STS. LOG-022. (Patreon)

LOG-022.To say that the atmosphere was tense in the face of my avatar's personal LAAT landing and opening up its doors would be the height of understatement. For obvious reasons, none of the clones present seemed all too happy about a Magnaguard walking out to meet them, with several commando droids still visibly idling inside the transport.I could make out no less than two blaster rifles that were barely kept lowered by troopers stationed in advantageous positions, and while the helmets on the various soldiers' heads hid their emotions, it wasn't all that difficult to make out what they were feeling.Chief of which was the ARC trooper who'd come to a stop opposite of my proxy, arms lowered at his sides but very clearly ready to snatch the two blaster pistols strapped to his waist out of their holsters and start blasting.Faced with the tense silence of a rapidly brewing stand off, I did the reasonable and logical thing."CT-7567. Captain Rex. I represent fleet commander Spyder of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Your base has been compromised by the Empire, we are here to offer our assistance in evacuating you."Whatever the man had been expecting, it evidently wasn't that. A half strangled sound bubbled up in his throat, before he forced it down and shook his head, visor pointed squarely at the Magnaguard's photoreceptors."...Explain."Crossing my second body's arms in a likely futile attempt to appear a little less threatening, I tilted its head towards the temple building resting behind the 501'st trooper."The assassin currently in your custody-" Rex's flinch at the unknown clone's mention wasn't very subtle. "-is known as CX-1. In addition, he has been implanted with an internal homing beacon, which continues to broadcast as we speak."Taking another step forward and letting my avatar's arms fall back to its side, I tried to put as much gravity into my voice as I could, golden optics reflecting off of my counterpart's visor."You have been compromised, captain. The Empire knows about Teth, and a second operative has been dispatched to eliminate your captive, alongside everyone here. It is my intention to capture this second assassin and gain your friendship at the same time."Both Samson and the trooper with green markings (Greer?) visibly shifted in place at that, their gloved fingers twitching against the surfaces of their respective weapons.Rex's head tilted slightly, before the trooper slowly crossed his arms, mimicking my own previous posture."...You have a fleet in orbit, so if you wanted us dead you could have just turned us into glass. So…why are you helping us? What's this Spyder's motivation?"Ah finally, I'd been rehearsing this speech, as simple as it was.Gesturing to my proxy with a metallic hand tapping against its chest, I dipped the Magnaguard's head slightly downwards."The Confederacy of Independent Systems is at war with the Galactic Republic. The Galactic Republic has devolved into the Galactic Empire. You are currently opposed to the Galactic Empire. By this logic, you are potential Separatists."The arm turned towards Rex, palm open and ready for a shake, even as he muttered a quiet, almost disbelieving "what."I pressed onwards before he could think about it too long."Our goals align in that we seek the replacement of the Empire with a more democratically aligned system. Whether this proves to be a Confederacy or a Republic is irrelevant, so long as the Empire falls."His head was shaking slightly."That…this feels incredibly sudden. And I'm not a Separatist-"Momentum motherfucker, just listen to me."You have stated the facts yourself. If we wished you harm, we would have annihilated you from orbit. Here is the truth, captain. We were once enemies. Circumstances now dictate that we become allies. As you can see, we have much to bring to the table, but are on a finite schedule. You may begin cooperating now."The man stared at me for a long moment, visibly taken aback.Then slowly, hesitantly, he reached out and grasped the Magnaguard's hand, clone and droid shaking in tentative alliance as several rogue troopers and a LAAT of BX commandos watched on."...You're going to explain how you found us, what exactly us working together means, and I'm going to want a meeting with this 'fleet commander' of yours."The photoreceptors on my proxy brightened ever so slightly as I nodded in agreement."Believe me captain, he is far closer than you may think."—The first of the transports broke atmosphere in a burst of engine ions. A moment later, another. Then another. Their profiles blossomed on Silent Guardian's sensors, droid control signals blooming outward to stabilise descent thrusters as they pushed into low orbit.From the surface, the sound was something between a storm and an artillery barrage. Even with the temple's thick stone walls muffling the noise, the whine of repulsorlifts reverberated off of the mountain ridges and rattled loose pebbles into the open courtyards.Rex was still standing where my proxy had last spoken with him, helmet tilted skyward, his silence betraying little to no emotion as a veritable invasion force continued to descend.The men behind him weren't nearly so restrained. Rifles shifted in nervous hands as the unmistakably angular silhouettes of B1 battle droids began spilling out of the first sheathipede's forward ramp, blasters slung against their plastoid carapaces."Advancing!" One chirped as if on cue, clanking forward with half a dozen others carrying modular supply crates directly behind it.The clones tensed instantly, of course. Fingers twitched towards triggers, helmets swivelling to follow the skeletal machines with an instinct borne from a lifetime of slaughtering them. For a breathless moment I thought someone might snap and open fire, but discipline held well enough.To their credit, the droids ignored the stares. My own commands had been almost painfully precise after the 007 incident, and droid brains generally did not bend beneath the weight of awkward silences. Instead, they all marched straight toward the temple's side entrance and began loading what containers the clones had already staged.Rex finally spoke, low enough that it wasn't meant for anyone beyond himself and the men nearest to us."Our Rho shuttles aren't enough for a full evacuation, and half of them are patched together with what we had on hand. Never counted on bringing everything out with us. I…don't suppose you-"He hadn't finished the thought before the sky darkened.A shadow eclipsed the courtyard, blotting out the thin sun as the descending bulk of a C-9979 landing craft blotted the horizon.Its ventral hangars split apart in mechanical symmetry, atmosphere venting in white puffs as whole platoons of droids stood ready within. The ground shook as the ship slowed its descent, turbines screaming against the thin mountain air."Transportation." I said through the proxy, photoreceptors tracking the landing struts as they extended toward the stone courtyard. "Will no longer be your concern, captain. My commander has elected to shoulder that burden."Rex's visor snapped toward me. "Then what is my concern, exactly?""You have a prisoner broadcasting a signal. Find the source and deal with it."The ARC trooper's silence lingered for a moment too long before he finally gave a curt nod. "Fine."Behind him, the uneasy mingling of white armour and tan coloured droid plating had already begun in earnest. B1 battle droids offloaded what looked to be portable generators while clones in a variety of striped armour worked to detach the temple's comm arrays.Turning back towards the man standing next to my avatar, I tilted the Magnaguard's head once more."You may want to find a way to contact any returning away teams. While we do have a stolen Venator in orbit, I have come to understand that such vessels are no longer considered friendly by you and your associates."The muffled curse that the clone seemingly did his best to bite back at the reminder of potentially incoming guests was amusing, to say the very least.