Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars

War Machine nodded to his clone allies as they heard the mechanical voices of battle droids echoing through the blast door's communication system.

"Open the barrier," came the flat, electronic demand. "We are the reinforcement battalion."

The blast door cycled open with a pneumatic hiss, and Heavy and Fives immediately opened fire on the lead droids while War Machine launched himself into the air above the advancing enemy formation. What happened next left both clone troopers speechless with amazement.

War Machine's armor transformed before their eyes as weapon systems deployed from hidden compartments throughout his suit. Repulsor arrays, micro-missile pods, shoulder-mounted cannons, incendiary dispensers, electromagnetic pulse generators, targeting lasers, rotary cannons, and countless other offensive systems emerged in a display of technological superiority that defied belief.

Fives and Heavy stood frozen for a moment, their mouths hanging open in shock as they forgot to continue firing. War Machine hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed his equipment was equivalent to a small army—he literally carried more firepower than an entire clone squad.

The devastating barrage that followed was unlike anything the clone troopers had ever witnessed. War Machine's repulsor cannons sent battle droids flying backward with bone-crushing force, his micro-missiles eliminated entire formations with surgical precision, and his rotary cannons cut through droid armor like it was made of paper.

"This is incredible!" Heavy shouted over the sound of continuous explosions. "Colonel, save some targets for us!"

War Machine descended rapidly, using his armor's mass and momentum to crush a super battle droid beneath him before engaging his thrusters to rocket back into the air. Within minutes, the entire reinforcement wave had been reduced to smoking scrap metal scattered across the landing platform.

Looking up, Rhodey could see additional Separatist transports approaching from the horizon, carrying what appeared to be even more battle droids toward their position.

Fives and Heavy had taken cover behind defensive barriers, ready to provide supporting fire for War Machine's next engagement. When the second wave of battle droids advanced from their transport, they encountered War Machine's shoulder-mounted laser cannons, which eliminated the majority of the formation before they could even deploy into combat positions.

"This is almost too easy," Heavy called out with obvious excitement. "He really lives up to his name!"

Turning his attention to the transport itself, War Machine rapidly fired more than a dozen micro-missiles at the spacecraft's hull. The concentrated explosions caused the vessel to shudder violently before its forward section was completely destroyed, sending the crippled transport plummeting toward the planet's surface.

Fives and Heavy watched in awe as War Machine single-handedly eliminated two full battalions of battle droids without sustaining any apparent damage to his armor or weapons systems.

"This is insane!" Fives exclaimed. "Where can we requisition equipment like that?"

"I don't think the Republic's military budget covers gear like his," Heavy replied with a mixture of admiration and envy.

"Hey, what's happening out here?" Cutup emerged from the base to see the destroyed transport vessel disappearing into the depths of the canyon below. "Did I miss all the excitement?"

Meanwhile, aboard the Separatist flagship, General Grievous was receiving disturbing reports from the surface.

"What is the situation at the listening post?" Grievous demanded of his tactical droid.

"Our reinforcement battalions have been completely destroyed, General," the droid reported with mechanical precision.

"What?" Grievous snarled, his mechanical claws scraping against the command console. "How is such a thing possible?"

"Analysis suggests the clone defenders have acquired advanced weapons technology far beyond standard Republic specifications," the droid explained.

Grievous found himself in a strategic dilemma. If he deployed hyena bombers to destroy the base through orbital bombardment, the all-clear signal would cease transmitting and the Republic fleet would investigate. But allowing a handful of clone troopers to continue eliminating his forces was equally unacceptable.

"Deploy an entire regiment," Grievous commanded. "I will not allow a few desperate clones to alert the Galactic Republic to our presence."

War Machine and the three clone troopers returned to the base's interior, where Cutup quickly briefed them on the demolition preparations.

"We're using liquid tibanna to destroy the facility," Fives explained to War Machine. "It's a highly explosive compound that we normally use for heating during extreme weather conditions."

"If only this damn detonator would function properly," Rex said in frustration as the four men entered the control room. He was holding a piece of electronic equipment that clearly wasn't cooperating.

"What's the malfunction?" War Machine asked.

"The detonator won't establish a connection with the explosive charges," Rex replied, his annoyance evident.

"Gentlemen," Echo said urgently from his position at the observation window, "we have more droid reinforcements incoming. A lot more this time."

War Machine considered the situation quickly, then looked at Rex with sudden inspiration. "This tibanna compound—it's volatile, correct?"

All the clones nodded.

"So theoretically, instead of using a remote detonator, we could trigger the explosion by introducing a sufficient energy source directly into the explosive medium?"

"That should work," Echo said with a shrug. "Basic chemistry."

Without further discussion, War Machine raised his armored wrist and fired several micro-charges into the tibanna reservoirs throughout the base.

"That should provide adequate detonation," War Machine said with satisfaction.

"What exactly are those devices?" Heavy asked with curiosity.

"Micro-explosive charges," War Machine explained. "After you evacuate the facility, I can trigger them remotely, which will detonate the tibanna and destroy the entire base."

"Excellent plan, Colonel," Echo said approvingly.

"How do you intend to escape?" Cody asked with concern. "If necessary, we can abandon the base and let the Republic fleet retake Rishi later."

"Don't worry about me," War Machine replied confidently. "I'll handle the extraction. Just get ready for some impressive fireworks."

Cody nodded, trusting in the colonel's capabilities after witnessing his performance against the battle droids.

"Let's move," Rex said, heading toward the ventilation shaft that would serve as their escape route.

The four clone troopers hesitated briefly at the shaft entrance until Rex gave them a direct order to evacuate. They had been trained to follow orders without question, but abandoning a fellow soldier went against every instinct they possessed.

Once alone in the base, War Machine took a moment to examine the facility's technology. His armored fingers traced across control panels and monitoring systems, studying the remarkable blend of familiar and alien engineering that characterized this galaxy's approach to military hardware.

He paused to listen as the sound of mechanical footsteps echoed up the main stairway toward the control center. Rather than hiding or preparing an ambush, War Machine simply stood in plain sight before the central command console, waiting for his enemies to discover him.

The lead battle droid entered the control room and performed a quick tactical scan. "Area secure," it reported to the following units.

During its second sweep, the droid's optical sensors detected the metallic figure standing calmly in the center of the room. The shape was clearly humanoid but possessed characteristics that didn't match any known droid configuration.

Soon, the other battle droids also noticed the unusual presence and began questioning each other.

"Who is that individual?"

"Is that a new droid model?"

"Configuration does not match our database."

"Hope you gentlemen are ready for some excitement," War Machine said casually, offering a mock salute before igniting his thrusters at maximum power.

He rocketed forward at tremendous speed, using his armored bulk as a battering ram to smash through the entire formation of B1 and B2 battle droids. The impact sent mechanical limbs and torsos flying in all directions as he continued his trajectory straight through the base's main entrance and into the open air above.

Once airborne, War Machine activated his sensors and quickly located the clone team led by Cody and Rex, who had reached a safe distance from the facility.

"Fire in the hole," War Machine announced over his comlink.

Inside the base, the surviving battle droids were trying to process what had just occurred.

"What was that entity?" asked one B1 droid, clutching its damaged head.

"Definitely not a standard droid unit," another replied with mechanical certainty.

Beep... beep... beep...

All the remaining droids turned toward the center of the room at the sound and noticed one of their number that had been secured to a support pillar with several small devices attached to its chassis.

"How did this unit become—"

BOOM!

The explosion lit up the alien sky like a miniature sun as the Rishi listening post was consumed in a massive fireball. The blast wave rolled across the rocky landscape, and the sound of the detonation echoed off the canyon walls for several seconds.

Outside the destruction zone, War Machine had rejoined the clone survivors, and they all watched the raging inferno that had once been their duty station.

"You know," Heavy said with surprising sentimentality, "I actually hated being assigned to this place. But now that it's gone, I'm going to miss it."

"That's the thing about military service," Rex observed. "You never know how much a place means to you until you have to destroy it to save something more important."

As the flames continued to burn against the alien night sky, each member of the small group understood that they had just struck a significant blow against the Separatist invasion force. More importantly, they had ensured that the Republic would be warned of the threat to Kamino, potentially saving the lives of millions of clone troopers.

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