SW System 6: The Awakening (Patreon)

The silver light vanished as Iggios pierced one of the Geonotian guards with his ligtsaber. He was leading a small group that included his Master and several other Jedi as they made their way to the stands of the Petranaki arena.

The supposed execution had clearly gone wrong, just as Iggios remembered. As he finally entered the stands, he could see Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan all very much alive. They had commandeered one of the large animals and were being quite evasive, riding around and making themselves difficult to catch.

Iggios smiled at the sight; it looked a lot like the movie he remembered watching long time ago.

Eventually, the three main heroes were surrounded by eight Droidekas; someone in the stands had clearly run out of patience. By that time, however, most of the Jedi were already in position. Iggios saw more small groups filtering into the stands near him and even on the opposite side of the arena.

A group of over two hundred Jedi had assembled, and Master Windu was already on his way to confront Count Dooku.

"This can't end well, Master," Iggios muttered, already familiar with the outcome.

"A premonition? You haven't had many of those, young Padawan," Master Trebor responded, though his eyes were glued to the impending confrontation between Master Windu and Count Dooku.

"It's a feeling... Most of the Jedi will not leave this arena alive, Master," Iggios warned, but he doubted the other Jedi were taking him seriously. Most of them believed that once they ignited their lightsabers, the battle would be won and the enemy would immediately surrender. Iggios, of course, knew better.

"Just please, stay away from Count Dooku, Master," Iggios urged. He couldn't dictate his Master's actions, but he felt like he had to at least warn him about the tall Vurk’s impending death.

Lightsabers activated all around Iggios, the signature hissing sound filled the ears of everyone in the arena. He joined them, igniting his own saber to add to the intimidation factor. The effect was substantial; most of the Geonosians fled immediately, leaving only the trained soldier caste behind, who retreated into the arena and manned the two large sonic cannons that rose from the sands.

By this time, Master Windu had been forced to retreat from Dooku due to the combined efforts of B2 battle droids and Jango Fett's flamethrower. It was time for action. Gates of the arena opened, and from them emerged a flood of battle droids, both the standard B1 variant and the superior B2 variant.

Without wasting any time, Iggios jumped down into the arena with all the confidence he could muster. The Force surged through him as he landed right in front of one of the entrances, causing an explosive impact that sent battle droids flying in every direction, giving his Jedi companions some breathing room as they jumped down too.

The volley of blaster fire came quickly; the droids did not suffer from psychological damage like biological lifeforms would. Iggios didn't hesitate; he formed a fist with his right hand, and the Force responded to his call, collapsing the tunnel leading into the arena.

The arena shook violently as part of the stands collapsed along with the tunnel.

"This probably wasn't my brightest idea," Iggios muttered, shifting his focus to the seven remaining entrances still free to spew out battle droids. He was lucky his allies had jumped into the arena in time, or they might have been buried in the rubble. At least he had created some semblance of safe ground for himself and his companions.

Unfortunately, many of the Jedi were already charging into the droid ranks.

Iggios groaned loudly; while he understood the need to take out the sonic cannons, charging directly into an army was a recipe for disaster.

The sonic cannons fired for the first time, tearing droids apart and targeting large groups of Jedi. If allowed a few more shots, there would be mass casualties. Even the first shots killed at least three Jedi each.

Iggios moved toward one of the cannons, enhanced by the Force. He cut down droid after droid that stood in his way, but each one he faced slowed him down. The cannon powered up again, ready to fire once more.

Iggios may not have been close enough to destroy it outright, but he was close enough to rip the Geonosian gunner away from it. The Force hummed within him as the Geonosian flew toward his prepared lightsaber, ending his life in one swift strike.

Another soldier took the dead gunner’s place, but by then, Iggios was already near the cannon. A wide swing of his lightsaber severed the barrel, and in a fluid motion, he pierced what he hoped was the power supply.

The large cannon let out a final whirring sound as sparks danced across its frame before Iggios jumped away.

He noticed that another group of Jedi had already taken out the other sonic cannon. It was now just droids against Jedi, and those odds felt much better.

The longer the battle raged on, the less Iggios understood what was happening around him. The streams of battle droids eventually ceased, but there were still too many of them. He lost sight of his Master in the chaos, and witnessed dozens of Jedi fall to the overwhelming blaster fire.

The surviving Jedi gathered in the center of the arena, and for a brief time, Iggios fought alongside Obi-Wan and Mace Windu. As the intensity of the blaster fire around him increased, he watched more and more Jedi succumb to the chaos. Even though each Jedi took out over dozen droids, it still wasn’t enough.

Even the small group he was part of broke apart to evade the relentless fire from the droids. In a desperate move, he spun around, grabbing a dozen droids and flinging them into their ranks, toppling several of them. A quick Force Push created a temporary opening in the seemingly endless formation, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Scrapping so many droids at once also drew unwanted attention to him. Iggios barely rolled out of the way of blaster fire raining down from above, deflecting a few more bolts while still on his knees.

A Mandalorian bounty hunter using a jetpack flew above, targeting isolated Jedi, and his twin blaster pistols found their marks far more often than the droids did. “Isn’t he only supposed to have one?” Iggios questioned under his breath, raising his free hand and swiping it downward.

The Force thrummed around him as the bounty hunter suddenly slammed into the ground, rolling to regain his footing.

Four more blaster shots came barreling toward Iggios in quick succession, but he was ready, reflecting the shots that struck the bounty hunter head-on. However, the Beskar armor easily absorbed the hits as the Mandalorian charged towards him.

Iggios enhanced himself with the Force, skillfully avoiding the first grappling attempt. He swung his lightsaber, forcing Jango off-balance, but was immediately met with gunfire in retaliation. The bounty hunter proved to be a formidable opponent, even for a fully trained Jedi, and Iggios was still far from the best in the Order.

To make matters worse, the surrounding droids continued to fire at him, complicating his ability to confront the Mandalorian. A second charge from Jango connected; he managed to grab Iggios' arm, forcing the young Jedi to deactivate his lightsaber or risk cutting himself.

Pushed backward, Iggios relied on his training in Teräs Käsi just in time. He kicked the armored bounty hunter in the armored face, causing Jango to stumble, giving Iggios just enough time to apply an armbar. Bones can break, even when the opponent is encased in powerful armor.

As they rolled on the ground, Jango aimed his wrist-mounted flamethrower at Iggios. An alarm blared in Iggios' head as the Force warned him of impending death. One of his hands flew up to counter the flames, stopping the heat mere centimeters from his palm. He had to ease the armbar, focusing instead on preventing himself from being grilled.

This was not how he had imagined the battle going at all.

Iggios gritted his teeth as the heat encroached on his palm. Desperately, he concentrated as much of the Force as he could into his hand, finally forcing the flames back at Jango. The bounty hunter was blasted away by a powerful Force push. The fiery explosion wasn't loud, but it was certainly flashy, sending Jango flying across the arena and leaving one of his blaster pistols behind near Iggios.

Iggios quickly glanced at his hand; the palm was noticeably red and slightly burned from the flamethrower’s heat. Unfortunately, there was no time to treat the injury—he needed to survive this damned place first.

He picked up his lightsaber and the blaster that Jango had left behind. At least he got a cool-looking gun from this encounter. He aimed the blaster at one of the closer droids, taking a moment to find his mark. He squeezed the trigger and hit center mass, just as he intended, humming in appreciation. This blaster was definitely well-made, as expected from a Mandalorian bounty hunter.

Iggios shook his head, grounding his thoughts back to the present moment, and leapt back into action. He maneuvered through the ranks of droids, trying to reach his fellow Jedi, who were being slowly but surely pushed back toward the center of the arena.

The blaster served him well, allowing him to pick off the occasional Geonosian warrior, who remained in small numbers and wielded sonic blasters that continued to pose a threat to any Jedi.

They were clearly prepared for this confrontation and had expected the Jedi to arrive. Iggios knew Dooku planned to fight the Jedi here, but the level of organization was honestly quite frightening, especially since he was on the receiving end of a well-formed ambush.

Now, right in the thick of the battle, he found himself dodging enemy blaster fire as he finally regrouped with his fellow Jedi. Though the entire skirmish only lasted about five minutes, glancing around while deflecting blaster bolts, he could see that the number of Jedi had drastically diminished.

Once they were almost back-to-back, the droids suddenly halted, likely on some unseen command from Dooku. Iggios took a moment to look around; Padmé was to his left, Anakin was beside her, and Obi-Wan and Master Windu were also still standing. However, when he scanned the area, he noticed Master Trebor was nowhere to be found.

The final headcount revealed fewer than twenty Jedi still standing, a stark contrast to the more than two hundred who had arrived—fewer than twenty after merely five minutes of combat. Iggios was certain that such casualties were unprecedented for the Jedi Order since the days of the Old Republic.

"Master Windu, you have fought gallantly, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order," Dooku called from his elevated position, looking down at the Jedi.

For a moment, Iggios couldn't help but think how much Dooku resembled Christopher Lee, just as Master Windu looked exactly like Samuel Jackson. He quickly refocused; this wasn't the time to indulge in nostalgia about some of his favorite actors.

A few more Jedi were pushed into the small circle by the droids, including Plo Koon and Ki-Adi Mundi, slightly increasing their numbers, but it was still a massacre.

"Now, it is finished. Surrender now, and your lives shall be spared," Dooku continued after a brief pause, locking eyes with Master Windu. He knew he had already won, whether Master Windu chose to surrender or not.

"We will not be hostages to be bartered with, Dooku," Windu retorted sharply, looking up at his former colleague. Iggios could almost hear the unsaid 'motherfucker' in place of Dooku's name.

It was a shame this was a relatively PG universe, at least for now.

"Then... I'm sorry, old friend," Dooku sighed, and the droids raised their weapons toward the Jedi once again. Iggios stepped forward and took a defensive stance, and others around him did the same, with Padmé taking cover behind him and Anakin.

A distant whirring sound filled the arena, and before the droids could open fire, a volley of green projectiles filled Iggios’s vision. The LAAT Gunships circled the arena, cutting through the ranks of droids as the battle resumed, creating a protective perimeter around the survivors.

Iggios focused on staying alive, avoiding unnecessary risks. He retreated to the nearest Gunship and jumped inside, coming face-to-face with Master Yoda as he finally could try and bandage his burned palm.

Several more Jedi joined them, including Master Windu and Kit Fisto, as the clone troopers made room for the evacuating Jedi. Iggios extended his arms, freezing any blaster bolts aimed at the open doors of the Gunship in place. A few more Jedi jumped in just before they took off, and Iggios finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.

He had managed to survive, at least for the time being.

"If Dooku escapes, he will rally others to his cause," Master Yoda warned as Iggios regained his footing, pulling out a simple bandage from one of his pockets.

———

The plains of Geonosis opened up before them; the Acclamator-class ships were already landing and unleashing their troops. However, there were still droids to contend with.

The massive fuel silos towered above, concealing many droids while pumping fuel into the pipes below. The nearby coreships, meant to transport the immense droid armies from the planet, were clearly not ready to launch yet.

"Aim right above the fuel cells!" Iggios shouted to the pilot just before missiles were launched, striking one of the large silos and toppling it over. Another Gunship followed the same plan, and the two collapsing silos triggered a massive chain reaction behind the speeding Gunships.

With some luck, this would buy them enough time to shoot down more coreships than the Grand Army of the Republic had in the original timeline.

"Pilot! Take us to the rally point!" Master Windu commanded, receiving a brief, affirmative response.

The rallying grounds were only a short flight away. Master Windu, along with the other Jedi, jumped out and took command of the present forces. Yoda quickly pulled Iggios back before he could join them.

"Need you with me, I do." he muttered as the Gunship took off once more, ordering them to be taken to the forward command center. "Saw you learning army command in the Archives, I did." the ancient Jedi grinned, answering the question even before Iggios could ask it.

Perhaps his visits to the archives were more closely monitored than he had thought.

"Concerning it was, back then, hrmm. Useful now, it is." he added.

"Are you sure you need me? I'm sure you've seen your fair share of battles, Master," Iggios asked, prompting Yoda to chuckle.

"Battles, yes. Hrmm. War, never," the green Jedi grunted, but there was no time for more banter, because the Gunship was already landing at the forward command post.

"Master Yoda, all forward positions are advancing," the clone commander reported immediately, looking between Yoda and Iggios with slight confusion.

"Very good... very good," the old Jedi Grandmaster said slowly as he descended from the hovering Gunship, motioning for Iggios to follow him.

However, Iggios was already watching the battle unfold on a small holographic table, completely focused on eliminating the enemies as quickly as possible.

"Cripple the coreships. Make sure they can't fly away. Focus fire on the furthest within our effective range first," he said almost immediately, leaving the organization to the clone commanders. "Get the Gunships over the damn battlefield! Those armored units are ripping our infantry apart with those ground-to-ground missiles," he added, scanning the consoles for the location of the Gunships.

There were supposed to be dozens of them stationed in a single Acclamator, if his memory served.

The clone commanders moved quickly, recognizing that the young Jedi's orders made sense. Yoda observed from his spot next to Iggios, humming along.

"Master, you should probably go find Dooku. We need him captured if we don’t want this to turn into a prolonged war," Iggios reminded the old Grandmaster, watching as the slow-moving cannons were finally deployed.

"And for the Force itself, someone get those cannons into position! We need that artillery to keep the boys on the front lines alive! Sector 2234 shoud be good enough of a position." Iggios barked another order before turning back to Yoda.

"Correct, you are... Captured today, my old apprentice must be." Yoda conceded. "Not confident in fighting him yourself, are you?" he teased Iggios, who was always eager to test himself.

"I've heard of Count Dooku's reputation. Back when he was a Jedi, at least. I have a feeling that I would lose to him horribly," Iggios chuckled as Yoda boarded the Gunship again, albeit reluctantly.

"Command of the battle, I leave in your hands, hrmm." Yoda decided, "Take care of my old student, I shall." He said with a determination Iggios had not seen from the ancient Jedi before.

"Good luck, Master Yoda," Iggios wished him before directing his attention back to the clones.

"Where is the fire on the coreships? They'll start lifting off soon if we don't do something!" he said fiercely, looking between the clones. Thankfully, the powerful ground batteries fired just as he finished speaking.

One of the more distant coreships was hit precisely, causing cascading system failures and small explosions inside, as indicated by the sensors.

"That's more like it! Now to sector 5579! Same procedure!" Iggios directed the clones. "After that, aim for the coreships trying to escape first!"

"And who in all the Force in the Galaxy decided to keep the barely mobile cannons inside the transports for this long?" he questioned, but quickly redirected the cannons to take their positions close to the parked Acclamator they had crawled out of.

Congratulations User. The System recognizes potential.

Welcome to the Commander System.

Do you wish to read through a tutorial?

The words appeared before Iggios, but he barely acknowledged them, too busy directing the cannons to support the advancing infantry.

But the fact that the System was still present did force a small smile to his face. He may be able to survive this war after all.