Space Marine in Star Wars

Chapter 23: 22. The Battle For Naboo Begins



===Maximus===

Maximus stood at the edge of the cargo bay, his massive form encased in the gleaming blue and gold armor of the Centurion suit. The deafening roar of the engines reverberated through the air, rattling his bones as the Scimitar flew over the battlefield below. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the chaos unfolding beneath him—a sea of droids, tanks, transports, and walkers. It was a war machine built for one purpose: the complete subjugation of Naboo.

He felt the familiar hum of the machine spirit within the Centurion suit, syncing his thoughts with the weapon of destruction that was now his body. The moment felt alive, as though the very suit were testing him, challenging his will to command it. But Maximus was resolute. He wasn't just an Astartes; he was a living storm of destruction. The machine spirit would obey him.

With a single, effortless step, Maximus leapt from the cargo bay. As he plummeted through the air, the thrusters on his back and legs flared to life. The world seemed to quiet around him as he descended, a metallic titan about to crash into the earth below. The landing gear on his boots exploded into action with a scream of compressed air and the whine of anti-grav generators. The earth beneath him cracked and groaned under the weight of the Centurion landing. The shockwave sent droids and debris scattering in all directions as he hit the ground with a thunderous crash.

The battlefield before him was a maelstrom of chaos. Battle droids marched forward in tight formations, tanks rumbled toward him, and massive walkers loomed like giants on the horizon. It was a war machine built to destroy. Yet, as Maximus straightened from his landing, he stood tall, unwavering. He surveyed the battlefield, calculating, anticipating, moving with purpose.

His gauntlets moved with mechanical precision as he raised both his heavy bolter mounted arms. The massive weapons roared to life as Maximus pulled the trigger. Shells the size of human fists tore through the air, slamming into the ranks of battle droids. Each shot was a death sentence, an explosive punctuation mark in the storm of battle. Droids exploded into fiery fragments, their mechanical bodies shredded into pieces as Maximus unleashed a barrage of fire that echoed across the battlefield. The heavy bolters barked in fury, and with each pull of the trigger, Maximus felt the power of the Emperor's wrath coursing through him.

He barely paused as the carnage unfolded. Another burst of shells tore through the droid lines, shredding even the most resilient of their ranks. His focus was unyielding, his senses honed to a razor's edge as the Centurion suit's neural link guided his every movement.

A cluster of Battle Droids attempted to flank him from the left, their blasters raised. Maximus didn't flinch. With a swift movement, he brought his left Grav-cannon to bear. The weapon fired a purple beam of devastation that sucked everything towards the ground, shattering those caught in its gravitational grip.

The droids didn't stand a chance. They crumpled beneath the onslaught, their small frames no match for the explosive power of the weapon. The battlefield was a slaughterhouse, and Maximus was the butcher.

As he advanced, the earth beneath him trembled with each thunderous step. His Centurion suit was an unstoppable force, a juggernaut of firepower and destruction. The droids could do nothing but fall before him, their weapons nothing more than futile attempts to stop the inevitable. Maximus's weapons were a symphony of devastation—each shot a note in the unrelenting melody of death.

But the droids alone weren't enough to stop him. Maximus's enhanced senses locked onto a new threat—a squadron of AAT battle tanks moving toward him, their massive guns trained on his position. These machines posed a real challenge. Their heavy cannons could damage his Centurion armor, and their thick plating was resistant to small arms fire. But Maximus had no fear. His eyes narrowed, his mind calculating the most efficient course of action.

Without hesitation, he activated the missile pods mounted on the Centurion suit's chest. A salvo of rockets shot from the launchers, their engines screeching as they sped toward the tanks. The first missile hit the lead AAT with a deafening explosion, obliterating the turret and sending the vehicle spinning into the air. Secondary explosions rippled through the tank as its ammunition ignited, transforming the once-proud war machine into a twisted heap of molten scrap.

The remaining tanks fired their main cannons in unison, their shots screaming toward Maximus with deadly intent. Maximus used the terrain and his suits' experimental thrusters to his advantage, moving with an inhuman speed despite the immense weight of the suit. The first shot grazed his shoulder, sending a shockwave through his body, but his armor absorbed the impact with ease. A second shot struck his lower leg, denting the ceramite but doing little else. Maximus grunted in irritation, his eyes narrowing beneath his helmet.

He was no longer simply a warrior—he was a force of nature.

With a roar, Maximus aimed his Grav-cannons, unleashing a torrent of purple energy that seemed to warp reality where it struck. The AAT's shuttered for a moment, then were violently pulled inwards toward what looked to be a miniature black hole that dissipated moments later, ripping the AAT's apart.

The battlefield shook as the tank's remains were sent scattering in all directions. Maximus didn't pause. The battlefield was a swirling storm of destruction, and he was the eye of that storm.

The Centurion suit's missile pods fired again, this time targeting a group of heavy droid infantry and another tank convoy attempting to regroup. The first missile struck the lead tank, detonating with a massive explosion that engulfed the convoy in fire and debris. The blast sent shockwaves through the ground, shaking the very earth beneath him. Maximus advanced without hesitation, his weapons cutting through the enemy like a scythe through wheat. The tanks and droids fell before him, their bodies and machines shredded by the firestorm of his bolters.

But the droids kept coming. Wave after wave of battle droids surged forward, relentless in their pursuit. Maximus's mind raced as he assessed the battlefield. A massive droid walker appeared on the eastern edge of the field, its towering form casting a shadow over the land. The walker was armed with heavy cannons and missile launchers, its armor thick and formidable. But it didn't faze Maximus. The challenge only fueled his fury.

He charged forward, his massive form crashing through the terrain with a speed that belied the weight of his armor. The walker fired its main cannons, but Maximus was already upon it. His Centurion suit's experimental thrusters allowed him to leap forward with terrifying force. He smashed into the walker's side, his armored fists slamming into its armor with a sound like thunder. The walker reeled from the impact, its cannons misfiring as Maximus raised a new weapon high.

A massive blade extended from his right fist as it hummed to life with power. He brought it down on the walker's armored back, the blade sliced through the thick plating like butter, severing vital components. Sparks flew as the walker staggered, its systems failing in the wake of the strike. But Maximus didn't wait to see the outcome. He leaped off the damaged machine, landing amid a new wave of droids. Without hesitation, he swung his blade again, cutting through the metal bodies of his enemies in a single, fluid motion.

More droids appeared, more reinforcements flooding the battlefield. But Maximus didn't slow. His bolters fired again, tearing through the droids with unrelenting precision. He raised his wrist launcher and fired a grenade, the explosive round tearing through a cluster of battle droids. The explosion sent pieces of their mechanical bodies flying through the air.

The chaos around him was maddening, yet Maximus was a force of unyielding destruction. His mind was focused, his every move deliberate. But even as he tore through wave after wave of enemies, he could feel the energy reserves of his Centurion suit beginning to drain. The suit, though powerful, was not invulnerable. It had taken hits, and the droids' unrelenting assault was beginning to wear him down.

Maximus didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

Another blast struck the back of his knee joint, the force of the blow sending him stumbling forward. The Centurion suit's massive form shook as its hydraulics struggled to compensate, but Maximus's neural link quickly stabilized him. He straightened, bringing his full weight down on the droid that had dared to attack him. A single step, and the droid's fragile body crumpled beneath the force of the suit's massive foot.

Maximus's eyes scanned the battlefield as a massive command tank emerged from the smoke. Its towering form was reinforced with thick armor and armed with devastating weapons. The ground trembled as it approached, its blasters crackling with deadly energy. Maximus's pulse quickened, but his resolve was unshaken. This would be his final challenge.

He roared and charged, the droid commander tank unleashing a torrent of energy blasts in retaliation. Maximus twisted his body, evading the worst of the attack, though one shot grazed his side. The pain was fleeting, but it only fueled his rage. With a leap, Maximus closed the distance, his sword raised high. He slammed it into the tank with all his strength, the blow staggering the massive machine. Sparks erupted as its armor cracked, its weapon systems failing.

Maximus delivered a flurry of strikes, each blow ripping through the tanks defenses. The command tank staggered, unable to keep up with the overwhelming force of the Centurion suit. With a final, brutal swing, Maximus's blade sliced through it, severing its connection to the rest of the enemy forces. The massive machine fell, its systems dying with a final hiss.

As the command tank collapsed to the ground, the remaining droids faltered before seeming to short circuit.

Their weapons fell from their hands and they all seemed to lose power before collapsing to the ground lifeless.

Maximus stood amidst the carnage, his armor scorched and battered but victorious. The droid army lay in ruins around him, their once-pristine forms shattered and twisted by his might.

But Maximus knew this was only the beginning. The droid forces might be broken down here, but his two Brothers would face far more up in orbit.

But the Emperor's will would not be denied, and they would no doubt succeed.

===Padmé===

Padmé stood at the observation window of the Nubian, her gaze fixed on the battlefield below. The sprawling landscape of Naboo, once tranquil and serene, was now a chaotic hellscape, choked with the mechanical horrors of war. Battle droids swarmed the plains, their lines stretching to the horizon. Tanks, transports, and walkers clashed with the forces of destruction Maximus had unleashed.

She couldn't tear her eyes away. Her heart raced, a mix of dread and awe coursing through her veins as the spectacle unfolded before her. Through the viewport, she could see the massive form of Maximus—encased in the Devastator-class Centurion suit—charging into the heart of the droid army. His arrival was heralded by the deafening roar of his bolter fire and the thunderous stomps of his armor.

He was a titan in the sea of machines.

The Nubian floated high above the battlefield, its sleek hull barely visible against the early morning sky. But Padmé wasn't looking at the ship or the soldiers at her side; her eyes were locked on Maximus, watching him obliterate the droid army with a cold, unrelenting fury. She could see the massive explosions rippling out from his every action—each movement purposeful, a deliberate act of annihilation.

His heavy bolters erupted in a steady stream of fire, each shot tearing apart droids in the hundreds. The bolts exploded, sending bodies of metal and circuitry flying into the air like shrapnel. Maximus didn't stop. He marched through the droid lines, unstoppable, his every step sending shockwaves of destruction. Droids crumbled beneath his power, their mechanical bodies twisted and broken under the weight of his assault. He moved with terrifying precision, a living storm of war.

Padmé's breath caught as she watched him leap into the air, his Centurion suit's thrusters propelling him like a comet toward a squadron of battle tanks. He was a blur of motion as he descended, crashing into the tanks with the force of a meteor. Explosions rippled through the ground as his Grav-cannons pulsed, warping reality in their wake. The tanks crumpled under the barrage, their plating torn apart, their crews reduced to nothing but vaporized remnants. Maximus didn't pause, didn't even acknowledge the destruction he left in his wake.

"Unbelievable," Padmé whispered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the hum of the ship's engines. She had seen war before, but nothing like this. Maximus was an extension of the battlefield, a force of nature that nothing could stop. The droids were nothing but fodder for his wrath, and with every passing second, the tide of battle shifted more and more in his favor.

Beside her, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood silently, watching as well. The Jedi Master's face was inscrutable, but Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in concentration as he observed Maximus's brutal efficiency.

"He's... remarkable," Qui-Gon said softly, his voice tinged with both admiration and concern.

Padmé nodded but didn't respond. She had no words to offer. She couldn't shake the unsettling feeling in her gut as she watched the droid army crumble beneath Maximus's onslaught. It was a sight of pure devastation, but it wasn't without a cost. She knew that the fight was far from over.

As the Nubian left the battlefield to fly toward Theed, Padmé continued to watch, her eyes flicking back and forth between the battlefield and the towering figure of Maximus. She had placed her faith in this strange group of warriors, and now, as she advanced toward the city, her mind raced with the weight of that decision.

Could they really win? Could Maximus's strength and experience be enough to bring an end to the droid menace?

The Centurion suit smashed through another group of droids, its massive blade cutting through metal and armor like it was nothing. Padmé felt a chill run down her spine. The raw power and violence of Maximus's assault were impossible to ignore. But there was something more than just destruction in his movements. There was purpose.

She wanted to ask him why. Why was he so driven? Why did he fight with such unyielding determination? But all she could do was watch as he tore through their enemies, his movements almost predatory, his focus unshakable.

The Nubian soon crested a large hill, and she lost sight of the battlefield, the grand city of Theed coming into view as the ship neared the capital. The once-pristine spires and domes now stood in the shadow of the war that was consuming their world. Padmé turned from the viewport, her mind still racing, but her resolve hardening.

As the ship prepared to land, Padmé allowed herself to believe in the possibility of victory.

That was until the ship landed, and the door opened to the hanger.

She and the rest of her entourage walked out of the ship and through the hanger, needing to get back into the palace before a massive set of double doors opened, and in walked another massive Astartes. Only this one… was different.

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