Project Ares Gold Edition

Chapter 48 - Homecoming

Pillar of Autumn - Daro

Palpatine was dead and all traces of the Sith had either been captured or destroyed. The galaxy was about to enter a new era of peace. But there was still a last push to make, Courscant. Without the Republic Capitol restored and the senate brought back to full power, the Republic would struggle in the shadow of an fractured Empire.

As news spread across the galaxy that the Emperor was dead, reports were coming in that all the stormtrooper units were either retreating into the far fringes of the Outer Rim, or returning to Coruscant, where under the command of some of Palpatine's political advisors, were making a final stand.

Gathering around the large hologram projector, everyone agreed that they couldn't just leave Daro. There was too much research and artifacts buried in the rubble to just be left behind, but they needed to move to Coruscant immediately. Proposing a plan, Rex said that the Triumphant was already dead in the water after the massive space battle. So the 104th could remain here on Daro while everyone else went to Coruscant using the Pillar of Autumn, Intrepid and any other ships available.

Agreeing with the plan, everyone scrambled across the ship as shields were restored and weapons reloaded. They didn't know how big the defence fleet was surrounding the galactic centre. With only two capital ships and a few escorts, the liberation force needed to rely on speed to quickly rush past the defences and get to the planet's surface. With 10 hours between them and their destination, everyone was working overtime to try and prepare as much as they could.

But in the depths of the ancient Mandalorian battlecruiser, 117 and his men gathered around in a small cargo area. Asking them to tell him everything, Chief was informed that after arriving at Maridum, Blue Team was ambushed by the Devastator. Crash landing on the surface, they held out for as long as possible, but with no comms and overwhelming forces converging on them, they were soon taken out by stun rounds. After waking up separated aboard the Star Destroyer, they were then transported to Daro where they underwent severe torture and psychic manipulation.

It was only after they were broken mentally by Palpatine using the Force, did they undergo the Project Orion augmentations. Luckily, because they all shared the same genetic profile, the scientists didn't have to worry about varying responses t the treatment, whatever happened with one happened to the rest of them. Following the augments, they underwent a series of physical aptitude and combat tests to get them used to the augmentations before being equipped with power armour.

Something they realised somewhere along the way was that Palpatine didn't want individual supersoldiers that could be sent in to handle delicate situations. Instead, he wanted elite kill teams that could take out any target, regardless of the odds or ethics surrounding the op. The other Imperial Spartans were just that, attack dogs that fended for themselves and never really understood what it meant to work together as a unit. That's what made the clone Spartans special, traces of brotherhood showing even after the indoctrination.

Now, they were fighting for a mission that actually did some good. No longer just being a pawn on Palpatine's board. Thinking over the invasion in his head, Chief immediately knew where to put the fleet's best men. Blitz, Streak, Thermos, and Shrapnel would take a shuttle back to Yavin 4 and escort everyone back to Coruscant. Though it may seem overkill to send four Spartans to do a simple escort mission, they could not afford to lose any more Jedi or Senator Amidala. All of whom were critical in rebuilding the Republic and winning over the people.

As for the rest of them, they would be going straight for the current head of the Empire, Mas Ameda. He was certainly being guarded by the highest echelon of Imperial special forces, and was likely the only person that knew of all of Palpatine's plans. Capturing him was a must, and there was no one better than Blue Team.