Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.4.1

"Copy, sir," the clone at the command center responded. "Appo, head to the coordinates for the slaves."

While O-Mer settled into position, the clone named Appo confirmed the order. "Copy that, we'll be down there in a few minutes."

All of the snipers were in position. O-Mer made eye contact with Fox across the fields. Well, as much eye contact as he could make with a helmet on. "On your mark, sir," the clone told him.

"Caleb," he spoke over the comlink, "we have clear shots. Is the base going to notice if their guards fall?"

"I doubt it!" came the raised reply. "They're pretty focused on us, we've already taken out two towers, go ahead and take your shot!"

O-Mer smirked. Caleb was probably taking blaster fire, wherever he was. "Take your marks," he ordered the troopers, and they raised their rifles to aim at the droids on the edge of the fields.

After a moment, Fox spoke again. "Targets acquired."

"Fire."

Droids began falling by the tens, hardly seeing the shot that fried their circuits. A few realized what was happening and turned on the nearest slaves, but O-Mer lifted them with the Force, bringing them to him and slicing their robotic heads off. They never stood a chance. The 'fight' was over in seconds.

The slaves were hesitant and frightened at the gunfire, but it didn't take them long to realize exactly what the shots had hit. A few cautiously examined the guard droids, wondering if this was a new protocol Scarlet Haven had initiated for some infringement they had committed. When none of the droids rebooted, however, they looked around to see where the fire had come from.

Fox scanned the fields quickly to double-check that they hadn't missed any guards. "All clear, sir."

"Bring the gunships down here," he ordered their pilot and started making his way down the ridge. He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, showing the slaves that he had no intention of using it on them.

The slaves gathered together at the edge of the field. They knew better than to stand in the middle: If they had to run and accidentally damaged the crop, they wouldn't make quota and everyone would be punished. Huddling together near the carts instead, where the crops were loaded, they watched the strange human walk down to them and awaited whatever new horror they would have to face now.

O-Mer caught a glimpse of the gunships coming their way and opened his mouth to tell the slaves the good news, that everything was okay. When he saw their faces, though, he stopped.

They didn't seem to recognize what he was. Despite their captors being shot down and destroyed, they still seemed very afraid. They were huddled together, the stronger men and women protecting the elderly and the children behind them. O-Mer saw them glancing back at the clones, in particular at their weapons, and eyeing his lightsaber despite it being off. Actually, a lot of them were looking at his lightsaber. Why? he thought. Have they never seen one before?

So instead of victoriously announcing their new freedom, he calmly spoke, making sure not to startle them. "I am Jedi Padawan O-Mer Majal, a commander of the Republic. My squad and I are here to take you back to the villages."

The slaves looked at each other, doubtful. They had heard that before, but none of the others had been dressed like him. Still, his weapon did not look friendly.

"We cannot leave," a man in the front confessed, bowing his head. Or did he have back problems? O-Mer couldn't tell. "If we try to escape, others will be punished. We must take the burden set upon us."

"By Scarlet Haven?" O-Mer asked. "The rest of the 501st Legion is destroying it as we speak. No backup is coming from there. Nothing will, ever again."

A woman carrying a child shook her head. "They always come back. More droids to take us, and take our families."

O-Mer was getting frustrated. How could he convince these people that it was really over now? Then he remembered his comlink. "Command center, can you get me a visual of the progress on the base?"

He lifted his wrist up as a projection of the base appeared. True to Caleb's word, two of the five towers were reduced to debris, and the third one was already taking some damage. The slaves approached the Jedi, still not quite believing, but hopeful for the first time in years. Was it finally over?

"We can take you back to the villages in these ships," he explained, pointing to the gunships at the top of the ridge. "You can go back to your families, and neither you nor they will have to go back to Scarlet Haven. In fact, there won't be a Scarlet Haven to go back to."

"There are prisoners in the base," an old man warned him. "Men and women dressed in robes, but I don't know who they are."

O-Mer nodded, grinning slightly. "That is why the Republic is here. They are our generals, but we've come to help you escape too. Everyone wins today, except for the droids."

Realization dawned on the slaves, who were slaves no longer, and they started embracing those around them. Several started crying, rejoicing at the sweet bliss of freedom, and the able-bodied started helping the weak mount the hill up to the gunships. If this really was over, then they had no time to waste. All of them needed medical treatment, and quickly. Slavery had not been kind to their bodies.

As O-Mer escorted them up, his foot came into contact with something on the ground. He looked down, thinking for a second that he had dropped his lightsaber. This was different, though. He picked it up and noticed the droid that had been holding it until it was shot. Lettering was engraved into the hilt: 'ELECTRO-WHIP 200'.

Huh, he wondered. What's that doing here? I thought this was a field, not a fathier ranch. He dropped it and gave it no further thought.