Tyler was standing next to Admiral Mcree, admiring the wreckage of the Separatist blockade. "I wonder what Cad Bane has been up to lately."
Mcree shrugged. "Not sure, Draco. Haven't seen his name pop up in any of my intel briefings. He must not be a tangible threat at the moment."
Tyler sighed. "Or better yet, we just haven't noticed his activity. Blaze, send a message to Papi Chulo. Have him assign a team to look into Cad Bane. He'll understand what I mean."
Blaze nodded. "Immediately, General. Also, Generals Windu and Kenobi are awaiting your input on the invasion."
Tyler nodded after dapping Mcree up. "Later, dude. Take care of my cruiser for me."
Mcree rolled his eyes. "The entire galaxy knows that they'd have to be out of the god damned minds to even look at your cruiser wrong."
Tyler chuckled. "That is true. Anyways, I'll be seeing ya." He then walked towards the planning room.
Windu and Kenobi both turned towards Tyler as he walked up to the holotable. They were present in hologram form of course since they were on landing ships. "What's the situation?"
Windu sighed. "We can't gather much about the surface. They are jamming our scans and the cloud cover is too thick to gather any intelligence. I'm getting a bad feeling about this one."
Tyler shook his head. "Nothing we can't overcome. I'd say let's just bomb the hell out of them but there are plenty of reasons we can't do that. I say we take a page out of their own book."
Windu tilted his head in curiosity. "How do you mean, Draco?"
Tyler smirked. "Well they use droids, so why don't we use some as well to gather intelligence. We can also send some forward operatives down. The hard part will be disguising them among the droids."
Obi Wan stroked his beard, seemingly in deep thought. "That could work. Is your cruiser equipped with probe droids?"
Tyler nodded in confirmation. "They aren't exactly probe droids but they'll do pretty much the same thing."
Obi Wan sighed. "All that remains is getting the forward operatives down there. Any suggestions?"
Tyler thought for a moment and then an idea came to his head. He turned to the operator sitting near the holotable. "Contact Commander Skywalker and have him join us."
The guild member nodded. "Immediately, guild leader."
Obi Wan grimaced. "Are you sure about this? He's bound to come up with something crazy."
Tyler laughed. "Obi Wan, crazy is just what we need right now. How else do you expect us to be able to land on the surface of Ryloth without any idea what's going on down there?"
As he finished saying this, Anakin's hologram popped up. "How can I help?"
Tyler smiled. "We need your input, Anakin. We are planning on sending some of my reconnaissance droids down to the surface. We also want to get some boots on the ground to secure an LZ. How do you think we should do it?"
Anakin quickly replied. "How large is the delivery capsule for the droids?"
Tyler smirked. This type of thinking was exactly what they needed. "The capsules are about 6x8x4 meters. I designed them myself."
Anakin nodded. "Easy. Escape pods are only slightly larger than that. Send down some guys with handheld excavation equipment in escape pods. They won't be able to tell the difference."
Obi Wan rolled his eyes. "That is ridiculous. You are just sending the clones to their deaths."
Tyler chuckled. "Who said we have to use clones? I'll send some of my guild members down. I'd go myself but I need to monitor the recon drones."
Windu nodded. "Very well. Let's get everything in order. Keep us informed on anything you find. Time is of the essence."
Tyler nodded in agreement. "I'll issue the orders immediately. The faster we get this done, the faster I can get some time off!"
Windu raised his brow. "Time off?"
Tyler nodded, smiling. "I need a break. I do a lot more than just fight in the war, Master Windu."
Windu thought for a moment and then sighed. "I can't argue with that. You will be missed in your absence. Nonetheless, enjoy the vacation."
Tyler smiled, wearing a warm expression. "Thank you, Master Windu. I must be going now. I'll keep you all updated."
Tyler quickly walked away from the holotable. As he did, he opened up the guild interface. Using the proximity function, he sent out a guild quest with 20 slots. The quest was to reach the surface of Ryloth in escape pods and then establish a landing zone for the group of acclamators. The rewards were generous, amounting to 50k credits. In addition, the death of any of the quest takers would result in full compensation plus the quest reward. Failure was not an option.
By the time he was finished issuing the quest, he arrived back in the command room. "Mcree, get me a core member. We need an officer for this mission."
Mcree snapped his fingers and a guild member that was standing nearby quickly walked over. "Yes, sir."
Tyler raised his brow. "You like this guy?"
Mcree shrugged. "I keep him around for a reason."
Tyler chuckled. "Very well. What's your name?"
The guild member stood at attention. "Bruno, sir."
Tyler smiled. "Well Bruno, it's your lucky day. First of all, congratulations on your promotion to Commander in the GAR. Secondly, successfully complete this mission and you're a guild elder."
Bruno nodded. "Thank you, sir."
Tyler pressed a few buttons on his wrist comm, sending the mission briefing to Bruno. "All the details are in there. I've made you the co-issuer for this guild quest so it's in your hands now. Good luck to you."
-GE-
Tyler was standing before the holotable, informing Windu and Obi Wan of his findings. "Yeah, this is gonna be a shit show. They have anti-air cannons of unknown caliber. It would be easy to take them out if they weren't using the locals as shields to prevent us from doing so."
Obi Wan scoffed. "Despicable. This is just like the Separatists."
Tyler nodded. "That isn't the most troubling thing though. Through some ultrasonic scans, my drones discovered a massive underground compound in the mountains near the village with the cannons."
Windu wore a look of great concern. "I was wondering why they had such a massive blockade for a seemingly unimportant world. Tactically speaking at least. Do you have anything more?"
Tyler shook his head. "Other than the ways in and out of the compound, nothing. This is quite concerning."
Windu nodded. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this. I wouldn't be surprised to find some Sith down there. I'd say we should postpone the operation but the locals can't afford to wait that long."
Tyler sighed. "If we postpone, it would also give them the opportunity to pack up whatever they are working on here. My bet is that it's a staging ground. For what? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that even if it isn't a staging ground, it can't be good. I saw we proceed with an operation to eliminate the anti air cannons and then cross that bridge when we come to it."
Windu nodded. "I guess that is all we can do at the moment. How is the LZ coming along?"
Tyler smiled. "Nicely. Commander Bruno is leading the operation nicely. I'd even go to say that we will be able to land as soon as the cannons are gone."
Windu sighed in relief. "At least something is going well. Let's get moving. We should head down in gunships for now and fly low during our approach. We must keep the acclamators in the air so they can move on the capital as soon as those cannons are down."
Tyler nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. Obi Wan, shall we go play with the cannons?"
Obi Wan rolled his eyes. "Let's go. We don't want to keep the Techno Union waiting, do we?"
-GE-
A turbulence-ridden flight welcomed them to Ryloth. The gunships shook as they traveled at high speeds just above the forest canopy. This was their only choice to avoid being shot down by the AA cannons.
It was dark inside the gunships. All of the men stood in silence, gripping the strap that hung down from the ceiling.
The darkness was abruptly pierced by a flashing red light. This indicated that the drop point was imminent.
There was a click as the lock on the doors disengaged. The doors then slid open, revealing a blur of green and brown below them. Off in the distance, sprawling mountain ranges dotted the horizon.
A voice came over the intercom. "Delta team, you are clear for jump."
Tyler smiled when he heard this. Jumping out of aircraft was one of his favorite parts of this game. Especially when he does it without a parachute. He had become a bit of an adrenaline junky.
He turned to Napoli who was next to him. "Where we droppin'?"
Napoli chuckled as he hopped out of the gunship that was coming to a halt. "Right here, dipshit."
Tyler rolled his eyes, quickly following his best friend, plummeting towards the forest below.
As soon as Tyler hit the ground, he felt a wave of cold energy wash over him. He shivered, grimacing at the strength of the dark side present in this world. He immediately looked around, finally locating Obi Wan, Kai, and Tsuka.
Without hesitating, he rushed over to them. Before he could even speak, Obi Wan was frowning. "I'm guessing you felt it too."
Tyler nodded solemnly. "Master Windu's gut is never to be doubted ever again."
As he said this, he decided to check on the three Jedi's stats.
*Obi Wan Kenobi, 37 years, Jedi Master (Revanite)*
*Level 120*
*Stewjon Human*
*Kai, 81 years, Jedi Knight (Revanite)*
*Level 97*
*Unknown*
Tsukahara Bokuden, 20 years, Jedi Knight
Level 81
Corellian Human
Tyler smiled. "Tsuka, congratulations on your promotion to Jedi Knight."
Tsuka bowed to Tyler with his right fist closed in his left palm. "Thank you, Draco sama."
Kai had become a Jedi Knight shortly after the war started and even had some missions where he was separated from Tyler. He was easily the most promising young jedi in the entire order. At this point, it was widely expected that he would one day surpass Yoda.
In addition, Tsuka was widely regarded as one of the most promising lightsaber users the order had ever seen. This resulted from his background of training with a katana for most of his life.
Tyler sighed. "We should get moving. The longer we take, the more likely it will be that we get ambushed." Following this, he immediately removed the Lazy Draco from his inventory and placed it on the ground. He quickly pressed some buttons on his wrist comm and a swarm of nano drones emerged and fanned out around them. This was how we would ensure that they were not being tracked by anything or anyone nearby.
Within seconds of them beginning their advance, Obi Wan turned to Tyler. "I believe we will have some company very soon."
Tyler nodded. "I also had that feeling. The question is… when?"
Almost like clockwork, their enemies had arrived. From the ground, various blankets of leaves and rocks were thrown to the side as a tide of droids and Separatist guild members emerged from deep holes and trenches.
Unsheathing both of his lightsabers from his belt, Tyler ignited them, the purple blades hissing to life. "Well shit. TAKE COVER! USE THE FOREST TO YOUR ADVANTAGE AND WATCH YOUR BACKS!"
All of the guild members and clones quickly scattered, taking cover behind trees. A hail of blue and red blaster fire painted a dreadful picture in the thick forest. Trees were scorched, dirt and rocks were blown into the air, it was an intense war zone.
Leaning against a tree, Tyler took a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of this intense battle. They were without a doubt outplayed. Unfortunately for the attackers, Tyler had some steam to blow off.
Tyler immediately let the force run rampant through his body, the full strength of his level 99 stats casting an insane pressure on the area. His emotions and rage were free from their chains, creating tumultuous waves through the force.
Off to the side, Tsuka felt the disturbance and snapped his head towards Tyler. He was shocked that such strength in the force was coming from his guild leader. This was Sith Lord level of strength and it was quite scary. He was thankful that he joined the Republic rather than the Separatists. Not that his family's code of honor would have allowed anything else.
Tyler deactivate his lightsabers, kneeling down to the ground. He let the force that ran through everything around him touch every corner of his body, it was euphoric. He was in pure bliss. Snapping out of it, he grabbed hold of the roots of the tree he was hiding behind.
He sent an insanely powerful wave of force energy into the ground, shocking the roots loose. Feeling his success, he smirked. He may have been outplayed, but there was no way in hell that he'd ever be outgunned. For now, he had the bigger stick, literally.
Tyler released a guttural roar, shocking everyone around him as the force smacked into them with each soundwave. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The ground around the tree began to crack and dust floated into the air. Within a few seconds, the tree was completely uprooted, floating in the air. He then threw his hands forward, sending the tree flying towards the enemy with an insane amount of momentum.
Each and every tree that his tree hit into was cut down as a blade of grass does before a lawn mower. Pieces of droids and body parts were scattered in the wake of the attack, blood staining the forest floor.
Napoli was the first to follow up. "FLANK NOW!"
Taking advantage of the enemy's shock was the most important thing right now. Thus, their entire force carried out a pincer maneuver, effectively cornering the enemy. The ambushers were forced to convene in the middle where the trees had been cleared. With no cover, they were now easy pickings.
Tyler just stood back and watched as the remaining players and droids were mowed down. He even went as far as clipping his lightsabers back onto his belt. After deflecting some blaster fire during the initial ambush, he didn't use them at all.
After a few minutes, every single enemy combatant was eliminated, not a single survivor remaining.
Tyler quickly called out over comms. "Guildies, standard cleanup procedure. Get it done."
All of the guild members quickly moved to collect the scrap from the droids and the loot dropped from the players. Spoils of war were very important to keep the war machine known as Limitless running.
Obi Wan slowly approached Tyler. "Draco, are you alright?"
Tyler nodded, smiling wryly. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
Obi Wan shuddered. "That… nevermind. It's probably best that I don't ask."
Tyler shrugged. "It was necessary. We would have had way more than three casualties if I didn't pull off something crazy."
Obi Wan shook his head with his eyes closed. He then opened them and looked back at Tyler. "We should get moving. They already know where we are."
Tyler nodded and gestured towards his men. "As soon as the cleanup operation is done, we will move. It shouldn't be more than a few minutes. I'm sure everyone could use a quick breather. After that scare."
Obi Wan chuckled nervously. "I'm not sure if they were scared more by the ambush or that show you put on."
Tyler smirked as he shrugged and slumped down against a tree. He took out a protein bar and started eating it. "You want one?"
Obi Wan shook his head. "No thank you. I like to fight on a half empty stomach. It keeps me mobile."
Tyler nodded. "Understandable."
A few minutes later, all evidence of the battle was gone except for the body parts and blood that stained the forest floor. It was quite the gruesome scene.
Tyler shot up from the ground. "Let's move. We should reach the entrance to the village soon."
As such, they resumed their advance. Fortunately, they had an uneventful journey to the village after that ambush.
Sadly, anything that could go wrong is likely to do so. As is Murphy's Law. When they reached the entrance to the village, everyone's expression darkened. It was fortified way too well. Running in like this would be suicide, even for Tyler and his bag of tricks.
Napoli had one of the most concerned expressions he'd ever had. Failure to liberate Ryloth was not an option. These people were suffering under the oppression of the Techno Union. "Well, I guess we can't save everyone."
Tyler shook his head. "Nonsense. I refuse to lose a single local that is within our reach."
Napoli laughed sarcastically. "I know you've pulled off some crazy shit but how do you intend to overcome this?"
This fortification really was impassable. There were three tanks on the ground surrounded by hoards of droids and players. Behind them were walls that stood at about 40 feet. At the top, fifteen turrets overlooked the treeline.
Those things weren't even the worse part. The worst part was that there were two players dressed in dark robes, presumably Sith. This operation just got a shit ton more complicated.
Tyler sighed. "I have a few calls to make. Everyone sit tight for now."
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