Jonsior
The Imperials ruled much of the galaxy with an iron fist, living up to the many things said in passing through the Rebels ears. If anyone stepped out of line for the slightest inconvenience, you would be searched, or looked at with suspicion. Obey their cause, obey their laws, they wouldn't give you any trouble. At least, that's what most of the citizens in the Empire hoped would be the case. Of course very few would be lucky if the average Imperial soldier didn't decide to harass them out of nowhere.
As, unfortunately to say, with the exception of the rich and the very few lucky, life for the citizens was miserable. Poverty in some places was still rampant, as taxes increased to fill the Empire's coffers. The officials that enforced the Empire's grip were corrupt as sin, with very little redemption. But not everyone in the populace saw them this way. Some people, either through radicalization, harsh treatment, or lack of stimulating brain cells saw the Empire as the salvation they needed after the Republic's days. Others, not so much.
Here on the desert city world of Jonsior, Imperials monitored activity like the Royal Guard; close eyes on everyone and anything that stood out like a sore thumb. Some folks learned to ignore them. Some were more annoyed by their presence, and others wanted them to leave and never return.
Outside in one of the public squares was a regular human in civilian clothes, waiting patiently for a friend to arrive. He had been asked to meet him outside there to talk, away from some family members that he had been watching over. Just then, said friend had finally arrived; an Equestrian man with blue skin and dark black hair.
"Brash Bolt, what's going on?"
The Equestrian shook his head as he glared at him, folding his arms. "Do you care to explain why, when I asked you to babysit my little girl, you decided to take her to an Imperial rally?"
"What's the problem?" The man asked.
"Bombate, I asked you to not take her there, and you did it anyway, why?"
"It's good for her," Bombate protested. "She needs to know what's happening in the galaxy, the Empire's here to help us."
"I didn't ask for my friend to go and take her to a rally that's full of hate," Brash growled as he turned around, trying to pull himself together and not make a scene. Troopers were around in the vicinity, no point in attracting unwanted attention by being noisy.
"The Empire is not about hate, it's about peace and security, they just want to help us--"
"--By scaring away anyone that's not human? By, telling us that the various species from all over that come to our world to visit or to find work, that we should be afraid of them? That we need to fear that we don't understand?" Brash continued to snap.
"I'm not saying the other species here are bad, they're the good ones!"
That statement alone got a few heads to turn towards him; and not in a good way.
"Oh, okay, so they're all bad then. I suppose those Rebels that have been recruiting various species are bad too, huh?"
"Yes, they are! They attacked garrisons, factories, destroyed bases!" Bombate argued.
The Equestrian was ready to reply with quick haste but calmed himself down before he continued. "I won't deny that. But I'm not on board with being scared; especially when those Imperials that you've idolized have terrorized some of our best friends."
"All of that is nonsense, they're working for the insurgents," Bombate continued to prattle on, almost sounding like a robot as he said it. "Those Rebels keep saying they're evil, they're making things up!
"Do you even hear yourself?" The other man asked, growing increasingly frustrated. "Look, I don't know what med nogs you have been drinking, but you are romanticizing the Empire to an absurd degree."
"You know I'm right! And I have a responsibility here, to protect my kids, the kids in my classrooms! What if those Rebels attack the schools?"
Now Brash had enough. This was getting too much for him to handle, and it was clear his friend wasn't going to listen. No sense in talking to a repeating computer. "You know what... forget I said anything," Brash groaned, starting to walk away. "Don't come near me, my daughter, or near my house."
"You don't understand them!"
Brash halted in his steps. The few people that were watching this conversation were waiting for him to keep walking away, or come back and charge. Instead, Brash Bolt turned around and looked at his former friend with a sneer before slowly walking towards him. "And what don't I understand?"
"The Empire provides jobs, helps us when we need it, so what if they tighten security a bit? Can one ever be too aggressive in preserving order?"
Brash's fists started to clench. "Yes... yes they can. They've fed you so much sludge that you don't even realize it's seeping out of your ears."
That finally did it. Bombate stood up and threw a massive punch to the Equestrian man's face, making everyone gasp. The few troopers that were around had their attention grabbed, starting to move towards the possible fight.
"Alright, that's how it's going to be? So be it!"
Brash Bolt punched the man back before tackling him to the ground. He bare-knuckled boxed him in the face before the human man pushed him off, now rolling around with him as the two of them tried to wrestle and pin each other down. Everyone winced and cringed from how hard the punches were being thrown, seeing the blood starting to come from the fight.
"Hey, hey, stop it!" A woman came forward, a Quarren one at that, tried to get closer but a Midnight Trooper stopped her from going foward. "Sir, they're going to--"
"--We'll take care of it, you and everyone else stay out of harm's way," the trooper responded. "Just go about your business."
Not antagonizing the troopers, the woman did as she was told and stayed back, quietly watching the fight continue to unfold. Not surprisingly the fight continued to escalate, as the human got the upper hand and started wailing on the Equestrian relentlessly. He punched him harder and harder, his fists becoming more bloody with every punch.
"Being a part of the Empire will make our home better than it ever was!" Bombate screamed.
"And wh... wa..if th... what if they... re... reb.. bel?" Brash was starting to lose consciousness over how hard his former friend was beating up on him.
"Then the Empire will help control the impure! That's why they're here, to help us become a better world, to make this planet great again! It's why the Empire is BETTER! THAN! YOUR! STUPID! REPUBLIC!" He emphasized his violent nature with each punch he added, now starting to bring the life out of his friend.
When he finally stopped, he felt his heart pounding against his chest. Looking down his hands were covered in blood. His friend laid on the ground, skull no longer staying intact from the blows. Ringing filled his ears as he finally started to realize the gravity of what he had done. Everyone around him looked at him with fear, standing far away as possible. Turning ahead, he saw a few Midnight Troopers starting to box him in, and an officer speaking to another captain. The officer gave a nod and turned towards him.
"... S-Sir, I didn't--"
"--I'll ask the questions, young man," the officer spoke. "Your acts will not be easy to forget today. But my soldiers heard you, fighting back against someone who was very much anti-Imperial protesting, am I right?"
"... W-Well--"
"--Am. I. Right?"
"Y-Yes sir. He was... he said you were monsters. I keep trying to tell him, and... he's not going to respect you now," Bombate struggled to talk clearly.
"Hmm," the officer said, not caring about the dead body in front of him. "Sadly a price to be paid for fishing out the dissenters. But I believe you could be beneficial here for the Empire; no one will speak out against you now if your strength helps us. Work as a volunteer perhaps?"
"I... Y-Yes, of course! I would love to!"
"Good, you start tomorrow at 6. Get cleaned up, and troopers, I want this mess cleaned up as well," the officer ordered.
Walking away, the officer and the Midnight captain spoke to each other as soon as they were far away. Not that any of them noticed, but there was an additional set of ears listening in on them. "Are you sure we should let him stay?"
"He's unstable but strong. If he can instill fear to keep them in line, there may be some use for him until he runs out of it," the officer stated. "We'll make it clear we're here to stay. There is no resisting us, and to just embrace. In the meantime, make sure the public is fully aware of the PORD, we've recently got the transmission and we need to spread the news."
"Yes sir," the captain replied before setting off in his own direction.
As soon as both of them were gone, the Quarren woman who had moved far away got up from her table before slapping a credit down to pay for her meal. Quickly running as fast as possible, she moved down several alleyway spaces to find a spot far enough from the Empire's eyes.
It took a few more turns but eventually she found a spot where no one would see her and she could speak in peace. She moved to another alleyway, far from the Imperial eyes, rolling her eyes in disgust at the actions she saw. Once she saw she was alone, she reached for her side and pulled out a closed circuit hologram communicator, one she made in her off-time.
"Bullet Bill, come in. Come in, Bullet Bill."
Through the other end of the device, an image came through. An Equestrian Rebel with a long trenchcoat and wide-brimed hat dressing him, while his mustache, beard, and ammo bandolier were very prominent.
"Toz, I hear ya partner," the cowboy replied, lifting the brim of his hat up so his eyes could meet hers. "What in tarnation is goin' on down there?"
"I need help to get out of here, it's... it's bad. The Empire's just going to keep pouring down here, and i just watched a man beat another to a pulp, and the Empire did nothing. If that was me, I... I can't stay here, please, I need help."
"Now don't you worry a thing, little lady," the man replied. "Come down to the station, and I'll be there to get you. We'll go straight back home, I promise. I'll round up the others, let them know we're gettin the kriff outta Dodge."
"Okay, thank you, Bullet. I... I really appreciate it," the Quarren woman finished with a warm smile.
Yavin IV
After dispatching Lyra's crew to do their job, Sunset came back to the waiting room where the others were sitting, having waited quite a while for their assignments.
"I am so sorry everyone, I don't mean to keep you waiting any longer, we're going to try and finish this and then you can get going, sound good?"
Everyone gave some resounding nods, not having any disputes over it.
"Okay, great. So, lemme just double check, told Zorii she's got Y-Wing repair, Bon Bon's in the workshop, okay. So, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, I need you three--"
"--General Shimmer, can we please speak with you?"
Sunset's eye twitched. "General Dodonna, can this wait? I'm still giving out assignments..." she grit her teeth with every syllable.
"General this is important, just need two minutes of your time."
Sunset tried her best not to get angry, her face turning redder by the second. "Give me two minutes, sorry!" And marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
--
In one of the monitoring rooms, General Dodonna stood, waiting patiently for Sunset to arrive, along with another individual who wanted to speak up. Finally, Sunset came through the doors, her boots marching loudly like an elephant from Equestria.
"Alright, I'm here, what is it?" Sunset asked, growing impatient.
"Battletrap has something he needs to show you," Dodonna gestured to the Equestrian wearing clone-commando armor, though with much more bulk and armored plating added than necessary. He stood there, holding a tablet device with a concerned face.
"What is it?" Sunset asked.
The commando before her passed her the tablet device he had on his person, showcasing the local news. A lot of tabloids, local wanted ads, but the biggest headliner was in the main center of the article. Sunset's eyes moved across the article as she read, quietly reading aloud.
"As of today, the PORD act has been enabled... anyone found harboring Rebel activity will be charged, possible subject to... execution!? ... Any criminal act, with even indirect effect on the Empire, will henceforth be branded a Class One Offense. All prison sentences are immediately re-evaluated. All outstanding fines and levies are to be paid in full..." Sunset's face turned white. "I-I don't understand, when did this happen?"
"Toz and Bullet Bill sent this to me," Battletrap replied. "Ever since we've started to gain popularity, the Empire wanted to bite us back for it. If we weren't careful before, we'll need to be now."
"I... okay," Sunset said, unsure of what even to say. "Thank you, Battletrap. You're free to go back to your business."
"Thank you, General."
With that news now taken in, Sunset had to stop for a second. She wanted to speak with Dodonna but instead, just looked at him for a few seconds and walked away. She made it into the halls, thankfully where he was out of sight and planted her back against the wall, eyes closed shut as she tried to steady her breathing. She didn't want to show it in there, but reading all of that made her heart start to race harder than ever before. She hadn't experienced this level of stress in a long time. Now she had read plenty of Imperial's fearmongering works before, something she had grown used to. But a new law in place that was going to hurt everyone she knew and loved on a wide-spread scale was... something else.
"... enral? ... boss? Boss!!"
Sunset snapped out of it, confronted by a face of a concerned officer who was walking by. "Are you okay?"
It took a solid minute to come up with a response before pushing herself forward. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine Masha, thank you. I... I'm just gonna... yeah," stammering without another word, leaving a worried officer watching her leave.
--
Sunset came back to the room, albeit more quiet this time. She took a moment to take a deep breath and calm down, not wanting to panic in front of friends and allies.
"S-So," Sunset choked. "Assignments, right, so we--"
"--Sunset, are you okay?" Pinkie asked, frowning. "I can hear your heart racing."
"I-I, wha--no, no, I'm fine," Sunset denied. "L-Let's just--"
"Sunset, I'm hearing your heart as well, what happened?" Rarity asked.
"I'm fine!"
Sunset had to stop herself. What was she doing? Snapping at her friends, that wasn't professional, nor was it needed. They were only concerned, they didn't deserve to be yelled at. All of them were taken back, that didn't seem like someone who was okay.
"C... Can we please just finish this so we can get to our jobs?" Sunset asked, very lowly. Everyone quickly nodded. And like a light fixture, a smile quickly turned back on. "Great! So, Zorii, ship duty. Bon Bon, droid assembly. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, I need you check in with Dexter and the other chefs in the kitchen, make sure we've got enough grocerries to feed the army for a few more months. If need be, head to the shopping centers on Batuu or neighboring systems to grab some more supply. And if there are enough people there, then some of you can go help the Wonderbolts fix up some X-Wings."
"Sounds good to me," Rainbow agreed.
"Great. Applejack and Rarity, I need you two to do a quick inventory check of uniforms, I know it's not glamorous, but any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. And Rarity?"
The former fashionista lowered in her seat, ready to get yelled at again.
"If you have any ideas for uniforms for other environments or ways to improve them, I'm open to hearing them, and you can help make some new designs for us."
And Rarity's eyes lit up like diamonds. "I thought you'd never ask!"
"Commander Hurricane, I have an assignment provided by one of our strategists, Omega, she says she wants to talk to you and wants your help with target practice," Sunset continued. "Derpy, Baker's Trio, I... I'll admit, I haven't thought of anything to give you four yet. Oh, wait. Derpy, you made a request for armor changes?"
"Well, um, I wanted to see the armory and see if maybe we can customize our suits? I-I mean, we're not in the Republic anymore, right?"
"Well... I don't see why not, sure. You four can go to the armory, try on anything you want. Ocellus, I know you told me you wanted to do an assignment with the rest of your team, meet me in half an hour and we can talk. Sound good?"
No more complaints were given.
"Alright, you're free to go, and I've got to bash my head--ahhga, I mean, um d-do my work. Work, right, sorry, just... just get to work," and she rushed out of the room.
"Okay, I'm getting a little worried about her. Has she always been this stressed?" Fluttershy asked.
"It's hard to tell. When Applejack and I got here, she was really happy. But lately, it seems like Sunset's just not... Sunset."
"We're gonna have to talk to her sometime, she doesn't seem okay. Though I suppose maybe we should focus on our assignments for the time being?"
"Fine by me!" Pinkie chirped. Everyone got up out of their chairs--and very quickly stepped out of the way to let Hurricane pass first. The clone commander looked at them and sighed softly before grabbing his helmet and leaving the room.
"Do you think we were too hostile when they came here?"
Opening the doors, the clones and Derpy looked in awe at what beheld them. Rows of various pieces of armor were all around them; from the current to older. Armors from clones, the Storm Troopers, and even a few blank templates of the current Midnight Troopers were all around. Even pieces from rogue hunters that were left behind or taken from kills or bought off; either way, there was so much room for customization for the group now.
"So, where do we start?" Mix asked, clapping his hands together.
The group got to work, trying out various pieces of armors and clothes to see what fit them. Derpy felt a little bashful stripping off the armor from her spandex-clad body, but thankfully the boys were kind enough to look away as she tried on some of the pieces.
Stepping out of one of the rooms, she came back with some new additions to her armor. An range-finder piece equipped to the side of the helmet, a pauldron hanging off one of her shoulders, and a kama that had seen some better days; but still blue to match her armor. She did a cute little twirl, making the kama swish like a skirt just happy to find her armor now complete with what she wanted.
Mix, now wearing pants and a kama matching a Phase II desert trooper, kept trying to yank up one of the armored boots over his foot but couldn't get it through, trying not to lose his balance. Without another hand, he wound up slamming into a shelf which came flying down on top of him, all the helmets and shelving slamming on top of him. Groaning from the pain he looked up, and caught sight of one helmet that stared back at him; a blank, white, shoretrooper class helmet. He lit up seeing it, not even worried about the possible damage to his body.
Vargas adjusted a cloak through the gaps of his armor, creating a poncho out of it as it hung off his back and attached through the few straps connected to his belt. In addition, he found himself wearing a different set of pants; standard military, more comfortable and less chafing than the armor, and allowing for more flexibility. And to the side, he saw a helmet that fit him perfectly; a tech specialist helmet with a flip-down visor for long-range scanning and language translation.
Bubbles during all of this found pieces of outdated Phase I ARC trooper armor; and with the help of Derpy, he managed to get the new pieces onto his body without difficulty. Pauldrons on both shoulders, black kama with holsters, and a newly applied Phoenix Squadron style logo blazed onto the armor as an insignia for his alliance with the Rebels.
Not too long after, all four of them were painting their new helmets; each of them carrying the same blue markings as their battalion's colors. Bubbles still kept his famous bubble marks on one side, but applied a Rebel graphic on the blank side where paint had not been applied.
All four of them stepped out of the armory, where some of the Jedi were awaiting to speak with them, and were taken aback by the new changes in armors, each of them standing more proud and excited than they were when they arrived.
Half an hour later, Sunset met with Ocellus and the members of Team Six outside of one of the monitor rooms, walking with them. "So, what did you want to propose?"
“Well, um. I was wondering if maybe I, along with my crew, we could maaaaaaaybe conduct a supply run? There's a ship-breaking yard in the Mid-Rim territories that used to break down thousands of ships from all eras. The last time I worked there, they still had plenty of munitions and supply left over; strong enough for full-frontal assault."
"Hmm... Well, I suppose since you and the others don't have any current assignments, that would be fine by me. How much crew do you need for something like this?" Sunset asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Hopefully not a lot, buuut I was thinking maybe... the six of us, a few officers, pilots, mechanics, some astromech units, and any other assistance. We also need to borrow the old Consular-class cruiser, and if it's okay with Bon Bon, we'd like to borrow G-G for a few days."
Sunset rubbed her chin. "Well... I suppose that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Although I wish to make a request."
"What's that?"
"Take Derpy and the Baker's Trio with you. If this shipyards has any Republic tech, they will know how to handle it. Consider them as... advisors," Sunset thought. "Sound fair?"
"Sure!"
"Perfect. I'll go let the crews know to have that ship prepped for you, and you can go ask Bon Bon if she's willing to let her friend go with you." Sunset walked briskly away to get that information to the people who needed it.
Yona just looked at Sunset leaving with a deadpan face. "Why does Yona think general just wants to dump scary clones on us so she doesn't have to deal with them?"
"It's not a problem, we could use the older eyes," Sandbar said with some hope.
"Well, if we're gonna get going, we better talk to Bon Bon first," Gallus urged, getting the group to follow.
--
In the workshop, Bon Bon was hard at working, head covered by her helmet as she worked on refurbishing another astromech unit for repair. A few more screws and bolts put back into place, and the head was finally adjusted.
"Alright, Leefive, you should be good to go," Bon Bon patted her dome.
"Bwoop boop," came from the appreciative R6-LE5 who rolled out of the shop and back outside to the tarmacs so she could get back to work. Passing by was none other than G-G, holding a small tray with a snack for Bon Bon. She had been hard at work, and the astromech always knew when she needed a break.
"Oh, thank you buddy," Bon Bon cooed, accepting the drink and snack. She gave G-G a friendly pat on his head. "I really appreciate this."
"Bwoop boop," G-G answered. "Brrrt brrrt bep bop."
Just then, Team Six came into the workshop, meeting a very greasy, sweaty, Bon Bon sitting on a bench enjoying some water, and a small assortment of salted nuts.
"Heyyyyy, Bon Bon," Sandbar started, almost uneasy. "Would you uhhh, be okay if we asked for something?"
"That depends, what do you need?" Bon Bon looked back at the former Midnight Trooper.
"Well, it... can we borrow G-G for a few days?"
"Bwoop oop?" G-G blanked.
"Why do you need him?"
Sandbar froze. "Well, it's... um..."
"RG-G1 is tough astromech," Yona emphasized by clapping her cloven palms together. "Tough astromech is friend, and Team Six need additional help if mission goes sideways."
"Hmm..." Bon Bon thought. "Well, I suppose you can take him along, if, and I mean only if he wants to come with," she said, looking back to the astromech.
The R4 unit looked side to side, thinking for a second. Then after a moment or two, he shook side to side with an excited array of beeps and binary tones, making clear he was happy to come along with the crew.
Derpy and the Baker's Trio were given the orders to go tag along with Team Six. Luckily they did not waste any time, and quickly packed whatever they thought they needed for the trip; weapons, ammo, and whatever snacks they could bring with. Everyone followed the group to a tarmac farther from the temple, where a massive consular ship was parked. The ship had been salvaged from an old junkyard, once a proud fighter in the old war with the Republic and the Storm Empire. The red paint was no longer vibrant, but faded with time.
On board, a skeleton crew of minimum capacity manned every station required, with an additional set of at least of 20 more passengers; consisting of pilots, medics, engineers, soldiers, and droids for emergency situations. Team Six, along with the Baker's Trio made it on board, everyone taking seats as the ship prepared for liftoff.
"Where to, Captain?" The head pilot asked.
"Bracca," Sandbar answered.
"You got it. Yavin IV this is Krayt's Head, setting course for Bracca."
"Roger Krayt's Head, you are cleared for liftoff, good luck out there," the tower crews replied.
The ship took off into the upper atmosphere, watched by a lone clone trooper, face still scraggly with a full head of long hair, mustache and beard. He watched as the crew left, before turning around to go talk to this 'Omega' person who so wanted to speak with him. All the while, Rainbow, who was helping push some more food crates onto a cart to be unloaded, watched him step back inside.
She still hated seeing him around. Bad enough it was clones, but Hurricane? Even if he had survived the war, the mere fact that he was back; that she had to share a base, let alone a planet, with him... Rainbow Dash grimaced, feeling her stomach clench. Her head ached for a moment, and she wanted to snarl at the sheer injustice of it all. But no. She couldn't give into anger. The Clone Wars had ended with the Empire's rise, but Rainbow Dash was still a Jedi. She would not give in to those feelings. She turned away from the sight of the clone, and focused on loading more food crates onto the cart. She carefully kept her eyes lowered, determined to avoid meeting his or anyone else's gaze.