Chapter 47: Freedom for Ryloth!

As always I woke up next to Offee that morning, her head snuggled up between my collars, a position I had come to love her for.

And cuddles are always a plus.

But the notification lingering at the edge of my vision was intent on betraying my expectations for the day.

Opening it, I found a report from my nano swarm.

The republic fleet had withdrawn on day 4 of the seige, citing plague.

The swarms dutifully reported back as the fleet passed their barrier, one regiment injecting vaccines into the affected patients in microdoses, while another part scrubbed all signs of the plague from the ship and it's inhabitants, preventing a galaxy wide epidemic.

That woke me up fast. Three days to go and a planet to free. Once more I'm on a time crunch, albeit this one would be far forgiving than my previous one.

Not expecting a run in with fucking Chthulu was just another plus over it.

Never again. I shuddered.

Looking down at Offee, feeling her warmth against me almost made me decide against getting up. But the mission comes first.

I copped one final feel, hugging her tight, and got up, gently pulling out from below her.

I shook my arm, to get the blood flowing back in.

Cuddles are always a plus, but damn if it doesn't do shit for blood flow.

Well blood flow everywhere except the down unders.

But that's not so bad now either, is it?

"Mhn!?" Offee moaned, stirring from her sleep.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just go back to bed. I have some work to do." I lied, caressing her hair.

"Uhun?" She raised a bit, chin in her palm, leaning by the elbow.

"Ryloth needs freeing doesn't it?"

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ok, just how much did that vision show you?!" I asked unsettled.

She just gave me a mysterious smile, rolling out of bed and onto her feet.

With a hop and a skip she kissed me on the cheek.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She whispered.

"Yes! I very much would like to know!" I replied.

"Not telling~" She giggled, walking into the bathroom.

I sighed.

That's not an answer Offee!

I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes to that.

Shaking my head, I took the other bathroom and got ready for war.

By the time I came back out, Offee was done and ready.

"Let's go!" She said.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to stay behind here, where it's safe?" I asked, smiling.

"Nope." She said, mimicking me.

Though I would have preferred Offee staying here, there just was something about having a battle wife that gave me the warm fuzzies.

This wasn't so bad.

"Fine." I said, "Let's go."

Arriving on Ryloth, I geolocated the rebel headquarters, and landed us near it.

"The rebels." I explained, "Will make up most of our force. But before that, play along, okay?"

Offee nodded, and followed me out as we slunk along the rocks, till we came upon the rebel camp, the canopied valley they were camped in lined with mats, aiding Twileks struck with the new plague.

And admirably, unlike some other leaders cough*Senator Freeta*cough, Cham Syndulla was at the forefront, doing all that was necessary, attending to the sick, washing sheets, even shoveling shit. Now that's a world leader I can stand behind.

After neatly an hour of watching, Cham Syndulla walked over to us, brows furrowed.

"And how can I help you?" He snapped.

"I hope the supplies I sent are of use to you, Lord Syndulla." I said.

"Fremde?....or should I call you Commander Walker?" He replied.

"Aw man!" I said, pulling off my large 'mysterious stranger' hat, "How did you figure it out?"

"Your manner of speech matched your letter that you sent with the supplies. What does Fremde even mean?" He asked.

"....nothing." I sulked a bit.

His eyebrows twitched in frustration a bit as he continued.

"But yes, thank you for your supplies. They were very helpful."

"Good." I said, pulling out a glass canister off my back, containing blue powder.

"This is a potent antiviral agent I developed a couple years back from a species of frogs I found on a wild space planet. Mix it one part powder and eight parts water. A bowl full per person should do the trick.

It's helpful against most diseases, but this new plague... I don't know. Try it still, it might work and even if it doesn't, nothing is lost in service of those we care about."

Cham Syndulla took the canister from me and nodded grimly, giving the instructions to a subordinate.

"Anything else I can do for you and your..." He looked at Offee behind me.

"This is Barriss Offee, a jedi."

"Former jedi." Offee corrected.

"Former jedi." I reiterated.

"Former or not, I don't care." He said, his voice souring fast, "The jedi came to us with sweet promises of freedom and safety. They promised to liberate us by the end of the week. And yet where are they? Run away with their tails tucked between their legs. Cowards as you said. You were right."

"All hope is not yet lost." Offee assured.

"What hope is left?!" He asked, choking up.

"The separatist forces are too strong. We cannot fight anymore. All we can do is wait to perish. Till General Hunt comes true on his words."

"No. Not when I am here." I said, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"No offense commander Walker, but what can one man do? They have an army!" He cried.

"Oh but that's where you are wrong, Cham! I never said it was going to be just me, did I?" I grinned.

"The jedi girl?!" He scoffed.

"How about a hundred of your best men....." I said, pressing a button on my glove eight capsules shot down from the sky, landing just outside the camp, shaking everyone into fear.

With another button, they popped open revealing equipment and armor.

"....in a hundred of my best mechanized suits."

"This..." Cham Syndulla hesitated.

"Each suit is form fitting, equipped with durasteel myomers, strong enough to crush droids with their bare hands. Additionally, each suits comes with a one way reflexive forcefield, impervious to all attacks, with an hour of battery life at maximum capacity and jetpack with enough juice for one flight to the droid base and then some.

As for weapons, it has a laser cutter and that...."

I shot out my own, cleaving through the valley wall.

"..... works buttery smooth."

Cham Syndulla stared at the demonstration gobsmacked, before regaining his composure.

"What do you want for it?" He asked, frowning.

Nothing this good comes free. That much he knew.

"Your friendship." I said, smiling.

"That's....it?" He muttered, skeptical.

"Did you hear me speak in the trial?" I asked.

"Yes but ....."

"I meant every word Syndulla." I said, sincerely.

"I will stop this senseless war. Even if the jedi can't. I won't stay silent by the sidelines anymore. Not when my inventions can save lives."

"So tell me Cham Syndulla, are you with me? Will you help me free Ryloth once and for all?" I asked, extending him a handshake.

He looked at my hand in a daze for a moment before with misty eyes he grabbed it, falling to his knees.

With everyone's eyes on us, he swore.

"If you free Ryloth, I swear on my name, you'll have more than this Cham Syndulla's friendship. You'll have my life."

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I picked him off his feet, and pulled him back up to eye level, and replied, flustered.

"Your friendship will suffice. We leave at nightfall. To their capital. With a small crack force, we will capture General Hunt and end this conflict. Get your men ready."

I handed him a manual for the armor.

"Get your men familiar with all it's features before dark. This is our only chance. We cannot afford to fail here."

Syndulla nodded, and rushed back down, shouting instructions to his men.

This would soon be a night to remember. And a battle that would go down in history.

Hours later, as the sun fell upon the arid planet, a hundred and one lights flew out of the valley, towards the capital city, newly built up and furbished by the Confederacy.

The surface to air defence systems first caught us on their radar, believing us to be native wildlife.

Still, droids ran on a protocol and turned the spotlights to face us.

Knowing this, I volunteered to take point and cause a distraction.

"Me and Offee will descend here and play decoy.  You take your men and ascend the sewers. The general's chambers are at the very top." I said.

Syndulla nodded his eyes betraying gratitude and a grudging respect, as we fell.

My new suit activated, shutting off the jetpack, and unfolding the crow vibro wings, from Rick's escapades with his crows, gliding down onto the forcefield bridge.

Offee jumped out of my arms and activated her lightsaber, glowing blue, attracting the attention of the droids by the gate.

And if that wasn't enough, I had another hand to play.

Speakers rose out of my shoulder pads as a heavy base began to thrumm in the Rylothian night, echoing through my helmet.

After all, what is an epic battle without the accompanying score?

In this case, it was Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.

"I like this tune!" Offee chirped up, getting ready for a battle as the floodlights focused on us.

"Intruders!" One droid screamed, "Sound the alarms! And march out the droids."

Various roger rogers sounded out as the gates opened, and the artillery blaster cannons on the walls lit up with heat.

"Let's do this!" I said, looking at Offee, with

her staring back into my eyes, as the song began to ramp up, and the clanking of droid boots rang out upon the bridge

My wings grew red hot, and a plasma whip burst from my arm, while I extended my other arm to Offee.

Offee took my arm and I brought to bear the durasteel mech muscles, catapulting her across the droid force, landing behind them.

Then the first shot was fired. And it was on.

Offee bent low, sweeping through the flanks of the droids while I dashed straight down the middle carving a path of droid guts and glory, arriving dead center of the droid formation.

I lifted my plasma whip as a droid muttered a belated, Uh-oh.

And I spun, my plasma whip slicing through their lines, as the droids tumbled to the floor.

Offe fell back into my arms as we initiated a dance of death for the droids, effectively turning the center of the bridge into a droid blender.

Once the middle was cleared, Offee too to the back, dealing with the heavy armored droids while I took on the 8 Droidekas, who seeing their bolts have no effect against my forcefield, turned back into their base forms and rolled over, trying to hit me off the bridge.

Something I had reprogrammed into them in case they had to fight jedi who could deflect their blaster bolts.

Thankfully, the suit gave me the strength of ten men and more.

I got into a horse stance and slammed my palms against the two Droidekas bowling at me, stopping them in their tracks with a booming slap, their own momentum cracking their shells open as they blew up.

Another Droideka flanked me, only to be kicked off the bridge with such force that it blew up mid air off the bridge. The next three met the same fate, while the last one rolled over towards me from the back.

I grinned, soaking in the thrill of my newfound athletic ability, and decided to try something else.

I crouched low and jumped high, doing a backflip, grabbing the rolling droideka mid flip, and brought it slamming down onto the bridge with my descent.

The bridge rippled with the force of the explosion, flickering like a midwest gas station bathroom light.

Having super strength feels awesome!

I jumped with joy, almost instinctively looking to Offee to see if she noticed when a cannon bolt hit a droid near Offee, blowing it up, sending Offee tumbling to the side.

"No!" I cried, worried but Offee though nearly teetering on the edge of the bridge, used the force to catch her balance and force jumped back into the fray.

I realized then.

Something needs to be done about those cannons on the walls.

Offee's forcefield generator won't save her from a fall this high.

My helmet switched from night vision to aim assist on my command, as I ran a gauntlet at the wall, my laser beam bursting through, melting and popping the artillery guns and their batteries bringing down a huge chunk of the wall, sending it tumbling down into the abyssal moat below.

"Offee!" I called out, finding few droids left on the bridge, and noticing the tanks pull out of the garage through the citadel's surveillance systems.

I doubt Offee can deflect a tank blaster bolt. And with us being on the narrow ledge of a bridge, I'm not taking any chances.

Unfortunately, I can't display my powers overtly here or else we would have won it already.

No. I need to make this seem like a hard won victory for the optics.

I ran to her, and lifted her off her feet, flying across the moat to the chunk of the wall I just caved in, entering the citadel.

From there, I led Offee to flank the tanks, and ran before them, my wings turning the barrels to macaroni, while Offee jumped up onto them from behind, carving them open with her lightsaber, destroying the droids within.

The hover tanks fell to the floor with a thud, and Offee slid down the side, reuniting with me.

"Now what?" she asked, looking around.

We had dealt with the first wave of defenders, but more were likely coming, and in stronger numbers.

Momentarily, I checked up on the position of the crack squad climbing up the sewer lines, and found them already on the third floor.

We are getting a bit late.

"Let's take a shortcut!" I said, grabbing her by her waist, as my wings folded in and the jetpack flew us over to the fourth floor. Hovering a few feet from the wall I adjusted the bloom on my laser and pointed it at the wall, blowing a hole in it on contact.

I flew in, and landed in the hallway, much to the surprise of patrolling droids.

We smiled and took one side each, cutting through the droids making short work of them, as I checked the freedom fighters' position again.

They were close now.

"This way!" I pointed as we walked the halls at a leisurely pace, and came face to face with the freedom fighters, surrounded by a garrison worth of destroyed drones.

Cham Syndulla himself, was holding the head of the last drone between his hands, and before us crushed it, rolling it into a ball as easily as if it were snot, throwing it out the window.

"The suits ....they are like a dream come true!" He laughed, in catharsis as he scanned the downed droids that had once struck fear into the hearts of his people.

"Aren't they?!" I reciprocated, grinning proudly.

"But we don't have a lot of time. General Hunt is no doubt planning a way out. We need to cut his escape!" I warned.

They nodded, and we made our way up the emergency stairs, reaching the top floor office of General Hunt.

This was the final salvo.

And to their surprise, there was no guard on his room.

Of course there wasn't. I had sent them away as 'reinforcements' down below.

As we entered the office, we saw the visage of General Hunt standing out on the balcony railings, holding a detonator switch in his hands, smiling deviously.

"Get off there, and surrender peacefully, Hunt!" Cham Syndulla ordered, leveling his laser beam at the man.

In the meantime, I slunk to the back of group and jacked into the General Hunt Android on the balcony, taking control.

It teetered on the razor's edge, almost threatening to fall off the balcony, as I spoke through it.

"You may have won the battle, rebel scum, but I will win this war!"

"Get down from the ledge!" Syndulla repeated, blasting away the detonator in his hands.

But the smile never left it's face

"Tch!" Hunt said, monologuing one last evil villain cliché, "You foiled my last plot too!

Alas, you are too late! You will never catch me alive!"

Then to the horror of the company, Hunt jumped off the balcony, disappearing below.

Syndulla ran to the edge of the balcony and looked down, when a droid transport rose out up from below, carrying a very much alive Hunt, holding a big bulbous gun.

"Goodbye, rebel scum!" He laughed, pressing the trigger as an EMP wave burst forth, disabling all of the armors in the room, save mine, something I had prepared against.

"Mwahahahahahhaha!" He laughed villainously, one last time before the droid transport pulled away, taking the great general away.

The moment he was out of the citadel's range, I disconnected from it, allowing the natural programming take it's charge, having played my part.

This was a victory for the rebels but it wasn't a satisfying one. Just what I needed. To keep Syndulla's hunger for retribution stoked and burning, malleable to machinations and forever in my debt, putting Ryloth, safely in my pocket, without a single drop of blood being shed on the battlefield!

People, tribes, cultures and civilizations thrive on stories, tales and legends and today I had forged one, giving hope to the people of Ryloth.

The legend of the miracle on Ryloth, where a hundred men took down the confederacy's best defended stronghold with zero casualties.

A direct and clear slap in the face of the massive republic force that retreated from battle before it even began!

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