Cad Bane was a man of principle.
Whenever he accepted a contract, he completed it to the letter. Despite his twisted moral code, he maintained an impeccable reputation as one of the galaxy's most reliable bounty hunters.
But this warped sense of ethics didn't diminish his intelligence. In addition to being one of the most deadly and effective bounty hunters in the galaxy, Bane was also among the smartest.
So when he told his Sith Lord client that capturing Jedi Master Bolla Ropal would require significant support, he made it clear that this mission couldn't be accomplished alone. Fortunately, the Sith Lord proved very accommodating and provided him with a substantial fleet to assault the planet Devaron.
Six Separatist cruisers had been dispatched to help him complete this mission, which gave him considerable confidence in success.
While the droid fleet provided substantial additional firepower, the mission wouldn't be simple. He still needed to storm the Jedi outpost and capture his target alive.
The attack was swift and surgical. It wasn't long before Bane had captured Jedi Master Ropal and dragged his unconscious form aboard a shuttle back to the lead Separatist capital ship.
After returning to his commandeered vessel, a Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer dropped out of hyperspace and immediately engaged the droid fleet.
"Hmm, they're faster than I anticipated," Bane mused coldly.
Aboard the Venator-class ship facing Bane's makeshift armada, Anakin Skywalker stood on the bridge as his flagship, the Resolute, engaged the enemy forces.
Anakin had received reports from the garrison on Devaron that at least eight Separatist ships were in orbit above the planet. However, Anakin was confident he could handle all of them, since none were commanded by an actual Separatist admiral this time. Cad Bane was merely a bounty hunter, which meant these ships were just tools to accomplish his goal.
That didn't mean Anakin was taking the situation lightly.
On the starboard flank, two additional Venator-class Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace and joined the engagement.
"Perfect timing, Master Luminara," Anakin said through the holographic communicator.
"Well, that should meet your expectations," Luminara replied with a slight smile in her voice.
"Much appreciated," Anakin said. "You know me too well."
"General Skywalker."
Anakin turned to Admiral Yularen, who stood nearby with Captain Rex.
"Admiral?"
"Urgent transmission from Devaron."
Anakin approached and saw the holographic image of a clone trooper under heavy fire.
"General Skywalker!" the clone trooper shouted frantically, "We're holding the outpost, but we won't last much longer. The droids are overwhelming our position, and they've captured Master Ropal."
"Do you know where he was taken?" Anakin asked.
"Negative, General," the clone replied, smashing a B1 battle droid with his rifle butt. "All I know is he wasn't taken by regular Separatist forces. Looked like a bounty hunter."
"Bounty hunter? Describe him—just the essentials."
"Duros male, brown duster, distinctive wide-brimmed hat."
"Cad Bane," Anakin concluded grimly. What was his angle in all this? So he was the one who stole the holocron. The question remained: why?
"Hold your position. Reinforcements are inbound."
He looked back at the Mirialan Jedi Master still connected via hologram. "Master Luminara—"
"We're already deploying support to Devaron, Skywalker," Luminara assured him.
"Good to hear," Anakin said. "Admiral, let's engage those cruisers. Bolla Ropal is aboard one of them, and we need to extract him."
Yularen simply nodded and began issuing tactical orders, directing the clone crews to their battle stations.
"Rex?"
"General?"
"Where's Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka was currently watching Spider-Man swing around the Resolute's main hangar bay with a mixture of delight and amazement.
"Oh man! Look at all these starfighters! I've got to pilot one of these!"
The Queens native was putting on quite a show for the troopers of the 501st Legion, who all looked up from their duties and chatted excitedly as Spider-Man swung gracefully and effortlessly between the suspended aircraft.
There were two additional familiar faces down there, and while Ahsoka had no idea why they'd volunteered for this mission, she was grateful for their assistance regardless.
"How long has he been doing this?" Heavy asked with obvious fascination, watching Spider-Man web onto an LAAT gunship before launching himself toward a Y-wing bomber.
War Machine was conducting final equipment checks, preparing for the upcoming battle.
"He reminds me a lot of Stark," War Machine observed with an amused smile, "though much more humble than Tony."
"Looks like fun!" called out a clone trooper watching the aerial acrobatics among the hangar's support structures.
"You would find this entertaining, Hardcase," said another clone trooper who stood out with distinctive Republic insignia tattooed across his face and helmet, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.
"Come on, Jesse, it really does look amazing to fly around like that." The speaker's eyes lit up with obvious envy.
"The battlefield keeps us busy enough," Echo commented dryly.
War Machine nodded in agreement, looking up at Spider-Man, who was now hanging upside down to examine a V-19 Torrent starfighter. Glancing at the members of Domino Squad, War Machine noticed something unusual about their shoulder armor.
"Hey, Fives," War Machine called out, getting the clone's attention. "What are those symbols on your shoulders? They look remarkably similar to Cap's shield and the emblem on Sam's wings."
"Oh... uh... well..." Fives rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"It's something that's spread throughout the clone legions and battalions," Heavy explained, taking the initiative. "Since you Avengers have been helping the Republic across the galaxy, some clones express their gratitude in their own way."
Off to the side, Ahsoka overheard this conversation and looked more closely at Domino Squad's armor modifications.
"Is that right?" Ahsoka said with growing interest. "I've noticed similar markings on other troopers."
"Yes, each symbol represents one of the Avengers we've fought alongside," Fives said, shifting his shoulder forward. "This one's obviously Captain Rogers." Fives pointed to the star, clearly modeled after Cap's shield design. "These wings represent Lieutenant Wilson. The repulsor array is Colonel Rhodes, and these lightning bolts are Mr. Maximoff. This hourglass... that's Ms. Romanoff's symbol, right? I saw it on her utility belt."
"Yes, that's hers," War Machine confirmed.
"And those antennae and wing designs must be Scott and Hope," War Machine added, and Fives and Heavy nodded enthusiastically.
"How many clones have adopted these markings?" Spider-Man asked with obvious curiosity.
"Those who've been rescued by the Avengers over the past few months, as well as troops who've fought directly alongside you," Echo elaborated.
"So the more missions you clones complete with the Avengers, the more emblems you earn?" War Machine surmised.
"Pretty much, yeah," Heavy said with a casual shrug. "It's pretty cool though, right?"
"I'll reserve judgment for now," War Machine said with a slight smile.
Their conversation was interrupted as Spider-Man landed in front of them, grinning widely.
"This is absolutely incredible! It's like a childhood dream come true," Spider-Man said with obvious excitement, causing Ahsoka and several nearby clones to smile at the young hero's enthusiasm.
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