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(AU - Alternate Universe)

(REVISED)

Chapter 2: Dawnbreaker

Kamino System

Location: Planet Yuka

Missive: Fourteen hours since leaving the Fleet of Righteous Intent, last reported heading back to Aegle III in 'Unknown Regions', March 6 [CLASSIFIED]

The space on the dark side of the planet Yuka was torn asunder by a large swirling flat disk of deep blue, boarded by the curtails of purple spiralling from its outer edges. The strange anomaly lasted only for a few seconds before disappearing entirely from existence.

But this irregularity in outer space didn't come without incident. The disk spat out a dark grey ship close to six hundred metres in length with an angled, pointed prow with a boxy squared rear and four large bright cyan blue engine nozzles. Along the port side of the angled prow, a single row of small upward pointed lights illuminated the name of the ACS Halberd-class II destroyer.

IKAZUCHI

"Transition successful, Captain."

"Lieutenant Reilly, hold this course."

"Holding course… aye sir," he replied rather coldly. While some officers would take offence to Reilly's harsh-sounding undertone, Nagata knew that it was just his way of settling into his no-nonsense attitude when on a mission.

Nagata didn't need even to ask when the Ikazuchi's hull gave a subtle thrum in response as Reilly fired the manoeuvring thrusters to match with the planet's spin and stay within its shadow. Occasionally Nagata had this strange nagging feeling that his navigation officer's mind was directly linked with his own and knew just where to put their ship during specific situations.

"Marius," the AI materialised before Nagata from the commander's chair armrest and nodded. "Where are our frigates we're to rendezvous with?"

"Both Strident-class Heavy Frigates Ryuu and the Glyphis are currently holding in a stationary position near the planet's equator, Captain."

"Show me."

The left-hand forward viewscreen switched from the destroyer's stern starboard side camera and revealed two zoomed-in oblong grey blocky shapes with their navigation lights glowing. The two Heavy Frigates turned sharply, nose on and steadily burned out of their low orbit towards the ACS Ikazuchi's position.

Just then as the two heavy frigates approached the Halberd-class II destroyer, their size going from twin pinpricks to the size of sardine cans, the right viewscreen switched from the inky star pricked blackness of space and displayed the ACS Navy emblem.

The emblem was that of two active energy swords crossed behind the Forerunner symbol denoting Reclaimer. The flag of the ACS was similar, but instead of the Forerunner symbol of Reclaimer, it was the lotus-like representation of an Ark Installation and if one looked down at it from above.

The emblem vanished and in its place was an imposing female Sangheili, wearing a murky white combat harness and was standing next to the small holotable that was in the centre of the frigate's bridge.

"Shipmistress 'Ehran," Nagata smirked light-heartedly. "Didn't you once say to me about the odds of us crossing paths again was a billion to one?"

"Nagata," the female Sangheili said slyly to him in return, crossing her arms across her chest and somewhat shaking her head in disappointment. "Have you already forgotten? Flattery with me gets you nowhere."

"Oh, how could I forget?" Nagata quickly and quietly muttered to himself before speaking up. "By the way, how have you been? The last time we met, you were in command of the ORS heavy cruiser Justification."

"Times change in these tense times, and besides," she shrugged, unashamed and gestured to her cross-species bridge crew. "I enjoy smaller warships like that of the Glyphis. I like it when I know who I'm speaking to than when I do when in command of that three-kilometre warship."

Nagata chuckled kindly, "Then I can rightly assume then that is what you told them?"

Light humoured laughter answered him as the space between the two Strident heavy frigates distorted and flickered for a few seconds.

Slithering into existence from nothing, its active camouflage fading from around its black hull was a Prowler. To be specific: a Sahara-class heavy Prowler.

"Captain," an officer turned around in her chair to face Nagata. "The Prowler NISA sent, and we are to rendezvous with has arrived. A brief outgoing transponder ping of the ship identifies it as Sahara-class Isra."

"Central view screen."

She nodded, "Aye, sir."

The image feed of the covert slippery vessel operated by the Naval Intelligence Security Authority Prowler Corps appeared on the centre view screens. After a moment of silence from observing the stealth ship, Nagata remarked on the predatory design.

"Graceful, isn't she?" Nagata remarked to Marius.

"I don't know about that, Captain. NISA Prowlers always looked ugly, in my opinion." Marius mused back with a lack of enthusiasm.

Nagata didn't put it past him. Sure it was ungainly to look at, but he knew well enough that merely underestimating just one by looks alone, was a complete fool's gambit. He knew that very well from the dealings in the ship on ship wargame experiences he had taken part.

Nagata didn't know the exact amount of how many NISA prowlers deployed throughout the galaxy. All he knew was there were a lot. Watching, gathering, shadowing. He had bets with a few fellow officers that a good chunk was patrolling the inner core and fringe systems in the Outer Rim, as well as patrolling and mapping the areas that this galaxy's inhabitants named the 'Unknown Regions'.

Prowlers were always something of an ugly vessel to look at, even when viewed from a distance. They were nothing but acute angles, completely matte black and appearing more like a predatory bird of prey than a ship of war.

But that was the idea.

While initially lacking in both defensive and offensive capabilities against other ships that had detected the prowler. New forms of armour and active compact energy shielding changed all that.

Like the Isra, and many other prowlers that came before it was packed with all kinds of mayhem as well as equipped with the newest cutting edge of surveillance and intel gathering systems imaginable without making the stealth vessels bulkier and challenging to maintain stealth capabilities in the long-run.

A prime example of these new improvements in the class was the updated Sahara-class Prowlers.

These stealth ships packed an armament of four forward-facing plasma turrets and several pulse laser turrets across the prowler. There was even an electromagnetic pulse cannon mounted spinally on the Sahara-class types. According to 7th generation Smart A.I. analysis, this class of Prowler could potentially square off against a single CRS-class light cruiser and make a jump to slipspace back home for repairs while leaving behind a moderately damaged ship and shaken crew in its wake.

The upgraded Sahara-class offensive capabilities were compounded even more so when coupled with the uncanny ability to remain cloaked and remain in that way for months on end. Approach to basically within breathing distance of its blissfully unaware target while laying a spread of stealth HORNET or EMP mines or a mixed batch of both throughout the midst of an unsuspecting fleet.

It was one hell of a bone-chilling thought.

As the Isra drifted closer, Nagata felt that very chill trickle down his spine.

About a decade ago, Prowlers were just wraiths that had the knack of being invisible gremlins creating havoc and gathering critical intelligence. But with the newer improvements given to the prowlers in the NISA Prowler Corps, the feared stealth vessels were becoming fully-fledged myths of legend that lurked in the black unforgiving sub-zero confines of hard vacuum and had a sting that would leave any crew of a starship with high levels of anxiety and PTSD whenever they travelled the stars.

That is if the Prowler's target had been let to survive an encounter, limp back to some form of home base and tell the story of their close brush with the devil somewhere in a brothel or backwater bar.

"Sir, the Captain of the Isra wishes permission to come aboard. Where should she go?"

"Tell her request to dock is granted and it will be in the usual spot, Marius," Nagata said as he got up from his commander's chair and headed for the bridge doors, which parted open even before he got there. "High time we got to on with our mission and what we had come for."

The Sahara-class Prowler Isra engaged its engines and reversed out through the main hangar's selective shield barrier that protected the destroyer's interior from the cold hard vacuum of space.

As it exited its matte grey and black hull became distorted by a bluish-purple dancing hexagonal texture and the stealth vessel vanished from sight. Its active camouflage once again mixing the Prowler back in with the pinpricked star-filled blackness of space.

Nagata watched all this from where he stood. Turning around, he unclasped his hands from behind his back and walked over to a small crowd of people gathered in front of a selection of four dropships gathered together for this operation. Standing before a large holo-table with Marius projecting himself from one of the corners, he slid into a spot purposely left unfilled between two others.

The person on his left was Lieutenant Commander Rick Peterson. He was in charge of the Charlie Platoon worth of ODSTs. Helljumpers that hailed out from the renowned 77th Shock Troops Battalion.

The person on his right was Special Operations Sangheili Officer Xynre 'Kurum, commander of Jovian Unit.

Captain Nagata nodded to Peterson and motioned with a nod to begin the mission briefing. The Lieutenant nodded back in kind as did 'Kurum, and so began the mission briefing to the three assembled leaders of Charlie squad and their charges standing at attention in rows.

"At ease, people. You are here to be part of an op the top brass is calling Operation DAWNBREAKER. As such of any operation, there are always complications."

There was a collective groan from the assembled ODSTs from hearing the word "complications" but quickly fell silent as Peterson cleared his throat.

"The first complication we have, as you realise by you being here, the entire ACS as a whole will be no longer observing this galaxy from the sidelines. The stage is set, Troopers. Our fight has come, and we're taking another leap into the legends once more."

The Lt. earned a multitude of different expressions and slight enthusiastic cheers from the assembled ODSTs. Each one of them now quite glad that they were finally going to get into some real action and not some training simulation they always got while watching this galaxy's split spread further.

Peterson held up both hands, "Alright, settle down. The second is that the operation is a NISA operation. One that involves kicking off by a snatch and grab as you'll be boarding a medical frigate deep within Republic space. As you probably know which system we are in right now, that is the space above Kamino."

"This operation will be executed by clamping to a medical transport to the underside of the Ikazuchi." He balled a fist and smacked it into the underside of his hand. "Then performing a short intersystem jump away from any prying eyes left of the protective blockade and then boarding from the outside via EVA. So, time will be short to prep as the Frigate is due to arrive in the system in," and looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes."

One or more eyebrows raised from this opening move but apart from that, nobody else stirred and continued to listen intently.

"Complications round two, NISA has dictated that this operation will be non-lethal. Remember that. So that's tactical training rounds loaded in your PDWs and tranq-dart pistols."

Peterson tapped a symbol on the holotable and up sprung a slowly rotating wireframe Republic Consular-class cruiser charger c70 retrofit. Marked all over the hologram of the ship were different individual EVA entry points for the three teams of Charlie Platoon.

"If you have any concerns you have with what you see or been told so far voice them now or forever hold your tongue until I finish."

"Just one Lt," a Sergeant spoke up to Peterson's right.

Peterson looked over and motioned to the squad leader of Charlie One to proceed.

"Is there a reason why we're using stun-rounds with tranq darts, sir?" The Sergeant questioned, slight concern in his tone. "I mean a single tranq-dart can drop a charging rhino in its tracks. Using TTRs on the clones seems like overkill in a sense, since the rounds also contain a powerful sedative anyways."

"Yes TTRs use a powerful sedative," Peterson held out a hand and began counting off the reasons with his fingers. "And yes, a tranq after is somewhat overkill, but you need to remember something."

"The top brass and the council want these clones taken alive but unconscious. Why? Beyond my paygrade. But knowing first hand that underneath that flimsy white plastic shit they call armour, clones wear form-fitting black fatigues that contain a certain fibre weave similar to what is our standard ODST training armour. So in short, they get hit with a nice spray of TTRs or a well-tossed TT-grenade. Goodbye, any retaliation; hello pissed off frozen conscious clone soldiers."

"So we hit them with stun-rounds locking them up, then follow up with a tranq to the neck to fully knock them out?" Charlie Two squad lead responded.

Nagata, who had kept motionless since this began and answered with a simple nod, "That's the idea."

The squad leaders nodded happily in agreement. "Okay, sounds like fun. What's next?"

"That brings me to what I mean by the snatch and grab Op." Peterson continued and asked Marius to bring up the inside schematic layout of the Republic vessel on the holotable.

Overlaid over the diagram of the medical transport were different coloured sections marked, such as one section marked as green coloured for the prow and a mix of blue and cyan overlaid for the lower and topside decks. The layout also had secondary objective markers on it as well.

From what the team leaders saw, Charlie Three had the front half of the ship that housed the bridge up top towards the nose and control centre down below, while leaving Charlie One and Charlie Two to have their work cut out for them — having to handle the crew quarters, medical bay, cargo compartment, engine room, and the escape pods.

"Once you have breached, your teams will have a ten-minute window, and only a ten-minute window to bring every single clone. Whether that be trooper or crew on that frigate of your assigned sectors to an awaiting Condor or Pelican." Peterson stressed the point home, making it very clear and the team leaders knew what the consequences of not meeting the requirements as it could lead to compromises and mistakes, which could lead to death or something far worse.

The hologram of the Consular retrofit animated to show dropships moving in and attaching themselves to the outer hull of the ship at the marked entry points.

"When every clone is aboard the dropships codenamed 'Angel One' through 'Three' for the two Pelicans and Phantom, and 'Fallen One' for the Condor, they, with you all hopefully on board as well, will then take the clones back to the Ikazuchi via bay three. The medical staff that had come aboard from the Isra will meet you and take the clones off your hands."

Peterson met the gazes of every fireteam leader. "Do any of you have any other questions?"

An unwavering silence met Peterson from the assembled ODST NCOs. Peterson nodded in satisfaction as did Nagata and 'Kurum.

"All right, brief your squads. Let's get this done Charlie Platoon! For the 77th Shock Troops Battalion!"

"Oorah!" the ODSTs replied with eagerness and broke away into individual groups and go over the finer details of what their assigned sectors asked of them.

'Kurum who had been silent this entire time turned to Peterson and Nagata.

Peterson tapped the holotable clearing the medical transport from the table. "There is a certain clone trooper that is of critical importance aboard that medical frigate as he could hold the key of what we and the ACS have been searching for since this pitiful war in this galaxy flared up. He is rated priority zero."

Peterson looked up to 'Kurum. "He must be brought back and still be alive. No exceptions."

Nagata nodded to Marius. "Bring it up."

Marius nodded, and a different image sprang up.

"Your target will be out of uniform, but can be identified by this tattoo-like mark beneath his right eye," Peterson said, indicating with a finger to a small tattoo marked like a teardrop beneath the eye of the picture.

'Kurum leaned closer and examined the hologram of the clone trooper more closely. The Sangheili asked for Marius to bring up its service record of his target, including his reasons for being on the medical transport and who had volunteered to go with him as protection. After carefully going over just where he could find on the trooper according to new intelligence updated only quite recently, he stood up straighter and nodded with satisfaction.

Peterson motioned to Marius, and the image was removed and brought back the operation plan for the medical frigate. "Recover the clone and bring him back post-haste to your Phantom docked here. Once aboard, immediately deliver him to medical bay four. Understood?"

"What of the trooper's companion? The one that Intel says he is to stay beside him at all costs?" 'Kurum asked bluntly.

"If he is there, take him as well to the same place," Peterson said.

'Kurum nodded in acknowledgement with an accepted grunt. Peterson nodded to him, then Nagata and left.

As he turned to leave to brief his warriors, 'Kurum was stopped as a firm hand grabbed his left arm from behind. Turning around, he was intrigued to see that it was Nagata holding firm. He wondered why the Captain continued to remain silent. If he had something to say, why didn't he say something when he had his complete attention earlier.

Nagata slipped a hand into a breast pocket and pulled something out of it. He handed it to 'Kurum. "Take this," he said, holding out an all too familiar AI data crystal chip. "Put it in one of the terminals aboard the ship. The Council doesn't care which one."

'Kurum looked down at the chip and saw its circular centre pulsated a menacing reddish-blue before settling down.

"Who is it?" 'Kurum asked with a trace uncertainty as he duly accepted the chip from Nagata's fingers.

"Barghest."

'Kurum's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and pressed his jaws together in understanding as he knew who that was. He had been paired to work with the AI many times after completing the gruelling trials he had faced in Project: SABREFANG.

The AI's ways of dealing with complicated matters were curious to witness. The AI's chosen form that its name reflected even more so. And when they had been paired together on Coruscant, the two had made even the toughest of covert assignments look like their difficulty meter in the simulated War Games set on Easy mode instead of Legendary.

'Kurum felt his chest tighten and an oddly familiar sensation coursed through his body that told him that when the Grand Army of the Republic ever did uncover that wolf, whether that be the AI's choosing or not, there was going to be hell to pay. 'Kurum would be looking forward to recovering that mischievous AI when the time came.

"I know very well the past work you did with him, including those intrusion stints on Coruscant." Nagata said, noticing 'Kurum restraining himself as best as he can at the realisation to the AI's name.

"Call it a little parting gift from the Council to the Jedi who undoubtedly will be sent in to uncover the little mess we're going to create in Kamino's orbit. I'm sure they will be somewhat thrilled to the core when they find him, or more likely when he has his fun and decides to reveal himself in his usual way."

'Kurum eyed the flickering light in the centre of the chip for a moment longer than last time before pressing his jaws into a what was considered an amused smile for a Sangheili. He nodded in thanks silently to Nagata for giving him such a pleasant instrument before turning back around and left without saying another word.

'Kurum put the chip securely away into his combat harness as he made his way over for his small team of Sangheili clad in Ranger armour. The two of whom were finishing up with their checks on their antigravity packs, the Human-made M7S PDWs and the four sixty-round magazines loaded with blunted red-tipped stun-rounds.

The collision alert alarm sounded when Nagata stepped into his bridge and the lights dulled to a haunting red of battle stations.

"Sir, our package has arrived," Marius announced, switching the forward viewscreen from the inbound patrol of several GAR ARC-170 fighters sent to intercept the two Stridents pulling out ahead as they approached the defensive blockade at flank speed.

"Good luck to you and your troops, Captain." The commander of the Isra announced over the comm for the final time as blossoming bright blue flashes from fifteen stealth mines went off amid the Republic's defensive fleet.

A few hours before the Ikazuchi's arrival in the system, these mines had been seeded by the prowler under cloak throughout the midst of Republic blockade in preparation for the upcoming operation.

The EMP mines performed their job just as they were designed to do. The destabilising fields of their electronic hampering burden enveloped and cascaded over every republic ship and starfighter including clipping the recently arrived frigate they were seeking to board. The EMP's effects blinded and overloaded every sensor from recording or witnessing what was about to happen next.

With the Republic fleet unable to launch a retaliative response, the Ikazuchi and her accompanying Strident's powered for now drifting and disabled frigate that had caught the edge of one of the EMP fields.

The medical frigate would suffer only minor damage to some of their systems and would still be functional to a point. However, the same could not be for the ships that made up the protective blockade as they had become nothing but fancy life-support systems as they hanged drifting in orbit. The Republic ships navigation and weapon systems would take much longer to come back online, while every sensor and communications gear on those ships caught closer to the mines would be later in need to be completely overhauled with new equipment. Eyewitnesses were the only thing they'll get out of this.

The patrol of ARC-170 starfighters that were sent ahead to investigate the diversionary Strident frigates roared in to engage. However before they could reach effective firing range, the triad of starfighters were put out of action as blasts from the electromagnetic pulse cannon from the cloaked Prowler immobilised them.

The Ikazuchi manoeuvred into position above the failing frigate, and with a subtle connecting clank, the two ships paired together. From a certain point of view, it looked as if a remora had gone and attached itself to the underside of a shark.

"Contact. Magnetic clamps locked and holding steady."

"Extend shields over package!" Nagata ordered as the confirmation came in that his ship had successfully latched onto the GAR frigate with the series of underside magnetic clamps.

"Extending shields over the package. Aye, sir."

Viewed from the outside of the destroyer's hull a shimmering wave of gold could be seen suddenly cascading over the attached frigate's body while the space in front of the ship tore open with a swirling slipspace portal.

Elsewhere, two other similar portals appeared before the flanking Strident-class heavies as well. The three ships accelerated headlong into their anomalies only to reappear mere seconds later in tight formation in a carefully picked location that was still in Kamino space but will take days, perhaps a week for the Republic to eventually find it.

The hangar bay doors of the destroyer opened and out flew a swarm of small dots belonging to EVA equipped Helljumpers, a fireteam of Sangheili SpecOps, and lagging behind them all: one Condor, a Phantom and two Pelicans.

All of the dropships angled and headed for the frigate that was in the process of being released from the underside of the destroyer.

For a brief moment in time, Captain Rex was perplexed, and wary from the reports of three ships of unknown design powering towards Kamino's blockade head-on with no signs of slowing. Rex was on edge when he'd heard they were reported speeding up. He was on his way to head for the bridge to confirm this for himself when the ship shuddered, and everything lost power with only the lighting and artificial gravity operating.

Rex looked instinctively up as telltale sounds of something big began attaching itself to the outside of the hull.

He hurried for the bridge but had to catch himself from falling over when the ship felt as if it was rammed from behind. Soon after, there was a sudden surge of forwarding momentum along with an overwhelming sense of vertigo that all ended just as quickly as it had begun.

"What the hell was that?" a medical officer said as he picked himself up from the deck from being knocked down by the sudden impact.

"I don't know," Rex said as he keyed his wrist communicator. "Captain Rex to the bridge, what's going on out there? Over."

There was no response. Rex tried again, "This is Captain Rex of the 501st to the bridge, what is happening out there? Over."

But again there was no reply, just constant static over the channel. He checked the other frequencies and found they were also a no go. Concerned, he turned to jog for the cockpit when he began hearing the unmistakable sounds of something hitting the hull and then the hissing of cutting torches being used to cut their way through the ship from the outside.

There was no doubt at all; the ship had been disabled and was in the process of being boarded. And there was only one army of belligerent independent systems who had the capable resources and were brazen enough to do so.

The CIS.

The Separatists.

"Sir, what's the situation?" Fives said as he joined Rex when he came out through the medical bay door.

"We're being boarded. Ship wide and personal comms are down. Secure your armour for vacuum." Rex ordered just as the artificial gravity failed and the lights cut out plunging the hallway into complete darkness for a second or so before the red emergency lighting kicked in.

Rex and fives quickly magnetised their boots to the deck, followed by the rest of the clones.

"The Separatists followed us to Kamino? Are they stupid?! The clankers barely enough ships left to launch a counteroffensive, let alone push in this far," a clone crewmember responded.

Fives knew as well as any other of his brothers that if this was indeed the separatists, the clone troopers on board that included himself and Captain Rex, they weren't going to last very long if the enemy stormed the ship with B2 super battle droids.

More loud thudding clanks sounded as they ran through the ship, pointing to more things latching onto the outside on the hull. But something in the back of Rex's mind began to tell him that these particular noises didn't seem right.

"While I do share your concern that it could be clankers, I don't think it's them." Rex voiced his opinion.

Fives looked to Rex.

The Captain pointed up. "If this were the tinnies, we'd be swarmed by buzz droids by this point. It sounds like they got someone else to do their work for them."

"And boldly take on the entire protective fleet of our homeworld?"

"Whoever they are, they must have been offered a heck of a lot of credits."

The both of them arrived at the small armoury already occupied by the limited escort detail of clone troopers grabbing weapons and sealed helmets with integrated flashlights for protection against any decompression in any sections in the ship.

Rex picked out a DC-15S blaster from the weapons rack and tossed it to Fives.

"Here, take this. Get back to Tup's side on the double. We cannot afford his recapture, not again. Separatists or not. Defend him with your life."

"Yes, Sir," Fives nodded with grim determination before moving off with three other clone troopers towards the medical bay where Tup was secured.

As Fives left, Rex selected a pair of blaster pistols and turned to the last remaining clones in the armoury who snapped to attention. "You two with me. We're to secure the bridge. Try and get a distress signal out to the Republic and inform them of our situation."

"Sir. Yes, sir," the two straightened at attention.

Rex and the two troopers made their way almost down the other end of the corridor that ended at the cockpit, the frigate under their boots gave a tremendous shudder, destabilising all but Rex. The Captain turned as he heard a sudden muffled thump as a decompression occurred off in a sealed room to his left.

Time slowed for Rex as the door to where the decompression noise came from slid open and floating out of the confines of the room and into his blaster's flashlights was not a droid but a Humanoid clad head to toe in heavy black protective looking armour.

Rex never had any chance of knowing what his opponent's reaction to him pointing two ready to fire blasters at him when all he could see his reflection in its tinted silver grey-visored helmet with a green stripe.

Held across the boarder's chest was a matte black weapon that looked very reminiscent of the DC-17 model like the two Rex had in his hands, but slimmer and elongated.

The second border behind the first, weapon already raised and firing, shot at the clones on the deck with drilled precision only an experienced marksman could do. The intruder's gun produced an almost silent slit-slit-slit sound, punctuating the clones armour plates and splattering blood.

As the weapon fired in slow motion, Rex identified the classification of the alien gun based on the sound alone it produced.

Projectiles.

Slugthrowers.

Time sped back up as Rex was starting to squeeze the triggers of his blaster pistols to fire back at the second border for killing the clones and repay their deaths with laser blasts, he heard two voices speak out loud in frustration.

"What the hell? What is this?!"

"Blast! I can't move!"

Rex turned his head in surprise down at what he thought were two dead clones as they gradually began to float off the floor due to no gravity.

Snapping back around, Rex went to shoot the black-clad border only to see the first's weapon now pointed right at his faceplate.

A sudden burning sensation coursed through his body, and he immediately went rigid. Someone shoved him over from behind.

Feeling like he'd been hit by a blaster set to stun, Rex noticed a severe difference. He was still conscious of everything that happened around him but was utterly incapable of moving any of his limbs. He was entirely at the two boarders mercy.

Rex witnessed three more identical black-clad soldiers floated out of the area where they breached. Each one had a different shade of green on their shoulder pauldrons, chest plates and stipe on their helmets.

He took note of their weapons and tactics of what he could see.

It didn't bode well. Not well at all.

Whoever these borders were, they weren't amateurs. Each moved as a well-coordinated assault team and always checked on each other. The four began a sweeping zero-g tactic that Rex straightaway recognised from combat training that was explicitly performed to sweep any ship of enemy combatants in nil-G environments.

Of the four, two of the borders then headed down the corridor, propelling themselves at speed but coupled with warily caution as they moved down towards the bridge. From his restricted vision, Rex looked in the direction of the other two borders and found the very one that shot him holding a small pistol in its hand and was taking careful aim at his chest.

Rex could only watch as its index finger slowly curled around the trigger. Just as it looked to be the end, the border halted its action as a noise of rapid blaster fire followed by a dull thud in quick succession coming from down the corridor.

Basked in the light produced by the borders helmet flashlights and weapon spot-lights, Rex saw two clones sprint out of a corridor, firing wildly behind them, their blaster rifles illuminating the hallway with blue blaster fire before - phfft phfft - they both shot forwards, losing magnetic foothold, and tumbled before slamming into the far wall in the zero-g conditions. Pockmarking the back of their armour were at least a dozen red splotches.

As the two troopers floated an inch or two above the deck, their arms and legs frozen in awkward positions, Rex caught a glance of more identical borders also in the same armour but with a different secondary armour colour of blue markings, glide cautiously into the light together to claim their quarry with a third covering.

Rex was unable to see what became of his fallen brothers as his view became blocked by the silver faceplate of the one that shot him and could once again only see the reflection of his helmet in it.

The border who shot him tentatively reached out towards his head and touched his neck. Rex heard a weak sounding fiss as a dart shot into the side of his vacuumed sealed, protected neck and the second intruder quickly moved in, removed the dart and applied a gauze patch to seal the puncture.

Rex's vision clouded quickly and blacked out as whatever was in the dart knocked him out cold.

"That's three more to the extraction job tally." The ODST sergeant radioed calmly over of Charlie Three's comlink.

He fired another tranq-dart into the last clone while the other ODST with him applied the special gauze swiftly over the puncture to ensure the integrity of the vacuum-sealed armour the clones were wearing.

The squad leader turned to the PFC trooper next to him. "Jamie, load these loaded into the Pelican. I'm going to see if Three-Three and Three-Four could use some assistance in bringing the bridge crew here."

"I got it covered, Sarge."

The sergeant glanced at his mission timer top right of his HUD. Already four minutes into the ten-minute window. He keyed his comlink and called into command. "Charlie Three-one to Command."

The steeled and collected voice of Lieutenant Peterson sounded in his right ear a second later.

"This is Command, send it."

"We have three targets in dreamland. Three-Two is beginning to load them up on Angel Three. We're about to proceed to the cockpit now to assist Three-Three and Three-Four on moving the technical crew and pilots back to the transport. What's the status of the other Charlie units scores? Over."

"Charlie-One have scored and loaded all objectives from their assigned zone. They are now moving to assist Charlie-Two with moving the heavy ones into Fallen One. Over."

"Roger that, command. Charlie Three-One. Out."

Before the sergeant left for the cockpit, he paused and frowned. He gazed down at one of the clones, notably the last one in officer armour he had knocked out. Looking back to the two clones floated towards their Pelican entry point, he saw something was indeed different between them. Intrigued, he pulled out a small grey box-like device from one of his armour compartments and held it over the blue marked clone's left wrist.

With a faint beep, the device activated the clone's identification chip and wirelessly transmitted the data of who it was to the Sergeant's helmet display.

"Score..."

The sergeant quickly radioed back to command and asked if Marius could run a quick intelligence file search on the clone he just scanned.

Not soon after, his COM suddenly crackled with the voice of Lieutenant Peterson.

"Bring this clone over to Charlie-Two's Phantom, Charlie Three-One."

"The Elite's ride?" The Sergeant asked, frowning under his helmet.

Out of the corner of his eye, the two other troopers he had sent to secure the cockpit come back shepherding their quarry ahead of them in the low gravity with all the clones bodies were marked over with the red splotches of TTRs where they hit.

"You have your orders, Sergeant. Get it done. The dropship will not wait forever." Peterson said sternly and the connection terminated.

"Sir, yes, sir," the Sergeant muttered to himself. He turned and clapped a hand down on the PFC's shoulder before the trooper passed him with the 501st clone captain. "Hang on a tick, Rookie. Brass has something special for this one. Get him one over to Angel Two then hitch a ride with them."

Without a pause, the ODST nodded and floated the unconscious clone down the dark corridor towards where Angel Two was. The Sergeant floated back through the door towards the bright-lit confines of the attached Pelican and the captured clones inside with the remainder of his team.

Before boarding on the dropship, he turned around and then sealed the storage door permanently shut with a handheld portable welding torch.

A/N: An information dump in story writing is only and I mean only needed if it is critically needed. I just wish to stress the point that most, if not all, of what you had read in this chapter will be later revealed in upcoming chapters. That is how I've planned on making this story roll.