The Droid Deception

"The Droid Deception" is a short comic story published in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic 6.4 and Star Wars: The Clone Wars Magazine 1.
==Plot summary==
Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Commander Cody, and Commander Ponds are fighting side by side, working to take over the Tambor Deep Space Centre, a Geonosian workshop used to repair Separatist battleships. However, things are not going to plan. Cody and Kenobi note that the intelligence they received prior to the battle must have been flawed - rather than meeting 'minimal resistance', they are engaged in heavy combat, with Cody noting he did not even have time to put his helmet on.
Mace Windu states that they need to break through to the security complex, and asks Commander Ponds if he has any ideas. Ponds, in response, fires a missile round at the doors of the complex. The resulting explosion clears away the battle droids for the moment - however, it does not even leave a scratch on the laminasteel door. Windu remarks that he cannot sense a shatterpoint anywhere for the complex, to which Cody posits that it is just a bunker, and all of them give with the right amount of pressure. Cody then orders Sergeant Swift and a squadron of clones on AT-RT walkers to commit a frontal assault on the doors to crack them open. Swift and his team begin to move out, stating that a brace of thermal detonators should do the trick, even as Kenobi warns them to be cautious, as the doors were designed by Geonosians, stating that their technical aptitude and ruthlessness makes the assault a bad idea. Nonetheless, Swift and his men continue their approach.
However, as they approach the bunker, the station's chief mechanic, Gorgol the Handy, watches them via surveillance. A B1-Series battle droid informs him communications are standing by, asking if it should send in reinforcements. Gorgol tells it that there is no need - that urgency should be felt by the clones, instead. Remotely, he causes several blaster turrets to rise out of the floor in front of Swift and his men. Swift calls to his men not to slow down, determined to complete the mission, but the turrets open fire, wiping him and the entire squadron out. Mace Windu throws an arm out to stop Commander Cody, who shouts and starts forwards in shock, telling him that he cannot help them.
Distressed, Cody blames himself for their deaths, even as Gorgol taunts the Jedi, saying they should realize the futility of combat in his home and surrender. Kenobi reassures Cody, telling him that it was a well-placed trap - and one that reveals something about their enemy, in that he places great faith in his security system. Windu says that they cannot win a standing battle here against a larger droid contingent, and he huddles with Ponds, Cody, and Kenobi, beginning to lay out a plan split into four fronts, one led by each of them as commanding officers. He and Kenobi will disappear, Ponds will neutralize the station's transmitter, and Cody will lie hidden in wait with a rifle.
Gorgol watches a hologram of security footage outside the command center's doors as Commander Ponds and his men appear to be retreating in surrender. At first, Gorgol does not believe it, sending two squads of droids to search the perimeter, led by Unit 4416 and Unit 4432, both of whom report an all-clear. Gorgol gloats, saying he will bring out the rest of the troops in celebration, even as Kenobi ambushes 4416, Ponds makes it to the signal room, and Windu reports that he has cleared Gorgol's workshop of battle droids.
Gorgol, having taken the bait, opens the doors to the command center, walking out to survey the damage done to the Republic troops. He notes that there are nothing but broken walkers left, saying that General Grievous will reward him for this victory, even as one of the battle droids accompanying him wonders where the two scout squads went. Ponds informs Kenobi that the lines of communication are down, happy to get a second chance to use his missile launcher properly. With that confirmation, Windu and Kenobi ambush Gorgol, quickly cutting through the group of droids he had accompanying him. Gorgol orders a retreat to the command center so the remote turrets can take care of the Jedi, which is when the last part of the trap is revealed - Commander Cody springs out from the rubble of the walkers, rifle pointed at Gorgol, the attack by the two Jedi giving him a clear shot.
At first, Gorgol believes that Cody has missed, as the shot fires while leaving him alive - until Cody reveals that he has destroyed Gorgol's remote to control the defenses. Gorgol exclaims in despair, and Mace Windu tells him not to be too upset - that he can play with his cuffs on the way to the detention center. Kenobi notes as Gorgol is being led away that this should remind them to prioritize tactics over numbers. He commends Cody for his restraint in shooting the remote, not Gorgol, in light of the loss of Cody's men. Cody, in response, tells Kenobi that perhaps he should not - he had aimed at Gorgol's head, but that rifle always pulled to the right.
==Appearances==
==Notes and references==
Category:Star Wars Comic UK comic stories