Rise of The Terran Alliance- Crosspost

Chapter 35- Counterattack

Chapter 35- Counterattack

The atmosphere is tense as Anakin's group carefully makes their way along the path cut out of the cliff face.

Anakin lifts up his wrist and says into his commlink. "R2. Are you and your battle droids ready to go?" he asks. R2 beeps a few times in response.

"All right, get the ship fired up. We'll meet you at the pipeline exit after you've picked up Obi Wan, assuming he's still on schedule," Anakin says before cutting off the transmission.

Meanwhile, back in the Citadel, Obi Wan, Piell, Adams, and their team is hiding in the ducts over the hallways. Trying to get through the cramped space without alerting any droids in the hallway below, they slowly make their way to a vertical passage.

"This passage will get us near the landing pad," Obi Wan says. He then leaps up and starts climbing up through the passage. Slowly, the rest of the team begins to follow him.

Making it up a few floors, Obi Wan emerges onto a flat space. As Cody climbs up and keeps climbing, Obi Wan quickly activates his commlink and says, "R2, send the shuttle to the rear landing platform."

There's a beep from R2, followed by one of the battle droids under R2's command saying, "We've already been given the go-ahead by General Skywalker, sir, assuming you are still on schedule."

"The trick will be if Anakin arrives on time," Obi Wan says.

Cody emerges another level up, and to his surprise, sees a droid probe right in front of him. "Probe!" he calls out.

Piell acts quickly. He leaps up the shaft, igniting his lightsaber an cutting the probe in half as it tries to get away.

"Did you get it?" Obi Wan asks.

Before Piell answers, a new noise draws Obi Wan's attention. Looking up, he sees security doors closing. "Security doors! Move, or you'll be cut in half!"

The entire team scrambles to get somewhere where they won't get caught in the doors. Unfortunately, one clone doesn't move quick enough.

Piell ignites his lightsaber again and cuts a hole through one of the security doors. Looking up at Obi Wan through the hole he just cut, Piell says, "We lost one. Looks like we've got some cutting to do."

The two go to work trying to cut their way down through the shaft. One door below where Piell was, they find Adams working on the same task, and the three work together to free the rest of the clones. Unfortunately, they have to leave the dead clone behind.

As they work to find their way out, Anakin and Ahsoka are still leading their team along the path. Everyone has to be even more careful now, as the path has gotten even narrower in places.

Ahsoka and Tarkin are bringing up the front of the group, with the clones behind them, and Anakin and the SEALs bringing up the rear.

As they round a corner, Woods stops, then whips around, raising his assault blaster, and firing a burst at probe droid trying to follow them. The probe explodes after being hit six times.

"We best keep our eyes open. I doubt that'll be the last one," Woods says.

As the SEALS and Anakin hurry to keep close to the rest of the team, at the front, Tarkin says, "I'm beginning to admire the design of this fortress. It's rather formidable to evade."

"How can you admire such a horrible place?" Ahsoka asks incredulously.

"Ah, you reveal your shortsightedness. This ordeal only demonstrates how effective facilities like the Citadel are. Pity it ended up in Separatist hands and not ours," Tarkin replies.