**Chapter 388: Blue Shadow**
**CIS Bio-weapon's Lab**
**Eastern Marshes, Naboo**
I had no illusions that the perimeter of the Separatist base was anything but seeded with copious amounts of sensors. If I had a squad or two of Republic Commandos, I would have led them in covertly so we would know exactly what we were dealing with. In such a case, we would have done our best to seize the part of the base where the bombs were located and hold it while my main forces assaulted the rest. That was a luxury we did not have.
The attack began with an air strike by a squadron of TIE Defenders that screamed in from orbit and launched missiles at the southern part of the base — as far from where we believed the bombs and the virus were located as possible. The evening that had just descended over the marshes was illuminated by a crescendo of roaring explosions that shook the enemy facility to its foundations.
I was in the back of a LAAT/i with the first wave of our assault. Next to me, a now-healed Vic and his men were ready to rappel to the ground the moment we were over the target. The leading gunships unleashed armor-piercing missiles at the tunnels that were our chosen entrance points. On five separate places, the ceilings of the base's corridors were breached. Seconds later, a transport stopped above each of the new entrances and clones were rappelling down after throwing in ion and smoke grenades.
I was the first out of my LAAT and didn't bother with rappelling. I simply jumped out and, for a couple of seconds, enjoyed the sensation of free falling. The sensation would have been much better if I wasn't encased in my sealed armor, which was now painted with an expensive "smart" paint that changed color depending on the environment. I wanted eventually all my men to have such camouflage, but at least for now that was too expensive to contemplate. Five thousand credits only for my armor and a kit that would repair the coating if it was damaged by enemy fire. When you consider that I wanted all my ground troops to have it, you suddenly start talking about real money.
A moment after jumping, I called on the Force and enveloped myself with an energy field that absorbed most of my momentum. Just before I hit the ground, I pumped even more power into the sheath around me. I landed lightly, and the energy around me discharged in a shock-wave that threw away everything within the tunnel. Behind me, a pair of synthetic ropes fell into the corridor and Vic and his men rappelled down.
The chatter of my other units deploying in the facility sounded in my ears.
"This is Veers! We are pinned down by destroyer droids!"
"Vic, vector AT teams to the lieutenant's position. All units advance," I ordered. After making sure the tunnel was clear for the moment, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the whispers of the Force.
I could feel the somewhat dull presence of the clones. I could see where Veers was taking cover at an intersection. He was waving an AT team, which had just jumped in behind him, to deal with a trio of droidekas. The shielded war droids were turning that path to the armory into a shooting gallery.
Ah. There. About a hundred meters from where I stood were three people, two of whom were familiar. Yep. Amidala and Jar-Jar got caught. Again. Number three must be my target. I ran in that direction, followed by Cat and ten clones. The rest of his men were fanning out to secure our rear. The next LAAT would bring in enough troops so they could push for the other entrance of the armory. Or make themselves a new one.
The only resistance I faced were two B-1s and a single Super Battle Droid. Needless to say, those machines were unable to even slow us down. I deflected blaster bolts at the two flimsy clankers and cut their big brother in two as I passed by it. One of the clones shot the SB in the face when he ran over it. Just in case, I guess.
I found the Doc and his captives behind a blast door that was made mostly of a transparent material. I guessed it was more for virus containment than for stopping a determined assault. There were a bunch of droids standing at attention behind him too.
There weren't enough of the clankers to make a difference.
It took me five seconds to cut a circle in it and jump through. My men were right behind me.
"Senator. We should stop meeting like this," I quipped at Amidala, who sent me a disgruntled look.
The Senator and Jar-Jar were on the ground, next to some kind of generator. They were tied to something that looked like a big Tesla coil attached to said power source.
"Another step and your friends are dead!" sneered Vindi.
He pressed down a switch he was holding and his captives were shocked by arching bolts of electricity.
"Throw down your weapons!" he shouted. Vindi sounded like he actually expected us to comply.
"Idiot." I shook my head in exasperation and used the Force.
The mad doctor screeched when I used telekinesis to snap his left arm like a twig and shut down the current coursing through his captives.
"Kill them!" he gasped an order to the droids in the room.
I was already charging forward and was amongst the machines before they could fully comply. I telekinetically blasted the droids on my left at the nearby wall and deflected a few shots from the faster droids on my other side. Cat and his troopers wasted no time and cheerfully started blasting the distracted clankers to little pieces.
I diagonally slashed through the torso of a B-1 droid, sent back a couple of shots to another which flew back disabled, and slammed my lightsaber to the hilt in the chest of a Super Battle Droid that was about to mow down my men with its wrist-mounted dual blaster. I flourished my blade, which was embedded in its torso, and the droid fell to the ground in four glowing pieces.
The skirmish was over as fast as it began. The machines were down and only three of my men were wounded, none of them critical. However, their armors were breached. Which was very bad considering that in the commotion Vindi had his hale hand around a vial of blue gas. I should have stunned the bastard. I knew better than to underestimate crazy scientists.
"It's too late, fools!" Vindi shouted and threw it at the ground.
Before the vial could hit the metal floor and shatter, I caught it gently with the Force. The doctor just grinned at me dementedly and looked at his shattered left arm. There was a metal brace around it with a prominent red button, in a circle around which were small lights glowing crimson. The first one blinked out.
"Time is running out!" he taunted.
"General, we found the bombs! They are all active," Veers called over the comm.
"Start disarming them," I snapped.
I stared at the mad man who had his head protected by a transparent crystal dome. I could see it in his eyes. There was no way to remotely disarm the bombs.
"In the unlikely event we are unable to stop all the bombs, you'll be taking some of your own medicine." I said and used my powers to shatter the bubble protecting him.
"Wait a minute! I am going nowhere until I know that Naboo is safe!" snapped Padmé.
"Stun her if you have to." I ignored her protests and headed out while dragging Vindi using the Force.
I knew that there was something important I was forgetting. I was wondering what it was when I sensed a movement in a side corridor. I found there a ridiculous-looking, small droid clutching a bomb in its manipulators. Ah. That was it. I plucked the bomb from its clutches and sent a lightning bolt at the little bugger. I watched with satisfaction as its circuits fried under the onslaught and then its plating started melting. He'll unleash a virus on my men, won't he? Serves him right.
I disarmed the bomb and retrieved the vial. Well, that was done.
I was such a fool to think that it would be that easy…
---
**Near the City of Theed**
**Naboo**
A figure cloaked in a black mantle leaned on a tree overlooking the river that passed through the capital of Naboo. He observed the opening stages of the assault over the research lab before Republic jamming cut off the feeds. He waited for five minutes before sending a signal to one of a few heavily shielded listening stations spread around the facility. They were connected with the lab by landlines, so the jamming was not an issue. With that done, the man whose face was hidden by a black mask went to a speeder bike parked nearby. He retrieved four spherical devices from a compartment at the back of his ride and went to the river. He pressed two buttons on each of the small drones and threw them in the water. The current would do the rest.
He returned to his speeder and activated a holocomm built into it. A figure whose features were hidden by a hood appeared.
"Phase one is done, my master," rasped the man on Naboo.
"Well done. We shall have our vengeance."
The man was long gone by the time the drones detonated on the outskirts of the city. Soon Theed was engulfed by a blue mist. He never knew he was a mere pawn serving two very different masters.
---
**CIS Bio-weapons Lab**
**Eastern Marshes, Naboo**
I was near a LAAT landed on the surface above the enemy base along with my captive. We were waiting for Cat, who was escorting a protesting Amidala to one of the gunships. She had decided to comply without needing to be stunned but was making it clear how displeased she was with the poor lieutenant. That's when hell broke loose. All the warning I got was a mere flicker through the Force, signifying I wasn't really in any notable danger.
Subdued thumps sounded throughout the facility. Ear-piercing alarms started blaring. I turned my head to the nearest hole in the ground that led to the underground base. That didn't sound good.
"Veers, report!" I snapped.
"Some kind of internal detonations, General. The containment procedures on the base are going into effect. There is blue smoke coming from the vents!" he reported.
"Get out of there! Now!" I ordered.
"General! We have a serious problem over here!" Piett shouted over the comm.
"What's happening? We are a little busy ourselves." When it rains, it pours.
"There are waves of blue mist coming over the river passing through the city!" shouted my aide.
"God damn it! Piett, please tell me that you have your kriffing helmet on and your armor is sealed."
"Uh… Yes, sir." He stammered.
Good man. "I want you to talk with Typho and confirm if the mist is the Blue Shadow." I switched to another channel. "Tarkin, Pellaeon, I trust that you are monitoring the situation on the ground. All hell is breaking loose over here. I have confirmed release of Blue Shadow at my location and a possible one at Theed. On my authority, from this moment on, Naboo is under quarantine. You are to deploy your forces as you deem fit in order to enforce it. No one is leaving this world without my permission."