C2P4

Despite the chaos I had thrown into the Republic Admiral's face, there was still significant resistance aboard the ship.

Multiple clones had barricaded themselves inside the mess hall with a dozen enlisted soldiers. Enlisted were common men and women, not as well trained as the kamino-raised clone troopers, but they were definitely just as good shots.

"Stun them," I ordered without preamble, within the BX Commando body I had commandeered. I mentally frowned as constant updates from the Commando I had assigned as captain ceased.

That one was in charge of taking the bridge. The only reason the updates could cease is if the Admiral had somehow managed to beat back my forces besieging the control room.

"Hm," I murmured aloud, putting a metal hand to my stubby chin. "That admiral is a better commander than I thought. This will take a personal touch."

A yell broke me out of my reverie as three enlisted soldiers charged me, shooting aside three unfortunate B1s and a pair of B2s.

Hmm. Where did they come from? Must've been hiding in a closet.

I leaped out of the way, and pulled out a purloined Republic blaster set to stun. Two soldiers were stunned, but the rearmost man threw himself over me, sending me off balance as he tried to point his weapon towards me. I gripped his head and threw my metal forehead forwards.

A dull 'clunk' heralded a cry of surprise and pain from the young man, shortly before I pulled the trigger and stunned him.

"Green leader," I said over the commlink to all droid forces. "Take your troops and reinforce Blue Leader's force. Assume command and take that bridge. Take as many crewmembers alive. The Admiral and his aide must survive! I will join you as soon as the Admiral is taken into custody."

"By your command," replied the Commando dutifully.

-

Bridge

"Grenade!"

THUMP.

Wezler coughed as the thermal detonator blew apart the barricade set into the doorway to the hallway outside the bridge. The blast doors were jammed and useless. The barricades were a little more than sheets of plasteel and durasteel pried from the walls and floors. The sound of clanking heralded arrival of fresh droids and the volume of stunners filled the hallway considerably.

A hapless officer poked his head out of cover, only to be hit in the head with a spread of blue energy. The stunned man crumpled to the floor as Wezler squeezed off a shot from his pistol, despite the heavy fire. It impacted the shield of a Droideka to little effect.

"This looks worse and worse," said the Admiral with a wheeze.

"The droids are trying to take as many people alive as possible, sir," commented his corellian number one. Wezler tried to remember what the young man's name was. Solo, was it?

He nodded either way, "So they appear to be doing."

"Droids don't usually do that, do they?" Said Solo grimly, as he popped up to fire a few shots from his pistol. Wezler heard a droid fall to the ground over the din of so many blaster discharges and sighed. If he survived this, he really needed to get back into the firing range.

"No, droids usually don't," said Wezler in reply as soon as Solo hunkered back down next to him. He grimaced as a thought came to him, "I don't suppose the jamming has be broken through, yet?"

Solo shook his head and Wezler closed his eyes.

Despite the amount of damage the Munificents had taken, their hyperwave transmitters were still functional; and the sheer amount of ECM and jamming those things were putting out was more than enough to prevent any distress calls from going out. They were even affecting ship-wide comlinks.

"They're here for me then," he concluded. It had to be it. He was a decorated officer of the Republic Navy, and one with quite a few victories under his belt. "Whoever is in charge of these droids clearly wants to get on my good si-"

THUMP!

A concussive report sent him sprawling, ears ringing and eyes seeing stars. A concussion grenade, Wezler thought ruefully. Why hadn't they used those in the beginning?

He tried to get up, but found that his arms and legs refused to listen to him. All he could do was moan and wish the headache would stop.

Someone picked him up and sat him down into a chair.

The hands didn't let go, though.

Slowly, the ringing stopped and he turned groggily to look around. Many others were still stunned senseless, cuffed and gathered together by Commando Droids to be stunned. Two such droids were holding onto his shoulder, though much more gently.

"Wha...what..." He tried to say. A BX Commando stepped up to him and spoke. "Who are you?"

"I...I am Admiral Gelber Wezler," he said, his voice growing stronger as his vision stopped swimming. "W-Who is your commander?"

The droid didn't say anything, preferring to pull a syringe from somewhere. Wezler resisted as much as he could, but the grip on his shoulders was unyielding and as soon as the liquid was injected, he didn't much care anymore. His head drooped and suddenly he felt calm and warm. A hand tilted his face up and he smiled childishly.

"Now..." Said the droid, in an uncharacteristically somber tone, "Tell me what the identification codes are..."

Not twenty minutes later, Republic reinforcements would arrive in force.