of these Jedi were at the temple during Order 66, they saw how many Jedi died at the hands of Orion Squad. While some of them learned from back then and kept their distance, some of them wanted revenge and charged straight in.

That turned out to be a mistake as Ghost started blasting away at the approaching Jedi with his semi-automatic rapid fire rifle (which was the secondary weapon of all Purge Troopers) The visor on his helmet then changed colour from blue to red, signifying that he’s ready to fight (that and he was angry)

Some Jedi were killed by the blaster fire, but one Jedi chose to lash out with the force in an attempt to send Ghost flying back. But to his surprise, Ghost was still standing. “Sorry Jedi, but all Purge Trooper armour are equipped with gravity stabilisers. So your little trick of the force push won’t be sending me flying into walls anytime soon!” Ghost practically insulted the Jedi.

The Jedi let anger consume him as he ignited his double bladed blue lightsaber and jumped upwards in order to attack him from above. Ghost then put his blaster away and pulled out his double bladed yellow lightsaber.

The Jedi was shocked by this, giving Ghost an opening to roundhouse kick him backwards. “That lightsaber belonged to the Sentinel Guard. You have no right to have that!” The Jedi yelled in a furious state.

“The Sentinel Guard as well as your precious Jedi Order are gone! There is only the Empire now. The era of the Jedi is over.” He then takes a stance and readies his lightsabers. “Time for you and your friends to join the others.” He then charges towards the Jedi, and the two of them clash their lightsabers.

Boomstick and X-Ray were fairing pretty well agianst the Jedi. X-Ray’s new shield is made of Cortosis, which is completely resistant to lightsabers, so there’s no chance of him getting cut down anytime soon.

Boomstick switched out his rocket launcher and pulled out an electro staff. It was a common weapon amongst Death Troopers, but Boomstick personally prefers using heavy artillery. But he can make an exception for the Jedi, as he’d live nothing more than to get up close and personal with them.

As two Jedi close in on Boomstick he starts spinning his staff round rapidly, fending off their lightsaber attacks. Luckily for him his staff was made out of Cortosis as well, otherwise they’d easily cut right through it. He blocks every strike being thrown at him with ease. He then side-kicks one Jedi backwards so he could focus on the other one.

The other Jedi gets back up and makes an attempt to throw his lightsaber at Boomstick while his back was turned. That plan however backfired – literally – as he was shot down by X-Ray.

The Jedi repeatedly slams his lightsaber down on Boomstick staff trying to force him to the ground. Boomstick however didn’t succumb to this as he pushed back against the Jedi with his superior strength. The Jedi was shocked at how strong he was compared to him. He can now understand why the Orion Squad was something to be feared.

Boomstick then knocks his lightsaber out of his hand and then proceeds to take out the Jedi’s knee, forcing him to the ground. As the Jedi grabbed his knee and cried out in pain, Boomstick decided to shut him off by plunging the staff into his chest at maximum voltage, completely frying him to a crisp. Normally he’d feel bad about going to that extreme. But when it came to the Jedi, he actually felt fine.

Another Jedi however force pushes him into  one of the palace’s pillars, knocking the wind out of him. Unlike Ghost, his armour didn’t have gravity stabilisers. Why do only Purge Troopers get all the cool and really useful stuff? Why not just have every trooper in the Imperial Army have them, it make conquering the galaxy all too easy?

“You’ll pay for that, clone!” The dual wielding Jedi spoke up as he approached him. The Jedi then was about to finish him off, but instead she was taken out by a bolt of lightning, shocking him from above.

The Jedi however was still alive. She looked up to see where the blast had come from. She thought at first that it was force lightning conjured by a Sith Lord, or maybe it came from the sky, even though there was not a single cloud in sight.

She was then surprised to see that the lightning bolt came from Thunder as he flew in on his jetpack. The blast came from his new ARC Caster. He then increases the voltage and fires an even more powerful blast of electricity at him.

The Jedi however was ready for it this time and blocked it with his lightsaber. Looks like Thunder will have to increase the power again. Fortunately for him, his new weapon can never run out of ammo as it’s in the form of electrical blasts. Unfortunately though, the more power he puts into a blast, the longer it take for him to recharge.

He then decides instead to use his gauntlet flamethrower on him instead. The Jedi’s cloak caught fire and she quickly took it off and threw it at Thunder, blinding him. Once the Jedi nailed the landing, she made a dash for Thunder, readying her lightsaber to cut his head off.

Daxter then comes out from behind Thunder and blasts her backwards with his new DP-23 Shotgun on her, killing her dead. He then quickly helps Thunder remove the cloak and then repeatedly steps on it to put out the fire.

“Thanks for the assist, Dax.” Thunder said as he caught his breath.

“No problem. But we’re not done yet. There’s still a couple more Jedi to take out.” Daxter pointed out.

Back with Ghost and the double bladed lightsaber wielding Jedi. The two of them continued to clash their lightsabers, trying to land a hit on the other. As they fought, the Jedi vented his frustration on Ghost and all the clones for their evil action on Coruscant ten years ago.

“Your kind once fought alongside us in the Clone Wars. We were your allies! And then you betrayed us! Slaughtered us like animals! Why?! Why would you do that?!” The Jedi shouted at him.

“Because…Good soldiers follow order!” Ghost replied menacingly before knocking the Jedi back with a well-placed punch to the face. “It was not us who betrayed the Jedi. It was the Jedi that betrayed the Republic. One of your Jedi friends murdered my older brother Fang! You chose to defy the Emperor, and you will all pay the price for it!”

“The dark side has corrupted your mind. You’re so called Emperor is a Sith Lord, a servant of the Dark Side, as well as his apprentice. Why can’t you understand that they are the evil ones, not the Jedi!?” The Jedi attempted to get through to him.

Ghost however was unmoved by the Jedi’s words. Back then he always questioned why he suddenly had a deep hatred for the Jedi despite serving with them in the Clone Wars.

He remembers a few years back about discovering a dark secret about the clones and their true purpose in the galaxy.

Seven years ago, back on their old ship, the Liberator. Ghost and his brothers - still wearing their old Clone Wars armour - were emptying Fangs locker of all his equipment. Now that he was dead and the Republic was evolving, there was no need for it anymore.

Soon the Liberator, the ship that served as their home awa from home will be destroyed and replaced with the Empires newest line of cruisers known as Star Destroyers.

“Why are they calling the new cruisers Star Destroyers? Kinda makes us sound like were the bad guys, doesn’t it?” Apex asked.

“The Emperor rules the galaxy through fear. Maybe the name for the new cruisers is meant to be a symbol of that fear.” Daxter stated.

“At least until the Death Star is finished.” Thunder added.

As the clones were talking amongst themselves, Ghost was collecting the last of Fangs things. One of the items he was holding falls on the floor. Ghost goes to pick it up, only to realise that it was an audio recording left by Fang. Looking at the date of when it was last used, he was shocked to learn that it was the day before the battle of Utapau.

Ghost played the recording out loud, interrupting the conversation between them. A holographic image of Fang without his helmet appears before them. The other clones were in shock upon seeing their commander again after losing him a couple months back. It was like they’d seen a ghost.

“Hello my brothers. If your listening to this recording then it probably means I’m either dead or I’ve been court martialled. I made this recording because of a discovery I made a while back. Something that regard us clones and what were made for. In case something happens to me, this recording goes out to the ones I trust the most. My members of Orion Squad.”

As they listened to the recordings, the hologram changes to an infant clone sitting in the pod. On the side of its head was a tiny red dot. “When we clones were first created, our creators, the Kaminoans, placed small inhibiter chips in our brains when we were no less than a bunch of embryos growing in pods. These chips were implanted in us to ensure we don’t become aggressive like our source, Jango Fett. The Jedi Master known as Sifo Dias instructed our creators to implant them during our growth cycle… But I recently discovered after doing some digging into the matter, that these chips have another purpose. A purpose that changes us into the perfect Jedi killers.”

Ghost and his brothers were shocked by this news. Ever since they were ordered to execute Order 66, they felt a sudden change in their personalities, especially agianst the Jedi. And now they finally know why. All this time it was the result of inhibiter chips, meaning that all that hatred and anger they felt towards the Jedi was all a lie.

“According to the data I found, the chips will fully activate when the Chancellor initiates Order 66. Once that happens, all our reasoning, our will, our respect for the Jedi will die. And be replaced by an uncontrollable urge to kill them out of spite. We’ll all be completely different people compared to when we were born… One of our fellow clones from the 501st legion discovered this long ago. And he was executed for it, and with him the knowledge on how to safely remove these chips without killing us. So know this Orion Squad if you’re watching this. When the day comes that we finally execute this order. Know that whilst you cannot overpower this urge to kill the Jedi. Don’t let it change who you are as men. You are my brothers, and I would rather face treason then to see you all get brainwashed into becoming something you’re not… Choose your own path…Think for yourselves.”

And with that sentence over, so was the recording. Ghost and his brothers were at a complete loss for words upon what they just learned. Some of them were even having second thought about joining the Empire now. Why on Kamino would they ever continue to serve an Empire that has been manipulating them since birth?

“This is outrageous!” X-Ray shouted in destress, causing the other to look at him. “How could Palpatine do this to us?! We’re nothing but tools he’s manipulated to murder the Jedi. We killed so many innocent Jedi for nothing!”

“X-Ray’s right!” Boomstick spoke up. “We were all being controlled by him from the very beginning. All of us!”

“No.”

The clones all turn around and look at Ghost in shock. Was he seriously denying the evidence they just heard from Fang?

“You heard what Fang said, Ghost? He said that these chips have been manipulating us into killing the Jedi!” Daxter stated.

“You’re wrong. All he said was that these chips influenced us into killing the Jedi. Like a whispering voice in the back of our minds, tempting us into doing it. Our actions at the temple, all those Jedi we killed. That was all OUR decision.” Ghost slightly raised his voice at them.

He takes a couple seconds to calm down before continuing. “Think back to that day, boys. Did you ever have any doubts about the mission? Any private traitorous thoughts?”

The clones all look amongst themselves. Ghost took that as a no and continued his explanation. “Yeah, me neither. These chips may’ve influenced us to kill them. Even the negative feelings we had towards the Jedi were influenced. But none of that changed the fact that we still carried out those orders without hesitation or regret. These chips are plain biotechnology, it’s not enough to completely mind control us. We were still us in that moment, and were still us now… We are free, guys. Our actions were still our own. The chips just made the decision to follow through with the orders easier on us.” Ghost explained.

The rest of Orion Squad were even more shocked then before after hearing Ghost’s explanation. Looking back on it, they cannot deny how they actually chose to kill the Jedi, not just because it was a direct order from the Emperor himself. In the eyes of the Jedi and those that supported them, they were the bad guys. But in their own eyes, they were true protectors of the galaxy.

“So… What happens to us now?” Apex spoke up, all eyes drawn to him now. We fulfilled our true purpose of killing the Jedi. What will become of the 501st now that the war is over?” He asked.

“We have two choices.” Ghost spoke up again. “We could either keep on living and fighting for the Empire, even though we now know what they did to us… Or, we could fight against the Empire… And lose.”

They were taken aback a little upon hearing the second option. Thunder then speaks up, seeking clarification on the matter. “What makes you think we’ll lose? The 501st is the best clone battalion in the whole Grand Army of the Republic.”

“The Republic is dead, Thunder. There is only the Empire now. You’ve seen what they’ve managed to accomplish in only a few years. All those new ships, the many planets under their rule. And do I even need to mention the Death Star still under construction up there?!” Ghost then takes a deep breath before continuing. “And there’s also Anakin Skywalker. I’ve seen what he’s become when he fully became Darth Vader. Even with that suit and mask on, I could still feel an immense power coming from him. A power that even all of us combined can never defeat! We stand no chance against the Empire. I made a promise to Fang that I would protect the 501st. And the only way to do that, is to swear complete allegiance to the Empire.”

There was nothing but silence in the air as the clones all took in Ghosts words. They all carefully thought over the decision many times in their head, hoping to find some other alternative to their decision. Sadly, nothing came up. It would seem that they have no choice but to join them. It was the only way for them to continue serving their original purpose as soldiers and protecting the galaxy under the Empires rule. Whilst some of them still disagree with this decision. They owe it to Fang and their brothers not to get them all thrown away like the disposable property they are.

“This whole thing is wrong and you know it, Ghost.” Daxter spoke up. Ghost nodded in response, not bothering to say another word. “But you’re right. Fang told us to choose our own path and think for ourselves. Well I choose to fight for the Empire and earn true freedom for all of our brothers.”

He then walks up to Ghost and puts his hand in the middle. “I will follow your lead, Commander.”

Ghost smiled a bit in response to Daxters devotion. Then one by one the others began putting their hands in too. The first to do so was Apex.

“I will too. Not because I have to, but because I choose to.”

Thunder then places his hand in. “Fang trusted you to lead us, so I trust you to lead us to our freedom.”

Next up was Boomstick. “Orion Squad sticks together no matter what. I’m with you too.”

Ghost then looks over to X-Ray who was still slightly hesitant. “X-Ray?”

“I- I don’t know if what your suggesting is even the right thing or not.” X-Ray started. “But then again. Since when did the concept of right and wrong mean anything to the Empire. Still, I only wish to help save lives. And the lives of my brothers mean more to me than anything… I’m in.” And with that said, X-Ray places his hand in the middle too.

“Thank you. All of you. I know this is hard for you all, and it is for me too. But as long as we’re together, we can overcome any obstacle, conquer any threat. Whatever the new era of the galaxy throws at us.” He then places his hand in with the others. “We’ll face them together.”

After a brief trip down memory lane, Ghost finally breaks the connection between their two lightsabers and headbutts the Jedi with his helmet, causing the Jedi to stagger back.

“You may be right about a few things. Maybe not all Jedi are as treacherous as I thought. But my men and I have made our choice. And for the collective good, we will continue to bring order to the galaxy. There is only one path to order and peace now… The Jedi’s extinction.” Ghost replied.

He then surprises the Jedi by quickly taking out his rifle again and blasting him in the head. The Jedi drops his lightsaber, and his dead body falls backwards, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Amongst all the fighting between the Orion Squad and the Jedi. The Queen of Naboo, Apailana, has exited the back entrance of the palace, escorted by a couple Naboo soldiers. Boomstick was the first to spot them as they were making a run for their ship.

“The queen and her royal guard are trying to escape! Quickly, we must eliminate the queen at all costs!” He shouted to his brothers.

“No!” Ghost ordered. “Keep your focus on the Jedi. Let her think she’s got us preoccupied.”

“But what if-“ X-Ray tried to speak up only to be cut off again by Ghost.

“I have faith in Apex. He will not miss. He hasn’t before and I doubt he will now.”

It wasn’t much of a problem for Apex to use his grapple gun to scale the side of the palace in order to reach the top. With all the fighting happening in the central plaza, the majority of Naboo’s soldiers were focused on them. He was still cloaked while climbing the building. Even though the soldiers were more focussed on the rest of the 501st led by Shadow, even they wouldn’t be too focused to not notice a scout trooper climbing the palace.

Once he reached the top he deactivated his cloaking device and immediately went over to the back side of the roof and set up his sniper rifle, taking aim at the ground below near where the queens ship was. Now there was nothing left for him to do but wait. While his brothers are focussed on the Jedi, it was up to him to take out the queen.

However as he was taking aim, he started to feel uneasy as the sound of humming could be heard behind him. And it was getting louder. He quickly turns around to see that it was the sound of a lightsaber getting ready to strike him down. He quickly rolls out of the way and attempts to shoot him with his sniper rifle. But the jedi slices it in half and kicks him backwards, sending him over the edge.

Apex was able to grab the ledge and stop himself from falling. The Jedi slowly approaches him and raises his lightsaber again for another strike to finish him off.

“Any last words, Clone!?” The Jedi asked.

“Just three. Watch your step.”

Before the Jedi could understand what he meant by that, Apex revealed a concealed Vibro blade in his right gauntlet. He then lunges it forward manages to slash the Jedi’s ankle. The Jedi clutches his leg in an act of desperation to stop the bleeding. Apex quickly gets back up and grabs the Jedi by the hair, pulling his head back. He then wraps his right arm around his neck, choking him.

“Just so you know, this isn’t personal.” He stated before pulling his arm back and slitting his throat. The Jedi chokes as he bleeds to death on the roof.

Now that that was out of the way, Apex had to come up with an alternative way to take out the queen now that his sniper rifle was cut in half. The only other gun he had with him was his small blaster pistol. But that wouldn’t work as its not very effective as a long range weapon.

He then starts to panic as he notices the queen and her guards trying to escape to their ship. It was now or never, or else the mission will be a failure. If the queen manages to escape, she’ll rally many other governments across the galaxy to rise up against the Empire, starting a rebellion. Which would in turn lead to another galactic civil war.

He pulls out his pistol and takes aim at the queen. Even though he knew the chances of hitting her were extremely slim, he had no other choice. His brothers were counting on him, he can’t afford to give up now.

Taking a deep breath he readies his shot as the queen started moving further and further out of range. With no time to think it through, he opened fire on her. It was a long shot, but somehow he actually managed to hit her. The shot hit the queen in the chest, very close to where her heart was. It may not have been a instant kill shot, but with those wounds he inflicted on her, she probably wouldn’t last long.

But just to make sure, he quickly slid down the building with his grapple gun and joined the others on the ground. The queens guards all charge for Apex in a last ditch effort to protect their queen. Armed only with a pistol and a concealed blade, Apex fought as hard as he could against the armed guards.

If it weren’t for his training and many years of battle experience, he probably wouldn’t have lasted long against these guards. But he was able to kill them all with ease, reading their moves and counteracting them with ease.

Once the guards were dealt with, he walked over to the queen who was greatly injured from the shot, but still alive. The queen looks over to her soon to be executioner, struggling to get her words out.

“You are- You are making a big mistake.” She spoke up while struggling to breathe.

“You and your government are traitors to the Empire. All of this unnecessary death is on you, your highness. You were sheltering Jedi, opposing our Emperor, and even attempted to start a rebellion to oppose us. The punishment for treason is death.”

“My death will only rally other planets against you.” The queen threatened.

“Your public execution will serve as an example to the rest of the galaxy.” He points his blaster at her. “The time for war is over.”

“There may be a rebellion yet.” The queen uttered as her final words. Apex then fires his blaster at her a second time, finishing her off for good. At last, the mission was complete. Apex took a deep breath, revealed that he didn’t screw it up. Otherwise Vader would’ve punished his failures via force choking him. He and his brothers were all witnesses to Vader’s great power and how he deals with failures. He hopes that the day never comes when they would be on the receiving end of his might.

As soon as news of the queens death reached the government members of Naboo. They were all given no choice but to surrender. The 501st legion were stationed in the palace courtyard, escorting anyone loyal to the queen off world. As for the remaining Jedi, they were all executed just for existing. Those that remained, including the planets leaders, all pledged their loyalty to the Empire and accepted their rule.

The members of Orion Squad gathered together and watched the results of their actions performed here today. This was the first time ever in their lives that they were forced to conquer a planet, rather than liberate it. Now they can understand how the Separatists felt when they conquered planets during the Clone Wars. And something tells them that this is only the beginning of what they’ll be doing for the Empire.

As terrible as it was, at least they still had purpose. They can still be soldiers even though the Clone Wars was over.

Ghost then receives a call from Admiral Sigan though his helmet. “It is finished, Admiral. You can tell Lord Vader that Naboo won’t be starting any rebellions anytime soon. The know their place in our galaxy.”

“Excellent news.” Sigan spoke up. “You have all performed a great service for the Empire. The queens death will serve as an example to other nascent rebellions. Saving countless lives.”

The call ends and Ghost turns to his brothers as they watched the 501st continue to escort the traitors off world. “Good job back there, Apex. I’ll be sure to get you a new sniper rifle when we return to out Star Destroyer.”

“Thank you sir.”

“The men can call me Sir or Commander. But I don’t mind you lot calling me Ghost. I may be in command now, but I don’t want that to change things between us. That goes for what we just did here today as well.” Ghost replied.

“We understand Ghost.” Daxter spoke up. “We’ve all made up our minds years ago. We’re all willing to follow your lead, even if some of us have personal feelings towards certain things the Empire will make us do.”

“And I appreciate that a lot.” Ghost spoke as he continued to watch troops move prisoners away. “This will be a whole new beginning for the men of the 501st. The galaxy is changing, and we need to change with it. Change our way of seeing how things work, change how we view planets. Even change how we feel when fighting our enemies.” He pauses for a moment before continuing on with his words of wisdom. “But there’s one thing that we don’t have to change. Our faith in each other. Our faith in our brothers. Our faith for a better world. As long as we hold onto our faith, nothing can change how we think and feel as one.”

The clones of Orion Squad all look amongst themselves and all nod to agreement. Things may be different now, but who says that they themselves need to change. On the outside they are Imperial soldiers fighting for the Empire. But on the inside, they are still the same clones that fought together as one, with bonds as strong as the force itself.  Like Ghost said before… This is the beginning of the End.

Galactic Empire Journal Entry 20 – Location: Naboo

"With the Queen eliminated, Naboo quickly fell in line. It was the first time the 501st was called upon to "adjust" a planet's government, but it wouldn't be the last. Within months, the 501st gained a well-deserved reputation as "Vader's Fist"."

To Be Continued