《Broke: A Clone Wars Tale》 Chapter -2 - DROID UNITS - B1 Battle Droids Standard Separatist droids, they carry a variety of weapons. Very dumb, they usually win by number superiority. - B2 Super Battle Droids Armed with a double wrist laser blaster and a wrist rocket launcher, those units are deadly to infantary and light vehicles. They are also stronger, usually needing more than one shot to fall. - Dwarf Spider Droids Armed with one heavy blaster cannon and advenced sensors, those four-legged droids are a nightmare for infantary, but are pretty much defenceless against rockets and tanks. - Vulture Droids On the ground those droids work as above average turrets. But it is in the air that they shine. With 6 blaster cannons and a bunch of concussion missiles, having two or three of them on your tail is as good as being dead. - T-series Tactical Droid This droid wasn''t good at combat, but served as strategist and many times as a droid general. They were intelligent and cautious, always analyzing every possibility before making a move. - Droideka - Destroyer Destroyers are one of the most feared close combat droid units. They have 2 twin blaster cannons and a deflector shield. Able to transform in rolling balls of death, they are deadly. - IG-100 MagnaGuards Those droids served as bodyguards for most of the Separatist leaders, including General Grievous and Count Dooku. They are deadly close combat machines, and use a Electrostaff as main weapon. - Manta Droids Droids that look like a half moon, and function underwater. - Aqua Droids Those droids look like compact B2 super battle droids, but they are agile on the water and clumsily on land. They have only one weapon, a Retractable Laser Cannon, that packs a serious punch. - BX-series droid commando The deadliest unit on the CIS army, the droid commandos are an upgraded version of the B1 units. They can equip a big range of weapons, from blasters to vibroswords. With reinforced armor, they can take quite a number of shots and still keep going. They are also extremely flexible, and capable of doing inhuman maneuvers to take their enemies by surprise. The only safe way to kill them is to shoot them right through the eyes. Chapter -3 - GROUND VEHICLES - AT-TE - All Terrain Tatical Enforcer (Republic) The AT-TE was one of the Republic most powerful vehicles. Although very slow it had the fire power to destroy a small city. Armed with 6 anti-personal laser cannons and 1 huge mass-driver cannon. It uses 5 gunners and 1 pilot to fully operate. - AAT - Armored Assault Tank (CIS) The Separatists counterpart to the AT-TE, the AAT have one heavy cannon, 2 antipersonnel lasers, 2 long range lasers and 6 energy shells launcher. - Hailfire (CIS) The Hailfire units are basically moving missile launchers. With two big whells on the sides that give him a fast moving speed, their middle part is made of twin missile launchers, each one with 15 shells. They are the absolute terror of the clone troopers, able to wipe out entire battalions if not destroyed. - SPHA-T - Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery (Republic) This massive weapon lengthens 140 meters, and have a massive Turbolaser and an Ion Cannon as primary weapons. They can destroy almost everything. However, their low speed and massive size make it useful only in large scale battles like Geonosis. - RTT - Republic Troop Transport (Republic) A ground version of the Laats, used to move troops on different terrains. - AT-XT - All Terrain Experimental Transport (Republic) The first bipeds vehicles of the Republic Grand Army, they were the base to the AT-RTs. This walker is equipped with 2 Laser Cannons 2 Twin Proton Mortar Launchers. - AT-RT - All Terrain Recon Transport (Republic) Those vehicles are small, but extremely nimble. An open c.o.c.kpit, supported by two powerful legs, it can ran in almost any surface. Although its weapons aren''t as powerful as the ones of other vehicles, it has a mortar that can cause a lot of damage in a small area. - AT-AP - All Terrain Attack Pod (Republic) It is basically the mass drive cannon of an AT-TE, but with four legs. It is smaller and faster than its big brother, but also more vulnerable. -BARC Speeders (Republic) Small and fast, these speeders are mainly used in scouting missions, although they have two small laser cannons on it, which can be deadly if the driver knows how to use them. Chapter -4 - WEAPONS -DC-15A Blaster Rifle One of the two most common weapons of the clone army, the DC-15A is a medium to long range rifle, caplable of fire up to 5 000 meters, although few are able to be this accurate. With a length of 1.3 meters, a weight of 4.4 kilograms and capacity to 500 shots, this weapon is the most trusted one of the entire clone army. There are a long and a short version of it, the standard one being the long. - E-5 The E-5 is the padronized droid army weapon. Designed to be quick, they are able to overwhelm their enemies with a huge amount of fire. - RPS-6 Rocket Launcher Used by the clones. Launches rockets. - Geonosian Sonic Blaster With a range of up to 40 meters, those weapons aren''t the best, but they are deadly. Their sonic waves leave no external traces, but the air prssure on them crush most of the organs. - LR1K Sonic Cannon Also used by the geonosians, the LR1K have an splash effect, able to damage even targets that were just close to were the shots hit. The LR1Ks are stationary cannons that need two crew members to manipulate. - V-1 Thermal Detonator A small hand grenade, the V-1 was used by both the CIS and Republic. It had smaller blast radious than most detonators, but it causes way more damage inside this radious. - DC-17m ICWS - Interchangeable Weapon System The top weapon of the Republic, the DC-17m was used by the elite special forces of the Republic: the clone commandos. Able to change between an assault rifle, a sniper rifle, a grenade launcher and even reduced to become two pistols. - DC-15x Sniper Rifle A variation of the DC-15A, the DC-15x was heavily modified to contain more power and to be able to shoot at long distances with better accuracy. However, this limited how many rounds of could fire before overheating, and it needed a longer time to reload. Nevertheless, it was a one shot kill to most targets. - Electromagnetic Pulse Grenade - EMP The clones called those droid poppers. The EMPs are deadly to any mechanical being on a 3 meters radius, but do no damage to living beings, and almost no noise. - DC-15S A smaller version of the DC-15A, made for close combat. - E-Web Blaster Turret A heavy turret, needs to be on a tripod to work. It is absolutely devastating, and was used by both Republic and CIS. - Particle Cannon Turret Used by the droids, they fire concentrated energy beams that causes massive destruction on a certain area. Useful agaisnt both infantry and armored vehicles. - Z-6 Rotary A heavy machine gun, the Z-6 is able to fire 200 shots per magazine, each of them carrying a small explosive effect. It is slightly lighter than an E-Web turret, so one clone with training is able to fight with it. - SCUBA Rifle Double-barreled blaster, designed to underwater fights. - Anti-aircraft Turrets - AA Turrets Used by both sides on the Clone Wars, with small variations. They fire concentrated lasers and a variety of homing missiles, enough to take care of most small sh.i.p.s. - Ion Mine A small mine, very difficult to detected, and very costly. Individually, it isn''t that powerful, but if grouped together, can stop an army. - K-7 Watchman Blaster Pistol An old, outdated blaster pistol. - Electropole A melee weapon, with a powerful energy, enough to knock out most enemies. Both ends of it are filled with blue or purple electric rays. Chapter -5 - SH.I.P.S - Laat Gunship - Low Altitude Assault Transport (Republic) The Laat Gunsh.i.p.s are small sh.i.p.s used to move troops fast. They can fly at 620 km/h top and are able to carry up to 30 passengers. Although they are fast their defences are weak, and one shot from a light laser or rocket take it down easily. They have small blast shields and are armed with 3 anti-personnel laser turrets, 4 composite-beam lasers, 2 mass-driver missiles and 8 light air-to-air rockets. -Solar Sailer (CIS) In the shape of a cone split into two, there is not much known about it. It is extremely fast and used by the geonosians and later Count Dooku had a customized one for him. - Acclamator-class Cruisers (Republic) Measuring 752m head to tail they are one of the smaller cruiser of the Republic. Even so they are able to carry 16.000 soldiers and a pletora of vehicles. But they aren''t just transport sh.i.p.s. Equipped with 12 Quad turbolaser turrets, 24 laser cannons and many different missiles, they can destroy any ship their size or smaller. - Battlesphere (CIS) The command sh.i.p.s of the Separatist army, they don''t have any weapon system, but can carry hundreds or thousands of Vulture droids. - Maxillipede Shuttle (CIS) One of the troops and goods carrier of the CIS, it has two large dorsal fins. - Venator-class Star Destroyer (Republic) Length of 1.500 meters, they are one step bigger than the Acclamator-class Cruisers. They have a strong armor and and are heavily armed. 8 Dual heavy turbolaser turrets, 2 Medium dual turbolaser cannons, 4 Heavy proton torpedo launchers and 52 Point-defense laser cannons. - Lucrehulk-class Battlesh.i.p.s (CIS) With a Battlesphere as the core, and a Ring Carrier around it, the Lucrehulk-class battlesh.i.p.s are absolute beasts. They carry up to 1.500 Vulture droids and different ground vehicles. Also, their defenses are nothing to be laughed upon. They have 162 Quad laser batteries, 48 Turbolasers and 472 Assault laser cannons just on the Ring Carrier. The core part also have 21, 3 and 48 of each of them respectively. - ETA-class Shuttle (Both) A fast shuttle. - ARC-170 - Agressive ReConnaissance-170 Starfighter (Republic) The ARC-170 needs three clones to operate, and is the heavyweight starfighter of the Republic. It is equipped with 2 Medium laser cannons, 2 Aft laser cannons and a Proton torpedo launcher. - C-9979 Landing Craft (CIS) The four-winged landing craft was used by the CIS and carried thousands of droids and hundreds of small vehicles, as well as 11 MTTs. - Munificent-class Frigates (CIS) Those are the most common CIS heavy cruisers, able to carry up to 150.000 B1 battle droids but need only 200 to function, making them really practical. Their armament includes 2 Heavy Turbolaser Cannons, a Hyperwave Jammer, 2 Long-range Heavy Ion Cannons and dozens of smaller turrets and cannons. - Providence-class Dreadnoughts (CIS) They look like the Munificent-class frigates, but are much bigger, and of course their armaments are much heavier. Their main defences includes 14 Quad Turbolasers and 34 Dual Laser Cannons. They also have tractors beams. - Gonzati-class Cruisers (CIS) Very small cruisers, they were an abandoned later by other kinds of shuttles. However, when the Empire raised it brought those sh.i.p.s back, and armed them to the teeth. - CR90 Corvettes (Republic) Designed in a weird shape, those corvettes carried a few hundred troopers, but didn''t have much defenses on itself apart from 2 Dual Turbolaser Turrets and 4 Turbolaser Cannons. Chapter 1 - SIR, YES SIR! "Line up boys! For the last five years we have trained and trained and trained. Now is the time for you all to put this training in a trial of fire!" The one talking was a clone in a set of armor. The armor had dark red and brown patterns on the chest and arms, with strips of it covering the middle section of the hand. However, the clone most distinguishing feature was his helmet. It was covered with brown panting on top, and there were two stylized ox horns on the front. Although the armor was as shiny as the one any other clone was wearing, it gave of a strong and dignified vibe. Before him were twenty-five rows, each one with twenty clones. The clone took a step to the side and said. "Now pay attention to General Di. He wants to say a few things before we set off." A man with orange skin came from behind the clone talking. He had small thorns all over his face and his skin looked cracked. The man - a Nikto - wore brown robes with a black belt. Hanging on the belt was a metalic stick, carefuly crafted to fit his hand. The Nikto looked at the clones and presented himself. "Thank you commander Keeli. I am master Jedi Ima-Gun Di. You can call me General Di, as Keeli here seems to like." General Di paused for a moment and looked at the clones in the first row. "Men, you are clones and you were breed for battle. You were breed to fight for the Republic. However, you are also people. You have desires and emotions like anyone else. So, if you want to let those emotions out and become true citizens of the Republic we have to finish this war as soon as possible! Understood?!" Hundreds of voices replied at the same time. "SIR, YES SIR!!!" After the small presentation General Di and Commander Keeli walked along the rows of men, doing some small talk with them. Suddenly an officer run to General Di and said something to him. "Sir, Admiral Dao just received the order. We are ready to go." General Di thanked the officer before turning and saying something to Commander Keeli. Keeli listened and want back to the front. "Attention! All right boys, we are good to go. Everyone check your weapons and get on the Laat Gunsh.i.p.s. NOW!" Commander Keeli, together with General Di and twenty or so troopers. With a low sound the doors of the lower hangar of the destroyer they were opened and the Laats started pouring down. Chapter 2 - CT-4063 CT-4063 could hear laser shots and explosions all around him, but inside the Laat and with the doors closed he could only imagine what was happening outside. As for now the only thing he knew was for whose side he was fighting for. He looked down to his weapon, a DC-15A long blaster rifle, the clone army standard weapon. During his training he was told countless times that his weapon is his life. That a clone without his weapon is a dead clone. Moving his eyes up he saw a clone helmet, identical to his. He could not see the face under the helmet, but he didn''t need to. It was the same face he saw everyday after he woke up for the last five years. He, like the other twenty-nine clones on the Laat, and also like the millions of clones that were taking part on the war, was a clone. Breed on Kamino, clones were copies of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Ten years before Jedi Master Zaifo-Vias has gone to Kamino and payed the Kaminoans to make the strongest army the galaxy have ever seen. This way the clones were born. The clone in front of CT-4063, CT-4198 punched him on the shoulder. "Hey brother. What are you thinking so much for? All we have to do is destroy some droids and then we are done here." "Yeah, yeah. Let''s make it quick. I don''t want to waste to much time here and lose everything General Di talked about." This got a few laughs from the surrounding clones, but after that they stood quiet. Jokes apart, they were going to their first combat, and they weren''t sure if they would make it out. Or if their brothers would. Everytime CT-4063 looked at his brothers a strong feeling of belonging took over him. He would give his life for them, and he was sure that they would hive theirs for him. This feeling wasn''t just the camaraderie of brothers who spent their whole life together, there was also an even bigger loyalty to his commanders and the jedi. But stronger than anything was his loyalty to a figure in his mind. Although he couldn''t see it clearly, he would do anything to this person. Sometimes he had dreams about it. More like nightmares. That image would ask him to do something terrible, like killing his brothers, but in the dreams he did it with a smile. The communication device on the sergent wrist whistled, taking him alway from his thoughts. From it the voice of Commander Keeli come. "Sergent, we are under heavy fire! Land your Laat now or you will be blown to pieces!" "Right away sir. Pilot, Get us to the ground!" Chapter 3 - Geonosis CT-4063 could feel the Laat turning to the left and the going down. He braced himself using the sides of the Laat. The noise of the explosions was getting louder by the second. Now it was almost impossible to distinguish between each of them. There was a big explosion and the thought he heard a scream. Probably his imagination. The red lights of the Laat painted everything on a shade of red. The sergent was barking orders, but CT-4063 couldn''t hear them. Realizing his men weren''t listening to him the sergent left his station. He started making his way throught the clones, patting one here and there and saying something to calm them. There was another explosion, this one louder than the others. CT-4063 felt a gust of hot wind on his face. And then the sergent was gone. I took a few seconds for him to realize that a rocket or a laser beam had hit the right side of the Laat, blasting it into pieces. The sergent, together with five or six clones has been thrown throught the hole. CT-4063 barely had time to react before the pilot voice sounded on the speakers. "We are hit! I repeat, we are hit! Squad leader, we are going down! Everyone, hold on to something!" Looking throught the hole CT-4063 could see hundreds, maybe thousands, of Laats flying. Big explosions were going on everywhere, and the green lasers from the Laats and the red ones from the droids were obstructing the sky. He saw Laats blowing up, hit by ground-to-air rockets, some even hitting others. In the middle of the mess he saw some sh.i.p.s shaped as half- cones, with a round cabin between the halves. They were called Solar Sailers, used by the native geonosians. The planet of Geonosis was where the invasion was taking place. When jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered a massive number of Separatist sh.i.p.s and droid facturies he reported to the Jedi Council. However, before he could return he, together with jedi padwan Anakin Skywalker and Senator Amidala, were captured. The jedi mobilized a big number of jedi masters, but they were surronded by droids. Master Yoda rescued them at the last second with the first batch of clones that arrived on Geonosis. That was all that CT-4063 and the other clones were told by Commander Keeli just before they entered the planet air-space. If they were able to conquer Geonosis before the Separatists leaders could flee then the first battle of the war might be the last one. All of this came back to his head in a moment, just before their Laat Gunship hit the ground hard. Chapter 4 - Crash The Laat landed on geonosian ground belly first. The Laat bounced on the ground like a rock thrown on a lake. One unlucky trooper flew out the hole on the side, and hit the ground at a speed of more than four hundred kilometers. CT-4063 didn''t want to know what happend to him. Finally they stopped. CT-4063 only felt a slight pain on his left ribs, besides this he was fine. Many of his brothers weren''t so lucky. He could hear many painful m.o.a.ns. If not for the hole on the side, wich let a little light in the Laat would be totally dark. He tried standing up and hit his head hard on what looked like a box of supplies that was hanging over. Since he knew those boxes were supposed to be locked on the side of the ship, he thought they were most probably leaning on the side. There was some movement on the other end of the gunship, and a voice he recognized as his squad leader called. "Who is able to walk?!" CT-4063 answered prontly. "CT-4063 reporting sir! I am!" "Good, I need you to go check the pilots and take a look outside. See if there is any immediate danger. The rest of you check who is still alive, take the injured and get ready to go as soon as CT-4063 gives the clear signal." Making his way over the bodies of dead and injured clones, CT-4063 arrieved at the c.o.c.kpit. He first checked the pilots - one was still alive - and then looked over the shattered window. There were no droids in sight, but about 3 clicks west he saw what he identified as a destroyed AT-TE. Putting the injured pilot arm over his shoulders he made his way back to the cargo compartment. There were five or so troopers up and another seven leaning on the walls. CT-4099, the squad leader was giving orders. CT-4063 dropped the pilot with another clone and walked over to him. "Sir, no droids in a five clicks radius, but three clicks west there is a burning AT-TE. It''s too far away to see if there are any clones." "Good job. Alrigth, we need to go now. Those who can walk help the injureds and lets go." CT-4063 picked up his DC-15A and crawled through the hole, that was half buried in the soil. Putting his weapon out first, he waited a few seconds. Although he had not seen any droid, the planet was under their rule, at least for now. He wouldn''t joke with his life or his brothers lives. Chapter 5 - Clones Ahead Another clone crawled through the hole. "Have you seen anything CT-4063?" "Not yet, but we better have a look around before we tell the others to come out." He and the other clone spent ten minutes looking for any hiding droids, and after founding none they told the other clones to come out. There were sixteen of them, 5 uninjured or almost, 8 suffered light injuries, but were still able to walk. The other 3 had fainted due to heavy injuries. Squad leader CT-4099 took out a binocular and looked the way the fallen AT-TE was. "I can''t see anyone, clones or droids. CT-4063, you and CT-4087 go ahead and make sure everything is clear." "Yes sir!" -------------------------------- CT-4063 and the other clone, CT-4087 were 0.2 clicks away from the AT-TE. They were advancing carefuly, going from cover to cover. Now they could see the whole AT-TE. It was turned sideways to them and destroyed. There were many craters around it. On the ground near it there was a clone, probably thrown from the top cannon after it exploded. CT-4063 went to check on him. "He is dead. CT-4087 go check inside the AT-TE. I Will keep watch outside and see what I can find." While CT-4087 went inside he started making his way around the AT-TE. Now he could see that at least 6 rockets shots have hit it, one of them directly hitting the top cannon and killing the poor clone. "All dead here CT-4063. From the looks of it the droids came in to finish the job." The voice of CT-4087 came through the shattered front window, but CT-4063 was paying more attention to what was in front of him. "They''ve put up a good fight. There are at least forty of those droids, as well as two of the geonosians." It was a shocking scene, although he had been trained to cope with much worse. The droids were in pieces, blown by the cannon, or shot with the laser cannons, in wich case there was a hole on them. "Man, those bugs are disgusting!" CT-4087 complained about the two geonosians bodies, so torn apart that there was green blood all over the dead droids. He was about to talk more, but CT-4063 made him shut up with a hand sign. Pointing ahead, he and CT-4087 hid behind a rock. Coming out of somewhere was a squad of ten droids, and leading them was a B2 Super Battle droid. Grey and way bigger than the other droids, he was quiet, while the others were talking in their mechanical voice. "R1-P3, why are we back here? We have alredy killed all the clones here." "R1-J4, the commander received an order to investigate a crashed Republic gunship." Finally the Super Battle droid spoke. "Shut up you idiots... hh...hhh... There are clones ahead. Prepare... hh...for battle." Chapter 6 - First Battle CT-4063 and CT-4087 looked at each other. The droids could only be talking about one group of clones. CT-4087 wanted to fire the moment he heard them, but CT-4063 pulled him. "Wait. There are too many for just us two. Let them pass, then we shoot. That way we should be able to take out three or four before they turn." After explaning his plans to CT-4087, CT-4087 took out his communicator. "Squad leader, there is a bunch of droids going your way. They have alredy seen you. You need to find some cover now! CT-4087 and I will shoot them from behind as soon as they start firing." "Ok then. I hope you and CT-4087 have good aim, otherwise we are dead." CT-4063 could hear him barking orders eben before he switched off the communicator. Making a sign to Ct-4087, both started to rotate around the rock they were hidding. As the droids passed through their left they crouched to the right. After they passed CT-4063 and CT-4087 showed their heads over the rock. Both were using the clones army trusted weapon, the long version of DC-15A. The droids marched for 400 meters before the B2 Super Battle droid gave the firing order. Instantly red lasers started hitting the rocks were squad leader CT-4099 and the other clones were. Luckly, thanks to CT-4063 timely warning they were alredy crounching behind rocks. Although CT-4063 was almost one kilometer away from the clones position he could clearly see that only one of the clones was hit. "CT-4087, NOW!" The moment he gave the order he himself started shooting. Blue laser fire left his weapon, hitting the back of the leftmost B1 battle droid. Without even waiting he fired on the next one, this time he was to anxious and his shot grazed the side of the droid. Although the DC-15A had a 5 kilometers range, the majority of the clones were accurate at most in a 350 to 400 meters range. CT-4063 being able to hit a droid on his first try was thanks to 5 years of training and him being on a stable position. On his side CT-4087 have hit another two. Now the droids had turned and started firing. CT-4063 dropped to the ground, rock shards and dust flying around him. He crawled to the right side, exchanging positions with CT-4087. They waited for five seconds and then appeared on the side of the rock. The droids were firing at the top, so they had a small window to shoot, wich they used. In less than three seconds three droids have fallen, but they were forced back to cover before they could fire again, by a huge amount of red lasers. At this moment squad leader CT-4099 and the other 6 clones who were able to shoot started doing it, and the remaining 4 B1 droids plus the B2 Super Battle droid were caught in a crossfire. Chapter 7 - Wrist Rocket The battle that followed lasted for no more than twenty seconds, but it was intense. First the droids, stupid as ever, spent a moment figuring out were to shoot. That was enough for one of the B1 get obliterated. Deciding that CT-4063 side was the weaker one they started marching and firing his way. The E-5 that the droids used were able to rapid fire, losing on accuracy but gaining on damage. Plus the fact that droids usually win by overwhelming their enemies with numbers, the E-5 and them were a perfect combination. The B2 Super Battle droid was also a big problem. His double wrist laser blasters and thick armor made him equal to three B1 droids. CT-4063 and CT-4087 were only able to stay hidden, but the squad leader was doing a good job, directing his men to pick the droids one by one. The lasers coming from the droids lessened considerably, and they judged safe to come out. The only droid left was the B2 unit. CT-4087 took aim and fired, his shot hitting the target. Seeing this he came out of cover, his hands alredy up in commemoration. Only to be hitten by a rocket directly on the face. "CT-4087! Noo!" CT-4063, who just saw one of his brothers die, jumped out and fired a stream of lasers on the B2, melting part of his metalic face. He only stopped when he was sure it was dead. On his feet was a deformed clone helmet. Squad leader CT-4099, who had seen everything consoled him. "He was a good soldier. But he was also overconfident. Those wrist rockets are deadly even to the AT-TEs. Don''t let his courage be in vain by dying here." ---------------------------- Two hours later they finally saw the big battle. For the next few kilometers there were hundreds of clone and droids corpses. Fallen AT-TEs, Laats, Dwarf Spider-droids, Hailfre and AATs where everywhere. There were shells holes everywhere, and on the places where the Hailfire volleys had hit the clone death toll was in the dozens. For any other person it would have been as terrifying as hell, but for the genetically modified clones it was normal, even though they haven''t seen such a scene before. Even so, walking amid the cold corpses of their fallen brothers wasn''t a good feeling. Thankfully there was a clone command center not too far way. Fourteen surviving clones - CT-4087 and a trooper by the number CT-4298 had died - made their way to there. The closer they got the louder it was. By the time they arrived they could alredy see the fight. The droids were on full retreat, but the clones were taking heavy casualties.Every second clones were falling. CT-4099 left his subordinates with a medic clone and ordered CT-4063 to go with him to the command plataform. On the plataform were two clone sergents and one lieutenant. Squad leader CT-4099 and CT-4063 saluted. "Squad leader CT-4099 reporting sir!" The lieutenant glanced at him and turned back to the battle ahead. "Good to see you CT-4099, but I need you to talk fast. We are in the middle of a war. You and your squad, together with another two squads should have been here long ago. We thougth you were dead. What happened?" Chapter 8 - Kill Some Droids "We were shot down as soon as we left the cruiser. After we crashed CT-4063 here found an AT-TE. We made our way there, but they were alredy dead. Unluckly for us, or for them, we found the droid squad who killed them. We killed them, but lost two men." The squad leader reported, and that took the lieutenant attention. "You only lost two men to kill ten B1 and one B2? That''s impressive. CT-4099, there was a sergent and two squad leaders in your Laat. I assume they are dead?" "Yes. We lost the sergent and eighteen others, including one pilot. Honestly, if it wasn''t for CT-4063 we would have lost more." The lieutenant looked at CT-4063 after hearing that. A clone killing a bunch of droids wasn''t surprising, but being praised as the reason the others were alive as unusual. "Seems like we have a good soldier here. CT-4063 right? As you have noticed we have a big battle going on. From what CT-4099 said you have some skills. Congratulations, you are now a squad leader." That really came as a surprise to CT-4063, but he was fast in thanking the lieutenant. The lieutenant sent CT-4099 away to take care of his men. Next he turned to CT-4063. "CT-4063, you will take command of Hell squad. They lost their leader on the last push we did. Pick them up and go to the left flank. Lieutenant Thire could use help there. Go now." "Yes sir. Thank you sir." It was easy to find his new squad. They were alredy waiting for him, weapons loaded. As soon as he arrieved they saluted him. "We are ready for battle sir." It was quite strange for CT-4063 to receive such respect. Just a few minutes before he was on the same place as those clones. There were ten clones, making up a normal squad. They stood tall, with their DC-15A leaning on their shoulder, helmets off, in the standard ready position. Their haircuts were different, some with short military style, others totally shaved. But their features were the same. I was impossible to look at them and think they were anything other than clones. CT-4063 took off his helmet. He thougth it would be good that his men knew his face, even if it was the same as theirs. "I would like to make a speech here, but Lieutenant Thire is in trouble. I know you just lost your squad leader, but now is not the time to mourne. I want each of you to get at least five droid kills for him. The last one to do so cleans the weapons after the battle. Any questions?" With a grin a clone numbered CT-2891 raised his hand. "It is a competition then. Are you also participating sir?" "I sure am. Alright Hell Squad! It''s time to kill some droids." Chapter 9 - The Battle If one looked the battlefield from the air the first thing he would see was a mess of laser fire and explosions. The battle on the skies was as intense as the one on the ground. Many of the Laats were shot down as soon as they left the cruisers. Geonosian Solar Sailors and separatist vulture droids were targeting the newly departed Laats. That way they would be able to take out dozens of clones each time they hit one. Knowing that they couldn''t let their fully boarded gunsh.i.p.s fall as the droids pleased, all of the empty Laat and Acclamator-class cruisers were focusing their laser fire and missiles on the nearest separatist fighters. Now, if the person looked through the sky battle, to the ground, they would see the same amount of laser fire and explosions, but this time there were also many small black dots, with a few larger ones mixed. Looking even closer one would notice that the black dots were divided. The two sides looked as if they were playing a game, one side running and the other chasing. The big dots were now all kinds of tanks, shooting, exploding and burning. Now, after another look the person would notice that the running dots were thousands of robots. With a red-brown camouflage, the B1 droids would be almost inconspicuous on geonosian ground if it wasn''t for all the fire their E-5 were letting off. On the other hand, the chasing black dots were not black anymore. White armours marching forward, at least in this battlefield the clones were overpowering the droid army. Part of it was the surprise element the clones had. Droid leaders didn''t know about them until they were attacked. However, even though the droids were on full retreat, their mechanic minds knew no fear, so every inch they fell backwards was paid on clone blood. Zooming in one last time one is able to see that in the back of the clones lines a new group, of about 300 fresh and well rested clones was forming up. Those clones were separeted in 30 smaller groups, of eleven each, one leader and ten soldiers. Grabbing their blasters nervously, they put on their white helmets and under some soundless order started marching forward. The march soon turned to running as they entered the outskirts of the battle. It didn''t take long for the battle droids to notice them. Laser started coming, and the clones were quick to respond. Thanks to the longer range of the DC-15As droids started falling first. Until one of the AAT turned in the clones direction. The first shot missed. The second shot landed a few meters to the right. The third shot hit bullseye. Sand and soil flew everywhere. One of the clone squads was lying on the ground. Many of them were groaning, but some were totally still. The AAT fired a fourth time. Chapter 10 - AAT The AAT shot one more time, making another group of clones scatter. CT-4063 took cover behind the flaming remains of a Dwarf Spider-droid. "We need to take that thing down or it will kill us all! Where is the bazooka?!" One of the clones gestured backwards. On the sand forty meters away was an RPS-6 Rocket Launcher. On the middle of the battle it was impossible to get to it. "There is no way we can get that back sir! Anyone who tries will become a sieve!" CT-4063 had to think fast. His men lives were depending on him coming up with a plan. His head was buzzing. There was to much noise for him to think. "Ahhh!" One of Hell Squad men was down. On the middle of the white helmet was a hole. Even through his own helmet CT-4063 could smell the scent of cauterized flesh. That clicked something on his mind. Seeing one of the clones under his command, one of his brothers, die because he could not think fast enough was brutal. He had to do something. And he did. "CT-2981, contact the leaders of Onix and Melt squads. They are closer to our position. We will need their cover fire if we want my plan to work." "And what plan is that sir?" "You will know. Now do it. Fast" CCT-2981 took out his communicator. Even under his helmet he could sense that CT-4063 was about to do something crazy. "This is CT-2981 from Hell Squad. We need support now! We are going to take down this AAT!" Through the communicator came a doubtful voice. "Do you have a plan Hell Squad?" CT-2981 looked at his commander, who gave am affirmative nod. He hesitated a little before anwsering. "We do. But we need your help now." "We are going." CT-4063 looked to the AAT. It was a hundred or so meters away, ahead of the droids line. There were some B1 battle droids and four B2 super battle droids around it. He needed to clear those first if he wanted to be alive after his plan. While he was looking the AAT fired again, this time somewhere to his left and behind. From the screams it had gotten another hit. Fifteen meters to his right and about twelve to his left the members of Onix and Melt squads arrived, not without losing one or two members. Their leaders noded at him and started enganging the droids. He looked around. Eight members of Hell Squad were there. They have lost two before even making it to their objective. That was not a good start. He beckoned to CT-2981. "Start with the cover fire as soon as I go. Those droids need to be dead before I get to the AAT." "Sir, what are you thinking? Let me go with you... Wait!" CT-2981 couldn''t even finish before CT-4063 jumped over the dead Dwarf Spider-droid and started running to the AAT. Chapter 11 - Ready to Die CT-4063 jumped over his cover and immediately started sprinting. Behind him CT-2981 stopped cursing his craziness and ordered the others to fire. Blue laser flashing by him, he himself firing, it didn''t take long for the droids protecting the AAT to fall. The droid lines were too far to get accurate shots, so the only danger he was facing at the moment was the AAT. Not that it was little danger. The cannon of the AAT aimed at him. Through the black hole on the tip of the cannon barrel he could see a red glow building. He wait to the last second before making a sharp turn right and diving behind a boulder. BAMMM!!! On the place he was before there was now scorched earth. He had escaped this time, but now the AAT knew where he was. He had few seconds before it fired again, and this time he wouldn''t be able to dodge. He sneaked a glance over the boulder. The cannon was aimed at him. To make things worse there was a droid squadron - about a hundred of them - coming to support it. Laser fire was pouring on the AAT, doing little to no damage to it. There was nothing his brothers could do to help him. He had two options now. Continue charging, maybe taking out the AAT and most probably dying. Or he could try to make his way back, and most probably die together with his brothers. Others might have chosen the second option, but not he. He was a clone, sacrificing his life for the greater good was his nature. If he could do that without endangering any of his brothers it was even better. So he charged. Firing like crazy he run the last thirty meters. Although he was zigzagging to dodge the shots, the AAT followed him like an insistent bug. But it was another bug saved his life. From one of the many natural towers on the battlefield a green halo flew. It was one of the geonosians weapons, a LR1K Sonic Cannon. It shots exploded on contact. Normally it would have been devastating, damaging everything around. But this time, as the sonic blast hit the ground near him he was thrown out of the way of the AAT shot. His body was launched over five meters, and he landed on his side. His left shoulder made a sickening crack sound. His head was buzzing and his vision turbid, but he knew that if he stayed there either LR1K or the AAT would fire again. Bitting his lips in pain he got up, his left arm hanging on the side. The AAT was now less then ten meters from him. He left his DC-15A on the ground - he couldn''t fire anyway - and reached for a V-1 thermal detonator. With the AAT recharging it was easy to reach it. He jumped on the front of part of the AAT and stretched for the cannon barrel. With a soft click the thermal detonator was activated. He put it inside the barrel and let it roll down on its own. CT-4063 jumped from the AAT and run as far as possible while counting the seconds. One. Two. Three. BAAAAMMMM!!! Like the most fascinating of fireworks the AAT exploded from the inside. A heat wave passed by him. He had done what he needed to do. But he didn''t have the time to celebrate, as the squadron of droids he had seen before was alredy in front of him. Their weapons clicked as they prepared to shoot. CT-4063 picked the nearest weapon, a geonosian Sonic Blaster and aimed as well as he could with one broken arm. Chapter 12 - Small Jedi CT-4063 was looking uptight to the droids. He squeezed the Sonic Blaster, although he probably wouldn''t be able to pull the trigger before becoming a pile of carbonized clone. Suddenly an Laat flew above them at neckbreaking speed. The Laat fired all its missiles at the tower were the LR1K was. The over 30 meters tall tower was instantly reduced to rubble. A cloud of dust rose, and CT-4063 couldn''t see a thing. Somewhere above him the noise of the Laat appeared again. He should have run at this moment, taking advantage of the distraction to run. But a feeling of calm washed over him, as if he couldn''t be harmed at that moment. He only had that feeling once before, earlier that day, when Commander Keeli and General Di were talking. Up on the cloud of dust, where he thought the Laat was, a glowing green stick lit up. He thought it was a strange action, as the glowing stick would become a beacon to where the droids could direct their fire. Until he heard the droids screaming. "Jedi! There is a jedi! All units, fire on him! Kill the jedi scam!" The green light, or rather, the lightsaber seemed to drop down from the Laat, more than twenty meters above the ground. Droid screams sounded as the lightsaber danced in the middle of the dust. "Where is he? Oh, found him... Ahhh!" "R1-W3, where are yo... Ahrghh!" "Don''t panic! It''s just a jedi. If... just...he... stopped... so... I... can... shoot... him!" As the dust settled, all that was left from more than a hundred droids was scrap metal. The only droid left fired a few times before the green lightsaber trespassed him and ripped to the right, almost cutting it in two. As the droid fell a figure no more than one and a half meters stood on it place. The lightsaber disappeared with a buzz and the face of the figure was totally revealed. He had big pointed ears and a hard look on his face. The most eye-catching of all was the scar crossing from his forehead to his cheek, and over where his left eye should have been. The Laat landed on the ground, and before long many more arrived. The clones on them swiftly made a defensive perimeter, making sure every droid on three hundred meters was either dead or running. A lieutenant jumped of the latest arrived Laat and went to the small jedi, who started giving orders. "Lieutenant, move your command center to here, and make sure that no droids are left behind us. I want a list with every high value target near here and our casualties. I need to know how many men we can send without risking a counterattack. Hey! You trooper! Yes you! Where do you think you are putting those detonators?! Distribute them!" The jedi was really rigid, making CT-4063 think that anyone under his command probably lived trying to avoid him. The lieutenant left the jedi side and went in CT-4063 direction. "I am Lieutenant Thire. I saw what you did to that AAT trooper. Very bold. And very brave. But I doubt that was your target. What are you doing here?" "Actually, my squad and another ten were sent here to give you support, but that AAT gave us quite a headache. In the end you saved us." "It doesn''t matter. You did a really good job. And you had it hard, I see. Later you go find someone to take a look at that arm of yours. But now prepare yourself. General Piell whises to speak with you. That can be worse than fighting a thousand droids." Chapter 13 - Dageer "Talking with General Piell can be worse than fighting a thousand droids." Lieutenant Thire patted CT-4063 on his good shoulder and walked away. CT-4063 made his away to where the master jedi was. The small Lannik was still giving orders and butchering any distracted clone with his words. "Lieutenant Thire said you wanted to talk with me general." "Yes. I am Master Even Piell. We received word from the command center that your group seemed to be stuck with problems. That droid tank I presume. I have to say you were very... creative. I like it, but I like it even better when you don''t die while you are at it." From this CT-4063 could see that although General Piell was very serious he was still a jedi, caring for the others. "Now go find someone to heal that arm of yours. I can''t let such a fine soldier become handicapped." "Yes sir!" CT-4063 turned and left, but General Piell called him once again. "Trooper! Do you have a name? I mean a real name, not a bunch of numbers." "No I don''t sir." "Humm... And under who you are serving?" "Commander Keeli and General Di sir." "That old man? Ha! He and I are good friends, I''m sure he won''t mind that I do him a little favor. When you meet him again say that Master Piell gave you a real name." "And which name is this sir?" "From now on you are no longer CT-4063, the squad leader, but Hell Squad leader Dageer." "Dageer... Dageer. Thank you sir! I will be sure to tell him." CT-4063, Dageer now, first went to find his squad. He talked to CT-2891, who had become something like a deputy to him. "CT-2981, what are Hell Squad casualties?" "We lost CT-2976 and CT-2894 sir. Also, CT-2876, CT-2893 and CT-2845 will be out of the battlefield for some time sir. They got hit pretty hard, especially CT-2845. The doctors aren''t sure he will survive." "I also will be out of the battle for a few days. Meanwhile you are in command of Hell Squad, unless command send someone to take my place." "Yes sir. Good recovery sir." "Thanks. Also, before I forget, my name now is Dageer." Ct-2981 smiled. "Ok sir." After that he went to talk with the rest of his squad, and bid his farewell. He and the other wounded clones would take a gunship to one of the cruisers, where they would be immersed a few days on a bacta tank, accelerating their recover. Of course he didn''t forget to tell them his new name. He was quite proud to be named by a master jedi. His time on the bacta tank passed in torpor. Before long he was on back on a Laat, descending to Geonosis. The invasion had progressed really well. On the entirety of the planet Republic forces were advancing. However, it was said that Count Dooku and Poggle escaped, together with many other important CIS leaders. If this was true Dageer could predict that the war would go on for a lot more than expected. Now, holding on the loops of the Laat, Dageer looked through the contents of a tablet. According to it, there was now only one massive droid factory on the south hemisphere of Geonosis that was still holding on. The clone army wasn''t able to invade it because of the huge number of droids and narrow chock points. They also couldn''t bomb it, because the chief of the factory, a geonosian bug called Tharrg sent a hologram of two captured jedis. They were identified as Djinn Altis and Depa Billaba. Hell Squad was part of a massive offense mounted to cover the operations of a so called Delta Squad, that had already destroyed three droid factories with minimum casualties. Chapter 14 - Delta Squad Mission Dageer Laat landed on the command center. There were dozens of thousands of clones joining this last attack. If they won this battle it would signify the capture of Geonosis and the first victory of the Grand Army of the Republic. The place they were attacking was gigantic. The factory occupied dozens of square kilometers, but the only place the clones could attack was the front gate. The whole factory was protected by an energy shield, so unless someone from inside took out the shield generator, it would be a massacre for the clone infantry to take it. An orbital strike would be able to easily, destroy the shield, but they could only fire after the jedis were rescued. Dageer was informed that he was to find the general in command of the attack, jedi master Mace Windu. He found Mace Windu looking at a hologram table, in which the factory and the clones surrounding it were represented on 3D. Around the table were five other people wearing long brown robes. Jedi masters. There was also a number of clones, all of them lieutenants or higher ranked. Dageer wasn''t sure why he, a mere squad leader was called to this meeting. He stood at the back. Mace Windu acknowledged his arrival with a nod, but kept quiet. Not much later a group of four clone arrived. They were different from the other clones. Their armor was much bigger and looked much heavier. Their armor was also full of blaster marks, as if they were shoot but kept going. Probably the armor was to thick, so normal blasters couldn''t drill their way through. Another difference was the color of their armor. From everything Dageer knew, all clones, be it soldiers, squad leaders, sergeants, lieutenants or captains should have the same white armor, with small differences depending on the rank. The only exception was the commanders. And now those clones. The armor of the one leading them was orange on the upper part of his right chest and on his right shoulder. His helmet had a vertical orange strip in the middle. The clone on the left had an almost entirely green armor, and on his back was a mechanical bag of sorts. On the middle was a clone with a black armour, with yellow patches on the arms and legs. His chest was white, but full of scorched marks. The last clone had random blood red splashes of paint. All of them were using different variations of the DC-17m ICWS, the best weapon any clone could dream off. The orange clone was using the dual pistol variation, the green one using the blaster rifle variation, the black and yellow with the grenade launcher variation and finally the red one with the sniper variation. All about them, be it their armors, their weapons or the way they walked showed they were no common squad. Mace Windu started the meeting asking a question to the newly arrived squad. "Delta Squad. How did the last mission go?" "There was a lot of fire, many dead droids and Scorch got the chance to blow a lot of things. All in all it was very good." The orange clone didn''t have much courtesy while speaking. Not that he didn''t respect the jedi, but the lack of ''sirs'' showed that his position was much higher than the others around the hologram table. Master Windu didn''t seem fazed by it. "Good, because I need you in your best state for your next assignment. Our objective is to take down Tharrg, destroy his factory and rescue his jedi captives. We have already sent a few hundred clones, but their defenses are too thick, and they had to retrat. Boss, you and Delta Squad are to go and save masters Djinn and Depa." Chapter 15 - Special Assignment "I got it, but how are we supposed to make it past their defenses?" The orange clone, Boss, didn''t look surprised that he was assigned such a dangerous and seemingly impossible task. Opposite to that, he asked for more details, for what Master Windu showed the big army behind him. "We are going to do a frontal attack. The only entry point is the front gate. Our army will eliminate the first defenses, after that Fixer should be able to open the gate. If he can''t then you get Scorch to blow it up. After that Delta Squad go rescue the prisioners. When they are out we blow the factory to pieces." This time the one who asked a question was the black and yellow one, Scorch. "And how are you going to blow it? Unless we take that shield generator out, but we can''t do that and save the prisoners. You have to choose one sir. And I know which one it is. And if we save the prisoners, but don''t destroy the shield generator then your only option is an orbital strike, but that could take days to prepare." "Yeah. That is where my other squad enters." General Windu looked at Dageer. He beckoned him, and as Dageer walked to the front every eye was on him. "Yes general?" "Dageer, even in the time you were recovering Hell Squad have distinguished themselves. I can only imagine how they will perform with their leader back. Master Piell and Lieutenant Thire speak highly of the way you took out an AAT. I hope you can live up to my expectations." "I will do my best sir." "I know. If you don''t you won''t be able to make it out of the factory." Fixer, the Delta Squad member with green armor rummaged impatiently. "Sir, it''s not that I am looking down on Hell Squad, but they aren''t clone commandos like us. Are you sure they are up to the task?" This striked a nerve on Dageer. It might not have been the best choice, but he answered without wanting for General Windu answer. "Fixer right? My squad might not be clone commandos or whatever you are, but General Windu wouldn''t have chosen us if we weren''t good." Every jedi and clone on the vicinity was looking at him. Suddenly a loud laughter rang out. It was Sev, the sniper of Delta Squad. "Hahahahaha! I think you got your answer and more Fixer. Lets give them a shot. Maybe they will surprise us." Suddenly his tone changed to a serious one. "But be warned. If you destroy the shield generator but don''t go out in 10 minutes we will consider you dead and detonate that factory." General Windu decided it was time to put out the fire. "Alrighty, Dageer, go find your men. Delta Squad go prepare yourselves. When it is time I will give you the order to go. Let our troops soften them first. Any more questions?" Boss had one. "As a matter of fact I do sir. Pardon me if I am being disrespectful, but there are six jedi here. Why send us and Hell Squad on such an important mission?" "Good question Boss. But if Tharrg see any jedi inside the factory chances are that he will kill Djinn and Depa. Now, Captain Rigger, you and your men..." Dageer went to find his men. What General Windu said about them distinguishing themselves while he was out of action had got him curious. Even though he tried to track them after he got out of the bacta tank, he didn''t have much time before he was called to the meeting. Chapter 16 - Brain "Hey! CT-2981!" "Sir! It''s good to see you. How is the arm?" "It''s good. How is Hell Squad doing? I heard you have made a name for us?" CT-2981 scratched his chin. He looked pensive. "Actually sir, I am not sure of what is going on. After we captured that bug I thought we would receive some kind of praise, but command transferred four of our members to other squads. Now there are just you, me, CT-3004, CT-2798 and two new troopers, Cell and Dab." " I will tell you what is going on later when we meet the rest of the squad. Now tell me about that bug you captured." Turned out that as CT-2981 and the rest of Hell Squad - still with ten members at the time - were returning from another day of battle on the left flank together with the other clones, they found a semi-destroyed tactical droid. One of the clones from another squad analyzed the information that the tactical droid carried, and discovered that not too far away there was an underground base, where the geonosian separatist leader Klork-Akun was hiding. After informing command they were ordered to go capture Klork-Akun if possible, otherwise they were to take him down. However, as they arrived above the droid base they couldn''t enter because the three entry points were rigged with bombs. It took one clone life to find that out. They didn''t know what to do, until CT-2981 went back to the information the tactical droid provided and found the base plant. Using this information he ordered that detonators were prepared above were Klork-Akun was most likely to be. CT-2981 calculations hitted jackpot, and Klork-Akun didn''t have a chance to react before his guards were shot down and he was rendered at gunpoint. Dageer was impressed. "That was very intelligent of you. You know, I think we should call you Brain. Do you agree?" "I sure do. Thank you sir." ------------------------ The other four members of the squad were CT-3444 and CT-2798, who were good soldiers, good at following orders, and original members of Hell Squad, and Cell and Dab, the new members. Cell and Dab were transferred from Mace Windu command. Cell was a specialized scout, while Dab was a sniper, using a DC-15x, one of the most powerful weapons the Republic had. Together they made a pretty good team. It was Dageer job to take all of them and transform them in a flawless group, able to take part on all kinds of missions. That was a process that would take time and lots of battles to work. They were all excited to know their mission, as it showed that command thought they were able to become more than just normal soldiers. Before long the army of clones was called to start the attack. It was an impacting sign, dozens of thousands of clones on white armor marching together. Leading them were six jedi masters. Hell Squad was placed not far from the frontlines, but also not too near. They wouldn''t be the first clones to attack, but it wouldn''t looked strange with they entered the factory after the gate was broken. All of General Windu plan depended on Tharrg not finding out that there were two squads with special missions. Not far from them was Delta Squad, their colorful armor making them stand out. Hopefully that wouldn''t get them killed. Dageer and Boss exchanged nods, and as the army started walking forward, Dageer caught himself excited about the battle to come. The jedi masters were the first to cross the blue energy shield. Their lightsabers zoomed to life. Windu purple lightsaber was especially eye-catching, but no enemy fire come, contrary to their expectations. It wasn''t until more than two thousand clones have entered the shield that the factory first defensive line came to life. Chapter 17 - Factory Invasion The first defense of the factory wasn''t droids, but geonosians. They flew out from the factory and from the towers outside it, at the hundreds. During their conquest of Geonosis the clone army have already learned that the bugs liked to hide in those towers, so the clones have the towers under their aim the moment they stepped inside the shield. When the geonosians flew out and the LR1K started firing, more then a hundred clones shot theirs RPS-6. The rockets hit the nearest towers, bringing them down before the LR1Ks could fire a second time. However, there were many cannons on the towers out of range, so the clone army was still taking losses. But what worried them even more were the geonosians. Their Sonic Blasters weren''t that good of a weapon, and they needed to get really close to use it. But they were able to fly, and hitting them was as difficult as caching a fly. However, they were still getting kills, and geonosians were dropping from the sky. Dageer had his DC-15A anchored on his shoulder, and he was firing. He was trying to catch one geonosian, but he kept dodging his shots, flying in an irregular pattern. "Brain! Help me catch that bug!" Brain joined him, and another clone from other squad also started shooting. Pinned between three clones the geonosian couldn''t resist much longer, and Dageer finally got him. They continued their advance, and at least for this moment everything seemed to be going according to the plan. They were no more than four hundred meters way from the gates, and about five thousand more clones have penetrated the shield. The jedi lead by General Windu were absolutely crushing the geonosian force. Even though there were only six or seven of them, the enemy couldn''t take them down. All their shots were reflected or absorbed, and any geonosian that got too close was pulled using the powers the jedi had, directly to their lightsabers. Seeing that they wouldn''t be able to stop the clone army, the geonosians started their most terrifying attack method, although it wasn''t the most effective. Alone or in pairs, the geonosians started descending and grabbing clones. Any clone that wasn''t fast enough to escape would face one of two outcomes. They were either dropped from a big height, dying instantly, or even worse, they were carried to the factory. On the whole Geonosis battle up to now, none of those captured clones have been found. Even when the separatist bases were cleared, there was no trace of them. Between the clones rumors said that the bugs had a queen, and the captured clones were her food. "Ahhhhhh!!!" "Ahh! Help me!" "Don''t drop me you disgusting bu... Ahhhh!" On the whole battlefield screams from the clones could be heard, some stopping abruptly. Dageer was firing, trying to save one of his brothers who was being carried, but he was too late, and the geonosians took him. To his left he heard someone giving a muffled shout, and them the clone seemed to start arguing with the geonosians trying to lift him. He turned and saw Boss, the leader of Delta Squad. "Ouch! Put me down you little bug! Oh, no you don''t!" Dageer was about to help, but somehow Boss freed his left arm and grabbed his pistol. He was now being carried by only one geonosian, who seemed to be struggling with his weight. Boss putted his DC-17m against the geonosian head and pulled the trigger. The bug head exploded, and Boss dropped and rolled on the ground. Getting up on one fluid movement he picked up his other DC-17m pistol and shot the bug he had shaken off. He looked at Dageer, who was still aiming his weapon at the second geonosian. "Thanks for the good intentions, but it takes more than one or two bugs to take care of me." Chapter 18 - Blowing the Gates "If you say so." Dageer wouldn''t ever see a clone get hurt or killed without doing anything, but that didn''t mean that he was a close friend of Delta Squad. The way that Fixer talked about Hell Squad on the meeting had annoyed him quite a bit. Although it wasn''t Boss who did it, he as the squad leader had to take responsibility for what his men said, the same way Dageer had with Hell Squad. Apart from that the invasion proceed as normal as an invasion can. They still lost a lot of troopers, but the jedi were giving a beating on the geonosians. Dageer risked to say that each jedi was equal to a hundred men on combat ability alone, but their powers made them worth a lot more. Towers were falling from time to time, the LR1K Sonic Cannons on them given quite a headache to the clones. Since Dageer was in the middle of the action he couldn''t see all, but from what was happening around him he calculated that the clone army have suffered a thousand or so casualties, between dead and wounded. It took the clones half an hour to advance two hundred more meters. It was at that time that the droids second defense line came into action. On the factory dozens of what before looked like mud walls broke down to show more LR1Ks. They all pointed to the frontlines of the clone force, and fired their green and deadly halos. An entire section of clones was thrown in the air, and amidst them was a jedi. The deafening noise of the explosions, screams and shots being fired enclosed the whole battlefield. Dageer could see the LR1Ks recharging. In a few seconds they would fire another time. "Dab!!!" "On it sir!" Dab dropped to the ground, using a geonosian body to support his DC-15x. Cell laid on the ground next to him, and adjusted his binoculars. "296 meters. 37 degrees." Dab adjusted his aim, took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. One of the LR1K had its gunner shot down. However, another geonosian quickly moved up to take his position. Suddenly one of the other LR1K exploded. Sev voice came from their left. "Aim for their ammunition stock brother." Following Sev tip, Dab fired again, getting an explosion as reward. Before long the other snipers on the battlefield learned the trick, and in a few minutes all the LR1Ks were gone. Tharrg probably wasn''t expecting his cannons to be destroyed so fast, as the was no response from his side for some time. Seeing that the battle has calmed down, General Windu came to Dageer position. "Dageer, Boss, now is the time. Go!" "Delta Squad, lets go!" "Brain, Hell Squad, come on!" Both squads raced the last few hundred meters to the gate with almost no opposition. As soon as they got to the big gate Fixer went to the panel and started messing with it. Boss and the rest of his squad took position around Fixer, in case anyone tried to stop him. Dageer ordered Hell Squad to do the same, but nothing came. Boss was starting to get impatient. "Come on Fixer! It is taking to much time!" "It''s not my fault! It will take time. Better let Scorch do it." "Scorch you are up." Scorch and Fixer changed positions. From his backpack Scorch took out handful of thermal detonators. He placed them around a smaller door on the left gate. "Everyone get away! Haha!" Scorch made it sound like it would be a good explosion, but in reality it just made a muffled sound. The gate fell to the inside, revealing a group of surprised droids. Before they could react, Scorch, the closest to the gate, activated another detonator and throwed it in. "Hahaha, now the fun begins!" Chapter 19 - Surprise Delta Squad entered the factory under the lead of Boss. Behind them was Hell Squad. The detonator that Scorch throwed have destroyed almost all the droids. The few who ere left were dealt quickly. The factory corridors were almost entirely dark. The only light was from holes in the ceiling and walls. The walls had many carved entrances on them, that Dageer deduced were the geonosians sleeping place. They kept walking until Boss ordered stop. He pointed at a hole on the floor. "We are going down here. The jedi prisioners should be at one of the dungeons. Hell Squad, if our information is right the shield generator should be somewhere in front. Good luck." "Good luck to you too." Delta Squad members descended on the hole one by one. Now the only thing Hell Squad could do for them was wish good luck and take down the shield. Hell Squad moved on. The corridors were all the same, splitting left, right, up and down. Thanks to the map Delta Squad got who knows where, they didn''t get lost. However, something was wrong, and the others new that. CT-3444 was the first to speak. "There is something wrong sir. There were hundreds of bugs out there, but since we got inside we haven''t seen either them or the droids, beside those on the gate." "I know Three-four. But there is no coming back now. Everyone open your eyes and stay sharp." They walked for ten more minutes, but still there was no sign of any enemy. Cell, who was walking at the front, called. "Sir, look at this. The shield generator room was supposed to be here, but instead there is a door. A metal door." A metal door on a geonosian nest was weird to say the least. Dageer sent CT-2798, who they have started calling Tech as he was good with mechanics. "Tech, see if you can open that door. Everyone else, prepare for battle. We don''t know what is behind this." There was nothing deadly behind the door, just corridors, this time modern ones, much like the ones on spacesh.i.p.s. Hell Squad looked at each other. The first to break the silence was Brain. "Sir, is this what I think it is?" "Brain, contact General Windu. He needs to know what is in here." However, Brain wasn''t able to make the call. All they could hear by the communicator was static. "They are jamming our communications sir. Do you think they know we are here?" "I don''t think so. Most probably they are doing that just in case that someone - like us - gets here. But that mean we will have to sent someone back. Dab and Three-four, you go back. Tell General Windu about this. The rest of Hell Squad come with me. We still have to destroy the shield generator." "Yes sir." Dab and Three-four turned and went back the way they have come. Dageer, Brain, Tech and Cell started making their way on the new corridor. There were many doors on the side, leading to rooms or more corridors. They stopped by a panel on the wall. "Tech, see if you can get us the path to the shield generator room. I don''t want to run aimless here. Who knows how many droids there are here." Dageer words soon proved right, as the sound of metallic feet marching echoed. "Silence. Cell, give me one of those droid poppers. You take another one. We have to take them quietly, otherwise a whole army will be onto us." Dageer and Cell made their way to the turn the corridor made. The sound of the droid patrol got closer. Dageer counted to three on his fingers and throwed the Electromagnetic Pulse Grenade - EMP - on the middle of the unsuspecting droids. Cell did the same. "Woah. What is thissss... Ouhhhg." Chapter 20 - Shield Generator Six deactivated B1 droids were lying on the floor. Hell Squad have taken care of those quietly, but they might not be so lucky the next time, or maybe another patrol would find them. There were to many variables, so Hell Squad had to do their job fast. "Got it sir. According to the plant the shield generator room is twelve floors above us." Tech had a hologram projecting from the panel. On the spherical image he pointed their position and the shield generator room. "Also sir, their jammer is on the same floor. We can take care of it on the way. We have to take the first elevator we find. I only don''t know how are we going to stay undercover. There must by thousands of droids." "You are right. But they don''t know that we are here yet. There is an entire clone army out there. If I were on command I would mobilize all of the droids and prepare for attack, even more if this really is what we think it is." Dageer was right. They only encountered one more patrol during their way to the shield generator room. The droid poppers took care of them nicely. Problem only arrived when they got to their objetive. Guarding the shield generator room were six B2 Super Battle Droids and ten B1 battle droids. Brain looked over the corner to them. "We don''t have that much EMP sir. The only way to get there is battle. But we have to make sure the jedi are out before we do that. I suggest we deactivate their jammer, contact Delta Squad. When they are ready we blast those droids." "That would work, but how do we get out before they are onto us?" "Maybe we won''t Cell. Now let''s do as Brain said." Deactivating the jammer was easy. Tech just used two minutes to put it out, and another two to put their communicators back on motion. Dageer contacted Boss. "Boss! Do you hear me?" "I do Dageer. What is it? We are almost out of the factory." "Good. Did the rescue work?" "Yes. We have the jedi, although they are pretty hurt." "Ok. Boss, you probably already discovered, but this is no geonosian factory. We are going to take out the shield, and the moment we do that Tharrg will try to escape. When this thing go up we need the General to destroy it, otherwise Tharrg is gone." "What about Hell Squad?" "We will go to the lower hanger on floor 27. From there we will take a ship or something." "I see. Good luck Hell Squad." Dageer deactivated the communicator and turned to Hell Squad. "Alright boyos, we are going to kill those droids, then we destroy the shield generator and last we run like there are a thousand droids on our tail. Because there will be." They split in two groups, Dageer and Tech on the left, Brain and Cell on the right. On Dageer signal Hell Squad opened fire. At such a close range there wasn''t even need to aim. Seven of the B1 droids on the front fell full of holes. Only then did the droids returned fire. But they were out in the open protecting the door, while the clones used the junctions and doors as cover. Alarms started going off, but the last B2 droid felt before any reinforcement arrived. Tech opened the door and they quickly entered, Cell And Brain stayed to guard the door. Dageer pulled out a bunch of thermal detonators. "They already know we are here Tech. Let''s just blow this thing up and go." They put the detonators on the shield generator, but before they got out two rolling droids appeared on the end of the corridor. Cell screamed a warning. "Destroyers!!!" Chapter 21 - Battlesphere The two Droidekas (or destroyers) stopped rolling to reveal one meter droids. Their deflector shield came to life, blocking the shots that Cell and Brain had fired. Also, their twin blaster cannons started firing at amazing speeds. "Ohhh! My leg!" Before they could retreat Cell was shot in the leg. Brain saved his life by pushing him out of the way of the following lasers. However, they were now trapped inside the room. As soon as the Destroyers appeared Dageer and Tech had jumped out of the door frame. Laser shots were hitting the wall behind them and reflecting a little bit, almost catching them. Dageer attention was now fixed over Cell and his injured leg. Brain was taking a look a it. "I wish we hadn''t sent Three-four back. He had way more medic training than I did. But don''t worry Cell, it''s going to be ok." Then Brain looked at Dageer, and pointed to the door, where the Destroyers were still pouring fire. "We have to do something about them sir. If more droids arrive then we are doomed." "I know. Luckily they are dumb. Can you hear it? They are approaching. Wait for them to pass through the door and stick your guns in their shield." The droid did exactly what Dageer said they would. As the first Destroyer crossed the door, before he could turn and fire, Dageer put his weapon through the shield and blew his circuits. The second Destroyer, however, took the chance to fire at Dageer arm, that could be seen through the door. Instead of retracting his arm, Dageer dropped to the ground. As the Destroyer turned down to shoot at him, Brain jumped through the door directly on the droid. The Destroyer tried to shook him off, but Brain shot his head. Dageer took the lead once again. Brain and Tech helped Cell. "Come on! Tech already armed the detonators. We need to get to the hanger on floor 27!" ---------------------- Meanwhile, in the factory command center. A geonosian - Tharrg - was talking to some droids and watching the battle outside on some screens when suddenly the alarms went of. "What ... kikkuy... happened?" "Shots were fired on level 42 sir. It appears a group of clones have infiltrated our defenses. I have already sent two Droideka units to take care of it, and another two patrols who were near are going too." "Quickly, check the... kikki... jedi." "Sir, the jedi are gone! Somehow the clones have hacked our cameras and put it on a loop. I am sorry sir." Tharrg went mad, but at this moment another droid, who was working on some panels, called him. "Sir! The shield is down! The clone army is beginning their bombing!" The factory shook. Some droids and geonosians on the command center fell. Tharrg fell on his chair and started screaming orders in geonosian (translated for your better understanding). "Launch the ship! Take off now!" --------------------------- Outside the factory, frontlines of the clone army. General Windu was talking to Three-four and Dab. "Are you saying that there is a droid ship buried underneath the factory? We have..." "Sir! Delta Squad is getting out of the factory!" General Windu looked at the gate. There were six people leaving the factory. Four of them were Delta Squad members, and the other two were being carried. However, at this moment the gates of the factory totally opened. From it a droid army started marching. There were B1 and B2 droids at the thousands, and Destroyers and AATs were also following them. Windu ordered all his troops to fire, but once again he was surprised. First the shield was gone and the ground shook. Debris started falling from the factory. Then it was the towers falling as an enormous spherical spaceship started getting out of the ground. "A Battlesphere! That''s not good. Everyone focus fire on that thing!" Chapter 22 - Hole The Battlesphere destroyed the whole factory. The debris that were falling smashed the droid army getting out of the factory. It seemed that those droids were just I suicide attack, meant to distract the clones. However, thanks to Hell Squad actions of deactivating the shield, Tharrg have destroyed almost all of his own troops. General Windu gave the fire order. "AT-TEs, Laats and SPHA-Ts, focus all your fire on this Battlesphere!" Lasers, missiles and cannon shots were hitting the Battlesphere repeatedly. Explosions were going of on it, and pieces of it''s exterior shell were falling. It was clear it wouldn''t be able to make it. General Windu turned to Dab. "Where is the rest of Hell Squad?" "We... don''t know sir. The last time we talked with leader Dageer he was about to enter the ship to find the shield generator." "Then may the Force be with them." ------------------------ Dageer braced himself on the sides of the corridor. Cell, who was hurt, was asking them to leave. "I am only delaying you all sir. Leave me and go." "You don''t give orders here trooper. Either we all get out or none of us do." "He is right Cell. All we have to do is find a ship, hijack it and get out. Nice and easy." "You know Brain, this is not helping. It almost make leave Cell behind a good opti... Careful! Droids!" One of the patrols sent after them have caught up and started shooting. Thanks to Dageer warning they were able to dodge the first shots. They responded the fire but this time the ones caught in the open were them. Dageer took out his last droid popper. "Tech! At the same time. One... Two... Three... Now!" Their grenades hit the middle of the droid patrol, and the electric currents they let out deactivated four or five droids. However, there were still ten more, including three B2 Super Battle Droids. Hell Squad was out of options. With the droids outnumbering them it was just a matter of time before someone died. Dageer fired his DC-15A, and hit one of the droids on the head, severing it from his body. It was at this moment that one of the missiles the Republic army was firing hit the Battlesphere, opening a hole on it. The vacuum sucked everything, including the unprepared droids. Dageer grabbed a control panel with everything he could muster. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Tech couldn''t grab anything, and was sent flying in the hole direction. Letting one of his hands go, Dageer grabbed Tech arm, barely catching him. Brain and Cell have secured themselves onto some protuberances on the sides of the corridor. After Tech had grabbed on something, Dageer climbed up the control panel. The droid ship had energy walls that could be activated for situations like this. After the situation was solved the clones sat on the floor for a little rest. "Ufff, that was close. Thank you for catching me sir." The clone group couldn''t rest much however, as they had to get to the hangar. Fortunately, this time they didn''t encounter any more droids. Not alive ones at least. There were droids that got crushed by something , droids that hit the wall too hard and broke and also there were many more holes covered by energy shields. They got to the hanger area without any more problems, but when they got there they found at least thirty droids guarding the sh.i.p.s. Tech pointed to the nearest ship, a Maxillipede Shuttle. "That is our best option. The droids are scattered. If we can make to that ship before they group up we got some chance." "Everybody check your weapons. I am the best shooter, so you two carry Cell. Everyone ready? Go!" Dageer fired at the two droids guarding the door from where they came, catching them off guard. Then he, Cell, Brain and Tech started running the fastest they could without leaving Cell behind. Chapter 23 - Dust Cloud Since he wasn''t carrying anyone Dageer was the first on to arrive at the shuttle. By the time he arrived the droids on the hanger were already coming his way, and the nearest ones were firing. Dageer secured the shuttle entrance just enough for the other three to arrive, and them closed the door. Lasers hit the shuttle, and the attack from the clone army outside was making everything shake. Dageer took Cell from Tech arms and ordered him to go pilot the shuttle. "We need to go! Get us out of here Tech!" "On it!" Tech went to the c.o.c.kpit, but he didn''t have time to do anything as the floor tilted sideways. Boxes, sh.i.p.s and droids slipped on the hangar. The Maxillipede Shuttle they were taking was no exception. Dageer knew that the clone army have destroyed one of the stabilizers of the Battlesphere. It was going down. And when it did everything and everyone inside it would be utterly destroyed. But Tech didn''t plan on waiting to die. Somehow he turned on the shuttle, and made it to the hangar door. Not without hitting quite a few things - and droids - on the way. As they made it out, Dageer looked behind them to the Battlesphere. It was crashing down quickly than it went up. Escape pods and other sh.i.p.s were flying out of it, but Dageer could tell that the majority of the droids would die. The clone fire was still hitting it though. Dageer hoped that no clone would fire at them thinking they were enemies. Finally, the Battlesphere smashed on the ground. A dust cloud of dozens of square kilometers large covered the sky. Thanks to the shuttle sensors they didn''t crash on anything. Dageer went to the c.o.c.kpit and turned on the shuttle communicator. "Republic army, this is Dageer of Hell Squad. We are approaching on a droid Maxillipede Shuttle. Don''t fire. I repeat, this is ..." ---------------------- On the clone army command center. As soon as the Battlesphere started to fall, General Windu have ordered his troops to retreat. The dust cloud still enveloped them, but he and the other jedi used their powers to create a bubble around the command center, on which the dust couldn''t penetrate. Three-four, who was around him turned to face the clone on the radar. But the clone just shook his head. "Several droid sh.i.p.s and escape pods left the Battlesphere before it hit the ground, but we don''t have confirmation that any of them carried Hell Squad. Sorry brother." Three-four and Dab stood quiet, and General Windu shook his head. He turned to the same clone. "What about Delta Squad?" "Our scouts already found them. They are all good. Generals Djinn and Depa are injured, but not dead. Ahn? Sir! We are receiving a transmission from a droid shuttle." "Uhmm. Play it." "... one hear me? I repeat, don''t fire. This is Dageer and Hell Squad. Can anyone hear us? Don''t fire." Dab and Three-four were relieved. General Windu smiled and nodded to the clone. "We hear you Hell Squad. You can land, nobody will shoot you." "Thanks brother. I started to think you were ignoring us on purpose." ----------------------------- After the shuttle landed, the first to talk with them were Dab and Three-four. "This doesn''t look good Cell. You should find a medical droid after you report." "Yeah Dab, I will. Next time you and Three-four come with us." Brain laughed. "They do have to come. I am not sure Tech and I would have been able to carry you much longer. You need to stop eating those cakes at the canteen man. Hahahaha!" Dageer put order in Hell Squad, and went to the command center with them. They all formed a line, Dab supporting Cell, and saluted General Windu. "Mission accomplished sir!" Chapter 24 - Hunting Insects "At ease. Hell Squad, you did a great job today. With the fall of this Battlesphere we can almost wrap up the Battle of Geonosis. However, there are still some loose ends. Trooper, show the projection." One of the clones on took out a hologram projector. The hologram showed Geonosis, and there were twelve red dots and an yellow Republic symbol on it. General Windu pointed to the Republic symbol. "We are here. When the Battlesphere fell quite a number of escape pods and sh.i.p.s flew from it. Some were destroyed and the majority of them landed close, so our troops have already searched and destroyed the droids on them." He paused and looked up. The clones looked back, alredy understanding what he wanted. "However, we don''t have anyone near those twelve areas. We can''t risk Tharrg escaping and started some kind of rebellion. Hell Squad have already proved themselves over and over again, so I need you to go to those places and look for the fugitives." "Just give us the time to drop Cell with a medical droid and we are ready to go sir." "I know you have been through all of this recently, but now that the Clone Wars have begun the Separatists have come out of hiding and dominated almost three hundred star systems. We are leaving a fleet here, but we can''t spend much efforts on finding Tharrg. There will be some other squads looking for him, but I hope he have gone down with his ship." "There is no problem sir. It is our job. But I have to ask a question sir." "Do it then." "Hell Squad only have six members. Before I thought it was because we couldn''t be too big of a group to invade the factory. Now I am not so sure." "Hell Squad is being changed in a special unit. You will still follow under Master Di lead, but be prepared for lots of challenges." "Sir, yes sir!" ------------------------ Hell Squad left Cell on an Laat directed to the fleet above Geonosis. Now Dageer, Brain, Three-four, Dab an Tech were on other Laat going to one of the locations on the map General Windu gave them. They didn''t even got out of the Laat. The escape pod has blown up, and there was no chance any one could have survived. It was on the second location that they found something. The escape pod was opened, and there were droid footprints going south. It didn''t take long for them to find the droids. Their mechanical minds couldn''t process anything before the laser cannons on the Laat cut them into pieces. The other squads have already checked six other locations, founding and destroying some droids. The third and fourth places they stopped was the same, the droids returned a little bit of fire before they died. Finally there was some response from another squad. "Dageer, we found a shuttle. From the footprints it could be Tharrg. We are in pursuit." "Copy that Menze. We are going to meet you. Call us if you need any help." Dageer was expecting Tharrg to give them some trouble, but before long Menze contacted him again saying that Tharrg had surrendered as soon as their Laat approached. To make sure there was nothing wrong Hell Squad went to escort Menze squad. They arrived at their base without any problems. Menze pushed a geonosian out of their Laat, and passed the keys of his chains to Dageer. "He is all yours. We will stay here with the Geonosis garrison force Dageer. Good luck out there." "Bye Menze. We will send you a hologram when we capture Count Dooku. Now come on you bug!" Hell Squad Laat soared into space. With this their battle on Geonosis was over. Chapter 25 - Rhen Var ///Author note: First of all thanks to anyone following my novel. I want to say that from this point onwards there might and will be some inconsistencies. Characters who are supposed to die will die, and those who are supposed to live will live, and battles will still have the same outcome. What will change is who take part on the battles and how they happen. Like the next battle, general Di wasn''t supposed to take part on it but he will. If I were only to follow what happens in the series there would be no reason to write. One of the reasons I have chosen Hell Squad and Dageer to be under commander Keeli and General Di is because there is very little about them known, so I have bigger flexibility. I hope you all can understand that, and thank you all for your support so far. I am really enjoying writing this./// Rhen Var Hell Squad was on the Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer Sincerity. The capital ship of jedi master Ima-Gun Di fleet, it was one of the biggest starsh.i.p.s on the Republic Navy, although there were bigger cruisers being built. They were going to the Outer Rim system of Tobali, on the Thanium Sector. The Separatists have invaded and conquered the planet of Rhen Var. The system was at the time defended only by the jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker. Tobali System was an unimportant system, so the defending troops only had an Acclamator-class cruiser, which was patrolling at the time. As soon as General Kenobi ship detected the invading force, that was composed of 3 Lucrehulk-class battlesh.i.p.s and several smaller sh.i.p.s, he ordered his forces on the planet - alredy under siege - to retreat. He sent his padawan to pick them up on RTTs and after they were safe he himself descended with Laats to bring them to his ship. General Kenobi retreated to the nearest Republic controlled system. His forces have suffered heavy losses while boarding the Laats, he himself was injured. After that, he could only report to the Galaxy Senate and the Jedi Council that the system have been lost. As a response General Ima-Gun Di and his troops have been sent to retake the system. Beside Sincerity they were also taking two Acclamator-class cruisers. Dageer was on the command center of the Sincerity, together with Commander Keeli and General Di. They were talking to General Kenobi, his padawan Anakin Skywalker and Kenobi commander Cody, in the hologram table. "Good to see you Master Kenobi, and you young Skywalker. We should arrive in one or two days. We have to take a detour around a nebula. After we reunite our troops we shall take Rhen Var back." As Dageer have already noticed, General Di liked to get straight to the point. General Kenobi, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy doing small talk. "Master Di, it''s good to see you. I am afraid that we have to ask for your help. However, I don''t think we should focus our efforts on Rhen Var. We have seen a large number of Separatist sh.i.p.s landing on a nearby planet called Raxus Prime. We think their attack on Rhen Var was just so our base there couldn''t keep on eye on them." "Humm. I think I have heard of Raxus Prime somewhere. There is more than what we can see to this Separatist invasion." "I agree. I and my padawan will go to Raxus Prime see if we can discover what is going on. Don''t worry, we won''t make a move before you arrive." "Then I shall see you soon Master Kenobi. I am going to consult our records and see if I can find out about Raxus Prime." General Di closed the transmission and turned to Dageer and Commander Keeli. "Keeli, go check our troops, I want the 303rd ready to anything. We are entering enemy territory. Dageer, I have never seen you in actual combat, but if Master Windu transformed Hell Squad on a special unit you should be good. I looked at your records and you received just the normal training. I want you to follow Commander Keeli until we disembark. See what you can learn. Dismissed." "Yes sir." Dageer and Commander Kelli walked out of the bridge. Keeli seemed very interested on Hell Squad stories, according to him he would be able to learn how to best deploy them. "So, Dageer. Tell me more about Hell Squad operations. General Di and I found quite strange when he asked for one of our squads. You lost a lot of fun out here." "I guarantee that we had more than enough fun on the factory sir. From what I have heard the Separatists couldn''t even broke through our blockade on Geonosis." "Yeah. They tried to counterattack. I say it is stupidity of them. Almost all of our army and navy was there. They weren''t expecting us. Now they are. We have to be more careful. Come on, enough about us, tell me about Hell Squad." "Well, Brain is..." Chapter 26 - Captured Padawan Dageer was looking to the windows. Continuous white and light blue stripes of light were passing outside. They were on light speed, going to Raxus Prime. Dageer was on the ''mess'' - how clones called the canteen - with Hell Squad. He have accompanied Commander Keeli for over three hours, learning how a commander should, well, command. Although it was little time, he have learned much, including the experiences that Keeli had when he himself was being trained. Now, Cell, recovering from his leg injury was describing to Three-four and Dab how he got hurt, but they weren''t buying it. "... and I was like ''destroyers!'', and everyone jumped out of the way. If I wasn''t so close I would have been able to destroy those clankers before they could even shoot." "Yeah, yeah. All I remember was he crying for my help. ''Brain, save me please!'' Hahahaha!" "Hahahahaha!" At that moment Commander Keeli entered the mess. One of the clones near the entrance saw him, got up and said. "Commander on site!" Every clone stopped talking, got up, and stood upright. Some, as Cell, struggled a little from their injuries before they got up. "At ease. Dagger, General Di wants you on the bridge. Everyone else, keep eating." Dageer was surprised, as it hadn''t passed much time since he left the bridge. Cell looked at him as if he was going to martial court, but said something totally different. "Ah, the price of fame. Can''t even eat with us normal clones anymore." This got a round of laughter not only from Hell Squad but also the surrounding clones. Dageer caught up with Keeli and tried to catch the situation. "What happened commander?" "General Kenobi and his padawan were scouting Raxus Prime, but apparently his padawan was captured. You will understand better when General Di talks to you." General Di and General Kenobi were discussing something through the hologram table. General Di welcomed Dageer and went straight to the point. "Dageer, Master Kenobi''s padawan, Skywalker was captured by Count Dooku and a bounty hunter named Cydon Prax. Master Kenobi''s forces are severely depleted. I''m sending Hell Squad and and Steel Company to replenish his troops. He has some ideas about young Skywalker situation. You are to follow his orders." "What about the ground invasion general? Will we be able to handle it without a battalion?" "Let me worry about that Commander Keeli. I have already asked for help from Master Windu. He will be coming to support us. Now I need to debate with Master Kenobi. You are dismissed." "Yes sir." Dageer left the bridge, thoughts spinning in his mind. On one side he wasn''t happy leaving his general side, on the other he could see the importance of reinforcing General Kenobi. He didn''t return to the canteen, but went to his quarters. He needed to rest before they arrived, as he would have a lot of work. Another few hours passed and they arrived at Zhorta System, near Tobali System. Kenobi fleet was there. Hell Squad and Steel Battalion took the transports to Kenobi ship. Dageer, together with Steel Company captain, Captain Rozal, went to see General Kenobi. General Kenobi had a cordial air around him. It wasn''t the first time Dageer experienced the calming effects that being around a jedi had. Maybe it was what they called the Force. However, even if he looked calm on the outside, Dageer was certain that he was really worried about his padawan. He was right, as Kenobi''s words proved. "Captain Rozal, Dageer, as you alredy know my reckless padawan was captured. He kind of deserved it, but is my duty as his master to save him. I, together with Commander Cody and General Di will go stop Count Dooku plans on Raxus Prime and save Anakin, although I believe he is alredy devising a plan to escape by himself." Chapter 27 - Dark Reaper "You two will stay here, defend the ship and stop any Separatist ship who tries to escape. My pilots were almost all shot down on Rhen Var." Dageer had an objection, as he couldn''t see a reason why he should stay on the ship. "Sir, I understand why Steel Company stays here, as they are an air force. However, Hell Squad is an infantry unit. We will be of no help up here." "Are you sure? Six men would not make any difference down there, but here, if we discover that the Separatist are escaping with prisoners you are the best choice to board the enemy ship." "But... Ok sir!" "While you are here you are under Admiral Yazeb." General Kenobi left, and went to tell Hell Squad their new orders. -------------------------- On a closed, dark room, General Kenobi was facing an hologram of General Di. "Obi-Wan, what I am about to tell you can be known to you and by you only. You can''t tell anyone, not even your padawan." "Alright Master Di, don''t keep me anxious." "Many years ago, as a padawan I came across a piece of information. This information was so terrifying that I told my master, and he decided to tell only Master Yoda and Master Windu. He gave me repeated warnings not to tell anyone. Not too much later he died, and Master Yoda called me to make sure I wouldn''t say it to my own padawan. The information is about a Sith weapon, known as the Dark Reaper." Kenobi felt a chill when he heard the name. It seemed as if the Force got disturbed only by mentioning the weapon. "This weapon is capable of harnessing the Force inside living beings and turning it onto rays of energy able to destroy everything. However, this weapon needs a core component to work, known as Force Harvester. It was about this component that I learned. It is, or was, in a Sith temple on Raxus Prime. I believe that is the reason Count Dooku attacked the Tobali System." "But, if this weapon is so dangerous, why leave it there? Why not destroy it?" "Only a Sith lord is able to penetrate the temple''s defences. Many jedi lost their lives or fell to the Dark Side trying to do what you say." "So, since we know that Dooku is trying to get, or already got, this Force Harvester, we have to stop him from collecting the other parts of it at all costs." "You are right. However, I believe that since he went to get the Force Harvester he alredy has the other components, as this is the core one. But for the Dark Reaper to work it has to first collect the Force inside beings, killing them on the process. I think that he will try to escape and use it on a nearby planet. That is the reason I was so insistent on leaving my fleet in standby." "Then we have to make sure that Count Dooku don''t escape us, and that this weapon is destroyed before it is even constructed." ----------------------- Admiral Yazeb was on the bridge of General Kenobi capital ship. The battle on the planet below - Raxus Prime - was on full motion. However, in space everything was quiet, as the Separatists seemed to have no intention of supporting their forces. Before he left General Kenobi was very specific that the fleet should not move, even if the whole Separatists Navy came after them. Admiral Yazeb looked through the windows, but one of the deck officers called him. "Sir! Several sh.i.p.s coming out of hyperspace! One, two, five, at least twenty!" Admiral Yazeb was really calm as he gave the orders. "Everyone to battle stations. Tell the Steel Company to get on air. I want every pilot we can scrap. Any other troops stand in standby to provide medical assistance and to defende against any droid that board us. Also, get me General Di''s special unit squad leader." Chapter 28 - Escaping Alarms sounded all over the Acclamator-class ship. Thousands of clones were moving to the fighters and turrets, or just taking defensive positions. Hell Squad was left on the hangar, near an ETA-class shuttle. If any ship suspected of taking prisioners was detected they were the boarding crew. Dageer was walking fast towards the bridge. It was at this moment that twenty or so Separatist sh.i.p.s came out of hyperspace, including the three Lucrehulk-class battlesh.i.p.s that were supposed to be on Rhen Var. Immediately after, a dozen thousand or so Vulture droids started flying at their direction. Dageer could see less than half that number of Republic ARC-170 going to meet them. For a time there was nothing, as the two massive groups flew directly to each other. Then there was laser fire being shot and explosions started going off. It was impossible to tell which side was winning, but the Republic seemed to be on the losing side, as their opponents overpowered them almost 3 to 1. For Dageer, who was inside the ship, the explosions and shots didn''t have any sound, it was like mute fireworks. However, as some pilots have alredy told him, for those inside the battle the noise was overwhelming, not from the outside, but from their own sh.i.p.s and the others. Everytime someone died they were able to hear as if it was at their side. Dageer shook his head and took his eyes out of the battle. He had orders to obey, and he needed to get back to Hell Squad as soon as he has finished his talk with Admiral Yazeb. Yazeb was up in the bridge giving orders to everyone. One of the Republic Acclamator-class cruisers was damaged, and he had to coordination with the ship''s commander to evacuate everyone possible. "Admiral, sir!" "Dageer, General Kenobi contacted us from the surface. Count Dooku bounty hunter, Cydon Prax have escaped in a shuttle. He is taking General Skywalker and another prisoner with him. Your mission is to board them and retake the prisioners. He also said that there is a special cargo. If possible take it with you." "Yes sir!" Dageer made his way back to the hangar. His men have already been warned, and were waiting inside the ship. Only Cell would not go, because of his leg wound. Dageer entered the ship, and the pilot took off. They were heading to a hexagonal ship that Dageer didn''t recognize. The ship was flying from the planet below, and it was gaining speed. The pilot looked to the panel in front of him. "They are entering lightspeed sir. We are not gonna make it." "Go as fast as you can. We have to try." The ETA accelerated, and for a moment it seemed as they would be able to catch up and interrupt the lightspeed jump. But a group of four Vulture droids came into their sight and attacked them. The pilot took evasive maneuvers, and Cydon Prax ship disappeared, taking the prisioners and whatever General Kenobi wanted. "Dang!" "Sir! We need somebody on the guns! Those Vultere droids are coming for another round!" Dageer went to the top laser turret, and sent Dab to the back turret. The Vulture droids were on their tail. Luckily Dab wasn''t good only with rifles, any weapon looked alive on his hands. One of the Vulture droids exploded. Dageer swinged his turret around, aiming for the Vulture droid on the back of the group. He spawned fire, and the droid was sent spinning on the void. The pilot started making back for the cruiser, and as they got close the turbolasers on it sent the remaining two Vulture droids away. A dejected group of clones left the ETA. With the escape of the hexagonal ship, the droid forces on Raxus Prime quickly retreated. The sh.i.p.s on space also left. It seemed that everything valuable for them on the planet left with the escaping ship. Chapter 29 - Alaris Prime Hell Squad returned to their quarters, thinking about what would happen next. Dageer had to report the failure of their mission, although he was sure the command alredy knew. He walked slowly since there was no immediate threat as the Separatists have left. The hangar doors opened again, and this time a group of Laats landed. From them walked General Kenobi and General Di. Dageer stood waiting as the wounded were taken to the medical center. After that was over he went to talk to the jedi. "They escaped generals. Hell Squad have failed." "Don''t worry, there wasn''t much you could do on a space battle." "Go back to your quarters Dageer. I will contact you when we find them." General Kenobi didn''t seem too worried about the kidnapping of his padawan. General Di also wasn''t angry, however he looked pensive. For the next few days it was quiet. The clones entered on a kind of routine similar to the one they had on Kamino. They woke up, went to the mess for breakfast and after that went to training. After lunch they were free, unless they were sorted to guard duty. Each clone went his own way, and the commanders went to a small briefing before going back to what they were doing. Dageer alredy passed his daily briefing, and was playing some kind of card game with Brain and Tech when his comlink bipped. He told the other two to keep playing, and went outside the room. At some moment they have entered hyperspace, and Dageer reckoned that this had something to do with the message he was receiving. The voice of Captain Rozal passed through the comlink. "Dageer, we have found General Skywalker. Come to the bridge for briefing." "Yes sir." On the bridge were Admiral Yazeb, Captain Rozal, Commander Cody and General Kenobi. Not much later another clone captain, under Commander Cody arrived. "Flip." "General, Commander." The captain - Flip - nodded to Dageer and Rozal. Commander Cody started the meeting. "We received a signal from General Skywalker. According to it, he is on Alaris Prime, a moon on the Kashyyyk System. It is a colonized moon, inhabited by a group of Wookies." General Kenobi took over. "The rest of our fleet have to defend the System at least until Master Windu arrives with his fleet. We are going to Alaris Prime and we will rescue my padawan, but don''t expect reinforcements." "Yes general!" They spent the next two hours making the battle plans. When they arrived there was no Separatist blockade. The green moon under them looked peaceful. However, when the Laats landed they saw that things weren''t that calm. They have landed near the place from where they received the signal. It was droid base, however it was very damaged. There was a hole on the wall, buildings were in flames and half fallen, and there were dead droids everywhere. "Well, it looks like my padawan passed here. Cody, keep going this direction, and be careful of the droids." "What about you general?" "I am going to take a look in front." General Kenobi took a speeder and went looking for his padawan. Before long the clone forces encountered more dead droids, some cut with a lightsaber and the cuts were still glowing. Cody analyzed them and ordered all troops to stay sharp. "Come on lads, careful. There are still droids here." They advanced carefully, but when they finally found droids they still took losses. It was another droid base, also with a hole on the wall, but this time not all the droids were dead. Two or three dozens of droids on the walls started shooting at them, killing a ten or so clones. Thanks to the dense vegetation they weren''t able to get many clear shots, and the clones had plenty of cover. Chapter 30 - Wookie Village Dageer advanced through the trees. The droid fire was concentrated on the middle of the clone positions. One clone fell on Dageer right. He leaned to the side and shot his DC-15A at one of the droids, getting the kill. This, however, attracted the attention of the other droids. Laser fire hit the tree he was hidden behind, forcing him to abandon it for other one, as it started to fell. Fortunately, the droids were soon distracted by other clones, giving him the chance to fire again, killing another droid. This way they advanced, and Dageer got the members of Hell Squad to stay together with him. There was a thirty meters long clear area between the droid base and the trees. Dageer turned to Commander Cody and asked for cover fire. A barrage of lasers hit the droid defences, forcing them to stay quiet. Hell Squad took the chance to run, and arrived safely at the base of the walls. They run sticking to the wall to the hole on it. The droids guarding it were among the first that the clones have taken down, so they entered the base undetected. "Dab, Cell and Tech, take the right side. Go up the ramp and fire as soon as you have a clear shot. Brain, Three-four, we will do the same on the left. Also, Dab, why don''t you take the chance to test your new toy?" Dab chuckled. "With pleasure sir." The two groups went separate ways. Dageer went up the left ramp, and looked. There were about twelve droids, and from there he could also see the right side. Dab, Tech and Cell were ready, Dab was fixing something on his DC-15x. Dageer took out a thermal detonator, pressed the button and waited two seconds before tossing it out. The explosion destroyed four or five of the unsuspecting battle droids. At Dageer side, Brain and Three-four four also opened fire. BANG! A big explosion shook the air. Although they were in the middle of a combat, Dageer could not help but turn and look. Dab has fired his weapon, and about seven droids were dead, and another three or four have been thrown to the ground. Dab was an weapon expert, and on the few days they didn''t have nothing to do on the ship he have made some modifications on his DC-15x. He installed some sort of charging component on it, so when he activated it, his shot would become explosive rounds. He could switch between that and the normal sniper shots. Of course this also had his downside, as he had to wait a long time to fire again, and lost some range. For that reason he started carrying with him a DC-15S. Dageer started firing again, and some of the droid laser fire hit the ground next to him. However, the droids were surprised, and were also getting fired from the clones on the forest. As on of the droids turned to fire at Dageer group his head was shot off by someone outside. This distracted the droids once again, as theirs dumb AI couldn''t decide what to do. The clones have already discovered that taking out the droid commander was the same as cutting their brain off. Without someone giving orders they would shoot the person that was shooting them, not the ones close to them. The clone forces only took about twenty or thirty casualties to take the droid base, which was pretty good. If there wasn''t a hole in the walls for Hell Squad to enter, the death toll would have been much bigger. They encountered another two droid bases on the way, all of them semi-destroyed. Only after them did they find General Kenobi. He was spying on a wookie village, where combat seemed to be going on. Chapter 31 - Wookies "Cody, good of you to join me. From the big battle down there I deduce my padawan is here. Are the men ready?" "Always sir." "Then let''s attack." Commander Cody got the clones prepared, and under General Kenobi lead they attacked. There were about two to three hundred droids assaulting the village. The village only had about thirty or so wookies defending it, so the droids were getting an easy win. However, being attacked from behind by about the same amount as they had, the droids were soon being wiped out. The backlines of the droids were totally destroyed, but for those droids who have alredy entered the village, the clones were forced to go to close combat. General Kenobi was the first to enter the village, his lightsaber cutting the droids in pieces. Dageer and Cody were just after him. Dageer walked alongside the wookies huts, paying attention to any movement that could be a droid. Hell Squad was behind him, and they started cleaning the village of any droids. A group of three droids was assaulting one of the clone huts, but as soon as the first entered in it he was thrown back by a green flash. A wookie carrying some kind of crossbow blaster came out. Before he shot again Dageer, Tech and Three-four had already got the two remaining droids. The wookie looked at them, and a smaller version of him - presumably his daughter or son - run out of the house and hugged his leg. "Wahrrrrggggg!" Dageer nodded at the wookie and Cell said lightly. "You are welcomed... I guess." Their advance didn''t stop because of it, and before long they arrived at the center of the village. There, General Kenobi''s padawan and twenty wookies have built some kind of last stance defence. Thankfully the clone army arrived, and General Kenobi himself was the first to enter the battle, cutting down droids left and right. Hell Squad took cover on the corners of the huts, and picked the droids one by one. The village was soon clean, and Dageer, Commander Cody, General Kenobi, General Skywalker and the village chief entered a hut to talk. The wookie, a tall creature, totally covered in fur, and with many animal bones hanging on his locks, was the fist to talk. "Wahhrrgggg! Arggggg!" "Anakin, I believe you do speak wookie right? Can you translate what he is saying please." "Yes master. He is thanking us for our help, and saying that we are welcomed to stay if we want." "I am sorry chief, but we can''t stay here. I am sure more droids are coming. We would only put you in more danger if we stayed." "Warrrrg. Warg, waaarg urhggg!" "He said: Don''t worry, there are no more droids on this planet, only a small group in the forest to the south." General Kenobi tensed up. Commander Cody and General Skywalker saw it too. General Skywalker asked what was wrong, but his master ignored him and turned to the wookie. "What did you say?! We need to get everyone out of the village now! Anakin, Cody, I want every troop and every wookie on the Laats as soon as possible!" "Warrrggghhhh! Aaaaarrrrgghhhhhh?!" "He is asking why." At this moment another wookie entered the hut and started discussing with the chief. "Wyarghhh! Arghh arghhh. Wurrrrg arg!" "What is he saying Anakin?" "That there is an enormous black aura coming from the south, and that everything that touches it dies. And many more words I have never heard." They all got outside the hut, and saw the ''black aura'' the wookie was talking about. A giant black bubble was expanding, and Dageer saw with his own eyes as birds and other flying creatures that touched it fell to the ground instantly. Trees turned black and fell, and animals were running away. Kenobi turned and screamed. "Everyone run! To the Laats now!" Chapter 32 - Death The clone army was instantly thrown in disarray. Wookies were roaring, but the chief quickly got them to move. Many of the wookies seemed unhappy, but the scene of everything dying as the black bubble passed convinced them. The delay, however, was enough for the bubble reach the outskirts of the village. The clone army, trained to follow orders, was alredy a few hundred meters away. However, the wookies took a lot more time to run, and this cost them a lot. One of the wookie families who took the most to leave was encompassed by the black bubble. They screamed and felt to the ground. Their bodies started whitering away. The wookies cried. Dageer was running at full speed, Hell Squad and the rest of the clone army too. The bubble caught up with some more wookies, but they finally saw the Laats which were flying towards them. Dageer switched his comlink on to talk to the pilots. "Don''t land! Just get ready to pick us up!" The Laats hovered above the ground, and the clones started to climb in. Commander Cody and the jedis stayed just outside the Laats, helping the wounded and the wookie children. However, as the black bubble approached they were forced to get on the gunsh.i.p.s. Dageer looked at the elderly wookies and the injured clones who didn''t make to the gunsh.i.p.s yet, and closed his eyes. Without opening them he ordered the pilots. "Go. Now." The Laat flew as the black bubble engulfed those left behind. A track of death and destruction was left on its path. The gunsh.i.p.s flew as fast as their engines permitted, but two of them who took to long to depart were still caught by the bubble. The gunsh.i.p.s were still working, but with their pilots dead they fell to the ground with explosions. Dageer talked in his comlink. "General, with all do respect, but what was that? We just lost over fifty clones and another twenty wookies." "This isn''t something we have to worry about right now Dageer. We have to make sure that this thing does not get to Separatist hands." -----------©\------------------- On General Kenobi capital ship. Commander Cody, Dageer, General Kenobi, General Di and Commander Keeli were discussing. General Kenobi''s padawan was recovering from the battle. Commander Keeli was giving them their intel on the Separatist movement. "Generals, our intelligence report that whatever generated that black thing you all confronted was taken by the Separatists back to Rhen Var." "Then all our forces shall move there too. Master Kenobi, do you agree? "We can''t let them use it again. Cody, prepare every clone. Defeat is not an option." "Yes sir!" "Dageer, you are returning with me and Keeli. I am sure we can find something for Hell Squad to do." "Yes sir! --------------------------- The fleet of Mace Windu have arrived, and the three jedi generals started a joint attack. The Separatist blockade didn''t last long before several gunsh.i.p.s, starfighters and two Acclamator-class cruisers broke through it. The clones braved through the anti-aircraft fire and landed on the barren planet. Many clones were taken down by the droids on the ground, but their sheer numbers won them a foothold. Hell Squad was amongst the first to get out of the Laats. Their cohesion as a special unit showed up as they took out droid after droid. Their primary targets were the E-Web, on which Dab used his charged shot to make sure the droids wouldn''t be able to use them again. There wasn''t much cover on the barren land, and Hell Squad used the droid barricades they have just took out to their own defense. Suddenly the battlefield stopped. Droids and clones alike stopped firing and looked at the sky. On the green sky one Republic cruiser was on fire as it entered the atmosphere and crashed down on some distant mountains. Chapter 33 - Sensor Station Dageer was one of the first to recover from the incredible and at the same time depressing sight. "Keep going! Destroy those clanckers!" The clones resumed their shooting, but witnessing one of their sh.i.p.s being shot down obviously affected their moral. Seeing this General Di jumped out of his Laat and went to the frontlines, hacking at the droids. With their commander leading them the clones finally awakened their fighting spirit, and took out the droid outpost. General Di went to Dageer. "We can''t stop now! Don''t worry about the cruiser, Obi-Wan is alredy on his way. There is a sensor station that we need to take out. It is the station coordinating all the droid units. Let''s move out." The clones embarked on AT-TEs or went by foot, fighting every step of the way. As a planetary wide invasion, although a small one, there were at least a hundred thousand clones taking part on it. As they fought the losses amounted, but they kept going. Dageer thought that General Di and Commander Keeli were a sight to behold. They were fighting side by side, the jedi deflecting lasers and cutting through droids and turrets alike, while the clone commander used his two DC-17 pistols to crush the droids. The barren land slowly turned to snowy hills and mountains as they got closer and closer to the sensor station. Taking the station, however, wasn''t going to be an easy feat. On the rocky walls on which the station was built there were four Particle Cannon Turrets. Those turrets were able to destroy even the AT-TEs the Republic brought. To make things worse there were only two paths to the sensor station. The first was through the mountain and under the fire of all the droid defenses, and entering through the main gate. The second was a sewer path, on which a couple of droids would be able to hold against a force twenty times their own. Of course Hell Squad was taking the sewer route. But they wouldn''t be alone, as General Di was going with them. They would take a small force of a hundred clones and their mission was to clear a path to the interior of the sensor station. If they were able to do that a major force would then enter after them. Commander Keeli would be left to command the main force over the main path. They had fifteen AT-TEs and a huge amount of clones, but they would still suffer severe losses if they didn''t take the turrets out. The sewers smelled surprisingly normal, most probably because the droids didn''t have an use for them. However, their defenses were quite good. The sewer was only big enough for three clones to pass side by side, and it was full of droid barricades and E-Web turrets. Dageer was sure that if it wasn''t for General Di fighting at the front they could have lost thousands and still not take the sewers. But that wasn''t the case. The narrowness of the sewer was actually helping them, as General Di didn''t have to worry about side attacks and could deflect almost all lasers. The clones didn''t do almost anything as they went through the sewers. Dageer checked on the situation outside, and it did seemed much rougher. "Dageer! Tell the general we are making progress, albeit slow. We already lost four AT-TEs to those Particle Cannon Turrets. But we will make it. Those clanckers don''t have what it takes to stop us. But it would be good if you could catch the from behind. Keeli out." Dageer went to General Di and repeated what Commander Keeli said. The jedi flashed him the first smile Dageer ever seen he give and yelled. "Alright 303! Let''s get them!" Chapter 34 - Flames "Go, go, go!!!" The clones broke through the end of the sewers, and a good number of barricades was waiting for them. During the weeks he battled in Geonosis and on Alaris Prime Dageer senses have sharpened, and his battle abilities have become much better. So has his aim. Dageer exited the sewers and immediately dropped to the ground. A volley of laser fire flew over him. Some clones who weren''t as fast as him fell, their armour melted and the flesh beneath it carbonized. Dageer quickly aimed and shot three times. Three droids fell. Besides him Cell threw a thermal detonator. The metalic ball landed near an E-Web turret. "Eat this clanckers!" Clones started pouring out of the sewers and spreading out. They fell one after another, some hurt and some dead. However their sacrifice wasn''t in vain as their brothers pushed the droids back more and more. They were now inside the building (the end of the sewers was on an open area), and this gave the droids less maneuverability. General Di went to Dageer side, still waving his blue lightsaber. "Dageer! I am taking some men to the control room. You take the rest and and go to the main path. Open the gate and catch the droids from behind." "Yes General!" General Di took a group of twenty clones and turned left on the next junction. Dageer, now commanding the rest of the clones, went on a straight path, sending small groups when they faced a junction to make sure they wouldn''t be flanked. The sensor station wasn''t that big, so it didn''t take long for them to arrive at the gate control room. The problem was that there was a few hundreds of droids between them. Dageer didn''t have any other option besides ordering a frontal attack. He positioned his DC-15A and changed it to automatic-fire mode. Blue laser absolutely crushed the nearest droids as more than a hundred clones fired. Red laser was returned, and clones started to fall. Dageer would pop out every now and then, killing one or two droids each time, however the battle was entering on a stalemate. It was at this moment that one clone went up to him. "Sir! I have an idea, but I need your support." "What is it trooper?" "If I have one or two clones help me, I can get..." Dageer approved the idea, sending a group of clones to help. The battle extended for a few more minutes before the clone returned. He was carrying, with the help of two other clones, one of the E-Webs, now out of its tripod. The heavy turret weighted so much that the three clones were actually struggling and shaking to carry it. Dageer ordered the clones to give some cover fire, and when the time was right he gave the clone a signal. The clone stepped on the middle of the path and warmed up the E-Web. "Knock, knock!" BRUUUMMMMMM!!! The laser the turret spammed was so concentrated that it actually turned on a continuous red flow. The droid defences and themselves were literally torned apart. The clone was laughing maniacally as he fired, but at such a firing rate the barrel of the E-Web turned orange and them red, and the clones were forced to leave it before it blew up. After the mad barrage of laser the few dozen remaining droids weren''t able to put up a fight and were quickly destroyed. Dageer went to the clone, who was being complimented by the others. "What is your name trooper?" "Metal, sir." "Welcome to Hell Squad Metal. Come on lads! We still have brothers fighting outside! Commander Keeli invited us to the party!" "What?! Sir, I alredy have a..." Dageer ignored him, and fired at the control panel. It sparked and the main gate started to open. The clones lined up, Hell Squad on the front, weapons ready to give the droids hell. Chapter 35 - Deactivated Outside the sensor station the clones lead by Commander Keeli were facing a tough battle. They have alredy taken out two of the Particle Cannon Turrets, but there were still two more. The path leading to the station was packed with bodies of clones and droids. Flaming remains let smoke on the sky. Commander Keeli was having a hard time pushing forward. Half the AT-TEs were down, and the remaining ones wouldn''t last much longer. Keeli was almost giving up hope when the gate started to open by itself. The droids turned, not really understanding why the gate they were supposed to hold was opening. As the gate went up smoke billowed under it, and the ones behind it were slowly revealed. White armor, followed by a variety of weapons and finally the characteristic clone helmets. The armor was charred and full of scars, and the clones wearing it were visibly exhausted. But for Commander Keeli and the clones outside they weren''t just help, but a sign they have captured the station. The clone leading them, Dageer, didn''t give any order, just shot. And all out war broke out. ------------------------- As the gate opened Dageer could see the clones on the outside. Seeing so many of his brothers on the ground pained him. Commander Keeli was on the frontlines, using two DC-17 and leading the 303rd. As he absorbed more and more of the vision before him, Dageer didn''t even give any orders, and just fired at the nearest droid. This initiated a chain reaction, and every clone and droid started shooting. The first targets for Hell Squad were the two remaining Particle Cannon Turrets. Their gunners were taken out before they could turn and fire, giving the clones on the path some time to prepare. On the path, Commander Keeli gave the total attack order. Blue laser fire started hitting the droids from two sides, and they were torn apart in the crossfire. The AT-TEs weren''t able to fire their top cannons, as Hell Squad clones were too close, but the smaller laser cannons still made quite a mess on the droid lines. The clones lead by Dageer were the ones facing the biggest amount of pressure, as their numbers were a lot less than the droid numbers. Dageer was taking cover behind some boxes, together with Brain. Cell and Three-four were hidden on the sides of the main gate. Dab, Tech and Metal - the newest addition to Hell Squad - with the majority of the clones, were out in the open, receiving most of the enemy fire. ZUNNGRR!!! Dagger looked upward. The gigantic antenna above the sensor station have stopped. Four floors above where they were a window broke and a Tactical Droid smashed on the ground. A blur of movement followed it, and before anyone could do anything, General Di landed and rotated, slicing three droids cleanly in half. Without saying a word, the Nikto jedi ran to the middle of the surprised droids, jumping over their barricades and swinging his lightsaber faster than eyes could see. Sliced pieces of B1 battle droids fell as the jedi continued unstoppable. "The general is here! You don''t want to look bad, am I right boys?! Get up and fire!" Commander Keeli fired his pistols repeatedly, and droid heads jumped out of its notches. Dageer joined the battle, laser fire leaving his DC-15A and stoping at some droid back or chest. -------------------------- A group of AT-XT Walkers neared the sensor station. In the night, their lights shone upon the remains of the battle that took place there. The clone bodies have been moved to the sides, so they wouldn''t be crushed by the walkers, but the droids didn''t receive such treatment. As the walkers came closer to the main gate groups of clones on the barricades checked them. The gate opened, and a jedi, together with two clones, went out. Chapter 36 - Thule A hatch on top of the AT-XT opened, and General Kenobi got out. He looked really serious, very different from what Dageer considered his normal. The jedi jumped out of the walker and started talking with General Di. "Master Di, there is no need to make a secret out of it anymore. The Separatists took the weapon to Thule, and Master Windu alredy requested help from Luminara." "I see.Thule is a Republic planet isn''t it? Since they took the Harvester to Thule that means they are ready to use it. We have to stop them at all costs." Dageer was lost in the conversation, as Commander Keeli seemed to be, but he was able to put together that the black bubble that killed so many clones in Alaris Prime was going to Thule. General Di turned to them. "Keeli, prepare to move out. We are going to Thule." ------------------------ Dageer was looking through the window of the Sincerity, to the planet of Thule. Thule was small, almost entirely made of water, and the few earth spots that Dageer could see on the planet were green. Encompassing the planet was a pale blue shield. Republic forces have been able to arrive before the majority of the Separatist sh.i.p.s, but Count Dooku had set up a planetary shield, stopping the Republic fleet. For now Dageer was just waiting. According to General Di, Anakin Skywalker was sent to deal with the shield generator, located on a small moon. The clone forces were composed of the 303rd commanded by General Di, the 41st commanded by jedi master Luminara Unduli, the 212th commanded by General Kenobi and finally the 187th under General Windu. The jedi have taken to themselves the mission of destroying the new Separatist weapon. The clones were told that their mission was to fight the droids, locate the weapon and stay away. During the meeting one clone commander with purple markings on his armor asked why. He was Vant, the commander of the 187th. The answer he received was that it wasn''t for them to worry about. So now Dageer was waiting for the shields to come down. He made his way to the officers canteen, where he saw commanders Keeli, Vant, Gree and Cody. There was also a number of lieutenants and captains. If it wasn''t for his position as leader of a special squad he wouldn''t have the permission to be there. Of course he wouldn''t sit on the same table as the commanders, since his rank was lower. It was his first time there, so he decided that he would sit alone. He grabbed his food - a green paste - and went to a empty table. Dageer took of his helmet and put it down besides him. While the Sincerity was on its way to Thule he had shaved his head, so he could be even a little bit different from the other clones. He loved his brothers, but he wanted to have an identity of his own. Dageer started eating his food, and another clone came to his side. From his armor he was probably a lieutenant. The lieutenant putted his hand on Dageer shoulder. "Hey brother, don''t sit there all alone." Dageer got up and looked at the clone. He wasn''t wearing his helmet, and had an horizontal scar about five centimeters long on his forehead. He stretched his hand, and Dageer shocked it. "I am Dageer." The lieutenant pointed to the scar on his forehead. "My men nicknamed me Scar." "Very imaginative." "Hahaha! Come, sit with us brother." Scar lead Dageer to a table where two more lieutenants and one captain were sitting. Scar presented them. "Dageer, those two are lieutenants Guard and Fondor. They are from the 303rd, as are you, I believe. The captain here is Cedar, and he is, as am I, from the 41st." Chapter 37 - Maybe Dageer greeted each of the clones. It appeared that most of them had the same idea as Dageer, since, with the exception of Guard, all of them had different hair cuts and tattoos. Fondor, one of the lieutenants of the 303rd looked at Dageer and said with a surprised voice. "I don''t believe you are a lieutenant. How did you got into the officers canteen? I am just asking, don''t be mad at me. Since you are here you must have authorization." "Actually I am not sure what my rank is now. However, I have been given the same privileges as officers. Let me present myself. I am Dageer, leader of a special unit called Hell Squad." Scar and Cedar didn''t have any reaction when he told his name, but as members of the 303rd, Fondor and Guard had obviously heard of him. Guard, who appeared to be a stern type, talked for the first time. "So you are Dageer. The men on on my platoon have been talking about you. I heard you had a tough time on that Battlesphere on Geonosis." "It was fun. At least it sharpened my squad. They were much better on Alaris Prime than on Geonosis." "Since you mentioned it, what was that on Alaris Prime? Guard and Fondor platoons stayed on the ship. They could only tell us what they had heard." The one who asked the question was Cedar. The captain was the most serious of the batch, maybe because of his responsibilities. Dageer frowned when he asked about what the jedi called ''Harvester''. "It was... disturbing. On this month or so of war I have seen many men die. But not the way it happened on Alaris Prime. Everyone that touched that thing simply... fell and died. It was as if everything inside them was sucked away, and only skin remained." "I''m sorry... Dageer, do you alredy know what is your mission when we disembark?" "Not yet captain. Hell Squad will follow the 303rd and act according to the situation." Dageer talked to the clones a little more, then went to Hell Squad quarters. All of Hell Squad was there at the moment, which was a surprise, as the clones usually eat at this time, Hell Squad was no exception. Brain and Tech were playing some game on a hologram table. Dab was cleaning his DC-15x, and Cell was sleeping. Three-four and Metal were discussing something on one of the corners. Metal seemed to have accepted his transfer to Hell Squad, although he complained quite a bit. When Dageer stepped inside the room they all stopped what they were doing and saluted him. He dispensed them, told them to get back to what they were doing and went to sleep himself. ---------------------- When Dageer woke up the shield was still on. Now there was only Metal on the room with him, playing with his weapon. Dageer sat on his bed and called him. "Metal. I know you are not happy with being taken out of your squad, but Hell Squad is in dire need of a heavy gunner like you." "It is not that sir. I don''t care with being transferred. I was surprised at most. It is just that... uff... all my old squad members are dead. Some died on Alaris Prime, and others on Rhen Var. In the end only I survived." "I am sorry to hear that." "No need to be sir. We are soldiers, this is normal. Even so, when I am alone I can''t stop thinking that I could have done something. Maybe if I have grabbed that E-Web earlier. Or if I have entered the sewers first. Or if I had waited more on Alaris Prime. Maybe..." "Metal. I know how you are feeling. I lost as many brothers as you did. And for that reason that we have to keep fighting. So we can end this war earlier and make sure that we all can go home as soon as possible." Chapter 38 - Memories "That is why I need you to stop thinking about those who fell, and stay here on the present. As a member of Hell Squad your mission is bigger than most of the clones. We are a special unit, prepared to take high value targets. We will face more danger than most clones, all to make sure that they face less perils than us." Metal was staring blankly at Dageer. He probably wasn''t expecting such an emotional speech from Dageer. To tell the truth, Dageer also wasn''t. It was just that when he heard Metal talking, memories started to fload his mind. He remembered the brothers with who he spent his training. Some, like CT-4087, were dead. Others he didn''t know if were dead or alive. He remembered his squad leader, who used to be harsh, but was the first to jump into battle on Geonosis. He remembers all of those brothers who died by his side in the short month of war. Then he thought about all the others who could die with the war kept going. He then thought about Brain, Cell, Dab, Three-four, Tech and Metal. He thought about Keeli, Gree, Cody and even those who he had just met such as Scar and Cedar. "So, Metal, put aside those memories, and shown your respect to those who left us by fighting side by side with me, Hell Squad, the 303rd and every clone in the galaxy!" Metal stood up, his eyes glinting. "YES SIR!!!" When he talked it wasn''t only his voice, but also some more that came from the door. Dageer turned to see the rest of Hell Squad on the door. Three-four spoke with a strong voice. "We will make sure to follow what you just said sir." "Ughh... for how long have you been listening? Don''t you know that not saluting your superior officer is disrespectful?" "We know... brother." Thankfully a clone soldier came and took Dageer if the awkward moment. "Sir. General Skywalker took out the shield. General Di want you on the bridge. The invasion has begun." "All right trooper. I''m going. Hell Squad! Check your weapons and your armors. We are going to show this separatist sc.u.m what brothers can do." ----------------------- Clones were working hard on the bridge. Different from the normal clones, those didn''t wear armor, but navy outfit. On the middle on the bridge there was a platform, higher than the rest of the bridge. The door on the end of the bridge opened and Dageer walked in, helmet off his head, and under his arm. The bridge was especially crowded at this moment. Captains stood on organized rows before the hologram table. General Di and Commander Keeli were facing the projections of General Luminara and Commander Gree, General Kenobi and Commander Cody and General Windu and Commander Vant. General Windu was the one speaking. "Obi-Wan, you and Commander Cody shall land on the south hemisphere, where the Separatists built their communication center. Luminara, you and I will land onto the north hemisphere and try to clear as many droid air bases as possible. Luckily we have stopped the Separatist fleet before they could dominate the whole planet. If we do our job well then the air battle should be easy." "What about me, Master Windu?" "Ima-Gun Di, you and Commander Keeli also have air bases as target. There is an archipelago onto the planet where the Separatist built one of their largest air bases. It is from there that they are resupplying their capital ship." General Windu turned to the clones that were on his ship. Automatically the projection zoomed out to show that he had all his clone captains with him, as did Kenobi and Luminara Unduli. "Troopers, listen up. Your mission isn''t only to conquer the planet, but also to keep an eye out for this Separatist weapon. You will know that it is it the moment you see it. You are not to approach it on any occasion. The troops of Master Di and Master Kenobi have alredy proved how deadly that can be." Chapter 39 - Shoulder to Shoulder "Our orders are to destroy the air base, and while we are at it try to locate the Separatist weapon. We are not to get anywhere near it." After the briefing Dageer was giving Hell Squad their orders, which were the same as the other clones. "Now get in the gunsh.i.p.s! Remember what I said before. We might not have any special assignment this time, but that doesn''t mean we can''t be at the frontlines. Metal, before we go come with me a minute." Metal followed Dageer to the armory. Inside there were thousands of blasters, cannons, turrets and explosives. Dageer lead Metal through a maze of shelves with weapons to a section were what looked like E-Webs but smaller were leaning. "Wow! Those are Z-6 Rotarys, aren''t they? I used to have a smaller version of them Kamino, but after we went to Geonosis I didn''t see one of those." "Well, one of them is yours now. I have alredy talked with command. I expect you to be Hell Squad strongest attacker." "Thank you sir." --------©\-----©\--------- Dageer and Metal went ro the hangar, where the 303rd was preparing to go. The members of Hell Squad whistled when they saw Metal new gun. Z-6s weren''t that common, and needed special authorization to use. Hell Squad got in the gunsh.i.p.s, together with General Di and Commander Keeli. Taking out the base shouldn''t be much difficult, as they had an overwhelming number of clones. What they were really worried about was the weapon that created the black bubble. The clones who had been in Alaris Prime have all experienced the terror of it. Even those who weren''t have heard of it by other clones. The pilot of the Laat directed the gunship to a group of islands. There was no anti-aircraft fire, and the sides of the gunship were open. Dageer looked outside and saw the Laats diverting in three different directions. The 303rd Laats lowered their altitude, and soon the droid air base was on sight. A stream of black dots left the air base, and the pilot warned them. "Vultures incoming! Closing the doors!" The doors slid to the sides, covering the sides. Red lights turned on. Dageer was now used to it, and the sounds that the battle outside made didn''t make him uncomfortable as the first time. He walked on the gunship, going to the c.o.c.kpit, and at the same time talking with the soldiers. On his way he crossed with Commander Jeeli, who was doing the same on the other direction. He arrived behind the pilot seat and looked outside. The battle was on full swing, Vulture droids blowing up, not without taking some Laats out. The clones had the upper hand, and Dageer gunship faced almost no enemy fire before it neared the landing point. Dageer turned and walked back into the cargo area. He looked and nodded at Commander Keeli. He, on turn, nodded back at Dageer, as if saying that he should do the talk. Dageer looked at the thirty or so clones and turned on his speaker. "Listen up boys! Get in position! We are coming in hot, and we will take that base fast and easy. Remember our orders, if any of you see the Separatist weapon tell the general. Now, get ready!" Dageer went to the left side, where General Di and Commander Keeli were. He prepared his DC-15A and stood at their side. General Di turned on his lightsaber, and on Dageer left Commander Keeli took out his two DC-17. Brain went to his right, and Hell Squad entered position behind him. Cell put his hand on his shoulder, and Dageer nodded to all the members of Hell Squad. The clones lifted their weapons. The doors opened. Chapter 40 - Flank Lasers hit everywhere. The lightsaber of General Di swung crazily, but it wasn''t able to stop every shot. By luck no clone of Hell Squad was hit. Dageer jumped of the Laat. His feet hit the soil and he ducked behind a tree. He looked to the left, quickly taking note of the droid defences. Blast shields have been put in four or five locations, but it appeared that most of their defences were composed of boxes hurriedly moved. Those were just the outer defences though, further away was the air base. It was one of the easy-to-built droid bases, walls ten meters tall, holes on the top for the droids to shoot. There was one Dwarf-Spider droid on each of the four corners. Towering over the walls was one C-9979 Landing Craft. The four wings of the C-9979 were able to carry thousands of clanckers, but Dageer was sure that every single clone of the 303rd was worth ten droids. By now the clones have got out of the gunship, and were taking cover. Meanwhile, dozens of other Laats were landing. The two Dwarf-Spider droids that were able to fire at them made quite a mess, even blowing up one or two gunsh.i.p.s. However, the clone fire was annihilating their outer ring of defences. Also, they had a jedi. Like always, General Di was fighting in the frontlines, although he was heavily suppressed right now. He was, however, attracting most of the enemy fire, and Dageer was using this chance to fire at the droids. He fired two shots to the right and ran to the left, advancing a couple dozen of meters before the droids aimed at him again. Commander Keeli talked to him through his comlink. "Dageer, take the left, I am taking the right. The general will attract their attention, and we sneak around them. When we are in position we pincer them from two sides." "What about the clanckers on the walls, and those two spider droids?" "Hit and run." Commander Keeli cut off his communications, so Dageer had no other option but doing as he was told. He waited until General Di had jumped out and started crawling. He used the bushes and logs to cover his body as he passed, and it seemed to work. He got behind the enemy lines, just before the walls. If he advanced any further they would be able to detect him. Dageer contacted Commander Keeli, careful to speak softly. "I''m in position commander." "Wait. I had to take a detour around some of them. Give me ten seconds, and when you hear me fire, do it." "Yes sir." Seconds passed at snail pace, as Dageer was worried he would be noticed. No one did. When five seconds had passed he crawled a little more forward, taking the risk of been seen, so he could have a clear shot. The droids backs were turned towards him, but there were al least a dozen of them. And that was just the nearest barricade, there were a few more. Dageer really had no idea how he and the commander were going to survive the fire from both the droids outside and on the walls, but he trusted Commander Keeli. Ten seconds, and nothing happened. Dageer griped the hilt of his DC-15A, his finger slightly pressing the trigger. Eleven seconds. Twelve. Thirteen. Bang, bang! Two droids on the other side of the barricade lost their heads. Dageer fired, aiming for a target a bit easier to hit, their bodies. One, two, three droids went down on his side, and two more on the other. Six remained. Dageer rolled to the side, dodging the laser fire from the droids. He fired two more times, getting one droid, but missing the other one. Commander Keeli ran out of his position, firing his DC-17, destroying almost all the droids. Dageer got up and fired his DC-15A, his shots and Commander Keeli ones hitting the last droids at the same time. Everything took last than fifteen seconds. Chapter 41 - Taking The Walls The droids on the walls finally started shooting at them. It was at this moment that Commander Keeli said something that made Dageer think he was crazy, and he himself even more by following it. "Run to the walls!" "What?!" However, he ran. Possibility the stupid idea of his short life, as he was now stuck between a solid and tall wall and dozens of E-5s. And then Commander Keeli threw one of his DC-17s to him. "Use the hooks!" Light struck Dageer mind. The idea was at the same time ingenious and crazy, but it could work. Actually, Dageer felt it would work. Commander Keeli aimed his weapon to one of the holes in the wall from which droids were shooting. The he clicked some button and a metal cable, with a ''x'' shaped head penetrated the thinner metal pieces that made the border of the hole. Using both his arms, Commander Keeli started climbing his way up. Dageer found the hook button on the DC-17 and fired it, the recoil stronger than he thought, making his aim go up a little. The cable went directly through the window, and hit something inside. Dageer pulled it to make sure it was strong enough to take on his weight. The cable dragged something for a little, and then tensed up. Dageer ignored his uneasiness and started climbing. The droids on the outside had turned and fired at him and Commander Keeli, and lasers hit around him, one even grazing his shoulder, leaving a dark mark on it, but not hurting him. Slightly above him, Commander Keeli had reached the holes, and pulled himself inside. Immediately laser fire was heard, and somehow one B1 droid was thrown out. Dageer reached the hole, and mimicking Commander Keeli, held onto the sides, detached the cable, and pulled himself. On the walls there was actually only a metal floor, going all around the base, with stairs here and there. It was only a couple meters wide, so two careless steps could lead to a ten meters fall. From above, Dageer could see the ground level of the air base, on which were a few Vulture droids and, of course, the C-9979. And there were also droids, many of them. On the top, where Dageer and Commander Keeli were, droids were divided into groups of five, one group on each hole. Dageer had hit one of those droids with the cable, and the hook trespassed his front and appeared on his back. Maybe because of the loud noise outside, only the nearest droids have noticed them, giving the chance for them to clear up the droids on their side. Dageer used the DC-17, faster and better for close distances, and shot the droids point blank. Commander Keeli was doing the same, and when his ammo was over he used the butt of his DC-17 to back punch one of the droids, sending him tumbling backwards, and getting on the way of the others. He picked up one of the droids E-5, and knelt down, turning and firing to the other side. Dageer was a bit more violent when the ammunition of his DC-17 was over. He dropped it and picked up his DC-15A, which he had put on his back to climb, grabbed it by the barrel, and swung it like a club. The unlucky droid he had chosen was sent flying, out of the wall and onto the ground one level below. Dageer twirled his gun around, and fired, so close to the droids that the blue laser passed through the first droid and hit the second. Their side of the wall was now clear, but the small skirmish was enough to attract not only the droids in the other walls but also those onto the ground, who where surrounding the droid Dageer had thrown down. Chapter 42 - Fire Commander Keeli looked at Dageer, who in turn asked him a question. "What now commander? There is only half a base aiming at us." "Well... I only planned until this point. I didn''t think we would make this far this fast. Either they are worse than we thought or we are much better than we thought. But now is not the time to talk. We have to find some cover, take the stairs!" They ran towards the stairs that lead downwards, getting some cover behind some containers, but if the droids used a pincer move, from up and down, they wouldn''t be able to survive five seconds. "Dageer, any idea on what do we do?" "Sir, that might sound even crazier than the ideas I had before, but I think there is an easy way to complete the mission, and maybe even come out alive." The commander fired a bit from the corner, at least for now keeping the droids below them away. "I''m interested. What is this way?" Dageer knelt down and aimed upwards, taking down a few brave, and dumb, droids who tried to charge them. "You see those red barrels over there? If I ain''t wrong they should be tibanna gas. See that they are connected to those vultures? If we blow the barrels then we start a chain reaction." "Yeah, and probably we will go to hell with it." "Are you up to it commander?" "Any doubt? When I count three. One... two... three!" They got out from behind the containers and fired. The big barrels were an easy target for experienced shooters like them. At first there was no reaction, even when the lasers hit. However, after a few shots hit the same place, the barrels finally exploded. A wave of heat passed by, throwing them onto the ground. The tibanna gas burned green, and as the fire ignited the gas inside the hoses, green flowers of fire were formed. When it finally got to Vulture droids, shrapnel flew everywhere, dismembering the droids near. By now no droid was paying attention to Dageer and Keeli, neither they were able to. Fire started to spread through the whole base, and firefighter droids were trying to put it out, without success. "Ohoh! Commander, I think we might have a slight problem!" The fire had made it''s way up the C-9979, and even if it didn''t blow, even if it just fell it would be disastrous. "Dageer, let''s go back the way we came. Up, now!" They run up the stairs, and found themselves back into the top of the walls. The droids were too worried about the alredy out of control fire to go after them, so they faced no impediments. Commander Keeli got to the cables they used to come in and jumped, Dageer following suit. The droids outside had alredy died, but after seeing the fire General Di had tactfully ordered the 303rd to stay their advance. Dageer and Commander Keeli were alredy quite a distance away when the C-9979 finally couldn''t hold on anymore. An explosion bigger than the others sounded and then it fell, crushing the west wall. The whole air base was on fire, and Dageer was sure that there was no chance any droid survived it. Brain approached them. "Sir, I think when the general said ''take the air base'' he didn''t mean set it on fire." "Hahahaha! You know Dageer, I think this trooper here is right." "Well commander, I can''t take all the credit to myself. If it wasn''t because of you I wouldn''t even had gotten inside the air base." General Di approached them, and the clones got in standard military position. "General!" "Good job you two. On fire or not, this base won''t be able to send any air support to Count Dooku. Any sign of the Separatist weapon?" "Nothing sir. But I think I now where it is." "And where is it Dageer?" Dageer pointed to somewhere behind General Di. There, a black pillar was growing larger by the second. Chapter 43 - Dont know what title to put "Commander, get me a Laat." "I am going with you sir." "No you aren''t Keeli. Jedis might be able to survive this thing, but clones don''t stand a chance. Search the base, what is left of it. Make sure there are no separatists left." "... yes sir." Soon a Laat arrived, and General Di embarked on it, going to the still growing pillar of black. The clones made a perimeter around the air base, and groups started searching for anything that could be salvaged. Hell Squad had long passed their time of guard duty, and, for the envy of all 303rd, were chilling while they did the heavy work. Dageer was talking to Commander Keeli, both of them looking uncomfortably to the black pillar. "Commander, it is in the south. Maybe we should contact Commander Cody, and see if he has any information." "Alredy did it Dageer. He said that General Kenobi ordered them to retreat as soon as the Separatist activated the weapon." "But... have you noticed it is different from last time? It isn''t a bubble anymore. I hope that is good." "Coming from the Separatist I doubt it can be any good." Tech interrupted them to show that something had changed. The black pillar had dimmed, and it was slowly disappearing. The moment it totally disappeared a mushroom cloud took it''s place. Commander Keeli activated his comlink, trying to get in contact with General Di. "General! Can you hear me general?" "Keeli." "Is everything alright general? That appears to be one big explosion." "It was. The Harvester was destroyed, together with the rest of the weapon. Quite surprisingly, it wasn''t any jedi master, but young Skywalker who did it. I think we should expect to work with him in the future, as he seems to be about to take the challenges to become a jedi master." General Di interrupted himself, and gave a dry laugh. "I am getting off track. What matters is that our campaign on Thule is over, and the galaxy will never see such a terrifying weapon once again. Unfortunately Count Dooku escaped, although his bounty hunter perished." "So, what do we do now sir?" "Be ready to leave, and wait for new orders. I am going to the Sincerity directly, there are still some matters I need to discuss with Master Windu. Meanwhile we are going to come get you." "We are waiting sir." After the call was over Commander Keeli turned to Dageer, who was listening. "Let''s go, this war is not over yet." ----------------------------- Later, on the Sincerity. General Di passed a memorial to Commander Keeli, who later passed it to Dageer. On it was written the next assignment of the 303rd. Dageer looked at General Di, and couldn''t help but ask. "General, are we being assigned to guard duty? Why? The 303rd had stellar results, and so far we haven''t lost one battle." "Which is why we are receiving such a task Dageer. You, as a clone, should understand it better than anyone. Take Keeli as example, I am sure he is as unhappy as you, but he didn''t complain. You know why Dageer?" Dageer was in silence, extremely surprised. He hadn''t expected that a complaint he made lightly would result in such a scolding. "Yes sir. I''m sorry sir." The jedi continued as if he had not heard what Dageer answered. "He didn''t complain because he know his position as a soldier, and more than that, he knows how important that planet is not only for the Republic, but also for the clones." The Sincerity shook lightly, and they entered hyperspace. General Di turned to the front of the ship, showing his back to Dageer and Commander Keeli. "Prepare yourselves gentlemen. You are going home. You are going to Kamino." Chapter 44 - Home Two days later The Sincerity landed on a platform next to Tipoca City, on Kamino. As always, it was raining, the only weather that the planet had. Dark green water made up for the entire planet, except it''s core, which was dozens of thousands meters deep. The access ramp on the back of The Sincerity got down, and the 303rd Attack Legion started to march out neatly. After all the soldiers got out, it was the AT-TEs and AT-XTs turn. They were directed by the Kamino Security Team, a specialized legion, to their quarters. Not even the rain could make Hell Squad feel down. No matter how disappointed they were for being taken out of the frontlines, returning to their home planet was still an amazing sensation. Dageer was approached by one of the Kamino troopers, recognizable by his grey shoulder armor. "Hell Squad?" "That is us." "Follow me. You were allocated somewhere else." Hell Squad left formation, and under the clone lead went to a separate platform. The clone explained that this platform was reserved to special units, such as Hell Squad. After they arrived at the door, the Kamino trooper took of his helmet and looked at them expectantly. "Sir, if you don''t mind me asking, but how is the battlefield like?" Dageer could understand why the clone would ask that. The Kamino Security Team received some of the best training of the clone army, but unless Kamino was attacked they would never use it. "It is at the same time horrible and impressive. However, no clone who ever fought would wish that for a brother." The clone looked like he wanted to ask something else, but in the end he didn''t, and just saluted Hell Squad before he left. Tech watched as he left. "Well sir, you did a good job scaring this one." Brain intervened. "That is good. If he ever have to fight then he might survive more than the others." Three-four gave Brain a light punch. "Enough of this guys. We just got back home and you are alredy talking about those gloomy things." Ignoring his bickering squad, Dgeer entered their facilities. It was a long hall, with doors on both sides, most of them unmarked. Only two had something written in the panels, the first one being ''Hell Squad'' and the second ''Deep Squad''. As Hell Squad was moving in, the door of Deep Squad room opened, and a clone wearing blue clothes - not armor - walked out. He seemed surprised, but then stuck his head inside the room from which he came and said something. After doing that he extended his hand, and shook it with everyone of Hell Squad before introducing himself. "Hello brothers. Shokk, Deep Squad." "I am Dageer, Hell Squad leader. Those are Brain, Tech, Three-four, Cell, Dab and Metal." More clones wearing the same blue clothes walked out, a total of ten. One of them, who had long hair - unusual in clones - walked forward. "Welcome home Hell Squad. My name is Broodi, and I am the leader of Deep Squad." "Always good to meet a brother. Which legion are you under?" "We serve General Shaak Ti, here on Kamino. That doesn''t mean, though, that we don''t know how to fight." Dageer easily detected the need for recognition on Broodi voice. Maybe because they haven''t actually gone to battles, but they seemed afraid that the other clones would think they were cowards. Dageer suspected that every clone of the Kamino Security Team felt the same. "It was a pleasure to meet you Deep Squad, but now we have to organize ourselves. It won''t be long before we receive our tasks." "If you need help or maybe a guide, feel free to ask." As Hell Squad members organized their few possessions, weapons and armor, Dageer went outside. The Sincerity was refuelling and preparing to go to orbit, where it would stay until they were called to battle again. Dageer checked on Hell Squad, and seeing that some of them had alredy drifted into sleep, he decided to go to the mess alone. Chapter 45 - Old Friend On the glass corridors of Tipoca City a clone with a shaved head was walking. His once clean white armor was now dusty and scarred. When he passed by other clones they would greet him, and on one occasion, when he passed by a group of teenager clone cadets they looked up impressed. Dageer was immersed on his own thoughts as he walked to the canteen. Little more than a month had passed since he himself was a cadet walking on the same halls, but his mentality had changed a lot. Due to him being so absorbed on his thoughts he didn''t see a figure coming straight towards him. They crashed on each other, Dageer only slightly shaking, but the figure dropped to the ground. Dageer looked at him, surprised that he found a familiar face so soon. "99! I am so sorry!" "CT-4063? It is... cough, cough! It is good to see you! How are you doing?" " My name is Dageer now, and I''m fine 99. I am even better now that we are home. Any big changes here on the last month?" "Yes, yes. A lot actually. Cough! Ermm... one jedi, Shaak Ti came to here. She has taken over the clone production control, but she is not bad. Not bad at all. She treats the clones much better than those bounty hunters that train the cadets." "Bounty hunters?" "Yeah. Two of them, Bric and El-Les. They are good trainers, and they do a good job... cough, cough... a good job training the cadets. But I feel they are too strict to the young cadets." "Well, maybe I will meet those bounty hunters later, and have a look at their training methods. It was good to see you again 99. We probably are staying here for quite some time, so I will see you again." "Bye, bye. Send my greetings to our brothers on the 303rd." Dageer watched the hunched back of 99. The poor clone was totally deformed, and completely inept to battle. However, he never gave up, and still fought his own way, giving many cadets - including Dageer - the support they needed to get through some of the most difficult moments of their training. Dageer pitied 99, for he had more fighting spirit than any clone Dageer ever met, but couldn''t use it on a real battle. Remembering his initial intent of eating something, Dageer started walking once again, following the path he had treaded upon as a cadet, going to the canteen. He passed by many more clones, the Kamino troopers patrolling, cadets of all ages just walking around and soldiers like him, who had just returning and were going to the mess. On his way he met a good number of 303rd clones, and when they arrived at the mess the group had grown by a considerable amount. The doors slid up, showing a big building with dozens of long tables. Like most things on Kamino, the canteen was white, making he feel as if he had entered a white box. When the clones of the 303rd Attack Legion entered the white canteen, their dirty armor immediately made them the focus of attention. Uncountable identical faces turned to them, and when they looked back the heads turned to their food once again. Their dirty armours, and the sharpened eyes of men who passed by countless life-and-death situations intimidated most of the clones on the mess, brothers or not. Of course not all of them, as some of the soldiers alredy on the canteen were the same as them. On one table, a group of clones looked up, and raised their forks to greet Dageer and the others. Those clones had the same scorched armour, and Dageer could tell they had also been to the war front. They were most probably the 182nd Legion, who was also stationed on Kamino. Chapter 46 - Training On a building on the central platform of Tipoca City. A female togruta, with red skin and blue and white protuberances on her head, was talking to General Di. She appeared to be very calm as if nothing could make her feel worried. "Master Di, I understand how important those facilities are for the Republic better than anyone, however, I still think the High Council is wrong about positioning you here." "Any danger that the kaminoans might suffer has to be treated as a peril to the Republic core itself. Our informants have enough proof for us to believe that the Separatists are mounting an attack." "Then, tell me Master Di, how are the Separatist supposed to get past dozens of highly fortified Republic systems and still have a big enough force to destroy Kamino." "That is... unknown yet. But the council is so sure that the attack is going to happen that they have sent not only me but also another group of jedis, who are on their way." "If what you are saying is true, then may the force be with us." -------------------------- Hell Squad didn''t have much to do on Kamino. Apart from the occasional guard duty, their only occupation was staying ready to defend all times. They spent most of their free time watching the cadets run the test course, a hobby that Cell had discovered and the other members of Hell Squad had adopted. At this moment Hell Squad was on the bleachers, watching a squad of five clones trying to clear the course. B1 and B2 battle droids reconfigured to fire non-lethal shots and painted with white targets were blocking the clones. As Dageer watched the clones finally shot down the last B2 battle droid and captured the green flag that they were protecting. "That wasn''t bad. But if the one on their right flank hasn''t hesitated so much to advance they probably would have won without losing anybody." "You can''t blame him Brain. He has only trained here, we wouldn''t have fared much better if we were still cadets." It was at that moment that someone behind them said something calmly. "Then why don''t you try it trooper?" They all turned quick, only to see the togruta that was talking to General Di before (of course they didn''t know that). "General Shaak Ti!" "No need for that troopers. If you are so interested in the test runs, why don''t you show the cadets what a real soldier is like?" "I... hmmm..." "If we can do it as a squad, Hell Squad would be more than happy to give the cadets a taste of what a battlefield looks like." Dageer stepped forward, and Cell gave him a thankful stare. "Good. I will call all the cadets available here, and I hope that by watching you they can understand some of their own problems. Prepare yourself." "Yes general!" Before long at least a thousand clone cadets had filled the benches, and, as improbable as it sounded, Tech and Cell, two soldiers who had passed through dozens of life-and-death combats, we''re starting to get nervous. "Man, I don''t think we ever had such a big crowd watching us battle." "Usually the crowd was trying to kill us." This lightened the mood, and Dageer directed them to the starting line. The course was made up by scattered crates, small fortifications, and at the end a tower they had to either climb or invade to get the flag. Of course, there were also many training droids, who had been placed on almost all defensive positions of the test field. Since Hell Squad was an elite unit, Shaak Ti had decided to increase the difficulty, adding not only a lot more droids but also some Droidekas. Dageer had the feeling it was going to be fun. Chapter 47 - Odd Strategy General Shaak Ti looked down, to where Hell Squad was and used a microphone to ask if they were ready. As an answer, Dageer raised his DC-15A, and then the timer started counting. Hell Squad advanced together, as a unit to the first bit of cover. From that point onwards, every other crate or fortress they wanted to reach would be full of droids. Dageer them made a decision that the clone cadets were trained not to do, that was direct Hell Squad to the left, where their backs would be against the wall. That meant that, although they wouldn''t be flanked, they wouldn''t be able to run if things got too hot. Only Dageer new what he was thinking when he ordered that. ------------------------- On the benches, clones were cheering loud for them, but they all frowned when they saw Hell Squad moving to the left, totally against the logic. On a higher stage, General Shaak Ti was together with the two bounty hunters, a Siniteen called Bric and an Arcona called El-Les. At this moment Bric, who before had complained a lot about the ''show'', was impressed now. "They aren''t actually as bad as I thought." General Shaak Ti looked to Bric weirdly. She had thought that he would be angry with them not following the tactic-books. "Why are you so impressed Bric? They are doing the opposite of what you teach." El-Les intervened. "I can answer that for him, general. If soldiers without battle sense do that, it is the same as suicide, since they wouldn''t have enough space to dodge. But, as battle-hardened men, and a special unit on top of that, Hell Squad can make the most out of it." "Yes, general. You might be a jedi, but this is the first time you went to war." "Then clarify for me how they are going to make the most out of it please." "It is simple. They only have to take down every droid before they can fire." ------------------------- When Hell Squad went left, they have escaped from two different perils. The first was that the middle was lower than the rest of the terrain, so they could have been fired upon easily. The second was that there were two towers, on each side, and each one with a turret. If they have just gone to the left a little they would have gotten out of the lower terrain, and also would have a lot of covers, although both towers would still be able to fire at them, but with a smaller outpost, as there were too many obstacles. That was the strategy that all the cadets followed. However, Dageer had moved Hell Squad to the extreme left, out of range from the right tower, but with little to none cover. And directly in front of the left tower. The cadets sucked a deep breath, thinking that Hell Squad was about to be annihilated, but the members of Hell Squad itself did not even look at the tower and concentrated on cleaning the droids on the ground. Only when the turret had already turned to them that Dab aimed at it and fired two shots, taking out both droids on it and eliminating the threat easily. Dageer switched from crate to crate, taking shots when he could. On a small space like that his accuracy reached its peak, and every shot took out of one droid. At this time he saw a big movement from the droids on the right. It appeared that they had decided that since Hell Squad wouldn''t come to them, they would come for Hell Squad. Under his helmet, Dageer smirked. That was the chance he was waiting. When almost thirty droids have reunited and were marching towards them, Dageer signaled to Metal. "Metal, big boy, it''s your turn." Chapter 48 - Harmless Metal got up, his Z-6 spinning slowly. As soon as he appeared the thirty odd droids lifted their weapons, but it was too late. A torrent of laser left the six barrels of the gun, and the front of the droid forces fell quickly. As soon as one droid fell the one behind him would be on the receiving end of the lasers, and would also be shot down pretty quick. Hell Squad had shown now that even with their backs against the wall they could still take care of the enemies easily. Many of the cadets were already thinking of using this strategy to pass their final examination. What many clones did not think, though, was how much Dageer pondered before formulating his plan. Dageer has taken into account different facts before he decided for the extreme left. First of all, he knew how many enemies they would face, which usually is an incognita on real battles. Second, Hell Squad had a pretty clear objective, which was that capturing the flag, and he knew that the droids would do everything to protect it, including abandoning defensive positions and agglomerating on a large group. Lastly, Hell Squad had one sniper - Dab - to take care of the towers and one heavy machine gunner - Metal - to take care of the group of droids. Those were members that normal squads didn''t have, so any of the cadets who tried the same strategy would be obliterated. While Metal was taking care of the droids who came at them, Dageer called Brain, and together they sprinted towards a bunch of crates twenty meters away. They knelt on the floor behind the crates, and Dageer took out a droid popper. Brain, seeing his squad leader doing so, also took out one, and they both threw it over their shoulders, without even aiming. The grenades flew over some crates and landed behind some droids. Blue, electric chains zapped and the droids trembled before crashing onto the floor. With the path clear, the rest of Hell Squad advanced, and Dageer signaled for Cell to go ahead. The scout carried a DC-15S, much better for close ranges, and was a specialist on close combat. Cell darted through the crates, and when he passed through a droid he would shoot it point blank. His actions secured Hell Squad another twenty minutes before he was forced to stop. There was now an open space, and the Droidekas were positioned there, their shields raised. There were five of them, and for the cadets, it was their first time seeing one. The destroyers were amongst the most dangerous infantry forces of the Separatist, and therefore it was difficult for the Republic to acquire one of them. Thus, the cadets only received theoretical training about how to destroy or deactivate Droidekas. This time there was no doorway on which Hell Squad could funnel them, so Dageer could only go with the second best option. First, he and Hell Squad cleared all the droids on the vicinities, so they wouldn''t be attacked immediately. Then, each Hell Squad members grabbed droid poppers. Their objective was to roll the grenades under the destroyer''s shields, but it was a troublesome tactic. They couldn''t throw it too fast or the shields would identify it as a laser or attack of some sort and block it. But, if they were to slow then they wouldn''t reach the target. "Remember boys, neither too slow nor too fast, just like we practiced. We have to trick their shields into thinking those here are harmless rocks and not some kind of metal ball of death." "When you are ready sir." "Then go!" Dageer threw the grenade near the ground, and it started rolling towards the Droidekas, together with six others. Chapter 49 - Exceptional The droid poppers rolled, but only four of them passed the shields and shut down the destroyers. Metal and Three-four have thrown them too strong, and they banged on the shield before activating harmlessly. Dab one, on the other hand, had been to slow and didn''t have enough impulse to reach the destroyer. With on Droideka remaining, Dageer went all-out and ran in a zigzag to the droid. Thanks to his swift movements he was able to dodge the stun lasers that the Droideka was firing. He put the muzzle of his DC-15A on the droid head and pulled the trigger. On the stands Bric made a hard face, thinking about how hard it was to acquire an intact Droideka and reprogram it. Now with a third of the course done, and their biggest threat out of the way, Hell Squad was much more relaxed. They walked through almost the entire test course as if they weren''t on a battle, but walking on a park. Cell and Brain even found the time to bicker a little, although Dageer ordered them to shut up. "Come on men! I know it is just a test course, but we have a thousand cadets and even a jedi watching us. You can decide later who sleep on the top bed." Hearing that Commander Keeli and General Di, who had heard of the demonstration Hell Squad was giving and wanted to see it, face-palmed. On their minds, they were thinking if it was even possible for their special squad to embarrass the 303rd more than they were already doing. Hell Squad was now faced with their last obstacle, a fortress that presented them with two options. They could either invade it, fighting door to door or they could climb from the outside, but they would be exposed to droid fire from the top and the windows. It was a treacherous choice for others, but for Hell Squad not so much. Dab would be able to shoot any droid who approached the windows from the outside, so it was an easy option. However, before they could even take out the cables they had prepared beforehand, a heavy machinery sound buzzed. From both sides of the walls, holes opened and four heavy turrets showed up. It was obvious that General Shaak Ti had already analyzed their members, and knew what they were going to do, so she couldn''t let Hell Squad had it too easy. Dageer new there was no way Hell Squad could escape from the turrets on open ground, even less if they wanted to climb. He could only command them to break into the tower, the option he liked less. ----------------------- The members of Hell Squad disappeared inside the tower one after another. The cadets outside couldn''t see anything, but General Shaak Ti, Bric and El-Les could. They had cameras inside the tower that they used to analyze the cadets during normal training. At this moment Hell Squad had only broken through the first door, and still had five floors to go. They moved organized, their leader on the front, followed by the heavy machine gunner, their medic and then the sniper in the middle. Walking backward was their mechanic, and lastly, the two clones who had been discussing earlier. The two bounty hunters were impressed by the cohesion the group showed, going from door to door, opening it and shooting the droids inside systematically. ------------------------- Dageer opened the last door and then started going up the last set of stairs. Hell Squad had taken care of each and every droid on their way, and now the only remaining ones were those defending the flag. They didn''t stand a chance. Dageer walked among downed droids and grabbed the flag. The moment he touched the green flag it turned red, and the timer stopped. 14:56 Chapter 50 - Ambush As soon as the chronometer stopped ticking the clone cadets got up and started cheering and clapping loudly. Such a short conclusion time was unheard of, and with turrets, Droidekas and a ton of droids, even more so. Commander Keeli also joined in the fray, and even General Di had a proud smile on his face. General Shaak Ti asked for everyone attention on the speaker and waited for all of Hell Squad to line up. "Congratulations Hell Squad. You have set a new record for all clones on Kamino to break. And a difficult one on top of that. However, cadets, do not feel discouraged because of this. Those clones here are merely two months ahead of you. All you have to do is train harder and you will be able to do the same as them." "I thought the whole point of us being a special squad was doing what others could never do." Cell, unconcerned as ever, whispered to Dageer, who gave him a stern warning stare. However, before Dageer could reprimand him, the lights turned red. General Shaak Ti and General Di pulled out their lightsabers. Hell Squad, Commander Keeli, the two bounty hunters and any of the clones of the 303rd or 182nd who were there aimed their blasters at the doors on a swift motion. The cadets, on the other hand, did not know what to do, or at least the young ones didn''t. They were just standing, waiting for someone to order them. A few seconds later General Shaak Ti received a message through her comlink. Immediately after she gave some orders to the bounty hunters - who then left - and turned to General Di. "You were right Master Di. Kamino is under attack at this exact moment, but we still haven''t identified the enemy commander. You and your legion already know what to do on this case, I believe?" "Don''t worry my friend. Not a single droid will get past us." That said he gesticulated to Hell Squad and the 303rd clones on the training course. They immediately entered formation and followed him out of the training field. On her side, General Shaak Ti connected the speaker to the entire base system, and her voice resounded on every corner of the cloning facilities. "Shaak Ti talking. This is a level 1 alert. Kamino Security Team, take up positions and prepare to hold. All clone cadets and non-essential personnel, return to your dormitories. Those who have six months or less to complete your training, pick your weapons at the arsenal and meet with trainers Bric and El-Les on platform FF2-O3." -------------------------- The voice of the togruta jedi repeated the warning three times, but Dageer was too busy running to pay attention. In his head, he was thinking that this was the reason why the 303rd Attack Battalion had been moved to Kamino. The jedi new something was going to happen, but they decided not to tell the clones. As a soldier he knew that was the correct decision, otherwise, the men would stay on a tiring, unnecessary alarmed state, waiting for an attack that they didn''t know when it would happen. Nevertheless, a small part of Dageer mind, the emotional one, thought that maybe, just maybe, he wasn''t high enough on the chain of command to be trusted with this information. But now wasn''t the time to think about this. Behind General Di, Hell Squad ran through one corridor after another. They passed by Kamino Security Team members going in the same direction as them, robots and kaminoan workers going on the opposite direction and cadets of all ages returning to their quarters. Panic, and also a bit of angry, adorned the faces of the teenager cadets who were being led by a clone sergeant to their dormitories, away from the fight. Chapter 51 - Rain Rain kept falling over the platforms, buildings, and clones of Kamino. In fact, it had started raining even heavier. The Aiwhas - native creatures of Kamino, used by the natives for locomotion - were jumping happily out of the water. Dozens of platforms were currently occupied by thousands of white armored men. The rain made heavy thuds when it hit their armor. From one of the compounds, a bunch of clones led by a Nikto walked out. Some of them went to join the already there clones, while the rest followed the Nikto. They arrived at the central platform, way bigger than the others, and where the cruisers landed when they needed to refuel. When they stopped they all looked up at the same time. Above them, on the distant space, massive Munificent-class frigates and Providence-class dreadnoughts, and many of the smaller Gonzati-class cruisers jumped out of hyperspace one after the other. Welcoming them were large Acclamator-class cruisers and Venator-class star destroyers, together with the small CR90 corvettes. General Di turned to his troops and lifted his lightsaber. "Soldiers! Get to your positions! I don''t think I need to explain how important it is that we defend Kamino! Am I right?!" "YES SIR!!!" After the resounding response, the clones started to move and spread, and General Di turned to Keeli and Dageer. "Now let''s hope that Admiral Dao can keep those sh.i.p.s away long enough for us to prepare our defenses. May the force be with us." ----------------©\------- Up and above, past the black clouds and the green sky of Kamino. On The Sincerity, a navy officer with many different symbols on his uniform was observing the starry space, now occupied by droid warsh.i.p.s. His short, military-style hair gave him a strong and dangerous look. Behind him, another officer came running and gave him a datapad. He didn''t even look at it. "What is the situation lieutenant?" "Bad, admiral. Our scanners detected three Providence-class dreadnoughts, twenty-six Munificent-class frigates, and one hundred sixty-five Gonzati-class cruisers. Their fighters numbers are unknown by now, but according to our calculations there should be..." "Enough. Their numbers are unimportant. General Di orders are to defend Kamino till our last starfighter, and so we will." Admiral Dao walked back to the hologram table, taking his eyes off the magnitude sight of both Republic and CIS sh.i.p.s about to collide. "Connect me with admirals Yazeb, Shan-To and Yularen. We will be responsible for holding section 3. Sections 1, 2 and 4 will have to find their own ways." ---------------------- Rozal''s ARC-170 was heading Steel Battalion one hundred and eighty-three starfighters. Each ARC-170 needed three crew members plus an astromech to work perfectly. Rozal had divided Steel Battalion into three groups, each with sixty-one starfighters, arranged on the usual ''V'' attack formation. The Republic had many similar battalions, scattered all around the planet of Kamino, but even so, they were nothing compared to the number of Vulture droids about to be thrown on them. They had an advantage that made up for this though. The Vulture droids flew on a different number of patterns, but the pilots were able to grasp them quickly. Batch after batch of Vultures left the hangars of the Munificent-class frigates and the Providence-class dreadnoughts, not to count the many Gonzati-class cruisers, smaller but still lethal. Rozal, who was piloting, called his co-pilot, in the seat behind him. "Hey, Bat, how are you doing there?" "Systems online captain. We are ready to go." "Spark, how is my favorite gunner doing?" "On standby to blow some droids captain." Rozal pressed a button on his panel, connecting him to the rest of Steel Battalion. "Steel Battalion, this is Steel 1. Light up your engines." "Steel 2 ready." "Steel 3 on standby." "Steel 4 can''t wait." "Steel 5 locked and ready to go." ... ... ... Bat confirmed that Steel Battalion was prepared, and Rozal passed on the information to an officer on the capital ship, The Sincerity. The officer wrote down everything he heard from all battalions and screamed to the top part of the bridge. "Admiral! All sh.i.p.s ready and on standby!" Admiral Dao responded simply. "Wait for confirmation." Chapter 52 - Dejarik Admiral Dao was waiting for the Separatist to make their move. To him, battles were like Dejarik games. He had already made his move by setting up his defenses. Now was the time for the enemy commander to make his, or hers, as they didn''t even know who it was yet. Dap was not a clone, but he was already an admiral on the Old Republic army for years before the Clone Wars began. He had worked his way up the ranks and was an expert on pacification and defense missions. His years of experience told him that since the enemy had not to attack immediately there were three paths that the enemy could choose. The first one was that they were expecting reinforcements, and were not worried about time. They could also be waiting for contact from the Republic, probably to order that the clone army surrendered unconditionally. Lastly, the Separatist could be trying to intimidate them, by showing their numbers and firepower. Either way, Dao new that on any of those situations the enemy would have to contact them first. Dao certainly would not surrender, even if that cost him his life. He could also bet that the clanckers weren''t waiting for reinforcements unless they were really stupid. Kamino was the heart of the Grand Army of the Republic. Even if the Separatist have found a secret hyperspace path that the Republic didn''t know about, and caught them by surprise, that would only buy them a few hours at most. So, the only option was that the Separatist leader was trying to apply to press on the defending forces, and hoping to crush their morale. Then, according to Dao deductions, the enemy commander would say that the Republic had no chance and will be destroyed, all of this in hopes that the clones fight with a little bit less spirit. For all that Dao knew, those were the worst kind of enemy. An enemy that uses all his strength to kill you is scary, but one who tries to decrease your forces, both physically and mentally, on every which way before attacking is absolutely terrifying. "Admiral. Incoming transmission from their capital ship. All of our command sh.i.p.s are receiving it." "Put it on the table." --------------------------- Facing the Republic sh.i.p.s, on the biggest of the Providence-class dreadnoughts, called Tramboch 1. Different from the other sh.i.p.s of the Trade Federation, the crew members of the Tramboch 1 were not B1 battle droids, but mon calamarians. They had red or green skin and looked many alike fishes, a necessity considering the planet they came from. Besides the rows of deactivated battle droids on the hangar areas, there wasn''t a single other robot on the entire ship. Even cleaning and transportation were made by mon calamarians. If it wasn''t for the fact that the ship was clearly a Separatist dreadnought then, and one looked only to the crew, they might think it was a commercial ship. On the bridge, a glass compartment supported by a part of the ship, that towered over the rest of the dreadnought, there was a big chair, decorated with images of aquatic creatures. The mon calamari sitting on the chair was incredibly small, looking like a child next to the others, but he had abstract tattoos all over his arms and faces. On the mon calamari traditions, those tattoos were only given to a leader and a hunter who fought countless of the dangerous creatures on Mon Cala and survived. One of the mon calamari crew members went to him and bowed respectfully before rising and giving his message. "We are ready tooo transmit ooour message cooomander." "Pass me tooo all of their capital sh.i.p.s." Another mon calamari went to the chair and also bowed before taking out a hologram projector from his sleeves. The mon calamari on the chair straightened up and started talking. "Admirals, I see ooour tactics didn''t wooork oooon yooouu." The projections kept quiet, waiting for their opponent to finish talking. "Since things are like this I wooon''t delay my attack anymore. As a sign of respect, I am warning yoooou. Ten minuuuutes." Chapter 53 - Lets Go! "Since things are like this I wooon''t delay my attack anymore. As a sign of respect, I am warning yooou. Ten minuuutes." As soon as the projection of the mon calamari disappeared Dao grabbed the nearest clone by his shoulders. "Discover who in the galaxy our opponent is. I want to know everything, from his name to the battles he participated." The clone quickly went to do as he was ordered, but Admiral Shan-To made it unnecessary. "His name is Merai. A mon calamari who received many honors from the mon calamari king for destroying quarren sh.i.p.s on their civil war. After Mon Cala joined the Republic he tried to convince them that they have chosen the wrong side. Once nobody listened he defected to the Separatist with his crew." Shan-To was usually a happy and motivated admiral, but when he talked about Merai his tone took a turn to worst. One admiral with a missing ear looked at Shan-To and asked the question on everybody head. "And... how do you know all of that Shan-To?" "I ordered a complete investigation on him after he crushed three Acclamator-class cruisers on the Kessel Sector four weeks ago. Less than half of their crew survived. The 313th lost many good men that day, and the Republic lost Kessel Sector." Solemn faces disappeared one by one as the admirals turned their attention to their troops and the imminent battle. Dao ordered his starfighters to start their engines. ----------------------- Rozal received Steel Battalion orders. ''Wait for the enemy to engage and don''t go too far. Protecting the planet is our priority.'' Minutes passed slowly as the Vultures rearranged their formations, entering on full attack positions, ''V'' shapes similar to the Republic ones. It seemed that it would be a frontal confrontation. Differently from Geonosis, this time the enemy was prepared for them. Rozal could already see the start of the battle playing on his head. The two sides will collide, sh.i.p.s will explode and they would pass by each other. Then, it would be the big sh.i.p.s turn, firing their turbolaser cannons at each other. "Detecting heat signatures ahead captain! The clanckers are warming up their engines." Rozal let their channel open, so he wouldn''t have to worry about pressing any unnecessary buttons on the middle of the battle. He had lost enough brothers to learn that a moment of distraction could cost not only his life but others too. Rozal totally lit up his ARC-170, and Spark turned the turrets to the direction where the thousands of droids were. The voice of an officer came through. "Here they come!" "Steel Battalion! Move out!" Rozal accelerated the ARC-170 to his maximum in less than five seconds. The Vultures were closer and closer. With the side of his vision, he saw the fighting erupting on other sections. Bat warned him. "Three parsecs! Two and a half! Captain?! Two!!!" Rozal aim locked on the front Vulture droid. His thumbs pressed both triggers and blue laser left the frontal cannons of the ARC-170. Two flashes of blue traveled their on through the vacuum of empty space. There was no sound, only the two lonely blue lasers flying at lightspeed. Their destination, a Vulture droid, twisted out of way, but it was too late. The lasers found its home on the Vulture right wing, sending it spinning before it blew. The first kill went to the Republic, but who knew how many more were needed before they could call it a day. Obviously, Rozal didn''t have the time to think about it now. One Vulture might have been shot, but the Separatist were not to be outdone. Red and blue laser intertwined in the space. Rozal pulled the yoke hard, making the ARC-170 go even faster. One starfighter to his right exploded. Spark was spamming fire on the incoming mass of droids. Bat was still giving orientations. "We lost Steel 46! One parsec to them sir! 0.5! Steel 87 out of combat but still alive!" Rozal didn''t need the warnings to see that they were about to hit the Vulture droids. "Keep going boys! Cut right through them and turn quickly! Let''s beat those droids in scrap metal!" Chapter 54 - Senses Half of the space around Kamino was filled by big and small sh.i.p.s and starfighters, red and blue lasers, all in the still and noiseless vacuum of space. Steel Battalion was one of the many groups of starfighters, and they were about to pass straight through a group of Vulture droids double their number. Rozal spun his ARC-170 to the left, doing full three-hundred and sixty spins, all the while firing. "Spark, fire straight ahead. We have to cut a path in their midst. Steel Battalion, focus all your fire upfront!" "I am not sure I can do that sir, I''ve lost my gunner!" "Do what you can. Every kill counts on this battle." "Captain, they hit my stabilizers! I am losing contr... Ahhhh!" "Steel 7! Ferit!" "We lost him captain." Rozal wanted to curse and mourn at the same time, but the Vultures were already in front of him. Luckily Spark has turned the turrets right on time, and they blitzed their way through the remains of a Vulture. Shadows passed by him, almost invisible in contrast with the dark space, if it wasn''t for the blur their red, cold, mechanical eyes left behind. For a few moments, he couldn''t even see what he was shooting. Just beside him Steel 81 and two Vulture droids crashed on each other leaving almost nothing. And then they were out of the cloud of droids. Rozal made a sharp turn, passing awfully close to some of his own brother starfighters. The short encounter had left behind many remains of Republic and Separatist combatants. And the big toys haven''t even entered the fray yet. As the pilots of the 303rd made the turn, the Vultures kept going without looking back, straight to the Republic cruisers. "Come on brothers! Their objective is our home below us, but they have to pass by our cruisers first. We can''t let them do that. Let''s play catch!" Rozal speed up his ARC-170. The battle had only started. ----------------------------- Feral didn''t have much to do now besides watch and analyze. As the admiral of the 303rd, his focus was on his legion sh.i.p.s, but he still kept an eye for any Republic cruiser needing reinforcements. "Report!" "Yes admiral! We lost a lot of pilots on the first engagement, and Raste Battalion was hit pretty hard by some torpedoes. But overall we took more of them than they took from us. We are still tabulating the exact numbers." That was similar to what Feral was seeing outside. Clones and Vultures had passed by each other, both sides suffering severe losses, but the droids more than the Republic. However, now was the time for the clone pilots to show their specialty, persecution. Their analysis of the Vultures patterns of flight, and their instincts - or, as the soldiers liked to call: senses - made they much better at pursuit. As if to prove his thoughts an officer screamed from below the bridge. "Vultures incoming sir! They should be trying to destroy us and invade the planet. ARC-170s on hot pursuit!" "All turrets open fire. Cannons hold for now. Charge and wait for their frigates to come into range." What Feral was really worried about were not the Vultures, but the big sh.i.p.s of the Separatists. Even if some small droids passed through their blockade they wouldn''t be able to do much damage. But if just one of the Munificent-class frigates got to the surface it could destroy dozens of installations and murder hundreds of thousands of embryos and newborn clones. Not to talk about what a Providence-class dreadnought would do. Feral ordered the Republic fleet to hold ground, not actively attacking, but focusing on destroying the incoming Vulture droids. Some of the Vultures passed really close to The Sincerity, but their small lasers didn''t do much against the shields. And those who came close enough to fire were also on the range of The Sincerity turrets. But the droid navy was relentless and knew no fear. They kept coming despite losing hundreds, and soon their proton torpedoes started amounting for something. One of the CR90 sent a call for help, but even when the back up arrived it couldn''t hold. Its shields went off, and a round of torpedoes blew it. Chapter 55 - Bombing Rozal and ten pilots of Steel Battalion were part of the group sent to give the corvette backup, so when they failed Rozal decided he wouldn''t leave the droids unscathed. Rozal took three ARC-170s with him and started chasing a group of Vulture droids, flying in the middle of the remains of the CR90. When Rozal entered persecution he focused only on his target. Before his visors, the only thing was the Vultures. Bat prepared the ion torpedoes. "The gifts are ready sir!" Rozal locked his aim not on the Vulture droids, but in a point somewhere in the middle of them. His computer bipped that he was aiming at the wrong place, but Rozal trusted his senses and pressed the trigger. "Torpedo One off!" The torpedo flew, leaving behind blue and white sparks. The torpedo almost scr.a.p.ed off the painting of one of the Vultures, but hit bullseye. The explosion threw the Vulture droids formation in disarray, sending five or six of them out of control, some crashing on others and some exploding directly. Rozal didn''t give them a chance to catch their breath. "Torpedo Two off!" Another torpedo flew, but this time one Vulture droid got on the way, and they took only one enemy out. Bat touched some buttons and keys on the control panel. "Torpedoes Three and Four ready captain!" "You might want to hold them for now sir. Their small cruisers are getting into range." Spark, working not only as a gunner but also as a spotter, saw the Gonzati-class cruisers starting to get into the battle and warned them. Almost at the same time, they received orders from their command sh.i.p.s ordering them to attack the Gonzati-class cruisers. Rozal didn''t hesitate, separating Steel Battalion on pre-existing divisions for those situations. "Iron and Thorn squadrons, attack the cruiser at marker 187-690. Copper and Brown squadrons, take out the one at 187-485. Cooperate with each other, if it is too risk fall back, regroup and focus on one of them. Steel 127, Steel 66, Stell 43, Steel 90 and Shell Squadron follow me." "Thorn leader is down sir!" "Yonk, you are the new Thorn leader." "Yes sir!" Rozal moved Steel 1 to the cruiser he decided to attack, but with them on the offensive, it was the droids time to chase. Two Vulture droids were on their tail, and even with Spark doing his best they were having difficulties shaking them off. "Steel 1 needs assistance! We got two of them following us." "Copy that. Steel 66 on the way to help, captain." Rozal made a lot of sharp turns and even tried to rotate, but the Vultures kept hot on them. Another ARC-170 appeared behind them, support finally arriving. The ARC-170 fired his two frontal cannons, spraying on the Vultures. One of them exploded, blinding both Steel 66 and the other Vulture temporarily. Spark took the chance, and the top turret tore the Vulture droid to pieces. Now that their backs clean Rozal and his men concentrated on the attack. The Gonzati-class cruisers weren''t big, and because of that had fewer defenses. They were used mostly as troops transports and were probably carrying the droids supposed to drop on Kamino. "Those following me, go ahead and take out their shields. Steel 43 and I will deliver the torpedoes." "Roger that." Rozal slowed just enough for the other starfighters to overtake him. Yonk voice came through the coms. "Enemy ship at 187-690 is falling captain!" "Good job Thorn Squadron, Iron Squadron. Go give support to the attack on their other cruiser." In front of Rozal, the ARC-170s accompanying him fired a volley of lasers on the Gonzati-class cruiser, wearing out its shields, but Shell Squadron took one loss on the process. Rozal and Steel 43 prepared their ion torpedoes and took over the attack, flying extremely close to the enemy ship, and bombarding the heck out of the bridge. Without its command center, the cruiser quickly went down, falling towards Kamino. Rozal turned around and went looking for more targets. ------------------------ On The Sincerity. "Admiral, their frigates are in range! Scanners indicate that they are coming right to us!" Dao showed some excitation on his face. The real battle was about to begin. "All batteries, concentrate your fire on the nearest frigate! We have to take out as many as possible before the dreadnoughts arrive." Chapter 56 - Forcing Through The Sincerity was a Venator-class cruiser, which means it had a good number of heavy turbolaser cannons, which were able to wreck a ship without shields in a few minutes. Also, since the Venator-class cruisers were bigger and more advanced than the Acclamator-class ones, they had a longer range. So, The Sincerity was the first Republic ship to open fire. Huge blue lasers impacted on the Munificent-class frigate''s shields. Each round that the heavy turbolaser cannons fired need about thirty seconds to recharge, but took huge chunks out of the enemy. The Separatist frigates were still holding at the moment, but their sh.i.p.s shook each time a shot connected. However, The Sincerity range vantage didn''t last much. When the Munificent-class frigates started taking too much fire, the Gonzati-class cruisers took the lead and went forward to attack. The Republic cruisers started facing some problems, although a good number of small Separatist cruisers went down. But the objective of the Separatists wasn''t to destroy all Republic sh.i.p.s, but have a small group break through. In fact, Dao suspected that the Munificent-class frigates were being used as bait, but he couldn''t move critical troops because of that. He didn''t have sh.i.p.s he could move. So, he decided that he would wait and see what cards the Separatist had. That was his biggest mistake. Before he knew one Munificent-class frigate suddenly accelerated, its cannons silent, as if there was no one on it. "Admiral! It is heading straight toward us!" "I can see that! Destroy it! Now!" At that moment that the biggest trick of the Separatist showed itself. When the lasers landed on the front of the frigate, big explosions happened. "They have no shields admiral! And no weapons! It appears that all their power is on their thrusters." "What are they doing? Ohhh! Darn it, they got us! Evasive maneuvers, quickly!" But it was too late. The frigate torn front crashed on The Sincerity, opening a rhombus on the cruiser belly. The entire ship tilted sideways, and inside it clones were thrown in the air as if they were dolls. A gigantic gap was opened on the defensive ring around Kamino, and close to twenty Gonzati-class cruisers crossed it and entered the planet atmosphere. On The Sincerity bridge, Admiral Dao got up, in his head a wound bleeding, and his left leg limping. But he couldn''t feel his wounds, and went to the semi-destroyed hologram table. ------------------------- On the planet below, Dageer saw everything. Even if he wasn''t using his binoculars, the shocking sign of two massive sh.i.p.s crashing in each other was clear. He could also see the twenty odd Separatist cruisers entering Kamino. One transmission from General Di capital ship arrived. On it a man that Dageer recognized as Admiral Dao appeared with a bleeding head. "I am so sorry General Di. The droids passed through our defensive line. I never expected that sc.u.m to use one of their frigates as a suicide weapon. You have eighteen small enemy cruisers going for you." "Don''t worry about it admiral. You did your best, the Separatist don''t view their troops as we do with ours. They will need more than a few cruisers worth of droids to take Kamino. Just make sure that their bigger sh.i.p.s don''t make it through." Admiral Dao didn''t hear the entirety of General Di words, he passed out before. "Keeli, every man on his position, they will do a ground attack. Their main targets will be the main reactor, the DNA room and the incubation area. Make sure our defenses there are strong enough." "Yes general." "I will go talk to my fellow jedi, let them know about this on first hand." "Don''t worry general, we will be all set when you are back." "May the Force be with us." General Di went way to talk with the other jedi, and Commander Keeli turned to Dageer. "The Force may be good, but I trust a clone with a good blaster more. Hell Squad, I want you here, ready to give the clanckers a welcome they will never forget. Our objective is to stop them before they can enter the buildings. When we are outnumbered we retreat to a better position and start again. Copy that?" "Yes commander!" Chapter 57 - Training In the Middle Of Combat As the men of the 303rd got into position General Di came back just long enough to take about half of the clone legion to protect the incubation area and the DNA room. Before leaving he told them about the situation. Of the eighteen Gonzati-class cruisers, three of them were coming towards Dageer position. That was a lot of droids, but Dageer had confidence that the 303rd would kill at least half of them on the outside. The open platforms of Kamino were optimal to defend and terrible to attack. If the defending forces were well positioned they could hold out for a good amount of time. With the enemy invasion force drawing closer and closer, Commander Keeli took Dageer on a last minute check of their defenses. "Any ideas if there is any improvement we can make Dageer?" Dageer analyzed the resistance that his brothers had made. Crates and blast shields have been put on the bridges connecting the platforms, and short-range anti-aircraft turrets on the buildings made so that the droids were forced to land a bit far away. On the platforms that the clones calculated the droids would land nothing was left. Every bit of cover that the droids could use was taken away, leaving only the bare platform. The bridges connected to such platforms had defenses only in the opposing half of the bridges, so the droids would have to walk on a small area with zero cover. "I think we are okay. When the clanckers land we should have our heavy machine gunners concentrate their fire on the disembark ramparts. After that, the first half of the bridges - the open areas - and the platforms on itself shall become death zones to them. Maybe if we have snipers take positions there, there and there we can kill some more of them." Commander Keeli didn''t answer. Dageer looked at him, and after a few seconds, realization struck him. "You had already thought of that. Of course, you have, you are the commander. Then why make me say it all over again?" "First because two minds think better than one, and you might have spotted something I didn''t. Secondly, because the best place to learn things like that isn''t in a classroom, but on the battlefield." "Uhmm... So, did I miss anything?" "Actually, yes. See those side bridges? They are too small for their sh.i.p.s to land, but we can put some men over there to catch the droids on a crossfire. I''ve already ordered that, actually." Commander Keeli''s comlink blinked to life. "Commander, they are arriving. You should hurry back." Both of them looked upwards and saw that the three Gonzati-class cruisers were only a few kilometers away. They hurried back to the first line of defense, on the bridges near the landing points. Crates and blast shields were scattered here and there, so the clones would have a bit of cover. The problem was that once the droids got to those defenses they also would have cover, but there was nothing they could do about that. Dageer sent Dab to a sniper point a little far away and put Metal with his Z-6 at the very front. The other members, including Dageer, scattered among the crates, and aimed their blasters at the landing droid cruisers. Three Gonzati-class cruisers landed, each one on different platforms. This meant that the droid forces wouldn''t be so concentrated, which was bad, because if one of the defending groups failed, the droids would be able to fire on the clones on the other bridges. "Here they come!!!" The lateral of the cruisers opened, revealing droids upon droids. Literally. The droids were mostly deactivated, one above the other, so they could fit as much of them as possible. Only the ones on ground level were activated and started marching out. In the first line was out of the way the second pile of droids was dropped and went live. Of course, the clones weren''t doing nothing while that happened. All of them had opened fire, and the lasers from the heavy machine gunners were totally drowning the doors of the cruisers. Dageer was calmly firing his DC-15A for the first moments, but soon the droids started returning fire and he was forced to duck behind the crates. Chapter 58 - Dont Give Up Dead droids were pilling up in the hundreds, but the clones were paying a hefty price for it. Members of the Kamino Security Team and of the 303rd Attack Legion were getting gunned down left and right as the droids continued on their unwavering efforts to take Kamino. By now, two hours on the fight, the defending troops retreated to a complex of platforms a few hundred meters away from where they started. Using the crates and blast shields that the clones had settled, mechanical feet stepped on dead clones and droids, heading to the buildings where hundreds of thousands of clones were growing. By now Dageer had already lost count of how many clanckers he had killed. He, as well Hell Squad and Commander Keeli, was on the frontlines, retreating when needed, all the while fighting. Dageer finished reloading his DC-15A and got up to fire once more, as he had been doing for hours. However, before he got up a volley of red lasers killed three or four clones, making him rethink. While crouching Dageer looked to his side, where five members of the Kamino Security Team and on clone of the 303rd were. There were originally twenty or so clones at that position, but now they were all that was left. Dageer made a ''retreat now'' sign and then an ''I will cover'' to his brothers. He looked a little bit above the crates and then hid his head once more. The droids had advanced a lot after one round of suppressive fire. Dageer was hoping to give his brothers a little time to escape and then make a run for it, but once again things didn''t go as planned. Before anyone could retreat, or Dageer could deploy cover fire, a thermal detonator as thrown. The little ball rolled until it touched the feet of one of the clones. He looked down to see what it was, and then the detonator exploded. Dageer had a vision of the clones being thrown in the air and spinning as they fell off the bridge into the sea below them. Then that vision disappeared as it as replaced by gray clouds, parts of the bridge, sea and gray clouds again. He fell into the agitated sea, not hearing anything because of the blast. The ice-cold water was probably what saved him, as the cold shocked him out of unconsciousness. Dageer swan up and broke to the surface. Above the water was much more aggressive, big waves going forth. He took off his helmet, that was at the moment making things worse. After that he could hear something, although muffled. When he touched his ears he sensed blood, but besides that, he wasn''t very hurt. A bit away he saw something white contrasting with the green water. It was one of the Kamino Security Team clones, his left side totally burned and his armor destroyed. The clone had no pulse. Dageer left the floating body behind and swam towards one of the huge pillars that sustained the platforms of Kamino. There were elevators and stairs on it, which he could use to get back up. When he got to the base of the pillar he heard someone or something walking from the other side of it. It could be one of the clones, but it could also be one of the droids. He had, of course, lost his blaster on the fall so he could only hide and wait for the owner of the steps he was hearing to come, and ambush him. As the sound drew closer Dageer tensed up. When one figure entered his line of sight he threw himself over it, and both fell and rolled, nearly getting into the sea again. It was only at that moment Dageer saw the face of his opponent, the clone of the 303rd that fell with him. "Damn! I am sorry Berro, I thought you were a clancker!" "No worries sir. Better safe than sorry. Are you hurt somewhere?" "No. We need to get back there. Did you find someone else on the water?" "I think it is only us sir." "Then let''s waste no more time." Dageer and Berro entered the elevator. Both of them had lost their weapons and had only their fists to battle whatever droid they encountered on the way. Chapter 59 - Crazy Idea Berro and Dageer went into the elevator and pressed the top button. If Dageer wasn''t wrong they would get out on the back of the droid invasion forces. Dageer also knew that no commander would leave such pathways to the back of his army unguarded. "Berro, do you have any detonators?" "No, I lost all of them when I fell. But if you want to do what I think you want to, I still have some magazines left." "Uhmm... Tibana gas. That will do." ---------------------- "Zzzzzz...zzzzz...zzzz..." Commander Keeli tried his comlink once more, hoping to get an answer, but the only response was static. He then switched to another frequency. "Dab, do you copy?" "Yes commander." "Do you have eyes on Dageer?" "No sir. I don''t think he is amongst the dead, although is difficult to tell with so many bodies." "Dageer doesn''t die so easily. I just don''t know where the hell he went." "I swear that if he is dead I will throw each and every one of those droids on the sea persona... Ohhhh damn! The clanckers are coming again commander!" Commander Keeli heard the sound of Dab''s DC-15x firing before he cut coms. The droids were attacking again after small regroup moment. Cell came running towards Commander Keeli, his binoculars lowered on his visor. "Commander, there was a small explosion behind enemy lines. From the size it was something smaller than a thermal detonator." "Do we have anyone still alive behind the clanckers?" "Not that we know of. And the droids certainly aren''t taking prisoners. They... proved that already." Cell was referring to a moment not long ago, after Dageer went missing, when a squad of clones was overrun, and when the survivors surrendered the droids executed them in cold blood. After that no clone tried to surrender again, and fought to their last breath. "If we don''t have anyone there then it is probably some B2 battle droids experiencing a late explosion. Continue the defense." ------------------------ A few minutes earlier. Dageer and Berro strapped four magazines together. The Tibana gas that composed the fuel to the laser shots was highly unstable, and Dageer wanted to exploit that. However, they needed something to trigger it. Berro and Dageer took off their armors and supported than on the walls of the elevator so it looked like two clones. Of course if one were to look at it one second longer than necessary they would discover the trick. After that, they left the elevator one floor earlier than the top floor, where the droids were. Then, they used some pieces of scrap metal to drill a hole on the magazines and threw it onto the elevator. Soon the Tibana gas filled the elevator with a brownish fog. ---------------------- On the top level of the kaminoan platforms, behind droid lines. A squad of droids was guarding every elevator, with orders to shoot anyone who got out of it. One of those elevators chimed and the door opened. The droids guarding it saw two white armors and fired instantly. When the red lasers entered in contact with a brown mist that was in the elevator a small explosion engulfed the area. Taking advantage of the distraction of the other droids, who had turned around to see what was happening, two clones wearing no armor got out of another elevator and pushed the droids out of the way and off the platform. -------------------------- After Dageer left the perforated magazines on the elevator he and Berro went to another elevator. When they heard the explosion they got to the top level, hoping to get the droids by surprise, what really happened. With their backs turned towards them, the droids didn''t have a moment to react when the two clones grabbed their E-5s and threw them off the platform. Dageer and Berro then used the stolen E-5s to kill the three remaining droids guarding that elevator and took cover behind it. They had got back to the platform, but there was now an entire army between them and their brothers. Dageer quickly thought of a plan, and it was crazy as always. "Berro, I have a crazy idea." "I''m up to everything at the moment sir, crazy or not." Chapter 60 - Madman "Berro, try to contact Commander Keeli. You will have to take a comlink from one of our brothers." "What do I tell him sir?" "Tell him to move all of our forces back." "Sir?! But then the faciliti..." "He will have to trust me, as you will have to." Dageer left the cover that the elevator was providing and ran to a group of crates while firing. After he got there he searched the bodies of clones and droids for thermal detonators and was rewarded with a bunch of them. Then Dageer triggered all of them and threw it without care, sending droids flying left and right. That gave them a small window on which Berro found a comlink on a dead clone and contacted command. "Commander Keeli! This is Berro, CT-0457. I and Dageer were thrown out the platform, but we are back!" "Berro! Good to hear from you. Where are you? Was that explosion your doing?" "Yes! We are behind the clanckers. There is no way we can make it back now. But Dageer has a plan." "What is it?" "He wants you to retreat our troops to I side the buildings. I don''t know anything apart from that. He said you will have to trust him." "What?! I want to talk to him. He is crazy!" "Yes commander." Berro turned to call Dageer, but the only thing he saw was Dageer''s back, running towards the Gonzati-class cruisers and away from the clone defenses. "Uhmm... commander, he is out of reach." "What do you mean?" ----------------------- Commander Keeli was talking to Berro in the middle of the fight, using his twin DC-17s to kill droids. When he heard that Dageer had run towards the enemy cruisers he almost froze. He had a slight idea of what Dageer wanted to do, and on the small chance that Dageer wouldn''t die while at it he had no option but retreat his troops as Dageer said. He decided to wait a little more before calling the retreat, but for security and to speed up the process he ordered the backline of the clone army to build defenses near the entry of the facilities. Of course, he didn''t forget to tell Hell Squad that their squad leader was alive. --------------------------- Dageer ran towards the closer Gonzati-class cruiser with nothing but his stolen E-5 and a bunch of thermal detonators. Thankfully the only resistance he encountered were the groups guarding the elevators. He had a crazy idea, and stupid one, but it was the only he had. With the droid invasion forces disembarked, the Gonzati-class cruisers were almost empty apart from the crew. Dageer easily got into the ship after killing a few droids. Gonk droids and cleaning droids were the only sort of droid he found for a time. It was only at the command bridge that he saw some battle droids. A group of B2 super battle droids and a dozen B1 battle droids were guarding the bridge. It was time for some grenade action. Without giving the enemy a warning he blew them to pieces. B1 battle droids with blue painting but no weapons commanded the ship. "Buzz... who are you? You don''t have authorization to... Ahhhhhh!" Dageer dropped his blaster on the floor and started fiddling with the buttons of the control panel. He heard some movement behind him and instinctively dropped to the floor. However, no laser fire came. He got up and saw Berro looking at him with a grimace. "Berro! You scared the hell out of me!" "Says the one who left me behind and ran towards an enemy cruiser." "Come on man, I knew you would find your way. Now help me, this cruiser is so small that with two of us we should be able to get it on the air." "And why exactly do we want it on the air?" ------------------------ A clone came running to Commander Keeli. "Sir, the enemy cruiser on the middle platform is taking off." "He did it, that mad clone. Trooper, let''s retreat. I want everyone inside the buildings before that cruiser is on the air." "Yes sir." "And order the anti-aircraft turrets not to fire. That cruiser is with us." After the clone left Commander Keeli found Brain amongst the clones and pulled him aside. "Brain, your squad leader is coming back on that cruiser. I need you to find and tell General Di why we retreated and that the Gonzati-class cruiser is on our side." Chapter 61 - Explosive Blow Brain found General Di and told what Commander Keeli said to him, but the jedi was still unconvinced. "Commander, you bet the lives of hundreds of thousands of clones on the hands of a single clone? And now you say you don''t even know what is his plan?" "Yes sir." "Luckily for you there are only two ways this could end, and in neither of those you will be reprimanded. Either Dageer plan works and your harsh decision saved all of the clones here or it doesn''t and then all of us will be dead." "It will work general. I trust my brothers." ------------------------ Dageer and Berro got the cruiser in the air quite easily. The first part of Dageer plan was completed. Now it was the difficult piece of it, flying the cruiser to where the other two were and destroying them. The Gonzati-class cruiser got up very slowly, and turned even slower. Since the crew necessary to fly it was of only a few droids, Dageer and Berro could still do it, although the hyperdrive and the shields would be out of reach. Literally. If Dageer left the control panel to go activate the shields, the ship would lose control. If Berro tried to do it the weapon system would be unavailable and all of Dageer planning would be for naught. "Sir, the other enemy cruisers don''t seem to have noticed we are not their allies. I am locking on the target." "Wait till we get closer. Neither of us is a gunner. The first shots are crucial, and I don''t want to miss them." Dageer controlled the ship to go after the cruiser on the left platform first. After they destroyed or at least disabled it, they would have to turn around and go to the second target, which would probably be prepared for them. When they were midway between the middle and the left platform, a transmission of a B1 battle droid with blue strips - a crew droid - popped into the control panel. "R3-G6, why is cruiser AHHP taking off? Those are not your orders." "Sorry clancker, R3-G6 had a slight malfunction." "Wait... buzz...zzzz... who are you?" "Berro, NOW!!!" Usually the small turrets of a Gonzati-class cruiser would be useless in a fight with anything bigger than a starfighter. However, as a troop carrier, the Gonzati-class cruisers focused on having as much space as possible, eliminating everything apart from the necessary for it to fly. That included its shields, who were so weak that even the small turrets could break them easily. And so they did. The first Gonzati-class cruiser was turned in scrap metal at record speed, and had zero chances to retaliate or run. The second one, however, turned its turrets to the stolen cruiser. It was true that the ship in which Dageer and Berro were destroyed the other easily, but that also meant that the same could happen with them. When the Gonzati-class cruiser took enemy fire its engines quickly shut down, and holes were opened on its surface. Berro controlled the turrets, and even amidst the shaking, aimed and fired at the command bridge of the last ship. The command bridge blew up, and the cruiser which had barely taken off fell once again, crashing sideways on the platform. But Dageer and Berro had to pay quite the price to destroy the enemy cruiser. Their engines were dead, the ship was half destroyed and there was no way they could land it safely. "Berro! Remember when I told you that I had a plan?" "Yes sir!" "Well, I have good and bad news. The bad is that my plan depended on this ship being flyable. The good news is that I have a new plan." "Why do I have the feeling that those are not exactly good news?" Dageer pressed all the buttons not destroyed on the control panel and put the cruiser in a direct course to the bridge where the main invasion droid force was. "Find a door leading to outside! We need to run!" Dageer pulled Berro to outside the command bridge. They didn''t find a door, but soon a hole appeared on the side of the cruiser. "That will do. Jump on the three! One... Two..." "Wait! Sir, that is your plan..." "Three! Now!" Dageer jumped and Berro followed suit. For the second time on the day, they fell onto the green and gray waters of Kamino. Chapter 62 - Nightmare The clones defending Kamino all saw the Gonzati-class cruiser take off, and most of them worried thinking that an air attack was coming. Only a few knew it was Dageer controlling the enemy ship, those being General Di, Commander Keeli, Hell Squad and the clones in charge of the anti-aircraft turrets. So when the ship they thought it was an enemy fired and destroyed one of its own, they were astonished, to say the least. Commander Keeli waved a sigh of relief, but his expression soon turned dark once he saw Dageer and Berro taking a lot of fire from the second cruiser. Even when they destroyed the second cruiser his face didn''t light up. Commander Keeli was no engineer, but even a child could see that Dageer''s cruiser was doomed. And then Commander Keeli screamed when Dageer did the second unexpected thing of the day. "What!!! Dageer, you... All troops, fall back! Fall back!!!" The Gonzati-class cruiser, sixty meters long, hundreds of tons heavy, came crashing down into the droid infantry troops. Be it B1 battle droids, B2 super battle droids, Droidekas or Dwarf-Spider droids, all of them were crushed immediately. The bridge where the cruiser crashed bent under the strength of weight and speed combined. For a few seconds it seemed as if it would resist, but then cracks appeared and the bridge broke in many pieces. Not only that, but the nearby bridges and platforms all fell due to the momentum of the ship. With thunderous sounds, cruiser, bridges, platforms, and droids were dragged into the sea, starting waves dozens of meters tall. ----------------------- Dageer fell into the water once again, but this time the impact was much bigger, and his consciences started fading away. Dageer saw flashes of grey and green, and what might have been some B1 battle droids, as well as clones. Something or someone started pulling him. He tried to resist but realized he couldn''t move his body. Things started to get darker and darker, and he passed out. ------------------------ Shadows hiding into shadows. An eerie laugh resounded. Brain, Tech, Three-four, Cell, Dab, Metal, Commander Keeli appeared. Dageer tried to reach them, but blue lightning zapped and they were gone. Then his old squad leader, CT-4087 and many of his dead brothers appeared in his vision. This time, when the lighting passed they didn''t disappear, but slowly turned into a hooded black figure. The many figures became a giant one, and terrifying chuckles came off the dark hood. Things started to spin in and out, black becoming red, and red becoming black. Dageer was spinning faster and faster, red and black flashes making him want to close his eyes, but he wasn''t able to. The chuckles turned to a hoarse voice saying the same phrase over and over. "Kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi... kill jedi..." Dageer woke up. ------------------------- Dageer reached to his left side with his right hand, looking for his blaster, but it wasn''t there. Only then he looked around and recognized the beds and bacta tanks of Kamino infirmary. A female kaminoan, with its long neck who was near another bed, where a wounded clone was, saw him trying to sit and came to him. "Don''t get up trooper... you have... a fractured rib..." Obviously, it was only when she said that, that he felt the pain on his abdomen. But he had suffered worst injuries. "Where is Berro?" "I don''t know who... Berro is, trooper, but Commander Keeli... said that I was to... call him as soon as you... woke up." "Then call him please." "Already... did that. Wait for... moment please." The kaminoan went back to the injured clone from before, and Dageer spent the next few minutes looking at some of his unconscious brothers. Soon Commander Keeli and Hell Squad came in, and the first thing that happened was a bunch of them talking at the same time. When they finally stopped Commander Keeli spent the next ten minutes scolding and congratulating him at the same time. At last Dageer discovered that they had won and that the Separatist had been beaten back, not without taking a bite out of the clone forces. The installations that the 303rd was protecting stayed safe, but others weren''t able to stop the droid invasion groups, and the death toll of soldiers, cadets and embryos was in the dozens of thousands. Chapter 63 - Starting a Trend Apparently, the enemy commander, a mon calamari called Merai, saw that the battle was lost for the Separatist and tried to do a suicide charge with his starfighter on the jedi starfighters hyperspace rings, and succeeded. The rings were destroyed and the jedi weren''t able to chase the retreating Separatist sh.i.p.s. Without the commands of the jedi the Republic cruisers decided it was too risky to chase, and the remaining Separatist cruisers, frigates and dreadnoughts disappeared in the space. "Commander, brothers, is good to see you, but where is Berro? He was with me when we jumped off the cruiser." "Don''t worry sir. Berro is in another infirmary, and besides a few broken ribs he is ok." "Tech is right, Dageer. Actually, you better thank Berro as soon as you leave the infirmary. If he didn''t drag you out of the water you probably would have drowned. He said he found you almost unconscious." "It is good to hear that. I will make sure to go after him soon." The kaminoan from before came back, waving her long hands and fingers to make Commander Keeli and Hell Squad go out. "Commander... there are many... troopers that need rest... I shall ask... you... to leave." "No problem Juma-Fy. We were just making sure that this clone here was all good." Juma-Fy gave Dageer some pills, and soon he drifted into a heavy sleep, this time without dreaming. -------------------------- A few days later Dageer was out of the infirmary. His broken rib didn''t need a bacta tank, so his recovery took a little more this time, but there was no imminent battle, so he didn''t rush it. The Republic discovered which path the Separatist had taken to arrive on Kamino, and were now guarding it tightly. Dageer expected that the 303rd would soon leave Kamino and go find another battle. Of course, he didn''t forget to visit Berro on the other infirmary. He was more injured than Dageer, so his recovery would take a little more. Most places of Kamino suffered some measure of damage. Corridors of glass were shattered, the mess had a patch of metal covering a hole in the ceiling where some laser fire melted the roof. There were still broke droid bodies here and there, and the robots were working hard to clean them. While roaming around Dageer saw a teenager cadet talking to a clone on a litter. The clone had a bandage on his leg, but besides that seemed alright. "Don''t worry kid, it is just a blaster wound. Soon I will be back. You were very courageous there, make sure you and your squad work hard." The cadet nodded, and Dageer became curious. He had supposed that by now all wounded clones would be on the infirmary, so why did that one have a fresh wound? "Trooper! What happened to your leg?" "Sir. Nothing much. Some clanckers managed to lock themselves into a storeroom, so we didn''t discover them until today. It was quite a surprise, and they gave me a little gift before dying." The clone tapped himself on the leg and them frowned with pain. "Go get yourself patched up." "Yes sir." Dageer turned to the clone cadet. He himself was quite amused by the situation and felt like smiling, but the cadet seemed afraid that it would get reprimanded. "And what was your play on all of this cadet?" "I... I was near the room at that time sir. I helped to pull him out of the way when he was shot." Dageer couldn''t hold it anymore and smile, making the cadet sigh in relief. "That was very brave of you kid. What is your name?" "CT-4040, sir." Dageer shook his head. He should have known that a cadet wouldn''t have a name yet. Most of the grown soldiers were just getting theirs. "That can''t do. Let me tell you a secret, little brother. A clone fights much harder when they have a name. We aren''t just a bunch of numbers anymore. Many of us bleed and died for the Republic. We deserve at least that." The cadet listened attentively, feeling anticipation for Dageer''s next words. "CT-4040 right? Forget that numbers. Let me think... what about... uhmm... Cutup! Yeah, Cutup is good. Don''t forget to tell our brothers what I said to you. We are living beings, not machines. Never forget that." Quite satisfied with himself, Dageer left the clone cadet behind and went to meet Hell Squad at the mess. Chapter 64 - New Mission The 303rd Attack Legion was going to be stationed on Kamino for a few more weeks until they could replenish all the troopers who died in battle. Dageer had become once again the reason for proud of Hell Squad and the 303rd. Now most clones who took part in the Battle of Kamino, as it was being called, knew who he was, at least by name. Few days have passed since the invasion, and the originally tense and easily scared clones have now started to relax. Members of the Kamino Security Team, and even some cadets, walked with more confidence, and weren''t afraid to lift their heads in front of the soldiers. For the past few days, Dageer had done nothing more than patrolling and socializing. The members of Deep Squad, who at the start had been almost hostile, were now some of the best friends that Hell Squad had. If it wasn''t for the batches of fresh clones that took the place of his fallen brothers, Dageer could have thought that the war was over, although he knew it had just started. Now, however, duty called once more. Commander Keeli asked Dageer to go to his headquarters, in the capital ship of General Di fleet, The Sincerity. A Laat took him there, and Dageer had the chance to see what remained after one of the biggest space battles of the Clone Wars till now. Debris shuffling in the starry skies, some as small as fists, and others gigantic pieces of destroyed sh.i.p.s. Every now and then Dageer saw dead droids floating, and he could swear that some were still trying to move, to no avail. What pained him, though, were the numerous clone bodies. Droids might be able to survive for some time in space before their engines froze and their power ran out. However, that was not an option for clones, who could survive only ten to twenty minutes even with their helmets. After fifteen dolorous minutes, the gunship finally landed inside The Sincerity. Even inside the cruiser things weren''t going well. During the battle, a suicide frigate tore a hole in the ''belly'' of The Sincerity. The hole had already been closed by energy shields, but it was still a depressing sight, seeing the ship that he treated as a second home like this. Commander Keeli was in the command bridge, surrounded by officers, and yelling tasks. General Di was nowhere to be seen. "Commander, you wanted to see me?" "Yes Dageer. Just give me a minute. Gorg, send the broken ARC-170s down to Kamino. After that ask them to send a group of mechanics up here." "Yes commander." Little by little the officers around Commander Keeli dwindled, and Dageer finally heard what the commander had for him. "Dageer, I have new orders for you. In the Scarif System, about a thousand parsecs from here, there is a medical base. Too many clones were hurt or died. Kamino has sufficient facilities to take care of them all, but not enough supplies. I am sending Hell Squad to go there, grab medical necessities and come back." "Yes sir." "I can see the questions in your face. You know Dageer, you are a fine soldier, but if you keep contesting your superiors it will be difficult for you to ascended positions." Dageer smiled, because he could see that although it looked like Commander Keeli was reprimanding him, in truth, it was a compliment. "I never had that kind of ambitions sir. In any case, it was you who said I had questions, not me. Am I authorized to make them?" "Yes you are, soldier." "Don''t you think that sending just Hell Squad is too little? Also, why Hell Squad?" "First of all, after the battle we have too little men. We can''t spare many, and I don''t trust the shines to be decisive enough." "And why do they have to be decisive?" "Have you thought why the medical base can''t send the supplies by themselves?" Dageer kept his silence. "The supplies in Scarif come from the ocean of the planet. The algae and small creatures are of utmost importance to the creation of medicines. However, ever since the end of the battle, they haven''t been able to gather anything, and every clone they sent to investigate was never seen again." "I understand commander." "Ask your men to come up here, and you will take a CR90. And, Dageer, be careful. The enemy commander this time was a mon calamari. Although he died, I don''t think it is too far off to think that there is some kind of connection." Chapter 65 - Scarif Maybe it was coincidence, or some mysterious formation from when the galaxy has been created, but most planets near Kamino were almost or entirely aquatic. Scarif was no exception. That was what Dageer was thinking, while he looked down on the planet from the command center of the CR90. Scarif was ninety percent water, and the remaining ten percent were composed of archipelagos. In fact, from the images that Dageer got before, it was a very beautiful planet. Contrary to Kamino, where it was always raining, Scarif was sunny a hundred percent of the times. If the planet wasn''t so far from the Inner Core, and so deep on the Outer Rim, where pirates and criminals were kings, it would most probably be one of the most visited planets on the galaxy. Speaking from a strategic perspective, though, the planet had zero value. Kamino was already near the end of the known galaxy, and the planet was even further than that. Also, there were no sentient beings, so the only intelligent life-form were the clones based there to collect medical supplies which would later be sent to Kamino. Dageer looked at the captain of the corvette. Hell Squad was the only combat group on the ship, the rest being crewmen and some scientists. "Captain, were you able to contact the medical station?" "Yes sir. Apart from the missing clones and the lack of medical ingredients, they say that nothing is wrong." "Land. It will be up for me and Hell Squad to say if there is anything wrong." ------------------©\------- The medical base was nothing more than four or five buildings connected by halls. Since it wasn''t a war facility, the garrison stationed there was of only thirty or so clones, commanded by a sergeant. After they arrived they discovered that the actual number was much smaller than that, and that the situation was much worse than they initially thought. According to the captain, about a few days before they arrived, the algae and small sea animals that were used to make some of the medicines stopped appearing. The machinery was still working, but nothing came. The day that happened the sergeant sent two clones to see what was going on, but those two never returned. After that, at least one soldier would disappear every day. By now, of the thirty men garrisoned that, only twelve remained. The sergeant was scared and looked at Dageer as if he was his savior. "I am very grateful that you arrived sir. We were starting to think that you hadn''t got our message." "If the situation was so serious, why didn''t you tell us, sergeant? One clone disappearing might be an accident, or a native creature, but eighteen of them is no such thing. You better pray those men are well, or you are not going to have a good ending." "But... sir, we tried to contact you. There was no answer." "What do you mean sergeant? The only transmission we received from you was that production stopped and some clones went missing, so we were sent to solve this, and take medical supplies to Kamino. That was eight days ago." "I know sir. After we sent that transmission more men disappeared, so we tried to call Kamino once more. Our transmission was sent, but no answer came." "And... we never received those transmissions. That means they were intercepted somewhere in the middle." "What do you think it is sir?" "Certainly not a native creature. I am sending the corvette back right now." Dageer turned on his comlink and contacted the captain of the CR90, but the voice on the other side wasn''t the one from a clone. "Clooone. Yooour kind killed my father. Now I will kill all of yooou." "Who are you?! What did you do to my brothers?!" "Yooou mean thooose cloones? They are alive. Yooou can cooome get them in a while. Yoooou wooon''t die sooo easily. I will start with yooou all and they destroy all of yooou." The voice cut off communications. Dageer instantly got into action, putting his helmet and grabbing his DC-15A before running out. The sergeant followed suit, as well as the two guards. Midway Dageer contacted Brain, telling him to surround the corvette with Hell Squad. When they arrived the ship was entirely encircled, but after they entered it all they found was the unconscious crew and water puddles. Metal and Three-four started carrying the unconscious clones to the medical station, while Tech started checking the ship for any hidden bombs. Brain and Dageer checked the near areas but found no one. "Sir, who do you think it was? And why leave the crew alive?" "I don''t know who it is Brain, nor why not kill them. But I can guess why he is attacking us. He is a mon calamari, as was the enemy commander in the Battle of Kamino." Chapter 66 - Vengeance "I don''t know who it is Brain, nor why not kill them. But I can guess why he is attacking us. He is a mon calamari, as was the enemy commander in the Battle of Kamino." Dageer knew it had to be a mon calamari, and one who partook into the Battle of Kamino. In two months of war, a lot of living beings died, be it on Geonosis, Kamino, Rhen Var, Alaris Prime, or any other battlefield in the galaxy. But the timing was too close to be any other than a mon calamari. "Brain, after the ship is clean, I want everyone inside the medical base. Including sentries. He already proved that he can sneak inside easily, a few more guards won''t make a difference." "Yes sir." Not long after Brain left, Tech came over to Dageer. "Sir, the corvette is clean. No bombs, almost all functions are good, only the communicators were broken, and there is no one left inside it." "Only the communicators? He didn''t even break the flight systems?" "No sir." "Are the communicators repairable?" "Not in a short amount of time, sir." "Then get the crew back here, and send them back to Kamino to ask for reinforcements. We have an unknown number of enemies, but they already killed or captured two dozens of clones." "Sir, are you sure that is alright? Why would they leave the ship intact, knowing that we can ask for support?" "Think with me Tech. They cut our communications, so the only way we can ask for backup is by this ship. They broke the communicators, which means that only when the corvette land on Kamino that they will be able to know our situation." "And that will take a few days and a few more for them to arrive back here. Is this a trap sir?" "Not for us. Our opponent must think that this spam of time is enough for him to kill all of us here on Scarif, and flee. Either that or he wants our reinforcements to arrive, and that would mean that the enemy force is much bigger than we thought." "That doesn''t make sense. If they were strong enough, why bother jamming communications? They could just have let the medical base tell the whole story and then a big group of Republic sh.i.p.s would be sent." "I agree. I think they want to kill us all and flee before our reinforcements arrive. The reason that they let the corvette intact is that more clones can arrive here and see what they did." "I am sorry sir, but I am still confused. That too doesn''t make sense." "If you are thinking from a strategic perspective, it doesn''t. But this isn''t a military operation. He said clones killed his father. This is vengeance." ----------------------- Deep into the sea of Scarif, where there was so little light that only the weirdest creatures could survive. A starship as big as a Gonzati-class cruiser laid on the muddy bottom of the ocean. Inside it was a crew of mon calamari, and on the command center was a mon calamari bigger than any other. The mon calamari was alone on the command bridge, talking to a hologram of a hooded figure. At this moment the mon calamari seemed to be angry, and the calm voice of the hooded figure only made him angrier. "... it is exactly like yoooou heard Coooount Dooooku! Yoooour pile of metal that yooou calls an army retreated as soooon as they saw that my father died!" "Young Hiigi, the last order from your father was for them to retreat. He should have retreated too. The death of your father was his own fault." "He died because of yooou! He believed ooon the Separatist! I tooold him that yooour plan was booound to fail, but he trusted yooou, and nooow he is dead!" "Hiigi, be careful. What you are saying could be interpreted as treason against the Separatist cause." "Nooo Dooooku. I still believe in ooour cause. The ooone I dooon''t believe is yooou. You ask me tooo return, and dooo what? Stay hidden? Dooo a suicide mission fooor yooou, as my father did?! I can''t even return to my hooome planet, ooor I will be charged as a traitor! Nooo, I will nooot return. I will avenge my father, and kill every clooone and jedi ooon this galaxy." "And after you do that, what will you do, child?" "I will kill yooou." The mon calamari, Hiigi, crushed the hologram projector in his hands. Unfortunately, he was too absorbed in his rage to see the smile on Count Dooku''s face. Chapter 67 - Deep Into the Ocean The mon calamari, Hiigi, threw the broken pieces of the hologram projector away and sat on the captain chair. The door opened, and a mon calamari entered. He had wrinkles on his face, and one of his legs was made of metal, so he limped while walking. Hiigi wasn''t on a food mood, but when the old mon calamari entered the room, respect showed on his face. "Tart." "Hiigi, I follooowed yooour father fooor years, and I want tooo avenge him as much as yooou dooo. But we can''t be harsh noooow." "What dooo yooou want me tooo dooo? Yooou said that I shooould interrupt their production. I did it. Yooou said that I shooould cut the clooones cooommunications. I did it. Yooou said I shooould let their ship intact and nooot kill anyooone. I did it. Nooow yooou say that we shooould kill thooose clones whooo came here. I am goooing tooo dooo that with pleasure." "Hiigi, calm down." "Calm dooown? Calm dooown?! CALM DOWN?!!! My father was killed and the next thing you want me tooo dooo is kill sooome clones and run away! I dooon''t wanna kill sooome clooones! I want to kill them all!" Tart said nothing, and just looked at Hiigi until he stopped raging. The chest of the big mon calamari waved up and down, and after he calmed down he sat on the chair. "What dooo yooou want me tooo dooo Tart? What dooo yooou think that we shooould dooo?" "We can''t fight an army. Nooot noow. I say that after we kill all the cloones ooon Scarif we leave this planet and try to gather as much suppooort as we can. Then we kill every clooone and jedi we find." Hiigi closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. "Tooonight we attack their medical base. Nooo cloone survives." --------------------- All the clones and researchers on the base were waiting for Dageer in the command center. He had taken his time to talk with all the clones so he could grasp the situation. All the clones, including the researchers, have armed themselves. Hell Squad wasn''t so tense, but the clones already there had some difficulties to calm down. Dageer couldn''t worry about it at the moment. They were soldiers, and wanting it or not, they would have to get used to it, or they wouldn''t last long. "Troopers! For the last few days you have faced some hardsh.i.p.s. I know losing a brother is terrible, and not knowing what happened to them is even worse. But! We have a mission, to serve and protect the Republic. And those who took our brothers are ours and the Republic enemies. Worse than that, they are part of the same group who attacked our home planet." Tech went ahead and showed a projection of a mon calamari. Dageer let the men take a look at it before continuing. "Our enemy this time is a mon calamari, most probably related to the enemy commander during the Battle of Kamino. That is why you couldn''t find him no matter how much you searched. He got the whole ocean to hide. And that is also why the sentries were useless. Sergeant, I imagine there is some connection to the ocean inside the base?" "Yes sir. The water we use come directly from an underwater tunnel, the same from which we take the algae needed to make the medicine. However, the grid on it showed no sign of being broken." "That doesn''t mean anything. After the production stopped you sent two men to discover what was wrong, right? I imagine they had the keys to the grid. Those men didn''t return, did they?" "This..." "All of you, listen. I already sent back the ship in which Hell Squad came. Since this mon calamari didn''t blow it up, that means he isn''t afraid of our reinforcements. That also means we have no means to escape. Somewhere between tonight and the next week, that Separatist sc.u.m will try to kill us all. That is not going to happen. Understood?" "Yes sir!" "Understood?!!!" "YES SIR!" "Good. Tech, Dab, you two go take a look at the armory, see what we can use. Cell, take another clone and go have a look at the surroundings. I am quite sure the attack will come from this tunnel the sergeant talked about, but just to make sure, install some sensors. Sergeant Salv, stay here for a moment. The rest of you, go back to your positions. I don''t want anyone alone. At least two men together always." The clones acknowledged his orders and went to do their duties, only the sergeant - Salv - staying behind. "Salv, you and I are going to take a look at that tunnel." Chapter 68 - Fishing Dageer changed his helmet for a diving mask connected to a small gas tank on his back. On normal circ.u.mstances, the tank was able to sustain for thirty-six hours underwater. He and sergeant Salv directed themselves to the tunnel. When they arrived, Dageer saw it wasn''t actually a tunnel, but a big well. On it, a treadmill was moving, but there was nothing on it. Some robots attached to the treadmill were doing picking motions, probably to separate the algae, if there was any. Dageer pulled the diving mask over his face and jumped in the water. It was surprisingly clear, and the lights on the treadmill made so that he didn''t need to use the lantern on his mask. Dageer grabbed the treadmill and used it to propel himself downwards. A splashing sound, and then Salv was on the water with him. It was obviously not the first time he did that, and his movements were experienced, leaving Dageer behind. The large well soon started to narrow, and the before smooth walls soon became rocky. The treadmill accompanied them all the time, providing light. After a few dozen meters the vertical descent started easing, and after a few more dozen meters it became a normal tunnel. Dageer and Salv released their grasp on the treadmill and started swimming. About two hundred meters later, the tunnel came to an end on a metal grid. "As you see, sir, the grid is intact. But if that sc.u.m took the keys from Fytt and Hingh, they can easily open it. We can change the lock though." "There is no time. A job like that, underwater, will take some time, and we don''t have that time." Dageer approached the grid and looked outside, but the lights from the treadmill only illuminated so far as a dozen meters. Some strange fishes swam away when he got close, but nothing bigger than a fist appeared. "Open it. I want to take a look outside." "Are you sure sir?" Dageer checked the weapon he brought, a DC-17. He had grown fond of it after Commander Keeli showed all of its uses to him. Besides, his DC-15A was too c.u.mbersome and big to use underwater. "Yes. Open it." Salv took out a keycard and passed it in front of the lock. The red light turned to green, and then he pushed it slightly. A small section of the grid opened, and Salv passed through it, followed by Dageer. They turned on the lanterns on their masks, and two flashes of light swiped the darkness. Well, not total darkness. After they got out Dageer saw that the light from outside still illuminated a good hundred meters below them, although weakly. They swam a couple of strokes forward, and Dageer turned to look at the entry of the tunnel. He was already having some ideas. Their opponents would have to pass through there. If he could get a couple of detonat... A shadow. Somewhere behind him, something big swam. Very slowly he lifted his pistol, trying to give the impression that he was just going to swim back. The shadow moved fast to him, and Dageer turned as fast as the water let him, and fired the pistol. The blue laser concentrated a high amount of energy, and water evaporated on its path, even underwater. As the trail of bubbles cleared, Dageer saw what he hit. A mon calamari corpse floated to the surface, a hole on its throat and green blood staining the water around him. Next to him was a vibro-trident, a weapon more lethal than blasters on close combat. Through the transparent mask on Salv''s face, Dageer could see his shock. But soon that Express turned to one of surprise, and the sergeant fired his weapon, a DC-15S. The laser passed a few meters away from Dageer face, engulfing him in a cloud of bubbles. Behind Dageer was another mon calamari, now with a blaster wound on his arm. Contrary to Dageer expectations, after the arm that was holding the vibro-trident was disabled, the mon calamari didn''t run, but showed his sharp teeth and swam to Dageer barehanded. Dageer didn''t show mercy. They stayed alert for two minutes, but no more mon calamarians came. "They should have been guarding the grid. Salv, when we return send someone to fish their bodies. Let''s see if we can find them on our database." "Do you think those two are the only ones?" "No. They are probably just sentries. But now we know two things. The first one is what happened to our brothers. The second is that our enemies will be aware that we know from where they are coming." Chapter 69 - Grenadier Dageer and Salv went back the way they came, not forgetting to lock the grid, although it wouldn''t make a difference. Two clones were sent to place some detonators on the grid. Hopefully, the explosion would take out a few of the enemies, and warn the defending clones. Salv sent some men to pick up the two dead mon calamarians, in hope that they could find something about who they would be fighting, but it was in vain. Time passed, and the night soon arrived. Some clones were left on the walls in case the enemy tried to attack from there, but the main defenses were on the inside. The well was surrounded by a multitude of clones. The medical base didn''t have any E-Webs, but was well supplied with electric grenades. Those were specifically designed to restrain some of the more dangerous predators on Scarif''s ocean, and would work well against an aquatic enemy like the mon calamarians. The electric grenades could be attached to a launcher on the blaster, so when underwater they could still be launched. Dageer was walking amongst the clones, making sure they were ready for the battle. And then the ground went down and surged up at the same time. A column of water rose, and two unfortunate clones were caught into it, being torn to pieces. For a moment all the clones turned to where the implosion happened, and it was at that exact moment that the mon calamarians came out of the well. The one leading them had his top stripped, and a large half of it covered by black and blue tattoos. Hiigi stabbed his vibro-trident on the back of a poor clone, then pulled it viciously and threw it at another clone, impaling him. Dageer had to recognize how clever the enemy was. They had discovered and disarmed the thermal detonators on the grid, and also had to dig a hole underwater and blow it, at the same time distracting the clones and stopping them from using the electric grenades. Another clone fell, and the already small garrison went from eighteen to fifteen. Dageer turned and fired his DC-15A, days without end of practice guiding his hands. A few pulls on the trigger, two dead mon calamarians, and the effect was better them a sign saying ''shoot me'' on his armor. That was, at least until Metal showed up. Metal got up from his crouched stance, using both hands to lift his Z-6 Rotary at his waist. Green blood flowed from the bodies of some mon calamarians, their lack of armor only making the situation grosser. By now the mon calamarians had changed their vibro-tridents to a kind of blaster that fired red lasers. By Dageer''s side, one clone was hit on his shoulder, falling to the ground in pain. Dageer dropped his weapon and dragged him until most of his body was behind the treadmill. "Three-four! Wounded!" "Coming!" Three-four ran from behind his own piece of cover, and even killed one mon calamari while at it. He knelt besides Dageer and the wounded clone, checking his wound. "Sir, press here, we need to stop the bleedi... damn!" Red laser hit the treadmill in front of them, pulling splinters of it. Dageer took Three-four DC-15S and got up. "Change of plans! Three-four, do your best and get him behind something. We need every clone here." The wounded clone m.o.a.ned, and reached for his weapon. "I can still fight sir. Cough! Cough!" "No, you can''t. Be a good boy and follow orders. Three-four!" "On it!" While their little exchange was going on, the mon calamarians had gained more ground, dozens of them already on the base, and more coming out of the well. "Brain!!!" Brain listened to him, and knew what to do. From his belt, a handful of thermal detonators appeared. Back on Kamino, when Hell Squad found out that Brain was putting so much training on throwing grenades, they had made fun of him. Now, each and every one of the detonators he threw took out bunches of mon calamarians. Dageer had a random thought about how Brain, the one who didn''t have a specified role on Hell Squad, went out after it by himself, deciding to train in the position they were missing, a grenadier. Chapter 70 - Firing Squad Dageer was very proud of the current Hell Squad, but there was no time to show it off at the moment. Even with Brain''s thermal detonators, the situation was still getting out of hand very quickly. The number of mon calamarians who invaded the base was well over a hundred, although it appeared that the last of them had already got out. If Dageer had to analyze the battle, he would probably say that, although the clones were outnumbered four, maybe five to one, they still had a chance. There were two main reasons for that. The first and most obvious one was that they occupied defensive positions, which was always an advantage. The second, and not so obvious, was that their enemies were enraged. That might not look as an advantage for some, and in some cases it really wasn''t. But at this specific battle, or at least this moment of it, it made so that the mon calamarians were more likely to make mistakes. Such as running forward without thinking. At least two dozen mon calamarians had to fell to clone lasers, and Brain grenades, until the rest learned that charging might not be the best tactic. Nevertheless, the brave moves by the mon calamarians paid off. Meter by meter, clone by clone, they started to gain ground. The one leading them was especially eye-catching. He used the weird mon calamari blasters with ability and zero scruples. Dageer aimed at him, knowing that if he took out the leader, the invasion would soon crumble. The DC-15S, however, wasn''t accurate enough. Dageer shots passed right above the mon calamari head, and he ducked behind a crate. "Fall back! Take position inside!" Dageer saw that he didn''t have enough clones to maintain their position. He ordered a retreat, but he himself stayed behind. Unconsciously or not, all of Hell Squad members had gathered with him. Brain left his thermal detonators aside, changing them by a DC-15A. Tech and Three-four were side by side, Three-four helping Tech, who had a hole on his legs. Cell and Dab stayed a little behind, ready to cover their retreat. Metal took the chance to reload his Z-6 Rotary, a troublesome matter, impossible to be done if they didn''t have that break. Dageer scrubbed the dust of his visor. "Boys, we have no way out. Either we kill those fishes right here and right now, or we become seafood. On my mark, everyone gets up, fire what you had and run to inside the base. Cell, Dab, you cover us while we retreat. When we are past you, turn back and run. Brain, help Tech." His men looked intensely at him. He and Metal would be at the most danger, covering their retreat, and being the last to leave. With a small nod, Dageer took a deep breath and got up. In a synchronized movement, like a well-oiled machine, Hell Squad became an executioner squad. Almost ten mon calamarians in the front were cut down like jirriu being harvested. Following Dageer''s orders, Tech, Brain, and Three-four turned and ran. Dageer aimed and fired, and then aimed and fired, and then aimed and fired, and then aimed and fired... When he thought that the others had enough time to retreat, he gave Metal a pat on his shoulder, and started walking backwards. The enemy blasters were getting more accurate, so Dageer ordered Metal to turn back and run. Now, only Dageer was left facing sixty or seventy enemies. He ducked behind cover, and analyzed the situation at hand. There were fifteen meters of open ground between him and the base. Almost all clones were already there, Metal reaching it the moment he looked. "Men! On two! One... Ahhrg!" He didn''t get the chance to count to two. One mon calamari had run very far forward, and somehow had managed to hide long enough to jump on Dageer. They rolled on the ground, and the mon calamari grabbed Dageer''s head and smashed it on the ground hard. Amidst his dizziness, Dageer took out his DC-17 and pressed the muzzle on the chest of the mon calamari. The eyes of his enemy enlarged, and he let Dageer go, but it was too late for him. Dageer pushed the mon calamari off. His men inside the base sent volleys of laser fire, trying to fend off the incoming enemies and give Dageer some cover fire. But they were too close. Soon, his allies at the doorway had to hide from the laser fire of the mon calamarians, and Dageer was left alone, about to be engulfed by the enemies. Chapter 71 - Variable The mon calamarians were advancing slowly, looking for traps. It seemed that they learned that clones were a tough nut to crack, as the fifty or sixty mon calamarians bodies on the ground showed. In contrast, there were only seven dead clones there, showing how high the price to take the medical base was. Things had gone quiet for the moment, but it wouldn''t take long before the air was filled with lasers once more. Involuntary, and certainly to their worry, one clone had been left behind. Dageer checked his belt, and even the dead mon calamari, for anything that could be used to stop the invaders. He had on DC-17, one DC-15S, and two thermal detonators. Not nearly enough to escape his current predicament. No, that wasn''t all of it actually. He also had some electric grenades, but he had thrown them to the back of his mind because they could only be used underwater. Underwater, underwater... The word kept ringing on his mind as if he was missing something. And then the idea dawned upon him. It was no wonder that Commander Keeli always said he had really bad ideas when he was in battle. That was another one of those bad ideas. Dageer took out the grenade launcher and attached it to his weapon. Then he got one of his thermal detonators and activated it, before rolling it to his right. When the explosion sounded, and the mon calamarians turned to it, he ran the opposite direction, circling around them, hoping they wouldn''t see him. They saw. "Looook!" The mom calamari who pointed at Dageer was the first one to receive his greetings. He looked surprisingly unconcerned at the hole on his chest, as if he never thought it would happen, and then fell to his knees. Dageer pressed the trigger madly, sending wave after wave of lasers onto his enemies. By the time he arrived at his objective, another five mon calamarians were gone forever. Dageer had gone all the way back to the treadmill and was once more using it to hide his body from his enemies. This time, however, he wouldn''t run away, but in fact, he would get closer to the well. Alternating between crouching and standing to shoot, he walked as fast as he could towards the well, paying little attention to anything else besides the mon calamarians dead ahead. And that almost costed his life. The treadmill was only half a meter large, and the moment he stood up, one mon calamari appeared right in front of him, on the other side of the treadmill. The mon calamari grabbed Dageer''s neck with one hand and used the other to stab his vibro-trident on Dageer. Or at least tried to. If he had the chance he would have stabbed Dageer without mercy, but his head blew up before he could. On the doorway of the medical base, one of the clones who had taken cover before was now shooting. Dab used his DC-15x to kill not only the immediate threat to Dageer''s life but also three other mon calamarians who were close. Although those events might seem long, in truth they all happened in quick succession, and before they knew, the mon calamarians had lost almost ten men. Without any enemies right next to him, Dageer did the unthinkable. He grabbed the diving mask and put it on, before jumping into the well. Before that, he left a little gift for the mon calamarians, a small and round metal ball, who killed three of them when it exploded. Needless to say that Hiigi was furious. He had started the assault with a full one hundred and twenty-eight men, but now only fifty-eight remained. He had expected to lose some men, but not more than half of his forces, all because of a single variable, a clone squad he hadn''t paid attention before. "Tart! Chase and kill that bastard whooo dared to jump in ooour dooomain! I want his head!" The elder mon calamari, Tart, acknowledged his orders, and gathered twelve mon calamarians before jumping in the well. He could only think of this clone as stupid, who decided, at his own will, to fight the mon calamarians on the habitat they knew better. Then he was greeted by a chain of electricity, numbing and paralyzing his body, as well as his men. The ''stupid'' clone didn''t show any mercy, and tried to finish them off while they couldn''t fight back. Chapter 72 - Sea Monster Dageer calmly shot the paralyzed mon calamarians, finishing them off one by one. Some of the weaker ones had already lost consciousness, and even the stronger of them, an older mon calamari, was having problems moving his body. Dageer didn''t show any mercy, even if his opponents were defenseless at the moment. He would not shoot a surrounded enemy, or one who couldn''t fight in any way, but that wasn''t the case for those mon calamarians. Dageer was sure they would try to kill him as soon as they recovered. Eliminating all threats was in his nature as a soldier, and also on his genetic code. But he didn''t have the time to kill all of them. A hand penetrated the water and grabbed the older mon calamari, pulling him out. After that, the owner of the hand jumped in the water, and punched Dageer. Maybe because of their skin, the mon calamarians didn''t face as much resistance from the water as clones did. The punch wasn''t enough to throw Dageer away, but still got him dizzy, and he expelled some air, creating bubbles on the water. Dageer grabbed the treadmill and started pulling himself down blindly. At the same time he launched another electric grenade, hoping to entangle the mon calamari. It just slowed him down for a little. ------------------------ Hiigi was angry. First, he lost many good men. Then one clone slipped by his hands and jumped in the water. Hiigi faced that as a provocation, and such as that he sent his right hand, Tart, to kill him. Never would he have thought that one clone would be able to take on thirteen mon calamarians, even if it was through ''different'' means. Of course, he couldn''t let Tart die, so he pulled him out of the water before he was killed. After doing that, a red mist took over his head, and all he could think of was of killing the clone. When the clone used his weapon to throw another of the detonators that exploded on electrical spirals, he was forced to stop. That was enough for him to clear his head, and think that maybe the clone was leading him into a trap. But what trap could it be? He had already disarmed their bombs, and scouted the tunnel. No. The clone was just desperate. And Hiigi liked the feeling of invoking such terror on one of the clones who killed his father. ---------------------- Dageer''s plan only went as far as that. He was now alone in the underwater tunnel, and a good number of mon calamarians would go after him for sure. At least he had taken some pressure out off his brothers. As he followed the tunnel, Dageer started designing his new plan. If someone came after him he would fight, no other choice. But if they decided that he wasn''t a threat, and let him be, he would show them how wrong they were. The grid at the end of the tunnel was open, as he suspected, and the thermal detonators they left there were gone. Carefully, he swam across the grid, entering the ocean. It was night, and because of that he had trouble seeing more than a few meters ahead. No mon calamari attacked him, and he decided to put his second plan in motion. He went back in the tunnel, but before he made the first turn, the lights on the treadmill projected shadows in the walls. Too many shadows for Dageer to take care. Once more he turned and got out, looking for somewhere to ambush them. But this was an ocean, how could he ambush someone? It was only when he turned back and saw the rock wall where the tunnel ended that he saw the many caves in it. Thinking it was better than nothing, he swam to one of them, not the closest, as that would be the first they would search, but one close enough so he could get them when they came out. He couldn''t see them, and there was no sound, so the only thing he could do was wait. He didn''t have to wait for long, though. Figures appeared in the entrance of the cave, and Dageer made the shot. Instantly, a small amount of blue laser fire, and a huge amount of red ones intertwined in the cave. Red lasers flew inside the cave, almost getting Dageer, who tried his best to take out his enemies before they could take him out. One of those red lasers flew all the way to the end of the cave and hit the wall. The wall moved, and two huge eyes appeared on it. After that came a curved beak, which opened and let out a horrifying screech. SRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!!! Chapter 73 - Kalee The screech was so loud that all of them, be it Dageer or the mon calamarians, stopped. Dageer turned and looked at the darkness behind him, only to see a pink tentacle shooting out of the darkness and winding around him. The tentacle swung him, smashing into the walls a couple of times. The impact was so hard that Dageer actually spat blood, leaving a small and red mist on the water. The scent of blood seemed to stimulate the owner of the tentacles, and it came out of the darkness. A giant monster. That was the only way Dageer could describe it. It was at least fifteen meters long, with a pink body. It was covered by a dark grey shell, and the only uncovered place was its face, from where the tentacles came. Five long tentacles, ending on suckers and starting at the sides of its beak. The monster went closer and closer to the entrance of the cave, and the mon calamarians there seemed to be paralyzed. Even when the tentacles reached out to grab them, there was still no resistance from their part. The monster kept dragging Dageer, and luckily for him, decided that it was one mon calamari, not him, that would be his dinner. The scene was... gruesome. The monster, however, was not satisfied after just one mon calamari, and this time, Dageer was the unfortunate one. As the tentacle pulled him closer and closer to the curved beak, Dageer had to think fast. When the monster opened its beak in anticipation, Dageer used another of the electric grenades, launching it directly inside the monster''s mouth. Blue arcs of electricity filled the monster mouth, and it let another horrifying screech before its tentacles twitched and let go of Dageer and the mon calamarians. Without worrying about the fact that they were enemies, clone and mon calamarians swam as fast as they could to get out of the cave. Once they were out in the ocean again, Dageer was instantly surrounded by mon calamarians. There were at least ten of them, lead by the one who chased Dageer on the well. They entered a stalemate, both sides pointing their weapons at each other, but too worried with the monster to actually try and kill each other. The mon calamari on the lead, the one with the tattoos, looked viciously at Dageer. "Clooooone. Yoooour kind killed my father." "We are at war, mon calamari. Your father was amongst the one who attacked my home planet. How would you feel if we attacked Mon Cala?" "Mooooon Cala? Hah! I despise Mooon Cala. They tooook yoooour side, and betrayed my father and I. Listen clooone. The name of whooo will kill yooou is Hiigi, soooon of Merai." So the mon calamari was the son of the enemy commander. Now it made sense why he had such hate for the clones. "And I am Dageer, son of Kamino, a pleasure to meet you. Don''t you think that we have more immediate problems? Such as this creature right there?" Dageer pointed at the cave, from where the tentacles of the monster were already emerging. "I can kill yooou first, sc.u.m!" Hiigi spat those words, and was almost pulling the trigger. But Dageer was already expecting that, and sent his last electric grenade. The grenade exploded, once more paralyzing the mon calamarians, and knocking some of them unconscious. Dageer obviously would not wait for them, and swam as fast as he could to the tunnel. When he arrived there he looked over his shoulder, and saw the monster grabbing mon calamarians and stuffing them on its mouth. ---------------------- The clone threw another one of the electric grenades, catching Hiigi and the other mon calamarians out off guard. With a numb body, Hiigi could only look while the monster used its tentacles to capture his men and eat them. Hiigi hated himself for not being able to move, he hated the clone who caused so many of his men to die, and he hated Count Dooku, who started it all. As the tentacles reached for him, the only thing he could do was watch and wait. At that moment, when he was almost being captured, Tart, his father right hand, pushed him out of the way. "TART!!!" Until the moment that his body was crushed by the curved beak, Tart said nothing, but only looked at Hiigi, his eyes telling him to run. -------------------©\-- Later, on the bottom of the ocean, Hiigi''s ship. Hiigi was once more on the control room, facing Count Dooku''s hologram. "Hiigi. I see your vengeance didn''t go as well as expected." Not caring about how Count Dooku knew this, Hiigi faced him silently. "Child, you come to me for my help, even after you said you will kill me. Good. I will show you the path on which you can destroy all clones. Go to a planet called Kalee. Someone there will teach you how to exercise your vengeance." Hiigi turned off the transmission, and not much later a ship left Scarif. Chapter 74 - Blixus When Dageer got out of the well, the situation was pretty much the same as when he left, but both sides had suffered losses. Without counting the mon calamarians who chased him, and were by now most probably dead, there were about twenty-five or thirty of them. The clones obviously made them pay a heavy price to get to the inside of the base. But they did. Dageer could see two dead clones on the doorway, and another one leaning on the wall. Thankfully none of them was of Hell Squad. As Dageer got inside the facilities of the medical base, more bodies appeared. Most of them were mon calamarians, but there were also some more clones, and even some researchers. Judging by the blasters on their hands, even the researchers were still clones. Soon, Dageer heard laser fire. He sneaked across the corridors, and saw the backs of the mon calamarians. They were grouped around a door on which ''Water Tests'' was written, and were firing inside. There were two more dead clones, with holes on their backs. Dageer couldn''t see who they were. By the sights of it, the clones were retreating when the mon calamarians caught up to them. If Dageer didn''t miss anything, then there were seventeen mon calamarians alive. And judging by the bodies all over, only three or four clones remained, plus Hell Squad and some researchers. "Hey, you smelly sc.u.m!" Dageer did the most reasonable thing, which was, of course, shooting at every mon calamari on his line of sight. The DC-15S that he took from Three-four was the best option at this kind of close combat, since it could fire faster, and accuracy wasn''t so important. Ge started with his blaster pointed at the left, and pressed the trigger non-stop, at the same time moving the weapon in a horizontal line, ending his movement on the right. As a result, the back lines of the mon calamarians - about six of them - all fell, and the astonished survivors took a lot of time to react. Dageer didn''t have anywhere to hide, and all of his ammo was spent. But he didn''t need to worry, as the clones on the room came out, and quickly took down some enemies. For the first time in the whole battle, the mon calamarians showed some common sense and surrendered. -------------------------- Only half an hour later that Dageer finally had the chance to sit down and think about the situation. They had nine prisoners, all locked and defeated both physically and mentally. However, the Republic side wasn''t faring much better. On the battle, of the original eighteen clones stationed on the medical base, only Salv and three more remained. Of the researchers, more than half were dead, all with a blaster on their hands. Hell Squad only had one wounded - Tech - and no dead, but were extremely tired. Talking about that, the only reason they were alive and victorious was because of that strange monster that Dageer encountered. The creature killed at least fifteen mon calamarians, and Dageer still didn''t know if their leader was alive, but his instincts told him that Hiigi was. Dageer became curious about why such a dangerous monster lived near the medical base, and asked one of the researchers. The answer surprised him. It turned out that the monster was called Blixus, a native predator of Scarif. The electric grenades were originally designed to deal with it. And more, the Blixus he encountered was only one of the many who lived in Scarif. The clones knew the monster lived there, but since it never came out of its cave - until Dageer electrocuted it - they never had any problems. The aftermath of the battle was intense, and the clones spent the next few days cleaning up everything. The task of how to make the production continue was not Dageer''s problem, and the researchers decided to wait a few weeks before going down on the water, to make sure the Blixus had calmed down. However, the medical base still had a huge stockpile of medicines, and Dageer got it all ready for their return to Kamino. Dageer didn''t know that Hiigi had survived and followed Dooku''s instructions to go to Kalee, but it was a fact that after the battle their communications were restored. Dageer saw that as a sign that the planet was theirs again. It was only after a week that another group of Republic sh.i.p.s arrived, not rushing since Dageer contacted them to say everything was under control. Dageer was expecting that they would get the medical supplies on a ship and go back to Kamino, but apparently, Commander Keeli and General Di had other plans. Both of them disembarked from The Sincerity, and asked Dageer to have all the clones in position because they were going to get a speech. Together with the speech came the surprises. Chapter 75 - Right Hand Commander Keeli and General Di looked quite serious when they saw all the clones lined up and waiting, for a grand total of eleven clones and six researchers. Both leaders looked at the group, solemn expressions on their faces, but Dageer wasn''t getting any bad feelings. He went up to greet them. "General, commander. It is good to see you. For some time we thought we were all dead." "Dageer, are those all the survivors?" "Yes sir. Even the injured are here." "Keeli." "Yes general." Commander Keeli stepped forward, and took off his helmet. His eyes calm, he took out a datapad. But before he started reading from it, he decided to say something himself. "Clones. Only you remain before me, of over thirty brothers who were here before. They died doing their duties, but that doesn''t make their deaths less important." Commander Keeli looked at the clones, who were all looking sharp. Most of them had some new scar or hole in their armor to show. Satisfied, Commander Keeli looked at the datapad, and started reading it. "Sergeant Salv. One step ahead." Salv walked until he was in front of Commander Keeli and General Di. "Sir!" "Sergeant Salv, the Republic, and I, are deeply grateful to you and your men, by defending this medical base, at the cost if your lives. Your lost troopers will be replenished soon." "Thank you sir!" Salv returned to his position, and then it was the turn of the head researcher, Gitu. "Gitu, many of the researchers lost their lives defending this base, as good as any other clone. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten, and the men you lost will also be replenished." "Thank you sir!" After both men returned to their initial position, Commander Keeli passed the datapad to General Di, who took it, but didn''t give it another glance. With his hoarse voice, the jedi asked Dageer to come a little bit forward. "Dageer, leader of Hell Squad. You lead your squad and the garrison of this medical base to withstand an attack from an enemy many times larger. Your actions also gave the Republic a crucial piece of information, that being that our enemies are not only much better prepared than we thought, but also that they are not only droids." He stopped talking, something that Dageer was already accustomed. General Di looked at Commander Keeli, who took over. "Dageer, you did a meritorious service for the Republic, and showed exceptional bravery, attracting the invasion force way and giving your men the chance to regroup and fight back. For that reason, I, in the name of the Grand Army of the Republic, am rewarding you with the second-class Kaminoan Medal." Commander Kelli took out a small medal, shaped like a rectangle, and with dark blue borders. The medal was magnetized, and when Commander Keeli put it on Dageer chest, it stayed there without falling. Dageer accepted the medal without any complaints, as he already suspected he would receive something like that. What surprised him was the second part of Commander Keeli words. "That is not all. Now I am not speaking in the name of the Grand Army of the Republic, but in the name of the 303rd Attack Legion. During this battle and many others, you showed outstanding courage, leadership, and a little bit of craziness. However, everything you did was thinking about your brothers, and how to keep most of them alive. Those are the thoughts that a leader should have." He paused, and one of the clones that came with him advanced, carrying a box bigger than Dageer''s head. The clone gave the box to Commander Keeli, who in turn passed it to Dageer, but told him not to open it yet. "I discussed with the general, and we both agreed that you deserve a promotion. You don''t have to say that you don''t want it, I know you don''t. But we cannot let your talents go to waste. Because of that, we both agreed that you shall be given the rank of sub-commander in name. That means you will still command Hell Squad as a special unit, but when needed you will have to step out and take over. Do you copy that?" "Yes sir! Thank you sir! Thank you general!" Commander Keeli and General Di united the best of both options, giving Dageer a place for his talents to shine, but at the same time keeping the best special squad on the 303rd. Nobody would say that aloud, but it was obvious that they were showing a lot more support for Hell Squad and Dageer than for the rest. General Di put his hands on Dageer''s shoulders, and surprisingly made a joke. "We prepared you a little gift, to congratulate you and at the same time make the heavy duties we are putting on you are a little bit lighter." It was so different from the general normal self that Dageer took a few moments before he understood that it was not a real commentary, but a half-joke. Like a kid that got a new present, Dageer opened the box expectantly. On it, a shiny new helmet waited for him. Chapter 76 - Identity Dageer opened the box, and inside it was a shiny new helmet. He used both hands to pick up the helmet and saw it was very different from the normal ones. First of all, it had one of the macrobinoculars that was only present on lieutenant and higher ranks. The macrobinoculars was different from the usual ones, slimmer and more powerful. It had many functions, like night vision, 100x zoom, detection software that provided distance, wind, elevation and more. But that was by far the less eye-catching piece of the helmet. What really caused an impression was the dark, reddish-brown paint. The right side was plain white like the standard armor, but on the left was a stylized horn, much like the one on Commander Keeli''s helmet. The base of the horn started a little above the neck piece, and started thinning as it went up. It ended when it met the visor, and appeared once above it. At the top, the tip of the horn was only one finger large, and made a curve to the side part of the helmet, ending in a half-circle. It was amazing. Dageer never thought he would use those words to describe a helmet, but it was really amazing. Dageer picked his old helmet, full of scorched marks, dust and scars, and put it carefully on the box. Old or not, the helmet saved his life many times, and Dageer felt it deserved some respect. After that, he put his new helmet, and it fitted perfectly, just like his old one. The helmet was new, but he felt a sense of familiarity with it, just like the one he felt with blasters, even when he had never used them. It was his soldier genes talking. He pushed down the macrobinoculars, and started playing with it. The islands that before were just a dot on the sea, now were clear as day, and he could even see the distance between them. Realizing that he was behaving like a Kowakian monkey-lizard, Dageer held his new helmet under his arms and saluted Commander Keeli and General Di. ----------------------- Dageer was already respected by the men of the 303rd, but his prestige grew a few steps after his promotion. He was now the sub-commander, and slowly his achievements started to spread. He was the clone who destroyed an AAT using a grenade on his first battle. He was the clone who formed up a special squad from zero. He was the clone who took down an entire Battlesphere. He was the clone who confronted the weapon of death of the Separatist, the Harverst. He was the clone who lead a group of men in the sewers and tore apart a droid base. He was the clone who hijacked a Separatist cruiser on Kamino, and risked his life when he threw it on the enemy forces. He was the clone who took a bunch of shines and commanded them to fight more than a hundred mon calamarians. He was the clone who fought a Blixus and used it to destroy his enemies. Here and there he would hear someone talking about him, and many of his closest friends, like Rozal, Fondor, Guard and Berro, went up to congratulate him. ... In the end, they didn''t return to Kamino. Two CR90s were sent back with the supplies, and The Sincerity, together with the rest of General Di''s fleet, was going to their next destination. Now, Dageer was going to a meeting to discover exactly what was that destination. Fully clad in armor, his helmet standing out, Dageer''s presence made every clone stop what they were doing and greet him. When he arrived at the door of the command bridge, the four guards stepped aside and made way for him. With the black space as background, the command bridge was less crowded than Dageer expected. General Di and Commander Keeli were with Admiral Dao, seeing the projection of a planet. They all had worried expressions on their faces, but that didn''t tell much, as all commanders had that kind of face. "General Di, sir. Admiral Dao, commander." The Nikto looked up, and called Dageer closer. He then pointed to the planet on the projection. The planet looked like it was actually two, the smaller one, made of earth and so, and a bigger one, like a sphere enveloping it, made of water. Dageer had a bad feeling. "Dageer, are you familiar with that planet?" "It feels familiar, sir, but I don''t actually know what planet it is. Can you...?" The jedi answered him ambiguously, not saying the name of the planet but telling him everything he needed to know. "I called you here for two reasons Dageer. First of all, you are the sub-commander. Secondly, I want you to detail the battle you had with the mon calamarians on Scarif. Because we are going to their home." Chapter 77 - Sinister "... We are going to their home." So their next destination was Mon Cala. Dageer had already heard of the situation on the planet. The two intelligent species on the planet, the mon calamarians and the quarrens had engaged on war for hundreds of years, only coming to some kind of peace on the last few decades. But that peace was once more broken when the Clone Wars started and the planet once again was divided in two. Most of the mon calamarians took the Republic side, the exceptions being a few like Hiigi and Merai. On the other hand, the quarrens had taken the Republic side, mostly because they didn''t want to fight side by side with the mon calamarians. As the flames of their internal conflict burned stronger and stronger, both Republic and Separatist had sent their troops. Now, both sides were in a standoff both on space and on the planet. One side controlling the south, and the other the north, small skirmishes had been happening for the last months. Now the planet was on the verge of an all-out conflict. And Dageer voiced his doubts about it. "Sir, it is not that I like the situation on the planet, but till now, nothing big happened. However, I fear that the arrival of another Republic fleet and legion might be the spark that ignites it all." "The mon calamari king asked for Republic aid. If we deny that, the whole planet might turn to the Separatist. And the start of a war is crucial. Losing a planet on a battle, we can take it back. But losing the people? That is not something that can be retaken easily. The Senate is afraid that this might start a chain reaction. We have to show our allies, and the neutral systems that we can be trusted." "Even if that means starting another battle?" Seeing that things were getting a little out of hand, Commander Keeli intervened. "Dageer, orders are orders!" "Yes sir!" ... Later, somewhere more silent of The Sincerity. Commander Keeli stoped Dageer, and looked at him seriously. "Dageer! What was that?" "Commander, with all due respect, but we are going to send a lot of our brothers to death if we go to Mon Cala. I just think..." "You think I don''t know that?! Do you think the general doesn''t know that?! Let me tell you something. When we received our orders, the first thing the general did was go and voice the same concerns with the Jedi Council." That got Dageer. Of course, General Di would think the same things he did, and have the same worries. "You, Dageer, are a sub-commander now. If the only thing you do is complain and go against your superiors, then maybe you are not as fit for this position as we thought you were. We are going to Mon Cala, and we are going to fight. That is our job. We are already at war. One battle more we win can be the decisive factor, and you know that. Now think about that, and I want you to pass the information you passed to us to as many as possible soldiers. Go." "Yes sir! I am sorry sir, I..." Dageer wanted to explain, but in the end, he just decided to go do his bindings. Meanwhile, with all that talk about Mon Cala, he wondered what happened to Hiigi, the mon calamari he fought on Scarif. ------------------------ Millions of parsecs away, deep into Wild Space. A small ship came out of hyperspace. The ship was controlled by only one being, a mon calamari. Before Hiigi was a small planet, called Kalee. When Count Dooku sent him there, Hiigi had looked for all the information he could get on the planet. However, besides the coordinates and the fact that there were no intelligent lifeforms there, he got nothing else. When his scanners analyzed the planet, he saw that there was no sign of life at all. It was a barren and deserted planet, but weirdly, his sensors told him that it should be habitable to most lifeforms in the galaxy. As he got closer to the planet, his sensors finally picked up something different. On one of the few mountains of Kalee, there were high energy fluctuations. Hiigi flew over the plains and savannas of the planet, and landed on the mountain range. There, amidst the mist, a door was opened, and waiting for him. He picked his vibro-trident and his blaster, and got in slowly. As soon as he passed through the door, it closed, and he was in total darkness, one that even his eyes, adapted to the depths of Mon Cala, couldn''t see through. But he walked all the same, until an eerie voice was heard. "KaKaKaKa! So you are the insect that... cough... cough! The insect that my master sent for me to train." "Whooo are yoooou?!" "KaKaKaKa! If you survive, you will see." A hole opened under Hiigi, and he fell in the darkness below. Inside the mountain, only a creepy laugh remained. Chapter 78 - Dookus Apprentice Hiigi slid down faster and faster, his head, back and hands slamming on the sides repeatedly, leaving many bruises. Then, the hole ended, and he slammed on the ground, his legs exploding in pain. Struggling to get up, he looked around. The room he was now was illuminated by green lights, and was circular. While he was wondering what to do, the creepy voice appeared once more. "Insect, you are weak. I don''t understand why my master chose you. But if you can''t survive this, then I am sure he will agree that choosing you was a mistake." "What dooo I have tooo survive?" "KaKaKaKaKa..." As an answer, from another hole in the ceiling, two droids wearing cloaks fell. They rolled on the ground and split, starting to surround Hiigi. On their hands, a metal rod appeared, and on both ends of it, purple lightning appeared. "KaKaKaKa... cough, cough! KaKa... Those are only the first battle you will fight, insect... cough! KaKaKaKa..." ----------------------- Since his conversation with Commander Keeli, Dageer thought a lot about what his commander said, and realized that he was right. Dageer had indeed forgotten his place as a soldier, and that he couldn''t be afraid of starting a battle. He wasn''t fighting only for the Republic, but for a galaxy in which he and his brothers could be free, and that galaxy would only become reality if they win the war. With all that in mind, Dageer shared his experiences in underwater combat - about two hours of it - with every clone he could. That could be the difference between life and death in the battle of Mon Cala. ... When they came out of hyperspace they arrived just behind the Republic fleet already there. On the distance, very far away, was the Separatist fleet. They must have detected General Di fleet before it got out of hyperspace, because they were already arranging defensive formations. But they obviously didn''t know that the Republic was going to send aid for Mon Cala, since they didn''t attack, but waited for the Republic move. As per discussed before, half of the CR90s on General Di fleet immediately descended on the planet. Their objective was to drop troopers on Mon Cala. Since less they only had diving and underwater equipment for less than half of the legion, only two regiments - about 4.000 clones - would fight on the planet. The rest would stay on the cruisers, either to board Separatist sh.i.p.s or defend against them. Hell Squad was among the ones who would be dropped, but the Separatist wouldn''t let them get there easily. Mon Cala was basically an ocean, and as such, there was nothing like outposts, bases and else. The battles would take place directly in the cities, and four thousand clones could make all the difference there. So, as soon as their objective became clear, the Separatist moved to intercept. Vulture droid after Vulture droid speed towards them, and the same amount of Republic starfighters went to meet the incoming enemy. Inside one of the corvettes, Dageer reassured his opinion that this was the worse moment of any invasion. He was fine with fighting on the group or underwater, attacking or defending, alone or with his brothers, but not inside a ship. He couldn''t do anything, only hope that he wasn''t the next to be blown by the droids. At the cost of many pilots lives, including some of Steel Battalion, only two corvettes were lost on their way. The bottom part of the CR90 opened, and Dageer, this time using much better-prepared equipment, told the clones to jump, squad by squad. Hell Squad was the last. Dageer watched his brothers jump, then sent his squad members. "Tech, Three-four! Now! Brain, Metal! Go down! Cel, Dab! Your turn!" Hell Squad jumped, hitting the water and creating splashes. The last man on the corvette, Dageer connected the tubes on his diving mask and drooped from the ship. Feet first, the water enveloped him. --------------------- Kalee, in a room on the mountain complex. Hiigi gasped hard. At his feet was the body of a crab-like creature, and a broken half of Hiigi''s vibro-trident was trespassing its head. Hiigi knelt on the ground. His clothes were ragged and his body full of wounds. His left hand was wrapped in a bloodied bandage, and this little finger was missing. The room was full of bodies, most of them being a type of droid called MagnaGuard, but also a lot of different creatures, all of them deadly. The voice that Hiigi had been hearing for the last three days appeared as soon as he killed his enemy, just like he expected. "Cough! Cough... cough! Mon calamari, you have passed the test that my master left for you..." Hiigi unexpectedly laughed so hard that his wounds started bleeding again. "Cough... cough! What is so funny?" "Yoooou... yooou called me ''mon calamari'' nooot insect. Hahahaha!" The voice was startled for a moment. "You are still an insect. But an... cough... cough... cough! But an insect who passed my master''s test. Cough! You survived three days fighting every twenty minutes. Cough... cough! I will train you. KaKaKaKaKa..." Chapter 79 - In The Water Once More The water closed around Dageer, but this time he didn''t get temporarily blind. The clones taking part in this battle had vision gear made especially for underwater combat, and that should help them aim. Their armor was modified to resist the pressure from the depths, and their air supply should last a week. All in all, they were ready for a long battle. Dageer looked around and saw all the clones that were under his command. He looked at the map on his comlink, and pointed south and down. "Move out! Squad leaders, if anything happens, report to me. Keep an eye out for trouble. We might be on friendly territory, but that doesn''t mean the clanckers can come and get us!" Using thrusters, the clones dove in the depths below. ------------------------ Hiigi walked in a long, straight hall. On both sides, green lights illuminated him, giving his injured face a terrible look. Holding his hand at his chest and limping, he almost fell many times. Finally, when he was almost giving up, he got to the end of the corridor. He got to another room, a storage one. However, the things it was storing were weird. Hands and arms made of metal were hanging from the ceiling. On racks, feet and legs laid. Hiigi walked amongst the racks, looking for nothing in particular. The metallic limbs shone in the green light, and their shadows formed deformed beings on the walls, sending chills down his spine. Hiigi made another turn, and when he looked at the things on the rack, he almost tripped on himself. Row after row of weirdly shaped metal heads watched him. Their empty eye sockets followed him wherever he looked. Hiigi was almost turning back and getting out of this line of racks when one of the heads caught his attention. Differently from the others, which were opaque but new, that one looked old. Hiigi got closer, trying to figure out why, and looked at the empty eye sockets. The darkness seemed to call him, and he reached with his hand... and then the eyes opened. Bright yellow irises, with reptilian pupils, faced him. Something hit his chest hard, sending him flying, and he was unconscious before he hit the ground. ----------------------- Grabbing on thrusters, the clones of the 303rd dove into the ocean. Dageer was in the front, following his map to arrive at the city of Vernila, where their allies were. Suddenly he received a signal from ahead. One of the scouts he had sent returned with another clone. Dageer looked at the clone and his worn out armor. He was from a different clone group, the SCUBA Troopers under jedi master Kit Fisto. They were a legion specialized in underwater combat, and were of course the first to arrive on Mon Cala. Their equipment was even better than the one that the 303rd was wearing. They had propulsion backpacks and SCUBA rifles, which helped them operate to their best. The clone approached Dageer, and seeing his helmet knew that he was of high rank. "CT-9087, Glock, from Monnk Company, SCUBA Troopers." "Dageer, 303rd Attack Legion. Glock, what is the situation ahead?" "All clear sir. The quarrens and Separatists have engaged our troops in many small fights in the last week, but nothing big happened." "Is General Fisto in Vernila?" "No, sir. He went in a recognizance mission with Commander Monnk yesterday." Dageer preferred to talk to the jedi as soon as possible, but if he wasn''t there, then he could do nothing. Following Glock, the 303rd dove even deeper, going straight to Vernila. ------------------------ Slowly, Hiigi woke up from his torpor. His body was aching all over, but he realized that most of it was because he was hanging upside down. Chains wrapped around his ankles, but his arms were free. His first reaction was to try and reach the chains, to get rid of them, but when he moved, his body rotated enough for him to see a dark figure in the corner. Seeing he was awake, the figure approached him, his steps making heavy ''clank'' noises. The figure appeared in the light little by little. In the end, the owner of the heavy footsteps showed itself. Hiigi almost thought it was another monster. It was at least 2,5 meters tall, and his body was totally covered in dirty white metal pieces. His chest was sectioned on three parts, and Hiigi could see a dark red heart beating under them. It was then that Hiigi understood that the white metal pieces weren''t an armor, as he had thought, but the actual body of the creature. When it talked, the only thing that moved were its eyes, and it didn''t have a mouth. "Cough... cough... cough! KaKaKaKaKa! Insect... cough... cough! My master ordered me to train you in the ways that the jedi fight. Cough... cough! Like me you don''t have talent in The Force, but you... cough... cough! But you can learn their other talents." "Whoooo... whoooo are yoooou?" The creature grabbed something behind his body. With a green flash, a lightsaber as turned on centimeters way from Hiigi''s face. "KaKaKaKaKa... I am the jedi hunter. My name is Grievous. KaKaKaKaKa!" Chapter 80 - Mon Calamarians X Quarrens At one of the many crevices that made up the bottom of Mon Cala, Vernila laid. The buildings were built in the rocks, and a glowing stone worked as light. Between the buildings glass tunnels with rapid currents connected them. That way, the mon calamarians could travel faster, and safely. Glock took the 303rd to a big building a little away from the city. The flag of the Republic was printed on the building. When they entered it, they saw many SCUBA troopers, all of them in good shape. It was impossible to treat the wounded underwater, so they had to be sent back to the sh.i.p.s above as soon as possible. Soon the 303rd was accommodated, and since Dageer was the commander, it was his job to go and talk with the mon calamarians. But he decided to wait for Monnk and General Fisto to come back. If he wasn''t wrong, anything he asked about the quarrens or Separatist would be answered with hate. He wanted to have a clear view of the situation, if possible given by a jedi. Nevertheless, he still decided to walk around the city. He changed his helmet for a normal one, so others, beside clones, wouldn''t be able to tell his rank. That way, even if he was stopped by a mon calamari he could say he didn''t know anything because he was too low ranked. What surprised him was that the mon calamarians lived as if they weren''t about to enter a war. Merchants still sold their merchandise, parents and kids were shopping and playing. The only signs that the war was already there were the soldiers patrolling the city, and the graffiti claiming for the death of the quarrens. Dageer even saw some wanting for the clones to leave. As he wandered in the poorest areas of the city, the situation started to get worse, and the number of graffiti asking the clones to leave started to get bigger. When Dageer turned a corner, he saw a commotion. Three young and male mon calamarians were kicking and punching someone. Initially, he was going to let them be, and call the mon calamari police. But then he saw that the person they were beating was different from the mon calamarians. His skin was yellow, and he had small tentacles growing of its chin. It was a quarren. But what was a quarren doing in the middle of a mon calamari city? If he was a spy, how could he let three mon calamarians beat him? But then another group of mon calamarians appeared. Dageer thought they were going to join the others, but in turn they took the side of the quarren. A big fight broke out, and by the time Dageer got there the three mon calamarians had ran. One of the mon calamari helped the quarren up, and hugged him. When Dageer approached, the crowd parted, and Dageer saw that there were many more quarrens amidst them. The quarren who was beaten up was bleeding from some small cuts, but besides that, he looked okay. Both mon calamarians and quarrens looked at Dageer with some hostility, but his words surprised them. "Are you alright?" The quarren nodded, his hostility appeasing a little. Dageer asked the question that was in his mind. "You are a quarren, right? Many of you are. I thought you were at war with the mon calamarians?" The quarren gave a dry laugh. "Our kings are at war. It has been many years since both our species saw that it was unnecessary. I moved here when we were at peace, but now that we are at war again, things are getting out of hand. What you saw today isn''t the first time neither the last." ... Back at the barracks, Dageer was deep in thought. He never thought that maybe, just maybe, not everyone agreed to the war. Quarrens and mon calamarians had hated each other for centuries, but when they had the chance to get along, they discovered they had a lot in common. "Sir, the general returned." "Thank you Vyylo." Dageer thanked the clone that warned him, and went to the command center, ready to meet the jedi and Commander Monnk. The jedi had green skin, and his ''hair'' was a bunch of tentacles. He had a big smile on his face, as if seeing Dageer was the best thing in the galaxy. Besides him was a SCUBA trooper with two yellow lines, one on which side of his helmet. Commander Monnk, probably. "You must be Dageer, the rising star of the 303rd Attack Legion." "General Fisto, Commander Monnk. Not so much, but I am Dageer, yeah." "Did Master Di come?" "No, sir. He said he can''t fight in an ambient too ''watery''." "Hahaha! That is understandable, he is a Nikto after all. His home planet doesn''t even have a lake. But forget about that. Give us your report Dageer." "Yes sir. I have two regiments with me, but none of them have combat experience underwater. I fought some mon calamarians on Scarif, so I did my best, but General Di hopes that Commander Monnk can train them before we start our attack." Kit Fisto looked at Monnk, who nodded his head. "That is a deal then. Now let us tell you what we saw." Chapter 81 - Yos Kolina Kit Fisto turned on his hologram projector, and showed Dageer and Monnk some underwater Separatist buildings. "When I went ahead, I passed a good number of their patrols, both droids and quarrens. Their base is quite well hidden. If I haven''t followed one of their patrols, it would have been difficult to find." He zoomed on the face of one quarren, presumably the king, since he had a crown on his head. "The quarrens have always been more aggressive than the mon calamarians. He is Chieftain Nossor Ri. Ever since the Separatist contacted him, he had shown huge support to their cause. Now, he is at their camp. This shows where his loyalty really lies." Next, the jedi showed the base once more, this time focusing on the buildings. "Their weapon depots are here, here and here. I saw at least two buildings that look like storage of some sorts, they might keep the deactivated droids there. Also, the quarrens are staying in a group of buildings out of the base. Maybe the Separatist doesn''t trust them, or they don''t trust the Separatist." "Or maybe both don''t trust each other. Did you see what defenses they had general?" Dageer shrugged, and asked the most concerning thing for an attack force. "I am no specialist in regards to quarren weapons, but there were at least twenty things that looked like giant pipes. I bet they are a cannon of some sort. And there are many Separatist Manta Droids and Mini-subs." Dageer looked at the projection, and thought of many different ways of attack, but none of them had a hundred percent chance of they winning. Besides that, there weren''t that many clones, and they had to minimize their casualties as much as possible. While he and the jedi were thinking, Monnk spoke for the first time. "We could bury them." Dageer was startled, as was the jedi. Kit Fisto didn''t answer immediately, but went deep in thought. Dageer and Monnk kept quiet, but Dageer could understand what the SCUBA trooper meant. The Separatists wanted to keep their base hidden, so they chose a crevice in the rocks, and as the jedi discovered, it was extremely hard to attack. But that also meant that the clones could undermine the rocks above, and crush them. Strategically speaking, that was the best way to destroy the enemy without suffering a single casualty. Dageer nodded his head, agreeing with Monnk, but the jedi didn''t. "No. If it was just the droids, I could agree. But there are quarrens there. Even though they are our enemies now, we can''t do that." Monnk shook his head disappointed but not surprised. Dageer knew what both sides were thinking. Clones were genetically engineered to be combat machines. Things such as mercy and pity were unknown to them. But the jedi were peacekeepers. Their history came from thousands of years, when the galaxy was at a chaotic moment, and the so-called Dark Side ruled. After many thousands of years, the jedi had accommodated on their role of guardians, judges and mediators, and were unprepared to the Clone Wars. At least that was what Dageer thought. But a general was still a general, even if his methods weren''t the best. "If we can''t do that, then a frontal attack is our only option, but the cost will be high." "Dageer, Monnk, return to the barracks. Monnk, I will take your suggestion to Yos Kolina. He is still king, and that is still his planet, he has the right to at least know our options. Dageer, take your men to outside the city, Monnk will send someone to give them some basic training." "Yes general." "Yes general." When the jedi left, Monnk turned to Dageer speaking in a way that clones only spoke with each other. "Brother, let me present myself unofficially. I am Monnk, commander of the SCUBA Troopers, and under General Fisto." "Dageer, sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion. I see that General Fisto is quite... difficult to deal with." "He is... emotive. His mood swings very fast, but his sense of righteousness is unmovable. Now come, let me give your boys a taste of underwater combat." ----------------------- Vernila, Red Palace, Side Hall. Dageer and Monnk were at the most important building of Mon Cala, the Red Palace, where the king lived and made his decisions. At that moment, what they were deciding was their course of attack. The meeting had been called by the king himself, Yos Kolina. For fear of spies, only the most trusted men of the king were there, mainly generals, and the prime minister. Of course, jedi Kit Fisto and the clone commanders, Dageer and Monnk were also there. As Kit Fisto have suspected, when he took Monnk''s suggestion over to the king, the old mon calamari rejected. But many of his generals didn''t view the matter the same as him. They supported burying the quarrens, and Yos Kolina was having a hard time suppressing their protest. The side hall was filled with angry voices shouting, and the situation was getting a little intense. Because of that, General Fisto used The Force to move a torrent of bubbles right in the middle of the hall, attracting everyone''s attention. Chapter 82 - Royal Fight Bubbles shuffled in the side hall, and the mon calamarians twitched and swam a few steps back. Dageer and Monnk weren''t surprised, since it wasn''t their first time seeing the Force in action. Yos Kolina also didn''t seem fazed by that. Having grabbed the attention of everyone, Kit Fisto smiled. "Your Highness, generals, please listen to me. I am speaking in name of the Jedi Council when I say that we do not agree on that tactic." The mon calamarians got angry, because their biggest backer was the Republic. If the jedi didn''t want to help them, then they had zero chance of winning an argument with the king. Monnk retreated slightly, and pulled Dageer while doing so. Using his comlink so only Dageer could hear, he uttered dangerous words. "Be prepared. Those mon calamarians are too angry. I fear the general or their king won''t be able to control them." Dageer frowned, and unconsciously reached for his blaster. Meanwhile, Kit Fisto continued talking. "While the clones here are under my command, the Republic will not take part in such inhuman attack." One of the generals that was closer to the king whispered something to him. The king got angry, and ordered the general aside. Unhappy with the king''s attitude, the general started whispering with some others, before speaking to Kit Fisto. "Jedi, yooou say such things, but yooou never saw the horrors that the quarrens dooo tooo ooour peooople. Yooou have nooo right tooo say that here!" Yos Kolina got up from his throne, his green face a shade darker. "Yos Tivos!" All the while, Kit Fisto smile never faded. "Don''t worry, Your Highness. His worries are perfectly understandable. You are right when you say I don''t know what the quarrens did to your people, General Tivos. What I know, though, is what the mon calamarians can do to the quarrens. I''ve seen innocent quarrens being beaten and killed on the streets of Vernila, be they elders, women, men or children. And I know that you can''t wait to bury thousands of quarrens because of an old feud." Yos Tivos was speechless. Rumble filled the side hall once more. Dageer frowned even harder. He didn''t like the way that things were going. The hall was splitting into two different factions, one taking the king''s side, and the other echoing Yos Tivos words. "Why shooould we respect the quarrens?! They are beasts!" "We follooow the king!" "Which side is the Republic? Are yooou even here tooo aid Mooon Cala? Ooor tooo give it tooo the Separatist?" "Jedi, dooo yooou represent the Republic?! Are yooou just speaking yooour mind?!" "SILENCE!!!" When Yos Kolina spoke, everyone shut up. The king was still the king, even if he was going against the wishes of his subordinates. "Jedi, finish speaking." "Generals, if you wish, you can ask the Chancellor for another jedi or commander. But while I am here, we won''t undermine those rocks. That is not the way the Republic fights." ... Many hours later, only Yos Kolina, Dageer, Monnk, Kit Fisto and a few loyal aides of the king stayed in the hall. After the generals paid their respects to the king, in a not very respectful way, they stormed out of the hall, still angry with the decision. But they couldn''t do anything, because without the help of the Republic they would be crushed. "Master jedi, I am sooorry that my brooother behaved in such way. Ever since we were little, Tivos always was against the peace agreements that ooour father made with the quarrens." "I wasn''t offended, Your Highness. But if I could ask for your help." "Gooo ahead." "Please, send someone to keep an eye on General Yos Tivos. I am afraid that he might do something harsh." "I already did that. But he is right abooout ooone thing. We can''t delay much, ooor the side attacking will be the Separatist. Hooow aboout... WHAT?!" While the king was speaking, one mon calamari came and said something in his ear, and that invoked a big reaction from him. "Tivos, hooow can he...! That is unacceptable!" "Your Highness, what happened." "My brooother. He ignooored my oorders, and decided tooo bury the Separatist himself!" Hearing that, Kit Fisto decisively turned around and swam out of the Red Palace. Dageer and Monnk followed him, and on the background, the king was barking orders at his subordinates. Monnk and Dageer only caught up to the jedi when they reached their barracks. There, Kit Fisto was grabbing a thruster, and a battalion was already behind him. As soon as they arrived, Monnk and Dageer parted ways, each going to their respective men. "Brain! Get everyone here now! Tech, Three-four, go with the support team, get them going, we catch up to you. Cell, Dab, you two go ahead, destination: Separatist base. However, your target isn''t them, but a group of mon calamarians who are going there. They are going against the orders of King Yos Kolina and General Fisto. Don''t kill anyone, but try your best to stop them without alerting the Separatist. You will probably meet a group of SCUBA troopers with the same mission." "Sir, are we attacking?" "I am not sure yet, but a odds are that we will have to attack, ready or not. It is up to General Fisto." Dageer turned his comlink and spoke to every clone of the 303rd on direct channel with him. "Aye boys! It is time for some action!" Chapter 83 - My Way Using their thrusters and propulsion backpacks, the clones set out almost immediately. Such a huge movement would be impossible to hide, and Dageer was sure that the clanckers and the Separatist would be waiting for them. It was with that in mind that Dageer thought that maybe the insubordination of Yos Tivos was for the best. But the general was disobeying his king, and that was unacceptable for Dageer. When Dageer and the 303rd got on their way, the mon calamari army was still trying to organize themselves. The SCUBA Troopers were either setting out or already on their way. When Dageer stopped one of them, he discovered that Monnk and Kit Fisto had gone ahead. "Cell, are you there?" "Yes sir." "Where are you now? Did you catch up to General Fisto and Commander Monnk?" "Sir, Commander Monnk is with us, but General Fisto just stormed past us." "Dageer! Hurry up and get your men over here! Our scouts already reported that the Separatist are mobilizing. And we still have no clue on Yos Tivos." Monnk cut into the conversation, and Dageer had to hurry his troops. One of the advantages of the ocean was that they didn''t have to take any detours, just a straight line. Not much later they caught up to Monnk, Cell, Dab and the other advanced units. They were pretty close to the Separatist base, so they were forced to stop, or they would have a head-on confront. Dageer swam closer to Monnk, but he didn''t see any jedi or mon calamari general with him. "Commander, what happened?" "Many things and nothing. General Fisto ordered us to stay here and went to see the Separatist base. He is Nautolan, so he is much more agile in the water." "And what about Yos Tivos? And the Separatist?" "They are starting to move, but it doesn''t seem like they know we found them. Nossor Ri is still having his banquet. The bad news is that we still haven''t found Yos Tivos." "He has to be somewhere down there if he wants to blow up those rocks. I am going there." "Wait! Dageer, you can''t. General Fisto gave specific orders to..." "Monnk. I am going there. You have to stay here, you have your orders. General Fisto is your general, not mine. I respect him as much as I do with any superior, but I have my away of following orders. Look, Monnk, he said that we have to stop Yos Tivos from blowing this. I don''t agree on that, and I know you don''t agree on that. So at least let me stop them my way. Jedis are good, but maybe just one isn''t good enough for that." "Dageer, you... Just go. But I hope you are right, otherwise you won''t be sub-commander for too long." "Hell Squad, on me!" ----------------------- All kinds of creatures dwindled on the rocks at the bottom of Mon Cala, some beautiful, some weird and some dangerous. Amongst them was a group of seven clones, armed to the teeth. Hell Squad was having an easy time so far. No enemy patrols had appeared, but they still hadn''t found any of their objectives. For some reason, General Fisto wasn''t responding, so they had to search for him manually. "Sir, I got something over here." Tech was using a sensor to see if he could find anything, and he finally got a response. A small heat signal, stronger than that of fishes showed up. They followed the signal, and after a small search found an FF-6 bomb strapped under a boulder. Tech carefully disarmed it, and put it on his backpack. They were on the right trail, and soon found another one. But still, no sign of either Kit Fisto or Yos Tivos. All of sudden an enemy patrol appeared in their line of sight. It was too unexpected, but they took quick care of it. Not too much later the bottom of the ocean had five new decorations. "Cell, I want eyes on that enemy base. Dab, follow him from a distance, help each other if you get in trouble. Hell Squad, let''s advance. We are out of time for anything too careful. Our priority is securing General Fisto. We can deal with the bombs later." Five minutes after Cell and Dab went scouting, Dab contacted Dageer. "Sir, we got something here. Cell is going ahead and... Dang! Sir, we need some help here!" "Dab, what happened?" "It will be better for you to see for yourself, sir." They advanced quickly, but what greeted them was out of their expectations. On one side was Kit Fisto, with his lightsaber turned on, and Cell. Dab was a little more far away, his sniper ready. On the other side were ten or so mon calamarians, including Yos Tivos. Both sides were facing each other, blasters ready to go. The arrival of Hell Squad evened the equation. Dageer asked what was happening to Kit Fisto quietly. "I caught them strapping more bombs, but I was the one captured. What are you doing here?" "Saving you, general." "Ohhh!" "What are yooou talking?! Jedi!" Yos Tivos, on the other side, got afraid that they were making plans, and interrupted them. "Jedi, we are ooon the same side! There is nooo reasooon fooor yooou tooo stooop me! I can win this battle!" "Not that way, general. Leave those bombs and return. We can''t have an internal conflict when we are about to enter a battle. The mon calamarians need to see that you, the king and the Republic are on the same side!" Chapter 84 - Treason "Not that way, general. Leave those bombs and return. We can''t have an internal conflict when we are about to enter a battle. The mon calamarians need to see that you, the king and the Republic are on the same side!" Kit Fisto words were touching, but useless. Yos Tivos was fighting for something on which he believed, and Dageer knew by experience that it was impossible for such a man to give up. He was all too familiar with this because that was the way every clone fought. "Dooon''t think yoou can cooonvice me, jedi. As we speak my men are planting mooore booombs. Even if yooou try tooo disarm them, there wooon''t be enooough time!" "Enough time for what?" A third voice was introduced in the conversation. Dageer looked up, to the quarrens and Separatist above them. There were at least a hundred, and on the front was Chieftain Nossor Ri. Clones and mon calamarians had been so absorbed in their confrontation that they didn''t notice the enemy arriving. The quarren leading the enemy was Nossor Ri himself, holding his crown in one hand and a scepter on the other. "So, General Yos Tivos, would you be kind enough to tell me your plans?" Dageer slowly moved while Nossor Ri and Yos Tivos were quarreling, trying to get to a better position. At the moment the clones were too exposed, and the Separatist were right above them, at a perfect angle to kill them all. The mon calamarians that Yos Tivos brought with him, presumably his guards, were doing the same. Both groups might have been discussing moments ago, but when they were put against the wall, they were still on the Republic side. Their actions, however, didn''t pass unnoticed. With a shout from Nossor Ri, a hundred blasters were pointed at them. "Don''t you try anything, Republic sc.u.m, or you are dead." Kit Fisto talked at this moment, his eyes closed in concentration. His hand was moving left and right, in a hypnotic rhythm. "Chieftain, you don''t want to kill us. You want to let us free. You will let us go, and you will retreat your troops." "I... will let you go..." For a few seconds, the eyes of the chieftain became dazed, and Dageer thought that maybe General Fisto use of the Force would work. But then Nossor Ri''s body shook and the misty in his eyes disappeared, giving place to anger. "No! Your tricks won''t work on me, jedi! My mind is too strong. You just dug your own grave, trying to control me, the king of Mon Cala!" "Yooou are nooot the king! My broooother is the ooonly king Mon Cala have!" Yos Tivos face was entirely red, and he disregarded everything when he heard Nossor Ri calling himself king. He tried to swim to Nossor Ri, but gave up when dozens of E-5s were pointed at him. Nossor Ri sneered, disdain all over his face. "Little general, why are you so angered? Don''t you already know that your dear brother charged you with treason? Hohohohihi! Did you really think my spies wouldn''t discover why you came here? As we talk my men are disarming your bombs." Yos Tivos face showed surprise, despair and then a defeated smile. "Soooo that is hooow it is. I guess I can ooonly redeem myself by coooompleting my treasooonooous acts." He opened his fists, showing that they weren''t closed only because of his anger, but also to hide something. A small switch was revealed. Many things happened at the same time. Ki Fisto yelled a ''No!'', and Nossor Ri ordered his men to stop Yos Tivos. But Yos Tivos pressed the switch, and then was immediately torn apart by the lasers of the droids. Muffled explosions happened all around them, and big boulders and rocks started to fall. One big boulder hit the droids and quarrens, burying them under a few tons of rocks. More rocks crashed down, directly above Hell Squad. Before everything went dark, Dageer felt a small push on his body. --------------------- "Hell Squad, can you hear me? Brain! Cell! Dab! Meta..." "You don''t need to call in the coms, sir. We are here." "Tech! Is everyone all right? Report." "Tech here." "Brain here." "Cell and Dab ready to go, sir." "I am here, sir. Three-four." "Metal here." "Good. General Fisto, can you hear me?" There was no answer. Dageer touched his helmet, and found out that he lost his lantern. "Men, turn on your lights. Let me see what we have here." One by one, small light beams appeared in the darkness, barely enough to see anything. "Ohhhh!!!" "Three-four! What happened?" Dageer looked to one of the moving lights. "Nothing, sir. Just got a bit scared here." Dageer looked over, and saw that Three-four was facing the corpse of a mon calamari, only that its bottom half was buried under the rocks. Miraculously, no one of Hell Squad got hurt, but it appeared that only them had that luck. Around them was an empty space, where no rocks had fallen, and then the rest was a mess of broken boulders and droid parts. Brain called him. "Sir, I found General Fisto." Dageer swam over to the middle of their ''cave'' and saw Kit Fisto there, laying on the bottom of the ocean, covered in dust. His arms looked like they were frozen, stuck in a manner that hands were pointed to above, his open palms facing the rocks. "I think he used the Force to protect us, sir. That is the only way we can be unharmed." "Yeah... Three-four, do a check on him, see with he needs anything. The others, look for any way out of here." Chapter 85 - Jedi Tricks Dageer looked around, touching the rocks, trying to see if he could find some way out, maybe a tunnel or something. But there was nothing, they were totally trapped. In the end, after a fruitless search, Hell Squad grouped together around Kit Fisto. Three-four had used some painkillers to stabilize the jedi, but it appeared that he was unconscious from overexertion. He had made a huge effort to stop the falling rocks, and all he needed was some rest. What Dageer was worrying at the moment was how long it would take for the jedi to wake up. Just Hell Squad alone wouldn''t be able to escape from their ''prison'', and their air supply would end sooner or later. "Three-four, how long before he wakes up?" "Six or seven hours at least. But based on what I know about jedis, he will need at least two days before he can use the Force again." "Damn! Okay... everyone, check your air supply. All of you have two days or more worth of it?" "Yes." "Yes." "Sure." "I''m okay." "Yes." "Yeah." "I''m good." After making sure that the members of Hell Squad were alright, Dageer asked them to get some sleep, that he would do the first guard shift. Almost certainly they wouldn''t face any enemy, after all they were buried, but it was better to be prepared. Dageer chose on rock and sat on it, his blaster on his lap. The lights that represented Hell Squad members turned off one by one, and soon he was in total darkness. -©\--------------------- "Kuok!!! Cough! Cough... cough!" A sound startled Dageer out of his dreams. Instinctively, he grabbed his DC-15A, that was by his side. The coughing continued, and Dageer realized it was Kit Fisto waking up. Dageer looked at his comlink. It has been six hours since Tech took over his place and he went to sleep. Now the one doing the guarding shift was Metal, who had his Z-6 Rotary pointed roughly at the direction of the jedi. "Put down your weapon, Metal. It is the general." The jedi got up and saw that Hell Squad was looking at him. When Dageer thanked him for saving their lives, Kit Fisto just waved it off with a smile. "Hell Squad, am I right?" "Yes, general." "I don''t think I know any of you besides Dageer. What are your names, troopers?" "My name is Brain, Hell Squad grenadier." "Metal, heavy machine gunner." "Cell and Dab, scout and sniper." "Tech, mechanic and technician." "Three-four, medic." "You came after me even after I ordered you not to. Though that might have saved my life, you all were still disobeying orders. I am sure you did that knowing that you could lose your ranks and be punished. So why?" "Commander Monnk had to follow your orders because he had to think not only about you, but also about all the SCUBA Troopers. Our brothers of the 303rd will do well under his command, so we don''t have to worry about that. I know we might get punished, but that is better than following orders and letting a general be killed." "Hahahaha! What an interesting squad! Well, shall we get out of here?" "General, are you strong enough? You just got conscious." "We won''t know if we don''t try, right? Besides, as much as I trust Monnk, we can''t let him do all the work alone." Kit Fisto started making circles in their small ''cave'', one of his hands always touching the rocks. After repeating this action for some time, he stopped at one point put both hands on the boulder. "That is it. This is the point where the rocks are lighter." He closed his eyes, and stood immobile. The rocks started shaking, and slowly started to fall apart, creating a path in the middle of them. The jedi started swimming through the path, and Hell Squad followed him. The scene was impressive, but Kit Fisto''s face was getting uglier and uglier. As he got tired, small rocks started falling as he chose to control the heavier and more dangerous ones. Thankfully the path they had to cross was short, and an end was revealed. However, Kit Fisto couldn''t control the rocks for much longer. When he got out of the tunnel, he turned and concentrated all of his efforts on the end of the path, letting the boulders fall where they had already passed. "Quick! I can''t hold on much longer!" Swimming as fast as they could, Dageer, Brain, Cell and Three-four had already gotten out. Metal, Dab and Tech, on the other hand, were being slowed down by their heavy blasters and equipment. "Leave it! Come on!" Tech and Metal got out. Dab threw his beloved DC-15x away. The time was just enough for him to get out when Kit Fisto''s eyes rolled on its sockets and he passed out again. ... The Separatist and quarren base was chaotic but deadly silent. The vision that Hell Squad got when they swam over it was a mess. Half of the base was totally buried under rocks and mud. The other half was hit with sporadic boulders, and many buildings have collapsed due to it. Kit Fisto clenched his fists when he saw all the dead. Droid parts were scattered at the bottom of the sea since they were heavier. But the quarrens were floating. Men, women and children, none of them had escaped. Dageer even saw some mon calamarians, probably in the same situation as the quarren he saw on Vernila. Dageer knew that this was better for the Republic, but after seeing it, he understood why the jedi were so much against actions like the one that Yos Tivos took. Kit Fisto spent a long while looking at the destroyed base, then turned around. "Do we have any confirmation that Nossor Ri is dead?" "No, sir, but I don''t see how he can be alive." "We survived, didn''t we?" "Yes... but we had you with us." "For all we know he can be leading an attack at Vernila. This battle will only end when he is dead or captured. Let''s go to Vernila." Chapter 86 - Crab Cannon Vernila was a battlefield. At the moment only the outer layers of the city had been hit, but even then the scenery was of utter destruction. The two opposing forces were crashing against each other over and over again, each time resulting in more and more casualties. What Dageer had beforehand considered being huge pipes, he now saw it were deadly weapons. Small but strong metal legs sprung from its side, and it was using those to move, albeit slowly. At the end of the ''pipe'', huge laser fire was shot. Each time one of those lasers hit a building, a hole with a diameter of fifteen meters appeared, and the building collapsed right away. There is no need to say what happened to any unlucky clone in its path. But the Republic was fighting back. Under the leadership of Monnk, small squads were flanking the cannons, and bombing it. Unfortunately, not all of those squads made it back. Hell Squad had an easy way to the city, mainly because the droids and quarrens were focused on the attack. General Fisto was still too tired to use the Force, but his skills with a lightsaber weren''t affected. Together with Hell Squad, he blasted their way through the droids. They were only eight, but their skilled use of their blasters and the jedi deflecting enemy lasers totally made up for their lack of numbers. "Brain! Get that thing!" "On it!" Dageer pointed to one of the giant cannons, and marked it as their target. Brain took out his thermal detonators and laughed. Dageer and Metal, with a little help from Dab, soon took out the droids around the cannon. Brain swiftly planted the detonators, and Kit Fisto helped by cutting the legs of the cannon. The weird cannon fell on one side when all of its legs were cut off, and crushed a few droids. "Everyone, get some distance! Brain... clear!" The thermal detonators blew one by one, starting a chain reaction. In the end, the cannon cracked into two halves, totally out of use. After that, Hell Squad had a clear pathway to Vernila. They left dead quarrens and droids on their trail, and opened a path for the other clones to attack. ... "General, it is good to see you! The situation is quite a mess at the moment." "Monnk. I thought you brought all your troops to their base, preparing for an attack. How come we are the ones being attacked?" "Well sir, I am quite confused about it. We were waiting for you, and Hell Squad, when the whole thing blew up. We thought you were all dead, but I was prepared to send a search team when the seppies came out of nowhere. We were out in the middle of the ocean, no cover, and they had those huge Crab Cannons. I had to order retreat. We fought our way back here, so we at least have cover." "I understand. Well, continue fighting. Where is king Yos Kolina? I need to speak to him." "He and the mon calamarians are on the left flank. Dageer, I''ve sent the 303rd there to support them, they were getting destroyed." "Dageer, Hell Squad, go take control of your men. I will explain what happened to the king." "Yes sir." ... Turned out that the 303rd was doing quite well. They had taken pretty good defensive positions, and were trading fire with the Separatist. Dageer found his second in command, Gefree, coordinating the retreat of a batch of wounded clones. "Gefree, status!" "Yes, sir! Quarrens and Separatist pushed us back to the thirteenth block, but now our lines are holding them back. If we keep those cannons away, I believe we have a good chance of holding our position." "How many casualties?" "Numbers are uncertain, but we have two hundred and five dead, and at least another two hundred out of combat. Medium and light wounds should be about six or seven hundred. And there are seventy-five clones missing or uncounted for. I am not sure about the mon calamarians, but they are in a way worse situation than us. They have retreated to the seventeenth block and organized some bunkers." "Okay. Gefree, prepare the men to push forward." "Sir... if we go out now, their Crab Cannons will decimate us. I think it is better to hold." "That is why I''m going to take care of the cannons. Why else do you think Hell Squad was formed to? Our job is to turn the tides of the battle." Gefree was stunned, but remembered Dageer was right. Dageer was only given the rank of sub-commander so Hell Squad wouldn''t face problems when in their operations. He might be the commander in name of this battle, but his real role was to do what he just said. His orders given, Dageer and Hell Squad swam in the direction of the battle. Since the battle was now happening inside of the city, things were a little bit easier. The weird cannons, or Crab Cannons, had to either maneuver or destroy the buildings before they could go on, so their already slow-moving pace almost came to a stop. So, Hell Squad made use of the corners and alleys to get to the cannons. The problem was that the cannons were way behind the enemy lines. They reached the first line of defense of the clones pretty soon, and without any accidents. Since they were the closest to the quarrens and droids, many clones there were dead or wounded, and dead bodies and blood floated in the water. Dageer pulled the sergeant in charge of the line aside. "Sergeant, retreat! Gefree built some strong positions in the thirteenth block. Get your wounded there and prepare for the counterattack!" "Yes sir!" Hell Squad stayed back with some clones to cover the retreating ones, and when they were gone, they quietly slipped into one of the buildings. "All right, boys. We will let them pass, and when the Crab Cannons are close, we strike. If they send a patrol to secure the building, we have to take care of them quietly." Tech scanners blipped, and he turned to one of the doors in the building, and put his head close to it. "Sir, I am hearing something there." "Probably just natives. Anyway, Brain, Metal, check it out." Chapter 87 - Ambush "Probably just natives. But anyway, Brain, Metal, check it out." Both clones got closer to de door, and Brain pushed it slightly, but it didn''t open. It was Metal''s turn then, and he was a little more brutal. He got in front of the door and kicked it hard twice. In the second kick, the door creaked and dropped to the inside. Brain covered the door frame, and he and Metal formed a sort of cross, covering the entirety of the room. "Nothing. Moving to the next room." A few moments later, Brain called them from the inside. "Just a family sir. No clanckers." Dageer entered the apartment, and found a family of three trembling on a corner. The child appeared to be especially afraid, and it was hiding its face on his mother clothes. Sometimes it would look at Metal and Brain, and then hide its face again. When Dageer entered, the father stepped forward, hiding his wife and child behind him. "Brain, Metal, go outside. You are scaring them. Especially you Metal. Your blaster isn''t exactly calming." "What do you mean sir? This beauty here is absolutely charming. Hahaha!" "Stop joking. Brain, prepare everything for the ambush. We will have only one shot at this." "Yes sir. Come on Metal." Both clones got outside, Metal still complaining that they were making fun of his new Z-6 Rotary. Brain shook his head, helpless. "Tech, get to a window and see where this cannon is. Be careful to not be seen. Metal, you will take out the escort of the cannon. Three-four and Cell will help you. Dab, I don''t think there is much you can do, even more without your modified DC-15x. Grab a DC-15A and cover us." ... Dageer put his blaster on the table, and got his hands up to show he didn''t mean anything bad. "It is all right. We don''t mean any bad." "Yooou are a... cloooone, right?" "Yeah. Sir, I am sorry, but I am afraid that I have to ask you and your family to leave this building. If you go towards the center of the city you will find other clones. They will lead you somewhere safe." "Leave... my hoooome? Yooou... yooou! Yooou cooome here and bring yooour war, and we have tooo pay fooor it! Nooow I have toooo leave my hooome. I wooon''t!" "Sir, please think properly. This is about to become a warzone. Think about your family and leave now, please." Dageer tried to persuade the mon calamari, but it was in vain. For fear or anger, the man started shouting a torrent of curses, but since they were on his own language, Dageer couldn''t understand any of them. He was trying to make the man calm down when Three-four came in and startled the family once more. "Sir! They are coming." "Damn! Sir, please calm down! You and your family have to stay hidden. That is an order! Three-four, come on!" Dageer picked up his DC-15A, checked its magazine and exited the room. The child hugged her mother stronger. ... Dageer looked through the window. Bunches of quarrens and droids were swimming past the building they were hiding into. There were even some of the new Aqua Droids amongst them. Those droids were something the Separatist first deployed on this battle, and they were almost as agile as quarrens and mon calamarians on the water. Behind the infantry was the Crab Cannon, its massive body smashing in the buildings and breaking walls. Around it was thirty or so quarrens. Dageer found it weird. Crab Cannons were droid weapons. Why would quarrens be guarding it? Then he realized it was most probably something arranged by Nossor Ri. The Crab Cannons were at the back of the enemy forces, and guarding it would probably be the safest role in the battle. Separatist and quarrens were just using each other, so obviously Nossor Ri wanted his people to stay as far of the fight as possible. Of course, he didn''t expect that half of his forces would be buried under tons of rocks. "Let them pass." "Sir, look." Dageer looked to where Tech was pointing, and saw a group of droids separate from the big group and enter a building. He paid attention and saw that there were other groups doing the same every time they passed by a building. That was what Dageer didn''t want the most. The droids were searching building by building, and most certainly the same would happen on the one they were. If Hell Squad didn''t want their whole ambush plan to fail, they would have to take care of the droids quietly and quickly. "Okay. There are five of them in each search group. We have to do this quietly. That means no blasters. They will start by the lower floors. That gives us some time." Hell Squad positioned themselves. Brain, Dab, Tech, and Three-four were on two of the apartments, ready to surround the droids. Cell, Metal, and Dageer were just on the sides of the elevator door leading to their floor. They pulled some furniture from the apartments to cover them. The trick wouldn''t last long, but it should cover them from the first stares of the droids. ... The door of the elevator opened, and five droids swam out of it, all of them standard B1s, with thrusters on their backs. They glanced over Dageer, but didn''t notice him or Metal and Cell. It was only after they were a little more on the floor that their scanners seemed to pick up something. "Wait... zzzzz... zzz. Who is there?" Dageer and Cell pushed the table behind which they were hiding. The table half floated, half crashed, and knocked down two of the droids. Dageer used his feet to push the wall behind him, and used the thrust to throw himself over one of the droids. Holding both ends of his DC-15A, he passed it over the head of the droid and pressed its neck. The droid struggled, but with a violent twist, Dageer ripped off its head. On his side Cell and Metal had worked together to hold one of the droids, and the others had come out of the apartments to take care of the droids. The last thing the two droids who were trapped under the table saw was the butt of Hell Squad blasters. Chapter 88 - Typical Hell Squad Strategy Hell Squad took care of the droids nicely, and not one blaster was fired in the process. They took back their positions near the windows, just waiting for the Crab Cannon to get close. "zzzz... zzzz... R1 zzzz... R1-H6, what is your unit doing? zzzzz... zzz... Report. You were supposed to have cleared this building... zzzz... zzz... twenty seconds ago." The voice was all broken, with static interference, but it was coming from one of the dead droids. That was bad. If they didn''t respond, that could screw their whole plan. Dageer had to make a decision at the moment, so he chose to pass on the responsibility. "Cell! Answer that!" "W-What?! Me? But... I''m not a droid." "You are always mocking the voice of the clanckers. I hope you can copy it." "Urghhh. I will try. Errrr... bzzz... I am sorry... bzzz... there was some debris on the way. We are returning soon." "R1-H6 check your vocal piece when we return to the cruiser. Your transmission is weird." "Roger, roger." "Pheefff, that was a close one. Hey, Cell, maybe we should change your name to R1-H6. Hehehehehe!!!" "And maybe you should change your name from Brain to Joker. I just saved us, and you are making fun of me." "Hahahahahahaha!!!" "Hey, it''s not time to joke now. Their infantry already passed. Be ready to assault the cannon." "We are ready, sir." The Crab Cannon was really close now, almost under them. "Brain, if you don''t mind." Brain got close to the wall of the building and stuck a thermal detonator on it. Hell Squad took some distance from the wall, and Brain blew it up. Small rocks crashed in their armor, but they didn''t see to notice it. With Dageer leading the way, Hell Squad swam out of the building through the hole they blasted. Somehow the explosion had passed unnoticed, and the quarrens protecting the cannon weren''t looking up, but to the front. Until one of the rocks blasted from the building dropped in the head of one of them. The quarren looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise. His mouth started to open, but Dageer''s blaster was faster. Now that they were revealed, Hell Squad spared no efforts to make the most out of the surprise effect. Metal''s Z-6 was again the most eye-catching, and the fact that there were no obstacles in the way only helped. The following scene wasn''t a beautiful one. After the quarrens were annihilated, Brain planted the detonators. Before the droid forces nearby could see what it was going on, a big explosion shook the water. Moments later, when enemy reinforcements arrived, all they found were dead quarrens and the remains of a Crab Cannon. Hell Squad was nowhere to be seen. --------------------- Ten minutes later, at another building four blocks away from the one they were, Hell Squad was laying on ambush again. "Sir, we might have a small technical difficulty." "Which is?" "I am down to my last grenades. We didn''t have time to catch our breath ever since we got to Vernila, so I couldn''t find many detonators. I''m afraid that Crab Cannon is the last we can take out." "That sure is a problem. And I suppose we can''t go back to our lines and come back even if we wanted to. Let''s destroy this one first and think about the others later. We will work something out. We aren''t a special squad for no reason." "That''s what I wanted to hear. Hell Squad is ready for some fun, sir!" ... Their second ambush went as well as the first one. This time the enemy was a bit warier, so the fight was more intense, but Hell Squad didn''t sustain any injuries, and the second Crab Cannon was destroyed. It was their third and last target that was the most troublesome. All problems seemed to have come together on this one. Not only they didn''t have anything with which they could blow up the cannon, but there were two Crab Cannons. Besides that, the guard around them had increased a lot, to almost three hundred enemies. No matter how good Hell Squad was, there was no way they could pass through that. But if they didn''t, the Republic might win the battle, but casualties would be heavy. "Apparently they heard of us, sir." Dab showed a multitude of enemies on their way. Dageer shrugged. "We weren''t exactly discreet." "So what is the plan?" "I''m open to ideas." "Is the situation that bad?" In the end, it was Tech who had the best idea. And even then, it was a terrible one but the best they got. "Tech, are you sure you can do it?" "No, sir. But we have to give it a try. And I have quite the confidence in myself." They didn''t have the time to sit and think, so they had to go with Tech plan. His plan, of course, involved a lot of shooting, and quite a bit of luck. The Crab Cannons were getting really close. They brushed by another building, turning parts of it into rumble. The dust settled quickly in the water, but it was enough for Hell Squad to make their entrance. A droid swimming in the front looked at its sensors, which have changed to red. "My sensors are picking up something. Going to investigate." "Roger, roger." The droid went forward, but something touched his chest and made a ''clank'' sound. Dageer looked at the droid and pulled the trigger. The droid''s chest blew up, and at the same time, Hell Squad opened fire. The droid frontlines were hit hard. Each droid was hit three or four times, chest, head, arms, legs, everywhere. They were thrown back due to the impact, hitting the others behind them, and dropped to the bottom, becoming more debris in the ocean. "Tech, go!" After Dageer''s order, Tech dropped his blaster and turned the thruster on his backpack to full, gaining speed. He swam swiftly across the droids, and got to the nearest Crab Cannon. Using all his force he opened the c.o.c.kpit of the cannon, and pulled out the droid inside it before quickly closing it again. Torturous slowly, Tech controlled the cannon to turn. When it was facing the other Crab Cannon, he smiled. "Hello there." Chapter 89 - Counterattack Tech turned the Crab Cannon, aimed right at the other one, and pulled the trigger. But nothing happened. Tech looked at the panels and cursed. "Sir! It needs time to charge!" "What! How much time?!" "As much as we can get." It was Dageer''s turn to curse. They were getting surrounded by droids, and they didn''t have an escape plan. Their idea was to hijack one Crab Cannon, use it to destroy the other and then carve a path amidst the droids. "Tech, do you best! We will hold them off for as long as we can!" Dageer said that, but things were going poorly. Hell Squad had taken cover behind the Crab Cannon, but they were getting flanked. And there was the fact that the other Crab Cannon was turning towards them. They were floating behind the cannon, making some shots at the droids when they could, concentrating on taking out the ones that were trying to get to the c.o.c.kpit. "Tech!" "Almost there, sir! It needs another eight seconds!" Dageer turned to his left, and fired two lasers instantly, each hitting a droid in the head. "Five seconds!" "Start getting in the cannon! Dab, Cell, you first, we will cover." "Sir, I don''t know if there is enough space for all of us there." "It will have to do. That or we fight a whole army with blasters alone." One by one, Hell Squad squeezed in the c.o.c.kpit with Dageer covering them. Now that he was alone, his position was getting overrun by the droids. "Three seconds!" It was time for him to go. Using the last of his magazine, he sprayed blue laser in the incoming droids. He grabbed the border of the c.o.c.kpit and pulled himself inside, and Metal immediately shut the door behind him. There were so many clones in the c.o.c.kpit that Dageer hit someone when he entered. "Ouch! What did I do to you, sir?" "Don''t complain, Brain. I almost died there." "Two seconds!" Dageer looked outside. The other Crab Cannon was facing them, a red light was building inside its barrel. Besides that, the c.o.c.kpit was getting pelted with lasers from the infantry outside. Now that he was inside the cannon, Dageer''s confidence grew, and he was fairly sure that they could pull this off, although it would be a close one. "One!" "When you are ready, Tech!" "Firing!" Tech pulled the trigger, and the red glow that had formed inside the hijacked cannon flew forward with full force. Good aim or coincidence, the shot from the Crab Cannon flew straight inside the barrel of the other cannon. The cannon seemed to inflate, and then it blew from the inside, sending shrapnel in the water. Both Crab Cannons were only fifty meters apart. When one of them exploded, the other was forced a few meters back by the pure strength of the blast, and almost dropped to one side. The clones inside faced a lot of turns and bumps, but came out unscathed. The droids and quarrens outside, however, became buts and pieces. Dageer pushed Tech, who had fallen over him, and took a look at the desolation outside. Everything on a hundred meters radio had been thrown away or been smashed into pieces. There was no immediate threat. "Three-four, do a quick checkup on everyone. Tech, see if this thing can still walk. Brain, do you still have your comlink? Mine was broken just now." "Here it is, sir." Dageer turned on the comlink, and after a lot of static, Gefree finally answered, with a lot of noise in the background. "Sir! We saw the explosions! Damn... medic! I have a man down! Sorry sir. Did everything go as planned?" "Not exactly, but we did what we were supposed to. Now, lieutenant, it is time to start the counterattack." "Yes, sir! We will start now." "And, Gefree, be advised that that is one Crab Cannon on our side." "Sir, did you...?" "Try not to shoot us." ----------------------- Considering that they were now in possession of a droid vehicle, Dageer had another of his ideas. After ensuring that the clones that would come knew they were on their side, Hell Squad left the Crab Cannon, leaving only Tech to control it. Hell Squad advanced on foot - or swimming - until they found a groupment of droids. Following their new plan, Tech drove the Crab Cannon straight in the middle of the droids, and fired it. Before the droids could react to why one of their own was attacking them, clones and mon calamarians arrived and crushed them. From then on, it was a totally one-sided battle. The left flank pushed back the droids, and regained enough ground that they could send reinforcements to the other parts of the battle. --------------------- Monnk was pinned down with some of his men, suffering heavy casualties. They were fighting bravely, killing ten droids for each clone they lost. Suddenly, a big line of droids was annihilated by a red blast, and a Crab Cannon appeared in their field of vision. Already knowing the power of those weapons, all clones got their heads down, but the attack they were expecting never came. "Wait. That thing is firing on its allies. Look, commander." One of the SCUBA Troopers stuck his head out, and saw the Crab Cannon firing wildly, with dozens of clones as support. Monnk glanced surprised when the c.o.c.kpit of the Crab Cannon opened and Dageer waved at him. "Hey, Monnk, commander! We thought you might need some support." "Dageer. I should have imagined. The left flank should be okay, since you have the time to come on our aid." "There are no droids attacking the left flank anymore, we pushed them back. In a sense, you are now the left flank." "That is good. Since you are doing so well, take that toy of yours and go be our frontline." "Yes, sir!" Dageer got in the Crab Cannon once again. Inside it was Tech, with who he was splitting the job of controlling the cannon. They were now on the outskirts of the city, so a little more and they would take the fight away from a civilian area. Half of the Separatist forces had been buried by Yos Tivos, and a large number of their Crab cannos had been blown up by Hell Squad. If they pushed the enemies to outside the city, victory was guaranteed. Chapter 90 - Ragout Nossor Ri was never found. The Republic assumed he was either buried or had run early in the fight. The clones pressed the droids, and stopped for nothing. In the end the battle was considered to be a brilliant victory. Republic casualties were only a small fraction of what was expected, and CIS casualties were three times the estimated. But that were just the numbers. For the clones who fought, it wasn''t so simple. Victory or not, they still lost many brothers. Besides that, the statistics didn''t account for the civilians. Intended or not, the Crab Cannons had caused massive damage to the buildings, razing many of them to the ground. Thousands of mon calamarians died and became ''collateral damage''. A meeting was conducted after the battle, to decide what would be done with the clones. Other planets required them, so not all could be kept at Mon Cala. Also, the droids had fled, but the defeated quarrens were still there. A lot of political moves would be needed to make them accept the Republic. Using the excuse that he was still clearing some resisting droids - which wasn''t a total lie - Dageer didn''t go to the meeting. In the end, many hours later, he got to know what had been decided. First of all, the planet of Mon Cala as a whole joined the Republic, and although the quarren representatives complained, as the defeated party they didn''t have much of a choice. Secondly, Hell Squad and the 303rd clones who took part in the battle would return to The Sincerity. With Hell Squad intervention, they haven''t suffered many deaths, and their losses would be replenished soon. Thirdly was what Dageer considered the dumbest and unnecessary decision of the meeting. Yos Tivos, brother of the king, was considered a traitor for actively going against his king''s orders. As such, his name would be erased from the royal family, and all his closest relatives would lose their positions in the royal court. Anyway, neither of those points above were for Dageer to worry. For him that was just another battle. Surely, not one to be forgotten, but still just a battle. Before leaving, Dageer found Kit Fisto and Monnk to say his goodbyes. They would stay on Mon Cala at least until the planet stabilized, and all Separatist resistance pockets were exterminated. "Well Dageer, you crazy clone, take care, alright?" "Don''t worry about me, Monnk. You are the one who fights in the water. Compared to that, Geonosis was easy." While Monnk and Dageer were bickering, the jedi said nothing. It was only when Dageer was about to go that the jedi talked. "Dageer. You are a weird clone. I can tell you disagree with my methods, but dove into danger to save me even when it wasn''t your job. You are a commander, but you didn''t stay out of the fight, where it was secure, but jumped in the action." "You are mistaken on this one, general. It is not that I am a weird clone, but just that I am a clone. Every one of my brothers would have done the same. The longer you fight by Commander Monnk''s side, the more you will understand that. After all, we are the same." Dageer saluted the clone and the jedi, and turned on the thruster on his back, going back to the surface. There a cruiser from General Di''s fleet was waiting to pick up the soldiers. Kit Fisto looked at Monnk, who got a little scared by the stare. He had never seen his general so surprised. "Clones, hummm..." ----------------------- Dageer did his job as sub-commander, seeing each of his men out of the transports, and following the injured to the infirmary. It was only after that that he reported to General Di. As always, the jedi was on the command bridge, looking to the vacuum outside. Together with him were Admiral Dao, Commander Keeli and a small hooded figure that Dageer didn''t recognize. The first to greet him was Commander Keeli with a handshake and Admiral Dao with a nod. Neither General Di nor the figure turned around, so Dageer started his report. "General. Sub-commander Dageer reporting. During the battle on Mon Cala, of the two regiments sent, two hundred and eighty-two clones died. Another three hundred and forty will need some time to recover." General Di turned, as did the hooded person, but Dageer still couldn''t see his or her face. "You did a good job commanding your men down there. We already received confirmation that our forces will be replenished soon. For now, I would like to introduce you to someone. You will work with him a lot from now on." The hooded person stepped forward, and took off his hood. A young face was revealed, with light blue skin and red eyes. Two large protuberances sprouted out of his head, blue as his skin, but with white stripes. Togruta. That was the specie of the newcomer. They lived in a planet called Shili and took the t Republic side as soon as the war started. Not only that, but the planet had a significantly larger number of Force-sensitive children. "Dageer, this is Ragout, the new padawan sent to me by the Jedi Council. He is still young, and learning, so you will have to look after him in the following battles." Ragout made a gracious jedi posture. "It is my pleasure to meet you, sub-commander Dageer. Commander Keeli already told me about your achievements. I look forward to fighting alongside Hell Squad." The young face was filled with expectations. Dageer felt pity for the kid, as he would soon face the dark and not so glamorous side of war. Still, Dageer answered him without giving away his thoughts. "It will be good to have another jedi by our side. Welcome, kid." -------------------------- Kalee, Grievous base. General Grievous was watching Hiigi with his hands behind his back. A few weeks had passed since he started training Hiigi, and the body of the mon calamari was riddled with scars. Hiigi was at the moment just looking at the empty air, his eyes blank. Grievous coughed and slammed his metallic leg on the floor to capture his attention. "Insect, your planet just fell for the Republic. Cough! Cough... cough!" Hiigi said nothing, and just looked at Grievous, who laughed maniacally. "Kakakakaka! I forgot, you can''t say anything anymore. Cough! Cough... cough... cough! Kakakakaka! The insect lost his tongue! Kakakakakaka!" Chapter 91 - Respect Somewhere in the space. Ragout and Dageer were walking alongside. It was the day after the battle of Mon Cala, and the padawan had asked Dageer to show him around. The Togruta was still a kid, although his mind was much stronger than the one of a normal child. It was obviously something new to him, seeing all the military pieces of equipment, and the serious-looking soldiers. "Here is the main hangar, where most of the Laats are stored." "That is the weapon deposit. I''m afraid you can enter there. It is a controlled area." "Why? I am a jedi padawan. Isn''t my rank even above yours? When they sent me here they told me that I am only under my master." "That is not how things work here, kid. You might be a jedi apprentice, but that doesn''t mean much to us. We were trained to follow your orders, however, you still have to earn our respect. Of course, if you order me to take you to the deposit, I will have to obey." Ragout frowned, obviously dissatisfied with the way Dageer put things. Dageer sighed. He forgot he was talking to a young and most probably full of pride padawan. "I am sorry, I phrased that wrong. I didn''t mean to diminish you. It is hard to explain just with words, you will understand way better when you fight your first battle." Ragout expression got a little better. Dageer decided that it was time to show the infirmary to the padawan He was sure that when the padawan saw the injured clones, he would understand what Dageer meant. He guided Ragout in the corridors, getting saluted by each clone they saw. Dageer''s helmet was very distinctive and a symbol that he carried with pride. Two clones were guarding the doors to the infirmary, but they gave passage to Dageer and Ragout without saying a word. Medical droids and some medic clones were walking amongst the beds. The infirmary of The Sincerity was the biggest of General Di''s fleet, and as such, it was the best equipped. Because of that, it was also where the most badly injured clones were. Lost limbs, debilitating wounds, all of those were being treated there. No matter how good the medical technology of the Republic was, there were still some clones who lost their lives. When that happened, they were sent to the crematorium, and their ashes were later sent to Kamino, home of all clones. It was on such an occasion that Dageer and Ragout arrived. One clone that was missing his left leg had lost too much blood before being brought to the medical base, and didn''t resist. Medical droids put the body in a litter, and when they passed, Dageer took off his helmet and mourned for another lost brother. Ragout had a serious face when they left the infirmary, and Dageer thought that maybe he was being too harsh, showing such scenes to the padawan. But when he thought about how a battlefield was, he knew the padawan would face much worse. "Ragout, do you know the reason why we respect General Di so much? It isn''t just because he is our general. Every clone legion has one, and we all respect them. The reason is because of what you saw inside there. General Di wasn''t only commanding us. He fought alongside us, and saved many of us. In war injuries and deaths are inevitable. What a soldier respect the most isn''t some hero who killed thousands of enemies, but some unknown person who did his best to save as many as possible. Of course, General Di isn''t unknown." "I... I think I understand now. At least a little. I guess... Ohhhhhhh! What is that?!" The now-familiar alarms went off in the ship. Dageer put his helmet again, and ran, letting the padawan behind. He could recognize from where the alarms were going off, the cargo bay. He checked with Brain with he got something. "Brain, it is the cargo bay. Do we have anything of value there?" "Besides the AT-TEs worth millions of credits? I don''t think so." "Than it is probably a decoy. I am already near there, so I will go check anyway. Get Cell and Dab there too. Three-four is in the infirmary, keep him there. Find Tech and send him to the weaponry. You and Metal, I want you besides General Di at all times, no matter what he says. Also, any free trooper you can find, I want them patrolling five floors up and down from the cargo bay." "Yes, sir." Dageer ran, and other clones joined him. The cargo bay wasn''t too far from where he was, but he was quite sure there would be no trespassers there. Clank! There was a loud sound above Dageer head. He looked up, but there was only the ceiling. He probably was imagining things. Dageer shook his head and looked forward while giving orders to the clones who were with him. ---------------------- In the ventilation ducts above Dageer. A women''s voice was scolding someone quietly. "Idiot! You almost screwed everything!" "It is not my fault! How did you expect me to pass through those ducts? Not everyone is as slim as you!" Those last words were said in a low voice, so the female didn''t hear it. There were also some traces of l.u.s.t on it. "Shut up! I swear that I will kill you if you mess up." ----------------------- As expected, Dageer didn''t find any intruders on the cargo bay. He did find, however, what set off the alarm. A lot of crates had fallen down to the floor, and one of them had crossed the invisible line the alarms had. If it was just that, Dageer might have considered it to be an accident, maybe someone bumped into it, or the ship turned too fast. But on the floor there were also two dead clones, their necks snapped like twigs. Dageer cursed. "Trooper, I want a full search on the whole ship. We have trespassers. I repeat, we have trespassers. Two dead soldiers accounted for, every trooper, confirm your position, follow standard procedure." The last sentences were said in his comlink, and transmitted to the whole ship. Clones started to check-in, first to their squad leaders, who then passed the information to their sergeants and so on. That way there wouldn''t be any chaos, and it was faster. Chapter 92 - Pirates Squad leaders reported to sergeants. Sergeants reported to lieutenants. Lieutenants reported to captains. And captains reported to Dageer. One by one, the reports trickled in. Most of them didn''t have any problems, but not all. A captain named Vartos called Dageer worried. ''Sir! We have problems." "Who is missing?" "We have lost contact with an entire squad, including the squad leader." "Who is the squad leader? Any chance that they are at the canteen or the infirmary and didn''t hear?" "No. I was at the canteen, and everyone in the infirmary already checked in. Also, the squad missing is under Berro''s command. You know him, sir. He would have answered if he could." "Berro? What was their assignment?" "They were guarding the elevators of the eleventh floor." "Go there right now. Be careful, they have killed or captured an entire squad without anyone noticing. I''m on my way." "I''m almost there." "Vartos, leave your comlink channel opened. I want to hear what is happening." "Yes sir." The sound of Vartos giving orders and his rapid breathing were the only sounds Dageer heard for a while. Finally, Vartos arrived on the eleventh floor and reported. Dageer was still on his way. "I''m here, sir." "Go easy, check for allies before firing." "Yes sir. All right, Typo, Blut, with me. The others split in groups of three. Guard the doors and do a throughout sweep." Before long, Dageer arrived on the eleventh floor. Panting, he saw Vartos waiting for him near one of the elevators. "Captain, what is the situation? What is the status of the missing squad?" "The floor is clear sir. No signs of enemies. We did find Fort Squad. They have four dead, their necks twisted the same as Weembo and Guyrli on the cargo bay. Berro and six others are unconscious. Something or someone hit them hard on the head." "You didn''t find anything? What do we have of important on this floor?" "Nothing sir. There are just some storage rooms with little to no value. Most of the rooms are dormitories. No... wait." Vartos stopped in the middle of his sentence. He took a datapad from one of the clones nearby and looked at it for a few seconds. "Actually... I did not remember it at the start because it is new, but General Di''s padawan was moved here while proper accommodations are made. The room he was supposed to have suffered some damage on Mon Cala." "That is it! Whoever they are, they are after the padawan! It is the only possible option." "But... how did they know he would be here? The most logic would be for the intruders to go after him at his normal room. And, if they knew he was staying here, how did they even get this information?" "They can break into our capital ship, incapacitate an entire squad without making a sound, and are still on the run. We don''t even know who they are. They wouldn''t come unprepared." "But they will come out empty-handed. Ragout is not here." "I know. I was with him, and I left him alone. I was stupid. Ragout! Ragout, come in! Come on kid, come on." There was no sound from the other end of the transmission, not even static. That meant that the comlink had been broken, and that the padawan was in danger. "Commander! We have problems! Huge problems. I and Vartos came to the eleventh floor, but there were no signs of trespassers. We think they are after Ragout, but we can''t get in contact with him." Commander Keeli was at the other end of the transmission, waiting for news from Dageer to know where he should send his men. "Do we have any information on his location?" "Last time I saw him was near the infirmary. Do you want me to seal the area?" "Do that, then meet me there. The general said he sensed something wrong just before the alarms went off, and left. I will warn him." "Yes sir! Captain Vartos, initiate a lockdown, protocol level 3." After giving his orders, Dageer went back all the way, to where he first left the young jedi. Of course, there was no one, just an empty corridor. "Keeli, Dageer, go to hangar bay 34. I found the invaders." "General! Just let me gather some troops and I will be there." "No! Just you two, that is enough. Any more and the pirates will notice us. Besides, I have Brain and Metal with me already." "Pirates? All right, general, we will meet you there soon. Dageer, where are you?" "I am near the infirmary. I will meet you at section 7, commander." "Okay. Be quick." Albeit worried, Dageer followed his orders perfectly, and ordered the clones that were with him to stay behind. When he met Commander Keeli, who had also ditched the guards that were with him, neither of them spoke anything. It didn''t take long for them to arrive at hangar bay 34. General Di, Brain and Metal were waiting for them there, hiding behind a Laat. Dageer couldn''t see from what they were hiding, as the hangar bay looked totally normal. "General." "Be quiet. They are close." Commander Keeli and Dageer got silent and paid close attention to the hangar bay. His eyes sweeping around, it took some time for Dageer to understand what the jedi meant. At the far end of the hangar bay, a connection tunnel had been opened, meaning that there was some ship connected to The Sincerity. Near the entrance of the connection tunnel, a group of shadows was discussing. Focusing more, Dageer saw that one of the shadows was carrying someone over his shoulder. Dageer was sure that he could take our all the shadows in a matter of seconds since they were with their backs turned to him. And, he had assistance from three other clones. "I see them. General, permission to fire?" "No. I want to follow them. Let them leave, we go right after." "Errrr... sir, are you sure this is the best idea? They are taking your padawan." "Nobody kidnaps a padawan for no reason. They are receiving orders from someone, I want to know who it is. They are going. Come on, and stay close." Chapter 93 - Hutt Territory The group of five quickly followed the pirates to the connection tunnel. They could hear the pirates talking subtly, and even laughing. "Kekeke. Dumb clones. All they know is fight. You need brains. Brains and thoughts. Only then can you win. Kekeke. Stupid clones." "Shut up idiot! I will kill you if you speak again." After that, there was silence again. Soon, Dageer heard the sound of a door opening and closing. General Di waved for them to keep going, and the advanced carefully, blasters ready to fire. When they were a few meters away from the door, General Di waved his hand in a right to left motion, and the door opened alone. They entered the other ship quietly, but there was no sign of either the pirates or Ragout. General Di found some stairs leading to the storage room of the ship, and got in. After that, he used the Force to move some boxes and crates, creating a space large enough for all of them. "Wait here. I will find out how many pirates we are against. Don''t make a sound. And no communications by the comlink unless absolutely necessary." Saying that, General Di used the Force again, and moved the crates back, isolating the clones from the rest of the ship. --------------------- General Di walked with light steps, making no sound. The ship they were was quite big, although nothing compared to the Republic cruisers. It did have, however, the advantage that it was difficult to detect. The ship appeared to be manned by only the two that he saw early. Asides that, there were only cleaning droids. Eventually, the jedi found the control room of the ship. Sitting with their backs facing him where the two invaders... pirates. One of them was a tall woman, with white skin and wearing bright orange clothes. The other was a plump man, with red skin and a face looking like a pig. "Shimba, detach." "Okay, okay. Why do you keep hurrying me? If it wasn''t for your pretty face and that body..." "Did you say anything? Think about your answer, or I might kill you like the pig you are." "All right. Detaching in three, two, one, now. Detachment complete. They should find about us... now." The moment the pig-man said that, the turrets from The Sincerity turned to them and started firing. Large laser bolts almost hit the ship, but the two pirates appeared to be unconcerned. The woman pressed some buttons on the control panel and put her hand above a lever. "Inserting coordinates to jump point... ready to jump... now." When the woman pulled the lever, the ship found a spot between two cruisers, and jumped to hyperspace. More feeling than knowing, Ima-Gun Di left just before the pirates turned to where he was and left the control room. --------------------- When the crates were moved again, the four clones pointed their blasters, but it was just General Di. Lowering their weapons, the clones looked at him expectantly. "We are in hyperspace. I already checked my padawan, although I didn''t have the chance to speak with him." Commander Keeli caught Dageer''s eyes. Both of them knew that if the jedi was speaking so calmly, then he planned to take ahead his idea of following the pirates. Metal, unaware of the thoughts of his commanders, asked the question most concerning to him. "How many enemies are we facing?" "Here? I saw two pirates, and there were two IG-88 guarding Ragout. But we won''t make our move here. Since they are taking my padawan, they most probably have a buyer for him. We will find out who dares to capture young jedis. I just hope it''s not Count Dooku." That last part was said in a whisper, and none of the clones understood it. "Sorry, general?" "It is nothing. Now try to get some sleep. I will be able to sense with anyone come." The jedi sat at meditation position, and closed his eyes. However, none of the clones slept, but just closed their eyes and stayed silent. --------------------- In a planet very distant from the Inner Core, a medium-sized spaceship landed, blowing up a cloud of dust and sand. As the rear of the ship opened, a group of figures walked out. The woman and the pig-face were walking on the front, and behind them were three IG-88 droids, one of them pushing Ragout ahead of him. They were walking to a giant palace that sprung from rocks and sand. A big gate protected the palace from invasions, but at the moment diverse visitors were passing through it, many carrying prisoners or stolen goods. At the gate were many pig-men, similar to the pirate, but those had green skin. When the group arrived at the gate, the red-skinned pig-man said something in a language that made the others laugh. After that, they were given passage to the inside of the palace. --------------------- After waiting for a while, the clones and the jedi left their hiding place. The ship was empty, but they found something interesting in the ship''s main computer. Brain hacked into it and found out where in the galaxy they were. "General, we are on a small planet called Ta... Tatooine? I don''t know exactly where this is, never heard of it." Dageer didn''t know the planet, as it seemed Commander Keeli and his brothers also didn''t. They turned to General Di, and saw in his face a look more serious than ever. "General, you know where we are, right?" "Yes, Dageer. And it is not good. Tatooine is a small planet, very far from the Inner Core. They don''t even accept Republic Credits here. It is home to smugglers, bandits, murderers and thieves. But it is even worse than that. Tatooine is under the Hutt Cartel." "The Hutts?! That is no good." Dageer only knew that the Hutts were a slimy race of crime leaders, but nothing more than that. On the Clone Wars, they had taken a neutral stance, and neither Republic or Separatist sh.i.p.s could cross their systems. "So what we do now, general?" "We get my padawan back. If the Hutts are capturing young jedis, than we will show them that the Jedi Order is not afraid of starting a war with them." Chapter 94 - Bounty Hunters "So, what is the plan, general?" "I need to think. But the most important is to find a disguise for you all. The clone armor is quite... conspicuous. Most of the sc.u.m on that palace probably never saw a clone, but those two pirates we are hunting certainly have." Metal shook his head when he heard General Di''s words. "I don''t think they are pirates, general. I think they are bounty hunters." General Di lifted his eyebrows. "Is there any difference?" "Bounty hunters are much more deadly. Before I was recruited in Hell Squad, on my first battle, in Geonosis, my platoon and another one were tasked with capturing a small geonosian leader. Everything was going okay until we fought two bounty hunters that he had hired." At that point, Metal shook his head once more, but this time he seemed sad and angry. "Two. That was how many bounty hunters we confronted. They killed twenty-four of my brothers. And even then, one of them still managed to run, although he left the geonosian behind." Silence enveloped the group. Dageer had never fought bounty hunters before, and to him, they were just a slightly better version of pirates. But now it didn''t seem so. He looked again to the front gate of the palace, where dozens of people were carrying weapons and prisoners. If even half of them were as good as Metal described, then they were in serious trouble. General Di face got even more serious. "We have here a commander, and three clones belonging to a special unit. If we get rid of your armors, or at least disguise them, I believe we can enter there. They aren''t checking everyone who goes in. Besides, those creatures are simple-minded. We will do that without fighting, and after we rescue my padawan we go back." Following General Di''s plan, the clones smeared dust in their armors, and took off their helmets. After that, they found some pieces of ragged clothes and used it as cloaks. The white armor was covered in dust, so even if a piece of it or another appeared under the cloak, it was unrecognizable. Without their helmets, each clone had different hairstyles and tattoos, so unless someone put them side by side and compared, it would be difficult to recognize them. The jedi found a red mantle to himself, and by intention or not, this clearly marked him as the leader of the group. After making sure that no one was looking at the ship, they departed, and walked to the palace. The sand was incredibly hot, and Dageer was sweating profusely inside his armor. Two suns hanged in the sky, sanding heat wave after heat wave onto them. Dageer wondered how the Hutts could build a crime empire on such planet. The only one who looked comfortable was General Di. When they arrived at the palace gate, they had to enter in a long queue that the bounty hunters from before had skipped. Hours passed, and day turned to night. Dageer was tired of waiting in line all day, and it looked like they still had some time to wait. His throat was sore, and he seriously needed a drink. At that moment there was a commotion in front of the gate. The big metal gate started to close, and many of the aliens near to it tried to run inside, only to be beaten back by the guards. That was bad, because if they were locked outside, then who knows what would happen to Ragout. Dageer looked at General Di, waiting for his orders. The jedi walked ahead calmly, even though the gate was already half-closed. He got near one of the green-skinned pig-men. "You will let us pass. You won''t close the gate." The eyes of the pig-men blinked, and then got misty. He made a move to stop the gate, but as soon as he touched the lever that controlled it, electric currents passed through his body, and he fell to the ground twitching. An electronic voice appeared, together with a mechanic eye. "Unauthorized! Unauthorized! Any who dare to stop the mighty Jabba''s orders will be killed!" After the pig-man was killed, the others just kicked its corpse aside, and let the gate close. Nobody tried to go against the guards anymore. General Di looked quite shocked. He never expected that the owner of the palace, Jabba, would kill one of his own men. But after thinking about it, it was quite normal. He couldn''t maintain his position as one of the heads of the Hutts if he was merciful. "What do we do now, general?" Commander Keeli approached the jedi and asked quietly. Their path was blocked, and they couldn''t let Ragout wait another night. "Let''s go back for now. We need to find another entry point, and if we stay here it would look suspicious." The group retreated enough so the darkness of the night could cover them, and started circling around the palace. But there were no windows, doors or anything they could use. After half an hour, General Di finally lost his patience. He knocked on the walls until he found one thin enough, then used his lightsaber to open a hole through it. The blue lightsaber melted the wall, leaving a bright orange and yellow lava-like substance on the border of the circle. Using the Force, he pushed the circular block he had cut and it fell to the inside. The first thing they saw when they looked was a surprised pig-man, with the meat of some animal halfway to his mouth. General Di did a rapid spin, and the chest of the guard was opened, a blood-red line showing where the lightsaber had cut. That was the first time Dageer saw the general kill someone who wasn''t a droid. When he saw that the jedi''s expression didn''t even twitch, he wanted to say something along the line ''for a peacekeeper you kill quite decisively'', but he got a hold of his mouth. Maybe that was why he liked General Di. Both he and Kit Fisto were jedi, but the first knew when it was necessary to kill, while Dageer felt that the last would have tried to knock down the guard, which could have ruined the entire operation. Chapter 95 - Getting Information Being careful not to make noise, Metal and Brain grabbed the dead guard, using all their strength to carry the heavy body. It just barely passed in the hole General Di had cut. After that, they lifted the block that was cut off and put it back in place. It wasn''t a very good disguise, but thankfully the palace was really dark, so it should be able to trick the guards. The time they took to complete these actions was perfect. The moment they finished, another two guards appeared at the end of the corridor. When they saw the clones, the guards started screaming some incomprehensible stuff. Dageer''s grip on his DC-17 tightened, and he prepared to take action. However, the moment he was about to reveal the blaster, a silver figured followed the guards and talked to them, stopping their screams. When the silver person approached, followed by the guards, Dageer saw it was actually a protocol droid. It had an human-shaped figure, but some wires were hanging out of its torso. "Respected lords, please pardon those guards. They were afraid you were trying to escape mighty Jabba''s palace. You surely are not doing that, are you?" General Di was the one to answer. "Of course not. We were just looking for a friend." "Ohh. Maybe I can help you. I am F5-PO88, a protocol droid. What is the name of your friend?" "No need. We already found him. We will be on our way to our accommodations." "Ohh. I wasn''t informed of any guest staying in our rooms. Usually my lord prefer that everyone sleep near him. I suppose that by accommodations you mean level 3?" "Uhmm... yes, yes. I''m sorry, is just that it is a great thing to be near Lord Jabba, so we unconsciously referred to it as accommodations. Level 3 is what we meant." The droid seemed as pensive as a droid could be for a moment, but then accepted their shady explanation. "Follow me and I will take you to level 3. If you stay here the guards might mistake you for trespassers or fugitives." "Of course." The droid sent the guards away, and started to guide them, always talking about the palace and how glorious Jaba was. "Lord Jabba is not merciful... Lord Jabba is the mightiest in the galaxy... If you try to go against him, he will..." From time to time he would point out some rooms or directions, as if they were visiting some tourist attractions, and not the lair of a crime lord. Dageer suddenly thought that maybe they could take advantage of how talkative the droid was. He walked a little faster to catch up with F5-PO88. "This is such an impressive palace, as expected of Lord Jabba. However, he must have many enemies that are jealous of him because of that." "You are right. The Pikes, the Crymorath, Kaldana... but Lord Jabba have special ways of dealing with such sc.u.m. Those he considers unimportant he gives to his favorite pet. Those that he needs, he keeps them very well guarded." "That is what that sc.u.m deserves for daring to defy Lord Jabba. I''m sure his prisons are packed full of those idiots. I bet it feels amazing to see them receive their punishment." "Unfortunately you can''t do that. The prisoners are kept on level 13, where no light enters, but anyone who tries to go there has to be authorized by Lord Jabba." "I guess such unimportant pirates like us will never have that pleasure. It is really a pity. Well, what about..." After talking with the droid a few more minutes, always in a happy manner, Dageer slowed down and let the protocol droid continue on its neverending monologue. He looked at General Di, who nodded at him, recognizing that his plan worked. Brain smiled at him. ... After quite some time the droid finally left them at a junction, indicating that they should go ahead. Apparently, he was forbidden from entering the room. Of course they didn''t go in, but Dageer could see part of the room through the door. There were people sleeping on the floor, one on top of the other. But there was an empty space in the middle of the room, on which a big bed was. Snoring on it was Jabba, who looked like an incredibly big and incredibly fat worm. Two beautiful Twi''leks were with him, chained to the feet of his bed. One of them saw Dageer, who was peeking inside the room, and stretched her hand to him, tears on her face. Dageer almost walked to the room, but Commander Keeli put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Dageer looked to the Twi''lek, who now was crying profusely, and walked away with heavy steps. ... Two hours. That was the time that they took to arrive at level 13. The more they descended, the better guarded the floors were. At start, they had just slipped past the guards, or General Di used the Force, but they faced their first problem on level 8 or 9. General Di took care of those problems with his lightsaber, and from that moment on they had no choice but to keep going until they found Ragout. Of course, they were still trying to do it silently. It would be for the best if no one noticed that they rescue a prisoner until the next morning. But the clock was ticking. Soon it would be dawn, and the palace would wake. The bodies would be found very soon. Dageer had taken out his blaster pistol, and all the clones threw their cloaks away. It hindered their movements, and it wasn''t necessary anymore. Their armor, already full of scars before, now had brown patterns of dust, that had been shaped by the contact between cloak and armor. Moving ahead of formation, Brain signaled ''enemies in front''. Dageer peeked over the corner. Two pig-men were snoring on the ground, a bottle of something near them. Dageer walked to one of them, and hit his head with the butt of the pistol. The only change was that the snoring stopped. Then he repeated the action with the other, and glanced at the floor number. "General, we are just one floor away. We might just do that without fighting." Chapter 96 - Missing Lightsaber Jedi and clones walked down the stairs, heading to the prison. General Di was in front, lightsaber ready to dispatch the guards. He was followed by Brain and Metal, both who - for Metal discontentment - had small blaster pistols stolen from the guards. Dageer and Commander Keeli were in the back, guarding their rear. There was a quiet noise in the front, as if something moved at a high speed, and one pig-man dropped to the ground without his head. The cut off head dropped to the ground and started bouncing downstairs in a weary and gross manner. None of the group paid much attention to it, as it wasn''t the first time they saw it since they started their ''mission''. But who would have expected that at this moment, when they were already near level 13, someone would be using the same path as them? The head hit someone''s foot with a squishy sound. Dageer stopped dead on his tracks. The stairs were deadly quiet. Neither they nor their opponent moved. After a few seconds of stalemate, General Di took a deep breath and jumped a few steps, aiming his lightsaber for the enemy. He almost hit, but when the blue lightsaber was a few centimeters away it stopped. Pale blue light shined on the face of their enemy, revealing a small Togruta''s face. "Ragout! What are you doing here?!" "Master! I''m sorry, I-I was captured. I''m so sorry, I was returning to my room when someone knocked me unconscious. I am so sorry, I..." "No. We know you were captured. What I meant was ''what are you doing out of your cell?''. We were coming to get you. How did you escape?" "This... it wasn''t difficult. There were only two guards near my cell, and they were quite easy to manipulate. After that, I sneaked past the other guards." "General, and... general? It is great that we found you, but we are running out of time." Commander Keeli stoped them, quite unsure about how to call Ragout. Theoretically, he was considered a jedi, so he should be called general. But that made the chain of command rather awkward because General Di was the master of Ragout, so his rank was even higher. But he brushed that question apart and got to the important part, which was that they should escape. "Keeli is right. Come on Ragout, let''s go." General Di almost pulled the young padawan, but found unexpected resistance. He looked at the padawan intrigued. "Master, my lightsaber. I need to take it back." Dageer thought that the Jedi Master would have been at least annoyed or exasperated at the suggestion of losing precious time to look for a weapon. But he wasn''t. General Di actually looked concerned about the lightsaber. "Do you know where it is?" "That worm, Jabba, kept it with him when I was brought to his presence. I guess it is still with him." Dageer had a bad feeling. Judging by how serious General Di was, it looked like he really wanted to go take the lightsaber from Jabba. He couldn''t be more right. Without uttering a word, both master and padawan started climbing the stairs. The clones looked at each other, not sure if they should say something or not. In the end, they decided it was best not to. The lightsaber seemed to have a very special meaning to both master and apprentice, and they already knew how stubborn General Di was. Their way back was quiet. The only ones they found were those they had already defeated. Soon they reached level 3, where they found the same people still sleeping. The Hutt was still twisted on the bed, his fat tail dropping over the edge. The two Twi''leks that Dageer saw before were also sleeping, although they still had some tears on their faces. General Di showed the clones the corridor they used the first time, when they had just entered the palace. "You go back, wait for me at our exit. I will take back your lightsaber, but things will probably get a little heated." He urged the clones and his padawan, not giving them the chance to complain. It was only when they were a good distance away that they stopped. Knowing that they couldn''t go against their orders, Commander Keeli chose the second-best option. "Dageer, turn around and go back. We will continue, and wait for you and the general at our exit. There is no need to do anything unless General Di get in trouble. If needed, then assist him the best you can." "Yes, commander." Dageer immediately turned around and started going back. Behind him, he could still hear Ragout saying he would go too. "Keeli, why?" "Our mission was to come here and rescue you. I can''t let you go, otherwise, I will be disobeying General Di." "What?! Letting me go is disobeying, but letting Dageer go isn''t? Come on!" For that, Commander Keeli just kept his mouth shut, and didn''t answer. Eventually, when Ragout saw that Dageer was already gone, he gave up, and followed Commander Keeli dejectedly. ... Dageer arrived at level 3 for the third time in a few hours, and saw something that looked simple, but for some reason he would remember that for the rest of his life. General Di was facing Jabba the Hutt, who wasn''t sleeping anymore. Their faces were centimeters away from each other. Despite that, the Hutt didn''t try to call his guards or do anything. In fact, he hasn''t spoken a word, neither tried to wake up the dozens of sleeping bounty hunters. The reason for that was the lightsaber that was between his and General Di''s face. The small eyes of the Hutt were squinted so hard that they were almost closed, and he was sweating profusely. It was possible to see the fear in his face. Dageer couldn''t see General Di''s face because he had his back turned to him, but he appeared to be talking. Jabba''s face twisted, and he used his worm-like tail to grab something behind him. When he presented it, General Di used the Force to pick up the lightsaber and put it on his belt. After that he said something else, and retreated slowly, always facing the Hutt. Chapter 97 - More Than a Weapon ... General Di watched the backs of the clones, and nodded to his padawan, who followed them reluctantly. To tell the truth, Ima-Gun Di was really worried about his padawan. The boy had just arrived, a fresh apprentice, but was kidnapped by some bounty hunters for reasons that were still unknown. His confidence had suffered a huge blow, and General Di knew that if he didn''t fix that, the young padawan could, and would, lose all his fighting spirit and motivation. Because of that, when Ragout said he needed to get his lightsaber back, General Di readily agreed. He understood how important a lightsaber was to a jedi. Not the metal part of it, but the true soul and heart of the lightsaber, the kyber crystal, that was the important bit. A broken lightsaber could still be fixed or switched on the condition that the crystal was still intact. General Di himself had lost a couple lightsabers during his life. But is the crystal was destroyed, a jedi could never get another. The connection between a jedi and his lightsaber was like that, if one side of it disappeared, the other also couldn''t exist. A lightsaber was more than a weapon. It was the symbol of a jedi, the proof that he deserved his position. During their training, the younglings built a strong link with their weapon, a link that couldn''t be broken. If that happened, all the pain and sorrow that the crystal and its owner felt would be turned in a strong emotion: rage, hate, madness. That emotion would be driven to the crystal, and it would suffer as if it was a living creature. When the pain was too much, the crystal would either break or change colors. In the first case, the mind of the jedi would break together with the crystal. In the last, the crystal would turn red, and the oldest enemies of the jedis would be born. That was how siths first came into being. So, General Di couldn''t let that happen to Ragout. Although most probably it wouldn''t get to that point, he didn''t want to risk anything. He walked slowly in the room, stepping lightly in the spaces between the sleeping pirates and bounty hunters. He saw the red-skinned pig-man that captured Ragout leaning on a wall, many empty bottles around him. There was no sign of the woman or the droids, but the palace was big, and they could be anywhere. He didn''t want to waste time on them. He soon arrived in front of the big, sleeping, fat figure in the bed. Jabba the Hutt was snoring loudly, mucus dripping from his nose and mouth. General Di jumped over the sleeping Twi''leks, and came face to face with the crime lord. With a quiet ''zoom'' sound, his blue lightsaber flicked into existence, its tip only millimeters away from Jabba''s face. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was instinct, but the Hutt woke up without any help from General Di. Without opening his small eyes, he used his long tongue to sweep up and swallow the mucus and leftover food on his face. Only after that did he opened his eyes, and immediately closed then again when he saw the lightsaber. His lips parted open, about to call the guards when he heard General Di''s cold voice. "You better not do anything. If your guards come, the first to suffer the consequences will be you." The Hutt froze, looking to the lightsaber, and then to the jedi, and the lightsaber again. The tip of his tail twitched nervously, and his eyes showed rage. "Shouruu woydio yerrrriek! Touoyt harmetyw jedi, woooloah soouty! Fottyywe..." "Enough. I do not speak your language, but I am sure you can understand mine. So listen carefully, Hutt. My name is Ima-Gun Di, jedi master. The padawan who you imprisoned was my padawan. Now, Jabba, try to explain to me why a Hutt lord is kidnapping young jedi." The Hutt said something in his language, and when he saw that General Di didn''t understand him, he used his small arms to point to somewhere near him. When General Di looked over, he saw a protocol droid similar to F5-PO88. "No droids. Tell me why, now." The eyes of Jabba showed some internal struggle, but he apparently gave up, and started talking the Common Language with difficulty. "Guettro... I not speak well... huefas. I not know... tuyry gyrti... he was jedi... joggiwe... bounty hunter bring him, say I... durave youna... say I pay good." General Di didn''t believe a word the Hutt was saying. But it was better to let things flow. He couldn''t risk a conflict here. "Then why didn''t you contact the Republic immediately?" "I tried... furatewque cotyas. Sun storm too... strong. Have to wait. Gutyuu." "Well. Then, Jabba, I am sure you won''t mind that I take my padawan back with me. That will free you from a lot of bureaucracy." "Yyoouy... of course. I send someone to get him." "No need. Now, Jabba, give me his lightsaber. You don''t want him to be ashamed for losing his weapon, right?" A dangerous glint flashed in the Hutt''s eyes. After some moments of careful consideration, he eventually gave the lightsaber to General Di, who caught it using the Force. Before leaving he made sure to warn the Hutt about the consequences of capturing jedis. "Thank you, mighty Jabba. Before I take my leave, I think it is important that we make one thing clear. The Jedi Council won''t allow this to happen again. So, when your bounty hunters bring their prey, make sure it is a good idea to accept it. I would hate to see you in such unfortunate circ.u.mstances again." Ignoring the rage on Jabba''s face, General Di retreated slowly, always with his lightsaber pointed to his opponent. Jabba could do nothing more than swear quietly. General Di wasn''t surprised to find Dageer waiting for him. He knew how the troops under him thought, and already expected something like that. So, he only nodded to Dageer and started running. Not much later, both of them heard the angry screams of Jabba the Hutt, and started running faster. It wouldn''t take long until the whole palace started chasing them. Chapter 98 - Aurra Sing ... After the small conversation that General Di and the crime lord had, Dageer suspected that the situation at hand would get heated pretty soon. His suspicions were confirmed when the jedi just nodded at him and immediately started to ran. Not much later, guttural screams could be heard from Jabba''s chamber. In their way, General Di explained his talk with Jabba quickly and concisely, never stopping running. There was something that he said that bothered Dageer, but he wasn''t able to pinpoint what it was. He was lost on his thoughts, but not enough that he wouldn''t pay attention to their path. So, when a guard appeared, Dageer instantly fired his pistol. Even though he was running, it was difficult to miss the large frame of the pig-man, and his laser opened and cauterized a hole on the left leg of the guard. The guard fell down, screaming loud enough to startle the Blixus on Scarif. It was a sorry image, but Dageer showed no mercy. When they passed by the guard, Dageer fired a round in his forehead, stopping his pain once and for all. In Dageer''s mind, an enemy killed was an enemy less. Showing mercy to an enemy was the same as putting his brothers and himself in danger. His way of thinking was both unique and normal at the same time. Aside from clones, only pirates and bandits would be so merciless. It was unique because for most, wounded equals to out of the fight. To the clones, however, fighting despite injuries was just normal. It wasn''t uncommon for a clone to die because he insisted on fighting with injuries that should have kept him to the bed. But his thinking was also normal because there were millions of clones in the galaxy that thought just like him. If anyone heard that, or saw what happened, they would call Dageer ''crazy'' or ''murderer''. General Di''s reaction wasn''t that exaggerated, but he still frowned hard. "Dageer! Why did you do that?!" "General?" "When we were in Mon Cala, before you were sent down, I told all the clones that you couldn''t treat living beings the same you treat the Separatist''s droids! Remember?!" Dageer remembered. Just before he and the two regiments from the 303rd were transported to Mon Cala, General Di made a small speech. He said that the clanckers from the CIS were one thing, but if they ever fought the quarrens, then they couldn''t do what Dageer just did. Of course he didn''t tell the clones that they couldn''t kill their enemies, otherwise he would have gone against all the fundamentals of a war. "General, with all due respect, now is not the time to have pity. When you were going against the guards to rescue Ragout, you killed them because there was no other option, and because you needed to do that to rescue your padawan. Now I am doing my mission, which is to make sure we get out of here safely." Subtly, Dageer had thrown to General Di the blame. Of course he didn''t mean to do that in a bad away, but he felt - he knew - that with the jedi tried to stop the clones from doing what they were created for, all their respect for him would be lost. In a way, Dageer said what he said to show General Di what attitude he should take. It was a very arrogant thing for a subordinate, or a soldier, or a clone to say, and Dageer was making a gamble. Either the general would understand what he was saying, or he wouldn''t and Dageer would be heavily punished. His gamble paid off. Or so it seemed, because the jedi said nothing else. Soon, they arrived at the hole that General Di had cut, and found Brain waiting for them with half of his body stuck inside and the other half outside. "Let''s go! We already saw the guards at the front gate running in. It won''t be long before they arrive." Dageer and General Di passed through the whole and saw Brain, Metal, Commander Keeli and Ragout waiting. With a single command from General Di, the group started running towards the bounty hunters''s ship. It was at that moment that things went really wrong. From the darkness of the sand dunes, five metal cables shot out, wrapping around the legs of Dageer, Brain, Commander Keeli and Ragout. One of them was aimed at General Di, but he dodged just in time. However, the others who weren''t so fast all fell face-first in the rough sand of Tatooine. Dageer rolled and spat the sand that entered his mouth. While looking carefully at the four figures approaching, he tried to untie the cables around his ankles. A feminine voice full of malice came out of the darkness. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you, sweetie." Dageer ignored the woman, and continued to untie the cables with one hand while holding his DC-17 on the other. "Well, I warned you." Blue streaks zapped in the cable, coming out of the darkness all the way to Dageer. Instantly, he felt incredible pain, as electricity hit every part of his body starting from his legs. His body twisted, and he screamed in pain. After the woman turned off the power, Dageer was just barely conscious, everything on his body aching and his vision clouded. "Dageer!" "Sir!" "Sir! You, stop!" Ragout, Brain and Metal yelled at the same time. General Di turned on his lightsaber, and made a signal for the clones, ordering them to stay quiet. "Who are you?" "Rarararara!" Step by step, the curvy figure of a woman walked out of the dark, followed by three IG-88s and a Nikto, the same species as General Di. "Sweetheart, don''t you know it is rude to ask that so bluntly. You will never find a woman interested in you, if you keep doing so." "I have neither time nor will to joke with you, bounty hunter. I will ask again. Who are you, and why did you kidnap my padawan?" "Nahh, you are not funny. Listen, jedi. You wanted my name, Aurra Sing it is. Now the reason why I captured your young padawan... rarararara! Of course it is because of money!" Chapter 99 - Padawan Aurra Sing was a famous bounty hunter, known by her cruelty and efficiency. For the years she had been around, she also received the unofficial nickname of Jedi Killer. Nobody knew why she was so focused on killing jedis, but normally, if the job involved murdering one of the peacekeepers, she would accept without even asking about the payment. Aurra had a personal reason for hating the jedi so much. But more important than that, she found killing them especially enjoyable. When Dageer saw the bright orange clothes that she was wearing, his mind finally clicked. Before, when General Di had told him about what happened inside Jabba''s room, he felt that something was missing. That something was the bounty hunter. The protocol droid they met said there was no one on other rooms, and everyone had to be together with Jabba. So where was the bounty hunter? Now he knew. Even though his whole body was numb, his mind was still working. However, besides shooting, he couldn''t think of any way to get out of their predicament. Meanwhile, General Di and the bounty hunter were sizing up each other. "Aurra Sing, you already received your reward from that Hutt, didn''t you? So why keep chasing us? Confronting a jedi can only end badly for you, winning or losing." "Rararara... you misunderstood me, jedi. Jabba hired me to capture that youngling for a good sum of money, but after that my job with him was over. The reason why I am after you involves no money. It is completely personal." "... What have I done to you? Or is it not me, but the Jedi Order as a whole?" Sing got deadly serious. Apparently General Di had added salt to an injury, and her face was now full of hate. "You are right, it is not just you but your kind. The powerful and invincible Jedi Knights, fighting for the freedom of the galaxy. You really fight well when the one who employs you is the Chancellor or the hippocrates from the Senate. But when a little girl needed your help, not one of you moved to rescue her." The way that Sing said that sounded like she was telling a story about someone else, but Dageer felt the truth was different. He was quite sure the bounty hunter was talking about something that happened to her a long time ago, way before the clones were created. "Aurra, I understand your rage, but there are only ten thousand jedis in the galaxy. We can''t save everyone, but we do our best. Killing us will only make things worse for many other little girls just like yo... just like the one on your story." In response to General Di''s pledge, Sing laughed. She and her droids approached, and Dageer saw General Di make eye contact with Ragout. They seemed to have come to an understanding, but what could they do in this situation? "Aurra, if you don''t stop now, I will have no other choice but bringing you to a Republic prison." General Di made a motion of turning on his lightsaber, and at that instant everyone''s attention was focused on his hand. Taking advantage of the millisecond that General Di had bought to him, Ragout jumped high. Even with his legs tied, he still reached a height of five meters in the air, and at the same time did a backflip. The end of his stunt brought him just behind one of the IG-88 assassin droids. This droid was also the one who was holding the cables that tied him. Ragout landed on his feet, and used the Force to push the droid five meters away, at the same time making him drop his weapons. General Di then threw Ragout''s lightsaber to him. The padawan caught it in the air, and in a fluid motion turned it on, and cut the cables on his legs. It was the first time Dageer saw Ragout''s lightsaber. Different from General Di, he had a pale green lightsaber, almost yellow or maybe white. It was also smaller than the one from his master, but it seemed to fit better with the small frame of Ragout. Having got his lightsaber back, Ragout jumped once more, not as high as before, but just enough so he could slice open the head of the nearest IG-88. "You!" Sing certainly didn''t expect what happened, but she showed her instincts as a bounty hunter. She neither stood still, nor went after Ragout. What she did was press the cables, sending more electricity through it. Dageer, Commander Keeli and Brain all started screaming in pain, and were out of the fight for good, or at least until they were cut free. Then, Sing turned to General Di, and at the same time her partners - the Nikto and two IG-88 - faced Ragout. It was clearly a trained maneuver, and one they had executed many times. Amidst his pain, Dageer thought why Aurra Sing was with a Nikto and not the red-skinned pig-man. The bounty hunter was firing her blaster wildly, but General Di deflected each and every laser. He was able to do that against an army of droids, so one person wasn''t difficult. He slowly approached her, and although Sing tried to run, she was surprised when Metal appeared behind her and held her arms. With a swift motion, General Di cut the barrels of her pistols, and Metal kicked her at the back of her knee, making her grunt in pain and fall to the ground. When she got up, his lightsaber was at her neck. Almost at the same time there was a shout of pain. The Nikto that was fighting Ragout had dropped to the ground as well, his hands holding where previously it was his left leg. His two companions, the assassin droids, were pieces on the ground. Metal picked up the control on Sing''s pocket and crushed it, freeing Dageer and the others from the cables. The battle which had started with them as the losing side was turned around and won so quickly that Dageer was surprised. When Ragout helped him up, Dageer accepted gladly. The padawan had won his respect, or at least a part of it. Chapter 100 - Stubborn Prisoner "Aurra Sing, for your crimes against the Republic and the Jedi Order, you and your partner will be taken to jail. You will receive a fair trial." While turning off his lightsaber, General Di uttered those words. Of course, all he received from Sing was a face full of disdain. While Brain, Dageer and Commander Keeli were recovering, Metal chained Sing, who struggled a lot. Aside from Sing, the other bounty hunter behaved quite well. The fact that he was missing a leg might have something to do with that. Dageer got up, his whole body numb. He rubbed his arms, trying to make the numbness go away, but it only got worse. Commander Keeli and Brain had done the same, and suffered a similar result. General Di went to talk with his padawan, and at the same time pushed the Nikto in the direction of Dageer. "Put them on the ship, and prepare to leave. After this small battle it won''t be long before Jabba''s guards find us." "Yes, sir." Dageer half pushed half carried the Nikto, while Metal did the same to Aurra Sing. Both bounty hunters grunted, but with their hands and foot tied, there was little they could do. Or so Dageer thought. When they were a small distance away from the ship, Aurra Sing''s legs, which should have been firmly tied, somehow got free, and she arched her back and kicked Metal in the head. Metal wasn''t wearing his helmet, so when the tough boots of Sing hit his head he got nauseous, and his vision doubled. Sing started running away, her hands still tied. "Metal! Damnit!" Dageer pushed the Nikto to the ground, just in case he tried to run too, and chased after Sing. The long legs of the bounty hunter meant her steps took her farther, and Dageer was still feeling the effects of being electrocuted. So when he saw Sing getting farther and farther away, what he did was stop and take out his DC-17. "Sing! Stop or I will shoot! ... you asked for it." Dageer first tried to convince her, but the answer he got was some hand gesture that probably meant no good. With no other option - and a little bit of pleasure - Dageer aimed his pistol. His first shoot was evaded with a jump, even though Sing didn''t look back to see from where it came. His second shot lifted the sand next to her feet. The third laser hit the target, and Sing felt to the ground holding her left calf. Now prepared to her tricks, Dageer wasn''t in a hurry to secure her again. Only after making sure she wasn''t faking and that she had no weapons did he lift her up. Seeing the burning rage on the eyes of Sing, Dageer couldn''t help but question her. "Why did you do that? You should have known that I would shoot you." "Rarararara! Little clony, my sweet, so you can talk, not only bark!" He would have no answer from her. Noticing that, Dageer gripped the back of her neck, and forced her to stay up, even though she grimaced in pain. Since the bounty hunter wasn''t going to say anything important, Dageer only had to do his job, and take her back. They weren''t too far from the ship, and when the duo got back the clones were still loading the Nikto that Dageer had left behind. Metal was sitting in the cargo ramp, using a piece of his old cloak to wrap his head. "How bad is it, Metal?" "Nothing much sir. Just another tattoo, right? Hahaha!" "Hahahaha! Good to see that you don''t mind. Now, take her inside. She can''t run anymore, but be careful anyway. She is a dangerous one." "You bet I am. Rararararara..." "Yes, sir. Come on, bounty hunter." Brain, General Di and Commander Keeli had already boarded the ship. The only ones still outside were Ragout, and Dageer, who was waiting for the former. While the padawan looked at Jabba''s palace, Dageer just stood guard dutifully. "Dageer, we are ready to go. General Di said to you and General Ragout get in." "All right, commander." When Commander Keeli ringed Dageer, he went ahead and called the padawan. "General, General Di says it is time to go. We would better get going." "There is no need to call me general, Dageer. I did nothing to deserve that title." "..." "Okay. Let''s go." Dageer followed Ragout to the inside, and soon the ramp closed and the ship got off. It was only when the two suns appeared in the sky that Jabba called off the pursuit. ------------------- Deep space. "General, I''ve been trying to contact the fleet, but the distance is too much. If they haven''t moved from our last position, then we might be able to get a recorded message to them, but not a transmission." "That is all we need. Thank you, Brain." "Just doing my job." General Di started recording the hologram, explaining what happened and where they should meet. Dageer wasn''t paying much attention, until General Di said something totally unexpected in the last sentence. "... I will meet you at Sector 76." Commander Keeli also noticed it, as did Brain, who was in the command center of the ship. The one who stepped out to ask was obviously the one with the higher rank, Commander Keeli. "Uhmm... general? Did you say Sector 76? If I am not wrong, that is almost in the Inner Ring. That area is entirely under Republic control. What will we do there?" "Keeli, how long have been since the 303rd was deployed?" "One hundred and two days, general." "We are approaching the four months mark. If you remember, that is when we are given a period of rest." General Di was right. According to the decisions made by the Senate, if the Clone Wars were to last more than four months, than all the legions that took part on it since the first battle would have two weeks of rest before being thrown back in the battlefield. Meanwhile, new and fresh legions would step out to take their place. Of course, if they were in the middle of a battle they would have to wait, but luckily that wasn''t the case for the 303rd. ///Author Message. Very Important. /// Hey guys! First of all, I want to say thank you. I started this novel as a random thing that I wasn''t even sure I wanted to do. However, I received so much support from you, and now here we are, with a 100 chapters. I want to say that the hundred chapters mark is a important part on every novel. That mean the author doesn''t plan to stop, and I sure as hell don''t. There are still many battles left, and many stories for Dageer and Hell Squad to write. I saw a big evolution in my writing in the process of writing this novel. I started writing small chapters with 400 or so words and thought it was really good, but it was only when I read it that I saw how little it was. But now each chapter have about 1050 words, and I plan on expanding it to at least 1300 or 1400, which is the max I can do if I still want to release one chapter a day. The moment I am writing this, 272 people have my novel in their library, and seeing so many liking my work makes me really happy. Also, I want to say my special thanks to some of you. Thank you Democratis, EnablingBarney, Mad_Lord, DemonRazgriz, Daolord_Silvermoon, Azunyan, Nonoemi, W3bN0velL0v3r and the many others that I''ve surely forgot. Lastly, I know I''ve said it some times already, but if you can, do a review. That helps a lot, because the more reviews the more a person get to knows about the novel, and decide to read it or not. A big thanks to everyone, and may the Force be with you! Reis123 Chapter 101 - Journey to Prison (1) Dageer went to check on their captives, who were, at the moment, being guarded by Metal, and Ragout was keeping him company. Their hijacked ship didn''t have any kind of prison, or cell block, so they had to make do with what they had at hand, and locked Sing and the Nikto in the same storage room the clones had used. Metal was still using his dusty armor, and it was only when Dageer saw it that he realized that neither of the clones had cleaned theirs. He had to find a moment to wipe it, and also tell do others to do the same. Metal was also wearing his helmet, and his beloved Z-6 was leaning on the wall just beside him. It wasn''t a blaster good for guard duty, as it took some time to charge, and it also didn''t have stun mode, so Metal also had Brain''s DC-15S with him. The clone made a salute to Dageer when he passed, straightening his back. His head injury was probably still hurting pretty badly, but he didn''t make a sound. Sitting on the floor, with his legs crossed and eyes closed was Ragout. Since Commander Keeli had started calling him general, Dageer and the others had followed suit. For the first few times Ragout corrected them, but after noticing that it was useless, he only gave an exasperated look. It was the same now, when Dageer greeted him. "General. Are you sure you don''t want to go rest? Metal and I can take care of that sc.u.m." "I feel no need to sleep at the moment. In fact, staying here is quite good for my training." "I don''t get it, general." "I''m training my senses. We jedi have ways of sensing danger, and I feel an incredible amount of it from there." The padawan stretched his index finger and pointed it to the storage room. When Dageer approached the glass window, he saw the penetrating eyes of Aurra Sing. She and the other bounty hunter were tied together, back to back, in the middle of the room. The Nikto was sleeping, and his leg - or what was left of it - was wrapped in bandages. After they got on the ship Brain had taken care of it under General Di''s orders, and given him some sleep drugs. Aurra Sing, however, was awake, staring back at Dageer with palpable hostility. After five seconds, Dageer understood what Ragout meant. He was sure that if the bounty hunter got her hands on any of them, she would kill them cruelly. Taking his eyes off Sing, Dageer stood besides Metal, and told him and Ragout about the news. Their reactions were different. Metal was curious and happy, but Ragout looked pensive and disappointed. Dageer noticed that, but it wasn''t his place to say anything. "And for you, bounty hunters, a nice little prison cell is your next stop." Dageer couldn''t help but taunt Sing. There was something about the woman that worried him. She was facing a lifelong jail time, and yet there were times she laughed and smiled. He wasn''t sure if Sing heard him or not, but her stare intensified. ... The following two days passed in a blink. The group had stopped at some other planets to refuel, and were about to make the final jump to Sector 76. Dageer was on guard duty himself. Usually, as an officer, he wouldn''t need to do that, but they had a limited contingent, and Metal and Brain needed rest. Commander Keeli was the one controlling the ship, and although the starcraft was small, Dageer wasn''t sure on where the jedis were. Dageer looked through the window, and saw both prisoners awake, and talking to each other. He didn''t understand everything, but apparently they were discussing about a reward from one job. There was a slight tremor and Dageer knew the ship was in hyperspace. He turned to look at one of the windows, but heard a noise behind him. Centimeters away from Dageer''s face was Aurra Sing. She had somehow freed herself from her handcuffs, and smashed the door panel with it, opening the door. Dageer wondered how the bounty hunter could release her ties over and over again, no matter how well they detained her. Sing grabbed Dageer''s head, and bashed her knee on his stomach. Dageer felt something rising on his insides, and had to hold back not to throw up. But Sing wasn''t over yet, and when Dageer curled up her elbow crashed down on the back of his head, and his vision went dark. But even then Dageer didn''t give up. Since Sing had made him fall to the ground, Dageer grabbed her ankles, and twisted it hard. "Ahhhhhh!!! You! Clone! Bastard!" The wound on her calf opened again, and bright red blood started oozing out. Unable to bear the pain, Sing fell over Dageer. He twisted his body, and they switched positions, now she was under him. Using both hands to grab her head, Dageer bashed it in the ground, and when the bounty hunter got dizzy he locked his right arm around her neck, and his left on top of her head. Applying pressure, Dageer could see Sing''s face turning red and then acquiring a slight purple color. Her nails scratched his armor and his helmet, but she could do nothing more than that. Her legs were kicking the air to no avail, but her movements started to decrease until she turned stiff. Very slowly, Dageer decreased the strength on his arms, so Sing wouldn''t die, but he made sure to keep his lock on her firmly. It was only after confirming that she was unconscious that he remembered the Nikto. Looking over his shoulder, Dageer saw that the half legless bounty hunter was up, rummaging through the boxes, looking for something to use against Dageer. Dageer let his left arm leave Sing''s neck and pulled out his DC-17. "Halt! This blaster doesn''t have stun mode!" Defeated, the Nikto dropped the power tool he was holding, and sat on the floor. "Commander? Sing tried to escape. I restrained her, but I would appreciate some help." "I am sending Brain." ... Sing was still unconscious, but maybe this was a blessing for her. That way she didn''t have to see the whole Republic fleet that was waiting for her. A group of ARC-170s flew near the ship. All of them were painted with the colors of the 303rd Attack Legion. "General Di, this is Steel leader. We will escort you to The Sincerity. Is there anything we need to do?" "Hello, Rozal. Yes, please. Prepare a well-guarded cell." Chapter 102 - Journey to Prison (2) The bounty hunters''s ship wasn''t small by any means, but when the doors on top of The Sincerity opened, and the ship passed through, the difference was quite big. Waiting for General Di, Ragout and the clones to disembark was a full platoon. General Di hadn''t really explained why Aurra Sing needed so many guards, so Commander Keeli had to step up and expose her deeds. All in all, Sing had captured a padawan, killed at least six clones and made two attempts to escape. Taking all of those in account, although it seemed like stupidity for her to try to run in a Republic cruiser, Dageer felt it was good to be prepared. The clones lined up at the sides, first saluting General Di and his apprentice, then later Commander Keeli and Dageer. In the end, Aurra Sing and her Nikto accomplice were pushed out of the ship by Brain and Metal, and received by the lieutenant in command of the platoon. "Dageer, take Sing to the prison level, and then meet me at the command bridge. We have a report to make, and General Di want to discuss about our time out." "Yes, commander. Lieutenant, let''s go." "Sir, permission to go to our quarters?" "Permission granted. Also, Brain, Metal, scrap that dirty out of your armor." "Yes, sir." Being followed by the lieutenant and ten clones, Dageer took the group through a maze of corridors that were well known to him. Unlike the time on the ship, Sing spent the entire course without saying a word. Dageer hoped that the truth - that she was going to prison for real - had found her way inside her mind. Or maybe it was just another one of the many personalities that the bounty hunter had. ... The prison cells if a Venator-class cruiser were very simple. A room with a bed and that was all the furniture. On one corner was the bathroom, which had transparent glass walls until the prisoners entered it, turning the walls in a dull gray for seven minutes. If the prisoner spent any more than that, or took any object that the scanners believed to be dangerous and prohibited, or tried to remove something, the walls would become transparent again, and a guard would be called for inspection. Under the watchful eyes of Dageer, Sing was put in one of such cells, and the orange ray shield sealed the entrance. General Di had especially ordered that two guards should be guarding the cell at all times. The first thing Sing did after being locked was stare at Dageer, and say venomous words. "Sweetheart, what is your name? I would like to remember the clone who arrested me. For when I come out..." "You won''t come out. There is no need to know a clone''s name." ----------------------- Dageer, Commander Keeli, Admiral Dao, General Di and Ragout were having a meeting in the command bridge. Dageer had come here right after delivering Aurra Sing, so he didn''t have the time to clean himself or his armor. Commander Keeli was the same. After greeting the admiral, who was livid for not being warned, Dageer rested his hands on the hologram table. The meeting was an informal one, and he didn''t have to worry so much, but he still kept his posture. As usual, General Di was the one to open the meeting. "Our next stop will be on the heart of the Republic, the planet of Coruscant. The normal period of rest that a legion receives is two weeks every four months, but due to the unexpected strength the Separatist showed, this period was cut in half. For all legions." Dageer let out an audible sigh. As a clone who passed every moment of his life side by side with his brothers, he knew the Clone Army was tired. Battle after battle had worn out even the most battle-thirsty of the men. "For the last few months, we have fought in many corners of the galaxy. From Geonosis to Rhen Var and Mon Cala, the 303rd won many battles, and lost many members. Keeli, during this week we will receive new troops. I want you to organize then, and make sure they are ready when we depart. If what we have fought until now means anything, then we are likely to be thrown back in battle as soon as possible. Dageer, you are, of course, to assist him." "Yes, general." "Admiral, I believe you would like to meet your family, right?" "Yes, that would be great, sir." "Then just make sure to leave the fleet in good hands." "Thank you, sir." "Ragout, you and I will return to the Jedi Temple. After our last few days, I believe it is good for us both to train our senses. Master Yoda can help with that." "... Yes, master." "That is all, then. Keeli, Dageer, we will be arriving at Coruscant after another jump. After that, Sing will be handed to the Coruscant Guards, and this matter will be officially out of our hands. Make the arrangements for the disembark." "Yes, general. Dageer, you are on it." "Yes, commander. Uhhmmm... general, may I speak with you?" "Yes. Come over here." Dageer followed General Di to the end of the command bridge, from where they could see the blue and white streaks of light from hyperspace. "What is it, Dageer?" "General, I have heard some rumors and questions from not just one clone, but many of the men. And not only ours, but also from the Scuba Troopers on Mon Cala. I wanted to confirm with you." "What kind of rumors?" "Well... word is that the Republic army is going to change. Since the Clone Wars is going to take much longer than previously expected, some officers are saying that a reorganization is going to happen. Just today Berro talked to me about it. He asked if the legions are really going to change." "Ohh. I see it. I don''t know who told the soldiers about it, but it is true. As a result of the previous battles, the Senate is voting a bill, and it is almost sure to be approved. From the moment the Senate agrees on it, a new kind of armor is going to be introduced to the clones. New recruits will come with it from Kamino, and for those soldiers who are already on the battlefield, the armor is going to be changed little by little." "And... about the... rest of the rumors... general?" Chapter 103 - On Leave "What about... the other half of the rumors... general?" "What other half?" "It is quite weird. The officers were saying that each legion is going to receive an ''identity''." "That would be better discussed with Keeli, rather than me. He was directly involved in said rumors. Find him when you can. Now, Dageer, if that is all, your men are waiting." "Yes, general. Thank you, general." ------------------- Unfortunately, Dageer didn''t have the chance to talk with Commander Keeli. The logistics of a disembark like the one they would do were almost as difficult and complex as the ones for an invasion. First of all, money. Clones didn''t receive payment or salary, but all their expenses were covered by the Republic, within a certain range, of course. Dageer had to make sure all the clones had what they needed. Obviously, when he said ''he needed'', he meant the officers under him needed. Advantages of being a sub-commander. Second and most important, Dageer had to oversee the transfer of the wounded. The infirmary on The Sincerity was as good as the one on a battleship could be, but it wasn''t enough. They had limited supplies, so there were some moments after the more heated battles that the 303rd had to choose between leaving the minor wounds untreated or leave the severely wounded untreated. Minor wounds such as scratches or cuts wouldn''t affect the overall strength of the clones or of the army, but Dageer knew by experience how uncomfortable it was. Dageer decided to see the injured personally. He couldn''t go do something else without knowing how his brothers were. The fleet arrived above Coruscant without much fuss. Looking at the planet for the first time, Dageer was as impressed as anyone else. Coruscant was a big planet, but even then, the capital of the Republic was turned into one massive city. There was no green or blue on the planet, only black, brown and orange. The lights could be seen from space no matter where you were, and the planet never slept. Coruscant was divided into many different levels, including the underground ones, where the sc.u.m of the city lived. Nevertheless, Dageer wasn''t expected to go there. The headquarters of the Clone Army was in one of the few unused areas of the planet, and every bar or entertainment center the clones needed was near there. As an officer, Dageer knew the real reason why the soldiers were stationed away from the more bustling parts of the city. Four months had passed since the start of what the Senate first called a ''small and quickly solved conflict''. Although there were no open riots yet, the higher-ups were worried that if clones were allowed to walk on the city freely, problems would arise. At start, most of the population, and senators, were siding with the Republic decision of waging war against the Separatist, and building a huge army of clones. But now some senators, mostly from the neutral factions, were inciting the population to speak against it. Taking that reason in consideration, right before the 303rd disembarked, Commander Keeli called for a speech. He and Dageer stayed in front of the troopers, but in the end the only one to speak was Commander Keeli. "303rd Attack Legion, listen up! For the last four months, we have fought from one planet to another. Now, it is time to let our brothers from other legions step up for a while. You have one week, but remember to follow the rules. Any trooper who is found out of our headquarters will suffer punishment." There was an annoyed murmur between the clones. They weren''t dumb, and didn''t like being restricted to an area. But that wasn''t what angered them the most. The reason for the murmur was the spam of their leave. But discipline was ingrained in their genetic code, and the buzz was silenced by the officers in a few seconds. "The Republic needs us, brothers. Stick to the rules, obey your officers, and before long we will be back on the battlefield. I''m I clear?" "Yes, sir!" Commander Keeli turned around and started going down the big ramps that opened under The Sincerity. Dageer and Hell Squad made up half of the first line of troopers to set their foot on Coruscant. As he had decided before, Dageer sent Hell Squad together with the main clone force, and followed the group that was going to the medical installations. --------------------- The 303rd wasn''t the only legion who had a hard time out in the galaxy. In the medical installations of Coruscant, thousands of clones from different legions filled up the dormitories and rooms. Dageer even saw some familiar faces. Monnk, for instance, and Commander Cody, both of which had just returned from battle. Monnk was only accompanying his troops, but Commander Cody had a nasty wound on his face. He and the 212th were on some unnamed moon fighting the clanckers when an AT-TE blew up and the shrapnel almost took his eye out. "I am glad to see that you are okay, Commander Cody." "Thanks, Dageer. Keeli said you faced some problems with some bounty hunters." "Commander Keeli was also there. But to tell the truth, it was General Di and his padawan who did most of the work. Most of the time me, the commander, Brain and Metal were just tagging along." Commander Cody just nodded. Clones had no need to be too humble between themselves, and Commander Cody knew that Dageer wasn''t giving his general all the credit out of humility. "Well, commanders, I see you around. I need a good night of sleep to recover from all that dust of Tatooine." "All right, Dageer. I will have to stay here a bit more because of my injury. You should check out the Revontre. It is the best and only place for us while we are on leave. I will see you there." "Thanks for the advice, commander. Commander Cody, Commander Monnk." After saying his farewells to the clone commanders, Dageer left the medical installations, but before anything, he went to the headquarters of the 303rd to have a bath. That was a luxury the clones didn''t have in the middle of battles, and he had come all the way from Tatooine to Coruscant without stopping by his quarters. Chapter 104 - Changes Most of the clones felt the same way as Dageer, and when he arrived at the barracks destined to the 303rd he saw most of his brothers sleeping. Only a few had gone to explore the surrounding bars, most of them being those who were idle before they arrived at Coruscant. After taking a much-deserved bath, Dageer dropped at his bed without trading words with anyone. Maybe because he was too tired, that was the first time in months that he slept without having the usual nightmares. ---------------------- Dageer woke up with Cell tapping his shoulder. "Uhhmmm... what is it? Whaahhh..." It took some time for him to fully wake up, but after washing his face he became smart enough to understand what Cell wanted. "Sir, Hell Squad requesting permission to go to Revontre." "You are in leave, Cell. Unless you are about to do something really stupid or really important, there is no need to request permission. But since you woke me, I will go too." "That is good. Berro and Frit already went there, and they say it is awesome. Besides, everything is on the Republic. There was one time when Dab and I were cadets that our squad got the chance to go to a bar during a visit to the moon of Kamino. We want to see how it is here." "All right, all right. You are behaving like you are a cadet again. Hahahaha!!!" Cell laughed freely, not ashamed at all. After all, although they joked about it, they had been in life-and-death situations one after another. No matter how good they were, the chances of they dying on some random planet weren''t small. "I assume everyone is coming? Yeah? Then, Hell Squad, let''s get going." There was a happy ''hurrah!'' amongst Hell Squad, and they boarded a transport that would take them to the Revontre. They had all traded their armors for the loose brown cloths that represented the 303rd. Dageer at first was in doubt between using his old, soldier-rank clothes or the new, almost commander like clothes. In the end he decided for the old ones. Clones had discipline on their blood, and if they knew he was an officer they wouldn''t fully enjoy themselves. The transport arrived quickly, and contrary to what Dageer thought previously, what waited for them was a bustling area of the city. The majority of the people he saw were clones, but there were also mon calamarians, Twi''leks, Niktos, Togrutas, Sull.u.s.tians, and dozens of other alien species that Dageer didn''t recognize. The Revontre was pretty easy to find, and Hell Squad only had to follow the stream of clones. Many of the men of the 303rd Attack Legion were there, but Dageer also recognized the uniforms of the SCUBA Troopers, the 212th Attack Battalion, the 327th Star Corps and the 41st Elite Corps. Those were basically all the legions that were able to leave the battlefield that was the Outer Rim. Hell Squad also met a good number of Coruscant Guard troopers, wearing their red-striped armor. As they approached the Revontre, the music got louder and louder, and the noise of laughs drifted towards them. Soon, Dageer saw clones carrying bottles and glasses, and some of them were so drunk they couldn''t even walk normally. Dageer frowned when he saw some of the 303rd members amongst them. "Sir, should I go...?" "No need, Brain. We are on leave, and the men are stressed. Just make sure none of them break the rules, or they will be dealt with as Commander Keeli said, all right? And I hope I don''t see Hell Squad amidst them, or you will face my punishment. Okay, Cell?" "What? Why did you line me up, sir? Do I look like I would do something like that? I am more serious than Dab and Three-four." Cell put one arm around the shoulders of each of the clones he mentioned, and both Three-four and Dab immediately pushed him, making him trip. "Hahahahahaha!!! Okay, okay... let''s get something to eat and drink, boys." The inside of the bar was even bigger than Dageer thought, easily able to accommodate hundreds of clones. Hell Squad went to the counter, and ordered a couple of drinks. "Hey! Dageer!" A sharp voice called for Dageer. When he looked up he saw a clone with no armor waving to him. It took a while for him to remember who he was. Dageer grabbed his drink and nodded to Hell squad, to indicate he was going. "Lieutenant Thire! I haven''t seen you since Geonosis." "Unless you move to the Coruscant Guard, it will be a while before we can meet again. After Geonosis I received a promotion, and I have been on Coruscant since then." "Congratulations, then. Wahhhh... that was one hell of a fight, wasn''t it?" "It sure was. Now, come on! I want to introduce some brothers to you." "Actually, my squad is over there." "It is all right, they will do fine. And, I wasn''t the only one to rise, was I? You should meet the other officers, Sub-commander Dageer." "Okay then. Boys, behave yourselves while I''m away. I don''t want General Di complaining on my ear." "Yearrey!!!" Dageer shook his head. His words had passed straight by his men without they capturing a single one of them. But he couldn''t complain, since he also wasn''t being formal. If he was in duty, there was no way he could have said what he just said. He followed Thire to the so-called officer''s room, a room upstairs where they could sit and talk. Meanwhile, Dageer was thinking about how things had changed in just four months. When he first met Thire, he was a lieutenant and Dageer was just a soldier. But Thire received his promotion to the Coruscant Guard - although his rank stayed the same - and Dageer performed many meritorious deeds, enough for him to become a sub-commander. In a way, Thire, who was out of the battles for a long time, was much safer than Dageer, who fought in the frontlines. But in another, unless Coruscant was attacked, Thire would never have the chance to battle again. Throwing away the unnecessary thoughts in his head, Dageer passed through the door that Thire had opened, and faced the twenty or so clones on the room. Chapter 105 - High-Rank Meeting There were about twenty clones inside the room. Since all of them were officers, that meant they represented the majority of the legions not on a battlefield at the moment. Thire excitedly sat down, and immediately started talking with another clone before getting up again. He went to Dageer, and put his arm around his shoulder before talking. "Brothers, this is Dageer, sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion and leader of Hell Squad. Dageer, Commander Monnk said you already met." Dageer nodded to Monnk, who was sitting on a couch at the far end of the room. Standing next to him was Shita, his sub-commander. Just like his commander, Shita was a quiet clone. Dageer didn''t hear he speak more than a dozen words in Mon Cala. "Dageer, this is Commander Gree, and Sub-commander Fillo from the 41st Elite Corps. They just came back from Felucia." This time the clones referred to were sitting near Dageer. Commander Gree had two strands of hair following a horizontal line on his head, and wore a dark green uniform. From what Dageer knew, the 41st Elite Corps was a legion trained to fight in the jungle and forest, so the color of their legion was also a deep dark green. Commander Gree wasn''t alone, and aside from his sub-commander, he also had two other officers with him. "Welcome, Dageer. It is a shame that Keeli can''t be with us. I remember we used to be on the same block when we were cadets." "I am sure Commander Keeli would like to be here, but General Di left some orders for him, so..." "Keeli was always like that, always rushing to do what he could as soon as possible. He and General Ima-Gun Di are very alike, from what I heard. Well, don''t let me interrupt you, Thire, keep going. This is the fourth time I am hearing this introduction today. Hahaha..." The last sentence was said in a way that only Dageer and the clones next to Commander Gree heard him. Unaware that his brothers were talking about him, Thire kept on his excited mood. "Over there are Commander Bly and his men, who have also just come from Felucia. He and Commander Gree have been there since the start of the war." "How are you doing, Dageer? The 303rd moved a lot since Geonosis. I bet you got the chance to fight in quite a few different places." "We sure did. It wasn''t easy, though." The one who spoke amicably was the first clone with long hair that Dageer had ever met. The soldiers didn''t usually choose such haircut, because it could be a bother in the battle. Commander Bly had tied his hair in a big chump above his head, so it probably stuck there when he put his helmet. Bly was the commander of the 327th Star Corps, another elite legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. Actually, most of the legions out in the galaxy, including the 303rd, were considered elite legions, at least for now. The reason for that was because they were the only legions with fighting experience. With more legions entering into play, many unknown factors would be added to that classification. After all that, Dageer had gotten to know not only the commanders presented above, but also a clone captain and a sergeant named Rex and Appo respectively. Both of them were from a new legion, called 501st. The legion was crossing the galaxy from one end - Kamino - to the other: Dantooine. Dageer also met the leading commander of the Coruscant Guard, a stern clone that went by the name Fox. After all presentations were up, the high-ranking commanders of the clone army all sat around a table, discussing battles, telling stories. They had all started the same, but fought different battles. Dageer discovered that he was, surprisingly, the one with the most experiences amongst them. Fox and Thire had only fought on Geonosis, and then were moved to Coruscant. Rex and Appo were new, so they hadn''t experienced any battle yet, and just listened through the entire night. Bly and Gree both entered in a lot of battles, but they were all on the same planet. Monnk and the SCUBA Troopers only fought in aquatic planets. The 303rd, on the other hand, was the legion that moved the most through the galaxy. They didn''t have a fixed specialty, so the leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic basically directed them to where they were needed the most. Before Dageer noticed, many hours had passed, and the nightlife of Coruscant gave place to the workers of the early day. During the course of the night, the meeting had followed a sort of routine, starting with the battles and then remembering the brothers who had fallen. Every time that happened, there would be a moment of silence before someone changed the topic. It was in one of those moments that the reorganization of the army was brought up by none other than the newcomer Rex. "Commander Fox, you are closer to the decisions of the Senate and of the Republic than we are, and will be. Before the 501st was deployed, Lama Su almost held us back. Something about a change in the army...?" "Hahahaha! Rex, you don''t need to be so cautious here. Old boy Fox isn''t actually the one who knows the most about such topic. It is the 41st Elite Corps commander that is most familiar with the rumors." Commander Bly answered the question that was left in the air, and at the same time pulled Commander Gree in the conversation. "Bly, if you weren''t going to answer the question, why push it to me? See? Even Fox is laughing. I think the only time I saw that happen was when we were cadets, and even now I am not sure if he wasn''t sneezing." "Buurhuah!!! Hahahahaha!" The clones had gotten to know each other enough - and drank enough - that they laughed without restrain. Bly almost spilled his drink, and Dageer had a hard time containing his laugh. "And, also, don''t act like you know nothing about that. You, I, Fox, Keeli, Bacara, Cody, Monnk and Wolffe were the ones that pushed this preposition forward. The 41st is only testing it first." Dageer was lost. He knew what they were talking about, but many new details had been added at once. The commanders that Gree quoted were the most important of the Republic, and they all had moved together to convince the higher-ups. Chapter 106 - Phase Two Armor /// Author talking. Well, because there are too many characters in one single place, I won''t name them every time they talk, or it would be boring. So, imagine them as the one you want./// START OF THE CHAPTER The one who explained the changes in the military was Commander Gree. "Rex, see if you can follow my line of thought. You weren''t on Geonosis, but what happened there was at the same time a failure and a success." "Yeah. We gave the seppies and the bugs a good blow, but most of their leaders escaped. The moment Count Dooku left the system, it was already decided that this would be a long and tiring war. After one month of war, when that became even more certain, Cody contacted us, with the authorization of General Kenobi, of course." Commander Fox took over. "He said something on which we had been thinking for some time. Since it was clear that this war is going to last, we felt that giving each legion an identity was important." "That is how all those rumors about new armor and colors started. The legions already have numbers, and some even names, but there was one thing that made us step up and talk with our respective generals." "And what was that?" "Our names. Initially, only captains and above received a name from the kaminoans. That was so we could distinguish ourselves, and to get the chain of command clear. But on our first battle, soldiers, sergeants, lieutenants and even medics started receiving names. Some were like Thire here, granted his name by a jedi." Dageer interrupted Commander Fox, something he would never have done if he wasn''t slightly drunk. "I was the same. General Piell was the first to call me Dageer." "You see what I mean? But there those named by generals were only a few. The majority of our brothers received their names in the middle of the battle, or right after it, and the one who gave them their names was none other than ourselves. And by that I mean that we, clones, looked at our brothers, and felt that we didn''t deserve to fight and maybe die without a proper name. The fact that the higher-ups didn''t stop that, gave Cody and us more reasons to make our claim." "When Appo and I left Kamino, some cadets also had names." When Rex said that, Dageer remembered the young cadet that he met after the Battle of Kamino ended. He had given the cadet the name Cutup in a whim. He wondered if he had influence over the changes that were taking place in Kamino. Commander Fox approached the great conclusion, and every clone in the room stayed quiet, even the commanders who already knew about it. Reveling it to Dageer and the others in the room was the same as making it official. "As you probably know, the claim Cody made to the Senate was that identity that each clone was acquiring little by little, was represented by a new armor. We were quite successful, and the result is that each legion, independent of new or old, will have it color on the armor. Now, not only commanders, but sub-commanders, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, soldiers and staff will have their own mark." "In most of the legions, that is purely an aesthetic measure, but the morale boost will be huge. Or so we expect. My legion, the 41st, was chosen to be the first to receive the new armor because we fight in forests. The white color is quite conspicuous, and have caused more than a few casualties." "And that new armor is being called Phase Two Armor. I think that makes the one we are wearing the Phase One. Don''t lose it, boys. When that war ends, we can hang it on the wall and say we were the first." "Hahahahaha! For the clones, and for the Republic!" ------------------- Five hours later, Dageer woke up to find Hell Squad still sleeping. Even though he had slept only three hours, he felt renovated. The last day, after the meeting on the second floor of the Revontre was over, Dageer found his men leaning on the counter, trading war stories with other clones. It took just an order from Dageer for them to form up, although they tripped a little. Dageer decided to tell them the news later, and he had yet to decide if he would do that. "Wake up. I don''t want the 303rd men to become lazy because of one night of fun. Brain, call the captains and see them do the same. We get up as if we were on hostile territory." "Whommm!!! Yes, sir." Dageer sent Hell Squad in their exercises, so they wouldn''t get lazy. He felt that this routine would be the same for the next six days. Until a voice came through his comlink, bringing bad news. --------------------- "Commander, I came as fast as I could." Dageer, wearing his full armor, his helmet and carrying his blaster, stopped in front of Commander Keeli on the meeting room of the headquarters of the clone army on Coruscant. In the room were not only Dageer and Keeli, but most of the clones Dageer had met the day before. "We are still waiting for Fox. Step aside, and be prepared to move out at any moment. Things aren''t good." Dageer did as he was ordered, and waited behind Commander Keeli. Less than a minute later, Commander Fox arrived. "Commanders, please make your reports. We need to confirm the news we received. Cody." "Yesterday, three troopers of the 212th Attack Battalion didn''t return to the barracks. Neither their squad members, nor any other clone knows what happened to them." "Keeli." "It was the same with the 303rd, but only one soldier is missing." "Monnk." "No SCUBA trooper unaccounted for." "Gree." "Five missing." "Bly." "Also five. No trooper have any intel on why or where they went missing." "On our side, more than ten Coruscant Guard members went missing last night. We don''t know who or why, but we are working on it. Meanwhile, our, and your, order are to not disclose anything, but keep your men at the barracks." "Fox, we won''t stay locked in while we have men missing. Besides, how do you expect we to tell them that their leave time is to be spent in the barracks?" "Honestly, Bly, I don''t know. But orders are orders. This is a Clone Army matter, so there will be no jedi interference. That means no loopholes. Don''t be rash, and follow orders." Chapter 107 - Mystery in Coruscant Commander Keeli activated the lockdown order immediately after getting back to the barracks. No clones were to leave the barracks, and those who were outside it were to return immediately. Luckily, there were still entertainment facilities inside the headquarters of the clone army, although not as good as the Revontre. More luckily than that, the clones hadn''t gotten out of their usual routine, so no complaints were raised. The next action Dageer took was to bring Hell Squad together, and head to where Commander Keeli was. This was basic military tactics, and the commander should be protected at all costs. An army without a leader wasn''t more than a bunch of loose grains of sand. "Sir, who is the enemy? What should we prepare?" "Bring everything we have. Metal and Three-four, you two especially. We will need heavy firepower, and, Three-four, stay close to Commander Keeli. Protect him no matter what. Tech, Cell and Brain, you are to pursue if anyone tries to flee. Dab and I stay here to make sure it isn''t just a distraction." "How many enemies?" "We don''t know. In fact, we don''t even know if they will really come. Remember your orders. Our priority is Commander Keeli''s safety." Hell Squad moved fast, and arrived in front of Commander Keeli''s chambers. The clone commander showed no surprise, and asked Dageer to come in. "Three-four, Tech, with me." Commander Keeli''s room was nothing different from the ones belonging to the normal troopers. The only thing that stood out was the huge number of blasters on the wall. Hell Squad took position, and stayed beside Commander Keeli the whole day and night, no matter what he did or where he went. But it was unnecessary, as no attack had happened. As a way to cover up the futility of their actions, Cell said that the attack Dageer was expecting didn''t happen because Hell Squad was there. The members of Hell Squad, tired from the last day and night they stayed up and awake, gladly accepted the excuse. The blow came next morning, when Dageer, who hadn''t slept yet, saw the report that Commander Fox had sent to Commander Keeli. No clone from any of the legions temporarily on the capital planet of the Republic went missing the last night. But almost thirty Coruscant Guard soldiers didn''t return from their patrols. The next day that number was reduced to twelve Coruscant Guards. There was no kind of pattern, neither in the number of attacks or in the place they happened. With more than fifty clones missing, Commander Fox finally decided that the Coruscant Guard couldn''t deal with the problem all by themselves. Still, all the commanders agreed that since the clones were being specifically targeted, the jedi weren''t to be involved. A measure was soon taken, thanks to a contact that Commander Fox had in the underworld. The snitch would do anything for a good price, and didn''t deserve any trust, but Commander Fox pressed him heard. Of course he didn''t pay, but hinting that he knew about some of the crimes the snitch committed was enough. In turn, Commander Fox had lost his best informant, as the snitch wouldn''t do anything for him anymore, unless Commander Fox paid double the price. But it was worth it. Although the snitch didn''t know the name of who attacking the clones, or why that group was doing it, they got other important news. First, the location, and second the number. According to the snitch, deep in the underground world of Coruscant, a gang of more than a hundred members was capturing the clones. ------------------------- "How can we make sure your informant is telling the truth? And even if he is, how can we guarantee he won''t tell that gang that we know their location?" Later, in the meeting, Commander Monnk voiced his doubts, for which Commander Fox already had an answer. "We can''t. But he has nothing to win if he does this. You moved from a planet to another, and didn''t have the time to understand how the underworld works. But I have been here since the start, and I can guarantee to you that Coruscant is much worse than it looks like on the surface. A snitch that tells both sides about each other wouldn''t survive a day here. And even if he decided to do that, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that they would kill him for crossing them." Commander Cody cut in at this point, think more rationally them Commander Monnk. "Even then, a hundred is still a lot to deal with. And if finding them was so easy, I wouldn''t be surprised if the real mastermind is still hiding in the dark. Fox, how many men can the Coruscant Guard spare without leaving other areas lacking?" "We can barely cope with what we have in hand. Two hundred men at the most. But we have to be careful. They are on level A83. The Coruscant Guard have no men after level 67. Down there is a world with no laws." "Two hundred... if we take them by surprise, that should be enough. But we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. We can take the legions that are here. What do you all say?" Commander Bly put his fist in front of his chest, determination on his face. "We thought you are never going to ask. We will squash those who dare to mess with our brothers." There were sounds of agreement between the commanders and sub-commanders. But Commander Fox destroyed their desire to move out before it had the chance to grow. "I said the Coruscant Guard can move two hundred men, not that it should. If we mobilize more than a hundred men, the chances of they noticing are already big. If we bring out the legions, before we make it out of the headquarters, there will be no more than rats in their place." Silence. It was logical if the clones thought about it, but still frustrating. If the depths of Coruscant were under total control of thieves and criminals, one clone would be quickly stopped, not to talk about two hundred. "We will have to storm their lair before they get the chance to flee. How many soldiers shall we take?" The sub-commander of the 327th broke the silence with a question. "I will take a hundred men of the Coruscant Guard. You move your troops in a different place, to give anyone the impression that we are just searching aimlessly." "That is a good plan. But take some of my men with you, Fox. I can assure you they won''t disappoint." Commander Keeli spoke for the first time since the start of the meeting. Chapter 108 - Storming the Hideout The moment Commander Keeli opened his mouth, Dageer knew Hell Squad wasn''t going to have an easy job. But he didn''t think Commander Keeli would throw them right in the middle of the attack force. Even more so after Commander Fox had said only the Coruscant Guard would take part on the attack, and the other legions would be bait. "If I ain''t wrong, none of you, including the Coruscant Guard have a special unit. Hell Squad, led by Dageer here, helped take down a Battlesphere on Geonosis, and their ranks weren''t even full at the time. They are the elite of the elite of the 303rd. Besides, they have experience in close combat." Commander Fox was pensive. It was true none of the other legions had a special squad since it was too early to sort out the best men of an entire legion. "They were turned on a special unit by General Windu himself. At the time, I wasn''t even aware of their potential." That was enough for Commander Fox. Since a jedi had recognized their capabilities, it was worth giving a try. "How many?" Dageer stepped forward this time, since this was a question concerning the unit under his command. "Seven, including myself. We are prepared for any circ.u.mstances." "I can assert for them. If it wasn''t for Hell Squad on our left flank, we would have lost many more on Mon Cala." With the intervention of Commander Monnk, Commander Fox finally accepted it. "You have to follow my orders, understood?" Dageer looked at Commander Keeli, and once he nodded, made a salute to Commander Fox. "Yes, sir." "All right. The plan will follow that line, then. Bly, take the 327th to sector D108, Gree, to..." ----------------------- It was dawn of the next day when the clones put their plan into action. It is worth mentioning that five more Coruscant Guard members went missing, even with the clones in high alert. One by one, the 303rd Attack Legion, the 41st Elite Corps, the 327th Star Corps, the 212th Attack Battalion and the Coruscant Guard started searching randomly for the ones capturing the clones. The SCUBA Troopers under Commander Monnk stayed at the headquarters to give the impression everything was normal. It would be difficult for anyone to notice there was a reason behind the searches the clone legions were conducting. That is because they were really random. Aside from the commanders and sub-commanders, no other clone knew the hideout of the gang. Besides, following the plan devised by Commander Fox, all the legions were quite a distance away from the real action. ... In an abandoned warehouse on level A67, eighty Coruscant guards, and Hell Squad were listening to Commander Fox. "We are at the last level where the Coruscant Guard have some sort of presence. The moment we step outside, every criminal on Coruscant will know we are here. We will have to be fast, and arrive at their hideout before they can react. No one will mess with the Coruscant Guard apart from the gang we will face. Remember, identfty the leader, take him alive. We have permission to use lethal-fire against the rest." The plan wasn''t difficult, but things could go wrong at any moment. Commander Fox said the sc.u.m that lived in the underground of Coruscant wouldn''t fight them, but Dageer wasn''t so sure. Anyway, they had a plan, they had a target and they had their orders. Hell Squad needed nothing else. "Hell Squad, Commander Keeli spoke highly of you. Dageer, I need you to be serious, and cautious with the answer to the question I am about to ask." "Yes, sir." "Can you be our frontline? You need to be sure. One step wrong and you will be in trouble." Dageer looked at Hell Squad, but he couldn''t see their faces under their helmets. He put his own helmet on his head, the single horn painted on it being very eye-catching. "They won''t even know what hit them, sir." "Good. Coruscant Guard, let''s move!" The clones got in two different police transports, and the doors of the warehouse opened. As the two transports flew out, many citizens scurried to get out the way, and some even threw curses at the clones. But quite a few instantly took out their communicators, and started passing messages. One of them, in special, uttered a very specific message. "The worms are coming! They know where we keep our worms!" ---------------------- It took mere seconds for the two transports to descend on the big holes that led to the depths of Coruscant. After that, they hurried to the address provided by the snitch, almost running over the pedestrians. For a few moments, Dageer had the chance to see the poverty of the Republic. The streets were dark, and the people looked like the worst of the worst. Dageer saw at least three different crimes happening. Their objective, a warehouse similar to the one they just left, came into view. A human was at the door, hearing someone through a communicator. The moment the transports turned the corner, the man opened the door of the warehouse and tried to run inside. "Dab!" "Got him!" A blaster shot from Dab''s DC-15x later, and the man fell to the ground with a smoking hole on his back. Before the transport even stopped, Hell Squad had already jumped out. Dageer yelled at the civilians nearby to get away, and approached the warehouse. "Brain, Tech, your turn!" Through the door the man had left opened, Tech threw a kind of smoke bomb, that immediately triggered a volley of lasers from the inside. Without showing himself, Brain threw the real grenades, blowing up anyone near the entrance. Dageer and Cell jumped in, and rolled over their shoulders, dodging another volley of lasers and immediately responding with fire from their own. Knees on the ground, Dageer took down one enemy to his left. Meanwhile, Metal followed them in, his Z-6 cutting down the gang members like they were dummies on a training field. The smoke impacted Dageer''s vision a little, but the problem was much worse for the enemies, who didn''t have helmets. Within seconds, ten gangsters were killed, but more keep popping out. When Dageer thought that maybe Hell Squad had been too bold, Commander Fox arrived. "Dageer, when I said ''frontline'', I didn''t mean get yourself killed! Watch out!" Commander Fox was followed by many Coruscant Guard clones, but one of them was hit the moment he stepped inside the warehouse. Dageer and Commander Fox had the same reaction, which was shooting the enemy hidden behind a pillar. Chapter 109 - Sharpshooters The warehouse was totally open, and besides the pillars there wasn''t much else to be used as cover. On the far left end of it was a set of stairs that led to some sort of office. When Dageer looked briefly, he felt the warehouse was smaller than he expected. Paying closer attention, he saw a door at the opposite end of it. The wall they were seeing was only a division separating the warehouse in two. Since the missing clones weren''t in his line of sight, they were most probably on the other side of that wall. "Ahhhh!!!" A clone fell behind Dageer, his body becoming another one on the pile that was growing at the door. The door was only big enough for three troopers to pass together, and was turning in a choke point of death. But there was nothing Dageer could do besides keep advancing. Only if all the enemies were cleared out would the clones be able to take better positions. The only positive side was that their distractions had worked, and there were fewer gang members than they had expected. Dageer heard Dab shoot, and a body crashed in the floor near Dageer. He looked and saw Dab aiming his blaster to above. Dageer hadn''t noticed before because he was too worried about the problem ahead - namely the huge amount of blasters firing at them. There was another office-like room right above the door, and if Dab hadn''t noticed it, the first clone to advance would have died for certain. "Dab! Get up there, and provide overwatch!" "Gilli, Heet, Blove, Tarry, go with him! See if you can get the ones on the far end of the warehouse!" Commander Fox went along with Dageer''s commands. Dab and the other soldiers got up the stairs, although one of them, Heet, was lost in the middle of the way. Dab was actually the only one with a sniper blaster, but the soldiers that Commander Fox brought with him were also the elites of the Coruscant Guard, and weren''t to be outdone. They hit four shots in five, and with Dab to make up for the ones they missed, they soon established a foothold. With a group of sharpshooters now providing help, the clone attack couldn''t be stopped. All they needed was one chance and they would win. Dageer decided to give them that chance. "Metal! Suppress them! Cell, Three-four, with me!" Metal had just finished reloading his Z-6, and got up as soon as his squad leader called for him. He sprayed laser through the warehouse, without worrying if he was hitting anything, but making the enemies keep their heads down. Hundreds of hours of practice made Hell Squad actions seem like they were connected. Every member of Hell Squad knew what the other was about to do, and what they had to do. Every time Dageer, Cell or Three-four had to reload, Dab would take down any enemy aiming at them. Just like that, Hell Squad conquered half of the warehouse all by themselves. "Go, go, go!" Commander Fox was close behind Hell Squad, bringing the Coruscant Guard with him. "Sir, the construction on the left!" Dab warned Dageer, who immediately looked at the left. The office-like construction was similar to the one Dab was using, so Dageer first thought there were sharpshooters there. But then he saw a bunch of gang members running down the stairs. He understood what caught Dab''s attention. They were much more organized than the other gangsters, and moved in a way there was also a space in the middle of them. Dageer knew this well, because he had practiced it a lot when he was a cadet. They were protecting someone. "Commander! Left, maybe it is the enemy leader!" Before Commander Fox answered, however, Dageer had already turned his attention. He had heard a very familiar scream. Sure enough, Hell Squad had one member on the ground. Cell was already besides Three-four, spraying blue laser to keep the enemies away. Two members of the Coruscant Guard were pulling Three-four back. He had a black spot on the left side of his torso, and Dageer knew the armor wasn''t enough against something like that. But, no matter how much Dageer wanted to go after him, he couldn''t. If he stopped now, the enemy leader might have the chance to flee. So Dageer had to throw all his thoughts to the back of his mind, and keep going. Commander Fox had charged forward, and was near Dageer. "Dageer, remember, we need him alive!" "Yes, commander." "Move, we don''t want to lose him!" Since they couldn''t kill the enemy leader, the clones also couldn''t fire directly at the group crossing the end of the warehouse. The most they could do was fire in front of them to keep them from going further, but the enemy was fearless. No, not actually fearless, but well trained. They understood that the clones didn''t want to kill them, so they stopped worrying about dodging the lasers. Luckily for the clones, they had already got their entire force - nearly a hundred - inside the warehouse, so their fire output was strong. Dageer took cover behind a pillar, and peeked by the sides of it, killing one enemy and then hiding again. One of the men protecting the enemy leader fell to the ground, wounded by a blue laser that missed its mark. Dageer got the chance to see a tall, blue person in the middle of the group. They were almost on the door, and near escape. "Dageer! Get your men to fire on that cl.u.s.ter! They can''t make it to the other room!" "Yes, sir! Dab, you have permission to take them down. Just don''t kill the one in the middle." "Copy that." "Brain, Tech, Cell, let''s charge! Metal, cover us the best you can!" Time was tight, and Dageer didn''t have time to devise a better offensive strategy. So he just gathered as many Hell Squad members he could and jumped from behind the pillar, trusting that Metal would cover them. Four clones ran forward, their blasters spraying lasers, but with surprising accuracy. The cl.u.s.ter of enemies near the door started to diminish, their members falling to the ground like dead leaves. When Dageer, Cell, Brain, and Tech got near, only four enemies had made it to the door, including the leader. Dageer halved that number with three quick pulls on the trigger. Nevertheless, the remaining two still made it past the door, at almost the same time the clones finished clearing all the enemies in this half of the warehouse. Chapter 110 - Cant Change Destiny Without stopping to rest, Dageer got near the door, and prepared to breach in. However, he was stopped before he could. "Hohohoho... don''t come in clone, or all your friends die." Dageer ignored the arrogant voice, and kicked the door, swinging it open. However, he didn''t come in, and that was proved to be a wise decision, since the doorway was soon filled with lasers. Standing on the other side was a scene from hell. Aside from the dozen or so gang members, this side of the warehouse was filled with Coruscant Guard clones. But they weren''t chained like prisoners as Dageer had expected. About sixty beds filled the warehouse, an on each of them was a n.a.k.e.d clone. Plastic tubes and syringes came from a glass container near the bed, and ended under the skin of the clones. Medical droids were walking amidst the beds without caring for the battle. The liquid in the glass containers was yellow, and was flowing without stop in the veins of the clones. Beads of sweat adorned their bodies, and their veins were bulging out. None of them was awake, but Dageer could see they were visibly in pain. "What are you doing?! Release them, now!" Dageer yelled at the man responsible for that without thinking, and stepped out in the open, aiming his DC-15A at him. Immediately, a dozen guns were aimed at him, but before they could shoot, they all dropped dead to the ground with ten burning holes on each of them. Commander Fox and the Coruscant Guard, as well as Hell Squad, had arrived. But the man didn''t seem afraid. He put his right hand up in the air, so every clone could see a trigger in his hand. "Hohoho... this is a release trigger, clones. I am pressing it, the moment I release it... every clone on those beds dies." The man was tall and slim, and had a purplish-blue skin. His eyes were wide, and he was laughing maniacally. He was totally crazy. Seeing that, Commander Fox gave the order to hold fire. "You captured soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic. That is a crime which the penalty is death or a lifelong sentence. But if you carefully deactivate that trigger, and come with us, we can say you cooperated." "Hohoho... hohoho!!! Crime against the Republic, you say? I don''t care about the Republic! You are all dirty liars and murderers. But I will show this galaxy the Republic is nothing! When my creation is complete, the Republic will be a defenseless prey for the Separatist cause!" While he was saying that, the man kept lifting his thumb off the trigger, and then pressing it again. Every time they saw the finger lift, the clones gripped their blasters harder, and relaxed a little when the crazy man pressed the trigger again. "Sir, I have him on my scope." "Don''t. If he dies, that trigger will be released." The clones would have to talk their way out of the situation. Fortunately, the crazy man didn''t seem interested in dying either, and offered the solution himself. "You see, clone commander, I have much more to do in my life. I still haven''t completed the task Count Dooku gave me. So, I will retreat slowly, and you won''t shoot. Because if you shoot, hoho..." "I can''t agree with that. Stop right where you are, and disarm the bomb." However, the man ignored Commander Fox, and started walking without turning his back to the clones. "Hohohoho! Who said... it is a bomb?!" Without any warning, the crazy man simply dropped the trigger. Without the pressure, the trigger popped back into place. Dageer had subconsciously shrunken, waiting for a blast, but nothing of the kind happened. Commander Fox fired his twin DC-17. "It was a bluff! Catch him!" The clones had stopped worrying about capturing him alive, now that they knew where their missing brothers were. However, the man was crazy but not stupid. The moment he released the trigger, a hatch opened under his feet, and he dropped into it. Before any clone went after him, the hatch closed. "Split and look for any exit on the outside. He can''t be too far. Bring the rest of our forces here, search for him everywhere!" The Coruscant Guard had been on standby on the levels above, just waiting for that order. The moment Commander Fox gave it, they moved fast. "Urgh... Arghhhh! ARGHHHHHH!!!" Horrifying screams overwhelmed Commander Fox''s voice on the comlink. The clone that had been laying on the beds had started to contort and scream in pain. Dageer ran to the nearest one, and saw that the yellow liquid on the containers had started pumping out much faster. The skin of the clone started turning yellow, and his screams got louder. Dageer pulled the syringes connected to the arm of the clone, making the liquid splash and acc.u.mulate on the ground. The other clones started doing the same to their brothers, but it was useless. After more than ten minutes of blood-curdling screams, the clones started to get quiet one by one. Dageer, Commander Fox, Hell Squad, the Coruscant Guard, medics and anyone else had been able to do nothing, but watch the clones suffer and die. ----------------------- Back at the clone army headquarters. "Thire, please, tell the commanders the analysis results." "Yes, commander. Of the fifty-one troopers captured, none of them survived. They were injected with something that caused their genes to degenerate in a fast and painful way. We suspect the man who escaped was working for the Separatist, trying to create a chemical weapon that affects only clones. That is why only clones were being kidnapped. Before the enemy escaped, he injected a much larger amount of the chemical, activating it." "... We also lost twenty-two troopers on the assault." Commander Fox said that very quietly, but the impact was big. In a day, more than seventy clones died. They had suffered a total defeat, and a huge blow. "We didn''t find the crazy scientist, but the most intelligent thing to do would be to leave the planet. The Coruscant Guard will send a warning to all the legions. If the same thing happens to them, they will be better prepared. Meanwhile, our analysts are working on a cure or at least a medicine for the chemical. I think that concludes our meeting here. Commanders, make sure to let your men vent out their stress. The Separatist are starting to fight back, and you can''t be sure when your legions will have another break." None of the commanders said anything, because they couldn''t change what happened. The best they could do was follow Commander Fox''s advice. Chapter 111 - Grave Injuries The clones spent the remaining four days of their leave without worries, drinking and talking at the Revontre or playing at the headquarters. Well, most of the clones did. Hell Squad and others of the 303rd Attack Legion spent most of the time in the infirmary, checking on Three-four. Needless to say, the wound on his side was pretty bad. His armor protected him from a fraction of the damage, but the angle that the laser hit was terrible. Two ribs were hit and had fractured, and his left lung was perforated. Because laser fire was too hot, the wound had been cauterized immediately, but the damage was big. Three-four hadn''t woke up yet, and although the doctors were confident that he would live, he might not be able to fight again. Dageer and Brain stood side by side, looking at Three-four, who was floating in the bacta tank. His wound was wrapped in bandages, but Dageer had seen it without it, and knew Three-four had been lucky to be on Coruscant and not another planet. In normal battles, that would have been a fatal injury, because it needed immediate treatment. But on Coruscant, it took mere minutes for Three-four to arrive in a medical center. "Come on, Brain. Medic, get him in the cruiser." "Yes, sir." As the medic droids got Three-four on a transport, Dageer left Brain behind and went to The Sincerity. His week of rest had passed, but it felt like he was on a normal battlefield. In the heart of the Republic, the supposedly safest planet on the entire galaxy, seventy-seven clones lost their lives, including those who didn''t resist their injuries. "Dageer, sir." "Berro. How you doing? Had fun on the capital?" "I did. I heard you didn''t. I am sorry about Three-four. I am sure he will be all right." "That happens in battles. Besides, there is no need for us to feel down. He will be back on the battlefield before we know it. It just bothers me we didn''t capture that Separatist bastard." The man with blue skin, who had tricked Dageer and Commander Fox. The man who had escaped under their grasp. The man who was creating a poison, a virus, to kill all clones. Dageer swore he would catch that man no matter what. He swore it in front of his dying brothers. "He can''t escape the Republic. If we don''t find him, some of our brothers will. But that is not the reason why I came after you, sir. General Di called all lieutenants and above to the command bridge." "I am going. You can return now, Berro. Appreciate your last few hours without your armor." "Yes, sir." Dageer made his way to the command bridge, and cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts. One soldier had been hurt, but he couldn''t falter because of it. The Clone Wars were far from ending. He stood quietly at one corner of the command bridge, waiting for General Di and Commander Keeli. When they arrived, General Di first spent some time greeting the clones. When he arrived in front if Dageer, however, he said nothing, but patted his shoulder. It was Ragout, his padawan, that talked to Dageer. "Dageer, we passed by the infirmary in our way here. Three-four''s life force is strong. I sensed it. He will recover without problems." Dageer eyes went wide, but Ragout couldn''t see them, since they were covered by his helmet. Dageer didn''t know jedis couldn''t tell things like that. It appeared their skills didn''t lie only with lightsabers. "Dageer. Please, share with the rest of the officers our orders." "Yes, general. Officers, we received our next destination from the army headquarters. We are to recover Dantooine from Separatist control. That is a planet-wide invasion. We can expect a long, tiring battle." "Sir, we have a whole bunch of rookies with us." "Valid considerations, captain, but we will have much more than a bunch of rookies with us. We will have a whole fleet of shinies. The 501st Legion is with us in this battle. The response the Separatist gave was much stronger than we expected, so we will have to make do with our two legions. All right. We will attack Datooine from two different areas. We, the 303rd, will start here, two hundred kilometers from the capital city, Garang. The 501st will have the easy target, Khoonda. And by easy I mean they will face hell, and we double that amount." Dageer showed the two cities on the hologram. Dantooine wasn''t a big planet, and the only importance it held to the Republic was in terms of showing strength. But orders are orders, and Dageer was never going to contest them. Besides, he was born to do that. "Now, let make things simple. The clanckers know we are coming, so it won''t be an easy battle. But we are clones, and we don''t shy away from a battle. Our men are rested, and we got the new troops we needed. Let''s give the seppies a beating!" "Ohhh, yeah!" "You heard Dageer. Now, make the preparations to the embark. Our fleet sets out in six hours." General Di ended the meeting, and called Dageer aside. "Dageer, I need someone to stay here and organize things, and someone to go talk with the commander of the 501st legion. Commander Keeli decided you go to the 501st headquarters." "Yes, general. I will go right away." ----------------------- Minutes later, Dageer was at the capital cruiser of the 501st fleet. Once he announced his purpose, he was immediately brought to the commander of the 501st Legion. "Dageer! You came to discuss the invasion plans for Dantooine, I imagine?" Dageer frowned. There were two irregularities in Captain Rex''s words. The first was that he called Dageer by his name, even though his rank was lower. That was against military regulations. The second irregularity was that he was just a captain. The one to receive Dageer should have been the commander. "Hello, Captain Rex. I need to talk to your commander." "Ermmm... I am it." "What do you mean?" "I am the commander of the 501st. That is a normal confusion. I am the highest-ranking officer of the 501st Legion. We are a legion composed by the elites of the cadets, so our contingent is smaller than the normal. I am captain in name, but I work as the commander." That was surprising and suspicious. Why would a legion that hadn''t even gone to battle be formed in such a strange way? "And why wasn''t I informed of this? If you have fewer members, that can change our whole plan for Dantooine." "I don''t know. We were sent here without..." "What is going on here?" Chapter 112 - General Skywalker "General Skywalker!" The man who entered the room was surprisingly young, and had a serious semblance. It was human, with brow hair an brown eyes. He was wearing the battle robes the jedi used under their cloaks, and had a lightsaber hanging on his h.i.p.s. Dageer knew that jedi. They had briefly met on the series of battles on Rhen Var, Alaris Prime and Thule. More specifically, Dageer was on the force sent to rescue him after he had been captured, but the jedi had escaped on his own. However, when Dageer met him, the jedi was only a padawan. It appeared he had passed the famous jedi tests. His name was... something Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker, if Dageer wasn''t wrong. Besides his hair being slightly longer, the padawan... no, jedi, hadn''t changed much. "General Skywalker." "And you are?" "Sub-commander Dageer, from the 303rd Attack Legion, general. We met at the Rhen Var campaign. I am also the squad commander of Hell Squad." "Ohhh... you were on the team sent to Alaris Prime, weren''t you? Your armor was different though. It is good to meet you, trooper." The stern face of the jedi lit up in a bright smile, and he offered his hand to Dageer. The clone stood petrified, not knowing what to do. No matter if it was jedi or clone, no superiors would ever make such a gesture to a mere clone he just met. And doing such had never passed through Dageer''s mind. It just wasn''t a common thing. "Come on, shake it." On the side, Captain Rex shook his head while smiling. He had passed the same experience as Dageer. Realizing the jedi still had his hand stretched, Dageer quickly gripped and shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you, general. Again." "All right, Dageer. What news do you have for us?" "General Di sent me to discuss our attack plan on Dantooine." "Okay. You and Rex do that, I have to return to the Jedi Temple. See you later." "General, it is important that you..." Seeing the jedi excuse himself of the strategy meeting, Captain Rex tried to hold him back, to no avail. General Skywalker had already left before Captain Rex even finished speaking. "Is he always like that?" "I only met him yesterday, and that is already the third time he did that. His master, General Kenobi says we have to keep an eye on him because he tends to be brash. I am not sure how I am supposed to do that. Anyway, we have more pressing matters." "You are right. According to the plan, the 501st will attack Khoonda, the second-largest city, and the biggest economic center. The Separatist are already rooted on the planet, so their defenses will be nothing short from near unbreakable. You have two options, ground assault our air assault." "What are their anti-aircraft defenses?" "Turrets, cannons, Dwarf-Spider Droids... anything you can possibly imagine and more. Their ground defenses are no joke either. Hailfire, AATs, turrets, and off course a huge number of clanckers. The only good news is that they are out of Vulture droids, thanks to the resistance of the Republic forces prior on the planet." "Do we still have any troops on the planet?" "No. All that could be evacuated have been, and those who didn''t... are dead." "What is the plan, Dageer?" "Frontal, direct attack. No other way. Dantooine is ninety percent grass plains. They have nowhere to hide, and so do we. That is why two legions are being used. Although I didn''t know the 501st was smaller than usual." "We will make up for that with the quality of our soldiers. Give us a few battles and the 501st will be unstoppable." "I hope that is true." ---------------------- The meeting between Dageer and Captain Rex lasted well over two hours, on which all the strong and weak points of the droid defenses had been discussed. There was not much chance of a mistake on the Republic intelligence, because Datooine had simple geographical features. When Dageer returned to The Sincerity, all the attack strategy had been laid out for Captain Rex, and it was on him to pass it to General Skywalker. How well the 501st executed it would depend on both the clone and the jedi leadership. The only missing information for Dageer was Hell Squad role. On a planet-wide invasion, what one squad could make was limited. He had to consult with Commander Keeli and see what were his intentions. Luckily, he found Commander Keeli quickly, eating in the mess. "Dageer. Have you eaten yet?" "No, commander. I''ve been at the meeting with Rex for the last few hours." "Rex?" "The captain of the 501st Legion. He is the same as their commander. That legion is quite confusing, to say the least." "What is up with them?" "Not exactly them. They are special legion, like the Wolfpack. What I find weird is that we are to attack Dantooine with them, and nobody told us that. Did you know, commander?" "No. This is the first time I heard that." "Their general is General Skywalker, former padawan of General Kenobi. I mean no disrespect to him, but, between us, commander, don''t you think it is weird to bring out a special legion just to put it under an inexperienced general?" "Yeah. Yeah... I will see what I can found about that. But what about our battle plans for Dantooine. Are any changes necessary?" "I don''t think so. No matter what, they are a well-trained legion. Besides, Captain Rex appears very capable. I am pretty sure he was the one who commanded the cadets in the Battle of Kamino." "So he has some experience after all. Well, we will have to see how it goes. Sit and eat. You have been in two strategic meetings in a row." Dageer sat down and took off his helmet. His shaved head was glowing with beads of sweat. A droid brought him his meal, and Dageer ate it contentedly. It was only after eating his fill that Dageer remembered why he had searched for Commander Keeli. "Commander, what are Hell Squad orders? I was presented the entire battle but in no moment we were mentioned." "That is because Hell Squad has no specific tole in that battle. We first have to establish a foothold on the planet, and then we will find your targets." "We need to find a temporary replacement for Three-four. A medic is of utmost importance, even more if we have to go alone somewhere." "We will find someone. Now, prepare to leave. The 303rd will shortly be off to another battle." Chapter 113 - Planet-wide Invasion A green ball floating in space, Dantooine was a quite beautiful planet. It would be more if it weren''t the debris floating around in space or the clouds of smoke on the planet that were visible from space. Between big and small starcraft, the two Republic fleets hovering above the planet had close to fifty sh.i.p.s. That was without counting the starfighters, of course. But such a big group of cruisers had nothing to do in the battle that was about to start. The droid defenses were too near the cities for an orbital strike, and the few targets that weren''t were not worth it. As it was usual before a battle, Commander Keeli was making his small speech to boost morale. The only certainty on the conquest of Dantooine was that many troopers would die. That was something nobody said but everybody knew, and they could do nothing about it. Ever since Dageer became sub-commander, his sense of responsibility had become stronger, as it was expected. That prompted him to make sure the battle plans were the best possible, and that weapons, sh.i.p.s, vehicles and soldiers were ready. Everything could save the life of a brother. But his increased responsibility also made him think a lot more about the consequences of a battle, even if it hadn''t started yet. He didn''t know how many of the brothers he grew up with would die today, and how many more would be severely hurt. He could die today, as could Commander Keeli, General Di, Ragout, Brain, Metal, Tech and any other clone. But he had to steel his heart and fight. In Dageer''s vision, he had a bigger purpose on Dantooine and any other battle. That purpose was command Hell Squad and destroy any droid in his away. Only by doing that could he make sure the brothers who came behind him would face less danger. "Get on the Laats! We are going in, boys! For the Republic!" "For the Republic!" When Commander Keeli finished his speech, Dageer shouted the same as the soldiers. As a clone, his job was simple. Fight for the Republic. ... The Laat Hell Squad got into was different from the ones he was used to. Its sides were freshly painted with the reddish-brown of the 303rd. Two horns, one on each side, made the gunship look fierce. And it wasn''t only his Laat that was like that, but all of them. In the words of the pilots: ''we might fall today, and if so, let it be for the 303rd.''. Personally, Dageer liked it. Using the basic tactic of splitting the commanders so they don''t get all taken down in one swoop, Commander Keeli and General Di each boarded a different gunship. "Sergeants, check out your groups. We set off in six minutes. If anything is wrong, fix it now, or go without it. Move, move, move!" Dageer rushed the men in the gunsh.i.p.s, and for six minutes there was only the sound of troopers moving and the sergeants making the last minute checks. Hell Squad boarded their Laat quietly. There was a tradition that the clones started after Geonosis. That was to close their eyes and stay quiet until the Laats took off. It wasn''t just a sort of mental preparation, but more of silent respect for all the clones who would die, and already died. That way, the moment the clones stepped on the battlefield they could focus entirely on the battle. The moment he felt the gunship vibrate under his feet, Dageer opened his eyes. The clones with him were hanging on the sides of the Laat, or on each other. Just before the procession of Laats left the Venator-class cruiser, the doors closed. The clone army was taking off directly from space this time. As usual, the lights turned on, bathing the helmets of the soldiers in red. Near him, Cell gripped his blaster harder. "Just like Geonosis, all over again. It looks like more than four months." "I hope we have a better landing than I did on Geonosis. The sub-commander and I crashed hard." That was Brain chiming in. He and Cell talked without thinking, speaking in the most inappropriate moments. Dageer had to shush them to hear Commanders Keeli on his comlink. "Quiet, you two. Okay... hummm. Yes, commander." Closing the channel, Dageer turned on the hologram projector on his hand, and showed the clones in the gunship an image of what they would face. "Dab, Cell and the sniper team, stay back until we take this position here. Then, provide support so we can take objective J3. Lieutenant Fondor, your objectives are J4 and J5. Make sure to clean all the droids on them. After that big hill, we have a good hundred kilometers of plain ground. The seppies have trenches, turrets and whatnot. It will be a tough battle, so don''t run after clanckers. Complete your orders and hold position until you are given new ones. This battle won''t be over in a day or two, so there is no need to rush all the way to the capital in one swoop." "Sir, we are about to enter their range. Hold on to something!" "Got it. That is it, troopers. Just do your job well and we will be one step closer to ending this war." Dageer concluded his words just about the moment the anti-aircraft Separatist turrets fired their first shots. Most of them missed, and those who hit didn''t do much damage. But that was just them calibrating their guns. The next volley would be much more deadly. And so it was. As the sub-commander, he constantly received the updates about which and how many Laats had fallen. Cell was right. It was really like Geonosis. Luckily for them, unluckily for many of their brothers, Hell Squad''s Laat suffered nothing but a scratch. When the gunship touched the ground, Lieutenant Fondor immediately jumped down with his troops. All over the green plains of Dantooine, clones disembarked their gunsh.i.p.s and a ran towards the droid defenses. The gunsh.i.p.s had formed circles, and the clones were using them as cover to start their offense. A red laser hit the walls of the Laat, centimeters away from Dageer''s head, leaving a scorched mark. Nevertheless, Dageer still walked out of the gunship unhurried. He was still too far to get accurate shots out, so he didn''t waste ammunition. Using the macrobinoculars on his helmet, Dageer inspected the droid positions. The green of the grass plains was even more green through the macrobinoculars, but Dageer soon identified their goals. Chapter 114 - Old Fashioned Battle The clone army had dropped behind a big hill for two reasons. The first was that it was where the droid defenses started. If they tried to advance more than that, their gunsh.i.p.s would have been torn apart. Secondly, if they took the hill, they would be able to establish a base protected from the droids, and from where they would be able to organize a bigger offensive. If they could bring in the big vehicles, like AT-TEs, the battle would be easier. Dageer looked around and calculated they already had enough men on the ground to start pushing up the hill. It was about five hundred meters tall, and filled with droids. "Lieutenant Fondor! Start the attack. Take down the first line of bunkers, then move up using the tunnels. Captain Narza, we will go up the hill. Squash them between two fronts." "Yes, sir." "Hell Squad, on me. Dab, while we are going up the hill, see if you can find any enemy commanders. Cell, help him. Kuvu, stay behind us, if anyone is hurt, apply the immediate procedures. Leave the rest to the others, you move on with us." "Yes, sir." Kuvu was the clone medic replacing Three-four. He was chosen amongst the elites of the 303rd, but still was quite a distance away from Hell Squad standards. So, Dageer ordered him to stay back, and give support to the wounded. Of course, Hell Squad would be on the vanguard, so Dageer didn''t want Kuvu to be somewhere he was not prepared to be. Deep inside his mind, Dageer probably thought Kuvu would slow them down. Through the four and half months of war, Hell Squad ran far forward than the rest of the clones. Their missions, dangerous situations, and especially their determination, transformed them on a special unit that was the best the 303rd had to offer. It was also amongst the rest of the clone army. Dageer was sure that he and his squad were behind only the clone commandos like Delta Squad. That wasn''t arrogance, but the confidence that came from the trust their brothers put on them. Each and every member of Hell Squad knew that if they failed, the cost wouldn''t be just their lives, but also the lives of their brothers. Under the command of Dageer, the clones grouped up behind two Laats. The moment Dageer ordered, the Laats would fly out of the way and the clones would charge. Having already analyzed the droid defenses using his macrobinoculars, Dageer knew there were seven lines of trenches, each of them filled with big and small bunkers. After they took over the first trench line, Fondor would clear the underground and Narza the surface. Hell Squad would be with them. They had to systematically clear each trench before moving to the next. "Pilots, ready?" "Yes, sir." "3... 2... 1... now! Captain, lieutenant, move!" "Let''s go, men!" "Move out!" The two Laats took off, one for each side, flying low so they wouldn''t be hit by the anti-aircraft turrets. The clones split into two groups, going in the same direction but in different angles. The first line of clones was immediately shredded to pieces by the droids in the trench, but the second and third lines had fewer casualties, and the fourth was intact. Only the upper body of the droids was shown over the top of the trench, making them harder to hit, but also guaranteeing each hit was lethal. Each time a laser missed, chunks of grass and earth flee in the air, filling the air with dust. But some lasers never missed. Holding his DC-15A at waist level, Dageer fired two shots in succession, hitting the droids squarely in the chest. Tech and Brain aimed more, always hitting the clanckers'' head. Metal was, well, vaporizing the droids with his Z-6 Rotary. At fixed intervals, seppies on the bunkers would fall, all of them with a hole where their right eye was supposed to be. Dab was suppressing the four bunkers near them, making sure to keep the droids away from the turrets and cannons. With Cell marking the targets for them, the other snipers were also doing pretty well. "Man down! Medic!" "Hold on, brother!" "Ahhhh!" "To the lef... Arghhhh!" Kuvu had a lot of work to do, and was too occupied to see that Hell Squad had left him behind. Of course, they didn''t do it because of some weird reason such as not liking Kuvu. It was just that their rhythm was way faster. More feeling than seeing, Dageer evaded two lasers, and slid in the ground, directly in the first trench. His feet hit the chest of a B1 battle droid, kicking it to the ground. The E-5 on the hand of his opponent was knocked away from him, and Dageer finished him with a quick point-blank shot. The trench was about two meters deep in the central part, and one and a half in the laterals. The trench was littered with droid bodies, and even some clone ones. Brain and Tech arrived by his side, and cleaned the remaining droids they could see. Each section that passed, more and more clones entered the trench, and took over it. Dageer turned on his comlink. "Lieutenant Fondor. How are you going with those bunkers?" "Sir. We almost finished clearing them up. We also found the tunnels, but taking them will be tricky. They had E-Webs on each corridor." "Do what you gotta do. Captain Narza, what is the overall situation on the first trench?" "Our troops faced difficulties on the middle. I am sending more men to support." "Hell Squad will take care of it. Coordinate with Fondor, and start pushing up to the second trench. We have to take this hill before nightfall." "Yes, sir." "Dab, do you have visual on the middle section of the trench?" "No, sir. Do you want me to reposition?" "Yeah. Cell, with him. Metal, Brain, Tech, start moving. Three-four, support... Kuvu, come over here, I have troopers wounded." "Yes, sir." "... yes, sir." Kuvu applied for the necessary painkillers and medicines, and Dageer patted him on the shoulder, to show he noticed how much the clone was striving. After Kuvu had patched up the wounded, he and Dageer started following the trench towards the middle. The clone army had already taken over the trench, and was in a heated battle with the second trench line. Walking down the middle of the trench, every now and then Dageer saw a clone being shot and falling to the ground. It was becoming more difficult to walk, since now the deepest part of the trench was being filled with bodies. But Dageer just kept going. Scenes like that were now too common for him. Chapter 115 - Helpful Crash "Arghhhhh!" A clone fell in front of Dageer, his helmet smoking. Since only the upper body appeared above the trench, most hits would be on the head, and would be lethal. It was the work of the droids above them, who had the high ground, and range advantage. But the lasers that killed this clone didn''t come from above. They came from the last section of the trench that was still under droid control. Making use of the ''S'' shape of this part of the trench, the clanckers were holding back the clones. That is, until Hell Squad arrived. A few of the thermal detonators Brain had taken care of part of the droids. Dageer killed the others almost alone. He picked up a droid, and used it as a shield. To make the action easier, he discarded his DC-15A and traded it for his DC-17. Each time a laser hit the droid body, Dageer shook, but his hand holding the blaster never faltered. Dageer only stopped when he met Brain and Tech. He let his droid shield, now totally shredded, fall to the ground, where it became another one in the pile already there. Tech aimed at it by instinct when he heard the metallic sound. "We took the first trench sir. Only six more to go." "That was the most difficult. Now we can attack from both up here and the tunnels below. Kuvu, Tech, take the left. Brain, come with me. Metal, when we run out, fire your toy." "Yes, sir." "Lieutenant Fondor, Captain Narza, the trench is ours. Start pushing towards their second line of defense." "Yes, sir." "Cell, you have a better visual than us. How is the status of their anti-aircraft turrets?" "Still kicking, sir." "Dab, is there any possibility of taking a shot?" "I can try, sir, but it is a chance in a hundred. And... owaaaa!" "What is it?" "One of our gunsh.i.p.s just crashed in their anti-aircraft positions! Sir, if we push up now, that might be our chance!" There were so many explosions going off on the battlefield that Dageer hadn''t noticed this one in particular, but following Dab''s indication, he saw that two of the AA turrets had been crushed, and the droids managing three others had been blown away. If they could take that chance to advance and take over or destroy the AA turrets, then maybe they could... However, it was six trenches and five hundred meters away. "Damn it! We will have to risk it. Dab, keep those turrets out of use no matter what. Fondor, Narza, hurry up. Admiral Dao! Admiral! Do you copy?!" "Sub-commander Dageer! What do you need?" "AT-TEs, plus a squadron of starfighters for support." "That is impossible! Any ship we sent will be shot down immediately! Doing this would be a waste of life and resources!" "Admiral, we have a chance right now! If we don''t take it, then we will lose many more!" "I can''t do that without orders from General Di. I am sorry, Dageer." "Admiral! Urghhh... General! General Di, can you hear me?" "Dageer. What is it? We are... in the middle... of a battle. Ragout, force push!" General Di''s voice was choppy, and Dageer could hear the sounds of battle. "General, there is an opening which we can use to put the AT-TEs on the ground, but I need your authorization." "How certain are you that our pilots won''t be shot down?" "Certain enough to think it is worth taking the risk." "Do it then." "Yes, general. Admiral, I have General Di''s authorization. Bring down the big toys." "You better be right, Dageer. Thorn Squadron, protect those gunsh.i.p.s on their way down. Don''t let them fall even if you have to throw yourselves in front of their turrets." With the orders that they needed, adapted Laats flew off The Sincerity. They had a larger space in their bottom, so they could fit the big AT-TEs under them. When they were near the ground, the magnetic locks would be released and they would be dropped on the ground. "Dab, how are you doing?" "Fine by now. But once the seppies decide to rush to the AAs, we will be screwed." "Just keep going. We will have heavy support soon. All right! Metal, empty your magazine on the next trench. We will follow right after." "Yes, sir." Metal climbed over the side of the trench, and grabbed his Z-6 with both hands. One hand on the handle above it to aim, the other on the back where the trigger was, Metal sprayed an entire magazine on the second trench, sixty meters away. A Z-6 Rotary heavy blaster had a magazine of 1,3 kilograms of pure tibana gas, one of the most volatile and powerful substances in the galaxy. At max potency, that was over a hundred and twenty lasers exiting the barrel of the blaster per second. In just four minutes, Metal emptied a magazine worth thousands of Republic credits, for a total of more than thirty thousand lasers. Aside from the cost, firing recklessly like this also had another obvious downside. The six barrels of the blaster turned orange and red, and started smoking. Metal had to drop his beloved weapon on the ground, and even then there were burn marks on his gloves. Seconds before Metal finished, Dageer had already walked out of the trench. At the same time, Captain Narza and Lieutenant Fondor started their offensive. Clones left the trench in a line, and ran towards the next one. At the same time, Lieutenant Fondor started his attack on the tunnels below, forcing the droids to divert their attention. The second attack was very much like the first, with the difference that the clones attacking now had the support of those on the trench. Thanks to Metal, Hell Squad had an almost clear path, because all the droids in front of them had been killed or forced to stay down. Sixty meters were neither a big nor a short distance, and at full speed, it took Dageer five seconds to arrive above the clanckers. Dageer stood above the trench, his two feet planted firmly on the ground, his blaster pointed downwards. After taking care of the droids and securing that part of the trench, Dageer heard Dab on his comlink. "Sir! They are about to take it! There are too many of them. It is just a matter of seconds!" "Then we just got lucky, Dab. Have you looked behind you?" "What? Ohhhh, yeah!" Hearing the excited shouts of Dab, Dageer turned off the comlink. Suddenly, big, blue lasers came from behind the clone army, and a huge section of the anti-aircraft turrets of the Separatist was blown to bits. Chapter 116 - Lost Commander Giant metal bodies, supported by sturdy legs, with one big cannon on the top, and four small ones in the front. The mass-drive cannon needed some time to charge, but its power was undeniable. The AATs used by the Separatist were no match for it. But what the Separatist lacked in firepower, they had in number. Half a minute after the first AT-TE touched the ground, one of them crumbled under the concentrated lasers of AATs and turrets. But they had done their job. The AA turrets were in tatters, their crews buried or on fire. Smoke was billowing in the air as Dageer walked in the trench. Hell Squad had made it inside the trench, but the other clones were facing problems. "Tech, Brain and I will go to the right. Kuvu and Metal, left. Cell, come up here and help them. Dab, continue with the overwatch, you are free to fire at any clancker." "Yes, sir." Dageer''s commands were simple. By splitting and following the trench line, they would catch the droids unaware. If they did that, more and more clones could enter the trench. ... The sound on the battlefield was deafening, with explosions, lasers, and death cries. But, for Hell Squad, there was almost no noise. The trench was quiet, and only if they paid attention they could hear the battle noises. Dageer stepped carefully on the ground, making almost no noise. "Reloading." "Unit R1-R3, where are you?" "R1-R3 is dead." "Owo..." "Die, Republic sc.u.m!" Not fifteen meters away from were Hell Squad split, Dageer ordered Tech and Brain to stop. From up ahead, he could hear the droids talking, although he couldn''t see them. Since they were so close, Dageer wasn''t sure how the droids didn''t hear when Hell Squad captured the trench block meters away. Maybe it was a trap, but why would they set a trap in the middle of a battle? Dageer doubted the clanckers were smart enough for that. Most likely they would just fire at the clones straight away. They probably were just dumb. "Brain, do you have some detonators?" "Always." "Go ahead then." One explosive device was thrown, and disappeared after the corner. "Hey! What is th..." The explosions sent soil flying in the air, which then hit the armor of Hell Squad, staining it with mud. But they couldn''t care less at the moment. A hole had been carved in the middle of the trench, and the charred remains of B1 battle droids were scattered around. Dageer kicked a droid torso away, knelt on the ground, and aimed at the droids a bit away. One B2 super battle droid had turned to them, his rigid arm aiming his wrist rocket. "Bzzz... there are clones here..." The super battle droid fired its rocket, but Dageer jumped to the side, and all it hit was the trench wall, sending more mud splattering in the air. Dageer''s ears hurt, but he surprisingly didn''t aim at the super battle droid, but the B1 units behind it. He hit one droid in the chest and followed with a shot to the head. The second one his aim was a little off because of the explosion, and the laser hit the left arm of the droid right in the joint. The droid''s arm was separated from its body, and his E-5 was lost. Losing a weapon in the middle of a battle meant death. By the moment Dageer finished off the B1 battle droid, the super battle droid had changed its wrist rocket by the twin blasters on its other arm. Still, Dageer showed no intention of reacting to it, and concentrated his fire on the droids behind it. Just before the B2 fired his powerful blasters, four shots hit it squarely in the chest, and brought it down. Brain and Tech didn''t stop there, but aimed at the next target. The reason why Dageer had completely ignored the dangerous B2 super battle droid was because he had full trust in his brothers. This section of the trench was straight, and ended in one of the bunkers. That meant there was no cover, which was unfortunate. For the droids. When the clones finished, about twenty droid bodies were laying on the bottom of the trench. "Tech, open that door." Tech went ahead and crouched next to the metal door. He tapped in his comlink, and connected two cables with the door control panel. "Dag... zzzz... Dageer! Bzzz..." "Commander? Commander Keeli? Are you all right? There is too much interf..." "Dageer! Bzz... crashed! Zzzz... up... bzz... hill! We have... zzz... wounded." "Wait a bit, commander. Let me find you. Tech, wait, don''t open it yet." Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and put his head above the trench. But there was too much smoke, and there were too many downed gunsh.i.p.s to find which one was Commander Keeli''s. "Dab! Commander Keeli was shot down! Find his Laat! Now!" "Yes, sir!" "Tech, get back to this bunker. We have to clear it before moving on." "I am ready to open it as soon as you command, sir." "Brain, pass me some detonators. I will be the one to blow those seppies." Not knowing how his commander was, or whether he was injured or not, Dageer wasn''t feeling good. When Tech opened the door, Dageer rolled the thermal detonators inside the bunker, leading to a series of explosion. Carefully stepping inside the bunker, blaster ready to fire, he saw two destroyed E-Webs and a dozen droids. He sat down and took a deep breath. "Captain Narza, Hell Squad have taken control of the bunker at position 498A." "We noticed, sir." Captain Narza answered not by the comlink, but in person. He came out from the tunnels, leading a group of clones, including Lieutenant Fondor. "The second trench is ours, sir." "Good. By the way, captain, why are you in the tunnels?" "I was hunting some seppies. Sir... what is wrong?" "The commander is lost somewhere uphill. His gunship was shot down. He contacted me, but the transmission was terrible. When we find him, Hell Squad and a rescue group will go after him. Captain, you will be in command of the offensive while we are gone." "Yes, sir." "Now, rest up a little. In half an hour we re-start the attack. Dab, do you have eyes on Commander Keeli?" "No, sir. Maybe after the battle calm down." "Cell, how are you doing on your side?" "Almost finishing up. A few dozen droids and we are done." "Come to 498A. Leave the remaining droids to the others. Hell Squad will be needed soon." "Yes, sir. Kuvu, Metal, let''s go. Guard, take over." Dageer had done all he could for the moment. Now, he could only hope Commander Keeli could wait until they found him. Chapter 117 - Rescue Mission "Commander Keeli, do you copy?" "Bzzz... zzz... bzzz..." There was only static coming from his comlink. Five minutes of the thirty Dageer proposed had passed. Dageer used his macrobinoculars, and saw the smoke clearing out from the battlefield. There were five trenches waiting for them to conquer it. Still, the clones had taken a huge chunk out of the Separatist defenses. The AT-TEs blew holes in the droid defenses, and without the AA turrets, more and more troopers were being deployed. Sporadic laser shots could still be heard, when the snipers on both sides found someone being too bold. "Dab, anything?" "Still nothing, sir. There are just too many gunsh.i.p.s on the ground. But, sir... I identified at least six Laats with survivors, all of them uphill. Commander Keeli can be on any of them, or in none." "This is better than nothing. Transfer their location to my comlink, and we will see what we can do." Using the positions Dab gave him, Dageer compared them to where Commander Keeli should have landed. "Those two are quite far from his last known position. We will leave them to the end. Then we have two gunsh.i.p.s crashed roughly two hundred meters from us, both on the left. They are his most probable location. On our right, fifty meters, there is also a downed gunship, in between this trench and the next. The last one is the worst. It crashed just before the top of the hill. Getting there will cost us a lot." As Dageer analyzed the hologram map, he used his fingers to trace red lines between their position and the Laats. "We will split into three groups. When we start our attack, nineteen minutes from now, Lieutenant Fondor will aim for the closest one. If Commander Keeli is there, prioritize bringing him back. If he isn''t, rescue our troopers. Captain Narza, your target is the two gunsh.i.p.s on the left. They are pretty close to each other. The problem will be getting to them." "If we can bring in some fresh troops, I can take the third and fourth trenches in a row, and aim for the Laats in the chaos." "Good plan, we will do that. Now, as for the last Laat, Hell Squad will take care of it. No comments." "Yes, sir." "You have your orders. We have seventeen minutes to take back the wounded, no more. After that, I want every available trooper on the front. We can''t lose our momentum." "Yes, sir." The clones scattered, each following their orders. A line of injured clones was created, protected by the unharmed ones, starting on the second trench and going to the temporary headquarters the clone army built. "Hell Squad, replenish your ammunitions and anything we need. Especially you, Kuvu. If we are going after that last gunship, we will need a well-equipped medic." "Yes, sir." "Brain, bring some ammo for me. Dab, get up here. I want all of Hell Squad together." Brain nodded and Dab made an affirmative noise. Dageer looked at his comlink. Fifteen minutes left. He wanted to sit down and rest, but didn''t do it. He expanded the hologram map to show the whole hill, then zoomed in again. Hell Squad needed a plan if they wanted to get to the top of the hill and come back with the rescued clones. There were five trenches in their path. The higher they went, the smaller the trenches were, but the defenders were closely packed. Hell Squad had two options to get to the gunship. They could either go by the surface or by the tunnels. Both ways, they would face a lot of problems. On the surface, the most obvious flaw was that the instant they tried to advance any further than the rest of the clones, they would become a target. And if they followed the tunnels, it would take to much time, and the Separatist barricades wouldn''t be any easier than the ones on the surface. Besides, the tunnels were a maze for which they didn''t have a map. Dageer racked his brain, but still couldn''t think of any solution. He looked at the time. Twelve minutes. They would have to force their way through, the best they could. "Dageer. I don''t know how you plan to rescue Keeli, but you have to. Ragout is going with you." "Yes, general." Immediately after Dageer ended his transmission with Commander Keeli, he informed General Di. The jedi ordered them to keep pushing the attack, and to find Commander Keeli. If Ragout, the padawan, could come with Hell Squad, it would be easier. Dageer knew that because from the start of the battle till now, Hell Squad had always been the second group to arrive at the enemy trenches. Long before they did it, the jedi were already there. Even if he wasn''t together with them, Dageer could imagine General Di and Ragout swinging their lightsabers and deflecting lasers. Ragout would be a welcomed addition to their rescue mission. Three minutes later, Ragout arrived at where Hell Squad was. Dageer was, at this moment, grabbing the magazines Brain brought for him, and strapping them to this belt. One magazine of a DC-15A had five hundred rounds, but it was still depleting quite quickly on the battlefield. Anyway, when Ragout arrived, Dageer stopped and gave him the standard military salute. "General Ragout." "I will let you lead, Dageer. What is the plan?" "There is no real plan, general. I was originally thinking of going by the tunnels, but the chance of we getting lost is high, and I am not sure Commander Keeli has that much time. Since we now have you with us, advancing straight up might be the best choice." "It is quite a distance. We won''t rescue Keeli if we are dead." "That is why I hope you can block the clanckers'' lasers. But it is your call, general." "Jedi are strong, not invincible. I might be able to deflect the lasers coming from the front, but what about the droids we leave on our back. We can''t destroy them all." "That is our biggest problem, and to be honest, I don''t have a solution for it. The AT-TEs can''t back us up. They have neither the angle nor the range to duel with their AATs. But the seppies have the high ground. That gives them a boost in range, and they can oversee the whole hill." Six minutes left till they commenced the attack again. Dageer ordered Captain Narza to get the men ready. "What do you think, general? By the tunnels or the surface?" The Togruta looked pensively at Dageer. "If we follow your plan, do you think we can make it back alive?" "This isn''t the craziest thing Hell Squad had done, neither it is the worst. We can pull this off." Dageer answered confidently. He knew it would be hard, but he never doubted Hell Squad could do it. Seeing Dageer answer without hesitation, Ragout smiled. "Then let''s do it." Chapter 118 - A Rash Apprentice Causes Death With the last thirty seconds slipping away on the clock, all the clones got in position. Maybe the droids noticed it, maybe they just knew the clones had to attack soon, but they also strengthened their fortifications. "Hell Squad, ready?" "Yes, sir." "More than ever." "Let''s get those seppies." "General Ragout, we will get out first, all right?" "No. You asked me to defend from the lasers coming from uphill. I will be the vanguard." Ragout pulled out his lightsaber, but didn''t activate it yet. Hearing the young Togruta talk with such strength behind his words, Dageer didn''t say anything else. In fact, he felt it would be an insult to ask the padawan to stay on the back. Hell Squad looked at the padawan with a whole new level of respect. If it was the first battle of the padawan, they might have considered him harsh, and maybe even stupid. But Ragout had been in the trenches fighting together with the clones. He knew how dangerous it was, but still wanted to be the vanguard. That was the mentality of a soldier, and the troopers respected it. "Dageer, I will start the attack. Are the men ready?" General Di asked this through the communicator. Dageer signaled Captain Narza and Lieutenant Fondor. "Just give us the order, general." "Very well. All troops, attack!" General Di''s orders were transmitted to every clone in the battlefield. With a collective yell, the clones climbed up the trench''s side. Many of them were shot down immediately, as the blasters and turrets of the Separatist bolted into action. Suddenly, the battlefield was filled with action and noise. Screams, explosions, orders being yelled. It was like a Gyyary waking up after a six-month-long hibernation. Angry and noisy. Ragout jumped out of the trench with a somersault, at the same time turning on his green lightsaber. He swung his lightsaber in a diagonal, from the top right to the left bottom. Two red lasers were reflected, one of them hitting the B1 unit who fired it, and the other flew off in the distance. Dageer climbed the trench''s side, and opened fire. He and Hell Squad weren''t to be outdone by Ragout, neither wanted to. But they had to admit the padawan was a force to be reckoned with. In a matter of seconds, he had gotten to the third trench, and used the Force to push the droids away. Ragout turned around and cut two droids in half. Their bodies fell apart, revealing even more clanckers. Ragout made a pulling motion, and one droid flew directly into his lightsaber. Nevertheless, the padawan was getting surrounded. He deflected some more lasers, and cut down some more droids, but he would soon be overwhelmed. That is why Hell Squad came to help. On one side, there was an explosion caused by Brain''s thermal detonators, and it destroyed five B1 battle droids, and one B2 unit. On the other side, two droid heads popped out of their sockets, thanks to Dab''s sniper shots. Cell and Tech were shoulders to shoulder, spraying the droids with blue lasers. Metal couldn''t really use his Z-6 Rotary because Ragout was in the line of fire, but he had a backup blaster, a DC-15S. And Dageer used his trusted DC-15A, aiming for headshots. Even Kuvu, the medic and temporary addition to Hell Squad got in the mix, and took down some clanckers. All of that happened in less than five seconds, just enough time for a person blink thrice, and for Hell Squad annihilate almost three dozen droids. Dageer slid into the trench, taking a couple more shots at the droids. Ragout seemed to have forgotten their objective, and was advancing at the droids, so Dageer held him. "General! We need to keep going! We will leave the rest of the trench for General Di and our troops!" "That is not it! Look!" Ragout pointed to some dead clones, with half their bodies inside the trench. Dageer didn''t understand at first, but then he saw one of the soldiers move a little, trying to crawl forward. Then he saw a droid aiming at the clone. "Dab! Right, sharp!" Dab turned immediately, and fixed his aim at the droid. The powerful laser from his DC-15x torn open the side of the droid, almost splitting it in half. "We really need to go, general. We have medics for the wounded, but going after them in the middle of the battle will only get us killed. And we have an objective, remember?" "But... we can''t leave him..." "He is a soldier, he will hold on until help arrives. Let''s go!" There was pain on the padawan''s eyes when he turned away from the wounded clone. After all, he was still a child. A powerful, brave one, but still young. "Sorry, brother." Dageer whispered at the clone, so low only he himself could hear it. The clone had a piece of scrap metal puncturing his neck. Dageer knew that even if he received immediate treatment, the trooper wouldn''t survive. Leaving the clone behind, Hell Squad followed Ragout, and left the third trench for the rest of the army. The distance between the third and the fourth trenches was bigger than the distance between the second a d the third by about twenty-five meters. That didn''t seem like much, but it could cost Hell Squad their lives if they weren''t careful. "General Ragout! We can''t go on a straight line as we did before! We have to try not to stand off too much!" Since they had been in the middle of the clone army up till now, Hell Squad and the padawan hadn''t been spotted yet. But a lone group of clones crossing between trenches would catch a lot of attention. "Follow me!" However, Ragout seemed to have other plans, and totally ignored Dageer''s advice. He spun his lightsaber so fast that it turned in a bright circle. It was very eye-catching, but super effective. Every laser that hit the spinning lightsaber was reflected back, and not one crossed Ragout''s defense. It also did the opposite of what Dageer wanted. Not only the droids in the fourth trench noticed them, but some of the third also did. In a span of seconds, Hell Squad was being attacked for both sides. Dageer couldn''t understand why Ragout had done that, but there was no going back. "Kuvu, Cell, Metal! On me!" Dageer took aim at the droids in the third trench, hoping to reduce the number of their enemies. His focus wasn''t to kill all the clanckers, but just suppress them until Hell Squad was in the fourth trench. Miraculously, they all managed to get to the fourth trench before something went wrong. While Ragout had jumped in the trench together with Dab, Brain and Tech, Dageer and the others were a few steps away. When Dageer was about to jump inside the trench, Kuvu slammed into him, and they both tumbled down. Dageer hit the bottom of the trench head-first. "Kuvu! What was that?! Kuvu! Ohhh, damn it!!!" Before he could get angry, Dageer saw why Kuvu had crashed into him. Two black holes had appeared in his back. The poor clone would never fight again. "Come on, Dageer! What are you waiting for?! We are giving them a beati... No!!!" Chapter 119 - I Never Wanted To... "Come on, Dageer! What are you waiting for?! We are giving them a beati... No!!!" The moment the padawan turned around, the smile on his face changed into a scream of sadness. It was as if his yell had supernatural powers, and all the droids in a ten meters radius were pushed away by the Force wave he unleashed. Taking advantage of the seconds they won, Brain and Tech pulled Kuvu''s body from above Dageer, and laid it carefully on the ground. Dageer sighed, but got up and fired at the droids all the same. The death of Kuvu was sad, but so was the death of all the clones in this galactic war. The battle wouldn''t stop because of it, and Hell Squad couldn''t mourn now. "I-I-I didn''t mean it... I only wanted to save Keeli a-as fast as possible." "We still have three trenches to cross, general. We need to go." "But... Kuvu..." Dageer looked at the medic''s body. The clone had stayed with Hell Squad for only a few hours, but it still hurts to lose a brother. "There is nothing we can do for him, general. We need to go, now. The clanckers are closing in." Dab approached Dageer, and showed him the hologram map. "Sir! We are still two hundred and thirty meters away from the objective." "I know. Dab, urge the general, very carefully. Cell, Tech, Brain, we will scout ahead, see if there is anywhere we can advance without attracting more attention." "Yes, sir." While Dageer led the others, Dab approached Ragout. He understood that Kuvu had died because the padawan had been reckless, but in his clone soldier mentality, he didn''t know why they stopped because of that. "General, we really need to go. Commander Keeli is still out there, and we need to rescue him." "Dab... Kuvu is dead... because of me." "Not because of you, general. It was a droid blaster that killed him, not you. Besides, this is a war. Kuvu died fighting for what he believed. For the Republic." Maybe it was because Ragout believed him, or maybe it was because he just needed a reason to keep going, but the padawan got up. He gave Kuvu''s dead body one last glance, then followed the direction that Dageer went. ... "Tech, get down!" The mechanic of Hell Squad immediately dropped to the ground after his squad leader yelled at him, just in time to dodge a wrist rocket that would have hit him right in the chest. Whipping out his blaster, Tech fired a stream of blue lasers in the B2 super battle droid torso. "Reloading!" Tech pulled the trigger once again, but a ''click'' showed the blaster was empty. The moment he started to reload, Cell and Brain stepped forward, and covered him. Dageer ran forward, and used the walls of the trench as a shield. Red lasers blew dirt and mud in the air, and big holes appeared in his already precarious protection. But since he didn''t plan on staying there for long, it didn''t matter. The leader of Hell Squad, the only clone aside from the commanders with painting on his armor, came out of hiding wielding his DC-15A in one hand and his DC-17 on the other. His shots hit the droids either in the head or in the upper part of the chest. He was aiming at their core components, respectively the central core and the principal movement control center. Destroying either of those would put the droid out of combat immediately. One of the reasons why the droid army was so worst than the clone army was because just one laser in the right target would make them useless, even if they were still alive. Of course, if a clone took a shot to the head or the heart, he would surely die, but droids usually didn''t have such a good aim. The only reason why the Separatist could fight back was because of the staggering amount of droids their army had. Back to the combat. Dageer killed six droids before he had to reload. Thankfully, he wasn''t alone. Brain did his thing, which was thrown thermal detonators. A blazing path was blasted amidst the droids, and there was silence for some time. Dageer called Dab through his comlink. "Dab, get over here. We cleared this area." "Yes, sir. We are already underway." Seconds later, Ragout walked over. His face was expressionless, but he still walked stiffly. "General. I just checked with General Di, and they just took the third trench, and are in the process of attacking this one." "Uffff... It is as you said, Dageer. We need to keep going. What do you think is the best way to get to Keeli?" "We don''t know if the commander is in that Laat, General. But I think I know how we can get there. Using that." Ragout looked to what Dageer was pointing, and his eyes became wide open. "That is a Separatist AAT. And it is destroyed. What are you thinking?" It was true. Halfway between the fourth and the fifth trench, an AAT was laying with its front half-buried. The hatch was opened, and a dead droid was hanging on it. "Tech said he can get it back in motion. If we get it moving, we can probably blast through the fifth trench, maybe even the sixth. The closer we get, the better our chances of rescuing anyone on that gunship." "Sir. We got the first gunship. Two wounded, the rest dead. No sign of Commander Keeli." "Okay, lieutenant. Get the wounded to a medical base, and keep going." "Yes, sir." "Captain Narza, what is your status?" "We already started the attack on the fourth trench. In a few minutes, we should be able to get to the two Laats." "Do that. Captain, soon, there will be a Separatist tank moving up. Do not shoot it. Hell Squad and General Ragout are the ones with it." "Yes, sir." Captain Narza didn''t even think it was weird that Hell Squad would hijack a Separatist AAT. The clones of the 303rd had long been used Hell Squad crazy doings. Only Ragout was surprised. "Dageer. You were already thinking about it even before we got here, right?" "One thing I learned with Commander Keeli was to always have a plan." Dageer looked over the trench side, and calculated the distance to the AAT. "Well, we better get going. And, Dageer..." "Yes, general?" "I am sorry. I never wanted... what happened... to happen." Dageer kept quiet, and the young padawan turned on his lightsaber. "Hell Squad, we are advancing. Let''s go!" Chapter 120 - Blasting Through Ragout, the jedi apprentice, jumped out of the trench with another somersault. Dageer and the clones got out more casually, by climbing it. Surprisingly, they did not come immediately under fire, because most of the droids were still worrying about the forces attacking the fourth trench. They didn''t expect a small group of clones to come out of the trench they were defending. Thanks to that, the clones got to the AAT pretty quickly, and without complications. "Tech, get in there, get it moving!" Tech grabbed the barrel of the tank, and pulled himself up. He pushed the droid body out of the way, and it made a scraping sound as it slid down the tank. Seconds later, another droid was thrown out. When it hit the ground, Dageer stared at it curiously. "A droid sergeant. Although I''ve been fighting with them for four months, this is actually the first time I see a droid officer." "I think we killed a couple of those not long ago. They were on that bunker Brain destroyed." The droid sergeant had a yellow circle in his chest, and the top of its head also had yellow markings. In Dageer''s opinion, both made for pretty good targets the clones could aim at. "Got it!" A muffled voice came over from the AAT, and suddenly, it started trembling. The front part, which was buried, raised little by little, and then snapped back to position. Soil was thrown in the air, showering the clones with mud. The tank hovered in midair, and although it seemed to a little damaged, it was working. The barrel made a sharp turn, and started aiming at the fifth trench, instead of the fourth. The main body of the AAT followed soon. Dageer climbed the back of the tank, and entered it. The interior of the Separatist vehicle was brownish red, and full of mechanisms which functions were unknown to Dageer. The only two obvious controls were the driving on and the cannon one. It was all Hell Squad needed. "Cell, hop inside, this cannon needs two to operate. The others, stay close to the back, use it as cover. General Ragout, when you give the order..." The padawan nodded, and Tech pushed a lever, making the AAT go forward. Inside the tank, Dageer was looking at the red aim control panel, while Cell was loading the ammunition. The screen in front of Dageer showed a huge number of droids right in front of them, each of them marked with a white dot. He figured that meant they were considered allies. "Tech, see if you can override the aim weapons system. I don''t think it will let us shoot at the droids." "On it. Cell, take control here for a moment." "All right." Tech and Cell switched positions, and Tech started tapping on the screen. Suddenly, there was an impact, and everyone inside the AAT was thrown from one side to the other. "What was that?" Cell returned to the driver seat, and apologized to Dageer. "Sorry, sir. This thing turns a lot slower than I thought. We hit a tank carcass." "Get this thing back in track! Now!" "Yes, sir." However, before Dageer could even get back up, the AAT shuddered. "What now?! Cell, that better not be your doing!" "It isn''t, sir." "Brain, status!" "They saw us, sir. That was one of their turrets, although it missed. I think we can start attacking now." After Brain said that, he immediately fired his blaster, although the distance made hitting something difficult. Dageer put his head out of the tank, and saw one turret had turned towards them, and one AAT was advancing in their direction." "Tech, we need the weapons system online!" "Just another second... got it! We are free to fire!" "Cell, get over here, reload as soon as we fire! Tech, get back to driving! General, how are you doing out there?" "Still all right. The AAT is blocking most of the lasers." Since there was no immediate threat to the jedi, Dageer sat back at the gunner''s seat, and looked at the screen. The white markings had changed colors, and became green. Besides, the AAT coming towards them was marked with a bigger target. Dageer turned the cannon towards the enemy AAT, and both fired at almost the same time. Both missed. The red blast fired by the enemy passed two meters away, while the one fired by Dageer caressed the enemy tank without doing any harm. "Reload!" Cell picked up the big shells used by the AAT, each filled with a deadly amount of tibana gas. "Ready!" As soon as he heard Cell''s voice, Dageer fired again. He had corrected his aim, and the laser hit the enemy AAT in the bottom left. The vehicle swaggered with the impact, but although a chunk was missing, it was still firing. The first hit Hell Squad''s AAT took was right in the center of the tank, where the armor was the strongest. Still, everything trembled, and the ammunition was knocked out of Cell''s hands. That gave the enemy the chance to fire once more, and they hit the same place. No matter how strong the frontal armor was, it still was heavily damaged. "Frontal plate at sixty-one percent! Another two rounds and this thing will be gone!" "Quick, Cell!" Doing his best under the precarious conditions, Cell managed to put another shell inside the cannon''s chamber. Dageer aimed at the same place he hit before, trying to take out the enemy tank''s mobility. His aim was perfect, and the whole bottom of the AAT suddenly was gone. Without its support, the tank couldn''t hover above the ground anymore, and it flipped over, leaving a scar in the earth. "One more!" Without the threat of the AAT, Dageer could aim calmly at it while it was down. The immobile tank could neither fire nor run, and Dageer blew it up with a red blast. Nevertheless, it was too soon to celebrate. The turret was still on the game, and since Hell squad had been advancing towards it while dueling with the AAT, it was dangerously close. The already damaged frontal armor of the AAT took two consecutive shots. Although individually they were less powerful than the main cannon of the AAT, the turret could fire a lot faster. "Armor at thirty percent!" "Cannon is ready, sir!" Dageer turned the cannon, and locked on the turret''s position. The laser found a straight path to the turret, but Dageer had failed to account for the distance, and it fell short. A bunch of unlucky droids were blasted to pieces, but the turret was intact. One more laser hit the AAT, but Tech managed to dodge the other. "Nineteen percent!" "Ready!" That was the final shot. If Dageer missed, he would order the clones to leave the AAT, and they would be on open ground. He adjusted the angle of the cannon barrel, and took a deep breath before pulling the trigger. In a millisecond, the red laser left the AAT, and hit the turret. "Ohhhh yeah!!!" Chapter 121 - Crushing Clanckers Like Its Nothing With the turret blasted to pieces, Hell Squad had only small firearms going against them. The lasers fired by the E-5s peppered the damaged AAT, but did nothing. "We are approaching the trench, sir." "Keep going, Tech." Instead of stopping when they reached the fifth trench, Dageer ordered them to continue. The AAT bumped into some droids, and crushed them under its weight. "Oh oh! That is not good." "Heavy Vehicle AAT 398D, stop!" "Whaaaaa!" The only effect on the AAT when it ran over the droids and the trench was a slight shaking. Just like that, the fifth trench was left behind them. If they could use the AAT to Cross the sixth trench, then it was almost guaranteed that they would get to the Laat they were looking for. "Sir! Are you there?" "Captain." Dageer was called by Captain Narza, but he only brought bad news. "We recovered the two Laats assigned to us, but there is no sign of Commander Keeli. I also sent search groups for the two we left to the end, but the result was negative." "Leave that to Hell Squad. We are approaching the last gunship. How long before we take the fourth trench?" "Estimated time is twelve minutes." "Lower it to eight. This battle already lasted too much. We need to take the hill before nightfall." "Yes, sir." "Dab, how is the path ahead?" "Full of clanckers, but no big guns. We are clear to go." "Good. Brain, take my place here. Blast every seppie on the way." "With pleasure, sir." Dageer lifted himself through the hatch, careful not to be shot by the multitude of red lasers, and slid through the back if the AAT until he hit the ground. The members of Hell Squad who were outside, namely Brain, Metal and Dab, made space for him, and Brain entered the tank. The clones were firing at the droids in the sixth trench, showing only a part of their bodies, then hiding in the safety the AAT provided. Of course, it wasn''t one hundred percent safe, since they had to deal with a few sporadic shots from the clanckers in the fifth trench. For that reason, Ragout had his green lightsaber turned on, and was facing the direction from which they came and was reflecting the lasers. "General Ragout. The other gunsh.i.p.s had all been searched. Commander Keeli is either on the Laat we are heading to or in one we haven''t found yet." "How long... ufff... before we can get to that Laat?" "If we continue like this, ten to twelve minutes. We only..." "Wait. Master. Yes. Yeah, we are close. Ten minutes. No. All right." Ragout interrupted Dageer, and answered someone Dageer couldn''t hear, but figured it was General Di. "Dageer, my master wants us to do something else after we rescue Keeli. He said you would be the only one crazy enough to do it." "Hell Squad was created because we are willing to do all sorts of crazy things. And I am sure Commander Keeli will join us. What is it, general?" --------------------- Three hours after the battle for Dantooine had started, the 303rd Attack Legion had conquered five out of the seven trenches they had as a target. Without a minute of pause, the clones were now launching an offensive against the sixth trench line. On the right flank of the clone forces, a jedi with dry, brown skin was swinging his lightsaber and leading the clones. On the left, the one commanding was a clone captain called Narza. And down in the middle of the battlefield, ahead of every other clone, was and AAT, crushing its way over the sixth trench and continuing without a stop. "Left, left, left!!!" Warned by Brain, Dageer turned the cannon to a group of droids which were preparing some thermal detonators. After he sent droid parts flying, his vision seemed to clear, and he saw a crashed Republic gunship. The nose of the gunship was buried in the ground, and one of the wings had broken off and was nowhere to be seen. "General! Straight ahead! Hell Squad, move up, form a defense line!" As soon as Dageer warned him, Ragout left the cover provided by the AAT and ran to the Laat. His supernatural jedi instincts helped him dodge each and every laser fired his away. Dageer jumped out of the tank and also went for the Laat. When he got to the crashed gunship, he saw Ragout was cutting a hole through the side of the Laat. Since the metal frame of the gunship wasn''t that thick, he soon had cut an opening. The interior of the Laat was originally dark, but a circle of light fell on the clones inside when Ragout cut the side of the gunship. Dageer entered the Laat, and saw a scene of destruction. Clones were laying on the floor, some clearly dead, with their bodies twisted in impossible angles, and others whose status was unknown. One of those covered his eyes with his hand when Dageer entered. "Brother! Are you all right?" "Dageer! It''s you!" Dageer had knelt beside the clone when he heard Commander Keeli''s voice behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the Commander was lowering one of his DC-17, which had been pointed to Dageer''s back. His other DC-17 was somewhere under a metal plate that was covering the entire right side of his body. Dageer pulled the plate, and Commander Keeli was able to move his arm, although he seemed to be in pain. "Take it easy, commander. Hell Squad is here to help." "I know. It was just in case you were a clancker. General Ragout!" "Stay down, Keeli." When he saw the padawan coming in, the wounded clone commander tried to get up, but Ragout stopped him. While padawan and commander were talking, Brain got inside the Laat and helped Dageer move the wounded. "Hey, Guard. Whoa, be careful, brother. Let me see this. Uhmm..." Dageer found Lieutenant Guard, one of the finest men of the 303rd badly injured, but still breathing. "Urhhh... sir." "I think you broke three or four ribs, and your arm is also not very good. But you should get back in shape pretty soon. Wait for a minute, let me see the others." In total, there were eleven surviving clones, including Commander Keeli. Some, like the commander, had minor injuries, and were able to get back to the fight. Others had medium wounds, and would need help to even walk. Guard was in this group. And two clones had heavy injuries. One of them, a pilot called Seeje had knocked his head on the crash, and was just barely alive. The other was Orluo, who had lost both legs at knee length. He had lost a lot of blood, and needed emergency treatment, which Hell Squad couldn''t provide. "General Ragout. We need to get these men back to a medical base as soon as possible." "We still have my master''s task. We will split into two groups. I will lead those who can fight, and the wounded will use the AAT to get back. With our forces advancing, they should meet the vanguard soon." All of that was decisively said by Ragout, surprising Dageer, because that was what he was about to say. The padawan was growing at an impressive pace, and Dageer couldn''t help but wonder if this had something to do with Kuvu''s death. "Yes, sir!" Chapter 122 - Taking the Hill "Keeli, you should head back with the others. The men need to see you in battle." "With all due respect, general, they will see me when we take this damn hill." Seeing Commander Keeli and Ragout go back and forth with their argument, Dageer had to intervene. After all, there was still a battle raging outside. "General Ragout. I''ve known Commander Keeli for quite some time. Unless you give him a direct order, he won''t let us have all the fun. And he can help a lot." "I don''t know... wait, let me talk to my master. If he says you have to stay back, you will stay back, understood?" "Yes, general." While Ragout was talking to General Di, Commander Keeli approached Dageer. "Dageer, thanks for coming after us. I am sure it was difficult, considering Hell Squad is two trench lines further than the rest of our forces." "Helping my commander is amongst my duties." "Thanks anyway. And, Dageer... I didn''t see Kuvu outside." "He didn''t make it." "He was a good soldier." "Yeah. He was." While the two highest ranking officers of the 303rd were talking, Cell made his way inside the crashed Laat with his hologram map open. "Commander Keeli! Good to see you." "Hello, Cell. What is it?" "We need to move, commander. The AAT held pretty strongly, but if it stays under fire like that, its armor will soon be gone." "Come with me. General Ragout probably made his decision already." The clone commander put back his helmet, and stepped outside of the gunship as if he hadn''t almost died inside it minutes before. Dageer picked up the DC-15A he had left on the floor, and followed his commander. The bright sunlight blinded him for a second, but his eyes were used to it. The battlefield was still the same mess he had left behind, with the difference the clone vanguard was now closer. Dageer adjusted his macrobinoculars, and saw they were almost in control of the fifth trench. Commander Keeli went straight to Ragout, who was talking in his comlink while spinning his lightsaber. "General. Have you come to a decision?" "Hufff... all right, Keeli, you will be coming with us. Dageer, get Hell Squad together. Shirli and Rocky, you will also come with us." "Yes, sir!" "Dageer, send the wounded back. We will leave when they are on their way." "Yes, sir." Dageer walked over to the AAT, and ordered Tech and Brain to leave their new toy. Then, he put as many wounded as possible in the tank. The rest would have to walk, but their injuries weren''t so bad. Finally, he called Captain Narza, who had been leading the attack. "Captain Narza, do you copy? We have Commander Keeli. I repeat, we have the commander." "I hear you loud and clear, sir. It is good to hear Commander Keeli is all right. From where are you coming back? I will send a platoon to secure the way." "Coordinates 267D. The AAT we stole will be coming down with the injured. Commander Keeli and Hell Squad have a mission uphill." "Copy that." In command of the AAT was Lieutenant Guard, who had a nasty arm injury, but insisted on holding his blaster with the other hand. Not that anyone tried to stop him, as having a weapon was the only way to guarantee one had a chance to live on a battlefield. Just before Dageer sent the clones off, Commander Keeli walked over to them. "Guard, give me your comlink. I lost mine at the crash." "Here it is, sir." A red laser hit the ground between the two clones, making them turn their heads to the source. The droids were getting more accurate, and now that there were so many clones, the chances of someone getting shot were growing. "Go. Use that tank to blast as many droids you can, then leave it behind." "Yes, sir. Let''s move!" With the tank gone, so was a great part of the protection the clones who stayed had. All the time they were taking the clones out of the crashed gunship, Tech and Brain had been blasting the nearby droids. Hell Squad had to move to the last trench line before the droids realized they wouldn''t get blasted anymore. "All troops, this is Ima-Gun Di. Start to push up with all we have. Another blow and the Separatist will be crushed. May the Force be with us." From all comlinks came the voice of the jedi the 303rd had learned to respect. Even with such a short message, all clones became more motivated, and doubled the effort they were putting in the offensive. The fifth trench remaining defenses crumbled in seconds, and the Republic army continued without stop. General Di''s padawan pointed his lightsaber to the seventh trench. "Let''s go! We are almost there!" ---------------------- "Ohhh nooo... bzzzt!" The B1 battle droid fell to the ground slowly, his vocal controls falling as it shut down. Dageer stepped on the droid body with his DC-15A ready to the next one, but this was the last clancker on the bunker. "Continue, don''t stop!" A loud clanging latter, and a B2 unit dropped to the droid in three smoking pieces. Ragout turned around looking for his next target, and found nothing but clones. "Was that the last one?" "I think so, yes. The hill is ours, general." The padawan turned off his lightsaber. His young face had been serious all the time till now, but when he heard Commander Keeli''s words he relaxed. He exited the bunker, and looked at the long line of dead droids. They had lost Shirli to get there, but the hardest obstacle to the capture of Dantooine had been eliminated. Now, the Republic army could build a base from where they could coordinate all the invasion. Ragout picked his comlink to inform General Di of the good news. "Master, we took the top of the hill. We won!" "We won this battle, my young padawan. There is still a long way before Dantooine is on the Republic''s side. But you are right. We won." While master and apprentice were talking, Dageer and Commander Keeli were strengthening their foothold on top of the hill. "Admiral Dao, sent down the troops and supplies. We need that base ready before nightfall." "Captain Narza, hurry up and take the sixth trench. Then send all the AT-TEs to the top of the hill. We need to make sure the clanckers can''t get it back." "Commander, sub-commander, you should see this." Rocky called both Dageer and Commander Keeli to the opposite side of the bunker. There, an opening let them see the path they would have to take until they had conquered the planet. Chapter 123 - The Path to Victory Dantooine was a mixture of grass plains and rock plateaus, and had no big water bodies. Most of the planet was flat, without mountains, and with just a few hills. So, when Dageer and Commander Keeli looked south, they could see Garang, the capital city of Dantooine, without any problems, even if it was two hundred kilometers away. The only things obstructing the view were the hundreds of thousands of droids in the way. Seeing the lines of clanckers, the AATs, Dwarf-Spider droids and whatnot, Dageer started calculating what it would cost the clones to take Dantooine. "There are a lot more clanckers than I thought." "Dageer, organize the men. We need all troops well rested for tomorrow. And get a good number of patrols. I want every single corner of this hill under our eyes. If we lose it, we might not get it back." "Yes, commander." Dageer turned around and grouped with his squad. Shirli had died, but no one else had gotten hurt, and although Hell Squad was very tired, they were still pumped up because of their recent victory. As per usual, the most talkative was Cell, followed by Brain. "We did it, sir! Man, I was sure we would die! Did you see how many clanckers we destroyed?!" "It was easy. No seppie can stay on the way of the Republic." "Quiet!" Listening to Brain and Cell discuss arrogantly, Dageer yelled at them for the very first time since Hell Squad was created. He couldn''t see Hell Squad members'' faces under their helmets, but he knew that the two clones were only externalizing what all the clones were thinking. And he knew why they were thinking that. Ever since Hell Squad was created, on the first battle of the Clone Wars, they had sufficient nothing but minor setbacks. Even Three-four injury didn''t seem so serious, since they knew he would recover. Not too long ago, Dageer had been thinking the same, but Kuvu''s death had impacted him, mainly because he knew it could have been avoided. As an officer, it was his responsibility to be confident, but not arrogant. "You all think the clanckers are so useless they can do nothing to threaten us?! If the Separatist were as weak as you seem to think they are, wouldn''t this war already be won?! If they are so weak, why didn''t we crush them immediately?" "Sir, we didn''t..." "Silence! Your superior is speaking!" Immediately, all the clones straightened their backs. They had been around Dageer for so long that they unconsciously forgot he was their sub-commander. When Dageer yelled at them, the obedience on their genetic code kicked in instantaneously. "Not only can the droids stay on our way, but they did it today. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be talking only with you five, but also with Kuvu, Shirli, Tuti, Leat and many others." Hell Squad stayed quiet. Dageer didn''t know if they understood what he was saying or not, but he couldn''t care less. He looked down the hill to the sixth trench, where combat was still happening. "Move out, directly north. When we get to the sixth trench, split into two groups. I want this hill clear from any seppies before sunset!" Already scared by Dageer''s rage, Hell Squad moved immediately and orderly. Looking at them, unnoticed, was Commander Keeli. Only he knew what thoughts were on his head, but there was a smile on his face. ----------------------- Orange light shone upon the hill as the sun rose, illuminating the clone army. Dozens of AT-TEs were on top of the hill, ready to crash down on their enemies. Behind the AT-TEs were the smaller AT-RT - All Terrain Recon Transport - and All Terrain Attack Pods - AT-AP -. Of course, those weren''t the only ones who would attack. Behind the heavy vehicles, thousands of clones lined up, waiting for their orders. General Di, his padawan Ragout, Commander Keeli and Dageer were in the command center, discussing their plans with a holographic General Skywalker and Captain Rex. During the night, the 501st Legion had taken control of their landing zone, and would start to attack Khoonda at roughly the same time the 303rd attacked Garang. That is, if both legions could get to the city today. Normally, advancing two hundred kilometers in one day was nothing, but considering the number of droids on their way, anything could happen. When Dageer had discussed with Commander Keeli before, both of them agreed the estimated time to reach the capital was between ten to fifteen days. But the jedis seemed to think it was too long. "General Di, General Skywalker, the only way to get to the capital is by using a frontal attack. No air support, no infiltration. They have AA turrets everywhere, and the whole city is filled with droids." "I know. I am only saying that we can''t spend that much time to take a single, almost unimportant planet. There are other places in the galaxy that need us more." No matter how hard Commander Keeli and Captain Rex tried to convince the young General Skywalker that it was impossible to hurry the conquest of a planet, it was for nothing. Even General Di seemed to think that the fifteen days estimation that the clones had given to him was too much. In the end, the three clone officers were forced to drop the matter, because the attack was about to start. This time Commander Keeli didn''t do any speeches. With one order from him, AT-TEs and AT-APs fired a volley with their mass-drive cannons, and the clone army started marching downhill to meet their opponents. "Let''s get to work, boys!" -------------------- "General, we just received updates from some battlefields." "Cough... cough!!! Tell me." General Grievous answered with his coarse voice. At the moment he was inside his capital ship, sitting in the captain''s chair. "Yes, sir. Ryloth has fallen to the Republic. Kessel is still under our control, but it is slowing falling to the Republic. Felucia and Bespin are in a standstill. Christophsis and Devaron are under our total control, with only a few resistance pockets remaining. Dantooine..." "Don''t bother me with those unimportant planets! What difference can a piece of rock like that make? Cough!!!" The droid just ignored General Grievous'' words. He was reporting this to the abomination under General Dooku''s orders. "Dantooine is falling much faster than we expected. Two legions, namely 303rd Attack Legion and 501st Legion... Ahhhh!!!" Before the droid had the chance to finish, his chest was trespassed with a sharp blade. "What are you doing, Hiigi? This unit belongs to Count Dooku." The mon calamari said nothing, but the hatred in his eyes spoke better than any word. After he killed the droid, he gave General Grievous a sharp stare, then turned around and left. "General, he left in his ship." General Grievous ignored the droid, and kicked the body of the unit Hiigi killed to the side. He walked to the end of the command bridge, and looked down. Below his ship, a Republic cruiser was split in half, its remains filling the empty space. Chapter 124 - Garang The initial charge the clones made had gigantic momentum, and with the support of the heavy vehicles, they tore straight through the first defensive line of the droids. The AT-RTs were the first to get to the bottom of the hill. Many riders were shot off their walkers, and some even blew, but many more made it, and fired their mortars in the middle of the droids, causing massive casualties. The Republic had taken action shortly after they received news that Dantooine had been conquered by the Separatist. Because of their fast reaction, the droids didn''t have much time to build their defenses, and much of their effort went to the hill that the 303rd had already taken. The 303rd might have taken the hill in just one day, but that was only because they hadn''t spared any effort or troops to do it. After the battle for Dantooine was over, Dageer would discover that one-fifth of their casualties came from the very first day of battle. Since the droids didn''t have the time to set up more trenches, the battle for Dantooine was pretty much a pitched battle, with both sides colliding against one another. In a battle of such gigantic proportions, there was little Hell Squad could do other than charge with their brothers. The clone army made good progress in the first day of battle, nowhere near as much as the jedis wanted, but above what Dageer and Commander Keeli had expected. When they stopped at night, they had conquered twenty-seven kilometers of ground. If they continued like this, they would reach Garang in less than ten days. But as the battle raged on, the droid resistance became stronger, and the Republic started to gain less and less ground every day. On the second day, they advanced twenty-four kilometers, and on the third day, only twenty. By the fourth day, less than twenty kilometers were conquered. Both General Di and his padawan had lost their initial enthusiasm, and understood why the clone commanders were so serious. On the fifth day the jedis didn''t even have dinner with the clones, as they had been doing, but went straight to their tents and fell asleep immediately. Both jedis had been on the frontlines for the last few days, giving everything they had. But not only the progress was less than they expected, the casualties were also many. It was no wonder they were so tired, both physically and mentally. That night, while the jedis were resting, Dageer and Commander Keeli were talking with Captain Rex. Surprisingly, the legion that had made the most progress on the battlefield wasn''t the veteran 303rd Attack Legion, but the rookie 501st. When he discovered that the 501st Legion was an elite legion, Dageer had already given them a high evaluation, putting them on the same tier as those legions that had joined the war in the second or third month. But it appeared he had underestimated the 501st. While the 303rd was still struggling with the remaining ninety kilometers they had to conquer, the 501st was just thirty kilometers away from Khoonda. Captain Rex insisted that most of it was because of General Skywalker, but Dageer wasn''t so sure. Even a jedi couldn''t do that much on a big battle. From that moment onwards, Dageer knew that unless the 501st was completely exterminated in one battle, they would be a major force on the Republic''s side. "Good job, Rex. How long before you arrive at Khoonda?" "Two days, three at most. After that, we still have to evaluate how we are going to attack the city." "Do you have enough troops?" "Even if I don''t, is there anything we can do? You all have your hands full." "He is right, Dageer. The 501st has been doing okay for the last few days, they will have to keep that way. Captain, good luck tomorrow." "Thank you, sir. Good luck to you too. Captain Rex out." Captain Rex ended the transmission on his side, and the blue hologram disappeared. Commander Keeli turned to Dageer. He wasn''t using his helmet, and Dageer could see he was tired. Since they had the same face, Dageer imagined he wasn''t looking any better. Commander Keeli sighed. "Go get some sleep, Dageer. Tomorrow is going to be another hard day. The closer we get to the capital, the harder it becomes." "I know, sir. Until tomorrow." Dageer left the command tent, and went to where Hell Squad was sleeping. While walking he crossed with many patrols. Ever since the first day, they had suffered many sneak attacks during the night, so the number of clones on guard duty had been doubled. Dageer sat down on the ground. While in battle, the clones didn''t have many liberties, and all they had to sleep was a sleeping bag. It was better than what many had. When they were on Geonosis, they all slept on the hard ground. The moment Dageer closed his eyes, he felt his sore body relax a little, and drifted into sleep. Still, he couldn''t escape the nightmares. --------------------- Four days later, Dageer stood up beside a dead clone, after confirming there was nothing he could do for him. He looked ahead. The once green field was now a mess of mud and lifeless bodies. Here and there, columns of smoke could be seen rising from the vehicles. "Sir! Transmission from Commander Keeli for you!" Dageer turned on his comlink, and Commander Keeli gave him the first good news in the last few days. "Dageer! Khoonda is ours! General Skywalker and his troops conquered it! They will come to help us as soon as they can." "Yes! That is good news, commander!" "It sure is. We have to hurry up. If the 501st arrives here and we aren''t even at the gates of Garang, that will be the biggest shame on the 303rd history." "You know us very well, commander. Just tell the troops we are falling behind, and the 303rd will have Dantooine before nightfall." "That is what I wanted to hear." ... On the evening of the next day, the last line of droid defenses around Garang fell. On the night of the same day, the troops of the 501st Legion arrived. On the twelfth day of battle, Garang was conquered, and Dantooine became part of the Republic. Twelve days might look like few to conquer a planet, but Dantooine was just an unimportant planet, with almost no value for both sides. So, the droid army that was protecting the planet wasn''t strong. The only reason Republic and Separatist even fought for Dantooine was to show the other planets that they wouldn''t give up without a fight, and to try and lure them to their side. It was too political for Dageer to even bother trying to understand. Chapter 125 - 303rd Phase II Armor The clones had no time to rest after they took Dantooine. The Clone Wars had been raging on for five months now, and the Republic needed every troop it could get. So, no more than two days after Garang was conquered, the 303rd received their new assignment. General Di called all the higher-ups of the 303rd Attack Legion to a building in the center of Garang, where the Republic had set their command center. Every officer from lieutenant to commander was there, which meant that something big was about to be announced. As soon as Dageer arrived, the officers opened a path to him, and he stopped next to the hologram table. Different from other times, at this moment the hologram wasn''t showing a specific planet, but a whole sector of the galaxy. General Di zoomed into one system, called Duracnar. "We still haven''t received our next target, but there is something the Senate wanted us to do before we go anywhere." He looked at Commander Keeli and Dageer, and gave them one of his rare smiles. Dageer hadn''t known what this meeting was about before, but now he had a vague idea. "Thanks to the efforts of your commander, Keeli, and other clone commanders through the galaxy, the Galatic Senate authorized the creation, and mass production of a new type of armor. I will let Keeli and Dageer explain all about it to you later. As important as the modifications and updates the Phase II armor has, it is the fact each legion can customize their armor." Only the discipline ingrained in their bones stopped the clones from starting to talk. To them, being able to differentiate themselves from the other clones in the galaxy was as important as winning a battle. That was the reason why they had so many different haircuts and tattoos. "I''ve passed to Keeli the responsibility of deciding what the armor will look like. But, we have to go to Duracnar System, where there is a Republic factory, to pick it up. And we have to do that soon, otherwise we will be sent to another battle, and it will be some time before the 303rd have the chance to have its new armor. So, you have three hours to get every trooper on the cruisers. The 501st will stay here on Dantooine until someone is sent to guard the planet. Get going!" Of course, all the clones were so pumped up that they got moving immediately. In no time, Dageer could hear orders being barked, and the sound of men rushing to tide up the supplies, vehicles and weapons. After making sure everything was on the right course, Dageer approached Commander Keeli, who looked surprisingly serious in face of the good news. "You did it, commander." "All I did was speed things up. As soon as we started losing battles because our armor was inferior, the higher-ups would have changed it. I don''t know, Dageer... a new armor might save the lives of a few men, or even many, but it is for naught if the Separatist start overwhelming us. Do you remember what Lama Su said when we left Kamino?" "Yeah... One battle and we all could return home." "That didn''t happen, did it? Look at us. Five months of war, and nothing have been decided yet. I am not complaining... I just wonder, how many more brothers shall lose their lives before the seppies understand they can''t win this war?" When he heard that, Dageer almost choked. What Commander Keeli was saying might seen like a complaint for many, but if someone deliberately misunderstood it, it could very well be seen as treason. In the middle of a war, talking bad about your superiors was punishable by court-martial. But questioning the purpose of the war, that was much worse. From that, it could be seen how much Commander Keeli trusted Dageer. By all military laws, Dageer should have denounced his commander. Of course he didn''t. "Commander... Keeli. Are you all right?" Dageer''s words surprised Commander Keeli, and only then did he seen to realize what he was saying. "Yes. Yes... Sub-commander Dageer, let''s get to our duties." "Yes, sir!" --------------------- A few hours later, General Di''s fleet came out of hyperspace in the Duracnar System. Dageer boarded one CR90 Corvette, and descend into the moon where the Republic factory was, to oversee the operation. The one in charge of the factory was one of the long-necked, calm, Kaminoans. Yati Lu showed Dageer around the factory, and the many different armors they were producing. There were armors painted with shades of green, others with red, blue and yellow. Dageer could recognize to which legions they belong just based on the color and patterns. But the one that interested Dageer the most, was, of course, the new Phase II armor belonging to the 303rd Attack Legion. It wasn''t much different from the old Phase I in terms of design, but its defensive capabilities were stronger, and the visors were better, able to provide night vision and a dozen other minor abilities that could enhance the clone army as a whole. Still, what was the most different of all, was, of course, the colors. Replacing the old all-white armor, this one had the brownish red of the 303rd. There was a coating of paint around the T-shaped visor, and the whole chest area was brown. The arms also had a good amount of paint on them, and so did the back and the thighs. At first it seemed to be purely aesthetic, but Yati Lu soon gave a surprising piece of information to Dageer. According to him, the armor had been designed thinking about General Di, who, as a Nikto, preferred fighting in the desert. Because of that, when the clones laid on a muddy, dusty or rocky surface, they would have an extra layer of camouflage. But the surprises weren''t over yet. Yati Lu brought Dageer to a small set of crates, and asked him to open it. Inside, there were 303rd armors, but different from the others. Each set if armor had a different pattern, but all of them had the same helmet. Dageer recognized it because it was the same he had. On the left side, a single stylized horn came all the way from the bottom to the top. "These are Hell Squad''s. Master Ima-Gun Di specifically asked us to make them that way. That is yours." Dageer picked up the armor set that Yati Lu showed him. It had two black shoulder pads, and it was entirely brownish red apart from the stomach and a zigzagging line on the arms and legs. He put the armor back in the crate, and thanked the Kaminoan, then closed the crate. "Metal! Tech! Get this crate inside the ship! Lieutenant Shield, let''s wrap this up! I want all this in The Sincerity in two hours!" "Yes, sir!" Chapter 126 - An Old Enemy Metal and Tech grabbed the crate, and moved it to the CR90 Corvette. After two hours, every set of Phase II armor was transported to the corvettes. Now, all they had to do was distribute the armors, and the 303rd would be ready for the next battle. "Dageer, if the loading is over, get the corvettes out of there, the 327th needs to dock." "Yes, sir." Dageer looked through a window, and saw that another group of Republic sh.i.p.s had come out of hyperspace. "Lieutenant, get everyone back to the sh.i.p.s, and return to the fleet. The 327th need this space." In a few minutes, all the 303rd clones were back in the corvettes. With almost no shaking, the sh.i.p.s took off from the moon surface, and joined General Di''s fleet just in time to catch a transmission Commander Keeli sent to Dageer. "Dageer, we received relevant information about our next mission. I''ve sent it to your datapad. I also sent the jump coordinates to your ship''s computer. We will make the jump in ninety seconds." "Yes, sir." Commander Keeli ended the transmission straight away. Dageer first warned the pilot to prepare to jump, and then looked at the info he received. "Sixty seconds." "Thirty seconds." "Ten... nine... eight..." "Sir, there us a ship coming out from hyperspace!" "What?" The mechanic voice was in the middle of the countdown when Brain warned Dageer. A slim ship, about half the size of the CR90 Corvette came out of hyperspace dangerously close to Hell Squad''s ship. "Five... four..." "Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers now!" However, it was too late. Even before Dageer had finished yelling, the cannons of the unknown ship had already fired. "Two... one..." The whole ship swayed, and clones and objects were thrown from one side to the other. As Dageer fell to the ground, he saw the pilot hit the control panel, and push the hyperspace lever. "Coordinates altered, initiating jump." The space around them distorted, and became white and blue lines. Dageer got up and went to the control panel. "Falco, how are you doing there?" "I bit dizzy, sir, but all right." "Do you where in the galaxy we are going?" "No, sir. The coordinates were altered in the last second. Until we are out of hyperspace, there is no way to pinpoint our location. But I can get us out of hyperspace as soon as you want." "Wait. First, scan the ship. Find out what is damaged. I don''t want us getting out of hyperspace only to find out that the ship will leave us dead in the space." "Yes, sir. It will need a few minutes." Seeing Falco and the co-pilots get back to their seats, and start scanning the corvette, Dageer went to find Brain. He found him, Tech and Cell putting some tools that went flying back in their places. "Brain. You saw the ship first. Who the hell was that?" "I don''t know, sir. It wasn''t like any ship I have ever seen." "Tech? Cell?" Both troopers shook their heads. Dageer was also lost. Who would attack a Republic fleet? The answer was obvious: the Separatist. But why would they use a single ship? That was suicide. Still, Dageer didn''t believe that the ship attacking right when they were jumping to hyperspace was a simple coincidence. But there was another thing bothering Dageer. Was Hell Squad''s ship the target, or was it just another coincidence? ------------------------ At one moment General Di''s fleet was there, the other it wasn''t. Only Hiigi''s ship was left in the space. Inside the c.o.c.kpit, Hiigi sat at the captain''s chair as immobile as a statue. Then, his mouth opened, like he was about to scream, but no sound came out. He smashed his fist at the control panel, and it passed straight through it, until it was elbow deep in the control panel. "Alarm! Alarm! Thermal signature 24.870 meters and approaching." Hiigi looked up, and saw two missiles coming from the moon below. Unperturbed, he pulled a lever, and his ship disappeared in hyperspace. ----------------------- "Damage report is ready, sir." "Tell me." "Engines 2 and 3 are dead. Engine 4 is slightly damaged, but it''s still working. Compartments A12 to B2 have all suffered some kind of damage. And we also lost our long-distance transmitter." "Any good news?" "The hyperdrive is still working, and we probably have enough fuel for another jump or two, no matter where in the galaxy we went. Also, the scanners are still up, and so are the defensive systems." "What about supplies?" "That is the bad part. Since we were moving the Phase II armors, most of the supplies were moved to The Sincerity for the sake of storage. We might have enough for four days, or a week if we split it." "Let''s hope we can find supplies here, wherever here is. Falco, take us out of hyperspace." "Yes, sir. Everyone, brace yourselves. Forcefully getting out of lightspeed can be a little bumpy." Falco couldn''t be more right. Even with his warning, when the corvette got out of the hyperspace, most of the clones almost fell, and stuff went flying again. "What are our coordinates?" "Just a minute, sir... we are in Sector B, Olinda System." "Any planets or settlements near?" "Yes. Iktotch. It is small, but our archives say it should be habitable." "Land on it. We will try to find the necessary supplies, and if possible, fix the transmitter." "Yes, sir." Dageer flipped through his datapad, trying to find out more information about Iktotch, but all he got was that it was a rocky planet. There were no intelligent beings, although lifeforms were abundant. But since there were animals, the clones would be able to at least get the supplies they needed. Hopefully, they would be able to fix the transmitter, or else they would have to travel all the way to the next Republic planet. ... Falco landed the CR90 Corvette on a rocky plateau. Just as they had expected, life flourished in Iktotch, but since the planet was so small and distant from everything, no race was interested in colonizing it. Dageer got out of the corvette, with his helmet on, just in case the air wasn''t breathable, but it was. Just near where they landed, a herd of horned creatures was grazing. "Lieutenant, start looking for the supplies we need. Hell Squad, let''s have a look around, see what we can find." "I am not sure there is much to be found. Our scanners detect nothing but this animals. There is a slight bigger signal to the west, but it is probably just more of them." "We have nothing to lose. It is going to take some time to get the supplies we need, so let''s go to the west. I have a feeling there is more to this planet than we think." "Uhmmm... all right." Chapter 127 - Mysterious Lizard Hell Squad cross the plateaus of Iktotch using their BARC Speeders. The vehicles were small, but very useful, so each CR90 Corvette had at least a few of them. They were mainly used for scouting, just what Hell Squad was doing at the moment. Leading Hell Squad, Dageer was driving the speeder at the front of their triangle like formation. There were two other speeders, each with two Hell Squad members on them, and another one driven by Tech, and slightly modified to have a bigger carrying capacity. "It is about three clicks to the west. We should be able to see it at any moment, whatever it is." Brain had to say that using the comlink, because of the noise caused by the wind. Dageer checked his scanners and suddenly shuddered. Ever since they had landed on Iktotch, Dageer had been feeling weird. Not in a bad way, though, but neither in an especially good. It was because of that feeling that he had left the ship as soon as they landed, and went after the big thing the scanners had captured. "Sir... sir!" He was pulled back from his thoughts by Cell, who had speed up his BARC Speeder, and was now by Dageer''s side. "Sorry, Cell. The wind is too strong, I couldn''t hear you. What is it?" "Just ahead of us, sir." Cell stretched his arm and showed something in front of Dageer. When he looked up, he saw that a strange rocky formation had appeared. It was big, and quite conspicuous, because it looked like it was about to cut a hole into the sky. Like a dagger, the rocks pointed to the sky above. Dageer wondered how he hasn''t seen it before, since it towered over everything else in the plateau. But it judging from Dab''s words, it seemed they also hadn''t seen it before. "It''s weird. It is like we could see it all the time, but it suddenly got much bigger." "The signal is coming from it. Sir, do you think there is something up there?" "Let''s go." Dageer didn''t answer Tech. He knew what they were looking for was in the rock spike. Although he himself did know what it was, he also knew it wasn''t a bad thing. ... When Hell Squad finally arrived at the bottom of the rock spike, they realized how big it was. When they entered its shadow, it encompassed the entire sky. Brain checked the scanners again, and sure enough, the signal was up the rock spike. "What do we do now, sir? We didn''t come prepared to climb a mountain." "There is no need to climb. Get back on the speeders. Circle it." The clones looked at each other. It seemed a little unusual for their usually cool-headed sub-commander to be so insistent at chasing what was most probably a flock of unintelligent creatures. However, Dageer did as he said he would, and got back on the speeder. Lifting a cloud of dust, he started circling around the rock spike, and eventually found what he was looking for. At the exact opposite side of where they first arrived, there was a very steep cleavage on the rock spike, but they could use it to get to the top. "How did you know this was going to be here, sir?" "I... I don''t know, Brain. I just... I knew it was here, for some reason." "Sir, are you okay?" "Yes. Quit talking, let''s get up there." Every clone shut up after Dageer ordered them to do so. Questioning a superior wasn''t something they usually did. Although they had to leave the BARC Speeders behind, it didn''t take them much time to get to the top of the rock spike. What they found up there, however, surprised them more than anything else. On top of the rock spike, in the middle of a rocky plateau, there was a house. Actually, it was more like a hut. It was shaped like a semi-circle, with a small chimney. The door was just a hole, and although it was day, and light should be shining inside the hut, Dageer could see nothing after the doorway. For all reasons, that hut shouldn''t be there. Iktotch was a planet that nobody ever colonized, so either the hut was property of some hermit, or the Republic archives were incomplete. Dageer was more inclined to think the first option was the correct one. "Tech, Metal, Dab, stay here. Brain, Cell, come with me." "Yes, sir." The weird feeling was stronger, and it was telling Dageer he didn''t need to worry, but he was more inclined to trust his experience. He would never enter a house with his guard down, especially when he wasn''t in friendly territory. His DC-15A loaded and ready, he crouched to enter the hut. The first thing he did, as soon as he crossed the doorway, was to aim his blaster at the immobile figure at the opposite end of the hut. Cell and Brain covered both his left and right. After making sure there were no threats, Dageer finally turned to the figure. It was vaguely humanoid, but instead of the skin that humans had, it was more like a lizard. Its scales were so white that they seemed to shine. It had a short neck, but a big head, with small and sharp teeth appearing on the sides of its face, even with the mouth closed. Also, it had a big tail that coiled around itself. "You... you are the same... and one..." When the lizard spoke, it didn''t open its mouth, but the sound reverberated inside the hut. Although it spoke slowly, Dageer could understand it. "Who are you? This planet doesn''t belong to any force." "I... I am me... you... you are you... but you are also them... and they are you..." The white lizard moved its tail, and pointed at Dageer, then Cell and Brain. Everything it was saying was confusing, but it was weirdly relaxing, to the point that the clones lowered their blasters. "Are you a native of Iktotch?" "Thyyrila... not Iktotch... Iktotch is the name you gave... my people... my planet... Thyyrila..." "So you are a native. We didn''t know there was an intelligent lifeform on this planet. Our ship is damaged. Is there anywhere we can repair it?" "We left... and now we are back... maybe it is because of you... maybe it is not..." "Sir, he isn''t making any sense." "Shhh!!! Let him talk. He is a native from Iktotch, he probably knows where we can fix the transmitter." "Many, many years ago... we left Thyyrila to find peace... but war found us before... now we are back... are you this war?" "Uhmmm? Are you talking about the Clone Wars? Yes, we are soldiers, on the Republic side." "Republic... Separatist... all pieces in a scheme... the dark lord watches and controls... we left because we couldn''t fight the dark lord... now we are back... yes... yes..." "Who is this dark lord? What do you mean by pieces in a scheme?" "You... I can feel the Force around you... not in you... around... following but never touching... watching but never moving... yes... you, you are important... but you will never change the future... you only moves towards it, another tool of the dark lord... but maybe... maybe..." Chapter 128 - Back To Work "You... I can feel the Force around you... not in you... around... following but never touching... watching but never moving... yes... you, you are important... but you will never change the future... you only moves towards it, another piece of the dark lord... but maybe... maybe..." This time, Dageer was utterly confused by what the lizard was saying. What did he mean by saying the Force surrounded Dageer? Wasn''t this the thing only jedis could use? But the lizard just ignored Dageer''s confusion. "You... you will have influence... for good or bad, only time can say... you need to be careful... using the Force is a blessing you don''t have, but it revolves around you... and it affects you and those close to you... you... you... be careful... go back, and be careful... be careful... be careful... be careful... be careful..." The lizard just repeated two words over and over again, but instead of getting upset, Dageer felt relieved. That was because the weird feeling he had been sensing all along had disappeared. He took another look at the white lizard, and saw it had closed its eyes, and was swaying in place. "Let''s go. There is nothing we can get from him." "Ehrmm... Sir, are you sure we can leave him like this?" "He had been here before we arrived. He will do just fine. Let''s go. We need to get back to work quickly. Our legion is probably already near the next target." "You give the orders." "Yes, I do. Move out." ... Hell Squad stopped the speeders near the CR90. As soon as Dageer got out of the speeder, Lieutenant Shield came to him. "Sir, we got the food we needed, but we are low in medical supplies. However, I don''t know if we can really find anything here." "You are right. Falco!" "Yes, sir?" "We are taking off as soon as possible. Fire up the ship." "Yes, sir." "Lieutenant Shield, come with me. Hell Squad, you too." Dageer ordered someone to get the BARC Speeders inside the cargo compartment of the CR90, and told a few clones to follow him. They moved through the corridors of the ship easily, and arrived at the command bridge. Dageer signaled to Brain, who went ahead and turned on the hologram projector. He typed on the table, and a blue hologram of a planet disappeared. "This is Mygeeto. A cold but important planet for both Republic and Separatist. And it is where our next battle will be. Just before we were attacked in Duracnar, Commander Keeli send me the battle plans. If the fleet followed standard protocol, after we split, they must have continued to Mygeeto. Our transmitter is broken, so there is no way to confirm this, but we are going to there, and hoping that they are on Mygeeto. Falco, are we ready to take off?" "Yes, sir." "Then do it. I sent the coordinates to the ship''s computer." "Yes, sir." The reason why Dageer wanted to leave Iktotch so badly was because of the lizard. He didn''t know if it was just coincidence that they had stopped at Iktotch and found the old white lizard, but it was getting harder and harder for him to believe in coincidences. So, he wanted to get off the planet as soon as possible. Besides, there was a battle in the galaxy waiting for them. "Any questions?" "Is there any blockade around Mygeeto?" Shield, the lieutenant, seemed to be worried about what was expecting them on Mygeeto. Dageer checked the datapad once again. "Yes. The fleet will already be engaging with it. We join the fleet, and get back to the action." "Any chance we can surprise them?" "What do you mean?" "Well... since the seppies are fighting our fleet, is there any way for us to appear behind them, or do something?" "Uhmmm..." Dageer would have liked to do something like that, but after racking their brains for almost an hour, they still couldn''t think of anything. By this time, the CR90 Corvette had already left Iktotch, and was in hyperspace. If nothing else happened, it should take them five days to get to Mygeeto. Hell Squad would then be two days late, but considering there was a Separatist blockade around Mygeeto, they probably would find General Di''s fleet still engaging with the enemy. ------------------------ With little to none bumping, the CR90 Corvette came out of hyperspace, and faced the usual scene of destruction that a space battle caused. It was at the same time much bigger, but also more insignificant than a ground battle. Cruisers, destroyers, frigates, battlespheres, starfighters and many other kinds of sh.i.p.s were torn apart and floating in the vacuum. Each ship that blew meant the death of hundreds, or even thousands of clones and droids alike. For those who used an escape pod, it was all down to luck. "Falco, connect us with The Sincerity." Now that they were close to the fleet, their short-range transmitter could finally be put to use. Shortly, General Di''s voice was heard. "Dageer! You made it back. Where in the galaxy where you?" "Sorry, general. When we were attacked, the coordinates on the hyperdrive changed. We were sent to Iktotch. It took us a little bit of time to get to here." "Now that you are here, join the fray. I will send someone to pick up you and Hell Squad. Let your ship join the formation." "Yes, sir." "You heard him! Falco, get ready to join the battle. Hell Squad, Lieutenant Shield, Tyrio and Faos, prepare to leave." "Yes, sir." "Hell Squad, come over here." Lieutenant Shield and the other two clones started packing up their weapons and armors. Meanwhile, Hell Squad formed up on Dageer. "Metal, Dab, grab that crate." The two clones followed his orders, and picked up the crate containing Hell Squad''s Phase II armor. Dageer opened it, and showed the contents to a surprised Hell Squad. "Hurry! Suit up. All the 303rd is already using the Phase II armor. We can''t be left behind. Everyone grab yours." ... A few minutes later, a Laat entered the hangar of the CR90. Very quickly, the clones boarded it, and left only the crew in the corvette. "Good luck, Falco." "To you too, sir." The Laat left the corvette. Thanks to them coming out of hyperspace away from the battle, their journey to The Sincerity was calm. After they arrived at the capital ship, Dageer saw that every clone inside the ship, be it infantry or crew was using brown armor that represented the 303rd. However, Hell Squad''s armor was vastly different from the standard one, and they caused quite an impression when they entered the command bridge. Chapter 129 - Hell Squad Armor Usually, just by walking around, Hell Squad would incite salutations from the other soldiers. Dageer was a sub-commander, so he was only under commanders and jedi generals. But all the other Hell Squad members, namely Brain, Metal Three-four, Tech, Cell, and Dab, were normal troopers, at least in rank. Nevertheless, because of their status as a special unit, most clone soldiers, and even low-ranking officers were respectful to them. So, like it was said before, there was always some kind of reaction when Hell Squad passed. But now, when they entered the command bridge of The Sincerity, every crewman and trooper stopped for a second before resuming their work. Dageer''s armor was the one which was almost entirely brown, with just a few white patterns. This clearly set him apart from the other members of Hell Squad, since their armor was mostly white, with the exception of Cell. As a scout, Cell had two requirements. He had to be quick and silent, and he couldn''t be noticed. So, his armor had even less white than Dageer''s. It was a mix of brown, red and white, with darker and lighter shades, and in random shapes. That way, he would be indistinguishable from the surroundings. To the right of Cell was Dab, carrying his DC-15x over his shoulder. As a sniper, he was way from the thick of the battle most of the time, so he needn''t worry about camouflage. His armor was the one with less paint, only a circle around his chest and back, and a small triangle in the back of his hand. Brain''s armor had the Republic symbol on the left chest, the right arm was painted all the way from the shoulder to the back of the hand, and the paint created irregular patterns on his right chest, making it seem like he had dipped his entire arm in a can of paint. The shins and feet of his armor were also brownish-red. On the left of Dageer were Metal and Tech. Metal''s armor was a tad more eye-catching than the others. It had a brown shoulder pad, a symbol of his identity as a heavy machine gunner. The paint job was composed of a vertical strip going all the way from his left-top to the left bottom, and encompassing about half his armor, and his entire left leg. Tech''s armor looked like paint was splashed in his chest, making an irregular circle. In fact, it was so similar to a splash of paint that it even had small stripes going down from it and into his legs, as if they were droplets. Of course, they couldn''t forget Three-four, who was still in the infirmary. Out of curiosity, Hell Squad had taken a look at his armor. It had the symbol of a Republic medic on it, but crossed over the symbol was a big line, going from the left shoulder to the right side. Its calves and back were also covered in paint, but with a clean spot in the middle. All in all, when Hell Squad entered the command bridge, it was quite the sight. They stopped in front of the hologram table, where Commander Keeli, General Di, Ragout and Admiral Dao were. Expressionless, Dageer took off his helmet and held it under his arm. "Hell Squad reporting for duty, general." "I see you liked your new armor." "It is good, general. General Ragout, commander, Admiral Dao." "Welcome, Dageer." "Dageer." "Sub-commander Dageer. I am glad you brought my corvette back intact." "Ahem... Dageer, you are aware of our battle plans to Mygeeto, right?" "Yes, general. Pass through the Separatist blockade, capture or destroy their airbases and hold our ground until the Galatic Marines arrive." "Good. Then there isn''t much to discuss. You and Hell Squad should rest. We will have to wait until we are on the planet to do anything." "Actually, general, there is something I wanted to tell you. About Iktotch." General Di frowned, and so did Admiral Dao and Commander Keeli. What Dageer did was highly informal. According to the protocol, he should have written a report, and handed it over to Commander Keeli, who would then decide whether or not to pass it to General Di. "Dageer, write your report, and give it to me. Then go get some rest. It appears you are tired." Commander Keeli broke the awkward silence, and said harshly. But for the first time, Dageer ignored his commander, and looked at General Di. The jedi seemed to sense something, and made a sign for Commander Keeli to stand down. "What is it, Dageer?" "We met someone at Iktotch, general. I didn''t recognize him, but when I searched our archives later, I found his species. An Iktotchi. The only thing is... they were supposed to be extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. But that wasn''t all. As soon as we found him, he started talking alone. At first we thought he was crazy, but..." "But what?" "He said something about the Force. And then about the war that is happening, and that it is all just because of the desires of a dark lord." "A dark lord? He said this whole galactic war is because if one person?" "Not like that, but... yeah, I think that was what he meant." "Uhmmm..." General Di went deep in thought. All the dissatisfaction he was feeling about Dageer had disappeared, replaced by a hard frown. Even his apprentice was serious. Suddenly, Dageer had the feeling General Di was sensing the same thing he had when he stepped into Iktotch. "When this battle here is over, I will go there to have a look. A dark lord... I need to talk to the council. Ragout, come with me." "Yes, master." Master and apprentice left the command bridge, even though the battle was still raging outside. As soon as they crossed the door, Commander Keeli approached Dageer. "What was that?! Sub-commander Dageer, you understand that is highly irregular, right?" "Yes, sir." "It is good the general took you seriously, otherwise you would be in big trouble. Bigger than now, I mean." "Yes, sir." "I want that report. Return to your quarters, you and your squad. Now." "Yes, sir." Dageer turned around, out his helmet back on and marched out of the command bridge. ------------------------ "Steel 5, you have two on your tail! Try to shake them off, I''m coming." Rozal spun his starfighter, dodging an incoming missile. Two Vulture droids were chasing a fighter of his battalion, and he was after them. His aim locked in one of them, and he pressed the trigger, sending a spray of blue lasers on the Vulture. The droid was hit, and was sent spinning off into space before blowing. After taking care of the other droid, Rozal set his eyes on a small Separatist transport ship. "Steel 1 to 7, form up on me! Target: transport cruiser on marking 109-983!" Chapter 130 - Intercepted Communications Chaos. That was the only word that could describe what the aftermath of the battle looked like. Just like always, debris and bodies filled up a small parcel of the space. In the distance, CIS Lucrehulk-class battlesh.i.p.s, Providence-class dreadnoughts, and Munificent-class frigates were guarding Mygeeto. It was difficult to tell the passage of time in the vacuum of space, but the number of destroyed sh.i.p.s was enough to make one understand that the Republic had been trying to breakthrough the Separatist blockade for quite some time. Without success. The 303rd had paid a hefty price, but all they had done was damage or destroy some sh.i.p.s. After noticing it was impossible to win, General Di had ordered the retreat. It was a wise decision. Even Dageer, who was a ground soldier, with zero experience in space combat, could see that the Republic was being crushed. It didn''t feel good, but it was the truth. ... Rozal was at the lower hangar, working on his ARC-170. There was a big blast mark on the turret, showing the interior of the starfighter. That was the position where his gunner, Spark should have been, but he had died instantly. And he wasn''t the only casualty that Steel had. They lost about one-third of their forces between dead and wounded. And when a pilot got wounded, that usually meant his fighter was also out of the fight. Steel Battalion hadn''t lost so many troopers and sh.i.p.s in vain, of course. They were the pilots with the most number of kills, including one dreadnought and two frigates. But considering the Republic made no progress, it all seemed useless. Rozal was working with a droid to take out the broken pieces of his ARC-170 when he saw a clone entering the hangar. "Sub-commander!" Rozal stopped what he was doing and saluted Dageer. It was even easier to recognize him now that he had his custom armor. "At ease. Rozal, I heard you lost Spark. He was a good soldier." "Thank you, sir." "This is your starfighter, right? Get another one. I want Steel Battalion on the air." "Sir?" "We intercepted a Separatist transmission that gave us some new info. Get your men on the air." "Yes, sir." After giving Rozal his orders, Dageer went to the other pilots. Minutes earlier, The Sincerity had intercepted a long-range transmission from Christophsis. Long story short, the Separatist troops on Christophsis were facing trouble with the 212th Legion, and needed reinforcements, which would come from Mygeeto. Apparently, the clanckers thought the 303rd wasn''t strong enough to break through their blockade, even if a few sh.i.p.s were taken away. Dageer couldn''t wait to prove them wrong. All the clones needed to do was make a hole in the Separatist blockade, and it would crumble. Dageer returned to the command bridge, and nodded to Commander Keeli. Everything was ready, now what they needed to do was strike the moment the Separatist left. Hell Squad leader had said it might be a trap, but General Di denied. According to him, it was possible to be a trap if they waited for too long, because the sh.i.p.s that had just left could return. But if they attacked the moment they left, the massive frigates and dreadnoughts wouldn''t be able to get out of hyperspace without a great deal of damage. The bigger the ship, the harder it was to turn or stop it. As the officers of the 303rd looked at the space outside, and the Separatist fleet, time seemed to pass slowly. Dageer had his arms crossed, and his eyes fixed on the enemies. Commander Keeli and Admiral Dao were moving around in the command bridge, the first barking orders, and the latter whispering them. General Di and his padawan, Ragout, were sitting on chairs, their legs crossed and eyes closed. Ragout had his mind empty, and was concentrating in feeling the Force. General Di, however, was contemplating the conversation he had with the Jedi Council. After reporting all Dageer told him to the council, he had been assigned the task of investigating Iktotch. Master Yoda went deep in thought when he listed to General Di. "The first time we heard of the dark lord, this is not. Find that being your soldier did, you also have to." "Yes, master." The first thing Ragout did after General Di finished the transmission was to ask about the dark lord. But his master didn''t answer him. General Di could sense something moving in the depths of the Force, and he didn''t like it. Returning to the present, General Di opened his eyes milliseconds before a crewman shouted. "Admiral! They are turning around. Five... no, six dreadnoughts, thirteen frigates. They are leaving through section 209-003, and about to enter lightspeed. There they go!" A huge section of the Separatist blockade split from the major force, and turned to one side before disappearing. Commander Keeli put two fingers in the side of his head, then pointed to the outside. Dageer nodded, and turned on his comlink. "Rozal, Hawk, Rip, get your boys on the air. Attack the nearest enemy ship. If you get no response, turn around immediately. If they send the Vulture droids, press the attack, backup will be arriving soon." Dageer gave the orders so naturally that it took a moment for the navy officers to understand that they seemed to be inverted. "Sir? Retreat if we have a free path, attack if we don''t?" "You heard me. Go." "Yes, sir." The hangar doors in three different cruisers, including The Sincerity, opened, and three different squadrons left. They left some spacing between themselves, but were all aiming for the nearest frigate. When they passed the three clicks mark, a cloud of Vulture droids flew towards them. Rozal dove straight into it, spinning his ARC-170 to avoid the incoming lasers, and blowing a path amidst them. "Sub-commander, we are facing opposition! Confirming orders! Do we press the attack?!" "Carry on. All sh.i.p.s, attack! Starfighters, get out there!" Admiral Dao answered for Dageer, and the fleet sprung into motion. The reason why they had waited for the Separatist counterattack was to confirm it wasn''t a trap. If they sent a squadron, but incited no response, chances were the Separatist were trying to lure the rest of the 303rd fleet. Once more, Dageer found himself with nothing to do but wait. The ground troops had to be prepared for two things in a space battle. Either board an enemy vessel, or be boarded. Meanwhile, their fates were in the hands of the starfighter pilots. Chapter 131 - Snow Explosions after explosions, some bigger, some smaller, happened all around the space, only to be instantly extinguished by the vacuum. Rozal already had a faltered battalion, and he was losing more and more men. But it was just his, and theirs, duty. Since the Republic was losing some, of course they were also winning some. Steel Battalion blew up their fourth target since the attack had started, and the Munificent-class frigate broke in half. That opened a clear path for one of the Acclamator-class cruisers to dive straight in between two badly damaged Separatist sh.i.p.s. The batteries on both sides of the cruiser opened up, tearing holes in the enemy sh.i.p.s. Each time one of the highly concentrated energy beams hit the sh.i.p.s, droids were sucked into space, screaming. Suddenly, one of the lasers hit an ammo deposit on a Separatist dreadnought. The capsules of tibana gas were very unstable, and couldn''t handle a direct hit. They blew up, and caused a chain reaction. Sequences of explosions started in the middle of the ship, and extended to both sides. In a few minutes, the command bridge lost its support, and crashed down on the top of the dreadnought, creating yet another hole. Without its ''head'' and ''fangs'' the massive ship started falling down, pulled by the gravitational field of Mygeeto. As the broken dreadnought entered the atmosphere, the friction caused it to catch on fire, and break down even more. The Republic cruiser, having gotten rid of one enemy, focused all its firepower on the other ship, and also destroyed it, although it took heavy damages. However, it had opened the path the clones needed. At The Sincerity, and a dozen other sh.i.p.s, the ground troopers were already on their Laats, and taking off. This time, General Di and his padawan were on the same gunship as Hell Squad. "Admiral, I''m leaving the fight up here to you. May the Force be with you." "Good luck, general." Laat after Laat left the Republic cruisers, and started to descend on the planet below. Some were shot down, but many more touches the ground safely, including the one Hell Squad was. Mygeeto was very different from any planet Dageer had fought in before. Geonosis and Rhen Var were desolate. Scarif and Mon Cala were full of water. Coruscant was a city, rather than a planet. Dantooine and Iktotch were flourishing with life. But Mygeeto was a cold, barren desert of snow. As soon as Dageer jumped out of the Laat, his legs burrowed into the snow, up to his knees. Dageer cursed. With snow that high, their movement speed would slow down tremendously. Luckily for them, they didn''t come under direct fire right after they landed, but had some time to form up. The objective was a small city called Tkila. Like most cities on Mygeeto, Tkila was built on the edges of a cliff, and it was mostly vertical, not horizontal. The natives of Mygeeto, a small, furry species called Lurmen, had been forced out of the planet by the InterGalatic Banking Clan. The Banking Clan had maintained a neutral position in the war for just enough time to get their assets out of Coruscant and the Core. After all their most valuable possessions were safe, they aligned with the Separatist, and started funding their large droid army. Mygeeto was one of the planets that the Separatist had ''given'' to the Banking Clan, without worrying that the Lurmen would complain. Since the Lurmen were pacifists, most of them had left the planet on their own volition, and those who didn''t were driven away. Of course, none of this mattered to Dageer. In his thinking, driving away the Lurmen was only another injustice the Separatist had committed. What really mattered to Dageer, was knowing how and where the Lurmen lived, because that would be his battlefield. As said before, the cities in Mygeeto were built on cliffs, and connected by bridges. The bridges had a handrail about waist-high, which was good for the small Lurmen, but just high enough for clones and droids to trip and fall. That being said, the bridges were also an open space, with no cover. Tkila, in specific, was just a small city, and as such, didn''t have a very big droid force. It had, however, one AAT, and two E-Web turrets that were causing many casualties. As another of his brothers fell by his side, Dageer lobbed a thermal detonator over his head, trying to hit one of the E-Webs, but it fell short. The detonator bumped on a piece of metal, and fell on the snow. When it blew up, dirt pieces of snow and ice were sent flying, partially covering the nearby droid units. One of them was even hit by a bigger shard, and fell in the snow. "We need to get closer! Go, go, go!" Commander Keeli rushed the clones, but the thick snow made moving fast difficult. Each step the clones took needed their knees to get up to waist level before stepping down again. But that was the case just for the clones. The jedi seemed to be unaffected, and were running as if they were on solid ground. Their steps were light, leaving only a small footprint on the snow. The droid sergeant commanding the AAT had already seen General Di and Ragout, and had focused the tank''s main cannon at them. Meanwhile, Hell Squad finally made it to the first building, a small hut that was slowly being transformed into a sieve by red lasers. There was a side benefit to officially stepping into Tkila, which was that they were out of the snow. The droids kept the streets clean of snow, so it wouldn''t hinder their movements, and this was now working in the clones favor. One knee on the ground, Dageer was just barely out of the sight of the droids. By leaning to the side, only his DC-15A and a part of his head were shown. Thankfully, the clanckers were never very good at aiming. Red lasers passing by his head, Dageer aimed at one of the E-Webs'' gunner. It was a long shot. He took a deep breath, and for a moment the noises and the surroundings seemed to vanish, and only his target remained in his vision. Dageer pulled the trigger two times in succession. Quite a distance away, the droid managing the E-Web was first thrown back after being hit in the chest, and a millisecond later his head acquired a new hole. Dageer had taken out the gunner, but it was for nothing, since another seppie took control of it. "The ammo box!" Cell also fired in the direction of the turret, but his DC-15S had a much shorter range, and less accuracy, so he missed. He did, however, spot the weakness of the E-Web. Chapter 132 - Coward Tank "The ammo box!" When Cell yelled that, Dageer''s eyes instantly looked for the ammo box of the E-Web. It wasn''t very difficult to find it, since it had to be close to the turret. The black box wasn''t a big target, but it was worth a try. Once again, Dageer aimed, took a deep breath and only then fired. The blue laser hit the ammo box, and made a hole in it, but it didn''t look like it affected the turret. He lowered his macrobinoculars, and saw that green mist was leaking out of the ammo box. It wasn''t what he was expecting for, but it would also work. He took three more shots. One missed, but the other two hit the target, and now the green mist was leaking profusely. Soon, the E-Web stopped working. No matter how much the droid controlling it pulled the trigger, not a single laser left the barrel. The green mist was, of course, tibana gas. When the tibana gas was transformed into ammunition, it had to be condensed into liquid. When that liquid entered in contact with the air again, it reversed to its original condition. With one of the turrets out of combat, the attack became a little bit easier. Just a little bit, because the AAT and the other E-Web were still active. "Ragout!" The scream from General Di cut the battlefield. Instantly, Dageer looked away from the droids, and to where the jedi was. That was a mistake, because if Brain didn''t pull him back to behind the building, he would have died. Firstly, Hell Squad''s leader saw General Di deflecting lasers while spinning, and cutting droids like they were nothing. Then, his eyes scanned the dirty snow, looking for the padawan. He found Ragout laying beside a hole that most likely resulted from an AAT round. The youngling wasn''t moving, but Dageer knew that being knocked away by a cannon blast was more than enough to make anyone unconscious. He himself had suffered from that. General Di was moving to his padawan, but he would have to cross the whole battlefield to get there. And the tank was still active. Seeing that, Dageer yelled at him through his comlink. "General Di! We will get General Ragout! You need to stop that AAT!" General Di looked over at Dageer, his thoughts conflicted. His emotions were telling him to disregard the battle, and go after his apprentice. But the rational, and calm, part of his mind knew that he couldn''t do that. Dageer''s tipped the balance, and he started running towards the AAT. After he told his general he would rescue the padawan, Dageer didn''t even wait to see what the jedi would do. Followed by Tech and Cell, he ran to the padawan''s position, in open ground. As he left the outskirts of the city, the terrain changed from clean ground to snow once more. While dodging red lasers, Dageer got to the unconscious jedi. He grabbed the young Togruta, and put him over his shoulders. Securing Ragout with one hand so he wouldn''t fall, and his other hand holding his DC-17, Dageer made a sharp turn and started heading back. Thanks to Cell and Tech, he made it back safe and sound. Without much time for graciousness nor respect, he dropped Ragout on the ground. Brain checked the pulse of the padawan, and nodded. Dageer turned on his comlink. "He is just unconscious, general!" However, there was no response. Peeking from behind the building, Dageer saw that the jedi was too busy to answer. General Di was having a face-off with the AAT. He dodged one laser blast after the other, and was getting closer and closer to the tank. Seeing the jedi approaching, the AAT started retreating, instead of attacking. It was an awesome and at the same time awkward sight, a big AAT running away from one person. But the AAT was soon pinned down by General Di. It had retreated so far that it was at the bridge now, and all that it had behind it was an abyss. The tank stopped, but didn''t fight back even if General Di was just a few meters away. Dageer killed another droid, then walked out in the open, and positioned himself behind General Di. Commander Keeli and Hell Squad soon followed, as well Ragout, who had just woke up. The reason why the clones did that was that each and every clancker in Tkala had been killed, the only exception being the AAT. A few tense seconds passed as the clones surrounded the tank, and about ten RPS-6 Rocket Launchers were aimed at it. The hatch on top of the AAT opened, and a droid sergeant, recognizable by the blue marks, appeared with his hands up. "Ermmm... we would like to discuss the terms of our surrender." "Humph!" In response to the droid shameless surrender, all that General Di did was snort. With a lifting motion from his arms, the droid sergeant was pulled off the tank while screaming, and cut in midair by General Di''s lightsaber. Then, the jedi extended his hands, and the AAT creaked as pushed back by an invisible hand. The might tank, who could kill countless clones in a battle, fell in the abyss just like that. For a few seconds, it was possible to hear the sound of it crashing against rocks. "Don''t waste time. We are moving to the next Separatist outpost." It took a few seconds Dageer and Commander Keeli to assimilate what the jedi had said. They were still in awe for how he had handled the AAT. "Yes, sir!" "Cell, Gar and Hammer, take three speeders and scout ahead. Dab, Hurricane and Vigo, go with them, find a suitable spot." Dageer sent three teams, with the standard configuration of one scout and one sniper. They couldn''t afford to send much more than that, mainly because snipers and sharpshooters were few, even in an elite legion like the 303rd. The main reason why he sent them ahead wasn''t really to scout, but to position the snipers where they could take out enemy officers and other important units. In a small city like Tkala, Dab couldn''t find a spot to take out the E-Web gunners because he didn''t have the time to. ... The clones had been marching for half an hour waiting for the scouts'' report to come in. In the meantime, General Di had contacted Admiral Dao, but the fleet was still engaged in a fierce battle. Not long after that, they receive some intel from the clones ahead, and a few minutes later, reunited with the scouts. The first thing Cell did after they grouped was, of course, report to Dageer what he had discovered. "It is a normal seppie outpost, sir. High walls, spider droids, loads of clanckers and at least two AATs. Nothing unusual, as far as we can see." Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and looked at the outpost. It was just like what Cell said. By the amounts of droids he could see on the top of the walls, it was fully guarded. "Sir, I think I found something. Permission to shoot?" Chapter 133 - Title at the end, otherwise its spoiler "Sir, I think I found something. Permission to shoot?" Dab asked Dageer one of the weirdest questions he ever had heard. "Hold. Let me see it." Asking to shoot directly, without even identifying what it was. According to Clone Army regulations, a sniper would only ask that question when he thought that the unknown object was of a higher risk than alerting the enemies. And Dageer knew Dab for a long time. He wasn''t a rash soldier, otherwise he wouldn''t have been trained to be a sniper. Without wasting time, Dageer got to Dab''s position. He and two other clones were on top of a hill, directly facing the Separatist outpost. But there was something wrong. Their blasters weren''t aiming at the enemy base, but the huge open field between the 303rd and the outpost. "What is it, Dab?" "Look at the snow, sir. Anywhere you want." Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and swept his glare over the ground. As it was expected, it was all white, because of the snow. He could see droid footprints, and even signs of where the Dwarf-Spider droids had passed, following a path to the gate of the outpost. "I don''t see anything unusual. The snow seems clean. What do you want to shoot?" "That''s what I thought, sir. The snow is too clean. Why did they worry to follow all in the same trail? They even did some turns, when the gate was meters away from them." Dageer frowned, and looked at the outpost again. It was really as Dab said. The path the droid footprints created didn''t make sense. If Dab hadn''t warned him, he wouldn''t have noticed, and he doubted the others would. He searched in his mind what that could signify, and he arrived at only one conclusion. One he didn''t like. "A minefield." Dab nodded. "That is what I think. I locked onto something that could be a mine. Or just a stone. We can''t be sure." "Let me look at it." Dab got up, and Dageer took his place. He laid down with his belly on the ground, and looked at the so-called mine through the scope of Dab''s DC-15x. It was a gray spot in the middle of the snow, about forty meters away from the path. It was very inconspicuous, and out of the way. Unless someone - like Dab - was looking for it, it would be very hard to find. Dageer also couldn''t identify if it was really a mine or not. "Permission to shoot?" Hell Squad''s leader got up, and Dab asked again. "Wait. All troops, halt!" Dageer ordered a stop in the open channel, his order going to every clone, without even passing by the officers. Instants later, Commander Keeli contacted him. "What happened?" "We found what might be a minefield. You should get up here and see it by yourself, commander." "A minefield? That is bad news. Wait for me. Lieutenant Shield, bring the scanners." Soon, Commander Keeli arrived together with General Di and Ragout, as well as Lieutenant Shield. Dageer showed Commander Keeli where the mines were, and then showed it to the others. Lieutenant Shield programmed the scanners, but they captured nothing. Dageer wasn''t surprised, because he had the time to analyze the mines. "If it really is a mine, then it is most probably an ion mine." Commander Keeli went silent. The clones knew that ion mines were bad news, but the two jedis appeared quite confused. Well, Ragout appeared confused, and General Di frowned in a different way than he usually did. The clones already knew that this was his way to show he didn''t know or understand something. "What is an ion mine, and is it so bad?" Dageer was surprised, but then remembered that Ragout wasn''t a soldier, and ion mines were quite rare. It was normal that he and General Di didn''t know about it. "There are three types of military mines. The first are the big ones, used on space, usually on asteroid rings. The second are normal short-range mines. And the third are ion mines. They have a bigger radius than the normal ones, and they also send an electromagnetic wave that turns off communicators and vehicles. They are quite rare, mostly because they are expensive, and secondly because clanckers are also included in the things it turns off." Dageer gave a short but detailed explanation. He did this not because he wanted to show off, but because knowing more about your enemy and their weapons were always better. But General Di still wasn''t satisfied. "The scanners showed nothing, but I can sense you are still worried." Commander Keeli answered for Dageer. "Ion mines also have another feature. They are almost undetectable, unless you are very close to them. In that case, they usually had already blown up. But they also have a downside, aside from the costs. Because of their design, they have to be very close to the surface, so they only work only soft grounds, like snow or mud, where they can be buried with a small portion of soil. Also, as Dageer said, they are expensive. I doubt the clanckers here have more than a few of them." "You were discussing before we arrived, Dageer. How do you plan to get past them, even if they are what you think they are?" The jedi answered immediately, without needing to think much to arrive at a conclusion. Dab looked at Dageer, and when he saw his squad leader nodding, answered General Di. "I can shoot it, general, sir. It is the best way to know. If it explodes, it will alert them, but..." "But at least we will know what we are dealing with. Do it." General Di was very decisive. After getting a confirmation from Dageer and Commander Keeli, Dab aimed at mine, and shot. An explosion with a three meters radius happened, and it blew snow everywhere. Then, a blue circle about five meters followed, but since there was no one in the area, nothing more happened. With their suspicions comproved, the 303rd came to a total halt. The droids on the outpost obviously detected the explosion, but decided to stay barricaded in the walls. "Find and destroy all that you can." ... For the next hour, scattered explosions happened as the sharpshooters found and destroyed every ion mine they could find. When half an hour had passed without them finding anything more, Commander Keeli went to General Di with two options. There was still a battle happening in space, and the clones didn''t have that much time to spare. As Commander Keeli said, they could either come to a total halt, and risk losing Mygeeto, or they could advance, even if they lost some soldiers. The way Commander Keeli laid down the options didn''t really give much if a choice, and in the end, General Di choose the only real option he had. TITLE: MINEFIELD Chapter 134 - Captives Dageer would have liked if the clones could all follow the same path that the droids did, to enter the outpost. But doing that would cl.u.s.ter all the clones together, and they would be an easy target for the Dwarf-Spider droids and their laser cannons. So, at some moment, the 303rd would have to spread out. Dageer could only hope that Dab and the others had found all the ion mines, or at least most of them, otherwise it would be a massacre. As he stepped into the snow, Dageer was searching every corner of the path ahead with his eyes. He didn''t want any of his brothers to step on a mine, and he certainly didn''t want to step on one himself. It was when the clones were three hundred meters away from the outpost that the droids opened fire. As they had practiced thousands of times, the clones split, and advanced while returning fire. With his every time better accuracy, Dageer shot down a droid after another. The droid lines up the walls were being cut down faster than the clanckers could replenish them, but the 303rd was also suffering many casualties. The main culprits were the Dwarf-Spider droids, that could strafe a whole area in one blast. Although the clones were focusing their lasers on the spider droids, their armor could take a lot. At the same moment that one of the Dwarf-Spider droids finally died, an unlucky clone also detonated one of the ion mines that hadn''t been found. Three other clones were caught in the blast, which were quite few, considering the 303rd still was closely packed together. The second blast, the electromagnetic pulse, was almost harmless, only putting a few detonators out of use. Hear the screams of the wounded was always terrible, even more so when one couldn''t do anything about it. War was horrible, and it showed no mercy. Missing limbs, gaping wounds, soldiers bleeding to death... all of that was still better than the silence of the dead. After Kuvu''s death, Hell Squad didn''t get a new medic. A part of it was because they always had some 303rd trooper tailing them. Dageer was, after all, the sub-commander of the 303rd. The other reason was that deep inside, Hell Squad thought that having another trooper that wasn''t part of their squad would slow them down. That was arrogance, but they had earned the right to be arrogant. So, when they heard the injured crying, Hell Squad kept their heads down and carried on. They didn''t like it, but their job was to attack. Another two or three ion mines exploded before the vanguard reached the walls of the outpost. They killed a dozen men when combined, but the number of troopers that reached the walls was more than enough. "Just like Thule, right, Dageer?!" By his side, also flattening himself against the wall, was Commander Keeli. Dageer shook his head. "All I remember of Thule were two crazy men going against an entire base by themselves. At least this time we have more men." "I am glad we brought more hooks this time. On three!" A row of about twenty clones, including Hell Squad, put their DC-15As on their backs, and pulled out hooks. Quickly, they started climbing, and breached the outpost using the windows. As soon as they let go of the cables, more clones started climbing them. In a few minutes, an entire section of the wall had been taken. It might also have something to do with the fact that two jedis were helping them. ... Dageer was organizing some clones to move the dead droids out of the way when Tech came to him. "Sir, General Di asked you to go to the prison area." "What is it about?" "I don''t know, sir." "Shield, Fondor, get this base clear. We won''t advance anymore. Let''s wait for the Galactic Marines. They will take it from here." The Galactic Marines were another elite legion, lead by Commander Bacara. Their general was jedi master Ki-Adi-Mundi. Both general and commander were known for their aggressiveness and relentlessness in battle. They were the legion assigned to Mygeeto, but since the 303rd was close, the Senate decided to send them as the first wave. The results weren''t great, as the clanckers had to remove some troops from the sector before they could breakthrough. The prison was just a small bunch of cubicles, hardly enough for someone to survive. Dageer doubted that the droids actually wanted anyone to live. They didn''t take prisoners. What he discovered when he entered, however, was that he was wrong. There were not one, but three prisoners, all clumped up in one single cell. General Di and Ragout were talking with the prisoners. They were one human, a rodian and a duros. When General Di saw Dageer, he introduced the prisoners. "Dageer, those are Bonde Lee, Onaconda Farr and Terato. They are Republic senators. Senators, this is Sub-commander Dageer." The rodian, Onaconda Farr, nodded to Dageer. His dark blue eyes seemed to have stars on it, and although the senator was a prisoner bot long ago, he appeared very calm. The others weren''t as calm as him. Bonde Lee, the duros, was sitting on the ground and grabbing his head, while Terato, the human, was talking without a pause. "Thank you so much, master jedi. I don''t know what those horrible droids would have done to us if you did not come. I own..." General Di just ignored the blabbering of the senator, and turned to Senator Farr. When Terato saw that he was being ignored, he slowed down and eventually started muttering to himself. "Master Di, we really need to thank you. I didn''t think the Republic would send a jedi for us." "The Republic didn''t. It was entirely coincidental. In fact, I wasn''t even informed you were captured. That is why I need you to tell Dageer the details." "Ohhh... We were going for a meeting on Naboo, when our ship was attacked by that Separatist sc.u.m. All our escort was killed, and we were captured." "Do you know what they wanted with you, senators?" "No. We were brought here, and they said nothing more. In fact, where is here? It is so cold." "You are on Mygeeto. And in the middle of a Republic invasion." "What? That is not even close to our route! Why would they bring us here?" "That is what I want you to tell me, senator. Meanwhile, you better get some warm clothes." When he heard Dageer say that, the duros, who had been sitting on the ground quietly, suddenly got up, yelling. "Why? We need to get out of this planet now! Now!" Dageer frowned. Bonde Lee''s eyes were shifting from his face to the entrance, to the others. That were the eyes of a terrified man. Chapter 135 - Secret Dageer wasn''t the only one who found Bonde Lee''s attitude weird. Onaconda Farr was also looking at the duros with sharp eyes. "My dear Lee, is there something you want to tell us?" "N-No... I... I am just..." "Afraid? We all are. Maybe you should take a rest." "Y-Yes... Thank you, Senator Farr." The duros left the room quickly, all the while holding his hands near his chest, his feet dragging on the ground. Dageer intended to stop the man, but Senator Farr glared at him, stopping his actions. As soon as Bonde Lee left, Dageer called Brain. This time, Onaconda Farr didn''t oppose to his actions. "I want a two-man escort with the senators at all times. And I want one of us with the Senator Bonde Lee. Keep an eye on him." When he said us, Dageer wasn''t talking about the clones in general, but Hell Squad. After giving his commands, Hell Squad''s leader turned to the rodian. "Senator, I need a good explanation, or I am arresting both you and Senator Lee." "I want to talk with Master Ima-Gun Di." Onaconda Farr didn''t flinch, even under the threat of being arrested. His eyes stared straight at Dageer''s, and for a moment the clone felt like he really should call General Di. Then he shook his head. "The general ordered me to stay with you and the other senators. If you have anything you want to say, you can say it to me." Senator Farr glanced at Dageer, then smiled. He approached Dageer, and took his hologram projector, without caring that the clone had almost aimed his blaster at him. Of course, Dageer would never do that unless he was ordered to, because as a senator, Onaconda Farr was much higher in the command chain than him. Using the hologram projector, Senator Farr showed Dageer a path between two star systems. "Sub-commander, that was the path our ship was supposed to take..." Using his finger, he changed the path to another one, that followed the same line most of the time, but at the end diverged completely. "And that was the path it actually took. Can you tell me what is wrong?" Dageer didn''t answer. The senator was clearly on the Republic side, but he was just too cunning. He remembered Dageer of the jedis, but without the crushing feeling that the Force provided them. "Someone altered our route. Someone from the inside. If such person really did so, then I have reasons to believe he will try to contact the Separatist again." Once more, Dageer kept his thoughts for himself, and let Senator Farr continue talking. The rodian didn''t stop, as if he was already expecting Dageer to agree to everything he said. "I believe you know what we should do if we catch him contacting the Separatist. I and the Senate are very much interested in knowing if and why a senator betrayed the Republic." Senator Farr walked past Dageer, and left the prison area. For someone who was used to all the comforts of life, he had dealt with his short capture just fine. Seeing the rodian disappear in the stairway, Dageer gave the prison one last look before talking in his comlink. "Brain, change of plans. I want four men with every senator. You and Tech take turns with Senator Lee, and have Cell follow Senator Farr, without anyone noticing. I have reasons to believe he might be a target." ----------------------- Two weeks passed by, each day marked by a deadly battle after another. Many things had happened in those two weeks. The Galactic Marines had arrived, and one or two of their cruisers had forced their way through and landed on Mygeeto, and reinforced the 303rd. The Sincerity had taken severe damage, and was forced to leave the combat. The battle in space had entered a stalemate, and while the Separatist couldn''t totally repel the Republic, the latter also couldn''t break through the blockade. Meanwhile, the troops on the ground, although reinforced by Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and Commander Bacara, could at most enter a war of attrition with the droids. It was a battle fated to last, and the clone commanders knew very well that it could continue until the Clone Wars were over. Being tied to the ground, the clones couldn''t send the rescued senators away. So, Bonde Lee, Onaconda Farr and Terato were forced to follow the clone army wherever they went. On those two weeks, Senator Lee hadn''t tried to contact anyone, but each day he seemed more and more terrified. Dageer also received reports of Senator Farr talking with him several times, but when he or General Di questioned the senator, he said he still hadn''t discovered anything. But now Dageer hadn''t the time to worry or ponder on that. He was in a precarious situation, caught between a rock and a hard place. The city that the clones were currently holding was attacked, and they were forced to retreat. On the confusion, Hell Squad and thirty-odd clones were left behind. Well, it wasn''t totally accurate to say that they were left behind. Their path of retreat was cut off by a bunch of clanckers, but if they could force their way through, Commander Keeli had some men waiting for them. Situations like that were the ones on which Hell Squad was most proficient. "Watch south!" Peeking from behind a house, Dageer heard the soldier''s warning, and crouched just in time to dodge the lasers fired by two B1 battle droids. From the same position, he returned fire, and took out the droids. Urban combat was very favorable to the clones. Clanckers weren''t good at dodging or hiding, but at firing without stop. On an open field, the Separatist had the absolute advantage, but inside a city, Dageer was confident to force his way out. "Sir, destroyers, two hundred meters south!" Amongst the men that Dageer had with him were Berro and Shield, and the first had just spotted three Droidekas at the far end of the street. "Lieutenant, we don''t have time for this! Deal with it quickly!" The lieutenant grabbed an RPS-6 - a bazooka - from his back, knelt to get more stability, and fired the rocket. The blue ball of destruction struck the destroyers right on the middle of their group, and exploded. Their energy shields could protect them from most types of lasers, but not from a ball of fire like the one that engulfed them. Lieutenant Shield dropped the RPS-6. Usually, a powerful and expensive weapon like that wouldn''t be used to deal with mere Droidekas, but the clones were running out of time. "Keep going!" // Author''s Note // Well guys, here I am again, after a two weeks vacation. If any of you want to know, it was amazing. But that is not what I am here to talk about. I know I have used a lot of excuses for not updating (all of them true, but I might have been able to publish if I was a little more persistent), but this is the last one. I knew this moment would arrive eventually, and I am not happy it is now, but I can''t promise a consistent release schedule anymore. I''ve been studying a lot, and I have to focus on it even more now. I know many of you will be angry, and maybe even stop reading my novel, but I ask you to at least leave it in your library. I will update when I can, and I won''t rush it, because I want to guarantee the quality. Before anyone leaves a stupid comment of sorts, I want you to remember the synopsis, because I said there that Broke: A Clone Wars Tale was a project I couldn''t guarantee stable releases. Just to finish my note, I want you all to know I really do appreciate your support, and that the novel won''t stop. Please, give it a chance and leave it in your library. May the Force be with you. Chapter 136 - Backstabbing The safe passage that the few clones that Dageer was leading had was just a small bridge. The city they were at the moment was split into two, an east and a west part. At the moment, Commander Keeli and some troopers of the Galactic Marines were holding the east city, and half a platoon, under the command of Galactic Marines'' sergeant Rothax, was waiting for Hell Squad and the others on the bridge. The entrance of the bridge was just big enough for two men to pass side by side, and just like any other part of the city, it was under heavy attack. Dageer saw about fifteen clones, using the characteristic red and white armor of the Galactic Marines. "Hurry up! We are outnumbered!" Rothax, the sergeant, saw Dageer and the others arriving, and urged them. The 303rd clones stopped shooting back, and just ran to the bridge, losing one or two men on the process. They were only twenty meters away from the bridge, and from rescue, however, they were destined not to have it. "Who is that?" "What?" Dab shouted, and drew Dageer''s attention to someone in the middle of the bridge. The person pulled an old K-7 Watchman blaster pistol from under his cloak, and fired at the back of the clones. Without any chance to react, the galactic marines were shot down one after the other. Before dying, Rothax tried to turn around, but was shot in the head, and fell from the bridge, his body lost in the snowstorm below. Suddenly, there were two small explosions, one on either side of the bridge. It started shaking, and the person turned around and left it right before it fell. With rumbling and tumbling sounds, the escape route of Hell Squad, and the remaining twenty clones was lost. Dageer was still looking to the rising dust when he heard the robotic voices of the droids. "Stop! Surrender!" Slowly turning, Dageer saw dozens, maybe even a hundred droids around the small group of clones. For some reason, the droids were not firing, and so, the clones also stopped. They all came closer together, prepared to make their last stand. "Sir... it was an honor serving with you." "There is no need to say that yet, Berro. It is only a few dozen clanckers, we can take care of them with our eyes closed." "There are a lot more than a few dozen..." Berro, Shield, and Cell tried to make the situation seem a little less dire, but the truth was that the number of clanckers was only growing. No matter what they said, there was nothing they could do to change their destiny. "Surrender, Republic sc.u.m!" "Captain, I thought we didn''t take prisoners?" "Quiet, sergeant. This is a secret, we can''t let anyone know this." "Errr... they heard you, captain." "Bzzz... that is your fault, sergeant! Take them." Following the captain''s orders, the droids started approaching the clones. When those were almost firing, and consequently provoking their doom, Dageer ordered them to stand down. "Sir, are you sure?" "It is better than dying outright. At least we might be able to... Arghhhhh!" Before Dageer was able to finish his sentence, a droid hit him with an Electropole. Light blue energy stripes ran across his body, and he passed out. At almost the same time, the same thing happened to the other clones. Before long, the unconscious clones were laying on the ground, and B2 super battle droids picked them up by their feet, and dragged them away, without caring if their heads were hitting rocks and rumble on the way. ------------------------- Bonde Lee was a senator for the Duros faction, but he had never been able to do much for his people. One day, while on a diplomatic mission, his ship was captured by the Separatist, and his life threatened by the one he least expected. Luckily, he had been saved by the clone army, and thought that everything would end well. But now, the same clones that had saved him were aiming their blasters at him. "I-I don''t understand what is happening. Wh-Why are you doing this? I did nothing. I am on your side!" "Are you, my dear Lee? We saw you blow that bridge, and leave those poor troopers to die. We have been watching you talking with the enemy for quite some time now." A person using purple robes walked from the midst of the clones. Senator Farr still had the same expression as he always had, but his eyes carried a dangerous glint that Bonde Lee never expected the usually kind rodian to have. "Senator Farr, I- I... You... Please..." "Arrest him." Two galatic marines grabbed the stuttering senator, and took him away. Seconds later, General Di arrived. He looked at Senator Lee being dragged away, and then at Senator Farr, but said nothing. Without anyone noticing him, he left, and went to his chambers to meditate. ------------------------ "Kill... Jedi... Jedi... Kill..." "Muakakakaka...!!!" "Kill..." "Kill..." "Kill..." "Kill... Kill... Kill!!!" "KILL!!!" "Urgh...!" Dageer woke up, his head hurting. He tried to support himself and stand up, but his hand slipped in something soft, and he fell down again. "Uhmmm..." He looked down, and saw the same men that had been with him on the bridge, and about two dozen more. They were all on a prison cell, but it wasn''t dark and claustrophobic like others he had been to. Instead, there was a whole wall missing, and after it was cold, blowing wind. Dageer walked till the edge of the abyss, and saw why nobody worried about building a wall there. The wind was so strong that anyone who tried to escape by there would fall to his death. "Brain. Wake up. Wake. Up." Dageer kicked Brain, and the clone started moving. It was only then that Dageer noticed that they were all without their armors and helmets. "Wake the others. See how many we are." Slowly, all the clones woke up. In total, there were seventy-three captured soldiers. Surprisingly, none of them was injured. Or maybe the droids only captured those that were of use to them. What use was that, Dageer still didn''t know. "Sir, any idea of why they captured us?" "I know just as much as you do. But I bet we will know soon. The seppies are here." A group of standard B1 battle droids opened the cell, and started pulling and pushing the captives. "Walk, Republic sc.u.m. You have work to do." "Keep walking." "Sir, we could try..." "Stop whispering. Walk!" The droid used his E-5 to hit Metal, and force him to move. Dageer knew what his subordinate was thinking, but there were too many droids, and the clones were unarmed. Dageer shook his head. Now was not the time. Chapter 137 - Poisonous Flower The droids led the captured clones through tunnels and bridges, until they found themselves on a snow valley. The clanckers didn''t hesitate to give some ''incentive'' to the clones, so most of them arrived at the valley with a few more bruises than when they left their cell. They were astonished by what they saw when they got to the valley. Half buried in the snow, a massive structure was being revealed. It was triangular, made of rocks and hundreds of meters tall. And by the looks of it, it wasn''t totally in sight yet. But Dageer''s attention soon shifted to the people working on the building. Hundreds of clones were digging in the snow under the watchful eyes of heavily armed droids. Those clones were supposed missing in action, and most likely dead. "Keep walking, clone." A droid pushed Dageer, making him trip and fall in the snow. Without the thermal isolation properties of the Phase II armor, he soon started to feel cold where his body touched the snow. Metal and Cell almost reacted when their commander fell, but Dageer stopped them with a nod. He got up, and continued walking. Soon, he and the other clones were given a bucket and a shovel each, and ordered to dig. Those who complained were brutally repressed. "I am the sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion. Who is the highest-ranking officer here?" When he had the chance, Dageer approached one of the clones who were already at the snow valley. It was obvious that the soldier was so tired that he could barely walk, but he still gave Dageer a standard military salute. "Captain Narza from the 303rd legion, and Captain Hilix from the Galactic Marines, sir." "Narza is here? We thought he had died." "He is all right. At least as much as any of us can be here." In a way that didn''t alarm the droids, the clone brought Dageer to the other side of the building. There, Captain Narza and another clone who identified himself as Hilix, were digging in the snow. "Sir! You were also captured?!" "I certainly ain''t here by choice. It is good to see you are alive, Narza. We were almost choosing a new captain for your company." The captain from the Galactic Marines, Hilix, saluted Dageer quietly, and looked at him expectantly. After a few seconds, Dageer realized that the captured clones were hoping for news about the battle raging on the rest of the planet. There was no way the clanckers would let them receive any news from the outside. "Everything is the same as before. We conquer a city, they take it back. We destroy an outpost, they build another." "Ohhh..." "You have been missing for almost a week, Narza, so you don''t know about it, but things are looking dire now. The clanckers have been beating us back to our original bases, and we even lost some of them. I know what you are thinking, but don''t expect rescue any time soon." "I wasn''t thinking about getting rescued. We have you, sir, and Hell Squad, with us." It was curious. No matter how dark and desperate things seemed, as long as a person had somebody he or she could trust, it wouldn''t be afraid. Clones were by no means unrealistic, but Captain Narza had seen Hell Squad do so many impossible things, and survive so many dire situations, that even though he was half-joking, there was still some hope on his eyes when he spoke. Even Captain Hilix, who was from a totally different legion, had heard about Hell Squad. Dageer didn''t know it, but since Hell Squad was one of the first special units to be created, they had been used as a model for many others, and so, many of their achievements and battle stories were circulating amongst the clone army. "Ohhh... it looks like we have someone important here. Am I right, sweetie?" Right beside Dageer''s ear, awfully close to him, a woman''s voice said those otherwise normal words. Dageer shivered when he heard the creepy voice, and turned around immediately, raising his elbow to where he thought the head of the person was. It was a movement all clones trained when they were cadets, and it had a lot of strength to it, usually enough to throw the attacker away, or at least to know it a few steps back, so the clone had more time to react. But when his strike, which was supposed to knock the opponent away, hit the person, Dageer felt as if he had hit a wall. The person didn''t move in the slightest, and Dageer felt cold fingers wrapping around his arm. "Now, honey, that is not how a man should treat a lady." Despite speaking calmly and with a sweet voice, the woman showed no mercy, and twisted Dageer''s arm hard. Grimacing in pain, his whole body bent, and he had to use sheer willpower not to kneel. Narza, Hilix and all the other clones tried to help Dageer, but were thrown away by an invisible force. Most of them had either passed out, or were too dizzy to get up. Dageer recognized the attack instantly. It was the Force, the same thing General Di and his padawan used. This meant... "A jedi?!" Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, because the hand gripping his arm exerted more strength, and twisted harder. With a sickening sound, his shoulder and elbow broke at the same time. No matter how strong his willpower was, Dageer was unable to endure such pain without making a sound, and screamed loudly. The droids might be dumb, but seeing clones being thrown in the air, and hearing Dageer''s scream, they quickly surround the prisoners and the woman. "Wait! Who are y...!!! I am sorry, milady!" A droid sergeant started yelling, but when he saw who the woman was, he stopped mid-sentence, as if his circuits were broken, and then became much more respectful. Ignoring the sergeant, the woman commanded them coldly. "Bring this one to level A-3, and find the other members of a Hell Squad. Immediately, or you die." "Yes, milady." Two droids grabbed Dageer, without care for his broken arm. Amidst the increasing pain that was clouding his eyes, Dageer saw the attacker. A slender body, wrapped in tight-fitting clothes, showing off her body. Her skin was white, but not as much as the snow. Depending on the angle, sometimes it got a little red. A sinister red. She was bald, and had bright red lips, with two dark blue stripes on each side of her mouth. If Dageer had to describe the feeling she transmitted to him, it was that of a beautiful but poisonous flower. He had no doubt she could, and would, kill him at any time, without any remorse. Chapter 138 - Sith Assassin When Dageer woke up again, he found himself floating in the middle of a room. His legs, and his left arm were tied by anti-gravity locks. His right arm wasn''t tied, but considering it was broken in at least two places, it might as well have been. Groaning, he tried to move his body to look around the room, and found out that if he leaned to one side, the locks would move with him, and his whole body turned. Next to him, seven other clones were chained just like him. Narza, Hilix, Dab, Metal, Brain, Tech and Berro. Thinking of what the woman said before he passed out, Dageer found it weird that Cell wasn''t there. The first thing that came to his mind was that he had been killed. Cell had always been impulsive, and without Dageer to command him, he might have tried to fight back against the powerful woman. "You are awake, sir." Tech saw Dageer moving, and turned slightly to talk to him. Dageer was about to ask what happened to Cell when he saw a warning on Tech''s eyes, and swallowed his words. It was only when Tech turned back that Dageer saw the mysterious woman leaning against a wall. Tech had used his body to cover the woman''s view, and to stop Dageer from talking. Presumably, Tech knew that he would ask about Cell. It was a long shot, but Dageer thought that maybe, Cell was still alive, and had somehow escaped from the hunt for Hell Squad. "Ohhh... you are awake! Had some good dreams, I hope?" Smiling, the woman approached, walking slowly, almost hypnotically. She caressed Dageer''s belly, chest, arms, neck, and finally his face. Although she was always smiling, Dageer felt a sense of danger bigger than any he had ever had. Suddenly, her soft hand became hard, and she grabbed his cheeks. He struggled, but her hand remained unmoving. "Now, what should I do with you?" "Who are you? A jedi?" Her hand moved so fast that none of the clones saw it. With a loud sound, a red handprint appeared on Dageer''s face. His whole body shook from the impact, and he felt blood inside his mouth. Still, he kept his eyes locked onto hers. "Don''t... ever... compare me to those filthy animals. Or I will kill you." Blood started dripping from his mouth, but Dageer suddenly smiled. He liked the angry woman more than the cold and smiling one. At least he could read her better. "Sorry... I shouldn''t compare you with the jedis. They are honorable, and much better than you can ever be. So who are you? I never saw a Force wielding seppie." This time he really succeed in pissing off the woman. She turned around as if she was leaving, then punched not him, but Tech. His brother instantly passed out, but white foam trickled in the corners of his mouth. "Tech!" "Tech!" Brain and Metal tried to free themselves, to no avail. When the woman turned to Dageer again, she had a smile on her face. "My name is Asajj Ventress, clone. Make no mistake, if I could you would be dead already, just for talking back to me. Unfortunately for you, you might have some useful information. If you don''t give it to me willing, I will have to take it my way. You will ask for me to kill you, sc.u.m." Giving Dageer a last stare, Ventress left the room. With a tacit understanding, the clones waited a few minutes, to make sure she wouldn''t come back, or that anyone listening to them wasn''t paying that much attention. "How is Tech?" "He will be okay. How is your arm, sir?" Everyone could see that his arm wasn''t doing well. It wasn''t just hanging by his side, but also swollen. Dageer wasn''t one that enjoyed being taken pity upon, and injuries like that were too common for the clones, so he just ignored it. "Cell?" "The clanckers came for us, they knew that Hell Squad had seven members, but not who we were. We stayed quiet at first, but..." "They killed Trap. Then that Ventress said she would kill us all one by one unless Hell Squad showed themselves. It took some time to convince her that Three-four wasn''t here." "Get straight to the point. What happened to Cell?" "He was about to turn himself in when Berro here decided he wanted to die, and said he was Cell." Dageer looked at Berro. The clone was serious, but he didn''t seem to be ashamed. He had no reason to, because all he had done was protect a brother. And Dageer had to agree that Cell was more useful outside than he would be hanging from the ceiling like Dageer and the others. ... Dageer didn''t know how much time elapsed, but he was starving. If the droids waited for too long, the clones wouldn''t be able to give them information even if they wanted to. Of course, Dageer preferred to be dead than to betray the Republic. As if reading his mind, the door opened, and a cleaning droid modified to carry plates appeared. It was clumsy, but somehow, it managed to feed the clones. It was very insulting to be feed by a droid, but it was better than dying, and the clones couldn''t eat by themselves, since all their limbs were tied. Many hours later, the door opened again. Dageer was sleeping even in such an uncomfortable position, but as a soldier, he woke up when he heard something. Ventress walked into the room, complacent as always. She stretched her had and touched Dageer''s face intimately. He was disgusted. "Dageer, right? I need you to tell me everything you know about the Republic operations on Mygeeto." "No" Dageer sneered. There was no chance he was going to tell her about his own squad, whatsoever about their operations on Mygeeto. Still, it should have been pretty obvious, what the Republic wanted. "Tell me... what do you want on Mygeeto..." Ventress showed her palm, and waved it in front of Dageer. Suddenly, he felt dizzy. Ventress, the room, the other clones, everything, became blurred, and covered by darkness. "Tell me... Tell me... Tell me..." He heard Ventress'' voice over and over again. At first, he denied her request, but after time, her voice became softer, and it also didn''t look so bad as before. What could happen if he told her this little information? In fact, he wasn''t even sure why he thought Ventress was bad. "Mygeeto... is an important location. We came here to take it from the Separatist." Chapter 139 - Mental Breakdown "Only that?" "Y-Yes." Dageer frowned, thinking that something was wrong. He vaguely remembered that he could not say anything to anyone. But there was nothing wrong if he told Ventress, right? After all, the Republic''s intention on Mygeeto were pretty obvious. "What do you know about the sacred Temple of Asheress?" "Sa-Sacred temple?" Dageer shook his head. He knew nothing about this Asheress temple. "Sir!" "Sir!" Something was bugging Dageer. There were several faint callings for him, but he couldn''t understand them very well. Dageer''s eyes were rolling inside his eye sockets, but when his brothers started calling for him, they started to gain focus. Sensing her control over him get weaker, Ventress became upset. "Shut up!" Dageer couldn''t see clearly what she did, but the clones stopped yelling, and her voice became louder, throwing him back in confusion. "You will tell me about the Sacred Temple of Asheress." "I-I am going to tell you about... the sacred temple... sacred temple..." Dageer searched his memories, but he had never heard of this Sacred Temple of Asheress. Ventress started to get frustrated. "Why are you a sub-commander if you know nothing?" Useless..." Ventress was more and more upset. Suddenly, Dageer felt pain. Incredible pain. He felt as if his head would break in half, or as if someone was hammering it. He struggled, trying to free himself from the pain. "The jedi... the one you work for. Tell me about the jedi." Jedi. That was the only word that he understood. Maybe it was because his mind was almost breaking, but his nightmares came back to him. In his head, the word ''jedi'' echoed over and over again, while an evil laugh sounded. Only that this time, it wasn''t a male voice, but Ventress''. "General... General Di... he... he is..." "Sir, no!" Somehow, Berro yelled. Before, nothing that Dageer said was critical, but any information about the jedis was extremely classified. Inside his head, Dageer knew he couldn''t tell Ventress anything, and was struggling to free himself from her control. Berro''s yell was all he needed. The pain he was feeling, the words that Ventress was uttering. Being forced to think about General Di had brought all his nightmares forward, and it all melded into one, big ball of pain and darkness. The mist clouding his eyes faded, but the pain only became stronger. Struggling for breath, he saw his men looking at him, and Ventress glaring ferociously. Fear rose from deep within his heart. That woman was able to torture someone like that without even touching them. She almost made him, a battle-hardened soldier, spill classified information. She was terrifying. Seeing him wake up from his trance, Ventress decided to take a more violent approach. She was a few meters away from Dageer, but when she stretched her arm, he felt pressure on his throat. Veins and sinews showed in her hand, as if she was exerting incredible strength. As her grip became stronger, so did the force on Dageer''s neck. Soon, he wasn''t able to breathe. "Tell. Me. Everything!" He started floating towards her, the only thing holding him being the chains with which he was tied. His vision started turning red, purple, and then black. Probably sensing that she was about to kill Dageer, Ventress released some pressure, just enough for him to barely breath and speak. Once more struggling to breathe, Dageer locked his eyes with Ventress. Small veins had ruptured on his eyes, due to the lack of air. "Don''t test my patience, clone." "Ufff... Cough... Cough... Ufff... Why should I tell you anything?" "Hahaha... Because if you don''t, I will kill this garbage you call brothers right in front of you." Before he could answer, Berro had already done it for him. His eyes were resolute, and so were the others''. "Kill us then. We are never going to tell anything to a traitorous jedi like you. Pffft." There was no fear on Berro''s face, only unwillingness. He didn''t want to die. None of them did. But they were prepared to give up their lives for the Republic, and they preferred to die than to betray all they believed. Dageer stayed quiet. The moment they had been captured, Dageer knew that they would die. And as much as he wanted to save his brothers, he wasn''t able to, neither could. Even if Ventress killed Hell Squad, Captain Narza, Captain Hilix, Berro, and every clone prisoner, he still wouldn''t utter a word. That was something ingrained in his genetic code. Ventress glared at Berro angrily, then turned to Dageer again. She understood that only he could give her what she wanted, so she couldn''t kill him. Yet. This time she approached Dageer, grabbed his neck and squeezed hard. He felt an invisible force swirl around him, and clash against his head. But he wouldn''t fall for the same trick twice. Besides, he had been fighting alongside with a jedi for a long time. He was never the one on which General Di used his power, but he knew some things about it. He blocked his mind with imaginary walls, and did his best to keep Ventress out. At first her face was calm, but when she found out that she couldn''t breakthrough Dageer''s mental defense, she became increasingly angry. "Tell me! Tell me now!" Unconsciously, she gripped his throat stronger, and he started to choke. "N-No... Urghh... Urghhh!!!" Suddenly, she released him and stepped back. Dageer saw her reach her hand inside her robe, but didn''t think much of it. "If you really want to suffer, so be it. I will have my droids visit you on the next days." Dageer had the feeling she wasn''t talking about the normal B1 battle droids, but something worse. He had heard about the methods the Separatist used to get what they wanted, and he didn''t like it. But if that was the cost of keeping his brothers safe, he was happy to pay it. "But I only need you, not your friends. I will make sure they get a chance to workout. Most of them, at least. I don''t like it when people mistake me for a jedi." Dageer knew what was going to happen seconds before it actually did. The hand that Ventress had put inside her clothes came out holding a short metal stick, very similar to the ones that General Di and Ragout had. There was a flash of red light, and then a dull ''thud'' as something hit the ground. Ventress showed her red lightsaber to Dageer, as if to make sure he knew she wasn''t a jedi. But his attention wasn''t on her or her weapon. "No!!!" Brain broke the silence, and he and the other clones started cursing Ventress. But all Dageer could do was stare ceaselessly at the headless body of Berro. Chapter 140 - Persistence of Loyalty Under the curses of the clones, Ventress left the room. Dageer stared down at Berro''s head. After it was disconnected from the body, the head fell on the ground and rolled over until it was leaning sideways. Dageer could see half of his face, looking angrily at the floor. At least his death had been painless. Ten minutes later, a group of droids entered the prison cell and took away Brain, Tech, Dab, Metal, Narza, and Hilix. No matter how they struggled, they were still carried away. However, nobody came to take away Berro''s body. Dageer tried calling for the droids outside, but nobody answered. Either there were no guards, or they were programmed to stay put. So, Berro''s body kept hanging on the anti-gravity locks. After one hour, there was a puddle of blood below his corpse. The blood had stopped pouring out from his neck, but as soon as it dried, it only made everything worse. Stains of dry blood were all over his body, and no matter how much Dageer wanted to look away, he just couldn''t. He didn''t feel more responsible for Berro''s death than he felt for any other brother of his. But Berro had been one of his closest friends, and they had gone through a lot together. If he had died on a battlefield, Dageer would have been sad, but not as much as he was now. The death of Berro seemed meaningless. It was obvious that Ventress didn''t plan to let any of the captured clones walk out alive. She couldn''t afford it, neither could the Separatist. If news about them using war prisoners to excavate a temple spread, their support throughout the galaxy would be gone in a matter of hours. At some moment, Dageer fell asleep from pure exhaustion. He woke up when he heard the door open, and saw a five droids. Two of them were standard B1 battle droids, complemented with red paint. Dageer remembered reading about them in a Republic report. They were guard units. The third droid he didn''t recognize, but it served as a moving table, and was carrying all sorts of items, from knives and syringes to fabrics and medicines. The two remaining droids were the ones that worried Dageer the most. One of them was a black medical droid. However, it also seemed heavily modified, and handed the syringes and the medicines skillfully. The last droid was one that Dageer had only heard about, but never seen. If a droid could ever be called slim, then this one was. It also looked strong. It was black, just like the medical droid, except its joints, which were brown. It had a beeping red button on its chest, but its most striking feature were the bright white eyes. If it really was the kind of droid Dageer thought it was, then he was screwed. There were some stories that the clones told. One of them was about a super expensive droid unit, called droid commando. Those units had such powerful armor that nothing short of a full magazine from a Z-6 Rotary or a point-blank shot to the head could kill it. They were extremely deadly killers, and the most elite units that the CIS had. However, nobody knew how they were, because they never left anyone alive. All the Republic found were outposts full of dead soldiers, but no droid corpses. Even if some of them died during an attack, the others made sure to take the body away, so the Republic''s scientists couldn''t discover anything about it. Seeing that, Dageer was even more sure that he wouldn''t make it out of there alive. Since that was the case, he threw all his worries to the back of his mind, and looked at the droid commando determinedly. "Hey, clancker. Tell your master that she will have to send someone better than you to deal with me." The droid looked at him with its lifeless eyes. Somehow, he seemed much more articulated than a normal droid. "Your... provocations won''t work... with me... You will... tell me... what I need to... know..." Tech would have been impressed by the droid commando. Dageer not so much, since the droid was about to do some horrible things to him. He thought the droid was going to ask him questions, but it didn''t. The first thing it did was grab a syringe that the medical droid handed to him, and stab it on Dageer''s arm. Dageer felt something cold merging with his blood, but it didn''t seem to have any effect. "This will make... you more susceptible to... answering... questions. And this..." The droid commando picked up another syringe, with a yellow liquid. "... will make your mind... feel free..." After another injection, Dageer started feeling the effects of the drugs. His tongue felt bigger, and his body lighter. His mind, however, became increasingly clear. After a few minutes, the droid commando started asking questions. "What is... your serial number and... indication?" It was a basic question, one that the droid commando certainly already knew the answer for, since it was printed on the clones'' armor. Still, Dageer wouldn''t give him what he wanted. He had to show he wasn''t easy to crack. "My name is... Dageer." His tongue still felt weird, so he mumbled the words. The droid didn''t seem happy with his answer. "The prisoner... is not collaborating... Initiate protocol... A2JJ8..." Protocol A2JJ8 wasn''t complex. The medical droid picked a short metal baton from his many tools, and turned it on. Small, purple, lightning arcs appeared at one end of it, and the medical droid hit Dageer with it. Instantly, he felt searing pain all over his body, as the purple lightning ran all over him. His body arched, but the anti-gravity locks. Thankfully, the medical droid didn''t leave the shock baton on Dageer''s body for much time. Still, his entire body was aching, and in pain. "What is your... serial number and... indication?" "CT-4063... infantry trooper of the 303rd Attack Legion." He would have to be stupid to keep resisting just for this question. His intention was to trick the droid commando into thinking he had given up, and that he was a low-ranking soldier. That way, they wouldn''t insist on the most important questions. He was confident in his ability to withstand interrogation, but not under drugs and torture. But he had been too naive to think that the clanckers would believe him. "What is... your position on... the Republic... army?" "I am a sergeant." "He is lying." The medical droid spoke, and Dageer couldn''t come up with anything in time. His screams of pain could be heard for many hours, but unfortunately, the only ones to hear it were the emotionless droids. Chapter 141 - Spitting Out Information Three days had passed since Dageer had been captured. During those days, he had experienced many means of torture, from being electrified to being injected with a huge amount of unknown drugs. He didn''t really remember when, but at some moment he had disclosed his identity of the sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion. Because of that, he had been asked about the military plans for Mygeeto. Once more, Dageer refused to answer. Once more, he was tortured until he spits it out. The only consolation he had was that what he knew was old, so it might not be accurate. Also, he had been slipping in some lies in the middle. Nothing big, otherwise the medical droid would know he was lying, but hopefully enough to misdirect the clanckers. Hearing the door opening again, Dageer didn''t even turn around. His mind was working slowly from the excessive amount of medicines he was given. "My dear Dageer, don''t be so sad." Dageer tilted to the side, and the anti-gravity locks rotated, putting him face to face with Ventress. He looked at her with fire burning in his eyes. He wanted to destroy every single droid that had killed one of his brothers, and kill every last bounty hunter that had harmed clones, but he couldn''t say he really hated them. That was just his job as a soldier. But not Ventress. She was the first one he really hated. She had captured hundreds of clones, and was forcing them to do an inhuman work. She had killed Berro in cold blood. His body was still hanging on the anti-gravity locks, and his head had been kicked to one side so it didn''t bother Dageer''s interrogators. All he wanted was to get off his chains, and kill her. "My love, you still haven''t told me anything useful. Your information was outdated, and the only thing you have told me about Ima-Gun Di is that he is going to meet with a Force-sensitive lizard. That is not helpful at all." His eyes widened. He didn''t remember telling her or the droid commando about the Iktochi. And if he didn''t remember that, what more had he told her? "Ohh? You are surprised? I told you I would get what I wanted. Now, your next session is about to start. Please, sweetie, tell HD-22 what he asks you about, otherwise I will have to start picking up your friends. We don''t want that, do we?" "You..." However, Ventress left before he could say anything. Not long after, the droid commando, HD-22 entered the room, followed by the medical droid. Dageer prepared himself for another round of questions and torture. ... "Arrrghhhhhhhh!!! Ugh! Ufff... Ufff..." "Sub-commander Dageer... when was the last time... you have you seem... the jedi Ima-Gun Di?" Dageer stayed quiet. Since he wasn''t going to tell the droid commando anyway, he would do better by saving his breath for later when the torture started. And he was right to do that. Soon, the medical droid injected him with a myriad of unknown drugs, and he became lightheaded again. When he once more refused to answer - this time with more difficulty - he met the Separatist tools again. Arching his body, Dageer tried in vain to escape from the torture. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and the two B1 droids scream. The droid commando let go of the shock baton, and Dageer finally was able to see what was happening. Cell was at the door. The two B1 battle droids were on the ground, one without its head, and the other trying to get up. Cell kicked it, and the droid stayed on the ground. He was about to grab one of the E-5 blasters when he saw a metal fist going for his head. The droid commando had jumped about five meters with one step, and arching its entire body, aimed a punch at Cell''s head. Thankfully, the clone was fast, and dodged HD-22''s fist, otherwise he would have surely died. Cell grabbed HD-22''s legs, and tried to lift the droid and thrown it away. Unfortunately, the droid commando was too heavy, and all Cell did was unbalance it and force it to take a few steps back. The droid commando lifted his knee, hitting Cell''s stomach. The clone would have faced problems even if he was using his armor, what to say without it. A mix of yellow and red left Cell''s mouth, and he fell to the floor. Just when the droid commando was about to step on his back, and probably break his spine, Dageer did the only thing he could do to help Cell. Grunting in pain, he lifted his broken arm, and wrapped HD-22''s neck. The droid was caught by surprise, and with one foot lifted, he lost his balance. Cell, who moments before seemed unconscious, used the chance to grab the E-5 blaster, and fired two shots right in the droid commando''s head, point-blank. Finally, the droid that had given them so many problems, that had given Dageer so many problems, died. The medical droid had retreated to the far end of the room, and wasn''t showing any signs of doing anything, so Cell ignored it. "Sir! How are you?!" "Ugh... I''m okay. Free me from those things. I''ve had enough of it." Cell shot the bottom of the anti-gravity locks, and they flashed a little before disappearing. Dageer thought he would land on his feet, but the days of torture had taken a toll on him. He crumbled, and Cell had to hold him. "You are not well, sir. Not at all." "Just give me a second." "I don''t think we have a second, sir. Surely, every droid on this damn building heard those shots. "Then give me a blaster." "Right away... Here." Cell grabbed the other E-5 and gave it to Dageer. Feeling the unfamiliar weapon on his hands, Dageer shrugged. It was better than nothing. "Help me. We have to move." Cell helped him get up, and used one arm to support him, while holding his blaster with the other. They started making their way to the door, but Dageer saw the medical droid. "Wait." "What?" Two loud shots later, the medical droid fell to the ground with new holes on its body. He wasn''t a threat, but Dageer hadn''t forgotten about what it did to him. "Y-You... can''t leaaaveeee..." Once more, just as they were about to leave the room, something held them back. The droid commando stretched its arms, trying to grab Dageer''s ankles. Even with two point-blank lasers to the head, it hadn''t died yet. It truly was the Separatist elite unit. "Ohhh... you are still alive, you bastard? That''s good. Remember when I said I wouldn''t forget you?" "Caaannn''t... leaaaaav..." Sneering, Dageer shot the droid commando three more times. It was impossible for it to survive now, since its head was no more. Dageer gave Berro''s body one last look. "Goodbye, brother. Let''s go." Chapter 142 - Escaping...? A small piece of doorway flew over Dageer''s head, after being destroyed by a red laser. Dageer crouched, and returned fire. Two B1 battle droids fell to the ground, their chests busted open. Dageer walked slowly, and bent down to pick the magazines from their bodies. He was starting to get low on ammo. It had been about ten minutes since Cell had freed him, and he was now able to walk by himself, albeit slowly. However, as he started to exercise, his paralyzed muscles started to get better. "This way." Cell had made his way inside the building, so he was able to find his way out easily. Seeing no more droids coming at them, Dageer finally had the chance to ask Cell how he found him. "Finding you was easy. The problem was getting to you. I had to do this damn climbing..." "Climbing? Oh, no. You escaped right from the cell, right? You crazy... That was dangerous. Thank you." "You are welcomed." Dageer knew that Cell was bold, but not so much. Climbing could only involve escaping from the cell through the open end of it, the one that was an abyss. Cell must have gotten out through it, then climbed horizontally until he got to the temple. And only then he had done the ''easy'' part, which involved sneaking into the prison and freeing Dageer. It was a miracle he hadn''t died. "Do you know where are the others?" "Yes. They have been separated from the rest ever since that woman brought you in. However, we should be able to get to them pretty easily, they are only in another area. I think they were also being interrogated..." Cell looked down when he said that. He looked ashamed, and Dageer knew why. "Cell... It was Berro''s decision. If it wasn''t for him, you wouldn''t have been able to split through Ventress'' fingers and rescue me. By doing that, we now have the chance to free all of our captured brothers. Berro... He died as a soldier, and one of the best." "Yes, sir." His voice was rough, but Dageer was sure Cell understood what he meant. Clones died all the time in this war, and there would be a time to mourn, but not now. "We need to leave before Ventress discover we escaped. Wait... how much time have passed since you fired the first shots?" "Ten minutes or so. She is not here. That is the only reason I got so far. A few hours ago, she took a big portion of the clanckers and left. To where, I don''t know." "Uhmmm..." That made things easier. However, he could not help but wonder where Ventress was, and what she was up to. The rogue jedi - or whatever she was - was cunning and dangerous. At this moment, they finally arrived at the exit of the prison, and Dageer pushed Ventress to the back of his mind. He had more important issues. Before he was the huge temple, surrounded by snow and mountains as far as the eyes could see. In the night sky, stars were closely packed. Dageer looked left and right, but saw no droid. It appears the prison was far enough so that only the ones inside heard of his escape. "Finally something is going right for us. Cell, where is the armory?" ... Two shadows slipped behind and unaware droid patrol. Using the cover of the night, Dageer and Cell waited for the patrol to get away, then started to hack into the control panel of the armory. As one of the most import buildings in every military camp, the system protecting the door wasn''t easy to get past, but Dageer had learned a thing or two from Tech. He used the butt of the E-5 to dislodge the control panel, revealing a myriad of wires. He looked for a while, then started disconnecting and connecting wires. Cell was on lookout, and stared at the droid patrol nervously. "Sir, they are coming back." "Just a few more... ugh... seconds." A few more steps and the droids would see them. Cell gripped his blaster tightly. The moment the droids saw them, he would fire. It was always best to hold the initiative. "We are in! Quickly!" With a ''swoosh'' sound, the door opened. Dageer quickly put back the control panel, and it hanged precariously. Anyone who wasn''t blind or stupid would see that it had been broken, but the droids were almost ways the latter. The clone duo slipped inside, and the door closed behind them. "Wait. I think I heard something... bzzz..." "Nah... the cold must be freezing your circuits, F6-F4. Bzzz... You should use some oil... it''s amazing." "As if the assassin would let us..." "Shhh! Bzzz... Quiet! Keep walking." ... "That was close." "Come on. We don''t have time to waste. Be careful." The armory could be described as the most secure building in any military base. Without weapons and armor, any operation was a suicide mission. It was no surprise when they saw dozens of guards spread along the armory. Crates were laying here and there, so at least they had a bit of cover, but the moment a fight broke out, they would be flanked by the droids outside. "What do we do, sir? I see twenty-eight seppies, with the possibility of more where we don''t have eyes." Cell looked over one crate and counted the droids. If they had grenades and the rest of Hell Squad, it was possible to break through with brute force, by with just the two of them, it was impossible. "Are you able to sneak past them?" "I''m not that good. There are at least three of them in an open area where they can see everything. Two more up the platforms, with eyes on the whole. They have no blind spot." Frowning, Dageer reloaded his blaster. They needed their armors, and if possible their weapons, or else they would freeze to death outside. And they needed to secure the armory, otherwise the unarmed clones would be slaughtered. "We will have to take care of this the old-fashioned way." "Ahmm... sir?" ... The sounds of blasters firing broke the silence of the night. Two droids belonging to a patrol fell in the snow. The remaining four turned around, trying to identify the attacker. A few seconds passed, and another droid was taken out, but the patrol finally identified the position of the attacker. "Over there! Fire!" They sprayed the region with fire, and the red lights momentarily showed a clone, before disappearing on the night. The droid leading the patrol turned on his communicator. "Sir, we are under attack by clones. There is a rebellion!" "I will send support. Hold your position." "Roger roge... Ahhhh!" Inside the armory, a droid sergeant issued a series of orders, and two squads worth of battle droids left the armory, going outside. When the sound of the metallic steps vanished, the lid of a crate was lifted. Chapter 143 - Rebellion Dageer counted the number of steps that passed by the crate where he was hidden. If he was correct, sixteen droids had left the armory, which meant that Cell''s distraction had worked better than they expected. Now, he only had to confront about two dozen droids. He could only hope that Cell would be okay. Their plan was for him to kill the droid patrol, then lead their reinforcements in a ghost hunt, while he secured the armory. Lastly, if possible, Cell was to free Hell Squad, Captain Narza, Captain Hilix, and all the others. What to do after, they still had to decide. Dageer lifted the lid carefully not to expose himself before it was time. He didn''t have any thermal detonators, but he had done more with less. He looked at the armory, and quickly asserted the situation. The droids up on the platforms were still there, but the number downstairs was fortunately smaller. Still, no way for him to pass through them unnoticed. He got out of the crate slowly, and closed the lid even slower, so it made no sound. He positioned his stolen E-5 above the crate, and got in a stable position. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at the highest-ranking droid - a sergeant - and fired. The droid sergeant''s head popped out of its sockets, and before it fell to the ground, Dageer had already moved to his next target. Ignoring the droids next to his kill, he turned his blaster to the two droids on the left platform. They were his biggest threat, and the only ones who had a good angle on him. He hit one of them on the chest, and the droid stumbled before hitting the handrail and falling. Immediately, he corrected his aim a few degrees, and shot the next droid. The droid lost one leg, and wasn''t able to maintain its balance. It fell backward, and hit its head on the wall, then slid down and laid there. Three enemies were down in less than ten seconds, but the well trained - or better, well-programmed - droids started to react. A torrent of red lasers filled the air above Dageer''s head, and he found himself unable to counterattack. He had, however, prepared himself to this. He laid on the floor, and peeked at the enemies through the bottom of the crate. Because of how low he was, he was only able to see the bottom of the droids, but it was enough. Before the clanckers noticed he had changed his strategy, he had taken out four more. From twentysomething, only seventeen or eighteen remained. Once again forced to change positions, he felt grateful for how stupid the droid makers were. Instead of splitting jobs and covering the whole crate, the clanckers all aimed and fired at the same position, and Dageer just had to move a little to get a good angle and take out a couple of droids. Unfortunately, not even the droids were stupid enough to let him do that indefinitely. Soon, he heard them discussing what to do. "G5-R6, go and check if he is dead." "Ermmm... me?" "Yes." "Why don''t you go?" "No. You go!" It was obvious that without an officer, the droids had fallen in disarray. Nevertheless, they soon figured out that all they had to do was send someone over to Dageer''s position. Three droids approached the crate carefully. Clearly, they were scared by Dageer accuracy. But just being careful wasn''t enough to save them. The moment they turned around the crate, Dageer hit one of them with his blaster, and the droid crashed on one of its companions. Next, Dageer grabbed the droid that had remained on its feet. He immobilized the droid with one arm, and forced it forward. When they passed by the two dizzy droids on the floor, Dageer finished them off without remorse. "Tell your friends not to shoot." To enforce his words, Dageer touched the head of the droid with the tip of his blaster. At the same time, he hurried forward. He knew his threat wouldn''t last much, since the Separatist felt no guilty in killing their own soldiers. However, the battle droids weren''t unmoved by the prospect of being destroyed, and using such a tactic could usually buy a clone a few more seconds. He was proven right, because the moment the droid asked his fellow soldiers not to fire, they hesitated for a split-second. Using all he had, Dageer kicked the droid he was holding. The droid tumbled forward, and crashed into a big group of clanckers, knocking six or seven to the ground in a mess of metal body parts, wires, and sparks. There was even one blaster fired by mistake. Moments before a whole slew of red lasers transformed him a weave, Dageer dived behind another set of crates. He had planned his actions carefully beforehand. The crates he had chosen created an ''L'' shape, so even with his enemies just meters away from him, he was protected. Without caring to aim, he emptied his magazine on the pile of droids on the floor. He didn''t know how many he had hit, but each enemy down was equivalent to a rise in his chances of winning. Hastily, he tried to reload, but found out that he had nothing left. Looking down, he saw that there was nothing where the magazines were supposed to be. Looking back, he saw them on the floor about ten meters away. They must have dropped when he was struggling with the three clanckers. He tried to reach the nearest droid body to take its weapon from it, but was greeted with a torrent of red lasers. Quickly, he pulled back his hand, unharmed but vulnerable. If he was right, there were still twelve or thirteen droids left, and he had no ammo. He looked left and right, but there was nothing that could help him. In a few seconds, the droids would notice that he had stopped fighting. It was then that he saw his only hope. He had been looking for a blaster on the ground, but forgot where he was. Even inside an armory, weapons couldn''t just be laying around. They had to be stocked on shelves or inside something. And he was hiding just behind that ''something''. Scolding himself for not thinking of it before, he slightly opened one crate, and put his hand inside. He wasn''t able to see, but he was familiar enough with weapons to know what he was holding. For the first time in days, a smile appeared on his face. Looking at the droids which were still firing at his cover, he murmured happily. "Now you are screwed." Chapter 144 - Rebellion The weapon Dageer pulled from inside the crate was a rarely seen one. A light double-barrel repeating blaster was an extremely dangerous weapon. Dageer thought that he could give it to Metal after it was all over. Back to the present, Dageer quickly analyzed the weapon he had in his hands. Double-barrel repeating blaster could be split into two categories: light and heavy. Heavy had to be mounted on a tripod, and could fire an astonishing fifteen hundred lasers per minute. Light double-barrel repeating blasters had a slower fire rate, of eight hundred flares per minute, but could be carried around, although they were heavy. But there could never be just good things. The double-barreled blaster had some obvious downsides. The first was that even the light version weighed quite a lot. The second obstacle was that it needed too much ammo to work efficiently, and that usually meant having only magazines on your backpack, and nothing else. Last but not least, it needed extensive training to operate it correctly. However, none of those were a problem for Dageer or Hell Squad. No matter if it was a Z-6 Rotary or a double-barrel repeating blaster, Metal could make do with it. And so could Dageer. Differently from his men, Dageer had no specific expertise except on command. As the leader of one of the most elite units of the Republic Army, he was proficient on pistols, snipers, heavy weapons, close combat and even in cold weapons. Using a heavy machine gun was a piece of cake for him. Reaching inside the crate once more, he looked for ammunition. A big, round, magazine came in contact with his hand, and he grabbed it. It was heavier than he expected. To load it onto the blaster, he had to put the gun on the floor, upside down, since it was too heavy for him to hold it on one hand. After loading the blaster, he held it with one hand on either side. When the first droid dared to approach Dageer, it was blasted into pieces. Literally. He wasn''t ready for how powerful the double-barrel repeating blaster was. Dageer was forced a few steps back, and had to put all his weight against the blaster to stabilize it. The clanckers on the way of the red lasers were destroyed instantly, and their cover became a weave. After dealing with the battle droids, he was left alone on the armory. The battle had been short, but intense. Everywhere he looked he saw pieces of droids, and the walls, the ground, and the crates were plastered with laser marks. He fired a few more rounds on the pile of droids on the floor, to make sure none of them survived, and then threw the double-barrel blaster on the floor. It was too heavy for him to carry around all the time, and anyway, it wasn''t his choice of weapon. He grabbed three E-5s, strapped two to his back, and picked up all the ammunition he could carry. He also grabbed a few communicators. They would come in handy. Giving a last look to the armory to ensure no clancker was left, he got out of the building, and started searching for Cell. He needed to find his brother, and free the others. It wasn''t that difficult to find the scout. All he had to do was follow the sounds of battle, and the flash of lasers. On his way, he saw many dead droids. At some moment when he was inside the armory, it had started snowing, so the bodies were being covered by the white powder. He saw someone crouched near him, firing a blaster. In the dark night, it was difficult to identify who it was, but when the person fired his blaster, its face was lightened up by a red glow. "Cell! It''s me!" He had been careful not to spook the clone and get shot by mistake, but Cell nevertheless dropped to the ground and aimed his E-5 at Dageer. He only lowered it after confirming it really was his superior. "Sorry, sir. With the seppies, you never know..." "I secured the armory. How are you doing over here?" "I shoot and run. Although I had a few close calls, they can''t figure where I am fast enough. But with both of us, moving in silence will be more difficult. And they have been getting reinforcements over time. Soon they will have enough troops to set up a perimeter and start searching. We have to move fast." Dageer understood what Cell was hinting at. It was already difficult for one clone, trained to move silently, whatsoever for Dageer, who hadn''t received that kind of training. Analyzing his options, he quickly came up with a plan. "You will have to hold for a little more. They can''t be getting those reinforcements from thin air. They are either sending troops from the barracks, the temple or both of it." "I understand." Before leaving, Dageer threw some magazines to Cell. Stopping briefly to locate the barracks, he then started moving south. As he had expected, he saw droids leaving the barracks, and moving to where Cell''s old position was. He pressed his body against the side of a building, and waited for the droids to pass by him. When they left his line of sight, he entered the armory. Immediately after the door, were tow droids guarding it. They seemed very surprised to see a clone there, and then they couldn''t see anything anymore. Stepping over the clanckers, Dageer soon arrived at a corridor. Lining up on the sides were many prison cells, just like the one he was before Ventress moved him. There were a pair of battle droids guarding each cell. They were all looking towards him, and had most probably heard the shots. Another fight broke out, and he had to hide behind a doorway. "Urgh... stop!" "Ahhhhh!!!" He was peeking and firing when he heard a droid scream, followed by a clone yelling. Some clones had seen the droids distracted by Dageer, and had grabbed them through the cell''s bars, immobilizing them. However, some droids had escaped, and were firing wildly inside the cells. Seeing so many brothers being massacred without any way of resisting, Dageer threw all caution to the air and stepped out of his cover. He emptied his magazine on the closest droids, and instead of reloading, just dropped his blaster and grabbed another one. In a matter of seconds, and droids were dead, but Dageer''s arm had been hit, and was bleeding. It was also the same arm Ventress had broken, and the pain was almost too much for him. Two clones stretched their arms from inside a cell and supported Dageer before he fell. "How are you doing, sir?" "Cough... If Three-four was here, he would scold me for fighting with a broken arm. Don''t worry about me. Let''s get you out of here." Dageer shot the control panel, and opened the nearest cell, then gave his blaster to a clone, ordering him to free the others. "Come on, we gotta move! Pick whatever weapon you find, and all the ammo you can get! There are still a lot of seppies out there! Brain, where are you?" Chapter 145 - Retaliation "... Brain, where are you?" "Over here, sir." Brain pushed his way through the bunched up clones. He had a dark eye, probably because he had resisted their captors. However, aside from that, he seemed okay. Dageer quickly briefed him on what had happened. "Cell is out there distracting the clanckers, but he won''t be able to hold them for much longer. Take all the soldiers who have a weapon, and go help him." "What about you, sir?" "I have dispatched the droids guarding the armory. I will take the rest of the men, and get some weapons. Metal, come with me, I have something for you." "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." Brain took eleven men - the same number of blasters they had - and left the barracks. Under Dageer''s orders, the rest of the clones started moving out of the building, and going to the armory. Amidst them, Dageer grabbed Dab and Tech. "Dab, I need numbers. How many troops do we have? How many were captured and how many are dead or wounded. And I need to know about weapons, ammo, armor, medical supplies, everything." "Yes, sir." "Tech." "Yes, sir?" "I need you to quietly find me a medic. My damn arm is killing me. Remember, don''t make a fuss. No need to make the men think I am worse than I really am." "And how bad is it, sir?" Tech glanced at him worried. Even Dab, who was already walking away, came back. They had seen Dageer get shot and continue fighting without even frowning. Even when he was badly injured, he still insisted that the other soldiers had to be treated first. For him to actually ask for a medic, he had to be in a lot of pain. "I don''t know yet. Go. We don''t have time to waste." Still looking at him worriedly, both clones left. Soon, Tech returned with Thartam, a 303rd Attack Legion medic. Dageer found something else for Tech to do, and then stayed behind with Thartam. "Sir, if you could tell me what happened, it will be quicker. This doesn''t look like it was made by only one laser shot." "More likely it was crushed by something, right? It is broken in at least two places. Also, I spent three days hanging from a ceiling with nothing to immobilize it. And only then I was shot." Thartam tore apart a piece of his shirt, and wrapped it around the laser wound to stop the bleeding. He lifted Dageer''s arm carefully, and saw the sub-commander frowning in pain. "I will have to squeeze it. We are a little short on pieces of equipment. It will hurt a bit." Without waiting for Dageer to answer, the medic used his fingers to touch the clearly broken bones. "Ugh!" "You know you should have been resting this arm, don''t you? Why do I get the feeling you weren''t?" "I had to save you. I got some... exercise along the way." "Yeah... Does your exercise includes punching droids?" "Kind of. You know me, Thartam. I can''t stay put." "Well, that''s true. But don''t worry. It is not that bad. Gillie, give me that piece of metal." While Thartam was examining Dageer, they had arrived at the armory. All the clones were getting blasters, and their armors. The droids had stored them, which was great news for the clones. At least they wouldn''t freeze to death. Mygeeto wasn''t a kind planet, so the more protection they had, the better. After receiving the piece of metal - that had probably been part of a crate before Dageer blew it up - Thartam used more of his shirt to tie it on Dageer''s arm. The clone didn''t like the feeling of not being able to move freely, but the improvised splint would help his arm recovery. "Thartam." The medic had already turned around to leave when Dageer called him back. "Don''t tell anyone about how bad it is. Let them think it''s just a flesh wound." "Ermmm... Yes, sir." Uneasily, Thartam agreed, and left to treat the other injured clones. Both weather and the work they had to do had caused many injuries amongst the already fatigued soldiers. Many were coughing, and quite a few had bruises and broken bones. A small number of clones had been shot during their riot on the barracks, and some were heavily wounded. "Captain Narza, Captain Hilix! Take twenty men each, and start sweeping the base. Help Brain and Cell, and kill as many of the clanckers as you can. But don''t take unnecessary risks. If they are resisting too much, just keep them suppressed. We have to move out shortly, and I don''t want more injured men." "Yes, sir." "Metal! Come here." The Hell Squad member quickly approached him, and looked at his arm, but said nothing. Metal was talkative, but he knew when to speak, and when to not. "This..." Dageer showed him the light double-barrel repeating blaster. "... is your new weapon. It weighs quite a lot, but you should be able to handle it. And as you can see, it does quite a lot of damage." "Timer, see if you can find any sort of explosives." "Already found them, sir. There are enough detpacks to level a city." "Good. We are going to need them. Come with me." Timer was a clone that was always close to Hell Squad. He was also one of the elites of the 303rd, and specialized in explosive devices, including detpacks. Detpacks were small bombs that could be remote activated, and were an old friend of any clone. The clones were all almost ready. Tech helped Dageer put his armor on, and the tired soldiers lined up before him. Even under their helmets, their eyes seemed to shine with the feeling of transforming a helpless situation in the takeover of a droid base. "Sir, we have taken the base. All that remains are a few clanckers on the west side. Are you sure you don''t want us to deal with them?" "Stay put, captain. I already said I don''t want unnecessary deaths." Dageer turned off his comlink. Now that he had confirmation that the temple valley was on their hands, he was calmer. Still, they needed to move before Ventress returned with her troops. As much as Dageer liked the idea of ambushing her, he knew that he didn''t have enough soldiers for that, and that they were too tired. "Sir. I did what you wanted. And... it''s not looking too good." Dab approached him with a heavy frown on his face. He showed Dageer the data on the datapad. "Our total numbers are: one hundred and ninety-eight soldiers. Of those, only one hundred and forty-two are uninjured. Thirty have light injuries, and twenty-six are heavily wounded. We still don''t know if they can make it. The clanckers don''t have medical supplies. All we have is what we had on us when we were captured." "How many died?" "... Seventy-three." Chapter 146 - Inside The Temple "... Seventy-three." Dageer closed his eyes. That was more than he had expected, and certainly more than he wanted. "Let''s move. Brain, Cell, Dab, and Captain Narza, find our way out of this valley, and to the last known position of our troops. A bunch of our troops was brought here yesterday. Ask them." "Yes, sir." "Tech, Timer, Bliar, Metal, and Captain Hilix, come with me." "Yes, sir." The clones Dageer called followed him to the entrance of the temple. Even when using their flashlights, it was still unusually dark. In fact, it was more than dark. It was... cold. A different cold than the usual one of Mygeeto. It was a cold that made Dageer shiver, and feel like he was looking to a building, but to the mouth of a massive monster, ready to eat him. "Sir, this..." "Yeah, I know. It is the same feeling of the nightmares." Even without Bliar reminder, Dageer had already linked the unnatural cold feeling to the nightmares every clone had wherever they closed their eyes. He looked in the eyes of the soldiers around him. They were shivering just like him. He was certain that those soldiers, who had fought hundreds of battles, were now almost stepping back from pure fear. The only thing that kept them from doing that was that their sub-commander was still there. Clones never remembered what the nightmares were like. Maybe because of that, it was an unofficial and unspoken rule that they could never tell any outsider about it. Not even their jedi generals. Especially the jedis. Dageer knew that if he took a step back, he wouldn''t have the courage to enter the temple, again. For a moment he thought about bringing more soldiers, but decided not to. The majority of them were too tired to even walk properly. He had already chosen the ones in the best shape. Besides that, months of battle had taught him that having a big amount of troops on an enclosed space wasn''t always the best. "Timer, have those detpacks ready. Metal, help him. Whatever is in there, General Di has to know. Ventress isn''t a normal seppie..." "She is a rogue jedi, a traitor, that''s what she is." "... and this is most probably jedi business. We have two plans of attack here. First one: enter, find out what the hell is in there, and take it back to the general. Second one: enter, find what the hell is in there, and if it resists, kill it, then bring it to the general. I don''t if there is anything inside, and if there is, whether it is alive or not, but I won''t take any chances. The general can scold us as much as he wants later, but we are in no conditions to bring prisoners with us." "Yes, sir. What about the detpacks? Should we plant them on the way?" "Yes. The seppies wanted us to dig out this temple for them, so nothing fairer than we bury it." The prospect of having this small, petty, revenge excited the clones. They were still afraid, but at least they had a clear purpose. Dageer touched his broken arm uncomfortably, then stepped inside the temple holding a DC-17 on his hand. It was as if he had stepped into another world. He was less than a meter away from the entrance, but when he looked back, the darkness almost covered the weak light that the moons and stars gave. "Flashlights on. Be careful." Six pairs of lights appeared in the darkness, barely enough to let them see each other face. They started walking slowly, following the corridor. Even after half an hour, they were still walking, in the same hall. Dageer started thinking something was wrong. The temple was big, but not enough for them to walk that much and not arrive at the end of it. Also, if there was a temple, there had to be something inside it. But the clones found d nothing along the way, just the same rocky walls. "Sir! Look at this!" Captain Hilix called Dageer. The captain was just a few meters behind Dageer, however, because of the darkness, he had to turn around and walk back so he could see whatever Captain Hilix wanted to show him. On the ground, half-laying, half-sitting, was one battle droid. Dageer had walked right past it, but didn''t see it. "There is another over here." "And over there." Now paying attention, they soon found about a dozen battle droids, all dead, each one just a few meters ahead of the other. By the looks of it, they had been walking, and then died, one at a time. "Eleven clanckers. That is a whole patrol." "Probably pathfinders. Check them out. See if they were killed by something or if it was just their battery that died." Captain Hilix turned over the droid corpse, and saw that it was just as Dageer said. They had no wounds, no signs of battle. Instead, their battery had ended after staying too long without recharging. "Did they enter without checking their energy levels?" "A whole patrol? Not even the clanckers are that stupid. No. They got lost in here, and for a long time on top of that." "How? There are no other paths, no chambers. All they had to do was turn back and walk back to the entrance." The moment Metal said that, realization dawned upon Dageer. For some time, all he could do was listen as his men continued talking. When he spoke, his voice was cracking. "W-What if they couldn''t?" "Sorry, sir?" "Go back, now!" Without waiting for his men''s response, Dageer started running towards the entrance of the temple. Fifteen minutes later, he stopped, panting. Running like he was, he should have gotten out of the temple a long while ago. But all that he had in front of him was darkness. By now, the clones had realized what was going on. "We got lost, somehow, haven''t we?" "Look to the walls, Timer. Do you see any of the detpacks you planted?" "No, sir." "Well, I have been looking while running, and I haven''t seen any of them. Not a single one." "That..." Timer had been putting explosives on the walls every once in a while. Not seeing any of them was a clear sign that they were on a totally different corridor, even though they hadn''t turned or taken another path. Five clones looked at Dageer silently, waiting for him to talk. They didn''t know what was happening, so they instinctively expected their sub-commander to have an answer. Only that, he hadn''t. "Something, or someone, is messing with us. Check the walls, see if any of them move. Since we didn''t change course, then the only option is that they did. Or..." "Or what, sir?" "Nothing." Confusedly, the clones started checking the walls while Dageer was lost in thought. He knew they wouldn''t find anything, because what they were dealing with wasn''t something made by droids, but by someone just like Ventress. The tricks she played on his mind while he was her captive were a fresh reminder that Force-sensitive beings like her could do a lot more than just make things levitate. Chapter 147 - Secrets Of The Dark Temple Dageer, Tech, Metal, Timer, Bliar and Captain Hilix had been walking for the last few hours, and were starting to run out of water. They hadn''t prepared to be on the temple for so long, but since they got trapped inside, they had no option but to walk until they found an exit. They were still on the same corridor, and no matter which direction they went, all they found was some dead droids, which had run out of battery. Their comlinks were offline, and Dageer could only hope that Brain or Captain Narza didn''t send anyone to look for them, otherwise more clones would be lost in the temple. "Sir! Look!" Dageer had been so lost in his thoughts that Timer had to shook him. Something had changed, and the corridor opened in a gigantic room, bigger than any else Dageer had ever seen. Pale green mist was flowing in the room, making it impossible to see it entirely. Strangely, the mist didn''t seem to float outside of the room, as if an invisible wall was stopping it. "Activate your filters." One of the biggest improvements that the Phase II armor had was the filters on the helmet, enough to safeguard the soldiers from most of the toxic substances, as well as filter the water so the clones would be able to battle on aquatic planets without having to worry about air supply. When he confirmed his men had all turned on the filters, Dageer stepped inside of the room. Now that he was inside of it, he thought it was more appropriate to call it a hall, since he couldn''t see the end of it. When he looked up, he discovered that the walls followed a weird pattern, as if they were under a stair. "Tech, scan the area. And let''s keep quiet. We don''t know what is in here." Hell Squad''s mechanic and expert with any kind of device, Tech always had a scanner with him. The blue screen rippled, and then showed the design of the room. "That mist is interfering with it, but there is something in the middle of the room. And by the measures the scanner is showing - or rather the ones that it isn''t - I think the temple is hollow. That room is everything it has." "That is impossible. We have been walking for hours, how can it be? Even if someone is messing with the walls, we..." "Silence. Listen." Dageer interrupted Metal harshly. Amidst the green mist, he could hear someone talking. The voice was so faint that he almost thought he was imagining it, but the other clones also heard it. "Who is that? I-I can''t understand what i-it is s-saying." "S-So cold. We h-have t-to see what it is." A gush of wind blew the mist away, revealing an altar in the middle of the hall. Something was glowing red above it, and Dageer thought it was beautiful. And powerful. If he could see it, the nightmares would go away. He had to take it. He would be able to forget everything. Jedis, the Republic, all the brothers that he lost, Berro. "B-Berro... Ughhhhh!!!!" Searing pain made him fall to the ground, holding his head, and then guilty washed over him. How could he want to forget his brothers, and all the sacrifices that they had done? How could he want to forget Berro, the cheerful clone that had been one of his best soldiers and above all else, friend? "You want so many things... I can give them to you... Come... Come..." "N-No..." "Yes... Come... Come... I will give you power... Power..." "N..." His mind was blank, and the voice was so tempting... Dageer was almost giving up when someone pushed him, and he fell sideways on the cold ground. The impact cleared his mind, although he felt like he had been sleeping for a month, and his reactions were slow. He got up, and grabbed his DC-17, aiming in at the altar, but what entered his sights was Captain Hilix. The clone was walking towards the altar, and had crashed on Dageer on his ways, but kept on walking. And it wasn''t only him, all the others were also moving in the same direction. "Captain! Come back here! Timer! Tech! Metal! Bliar!" None of the clones answered him, and kept limping towards the altar. Dageer ran forward, and looked through the black visors of Captain Hilix''s helmet. His brother''s eyes were fixed on the red glow, almost shining. He seemed to lost all of his strength, and when Dageer pushed him back, the captain fell backward without any signs of resistance, then got back up again. Seeing his efforts were futile, Dageer when to the altar. He had to destroy whatever was controlling the minds of his brothers before anything bad happened. When he approached, he saw that the origin of the red glow was a small crystal, the size of a finger. It was floating above the altar, with nothing under it. "You want power... Come... Take it... You will be powerful... With me..." The voice once more resounded inside his head, much stronger this time. However, he blocked it, just like he had blocked Ventress went she was torturing him. "Get... Out!" "Shhhiiiiiiirlllkkkkk!!!!!" There was one more yell from the voice, and it disappeared. Dageer opened his eyes, wanting to destroy the crystal, but to his dismay, he saw that Timer was just about to touch it. The clone grabbed the crystal, the red glow escaping through the gaps between his fingers. For a moment, Timer stayed put, as if the red crystal did nothing. Then, slowly, he started to rise up in the air, and his feet stopped touching the ground. Suddenly, Timer''s body arched in pain, and he left the most terrifying scream Dageer had ever heard in his life. Without much time to think, Dageer smacked his DC-17 on Timer''s wrist. With a sickening sound, the clone''s hand went limp, and the crystal dropped from it, and started floating a few centimeters above the ground. Instantly, Dageer heard the voice again, once more trying to persuade him. Knowing that if he waited any longer things would get worse, Dageer took off his helmet, and trapped the crystal inside, together with the voice. The moment the voice disappeared, all the clones being controlled fell to the ground, holding their heads. "Aghh... My head..." "What happened?" "Ouch! My wrist! I think it''s broken." Dageer stood quiet, holding his breath. He was waiting to make sure the green mist wasn''t poisonous, but after some time, nothing happened, and he decided it was safe to breathe normally. "Tech, give me your belt." "Yes, sir." Tech took off his belt, and Dageer emptied one of the compartments that held DC-15A magazines. Carefully not to touch it, he pushed the crystal inside the compartment, and closed it. He crystal had only been exposed for two seconds, but his soldiers'' eyes had become blank again, and only returned to normal after a few seconds. Without time to explain, Dageer waited for them to get up, and walked towards the same corridor that they came from. Now that the red crystal was secure, he suspected that they would find the exit easily, and all Dageer wanted was to get as far as possible from the temple. Chapter 148 - Suicide Squad "Light! There is the exit!" After more than an hour of walking, Dageer, Metal, Tech, Timer, Bliar and Captain Hilix finally saw a pale light at the end of the corridor. The green mist had dissolved as soon as the red crystal had been trapped, and the once straight, neverending, path that they had been following turned into a normal one, filled with twists and turns. Dageer looked at his soldiers, more specifically at Timer. With his haste, he had forgotten about the clone''s wrist, which he had broken himself. Now, with the red crystal safely locked on the belt he was holding, and when they were almost out of the Temple of Asheress, Dageer thought it was appropriate to tell the trooper what happened. "Timer." "Yes, sir?" "Your hand... It was me. I''m sorry." "I... I don''t quite understand, sir?" "When we were at that hall, this damn crystal was controlling you all. You touched it, and started screaming. I had to get it out of your hand, fast." "I understand, sir." Dageer knew that he didn''t. It wasn''t easy to cope with the pain of broken bones, and knowing that it was Dageer that did it, all the clone could do was stay silent. Unless one saw for himself what Dageer saw, they would always believe there was a better option, even if they were brothers. An awkward silence followed the small interlude, but Dageer had already put his attention on something else. He could see the dark sky of Mygeeto, and that the light they were seeing wasn''t from the sun, but from the clones outside. That was, however, impossible, because they had spent at least five or six hours inside the temple, and it should have already been day outside. Mygeeto had thirty-six hours of nighttime, and only six of daytime, so Dageer really wanted to take advantage of it, and got as far of the temple as they could during the day. They had many injured, limited equipment, and no vehicles, meaning that they would slow down a lot during the night, when even seeing one own hand was difficult. As soon as they left the temple, Captain Narza and the rest of Hell Squad went to meet them. They were looking weirdly at the clones that came out of the temple. "Is there something wrong, sir? Do you need more men?" Dageer shook his head. If he needed more men, than he wouldn''t be out of the temple unharmed. "Call back everyone, we are moving out. Did you send anyone looking for us? If so, call them too." Brain staggered, and spoke very carefully. He seemed to think his superior was having some kind of trouble, and Dageer didn''t like that. They had gone through too much for his men to doubt him. "Ermm... sir? Why would we send anyone looking for you? It hasn''t been twenty minutes since you entered the building." This time it was Dageer who staggered. Twenty minutes? That was impossible. They had been walking for hours and hours inside the temple. However, at this moment he realized that above the mountains, traces of light started to appear, and were growing stronger. While he looked, the sun appeared in the sky, and Dageer knew that something was wrong. It was possible for Brain to be wrong about the time, although improbable. However, no one could change the cycle of the sun. "You said twenty minutes? We spent hours in that damn place!" "Sir? If the crystal could trap us in that endless corridor, maybe it also has changed our sense of time." "Crystal? What crystal?" Dageer ignored Cell, who had just arrived and was listening attentively, and thought about what Tech had said. It was the only reasonable explanation. Reasonable after everything Dageer had seen Ventress do, of course. "Narza, Hilix, get everyone moving. Cell, lead a patrol ahead, scout the path. I want to know if Ventress and her droids are coming back. Brain, find me a map, or anything like that. Dab, you will be leading the vanguard with Lieutenant Hawk. Thartam?" "Yes, sir?" "You are in command of the medical unit. I want wounded in the middle. Prioritize those who can''t walk, and those who are too wounded to go fast. We have to hurry, but I want no men left behind. Is that clear?" "Yes, sir!" "Metal and Tech, you are the rearguard." "Yes, sir." While Dageer was giving orders, Brain returned with a hologram projector, and showed a big map, but lacking on details. Dageer frowned. "Is this the best we had?" "The logistics building caught on fire during the combat, sir. Almost everything was lost. That was all we could gather." Dageer analyzed the map, and rotated it. It showed a quarter of the planet, but only the main roads, cities, canyons, and mountains appeared. Thankfully, the temple was marked on it, so at least they knew where they were. "The last known position of our troops was on Yamala, right here. That is also the direction that Ventress and her clanckers went. According to our battle plans, if we lost Yamala, we would retreat to this valley here." Dageer traced a red line connecting the city and the valley, then another one connecting their position to the valley, but going around Yamala. "We will go here, and hope that they are still there. Tech, I want you to try and fix our long-distance communicators." "Yes, sir." "Now, we have to suppose that Ventress will come after us. So, we are going to take the big turn right around... here." He circled an area where a city connected to one of the main roads of the planet. A giant bridge crossed over a canyon, and a few more, smaller, also connected the two sides of the massive gorge. "We will blow this bridge, and the others around it, in this sequence. And, if Ventress troops catch us before we can do that..." Dageer lowered his voice, and the officers around him got closer, so the normal soldiers couldn''t hear them talking. "... a small group will stay behind and hold them off. We will discuss who only if that ever comes to happen, understood?" All of them nodded seriously. Staying behind was obviously a suicide mission, a last resort so the others could survive. Nobody wanted that to happen, and preferred to only think about it when it was strictly necessary. "Moving on. Timer, give me the detonator, and go see a medic. Your hand needs treatment. All right, everyone, let''s move!" Dageer got a loudspeaker from one of the soldiers, and got up on a crate. "Brothers! The seppies thought that they could use us to dig out their things. Well, they thought wrong! Not only we escaped, but we are also going to give them a little something to remember us. Clear the area, pack your things, and let''s find the rest of our brothers! Move! Move! Move!" The soldiers had been prepared for a long time before Dageer warned them, and they all moved towards the exit of the valley. When no one was close, Dageer pressed the trigger. A chain of explosions caused snow to flutter in the air, and with a resounding ''boom'', the Temple of Asheress, where they had been forced to work, disappeared amidst a cloud of smoke. Chapter 149 - The Disturbance In The Force When the dust settled, the Temple of Asheress has tilted to one side, and was half-buried under snow and dirt. Debris covered the whole area around it, and the nearby buildings had all been pelted with stones, and some had even collapsed. Dageer felt nothing but satisfaction when he saw the already damaged columns that sustained the temple crack and break, furthering the destruction. He couldn''t think of a better way to get his revenge against Ventress for what she did to him and his brothers. Unknowingly to him, when he turned around and led the clones away from the valley where the temple was, the red crystal that he had trapped inside a box glowed stronger. --------------------------- Ventress made a grabbing motion with her hand, and an unlucky clone that was firing at her from meters away suddenly discovered that his feet weren''t touching the ground, and that he was being pulled towards the dangerous woman. His last memory was of the smile on her lips as a red lightsaber pierced his heart, killing him immediately. Usually, she wouldn''t mind playing with her victims a little, but now she was in the middle of an intense battle, and even with her arrogant self couldn''t be careless. Using the information that the clone officer she captured gave to her, she had intercepted the main Republic force on Mygeeto. She frowned when she remembered the resilient officer. She had been able to squeeze some very interesting information from him, but when she asked about the battle plans of the Republic, he had closed his mind. Somehow, he hid from her that the Republic had not one or two AT-TEs, but half a dozen of them, plus, a myriad of smaller vehicles. She didn''t want to admit, but she had to order a retreat, otherwise a whole slew of her troops would be lost, impacting the Separatist campaign on Mygeeto. She jumped forward, and sliced two clones with one move. She despised the clones. They were weak, emotional, and persistent like bugs. Suddenly, her expression of disgust became one of astonishment. Like a wave, she felt something hit her mind, and affect the balance of the Force. She turned around, and looked to the mountains, but her mind was on the Temple of Asheress. Something had happened. So absorbed on her thoughts, she didn''t notice a clone sergeant aiming his blaster at her back until a droid captain warned her. Spinning around, her lightsaber moved at inhuman speed, deflecting the blue laser back to its origin. The clone sergeant tumbled to the ground surprised, and soon life vanished from his eyes. Ventress ignored the man she just killed, and stopped in her tracks, letting the droid vanguard engulf her. She grabbed a droid with yellow markings. "Captain, order total retreat." "But, madam! Bzzz... We are winning!" "Total retreat, captain. Now." "Yes, madam. Bzzz... All units, retreat back to quadrant 86-909. I repeat... Bzzz... Retreat to quadrant 86-909." As if they were one single machine, the droid army stopped dead on its tracks, and turned around, rearguard becoming vanguard, and vanguard becoming rearguard. Orderly, they started their retreat, but the Republic soldiers, seeing their enemy run, became even more audacious, and countless droid units were shot on their backs. Some of the clones even started chasing after the retreating army, only to be called back by their superior officers. However, nothing could extinguish the satisfaction of winning the battle. -------------------------- General Di was on the frontlines, fighting side by side with Commander Keeli. Both clone and Jedi were exhausted, but neither was willing to give up and retreat. A little to the left, Ragout seemed much better than them, jumping and dashing amidst the droids, cutting them down and reflecting their lasers. "General! They are breaking through the left flank!" Quickly, General Do analyzed their options in his head. There was a mountain range to their right, so they were safe from attacks from that direction, at least until the right flank held strong. However, if the left flank fell, the droid army would be able to split the Republic''s troops, and systematically eliminate them. It was one of the favorite Separatist strategies. "Commander Keeli, retreat what is left from the left flank. Let''s put that mountain range behind our backs!" "Yes, general!" That was what Commander Keeli was about to suggest. This way, even with they didn''t gain any ground, at least they could hold what they had. However, before he could give the order, he saw General Di stop moving. Even the lightsaber on his hand turned off. Immediately worried that something had happened, Commander Keeli signaled two of his men to stay in front of General Di to serve as a shield while he checked the Jedi. "General, sir! What happened?!" He checked his general but saw no wound or blood. Instead, General Di was looking straight forward, right through the Separatist forces, as if they weren''t even there. "A disturbance in the Force. This is our chance." His voice was so quiet that Commander Keeli had trouble understanding what he was saying amidst the noises of the battle. He followed General Di''s line of sight, and saw no disturbance on the Force or whatsoever, but the droid army retreating. Immediately after, he heard one of his men calling after him. "Commander! The clanckers are on the run!" All over the battlefield, Republic soldiers fired a few more shots at the retreating army, then started celebrating. Commander Keeli wasn''t carried away by the victory, because he knew very well that the Republic had been on the losing side. He ordered the clones to stay ready for battle, and the medics to start treating the wounded before the enemies returned. However, minute after minute passed, and not a single clancker was in sight. "General, I think they are really gone. Why? They were clearly winning." "Something happened, Keeli. I just don''t know what." ----------------------- Many hours later, Ventress arrived at the Temple of Asheress in a STAP speeder. What greeted her was the broken remains of the temple. The middle portion had collapsed on itself, leaving the interior of the temple open to the sky. Without even waiting for the STAP to stop, Ventress jumped out of it and ran inside the temple through the hole. She couldn''t care less about the building itself, but what was inside of it... The red crystal inside the temple was a kyber crystal, and a powerful one on top of that. Her master, Count Dooku, had sent her to get it for him. Kyber crystals were the core component of a lightsaber, and usually come in many colors, but never red. A red crystal meant that the owner of the crystal had been tortured and killed, and that his mind had been broken beyond repairs. The pain, anguish, and despair that the master of the crystal generated dyed the crystal with the color of blood. Like her master, and the master of her master, and the master of those who came before, Ventress had gotten her Sith lightsaber by torturing and killing a Jedi, and stealing the kyber crystal. She didn''t know why her master wanted another crystal, but the one thing she knew was that he wasn''t lenient with those who disappointed him. Looking to the direction where the clones had run, a cold smile crept its way on her face. They would regret doing this. They really would. Chapter 150 - Cold Shower Brain had just returned from a scouting mission when he saw the sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion, Dageer, sitting on a rock alone. For the last few days, the mixed group of 303rd troopers and galactic marines had been marching through the snow to get back to the main attack force on Mygeeto. However, things were looking grim. Of the two hundred soldiers that left the valley of the Temple of Asheress, about twenty had died because of their wounds. Dageer himself had a broken arm that had been paining him for days. Now, Brain noticed with interest, his officer was using a small rock to scratch his shoulder pad. Two small but clear lines could be seen on the armor piece, contrasting with the dark brownish-red that covered half of his Phase II armor. "Sir? What are you doing?" Dageer looked up to him, not surprised to see Brain ask. The clone was his most trusted soldier, and his closest friend. Dageer threw the stone away, and brushed his shoulder pad to clean the paint that he had scratched off. Because of his helmet, Brain couldn''t see his face, but Dageer''s eyes reflected a mix of pain and rage. "When we were at this temple, that... thing... made me want to forget everything. It wanted me to forget Three-four, to forget General Di, Commander Keeli, and Hell Squad. To forget about the war, about all our brothers who died. About the sarge, about Berro, about Rothax, about everyone. In a way, I think that would be worst than treason." Brain didn''t know what to say. Dageer hadn''t really answered his question, but he wasn''t sure if he should ask again. Dageer had always been quite closed, and detached from his men, never interfering with them unless he thought it was necessary, but always following orders, and making sure they were being followed by his soldiers. It was the first time he ever talked about how he was feeling, and Brain stared at him silently. Thankfully for him, his superior officer didn''t plan on leaving things like that. "I don''t want to ever forget about them, and above all else, I don''t want to ever forget for what they thought. Each of those markings..." He showed the two scratches on his armor. "... are someone we took down because of them. Not just any droid, but those who represent everything we fight against. That medical droid, and that droid commando. And Ventress. I guarantee you, she has a place for her here, next to these two clanckers." "And I assure you, sir, that someday we will put her marking there. For Berro." "And for all our brothers fighting for the future of the galaxy." After that, both clones stayed silent for many minutes, until Dageer finally recovered from his somber mood, and returned to his officer-like attitudes. Brain could help but smile. He knew that his squad leader was back, and more determined than ever. ------------------------ Dageer looked around the precarious camp that the clones had set. Snow was falling from the sky, but thankfully there was no wind, meaning that the clones were cold, but not freezing. The two scratches he made on his armor attracted a lot of attention, especially since Brain couldn''t hold back his tong, and told the others the reason he did it. Dageer thought it was for the best, since the troopers seemed more motivated than ever. And he had good news for them. Dageer called his closest officers, namely Captain Narza, Captain Hilix, Thartam, and Hell Squad. "Men, Brain brought us some good news. The bridge we need to cross is just seventy kilometers away. Considering our speed with the wounded, in two days we should be safe and sound on Republic territory." There was a round of quiet cheers amongst the group of clones, but Dageer quickly silenced them. Probably it was just superstition, but he had seen too many troopers celebrate only to get killed by what they supposed wasn''t a problem. Of course, there was a logical explanation. Whatever a soldier lowered his guard, for any reason, things could get nasty. Either way, Dageer wasn''t willing to gamble the life of his soldiers on just a prospect. He would only relax when he saw the Republic forces. In a war, there was no such thing as safety. Just crossing the bridge wouldn''t mean that Ventress was forbidden from chasing them. At most, it meant that she would be wary of encountering a bigger enemy force than she expected. Dageer was just about to conclude the meeting when a clone came looking for him. The clone got down from one of the STAPs they had stollen, and saluted Dageer. "Sir! Clanckers on our trail." "Distance? How many?" "Maybe thirty kilometers behind us. It was just a scouting party, but the main force can''t be far behind." A round of curses replaced the cheers. Just when they thought they were almost out of danger, something like that happened. "Did they see you, Sharp?" Sharp, the clone who had just reported in, shook his head. "I don''t think so, sir. I was pretty far away from them." "Uhmm... Thartam." "Yes, sir?" "Prepare the wounded. We are moving in ten minutes." "But, sir... we can''t! I haven''t finished stabilizing them yet. If we move now, many will get worse. There will probably be casualties!" Dageer looked straight at Thartam''s eyes. He liked it even less than the medic did, because any death would be because of his orders. Unfortunately, time wasn''t a commodity they had. "And if we don''t move now, we all will die. Captains, you heard me. Ten minutes." "Yes, sir." Immediately, the group of officers dispersed, leaving only Dab and Dageer behind. The sniper coughed to get Dageer''s attention, who was lost in thought. "If you have something to say, Dab, then say it, otherwise get moving. I want you on our rearguard." Dab ignored the harshness of Dageer''s voice. "Sir, do you remember that avalanche we saw yesterday when we were crossing that gorge? A bunch of those white, climbing creatures disappeared under it." Dageer clearly remembered, because it was terrifying, even though they were kilometers away from it. A group of creatures about four meters tall, and clearly adapted to the environment, disappeared like they were nothing under it. At the time, all Dageer could think about was that if it were the escaping clones stuck under it, less than half would have made it out alive. "What so?" Dab smiled cunningly, and Dageer instantly knew what was going on in his head. Sometimes he forgot how smart the sniper was, mainly because he almost never talked. "If we could provoke one of those, the path of the clanckers would be blocked, and they would have to take a detour through one of the secondary roads we saw. That would give us all the time we need to get away, and more." "And, if we are lucky, we might even bury a few of them. It sure will be well deserved. Dab, gather Hell Squad. It''s been some time since we''ve done something together." Chapter 151 - Avalanche Dageer, Tech, Brain, Metal, Cell, and Dab sat at the top of a mountain, looking down to the road that the escaping clones were following. Now, the clones were already out of their line of sight, even though they had slowed down because of the wounded. However, the signs of the small camp that they set could be clearly seen. While Cell was analyzing the road below, on lookout for the droids, Dageer was going over their plan again. "Tech already set the charges. When the clanckers get here, they will probably stop to search through what we left behind. That is when we will blow the detpacks." To make sure that the droids stopped, they had left very clear signs that they had been there. If everything went according to the plan, at least part of the droids would stop there, and then Hell Squad would blow up a piece of the mountain, triggering an avalanche. "Cell, can you see them?" "Not yet, sir." Dageer crouched next to Cell, and lowered his macrobinoculars. He could see farther than Cell, but still saw no signs of the droid army they were expecting. According to Sharp, they weren''t too far behind, and clanckers didn''t need to rest, only recharge. Then he saw something at the far end of his line of sight. A group of the creatures they had been seeing in the last days was running towards them. Dageer focused behind the fleeing bunch, and soon the first B1 battle droids appeared, followed by B2 units and AATs. Thankfully, Droidekas had a hard time rolling on the snow, so Ventress didn''t bother to bring some. Right in front of the approaching Separatist force, Dageer saw Ventress herself. Suddenly, she looked up, directly at Dageer. For a moment, he thought that he had been seen, but then Ventress shook her head. Dageer dropped down to the snow, in case she ordered any droid to search his position with binoculars. She probably felt that he was watching her, but even for a Force-sensitive being, the distance was too great to actually see something. Just in case, Dageer preferred to get out of sight. "Retreat. Tech, are the charges ready?" "Yes, sir." "Good. We have about an hour before they get here. Let''s get ready." ----------------------------- "Captain." "Yes, madam? Bzzz..." "Send a patrol ahead. I have a feeling we are about to catch up with the clones." "Yes, bzzz... madam." Very soon, three droids left the big group on STAPs, and flew ahead, lifting patches of snow as they went by. -------------------------- Hell Squad had moved from the top of the mountain to somewhere far from both the droid army and the path of the avalanche. "Sir! They sent a patrol! Three clanckers. " Cell warned them, and the clones all grabbed their blasters nervously, especially Metal. He was anxious to try out his new double-barrel repeating blaster. With a move from his hands, however, Dageer ordered them to stand down. "If this patrol doesn''t return, they will know we are here. We have to hide. Quickly, bury yourselves!" "Erm... what?" Instead of answering, Dageer used his hands to shovel snow over Cell, who was laying on the ground with his blaster and his binoculars by his side. The clones finally understood what he meant, and started doing the same. Soon, six mounds of newly rummaged snow appeared. Under them, small patches of brown and black could be seen if one looked carefully. "Our footprints!" "Stop!" Dab wanted to get up and erase the clear footprints on the snow, but Dageer stopped him. He could already hear the sound of the three STAPs approaching. "They will be too worried about the camp to see them. Now, stay quiet!" Even when whispering, Dageer was worried that the droids would hear them. The patrol arrived at the abandoned camp, barely three hundred meters away from Hell Squad. They made circles around the place, looking for clones, but aside from the mess of footprints and a few crates that were left on purpose, the clanckers apparently saw nothing. At a certain time, one of the STAPs flew just a few meters away from Dageer, and he had to exert enormous control over himself not to fire. After what seemed like an eternity, the patrol finally left, going back the way they came. Dageer waited a few more minutes before getting up, and brushing the snow off his armor. Some of it made its way through the gaps between pieces, and melted when touching his skin, making him shiver with the unexpected cold. "Well, that was more intense than I expected." "Behave yourself, Cell." As always, as soon as possible, Cell complained, and Brain followed. Dageer knew that he couldn''t find more loyal and skilled troopers, but sometimes the two clones behaved like they still were cadets. Even so, he couldn''t help but let a small smile appear on his face. Cell was right, it really was intense, although nothing happened. He could feel sweat mixing with melted snow on his back. "I say we get a little farther away. What do you think, sir?" Dageer nodded, agreeing with Metal. This time, they moved the farthest they could while still having the ambush place in their sights. Nothing unexpected happened again, and in half an hour they could hear the sounds of the marching droid army, muffled by the snow. After twenty more minutes, they finally saw the first droids appearing, and more followed. Tech gripped the trigger anxiously, and looked at Dageer expectantly. "Not yet. We have to let more of them walk into the trap." However, as more and more seppies appeared, including Ventress, Dageer couldn''t help but feel nervous himself. If they were discovered, or if the avalanche failed, Hell Squad would be as good as dead. They could fight off a two, or even three to one disadvantage, but not two or three hundred times as many enemies as they. "Now!" Less than half of the droids had entered the trap''s area, but it was too risky to wait any longer. Besides, their objective wasn''t to kill the droids, but block their path. Burying them was a bonus. A cadence of explosions filled the air, making the Separatist army look up. At the top of the mountain, small pillars of smoke rose in the air, but that was all. For a moment, Dageer thought that they hadn''t used enough detpacks, but then the ground trembled. The top of the mountain shook, and snow and rocks started rolling down, soon forming a white wave of destruction. When it finally came crashing down on the droid army bellow, nothing was left of them. Snow and dust were everywhere, and Hell Squad couldn''t see anything for a while. When it finally settled, the sight startled Hell Squad. The whole road had been engulfed by the snow. Here and there, droid arms, legs and heads could be seen sticking out, sparks flying out of the broken components. Cell whistled. It truly was a terrifying sight. "It''s a pity Three-four isn''t here to see this. I doubt any clancker survived that." Chapter 152 - Withdrawing From Combat Ventress pushed her hands upwards with inhuman efforts to hold back the amount of snow that was about to crash down on her. Blood vessels popped on her hands and arms, and her eyes became bloodshot. Although she had her fair deal of dangerous situations, she had never used such amount of Force. She could feel her reserves draining, and black spots disrupted her vision. She knew that if the didn''t do something soon, she was bound to die. So, using more Force than she ever had before, she blasted the snow out of the way, sending it flying in the air. The effort left her breathless, and she dropped to the ground panting. Only after several minutes she finally got up. Around her was utter destruction. The droid army that she had with her was either buried or in pieces around her. Only a few hundred lucky ones, who had been near her when the avalanche happened, survived. "Bzzz... ma... bzzz... madam! Where.... bzzz... you?" Her communicator bipped, and she vaguely heard the droid captain''s voice, interrupted by static. With her sensitive ears, she heard the mechanical sounds of droids behind the avalanche. It appeared that part of her army had survived. Ignoring her exhaustion, she walked towards the snow wall, and put her hands on it. Small pieces of snow fell on her bald head, and the cold relieved her a little bit. She could feel a headache coming, as it always did when she overexerted the use of the Force. "Captain, stay away from the snow." "Madam, there... bzzz... snow everywh..." Ventress shook her head. Sometimes droids were just too stupid, and she couldn''t be bothered to explain more to it. Closing her eyes, she let the Force concentrate on her hands, before releasing it at once. Five or six meters of compacted snow was pushed away, burying the stupid captain that was behind it. Ventress stepped over the broken body, and looked at the troops she had left. About five hundred droids had been buried, but she still had more than a thousand troops. Against a few hundred, and tired, clones, that should be more than enough, unless they pulled out another trick like the avalanche. Anyway, Ventress didn''t care about how many troops she lost. They were expendable, she could just get more. She looked at a droid sergeant, identifiable by the yellow markings, similar to the ones a droid captain had, but fewer. "You are the new captain. Move." ----------------------------- Hell Squad met the other clones two hours later. With Ventress and the droid army out of the way, the clones unconsciously slowed the pace. Dageer thought about hurrying them, but Thartam wasn''t kidding when he said that many wounded were at the limit. Many who had recovered slightly worsened because of the fast pace, and more than one was near death. Dageer was worried about unforeseen problems, but he also relaxed a little when the threat that was Ventress disappeared. This series of events and coincidences all led to the ultimate flaw in Dageer''s plan. He didn''t know that not only Ventress had survived, but her troops also did, and were hot on their heels. So, two days later, Dageer, Brain, Captain Narza and Captain Hilix were on top of a hill, looking down to the bridge that meant safety when they received the bad news in the worst possible way. Suddenly, chaos broke out. Dozens of clones fell victim to an unsuspected volley of red lasers. Dageer turned around, and saw that the clanckers he thought they had buried were right behind them. Veteran soldiers, after the first moment of panic, the clones grabbed their weapon, and tried to resist. However, they were outnumbered six to one, and more troopers started dropping like flies. If things stayed like this, all of them would die. Dageer grabbed his DC-15A, and ran towards the battle, all the while barking orders. "Thartam, Bliar and Sharp! Take the wounded and go! Timer, plant the detpacks! Lieutenant Shield, take the left flank and go with them! Hell Squad, on me! Narza and Hilix, we will hold them back. Shoot and retreat, understood?" "Yes, sir! Come on, Hilix!" At that moment if life or death, none of the clones hesitated to throw themselves at the fray. About thirty to forty troopers covered the retreat of the others. The bridge was only a few hundred meters away. If they managed to cross and blow it, then they would be safe, at least for a while. Amongst the clones that stayed behind, Hell Squad was surely the most eye-catching. Tech and Cell used their DC-15S to take down two or three clones before running back a little. Dab used his DC-15x to find and kill the enemy officers. The sergeant that Ventress appointed as the new captain was the first to fall. Brain and Metal also were a force to be reckoned with. The new weapon that Dageer gave to Metal was wreaking havoc amidst the closely packed B1 battle droids, and Brain''s thermal detonators cleaned up those which remained. And Dageer was dueling with an AAT. Only one of the tanks that Ventress brought survived the avalanche, but it was enough to slaughter Dageer''s men if left alone. So the leader of Hell Squad had taken onto him the task of keeping it busy. Every time the main canon if the AAT turned to shoot at Dageer, he would roll out of the way. This made difficult for the AAT to focus on him, but more than once Dageer was almost blasted to pieces. Dodging the tank wasn''t an easy feat, but he also had to worry about the clanckers firing at him. "Dab! I will create an opening, you take it down!" "Yes, sir!" Dab stopped sniping the enemy officers and started charging his DC-15x. Long ago, he had modified his weapon so it could charge a powerful blaster, enough to cause a small explosion when it hit. More than once it had proven useful to take down targets that hid behind cover. Still, it wasn''t enough to even sway an AAT, whatsoever destroy it. However, since Dageer had spoken, Dab had full trust in him. Meanwhile, Dageer suddenly stopped. Seeing the clone that had been pestering it for so long stop, the AAT turned its barrel towards him. Just when it was about to fire, Dageer fired two quick shots at the hatch on top of the tank. His gamble played off. Both blue lasers hit the hatch''s lick, blasting it open. At the same time, Dab fired the charged shot, hitting the inside of the AAT. A small explosion happened, followed by a much bigger one when all the ammo inside the AAT blew up. Without waiting for the reaction of the droids, Dageer swiftly retreated. The bridge was now only a hundred meters away, and most of the clones had already crossed it. Only the ones that were covering their escape remained, now only twenty of the original forty. At that moment, Dageer''s soldier sense warned him. He scanned the droids with his eyes, and saw Ventress looking directly at him. She had her red lightsaber on her hand, trespassing the limp body of a clone. Chapter 153 - Deadly Wound Ventress looked at him, and even with dozens of meters and hundreds of droids between them, Dageer could see the hatred on her eyes. Memories from what she did to him appeared in his mind. He wanted revenge, but now was not the place nor the time for it. Quickly, he signaled full retreat to the few soldiers he still had with him. They disengaged the droids and started making their way towards the bridge. Only Hell Squad remained behind, because they saw that Dageer was looking at Ventress without moving. When he saw his brothers staying with him, Dageer felt grateful. He loved all his brothers, but he had a stronger bond with the members of his squad. "Forget the clanckers, focus on Ventress. And be careful with lasers she reflects. General Di can do that, so she probably can too. We have to get to the bridge." "Aim for her legs." Dageer nodded at Tech''s suggestion. Aiming at the legs would make it more difficult for Ventress to deflect them, and also slow her down. His biggest worry wasn''t the lightsaber, but the Force she used. If she got close enough, she could just pick them up and throw them away. Six clones started firing all they had against the single rogue Jedi, including Metal''s double-barrel repeating blaster, but all of the lasers were either dodged or deflected by Ventress. Some of them even hit the droids close to her, destroying them, but Ventress continued her relentless advance. "Reloading!" Dab and Cell ejected the two empty magazines from their blasters, and inserted new ones as fast as they could, but the small amount of time was enough for Ventress to get a few more meters closer. Surprisingly, she didn''t use the Force as Dageer expected she would, but kept advancing. It appeared she wanted to kill them with her lightsaber. What Dageer didn''t know was that she wasn''t able to use the Force because of Dageer''s avalanche trick. Suddenly, Dageer felt the snow beneath his feet become something more solid. Quickly looking down, he saw they had arrived at the bridge. There, Captain Narza, Captain Hilix, and the rearguard troopers were waiting for them. "Sir, the charges are set! We just have to cross!" "Go, go, go!!!" And then Ventress was above him. She had jumped, and flew meters above the ground until she was right on top of him. Dageer raised his blaster to defend himself, but the red lightsaber sliced through it like it was nothing. He saw a flash of red, and then searing pain on his face. Dageer fell, unable to do anything but scream in pain. His face was burning, especially his right eye. He couldn''t open it. Vaguely, he saw an explosion near him, and Ventress was thrown on the air. Two arms grabbed and pulled him. The bottom half of his body dragging on the ground, he saw four or five clones bravely taking cover behind the sides of the bridge. "Go! We will hold them!" He saw Captain Hilix wave at him, or most probably, at the soldier dragging him. He tried to lift his arm and stop Captain Hilix, but he didn''t have enough strength. Then, more hands grabbed him, and he felt the cold snow under him. They were on the other side of the bridge. He was lifted and put on an improvised litter. Leaning on his elbows, Dageer saw Captain Hilix fire at Ventress, while the troopers he had with him went down one by one under the concentrated droid fire. "Blow... Blow it up." The clone near him leaned closer to listen. Dageer''s voice was so low he thought it might have been his imagination. "What, sir?" "Blow... it... up." The clone spoke with someone, and Dageer saw Timer give the trigger to Captain Narza. The captain looked at Dageer uncertain. Dageer''s eyes haven''t left the bridge. He saw Ventress hold Captain Hilix by the throat, and stab him in the chest with the lightsaber. Hell Squad''s leader nodded. Without hesitating anymore, Captain Narza pressed the trigger. A chain of explosions crossed the entirety of the bridge, and it crumbled, pieces of it falling in the gorge below. Just before he passed away, Dageer saw Ventress do a backflip, and jump out of the collapsing bridge. ------------------------ When he woke up, Dageer was inside a building, laying on a hard bed. For some reason, his vision was blurry. By his side were his armor and his blaster. Aside from dust and battle marks, there was also a terrific scar on his helmet. The entire right side of it had been cut through, starting above the visor and going all the way down to where it connected to the neck. Through it, Dageer could see the inside of the helmet, where broken wires were hanging. "Sir! You are awake!" On the other side of the bed, near a medical droid, was a clone Dageer hadn''t seen for a long time. "Three... Cough! Urghhh... Cough... Three-four! What are you going here?" "Calm down, sir. I recovered from my wounds. See?" He slapped his side, where many weeks before a laser had hit him, almost killing Three-four. "Where are we?" "We are on The Sincerity, sir. You have been unconscious for the last few days, so you lost quite a lot. The 303rd pulled out of Mygeeto. We left the Galactic Marines to take care of it. The planet is now half ours half the seppies''." That was expected. From the start, it was obvious Mygeeto wouldn''t be conquered in just one battle. Dageer needed to know what was happening, so he tried to get up, but Three-four held him down. "Hold on, sir. Your eye isn''t good enough yet. We took you out of the bacta tank because there isn''t anymore it can do for you, but you have to..." "My eye? What is wrong with my eye?" He raised his hand and touched his face. Half of it was covered by bandages that he hadn''t noticed before. Over his right eye, there was a huge bump. "What happened?" Three-four looked uncomfortable, but he knew it was better to answer at once. He scratched his head and looked away from Dageer. "Brain and the boys told me you fought with a Jedi traitor or something on Mygeeto. General Di called her a Sith. Well, she... she almost sliced your face in two. You were lucky, sir. But her lightsaber reached your face... and your eye." Ventress. At the last moment, after she had injured Dageer, someone had blown something near her, keeping the Sith away from him." "How bad is it?" "Your eye might, or might not make it. We could try replacing it if it doesn''t recover, but I''m not optimistic about that. The higher-ups rarely replace limbs or anything. Too expensive, they say." There was a small grudge on Three-four''s voice, but Dageer could understand it. Clones were extremely loyal to the Republic, but even they had grievances with how it worked. More than one brother of Dageer had to retire early after losing a limb, because it was cheaper to make a new clone than to make metallic limbs for every disabled soldier. "Help me up, Three-four. I have to talk to General Di." Chapter 154 - Betrayed The Republic With Three-four helping him, Dageer got up. Even if he ignored his wounded eye, Dageer also had many different wounds. His entire body was sore, especially his legs, although he didn''t know why. In fact he had engaged in so many battles that it could be because of a dozen different reasons. His arm was also hurting a lot. It had been showing signs of getting better, but in the last battle he was forced to use it a lot, so it got worse than before. Whenever they passed by a clone, be it one clad in full armor, or wearing non-combat attire, they all saluted him. Apparently, stories about how Dageer helped two hundred clones escape from the slave-like work had already spread through The Sincerity. They met Hell Squad on the way, wearing their armors and holding their helmets under their arms. Just like the others, they saluted Dageer, and then immediately started asking how he was. He smiled when he heard the concern on his brothers'' voice. "I''m all right. According to Three-four, I won''t have even a scar left." All the members of Hell Squad looked at the medic. They had seen Dageer''s wound by themselves, and it didn''t look like it was so unimportant. Three-four quickly shook his head. "I said the scar probably won''t be too big. It will probably cover only half of your face. But look by the bright side of things. You probably will scare away the droids before we even have a chance to fight. Hahahahaha!!!" For a few seconds the laughter of Hell Squad resonated on the corridors of The Sincerity, until Dageer''s face turned serious and he looked at Brain, his right-hand. "How many escaped, Brain?" "A hundred and eighty-two, sir. Captain Hilix died on the bridge." "I saw it. He was a true soldier." They stayed silent for a few moments. The aftermath of a battle was always like that. Laughing a little and grieving a lot. Unfortunately, most of the time they couldn''t even grieve for their deads properly. Like now. "Let''s go to the command bridge. I need to talk to General Di." "We already told him about Ventress, sir. You really should rest more. Your injuries aren''t a joke." "It''s not about Ventress I am concerned, Metal." While he was being tortured, Dageer had told Ventress at least something. He didn''t know what or how much, but it was a fact that she had cracked him. ... Like always, Hell Squad found Commander Keeli and General Di on the command bridge. Both of them almost never left it, and when Dageer was uninjured, he was by their side. General Di''s padawan, the young Togruta named Ragout, was also there, looking bored. Dageer could help but think about how different master and apprentice were. General Di was calm and methodical, while Ragout always jumped head-first into danger. The padawan was skilled, however, and had helped Dageer more than once. At the same time, the Jedi and padawan seemed to complement one another, and fought with such cohesion that was only possible because of the Force and their complete trust in each other. "Dageer! You shouldn''t be here! What about your eye?!" The first to see him was Ragout. The padawan half walked, half jumped to Dageer, and talked with a mixture of excitement, worry, and concern. "I am almost good, General Ragout. I need to talk to you all." General Di walked forward, and put his hand on Dageer''s uninjured shoulder. "My padawan is right, Dageer. You shouldn''t be here. Your wounds are many, and worrisome ones." "I have urgent intel, general. My wounds can wait." General Di raised an eyebrow. What urgent intel could Dageer had, considering he was unconscious for almost a week? Still, he could see that Dageer was troubled. The eyes of the sub-commander carried many worries, and a hint of... guilty? Three-four and Brain helped Dageer get near the hologram table, and he used it to support himself. He saluted Commander Keeli, who gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder. Hell Squad, Commander Keeli, General Di, Ragout and even Admiral Dao, who was a distance away, looked at Dageer expectantly. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in years, didn''t look on the eyes of his brothers when he was talking. "Generals, commander, I-I... I betrayed the Republic." There was a short period of shocked silence after he uttered those words, then Commander Keeli and Ragout talked at the same time. "What do you mean, Dageer?" "What?! You can''t! You would never do that!" Dageer looked around, and saw that Hell Squad was looking at him stunned, but he saw only disbelief on their eyes, not rage. Then he looked at General Di. He looked so calm that Dageer almost thought he already knew about it. "Dageer. Look at me. Tell me what happened." Making immense efforts not to look away, Dageer looked at the Jedi. He was overridden by guilty, although he knew it wasn''t his fault. Not entirely, at least. "When we were captured, that woman, Ventress, she used the same things you use, general." "The Force? Brain told me about her. She belongs to the oldest Jedi enemies. She is a Sith." "Yeah. She got very upset when we called her a Jedi. After she killed Berro, with the red lightsaber, she used the Force to break into my mind. I wasn''t able to resist the first time." "The first time? There were more?" "Yes. She tried to get more information from me after that, but I did as you told us. I... protected my mind with... walls. She wasn''t able to enter them, so she resorted to physical torture. That I could deal with." "What information did you give her?" "I-I don''t know... I can''t remember. But she mentioned Iktotch, and the Iktotchi there. And if I told her that, I don''t know what else I did." Suddenly, General Di''s serious face broke into a small, almost unnoticeable smile. "Don''t worry, Dageer. You did well by resisting her after the first time. Many would have lost their minds under this kind of mental bombardment. As for your so-called treason, well, you weren''t in control of yourself." "But! Sir! I might have given away everything!" "If you did, she wouldn''t try again. No. You told her something, that is true, but you didn''t betray the Republic. You helped us guard a great deal if classified information that otherwise would have fallen into Separatist hands if they had captured any soldier but you." Seeing that the general didn''t blame him, and that none of the others did, the guilty that Dageer was feeling disappeared, replaced by trust and determination. He wouldn''t betray the Republic ever again, willing or not. "But we know for a fact that Ventress now knows about the Force-sensitive being on Iktotch. Admiral, our next stop will be there." "Yes, general." "As for you, Dageer, get back to your quarters. Your injuries are serious." Dageer was about to turn around when he remembered something. He quickly whispered something to Cell, who left the command bridge. "Actually, general, there is something else I need to tell you about." Chapter 155 - The Traitor "Actually, general, there is one more thing I would like to tell you about." "What is it?" "The reason this all started. I believe Brain already told you Ventress was capturing clones to dig out a temple. She called it the Temple of Asheress." "Temple of Asheress... I never heard of it. Do you know why Ventress was so interested in this temple?" "After we freed ourselves, I took a group with me, and entered the temple. We walked in an endless corridor for hours and hours, or so it seemed. After we left, Captain Narza told us that we had spent less than an hour inside." This time General Di was truly shocked. Possibilities flashed by his mind. Control over time was an ancient Jedi art that not even Master Yoda had mastered. "At some moment, whoever was messing with us created a path to the center of the temple. We could only follow it. Inside we found a red crystal. The crystal... spoke with us. Tried to control us. Metal and Tech were there too." "The sub-commander is right, general. We totally lost our minds. We could only think of grabbing the crystal. Only he escaped its control." There was admiration on Metal''s voice when he spoke. If it wasn''t for Dageer, who knows what might have happened? "When Timer touched the crystal he started floating and screaming. I had to break his wrist to release the crystal from his hand." "And where is this crystal? Such a dangerous thing can''t be left for anyone to take. Especially Ventress." "We took it, general. Cell is grabbing it right now. And, General Di? If you can''t decide what to do with it, we really should destroy it. It''s too dangerous." Cell chose this moment to enter the command bridge, holding a container. He gave it to Dageer, who in turn gave it to General Di. When the Jedi was about to open the container, Dageer nervously searched for his DC-17, only to remember he had left it at his quarters. "Power... Power... Take it... Take me... You will have power... Pow!" The terrific voice appeared again, trying to take ahold of Dageer''s mind. He saw all the clones on the bridge stop, and step towards the crystal. Suddenly, General Di closed the container strongly. His face was pale, and Dageer saw a trace of fear. Ragout had the same look. Whatever they heard from the crystal was much more intense than what the clones did. "M-Master... this... What is it? So powerful... So... dark." "I don''t know, Ragout, but you are right. It''s too powerful for us. We have to give it to Master Yoda." General Di looked to all the dazed clones on the command bridge. Only now were their eyes starting to gain focus again. He put the container holding the red crystal inside his robes. "Is there anything else concerning this crystal, Dageer? If it is, you need to tell us. It is very important." "I don''t think so, gener..." "Master Di! All your troopers started acting weird... What is happening?" A green-skinned person, with deep black and blue eyes entered the command bridge as if it was it''s home. Commander Keeli, one of the first clones to recover from the influence of the red crystal, rolled his eyes. The rodian, Senator Onaconda Farr, had been a constant source of trouble ever since they rescued him from the Separatist on Mygeeto. Commander Keeli had heard that Senator Farr was one of the calmest and most reasonable senators of all the Republic, but this had been proven wrong so far. First of all, he had been the only witness of his fellow senator, and traitor of the Republic, Bonde Lee, killing sergeant Rothax of the Galactic Marines, and blowing the bridge, which led to Dageer''s capture. Then, the senator started urging them to leave Mygeeto and get back to Coruscant, even getting to the point of trying to overrule Commander Keeli''s orders with his authority as a senator. Only General Di''s intervention made the rodian stop. And now, he entered the command bridge yelling without any regards. Senator Farr was about to speak more when Dageer turned around. Clone and senator looked eyes, and the rodian immediately turned around and tried to leave the command bridge. Dageer struggled a little to remember where he had seen the senator, then some bad memories came back to him. Instantly, he jumped and tried to grab Senator Farr''s arm, but with only one eye, his depth perception was bad, and he missed. "Arrest him! Now!" Instinctively, Brain and Dab grabbed the senator''s arms, and pulled him back. "What are you doing?!!! I am a respected senator of the Republic! Release me! Release me now! This is treason, clone sc.u.m!!!" The clones ignored him, and held him right in front of Dageer. Only then did Commander Keeli and the others react. "Dageer! What are you doing?! He is a senator! Brain, Dab, release him!" The two clones might be members of Hell Squad, but ultimately, they still had to follow the orders given by Commander Keeli, even if it meant disobeying Dageer. After a little hesitation, they dropped the senator to the ground, more violently than they should have. After all, he called them ''clone sc.u.m''. Still, they position themselves behind Senator Farr, blocking his way out. Commander Keeli approached Dageer until he was just centimeters away from his second in command. General Di was watching by the side. His eyes weren''t disapproving, but pensive. Ragout was at Senator Farr''s side, talking with him. "Explain yourself, trooper." Dageer couldn''t see through the visor of Commander Keeli''s helmet, but it was obvious that he wasn''t happy, and he had good reasons to be so. If what Dageer did before wasn''t considered treason, then this was. Dageer gave a sideways glance at Senator Farr. "Commander, this man was responsible for our capture on Mygeeto." "Nonsense! It was Bonde Lee! I helped you guys arrest him!" Dageer ignored the screaming rodian, and turned to General Di. He could see that although the Jedi didn''t totally believe him, he also had his suspicions about Senator Farr. "I saw him kill Rothax and two other galactic marines with my own eyes, then blow up the bridge, sir." "That is stupid! I am a senator of the Republic! Why would I help Ventress capture clones?! That is absolute nonsense!" Dageer wanted to explain more when Ragout ordered him to stay quiet. Unknowingly, Dageer followed the order. Although young, the padawan was many steps above him in the hierarchy. "Senator Farr, how do you know about Ventress?" The moment Ragout asked the question, every person on the command bridge went quiet. The fact that they had met a Sith on Mygeeto wasn''t a secret, since many clones saw her, but her name should only be known by a few officers. "I-I heard the soldiers talking! W-Why are you asking me?! This clone is the traitor! I am a senator! A senator!" General Di approached Senator Farr. The rodian tried to back off, but Dab and Brain blocked his way. General Di closed his eyes, and waved his hand in front of the senator. "You... You are not Onaconda Farr. Who are you?" Chapter 156 - Shape-shifter "You are not Onaconda Farr. Who are you?" When General Di said that, the senator -the impostor, actually - nervously shifted his feet. He fiddled with his hands, not knowing where to put them. The impostor looked behind him, only to see Brain''s and Dab''s unhappy faces. ""W-What do you mean? I-I... I am Senator Farr, of course I am. I don''t understand, Jedi master." The moment he said that, Dageer noticed his hand reaching inside his clothes, and a dangerous glint flashing through his eyes. Commander Keeli obviously saw it too, because he yelled at Brain and Dab. "Hold him!" General Di, however, was faster than any of the clones. The Nikto swung his lightsaber in a blur, and the K-7 Watchman Pistol that the rodian had pulled out was cut in half, together with three of his fingers. The fingers were originally green and membranous, a characteristic of the rodians. However, in midair, they became long and grey, and yellow blood oozed from them. The person impersonating Senator Farr kneeled, holding his hand near his body. Dab grabbed his arm, and twisted it around the back of the person, at the same time putting his knee against the person''s neck, so every move he made caused intense pain. When the person tried to get up, Dab twisted the arm harder, and the impostor was unable to bear with it, and crouched with his face against the metal floor. General Di switched off his lightsaber, and the lethal weapon turned into a harmless metal stick. Serious as always, the Jedi approached the impostor. He had now become a grey-skinned and skinny being. His face had burn scars, and he only had a few scattered clumps of hair. "Atyri umbiti chilek!" General Di frowned when he heard the impostor speak. "A clawdite. Speak the common language." "Tiryr weedte! Kitoy..." Before the clawdite could finish, Dab pushed him to the floor. "The general asked you to speak the common language." "Stand down, trooper! He is a prisoner, but that doesn''t mean you can treat him like that!" The aura that General Di released made Dab stagger backward, and let the impostor go. For a moment the clone looked at the Jedi, then acknowledged the order and let the clawdite get up. Dab was a quiet soldier, but that didn''t mean he was unemotional. Being scold by the general in front of the others - for something he considered unjust, since the clawdite clearly killed many clones - made his face heat up with shame, but he could do nothing. Not for the first time, Dageer wondered if the compassion the Jedi showed for everyone and everything wouldn''t be their doom. He, like many clones, respected the Jedis almost more than anything, but had his doubts about their qualifications to lead armies in a war. "What do you want, Jedi?" For the first time, the clawdite spoke the common language, although his tone was disdainful. General Di waved his hands in front of the impostor, in a gesture that Dageer now knew it used the Force to control the mind of a person. However, what General Di did was different than what Ventress did. The clawdite''s eyes became misty, and lost focus, but he didn''t appear to be mind-controlled as Dageer had been, neither showed signs of feeling pain. Like always, the Jedi had a gentle way of doing things. "Who sent you?" "L-Lord Dooku... sent me..." The clones had no reaction to the name, since, for them, Count Dooku was only the Separatist leader, and nothing more. However, General Di and his padawan exchanged glances. They knew that Count Dooku wasn''t only a fallen Jedi, but had become a Sith Lord, and a powerful one on top of that. And there could be only one reason why he would send a shape-shifter to impersonate Onaconda Farr. "Why did he send you to Mygeeto?" "The madam... would give me a package... to get to my lord..." It was unnecessary to say that the madam was Ventress, and the package must be the red crystal. During the few seconds that he saw the crystal, General Di sensed it''s power. He could not let it get to Count Dooku''s hands. Now, it was obvious that all that happened, from the three senators being captured, and then being released by the 303rd, and finally, to the clawdite blaming Senator Lee, was just a plan by the Separatist to get the red crystal. And General Di had to admit it was an almost perfect plan. By blowing that bridge, the clawdite provided two hundred workers to Ventress. And, if he really got its hands on the ''package'', he would have the protection of an entire Republic fleet, all the way to Coruscant. From there, the impostor could go anywhere. "Take him away." Two troopers grabbed the clawdite by his arms, and pulled him out of the command bridge. The impostor would be locked on a cell, where he would stay until they got to Coruscant, where he would be judged and sentenced to life in prison. General Di also ordered that Senator Lee was released. He and the human senator had been coerced by the clawdite, and had been too afraid to expose him. "Dageer, get your men ready. Now that your Three-four is with us, Hell Squad should be complete, right?" "Yes, general." "That''s good. Ragout, prepare a corvette. Dageer, get some rest. You won''t be able to battle if you stay as you are now. Commander Keeli, you will stay with the fleet. Your orders are to stay near the Pyrilia System, and guard the trade routes, at least for now." All the clones acknowledged their orders without questioning, as they had been trained to. Ragout, however, didn''t have such discipline. "Where are we going, master?" "Our path is still unclear. However, it stars on Iktotch. Be patient, my young apprentice." "What are we going to do on Iktotch? The only thing there is the being Dageer met... Ohhh..." General Di smiled with the gentleness he only showed to his padawan. "As I said, you have to be patient." ---------------------- A few hours later, one of the CR90 Corvettes that General Di''s fleet had separated itself from the fleet, and entered hyperspace. Aside from the pilots and the crew, the ship also carried Hell Squad, General Di and his padawan, and the clawdite. Their first stop would be Iktotch, since Ventress had shown interest in the white lizard that Dageer met. Then, they would go to Coruscant and transfer the prisoner to the Coruscant Guard, as they did with Aurra Sing. They also had a secret, and much more important, objective, which was to deliver the red crystal to the Jedi Temple, where it would be safe from Count Dooku''s hands. Inside the ship, Dageer was sleeping soundly. Three-four had given him painkillers for his eye and arm. Two days later, when they arrived in Iktotch, his arm was almost healed, and his eye didn''t hurt as much as before, which Dageer interpreted as a good sign. Chapter 157 - Too Late The corvette extended its landing gear, and landed on one of the many rocky plateaus of Iktotch. The bottom compartment opened, and a ramp extended amidst the smoke that rose from the cooling engines. General Di, Ragout and Hell Squad walked out of the ship. Commander Keeli stayed with the fleet, since it was unwise to leave the soldiers with no officer. "Where is the Iktotchi''s house, Dageer?" "Roughly that direction, general, but we won''t be able to see it until we are very close. There is a rock wall in front of it." "Well, we better hurry, because something is wrong." Ragout showed the direction where the Iktotchi''s hut was. A small but thick pillar of smoke was rising, although Dageer didn''t see it before because of the grey sky. The group quickly ran towards the smoke, but it still took them a few hours to finally see something. And it wasn''t anything good. "Separatist, general. And a bunch of them." When Cell returned from the scouting patrol, his expression was serious. He showed the group a large rock platform, from which they could see the source of the smoke. Below them, one C-9979 Transport Craft had its ramparts open, and droid after droid was entering it. Near the ship, the small hut where the Iktotchi lived was no more, and only ashes were left behind. Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and looked at the platoons of droids outside the ship. They were only nine, and even though two were Jedis, there were hundreds of clanckers. "There are too much seppies even for you, general. And I don''t think the Iktotchi is still alive, otherwise they wouldn''t be leaving." "We have to at least look for him, master! What if he was captured?!" "Close your eyes, Ragout. Feel the Force. What do you feel?" The young togruta closed his eyes. Slowly, a frown appeared in his face, and he spoke with his eyes still closed. "I feel... nothing, master. There is nothing." "Exactly. The connection that the Iktotchi had with the Force was so strong that even Dageer could feel it when he first came here. No offense, Dageer, but you didn''t have any kind of training, so that should have been impossible." Dageer dismissed the apologies. He didn''t understand the Force, and he probably never would, so there was no reason to be angry about that. Besides, no clone could ever be like the Jedis. It was impossible to clone something so rare as the ability to sense the Force, otherwise there wouldn''t be just a few thousand Jedis in a galaxy with millions of trillions of beings. "B-But...! We can''t just leave! What if he is not here? O-Or if Ventress captured him and is doing something to hide him! Or..." "Ventress has no need to hide him. She has no way of knowing we would come looking for the Iktotchi. And they wouldn''t be leaving if they hadn''t found what they were looking for." "Brain is right, my young padawan. We are too late." "No need to ask all those questions, youngling. I can tell you the lizard is dead. Hahahaha...!!!" Suddenly, a voice that Dageer knew too well intruded into their conversation. Without getting up, Dageer and the rest of Hell Squad rolled to the sides, and aimed their blasters at the owner of the voice. Ventress'' pale face entered his sights, and he didn''t hesitate to pull the trigger, nor did Hell Squad, with the exception of Metal, who couldn''t fire the DB-RB (Double-barrel Repeating Blaster) because of the awkward position he was, with his back on the ground and his feet pointed towards Ventress. In the span of a few seconds, dozens of blue lasers were fired at Ventress, but her red lightsaber deflected them all, either hitting the ground nearby or flying away. General Di and his padawan were already up, both holding their lightsabers, one blue and one green, but none attacked. According to their experiences, attacking first wasn''t necessarily the best in lightsaber combat, since the enemy could dodge quite easily. "You must be Asajj Ventress." Calmly, General Di ordered the troopers to hold their fire, just instants before Dageer did. If they kept shooting at Ventress, at some moment they would die to one of their own lasers. While the Jedi master was talking, Ragout slowly circled around, to cut off her escape path, but she didn''t seem fazed by his actions. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you, youngling. My troops are already on their away." Ragout hesitated, then stopped. They were only nine, and couldn''t afford to start a battle, or they would pay a hefty price. Dageer frowned. Why would Ventress tell them that, when she could just stall them for long enough for her troops to arrive? Unless... "General, she is afraid. She can''t take both of you at the same time." He thought he had spoken quietly enough, but Ventress must have heard him, because she looked at Dageer, and her eyes flashed with a dangerous glint that confirmed his suspicions. Then she smiled at him, but her eyes were cold. "My dear Dageer! I never expected to see you again so soon. I still have to apologize for what happened on that freezing planet. I''m so sorry for your eye. I was aiming for the neck." The words, spoken with a smile on her face, were enough to send chills down the spine of every clone present when they remembered how dangerous and cruel the woman in front of them was. "Now, Master Jedi, I believe you have something that belongs to me. A red crystal, perhaps? I never thought I would be able to get it back. Haha..." "You won''t, Sith." The last word was almost spat out. It was obvious how much General Di despised the owners of a red lightsaber. The smile didn''t leave Ventress'' face, but she put her hand inside her robes, and pulled out a second metal stick. She suddenly jumped, and at the same time activated both lightsabers, making a red cross, and brought it crashing down on General Di. The Nikto calmly parried the attack, slightly tilting his lightsaber, so Ventress'' harmless slipped past his. At the same time, Ragout attacked her with a horizontal slash, aiming for her torso, but she blocked it with one of her lightsabers. The battle became faster and faster, until all Dageer could see were blurs of movement as both parties engaged in one of the most frenetic battles he had ever seen. Hell Squad couldn''t find a chance to interfere, fearing that they might hit General Di or Ragout, so they stayed aside awkwardly while the three Force wielding beings fought. Suddenly, after just half a minute of the battle, one of the three figures fighting was thrown back by a kick. Ragout rolled on the ground, and Dageer quickly helped him get up. "Are you all right, general?" "Yes." The padawan wanted to get back on the fray, but before he could, they saw General Di give Ventress a leg sweep, and she fell. He brought his lightsaber down on her with a vertical strike, which she blocked by crossing one lightsaber on top of the other. It was clear, however, that she was losing the battle of attrition. She grunted, then suddenly turned off her lightsabers. General Di was putting all his weight on his own weapon, and lost his balance when the red lightsabers disappeared. He staggered a step forward, and Ventress took the chance to push him away using the Force. General Di landed on his feet, but the Sith warrior had the chance to run. Doing a backflip, Ventress disappeared over the edge of the rock platform. Chapter 158 - Lightsaber Duel Dageer and Ragout looked over the ledge, and saw Ventress jumping down from one rock to another. The soldier aimed his DC-15A at her, but before he could fire, Dageer saw dozens of red lasers coming for him. He ducked, and barely escaped the onslaught of lasers. Clanckers didn''t have a good aim, but when hundreds of them fired at the same time, there was little a clone could do. And that was exactly what was happening right now. The droids that still had to enter the C-9979 lined up in front of Ventress, protecting her with their bodies. General Di approached them, and pulled both the clone and his padawan back using the Force. Dageer felt his body being dragged gently, which, compared to how Ventress used the Force on him, was quite peculiar. The Jedi''s robes were utterly battered, with many cuts, although the Nikto didn''t look like he was hurt. "We are going back to the ship. There is nothing we can do here." Ragout looked grudgingly at the droids below, and turned away. The group went back the way they came, but it would still take hours for them to get back to where the corvette landed. "Shep, I am transmitting our location to you. Come pick us up. There should be a place where you can land about ten kilometers from here." Shep was the pilot of the CR90 Corvette. When Dageer was informed that Hell Squad would be the only ones to accompany General Di, he tried to convince the Jedi to bring an ARC-170 escort, more specifically, Steel Battalion, the best pilots in the 303rd. The Jedi, however, said that they would attract too much attention, and denied Dageer''s request. As such, all Dageer could do was bring Shep, who was the top pilot of large spacecraft. "Yes, sub-commander." Ten kilometers were nothing for the two Jedis, and Hell Squad had the best physical training a soldier could have. In less than an hour, they arrived at the rendezvous location, but the corvette was nowhere to be seen. Dageer knew that they would have to wait at least another half an hour because of all the preparations necessary to take off. "General, Shep should be here in forty minutes. Do we keep going or wait?" General Di stopped to ponder. If they kept running, the ship might not find a place good enough to land, and that could be their doom. But if they stopped here, it was almost certain that the droids would catch up to them. At last, the Jedi showed some boulders to Dageer. "We will wait here. Move these boulders, try to create a barricade of some sort. Enough for you to have some cover. The droids will most certainly attempt a frontal assault since they outnumber us. Hell Squad will have to hold them back until Shep arrives. Ragout and I will take care of Ventress." "Yes, general. Dab, stay on overwatch. If a seppie appears, shoot first, then warn us, understood?" "With pleasure, sir." Dab found a rock slightly bigger than the others, and rested his DC-15x on it, his eyes scanning the mountains and paths for any signs of droids. Meanwhile, the rest of Hell Squad started pulling over boulders to create a primitive wall. After twenty minutes, the six clones, with small help of the Jedis to move some bigger rocks, had created a barricade about one meter tall, a dozen meters long. It was small, but better than nothing, and they finished right on time. They heard the droids before they saw them, and Dageer quickly ordered Hell Squad to take position behind the barricade. A few seconds later, the first shot from Dab''s DC-15x echoed. To maximize the surprise, Dab had even fired one of his charged shots. The modifications that Dab made on his blasters were unusual, but usually came in handy, as they did now. Before the clanckers even discovered they were being attacked, at least a dozen of them were blasted to pieces. Of course, a dozen in an army of hundreds wasn''t much, but it was a good start. As one of the top units amongst the entire Republic Army, Hell Squad''s abilities were way better than ninety-nine percent of the clones. The only ones that could compare to them were other special units, clone commandos, and ARC troopers. As such, none of the members of Hell Squad missed a shot when they fired the first volley. To get to the clones, the droids had to walk through a gorge, which limited their lines to about twenty to twenty-five clanckers, shoulder to shoulder. The first shot from Dab had already depleted their vanguard, and Hell Squad took care of the remaining twelve before the second line could even understand what was going on. Each of the blue lasers found their mark, either on the head or chest of the B1 units. Such accuracy, considering that the droids were about two hundred and fifty meters away, and that they weren''t using sharpshooters blasters, but DC-15As and DC-15Ss, was enough to earn Hell Squad''s members the role of snipers on a legion. Back to the combat, the droids continued their inexorable attack on Hell Squad''s position. About a hundred clanckers had died, and the most Hell Squad suffered was a scratch on Brain''s shoulder. As much as Dageer would like to say it was all because of his squad''s abilities, General Di and his padawan played a large part in it. At least half of the droid kills had been by their hands. However, now, they were too occupied to deal with the droids. The duo of master and apprentice were fighting Ventress once again, and the droids, instead of trying to intervene, opened space for them to fight. Probably, Dageer thought between one laser and the other, because of Ventress'' pride, she couldn''t let her army help her. Still, she was fighting the two of them on equal grounds. When one of them attacked, she used one lightsaber to parry, and the other to counterattack. More than once, Ragout barely escaped the red lightsaber, and on one occasion, the lightsaber cut through his robes, not hitting him by millimeters. Suddenly, Ventress disengaged. Dageer, who had been paying close attention to the fight, in case any of the generals needed help, switched his aim from one of the droids to Ventress. She was about to pounce on Ragout, who had his guard open, but then she sensed danger. Without looking, she deflected the blue laser, hitting an unlucky droid sergeant. However, she had stopped her movement, giving Ragout the chance to get his guard back up. Ventress threw a vicious stare at Dageer, but all she received were two more lasers, which she dodged. Seeing the three Force-wielding beings start battling against, Dageer shifted his attention back to the approaching droids. "Brain, prepare your detonators!" His second-in-command pulled three thermal detonators from his belt, and threw them to Dageer and Three-four. When the clanckers approached a few more meters, they launched the detonators. And a sudden explosion engulfed the battle, destroying hundreds of droids. Chapter 159 - Eventful Journey A chain of explosions much bigger than what three grenades could do erupted on the battlefield. At the same time, a large shadow encompassed Hell Squad and the droids. When Dageer looked up, he saw the CR90 Corvette that brought them to Iktotch. The frontal turbolaser cannons on it were hardly of any help against other sh.i.p.s, but when the targets were helpless infantry, they were deadly. In a matter of seconds, about three hundred droids were blown to pieces, and the remaining started peppering the corvette with red lasers. The lower rampart of the corvette was open, and a crew member was holding on it with one hand, and had a blaster on the other. "Hurry up! Their tanks are coming!" "Move, move, move!!!" Dageer pushed his men towards the rampart. The corvette went down a little, enough for the clones to climb the rampart, although it wasn''t touching the ground. Seeing that the clones were already getting inside the ship, General Di said something to Ragout, and the padawan nodded. Both of them pushed their open hands forward, and Ventress, who was about to hack with her red lightsabers again, was sent flying ten meters. The duo turned off their lightsabers, and somersaulted to the rampart. General Di motioned upwards with his hands, and Brain was pulled inside the corvette. Seeing the last of his men get into the ship, Dageer shouted for Shep to take off. While holding on to the columns of the ship, Dageer felt his recently healed shoulder hurt once more, and grunted. If he kept entering in fights without giving it the proper time to heal completely, his shoulder would probably break again. However, it wasn''t like he could choose to fight or not. Finally, the rampart closed, with the two Jedis still deflecting lasers that found their way in. Dageer felt the ship accelerate upwards, and almost fell, but at least now they were out of range from the AATs. "Is everyone all right?" Most of the clones answered his question with a nod, and only Three-four gave a real answer, mainly because he was treating Brain''s injury. "Only Brain got hurt, sir. But he will only have a small scar, that''s all." The grenadier and second-in-command chuckled. "All of you are getting one, I didn''t want to be excluded. But I doubt any of them will be as good as yours, sir." Hell Squad laughed. Only Brain would dare to joke with the sub-commander of a Republic Legion this way. Hell Squad had gone through too much together to care about small things like that. And even if he didn''t want to, Dageer still let the joke slip without doing anything, because it helped ease the tension. Only one soldier had gotten hurt, but the truth was that they had nearly been wiped out. Had the battle lasted a few minutes more, casualties were bound to happen. Shep had arrived right on time. Dageer looked over to his general, and saw the Nikto sitting on the ground, with his eyes closed. His lightsaber was floating before him, and slowly spinning. By the side, Ragout was on his feet, looking at nothing in particular. "General Ragout. Is everything all right with General Di?" Unwilling to interrupt the Nikto''s meditation, Dageer approached the Togruta. Ragout looked at Dageer, and slowly nodded. He appeared to be extremely tired, which was understandable, considering that Dageer''s body was aching, and he didn''t even fight with a lightsaber. "You should grab some rest, general. Both of you. I will tell Shep to set course to Coruscant." Ragout once again nodded, and looked at Dageer gratefully. "Thank you, Dageer. Hell Squad was spectacular on Iktotch." Dageer said nothing, but inside he agreed with the Jedi. Hell Squad had fought better than he ever saw they do. Maybe it was training and experience, maybe it was because Three-four was back, but anyway, they didn''t let Dageer down. "You all, go to sleep too. That''s an order. Yes, Dab, you can take care of your blaster first." Before the sniper even asked, Dageer knew what he wanted. After every battle, the first thing Dab did was clean his DC-15x, especially if he used his overcharged shot, since it was quite a burden on the weapon. ... After all the clones went to their quarters, only Dageer was left in the lower hangar. He took off his helmet, and put it on the floor. Then he pulled the bandage that was covering his eye. Droplets of blood fell on the floor, and on his armor. During the battle, the wound had opened, and the inside of the bandage was soaked with blood. Thankfully, his eye hadn''t suffered any other injury. After throwing the old bandage away, Dageer headed to the medical bay, where a medical droid applied another one, and gave him some painkillers. "You should refrain from doing... physical activities. But your eye... is getting better." Dageer chuckled when he heard the droid''s instructions. It would be really hard for him to refrain from doing physical activities, even if he wanted to. Since he didn''t want the other clones knowing about his reopened wound, Dageer put on his helmet, and went to the c.o.c.kpit of the ship. The clone trooper guarding it saluted him when he entered the room, and Dageer returned the greetings. When he entered the c.o.c.kpit, the pilot, Shep, and his co-pilot, Spike, turned around. "Thanks for the rescue, Shep. We were having some problems down there." "Just doing my job, sir." "I know. Well, our next stop is Coruscant. Can''t say I am happy to go back there." "Yeah. I lost some friends to that mad scientist there. But they captured him, at least. He was doing some experiments on Naboo, I think. He will spend his life in prison, like the sc.u.m he is." "He was lucky it wasn''t us who captured him. I can''t guarantee he would be intact. Hahaha..." "I know what you mean, Spike. But Coruscant it is. And then back to the fight." "Back to the fight." "Back to the fight." ---------------------------- Three days later, Dageer was playing Dejarik with Ragout. He won against the padawan most of the time, since he had been trained to command. But the padawan learned fast. A few more rounds and Dageer''s winning streak would come to an end. "So, general, what do you think General Di will do with the crystal?" "It will probably go to the Jedi Temple''s archive or storage. Why?" "I can''t help but remember that this thing was responsible for so many deaths. If I were you, I would destroy it. It is too powerful." "It''s an object of the Force, Dageer. It''s who uses it, and how it is used that decides what it does." "I don''t know about that. That thing was all alone on Mygeeto, and almost killed Timer. I don''t... What was that?" Suddenly, the whole ship swayed to one side, throwing Dageer off his balance. A few seconds later, the same thing happened, but now at the other end of the ship. "Shep! What the hell is going on? Asteroid field?" "I don''t know, sir. It''s not asteroids. I just lost control of the ship. It''s like something is... nudging it." As if to ensure that the pilot was right, the corvette shook once more. Dageer looked at Ragout, and put on his helmet. Chapter 160 - Crimson Slug "Sir, I... You should see that." Shep''s voice came through the speakers, and Ragout ran towards the c.o.c.kpit, followed closely by Dageer. They didn''t need Shep to tell them what it was when they arrived. Instead of the normal space vacuum, all they could see through the windows was a red, big, and moving, mass. Whatever it was, it was big enough to curl around the entire ship. It was also leaving some kind of secretion where it passed, and blocking the scanners. "What is the problem, Dageer? Oh... I see." General Di entered the c.o.c.kpit, which started to get quite crowded, and instantly saw the thing outside. "Do you know what that is, master?" "Unfortunately, yes. A crimson slug. They coil around sh.i.p.s and squash them until they break. After which they will eat everything and everyone." As if to prove he was right, alarms suddenly started going off, dyeing the ship with red. Lights started flashing on the control panel, and Shep looked at them worried. "Section 12 is being crushed, general. If this thing doesn''t stop, the ship will split in half. The turrets are destroyed. What do we do?" Solemnly, General Di motioned for Dageer and Ragout to follow him. "We have to scare it away." ... General Di put on a helmet shaped like a bubble, with two tubes on the back connecting to a small tank. Ragout did the same. The sub-commander looked at the Jedis and asked the same question for the fifth time. "Are you sure about this, general?" "It''s our only option, Dageer. Or the ship is gone, and we with it." Dageer looked at Hell Squad, and shrugged. Since the Jedi already set his mind on it, there was nothing he could do to stop him. So, it was better to go along and ensure that their plan was a success. Dageer verified that his helmet was safely locked on, and told Hell Squad to do the same. The Phase II helmets could be used in space for a short amount of time, although not for what General Di wanted. The survival capability of the helmet was so rescue sh.i.p.s could find soldiers lost in space after a battle. Dageer bet the armor''s designers never thought someone would purposely go out in the vacuum with it. Still, they were doing it. Dageer closed the door of the isolation chamber, and pressed a button on the wall. The wall opened, and the loss of pressure pulled them, but all the clones had tied themselves to the ship. The Jedis simply attached themselves to the ship using the Force. "Out." General Di''s voice was muffled because of the mask, but his command tone was clear. Hell Squad left the ship, and for a few moments floated in space. Then they pushed a button in the cable tying them, and were pulled to the ship. "Magnetic locks on." When his feet touched the outside of the ship, Dageer turned on the magnetic locks on his boots. They gave off a light blue glimmer, and Dageer felt his feet safely glued to the ship. He took a first tentatively step. It was weird at first, because he could feel the lack of gravity trying to make him float. They were on the side of the ship, but it was too dark to see anything clearly. Still, Dageer thought he saw something moving. When they walked a few more steps, trying to get to the top of the ship, he knew he was right. A giant worm, at least one hundred meters long, was coiling its body around the corvette. The metal plates that made the exterior of the ship were bending under the pressure that the crimson slug applied. He aimed his blaster at the creature, but he doubted it would do any damage to it. "General, how... How do we fight this thing?" "We aren''t trying to fight it, Dageer. It is just looking for food. If we show it isn''t worthy, it will leave. There is no need to kill a being who just wants to survive." Once again, the Jedi philosophy of not killing unless necessary could cause problems. And, in Dageer''s opinion, killing the crimson slug was entirely necessary. "Ragout, let''s try to send it away." "Yes, master." The Jedis approached the moving mass that was the crimson slug, and stopped about ten meters away from it. Dageer warned Hell Squad. "Stay ready, boys. I don''t think this thing will go away quietly." "Is there anything we can do if it doesn''t?" "Shut up, Cell." Without touching their lightsabers, General Di and Ragout touched the sides of the crimson slug. The creature was so big that it didn''t even notice. Tense seconds passed, when nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the slug started shaking. Its tail twitched uncontrollably, and missed Hell Squad by mere meters. Dageer was about to open fire, even though he knew it was pointless, when General Di stopped him. "Hold your fire! It is confused! It doesn''t want to hurt us!" Ragout''s words weren''t enough to convince Dageer, but orders were orders. He closed his fist above his head, a clear signal for the clones to stop. With the corner of his eyes, he saw Cell tense up and then relax and mumble something. "I''m not sure about that..." "Shut up, Cell." Dageer felt the ship rock under his feet, and, consequently, he also swayed from one side to another. The crimson slug grew increasingly relentless, and Dageer gripped his blaster nervously. He could face an army of droids unfazed, but fighting a giant worm, on the vacuum of space, was a little too much. "Push together, Ragout!" Dageer barely heard General Di, but he saw their faces frown in concentration, and the crimson slug stifled. The corvette shook once more when the huge body impacted down. The crimson slug''s tail twitched a few times, and then the huge body unfurled, and the ship sunk under its weight. Minutes tickled by when everyone stood quiet, uncertain of what to do. Then, the crimson slug slid down the sides of the ship. Chapter 161 - Crimson Slugs Salute Just when Dageer thought the crimson slug was dead, the creature came back to live, and floated near the ship. Now that it wasn''t grabbing onto the corvette, it looked much more menacing, and it was blocking the little bit of light that a nearby star provided. For the hundredth time in a few minutes, Dageer clenched his blaster tightly, and waited to see what the creature would do. The reaction that the crimson slug had surprised him. Instead of becoming angry or fleeing, the crimson slug... bowed. In a motion that seemed impossible, the creature dropped its horrendous head, and flicked its tail. No matter how impossible it seemed, what the crimson slug did could only be described as bowing. Hell Squad stood dumbstruck, looking at the space creature. They couldn''t believe their eyes. And then, Ragout jumped lightly, and floated towards the crimson slug. The padawan floated for a few moments in the vacuum, and approached the crimson slug. When he stopped, the creature got closer to him on its own volition. Dageer looked at General Di, but the Jedi made no mention to stop it, so Dageer ordered Hell Squad to stay put. Slowly, Ragout touched the gross head of the crimson slug. The sharp teeth of the creature appeared between the lips, enforcing how dangerously close Ragout was. But the crimson slug didn''t move more than it already had. After an eternity, the crimson slug retracted its head, and turned around. In a few minutes, the creature was far away, and Dageer soon lost sight of it against the black background. General Di stretched his arm, and pulled Ragout back using the Force. The padawan floated to the ship, and landed next to Dageer. The clone couldn''t help but look at him. "You Jedis really are... impressive." "Hahaha... Do you mean weird, Dageer?" "I actually meant mad, general. Totally mad." "Hahahaha!" Dageer and Ragout joked around, but the clone was actually extremely impressed. The padawan had handled himself much better than the clones had, and, in the end, he even ''talked'' to the crimson slug. What Dageer didn''t know was that Ragout was very scared. He might be a Jedi in training, however, nothing prepared someone to face a hundred meters long space worm. Still, after he and his master used the Force to influence it, he felt that the creature was just hungry, and nothing more. There was no need to kill, or even hurt it. Moreover, after it released the corvette, the crimson slug bowed. It might have been because it felt that Ragout and General Di didn''t want to hurt it, or it might have been because it was still under the influence of the Force. Anyway, Ragout felt it was just right to return the respect the crimson slug gave them. Only when they were returning to inside the ship did Dageer realize that they were, well, in space. He knew it before, of course, but he was so worried about the crimson slug that he kind of ignored it. Now, walking on top of the ship, he was appreciating it, and he saw that Hell Squad and Ragout also were. It was weird. He felt he had never really enjoyed anything aside from being with his brothers. In fact, most of his life had either been filled with training or battles. Of course, they weren''t on a trip, so they soon got back inside. After confirming with Shep that the crimson slug didn''t damage any important components of the corvette, they set off again. For some parts of the journey, like the one they were now, they couldn''t go into hyperspace because of obstacles like asteroids fields and nebulas. Hyperspace didn''t mean that one was going through everything, but that one was cutting through the lanes of space, shortening the distance. Everything on the ''real space'' had its shadow on hyperspace, meaning that a careless pilot could crash into something, and potentially erase their ship from existence. ------------------------- An inconspicuous CR90 Corvette came out of hyperspace on top of Coruscant. It was quite damaged, with a few missing plates. But this wasn''t a new sight on Coruscant. Broken and tattered sh.i.p.s were common on the galaxy as a whole thanks to the war. Usually they didn''t go to Coruscant, but for one of the satellite planets, but sometimes they stopped at Coruscant to drop someone off or complete a mission. And that was exactly what was happening. The corvette landed on one of the peripheral districts of Coruscant, and two Jedis got out, together with seven clones. While one of the Jedis, a youngling, was calling a transport, one of the clones, who had an almost entirely brown armor, except for his belly and pieces of the arms, was talking to a clone in a pilot''s attire. "Shep, do a report on the damages, and repair time of the ship. If it isn''t possible to fix it in about a week, contact me." "Yes, sub-commander. Ermmm..." "What is it?" "I was wondering if I could let the crew have... some fun, go to the Revontre. I know they aren''t on leave, but there is nothing they can do here, so they would just be bored all they long. I will stay with the ship, of course." Dageer looked at Shep, and thought for a bit. The pilot was right. Since Coruscant was the heart of the Republic, the chances of it being attacked weren''t that big, and a couple dozen men wouldn''t make a difference if it was. Also, Shep had volunteered to look after the ship. If he had asked to go together with his men, Dageer probably wouldn''t permit it, but the pilot knew his duty. "All right. They can have three days off, then I want them back. You can''t, Shep, you know why." "Thanks, sir. That is the price we pay to be in command." "Uff... Tell me about it." "Hahaha!!!" The clones joked around for a bit before the ship took off again, this time to one of the repair ports of Coruscant. Usually, merchant sh.i.p.s would use them, but now that the Clone Wars was at its maximum, the ports had been seized to help in the war''s effort. "Dageer!" After watching the corvette take off, Ragout called the sub-commander. Sometimes, the padawan thought, Dageer forgot where he was, or what he was doing, and just stood still, thinking. Very unusual for a clone, but Ragout liked it. As usual, after they entered the transport, Hell Squad formed lines next to the two Jedis. Even though they were in Coruscant, old habits still prevailed. Besides, Dageer didn''t have that good of an impression of Coruscant. "Dageer, there is no need to do this. You can stand down." Ragout shook his head when he saw Hell Squad behaving like they were on a battlefield. Sometimes Dageer was too strict. Under his helmet, Dageer smiled when he heard the padawan. "I know, general." However, he didn''t move. Ragout was about to speak again, but in the end he gave up, and returned to General Di''s side. ... A few minutes later, the transport arrived at a big construction in the middle of the planet. It towered over the nearby buildings, a massive edifice with five towers. Despite its importance, only a few dozen people could be seen around the entrance, most of them wearing brown robes. A few hundred clones using the red colors of the Coruscant Guard patrolled the entire perimeter. General Di walked towards the building, and stopped Dageer before they entered the defensive perimeter set by the Coruscant Guard. "Gentlemen, welcome to the Jedi Temple." Chapter 162 - Jedi Temple "Gentlemen, welcome to the Jedi Temple." Under the amazed gazes of Hell Squad, General Di smiled and showed them the huge building. They had never seen so many Jedis in one place. "Unfortunately, you can not enter. Only Jedis and apprentices can go inside." "Yes, general." It was a pity, because Dageer would be lying if he said he wasn''t curious about the insides of the temple. However, he already expected it, so he wasn''t too disappointed. "I will contact you when we need to go. In the meantime, Hell Squad should stay at the barracks. Dageer, Commander Fox wanted to talk with you, so you should look for him." "Yes, general." General Di and Ragout nodded to Hell Squad, and left for the Jedi Temple. When the Coruscant Guard members near the entrance saw them, they let the Jedis in. Dageer watched them, and, after they were inside the Jedi Temple, turned around. The transport was still there, waiting for them, so Hell Squad boarded it, and went to the barracks. ------------------------ "Master Yoda." "Master Di and a youngling I see. In the battlefield I thought you were." A small, green being talked to General Di and Ragout. He had white hair, and wrinkled features. Almost his entire weight was on the small wooden cane he held. Anyone who saw him could only think of the words ''old'' and ''harmless''. The Jedis, however, knew better. The green midget was the most powerful Jedi on the Jedi Order, and the current leader of the Jedi Council. No one knew for how long Master Yoda had lived, but it was a fact that he was much more experienced and powerful than any other Jedi. Out of respect, Ragout didn''t say anything aside from greeting Master Yoda, and let his master, a senior Jedi, speak. General Di told the entire story again, of how his troops were captured, escaped, found the red crystal and so on. General Di pulled the box out of his robes, and opened it slightly. The red glow and the voice showed themselves once more, and all the Jedis around them stopped and looked at it. Contrary to how the clones behaved, no Jedi became entranced by it, but frowned when they felt its attraction. "Uhmm... A Kyber crystal that is. Why Ventress and Dooku after it were, know we don''t. Well you did in bringing it here. Store it away we shall." "Ragout, you are free for now." The padawan bade his farewells to the two Jedis, and went to meet the other padawans. He was after all a kid, and was very excited to tell everything he had done with the 303rd to the other padawans. "Follow me you must, Master Di. Discuss this matter with the Council we have to." --------------------------- Hell Squad got out of the transport in front of the barracks, except for Dageer, who went to the Coruscant Guard headquarters, to talk with Commander Fox. The commander was in a room, donned in his red armor, looking over some files. Dageer could see many faces, some saying ''bounty hunters'', and others saying ''fugitives''. "Paperwork, commander?" "Dageer! Yeah... This is a hundred times worse than going after some bandit." Dageer knew what Commander Fox was talking about. Being a sub-commander also had its disadvantages, which included hours sitting on a desk looking over files of casualties, wounded, supplies and so on. "You need to talk to me?" "Yes, Dageer. Do you remember Aurra Sing?" Dageer obviously did. The bounty hunter was a dangerous woman, and had caused a lot of trouble before being captured. For all Dageer knew, she was still in a prison somewhere in Coruscant. "Yes, commander." "She escaped. Killed four of my men when she did it." Dageer knew where this was going, and he didn''t like it. Sing had killed Berro''s entire squad the last time they met her. And both her looks and the way she behaved remembered him of Ventress, who he liked even less. "How did it happen?" "During a transfer. Two other bounty hunters helped her." Commander Fox turned his datapad to Dageer. On it were two pictures, and some information about the bounty hunters. The first one was an ugly Klatooinian with beige skin, with bloated eyebrows, and various missing teeth. The file identified him as Castas, a bounty hunter who had worked with Sing more than once, although he had a reputation of being a coward. The other bounty hunter was named Bossk, a Trandoshan. Trandoshans were a reptilian species, known to be great bounty hunters thanks to their natural abilities as the apex predators of their home planet, Transdosha. Even though they were an intelligent species, the Trandoshans kept their barbaric habits of hunting other intelligent beings. The Trandoshan in question, Bossk, had green skin, and the file also stated that his weapon of choice was a Relby-v10 Mortar Gun, an outdated and difficult to work with weapon. However, Bossk was also very capable with his hands, and could kill Wookie warriors with his bare hands. Of the two, Dageer instantly concentrated on Bossk. He could feel that the Trandoshan was dangerous, and he had worked with Sing many times. However, he didn''t underestimate Castas. It was impossible for a bounty hunter to work with Sing if he wasn''t good. "You want me to go after her, commander? If so, I don''t think I can. Soon Hell Squad will have to return to the fight." "I know, Dageer. The investigation after Sing is on Sergeant Hound''s hands. However, when I heard you would come to Coruscant bringing that clawdite, I thought you might be interested. You were the first to ever capture Sing, after all." Hell Squad had dropped the shape-shifter at the prison first thing when they arrived in Coruscant. The wardens were very pleased to receive a clone killer. Dageer could tell the clawdite wouldn''t have an easy time in the prison, but, well, he deserved it. "Hound? Isn''t he the one who made friends with a massiff?" "Yeah. Grizzer. Hound is now in command of a unit specialized in using massiffs to track down fugitives." Dageer thought for a bit. Commander Fox wasn''t giving him an order, but he had some personal interests in capturing Aurra Sing again. And he would be on Coruscant for about a week anyway. If he could help the Coruscant Guard, he was ready to do it. "I have to ask General Di for permission first. It is not like we are on leave." "I understand. And, Dageer." "Yes, commander?" "If you can, drop by the Revontre. There are few commanders here on Coruscant. It would be good to hear the news from the 303rd." "Of course, Commander Fox. See you soon." ---------------------- As Dageer had expected, General Di had no complaints about him joining the hunt for Sing. He only reinforced that when it was time, Hell Squad would have to leave, had him found Sing or not. That same night, Dageer went to the Revontre, following Commander Fox''s advice. The commander also said that Hound would be there so he could fill Dageer in the details of the pursuit. Chapter 163 - Sergeant Hound And Commander Thorn As soon as he entered the Revontre, Dageer saw many familiar faces. He recognized soldiers from the 327th Star Corps, from the Coruscant Guard, and also saw men from Shep''s crew. There were also some soldiers using the grey of the 104th Battalion, under Commander Wolffe and Jedi Master Plo Koon, and some using the purple of the 187th Legion, under Jedi Master Mace Windu. When he entered the Revontre, Dageer instantly became the focus of attention, because he was using his entire set of armor, from helmet to boot, and caring his blaster. The barman - a bothan - wanted to warn him that blasters were prohibited inside the bar, but Dageer ignored him, and went straight to the second floor, where the private rooms were. He knocked on one of the doors, and entered the room. Three clones were waiting for him inside it, and, just like him, all of them had their armors and weapons. The first clone, sitting near the entrance, was a familiar face - or helmet. Thire, of the Coruscant Guard, looked more serious this time, but still rose to greet Dageer. The second clone was one Dageer had never seen. He had red armor, characteristic of the Coruscant Guard, but much thicker. His chest and shoulder pads were of a darker shade of red, and his entire armor had many blaster marks, showing that he had been in many battles. His helmet also had protection above the eyes, and the side filters were much bigger than normal. With just a glance Dageer recognized him as a shock trooper, the elites of the Republic responsible to escort important figures on diplomatic missions. "Dageer, this is Commander Thorn, of the Coruscant Guard. Commander, this is Sub-commander Dageer of the 303rd Attack Legion." "Commander." Dageer knew that the Coruscant Guard had more than one commander. Commander Fox was responsible for what took place in Coruscant, and Commander Thorn was the superior in charge of the security of senators and ambassadors. "And this is Sergeant Hound, also from the Coruscant Guard." Thire showed Dageer the last clone. This one, contrary to Commander Thorn, had lighter armor, painted in red and black. He was an ARF trooper, specialized in stealth and survival. Like Cell, ARF troopers acted as scouts, but were much more trained. Only a few clones, from special units, could go toe-to-toe with them. ARF troopers were also more intelligent and independent than normal clones, because their job required them to make decisions all the time, but Dageer didn''t know about that. For him, all clones were equal. The only difference they had was in training and experience. But Dageer didn''t need introductions to know that that clone was Hound, because the sergeant had a massiff next to him. The small reptile species had spikes on it''s back, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was massiff, a species that could be found in many planets, and excelled at tracking down fugitives. They were also trained to bite down on arms or legs, to stop bandits from running away. This specific massiff was two times bigger than the regular ones. He was Grizzer, a massiff that Hound had saved during a mission on Corellia. "Sergeant." "Sub-commander, sir." Hound''s helmet was stylized in a way that made it look like it had dark fangs above and under the visor. Dageer could imagine that when he was in the dark, the paint would blend in with the ambient, and possibly even make Hound look like, well, a massiff. Dageer was of higher ranking than Hound, so the clone stood up and saluted him. Dageer waved him down, and the clone sat back. Grizzer, the massiff, walked over to Dageer, and smelled him. Dageer stood there, quite unsure of what to do. "Grizzer, back! Sit!" The massiff sat on the ground, near Hound. For a moment Dageer thought about patting it, but then he gave up. He had heard that the massiffs were very aggressive with anyone other than their pack or trainer. "Sergeant, I''ve heard of your unit before. Commander Fox contacted me because I have a personal interest in capturing Sing. She killed an entire squad of my men. However, the one to conduct the pursuit will be you." "I understand, sir." Hound then pulled a hologram projector, and turned it on. The clones got closer to see the image, which was split into two. One of them showed a map, and the other was Sing, with some information about her. Aurra Sing, female Palliduvan, deadly assassin and bounty hunter. Until that, nothing new. But the next line made Dageer frown. "Seven confirmed Jedi assassinations, suspected of having participated in nine others. That is quite the record for a bounty hunter. Why isn''t any Jedi on the case? You would expect them to be more concerned about her." "I asked the same, Dageer. According to General Oppo Rancisis, they have a Jedi after her, but she prefers to work alone. Let''s get back to the matter at hand. Dageer, you fought Sing before. What can you say about her?" Commander Thorn showed the limited file that the four clones had on Sing. It was clear that he wanted more information before going after her. Unfortunately, there was nothing much that Dageer could say to him. "She is efficient and cruel. When we captured her, she tried to escape at least two times, and almost killed me during one of the attempts. She won''t hesitate to kill, neither will she feel pity for her companions. As I said, she is efficient. The fastest way to kill is the best way for her. Now, based on how she attacks our ship to capture the padawan, I believe she prefers to lurk in the shadows. Also, I think she might specialize in long-range attacks, but this is just speculation." "You think she is a sharpshooter? Why?" "Because of how she killed my men. She either broke their necks or cut it. This is how our snipers deal with clanckers in close combat. Other troops tend to just... destroy them. Sing did a clean job. And then, on Tatooine, she used cables to pull us. Also, her blaster had a scope. " Thire pointed at the second image, the map, tight after Dageer finished his explanation. "It makes sense. This is the sector we think she escaped to. It is a docking zone. Many high and hidden spots, but also many open areas. Its the optimal location for a sniper." What Thire said hit the clones after a few seconds. Commander Thorn looked at Dageer, and knew that the 303rd''s clone was thinking the same. "She chose the battlefield. She knows we are coming. But what is her plan? She can''t possibly think she can take on the entire Coruscant Guard." "Sing doesn''t have to. Besides, she is not alone. Both Bossk and Castas are efficient killers. When a battle starts, what do civilians do?" "They run and hide." "They panic. They will try to leave the area. We can''t force them to stay. Some will take sh.i.p.s and leave. She might use one of them, or she might flee to another sector. Even if we know that, we can''t stop her." Thire slammed the table when he heard Dageer and Commander Thorn. He was more hot-headed than most clones. "There is nothing we can do, then! She is going to escape!" Dageer shook his head. Many battles taught him that he couldn''t give up at the first problem. "Let''s hope we can capture her before she has the chance." Chapter 164 - Docking Zone Battle It took two days to get all the clones who would partake on the operation ready. In total, sixty-four clones were chosen, including Dageer, Thire, Hound and Commander Thorn. Commander Thorn had argued at first, saying that using so many men would scare Sing, but Dageer countered by saying that no matter how many soldiers they took, Sing would face them. "Why?" "Because if she doesn''t, we will find her. She needs a distraction, and she needs us to create it." Dageer looked at the stern faces around the hologram projector. All those who were sergeants or above were in the meeting. None of the clones in the room were rookies, and they understood exactly what Dageer meant. Nobody said anything, but they knew they were destined to suffer casualties, and not just a few. But that was the reality of war, and this small chase after Aurra Sing was, after all, a consequence of the Clone Wars. Whilst Dageer was explaining their plan, with small interventions from Hound - who would lead the main force - from time to time, Commander Thorn thought that the sub-commander would make a good commander one day. ---------------------------- It was never really night on Coruscant. The lights of the city - or rather, of the planet - made the night looks like day. It was, however, nighttime when the clones set off to the docking zone. They decided for that time because of no other reason than the fact that there would be fewer civilians around. "Sergeant Hound." "Yes, commander." "You will take your unit and search the east docking area. Split as you seen fit, but make sure that each man is always within the line of sight of another." "Yes, commander." Commander Thorn was giving the last instructions to the soldiers. In fact, he was just repeating what was said in the meeting, to ensure the clones knew their orders. The tactic they were using was an unusual one, but very efficient when searching for someone. By staying in the line of sight of each other, soldiers couldn''t be ambushed, at least not easily. Besides, Hound was in command of the massiff unit, so even though he only had eleven troopers with him, Commander Thorn wasn''t too worried. "I will take the rest and search the west area. We will split into two groups, but stay close. Understood?" "Yes, sir." Several clones voiced their agreement, and made the last minute checks they always did before a battle. Weapons were loaded, and armors were adjusted. Commander Thorn looked through the nearby clones until he saw the two soldiers he was looking for. "Thire, Dageer, you see that control tower?" "Yes, commander." "Go there and take sniping positions. You will be able to overlook much of the docking zone. If you see anything unusual, warn us. I don''t want as much as a womp rat slipping past us." "Yes, commander." Commander Thorn looked at the men around him, and found sixty clone helmets, their ''T'' shaped visors facing him. "Let''s move, boys." ... "I didn''t know you were trained as a sniper, sir." The clones had already split up, each group going in its own direction. Dageer had been keeping an eye on his comlink, to make sure he was warned at the first sign of Sing, but Thire''s words caught his attention. He and the lieutenant were going to the control tower, to provide overwatch. Dageer grinned. "I wasn''t." For a few moments Thire stayed silent, unsure of what to say or do. He didn''t expect that answer. "But I trained on it later on. Being on a special unit means you can''t be hood at just one thing. You have to be good at everything. It doesn''t matter if it is me or Metal, our heavy gunner, or anyone else. Each of us can take a DC-15x and work with it. Dab, our sharpshooter, can also use a Z-6 Rotary better than most troopers. Of course, I will never be as good as him with a sniper rifle, but we each have our own strengths." Soldiers might like to exaggerate their stories, to make them look more brave and strong, but clones only did that when they were out of battle. Thire knew that a brother of his would never do that in the situation they were right now, because that could cause their deaths. As such, when he heard Dageer speak with such confidence, Thire knew that the sub-commander wasn''t lying when he said he could use a sniper rifle. The two clones took the lift to the top of the tower, their weapons ready. Thire was using the standard DC-15x, but Dageer had chosen a sniper rifle more of his liking. Differently from the DC-15x, his blaster looked much more simple and solid, with one big scope. It was called NT-242, an unusual choice because of its weight, but Dageer had used all the weapons the Republic had on its armory, and he had on preferred for each type. The door of the lift opened, and several workers looked surprised at the two clones. Dageer patted the closest one on the back. "Everyone, I need to ask you to leave this building, and the docking zone. Be careful and don''t run. More soldiers of the Republic will be waiting for you at the exit. Follow their instructions." Muffled sounds of complaints could be heard, something about interrupting their operations, but Dageer ignored them. When he saw that the workers were still reluctant to leave, Dageer urged them by saying that they could be arrested for disrupting the order. This time the workers got scared, and packed the lift full. Dageer motioned to Thire, and the clones advanced with caution. The control tower was a good vantage point, although a bit obvious, so they doubted Sing would be there. Still, being careful did no harm. However, there was no sign of Sing or one of her companions. Dageer and Thire set their sniper rifle sin position on the catwalk outside, about twenty meters away from each other. While Dageer scanned the docking zone with his macrobinoculars, Thire contacted Commander Thorn. "We are in position, commander." "All right. Dageer, keep a close watch on us. By now Sing must know we are here. Whatever she is planning on doing, she will do in a moment." As if Sing heard them talking, a sniper shot rang out in the night. There was a moment of silence after it, and them the civilians started running and screaming. Commander Thorn''s men were already in position to block anyone who looked like Sing and the other bounty hunters. "Thire, did you see where it came from?!" "No." The lieutenant gave a short answer, his eyes nervously scanning the containers and buildings, looking for Sing. They knew it was her, because only she would use a sniper rifle. Over the comlink, Dageer heard Commander Thorn and Sergeant Hound bark orders, and he vaguely heard that one clone had died. Two more sniper shots could be heard, one missing and the other killing a second clone. But this time Dageer saw from where it came from. Chapter 165 - Close Call About four hundred meters away from the control tower, a group of containers was stacked upon one another in a say that seemed to be no space between them. However, there was a small opening, just enough for a slim person to squeeze through. Sing reload her weapon, which was way more unusual than Dageer''s. It was a slim and long sniper rifle called Adventurer Slugthrower Rifle. Its name was weird, but how it worked was even more. In an era where space battles, droid armies, highly concentrated energy beans and people with mental powers were common, this rifle still used projectiles. Why Sing used it, or how she got her hands on it, no one knew. But she was deadly effective with it. Of the three shots she fired so far, only one missed, because the clone moved exactly when she fired. She aimed the fourth shot, a clone helmet in her scope, when her heightened senses warned her of something. She ducked back, just in time to dodge two blue energy bolts. Without showing herself, she followed the lasers'' path, and saw two clones on the railway of the control tower. A cold smile crept it''s way to her face. "They found me, boys. Let''s begin this show. Kakaka..." --------------------------- Hound was gripping his DC-15S, and walking carefully. He could hear sniper shots at the other side of the docking zone, and he knew that at least three men had already died, and another was injured. Now, he and the eleven soldiers of the massiff unit were rushing to the west side to aid their brothers. "Grrrrr..." Hound immediately stopped when he heard Grizzer growl. The massiff had saved his life more than once, and he learned to trust the animal. He gave a discreet signal to his men, and they slowed down without stopping. "What is it, boy? Where?" Grizzer sniffed the ground, and when they arrived at a junction, turned left. There were sounds of fighting, and a man screamed. Hound quickly followed the massiff, and found it biting hard on the arm of a Nikto. When he saw the clone, the bounty hunter tried to fire its pistol, but Hound was faster. Looking at the corpse, Hound quickly scanned its face to see if he recognized him, but it wasn''t on the list that Commander Thorn gave him. "Back, Grizzer. Good job. Commander, Sing and the other two aren''t the only ones here. I just killed another bounty hunter." "Damn it! We already know where Sing is. We are getting to her, so..." "Noooo!!! Ahhhhh!!!" A scream interrupted Commander Thorn. Hound knew the voice. It was one of his men. -------------------------- Commander Thorn dodged under a leg swipe made by a female Togruta bounty hunter. At the same time, he used his own leg to bring her to the ground. One of his men used the butt of his DC-15A to knock her out, then helped the commander get up. "This is the third one, commander." "Tie her up, and keep moving. All of those are just a distraction orchestrated by Sing. We have to move while Thire and Dageer have her pinned down." After a few rounds of attacks, it became clear that Sing hadn''t just hidden on the docking zone, but prepared a deadly ambush. He received reports of at least five bounty hunters, none of which were Sing, Castas or Bossk. Clearly, Sing had asked - or rather, hired - for help. Because of the frequent attacks, he had lost more than ten soldiers between dead and wounded. "Shshshshshshsh... What do we have here?" The voice that suddenly appeared sent chills down his spine. Commander Thorn turned around and saw a Trandoshan looking at him maliciously while licking his reptilian lips. The clones instantly shot him. ----------------------- Dageer could see battles happening all over the docking zone as the clones were ambushed by bounty hunters. Sergeant Hound reported to be facing Castas, and had already suffered losses. Meanwhile, Dageer and Thire were pinning Sing down, but she somehow always managed to dodge their lasers, and, at the same time, shoot at one of the clones below. Just when Dageer was reloading, he felt a tingling sensation. His sixth sense, honed over hundreds of battles, warned him that he was in mortal danger. He rolled sideways, but the attacker still managed to draw a bloody line on his left side, making him grimace in pain. Dageer, however, ignored the pain, and turned around to see an Aki-Aki, a species that looked like a dried fruit with long fangs. The bounty hunter was holding the same vibroblade that almost killed Dageer. "What the..." Thire heard the commotion and got up, but before he could help Dageer, a shadow threw itself over him, and punched him hard. Still, the clone fought valiantly. The IG-88 assassin droid that tried to kill Thire had its blaster knocked away when the lieutenant used it''s own weapon to bash the droid. Dageer couldn''t pay more attention to their fight because the Aki-Aki pulled out a blaster pistol, making Dageer dive out of the way when he fired. Dageer caught the bounty hunter by surprise when he, instead of jumping away, jumped closer to the Aki-Aki, grabbing his legs and making him fall. The sub-commander tried to grab his own pistol, the DC-17, but the Aki-Aki punched him using the butt of his own blaster. The pistol slipped out of Dageer''s grasp, and fell through the catwalk and on the ground below. So, Dageer grabbed his enemy''s pistol, and elbowed his arm, making him release it. And then he felt a sharp pain in his leg when he was stabbed again. Both combatants released each other, and watched one another carefully. The Aki-Aki only had his vibroblade, but Dageer had no weapon. He vaguely heard Thire yell, and saw, with the corner of his eyes, the IG-88 jump upon the clone, only to receive the latter''s feet on its metallic chest, and be projected over the catwalk. At the same time the droid crashed onto the ground, the other bounty hunter attacked Dageer. He made a simple stabbing motion, direct at Dageer''s chest, knowing that the clone could barely walk. But Dageer was prepared. When the Aki-Aki jumped over him, Dageer turned sideways, and the bounty hunter''s vibroblade cut the air millimeters away from him. Dageer grabbed the stretched arm of the bounty hunter, and broke it, making it bend into a ''U'' shape. The bounty hunter couldn''t stop his own body from moving forward, and the vibroblade that had drastically changed directions was buried in his own chest. Green blood gushed out of the wound, drenching Dageer''s armor, but he ignored it, and grabbed his NT-242 once again. "Sir! You are wounded!" "Leave it! Sing is killing them!" Dageer fired his sniper rifle again, driving Sing back into hiding, but at least five more clones had died during the twenty or thirty seconds of battle that Dageer and Thire just went through. ------------------------ "Bossk, Castas, let''s go! Our employees are going down quickly. New guy, you too." Without caring about the bounty hunters she had hired, Sing pulled back her weapon, and left her spot through an opening in one of the containers. She soon arrived at one of the exits of the docking zone. Dozens of workers and civilians were running around, trying to escape, but she soon saw her three associates. "Hey! You, stop right the... Arghhh!!!" A Coruscant Guard clone who saw her tried to stop the bounty hunter, but was interrupted when three metal blades appeared on his chest. Sing smiled. "Well done, Hiigi. Now, let''s go." Chapter 166 - Splitting The Money "Well done, Hiigi. Now, let''s go." ----------------------- Dageer stood aiming his NT-242 at the spot Aurra Sing was for about four minutes. Then, he confirmed what his instincts had been telling him. She wasn''t there. He threw the NT-242 away, and grabbed the blaster pistol that the bounty hunter he just killed had. "She is gone, Thire! We need to go after her!" "But, sir... your leg!" Dageer drew in a long breath when he felt the pain on his leg. The vibroblade had stabbed deep, although it missed the vital veins and arteries. "I can deal with it. Commander Thorn! Sing is running! We are going to the nearest exit!" "Bossk also ran. I received a report that a clone was found dead on exit JL-3. You are closer, go there! Sergeant Hound!" "Yes, commander?" "You are also close. Grizzer could be of help." "I''m on my way, commander." Dageer was about to go down the stairs - it would be quicker than taking the lift - when he saw the vibroblade embedded into the Aki-Aki''s chest. On a whim, he pulled it out, and took it with him. ... Dageer and Thire arrived at the exit quickly, but aside from the dozens of civilians, they saw no one. Thire bent over and checked the dead trooper, and shook his head. There was nothing they could do. The lieutenant picked up the WESTAR-M5 that the dead clone had, and threw it to Dageer. The sub-commander accepted it, and gladly threw the pistol away. He felt much more comfortable with a real blaster in hands. It was, however, useless, since they had no clue to where Sing escaped. Dageer looked at the wounds that the Coruscant Guard member suffered. He wasn''t killed with a blaster. And there was something familiar about his injuries... "Grrrr..." "Sir!" Dageer turned around, and saw Hound running towards him, followed closely by his massiff, Grizzer, and six other clones. He noticed that there were more massiffs than clones, and he could imagine what happened to their owners. "Hound! Can you find to which direction they went?" "I can''t, sir, but Grizzer can. Come on, boy. Find. Find. Find. Find." The massiff sniffed around for a few seconds while Hound gently stroked it''s back. Then, suddenly, the animal stopped, and looked directly north. "He found it! Now, Grizzer... Go!" And the massiff took off running. ------------------------- On a dark alleyway, four people were quickly conferring together. Well, the truth was that one of them, a woman, was giving orders while the three men listened carefully. "We will separate here. In two weeks, meet up in Dantooine. You will receive the rest of the credits there." Bossk and Castas nodded. Aurra Sing was a deadly, treacherous and cruel bounty hunter, but even she knew she couldn''t betray her partners so easily. If she did so, right after they rescued her, on top of that, she would lose all of her prestige as a bounty hunter. But the new guy they hired on their crew, Hiigi, a huge mon calamari who never talked, had a different opinion. When Sing was trying to leave the alleyway, Hiigi punched the wall near her, blocking her path. Dust and small debris fell off the wall, and web-like cracks started spreading on where he punched. After training under Count Dooku, Hiigi might not have gained Force powers, but he became much stronger. Bossk hissed, and Castas backed away with small hints of fear on his face. They had already seen what Hiigi could do with his vibro-trident, and they both knew they weren''t good enough to fight him, at least not in such a closed space. Sing, on the other hand, just frowned. Hiigi didn''t speak a word, but he gave her a dangerous sensation, one she only felt when she was hunting Jedis. "Hiigi. I don''t know why you became a bounty hunter, or why you came to me. But if you want to be part of my crew, you will follow my orders. Now, step aside." Hiigi faced her angrily, and didn''t move. Sing looked him right in the eyes, and both saw murderous intent. Bounty hunters always had problems like this when discussing payments and rewards. It wasn''t the first time Sing decided to kill a fellow bounty hunter, and it wouldn''t be the last. She wiped her leg, hitting Hiigi on his ribs, but the mon calamari didn''t even budge. He used his big hands to grab her leg, and lifted her before smashing the bounty hunter on the ground. Sing wasn''t to be outdone, however. She might be physically weaker compared to Hiigi, but she was much nimbler. She wrapped her other leg around Hiigi''s torso, and pulled out a blaster pistol. A round was fired at point-blank, and Hiigi released her, while at the same time, pulling out his vibro-trident. Blood was trickling down from a wound on his arm. Bossk and Castas were nowhere to be seen. Whatever problem Hiigi had with Sing''s payment method, it was not their''s to worry about. And such a commotion would attract the authorities, even more considering that it was close to the docking zone, where a huge battle just happened. Their cautiousness paid off, because moments later nine clones arrived, one of them limping. The massiffs started to surround the two bounty hunters, who had now stopped fighting, and were eyeing the clones carefully. The gigantic mon calamari was holding his vibro-trident, and Sing had two identical pistols. "Hiigi? Sing." Dageer looked surprised at the mon calamari. The last time he saw him, Hiigi had killed dozens of clones, but all of his men died, leaving him alone. He didn''t expect to meet him ever again. And Sing was his target. Meeting both of them at the same time might be a headache, but it would give him the chance to take out two dangerous criminals at once. "You... you are the clone who captured me. Your armor is different." Hiigi said nothing, but Dageer didn''t know he couldn''t talk. To him, Hiigi was just being tough. "Put down your weapons and come with us quietly." "That is not happening, sweetheart. I can''t wait to destroy that new armor of yours." Dageer grinned. "I was kind of hoping you would say that." Ten seconds went by with both sides facing each other without moving. And then Dageer saw Grizzer tensing up behind Sing, preparing to jump. The moment the massiff moved, Dageer pushed Hound to the side, just in time to save the sergeant from two lasers shot by Sing. Grizzer jumped on Sing''s back, while two other massiffs bit her legs, dragging her down. Ironically, it was this that saved her from the volley of blue lasers that the clones fired. Hiigi, on the other hand, didn''t dodge the lasers, but blocked them. Using a spinning movement that looked remarkably similar to the Jedis'', all the lasers were absorbed by the vibro-trident. Hiigi advanced, and kicked Dageer on the stomach. The clone flew back two or three meters, hitting another clone, and knocking him on the ground. While Sing was trying to free herself from the massiffs, Hiigi slashed his vibro-trident, cutting the throat of a clone. A massiff, presumably his, cried in sadness, and jumped on Hiigi, but the mon calamari impaled it on his weapon. Then, Hiigi used the blunt side of his weapon to smash a clone in the face. Dageer tried to get up, but Hiigi saw, and moved towards him. He grabbed another clone by the throat, and threw him over Dageer. Just when the mon calamari was about to stab both of them, a green glow passed by, and blocked his vibro-trident. Chapter 167 - Old Enemies, New Allies A small frame appeared above Dageer. With orange skin, and two blue and white protuberances on her head, the young girl was very similar to Ragout. Dageer realized that the person who saved him was a teenager Togruta, holding two lightsabers, one green and one yellow. The way she wielded them was weird, almost backward. She blocked Hiigi''s vibro-trident, and seemed almost surprised, either by the force behind it, or by the fact that it wasn''t cut in half when facing a lightsaber. Hiigi opened his mouth, and, although not a sound came out, he seemed to be... growling. The young Jedi, probably a padawan, waved her lightsabers faster than any other Jedi Dageer had ever seen. Hiigi was forced back step by step, and struggled under the torrent of attacks. Dageer decided that the Jedi could take care of herself, and got up, looking for Sing. All he found, however, were the three massiffs laying on the ground. He didn''t have the time to check if they were okay. He knew Sing couldn''t have escaped through the entrance of the alleyway, because the Jedi was there. So, she could only have followed the alley. He saw one of the members of the massiff unit on the ground moving and groaning, and pulled the soldier up. "Get on your feet, trooper! Follow me!" The clone scrambled to get up, holding his chest with apparent pain. Still, the trooper grabbed his blaster on the ground, and went after Dageer. ... The alleyway took a sudden turn to the left, and, while Dageer could still hear the fight, he couldn''t see it at all because of the darkness. He and the other clone advanced carefully, paying attention to every trashcan and piece of metal behind which Sing could hide. However, neither he nor the clone paid attention to above them. With a loud sound, the Adventurer Slugthrower Rifle that Sing owned fired a round projectile, which pierced the back of the clone. Differently from a laser, the projectile didn''t immediately cauterize the wound. Instead, bright red blood splashed out of his chest, and onto Dageer''s armor. The sub-commander was shocked for a moment, but then instinct took over, and he did the same move he had done thousands of times. Dropping to the ground and rolling away, he dodged the next shot, and returned with two of his own. He missed, but Sing was forced out of her hiding spot, and dampened her fall by rolling on the ground. Before she could recover, Dageer pulled out the vibroblade that he took from the Aki-Aki, and slashed at her. She used her rifle to block, but his objective had never been to hit her. He hooked her rifle, and pulled using all his strength. The weapon and the vibroblade fell amidst a pile of trash quite a distance away. The blaster Dageer had remaining was the old pistol he took from one of the bounty hunters, and, at this critical moment, it failed him. Maybe it was because the bounty hunter didn''t clean it, maybe it was just because it was old, but when he pulled the trigger, the pistol didn''t fire. Sing looked as surprised as him, maybe because she already believed she was dead, but she recovered faster than Dageer, who, stupidity, tried to pull the trigger once more. She kicked his knee, making Dageer kneel on the ground, and brought her own knee up on the same move. When the limb smashed in his jaw, black spots appeared in his vision. Before he could react, she punched him twice on his left side, right where the vibroblade cut him. Intense pain made his body go limp, and he almost passed out. Before his vision turned entirely black, he saw the young Jedi appear running, holding both of her lightsabers, and then he saw nothing more. ------------------------- For the third or fourth time in a week, Dageer woke up to see a medical droid above him. When the droid tried to examine his pupils, he pushed it away. He pushed the blanket away, stood up, and instantly grimaced in pain. Looking into a nearby metal mirror, he realized he was n.a.k.e.d. Probably so the medical droids could treat him better, because he had wounds all over his body. Both his torso and leg were bandaged, but when he moved he could still feel the pain from cuts made by the vibroblade. His shoulder was red and purple, especially around the joint, where it was broken not long ago. His forearm also had bandages around it, covering the hole a droid laser made in Mygeeto. And the right side of his face was entirely covered in plasters as well. Curiously, however, it was where he felt less pain. In fact, he felt none. Cautiously, he tried to blink with his right eye, and felt his eyelids move slightly under the bandages. He reached out, and started removing the pieces of cloth. "Sub-commander Dageer, your eye isn''t totally recovered yet. I advise that you don''t..." "Quiet." One by one, he removed the bandages. Slowly, his wounded eye was revealed. After so many weeks, his eye struggled to adapt to the light, but Dageer was too excited to care about it. He blinked a few times, and closed his left eye. He was still seeing! For many days, he thought he had lost his eye, and now he was relieved to discover he was wrong. After making sure his eye was all right, he finally moved on to analyze the scar left behind. Ventress'' lightsaber had cut through his helmet and his skin, leaving a scar that would never recover. Starting on the top of his forehead, almost cutting through his hair, and ending just above his chin, the scar was almost a perfect vertical line. That went to prove how powerful and precise a lightsaber was. It was about sixteen or seventeen centimeters long, and, up till now, it was the biggest scar Dageer had. Although the one the vibroblade left on his torso would probably come as a close second. Dageer grabbed his clothes, a military attire with the 303rd colors and his rank, sub-commander, on it, and wore them. After taking a few painkillers that the medical droid insisted he had to use, Dageer left the medical center. He didn''t have his helmet, but that didn''t bother him. If anything, the scar was something to be proud of, a proof he fought a Sith and survived. Besides, he had seen worse scars before. Way worse. The few Coruscant Guard members he passed by on the way saluted him without batting an eye. Unfortunately, injuries and scars had become common, more common than they should have been. When he arrived at Hell Squad''s quarters, he found most of his men sleeping. Only Cell and Metal were awake, playing some card game. When they heard the door opening, they turned around. "Sir! You are up! How are your... Ohhh!" "Ehem... you are handsome as always." Dageer shook his head. How could he take that compliment seriously when they were clones? Chapter 168 - Total Failure The rest of Hell Squad woke up when they heard Cell yelling. Like all troopers, they never slept too soundly, so even a small amount of noise was enough to wake them. They all gathered around Dageer, the first question being if he was well, and the second being how did the operation go. He, however, didn''t have an answer to the second question. He contacted Commander Thorn, and asked the results, but the clone ordered him to meet face to face instead of giving him the answers through comlink. "Uhmmm..." "Sorry, sir?" "Nothing, Brain. I need to go meet Commander Thorn. You all stay here." "Yes, sir." ... The headquarters of the Coruscant Guard was as busy as always, but all the troopers seemed, somehow, depressed. They still gave Dageer the normal salutes, but their enthusiasm was null compared to the day before. Commander Thorn, Sergeant Hound, Lieutenant Thire and Commander Fox were around the hologram table, which showed Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, and the young Togruta that saved Dageer, twice. "Commander Thorn, Commander Fox. Hound, Thire." Dageer saluted the two commanders, and greeted the other clones, who acknowledged him. Then, he turned to the holograms. "General Skywalker. And..." "My name is Ahsoka Tano, sub-commander. I am Master Skywalker''s padawan." "Thank you for your help, General Tano. You saved my life." The padawan looked down with sadness, which only confirmed Dageer''s worries. "Unfortunately, I couldn''t help more." Dageer walked next to Thire, so he could look to the holograms without them having to turn around. "Commander Thorn, I was in the medical bay until a few minutes ago. How was the operation?" Thorn shook his head. Like the other clones around the table, with the exception of Dageer, he was wearing his armor, but his helmet was under his arm. Instead of answering Dageer, he looked at the scar on his eye. "That wasn''t due to yesterday''s battle, was it?" "No, commander. I got it on Mygeeto. Was it really so bad?" The shock trooper sighed, but was interrupted by Commander Fox before he could say anything. "Not saying it won''t change anything, Thorn. It was a total failure, Dageer. Sing, Bossk and Castas escaped." Upon receiving confirmation, Dageer punched the table, making the holograms sway a little, and Commander Fox stared angrily at him. "Sorry, commander." "Well, it wasn''t a total failure. We captured that mon calamari." The soft voice of the padawan pulled Dageer back from his thoughts. He remembered his surprise in seeing Hiigi, who he thought was dead, working with Sing. If he was detained, that meant he might have information on her. "His name is Hiigi, General Tano. I fought him before." "Ugh... don''t call me general. It took me ages just to get Rexy-boy to call me commander. Do the same." Dageer was unsure of what to do, while General Skywalker barely managed to contain his laughter. After a few moments, Dageer realized that ''Rexy-boy'' was Captain Rex, the commander of the 501st Legion. How the padawan managed to come up with such a nickname for the stern captain, he had no idea. "Okay, Commander Tano. I fought with Hiigi before. He... doesn''t like me. That might help if I am allowed to interrogate him." He turned to the two Coruscant Guard commanders, who nodded. They didn''t have any problem with it. "And... how were our casualties?" Commander Fox nodded to Thire, who passed a datapad over to Dageer. The sub-commander read it, and closed his eyes. The scar on his face became longer, now covering his eyelid. "Twenty-nine troopers perished, and fifteen others were wounded. Those percentages are bigger than even the worst battles the Republic had." Hound pulled up a list with about twelve bounty hunters, two of which Dageer recognized as the Aki-Aki and the IG-88 unit that attacked him and Thire. "Sing had about twelve bounty hunters with her, not including Hiigi, Castas, and Bossk. Only one escaped, while the rest were either killed or captured." "They weren''t our target. No, Hound, Commander Fox is right. We failed." ----------------------- A few hours later, Dageer was on the canteen, alone. Hell Squad wanted to go with him, but Brain knew their squad leader wanted to be alone, and held them back. Now, Dageer was almost alone on the ''mess''. No clone would spontaneously join him because of his status as a sub-commander, except for one. Sergeant Hound, of the massiff unit, sat next to him without asking for permission. Usually, that would have been disrespectful, but Dageer wasn''t in the mood to care about it. "How are you doing, sir?" Dageer sneered. How could he be doing well? It was the first time he ever failed in a mission. Sure, he had retreated before, he had lost battles before, but it was against a droid army, where the strength of a single unit was insignificant. But now, when he had to capture a single person, he failed. What Dageer didn''t think about, was that if he hadn''t been there, many more would have died. He was never meant to be on the chase after Sing, it was entirely coincidental that he was on Coruscant at the time. If he wasn''t there providing overwatch with Thire, Sing could have sniped more clones. If he didn''t push Hound down on the alleyway, the sergeant would have died under Sing''s hands. "How is Grizzer doing, Hound?" The massiff had been hurt when he jumped on Sing, but he could be considered lucky. The two others had died. "He will recover. But that isn''t the reason I came here, sir." "What is it, then?" "That mon calamari, Hiigi. He killed four of my men on the alleyway. And it wasn''t a nice death. When you interrogate him, can I go with you?" Dageer thought for a while before denying. Hound wasn''t emotionally stable enough for this. The sergeant stopped talking, neither contesting Dageer''s decision, nor agreeing with it. The sub-commander changed subjects to avoid the awkward silence. "That padawan of General Skywalker. Was she the Jedi assigned to chasing Sing?" "I think so, sir. She is good. Saved our lives. I only wished she arrived earlier. " Dageer thought back to the sad expression that Commander Tano had when she heard the casualties. It was clear that she was very inexperienced, otherwise she wouldn''t be so affected. Even Ragout, who wasn''t much older than her, could now ignore the deaths of the clones and keep going on the battle. War was war, and compassion and empathy wouldn''t stop it. "Leave it. She probably arrived when the fight was already ending. Now, get back to your duties, sergeant. I''m going to see Hiigi, but I will be sure to let you know if he gives away something." "Yes, sir." ------------------------ "What''s wrong, Snips?" "That clone, the one with the scar. You met him before, didn''t you, master?" "Yeah. Why?" "He was stabbed two times, but he still went after the bounty hunter. And then, when I arrived, she was almost killing him, but he didn''t give up. He was still trying to fight her. Does he hate her so much?" "Did you feel hatred when you talked to him?" "No. I felt pain and sadness." "That is what most of the clones feel. You just didn''t have the opportunity, or rather, the misfortune, of witnessing it on the 501st. He kept fighting her when he was about to die because that is his duty, but mostly because she was a threat, not for him, but for his brothers. That is how a clone mind works." "Maybe that is how everyone''s mind should work..." Chapter 169 - How To Interrogate A Mute? Escorted by four Coruscant Guard members, Dageer entered the high-level prison in the heart of the planet. Only the worst of the worst were sent there, and the life of the inmates followed a circle of eating and being locked in the small cells. They stopped at the inspection station, where the clone responsible asked for Dageer to leave his weapons behind. Dageer stared at the clone, who shrugged and saluted at the same time, resulting in a weird shoulder motion. "Sorry, sir. Unless you are a member of the prison guard, Commander Fox or Commander Thorn, you have to leave all weapons behind. Most visitors and troopers aren''t allowed to keep their comlinks, but since you are a sub-commander, you can." "I understand, trooper." Dageer handed over his DC-15A and his DC-17, and the clone put them on a box labeled with his name and the words ''303rd Attack Legion''. As usual, after seeing two blasters, the clone pulled the box to store it, but Dageer stopped him. "Wait. That is not all." The guard looked surprised at the vibroblade that Dageer gave to him. After being folded, the weapon wasn''t larger than a fist, so he didn''t notice it at first. After the meeting that Dageer had earlier that day, a trooper brought to him his armor, helmet, and weapons. Amidst the blasters was also the vibroblade. According to the clone, a padawan said it was Dageer''s, and ordered the soldier to bring it together with the rest. A vibroblade was by no means standard equipment to a Republic soldier, and Dageer almost threw it away, but then he thought that having one more weapon, especially one as inconspicuous as this, couldn''t be bad. On the end, he keeps the vibroblade, and attached it to his back, where he could quickly grab it if needed. "Ermm..." "Are you going to take it or not, trooper? I have a prisoner to interrogate." "Sorry, sir." The clone took the vibroblade, and Dageer kept walking, almost leaving his surprised escort behind. The guard that was left behind couldn''t help but think that Dageer was quite eccentric, which was weird, considering that all clones should be equal. But then, the guard had never entered a real battle, he didn''t know how they could change one''s personality, even if they started the same. A floating platform took Dageer down. Hiigi was on the lowest level if the prison, where interrogations ensued. It was like gaining a tour of the prison. Shaped like a hollow cylinder, the platform went straight through the middle of the prison, showcasing the cells embedded on the walls. Those cells were protected by a red energy wall, but even if the walls failed, the prisoner wouldn''t be able to escape unless he or she could fly or hijack one of the floating platforms. Up till now, no inmate had ever escaped. Along the way, Dageer felt many eyes staring at him with obvious disgust and hate. However, he completely ignored them. Why would he care about what criminals thought of him? The lower level of the prison was very dark, probably to scare and intimidate the inmates. Dageer heard that before the clones assumed the position of guards, countless atrocities happened in the prison. On the ground level, a Coruscant Guard officer, Poshe, waited for Dageer. When the platform arrived, he signaled for the escort to wait. "Sir." He saluted Dageer, who nodded to him. The platform took back the escort. From this point onwards, only authorized personal could stay. Even the guards couldn''t leave the prison daily like the others. Instead, they had their own quarters down there. "The prisoner is waiting for you in interrogation room 11, sir." "Good. Take me there." "Erm... before we go, sir, I think you should know that he had been... uncooperative." Dageer wasn''t surprised. He doubted any recently captured inmate would be willing to talk. He followed Poshe for about ten minutes, after which they ended up on a hallway full of doors, each one guarded by two clones wearing red armor. "He is here." One of the cells had four clones before it, one of them being a medic, and another holding an electrostaff. Dageer raised an eyebrow. electrostaffs and any similar weapon weren''t permitted in the prison. Poshe couldn''t see his face under the helmet, but probably sensed his hesitation. "It was the only way to calm him down, sir. He sent two of my men to the infirmary before we finally knocked him out and put him here." Dageer said nothing. He could either scold Poshe for using prohibited weapons to threaten the prisoners, and complain with his superiors, or he could pretend he didn''t see anything. Dageer ignored Poshe, and grabbed the electrostaff from the clone''s hand. "Throw this way. And you, Poshe, the next time I come here, I don''t want to see any of this, understood? I dislike him even more than you do, but you know I will be forced to report this. I will let it slip only this once." "Yes, sir." Dageer didn''t report Poshe not because he was cruel or wanted to see Hiigi suffer, but because he needed the information that Hiigi had. It was their only chance to transform a failed mission into a successful one. He had, however, been influenced by the Jedis more than he thought or ever imagined. Unconsciously, he started to adopt their morals. Commanders Fox or Thorn, who usually interrogated the prisoners, never cared for the electrostaff, but they never worked with a Jedi for an extended period of time. "Sub-commander Dageer! There is something you should know." Dageer was about to enter the interrogation room when the medic stopped him. Dageer turned to the clone, waiting for him to speak. "Erm... Our exams showed us something... interesting. The prisoner, Hiigi, is mute." "Mute? That is not possible. I heard him talk before." "His vocal cords appear to be crushed. I don''t know how or when, but he is totally incapable of speaking." "Then we will have him write. Open the door." The clone opened the door as he was ordered. Dageer wasn''t in the mood to chat, and his tone made it very clear. Hiigi was sitting on a metal chair, his hands chained together, and then chained to the ceiling. One of the guards chained his legs to the floor, and then released one of his hands before giving him a datapad. Dageer pulled over another chair, and sat down. Hiigi growled as loud as his broken voice cords permitted, but Dageer ignored the hatred in his eyes. "What happened to you? A Separatist officer and warrior became a voiceless bounty hunter. And you entered Sing''s crew. Why?" "Grr..." Chapter 170 - The Beginning Of The End In the end, Hiigi was actually very helpful. That is, after he tried to break free from his chains and kill Dageer. Twice. But after the mon calamari discovered that all Dageer wanted was Sing, he was glad to tell him her whereabouts. But it was all for nothing. A group of clones raided the compound where she was supposed to meet with Bossk, Castas, and Hiigi, but she was nowhere to be found. Dageer was still in the middle of interrogating Hiigi when his comlink bipped. Dageer looked at Hiigi one last time, and left the room. Meeting the mon calamari on Coruscant had been a big coincidence, but Dageer was almost sure that he would never see the mon calamari again. Hiigi would spend a deserved lifetime in prison, and Dageer couldn''t be more happy about it. "Sub-commander Dageer here." "Dageer. Return to the ship immediately. We are departing." "Yes, general." Hearing the urgency in General Di''s voice, Dageer didn''t question him or asked for reasons, but simply cut communications and went back to the platform. In the meantime, he contacted Brain, ordering him to talk to Shep, and get back to the corvette. ... "Hell Squad is here, General Di. Everything necessary has been loaded into the ship." "Good. Ragout, give Shep the coordinates to our destination." "Yes, master." "Hell Squad, follow me." Even before the lower rampart was fully closed, the ship was already taking off. Wherever they had to go, they need to go fast. General Di turned on the hologram table, and put in some coordinates, bringing up a map. Dageer easily recognized the sector, and, most importantly, the only important planet in it. "Gaulus Sector, Ryloth System. Why the hurry, general? Ryloth has been fighting without the Republic for months. Besides, there are no Separatist forces there. They are facing their own government. " "Until now. And now they can''t hold on anymore. The freedom fighters there finally gave up, and asked for our help. But our primary target isn''t Ryloth." Typing on the hologram table rapidly, General Di brought up information on a Separatist convoy. "Admiral Dao, together with Commander Keeli, are already directed to Ryloth. We are on a race against the Separatist fleet led by the Separatist commander, Wat Tambor. The fleet has to get there before them and establish a blockade. That, however, brings us to our second problem." "Supplies." "Exactly. Our fleet didn''t have time to restock before being reassigned. The urgency of these orders took top priority." Tech looked over the map, and showed the convoy that General Di mentioned. It was protected by several Separatist sh.i.p.s, including one Providence-class Dreadnought and three Munificent-class Frigates. "I suppose we are going to take their supplies then." "You are right, Tech. The nearest Republic planet is weeks away from Ryloth. By the time any supplies get sent from there, the Separatist will have an entire fleet on Ryloth. However, if we attack, and take over that convoy, we might just arrive before them." Most of the clones didn''t see a problem with the plan, and nodded, except Dageer. His time as a sub-commander reached him to always look for flaws. "General, how are we going to attack the convoy? We have one CR90 Corvette. Our blaster cannons wouldn''t even scratch their escort. Even if we are able to board the convoy, and take control of it, how are we supposed to take care of the frigates and the dreadnought?" Dageer wasn''t worried about taking over the ship, because he fully believed Hell Squad alone could do it. However, the escort could simply wreck them after they hijacked it. However, General Di gave them one of his rare smiles after hearing Dageer''s concerns. "Master Skywalker''s fleet will support us, and engage the escort while we infiltrate the cargo sh.i.p.s. There are two of them. We will be in charge of one, while the second will be the target of our second group of reinforcements, Delta Squad." "Ugh..." "Ohhh no..." "Seriously?" General Di looked dumbfounded at Hell Squad. When he gave them the news that the best unit on the entirety of the Republic Army was going to aid them, the last thing he expected were groans of discontentment. Even Dageer, who barely showed any emotion when on duty, complained. Ragout, who had just returned from the c.o.c.kpit, stood looking at them, not understanding what was going on. "Quiet, you all." Seeing the beliwered looks on the faces of both Jedis, Dageer quickly ordered Hell Squad to shut up. General Di looked at him questioningly, and Dageer had to explain. "Clone commandos can be... difficult to work with, general." "They are a pain in the ass." "Shut up, Cell. The thing is that they... tend to believe that normal clones, like us, or as the rest of the army, aren''t capable enough. With special units like us, even more so. They seen to think that since we started as normal troopers, then we can''t partake in the dangerous operations that they were designed to." That was exactly the truth. More than once, Dageer and Hell Squad had discussed with Delta Squad when they met them. That is, when Delta Squad considered them worthy enough to talk to. They were very arrogant. There was no other way of putting it. Since they were genetically modified to have more independence, they also had certain emotions and feelings that other clones didn''t, like excessive pride. "You can''t be serious! I''ve never seen any of you discuss, even more look down upon one another." Dageer grinned. General Di already understood what Dageer meant, but Ragout apparently didn''t. The padawan was still too innocent in some aspects. "With all due respect, General Ragout, but we wouldn''t discuss in front of you, or even while we are on duty. Clone commandos might be a little too proud, but they are still fighting for the Republic, just like us." General Di ended the discussion right there, and turned it back to the battle plans, but there was one clone who have something more to say. "If only we had an ARC trooper, then things would be really fun." Dageer almost facepalmed when he heard Cell, who seemed to be unable to shut his mouth. Clone commandos and ARC troopers disliked each other even more than they disliked special units. Before he had to order the scout to stay silent, a stare from General Di did it for him. -------------------------- One hyperspace travel later, the corvette met General Skywalker''s fleet behind a moon, where they could hide from the sensors of the convoy. The corvette would join the attack, but Hell Squad would realize their infiltration through another point, so they moved to the capital ship of the 501st fleet. Hell Squad followed General Di and his padawan through the corridors of the ship, their armor catching even more attention now that they were in a legion with different colors than them. General Skywalker''s padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was in the command bridge to greet them. She respectfully bowed to General Di, and it was clear that she and Ragout already knew which other. "My master should be arriving soon, Master Di. He has a talent to always be late." "Hey hey hey, Snips! I already told you to not talk bad about me behind my back." Chapter 171 - Meeting Delta Squad Again A tall man, with short brown hair and a scar very similar to Dageer''s, entered the command bridge. General Skywalker and his padawan started bickering almost instantly, ignoring everyone in the room. Dageer could almost feel Captain Rex''s frustration. "Uhm... Master Skywalker. I believe we should be discussing battle plans." General Di caught General Skywalker''s attention, and the younger Jedi shamelessly ignored the fact that he didn''t greet anyone properly. Dageer liked General Skywalker''s fighting style, but he couldn''t help but think that the Jedi wasn''t very respectful. "Of course, Master Di. There is nothing much to discuss. Our fleets are about the same size. I say we stay hidden as much as we can, and then attack." While he was speaking, General Skywalker, showed some simulations on the hologram table. On it, General Skywalker''s fleet, marked in blue, came from behind the moon, not giving the Separatist the chance to retaliate. Dageer nodded when he saw it. If everything went well, they might not only take the supplies, but also destroy some enemy sh.i.p.s. General Skywalker might not be the most respectful Jedi, but he sure was a good strategist. "What about the infiltration? How do you plan on doing it?" "I think we got this covered, general." Before the younger Jedi could answer, someone did it for him. The door of the command bridge opened, and four clones got in. Their armor was much thicker than normal, making they seen twice as big as other troopers, and was scarred with battle marks. Their helmets were also bigger and more round than the Phase II ones, and the ''T'' shaped visor glowed with a blue light. "Boss!" "General Skywalker, General Di, Commander Tano, General Ragout." The leader of Hell Squad saluted the Jedis present, and ignored the others. Dageer saw Cell and Metal swift uncomfortably next to him, but at least the two clones had enough common sense not to say anything, at least for now. General Di looked at his men, but they stood as still as rocks, and he couldn''t see their faces under the helmets. Of course, if he wanted he could have sensed their emotions through the Force, but he didn''t. Instead, he eyed Delta Squad carefully. It was his first time meeting the best unit the Republic had. "How do you plan on getting us into the cargo sh.i.p.s?" Instead of answering, Boss motioned for another member of Delta Squad to walk forward. He had almost entirely black armor, with only the front of his helmet and chest being white. Golden stripes followed all his limbs. His name was Scorch, demolition and explosives expert. "If we use two Y-Wing bombers, one for each ship, we can damage their ray shields. For a small window of time, about fifteen seconds, their lower hangar will have no defense, and then the emergency doors close. Using two Laats, we can board in that window." General Skywalker nodded, showing his approval. General Di, however, more cautious than the younger Jedi, voiced his doubts. "Won''t that be too little time? The gunsh.i.p.s would have to be almost glued to the bombers to catch that moment." "We''ve done it before, general, we can do it again." Pride was evident on Scorch''s voice, and General Di frowned. Too much confidence could lead to demise, and Jedis knew this better than anyone. Even General Skywalker raised an eyebrow at Scorch''s statement. General Di looked at Dageer. "What do you think, Dageer?" Dageer stepped forward, knowing that everyone was staring at him, and wasn''t bothered a bit. He was used to having eyes watching his every decision. He quickly analyzed the enemy fleet, and the resources that the Republic had at hand. Delta Squad''s plan might be a close call, but it could very well work. Maybe. "It is possible, general. However, we will need good pilots, not only for the Laats, but for the Y-Wings as well. If they take down the shields a tad too early or late, we crash on the ship." General Di nodded. He had heard of Delta Squad''s reputation, but he had never seen them in action. Hell Squad, on the other hand, he knew very well. If Dageer said it was possible, then he believed the clone. "Leave the pilots to me. You will have the best of the best." "You aren''t talking about yourself, are you, master? Remember last time you piloted a fighter, on Christophsis? I don''t think they have rebuilt all the buildings you took down when you crashed." "I wouldn''t have crashed if the droids weren''t aiming especially at me!" Master and padawan went on bickering. General Di decided to ignore them, and turned back to the table to go over their plans one last time. "Group one will be composed of Delta Squad, Captain Rex, Master Skywalker and young Ahsoka. Group two will be Hell Squad, myself and Ragout. Any doubts?" No one said anything, and one by one, left the command bridge. Dageer followed General Di and Ragout when they left. Delta Squad looked at them as they passed, and Dageer slightly nodded to Boss when they went by. The clone commando nodded back. Whatever conflicts they had before, the success of the mission depended on them. The troopers might not understand that, but the leaders of their respective squads did. --------------------------- "Every trooper to battle stations! Every trooper to battle stations! This is not a drill! This is not a drill!" Red lights flashed as the scanners captured the photon signatures of the Separatist convoy. Dageer grabbed his helmet and his blasters, and assembled Hell Squad. In a matter of seconds, the entire squad was already running towards the hangar. It was kind of weird for Dageer to watch other clones barking orders, since he usually was the one who did it. Clones using the blue of the 501st Legion started getting into the new ship variant that was becoming one of the three principal starfighters of the Republic Navy, the V-Wing. V-Wings were the evolution of the ARC-170, and although the old model was still being used, the new one was faster and nimbler. Some clones also got into a few Y-Wings and ARC-170s, and two Laats were being prepared. The gunsh.i.p.s weren''t made for space battles, but were perfect to board the enemy sh.i.p.s. "Move, boys! Faster, let''s go, go, go!!! Let''s give those clanckers a betting their bucket heads won''t forget!" A voice stood out more than others as Captain Rex got up on a crate and started yelling. Seeing their commander made the clones work faster, and Dageer thought that he might try it sometime, when he was preparing the 303rd for a battle. "To the gunship, Dageer." "Yes, general." Ragout, called Dageer, and Hell Squad moved to one of the gunsh.i.p.s. He saw Delta Squad boarding the other, and waved at one of them, who had orange armor on the top right of his chest and shoulder pad. "Boss! We have to synchronize our entry, or they will focus fire on one of us. When you are near the target, ping us and count to ten, then make your entrance." "Understood, Dageer. You do the same. And, Dageer... Good luck." Dageer nodded, and closed the doors of their gunship. He heard the hangar doors opening, and the starfighters taking off. It soon was their turn. The battle had begun. Chapter 172 - Facing A Thousand With Seven Hawk was one of the best pilots that the 501st Legion had, and so, he was assigned not to his usual starfighter, but to a Laat. As most clones, he rarely discussed his orders, and this time was no different. While he was prepping the gunship to fly, he saw nine people enter the Laat. Two of them were using brown Jedi robes, presumably one master and one padawan. The other seven were clones wearing red and brown armor. Differently from the others, those clones didn''t have a fixed pattern to their armor''s paint. The thickness of the armor also seemed different than normal. The soldier walking in the front was clearly the leader. He had his helmet under his arm, showing his face which had a red scar crossing over his right eye. His right shoulder pad had many small scratches, probably made by him, since they were too uniform to be battle marks. Hawk could only think of one squad who used such armor with such colors. And if he was right, it was no wonder that they were going to attack an enemy ship with only seven clones. After all, few in the Republic Army could match Hell Squad. They were an example to be followed, their tactics and battles even discussed in classes on the training facilities of Kamino. The stories of how seven clones took down a Battlesphere and became a special unit on their first battle had reached every clone in the galaxy. -------------------------- Unaware of the pilot who was remembering every which one of Hell Squad''s deeds, Dageer was checking his soldiers one last time. As if Hell Squad would go into a battle unprepared. Dab had his DC-15x on his back, and was caring his backup blaster, a DC-15S. Metal had his double-barrel repeating blaster on his hands, and many magazines strapped to his chest. Brain and Three-four had their DC-15As on hands, Tech was checking on his datapad, which he used to hack into doors on missions like that. Cell, however, had a different weapon than normal on his hands. Something which looked like a DC-15S, but smaller and rounder. Dageer raised an eyebrow, making his scar more pronounced. "You are using that? I thought you hated it." Cell shrugged. He was the clone on Hell Squad that liked blasters the most after Metal and Dab. When he said he hated a weapon, it usually meant that it met his requirements for a scout. "It is too loud for me. But they know we are coming anyway, so it doesn''t matter. Besides, I am also bringing this old buddy here." He patted his DC-15S, which had followed him since the first battle on Geonosis. Dageer shrugged. Hell Squad had much more liberty than other clones, and they all knew how to use each and every blaster on the Republic''s armory. He wasn''t worried that Cell would get in trouble for using a blaster he wasn''t used to. "Brain." "Yes, sir?" "Droid poppers only. I don''t want any supplies damaged by a bad grenade." "Have you ever seen I throw a bad grenade?" "You heard me." Dageer ignored the grin he knew the clone had on his face, and turned to the two Jedis, who were talking quietly at one side. They couldn''t be more different than General Skywalker and his padawan. The Laat had already taken off, and although the battle hadn''t started yet, Dageer knew that it wouldn''t take long for the Separatist convoy to detect the ambush. "Dageer! Our entry point is the lower hanger. From there on, we have to take the lifts, and get to the command bridge." "There will be hundreds, if not thousands of clanckers, sir." "I know. That is why Hell Squad is doing it, and not other clones." Dageer chuckled. The Jedi knew him well enough to understand that Dageer wasn''t worried about the number of droids. Sh.i.p.s were one of the best battlegrounds for small groups. They were full of chokepoints where a small and well-trained group - like Hell Squad - could hold an army for hours. "Hold on, generals! Things are going to get a little rough out here!" Locked inside the Laat like they were, they weren''t able to see what was happening outside, but Hawk could. Thousands of Vulture droids and a few hundred Tri-fighters launched themselves out of the warsh.i.p.s escorting the two cargo sh.i.p.s. Noises of battle sounded loud as the two sides crashed into one another. In the initial engagement, dozens, if not hundreds, of starfighters exploded on both sides. The Republic, however, had the advantage of surprise. While the Republic cruisers were facing directly towards the enemy escort, the Separatist sh.i.p.s were turned sideways, and, as such, only half of their turrets could be used. Big explosions burst holes on the sides of two Munificent-class frigates as the laser cannons of the Acclamator-class cruisers battered them while they didn''t have the chance to react. "Master Di! We are approaching their sh.i.p.s! They hadn''t noticed us yet!" General Skywalker''s voice was loud enough for Dageer to hear it even though he was speaking to General Di. The Nikto answered briefly, and turned to Dageer, who nodded. Dageer went to the c.o.c.kpit, and yelled in Hawk''s ear, so the clone could hear him. "How long to the target?!" "Thirty seconds, sir!" Dageer counted the seconds as they approached the cargo sh.i.p.s. When fifteen seconds went by, he turned on his comlink. "Boss! Fifteen seconds! Bombers, open a path!" Acknowledging his orders, the two Y-Wings speed up. Dageer could see their photon torpedoes being charged through the c.o.c.kpit''s glass. And then everything went wrong. If Dageer was listening to the starfighters'' pilots, he would have heard one of them scream when a Tri-fighter hit him with a concussion missile. His V-Wing caught on fire for a few seconds before the vacuum extinguished the flames, and his entire left wing was ripped off. The pilot was already dead, and the already damaged starfighter lost control, and went spinning into space. And crashed into the Y-Wing. Both starfighters exploded, the impact making Dageer''s Laat shook. His eyes half-closed because of the explosion, Dageer saw the other Y-Wing released two torpedoes, hitting the ray shield of one cargo ship, taking it down. Delta Squad''s gunship landed inside it seconds before the emergency doors closed. "General! We lost our bomber!" "What?!" There was nothing General Di could do, Jedi or not. The turrets of the nearby frigate were already turning towards them, and a squadron of Vulture droids was on their tail. They needed to do something. "Bomber 2! Turn back and take the other shield!" "Their defenses are too thick, sir! We can''t!" "That is an order! Do it!" Dageer''s commanding tone made the Y-Wing turn backs around, and fly towards them. Explosions boomed all around him, but somehow, the bomber managed to get through them, and take its place in front of the Laat. Its photon torpedoes were charging once more when it was hit by a turret. It slowed down tremendously, but somehow, managed to stay on its course. The torpedoes were fired, taking down the ray shields. Almost instantly, it also was hit by a missile, and blew up. Using the small window of time, Hawk pushed the Laat to its limits, and the gunship barely went through, almost getting crushed by the emergency doors. Chapter 173 - Fluid Battle Dageer fell to the ground when the Laat crashed in the hangar. Having to squeeze between the emergency doors, Hawk had nor time nor conditions to land properly. Dageer got up groaning, and looked out of the window of the c.o.c.kpit. An entire platoon of B1 battle droids was surrounding the downed gunship. Dageer saw Hawk on the ground, his helmet had been knocked off, and his head was bleeding, but he was alive. "Stay here, Hawk. We are going to overtake the ship, but if we fail, try to get the Laat back up. It never hurts to be prepared." Dageer went back to his squad, and saw the clones waiting anxiously. He turned to General Di and Ragout, who already had their lightsabers out. "They are out there, general. Just waiting for us to show ourselves." "Then we will do as they wan..." "Master Di! Are you there?! What happened? Why didn''t we contact us?!" "Master Skywalker! We had some problems with our landing, but we are here! Don''t forget your mission!" "We will be waiting for you, Master Di." After turning off the comlink, General Di signaled something to Dageer. The clone and the Jedi had worked together for quite some time now, and understood each other very well. "Brain, prepare the droid poppers. Metal, when we open this door, Brain is going to throw some droid poppers to clear the way, and you will blast the clanckers on the left. Tech, support him. The others will focus on the right. We get out and take cover. Understood?" "Yes, sir." The clones cleared the door, waiting for General Di''s move. The Jedi did it by leaning his body forward, and putting both his hands near his belly. Then, suddenly, he pushed his hands forward, and the door was sent flying. While it was happening, Dageer quickly thought that now their backup plan of fleeing in the Laat was busted. The door crashed down on a group of clanckers, crushing them, and stunning the others, who didn''t expect it. Brain threw a handful of Electromagnetic Pulse Grenades, the famous droid poppers. In an area of about twenty meters, every droid convulsed as blue chains of electricity zapped through them. Metal got into the action, every shot of his repeating blaster shoving droids back, or ripping them apart. The Double-barrel repeating blaster was so powerful that even the shots that missed did some damage as they caused small explosions. Not to be outdone, the rest of Hell Squad also burst into action, cutting down droids left and right. More feeling than seeing a burst of lasers coming towards him, Dageer turned his body sideways, and felt the red energy rays heat up his face. He moved his DC-15A quickly, changing his target even before the shot connected. Each and every laser he fired found its mark on a droid''s head or chest. Suddenly, he saw that Brain had taken a step too far, and two droids found the time to shoot at him. Dageer knew that they would hit. Without thinking, the leader of Hell Squad jumped forward, and pushed Brain down. The lasers that went to the grenadier would now hit him. Even knowing this, Dageer still managed to return fire, and one of the droids went down. He looked at the incoming lasers, and, surprisingly, smiled. He knew what was going to happen long before it did. With a blue flash, the lasers were deflected, hitting some unlucky clanckers. General Di used the Force to push Dageer forward, and the clone used the impulse to surprise some of the droids. He used one hand to support his DC-15A, and pulled out his DC-17 with the other. The long blaster lost its balance, but with General Di''s help, Dageer had gotten so close to the droids that accuracy didn''t matter. The head of the first droid burst out of its sockets when it received a round of Dageer''s blasters point-blank. The second and third clanckers were dead before they could react. Only the ones behind those had a shot at reacting, but before they need, Ragout jumped over Dageer''s head, cutting three droids in half with just one move. Then, the padawan used the Force to push another group of droids, and the B1 units flew as if they were light as a feather, and ended in a broken mess near one of the hangar''s walls. The battle was over when General Di pulled over the last droid directly towards his lightsaber. When he deactivated it, the clancker fell to the droid, breaking the silence that reigned after the battle. In a matter of seconds, an entire platoon of droids, about forty B1 units, laid dead on the ground, while the Republic''s side had no wounds whatsoever. Hawk looked over from the Laat, a DC-15S in his hands that he never got the chance to use. He had never seen anyone fight like that, neither had he ever witnessed Jedis and clones work so fluidly together. Dageer ignored the surprised clone, and stepped over the droids towards a lift. "The lifts aren''t working, general. They must have turned them off as soon as we landed. Tech, try to get them moving." "No need, Dageer." Ragout stepped forward, and stabbed his lightsaber on the life''s door. The weapon penetrated until only the handle was off, and Ragout made a circle with it. Melted metal dripped of the borders of the circle, and when Ragout kicked it, the cut off part fell down, thundering as it crashed into the sides of the lift shaft. The padawan put his head inside the hole, and looked upwards. Then, he jumped inside the lift shaft, and grabbed the cables. General Di followed him, and, after looking hesitantly to their leader, Hell Squad followed. -------------------------- Anakin Skywalker slashed downwards, literally cutting a B2 super battle droid in half. As the droid fell, he saw his captain, Rex shooting down the last droid on the corridor using his DC-17s. The Jedi turned to his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and nodded. The group, composed of two Jedis, one clone and four clone commandos went forward, looking for the command bridge of the cargo ship. "General, Fixer''s scanners detected a huge group of droids." Boss, the leader of Delta Squad, warned the Jedi. Under his helmet, he was frowning. The number of clanckers inside the ship was bigger than they expected. He quickly calculated their odds, deciding for the best battle plan. "We should split up, general. You, Commander Tano and Captain Rex follow this corridor till the end, and you should arrive at the command bridge." "What about you?" Scorch, the explosives expert, and battle maniac answered for Boss. "We will prepare the seppies a nice surprise. One that they won''t forget for as long as they live, which won''t be much longer. Hehehe..." The Jedi looked at them, thinking carefully. He didn''t like the idea of splitting up, but it seemed rather logical in this situation. The reason Delta Squad was chosen to come with them was exactly for moments like this. "All right, but be careful. If you can''t stop them here, retreat to the command bridge. We will think of something there." "Yes, general." Watching the three people run, Boss wondered how Hell Squad was doing on the other ship. The clones from the 303rd were a little bit too arrogant for him, trying to compare themselves to clone commandos while being normal soldiers, but even Boss had to admit that they had some abilities. "Here they come, sir!" Forcing his thoughts to the back of his mind, Boss concentrated on the fight that was about to start. It was going to be tough and dangerous, just how Delta Squad liked it. Chapter 174 - Hard-Won Battle Three-four used a piece of white cloth to bandage Tech''s arm. The clone had been hit during their last skirmish with the droids, but it was nothing serious. Their journey up the elevator shaft had been almost uneventful. Two stupid droids had decided to look at them through one of the doors, and Ragout pulled them. The clanckers fell down, almost hitting Dab, who was in the middle of climbing up the cables. Aside from that, the most dangerous moment that they faced was when Brain slipped, and almost fell, but then General Di stretched his hand, and the clone floated in midair. General Di moved his hand slowly, and the clone who was floating above a thirty meters fall quickly grabbed the cables again. Surely it wasn''t a pleasant experience. In the end, they made it to the upper level of the cargo ship, where a bunch of droids waited after every corner. Dageer didn''t know how many droids were on the ship, but judging by the number that they already killed, he expected there were at least a few hundred. Suddenly, Dageer heard metallic footsteps. Many of them. As one, all the clones turned back, and saw a myriad of clanckers. Unnecessarily, Cell yelled. "Seppies incoming!" The Droidekas rolled in first, setting up their annoying shields. B1 and B2 units followed closely behind. Taking cover on the sides of the corridor, Dageer turned to General Di. "You go first, general. We will hold them." "Denied. Ragout, you are a better pilot than I am. Go to the command bridge, and get us out of here!" Dageer nodded. One Jedi would probably be enough to clear the command bridge of any hostiles. "Tech, go with the general." "Yes, sir." Tech was by far the best pilot in Hell Squad, and could be of help when going over all the commands necessary to turn the cargo ship away from it''s escort. The padawan and the clone ran away, and soon Dageer heard sounds of combat. Not worried about them, Dageer turned to his own battle. He saw at least one hundred droids, packed in the corridor. At least the clones had the advantage that not all the droids could fire at the same time. "Well, this is going to be fun." Cell spoke with excitement in his voice, and all hell broke loose. The Droidekas in the front fired rapidly, forcing the clones to duck behind cover. Red lasers hit everywhere as the clones couldn''t even respond without getting shot. "Brain! Remember what I said about only using droid poppers? Forget it!" As if he was waiting for Dageer to say that, his second-in-command pulled out a thermal detonator. "General! Cover me!" Up till now, General Di had been deflecting the storm of lasers, and, although some of them hit the droids, most were absorbed by the Droidekas'' shields. However, when Brain called for him, the Jedi increased his velocity, his arms becoming blurred as he swung his lightsaber in inhuman speeds. Brain showed himself just enough to throw the detonator. The deadly metal ball hit the walls, rebounding around until it finally landed amidst the droids. The B1 units looked confusedly at it, as if wondering how did it get there. Then, the thermal detonator exploded. Seven or eight of the droids became scrap metal. Usually, a single detonator wouldn''t kill that many, but the clanckers were so closely packed together that not only the explosion hit them, but some also went down when pieces of their fallen comrades hit them. The detonation made most of the droids stumble and stop firing for a brief second, except the Droidekas and a few clanckers in the front. Soldiers as experienced as Hell Squad wouldn''t let this opportunity slip past them. "Take care of the destroyers first!" Dageer took out a thermal detonator, and rolled it on the floor. If he did it too fast, the Droideka''s shield would stop it. He, however, had a lot of experience dealing with the rolling droids, and the detonator easily went through the shield, blowing the droid to pieces. Two Droidekas remained, but then, General Di jumped on the wall, and ran. Literally. As if gravity had no effect on him, the Jedi ran on the wall as if it was the ground. The Droidekas tried to switch its aim to hit him, but the Jedi deflected the first few lasers they shot, and dropped on them. The powerful shields might as well have been made of paper when the blue lightsaber went through it. The first Droideka flinched and fell went it was stabbed on the head, and then General Di spun, cutting half of the head of the already dead droid, and slicing the second one. Even Hell Squad was stunned for a moment when seeing this unfold, but they recovered quickly. The sound of Cell''s knew weapon as almost as loud Metal''s blaster. He had modified a DC-15S to be shorter and more powerful, creating a powerful shotgun. At such close range, it cut down two or three droids with each shot. The battle raged on for a few more minutes, and both sides suffered losses. While Dageer himself was unharmed, Dab had his hand pressed in a scratch in his leg, where a droid fragment had cut through the armor. Brain complained continuously about his damaged helmet, ignoring the fact that if it hadn''t diverted the shot, he would be dead. Even General Di didn''t get out unscathed, as his shoulder had a nasty wound where one of the B2 super battle droids hit him with two continuous shots. Usually, the Jedi would have been first priority on Three-four''s medical list, but now, the medic was leaning over Metal. It was only when the battle ended that most of the clones, and General Di, saw that the heavy gunner had been wounded. There was a dark spot on his armor, just under his chest. It was clear that he had been hit hard. Dageer walked over to Three-four, careful not to hinder the clone was he worked, removing the Metal''s chest armor and helmet. "How is he?" Three-four gently patted Metal''s face. Hell Squad as a whole closed their fists, as the clone didn''t appear to be breathing. But suddenly Metal opened his eyes, and gasped for air, scaring the clones who were surrounding him. "Stay still. Your ribs are cracked." Three-four usually was a calm and quiet clone, but now he spoke with such a commanding tone that even Dageer was impressed. Metal stood quietly, as he was ordered, breathing heavily, his face showing pain each time he exhaled. "You were lucky. If it wasn''t for the blast padding, you would be dead." Blast padding was a new sort of armor, too expensive to be given to all troopers. As such, only commanders and important units were given it. That is why Hell Squad''s armor is thicker than normal. Blast padding was part of the armor, and covered the chest, stomach, and back, offering protection from common lasers from a certain distance. Still, the impact from the lasers could crack or break bones, and even rupture organs. There were many injuries to cover, and little time. General Di only waited for Metal''s condition to stabilize before moving on. "Three-four, Dageer, carry him. Cell, help Dab. Let''s move to the command bridge. We are too exposed here, and I doubt those are all the droids the ship had. Once in the command bridge, we can set up better defenses." "Yes, general." As quickly as their injuries permitted, Hell Squad moved along the corridor, leaving behind more than a hundred dead droids, and a corridor that could hardly ever be restored to its original appearance. // AUTHOR''S NOTE // Hello guys, hope you are all having a very nice day! There are a couple of things I want to tell you. Firstly, I got some comments in the last ten or so chapters saying that Hell Squad had been getting injured a lot lately, and although I understand why you say that (well, its actually true), I want you all to know that I never planned on making Dageer or Hell Squad (too) OP, so they can''t face a hundred droids and be unharmed (example at hand) That being said, please understand I am not criticizing those who made the comments or think like that. Its things like this that helps me understand what are your thoughts on the development of the novel. Secondly and most IMPORTANTly, I have a question for you all. The thing is, I''ve become a much better writer than I originally was, and my chapters became much longer and the quality much better. That being said, I was thinking of revisiting my old chapters from the start, and rewriting them. Of course, the story won''t change, but I will make them about as long as the newest chapters, and they will much better, be it in writing quality or details. I just want to know your opinions on this, and if you think I should do it, so please leave a comment about this. Of course (again), this will take some time, so I will have to first leave a lot of chapters done and on a timer, so I can dedicate myself to rewriting those chapters without leaving you without updates. Anyway, this is all I wanted to say, if you are confused, have a question or a suggestion, not only about this, but about the novel as a whole, don''t hesitate to ask. Goodbye, and may the Force be with you. Chapter 175 - Racing Against Time The door of the command bridge opened, and General Di saw a blaster aimed directly at his face. He moved his hand, and the blaster slowly lowered as he used the Force and the person behind it saw who he was. "Sorry, general. I didn''t have how to know it was you." "It''s okay, Tech. How are we on the ship?" General Di looked around the room, and waved his hand slightly. Two or three dead droids floated and piled up against a wall, leaving the center of the command bridge clear. On the way towards the command bridge, they saw more than a few dead droids, most of them killed by a lightsaber. "A few more minutes and I should be able to override their countermeasures. It would be quicker if the crew helped, but they refuse to talk." Tech pointed towards one side of the command bridge, where about ten people were crouching or sitting on the floor in the dim light. General Di walked over to them, and stopped in front of the one who was clearly the captain, for he was using clothes that no crew would dare to use. The Jedi ordered the human to get up, and, when he didn''t follow the instructions, using the Force. Felling himself pulled upwards against his will, the captain struggled and closed his eyes, his fear was evident. But when General Di waved his hand in front of him, the fear disappeared and his eyes became blank. "You are going to insert the command codes." "I-I am going to... insert the command... codes." After mumbling this, the captain went to the control panel, and typed rapidly. Tech laughed happily. "Those are the correct ones, general! When you want to, just say the word and we can get out of here!" "Wait. Ragout, contact Master Skywalker." "Yes, master." Ragout fumbled with his comlink, and a hologram of General Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, appeared. Both of them were running, and the sound of blasters being fired could be heard in the background. Occasionally, General Skywalker would lower his head to dodge a red laser, or reflect it. "Master Di! I was about to contact you! We are... Ugh... In a little trouble. We already put the new coordinates on the control panel, but the command bridge was flooded with droids before we could enter hyperspace. We were forced to retreat. Ahsoka, duck!" The projection disappeared for a small moment as master and padawan dodged something Dageer couldn''t see. Then, they got up as if nothing happened, and started running again. "Calm down, young Skywalker. Are you able to take back the command bridge?" "I don''t think so, Master Di. There are too many droids. Also, we were forced to split from Delta Squad. They are trapped somewhere in level 2." "General Di, more seppies incoming!" General Di looked over to the door hurriedly, and spotted dozens of droids, and probably more were coming. They would lose their own command bridge if they didn''t pay attention, so how could they help General Skywalker? Facing such difficulties, General Di made his decision. "Unfortunately, Master Skywalker, you are your own. We can''t reach you. Forget the supplies, reunite with Delta Squad and get out of there. We are going to jump." "I can''t do that, Master Di! Otherwise your troops... Okay. I am sorry, Master Di." "Don''t worry, young Skywalker. We are going to pull through it. We always do. Now, retreat before it is too late." "Yes, Master Di. May the Force be with you." The Nikto cut off communications, and turned to the door, his lightsaber in hands. Ragout position himself next to his master, and Hell Squad found cover. Wounded or not, their fighting spirit was burning strong, since they knew that those supplies could very well save many of their brothers. "Tech, initiate the jump." "Yes, general." ------------------------- General Skywalker sensed a familiar tremor, as if space itself was shaking. He knew that this was the sign of a large ship entering hyperspace. Silently, the young Jedi master wished good luck to General Di and the 303rd. "Uhm... master? They are coming." General Skywalker ignored his padawan''s warning, only bothering to deflect a few lasers that came his way. With a heavy heart, he ordered their retreat. "Rex and Snips, come on, we need to go." "But, master!" "Enough, Snips! Let''s find Delta Squad and leave." Nobody was more disappointed than him. As a young and newly-appointed Jedi Knight, not being able to help others was a gigantic blow to his confidence and pride. ... Half an hour later, a very damaged Laat flew out of the remaining Separatist cargo ship, and it was immediately put under a starfighter escort. The other cargo ship had long disappeared into hyperspace. About an hour later, both sides disengaged from their fight, Republic fighters and droids returning to their respective sh.i.p.s. Soon, the Republic fleet turned around and jumped into hyperspace, but not before destroying the remaining cargo ship. It appeared the Republic commander had decided that since he couldn''t take the ship, he wouldn''t let the Separatist have it either. ----------------------------- Dageer felt the ship shake a little as it entered hyperspace. The ever beautiful sight of blue and white lights going past the ship as it cut through space and time appeared out of the command bridge''s window. Unfortunately, he couldn''t appreciate it now since he had to deal with the onslaught of droids. He was kneeling behind the captain''s chair, which was now full of holes. The doors if the command bridge were starting to get stacked with droid corpses, but the clanckers knew no fear, and kept coming, only to die. So far, none of them stepped one metallic foot inside the command bridge. Dageer didn''t knee for how long the fight went on, for he was too absorbed in it to pay attention to anything else, and so were the others. As such, they only noticed that they had come out of hyperspace when Republic''s starfighters zoomed past the ship, and a transmission from the Republic fleet nearby came through. "Cargo ship Ezntrel, this is a Republic system. Deactivate your shields and let our forces board you, otherwise we will attack." Dageer, who was the closest one to the communicator, sprinted towards it, dodging the lasers shot at him. "Admiral Dao, this is Sub-commander Dageer!" "Sub-commander! I was thinking which bold Separatist captain would dare to..." "No time for this! Admiral, we are currently under attack by seppies on the command bridge! We need reinforcements, now!" "Lower the shields and I will send them in, sir!" Soon, several gunsh.i.p.s left the 303rd Attack Legion''s fleet, and flew to them. When Dageer saw them landing, he let out a happy yell. "Uhuuu!!! Just a little bit more, General Di!" "Good. I was starting to get tired." That was a joke, if Dageer ever saw his general do one, for he was wounded and had been fighting for hours without stop. He was much more than tired. All of them were. Thankfully, they didn''t have to wait much. At most fifteen minutes had passed when he heard shots coming from behind the attacking droids. The leader of the reinforcements was none other than Commander Keeli, firing his two DC-17s wildly while leading at least a hundred 303rd troopers. Caught between Hell Squad and the other clones, the droids fell down one after another, without even a chance to react. Certainly, there were more clanckers in the ship, but they would be quickly cleared. The 303rd wouldn''t forgive those who hurt their general. Chapter 176 - Ryloth In Danger More often than he wanted, Dageer found himself in an infirmary. This time, however, he wasn''t there to treat his wounds, but to check on his squad members, and, more importantly, his general. Battle statistics showed that the cargo ship carried more than nine hundred droids, almost two battalions, all of which had been killed. Of those, at least five hundred had died before the ship arrived on Ryloth and was boarded by the 303rd. It was a new record in the entire Republic Army, seven clones killing about sixty or seventy times their numbers. However, Dageer, who fought on the battle, knew that this had only been possible due to many factors. Firstly, they fought in a ship, with small and cramped corridors, meaning that not many droids could attack at the same time. Secondly, they had taken the enemy by surprise, and thirdly, they had two Jedis with them. Still, they had suffered a lot to win the battle. Most of those who partook in the battle were injured, with the exception being Dageer and Ragout. While they were defending the command bridge, Tech had been hit on his left thigh, while Three-four had somehow managed to almost be killed several times, earning him several scratches on his armor and about five or six bruises and cuts where the droid''s lasers cut through his skin. None of them complained, however. It was a miracle that none of them died, and also that the only serious injury was Metal''s, but even that should recover quickly in a bacta tank. Now, Dageer and Commander Keeli were standing next to General Di, and the Nikto was talking quietly to them so they wouldn''t wake up the convalescent Hell Squad. Ragout had talked to his master for a long time, and only a few minutes ago did the Jedi managed to convince his padawan to get some sleep. "Keeli, as soon as I am recovered we are going to descend onto Ryloth. The planet is at war, not only with the Separatist, but also with themselves. Corrupt rulers and politicians almost sold them to the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. Only a few freedom fighters remain. Ryloth and its people can not be lost." "We understand, general. Now, you should rest. Leave the details to Dageer and me, we will let you in as soon as you are out of bed." The Jedi nodded tired, and soon drifted off into sleep. Commander and sub-commander left side by side, walking directly to the command bridge. They had to defend an entire planet, and this didn''t include just ground battles. In fact, the decisive factor would be whether or not the Republic would be able to hold the space around Ryloth. Admiral Dao would be more important than them in the following battles. "Dageer." "Yes, commander?" "You had been through a lot lately. I swear I never saw a clone gather wounds as fast as you do." That earned a chuckle from Dageer. His eye, face, shoulder, legs, torso, arm. All of those were parts of his body that had received at least one injury. His entire body was scarred, more scarred than normal for a soldier, even though most of the troopers who fought since Geonosis had at least a dozen different scars. Commander Keeli himself had been wounded more than once. "Go get some sleep, sub-commander. Don''t complain, otherwise I will order you. The reports that came in today said that the Separatist fleet who will attack Ryloth is three days away. We can manage five or six hours without you." Dageer wanted to protest. It felt wrong to go to his quarters sleep when his men were in the infirmary and other clones were planning and preparing for a crucial battle. But he was unable to suppress a yawn, and he suddenly realized that his entire body was sore, old injuries were aching, and he barely could keep his eyes open. "Yes, commander." ---------------------------- Dageer was in a dark place. Streaks of blue and red lightning thundered into the darkness. A massive, disform being looked down on him. A dark cloak covered this being, flapping into the nonexistent wind. Instead of a face, all the being had was a black vortex, spinning, and spinning, seemingly trying to destroy the universe. The eerie laugh that always accompanied this figure startled Dageer awake. He could still hear it in his head, controlling him, ordering him to do horrible things. His instincts told him that barely three hours had passed since he laid in his bed to sleep. However, he wasn''t sleepy anymore, or rather, he wasn''t sleepy enough to go back to his nightmares. Putting on his armor, he grabbed his helmet under his arm. Dageer hesitated before living his quarters, and, in the end, decided to take his weapons with him. He strapped his recently acquired vibroblade to his back, sheathed his DC-17 and took his DC-15A on his hand, holding it parallel to the ground. It was uncommon for him to take all his weapons with him just to go to the command bridge, but the nightmares left him feeling... vulnerable. At least, when he passed by troopers on his way, they thought he was simply preparing for the forthcoming battle, and not that their sub-commander was afraid of dreams. Commander Keeli was still on the command bridge when he got there. In fact, the clone seemed to never leave, as he was rarely seen on his quarters or anywhere else. The commander had his helmet off, showing his shaved and tattooed head. A small scar appeared on his neck, almost hidden by his armor. He was looking through the window, watching the planet below. The Sincerity towered over the other cruisers, the giant metal beast showing no signs of fear of the Separatist fleet that would attack them in the next days. "Sub-commander Dageer." "Admiral Dao. It''s good to see you again." "Same here, Dageer, same here." Dageer shook hands with the admiral. He was shorter than the clones, and his eyes glistened with intelligence. A commander from the Old Republic days, the admiral had won many seemingly impossible battles by using unorthodox tactics. "Dageer." Dageer nodded to Commander Keeli, who didn''t say anything about how much he slept. The commander knew better than any clone how difficult it was for a trooper to get a good night of sleep. Dageer looked at Ryloth. The planet was as big as Mygeeto, but its climate was the exact opposite. While on Mygeeto it was always snowing, with chilly winds that made even walking difficult, Ryloth was hot and rocky. Giant formations of loose rock made for precarious mountains, and the air was stagnant. Red dust coated every building and rock of the planet, making everything look rusted and old. All in all, it was the perfect battlefield for a legion like the 303rd, a battlefield where they could display their full capacities. There, their armor would meld in with the terrain, their combat experience could be put to full use, and they could show the seppies who the real boss was. Chapter 177 - Facing Despair In Ryloth Dageer, Commander Keeli, and Admiral Dao spent many hours discussing. Every aspect was covered, every flaw they could find were corrected. But their stares only grew more worried as they saw how slim their chances were. This time even Dageer wasn''t that confident. The Republic had thrown the 303rd in a suicide mission, one they couldn''t run away from. Not for a moment did Dageer believe that the freedom fighters on Ryloth would actually be of any help. In fact, he could foresee that they would cause a lot of trouble. Still, they had their orders, and they were going to follow it to the bitter end. Their job on Ryloth was simple. They had to defend the planet against anything the Separatist threw on them. If they could hold the Separatist on space, it was even better. If their blockade failed, them they would fight for every inch of ground. As such, the commanders had already started making their preparations. Supplies were being loaded on, sh.i.p.s were being fueled, and, most importantly, soldiers were boarding their sh.i.p.s. To defend Ryloth, the 303rd would give everything they had. Everything. Almost every infantry trooper descended onto the planet, leaving only a few hundred behind to defend the cruisers in case they were boarded. That day, the citizens of Ryloth witnessed an incredible sight. Gunship after gunship flew down from the fleet on space, dropping men, weapons, vehicles, and supplies. The long convoy continued for hours before it was finally over. If one looked up, the fleet would appear to be the same, as if the long string of Laats was just a hallucination. But for the clones who remained on the cruisers, it was different. The long corridors, usually bristling with life, were now silent. The canteen was quiet, since even those who remained weren''t willing to talk. No soldier had any illusions, they all knew that it was going to be a tough fight, and it was very unlikely they would see each other again. ... "General! You should see this!" General Di turned away from the window, and saw one of the crewmen calling for him. For the last couple of hours, he had just been staring at the planet below. Ragout and Hell Squad had already gone to Ryloth, the clones mostly healed from their injuries. Now, the only ones who still had to go to the planet were he and Commander Keeli. "What is it, corporal?" "We just received a message from General Kenobi. It has information about the Separatist fleet and transmission for you." "Play the transmission first." The clone nodded, and a recorded hologram message appeared. The man in the hologram used Jedi Knight''s clothes, in shades of white and beige. His beard was well treated. The man seemed to be a well-educated gentleman, and this impression was only reinforced by how he spoke, even though it was just a recording. "Master Di, it is unfortunate that I have to contact you under such circ.u.mstances. I regret to inform you that we aren''t able to provide you any support, at least for now. The Separatist are engaging us in every planet in the galaxy, and the Republic is hard-pressed to fight back. Some of my men were, however, able to retrieve basic information about the Separatist fleet tasked with conquering Ryloth. I hope it is of help, as little as it may seem. May the Force be with you." The hologram disappeared, and General Di looked pensive for a moment. The situation was dire, much worse than he expected. "Put the intel on." The crewman made as Commander Keeli commanded, and pulled up the intel that General Kenobi had gathered. Almost immediately, curses and imprecations left the mouths of every officer on the command bridge. "We are doomed." Admiral Dao''s words resumed what every clone was thinking. The 303rd Attack Legion had a fleet that was by no means small. The Sincerity was a Venator-class Cruiser, one of the biggest and most powerful models the Republic had on stock. Not only that, but the fleet also had three other Venator-class Cruisers, eleven Acclamator-class Cruisers and dozens of smaller sh.i.p.s like CR90 Corvettes. The number of starfighters was in the thousands. So what could possibly make the Commander of such a fleet feel certain doom? The answer was, a much bigger enemy fleet. Not only there were six Providence-class Dreadnoughts, and twenty Munificent-class Frigates, but they also brought a Recusant-class Destroyer. This ship was equivalent to all three Venator-class Cruisers the Republic had. That meant that besides the big number of capital sh.i.p.s, there would be tens of thousands of Vulture droids to deal with. The Separatist usually had a numerical advantage over the Republic, but this was ridiculous. "Don''t worry, my friends. They might have the numbers, but we have the best pilots, and the best leaders. Admiral Dao fought on many battles, more than any of us here. We will pull through this ordeal, and soon, the Republic will send help." All the officers acknowledged General Di''s speech. None of them believed in it. --------------------------- Dageer watched as clones marched before him, and into the city of Lessu. Outside the city, AT-TEs, AT-APs, and SPHA-Ts lined outside the city. The citizens looked at the marching army and the massive vehicles in awe and fear. Many of them weren''t happy with Republic forces taking control over their capital, even if they were the ones who asked for help. As he commanded the clones to take position on the walls, he analyzed the outskirts of the city. A blast bridge was the only way in or out of the Lessu. The capital was surrounded by an abyss that seemed to have no end. It was an extremely good defensive position, but if the clanckers did break through their blockade - and Dageer had no doubt they would - then even such a city would fall in a matter of days. He looked over to the center of the city, where a high building towered over the others. The City Council was having a meeting there, deciding whether or not they should accept the Republic troops. As incredible as it seems, when Dageer first arrived at the city, the rulers rejected him, arguing that those who asked the Republic to come were the so-called freedom fighters, traitors of Ryloth. Dageer looked at the fat Twi''leks, and ignored them entirely. He had his orders, he was going to carry them. Some of the members of the council threatened to report him to the Senate, saying that the occupation was illegal. Dageer once more ignored them, instead saying very politely that if they didn''t shut up, he was going to arrest them. At the moment, Ragout was waiting for an audience with the City Council, and Hell Squad served as an escort. Dageer had stayed outside the city to organize the defenses. He was glad he didn''t have to attend the meeting. "Sub-commander, sir, the general is arriving." "Thank you, Smit. Dismissed." "Yes, sir." Dageer watched as the Laat landed, and walked towards it. Only two passengers got out, Commander Keeli and General Di. Dageer saluted both. "Welcome to Lessu, general. We are facing some trouble with the populace that General Ragout thinks only you can solve. He asked me to tell you to go to the City Council." "I will go immediately. Arrange transport." "Yes, general. Bliar, you heard the general! Commander, the defenses are ready for inspection." "Good. Let''s do a patrol." Chapter 178 - Freedom Fighters "How dare you! We never asked for help, that is just an excuse for the Republic to conquer us!" "Cham Syndulla and his traitorous rebel friends should be hunted, not assisted by you!" "Mister Shar, Mister Jyrot, I understand your concerns, however, I can assure you that the Republic''s intent isn''t to conquer, Ryloth, but to help it. Cham Syndulla is..." "Cham Syndulla is a traitor! He should have been executed when we had the chance! He is..." When General Di entered the room, what he saw was his padawan trying to reason with a bunch of fat Twi''leks, but it was in vain, and his voice was drowned by their endless complaints. Seeing his helpless apprentice, General Di almost chuckled. Ragout''s specialty was battling, not talking. Deciding to help his padawan, General Di used the Force to create a small shockwave, just enough so everyone knew he was there, and that he was a Jedi. "Council, please, listen to my padawan. The Republic never had any intention of conquering Ryloth. The word of a Jedi should be more than enough to assure you that. When had we ever lied?" "As if we didn''t know you all are dogs of the Chancellor..." A fat green Twi''lek muttered under his breath, maybe thinking that the Nikto wouldn''t hear him, but he was wrong. General Di turned towards him, recognizing him as Mister Shar Yellps, the one who complained the most against Ragout. "Jedi aren''t underlings of the Chancellor nor of the Senate, Mister Shar. We are peacekeepers. We are here to protect Ryloth." "You brought war to our planet!" General Di eyed the Twi''lek, disgust evident in his glare. "May I remember you, Shar Yellps, that Ryloth is part of the Republic, and the only reason the Republic is here is to help you. May I also remember you that war would have come to Ryloth sooner or later, and it came now because some of your rulers and politicians tried to hand over the planet to the Separatist. Don''t forget, Mister Shar, that your name, and the name of others in this room, appear more than once as the masterminds behind this attempt. The Republic didn''t trial you up till now, but if you insist on handing over Ryloth to the Separatist, our hand will be forced." The room instantly became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Amongst the tens of council members, only one or two faces appeared happy, while the others showed rage and fear. Weeks before, an emissary of the Separatist commander Wat Tambor came to Ryloth. He promised many benefits to those who aligned with the Separatist cause. Most of the members of the City Council were greedy and arrogant, and didn''t hesitate to throw away the interests of the population in favor of theirs. The few who were against it were quickly silenced, and some even were thrown out of the council. However, what those greedy men didn''t expect was that the Republic would be faster than the Separatist, and now, they were stuck in an awkward position. They couldn''t turn away the Republic, otherwise it would be considered open treason, but they already received benefits from the Separatist. If they betrayed their new allies, then the consequences would be dire when they conquered Ryloth. After all, the Separatist weren''t kind. Seeing the impact his words had, General Di decided to continue. He had to subdue these men now, or they would backstab him and the Republic. "May I ask you all, do you know what the Separatist do when they conquer a Republic planet? No? Let me tell you. Under the excuse of being ''prisoners of war'', the entire population, men, women, and children, are forced to work to them. Many die from inhuman treatment. And the destiny of those who have some kind of power or influence over the people - a City Council, for example - is even worse. They all disappear mysteriously." ... The council left the room to debate after those words. It was unclear whether they were more afraid of the Republic or the Separatist. Ragout approached his master, smiling. "That should get them on our side, master." "No. That made them afraid. They will be on our side for as long as it is beneficial to them. We will have to be careful. The moment they see the Republic show weakness, they will backstab us without hesitating." --------------------------- In a cave outside of Lessu, an old Twi''lek, with beige skin was hearing the reports made by his soldiers. Groups of Twi''leks scattered around this cave and others, taking care of children and moving supplies around. Every a.d.u.l.t was carrying at least one blaster, and many had scars, showing they were battle-hardened veterans. "Cham. Cham! Are you listening?" "Sorry, Gobi. I was thinking." "You always are. Haha... What I was saying is that clones arrived. They are called the 303rd Attack Legion. They are in all the major cities. Lessu, Kala''uun, Nabat, Rhovari..." "And how are they behaving?" "They took over those cities. Our spies said that the Jedi, Ima-Gun Di, scared the City Council so much that they almost ran away. Hahaha!!! O think we can trust him." "You know I don''t trust anyone. Uhm... I will have to meet him. Organize it, Gobi." "Yes, Cham. And... give them a chance. We need their help." "That depends on them, brother." -------------------------- Dageer was inspecting an outpost that the 303rd had built a few kilometers away from Lessu. Over the past two days, that was all he had been doing, going from one city to another. The citizens still showed some distrust towards them, but after news of how the seppies treated prisoners started to spread, they weren''t so hostile anymore. "Sir! General Di is asking you to return to the city." "All right. Captain Agil, you will be in command of this outpost." "Yes, sir." Dageer took a BARC speeder, and left the outpost. Fifty kilometers were covered in twenty minutes with the vehicle. Even before he arrived, he saw Ragout waiting for him on the gate. "Dageer, over here." "General." "Dageer, we were contacted by Cham Syndulla, leader of the freedom fighters. Master is busy, so we are going to meet him." "Just let me gather my squad, general, and I will be with you." "They are already waiting for us. Syndulla wants to meet outside the city." Something about this whole situation didn''t seem right. Cham Syndulla had contacted the Republic, asking for help, but after the Republic arrived, he waited for days before finally asking for a meeting. It was okay for Syndulla to wat to meet outside the city, since the City Council considered him and his men traitors. Still, Dageer''s instincts told him something was wrong. "General, I think it is better if we go with a larger group. Lieutenant Shield is in the city. If we bring him and fifty troopers..." "No. Cham Syndulla is our ally, but he doesn''t trust us much. Taking sixty soldiers will make him think we are up to something. He might not even go to the meeting if we do that. Hell Squad will be enough." "Yes, general." A few minutes later, the group departed from Lessu on BARC speeders. Dageer put up two fingers and slid them across his chest in a way that only Hell Squad saw it. His men acknowledged the signal, and checked their weapons. They had long learned to trust Dageer, and if the sub-commander was instructing them to pay attention, they will. Chapter 179 - Being Backstabbed Dust left a trail in the horizon as eight BARC speeders zoomed through the valleys of Ryloth. One of the drivers, a clone wearing a weirdly painted armor, said something to the only person who wasn''t a clone in the group. "General Ragout. Don''t stop. There is someone looking at us." The Togruta didn''t slow down, nor looked at Cell. Instead, he just asked quietly where their stalker was. "The hills to the left. He is on some kind of animal." Dageer discretely lowered his macrobinoculars. Cell was right. A Twi''lek with pink skin and riding on a big and round kind of lizard was watching them. Ragout also saw the Twi''lek, even though he didn''t have any kind of binoculars. "He is riding a Blurrg. They are the mounts used by the freedom fighters. I bet he is a scout for Syndulla." "He really doesn''t trust us, does he?" "We certainly don''t trust him." Ragout turned to Brain, surprised that the easygoing clone would be so hostile to the freedom fighters. "We are here to help them, trooper. We have no reason to distrust Syndulla and his men." Brain silenced. It wasn''t appropriate for him to answer, since he would be discussing with the general, and, well, soldiers didn''t do that. But Brain had his reasons to doubt Cham Syndulla. Usually, rebels like Syndulla couldn''t be trusted. They had a tendency to think that just because it was their planet, they knew more than actual soldiers. However, all the experience they had came from grabbing a blaster and killing two clanckers. They didn''t have tactics, they didn''t think enough before attacking, which usually lead to high casualties and failure. Not only that, but they were also driven by rage and hatred. That made them susceptible to make rookie mistakes. Suddenly, the path disappeared between a crack on the walls of the valley. Slowing down, they followed it until they arrived at a clearing. At the center of the clearing, three Twi''leks waited for them. One was a woman with grey skin and a revealing outfit. She was beautiful, but a terrific scar cut her face and neck. The second one was a man, his skin blue and green, and he was carrying a huge blaster. And finally, the third one, a male with beige skin. Dageer assumed he was Cham Syndulla, because he exhaled confidence, and the skin he showed was marked with scars. Ragout got down from the speeder, and graciously greeted the Twi''leks. Hell Squad walked behind the Jedi, their blasters in hands but aiming at the ground. "Cham Syndulla? I am Ragout, padawan of Master Ima-Gun Di. We want to discu..." "Where is he?!'' Ragout was interrupted rudely by Syndulla. The Twi''lek yelled furiously, confusing both Ragout and the clones. "Where is he?!" "W-Who? Syndulla, I don''t understand..." "Don''t lie! My people saw you capture him! Where is he?!" Cham Syndulla advanced, as if he was going to attack Ragout. Immediately, seven blasters were aimed at him. In response, the other two Twi''leks that were with him also aimed their weapons at them. There was a muffled sound and the earth shook. All around the clearing, in the walls above, Twi''lek riders appeared, aiming a variety of weapons at Hell Squad. The clones changed their aim, each one to a different target. In the past, they had made the mistake of firing at the same clancker, wasting time, and costing other soldiers their lives. Dageer now knew why his instincts were telling him something was wrong. It was an ambush. He didn''t know why the freedom fighters would want to attack Republic troops, but it was happening. "Lower your weapons." Ragout''s low voice startled Dageer. He looked at the Jedi, and saw the padawan glaring at him. Slowly, Dageer lowered his DC-15A, and ordered Hell Squad to do the same. "Are we being captured again?" "It can''t be as bad as Ventress was." "Silence. Cham Syndulla! You called for help of the Republic! Why are you aiming your weapons at us now?" Syndulla laughed, and spat on the ground. Dageer tensed up at every movement the Twi''lek leader made. "We called for help, and instead you betrayed us! You captured my brothers, and you still dare to come to this place? I didn''t believe when my people said you were still coming. What do you want? A ransom? You won''t get it. We fought the Separatist, we will fight you." Ragout frowned. He had no idea what Syndulla was talking about. However, the padawan knew that something went terribly wrong. Without warning, Ragout used the Force to pull his lightsaber. The entire Twi''lek force concentrated on him, and Hell Squad put their weapons up again. And then Ragout threw his lightsaber on the ground, near Syndulla. "Do the same." Dageer looked at his general, and sighed. Jedi were said to be calm, but sometimes they were more impulsive than the clones. "You heard the general, boys." The sounds of several weapons hitting the ground made Dageer feel uncomfortable, as if he was n.a.k.e.d. The two Twi''leks originally with Syndulla walked over and grabbed the blasters. Syndulla himself grabbed Ragout''s lightsaber. There was a smile on his face now, the rage all gone. Dageer suspected that the freedom fighter was never really angry, but wanted to see their reaction. "Ragout, right? Follow me." "To where?" "My home, of course. I still want to know where my man is." Ragout stood still, and confronted Syndulla. When the woman next to him aimed her blaster at him, Ragout simply waved his hand, and her weapon flew out of her hands, hitting the ground twenty meters away. "I don''t know who your man is, nor what you are talking about. Explain, Syndulla. Now." Syndulla frowned, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. It was clear he liked the sensation of power in his hands, and Ragout contesting his authority was almost too much. "You are in no position to make such claims, Jedi. Either you come now as guests, or you come later as prisoners." Ragout stared at Syndulla, and eventually shrugged. He wanted to understand what was going on, not cause a conflict. It would only make things more difficult if the Republic had to worry not only about the Separatist, but also the freedom fighters. "Okay. But I want you to know, Syndulla, that I have no idea what you are talking about. If your man was arrested by us, I know nothing about it." "Liar! You are all liars!" "Quiet, Miwy. Let''s go." The woman with the scar spat towards Ragout as she picked her weapon on the ground. Carefully, Ragout and Hell Squad followed the Twi''leks to a cave. With blasters on their back, they disappeared inside the earth. ---------------------------- "General! We can''t reach General Ragout. Do you want us to send a patrol after them?" General Di closed his eyes, and felt the Force around him. He had a special connection with Ragout, so it was easier to sense him. "No need. He is safe. Continue the preparations." "Yes, general." Chapter 180 - Mistakes Were Made Dageer could feel a blaster poking his back, and he had to resist the urge to strike his captor. It would be so easy. The Twi''lek obviously didn''t know how to handle weapons. If Dageer turned around and grabbed his hand, then the blaster would be his. However, he knew he couldn''t do that. Dageer glanced at Cham Syndulla, the leader of the freedom fighters. As weird as it seems, Dageer knew that the Twi''lek wouldn''t kill them. It was clear now that someone tried to frame the Republic, and make the Twi''leks think of them as an enemy. That person, or group, wanted to use Syndulla''s temperament to kill Ragout and Hell Squad, which would undoubtedly start a war between the freedom fighters and the Republic. However, whoever it was, he or she had put too much trust on the hot temper of the Twi''lek. To be able to lead a resistance big enough to threaten the Separatist, obviously Syndulla had to be able to control himself. After many minutes, the tunnel they were following gave place to a well-lit cave. Many Twi''leks using ragged clothes were in the cave, talking and working. Kids were running around, and two of them almost bumped in Dageer. Seeing the group of clones using their battle-scarred armors, the kids yelled, and ran away, hiding behind their parents. Some of the a.d.u.l.ts approached them with friendly smiles on their faces, until one of them noticed that their comrades were aiming blasters at the back of the clones. The Twi''lek yelled something, and the smiles were replaced with distrust. Cham Syndulla said something to his people, and sat at a rock in the middle of the room. The other Twi''leks pushed their prisoners rudely, making them sit on the ground in front of Syndulla. "Jedi. I believe when you say that you know nothing of my man. But I don''t believe it wasn''t your kind who did it." "Jedis are peacekeepers. Why would we want to start a war with you?" "Peacekeepers... Ha! Why are you leading a war, then? You might have been peacekeepers one day. Not anymore. Now, all Jedis want is power, the same as everyone else." "That is not true!" "Believe in what you want. That is not why I brought you here. I want to free my soldier. Gobi. He went to find your master, and didn''t come back. My people in the city saw him enter the City Council building, and he never left." "The 303rd isn''t staying on the council building." "What?!" That was the first time Syndulla showed any kind of reaction other than rage or distrust. Dageer saw in his eyes that the Twi''lek knew exactly what happened, and that he was blaming the Republic wrongly. Ragout obviously saw it too. "Who did it? You know, don''t you?" Cham Syndulla closed his, and stayed quiet for a few minutes. Ragout didn''t seem worried at all, as if he already knew how things would unfold. When Syndulla opened his eyes, he wasn''t looking at his captives, but at the men behind them. "Lower your weapons. The Jedi is telling the truth. It wasn''t the Republic that took Gobi. It was someone from the City Council." After a small moment of hesitation, most of the freedom fighters lowered their blasters, and some even stepped aside so the clones could get up. However, two of the Twi''leks still had their weapons aimed at Ragout. "Cham! How can you believe them?!" "Syndulla! You can''t do that!" The first one was Miwy, whom Syndulla completely ignored, at least for now. The second one was a skinny Twi''lek with purple skin. His eyes shined with a cunning light, and he had a half-smile on his face whenever he looked at Ragout or Hell Squad, as if he was planning something. Seeing the skinny Twi''lek brazenly contest his authority, Syndulla''s face got darker. "Tram Cholq, you better be careful. Don''t forget I was chosen to be the leader. It isn''t up to you whether or not I can do that. If you have a complaint about my methods, call a vote. If anyone has a complaint, call a vote!" Syndulla looked around, and a few of the freedom fighters lowered their heads, while most of them looked back with trust in their eyes. Tram''s eyes burned with rage, but he backed off when confronted. Dageer could tell that Syndulla had to be careful in the future. Seeing his opponent give up, Syndulla set down again, and glanced at Ragout, his intentions clear. The padawan signaled Hell Squad to get away, and sat near the rebel leader. Hell Squad walked until they were close to a wall, and sat down. Surprisingly, a Twi''lek brought them their weapons. He even had a friendly smile on his face. It was hard to believe that the freedom fighters trusted Syndulla so much, to the point of taking each of his words as guaranteed truth. Otherwise, why would they trust Hell Squad immediately? While Hell Squad checked their weapons - they had to make sure nobody played a trick - Dageer was looking around. He soon noticed that although most of the a.d.u.l.ts were carrying weapons, few looked like they knew how to use it, maybe thirty or forty out of one or two hundred people. Most likely the actual freedom fighters were just a few, while the rest were their families. "Mister soldier, would you like something to eat?" Dageer was surprised to hear a soft voice speak to him. Standing next to Hell Squad were a bunch of kids, carrying pots and trays with food and drinks. The one who spoke to Dageer was a small girl, probably younger than the cadets when they first started training. The little girl looked at him with hopeful eyes, and Dageer smiled unconsciously. Her blue eyes made a good contrast with her amber skin, and the way she talked showed her innocence. He saw the rest of Hell Squad looking at him, and nodded. The clones took off their helmets, and the kids yelled in surprise. "You have the same face! And you too!" "Are you brothers?" The clones laughed, and Metal patted one of the kids in the head. "Yeah. We are all brothers. Every one of us." "Whoa!!! That must be so nice! I wish I had a brother! Or a sister! Do you have a sister?" "Hahaha!!! No, I don''t. But I have many more brothers. Later, when you see someone using an armor like mine, you will know he is my brother." The kids started asking all sorts of questions, and screamed in awe from time to time. Their parents at the side, initially looking protectively to them, were now smiling and laughing too. "You won''t take off your helmet?" Dageer saw that the little girl was still looking at him, holding the small tray. He shook his head. "I got hurt, so I have a big scar. I don''t want to scare you." The moment he said that, the kids grouped up around him. "I am not scared of anything!" "I also am not scared! I am very brave! One day I will be a warrior. Warriors can''t be scared." Boys and girls all boasted, saying they weren''t scared at all. Dageer smiled under the helmet. His only experience with kids came from his training as a cadet, but the way the little Twi''leks behaved was almost the same as he and his brothers did when they were smaller. "You should take it off, sir. They won''t stop pestering you until you do." "Hahaha!!!" While Dab was a bit more sensible, the rest of Hell Squad laughed to their heart''s content. It was simply too funny to see their stern sub-commander being dominated by a bunch of children. "Okay, okay. I will take it off. Ready?" "Yeah!!!" Slowly, Dageer took off his helmet, and showed his face to the kids. As he had expected, they all jumped back, screaming. Even some of the a.d.u.l.ts had their mouths opened in shock. Chapter 181 - Little Shouta Some kids stumbled and fell before scrambling to get back up and run away. Dageer sighed. He knew that was going to happen, but it was still a little bit disappointing. He was sure that the scar was a lot scarier than the children thought it would be. However, while most of the kids were still away, looking at his face curiously and fearfully, the same small girl approached him again. "D-Does it hurt?" Dageer was surprised, and unconsciously touched the scar on his face. It still hurt, especially when he got in battles a wounded clone shouldn''t. And he got into a lot of those. However, he thought this wasn''t the best idea to tell that to the child. "No. Not anymore." "I-I also have one. A scar. I got it when I was little." The girl showed Dageer a small scar on her leg, barely five centimeters long. She looked at Dageer expectantly, waiting for him to do something. Smiling, he patted the girl on the head, and grabbed a fruit from the tray she was carrying. "You are very brave. What is your name?" "S-Shouta. My name is Shouta." Before Dageer could say anything more, he was surrounded by the kids, asking all sorts of questions related to his scar. "How did you get it?" "Was it on a battle?" "In how many battles you were?" It appeared the kids didn''t actually care for the answers, since they didn''t stop to listen. Dageer was unsure of what to do, but fortunately, a mother saved him. "Come on now, scatter, let''s go. Let the soldier rest." Dageer nodded gratefully to the woman. He really had no idea of what to do to free himself from the curious kids. "Sir, I think I never saw you so scared." Dageer sighed. He knew his squad would never let him forget this. Unless he ordered them to shut up, which he was seriously considering. "Even you, Tech?" "Hahahaha...!!!" "Dageer. Come over here." They were still laughing when Ragout called him. Instantly serious, Dageer grabbed his helmet and walked over to where the Jedi and Cham Syndulla were sitting. "Yes, general?" "I need you to go to Lessu. Our communications are being jammed. Find my master and talk to him about Gobi. I am sure you already know we were framed. You need to find whoever did it." "Hell Squad is ready, general." "No. Only one person can go, Jedi." Syndulla spoke rudely. Dageer knew that although he told his people he trusted the Republic now, that wasn''t really what he thought. He wanted to make sure that he had someone on his hideout, to make sure the Republic wouldn''t attack it. "Then you should be the one to go, general. We can stay here." Dageer saw Syndulla''s eyes dart from him to Ragout, waiting for his reaction. The padawan smiled to Dageer, understanding perfectly what the clone tried to do. "No, Dageer. This has to be made in secret, and I will surely be recognized. You, however, won''t.." Syndulla nodded, and the suspicion on his eyes dimmed. Dageer acknowledged Ragout''s command, and discussed with the two leaders briefly, before leaving the hideout. Hell Squad got on their feet to follow him, but he told them to stay. Just when he was about to leave, someone tugged at his armor. He looked down and saw Shouta, the little Twi''lek. "Are you leaving, mister clone?" "My name is Dageer, Shouta. I''m only leaving for a little, then I will come back." "Are you going to fight someone?" "Haha... no, I''m not. I only need to talk with my general. He is in Lessu, so I have to go there." Shouta looked at him and smiled happily. When she saw Dageer take his helmet and talk with Syndulla and Ragout, she had been worried he was going to leave to battle. But since he wasn''t, everything was all right. "But, you have to be careful, mister Dageer. There are gutkurrs out there. They are very dangerous." Dageer had no idea what gutkurrs were, but he saw no reason to make Shouta worry, so he just smiled and assured her he would be careful. Putting his helmet on, Dageer followed a bulky Twi''lek, who led him through a series of tunnels and out of the underground. Theirs BARC speeders were still there, so Dageer got on one of them, and was preparing to drive away when the Twi''lek stopped him. "Clone. Cham trust you, but I don''t. You better come back, and have Gobi with you. Otherwise..." Dageer looked at the Twi''lek, and left without saying anything. He didn''t need to prove anything to the freedom fighters, neither did he need their trust. He would come back because his general ordered him to do so. In his opinion, however, the Republic would be better off if they didn''t bother with helping the freedom fighters. Surely, saving their planet was enough, right? -------------------------- It was night, but the outskirts of Lessu were well lit as dozens of clone vehicles patrolled. The bridge that connected the city to the other side of the crack circling it was turned off, but a speeder was approaching it regardless. On his way to Lessu, Dageer had gone through several outposts and checkpoints, but for fear of alerting the enemy, he didn''t contact General Di. He would follow Ragout''s orders, and only talk with General Di personally. An entire squad was guarding the bridge. They didn''t have the switch to turn it on, but they would contact the command center if it was needed. "Who is there?" "It is me, Agil." "Sub-commander! Sorry, we didn''t see it was you." "It is okay. Tell them to turn the bridge on. I need to enter the city." "Yes, sir." Soon after, the ray bridge was turned on, and Dageer quickly drove through it. It was clear he was in a hurry. One of the clones turned to Agil, his squad leader. "Wasn''t the sub-commander with General Ragout and Hell Squad when he left, sir?" "Yeah. I wonder if something happened." --------------------------- Dageer jumped out of the BARC speeder as soon as he arrived in front of the 303rd headquarter. However, before he could enter the building, he hard a low, rumbling sound. It took a few seconds before he finally figured out where it was coming from. Like the hundreds of clones and civilians around him, Dageer looked up to the sky. Massive sh.i.p.s appeared one after another, right in front of the 303rd fleet. Suddenly, the entire sky was filled with different sh.i.p.s, facing each other. The design of the newly arrived sh.i.p.s was very different from the triangular Republic sh.i.p.s. They were cylindrical, and in tones of gray and green. The Republic fleet was dwarfed before the new fleet, outnumbered two or three to one. Suddenly, without any warning or pause, many small dots appeared from the two fleets, and launched itself at one another. Red and blue intertwined in the sky, and here and there explosions happened. The Separatist were here. The invasion had started, and it was much worse than they ever expected. Chapter 182 - The Invasion Starts "To your battle stations!!!" "Move, move, move!!!" "Come on, what are you, clanckers?!" "Blue One ready!" "Steel Six ready!" "Thorn Eleven in position!" Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains barked orders while pilots got into their starfighters. It was an organized mess, as hundreds and thousands of clones got ready for battle in a matter of seconds. Soon, the hangars of the Republic cruisers opened, and starfighters flew off to meet their opponent. ... Seconds before the Separatist fleet left hyperspace, the scanners on The Sincerity picked it up. "Admiral! The seppies are arriving!" "Sound the alarm!" Admiral Dao looked out of the command bridge as Separatist ship after Separatist ship came out of hyperspace. The feeling of doom in his heart increased, bit he steeled his resolve. If they were going to die, he would take as many as he could with him. Turning away from the window, Admiral Dao had a serious expression on his face, but there were also glints of excitement. "All soldiers to their battle stations! I want every pilot in the air! After the first engagement, find the weakest ship and focus your fire. Turrets, don''t let a droid slip past us. Cannons, go all out, no holding back" "Yes, sir!" "Let''s show them Ryloth is not an easy target. Let''s show them the 303rd isn''t playing. Show them all we''ve got, and they will understand that they will have to pay a heavy price to get through us." All the crew acknowledged his orders, and the entire fleet was bustling with activity as the starfighters of both sides flew to meet each other. Under his breath, Admiral Dao murmured something only he could hear. "And let us go out in a blaze of glory." ------------------------ Dageer looked up to the sky, and saw the huge battle happening. Instantly, he knew they had no chance. However, he believed in Admiral Dao. He knew the old commander already noticed it. He would buy as much time to the troops on the ground as he could. Shaking his head, Dageer yelled at the troops surrounding him to get back to work. They had to make good use of the time their brothers were giving them at the cost of their lives. "If you have nothing to do, go find something, whatever it is! If you already have, hurry up! Move!" The soldiers started to move, a sense of urgency that wasn''t there before now gripping their hearts. Dageer walked inside the building as fast as he could without looking too worried. General Di and Commander Keeli were around a hologram table, dead serious. On the table, a hologram of Admiral Dao appeared. Dageer hurried into the room and listened to the conversation. General Di and Commander Keeli barely saw him enter. "... won''t be long before they break through our blockade. We are losing fighters too fast!" The transmission shook, as if something hit The Sincerity. "I am sorry, general, but we can''t buy you much more time." "Hold for as long as you can, Dao. Contact the Jedi Council, ask for help. There have to be something they can do." "I will try, general." "May the Force be with you." The transmission was cut, and General Di immediately turned to Commander Keeli and Dageer. "We need to secure the supplies. In a few days they will break through our blockade, and land. We have to be prepared." "About it, general. We have supplies for a month if we keep splitting them with the population like you ordered, general. However, if we..." "No. We are here to save Ryloth, not starve it to death." Commander Keeli looked at Dageer, and nodded. They were already doomed, maybe sharing their supplies wouldn''t be of any harm. "Yes, general." "Dageer. Where is Ragout? What about the freedom fighters? We will need them." Quickly, Dageer explained everything that happened. The faces of the two became grave, and General Di instantly left the room, followed by Dageer and Commander Keeli. They soon arrived at the City Council building, where two Twi''lek guards tried to stop them, but General Di simply pushed them aside, leaving them extremely confused and fearful. Dageer and Commander Keeli looked at each other. They had never seen their general so angry. The Nikto had a lot to deal with, and it was clearly taking a toll on him. "Shar Yellps!!!" His voice amplified by the Force, General Di called for the leader of the council. Many minutes later, the fat Twi''lek appeared in the room, followed by other members of the council. "Master Di? There is a battle in the sky! Is this the peace the Republic promised us?" "Shar Yellps. You know everything that happens in this city. Did a man by the name of Gobi come looking for me?" Fear glistened in Yellps'' eyes, and he even shuddered when he heard the name. He quickly disguised it, but his reactions showed that he clearly knew something. "Gobi? Isn''t that Cham Syndulla''s dog? Why would he come to me to see you, Master Jedi?" "Leave us." General Di ordered the other Twi''leks in the room to leave, and, when seeing them hesitate, Dageer and Commander Keeli stepped menacingly towards them. Scared by the two clones, they quickly left. Shar Yellps tried to leave too, hiding amidst them, but General Di pulled him back using the Force. "W-What are you doing? Y-You can''t do that. I am your ally!" General Di made the fat Twi''lek float until he was above a stool, and released him. The stool creaked under his weight, but held on. General Di sat in front of him, with Dageer and Commander Keeli on his sides. "Shar Yellps, for how long have you been working for the Separatist?" Fear transpired from every pure of Yellps'' body, and he let out a weird snarl, clearly scared. "I-I don''t know what you are talking about, master Jedi." General Di sighed, and motioned for Dageer and Commander Keeli to grab Yellps. "W-What are you doing?!" "Dageer, Keeli, arrest him for treason against the Republic." The Twi''lek shrunk, and stopped struggling. Being charged with treason was worse than death. He kept silent for a while, but when he saw that the two clones really were going to arrest him, he spilled everything. "It wasn''t me! Count Dooku forced me to help him! I had to put Gobi away, otherwise Count Dooku would kill me when he conquered Ryloth." Dageer almost spat with disgust. "And I bet you would receive a nice role after he defeated us, right? Somewhere from which you can watch as your people starve and suffer under the seppies. Don''t worry, that is not happening. They won''t set a foot on Ryloth." "Who else is with you?" Yellps told them a list that included almost all the members of the City Council. Immediately, Dageer ordered some clones to arrest those men. After watching the defeated Shar Yellps being taken away, Dageer turned back to General Di. Hadn''t the Jedi been so decisive, it would have taken them a while to startle all the corrupts off their holes. ... Gobi was a Twi''lek with blue skin, and very friendly. After Dageer rescued him from the dungeon he was in and told him what happened, he promptly said he would talk with Syndulla, and that the freedom fighters would surely join hands with the Republic to fight the Separatist. Dageer looked up to the sky, where the battle was still going on, before turning to Gobi. "Talk with Syndulla. We will need all the help we can get. And it still won''t be enough." Suddenly, his eyes were attracted to a huge series of explosions. An Acclamator-class Cruiser had thrown itself in between two Separatist frigates in a suicide move. Facing the point-blank barrage of the Republic cruiser, the frigates fell apart, becoming debris floating in space. The price, however, was steep, as the cruiser now laid dead in the space, just waiting to be destroyed. Chapter 183 - No Help "Here they come, boys!!!" Rozal only had time to say that before the enemy''s Vulture droids met them. The 303rd had about two thousand and five hundred starfighters, but they were outnumbered four to one. The cloud of Vulture droids flying at high speed to meet them was almost a compact mass, and when he looked at them, Rozal had no idea of how they were going to get through. He was in a V-Wing, a faster model than his old ARC-170. Taking advantage of the fighter''s nimbler movements, he found a spot, and dove towards it. Lasers flew all around them as Steel Battalion cut through the droids. Without even letting his finger leave the trigger, Rozal fired all the missiles he had, without sparing one. A group of Vulture droids in front of him blew to pieces, and he passed through the cloud of debris, his fighter shaking when the bigger ones hit it. Looking to the sides, he saw his Battalion behind him, although he saw many gaps in their formation. On his communicator he could hear screams and his brothers yelling, reporting problems and casualties, or just celebrating a nice shot. "Revert, now!" Rozal pulled a lever, and his body went forward with the sudden stop. Luckily he was well strapped, or he would have gone through the windshield. Turning around, Steel Battalion was presented with the defenseless backs of the Vulture droids, now with some noticeable gaps. Pushing the lever forward again, Rozal flew after the enemies, blasting as many as he could. At the first sight that the droids were turning around, he ordered Steel Battalion to scatter. "The first part is over, boys. Now, let''s fly." -------------------------- Admiral Dao was once more looking through the window, watching the battle unfold. Even with the statistics that the bustling command bridge was giving him, he knew they were facing problems. Up till now, only the starfighters had engaged the enemy, but soon they would clash with the bigger sh.i.p.s. "Admiral! We established a connection with the Jedi Council!" Admiral Dao rushed to the hologram table, and was faced with three holograms. The first one was General Kenobi, whom he had met not too long ago. The second one was a black, bald man with a serious face. He was General Mace Windu, a member of the Jedi Council. And the last one was a small, green, and old Jedi, Master Yoda. The Jedi refused to be called by ''general''. "Master Yoda! We are under attack by the Separatist fleet on Ryloth! We need reinforcements immediately!" General Windu answered for Master Yoda while General Kenobi caressed his beard thoughtfully. "That is impossible, admiral. All our fleets are occupied in other sectors." "General, with all due respect, but if we don''t get those reinforcements, Ryloth will be lost!" "Hold on you will have to, admiral. As soon as we can, reinforcements sent will be." Admiral Dao sighed, but before he could say anything, a crewman ran towards him, and whispered something. "Put it on." An image of a clone captain appeared near the three Jedi masters. They also could see it from their end. "Admiral! We are starting to take fire fro. their frigates!" "Hold on, Captain Weet. Rozal! Can you hear me?!" "Loud and clear, admiral! Just... give me a moment...Ihuuu!!! I''m here, admiral!" The voice of Rozal came through the communicator, and so did the sound of explosions. Rozal grunted for a moment, clearly focusing on something else, before letting out a victorious yell. "Take Steel Battalion and help Captain Weet. But split up. The Resolute is just the first to face heavy fire." "Yes, admiral. I''m out!" Admiral Dao turned back to the hologram. Captain Weet had already disconnected to deal with the attack. In moments like those, all cordiality was thrown away. "I will also leave, generals. I have to focus here, otherwise we will all die. Or, at least, we will die faster." Admiral Dao disconnected right away. In Coruscant, thousands of parsecs away, General Kenobi looked at the other two. "I sense a lot of rage in the admiral. Is there really nothing we can do?" "If we move troops to Ryloth, we lose other systems. No. Master Di will have to hold on his on, at least for now. I believe Master Skywalker and you might be free soon, if the battles progress as they are." "That is true. For now, let''s hope Master Di can manage. What are your thoughts on this, Master Yoda?" "Uhmm... very clouded the future of Master Di is. But Master Windu is right. All we can do is our hopes in the Force put." ------------------------ Rozal zoomed by a Separatist frigate, narrowly missing it. When a starfighter met a bigger ship, it had two options. It could either fly very far, or fly very close. By flying far, it was easier to dodge. By flying very close, the turrets would have difficulty aiming. As a veteran and skilled pilot, Rozal preferred flying close. He dodged the lasers fired by the turrets easily, and continued his flight towards The Resolute. His men followed him closely, but one of them wasn''t lucky, and the turrets got him. Steel 6 blew up immediately, leaving almost nothing behind. However, their tactic worked, as the dozen or so Vulture droids chasing them found ut almost impossible to have their dexterity, and hit their own frigate. Some big holes appeared in the armor of the ship, and two of the turrets were destroyed when the Vulture droids hit them. Rozal and his ten remaining pilots flew towards The Resolute. The rest of Steel Battalion was scattered all over space. Now, they could see The Resolute, and the flames that flickered into existence, only to be immediately extinguished by the vacuum. By now, all the sh.i.p.s had joined the fray, but as the first one attacked, The Resolute was in bad shape. Rozal led his men around it, chasing away Vultures and Tri-fighters, but it was clear that the enemy was merciless, and didn''t care for how many sh.i.p.s it lost. "Ahhhh!!!" Rozal saw one of his men blew up beside him. Seeing the brothers with which he trained together for years die one after another, Rozal had the feeling that everything they were doing was futile. Since things were already like this, he might as well try one last time. "Steel Battalion nearby, follow me! Since those clanckers want to destroy us so much, let''s show them what Steel Battalion is made off!" "Ihuuu!!!" "Oh yeah!!!" "We are with you, sir. Always." "Rozal! What are you doing?! Get back here!" The voice of Captain Weet cut off the cheers of his brothers. Deadly serious, Rozal calmly answered the captain while at the same time spinning his V-Wing and firing two volleys of lasers at a turret. "We are making no difference back there, captain. If we are going to die, I want one of them to go with me. With us." Rozal dove between two frigates, dodging their turrets expertly. Steel Battalion followed him, and the two frigates aimed at the large group of starfighters. Two V-Wings were hit, and crashed down on the Munificent-class Frigates, one of them even hitting near the command bridge. The rest of Steel Battalion passed through almost unharmed, and in their hurry to take down the threat, the frigates forgot they were on each other''s line of fire. Chapter 184 - When All Is Lost, Do The Unthinkable Explosions happened on both frigates as their turrets fired at each other. It took the slow circuits of the clanckers a few seconds to notice they were being played by Steel Battalion, and that cost them a huge price. After stopping, the two Munificent-class Frigates sent huge amounts of Vulture droids after the seven or eight V-Wings. Rozal looked unsatisfied at the damage they had done, but was forced to get away by the incoming droids. One more of his pilots had been shot down when he heard Captain Weet speaking to him. He realized that the captain had been talking for a few seconds, but he was too much into the fight to notice. "Get away, Rozal. Steel Battalion already did their part. Now is time for us to do ours." Rozal slightly looked at The Resolute, and saw a scene he wouldn''t forget for as long as he lived. The Acclamator-class Cruiser had powered down its shields, instead putting all its power on the heavy cannons and turrets scattered around the body of the ship. Rozal realized what Captain Weet was doing seconds before the cruiser dove between the two frigates in a suicide move, and fired all batteries. --------------------------- In the command bridge of The Resolute, Captain Weet looked at the valiant efforts of Steel Battalion, and his eyes became determined. Every one of his brothers was giving their lives to help them, but the captain knew that The Resolute was a lost cause. It was too damaged to last the whole battle. As such, why make Admiral Dao waste more starfighters and lives on it? The captain turned away from the window, and walked to the hologram table. An image of Admiral Dao and other officers appeared. The admiral barely paid attention to Captain Weet as he was too occupied barking orders. "Admiral. The Resolute is damaged beyond repairs. We only have power for one more volley." "Hold on, captain. I will try and send more fighters to aid you." "No, sir. It was an honor serving with you. If you survive, pass my respects to General Di." "Weet! What do you plan on doing?!" However, Captain Weet had already turned off the hologram table. He sat on his chair, and looked at the crew around him, all working the best they could to fight. "Sergeant! Turn off the shields!" The clone staggered, and everyone on the bridge looked at him surprised. "What, sir?" "You heard me, sergeant. Turn off the shields and divert the power to the heavy cannons." The sergeant hesitated, then saluted Captain Weet, and the crew copied him. They understood perfectly what those actions meant. "Shields down!" The shaking got slightly stronger, as each laser that hit The Resolute was doing direct damage instead of being absorbed by the shields. Thankfully, Steel Battalion had created a diversion, so the frigates had yet to notice that the cruiser was defenseless. The captain pressed a button on the chair, and when he spoke, every loudspeaker on the ship transmitted his voice. "Brothers, the seppies hit us good this time. But don''t think we will let them go so easily! I want every man on the turrets. When I give the order, fire everything we have. For the 303rd! For the Republic!!!" Cheers and yells sounded in the entire ship as every trooper ran towards the turrets. In a matter of a few seconds, ammunition was stockpiled behind the turrets. Firing one round was good. Firing two was a bonus. In the command bridge, Captain Weet waited for his orders to be carried out, and then nodded to the crew. "Full power ahead." The Resolute was almost still before, but suddenly, it reached a terrific speed as all caution was thrown to the wind. The two frigates clearly weren''t expecting this suicidal move, and the tip of The Resolute found a gap between them. As the wider parts of the cruiser followed the tip, The Resolute was like a hot knife cutting through butter. Pieces of the frigates were crushed or sent spinning in the vacuum, together with parts of The Resolute. The Republic cruiser shook, causing many clones to fall down and the turrets'' ammunition to roll around, crushing some troopers. The gunners, however, stood still, their fingers on the trigger, waiting for the order. It soon came. Captain Weet''s voice reached every trooper in the ship as he gave his final command. "Fire!!!" Like one, all the turrets fired, and close how they were, the lasers cut through the frigates. Explosions followed the sides of the frigates as their own turrets fired seconds before being hit. After the initial clash, few turrets were still operational on The Resolute, but they didn''t give up, and fired a second round, and some even managed to get a third one out before the cruiser lost power, and became completely dark. In the command bridge, Captain Weet looked at the results of their desperate action. One of the frigates had been badly damaged, and started to tilt, leaving its belly exposed. In their last effort, some of the turrets managed to fire a round in the defenseless frigate, and the Separatist ship started to drift away, ripped apart. The second frigate was even worse. It had been directly torn in half by the barrage, and the command bridge had exploded. While Captain Weet was watching, a late explosion shook the downed ship, causing it''s two halves to totally separate. The two sh.i.p.s were out of the battle, and Captain Weet doubted there were any survivors. The Resolute and him had completed their final promise, trading their life for the two frigates''. "Thank you, brothers." Those last words were whispered into the loudspeakers, but barely anyone heard them. The cruiser was almost dead, and the few crewmen still alive were mortally wounded on the floor. The last thing Captain Weet saw were two giant lasers fired by the distant Recusant-class Destroyer. The lasers hit the defenseless command bridge of The Resolute, blowing it up. The explosion started a chain reaction, and the once magnificent cruiser became more debris in the space above Ryloth. -------------------------- Rozal flew away from The Resolute just before the cruiser experienced its final moments. Hundreds of Vulture droids were caught in the blast, leaving this part of the battlefield empty for a moment. He found the pilots of Steel Battalion. Of the ten that went to help The Resolute, only four remained. "Come on, boys. This battle is far from over." -------------------------- Admiral Dao watched with sorrow on his face as The Resolute was mercilessly destroyed by the big Separatist ship. Captain Weet fought to the very bitter end, and took down two enemy vessels with him. Unfortunately, that was far from enough. He looked at the crewmen around him. He wasn''t a clone, but in the months that he battled together with them, he had come to think of himself as one. He mourned the death of his brothers, but the battle didn''t stop for him. "Get ready. Soon it will be our turn to shine." He was sure The Sincerity would shine. It would shine a very bright light before it''s fire dimmed down. And when that happened, he wanted the cruiser to be surrounded by the wreckage of enemy sh.i.p.s. ---------------------------- The explosion of The Resolute and the two frigates was visible from every corner of Ryloth. Outside the freedom fighters'' hideout, Ragout and Hell Squad looked at the battle. Several Twi''leks were with them. "That... that was The Resolute, wasn''t it?" "Yeah." "I bet it was Weet''s idea. He went out just like he always said he would. In a blaze of glory." "In a blaze of glory." Watching the battle unfold, despair appeared on the hearts of Hell Squad for the very first time. Chapter 185 - Ending Of The First Clash Rozal flew away from the broken remains of The Resolute, his mind now on the Vulture droid he was chasing. He missed two volleys, but the third round of lasers hit the target, and the droid lost control, and crashed into pieces of debris that were floating around. "There are two on my tail!" "Hold on, Steel 9, I''m coming!" Rozal turned around, and saw one of the few remaining members of Steel Battalion being chased by two Vulture droids. His left-wing had been hit, but the pilot was still dodging expertly. Rozal flew directly towards the other V-Wing, as if he was preparing to have a head-on collision. Seconds before the two sh.i.p.s hit each other, Steel 9 put all his weight in one of the levers, making the starfighter fly up. The two Vulture droids were surprised to see another V-Wing flying towards them, and weren''t able to dodge Rozal''s laser cannons. There was a brief pause as he couldn''t find any droids near him, which allowed Rozal to take a look at the battle. The number of Republic starfighters had visibly fallen, while the numerical advantage the enemy had was still the same, maybe even higher. Two Acclamator-class Cruisers were badly damaged, while the other three and the Venator-class Cruisers were still holding on pretty well. The Separatist had taken more losses than them. Not only had The Resolute taken down two frigates, but during the battle a third one had been blown up. Many other frigates and dreadnoughts were damaged, but only one of them was in critical condition. The Recusant-class Destroyer was still intact, its turrets taking down any pilot bold enough to attack it. If things continued like this, the Republic would lose in the first clash. Rozal, however, saw an opportunity. He turned on his communicator and called Admiral Dao. "Admiral!" "What is it, Rozal?" "The dreadnought in grid 0-17. It was badly damaged by our attacks. If we can do a bomb rush, we might be able to take it down." The admiral thought for a while. Rozal was right. It was risky, but if they destroyed the dreadnought, the Separatist would probably retreat for the day. "How confident are you?" "Fifty-fifty." "I will take those odds. What do you need?" Rozal quickly counted how many starfighters Steel Battalion had left, and ordered them to regroup with him. "Three or four bombers, and a dozen pilots to escort them." "Blue leader, you heard him." "Blue leader on the move. Let''s go, boys!" Followed by about thirty pilots - twenty from Steel Battalion, and ten from Blue Squadron - Rozal started flying towards the dreadnought. The four Y-Wing bombers were in the middle, protected by their small escort. -------------------------------- "Captain... Bzzz... our scanners detected a small group of... Republic fighters headed our way." In the command bridge of the dreadnought, a B1 battle droid turned around to talk with the captain. Using the blue colors that identified him as a pilot/captain, the B1 unit quickly dismissed the approaching group. "Focus fire on the nearest... Republic cruiser. Let the turrets... deal with those flies." "Yes... Bzzz... sir." ---------------------------- The mixed group flew in a tight formation. Now, any kind of rank or division didn''t matter. If they didn''t destroy the dreadnought, then the battle would be over. "Fighters, when we go by, fire all missiles, spare nothing. Try to take down the turrets. Bombers, your target is the command bridge. We only have one, maybe two chances, so if the first sweep fails, turned around and give it another go. Understood?" "Yes, sir." "Good. Let''s go!" The first obstacle that the group met was the Vulture droids that flew to stop them, but thankfully, the droid captain had been stupid enough to dismiss the Republic starfighters as a small threat, and sent the bulk of his forces to attack a cruiser. As such, the thirty-odd starfighters cut through their opposing side with only four casualties, and now had a clear line of sight to the dreadnought. Only when they were so close did the scanners lock in the bombers. Immediately, the turrets focused their fire in the middle of the Republic group, but it was too late. The starfighters fired their missiles in quick succession, and knocked down many of the ship''s turrets, although this came at the cost of seven or eight lives. They flew close to the ship, straight to the command bridge, and some of the droids threw themselves at the floor, thinking that the Republic was going to kamikaze them. However, seconds before the starfighters collided with the command bridge, they parted ways, one half going to the right, and the other to the left. Four Y-Wing remained on the route, and released everything they had. One of them was taken down by the turrets, but the remaining three succeeded in their mission. The dreadnought''s shields held on for a few seconds before finally failing. The command bridge blew up immediately, and the long ''neck'' that connected it to the rest of the ship broke, and fell down. Without the command bridge, the dreadnought lost control, and quickly fell towards the planet below. --------------------------- The Recusant-class Destroyer had remained at the back of the Separatist fleet, and only engaged in small parts of the battle. Sitting on the captain''s chair, it was a weird droid. It was much bulkier than the normal units, and very square. Its eyes glowed with white light as it quickly calculated probabilities. It was a tactical droid, built to think instead of fighting. This unit in specific was called TA-175, and was personally chosen by Count Dooku. While he was watching the dreadnought being destroyed, TA-175 shook his head, and made some calculations before speaking to the nearby droid crew with his deep voice. "We suffered too many... losses to... day. Bzz... Order retreat..." "Yes... sir. Bzzz..." ---------------------------- Dageer watched from Ryloth as a Separatist Providence-class Dreadnought crashed down towards the planet. The crash site was far from Lessu, but everyone in the city heard the explosion, and saw the dust cloud. Not long after, Dageer saw the Separatist sh.i.p.s turning around and retreating. The clones around him and the population of Ryloth cheered, but the enemy fleet simply stopped after getting out of range from the Republic. They had won the first clash, but the battle was far from over. --------------------------- "All fighters, return to your cruisers. The Resolute''s fighters, your new docking zone is on The Sincerity." Admiral Dao spoke somberly, but most of the pilots cheered as they got back to their sh.i.p.s. Only those from The Resolute were quiet as they made their way to The Sincerity. Landing his V-Wing, Rozal looked around. He was glad to see many familiar faces, but sad for the ones he didn''t. He had lost good brothers. Even with the starfighters from The Resolute docking in The Sincerity, the hangar wasn''t full. It was clear that they had lost many sh.i.p.s. Too many. Rozal got off his starfighter, and sat on the stairs. The battle lasted for more than eight hours, and his hands were hurting from gripping the controls and triggers. His back ached as he stretched to clear some of the tension. "How are you, sir?" Rozal turned around, and saw Spark, one of the newest pilots of Steel Battalion. He felt bad for the rookie, who had been sent from Kamino just to die. "I am all sore. Come on, let the engineers deal with the sh.i.p.s. I''m hungry." Chapter 186 - Finally Allies Dageer, Commander Keeli, and General Di looked at a hologram of Admiral Dao and the captains of the other cruisers. However, there were fewer faces there than on the day before. "We lost The Resolute and three corvettes, general. However, Steel Battalion and Blue Squadron were able to take down one of their dreadnoughts." "We saw it. What about reinforcements? Did the Jedi Council say anything?" Admiral Dao shook his head. "No help is coming, general." General Di sighed. He already expected that, but it was disappointing anyways. "There is nothing much to say then, admiral. I suspect they will wait at least a day or two before attacking again. Even though they are a droid army, it stills take them some time to organize themselves. Take advantage of that time to prepare. You know what to do." "Yes, general." "Good luck, and may the Force be with you." "To you too, general." The holograms disappeared, and General Di turned to Dageer. "We have to make sure Syndulla is on our side before the Separatist break through our blockade. Dageer, show me the way. Syndulla''s man is also coming." "Yes, general." "Keeli, you will be in charge of the defenses here." "Yes, general." ------------------------------ "Bring the ones who suffered the most damage to the back. I want The Sincerity and The Righteous to be on the back too. They will be our last card. If they start to break through, these two have to cover the holes." "Yes, admiral." As soon as the call with General Di ended, Admiral Dao started to bark orders, which were quickly followed. His decisiveness and tactics had been one of the reasons why the Republic held ground so well on the first battle, and his prestige was now higher than ever amongst the troops. After making sure everything was on the right path, Admiral Dao left the command bridge. It was very unlikely that the Separatist would attack again so soon, and he wanted to use this chance to rest. The battle had taken a toll on him, even though The Sincerity was not once under fire. The corridors and hallways of The Sincerity were emptier than ever. Of the two thousand starfighter pilots that the 303rd fleet had, about four hundred had perished in this first clash. It was rare to find wounded and injured in space battles. If your ship was hit, it was almost the same as a death sentence. That was one of the reasons why the mortality rate of the Republic airforce was much higher than the infantry''s. Before he laid on his bed to get his much-needed sleep, Admiral Dao held some calculations on his mind. Before the battle, he had told General Di that he would be able to hold the Separatist for a month. Now, after seeing their strength, he couldn''t even guarantee he would survive for ten days. ---------------------------- "Jedi Master Ima-Gun Di. Welcome to the freedom fighters." "Cham Syndulla. I''m glad to see you didn''t let your rage take the best of you. This proves you are a good leader. I hope that with your freedom fighters and the 303rd Attack Legion allied, we will be able to defend Ryloth." The Twi''lek sneered when he heard General Di, but - even though the way the Jedi put his words was an obvious attempt to confirm their alliance - didn''t deny it. That was the same as agreeing to fight side by side with the Republic. General Di looked around, and didn''t see Hell Squad nor Ragout. "Where is my padawan?" "I didn''t tell him you were coming. I wanted to make sure Gobi was okay." The blue Twi''lek stepped forward and tapped Syndulla on his shoulder, after which the freedom fighter visibly relaxed. "I am, brother. I told you, we can trust the Republic." Syndulla gazed at Gobi, and shook his head. To him, this brother of him trusted the others too much. That would get him killed one day. But, for now, Syndulla decided to follow Gobi''s advice. The Republic sh.i.p.s blowing up in space was enough proof of how much they were willing to sacrifice. "Follow me." The four went through a crack in the rocks, and eventually found themselves in a tunnel. Not long after, Dageer started to recognize the place. As soon as they entered the big cave, two Twi''leks threw themselves over Gobi. The first one was a young woman with pink skin, and eyes full of tears. The second person was a little girl. "Yva! Shouta!" Seeing the family be reunited, Syndulla allowed himself to smile. After gazing at the family, General Di found his padawan amidst the growing crowd, and beckoned him forward. Hell Squad followed the Togruta closely. "Master! I see everything went well." "General." "Yes, Ragout. Dageer will explain what happened. For now, I need to talk with Syndulla. We have to move the freedom fighters around the planet to the cities. Moreover, I want at least one or two of them in every outpost we have." "Why?" "They know the planet. Not only they know how to fight here, but they should also know better places for ambushes and defense. Dageer, talk with Gobi and the other leaders amongst the freedom fighters. Organize them." "Yes, general. However, I am not sure they will listen to me. Many of them don''t view the Republic well." "They will follow Syndulla." "Yes, general." ... Dageer was watching as hundreds of Twi''leks packed their belongings and started to move. Cham Syndulla was with General Di and Ragout at the head of the line, while Hell Squad was scattered in the crowd, helping the young and elderly. Gobi, Miwy, Tram Cholq, and two other Twi''leks called Tae Boon and Yate were Syndulla''s lieutenants. Those five were also amidst the crowd, organizing them to move faster. Since they were moving at quite a fast pace, and no problems had appeared yet, Dageer looked at the sky for a moment. Like they had been for the past day, the 393rd fleet was immobile in the sky. They were too far away for Dageer to see details of the cruisers, but if he was near, he was sure he would see various scars on the sh.i.p.s. For now, he couldn''t see the Separatist, but he had no doubt they would strike again soon. "What are those in the sky, mister Dageer?" The sub-commander looked down and saw Shouta standing near him. The little girl barely reached his h.i.p.s. He crouched next to her, and noticed Gobi watching him. The Twi''lek might trust Dageer to fight alongside him, but no parent would be comfortable if their daughter got near a dangerous man like Dageer. "Those are Republic cruisers, Shouta. See that big one right in the middle? Her name is The Sincerity. It is the ship that brought me here." "Are they here to protect us?" "They sure are. All my brothers are giving everything they had to protect Ryloth." "Yesterday there was a very, very loud sound. Did you fight the bad guys?" Dageer smiled. The little girl didn''t understand how wars worked, and her eyes shone with excitement when she heard Dageer talk about the battle. "Yes. Yesterday a ship fell down from the sky, but it was a bad guys'' ship. No one is going to get to Ryloth while our sh.i.p.s are in the sky." "Let''s see just how long they can last." Of course the small Shouta wouldn''t utter such vicious comment. Standing up, Dageer saw Tram and Yate looking at him. The one who spoke was Tram. The two Twi''leks clearly disliked the Republic. Dageer, however, just gave them a cold glance before putting on his helmet and moving away. He had no wish nor reason to waste time talking with those two. Chapter 187 - Days Gone By "Admiral! They are starting to move!" "All fighters to the air! Round two is about to start!" The admiral watched as the Separatist fleet started to move towards them, their Vulture droids already flying in front of them. Several Republic V-Wings got out of the cruisers. Soon, the battle started, and sh.i.p.s exploded on both sides. The Sincerity stood behind, and the other cruisers advanced to compose the first line of defense. When he saw the enemy condemning all of his big sh.i.p.s to the frontal assault, Admiral Dao knew it was going to be a tough battle. ------------------------- Rozal spun his V-Wing, dodging a volley of red lasers. The battle had been raging on for more than two hours now, and no cruiser or frigate had been damaged beyond repair. With a sudden stop, Rozal changed his course in midair, and confused the Vulture droid chasing him, allowing another Steel Battalion pilot to take care of him. Followed by his brothers, he went searching for other droids to destroy. ------------------------ The freedom fighters and their new allies were almost on Lessu when the battle in the space started again. Along the way they had dropped off some of the Twi''leks, people that Syndulla trusted to help the clones on the outposts. As bright explosions illuminated the sky, and the Separatist fleet appeared, the freedom fighters stopped to look at the battle. Many of them felt despair. How were they supposed to fight something like that? "Move, come on! They are on space, they can''t get us here. Let''s go!" Syndulla quickly ordered his people to move. If they watched for too long, they could lose all their confidence, and that might lead to their deaths. Hell Squad looked at Dageer, who shook his head. He wasn''t going to lie to them. The Twi''leks around him, especially Shouta, were looking at them anxiously, as if they could do something. Thankfully, General Di spoke before despair started to spread. "People of Ryloth, do not worry! For as long as the Republic exists, we will not abandon you. We are here for you, and we will not leave." "Uheeeaaa!!!" "Iuhhuuu!!!" Cheers sounded as General Di''s words brought hope back to their hearts. The Separatist fleet might be big, but it was true that the Republic was doing everything it could to fight them. Syndulla looked at his people and said nothing. Tram''s face still showed discontentment, but since his leader said nothing, he also kept quiet. For the first time Miwy and Yate were hesitant in complaining about the Republic. ------------------------- "General Di, unfortunately, I don''t think we can hold them back any longer." "You did your best, admiral. You gave us enough time to perfect our defenses on the ground. Still nothing from the Jedi Council?" "No, sir. I contacted them again today, but even though I told them our blockade was going to fall, they said it was impossible to send reinforcements." "Then we fight with what we have, admiral. May the Force be with you." "We will continue our battle up here, general. Admiral Dao out." The admiral looked ten years older, even though only sixteen days had passed since the first Separatist offensive. The 303rd fleet was now severely depleted. Of the more than two thousand starfighters, only seven hundred remained. Including The Resolute, four of the six Acclamator-class Cruisers had been destroyed. A Venator-class Cruiser had also fallen during the tenth day of battle, when a Separatist Munificent-class Frigate crashed into it. Several dozen CR90 Corvettes and other support sh.i.p.s had been destroyed. The losses of the Separatist were even worse, but their fleet remained bigger and stronger. Of the ten thousand Vulture droids, about half became floating debris. Nine Munificent-class Frigates were taken out, and three Providence-class Dreadnoughts were wrecked. Even the Recusant-class Destroyer was damaged. But now, the Separatist were about to break the Republic blockade. Even with them giving all they had, the 303rd fleet simply didn''t have enough sh.i.p.s to cover the area. They really couldn''t be blamed, for they had fought bravely, and resisted for much longer than they were expected to. Each pilot had been so dedicated that even in their dying moments, with their sh.i.p.s and starfighters burning and breaking apart around them, some had resorted to suicide attacks, crashing their sh.i.p.s in hopes of damaging more the enemy. Any other army would have collapsed by now, but the clones were still persisting. As Admiral Dao said, and his men adopted, they all went out in a blaze of glory. Admiral Dao now watched as several C-9979 Landing Crafts crossed the blockade. The Sincerity was in no position to help, as it was currently under siege by one dreadnought and three frigates. The cruiser had holes in several places, and many turrets were gone, but with the assistance of several V-Wings, it was still holding on. The only ones going after the Separatist troop carriers were a small squadron of starfighters, the remainings of Steel Battalion. -------------------------- When Rozal saw the C-9979s, he gathered about ten pilots, all that was left from his entire battalion, and followed them without hesitation. They, in turn, were chased by several Vulture droids, but completely ignored them. Even without Admiral Dao''s orders, Rozal knew what was Steel Battalion mission. Truth to be told, Steel Battalion and Rozal were one of the reasons why the 303rd hadn''t faltered before today. Every pilot gave their all, and the battalion was responsible for taking down two of the dreadnoughts, four frigates, and several smaller sh.i.p.s. The number of Vulture droids they destroyed was uncountable. "One last effort, boys! Remember, each troop carrier we take down is a thousand droids less for our brothers on the ground!" "Uhaaaa!!!" "Let''s get them!" "These seppies don''t know who they are messing with!" Laughing madly, the clones pushed their starfighters to the maximum. They now didn''t care for whether they died or not. They had accepted their destiny, and the only thing they wished was to kill more clanckers. Rozal also laughed, and pushed the throttle to the maximum, increasing his speed to dangerous levels. The C-9979s soon entered his aim, and he fired his last two concussion missiles. One of them missed when a Vulture droid escorting the troop carriers entered its way, but the other hit the side of one of the sh.i.p.s, blowing up a hole. Several other missiles and normal lasers followed his, destroying the escort and taking down two of the troop carriers. "We got bugs on our tail!" Suddenly, the Vulture droids that chased them announced their arrival by blowing up one of the V-Wings. "Keep going! When they reach the atmosphere they will slow down automatically! Push forward!" Entering the atmosphere too fast would cause a ship to catch on fire, systems would fail, and depending on the speed, the whole ship might blow up. Steel Battalion, however, didn''t care. Just before he entered the atmosphere, Rozal spun and stopped. The Vulture droids flew past him dangerously close, but as their circuits dictated, slowed down when they reached Ryloth''s atmosphere. Taking advantage of this, Rozal fired wildly, destroying at least eight or nine Vulture droids before the second batch of them caught up. Grinning, he speed up again, reaching maximum velocity almost instantly. With the corner of his eyes, he saw two of his starfighters blow up as the impacts from entering the atmosphere proved to be too much for the already damaged sh.i.p.s. His own V-Wing caught on fire, but held on. His men were focusing their fire on one of the C-9979 Landing Crafts, so he followed them. He laughed wildly when the ship started smoking and lost control, although its destruction came at the cost of one more Republic starfighter. Chapter 188 - Rozals Sacrifice Of the ten pilots of Steel Battalion that followed the C-9979 Landing Crafts, six were left. Rozal watched the flames on his V-Wing start to burn his reactor, and knew he was out of time. The whole starfighter shook as screws fought to hold the ship together. Rozal grinned, and silently thanked the starfighter for fighting by his side for so long. "Come on, boys! Two more and I will be happy!" He heard a clone curse on the communicator, and saw one of Steel Battalion''s sh.i.p.s spin wildly as it lost a wing. The starfighter crashed down on Ryloth. Now they had five pilots. Finding his target, Rozal lowered his starfighter, which caused the V-Wing to shake even more, and pushed the trigger, sending wave after wave of blue lasers at the belly of one of the troop carriers. He was joined by the other four pilots, and soon a hole opened on the landing craft, spewing deactivated droids. "Ahhh! Damn it! The Vultures got me, sir! See you soon! Hahaha!!!" Spark, a rookie on Steel Battalion laughed maniacally. He had been sent to the 303rd very recently, and his first battle would also be his last, but the clone had proved himself to be an amazing pilot by surviving till today. Unfortunately, his time was over, but the rookie didn''t seem to be sad. Rozal turned his head in time to see Spark halt his V-Wing so abruptly that the starfighter cracked in two. Still, Spark got his revenge when three Vulture droids crashed into him in quick sequence, and blew up. Four pilots remained. "Even the rookie did something, boys! Let''s go, one more time!" As another C-9979 blew up in the sky, one of the V-Wings that was following it closely was hit by the pieces of it that flew off. Three pilots were left. The cost of the seventh troop carrier they took out was two starfighters. The clones piloting them refused to give up their pursuit even when they felt the impact of the Vultures'' lasers Rozal looked as the burning remains of his two last brothers crashed on the red soil of Ryloth. Now, only he was left. Memories flooded him. Memories of all the time he spent training with his brothers, of all the battles they thought, all the stories they shared. Now, all of those were over. They were all dead, and Steel Battalion was over. "Come on, you metallic bastards. You want to kill me? Let''s see if you are fast enough." Now flying alone, he chased the C-9979s. With instincts even he didn''t know he had, he dodged most of the lasers fired at him expertly, all the time holding down the trigger. An uninterrupted torrent of blue lasers left his starfighter, eventually mowing down the thick steel plates that made the troop transport. The entire left wing of the ship broke off, and Rozal dove just in time to avoid it. The giant metal piece hit half a dozen Vulture droids, creating a giant cloud of fire and smoke. "That is eight!" He flanked another C-9979 Landing Craft, fully aware that he didn''t have enough time to bring it down. Suddenly, he felt an impact as a laser found its mark on the back if his V-Wing. The impact, combined with the loss of integrity thanks to his reckless entry in the atmosphere, caused his entire right wing to be ripped off. Rozal lost control of starfighter, and started spinning. His head hit the inside of the c.o.c.kpit, making him dizzy. After a lot of effort, he was able to stabilize the V-Wing, but his hands were hurting from holding the controls to strongly. It was at this moment that he looked out of the window, and saw he was side by side with the troop carrier. Smiling, he muttered his last words. "And now goes nine." Rozal crashed himself in the C-9979. The ship lost control as a giant hole opened on its right side, and lost altitude. The droid pilot was unable to control the troop carrier, and crashed in one of the many pillars of rock that Ryloth had. The impact brought the pillar down, and several dozen Vulture droids that had been following Rozal weren''t able to steer away in time. Giving their lives, Steel Battalion destroyed nine C-9979 Landing Crafts. That''s as equivalent to almost twenty thousand B1 units. To their last breath, Rozal and Steel Battalion had protected their brothers on the ground. Their efforts saved thousands of lives in the battles to come. --------------------------- "They are gone, admiral. Steel Battalion and Captain Rozal perished." Admiral Dao blinked, pain appearing in his eyes as he thought of the cheerful clone. Rozal had been the best pilot the 303rd had, and his death would surely be a blow to morale. On the other hand, they wouldn''t live long enough for morale to matter, so Admiral Dao had to focus on the battle. "He did his job perfectly. We need to make sure his sacrifice wasn''t on vain. Remember, each troop carrier that goes through us means thousands of clanckers that General Di has to fight down there. We have to hold them here!" "Yes, admiral!" The Sincerity shook once more as the laser cannons of the enemy fired at them. Surprisingly, that was the last volley they fired before turning around and retreating. "Admiral! They are leaving!" "I can see it. Ha! All they wanted was for their troops to land on the planet. Order all sh.i.p.s to come back. Don''t chase them. I repeat, don''t chase them. We don''t have the firepower to do that. They will be back for more soon, and we have to get our defenses in place again." "Yes, admiral." As he watched the enemy retreat, Admiral Dao looked at Ryloth. He didn''t even bother warning Ryloth, for he was sure they saw all that happened. "We did our best, general. We will continue fighting up here, and we will go out in a blaze of glory. Let''s just hope this blaze is strong enough to burn those damn seppies." ----------------------------- Dageer watched as several C-9979 Landing Crafts finally broke through the Republic blockade. To tell the truth, they had held for much longer than Dageer thought it was possible. And then, Dageer saw ten Republic starfighters following the C-9979s. Just ten, nothing compared to the number of Vulture droids after them. But those ten pilots were a force to be reckoned with. Using their lives to stop the enemy, to the point of using their own sh.i.p.s to blow up some more Vulture droids, those ten pilots took down seven troop carriers. Even without being able to see the starfighters clearly, Dageer knew that only someone who had given up trying to survive could pull off such an impossible feat. Watching the V-Wings blow up or crash one by one, Dageer stopped and saluted his brothers. Hell Squad was also standing still, looking at the battle. Even the Twi''leks couldn''t stop but look at the suicidal efforts of those ten pilots. And in the end, when Dageer saw one last pilot giving chase to several C-9979s, while at least a hundred Vulture droids followed him, Dageer knew that only one clone could engage in such mad pursuit. "Rozal..." Dageer''s grip on his DC-15A was so strong that the blaster''s handle cracked with a loud sound, scaring the nearby Twi''leks. They never saw Dageer get angry, and it was truly fearsome, especially with his scar. As Rozal crashed his V-Wing on the ninth troop carrier, Dageer watched the destruction unfold. Rozal would be proud to know that even after he died, he still destroyed several dozen Vulture droids together with the C-9979. "Goodbye, brother." Chapter 189 - Seizing The Initiative "Goodbye, brother." Dageer closed his eyes, and then opened them again. He ended his salute, and turned around to Hell Squad. They all had their helmets on, but Dageer could feel their sadness. Not only had Rozal been a good friend, but his death also meant that the fight finally got to Ryloth. Looking at the C-9979 Landing Crafts, Dageer quickly counted. Initially, there were fifty of them, but Steel Battalion had taken down nine, at the cost of their lives. If each C-9979 carried between fifteen hundred and two thousand B1 battle droids, then they had to cope with just less than ninety thousand clanckers. Plus, there would also be B2 super battle droids, Droidekas, AATs, MTTs and what else. That meant each trooper had to kill seven or eight droids, and that was without the Separatist reinforcing their troops on the ground, which was highly probable. "Dageer!" "Here, general." Dageer pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, and walked to the front of the freedom fighters. Lessu was already in sight, and Dageer could see a group of clone transports going towards them. General Di had a serious look on his face as he talked with Cham Syndulla. "Prepare your people, Syndulla. The battle will start today." For once, Syndulla didn''t disagree. He urged his people to walk faster, and soon, most of them were on the Republic transports. "Master Di, I will distribute my people to your defenses. I hope that together we can stop the Separatist." "That is all I hope for too, Syndulla. Dageer!" "Yes, general?" "Prepare Hell Squad. I''m sure you already saw how many droids we are up against. If we can dwindle their numbers before they can set up a proper outpost, then things will be easier." "I understand, general. I think we should choose a few more soldiers to go with us." "Do it." Dageer turned on his comlink, and contacted Lieutenant Fondor. "Sub-commander, sir." "Fondor, the seppies arrived. We are going to give them a welcome party. I need twenty troopers. You have ten minutes. Also, tell that to Commander Keeli. He might wanna join." "Yes, sir." Syndulla looked surprised. He saw with his own eyes the 303rd fleet being torn apart, and the number of troops the Separatist had thrown into the planet. He couldn''t believe that the Nikto actually wanted to attack them, instead of taking a passive position. "Wh-What? Master Di, are you crazy? There must be fifty thousand droids there! How can you even think of attacking them?" "More like a hundred thousand, Syndulla. But they won''t all be in the same place. Instead, they will scatter around the planet, and try to conquer the major cities. Dageer, contact our troops and order them to do the same. Hit and run tactics, just like on Mon Cala." "Yes, general." "That is still craziness! You will all be killed!" "No, we won''t. Our objective is to blow up a few sh.i.p.s, kill a few droids. The longer we delay, the better our odds at receiving reinforcements and winning." At this moment, a group of clones came from Lessu on a Laat. Leading them was Commander Keeli, his armor brown and dusty thanks to all the time he spent on the outposts in the last few days. Dageer saluted Commander Keeli from a certain distance while General Di went to speak with him. Cham Syndulla held Dageer back to ask him a question. "Do we really have a chance at winning?" Dageer looked at the freedom fighter, and saw fear in his eyes for the first time ever. Maybe before, when he hadn''t seen the might of the Separatist, he thought they were just tin cans. Now, however, he knew what they were up against, and, for the first time, Syndulla realized that maybe they couldn''t win. "No. But I guarantee you, Syndulla, we won''t let them take Ryloth so easily. Now, even if we were ordered to retreat and leave Ryloth, I don''t believe we would be able to escape. But remember, don''t tell your people that. We are soldiers, dying in battle is normal for us. But for your freedom fighters, they might crumble if they know there is no hope." Dageer said all that whispering, making sure that the surrounding Twi''leks didn''t hear them talking. Syndulla looked at him surprised. He clearly wasn''t expecting Dageer to be this harsh. "Aren''t you afraid that I will just take my people and leave you all by yourselves?" "Ha! To tell you the truth, Syndulla, you could leave me alone, and I would still fight the clanckers." "Why?" Dageer sneered, and looked up to the sky, where the Separatist fleet was now retreating. They had clearly completed their first objective, which was to get droids on the ground, but they would be back soon. "Because I knew every clone on those sh.i.p.s up there. I fought side by side with them countless times. They were my brothers. And no one kills my brothers and get away like that." ------------------------- "Twelve troop carriers came our way, general." General Di nodded to Lieutenant Fondor. Since Lessu was the capital, it would surely be heavily targeted. Commander Keeli turned to Dageer. "Get Cell to scout ahead." "Yes, sir." "Wait. Miwy will go too." Syndulla interrupted them, and pushed the Twi''lek forward. Although she seemed unhappy to work with a clone, she didn''t complain. Syndulla had decided to go with the Republic to ambush the newly arrived droids. To do that, he brought ten of his freedom fighters. Dageer suspected he only wanted to make sure the Republic was telling the truth, and that the number if clanckers really was this overwhelming. "Okay, but she has to follow Cell''s orders. He is the best scout the 303rd have. If she does as he says, the chances of them being captured are smaller." General Di quickly agreed to Syndulla''s request. It was clear he wasn''t in the mood to discuss. "I am not going to follo..." "Yes, you are, Miwy." The beautiful Twi''lek looked angry, but only scoffed. She knew better than to disobey Syndulla. -------------------------- Cell gave a side glance to Miwy, and turned back to the path. The woman hadn''t said anything since they left the others behind. However, he had to admit she was a good scout, since she made almost no sound when she moved. If she had received proper training, then she would be better than Cell. "R8-V6, secure the... perimeter." "What is th..." "Shhh!!!" Cell used his left hand to shut Miwy''s mouth, while aiming his DC-15S at the direction of the sound. A patrol of six B1 units passed right past them, but since they hid in time, they weren''t detected. After the patrol was gone, Cell released Miwy, who looked ashamed. Apparently, she knew her mistake could have killed them. Going on quietly, Cell and the Twi''lek soon arrived at the Separatist outpost after dodging several patrols. "Oh no!" This time Cell didn''t stop Miwy. Things really were looking grim. Cell used his binoculars to do a quick count on the number of enemies. "Let''s go." "Already?" "I know what we are against. We need to tell the general quickly." Using some techniques he learned when he trained to be a scout, Cell was able to tell almost exactly how many droids there were. ... As soon as the two returned, all the officers in the mixed group surrounded them. General Di motioned for Cell to talk. "Eighteen thousand B1 units and a couple hundred B2 super battle droids. I didn''t see any Droidekas nor commandos, but there is a weird crab-like droid." "What about vehicles?" "Then things get really bad, general. They brought out the big toys." Chapter 190 - Die Together Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was on purpose, but Admiral Dao''s speech was transmitted to General Di, down on Ryloth. General Di was, at this moment, surrounded by clones, freedom fighters, and citizens of Ryloth. They were outside of Lessu, escaping to the hideout where the survivors from the other battles were. Considering that the total amount of clones that survived was just a little more than two thousand, and that even when adding up with the freedom fighters and civilians, there were no more than five thousand people, the Separatist deemed them as unimportant, and sent just a small force after them. General Di was preparing a group of combatants to meet that enemy force. So, when Admiral Dao talked, it wasn''t only General Di who heard him, but also Hell Squad, Commander Keeli, Ragout, Syndulla, and dozens of troopers and Twi''leks. It didn''t take long for word of it to get around. "Is it over?" "Maybe we should surrender." "Hold on, dear. You will get better... You have to." While the Twi''leks muttered amongst themselves with fear, the clones were silent. They all looked up to the sky, where three Republic sh.i.p.s threw themselves against three dozen Separatist sh.i.p.s. Not much later, a trooper came to talk with Dageer. He, in turn, whispered something to Commander Keeli. Soon, Commander Keeli walked up to General Di. Appearing ten years older, the Nikto signaled for the commander to speak. "General, sir. The troops want to fight... We want to fight." General Di looked like he wanted to deny, but Commander Keeli already had an argument for whatever the Jedi was about to say. "If we let the clanckers follow us, general, they will know where we are hiding. And we don''t have enough power to defend against them if they launch a full-on attack." "We don''t have the power to defend against them even if it is just those eight thousand droids following us, Keeli. But you are right. We can''t let them reach the Twi''lek hideout. Gather the troops. Only clones, no freedom fighters. And while you are at that, tell Dageer to prepare a report for me. I want to know our exact numbers." "Yes, general." Soon, the clones sorted themselves out from the group. Since they couldn''t lead the droids to the hideout, they would be reinforced by the clones there. So, they had a little less than a thousand clones, many with different kinds of injuries. Dageer presented a datapad to General Di, and the Jedi asked Ragout to read it. "We have nine hundred and forty-seven troopers, master." "How many are able to fight?" "Err..." Ragout looked at Dageer unsure of what to answer. According to the report, more than five hundred of the clones had some kind of injury, and most of them would put a soldier in a bacta tank at least for a few days. However, the report only excluded from the fight about a hundred and fifty clones, those who had injuries so serious that were life-threatening. Dageer stepped forward to help Ragout. "Put a blaster in the hands of those troopers and they can fight, generals." "I won''t allow injured men to die because they want vengeance. Only those who are in good condition can come. The others will go to the hideout." "General, with all due respect, but I doubt we can kill those droids with just three hundred men. Besides, what is the difference between dying here or in the hideout? If we bring everyone we can, at least our chances are bigger." "Dageer is right, master." Even General Di couldn''t help but agree with Dageer and Ragout. As much as he hated the idea of forcing wounded troopers to fight, they really didn''t have much of an option. Even when taking the eight hundred clones, they would be at a disadvantage of ten to one. "Okay then. But, Dageer, I need to talk with you. Alone." "Yes, sir." Dageer followed the Nikto. He wasn''t afraid of being scolded by General Di, because he was simply representing the troopers. However, what the Jedi said next was totally out of his expectations. "Dageer, I will be brief. You are a soldier, one of the best. And, as such, you know better than anyone that we have no chance of winning this battle. Not the one we will fight now, but this battle as a whole. In fact, we already lost. Our fleet is practically destroyed, and so is our legion. You and I will probably die in battle. I know you don''t care, and I have lived a long enough life to accept it. It is part of the Jedi code to embrace death, because it is nothing to fear, but a natural part of the Force. But Ragout is just a padawan. He is my padawan. I can''t let him die here." Dageer said nothing. The Jedi didn''t seem to need an answer, he just wanted to talk. His eyes were shining with countless emotions. "I want you to take the wounded and Ragout, and escape together with the Twi''leks." "I can''t do that, sir." "You will do that. It is an order. But not now. First we need to fight those droids pursuing us. If we can defeat them, there will be no need to do what I said. If we can''t..." Before Dageer could say anything, Syndulla approached them, and General Di told Dageer to be quiet. The Twi''lek was already suspicious enough without hearing the word ''escape''. "Master Di. I was told you are gathering your troops to fight." "Yes, Syndulla. If we don''t, the droids will discover where the wounded, children and civilians are hiding." "I understand. We will fight side by side." What followed was a long discussion. In the end, it was decided that the freedom fighters and clones would fight together, probably for the last time. Not only that, but suddenly several hundred people arrived, clones and Twi''leks. Apparently, Lieutenant Shield, who was in the hideout, decided by himself to come aid in the battle. He knew General Di wouldn''t agree to that, so he didn''t tell him, and now that they were there, it would be stupidity to send them away. That bumped up the number of the Republic forces to about three thousand fighters. It wasn''t nearly enough to fight the droids, but it was much better than before. All while that was happening, Dageer was in deep thought. He couldn''t bear to abandon his brothers and his general to escape, even if it was to guard the wounded and Ragout. But he also couldn''t disobey orders. It was simply impossible for him, because obedience was ingrained in his genetic code. "Sir. We gathered the information you required. It is not good." Brain approached Dageer, and handed him a datapad. When he read what was in it, Dageer''s face looked grim. It was worse than he thought. He gave the datapad back to Brain, and went to find the General Di. The Jedi was together with Commander Keeli, discussing the best positions to put their AT-TEs and AT-APs. "General, commander. There is something you need to know about." Chapter 190 - Success... Maybe? "What about vehicles?" "Then things get really bad, general. They brought out the big toys." Everyone looked at Cell, and the scout closed his eyes to remember exactly how many vehicles there were. He knew wrong information was a mistake they couldn''t afford to make. "About a hundred STAPs, and twenty AATs. There were also forty or fifty Dwarf-Spider droids. I also saw three MTTs. And that wasn''t all. There are six vehicles I never saw. They are like a big ball held by a few dozen meters tall legs. However, I recognized their weapons. Three laser cannons." Commander Keeli''s face became serious. "Tri-droids. This is bad." Syndulla looked at Miwy, who nodded, confirming Cell''s report. "How do you know there are eighteen thousand of them?" Cell looked at Commander Keeli, and the clone nodded, allowing him to tell this kind of information to Syndulla. "You add the officers, then multiply by the number of troops each rank had. Then you add a corresponding number of B2 super battle droids." "And what are Tri-droids?" This time it was Commander Keeli who answered, since, amongst the clones, only he and Dageer knew what they were. "A huge death ball. Their laser cannons can easily blow up an entire platoon. Their height gives them a huge range, but is also their weakness. The way to take them down is to destroy two or three legs, and when they fall, concentrate all your fire right in the middle. It is where their core is." "That doesn''t sound so bad." Commander Keeli looked at the Twi''lek who spoke, Yate. The freedom fighter was an idiot if he couldn''t recognize the danger of the Separatist weapons. "Wait till they are firing at you." "That is enough. Let''s get moving." General Di interrupted Commander Keeli, and ordered the group to get into action. Syndulla commanded his men to do the same, and they started to follow their plan. --------------------------- "Retreat!" Dageer quickly yelled to the people around him, and fired at the incoming droids to hold them back. "Metal, Tech, and Dab, stay with me! The rest, move back!" Both clones and Twi''leks followed his orders without hesitation. Dageer had proven himself to be a leader worthy of their trust. "Ahhhh!" A Twi''lek that wasn''t quick enough was hit in the back, and fell face-first to the ground. Dageer rolled behind cover, and checked the freedom fighter. Dead. He wasn''t the first. Between troopers and freedom fighters, at least ten combatants were dead. Of course, the droids had played a hefty price, since two of their Tri-droids and several Dwarf-Spider droids and AATs were destroyed. Dageer looked at his comlink, but it was still out, leaving him unable to contact General Di, Ragout, Commander Keeli or Syndulla. After being attacked, the droids were quickly to jam communications and counterattack. "Move back, quick! To the first outpost!" Using his DC-17, Dageer quickly emptied the magazine in a B2 unit, almost melting it down. The attack went well initially, but soon they started to be suppressed by the clanckers, forcing them to retreat after suffering casualties. ----------------------- Two hours earlier. General Di looked at the surrounding leaders, and started splitting them into two groups. "Keeli, Syndulla and I will go to the left side of their outpost, and try to hit their Dwarf-Spider droids. Ragout, you take Hell Squad, and Lieutenant Fondor, with ten troopers, and to the right. Bring down one of the Tri-droids, and they will all focus on you. I believe you can distract them for long enough to us to plant a few detonators, right?" "Yes, master." "Yes, general." The troops were easily divided, and about six Twi''leks followed Hell Squad. When they were already quite a distance away, Syndulla looked back at them, and turned to General Di. "Are you sure they can do what you ordered them, Master Jedi?" "I am. Not only is my padawan is with them, but Hell Squad is also there. With this combination, I am confident they can escape without many casualties even if things go wrong." Syndulla looked pensive. "I hope you are right." ... Ragout quietly led the group forward, careful to not alarm the droids. Suddenly, they heard a patrol ahead. The clones and Twi''leks gripped their blasters, but the Jedi soothed them. "It is too early to make noise. Dageer, let''s take them out." "Yes, general. Cell, Metal, Three-four, with me." "Yes, sir." "Wait! Are just those enough?" A female Twi''lek named Apele that was leading the other five stopped the Jedi. Ragout flashed her a confident smile that a youngster like him shouldn''t have when facing battle droids. "Don''t worry. We can take them easily. Besides, if we are too many, they will hear us." Without saying anything else, Ragout and the chosen clones went ahead, getting out of sight from the group. Barely thirty seconds later, Cell returned. "Let''s go." Dumbfounded by how fast things went, Apele and the other Twi''leks followed Cell. Twenty meters away from where they were, the broken remains of six B1 battle droids laid on the ground. Two of them were sliced by a lightsaber, while the others were without their heads. The Twi''leks didn''t know how to react. They were so close to the patrol, yet they didn''t hear a sound. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Fondor and the clones just stepped over the droids as if it wasn''t anything uncommon. Five more patrols found the same destiny in their hands before the group arrived at the Separatist outpost. By now, the Twi''leks already understood why the Republic was bold enough to attack eighteen thousand droids with less than fifty people. "They are just ahead, general." Cell returned from scouting, and quickly reported. Since he had already gone there with Miwy, he was used to the way, and quickly showed them their entry point. They were hiding behind a bunch of rocks, but it was very easy to see the almost endless droid army Dageer looked at the dozens of droid battalions in front of them. The entry point that Cell mentioned was a place where the metal wall the droids used to build the outpost wasn''t completed. However, the droids clearly weren''t expecting an attack, since only a few dozen droids were guarding it. "How do you plan on doing it, general?" Ragout thought for a while before pointing towards the Tri-droids, which were visible over the walls. "I will sneak in, and cut down at least one of those. If it is possible, I will try to cut the stabilizers of the AATs, but nothing too big, so they don''t notice. That will keep them out of order for a few days. When you see the Tri-droid fall, blast your way in. Brain and Dab, use the thermal detonators and the charged shot to take down the Dwarf-Spider droids." "Yes, general." All the clones acknowledged his orders without hesitation. They knew that Ragout was way more capable than any of them, and that by using his Jedi Force powers, he would be able to infiltrate much better than them. Even the Twi''leks agreed that Ragout was the best option. The rumors and stories about Jedis had long reached their ears, making them seen as mystic entities. "Contact my master, I will get going." After saying that, Ragout disappeared in the night. A few seconds later, they saw a shadow ran up the walls of the Separatist outpost, defying gravity. None of the clanckers noticed the padawan. Now, all they had to do was wait. Chapter 191 - Communications Jammed Dageer watched the exposed section of the wall that Ragout jumped, then turned to Three-four and ordered the clone to keep an eye open for any changes, as if everyone wasn''t already doing that. "Commander? General Ragout is inside. We are waiting for his signal to move in." "Roger that. Warn me as soon as you get into action." "I think you will see it, sir." ------------------------------ A small figure slipped past droid patrols, hiding into the shadows and behind vehicles. Whenever he got to an AAT or a deactivated Dwarf-Spider droid, a green light flashed. Nobody could see it, but several key components of the vehicles and the droids had been cut by a high-powered weapon, leaving them unusable for days. He had sabotaged about three AATs and six Dwarf-Spider droids when he arrived at his real target. Looking up-close, the Tri-droids were even more intimidating, and their huge heads spun, each time aiming their laser cannons in a different direction. Since slow cannons had a slow firing rate, Ragout initially thought the Tri-droids would be easy to deal with, but seeing them now, the Togruta understood that they never actually needed to cool down, since they were always switching. That meant they could maintain a steady firing rate. Verifying that there were no droids nearby, Ragout turned on his lightsaber, and got ready to cut the legs of the nearest Tri-droid. However, he forgot the Tri-droids weren''t vehicles, but, well, droids. As soon as the green light of the lightsaber appeared, he was spotted by the huge droids. Six laser cannons aimed at him as the Tri-droids found the Jedi, their aims constantly shifting. He could deflect one of the huge laser cannons shots, but nor six. So, instead of waiting for them to fire, he did something his master taught him. When surrounded, attack. The enemy won''t be expecting, giving you an advantage over them. This lesson was proved right, as the Tri-droids hesitated when they saw the tiny figure ran towards them. That hesitation cost them enough time so he could get under one of them, and the others couldn''t fire without hitting their allies. The Tri-droid he chose to hide under moved around furiously, trying to both get away from Ragout so it could attack him, and crush him. The commotion quickly attracted the droids, and considering there were eighteen thousand of them, Ragout wasn''t very anxious to fight them. As he became the focus of fire from the nearby B1 units, Ragout deflected the red lasers the best he could. When one of the legs of the Tri-droid almost hit him, he decided that it was enough. Jumping up, he grabbed one leg of the Tri-droid, and flung himself towards another. Slicing with his lightsaber while in the air, a huge chunk of the metal leg fell down. When the Tri-droid tried to put weight on it, the leg broke, almost causing it to fall. Taking advantage of the unbalanced droid, Ragout pulled back both his hands, and looked like he was grabbing something with them. When he pushed his hands forward, a huge force impacted the Tri-droid, bigger and stronger than any Force blast Ragout had ever done before. Several B1 battle droids in the way of the blast were flung away, their bodies breaking in midair, and many more stumbled and fell on the ground. The Tri-droid, the target of the blast, shook, and slowly started to tilt. His fall became faster, and the huge head impacted on the ground, crushing several droids. Ragout panted with the effort needed to push such a huge thing, but didn''t stop. Running forward, he jumped on top of the droid he just took down, and continued running while holding his lightsaber with the tip aiming at the Tri-droid. Half of the lightsaber penetrated the Tri-droid, and as Ragout ran, a blazing line was left behind.Two laser cannon shots from other Tri-droids hit the fallen one, causing huge holes to appear on its armor. Ragout somersaulted over a bunch of droids, and landed on top of an AAT. The pilot had the top half of his body out, trying to see what was happening, and Ragout cut his head off. When he was sliding off the tank, he waved his lightsaber, and the tank''s barrel was also cut in half. At no time did Ragout stop running, making it almost impossible for the droids to hit him. -------------------------- Dageer saw the Tri-droids start moving, and instantly ordered the mixed group of 303rd clones and freedom fighters forward. A volley of lasers hit the droids guarding the missing section of wall, taking most of them down. While the clones missed almost no shots, more than half of the Twi''leks hit meters away from their target. Dageer heard a loud sound, and saw a bright blue light leave Dab''s DC-15x as he fired his charged shot, a special modification he built himself. A B2 super battle droid that was commanding the guards was hit, and a huge hole appeared on its chest, so deep it was possible to see the other side. A millisecond later, the droid exploded, taking down two B1 units next to him. By the time all this happened, the attackers were just halfway through the missing wall section, but the attack had been sudden and unexpected, and that, coupled with Ragout''s distraction, ensured that there weren''t that many clanckers near them. Followed by the others, Dageer dashed towards the nearest cover, and they got there just in time to dodge the incoming lasers. The cloud of red lasers was so big that it was almost impossible for them to show their heads. After all, they were against thousands of droids. Dageer, however, had already considered that. He looked at his comlink, and signaled to Cell. The scout dropped to the ground, and sneaked past Dageer and the rest. When he was about twenty meters away from the nearest droid, he quietly rolled a thermal detonator that Brain gave to him. The thermal detonator exploded at the same time several deactivated Dwarf-Spider droids blew up on the other side of the outpost. General Di and Commander Keeli were right in time. Dageer didn''t know how well their attack went, but judging by the small number of explosions, the result wasn''t that good. Fortunately, it was enough to distract some of the droids, giving Dageer the chance to show himself, and counterattack. The clones followed suit, and the Twi''leks mimicked them. Before they ducked behind cover again, two clones and a freedom fighter were hit. One of the clones was only injured, while the others died. "Dageer! Initiate retreat. Get back to the... and we... bzzz... you..." "Commander! Commander Keeli!" However, there was no response from the comlink. Clearly, the droids had fought back quicker than General Di had predicted, and jammed their communications. But Dageer got the gist of what his orders were. "Fall back! Fall back!" Dageer yelled his commands, and Lieutenant Fondor passed them around. Soon, the group was retreating back to the gap in the wall. Dageer ordered a stop. "Hold here! We have to wait for the general!" "Arghhh!" A clone fell next to him, a smoking hole on his helmet. Dageer quickly took care of the attacker, but hundreds of droids were behind it, and several AATs and Dwarf-Spider droids were starting to turn on, although many just got off the ground before falling again. Probably Ragout''s work. Suddenly, Dageer saw one of the Tri-droids in the distance wave and fall. A small figure jumped on top of it before running again, but his way was paved with droids, forcing him to change directions. Chapter 192 - Decoy When he saw Ragout being forced to change directions, Dageer quickly ordered the small group to retreat even faster, since the droids would focus on them. With the communications being jammed, he had no way of knowing how General Di and Commander Keeli were, so he had to follow his instincts. And his instincts were telling him to get out of the Separatist outpost. Watching hundreds and then thousands of droids and vehicles move towards them, Dageer ordered the others to escape while he, Metal, Tech, and Dab stayed behind to cover their retreat. They were never meant to fight the droids, since even for Hell Squad this was a suicide mission. All they were was a decoy for the others. As they retreated, another Twi''lek fell, shot in the back. That was the third Twi''lek to die, accompanied by five clones. Dageer looked at his comlink, futilely trying to contact Commander Keeli again. As he was doing that, two lasers flew past him, millimeters away from his face. Dageer returned fire, but he and the other three clones were slowly being overrun, even with Lieutenant Fondor and the others providing covering fire. Two hours had passed since Ragout had sneaked in the outpost, and now they couldn''t hold back the droids anymore. Thankfully, the Separatist didn''t know the terrain, so their choice of camp was poor. Rock walls and formations created a labyrinth that allowed the Republic to escape easily. And with four members of Hell Squad covering them, the clones and freedom fighters ran away quickly. They left nine people on the ground as another clone was hit in the back. "Aghh! Damn it!" Dageer heard Dab scream, and looked at his brother with the corner of his eyes. A laser had scratched his arm, but Dageer could tell it was nothing serious, and the sniper was already back into the fight. Seeing his men disappear behind the rocks, Dageer gestured to Tech and Dab, and the two stopped firing and ran back. Dageer and Metal got up, revealing themselves completely, and pressed the trigger if their blasters. Lasers flew all around them, but the clones ignored them. Dageer felt and impact on his leg as a laser hit the outer portion of his armor, but he wasn''t injured. About four seconds later, blue lasers flew over their heads as Tech and Dab found somewhere to hide and were covering them. "Let''s go, Metal!" The two clones walked backward, emptying a magazine after another in the droids. This time, the huge number of droids proved to be a disadvantage, as they stopped their own vehicles from getting to the front. As such, only B1 and B2 units fired at Hell Squad, and they could deal with that. The thirty meters run towards the rocks and the cover they offered looked like thirty kilometers, but the clones got there surprisingly uninjured. As soon as they disappeared from the droid''s sight, and met the others, everything seemed to be calmer. The only sound was of the lasers hitting the rocks, and the ragged breath of the tired Republic soldiers. "Lieutenant, we need to move. Retreat to the first outpost. You know what to do." "What about General Ragout?" Dageer looked at his comlink nervously, but it was still not working. He sighed, and hurried the group to move. "He will be all right. He is more capable than any of us." Lieutenant Fondor acknowledged his words, and was following the others when he noticed Hell Squad staying behind. "Sir?" Dageer shook his head, and showed the lieutenant his blaster before using a finger to show the way they just came from. The sound of approaching droids could be heard. Lieutenant Fondor looked at him seriously, then nodded before leading the mixed group of clones and Twi''leks. Only when they were almost a kilometer away did they hear the sound of fighting going on behind them, and the Twi''leks noticed Hell Squad was missing. Apele looked around surprised, and soon found the lieutenant. "Where is the other seven?! They aren''t here!" The lieutenant nodded, showing that he knew. At the same time, he hurried her to keep walking. "They stayed behind to cover us. Otherwise, the seppies would catch up to us." Apele opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, decided not to. The seven clones were sacrificing themselves so they could escape. They couldn''t waste the time they were giving them. -------------------------- While Apele thought that Hell Squad was sacrificing themselves, the clones were engaged in a heated fight with incoming droids, but the thought of dying never crossed their minds. They really were covering their retreat, but that wasn''t their only objective. Dageer had chosen a choke point where only three droids could ho through at the same time. So, when facing Hell Squad, all they could do was fire one laser and die. Not even grenades could hurt Hell Squad, since they had enough space to dodge the blast. Metal bodies soon started piling up, difficulting even more the entrance of the other droids. Dageer was prepared to spend hours there before finally calling a retreat. He was confident that if it was only Hell Squad, they could escape from the Separatist pursuit pretty easily. Suddenly, however, something weird happened. The droids stopped firing. Dageer looked at his brothers, and gestured for them to retreat. He didn''t know why the droids stopped attacking, but it couldn''t be good. Soon, they heard the sound of metal being crushed. The hovering sound the new enemy made was too familiar for Hell Squad not to recognize it. "AAT! Take cover!" Just as Three-four yelled that, the barrel of the tank appeared over the pile of dead droids. It fired, blowing up a bunch of rocks just over Brain. The clone ducked out of the way, and avoided being buried, but the AAT turned towards him. Without thinking, Dageer ran towards the tank. Three-four, who was close, did the same. Both of them jumped up, and grabbed the barrel of the AAT. The droids which were behind it started shooting them, and Dageer felt a sharp pain in his chest as his blast padding blocked a shot from killing him. At this moment, however, they were lucky. The weight of him and Three-four made the AAT tilt forward - exactly what they wanted - and blocked the view of the droids. The shot charged on the barrel was fired, and hit the ground. The impact made both Dageer and Three-four release the barrel, and the AAT was thrown off balance by his own shot. It hit the walls of the gorge they were in now, and stopped. The tank almost fully blocked the path, barely leaving space for a droid to pass through. At this moment, the hatch of the AAT opened, and a droid using the yellow markings of a captain appeared, only to be torn apart by Hell Squad. Dageer looked at the smoking droid body, and signaled Hell Squad to follow him. They quickly ran, leaving the AAT behind. Dageer planned to stall the droids for a few hours, but since the chance presented itself, he would take it. "We need to meet the commander at the rendezvous point! Let''s move!" Chapter 193 - Battling For The First Outpost After slicing the barrel of an AAT, a small Togruta started running. However, the direction he wanted to go was blocked by thousands of droids. Ragout looked at his communicator, and discovered that it wasn''t working. The droids must have jammed it. Looking at Hell Squad retreating, the padawan decided to go in another direction, where his master should be. He deflected the incoming lasers without even looking, but there were too many, causing him to almost be hit many times. "Over there!" A droid pointed at him, and he became the focus of even more lasers. He slashed forward, cutting down three droids with the same move, and jumped over their heads. While he was in midair, he pushed his hands forward, and the Force smashed several droids in the ground. Using the impulse, he flew four or five meters before landing on one of the Tri-droids. The droid''s head spun, trying to throw Ragout away, but he used his lightsaber to pierce the droid, and steady himself. The droid jolted, then started falling. The Jedi apprentice jumped, using the droid''s height to reach the wall. Up there, he was out of sight from most of the droids. The few that were up on the wall were quickly pushed off. Ragout took advantage of the brief period of calmness to look for his master. Hell Squad and their men were already in the rocks that surrounded the Separatist outpost, most likely heading to the Republic one. There was an AAT following them, and hundreds of droids, but Ragout wasn''t too worried. Dageer knew how to take care of himself and his men. On the other side, he saw more droids entering the gorges and valleys, probably after his master and Commander Keeli. At this moment, Ragout sensed something. His instincts took over, and he jumped as high as he could, which saved his life. The part of the wall he was in now had a big hole, and shrapnel flew everywhere as a laser cannon shot from one of the Tri-droids hit it. Even though he jumped, the shockwave still hit him. He felt his bones rattle under the pressure, and his lightsaber escaped his hand. Despair filled his heart. A lightsaber was a Jedi''s weapon, but it was also its companion. He couldn''t lose it, no matter what. Not only that, but losing his lightsaber amidst the droid army was the same as asking to be killed. So, when Ragout saw his beloved weapon fall on the outer side of the walls, he didn''t hesitate, and jumped. The walls were about a dozen meters height, and that, for a Jedi, was nothing. He landed on the ground, using the Force to soften his landing, and looked for his lightsaber. A few meters away, he saw a metal stick amidst a pile of scrap metal. He pulled his lightsaber using the Force. And he was just in time, since two lasers hit the ground next to him. The droids had gotten to the top of the wall, and were aiming at him. However, since he had jumped to the outside, he was safe, at least for now. The few lasers that came his way were quickly deflected. Using the Force, he sensed where General Di was, and ran towards him. -------------------------- Everything had gone well at the start, but they had underestimated the reactions of the Separatist. Now, General Di, Commander Keeli and Syndulla, together with the clones and freedom fighters, were trapped. They had destroyed one AAT, and eleven Dwarf-Spider droids. That was way less than they wanted, but they had been discovered, forcing them to retreat. Their retreat path was blocked by droids, so they entered another gorge, but that resulted in them being surrounded. That is, until a young Togruta saved them. General Di watched proudly as his padawan came from behind the droids, and used the Force to push them, opening a path. "Keeli! Follow Ragout!" The commander was quick to react, and soon, the survivors of the attack were escaping, not without casualties. In total, including the ones led by Hell Squad, thirteen clones and eight Twi''leks died. That was almost half of the attack group. "Ragout! Where are the others?!" General Di looked around, but saw only his padawan. Ragout shook his head, and pointed to the Separatist outpost''s direction. "We got separated, and our communicators aren''t working. He will probably retreat towards our outpost." General Di looked to the fleeing Republic combatants, and his face became even more serious. They couldn''t make it to the outpost, nor could they meet with Hell Squad now. All they could do was flee to one of the freedom fighters hideouts, and wait until they got out of the jam''s range. ------------------------- Dageer looked at the horizon, and finally saw the Republic outpost. Five hours had passed since they ended their attack on the Separatist base, and although the results weren''t extremely good, each vehicle and droid destroyed meant one less for them to fight. In the meantime, he finally got to talk with Commander Keeli. Although the two Jedis and the commander wouldn''t be able to support them on the outpost thanks to the Separatist cutting their path, the plan would remain the same. Since the droids outnumbered the Republic by a large margin, then they would fight a drawn-out war. Hell Squad was to defend the outpost for as long as they could before retreating. Then, they would repeat it again and again. Dageer had no expectations of being able to win the battle for Ryloth this way, but at least they would cause serious damages to the Separatist. And that was all he wanted now. "Lieutenant Fondor, go ahead and get the injured to the infirmary. Freedom fighters, follow him. Those who aren''t injured, find a position. The seppies will arrive soon." Lieutenant Fondor acknowledged, and the Twi''leks nodded. After seeing how many droids they were up against, they had no complaints about fighting anymore. They would give everything to defend their planet. ... The clone in charge of the outpost was Sergeant Storge, a battle-hardened veteran that was with the 303rd since Geonosis. Dageer quickly explained to him why they were separated from Commander Keeli, and ordered the sergeant to get into position. The outpost was nothing more than a complex of simple buildings and two walls, one to the north and another to the south. The west and east were two rock walls almost a hundred meters tall. It was impossible for the droids to climb it. The outpost held thirty-six clones. Plus Hell Squad and the others, there were a total of fifty-two defenders. After talking to Sergeant Storge, Hell Squad went straight to the walls. It had been more than a day since they last slept, but none of them would be able to sleep now. They already had too much on their hands without the nightmares. ... As the sun appeared in the sky, Dageer saw the Separatist. Only two Tri-droids were with the army, meaning the others had gone to attack another place. The Separatist intelligence was much better than expected, and they were able to uncover the locations of every Republic forces on the planet. That was, at the very least, suspicious. But he had no time to worry about that. Looking at the thousands of droids, Dageer ordered his snipers to fire. He heard a loud sound as the blue lasers hit several droid sergeants and captains. Looking up, he saw that the Separatist fleet came back for more. Chapter 194 - We Are Dead Already Admiral Dao rubbed his eyes and watched as the Separatist fleet approached again. Less than a day had passed since they broke through the Republic blockade, and they were already back. It seemed they were determined to exterminate the 303rd. Then they would give them a good fight. He looked around to his crew. All of them had swollen eyes and were almost dropping to the ground, but their gazes were determined. Just like Admiral Dao, it had been two and a half days since they last slept, but none of them had the opportunity to. Every ship in the Republic''s side was badly damaged. Almost no starfighters remained, and the cruisers all had holes and broken parts. The Separatist had also suffered severe damage, but they were relentless. Looking at the Vulture droids coming at them, and the pitifully small amount of Republic starfighters that went to meet the enemy, Admiral Dao smiled savagely, and talked in the open channel of his comlink, meaning that every soldier could hear him. "Brothers, those pieces of scrap metal are coming after us again. Don''t be afraid, and let''s show them why we are the best legion in the Republic!" "Uhaaa!!!" "Let''s go!" After facing so many battles and knowing that they would all die in Ryloth, all the soldiers considered Admiral Dao one of them, even though he wasn''t a clone. This was a fight to the death, and only one side would survive, while the other would be annihilated. Hierarchy didn''t matter that much anymore. Soon, the first explosions happened, and missiles started to impact on The Sincerity''s shields. Several minutes later, Admiral Dao saw Separatist frigates surround Ryloth, ignoring the 303rd fleet. "Admiral! They cut off our path!" Not that the clone needed to tell him that, since he could see it happening. He sent straight towards the hologram table, and called General Di. "Admiral Dao. I see the battle restarted over there." "Bad news, general. They surrounded the planet. Our sh.i.p.s won''t be able to get to you without getting shot down." "Uhmm... Don''t worry, admiral. We will do our best here. However, when we get low on supplies..." "Unfortunately, general, there is nothing I can do. We are..." Suddenly, Admiral Dao stopped talking as The Sincerity rocked under his feet. He only managed to stand up by holding onto the hologram table. "What happened?" He turned around, and asked his crew the same question. Soon, he got an answer. "A Vulture droid crashed on us, sir. No serious damage reported." "That is good. Intensify the turret barrage. Destroy as many as you can, don''t worry about ammo." "Yes, admiral." After dealing with the situation, Admiral Dao turned to General Di and quickly explained. The Nikto sighed in relief. For a moment he fought The Sincerity was gone. "Try the Jedi Council again. Tell them we are trapped on Ryloth, and that supplies will soon run out. If they don''t send help, then we are doomed." "Yes, general." -----------©\-------------- "Master Yoda, we received a transmission from Master Di''s fleet." A tall man looked at the green Jedi. Like ways, Mace Windu was dead serious, even more since the transmission was from the 303rd Attack Legion. For the past days, they received repeated requests for help, but the Republic had no fleet idle. As such, they could only let the 303rd suffer casualties, to the point that the once powerful fleet was reduced to a handful of damaged sh.i.p.s. Accompanying General Windu was General Kenobi. "Put it through, you do. See how Master Di is faring, we must." General Windu nodded, and clicked a button in the hologram table. A projection of Admiral Dao appeared. His once well-groomed appearance was now destroyed. He appeared to have aged ten years in a few days, and had dark circles under his eyes. "Admiral Dao. How is the battle going?" "Poorly. We have less than a dozen sh.i.p.s in battle conditions, and our blockade was broken through once more." "Uhmm... Bad things are." "For how long can you hold on, Admiral Dao?" The admiral turned to General Kenobi, and was about to speak when a clone muttered something to him. His face grew serious, but his lips had hints of a smile. A madman''s smile. "Permission to speak freely, generals?" "What is in your mind, you can speak." "They just destroyed our supply sh.i.p.s. Ha! I regret to inform you that soon our troops on the ground will be out of everything. Food, medical supplies, ammunition." The Jedis looked at each other, clearly surprised by how lightly the admiral was making of the situation. "Admiral, unfortunately, we can''t send any troops nor supplies now. But as soon as..." "With all due respect, General Kenobi, but even if a fleet came to our rescue right now, the only ones you would have any chance of saving would be our troops on Ryloth. Our fleet is gone, but we will fight to the end." Master Yoda frowned, while General Windu and General Kenobi exchanged glances. Knowing what they needed to do but being unable to do it was one of the worst feelings they ever had. Admiral Dao, on the other hand, grinned. "This might be the last time we talk, General Kenobi, General Windu, General Yoda. We might be dead already, but those on the planet aren''t yet. Please, send supplies. They are already fighting the seppies on the ground, so they will soon be in dire need for everything." "We will do our best, admiral. While we are alive, there is still hope. Hold on for as long as you can." "Yes, General Windu." "May the Force be with you." Admiral Dao disconnected the call, and the three Jedis looked at each other, impotent to do anything. General Kenobi turned to Master Yoda. "What do you think, Master Yoda?" "Uhmm... Death I sense. Lying the admiral was not. Survive this ordeal difficult will be. The future of Master Di uncertain is." --------------------------- After talking with the Jedi Council once again, Admiral Dao stared at the crew around him. They were all busy dealing with the battle, and didn''t see him looking at them with pity in his eyes. Just like the others, he laughed at the prospect of their deaths, but that was just to hide how deeply afraid of it he was. No one wanted to die, but sometimes destiny didn''t give other options. As such, the only choice left for the 303rd was how they wished to go down. And the answer was fighting. "Inform General Di that we lost our supply sh.i.p.s. And tell him that he is on his own. As for us, let''s keep going. I want at least two of their frigates to go down today!" "Yes, admiral!" "Understood, admiral!" ------------------------- Dageer was sitting on the floor, his eyes closed. At his side was Sergeant Storge, laying on the ground. Both of them were alive, but too tired to say anything. Around them, clones and Twi''leks, alive and dead, were also breathing heavily. Two hours went by since the droid army attacked the outpost, and they were still holding it, although barely. The initial fifty or so defenders had dropped to around thirty, most wounded. Tri-droids, AATs, and Dwarf-Spider droids had been bombarding the wall they were on, and huge holes had been blown up. However, for some reason, the droids had slowed down their attack, and instead of recklessly throwing troops at the outpost, were concentrating their fire. "They probably are afraid that it is another ambush." "Ha! If only they knew we can barely hold on..." "Shut up, Tech. The longer they take, the better for us. Don''t jinx it." "Hahaha..." Chapter 195 - At Most We Will Die The wall shook as another laser cannon shot hit it. The metal bent and broke, and a piece of the outpost''s walls fell down. If this kept on for much longer, the whole wall would cave in, and the defenders would fall with it. "Storge! Any idea on how we can take down those Tri-droids?" "No, sir. Our RPS-6 Rocket Launchers are all used up. They didn''t even scratch the armor of those things at this distance." "Arghhh!!!" In the short seconds when they were discussing, a trooper, who showed himself to fire at the incoming army, died, his helmet and chest armor almost melting due to the number of lasers that hit him. A Twi''lek freedom fighter soon suffered the same destiny. "Sub-commander Dageer! We are being slaughtered!" Apele ran over to him at the same time that Dageer was firing at the droids, which incited a heavy response by the clanckers. His body moved before his mind could even process the information, and he swiped his leg, throwing the Twi''lek on the ground. Red lasers missed her by millimeters, and she laid on the ground dumbstruck. The clones ignored the surprised freedom fighter, and returned fire, but they were terribly outnumbered. Many troopers fell at the cost of just a few dozen droids. After several more minutes, the wall was impacted once more, and another huge hole appeared. Just a few more shots and it would break entirely. Dageer decided they had defended the outpost for long enough. "Sergeant! Apele! Start the retreat. Fifty kilometers from here is another one of our bases. That will be our second line of defenses." "Yes, sir!" "Yes, Dageer." The defenders retreated quickly, and went to the south wall. From there, they would take speeders and flee. But destiny wouldn''t let the Republic forces get away so easily. A stray laser cannon shot hit the rock slopes that surrounded the outpost, and a large boulder fell on top of the speeders. The moment this happened, Hell Squad, Apele, and two other freedom fighters, as well as another four clones, were still inside the outpost. As the dust settled, Dageer saw that the BARC speeders were destroyed. Unfortunately, even though they now had no means to escape, they could still be considered lucky. Under the rocks, boulders, and pieces of the wall, broken limbs and white armor could be seen. "Storge! Storge! Are you there?!" Several seconds trickled by when there was no response. But them, Dageer heard someone m.o.a.ning. Quickly, he and the others pushed aside the rocks on the away, and found Sergeant Storge and two other clones still alive. They were lucky to have been on the outskirts of the rock slide. As Dageer pushed another rock aside, Sergeant Storge groaned in pain. The armor on his right leg was broken, and a horrible wound appeared under it. Flesh and blood mangled together, and bones could be seen cutting through the skin. Dust and small rocks were on the wound, making it even more painful to move. The other two clones were also hurt, one of them with a broken arm, and the other had lost his helmet, and his head was bleeding profusely. "Three-four!" "On it!" The medic knelt down near Sergeant Storge, and started cleaning and bandaging the wound. However, in the middle of a battle and without supplies, there was no way he could treat it properly. Meanwhile, Dageer ordered the others to pay attention to the north wall. Cracks and holes were appearing on it, and the Separatist army could be seen through them. Luckily for the Republic forces, the rockslide hadn''t totally blocked their escape path. "Sub-commander." Dageer turned around and saw Lieutenant Fondor. The lieutenant had been one of the few lucky ones who weren''t near the BARC speeders. "Lieutenant." "We have to move sir. But... I don''t think Sergeant Storge and the others will make it." Dageer looked at the lieutenant. As a soldier, he knew very well what Lieutenant Fondor meant. As a clone, he knew how painful it was for his brother to suggest it. "The lieutenant is right, sir. We will only slow you down. Me and Torc here will hold the seppies for as long as we can." A coarse voice interrupted Dageer and Lieutenant Fondor. Although they had been talking quietly, Sergeant Storge had heard them. The clone had taken off his helmet, revealing a familiar face. He gestured to the trooper with the head injury, Torc. "Leave us here and go, sir. You can''t let the clanckers win, and dying here won''t help." "No way, sergeant. I won''t leave a brother behind." Dageer looked around, and everyone nodded at him, even the Twi''leks. What difference did it make, dying here or in the next Republic base? "The sub-commander is right, Storge. You know us better than to suggest that we flee. Ha! Let the seppies come. Is there anything for us to fear? At most we will die!" All the troopers agreed with Metal. They had been through hundreds of battles together, and they had faced death countless times. For them, there was no place better to die than on a battlefield, side by side with their brothers. "That is nonsense, Metal, and you know it. And you do too, sir." While the two clones discussed, Dageer looked briefly at Three-four. The medic shook his head slightly. The sub-commander glanced at Sergeant Storge, and nodded. "We are leaving. Brain, Fondor, get going. I need to talk to Storge and Torc." "Yes, sir." "Yes, sub-commander." "Sir?" ... Brain and the lieutenant immediately started moving, and after a small hesitation, the freedom fighters and the other troopers followed them out of the ruined outpost. There was no time to waste, since they didn''t have their BARC speeders anymore. Only Cell and Metal stood there dumbfounded. They never thought that Dageer would really leave the two clones to their deaths. Only after Dab and Tech pushed them did the two move. "We have our orders, let''s move." "But... But..." "Are you stupid, Cell? Torc can barely maintain consciousness, and Sergeant Storge lost too much blood. They will die no matter what we do, so at least let them choose how they want to go." "This..." Only after hearing Three-four explanation did the others understand why Dageer made such a decision. Still... They all followed their orders as well-trained soldiers did, but that didn''t mean they were happy with what they had to do. But none of them could blame Dageer. The sub-commander was surely the one who suffered the most for his decision, since it was the same as killing the two clones. ... Dageer knelt beside Sergeant Storge and Torc. The trooper could barely maintain his eyes open. It was clear that his injury was far worse than it seemed at first. The sergeant, on the other hand, wasn''t in a much better condition. The bottom half of his body and armor were dyed red with his blood. "You should go too, sir. The clanckers will break the wall at any moment." "I know. Storge, Torc... You will be avenged. You can be sure of that." The two clones smiled, and Torc helped Sergeant Storge to get up. The two clones walked to behind a boulder, and prepared to make their last stand. "We will kill as many of those bastards as we can, sir." Dageer watched as the two of them laid their DC-15As on the boulder, and aimed at the wall. Nodding, he turned back and left the outpost through the south wall. "Goodbye, brothers." Chapter 196 - The Mission To Toydaria Somewhere in the galaxy, traveling through hyperspace, a Republic CR90 received an important transmission. A tall human male, with black hair, and dressed in the characteristic robes of a senator, faced a hologram of General Kenobi, General Windu, and General Yoda. "... My trade mission was successful, thank you for asking." The man frowned when he spoke. The Jedis called him without any prior warning, and everyone knew that when a Jedi looked for you, it wasn''t good. Besides, his instincts were telling him something was wrong. Bail Organa was an important senator way before the Clone Wars started, and had spearheaded many peace talks and negotiations between different planets. He also was one of the leaders of the pacifist faction of the Senate. So, when General Yoda contacted him out of nowhere, he knew something was wrong, and he didn''t like to beat around the bush, so he asked straightforwardly. "But what is the matter? You all look very somber." With his arms crossed in front of his chest, General Kenobi seemed troubled, but he still answered the senator. "The fleet protecting Ryloth has been destroyed, and the supply lines had been cut." Senator Organa was shocked to hear that. As a member of the Senate, he had heard of the Battle Of Ryloth, and how the Republic troops were suffering. However, he never thought that the fleet would be wiped out. And, without a fleet to protect them, and to provide supplies, it was only a matter of time before the ground troops were defeated. What the senator didn''t know was that only a few thousand troops remained. "The troops are out of food, fuel, ammunition. And the civilian population is starving." That was true. One of the first things the Separatist did after arriving at Ryloth was arrest thousands of civilians, including children, for ''helping the enemy''. Now, those civilians were forced to work for the seppies, and those who weren''t arrested had nothing to eat under the merciless government of Emir Wat Tambor, one of the closest allies of Count Dooku. And, while the population was starving and working, Tambor was grabbing their riches, and sending them to his capital ship above the planet. Not only that, but most of the politicians and leaders of Ryloth had been arrested or killed, including those like Shar Yellps, the Twi''lek who General Di had arrested. The council member had been executed for treason against the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. And so, the Separatist succeeded in pissing off not only the civilians, but also the higher-ups of Ryloth. Thousands of Twi''leks escaped the cities to join the freedom fighters, but unfortunately, just a few hundred could fight, and the rest became another burden that Syndulla had to carry. "That is grim news." Senator Organa was cautiously neutral when answering. He had been a politician for long enough to understand what the Jedis wanted. "Our blockade runners should be able to penetrate the Separatist lines, and drop relief supplies. But they do not have the range to reach Ryloth." "The planet Toydaria is two thousand parsecs closer than the nearest fleet. If the blockade runners get supplies from there, they might reach Ryloth in time." As always, General Windu wasn''t willing to waste time talking, and stated their objective directly, forcing the talkative General Kenobi to cut to the chase. Senator Organa sighed. It was dangerous, and he was against getting involved in the war. However, he wouldn''t be able to sleep if he didn''t help the innocent people of Ryloth. Besides, he was still a member of the Republic, so, he had the obligation of helping. "What would you have me do?" "We dispatched a ship with relief supplies to meet you in Toydaria." ------------------------ After a long talk with the senator, General Kenobi turned off the hologram table, and went to meditate. He was a good friend of General Di, and it pained him to be unable to provide help to the Nikto. Not only that, but the much-needed supplies were stuck in Toydaria, thanks to the interference of a senator of the Trade Federation. The Trade Federation, although maintaining a neutral stance, worked for the Separatist, and everyone knew that. However, there was no proof. With the trouble caused by this senator, it would take a long, drawn-out negotiation to convince the Toydarians to help the Republic, even more after they discovered there was a Separatist blockade around the planet. Unfortunately, General Di and his troops didn''t have that time. He couldn''t even warn the Jedi that relief supplies were coming, because all communications were cut. For now, all General Kenobi could do was hope that General Di could hold on. --------------------------- Dageer felt pain. An incredible amount of pain. Looking down, he saw a piece of metal had gone through his armor, and was stuck in his tight. Judging by the amount of blood dripping down from the wound, it probably had cut a big artery. He fell to the ground, and leaned on the carcass of a destroyed AAT. That was the source of the piece of metal that hurt him, and it was his own fault. He had approached the tank and delivered a thermal detonator to it, rolling the grenade down the barrel. He was unlucky, however, because the AAT was already charging another shot, and when the detonator blew up, the two forces combined, creating an even bigger explosion. Since he was still in range of it, several pieces of scrap metal peppered his armor, and this one was able to pierce it. Dageer looked around. Dead droids, Twi''leks, and clones surrounded him. He could see a few allies alive, but they were too far to help him immediately. It was a rare moment of calmness on the battlefield, and for a few minutes, no lasers were flying. Dageer saw this happen before, in many battles. The droids were regrouping, and the Republic was happy to let them do that, and get a few minutes of rest. Knowing that he had a little bit of time, Dageer ripped off a piece of cloth from a dead freedom fighter, and tied it above his injury. He also left another improvised bandage near him. Gritting his teeth, Dageer pulled out the piece of metal. The pain was almost unbearable, but he didn''t make a sound. He had suffered worst before. He quickly tied the second bandage around the wound, and it was soon dyed red. It wasn''t the most effective of bandages, and it also wasn''t the right treatment for this kind of wound, but it would do. At least it was better than running around with a piece of an AAT on his leg. Getting up, Dageer started moving towards the next pocket of Republic resistance. He didn''t want to be caught alone by the clanckers. ... "Sir! Ouch... That isn''t looking too good. Sit down." No matter what is your rank, a medic always has absolute authority when you are wounded. Dageer did as Three-four said, and sit down to let the clone treat his leg. It was only at this moment that he noticed the medic also was hurt. A bloody bandage wrapped his head, and there were two black spots in his chest, where lasers hit. Looking around, he saw that it wasn''t only Three-four. The entirety of Hell Squad was injured in some way or another. "We will have to retreat again so..." A laser cannon shot hit the ground next to them, and Dageer fainted. Chapter 196 - Guerrilla Tactics Sergeant Storge and Torc lasted for last than two minutes after the wall was taken down. Dageer didn''t see their end, but he knew it happened because Cell - who was on their rearguard - saw the clanckers storming past the outpost and following them. "General Di. We lost the first outpost, and are retreating to the next defensive line." A hologram of a tired Nikto appeared in front of Dageer as he used the hologram projector as he was running. At the same time, his comlink bipped. Through his transmission with General Di, he heard the same noise coming from behind the Jedi. He and Commander Keeli had received the same thing. Looking at the data, Dageer''s expression grew serious. "Did you get that too, Dageer?" "Yes, commander." The hologram became smaller and now encompassed both General Di and Commander Keeli. Soon, the padawan, Ragout, joined them. "What is it, Keeli?" "Bad news, general. It appears we were the ones who fared best after their first wave of attacks. Several of our bases and defenses near the other cities were taking down. Casualties are as high as seventy percent in some places." Dageer nodded. Without the Jedis to help on the other fronts, the 303rd suffered a lot more. According to the information he just received, several dozen troopers died, while hundreds were injured. He read the lines on his comlink. "Sergeants Jung, Milo, and Cooker died. Lieutenant Shield, Lieutenant Womp and Captain Macro were severely injured. We were forced to order total retreat on all fronts." General Di closed his eyes, and stood like that for a few minutes. Things were deteriorating fast. Their fleet was almost destroyed, and they were getting pushed back in the first confrontation. "How long do we have?" "If they continue at this pace, fifteen days at most for the capital, and ten to twelve days for the other cities. That is, if they don''t receive reinforcements." "Which will most probably happen." "Yes, general." The Jedi looked at Dageer, and turned to his padawan and Commander Keeli. He said something to the clone, and Commander Keeli left the hologram. "We are going to switch tactics, Dageer. You still have some freedom fighters with you, don''t you?" Dageer looked around, and saw Apele and three Twi''leks. They were all that remained from the freedom fighters that Hell Squad had with them. Apele saw him looking, and nodded to him, although she couldn''t hear what the sub-commander and his general were discussing. "I have, general. Four of them." "Good. Let''s wait for Syndulla, then I will tell you all what we are going to do." Dageer acknowledged General Di, and said nothing. Several minutes passed by where everyone stood silent. General Di''s group was already on the second base, waiting for Dageer and Hell Squad, so it took a while for Commander Keeli to find Syndulla. When he arrived, the Twi''lek had a fierce expression on his face, and a bandage on his shoulder. It appeared General Di also faced problems to get to Republic territory. "Master Jedi. Sub-commander Dageer. How can I help?" "The Separatist are advancing to the main cities. Our troops can''t contend with them on an open battle." Syndulla looked at the Nikto, his expression growing uglier. His thoughts were clear as day for anyone to see. He was disappointed by the Republic''s incapacity of holding their promises to the Twi''leks. "What do you suggest then, Jedi? We leave the cities? We let my people suffer? Is this the peace the Republic promised us?" Drops of saliva landed on General Di''s face, and Dageer saw Ragout tensing up, ready to speak in favor of his master. However, before the Togruta could say anything, General Di gestured for him to keep quiet, and although indignation filled his face, Ragout obeyed. "Listen to me, Syndulla. We aren''t going to abandon you nor your people. But I won''t let my troops die in vain." "Then what do you plan on doing?" "Your people know this planet. They know the topography, they know the mountains and rivers. They will be our guides. We won''t be able to completely stop the droids, but we can slow them down." "You want to ambush them." "Not ambush. I want to annoy them. Hit and run tactics. Keeli, Dageer, you know what I am talking about." "Yes, sir." "Yes, general." "We see each other in two hours. Syndulla, Kelli, let''s get our people ready." -------------------------- "It isn''t fair. So many clones died, and Syndulla is blaming us! How can he do that?!" Dageer stood quiet as a very angry Ragout complained. They were in the planning room of the second Republic base. The Separatist were about thirty kilometers behind them. Being a huge army also had its disadvantages, they being mainly the huge amount of supplies needed - energy cells for the Separatist Army - and that they moved slowly. "General... Syndulla might be rude, but I understand why he is angry. And you also do. He is worried for his people, and he is worried that he made the wrong decision by joining the Republic. Considering our recent results in battle, well..." "Still... our losses are far greater than his! Can''t he see we are doing everything we can?!" Dageer sighed. He might understand Syndulla''s reasons, but that didn''t mean he was happy with his words. If anything, he was angrier than Ragout, after, it was his brothers who were dying. "I didn''t live a very long life, General Ragout, but one thing I learned in all the battles I fought is that sometimes, not even doing everything you can is enough." "Dageer is right, my young padawan. War isn''t fair. If we changed sides with the Separatist, we would do the same. As a Jedi, it is important for you to understand that. Don''t be clouded by anger or sadness." General Di entered the room, followed by Commander Keeli. It was clear he heard the padawan and clone talking. Ragout turned to the Nikto, less angry, but still somewhat indignant. "But, master..." "Remember we are peacekeepers. We are fighting the Clone Wars because there is no other option. But don''t be fooled. We aren''t soldiers. Our job is to follow the Force, and maintain peace." Dageer looked at the Jedi, his expression unchanged, but he was quite confused. How could the Jedis fight a war and still be peacekeepers? Anyway, it didn''t make a difference to him. He fought because it was all he knew, it was all he was created for. Besides, he now had his personal motives to fight the seppies. One for each brother that died. "You will make a fine commander one day, Dageer. Just like Ragout, you can''t be clouded by anger. No leader can." "Ermm... Thank you, general." Dageer was quite surprised by General Di, and didn''t know what to say. He didn''t understand what General Di meant, nor why he said it. He looked at Commander Keeli, but the clone was impassive. "Now, let''s get back to the present. Syndulla is picking several freedom fighters to guide our strike groups. Keeli, Dageer, you sort out who those groups will be." // Author message // Well, there was another chapter wrongly released yesterday. This automatic release system of is starting to piss me off. I wanted to use it so I could guarantee you all would know a time (13:00) you could open the app knowing there is a chapter for you to read, but this is the second time it went wrong. Well, let''s wait and see how it does. Also, there is a spoiler of Clone Wars season 7 below in the author''s notes, so don''t read it if you don''t like spoilers. Chapter 197 - It Is A Trap "Sir... We received a report from... Ryloth. Our troops are... facing heavy resistance..." On a planet deep into Separatist territory, a tower stood tall above a cliff. Several people of different species walked around the tower, working. However, the last floor was empty, aside from a human and a droid. The human, an old man with white hair and beard, and using a long dark cloak, was sitting on a chair. Behind him, green glass with beautiful designs covered the entire wall. In front of him, with his metallic hands behind his back, was a droid commando. It was very similar to the one that Dageer killed on Mygeeto, but this one had dark red paint on his body. It was part of the personal guard of the old man. "Why are you telling me this? I told you not to interrupt my meditation." The old man stayed seated, his eyes closed and his legs crossed. However, the droid commando suddenly fell to the ground, as if he was being stepped on by something invisible. His tough armor, capable of taking several laser shots, started to deform under the pressure. The droid, however, ignored all this, and continued with his report. "According to our... spies... Republic generals and Jedi Masters Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker will soon be sent... to assist the 303rd Attack... Legion on Ryloth. Our strategists... request permission to send more... troops to the planet. The Republic sc.u.m there is almost... wiped out." The pressure disappeared, and the droid commando got up. His left arm was hanging by a few wires, and sparks were flying from it. His head and chest were deformed to the point that he could barely stand up straight. Even his vocal device was damaged, making his voice sound even worse. "Send as many troops as necessary. Ryloth is an important asset, and cannot be lost." "Yes, Count Dooku." -------------------------------- White stars filled the dark sky, and the two moons of Ryloth shone upon the land. Five figures sneaked around the red rocks that covered most of the planet. Dageer, Tech, Metal, and Brain, were one of the strike groups that General Di sent to attack the Separatist. Guiding them was Gobi, but the Twi''lek wouldn''t join the attack. Syndulla said he didn''t want to risk his people any more than necessary, and stated his thoughts clearly. For him, ambushing the Separatist wasn''t going to do anything, since a droid army wouldn''t care about some losses. "We are almost there. Quiet now." The blue Twi''lek raised his fist, and the clones stopped. Following the freedom fighter even more silently than before, they soon saw the droids. It was unusually quiet, very different from the Republic Army camp. In the Republic, even in the middle of the night there would be soldiers waking up, moving around and making noises. But in the Separatist camp, aside from the patrols, there was no other sound or movement. The B1 units were crouching on the ground, deactivated, and connected to large boxes, the size of an AT-TE. Each of the batteries could power a few hundred droids. The vehicles of the droid army were also laying on the ground. The clones shrunk back when a patrol passed close to them, and Dageer turned to the others. "We will focus on the vehicles first. Don''t go for the Tri-droids, since they probably have sensors and alarms. They are too valuable to just be left unguarded. Plant detonators on the AATs and Crab-droids. Tech, see if you can do something about those batteries. If we can take them out, our chances of surviving will incre..." "Dageer! Dageer! Do you copy?! Do you copy?!" Before he could finish, the sub-commander was interrupted by Commander Keeli. Not only was the commander yelling urgently, but Dageer could also hear explosions through the comlink. However, that should have been impossible, because Commander Keeli had stayed in the base to organize the troops. It took a few seconds for Dageer to realize what was happening. "It''s a trap! Run!" Other than Gobi, who was slightly confused and hesitated for a split second, the others followed his order immediately, without question. That was good, because moments later, the spot where they were was hit by several red lasers. Hiding behind a rock, Dageer saw several B2 super battle droids appear from their hiding spots, and felt the impact of lasers on his small protection. Not too far away, he heard several other battles happening. Apparently, not only him, but all the other strike teams had also been ambushed. "Commander! We also are under attack! It was a trap all along!" "Retreat! We weren''t the only ones. All our bases are being hammered by their bombers! We are going back to Lessu!" "I understand. Strike groups, you heard the commander. Forget the attack, and retreat! Now!" "Understood!" "Yes, sir." "Right away, sir!" Several clones answered him, but Dageer doubted many would be able to escape. The ambush had been too well planned. But now he had to worry about himself, and the others who were with him. Thankfully, since their mission was a sabotage one, they brought plenty of thermal detonators. Dageer motioned slightly to Brain, and the clone understood him immediately. They had been working together for so long that they rarely need to speak to one another in the middle of a battle. In fact, that happened not only with Brain, but all of Hell Squad. While Brain was throwing the detonators, Dageer signaled to the blaster in Gobi''s hands. "Time to use that thing. When I run, follow me, and don''t stop. We parked the speeders not that far away. Metal and Brain will cover our rearguard." "Okay." "Good. Now, let''s go!" Ignoring the rain of lasers following them, the five people ran, with the two chosen clones turning slightly to shower the droids with lasers and thermal detonators. They got to the next set of cover just in time, because the droids adjusted their aim. Lasers hit the ground right behind Dageer as he dove behind a rock. "Don''t stop! If they encircle us, we are dead!" Dageer pushed Gobi, who was leaning on the rock panting hard. The Twi''lek might be a freedom fighter, but he obviously wasn''t used to battles. Behind them, Dageer could hear the whole Separatist army turning on. He heard Tech yell a curse, and saw a black spot on his shoulder. However, the clone said it was nothing much, and kept running. They didn''t have the time to stop and look at it, so Tech would have to endure the pain. Luckily for them, the droids were trying to ambush the strike teams, so they couldn''t bring heavy vehicles like AATs. That allowed them to get to their speeders easily, and escape. On their way back to the capital, Dageer confirmed the situation of the other groups. Seven groups had been sent, and two were completely wiped out, while some suffered casualties. In the end, nineteen clones and three Twi''leks died. ------------------------- On the tall walls of Lessu, General Di and Ragout watched as the Separatist army organized themselves. The ray bridge had been turned off, meaning that the only way for the Separatist to attack was through artillery. Dageer and Commander Keeli walked beside the two Jedis, analyzing their defenses. Too much had happened in the spawn of one night. Not only the seppies devised a trap, but they also attacked on all fronts. All the outposts and bases the Republic built were destroyed in a single night, and the four main cities of Ryloth were now under siege. Chapter 198 - Who Is The Traitor? Lessu was the capital of one of the most important planets of the galaxy. Millions lived there, and sh.i.p.s were landing on it all the time. It was a noisy and busy city, bustling with life. But now, said city was eerily quiet. Even though it was day, no sh.i.p.s were landing and taking off because of the battle in the space. The residents stopped working, and were looking nervously out of their windows. From time to time, a loud bang resounded, sometimes followed by a scream. Snipers from both sides were trading shots, trying to take out enemy commanders. That was the only noise that could be heard, and it made the civilians tremble. Somehow, it was worse than a full-on battle. ... Dageer was looking at the enemy army outside Lessu when he heard a loud sound. Instinctively, he dropped down, and felt a heatwave pass by him. Fortunately, he wasn''t the target of the enemy sniper, or he would be dead. However, by his side, a clone lieutenant fell down, a hole on his right chest. The laser missed his heart, so he would probably survive, but was out of combat. "Man down!" Almost at the same time that the lieutenant was hit, a sniper blaster fired from somewhere else on the wall surrounding Lessu. A cloud of dust rose in the plain behind the droid army. Using his macrobinoculars, Dageer saw a dead droid with a hole in the head. "Good shot, Dab." Dageer didn''t need to ask who the sniper was. In all of the 303rd, only Dab could react so fast. He located the droid sharpshooter, aimed and fired in less than two seconds. Probably few in the entire Republic army could match him. "Thank you, sir." Hell Squad had reunited in the capital after their failed attack on the droid army. On their path they had to take a detour around their second base, which was in ruins and crawling with droids. Since they were a small group, they moved much faster, and got to Lessu hours before the Separatist. General Di, Ragout and Commander Keeli were already there, together with the surviving clones of the 303rd. Around Ryloth, on the other three main cities - Nabat, Rhovari, and Kala''uun - the 303rd was also forced to retreat, so now they were concentrated on those four places. Any kind of aerial support that they asked for was quickly taken down by a crushing amount of Vulture droids. And, to make things worse, they were starting to run low on supplies. "Sub-commander, sir. General Di is calling you to the meeting room." A clone came to him, and Dageer followed it. It wasn''t like he could do anything on the wall. For the past few hours, all he had been doing was patrolling and firing at the droids. ... The atmosphere of the meeting room was very somber. Only six people were inside it, and all the other staff members were sent away. It was a secret meeting, and a very important one. The two Jedis, General Di, and Ragout, sat on one side of a hologram table, with Dageer and Commander Keeli behind them. On the opposite side were Cham Syndulla and Gobi. As soon as Dageer arrived, Commander Keeli had told him to look for ''bugs''. The so-called ''bugs'' weren''t insects, but hidden transmission devices, created to listen to the conversation of others. Not surprisingly, they found one. The ''bug'' looked like a comlink, but it was one-third of it''s size, no bigger than a nail. It had been hidden behind a command panel, and probably wouldn''t be ever found if one wasn''t looking for it. Now, it was laying on the table, and the six people were looking at it. Nobody said a word, since it was still active. Only after a few seconds did someone move. With an angry expression, Syndulla picked up the device, and crushed it with his fingers. He let it fall on the table, and turned to General Di. "What does that mean, Jedi?" General Di was very calm, and waited for Gobi to pull back Syndulla. The freedom fighter''s leader was red with anger, because he knew exactly what General Di was implying. "We have a spy in our midst." "And you think it is one of my men." "I do." Syndulla closed his eyes and took a deep breath. General Di wasn''t beating around the bush, and the Twi''lek had to control himself not to fight the Jedi. He knew what the result would be, and Ryloth could not afford to offend the Republic, at least not now, when the 303rd Attack Legion was all that was between them and the Separatist. "Why? We are fighting for our planet, Jedi. We would never betray ourselves. If there is a spy, then it should be on your end." As soon as Syndulla uttered those words, Dageer and Commander Keeli tensed up. It took an enormous amount of discipline for them not to retort. Seeing the clones grabbing their blasters and taking a small step towards him before retreating, even someone like Syndulla felt a little scared. He saw more than once how deadly the two clones were. "You shouldn''t question the loyalty of the clones, Syndulla. Keeli, explain to him. Maybe he will believe better if it comes out of the mouth of a clone." "Yes, general. We were created to fight for the Republic, Syndulla. Even if we wanted to betray it, our genes wouldn''t permit it. Besides, we have a reason stronger than any orders or discipline. Do you really believe that a clone would defect to the one who killed hundreds of thousands of his brothers?" "That is enough, Keeli." Seeing the commander get so worked up, General Di frowned and stopped him. He didn''t expect that having their loyalty questioned would impact him so much. And looking at how Dageer also seemed to be angry, the Jedi suspected that every clone would have the same reaction, which was quite confusing. What General Di didn''t know, however, was that each night, in their dreams, a dark shadow would ask them to betray the Jedis, their generals. As such, loyalty was much more important to the clones than anyone could ever guess. When Commander Keeli stepped back, General Di turned back to the Twi''leks, and gestured towards the ''bug''. "Someone, one of your own, tipped us off to the Separatist. Our strike teams were ambushed, and many barely made it off. Our bases were attacked where we were the weakest. Although it wasn''t a very well guarded secret, those pieces of information weren''t known by most." "So whoever betrayed us, is in a high position. One of my officers." "Exactly. Now, Syndulla, we have to be very careful. Think hard, and tell me: Who is the traitor?" Chapter 199 - As A Friend "Who is the traitor?" Syndulla looked like he wanted to argue again, but in the end, he just sat down, defeated. Knowing that one of the people he trusted betrayed not only him, but also his home planet was almost too much for the old Twi''lek. For several minutes the freedom fighter stood quiet, and no one said anything. They knew Syndulla was going through a difficult time asking himself again and again which of the officers was the spy. "I-I... Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!" Syndula punched the hologram table, and held his head with his hands. None of the people in the room said anything, and Gobi put his arm around the shoulders of his leader. "I can''t think of anyone. But... Jedi, I hope you know how painful it is for me to say this. Uff... If there really is a traitor, it is probably Tram Cholq, Yate or Tae Boon. Tram and Yate are very dissatisfied with me asking for help if the Republic. Not that you helped much. And Tae, he... is complicated. He wanted to side with the Separatist at first, but when I decided to follow the Republic, he changed his view. He is just like that, but I can''t believe he would betray us." "Tae thinks of Cham as a kind of hero. Whatever Cham does, he will always agree, even if he... well, disagree." Gobi seemed quite uncomfortable with the subject, while Syndulla became silent once again. Usually, General Du would press in such a matter, because both Twi''leks seemed very awkward. But now they didn''t have time to be polite. "What happened? This is important, Syndulla. It can decide who lives and dies in the next battle." Gobi looked at Syndulla, who didn''t seem to want to answer the Jedi. Finally, after a few seconds, the freedom fighter decided to do it for his leader. "Tae... Tae is Cham''s..." "He is my son." General Di, who was about to talk, was stunned, and said nothing. Ragout and the two clones were also extremely quiet. It was clear now why Syndulla couldn''t bear to say that Tae Boon might be a spy for the Separatist. "Does he know it?" "No. I was planning to tell him just before the battle. But I don''t know if I can." General Di shook his head, and smiled lightly, but his smile carried no happiness, only understanding. "You have to tell him now. His reaction will show who he sides with. Leave Tram and Yate for my men. We will keep an eye on them. As for Tae... I will leave him to you." Syndulla nodded, and got up, followed by Gobi. When they were at the door, the Twi''lek turned back, and put his hand above his chest. It was a sort of greetings used by the people of Ryloth. "Thank you, Master Di." After the freedom fighters left, General Di gestured for Commander Keeli and Dageer to sit down. "What do you think?" "We should keep an eye on both Syndulla and Tae Boon. If Tae isn''t the spy, then it is for the better. But if he is, knowing who his father is can cause... unexpected reactions." Both clones nodded. Ragout said exactly what they were thinking. If he was a traitor, the revelation would probably startle Tae so much that he would reveal it. But what he would do after was impossible to know. Maybe he would tell the truth, or he might even start his plan earlier. Anyway, it was sure there would be repercussions. "Let''s do this then. Keeli, get someone on Tae Boon and on Syndulla. Don''t let them know they are being followed. The same goes for Tram Cholq and Yate." "Yes, general." "Good. Now, are we ready for the battle?" "As ready as we can be, general." Suddenly, the Nikto stood up, and put his hand in front of Commander Keeli. After shaking hands with the commander, he did the same with Dageer. For the first time ever since when Ragout was captured and taken to Tatooine, the Jedi showed his emotions without holding back. Only, this time it wasn''t rage, but fondness. "Keeli, Dageer. Whatever the result of this battle is, whatever happens to Ryloth, I want you to know that it was my pleasure and my privilege to have you two with me. And I say this not as your general, but as your friend. The 303rd couldn''t have finer commanders." For a moment, Dageer was underwhelmed by emotion. Any soldier would like to be praised by his commander, but this was... different. General Di was the person Dageer respected the most, even more than Commander Keeli. The Jedi was harsh, tough, and mostly emotionless. But Dageer also knew that he was kind and helpful, qualities he suspected every Jedi needed. Dageer had seen him put his life at risk for clones and civilians hundreds, if not thousands of times. Both he and Keeli saluted General Di at the same time. They knew that was the Jedi''s way of saying his farewells, and they wouldn''t do anything less than return it with the same respect. "Thank you, general." The Nikto smiled, and waved at them. "You should go now. I am sure you still have duties to perform before this final battle." "Yes, general." ... Watching the two clones leave, General Di sat down and looked at his padawan. Ragout had been quiet this entire time, as if only now did he realize that they were about to face an army dozens of times their size, and without any chance of retreat. "What troubles you, my padawan?" Ragout bit his lips, and the protuberances that identified him as a Togruta twitched, showing he was nervous. "Master... Is there... Is there any chance that we can survive this?" "As long as we are alive, there is hope. The Republic won''t give up on us. We only have to hold on, and trust the Force." Being reassured by his master, Ragout became somewhat worry-free. After all, he was still a child, and it was easy for him to forget those things. With his head down, the padawan didn''t notice the sad expression of his master when he lied to his apprentice. ... Dageer and Commander Keeli walked in the corridors of the Twi''lek building that had become the Republic base on Lessu. Both clones said almost nothing, as the weight of General Di''s words was still sinking in. Eventually, Dageer turned to his commander. "Sir. We are going to die on this planet, and I have no problems with it. We were born to this. But... Do you think there is any chance we can convince General Di and General Ragout to leave the city? I don''t believe the Republic will leave Ryloth to the seppies. The planet is too important. If they could hide for this long..." "Ha! You know very well the answer. The general will live and die with us, Dageer. Even suggesting that to him would be disrespectful. Now, come on, brother. We have troops to command, and clanckers to kill." "Yes, sir." Commander Keeli tapped Dageer on the back, and laughed. No matter how grim the situation was, dying side by side with his brothers, and such a general, didn''t seem so bad. On the back of his mind, something that Dageer said had been bugging him. However, a clone rushed towards him with a datapad, and the commander forgot what it was. Chapter 200 - Bitter Defeat "Artillery strike incoming! Get dow... Arghh!!!" Dageer didn''t know who yelled that, but he was cut short when a barrage of lasers as thick as his waist landed on the walls of Lessu. A huge portion of the wall crumbled, falling into the city below, crushing several houses. More than ten soldiers went down with it, and the situation repeated itself on many portions of the wall. Dageer stood up again, and fired several shots. He didn''t even bother to aim, since the mass of droids outside Lessu was so compact that he was sure to hit something. However, no matter how many droids he killed, it was but a drop in the ocean. For the last four days - ever since the Separatist started a full-on attack all around Ryloth - several more C-9979s Landing Crafts landed on Ryloth, and now the Separatist had almost half a million troops on the planet. Behind Dageer, Lessu was almost in ruins. Smoke and fire spread all around the city, thanks to the artillery barrage and the Hyena-class bombers of the seppies. Thankfully, most civilians were okay, since they had long hidden inside bunkers. Tri-droids, MTTs, AATs, and Dwarf-Spider droids bombarded the city without stop, and most of the clones vehicles, which were basically AT-TEs, SHAP-Ts, and AT-APs, were destroyed. In hope of doing a last stand inside the city, General Di ordered the remaining five AT-TEs to retreat. Of course, that only accelerated the fall of Lessu. Up till now, the 303rd had suffered severe losses under the Separatist attack. In fact, in four days, they lost more than on the entirety of the battle up to this moment. Of the four cities they were protecting, only Lessu still was under the Republic. The other three - Kala''uun, Nabat, and Rhovari - had fallen to Separatist hands. In total, nine thousand clones died protecting those cities, although it was in vain. The survivors, who didn''t amount much more than fifteen hundred, retreated together with the freedom fighters to one of their bases deep in the wilderness. After Lessu fell - and it was going to - the remaining clones would go there too. That was the alternative that Commander Keeli had found. Since they couldn''t win the battle, nor could they send General Di away as Dageer wanted, then they would all retreat. What would happen next, they didn''t know. "Sir! Lieutenant Fondor just died! His injuries were too great!" Just when Dageer was thinking, a trooper touched his shoulder, and gave him the bad news. Yesterday, the section of the wall where Fondor was had been hit, and he fell down. Although he didn''t die immediately, his skull cracked, and several of his bones broke, puncturing his organs. It was a miracle he didn''t perish immediately, but the poor soldier couldn''t hold on. Dageer closed his eyes. Fondor had been a good soldier, and, above all else, a good brother. Unfortunately, war didn''t wait for the people to grief. Not only had Fondor died, but many of his closest brothers also had. Captain Narza had died two days before, when he and Bliar decided to stay behind to cover the retreat of the others in Nabat. When they realized that they wouldn''t be able to leave, they strapped a bunch of thermal detonators to a speeder, and drove it straight to the droids. They were dead before the speeder blew up. Thartam, the medic that helped Dageer on Mygeeto, had been blasted in the face by a Tri-droid. Sharp and Spike also died in battle in one of the other cities. Smit and Agil didn''t resist their wounds. Lieutenant Jesper, Lieutenant Virgo, Sergeant Pride, Sergeant Vigil, and Captain Plasma also perished in battle. One by one, everyone Dageer knew, the clones and brothers that he grew up with, were dying, and there was nothing he could do. That caused not only him, but also the others, to be reckless. It was almost impossible to find a trooper uninjured, but anyone who could carry a blaster was fighting. Dageer himself had many bruises and cuts, although the worst injury Hell Squad received was a laser wound on Brain''s shoulder, which he totally ignored. Dageer turned to the clone who warned him, a squad leader called Trapper. The clone was limping, and two black spots in his left leg showed where he had been hit. Still, Trapper acted as if the wound wasn''t there. "Get Sergeant Sannel to replace him in commanding his battalion." "The sergeant is dead, sir." "All right. Then you are in charge, Trapper. You are a sergeant now. Do your best." "Understood, sir." The newly-promoted sergeant died before he could even make it back to his men, shot in the head by a lucky droid. This time no one warned Dageer, because they couldn''t stop fighting or they would die. It didn''t matter really, because now each clone had one mission: fight, for as long as they could. And then there was a pause in the battle. The droids stopped firing, and looked up to the sky. Dageer took the chance to grab an RPS-6 from a dead trooper, and fire at the legs of a Tri-droid. The giant thing tumbled down, and crushed several droids. Still, the Separatist army ignored him and the 303rd, which caused hundreds of clanckers to die in a few seconds. He asked himself why the droids would act so weird, and the answer came almost instantly. He looked around, and saw Yate holding an injured arm. Next to him, the son of Cham Syndulla, Tae Boon, looked at Dageer in the eyes, and tried to yell something to the clone. Somehow, Dageer knew the freedom fighter discovered he was suspected of being a spy for the Separatist. But it wasn''t him. When Dageer understood what was happening, it was too late. Several things happened at the same time. Firstly, Dageer heard a clone scream on his communicator. "It''s Tram Cholq! It''s Tram... Arghhhh!!!" Then, he saw a young Twi''lek that was next to him turn around, and fire at him. Dageer dropped to the ground, barely dodging, grabbed his vibroblade, and cut off the hand that was holding the blaster. While the Twi''lek screamed, Dageer kicked him, and he fell in the abyss outside the city. All around the city wall, several freedom fighters turned against the 303rd. Not all clones were as fast as Dageer to react, and dozens were executed on the spot by the people who were fighting side by side with them instants before. In fact, not only the 303rd was targeted, but several Twi''leks were also killed. Dageer couldn''t imagine how the traitors could murder the people they knew and lived with for years, but it was happening. And lastly, Dageer heard a small rumbling sound as the ray bridge that was the only connection between Lessu and the outside appeared. At the same time, the droid army also came back to life, and several vehicles concentrated their fire on the gate of the city. Chapter 201 - Cornered Traitor For now, Dageer ignored the droids attacking the gate, and got up. Aiming his DC-15A, he fired six shots in quick succession. Each of them hit the forehead of a freedom fighter traitor. The others also started to react, quickly taking down the traitors, and turned back to defend against the Separatist. The Twi''leks, however, stared blankly at the corpses of the ones who moments before were their''s brothers-in-arms. Dageer pushed one of them, and yelled in his ear to wake him up. "Get on your feet and use that blaster, soldier!" "I-I... He... H-He... I''m not a soldier..." "Now you are! Move if you don''t want to die!" He dragged the Twi''lek down, just in time to dodge a volley of lasers. Seeing that the freedom fighters were coming back to their senses, Dageer turned on his comlink to contact General Di and Commander Keeli. "Bzzz... Bzzz... Bzzz..." However, only a buzzing sound answered him. Communications were jammed again. Of course they were. "We are falling back to the City Council building! Comms are out, pass it around!" "Yes, sir!" Dageer grabbed a trooper by his side, and ordered him to call the retreat. Just when the clone was about to move away, Dageer pulled him back again. "And if you see anyone from Hell Squad, tell them to go to the bridge controls!" "Yes, sir." Looking at the walls one last time, Dageer went towards the bridge controls. Since he had ordered the retreat, he had to go against the flow, and bumped into several Twi''leks. The freedom fighters weren''t as organized as the clones, so their retreat was quite chaotic. On his way to the bridge controls, he reunited with Three-four, Dab, and Brain. When they arrived there, he saw Tech, Cell, and Metal. Tech wasn''t wearing his helmet, and was bleeding from a cut above his eyebrows. Three-four quickly bandaged it, and the clone put his helmet on again. "Sub-commander, sir. I have a message from General Di!" "Say it." Ferit, who had recently become a sergeant, ran towards Dageer, with a message from the Jedi. "He and Commander Keeli are in the City Council building. He said that you should know it is Tram, and that you would understand. And that you have to capture him." "Understood. Go back. Hell Squad will take care of it." "We will go too." Both clones turned around, and saw Cham Syndulla, together with his son, Tae Boon. Syndulla had a bandage around his chest, while Tae looked battered but all right. "Tram was one of my officers. I''ve known him for years. I want to no why..." "Let''s go." Dageer ignored Syndulla, and turned around. The freedom fighter leader was stunned, but seemed to understand, and smiled sadly. After all, not only did he fail to find out there was a traitor amongst his troops, there were in fact several. Seeing Dageer and Hell Squad entering the bridge controls building, Syndulla and his son followed. Just at the entrance, they were greeted with a sorrowful sight. Four corpses were laying on the ground. Three of them were clones, and all, with the exception of one, had been shot at point-blank on the back of the head. Dageer knelt beside the corpse of Timer. The trooper had been in charge of following Tram Cholq, and had been the one to warn Dageer about his betrayal. Timer was holding his comlink in one hand, and had four wounds in the chest. If he had defended himself instead of contacting Dageer, he probably would have lasted longer. But Timer saw the big picture, and knew that this was more important than his life. Getting up, Dageer looked at the stairs that would take them to the bridge control room. It was a circular set of stairs, meaning they would have to be careful, because any defender could just put his blaster out and fire, without exposing their body, while those who were going up wouldn''t have anywhere to hide. Dageer looked around, and saw Syndulla closing the eyes of the dead Twi''lek. Surprised, he recognized her as Apele, the woman who lead them to ambush the droids when they landed on Ryloth. Unfortunately, there was no time to mourn. "We need to move. Either we retake the controls and deactivate the bridge, or we get surrounded and killed. Let''s go." Hell Squad followed him without hesitation, while Syndulla looked at Tae and nodded. They let the clones go first, because they were more experienced, but also because Syndulla didn''t want his son to be hurt. Their decision was proved correct, because the circular stairs that posed so much threat for others were nothing before Hell Squad. Before the Twi''lek traitors could even aim, they were blasted by the clones, who knew exactly where they were. How they knew that, it could only be attributed to how many times they had been in similar circ.u.mstances. In total, they killed five Twi''leks to get to the bridge control room. Each time they stepped over a dead body, Syndulla, and Tae Boon would mutter a name. When Dageer and Three-four were about to breach inside the bridge control room, a piece of the doorway was blasted by lasers. The shards hit Dageer''s helmet harmlessly, and he stepped back, taking cover behind the wall. "Dab, how many?" "I counted six blasters firing, sir." "Damn it. No way we are getting in there quickly. Plan B then. Tech, if we destroy the controls, will that take the bridge down?" "Probably." "Let''s do it, then. Brain." "On it, sir." Under the shocked gaze of Syndulla, Brain pulled out about ten thermal detonators from his backpack. Dageer gestured for the clone to wait for a moment. "Tram Cholq! We know you are there!" "Of course you do! I just tried to shoot you! What do you want?" Dageer was about to answer, but Syndulla rushed forward, and yelled at the room. "Tram! I know you never liked me, but... Why? Why betray your people?" "Hahaha... Betray my people? I didn''t betray anyone. The only traitor here is you. You knew the Republic couldn''t protect us, and yet you engaged in a lost war. You think I don''t know you were promised the power to rule Ryloth if you win this war? Ha!" Syndulla looked stunned, as if for the first time it occurred to him that he made the wrong decision. Dageer didn''t care. He ordered Brain to throw the thermal detonators, and a bunch of explosions shook the whole building. Immediately, Brain and Dageer entered the room, one looking to the left and the other to the right. Seven Twi''leks laid on the floor, two of them clearly dead, and the other four very stunned by the explosion. Tram wasn''t amongst them. Without pity, Dageer and Brain killed the traitors, and looked around. They had heard Tram Cholq, but couldn''t see him. It was at this moment that somebody jumped on Dageer, and tried to grab his neck. The person had been hiding behind the doors, so both Brain and Dageer had their backs to him. The attacker obviously wanted to capture Dageer, so the clone let him do it. Without facing resistance, Tram Cholq put a blaster pistol against Dageer''s head. "You take one more step and I will kill him!" Chapter 202 - Ryloth Conquered Tram knew that Dageer was a bigshot of the 303rd Attack Legion. Not only was he the sub-commander of the legion, but he was also the leader of a so-called special squad. He didn''t know what was so special about them, other than their different armor and weapons. However, he knew that by capturing Dageer, he would be able to use the hostage to go free. Or at least, that was what he expected. However, after he grabbed Dageer, and put his blaster against his head, the clone didn''t struggle - which he understood, after all, he had a blaster aimed at him - but the other clones didn''t seem worried. One of them, in fact, even put down his blasters and start analyzing the destroyed bridge controls, as if Tram wasn''t there, holding his squad leader hostage. "The bridge is still up, sir, but I should be able to deactivate it with a little bit of time." The clone - that Tram recognized as Tech - turned to Dageer, and said that. At the same time, Syndulla and Tae entered the room, and were almost as confused as Tram. The traitor was furious, but before he could threaten the clones, he heard Dageer mutter something. "What? Get out of the way or I will blow his head off!" "I said... You are too close." Before Tram could process what Dageer said, the clone launched his head backwards, and headbutted Tram. With a ''crack'', the nose of the Twi''lek broke. At the same time, Dageer grabbed the arm that Tram had around his neck, and threw him over his shoulder. Before the traitor hit the ground, Dageer already had his DC-17 aimed at his face. "Take this bridge out now, Tech. I saw an MTT and a dozen battalions already crossing it." Dageer signaled for Metal and Three-four to hold Tram Cholq, and turned to the window. Several hundred droids had already entered the city, and small fights erupted everywhere as the Republic forces were hunted down. Now, after securing the entrance of Lessu, the vehicles of the Separatist were starting to move in, the first one being one of the big MTTs, capable of carrying hundreds of troops. Behind it, closely packed B1 units marched. "Come on Tech, you have to be quick." Tech typed frenectly in the control panels, but this time their plan worked against them. When they blew up the room, the machines were damaged just enough so Tech couldn''t work with them. However, the ray bridge was still there. "Come on, come on..." "We really need to move fast, Tech." "I''m trying, sir. But this damn thing isn''t working." "Ha! You are doomed! When the Separatist arrives, you will all be killed, and I will represent Ryloth to join the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. You and all the clones will be killed or captured, and Ryloth will be safe. Finally." Tram, with a crazy look on his eyes, laughed at the futile attempts of Hell Squad to stop the clanckers. At this moment, Dageer decided it was enough. Turning around, he walked until he was in front of Tram, and put his DC-17 in the forehead of the traitor. Suddenly, the look of contempt on his face became one of fear. He was sure Dageer was about to kill him, and that the clone wouldn''t hesitate for a moment. "Tram Cholq, you betrayed the Republic and aligned with the Separatist. Your actions caused not only the loss of a crucial planet to our efforts of war, but also the death of hundreds and thousands of troopers. That is enough for you to be sentenced to death a dozen times. I, as the sub-commander of the 303rd Attack Legion of The Galactic Republic, have the authority to execute your sentence immediately." Tram was frozen in fear, while all the members of Hell Squad looked at Dageer quite shocked. It was rare to see Dageer so angry. However, in the end, they had orders they had to follow. Brain stepped forward, and put his hand on Dageer''s shoulder. "We have orders to take him alive, sir." For a few seconds, Dageer stood still, looking straight at Tram. The black visor of the clone''s helmet didn''t let the Twi''lek see Dageer''s eyes, but it was somehow even scarier than if he could. Finally, Dageer lowered his arm, and walked to Syndulla, who was standing in the corner of the room without saying anything. He gave the freedom fighter his DC-17. "We have orders to take him alive. You don''t. Brain, take those detonators, plant it on the controls. This is our last chance." "Ye-Yes, sir." After hesitating a while, and being scolded by Dageer again, Brain planted the thermal detonators. Dageer was being harsh, but it was all because of the situation they were in. "Let''s hope this works." Dageer pressed a button on his comlink, and the detonators blew up. Almost at the same time that the bridge controls exploded, the ray bridge started to falter. Several holes appeared in it, and hundreds of droids fell through them. When it totally disappeared, it was a massacre. At least three to four thousand B1 units and several hundred B2 super battle droids disappeared in the abyss below. Six AATs, two dozen Dwarf-Spider droids, a few Crab-droids, and one Tri-droid also went down. The sound of metal hitting rocks engulfed Lessu, silencing, for a moment, everything else. Unfortunately, even taking out the bridge was not enough at this point. The MTT had half of its body hanging over the edge of the abyss, but it managed to get up. Immediately after it entered Lessu, it started spewing droids. Almost a thousand of them joined the ones who were already in the city, pushing the 303rd even farther back. "Let''s go, or we will be trapped here." "Yes, sir." Dageer turned to Syndulla, who was aiming the DC-17 at Tram. The freedom fighter nodded to Dageer, and the clone acknowledged. Gesturing to Hell Squad, the clones left the room, headed to the City Council building. "Err... sir? Shouldn''t Syndulla come with us?" "He knows the city better than anyone. He will figure his path. Besides, what will happen between him and the spy is something concerning the freedom fighters, not us." "But... What about Tram Cholq? What about our orders?" "Our orders were to take down the bridge, and we did it. The rest you leave for me to worry. Understood?" "Yes, sir." To tell the truth, none of the clones liked the idea of Tram Cholq being alive after causing the death of so many brothers. However, they wouldn''t disobey orders, and even though Dageer technically wasn''t disobeying, it still felt... wrong. But, they decided to shut up and follow their squad leader. ... Nobody knew what Tram Cholq and Cham Syndulla talked about. However, Syndulla and his son made it back to the City Council building, and Tram Cholq was confirmed dead. Other than a stern stare, there were no consequences for Hell Squad or Dageer. A few hours later, suffering heavy casualties, the Republic was forced to abandon Lessu to the Separatist. The next day, the ray bridge was up again, and hundreds of thousands of droids walked into the city. Despite the small number of surviving clones and freedom fighters on the ground, and the few Republic sh.i.p.s still battling in space, Ryloth was considered conquered by the Separatist. The planet was lost, at least for now. Chapter 203 - The Last Battle Kneeling, Dageer closed the eyes of Captain Jax, and gestured for two troopers to take him away. The captain was the latest of the hundreds of wounded troopers who weren''t able to resist. But he wouldn''t be the last. It was at this moment that the entire camp became quiet. Before, it was bustling with movement, clones, and Twi''leks speaking and wounded m.o.a.ning. But now it was quiet. He looked around, and saw heads turned to the sky. When he looked up, Dageer couldn''t help but curse. Dozens of sh.i.p.s had just appeared above Ryloth. Separatist sh.i.p.s. ------------------------------ "We just detected movement in the hyperspace, admiral. Two minutes until they arrive." "Any word from the Republic? Are those sh.i.p.s ours?" "We have nothing." "Then those are enemy sh.i.p.s. Get ready! This can very well be our last battle. All fighters to the air, and don''t spare ammunition." "Yes, admiral." Admiral Dao looked at the enemy fleet already there, and made a comparison. The result wasn''t good. Of the entire 303rd fleet, only one badly damaged Acclamator-class Cruiser still remained, together with two Venator-class cruisers, The Sincerity and The Righteous. Meanwhile, the Separatist still had the Recusant-class Destroyer - very damaged, but still operational - and four Providence-class dreadnoughts, alongside with seven Munificent-class frigates. If one were to compare the ratio of Republic starfighters to Vulture droids, it was even worse. Only one hundred and fifty-three V-Wings were left from the original two thousand and five hundred. On the Separatist side, about eight hundred Vulture droids could still fly. Considering only numbers, the Republic fleet had caused a lot more damages than it suffered, killing about four enemies for each starfighter it lost, but in the end, a defeat was still a defeat. Of course, nobody could accuse the 303rd of being useless. They were given a suicide mission, and they completed it to their best. By all means, they should have been destroyed days ago, but the determination they showed was enough to make even the merciless droid army falter. The enemy commander, the tactical droid, had already been informed that he would face punishment for taking too long to destroy a ''simple'' Republic fleet. The unfortunate TA-175 couldn''t even argue that it was not his fault, because his circuits also couldn''t process it. According to his initial calculations, they should have lost less than twenty percent of their army to conquer Ryloth, not the whooping sixty to seventy percent that they did. They shouldn''t have taken twenty-one days to win this battle, but ten. Everything went wrong, and the tactical droid didn''t know why. TA-175 had the same problem that countless other tactical droids also had when facing the Clone Army. Their calculations took into account only numbers, but clones weren''t just that. Each and every one of them were fighting for their lives, but also for the lives of others. That made them much stronger. An alert sounded as the sh.i.p.s came out of hyperspace. Just like they expected, it was another Separatist fleet, bigger and stronger than the first. This time, the enemy didn''t wait to start the attack. Immediately after they exited hyperspace, the hangar doors opened, and thousands of Vulture droids left the sh.i.p.s. The commander of this new fleet seemed decided to crush the Republic''s remaining forces completely. Well, Admiral Dao wasn''t going to let them destroy the 303rd so easily. For the last time, he turned on the speakers, transmitting his voice to every cruiser and starfighter of the 303rd fleet - what was left of it -. His voice carried sadness and sorrow, but also an unwavering determination. "Attention, troopers, and pilots of the 303rd Attack Legion. This is Admiral Dao speaking. Ou enemies have received reinforcements. It is with the deepest of regrets that I inform you that we will not live to see another day. I won''t lie to you and say there are reinforcements on the way. There aren''t. But I will say one thing: you sacrificed so much for the Republic. Too much even. No one could have done more than you did for the Republic." He paused, and sensed something hot on his cheeks. Surprised, Admiral Dao realized it was tears. He laughed lightly. Who would have thought that the battle-hardened admiral, a commander of the Old Republic, would cry? But he wasn''t crying because he was afraid to die. He was crying because he knew that was the last time he talked with those soldiers, those brothers. "But I have to ask you to do one more thing. I have to ask you to trust me. Since we can''t win against the seppies, then we are going to make this the most painful victory they ever had. Now, here is what we are going to do. Cruisers, we will be in the front. All power on the forward shields. Fighters, you will be coming behind us. And bombers, you will be in the middle of the starfighters." There was a collective gasp of surprise amongst the officers in the command bridge of The Sincerity. They understood what the admiral planed. It was suicide, but he was right when he said it would hurt the Separatist the most. By putting the cruisers on the front, they would take the brunt of the attack, and most likely be damaged beyond repair, even destroyed. However, that would give the starfighters a chance of bypassing the Vulture droids, and directly attacking the big sh.i.p.s. That is where the Y-Wings bombers came in. "I''m sure you know what I mean. Bombers your job is the most important of all. You won''t stop for anything. Sh.i.p.s will blow by your side. Brothers will die. You will go on, understood? That is the only shot that we will have at avenging them. Now, get in your positions, and prepare to fight. And remember, if we are to go out, then let it be in a blaze of glory." He turned off the speakers. He said all he had to say. Now, all that was left was to battle. On the three cruisers, nobody said anything. There were no cheers, no answer to Admiral Dao''s speech. The pilots put on their helmets, resolve on their faces. Gunners and crewmen prepared the cannons and turrets. The odd formation that the Republic got in confused the enemy commander, but when he realized what their plan was, he just laughed. The puny efforts of those clones were nothing before the might of the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. The last battle of the 303rd Attack Legion started. That day, one of the top legions of the Republic Army fell, annihilated in battle. No ship of the fleet stayed in one piece, and no pilot survived. It was a dark day for the Republic. Chapter 205 - Missing Supplies "General, commander, there is something you should know about." Dageer saluted the Jedi and the clone as usual, but he was bringing bad news. Very bad news. "What is it?" "Bad news, general. I asked Brain to do an inventory of our supplies, since I doubt we will have a chance to restock. We are good on water and food, and I think Syndulla would be able to arrange that for us if it is needed. We are also good on ammo. We lost troopers faster than they could spend it." "What is the problem then?" "Most of our medical supplies are spoiled and useless. I think we were sabotaged. Bacta tanks were broken, bandages were ruined and medicines destroyed." General Di showed an angry face. It was clear what Dageer was implying. "Tram Cholq." "I think so, general. He is the only one who would do that." "That bastard... Even after death he is betraying us." For once, General Di let Commander Keeli curse a dead man. This last blow that Tram Cholq hit them with, even after his death, was really too much. Just like Dageer said, they could do without water and food, because Syndulla certainly could arrange that on his own planet. However, without medical supplies, each wound could take the life of a trooper or a freedom fighter, even if it was just the tiniest scratch. "Put me in contact with Admiral Dao." Dageer was holding his helmet under his arm, but he put it down on a crate, and pulled out a hologram projector. Admiral Dao showed up, but the transmission was blurry, and the admiral kept looking back. Of course, all of this was understandable, since The Sincerity was locked in a death struggle at this moment. "Admiral. We need medical supplies immediately. Contact the Jedi Council once more. Tell them that if we don''t get those supplies, the 303rd and the freedom fighters won''t be able to defend Ryloth." "I... Bzzz... Do so, general... Bzz... Not sure it will... Matter... I''ve tried this many... Answer is always... Bzzz... same..." "Try again, admiral. It is our only hope." "Yes... General..." General Di ended the transmission, and turned to the two clones and Syndulla. They could already hear the sound of the droids approaching far away. The Nikto inspected the troops behind them. One thousand and seven hundred clones, and about that same number in Twi''lek freedom fighters. The wounded and civilians were already far away. "Now, we can only fight... And hope. May the Force be with us." ------------------------- Admiral Dao held on the hologram table so he wouldn''t fall. Although they had only just started their suicide attack, The Sincerity and the other sh.i.p.s were already taking heavy fire. He had just spoken with the members of the Jedi Council, as General Di asked, and the answer was a little bit better this time. He was told that a representative of the Senate was already in Toydaria, negotiating a convoy of supplies for the Republic troops on Ryloth. Toydarians had a neutral stance in the Clone Wars - and, as such, could enter Ryloth without being attacked by the Separatist - but the benefits the Republic promised were enough to make their king send those supplies, and nothing more. However, negotiations were still going on, and if it took to long, there would be no one alive to receive the supplies. For now, all Admiral Dao could do was continue to fight, and kill as many droids as possible before he died. --------------------------- Dageer jumped down a trench, just in time to dodge a volley of red lasers coming in his direction. For the past hour, he and Commander Keeli had been fighting side by side, and caused so many losses to the droids that they became the focus of attention of the enemy army, even more than General Di. The commander also jumped inside the trench. Around them, clones and Twi''leks fought side by side, and died side by side. Dageer felt someone stumble and hit him, and when he looked at the corpse, he recognized Sharp, even though half of his helmet was black and smoking. Putting his dead brother down slowly, he turned to Commander Keeli. The commander had two DC-17s, one on each hand, and was firing them non-stop. Dageer looked over the top of the trench, and saw a dozen droids falling in quick succession, each of them with a laser hole in the chest and another in the head. It was incredible how Commander Keeli could be so accurate with pistols at more than three hundred meters. However, Dageer didn''t have time to admire the commander, because an AAT was crushing the dead droids in his path, and it was aiming at them. "The tank is looking at us, commander." "Everyone around, move!" They only had time to jumped out of the way before the AAT fired. Red soil and mud flew everywhere, and Dageer heard screams as at least one freedom fighter was caught in the explosion. Thankfully, the AAT didn''t have time to fire a second shot before one of the few AT-TEs the 303rd had destroyed it. His head buzzing, Dageer felt Commander Keeli helping him get up. "Come on, Dageer. It isn''t time to sleep now." Chuckling, Dageer got up and grabbed his DC-17. His DC-15A was lost somewhere, and he didn''t have time to look for it. Suddenly, a loud sound encompassed the battlefield. Dageer looked up, and saw two Hyena-class bombers flying towards them. Clones and Twi''leks threw themselves on the ground, but it was useless. Several explosions shook the battlefield, and a cloud of dust appeared, covering Republic and Separatist troops alike. Screams of the wounded resounded, but the droids didn''t care, and red lasers cut the dust. Commander Keeli looked at Dageer, his visor covered in dirt. "You go west, I will go the other way. Get the troops back in position. Those bombers will come back for another round." "Understood, sir." Dageer started running and helping people get up. From time to time he fired his pistol, and never once missed the target. Commander Keeli, on the other hand, ran off to encounter General Di. -------------------------- Some instinct warned Dageer that something wasn''t right. Most people wouldn''t pay attention to this kind of thing, the vague feeling that they were in danger. But Dageer wasn''t a normal person. He was a soldier who had been through hundreds of battles, and put his life on the line more times than he could remember. So, when his instinct kicked in, he followed it. He humped forward, and rolled on the ground before getting up again. Burning pain in his left shoulder and arm told him he had been hit two times, but the lasers missed his bones, only cutting flesh. He ignored the pain, turned around, and emptied the DC-17''s magazine in the dust above him. Three B1 battle droids fell inside the trench. All over the Republic''s defensive line, clanckers used the dust as cover to reach the trench. Clones and freedom fighters were being massacred without a chance to resist, so Dageer did the only thing he could do. He climbed up the trench, the vibroblade he took from a bounty hunter a long time ago in his hand. Chapter 206 - Struggle To Survive A very surprised droid watched as a clone climbed the trench, and appeared before him. Even more surprised, the B1 unit saw a black blade, almost a sword, stab his chest, and appear on his back. The vibroblade wasn''t a lightsaber, so it couldn''t cut through metal like it was nothing. It was also quite short, about thirty centimeters long. But it was sharp enough to cut into the B1 battle droid and server it''s circuits. So, after Dageer stabbed the droid, he turned it around, and hid behind it. At the same time, he grabbed the E-5 the clancker was holding. E-5s were inferior to the DC-15As or DC-15Ss of the Republic, but it would get the job done. Dragging the dead droid with him to cover his body, Dageer advanced, following the trench line. Every second, dozens of lasers hit the droid, almost dismembering it. However, it wasn''t the first time Dageer had done that, and he knew exactly what he had to do to keep his body hidden. He killed two dozen droids, and walked a good one hundred meters before he ran out of ammunition. He was using the E-5 with just one hand, so he wasn''t able to reload. Dropping the droid, he rolled back into the trench. His arm and shoulder ached as he put weight on them to get up, but he once more ignored it. It would make the wound worse in the long run, but now he didn''t have how or where to bandage it. The trench line wasn''t very big, about three hundred meters long. Both sides of it ended in a cliff wall, so there was no risk of the Republic being flanked by the seppies. Therefore, when Dageer killed the droids in this hundred meters of land - at least the ones on the front, because there were a few thousand following behind them - the clones found the window they needed to fight back. The AT-TEs and AT-APs were wreaking havoc in the clanckers'' ranks, the skilled gunners taking down AATs one after another. Surprisingly accurate Twi''leks sharpshooters laid on top of crates and rocks and fired their blasters without stop. "Sir! Good to see you here? Are you having fun?" Dageer saw the rest of Hell Squad crowded together inside a deep part of the trench as several Dwarf-Spider droids and Crab-droids concentrated their fire on their position. Cell, as always, seemed unaffected by the situation. "Some. Keep the defense going. Yate, Tae, I need you to go along the trench line, and talk to the freedom fighters. They are losing their will to fight." The blue Twi''lek, Yate, spit on the ground. Clearly, he didn''t like the idea of following Dageer''s orders. Tae Boon, however, pushed Yate. He knew how important it was for them to keep fighting, and as leaders of the freedom fighters, it was their job to motivate the freedom fighters. "Leave it to..." The head of Tae swung to the side, as if he had been punched. His body stayed up for a few seconds, while the clones and Yate watched without reaction. Then, Tae crumbled, and fell to the ground. A scorched circle appeared in the side of his head, and the smell of burned meat drifted into their noses. "Tae!!!" Clearly, Yate and Syndulla''s son were much closer than Dageer initially thought. The Twi''lek knelt beside the dead body of his friend, and cried. The surrounding freedom fighters seemed lost, their eyes fixed in the serious expression in the face of who was once a leader of their people. "Dab!" "On it!" "Metal, Brain, Tech, with me!" Dageer quickly gave orders, almost ignoring the death of Tae. He quite liked the Twi''lek, and if he had the chance, he wouldn''t be so heartless, but they were in the middle of a battle. So, Dageer ruthlessly pulled Yate up, while Dab found the killer of Tae and shot him down. The clones that Dageer called followed him, bringing Yate with them, all the while covering their sub-commander. Before Yate could complain or say anything, Dageer put a blaster in his hands, and aimed it at the droids. "Tae is gone, Yate! You need to go around the trench, get your people to fight, or more will die just like him!" However, Yate seemed to be in shock. He just stared straight ahead, and mumbled, so the clones had to pull him back down before he was killed. "All hope is lost... All hope..." "I think he isn''t going to help, sir." "I can see it. Forget him, let''s move. Brain and Tech, fire at will. Cell, Three-four!" "Over here, sir!" "Any seppie that gets near us will be your responsibility." "It''s our pleasure. Haha..." "Dab, use your charged shot and anything else you have, and kill the Dwarf-Spiders and crabs. If you can''t do that, then aim at the B2s." "Yes, sir." "Metal, remember our training? When a window opens, blast those damn clanckers." "Hahaha... Leave it to me." Dageer looked around, and saw Hell Squad getting in position. Whenever the droids stopped firing for a second, Dab and the others would cover Metal as the heavy machine gunner swiped the front rows of the Separatist army, killing dozens of droids each time. If one watched the battle from above, they would be able to see that the droid army, which looked like a compact block before, now had a big incision on one of the sides, as hundreds of droids were killed by the coordination of Hell Squad, 303rd clones, and Twi''leks. "Shield, I need a report. How are we looking?" Dageer walked towards Lieutenant Shield, and crouched beside him. The clone had a nasty wound in his neck, and the white bandage on top of it was red with his blood. "Not too good, sir. We have about fifteen hundred troops remaining, between freedom fighters and us. The clanckers probably lost two to three thousand units, so they have about five thousand remaining. Those bombers got us bad." "All right. Keep fighting, but organize the troops. We will fall back soon." "Understood." To tell the truth, Dageer wasn''t sure they were going to retreat soon or anything, but it wasn''t General Di''s style to fight till the very bitter end. Usually, they would retreat and ambush the droids, or fight where they had better defenses. "They are here again!" "Get down! Find cover!" He was pulled back from his thoughts as two Hyena-class bombers appeared once more. This time, however, they had a clear objective, and weren''t just aimlessly dropping bombs. Dageer watched in despair as a portion of their supply deposit was blasted into nothingness. They were already low on medical supplies before, now, those were mostly gone, and for a time, even food and water would become a problem. One of the bombers received a direct hit from an AT-TE, and exploded in midair. Its debris fell on the Separatist troops below, crushing a few of them. Unfortunately, they had already done their job. To make things worse, the second bomber was hit on it''s left wing, and spun out of control, crashing in the cliffside directly behind the AT-TE that fired at it. A huge piece of rock crumbled, and fell on top of the vehicle. The six legs weren''t able to hold, and broke one after another. Both pilot, crew, and gunner were dead before the AT-TE blew up. Chapter 207 - The Last Call For Help Hell Squad watched as their last AT-TE crumbled under the rockslide that the Hyena-class bomber caused. Suddenly, Dageer felt a sharp pain in his leg, and was forced to kneel. Lieutenant Shield, who was beside him, turned around, fired at the incoming droids, and pulled Dageer to cover. "Ugh... How bad is it?" Lieutenant Shield looked at the injury in Dageer''s leg, and took off the armor around his calf. He called for Three-four, and the medic quickly ran over to them. "Don''t worry, sir. It went right through. Just let me bandage it, and you should be able to walk normally." While Three-four was treating the wound, Dageer took some painkillers that the clone gave him. In two minutes, he got up again. His leg still hurt, but as Three-four said, he could walk, and even run. "All right, boys, we are falling back. No need to wait for orders. Hell Squad, on me! We are the rearguard here. Shield, get some squads to do the same on the rest of the trench." "Yes, sir." Soon, the Republic started a slow but organized retreat to the canyons and gorges behind them. The droids followed suit, but they had to pay a hefty price for every meter of ground they won. -------------------------- After splitting up with Dageer, Commander Keeli ran across the trench, firing his pistols wildly. More than once, when the clanckers were about to break into the Republic''s defenses, he showed up just in time to stop them. Thanks to years of specialized training, and months of non-stop battles, the commander was better than normal clones by a lot. Still, his armor was full of scratches and blast marks, but he wasn''t hurt. At least not too much. He found General Di just in time to watch the Hyena-class combat clash in the cliffside and destroy the AT-TE. The Jedi was deflecting lasers side by side with his padawan, Ragout. "Keeli! We have to order retreat!" "That is why I came looking for you, general. And now that we don''t have heavy vehicles anymore..." The Jedi deflected another laser, spinning his lightsaber. Commander Keeli crouched, and fired at the far away droids. Ragout was also doing his part, using his green lightsaber to send back one laser after another. "Master Di!" General Di, Ragout, and Commander Keeli turned around to see a beige Twi''lek, with a number of scars, approaching them. Syndulla was riding one of the creatures used by the freedom fighters. The Blurrgs looked like big lizards, with two powerful hind legs, and small arms. The had a big mouth full of sharp teeth, but were very docile. "Syndulla." "We don''t have any more medical supplies. We need to flee now." Syndulla had an expression full of concern in his face. He could see his people dying in droves around him. And he had yet to learn that his son died. One could only imagine the impact that this news would have on him. After all, he had only recently told Tae Boon that he was his father, and for now, few knew this truth, so nobody bothered to tell him about another dead Twi''lek. General Di spun, reflecting a volley of red lasers, and turned to Commander Keeli and Ragout. "Keeli, call the retreat. Ragout, guide the injured out of here." "Our troops are already moving, general. Dageer saw how the battle was going and ordered it a while ago." Firing his DC-17s, Commander Keeli answered without looking to the Jedi. Ragout, on the other hand, glanced at his master. Worry, anger, and sadness dwelled in his eyes. "You have to retreat too, master. I can''t leave you alone." General Di smiled, and patted his padawan on the shoulder. He could sense the turbulence in the Force around the youngling, clearly depicting his feelings. "Don''t worry, my young apprentice. I will stay behind just enough to get the last of our troops out of here. But I need someone to lead the injured, and a Jedi, even just an apprentice, will have more authority to do that. Now, go. Every second count." Ragout looked at his master, clenched his fists, and bit his lips, but followed the orders that the Nikto gave. Watching his padawan run, General Di smiled. Ragout would be a good Jedi Master one day. He could feel it. "Master Jedi! We are running out of food and water too. And our heavy weapons systems are out of power!" Syndulla clearly thought General Di wasn''t paying him enough attention, so he added some more bad information to the already dire situation. Lack of food and water - thanks to the Separatist bombers - would be a problem for some time, but could be fixed. However, with their AT-TEs and AT-APs all destroyed, they had no chance of winning this battle. General Di put his hand on the head of Syndulla''s Blurrg, and used the Force to calm the animal. Then, he turned to Syndulla, his expression serious as always. "I will contact our forces in orbit. Admiral Dao, this is General Di. We are in trouble down here..." Before the Nikto could finish what he was saying, a Tri-droid''s laser cannon shot hit the ground next to them, killing two clones, and showering them in mud and red soil. Turning on his comlink again, General Di continued what he was saying. "... We need those supplies immediately!" -------------------------- In the space above, the 303rd fleet was locked in a deadly struggle. They had followed Admiral Dao''s plan, and thrown themselves at the enemy, even though they were heavily outnumbered and outgunned. So far, their plan had worked, and they had yet to lose a single cruiser. In fact, The Sincerity, The Righteous, and the Acclamator-class Cruiser had destroyed two Munificent-class frigates, and the V-Wings and Y-Wings had yet to come into play. However, The Sincerity was shaking, as laser cannons, missiles and bombs were aimed and fired at it. Their shields wouldn''t hold for much longer. It was in this situation, with clones and crewmen running around the command bridge of The Sincerity, that Admiral Dao stopped in front of the hologram of General Di. From time to time, the Jedi would swing his lightsaber at someone out of the range of the hologram. "I understand, general, but I am in no position to help. We are critically low in fuel and ammunition." A series of explosions shook the small Acclamator-class Cruiser, the blast even making The Sincerity shake, and breaking the transmission a little. Thankfully, the cruiser held on despite the explosions, and continued to fight. "Contact the Jedi Council again! Tell them reinforcements must be dispatched without delay." General Di cut off the transmission as an AAT aimed at him, forcing him to turn off his comlink, and run. Where he was, a giant black crater appeared. Admiral Dao couldn''t even answer the Jedi, and stopped to listen to something a crewman was telling him. After that, he turned on the hologram table again, and called the Jedi Council in Coruscant. General Di seemed to have faith that the Jedi Council would help them, but Admiral Dao knew that their plea for help would be as futile as the three dozen others he made before. Still, he did as the Nikto asked. Chapter 208 - A Transmission Cut Short Far, far away from Ryloth, a giant planet was bustling with life. Sh.i.p.s and people of every corner of the galaxy landed and took off in a constant stream. Buildings as tall as the planet itself, going from one side of it to the other, and lights that never turned off. However, not all of Coruscant was like that. In a famous, clones-only bar, several troopers wearing differently painted armor looked at a hologram. All the clones were captains and above, with the exception of a few sergeants and lieutenants. Commander Cody, of the 212th, Commander Ponds, of the 91st, and Captain Rex, of the 501st, together with many officers, looked at a hologram of Admiral Dao. The admiral had transmitted his pleas for help not only to the Jedi Council, but also to the commanders, in hope that when the 303rd died, others would avenge it. "We can''t let them die just like that!" "Calm down, Ponds. There is nothing we can do. Even if we could get to Ryloth in time, and we can''t, we don''t have our orders." "But we will have soon. I spoke with General Kenobi today. In twenty or thirty days, our battle over Christophsis should be over, and we will be redeployed. I doubt they will leave Ryloth belong to the seppies for long." ------------------------- While the clones were discussing in the Revontre, a very similar conversation was happening in the Jedi Temple, on the other side of Coruscant. Like the last few times, the ones talking to Admiral Dao were General Yoda, General Kenobi, and General Windu. This time, however, the admiral talked with an urgency that wasn''t there before. That was understandable, since he was not only in the middle of a battle, but in his last battle. "Generals, I said before that I probably wouldn''t contact you again. I was wrong. But now I am certain. Ryloth needs help. General Di needs help." "Much fear I sense in you, Admiral Dao. Uhmm... Fear... But also happiness. Why?" "I am about to die, General Yoda. That is why I feel fear." "A wise man fears death, admiral. But Master Yoda is right. I can sense excitement, even when you say you are about to die." General Windu frowned. He had been to many battles since the Clone Wars started, and even more before that, but he had never seen a man happy or excited because he will die. "Remember how I told you before that our fleet was already dead? That the only ones who could be saved are the troops on the ground? That hasn''t changed. I''ve ordered our sh.i.p.s to attack." "Attack? I thought the fleet lost so many sh.i.p.s you could barely hold?" "That is the truth, General Kenobi. This is our last attack. If we have to go down, then many of their sh.i.p.s will go before us." The three Jedis looked at him stunned. Even General Yoda seemed surprised by the determination and madness in Admiral Dao''s words. Suddenly, the hologram buzzed with interference, startling the Jedis. Alarms went off on The Sincerity. Admiral Dao looked behind him, and saw the Acclamator-class Cruiser blowing up in millions of pieces. Without time to talk anymore, Admiral Dao just conveyed the message that General Di gave him. "If help doesn''t arrive soon, the entire Outer Rim Garrison will be wiped out." "Surely there must be something you can do..." General Kenobi looked pensive, and tried to think of solutions to their predicament, but before he could finish talking, the hologram suffered from interference once more, and a clone ran up to Admiral Dao, panicking. "The main reactor has been hit, sir! Systems are shutting down! We are dead in space!" Admiral Dao''s face showed deep sadness. It was clear that, no matter what he said, the admiral wasn''t happy with the idea of dying and failing in his task. Still, he mustered up the courage to finish what he was saying. "With regret, I report that my fleet will no longer be able to provide protection for the troops on Ryloth." Something happened on the other side of the transmission, and Admiral Dao had to grab the hologram table to stay on his feet. The clone next to him fell to the ground, as probably did many others on The Sincerity. It''s main reactor had been hit, meaning that not only the turrets and laser cannons have stopped working, but so had the shields. "I repeat my request that help be sent right away..." Unfortunately for Admiral Dao, he wasn''t even able to finish General Di''s message. The hologram that showed him shook once again, and the three Jedis could hear a clone yelling before the transmission ended. "The shields are gone! We have no..." ------------------------ A few hours earlier, on The Sincerity. Admiral Dao watched as thousands of Vulture droids threw themselves at the small Republic force. It wasn''t necessary for the Separatist to do that. It wasn''t even strategically good. But the seppies must have been feeling ashamed for taking so many losses to conquer Ryloth. That made Admiral Dao happy. The 303rd had put on a good fight. Like they had planned, the three cruisers flew in the front, protecting the starfighters behind. And their plan worked, at least for a while. They took down three Separatist frigates before they had their first loss. The Acclamator-class Cruiser blew up while Admiral Dao was transmitting General Di''s message to the Jedi Council. That made him hurry up, and deliver what he had to. Unfortunately for the old admiral, he wasn''t able to do anything else. When their shields faltered, the Hyena-class bombers hit The Sincerity''s main reactor. When that happened, all systems failed, including long-distance communications. Therefore, while the Jedis thought that The Sincerity had been destroyed, and Admiral Dao was dead, what transpired was different, but not much. When their systems shut down, the cruiser started to drift in space. Without power, they couldn''t control it. Several droid bombers turned around to have another go at it, and this time, the ship was sure to be destroyed. However, before they could get there, The Righteous took The Sincerity''s role as the spearhead of the Republic''s attack. Without caring for anything, Captain Ace threw his Venator-class Cruiser in the nearest Separatist dreadnought. The enemy tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. The sharp front of the cruiser carved a path through the dreadnought, eventually taking down the command bridge, and, with it, the whole ship. However, it also lost it''s shields. A few minutes later, it suffered the same fate that the Acclamator-class Cruiser had. Looking at the last two cruisers the 303rd had blowing up in balls of fire, Admiral Dao felt proud. He fought with those men for months, and he knew each and every one of them gave their lives with a smile on their faces. Now, he stood in front of the window of The Sincerity''s command bridge. All the clones and crewmen had stopped working, and were on their stations watching the droids come for them. With his hands behind his back, Admiral Dao smiled at the incoming lasers. He knew he had done his best, and even at the end, he was happy he had the chance to fight alongside people like General Di, Ragout, Commander Keeli, Dageer, Rozal, and all the others. ... Twenty-four days after the Battle Of Ryloth started, the Republic fleet position there, belonging to the 303rd Attack Legion, was destroyed. There were no survivors. Chapter 209 - The End Of Admiral Dao A few minutes before the destruction of The Sincerity. The Republic troops on the ground had disengaged from the enemy, and retreated even further than before. Now, they were waiting in an opening. Three paths crossed this opening. They came from one of them, and so would the droids. Of the other two, one was directly in front of the other, and crossed several canyons, while the other followed the terrain. They led to the same place - the Twi''lek hideout - but one was much longer than the other. That opening was where they would make their last stand, because if they retreated any more, they would have to fight around civilians, and that would only disturb them. Thanks to the brave sacrifice of three dozen clones under the command of recently-promoted Lieutenant Agil, who stayed behind, the survivors of the battle were a few hours ahead of the Separatist. Dageer, Commander Keeli, Ragout, General Di, Gobi, and Syndulla were sitting on rocks, planning for the next skirmish. The situation was dire. Of the three thousand troops they had, only eleven hundred could fight, while the other six hundred who survived were badly injured. And, without medical supplies, they were suffering. Every moment, another trooper died due to untreated wounds. The clanckers, on the other hand, still had more than four thousand units, and the possibility of receiving reinforcements any time. Suddenly, a bright light attracted everyone''s attention. Looking up to the sky, they saw one of the three Republic cruisers on orbit blow up. The ship was ripped apart by the explosion, and like shooting stars, burning debris cut across Ryloth''s atmosphere. "Vindicator..." "It''s gone, General Ragout." What followed next was something straight out the 303rd''s nightmares. The Sincerity was hit several times, and the turrets and cannons on it stopped firing. The lights went out on the ship, and several smaller explosions shook it, as every laser now hit it directly. When those on the planet below thought that the cruiser was going down, The Righteous dove between it and the enemy fleet, and straight into a Providence-class Dreadnought. The two sh.i.p.s collided, the dreadnought falling first, followed by the Republic Cruiser. Every trooper held their breaths, and clenched their fists. Some, like Dageer, so strongly that they hurt themselves. But they didn''t care. They had joked about their demise, they had mocked it, but when the end really arrived, none of the clones could look at the sky and be indifferent. General Di sat on the ground, looking defeated. For the first time ever, the Jedi showed his inner thoughts. The Nikto couldn''t bear to watch as the clones under him died far, far away in space, fighting for a planet they had never set foot upon. Only now he questioned the decision that the Galactic Senate made when sending the 303rd to Ryloth. Ragout knelt beside his master, but he couldn''t muster the strength to say anything. He had seen death before, many times, but to him, the war always was something that they would certainly win. Now, he knew that wasn''t the case. He understood that the Republic would have to pay a heavy price to win the Clone Wars, and that the 303rd was only a small part of it. Syndulla and Gobi looked at one another, despair filling their eyes. After everything the 303rd had done to them, they felt their loss not only as allies, but as friends. Commander Keeli was more direct than the others. He punched the ground in anger, until his fist bled. He couldn''t believe it. He was trained to face defeat, he was even trained to be expressionless when sending his troopers to certain death. But nothing trained him to lose everything. And then The Sincerity blew up. It started on the command bridge. Then, a chain reaction ran around the capital ship of the 303rd fleet. In a matter of seconds, the cruiser broke in half, and fell on Ryloth, not far from where they were. Dageer stared at it, but couldn''t process what happened. He knew they were going to lose. He knew they were going to die. Still, all he could think was about how many brothers he lost. And Admiral Dao. The old admiral was the only one in the entire legion who wasn''t a clone nor a Jedi. Still, he had proven his worth more than once, and earned the respect of all the clones. They all started treating him like a brother, and the admiral returned the treatment with honor. It was the first time he ever felt like that, and the first time he felt the loss of every soldier he commanded. It were the best months of his career, and he couldn''t have asked for a better legion, a better army, and a better general. And now, it was all over. Dageer was sure Admiral Dao had died with a smile on his face. It was just how the man was. He liked to say that he would go down in a blaze of glory, and not die on his bed. And he sure had. Leading an outnumbered fleet, he had protected Ryloth to his last breath. Dageer felt pain in his chest when he saw the burning remains of The Sincerity crashing on the planet. The ship had been his home for a very long time, and even her destruction pained him. ... The fight that followed the fall of The Sincerity was as short as it was intense. Admiral Dao''s plan worked, and almost a dozen Separatist frigates, and three dreadnoughts, were destroyed by the Y-Wing bombers and the starfighters. Flying past the broken remains of their cruisers, the Republic pilots saw not only pieces of metal, but also many bodies floating in the vacuum of space. It was a horrible sight, that only fuelled their desire to kill. Although they felt burning rage and pain, they didn''t forget the last mission the dead admiral ensured them. The V-Wings cut down Vulture droid after Vulture droid, the few hundreds of pilots destroying more than five times their numbers in enemies. When they approached the big sh.i.p.s, and the turrets started to take down starfighters, they flew even closer to each other than before. They gave their lives to make sure the bombers would arrive at their destination. And they did. The enemy commander had despised the suicidal strategy, and that cost him more than the tactical droid could ever imagine. Just like Rozal and countless clones had done before, the pilots sacrificed themselves, even if it did just a little more damage to the enemy. Now they weren''t fighting because they had orders or because it was their only option. They were fighting for revenge. Missiles were poured into the Separatist sh.i.p.s, breaking the long ''necks'' that were their command bridges. Several frigates crashed in Ryloth, and the others became pieces of metal floating around. Twenty minutes after the battle started, it ended. After all, there were just too many Vulture droids. They hunted down every single Republic starfighter. The last pilot of the 303rd tried to crash his V-Wing into the command bridge of a Separatist dreadnought, but only pieces of it reached the ship. The 303rd Attack Legion was no more. Chapter 211 - Collapse Of The Right Flank "Kakakakakaka... Harahar!!!" "Kill... Kill... Kill!" "Sir? Sir!" "Kill... Them all... Kakakaka..." "Sir! Wake up!" "Kill!!!" "Uff! Ugh..." Dageer put his hand on his head, trying to stop the throbbing pain, but his helmet was on the way. Taking it off, he was finally able to open his eyes. Blood dropped off his old scar, now reopened, and he wiped it with the back of his hand. Three-four was next to him, his armor covered in dust, his helmet nowhere to be seen. The other members of Hell Squad were m.o.a.ning on the ground, together with Twi''leks and clones. Glancing at the surroundings, Dageer realized he could hear almost nothing. His ears were buzzing, and every noise sounded... distant. He knew this was a sign he had hit his head badly. That would also explain the pain. However, his hearing was slowly but surely returning. "Ugh..." He heard a trooper m.o.a.n next to him, and turned to see the clone getting up. He had been closer to where the AAT hit than Dageer, and was visibly dizzy. Dageer and the clone saw the same thing at the same time. B1 battle droids, and a B2 super battle droid, towered above them, their blasters aiming directly at the poor soldier''s face. "Ahhh!!!" Dageer half jumped, half rolled, out of the way just in time to dodge. He heard more freedom fighters and clones scream as they were brutally executed, and heard Dab and Tech yell in pain. For the second time this day, he grabbed his vibroblade. He threw it, and the weapon pierced the chest of a clancker. That got the attention of the others, and they turned to him. Just when Dageer thought he was going to die, a storm of blue lasers destroyed the nearby droids. He looked behind him, and saw Metal with his back on the ground, holding his double-barrel repeating blaster above him. Nodding his thanks to the clone, Dageer grabbed a DC-15S on the ground, put his helmet on, and fired at the droids. "Commander?! Are you there? The seppies are breaching our defenses. The right flank won''t be able to hold for much longer!" "Wait." There was a long pause after Commander Keeli said that, as if he was talking to someone else who Dageer couldn''t hear. After a while, he heard the voice of the commander again, a lot somber this time. "Fall back, Dageer. Get Hell Squad to stay on the back. We need time to move our troops." "Move the troops? Why?" Dageer was confused when he heard Commander Keeli through the comlink. He had been told multiple times that this was their last stand. Either they defeated the droids there, or they all died. "General''s orders. Syndulla is fleeing with his people. That is, if he is able to. Do as I said, and retreat. The general will explain his idea later." "Yes, sir." Dageer became even more confused. There was nowhere for Syndulla to flee, even more after the right flank collapsed. And those orders from General Di were very weird. The only reason to move the troops would be if... Suddenly, Dageer understood what the Jedi wanted. And if he was right, then he had to meet with General Di as soon as possible. "Hell Squad! We are covering the retreat. Everyone, fall back!" The clones looked at him surprised, but followed his orders without hesitation. The freedom fighters didn''t understand the implications behind it, and just were glad they could get away from the fight. Lifting his DC-15S, Dageer grabbed the vibroblade stuck into the chest of the droid, and fired at the clanckers. He didn''t miss a shot. --------------------------- General Di and Commander Keeli were talking further behind their defense lines when the right flank collapsed. Dageer had just told him, but they could see that from their position. The clones were fighting bravely, but they were being overwhelmed. He didn''t wait for Dageer to finish talking, and warned General Di. However, a very angry Cham Syndulla got to them fist, riding his Blurrg. "What about reinforcements?" Gobi, and several other Twi''leks, followed Syndulla, and surrounded General Di and Commander Keeli, hoping to hear a positive answer. General Di looked at the civilians cowering behind them, but he couldn''t bring himself to lie. So, he could only try to give them the slightest bit of hope. "Communication has been spotty. But I promise you, Cham, the Republic will not abandon Ryloth." When he said that, General Di looked up, and watched the Separatist fleet above them. More sh.i.p.s had arrived today, including a Lucrehulk-class Battleship. The Separatist blockade was almost impenetrable now. He wished Syndulla would trust him, but even he didn''t believe in his own words. Syndulla circled around the Nikto, looking at him from above his Blurrg. He knew they didn''t have too much of a chance, but seeing his people dying in droves made him lose his reasoning. In no moment did he consider that the 303rd lost much more than him. "I''ve heard enough of your promises, Jedi. But the fact remains. If we stay here without reinforcements, we are going to die." Commander Keeli lifted his head and looked at the freedom fighters'' leader. He didn''t like where this was going. "Gobi, tell the people we are leaving." "Yes, Cham." The worst of Commander Keeli''s predictions came true. Syndulla had been blinded by his rage and disappointment, and was going to ignore the pieces of advice of General Di. "I don''t think you understand! The right flank has collapsed! There is no leaving! We are stuck in here together!" Commander Keeli felt it was necessary to yell at Syndulla until the Twi''lek came back to his senses, but General Di stopped him with a gesture. It was useless to try and change Syndulla''s mind. The Twi''lek just glanced at him, and urged his mount to run. He was going to flee with his people, with or without the Republic. Only much later did he understand the choice he forced General Di to make, and the results of his actions. However, it was too late for regret. The decision he made that day haunted him for years. ... After he ordered Dageer to retreat, and told the sub-commander that General Di had a plan, Commander Keeli sat on a rock for a moment, and took off his helmet. The helmet was still the same he used back on Geonosis, with the two brownish-red horns painted on the front. It was also the symbol of the 303rd Attack Legion, and a reminder of all the troopers who lost their lives under his command. Around him, Twi''leks and clones were doing their best to move supplies and injured away from the approaching battlefield. "Commander?" He looked up, and saw Dageer standing in front of him. The clone was battered, to say the least. Laser marks, dust, and blood adorned his armor, giving off an eerie vibe. The members of Hell Squad, behind him, weren''t much better. "Are we going to do what I think we are going to do?" Commander Keeli sighed. Dageer was sharp. He didn''t even need to tell his second-in-command what General Di planned. He was glad that back on Scarif, he chose Dageer to be the sub-commander. He doubted they would have survived for as long as they did if the clone, and his special squad, weren''t there. "Yeah. We are." "Then we better get to work, right, sir?" Dageer stretched his arm, and Commander Keeli grinned. Putting his helmet back on, he grabbed Dageer''s forearm, and pulled himself up. "Let''s get to work." Chapter 212 - A Brilliant Strategy On Toydaria, almost at the same time that Dageer was talking to Commander Keeli, Senator Organa was in an audience with the Toydarian king. With him was Representative Binks, of Naboo. Unfortunately for them, Senator Lott Dod, of the Trade Federation also was there. "Great king, Senator Organa is deceiving you. The inconvenient fact remains, that this is a war, and Ryloth is a battlefield." Senator Dod showed a projection of Ryloth, surrounded by Separatist sh.i.p.s, and then another hologram, this one depicting a clone shooting at two B1 units. "The planet is under a Separatist blockade, because Jedi Knights and clone soldiers are battling the droid army for control of the surface. This will not be a humanitarian base. It will be a military base!'' -------------------------- "Come on!" "We gotta move quickly!" Twi''leks riding Blurrgs hurried to get all their supplies packed, and to get the civilians to safety. Clones - those who were injured and couldn''t return to the battlefield - helped them. "Hurry, hurry!" "Now is not the time to play, children. Where is your mom?" "Move!" While all that was happening, General Di and Commander Keeli approached Syndulla and Gobi, who were supervising the freedom fighters. The commander took off his helmet, showing his shaved head. He wasn''t in the middle of a battle right now, so it was more comfortable this way. "How is it going, Syndulla?" "We are going as fast as we can, Master Di. However, we have to many to take care of. It will take a while." General Di frowned, and looked at the not so distant battlefield. He, Commander Keeli and Ragout had been away from it for a while, but they received constant reports from Dageer, who was back in the fray. The droids were crushing their defenses one by one, and it wouldn''t be long before they got there. "Keeli, call Dageer and Ragout back. I need to talk to them both." "They are not gonna like it, general." "I know. But it is my decision, and they will obey it. After all, I am their general and master." "Understood, general." Syndulla and Gobi looked at the Jedi and the clone, not understanding what was transpiring between them. "Dageer? Can you hear me?" "Loud and clear, commander. What is it?" "I need Hell Squad back here. And bring General Ragout with you." There was a slight pause on the other side of the comlink as Dageer processed his orders. Or fired at a droid, Commander Keeli wasn''t sure, because there was too much noise. "I am not sure we can get back now, commander. We are quite deep into the fight here. And I have no idea where General Ragout is. Communications have been a little... difficult." "You have your orders, Dageer. The general is somewhere between your position and us here. He went to bring back the wounded. Now, get back here." "Yes, commander." Dageer had no option but to follow his orders. He commanded Lieutenant Shield to take Hell Squad''s position, and hold off the enemy while they returned. The lieutenant was a seasoned veteran, and although he and the men under him weren''t as good as Hell Squad, they would do the job just fine. After Commander Keeli got confirmation that Dageer was coming, he turned off the comlink, and nodded to General Di. The Nikto acknowledged the gesture, and frowned. The dialogue he was about to have with Commander Keeli was one which they both knew how it ended, but they needed Syndulla to listen to it. Taking a deep breath, General Di turned to Commander Keeli. "Commander, is the gunship ready?" "Yes, sir. But it is too small to evacuate the refugees." The clone gestured towards a Laat. It was the only one that remained. All the others had been destroyed or had gone to the freedom fighters'' hideout before - carrying wounded and injured - and couldn''t return now because of the Vulture droids roaming Ryloth''s sky. When Syndulla heard that, he panicked. He had ordered his people to abandon the fight, but now, they had nowhere to escape. "No escape?! But our families are with us!" When Commander Keeli heard Syndulla yelling, he felt sorry but angry at the same time. Sorry because they were all going to die, including the civilians. Thinking of Shouta and the other kids he met before, Commander Keeli thought it was a pity. However, he also felt angry at Syndulla, because it was mostly his fault. If he had trusted the Republic since the start, then they probably could have done something to save the Twi''leks. But Syndulla had been too stunned by the Tram Cholq''s treason, and later by the death of his son, Tae Boon, to think straight. General Di frowned too, thinking the same as Commander Keeli. However, he already expected this, and he had long made a decision, without even telling Commander Keeli about it. Holding a twig, he used it to drawn something on the sand. "If we reconfigure the fuel system, we can turn the ship into a bomb big enough to collapse the pass..." He crouched, and put a cross on one of the two paths that lead to the Twi''lek hideout. Then, he marked the second path, the long one, with three crosses. "... here. The enemy will, then, only be to engage us on one front. From this ravine." Commander Keeli was completely stunned, while Syndulla and Gobi traded glares, shocked and surprised. They didn''t know what to say. The clone obviously knew that General Di planned to stay behind, but he hadn''t listened to the plan before. "While we provide cover, the Twi''leks will have time to escape with their families, over the mountains." He got up and, Commander Keeli mimicked him. Surprisingly, the clone felt a smile on his face, and chuckled ever so slightly that only he himself was able to hear. That was the reason why he admired General Di so much. He never hesitated to put himself in danger to save others. In this case, he was prepared to give his life so the freedom fighters could get to the hideout without the droids finding them. Commander Keeli would gladly follow him into death. "Brilliant strategy, general. Uff... I will go tell the men." He gave Syndulla and Gobi one last glare, disappointed. The Twi''leks looked sad, surprised, and even pained. However, none of them said anything to convince General Di to give up his plan, or even offered their help. Walking towards the soldiers, Commander Keeli put on his helmet. If the troopers saw his face, he wouldn''t be able to tell them what their last mission was. "Lieutenant, is Hell Squad here yet?" "No, sir. Sub-commander Dageer said he and General Ragout are on the way. It should take a few more minutes." "Commander! The left flank is breaking down!" Before he could even finish his talk with the lieutenant, a trooper ran up to him with bad news. After mulling over it for a few seconds, Commander Keeli ordered full retreat from all troops. "Lieutenant, get that Laat to the pass over there. Is Timer still alive?" "No, sir." "Then find two troopers who knows how to fix a gunship. I need them to mess with the fuel systems of the Laat. I want that thing to become a bomb." "A... Bomb, sir?" "Yeah. The bigger, the better. Then, get all troops ready. We are going to fight our last battle." Suddenly, the lieutenant became serious. Putting his helmet on, he saluted Commander Keeli. "Right away, commander." Chapter 213 - A Secret Meeting With The King Representative Jar Jar Binks of Naboo, and Senator Bail Organa, from Alderaan, walked dejectedly on the halls of the royal palace of Toydaria. They had just come out from a meeting with the king and his advisors, and the answer to the Republic''s plea for help was negative. According to the king, he and his people wanted to help, but he couldn''t risk losing their neutrality, otherwise the war would arrive at their doorstep. Needless to say, Senator Lott Dod was extremely pleased with his answer, after all, it meant that Ryloth couldn''t be saved, and it would remain in Separatist''s hands. It also meant that most clones and freedom fighters there were going to die. "My friends." Senator Organa and Representative Binks turned around, and saw the Toydarian king flying towards them. He looked quite clumsy, with insect-like wings that were too small for his body. "Toydaria can not turn a blind eye to the suffering of Ryloth. The Twi''leks are innocent victims caught between the warring factions through no fault of their own!" Senator Organa felt a rush of hope and excitement, but he didn''t let it show on his face. He knew that even though the king''s words meant he would help Ryloth, the fact that he met them secretly meant he wouldn''t do it out in the open. They would have to be careful with what they said, otherwise the Toydarians might change their mind. "I''m glad you agree, your Highness. What are you prepared to do?" "You may use Toydaria to transfer the supplies you brought with you." "That is only enough supplies for one, maybe two rotations." "It will have to do. And you must guarantee that the Trade Federation will not be able to link Toydaria to the mission." "Agreed." Senator Organa didn''t hesitate. It wasn''t a lot, but it was better than nothing, and the Twi''leks could use anything, no matter how little. ... That night, several Toydarian sh.i.p.s left the planet, heading for Ryloth. They were undetected by the Trade Federation, and, since they were sh.i.p.s of a neutral planet, they wouldn''t be stopped by the Separatist blockade around the planet. -------------------------------- When Dageer met Ragout, the padawan saved his life. He had been too absorbed by the conversation he just had with Commander Keeli, and he wasn''t paying attention to the battlefield. There was something wrong about how the commander talked. Very wrong. However, Dageer couldn''t put his finger on what it was. And now, Hell Squad was tasked with finding Ragout and retreating. That was even weirder. For all he knew, there was nowhere to retreat. And how were the Twi''leks supposed to escape? Dageer knew that the 303rd was going to make their last stand there. He had known that since the moment their fleet was destroyed, because that was the moment their last hope of leaving Ryloth was gone. To tell the truth, he didn''t really care. Even if they somehow won, or even just survived this battle, the 303rd had less than a thousand men remaining. They were hardly a company, whatsoever a legion. So, Dageer didn''t care about dying here on Ryloth. He was afraid of dying, of course, but he would gladly go down just to kill a few more droids. He had never hated anyone more than he hated the sc.u.m who started this war. Without it, so many of his brothers would still be alive. It never crossed his mind that without the war, he and all the others wouldn''t even exist. And so, it was when Dageer was lost on his thoughts that he felt something pulling him. It was invisible, fast, strong, and it saved his life, because the spot he was on blew up milliseconds after he was pulled. The impact from the explosion added to the force that was pulling him, and he was launched a dozen meters forward. When he approached the ground, he curled up, and rolled. Feeling at least two of his ribs crack, the sub-commander looked up and saw Ragout stretching his hand to him. "Dageer! Are you okay?!" Grabbing his hand, Dageer pulled himself up, wincing in pain as he felt wounds all over his body opening and bleeding again. Thankfully, Three-four had bandaged them well enough, so the bleeding didn''t last long. "As okay as I can be, general. Thank you." He looked around. The explosion originated from an AAT, but the tank didn''t see to be aiming specifically at him. It was just a random shot, after all, he was already a distance away from the frontlines. "Argh... Uhmm..." Behind him, Dageer heard Dab groaning as he got up, and realized that Ragout hadn''t only pulled him, but the entirety of Hell Squad. It was no wonder the padawan looked tired. "Is everyone all right? Call out." "Dab okay, sir." "Cell too." "Metal." "Tech. I''m all good." "Three-four. Argh..." While the other seemed to be mostly uninjured from the explosion - only from the explosion, because they all had at least a dozen wounds for many different reasons - Three-four was holding his right leg tightly, and was already bandaging it. He appeared to be in lots of pain, and the armor did little to stop the blood from seeping out. "How is it, Three-four?" "I will live, general. But you should worry more about Brain. He didn''t answer." Ragout was surprised. With all that was happening, it was difficult to keep track of every trooper, and he didn''t notice Brain hadn''t said anything. However, when he turned around, he saw that Dageer was already kneeling besides the clone. "Brain! Wake up, trooper!" "How is he?" Dageer took of Brain''s helmet. It was soaked with his blood, coming from a big cut on the back of his head. "Bad. Three-four, can you take a look at him?" "Just give me a moment, sir. I''m not sure I can walk just yet. Meanwhile, put something on it to stop the blood." "Understood." Dageer took one of many bandages that Three-four carried with him, and used it to cover the wound. In a matter of seconds it was red, but at least it stopped the bleeding. "We need to move. Metal, Cell, carry Brain. Tech, help Three-four." Soon, Hell Squad started moving again. However, they were now in a bad shape. Dageer warned a trooper that they would soon arrive at Commander Keeli''s location, and started walking next to Ragout. "Thanks for the help back there, general. If it wasn''t for you, we would have suffered a lot more than just a few injuries." Ragout laughed awkwardly. It wasn''t like Dageer to thank him twice. "Is it really that bad?" "Ha! Yes, general. It is. We are down to about five hundred troopers. And the freedom fighters... Well, they are fleeing for their lives. Sometimes they are more of a hazard than of help." "You can''t blame them. They aren''t soldiers." "Neither are you, General Ragout." Ragout stopped, and Dab almost bumped into him. The padawan knew exactly what Dageer meant, after all, the sub-commander wasn''t being very subtle about it. "I''m not leaving my master and you all and escaping, Dageer." "You have to, sir. You represent the 303rd more than anyone. More than any clone. We were created for this war, and this war is our life. But it isn''t yours. Neither it is General Di''s. You two have to go. Leave the dirty job to us." "This is not an option. Now, keep quiet, trooper. I don''t want to hear any more about it." "Yes, general." Chapter 214 - The Last Sacrifice A very battered Hell Squad arrived in front of General Di and Commander Keeli. Brain had woken up midway, but he could barely keep his eyes open. He had lost too much blood, and smashing your head is never good. As soon as they got there, Three-four made the others help Brain sit down, and started working on the clone, ignoring his own injury. Commander Keeli glanced at Dageer, and he answered with a positive nod. Brain would survive, although he probably wouldn''t be able to battle anymore. Not that it mattered much, because Dageer didn''t think anyone could escape. "Ragout, Keeli, Dageer, follow me. I need to talk to you, alone." "Yes, general. Three-four, after you finish with Brain, get a good look at this leg of yours. We can''t have you out of combat like in Coruscant." "Don''t worry, sir. You should look at yourself, though. You also aren''t looking too good." "And you still have the mood to joke. Haha... Now shut up, and do your job. The others, help the Twi''leks. They seen to be prepared to leave, so make them go faster." "Understood, sir." The three that General Di called followed him to a secluded spot. The Nikto clearly wanted to talk to them in a quiet place. "Ragout, Dageer, I''m sure you saw the troopers running around, preparing." "We did, master. What is the plan?" The Jedi didn''t answer his padawan. In fact, he stayed quiet for several minutes. Disciplined as he was, Dageer stood still, hands behind his back, and said nothing. However, under his helmet, his face showed a frown. The clones they passed by on their way were all occupied preparing weapons, checking ammunition, and some were moving fuel barrels. The wounded clones had been moved from their precarious infirmary to the Blurrgs, as if they were about to be taken away from the deathtrap they were in know. Dageer hoped that was the case, because it would mean General Di had an escape plan, at least for those who couldn''t fight. In the end, General Di didn''t answer Ragout, but turned to Commander Keeli. "Would you tell them, Keeli?" "Yes, general." Dageer was surprised. He had never heard General Di sound so... tired. Ragout frowned, and walked to his master before putting a hand on his shoulder. The tension in General Di''s face eased when he felt the support his apprentice gave him through the Force. "General Di devised a plan that will let us buy time for the Twi''leks and our injured troopers to escape. We are going to use the Laat that we have to blow up the short passage, so the seppies will be forced to follow the big one. That will give us more time to prepare an ambush. Our hope is that, adding the time they take to move through the path and the time we hold them, it will be enough so Syndulla can take the others and escape to their hideout. From there on, well... it will be on his hands." Ragout gasped in surprise. He knew they were in trouble, but his young mind never processed the thought of dying. For him, they would somehow survive. "This... How? Why? Master! What do we do?!" Ragout was clearly panicking, but his master seemed to not notice. Dageer looked at Commander Keeli, and remembered something he and the commander had talked about not too long ago. And seeing the expression on General Di''s face, he remembered another conversation. Separately, they weren''t much. But when he put them together, Dageer could imagine Commander Keeli and General Di having a very similar talk. Half stunned and half angry, Dageer took off his helmet, and put it on the ground. "Hell Squad is staying, general." Ragout looked at Dageer surprised. That had come out of nowhere, and he didn''t know exactly what the sub-commander meant. "Staying? What...? What is that supposed to mean, Dageer?" "No, you aren''t, Dageer!" Suddenly, General Di yelled at Dageer, startling not only him, but also Ragout and Commander Keeli. Some of the clones and Twi''leks gave them surprised glances. "Look at yourself, Dageer. Look at Hell Squad. You can barely walk. I''ve seen troopers retire in a better state than you." "We don''t have a retirement option, general." "Dageer!" General Di was surprised when Dageer rebuked him. The clone always took what he said quietly. It appeared that he wasn''t the only one affected by their situation. Commander Keeli yelled at Dageer, shocked by the lack of discipline and respect the sub-commander was showing. And, meanwhile, Ragout was staring at them dumbstruck. "Dageer. You are one of the best troopers I have ever seen, and one of the most loyal ones. However, just like I can''t send injured troopers to a fight, I can''t send you to your death. Me, Keeli, and the others will hold the clanckers back. However, our sacrifice won''t matter if the Twi''leks don''t escape. And I don''t trust Syndulla to do that." "Master! You can''t... No!" Once again, General Di ignored his padawan. He wasn''t willing to look at Ragout, because he knew what he had to say to his padawan would be a thousand times harder than what he was saying to Dageer. "I need someone I can trust there, Dageer. Syndulla is only worried about his own people. If he needs, he will leave our injured troops behind without hesitation. I know you won''t let that happen." "Then you should go, general. A Jedi has more power than any clone does. Syndulla will listen to you, and probably only you." General Di smiled. He could sense the panic in Dageer''s voice. Although his face was serious, and his voice steady, the Force revealed to him that the clone was looking for every excuse he could to convince General Di to run. "I don''t need Syndulla to listen. I need someone who will aim a blaster at his head, and make him walk. I know that isn''t what a Jedi should do, but you are no Jedi, Dageer." Dageer clenched his fists. He wanted to say something. Anything. However, he knew the Nikto was right. Hell Squad and he couldn''t fight properly anymore. Hell, they couldn''t even keep their eyes open because of their tiredness. And General Di was right when he said Syndulla wouldn''t hesitate to abandon the Republic troops. The freedom fighter leader wasn''t a kind man. "Commander..." Dageer looked at Commander Keeli. The clone was his last hope of convincing General Di to escape while the clones, and only the clones, stayed behind. However, he knew the answer before he even asked. "I''m not happy either, Dageer. But you know the general is right. You are the best the 303rd have. I wouldn''t trust anyone but you to lead the injured. We need someone to keep the 303rd alive, and that someone is you." As he said that, Commander Keeli picked up Dageer''s helmet on the ground, and gave it to him. Dageer looked at the horn drawn on it, and then at Commander Keeli''s own helmet. He closed his eyes, and sighed with resignation. "Commander... And general. I-I... I understand. Hell Squad will do it''s best. I will do my best." Commander Keeli shook Dageer''s hand, a smile on his face. He had made the right choice of sub-commander, and he couldn''t be more proud of what Dageer had become, from a simple trooper to what he was now. General Di also had a smile on his face as he nodded at Dageer. He always felt that Dageer was something else, and, just like Keeli, he was proud of Dageer. "Now, Dageer, I have an even more important mission for you." "Say it, general." "I need you to take Ragout with you." Chapter 215 - Farewells, And May The Force Be With You "I want you to take Ragout with you." There was a stunned silence following General Di''s order. Dageer and Commander Keeli already knew the old Jedi would try to convince his apprentice to leave before the battle started, but Ragout didn''t. For several seconds, the padawan said nothing. Then, he snapped out of his confusion, apparently outraged by his master''s words. "No! No, no, no! I''m not leaving you, master!" General Di looked at Commander Keeli, and the clone patted Dageer on the shoulder. Both clones walked away, leaving master and apprentice alone. When they were a certain distance away, Dageer looked back. He could see Ragout sobbing slightly, and General Di comforting him. The Nikto had a warm, almost paternal, smile on his face. "Dageer." "Yes, commander?" Dageer looked at Commander Keeli. The clone had put on his helmet now, and was playing with his DC-17s. "I know what the general ordered is difficult... However, orders are orders, right?" "Yes. Yeah..." "But it was I who requested him to do that." Dageer looked up, shocked. He expected his commander to say anything, but that. After all, Commander Keeli was a clone, so he understood better than anyone how Dageer felt about leaving him and General Di to die. "Why?" "Hahaha... Everything General Di said is true, Dageer. You and your men can barely walk. I didn''t even ask for a report on your condition, but I can see at least five places where you were shot, your leg is wrapped in a bloody bandage, and you are holding his chest as if you broke a few ribs." "Yeah. Damn AAT. General Ragout saved us." "See? I have no doubt that if you stayed behind, Hell Squad would kill a few hundred more droids. However, what difference would it make? The seppies have almost half a million troops on the planet." "It might not make much of a difference, sir, but it would be a pleasure to kill a few hundred droids, even if it means dying here. Especially if it means dying here." "I know how you feel. However, I don''t need you to die here. I need you to avenge us." "I''m not sure I can, commander. You said yourself how bad I am." "The Republic won''t let the clanckers have Ryloth forever. Not only it is an important planet, but the loss we suffered here is more than enough to convince several neutral planets that the Separatist are stronger than us." "We didn''t stand a chance from the start, commander. They outnumbered us one to ten, and that was before they got reinforcements." "That doesn''t matter for those who are watching. All they care about is that we lost. There will be retaliation by the Republic. Winning Ryloth back or not, that will be your chance to get out of here with the wounded. Meanwhile, I want you to piss off the seppies. Hit and run tactics, that kind of thing." "That is what Hell Squad does the best. We won''t disappoint you, sir." "I know you won''t. Now, come on, and let''s check how the Twi''leks are faring. We need to make them move faster." "Yes, sir." ... General Di watched his dejected padawan use the Force to move some wounded troopers into the Blurrgs. He had spent a long time talking with him, and, although he convinced Ragout that the padawan had to leave, it was still very difficult to see him so... lifeless. While he was lost in his thoughts, Commander Keeli approached him, followed by Syndulla, Gobi and Dageer. Ragout soon joined them. "It is time, sir." General Di nodded at Commander Keeli, and looked one last time to the others. This was the last time he would see any of them. "Syndulla, Gobi. I am really sorry that the Republic wasn''t able to provide you with the help Ryloth needed. However, I assure you that more help will come as soon as it is possible. Please, believe in the Republic. We won''t abandon Ryloth." "Humph!" Syndulla ignored what General Di was saying, and left. Gobi shot an apologetic glance at the Jedi, but General Di had already turned to Commander Keeli. "How is it going?" "We are loading the rest of the explosives in the gunship." "Very good, commander. Ready the men." Commander Keeli saluted General Di, and before leaving, he turned to Ragout and Dageer. "General Ragout. It was an honor fighting side by side with you. I may not undeserved the Jedi''s ways, but I know that you will be a great one." "The honor was mine Keeli. I-I... Uff... Thank you, Keeli. For everything." "Just doing my job, sir." The commander looked at Dageer, and stretched his hand. Dageer grabbed it, but none said anything. They knew exactly what was going through the mind of the other. After releasing Commander Keeli''s hand, Dageer saluted him, his back straight, and Commander Keeli returned the salute. Dageer would remember this moment for the rest of his life. It was the last time he saw Commander Keeli alive. The commander then put his helmet on, and walked towards the waiting clones. They were all in the standard attention position, helmets under their arms, and blasters aimed up. Three hundred and twenty-four clones were staying behind, conscious of the destiny that awaited them, and ready to face it. Commander Keeli stood in front of them, waiting for General Di to finish his talk with the others. The Jedi knew that it was time, so he turned to Dageer and Ragout. There were indescribable sadness and pain in his eyes, but the Nikto stood strong, and didn''t let it show on his face, although he was sure Ragout and Dageer could feel it. "Dageer. When this war started, I was worried that I wouldn''t be able to lead troops. After all, I''m a peacekeeper, not a soldier. However, you and Keeli helped me through all of this, and I couldn''t be more grateful. Remember what you learned from us, and don''t let hatred cloud your judgment." "Yes, general. And... May the Force be with you." General Di smiled, and watched Dageer walk towards the line of Twi''leks and injured clones that were leaving. "Master..." "Listen carefully, my padawan. I still have much to teach you, and you still have much to learn. Unfortunately, we don''t have time. Don''t forget what you learned, and, above all else, don''t look for revenge. It was revenge that started this war, and it is what it keeps it going." He put his hands on the padawan''s shoulders. He was proud of Ragout. He loved his padawan, and he was glad that Ragout followed his decision quietly, and was escaping. He didn''t want the young Togruta to die. "You have to go now. And remember, Ragout. I will always be with you. You just have to feel the Force." Ragout sobbed hard, but didn''t cry. He knew there was nothing he could do, but follow his master''s orders, and go. "Goodbye, master. May the Force be with you." "It always is. May the Force be with you too, my young apprentice." Ragout turned around, and joined Dageer and Hell Squad. Now, the only one remaining next to General Di was Gobi. "Cham is still angry... He feels betrayed." "He counted on Republic assistance, and it didn''t come. War turns promises into hopes. I wish it wasn''t so... Tell him." General Di shook Gobi''s hand, and left. "I will." Soon, only General Di and the clones were left. They could hear the droids coming. They were prepared. Chapter 216 - The Last Battle "Keeli, tell the pilots to move the gunship into position." "This is command. Are all the charges in place?" Not too far from where Commander Keeli was, two clones were hanging on the sides of a giant rock pillar, setting thermal detonators all over it. If everything went according to plan, it would blow up together with the gunship, and block the path. "Copy that. We are all ready. The droid army is closing." "As soon as they are in range, blow up the gunship." "Yes, commander." The two clones retreated until they were in a treeline, and waited. Soon, they saw two droids approach the gunship. Clearly, after all the battles and ambushes, the commander of the clanckers was more cautious, and wouldn''t get near something that was obviously a trap. Unfortunately for the droid captain that was commanding this group of seppies, that wasn''t a trap they could escape from. When one of the clones pressed the switch, the Laat exploded, blowing the two droids and nearby units to kingdom come. And, not only did the gunship blow up, but so did the dozens of thermal detonators on the rock pillars around it. Within seconds, they all fell, creating a wall more than twenty meters tall. The droid captain spent half an hour trying to get past it, but it was useless. If the droids went one by one, they could get past the gaps, but there was no way the AATs and B2 super battle droids could do that. And, without them, there was no guarantee the clanckers could win the battle. Seeing the droid army turn around to follow the other path, the two clones cheered and reported to Commander Keeli, who ordered then to get back. Soon, the last battle would start. ------------------------------- Hearing the explosions in the distance, Commander Keeli knew that their plan had worked so far. Now, all that was left to do was fight. "You hear that, men?" Commander Keeli straightened his back when General Di started talking. The Jedi stopped next to him, his hands behind his back. "You hear that?!" "Yes, sir!" "Good. That is the announcement of our last battle. And all I have to say is that we are going to win, do you understand me?" "Yes, sir!" "We are going to hold back those clanckers, and make them regret the moment they decided to chase us. Am I clear?!" "Yes, sir!" "Then, before we start, I have one last thing to say. You are the finest soldiers the Republic ever had. You fought bravely, and you never gave up. I am honored to fight alongside you. I am honored to die alongside you. This might be our last battle, but the 303rd will never be forgotten!" Screams of agreement resounded as the troopers chanted General Di''s name. The Jedi was their general, but now, above all else, he was one of them. He was willing to sacrifice his life, and didn''t run away, but decided to stay and die with them. That was enough to garner the respect and loyalty of any clone. "Good. Then let''s go. We have an army to face." Commander Keeli stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with determination, put his helmet on, and pulled out his two DC-17s. "You heard the general, lads. Let''s get to work!" Soon, they were in their positions, waiting. Three hundred and twenty-six men - including General Di and Commander Keeli - that knew they were going to die, and weren''t the least afraid of it. ------------------------- Wat Tambor looked angrily at TA-175. He had been in Lessu for a few days already, pillaging the riches of the Twi''leks to his heart content, and knew nothing of General Di or the 303rd. Now, however, TA-175 - who was just waiting to be deactivated thanks to his failure in conquering Ryloth sooner - asked him to send more troops to deal with a few hundred dirty Republic soldiers. "I thought... Krksurb... Bzz... Jdiej... There was no Republic sc.u.m left on the planet." His vocal dispositive made a lot of noises as Wat Tambor talked, making it almost impossible to understand what the Separatist was saying. "We faced... Unexpected resistance from a group of... Clones. But they will soon be... Destroyed. Reinforcements are only to guarantee it happens... Faster." "Agreed. Squash that Republic sc.u.m!" ------------------------- General Di and Commander Keeli stood side by side, watching three C-9979s drop even more clanckers on the ground. They originally had to deal with less than three thousand droids, but now that number had gone back to the initial eight thousand. Not that it made much of a difference. The Republic had chosen a small, open forest to make their last stand. The rocks and trees were sparse, but at least provided a little bit of cover, and it would take time for the AATs to navigate through it, meaning that they would only have to deal with B1 and B2 units. As much as Commander Keeli would have liked to destroy some AATs, he doubted they would survive long enough to even see the tanks. "It seems like they really don''t like us, general." "No, they don''t, Keeli. Hahaha... How are you feeling?" Commander Keeli knocked his helmet with the butt of his DC-17, showing he was prepared, and ready to fight. "I''ve never been better, sir. Let''s give those seppies the fight of their lives." General Di looked at the commander, and said nothing. There was no need to say anything, nor talk about it. Commander Keeli knew exactly what he was thinking. Turning to the others, he saw the clones all looking at him. They were hidden behind trees and rocks, just waiting for his command. Each time he looked at one of them, the trooper would nod at him, indicating he was ready. General Di knew the name of every soldier there. They were all elites who had fought in thousands of battles, and survived up till now. Just like Rozal, Admiral Dao, Captain Narza, Lieutenant Fondor, Sergeant Storge and tens of thousands of others, they were ready to give their lives for the Republic. Through the Force, General Di could sense fear, anxiety, and despair. However, he also felt their excitement, their desire for revenge for all their fallen brothers, and their determination to protect the ones who were escaping. And, for once, General Di let those feelings become his own. He felt angry at the droids, who dared to attack and kill so many of the troopers under him. He felt sadness, directed at all those who had died in this unnecessary war, not only in Ryloth, but in the whole galaxy. And he felt disappointed at himself, for not being able to teach everything he could to Ragout, for having to abandon his padawan so early. He could still feel Ragout through the Force, albeit weakly. The padawan was far, far away, and he was glad that was the case. He had feared that Ragout would disobey him and come back. Looking up at the sky, General Di saw the Separatist blockade, but also the debris of the battle that took place up there. And he remembered Admiral Dao, an old friend whom he knew even before the Clone Wars started. "In a blaze of glory..." Chapter 217 - For The Republic! For The Twileks! Commander Keeli watched as General Di looked to the sky and muttered something, seemingly reminiscent. About what, the commander didn''t know. He looked back, at each of the clones. They were his men. They were his legion. And, above all else, they were his brothers. Now, although they were going to die, Commander Keeli smiled. If he could die together with his brothers and his general, then he would die happily. "Sergent Ace, are the men ready?" "You bet we are, commander. Let''s show those damn seppies that the 303rd won''t go down without a fight. Haha..." The sergeant laughed wildly when he answered. He was the highest-ranking officer after Commander Keeli - Lieutenant Shield was gravely wounded, and escaped together with the others - and it was his job to represent the troopers. And, well, that was how they were feeling. For the hundredth time in a few hours, Commander Keeli felt that he was lucky to have such men under him. He had no doubt they were the finest legion in the entire Republic Army. After all, they were the 303rd Attack Legion. "Here they come!" Commander Keeli looked forward again, and saw many black spots approaching their position. Lifting his binoculars, he zoomed in on the enemy. "Steady. Stay low, and wait for them to get closer." The droids were too far away to see them yet, and Commander Keeli didn''t want to give up their position sooner than necessary. If they could catch the clanckers by surprise, it would be even better. "Just like you said, general. Their B1 and B2 units are coming first. I can see a few AATs behind, but they won''t have a shot on us." "How many?" "More than we can deal with." It wasn''t a precise answer, but at the same time, it was all General Di needed to hear to steel his resolve. When one was in a dangerous situation, that person would try everything to escape. However, when there was nowhere to go, then there were two options. Either that person would become a coward, and beg for their lives, or they would throw away all their fears, and become almost insane, not caring for anything. Clearly, the clones and General Di belonged to the last type. Seeing the droids approach, General Di looked at his men, and they all gestured with a thumbs up, meaning the clanckers were in range of their blasters. General Di glanced at Commander Keeli, and the clone smiled under his helmet, at the same time c.o.c.king his blasters. He was ready. The first droids were very surprised to see an old Nikto come out from behind a rock, and aim a blue lightsaber at them. "For the Republic! For the Twi''leks!" General Di ran forward, slashing two droids in half with the same move, and, before the others could fire at him, he jumped and spun in the air, bringing his lightsaber down on a B2 unit. As the symmetrical halves of the droid hit the ground, blue lasers flew from the trees and rocks, taking down more than a hundred droids in less than two seconds. Commander Keeli was somehow even more impressive than General Di. In less than ten seconds, he had to stop and reload his pistols. More than twenty clanckers have died by his hands in those few moments. After reloading, Commander Keeli ducked behind a rock to avoid enemy fire, and then jumped out again as soon as there was a pause. Walking and firing his DC-17s, he approached the droids until he was able to put his pistols in their heads and fire point-blank. He was only able to do that because his men were covering his back, taking down any droids who turned their blasters to him. That was the trust they had built over the course of months of war. Each clone knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. With the corner of his eyes, Commander Keeli saw Sergeant Ace lead six or seven clones forward - he could hear the clone laugh maniacally, and realized that he also had a mad grin on his face - to take cover in another position, from where they could keep an eye out for General Di, in case the Jedi needed help. However, it was obvious that the Nikto was faring way better than any clone. He was running and jumping all over the place, and barely any laser could even get close to him. And the few who did were quickly deflected back to those who fired them. General Di pierced a B2 super battle droid with his lightsaber, then lifted the dead body using the Force, and threw it at a group of clanckers. He was unstoppable. Suddenly, the Jedi stopped, and turned off his lightsaber. Red lasers showered him, but they all seemed to be stopped by an invisible wall, and just stood there, frozen. Then, General Di stretched his hands, and several rocks fell from the canyon walls around them, crushing dozens of droids. The lasers around the Nikto were also reflected back, some even hitting droids. Commander Keeli and the clones stopped firing for a second, surprised. They had never seen the Jedi do something so... powerful. "What are you waiting for, Keeli?!" "Let''s go, boys! The fight is not over!" Commander Keeli and the clones snapped out of their daze when they heard General Di, and fought with renewed effort. For a few minutes, it seemed as if the battle was going on their favor. Almost a thousand droids had died, and the 303rd had only suffered a few dozen casualties. Unfortunately for them, the droids soon showed the advantage that their overwhelming numbers brought them. "Arhh!!!" Commander Keeli looked behind him when he heard Sergeant Ace yell in pain and alarm. The sergeant had been hit on his shoulder, but he still lifted his DC-15A, trying to get another shot off. However, before he could pull the trigger, two lasers hit his head, killing him immediately. No matter how bravely they fought, the 303rd clones couldn''t escape their destiny. One by one, they fell to the unrelenting torrent of lasers coming from the droids'' E-5s. As they got closer, their accuracy became better, and the clones were forced to keep their heads down. The moment they showed themselves to try and fire at the droids, tens of lasers hit them. The only one in the open was General Di, who seemed not to get tired at all, deflecting lasers and cutting down droids as if they were nothing. Minutes and hours passed, and the three hundred clones had been reduced to just a bit more than a hundred, while the Separatist army still numbered in the thousands. After another hour, the last few clones stood tall near Commander Keeli and General Di. Around them, dead droids and the corpses of their brothers piled up, and the small forest was destroyed. Commander Keeli stopped to reload his pistols once again, for the hundredth time in the battle. At least they didn''t have to worry about ammunition, because many of their brothers died without the chance of using their''s. Suddenly, he saw a small squad of droids drop their blasters, and pull out thermal detonators. "Careful!" He finished reloading as fast as he could, and fired his pistols wildly. He hit two of the detonators still in the hands of the droids, blowing them to pieces, and another two in the air. However, the last one got to them. Looking down at the detonator who rolled to his feet, Commander Keeli felt as if time had stopped. His short but eventful life flashed before his eyes, mostly filled with images of his dead brothers, and especially with General Di, Ragout, and Dageer. He smiled. The detonator exploded. Chapter 218 - A Memorable End General Di watched the thermal detonator land, and blow up. The last troopers, including Commander Keeli, were thrown in the air, and landed harshly on the ground. None of them got up. The Jedi sensed a wave of peace coming from Commander Keeli as the clone looked at the detonator before it blew up. And now, seeing the lifeless body on the ground, General Di felt anger. He remembered the moment he was told that a war was going to start, and how he and the other Jedis were supposed to lead troops. Cloned troops, all from the DNA of a single bounty hunter. He, like many others, objected fiercely. After all, Jedis were peacekeepers, not warriors. And, when he met Commander Keeli, in a cruiser above Geonosis, he despised the clone, although he knew it wasn''t his fault. He felt it was cruel to create people just so they could fight, and he thought it was even worse that none of the clones contested that decision. However, after hundreds, even thousands of battles, his opinions changed. In fact, since when he first landed on Geonosis, and watched all the death and destruction around him, all the lives being lost, he felt different. The clones weren''t just emotionless killing machines like he first assumed, but were real people. Each and every one of them had feelings and desires. And he soon learned that they wished for one thing above all else. And that was to keep their brothers alive, no matter the cost. In that very first battle, he witnessed clones giving their lives for others not once, not twice, but hundreds of times, over and over again. He could sense their fear and regret as they died, but also their determination. And, deep down, he realized that clones and Jedis weren''t so different. As he got to know Commander Keeli, Dageer, Brain, Dab, Tech, Metal, Three-four, Cell, Rozal, Sharp, Fondor, Shield, Berro, Narza, Timer, and thousands of other 303rd clones, he stopped thinking about them as soldiers. They became people he wished to protect. And now they were dead. All this time on Ryloth, he had pushed away the anger and grief that came with their deaths, but now that Commander Keeli was gone, and only he was left alive, amidst the bodies of so many, he let it free. An explosion of Force left his body, sending tens of droids flying. He looked back to Commander Keeli once again. His helmet had disappeared, and he could see his face. There was a slight smile on his lips. He smiled himself. He wouldn''t let his death - their deaths - be in vain. Running forward, General Di spun his lightsaber faster than eyes could see, creating a nearly impenetrable blue circle that sent every laser back to the droid who fired it. When he got near the enemy force, he hacked at them wildly. Droid after droid fell, cut in dozens of pieces. Even the tough metal hide of the B2 super battle droids could do nothing against his lightsaber, even more now that he was putting all his strength behind it. In all but a few minutes, hundreds of droids were dead on the ground, their bodies still smoking where the lightsaber slashed them. However, even more were coming forward, in an inexorable stream that wished nothing but to kill the last symbol of Republic presence on Ryloth. And now General Di was starting to get tired. He panted hard, and watched the droids surround him. Even more C-9979 Landing Crafts were getting near, ready to drop more clanckers to join the battle. Maybe as some weird show of respect, the droids stopped firing, and just aimed at him. They knew he couldn''t fight anymore. All they needed to do was press the trigger, and General Di would be done for. However, before the droids fired again, a blue laser hit a B2 unit, killing it straight away. General Di was just as surprised as the droids when he saw Commander Keeli get up, holding his DC-17s. He thought the commander was dead. "Commander Keeli!" "I''m not finished yet, sir!" General Di laughed out loud, and retreated until he was next to the clone, cutting down any droid on his way. The two stood back to back, and both felt comfort in the presence of one another. They were going to die, but at least they were going to die together, and fighting, just like how the clones liked. -------------------------------- Commander Keeli opened his eyes, dazed. He was certain he was going to die when he saw the thermal detonator land next to him, but he somehow had survived. His brothers weren''t so lucky. Looking around, he realized two things. First, he didn''t have his helmet on. It was on the ground, the visor broken, and a crack extending from one side to another of it. Secondly, he realized that while he was the last clone alive, there was still someone facing the droids. A solitary Nikto stood tall, even though he was surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of droids. His lightsaber was pointed at the clanckers, a sign of defiance against the overpowered enemy. At this moment, Commander Keeli was glad he had survived the explosion, because he could help his general one last time. Getting up, he killed one of the B2 super battle droids, and heard General Di yell his name. His head was still buzzing, but he felt grateful when the Jedi retreated to stand next to him. That was a good way to die. "I''m not finished yet, sir!" ------------------------------------ General Di and Commander Keeli fought bravely for the next few minutes. But there were simply too many droids. "We can do this, general!" "Ugh... Let''s make the end memorable!" A smile touched both of their lips as a laser hit Commander Keeli''s right shoulder, sending him stumbling back. Before he could regain his balance, two more lasers hit his chest. He fell to the ground, his eyes wide open. His blaster pistols fell out of his hands. Life had already left his body. General Di only heard Commander Keeli scream in pain before he himself was hit. Burning pain came from his stomach, where a laser scorched through his skin and organs. Still holding his lightsaber with one hand, he did his best to deflect the incoming lasers. It was at this moment that he heard a voice through his comlink, which prompted him to look up. "This is Republic blockade runner O9-O9. We have broken through!" Several sh.i.p.s flew over his head, towards where the Twi''leks were escaping. Droids on the ground fired at them, but their puny lasers did little to the sh.i.p.s. "The Twi''leks... Will live to fight another day..." Letting out a victorious yell, General Di threw himself at the droids, waving his lightsaber. The clanckers might have destroyed the 303rd, but for General Di, they had won. Several lasers hit his shoulders, back, and chest. Strength left his body, and his hand went limp. His lightsaber fell, and without him holding it, the blue light disappeared. General Di knelt on the ground, looking at his precious weapon and companion. He stretched his hand, trying to reach it, but never did. When his body hit the ground, a small cloud of smoke appeared, as if something much bigger than a person had fallen. "The supplies have arrived at the drop point!" ------------------------------ Many, many kilometers away, Dageer was walking next to the Blurrg which carried Brain. Suddenly, he saw Ragout, who was in front of him, stop. The padawan let out a gurgling noise, and tumbled down. Kneeling, Ragout put his head on the ground, and sobbed. At the same time, Dageer felt something. More accurately, he felt something missing. A presence that was always with him, but he never noticed, had disappeared. Slowly, he leaned on the wall of the canyon they were in, and slid down. His mind was in shock, and he didn''t know what to do. The clones around the two, seeing their leaders fall like that, knew what happened. Many sat on the ground, saying nothing. Others punched the rocks, scaring the Twi''leks with the sudden brutality. Those who were too wounded to walk sat atop the Blurrgs, without reaction. Many troopers just stood still, looking at nothing, their minds blank. Touching his face, Dageer realized there were warm tears streaming down it. Chapter 219 - Dageer Loses Control Suddenly, a loud noise woke Dageer up from his daze. He looked at the sky, and saw several sh.i.p.s dropping their escape pods. The pods landed on the earth in front of the mixed group of Twi''leks and clones, and created small craters. One of the freedom fighters cautiously opened a pod, and pulled a box from inside it. "It''s food and medical supplies from the Republic!" Cheers erupted, old and young jumping in happiness. Syndulla looked at the escape pods and at his people, running towards it, and humped in annoyance. However, he couldn''t disguise the glints of relief on his eyes. However, none of the clones moved. The Twi''leks, initially surprised by their sudden stop and reactions, quickly forgot them, and ran to grab the supplies. Dageer sighed, and blinked. Using the back of his hand, he wiped out his tears. There would be a time to grieve, but it wasn''t now. "Tech, Shield... Get... Get the others up. We have to keep moving." "Sub-commander..." "Sir..." "I know it! I know... Just... Keep moving." Dageer looked around. All of them were on the verge of tears, but they still followed his orders. Slowly, the clones got back on their feet, supporting each other. However, their backs were curved, and they walked unsteadily. An aura of defeat surrounded them. It was over. The 303rd Attack Legion was over. General Di and Commander Keeli were dead. Admiral Dao, Rozal, Fondor, Timer, Narza, Berro, Bliar, Ace, Jax, Sharp, Thartam, Womp, Milo, Cooker, Macro, Jung, Frit, Trapper, Sannel, Virgo, Vigil, Plasma, Jesper, Pride, Smit, Storge, Torc, Agil, Weet, Sparky, Falco, Bat, Ferit, Spark, Bliar, Poshe, Kuvu, Spike, Shep, and so many others. They were all gone. Dageer didn''t know what was going to happen. He didn''t what would be made of the few survivors, Hell Squad included. He didn''t know a thing. "Sir. What about the gene... General Ragout?" Cell approached him quietly. There was blood trickling down his fists. Even his armor wasn''t able to protect him from himself when he punched the ground in anger and despair. Looking at Cell''s ragged hands made Dageer realize that he wasn''t the only one who felt lost. Those who had something to do were still better than those who hadn''t. Clones like Three-four and Brain, who were too wounded to even move, could only stare at the sky blankly. The fact that they didn''t have anything to occupy their minds made it worse. And then Dageer saw Ragout. The Togruta was crouching on the ground, crying. Dageer could only imagine how bad it was for him. If even the clones felt the loss of General Di so strongly, then what about Ragout, who had a direct connection with his master? "I will talk to him. And, Cell... Send someone to fetch Syndulla for me. I need to talk to him. I don''t care if he doesn''t want to come. He is going to hear this news from my mouth." "I will go myself, sir." As Cell ran away, Dageer walked towards Ragout. He thought about what he could say to cheer up the padawan, and realized nothing would do this. After all, it was his master who died. Maybe telling the truth would be better. He grabbed Ragout''s arms, and lifted the padawan. Tears filled his face, but when he saw Dageer, he tried to wipe and hide them. "There is no need, general. I felt it too... We all did." Any wish of hiding his pain and despair left Ragout. He let the tears stream free down his face. "What do we do? Master is dead... What can I do?" Dageer patted Ragout''s shoulders. He didn''t know how to comfort the padawan. He was a soldier, he only knew how to fight. But he did know that in situations like that, sometimes just saying the truth was better. "Now that General Di is gone, you have to lead is, sir." "I-I can''t do that..." "You have to. The 303rd is gone, but some of us are still here. We have too many wounded, and the seppies are still after us. We can''t stop here." "I-I-I... Uff... Okay..." "Good. You should get in one of the Blurrgs, general. The Twi''leks have stopped to catch the supplies, but I will get them on the move. Meanwhile, I will find one of the freedom fighters to show you the way. The injured are priority." "I understand. Thanks, Dageer." It was weird to give orders to a Jedi, but Dageer knew it was necessary. After Ragout started moving, Dageer grabbed Miwy, and told the Twi''lek to lead the way together with Ragout. For once, she didn''t complain. "Lieutenant Shield!" "I''m here, sir." "I want every man who can still walk to get to those pods, and organize it. Don''t let the civilians near it, otherwise it will be a huge mess." "Yes, sir. Syndulla is not gonna like it." "I don''t care whether he likes it or not. I''m going to talk to him. Remember, don''t get in a fight with the Twi''leks, but don''t let them take the supplies. And start getting them to walk. Tell them the clanckers are on our tail, and we can''t waste the time that General Di brought us." Lieutenant Shield nodded, and assembled the troopers. Soon, Dageer could hear complaints from the Twi''leks, but none of them dared confront the clones. Either they respected them for all they sacrificed, or they were afraid of the blasters. Dageer didn''t care. He wasn''t in a good mood. "Sub-commander Dageer! Order your men to stand down!" He heard Syndulla long before the Twi''lek appeared, riding his Blurrg. Dageer now understood why General Di said they couldn''t trust Syndulla to take care of the injured clones. He had completely ignored them, and only cared for the supplies. Rage filled Syndulla''s face, but Dageer just put on his helmet, and lifted his blaster. He didn''t aim it at anyone, but Syndulla retreated a few steps nonetheless. "Where is the padawan? I want to talk to him." "General Ragout is leading your people. Don''t forget that we still have seppies following us." "Rar! I thought that was why that Jedi decided to stay behind! Can''t he even stop a few droids, or did he just run?!" Despise filled Yate''s face as the Twi''lek spat on the ground. He never liked the Republic, and even now, it didn''t cross his mind why the clones had suddenly stopped. "Yate, shut..." Syndulla sensed something in Dageer''s eyes, and wanted to warn the freedom fighter to stay quiet, but before he could, Dageer had knocked him out using the butt of his blaster. The impact was enough to send Yate in unconsciousness. Several freedom fighters aimed their weapons at Dageer, seeing the clone suddenly attack one of them. Dageer, however, ignored the blasters, and ordered his own troopers to stand down. Looking at Syndulla, he waited for the Twi''lek to do the same. "What are you doing? Put those blasters down! Now!" Hesitantly, the Twi''leks did as they were said. The clones looked at Dageer surprised. They had never seen the sub-commander lose control like that, but they knew Yate was lucky that Dageer didn''t use his vibroblade. "Get him up. And when he wakes up, tell him it was well deserved. The Republic is our ally, and he should learn to respect them." Syndulla looked coldly at Yate as the Twi''lek was taken away, and then yelled for his people to let the clones take control of the situation, and get going. He already understood why Dageer was so angry. Soon, only Dageer, Syndulla, and Gobi were left there. The Twi''lek gestured for Dageer to say what he wanted. "General Di and Commander Keeli are gone. If you don''t want their sacrifice to be wasted, get us to your hideout at once." Chapter 220 - Going Back "General Di and Commander Keeli are gone. If you don''t want their sacrifice to be wasted, get us to your hideout quickly." Syndulla and Gobi stared at Dageer in shock. They already suspected that was the case, but Dageer was so blunt about it, and the way he talked made it seem like it was their fault. And, in a certain way, it was, but Syndulla would never admit it. "How... How do you know?" "General Di was General Ragout''s master, Syndulla. Jedis have a special connection, and you know that." The two freedom fighters exchanged glances. They had never seen Dageer - or any clone, for what it matters - get so angry. In fact, most of the time, they were like emotionless machines, who only knew how to fight. Even when their brothers died by their side, they barely looked at them. Or at least that was what the Twi''leks thought. They didn''t know the pain that the troopers actually felt. "I am sorry to hear that. We all are. Master Di was a great Jedi, and he will be missed." "He really was. Now, we need to get moving. Miwy is already leading the way with General Ragout. Do you have any complaints, Syndulla?" The Twi''lek looked at Dageer, not with anger, but guilt. He knew he was partially responsible for General Di''s death. "No. Let''s go." ----------------------------- In a dark room at the Jedi Temple, General Yoda clenched his small fists. He felt a tug in the Force, and sat down to meditate. "Uhmm..." His eyes closed, he called a droid forward, and told it to find General Kenobi, General Skywalker, and General Windu. Soon, four people arrived. Ahsoka Tano had followed her master. "You wanted to see us, Master Yoda?" The four sat in front of the small Jedi, their legs crossed. Ahsoka and General Skywalker were clearly itching to ask the reason for the meeting, but they let General Windu take the lead. "Uhmm... Gone, Master Di is. The Force around Ryloth, turbulent is." "We felt it too." Both General Windu and General Kenobi lowered their heads. They had known General Di for a long time, so they also sensed when he died. General Skywalker and his padawan, however, only got to know about this now. "This is the first loss the Republic had in this war." "But it won''t be the last. We have to claim back Ryloth as soon as possible, otherwise more systems will join the Separatist." "True that is. Master Skywalker, ready for this mission, you and your padawan are?" "The 501st just have to restock, master, and then we can leave." "Good. But careful you must be. A dangerous place, Ryloth has become. More than one Jedi, we need. Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker, as soon as your fleets free are, you will go too." "Yes, Master Yoda." "Now, meditate with me you must. Dark times ahead there are." ------------------------------- Two days went by pretty quickly. The freedom fighters and clones had a lot to occupy their minds with, and the few supplies that the Republic sent were running out. However, they were enough to save hundreds of injured, and support them for long enough so Syndulla could use his contacts, and find a steady supply of food and medical supplies. Dageer didn''t know where he got those things, and he didn''t care. At this moment, the sub-commander was walking around the Twi''lek hideout, an underground world of tunnels and caves. Suddenly, he saw Shouta. The young girl was playing with her friends, unaware of everything that happened in the last few days. When she saw him, she ran over to him. She really liked Dageer, for some reason, and the clone had no reason not to return that affection. "Mister Dageer! Mister Dageer!" "What is it, Shouta?" "I have a question. Daddy said that Mister Jedi and Mister Keeli died... Is that true?" Dageer sighed, and knelt beside her. Her father, Gobi, wasn''t very tactful in telling her that, but if one really thought about it, it was difficult to hide the fact that thousands of clones and Twi''leks have died. She and the other children would notice it anyway. "Yes, it is true. They died to protect us." "Ohh..." Shouta lowered her head, and for a moment Dageer thought she was going to cry. However, she didn''t know the two of them well enough to feel so much for their deaths. "You should go back. Your friends are waiting for you." "Ahh! You are right! Bye, Mister Dageer." "Bye, Shouta." What Shouta said made Dageer think of something. The droids had given up searching for them long ago. They thought that eliminating the 303rd was enough, and, to tell the truth, they probably were right. There was little to nothing that the survivors could do. "Tech, Dab, Cell, and Metal, come to me." Not much later, the four clones arrived in front of him. Their armors were scarred and scorched, with holes and cracks, but none of them even though about repairing it. It was a symbol of the battles they went through. "What is it, sir?" "We are going back." The clones frowned, not really understanding what Dageer meant. "Err... Go back to where, sir?" "The battlefield. The seppies had been gone for a while. I want to scout the area, and, more importantly, we have to bring General Di''s body back. The Jedis have a special way of treating their dead. Those are our orders." "What about Commander Keeli?" Dab asked this questions so quietly that Dageer almost didn''t hear him. However, he knew what the clone wanted. It was impossible to bring the bodies of all the troopers who died, but Commander Keeli had special importance for Hell Squad. "Him too. Now, let''s move." ------------------------------ Six people left the Twi''lek hideout, heading towards the battlefield. Leading Dageer, Cell, Dab, Tech, and Metal was Miwy. The freedom fighter, who apparently hated the idea of relying on the Republic before, now offered to help the clones in almost everything, especially after the 303rd was wiped out. Maybe it was pity, maybe it was something else, Dageer didn''t know. However, she offered to take them there, and he gladly accepted. He knew the terrain, but not so well. Just before they got to where the battle had happened, Dageer stopped the group. He wanted to make sure that they would only carry two bodies back. It was a brutal, but necessary precaution. "You saw before what the aftermath of a battle looks like, lads. But this is no normal battlefield. The clanckers are gone, but we still have to watch out." "Understood, sir." "Miwy?" The woman nodded, and took the lead. After another half an hour, their BARC speeders finally entered the valley where General Di realized his last stand. "Oh!" Miwy was surprised when they entered the treeline. In fact, it was more accurate to say she was terrified. The small forest from before was destroyed. Trees lay on the ground, and the few which were still standing had scorch marks. So did the rocks and the ground. But what shocked her the most was obviously not the devastation, but the bodies. Three hundred and twenty-five clones stayed behind. None made it out alive. Their corpses laid on the ground, or leaning on trees and rocks. Many had not one or two black spots on their armors, but a dozen. It was clear that they all went down fighting. Chapter 221 - Paying Respect Dageer stopped beside a body. The clone was laying on a rock, facing the ground. His arms dangled around when Dageer moved him, and he almost seemed alive for a moment. "Frit." The cheerful trooper had received almost ten lasers to the chest before he died. His blaster was next to him, and Dageer picked it up and put it on Frit''s hands. No clone would like to die without his weapon. It was a representation of what they faced, and how they behaved before their deaths, and it was also a sort of superstition. No one in this galaxy knew what happened after one died, and there were thousands of millions of theories. Clones didn''t even have the time to create an explanation. It didn''t matter. Frit and the others died a valiant death, and they deserved this kind of respect. Since he couldn''t bring their bodies back to Kamino, that was the least Dageer could do. "They... Did all of that?" Miwy''s shutter brought Hell Squad back to the present. They had all been roaming around, looking at their dead brothers, and remembering them. It wasn''t the first time they saw something like this, and it wouldn''t be the last. However, it was... different. When the Twi''lek called them, they finally looked at the battlefield as a whole. It was true that the 303rd had gone down in battle, but they weren''t alone. The price of their deaths was the destruction of more than a thousand clanckers. The broken remains of B1 and B2 droids made for a sharp contrast with the white and brown armor of the 303rd. The more they walked, the more droids they saw. Their metallic carcasses pilled up, side by side with the clones they were fighting. Suddenly, Metal stopped, and Miwy almost stumbled into him. Ignoring her, the clone knelt, and picked up a helmet. It was broken, scorched, and dirty. However, the two painted horns on it were unforgettable. "S-Sir..." Dageer walked over to him, and pulled the helmet of Metal''s grasp. The clone''s fingers held onto it for a moment, not willing to let go. Dageer looked at the broken visor of Commander Keeli''s helmet. The helmet he knew so well. Suppressing a sigh, he glanced around. It was easy to spot Commander Keeli''s body. A pile of droids laid around him, bigger than any other. His dear DC-17s were next to him, and he had his eyes closed. If it wasn''t for the laser marks on his chest armor, he might look like he was just sleeping. Unfortunately, he wasn''t. General Di wasn''t too far away from Commander Keeli. Contrarily to the commander, there were almost no droids near his body. They all seemed to have been pushed away, certainly by a last exhibition of the Force the Jedi used. There was a peaceful smile on General Di''s face. When Dageer got close to him, he noticed his comlink blinking. The Nikto must have received the news that the freedom fighters got their much-needed supplies. "Let''s go." Turning to the other clones, Dageer gestured towards the two bodies. They picked them up quietly, and left the valley. It was a place of death, and it would remain like that for a long time. Much later, the bodies would be rescued, not only there, but in all of Ryloth. Or at least what remained of them. There were many creatures on the planet that didn''t care whether their prey was dead or alive. --------------------------- "Dageer. Are those... they?" Ragout watched as Hell Squad entered the hideout in their speeders, two bodies hanging carefully on them. Dageer stopped his BARC speeder in front of the young Togruta, lifting a cloud of dust. Clones and Twi''leks surrounded the speeders, the freedom fighters murmuring curiously, the troopers silent in respect and grief. "Yes, general." Ragout stopped beside General Di''s body, touched his master''s head, and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he lifted his hand, and General Di and Commander Keeli started floating. The people opened a path for him as he walked. It was kind of eerie, watching a Togruta with dark circles under his eyes and two bodies floating behind him. Many of the Twi''leks, and even clones, flinched, and parents took their kids away. "Dageer, follow me." Looking at the members of Hell Squad behind him, Dageer shrugged. He wasn''t the least shaken by the scene, but he knew it wasn''t good for the morale of the troops. Without saying a thing, Ragout put the two bodies in special storage boxes, where they would be preserved until it was time for them to be properly sent to the afterlife. Dageer waited respectfully behind Ragout as the padawan said his final goodbyes to General Di. When Ragout finally looked up, Dageer saw a new glint in his eyes. There was still sadness, but also determination. A lot of it. "Dageer, as per today, you are being made commander of the 303rd Attack Legion. My... My master wouldn''t want us to stop and grief for him. He gave his life so he could help the people of Ryloth. We will do that in his stead." "Sir?" Dageer was surprised, to say the least. They didn''t have a legion anymore. The 303rd was gone. So, how could he become the commander of it? "I am a general, ain''t I, Dageer?" "Yes, you are, sir." "Then I have the authority to do so. Our legion might be gone, but we are still alive. I can''t let master''s sacrifice be in vain. I can''t let anyone''s sacrifice be in vain. And neither can you." Dageer didn''t know what to say. For once, he wasn''t happy about his promotion. It came at too high a cost. However, he could see that this was Ragout''s way of reviving the 303rd. A new commander would bring sad memories, but it would also give a new purpose to the troopers. "I understand, general. It is my honor to serve as the new commander of the 303rd Attack Legion. I will make sure the sacrifices of all my brothers won''t be in vain." Ragout nodded. There was a dark aura around the padawan, and for a moment, Dageer remembered General Di telling him to not look for vengeance. Ragout wasn''t following those orders, but it wasn''t Dageer''s place to tell him what to do. "Let''s go talk to Syndulla. He has something for us." Dageer followed, frowning. He didn''t know what the Twi''lek could have for them, but after the few weeks of constant battling, his respect for Syndulla had become despise. The freedom fighter only cared for those close to him, and didn''t even wince when he saw 303rd troopers dying one after another while he and his freedom fighters ran. Still, the newly-appointed commander followed his general. Looking at Ragout''s back, Dageer felt pity. He didn''t know a lot about the Jedis, but based on what General Di told him, it would be difficult for Ragout to find a new master, especially when he was showing such blunt hate and rage that even a clone could feel. He really liked the young padawan, and didn''t want to see all his training go to waste. That is, if they survived. ... The clones reacted just as Dageer expected when Ragout announced his promotion. There was a sad silence a first, which was then followed by a few cheers and congratulations. It was normal for a sub-commander to take the commander''s place in case he died, so there wasn''t much of a surprise. The Twi''leks didn''t really understand the implications of Dageer''s promotion, so apart from those who had gotten somewhat closer to the clones - like Shouta, Goby, Miwy, and Yva - most of them ignored it. Chapter 222 - Massacre "This idea is plain stupidity! How do you expect us to do that? We have less than two hundred men alive, and not even half of them can fight!" A very angry Ragout was yelling at Cham Syndulla, while the freedom fighter seemed unfazed. Dageer was also looking at him, his helmet covering his expression of surprise. He couldn''t believe the Twi''lek would be such an idiot. Even Gobi, who always supported Syndulla, couldn''t help but try to convince him otherwise. However, his efforts were for naught. "Let me see if I understood, Syndulla. You want to, three days after the 303rd was annihilated, attack a Separatist convoy guarded by almost a thousand droids? Is that right?" Dageer said nothing, but he, and even Gobi, agreed it was madness. Syndulla proposed they destroyed the convoy when it was going through the wreckage of several Republic and Separatist sh.i.p.s, which had crashed on Ryloth during the battle. The plan wasn''t actually bad, if not for the fact that Syndulla had less than four hundred ill-prepared freedom fighters. Anyone with a brain could see that the operation was fated to fail, but Syndulla insisted. "When we attack, the droids will have no space to form up because of the terrain. We can ambush them if we put soldiers hidden in the debris. Because of all the metal, there is too much interference for their sensors to detect us." Ragout frowned. Syndulla kept repeating the same thing, trying to convince him to take part in the attack. Although the Twi''lek didn''t think Ragout was half as good as his deceased master, he was a Jedi, and only he could command Dageer and the clones to get into battle. With the support of seasoned soldiers like the clones, his ambush had bigger chances of working. Unfortunately for him, Ragout refused promptly. "You re crazy, Syndulla. I know you are angry. I know you lost a lot. I know you are disappointed in the Republic. But what you want to do is suicide." "Pah! I knew I should never have trusted the Republic! All your promises were nothing but lies! Gobi, assemble the men. We are going, with or without those traitors!" "Cham... Maybe Mister Ragout is right. We should probably stay quiet for a while..." "You heard me, Gobi. Or did my right-hand become a traitor and a coward?" "Cham..." However, Syndulla wouldn''t hear any more of it. He left, and started mobilizing the freedom fighters himself. The poor bastards, without knowing what they were up against, and showing blind faith on Syndulla, excitedly grabbed their weapons and rode their Blurrgs. "Gobi. He is sending his people to die. You have to stop him." Ragout put his hand on the shoulder of the Twi''lek. Gobi had always been more reasonable than Syndulla. However, just like the other freedom fighters, he would follow the man, even if it meant his death. "I''m sorry, but I have to go. Who knows? Maybe it will work." Gobi flashed them a smile, then went to talk to Yva and Shouta. However, it was clear he didn''t believe what he was saying. Dageer, watching the family say their goodbyes, couldn''t help but turn to Ragout. "General, are we letting Syndulla go? He is going to die. They all are." "There is nothing we can do, Dageer. Syndulla lost his trust in the Republic. I could tell him anything, and he wouldn''t believe it. But I''m not sending my troops to their deaths. The 303rd has barely sixty troopers who can still fight. We already lost too much protecting Ryloth. If the freedom fighters don''t believe in us, then there is nothing I can do. But, just in case, get the men ready. We will be the only ones left to protect the hideout, the wounded, and the civilians. "Understood, general." "And may the Force be with you, Syndulla." ---------------------------- Destiny proved that Ragout was right in not leading the clones to attack together with the freedom fighters. The Twi''leks were massacred. Four hundred of them left the hideout, and less than a hundred returned. Clones and Twi''leks lined at the sides of the hideout, leaving a wide path in the middle for the survivors. Fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, wives, and husbands cried when they couldn''t find their loved ones amidst the defeated faces. Blurrgs without riders stood out. The m.o.a.ns of the pitifully small number of wounded forced Ragout to order the clone medics to walk forward and pick them up, because the freedom fighters couldn''t muster a reaction. Dageer looked at the group. Syndulla and Gobi were still alive, their heads lowered in shame, regret, and pain. Especially Syndulla. No one needed to remind him that it was his fault. Pain tugged at Dageer''s heart when he saw several familiar faces missing. Over the course of the month or so that the 303rd and the Twi''leks had been together, he and the others had made friends. Maybe they weren''t as close as the clones were to each other, but still... He recognized fairly soon Miwy''s Blurrg, without it''s rider. The woman had been very hostile to Hell Squad and the troopers at first, but after a few battles, she was always by their side, not hesitating to risk her life for a clone''s. Yate also wasn''t amongst the survivors. Before leaving, the hot-headed Twi''lek had scoffed at the 303rd and Ragout, and called them cowards. Still, he was loyal, at least to his people, and his death would be a huge impact on morale. By his side, Dageer saw Ragout take a small step forward, as if he wanted to walk up to Syndulla and say something. However, before he could do that, Gobi came to them. "You should stay away for a while, Mister Ragout. Cham... He is..." "He thinks it is our fault." Gobi suppressed a sigh. Syndulla had been complaining all the way about how the Republic was responsible for all the deaths, and that if they helped, the plan would have worked. At a certain time, Gobi lost his patience, and told him that the Republic wouldn''t have made a difference. Syndulla, however, didn''t get angry at him, but was even more sure that it was the Republic''s - and Ragout''s - fault. "Yeah. He said that if you hadn''t abandoned us..." "Abandoned? Ha! Tell him to look at us, Gobi. The 303rd had thirty thousand troopers before. Now, we have less than two hundred. Is that abandoning?" "I... I don''t know what to..." "But I know. Tell Syndulla that the 303rd can''t do anything for him now, but that soon the Republic will be back. We won''t abandon Ryloth and it''s people. Never. Dageer, give it to him, then organize the men. We are leaving." Gobi was stunned. He never imagined that Ragout would be angry enough to simply leave the freedom fighters. "Mister Ragout! I am sorry for Cham''s behavior, but you can''t leave! That will only make him more certain that the Republic betrayed us!" "Maybe. But the 303rd have new orders, and we are following them. Goodbye, Gobi, and may the Force be with you." Shocked, Gobi watched the 303rd gather their soldiers and wounded, and leave the hideout. It all happened so fast that he wasn''t able to react. Before he knew, they were gone. Near, Syndulla watched the same scene, with hatred on his eyes. The Republic traitorous sc.u.m had finally revealed who they really were. When Gobi delivered to him a hologram projector, saying it was given to him by Ragout, Syndulla simply crushed it. He didn''t want to deal with the Republic anymore. Chapter 223 - Discipline A few hours before Syndulla and the survivors returned, Dageer was startled to see his comlink suddenly light up. For the past few days, it had been inactive, since the seppies were jamming long-distance communications, but the comlink clearly indicated that the transmission was from far away. He tapped it quickly, and transferred the message to his hologram projector. An image of General Skywalker appeared. It wasn''t live, and there were several moments when interference made it almost impossible to understand, but Dageer was sure it was real. The codes used were known only to a few, himself included. "Padawan... Out. Hold tight, there are... Fleets going to... Loth. Help will arr... Soon." At this moment the transmission broke off really badly, probably a sign that the Separatist blockade had discovered it, and was trying to intercept the contents. "... Outside Nabat. You... Garrison... Clear landi..." The hologram disappeared. Judging by how long the transmission was, General Skywalker probably had been alerted that the seppies were about to eavesdrop his message, and ended it. Although it was very fragmented, and most parts were impossible to understand, the purpose of the transmission was still clear. General Skywalker, and possibly another Jedi, had finally arrived to help Ryloth. Unfortunately, they were a few days too late. The 303rd was gone, and, although Dageer didn''t know that at the moment, so were the freedom fighters. The battles that General Skywalker was going to fight would be to conquer Ryloth, not protect it. Shaking his head, Dageer quickly found Ragout, and showed him the message. From what General Skywalker said at the start, Ragout fished out something that Dageer hadn''t noticed. General Skywalker talked specifically to Ragout, not General Di. That meant the Jedi Council - and, consequently, the Republic - already knew that the Jedi was dead. And General Di''s death meant the death of the 303rd. As such, the Jedi Council had to be confident in their ability to take back Ryloth, knowing that they wouldn''t have a lot of support from the ground. "What do you think about Master Skywalker''s request?" The newly-appointed commander frowned hard, and grimaced in pain when the small movement caused the cuts and wounds in his head hurt. His scar was red and swollen, because it had opened again more than once during the many battles. That was one of the reasons why he was using his helmet less recently. "It is dangerous. We have fifty-eight troopers in condition to fight. It probably is enough to take on a small garrison. Besides, we don''t have to hold it, just make sure that gunsh.i.p.s can land. From there onwards, the job will be in the 501st hands." "I feel a but. What is it?" "We will have to time it perfectly." Dageer pulled out his hologram projector again, and showed a diagram and a map of Nabat. The city wasn''t as big as Lessu, but it was still huge. However, Dageer wasn''t focused on it, but on the relay station outside it. It was fifty kilometers away from the town, and would be ideal for the Republic troops to land. "If we take it too late, the gunsh.i.p.s will be gunned down. If we attack too early, Tambor''s forces on Nabat will come to reinforce it, and we will all be killed." "Uhmm... Is it possible to take down the clanckers in there without alerting Nabat?" "I doubt it. According to our data - and that is a few days old, so a lot could have changed - there should be roughly one hundred and twenty seppies. With sixty clones, we can take them easily, but it will be difficult to do that silently. If it is just Hell Squad, though..." "No. With Brain and Three-four badly wounded, you are two men short. Besides, you are a commander now. I need you here. No. We will do as you said, and attack it when the time is right. For now... Uhm... We have to leave. We are too far from Nabat, and we need to be ready to invade that relay base at any moment. Also..." "Syndulla is probably going to be angry with you, right? You shouldn''t bother with him, general." "I know. But you also know I can''t do that. I''m a Jedi, Dageer. Or I will be someday." The clone said nothing. Ragout seemed to be reminiscent of something, and Dageer wouldn''t be the one to intrude upon his thoughts. ---------------------------- Dageer could feel Syndulla''s hatred when the Twi''lek glanced at them as the clones left the hideout. He couldn''t believe how stupid Syndulla was. Just like any clone soldier, Dageer wouldn''t voice his thoughts unless he was specifically asked to do so, but even he felt like arguing. The 303rd had lost literally everything, from their fleet, to their commander, admiral, and general. And Syndulla blamed them, telling Ragout that they had betrayed Ryloth. Unfortunately for Dageer, he was too disciplined too actually do that. As such, he and the other clones could only leave with Ragout, which was kind of a relief to them. Although the other Twi''leks didn''t seem to blame them for anything, they didn''t like to be amidst civilians. Before they left, Shouta ran up to Dageer, to say her goodbyes. Just like any kid, the little girl had no idea of all the politics involved behind the 303rd''s departure. Gobi, her father, shook Dageer''s hand before they left. He was one of the few Twi''leks who Dageer liked. It was a pity this was probably the last time Dageer would see the two of them. ... It took two days for the clones to get to their new location. It was a cave, and a not very big one, but it fitted one hundred and ninety-seven clones well enough. "Three-four, I want you and Brain to stay, and take care of the wounded. Understood?" "Yes, sir." "Shield, you are coming with us. We did this a hundred times before. We gotta be quick, and hit the clanckers fast. We have one shot at it." "Don''t worry, commander. You said it yourself. We have done it a hundred times before." Dageer chuckled, and patted Lieutenant Shield''s shoulder. Soon, however, his expression became serious again. It was rare to see Dageer smile before, even more these days. "We have to be careful, lieutenant. I don''t want to lose anyone more, okay?" "I understand, sir." "Good. Then, get everything prepared. We are taking all those who can fight. The others will stay here, and take care of the wounded. Get ready to go at any moment." As if waiting for Dageer to say that, several Republic sh.i.p.s appeared in space. It wasn''t a lot, but Dageer could clearly see the 501st symbol on them. Soon, he spotted several starfighters aiming for the Lucrehulk-class Battleship that was the core of the Separatist blockade. Dageer was almost sure he saw a Jedi starfighter leading the Republic forces. For a few minutes, the Republic V-Wings simply crushed the enemy Vultures. The clones next to him cheered, and even Ragout smiled. Frowning, Dageer saw the starfighters getting closer and closer to the Separatist blockade, seemingly unopposed. Something was wrong. A Separatist fleet capable of crushing the 303rd, even though they were already severely weakened, shouldn''t be suppressed so easily. Then, Dageer saw two things, and so did the soldiers beside him as they put their hands down. Firstly, he saw a squadron get too c.o.c.ky, and approach the Lucrehulk-class Battleship. Well, maybe that was their plan all along. That was how General Skywalker liked to fight. Secondly, Dageer watched as four Providence-class dreadnoughts that were on the other side of the planet started to move. And then he knew what was wrong. Chapter 224 - A Failed Rescue Mission Short-distance hyperspace travel. Entering and leaving hyperspace in a split-second, just enough to travel less than half a parsec. Basically, it is enough for someone to go from one side of a planet to another. It was also a very dangerous and highly costly move. Such type of travel used the same amount of fuel as any long-distance one, sometimes even more. It was also risky because, since it was almost instant, it would shake the entire structure of a ship. Smaller sh.i.p.s would instantly fall apart, and bigger ones would suffer a lot. But that wasn''t the worse of it. By using short-distance hyperspace travel, anything that hit the ship when it came out of hyperspace would have the same impact as a laser cannon shot. And, considering that Ryloth''s surroundings were currently filed with debris, one could imagine how big the chances of ''accidents'' happening were. But the Separatist gamble paid off. After all, they had tactical droids, and their circuits were programmed to deal with situations like this. They calculated were the dreadnoughts would arrive perfectly, and, aside from a few holes in their shields, the sh.i.p.s were almost intact. And that was where General Skywalker''s plan failed. He wasn''t able to see two things. Firstly, he couldn''t scan the fleet around the planet, so he failed to notice there were more enemy sh.i.p.s. Secondly, no one would have ever thought that the Separatist commander would be crazy enough to use short-distance hyperspace travel. Even for the Separatist and the Trade Federation, dreadnoughts weren''t cheap. "That isn''t good..." "Yeah. General Skywalker should retreat. He won''t be able to break through now." "This... isn''t Master Skywalker." "What? What do you mean, general?" Ragout frowned, and looked up. Following his gaze, the clones saw the small squadron that was attacking the Lucrehulk-class Battleship push on forward. "What are they doing?! They are being cut off!" While Cell was questioning the mental state of the clone pilots, Dageer looked at Ragout. The padawan had an expression of horror in his face. "Who is leading this squadron, general?" "I feel... Uhmm... I think it is Master Skywalker''s padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Yeah... I feel her presence." "General... I mean, Commander Tano? Why would she be leading the attack?" "Master Skywalker must want to train her, just like Master Di once trained me. She is just like I was... Just like I was on Dantooine, with Kuvu." "Well, Ryloth isn''t exactly the best training grounds for a new padawan. She has to fall back, otherwise they are all going to die!" Unfortunately, there was nothing the few dozen troops on the ground could do. It didn''t take long for the first starfighters to blew up, and the Republic fleet also started taking heavy damage. Almost hesitantly, the starfighters got back to their cruisers, not without losses. It all happened so fast. Firstly, it seemed like the Republic was winning, and in the next minutes, they were forced to run away with heavy losses, leaving several starfighters and one cruiser behind, to increase the amount of debris around Ryloth. The clones watched silently as their hopes were crushed. It was almost impossible to believe it. The Republic''s attempt to save Ryloth lasted less than an hour. "I-Is... Is that it?" "General Skywalker''s capital ship was hit. I doubt they have the strength to fight the seppies. I guess we don''t have to attack that relay station now..." Tech analyzed the battle better than any of the others. Small discussions filled the clone group. After so many battles, they had long learned that it was better not to underestimate the Separatist. Commander Tano, unfortunately, was too inexperienced to know that. Dageer looked at the troopers, and glanced back at Ragout. His meaning was clear. Ragout was now their general, and there were times that he should speak up to his troops. The padawan nodded, and turned to the clones, who instantly stopped talking and entered formation. "At ease. The first attempt of the 501st have failed, but if I know Master Skywalker, he will be back soon. For now, we stay put, to when he needs us. We have been in Ryloth for a long time already, a few more days won''t make a difference. Dageer, Shield, you know your roles." "Yes, general." "Understood, sir." ---------------------------- The clones waited for a long time, ready to invade the relay station. However, the 501st didn''t come back that day. When night arrived, Ragout ordered the troopers to go to sleep. General Skywalker wouldn''t attack today. Dageer stood on guard that night. Usually, commanders wouldn''t be on guard duty, but he insisted. Commander Keeli did that when he was still alive, and Dageer followed his example. It was a way to show the soldiers that although he was an officer, he was still one of them. When his shift was almost over, he heard footsteps behind him. His hands reached for his vibroblade and his DC-17, but when he turned around, he saw it was just Brain. His brother saw him slowly moving his hand back, and nodded towards it. "Things aren''t good, are they, commander." "Argh... I still hadn''t got used to you calling me commander. It doesn''t feel right." Brain knew Dageer was deviating from the subject, but he didn''t point it out. Other clones might not notice it, but Brain knew Dageer was under a heck more pressure than he showed. The clone never let the others see his weak side, when he doubted their chances of survival, and, worse, when he doubted himself. "The nightmares are getting worse, aren''t they? That is why you insisted on doing a guard shift." "Yeah..." Dageer didn''t deny it. It was only with Hell Squad, and especially Brain, that he could tell the truth, and didn''t need to show a strong facade. After all, the six clones knew him better than anyone else. Their bond wasn''t something normal troopers had. It was forged by months of constant war and death. "The day General Di died... The voice got stronger. It was... Happy. Happy that a Jedi died. And, for a moment, I felt happy too. Why, Brain? Why do we dream that every night? We are soldiers, created to fight for the Jedis. For the Republic. Why would we want it to end? Why would we want to destroy the Jedi?" "We don''t want to, sir. It is just nightmares, that''s all it is." Dageer frowned, looking at the moons over Ryloth. He wished Brain was right. He wanted Brain to be right. But his feelings told him that wasn''t the case. There was something else to the nightmares. He just didn''t know what. With a sigh, he put his arm around Brain''s shoulder, careful not to touch the bandages around his head and neck, which were covering his injury. "What... What will happen with us, commander? I mean, if General Skywalker is able to take back Ryloth." "I have no doubt we will leave this planet, Brain. For better or for worse, our job here is done. There is nothing much we can do. The 303rd was destroyed. We will be divided amongst other legions. That is the normal procedures. As for Hell Squad... We are different. You know that." "And what about General Ragout?" "He is a Jedi. They have their own ways. Remember, Brain, we are soldiers. And this war isn''t over yet. It won''t be over for a long time. We will avenge General Di and Commander Keeli, no matter what!" Chapter 225 - Unorthodox Plan Dageer woke up drenched in sweat. After his guard shift last night had ended, he had returned to his tent, his talk with Brain still on his mind. Unfortunately for him, the nightmares didn''t go away. In fact, they became stronger. The hatred, the pain, the suffering... Dageer couldn''t take it. Around him, he saw that many troopers were already awake, sitting on the ground, polishing their weapons. It seemed he wasn''t the only one who was facing problems to sleep. He got up, and picked up his helmet and blasters. Going outside the cave, he used his macrobinoculars to spy on the relay station. It was still the same, with a few patrols outside, mostly B1 units, with a few B2 super battle droids here and there. "Cell, come outside." Using his comlink, Dageer quickly contacted the scout. Cell had been out last night, with another trooper, to get closer to the target under the cover of darkness. Now, it was time to report. Dageer totally disregarded the fact that the clone would be exhausted. They were at war, there was rarely time to rest. "Right away, commander." Soon, the clone arrived. His armor was dusty and battered, the paint that covered it scratched and with several black spots. Cell was still limping a little, thanks to his strained tendons from when a grenade launched him away. It wasn''t a pretty sight at the time, and for some time, he didn''t wake up, worrying Dageer and the others. However, Cell wasn''t one to go down so quietly, and as soon as he got up, he was back into the action. That was a few days ago already, when Commander Keeli and General Di were still alive. Shaking his head, Dageer couldn''t help but think of how everything reminded him of his two superiors. He was a lot more attached to them than he himself knew. "Report." "It is still the same, sir. Topnotch and I got pretty close to it, but we couldn''t see anything of importance. The seppies seen to be slacking on their security, though. The number of clanckers is still the same, but their patrols are more sparse." "I also wouldn''t be worried after the disaster from yesterday. They probably think the Republic won''t be able to even land a foot on Ryloth." "Will we, sir?" "Of course. The seppies aren''t the only ones who have lots of troops. It will be painful and costly, but the Republic will get Ryloth back." Cell said nothing. War wasn''t fair. War wasn''t beautiful. It was dark and horrifying, and he knew that well enough. He had no illusions that the Separatist would give up Ryloth easily, not after the price the 303rd made they pay to get it. And he also had no illusions that if the price for the Republic became too great, the Senate wouldn''t hesitate to abandon the few survivors of the 303rd. "Permission to rest, sir?" "Yes. Grab as much sleep as you can. Tonight, I need you to take me to have a look at the relay station." "You are having one of your ideas, aren''t you, commander?" Dageer chuckled. The members of Hell Squad really knew him too well. He couldn''t hide any of his thoughts from them. "Yes, I am." "Haha! I can''t wait for it." Dageer shook his head. However, Cell''s cheerfulness opened his eyes. With a Republic fleet nearby, and a clear plan on his mind, things weren''t looking so glum anymore. -------------------------- The nights in Ryloth were always bright, thanks to the two moons that spun around the planet. This night, however, clouds covered the sky, blocking the light, and shrouding the planet in darkness. It was perfect for Dageer and Cell''s scout mission. "There it is, sir." Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, the green light helping him see in the dark. It was just as Cell said. The droids were patrolling in their normal groups of six, but there were big empty spaces between each patrol, more than enough for a small squad of clones to get by. Clearly, the commander of the relay station - probably a droid captain - wanted to save their batteries. Dageer had spent a few months struggling to understand how droids could become ''lazy'' like that, but since it happened all the time, and it was good for the Republic, he decided to just leave it be. "Uhmm..." "Do you see something, commander?" Cell, hearing Dageer mumble, followed his line of sight, but couldn''t find what interested his squad leader. "You see those hatches?" Now knowing what he was looking for, Cell quickly found the railings Dageer was looking at. However, upon seeing it, he frowned. "Yeah. It''s the ventilation system. You are not thinking of using it to get in, are you, sir? It is too small for us." Dageer frowned. Cell was right. However, he had someone else in mind for the task. He just didn''t know if Ragout would be willing. --------------------------- Ragout was willing. In fact, the young Jedi congratulated Dageer for thinking of such plan. In no moment he said anything about how dangerous it would be, being all by himself inside the vents of a Separatist base. Together, commander and general devised the rest of the plan. It would be ideal if they could contact General Skywalker, to ask when he would attack again. However, they wouldn''t have this advantage. Luckily for them, when the 501st attacked again, five days after the first attempt, it was night on this side of Ryloth. Using the cover of the darkness, Ragout sneaked past the droids, and entered the vents. Dageer and the others would wait for his signal to attack. --------------------------- For a ventilation system, Ragout thought it was surprisingly hot. However, he had to admit that Dageer''s plan was good. He could think of at least ten situations in the past that he could have done that. "Captain, the Republic... Bzzz... Sc.u.m is attacking again." "How many sh.i.p.s? Bzzz..." "Hum... Just one." "One?! Ha! This... Bzzz... Puny Republic efforts are nothing to our... Bzzz... Blockade." Ragout could hear a clancker reporting to the droid captain in charge of the relay station, however, but he couldn''t see them. For a moment, he wondered why there was only one ship attacking. However, he also knew that now was the perfect time for the 303rd to do their job. "Commander, start the party." "Haha... With pleasure, General Ragout." As he heard the first laser shots being fired outside, Ragout chuckled at how promptly Dageer responded to his order to attack, and pulled out his lightsaber. The droid captain and the B1 unit which came to report were surprised to see a green light sever a piece of the vents. It was also the last thing they saw. ---------------------------- When Dageer heard Ragout''s order, he didn''t hesitate to attack, paying no heed to the battle in the sky above, so he didn''t notice that only one badly damaged Republic cruiser was slowly approaching the blockade. He lifted his DC-15A, and took aim. Next to him, the fifty or so clones who were laying prone also got up. The nearby clanckers who spotted them didn''t last long. "Now, lads! Move up to the building!" After taking out the patrols in a split-second, they ran to the relay station. Dageer took out two of the droids guarding the door, and heard a trooper curse near him. Looking back briefly, he saw that the wound wasn''t deadly, and ignored it. The trooper knew what to do. Arriving near the door, he crushed the control panel with his blaster, and the door opened. Instantly, he saw several dozen droids running towards him. Grinning, he dropped down to let the soldiers behind him fire without worrying about hitting their commander. Chapter 226 - Saying Goodbye Dageer felt the heat of the lasers flying over his head. The moment he dropped to the ground, he didn''t fire at the droids, but rolled to the side. His instincts were proven right, because several red lasers hit the spot he was in before. The droids were taken down pretty quickly, overwhelmed by the 303rd. All the clones who had survived up till now were not just elites. They were better than any other legion in the galaxy. They didn''t miss a shot, they didn''t make mistakes. Every laser that left their blasters meant a droid less in the Separatist army. Getting up, Dageer stepped over the bodies of the droids. They had lost two clones at the doorway, but most of them made it through. What followed was a simple cleaning operation for the 303rd. They swept the relay station room by room, killing the droids fast and efficiently. In less than an hour, there were no droids left. "Dab, take a few men and wait outside. I want to know the moment our sh.i.p.s break through the blockade or the clanckers'' reinforcements arrives, whatever happens first. Cell, go with him." "Understood, sir. Come, Cell." "Right away." "Tech, find General Ragout for me." "Okay, commander." "Metal, how many did we lose?" The heavy machine gunner approached Dageer, and took off his helmet, revealing a very familiar face. Metal looked around, and after confirming his report was right, he turned to Dageer. "Thirteen, commander. We also have a few slight injuries, but nothing too serious." Dageer frowned hard. Having just thirteen casualties and taking over a base with a droid garrison of over a hundred clanckers were incredibly good numbers. Still, Dageer didn''t like the feeling of losing more of his brothers, not after he had already lost so many. "Dageer! I take you had no problems with the droid garrison?" "General. In the latter half, we were finding more sliced droids than living ones." Ragout chuckled. Obviously, he was quite proud of his work, and he had every right to be. At least fifty clanckers were killed by him alone. Looking at the halves of the droid captain, Dageer picked up a piece of scrap metal, and crossed a line on his armor. "General, commander, you have to come outside! The 501st did it!" ----------------------- Dageer had no idea at what he was looking at. When he went out, he expected to see an entire Republic fleet, but what greeted him was one cruiser, in flames, landing. Looking past the ship, he saw the remains of another cruiser, and surprisingly, found out that the Lucrehulk-class Battleship and the dreadnoughts were also destroyed. "What happened? Where is the 501st fleet?" Ragout asked the question that was on Dageer''s mind, but he was unable to answer it. Calling Dab over, he asked the sniper what happened. "I... I am quite confused, sir. I knew General Skywalker was crazy, but not that..." Dab stopped before he could finish the sentence, only now realizing he shouldn''t be calling a superior crazy. However, what happened before had astonished him just too much. Ragout, however, gestured to him, showing the clone that it wasn''t a big deal. "Tell me what happened, Dab." "Well... At first, just one cruiser came out of hyperspace. However, instead of battling, it just flew towards the Lucrehulk. It looked like it was surrendering. Then, it suddenly accelerated, and crashed in the Lucrehulk, breaking it in two. And when this cruiser came out of hyperspace..." Dab gestured to the approaching cruiser. Now that it was closer, they could see that although it appeared to be in a bad shape, the only damage that it actually received was to it''s ''belly''. The rest of the cruiser seemed fine. "... it turned sideways. I never saw anything like that. The rest was easy. Fighters and bombers took down their sh.i.p.s." "Well, it is not much of a fleet." "Maybe not, general, but they took down the blockade. And if General Skywalker was confident enough to sacrifice one of his cruisers, then he must be sure there is help on the way." "Probably Master Kenobi. The last time my master talked with the Jedi Council, they said Master Kenobi''s fleet would soon be free to help." "Maybe. General... We will need to talk to General Skywalker. About everything." "I know, Dageer. Let''s go meet him." Dageer was surprised by how quickly and determinedly Ragout answered. Only when he saw the padawan''s trembling fists did he understand that Ragout wasn''t nearly as calm as he was showing. Straightening his back, Dageer took off his helmet, and held it under his arm, with his DC-15A on his other hand. Watching the cruiser land, and the lower ramp open, he called his men. "303rd Attack Legion of the Republic, on me!" Troopers scurried forward, and formed up in front of him and Ragout. The padawan gestured at Dageer to give his speech. "Troopers, men of the Republic! We have fought bravely. And we lost too much. But now, our duty here in Ryloth is over. Ryloth will be ours again, thanks to the brave sacrifices of our brothers! Now, it is time for you to rest. Let the 501st take over. You did well, my brothers." Dageer knew it wasn''t the most inspiring speech, but he didn''t mean it to be. They were way past the point of lying to the clones, telling them everything would be all right. But now, he could at least promise them that their fight on Ryloth was over. The Clone Wars were still raging on, but the commander was sure his few men would get some time out of the war. Forty-four troopers stood in front of him, lined up, their helmets under their arms just like Dageer. They weren''t a large force, but dozens of dead droids surrounded them, making for an impressive sight. -------------------------- When General Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka stepped out of their only remaining cruiser, they were greeted by about fifty clones. Captain Rex, who was following behind them, stopped for a moment, hesitantly. Just by looking at the dirty, scarred, and damaged armors, he knew what had happened to the 303rd. And he knew that the troopers before them were all that was left of the once mighty legion. General Skywalker walked forwards, and put his hand on Ragout''s shoulder. He could see the Togruta was trying to be strong, but deep down, he was afraid. All the sadness from the past few days and weeks was boiling inside him. As such, General Skywalker decided not to talk about war matters right now. "Ragout... I am so sorry for your loss. Master Di was a great Jedi, and he will be missed." "T-Thank you, Master Skywalker." "Snips, take Ragout to the ship. We need to get you back to Coruscant, young one." Ragout looked at General Skywalker, and then looked back to Dageer. He wanted to ask what would be made of his troops, but Dageer nodded at him, instigating him to go. For a moment, it looked like they were friends, not an officer and his superior. And that is because they were friends. Ragout had long considered Dageer more than just a soldier. "You should go, general. We will see you soon." Ragout nodded, and followed Ahsoka, disappearing inside the ship. As Dageer looked at his general''s back, he heard the sound of several sh.i.p.s coming out of hyperspace. Looking up, he saw several Republic cruisers. It would take time, and the price would be hefty, but Ryloth would belong to the Republic once again. General Di, Commander Keeli, Admiral Dao... Their sacrifices weren''t in vain. The 303rd''s sacrifice wasn''t in vain. Chapter 227 - Hell Squads Stand After he sent Ragout and Ahsoka to the cruiser, General Skywalker stared at the clones before him. Forty-five soldiers, including the one leading them, who he recognized as the Sub-commander Dageer. His different armor gave it away. Over his right shoulder pad and arm, there were several uniform lines. They were very similar to the ones Captain Rex had on his helmet. Walking down the ramp, with Captain Rex by his side, he stopped in front of Dageer. An ugly scar, red and swollen, covered the right side of the clone''s face crossing over his eye. Other small scars and bruises covered his face and neck, at least ten of them. Dageer saluted him, as did the other troopers, but it was clear that they were hesitant. "Sub-commander Dageer. Where is the rest of your legion?" His words caused the clone to stutter, and take a heavy breath, before letting out a sigh. Lowering his hand, Dageer looked past General Skywalker, past the cruiser, and past many mountains and valleys, to a place that thousands of his brothers gave their lives to defend. "We are it, General Skywalker. One hundred and eighty-five troopers, of which one hundred and forty-one are critically injured, and unable to battle. Also... Uff... I am a commander now." It took a few seconds for General Skywalker to process what Dageer was saying. An entire legion, thirty thousand men, wiped out. That was unheard of. He knew that General Di had died, but he didn''t think the entire legion would be gone. And, since Dageer was now a commander, that meant Commander Keeli had also perished. "I see... Then, Commander Dageer, we should get your men inside the cruiser. They probably need medical attention urgently." "That is true, general. Lieutenant Shield, get on with that." "Yes, commander." "Also, Commander Dageer, the 501st will be retreating for now. We suffered heavy losses in this battle, and Admiral Yullaren was badly injured. Master Kenobi and Master Windu will take over from here. You can leave the ground assault to them. You and your men are going back to Coruscant." Dageer looked at the troopers behind him. They were all tired, battered up, and dispirited. He couldn''t deny them the rest they deserved, nor the treatment to their wounds. With a nod, the clones started to board the cruiser. As soon as they were out of sight from their superiors, they dropped their blasters and sat on the floor. They lost everything, but this battle was finally over. More would come, but that was a problem for the future. General Skywalker and Captain Rex waited for the 303rd to board, saying nothing. Only when they too were about to enter the cruiser, did they notice that Dageer and six other clones weren''t following them. "Commander? Aren''t you coming?" Dageer looked at his squad. During the time the wounded were being moved, Brain and Three-four had joined him and the others, and Hell Squad''s ranks were filled up. Glancing at the very similar faces, he saw them nodding at him. They knew what he was planning, and they were more than willing to follow him. "No, sir. Hell Squad still has a job to finish here in Ryloth." "Ohh? And what job is that?" "Get rid of every clancker on the planet. For the 303rd." General Skywalker glanced at them, clearly feeling the hatred that Dageer and the others held for the Separatist. Still, he didn''t stop them or ordered them to go back to Coruscant, although that was what he should have done. Dageer always felt that General Skywalker understood the clones better than the other Jedis. The young Jedi didn''t seem to hold revenge and anger as terrible feelings. "You do you, commander. But you would better report to Master Windu once he lands. He won''t like it." "I understand, sir. And, thank you, sir." General Skywalker nodded, and walked up the ramp. The clones from the 501st didn''t even set a foot on Ryloth, but nobody could blame them. Their job was to break the blockade, and that they did. "Good luck, brother." "Thanks, captain. We will see you back at Coruscant before you know it." Captain Rex nodded, and followed his general. Soon, the lower ramp of the cruiser closed, and Hell Squad got away from it so it could take off. "Commander, do you think General Ragout will be all right?" "It will take time, but he will. He is a Jedi, after all." "And what about us?" "We fight. We are soldiers after all. Now, stop asking questions, and prepare to receive General Kenobi and General Windu." -------------------------- The Republic set camp near the relay station that the 303rd had taken over. During the night, a few thousand droids tried to attack them, but were easily defeated by the clones. The counterattack of the Republic started the next morning, as troops were deployed all over the planet. Gruesome battles and the fires of war took over Ryloth once again, as the Separatist countered the Republic offense with their vicious tactics. And it was only later that day that Hell Squad got the chance to meet with General Windu - General Kenobi was already off to a battle somewhere on the planet - they couldn''t meet with the Jedi before because Brain and Three-four could barely walk properly. However, after being treated in a bacta-tank for one night, they were ready for battle again. In fact, not only them, but most of Hell Squad went to the bacta-tanks. Now, their wounds still hurt, and their scars were still closing up, but that wouldn''t stop them from fighting. "Commander Dageer." "Take me to General Windu, trooper." "Yes, sir." Hell Squad followed the 91st trooper around AT-TEs and AT-RTs, until they arrived in front of General Windu. The Jedi was talking to Commander Ponds, whom Dageer hadn''t seen since Geonosis. "Commander Dageer." "General Windu, Commander Ponds." Commander Ponds stepped aside, and let General Windu face Dageer. As always, the general had a serious expression, as if nothing could make him smile. He looked at Dageer frowning, probably wondering why the clone was still in Ryloth. "Commander Dageer. Skywalker contacted me, and said you and your squad wanted to stay behind. Why is that?" "The seppies killed my legion, sir. My commander, my general. Hell Squad won''t leave Ryloth before they are kicked out of here." General Windu frowned even harder, and looked at Commander Ponds. The clone, however, decided not to give his opinion, and stayed quiet. "Hell Squad will be leaving Ryloth in the next transport. Look at your men, commander. Look at yourself. You are in no condition to battle." Dageer sighed. The Jedi might have been right, but he didn''t understand. For once on his life, Dageer willingly defied the orders of a superior officer. "We can''t leave, general. General Di died for Ryloth. The 303rd was destroyed for Ryloth. I would be betraying all of my brothers if I left without seeing this battle to its end." "Ryloth will be taken back, I guarantee you. Now, Commander Dageer, go to nearest transport, and leave this planet. I won''t let one of the best units the Republic have be destroyed because of your stubbornness." Dageer said nothing, but he also didn''t move. General Windu stared at him, and he stared back. He and Hell Squad had long decided that they would either be there when Ryloth was conquered, or die on the planet. They owned that to General Di and Commander Keeli. "Didn''t you hear me, trooper? You have your orders, so get mov..." "Thirty thousand, general. That is how many 303rd troopers died for Ryloth. And I knew every single one of them. They were my brothers." Chapter 228 - Insubordination "Thirty thousand, general. That is how many troopers died for Ryloth. And I knew every single one of them. They were my brothers." As Dageer said that, every clone in the vicinity looked at him in shock. Not because of the numbers he brought up, after all they already knew that, but because he had interrupted General Windu. Not only was he a Jedi, but he was also one of the highest-ranking ones, only under General Yoda. Even General Windu himself seemed surprised. After five months of war, he had grown used to clones only listening and doing everything he ordered. He rarely saw one of them defy the discipline ingrained in their genetic code, like Dageer was doing now. "I know that, and I am sorry for your loss, commander, but this is war. Losses are to be expected. What isn''t expected, is a trooper being disrespectful to your superior officer, do you understand?" "I do, sir. But with all due respect, there is no sense in sending Hell Squad away. You said yourself that we are one of the best units the Republic have." General Windu didn''t know how to answer to that statement. Hell Squad might be in a bad shape, it''s armor in shambles, and it''s members hurt, but it still was better than any other unit the 91st had. No matter how much he disliked having to admit it, but they really would be of great help. However, as a Jedi, he would never let a wounded person get in danger, whatsoever fight in a war. "There will be plenty for Hell Squad to do later, commander. I understand your feelings, but you can''t let yourself be overtaken by hatred and revenge. This isn''t a path anyone should follow." Dageer shook his head. Just like General Di, General Windu - or any other Jedi, for what matters - wouldn''t ever understand how a clone felt. He could see Commander Ponds looking st him, shaking his head. The clone wanted him to stop before it was too late. But Dageer couldn''t. He had made a promise to General Di, and he could only fulfill it by being there. "Maybe it isn''t the Jedi''s way, general. But since the first clone died on Geonosis, revenge has been more than enough for any of us." Every clone held their breath. Dageer was talking, but he didn''t mean what he was saying. Or, at least, he wasn''t talking to General Windu. No. He was talking about the dreams. General Windu, of course, didn''t know that. He assumed Dageer was talking about the way of the Jedis, and disrespecting him. "Commander Dageer, you should be careful with what you say!" "I never meant any disrespect, general. But, whether you allow it or not, Hell Squad is going to partake in this battle." Now Dageer wasn''t just being disrespectful. He was going against the orders of his superior. That was insubordination, plain and simple. General Windu was just as surprised as the troopers, and became enraged. "You are going against the orders of a general, commander. Do you know what are the consequences of that?" "I do, general. If you order me arrested, I won''t resist. But Hell Squad has sworn to fight for the Republic. And at the moment, Ryloth is a battlefield, and a very personal one to us. So, even if you command us to go, I regret to say that we can''t follow." General Windu stared at Dageer for a long time, and the clones of the 91st tensed up, waiting for Commander Ponds to give the order to arrest Hell Squad. As much as they agreed with Dageer, if they were given the order, they would follow it. "General?" Commander Ponds looked at General Windu, waiting, but the Jedi gestured for him and his men to stand down. Dageer was being insubordinate and disrespectful, but none of what he said was wrong. "Very well. If you wish to continue on this war, then I will allow it. You are, after all, soldiers. I won''t hold you for your insubordination today, commander, but you better be careful next time." "I understand, general." "Commander Ponds, let''s go. We have a city to take." ----------------------------- Hell Squad wouldn''t be part of the heavy group led by General Windu. Using AT-TEs and walkers, the 91st would carve a path to Nabat, where Wat Tambor currently was. It wouldn''t be easy, but it was necessary. Hell Squad, on the other hand, would be part of the group attacking Lessu, together with the 212th. ... More than a week had passed, and the 212th had finally arrived in front of Lessu. General Kenobi and his legion had gone through a lot, including fighting not only clanckers, but also native predators. However, they had also accomplished much, and had not only destroyed the tactical droid responsible for Lessu''s defenses, but also had freed up a bunch of Twi''lek civilians who were being forced to work as human shields. Of course, Hell Squad hadn''t been idle this whole time. Together with some troopers of both the 91st and 212th, they cleared out all clanckers around Lessu. Now, the roles had switched, and those defending the important towns were the Separatist, while the Republic was attacking. That had both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages were obvious. The 303rd made the droids pay a hefty price to take any of the cities, and the seppies would do everything they could to get their payback. However, the Republic had one advantage, and that was Hell Squad. "So, Commander Dageer, what do you think are our options here?" Hell Squad stood in front of General Kenobi. During the last few days, they had been in constant battle, earning a few scratches to their already battered armor. Now, it was almost impossible to recognize the patterns that identified each of them. The red dust of Ryloth that was glued to the armor, however, made for a camouflage better than any other. "Well, there is the hard way and the dangerous way here, general." General Kenobi lifted an eyebrow, and looked at Dageer. Both options seemed pretty similar and unwelcoming. "Explain." "The hard way is bombarding the city until we get the bridge back up. It will take time, and the clanckers won''t be quiet while we do that." "And the dangerous way?" "I defended this city for a few days, until Tram Cholq betrayed us and let the seppies inside. I know exactly what do do and where to go to get ray bridge up and running. But, to do that, we first have to get to the city. And, the only way to do that is..." "Climbing, right? I had a feeling you would say that. What do you think, Cody?" The commander approached. He had a scar very similar to Dageer''s, but his came from a piece of metal, not a lightsaber. Both of them were lucky to have survived. "Uhmm... It won''t be easy." "That is why Hell Squad is here. It will be difficult, but we can do it." "I agree with Dageer. If we can take ten or so men, and get inside Lessu, it will make our lives much easier. However, it will also take time. We have to first go down on this side, then climb the other." Dageer was nodding when he looked at his belt, and an idea came to his mind. He grinned. His plan had just gotten a lot worse. "Not necessarily..." // AUTHOR''S NOTE // Hey guys! I need your help with something. I decided to make a new review for the novel, because I realized that it changed a lot, and I also became much better at writing, so I felt is only fair that, after more than 200 chapters, I did a new review. I will also be deleting my old review in a few days - starting the countdown today - so I doesn''t give the impression that I am spamming reviews to get a high rating. I don''t need that, because we already have a 4,8 rating, thanks to all of you! Now that I think about it, it is not actually a review, but I''m sure you get what I''m going for. Now, the favor. I would really, really, appreciate if you could give my new review a like, so it can get to the top of the page, and let new readers, or potential readers, know that I''m serious about writing it, and also that I''m always trying to improve, for all of you (and also a little for me, because every time I look back to the old chapters, and see how much better the new ones are, I get proud of myself haha). Well, that is it. As always, thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying the novel, and may the Force be with us! Chapter 229 - A Treacherous Path "Not necessarily..." General Kenobi''s eyebrows arched even more when he heard Dageer. He couldn''t help but think that the commander was a little out of his mind when he pulled out his DC-17. What could the pistol do to help them? "What do you have in mind, Dageer?" "I don''t think you were in the battles of Thule and Alaris Prime, were you, Cody?" "No. I was in Felucia at the time, on a special mission." "Well, Commander Keeli and I used the grappling hooks a lot on those battles, to climb up the walls the seppies built. From there on, it became quite natural for Hell Squad, but I know other legions don''t use them nearly as much." "I see. You know, Dageer, you and Anakin would get along pretty well." Commander Cody opened his mouth. He already knew what Dageer''s plan was, and he didn''t like it. However, before he could say anything, General Kenobi was already agreeing, and Commander Cody had to go along. "Get a few men ready, Cody. No more than five. Together with Hell Squad, we will be more than ten, and I don''t want to risk getting the droids'' attention with a large group." "You are coming too, general?" "Well, of course I am. This is our best chance, and I have no doubt a Jedi will come in handy. Right, Dageer?" "Sure thing, General Kenobi." "Good. Well, no time to waste. As soon as you are ready, let''s go." "Yes, sir. Kickback, Stock, Dingo, come here! Waxer and Boil, you too!" Soon, five 212th troopers approached them. They saluted Commander Cody and General Kenobi, then turned and did the same to Dageer and Hell Squad. Judging by how they held themselves, and by how beaten up their armors were, Dageer knew they were veteran soldiers. "Grab grappling hooks, you five. General Kenobi has a mission for us." "Yes, sir!" General Kenobi left to talk to some of his men. Since he and Commander Cody would be climbing the cliffs around Lessu, he had to leave someone in command of the offensive on the outside, to keep the droids distracted. That left the clones alone, and they could speak more freely with each other. Or, at least, Commander Cody and Dageer, who had the same rank, could. "You know you are crazy, right?" "Haha! We have to be. Otherwise we wouldn''t be a special unit." Commander Cody laughed. He and Dageer had known each other for a long time, and got along very well. "It''s good to have you back, brother. And... I will talk to General Kenobi, to see if we could get the men from the 303rd to join us. We lost some troopers, and I would be glad to have elite like them on our ranks." The smile on Dageer''s face faded, but he knew Commander Cody meant good. After all, even after the troopers who were injured healed, the 303rd would have less than a hundred clones who could fight. It wasn''t official yet, but the 303rd Attack Legion would certainly be disbanded soon, and the few surviving troopers would be scattered around several legions. "Thank you, Cody. Hell Squad, on me. We are going to check the best place to go down." Commander Cody nodded, and watched Hell Squad follow Dageer to the border of the abyss between them and Lessu. Midway, he saw their sniper, Dab, pull out his DC-15x, while the scout, Cell, used his binoculars to keep a lookout for any clancker aiming at them. "Are they really as good as it is said, commander?" Boil approached Commander Cody, and couldn''t help but ask. They all had heard of Hell Squad. In fact, almost every clone in the Republic Army had. They were an elite force, created in Geonosis. They had been to every corner of the galaxy, and faced everything from droids to the creatures of Scarif and from bounty hunters to Ventress. Sometimes, it was almost impossible to believe what was said about them. "They are more than good, Boil. The fact that they survived the annihilation of the 303rd proves it." "But can they still fight? I mean... They look really bad right now." Kickback intertwined, gesturing to the figures of Hell Squad. It was understandable why he asked that. Three-four was still limping slightly, Brain had bandages wrapped all around his head, and Tech''s entire chest was bruised, and he had at least three broken ribs. Metal and Dab both had been shot in their shoulders and arms, and Cell in the thigh. Dageer also wasn''t looking too good. Thanks to the piece of metal that pierced his leg, also due to being shot, he too was limping. Of course, none of the bandages and wounds could be seen under the armor, but seasoned soldiers could tell that the clones under them were hurt. Not only that, but their armors looked like it had been thrown under a Banta. "That is because they are. You have been through a lot of battles yourself. You know that sometimes you have no option other than to fight, even when you are hurt. And Hell Squad had been doing that for more than a month. Don''t worry about them. You will see what I mean when the time comes." ... General Kenobi loomed over the abyss, looking down. Behind him, Commander Cody, five clones from the 212th, and Hell Squad waited. "Are you sure that is the best spot?" "Yes, general. Dageer scouted it earlier. From here, we will be out of sight from the clanckers in the walls. Before we use the cables, we need to go down a little, so they won''t see us while we are crossing." General Kenobi looked down at the dark abyss once again. He could barely see the bottom of it. It would be a long, long fall. "All right then. Let''s get to it. No sense in wasting time." Saying so, he grabbed the cable that was hanging over the edge, and started climbing down, using it to steady himself. The others followed suit. At least to go down here, they wouldn''t have to do free climbing. Going up on the other side, however, was an entirely different story. Dageer was the last one to go. He grabbed the cable with one hand, and used his feet and his other hand to find grooves and slits to steady himself. This continued for more than half an hour, and the group kept going down without saying anything. Any wrong step could cause one of them to fall to their deaths, so they had to pay a lot of attention. At one time, Dageer put his foot in the wrong spot, and slipped, forcing him to put his weight on his injured leg. He groaned in pain, but, but steadied himself. "I think this should be enough." After another twenty minutes, he heard General Kenobi''s voice. Stopping, he looked down, and saw the Jedi annalize the opposing wall of the abyss. Above General Kenobi, the clones flexed their fingers one hand at a time, trying to relax the tensed muscles. "What do you think, Cody?" "That should do it, general. We are low enough so the seppies won''t see the cable when we launch it." "Good. Dageer, you did this before. Would you do the honors?" "Yes, general." Dageer thought for a moment that he never did something quite like that, but now wasn''t the time to hesitate. Grabbing the DC-15A that was strapped to his back, he hooked his foot around the cable that he was holding, and took his hand off it. Chapter 230 - A Treacherous Path (2) For a second, Dageer leaned forwards dangerously, as gravity tried to pull him down. However, he steadied himself with his feet, and quickly took aim. Finding a slit on the other side of the abyss, he calmly fired his blaster. Instead of a laser, a black cable was sent flying. The slit he aimed for was barely a meter wide, and was more than a hundred meters away, but he hit it perfectly. The hook opened, and penetrated the rock. On his end of the cable, Dageer hammered it to the wall his side. After making sure it was firm enough, he pushed a button on the cable launcher, and the cable tightened up. Dageer used one of his hands to pull it, and, after making sure it wasn''t going to falter, he passed his blaster above it, and held the DC-15A with one hand on each end. Looking down, he saw General Kenobi nodding at him, and took a deep breath. Without hesitating anymore, he pushed himself off the wall. The journey to the other side was brief and slightly terrifying. Since the cable had to be angled downwards, Dageer could see the abyss below him as he slid towards the wall. In less than ten seconds, he was already there. Before he crashed face-first into the rocks, he put his feet up, and slowed down. Maintaining his legs bent, he put them against the wall, and stopped. He felt a sharp spike of pain, but it quickly went away. Finding somewhere to grab and hold, Dageer pulled out another hook from his belt, and pierced it into the rocks, making a steady support for himself, and put a cable around it, tying himself. He wouldn''t be able to use it all the way up, but at least now he could help the other clones who were sliding down the cable without worrying about falling. One by one, the troopers followed Dageer. There was one tense moment when Stock''s hand slipped, and he almost fell off in the midst of sliding down the cable. However, the clone was able to grab hold of the cable with his hand, although his blaster fell. He had to do the rest of the crossing by putting one hand after another, and when he finally got to the other side, he could barely move his arms. Thankfully, the droids didn''t know they were there, so they had the luxury of resting. That is, if you could consider holding on to the side of a cliff resting. The last one to come was General Kenobi. Graceful like all Jedis were, he jumped before he even got to the end of the cable, and grabbed a groove on the rocks easily. After waiting for a few minutes, General Kenobi started climbing, and the clones looked at each other. Now that they were there, there was no retreat, but glancing up, Lessu seemed so distant that it looked like it was out of reach. "Aren''t you coming, troopers? You wouldn''t let an old man like me be all by myself, right?" Hearing General Kenobi, Hell Squad stuttered. The Jedi was already meters above them, climbing without any equipment as if it was nothing, and he was calling himself an old man. "Let''s move lads! We didn''t come all the way here so you could appreciate the view." "We are right behind you, Commander Dageer." Detaching themselves from the safety of the hooks and cables, the clones started climbing. Surprisingly, it wasn''t as difficult as they thought it would be. The irregular rocks gave them plenty of supports, and there were even some spots where they could stop and rest slightly. Still, climbing without the help of ropes or cables was difficult, and the wind didn''t help. After climbing for more than an hour, they weren''t even halfway done. "What the...? Arghh!" Suddenly, Dageer heard a clone screaming. Looking down, he saw Dingo barely holding on to the cliffside with one hand. His other hand was holding something that looked like a bug. Dageer recognized it as a Frotorr, an insect-like lizard that was usually inoffensive. Dingo, however, seemed to have put his hand inside the nest of the Frotorr, and the creature had attacked him. Dingo swung his arm, launching the Frotorr in the abyss, but the surprise attack made him lose his hold of the wall. His body leaned backwards, and his hands grabbed empty air as he tried to grip on to something. The others - including General Kenobi - could only stare at the poor clone as he fell, screaming. There was nothing they could do to help him, or they would also fall. The stunned clones stared at the spot where their brother had disappeared for a few seconds, before Commander Cody finally came back to his senses. "Keep moving, boys. We still have a mission to complete. And be careful of where you put your hands." Dageer shook his head, and started climbing up again. He knew the chances of losing somebody during the climbing were high. He never expected Dingo to die because of a small creature like the Frotorr, but accidents happened, and sometimes they were lethal. Thankfully, they arrived at the top without losing anyone else. There were some close calls, but the clones were always able to steady themselves, sometimes with the help of General Kenobi. After two hours of climbing, even General Kenobi was tired. However, if they stayed outside the city like that, they would soon be found. So, they couldn''t stop, and had to once again pull out their grappling hooks, but this time they would use it to climb up the wall around Lessu. To do that, however, they needed cover, or the Separatist would easily spot them. "Start the attack on the east side." A few seconds after Commander Cody gave the order through his comlink, Dageer saw huge blue lasers leaving the AT-TEs on the other sides of the abyss, and impacting the all. It was far enough so it would distract the droids, but wouldn''t hurt the small invading force. "Now is our chance. Let''s go!" Three cables were fired up, and the hooks went over the walls before catching into something. They didn''t have the time to check if it was safe or not. "When we get up there, don''t fire unless it is necessary. The longer it takes for the droids to notice us, the better our odds get." Commander Cody, Dageer, and General Kenobi were the first to go up. Thankfully, the attack the 212th was faking made the droid commander in Lessu divert his troops to defend against an attack. The few droids that saw the hooks were quickly cut down by General Kenobi. Dageer and Commander Cody helped the other get up, and General Kenobi gestured for Dageer to take the lead. Hell Squad stayed in Lessu for a few days, and knew the walls way better than him. "The bridge controls are over there, in the tower. Our attack plan is quite simple. We have to get there, and get the bridge back up. Once we are inside the control room, defending it should be easy. Our major source of problems will be how to get there. There should be more than a thousand droids on the way." "We should have thought of that before." "Quiet, Cell." "Do you have a plan to slip past the droids, Dageer?" "There are two options, general. Either we go down the wall, and try to sneak through the buildings, or we can go on the offensive up here." "We probably should go to the city. It will take longer, but it will be safer." General Kenobi played with his beard, and looked at the city below them. Dageer already that would be his answer, and he already had a counter to it. "I wouldn''t bet on that, General Kenobi. Last time, we were betrayed by some of the freedom fighters. I have no doubt that some of the civilians would hesitate to turn us in." Chapter 231 - Carving A Path General Kenobi analyzed their options. Dageer was right when he said they couldn''t totally believe the Twi''leks. He could feel a lot of fear in Lessu, and fear was a path to many darker emotions. "Dageer is right, general. Civilians are too easily swayed. Before we take the city, they won''t believe us, and will prefer to trust the seppies, even if that means living in fear. That happened more than once since the war started." The Jedi caressed his beard, frowning. Neither plan was perfect, but he trusted Commander Cody. If the clone was telling him that it was better to use brute strength to get past, then he believed him. "Let''s not waste any time then. Commander Dageer, you will lead the way. Cody, Waxer, and Kickback, you are the rearguard. Pay attention to any droids that might come behind us. Still, the big threat should be the droids in front of us." "Understood, general." "Yes, sir." Dageer grabbed his blaster, and crouched. He started running, staying as low as possible. Behind him, Hell Squad and General Kenobi followed. A few seconds later, he saw a section of the wall - already damaged from the battle when the Republic was on the defending side - crumble and fall, taking down several dozen droids with it. It was almost at this moment too that the first droids came to their sight. There were seven of them, B1 units. Apparently, fearing an all-out attack by the Republic, the droids had concentrated near the gates of the city. Just a few scattered patrols remained on the way. On one hand, it was good, because it meant that they would face less opposition until they got near the bridge controls. On the other hand, they would have to face all those droids before they could get to the control room. Well, there was nothing they could do other than go along with the flow. Dageer gestured for them to slow down, and the members of Hell Squad instinctively walked forward, leaving General Kenobi behind. The Jedi looked at them quite surprised, since he would usually be the one on the front, after all, he had a lightsaber. Hell Squad, however, didn''t need his help. Seven droids, seven clones. Dageer pulled out his vibroblade, and, when he was twenty meters away from the unsuspecting droids, started running. The clanckers heard him, and turned around, but Hell Squad was already on them. Slashing down, Dageer sent the head of one of the droids flying in the air. The other clones used their normal strategy of putting their blasters around the droids necks, and twisting, breaking their joints. In a few seconds, the seven droids were dead, and it was all done without a noise. The clones from the 212th watched in awe, finally understanding why Commander Cody said they shouldn''t underestimate Hell Squad just because they were hurt. Six more groups of droids were killed using the same tactic before something went wrong. One of the droids was able to let a shot out of his blaster before being killed, and that alerted the other clanckers. Usually, a laser fired in the midst of a battle of this proportion wouldn''t attract much attention, after all, there were laser cannon shots being fired, and explosions happening everywhere. Bu not even the clanckers were stupid enough not to notice when a laser was randomly fired in a portion of the wall where the battle hadn''t even arrived yet. Seeing the red lasers coming in their direction in droves, General Kenobi took the lead, his blue lightsaber spinning. There was little to no cover on the wall, and in a situation like that, the best option was to advance, and don''t look back. "Keep going!" The Jedi ran forward, his weapon slashing down, cutting three droids in half. Behind him, the clones pressed their triggers, taking down one droid after another. ... Dageer saw a laser getting past General Kenobi''s lightsaber, and pushed Waxer down. The laser, which would have hit the clone in the head, scratched his shoulder. "Ugh... Thank you, commander." "On your feet, trooper. Keep moving!" "Arghh!" "Cody! Are you all right?!" Dageer looked back to see that Commander Cody had been hit in the leg. With how many droids were in front of them now, Dageer doubted they could even arrive at the bridge controls building. "I''m okay, general. But we are never going to make it past this many clanckers." "Hold on. Cover me." General Kenobi suddenly turned off his lightsaber, and closed his eyes. Dageer had seen this happen enough times to know he was using the Force, but the Jedi couldn''t have chosen a worst time. Dageer knelt, his DC-15A aiming at the droids barely a hundred meters away. There were dozens, maybe a hundred of them, firing without stop. "Dab, charged shot! Brain, cold detonators!" The clones followed his orders immediately, and a small explosion took out almost ten droids. Unfortunately, Dab''s DC-15x would be unusable for some time, until it cooled down. The sniper, however, wouldn''t stand idle, and was about to pull out his pistol when Dageer gave him his DC-15A. "When the detonators land, shoot it!" Brain had found his previous order, to just throw the detonators, without activating them, weird. Now, however, he understood. If he had activated the detonators, they would blow up before it reached the droids. By throwing it inactivated, it would be useless, unless someone hit it with a laser, and who was better for that than a sniper? "Ahhhh!" Three thermal detonators were sent out, and three explosions followed, killing a dozen droids each, and sending more falling over the edge of the wall. At the same time, the clones suffered their second casualty. Stock was hit two times in the chest, dying immediately. Before the clones suffered another death, though, they saw a huge shadow passing by them, and suddenly a broken piece of the wall crashed into the ground in front of them. Several red lasers hit it uselessly, and now the troopers had enough cover. Dageer knew it was impossible for a piece of the wall be conveniently blown up and land right in front of them, providing perfect cover. So, he looked at General Kenobi, the only one with enough power to do that. Sure enough, the Jedi was sweating profusely. It seemed that moving a giant piece of rock using the Force took a lot, even for a Jedi. However, it was the cover that the clones needed. Now, they could fire at the droids without being totally in the open, and that meant that the fifty or so droids that were left after Brain and Dab''s joint attack, lasted about thirty seconds. The aim of the droids never was great, and they relied on numbers to win, but this time, they were going against eleven of the most elite clones the Republic Army had, and a Jedi. Still, more and more droids were arriving, in an endless stream. Dageer had already anticipated that there would be a few hundred droids between them and the bridge controls, and they had only killed a little more than a hundred of them. "That won''t do. Cody, Dageer, any ideas?" "No, general." "I don''t think so, sir. Maybe we should retreat. As long as we get down to the city, we can escape the clanckers pretty easily." "And do what? We can''t keep running for days, until the others break through." "I might have an idea, sir." While Dageer, General Kenobi, and Commander Cody were discussing, Dageer was surprised to hear Dab speak up. It was rare for the sniper to interfere in a conversation. "Say it." "If we let the seppies approach, do you think you would be able to push the rock again? That will open a path, and you could get through it and go to the bridge controls building." Chapter 232 - Taking Back Ryloth Both commanders, and General Kenobi, stared at Dab. It was a plan. A bad one, but still, a plan. General Kenobi glanced at Commander Cody, who shrugged. "It isn''t the craziest thing we have done today, sir. If you think you can pull this off, it is worth a try. It might be our only chance of surviving this battle." The Jedi nodded, and put his two hands close together. Dageer patted Dab''s shoulder, and took back the DC-15A that the clone gave him. "Good thinking, Dab." The sniper only nodded, without even turning his head to talk to Dageer. He was too concentrated on firing at the incoming droids. Tech yelled when a laser hit his shoulder, and Metal cursed when his blaster was pulled out of his hands by another laser. Now that the clanckers were getting closer, their accuracy was getting better. "Now should be about time, general!" The Jedi didn''t answer, but pushed his hands forward. The piece of the wall, which was at least three meters long, and one and a half meter high, was sent tumbling away. The droids on its path were crushed or pushed, falling down the wall. At least a hundred seppies were destroyed with that one move, creating a path to the bridge controls building. "Now is the time! Move, move!" The group took off running, taking advantage of the opportunity, and killing any droid on their way, but there were still too many. Seeing their path getting blocked once more, Dageer looked at Commander Cody, and saw him nod. They knew what was going on each other''s mind "General Kenobi. You have to go first. We will hold the clanckers." "That isn''t happening, Dageer." "You are a Jedi, sir. You are the only one who can get to the controls before the seppies fill this damn wall. We will keep them occupied. You just have to come back to help us as soon as you are done." General Kenobi looked at the two clones with a complicated expression. But there was no time to deliberate. He turned on his lightsaber, and ran towards the building. Without having to keep up with the clone''s pace, he was easily able to get to the bridge controls building, cutting down any seppie on his way. ... Dageer watched as General Kenobi disappeared inside the building. He had no doubt that a Jedi would have no problems to get the ray bridge back up. That meant that their mission was almost accomplished. Now, they just had to survive to see the end of it. "Keep firing, boys!" The clones arranged themselves in a half-moon, kneeling on the ground. Red lasers hit the ground and cut the air around them, but the clones stood still as stone. They weren''t fazed by how many times death almost got to them. That was what they were created for, and what they were the best at. "Reloading!" Tech crouched, barely dodging a laser, and Three-four covered him, pressing the trigger of his blaster without stop. Waxer and Boil were also an impressive team, killing one droid after another. Kickback, Dageer, Commander Cody, and Metal were at the very front of their formation. The double-barrel repeating blaster that the clone had was wreaking havoc amidst the droids. Dageer felt an impact in his chest, and stifled a groan. If it wasn''t for the blast padding in his armor, he would be dead. Behind him, Dab''s forearm was hit, and Waxer''s helmet was sent flying was a laser hit it, narrowly missing his head. Suddenly, they heard a loud sound of metal scraping metal. Looking behind the droids, they saw a Dwarf-Spider droid. The long laser cannon on it was pointed directly at them. "Scatter!" The huge impact wave of the laser cannon shot was enough to send Dageer off his feet. His head was ringing like a bell, and his vision was blurry. His blaster had escaped his hand, and he saw the world turn. Flailing his arms around, he felt his hand wrap around something, and gripped it. The sudden stop made his shoulder let out a loud sound, and he felt his joint pop out. Incredible pain traveled through his body, but his instincts told him that if he let go, he would be dead. And so, he kept his grip strong, but pain was slowly weakening him. Blinking, he opened his eyes, and saw the ground fifty meters below him. This prompted him to grab even strongly, as he held the edge of the wall. Lifting his other arm, he used both of them to grab the wall, and tried to pull himself up. However, he didn''t have enough strength, at least not with a dislocated joint. The fact that it was the same shoulder he had broken before didn''t help. "Commander! Hang on!" Dageer looked up, and saw Brain leaning over the edge, reaching to grab him. "What about the spider?!" "General Kenobi took care of it, sir. Now, hold on! Cell, help me here!" The scout soon appeared, his helmet nowhere to be seen. Together, he and Brain pulled up Dageer, even as the clone groaned in pain when they grabbed his arm. When he was finally back up in the wall, Dageer realized that the bridge was on, and thousands of troopers were running through it, already getting into the city. Fights erupted everywhere, and lasers were flying all over. From time to time, Dageer could hear civilians screaming on fear. The situation on top of the wall was better. General Kenobi and Commander Cody were taking care of the last droids on the wall. The Dwarf-Spider droid was missing three of it''s legs, and laid dead on the ground. Metal and Kickback were sitting on the ground, each holding their left arms, which seemed to be broken. "Do you want me to put that in place, commander?" Three-four approached Dageer. He was holding his helmet under his arm, and there was a small cut on his forehead, bleeding slightly. Dageer looked at his right arm, which was dangling uselessly on his side, and nodded. "Do it." Three-four nodded, and had Dageer kneel on the ground. He put his knee and shin on his back, and grabbed his arm. Without any warning, he shook Dageer''s arm, and, with a ''pop'', the shoulder was back in place. The commander suppressed a yelp of pain, and moved his arm. It was hurting, but at least not as badly as before. "How is it, commander?" "Working. You did a great job, Three-four. Now, go take a look at the other, Commander Cody and Dab first. Metal and Kickback, you two stay put, and try not to move your arms. Cell, Brain, Tech, Waxer, and Boil, with me. There is still a battle going on." "We already did our part, Commander Dageer. Lessu is ours. And so is Ryloth. We just received confirmation from Master Windu. He and the freedom fighters of Syndulla took Nabat, and captured Wat Tambor." Dageer looked at the city below the wall, and saw that General Kenobi was right. There was still a lot of fighting going on, but the seppies were being pushed back. Sitting down, he leaned against the side of the bridge controls building. The battle for Ryloth was over. The planet was now part of the Republic, and would stay like that for a long time. Chapter 233 - The Future Of The 303rd Dageer looked out of a Republic cruiser''s window. Under him, Ryloth was getting smaller and smaller. Soon, the ship would make the jump to hyperspace. Dageer didn''t know when and if he would see it again. Hell Squad stood next to him, three clones on each side. They weren''t using their armor, but brown clothes that showed they belonged to the 303rd. Without their armor, the scars on their faces and arms were plain for anyone to see, showing just how much they had been through. From time to time, a trooper from the 212th would pass by them, and look at the group for a second. When Ryloth was substituted by the blue and white lines of hyperspace, Dageer turned around, and Hell Squad followed. In the end, Ryloth was just another battle in a war that was far from over. A painful battle, that they would remember and regret forever, but still, just a battle. Walking around the ship towards their quarters, Dageer was remembering what transpired after their crazy climbing plan and the battle on top of the walls of Lessu. As soon as Lessu was captured by the Republic, several Separatist sh.i.p.s tried to leave Ryloth and escape the system. Many were shot down, but some escaped. However, of the almost half a million clanckers on Ryloth, less than half survived. Of course, the Separatist would have no problem replenishing their ranks, but a victory was still a victory. Dageer saw General Windu briefly after the battles were over, when the Jedi was transporting the captured Separatist leader, Wat Tambor, to a Republic cruiser scheduled to take him to the prisons of Coruscant. Together with the Jedi was Cham Syndulla, the freedom fighter leader. Syndulla just looked at Hell Squad, and scoffed, before leaving, but Dageer could see guilt in his eyes. Gobi and Yva were nowhere to be seen, and neither was their daughter, Shouta, but one freedom fighter informed Dageer they were okay. Gobi had suffered a slight wound in the battle for Nabat, but it wasn''t serious. Shaking his head, Dageer pushed all his thoughts of Syndulla or the Twi''leks to the back of his mind. He now had something else to worry about. Now that the Battle Of Ryloth was over, Hell Squad was returning to Coruscant. As the commander of the 303rd Attack Legion, Dageer had to be present when the higher-ups decided what would be done of the few survivors. As the leader of a special unit, Dageer had to be present when the higher-ups decided what would be done of Hell Squad. "Dageer." "General Kenobi." The Jedi was walking in the other direction, towards the command bridge of the cruiser. Surprisingly, although General Kenobi had done everything Hell Squad had, from sliding over an abyss, climbing up a cliff, and fighting a thousand droids, he didn''t have a single bruise. Meanwhile, Hell Squad had several light wounds, and at least two broken bones. That went to show how different from the normal folk the Jedis were. "Listen, Dageer, I just received a transmission from Coruscant, and was about to send a trooper after you. You are to go immediately to the Judgement Room on the Senate Building, as soon as we arrive. They want to sort this out as soon as possible." "Understood, sir. And... What about General Ragout?" "The Jedi Council will deliberate on his fate. Usually, when a padawan loses his master before their training is complete, they finish it on the Jedi Temple. But Ragout won''t be there for long. In a few months, his training will be complete." "Thank you, general." General Kenobi nodded, patted Dageer''s shoulder, and continued on his way. The commander gestured to his squad, and went to their quarters. --------------------------- The Senate building was impressive, to say the least. High towers of a dark shade of red, the building was in the heart of Coruscant. Hundreds of thousands of people walked by and on it every day, and it was were the most important decisions of the Republic were made. As such, of course the security would be tight. Before Hell Squad got to the Judgement Room, they had to go through four security checks, even though they were clones. The ones responsible for the security were clones who wore long red armor, very different from the normal Phase II ones. Senate Guards. Dageer never understood them. They never talked, and rarely moved, and he had never seen them training. Even clone commandos would train with normal clones for a while, but the Senate Guards didn''t. When Hell Squad finally arrived in the Judgement Room, what greeted them was a giant platform that floated above a hole. On the walls on both sides, protected by blast shields, were people of many different species. Directly in front of the platform, surrounded by Senate Guards, was Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. He was old, but still younger than most chancellors who came before him. He also had a smile on his lips, and looked like a very easygoing person. However, for some reason, when the chancellor gazed at him, Dageer felt shivers running down his spine. He was a dangerous man. "CT-4063, named Dageer, commander of the 303rd Attack Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. Is all that was said correct?" A fat Twi''lek near Chancellor Palpatine read a datapad in his hands, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Dageer straightened himself, and so did the other members of Hell Squad. "Yes." "This audience will now hear Chancellor Palpatine, to decide what will be done of the 303rd Attack Legion!" The Twi''lek sat down, and Chancellor Palpatine got up, smiling. He was standing far above Dageer, but he stretched his hands as if he could touch Dageer. It was easy to understand why he was elected chancellor. "Commander Dageer, we are all terribly sorry for the loss of Master Ima-Gun Di and Commander Keeli. However, this is the first time an entire legion of the Republic Army was destroyed, and we can''t hesitate. We shall not show weakness." "I understand, sir." "Then, the surviving troopers shall be sent to other legions. Commander Cody, of the 212th Legion, seemed to show interest in them. I am sure elite troops such as yours will be of high importance." Dageer nodded, and the chancellor''s assistant, the Twi''lek, got up again, to read another note. "One hundred and eighty-five clones remain of the 303rd Attack Legion. Of those, one hundred and twenty-three have been seriously injured, and won''t be able to battle again. They will be taken good care of. The remaining sixty-two troopers, with the exception of Hell Squad, will be sent to the 212th Legion." Dageer knew it wasn''t his place to ask what would be done of Hell Squad. They were going to tell him next anyways. And that was what Chancellor Palpatine said next. "Commander Dageer, in accounting to all the missions and tasks Hell Squad accomplished on behalf of the Republic, we thought it would be a waste to bind you to another legion. As per today, Hell Squad will be a free unit. Of course, unless there is some special task, you will fight on the battlefield just like you have done up till now." "Thank you, sir." "Unless anyone has something else to say, then I will declare this secession as finished." None of the audience said anything, and, after waiting for a few seconds, the chancellor sat down again. "I am sure you will do a good job, Commander Dageer, leader of Hell Squad. After all, you are one of the best of the Republic. You are free to go." Dageer nodded, and turned around. Hell Squad followed, and he could already sense their questions. He would answer them, but they all knew that a whole new phase for Hell Squad was about to start. Chapter 234 - The Last Salute All in all, the reunion in the Judgement Room was concluded quite fast. Hell Squad entered the Senate building as members of the 303rd Attack Legion, and left as an independent unit. Still, in their hearts, they would always be part of the 303rd. "Shield, meet us at the infirmary in the headquarters, and bring everyone. I have to announce something." "Understood, commander." Dageer wanted to be the one to tell his legion what their future was, and he wanted every trooper, including the wounded, to hear. Clones were used to being moved around, so becoming part of the 212th wouldn''t bother them. However, Dageer knew this would be the last time he saw many of them. He had grown up, trained, and fought with those brothers of his, and he wanted to see them one more time. ... The troopers received the news quietly. It was what they were expecting, so there was no reaction of surprise. Ragout had also appeared in the infirmary, and that surprised them. The padawan still had dark circles under his eyes, but he seemed better now. He talked to each of the clones, and just shook Dageer''s hand before leaving. Now, their paths would part, since they weren''t in the same legion anymore. In fact, they weren''t in any legion. After his brief talk with Ragout, Dageer brought Hell Squad out of the infirmary. Lieutenant Shield ordered the fifty or so clones who weren''t wounded - or had already recovered - to follow them. Together, the group took a transport to the Revontre. Until the troopers were moved to the 212th Legion, and the dissolution of the 303rd was officially sanctioned, they were still members of the same legion. And, for now, they were away from the battlefield. When Dageer pushed the doors open, he was greeted by loud music and laughter. Countless clones walked around, some drunk, some just talking. Although the clones of the 303rd were in a large group, only the troopers closer to the door paid attention to them. It was, after all, quite normal to see so many clones together. However, once they recognized the pattern of the clothes Dageer and the others were wearing, those troopers stopped talking, and looked at them. Slowly, all noise died away, as more and more clones looked for the reason of the sudden silence, and saw the 303rd. Eventually, even the music stopped. As Dageer walked forward, and the others followed, the clones got up, and stared at them in silence. Dageer didn''t know who started it, but all the hundreds of troopers brought their right hand to their foreheads, and kept their left hand behind their bodies, their back straight. It was a standard salute, one that every clone knew. However, it wasn''t directed at Dageer or any of the clones. No. They were saluting not those who were alive, but those who were gone. Dageer took a deep breath, and returned the salute. His men mimicked him. Seeing that, the other clones lowered their hands in unison, and returned to what they were doing before. From time to time, furtive glances were thrown in their direction. "Shield, be at ease. We aren''t serving right now. Let the men have a good night. For Commander Keeli. For General Di. For the 303rd." "For the 303rd." The clones scattered themselves amidst the others. The Revontre wasn''t a place to grieve, but to drown your sorrows. They had stories to share, and moments to remember. Dageer walked straight to the officer rooms on the second floor, and Hell Squad followed him. None of them had any less authority than a captain of the Clone Army. Entering the room, Dageer saw many familiar faces. Commander Cody, Captain Rex, Commander Fox, Sergent Hound, Lieutenant Thorn, Commander Bly, and Captain Lock were all there. None of them said anything about the 303rd, and just shook Hell Squad''s hands, or hugged their brothers. Soon, they found themselves with a drink in their hands. "Now that you are a true special unit, do you already have your next mission, brother?" Dageer shook his head. He couldn''t take the image of Chancellor Palpatine out of his head, when the man smiled at him while saying Hell Squad would become an independent unit. The chancellor made him remember his nightmares, for some reason. Realizing he was daydreaming, and that Captain Lock was still waiting for an answer, Dageer pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. "No. To tell the truth, I have no idea what exactly Hell Squad is supposed to do. Although we have been a special unit for a long time, we were always with our legion. The battles we fought were their battles too." "Sometimes I wonder when this war will be over..." "Now, come on, Bly. You know it is far from the end." "Yeah. Just... So many have died already..." Dageer nodded. Commander Bly was telling the truth. Sometimes, he also wondered when the Clone Wars would be over, and he and his brothers would be able to have a life that wasn''t filled with war and death. But such a life needed sacrifices. The 303rd was the first legion to be annihilated, but it wouldn''t be the last. ------------------------- It was only two weeks later that Hell Squad received a mission. By now, most of their wounds were healed, and all that was left were some bruises. Frowning, Dageer read the datapad he was given. Looking at Commander Fox, of the Coruscant Guard, Dageer closed it. "What is this, Fox?" "Don''t ask me, Dageer. This came from the higher-ups, maybe even the chancellor himself. He seems to think very highly of Hell Squad''s abilities, and he isn''t wrong." Commander Fox shrugged awkwardly, to show he didn''t mean to downgrade Hell Squad. "Uff... It is an escorting mission, Hell Squad can do that easily. The problem is the next part. A trade? Since when did we start negotiating with the seppies?" "Since we received orders to do so. Look, Dageer, I know Tambor feels kind of personal to you since Ryloth, but General Plo Koon is a member of the Jedi Council. That is why General Secura is leading the negotiations." Dageer looked at the data again, and sighed. Commander Fox was right. He was only complaining because he didn''t like being near Wat Tambor. He had only seen the Separatist once, but he was one of the people responsible for the 303rd''s annihilation. However, orders were orders, and he would follow them until the end. "Yeah, you are right. Still, Fox, I think there is something going on." "Like what?" "I don''t know. But something about this mission isn''t right. I can feel it." -------------------------- "Master." "Darth Tyranus, my apprentice. One of the leaders of your little Separatist alliance was captured recently." "Yes, my lord. Wat Tambor. He will be punished accordingly." "For that, you have to get him back first. This small negotiations of yours will be a good opportunity to get rid of some of those filthy Jedis. Leave none alive." "As you wish, my lord." Count Dooku caught a glimpse of an old face beneath the hood as the hologram disappeared, but a dark mist covered it. He couldn''t tell who his master was, but his fear of him was immeasurable. The consequences of when he tried to defy him were... In the darkness of his room, the cold and murderous leader of the CIS shivered. He would never dare to go against his master. Not again. Turning on his hologram projector, he faced Asajj Ventress. The woman bowed to him, a creepy smile on her lips. Behind her, several clones laid, dismembered. "What can I do for you, master?" "I have a new mission for you." Chapter 235 - The Dark Side Of The Republic Aayla Secura was a female Twi''lek, and one of the youngest Jedis of the Jedi Order. She was in charge of the 327th Star Corps, an elite legion that, just like the 303rd, existed since Geonosis. General Secura, as the clones called her, had been to many battles in the last few months. As such, she wasn''t new to the horrors of war. However, when she looked at Hell Squad, she couldn''t help but frown. They brought back some bad memories. Although Jedis were supposed to leave their affections behind for the greater good, she still worried about her home planet when Ryloth was attacked by the Separatist. She was on Felucia at that time, and couldn''t help, but news of all the cruelties that her people were subjected to still reached her ears. The death of General Di was another blow to her. He hadn''t been her master, but he had trained her in the Jedi Temple, and she was quite fond of him. Of course, she didn''t blame Dageer for anything that happened on Ryloth. She knew, as well as any Jedi that was leading troops on this war, that clones weren''t machines, and that they felt the deaths of their brothers and commanders as deeply as any Jedi. Still, the armor of Hell Squad was a reminder of what happened. The Hell Squad that now stood in front of General Secura was very different from the one that left Ryloth. Their armors had been cleaned from all the blood, dirt, and laser marks. The holes and cracks had all been fixed, and the blast padding had been changed. However, they had refused to change armors. Armors weren''t like blasters. Blasters were all equal, with the exception of a few like Dab''s DC-15x. Armors, however, were unique. Each clone crafted and modified their armor during the war, many because wanted to have their own identity, others because of something that happened. Be it Dageer''s scratch marks, be it the long line that crossed the entirety of Dab''s chest plate - because of when a commando droid slashed it -, or the tattoo shaped like a horn that Tech had on his head, all of them were something that only their armor had. It couldn''t be copied. Their armor was a companion that followed them through battle and death. More subtle then when clones started getting names, their armor was nevertheless a symbol that they were people. They had thoughts, they had emotions, they had a family they cared about. No matter what others said about them, the troopers knew very well that they might have been created to fight a war, but the Republic they were protecting was also their home. After saluting General Secura, and greeting Commander Bly - leader of the 327th Star Corps - Dageer lowered his hand, and the others mimicked him. "Where is the exchanging taking place, general?" "On a small planet called Kiros. Colonized by Togrutas, it is a neutral planet, or at least it was supposed to be. They were part of the Confederacy Of Independent Systems, but they left when the war started." Dageer nodded. It was a good place to exchange prisoners. Although it had some affiliation to the Separatist before, it was now a neutral planet. And, considering it were the seppies who proposed it, it was understandable that they would want to do the change somewhere they knew. "Is it safe?" General Secura shook her head when she heard Commander Bly''s question. "As safe as it can be. The Separatist aren''t exactly honorable, so we will have to be careful. That is the reason they sent a special unit." She gestured at Hell Squad, and Dageer acknowledged it. That was what they were best at. In a big battle, or a planet-wide invasion, even, there was little a single squad could do. Small operations like that were where they really made a difference. ... Later that same day, already on a ship to Kiros, Dageer finally found the time to talk with Commander Bly. There was something that had been bugging him ever since Commander Fox gave him the details of this mission. There were too many things that didn''t make sense, but Dageer didn''t dare to ask Commander Fox about that. The commander was a loyal clone, sometimes too loyal. Dageer had no doubt that the answer he would receive if he asked him would be just a stern face and nothing else. "Bly, nobody said anything about Wolffe. Not a word. But you and I both know he was captured too." Commander Bly scratched his head. Clearly, he was troubled by the same question. Commander Wolffe was the leader of the 104th Battalion, and the commander under General Plo Koon. The Jedi had been captured in battle, and so had been the commander. The other clones with him had been killed, but a commander of the Republic Army had some value. However, it was as if everyone forgot Commander Wolffe existed. From the chancellor to Commander Fox and General Secura, nobody mentioned the clone. "You know the answer to that as well as I do, Dageer. To the higher-ups, a clone isn''t that important, even Wolffe. Our mission this time is General Plo Koon, not him." Dageer shook his head. Sometimes, his brothers were too fixed in fulfilling their orders, and didn''t think about anything else. Maybe because they had more independence, special units like Hell Squad, Delta Squad, and Deep Squad weren''t so disciplined. No, that was wrong. They were disciplined, they just thought more about the commands they were given, instead of just following them. "Still, if Hell Squad has a chance of rescuing Wolffe, we will." "And I will help, brother." Dageer nodded to Commander Bly. They wouldn''t leave a brother behind, unless they had no other option. "What is our course of action there, then?" "Just like the simulations. We put Tambor forward, they put General Plo Koon. They walk, and we trade. At the first sign that the seppies might be thinking of doing something, shoot Tambor." Dageer grinned. He might not have been to a prisoner''s trade like that before, but he sure had trained for it. Sometimes it went right. Most of the time it went right. But when it didn''t... Hell Squad would take care of it. -------------------------- Two days later, their ship arrived at Kiros. They only landed after making sure there were no Separatist waiting to ambush them. One can never be too cautious when dealing with clanckers. Twenty-eight clones - seven from Hell Squad and twenty-one from the 327th - followed General Secura out of the ship. Two clones pushed Wat Tambor forward, his hands tied with electromagnetic chains. If he tried to escape, all General Secura had to do was push a button, and they would electrify him - not enough to kill him, but it would hurt. The Separatist, led by a commando droid, also appeared, bringing with them their prisoner. The Kel Dor was limping, but apart from that, he didn''t seem to be too hurt. Weirdly, General Plo Koon had a device covering his mouth, preventing him from talking. Dageer, however, didn''t think much of it. He knew Jedi''s words had power, so it was normal the droids wouldn''t allow him to talk. Seeing the Jedi was alive, Dageer started analyzing the enemy troops. If anything went wrong, he wanted to have a plan ready. Chapter 236 - Dear Dageer The Separatist group was composed of only twenty clanckers, but all of them were commando droids. Dageer had fought them on more than one occasion, and he knew they were deadlier than an entire battalion of B1 units. It appeared the seppies weren''t taking any risks. The leader of the commando droids gestured for his men to stop, and continued by itself. Seeing that, General Secura did the same. The female Twi''lek walked forward, until she and the droid were only two meters apart. Both had their melee weapons - a lightsaber and a vibroblade - but there was no doubt about who would be faster to pull it out if needed was. "Jedi... We brought our prisoner... Bzz... Bring your''s forward." "You first, droid. Unless I am sure Master Plo Koon is safe, Tambor isn''t going anywhere." The commando droid looked at her, his white eyes flashing. He had orders not to give the Jedi to the Republic unless Emir Wat Tambor was safe in their hands. "The Jedi is... Safe. R0-S5, bring him forward... Stop there." One of the commando droids pushed General Plo Koon, and he stumbled forward, almost falling. After he walked about twenty meters, the clancker held his shoulder, keeping him from moving. Now that he was closer, Dageer saw that the general seemed... anxious. He couldn''t talk, and the eyes of the Kel Dor weren''t easy to read. However, Dageer had long grown used to reading a person''s body language, and General Plo Koon was too tense and nervous. Even in his situation, Jedis usually were calm. There was something wrong. "Commander..." "I know. Everyone, stay in your positions, and be prepared to fight. Bly, something is going to happen." Cell wanted to warn Dageer. His sharp eyes had already discovered the same problems as Dageer. Commander Bly and his men were more used to open battles, so they hadn''t noticed. "What is wrong?" "I don''t know yet. But keep your aim on the commando clancker. Aim for the head." "All right." General Secura was focused on the commando droid, and didn''t notice General Plo Koon''s warnings. She motioned for the clones to bring Wat Tambor forward. She and the droid had gotten in a silent agreement to do the trade at the same time. When one of the 327th troopers stepped ahead to take Tambor, Dageer moved to grab the Separatist''s arm. With his head, he gestured for the clone to stay, and took his place. The man was confused, but he stayed quiet. Now wasn''t the time to show indecisiveness. While he was leading the Separatist, Dageer let his eyes dart from side to side. They were on a landing platform, but obviously, it wasn''t being used. Bunches of crates laid here and there, but they had scanned it from the ship, and there was no droid hiding inside them. The most they found were some small life forms, animals of some sort. The buildings on the north and the east blocked the vision of any sniper, whatever side it may be. Clearly, the seppies had chosen the location carefully. They wouldn''t be able to ambush the Republic there, but the Republic also wouldn''t be able to catch them off guard. Still, Dageer''s instincts told him there was something fishy going on. The closer he got to General Plo Koon - who was now being brought forward too - the stronger this feeling got. When he arrived by the side of General Secura, she too had noticed General Plo Koon''s weird behavior. Frowning, she looked at the device preventing him from speaking, and turned to the commando droid. "Take it off." "I do not have... Bzzz... The tools for that. You can take it out yourself, Republic... Bzz... Sc.u.m." Dageer saw General Secura clench her fist in anger. She could easily destroy the device with her lightsaber, but turning it on would be considered a violation of the small truce they had to realize the trade. And, considering there were twenty blasters aimed at General Plo Koon''s back, this wasn''t a very intelligent move. Tied like he was, even a Jedi wouldn''t be able to dodge. "What are you waiting... for? Bzz... Trade the prisoner." Both Tambor and General Plo Koon walked forward at the same time, and crossed paths. With the trade completed, both sides were preparing to return to their sh.i.p.s and leave when a dark figure jumped out of one of the containers. Holding two red lightsabers, the person ignored General Secura and General Plo Koon, and looked at the clone near them. "Oh, my dear Dageer... I''m glad I have another chance to kill you." --------------------------------- Ventress had been hiding in the container for the past day, waiting. Since her master gave his command, she was more than glad to kill two Jedis. Knowing the Republic would scan the location that had been chosen, she hid her life force using an ancient Sith technique. Watching through a gap in the container''s frame, she was surprised to see the characteristic armor of Hell Squad. She usually wouldn''t remember the names of the clones, after all, they were no more than worms she could easily squash. However, Dageer was different. Not only had he resisted her interrogation, but he had escaped her not once, but twice. And, to top all that, he had buried her alive under thirty meters of snow. She had failed to kill him in Iktotch, but she wouldn''t fail this time. Her hatred for him was so great that she almost ignored the Jedis she was sent to kill. "Oh, my dear Dageer... I''m glad I have another chance to kill you." She grinned, and waved her two lightsabers in a downward slash, aiming not at Dageer but at General Plo Koon. She might hate the clone, but she knew that her biggest threat were the Jedis. ... Dageer looked surprised at Ventress. He didn''t expect to see her here, and the fact that she had her lightsabers out meant she wasn''t respecting the truce. He saw her swing her lightsabers at General Plo Koon, who still had his hands tied, but General Secura used her own weapon to intercept it. Using the Force to push Ventress back, General Secura cut the chains that tied General Plo Koon, and the device in his mouth. At the same time, she threw a green lightsaber to him. Together, they started to fight Ventress. All of that happened in less than three seconds. Looking at the commando droid holding Wat Tambor, Dageer discovered that their metallic faces seemed as surprised as the clones by the turn of events. However, that surprise wouldn''t last long. After all, Ventress was a Separatist, and the truce was gone. Lifting his blaster to waist height, Dageer fired three shots, hitting the commando droid in the head. The clancker was a powerful unit, and could take several dozen shots to the chest, but not to the head. It felt to the ground twitching, and it didn''t get up. At the same time, both sides reacted, and an all-out battle started. Tambor ran to hide, and Dageer fired at his direction, but he was forced to dodge the lasers of the droids, and most of his shots missed, barely scratching the legs of the Separatist leader. Running backwards, Dageer ducked behind a crate, just in time to escape death, and heard Metal chuckling as he warmed up his double-barrel repeating blaster. "You were right, commander. There was something wrong." // Author''s Note // Hello guys. You know I usually don''t share personal things, because I don''t want you to think like I am asking for pity, but I feel this is important, so here it goes. Yesterday, I lost a friend - albeit not a very close one - to COVID-19, and I was feeling really down (still am, in fact). As such, I decided to do something that always cheers me up: write. I love it, and it always makes me feel better. And, while I was writing, I saw someone had posted a review, so I went to read it, of course, because I love to see what you guys think. And so, I read it, and it made me feel slightly better. Because of that, I decided to, once again, read all your comments and reviews (I already did that a few times, because - am I repeating myself? - I love them all). And I have to say, seeing all the support you guys throw at my novel, it really warms my heart. I never thought I would have so many loyal readers, and every day, more come. I can''t express how much I appreciate and love you all. And, after reading every comment, from chapter one to two hundred and something, I was feeling a lot better. I am still sad, and tired, but not as much as I would have been if it weren''t for you. However, I also want this message to be one of warning. Coronavirus is dangerous, and I now know this better than I ever wanted to. Maybe you think it isn''t important, maybe you think it is an invention from the China government, or whatever. But it is dangerous, and it kills, and I can''t emphasize that enough. Please, be careful, and take the necessary precautions, for you, your family, and your friends. Hundreds of thousands died already, and I really would rather not have to go through what I am going now, again. So, be careful, and, once again, remember, we are all in this together, and I love you all. And may the Force be with us. Chapter 237 - Force Sensitive The landing platform had become a battlefield in no time. While Dageer had taken care of the leading commando droid, the Republic wasn''t faring so well. General Plo Koon and General Secura were locked into a fight with Ventress, and it seemed they would be there for quite some time. "Arghh!!!" With a yell of pain, a 327th trooper fell dead. The commando droids weren''t just more resistant than normal clanckers, but also had much better accuracy. That was the third trooper to fall, and up till now, only two seppies were killed. With the corner of his eyes, Dageer saw Wat Tabor running towards the Separatist ship, clearly trying to escape. The device they had put on him to prevent his escape had already been removed. Two commando droids followed him, putting their bodies between him and the blue lasers. Unfortunately, all those lasers could do was knock them down, but in seconds, their ridiculously flexible bodies were back up. "Dageer, we gotta move! Forget Tambor and retreat." Hell Squad''s leader acknowledged Commander Bly''s words. He was right. Emptying his magazine, Dageer hit two clanckers right on the head, killing them immediately, and also got several shots on the chest of another, who was quickly finished off by Dab. Suddenly, Dageer saw two of the droids leave the combat, and turn their aims to the Jedis. They had chosen the right moment, because both generals were locked in a Force struggle with Ventress, and wouldn''t be able to dodge. "Metal, Brain, left!!!" Commando droids were tough, but even they couldn''t survive the onslaught of lasers that Metal''s blaster was spewing. That, coupled with the thermal detonator Brain threw, was enough to transform them in a pile of smoking scrap metal. "Ahhh!" "Fall back!" While retreating, Dageer mimicked the commando droids, and turned his blaster to the three figures fighting with lightsabers. Just like the two Jedis, Ventress was also immobile, fully concentrating in her own battle. Dageer pressed the trigger five times. Two lasers aimed for her back, another two for her legs, and the last for the head. He wasn''t ashamed of attacking someone from the back. This was war, and Ventress was an enemy. A very, very dangerous enemy. Just before the lasers hit her, the Sith turned off her lightsabers, and crouched. Taken by surprise by the sudden lack of resistance, General Plo Koon and General Secura staggered forward, and Ventress smashed her hands on the ground. Apparently, she created some sort of invisible shockwave, because both Jedis were sent flying, and landed rolling. General Secura seemed like she wanted to give chase to Ventress when she saw the woman run towards the Separatist ship, but General Plo Koon held her back. Together, they couldn''t win against her, whatsoever alone. Both sides retreated to their respective sh.i.p.s, and took off. Still in the lower ramp while it was going up, Dageer could see Ventress flash him a creepy smile. Something about this whole operation was wrong. Dageer got this feeling about a lot of the battles he had been through. It was as if someone was controlling everything from the shadows, but the clone knew that was impossible. ---------------------------- "Master Plo, are you okay?" "Yes, thanks to you." The two Jedis sat on the floor, panting. Clearly, the battle had exhausted them, albeit it was just a short one. "We will be back to Coruscant soon. Meanwhile, you should let the medical droid have a look at your leg." Suddenly, General Plo Koon got up. Shaking his head, he looked at General Secura. "We can''t, not yet. I need to rescue Wolffe. He has something of utmost importance." Dageer and Commander Bly had been talking quietly about their losses in the battle, but when they heard that, both clones turned their heads simultaneously. When they didn''t see Commander Wolffe at the prisoner exchange, they had assumed he was dead. After all, why would the seppies give back a Jedi general but keep a clone? Exchanging a glance, both commanders approached the Jedis. Even amongst clones, there were closer groups of friends. New captains and commanders like Captain Rex, Captain Lock, and Commander Titos had been in the war for a long time, but they weren''t part of the first battle. Commander Wolffe, however, was, and so were Commander Bly, Commander Fox, Commander Ponds, Commander Cody, Commander Gree, Commander Monnk, Commander Bacara, and, of course, Commander Keeli. Usually, Dageer wouldn''t be part of such a group, but thanks to Hell Squad''s promotion to a special unit, he got to know the commanders outside the battlefield. And, as brothers, ranks weren''t important when they weren''t in battle. And, as such, Commander Wolffe held a high importance in Dageer''s and Commander Bly''s hearts. That wasn''t to say that they would leave others behind, but they would try everything they could to rescue the commander. General Secura got up, surprised by the urgency in General Plo Koon''s voice. "What does he have that is so important? We lost seven troopers in that fight, Master Plo. I am not sure we have what it takes to fight the droids again." "The Separatist attacked us while we were in space. Since my legion has to keep the battle on Falleen, myself and Wolffe were going to Coruscant with a small group of troopers. We were bringing a Force-sensitive child with us. A human, named Cal Kestis. However, we were boarded, and I was captured, together with Wolffe. The others were killed." The two clones stood quiet at the side, listening carefully. Like always, they wouldn''t say anything unless they were questioned, but both frowned under their helmets. It was General Secura who asked what was on their minds. "Why would the Separatist propose to exchange you if they knew you would tell us about the youngling? And why they kept Commander Wolffe?" "Before we were captured, Wolffe put the boy in an escape pod, and sent him somewhere. I didn''t let him tell me where. They are probably trying to break him, and get him to tell them which planet it was. However, it isn''t the first time Wolffe is interrogated. If we move fast enough, we might be able to rescue him before he gives in." "I wouldn''t be so sure. They had a Sith with him... That woman... She is powerful." General Plo Koon nodded, and then turned to Dageer. "You are Dageer, from Hell Squad, aren''t you? Wolffe talked about your unit before. That Sith, she knew you. What can you tell us about her?" Dageer nodded, and took off his helmet, showing them his scar. None of the Jedis were surprised. They had seen worse before, especially since the Clone Wars started. "She is the one who gave me this, in Mygeeto. Her name is Asajj Ventress. As General Secura said, she is powerful. I and a few hundred others were captured, and she tortured me, trying to get me to tell her what our battle plans were." Dageer didn''t say if he gave in or not. He himself didn''t know, because he could barely remember the interrogation, and the Republic had changed their plans entirely after his escape. "General Di fought her too, sir, and couldn''t win. Her methods... I''ve never seen anything like that. With all due respect, generals, but she is like an evil Jedi, if that makes sense. I almost lost my mind. Wolffe had been through a lot, but I don''t think even he will be able to keep his mouth shut for too long." Chapter 238 - Korriban Dageer clenched his fists slightly, easing them before someone noticed. As a commander, he couldn''t show his emotions easily. However, he couldn''t help but think of Berro and Captain Hilix. Ventress had killed them both, cruelly. He could still remember the nightmares that she forced into his mind, and the wounds she infringed on him. His shoulder and face ached. "Where is Commander Wolffe, Master Plo? We can''t let a youngling fall in the hands of a person like her. She and Count Dooku would train him to be a monster like them." "Calm down, young Aayla. Commander Bly, set course to Korriban. It was where I was being held before, and Wolffe is probably still there." "Right away, general." "As for you, Commander Dageer, I need your squad ready. Korriban is currently Separatist ground, and it won''t be easy to rescue Wolffe." Dageer nodded, and ordered Tech to bring him a map of Korriban. The planet was filled with swamps and marshes, so it was difficult to use any heavy vehicles. It didn''t really matter in their case, because they didn''t have any vehicles aside from a few BARC speeders. While he was analyzing the fortress that General Plo Koon told him was the place where Commander Wolffe was being held, Dageer suddenly remembered something. Glancing at Commander Bly, who was next to him, Dageer zoomed out of the map, showing the system where Korriban was located. "Bly, isn''t Korriban one of the targets on our latest battle plans?" Commander Bly stood quiet for a moment, presumably thinking about it. Dageer was right. They were set to attack Korriban, not now, but in a few months. It was a Separatist planet, and, albeit not a very important one, there were some resources there that would come in handy for the Republic. If the clone remembered correctly, the 41st Elite Corps would be in charge of it. They had experience in fighting in planets like Korriban. "Maybe we could start the attack. Bly, Commander Dageer, if we use this chance to not only rescue Commander Wolffe, but also take a Separatist fortress on the planet, how long would it take to reinforcements arrive?" General Secura actually looked quite interested in starting the battle for the planet. If Dageer had to guess, she probably wanted to prove herself, since she had just recently become a fully-fledged Jedi. He, however, wasn''t so anxious. Even if they could receive support from another legion, it would take time, and he doubted twenty clones could capture and hold an entire fortress on their own. Not only that, but he thought somberly that they wouldn''t have twenty clones by the end of their mission. "That is too risky, Aayla. We should call for reinforcements, and maybe even start the battle on Korriban, but we can only rescue Wolffe. We don''t have enough firepower to capture the entire fortress, whatsoever hold it." Commander Bly and Dageer nodded. They looked at the Separatist base in the hologram. It was just a rough design, because they couldn''t get the entire architectural plans of it, but it probably was similar to other seppie bases around the galaxy. "General Plo Koon is right, General Secura. There should be between two to three hundred clanckers in a fortress like that, not to mention that they know we will come for them. That means they will be prepared. Also, we will have to deal with commando droids. You saw them on the platform. They are dangerous. The only good thing about this whole operation is that Korriban isn''t exactly an important planet, so we won''t face a lot of resistance to get into the atmosphere." Both Jedis went deep in thought after Commander Bly said that. The clone had perfectly analyzed the situation, and, even though he didn''t include Ventress, they knew they would have to deal with her. Dageer frowned, and his scar became scarlet because of it. In the last months, he had rarely smiled, and his forehead was creased. Unfortunately, he knew what to do to get into the fortress, after all, Hell Squad had done it dozens of times. "Getting in won''t be difficult. Brain and Tech can rig the gates, and blow it. Finding Wolffe also shouldn''t be a problem. If this base is similar to the others, and there is no reason not to be, the holding cells are on the bottom floor. The real problem will be getting out." General Plo Koon raised an eyebrow. What Dageer said was a bold declaration. However, when he remembered what he heard about Hell Squad, and how Dageer had survived more than one encounter against a Sith, he thought that maybe they had the ability to back up his statement. After all, clones didn''t usually brag, because failing to live up to the standards set for them meant death most of the time. "All right then. Commander Dageer, contact the Republic, and request for a legion to be sent to aid us. Aayla, you and I shall talk to the Council. It is important to let them know about the child." "Understood, general." "Yes, Master Plo." --------------------------- "That is our current situation, General Unduli. We are currently in dire need of reinforcements, otherwise we won''t be able to escape Korriban after rescuing Commander Wolffe." Dageer faced the projection of a green-skinned Mirialan, and reported General Plo Koon''s request. Luminara Unduli was an old Jedi Master, and wasn''t nearly as hot-headed as General Secura. Upon hearing Dageer, she didn''t immediately agree, but went deep in thought. "This child cannot be left for the Separatist, otherwise they will train him to be a Sith like that woman you spoke of and her master. Commander Dageer, tell Master Plo Koon that we will assist him. However, you will need to rescue Commander Wolffe by yourselves." "I understand, general. I will tell him that. Dageer out." After turning off the hologram, Dageer looked out of the window. The white lines of hyperspace were a familiar sight. Sighing, he realized he was tired. Although he was born and trained for war, after months of endless fighting, even he was tired. Too much had happened, too many have died. Putting on his helmet, Dageer went to find General Plo Koon. Their plan of attack was quite simple, but it wouldn''t do any harm to go over it again. ... "Commander Bly, leave seven of your men in the ship. We don''t want to come back and discover it surrounded by droids. Commander Dageer, are you sure your men can break open the gate?" "Yes, general. Either Tech opens it or Brain blows it up." The Jedi glanced at Dageer, once again surprised by how confident in his men the clone was. He didn''t even hesitate to answer, despite knowing that a mishap could cause their deaths. "All right then. We have no time to waste. In two hours, we will come out of hyperspace above Korriban. There is no blockade around the planet, so we should be able to land safely. Once we are on the ground, we gotta move fast. Master Plo, are you sure you don''t want to stay on the ship? Your leg is obviously still hurt." "Don''t worry about me, Aayla. What is important is that we find out where the youngling is. We can''t let the Separatist get their hands on him." Chapter 239 - The Clancker General Just like Dageer said, landing on Korriban, and entering the Separatist base was easy. Tech was able to hack in the main computer, and not only open the gate, but also locate Commander Wolffe. Considering how big the fortress was, knowing where the clone was helped a lot. As soon as the gate opened, Dageer ordered Brain to destroy the engines, preventing it from closing again. He didn''t want to be trapped there. Unsurprisingly, they didn''t face a lot of resistance to get in. General Plo Koon and General Secura cut down two dozen droids, but, after that, they saw none else. Needless to say, it was suspicious, to say the least. "Wolffe should be just down this corridor, general." "Good. Aayla, Commander Bly and Commander Dageer, come with me. You, you, you, you, and you too. The others, keep an eye out for any droid. They haven''t appeared until now, but they will soon." Dageer acknowledged the order, and the troopers the Jedi had chosen followed him. The corridor was dark, eerily illuminated by a flashing red light here and there. Holding cells on both sides were empty, except for one. They could hear screams of pain, and a mechanical voice asking questions. Hearing one of his brothers screaming, the clones clenched their fists, but they were all seasoned soldiers, and kept their cool. "This is a trap." "It sure is. Commanders, you are first through the door." Dageer and Commander Bly got on both sides of the door, and General Secura used the Force to push a button and open it. As soon as the door slid to the side, the two clones entered, their DC-15As aimed at whatever was inside. Four lasers were fired, two from each blaster. Dageer got a commando droid on the head, and he fell to the ground, twitching. The other droid was a floating ball with many small arms, and it crashed on the floor with a loud sound. Commander Wolffe was chained to the ceiling, bare-chested. One of his eyes was closed, and the other - the blind one - was looking up. Clearly, the commander had fainted. His muscles were still twitching, the reason being an electrostaff in the floor, and there were several cuts on his body, still bleeding. Dageer couldn''t believe the Separatist would be so cruel. If news of their torture methods were spread, several systems would leave their side. General Plo Koon walked forward, and cut the chains. Two troopers caught Commander Wolffe before he fell to the floor. He was unconscious, and didn''t wake up even after a few tries. "Let''s bring him like that. Move out. We need to..." Suddenly, the Jedi trailed off, and looked at General Secura, who nodded slightly. "I felt it too." "Felt what, my dear Jedi?" "Cough... Cough! Shut up, assassin." It didn''t come as a surprise to the Republic when they looked to the left end of the corridor and saw Separatist. What surprised them, though, was who it was. Several dozen B1 and B2 units, and almost thirty commando droids were being led by the Sith, Asajj Ventress. Next to her was an abomination like Dageer had never seen. It stood at almost three meters tall, and it was made of bone-like yellowish metal. It''s feet were massive paws, like that of a Weronak, and he was holding two lightsabers in his claw-like hands. All in all, he would look like a droid, if it wasn''t for his eyes. They weren''t lifeless like the eyes of normal droids. Reptilian pupils and light green eyes, surrounded by blood-red flesh flashed with a cruel light. It was almost like someone, or something, had been put inside a droid. And Dageer had never heard a droid coughing. Both Jedis obviously felt threatened by the droid too, because, they ordered the clones to start retreating. In a confined space like that, the troopers had no intention of engaging, even more when they were outnumbered. Carrying Commander Wolffe, they left as quickly as they could, but General Plo Koon and General Secura stayed behind. "Go after them. Leave the Jedi sc.u.m to me." "Stay put, assassin... Cough! Cough... Cough... I will deal with them." "As you wish, walking corpse." That was the last bit of conversation that Dageer heard before the clones turned a corner. He could still hear the sound of lightsabers clashing and metallic footsteps though. ... Ventress frowned when she heard General Grievous speak. She didn''t like the murderous machine, nor did she like the fact that Count Dooku - their master - thought one of them wasn''t enough to deal with the Jedis. Watching the clones tune down the corridor, she ordered the droids behind her to go after them. One of the Jedis wanted to stop them, but General Grievous lit up his lightsabers, one green, and one blue, and stopped him. Spinning his arms in an impossible way, the general battled both Jedis at the same time. Using an opening, Ventress tried to slip past them, but the female Twi''lek used the Force to push her back. Smiling creepily, the Sith turned on her red lightsabers. She was going to love killing another Jedi. ... Dageer turned around a corner, and stopped. Without the need for orders, Hell Squad did the same, taking positions. With his head, Dageer gestured for Commander Bly to keep going. The clone nodded. He knew that Hell Squad was more than enough to stall the enemy, and Commander Wolffe was their priority now. Hell Squad could hear the droids approaching, and Cell put one finger up. The normal units were in the front, and the commando droids on the back. Unfortunately, Brain could only use droid poppers, otherwise he would risk blocking General Plo Koon''s and General Secura''s escape path. If that wasn''t the case, they could just throw thermal detonators at the droids until they ran out. Hearing the clanckers get closer, Dageer pointed two fingers forward. Hell Squad sprung into action, surprising the droids. Dageer didn''t hesitate to fire two lasers in the head of the nearest clancker. Before the droid hit the ground, he had already aimed and fired at the next B1 unit. In a short few seconds, over fifteen droids fell by Hell Squad''s hands, and Dageer ordered them to fall back. As much as he would like to keep pressing his trigger until he was out of ammo, he had been through enough battles to know when it was time to retreat. His decision was proven right, because, after a stunned moment of surprise, the droids showered them with red lasers. No clone was hurt, because they were already twenty meters away from their last position, and running at full speed. Suddenly, Dageer heard the noises of a battle ahead of them. Cursing, he turned a corner, and saw the clones of the 327th, and Commander Bly, engaged in a battle against a group of clanckers, similar in numbers to the ones that Hell Squad was facing. Looking around frenetically, he saw a blast door closed on their left. He pressed the control panel, but it didn''t open. Hearing the impact of lasers as the clones were caught between two fires, he knew they didn''t have much time. "Brain, blow this door up!" "On it!" Two thermal detonators took quick care of it, and the clones started retreating to it, not before leaving two bodies on the ground. "That is not the way out, Dageer!" "I know, but we don''t have a better option! Now, let''s move!" Commander Bly dove in just in time to avoid a torrent of lasers. Looking at the unknown corridor, Dageer shrugged. It was that, or dying. Chapter 240 - Ammo Depot T-S5 was a commando droid, and a new one on top of that. In his circuits, he only had one thought. Kill the clones, as per he was ordered. For that, he was holding his E-5, and had a vibroblade on his back. After the clones had blown up a door, and escaped that way, he and the other commando droids had stayed behind, and let the ordinary B1 and B2 units take the lead. They would only attack when the enemy had been weakened. Fast, efficient, and merciless, for foes and friends, that was how commando droids operated. T-S5 could hear the sounds of battle, and see the light of lasers ahead. As such, it came as a huge surprise for him when he felt someone grab his neck, and put a blaster against the back of his head. Before the commando droid could use it''s superior flexibility and strength to escape, the blaster fired. At point-blank, his entire head exploded, becoming a mess of wires and sparks. The clone that was responsible for his death held the T-S5''s body in a well-practiced manner, using it''s tough body as a mobile cover. The single horn on his helmet glinted as sparks flew up, and he smiled. ... Three minutes earlier. The droids were fast to follow the clones. Not knowing where the corridor led, the Republic forces had to be even more careful, and the clanckers were catching up pretty fast. Suddenly, Dageer saw the troopers that were in front of him stop and curse. "Damn it! It''s a dead end! A storage room of some sort." Stopping dead on his tracks, Dageer stretched his neck, and saw many boxes and crates. He could also see blasters hanging on one of the walls. "Open one of the crates. What is in it?" "E-5 magazines, sir. A lot of them." Dageer nodded, and looked at Commander Bly. The yellow paint on his helmet was dirty, contrasting with the black visor. "Are you thinking what I am, Bly?" "Ammunition deposit, a bunch of angry clanckers, and two lightsaber-wielding enemies? I sure am." "All right. Brain, you stay here, and follow Bly''s orders. Hell Squad, you come with me." Commander Bly had already been moving and ordering the clones to set up a defense when he heard Dageer, and stopped. Turning around, he looked a the clone. "What the hell are you planning?" Dageer grinned. The droids had used a pincer move on them before, but now he thought it was time to give the seppies a taste of their own tactics. "You will see. Now, come on, we don''t have time to waste." Going back, Hell Squad hid behind the indents on the walls. Squeezing himself against the wall as best as he could, Dageer saw the clanckers running, their backs turned to him. Soon, he heard lasers being fired, and clones and droids screaming alike. Looking at Tech, who was on the other side of the corridor, Dageer gestured for him to wait. When the last droid - a commando - went past them, Dageer got out of his hiding spot, grabbed the droid''s neck, put his DC-17 against his head, and pulled the trigger. Without letting the body fall to the floor, Dageer did the same thing he had done countless times before, and used it as cover. Cell, Tech, Three-four, and Dab had done the same, and Metal pulled his double-barrel repeating blaster out. When the commando droids in the back of the clancker group turned around, hearing the blasters being fired, Hell Squad took them down in mere seconds. Several shots hit the dead commando droids that the clones were holding, and only a few got through, doing nothing else them scratching Hell Squad''s armor. Dageer fired his pistol wildly, each laser hitting the head of a commando droid accurately. They were the biggest threat, so they had to be taken care of first. More feeling than seeing a laser come towards his head, Dageer lifted the droid corpse he was holding, and used it as a shield. The impact was enough to make his arm numb, and he unwillingly released his protection. "Metal!" "Uff!" The moment his cover was gone, Dageer ducked to the side, and, at the same time, called the heavy machine gunner. The torrent of blue lasers sent the clanckers flying back, giving Dageer a precious two seconds that he used to get up and hide in a crevice on the wall. Quickly reloading his DC-17, Dageer held it in his left hand, and fired at the droids while only showing half of his body. Caught between two fires, the once two hundred strong droid force was reduced to nothing. Obviously, the clones had to pay a price for it. Of seventeen soldiers that entered the ammunition deposit, only twelve left. Commander Bly was unharmed, and the worse injury the troopers had were some flesh wounds, nothing too serious. Seeing that, Dageer ordered them to go back the way they came, and towards the exit. Commander Bly and Dageer had the same rank, but seeing the 303rd clone being so decisive and serious, he followed his orders without hesitation. Dageer had an aura of command around him, and instilled confidence in the others. "Generals, we are nearing the exit! We also planted some explosives at their ammo depot. As soon as you get out, we can blow it up!" "Do it, commander. Don''t wait for us!" Dageer looked at Commander Bly, surprised. He had done his fair share of crazy things with General Di, but never did he blow up a building while his superior was still inside. "Sir?" "Do it, Dageer! We have our ways of getting out." Before Dageer could answer, Commander Bly grabbed the comlink from his hands. "No can do, general. We are not leaving you behind." Dageer nodded. He didn''t have that big of a connection with neither of the Jedis, but he wouldn''t blow up the ammunition deposit and risk their lives. Worse came to worse, they simply wouldn''t explode the fortress. Their target was Commander Wolffe, and they were almost getting him out. "Bly, you have to believe in me and Master Plo. If you don''t blow up this building, Ventress and Grievous will receive reinforcements sooner or later, and then we will be really doomed." For a few seconds, Commander Bly said nothing, conflicted. As someone who had been forced to leave his general behind once, Dageer knew what was going on through his brother''s head. Finally, the clone sighed, and nodded to Dageer. "I understand, general. Tell us when it is time." Dageer still didn''t like the idea, but General Secura was Commander Bly''s superior officer, not his. Hell Squad was merely a support unit in this operation, so they had to follow the Jedis'' lead. After killing the clanckers that were after them, getting out of the fortress was quite easy. When they got to the ship with Commander Wolffe, they saw several dead droids scattered around it. Approaching carefully, they found a dead trooper near the lower ramp. Gesturing with his head to Dageer, Commander Bly pulled out his DC-17s. They were better for close-quarters combat. Fortunately, the blasted weren''t needed. They soon found the six other clones that stayed on the ship, one of them bleeding profusely from a wound on the stomach. Dageer quickly told Three-four to work on him, and called the Jedis. Chapter 241 - Tracker "What is it?" "We are on the ship, general. Commander Wolffe is safe. We are just waiting for you." Behind the hushed voice of General Secura, Dageer could hear the sound of lightsabers clashing, sick coughing, and footsteps. It was clear that the Jedis were having to fight for every step of the way back. "Blow it! Blow it now!" Dageer hesitated for a moment, and glanced at Commander Bly. The clone nodded, and so, Dageer took a deep breath, and pressed the switch. At first, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the entire fortress shook. Bits and pieces of it started collapsing, revealing a cloud of fire and smoke beneath. "They are out, sir!" Dageer shifted his macrobinoculars to the exit of the fortress, in time to see General Secura and General Plo Koon running. The series of explosions that brought the building down followed in their heels. Unfortunately, they weren''t the only ones that escaped the fortress. Ventress and the metallic abomination got out too, followed by a dozen commando droids. "Take off! Commander, take off!" Dageer was able to hear the Jedis even without using the communicator. He quickly relayed the orders to the pilot, and the ship got off the ground, the lower ramp still opened. While the ship was lifting, Dageer knelt, doing his best to not fall and fire at the clanckers at the same time. It wasn''t easy. The commando droids were quite far, and were agile enough to dodge almost every laser. The fact that the clones were firing from a moving ship also didn''t help. Red lasers hit the ramp in several spots, some even ricocheting in the inside of the ship. Since it was hovering twenty meters above the ground, the seppies also had difficulties aiming at the clones. Most of their shots hit the underside of the ship, leaving scorch marks and nothing else. "General!" Seeing the two Jedis approaching, Dageer stopped firing, and grabbed one of the support poles with one hand, and stretched the other. Although she was on the ground, twenty meters below Dageer, at this moment General Secura turned off her lightsaber, and jumped. The seemingly impossible jump was easily completed by her, and she landed softly on the ramp, ignoring Dageer''s hand. Once there, she pulled out her lightsaber again, and started deflecting lasers. General Plo Koon was the next one. He used the Force to push back Ventress and the monster that was with her, and jumped up. Right when he landed in the ramp, however, his injured leg gave up, and he stumbled backwards. Before he fell, though, two hands held him, and pulled him back. The Jedi nodded briefly, acknowledging Dageer''s and Tech''s help, and turned to the Separatist below. After seeing the two Jedis escape, Ventress had ordered the commando droids to stand down, and stop firing. Dageer could see hatred burning in her eyes as she looked at them. The being next to her was angrily swinging his two lightsabers at the ground, leaving deep, burning scars on it. "We will get you next time, Jedi sc.u.m. I will enjoy killing you both, slowly. And you, Dageer, sweetie... I hope the destruction of your legion was painful. I wish I could have been there, and killed that Jedi general of yours with my own... Arghh!" Hell Squad wasn''t able to listen to Ventress'' hateful words. When she started talking bout the 303rd, Dageer couldn''t hold himself back anymore. He pressed the trigger of his blaster, only releasing it after the weapon started overheating in his hands. The six clones behind him did the same. No matter how good she was with the Force, Ventress was caught by surprise. She had assumed the clones would listen quietly, but she hadn''t thought of the impact her words would have on Hell Squad. A laser hit her thigh, making her kneel in pain. Her two lightsabers waved around, deflecting the dozens of blue lasers coming for her. It was only after the monster next to her intertwined and helped, that she was able to get up. Listening to the sick coughing, and the cackling laughter, her hatred for Hell Squad and Dageer grew bigger. Time after time, the clone had escaped from her hands, and ruined her plans more than once. Cutting in half a commando droid next to her, which had been stupid enough to try and assist her, Ventress glanced at Dageer. The ship was getting farther and farther up the sky, but she could still clearly see them. "I will kill you, clone. And I will make sure to make you and your squad suffer and despair." Up in the ship, Dageer ignored Ventress, and pressed a button inside the cargo compartment, making the lower ramp close. Ventress wanted to kill him, and he would welcome her to try at any moment. She had caused a lot of pain to him, and Berro wasn''t the only brother of his that she had killed. She might be a Sith, but he had confidence in Hell Squad. ------------------------- "How is Wolffe doing?" "The medical droid is taking a look at him, general. He should be awake in about twelve hours. According to the droid, his wounds aren''t too deep, so he shouldn''t be still unconscious. Apparently, there was some kind of damage to his mind." Hearing Commander Bly and the two Jedis talking, Dageer frowned. He was very familiar with Wolffe''s condition. "It was Ventress, sir." "What do you mean?" "When I was tortured by her, she didn''t use just the normal tools. She killed my men in front of me... And she used the Force. She got into my mind, to the point where I didn''t know how I was, and on which side." General Secura frowned. Jedis never used their powers to torture and break the mind of the people, but she knew it was possible. "Is that why she hates you so much, commander? Because you didn''t tell her what she wanted?" Dageer sighed, and looked at the sleeping Commander Wolffe. With his wounds dressed, and after treatment, he clearly was better, but his eyebrows were furrowed, a sign of the nightmares getting worse. Without him realizing, his hand touched the scar on his face, making the Jedis exchange a curious glance. "I don''t know what I told her, general. All I remember is pain and darkness. And, I don''t mean to say we can''t trust Wolffe, but I don''t think he will remember it either." ----------------------- "They escaped! And now the child will become another Jedi!" Looking at the ship flying into space, Ventress snarled at General Grievous. She couldn''t believe they let the Jedis escape, and, worse than all, she wasn''t able to break Commander Wolffe. She didn''t know where the Force-sensitive child was. "Kakaka... Cough! Cough... Cough... The Jedi... Will lead us to to the child, assassin. I am not as stupid as you. Cough! Captain, is the tracker in position?" "Yes... General." Ventress glanced at the clancker, and then at General Grievous. Her anger turned into embarrassment, caused by the droid abomination outwitting her, and then turned into joy. Since they had a tracker on the ship, they would know exactly where the Jedis were going. Thinking about the punishments that she just escaped, Ventress could not help but shudder. And glancing at General Grievous, she was stunned by the intelligence the abomination showed. She suddenly realized that she had to be more careful around it. Chapter 242 - Cal Kestis "Ugh... General?" Commander Wolffe opened his eyes slightly, and closed then again soon after. He had grown used to the darkness of his cell, and the light hurt his eyes. After a few seconds, his vision returned, and he sat up. He felt pain all over his body, but especially in his head. The nightmares had been a lot worse recently, ever since... Suddenly, his memories came back, and he shuddered. Before he could delve too deeply into those memories, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and a wave of calmness hit him. Glancing up, he saw the familiar face of his general. "Stay down, Wolffe. You suffered a lot back there." Shaking his head, Commander Wolffe frowned. The moment he had put the Force-sensitive child in the escape pod, he knew he would be tortured. That didn''t scare him before, and it didn''t scare him now. What was important was that he hadn''t told Ventress anything, and he knew where the child was. "Falleen. The child is there." It was General Plo Koon''s turn to frown. "Falleen is a to-be battleground. Why send the boy there?" "There wasn''t much of an option, sir. It was the closest planet. The only one in range of the escape pod, in fact. I told the child to hide somewhere near where he landed." General Plo Koon furrowed his eyebrows, pondering. After a few seconds, his complexion eased. He knew Commander Wolffe had done all he could to keep the boy safe. "I will call General Unduli, sir. We were already thinking of speeding up our plans, this will only confirm it." "All right. In the meantime, try to contact our troops on the planet. See if they found a human child that fits the description." Hearing the familiar voice, Commander Wolffe looked up, and, for the first time, noticed that he and General Plo Koon weren''t alone. General Secura, Commander Bly, and Dageer were also there. The one who just talked was Dageer. He nodded at Commander Wolffe, and left the room. The commander knew Dageer was now the leader of a true special unit, so he wasn''t surprised they were sent to rescue him. "Droid, take care of him. Trooper, tell the pilot to change the course to Falleen." "Yes, sir!" Although he was a tough soldier, Commander Wolffe didn''t complain when General Plo Koon forced him to stay on the bed. He knew he wouldn''t be of much help in battle in his current state, so he had to rest and recover. ... "Commander, there is something you might wanna see." Commander Bly and Dageer were sitting on a table at the canteen of the ship when a clone ran up to them with a datapad, and gave it to his superior. "Uhmm..." "What is it, Bly?" "I don''t know yet. Maybe nothing. Probably nothing. Here, take a look." He handed over the datapad to Dageer, and he glanced at its contents. It showed the sensors of the cargo bay and hull going off. Scanners revealed a commando droid had entered the ship, but left a few seconds later. "It probably got in during the battle. But why would it leave?" "I have no idea. Trooper, get Sergent Sketch. Tell him it''s urgent." "Right away, commander." After the trooper left, Dageer glanced at his brother. "What are you thinking?" "I don''t know yet. Sketch was in charge of the ship''s defense. If he tells me he saw the commando droid and put it on the run, then nothing. If he didn''t, then we might have a problem." ... Sergeant Sketch gave then a negative answer. The commando droid had entered and left the ship at its own volition. Whatever it wanted, it got. "We need to talk with the Jedis. Now." Dageer nodded, and followed Commander Bly. He could think of several reasons why the commando droid entered the ship, and none were good. They found General Plo Koon and General Secura meditating together. As soon as the two clones entered the room, they opened their eyes, and looked at them. "You are worried... Why?" Commander Bly quickly explained what happened, and both Jedis frowned. "What do you two think the droid was after?" Dageer looked at the 327th commander, but he shrugged, indicating that Dageer should be the one to talk. "There are a lot of possibilities, General Secura. Worst-case scenario, he sabotaged the ship, but I don''t think that is likely. The hyperdrive is working perfectly, and so are the engines and the main computer." "Any chances they changed the coordinates without us knowing?" "No. I already had Tech check it out. No one tapped into the mainframe. In fact, the commando clancker didn''t even get to a control panel before he left." "Uhmm... You said sabotage was the worst possible outcome. What is the second worst?" "The clancker planted a tracker in the ship, and will know exactly where the youngling is." "That is most probably what happened. Commander, order the pilot to get out of hyperspace immediately. We need to find and destroy that tracker." Dageer nodded, but before he could even turn on his comlink, the ship shook slightly, and the hyperspace outside became the black infinity of the void. Cursing at their luck, and at the fact that they took too long to discover the tracker, Dageer pulled up their coordinates. "Falleen, generals. We were too late." General Plo Koon frowned, but then got up. He believed the Force worked in strange ways. If it brought them to Falleen, so be it. "Aayla, contact Master Unduli. Tell her we need immediate assistance and that the Separatist will attack Falleen. How long do you think we have, commander?" "They can''t follow us through hyperspace. The tracker can only start relaying it''s signal now. So, we have anywhere between two and five days before they arrive." "That is enough. Master Unduli and her fleet should get here before that. While they set up defenses, we will look for the young Cal Kestis." "Understood, sir." "This is a race against time. If we don''t find the boy without the Separatist interfering, we won''t find him when the entire planet is thrown in a war." Commander Bly and Dageer nodded, and left the room. They had a lot to do before they landed on Falleen. ------------------------------- "Gene... Ral... Bzzz... We received a response from the... Tracker on the Republic... Bzzz... Ship." "Cough! Cough... Where? Where?!" "Falleen system, general. Bzzz... We also detected a Republic fleet moving to jump position. According to our Bzzz... calculations, Falleen is one of the possible destinations." "That is it. My dear general, I have to admit that, for once, you were more intelligent than a droid." "Shut up, assassin... Cough... Pilot, plot our course to Falleen." "Yes, general." Taking heavy steps towards the window, General Grievous put his hands behind his back, and looked out. A huge fleet with dozens of sh.i.p.s entered hyperspace one after another. Soon, the Clone Wars would arrive at a new planet. Slowly but surely, the entire galaxy was being engulfed in this war. ----------------------- Meanwhile, in the planet of Falleen, a young human child, about four or five years old, was crouching in a corner, hiding behind a trash bin. The young Cal Kestis had no idea a huge battle was about to start because of him. At the moment, all he worried about were the armed men facing him. "What do we have here?" Chapter 243 - Pike Syndicate "What did you say?" A Rodian cowered behind a table, looking at a Kel Dor. Behind the Kel Dor, A Twi''lek and several clone soldiers, with different armors, looked menacingly at him. "T-The Pikes took him. Three days ago. A human boy. Some people tried to capture him, but he pushed them using... I don''t know what it was. It was supernatural, and not from this galaxy." "That was what we call the Force. And that young child is one of us. So, tell me where I can find the Pikes." Seeing the Kel Dor shift his brown robes to the side, the Rodian followed his hands, and gasped in surprise. Hanging on the man''s waist was a short metal stick. A lightsaber. Stumbling backwards, the Rodian tripped on a chair and fell on the ground. Since all eyes on the bar were already on them, the noise didn''t bother anyone. They were all too worried about the fact that there was a Jedi in the same room as them. Jedis had powers no one understood, and were feared by most. "Th-They have a base. On the west side of the city. Th-That is all I know. I promise." Scoffing at the Rodian, the Jedi and his companions turned around, and left the bar. Not five minutes after, two men walked up to the Rodian, who was still shivering. One of them murmured something on his ear, while the other stabbed him with a dagger. A few people on the bar looked curiously when they heard the Rodian groaning in pain, but seeing who his assailants were, they quickly turned back to their drinks. The Jedis instilled fear in them, but not as much as the Pike Syndicate did. ------------------------- When he stepped out of the bar, Dageer glanced warily at the surroundings. Short buildings, covered in mold and black stains, and trash on the streets. Droids and several tall people, with light green skin - Falleen, natives of the planet - yelled, trying to sell all kinds of things. The group, which consisted of two Jedis - General Plo Koon and General Secura - and twenty clones - Hell Squad and thirteen soldiers of the 327th - had landed on the capital of Falleen, and soon got the news that a child using the Force had been seen. The rumors led them to this bar, where they found the Rodian, who in turn told them everything. Holding his DC-15A up to his torso, Dageer warded off several street vendors, and looked at General Plo Koon. "The Pike Crime Syndicate, general. That is bad news." Slightly waving his hand, the Jedi made the people step back, and leave them. While glancing at a map of the city that General Secura showed him, he answered Dageer. "They don''t know that the boy is part of the Jedi Order. As long as we ask, they will return him." "I wouldn''t be so sure of that, sir. The Pykes have a reputation of not respecting anyone." General Secura stopped, and turned around to look at Dageer. "Cal Kestis is, still, a youngling. If those bandits don''t hand him over for good, we will take him by force." "Aayla is right, commander, although she is harsh. We Jedis might be keepers of the peace, but we won''t let anyone suffer in the hands of a crime family like the Pykes, even more a youngling." Dageer shrugged, and shut up. The Jedis were going to rescue the Force-sensitive child regardless of what he said. Commander Wolffe looked at him, a bit discontent that Dageer had questioned his general, but said nothing. "Generals, should I call in for reinforcements? General Unduli and the 41st will arrive soon." "No time, Bly. We can''t let the young one stay on the hands of the Pyke Syndicate for long. What they can do to him could ruin his entire life, maybe even turn him to the dark side." Dark side. It wasn''t the first time Dageer heard those two words, and they were mainly associated with Ventress. Thinking back to General Di''s death, and Ragout''s expression that day, he couldn''t help but wonder what was the relationship between the ''good'' side and the dark side. For him, it seemed just a difference between the color of their lightsabers and for which side they were fighting. Shaking his head, he followed the Jedis. He was a clone and a soldier. His job was to fight and follow orders, not think. ------------------------ "Sir, a group of Republic sc.u.m is asking about the boy we captured yesterday. One rat told them where our base is." "Was he taken care of?" "Yes, sir." "Good. Bring the child here. I don''t want to mess with the Jedi Order, not when a war is happening. I will try to elude them. If this fails, then we will use the child as a bargaining chip." In a large hall, two shadows finished talking. One of them bowed to the other, and left. The one that remained stood quiet for a long time, lost in thought. "Vahra, prepare the ship to leave. Jedis and clones in Falleen, it is not a good sign. The Clone Wars are finally arriving here. Put all our savings on it. We are moving." "What about our men?" "Small fries. Leave them." A third figure, which had been hiding in the shadows, unnoticed, left the hall. The first person got up from his chair, and walked to a landing platform outside the building. "Droid, come here." He put a hologram projector on a small spider-like droid. Soon, a red-haired human boy was brought, tied up, to him. The man locked the child and the droid together, and entered a ship that was sent to pick him up. ... Half an hour later, the doors of the building were blasted apart, and several clones, holding their blasters up, invaded. "Clear." "Clear." "Clear too. First floor is empty, commander." "I will take the second floor, Dageer you take the third. Nict, Blast, Forge, with me." "Understood." "That won''t be necessary." The moment they heard the voice, the troopers turned around, and aimed their blasters at the source. Of course, veterans like they were, several of them kept their eyes pry to any danger, in case the voice was a distraction. Fortunately, it wasn''t. A droid approached them, and a human-sized hologram was on it. The clones, however, ignored the hologram for now, because there was a boy chained to the droid. Dageer instantly knew it had to be Cal Kestis. "Tech, free him." The trooper quickly opened it, and helped the child up. "All clear, generals." After receiving the sign from Commander Bly, General Secura and General Plo Koon walked into the building. Seeing the young and tired boy, both of them used the Force to move him towards them. "Don''t worry, young Cal. We got you now. Everything is going to be okay." "M-Master Plo... Are we going to the Jedi Temple?" "Hehe... Soon. Now, rest." General Plo Koon waved his hand in front of the child, and he quickly fell asleep. Holding him on his arms, General Plo Koon nodded at General Secura, and left the building, followed by Commander Wolffe and three troopers. The Twi''lek Jedi watched their departure, then turned to face the hologram. It showed a small person, but with a huge, blood-red mask, adorned by several spikes. On his hands, he carried a scepter with a giant white crystal. "Master Jedi. It is good to see you. I was hoping..." "Who are you, and why did you capture a youngling of the Jedi Order?" Chapter 244 - Battle Of Falleen "Master Jedi, my name is Fife. I am the leader of the Pyke Syndicate in this region of the galaxy. As for the child, I don''t believe he has become a member of the Jedi Order. In fact, my sources tell me he hasn''t even become a youngling yet. Isn''t that why you and the Separatist brought war to this planet? To decide who keeps him?" General Secura was fl.u.s.tered, and didn''t know what to say. Clearly, everything Fife had said it was right. "But don''t worry, Master Jedi. I already gave the boy back to you, didn''t I?" The Jedi wasn''t stupid. She knew that the Pyke Syndicate had the means to disappear with Cal Kestis, so that the Jedi Order could never find him or them. Otherwise, the Republic wouldn''t have such trouble to extinguish the crime families. And, since Fife brought this up now, that means he was ready to tell the main reason why he left the child behind. "Say what you want at once." Fife smiled. Sometimes he wondered how Jedis could be so powerful, but at the same time so dumb. She had fallen right into his trap. "Well, since you want to pay back my favor, Master Jedi, I won''t decline it." "I-I... What?" General Secura was completely stunned, only now realizing that the Pyke had been leading the conversation since the start, all to arrive at this point. Now, he made it look like she and the Jedi Order were in debt with him. "You see, Master Jedi, I already left Falleen, but some of my sh.i.p.s are still there. Considering there is a war, which you brought, approaching the planet now, I would appreciate it if you let those sh.i.p.s leave without thinking too much. I would hate if the next time we... interacted, we couldn''t help each other." That was a n.a.k.e.d threat, but there was nothing General Secura could do about it. Of course, she could decide to ignore it, and stop all sh.i.p.s leaving Falleen, but it would do no good for them, and would prompt the Pyke Syndicate to be... unwelcoming towards the Republic in the future. "All right, Fife. We won''t stop your sh.i.p.s." "Thank you, Master Jedi. Then, I shall take my leave. I look forward to many pleasant cooperations in the future. Kekeke..." "In your dreams..." "Kekeke..." The hologram disappeared, leaving behind Fife''s laugh. He had played General Secura, and she could do nothing about it. He had to admit, it was a good feeling. --------------------------- "How was the situation with the Pyke Crime Syndicate settled?" "Unfortunately, we had to let them go. However, we rescued Cal." The serious expression on General Unduli''s face eased when she looked at the boy that General Secura pushed forward. "M-Master." Smiling at the awkward and slightly terrified youngling, General Unduli turned to General Plo Koon and General Secura. "That is no problem. What is important is that he is safe. You will become an apprentice and, one day, a Jedi, Cal." Now a true youngling, Cal nodded to the three Jedis, and walked back. "All right, let''s discuss battle plans. Commander Gree, please?" A clone with fully green armor stepped forward. The 41st Elite Corps fought mostly in jungle planets like Felucia, so their armor was fully camouflaged. "Generals, commanders. Our plans will be pretty simple. The fleet will keep them on the skies for as long as we can hold. However, considering they have about the same number of sh.i.p.s as they, a few will get past. When that happens, the ground defense will be up to you." Commander Bly and Commander Wolffe nodded. The 41st had prepared several ground defenses, but since Commander Gree would be in the capital ship, those defenses would be left for the two commanders. "As for you, Commander Dageer, I believe you already know your assignments." "Yes, general." The day before, Dageer had discussed Hell Squad''s participation on the battle with General Unduli and General Plo Koon, since they were members of the Jedi Council, and, consequently, the highest-ranking officers in Falleen. Acknowledging General Unduli''s subtle order for him to explain, Dageer stepped forward, and pulled up a hologram of a Recusant-class Destroyer. "That is their capital ship. The plan is that, while our fleet is locked into a fight with theirs, Hell Squad will enter that destroyer, and take it out. Without it, all droid units on the ground should turn off, leaving only their sh.i.p.s for us to deal with." "How do we know that the signal controlling their droids is coming from this ship?" "We don''t. However, it doesn''t make sense for them to put their controls anywhere else. The destroyer is the strongest and most fortified ship they have. And, if it isn''t that ship, at least we will have taken a Recusant-class Destroyer out of the picture." "And how exactly do you plan on destroying that ship?" Dageer looked at General Secura, who asked the question, and then zoomed in into the hologram, showing two red spots in the front and back of the ship. "Those are energy cells. Every big-sized ship has them, and they are highly unstable. We will deactivate the protection mechanism, and the energy cells will do the rest." "Uhmm... The cells are usually guarded by multiple layers of shields, both to stop invaders and to contain the energy inside them. How will you get past them? And, even if you do, how will you leave the ship? You won''t have more than three minutes to get out of it before it blows up." Dageer grinned slightly. All the worries the Jedi had were true, but that was because she didn''t know Hell Squad well. She, like most of the people on the galaxy, treated them as normal soldiers, maybe a tad better than the other clones. They weren''t normal troopers. "The shields only protect against energy waves. It can stop lasers, not a person. We just have to walk past them. As for leaving the destroyer, it will be tight, but it isn''t nothing Hell Squad hasn''t done before." It was a bold statement, one that few clones would dare to make. However, Dageer was one of them. Every Jedi on the room had either heard about or seen Hell Squad''s abilities, and although they weren''t sure if they could pull this off, they knew they were the best option for the mission. ------------------------ "The reports from our... Spies just arrived, general. Bzzz..." "Cough... Cough... Hand them over!" General Grievous looked at the datapad in his hands, and a glint of cruelty flashed through his eyes. The king of Falleen had joined the Republic, and his troops would fight alongside the Clone Army. That would make the battle tougher, but he didn''t care about how many clanckers he lost. In fact, he saw an opportunity. "Assassin! Cough... Cough... Cough!!!" "What is it, dear general? Do you want me to put an and to your suffering?" "Shut up! Cough... Uff... I have a job you are certain to like." "Ohh? And what is it?" "Killing a king. Kakakaka..." Ventress smiled. That sure was a mission she would enjoy. Chapter 245 - Showcasing Your Skills Dageer hit his head hard, and almost passed out. Thankfully, he was strapped to his seat, so he wasn''t sent flying after the forceful landing. Well, it was more accurate to call it a forceful crash. It was exactly one week after the Separatist arrived, and the battle began. Hell Squad partook in several skirmishes on the planet''s surface, but they spent most of the time in the 41st capital ship, waiting for an opportunity to board the Recusant-class Destroyer. When it finally came, it was at a high cost. Seven pilots died to open a path towards the ship. Only after that Tech was able to half land, half crash their gunship into the upper hangar. Getting up, Dageer verified all the members of Hell Squad were all right. They sure were. "Ugh... Tech, you seriously need to go back to Kamino and train with the shines. How can you be a pilot if every time you crash the ship? First Geonosis, and now here." "Very funny, Metal. You know I am no pilot. However, we couldn''t bring someone else with us." "Tech is right. It would probably mean his death." "You three, quiet. What is our next step, commander?" After Brain put the clones in order, he turned to Dageer. To tell the truth, although they were joking and playing around - even though they were by themselves in an enemy ship - in no moment Hell Squad was distracted. Their gaze was darting around, and their weapons were ready. They didn''t need a reminder to pay attention. They were too experienced for this. "Follow the plan. Brain, Metal, Cell, and Dab, go to the first energy cell. Tech and Three-four, we will go to the second. When I say it, turn off the protection mechanism." "What if they jam communications?" "They won''t, otherwise they will cause interference with their own clanckers. But, if they do that, you turn it off when you think it is time. If that happens, the first team to get to the escape pods go, don''t wait for the other." The clones nodded, acknowledging his orders, so Dageer moved out of the crashed Laat. Most of the droids were on the surface of Falleen, and the Vultures were fighting outside. That meant that aside from ten or so seppies, the upper hangar was empty. Needless to say, the poor B1 units didn''t withstand a chance against Hell Squad. After splitting up, Dageer led Tech and Three-four to the back of the destroyer. It didn''t take long for them to encounter the first batch of droids, sent to investigate the gunship that crashed. Five droids lost their heads before the others noticed what was happening. Without giving them any time to react, Dageer pressed the trigger of his DC-15A. Another three droids died in all hut a second, and the two clones who were with him took care of the remaining four. "Anyone got hit?" "No." "Nope." "Then let''s keep moving." The clones nodded, and ran. A few minutes after, Dageer suddenly felt a tingling sensation near his right ear, so he cranked his neck to the left. A laser scratched his cheek, leaving a black line on his helmet. He dove to the side, hiding behind a door, and Tech and Three-four did the same. The three were pressed together, but it was the only thing that slightly resembled any kind of cover. "How many?" "Sixteen. No, eighteen. Two more just showed up." "Okay. It will be just like Kamino. I distract, you attack." "A lot of things happened on Kamino, but I don''t remember that being one of them." "Ah, shut up, Three-four. You are starting to sound just like Brain." Dageer almost hit them both. They were pinned down, three against eighteen, and they were still joking. He traded his DC-15A by Tech''s DC-15S, and put three fingers up. "On three. One, two... Three!" He slid out of the doorway, holding Tech''s DC-15S on one hand and his own DC-17 on the other. Several lasers flew over his head, and a dozen others hit the ground in front of him. Thankfully, the droids weren''t able to adjust their aim too fast, otherwise he would be dead for sure. He fired his blasters, killing three droids instantly. Two other clanckers fell to the floor, missing a leg, which had been busted up from their knee joint. Their plan worked flawlessly. When the seppies aimed down to fire at Dageer, Three-four and Tech jumped out of cover, and returned it. Twenty seconds later, all eighteen clanckers were dead on the floor, and the three clones were unscathed. If anyone saw it, they wouldn''t believe, because the odds were terribly against them. However, for Hell Squad, that was just normal. They had several encounters with clanckers on their way to the energy cell, but each and every one of the droids was quickly taken care of. "Commander, we are in position." Hearing Brain''s voice through his comlink, Dageer briefly answered for him to wait, and ordered Tech and Three-four to quicken their pace. It took another ten minutes for Dageer''s group to get to the energy cell. What greeted them was a hole in the middle of the ship, one side connected to the other by bridges without railing. In the exact center of that hole was a giant, blue pillar. Several shields kept a mass of blue lightning, almost liquid-like, apart from the outside. Past the shields, just before the center of the energy cell, was a control panel. Dageer looked to the sides, and saw no droids. Glancing at his two brothers, he gestured at the energy cell. "All right, let''s go. Tech, you work your magic. Three-four, stay sharp." "Yes, sir." "Understood." The three clones quickly ran over the bridge, and passed through the shields. Each layer held onto them for a few seconds before returning to their original position. Now, just one shield separated them and the raw energy. If they touched it, their entire body would be fried to a crisp in less than a second. While Tech started tampering with the energy cell''s controls, Dageer turned on his comlink. "Brain, we are ready. Wait two minutes and deactivate the protection mechanism." "With pleas..." "Commander Dageer! Commander Dageer, come in! Commander!" Brain was suddenly cut off by General Unduli. The urgency in her voice was clear. "Dageer here. What is it, general?" "Listen to me carefully. Abort your mission. Abort your mission now!" "Wh-What? We are already at the energy cells, general. We just need a few more minutes!" "You don''t have time! We are in full retreat. The Separatist were much stronger than we expected! The Falleen king is dead. Ventress murdered him. His forces either ran away or were killed, and we suffered heavy casualties!" His eyes opened wide when he heard that. They were so close, and it had been so easy so far, he couldn''t accept Hell Squad had to run. "How much time do we need, Tech?!" "Ninety seconds!" "We can do this, general." "No, you can''t, commander. Listen to me. We are retreating. If you don''t get out off this ship in three minutes, we won''t be there to pick you up! And that is not all. Grievous is up there. Retreat, Dageer. That''s an order!" Chapter 246 - Chip Malfunction? "Grievous is up there. Retreat now, Dageer. That''s an order!" Dageer clenched his hands. The highly obedient and disciplined soldier in him was screaming that he followed his orders and aborted the mission. However, a small part of him, one that he didn''t know was there, but which was growing battle after battle, told him that he couldn''t. If they could take out the destroyer, then maybe the droids would stop working, and the Republic wouldn''t have to take another loss. They couldn''t afford to lose. He couldn''t afford to lose, not immediately after Ryloth. "We will deal with Grievous when he comes to us, general. Leave the system. Hell Squad will find a way out of this, or we will die taking a whole destroyer with us." "Commander! I gave you an order! Leave this ship, now!" "Dageer out." He turned off his comlink. Tech and Three-four were looking at him, unsure of what to do. On one hand, they couldn''t disobey a direct order given by a Jedi general. On the other, they also couldn''t bear to leave their mission unfinished. "Commander?" "You heard me. We complete our mission. At most we will die, and if we are lucky, we will bring Grievous with us." They nodded. Their blood made them want to follow their orders, but Dageer had been their leader, and their brother, for as long as they remembered. Their respect for him wasn''t something anyone could compare. They wouldn''t hesitate to follow him even to certain death, whatsoever now, when they already had a plan to escape the ship. Whatever happened later, they would deal with it. On the other side of the destroyer, Brain heard everything. He nodded to himself, and ordered Dab to deactivate the protection mechanism as soon as possible. --------------------------- The Venator-class Cruiser rumbled as several laser cannon shots landed on it''s shields. General Unduli looked back at the leading ship of the Separatist offense. A squad of seven clones had disobeyed her orders, and stayed there, instead of retreating. Unfortunately for Hell Squad, even if they destroyed the Recusant-class Destroyer, and even if the droids stopped working, it would be too late for the Republic. The 41st fleet had already lost several sh.i.p.s, and had no option but to escape. "What happened, Master Unduli?" She turned around and glanced at General Secura and General Plo Koon. Commanders Wolffe, Bly, and Gree were behind them. "Hell Squad decided to complete their mission, regardless of the cost. Admiral, give the order. We are leaving." A Botham, the admiral of her fleet, nodded. In a few seconds, the Republic cruisers and corvettes disappeared, entering hyperspace. "What is their plan?" "I don''t think they have a plan, commander. You know them better than I do. Now, their fate is on their own hands." ---------------------------- "My lord, you asked for frequent reports on Hell Squad." On a well-lit room in Coruscant, Grand Chancellor Palpatine was looking at some doc.u.ments when a Senate Guard in red armor approached him. Glancing up, he flashed a warm smile at the guard, who, in turn, shuddered. He knew that under the facade of a good man, was a vicious and merciless killer. "Yes, I did. They are a powerful tool, one that we must groom and use carefully. Tell me." The Senate Guard bowed, and started his report. "Yes, my lord. We think that there might be a problem with their ch.i.p.s. A few minutes ago, they disobeyed a direct order from a Jedi." "Ohh? That shouldn''t be possible. Their ch.i.p.s control them so they will follow even a command to kill themselves. What happened?" "I already reported it to the Kaminoans. They will analyze their data, but they think it may be because of Ryloth. The impact of losing their entire legion could have been too much, and overrode the ch.i.p.s." "Has any of the survivors of their legion showed the same symptoms?" "A few, but not as pronounced as them." Chancellor Palpatine frowned, and put a hand on his chin, thinking. It was too soon. He couldn''t risk the ch.i.p.s being discovered. His plan wasn''t complete yet. Maybe he would have to kill Hell Squad. They were a unit he would like to have near to him in the future, but if needed be... "My lord? Should we bring them in for... Repairs?" Suddenly, the chancellor raised his hand, forming a claw, and the Senate Guard was pulled up in the air. His hands instinctively grabbed his throat, trying to release whatever was suffocating him, but there was nothing there. "That would be too suspicious. No, we will wait. You said other soldiers of the 303rd showed similar actions, didn''t you?" "Y-Yes, my l-lor-lord." Chancellor Palpatine unclenched his hand, and the guard fell to the ground, gasping for air. When he looked up, he saw the chancellor right in front of him, a smile on his face. "Choose one of those clones. Modify his chip so the regulator fails at some moment. Then we will have a reason to verify the ch.i.p.s of all clones, including Hell Squad. And, remember, don''t tell this to anyone. Not even the Kaminoans." "I understand, my lord." "Good. And, just to make sure the chip is working, after you do that, throw yourself off the side of the Senate. Make it look like an accident." The Senate Guard stumbled, terrified. However, something inside of him made him feel that it was a normal order. After a few seconds of shocked confusion, he nodded. He had his orders, he would follow them. The chancellor grinned creepily. A few minutes later, he put on a sad expression when he received the news that one of his personal guards had tripped into a gonk droid, and unfortunately was sent over the railings, and crashed into the ground three hundred floors below. ------------------------ "How long do you need, Tech?!" "Fourteen seconds!" "And how long before it all blows up?" "Six minutes." "Brain, how are you there?" "Same thing, sir. We will be in time." "Good." "Eight seconds! Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two... One! We are ready." "Us too!" "Do it." Tech pulled down a lever, and, instantly, red lights lit up, as sirens warned every personal to evacuate the ship. Once the protection mechanism was deactivated, there was no turning back. "Let''s go! Brain, meet us at the escape pods." "Roger that." When they were halfway through the bridge, Dageer looked back to the energy cell. It was now entirely red, and several holes appeared in the shields. "Clanckers!" Turning back after hearing Three-four yell, Dageer saw two dozen B1 units blocking their way. Thinking of the giant explosion that would happen in a few minutes, Dageer fired his blaster. "Only way out is forward!" The seppie that he hit fell to the side, into the insides of the ship. Tech and Three-four also fired their blasters, and several droids died and fell, some bringing others with them. However, the bridge was too narrow, and it didn''t have any cover. When Tech stepped back to dodge a volley of red lasers, his foot touched empty air. Because of the sudden lack of support, he stumbled backwards. Just when he thought it was over for him, a hand grabbed his leg, and he hanged upside down. His blaster and helmet disappeared below. Looking up, he saw Dageer holding him with one hand, while using the other to grab the bridge''s side and steady himself. Chapter 247 - Losing A Brother Dageer could feel his muscles being ripped apart as he held not only his own weight, but also Tech''s, using just one hand. His legs hovered above the deep hole inside the destroyer, and, to make matters worse, he could feel his fingers slipping. "Dageer, Tech!" Three-four yelled concerned above them, having to fight the clanckers at the same time. He had only seen Tech fall off the bridge, and then Dageer jump, disappearing himself. The only proof that the two of them were still alive was Dageer''s fingers on the side of the bridge. "Three-four, hold them off! Tech, I can''t lift us both! You gotta climb yourself!" Tech nodded, and tried to curl in a ball, aiming to grab Dageer''s hand. The movement, however, made them both swing, and Dageer groaned in pain as his fingers slipped even more. Tech almost fell once more, and now Dageer was holding him by his ankle. "Come on, Tech! I can''t hold on for much longer!" "Just a second, sir!" Once again, Tech tried to grab Dageer''s hand. This time, the fact that they were swinging actually helped. Using the extra impulse, Tech grabbed Dageer''s wrist. His commander then let go of his leg, and Tech was upside down no more. He weaved a sigh of relief, although he was still in a very similar predicament to the one he was before. "Tech! You know this isn''t my good shoulder! Don''t just hang in there!" Dageer almost let go of the bridge. His entire body, and especially his arm, was burning. He didn''t know for how long he could hold on. The fact that several lasers almost hit his hand didn''t help. Thankfully for him, Tech was fast to recover from his relief, and quickly climbed, using Dageer''s body as a ladder. Just when he put his head above the bridge, trying to get on it, he was forced to duck down again. Feeling Tech''s weight on his shoulders once more, Dageer couldn''t help but groan. "Tech!" "Sorry, sir. Hang on in there, I will help Three-four take care of the seppies and we will pull you up." "Just get off me, and I can get up myself!" Tech chuckled, completely unfazed by Dageer''s anger. He knew his commander for too long to believe he really was angry. When he finally got up, he and Three-four quickly took care of the ten or so clanckers that remained. The medic had been hit in the chest, but - once again - thanks to the blast padding, he wasn''t too hurt. According to himself, all he felt was a slight pain in the chest. After killing the droids, both troopers turned around, and helped Dageer. When he finally was up in the bridge again, Dageer made sure the two clones were all right. "How are you two?" "I''m good." "I''m okay too, sir. Thanks to you." Dageer nodded, and kept walking, kicking the droid bodies off the bridge. It was weirdly satisfying. He and the clones under his command had been through so much, and had saved the lives of each other hundreds of times. That was just another one. ------------------------- Brain paced back and forward nervously, stepping over the bodies of several clanckers. He, Metal, Cell, and Dab had just arrived at the escape pods, and, although Dageer said they were to go as soon as they could, they decided to wait. It was a unanimous and collective decision. "Why are you still here?!" Brain turned around to see Dageer looking at him. His commander was gasping for breath, but that didn''t stop him from shouting at his second-in-command. "We..." "No time! Grievous is behind us! Get into the escape pods!" Brain was cut off short by Three-four, as the medic fired at the direction they came from. Now, he could hear the sound of metallic footsteps, and one pair was much heavier than the others. Hell Squad had been briefed about General Grievous after they met the Separatist general on Korriban. Nobody knew where he came from, but General Grievous was an abomination that lived for two reasons only. Obey Count Dooku, and kill Jedis. He was half machine, half something else, and had been trained in the Jedi arts. He knew no pain and had no morals, and would stop at nothing to complete whatever task his master assigned to him. Brain remembered shuddering in anger when he read the files. The clancker had cruelly killed hundreds of his brothers, and tortured dozens more. Thinking of this, Brain wanted to grab his blaster and shoot at General Grievous, but discipline spoke louder, and he entered an escape pod, followed by Tech, Metal, and Cell. Dageer, Dab, and Three-four would have to fit in another pod. Before they could do that, though, Brain saw a giant figure emerge through the door. Three lightsabers waved as he cut the barrel of Dageer''s blaster, and a kick sent Dab flying. The sniper hit a wall with a loud sound, and fell to the ground motionless. Three-four''s fate wasn''t much better, and a claw grabbed his neck before lifting him up, and smashing the medic against the ceiling. ... Dageer saw General Grievous, who was at least twenty meters away, suddenly drop on all fours, and crawl forward faster them he could react. When he arrived in front of Dageer, his lower half exchanged places with his upper half, in a sickening move that the clone couldn''t describe. When the general was back on his feet, his arms had split into four, and he slashed with his lightsabers, cutting Dageer''s blaster in half. With his foot, he kicked Dab, and he used one of his hands to grab and lift Three-four. All of that happened in less than a second. Seeing one of his brothers unconscious, and the other struggling to breathe, Dageer dropped his useless blaster, and grabbed his vibroblade. He tried to stab it into a crevice between two armor plates on General Grievous'' chest, but the Separatist sneered, and released Three-four. As the clone fell, the clancker used his hand to grab and crush the vibroblade. "Cough... Cough... Cough! The assassin was right. Kakakakaka... You are special, clone. Now, die!" A lightsaber swung down, aiming for his head. Dageer knew he wasn''t able to evade it. However, just when he had accepted he was going to die, the barrel of a blaster appeared between him and General Grievous, aiming directly at the Separatist''s face, and fired three times. The clancker was forced to stop the hand that was going for Dageer, and bring it back to deflect the blue lasers, giving the clone a chance to stumble backwards. He glanced back, and saw that his savior was Brain. Metal, Tech, and Cell were pulling Three-four and Dab to the escape pods, while the grenadier had come to his rescue. "Let''s go, commander!!!" Dageer nodded, and ran to an escape pod with Brain. With the corner of his eye, he saw two other pods leave the ship, carrying the other members of Hell Squad. He quickly pushed the buttons on the control panel, trying to close the door of the pod as fast as he could, and, for a moment, he thought they were safe. But then, a hand grabbed Brain by the back of the head, and pulled him. Just as the doors closed, Dageer saw his brother on the ground, General Grievous'' claw-like foot holding him down, and heard the abomination laugh. The pod was ejected, and Dageer looked at the destroyer without a reaction. Seconds later, it exploded. No other pod left the ship. Chapter 248 - Didnt Make It "Brain..." Dageer stared at the remains of the Recusant-class Destroyer, looking for any signs that Brain might have survived. He couldn''t find any. A part of his mind noticed that many Vulture droids were just floating in space, their lights turned off. That meant they were right all along, and that the destroyer was the one controlling the clanckers on Falleen. The price was too great for Dageer to feel any joy. Unfortunately, the Republic had already retreated, and there were still Providence-class Dreadnoughts and Munificent-class Frigates, as well as the Vultures belonging to those sh.i.p.s. "Commander? Are you there?" "Uff... I-I am here." Cheers erupted from the other members of Hell Squad. They were on other escape pods, so they didn''t know what had happened. Metal was the first to notice something was wrong. They had just taken down a destroyer, but Dageer didn''t say a word. "Are you hurt, sir? Or Brain?" Silence. Dageer kept quiet, staring at the debris. A month ago, he lost his legion, and now he lost his best friend. He had known Brain ever since both were cadets. They had trained in the same squad, and grown up together. And now he was gone. "Sir, what happened to Brain?" Cell''s trembling voice brought him back from his memories. Dageer opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He simply couldn''t say it. It was as if saying it out loud would confirm it was true. "Commander? Sir?" "Brain... Brain is... He didn''t make it." Dageer''s words were like a hammer striking their hearts. For an instant, their minds were blank, before they all thought the same: that is impossible. They wanted to say something, or that Dageer told them he was just joking, but they knew the commander would never joke about the death of a brother. "Ugh... Sir, we... We have to decide where we are going. The Vultures will notice us soon." Dageer shook his head. Tech was right. They had disobeyed their order to retreat, and, although they completed their mission in the end, they didn''t have any support. They would have to escape by themselves. He felt sad and defeated about losing a brother he knew for so long, but he still had responsibilities as the leader of Hell Squad. He couldn''t let them die because he was sorrowful, especially after he put them in this situation. "Tech, where is the nearest battlefield?" "Uhmm... Quell. General Secura''s fleet was just attacked there." "What? General Secura was here on Falleen. What happened?" "As soon as our forces retreated, General Secura went to meet her fleet, but soon after, they suffered a surprise attack. It started just a few minutes ago." "Can the pods make it there?" Tech stayed silent for a few seconds, and Dageer heard him tipping over his comlink. "I know they are our enemies, but the seppies build good sh.i.p.s. The pods can go even to Fondor with this amount of fuel, whatsoever Quell." "Less talking. Send the coordinates. We got to go before the clanckers notice us." In ten minutes, the planet of Falleen was nothing but a dot against the darkness of space. It was the second loss in a row for the Republic, and, according to the information Dageer had on the other battlefields, this was just the start. Looking outside the window of the escape pod, Dageer was glad he was alone, although he wished Brain was there. It was always painful to lose a brother, but, unfortunately, war waited for no one. Turning off his comlink, he closed his eyes. The past few hours had been hectic, and he needed some sleep before jumping right into another battle. He didn''t sleep. The nightmares made sure of that. ---------------------------- It took three hours for the escape pods to arrive in Quell. Tech was right when he said the Separatist built good sh.i.p.s. The pods could almost reach lightspeed, and had a good reserve of fuel. "Tech, contact General Secura, and transfer it to me. The rest of you, get ready. This is purely a battle for sky supremacy, and I''m not sure yet on how we are going to land, so be prepared." "Yes, commander." "Can''t we just land in one of our sh.i.p.s, commander?" "We can''t risk opening the hangars, least the clanckers get inside our cruisers." Dageer looked out of the pod''s window, and saw the yellowish atmosphere of Quell. Only when they entered said atmosphere did he notice how fierce the battle was. Starfighters and Vulture droids flew at top speed, chasing and destroying one another. Separatist frigates and dreadnoughts hovered above Republic cruisers, raining lasers upon them. There were also thousands of a new type of clancker that he had never seen before. They looked like a B2 super battle droid, but had thrusters on their backs, allowing them to fly around. Using that ability, they were landing on the cruisers, and tearing them apart until they found an entrance. Dageer needed just one glance to see the situation was pretty bad. "Connecting General Secura now, sir." "Commander Dageer! You are alive!" Although they couldn''t get a hologram transmission, Dageer could still hear General Secura loud and clear, and, in the background, the sound of lasers being fired and screams of pain. "Yes, general. I will take full responsibility for my indiscipline..." "No time for that, commander! We are in a pretty bad situation here." "Just say what we need to do." "Okay. Commander, our ship had been breached, but General Skywalker and his padawan are already on it, with an escape plan. However, those B2-RPs keep coming. I take it you destroyed the destroyer on Falleen?" "Yes, general." "I need you to do something similar here. As long as you can kill the tactical droid on their capital ship, it will cause chaos amongst their command chain, and my fleet will have a chance to escape." "You can count on us, general." "Good. And, Dageer?" "Yes, general?" "Follow your orders properly this time." After that, the Jedi disconnected. Dageer nodded to himself, and changed the course of the escape pod to the coordinates that General Secura sent to him. "Err... Sir, how are going to land inside a seppie dreadnought?" Dageer grinned. How could Three-four and the others not know what he was thinking? They knew the Separatist would never open a hangar for them, even though they were in Separatist pods, for the same reason the Republic also wouldn''t. "We aren''t. Tech, how slow can we make those pods fly?" "If you don''t care about them falling from the sky, pretty slow." "We are jumping, aren''t we?" "Yes, we are. You always complained about Delta Squad when they told us about their mission on Kessel, didn''t you, Metal?" "They were a lot more prepared them us. They had jetpacks too, while we have nothing. And, they weren''t jumping on a moving ship." Although they were in different pods, Dageer could see, in his mind, Metal sighing. The other clones laughed. "Why don''t we just crash land the pods on top of the ship?" "Jumping is more fun. Haha!" "Hahaha..." Dageer didn''t even have time to answer the question before Cell did it for him, making Hell Squad laugh even more. "Come on, boys. We are in the middle of a battle, about to do something dangerous, and you are all laughing? What would General Di say if he saw us?" "Well, it''s pretty normal for us. The general probably would have jumped with us." Dageer grinned, because he knew Tech was right. "Quiet now. Get ready. We will have a small window of time to jump. Follow my lead." Chapter 249 - Unstable Battle "Go, go, go!!!" Dageer felt the wind passing by his helmet as he looked outside the escape pod, now with it''s door opened. Below him, just four meters away, was a massive Providence-class Dreadnought. Although they had slowed down the pods as much as they could, they were still going pretty fast. Not enough to kill Hell Squad when they jumped, but it would still hurt. After hesitating for a second, Dageer took a deep breath, and gave the order. A second later, he himself dropped down, already in a ball-like shape, so he could soft his landing. It hurt like hell. Usually, falling a four meters drop would cause pain. Falling a four meters drop from a moving ship - or pod - caused a lot more pain. Air left his lungs because of the impact, and his ribs came dangerously close to cracking. Around him, Hell Squad''s members felt the same. However, no matter how much pain he felt, Dageer''s decision to jump had been the right one. The moment the escape pods crashed on the dreadnought, they became piles of burning metal. When he got up, Dageer''s first reaction was to check his shoulder. He had dislocated and broken it once, so it wouldn''t be a surprise if it happened again. Thankfully, it hadn''t. "Anyone hurt?" "I don''t think so." "Tech, you don''t have a helmet. How is your head?" "I''m okay, commander. See, Metal? It wasn''t so bad, was it?" The moment Tech opened his mouth, a Republic starfighter fired two missiles, hitting the dreadnought. The entire ship shook, and tilted to the left. Hell Squad was thrown off their feet by the sudden movement, and started sliding down the already curved exterior of the ship. Dageer had a glimpse of the ground, eleven kilometers below him. "Grab something!" His hand closed around a cable, and he came to an abrupt stop. Metal and Cell both grabbed the same cable as him, and the other members of Hell Squad found something to hold on to. Thankfully, although the dreadnought had tilted to the side, it soon got back into it''s normal position. The missiles, mostly stopped by the shields, only left scorched marks on the ship. "Dab, find us an entry point!" Now that the Separatist ship was back to it''s normal position, and they were all back on their feet, Dageer wanted to get inside as quickly as possible. It wasn''t a nice feeling, staying outside a ship in the middle of a battle. "There is a hatch over there. Tech?" "On it." Along every big ship, there were always several entrances or exits, used to effectuate emergency repairs. The hatch that Dab found was one of those. However, since it was a warship, the entrance was secured, and it would take a few seconds for Tech to open it. "Clanckers incoming!" Hearing Three-four yell, Dageer turned around, and saw several dozens of the new type of B2 droid flying towards them. The dreadnought''s sensors had discovered them. "Tech, hurry up!" "It is encrypted, sir! I need a few more seconds!" While he told Tech to work faster, Dageer turned to face the droids. Aside from being slimmer and having black paint - and jetpacks in their backs - they were very similar to the normal B2 units. Facing dozens of them in an open space with no cover - the sky - Hell Squad would have problems if Tech didn''t get them inside soon. It was quite difficult to hit the seppies when they were flying, but Hell Squad almost never missed a shot. Metal was especially impressive. His blaster was spewing blue lasers, making up for the lack of aim in quantity. Seven or eight droids died to him alone, falling to the ground, kilometers away. Adding his kills to Hell Squad''s, they had taken down almost two dozen B2-RPs before the clanckers could even get close to them. Unfortunately, the moment they did, Hell Squad started to be overwhelmed by their numbers. With no cover available, it was just a matter of time before one of them got hit. To make matters worse, the dreadnought had started to move forward, to attack position, and their footing got even more unstable. "Tech, we really need you to be quick!" "I''m trying my best! The seppies don''t leave their sh.i.p.s open for us!" "Try harder!" Dageer took a step to the side, dodging a red laser, and, at the same time, firing back, hitting the clancker who shot it in the thrusters, sending him spiraling in the sky before exploding. "Come on, come on, come on... Yes! I got it! Three-four, pull that lever!" The medic didn''t hesitate, and kicked the lever. The hatch opened, and he dove inside, followed by Tech, Cell, and Dab. "Your turn, commander!" "All right. Don''t try to be a hero, Metal." Having said that, Dageer also jumped inside the hatch. Rolling on the ground to dampen his fall, he found himself in the midst of his brothers. They were paying attention to both sides of the corridor they ended up in, to make sure no clancker was after them. After confirming they were safe - at least for now - he looked up worriedly for a moment, hearing the sound of Metal''s double barrel repeating blaster. A second later, he saw the clone jump down, unharmed. The top of the hatch was showered in red lasers, and Dageer quickly closed it. He didn''t want the B2 units coming in after them. He was sure there would already be more than enough clanckers inside the ship. "Let''s move. We don''t have a lot of time. Dab, Cel, Tech, you go in the front. Metal, Three-four, and I will take the rearguard." The troopers nodded, and started moving. The tactical droid they were looking for wouldn''t be anywhere else than in the command bridge. ... "Stop right there! Bzzz... You are under ar... Ahhh!!!" The head of the droid sergeant popped off it''s socket when Dageer fired his pistol at point-blank. His left hand grabbed the E-5 the clancker was holding before it even fell to the ground, and he used it to take out three more seppies. He would have preferred to have his vibroblade by his side - slicing droids was oddly satisfying - but he would make do with what he had. The other five members of Hell Squad followed behind him, quickly destroying the patrol that had just turned a corner. After stepping over the clancker bodies, they faced a circular door. It wasn''t the first time Dageer had seen one of those. "Okay, the tac clancker is behind that door. Only crew and two dozen B1s should be with him. We will do as usual. Tech, you open it up. Dab and Cell, cover the left. Metal, you take the right. Brain..." Dageer suddenly trailed off as he realized what he was about to say. It would take to time to get used to Brain not being there with them. Seeing that their commander had frozen, the clones looked at one another until Three-four finally broke the silence. "I will give support." "Good. I will be first to enter. Tech, you are up." "All right." The clone connected his datapad to the door panel. Unknowingly, he also got access to what was being said inside the command bridge. It was mostly clanckers reporting numbers, but one conversation caught his attention. "Sir, you should listen to this." Chapter 250 - Successful Mission "Sir, you should listen to this." Tech transmitted what he was hearing to Dageer. There was a lot of chatter coming from the clanckers, but he could distinguish the voice of the tactical droid. "Fire at their... Command ship." "Sir? Bzzz... We still have troops inside... The ship." "I... Don''t care. Fire!" Dageer exchanged a glance with Tech. Both clones felt the urge to barge inside the command bridge, and stop the seppies, but it was too late. "Direct... Hit. We have confirmation... Bzz... The cruiser was destroyed." "Good... Job. Any survivors?" "A shuttle left the... Cruiser before it exploded. We can''t confirm who was... Inside." "Send someone after... It." Dageer let out a sigh of relief. If someone left the ship, it was very probably the Jedis. That meant that, although General Secura lost her capital ship, she probably would escape. So, all that it was left was for Hell Squad to finish what they came here for. "When you give the order, commander." "Do it." The clone nodded, and typed something on the panel. When the door opened, the first thing Dageer did was analyze the biggest threat. It was easy. Two commando droids were turning around and aiming their blasters at him. Dageer leaned to the right, and the first shots fired by the clanckers barely missed him. After dodging, the commander didn''t fire his blaster pistol immediately, as the droids were expecting, but instead, approached them. Even the commando units were surprised. No one had ever dared to engage in close combat with them. After all, they were tough and flexible, carried a vibroblade, and knew how to use it. What surprised the droids even more, though, was that the clone wasn''t alone as it seemed at first. While Dageer distracted them, making the two clanckers change their aim to him, five more troopers appeared. Each commando droid received half a dozen lasers to the chest and head, dying instantly. Dageer crouched, hiding behind a chair, and, at the same time, grabbed the vibroblade one of the commando droids had. It wasn''t the same as the one General Grievous destroyed, but it would do the job. Like they had expected, there were only twenty or so security droids - normal B1 units with red painting - and it didn''t take long for Hell Squad to take care of them. Dageer kicked a droid''s body aside, and saw a crew clancker, recognizable by the blue lines, cowering on the side. He executed the droid with a single laser. The seppies didn''t deserve mercy, even more so when they were just droids. After a few steps, Dageer finally arrived in front of a tactical droid. He was the only seppie still alive on the command bridge, although he had lost a hand when he tried to grab a blaster. Dab was quick to put an end to his antics. "Three-four, contact General Secura''s fleet. Tell the captains to be prepared to escape, and tell them to send someone to pick us up." "Right away, commander." "You won''t get away... With this, Republic... Sc.u.m." Dageer grinned when he heard the droid speak. "Shut up, scrap metal. You have two options now. Either you order your sh.i.p.s to move out of the way, or you die." "I will never... Obey a clone." Dageer already knew the tactical droid was going to say that, and he didn''t care. Clanckers didn''t feel fear. They were war machines, not real people. Using the tip of his newly acquired vibroblade, Dageer made a line on his shoulder pad. There were already a few dozen there. "I thought so. Die, then." Dageer slashed upwards with the vibroblade, and the tactical droid''s head was sent flying. It''s body crashed down, and Dageer picked up the head, and threw it to Tech. "Later, see if you can get any useful information out of him. Meanwhile, tell our brothers that it is time." "Understood." Just when Hell Squad was turning around to leave the command bridge, Dageer suddenly thought of something. He ran to some of the many panels in the command bridge, pressed buttons, and pushed levers forward. When he was done, he hurried up his men. "What did you do, commander?" "I have no idea. But the seppies will have to spend some time to fix the mess I made, because I put the ship on full speed forward, so, they better stop it or they will crash into the ground pretty fast." "Hahaha!" "Haha..." Not bothered by the fact that they were in an enemy ship, Hell Squad laughed out loud when they heard Dageer. They knew their commander wasn''t kidding, because the Separatist sh.i.p.s were made for droids, not humans. The controls were sure to be different, meaning that Dageer probably didn''t know what many of the buttons he pressed did. As they felt the dreadnought pick up speed, Hell Squad quickly ran to the upper hangar. They passed by several droids on their way, but apart from a few who decided to stop them, most just ran past the group. They had to stop the ship before it crashed. As always, the hangars of a Separatist ship didn''t have many smaller sh.i.p.s, only deactivated Vulture droids. There were still, however, one or two Maxillipede shuttles. "Let''s go! Captain Gold said they broke through the Separatist fleet, and are ready to pick us up. Tech, you pilot!" "On it!" While the shuttle was taking off, Dageer connected his comlink to the main controls of the ship. Then, he transmitted a code that would let the Republic cruisers know they were friendly. "Terminator, this is CT-4063, Commander Dageer. Hell Squad is currently approaching you on a Maxillipede shuttle. I repeat, Hell Squad is approaching you in a Separatist shuttle." "Copy that, commander. Identifications being verified... A3-O9. You are clear to landing. You will have to be fast, sir." "Understood, Gold. See you soon, brother. You heard him, Tech. Try not to crash this time." "Uff... You are never going to let me forget it, are you?" Dageer chuckled. He might be their commander, but the troopers still made fun of him sometimes. It was only fair he returned it. "No, I won''t. Now, get us out of here." ------------------------- "Stay still, general." "Cough! Cough... Cough... Work faster, droid." "Unless you stop moving, I can''t." In a dark room, General Grievous was laying on a metal bed. His entire body was burnt and scarred, and he was missing three of his four arms, and one of his legs. "You were critically injured in that explosion, general. It will take time for you to recover." The abomination that was the Separatist coughed, and glared angrily at the medical droid, but stood quiet. He understood how serious his injuries were. If it wasn''t for the fact that he was partially machine, he would have died. "Also, general, Count Dooku left a message for you." "Cough... What did he say?" "He said he would make use of the trophy you brought back, and took it with him." "Trophy? Cough... Cough!" "He was with you in the escape pod, so Count Dooku assumed you kept him alive on purpose." "He? I... Cough... Cough! Cough! I didn''t bring anyone. Who is he?" Chapter 251 - Six Months "Commander, it''s good to see you. Your squad saved our fleet." As soon as Hell Squad stepped on the Terminator''s command bridge, Captain Gold approached them. "Say nothing of it, brother. It is good to be back in a ship where no one is trying to kill us. Haha..." Captain Gold smiled. He was at ease now, because the 327th fleet had received a lot less damage than it could have, and he received confirmation that General Secura - and also Commander Bly, General Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex - were alive. However, the captain suddenly noticed that something was missing. If he remembered correctly, Hell Squad had seven members. However, he was seeing only six in front of him. "You lost a man, commander?" "In Falleen." The clone only nodded. It was normal to lose soldiers during the war. "Where are you headed next, Gold?" "Although we didn''t lose many cruisers, many of our sh.i.p.s are still badly damaged. We are going to the shipyards in Bracca. Do you already know what your next mission is, commander?" Dageer shook his head. After Falleen, they had jumped directly into the battle of Quell. Hell Squad had no time to discover what their next assignment was. "No. Not yet." --------------------------- Inside a Venator-class Cruiser, one of the biggest military meetings in the history of the Republic was happening. It was also the biggest ever since the Clone Wars started. Around a hologram table, half a dozen Jedis - some in person, some in holograms - and several clones waited for General Yoda and General Windu''s arrival. The Jedis - General Kenobi, General Skywalker General Unduli, General Mundi, and the two padawans Ahsoka Tano and Bariss Offee - were talking amongst themselves, while the clones stood quiet, their hands behind their backs. Commander Cody, Commander Gree, Commander Jet, Captain Rex, and thirty or forty other high-ranking officers were there, silent. However, on the other side of the room, ten clones were talking quietly. "It''s good to see you again, Boss. You three as well." Sev, Scorch, and Fixer nodded at Dageer and the members of Hell Squad. Despite their antics and discussions, both units had long become friends. After a mission on Felucia, where Hell Squad rescued Delta Squad from a Separatist base, and later from a bunch of the giant creatures known as Rancors, the clone commandos realized that their feeling of superiority over the normal clones was uncalled for, and, most of the times they were no different than their brothers. "How are you doing, Dageer? Any idea of what this meeting is about?" Dageer shook his head. The Clone Wars had been raging on for over a year and a half, but this was the first time he partook in a meeting this big. "We will have to wait for General Yoda to know." "Wait more you will not, commander. Here, I am." Dageer turned around to find the hologram of a small, green being, with a wrinkled face and pointed years. Immediately, he saluted the Jedi. General Yoda wasn''t only the leader of the Jedis, and the highest-ranking general of the Republic Army, but was also extremely respected by the clones. Dageer once saw him destroy an entire droid battalion before the clanckers could even lift their blasters. "General." "Uhmm... Come on, start this meeting we have to. Important it is. Uhmm... Very important indeed." The clones turned to the the small Jedi and his tall companion on the hologram table. As soon as General Yoda appeared, all noise died down. "Uhmm... Welcome, welcome. Sad to bring bad news, I am. A new battle, start we have to." Dageer couldn''t help but think that, although General Yoda was powerful, he didn''t make much sense most of the time. Like most Jedis, he always beat around the bush before finally arriving at the topic he wanted. Soldiers like Dageer preferred more direct conversations. "We are already fighting on several fronts, Master Yoda. I''m not sure we can afford to engage in another one." "Our choice to make, that is not, young Skywalker. Uhmm... When this war we started, our choice was done. Bear the consequences of our decisions, we have to." "It wasn''t our fault, master! The Separatist started this war!" General Skywalker''s padawan, Ahsoka, complained, only to receive a stern stare from her master. Padawans weren''t supposed to talk in this kind of meeting. "No. At fault, we all are. Just one side, a war doesn''t have. Separatist and Republic, both decided. This choice, where will it take us, see I can''t. Blurred the Force is." A few minutes of silence followed what General Yoda said. The Jedis were quiet, and the clones exchanged a few discrete glances, but didn''t say anything. It was only when General Mundi talked that the silence was broken. The Cerean had left the Battle Of Mygeeto to lead a company of clones specialized in heavy weapons such as flamethrowers. Commander Bacara stayed on the snow planet, so, the one General Mundi currently had under him was Commander Jet. "Master Yoda, you said this is a battle we can''t escape from. Why?" "Uhmm... The longer this war goes on, stronger the Dark Side gets. End this struggle, this Clone Wars, we have to. Attacking Geonosis, once more, we are. Destroy the droid factories, a must is." Dageer tensed up. Geonosis had been where the first battle of this war happened, and it was also a special place for many of the clones who partook in said battle. Too many brothers lost their lives trying to conquer the planet, but the Republic barely succeeded in forcing the Separatist to hide underground. For the last three months or so, the Republic had been forced to reduce its troops on the planet, and the seppies took the chance to fight back. General Yoda was about to speak again, when a trooper walked up to him and whispered something. Dageer, who was close, was able to understand the words ''general'' and ''arrived''. "Before I left Coruscant, a last-minute addition to the attack force, I ordered. Very eager to battle, Master Latte was." When he heard that, Dageer was shocked, and so were the members of Hell Squad. Latte was a name they hadn''t heard in a few months, but it was one they would never forget. Turning to the door, the six clones surprised Delta Squad and the other clones with their sudden movement. Hell Squad ignored their reactions, and saluted the figure that was approaching. Ragout Latte, that was the name of the young Togruta, dressed in the brown Jedi robes, that entered the command bridge. The padawan - no, Jedi Master - smiled when he saw Hell Squad, and, after greeting the other Jedis around the hologram table, shook Dageer''s hand, and then proceeded to do the same with the others. "Dageer, Dab, Tech, Cell, Three-four, and Metal. It''s good to see you again." Dageer noticed that Ragout refrained from saying anything about Brain, and was glad. He was sure the Jedi would want to talk about it later, but now wasn''t the time. "Haha... Long time no see, general. It''s good to see you too. Very good indeed. It''s been what? Five months?" "Six, and you know that. Ever since Ryloth, I''ve met Shield and the others a few times, but Hell Squad hasn''t been to Coruscant once." "We have been jumping from one mission to the other, general." "Of course you have." "Erm... Master Ragout, Commander Dageer, I am sure you two have a lot to catch up, but we have a meeting in progress." Dageer returned to standard military position, and Ragout nodded at General Kenobi, to say he was sorry. He wasn''t a padawan anymore, so he had to behave like a master. Chapter 252 - Second Battle Of Geonosis "The chancellor, join us will. Very interested in this battle, he is." General Yoda pressed a button on the hologram table, and an image of Chancellor Palpatine appeared. The Jedis greeted him, while the clones saluted. Once again, Dageer shivered, as his instincts warned him of something, he just didn''t know what. To his surprise, he found that Boss had a very similar reaction. He would need to find the clone commando and talk to him. Something was definitely wrong. "Thank you, my friends. I didn''t want to disturb you, but this invasion will be of extreme importance to the Republic. Master Yoda, please do continue." "Uhmm... Master Kenobi, explain our plan, now will." "Yes, Master Yoda." The Jedi put a datapad above the hologram table, and transmitted the information on it. Soon, several stone buildings, characteristic of Geonosis were showed, all surrounded by a red shield. "Our sh.i.p.s are in position, and we are ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians." "And what about Poggle? Any report on his location?" General Windu interrupted General Kenobi. Poggle the Lesser was the main leader of the Geonosis, and one of the most important Separatist commanders. The factories of droids under his command were responsible for over sixty percent of the droid army. "It seems he is held up at the primary droid foundry, here." General Kenobi put his finger on one of the buildings, exactly on the center of the massive shield that was shown in the hologram. "The factory is protected by a shield generator. Anakin, Ki-Adi, and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defenses lines, to a staging area just short of the shield." Three green lines, in different angles, appeared on the hologram, all going to the shield generator''s location, in the outer area of the shield - not out of it, just near the border. It would be heavily defended by hundreds of thousands of droids, there was no doubt. Dageer heard a trooper sighing, and muttering ''this is gonna be fun'' under his breath. He had to agree. It certainly wouldn''t be easy. "Once we have landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That, is our primary target." Up till now, the plan was simple. Most invading forces, when faced with a shield, would do the same. The tricky part would be landing. This wasn''t like the first invasion, when the seppies didn''t even know that the Republic had an army. This time, they would be prepared. "Isn''t it risky, committing three generals to one area of the attack? If something goes wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow." Surprisingly, the next one to talk was Chancellor Palpatine. He seemed genuinely concerned, which was uncommon for politicians like him. "To ensure that rises again, Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must." The chancellor looked at General Yoda, and smiled. "Of course. As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi." "Our thanks, chancellor." Politely as always, General Kenobi acknowledged Chancellor Palpatine''s words, before nodding General Yoda and General Windu. As the three holograms disappeared, Dageer heard General Windu speaking. "May the Force be with you." The hologram table turned off, leaving only General Kenobi, General Skywalker, General Mundi, General Unduli, Ragout, and the two padawans, as the Jedis who would lead the attack. Under his helmet, Dageer was looking at General Skywalker, and frowning. Before the holograms disappeared, the commander was sure Chancellor Palpatine had glared at him and Boss for quite a long while, but most of the time, he was looking carefully at the Jedi. Dageer couldn''t help but wonder why. Still, it wasn''t his business. He turned to General Kenobi, waiting for the details of the plan. "Good. Cody, these are the coordinates for the rendezvous." The 212th commander stepped forward, and pulled up another hologram, this time of the landing zone. "Yes, sir. When we hit the ground, we will create a perimeter there. Getting past their defenses here, will be the trick." Dageer glanced at the line that Commander Cody had drawn into the map. As the clone went on, he grinned, he already knew what Hell Squad''s assignment would be. "Generals, our gunsh.i.p.s will never be able to get past this point if those artillery barrages are working." "Jet is right. However, I believe that is young Ragout''s job?" General Mundi agreed with his commander, then looked at Ragout. The Togruta was already nodding, and pointed at the anti-aircraft turrets. "Don''t worry, masters. We will take care of this. The seppies split their artillery into two different blocks, north and south. I will take Hell Squad to the south one, while Boss and Delta Squad take care of the other." Most of the Jedis nodded, while the two padawans, Ahsoka and Bariss, exchanged glances, somewhat confused. Finally, General Skywalker''s apprentice wasn''t able to contain herself anymore. "Master Ragout, are you sure just you is enough? I could go help, and also bring some troopers..." "I appreciate it, Ahsoka, but we can handle it." "Although she wasn''t supposed to speak, my padawan''s concerns are accurate, Ragout. Are you sure you won''t need help?" General Skywalker put emphasis on the word ''padawan'', glaring angrily at his apprentice, before turning to Ragout. He, however, just smiled. "We will be at the landing point long before you all, Master Skywalker. Right, Dageer, Boss?" "Yes, sir. General Ragout is right, General Skywalker. This is our job." Dageer nodded, agreeing with Boss. That was exactly the type of mission that special units excelled in. "Still, we will only be able to take out their main artillery. The Laats will face a lot of opposition to land, but we will do our best to reduce it as much as possible." The Jedis exchanged glances, and, while the two padawans still seemed unconvinced, they didn''t say anything else. General Mundi and General Kenobi had already seen both squads in action. They knew they weren''t just special units. They were the best even amongst those on top. "Look at that giant wall with all the gun emplacements. That won''t be easy to get past." With the anti-aircraft turrets situation set, the group soon turned to the other obstacles in their path. This battle wouldn''t be an easy one. Everything, from landing, to advancing, taking out the shield, and finally capturing or killing Poggle, would require a price in clone blood. "Don''t worry. We aren''t going anywhere near that." "Ohh? What happened to all the enthusiasm I saw earlier?" "Don''t worry about us. You just make sure you get to that landing zone in one piece." "Yes... I shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive." Ahsoka, General Kenobi, and General Skywalker soon started joking around, which prompted General Unduli, General Mundi, Commander Cody, and Captain rex to shake their heads. It was clear this was quite the common occurrence. "Gentlemen, if you are quite finished, we have a battle to begin." "You are right, Luminara. Everyone knows your role?" Several people nodded. Commander Cody, Commander Jet, and Captain Rex left to prepare the gunsh.i.p.s, while General Unduli, Bariss, and Commander Gree went to their own cruiser. "Hell Squad, Delta Squad, in the lower hangar in five. We need to get going soon." "Yes, General Ragout. I will meet you there. I just need a minute with Boss." Ragout glanced at Dageer before nodding. He sensed there was something wrong with the commander, but if he wouldn''t tell him, then Ragout wouldn''t ask. Chapter 253 - Here We Go Again "What is it, Dageer?" Boss looked at the commander, impatiently waiting for him to say why he wanted to talk in particular. There was an invasion going on, and they couldn''t waste time. Dageer, on the other hand, seemed almost absent-minded, which was very uncommon. Boss rarely saw a clone more focused than Dageer. The commander could face an entire droid company without even flinching, and more than once, had sustained a wound in exchange for killing a clancker. To see him now, daydreaming, was surprising, to say the least. "Dageer?" "Yes. Sorry, brother. It''s just... You felt it too, didn''t you? The chancellor, there is something about him..." "Careful, Dageer. Those are dangerous grounds." Dageer shook his head. By Boss'' reaction, he was sure the clone commando had the same doubts as him. Still, none of them could put the finger on what it was, exactly. "Forget it. Let''s go." ... "Here you are! Boss, Delta Squad is waiting for you the other gunship. Dageer, Hell Squad is on this one." The lower hangar was bustling with activity, as pilots, crewmen, engineers, troopers, Jedis, and droids walked from one side to the other, prepping Laats, Y-Wings, and V-Wings. Many sh.i.p.s were already taking off, and Dageer quickly got into his, while Boss nodded to Ragout , and entered another Laat. "We are ready to go. Oddball, take off. Fly low, you will just drop us and return." "Yes, general." The doors of the gunship closed, and it left the Venator-class cruiser. Several calculated attacks were hitting many parts of Geonosis, all so the main force could strike the factories where Poggle the Lesser was hiding. However, if Hell Squad and Delta Squad didn''t deal with the anti-aircraft turrets, hundreds, maybe even thousands of sh.i.p.s would be shot down before they could even get near the rendezvous point. Dageer put on his helmet, and held onto the straps hanging from the ceiling. It would be a rough landing, that was for sure. The red lights flashed, indicating that they had entered the atmosphere. "Here we go again." Dageer grinned when he heard Cell. All the members of Hell Squad had been in the First Battle Of Geonosis, so this brought back memories. Even though only a year and a half had passed, it seemed a lifetime away. "Just like the old times. Let''s just hope we don''t crash this time." "Crash? You never talked about the start of the war. What happened?" Ragout couldn''t help but ask. He only met Hell Squad after Mon Cala, and that was a few months after the Clone Wars had started. Before that, he was still training at the Jedi Temple, and wasn''t even a padawan yet. "You weren''t at the first assault, right, general? Back then, Hell Squad wasn''t a special unit yet. Me, Brain, Tech, and Three-four were already on Hell Squad, but we were just a normal unit. Cell, Dab, and Metal only joined us later." "And what about the crash?" "Even though the seppies weren''t expecting us, they still had a lot of defenses in position. Our Laat was hit, and we lost our sergeant. Pilots were also down. We did our best to hold on, but we still lost many men when we crashed. To tell the truth, we were lucky anybody survived at all. And, to make matters worse, there were countless clanckers between us and the command post where we were supposed to land." "Well, that sounds like it was fun." "It had its moments. The commander took down an AAT, and I had to put his shoulder back in place. Haha..." Dageer felt like cursing Three-four and the others when he heard them laughing. Back then, it hadn''t been so simple as they made it sound now. It was only after a battle was over that one could be so carefree about it. In the midst of it, all Dageer could think was about his brothers dying, and the seppies in front of him. "Dageer, Cell, Tech, Dab, Three-four, Metal... I heard about Brain. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there to help." Dageer shook his head. Ragout couldn''t be blamed for anything. He was at Coruscant, completing his training, as General Di asked. "It isn''t your fault sir. It isn''t anybody''s fault. Brain made a decision. If it wasn''t for him, I would be dead. He went out like a real soldier. And he took that disgusting Separatist, Grievous, with him." Ragout nodded. It wasn''t the first time a clone sacrificed himself, and it wouldn''t be the last. He wasn''t that innocent kid anymore. He knew that wars weren''t a game. War had a price no one in a sane state of mind would be willing to play, but there was no other option than to keep going, until it was over. "Oddball, how are we looking?" "Minus ten until we enter their range, general." "Go lower than. Dageer, Dab, Metal, attach the ropes. We will only have a few seconds to leave the gunship." "At least we won''t be jumping." "I can arrange that, if you want." "No, thank you, sir." Cell shuddered when Ragout grinned at him. He loved to complain about Quell, because he really hated heights, and the Jedi knew that. The other clones laughed freely. "Well, it is very good to have you with us again, general. Those last six months hadn''t been easy, and having a Jedi with us will be of great help." Ragout grinned, but there was a trace of sadness hidden within it. "Only because I''m a Jedi? I thought you would think highly of me, Tech." "Haha... Sorry, general." Dageer almost facepalmed, but held himself back, and only knocked Tech''s head with his knuckles, like an a.d.u.l.t scolding a child. "You know Tech never was good with words, sir..." "Hey!" "... But few know what we all went through back in Ryloth. Hell Squad is glad to have you with us, not only as a Jedi, but as a friend." The Togruta looked at Dageer for a long time, as emotions dwelled inside him. To him, the clones of the 303rd weren''t just soldiers. They all went through a baptism of fire together, especially Hell Squad and him. The commander and the men under him were some of the closest friends he had, and he trusted each of them with his life. He knew they would never let him down. "We are approaching their defenses! You better hold onto something. This is gonna get bumpy!" Oddball''s alarm brought Ragout back to his senses. It was time. "Thanks... Let''s just hope we don''t have your bad luck this time." Seeing that the conversation had once again turned against him, Dageer was about to rebuke when the Laat shook, while the pilot tried to dodge the enemy fire. "We got three Vultures on our tail! We have to destroy them or we won''t be able to land!" "On it! Dab, take the other beam!" Dageer entered the c.o.c.kpit, and got into a ball made of glass that was hanging outside. It was a composite-beam turret. Each Laat had two of them, and they fired highly focused and unstable lasers. No matter what, be it Vulture droids, infantry, or even some of the lighter vehicles, once it was hit by it, it would be gone. Chapter 254 - Bugs The composite-beam turrets fired green lasers, which were highly unstable. That was proved when Dageer, aiming at one of the Vulture droids, missed, and hit a rock pillar. After a brief second, the entire pillar, which was over a hundred meters tall, and twenty meters wide, imploded. "Ihuuu!!!" Dab yelled victoriously as a Vulture droid blew up. Two more to go. "How long to the landing site, Oddball?!" "Six minutes!" Knowing that time was running out, Dageer focused even more on his target. Instead of trying to aim at the Vulture, he calculated in his mind what was the droid''s trajectory, and fired. The Vulture flew right into the green beam, and was cut in half before exploding. He tried the same trick with the last droid, but the clancker was faster than he expected, and he missed. "Dab, he is going to your side!" "I see him! And I... Got it!" Letting out a sigh of relief, Dageer watched the last Vulture droid crash into the ground, missing a wing, and returned to the main compartment of the Laat. "Good job, you two. Oddball, go down, and drop us now." "We are still twelve kilometers away from the landing zone, General Ragout." "I know, but by the time we get there, we will have more seppies on our tail. I don''t want to see you blow up in the sky." "Understood, sir." "All right. Boss, do you copy?" "Loud and clear, general. Beautiful job cleaning those Vultures." "We will be landing now, and you will do the same." "You got it. Raver, bring us down!" ... The Laats didn''t even touch the ground. Before they did so, both squads, and the Jedi, had already jumped out, weapons ready. However, there weren''t any clanckers nearby. While the clones prepared to move out, in the direction of the anti-aircraft turrets, Ragout knocked twice on the side of the gunship. "Oddball, you and Raver go back to the fleet. You still have a lot of work today." "Understood, general. Be careful of the bugs out there. Those things are nasty." "You got it. Now, go." The Laats took off, and Ragout turned to the two squads of clones, at the same time opening a map on his comlink. "All right. We have about ten kilometers of ground to cover until we get to our original landing zone. There shouldn''t be any Separatist on our way, but be careful. Delta Squad, when we get there, we split. You already know your tasks." "Yes, sir." "Okay. Then let''s move. And remember the Geonosians are hostile. Pay attention to every nook and crevice on the way. I heard some pretty gruesome stories." Both squad leaders nodded. They had been on the first assault of Geonosis, and they knew the Geonosians weren''t exactly righteous or proud. The bugs were especially fond of picking up troopers, and carrying them hundreds of meters high before letting the poor soldier go. There were also a few unlucky clones who were captured, and brought to the tunnels under the ground. Needless to say, none of those troopers was ever seen again. It was said the Geonosians all worked for a Queen, and had their minds controlled by her, although no one had ever seen the so-called Queen. Still, Dageer had seen his fair share of insect-like creatures around the galaxy, and he knew how a hive worked. If the bugs really followed a Queen, then he didn''t want to get anywhere near her. ... Ragout closed his fist, then opened it and put two fingers up before pointing to the south. Boss nodded, and gestured for Delta Squad to follow him. The clone commandos broke up from Hell Squad, and started running to their section of the anti-aircraft turrets. The Jedi then made the same signals, but this time pointing to the north. Hell Squad followed him quietly. They were very close to their target, and, although there weren''t any seppies in sight, they had to be careful. The Geonosians could blend in perfectly with the rocks. Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and zoomed in, scanning the Separatist camp, looking for their target. It wasn''t difficult to find them. Anti-aircraft turrets weren''t exactly small. "Uhmm... Bad news, general." "What is it?" "The artillery we have to destroy are J-1 proton cannons. Those things are droids too, so they will actively try to kill us." Ragout frowned as he tried to remember what the J-1s were. He knew Hell Squad had destroyed a few in Ryloth, but he had only seen the wreckage of them. Anyways, they would only have to be more careful. "Master Ragout, are you there?" Hearing Ahsoka''s voice, Ragout answered his comlink. "Yes. We had some troubles in the sky, but we are about to make our move." "That''s great to hear, master. Master Kenobi said we will start the attack in two hours, even if those artillery guns are still there." "Don''t worry. Two hours is more than enough. I will see you at the landing zone." After finishing the call, Ragout turned to Hell Squad, and grinned. He could sense their excitement, and he felt the same. It had been six long months since he fought alongside clones, and he missed it. For a padawan that was trained amidst a war, the conclusion of his training on the Jedi Temple had been painfully boring, although he had finished it with stellar results. "How do you want to do this, general?" "They saw us landing, and it isn''t like we were very secretive about our plans. This is a head-on battle, Dageer, so let''s behave accordingly. Each of those artillery droids needs a large amount of ammunition, and I bet it isn''t light. That means it will have to be near the J-1s, otherwise it would take a long time to reload." "I see what you are going for, general. It''s a plan." "A good one?" "That depends on whether or not we survive. But you are right, it is the only viable option. All right, Hell Squad!" "Yes, sir!" "Let''s blow up some clanckers." -------------------------- Turns out the J-1 Proton Cannons weren''t manned by droids, but by Geonosians. The bug-like creatures were grabbing cylindrical, red capsules as big as a human, and putting them on piles near the anti-aircraft turrets. Although the droid cannons could aim and fire by themselves, they still needed someone to load them. Now that they were quite close to the Separatist camp, Hell Squad discovered their plan wouldn''t go smoothly. There was an open area of about two hundred meters between them and their target. All the rocks and boulders had been removed, to make sure no one could sneak upon them. And, of course, that wasn''t the only problem. "Termyke-type ammo, commander. My charged shot might be able to get through the capsule, but normal lasers won''t. We will have to get close and throw a couple of detonators." "That will cause a chain reaction. We won''t be able to get out on time." Dageer frowned, and knelt, before aiming at the nearest Geonosian. Two hundred meters were nothing for him, especially when he had a stable position. However, he didn''t press the trigger, but kept switching his aim between the bug and the nearest pile of ammo. In the end, he got up. "Any ideas?" The clones shook their heads, and even Ragout didn''t see to know what to do. Ultimately, the Jedi patted Dageer''s shoulder. "We will figure it out. For now, let''s start." Chapter 255 - Probably The Best "Shouldn''t we send backup to Master Ragout? He only just completed his training. Not long ago, he was still a padawan." Bariss Offee was a very quiet padawan, but this time, she decided to voice her thoughts to her master. She wanted for their mission on Geonosis to be accomplished as soon as possible, and Ragout hadn''t given her a good impression. At the meeting, he barely greeted the other Jedis, before immediately engaging in a conversation with the special unit called Hell Squad. She thought her master - Luminara Unduli - would agree, as she did most of the time, but she was wrong. "Ragout should be able to take care of this task with no problems. Even before he became a Jedi Knight, his skills with a lightsaber and the Force were better than many in the Order. Ima-Gun Di was a member of the council, and one of the best. Ragout learned a lot from him. Besides, he has Hell Squad by his side." The Mirialan Jedi patted her apprentice''s shoulder, and went to talk with a 41st captain. The preparations for the invasion were almost done, but there was no harm in double-checking. Bariss was left quite confused. She hated when things weren''t properly explained, and, above all else, when her questions weren''t answered. And now, she was the most curious about Hell Squad. Everyone, Jedi or clone, seemed to think of them as invincible. As such, she stopped Commander Gree, to satisfy her curiosity. "Gree, who are those clones? Hell Squad? All I can find in their files are their names and that they were associated with the 303rd Attack Legion. I can''t find their record of battles or anything like that." The commander took off his helmet, and gave his datapad to a trooper, so the preparations would be carried on. His dark green armor was filled with scratches, both from battles and also just from the native flora of Felucia, where his legion spent most of the war up till now. "It''s because you are looking at the wrong files, kid. If you want to know about their battles before Ryloth, look at the 303rd files. Anything after that should be classified. Even I can''t access those. You will have to ask General Unduli, if you wanna have a look at them." Bariss frowned, for two different reasons. First off, she didn''t like being called a kid, but her master had warned her that the clones would only call her ''general'' after she earned their respect. And the only way to do that was through battle. The second thing that disturbed her was, of course, all the secrecy around Hell Squad. She hated to be left out. "Why all that?" "They are a special unit. Just like Delta Squad, the missions they take part in aren''t normal stuff. If any information about them was to fall in Separatist hands, we could lose a lot. But although all of this is classified, every clone in the Grand Army of the Republic knows them." "Are they really that good?" "Good? Haha... Kid, you will see them in action in this battle. Hell Squad is probably the best unit the Republic has. ARC Troopers, clone commandos, even Delta Squad, Dageer and his men are a step above them." Bariss was surprised. Commander Gree rarely complimented someone, whatsoever say that that someone was the best the Republic had. "You think very highly of this squad, Gree." "I fought with them before. That''s how I know how good they are. Moreover, they have General Ragout with them. The general was part of the 303rd too, you could say. Their coordination is flawless. Don''t worry. They will get the job done." -------------------------- Although they were currently being praised by Commander Gree, Hell Squad wasn''t faring too good. Dageer cursed when a laser hit the ground between his feet, and ducked behind a crate of ammunition to hide. He had forgotten how infuriating the Sonic Blasters that the Geonosians used were. Not only they were dangerous, but the green rings they shot also caused a shockwave upon impact. "General, on your left!" Ragout used his lightsaber to defend against a laser, and pulled the Geonosian that shot it using the Force. The being was still screeching when the Jedi cut him down. At the same time, he used his weapon to cut the legs of a J-1 Proton Cannon, making the droid fall, and become a useless pile of metal. That was the alternative that they had found. Since they couldn''t blow the anti-aircraft turrets without killing themselves, then Ragout would go one by one, destroying them. Hell Squad''s job was to kill every seppie on his way. "Damn bugs! They just keep coming!" The scout, Cell, yelled as he emptied his clip on a swarm of Geonosians. They were flying out of their nests underground, and for the clones, it was like that for every Geonosian they killed, ten more appeared. "Dageer, this just won''t do! I will give you and Metal a boost, and you keep the seppies away while I take care of the other cannons." "Wait, what?" "Boost? What does that... Ahhhh!!!" The two clones were confused to what the Togruta meant, but before they could sketch any reaction, they were lifted off the ground, and launched through the air. They flew for more than a hundred meters before they ''crashed'' against an invisible - but soft - wall, and dropped to the ground. It was confusing and unexpected, but Dageer and Metal were elites. Flexing their knees, they softened their landing, and immediately fired their blaster at the very startled Geonosians. Metal''s blaster, especially, created quite the havoc, as the bugs dropped from the sky, their wings full of holes. Now that they were closer to the seppies, the bugs became clumsy. Their bodies were fragile, and they weren''t made for war, like clones and clanckers. Dageer discarded his DC-15A, and pulled out his DC-17. The pistol was better for close ranges and it had the bonus of leaving his left hand free to use his dear vibroblade. He approached two Geonosians, who were loading a J-1 Proton Cannon, and slashed upwards, cutting the wings of one of them, and the head of the other. The bug that was still alive shrieked, trying to get away, but Dageer put his pistol against his head, and pulled the trigger. No enemy of the Republic deserved to live, even if he was out of combat already. That was the order in his genetic code. While he and Metal were laying waste to the Geonosians, the other members of Hell Squad, and Ragout, took care of the remaining anti-aircraft turrets. At the same time, they heard a large explosion a few kilometers away, followed by a sequence of smaller ones. It was likely Delta Squad''s doing. "We are done! Let''s get out of here!" "We need to take care of those bugs first, or they will hunt us all the way to Rain Point. Dageer, Metal, step back." The Jedi somersaulted his way forward, until he was next to the clones, while Metal and Dageer did as they were told. Then, Ragout turned off his lightsaber, and stretched his hands towards the cave entrance from where the Geonosians were coming. With a flick of his wrist, the entire cave started shaking, and collapsed amidst rumbling noises, and the screams of the bugs being buried alive. Chapter 256 - Ohh? You Arrived... Dageer was sitting on the ground, his blasters and helmet next to him, and his eyes closed. Around him, the members of Hell Squad, and also the clone commandos from Delta Squad, were also resting. General Ragout had his legs crossed, and was floating three or four centimeters above the ground. The group had completed their objective - the artillery was gone - and were now waiting for the rest of the Republic forces. Point Rain was an open area, several kilometers inside enemy lines, but still quite a distance away from the foundries where Poggle was hiding. A small group of eleven people had no problems sneaking past or killing the Separatist on their way. The job of systematically clearing the bulk of the enemy forces would be left for the legions. "All right, listen up. Commander Dageer, Hell Squad, you too." Fixer, Delta Squad''s mechanic, pilot, and technology specialist, called out the clones, being careful not to interrupt Ragout''s meditation. "General Kenobi just contacted me. They are about to start the real invasion." "And what they have for us?" "Nothing. They told us to stay here, and hold our position." "Are we expecting trouble?" "Aren''t we always?" The troopers laughed. Scorch had made a good point. When in battle, there was always the possibility of being attacked, so staying sharp was obligatory. "Anything else?" At some moment, while the clones were talking, Ragout had woken up from his meditation, and was looking at them. It was clear that, although the Jedi was quite distant, his hearing was much better than that of a normal person. "I don''t think so, general. As soon as our gunsh.i.p.s start landing, this area will become the focus of the Separatist counterattack. We take it our job will be to defend until we can form a perimeter." "Just us? That isn''t going to be easy." "No, it won''t. They are going to throw everything at us. Dwarf-Spiders, AATs, Hailfires, and what else." "Plus the bugs and the tin cans." Ragout raised an eyebrow, but he wasn''t that surprised about how nonchalant the clones were about it. After one or two battles, every trooper acquired a certain level of disinterest towards the future. When you could die in the next second, the future didn''t seem so important. "As you said, General Ragout, it isn''t going to be easy. But before we can win this battle, dozens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of our brothers will die. The bare minimum we can do is make sure they have somewhere to land in." The Jedi looked at Dageer, not shocked be Dageer''s bluntness. Such was the reality of war for the clones. You entered combat not only knowing you could die, but also having the certainty that several of your brothers would perish. And yet, you still pick up a blaster, put on your helmet, and follow your orders. That is what it meant to be a clone. "You are right. Well, this is going to be fun." -------------------------- It wasn''t fun. The Republic''s initial predictions were that after destroying the two main groups of anti-aircraft, the few scattered clumps that remained wouldn''t be enough to cause much trouble. They were wrong. Hundreds of Laats were shot down the moment they left the cruisers, many blowing up instantaneously, and several other crashing on the planet. The initial time predicted to reach the landing zone with a sizable enough force to make a stand was of three hours. It took eight before the first gunship even got close. General Mundi and General Skywalker, together with their respective clone commanders and troops, were hit, and crashed, although both groups survived, not without casualties. General Kenobi had been the only one to reach Point Rain, or, more accurately, to crash in Point Rain. Luckily for him, he and the few survivors had been rescued by a team sent by Commander Cody. Ragout and the two special units were the first sight that the Jedi saw when he was brought, limping, to the perimeter that the Laats had created. "Ohh? You arrived, Master Kenobi. Ugh... Just a second." Ragout jumped on top of a gunship, and used the Force to deflect several incoming missiles from a Hailfire. The missiles changed directions, and hit a cl.u.s.ter of clanckers, blowing them and everything around to pieces. The Hailfire that launched the missiles became the target of two AT-TEs, and didn''t last long. General Kenobi raised an eyebrow when he saw Ragout pull this stunt with the Force. It wasn''t easy, especially considering that the Togruta had a bloody bandage wrapped around his torso, and a laser mark on his thigh. "Are you having fun, Ragout?" "Before you arrived, no. I was too worried to have fun. I know you and Master Skywalker had a bet going to see who arrived first, but you took quite a long time. I and the two squads had some trouble to secure this landing site." "Nothing too bothersome, I hope. Did you lose anyone?" "No, fortunately. When the troops arrived, I ordered them to take a rest. They are over there." Surprised, General Kenobi raised his eyebrow even further. Although Ragout made it seen like nothing much, the Jedi Master knew it couldn''t have been easy. Looking to where the Togruta pointed, he was even more sure. Sev, Fixer, and Metal were laying on improvised beds, unconscious. Three-four and Cell had their arms covered in bandages, and it was clear it weren''t wounds from just one laser or two. Boss and Tech had their legs and torso in the same situation. Dab also had similar injuries, and only Scorch seemed mostly unharmed. Although they were all alive, it was clear they had gone through a brutal few hours. General Kenobi found Dageer in the command post - a moving, circular platform with four legs. The clone was talking to Commander Cody, and General Kenobi was surprised that he was still standing. His left arm was immobilized, he had a bandage around his head, and he wasn''t using his armor''s chest piece. This stomach and torso had several bruises, and a medic was currently wrapping it with white clothing. Several scars and bruises could be seen in the skin below the bandages. "Welcome, general." "General Kenobi. Good to see you in one piece." "I wish I could say the same of you, Dageer. Shouldn''t you be in a bacta tank?" "Are you talking about the arm? I broke it once, and it got dislocated two or three times, so it is quite susceptible to... A lot, really. But Three-four already put it back in place." "I wasn''t talking just about the arm, commander, and you know that." Commander Cody stifled a laugh when he heard how exasperated General Kenobi sounded. He had long grown used to Dageer''s attitude of not caring about himself. "Err... I was taking a look a our plans. General Skywalker and General Mundi should arrive soon, so I have to get Hell Squad ready." "Are you sure you and your men can take part in this assault? By holding this landing site, you saved thousands of soldiers. We can''t ask more of you. Besides, you aren''t exactly in perfect shape." Dageer grinned, and looked at Ragout, still fighting. He couldn''t stop, not while his general was still going. That was something he owned General Di. "We have been worse, general. Delta Squad too. We keep going until this war is over. That is how clones do it." Chapter 257 - The Way Of A Soldier "We keep going until this war is over. That is how clones do it." After Dageer said those two phrases, every trooper within earshot paused for a brief moment, before resuming what they were doing. They all put more effort into their actions, be it firing at the seppies, dealing with data at the command post, or treating wounded. Dageer was right. Waking up every day, ready and willing to fight and die. Every trooper was born to battle, and they were proud of their destiny. Commander Cody glared at Dageer silently for a few seconds before turning back to the control panel, and ordering the heavy vehicles to concentrate fire on a group of Dwarf-Spider droids. General Kenobi, on the other hand, was impressed. Two mere sentences, casually uttered by Dageer, had been enough to make the clones double their efforts. It was easy to see why General Di had been so focused on developing Dageer, even though the commander had been bred to be just a simple clone. He was a natural leader, and was respected by the men around him. After over a year of war, the Jedi knew it wasn''t easy to earn the respect of the clones. To people who faced death every day of their lives, what normal folk considered as invaluable and absolutely necessary, they deemed as worthless. Perishing in battle, with a blaster in his hands, and his brothers by his side, was all a soldier could ask for. And General Kenobi also felt something else. The flow of the Force around Dageer was different. It was... Erratic, confused. It wasn''t strong enough so Dageer could use it, and he couldn''t sense it inside the clone. It was as if the Force surrounded Dageer, not shaping his decisions, but going along with them. The clone would have some role in the course of this war. However, due to the nature of the Force itself, the Jedi couldn''t tell which role would this be. "Dageer... Sometimes, do you have dreams? Not normal dreams, but some sort of vision?" Dageer shuddered, and lifted his head to look straight into General Kenobi''s eyes. His hand unconsciously moved towards his hip, where his blaster pistol was, but he stopped himself, and controlled his facial expression. Gazing at Commander Cody through the corner of his eyes, Dageer prepared his words very carefully. He didn''t know why, but he couldn''t tell the Jedi about the nightmares. "Everyone has dreams, General Kenobi. Even clones." The Jedi was surprised by the sudden wave of hostility that hit him, and shocked to find that it didn''t come just from Dageer, but from all the clones around him, even Commander Cody. He thought it was because he had been rude, although he wasn''t sure which score spot he had touched, and quickly explained himself. Luckily for him, he hadn''t noticed the hands reaching for the blasters, otherwise things would have escalated quickly. Dageer''s mind had blanked, and for a moment, he had seen the Jedi as an enemy rather than as a superior. Just like the nightmares. "I didn''t mean to intrude on your personal thoughts, Dageer." "Of course, General Kenobi. It''s just that... Clones usually don''t have good dreams. Too many brothers have fallen, more than we can remember." The Jedi nodded. It made sense. Even before the war, he would have nightmares about how his master died. It was normal that clones also would, considering that thousands upon thousands of them died every day. "Now, if you would excuse me, General Kenobi, I have to rest while I can. I''m sure the higher-ups will soon send another mission to my squad, so I have to get them in shape for it." "Sure thing, commander. I will see you on the battlefield." Dageer nodded, and left the command post. He didn''t plan on resting, as he was afraid of what he would see when he closed his eyes. Instead, he wanted to help defend against the seppies that were attacking their perimeter, but he realized it wasn''t needed. General Skywalker and his padawan had arrived, and with the help of the 501st, the 212th was able to push back the clanckers. General Mundi also arrived not much later, although he was pretty badly wounded. It didn''t seem like he would be able to partake in the battle anymore. Dageer was just about to head to where Hell Squad was when a lieutenant, using the white and yellow armor of the 212th stopped him. It was only after Lieutenant Shield took off his helmet that Dageer recognized him. "Hello, Commander Dageer. Great job destroying those turrets." "Shield! I see you are doing well in the 212th." "Still alive. We lost Jolt and Bowman today, but the others are doing fine. I don''t know about our brothers in the 501st, though." After the 303rd Attack Legion had been disbanded, some of the survivors went to the 212th, while others to the 501st, under Captain Rex and General Skywalker. Both were elite legions, and Dageer tried his best to keep track of the sixty or so clones. It wasn''t easy, but using his authority as a commander, he could at least know when one of them died. "They are doing well too. Helm, Cork, and Welle died, but most of them are okay." Lieutenant Shield nodded. There wasn''t much they could do for their fallen brothers, but he was glad to know about them. Dageer didn''t keep Lieutenant Shield occupied, and told him to get back to work. The battle was still going on, and the lieutenant could be punished if he wasn''t doing his job. He also had just seen the Jedis and their respective commanders going towards the command post which he had just left. It appeared it was time for another meeting. -------------------------- "Thanks to Master Ragout and the men under him, we were able to prepare a safe landing zone, for now. However, we are still far from the foundry. We will use this region as a resupply point, and advance from here, by air and ground." General Kenobi explained their battle plans to Ragout, General Unduli, and her padawan, Bariss. General Skywalker and Ahsoka were already back in the fray, leading not only the 501st, but also Commander Jet and his men. "I shall find young Skywalker, and join his attack. Obi-Wan, I take it you will be in charge of the air assault?" "Yes. We will try to keep the Separatist forces on the planet away from the droid factories. Ragout, I am going to need your help." The Togruta looked at the hologram table, and nodded. No matter how much he would have liked to invade the foundries and capture Poggle, he wasn''t that harsh young apprentice anymore. He could see the bigger picture, and knew where he would make a difference. "I spoke with Dageer earlier, and he said his squad is ready to return to combat. Is that right?" "Yeah. Hell Squad and Delta Squad only had some flesh wounds, no broken bones. We will be at the frontlines tomorrow." "If you say so. We need every man we can get on the battlefield. Geonosis is a core planet for the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. We conquer it, and it will be as if we have chopped off their arms." The bearded Jedi looked around the table, and saw several nodding heads. "Then, ladies and gentlemen, you know your tasks. This battle is still going, so let''s move along." Chapter 258 - Rough Landing Dageer saw the pilot of his Laat, Heater, die. A piece of metal, previously part of another gunship, had pierced the c.o.c.kpit, and cut half of his neck. The commander put pressure on the wound, trying to stop the blood from gushing out, but it was too late. All he could do was put the body aside, and take control of the Laat before it crashed. Cursing, he turned the gunship to the left, and went down. The dials on the controls flashed, indicating that they had been hit, and were losing fuel. "You on the back, brace yourselves! We are going in!" Dageer wasn''t the best pilot, but he had learned a few things, mostly out of necessity. Dodging a few LR1K Sonic Cannon shots, he pushed the throttle to the maximum. He knew that if they left the bigger group of Republic forces, they would easily be shot down. He heard Ragout warning General Kenobi that they had been hit, and the sound of troopers grabbing their blasters and tying their cables. The wasn''t too sure why, until Ragout touched his shoulder. "The doors are broken, Dageer! They won''t bulge! Slow down as much as you can, and get us low. I will cut the floor, and we will rappel down." "Can''t I just land?" "Only if you wanna be blown up. Look over there." Dageer glanced down, only to see that there was an entire section of the Separatist forces set apart to go after the gunsh.i.p.s that crashed or landed but weren''t destroyed. "Cables it is. Get ready, general." The Jedi nodded, and, using his blue lightsaber, cut a circle on the floor. When he kicked it, the piece of metal fell, and the hot air of Geonosis entered the gunship, the strong winds hitting the troopers'' faces. "Go, go, go!!!" Six clones pushed the cables through the hole, attached their carabiners to it, and jumped down. They quite literally flew for a few seconds, until they started sliding down the cable, and reached the end of it. Detaching, they rolled in the sand before getting up. A Laat could hold up to thirty troopers, maybe even forty if they were willing to be squished. It took all but two minutes to all the clones to leave the gunship. Hell Squad, obviously, were the last ones to slid down the cables, leaving only Ragout and Dageer still on it. "You go first, general! I have an idea!" The Togruta looked at Dageer, but didn''t disagree. He knew the commander well enough to know he would never do something he wasn''t sure it would work. Waving his hand, he jumped down the hole, and landed softly on the sand below. The battle on the ground was in full swing. Dozens of thousands of clones spread out for kilometers, fighting three times their number in seppies. Every second, hundreds died on both sides. It was a scene that would make any normal person terrified. Geonosians picked up troopers, only to drop them from high up in the sky. Cannons, tanks, and turrets sent clanckers and clones flying, in a mess of broken limbs and death. And the noise was deafening. This was a head-on battle. No skirmishes, no stealth, no mercy. Both sides collided against one another, and only one would survive. "Where is Commander Dageer, general?!" Pulling a droid with the Force, Ragout made it levitate in front of him, and used it as a shield against the incoming lasers, at the same time spinning his lightsaber, and cutting in half any seppie that got near. "He said he had an idea. I don''t know what it is." Cell looked at the other members of Hell Squad, and then at the gunship that was slowly approaching an AAT and a group of seppies. Only Dageer would be so crazy to try that again. "He is doing the same he did in Kamino, only on a smaller scale." "What did he do in Kamino?" "The commander and Berro hijacked a Separatist ship, and threw it on the seppies. The Kaminoans weren''t happy." Ragout was slightly confused by what the last phrase meant, but he perfectly understood the rest. Still, he wasn''t the least bit surprised. It was Dageer''s style to do something like that. The clone left the ship just a few seconds before it was hit by an AAT. Dageer slid down the cable, rolled, and knelt, his DC-15A already in position and firing. The gunship lost a wing, and spun to the right, missing the cl.u.s.ter of droids, but hitting the tank. Both went out in a small explosion. Instead of retreating until he reached the Republic''s lines, Dageer waited for them to go to him. Using the burning remains of a Hailfire as cover, he killing every seppie in sight. Any Geonosians who tried to get to him gained another hole in their heads, thanks to Dab, who was over six hundred meters away. "How are you doing, Dageer? Having fun?" "Where is your squad, Scorch?" Dageer heard the voice of the explosives expert in his comlink, but there was too much smoke and dust in the air for him to see where Delta Squad was. "Behind you, to your left. We managed to land, although I have to say I would have liked to crash our gunship as you did." "Shut up, Scorch. Dageer, Boss here. Do you see the crashed Laat about a hundred meters to your left?" He scanned the area that Boss had indicated, and easily found the gunship, and, three hundred meters behind it, Delta Squad. The clone commandos were using their DC-17m to perfection, shredding any seppie that they could lay their eyes on. "I got eyes on it. Survivors?" "Yeah. Do you think you can get there? We will provide cover." Dageer surveyed the path he would have to take, and knew the chances of him surviving were slim. However, he couldn''t let his brothers wait for their deaths inside the gunship. "Wait. Hell Squad, find a suitable position, and aid Delta Squad. General Ragout, I will need your help too. Going in will be difficult, going back will be almost impossible." "Roger that, commander." "Leave it to me, Dageer. Go get them." Dageer waited for Hell Squad to get into position, then looked at the gunship, and took a deep breath. Before his courage failed him, he started running. Almost immediately, dozens of red lasers came after him. He could see and hear them flying past him, barely missing, or hitting the ground where he just was. Even with the suppressive fire of the two special squads, he was still being targeted by dozens of clanckers. Zigzagging, Dageer also fired his blaster, making the heads of three droids fly, and a Geonosian fall out of the sky. He didn''t know how, but he arrived at the crashed gunship unharmed. Dropping his blaster on the ground, he grabbed the door, and, grunting, pulled it open. He was received with a fist. Ducking, Dageer instinctively pulled out his DC-17, and aimed at the owner of the fist, only to find out it was a trooper using the dark blue of the 501st. When the clone saw he was friendly, he dropped to the floor, panting, and holding his torso. Just by that, Dageer could tell he had a few broken ribs. "Slow down, brother. I''m here to help." "Cough... Sorry, commander. We didn''t know it was you." Getting up, Dageer looked inside the gunship, and cursed. It was a graveyard. Chapter 259 - Escorting Poggle The Lesser The interior of the Laat was filled with corpses. The crash had obviously been violent, as of the thirty clones inside the gunship, more than twenty had died. Their bodies were laying everywhere, and some were so twisted that their armor had cracked open. Dageer wanted to kill every single clancker on the planet when he saw that, but he controlled himself. It wasn''t something he hadn''t seen before, but it saddened and angered him every time. However, he had survivors who needed help. He entered the gunship, stepping over the bodies of his brothers, and quickly ran his eyes over the six survivors. Most just had broken bones, or were unconscious from the impact, but two were in critical condition. The first was a sergeant, probably the highest-ranking officer in the Laat. His head was bleeding profusely, and his two legs were bent out of shape, broken in many places. Still, the sergeant was ignoring his wounds, and holding up a trooper. The clone was laying on the ground, and a sharp piece of metal, about a meter long, had pierced his back, and came out on his abdomen. Blood dripped down his white armor, marking it with red stains. Dageer just needed one glance to know he wasn''t going to survive. He knelt down, and touched the sergeant''s shoulder. "The pilot?" "Died before we hit the ground." "Hang on tight, brother. I will be back for you. You two, I need you to get up, and help them." Dageer gestured to the soldier with the broken ribs, and to another one, who seemed mostly unharmed. Together, they picked the two unconscious troopers, and prepared to leave the Laat. "Ugh... We are never going to get past that stretch, commander." "Don''t worry. We have a Jedi. General, you better be ready." Helping to drag one of the wounded, Dageer warned Ragout before going out. Immediately, he saw a blue light spinning amidst the dust, as Ragout made his way towards them. When he was fifty meters or so away, the Jedi turned off his lightsaber, and the four wounded clones floated towards him, falling clumsy, but alive, on the ground. "Take them back! Hell Squad, Delta Squad, cover!" Seeing that the four troopers were almost safe - as safe as they could be in the middle of a giant battle - Dageer went back inside the gunship. He planned to painfully explain to the sergeant that they couldn''t save the last trooper, but he stopped when he heard them talking. "How was... How was your first... Cough! Ugh... First battle, sarge?" "Pretty similar to this one, rookie. We were on Dantooine, and our ship crashed. However, we still showed the clanckers who is boss." "Haha... Cough! Cough... Show them who is boss once more, sarge. Ugh... For... Cough... For the Republic... For the Repu..." Dageer saw the light in the trooper''s eyes die out. The poor trooper died in his first battle, before he could even have a proper fight. Unfortunately, that happened far too often. The sergeant let his brother down. He had seen the horrors of war before, and it wasn''t the first time a soldier died in his arms. Cruelly, every veteran had to grow used to this, even to the point where they wouldn''t be fazed by it. "Are you sure you can get me through there, commander? I am pretty much useless." "Try to stop that bleeding on your head, sergeant, and let me worry about the rest. It won''t be easy." The sergeant grunted in pain when Dageer dragged him, but there was no other way. Either that, or the clone died. Looking forward, Dageer once more warned Ragout that he was coming, and stepped out of the Laat. -------------------------- It took three weeks, and it cost two hundred and seventy thousand clone lives, but Geonosis was retaken by the Republic, the droid factories on it were mostly destroyed, and Poggle the Lesser was captured. Hell Squad was now escorting a Geonosian to a ship. The Separatist leader, Poggle, had been captured, and was to be escorted to Coruscant for further interrogations. After putting Poggle inside a cell, Dageer let his men relax. They had been fighting for almost a month, and gone through days of uninterrupted battle. Now that they had the chance to stop and rest, they would take advantage of it. Hell Squad had been in the frontlines the entire time, and on some occasions spent over forty-eight sleepless hours locked in battle. As such, it was impossible for them to be unharmed. Their bodies were adorned with countless scars, but after spending some time in a bacta tank, they were mostly healed. One of the differences between lasers and projectiles was that lasers left a clean, and cauterized, wound, which were quick to heal, as long as they hit just flesh. ------------------------ Dageer pushed Poggle forward, and the Geonosian shrieked in his native language. The clone didn''t understand a thing, but he was sure the bug wasn''t praising him, so he used the butt of his DC-15A to hit his back, and the Geonosian stumbled, almost falling. After that, he kept quiet. They were now in a medical station, in the middle of space. They were originally going to Coruscant, but there were some complications. Two padawans, Ahsoka and Bariss, who were in another ship, going for the medical station, and initially had the objective of grabbing supplies to take to General Windu''s troops on Dantooine, had to face some sort of parasite from Geonosis. Those parasites infected some troopers, and controlled their minds. In the end, the padawans were able to kill the parasites, but by that time, several clones had died, and the Jedis were terribly weak. As such, the frigate originally transporting Poggle had stopped at the medical station, so General Skywalker and General Unduli could help their padawans. After putting the Geonosian in another cell, Dageer went to the command bridge. From what he had been briefed, there had been an attack on a Republic ship, and Jedi Master Eeth Koth had been captured. Dageer didn''t know the details yet, but a rescue mission was bound to happen, and it probably involved Hell Squad. When he got to the command bridge, he found General Kenobi, General Skywalker, and a Jedi he didn''t know. She was a Tholothian, recognizable by the hair-like flesh on her head. When Dageer approached the hologram table, a trooper was telling the Jedis something, but General Skywalker signaled for him to stop, and introduced the Tholothian to Dageer. "Dageer, this is Master Adi Gallia, a member of the Jedi Council. And Master Gallia, this is Commander Dageer, of the 303rd Attack Legion, and leader of Hell Squad." "General." "I heard a lot about you, commander." After the necessary introductions were made, General Skywalker gestured for the clone to resume his report. "Although it took some time, we were able to recover footage from General''s Koth ship. It appears that the one who boarded the ship, and took him prisoner, was Separatist commander General Grievous..." "What? Repeat that, trooper." Every Jedi and clone around the table was surprised by Dageer. The usually calm and collected commander had an incredulous expression on his face. "Err... Grievous, commander? He was the one who attacked..." "That is impossible! Grievous is dead!" Chapter 260 - Hope "That is impossible! Grievous is dead!" Dageer looked almost furious at the poor trooper as he yelled, shocking every person in the command bridge. Commander Cody and Captain Rex both stepped forward, and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Evidently not, commander. Why do you say that is impossible?" It was General Gallia, who didn''t know Dageer before, who asked the question. It took a long while for Dageer to answer, because his mind was full of questions. If General Grievous had somehow survived the explosion of the destroyer over Falleen, then maybe... "Dageer? Answer Master Gallia, please." "I... Six months ago, in the Battle Of Falleen, Hell Squad boarded the capital ship of the seppies, a Recusant-class Destroyer. Our mission was to blow it up, giving the Republic the chance to maintain control over the planet. We were too late. By the time the energy cells were nearing the critical point, our fleet was long gone, and Hell Squad stayed behind." "I remember that. You disobeyed your orders, didn''t you, commander?" "Yes, general. Under my lead, Hell Squad decided to stay, instead of leaving as General Secura ordered. We were too deep inside the ship, and we would never make it, so we didn''t bother trying. The clancker, Grievous, was on the ship. When we reached the escape pods, he was already onto us. He nearly killed Three-four and Dab." Dageer took a deep breath, and organized his thoughts. He never should have let his emotions take over, be he had been to shocked by the news that General Grievous was still alive. "And?" "Hell Squad entered the escape pods, and left the ship. We were forced to leave a man behind. Generals, I watched that destroyer blow up with my own eyes. No other pods left it. There is no way Grievous could have survived." The Jedis exchanged glances in silence for a moment, before General Kenobi, who had gone up against General Grievous more than once, turned to Dageer. "Grievous is slippery. I don''t know how he might have survived, but he did, and he has a Jedi as a prisoner. We have to rescue Master Koth. Luminara and Ki-Adi will take Poggle to Coruscant, while us three will go after Grievous." "Hell Squad requesting permission to tag along, general." General Kenobi looked at Dageer pensively for a long, long while before answering. "Dageer, I know what you are thinking. However, Grievous surviving doesn''t mean your man did. I doubt the Separatist would be merciful to someone who blew up one of their most expensive sh.i.p.s." "I''ve known Brain since we were cadets, general. If someone could have survived that explosion, that someone is him." "With all due respect, generals, but I think we should take Hell Squad. Clones don''t leave a brother behind. If there is any chance that Brain is still alive, we have to help him." Captain Rex stepped forward, and looked at the Jedis straight in the eyes. Although he thought the chances of finding Brain alive were slim, he still felt it was worth a shot. Any clone would do the same for him, and he would do the same for any clone. General Skywalker glared at Captain Rex, and then at Dageer, before nodding. "Okay. However, Dageer, you must be prepared to accept the truth, whatever it is." "I see my brothers die every day, general. If Brain is alive, we will find him. If he isn''t... He went out a true soldier." ---------------------------- Two days later, the Jedi Council received a transmission from the Separatist. The hologram was recorded, and showed General Grievous stepping on General Koth. "Greetings, Jedi. It would appear that, once again, one of your Order''s has lost it''s way. And, even better, a puny member of the Jedi Council. Listen to me, Jedi. I do not care about your politics. I do not care about your Republic. I only live... To see you die!" An IG-100 MagnaGuard stepped forward, and hit the fallen Jedi with his electrostaff, making General Koth scream in pain. "But death won''t come so easily for Master Koth. I will make him suffer, because I know it is more painful for you all. Kakakakaka... Cough... Cough!" Dageer stood behind Ragout, so he wouldn''t appear in the projection. There were over ten holograms around the table, each showing a Jedi, since they were scattered around the galaxy, each fighting their own battle. At the moment, Ragout and Hell Squad were in the 501st fleet, above Coruscant. General Skywalker was on the planet below, at the Jedi Temple. The clone could see the pain and despise in the faces around the hologram table. General Grievous might be a sadistic bastard, but he was right. The best way to make a Jedi fell despair wasn''t to kill and torture him or her, but those close to them. Dageer was sure not even a Jedi would be able to go through the Separatist torture methods with losing their minds. It was at that moment that Commander Wolffe, under General Plo Koon, appeared in the hologram, and said something to the Jedi. "Commander Wolffe has found a message in the holo transmission. Play it back." The transmission was replayed, and they soon found the hidden message. General Koth made several small, almost unnoticeable, hand signals, which had been missed before. While General Kenobi was translating, Dageer had already deciphered the meaning. After all, he and his men used such signals every time they needed to do something quietly. General Grievous was in the Seleucami System. A nearly deserted system, with just a few colonizers from several different planets. It was a perfect base of operations for a wildcard like General Grievous. "Decided it is. Master Kenobi, young Skywalker, and Master Gallia, to Seleucami System, go you must. Find Grievous, and an end to his cruelty, put." The three chosen Jedis nodded, and left to make the necessary preparations. General Grievous was sure to have an entire army by his side, so even with their three legions, they weren''t sure it would be enough. "Master Yoda, I would like to go too. Master Koth is a good friend." The green Jedi frowned, before shaking his head. "Uhmm... When a youngling, you were, train you Eeth did?" Ragout nodded. "Let you go, I can''t. Anger, I feel. A better job, I have." The Jedi looked as if he wanted to complain, but he realized that Master Yoda was right. He was angry at General Grievous, and the first thing he learned when he was a youngling, was that anger led to darker emotions. "Sorry, Master Yoda. I understand. What do you want me to do?" "Uhmm... Good, good indeed. Control your emotions, a Jedi way is. Taught you well, Master Di did. To show those lessons you learned, and pass to the young ones, I trust. To Ilum, take the younglings, you will. Time for them to became padawans, has come." Ragout nodded. It was a very important assignment, one that even many more experienced Jedis didn''t have the opportunity to do. That showed that General Yoda trusted him. "I will do my best, master." "You will." The transmission was ended, and the holograms around the table disappeared one by one. "I will have to go to Coruscant, Dageer. Hell Squad will probably go on this mission to Seleucami. I can''t be with you, but I do hope you find Brain, alive and well." "Thanks, general." "And remember: no matter what happens, don''t let rage consume you." ------------------------- "He controlled his emotions well. He will be a great master, one day." "A lot of Ima-Gun Di, he has in him. A lot from him, this war took. But a lot, it also gave. Soon, time for him to become the master, it will." Chapter 261 - Bring The Head // AUTHOR''S MESSAGE Hello, guys. First off all, I am incredibly sorry for not posting the chapter Thursday. There will be two chapters today, to make up for that. Now, I feel I have to explain what happened. As some of you probably know, I live on Brazil, more exactly at the south region. I few days ago, a cyclone went through the coastline, causing a lot of damage, and even some deaths. Fortunately, the city where I live was far from it''s path, so nothing too bad happened. The winds, however, sent a good part of my house''s roof flying, so I spent a lot of time fixing it, and didn''t have much time to write. Worse still, over 95% of my state (about 7,5 million people, including myself) spent the majority of the last three days without any electricity and, of course, internet. Cellphone towers were also out, and I barely got enough reception to talk to my family and friends, so I hope you understand why I couldn''t warn you apart from a small message on discord. So, that is the reason why there was no upload. Thank you all for your understanding, and everything should be back to normal now. // START OF THE CHAPTER "Me and Master Gallia will board Grievous ship, and rescue Master Koth. However, we will need a distraction. Obi-Wan, I do believe you got it covered, right?" "Yes. I will engage Grievous fleet with both mine and the 501st. Knowing that it is me, I am sure he will try to board my cruiser." General Skywalker and General Gallia nodded, agreeing with General Kenobi''s plan. "Hell Squad, we are going to need you here, to distract Grievous forces while I distract him." "Understood, general." Dageer didn''t have much to say, other than acknowledging his orders. Boarding parties needed to be small, and two Jedis would do better than ten Hell Squads together. As much as he and his brothers wanted to believe Brain was alive, and to find him, they couldn''t let their feelings get on the way of their main purpose. Win this war. Still, when General Skywalker was about to leave to his ship - he wouldn''tbe using a cruiser, but a smaller and almost undetectable ship, to infiltrate General Grievous main vessel - Dageer stopped him. "Commander?" "General Skywalker, Grievous should have a tactical droid as his adviser or commander. If anyone knows about Brain, it would be him. As long as we have his head, Tech can uncover everything he knows, and not only about Brain." The young Jedi glanced at Dageer, and, after a few seconds, nodded. He had witnessed countless clones fall in battle, and he had seen the expression on their faces when their brothers died. He could understand that feeling. He also lost someone very dear to him, and if he had any chance, no matter how small, to bring her back, he would do everything he could. "I will see what I can do." "Thank you, sir." General Skywalker walked away, and Dageer stood at standard military position. Now, all they had to do was wait for their fleets to engage General Grievous''. -------------------------- Everything went mostly as planned. General Grievous ordered his ship to use the tractor beam to pull General Kenobi''s cruiser, and prepared to board it. 212th troopers, as well as Hell Squad, Commander Cody, and General Kenobi, waited for them. The Jedi''s plan was to separate General Grievous from his forces. While General Kenobi dealt with the big clancker, the clones would take on the others. When they saw four lightsabers cutting a circle in the door, the clones gripped their weapons tighter. Two of them, who were just next to it, put their blasters directly on the edge of the hole. The first seppie to come through would have a bad surprise. When the lightsabers retracted, a burning circle was left on the door, and a few seconds passed, eerily quiet. Then, the door was kicked in, and sent flying, crashing into two unfortunate troopers. The sound of bones breaking was clearly heard. However, General Grievous was a cunning bastard. Instead of entering first, he let his unit of commando droids go through. The first two seppies were immediately executed, with a laser to the head, by the troopers positioned next to the door. But the next commando clanckers that entered were faster than the first two. They stabbed the clones with their vibroblades, killing them immediately. "Here they come!" "Arghh!!!" "Go, go, go!" The small corridor, barely four meters wide, and three meters tall, became an intense battlefield in a matter of seconds. Each commando droid took several clone lives before being killed, and in all but a few minutes, casualties for the Republic side were in the dozens. Suddenly, Dageer saw three commando clanckers pouncing towards him, their vibroblades sharp. Clearly, they had noticed that he already had killed six commando droids, and identified him and his squad as the biggest threat after General Kenobi. The seppies left no angle for him to dodge, but Dageer stayed calm. Using his pistol, he blew off the head of one of them, and, at the same time, pulled out his own vibroblade. When Dab and Three-four took care of a second commando droid, only one was left. Dageer stepped sideways, and the vibroblade missed him by millimeters. However, the weapon on the clone''s hand didn''t. He stabbed it on the clanckers neck, and flicked his wrist, ripping it''s head off. "Cody, retreat! Hold them off while I deal with Grievous!" "Yes, sir! Fall back!" Seeing their losses only getting bigger, General Kenobi did a backflip, and started running away from the battle. General Grievous coughed and laughed, completely aware that he was being baited, but fine with it. His four lightsabers spun around, slicing three clones in several parts, and he ran after the Jedi. Two MagnaGuards followed him. While the Jedi led the abomination away, the clones had to fight the commando droids with everything they had. Metal''s blaster torn many clanckers apart, but they were so flexible that they could climb the walls and ceiling, and dodge most of the lasers. "Ahhh!" Seeing another brother fall dead next to him, Dageer knew they couldn''t let the seppies have their way, otherwise many more would die. "Cody! Take your men and retreat! We will hold them back!" The commander nodded, and, followed by his men, fell back. Dageer obviously didn''t mean to sacrifice himself and Hell Squad, although he wouldn''t hesitate to, if it was necessary. His plan was to split the droid forces, and it worked. About thirty commando droids and B2 units went after Commander Cody and the 212th troopers, while twenty commando droids and thirty B2 super battle droids went after Hell Squad. Dageer ducked, dodging a volley of red lasers, and threw a droid popper, deactivating half a dozen clanckers, but more kept coming. Even Hell Squad couldn''t face that many commando droids face to face. Firing twice, Dageer took down another B2 unit, while Dab and Tech took down another two. However, they were being pushed back more and more. "Ahh... Ugh... Useless clancker!" Metal cursed when a laser hit his left arm, forcing him to drop his giant blaster. The heavy machine gunner proceeded to grab a DC-15S on his back, and used one hand to fire it. Without the firepower of Metal''s double-barrel repeating blaster, Hell Squad was outgunned. They retreated while fighting, not giving the seppies a meter unless they had no other choice. Droid bodies piled up, but their metallic brothers stepped on them without any regards. A commando droid slashed at Cell, cutting a nasty gash on his right shoulder. The scout counterattacked by blowing the clancker''s head when he fired his blaster at point-blank range. Dab fell to the ground, hit in the chest by two lasers, only surviving thanks to the blast padding. "Agh!" Dageer was shot in the thigh when he tried to pull Dab to some sort of cover. The clanckers approached them, and Hell Squad tried their best to fend them off, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. "Watch out!" Dab ignored the pain to his chest, and rolled over, firing his DC-15x twice, and killing the commando droid that was about to shoot Dageer. The droid fell on top of Dageer, and he couldn''t get up. Just when Hell Squad was about to be overwhelmed, several blue lasers hit the group of clanckers, killing over ten of them immediately, and sending the others in disarray. Chapter 262 - General Kenobi The sound of metal being torn apart was heard as General Kenobi cut the last MagnaGuard in half with his lightsaber. When the persistent droid tried to crawl away, still alive, the Jedi spun his lightsaber, and pierced the clancker''s head. The Separatist leader, General Grievous, watched coldly as his bodyguards were cut to pieces. He could make more of them if he wanted to. "General Kenobi. I will make you suffer today, just like I did to your fellow Jedis. Cough..." General Grievous spread his cloak, showing over ten lightsabers hanging on it. Each one belonged to a Jedi he killed. General Kenobi felt pain and anger when he recognized some of them. "Why do you do this, Grievous? Only hatred and rage in your heart, and so many meaningless deaths." "Cough... Cough... Kakakaka! Meaningless deaths? Don''t say that to me, Jedi. Your kind came to my planet, and killed my people! Cough... I will hunt you down, and I will use the greatest droid army the galaxy has ever seen to do it." "An army with no soul or purpose, which only aims to kill." General Grievous laughed, full of hatred, noticing that the Jedi hadn''t said anything about the massacre of his people. Without saying anything else, General Grievous lunged at General Kenobi, swinging four lightsabers in an ''X'' motion. The Jedi jumped backwards, deflecting General Grievous'' attacks, and counter-attacking with one of his own, which the clancker defended against by bringing back one of his lightsabers. "You are a monster, a pawn of Dooku!" "Kakakakaka..." General Kenobi dodged a stab from General Grievous'' lightsabers, and jumped over the clancker''s head. However, before he could turn around and attack General Grievous, he was kicked in the back, and sent flying. His head buzzed, and he couldn''t get up. "And what about Skywalker, Kenobi? Did you really think... Cough... Did you really think I wouldn''t be prepared for his little rescue mission aboard my ship?" A metal claw grabbed the Jedi''s neck, threatening to break it, and General Kenobi''s vision started to go back. But he got lucky. Something hit the ship, making General Grievous lose his footing, and the Jedi used the chance to swing his lightsaber at General Grievous, and used the Force to push him back. "Grrr... I will see you again, Kenobi. For now... Cough... Cough... I will kill your friends." General Grievous put away his lightsabers, and got on all six - he had four hands - and crawled away like a spider, faster than the Jedi could react. "Cody! Grievous is heading your way! We have to keep him on the ship!" -------------------------- Dageer heard General Kenobi yelling on Commander Cody''s comlink. He executed a commando droid who was still alive, even though half of his head was gone, and turned to his brother. "Hell Squad will go to the connector. You try to hold him here." "Understood. Good luck, brother." Stepping over the clanckers'' bodies, Hell Squad ran as fast as they could to the connection between the Republic''s and the Separatist''s sh.i.p.s. They had been saved by Commander Cody and the 212th troopers, who had dealt with the clanckers who went after them, and came to help Hell Squad. "Metal, prepare your blaster. When that clancker appears, shoot everything you have. We can''t let him through." "Yes, sir." Hell Squad took position, kneeling on the ground, or standing up, their weapons aimed at the direction General Grievous would be coming from. Dageer knew they weren''t match for the clancker, but that was no reason not to try. He would rather die than let General Grievous escape. "Dageer, we couldn''t hold him! He is coming to you!" Almost at the same time that he heard Commander Cody, Dageer saw a spider-like figure running towards them. Immediately, he and the others opened fire, and the corridor was filled with blue lasers, but General Grievous was unfazed by this. He crawled on the walls and ceiling, dodging everything that was thrown at him, and smashed into Metal. The poor clone was sent flying, and crashed into the wall, falling to the ground, unconscious. Doing something impossible to a normal person, the clancker got up, each part of his body turning into a different direction, and punched Cell and Three-four with the back of his hands, knocking them out. Dab was literally kicked out of combat, while Tech was grabbed by the neck, and flung away. In less than three seconds, only Dageer remained up. He fired his blaster, hitting General Grievous on the left shoulder, but all that happened was a scorch mark, and the clancker didn''t even bulge as he glanced at Dageer with bloodshot eyes. He slapped the blaster out of the clone''s hands, and tried to kick him, but Dageer dodged, and pulled out his vibroblade. Seeing a clone use such a weapon made General Grievous remember something. "You..." The entire ship shook very suddenly, cutting off General Grievous, and almost making Dageer fall. The connector between the two sh.i.p.s flailed, almost breaking, and the clancker turned his attention to the more pressing matters at hand. Escaping to his ship before every Jedi on the Republic went after him. Thanks to his moment of carelessness, General Grievous wasn''t able to dodge when Dageer slashed his vibroblade at his torso. However, all the weapon did was leave an indent, and cut off a piece of the clancker''s cape. In return, he received the same fate as Dab, and was kicked, flying a good four meters before crashing on the ground. His head was spinning, and no matter how much he tried to get up, he couldn''t. He saw several blurry figures run past him, and get into the connector moments before it broke, almost pulling Hell Squad into the vacuum of space. They were saved by the emergency doors, that closed immediately. Getting up, he saw that the laser cannons on General Grievous'' ship were targeting their cruiser''s engines. It was only a matter of minutes before the entire ship blew up. Without hesitation, Dageer connected his comlink to the loudspeakers of the ship. "All troops, this is Commander Dageer speaking. Abandon the ship! I repeat, abandon the ship! Get to the escape pods!" He helped Metal get up, and a few 212th troopers came to Hell Squad''s aid, and brought them to the escape pods. Suddenly, Dageer stumbled upon something. Looking down, he saw two metal sticks, of different sizes. Lightsabers. Surprised, he picked them up, and put them into his belt. The Jedis would be interested in the weapons. ------------------------- Not much later, all the troopers and crewmen were in escape pods, floating in space. The battle was still happening, but it was clear the Republic was winning, so the clanckers had no time nor troops to waste with a few pods. Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and General Kenobi''s cruiser cracked in half. For a millisecond, flames burned, before being extinguished. Luckily, the Jedi, as well as Commander Cody, had followed General Grievous to the Separatist ship, where they had been picked up by General Skywalker. It was a quite confusing series of events, but it all worked out. The only ones who remained on the ship were the captain and his copilot. Both clones refused to leave. A captain always went down with his ship. "Commander Dageer?" "Here. What is it, admiral?" "I''m sending someone to pick you up. General Skywalker says he has something for you." Chapter 263 - A Prison In Sull.u.s.t Four Jedis - General Kenobi, General Skywalker, General Gallia, and General Koth - as well as Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and Captain Lock were looking at a hologram of Seleucami, trying to pinpoint General Grievous location. Several Separatist C-9979 had landed on the planet, so they would have to go through them one by one until they found the clancker. When Dageer entered the command bridge, after leaving Hell Squad on the infirmary - aside from a few laser wounds, and the cut that Cell received, they weren''t too hurt, and even the fight with General Grievous had only left a few bruises - the first thing he saw was the black and red head of a tactical droid. He was anxious to have Tech have a look at the droid''s circuits, but he was disciplined enough to hold himself back. Instead, he took out the two lightsabers that he had found, and put them on the hologram table. Instantly, they became the focus of everyone, and Dageer could feel the questioning gazes of the Jedis. "The clancker, Grievous, dropped those when Hell Squad confronted him. I thought you would be interested in them, generals." The Jedis exchanged glances, and General Kenobi picked up the two lightsabers. He ran his fingers through them, feeling the engravings. "Those... They belong to Master Berreck and Master Moudama. We already knew that monster had killed Master Berreck, but Foul went missing before this war even started. For how long have Grievous been killing Jedi?" "And how many did he murder?" The Jedis went on deep thought for a few minutes, after which General Kenobi put the two lightsabers away, and nodded at Dageer. He then turned back to the hologram table, and continued explaining their plans. "I will take Cody and Rex to the planet, and we will search for Grievous. Meanwhile, Anakin will engage his forces up here, and make sure Grievous have no reinforcements. Master Gallia, if you could take Master Koth to Coruscant..." "I don''t need that much help, Master... Cough..." "Obviously, you do. Leave it to me, Master Kenobi." General Kenobi nodded, and General Gallia helped General Koth out of the command bridge. Then, the bearded Jedi turned to Dageer, and knocked the tactical droid head with his fingers. "Get your man to crack this open as fast as he can. We only have about eleven hours before the automatic burn process begins." The automatic burn process that General Kenobi referred to was a command in the circuits of the tactical droids, which deleted every information they had, in case they were killed. After all, tactical droids carried lots of Separatist plans, so the seppies couldn''t risk it. However, by cutting or tearing off the droid''s head, this process wouldn''t start immediately, but only after a few hours. Because of this trick, the Republic had foiled several Separatist schemes before. "Right away, general. Tech, come to the command bridge, and bring your toys." "Yes, sir." Soon, the clone arrived, carrying two different datapads, as well as a few cables and a hologram projector. "General Kenobi, General Skywalker." "Tech, is that right? Discover everything you can, and transfer it to our databases. Of course, if you can find anything about the trooper your squad lost, gather it too." "Understood." Tech immediately got to work, connecting the cables to the droid head, and then to the datapads. He completely immersed himself in it, and spent several hours breaking down the defenses around every bit of information he could get his hands on. ------------------------ General Kenobi was already on Seleucami, in hot pursuit of General Grievous and his forces, while General Skywalker was still on his command ship, analyzing the Separatist plans and data that Tech had managed to hijack before the tactical droid''s circuits were burned. "Did you find anything useful, Tech?" The clone shook his head, and then shrugged. He turned to General Skywalker, and the data that he was reading. "I''m not sure yet, sir. General Skywalker is looking at it, but the information was mostly outdated. Up till now, the only useful piece of intel we found is about three or four Separatist bases we didn''t know about." "Anything about Brain?" A trace of sadness flashed through Tech''s eyes before he gave his answer. "Nothing, commander. I think... Brain is gone. We already knew that." General Skywalker heard them talking, but just slightly paused before resuming what he was doing. Dageer, on the other hand, just sighed. He knew it was wishful thinking of his to believe that Brain was still alive. He saw his brothers die every day, he just didn''t want to believe that Brain was one of them. Taking control of his emotions, Dageer started looking through the intel. Brain was another death he would make the seppies pay for, but, as a clone, Brain was always prepared to die, and Dageer, also as a clone, was always prepared to see his brothers fall. ... "What? Uhmm..." After over twenty minutes, General Skywalker made some surprised sounds, prompting Dageer and Admiral Yullaren - the 501st Legion admiral - to look at him. Tech had already returned to his quarters. "Did you find anything, General Skywalker?" "Maybe. You two, have a look at this." The Jedi pulled up a projection of a weirdly shaped building. It looked like an inverted pyramid. It wasn''t like any Separatist base Dageer had ever seen. "What is this?" "The building plans of a Separatist space base, orbiting Sull.u.s.t. A prison, to be exact. The prisoners appear to be mostly clones, with a few insurgents from the planets the seppies captured." Dageer frowned. That was something he had never seen. And, apparently, Admiral Yullaren agreed with him. "The Separatist never kept prisoners before, unless they were of a high position, like a Jedi Master. Why would they have a prison for clones?" "That isn''t true, Admiral Yullaren. When the seppies need someone to do the hard work for them, they keep prisoners. It happened to my legion on Mygeeto, and to General Fisto''s troops on Mon Cala." Admiral Yullaren and General Skywalker frowned. What Dageer said brought up another question. "What are they building that they need so many workers?" "I don''t know, but we gotta find out. Admiral, I will leave Seleucami to you. Dageer, prepare your squad. You have a new mission." "Right away, general." "Be careful, General Skywalker." --------------------------- A few hours later, an Arquitens-class Light Cruiser left the 501st fleet, and jumped to hyperspace. It was one of the smallest cruisers the Republic had, so it wouldn''t be detected as easily, and, in case it was, it was fast. "Remember, we aren''t attacking the prison. We will infiltrate, free the prisoners, and then the ship will dock, and we escape. Remember, our objective isn''t to destroy it. If we can find anything about what they are building, better." "How will the cruiser dock? And how will we get in without them noticing?" General Skywalker acknowledged Dab''s questions, and turned to Dageer. "Commander?" The clone stepped forward, and showed a hologram of the building plans that they had recovered from the tactical droid. "After we get inside, Tech, Metal, and Cell will deactivate their weapons system." "And how are we getting inside?" Dageer looked at his squad, and shrugged. They wouldn''t like it, but they would do it all the same. "General Skywalker said he did this before. We will follow his lead." Chapter 264 - I Dont Like This "I don''t like this." "When have you ever liked anything?" "I know, but this is different." "Shut up, Cell. You are embarrassing Hell Squad." Dageer knocked the scout on the shoulder, making him close his mouth, but he had to admit Cell was quite right. What they were about to do was crazy. "Ready?" "When you are, general." "Don''t be so serious, Dageer. This is going to be fun." "Go!" Dageer watched General Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano jump out of the ship, wearing spacesuits and jetpacks. Dageer looked at his squad, and gestured towards the vacuum beyond the ray doors. A black carpet, with countless white stars. And, in front of all that, a weirdly shaped, upside-down pyramid, floating in space. "Let''s go." Having said that, Dageer took a step forward, and, without the ray shields, he was instantly sucked into space. Thankfully, they were prepared, and had their jetpacks. "Argh... I hate this." Still, Cell jumped. Just like always, the clone would complain about everything, but when it was needed, he wouldn''t falter. Six clones, and two Jedis, using jetpacks, made their way towards the Separatist prison. To their left, or perhaps under them, was the gray planet that was Sull.u.s.t. Several stripes of red and orange crossed the planet, showing the lava streams that ran through the whole surface. When General Skywalker had told Hell Squad and his own padawan, Ahsoka, what his plan was, he had received quiet, but astonished gazes. It was madness, and genius at the same time. Not even the clanckers would expect someone to attack by space like that. The clones certainly didn''t expect. Now, as the prison got bigger in front of them, and the turrets defending it got more and more menacing, Dageer wasn''t so sure if it was a good idea. If they were detected, no matter if it was clone or Jedi, they would be blasted to pieces. But they reached their target without any problems. As terrifying as it sounded, using the jetpacks on the vacuum was actually pretty easy. There was no wind or anything to get on the way, so all they had to do was aim in the right direction. That didn''t mean the clones didn''t grab the first holder that they could, and didn''t let go. In that case, it was the bottom half of platform. Dageer looked over it, only showing the top half of his face. Several B1 units and a few Vulture droids were walking around in the hangar, while at least a hundred clones, wearing ragged clothes, were carrying pieces of metal, putting them together, and building something. That something was then carried and loaded into a Separatist ship, which flew out of the hangar, just over the heads of the Republic group. "Now!" The clones followed the Jedis, and pulled themselves up, the zero-gravity making it pretty easy, and entered the hangar, immediately hiding behind some containers. However, it was only when they crossed the blue ray shields and put their feet on solid ground that they felt safer. Dageer had to admit it was a good tactic of infiltration. No one would ever expect someone to cross one-fourth of a parsec in space. However, he hoped he would never have to do that again. He much preferred the more direct and simple frontal attack. "All right, we split here. Snips, go to the weapons system, and take it down. Quietly. You three, go with her. I will go free the prisoners." "Okay, master. May the Force be with you." "And may it be with you too, my padawan. Now, go." The group broke up, and sneaked past the clanckers in the hangar, going to separate directions. Tech hacked into the prison''s network to discover where the weapons system was, and, at the same time, showed Dageer where the clones they came to rescue were. Silently, Dageer gestured that he understood, and followed General Skywalker. They had to be as careful as they could, because they were outnumbered a thousand to one by the clanckers. Suddenly, they heard the sound of metallic footsteps coming their direction, and General Skywalker closed his fist, making them stop, and pointing to their left, where a door could be seen. Dageer nodded, and knelt down. In a few seconds, the door was opened, and they got in. What greeted them was about twelve B1 battle droids, overseeing a group of twenty clones assemble something. Both droids and prisoners were clearly surprised, especially when a Jedi jumped at them, and cut the seppies in pieces. The three clones behind him didn''t even need to do anything. General Skywalker put his finger over his lips, telling the prisoners to stay quiet. Dageer closed the door behind them, and just in time, because the footsteps in the corridor grew louder, went right past the door, and disappeared. After he was sure that they were safe, General Skywalker switched off his lightsaber, and turned to the clones. They all had long hair, and even some principle of a beard, showing that they had been prisoners for a long, long time. "Who is the highest-ranking officer here?" The clones exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward. "We are all troopers, general. My name is Guard, 187th Legion." "All right. We came to take you out of here, but we are going to need some assistance. Dageer." Dageer stepped forward, and told the clones to relax. They had all been standing straight, saluting General Skywalker. Dab and Three-four walked amidst them, seeing if any were injured. Surprisingly, they weren''t. They were malnourished, that is for sure, but not hurt. "Don''t worry, brothers. We will get you all out. Not now, though. We still need to take care of their defense systems, and free the others. But first off, Guard, how long will it take for someone to notice we killed those clanckers?" "At least a few hours." "We will be long gone by then. Where are the other prisoners kept? And how many?" "At the lowest levels, although most of the time the shinies have a few groups somewhere else, like us. And there should be maybe one thousand and three hundred of our brothers in this hell." Dageer saw Guard''s fist close in anger, and he could only imagine how the clone felt. Looking at General Skywalker, he noticed that the Jedi was talking to the other clones, so he took the chance to ask another question. "I''m Dageer, commander of the 303rd Attack Legion, or at least I was. Do you know if a clone named Brain is here? He is part of my squad." Guard looked at Dageer, and at the scar on his face, and finally realized from where he knew the clone. "Hell Squad, right, commander? Hahaha... I was wondering who was crazy enough to come here. Brain is at the lower levels. He won''t stop talking about how he blew that clancker''s ship." Dageer felt a weight lift on his chest. Brain was alive. He grinned, and tapped Guard''s shoulder. "He will be disappointed to know that Grievous survived. But the ship did blow up. It was beautiful." "Hahaha..." The two clones laughed, and Dageer told Guard to rest, while he went to talk to General Skywalker. As much as he would like to rest, there was no time. Chapter 265 - Super Weapon "Do you know anything about what they are making you build?" Guard shook his head to General Skywalker''s question. There was no way the seppies would tell the prisoners that, and no reason for. They only needed to work. "No, sir. The clanckers only needed us for the jobs their broken circuits can''t process, like turning screws and so. You know us clones, general. We prefer to die than to do that, but..." "They killed others as a warning." Guard and the other clones, including the members of Hell Squad, clenched their fists in anger, but Dageer knew it wasn''t that simple. Clones were born ready to die, and ready to witness their brothers die. Even if the seppies executed them one by one, they wouldn''t utter a word. They would rather die than yield. But there were worse ways to make a clone obey. "Not only that. Every time we refused to do what they wanted, they would pull one of our brothers, and torture him for hours before throwing him back into the cell, almost dead. That happened again, and again, and again... We couldn''t watch them suffer." General Skywalker sighed. It wasn''t their fault. "You did what you had to do to survive. Dead, you would be only numbers in the Republic''s reports. Alive, you can fight, and give the Separatist what they deserve." Hearing the Jedi, the clones straightened their backs, and their eyes flicked with determination. They had been feeling ashamed of themselves for giving in to the enemy, but they were true soldiers. They wouldn''t give up so easily, especially now that they had a chance to fight back. "Just say what we have to do, General Skywalker. We have been waiting for quite some time to destroy those damn seppies." "I understand. However, for now, I need you to stay here, quietly. We will be back for you." The ex-prisoners nodded. They understood that a small group was needed for what General Skywalker and Hell Squad wanted to pull off. After making sure there were no droids in the corridor, they left, and took the first elevators they found. They went down over forty floors before reaching the cells. Twenty floors of them, and countless clanckers as guards. "Snips, how are you looking with the weapons system?" A hushed voice answered General Skywalker. His padawan clearly was somewhere she had to be careful. "We can deactivate it whenever you want us too, master. However, we will have to be fast, otherwise the droids will get it back up." "Okay. You stay put, Ahsoka. When it is time, I will tell you." After confirming that the other group was in position, General Skywalker turned to Dageer, and gestured towards the nearest patrol of clanckers. The droids were all B1 units, with red painting, and could also be called security droids. Dageer nodded, showing he understood, and checked his blaster. Grinning, he made a signal for the two clones behind him. This was going to be fun. -------------------------- Brain was sitting on the ground, his back on the wall of the cell. Around him were twenty-one other clones, and a Sull.u.s.tan, member of a rebel group on the planet. He had been in this prison, building whatever the Separatist were building, for over six months now. Like the others, he had refused at the start, but later, when his brothers were tortured one after another, he had given in. Still, the spirit of a special unit had remained. He had used the few chances he got to find out about what the hell the clones were being forced to build, and, although he didn''t get a lot of information, he had a few bits and pieces of it. Unfortunately, he wouldn''t be able to give that intel to the Republic. Or so he thought. Suddenly, the sound of lasers being fired, and clanckers yelling, could be heard above him. He got up, and went to the front of the cell, just in time to watch three or four droids fall down, past his cell, and to the bottom floor. After a few minutes of uninterrupted fighting, which only appeared to grow louder - he could only suppose it was because someone was freeing his brothers, and they were grabbing the blasters the droids left behind, and joining the battle - arrived near his cell. When the two B1 units guarding the cell were cut down by a blue lightsaber, Brain knew who was rescuing them. When Three-four shot the lock, Brain discovered who was crazy enough to follow General Skywalker in such an impossible mission. "Brain! Brother!" "Three-four! I never thought I would see your ugly face again!" The two clones laughed for a moment, before Three-four moved on, ducking behind a railing, and firing at an enemy out of Brain''s field of view. Dageer appeared next, followed by Dab. The sniper nodded at Brain, while Dageer picked up the two E-5s that the clanckers had dropped, and threw them to Brain and another clone. "Commander, sir." "It''s good to have you back, brother. All of you. Now, get up, and get moving! We are getting you out of this place, but we will have to fight our way out of it!" The clones nodded, and followed Dageer out of the cell. On the entirety of the prison, where droids had once been, now were clones, who, even though they were outgunned, were cutting down the droids. The metallic bastards didn''t withstand a chance against a Jedi. More than one trooper fell, victim of the red lasers fired by the clanckers, but most survived, and fought back. In less than half an hour, all the droids in the prison levels had been killed, and so were the small groups of reinforcements that had been sent. However, more would come, so they had to move fast. ----------------------------- The Brain before Dageer''s eyes was a pitiful sight. Although the clone tried to hide it, his clothes were ragged, so Dageer could see the countless new scars that adorned his body. His eyes were cloudy and misty, and, although he was behaving like nothing was wrong, more than once he simply stopped moving, for no reason, and required Dageer to push him forward. "What did they do to you, brother..." His right-hand heard his whispers, and, for a moment, looked ashamed of himself. "I told them what I knew, sir. I couldn''t stop myself. But they didn''t believe I only knew so much. So they picked our brothers, and tortured them in front of me, until they died..." Anger and sadness were hidden in Brain''s explanation. Dageer knew how it was to see your brothers die because of you, and not be able to do anything about it. But the seppies were targeting the wrong spot with Brain. He was just a soldier, after all. Sure, he was a member of a special unit, and had access to more information than normal troopers, but not by much. The chances of a member of Hell Squad being captured or killed were high, so, apart from Dageer, they were clueless about their missions and battle plans until they were already in the middle of it. And Dageer had proved he could resist a Sith interrogation. "All right, boys! We are going to the hangar F3. Hell Squad, you get the front. The ones who got weapons, cover the rear. Let''s move!" "Yes, sir! Hearing General Skywalker, Dageer shook his head, and put a hand on Brain''s shoulder. He didn''t say anything, but his brother grinned madly, understanding. "Snips, we got the prisoners. Wait two minutes, then deactivate their systems, and get to the hangar where we entered. Captain, we are ready to extract." "You got it, master." "Understood, General Skywalker. We will move in closer." After confirming they were good to go, General Skywalker started running, followed by a thousand clones, and about a hundred very confused insurgents and rebels of different species. They were joined along the way by other groups of prisoners, who had been working on the other parts of the prison. "General, Brain says he knows something about what the seppies are building, although he has no idea of what it means." General Skywalker nodded, while deflecting two lasers, and using the Force to push two clanckers. "Something about a prototype superweapon, using... Kyber Crystals as the core? Kyber Crystals?" General Skywalker stumbled, clearly surprised by what he heard. Dageer, on the other hand, had no idea of what Kyber Crystals were. "That is not possible. Only Jedis know the secret to using Kyber Crystals. And to make it into a superweapon. It would have to be gigantic, the size of a planet." As much as he was perturbed by those thoughts, General Skywalker quickly dismissed them. Brain said it was a prototype, and he was sure it was one impossible to make. The Separatist were walking to a dead end, and he was happy to let them do that. Chapter 266 - Perilous Escape "Sir... Bzz... We detected a Republic ship approaching our... position. Should we... Bzz... Open fire?" Mutyelee Ahing was a Troig, a tall, reptilian species, with two heads. He was also the prison director, responsible for the prisoners in Sull.u.s.t. And he wasn''t in a good mood. "What are you waiting for..." "... You idiot?! Destroy..." "... Them!!!" Each head completed the other''s sentence, and spat saliva on the poor B1 unit, before pushing it in anger. His honor and life depended on the prisoners being recaptured, and the invaders being destroyed. However, he was going to be disappointed. "The systems are offline. Bzz... We can''t control our turrets." It didn''t take long for Ahing to understand that it was all part of an elaborate plan. He would be an idiot if he failed to see that he had been played, and that the invaders, which he assumed were part of the Republic sc.u.m, were much better prepared than he thought. And that only made him even angrier. "Send someone to take back the..." "... Weapons systems! And send out the Vulture..." "... Droids. That ship must be destroyed at all..." "... Costs!" -------------------------- "Arghh!" A clone screamed as two lasers hit him. The blaster in his hands fell to the ground, and the trooper behind him picked it up. Stepping over his brother''s body, he fired at the clanckers. That wasn''t the first time this had happened, and, unfortunately, it was a normal occurrence for clones all over the galaxy. A battle didn''t stop because a combatant died. While the trooper was firing at the droids, a figure suddenly jumped out of a corner, and a green light flashed, aiming for his neck, and leaving no time for any kind of reaction. He was sure he was dead, but the light suddenly stopped, revealing itself to be a lightsaber, wielded by a young, female Togruta. "Dogma? I thought you were dead." The soldier, Dogma, took a second to realize who the familiar face was, and then went back to shooting at the clanckers. "Commander Tano!" "Sorry about that. I wasn''t sure you were a friend. Now I see I was wrong. Where is Master Skywalker?" "He should be coming right up. He went to free some others." Just as Dogma said that, the main group of once prisoners appeared in the corridor, led by General Skywalker. His padawan nodded at him, and started running too, followed by Cell, Metal, and Tech. "How was it on your end, Snips?" "Their systems are down for now, master. However, we will have to hurry, before they can get it back on." Master and padawan nodded to each other and ran forward, overtaking Dogma and the other clones who were in the front. The swung their weapons together, and the lightsabers cut the clanckers like they were nothing. When the clones who had gone with Ahsoka saw Brain, they smiled under their helmets, and greeted him hurriedly. Cell slightly punched his shoulder, and the grenadier couldn''t help but open a wide smile. "Missed me?" "We were in need of someone who knew how to throw things. Haha!" Of course, even though they were talking, their eyes never left the enemy ahead, their fingers kept pressing the trigger, and they kept running. Hearing the small interactions between his brothers, Dageer''s thoughts went back to Ryloth, and to a promise he had made to Commander Keeli. The broken helmet that once belonged to the commander still sat on a shelf on his quarters in Coruscant, both as a treasure and a reminder. He knew he couldn''t save all his brothers, but he would do his utmost to make sure the 303rd troopers lived, even if they were in other legions now. Pushing those thoughts away, he concentrated on the present, and lifted his DC-15A, pressing the trigger three times, and each laser took a droid''s life. Hell Squad was a deadly unit, even after they lost Brain. Now that the clone was with them again, no clancker could stand on their way. "The hangar is just ahead, general. The cruiser is already there." After turning a corner, Dageer informed General Skywalker, to which the Jedi answered with a nod. The hangar had several scorched marks on the ground and walls, and at least two dozen clanckers - in pieces - were scattered around. Clearly, the seppies had tried to stop the Arquitens-class Republic cruiser, but they were no match to the turrets on the ship. As soon as the clone captain saw the ex-prisoners arriving, he opened the lower ramp of the ship. Under the protection of the Jedis and those who had blasters, the troopers entered, hesitantly followed by the thirty or so insurgents that were also kept captive. However, before everyone could get into the cruiser, an entire platoon of B1 droids appeared in the hangar, and gunned down many clones who still were outside. Over twenty troopers fell, cowardly shot in the back. Unfortunately, Hell Squad and General Skywalker, as well as his padawan, were already inside the ship, and their path back was blocked by the prisoners they had rescued. Noticing that, the few clones who outside the ship looked at each other, and nodded. Coincidentally led by Guard, they picked up the blasters on the ground, and started fighting back. "You gotta leave, general! We will hold them back!" "Negative, trooper! Get inside!" Guard hesitated for a moment, but witnessing his defenseless brothers being slaughtered, he made up his mind. Hitting a panel next to the ramp, he made it close, leaving him and fifteen other clones locked outside. It all happened too fast for General Skywalker to react. Before he knew it, the ramp had closed. As much as he wanted to open it again, he knew that by the time that happened, the brave soldiers outside would already be dead, and he would only expose more clones for the Separatist to kill. Angry but powerless, he ordered the cruiser to take off, and glanced at the almost a thousand ex-prisoners with the corner of his eyes. They took the sacrifices of their brothers way better than him, mainly because they would have done the same if they swapped places with Guard. ----------------------- Putting down his blaster, Dageer started to do a headcount of the rescued prisoners, even as he felt the cruiser rock under the attacks of the Vulture Droids. He knew that only those seppies wouldn''t be able to take down the shields. In total, one thousand one hundred and four prisoners escaped. The rest had either been killed or captured again, and Dageer preferred not to think about it. As the ship entered hyperspace, he sat down, and rested his head against the wall. That mission was over. Now, Hell Squad had to wait for their next assignment. --------------------------- "They were under the leadership of... Bzzz... Jedi Master Anakin... Skywalker, my lord." "Uhmm..." In a dark room, Count Dooku listened to the report, his expression unreadable. The attack, and the escape that followed it meant nothing to him. Neither did the young Skywalker. He was more interested in someone else. "And who were the Republic dogs that accompanied him? Not just any clone can succeed in such daring plans." "A special... Unit called Hell Squad. Bzz..." "Hell Squad, hum? Get me a report of their previous actions, and send it to every commander. It isn''t the first time I''ve heard that name." Chapter 267 - A Threat At Home "Thanks, Dageer. You can rest now." The clone nodded to the young Togruta, Ahsoka, and stayed at ease, although he didn''t leave the command bridge. As an officer, even when he wasn''t doing anything, he had to be ready, even if that meant staying in the same position for hours. After a few hours, he heard a transmission being received by one of the many crewmembers. Usually, he would only bother with it if the trooper came to him, but he recognized the pattern, so he went up to the clone, and grabbed the earpiece that he offered. As he listened, his expression grew serious, and he put the helmet that was under his arm in the control panel. It didn''t take long for Ahsoka to notice his reaction. "Bad news, Dageer?" "Very bad, Commander Tano. I haven''t heard it entirely, but... Lacro, patch it through." While the crewman was doing that, Dageer walked up to the hologram table, and, at the same time, ordered a trooper to find General Skywalker. "They used the urgent codes to send the message, commander. That means the Separatist are planning a major attack on one of our core planets." "Which one?" Dageer took a deep breath, and showed a hologram of a planet he knew too well, made mostly of water, and raining all year. "Kamino. Home." ... "A massive Separatist fleet, bigger than any we have ever seen, is preparing to strike Kamino. If they destroy the cloning facilities, our entire army, and even the Republic, will be endangered. We need every free fleet to rendezvous at Kamino. That includes you, Anakin." "I will be there, Master Kenobi. Do we know who is the Separatist leader responsible for the offensive?" "Who could it be other than Grievous?" After finishing talking to General Skywalker and Ahsoka, the hologram of General Kenobi turned to Dageer. He had basically just repeated the contents of the message they had received a few hours prior. "Hell Squad also has been ordered to come to Kamino, Commander Dageer. I believe I don''t have to tell you the importance of that planet." "No, sir. Hell Squad won''t let the seppies touch the facilities. No clone will, no matter the price." General Kenobi nodded, and then bowed to General Skywalker and his padawan, who returned the gesture, before finishing the transmission. "Commander, you better make the needed preparations. I would rather let the men rest and recover, however, seeing how most of them are just tired, but unharmed, we will need them." Dageer nodded, and put on his helmet. The prisoners they had rescued wouldn''t miss the battle that would come by any chance. Kamino was their home-planet, not to mention the dozens of millions of cadets in training, and wounded soldiers that were there. He would rather die than let the clanckers destroy a single building. "Will do, general." The commander left command bridge, and went to inform his squad and the soldiers. As he had expected, their reactions were of anger and anxiety. While waiting for them to calm down, Dageer felt his scar burn slightly. That always happened when a big battle was coming up. ---------------------------- Kamino was the image of a battlefield, even though the Separatist hadn''t even arrived yet. Barricades were being built, ammunition and fuel were being moved, and troopers from several different legions were moving around, finishing the preparations to resist the invasion. Dageer could also see a good number of clones wearing shining new armor, without any paint or ornaments. Some were soldiers who had completed their training, and were waiting to be deployed, while others had their training rushed. Either way, their first battle would be a difficult one, and Dageer didn''t have much hope that a lot of them would survive. War was cruel, and it liked to crush inexperienced soldiers. The more battles one fought, the higher their chances of survival were. However, over thirty percent of the clones died in their first combat. "Dageer! You are here too!" A raspy voice called for Dageer, and he easily identified it''s owner. 99, the deformed clone that helped young cadets. He was also a good friend of Dageer. "Hello, 99. It is unfortunate that the only time I come home is to fight." The hunchback clone excitedly shook Dageer''s hand, and turned to the other members of Hell Squad. Of course, he couldn''t recognize all of them, since there were millions of clones on Kamino, but he knew Brain. "CT-2891! How is life on the battlefield?" Brain chuckled, and put an arm around 99''s shoulder. The clone might be deformed, or even defective, but he was still a brave soldier for every trooper that knew him. "You will see it by yourself soon enough, brother. And I got a name now. Brain. Those are Cell, Metal, Three-four, Dab, and Tech. Hell Squad of the 303rd Attack Legion presenting itself. Hahaha!" 99 was more than happy to shake hands with Hell Squad. He thought for a moment about commenting about the destruction of the 303rd, but decided against it. He might not have the battle experience that other clones had, but, in comparison, he was much more emotionally mature than them. He knew when to talk, and when not to. And, he figured that Hell Squad had heard more than enough ''sorry for your loss''. "You better try to stay safe during the battle, 99. The cadets will need you. I never would have gotten through training if it wasn''t for your bits of advice." The clone nodded, and bid his farewells to Dageer and the others. He, like many troopers, and even cadets, was moving blasters and ammunition around. From time to time, he would recognize someone, and greet him. All the clones were extremely polite to him, because they knew he was fighting as much as them, on his own way. "Poor 99. He wishes to do more, but he can''t." "He already did a lot. I hope he survives this battle." "Enough chatter. We need to talk to Broodi, of Deep Squad, and to an ARC Trooper named Colt, of a Rancor Battalion, and see what our duties will be." Metal and Cell shrugged, and the former laughed, while patting his giant blaster as if it was a pet. "Put a clancker in front of me, and you will see my duty, sir. I will see if they dare to step into our home." "Haha..." "By the way, do you think the record of fastest run on the training course is still ours?" Talking and laughing, Hell Squad continued to walk towards their objective, occasionally passing by other clones. The soldiers would salute Dageer, and some from the 501st and 212th that knew Hell Squad would greet them. The cadets would look at the different armor that Hel Squad used, and all the battle marks on it, and quickly understand that they weren''t normal clones. Especially when they saw the scratches that covered the entirety of Dageer''s right shoulder pad, and a part of his arm. ... Over twenty minutes later, Hell Squad arrived at the core of Tipoca City, a gigantic room, which could house over a thousand people. However, at the moment, only a dozen clones, and four Jedis, were there, waiting for them. "Commander Dageer, I am glad you arrived. If everyone is here, now let''s discuss how we can save Kamino." Chapter 268 - Brave Soldiers The eleven members of Deep Squad were just like Dageer remembered them, perhaps with a few more scars. ARC Trooper Colt, of Rancor Battalion, on the other hand, was clearly a seasoned soldier, who had gone through a lot. In the room were also Jedi generals Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Shaak Ti, and Ahsoka Tano, as well as their respective clone commanders, and a few soldiers Dageer didn''t know. They all had serious expressions on their faces, a testament to the importance of the battle to come. After paying his respects to the Jedis, Hell Squad nodded at their brothers, greeting them, and paying special attention to the new faces. They were two, from the 501st Legion. One of them had a number 5 tattooed on his head, while the other had a blue handprint in his right chest. Both had the disposition of old veterans, but also some of the anxiety of a new trooper. Dageer guessed they had their first combat situation not long ago, but they were better than normal clones. Not unlike how Hell Squad came to be, back on the first days of the Clone Wars. Captain Rex, Commander Cody, and Broodi from Deep Squad all nodded at them, while the two troopers saluted Dageer. Colt inspected the special unit in front of him, and it didn''t take long for him to be convinced that they truly were something else. Turning his attention back to General Shaak Ti, who was explaining how they got word of what was, at first, a surprise attack by the Separatist. As she told the people around the hologram table about how a battalion of commando droids had been sent to take over a sentry post on Rishi Moon, Dageer understood why the two 501st troopers, Fives and Echo, were there. They, together with Commander Cody and Captain Rex, had been the sole survivors of the garrison. A member of their squad, called Hevy, had sacrificed himself, by holding back the clanckers, and later blowing himself up with the sentry post. With it destroyed, the ''safe'' signal that was sent was switched off, telling the Republic that something was wrong. To that, Dageer nodded at Echo and Fives. He knew it wasn''t easy to lose a squad member, and also their sergeant, and several friends. However, according to General Shaak Ti, they had behaved as true soldiers. "Master Skywalker will be commanding our fleets in the air, from his own fighter. Obi-Wan and I will stay here, to protect our facilities." The young Jedi nodded, and so did his padawan. Seeing that the rest of the meeting didn''t have to do with their role in the battle, both took their leave. They didn''t know how long it would take for General Grievous to arrive, so they had to be prepared. Recently, Dageer reflected, most of the battles he had been to had had to do with either General Grievous or Asajj Ventress. He guessed that was what it meant to be a special unit. "All right. On Kamino, the Separatist will have two main objectives. The first one will be to cause destruction, and kill as many cadets in training as possible." "They can''t do that! They are only children!" Coburn, a member of Deep Squad, couldn''t help but say that. While Dageer agreed, he also knew that the clone only said that because he hadn''t partaken in enough battles. That would change soon, unfortunately. "The seppies don''t care. For them, a clone is a clone, no matter if they are soldiers or cadets." "I fear Cody is right. The Separatist war machines will shoot anything and anyone who isn''t one of them." Several faces nodded when they heard General Kenobi. They didn''t need a reminder of how brutal the war was. Every trooper had done things he regretted, and so had the seppies. "Uham... Their second target will be our matrix facilities. There are three of them, and each contains a sample of the original genetic code for the clones. Unchanged, and intact. Commander Dageer, I believe you were involved in an incident that took place in Coruscant, regarding a mad Separatist scientist?" Remembering the blue-skinned man, and his brothers coughing up blood, dying while Dageer and the others watched, powerless, he nodded. "They failed that time, because the genetic code of every clone was modified. Those three samples, however, weren''t. If they get their hands on it, it will only be a matter of time before they can create a virus or a toxin that will destroy and kill our entire army in days." "Can''t we move them to a safer place?" "I fear not, Broodi. If the embryos are disconnected from this genetic code for too long, it may incur in defects in their growth, maybe even death." Regretting it immediately, Dageer thought of 99, the poor clone. He guessed that was what General Shaak Ti meant by ''defects''. It bothered him to hear she talk about how clones were born, because it was a grim reminder that they weren''t normal, but he understood that, if he wanted to give himself and his brothers a normal life, he couldn''t let the seppies touch the samples. "The samples are in the east, south, and west side of Tipoca City. Me and Shaak Ti will defend the east, from where their main attack will come. Commander Broodi, your squad will be responsible for the south, and Dageer, Hell Squad take the west." "Understood, general." "Yes, sir." "Good. Cody, Red, you will be responsible for the rest of our defenses. Hold for as long as you can. We have to give Anakin time to push back their fleet. Dageer, Broodi, you can''t leave your positions, no matter what. Kamino won''t be lost, and reinforcements are already on the way. The Separatist only want to damage us, not conquer the planet. However, if they get their hands on those samples, they can, and will, kill the entire Clone Army. No matter how the battle goes, you stay put." Dageer and Broodi exchanged glances, and nodded, their faces serious. General Kenobi couldn''t be more clear, and they understood perfectly that they were the last line of defense, not only for this battle, but for all their brothers throughout the galaxy. "So, I believe we are finished here. To your positions, and may the Force be with you." Chapter 269 - Family After the Jedis left, the clones lagged behind, in an unspoken agreement. They weren''t sure all of them would survive the battle to come - one of the most brutal of the war, they would see later - and Dageer, in specific, had something to ask to the two troopers behind Captain Rex. "You said you are from Domino Squad, right?" "Yes, commander." "Did you have a trooper named Cutup with you?" A glint of surprise flashed through the clones'' eyes, and the one named Fives - probably because of his number - nodded. "Yes, sir. He... He was eaten by some sort of creature. Did you know him?" Dageer nodded, and patted Fives'' shoulder. The poor Cutup, whom he had met over a year ago, hadn''t been as lucky as his brothers. "Yeah. He was still a cadet, when Kamino was attacked the first time. It was I who gave him his name. Poor kid." Echo and Fives looked at Dageer surprised. When Cutup had arrived at their quarters, after the attack, he had proudly announced his new name, and wasted no time in giving the others their own. In all but a few weeks, it had become a tradition, and as soon as they could, the cadets would give and receive names and nicknames. Who would have thought that this originated from the clone in front of them? Somehow, it added more to Dageer''s identity as the leader of a special unit. While talking, the group of clones arrived at the outside of the facilities. Surprisingly, it wasn''t raining, for now. One by one, the members of the group left, Commander Cody and Captain Rex to go to their own legions, Fives and Echo following the later, and Deep Squad going to the south facility. With a head gesture, Dageer ordered Hell Squad to follow him. That would be a battle they would never forget. ------------------------------ Several hundred troopers took their positions in the railways and bridges outside the west facility. Hell Squad was in the middle of the defenses, right in front of the entrance, and Dageer was, at the moment, standing on top of a crate, yelling orders, and making sure everything was in place. He was still like that when over a hundred sh.i.p.s suddenly appeared in the sky. Frigates, dreadnoughts, destroyers, troop carriers, small cruisers, and, of course, Vulture droids, as well as Hyena-class bombers. The Separatist were going all out, but the Republic wasn''t to be outdone. The clones were defending their home, and their brothers. They would do everything they could to stop the clanckers, and their determination wouldn''t falter. As the first starfighters clashed with the droids, and small explosions appeared on the sky, Dageer turned to the clones in front of him. They had hesitated for a moment when they saw the enemy forces, but were now working with renewed effort. Still, there was little else they could do to prepare, so Dageer ordered them to rest. They would need all their energy for the battle to come. "At ease, soldiers. Our brothers in the sky will give the seppies a hell of a beating before they can touch our home. And when they come, we will kill them. Remember, today we aren''t fighting only for the Republic. We are fighting for all our brothers in the galaxy, and for our home! We will hold our ground, understood?!" "Yes, sir!" "The only way those bastards get through us will be by stepping on our dead corpses. So let''s show them what the clones are worth!" "Yes, sir!" Getting down from the crate, Dageer accepted the DC-15x that Dab offered him. It wasn''t the clone''s weapon, but one which he had retrieved from the armory. Since they were the last line of defense, they obviously would be one of the last groups to engage. As such, with the exception of Metal and Cell, the other members of Hell Squad had all grabbed sniper blasters. They might not be as good as Dab, but they didn''t need to. All they had to do was keep the clanckers at bay for as long as they could. For the next seven hours, the clones stood quiet, watching the battle unfold above them. Several sh.i.p.s from both sides had already become debris, and fallen into the ocean, creating gigantic waves that crashed on the pillars of Tipoca City. Still, there was no sign that the battle would end anytime soon, prompting the clones to stay focused. The veterans, like Hell Squad, and a few others, were calmly analyzing the surroundings for any threat, while the new troopers were anxiously fiddling with their weapons and feet. Seeing the rookie closest to him suddenly turn his head at the sound of a piece of a ship falling, Dageer patted his shoulder. "Calm down, shiny. You will know when the seppies are attacking. They aren''t exactly subtle." "Shiny, sir?" Dageer laughed, and patted his own armor, full of scars and battle marks. "You have nothing on your armor. It is shining new, just like a clancker which just left the factory." He was about to say more when suddenly, a portion of the ocean next to them exploded, and shot upwards like a geyser. Inside the pillar of water, to everyone''s surprise, was an enormous, octopus-like droid. It reminded Dageer of the Blixus he had escaped from on Scarif. The droid used it''s arms, each one over a hundred meters long, to grab a platform. In the entire city, dozens more did the same, and started spewing droids. In all but a few minutes, dozens of thousands were roaming through the platforms and bridges of Kamino, and the sounds of battle erupted everywhere. On top of that, the clanckers were all B2 units, which, for inexperienced soldiers, were a tough enemy. Dageer looked through the scope of his blaster, and pressed the trigger twice, killing two clanckers just as they left the ''belly'' of one of the weird machines. That made the other droids, when they jumped out, stumble, and become easier targets. Once again, Dageer entered the weird state of mind that every veteran had when in battle. As a commander, he was paying attention to every minor change of the battlefield, and ordering the troops to move when necessary, but most of his mind was focused on the weapon in his hands. He would aim, press the trigger, aim, press the trigger, aim... He was well aware of the screams of his brothers, and the metallic footsteps of the clanckers, but instead of taking it all at once, he would concentrate on his target, and his target only. It was the way the clones found to survive a battle without going crazy, and also why many people saw them as killing machines no different than droids. At some moment, after over three hours of uninterrupted battle, he had switched his DC-15x for his normal DC-15A, and, later, when his ammunition ended, for a DC-15S belonging to one of his fallen brothers. The same trooper he had been talking too when the droids arrived. Looking at the thousands of bodies, from clones and droids alike, and at the now very near B2 super battle droids, Dageer pulled out his vibroblade, and ordered the surviving troopers to enter the facility. If outside they already were making the seppies pay a hefty price, then, inside, they would make the clanckers regret invading their home. Chapter 270 - To The Last Breath A blue lightsaber sliced a B2 super battle droid diagonally, and the two halves fell to the floor with a thunderous sound. Immediately after, General Kenobi used the Force to push away two other clanckers, but suddenly he felt burning pain on the back of his left shoulder. Turning around, he saw a group of over a dozen droids appear in the corridor he was in, and fire at him. Ignoring his wound, he ordered the troopers near him to focus on the first batch of droids, and lifted his lightsaber to face the second. ----------------------- General Shaak Ti spun around, her long robe forming a circle, and cut down two droids. Beside her, a clone screamed in pain, holding his stomach, and another fell silent, his visor broken by a laser. When more lasers started hitting the soldiers around her, coming from above, she jumped up, and used the Force to push several droids off the edge of the bridge, sending them into the ocean below. Analyzing the battle, she quickly found her next target, and ran towards it, cutting down any enemies on her path. ----------------------- Admiral Yullaren watched as a Separatist frigate broke in half under the focused fire of three Republic cruisers. The ship fell to the planet below, colliding with a building, and bringing it down, taking hundreds of clones and droids with it. At the same time, two V-Wings were hit, and crashed into the cruiser, making it tremble. Soon after, several dozen Hyena-class bombers and over a hundred Vulture droids started targeting them. Barking orders, he watched the enemy close in, and braced himself for impact. ----------------------- Ahsoka Tano spun her Jedi fighter, a modified starfighter, and pressed the triggers, destroying four Vulture droids in quick succession. Her squadron followed her, aiming for a dreadnought, but they were intercepted before they could get there. An attack from the side killed three of her pilots, and put two others out of combat, leaving them defenseless. With no other option, she turned around to help the soldiers under her command. ------------------------- Deep Squad faced an attack coming from three different directions, but held strong. Like Hell Squad, they had been forced to retreat to inside the facilities, but, at least for now, they were holding on. However, a red light flashed, and the heads of two members of the special squad detached from their bodies. Broodi was suddenly launched away by an invisible enemy, and hit the wall, entering unconsciousness immediately. An eerie laugh was the last thing he heard, as someone walked past him, and grabbed the sample they had been protecting. ------------------------- Commander Cody saw a droid aiming at him, and, before he could dodge, a laser was fired, coming straight for his head. He thought he was gone, but a trooper pushed him down, saving his life. Without wasting time, both of them returned fire, melting the outer layer of the B2 unit. Then, someone screamed on his comlink, prompting Commander Cody to order his troopers to move to the outside of the building. However, that wasn''t possible. They were being pressured by the clanckers, and would have to deal with them first. ------------------------------- Two thermal detonators landed right at Captain Rex''s feet. He was able to kick the first one, which blew in midair, but all he could do regarding the second was duck to the side. The shockwave sent him flying, and he crashed in the ground ten meters away, unconscious, bruised, and with a broken rib, but alive. Three other clones weren''t so lucky. --------------------------- Fives knelt on the ground, holding the lifeless body of 99. The poor clone had saved his life, as well as Echo''s and the lives of several young cadets, not more than kids. The price had been his own life. Closing the eyes of the deformed clone, Fives gave him a quick salute, the same he would give to a proper soldier, because that was what 99 was. A true clone, and a real brother, to the very end. Picking up his blaster, he nodded at Echo, and ordered the cadets to stay where they were. The battle was still going. ------------------------- General Skywalker, now on the surface of Kamino, somersaulted backwards, dodging a swing from Ventress'' lightsabers, and at the same time, pushing her using the Force. The vial on her hands fell, bouncing on the ground, and rolling away. She stretched her hand, and the vial came flying towards her, but was intercepted in midair by a hand clad in white armor. To her surprise, she saw that the hand belonged to a clone, who was aiming his blaster at her. Over twenty other troopers were doing the same, and she realized, with surprise, that all the droids in the hangar had died or retreated, leaving only her. Clearly, General Grievous thought the price they were paying was too much. Her ears twitched, and she saw a round, white ship flying towards her. Smiling at General Skywalker, who had her blue lightsaber pointed at her, she slammed her hands on the ground, propelling herself up, and grabbed the open door of the ship. She was met by the cruel stare of General Grievous, mocking her, but she also noticed that his body was covered in black spots, thanks to laser hits. Slashing the inside of the ship in anger, she glared at the young Jedi who had fooled her plans. The invasion of Kamino had failed. The Republic had won this battle. ------------------------- When the droid that he was about to fire at fell to the ground, split in two, Dageer knew they had won the battle. Giving a slight nod to General Kenobi, the commander let exhaustion take over him, and fell to the ground, holding his left side. He could fell at least three cracked ribs, maybe broken, although he wasn''t sure of how it happened. And that wasn''t all. His right shoulder was burning, thanks to two laser that had hit it, and so was his left thigh. The troops that had defended the west facility weren''t faring much better than their commander. A few meters to his left, Brain was holding his stomach, panting painfully, and his right arm was hanging uselessly. Metal was laying under two B2 units, and couldn''t move because of their weight. One of his legs had been broken when the clanckers fell on top of him. Tech was unconscious, leaning against a wall, blood dripping down from a cut on his head, but apart from that, he was unharmed. Dab and Cell were also out, side by side. They had been hit by several lasers, none fatal. Around them was a wall of dead droids. Three-four was the only one mostly unharmed, apart from a few scratches on his armor, and was already treating the injured clones. Of the four thousand five hundred troopers tasked to defend the west facility, only four hundred were still alive, most in critical condition. Twenty-four hundred of them laid dead on the outside, together with over five thousand of their enemies. Another seventeen hundred clones had died inside the facility, and their bodies, as well as clanckers'', littered the corridors, sometimes even making walking difficult. The room where the sample was, and where Hell Squad had organized their last defense, was a mess. The once white walls and floor were now destroyed, marked by lasers and explosions. Medical equipment, crates, and droids, were in pieces, and several glass containers, which held embryos, were broken, dripping their content. When Dageer saw General Kenobi approaching him, while the 212th clones helped their injured brothers, and moved bodies to the side, he tried to get up, but his leg didn''t let him. The Jedi gestured for him to stay down, and sat next to him, to Dageer''s surprise. Chapter 271 - The Aftermatch Looking at the Jedi, Dageer realized General Kenobi had a bandage on his shoulder, and that his clothes and appearance, usually very tidy, were a mess. Clearly, the battle hadn''t been hard only to Hell Squad. "General, sir." "Relax, Dageer. You deserve it. The Separatist retreated, and we are dealing with the few that were left behind. We won." "Did they get their hands on one of the samples?" "I wouldn''t be here if they had. But it was close. They sent Ventress to the south facility. Deep Squad wasn''t able to hold her, and lost a few members. Luckily, Anakin was able to stop her, although she and Grievous slipped away once more." Dageer shrugged. He would let the Jedis handle Ventress. She was a Sith, whatever that meant, and he knew no clone - almost no clone - could stand on her way. "Uff... You have to get patched up, commander. This was a hard battle, and we have lost many soldiers. I know you are wounded and tired, but I need a casualties and damage report as soon as possible." Dageer nodded, and called a medic to bandage his wounds. After a short while, he stood up, using his DC-15A as a crutch. One of the medics offered to help him, but there were more critically injured soldiers who needed medical attention more than him. Following General Kenobi, he left the facility, and a gruesome sight greeted him. He was more than used to the aftermatch of a battle, but few were as brutal as this one had been. It had raged on for a day and a half straight, which was little compared to most battles, but just by looking at it, he knew it was one of the worst the Republic had ever been through. Buildings were half-destroyed, and several platforms and bridges were missing pieces of it, or were even completely gone. The burning remains of sh.i.p.s and starfighters, as well as of the weird squid-like sh.i.p.s, laid in several places, and even the drizzle that was falling wasn''t enough to extinguish the fires. Of course, the most impacting sign were the bodies. It always pained him to see the lifeless corpses of his brothers. In a somewhat small battlefield, like the bridges of Kamino, the dead clones and droids didn''t spread, but piled up. He was sure many even fell on the ocean, and would be reported as missing in action. Stepping over the bodies, many of which he knew, Dageer found an officer - a captain - and ordered him to do a report. The captain would order his lieutenants to do the same, the lieutenants would order the sergeants, and so on. Soon, he would receive a detailed report, although, even without it, he could already tell that casualties were as high as forty percent. He estimated the droids had lost about the same, which explained their retreat. The more he walked, the fewer bodies and less destruction Dageer saw, at least until they got to the south facility. Clearly, the seppies had focused all their efforts at the three facilities, and didn''t care much for the rest of the planet. Once they got to the south, though, the scenario was very similar to the west. Half jumping, half skidding across the arm of one of the squid-like droids, which Dageer now knew were called Trident-class Assault Ship, he and General Kenobi entered a building, Dageer grimacing in pain. They soon found the bodies of ARC Trooper Colt, and over a dozen members of Rancor Battalion. All of them had lightsaber wounds, Colt having been pierced in the heart, and several were dismembered. Looking at how his brothers had been killed, Dageer clenched his fist in anger. He knew only Ventress would do that. Next, they found Deep Squad. Of the eleven members, only six had survived, Broodi included. The commander was tidying up the facility, sometimes looking at his fallen brothers. When he saw General Kenobi, his expression was of shame and anger, but he quickly hid it. Clones didn''t show emotions to their superiors. Of course, that wouldn''t work on a Jedi. "General, I am sorry. I let those damn seppies take..." "No need to apologize, Commander Broodi. You fought against a Sith. No one expected her, and the fact that you survived is already impressive on itself." "I understand, sir. Thank you, sir." General Kenobi turned around to leave, and Dageer followed him after tapping Broodi''s shoulder. He knew it wasn''t easy to lose someone from your squad, special unit or not. Looking at General Kenobi''s back, all the while barking orders to the troopers around him, Dageer wondered what had happened to Commander Cody. Why would the Jedi ask him to do a report, and not the commander of his own legion? His question was answered soon. Commander Cody, General Skywalker, and General Shaak Ti were all looking at a room. Troopers formed a perimeter around them, to keep others away. Not that it was necessary, because no clone would enter the room once they were given the order not to. "Bastards... How could they do that?" When he and General Kenobi looked inside, Dageer couldn''t help but let out a curse. Three dozen cadets were dead in the room, as well as a single B2 super battle droid. The cadets were only teenagers, and probably didn''t have time to evacuate before the battle started. One of them, responsible for the dead droid, was still holding a blaster, but that was all. The droids had executed the others, even though they were defenseless. "This is too much, even for the Separatist." "Indeed. However, the best we can do now is give them a proper resting place, with the other clones. I will deal with them." General Shaak Ti spoke with a very low voice, barely audible. She was responsible for overseeing the training of the Clone Army, so her relationship with the cadets was almost as strong as the relationship between the clones. Their bodies would be cremated, and their ashes spread through the sea of Kamino. Every clone, in death, returned to their home. "All right. Commanders, once the reports are done, send them to me. As soon as our dead are taken care of, order the troops to rest. They deserve it. The Kaminoans will deal with the droids and the infrastructure." "Yes, general." "Understood, sir." Both clones nodded. They too were tired, and Dageer was wounded, but none of them uttered a complaint. Even if they didn''t need to do anything, they would still only rest after all their brothers had been taken proper care off. That was one of the responsibilities a commander had. .... It took almost a week for Kamino to return to a semi-normal life. In total, almost two hundred thousand clones had given their lives to protect their home planet. About double that amount of droids had been killed. Those numbers were comparable to battles such as the First Battle Of Felucia, or the Second Battle Of Dantooine. The difference was that while those battles had lasted weeks and months, the battle that had come to be called Third Battle Of Kamino had lasted less than two days. That went to show just how brutal and intense it was. Chapter 272 - Friend Or Foe? In a dark cell, at the lower levels of the Coruscant Maximum Security Prison, a huge mon calamari suddenly knocked the cell''s door. The member of the Coruscant Guard outside, knowing that he was mute, looked at two other clones, and, after warning his commanding officer, opened the door, his blaster ready, set to stun mode. The prisoners here were amongst the worst in the galaxy, so he could never be too careful. However, the precautions weren''t enough. The mon calamari seemed to disappear, and suddenly appear in front of him. A hand grabbed his head, and, with strength much bigger than his body seemed to have, the mon calamari lifted him, and threw him against the two other guards, knocking them out. When the other guards, having received the alarm, came to contain him, they discovered the mon calamari hadn''t tried to escape, but was sitting on top of one of the clones. The Coruscant Guard members, knowing he was dangerous, stunned him immediately, and brought him to an interrogation room. ------------------------- After a week, most of the clones wounded in the Third Battle Of Kamino were completely healed, and only those critically injured were still undergoing treatment. Whether or not they will survive, was still impossible to know. The Kaminoans were the best at their job, but there were some wounds not even them could cure. Hell Squad, however, wasn''t one of those clones. Even Metal''s broken leg had recovered rapidly, and, although he was still using a cast and a crutch, he would only need a few more days to be back to his peak. Dageer was currently sleeping, but when a trooper opened the door of Hell Squad''s quarters, he instantly woke up, and reached for his weapons. When he realized there was no threat, he relaxed, and got up. "What is it, soldier?" "General Shaak Ti requested your presence, commander." "All right. Dismissed." "Yes, sir." After the clone left, Dageer turned to Hell Squad, who had questioning gazes, and shrugged. He had no idea what the Jedi wanted. Before putting on his armor, he took off the bandages on his shoulder, revealing two new, and slightly red, scars. Compared to the dozens of other scars in his body, it wasn''t much. After making sure they wouldn''t open, he put on his battered armor - which had a dozen new scratches on it - and went to meet the Jedi. ... As he walked the corridors of Kamino, Dageer incited respect from the clones he met. He was a legendary figure amongst the Clone Army, and his status was equal to any commander, if not above them. Leader of Hell Squad, the best special unit the Republic had, a group of normal clones who had risen above ARC Troopers and clone commandos. The commander of the 303rd Attack Legion, which gave everything they had, including their lives, to protect Ryloth. The clone who was said to have fought Separatist leaders like Asajj Ventress and General Grievous, and survived. At that moment, that famous person was heading to the center of Tipoca City, absentmindedly returning salutes. After the battle of last week, several of his closest brothers had died. It was always painful to lose a clone, but the truth was that he didn''t know most of them. There were millions spread to the galaxy, and more were created every day. However, Dageer was acquainted with many of the older troopers, those who had been there since the start. 99 had been one of those. The clone was deformed, defective, and weak, but for Dageer, he had been as valuable as any of his brothers. 99 had died a hero, fighting for his home, but that didn''t change the fact that he was dead. Shaking his head, he entered a room, and found General Shaak Ti waiting for him in front of a hologram table. On it were Commander Fox, and a small Jedi Dageer had seen only once, but for whom he had the utmost respect. "Fox, General Shaak Ti, General Piell." "Uhmm... I have to say, Commander Dageer, I never thought I would see you in such position, considering the first time I saw you, you were just a soldier. Very good." "Thank you, General Piell." The small and pale Jedi was largely responsible for many of the decisions Dageer made. Not only had he saved his life, but also given Dageer something that, at the time, few clones had. A name. "Gentlemen, should we move on to what brought us here?" "Of course, Master Shaak Ti. Commander Fox, go ahead." The leader of the Coruscant Guard, stern as always, nodded. "Yesterday, a prisoner named Hiigi, who you are very familiar with, Dageer, got our attention. He did that by simulating an escape attempt, and broke a guard''s neck on the process. As you know, Hiigi is a mute, for unknown reasons. However, we think he overheard someone talking about the Separatist leader General Grievous. He was very emphatic, and emotional when we finally arrived at the conclusion that it was Grievous he was ''talking'' about." Dageer nodded slowly. Hiigi was an old enemy. Dageer would have preferred to kill him long ago, but that was not the Jedi''s way, and they ordered him to be captured. "Unfortunately, we couldn''t get anything else from him, no matter our... No matter what we did." The two Jedis frowned when they saw Commander Fox hesitate. They were very clear about what the clone was talking about. The Republic was by no means as respectable and righteous as they tried to pass as, and the Jedi Order knew that, but there was little it could do. Putting aside the daily schemes and intrigues in the Senate, it was easy to imagine how things worked in the darkness of the prisons, since they were in the hands of the politicians. And, one thing the Jedis had long realized, was that the genetic of the clones didn''t make them do what was right, but what it was needed. "I think I know what you want, generals, but I probably am not the best person to get Hiigi to talk. Every occasion I saw him, he tried to kill me. Hell Squad killed most of his men on Scarif, so he hates us." "We understand that, commander. However, Hiigi showed such hatred against Grievous that we think he might be willing to reveal something. The fact that you know him could help." Dageer wasn''t sure about that plan of action, and he wasn''t looking forward to being in the same room as Hiigi, but orders were orders, even if they were very subtle. Keeping a straight face, he put his hands behind his back, and nodded. "Yes, sir." Chapter 273 - Kessel Dageer was proved wrong. Hiigi didn''t try to kill him, although his eyes flashed with resentment. However, Dageer also wasn''t able to get anything from him. Clearly, the mon calamari''s hatred for the clones, or, more specifically, for Hell Squad, ran deep. The feeling was mutual. Hiigi had given painful deaths to many of their brothers, and they wouldn''t forget that. Even after a few hours, the mon calamari refused to write anything that might be useful, and only kept growling whenever the name ''Grievous'' was mentioned. He looked more like an animal than an intelligent species. Whatever made him lose his voice, also made him lose part of his sanity, and that made him even more dangerous. ... After being released from duty, Hell Squad went to the Revontre, as they usually did. Since they were on Coruscant, they might as well enjoy it. In the end, only General Yoda himself was able to make Hiigi ''talk''. The Jedi wouldn''t talk to just anyone, since he was leading a war, but every small clue they had on General Grievous whereabouts was too important to be ignored. "To the Outer Rim, go you must. Kessel, there Grievous is. Careful, however, you have to be. A home to thieves and robbers, the planet is." General Piell nodded to General Yoda, and ended the transmission. The Lannik was very direct and decisive, not hesitating to cut off General Yoda. He also wasn''t very patient for a Jedi. The moment he received the intel, he departed to Kessel, and Hell Squad went with him, of course. That was exactly the type of mission a special unit was good at. "Commander Dageer, I understand you have some experience dealing with Grievous?" Dageer looked at the human admiral that was under General Piell, and shrugged. He didn''t like Tarkin. The man looked like he always had a plan, or was always hiding something. Still, he was loyal to the Republic, or so it seemed. "We met him in battle a couple times, Admiral Tarkin. He is dangerous. Extremely dangerous." "Elaborate, please." "He fought against General Secura and General Plo Koon, and pushed them back easily. And when we fought him on the dreadnought above Falleen, he was unstoppable. Even Hell Squad couldn''t do anything. We almost lost a member." "Seeing how you survived all those encounters, I am not sure that General Grievous really is so..." "That is enough, Tarkin. Commander Dageer, give us all the intel you have on him. Spare nothing." Glaring at Tarkin, who doubted Hell Squad''s capabilities, Dageer started explaining in detail all his encounters with General Grievous. Clones were very disciplined, and rarely showed emotions in front of others, but Tarkin almost crossed the line. Dageer was a commander, and Hell Squad a special unit. They didn''t need to report anything to Tarkin. Admirals commanded sh.i.p.s, not troops. Usually, Dageer wouldn''t mind, because up till now, all the admirals he met were worthy of his respect, but Tarkin clearly despised the clones. ... After two hours, Dageer left the command bridge of the cruiser, leaving a General Piell and a Tarkin in deep thought. The Lannik couldn''t help but frown when he looked at his admiral. "You shouldn''t look down on clones, Tarkin. Especially on Hell Squad." The admiral scoffed, but didn''t disagree. That wasn''t because he changed his mind, but because he couldn''t go against a Jedi''s words. "Do you know anything about Hell Squad and Dageer, Tarkin? They are the best special unit the Republic has. That means they are the best clones the Republic has. And that is not all. They are the one and only special unit formed by normal clones. Not commandos, not ARC Troopers, but normal clones. That is enough to show how good they are." "Still, General Piell, I have seen you and other Jedis in battle. If Grievous and that other Ventress they fought again are so deadly, I find it hard to believe they could survive without losses." "Luck played it''s role, that is for sure. But pay attention to them, Tarkin. Have you ever seen a clone carrying a vibroblade? Or that giant blaster one of them had? I know you have been an admiral since the Old Republic, but I guarantee you don''t have nearly as much battle experience as they have." The admiral kept his silence. When he thought about everything that General Piell said, it struck him that maybe he really had underestimated Hell Squad. Obviously, that wasn''t enough to make him change his mind about clones, but he wasn''t stupid either. He would be more careful when dealing with Hell Squad in the future. "General Piell, one more thing..." "What is it?" Something on Dageer had caught Tarkin''s attention, the same thing that made every non-clone who met him curious. "The markings on Commander Dageer''s armor... Are they confirmed kills?" Hearing that, the Lannik gave Tarkin one of his rare smiles. "Yes. But according to Dageer, only the ones he wishes to remember. Clones don''t like to talk about that, but if I am not wrong, only droid captains and above make it to his armor. And not all of them." -------------------------- General Piell had a reason to praise Hell Squad so much, and it wasn''t just because he liked Dageer, although that was true. The real reason was that Tarkin thought too highly of himself. Confidence in oneself was good, but not when it blinded caution and rational thought. After a few victories, Tarkin was starting to become too bold, and thought of himself as better than anyone else. If General Piell didn''t burst this bubble of pride, odds were that the admiral would get himself killed. Hell Squad just so happened to be the perfect opportunity. If Tarkin thought that he was worse than some clones, that would make him more cautious, and help him improve. "General! Separatist sh.i.p.s approaching!" The Jedi had barely left the command bridge when alarms went off, and a trooper came running to bring him back. At the same time, the cruiser swayed from one side to another as lasers hit it''s shields. "How?!" "They came out of hyperspace, sir! Their tractor beam is already on us! We can''t escape!" "How did they know?!" The chances of them coincidently meeting a Separatist fleet in the Outer Rim was almost zero. As such, even as he asked that question, General Piell already knew the answer. There was a traitor. Chapter 274 - Deal With It Later There was a traitor. Maybe not here on the ship, but somewhere, there was a traitor. And it had to be someone of a high position. Few people knew of General Piell and Hell Squad''s departure, and even fewer people knew their course. To get their hands in those pieces of information, and that quickly, the traitor had to be someone powerful, and whom the Jedi trusted. But now wasn''t the time to think about that. Their cruiser had already been pulled by the tractor beam, and was locked in place. Soon, they would have enemies to fight. "Attention all troopers! We are about to be boarded! I repeat, we are about to be boarded! To your positions!" Tarkin''s voice could be heard in the loudspeakers, and General Piell, instead of returning to the command bridge, ran towards the docking area where the Separatist would come from. Dozens of clones were also running there, and taking defensive positions, including Hell Squad. Dageer nodded at him, and knelt on the ground, aiming his blaster at the door. When it opened, it would be a mess. ... It didn''t take long. After a few transmissions asking for surrender - which the Republic didn''t answer- the seppies started boarding the cruiser. They came as they always did, blowing up the door, and coming through the smoke. Several fell before even crossing the door, but as more came pouring in, their sheer number, and the firepower they had, started to overwhelm the clones. As more and more of his brothers died, Dageer ordered them to retreat. He knew they had no hope of winning that battle, so they could only make the clanckers pay a hefty price for their lives. It was at that moment that they saw General Grievous himself entering the cruiser. He had his hands behind his back, as if he was taking a stroll, and not entering a battle. His cold eyes lingered on Dageer and Hell Squad for a moment before fixating onto General Piell. The Jedi returned the stare, and used the Force to push away a group of B1 units. "Commander Dageer, take care of the droids. I will deal with Grievous." "Yes, general!" "Stay out of my way! Cough... Cough! I will deal with the Jedi." In a silent agreement, the battle moved away to the other parts of the cruiser, leaving the two powerful beings staring at each other, surrounded by bodies. "Jedi, surrender now, or face the consequences." "I was about to say the same to you, Grievous." "Kakaka... Cough... I will enjoy killing you." Catching General Piell by surprise, the clancker jumped forward mid-sentence, four lightsabers aiming at the Jedi. However, General Piell was experienced, and was already expecting that. As such, he deflected the lightsabers using his own, and pushed General Grievous with the Force, sending him staggering backward. Immediately after, General Piell jumped to the left, against the wall, and used it to propel himself forward, bringing his weapon to strike a fatal blow against General Grievous. The clancker wasn''t to be outdone, and defended himself with two arms, while attacking with the other two. A terrifying battle had just begun. --------------------------- Brain rolled two droid poppers, making a group of six B1 units turn off, and opening a small window of opportunity for Metal. Needless to say, the heavy machine gunner was ready to take advantage of it. In a few minutes, Hell Squad cleared the corridor, and didn''t see any more droids. After General Piell gave the order to leave General Grievous to him, the battle had taken over the entire cruiser, and the combatants had split up. Hell Squad was able to deal with their enemies - about thirty seppies - pretty quickly, but the other clones might not fair as well as them. That was proved true in the next few seconds, when they received a transmission from Tarkin. "The command bridge is being attacked! Requesting help immediately!" Hearing that, Dageer pulled his vibroblade from a clancker''s body, and put it on his back. Gesturing with his head, he started running, and Hell Squad followed him. ------------------------ Using a blaster pistol, Tarkin killed a droid, and hid behind the hologram table just in time to dodge a volley of red lasers. To his left, a crewman wasn''t fast enough, and died. The command bridge had only been under attack for less than five minutes, but they already had heavy casualties. The crewmen were clones, and, as such, had been trained to battle, however, they never entered direct combat. Because of that, they were rusty, and weren''t able to defend themselves against an enemy that already was bigger than them. Exposing part of his body again, Tarkin was about to press the trigger when he noticed the droid he had targeted falling forward. The clanckers nearby also fell one after another, hit in the back. The seppies turned around to face the new threat, but that was a grave mistake. Seeing their exposed backs, the crewmen spared no efforts to take down as many of them as they could. Caught between two fires, in less than ten minutes, the group of over fifty B1 and B2 units was entirely dead. Getting out of their hiding spaces, the seventeen surviving crewmen, and Tarkin, looked at their saviors, Hell Squad. The seven clones weren''t even hurt, and their leader, Dageer, just nodded and left, as if killing fifty droids was nothing. Tarkin hesitated for a moment, startled, then ordered the crewmen to get back to work. They had to free themselves from the tractor beam as soon as they could. ---------------------------- "Die, Jedi sc.u.m!" "Uff..." Grunting with the effort, General Piell did a backflip, and exited General Grievous'' attack range. The Separatist had cut his tight, hindering his movements. He also wasn''t so young anymore, so after twenty minutes he was already slowing down, while the clancker was only getting faster. General Grievous wasn''t a Force user, but that also had it''s advantages. The mental drain a Jedi faced when using the Force was enormous, and, if they were careless, they could faint in the middle of a fight. "How did you know we were here, Grievous? And how did you know we were coming after you?" "Kakakaka! Do you think I am an idiot... Cough... Jedi? Stay quiet, and I will make your death painless. Cough... Cough!" General Piell frowned, and dodged a swing from General Grievous'' lightsabers. He was almost certain that there was a spy, but he couldn''t confirm that. Just when he was about to attack General Grievous, the Separatist heard something on his communicator, and jumped back. "I will find you again, Jedi. Cough... And when I do, you will regret not... Cough... Cough! Not dying today!" Leaving a confused Jedi behind, General Grievous switched to his spider-like form, and crawled away. General Piell was about to follow him, but his wound prevented him. Instead, he let the clancker go, and ran as fast as he could towards the command bridge, cutting down any retreating droids on his way. Something had made General Grievous give up on his prey, and fall back. He didn''t know what or who, but the Republic cruiser had to take this chance to escape, before the laser cannons on the Separatist sh.i.p.s torn them apart. Chapter 275 - Saved From Deaths Door Dageer found it weird when the droids Hell Squad was fighting suddenly started running. Cell, Metal, and a few other clones wanted to follow them, but the commander ordered them to hold their position. The Separatist had suffered casualties, that was for sure, but not nearly as many as the Republic. The number of bodies was about equal for both sides. For the clanckers, who usually fought to the last man, to retreat for no apparent reason, it was very weird. "Wait. This might be a trap." "I don''t think so, sir. They were crushing us, why would they need a trap?" Dageer reflected on what Brain said for a few moments, and then nodded. It didn''t make sense for the droids to prepare a trap now. "Cell, Tech, you two go. If everything is all right, signal us." "Roger that, commander." The two clones soon returned, saying that the droids had retreated to their own ship. Instead of making Dageer happy, that only made him worry even more. There was no rhyme or reason for this move. And when something didn''t make sense, he didn''t like it. Ordering the other troopers to stay on guard, Dageer ran towards the command bridge with the intention of leaving the Separatist fleet''s range as soon as possible. Mid-way, he found General Piell, who had the same objective. They had not even entered the command bridge yet when they discovered why the seppies ran away. A Republic fleet, twice the size of the Separatist''s, had appeared in space, and was currently engaging the fleeing enemy sh.i.p.s. When they got closer, Dageer recognized the colors of General Fisto. Several Laats left the Venator-class Cruiser that was his flagship, and flew towards General Piell''s cruiser, which was currently badly damaged. "General?" "I am not too sure myself, Dageer. However, this ship is lost. Get everyone on the gunsh.i.p.s that Master Fisto sent. After we are safe, we will discover what happened." "Yes, general." "Admiral Tarkin, give the order to evacuate the ship." "Of course, General Piell." Soon, alarms started ringing again, warning all personnel to proceed towards the upper hangar, where they would be picked up. Several corridors of the cruiser had collapsed under the barrage from the Separatist sh.i.p.s, and flames burst out here and there. Soon, the cruiser would break in two. "Go, go, go!" "Let''s move, lads! Wounded first!" "I want three men here! Lift it up!" "Come on, faster!" Dageer carefully watched the troopers running around, and commanded them to enter the gunsh.i.p.s orderly. He didn''t know how many had died, and even if some had survived but were trapped. The best he could do was make sure those who were there left the cruiser. As for any survivors that might be left behind... He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. It was useless to think about that, because there was nothing he could do. It took less than fifteen minutes for the Laats to become full, and take off. Before they even got to General Fisto''s capital ship, the cruiser behind them blew up from the inside out, creating an enormous ball of fire that lasted for less than two seconds before being extinguished by the vacuum. Looking at the remains of their cruiser, both Tarkin and General Piell frowned. A ship was just a ship, but after you spent a long time on it, it started to held certain significance. When the Laats landed on the Venator-class Cruiser, a group of clones, and General Fisto, were already waiting for them. "Master Piell, I am glad we arrived in time to help you." The Lannik glanced at the wounded being moved to the infirmary with the corner of his eyes, and sighed. "Not all of us, unfortunately. But if it wasn''t for you, we would all be dead. You have my thanks, Master Fisto." The two Jedis exchanged polite greetings. It was clear they didn''t know each other very well, but all the Jedis seemed to be on friendly terms. Dageer saluted the Nautolan, and nodded to Commander Monnk. The SCUBA Trooper was wearing normal clone armor, since they weren''t in a water planet. "Follow me." Dageer gestured for Hell Squad to help the wounded, and walked behind the two Jedis. Monnk tapped his shoulder. "Welcome, brother." "Thanks, Monnk. You came right on time." "Haha..." ... "How did you know we were being attacked?" "The Force made our paths cross. We were heading to Naboo when we intercepted a transmission from the Separatist, ordering them to move one of their fleets to this sector. We decided to come see what it was, and received your distress signal." Dageer and General Piell exchanged a glance. They had been extremely lucky. Now, that left the second-most worrying thing to deal with. How did the seppies know about their mission? General Piell quickly explained to the other two why they were going to Kessel, and how they had been intercepted, which caused them to furrow their eyebrows. "We won''t discuss that now. Monnk, I will leave Naboo to you. Master Piell, we have to return to Coruscant as soon as possible." "Yes. Dageer, Hell Squad too." The commander felt that his squad would be more useful somewhere else in the galaxy, fighting. However, he didn''t dare to disobey a direct order from a superior, so he could only nod. "Copy that, general." When he left the command bridge, Dageer could feel the stares the two Jedis were exchanging. He was being left in the dark about something, but as much as that bothered him, he knew it was normal. He was just a clone, nothing more, nothing less. --------------------------- Three people stood in a room, looking at each other. Dageer had his helmet under his arm, and his back straight. In front of him were General Yoda and General Windu. It had been three days since he was back in Coruscant, on which he had been organizing troops and devising battle plans most of the time. In the middle of one of those meetings, he had been summoned by the two Jedis. Unsure of what they wanted, he just stood there, waiting. Ten minutes went by, on which none of them said anything. Finally, Dageer couldn''t hold back anymore. "Generals? Why do you need me?" The two Jedis closed their eyes, and General Windu sighed, while General Yoda shook his head. "We have a difficult task for you, commander." "Very difficult, indeed. Uhmm... Know our moves, the Separatist have, for a long time." Not understanding exactly what the Jedis meant, Dageer stood quiet. He knew there was a spy, or even more than just one, but he wasn''t sure what that had to do with him. After a few more minutes of silence, General Windu stared Dageer straight in the eyes, his face more serious than normal. "Commander Dageer, we need you to betray the Republic." Chapter 276 - No Clone Is A Traitor "Commander Dageer, we need you to betray the Republic." In an instant, Dageer was shocked beyond describing. General Windu and General Yoda, the most powerful members of the Jedi Order, and important figures in the entire galaxy, just asked him to betray the Republic. The same Republic he had been created to fight and die for. After a few dumbstruck seconds, he did the most logical thing, and aimed his blaster at the two Jedis. "Generals, if you move, I will open fire." The Jedis exchanged glances, surprised. They hadn''t expected this outcome. However, what did they think it would happen when they asked a clone to betray the Republic? "Calm down, you must, commander. Explain what we mean, I will." General Yoda''s voice brought a wave of calmness to Dageer, and he almost lowered his weapon. However, he quickly understood that the Jedi was using the Force to control him, which only made him more suspicious. "What you ask is treason against the Republic, General Yoda. That is punishable by death. Don''t move. " He knew he had no chances of winning against those two Jedis. He wouldn''t even be able to contact reinforcements to arrest the two, so all he could do was aim his blaster at them, and wait. "There is a spy, who has been reporting all our movements and battle plans to the Separatist. We can''t discover who. What we need from you, commander, is that you go undercover, fake a betrayal, and find out who that person is." Frowning, Dageer analyzed General Windu''s face, trying to discover if he was telling the truth. He wasn''t stupid, so it didn''t take long for him to realize that even if the Jedis planned on betraying the Republic, they wouldn''t ask him to do the same. Clones were extremely loyal, and not afraid of dying for the Republic. Money and status didn''t have any meaning for them. All they cared about was protecting their brothers and their home, the Republic. Slowly, he lowered his blaster. Although it still was aiming at the Jedis, it wasn''t as threatening as before. Not that they had looked worried at any moment. They knew Dageer was powerless against them. "Explain it, general." He was being extremely rude and disrespectful towards the Jedis, but, considering the situation, he couldn''t let his guard down. "As I said, there is a spy giving the Separatist important intel in our operations. We need you to discover who it is, and the best way is by looking like you betrayed the Republic." "Why not a Jedi? I am a clone. No one will ever believe I betrayed the Republic. I was born to fight for it!" General Yoda and General Windu exchanged worried glances, as if they knew Dageer wouldn''t like what they were about to say. "You might be a clone, but you have all the reasons to become a traitor - and I don''t mean that, commander, otherwise I wouldn''t be talking to you. However, one of the biggest reasons for betrayal isn''t money, but anger. You lost your legion, including your general and commander. You have been captured, tortured, and the Republic couldn''t help you. The resentment alone is reason enough. On top of that, you have disobeyed orders before, which means you can do it again." Dageer tensed up. He didn''t like the fact that General Windu made it seem normal, and likely, that he would betray the Republic. Worse, the didn''t like the fact that all his dead brothers were being used as a reason for that. "More importantly, commander, the traitor is a clone." Those words were like lightning striking Dageer. His first reaction was to raise his blaster again, and shake his head. "That is impossible. No clone would ever betray the Republic! Never!" He was panicking. Even when he faced certain death, he was always calm and cold-blooded. But now, he couldn''t think straight. "Millions of my brothers died already, general, and millions more will die. No clone would side with the culprits behind all those deaths!" "Uhmm... Right, I wish you were. But happened twice, this already have." Unfortunately, Dageer knew General Yoda was right. As a commander, and leader of a special unit, he had access to information that most clones didn''t. Sighing, he put down his blaster. "They were examined, and proved to be defective." It pained Dageer to talk about his brothers as if they were broken machines, but that was the only way the loyalty of the Clone Army as a whole couldn''t be questioned. "But it happened. As such, it won''t be unbelievable for it to happen again." Dageer took a deep breath, and he felt a headache coming. The smallest thought of becoming a traitor, even if it was just a fake one, went against everything his genetic code said. He was created to follow orders. And, in some way, that was an order. "What do I need to do, generals?" "You will have to become a spy. You will give the Separatist some crucial piece of information. That is the only way they will trust you." Dageer immediately shook his head, disagreeing. Usually, he wouldn''t defy an order like that, but the lives of his brothers were in the line. "I can''t do that, sir. I won''t give the seppies even more means to kill my brothers." Dageer had already prepared his mind to fake a betrayal, and even leave the Republic. However, what the Jedis asked was that he leaked battle plans, which could lead to the death of thousands of his brothers. "Commander, this is war. Sacrifices have to be made. If we don''t discover who the spy is, the losses will be much greater." "Sacrifices I am not willing to make, general. I know my brothers better than anyone. If one of them is a traitor, I will find out. My way." General Windu was ruthless compared to the other Jedis Dageer knew. This war had brought out the worst in everyone, including the Jedi Order. Not for the first time, Dageer thought they weren''t the best choice to lead, but he would never dare to say that. He stared at the two Jedis, waiting for their answer. General Windu was glaring at him angrily, while General Yoda had his eyes closed, and seemed... pained, for some reason. After a long while, the small, green being, opened his eyes. "Too much, we are asking, understand that I do. However, important it is. Very important indeed. Hear your idea, we will, commander." "It is simple, General Yoda. I need to see who knew of our plans every time we suspect intel was leaked. Then, we will put all those troopers in a meeting, somehow, and bait the traitor with information on one of our plans, which later we can use to ambush the seppies. Catch them on their own game." "We already thought of that. There are too many people involved, and we can''t keep an eye on them at all times." "You won''t need to. If... If one of my brothers really is a spy, I will discover on that meeting. If not, you will have to look somewhere else, generals." General Windu looked at General Yoda, waiting for an answer. When the Jedi nodded, he glanced at Dageer. "We will do as you say, commander. And may the Force be on our side." Chapter 277 - Slaves Of The Republic In a room at the headquarters of the Clone Army on Coruscant, an important meeting was happening. What was being discussed in this meeting was at the same time huge, and secretive. Clones from the Coruscant Guard, the 501st Legion, the 212th Legion, the 187th Attack Legion, the 91st Reconnaissance Corps, the 327th Star Corps, the 84th Legion, and their respective Jedi generals were all there. Currently, General Kenobi was explaining their plan to attack Fondor. Of course, they wouldn''t use that many legions to attack just one planet, but using the excuse that they needed to discuss their strategies for a number of systems, a large group of over ninety clones had been put together. On the surface, they were all there because of the meeting, however, the truth was that they were all there so Dageer could look at the faces of his brothers, and discover which one of them was a spy. He and Hell Squad were standing against a wall, overseeing the meeting. With their status as a special unit, and considering how their missions were mostly top-secret, they rarely said anything on this kind of meetings. So, now Dageer was scrutinizing the faces of his brothers, watching their reactions. Most of the clones in the room had access to the information which led to some of the most humiliating and painful defeats the Republic had. And it was Dageer''s job to discover who amongst them was a traitor. He knew almost every single clone in the room. He had trained with them, fought by their side, and faced death with them. They had been to countless battles together, and he knew them as well as he knew any clone. They were all brothers. But no matter how hard he wanted to believe otherwise, one of them was a spy. He couldn''t describe how painful it was, and he still hoped to prove the Jedis wrong. He hoped that there were no spies, and that the Republic only lost because they fought poorly. But, as the meeting went on, he caught sign of one clone in particular. Under his helmet, his expression grew serious, and he couldn''t help but clench his fists. Taking deep breaths, he concentrated on that brother of his, and his suspicions grew stronger. As soon as the meeting ended, and they were dismissed, Dageer left the room, followed by Hell Squad. He found a quiet spot, from where he could keep an eye on the communications center, and waited. Hell Squad, behind him, was confused, but they knew when Dageer was angry, and they didn''t want to provoke him, so they said nothing. ---------------------------- Inside the communications room, a clone typed a series of codes as fast as he could without alarming the other troopers. He had to get this intel to the Separatist quickly, otherwise they would suffer a major defeat. Ever since that day, he had realized that the Republic was corrupted, and didn''t care about it''s own army. To the powerful people who spent their days safely on the Senate, clones were no more than numbers. But he endured it. For weeks and months, he endured it. He saw even more of his brothers die, lost in foreign planets, and saw their names be erased, substituted by numbers that the clones had long left behind. He understood that they meant nothing, and that they were just tools, but still, he fought. He fought, and he fought again, and he fought again, and again, and again. He was hurt, he almost died several times, but that didn''t bother him. He had been created and trained for that. He could withstand the pain. He could withstand being disposable. What he couldn''t withstand was watch his brothers die to protect a man who, on that very same day, had pushed two clones to their certain deaths. And so, one day, he decided it was enough. The Republic didn''t deserve to win this war. They were corrupt bastards that would never give the clones the freedom that they had been promised. For him, the way the Republic treated the clones was no different than slavery. He found a way to contact the Separatist through a Rodian Separatist captain he and his unit had captured, but were forced to let go. He waited days, regretting his decision, thinking that he had been too harsh. His nightmares grew worst and worst, and he felt dizzy all day. He couldn''t look at his brothers without feeling ashamed. However, he received an answer. More importantly, he received a promise. A promise that when this war was over, and the Separatist won, the clones would be truly free. No more orders, no more needless sacrifices, no more deaths. True freedom. The price of that freedom was steep, and he knew that. He hesitated to take on the offer, but not for long. He started gathering classified intel, and sending it to the Separatist through especial means. To be sure he wouldn''t be caught, he made it look like normal communications being sent to somewhere in the galaxy. It worked quite well. Soon, he started seeing the results of his treason. The Republic lost battle after battle, system after system. Their support around the galaxy was undermined, and more planets joined the Separatist. He took pleasure in seeing all that. He knew he was on the right path to free all his brothers from the tyranny of the Republic. But with each news of a defeat, came the number of his brothers that lost their lives because of him. The nightmares were now unbearable. He barely slept, and the voices in his head kept screaming for him to kill. Kill the Jedi, kill the Republic, kill the people that made his brothers suffer. And so, he closed his mind to those numbers. He told himself that it wasn''t him who caused the death of his brothers, but the Republic. That helped to ease the pain, even if just a little. Today he was weirdly happy. He knew that by sending the battle plans made today to the Separatist, the Republic would suffer another crushing defeat, one that would put it a step closer to it''s end. He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn''t notice seven clones stop right in front of him. Only when all the noise in the communications center died down, and all the troopers there were looking at his direction, did he notice something. Looking up, he almost stepped back in surprise and fear, but he controlled himself, and said in his head that there was no way Dageer and Hell Squad knew what he was doing. Quickly, he saluted his old commander. "Commander, sir. What do you need?" Dageer looked deep into his eyes, and saw the proof that he needed. The spy, on the other hand, could only see the black of Dageer''s visor, so he had no idea of the dilemma that was going on the commander''s mind. He saw Dageer''s chest go up, and fall down as the clone sighed, and, to his surprise, he saw a blaster being aimed at him. He wasn''t the only one shocked by the words that left Dageer''s mouth in the next seconds. "Lieutenant Shield, you are under arrest for treason against the Republic." // AUTHOR''S NOTE // Decided that was as good of a chapter as any other to drop some truth bombs about the Republic. The more you watch the series, read the books and the comics, the more you notice they weren''t anywhere near the perfect organization they try to pass as. I struggled a long time to decide who would be the traitor. I had over five people who had just as many reasons as Shield. However, I think we can all agree that few clones would have more impact on Dageer than someone from the 303rd. Chapter 278 - The Power Of The Truth "Lieutenant Shield, you are under arrest for treason against the Republic." The moment those words left Dageer''s mouth, every clone, including Hell Squad, looked at him dumbfounded. Accusations of treason couldn''t be made lightly, because the penalty was death. However, that wasn''t what shocked them. The fact that Dageer was accusing a fellow clone, a brother, of treason was unbelievable. Even Hell Squad, who knew nothing about the conversation Dageer had with General Windu and General Yoda, couldn''t help but hesitate and look at him. When they saw his straight back, and that he wouldn''t go back on his words, they finally lifted their blasters, and aimed them at Lieutenant Shield, albeit hesitantly. "C-Commander? What do you mean? I don''t understand!" Dageer took a deep breath, but his hands remained steady on the trigger. If his brother tried to run or resist prison, he would fire. Of course, his blaster was set to stun only. Without taking his eyes of Lieutenant Shield, he called a trooper. "Get General Windu and General Yoda here immediately. Go!" He couldn''t help but yell the last word, scaring the clone with the intensity. The trooper didn''t hesitate anymore, and left the communications center already talking on his comlink. "Commander, sir? Can... Can you tell us what is happening?" More and more troopers entered the room, and stared confusedly at the scene. A clone holding another clone at gunpoint was something that had never happened before. They couldn''t understand it. They were all brothers, so what was happening? Treason? How could a clone commit treason? That was impossible. Ignoring the crowd that was being formed, Dageer stood a few more seconds without saying anything. Then, with a shaking hand, he took off his helmet, and put it on top of a panel. Looking at the expression Dageer had, Lieutenant Shield understood he had been caught, and that there was no way he could escape punishment. But that didn''t worry him. At the moment, all he could think of was the feeling of betrayal that he could see in Dageer''s eyes. "Why, Shield? Why?" "I am sorry, commander. But it wasn''t I who betrayed the Republic. They betrayed us! They created us to die for their selfish reasons!" When he yelled, his entire face contorted in one of pain. He didn''t try to hide anything, because he believed he was right. However, for the other clones, who heard his confession, it was as if the ground had been pulled from under their feet. One of their brothers, blood of their blood, had betrayed the Republic. Had betrayed them. They weren''t idiots. Even though they didn''t know the extension of Lieutenant Shield''s betrayal, they could imagine it cost a lot of lives. And to think that a clone would knowingly cause the death of his brothers... It was too much. "Shield... Listen to yourself, brother. When did it start?" "Hahaha! When the Republic abandoned us, commander. They left us to die in Ryloth! They knew we were going against an enemy ten times our size, and that we had no chance of winning, and what they did? Nothing!" All the clones around, especially those who knew what happened to the 303rd, were shaken. They would never admit it, but deep down, they agreed with Lieutenant Shield. However, they would never go as far as he did. "Our entire legion, all our brothers, were slaughtered for a single planet. They were your brothers too, commander. Don''t you feel anything?" The lieutenant almost spat those words, but, before Dageer could rebuke, he was already talking again. His eyes showed a madness that clones shouldn''t have. "And you know what we got, sir, after all those sacrifices? More battles, more deaths. I saw one of the Twi''leks we fought for use our brothers as meat shields. He pushed them in front of lasers so he could run faster! Face it, Dageer! We are disposable!" "Maybe. That was the reason why we were born. However, Shield, no matter how many grievances you have with the Republic, how could you betray your brothers?" "I didn''t betray you or anyone! I just don''t want to be a Republic slave anymore! When the Separatist win, they will set us free!" Dageer closed his eyes in pain. To see a brother of his fall to such pitiful state was terrible. The clones watching, who now already included Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Commander Bly, and dozens of others, stood quiet. They already understood that Lieutenant Shield had lost his mind. "I don''t know what the Separatist promised you, Shield, but was it really worthy the lives of thousands of your own brothers? Or are you so crazy that you can''t see your actions caused the deaths of so many?" Dageer''s words echoed inside the communications center. Even if the troopers didn''t know what Lieutenant Shield''s actions were, it was obvious that they led to losses. As much as they were shocked, they couldn''t feel anger, only sadness. The spy, on the other hand, had a different reaction. As if realizing for the first time what he had done, Lieutenant Shield fell to the floor, holding his head. "I-I... I didn''t... I..." "Shield... Brother... Where did you send that message to? Stay on our side this one last time. You can save thousands." The clone stared at Dageer for a long time, long enough for the Jedis to arrive. They wanted to intervene, but General Yoda blocked their path with his cane, and shook his head. All General Windu and the other could do was stay put. "A relay station on Kaeros System. They control it." Dageer looked at Lieutenant Shield''s eyes, and nodded slowly. He had no doubt the clone was telling the truth. "I am sorry, Shield. You know what awaits you." The spy took a deep breath, and got up. Dageer nodded for two troopers to hold him, and take him away. He didn''t want to see what came next. "Commander? Dageer... I see them. The general and Commander Keeli, and all the others. They are in the nightmares. Th-They look at me. Will... Will it finally end? All the pain? All the dreams?" Dageer had turned around, trying not to look at his old brother. However, when he heard that, he still clenched his fists in agony. He knew far too well what Lieutenant Shield meant. Every clone saw their dead brothers in their dreams, and Dageer was no exception. "Yes, brother. It will. You can finally rest." He could almost hear the sigh of relief that the lieutenant let out. Turning around, he left the room, and ignored the Jedis, even though General Windu tried to get his attention. He needed to be alone right now. -------------------------- Two days later, CT-7034, known as Lieutenant Shield, former member of the 303rd Attack Legion and of the 212th Legion, was executed without trial by a firing squad. The execution was performed by members of the Coruscant Police after the Coruscant Guard refused to do it. The Republic relay station the Separatist had taken over, and were using to gather intel from all their spies was destroyed by the 327th fleet, and the Separatist there were all killed. The battle plans for Fondor were changed, resulting in a crushing victory for the Republic, and with minimal losses. For the clones who knew the circ.u.mstances of their victory, the cost was far too great. Chapter 279 - The Price Of War Several months went by, and the Clone Wars had already been raging on for over two years. The galaxy was in tatters, torn between a war that seemed to never end. Millions had died on both sides, and innocents suffered. Everything pointed out that this war was far from over. For the people in the galaxy, it was a period of fear and terror. You never knew when your planet would be subjected to an invasion, no matter from which side. For the combatants, on the other hand, it was routine. -------------------------------- Dageer hid behind a rock, trying to escape the onslaught of lasers leaving the Separatist''s barricades. Next to him, a trooper screamed in pain and fell into a puddle of boiling water, which quickly started to melt his helmet. Luckily for him, he was already dead when that happened. "How are we doing, Dageer?" "Not too good, general. Their positions are holding strong, and anyone who gets close is killed." "What do you think?" "We should call for air support, sir. As long as we can get two Y-Wings to blast those Double-barrel repeating blasters, we will have a shot at entering their positions." The Jedi Dageer was talking to looked over their cover for a second, then turned around and smiled. "Let''s do it." ... "Down! Take cover!" As soon as they heard the order, every clone ducked behind rocks, containers, or whatever they could find. Two Y-Wings flew over their heads, low enough to create air currents, throwing some troopers off their feet. The lines of trenches and barricades that the clanckers had set up disappeared in an instant, leaving a scenery of destruction. Boiling water and lava flew over ten meters high, and showered the few droids who were still alive, melting their bodies. Smoke and toxic gases filled the air, forcing the clones to activate the filters in their helmets - that was another innovation the Phase II armor had. As soon as the ground stopped shaking, the clones left their hiding spots, and started advancing. The bombardment had killed most of the seppies in the area, but a few were still alive, and fighting. Dageer and Brain took care of six clanckers, while Dab used his sniper to kill the ones farther away. Cell and Three-four advanced, entering what remained of the barricades, and made sure all the droids inside were dead. Meanwhile, Metal and Tech provided covering fire for them. After that, Dageer stopped, and held his comlink, talking to Commander Cody. After a few seconds, he nodded to himself, and turned off the communicator. "General! We have to move to quadrant EX-3! The seppies have a bunch of turrets there, and are wrecking our starfighters!" "All right. Captain Orion, you heard him. Let''s go!" A clone wearing the 212th armor dodged a laser, and acknowledged his new orders. "Roger that, General Ragout!" ----------------------------- Jumping over a stream of flowing lava, Ragout arrived next to Dageer. The Commander was occupied giving orders to the troopers around them, so he only slightly nodded at the Jedi. They had known each other for a long time, and been through a lot together, so Dageer would only salute him when necessary. The Jedi was very different from when he was a padawan. Togrutas had two protuberances on their heads, which went down to their shoulders, very much like hair. Ragout, however, had lost a third of his left protuberance in a battle against Asajj Ventress on Felucia. If Hell Squad hadn''t emptied all their magazines on the Sith assassin, forcing him to flee, Ragout probably would be dead. Now, he had a vicious look all the time, quite weird when compared to his calm disposition as a Jedi. Ragout wasn''t the only one who changed. Hell Squad had been to almost every battlefield in the galaxy, and fought side by side with countless Jedis. Each one of them had become more ruthless, and didn''t hesitate in battle. War changed everyone, mostly for the worst, and the Jedis were no exception. After over two years, the Clone Wars were finally reaching it''s peak, and anyone with a little bit of experience could see that. The battles were becoming increasingly brutal, and there wasn''t a single corner of the galaxy that hadn''t been burned by the flames of war. Now, every little planet would be subjected to a merciless campaign, coming from both sides. It was normal for entire fleets to be destroyed, and bases to be annihilated. Hell Squad had taken part in more than one mission that resulted in dozens of thousands of casualties for the Separatist. It was almost impossible to say who was winning. The Separatist would take over a planet, and the Republic would respond by taking it back. That cycle went on for months without end. Planets like Felucia, Mygeeto, Mon Cala, and Kashyyyk had been on constant battle for the entirety of the Clone Wars, and no side could claim superiority. Sull.u.s.t, where Hell Squad and Ragout were now, was another example. Three weeks ago, the 212th and 501st fleets had destroyed the enemy blockade around the planet, and initiated the ground assault. However, almost a month had passed, and they hadn''t even conquered a fourth of the planet. The planet itself didn''t help. Sull.u.s.t was full of extremely valuable minerals, used to make weapons and sh.i.p.s, however, the surface of the planet was a raging inferno. Lava flowed freely, volcanos erupted randomly, and toxic gases filled the atmosphere. For the Republic was worst, but that wasn''t to say for the clanckers wasn''t bad too. The heat and gases melt their bodies without them even noticing. "How are we doing over here, Dageer?" "As good as it can be, general. We took over quadrants EX-3 to JP-11, and lots of new troops arrived, but the tin cans also made a comeback in other quadrants. All in all, we are faring a little bit better than them, but if we continue like that, we will spend months here." The Jedi shook his head helplessly. There was nothing they could do. Sull.u.s.t had a difficult terrain, and, while it favored the AT-TEs of the Republic over the AATs of the Separatist, it also meant that it was very easy to break the vehicles, leaving them defenseless against ambushes by the seppies. Several natives had also joined the Separatist, giving the enemy very competent guides, who could point out the best defensive positions, the best places for ambushes, and what else. Of course, the Republic also had Sull.u.s.tans with them, but somehow the seppies still had an advantage. "We will think of that later, Dageer. We have to try and take the next quadrant before the night comes." "Understood, sir. I will tell the men to move." "Not Hell Squad. I need you well-rested for tonight." "Err... May I know why, general?" "We will attack their advanced command center." Hearing that, the clone almost stumbled. The target Ragout had in mind was one of the best defended in the Separatist frontlines. To try and attack it with just Hell Squad would be suicide. However, he knew Ragout well, and he was sure the Jedi wasn''t that harsh padawan anymore, so he said nothing, and only hoped he had a backup plan. "Got it, general." Chapter 280 - War Waits For No One In the darkness, eight shadows crawled forward. The streams of lava served as a source of light, even if there was no moon around Sull.u.s.t. One would have expected that to bother Hell Squad and Ragout, but the air was so hot that the thermal sensors of the Separatist didn''t work, and the droids had to rely on their eyes. That made them easier to fool. And the clanckers weren''t known for their intelligence either. "All right. Hell Squad, from here on, complete silence. If we make a single noise, they can discover us. Captain Dice, when I contact you, initiate the attack." "Understood, general." Hell Squad just nodded, and turned off their comlinks. They couldn''t risk making any sort of noise. After that, they slowly entered enemy territory, moving from cover to cover carefully, and, when there was none, crawling with their bellies touching the ground. Droid patrols walked mere meters from them, but didn''t notice the group. If it was any other planet, that would have been impossible, but Sull.u.s.t messed with the clanckers'' sensors more than they thought initially. The few times they were discovered, a quick green flash put an end to the patrols. Once again, Dageer admired what the padawan had grown into. He now knew how to use his powers perfectly, and was much more skilled. Liked them or not, Dageer was sure the Jedi Order now had one of the best generations of fighters in their history. Few things could make people improve like putting their life on the line at every moment. Still, not everything went perfectly according to plan. Although they got pretty close to the Separatist command center, they could only go so far without being discovered. A radius of two hundred meters around the enemy camp was illuminated, and the group stopped at the threshold between light and darkness. Ragout ordered for them to stop, and Hell Squad dropped to the ground. They hadn''t expected the Separatist to be so cautious, and now they had no idea of what they could do. Luckily, they didn''t have to worry about the sun rising, because the nights on Sull.u.s.t lasted about twenty hours. Suddenly, the sound of a battle reached their ears. Sirens blasted in the Separatist camp, and battalions of B1 and B2 units started to march out of it. Hell Squad and their general looked at each other, confused. It was normal for battles to break out, even at night. This was a real war, not children''s play. Be it the Republic or the Separatist, if they saw a chance to deal a blow to the enemy, they took it. And, whatever the reason for the battle, it benefited Hell Squad. Ragout made a gesture using one finger, and Dab nodded, acknowledging it. He would stay there to provide support. The others started moving forward, and into the illuminated area, trying to get as far as they could before being discovered. They actually moved a hundred meters forward before the clanckers were alerted to their presence, and started firing. The advanced command center the Separatist had was nothing more than a camp surrounded by Dwarf-Spider droids. Those units were basically mobile turrets, which could tear apart an entire Battalion in a matter of minutes. Usually, four of them would be enough to keep the Republic forces away, but not Hell Squad. One hundred meters were easily covered by Ragout, and the Jedi cut the legs of two Dwarf-Spider droids before finishing them off. Dab took care of another one, hitting it right in the eye, and the other clones quickly destroyed the last one. In less than twenty seconds, the main defense of the seppies had crumbled. Fighting as they got closer, Dageer quickly contacted Captain Dice, and ordered him to start the attack. The clanckers already know they were there, so there was no use in hiding anymore. Besides, their main target, the Dwarf-Spider droids, had already been taken care of. The Republic forces that had been waiting about a kilometer away started to move, and suddenly, blue lasers cut the night, hitting the unaware droids. In a matter of seconds, a giant battle broke out, spreading for kilometers. In less than an hour, the entirety of the southeast front was burning with the flames of war as the Republic launched an all-out offensive in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, Hell Squad and their Jedi general, Ragout, were cutting through the clanckers inside the command center as if they were nothing. Brain threw two thermal detonators, which blew a group of B2 units to pieces. Tech and Three-four climbed up an AAT, and opened the hatch before executing the droids inside it. Outside the enemy camp, Dab was picking off the seppies on the outskirts, confusing them. With so many blue lasers coming from the Republic side, they couldn''t identify which one was causing them so many losses. Dageer looked at Ragout, and used his blaster to gesture to some kind of metal tent in the middle of the command center. If they were to find a tactical droid, it would be there. The Jedi nodded, and started running, with Dsgeer, Metal, and Cell right behind him. Using his lightsaber, he cut the doors open, revealing the clancker they were looking for. With a simple slash, the droid''s torso was separated from the rest of it''s body. "All right. All Republic troops, now is our chance!" The voice of the Togruta resounded in every communicator, and the clones doubled their efforts, pushing the droids back. Dageer smiled under his helmet, while using his DC-17 to put an end to a group of approaching B1 units. "You heard the general, lads! Let''s show the tin cans what the Clone Army can do!" ------------------------- In a single night, the Separatist were forced to give up over three hundred kilometers of ground, while the clones pushed them back with relentless efforts. It was only three days later that the battle slowed down again, as the seppies reinforced their defenses, and Sull.u.s.t entered a stalemate. "He didn''t make it." Dageer and Commander Cody glanced at Captain Dice''s body, and acknowledged the medical droid''s words with a nod. After a few seconds, they moved on, to see the other injured troopers. Every victory had it''s price, and the number of wounded soldiers that couldn''t resist was sometimes even bigger than the number of clones that died in battle. "Commander Dageer, General Ragout requested your presence." A trooper ran up to them, and Dageer nodded. He tapped Commander Cody''s shoulder before leaving the infirmary. "Okay. Where is he?" "On the frontlines." ... If one were to say that the Clone Army was unstoppable, then the Jedis simply weren''t human. They could spend days without stop on the battlefield, only having small periods of rest and meditation every now and again. The clones, on the other hand, could only go for two days of uninterrupted battle before they passed out of exhaustion. Being constantly on the edge, with your life on the line, and seeing your brothers die, took a toll. The fact that they only slept four or five hours, because of the nightmares, didn''t help. The more they battled, the more they saw deaths, the worse the dreams became. Watching the Jedi waving his lightsaber, Dageer pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, and approached Ragout. "General." "The higher-ups have a new assignment for us, Dageer. Prepare Hell Squad to leave. We are going hunting." Chapter 281 - Prison Break "What will happen to the clones when this war ends, Dageer?" The commander looked at Ragout stunned. The question had come out of nowhere, and he truly had no idea of how he could answer it. Turning back to the window, and the hyperspace outside, he didn''t say anything for a long time. Ragout had asked to speak with him alone, and he had supposed it had something to do with the reason why they left Sull.u.s.t before the planet was conquered, but he was wrong. "I... Permission to speak freely, sir?" "Of course." "I don''t know. Clones... We were created for this war, and this war only. We were promised a real life after it is over. But I am not sure what that means." The Jedi waited. He knew Dageer wasn''t paying attention to him anymore, but was lost in thought. He had asked that question with the single purpose of seeing what the clone had in mind. For him - a Jedi - the creation of the clones was cruelty. Making copies of the same being, just to use it as soldiers... He had never thought of that until a few months before, when Lieutenant Shield, a clone he fought side by side before, had said that by himself. Maybe... maybe he had been lying to himself, saying the clones had chosen their own destiny, and only when a clone - even though he was a traitor - said that, he realized what the truth was. That clones had never made a choice in their life, because they had never been asked a single question, only given orders. "A normal life... All the life I have known is war, sir. I grew up preparing for it. I saw so many go... My sergeant, my original squad... There isn''t a day I didn''t lose a brother. I hate all this." Dageer took a deep breath, knowing that he was overstepping his bounds, but Ragout only gave an encouraging nod. "Clones... We don''t know what to feel regarding the war. Without it, I wouldn''t even exist. None of us would. But the very same thing that is the cause of my existence, took so many from me. The 303rd, Commander Keeli, and General Di. Shield, Berro, Fondor, all of them..." The Jedi said nothing. There was nothing to say. "They were, and are, my brothers, general. Uff... I don''t know what we, clones, will do after this war is over..." Dageer touched all the lines in his armor. They went from his shoulder to almost his elbow, and covered part of his chest. That was a reflex he had every time he remembered those who had died. "But I know that while I have brothers fighting in the galaxy, I won''t stop. I will make the seppies pay for every clone they killed." Ragout looked at the commander, pensive. He had known Dageer for a long time, and he had learned a lot from him. Even if he didn''t agree with the feelings the clone had, he wouldn''t say anything for now. "Are we sure they went to Felucia?" "Yeah. Our sh.i.p.s were on their heels, and they headed to the nearest planet. The chancellor said that usually he would let Master Unduli and the 41st deal with them, but since Hell Squad and Hiigi have a history..." Dageer shook his head. Five days ago, Ragout had received a transmission from the Jedi Order, asking him and Hell Squad to take part in a manhunt for several prisoners that escaped the Coruscant Maximum Security Prison during an attempt to escape by the Separatist leader Moralo Eval, and associates. They were still on the run, and, while most of the other prisoners had been caught, a group of six of them had managed to leave Coruscant, including Hiigi. Chancellor Palpatine himself had requested that Hell Squad took part on the mission, although no reasons had been given, at least not to Dageer. The chancellor showed a lot of interest in the special units, especially on Hell Squad and Delta Squad. Although Dageer found it weird, he didn''t think too much of it. ----------------------------- Hiigi closed his eyes, and listened. As a mon calamari, he was used to feeling the vibrations in the water, and listening to every little sound, since he couldn''t rely on his eyes in the deep waters. That was now working to his favor, as he stood on a branch of a gigantic tree, waiting. When the patrol of clones passed under him, he suddenly opened his eyes, and jumped. The first trooper, wearing the camouflaged armor of the 41st Legion, didn''t even see what hit him before his neck was snapped. Hiigi grabbed the blaster the clone had been holding, and used it to shoot two other soldiers on the back. The last clone had time to turn around, but before he could do anything, a hand grabbed his neck, and lifted him. He tried to free himself, but the hand was like a metal claw. His world turned as Hiigi smashed him against a tree, making it shake, and causing leaves to fall. The mon calamari didn''t even check if the clone was alive before moving on. That was already the fourth patrol he killed. Now, what he needed to do was find somewhere to hide for a while, and then, a way out of Felucia. ------------------------------ A Laat hovered above the jungle, waiting. Dageer, Ragout, and Hell Squad looked out of the open doors, to the ground, hidden by foliage, eighty meters below them. It was impossible to land on most of Felucia. Weirdly shaped trees and bushes covered the planet, and gigantic predators, like the Rancors, roamed in packs. Metal and Three-four kicked a roll of cables out of the gunship, and they fell between the branches. With the calmness of someone who had done that many times, Hell Squad slid down the cables, landing softly on the ground, already alert to their surroundings. Not only did they have to worry about the escaped prisoners, but also about the Separatist. The entire planet was a battleground, and they could never be too careful, even if they were on friendly territory. Dageer gave Ragout a quick confirmation that the area was secure, and a few seconds later, the Togruta joined them by dropping down, and ignoring the cables. The Jedi did a flip in midair, and used the trees to slow down his fall, before landing safe and sound. None of the clones were too impressed, since they were quite used to scenes like that. For the last few months, Hell Squad and Ragout had partnered most of the time, going on special assignments. They had been to Felucia more than once too. "The last area any of the prisoners was seen was eleven kilometers from here. The 41st already captured one of them, and killed another, so we only have to worry about four. They are all extremely dangerous, especially Hiigi, so be careful." "Roger that, general. Come on, lads, let''s move!" Chapter 282 - Hunting In The Forest Crrity ran as fast as he could, jumping over fallen trees and rocks, but came to a sudden stop when an opening appeared. Looking around him, the human grabbed the piece of wood he had in his hands tightly. Ever since his ship had crashed in Felucia, and the group of escaped prisoners split up, that was the only weapon he had. He had been lucky enough not to meet any Republic troops for the past days, and he had grabbed enough supplies from the ship for him to survive many days. It appeared everything was going well to him, and the only downside was that the frightening mon calamari had taken all the weapons. However, when he thought he just might really get away, a group of clones, as well as one of the dammed Jedis had appeared, and started chasing him. All he could do was run, but now he had no idea of what to do. Hearing the sound of leaves moving, he looked around, and saw two clones appear. Turning to the opposite direction, he prepared to run, but two other troopers appeared. Spinning in place, unsure of what his next course of action should be, he saw three other clones. All of them, seven in total, had different designs on their armors, designs he had never seen before. Especially the one right in front of him, who had lines on his right arm. Experience taught him that no normal clone would have this kind of liberty with their armor, and his instincts told him that if he wasn''t careful, they wouldn''t hesitate to shoot him. The entire squad exhaled a dangerous feeling, as if they were a pack of Nexus, waiting to pounce onto him. "Put down that... weapon, and surrender, Crrity. You have no way out." Glaring full of hatred at the young Jedi, the ex-prisoner hesitated for a few seconds, before dropping the piece of wood. He didn''t want to go back to prison, but he wasn''t stupid enough to try and fight. He escaped once, he could do it again, but only if he was alive. The leading clone gestured with his head, and one of the troopers walked to Crrity while the others kept their aim on him. Without putting up any resistance, he let the clone handcuff him. ... "With him, only Hiigi is left, general." "The most dangerous of them..." Dageer and Ragout talked while Crrity - tied up - was pushed into a Laat. Hell Squad couldn''t possibly bring all the captured fugitives with them, so each time they got one, a gunship from the 41st came to pick them up. They had already gotten two others - one of which preferred to die than surrender, and go back to prison - before Crrity, and now, only Hiigi, Hell Squad''s old enemy, remained on the run. "We have to catch him as soon as possible, sir. He already killed twenty-eight soldiers." Ragout patted Dageer''s shoulder, calming down the clone using a wave of the Force. He knew that Dageer blamed himself for those deaths, because he had a chance to kill Hiigi before, but didn''t take it. "Don''t worry, Dageer. It won''t take long. Master Unduli has every trooper that isn''t on the battlefield searching for him, and we already blocked his way to the Separatist''s side of the planet. The circle is shrinking, and we will get him soon." Dageer nodded, and gestured for Hell Squad to gather around him. They had their helmets off, and sweat trickling down their faces. Felucia was hot and humid, with constant rains. The armors made it worse, but they would rather have it on than not have it at all. Only when they were sure there weren''t any enemies around that they took off the helmets. "We will move out soon, lads. We will have to go through the territory of a Rancor, so be careful." "Understood, commander." "Rancors, hum?" --------------------------- A few dozen kilometers away, Hiigi was dragging a dead creature, which looked like a lizard, but with four giant wings. The animal had twice his size, but the mon calamari didn''t seem to face trouble with lifting it. When he got in front of a cave, Hiigi stopped, and let the dead creature on the ground before retreating a few dozen meters, and hiding. Over two hours went by, and night started to fall, but Hiigi was still waiting patiently. He was a hunter, and was used to stay still for hours, waiting for the prey to move. He had always liked the feeling of control over his target, but now, the Republic had twisted the roles, and he was the one being hunted. He didn''t like that, even more after he discovered, when he was spying on a patrol, that Hell Squad was amongst the people searching for him. But he had an idea to make the prey become the hunter once again. Suddenly, he felt the earth under his feet tremble when a gigantic creature left the cave, and grabbed the corpse he had left outside, and started munching on it. The being was over fifteen meters tall, and had small, black eyes. It''s arms had several sharp claws, and fangs appeared on his open mouth, each one the size of a person. Drool dripped out of it''s mouth when it finished eating, and it looked around for more food. Suddenly, a blue flash left the trees, hitting it right under the left eye. The Rancor, one of the deadliest predators in the entirety of Felucia, growled in pain, and looked at where the laser had come from. All it saw was someone running away, and that triggered it''s anger. Rancors were territorial, violent, and very proud. It couldn''t accept the fact that it had been challenged, and that it was now being ignored. Smashing the ground in fury, the creature smashed tress aside as it started pursuing Hiigi. The direction they were going was none other than where one of the Republic camps was. ---------------------------- Dageer was talking with Commander Gree when he heard alarms going off. Both clones got out of the command post they were in, and found the reason for the turmoil without much trouble. A Rancor was attacking the Republic base. The enraged beast slapped a clone with his giant hand, sending the poor soldier flying with a broken body. Another trooper was captured by the Rancor, and thrown on it''s mouth. His screams rang out, making the clones burst in anger, and empty their magazines on the creature. However, the skin of the Rancor was too thick, so the lasers did little to hurt him, only making it angrier. Dageer and Hell Squad also joined on the fray, even as the Rancor destroyed the buildings, and slaughtered more clones. "Dageer! Look past it! On the trees!" Ragout and General Unduli appeared, looking surprised at the rampaging creature. What surprised them even more, though, was the figure looking at the base from the outskirts. Hiigi. The mon calamari was glaring straight at Dageer, hatred burning in his eyes. The commander looked back, but he had bigger problems. "Generals, you go after him! We will take care of the Rancor!" The two Jedis only hesitated for a slight moment before nodding, and skipping past the Rancor. Both Hell Squad and the 41st had experience in dealing with Rancors. When he saw them, Hiigi turned around and ran. He knew he wasn''t match for a Jedi, even more two. Chapter 283 - Enraged Rancor Dageer and Dab hit the left eye of the Rancor at the same time, making the creature screech in pain, and stomp the ground, leveling two tents. Another two unfortunate troopers were caught by it''s giant hands, and thrown over a hundred meters away, crashing and rolling in the ground, long dead. The death toll was now already at over ten clones. "Gree! We need the cannons!" Dageer kept firing at the Rancor, trying to blind it completely, but the creature wasn''t stupid, and was covering it''s good eyes with it''s hand. While the clones tried to keep their distance, the Rancor was quick, and another soldier was eaten in the few seconds that Dageer turned to yell at Commander Gree. "On it! Razor, King, Gyts, with me!" The three clones the commander had chosen followed him, but the Rancor picked one of them before he could move, the sharp claws piercing him through his back. Trying his hardest to ignore the screams of his brothers, Dageer, the closest one to Commander Gree, put Brain in charge of Hell Squad, and followed the commander. "I will be the gunner! Come on, move, move, move!" Commander Gree nodded, and they ran towards the nearest AT-TE. It was the only one in optimal firing position, while the others would have to be moved. Climbing the ladder on one of the front legs of the vehicle, Dageer sat at the enormous mass-drive laser cannon on top of it. An AT-TE needed a crew of six troopers if one wanted it to function properly, but four were enough to just fire the cannon. The gunner - Dageer - had to press the trigger, but two clone - King and Gyts - had to control the vehicle, and power it up, while a spotter - Commander Gree - aimed. The number of clones necessary to man an AT-TE was one of the reasons why the Separatist and the Republic were evenly matched, even though an AT-TE could take out multiple AATs before going down. Feeling the cannon move, and turn around, Dageer got ready to press the trigger. He was only a few dozen meters away, and the Rancor was a big target, so he could hardly miss. The creature, however, had sensed the danger, and was glaring at him with a murderous glint in it''s remaining eye. Ignoring the other soldiers, the Rancor ran towards the AT-TE, almost crushing Metal and Cell under it''s feet. The two clones had to jump to the side, barely dodging their deaths. "Gree..." "Almost there! Come on... Almost, almost... Ready!" The Rancor was just twenty meters away, it''s hand stretched to grab Dageer, or the AT-TE, when the commander pressed the trigger. A blue laser with a diameter of almost two meters left the cannon''s barrel, hitting the open hand. The arm of the creature, up to it''s elbow, disappeared, and pieces of flesh fell from the sky, covering a wide area. Black blood showered the AT-TE, and Dageer, who was on top of it. The creature held what was left of it''s right arm with his other hand, letting out guttural noises of pain. The anger in it''s face disappeared, replaced by fear, and it turned around and ran away. It had faced many enemies before, and defeated all of them, but it had never seen anything like this. It''s instincts told it that it was no match for the cannon, and even the pain it was feeling subsided, since all it could do now was fear for it''s life. The clone only bothered about wiping the blood off his helmet, before preparing to fire again. The recharge time, however, was long enough for the Rancor to escape, and he missed, only hitting trees, and creating a small crater. Sliding down from the AT-TE, Dageer grabbed his DC-15A, and shook his body, cleaning himself of most of the black substance. The base was a scenery of destruction, with destroyed buildings, dead troopers, craters on the ground, and pieces of the Rancor. Remembering who was responsible for this, Dageer clenched his fists in fury. This time, he wouldn''t make the mistake of leaving Hiigi alive. "Gree! Put the camp in order, I will go help the Jedis. Brain, Tech, Three-four, Dab, Metal, Cell, with me." Running towards the forest, Dageer only now realized that the Rancor fled in the same direction that Hiigi, General Unduli, and Ragout had gone. Quickening his pace, he ordered Hell Squad to move faster, throwing caution to the wind. Without the AT-TEs, even the two Jedis would have trouble dealing with a Rancor. ------------------------------ Hiigi was running through the forest, pushing aside a group of jelly-like bushes, when suddenly his feet left the ground. He started levitating, and, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn''t free himself. He felt his body being turned around for a force he couldn''t control, and was put face-to-face with the two Jedis. One of them, the woman, had her arms stretched, and her palms faced up. Clearly, she was the one holding him, using the Force. The other Jedi, a Togruta, pointed his lightsaber at him. "Come with us without resisting." Hiigi only looked at him, without saying a word, an expression of despise on his face. Suddenly, he heard something, and his gaze fixated in the air behind the Jedis. They probably noticed that, or maybe they felt the creature, because they turned around, but it was too late. A giant hand grabbed the woman, lifting her up, and threatening to crush her. With her distracted, Hiigi was freed from his invisible shackles, and fell to the ground. Quickly getting up, he got away from the Rancor and the Jedis, although he stood near to see how it would play out. ------------------------------ Ragout saw his fellow Jedi being grabbed, and witnessed the Rancor pull her close to his mouth, and howl, covering her in saliva. He also noticed that one of the arms of the monster was missing, probably because of the explosions they hear a few minutes prior. "Master Unduli!" "Agh!" He jumped up, on the Rancor''s leg, and used it as a trampoline to propel himself higher. Then, he slashed with his lightsaber, cutting a gash on the creature''s hand, making it drop General Unduli. The Mirialan fell down, holding her right side, and panting in pain. Her lightsaber was on the ground a few meters away from her, but before she could reach it with the Force, the Rancor trampled over it. All that was left was a crushed metal stick and sparks. Ragout landed next to her, doing a backflip, and helped her get up, to escape the injured monster. He could see Hiigi looking at the battle, but if he stopped paying attention to the creature, he would probably die. That is, if it was just him and General Unduli. Suddenly, blue lasers flew from the trees, most heading towards the Rancor, catching it''s attention. Two of the lasers, however, were sent after Hiigi, hitting the mon calamari on the legs, and making him fall face-first on the ground. "Dageer! Go after Hiigi! I will keep the Rancor occupied!" ---------------------------- After seeing that he hit the target, Dageer led Hell Squad out of the cover of the trees, and onto the area that was being trampled by the Rancor. The clones spread out, keeping as much distance between them and the creature as possible. "Three-four, go help General Unduli! The others, help General Ragout fight that thing!" "Got it, sir." "Understood, commander!" Running towards the mon calamari, Dageer saw the familiar hatred burning on Hiigi''s eyes. Chapter 284 - Hatred Even In Death "If you move, I will shoot you. Stay down, Hiigi." Dageer would have no qualms with executing the mon calamari for all the crimes he had done against the Republic, and, especially, as revenge for all the clones he had killed, but he knew the Jedis wouldn''t approve of that. As such, he only ordered Hiigi to stay down, which the mon calamari disobeyed. As soon as Dageer got near, Hiigi ignored the two burning holes in his legs, and jumped at the clone, trying to catch him by surprise. Dageer, however, was prepared, and fired his blaster, hitting Hiigi on the left side of his body. The mon calamari fell to the ground again, panting in pain, and holding his new wound. The hatred in his eyes burned stronger, and he wished for nothing to kill the clone before him, but he was impotent. --------------------©\---- Dark shadows covered his mind, and Hiigi could think of nothing but to kill the clone before him. He was the cause of so much suffering, and so much pain. Before this war had started, Hiigi didn''t have any problems with the Republic. He had a good life back in Mon Cala. He had friends, a family, and everything he could wish for. Even if his father and the royal family had their problems, it never affected him. But one day, something changed. A war started, and his planet was torn between which side to choose. His father wanted to side with the Separatist, and, although Hiigi didn''t agree with him entirely, he still followed him. And then, he saw his world shaken as he faced the horrors of war. He saw friends die, and he killed many himself. He didn''t know for what he was fighting, and why so many had to die. He argued with his father every single day, and their relationship deteriorated. All he wanted to do was go back to Mon Cala, and to how life was before. But now he was a soldier in an army. He couldn''t leave. And so, he got used to it, because it was the only way to survive. He became a cold, merciless killer. His friends, and the mon calamari under his father, became famous as one of the elite groups of the Separatist Army. And, because of that, they were chosen to attack Kamino, with his father as the commander. The result was utter defeat. Out of shame, despair, anger, and craziness, his father piloted his ship into the planet, trying to destroy the clone facilities, but failed. Hiigi saw his father die, and wanted to die too, but he still had men under his command. So he promised to himself that he would avenge his father later. His damaged ship went to Scarif, where he planned to start his vengeance, but who could have imagined that Hell Squad would wipe out his crew? Fueled by sadness and anger, he had followed Count Dooku''s advice, and went to train under General Grievous. And, while that did make him much stronger, it had it''s price. In a short two years, his life had been turned upside down, and now, about to be arrested again, all Hiigi could think was of how much he hated everyone. His father, the Republic, the Separatist, the Jedi, Count Dooku, General Grievous, Hell Squad, Dageer, and himself. He hated the galaxy, he hated his life, he hated everything. His mind clouded by hatred, Hiigi suddenly felt something inside of him. He reached for it, and heard a voice whispering in his head, telling him to let his emotions loose, to do what he wanted. To hate everything, and kill everyone. Without him realizing it, his mind was drowned by all the hatred he felt, and that... thing took control. An explosion of invisible energy left his body, sending Dageer flying, and stunning the Jedis and Hell Squad. Hiigi got up as if his wounds didn''t exist, even as blood dripped down his side, and kicked Dageer. He enjoyed the feeling of bones breaking under his feet. That invisible force grabbed the vibroblade the clone was carrying, and gave it to Hiigi. The mon calamari analyzing it for a moment, before a smile crept it''s way to his face for the first time in years, and he prepared to stab Dageer. He finally would have his revenge. ---------------------------- General Unduli and Ragout stared in shock at Hiihi, feeling the dark side of the Force grow stronger in him. Soon, it was so dense they could actually see a black and red mist appear, and throw Dageer away before dissipating. Ragout had never seen anything like that before. He had fought against Ventress, and other Force users, but none had been as powerful as Hiigi. "He lost himself! Ragout, we have to deal with him quickly! His mind is gone!" General Unduli yelled at the young Jedi. Clearly, she had seen that happen before, and it wasn''t anything good. But before they could get to Hiigi, the mon calamari already had grabbed Dageer''s vibroblade, using the Force, and was preparing to kill the clone with it. And then Hiigi was gone. It was all too fast for even the Jedis to react. The Rancor, recognizing Hiigi as the one who first shot him, and the one who led him to all the pain he was feeling, swiped his hand at the mon calamari, grabbing him. Even the Force wasn''t powerful enough to go against the creature, at least not in the hands of the untrained Hiigi. He let out a silent scream of anger, his mouth open, but no sound coming out, and stabbed the hand holding him repeatedly. That, however, only made the Rancor angrier. It tightened it''s grip, and the sound of bones breaking could be heard as Hiigi lost all his strength, and collapsed. His eyes, still full of hatred, never left Dageer, even as the Rancor threw him on it''s mouth. Hell Squad and the Jedis watched, powerless, as the mon calamari was eaten in an eerie silence. For a few seconds, Hell Squad stopped firing at the creature, and the only sound that could be heard was the Rancor swallowing. They had no sympathy for Hiigi, but that was a gruesome way to go. After eating the mon calamari, the Rancor glared at the Republic forces, and growled. Since the AT-TE wasn''t there, he wasn''t afraid anymore. Smashing down with his remaining hand, he tried to capture Three-four, but the medic was faster, and dodged. Hell Squad resumed firing at the creature, while Ragout awakened from his stupor, and slashed the Rancor''s ankle, making it kneel. Using that chance, Metal and Dab focused their fire at the creature''s right eye, and finally were able to blind it. The Togruta then jumped on top of the raging creature, and used his lightsaber to cut it''s neck open, before doing a backflip, and pushing both his hands forward. Pushed by a wave of Force, the Rancor stumbled backwards, and fell to the ground, the impact big enough to make Cell, who was close, fall. Taking advantage of the situation the Rancor was in, Ragout ran forward once again, and sent his lightsaber straight through it''s right eye. The Rancor twitched for a few seconds before quieting down. Exhausted, the Jedi sat on the ground. The hunt for the escaped prisoners was over, and in a way they had never imagined it would end. // Author''s Note // That''s the end of Hiigi. I know some of you wanted him to be - or at least thought he would be - the kind of villain that always escaped and returned, and for some time, I thought about it. However, I decided against it for two main reasons: first, we already have Grievous, Ventress, Dooku, and many more to do that. Secondly, Hiigi isn''t a villain. He was just a combatant from the other side. Throughout the novel, I''ve been trying to show that the Separatist aren''t (only) the bad guys, but simply one side of the war. Sometimes, the Republic was more in the wrong than they. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, remember to leave a review if you can, think about joining our discord, and don''t hesitate to share any ideas, suggestions, or (polite) critics. And may the Force be with you! Discord link: discord.gg/Gdv2arS COMMENT 10 comments VOTE Load failed, please RETRY Privileged More Privileged Chapters Download the app and become a privileged reader today! Come take a sneak peek at our author''s stockpiled chapters! Download 10 Table of Contents Display Options Background default yellow dark Font Nunito Sans Merriweather Size Paragraph comments Chapter comments Write thought login liked newest Author: ? 0){ %>Chapter : Author: Machine Translation Editor: Chapter 285 - Not So Different Dageer looked at the dead Rancor, quite shocked. He had known Hiigi for a long time, and the mon calamari had tried to kill him over and over again. Somehow, it was hard to accept that he was gone just like that, but the bits of flesh on the creature''s mouth left no doubt that Hiigi was truly dead. Sighing, he picked up his vibroblade, dropped by Hiigi when the Rancor had grabbed him, and made another marking on his armor. As cruel of an enemy as the mon calamari might have been, Dageer didn''t think it was fair to forget him. When Three-four finished treating General Unduli - she had broken a rib, and fractured an arm - he approached Dageer. "How bad is it, commander?" "Not too much. One or two broken ribs." "Any problems to breathe?" "No. My lungs are good." "All right, let me take a look." With the major concern of a broken rib piercing a lung out of the way, Three-four was much calmer, and quickly bandaged Dageer. While the medic was doing that, Hell Squad, General Unduli, and Ragout joined them, so Dageer wouldn''t have to move. "That puts an end to your mission, Ragout." "Yes, it does. I never thought I would see a Sith being born, only to meet it''s end so quickly." "He had so much hatred... I wonder what led to that?" Hearing the Jedis talking, Dageer knew he should stay quiet. But he could see Hell Squad shuffling uncomfortably, and he himself wasn''t feeling too good. As such, he couldn''t keep his mouth shut. "We did, general." General Unduli looked at Dageer curiously. She could feel that the clone was both relieved and sad. "Pardon me, commander? What does that mean?" "We were the cause of his hatred. Hell Squad in special. We killed his entire crew back in Scarif, and Hiigi never gave up on trying to get revenge." "Weird. The Separatist usually don''t show any empathy, even to their own." "The clanckers don''t. But... With all due respect, general, I can understand him. Hiigi deserved to die, for all the clones he killed, but in a way, he wasn''t too different from us. He too saw his friends die, and wanted to avenge them." Ragout wasn''t surprised by what Dageer was saying, since it wasn''t the first time he heard the clone''s thoughts on the war and everything related to it. General Unduli, however, had never expected a clone to say something so... deep. She was used to them just following orders. Not that she didn''t notice all the pain they felt, or their emotions, but she rarely - or more accurately, never - heard one of them express those thoughts in words. "General Unduli, are you okay?" A group of clones led by Commander Gree suddenly appeared, and glanced surprised at the Rancor''s body for a moment before proceeding to join the group that was already there. "Yes, commander. Three-four already took care of my wounds, you don''t have to worry." "And the fugitive?" "The Rancor got him." Commander Gree looked at the creature once again, and slowly nodded. He had no sympathy for an enemy of the Republic. "We should get back to the base, generals." "You are right. Let''s go." ----------------------------- "That little apprentice of your died, general. Who would have thought that he actually had power within the Force?" "Kakakaka... If he couldn''t survive, that means he wasn''t strong enough. He would be of no use to you, master. Useless insect... Cough... Cough! Kakaka!" -------------------------- The tree next to Dageer collapsed, and a trooper got stuck under it. Putting his blaster aside, Dageer tried to lift the tree, but it was too heavy. "Metal! Come give me a hand!" Together, the two clones pushed the tree aside, and the trooper crawled away from it, bruised, but alive. He thanked Dageer, but the commander had already turned around and was firing at the seppies. Two droids fell victim of his lasers, and Dageer hid behind an AT-TE''s legs to reload. Felucia was a tricky planet to fight in, where behind every tree and rock, an enemy could be hiding. Of course, that was true for both sides, and there weren''t only a few occasions where the Republic had ambushed the Separatist. Just like now. Like many other battlefields, such as Sull.u.s.t, Mygeeto, Geonosis, and many more, Felucia was locked in a battle of attrition. The side that could withstand the most would win. And, for that, supplies were extremely important. As such, the Republic was attacking a Separatist convoy that carried batteries and ammunition, but they had underestimated the escort that the seppies had prepared. Dageer had advised that they held on to the attack, and waited for a better opportunity, but General Unduli''s padawan, Bariss Offee, was the one leading the ambush, and she insisted on following their original plan. Dageer disagreed, but he followed his orders all the same. He had long understood that Jedis, especially padawans, weren''t used to leading a war, and that they needed a defeat to learn to be better leaders. The fact that many clones had to pay with their lives for the recklessness of the padawan was a fatality Dageer couldn''t avoid. He could only hope that she would learn of her mistakes, just like Ragout did. Back to the present, Dageer showed half of his body, and saw the convoy in the valley below. The ambushing forces were thirty meters above the Separatist, giving them a height advantage, but the AATs still could aim and fire at them. Firing his blaster at the clanckers below, Dageer looked to the side, and saw Bariss too occupied with deflecting lasers to do anything else. Glancing back at the sides of the valley, he decided it would be bumpy to go down, but not impossible. "Hell Squad, on me!" The six clones quickly surrounded him, taking cover behind a tree, and waited for his orders. "Those two AATs are slaughtering us. Seventy meters to our left, there is a place where the inclination is slightly subtler. We will go down through there. Tech and Metal, you take care of the tank to the left, Three-four and Cell, you get the other one. Dab, you take care of the STAPs, and I will get the Dwarf-Spiders. Brain, do you still have detonators?" "Yeah." "Pass them around, and use the ones that are left to blow up the convoy." "General Offee wanted the convoy intact." "Not going to happen, and she knows that." He looked at their helmets for a moment, knowing that under them were determined expressions, and nodded. "Let''s go, then." As soon as he said that, Dageer got out from behind the tree, and ran towards the area he had seen before. Dodging two lasers, he jumped, landing on his back. Almost instantly, mud, earth, and pebbles started following, and he slid down faster than he expected. He knew by the noise that Hell Squad was on the same path as him. Firing his blaster without much aim, he fell the last two meters to the ground, right on top of a B2 unit. The clancker was thrown to the ground by his momentum, and Dageer finished him off before turning to kill three other seppies. His brothers by his side, he ran forward, towards the Dwarf-Spider droids. Now came the complicated part. Chapter 286 - Elites As if sliding thirty meters amongst rocks and dirt was nothing, Hell Squad got to their feet with weapons ready and firing. A group of twenty battle droids was destroyed before they even understood how the clones had gotten to them. Immediately after, Hell Squad split up, each member doing their part. Dageer jumped over a Separatist vehicle, and landed on top of a Dwarf-Spider droid. Putting his blaster against the clancker''s head, he kept pressing the trigger until the outer layer of the Dwarf-Spider droid had melted, and it''s circuits were destroyed. As the droid''s legs lost power, and it crumbled to the ground, Dageer took cover behind it''s body, and pulled out a thermal detonator. He threw it over his shoulder, and it landed just under the next Dwarf-Spider droid, destroying it immediately. A few B1 units, and a Droideka, were also caught in the blast, and became scrap metal. A few meters away from him, Dab pressed the trigger on his DC-15x four times. The first two lasers hit the stabilizers of two STAPs, sending them - and the droids using it - to the ground. The other two lasers hit the pilots of another two STAPs directly, and the two vehicles crashed on one another, creating a small explosion. Not too far away, Tech and Metal ran forward, using the clanckers they killed as shields, until they got to the AATs. Metal climbed on it, and rolled two detonators into the barrel before jumping off. A few seconds later, a big explosion happened, shaking the ground, as the tank disappeared in a cloud of smoke and debris. Three-four and Cell opted for a different approach. The scout got on top of the AAT, and opened the hatch, before unloading an entire magazine Into the crew. His next step was to grab the medic''s arm, and pull the clone inside the AAT. Soon, the Separatist''s own weapon was being used against them, blowing up a group of Droidekas, two Dwarf-Spider droids, and a whole bunch of B1 and B2 units. When they finally got out of the AAT, having rigged the tank with thermal detonators, a radius of about fifty meters around them was a scene of complete chaos and destruction. All the while Hell Squad was wreaking havoc amongst the droids, Brain hadn''t fired a single shot. He was fully focused only on putting explosives in every ammo crate and battery he could find. "Ready, commander!" "Roger that! Hell Squad, fall back!" Instantly, Hell Squad disengaged, and, while Dab gave cover, taking down five more STAPs, hid behind the carcass of one of the AATs. "Have fun, Brain!" "Hahaha!" Dageer''s second-in-command laughed out loud as he pressed a switch, and a chain of explosions sent a heatwave over them, blowing up a cloud of dust, mud, soil, and pieces of droids. Metal cursed as half a B2 super battle droid almost hit him. "Filters on!" Turning on the filtering function on his helmet - tibana gas could be highly toxic, and the ammo crates had been full of it, in it''s raw form - Dageer looked at the damage they had done. The convoy was gone, and it''s escort was mostly in shreds, but there were still about two hundred clanckers alive. "General Offee, we might need help down here." "Got it! 41st, attack!" With the AATs and Dwarf-Spider droids gone, more soldiers showed themselves, and started firing at the seppies. Once again, the height advantage proved to be important, and the remaining clanckers were quickly eliminated. From the moment Hell Squad took action, to the end of the battle, only twelve minutes had passed. ------------------------------ Bariss was too concentrated on the lasers in front of her to notice Hell Squad''s crazy stunt as the unit slid straight into the bulk of the enemy forces. However, she would have to be blind and deaf not to see the Dwarf-Spider droids, AATs, STAPs, and Droidekas that had been slaughtering the troops under her, disappear. Just a few minutes after that, the 41st only had to deal with normal B1 units. A few more minutes, and a gigantic explosion shook the ground as the convoy was destroyed. "General Offee, we might need help down here." The padawan heard Dageer''s voice through her communicator, and realized that only Hell Squad would be as crazy - and capable enough - as to do what they just did. "Got it! 41st, attack!" The camouflaged clones came out from behind the trees and rocks, and showered the seppies in blue lasers. They didn''t last too long. ... "Good job, Commander Dageer. We would have taken a lot more losses if it wasn''t for your squad." The padawan thanked Dageer, but the commander just acknowledged it with a slight nod, and, after confirming there was nothing else, went to talk with the wounded troopers. It was a commander''s job to be with his men not only in battle, but also out of it. Looking at Dageer''s back, Bariss shook her head. She had never expected a squad of seven men to do what three hundred of the 41st were having trouble doing. Not for the first time, the padawan understood that Hell Squad was truly the best the Grand Army of the Republic had. They were elite soldiers, and they were good at their job. ---------------------------- "Did it all go well, Bariss?" "Yes, master. Thanks to Hell Squad, we didn''t suffer many casualties." General Unduli nodded at her padawan, and was happy to see so many troopers return unharmed. They had only lost about twenty clones, which was excellent. They had expected about a hundred deaths. Hell Squad, on the other hand, went to their quarters - a simple room, with many bunk beds - and started taking off their armors. They were full of bruises, from sliding down the valley, but, apart from that, were unharmed. All of them, without exception, had several scars on their bodies, mostly from lasers. After putting simple, brownish-red clothes on, the clones started cleaning their weapons. They were always on the edge, ready to jump into a battle at any moment, so they took the chance to take care of their blasters whenever they could. After all, a weapon was the same as a soldier''s life. With it, they might die. Without it, they die for sure. They were still doing that when Ragout entered the room. Promptly, Hell Squad got up and saluted him. "At ease. You can continue what you were doing." The seven men nodded, and sat down again. They were too used to Ragout''s presence to care when he was there. That didn''t mean they were disrespectful, just that they could ignore his presence, and do their duties without being nervous about a superior officer. Seeing the focused clones, Ragout decided not to interrupt them, and sat down on a bed, his legs crossed and eyes closed. He felt more comfortable in Hell Squad''s presence than with the other Jedis. Dageer saw that his general didn''t seem intent in saying anything, and finished checking his blaster before picking up his armor. He used a piece of cloth to wipe out the laser marks, but left the dust and mud. It didn''t bother him, and helped the camouflage. His eyes ran through the scratches on the shoulder pad, and he touched them. He didn''t need their help to remind all the brothers he had lost, but whatever the dead went, he wanted them to know that he had avenged them. Chapter 287 - A Jedis Path A battlefield. Rocks and red soil. Small and shriveled trees. And bodies. A stretch of over ten kilometers, all of it covered in bodies. The majority of them were yellowish droids or big, silver ones. They were in pieces, and full of holes. Their carcass toppled over one another, sometimes piling up to half a meter high. Here and there, something different appeared. Something white and brownish-red. The deeper one went inside the battlefield, the more they would see those bodies. Each of them had a blaster in their hands, and dozens of dead droids around them. Clearly, they put up quite the fight. But the enemy was too overwhelming. At the center of the battlefield, laid twenty or so of those soldiers wearing white armor. Under their helmets, they all had the same face. Around them were hundreds of droids. A broken helmet, with a peculiar design, was next to one of the dead bodies. It was broken in the middle, the visor cracked, and pieces of it were missing. In the few parts of it that were still intact, an image appeared. The pitch-black visor reflected flames that weren''t there. Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of noise appeared. Weapons being fired, explosions, and screams. Many, many screams. Of pain, of rage, of hatred. The source of those screams was a different body. Brown skin, rough like scales. Small bone thorns on the face. Weirdly enough, even though the screams were coming from it, the body had a smile on it''s face. The smile grew wider, and the body got up. The ones clad into white armor also started to rise, even though they were clearly dead. "We suffered a lot. We suffered too much. Put an end to it... Put an end to it! Avenge us! Kill! Avenge us!" The screams, filled with anger, seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. But the target of all this pain was calm. A voice filled with sadness, but also a bit of happiness, spoke. "Sorry, master, brothers... I will always remember you, but... Revenge is not my path." As if it was made of dust, the entire battlefield crumbled and disappeared. The dead bodies, including the one the voice called master, also started to become particles that flew away. The angry screams stopped, replaced by a voice filled with pride. "You have grown, my padawan. Follow your own path, for it is an important one. And remember to take care of those who follow you on that path. They will need it. May the Force be with you." ------------------------------ Ragout opened his eyes, and, for a moment, saw his master in front of him, in a translucent, almost spectral form. General Di was smiling warmly, and his words resonated inside Ragout''s head, filling the Jedi with happiness. "Thanks, master... For everything." As he murmured those words, General Di''s smile grew wider, and he disappeared. His padawan was on the right path. Now, he could rest knowing that he had done everything he could to prepare Ragout. "Did you say something, general?" Ragout shook his head slightly, awaken from his stupor, and looked at the spot where General Di had just been. He didn''t know if it was a dream or a vision from the Force, or even just his subconscious showing him what he wanted to see, but he was happy anyway. After a few seconds, he looked at Hell Squad, who, in turn, were staring at him. They were used to the Jedi''s weird actions, but Ragout staring at nothing confused them. "Nothing important. I was just... Talking to myself." The clones shrugged, and returned to what they were doing. A few minutes later, Dageer got up, and told his brothers to follow him to the canteen. "We were going to grab something to eat, general. Wanna come?" Ragout declined the offer. After the vision he just had, all he wanted was to meditate. Dageer just nodded, his scar moving along with his frown. He could feel that something had happened to his general, but whatever it was, Ragout seemed almost happy with it. Watching Hell Squad walk away, Ragout felt Dageer''s doubt, and grinned. The vision he had was a Jedi''s matter, and he couldn''t tell that to anyone but his fellow Jedis. ------------------------ Dageer hadn''t even started eating when a trooper ran up to him, saying that his presence was requested at the command center. Looking at his men, Dageer shrugged, and put down his tray. He was more than used to being called without any prior notice, and it seemed to happen even more when he was trying to eat or sleep. He walked to the command center, his helmet under his arm, and met Commander Gree on the way. "Do you know what this is about, Dageer?" "No idea. This is weird... Why wouldn''t they contact us through our comlinks?" Commander Gree shook his head, unsure. He knew from experience that if something couldn''t be discussed over comlinks, it was because it was extremely important, and top-secret. He was proved right when they entered the command center, and saw a projection of Chancellor Palpatine, General Windu, and General Kenobi, talking to General Unduli. Aside from them, the room was empty. "Commanders, please, come over here." The two clones exchanged surprised glances, and, after greeting the chancellor and the Jedis, stood quietly by General Unduli''s side. "All right, everyone is here now. Dageer, Gree, the mission you are about to receive is extremely important. The fewer people who know about it, the better, so don''t tell your men any details." "Understood, general." "Roger that." The two clones weren''t too surprised, especially Dageer. It was normal to hide critical information from their men, after all, many were captured and tortured. The less they knew, the better for the Republic. It was cruel, but it was the reality. Just like when Brain had been captured. He knew more than normal clones, but still, the information he had was of little value to the Separatist, so they sent him to the prison above Sull.u.s.t, where he was later rescued. "Chancellor, if you could explain what is this all about?" "Of course, Master Kenobi. In a few days, Senator Padm¨¦ Amidala will go to Orto Plutonia, to negotiate a peace treaty between the natives, called Talz, and the Pantorans. The Pantorans live in one of the moons around Orto Plutonia, and, up till now, didn''t know that the planet had natives. Since the Talz aren''t an advanced species, Pantora''s senator hoped to resolve their dispute by killing them. Luckily, Master Skywalker was able to stop that attempt, and initiate peace negotiations." "Unfortunately, the Pantoran senator died during their first encounter with the Talz, while the 501st, and the Pantoran army, lost many troops. The Talz also didn''t come out unscathed. As such, tensions are high, and we fear that Senator Amidala might encounter problems during the negotiations." "We can''t send a legion to accompany her, otherwise the Talz might back off. Dageer, I believe Hell Squad is well suited for this mission, right?" "Yes, general. Leave it to us." General Kenobi nodded, and, for the next half an hour, he and General Windu laid out the details of the mission, while General Unduli and Chancellor Palpatine added something here and there. Two days later, Hell Squad left Felucia, headed to a medical station near Pantora, where they would meet Senator Amidala. Ragout stayed in Felucia to continue fighting. // AUTHOR''S NOTE // What''s up! I hope you are all staying safe, and enjoying the novel. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a rant today. Recently, some people have been getting very political on their comments. Some of those I don''t even know what they are supposed to mean, since I''m not American or British (I googled who those people were). However, I can tell they are being extremely rude, not to say something else. As such, I deleted them as soon as I saw them. I don''t want my comment section to turn into a war or a debate about real life politics. Few of you probably read those comments, because I receive a notification every time someone comments something, so I was able to delete them quickly. For those of you who did read, or even posted, them, please, remember this is a fanfic about star wars. None of what is written here is real, and even when I try to represent politics in the novel, I do it was neutrally as I can, showing both sides. I know I can''t do anything to change your mind, and I don''t want to do so. Everyone has their own opinions, and that is great. That''s how we make the world a better place. But please, don''t bring this in my novel. I write it because I have fun doing it, and I feel proud whenever I see you guys like it too. As you know, it''s totally free. You don''t have to use coins, neither there is privilege. So, together with this rant, I want to bring a official warning. If your comment is in any way political or offensive, I will delete it. I know that this might make me loose a few readers, but I prefer that than to watch my comment section become a forum for you all to curse at one another (this happened before, also deleted). Again, I accept any criticism, of any kind, and any ideas, suggestions, or thoughts, as long as you are polite to me and others when you do so. If you really want to discuss politics, there are thousands of other places you can do so, including our discord (cheeky advertis.e.m.e.nt, again, dont be rude). Sorry for the long message/rant, but I know you understand why I did it. So, again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and may the Force be with you! COMMENT 0 comment VOTE Load failed, please RETRY ¡ª New chapter is coming soon ¡ªWrite a review Privileged More Privileged Chapters Download the app and become a privileged reader today! Come take a sneak peek at our author''s stockpiled chapters! Download Weekly Power Status See Who Voted -- Power Ranking -- Power Stone Vote Table of Contents Display Options Background default yellow dark Font Nunito Sans Merriweather Size Paragraph comments Chapter comments Write thought login liked newest Author: ? 0){ %>Chapter : Author: Machine Translation Editor: Chapter 288 - A Pacifist "Senator Amidala, I am Commander Dageer, and this is Hell Squad. We will be escorting you during these negotiations." His helmet under his arm, Hell Squad standing behind him, Dageer presented himself to a human female. Senator Amidala had long, brown hair, tied up in a unique hairstyle. She wore long and fancy robes, and looked exactly like what one would imagine a politician looked like. However, on her hip, Dageer recognized the volume of a blaster pistol, hidden beneath the clothes. That surprised him. Politicians usually relied on their bodyguards for safety, but Senator Amidala seemed to be very independent. And she was also sharp. Her dark brown eyes stared at him, unperturbed by his scar, and she noticed the glance he gave at the weapon. "Didn''t think you would see a Republic senator carrying a blaster, did you, commander?" Dageer kept a straight face, but inside, he was surprised. Senator Amidala was quite blunt, but a clone preferred that to the usual mind games politicians liked to use. "No, ma''am." "Well, you don''t need to worry, if everything goes okay, I won''t need to use it. Let''s hope those negotiations go on peacefully. I would hate to resort to aggressive negotiations again." Dageer was confused as to what the senator meant, but she just grinned. The clone couldn''t help but feel surprised once again. He liked Senator Amidala. She wasn''t one of those politicians who stayed their entire lives in their rooms, talking about a war they knew nothing about. She looked like she didn''t mind getting her hands dirty. What Dageer didn''t know, was that he made a wrong judgment of her personality. He didn''t pay attention to politics - no clone did - otherwise he would know that Senator Padm¨¦ Amidala of Naboo was one of the leaders of the pacifist section of the Senate. They wanted the end of the war without any more conflicts. And she was a member of this faction because of the same reason why she carried a blaster. She had seen death and war before, and she hated it. "Commander, unless something happens, keep your calm, and don''t make any provocative moves. Aboriginal species like the Talz can be quite... Expressive when they are talking." Dageer only nodded. He had met, and fought against and with, primitive species more than once, and he knew that they tended to make gestures when communicating, many of which could look very hostile. "You don''t like to talk much, do you?" The clones were taken aback by the unexpected question, especially Dageer. Senator Amidala once again surprised him, the third time in the short few minutes they had talked. "Uhmm... With all due respect, senator, it''s just that... Clones in general aren''t used to talking to someone aside from our brothers. We don''t have many chances to interact with others, especially civilians." "Haha... That is understandable. Created for war, hum? Such a cruel destiny..." Senator Amidala chuckled, but she seemed incomparably sad while she did so, and her last words confirmed that she only laughed out of politeness. "Commander Dageer, I would like to talk to you, if that isn''t a problem." "Not at all, ma''am. Brain, I will leave the final arrangements to you." "Yes, sir. In about sixteen hours, we will arrive at Pantora." Hell Squad dispersed, leaving Dageer and the human senator alone. He wasn''t sure of what she wanted, but Senator Amidala started walking around the ship, so he followed her. "What are your thoughts on this war, commander? What are the thoughts of the men under you?" Dageer hesitated for a moment. That was the second time in a short while that someone had asked him that. First it was Ragout, and now Senator Amidala. He might not know a lot about politics, but he knew that it couldn''t be just a coincidence. Everything pointed out that there was some kind of movement in the Senate to end this war peacefully. In the end, he told Senator Amidala almost the same he told Ragout. His thoughts hadn''t changed. She was pensive for a long while after he finished, thinking. "I asked several commanders and troopers the same question, Commander Dageer, and none gave me a clear answer, and certainly none gave me an answer as satisfactory as yours. Why?" The clone stopped, and looked at the young senator. He didn''t like the direction the conversation was going, but he had an instinct that he could trust Senator Amidala. "General Ragout asked me something similar, some time ago." "General Ragout? Is he a Jedi?" "Yes. Former apprentice of General Ima-Gun Di." Senator Amidala frowned for a moment, probably trying to remember who General Di was, after which her expression turned to one of surprise. "Wasn''t Master Di the general of the 303rd Attack Legion? Then..." Dageer grinned, sadness and bad memories flooding him. It was normal that Senator Amidala didn''t know about Ragout''s and General Di relationship. Jedis rarely disclosed their secrets, even if they weren''t necessarily secret. "Yeah. Hell Squad was part of the 303rd. After Ryloth, General Ragout went to finish his training, while the survivors were sent to other legions." The senator looked at Dageer while he explained with a nonchalant expression, but she wasn''t fooled. She talked to a lot of clones during the two years of war, trying to discover their thoughts, so she could use them as an argument to end it. She might not have been successful, but one thing she learned was that clones cared for their brothers above all else. "I am sorry to hear that. But... You said the survivors were sent to other legions. You and your squad don''t use the colors of any legion I know..." "Hell Squad is an exception. We are a special unit, so it''s quite normal you never heard about us. And our colors are the color of the 303rd. We still belong there." "Special unit? So you do what other clones can''t do?" Dageer shook his head. He wasn''t dumb, and already understood that Senator Amidala wanted him to talk more, so she could use it in her discussions in the Senate. Once a politician, always a politician. Even a simple soldier like him understood that. "No. We are clones all the same. Hell Squad does what otherwise would cost hundreds or even thousands of our brothers'' lives. That''s why we exist." ---------------------------- When Dageer stepped out of the ship, his leg sank deep into the snow, to knee height. Besides him, he heard Three-four curse. "I hate snow planets. It''s way too difficult to fight on." Dageer had to agree. It slowed their movement speed, and many times, that meant death. But he couldn''t let his men scare Senator Amidala, although the woman seemed pretty unperturbed by the way clones behaved. "Hopefully we won''t have to fight at all. Now, take out the BARC Speeders. The meeting point is twenty kilometers from here, and it seems like there is a blizzard coming." "Yes, sir." While Hell Squad started unloading the speeders - the meeting point was at a plateau, protected from the snow and wind, and where no one could plan an ambush, but sh.i.p.s were unable to land because of it''s size - Senator Amidala walked out of the ship, having changed her robes for tight white clothes and a coat. Clones didn''t need any of that, because their armors isolated the coldness outside. "Do you think we will face any problems to get to the plateau, Commander Dageer?" "If the weather here is any similar to Mygeeto, no. But I don''t know about the natives." As Dageer said that, he pointed towards a cliff half a kilometer away. He had long noticed the white creatures watching them. Chapter 289 - Talz And Pantorans Even though he had noticed the furry creatures - which he supposed were the Talz - the moment the ship landed, Dageer also saw that all they had were spears. Without blasters, they couldn''t harm the clones even if they wanted to. As such, he decided it was safe to let his men unload the speeders. And he also knew that Dab had the Talz on his scope. Five hundred meters were enough for the sniper to kill at least twenty of them before the natives could even get close. "They are probably just observing us. This is their planet after all." Senator Amidala looked towards where Dageer had pointed, but all she could see were white dots that stood out a little more. However, she trusted Dageer when he said the Talz were there. "You should get on your speeder, ma''am. Cell and Brain, you two go ahead. We will give you two minutes of advantage. Report as soon as possible." "Understood, sir." The two clones hopped onto their BARC Speeders, and flew away. With the speed of the vehicles, it took less than a minute for them to disappear behind the cliff where the Talz were. The natives didn''t move, only looking at the speeders as they went by. Dageer waited two minutes before jumping on his own speeder, and setting off at a much slower speed than Cell and Brain. He showed his left fist to Hell Squad, and they acknowledged the gesture, creating a formation around Senator Amidala''s vehicle. "It''s all clear, commander. The Pantorans and the Talz are already here. They are watching us, but they didn''t do anything. However, you and the senator better get him quickly." After a few minutes, Brain''s voice came through the comlink, and Dageer speed up. The others followed him. What greeted them when they got up the plateau was a tense sight. On one side were the Pantorans - short beings, with pale blue skin, and white hair. There were about thirty of them, all wearing dark blue clothes, and carrying blasters, with the exception of two, a woman and a men. On the other side of the plateau, facing the Pantorans, were tall creatures, with long white fur, and several small black eyes. They only carried spears and bows, but there were about ninety of them. Dageer couldn''t identify who their leader was. And, forming a barrier between those two groups, putting an end to the tensions before they even started, were Cell and Brain, still on top of their speeders. By the hostile glares that one side was giving to the other, Dageer could guess that if the Republic party had arrived just a little later, a fight would have broken out. Getting down from the BARC Speeder, Dageer held his blaster high. He wanted both sides, Pantoran and Talz, to see that Hell Squad was there to maintain balance, and that they had the power to do it. That strategy worked mainly on the Talz, since Dageer had long learned that primitive species respected the strong. "Please, may the representatives come here." Senator Amidala raised her voice loud enough for everyone to hear her - not that it was necessary, because there hasn''t been a sound since the Republic group had arrived. The two civilians from Pantora were the first to approach, also bringing a translator droid with them. The Talz probably didn''t understand what Senator Amidala said, but when they saw the Pantorans walking towards the middle of the plateau, two of them stepped forward. One of them was small and had a hunched back, while the other was over two meters tall, and clearly muscular. "It''s good to see you again, Padm¨¦. This is Tokoi Arlont, my advisor." "Senator Chuchi." The Pantoran woman smiled friendly to Senator Amidala. The senator, on the other hand returned the smile, but in a contained way. Clearly, she knew the Pantoran, but didn''t want to show any sides any favors. "Yghhhh... Atyllii Jjiso" The smaller Talz uttered words in a language Dageer didn''t understand. The droid the Pantorans brought with them started translating. "I am Atyllii. This is Jjiso." "I am honored to meet you. My name is Padm¨¦ Amidala." The senator gave a courteous bow to the two Talz, and they used their left hand to touch their foreheads in a greeting. The man next to Senator Chuchi scoffed, but was quickly silenced by a stern stare from his partner. Senator Amidala looked at the two opposing parties, and signaled for them to approach. Knowing that they would now engage in a long discussion, Dageer gestured for Hell Squad to step back. They were there only to protect the senator, and had no need to hear what they were talking about. Still, it was clear by the angry faces of the Pantorans, the gestures of the Talz, and the frustrated expression on Senator Amidala''s face, that things weren''t going well. ... The peace talks went on for over five hours, during which Hell Squad stood unmoving, watching the Pantorans and Talz. No side made any hostile movement, although there were some angry gestures whenever one of the representatives raised their voices. When night started falling, Senator Amidala returned to where the BARC Speeders were, and mounted one of them. Hell Squad followed suit, and, in a few seconds, they left the plateau, headed for their ship. "How did it go, senator?" "Not too well. Both Talz and Pantorans recuse to share the planet. The Pantorans want the Talz to limit themselves to certain areas, while the Talz want the Pantorans out of Orto Plutonia. It will take a few more days before we can arrive at any solution." Senator Amidala seemed exhausted and exasperated. It was pretty obvious the negotiations weren''t good. ----------------------------- "Has Senator Amidala arrived on Orto Plutonia?" "Yes, my lord." "Good. Order the attack then. And remember to leave no clues that it was us." "Of course. When a Republic senator is killed, and no culprit is found, the Pantorans and Talz will enter a civil war. When we step in, they will gladly join the CIS." In a dark room in the underworld of Coruscant, Count Dooku and a hooded figure talked. No one would have ever thought that the Separatist leader was so bold as to go to Coruscant, the heart of the Republic. And yet, here he was, talking to the hooded person in a deferential manner. That person was the one he feared the most in the galaxy, and also the one who gave him everything he had. His master. "Hahaha... Soon, very soon, my precious apprentice, I will rule this galaxy, with you by my side. The Jedi Order is getting weaker by the day, and their pathetic efforts can''t stand on our way. The seeds of chaos I threw amongst them are starting to grow, and when they do, the Republic will fall. A glorious new era shall begin! A new empire shall reign! Hahaha!" Chapter 290 - Outside Interference In the moon of Alave, not too far away from Orto Plutonia and Pantora, there was a Republic outpost, responsible for overlooking the entire system. Usually, the base had two dozen clones, but at the moment, they were all dead, killed by a group of commando droids. As such, no one was warned when a single Separatist frigate appeared out of hyperspace, heading for Orto Plutonia. Two C-9979 Landing Crafts left the ship, and landed on the planet, while the frigate jumped to lightspeed once again, disappearing. -------------------------- For the next week, Hell Squad and Senator Amidala kept going to the plateau, to continue the negotiations. Over the course of there days, the Talz and Pantorans had several fights, but with Hell Squad''s intervention, none resulted in death. Curiously enough, though, those fights brought the two species closer together, and, by the end of the week, a peace treaty was almost done. Now, Hell Squad and the senator were making their way back to their ship. Contrarily to most other times, Senator Amidala had a happy smile on her face. "Tomorrow, they will sign the treaty. After that, we can return to Coruscant, and your squad will have completed your mission, commander." Dageer nodded, and was about to answer when he looked over the horizon, and a bad feeling hit him. He immediately slowed down, and Brain did the same. "You felt it too, commander?" "Yeah. Stop!" The clones stopped their speeders immediately, sending snow flying in the air. Senator Amidala almost crashed into Cell''s BARC Speeder. "Wh-What?! What is happening, Commander Dageer? Felt what?" Hell Squad took position, their weapons ready to fire at any threat, but they didn''t know what it was, nor could they see anything. However, they trusted Dageer. His instincts had saved them multiple times. "What is wrong?" "I don''t know. Just a feeling. Three-four, Tech, take the senator back to the plateau. The Talz and the Pantorans should still be there. The others, assume defensive positions. Nothing gets past us, understood?" "Roger that." "Yes, sir!" "Got it. Come on, ma''am." The clones immediately moved after receiving their orders, and Tech dragged Senator Amidala to her speeder. She had a shocked expression on her face, but she was clear that Hell Squad had orders to protect her, even if that meant going against her will. Also, she was a smart person, with powerful friends. Hell Squad wouldn''t be sent to escort her if they weren''t good, so she decided to trust Dageer''s instincts. The commander looked at the snow around them with watchful eyes. There were rock walls, and piles of snow everywhere, enough to hide a small army. Maybe that was what triggered his instincts. But they had done the same path for the past week, and at no time, had he felt anything. No... Something was very, very wrong. He only had to find out what. It didn''t take long. As soon as the three speeders carrying Tech, Three-four, and Senator Amidala started to move, a laser left the snow about three hundred meters to their left, hitting the medic''s speeder, and sending Three-four flying. Luckily, the snow softened his fall. Immediately, Dageer turned to where the red laser came from, and lowered his macrobinoculars. The figure of a commando droid, wielding a sniper blaster rifle, became clear. "Dab! Aim low!" "Got it!" Using his own speeder to keep his DC-15x steady, Dab looked at the clancker through his scope, and fired. "Good hit!" The clones kept looking for new threats, but, for a moment, not one appeared. Instead of appeasing Dageer, that only made him more worried. A single commando droid made no sense. "What are the seppies doing here?!" "How would I know? Commander, what do we do about Senator Amidala?" To her credit, the politician was behaving remarkably well, a blaster pistol in her hand. She and Tech were still on their speeders, waiting for Dageer''s next commands. "Nothing. They surrounded us." Hundreds of B1 units appeared from all directions, coming out from behind the rocks, or from under the snow. Leading the small army were a dozen commando clanckers. For a moment, Dageer wondered how they hadn''t seen them before, and then he realized that even now, it was difficult to distinguish them from the background. "They were camouflaged... This... This was a well-planned ambush. Who...?" "The tin cans are getting smarter, senator. Crouch behind the speeders, and let us deal with them." The droids were painted with a dirty white color, not only the commandos, but even the standard B1 units. They had laid down on the snow, and kept out of sigh. It was more than clear that they were there for Hell Squad and Senator Amidala, and them only. This wasn''t an invasion or anything of the like. It was a trap. "I won''t hide while you fight for me, commander. Besides, it isn''t as if you can save me." As she said that, Senator Amidala got up, blaster in hand. Dageer looked at the determined expression on her face, and shrugged. She was right. Surrounded by hundreds of seppies, in a planet where Republic presence was nonexistent, their chances of surviving were null. "I am sorry, ma''am, but Hell Squad will be unable to complete our mission to protect you." "That''s all right, Commander Dageer. But, if we are going to die, let''s take some of them with us." When they heard that, Hell Squad was stunned for a moment, before Metal broke the silence by laughing. "Haha! The senator is right, commander. It isn''t like we are afraid to die or anything like that." Dageer smiled under his helmet. No clone was afraid to die. To fall in battle, having taken down some enemies, was their purpose, and their pride. "We should have died a long time ago, back in Ryloth, with Commander Keeli and the others. To survive up till now... We have already avenged them." Having said that, Dageer put a mad grin on his face, and lifted his blaster. Eight people against hundreds of droids, and yet, it were the clones who made the first move. Instantly, the once quiet land, covered in snow, burst into action, as blue and red lasers flew. War arrived in Orto Plutonia. Chapter 291 - An Unlikely Alliance Dageer grunted in pain as a laser hit his left shoulder, but he ignored the wound, and continued firing his blaster. Two commando droids fell when he hit them, but one got up shortly after. Even with Dageer''s precision, it was difficult to kill the commando droids in a single hit, even more in the middle of a battle of the proportions of the one they were in. "They are getting closer, sir!" "I can see that, Cell! Shut up and keep firing!" Usually, Dageer wouldn''t be so harsh on his words, but they were in a life-threatening situation. And, to make matters worse, they were running low on ammunition. After all, they didn''t expect to be ambushed, so they didn''t carry a lot of it with them. Taking cover behind the BARC Speeders - which they had created a circle with - Hell Squad kept firing at the droids. By now, almost fifty clanckers had already fallen, but the others just kept advancing, emotionless. "I''m almost out, sir!" "Me too!" Cursing, Dageer dropped to the ground, getting half-buried in the snow, and threw his last two magazines to Cell and Three-four. At the same time, the speeder he was hiding behind was hit in the energy cell, and started smoking. Knowing that the vehicle wouldn''t take long to blow up, Dageer kicked it, and the speeder floated away. The explosion didn''t hurt any of the clones thanks to Dageer''s quick reactions, but it opened a hole on their already precarious defenses. Red lasers flew in their direction, hitting Metal on his left forearm, and Senator Amidala on her right thigh. The clones were able to mostly ignore the pain, but the senator wasn''t a battle-hardened combatant like them. She screamed in pain, and fell down. Curiously enough, looking at Senator Amidala clutching her wound and groaning, gave Dageer an idea. "Boys, listen up! Starting by you, Brain, next time a laser comes close, fall down, and stay quiet!" The troopers paused for a second, confused, before realization dawned upon them, and they understood what Dageer meant. "Just like Dantooine?" "Just like Dantooine. Play dead, and when the seppies get closer, we surprise them. Let''s take a few more of the tin cans with us before we go down." Hell Squad nodded. After a few seconds, Brain yelled, and laid on the ground, his hand still clutching his blaster. If Dageer didn''t know any better, he would have thought his brother really died. "Senator, you will have to do the same. However... Seppies check for dead. When they approach us to confirm, you will have a small opening to escape. The downside of ambushing us is that they don''t have any vehicles. As long as you get on one of the speeders, and flee, they won''t be able to catch up." Dageer spilled his entire plan in one breath. No matter what, Hell Squad had to protect Senator Amidala, even if that meant gambling everything, including their lives, in one last move. That was their mission, and they would complete it, or die trying. "Commander, that is unaccep..." "That is Hell Squad''s duty, senator. If you die here, the peace treaty will be torn apart, and all your efforts will be for naught. Do as I say. And don''t worry about Hell Squad. We have been in worse situations, and yet, we are still alive." It was a terrible lie, and both Dageer and Senator Amidala knew that. However, it was all it was needed to convince the senator. She might be brave and kind, but she wasn''t ready to give up on her life so easily. Also faking death, Dageer was the last one to fall to the ground. Laying on the snow, with his back to the sky, he made sure his pistol and vibroblade were easily accessible. Silence fell on the snowy plains, and the droid army stopped firing. Merciless machines, they didn''t show any pity for their fallen companions, and stepped over them to arrive at the small defense circle Hell Squad had created. It was standard protocol to check if the enemy was really dead, and, if there were any survivors, kill them. --------------------------- TA-077 kicked one of the BARC Speeders aside, and looked at the seven dead clones, and the human woman besides them. He respected them, in some weird way. As his serial number showed, he was one of the oldest commando droids, and one of the few which survived many battles. He had killed countless clones and Republic sc.u.m, and knew when to recognize a true soldier. He might not be a living being, but he had a lot of battle experience, all processed in his circuits, and he knew few clones were as fierce and deadly as that small squad had been. TA-077 was in command of one thousand and four hundred B1 battle droids, and came to Orto Plutonia with the simple objective of killing the Republic delegation, and sowing chaos. He sent six hundred units to attack some of the Talz villages and Pantorans settlements on the planet, and used the remaining eight hundred droids to attack Senator Amidala and Hell Squad. It should have been an overwhelming force, able to crush the eight targets in a matter of seconds. It wasn''t. Seventy B1 units, and twelve commando droids had been destroyed. So, TA-077, who had seen more action than most of his fellow droids, respected the clones. They had fought bravely. Using his feet to turn over the clone next to him, TA-077 crouched to confirm he was dead. The moment he did that, he knew something was wrong. Apart from a scorched spot on his shoulder, the front of the clone''s armor was intact. No fatal wounds. His hand quickly tried to grab the vibroblade in his back, but before he reached it, the dead clone came back to life, wielding a vibroblade of his own. It pierced TA-077''s neck from the side, immediately cutting off his sensors and energy cords. "Nice try, scrap metal." Before he fell down, all TA-077 could feel was surprise. That wasn''t in his programming. He had learned every Republic tactic the Separatist knew about, and even some tricks the clones used on the battlefield, but that wasn''t one of them. Once again, the lack of consciousness and thoughts of the droids proved to be a major - and fatal - flaw in their design. -------------------------- Dageer let himself be turned over by the clancker, and, when the chance came, he killed the white commando droid. Around him, the other six members of Hell Squad also bumped into motion, using their blasters to tear off the heads of six B1 units, and holding then as shields. "Senator!!!" The clone didn''t need to say anything else. Senator Amidala, who was still on the ground, jumped on top of one of the few remaining speeders, and zoomed away. The seppies wanted to fire at her, but, because they had all gathered together, thinking they had already won the battle, not only did they block each other''s line of sight, but Hell Squad also made a wall between her, and them. Dageer grinned when he saw that in all but a few seconds, Senator Amidala was already out of range from the clanckers blasters. Besides him, he heard his brothers chuckle. They were about to die, but they had foiled the Separatist''s plans. Knowing that put a smile on their faces. "Grraaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww!!!" Suddenly, a loud growling sound shook the battlefield. Blue lasers hit the droids, and spears pierced their bodies as if they were made of paper. While the enemy was thrown in disarray, Dageer saw Talz and Pantorans coming to Hell Squad''s rescue, fighting side by side. // AUTHOR''S NOTE // Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I got asked again yesterday about how I came up with the name Dageer, and I thought this would be as good of a time as any to explain it. It''s a pretty normal story, but you might find it interesting. Do you know those games where the name of your character is randomly generated? Well, when I was a kid, maybe ten years old, I was playing one of those, and I honestly don''t remember which. The name it came up with was "Touro Dageero". Touro means bull in portuguese, while Dageero is a totally invented word. Why the game decided to use those two as a name? I have no idea. But I really liked the Dageer part of Dageero, and so I started using it as my nickname for almost every game I played. When I started writing the novel, I struggled for quite some time to decide on a name for the main character, and then I remembered the name Dageer. Considering how I have been using it for almost 10 years, it seemed only normal that it became the name of the protagonist. Like I said, it''s a pretty normal story, nothing really impressive. Still, I hope you find it somewhat interesting. As always, if you feel like it, leave your ideas, suggestions, critics, or anything. I love reading them, and if I think they are feasible I will try to implement them, as well as correct any mistakes I made. If you can, leave a review, and think about joining our discord! And, of course, stay safe, and may the Force be with you! Discord link: discord.gg/Gdv2arS Chapter 292 - Good News And Bad News Hell Squad was almost as surprised as the clanckers when they saw Talz and Pantorans fighting together. But they were used to improvising, and a bunch of confused droids was an opportunity they wouldn''t let go. Dageer pushed the body he was holding, making two B1 units stumble, and pierced them with his vibroblade. His left hand used his DC-17 to fire at the nearby seppies, dropping three of them before they even had a chance to react. By his side, Hell Squad also got into the fray, killing almost twenty droids in a matter of seconds. The once deadly, and seemingly impossible to survive, situation changed in an instant. The group that came to Hell Squad''s rescue numbered over a thousand, composed mainly of Talz. The planet was their home, after all, so it was easy for them to gather more warriors. ... Caught by surprise, the droids were quickly exterminated, but not before causing some casualties amongst the Talz and Pantorans. Hell Squad also didn''t make it through intact. "Hold on, brother. We just need to get you to the ship..." Ignoring their own wounds and injuries, all of Hell Squad was gathered around Dab. The sniper was clutching his stomach in pain, and a small fillet of blood made it''s way down his armor, painting the snow red. Three-four was kneeling next to him, applying pressure on the wound while the other members of Hell Squad moved him into a BARC Speeder. Ignoring the crowd of Pantorans and Talz, Dageer gestured for Brain and Three-four to take Dab to their cruiser. Watching the three clones speed away, only then did Dageer notice that Senator Amidala was by his side. He greeted her with a nod. "Thank you, ma''am. If it wasn''t for the reinforcements you brought, Hell Squad would be gone." "I didn''t bring them. I think they were already on their way to help us, although I am not sure how they knew we were in trouble." The commander was slightly surprised, but Dageer wasn''t one to dwell in needless thoughts. Hell Squad, and, more importantly, Senator Amidala, were alive, which meant they hadn''t failed their mission. Regardless of the circ.u.mstances of their survival, the most important was that the peace negotiations could go on. "Padm¨¦, are you hurt? Are you all right?" "I assure you I am okay, Senator Chuchi. I only received a scratch, nothing much, thanks to you. And also to you, Atyllii. Thank you very much." Dageer had to admire Senator Amidala''s professionalism. He had escorted and protected other civilians and politicians before, and most of them were scared and fearing for their lives. They could barely maintain a logical line of thought after being attacked. Not that human senator, though. Even after being shot, and surviving such a traumatic experience, she still was able to maintain an impartial posture, not showing favor to either side. "May I ask how you knew we had been ambushed by the Separatist, Senator Chuchi?" The Pantoran scratched her head, somewhat hesitant, before looking at the Talz''s leader. "His sentries saw Separatist droids killing a group of Talz. He thought they might have also attacked you, so he came to us, and here we are." "Once again, I have to say I am grateful for your help. I hope that despite that incident, we can restart the negotiations tomorrow." "Irggueow ishei. Ayeye... Talz je Pantorans terie." "He said: That won''t be necessary. Talz and Pantorans fought together, so they are friends now." Senator Amidala and Senator Chuchi looked at the translator droid for a few seconds, stunned, before turning to the Talz. It was clear he was laughing, and happy. The human senator stealthily elbowed Senator Chuchi, and the young Pantoran quickly bowed to Atyllii, showing her respect. "It''s our honor to be able to live alongside your noble people, great Atyllii." Seeing how respectfully Senator Chuchi was behaving now, opposed to her angry speeches a few days ago, Dageer once again felt that politics were too much of a headache. He much preferred the battles and fights of the war. Painful as they might be, at least he didn''t have to think too much. -------------------------- "How am I looking, Three-four? Cough... Cough!" "Not too good, Dab, I have to say. But you will pull through it, although it''s going to leave a nasty scar." "Haha... Another for the collection. What about you, commander? Did you mark the clancker that hit me?" The entirety of Hell Squad was grouped around a bed in the medbay in their cruiser. The medical droid and Three-four had already patched up the sniper. Thanks to the painkillers, Dab had slept over thirty hours at once, only waking up not long ago. Now, with the peace treaty signed, they were returning to Coruscant, where he would receive proper care. "Ha! How could I not?" Tapping lightly on his shoulder pad, Dageer grinned, before ordering Hell Squad to disperse, and let Dab rest. Only the medical droid stayed with him. "Is he going to survive, Commander Dageer?" "Senator. Dab has been through worse. He will make it. All he needs is a couple days in a bacta-tank, and he will be back into the fight." "Worse than that battle?" "We all had our close calls, and near-death experiences. This time, we had supplies and a medical droid. Sometimes, we don''t even have that." "You are talking about Ryloth." Dageer only nodded. There wasn''t much to say. "It must have been horrible... I can''t imagine what you went through." Senator Amidala looked at him with a troubled expression when she heard Dageer. The clone already knew that she had something else on her mind, but she didn''t want - or didn''t know how - to say it. He wouldn''t be the one to pressure her. "Commander... Anakin... I mean, Master Skywalker, asked me to give you a message." The clone kept his silence, and waited. He wasn''t surprised that General Skywalker sent a message to him, although it was weird he did it through Senator Amidala. However, the Jedi had always been close to the clones, treating them more like family than subordinates. "He asked me to tell you that... Jedi Master Even Piell died, and that he is sorry. He knows you and Master Piell had a special relationship." Shocked, surprised, and sad, Dageer''s steps faltered for a moment before he straightened his back once again. He had fought a few battles alongside General Piell, but the truth was he didn''t know the Jedi that well. However, he would never forget who gave him his name, who was the first person to look at him not as a clone, but as something else. As someone who deserved more than just a number. "Thanks for telling me, ma''am." Senator Amidala just nodded. She might not be a soldier, but she was good at reading the feelings of the people around her, and she could tell Dageer wasn''t doing too well. Still, nothing that she could say would change that, and she figured that for a soldier like him, who was used to death, saying anything would be meaningless. "We are arriving at Coruscant, commander, senator." "Good. Then, I shall take my leave soon, Commander Dageer. If it weren''t for Hell Squad, I would probably be dead. You have my gratitude." "Just doing our job, Senator Amidala. Just doing our job." Chapter 293 - Mercy Mission To Aleen Three weeks after their mission in Orto Plutonia, Hell Squad was once again on a cruiser, this time leaving Mon Cala. The old king, Yos Kolina - whom Hell Squad knew from the start of the war - had been assassinated by the Separatist, resulting in a major battle, which Hell Squad took part in. The Republic had won, after a costly and drawn-out battle, which would guarantee them the control of the planet for now. However, as it happened twice before, the Separatist would soon organize another attack. The truth was that this war would only end when Count Dooku and the other Separatist leaders were captured or killed. Dageer preferred the second option. "What does the seat-warmers have for us, sir?" Dageer raised an eyebrow when he heard Metal''s question, but he didn''t complain. They might be clones, but they could still think whatever they wanted of their superiors. They just couldn''t say it in front of them. Since Hell Squad was alone, Dageer didn''t care about how Metal called the higher-ups. "Relief mission to Aleen. I will tell more when we get to the others." Together, the two clones went to a room, where they found the rest of Hell Squad, and, to their surprise, Ragout. The Jedi and the clones were chatting freely, like old friends who met again after a long time. There were none of the formalities that usually existed between superiors and subordinates. "Dageer! Metal! How are you?" The young Togruta greeted them happily. It had been a few months since he last fought with Hell Squad, and he was quite happy to meet them again. His connection with this unit was no less than the one he had with his master. If it wasn''t for them, he would have died countless times already, and he had learned a lot with the clones. And the clones had learned a lot from him. In their minds, Ragout was the last mission that General Di had left them. They would die for him without a second thought. "General. I didn''t know you would be coming with us." "I also didn''t, until a few hours ago. However, I was meditating when the ship came to pick Hell Squad up, so I only got the chance to talk to you now." Dageer nodded. It made sense that Ragout was the Jedi general sent to accompany them, considering that they had experience in fighting together. And a relief mission was, by no means, a tranquil one, so a Jedi could make quite a difference. "Since you are all here, let me debrief you on our mission." Ragout picked up a hologram projector, and showed a small being - which barely reached a clone''s waist - and with two bulging eyes. "This is an Aleena. Their home planet, Aleen, on Bright Jewel System, is under a Separatist blockade, much like the one Ryloth was after our fleet was gone. We are tasked with delivering essential supplies for them." He received several nods of acknowledgment. It was a pretty standard mission. "Just us?" "Do we have troops on the ground?" "No, and no. The Aleenas are putting up a resistance by themselves. Us delivering help is simply a humanitarian act. And, it will, of course, bring them closer to the Republic. And we will have the support of six more CR90 Corvettes, as well as a new stealth ship." "Stealth ship?" "Yeah. It was designed by our scientist, and Master Skywalker tested it in battle. It can become invisible, and evade most of the conventional detection mechanisms the seppies have." Dageer raised an eyebrow, while Hell Squad looked at each other surprised. A ship like that was most certainly expensive to make, but it could change the course of a battle if used correctly. "Captain Flare will command the stealth ship to distract the blockade, while we rush in, and deliver our cargo before escaping through the other side of the planet." Hell Squad exchanged glances. The plan was good, but they didn''t see their part in it. Tech was the one to say what was on their minds. "With all due respect, general, but this isn''t exactly the kind of mission we specialize in. Hell Squad would do more good by staying in Mon Cala, and chasing off the remaining clanckers." Contrarily to their expectations, Ragout wasn''t surprised, angry, or disappointed by what Tach said. Instead, he was grinning. "I know that. But we got reliable information that Count Dooku is on Aleen. We are going to drop with the supplies, and end this war right now." ----------------------------- "So, that''s how it is... Commander!" "Yes, my lord?" "Some Republic blockade runners will come in a few days. Let them through, without them noticing." "My lord? This will set back our efforts to convince the natives by weeks!" "It doesn''t matter. Do as I say." "Yes, my lord." "And prepare a shuttle. I will be descending to the planet." The servant nodded hurriedly, and bowed before leaving the room. Count Dooku looked out of the window, to the Lucrehulk-class Battlesh.i.p.s forming the blockade, and grinned. "Come on, my little Jedi. I am ready to receive you." ------------------------- When the corvettes dropped their cargo, in capsules very similar to escape pods, they also dropped Hell Squad and Ragout. The group stepped out of the pod, and on the swamp that made up most of Aleen. Water and black mud stained their armors, but the clones didn''t care. In fact, they scooped up mud, and splashed it in their body. Not only would it confuse the heat sensors of the droids, but it would also act as camouflage. "Where to now, General Ragout?" The other capsules, which carried supplies, had been delivered to spots near the Aleenas'' resistance groups. However, the Aleenas had refused to take the Republic''s side, so, if the group was found, that would cause problems. Ragout might still get away, because he was a Jedi, and his kind roamed the galaxy, but Hell Squad, being clones, would certainly be attacked, be it by the droids or the natives. "Our spies said Dooku came down to Aleen today. He should be at Red Stone, the capital city. It''s built on one of the few areas of the planet that aren''t a marsh." Dageer nodded. Considering they were trying to be sneaky, going it the capital city wasn''t the best course of action, but they didn''t have other options. It would be even worse if Count Dooku left Aleen. They would deal with any complications that may appears, when they appeared. "Well, you heard the general, lads. Get moving." Chapter 294 - An Obvious Trap Unbeknown to them, Hell Squad and Ragout were being watched by a small, black, floating ball. A probe droid. "Bzttzzz... Bzzz... Ttt..." The probe let out a series of weird noises, before floating after the group quietly. The data it was sending traveled quickly, arriving in a dark room on Red Stone. ------------------------------ Count Dooku looked at the images on the screen in front of him, and frowned. He had expected the Republic to send two or more Jedis. He wanted to kill them, and deal a suffocating blow to the Republic and the Jedi Order. He had never imagined that only one Jedi - and an ordinary one, considering he didn''t recognize the Togruta - and a squad of clones would be the ones to come. It seemed they were underestimating him. "Uhmm?" Staring at the video for a while, he saw one of the clones turning his head back. He looked straight at the probe droid, but then looked forward again, as if he hadn''t seen anything. He probably hadn''t. The probes were designed to be almost undetectable, even when being looked directly upon. But even if it had been discovered, the white-bearded Sith lord wouldn''t care. The Republic force was already in his claws, and couldn''t escape his trap. What surprised him, however, was the design of the clone''s helmet. A single brownish-red horn adorned the right side of the helmet. A drawing he had seen very recently. He quickly flipped through the intel the Separatist had, easily finding an image of Dageer, and from the other members of Hell Squad. The CIS had acquired those from the invasion, and consequent escape, of the prison orbiting Sull.u.s.t. Count Dooku had never heard of Hell Squad before that, but when the Separatist dug deep, they found many occasions that they were probably involved. That made them put Hell Squad on the same threat level as Delta Squad. "Interesting. Someone even Asajj couldn''t kill... So, this must be Ragout. He faced so much pain... Uhmm..." Half an hour later, three speeders left the city. One of them carried Count Dooku, while the other two were piloted by MagnaGuards. They only stopped a couple hundred kilometers away from the city, and Count Dooku sat on the ground, eyes closed, meditating. Now, all he had to do was wait. And he was patient. He had waited ten years for the Clone Wars to start, and even now, he still had to make any big moves. Waiting a couple more hours to start his big plan was nothing. But when he did, he would destroy the Jedi Order. He would tear it apart, piece by piece. ---------------------------- "General, we are being followed. A Separatist probe droid." Hearing Dageer''s whisper, Ragout resisted the urge to turn around, and look for their stalker. Instead, he continued walking normally. "Don''t look back. Let''s wait to see if it does anything else. If not, then we will just ignore it." The clones glanced at each other, somewhat unwilling. They didn''t like the idea of having their every move observed. "Sir? We could be walking into a trap." "We most certainly are. The fact that we are already being watched means that Dooku knew we were coming. Whatever trap he prepared for us, it has been set in motion a long time ago. But now we know that. This gives us an advantage." Dageer looked at his general, and shrugged inwardly. He didn''t like the idea of knowingly going into an ambush, but he knew Ragout would do that anyway. And he wouldn''t be anywhere other than by the Jedi''s side. "You heard the general, men. Stay sharp, and weapons ready. Let''s see what the seppies have in stock for us." ... Dageer could see Count Dooku long before they got close to the Separatist leader. He wasn''t making any effort to hide, and just sat on the ground, eyes closed, and legs crossed. The MagnaGuards by his side turned on their electrostaffs, making purple sparks fly, but even then, Count Dooku stood in the same position. "Count Dooku. I see you were expecting us." Not surprised, Ragout signals Hell Squad to stop when they were a few dozen meters away from Count Dooku. "I thought the Jedi Order respected me more than to send a padawan and a bunch of clones after me." The Sith didn''t even open his eyes, or move, as he said that. However, he was somewhat stunned by the lack of reaction by Ragout or the clones. Apart from a slight chuckle, he couldn''t sense anything else from them. Their minds were calm. "I''m not a padawan, Dooku. Don''t try to play games with me. Now, surrender, and we can end this war now. No more fight, no more death." "Haha... Ragout, right? You know, I met your master. I helped train him." "He told me. He told me that you were a great Jedi once. But you lost yourself, Dooku. You gave in to the dark side. However, it''s not too late." "Too late for what? To become another pawn in that rotten being you call a republic? Or to become one of the feared Jedi, to say I fight for the people of the galaxy, when the truth is you are all drunk by the power and position you have?" As he said that, the bearded Sith lord got up, smiling. "I prefer to steer clear from all that corruption, young one. The Confederacy Of Independent Systems never wanted to start a war. But you all couldn''t give up control. You were too used to it. If the only way for us to be truly free is war, so be it." "War is never the answer, Dooku. You should know that better than anyone." "Humph! Kill them." Hearing him, the two MagnaGuards stepped forward, and spun their electrostaffs threateningly. But before they could get any closer, three shots rang out. The heads of the two droids disappeared from their shoulders, and they walked a few more steps before collapsing. The third laser aimed for Count Dooku, but the Separatist dodged by turning his body slightly, and raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering where the last member of your unit was, Commander Dageer. So you know you were being followed? Smart move. That must be Dab, I presume." Dageer said nothing. Ever since Brain had been captured, they had known that the enemy would acquire intel on them. "I was acquainted with a clone too, commander. You might have known him. CT-7034. Shield." Dageer clenched his fist, and Hell Squad tensed up. Even Ragout felt anger when he heard it. "You... It was you who made Shield betray us?" "I didn''t make him betray anyone, commander. I only helped him by showing what the Republic does to the clones every single day. You feel the same." It was as if Count Dooku wasn''t solely speaking to them, but whispering something deep into their minds. Dageer wanted to believe him. No, he believed him. He started to lower his blaster, while his brothers did the same. But suddenly, an image came to his mind. An old, broken, scarred helmet. The screams of his brothers. He would never forget. Hell Squad wouldn''t forget. He lifted his blaster again, aiming directly at the Sith. "Your tricks don''t work on us, Dooku." // AUTHOR''S NOTE // Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I really liked writing this one. I had never really showed how the Separatist viewed the war, and this was something many of you had suggested, and had wanted to do for a long time. I am glad I finally did it. If you read some of the comics, especially the darker ones, you will see that the Republic was actually pretty fu***d up. Like most governments on the history of our planet - and in all countries, and all eras, don''t come getting political on me, please - there are a lot of people wanting to do good, but many more who are corrupt, greedy, and selfish. The Republic was no different. Of course the Separatist aren''t saints either, but I think it''s only fair I showed - even if just a little - their point of view. Anyways, like I said before, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and may the Force be with you! Discord link: discord.gg/Gdv2arS Chapter 295 - A Wounded Sith Lord "Your tricks don''t work on us, Dooku." Seeing Dageer and the other members of Hell Squad shake off the confusion and control he was imposing almost immediately, Count Dooku was truly surprised by the first time since he met them. "Interesting... So what my apprentice said was true. You really can resist the Force. Impressive." "That''s enough, Dooku." Ragout stepped forward, and pulled his lightsaber out of his robes. The green glow reflected on the dead MagnaGuards. "You know, young one, I originally didn''t plan on killing you. I was hoping for Obi-Wan, Skywalker, or even that old master of mine, Yoda. I hoped I would be able to fight a real Jedi, not a young Banta who just learned how to battle." "Your attempts to anger me are useless." As if by magic, A curved lightsaber appeared in Count Dooku''s hand. A red blade extended from it. Immediately, he disappeared from his previous position, faster than any human should have been. But Ragout was ready. The two Force users clashed, lifting a small cloud of dust. Ragout stretched his fingers, and the Sith stumbled a few steps back. At the same time, Hell Squad fired, forcing Count Dooku to disengage. With a single downward swing, the blue lasers were all deflected or dodged, two of them almost hitting back the clones. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ragout advanced once again, holding his lightsaber backward, and cutting up, forcing Count Dooku to block. Before the Sith could retaliate, Ragout swept his right leg, throwing the Separatist off his feet, and onto the ground. However, Count Dooku wasn''t so easy to beat. Showing strength and agility a man of his age shouldn''t have, he twerked his body out of the way of Ragout''s lightsaber, and the weapon pierced the ground beside him. Now, the one who was at a disadvantage was the Jedi, and he received a kick to the chest, powered by the Force. Doing a backflip, Count Dooku got up, and threw his lightsaber. The red light spun, almost cutting Ragout''s throat, but he was able to deflect it. Controlled by an invisible hand, the lightsaber returned to Count Dooku''s hand. Fully concentrated in Ragout, the Separatist seemed to have forgotten about Hell Squad. Maybe he thought they weren''t a threat. He was mistaken. Several dozen blue lasers flew towards him, many not even aiming at his body, but at the air around him. If he moved to dodge a laser, he would put himself in the way of another. As such, all he could do was block with his lightsaber, revealing an opening. Ragout jumped forward, and his weapon cut the flesh of Count Dooku''s left arm. The wound wasn''t deep nor life-threatening, but it forced him to take the fight seriously. "Ugh! That was a cowardly strike, Jedi!" Examining the cut, Count Dooku frowned, showing anger. Ragout, on the other hand, maintained a stone-cold expression. "Others may call me a coward, Dooku, but not a traitor such as you." "Ha! So you are still stuck on the illusion that the Jedi Order is righteous? So naive." As he said that, the Sith used the Force to pull Ragout, making the Jedi stagger forward, directly in the path of the red lightsaber. Ragout tried to lift his own lightsaber to parry, but he knew he was too slow. All he could do was try to wriggle his body out of the way, but Count Dooku''s weapon still pierced all the way through his right shoulder, and Ragout let out a yell of pain. The Sith lord grinned maliciously, preparing to shake his hand, and tear Ragout in half, but suddenly a clone appeared between them. Instead of a blaster, Dageer carried a vibroblade, and used the handle to pummel Count Dooku''s head. He would have preferred to use the blade, and end the Separatist''s life at once, but Ragout was on the way, so he could only opt for this more awkward approach. Count Dooku fell to the ground, dizzy, and Ragout retreated, holding his shoulder. There was a hole on it, about three centimeters in diameter. More surprisingly, it was possible to see through it. Only lightsabers could leave this kind of wound, basically evaporating the flesh. Seeing his general and friend wounded, Dageer grunted in anger, and kicked Count Dooku''s lightsaber out of his hand. The weapon spun on the ground before falling inside a puddle in the surrounding marsh. Then, the commander aimed his blaster pistol at the fallen Sith, preparing to finish him off. "Dageer, no! We need him alive!" "General? He is too dangerous!" Glancing back at the Jedi, Dageer furrowed his eyebrows. Count Dooku was a Force user. He could, at any moment, use this mysterious power to do almost anything. To a soldier like Dageer, that meant he had no control over him as a prisoner. He didn''t like that. "He is defenseless. I can''t let you kill him." "Defenceless? You think that because I don''t have my lightsaber, I am done? You underestimate my power, young one." "Shut up." In an impulse, Dageer kicked Count Dooku on the face. Ragout frowned at the clone, but said nothing. He was a Jedi, and was against needless violence, but he was also a Jedi trained in the war. He had long grown used to violence and death, and he wasn''t dumb or hypocritical enough to treat Count Dooku like a prisoner who had given up. His words proved that he still had fight in him. "Get up, Dooku, and don''t resist. You shall be judged by the Republic Senate." "Hahaha... I don''t think so." Suddenly, Count Dooku extended his arms, palms facing Dageer and Ragout. And then, something impossible happened. Blue lightning left Count Dooku''s fingers, hitting Dageer and the Jedi, and inflicting immense pain. The lightning coursed through their bodies, scorching Dageer''s armor, and Ragout''s clothes. The lighting then made a bridge between them and Hell Squad, sending the clones in the same extremely painful torture. If it wasn''t for Dab, they would have all died there. But the sniper - who was almost a kilometer away, and had the high ground - fired his charged shot, throwing Count Dooku - who thought it was a normal laser - away. Seeing Hell Squad and Ragout get up on their feet again - although shaken - the Sith decided it was time to go. He had never expected the Jedi to be so powerful, or the clones beside him to be so good. It was a mistake he wouldn''t make again. Jumping on his speeder, he started speeding towards the capital city, where he would have battalions of droids as support. At the same time, he used the Force to pull his lightsaber out of the swamp. "Dab! Stop him!" Ragout hadn''t even finished talking when a laser was already flying at Count Dooku, hitting the speeder''s engine. The Separatist jumped off before the vehicle crashed, and shot a venomous glance at the Republic group. "Republic dogs!" Having uttered that last curse, Count Dooku ran to the depths of the marsh, disappearing amidst the trees. "Get up! We have to go after him!" Using the Force to lift Dageer and the other from the ground, Ragout started pursuing Count Dooku. Without any hesitation, the clones followed him. Chapter 296 - No Culprits In A War Count Dooku saw the clones before they saw him. The sniper, Dab, had also joined them. But he wasn''t worried about the clones. He would admit that he underestimated them, and his swollen face was a reminder of that. But he would get his vengeance very, very soon. Unlike the Jedi sc.u.m, who despised revenge, the Siths adored it. It was anger, pain, and rage that gave them their power. He could already envision his next course of action. Since he was on top of a tree, he would wait for the clones to pass by him, and then jump down and split the one carrying a gigantic blaster in half. Then, he would cut off the head of the one with an almost entirely brown armor. And the Jedi... Count Dooku turned his eyes to the Togruta leading the clones. He would get what he deserved. He thought back to the words the Jedi had said to him, about him being the cause of this war, and sneered. He wanted nothing but to kill his old master, but the green midget was right when he said there were no culprits in a war. A war didn''t start for nothing, neither did it start because someone decided to do so. Wars took a long, long time, and a huge amount of pent-up aggression, to commence. No one and everyone was to blame. "Dooku, I know you are here. Show yourself!" Startled, the Sith almost jumped down from the tree, and gave himself away. However, he wasn''t someone who would fall for old tricks, and noticed right away that Ragout had no idea where he was. The Jedi probably could feel his presence through the Force, but not pinpoint his exact location. That, however, instead of putting Count Dooku at ease, worried him even more. He was also a Force user, and an extremely powerful one on top of that, so he obviously knew how to shield himself from a Force scan. If Ragout was still able to sense him, that meant the Togruta was incredibly powerful. And that led Count Dooku to another thought, and a very simple one. He couldn''t allow the Jedi Order to grow stronger. Ragout had to die. -------------------------- Dageer heard Ragout speaking confidently, but he could tell by his posture that he didn''t know where Count Dooku was. Still, he believed the Jedi had a plan. "Stay sharp, boys. The seppie is here somewhere." "Roger that, commander." "If he appears in front of us, we will give him what he deserves." Metal had barely finished bragging when Dageer saw a shadow move in the corner of his eyes. Without thinking, he pushed his brother, but the tip of the red lightsaber still made contact, cutting a gash two centimeters deep and half a meter long in the clone''s back. It wasn''t a life-threatening wound, but it was very, very painful. Screaming in pain, Metal fell face-first into the muddy water, and Count Dooku spun his lightsaber, preparing to finish him off, but Ragout was faster. The Jedi parried the attack, and Dageer took the opportunity to pull Metal away from the two Force users. After getting his brother out of immediate danger, he turned around to help Ragout, but found himself in a similar predicament to his squad. Each of them was able to hit a moving target from hundreds of meters, but the Jedi and the Sith battled in speeds impossible for the clones. Their lightsabers clashed time and time again, and their movement was faster than their eyes could follow. If they fired, they risked hitting their general. "First, I am going to kill you, Jedi sc.u.m. Then, it will be the turn of your men. My apprentice has a special interest in them. I am sure she will appreciate torturing those clones until their deaths." Ragout wasn''t shaken by the Separatist''s words, but he glanced briefly at Hell Squad, and frowned. He had saved them this time, but for how long could he keep doing that? Count Dooku was as powerful as him, probably more. One single mistake by Ragout''s part would be enough for the Sith to wipe them all out. Knowing that, the Jedi did a backflip, putting some distance between him and his opponent, and spun his lightsaber provocatively. Count Dooku grinned, knowing that he was being baited, but went along with it. Soon, both figures had disappeared into the swamp. "What do we do, commander?" Dageer looked at Metal, who had fallen into unconsciousness. He couldn''t leave his brother behind, but he also couldn''t let his general fight Count Dooku alone. "Three-four, take care of Metal. Dab, you stay here too. Cell, Tech, Brain, you follow me. We have to help General Ragout." "Understood." "Roger that." Several heads nodded, and Hell Squad got up. They split up silently, each member knowing their job. The three Dageer called followed him, and went after Count Dooku and Ragout. They hadn''t gotten far when a weird noise filled the swamp, getting louder by the second. In the distance, they could see trees falling and toppling over. "Damn it! That''s bad news. Three-four, do you copy?" "Yes, sir. What is that?" "The seppies brought out the big toys. Fall back with Metal. We are going to meet you at our mark." "What about General Ragout?" "He is a Jedi, he will manage it. We won''t be able to help him if we are dead. Let''s move!" Immediately, the four clones turned around to regroup with Three-four, Dab, and Metal. After giving a quick glance at the giant machines destroying the marsh, going towards Ragout''s position, Dageer followed them. ---------------------------- Ragout brought his lightsaber crashing down onto Count Dooku''s head, but the Separatist stepped to the side, dodging, and counterattacking with a swing of his own. The two of them had been fighting for almost half an hour now, but a winner had yet to be decided. Even with his shoulder brutality wounded, Ragout had been able to cut a gash on Count Dooku''s right side, evening the odds. Now, it was all down to a battle of attrition. Unfortunately, Force users could fight for hours without getting tired. "Surrender, Dooku. I won''t ask again." "You asked three times already, my answer won''t change, young one. But, unfortunately, our playtime is over." Ragout was somewhat stunned when he heard Count Dooku. What did the Separatist mean? "General, there are two MTTs going your way!" He had been so focused on the battle, that it took Dageer screaming in the comlink to make him notice the weird, unnatural sounds coming from the swamp. He hurriedly turned to his opponent, enraged. "You called for backup! Couldn''t handle me on your own, Dooku?" "Haha! Why would I waste my time on a duel with a wannabe Jedi? I have more important plans, and a war to lead." "I thought you still had some honor in you, Sith, but it appears I was wrong." "What is the use of honor in war? Where did honor take your master? It''s just a pathetic excuse the Jedis give to themselves to justify their ego and selfishness. I don''t need honor." Having said that, Count Dooku turned off his lightsaber, and ran away. Ragout, instead of following him, turned to face his new opponents: The gigantic vehicles, and the hundreds of droids they carried. Chapter 297 - Nightmares Dageer was firing at the B1 units running after Hell Squad when he saw a shadow with the corner of his eyes. Blaster ready, he turned around, and prepared to fire, but was surprised to see a Togruta. "General Ragout? How did you get here?" "I stole one of their STAPs, but they shot me down before I could get to the rendezvous point. Since you also got stuck here, it doesn''t make much of a difference." "What about Dooku? Did he escape?" "Unfortunately. Where are the others?" "Three-four, Metal, and Dab are holed up a few clicks from here. They managed to find a good defensive position, and were waiting for us. But the seppies got here first." "How is Metal?" "Holding on. He will get another scar, but he will survive." Dageer left unsaid that Metal would only survive if they could escape. And now their chances weren''t looking too good. The MTTs were slow, but if they didn''t move soon, the vehicles would get there eventually. And even a Jedi wouldn''t withstand a chance against the two rotatable twin blaster cannons it had. "We can''t stay here. The swamp will slow the clanckers down, especially the MTTs. I''m going to create a distraction, and we run towards the others." "We will be slowed down too, general." "Not as much as them. Ready?" Dageer shot a quick glance at Brain, Cell, and Tech, and, when he saw them nodding, gave an affirmative signal to Ragout. Seeing that, the Jedi unhesitatingly got up, exposing himself to the incoming lasers. Suppressing a sigh, Hell Squad did the same, and fired back, to cover Ragout while he used his Jedi powers. It didn''t take long. A huge curtain of water was raised up from the marsh, right between the two groups. When they saw that, Hell Squad turned around and retreated without the need for an order. They had fought with and against Force users before, so they knew it was taxing on Ragout to maintain such a huge amount of water in the air. The distraction lasted for about ten seconds before Ragout couldn''t maintain it anymore, and the water fell. It wasn''t much, but it was enough for the clones to get a few dozen meters away. ... The next few hours were frenetic, with the Republic group - after meeting up with Three-four and the others - doing their best to escape, and killing a few dozen droids which were on their trail. Ragout was right when he said they would lose the MTTs on the swamp, but even so, the B1 units were relentless. Still, things were looking better now. Sure, Count Dooku had escaped, and they had no means to leave Aleen. But they were alive, and mostly unharmed, except for Metal. "I think we have finally shaken them off, general." "Good. Metal, how are you? Can you keep moving?" The machine gunner laughed, albeit weakly. He used a rock to stand up, grunting in pain, but doing his best to hide it. "They have yet to build the seppie that is going to take me down, sir. Don''t worry, we can keep going." Ragout nodded, and Hell Squad stood up. And then Dageer got shot. --------------------------- "Dageer!" "Sir!" "Commander!" It all happened in a second. Dageer had just gotten up when a laser left the trees, and hit the back of his head. He fell down without a sound, smoke rising from the spot where he was hit. In one single movement, Hell Squad turned around, and fired at the direction the laser came from. A commando droid fell on the water, and sank. Then everything quieted down. After a few seconds of silence, the clones dropped their blasters, took off their helmets, and knelt besides Dageer. Three-four had already turned him around, and was examining him with a grave look on his face. However, no matter what he did, Dageer had no reaction. "Three-four... Is he..." The clone didn''t answer. Instead, he told Brain to hold Dageer, and carefully took off his helmet. When he did that, he weaved a sigh of relief. "He is alive. But he won''t be for long if we don''t get him proper medical care soon." Ragout and Hell Squad all slumped to the ground, relieved. Even if it was just for a few seconds, believing Dageer was dead had been terrible. Hell Squad would be completely lost without him. He had always been the cornerstone of the unit, always there for them. They knew they could rely on him for anything. As for Ragout, he wasn''t feeling much different. In his heart, Dageer had a position close to his master''s. Ragout carefully picked up Dageer. The clone still showed no signs of waking up. "Let''s go." ---------------------------- Dageer didn''t feel anything. One moment he was getting up, and the other, everything suddenly went dark. And, in the darkness, he saw his dead brothers. He couldn''t be more familiar with what was happening. He was having a nightmare, the same he had every time he closed his eyes. Thousands of clones, each one a friend and brother he cherished, but who were all dead now. Their mouths were open in silent screams, their faces contorted in pain. Then, everything slowly started dissolving in red and black lights, creating a gigantic, hooded figure. "Kill... Kill... Kill the Jedi... Jedi... Jedi!" The same grave, old voice, repeated these words intermittently. Usually, that was when clones woke up, sweating and confused. They also couldn''t remember exactly what the voice had said, only that it terrified them. But this time, Dageer didn''t wake up. He struggled, knowing that it was just a dream, but being horrified all the same. The voice got louder, until it was like a blaster cannon being fired next to his ears. The words were imprinted in his head, and yet, he could do nothing. He didn''t notice that he started to mumble and repeat them unconsciously. And suddenly, it was all gone. Everything returned to the darkness, but somehow, it was even worse than before. Because now he was alone with his thoughts, and all he could think was of the voice, and Ragout. And those weren''t good thoughts. ... He didn''t know for how long he was unconscious, but suddenly, without any warning, he was pulled from the darkness, and opened his eyes. The first thing Dageer noticed was that he was submerged in a blue, viscous liquid, and had a tube attached to his mouth, so he could breathe. A bacta-tank. And that was all he had time to look at before an immense wave of pain spread through his body, coming from his head. He couldn''t control himself, and started shaking. "Warning! Warning! Patient CT-4063 destabilizing! Warning! Patient CT-4063 destabilizing! Activating secure protocols." Something cool was injected into him, and his eyelids became heavy. However, it also made the pain go away. Before he entered unconsciousness once more, he saw a familiar face before him, as a soothing voice reached him. Even in his current state, he could feel the Force attached to it, calming him down, helping him fall asleep. "Calm down, Dageer. You are between friends. You are home." Chapter 298 - Babysitting Troopers "How is he, Suan-Ta?" Ragout looked at Dageer, worry in his eyes. The spasms that the clone had just moments ago only added to his concerns. Dageer was floating in the bacta-tank, almost n.a.k.e.d. His entire body was filled with scars, from small circles - from lasers - to long lines, like the one covering his right eye. Ragout had been present when many of those scars were made, but he couldn''t help but wonder how Dageer had made it this far. Even when hit in a vital spot, like the head, the commander had been lucky. The laser had grazed the back of his neck, miraculously missing any major arteries, or his spine. The heat had cauterized the wound immediately, so the same laser that almost killed him saved his life. It was as if something had protected Dageer. When this thought crossed his mind, Ragout thought back to what his master told him a long time ago. Something about a Force sensitive being on Iktotch saying Dageer was surrounded by the Force. Ragout had dismissed this when General Di talked to him, thinking that the Iktotchi had been senile, but maybe there was some truth in it. He used the Force to scan the commander, but didn''t feel anything. If Dageer had any connection with the Force, it was very weak. And, above all else, it was impossible. Clones couldn''t use the Force. "Master Jedi? Are you listening?" "Yeah. Sorry, Suan-Ta. Can you repeat, please?" The tall Kaminoan looked at Ragout curiously, but didn''t ask anything. She was far too fascinated with Dageer to pay attention to details. "I don''t know what woke him up, Master Ragout. Our sedatives should have been enough to keep him asleep for weeks. It was sheer willpower. Impressive." "Not willpower. Anger. I could feel it. It isn''t a secret clones don''t sleep well. It certainly has something to do with this." "You are correct, of course. Unfortunately, we were never able to figure out the reason behind the nightmares." "War. That is the cause. Brutal, unending, war." Saun-Ta turned around without saying anything, a small smile on her face. If only the poor Jedi knew the truth... "You can leave him to our care, Master Ragout. In five or six days, we will take him out of the tank. However, it will take at least two months before he can rejoin the combat." Ragout said nothing, only acknowledging her words with a slight nod. Glancing at Dageer one last time, he turned around to leave the medical bay. He had to talk to Hell Squad. With or without a commander, a special unit couldn''t stay still for two months. Like he said to the Kaminoan, this was an unending war. Every trooper was needed. ---------------------------- One month passed quickly. Hell Squad and Ragout helped take over the planet of Umbara - the natives had allied with the Separatist, and a Jedi Master had betrayed the Republic, causing troopers of the 501st and the 212th to kill each other. The traitor had eventually been killed by a clone, but the battle went down as one of the costliest victories of the entire Clone Wars. Dageer, on the other hand, waited in Kamino. He had completely recovered, and the previous two months of rehabilitation had become one. Every now and then, he would give the shines some advice, but the spent most of the time anxiously waiting for the ship that would bring Hell Squad to Kamino. He didn''t like being separated from his squad, and, above all else, he didn''t like doing nothing while his brothers died around the galaxy. Thinking of that, Dageer left his quarters, and went outside, to watch the endless waves of Kamino. Facing the slight drizzle, he put on his helmet, and just stood there, hands behind his back. He didn''t know for how long he stood there, thinking of all the battles he had gone through, before a trooper called him, saying that General Shaak Ti wanted to see him. "Understood. At ease." "Yes, sir." Before Dageer moved, however, he was surprised by Brain. At some moment, the clone had appeared behind him, and was giving him a salute, helmet under the arm. The commander instantly noticed a new scorch on the grenadier''s armor, but Brain didn''t see to be hurt. "Those weeks of rest made you softer, sir. Didn''t see me arrive?" "Ha! We are home, there is no need to be so cautious. Where are the others?" "I sent them to clean up their armors. We hadn''t had the chance since Umbara. The general had to go to Coruscant. Jedi matters." Dageer''s right hand anticipated the commander''s next question, knowing that Dageer cared a lot for Ragout. They all did. "Any wounds?" "A few, none too serious. The 501st and the 212th had it worse. What they went through..." Dageer nodded. He couldn''t imagine what it had been like for them, to kill their own brothers. The fact that they did it following the orders of a traitor only made it worse. "Come on." Together, the two walked to General Shaak Ti''s command center. It didn''t come as a surprise when they found the Jedi talking to a hologram of General Yoda. Hell Squad had long grown used to having the old Jedi Master give them their assignments. After all, their missions were usually top secret. Even the members of Hell Squad wouldn''t know the details until just before the mission. That way, even if one of them was captured - like Brain once was - it wouldn''t compromise the Republic''s plans. Dageer was an exception, of course. He had already proven that even a Sith couldn''t get anything of him. "Generals." "Commander Dageer, Brain. I have something I need Hell Squad to do. Master Yoda agreed to my request." Dageer waited for the Jedis to say what they wanted. Orders were orders, so he would follow them anyway. "Train a group of clones, I want you to, commander." Needless to say, Dageer and Brain were stunned when they heard General Yoda. They had expected everything, from fighting a normal battle to going after Count Dooku himself, but not training new troopers. "General Yoda, with all due respect, but Hell Squad would be better used somewhere else in the galaxy. General Shaak Ti is already in charge of the training." Dageer left unsaid that soldiers could only learn so much through training. Only real battles, where one put their life on the line, could teach the troopers more. "Indeed I am, Dageer. But what I want Hell Squad to do isn''t stay here for the rest of the war. We have a... unique unit that needs training. The kind that only a special unit like yours can give." Dageer frowned, but said nothing. Even if he had been ordered to train new cadets, he would still do it without complaining. Orders were orders. The fact that they wanted Hell Squad to take charge of a ''unique'' unit meant that they were more than normal clones. That picked his curiosity. "Delta Squad is in Kamino too. I trust you can see the importance the Republic is putting on this new unit." The commander nodded slowly. Boss''s unit was only behind Hell Squad. If both of them were being taken away from a battlefield just to train a squad of clones, they had to be something special. "Who are they?" "Four clones they are. Very difficult to work with, but special still. Call themselves the Bad Batch, they do." Chapter 299 - Clone Force 99 "... Call themselves the Bad Batch, they do." When they heard the Jedi, the two members of Hell Squad exchanged a glance. They had been through almost three years of war, and had heard the troopers give nicknames for themselves, their brothers, their units, and even their legions. But Bad Batch was new. Clearly, the Jedis noticed their surprise, because as soon as General Yoda disconnected, General Shaak Ti gave Dageer a datapad. "Everything you will need to know about Clone Force 99 is here." "Clone Force 99? As in..." Brain couldn''t refrain from asking. After all the number 99 was all too familiar to him. But the Jedi just shook her head. "Go through it on your way to training bay A-12. And take your whole squad, commander. Delta Squad will be there too. As you will discover, the Bad Batch can be quite... difficult to deal with. That''s why we chose Hell Squad to take over their training." Dageer stared at the Togruta. As soon as she said the name of this unit, something has clicked inside his head. "This has to do with the Third Battle of Kamino, doesn''t it?" General Shaak Ti nodded. "How long will this training take? Hell Squad is needed outside. There is a war still going on." The Jedi frowned ever so slightly. Few, or no clones, in the entire Republic army would dare to make as many questions as Dageer was. His squad members were slightly more disciplined than him, but they too always questioned their orders. That said, they never disobeyed them, or at least not in a way that jeopardized the Republic''s plans. Maybe that was a consequence of everything Hell Squad went through, she thought. "They already completed their basic training. Hell Squad will need to show them what they can''t learn here. After all, our instructors haven''t seen battle in many years. As for the time... A month. That was the time you would stay here recovering." "Understood." The two clones turned around to leave when General Shaak Ti stopped them, and glared straight at their eyes. "Commander Dageer, remember something... I know why you want to get back into the war so quickly. And the Republic knows everything you and your men have done for us, and what you still have to do. But it''s for those same reasons that we need more units like Hell Squad. So Ryloth doesn''t happen again, and so this war can end sooner." -------------------------- Looking at the backs of the two soldiers, General Shaak Ti frowned harder. She didn''t like Hell Squad. In her opinion, they were too unstable after the Battle of Ryloth. They questioned orders, or followed them not in the way they were supposed to do. A survivor of the 303rd Attack Legion had betrayed the Republic, and several others showed signs of losing control over their emotions. For clones breed to battle, this wasn''t normal. But, above all else, she didn''t like them because of Ragout. She liked the young Jedi very much. She had taught him a thing or two back in the Jedi Temple, when he was just a youngling. And she had been very good friends with his master. She and General Di had been padawans at the same time, and their masters were close too. She didn''t like seeing the apprentice of her oldest friend being so attached to a group of clones. More than once, when Hell Squad had been brought up by the Jedi Council - and that happened a lot, especially during military meetings - Ragout defended the unit to the point of creating disagreements with his fellow Jedi Masters. Special units had a very high death rate, for obvious reasons. They were always in the fiercest of battles, or alone behind enemy lines. Few units survived more than a few months, and only two had been alive since the start of the Clone Wars: Hell Squad and Delta Squad. Ragout was too emotionally close to Hell Squad, who could die at any time in some obscure corner of the galaxy. He would surely suffer deeply if and when that happened. And pain and anger were dangerous companions, very close to the Dark Side. Sighing, General Shaak Ti turned back to the hologram table, and to all the doc.u.ments she had to go through. She might dislike Hell Squad, but she had to admit that the Republic needed them. It was incredible that seven men, insignificant before the millions that composed the Clone Army, could make such a difference. --------------------------- "I have the information you wanted, Your Highness. About Hell Squad." "Tell me." "It is as you predicted, my lord. They are a lot more independent than normal clones. The emotional impact of the fall of their legion seems to have overridden their inhibitor ch.i.p.s, but the Kaminoans guarantee that there is no way for them to break away from your control. The most that will happen is that they might disobey orders from others, but not you, my lord." "Uhm... Interesting..." "Should we bring them in and fix their ch.i.p.s? Or deal with them?" "No. I am curious to see how they will develop. Tell the cloners to keep them under their watch. The data could be useful. Meanwhile, have you already chosen who will test the... command?" "Yes, my lord. We are ready to implement it." "Good, good. Puny Jedi Order, your time is coming. Hahahahahahaha!" ----------------------------- "Who are they, sir?" "Dageer? Did the Jedi tell you the same she told me?" Dageer and Brain soon joined the rest of Hell Squad, as well as Delta Squad, outside training bay A-12. Boss frowned when he saw the datapad in Dageer''s hands. Clearly, he didn''t like the idea of becoming an instructor. "Yeah." The commander only nodded, still focused on the datapad. Brain, Tech, Metal, Dab, Cell, Three-four, Scorch, Fixer, and Sev all looked at the two of them, impatiently. Up till now, only Dageer and Boss knew what was going on. "Who are they, sir?" Dageer looked at Boss, and his brother gave a small nod of encouragement. "Clone Force 99. Named after 99. You all knew him. He died during the Third Battle of Kamino. During the battle, several of our installations here were damaged or destroyed, and one of the core pieces of the clone production was stolen by Ventress, although General Skywalker got it back. However, the small time the sample was out of the machines, a batch of embryos died. Only four of them survived. Deformed and... defective, but with some special abilities." He spit it all out in one breath, frowning all the time, especially when he called them ''defective''. He didn''t like to refer to his brothers with those words, but that was what it said in the datapad General Shaak Ti gave him. The troopers around him were all looking stern, having understood why their two squads had been chosen to train the Bad Batch. "What abilities?" "You will see." Dageer didn''t want to get into more details. He and Boss had already read the files of the Bad Batch, and knew that the squad was undisciplined, disrespectful, and arrogant. However, the two made a silent agreement of letting their men decide what they thought of the Bad Batch after they had talked with them. After all, that would affect how the training would progress. Seeing several heads nodding, Dageer opened the doors of the training bay to find the weirdest group of clones he had ever seen. Chapter 300 - The Arrogant Bad Batch Four men were scattered around the training bay, each one doing their own thing. Closest to the entrance was one that had what looked like a small datapad on his arm, from which several cables appeared, and were connected to the back of half a dozen target droids - rewired B1 units. From time to time, the clone would mutter something to himself, and tap something into the datapad. What was surprising about him, though, wasn''t what he was doing, but how he looked. Clones were all the same. Same height, same weight, same eyes, same genes, same everything. Only tattoos or how they cut their hair could tell them apart from each other - for normal folks, that is. Amongst themselves, clones knew who the others were even if they looked all the same. It was instinctive. But the trooper crouching behind the clanckers wasn''t anything like that. He was much smaller and thinner. His face was also much slimmer, and he had huge glasses, which he seemed to be able to use to zoom in or out. He also used what appeared to be a heavily modified ARC Trooper armor, with a huge backpack. According to Dageer''s intel, he was called Tech, and had enhanced mental capacities. Looking at how both he and Hell Squad''s Tech liked technology, Dageer was sure his name wasn''t just a coincidence. A few dozen meters away from Bad Batch''s Tech, was a clone that could only be described as old. He had white and gray hair, was taller than normal clones, and his cheekbones stuck out, making him look as if there was only skin attached to his skull, and no muscles. Around his right eye, there was a weird tattoo. It was a circle with four lines sticking out of it - on the left, right, top, and bottom. It looked very much like the crosshair one would find in a sniper blaster rifle''s scope, which was also his name: Crosshair. The ''desirable mutation'' - as the reports referred to it - he had was incredible eyesight. He could use his own eye as if it was a scope, giving him high accuracy at long distances, which obviously put his role as a sniper. At the moment, Crosshair was shooting at the training droids a few dozen meters away. If one looked closely, they would realize that he wasn''t aiming at the clanckers, but at the walls behind them. The lasers would reflect on the walls, and hit the droids in the back of the head. Even at a close distance, that was an incredible feat. Standing in the middle of the room, lifting B2 units and throwing them meters away, was a gigantic clone. The was at least half a meter taller than normal troopers, and clearly much stronger. His left eye was completely white, and he had dozens of scars on the left side of his head. The scars appeared to be from burns, but considering how the other members of Clone Force 99 had turned out to be, Dageer wasn''t sure if it wasn''t just something he was born with. His name was Wrecker. Lastly, there was Sergent Hunter. Off all the clones of Bad Batch, he was the one who resembled a normal clone the most. He had long hair, and half of his face was covered by a tattoo that resembled a skull. He also had a red bandanna wrapped around his head, which certainly wasn''t standard equipment. However, there was nothing normal about the unique abilities he had. While the other three had super strength, enhanced eyesight, and mental capacities, Hunter had enhanced senses. He could feel the magnetic field of the planet, and was able to tell the enemy positions, speed, manpower, and a number of other valuable pieces information before they even got close. He was also the only one who paid attention when Hell Squad entered. With a lot of calm, he put away the two pistols he had been playing with, and whistled to get Bad Batch''s attention. "Yo, boys! We got company! The normies are here." Dageer frowned once again, an expression that didn''t see to leave his face for the last months. Hunter and his men were showing no respect for their superiors. And be it in experience or rank, anyone on Hell Squad or Delta Squad was vastly superior to them. Slowly, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair abandoned what they were doing, and stopped in a disorganized line, without saluting. It was very clear they were bored, and even disinterested in their new instructors. Dageer would have none of that. "Sergent Hunter! In position! Now!" "Yes, sir!" Dageer''s yell was enough to startle them into position. Laidback or not, they were still clones, and discipline was ingrained in their bones. "Are they really clones?" Dageer exchanged glances with Boss. They could see that the first impression the four clones had left on their men wasn''t good. To tell the truth, even though they had already been expecting Bad Batch''s behavior, they were also quite unhappy. For soldiers who hadn''t even fought a battle to be this confident, it wasn''t healthy. Overconfidence led to quick deaths. "Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair. Clone Force 99, huh?" "Sure thing, commander! What''s up?!" Wrecker yelled at what Dageer supposed was his normal voice volume. The sniper by his side snickered a little before elbowing his squad member, who in turn tried to pick up him. Hunter had to interfere to make them shut up. "Quiet, you two. It''s us, sir. What can we help you with?" "General Shaak Ti thinks very highly of your unit, sergeant. She thinks you have the potential to become one of the best the Republic has. I and Boss are here to make sure that happens." "Ha! What can a normie teach us?" Crosshair whispered loud enough for everyone to hear him. It was the second time one of Bad Batch''s members had used the term ''normie'' to refer to Hell Squad. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "Uhmm..." "Sorry, Commander Dageer. Crosshair didn''t mean to be disrespectful. It''s just that we aren''t exactly like the others. We aren''t normal clones, you see?" "I know, sergeant. I read all the reports about Bad Batch. That doesn''t mean anything for me, Boss, or any other clone. We are brothers all the same. So, show me what you can do, and I will decide whether your unit is worth teaching something or not." ---------------------------- Hunter looked at the eleven clones standing before him. All of them had stone-cold expressions, and their backs straight. They looked at Bad Batch as if they weren''t there. He could understand why. He knew his men hadn''t left the best first impression. But that didn''t mean he had to like it. He and his brothers weren''t normal clones. They were better. Way, way better. They were being bred to be clone commandos before, and after the attack that caused them to become deformed, they had become something else. They had skills and abilities no clone could compete with. Glaring at the one in front, Commander Dageer, Hunter started thinking. He couldn''t, and didn''t want to, be disrespectful. Dageer was his superior. In fact, all the clones in both squads were. However, he would show them that Bad Batch wasn''t to be underestimated. And there was no way better than to show that they were better than Dageer. After all, even Delta Squad seemed to follow the commander''s order, even though he was just a normal clone. "All right, sir. You want us to show what we can do. How should we do that?" // AUTHOR''S NOTE // 300 chapters. Wow. Over a year and a half ago, when I started writing the novel, I never thought I would get past 20 chapters, and thought that I would give up, like I did in many other projects. After all, I was just writing for a little bit of fun, and because I thought it was a pity to leave what seemed like a good idea go to waste. But then one single person left a comment in almost every chapter, simply saying "thanks". For that one person, I decided I wouldn''t stop, at least not right away. So, I persisted a little more. And more people started reading and commenting. So I persisted a little more, and a little more, and a little more... When we made it to 100 chapters, I was already sure I wouldn''t stop. From there on, it was a snowball effect. And now, we are at 300 chapters of pure novel, plus 5 auxiliary chapters. I can safely say I probably never felt more proud of anything, and that Broke have an extremely important role in my life. I can only say thank you to all of the readers. Without you all, this journey would have ended before it even started, and I would have missed something incredible. So, thanks, from the bottom of my heart. I don''t know how many more chapters we have left, or how many twists and turns the story will have, but I know we will find out together. Again, thank you all, for everything, remember to stay safe, and may the Force be with you. PS: read my note on the other space, it can only have 500 characters, so I write the bigger ones here, but it is also important. Chapter 301 - Worthy Of 99 Dageer designed a training course for Bad Batch to run. He put the four of them against sixty B1 units, twenty B2 super battle droids, and three Droidekas. Two of the clanckers were even manning an E-Web Turret. Bad Batch cleared it easily. Even though they hadn''t seen where Dageer programmed the droids to be, Hunter could easily detect them, and warn his squad. Wrecker would pick up droids, including Droidekas, and throw them away. Their cohesion was impressive, almost comparable to veterans. Just almost though. They still lacked experience, and made too many unnecessary moves, which would get them killed in a real battle. But they certainly could back up a little of their arrogance. "So? What do you think, sir?" Bad Batch stood proudly before Dageer, only to find out he didn''t seem impressed. In fact, none of the men behind him looked like they were impressed either. "It''s quite good for some shinies." "We are not shinies! We are soldiers! Err... Sir." Wrecker complained before realizing he was being disrespectful. Dageer didn''t pay him any heed, because he knew this brother of his might be strong, but it was also more... emotional. "Until you go through your first battle, you are little more than cadets. Dab and Sev, you take Crosshair. Show him some tricks. Metal and Scorch, Wrecker. Tech, you get our Tech, Fixer, and Cell. Boss, you and I will train Hunter. Brain and Three-four, you sit out for this one." Both Hell Squad and Delta Squad members nodded. Even the clone commandos had no qualms following Dageer''s arrangement. But Bad Batch had. "Sir, commander, err... Commander Dageer?" For the first time, Bad Batch''s Tech spoke, so fast that it was almost difficult to understand what he was saying. "Yes?" "We showed you what we can do... But you haven''t shown us. I mean... Like, don''t want to... I''m not saying you aren''t good... It''s just that you only rated us good enough. And we are a lot better than the normies." Dageer looked at Bad Batch, and saw they all had the same feelings as their brother. They were hard to convince. "You may be better than cadets, but you are nowhere near the level of skill a special unit needs. Besides, you think too highly of yourselves. That will get you killed in your first battle. Hell Squad and Delta Squad have been through thousands of battles. After a month, we will see how prepared you are." "But..." Wrecker and Bad Batch''s Tech were about to complain again when their sergeant put his hands on their shoulders, and forced them to stand down. "We understand that, sir. But could you show us a little of what you can do? We heard a lot about your two units during training, but never had the chance to see them in action." "Haha!" Before Dageer could answer, he heard Boss laughing. The commando didn''t even try to hide it. The others also had grins on their faces, while Clone Force 99 was looking at them confused. They didn''t know why their brothers had found Hunter''s words so funny. "I don''t think they will be convinced until you show them, sir." "Metal is right. Do you need help?" "Stand down, Brain. The commander can handle them on his own." Dageer looked at his men, and sighed, before turning around to face Bad Batch. In the same movement, he kicked Hunter, pulled out his DC-17, and his vibroblade. To the sergeant''s credit, he noticed Dageer''s sudden move, and put his hands in from of his stomach to block, but still had to take a few steps back. He tried to reach for his own pistols, but found that the vibroblade was resting on his neck, threatening to kill him if he moved. Meanwhile, Dageer held his blaster in his left hand, and aimed it at Crosshair, Tech, and Wrecker. "Dead, dead, dead, and dead. Clone Force 99 is gone, Sergeant Hunter." It all was over in a second. Bad Batch barely had any time to react, and had startled expressions on their faces. The other clones weren''t surprised at all. Putting his weapons away, Dageer just stared at Hunter, waiting to see what he was going to say. The sergeant stood quiet. He finally seemed to have understood why Hell Squad and Delta Squad looked down on his unit''s confidence. The one to speak first was obviously Wrecker. "Hey! That wasn''t fair! You caught us by surprise!" The one to answer him was Boss, as he stepped forward, to stand by Dageer''s side. "Who told you the seppies are going to play fair? They are very similar to us in this. We will do everything it takes to win, and so will they. Their droid factories build dozens of thousands of clanckers every day. No matter where you fight, you will be outnumbered and outgunned. You are good, I won''t deny that, but I could pick any trooper at random, and he could deal with you as easily as Dageer did." "Still! If we..." "Shut up, Wrecker. Commander Boss is right." Hunter stepped forward, without taking his eyes off Dageer and Boss. Wrecker mumbled a little, but obeyed. Crosshair and Bad Batch''s Tech had yet to say a word. It appeared they had understood the same as their sergeant. That they were nowhere near ready. "Yes, he is. Some reflexes and instincts will only come from experience. After you fight your first battle, you will understand. For now, we will teach you all the tricks a special unit needs to know. The tricks they don''t show you when you are cadets. First lesson, never underestimate your enemy. Too many of our brothers fell because of that. Second lesson: you won''t only be fighting against normal tin cans. What I did to you, sergeant, is a standard move used by commando droids. But they won''t stop their blades." Dageer stopped to see if his speech was having the desired effect. He had been a commander for long enough to know that even amongst clones, it was necessary to earn their full trust, otherwise they might falter during a key moment. And mistakes led to death. "You were named at 99. Maybe you think it is because you are... defective like he was, or because you were a mistake. The real reason only the higher-ups know. What any clone knows is that 99 was a soldier just like the rest of us. He died to save his home and his brothers. We were here when that happened. So, we will make sure you are worthy of his name. Understood?" "Yes, sir!" "Good. We will follow what I said before. You will have a month of training before receiving your first mission, whether you are prepared or not. Boss?" "Got it. All right, start moving! You were showing off before, now I want to see what you can really do! Let''s go!" The clones started moving. Dageer and Boss had been training Hunter for about an hour - the clone showed a lot of interest in Dageer''s vibroblade - when Brain called his commander. By the look on his face, he had bad news. When Dageer heard what he had to say, his expression turned grave, and his eyes flicked with worry. Telling Boss to keep training Hunter, Dageer left the room, and rushed to meet General Shaak Ti. Chapter 302 - Our General "Sir, can I ask you something?" Boss put away his blaster, and stepped back. Hunter did the same. "Say it." "When we were cadets, we always heard of Delta Squad. We always looked up to you, because you are commandos just like us, and we were told you are the best unit of the Clone Army. But..." "But we listen to Dageer, even though he is just a... What did you call him? A normie?" "Well... Yeah." "Hahaha! Your squad training was mostly separated from the others, right? Ours was too. After all, commandos have different battles to fight. But you gotta remember something, kid. We are all clones. Commandos, ARC Troopers, normal clones, we are all brothers. I would listen to a cadet, if what he said made sense. No matter what your rank, unit, or legion is, we are a family." "I understand." "I know you do. You are one of us, after all." Hunter nodded firmly. The sense of belonging he had amongst other clones like him was stronger than anything. But Boss hadn''t answered his question. And if there was one thing Bad Batch didn''t know, was how to be subtle. "Who is better? Your unit or Hell Squad?" "Hell Squad." He was surprised by the lack of hesitation. He thought Boss would have more difficulty to admit it, even though it was quite obvious what he thought. "Delta Squad was better than Hell Squad once, that''s true. But that was when they didn''t have all of their members, and had just been created. You heard the stories. Normal troopers, transformed in a special unit during the First Battle Of Geonosis. That alone is enough to show their capabilities. They faced and killed enemies that even the Jedis ran from. If only we had more like them, maybe we wouldn''t be losing so badly." "Losing? I thought we were winning." "That''s what they tell the cadets. We can''t have you thinking that all the training is worthless. But you will see it by yourself soon. We are fighting in dozens of systems, and losing in most of them. The clanckers are too many for us. Sometimes we have to make cruel decisions." "Like what?" "Like Ryloth. Hell Squad promised that they would only stop when they have avenged their legion. One of the many reasons why they are so good, unfortunately." Hunter looked at Boss without fully understanding what he meant. Delta Squad''s leader sighed, and made him go back to training. Like all shinies, Hunter would only know how brutal the war was when he saw a brother of his die by his side. Before that, he would still believe everything he was told in Kamino. Thinking of this, Boss exchanged glances with Brain. By the expression on the clone''s face, he knew something serious had happened. Something serious enough to make Dageer leave the training without warning. He hoped it was just another planet lost, and not something worse. --------------------------- General Shaak Ti heard the blast doors opening, and looked up from the hologram table to find Dageer. Frowning, she told the two clones who were with her to continue what they were doing, and went up to the commander. She could feel a lot of anxiety emanating from him. "Something wrong with Clone Force 99''s training, Commander Dageer?" "No, general. They are doing fine. As long as they can survive their first battle, they will be on par with Delta Squad." "Then what is wrong?" "General Ragout was captured." General Shaak Ti was stunned. She herself had only just received this piece of news, and only because she was a Jedi. "How do you know that, commander?" "Every clone knows how important Ragout is for Hell Squad, general. We made a promise a long time ago that we would never let anything happen to him." The Jedi opened her mouth, startled, and closed it again. She looked around, and discovered that the clones were avoiding her gaze. It was a severe breach of security, but she couldn''t bring herself to be angry at them. If they changed places, she would have done the same. "A promise to who?" "To General Di. The same day we left him to die, while we escaped." "You had no choice, commander. You were given an order, and you followed it." "And I will live with it forever, General Shaak Ti. But Ragout is all that is left of the 303rd, general. Of all the brothers that died on Ryloth." "A sacrifice was needed so Ryloth would have a chance of escaping the Separatist''s grasp." "It should have been us. Not him. We are clones. This is our job." "You are people, commander. You are not worth anything less than anyone in the galaxy. Master Di made a choice. And because of his choice, Ryloth is still ours. If you have died there, many of the battles you won for us would have ended differently." Dageer shook his head. The past was the past, and no matter how much he wanted to change it, he knew it was impossible. It was useless to discuss that now. He already saw General Di and his dead brothers every night. "A rescue operation will be mounted. Hell Squad took part in several ones before, let us take part in this one. Please." "I''m not sure your unit is emotionally prepared to such a mission, Commander Dageer." "We saved many Jedi Generals before. We will save ours. No matter the cost." Having said that, Dageer turned around and left. There was someone he needed to talk with. The Jedi, on the other hand, stood still for a long time. She knew that if Hell Squad was ordered to stay in Kamino, they would. But she wasn''t sure if that was the right decision. One didn''t need to be a Jedi to notice that Dageer and his men were prepared to die for Ragout. They would be a valuable asset to the rescue mission that was sure to be organized. "How many of the original troopers of the 303rd Attack Legion are still alive?" She turned to one of the clones around the hologram table, although she already knew the answer to her question. "Seven, ma''am." ---------------------------- "We will get him back, commander. I don''t care about Ryloth, and I know you didn''t too. I won''t let it all be in vain. A lot of things happened since you died. Many more died. Shield betrayed us. Only Hell Squad is left. And Ragout. You always liked him, even though he was just a kid when we first met. The 303rd lives on him. All of our brothers do. We won''t let him die too. For us." His eyes closed, Dageer saw countless similar faces flash through his mind. Every night, when the nightmares came, he wished he had died at Ryloth, so he wouldn''t have to carry the burden of being a coward who ran when he should have stayed. Who obeyed orders when he shouldn''t have. But when he opened his eyes, he would remember the promises he had made to General Di and to Commander Keeli. Hell Squad would only die when every clancker had become scrap metal. Until them, they would continue fighting. He would continue fighting. Glancing at the old, broken helmet in his hands, Dageer got up determined. Carefully, he laid the helmet on the shelf above his bed, where it had been for the last two years, and put on his own helmet. "I promise." Chapter 303 - Back To Where It All Started "Where is Dageer?" "He is talking to Commander Keeli." With furrowed eyebrows, Boss looked at Brain. The grenadier wasn''t joking. And, by the looks of it, he wasn''t surprised either. He probably was used to it. That was when a door opened, and Dageer got out of his quarters. The clone commando was able to catch a glimpse of a battered Phase II helmet, with two brownish-red painted horns. The helmet was almost cracked in half, the visor broken. It was Commander Keeli''s helmet. "What is it, Boss?" For a few seconds, Boss didn''t answer, and only looked at Dageer. The commander had an unreadable expression on his face, the scar over his eye slightly red. He had worked with Dageer long enough to know that meant he was nervous. "General Shaak Ti wants you in the command center. She called a meeting to discuss General Ragout''s situation." "That was quick. Brain, get the others. Boss, see what you can do to keep Bad Batch''s training going." "Roger that." "Okay. And good luck, Dageer." "Thanks. Maybe Delta Squad will be together with us on this one. Who knows." Boss nodded, and saluted Dageer. After doing the same, the commander, followed by Brain, went to meet General Shaak Ti. ---------------------------- Commander Doom had been through many battles, and seen death multiple times. He knew war brought out the worst in everyone, and clones were no exception. Still, when he saw the clone wearing brownish red armor, and with a scar on his face, he was surprised by the intensity in his brother''s gaze. He knew that the clone before him was a man willing to do anything to complete his objective. He knew that because he once had the same fire on his eyes. The Laat that he was on was shot down as soon as it left it''s cruiser, during the Second Battle Of Felucia. He was the sole survivor, lost behind enemy lines, over two hundred kilometers away from the nearest Republic base. It took almost three months for him to get back to the Republic side of the planet. He had long been declared dead. He rarely talked about what happened in these months, but it was a fact that he came back with many new scars, and parts of his armor were missing, and broken. And he had with him a tactical droid''s head, the same he had been sent to get when his gunship was shot down. So, he easily recognized Dageer''s intentions. He would rescue the Jedi, General Ragout, or he would die trying. He had never worked with Hell Squad before, but just like any other clone, he had heard of them. In fact, as a commander, he had access to more information than normal troopers, so he knew about some of their missions that weren''t disclosed to low ranking officers. And yet, not even him could get intel on over half of their operations. Dageer saluted him, and he acknowledged it with one of his own. Then, Commander Doom returned his attention back to the meeting. --------------------------- As soon as Hell Squad entered the room, they saw General Shaak Ti, Broodi, two Jedis they had never seen before, and a clone in dark green and yellow armor, whom they recognized as Commander Doom. The hologram table, on the other hand, showed General Kenobi, General Skywalker, Captain Rex, and Commander Cody. Too many people for a simple rescue mission. "Since Hell Squad is here, let''s start." General Shaak Ti called everyone''s attention, before doing the introductions. Since they would be working together, it was important that they knew each other. "Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker, you already know Hell Squad and Commander Broodi. Commander Doom, and Masters Tiplee and Tiplar, you should have heard of Hell Squad before." The two women bowed slightly to Dageer, and he returned a salute to them. One had red skin, while the other was green, but their facial features looked very similar. They were probably sisters, Dageer concluded. He couldn''t say which species they were from, but if he had to guess, they were from the Outer Rim. "As you already know, Master Ragout was captured during his return to Coruscant after the Battle of Umbara. His ship was attacked by a fleet led by Separatist admiral Trench. After which, he was brought to Geonosis." She paused, and looked up to see if everyone was following. They were. "We have to rescue Ragout. To do so, we will be sending two teams to Geonosis. Master Skywalker, that part of the plan is yours." The young Jedi nodded, and his projection grew bigger. Meanwhile, Dageer was thinking rapidly. Geonosis was the core of the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. The droid factories and foundries were there, and it was the most well-guarded planet of the Separatist. Even entire fleets would have problems breaking through the blockade around the planet. But sometimes, it was better to have quality over quantity. And Jedis certainly had that. "I know a smuggl... I mean, a captain, that can get us the clearance codes needed to pass through the blockade. We will need a Separatist ship for that. Once on surface, we will split up. One team will rescue Ragout, while the other will rig as many factories as it can." There was the reason why so many people - especially Jedis - were involved in this mission. They would only save Ragout, but take the opportunity to destroy, or at least damage, as many foundries and factories as they could. Still, Dageer could already see at least half a dozen flaws with the plan, and so could the others. "Assuming we can get to Geonosis without being discovered, and that they won''t suspect one of their sh.i.p.s not landing where it was supposed to, how are we going to know where Master Ragout is?" "And what about bombing the factories? They extended for dozens of kilometers underground, and are hundreds apart from each other. If we can partially disable one, it will already be impressive." And useless for the war effort. That was what General Tiplar meant, although she didn''t say it out loud. Luckily, it seemed that General Skywalker had an answer for both questions, although not very reassuring. "My droid, R2-D2, will control the ship after dropping us. Don''t worry, he did it before. The seppies won''t suspect. As for the factories, it''s a little more complicated. We will need to split up again, but if we are too little, it will be dangerous." "What about..." While the Jedis discussed, the clones stood quiet. Dageer was analyzing the plan carefully, and, crazy as it seemed, Hell Squad had gone through worse before. It was possible. He was deep in thought when General Shaak Ti called him. With just one look, he understood what she wanted. "They only had a day''s worth of training, general. They are not ready." "You said it yourself, commander. No amount of training will replace real experience." "Still, it''s too soon. We would need at least a week." "That''s how long our preparations should take." Dageer nodded slowly, acknowledging that the Jedi was right. "Sorry to interrupt, Master Shaak Ti, but about who exactly are you talking about?" Their short conversation left the others confused. General Kenobi asked after they were done talking, while the others looked at them curiously. "Hell Squad is training a new unit. It''s time to take them on a field trip." Chapter 304 - Hondo The Pirate "Tech, go get Hunter. And Boss too. Delta Squad will be happy to have a new mission." Without the need of being told, Dageer ordered Tech to fetch the two clones. Then, he turned back to the meeting. General Skywalker and General Kenobi were discussing something with Captain Rex and Commander Cody, after which both clones disappeared from the hologram table. The two Jedis, General Tiplee, and General Tiplar, were talking to General Shaak Ti and Broodi. Seeing that his attention wasn''t needed at the moment, Dageer ordered Hell Squad to stay at ease, and pulled up a projection of Geonosis on his datapad. He had taken part in both the First and the Second Battle Of Geonosis, but the planet was a nightmare for logistics, with all the underground caves. Even if they knew where exactly Ragout was - and they didn''t - they would have a lot of problems to save him. "Commander Dageer, how good is this new unit?" The clone turned around to find Commander Doom looking at him, hands behind his back. Dageer knew why he was asking about Clone Force 99. The Jedis didn''t pay much attention to the fact that they were shinies because they usually charged forward in battle, and didn''t see the newbies dying in droves. As clones and officers, Dageer and Commander Doom were far too used to that, and knew that sometimes inexperienced soldiers were more dangerous too have then not to. "They are green, but they are good. I still have to talk with the Jedis, but as long as we keep an eye on them, they will learn pretty quickly. I will tell Boss to do so." Commander Doom nodded, slightly surprised by how Dageer could apparently order a clone commando around, but didn''t let it show on his face. If Dageer didn''t even have this ability, he wouldn''t be the leader of the best special unit. When Boss and Hunter arrived, the meeting resumed. General Skywalker started explaining his idea of getting in contact with someone who could get the needed access codes. However, that someone was difficult to trust. Eventually, Dageer had to interrupt the Jedi, and question if it was really a good idea. "A pirate, General Skywalker? Can we trust him? I''ve fought against a few before, and they wouldn''t hesitate to sell us out." The young Jedi, however, smiled. Dageer had fought with him enough to know that he had a plan, and probably a really bad one - or a mad one, more accurately. "Of course we can''t trust him. Hondo will try to kill us as soon as he sees me or Obi-Wan. But once we convince him he will win something, he won''t betray us. He has some weird kind of honor. " Everyone looked at General Kenobi - the bearded Jedi knew his old padawan better than anyone, and could tell if he was being serious - only to see him sighing with his hand over his head, and shaking his head. "Anakin is right. Hondo is cunning, but once he gives his word, he will go through with it." "All right. Once we land, we will have to split up. Commander Dageer, I imagine Hell Squad will like to go after Master Ragout." "Yes, General Tiplee." "You know Geonosis better than all of us, commander. How should we separate?" Dageer stepped forward, and put a string of codes in the hologram table, pulling up a projection of Geonosis. Of all the people present, including the Jedis, only Delta Squad probably had as much experience as Hell Squad. "If the seppies behave like they usually do, General Ragout will be locked up on one of their main facilities, at the south hemisphere. As long as we can get inside them, Tech will discover where he is. Boss and Hunter, your units will cover these two areas. General Kenobi and General Skywalker, you go with them. General Tiplee, General Tiplar, Doom, and your men, you get the other side. Hell Squad will go get Ragout." In a single breath, Dageer split up all their forces into three groups. Since they didn''t know the actual layout of the factories, all he could do was give them a general direction. The rest they would have to figure out on their own, once they were on Geonosis. "Are you sure you can do that on your own, Commander Dageer?" After Dageer had explained his simple plan, there was a pause of a few seconds, before the others started discussing the details. General Tiplee and General Tiplar were surprised to see the others, including Jedis, so unconcerned that Hell Squad would be responsible for the most difficult and dangerous part of the mission all by themselves. Finally, the latter had to interrupt the conversation, and ask. To that, however, Dageer flashed one of his rare grins, before running his fingers through his helmet. "I won''t be on my own, general. Hell Squad will be with me." -------------------------- Hondo was a male Weequay, with coarse brown skin, and several bone thorns on his face. He was sitting in his bar, having a drink, and laughing with his crew, when he was warned that a Republic ship was entering the atmosphere. Like all good pirates, he laughed, and told his crew to get ready to have some fun. They were captured immediately. As soon as they boarded the ship, which hadn''t posed any resistance, they found themselves surrounded by clones and Jedis. Lots of them. Amongst which, were some familiar faces. "Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy, oh mighty Jedis! What''s up Skywalker?! And you, Kenobi! Look at you! Hahaha! It''s so good to see you again!" While he talked, Hondo started slowly backing away, prepared to jump back into his ship - and abandon his men, after all, he could always get more - but two clones, with red and brown armor, put their blasters against his back. "No need for violence, my friends. I was just passing by to see how you all were doing. Good, I see. Now, I will be going..." "Is this the man who is supposed to take us, Master Skywalker?" One of the Jedis, a young Mikkian, said something that caught Hondo''s attention. The old pirate turned to General Skywalker with a look of utter surprise on his face, which made the Jedi shake his head, resigned to another long and needless talk. "Oh my. Oh my. You need me, Master Skywalker? A powerful Jedi such as yourself needs an old pirate like me? I am honored. What is in it for me?" "Uff... Be serious, Hondo. I have a business proposition for you." "Of course. What do you say about going to my small home? We can discuss it between a drink or two. Or many, haha! What do you say, Jedi?" The Jedis looked at themselves, and reached a silent agreement before ordering the clones to stay down. Hondo smiled as if he was already expecting that. Soon, the two sh.i.p.s landed on the surface of the planet, and the pirate crew, as well as the Jedis, and a group of clones, followed Hondo inside his den, where dozens of pirates from all species around the galaxy could be seen, talking, drinking, and laughing. They all stopped what they were doing when they saw the Republic group, until Hondo made a gesture, and the noise returned. The only one who kept looking at them was a tall woman, with white skin, and carrying a Cicler Rifle. Hondo was quick to introduce her. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Republic, this is my beautiful friend, Aurra Sing. I believe some of you already know her?" Chapter 305 - What Is In It For Me? Dageer had been on guard since they entered the pirate''s den. When he saw the bounty hunter, Aurra Sing, he had to exert a lot of self-control not to lift his blaster and kill her. She had killed many of his brothers. "Dear Hondo, I didn''t know you were bringing me a present." "What? A present? I ain''t... Oh, oh, oh!!! Aurra, what are you doing?!" Hondo had been smiling the entire time, exchanging pleasantries with General Kenobi and General Skywalker, and already had a drink in his hand, so it took him a few seconds to notice something wrong with Sing''s words. When he did, he turned around to find her with an old Watchman pistol on her hand, aiming it - curiously enough - at one of the clones, who had a horn painted on his helmet. That prompted the clones and Jedis to pull out their own weapons, followed by the pirates and bounty hunters. In a second, the entire bar was in a standoff. "Wait, wait, wait! Calm down, everyone! Put down your weapons! Now!" Albeit hesitantly, the outlaws obeyed him, except for Sing. Hondo was bold, but not stupid. If it was one or two Jedis, they could handle it, with heavy casualties. Four of them, plus half a dozen clones, was suicide. Although sc.u.m like his crew was easy to find, it still took effort and credits, and he didn''t want to bother. "You too, Aurra. Now." "That bastard put me in prison twice, Hondo." "And you escaped like always. Now, remember this is my turf. Either you put that blaster down immediately, or I will make you." Aurra Sing looked at Hondo, and knew he was being serious. They might have some kind of relationship, but business came first. "Grr... You get to live for now, clone. But someday I will find you." "Hell Squad will be waiting, bounty hunter." Dageer didn''t say anything, but Cell, like always, couldn''t keep his mouth shut. All he received was a curse from Sing, as the woman left the building, and the planet. The Jedis looked at Dageer curiously but he just shrugged, his body language saying ''I will tell you later''. "I am sorry about that, Jedis. Aurra told me many times about how she hated a few clones, I just never imagined we would have such a coincidence. Haha! Such a small galaxy, right?" "Cut the small talk, Hondo. We need you to get us somewhere." "Oh? And what might be that place?" "Somewhere." Putting on his business face, the pirate tried to extract as much information as he could from General Skywalker, but the Jedi was short and cold. They couldn''t risk being heard by a Separatist spy. Hondo also had done many shady dealings before, and he knew that discretion was a must. But he had other worries. "I can discuss the job later, Skywalker. But I have to know if it is even worthy of my time. I am a very busy man, you know?" "We can see that." General Tiplar raised an eyebrow, and looked around to the drunk outlaws, and the dirty bar. She muttered something under her breath, which Hondo ignored. "So, what is in it for me? I love the Republic, but I don''t work for free." "Fifty thousand credits." "Hahaha! Bhuahaha... You are funny, Jedi. A hundred." The pirate exploded in laughter, taking a few seconds to calm down, and faked whipping a tear of laughter. "Fifty thousand. You will take it." Moving his hand in front of Hondo, General Skywalker used the Force to influence the pirate''s mind, but he was unsuccessful. "You should know your tricks don''t work on me, Jedi. You tried it last time, remember? When you and this one over there were my prisoners?" He used a finger to point at General Kenobi, but General Skywalker''s old master didn''t see to be offended. In fact, he smiled. "Sixty thousand, and we will forget that you sent people to rob and dismantle our ship while we are here, Hondo." "Err... It was just a joke, oh powerful Jedi Knights. Sixty thousand it is!" "Good. Half here, and half after you get us where we need to be." "Of course! And... As a sign of good faith, can you return my men? They were just curious about your cruiser. It''s a warship, after all." General Kenobi stared at Hondo for a whole minute, saying nothing, until the pirate broke in cold sweat. Finally, he nodded at Dageer, who turned on his comlink. "Doom, Boss, let them go." "Roger that, Dageer. Come on, scram!" Soon, a mixed group of Wheetays, Niktos, and Humans entered the bar in a sorry state. Before they left the ship, General Skywalker had already predicted something like this would happen, so he had given orders for the clones who stayed inside it to only kill the pirates if necessary. He didn''t want to have Hondo asking for compensation for his crew''s death. "What were you thinking, idiots? That a Jedi would let their ship unguarded?" "Sorry, boss..." "Get out of my face! You are in charge of the Sarlacc for the next two rotations! Now, go away! I have important guests!" General Tiplar raised an eyebrow at General Skywalker, but the Jedi just shrugged. When Hondo turned to them again, he had a huge grin on his face. "Now, about that first payment..." ----------------------------- "You are out of your mind, Jedi! I am not taking you to Geonosis! The Separatist would tear us into pieces in an instant!" Hondo was yelling at the four Jedis, still thinking they were suicidal by trying to enter Geonosis. However, he was ignored, and a Doom Legion clone stepped forward to talk with the Jedis. All he could do was listen and complain. "Twenty hours, generals." "Wait, wait, wait... Twenty hours for what?" General Tiplar flashed him a smile, making the pirate shudder. He didn''t like happy Jedis. They were too unpredictable. "To our arrival on Geonosis, of course. We already entered hyperspace, pirate. There is no turning back now. You better hope your access codes work." Hondo could only look at the Jedis hopelessly. He had put himself in this position when he found an old Maxillipede Shuttle and working security codes. If he had known what they were planning, he would have rather loose the money he was promised than go with them. But now was too late to regret. "I swear, Jedis, especially you two. If we get out of this alive, not even your Force will be able to stop me from killing you." "Don''t lie, Hondo. You like us. Otherwise, why would you have captured instead of killing us last time?" "I wanted to ask for ransom, Skywalker! Instead, I got nothing but a bunch of my crew killed! Damn you!" "Can you two stop bickering like two Gungans, please? That isn''t appropriate even for a pirate, whatsoever a Jedi, my old padawan." Dageer had the feeling the two men could argue until they landed on Geonosis. General Kenobi apparently felt the same, so he told both of them to go to their quarters. Dageer waited to see if there was anything else, and when a clone from Doom Legion relieved him from duty, he went to meet Hell and Delta Squad, as well as Commander Doom and Bad Batch. A huge mission was just a few hours away from starting, and clones always liked to spend that time together. You never knew when it could the last time. Chapter 306 - R2-D2 "Shuttle OME-05, send your... Bzzz... Clearance codes." "Sending them through now. Bzz...?" General Tiplar face palmed behind General Skywalker as the Jedi transferred the codes that Hondo had given them to the Lucrehulk-class Battleship before them. Several dozen of them, and many smaller sh.i.p.s, orbited around Geonosis, ready to fend off any attacks. They had learned their lesson after the Republic almost conquered the planet two times. "OME-05, stand by..." --------------------------- Inside the one of the Battlespheres on the surface of Geonosis, Count Dooku listened to a green-skinned Nemodian. "The Jedi sc.u.m came to rescue their kind, just as you said they would, my lord." "Jedis... So predictable. What do the scans indicate?" "Twenty-nine life forms. If our spies in the Chancellor''s Office are correct, four Jedis recently left the Jedi Temple, for a secret mission." "Who?" "Masters Skywalker, Kenobi, Tiplar, and Tiplee." "And the others aboard the shuttle?" "Probably clones, my lord. The tactical droids estimate a ninety-two percent probability of special units Hell and Delta Squads being part of it." Count Dooku''s eyes shone if a glint if pleasure and cruelty when he heard his subordinate''s words. Many of his personal enemies were on that ship. "Should we destroy the shuttle, my lord?" "No. I will deal with them myself. And tell my apprentice that the prey she has been waiting arrived." "Yes, my lord. Right away." ----------------------------- "We are going to die." For the fifth time, Hondo repeated this sentence. The Jedis all had frowns on their faces while they waited for the answer from the Separatist Blockade. In a small shuttle, they had no chance of escaping, or even surviving, in case the seppies discovered them. It all depended on the codes that the outlaw had provided. "I am inclined to agree with our pirate friend, Anakin." "You two need to have a little more faith, Obi-Wan. It will work, don''t worry. The droids just are a little slow." "OME-05, you are clear to land... Bzzz... Go to your designated... Station." Everyone let out a sigh of relief when they heard the clancker''s voice through the speakers. Even the clones, who had stone-cold faces, relaxed their tense muscles. "See? I told you it would work." General Kenobi spoke faster than his old padawan could, already knowing what he would say. The three other Jedis, and Hondo, looked at him, and laughed nervously. The few minutes that it took for the access codes to go through felt like hours. Now, however, they could land safely. They entered the atmosphere, and went towards the surface. Opening the lower ramp, they dropped down cables, so they could get off without the seppies suspecting something was wrong. "R2, you are the captain now. And you, Hondo, don''t even think of trying to go without us, or R2 will fry you." Before he slid down the cables, Dageer saw General Skywalker talking to his droid, and small blue and white astromech unit. The droid chirped and whistled happily, showing that he understood, before extending a metal claw that let out blue sparks. The clone heard the scream of the pirate even though he was already touching the orange sand. Soon, four figures jumped out of the ship, ignoring the help the cables provided. The Jedis landed softly, using the Force to slow down. "Everyone knows your tasks. According to the map we have, there is an entrance to one of the many tunnel systems two clicks southeast from here. We will get there and then split up. Any questions?" General Kenobi looked around, and saw several shaking heads. They had rehearsed the plan over and over again before coming to Geonosis. Now, they were on the point of no return. "Good. Then, let''s go, and may the Force be with us." They all nodded, and started running. Dageer exchanged a glance with Boss, Hunter, and Doom, before sending Cell, Sev, and Bad Batch''s Tech ahead. He didn''t trust the Force as much as the Jedi did, and preferred to have first-hand intel, provided by his brothers. It didn''t take long for them to contact him. "We found the entrance, sir. There are bugs guarding it." "Stay out of sight. How many?" "Only three. Want us to take care of them?" "Stand by, and wait for us. We can''t let them know we are here until we find General Ragout." "Roger that." Dageer passed on what Cell told him to the Jedis, and they sped up. The group found the three clones they sent to scout ahead laying down behind a small elevation on the ground. "Where are they?" "Two have their back turned away from us, General Tiplar. The other one is on top of those rocks." "All right. I will take him down. Master Skywalker, Tiplee, can you take the other two?" The two Jedi were nodding when Dageer thought of something, and looked at Bad Batch. The four clones were clearly tense, and the commander couldn''t blame them. He was also like that when he first stepped on Geonosis, three years ago. It seemed a lifetime away. "Generals, permission to take care of the two bugs? We need to show Clone Force 99 how clones deal with Geonosians." "Uhmm... Are you sure now is the best time, Dageer? Remember what is on the line." "Hell Squad has done that many times, sir. There will be plenty of seppies for you to deal with later, General Skywalker." After hesitating for a fraction of a second, the young Jedi nodded. He had faith in Hell Squad''s ability. The two Jedi sisters looked slightly worried, but seeing how neither General Skywalker nor General Kenobi - or Delta Squad and Doom Legion, for what matters - were giving it a second thought, they didn''t say anything. General Tiplar crawled her way over to the rock were the Geonosian was positioned, taking several minutes, and the long way around. They couldn''t risk it. Even Wrecker was extremely quiet, while Bad Batch watched carefully as Dageer and Brain sneaked forward, until they were just behind the seppies. When General Tiplar used the Force to boost herself up, and slashed the bug in half with her lightsaber, the two clones also got into action. Brain put his DC-15S around one of the Geonosian''s neck, and twisted it hard. A ''crack'' was heard, as if a dried up twig was breaking. The second Geonosian probably heard or sensed something, because he tried to turn around, but Dageer''s vibroblade was already cutting down on him. With almost no resistance, his head was severed from it''s body. All in all, it took a few seconds for the three seppies to be eliminated, and without a sound. That small demonstration was all that Bad Batch needed to understand why Dageer said they made too many unnecessary moves. The two clones, and the Jedi, had been lethal and efficient. "The way is clear, generals." "All right. We will follow our previous arrangement. Commander Dageer, their main foundries are that way. You will find a control panel there somewhere, and hopefully it will tell you where Master Ragout is being held." "Roger that, General Tiplee. Hell Squad, let''s move. And may the Force be with you, generals." The Jedis grinned when they heard Dageer, and watched as the seven clones disappeared inside the tunnels. With a nod, the Jedis, Delta Squad, Doom Legion members, and Bad Batch went the other direction. "May the Force be with all of us." Chapter 307 - I Was Waiting For You Hunter walked quietly after Boss. Up till now, Bad Batch hadn''t gotten the chance to experience any action. The two Jedis, General Kenobi, and General Skywalker, had been doing everything. Even if they understood that discretion was a must in this kind of mission, the four shinies - especially Wrecker - were starting to grow restless. "Hey, sir! When are we gonna get to smash some droid heads?" "Shush! Be quieter, Wrecker, or we are going to have their entire army after us." "Sorry, general. I got excited." "We won''t be able to maintain our secrecy forever. Clone Force 99 will get their baptism of fire very soon. Now, follow me. We still have to get to the next factory." After splitting up from the two sisters, and the clones from Doom Legion, they had started planting thermal detonators and explosive charges around the factory, being careful to dodge any patrols, or to destroy them quietly. In a droid factory, no one paid attention to a few more piles of droid pieces here and there. When one of the giant machines, responsible for transporting materials from one factory to another, got close, the group jumped on it, quickly hiding beneath some piles of metal. They were unaware, though, that a Probe Droid had been following their every move, and reporting it to Count Dooku, who, after knowing where they were headed, started preparing a ''reception''. ----------------------------- "Yakal, Eight-Eight, you are up." "Roger that, general." "Understood." Two clones, wearing dark green and yellow armor, sneaked forward, and started planting detonators behind a huge container, filled with liquid metal. Meanwhile, the two Jedis, and the other clones, kept watch for any sign of danger. They too were being tailed by a Probe Droid. In a distant corner of the foundry, a group of MagnaGuards, Droidekas, and B2 super battle droids , were gathering. ---------------------------- Hell Squad was having a more troubled experience than the other two groups. They had long left the droid assembly lines behind, and entered dark tunnels. If it wasn''t for the small holes in the ceiling, here and there, they would be in complete darkness. However, they didn''t dare to turn on the flashlights on their helmets. It would be a dead giveaway to their location, and the fact that they weren''t Geonosians. As such, they kept advancing in the pitch-black tunnels. More than once they found Geonosians sleeping inside the walls. Unlike the Jedis, who wouldn''t attack unless attacked first, the clones weren''t so merciful. Dageer finished off every single bug they found, whether they were sleeping or not. Any of them could have killed a clone before, and none of them deserved to live. It was dangerous to leave bodies behind like that, but the moment they rescued Ragout, alarms would go off anyway, and Hell Squad preferred to have fewer enemies after them. The few times they encountered droids or awake Geonosians, they either let the seppies go without warning them, or killed them quietly. Finally, after almost two hours, when Dageer was already starting to get worried, the tunnels and caves started to become metal corridors and hallways. Soon, they found a terminal from which Tech could access the internal network of the Separatist. The clone started connecting cables from his datapad to it, and typing rapidly. However, before he could discover anything, the sound of metallic footsteps resounded. Exchanging glances, Dageer ordered Tech to keep doing what he was doing, and gestured for the others to take position as close to the walls as they could. "Hey! What are you doing her... Ahhhh!" When the six B1 units appeared, and saw Tech, they rushed towards him, not paying attention to what behind them. Hell Squad attacked them, trying to take them down silently, but one of the clanckers managed to fire a laser before being killed. Luckily, it didn''t hit anyone. "Sorry, commander. He was faster than I expected." "We would be discovered sooner or later. Now, Tech, we need you to hurry up. Soon, they will send someone to investigate, and discover the patrol we just destroyed. The closer we are to the general when that happens, the better." "I need another minute, sir. General Ragout is locked up in this facility, I just need to find out where." Anxiously, the clones waited. At any moment, the Separatist could attack them. Meanwhile, Dageer warned the other two groups. "They found us, generals. It won''t be long before they send teams looking for you." After discovering a Republic unit inside one of their main bases, the seppies wouldn''t certainly send search parties to every factory around the planet, looking for any other enemies. Inevitably, they would find the Jedis and the other clones. "Can you still go, Commander Dageer, or, do we have to abort?" "Hell Squad is only leaving if General Ragout is with us, ma''am." The Jedis gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, and turned off their comlinks. The less they talked, the smaller the chances they would be heard. "I got it! Sector 12, eighth floor!" "Good job. Come on, lads, let''s not keep the general waiting!" ------------------------------ Ragout was floating a few centimeters above the ground, in his cell. His eyes were closed, but he was paying attention to every sound outside. At first, he didn''t understand why the Separatist would let him untied, so he could use the Force if the wanted. After his first attempts to escape, however, he understood that, at least for now, it was pointless. Ray shields would be lowered as soon as the door of his cell was opened, and without his lightsaber, he couldn''t get through them. The fact that he understood his situation didn''t mean he was happy with it. At every chance he had, he would destroy a few droids. It was nothing to the Separatist, and he knew what he was doing could barely be considered throwing a tantrum, but after a few sessions of torture and interrogation, he didn''t care. The last weeks had been spent in pain. Two times a day, he would be taken to a room where he was tied up, and commando droids would interrogate him until he fainted. Others would already have given up on life, or giving in to his captors, but not Ragout. He was part of a new generation of Jedis, one that had been raised up amidst death, and tempered in the flames of war. He would rather die than give the enemy anything. Suddenly, his meditation was interrupted when he heard a commotion outside. Because of the thick doors and walls, he couldn''t make out what was happening, but it was too much noise for a single change of guards. And he was pretty sure he could hear blasters being fired. His first thought was that he was being rescued. Immediately after, he understood that whoever his to-be saviors were, they were walking into a trap. He didn''t know why the Separatist hadn''t executed him yet, but now he had an answer. He was bait. Getting up, he put his ear close to the door, and heard a woman''s voice. And a very familiar one. "My dear clones. You have no idea how long I''ve waiting to kill you." Chapter -1 - Tips To New Authors (All Of Which Came From My Experience) Something I get asked quite a few times is to give some tips to start your own novel. As such (and because I think it can be helpful) I decided to write this short auxiliary chapter. Bear in mind that everything I am saying came from my own experience while writing Broke, and what worked for me might not necessarily work for you. Still, a few tips never harmed anyone. TIP 1: Write everything. I have literally dozens of half-a-page stories, about everything you can imagine. Most of them I won''t ever touch again, but that''s how I started Broke. Some of you probably know I wrote and dropped a few novels before finally finding my calling. TIP 2: Try to have a consistent release schedule while at the same time maintaining the quality. That is a tad difficult, and I struggled a lot at the start. But readers won''t stick either with a story poorly written and barely understandable, neither with one where they don''t know if the next chapter will me tomorrow or next month. Nobody can tell you what your schedule has to be. It''s pretty much trial and error, until you find one where the time you spend writing, revising, with your daily activities, work, study, and what else can be combined into some kind of routine. In my case, it''s once very other day. TIP 3: This one is more about grammar itself. I never had an editor or something of the kind, and I don''t plan on having one. But you have to pay attention to grammar, especially if English is not your first language. This might be a bummer to some, but your first chapters will almost certainly have bad grammar. Only practice improves it. As you can see in my first chapters, my grammar is far from perfect, which is another reason why revising chapters is important. You have to check and revise a chapter before you release it, and stop worrying too much about it after. When you have time, later, you can go back to rewrite it. TIP 4: Also grammar. Don''t repeat the same word too many times in a row. Too make it easier to understand, take my novel as example. When I am referring to the clones, I also use the following words: troopers, soldiers, brothers. When I am talking about Ragout: Togruta, Jedi, padawan. Some kind of repetition is inevitable, but try not to overuse a word, since it make the novel feel stiff. TIP 5: Accept criticism and suggestions. I don''t mean you have to follow everything yours readers want, nor that you have to take an offense and be quiet about it. You saw by yourselves how I deleted racist, political, or just extremely rude comments. But constructive criticism, ideas and opinions HAVE to be always welcomed, even if you don''t use them. TIP 6: Interact with your readers. Answer their comments and doubts (as politely as you can, even if the comment isn''t that flattering), upvote the ones you like, and so on. TIP 7 (and last one): Have fun. I know this sounds like a pep talk, but it''s important. Remember, above all else, that you are writing for fun, or for a hobby (if you start to make money out of it, which isn''t my case, it''s a whole new story). If writing starts to have a negative impact in your life, take a break. I myself spent days without writing if I am in a bad mood, because I know the chapters won''t be good. Well, I believe that''s all I have to say. I''ve wanted to write something like that for quite some time now, because I went through a lot, and grew a lot, while writing Broke. I wanted to tell you all about my experiences, a little bit to brag, I admit, but mostly I genuinely think they can be helpful to new writers. And, if you do start writing, comment about it in this chapter (not on the normal ones, please). I will love to support you like you all support me. Chapter -2 - WATER VEHICLES - Mini-sub (CIS) A vehicle used by only one droid, it have some laser cannons and works underwater. - Crab Cannon (CIS) Crab Cannons were powerful but slow CIS weapons. They were used underwater, and fired a powerful laser that obliterated everything. - Trident-class Assault Ship (CIS) Shaped like a giant squid, this ship didn''t have many attacking methods, aside from a drill, which it used to deploy the droids it carried. However, it had several devices to escape scans, making it ideal for covert missions and ambushes. Chapter 308 - A Trap That Backfired Without the need to be discreet anymore, Hell Squad threw all caution to the wind, and simply advanced towards Ragout''s cell. Any enemies on their path, be it B1 or B2 units, Geonosians or Droidekas, were crushed. Dageer and his men were good at everything, but what they were better at was destroying their enemies in open battle, without giving them any chance to fight back. In small corridors, where the seppies'' number advantage became more of a hurdle, there was no one who could stand on their way. Especially when they had an objective as important as their general. "This is too easy, sir. We are attacking the heart of the Separatist, and that is all they have for us?" "Maybe we are lucky?" "When did that ever happen?" Making a pause to reload and check for wounds after destroying a small group of clanckers, Dageer looked at the hallway ahead. It was quiet, and he couldn''t hear any droids, even after all the commotion Hell Squad was creating. His brothers were right. It was all going way too well. He wouldn''t have survived as long as he had if he couldn''t see something was very wrong. "Dab is right, commander. This is a trap, for us. General Ragout is the bait." "I know. That doesn''t mean we are going to run and leave him." "I never said that, sir. What do we do?" Barin, Cell, Dab, Tech, Metal, and Three-four looked at him, waiting for his orders. The thought of retreating didn''t cross their minds for a moment. Clones didn''t run. Either they finished the job, or they died trying. A small grin appeared in his face, under his helmet. His brothers couldn''t see it, but they knew when their leader was about to come up with a bad idea. Curiously enough - or not so much, considering who they were - a smile also appeared on their faces. "We fall in the trap." ... "My dear clones. You have no idea how long I''ve been waiting to kill you." Ventress waited for Hell Squad before Ragout''s cell, her two lightsabers on her hand. Dageer wasn''t surprised. He could feel his scar burning long before they saw her. It always happened whenever he got closer to the Sith responsible for it. His six brothers were standing besides him, glaring coldly at the woman. They hated her as much as she hated them. Differently from a few minutes earlier, though, when they all had been standing straight, Brain was now holding his side, panting, and using the walls to hold himself open. Ventress'' eyes flashed in pleasure as she saw the obvious pain the clone was in. "One of you little dogs got hurt, sweetie?" "You will pay for that too, Ventress." "Oh, I don''t think I will. Haha!" With a small nod from his head, Dageer ordered Hell Squad to start surrounding the Separatist. Brain hang back because of his wound, while Tech started moving towards the cell''s door, but Ventress didn''t make any move to stop him. "Free your master, clone. I will make things more interesting. Who will die first? You or him?" Tech glanced at Dageer quickly, and received a positive answer. Ignoring Ventress, he knelt near the control panel, and started fiddling with it, but stopped when he heard Ragout''s voice through the door. "Don''t open it! You will be trapped in here!" "Don''t worry, general. We are prepared." Dageer didn''t hesitate to answer, surprising Ventress. She knew the Jedi would warn them, and was prepared to attack, taking advantage of their surprise, but the clones weren''t shaken. The cold mouths of their blasters kept aiming at her, the fingers on the triggers steady. That made her halt her offensive. "So you knew it was a trap, Dageer? I knew I should have sent more units, but I was afraid they would kill you, and take my revenge from my hands. Still, what can you do, sweetie? The moment your brother opens that door, you will be locked in here with me." "Or you will be locked with us." "Haha! A lowly Republic sc.u.m like you thinks you are a threat to me? You are better than your brothers, clone, but none of you are a match for me. This time, I won''t just give you a scar. I will kill you. No more games." Hatred dripping on her words, Ventress jumped forward, trying to cut Metal in half. The clone, however, unleashed a torrent of blue lasers, forcing her to fall back, and hide behind a doorway. Meanwhile, Tech finally opened the door, and Ragout stepped out. He was half-n.a.k.e.d, and several bruises and scars adorned his upper body, many still red and swollen. However, he still seemed to be strong and full of energy. "You are going to need that, sir." Tech pulled a short metal stick from his belt, and gave it to the Jedi. It wasn''t Ragout''s lightsaber, but it was better than nothing. At the same time, red energy shields blocked the corridor, trapping the seven clones, plus Ragout and Ventress. "If you knew it was a trap, Dageer, why did you come?" The clone didn''t answer, and only kept firing at Ventress, forcing the Sith to deflect the lasers. "All right. I hope you have a good plan to get us out of here, then." "Not exactly a plan, general. But we have to deal with Ventress first. You need to keep her occupied for a while." The Jedi didn''t question. He trusted Dageer and Hell Squad, and the commander rarely made a bad decision. Spinning his new lightsaber to get used to it, he started clashing with Ventress. "Are we ready?" "Yes, sir." "Good. Brain, hit it!" Hearing Dageer yell, both Ragout and Ventress turned their attention to Brain, and found out that the clone had a detonator on his hand. He was now standing straight, and showed no signs of suffering any wound. "Bastards! Dirty tricks!" The Sith knew what was happening the moment she saw the detonator, and that Brain was faking his wound. It was, however, too late for her to do anything about it. The moment Brain pressed the trigger, an explosion brought down the ray shields. The clones, followed by Ragout, fell back, and Three-four shot the panel of the nearest cell, making a new energy wall appear between them and Ventress. In anger, she slashed at it, but all she got was sparks, and she was unable to break through it. "Let''s go!" Without giving Ventress another look, Ragout started running, and Hell Squad followed him. It was a pity they couldn''t kill the assassin, but they had other problems now. "How did you know that would work?" "We didn''t, General Ragout. We set it up so we could blow up any clanckers that came after us. It was only when we got closer that we saw Ventress was here. It was good thinking by Brain to stay back. The rest was improvisation." "Good enough for me. What is the rest of the plan? Or did you rescue me just so we could die fighting?" "It might be what happens, general. We didn''t take into account that they were waiting for us. And that means they probably know about General Kenobi and the others. Cell, contact the first group, Metal, the second. Tell them what happened." "Roger that." "Understood." "Clanckers incoming!" Ragout spun his lightsaber, and a grin appeared in his face before he ran forward, to meet the patrol that was going towards them. "You tell me everything latter. Now, it''s time to fight." Chapter 309 - Under Their Grasp "Generals Tiplee and Tiplar took a dozen men from their legion, and are planting explosives along some of their key factories. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker have Bad Batch, and Delta Squad, and are doing the same somewhere else. "Bad Batch? Who are they?" "A new unit. We trained them. They are shinies, but they are quite skilled. If they survive, we will hear from them again." "Uhmm... To have you praise them, they must be good. And, if they were trained by Hell Squad, they shouldn''t fare too badly." Dageer only nodded. They had contacted the Jedis a few minutes before, and they had yet to be discovered. After knowing that Hell Squad had walked right into a trap, however, they too had arrived at the conclusion that the seppies also had something planned for them. As such, General Skywalker had ordered his astromech, R2-D2, to take off with their stolen ship, and to meet them at the extraction point. They hadn''t had the time to rig all the factories, but it was better to leave while they still had the upper hand. Of course, it wasn''t easy. Almost immediately after that, they received the news that General Tiplar and her group had been ambushed, and lost three men. Simultaneously, General Kenobi said they had been forced to escape after engaging Count Dooku and a bunch of seppies. The explosives were also deactivated, and although Boss was decisive in blowing them up when he saw what the clanckers were doing, all they managed to do was destroy a few conveyer belts and machines. Everything was going wrong, and, to make it worse, Hell Squad and Ragout were forced to battle a considerable number of droids. Clearly, Ventress had given up on trying to kill them herself. ... Dageer dropped to the floor, and hid behind a dead B2 unit. Near him, Tech uttered a curse as a laser missed his head by millimeters. "General! We are pinned down! If we don''t move quickly, they are going to swarm us!" "I know it! All right, Brain, Dab, do you remember Umbara?" "Which part of it?!" "Second fortress." "Oh, no." "When I move!" Dageer had no idea of what Ragout was talking about, but judging by the two clone''s reaction, it was some crazy maneuver. It really was. Up till now, Ragout had been deflecting the lasers fired at him, but suddenly, he let one of his hands go from the lightsaber, and used the Force to make a clancker''s carcass float in front of him, as a shield. And then he threw his lightsaber. Exactly. Spinning in the air, the lightsaber cut half a dozen droids in half, before making a turn, and coming back towards Ragout, killing two more seppies, and distracting the others. Dageer wouldn''t have been so impressed if it was only that, however. He knew Jedis could use the Force to control almost anything, so it wasn''t that surprising. But, the moment the lightsaber returned to Ragout''s hand, Brain threw three detonators up in the air, already activated. Pushing both his hands forward, Ragout made the detonators fly towards the clanckers. With three lasers from Dab''s DC-15x, all fired in less than a second, the grenades blew up, transforming over twenty droids in scrap metal. "You had your fun on Umbara, hum?" "Not as much as you would think, commander. The 501st and the 212th had it worse, though. That traitorous Je... The traitor made them fight and kill each other." Dageer didn''t need Brain to tell him that. He had received the reports of the cruel acts the Jedi traitor had performed. By lying to the clones, he convinced them that the Separatist were disguised with the armor of their dead brothers. When the scheme was finally discovered, hundreds had died, by the hands of their own brothers. No clone could live peacefully with that. One of them, Dogma, had executed the traitor, going against the orders to capture him alive. Dageer didn''t blame him. He would have done the same. "You two can discuss that later. We gotta keep moving now. Ugh..." Being urged by their general, the clones started running again, but suddenly heard Ragout grunt in pain, and stagger. He would have fallen to the ground if Metal didn''t hold him. "General?! What happened?" "Agh... I guess I wasn''t as strong as I thought. The Separatist don''t have a soft hand when it comes to their interrogations." Dageer gestured for Three-four to have a look at Ragout, while the rest of Hell Squad kept watch. It was pretty impressive Ragout had been able to keep himself awake up till now. Any normal person would already have collapsed after almost a month of torture, whatsoever jumping around, and fighting a Sith while using his supernatural powers. "We can''t stop now, general. Can you walk?" "Yeah. Let''s go." However, Ragout had barely taken a dozen steps when he fell again. Seeing that, Dageer gestured for Cell to help him walk. If they had the option, they would wait for the Jedi to recover. Unfortunately, what they needed the most now was time, and they couldn''t waste any. The group continued, now slower than before, but still as deadly. With cold-blooded efficiency, the clones cut a path through any seppies that stood on their way, and soon, were out of the Battlesphere. The darkness of the tunnels, however, only made it more difficult. "More seppies coming our way, commander!" Hell Squad stopped, kneeling on the ground, and taking aim. Shadows appeared on the corners, and they almost fired, but Three-four noticed something before they pressed the trigger. "Friendlies! Stand down!" Surely enough, General Tiplar and General Tiplee appeared, followed by Commander Doom and half a dozen other clones. Of the original group, four were missing. "I am glad to see you are safe, Master Ragout." "Thank you, Master Tiplar. But, why are you here? Dageer told me you were in a foundry to the south." "We were. But everything went wrong. The Separatist prepared an ambush for us, and we weren''t able to destroy a single assembly line. When they were pursuing us, we jumped on the first transport we saw, and it brought us here." "Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker had more luck than us. They managed to evade Count Dooku, and are heading this way. R2 and Hondo are also bringing the shuttle." "They can''t do that. This was a well-thought trap. They certainly know our ship." "Don''t worry. Apparently Hondo hijacked another one. This pirate has proven to be quite useful." All the while the Jedis were talking, the clones kept watch. Luckily, they weren''t attacked for a while. Even if Geonosis was one of their Core planets, the Separatist couldn''t leave too many of their forces there. The Clone Wars were in a state where every soldier counted. Besides, who would dare to attack Geonosis? After a while, they went up to the surface, where the clones could fight more comfortably. "Ship arriving!" "Calm down, they are on our side." The new Maxillipede Shuttle lowered it''s ramp, and Hondo appeared. The pirate had a huge smile on his face. "Hello, my friends! It looks like you could use a... Ouch! Why did you do that, you pile of trash?!" A blue and white droid, which was no taller than Dageer''s waist, bumped into Hondo, and whistled anxiously for the Republic group to board the ship. ... A few minutes later, having picked up Delta Squad, Bad Batch, and the two Jedis, the shuttle left Geonosis, and entered hyperspace. The meticulously crafted trap by the Separatist failed, albeit not entirely. Their prisoner and his saviors escaped under their grasp. Chapter 310 - A Time Of Defeats "You let them escape! We had five Jedis, and two of the most hunted clone units, and you let them escape!" Count Dooku looked at his apprentice, still locked behind the ray shields. They had meticulously prepared a trap for the Republic, and not only did it fail, but they also lost a valuable prisoner. All because Ventress had a grudge with one of the clones. "They discovered our trap. Grr... It isn''t my fault. Next time I find them..." "There won''t be a next time. You will stay far away from Hell Squad. I need them to be taken care of, and it''s clear you can''t do it." "You can''t do that!" Ventress spat those words in anger, instantly regretting it, as she felt an invisible hand grab her neck, and lift her up. Her vision started going black, and she couldn''t breathe. Finally, when she was almost going unconscious, Count Dooku used the Force to smash her against the wall, and let her. "I can do whatever I want, my apprentice." --------------------------- While the Jedis talked at the control room of the shuttle, the clones grouped up in one of the rooms. The mission had been a partial success. They managed to rescue Ragout, but failed to destroy the factories, and lost four soldiers. Hell Squad, surprisingly, was unharmed. The members of Doom Legion weren''t so lucky, and one of them was in critical condition, while others had light wounds. Scorch had been hit in the shoulder, two times, while Boss was limping after Count Dooku almost severed his leg. Bad Batch''s Tech had been shot in the back, and the blast padding was the only reason he was alive. "How did your men do, Hunter?" "Pretty okay, sir. Delta Squad got most of the fun, however." "Ha! I never thought you would be humble now, after everything you said back in Kamino. Bad Batch fought well, Dageer. They saved us a couple times back there." The clones all laughed at the somewhat embarrassed expression that their four defective brothers showed. Even Wrecker looked fl.u.s.tered. They certainly didn''t expect that after all the scolding that they received from Dageer and Boss in Kamino, now they would be praised so much. "Congratulations, Clone Force 99. You aren''t shinies anymore. You are real troopers now." Dageer patted Hunter''s shoulder, and was about to say something else when his comlink bipped. Looking at it, he suppressed a sigh, picked up his helmet, and got up. The others looked at him, not too surprised. "Duty calls. Doom, the Jedis want you too. The rest of you, take a rest. You deserve it." ... "Dageer, Hell Squad didn''t suffer any serious injuries. As such, you will come with me and Obi-Wan to Kiros." It wasn''t a warning or a question. It was an order. Dageer acknowledged it with a nod. He had no idea where Kiros was, but as long as he was given a command, he would follow it to the end. "Tomorrow, a meeting will take place, to decide the future of this war. By then, we must already be in Kiros. Gather your men, commander." "Roger that, General Kenobi." Giving a last glance to Ragout, Dageer left the room, and went to prepare Hell Squad. Soon, the shuttle was going to arrive at a supply station, and the thirty-odd people would split up. General Skywalker and General Kenobi, as well as Hell Squad, would go to Kiros. Commander Doom, his men, and the two female Jedis were needed in Dantooine. Ragout would return to Coruscant, to recover from his wounds. Delta Squad still had no assignment, while Bad Batch would be responsible for escorting a fleet of cargo sh.i.p.s. Seeing how fast everyone had received new orders, it was clear to Dageer that the Clone Wars had reached a critical juncture. -------------------------- In the command bridge of a Venator-class Cruiser, Hell Squad, Captain Rex, Commander Cody, and two Jedis looked at the hologram table. Right now, the second largest meeting of the war was starting. The holograms showed dozens of Jedis, and their respective clone commanders, as well as a few special units. The meeting was presided by the Chancellor Palpatine himself. "Right now, the Republic is suffering severe losses. We are losing one system after another, and our support amongst the neutral planets in waning." "The chancellor is being too kind. Everyone here is a veteran of this terrible war, and there is no use in sweetening our words. We are about to lose." "After over three years, we are running out of resources. I won''t dwell on numbers, but what you have to know is that unless we convince some of the major neutral systems to join us, our troops won''t only be outnumbered, but also defenseless and starving." The discussion went on for hours. Most of the clones stood quiet, only saying something when asked. Inside, they were all furiously thinking. And, they all arrived at the same conclusion. The Jedis once again showed why they weren''t fit to lead a war. They were too merciful, too kind. They weren''t willing to sacrifice anything or anyone. The answer to the problem was right in front of them, but none dared to say it. Clones didn''t have all those moral problems. In the end, the commanders from over twenty legions all looked at Dageer. For a long time now, he was the unelected representative of the soldiers, whenever they had to say something the Jedis wouldn''t like. "Generals, chancellor, there is something we can do. A gamble we can take." All the Jedis quieted down, and fixated their eyes on Dageer. The clone, however, was looking straight at General Yoda. The powerful being hadn''t said a word the entire meeting, which made Dageer think he too knew what the solution was. The pained expression on his face further convinced him of that. "What is it, Commander Dageer?" "We take our forces from Coruscant, Kamino, Kessel, and other planets, and commit them to an all-out attack." "Those are our core planets! If we leave them defenseless, it''s the same as giving up!" "If we don''t do so, we will lose the war anyway. Continue, commander." "We take the systems that will make the scale tip to our side. But only the less important ones. We leave Geonosis, Mustafar, and the like alone. They won''t dare to move their fleets from those systems. They will think it''s a trap." "Do you have any idea of how many troops you are talking about, Commander Dageer? Dozens of millions." "Hundreds, ma''am. If we want it to work, we will have to use our troops on Felucia, Mon Cala, Dantooine, and so on." "That would waste three years of effort we put on conquering those planets!" "I know. But I don''t think there is any other way. And, with all due respect, you don''t seem to think so either, generals." A long silence descended in the room, and for many minutes, no one said anything. Finally, General Yoda opened his eyes. "Many lives, lost will be." "Yes, General Yoda. But we won''t falter. The Republic is our home. The clones won''t let it fall in the hands of the Separatist, not while we are alive. And, if we are going to die anyway, then we prefer to risk everything in a last offense than wait cowardly." Dageer was harsher than any clone had ever dared to be. Before, his blood wouldn''t let him talk to the Jedis like that. But everything had changed after Ryloth. He was tired of just listening to orders even when he knew they would lead to death and defeat. "Right Dageer is. To this war survive, no other option we have." Chapter 311 - A Cornered Enemy is Scarier Than Anything After General Yoda''s words sunk in, all the Jedis looked at themselves, unsure. They weren''t children who had seen nothing of the galaxy yet. They knew war was cruel, and that sacrifices were inevitable. They themselves had been to hundreds, if not thousands, of battles, and saw many of the soldiers under them die. However, what Dageer was suggesting wasn''t a fight that would leave a few hundred or thousand casualties. It wasn''t even the sacrifice of an entire legion. No. It would be more brutal and horrific than any battle the Republic ever partook in. Dageer''s plan, if it worked, would lead to millions of deaths. If it didn''t, it could potentially cause the entire annihilation of the Clone Army. The Jedis, on their infinite kindness, thought about what Dageer must be feeling while he brought up such a plan. To know that your brothers would die, and still go on... But he was right. That was their only shot at survival. They were, however, overthinking. It certainly wasn''t an easy decision to make, but any clone would have done it. If they let the Jedis hesitate more because they weren''t willing to make sacrifices, more of their brothers would die. "What... If we were to proceed with this plan, what would our next steps be?" Dageer looked at the Jedi, a Twi''lek he didn''t know the name, and pulled up a map of the galaxy. What he needed now wasn''t specific measures, but just a rough idea of which planets to give up, and which to attack. "We would need to take most of our troops on Felucia, Mygeeto, Mon Cala, Dantooine, Umbara, Christophsis, Coruscant, Kessel, Kamino, and Ryloth. Any legion or fleet that we can spare too. Then, we have to attack and take some of the seppies'' systems. Especially those who are close to a neutral group. That will give them more confidence in joining the Republic." "And what planets should we attack?" Dageer looked at the hologram, frowning. He was the one who came up with the idea, but his specialty was fighting. He usually left strategy for the others. "Wolffe, Tito, take a look at it." The two clones stepped forward, and started analyzing the map. In fact, they had already been doing it in their heads before. "Kiros, Zygerria, Kadavo, Raydonia, Florrum, and Onderon. And some other less important planets here, here, and here." "They are all important systems, with a strong Separatist force. But if we strike quickly, they won''t be able to react." "And, by taking them, we can control the supply lines of the Separatist on three entire sectors. We wouldn''t even need to attack Mon Cala, Ryloth, Umbara, and Felucia again. We could just let the clanckers waste their batteries." "Some of those systems are neutral. If we attack them, the others might start fearing us." Chancellor Palpatine intervened, pointing at Kiros, Zygerria, and Florrum. "They are neutral only in name. Our intelligence indicates that they house a good Separatist force. And not against their will." General Windu got the latest reports they had, and transmitted it to everyone. Dageer already knew what was in them, because Hell Squad had been the ones to obtain them during the infiltration of a Separatist ship. "If that tactic works, not only will we be able to avoid a loss, but also make a comeback." "I will take my leave, Jedi Masters, and let you make your plans. Good luck, and... How do you say it? May the Force be with you?" The Jedis nodded, and the projection of Chancellor Palpatine disappeared. Dageer could swear he saw a slight smirk on his face. The next days were enveloped in heated discussions, even while Hell Squad was fighting on Kiros. They barely got any rest those days, battling for hours without end, and, in the few moments of calm, discussing their offensive. Captain Rex and Commander Cody weren''t much better than them. At a certain point, after they had just captured a small town, General Kenobi saw Hell Squad standing guard. Their backs were straight, and they were paying full attention, but the Jedi could feel their exhaustion. "When was the last time you slept, commander?" "Three days ago, general. But we were able to catch a break here and there." "That is not enough. Hell Squad, go get some rest. I need you focused on the next battles, and not falling asleep." That was an order Dageer couldn''t disagree with. Even Hell Squad needed to sleep every once in a while, otherwise they would make stupid mistakes, which could get themselves and their brothers killed. Still, as always, they didn''t sleep much. After about three hours, Dageer woke up, covered in cold sweat. The nightmares were getting worse each day. The thought of having to live with them every day of his life, if he survives the war, was terrifying. Clones feared no enemy, but the ones they saw on their dreams. Since he wasn''t on duty right now, Dageer didn''t put on his armor, and left his quarters careful not to make a noise. His squad deserved to sleep, even if it wasn''t a very good one. Kiros was hot even during the night, and miniature dust storms roamed the streets of the small city. Dageer didn''t know the name of it, and didn''t care. For him, it was just another battle. "Already awake, Dageer?" He turned around to find Captain Rex behind him. The shaved clone also didn''t have his armor on, for probably the same reason as Dageer. "Bad dreams, Rex?" "Always. They are getting worse the longer this dammed war goes on." Dageer sighed. Civilians and Jedis sometimes thought the clones liked the war. Only the troopers knew how badly they wished for it to end. "It''s coming to an end, Rex. I can feel it." Unconsciously, he touched the scar on his face. He had dozens on his body, but it was always that one that hurt the most. Dageer didn''t know why he had the feeling the war was ending, even as Captain Rex looked at him waiting for a follow-up. He just knew it. "How long?" "I don''t know. And don''t ask me who will win either. If you want predictions, talk with the Jedis. It''s just a feeling." "If you want to talk about feelings, I am having one right now. We are being watched." Dageer nodded, and pointed at a hill about four or five kilometers away. "Commando droids. Dab saw them today. He managed to take one out, but they were too far away, and the others hid." The 501st leader nodded, not impressed in the slightest. There were some men on his legion who could take such a shot, whatsoever in Hell Squad. "Do you think the grand offensive will work?" "Is that what the higher-ups are calling it?" Captain Rex suppressed a laugh, and Dageer made a small grin. The seat-warmers at the Senate always liked to give mighty names for the battles and operations. None of them knew that there was nothing glamorous about war. "If it was anyone else, no, it wouldn''t. But we are clones, Rex. The price will be hefty, but that is our chance of turning the tides of the war. It will work." // AUTHOR''S THOUGHTS // What''s up, everyone! We are entering a part of the novel I think you will find... interesting. It''s something I always has on my head, but never had the chance to write before. Also, I realized I made a slight mistake. Hell Squad is with the 501st and the 212th, so I wrote the name Echo a few times in the coming chapters. However, Echo is, up till now, still considered dead, according to the lore (he died in the Citadel, rescuing Master Piell). I went back and changed it to other names, and I think I got everything, but if I didn''t, feel free to point it out for me. I''m just saying it now so if you see Echo written somewhere, and you think it''s weird, you know the reason. It''s a lot to think about when writing, so sometimes mistakes like that happen. Apart from that, I hope you are all having a lovely day, and staying safe. If you can, leave a review and/or a comment, I love reading them! And, as always, may the Force be with you! Chapter 312 - Ghost Coordinates Ahsoka Tano laid on the ground, using macrobinoculars to watch a group of faraway droids load some transports with ammunition and supplies. Besides her were Captain Rex and Dageer. "What do you think?" "Too many for us, Commander Tano. We only have forty soldiers." "Rex is right. We have to wait for reinforcements." The padawan shook her head, disagreeing. The droids numbered at about a hundred and twenty, three times the clone forces, but she thought that if they were caught by surprise, they could win. "What if Hell Squad and I used the cover of the night to sneak up on them? While we distract them, the others could attack from the other side, and we would catch them between two fires." "The plan would be good, kid, if we had thirty more troopers. But with just us, even though we could win, we would lose too many." "You know my rank is higher than yours, right, Dageer? I keep telling that to Rex. You shouldn''t call me a kid." The 501st Legion leader gave a dry laugh. Maybe because she was still young, Ahsoka didn''t care if clones were a little more undisciplined near her. "And I keep telling you, commander, that what matters is experience, not rank." "I will have to agree with Rex on that one too, Commander Tano. It saw a lot of new officers that couldn''t compete with a foot soldier." Seeing how the two clones were against her, Ahsoka sighed, and gave up attacking the Separatist. She might be a good fighter, and had fought many battles, but she knew she would never be as experienced as any of the two clones. Slowly at first, the three people retreated, and joined the rest of their group. They were just one of the many recon groups that had been sent to penetrate enemy lines, investigate, and, if possible, cause chaos. General Skywalker and General Kenobi were both in the lead of other groups. Kiros was the first battle of the grand offensive the Republic was planning. The 501st and the 212th had joined forces once again to attack the planet, since their legions and their Jedi generals had good teamwork, per se. Their objective wasn''t only to capture Kiros, but also to act as a smokescreen, distracting the Separatist from the weird movements of troops the Republic had been making for the past days. "A spy clancker found us, general, but we managed to destroy it before it could send anything. One man of your unit is having a look at it, Commander Dageer." As soon as they entered the small clearing they had settled in, a 501st lieutenant, named Jesse, if Dageer remembered correctly, came up to them. Dageer looked over to where Hell Squad was sitting, and saw Tech typing in his datapad, from which a bunch of cables were connected to a Probe Droid. Walking over, he tapped his brother''s shoulder, catching his attention. "Did you find anything useful, Tech?" "Not yet, sir. It''s core was damaged when Axion shot it. There is something weird, however." "What is it, trooper?" When they heard Tech, both Ahsoka and Captain Rex joined them. Hell Squad stepped aside to make room for the Jedi, before turning back to cleaning their weapons. "The clancker was set to return to these coordinates, general... Err... Commander Tano. But our intel tells us there is nothing there." Ahsoka frowned, pensive. Possibilities were running through her mind. "Are you sure the coordinates are right?" "I''m positive, ma''am. I checked twice. The probe was to cover this sector, and return there to recharge, and have it''s hard drive wiped." That was standard procedure for Separatist recon droids. They sent anything they investigated to their headquarters, and, when it was running low on energy, it returned home. Not only would it recharge, but also have it''s memory wiped, to make sure that, even if it fell on enemy hands, it couldn''t tell them much. "Maybe a small outpost that escaped our search?" "That area is almost a desert. There is nowhere to hide an outpost. We would have seen it from kilometers away." "That leaves two options, then. It''s either underground, or moving. I don''t know what is worse." "If it''s an underground base, then we have a problem, ma''am. We would have to check out backs all the time, to make sure seppies wouldn''t spill from the ground like they do on Geonosis. But I don''t think that is the case. It''s costly to make those bases, even more in a desert. It''s more probable that it''s a convoy." The padawan stood still for a long while, thinking. In the end, she decide she couldn''t make this decision on her own. "Rex, contact Master Skywalker and Obi-Wan, and tell them about all that. Dageer, you and Cell will come with me, to scout ahead." "Understood." "Got it. Cell, we have a job to do. Get the speeders." The clone nodded, and soon, Ahsoka, Dageer, and him left the camp, speeding to the set of coordinates. "We are only going to watch, understood? After seeing how many they are, and what they are, we decide whether we attack or not." The two clones acknowledged her words quietly. Three people were in no way a proper attack Force, even if one of them was a Jedi and the other two amongst the best soldiers in the galaxy. After a few hours, the three arrived at the sector to where the Probe Droid was supposed to go. They spotted a large dust cloud from a long distance away, and slowed down. Lowering his macrobinoculars, Dageer analyzed the Separatist group. Just like they suspected, it was a small convoy, with about a hundred droids as escort. "Batteries and ammunition, Commander Tano. Wait... There is something else in the middle. A vehicle of some sort. Not military." "Uhmm? What can it be?" "Maybe they are transporting someone important, sir?" "With just a hundred units?" "It almost escaped our vigilance. We only got news of it by luck. Maybe that was their objective form the start." "What Cell is saying makes sense, Dageer." The commander nodded. After confirming which direction the convoy was going, the three got back on their speeders again, and left. ... When they reached their camp, they found General Skywalker and General Kenobi waiting for them. After they passed on the intel they had just acquired, the two Jedis also agreed the best was to strike soon, and capture whoever was in the convoy. As such, they took advantage of their superior mobility and speed, and reached the Separatist group the afternoon of the next day, now having a group of about one hundred and fifty troopers. The escort didn''t withstand a chance. Having sustained only minimal casualties, they killed all the clanckers, and Dageer followed the Jedis to the fancy vehicle''s door. The entire fight, the person inside hadn''t shown their face. Chapter 313 - Alone In The Dark A blue lightsaber pierced through the door of the transport, and General Kenobi started cutting a circle through which they could enter. After cleaning up the battlefield, and making sure there weren''t any surviving clanckers, the clones stood behind the Jedis, looking at the vehicle. They too were curious about who the important person inside was. Of course, that didn''t mean they didn''t take the necessary precautions, such as setting up a perimeter around the convoy. The next few minutes went by quietly as the Jedi cut through the metal slowly. When he was close to finishing, Hell Squad stepped forward, and took position near it. They were always first through the door. Kicking the circle of metal that General Kenobi had cut, Dageer waited for a few seconds, but no response came from inside. Lifting two fingers to his men, he pointed forward, and Brain threw a droid popper, after which Dageer and Cell immediately dove inside, weapons ready. Two commando droids were twitching on the floor, thanks to the electromagnetic pulse grenade. After making sure there were no other threats, Dageer stepped forward, and executed the clanckers with a point-blank laser to the head. One could never be too careful when dealing with commando droids. "Clear! You can come in, generals!" The inside of the vehicle was empty, apart from the two droids. There was definitely something weird about the whole thing, however. Why hadn''t the clanckers joined the fight? And why were they traveling in a fancy transport, with mats, sculptures, and paintings? "Just two droids?" "It looks like that is it, Commander Tano." "Maybe it was a decoy? To distract us while the real target escaped?" "Uhmm... Maybe. But I can feel something... Do you feel it too, Anakin?" "Yes, master. I don''t know what it is." The two Jedis kept their conversation going, but, at the same time, walked softly towards one of the sofa''s. With a quick sweep from a lightsaber, the piece of furniture was cutting in half, revealing a Nemodian hiding. "You could have chosen a better spot, my friend. Get him out of there." Three-four and Metal walked forward, and pulled up the green-skinned being, who squealed in fear. They dragged him outside, where the Separatist showed to be even more of a coward. When he saw all the clones, he crumbled to the floor, hiding behind Cell, who was not at all gentle with him, and threw him forward, dragging him in the sand. If the decision was up to the clones, they would execute the Separatist without a second thought. "Cell, that''s enough. Kicks, Notch, Gard, see if there is anything useful inside the transport." "Yes, general." While the three clones entered the vehicle, the Jedis walked forward to talk with the Nemodian. Hell Squad stepped back, to give them room. "Who are you, and where were you going?" "I-I... I will never tell you anything, Je-Jedi!" With a sigh, General Kenobi waved his hand in front of the Separatist, and repeated the question. This time, with his eyes blurred because of the Force, he answered. "My name is Cato Talong. I''m going to the capital." "To do what?" "Deliver important information to our forces there." The Jedis exchanged a surprised glance, while Dageer frowned. For a moment, he thought he saw a glint of a cunning light flash on the Separatist''s eyes. But then, he was back to having his mind controlled by the Force. "Why did you travel with just a small escort?" "To deceive the Republic." "What is the information you had to deliver?" "I... I don''t know... Wait... What are you doing to me?!" Ignoring Cato, the Jedis moved a little away to talk. They already got what they wanted. Without the need for an order, Dageer and Tech entered the vehicle again, searching for the intel the Separatist talked about. "What?! Stop! Don''t shoot!" They had barely stepped inside when yells and screams came from outside, General Skywalker''s voice was louder than the others. Dageer turned around to find the Separatist holding what looked like a switch, or a trigger, his finger already pressing it. The clones all had their blasters aimed at Cato, but couldn''t fire. If they did, whatever was connected to the trigger would blow up the moment Cato''s finger lifted. "What are you doing?! You are going to kill yourself!" "Sc.u.m... Republic dogs. You think you are better than us just because you can use those tricks of yours. For years the Republic suppressed us, just because we didn''t bend our knees to you. Not anymore, Jedis. Hahaha!" "Get down!" The moment the Separatist started laughing maniacally, they all knew he was suicidal. If he wasn''t bluffing, then the convoy was rigged with explosives, and no one was willing to take chances. Unfortunately, they didn''t have much time to get away. The explosion killed the three 212th clones who were inside the transport immediately, and threw Dageer and Tech meters away. The two were lucky they weren''t inside yet, and had time to run a few meters, before everything was blown to kingdom come. Still, Dageer felt pain in his left leg, and knew it was broken. Around him, clones and Jedis were all on the ground, their ears still ringing. But it wasn''t over yet. Out of nowhere, a giant crack appeared on the ground, sucking the sand and two unlucky troopers around it. Before anyone could even get up, the rift expanded, leading to a dark abyss. The Separatist was one of the first to disappear inside it, followed by Ahsoka, Commander Cody, Metal, Cell, and dozens of other clones. Dageer tried to get up as he saw the crack approaching him, but he fell again when he tried to put weight on his leg. Behind him, Tech was swallowed by the abyss, and Dageer soon joined him. The light disappeared and came back time and time again, as he spun in the air. His instincts prompted him to try and grab the wall near to him, but all he did was slow his fall a little. At some point, something hit his head, and he fell unconscious. ------------------------- When he woke up again, he realized he couldn''t see anything. There was something heavy covering him, and, as he struggled to get it off, he noticed it was sand. After uncovering the top half of his body, he turned on the lights on his helmet, ignoring the pain in his leg. The explosion had broken it, and the fall made it worse, but Dageer had long become immune to pain. The first thing he saw when the flashlight was turned on was Cato Talong. The Separatist was a few centimeters above Dageer, blood trickling down his mouth, and falling into the sand. Two-thirds of his body werecrushed by a giant boulder. Groaning, Dageer looked to the sides, and saw the body of one of his brothers half-buried in the sand. With a quick glance, he was able to confirm there was nothing to do for him. Rocks, pieces of droids, and a lot of sand covered the bottom of the rift that he had fallen into. The walls were a dozen meters apart from each other at the bottom, but they got closer the higher one went. Still, he couldn''t see an exit, and everywhere he looked was darkness. Chapter 314 - Find An Exit "Generals! Cough... Ahsoka! Brain, Tech! Cough! Cough... Can anyone hear me?!" No answer came from the darkness around him. They were either unconscious or dead, and he didn''t like to think about the second option. What he had to do now was get up, and look for them, as well as a way to get out of wherever he was. Of course, his comlink had broken when he fell, so he couldn''t even contact them. Feeling his left leg with his hands, Dageer found out it was broken in two spots. His head was also throbbing with pain, and his entire body was sore. Judging by the chest pain he was feeling when exhaling, he had at least one or two cracked ribs, although not broken. Even with his willpower, he wouldn''t be able to stand up by himself. The mind wanted to, but the body couldn''t. Looking around, all he found were pieces on clanckers. Their E-5s were too short to work as a crutch. His own DC-15A was nowhere to be seen. In the end, after a lot of stumbling and crawling around, Dageer found a cabinet that belonged to the Nemodian. With a few slashes of his vibroblade - the only weapon he still had, since it was strapped to his back when he fell - he made a rudimentary crutch. "Ugh..." Groaning in pain, he stood up, chose a direction, and started walking. Before leaving, he didn''t forget to pick up one of the droids'' blasters. He would feel n.a.k.e.d without a weapon. --------------------------- Brain grabbed his head in pain. It was still buzzing from the explosion, and following tremors. He had hit his head multiple times, and his helmet was the sole reason he was alive. The result was that it was now all bashed in and cracked. A sharp pain on his back when he tried to move told him that he had either broken or dislocated something. Still, he could be considered lucky. Several of his brothers had died, while many were gravely wounded. Some of the unluckiest ones had ended up under giant rocks, and died shortly after. "Stay still, Brain, let me have a look." "Go see the others first, Three-four. And don''t worry about me, I wouldn''t be able to move even if I wanted to." "Okay." The medic stepped away, miraculously unharmed after everything that had happened. Meanwhile, Brain was looking around, taking note of everyone who was still alive, and searching for Dageer. His commander and Tech had been the closest to the explosion, and there was no way to tell whether they were still alive or not. "Anyone still has a working comlink?" Several heads shook negatively. Brain sighed. Of course there weren''t. It would be too easy otherwise, and he had long learned that when something could go wrong, it would. "All right, then. What about the Jedis? Any idea where they are?" "No clue, Brain. We all got separated when we fell in... Whatever this is. But Commander Cody is here." Gritting his teeth, Brain turned around to where Fives'' voice was coming from, and saw Commander Cody unconscious on the floor, his right arm bent unnaturally, and his head wrapped in a bandage that was already becoming red. Seeing that he was the highest in command there, Brain quickly started yelling orders. He wasn''t Hell Squad''s second-in-command for nothing. He told the clones around him to take care of the wounded - which they had been doing from the start - and ordered the troopers who only had light injuries to go searching for others. "Be careful. If you find others, bring them here, and if you can''t, come back as quickly as possible to call for help. And don''t get lost." "Roger that." "Got it." "Understood." Seeing his orders being carried out, Brain laid back on the ground, turned off the flashlight on his broken helmet, and closed his eyes to wait for Three-four. "Where are you, commander?" ------------------------------ "Agh... Who is there?" Stumbling his away through the darkness, Dageer eventually saw a green light. As he got closer, he recognized one of Ahsoka''s lightsabers, and her voice. "Commander Dageer, kid." "Dageer! Thank the Force. I''m stuck here." The padawan was on the ground, half-buried under rocks, pebbles, and sand. One of her hands was holding a lightsaber, while the other - and the arm connected to it - was beneath a piece of metal, from one of the Separatist transports. "Let me see what I can do, ma''am. But I''m not in a very good shape." Ignoring the pain from his leg, Dageer laid his back against one of the walls, for support, and grabbed the piece of metal. As soon as he moved it, a groan escaped Ahsoka''s mouth. "Careful. I think my arm is broken." "Try to push it using your powers, Commander Tano. I will pull. On three. One... Two... Three! Ugh!" After a few seconds, the debris moved. Dageer''s arms trembled, and his vision started going black, because of the effort and his wound, but eventually, Ahsoka was freed. "You aren''t looking too good, Dageer. Are you sure you can walk?" "Haha... You aren''t in a good shape either, kid. We each got our broken limbs, don''t worry about me too much. I''ve been through worse." The padawan let out a dry laugh, and supported Dageer with her good arm, letting the other hang uselessly at her side. "Do you know where Cell and Metal are? They were near you when that rift..." "We are here, commander!" He hadn''t even finished speaking when Tech''s voice rang out. The clone came out of the darkness, following the light that came from Dageer''s helmet. He too had a broken arm, but apart from that, he seemed okay. "How are you, Tech? I could have used your help to lift that thing." "Sorry, sir. I only woke up because of the noise you made. Metal, Cell, Rex, Kyp, and Aeon are still unconscious. Guts and Harv are dead." "Trapper is dead too. And who knows how many others. But at least that Separatist bastard died too." Ahsoka was too tired to care about how Dageer treated the dead Nemodian. She was more interested in how they had ended up on their current predicament. "Do you think he knew that would happen?" "I doubt it, ma''am. He just wanted to destroy the intel, to keep us from getting our hands on it. It must have been really important, if he was willing to sacrifice himself. This hole was probably just caused by the tremors." "If we don''t find an exit soon, he will have his revenge. Wounded like we are, I don''t think we can climb up." Tech looked up for the first time, to find only darkness. "I don''t think climbing up is a good idea. We can''t have fallen too far, otherwise we would have all been dead. If we can''t see any light, not even stars, then this... Rift... Must have closed up again." "We will think of that later. Now, Dageer, Tech, wake up the others. I will search for my other lightsaber. We can''t be the only ones that survived. First of all, let''s find the others." "Yes, Commander Tano. You heard her, Tech, wake them up. No sleeping on the job." "Haha... Cough... Cough!" Chapter 315 - The Grand Offensive "Wake up, brother." Slowly, he opened his eyes, and was greeted by darkness. Amidst the dark, there were a few flashes of light, which showed him the faces of a few other clones. "Ugh... Where am I?" "I would tell you if I knew it, Jesse." Sitting up, Jesse noticed General Skywalker''s padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was also with the clones. Captain Rex, two members of the 212th, and four of Hell Squad were looking at him. "What happened?" "When the seppie blew himself up, he also opened some kind of cave system, and we fell in. You hit the sand on your way down. Burnout wasn''t so lucky." The one who spoke was Cell. He was limping, and being supported by Tech, who had a broken arm. Following the direction the scout''s head pointed, he saw one of his brothers laying face-down on the ground. His visor was cracked, and his head... It wasn''t a pretty scene. "Come on, Jesse. We have to find the others. Can you walk?" "Yeah. I think my shoulder is dislocated, though." "We will see about that later." Jesse only nodded, not complaining. Dageer had a broken leg, and yet, he wasn''t even frowning, so how could he? "How many fell?" "We don''t know. All our comlinks broke, so we can''t enter in contact with them. But I think we all did." "Mine is still operational, sir. I don''t know for how long, however. It''s pretty damaged." When he said that, everyone turned to him. They had seen the cracked comlink, so they thought it wasn''t working, like theirs. "Give it to me. Master, can you hear me? Obi-Wan? Anyone there?" "Cough... No need to yell, Snips. I''m here. Just... Cough... Cough... A little battered. Obi-Wan is here too, but I can''t get him to wake up." General Skywalker''s shaky voice answered his padawan, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Can you activate your tracker?" "I will try." "Hold on, master. I''m coming." ------------------------ Following the increasingly strong signal that Jesse''s comlink was receiving, the group found where the two Jedis were. Midway, one of the clones of the 501st sent by Brain found them, but, before joining the others, they decided to help General Skywalker and General Kenobi. The Jedis had ended up buried beneath tons of boulders and stones. It was only by using the Force to create some kind of dome that General Skywalker was able to save himself and General Kenobi. "Just wait a little longer, Master Skywalker. We will start removing the rocks. How are you and Master Obi-Wan?" "I''m okay. Obi-Wan hit his head hard, but he will pull through. Kite and Drum are wounded too. Fluke didn''t make it." Delegating the job of removing the smaller stones to the clones, Ahsoka started using the Force to make the bigger ones levitate. Luckily, her broken arm didn''t affect her abilities with this mysterious power. Dageer was forced to stay out of this one, since he could barely stand up. Deciding not to waste time, he started to head to where Brain and the majority of his brothers were, bringing the other wounded with him. When his right-hand man saw how Dageer looked, all he did was give a salute. The commander shrugged, unable to hide a grin. Only clones could look at each other in such a battered and wounded state, and think it was normal. "How are you, sir?" "Nothing too much, Three-four. A broken leg and a few fractured ribs. Take a look at Rex, Metal, and Aeon first. General Kenobi will also arrive soon, with a nasty head injury." "Roger that, sir. I would tell you to stay still and wait, but you aren''t going to do that, are you?" The medic knew Dageer too well. However, this time he was wrong. For the last hours, Dageer had walked with a broken leg, and helped Ahsoka. Even if he wanted to, his body couldn''t go any longer, now that it had somewhere to rest. "Come here, Brain. I need a report." "Got it, commander. We have thirty-three troopers here, most wounded to some degree. Forty-five, with the ones that came with you." "How many dead?" "Sixty-five." "Make that sixty-nine. Fluke, Guts, Harv, and Trapper are dead too." Brain nodded, a defeated look on his face. So many dead, all because the Separatist had decided to do a suicide attack. Putting his hand on Brain''s shoulder, to calm him down, Dageer gestured for him to continue. "Thirty-six are still missing, plus that Separatist sc.u.m." "Don''t worry about him. His body was the first thing I saw when I woke up." "He deserved it. Luckily, wherever we are isn''t very big. I''ve sent troopers to do some recon, and they said most paths are dead-ends." "You did good, Brain. Now, we need to focus on finding a way out of here before we run out of batteries for the lights." "Or supplies. We already didn''t have much to start with, and most of it ended up buried. The filters on the helmets will give us the air we need, but without rations or water, we won''t survive very long." The commander nodded. Of course he had already thought of that. However, he hoped they would find an exit soon. The basis of his hope was that the cave system couldn''t be too deep, otherwise no one would have survived the fall, even if it was cushioned by sand and tilted walls. "Don''t think about that for now. There is no danger down here, so tell anyone who isn''t occupied to grab some rest." "Will do, commander. I don''t know if we will be able to, however..." "I know, Brain. I also don''t like the idea of having nightmares now. But I need the men to stay strong, and they won''t be able to do so if they stay awake for days." The grenadier sighed. Of course the soldiers knew that. But sleeping in this place... He didn''t like it. All he could think was of how many of his brothers were buried beneath tons of rocks, never to be found. He knew he would see them on his dreams. But they were all experienced troopers, with hundreds of battles under their belts. They were clear on the importance of resting when you could. ... Two days went by in the darkness of the underground. Anyone who was still alive had been found, while those who weren''t... There was nothing they could do for them. Their comlinks couldn''t reach anyone on the surface, and, although search parties were sent after them, there was no result. Seeing that, the higher-ups declared them missing in action, and proceeded with the grand offensive. It couldn''t stop because three Jedis and two hundred men were missing. And it was about the grand offensive that Hell Squad was talking right now. It was weirdly funny for them that they wouldn''t be able to take part in a plan created by Dageer. "Do you think it already started, commander?" "It was set for yesterday. It''s a pity we won''t be able to see it through." "I wouldn''t be so sure, Commander Dageer. Come with me. We might have found an exit." Ahsoka interrupted the clones, and Dageer was on his feet in a split-second. Being helped by Barin, they followed the padawan through dark tunnels, until they joined General Kenobi, General Skywalker, Fives, and Jesse. They were all looking at a pile of rubble. "There it is. Our hope of getting out of here." Chapter 316 - Buried Alive At first, when the Jedis told him that the pile of rocks was their way out, Dageer thought they were going crazy. There were tons upon tons of boulders stacked there. But when he felt the current of air passing through the cracks, he finally understood what the Jedis meant. "But how are we going to get all of this out of the way?" "Hard work, Jesse. Everyone who is able will start removing the smaller stones, while we three will concentrate on the bigger ones. We will have to be careful not to cause a landslide." "On it, General Skywalker. I will bring the others." Soon, twenty or so clones arrived. They were the ones who only had light wounds, and no broken bones. The others, like Dageer, had to hesitantly lay back on the walls, and just watch. They didn''t like to stay still, but didn''t have much of an option. ... At some point, Dageer fell asleep, exhausted. Three-four had no medical supplies to work with, so Dageer''s leg was just immobilized by a piece of wood. There was nothing they could do about his ribs, other than let it heal on their own. As such, every move he made caused pain, even if his face didn''t show it. But, as a veteran soldier, he was used to waking up at the slightest sound, and ready for battle. Only, this time the enemy wasn''t someone he could fight. "Get away!" Huge parts of the cave were collapsing, probably because the Jedis had used the Force to move a rock they shouldn''t have. It was already dark before, and, with the dust that was lifted, he could barely see one meter ahead of him, even with the flashlight. Somewhere in front of him, he heard a yell of pain. One of his brothers had been hit by a falling rock. Scrambling to his feet, Dageer did his best to run. There was nothing he could do to help the others, at least not now. He didn''t know for how long the landslide went on. The noise was deafening, and he couldn''t see anything. Small pebbles hit his armor, and sometimes he would see the white armor of a clone briefly, before they disappeared in the darkness once again. Forcing himself to get up, he walked to the sources of the other lights he saw. The troopers seemed shocked, but mostly unharmed. Clearing his throat, he started calling out names. Three didn''t answer. "Damn it! Rex, Fives, get some men, and search for them." The two clones looked at him for a moment, knowing fully well that the three clones were already dead and buried. Dageer knew it too, obviously. But they still had to try. "General Skywalker, General Kenobi, Commander Tano, how are you?" "Sore, but okay, Dageer. But we have a real problem now. Our only shot at leaving this place is now buried, even more than before." The clone didn''t say anything. It was the Jedis'' fault, and they knew it. They had been too rushed, and caused the death of three more soldiers. Of course, he would never say that out-loud. Just thinking about it went against all the discipline and respect for hierarchy on his blood, but it had been a long time since he gave that much importance to those. The last time was probably when he was a cadet, still thinking that winning the war would be easy. "We found Det, Dageer. He was already dead. No sign of Data and Knot." The commander slowly nodded. Gesturing with his head to Hell Squad, he started walking back to the big cave that had become their temporary camp, and now, their tomb. "Help the generals. Tech, you go ahead, and make an inventory of what we have. Let''s see how long we can last." The Jedis didn''t contest Dageer. They were too tired and guilty to do so. Their only hope was now lost, and they were the culprits. ------------------------ Three weeks passed, painfully slowly. That day was when they ran out of water. The clones didn''t have any qualms with dying, since that was a constant threat, but they always thought they would do so with a weapon in their hands. To die like that, stuck in a hole in some forsaken corner of the galaxy, seemed wasteful. "The grand offensive must be over now. I wonder if we won." "Haha... For what matters, I believe it worked, Fives. The commander''s plans rarely fail. But it''s a pity we weren''t there. I would have liked to kill a few more seppies." Several heads nodded, although no one could see them. The batteries had died after one week. However, by now, they were all used to the darkness, and even without being able to see anything, could find their way through the cave system. Dageer, Brain, Cell, Tech, Dab, Metal, Three-four, Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Jesse, and Fives were sitting together, talking. That was all they could do. "Destroying a few more clanckers would have been satisfying, that''s for sure." "I don''t know about that. Do you really want to go back to all the deaths and war? We already did a lot more than it was expected of us." There was a startled silence after Dageer spoke. He was the last person they would have expected to say such words. "What do you mean?" "Don''t get me wrong. If I had the choice, I would also prefer to be put there, fighting. But I can''t stop thinking about all our brothers. How many more will die before this hellish war ends?" "I don''t know... But we were created for this, commander. Many more will die if we don''t fight." "And, one day, the war will end. It can''t go on forever." "And what will we do after? You said it yourself, Dab. We were created for war, and nothing else. And... For us, it will never truly end. It will always be in our heads." An eerie silence fell upon the clones when they heard that. For a long time, no one said anything. It was only when General Kenobi approached them, followed by General Skywalker and his padawan, that the silence was broken. "Gentlemen, I believe it''s time we try our last resort." None of the clones said anything. The Jedis couldn''t see them, but they knew they all had a resolute gaze in their faces, as they put on their helmets. "We waited all this time in the hope that we would be found. It didn''t happen, and I doubt it will happen now. So, either we will bury ourselves, or we will die of thirst. Or we will find our way out." All the clones looked in the direction of General Kenobi''s voice, and got up. They could have tried their desperate plan a long time ago, but odds were that they would kill themselves by doing it. As such, they held back. But now, they would die anyway, and there was no way to avoid the truth. So, every trooper was of the opinion that it was best to try one more time. "Brain, prep the detonators." Chapter 317 - The Light Of Day In the total darkness, about forty-five clones followed the three Jedis. In those three weeks underground, more and more soldiers perished due to untreated wounds. Unfortunately, there was nothing Three-four and the other medic could do. They didn''t have enough medical supplies, enough water, enough anything. When they got to their objective, the same place where they first tried to escape, the Jedis turned on their lightsabers, providing a small amount of light. "Brain." "Uff..." Grunting slightly, Hell Squad''s second-in-command stepped forward, and started feeling the rocks and boulders with his hands, looking for any crevice. It wasn''t difficult to find them. After deciding which ones were the best for what they wanted to do, he pulled several dozens of thermal detonators from the backpacks that the troopers behind him handed to him. Of course the detonators, the last thing someone would want to have in an unstable cave system, were what they had the most. But now, at least, they would play an important role in their life or death gamble. In about twenty minutes, the explosives were all attached to the walls. Dageer then watched as the three dim lights that represented General Kenobi, General Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano, moved forward, before disappearing. Their plan was simple: use the thermal detonators to blow up the rocks and boulders that had covered the exit, while the Jedis would be responsible for keeping the cave from collapsing. The chances of it working were near zero, which was why they waited for so long before trying it, in the vain hope that someone would find them. No clone was afraid of dying, but they also wouldn''t follow a plan that would almost certainly kill them, unless they had no other option. "Everyone ready?" "We always are, general." "Then, hit it, Brain." Hesitating for a fraction of a section, the grenadier pressed the trigger. The explosions lit up the cave with a blinding light, and a deafening noise left the ears of the soldiers buzzing. After the flash of light disappeared, the clones realized that they could still see. Rays of sunlight shone into the cave, as rocks floated, creating a tunnel. More rocks and dust fell from the ceiling by the second, making the Jedis grunt as they advanced slowly, maintaining with the Force their only path to survival. "Cell, Fives, go, go, go!!!" Barely hearing Commander Cody, the two clones had already sprinted through the precarious tunnel. They were the contingency plan. In case the others got trapped again, they would seek help as quickly as possible. Luckily, that wasn''t necessary. Albeit shaking and sweating, General Skywalker, General Kenobi, and Ahsoka managed to keep the cave system from collapsing on top of them for long enough for everyone to leave. Dragging a wounded 501st trooper with him, Dageer put one of his hands in front of his eyes. They had spent three weeks inside the dammed underground, and the light of day was blinding. It would take time to get used to it again. When he felt he was on the surface again, and only the sky was above him, Dageer let out a sigh of relief. Hell Squad and he had faced countless near-death situations, but none as scary as this one. His relief didn''t last long, however. As his vision returned, and the buzzing in his hearing faded away, he noticed they weren''t alone. The characteristic noise of metal scrapping against metal, and the blurry outlines of droids made him try to reach for his pistol and vibroblade. Before he could do so, he was kicked in the chest, and fell down, a commando droid aiming a blaster at his head. "Republic troopers, stand down!" Dageer was already moving before General Kenobi''s words reached him. He kicked the clancker''s ankle, which made his recently healed leg ache, but caused the droid to fall. Despite the pain, he was on his feet in a split-second, his vibroblade piercing through the commando droid''s head, and into the ground. He was about to pick up his DC-17, but stopped when he heard the Jedi yell. Looking around, he quickly found the reason. Several hundred droids, mostly B1 units, were surrounding them. For some reason, they hadn''t retaliated, even after Dageer''s counterattack. Searching with his eyes, he noticed Cell, Dab, Three-four, Tech, Fives, Captain Rex, and Commander Cody had also taken down a droid each, and held their bodies as precarious shields. "Let go of them. We are in no position to resist." Unwillingly, Dageer pulled out his weapon from the twitching clancker, and put it back on it''s sheath. The others, upon hearing General Skywalker, hesitated for a second before dropping the droids'' bodies, and throwing away their blasters. The Jedis also turned off their lightsabers, Ahsoka slower than the two fully-fledged Jedis. "Well done, Master Jedi, well done. If you decided to resist, I would have been forced to kill you all, which would have been a pity. I am so very interested in how and why do you come from the ground in such ragged state." Smiling and laughing, a Koorivar - a repugnant species with dark-green skin, long nails, and entirely black eyes - pushed aside two droids, to face the Republic group. Dageer immediately recognized him as Passel Argente, magistrate of the Corporate Alliance, and one of the most important Separatist leaders. "If you really want to know, Separatist sc.u.m, we got trapped by one of your friends. He didn''t live long enough to gloat, however." "Quiet, Snips!" Frowning, Argente gestured to one of the commando droids besides him. Instantly, several droids walked forward, and violently cuffed the Republic group. Dageer and his brothers would have liked to resist, but General Kenobi stopped them once again. "Bring the Jedis, the two ARC Troopers, and anyone whose rank is lieutenant or above with us. Oh, and that squad too. I believe you must be Hell Squad, and you, Commander Dageer, right? Count Dooku told me many interesting things about you." The clone didn''t answer, and let himself be pushed by the clanckers. Not liking the lack of respect Dageer showed him, Argente nodded to the leader of his escort, and the commando droid punched him in the stomach. Already weakened by the month underground, Dageer wasn''t able to keep his knees from bending, and fell face-first to the ground. Still, he didn''t make a sound. "We are prisoners of war, Passel. We are to be treated accordingly." "Ha! You almost makes me laugh, Master Kenobi. But you are right. You will be treated accordingly. Just not as you think. Captain, can we continue?" The Koorivar smiled maliciously to the three Jedis, and turned around to enter his vehicle again. It was by a stroke of luck that he happened to pass by just as the Republic group appeared. He would surely be rewarded when he brought back three Jedis and several important enemy troops. "What about the other... Bzzz... Clones, sir?" Looking at the thirty or so normal troopers, most of them wounded, Argente''s smiled grew wider. He loved that part of the job. "We have no use for them. Kill them all." "No!" "Bastard!" The struggles of the Jedis and clones were useless. The sound of blasters being fired rang out, before everything was silent again. Chapter 318 - Burning Hatred "No!!!" Dageer struggled to free himself from his handcuffs, and from the two commando droids escorting him, but all he got was a punch to the back of the head. Behind him, he heard the noise of his brothers being dragged towards an area of open ground, the wounded yelling in pain as the clanckers showed no empathy. For a few seconds, he heard the sound of bones breaking as flesh hit cold metal, but the attempts of his brothers to resist were useless. When the sound of lasers cut the air, calmness resumed. Dageer wasn''t even able to look at his brothers as they were merciless executed. After a month buried alive, they had finally found hope, only to have it crushed again by the Separatist. If they had at least been able to fight back, and take a few droids down with them... But General Kenobi''s order to surrender had been their downfall. ------------------------ "Arghhhhhhh!!!" A clone screamed in agony while a medical droid used all kinds of drugs on him. Even in different cells, the captured troopers could hear him. Eventually, the clone fainted, without saying anything useful to their captors. The droid wasn''t fazed by it, and moved on to the next victim. He had been torturing them for days now, to no avail. Each one of the Republic soldiers that Passel Argente captured were battle-hardened veterans, who had been through and experienced everything the Separatist could throw at them. Simple torture wasn''t enough to make them open their mouths. When it was his turn again, Dageer simply snorted, which prompted Argente to punch him. The Separatist leader had always prided himself in being able to recover useful intel from war prisoners, but none of his methods worked against these clones. Especially the seven who used brownish-red armor. No matter how he tortured them, they wouldn''t make a single sound. What Argente didn''t know was that Hell Squad could resist even Asajj Ventress and her master, and even force Sith Lords to retreat. Of course, Count Dooku wouldn''t let his underlings learn of such shameful facts. As such, the Koorivar kept needlessly interrogating the clones, instead of putting an end to their misery. ... After using every method at his disposal to obtain intel from Dageer, but failing, Argente left the room with the medical droid. He would try again the next day. He didn''t believe that a simple clone could withstand weeks and months of interrogation. One day, Dageer would crack, and he would be there to listen to it. "Cough... Are you awake, Dageer?" "Uhmm... I''m here." It took a few seconds for the commander to regain enough consciousness to groan and answer Commander Cody. "How long did you say it would take for them to find us? Cough... Cough!" "How many days has it been? Nine? Or ten?" "Twelve, sir." "Ugh... Less than a week, then. Hunter is good with tracks, he won''t lose us. All we gotta do is wait." There was a collective sigh when his brothers heard him. The fact that they could withstand torture didn''t mean they were indifferent to it. Another week of this hell would pass slowly. ---------------------------- In a well-lit, albeit poorly furnished, room, General Skywalker, General Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano sat on the ground, eyes closed. They were prisoners, but, compared to the clones, their conditions were much better. When the door opened, and Passel Argente entered, the three Jedis opened their eyes to glare at him menacingly. They had the ability to kill him, but didn''t dare to do so, not when the lives of Dageer and the other clones were at stake. The ones who had been executed days ago were already too heavy of a weight on their conscience. "Comfortable?" "Humph!" None of the Jedis answered him with anything other than a snort. Seeing they remain so arrogant even when they were his prisoners made Argente angry. If it wasn''t because of Count Dooku''s orders to leave the Jedis unharmed, he would have already started torturing them. He was sure they wouldn''t last nearly as long as the soldiers under their command. It would only take a few rounds of torture for them to fall from their high pedestal. Without saying anything more, the Separatist turned around and left. As soon as the door closed, the three people in the room looked at each other worriedly. "Still no interrogation. Why?" "Someone must have ordered that we weren''t touched. But for what reason?" The padawan''s question couldn''t be answered by either of the Jedis. All they could do was wait, powerless. ------------------------ "Master, I don''t understand why we must keep Kenobi and the other two alive. They are a risk to us." "You don''t have to understand, my old apprentice, only obey. They mustn''t be harmed. I have great plans for them. Especially young Skywalker. Kakakaka!" With a ''click'' noise, the transmission was interrupted, and the hooded figure disappeared. Count Dooku closed his eyes, his face stone-cold. His mind, however, was working hard, trying to decipher his master''s plan. It was useless. No matter how much thought he put into it, he couldn''t arrive at a logical conclusion. Unless... His eyebrows furrowed in shock as he thought of something. It couldn''t be. But Darth Sidious'' interest in Anakin Skywalker only left that possibility. "Impossible. It must be something else..." "My lord?" A droid beside him inched closer, thinking that Count Dooku was talking to him. "Quiet!" An explosion of Force sent the unfortunate droid flying towards the wall, and it didn''t get up. Count Dooku, indifferent to what he just did, paced around his room nervously. He pushed his dangerous thoughts to the back of his mind, telling himself it couldn''t be true. -------------------------- Unaware of the dark currents moving underneath the apparently simple Clone Wars, a group of four clones was analyzing the location where Dageer and the others were captured by the Separatist. "What do you think, sir?" Hunter didn''t answer immediately. Instead, he got down to a knee, and used one of his vibroknifes - a weapon Dageer taught him how to use - to cut open the torso of a commando droid. Then, he picked up a small device, flashing blue. A tracker. "That was Dageer''s doing. A long time passed already, but I can still feel an interference in the magnetic field around here. There is a cave below us." As he said that, he pointed towards a pile of rocks - the tunnel the Jedis made, and that collapsed after they quit maintaining it. Wrecker smiled, and got to work. In a few minutes, he had thrown aside boulders bigger than himself, revealing the cave system. After Crosshair and Hunter explored it, and found several bodies, as well as signs that the Republic group that disappeared almost two months ago had been there the entire time, they contacted the higher-ups. "How do you know they are still alive?" "The tracks show that the Separatist convoy that passed by here left with more people than it arrived. Also, we found many of our brothers, all regs... They were executed. No officers, which means they were taken. And Dageer told us that they were captured." "Uhmm? How?" Hunter picked the tracker that Bad Batch''s Tech threw to him, and showed it to General Windu''s hologram. "We couldn''t pick up the signal before, because it was underground. When they got back to the surface, we started receiving it again, which is why we came to investigate. Dageer knew we would do that, but left the tracker here, stuffed inside a clancker''s body, so the seppies wouldn''t find it. He wouldn''t have bothered doing so if he knew he was going to die. That can only mean he knew he was going to be searched, which leads to them having surrendered. Knowing Dageer, he probably was ordered to do so by one of the generals he had with him." Hunter explained everything he deduced in a single breathe. Most of it actually came from Tech''s brain. "Can you discover where they went?" "Yes, general. They didn''t hide their tracks." "Then find them, and rescue our people. I will send Commander Appo with two battalions to help you." "Got it, General Windu. Bad Batch is going hunting." Chapter 319 - Bad Batch Comes To Rescue "Ugh..." M.o.a.ning, Captain Rex woke up. It took him a while to remember where he was, and what was happening, but the energy chains holding him made his memory come back quickly. He must have fallen unconscious after another round of interrogation. As he rotated slowly, he saw a black medical droid injecting Metal with something. The drug, or whatever it was, must have caused a lot of pain, because the heavy machine gunner trembled and started sweating profusely. Still, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he spat at the droid. "You gotta try something better, tin can. This trick is getting old... Ack..." Holding back a grunt, Metal mocked the droid. The machine, unable to understand sarcasm, continued working unperturbed, but was unable to get anything from the clone. Metal was almost as stubborn as his squad leader. Captain Rex lost sight of Metal as the energy chains forced him to rotate. To his other side was Jesse. The ARC Trooper was awake, but silent. He seemed fully concentrated on something. Knowing him, Captain Rex was sure Jesse was devising some kind of plan. It was then that alarms started blasting off. The medical droid was confused by it for a few seconds, but then seemed to receive an order. Putting away the syringe he had been holding, he reached out for a blaster pistol, and aimed it at Metal. When a base was about to fall in enemy hands, Separatist protocol dictated that a kill-all order was to be instated, for reasons that don''t need to be explained. All the clones knew that, and had never had much faith in their lives. When Dageer left the tracker, he knew that Bad Batch would find them, but what he wanted wasn''t to be saved, but revenge. But, just as the clancker was about to squeeze the trigger, the door of the cell was blasted open, and a clone wearing black and red armor ran in. Using his two vibroknives, Hunter cut the medical droid into three pieces, before proceeding to free Metal, Jesse, and Captain Rex. "You sure took your time, Hunter. Did Bad Batch get the others?" Using the sergeant as support to stand up, Metal grimaced slightly. He was very weak, but he felt a lot better when he kicked the droid aside, and picked up the blaster pistol. A trooper without a weapon in hands felt n.a.k.e.d. "Yep. But we gotta move fast. Wrecker got a little excited, and threw a Droideka a tad to far, making the alarms go off earlier than we wanted." Letting out a dry laugh, Metal picked up his armor, which had been thrown in the corner of the cell, and then stepped out of the room where he had been kept for over two weeks. As soon as he did so, he saw Dageer, Cell, Tech, Three-four, Brain, and Dab. Hell Squad was already holding weapons Bad Batch''s Tech had handed to them. "How are you, Metal?" Leaving the clone to talk to his squad, Captain Rex helped Jesse, and went to check on Fives, Commander Cody, and the members of the 212th and 501st. He paused slightly to look at the four weird clones that had come to their rescue. He couldn''t remember when, but he had heard the name Bad Batch before. Now, however, he was too tired to think about it. All he knew was that they must be as crazy as Hell Squad if they dared to attempt to free them just with four troopers. --------------------------- "Ah, that''s better." Slashing the air around him with the vibroblade that Hunter handed to him, Dageer felt a lot more comfortable. As unorthodox and mostly inefficient in a battle as the weapon was, he liked it. Just shooting a seppie wasn''t as satisfying as cutting their heads off. "What is the extraction plan, Hunter?" "Show them, Tech." Nodding, the hyperactive member of Clone Force 99 brought up a hologram of the base they were in. "Commander Appo has two battalions creating a diversion on the east side of the facility. Our exit is to the north. But we still gotta find the Jedis." "Leave it to Hell Squad." "Yeah! We need a stretch." Knowing fully well what Dageer would say, Brain and Cell were already grinning. The weeks of torture hadn''t dimmed down their spirits. In fact, it only made their desire for revenge stronger. "Cody and Rex, you take the others to the exit. Bad Batch comes with us." "But..." "No time to discuss, Cody. Jesse, Wildcat, and Bronze are too weak. They will need help to walk." The 212th Legion commander sighed in resignation. Dageer''s tone left no room for any disagreement, and there was something on his words that made others obey him, even a commander. For a brief second, Commander Cody''s mind flashed back to a conversation he had with Commander Keeli on the Revontre. It was just after the 303rd leader had decided to nominate Dageer sub-commander. "Cody, wake up. We have to be quick." The commander shook his head, and gave the hologram a last glance, before leading the others to the exit. Meanwhile, Hell Squad and Bad Batch went towards the center of the seppie base. Dageer had seen the Separatist take the Jedis there when they first arrived, and hoped they would still be there. They had barely left the prison block when they met a patrol. Dageer and his men were about to shoot, but Bad Batch was faster. Hunter jumped forward, cutting three droids into pieces, while Wrecker grabbed a B2 super battle droid, and threw it at the patrol. Crosshair, with Bad Batch''s Tech help, used one laser to kill two droids. In less than five seconds, the patrol was annihilated. Hell Squad was slightly impressed. They could have killed the clanckers as fast as Bad Batch, if not faster, but they had three years of experience, while Clone Force 99 barely had two months. "Where did you go after Geonosis?" "Christophsis and Felucia." Two harsh battlegrounds. No wonder Bad Batch had gotten so much better after just two months. And, hearing about Felucia, Dageer finally remembered the grand offensive. With all that had happened, he had forgotten about it. But, if there were battles going on in Felucia, it meant the Republic was trying to reconquer the planet, what would only happen if Dageer''s plan had gone right. Although he was curious, Dageer had more urgent matters at hand. Once they were safely in Republic territory, he would receive all the information he needed. He was a commander, after all. When the next group of clanckers appeared in front of them, Hell Squad sprung into action. The days without fighting didn''t appear to have any impact on them. Dab and Cell fired first, almost at the same time, and took down the four droids in the front row. Brain tossed a thermal detonator, and, taking advantage of the explosion, Metal, Tech, Three-four, and Dageer quickly killed the remaining clanckers, which weren''t able to fire a single laser. Stepping over the bodies, the two units ran towards the center of the base. Most of the Separatist garrison must have been locked in a fight with Commander Appo, because they met little resistance. It came as a nice surprise to them when Hell Squad''s Tech opened a door, and they saw Passel Argente on the other side. The Separatist leader, who always had a smug and cruel grin on his face, now looked terrified to see the clones he kept captive, free and armed. Chapter 320 - Cold Eyes The two commando droids that acted as bodyguards for Passel Argente were quickly eliminated by Dageer and Hunter. Both clones used their cold weapons to pierce the droids'' necks, and rip their heads off. In the same movement, Dageer kicked Argente''s knee, breaking it with a sickening sound. The Separatist screamed in pain and fell to the ground. For a moment, the clone felt pleasure in causing pain to the Koorivar, but that feeling quickly went away. He wasn''t like the Jedis, who controlled their emotions so they didn''t feel anger, but he also wasn''t a cruel person. He was just a soldier, and although he hated Argente, he knew that the seppie also was just following orders. That didn''t mean he forgave him for killing and torturing his brothers. Pausing for a few seconds, Dageer used the tip of his vibroblade to make another mark in his armor. He was already in the middle of his forearm. Argente didn''t know what the line the clone made meant, neither why he was doing it, but as he stared at the black visors that surrounded him, he knew it was over for him. It was like looking at a deep abyss, the cold eyes under the helmets staring back at him. Dageer stretched his hand to Crosshair, and Bad Batch''s sniper gave him his DC-17. He pressed the muzzle against Argente''s head, and pulled the trigger. Defenseless or not, the Koorivar was an enemy, and he deserved no mercy. The ten clones behind him exchanged glances, surprised, and worried. Well, Bad Batch was worried. Hell Squad was just slightly surprised by Dageer''s actions. They had done far worse before, so they got over it quickly. "Commander Dageer... The Jedis wouldn''t approve of that. They would have wanted to take Argente in for questioning." "The Jedis aren''t here, Hunter. And it''s done now. I will take the blame, if needs be. Now, let''s go." Seeing that Dageer clearly wasn''t in the mood to discuss it, Bad Batch let go of the matter. Also, it wasn''t like they cared about the Separatist, they were just trying to follow what they learned as cadets: don''t kill a surrendered enemy, bring leaders back for questioning. Dageer lead them through the corridors and hallways, until they arrived at a section of the facility with several well-furnished rooms. It was easy to identify on which one the Jedis were, since six B2 units and one commando droid were guarding it. Dageer quickly fired three lasers, hitting the commando droid two times in the chest, to destabilize it, and them once in the head. Three-four and Metal followed him by taking down two B2 super battle droids each, while Crosshair, Hunter, and Cell killed the remaining two. Busting the door''s control panel with his vibroblade, Dageer opened it to find the three Jedis. "Dageer! And Hunter! So it were you who made all that ruckus!" The clones nodded slightly, and Dageer urged the Jedis to move quickly. Every second they wasted talking could be the difference between life and death. "Wait! We need our lightsabers!" "General Windu thought about that, Commander Tano. Here." From Bad Batch''s Tech backpack appeared three lightsabers, which he gave to the Jedis. Theirs had obviously been confiscated, and they didn''t have the time to look for them. "Better than nothing. Anakin, Ahsoka, Dageer is right, we really need to get out of here. So, if you don''t have anything else to do?" General Kenobi''s weirdly polite way of talking, considering their circ.u.mstances, brought a grin to Dageer''s face. He might not agree with everything the Jedi thought, or how he behaved in this war, but he liked him. General Kenobi felt for every soldier under him. In a way, he reminded Dageer of General Di. ------------------------- A flash of green light cut through three droids before returning to the hands of Ragout. Throwing his lightsaber like some kind of boomerang was a trick he had picked up from Count Dooku after the Sith used it against him on Aleen. If the Separatist knew that he inadvertently taught another deadly move to a Jedi, he would surely be mad. In the same move, Ragout used the Force to pull back a wounded trooper, and cut in half a Droideka. Without stopping, he ran forward, dodging a blast from an AAT, and jumped on top of it. The unexpected weight addition made the tank tilt to the left, crushing two unlucky B1 droids. Spinning his weapon, Ragout stabbed the AAT''s hatch, breaking it open, and pulled out the two crew droids. He didn''t pay attention to where they landed. Almost at the same time, a giant blue laser flashed above his head, destroying a Hailfire. The vehicle, however, had time to fire a last salvo of missiles, blowing up two AT-RTs, and killing half a dozen 501st soldiers. Ragout glanced at the bodies for a few seconds before turning away, expressionless. What once would have left him mortified now couldn''t even move him. War transformed kind Jedis like him into stone-cold soldiers, and soldiers like the clones in merciless killers. "General Ragout, Sergeant Hunter wants to talk to you." "Patch him through." The disappearance of General Skywalker, General Kenobi, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and Hell Squad left the troops in Kiros without leadership. Even Commander Appo, a veteran from the First Battle Of Geonosis, couldn''t control the battle around the entire planet. As such, Ragout had been sent to take control, partially because he had already proven that he had the capability to do so, and partially because he had worked with the 501st and the 212th many times before. It certainly came as a relief when Dageer''s tracker became active again. It had been horrible to think he had lost Hell Squad, his oldest friends, and last connection to his late master. He wanted to go rescue them himself, but he couldn''t abandon his duties. As such, he followed General Windu''s decision, and let Bad Batch and Commander Appo handle it. "Master Ragout! We are almost reaching your position. Hell Squad went ahead, with a surprise." Instead of Hunter, he heard Ahsoka Tano, General Skywalker''s padawan. He barely paid attention to what she was saying, though. He had already noticed Hell Squad. It was difficult not to, considering they made their entrance by blowing up three Hailfires, one AAT, and a few tens of clanckers. They were using three AATs, certainly stolen from the same base where they were kept captive. A barely recognizable Republic crest was painted on each tank, probably Cell''s handiwork. That way, their brothers would understand they were friendlies, if the amount of havoc they were causing amidst the Separatist wasn''t enough. Ragout had a wide smile on his face when he saw Hell Squad. Only them would be crazy and determined enough to join a battle after having vanished for two months, and tortured for who knows how long. Of course, Hell Squad''s little surprise couldn''t last for long, and they knew that. As soon as the other AATs started to aim at them, they jumped out of the stolen tanks. At this moment, Ragout was already advancing through the battlefield to meet them. Any clancker on his path was cut to pieces. "General Ragout, Hell Squad is ready to battle." "And to destroy some clanckers, sir!" "I noticed, Brain. What happened?" "A lot, general. We will explain it all later, with General Kenobi, General Skywalker, and Commander Tano." "Roger that, Dageer. Now, let''s see if you guys are still sharp, or if you got rusty after this vacation." Chapter 321 - Revenge For All Those Days Seeing a laser flying straight towards him, Dageer dropped to the ground, just in time to avoid a fatal injury. Still, the laser grazed his chest, leaving him gasping for air thanks to the impact. A loud shot rang next to his ear, and he knew Dab had taken care of his attacker. Rolling to the side, and getting up, Dageer stopped for a second to look at the battlefield. Three hundred thousand clones were facing about that same amount in clanckers, which was rare. Normally, the Separatist had an overwhelming numerical advantage. However, because of the grand offensive, the seppies had been forced to split their forces, and fallen right into the Republic''s trap. Thinking that the Republic was at it''s last breath - which wasn''t entirely wrong - the higher-ups of the CIS had taken the retreat of Republic troops from Core planets such as Felucia as a sign of surrender. Taking advantage of that false impression, they had diverted the majority of their troops from less important systems to the big targets. It was all the Republic needed. In one single swoop, nine Separatist planets were completely taken, while sixteen others were still experiencing the flames of war, but the Republic had a clear advantage. To make matters worse for the seppies, the supply lines for the systems they wished so much to take were cut, just as Dageer had predicted. Now, it was only a matter of time before Mon Cala, Dantooine, and such were taken back, once and for all. Kiros was one of those planets that was still an active battlefield. Of course, the six hundred thousand fighters weren''t all in a single place, but all over the planet. Only twenty thousand Republic soldiers, and twenty-six thousand droids were fighting at Hell Squad''s location. That didn''t mean the battle was any less intense than anywhere else. Dozens fell every minute, on both sides, some wounded, some eerily silent. "Arghh!!!" "Ugh..." "Bzzz... Ah!" "No!" Ignoring the screams of pain and death, Dageer analyzed the battlefield. If he had to guess, the Clone Army had lost about four thousand soldiers, between dead and wounded, while the Separatist were down by nine thousand clanckers. It couldn''t be said that the Republic was crushing them, but they certainly were faring much better. "Incoming!" Hearing Cell yell, Dageer looked up, only to see a cl.u.s.ter of missiles flying over his head. Most of them accurately hit an SPHA-T, bringing the enormous vehicle down. A few, however, missed the target, and exploded on the ground thirty meters away from Hell Squad''s position. In a very familiar situation, Dageer was thrown off his feet, and into the air. When he fell, he hit his head hard, and his vision went dark for a few seconds. His ears were buzzing, and, for some time, the sound of battle faded away. Albeit he knew it wasn''t advisable to do so, Dageer still took off his helmet. The smell of blood and smoke reached his nostrils almost immediately, but he ignored it. "... der! Commander!" Slowly, gradually, as his hearing returned, he heard someone calling him. Turning his head made him feel sick, but his instincts and experience took over. He knew he couldn''t stay still for too long, or he would get shot. Struggling to get up, he saw Three-four and Dab doing the same. Metal was the one who was calling him, even as he tried to pull a dead or unconscious Brain to cover. He couldn''t see either Cell or Tech, but he had other worries at the moment. Picking up a DC-15A - it was unknown whether it was his or someone''s else - he fired some lasers towards the clanckers. Not bothering to see if he hit something, Dageer grabbed Brain''s left arm, and, together with Metal, dragged the grenadier until they were behind the burning remains of an AT-TE. Soon, Dab and Three-four joined them. "How is he?!" "Let me see! Get out of the way, Metal!" Dageer hadn''t said a word yet, even as the medic brusquely shoved Metal aside, so he could examine Brain. His brother wasn''t offended, of course. He knew Three-four was just worried about Brain. Putting his hand on his head, Dageer finally realized it was covered in warm blood. It was only when he touched the wound - a gash about six or seven centimeters long, just above his hairline - that the pain decided to show up. Barely holding back a grunt, he blindly looked for a bandage or cloth of some kind in his belt, and used it to clean up the blood, but more kept gushing out. "Dab, wrap it up." "Sir..." "Don''t worry about it, and let Three-four take care of Brain. Now, bandage it." The sniper had been so focused on Brain that only when Dageer called him that he noticed the commander''s wound. A single cut might not seem like much to a member of Hell Squad, but any head injury was potentially fatal. He almost called Three-four, but Dageer stopped him. To him, Brain''s life was more important than his. Hesitantly, Dab did as he was told, wrapping Dageer''s head with a bandage that got red almost immediately. Still, it seemed to slow down the bleeding. "Three-four, you stay with Brain. Metal, Dab, let''s find Cell and Tech." "Uhmm..." "Roger that." The medic didn''t even lift his head to answer Dageer, while the other two nodded. Together, they left their improvised cover. The battle was reaching it''s peak, as the two sides brutality collided. Killing four or five droids as they advanced, Dageer, Metal, and Dab found their two brothers trading shots with a Dwarf-Spider Droid. Well, Tech was doing so, at least. Cell was half-buried beneath soil and debris. A sharp piece of metal, about fifteen centimeters long, had pierced his right shoulder. It must have been part of the missile itself, otherwise it wouldn''t have had enough force to pierce through the armor. "Metal, it''s all yours!" "Got it, sir. Hey, tin can! Over here!" The needless provocation didn''t get the Dwarf-Spider droid''s attention, but the torrent of blue lasers Metal''s double-barrel repeating blaster unleashed did. Coupled with Dab''s charged shot, they quickly took care of it. "How are you holding up, Cell?" "It hurts like hell, commander. How are the others?" "Three-four is taking care of Brain, then he will have a look at you. After that, we will get you to the medical center. Come on." "Agh..." Dageer helped Cell up, while the rest of his unit provided cover, and brought him back to Three-four. The medic had already taken care of Brain, and said he only needed a few minutes to wake up. "It was just a concussion, sir. Cell, can you hold on for a while? Just let me take a look at the commander first. And don''t complain, sir." Dageer didn''t plan on doing so. He was already getting dizzy because of blood loss. After Three-four properly sewed and bandaged it, he felt much better. While the clone was treating Cell, Dageer contacted the back lines. "Sergeant Hyde, I need to evacuate one trooper. Grave wound." "I will send someone right away, commander." While they waited, Three-four decided to take out the piece of metal in Cell''s body. It wasn''t advisable to do so if he couldn''t stop the bleeding that would ensure, but the scout could barely keep conscious because of the pain. "Bite this." "Oka... Argh!!! Uff... Three-four, you... Couldn''t you have warned me?" "It hurts less this way. Now, sit still. I need to close the wound before you pass out." Sweating profusely, Cell laid on the ground. The pain was immense, but he had gone through worse before. "Got it. Hey, sir?" "Yeah?" "Kill some clanckers for me, will you?" "Haha... Will do, Cell. Will do." Chapter 322 - Crushing The Enemy Ragout felt a laser aimed at the back of his head, and crouched. Reflecting two other lasers back to it''s owners, he realized he had gone too deep into enemy lines. Even for a Jedi, it was easy to lose oneself to the emotion of the battle. Now, he found himself surrounded by dozens of B1 units, and at least ten B2 super battle droids. He wasn''t, however, considered one of the best lightsaber wielders of the Jedi Order for nothing. Only five or six Jedis, including General Yoda, could face him, and only to a draw. He used the Force not to pull or push the droids, because that would be too tiring, but to slightly adjust the direction their blasters were pointing. The lasers that were aimed at him missed by a few centimeters, some even hitting other seppies. As for the lasers that still found their target, he used his lightsaber to deflect them. This was just one of the many tricks Ragout had to learn to survive. War was very different from the usual challenges the Jedis had to face. Many Jedis fell in those short three years of Clone Wars, and a good part of them died because they couldn''t adapt quickly enough. Knowing that he couldn''t stand still for too long, the Togruta ran towards one of the clanckers that encircled him, while spinning his lightsaber. He kicked the droid, and used it as a platform to launch himself over the seppies behind it. Doing a flip, he cut one B2 super battle droid in half, and used a Force wave to push some clanckers to the ground. A laser grazed his left arm, but he ignored it. Two droids lost their heads when he slashed forward, and Ragout finally saw clones again. When the troopers saw the Jedi running to them, they directed their fire at the seppies behind him. Many of them fell immediately, but the clones also paid quite a high price. Such was war. The side that held out for longer was the winner. "Ah!" Ragout let out a low groan of pain when a laser hit his right arm. He was forced to let go of his lightsaber, and the weapon flew out of his hand. Before he could use the Force to pick it up, another laser almost hit him, and he had to retreat. Giving one last look at his lightsaber, he saw the droids trampling over it as they marched forward. As much as he hated having to leave it behind, he knew there was no way he could recover it, at least not for now. If they won the battle, then maybe. "Captain Ink!" "Yes, general?" "Their left flank is faltering. We need to push forward! Get three companies and six AT-TEs on it." "Understood, sir!" "Also, move some troops from the rear to our left flank, and put them under Hell Squad''s command. Tell Dageer to pierce through their frontlines, and advance towards us. We have to pincer them." "I will send Tremor Battalion, general." While the captain passed his orders to the others, Ragout let a medic bandage his arm and retreated to the mobile command post. From there, he would be able to direct the battle better, now that he didn''t have a weapon anymore. Of course, he could always pick up a blaster, but another person, even if he was a Jedi, wouldn''t make a difference in a battle of such proportions. Besides, he didn''t like to use blasters. Soon, his orders were carried out, and he watched from his vantage point as thousands of clones advanced like a single entity, crushing the Separatist''s left flank. He couldn''t see the other side of the battlefield properly, since it was too far, and the air was clouded with dust and smoke, but reports came in saying that Dageer had followed his orders flawlessly. The balance of the battle, which was already leaning towards the Republic, now had completely tipped, as the seppies suffered devastating blow after devastating blow. ---------------------------- "Lieutenant Yavin at your service, sir! General Ragout''s orders are that you take Tremor Battalion and push back the clanckers, before cutting through them towards our right flank!" Dageer barely acknowledged his brother''s words. He was more worried about killing a bunch of droids that had been persistently firing at Hell Squad for the last few minutes. "Brain, Dab! Take care of them! Metal, to our left!" Only after directing his unit that Dageer turned to the lieutenant. He belonged to the 212th Legion, and his voice was steady. A veteran. Since a battalion usually had a captain as the leader, that meant Tremor Battalion probably lost it''s commander. "Say it again, brother." "Yes, sir. General Ragout ordered that you take Tremor Battalion, and move towards our right flank, where we are pressing the tin cans. He wants to catch them between two fires." Simple orders, but difficult to follow. Dageer couldn''t see much of the battle besides what it was right in front of him, so, if Ragout was wrong, or the Separatist made a comeback, they would be the ones caught between two fires. However, he blindly trusted his general. There was no hesitation in his face as he nodded to Lieutenant Yavin. "All right! Hell Squad, we got new orders! On me!" His unit retreated while firing at the droids, and joined him and the lieutenant behind the burning carcass of an AAT. Only Cell wasn''t there, having been taken to the medical center. "What orders, sir?" "We are to advance diagonally to the back of their left flank, while our right flank pressure them..." "You are better just pointing to us which droids we have to kill, commander. Hahaha!" "Haha..." "Uff..." Sighing at Metal''s words, Dageer patted his helmet - Tech had recovered it - and got up. He knew it was just his brother''s way of lightening the mood, even in the middle of a full-on battle. "Yavin, Hell Squad will open a path, and you follow suit, understood?" "Yes, sir." Every soldier in the Clone Army had heard of Hell Squad before. They were legendary. No clone would question what they said, and would follow them blindly. Dageer got out of his cover, and ran forward a few meters before jumping into a crater. From there, he aimed at the clanckers, and pressed the trigger several times before running again. His brothers followed closely. From the ground what they were doing might just seem like a few hundred clones recklessly advancing more than they should. But, if one looked at it from the sky, they would be able to see the white armor of the clones piercing through the Separatist lines, severing it in two. ... Four hours later, the clones stepped over the battlefield, this time looking for survivors, taking back bodies, and killing any stragglers that remained. Almost seven thousand clones died, and their corpses were scattered all around. They would be cremated, and their ashes thrown in the seas of Kamino. But that high number of casualties was the price they had to pay for the entire annihilation of the enemy. None of the twenty-six thousand clanckers escaped. Chapter 323 - You Lost This "Metal, help me here!" Grunting with the effort, Dageer and the heavy machine gunner lifted a Dwarf-Spider Droid so Brain and Tech could pull the body of one of his brothers from under it. A quick check revealed there was nothing to do for him. Covering his face with his hands, Dageer sighed, and got up. That was the worst part of any battle. Not the fear of death, not the lasers flying around him, not the pain of being hit. Worse than all of this was going around the silent battlefield pausing every few steps to check if your brothers really were gone, and then carrying the bodies back. Depending on the proportions of the battle, that could take hours, and even days. Of course, as a commander, Dageer could choose to stay away from all of this, but the thought never crossed his mind. Or the minds of any clone, for what matters. Their brothers gave their lives by their side, so the least they could do was provide a proper funeral for them. "Ugh... Over... Over here..." Dageer didn''t know how many trips he had done, entering the battlefield with his hands empty, and leaving carrying a corpse. But he stopped when he heard someone calling him. Looking around, he found a 501st sergeant laying sideways inside a small crater. Dageer ran towards him while yelling for Three-four, and carefully turned the wounded soldier. One quick glance was enough to tell him that he didn''t have much longer. Two lasers had hit the poor sergeant, one on the left side of his chest, and the other on the stomach. Even without Three-four telling him, Dageer knew that the laser had destroyed the sergeant''s lungs. It was a miracle he survived that long. "I don''t have... A chance... Do I... Sir?" He could lie, and tell the sergeant he would live. But he didn''t have a reason to do so. Every clone went into battle knowing they could die. "No, brother. But many of the clanckers will make you company on the long journey." "Haha... I can''t... Wait to see their... Faces... Cough... My... Blas... Blaster... Please..." "Here. You did the Republic proud, sergeant." His brother couldn''t hear him anymore. His fingers, which were holding tightly the DC-15S that Dageer gave him, relaxed. Hell Squad exchanged glances when they saw that Dageer kept kneeling on the ground, completely still. They had kept company to a brother as they left this galaxy many times, and the pain was always immense. Sometimes it was too much, and now was one of those times. They took a few steps back, and left their commander alone with his thoughts. They knew better than to try and talk to Dageer when he was like that. His eyes closed, Dageer stood still. He felt like yelling, punching the ground, kicking the droid carcasses, and worse. But he held it all in. He was a commander. If he lost control, what would the men under him think? But, even if he didn''t say it out loud, the thoughts were still rummaging through his mind, like an unstoppable hurricane. He was tired of it all. Of the deaths, the pain, of the nightmares. Of fighting a war he didn''t choose. Of following orders. Of watching his brothers die. Of giving everything he had to people that considered clones no more than just a number. He envied his brothers that had the courage of deserting, and starting a new life, instead of believing the empty promises that the Republic made. Because that''s what they were. Promises that could, and most probably would, be easily broken once this war ended. Dageer might be young, but he wasn''t stupid. He had experienced more in three years than most people of the galaxy would in their entire lives. He knew that even if they won the war, the Republic would never give up an army as cheap and loyal as the Clone Army. Those were dangerous thoughts, but Dageer had long noticed a lot of things were wrong with this war. He had the feeling it was all being controlled from the dark, and that they were nothing but paws. Otherwise, why would Jedis - pacifists - become generals? Why would every claim for peace that both Republic and CIS senators made be quickly suffocated? There were many other inconsistencies, and even thinking about them could be considered treason. For some reason, Chancellor Palpatine''s cold smile appeared on his mind. Dageer never liked the chancellor. He behaved like a Sertullian Vine, putting on a nice facade while it waited to strike. More than once he had given secret missions to Hell Squad, ones that even the Jedis couldn''t know about. Most of them involved the assassination of key Separatist figures, all leading the peace effort. But alas, Dageer wasn''t brave enough. Good soldiers follow orders, and he was nothing if not a soldier. He didn''t have the courage to question his orders, or to abandon the war. Even if that meant watching thousands more of his brothers die before his very own eyes. ------------------------ Ragout was searching for his lightsaber when he spotted Hell Squad. He had already talked to them after the battle, and confirmed Cell would recover quickly. He was about to keep on looking, since he knew the clones liked to be alone while cleaning the battlefield, but something about how the unit was looking at Dageer, who was kneeling on the ground a certain distance away, made him worried. He silently approached Brain, and tapped the clone''s shoulder with a questioning look. The grenadier turned around, and Ragout suddenly felt a wave of sadness coming from him. "What happened?" "Uff... Nothing, general. Just... We should leave him be." The Jedi was surprised. He never heard Brain sound so defeated before. "By the way, sir, you lost this." The clone had in his hands a short metal stick, with several engravings. Ragout''s lightsaber. Hell Squad had found it while combing through the battlefield. "Thanks." It was obvious that Brain was trying to change the subject, and make Ragout leave. And, if a member of Hell Squad didn''t want Ragout near, than Dageet must be going through something really serious. As curious and worried as he was, Ragout didn''t want to intrude in what clearly was a clone problem. Sending a small wave of Force to calm Brain, he gave Dageer a last glance, and left. War destroyed more than just lives. It broke people, even soldiers. No one could go to war and remain the same. ------------------------- Eventually, Dageer got up. Hell Squad was one thing, since they had seen every side of him multiple times, but he couldn''t let the others see the coward him. It would be bad for morale and for Hell Squad''s prestige. Putting on his helmet with unnecessary force, he gestured for Tech and Dab to carry the sergeant''s body, and started walking back to his quarters. He couldn''t do this anymore, at least today. Tomorrow he would be back to normal, or so he hoped. Chapter 324 - Christophsis The last droid on Kiros fell six days later, by the hands of Captain Rex. Any ship the Separatist sent to assist on the retreat of their troops was taken down, meaning that all three hundred thousand clanckers were destroyed. Even though the Separatist could produce millions of droids a month, they weren''t cheap. Losing three hundred thousand of them and winning nothing pained them. As such, when they saw the Republic was adamant on killing every single droid on Kiros, and letting none fall back, they ordered their units to cause as much damage to the Clone Army as they could. That order resulted in eighty thousand clone deaths, a steep price for the conquest of the planet. However, now that Kiros was finally in Republic hands, they could start the third phase of the grand offensive. That is, flood major systems with clone troops. And it was following such plan that Hell Squad and Ragout were on their way to Christophsis. The 501st and the 212th had permanent garrisons there, since the planet was very important to the Republic, for reasons that Dageer didn''t know and didn''t care. The Separatist seemed to think the same, and so Christophsis, like many other systems, had been locked in war for over three years. General Kenobi, General Skywalker, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and Ahsoka Tano had been sent to Onderan, to train rebels to fight against the Separatist forces trying to occupy the planet. The Republic couldn''t send official troops there, because the government of Onderan insisted they were a neutral system, which was obviously a lie. Because of that, Ragout was to command the two legions in Christophsis, at least until their Jedi generals were back. ... "Did you read the reports, sir?" Hell Squad was all grouped around Dageer while he read a datapad. Having spent almost two months without any news from the Republic, they had a lot to catch up. And many surprising events happened., which only strengthened Dageer''s feeling that something big was lurking in the shadows, and that the war was close to ending. "Yeah..." "What do they say?" "A lot happened. Jedi younglings captured, Republic and Separatist senators murdered in a bombing, attack on the Jedi Temple, an attempt on Chancellor Palpatine''s life, and..." "And?" "Two new Siths appeared. From a planet called Dathomir. They already killed three Jedis, but it doesn''t seem like they are on the seppies side. It looks like they want to take control of the crime syndicates. But that is not all. Ventress left the CIS. Apparently, they tried to kill her because she was becoming too powerful. That''s what the Jedis think, at least. But it backfired, and she killed a few important seppies. She is being hunted by both us and them now. "Ohh..." There was a stunned silence following Dageer''s words. Hell Squad had battled Ventress many times, and almost died by her hands. It was safe to say that she was their oldest enemy, aside from the deceased Hiigi. They hated her, but they always thought of her as a Separatist. It was weird to consider her anything else. "If we meet her again, what are we to do?" "The orders changed from ''kill on sight'' to ''capture''. The higher-ups believe she might want to deliver intel now that the seppies are hunting her too." The way Dageer said it left no doubt that if he could, he would ignore those orders. Ventress had caused much pain to Hell Squad, and killed too many of their brothers. Separatist or not, she deserved to die. "Tech, everything Hell Squad needs to read is here. Transfer it to your datapads. I need to talk to the general." "Got it." Dageer couldn''t be the only one to read the reports. As a special unit, it was important every member knew about all the battles that happened, who died, who survived, and much more. Most of this information would be useless, and never come into play, but you never knows? It might be important someday. His helmet under his arm, Dageer walked to the command bridge of the Venator-class Star Destroyer. He had a bad feeling all of the sudden, which was why he left his unit so hastily. His scar started to burn, what only happened when something really bad was about to happen. He quickened his pace, and was almost running when he got to the command bridge. Ragout was looking at the hologram table, but, seeing Dageer suddenly barge in, he instinctively put his hand over his lightsaber. "What is it?" "Not sure, general. Captain, check the scanners! Scatter, Kicks, and Cleaver, make patrols, and search the ship. If anything, anything, is wrong, inform it before investigating." "Yes, sir!" "Roger that." "Understood, commander." As soon as Dageer started ordering the soldiers around, Ragout had closed his eyes and focused on any disturbance of the Force. Unsurprisingly, he found one. "How did you feel it before me?" "Instinct, general. I know when I''m being watched. They are on the ship, I just don''t know where exactly." "Any idea of who they are?" "Maybe, sir. Brain, I want Hell Squad on the cargo bay. Wait for me and General Ragout before entering. Separatist would have attacked our ship immediately, general, and normal pirates wouldn''t dare to rob the Republic. They are most probably from the crime syndicates, and are working for those two rogue Siths. If the intel is correct, and they really want to become the biggest underground organization of the galaxy, they need big weapons, and we are carrying lots of those." Dageer was talking about the E-Webs, AT-RTs, AT-TEs, and AT-APs that they were taking to Christophsis. If the outlaws got their hands in even a single one of those, the damage they could do would be immense. "I felt a disturbance in the Force, Dageer. One of the Siths is here. We have to proceed with caution." Smiling, Dageer put on his helmet, and stroked his vibroblade. "Don''t I always?" -------------------------- "Interesting... That foolish Jedi already sensed me, even though I am shrouding myself with the Force. And those clones... They must be the Hell Squad I''ve heard so much about. Kakakaka! The galaxy got very interesting during my years of seclusion. Hurry up, slimes! They know we are here!" "My lord, we need more time! Some of the vehicles are too big to move them quickly!" The person looked at his subordinates, and smiled. However, instead of comforting them, the smile made them shudder. There wasn''t any warmth in it, only cruelty. "I said to hurry up. Or do I have to give you a little... Incentive?" "N-No, my lord! We will finish quickly!" Trembling, the underlings accelerated the process as much as they could. Giving up the huge AT-TEs, they focused on the smaller vehicles and weapons. Several of them were already loaded on the stealth ship they used to escape the scanners when the doors of the storage bay opened, and several clones, as well as a Togruta, entered. As one, the criminals all looked to their leader, but he was nowhere to be seen. Only his dark cloak remained, falling to the ground slowly. Chapter 325 - Darth Maul Having felt the strong disturbance in the Force, Ragout was already prepared to fight a strong Sith. As such, when they opened the hangar''s doors, and saw two dozen criminals stealing their weapons and vehicles, he ignored them. Leaving Hell Squad and the other clones to deal with the outlaws, he closed his eyes to try and sense where the Sith was. However, he felt nothing. The Force was as calm as a still lake. Opening his eyes, he scanned the storage bay. Containers created all sorts of shadows on which the Sith could be lurking. However, Ragout knew that if he was the one setting up the ambush, there was only one place he would attack from. Already turning on his lightsaber, he looked up just in time to block a red light. With his other hand, he pushed the unknown assailant away. However, instead of crashing on the ground as Ragout had expected, the Sith turned midair, and used his legs to grab the side of a container, leaving deep claw marks. "Kakaka... Interesting, very interesting. Jedi Master Ragout, right?" Jumping down, the Sith waved his lightsaber at Ragout, a murderous glint on his eyes. The Jedi, however, only took a step back, and dodged. "Yes. And you must be the leader of the Shadow Collective, Darth Maul." "Kakakaka... Correct, puny Jedi." Now in the light, Ragout could see that Darth Maul was exactly as the reports described him. A thin but muscular Zabrak, with black and red skin. The crown of bone thorns characteristic of his species was especially big in him, and his eyes were bloodshot. However, what caught the eye about him wasn''t any of that, but his lower half. The entirety of it, not just his legs, was an enormous mechanical abomination, which made him seem much taller than he actually was. His silver legs ended in clawed feet, and, based on what Ragout had already witnessed, they weren''t any less lethal than his red lightsaber. "Stealing from the Grand Army of the Republic is an offense punishable by death, Maul. Your big plans of controlling the galaxy''s underworld won''t be worth it if you aren''t alive to see them bear fruit." "Pretty words, Jedi, but useless. I will take what I need, and you can''t stop me." "Good. You killed some of my friends, not long ago. I will honor their memory by bringing you down." "Kakaka! A Jedi that embraces revenge! You would make a good Sith, young one." Darth Maul was still laughing when he saw Ragout disappear before his eyes. Almost faster than he could react, a green lightsaber was already smashing down on his head. Barely deflecting it, he found himself locked in a struggle with the Togruta, each one using all their strength to push their weapons into the other. He was surprised by the coldness on Ragout''s eyes. There was no sign of anger in it, only determination to kill or capture him. If there was any desire for revenge, as he initially thought, it was hidden deep. Luckily for him, Darth Maul had done his research before making his move. Having almost been killed by a Jedi before, he was much more cautious than his younger self. His arrogance was still there, but his sharp thinking was in control. He knew that the Jedi before him, although young, was almost as powerful and skilled as the members of the Jedi Council. Even Count Dooku, the Separatist leader, had to run from him. "You know who gave me those legs, Jedi?" "Does it matter?" "Kaka... You are bold, I will give you that. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi. When you see him, tell him that a ghost from the past is coming for him, and that I will see him cry before me like he did when I killed his master!" "You can tell him yourself, while you are being judged, Maul. You won''t be leaving today." "You are too young to face me, Jedi. Kakaka! Now that I think of it, you won''t be able to tell Kenobi anything." Having said that, Darth Maul pressed a button on his lightsaber, and another red blade appeared on the other side of it. He took a step back, hoping to destroy Ragout''s balance, and impale the Togruta, but was surprised to find that he had dodged already. After discovering that his old enemy was alive, General Kenobi had been quick to tell the Jedi Council everything he knew about him. His weirdly shaped, double-bladed lightsaber was what he put the most emphasis on. And so, having carefully read all the reports, Ragout was prepared for the moment Darth Maul released his second blade. Crouching under it, he brought his own lightsaber up, forcing the Sith to hastily retreat. Before he could regain his balance, Ragout was already pouncing on him again. "Grr... Die, Jedi dog!" Swinging his lightsaber faster than it was humanly possible, Darth Maul used both sides of it to attack, trying to pierce, cut, and sever the Jedi. Ragout was forced to change his aggressive attack to a defensive posture. If he was alone, he would have to fight for a long time. Fortunately, he wasn''t alone. Sensing danger, Darth Maul disengaged from Ragout, and deflected three lasers without even looking at what he was doing. Growling like an enraged beast, he turned around to find that all his underlings were either dead or had been captured. The clones that he never even considered as a threat were now surrounding him. "Grr..." He looked around, waiting for them to fire again, but one of them, the one with one horn painted on his helmet, signaled for them to hold their fire. Stunned, Darth Maul realized that he felt... Danger. He, a powerful Sith, threatened by the presence of a mere clone. That thought angered him. He wouldn''t underestimate a Jedi, not again. But clones were just toys for him. Weaklings. "General Ragout?" "Open fire." -------------------------- After shooting the last criminal in the leg, Dageer turned around to watch the fight between the two Force users. It was too fast for clones to intervene normally, but, when he saw that Darth Maul had jumped back, he pressed the trigger three times. Unsurprisingly, the Sith deflected the lasers, and Dageer ordered his men to hold their fire. He didn''t want them to die to their own reflected lasers. "General Ragout?" "Open fire." Without taking his eyes off Darth Maul, Dageer asked for orders. When he told them to attack, Dageer knew they were nothing more than a distraction. As soon as the first lasers started flying towards him, Darth Maul used his double-bladed lightsaber to defend against them. Two troopers fell near Dageer, one hit on the shoulder, and the other deadly quiet. Before he could cause more damage, however, Ragout was already on top of him, swinging his lightsaber. To dodge the strike, the Sith had to let himself be hit by a laser on his left thigh. If it was anyone else, it would have been enough to half their combat capabilities, but not this abomination''s. Ignoring the laser, that barely left a scorched spot, Darth Maul kicked Ragout, sending the Togruta flying, and slashed a clone, almost cutting him in half. Chapter 326 - Respect And Hatred Dageer, Cell, and Metal staggered backwards and eventually fell, when Darth Maul used the Force to push them. Rolling, the clones were immediately back on their feet, and just in time to dodge a swing from the Sith''s lightsaber. Darth Maul, however, frowned when he saw they survived. He wasn''t willing to abandon his prey, and slashed at Dageer. In response, the clone let go of his DC-15A, and pulled out his DC-17, firing it point-blank. Surprised by how Dageer didn''t even try to defend or dodge, but instead chose to trade wounds, Darth Maul arched his back, turned off his lightsaber, and retreated. He couldn''t give himself the luxury of a wound, especially a grave one. With a Jedi and dozens of clones after him, it would be the same as signing his death sentence. While all those thoughts ran through his mind, Ragout was already on him again. Unleashing a green tempest, the Togruta forced Darth Maul to fall back step by step. Never had the Zabrak thought that he would face such a tough adversary during a simple robbery. If he had known, he would rather have stayed at his base, and let his subordinates fail and die by themselves. Now his life was truly in danger. Dageer watched as the two Force users clashed, once again unable to assist Ragout for fear of missing the target. Suddenly, Darth Maul used the Force to pull down a bunch of containers, blocking the view of everyone apart front Dageer, Three-four, Brain, and two other troopers. Then, he kicked Ragout''s hand, sending his lightsaber flying, while his wrist bent in a direction it wasn''t supposed to. It was too fast for any of the clones to react, even if they were fully focused on the battle. Darth Maul tried to stab Ragout, but the Jedi managed to jump back and dodge. He was sweating profusely, and his face had a deep frown as he held his broken wrist. He wouldn''t be able to escape the next attack. Even as the five clones held down their triggers, sending everything they had towards Darth Maul, the Zabrak just deflected the lasers nonchalantly. Seeing that, Dageer made a split-second decision. He threw his vibroblade at the Sith. It was so unexpected that even Darth Maul was surprised. As weak as a vibroblade was before a lightsaber, he couldn''t deflect it like he did to the lasers. He was forced to cut it in half with his weapon. It didn''t even take him a second to do so, but it was enough for Dageer to reach out and pick something from the ground. When Darth Maul turned to face Dsgeer, a murderous glint in his eyes, he saw a green flash aiming for him. His instincts made him tilt his body, and dodge by a narrow margin. What followed was a blaster a few centimeters away from his head, forcing him to step back again, and this time even his powerful legs couldn''t hold him up. Dageer didn''t give the Sith a second to recover. No sooner than the Zabrak fell to the floor, he already had spun Ragout''s lightsaber like he saw the Jedi do many times before, and stabbed down, trying to impale Darth Maul. Dageer was very familiar with the use of blades, thanks to his training with a vibroblade. He had long learned that a blaster was next to useless in some situations, such as battling commando droids. For that reason, he had to master cold weapons, and a lightsaber wasn''t that much different from a vibroblade. What surprised Dageer was how light it was. He was able to spin it without much trouble. Of course he never would be able to do it as fast as the Jedis, but still, it was quite impressive. Except for Darth Maul. When the Siths saw that the one wielding the lightsaber was a clone, he was shocked. The clone must have picked it up at the same time as he threw his puny vibroblade. To think a normal person would be bold enough to use a Jedi''s weapon... Even he had to admit the clone was a worthy opponent. His desire to kill him only grew stronger. Rolling to the side, he blocked the green lightsaber with his own. Having been slightly pushed to the side, the weapon pierced the ground without a hitch. Dageer pulled it back just in time to block a blow by Darth Maul. Still, the strength behind the attack sent him flying three meters back. Obviously, he couldn''t compete with a Force user. "Dageer!" Hearing Ragout yell his name, Dageer got up in time to see the Jedi running towards him. Understanding what he wanted, the commander threw the lightsaber back to it''s owner, who caught it with his left hand. At the same time, there was a loud noise as the containers that Darth Maul had pulled were pushed aside, revealing the other members of Hell Squad, and the clones that had been separated from Dageer and the others. Seeing the dozens of blasters aiming at him, and the Togruta that, albeit hurt, didn''t show any sign of weakness or of backing down, Darth Maul hesitated. If he wanted, he believed he could kill all of them. However, it would have a price, and one he wasn''t sure he could pay. Slowly, the Sith calmed down, and regulated his breath. With a low sound, he turned off his lightsaber. "You are far stronger than I anticipated, Jedi. And far more annoying." "I will take that as a compliment, Maul. So, have you decided to surrender?" "Grr... Never. But I propose a truce. I will leave the vehicles I stole behind, and you won''t go after me." He growled in rage as he said that, knowing that he was putting himself in a lower position than the Jedi. However, that was the best solution to his current predicament. He knew the Republic would never let him leave with the stolen good, even if it meant fighting to the death. "You think you can just come and go as you please?! Sith scu..." "Cell, quiet. Brain, Tech, start unloading our vehicles. After that, Maul, you will leave immediately." "General?" "Do as I said. Now." All the clones looked at Ragout. They knew exactly why Ragout chose to let the Sith go, and they didn''t like it. Still, they couldn''t go against a direct order. Seconds and minutes passed slowly as Darth Maul and the Republic group stared at each other, waiting. Neither dared to make any brash move, for fear of breaking their small moment of peace. Eventually, all the vehicles that the Shadow Collective had stollen were brought back to the cruiser, and Ragout waved for Darth Maul to go. "One day, Jedi, I will find and kill you." "You will have to wait on the line, Maul. If I were you, however, I would worry more about building that small criminal empire of yours. To think a Force user would swoop to such low levels..." "Grr..." It looked like the Zabrak wanted to say something, but he held it back. As soon as he got on his ship, it disappeared from the Venator-class Star Destroyer''s sensors. Clearly, he didn''t want to risk the Republic blowing him up. "Uff... He was strong..." Ragout crumbled to the floor, clearly exhausted. Dageer sat next to him, letting Brain deal with the post-battle arrangements. Chapter 327 - To Christophsis Once More "How is your hand, general?" Ragout lifted his arm, and showed his right hand dangling uselessly. There was no pain on his face, only a deep frown, as if the broken wrist was an inconvenience more than anything. "Nothing much. Also, those were some pretty impressive skills, back there. Maybe I should convince Master Yoda to give you a lightsaber. Haha..." "Hum..." Dageer grinned when he heard Ragout joking. A lightsaber was an impressive weapon, that''s for sure. However, Dageer still preferred his vibroblade. There was almost no resistance when slicing something with a lightsaber, so it wasn''t as pleasant as the blunt impact of a vibroblade. "Haha... Oh, I wish I could have seen it." "Commander Dageer, of Hell Squad, uses a lightsaber to beat a Sith. Imagine what the others will think when we tell them." "Imagine what Hunter will think! Haha!" "He ought to be jealous, that''s for sure." "Hahahaha..." By the way his brothers were talking, Dageer knew it would be useless to tell then to shut up. Even Ragout laughed out loud when he saw the stern commander shaking his head powerless. "You won''t let me forget that, will you?" "Nope." "Not a chance, sir." Hell Squad laughed, and Dageer let them have their fun for a few seconds. It was rare for clones to have such carefree moments. Then, he helped Ragout up, and told the Jedi to go to the medical bay. "As for the rest of you, clean this mess up. Lieutenant, we probably killed or captured all of them, but search the rest of the ship to make sure." "Yes, sir. Spir, Tompt, with me!" While his orders were followed, Dageer picked up the two halves of his vibroblade, and stared at them for a moment. This was his fourth one - maybe fifth? Anyway, he needed to find a new one, since this one was now scrap metal. Throwing it to the side, he left the cargo bay. ------------------------ Christophsis was a beautiful planet. Dageer had never thought of anywhere other than Kamino as beautiful before. For him, no matter where, it was just another battlefield. However, with it''s high buildings, made of dark blue crystal, and the streets made of the same material, Christophsis was a sight to behold. It would have been better if there weren''t columns of smoke rising every few hundred meters, collapsed buildings, and dead clones and droids everywhere. Like many others, the planet was in shambles because of the constant bombardments and clashes between the Republic and the Separatist. In fact, it got to a point where a meeting was held between the two sides, and the use of Hyena-class bombers and Y-Wings was forbidden. Although there were no rules in war, if one side broke this small treaty, the other would retaliate tenfold. And Christophsis was too important to both of them, so none could afford to provoke the anger of the natives more than the countless civilian deaths already did. "Land there!" Dageer tapped the Laat''s pilot''s shoulder, and pointed to some kind of garden. The plants were all dead, and the ground was covered by clone footprints. The fountain that once adorned the garden was broken in half. Before the gunship touched the ground, Dageer swung the door open, and jumped out. Hell Squad followed him, and Dageer made a circle with his fingers, signaling the pilot to take off again. "With me." Quietly, the seven soldiers made their way through the destroyed city. Even though they were in Republic controlled territory, they were very careful. They were nearing the advanced command center - they couldn''t land straight there or their aircraft would get shot down - which was very close to the frontlines, so groups of clanckers could sometimes appear. "We are being watched, commander." "Civilians. Ignore them." Dageer had also noticed it. After so many battles, veterans gained some kind of sixth-sense. It was easy to notice when they were being stared at. However, he had long lowered his macrobinoculars and found that several natives were peeking at them from their half-destroyed homes. Even if some of them looked at the clones in anger, it didn''t affect Dageer. "I thought the city had been evacuated?" "The rich and powerful were. As for the average people, apparently their government thought they weren''t important enough. Also, where would they go? The entire planet is a battlefield." Hell Squad was all too familiar with this kind of situation. They had seen it in Mon Cala, Kashyyyk, Ryloth, Felucia, and many other places. While those with power and connections went to enjoy their lives somewhere else, the rest of the population had to suffer the consequences of war on their own. When the battle was over, and things returned to a somewhat normal state, those who left would come back, and grab the chance to take over businesses, properties, and everything else, from those who died or had their lives destroyed. If he was asked, Dageer couldn''t tell what he thought about all this. It was all another unfortunate consequence of the terrible war, while he was but a soldier in it. All he needed was that someone gave him a blaster and pointed him at the enemy. He has no interest in politics or anything of the like. And he didn''t have time to help those who lost something because of the war, no matter how much pity they invoked. Walking through the destroyed city, they started to see more and more of their brothers. They all saluted Hell Squad before returning to what they were doing. Eventually, they arrived at the moving platform that was the command center. A captain named Arbol was waiting for them. "I had been informed General Ragout would be with you, Commander Dageer." "One of the natives wanted to have a meeting with him. A governor or something like that. He will come when he is finished. What is the situation here?" "Complicated, sir. The seppies have retreated for the day, but they managed to take back fourteen kilometers today. They switched tactics, and we were caught by surprise." Dageer frowned when he heard Captain Arbol. Fourteen kilometers didn''t seem like much in a battle of planetary scale, but any meter lost was a huge blow to morale. "For how long has this been going on?" "Almost a week, sir. It''s always something different, and we don''t have enough men or time to prepare for everything. Today they left groups of seppies ambushed in buildings we had already searched, and they attacked us from behind. Yesterday two commando droids suicide bombed our vehicles, putting four AT-TEs out of use. And the day before that they let us advance a little to then ambush our rearguard. And it goes on. Every day they do something different. Even if we can predict all their options, we can''t be sure of which one they are going to choose, and we don''t have enough resources to create countermeasures for everything." The captain seemed to be in distress, and his voice got louder as he talked. Dageer could understand the pressure he was on. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Dageer squeezed it slightly, and told Captain Arbol to go rest that he would take control for now. After hesitating a little, he obeyed. "So, what do you think?" "Probably the same as you, sir. Either the seppies got better at building tactical droids, or they got a new strategist." "Yup." "I agree. Cell, when the battle resumes tomorrow, I want you and Dab to take a platoon and clean one of the buildings. It doesn''t matter which, as long as you have a line of sight to their frontlines. After you get to the top, send the platoon back, and stay put. Don''t show yourselves unless necessary." "Roger that, commander. What''s the plan?" "I''m not sure yet. The others, we will try to capture a high-ranking clancker. A captain or something. After Tech hacks it, we will decide our next move." Chapter 328 - The New Tactician Hell Squad was woken up by the sound of AV-7 Antivehicle Cannons trading shots with the Separatist''s J-1 Proton Cannons. The loud explosions shook the ground, but Dageer and the others only paid attention to it for a second before closing their eyes. Around them, the other troopers did the same, clearly more than used to the noise. None of them fell asleep again, but there was no reason to rush to get up. The real battle would only start over an hour later, after the artillery decided to rest. To charge into battle now would be suicide. ... Eventually, Dageer got up, and poked Brain with his foot. Just lying down was good, but they had a war to win. "Don''t be lazy, we got work to do." "Ouch! You could have just called me, sir!" Still complaining, Brain got up, and mimicked Dageer by kicking Metal. In a split-second, the entire squad was up. Around them, their brothers were also moving, putting on their helmets - they all slept with their armor on, so they didn''t waste precious time in case they were attacked - and grabbing their blasters. Those who had stayed awake at night, especially the sentries, crumbled to the ground, falling asleep immediately. It was simple for veterans to sleep through an entire artillery barrage. "Captain Arbol, how is the battle going?" "Pretty well, Commander Dageer. A lucky shell hit an MTT while they were loading it up. You should have seen the explosion. We also destroyed two J-1s, and only lost one of our AV-7. So far, we have yet to have any casualties. We are preparing for the assault now." Dageer nodded, and lowered his macrobinoculars to look at the enemy lines. Dozens of thousands of droids were entering formation. Amidst them there also were AATs, STAPs, Dwarf-Spider droids, Tri-droids, Crab-droids, MTTs, and so on. However, threatening as it may seem, Dageer knew they weren''t the major source of concern. Urban environments were a logistic nightmare, and Christophsis was ten times worse than anywhere else. Tall buildings, secondary streets, and civilians made focusing on the enemy almost impossible. Sometimes the enemy would see a road blocked, so they would simply go around it, and catch the blockade from behind, slaughtering them. It was impossible to control every street and alley. So, although the majority of both sides'' armies would be on the huge main road, there would be countless skirmishes around it, and if even one group of clanckers got through, the damage they could do would be immeasurable. Time ticked by slowly, and soon both sides stopped firing the artillery cannons. An eerie silence filled the city, as both groups of combatants just stared at each other. It was the calm before the storm. "Let''s kick the tin cans back to their sh.i.p.s, brothers! Attack!" Suddenly, Dageer''s voice broke the silence, immediately followed by the earth-shaking sound of AV-7s, AT-TEs, and SHAP-Ts firing. Huge portions of the droid army disappeared, replaced by craters and smoke. With a collective yell, the Clone Army marched forward. The Separatist weren''t to be outdone, however. They answered with the same intensity, and screams of pain filled the battlefield. "Are we going too, commander?" Even as he said that, Cell was already clutching his DC-15S anxiously. It wasn''t easy for a clone to stay idle while their brothers went into battle. "Of course. Arbol, watch our flanks. If the pattern continues, the clanckers will try something new today. While we are on the frontlines, you will need to keep an eye out for their dirty tricks." "Understood, sir." "All right, Hell Squad. It''s our time to shine." ... Eyes closed and taking deep breaths, Dab hid behind a broken statue. Red lasers hit it incessantly, sending ch.i.p.s and splinters peppering harmlessly into his armor. To his left Three-four was bandaging a 212th trooper''s forearm, while to his right Tech was peeking at the droids. "Four hundred meters, a little to the right. There are two B1s in front of it. Commander, can you help me take care of that?" A few meters in front of them were Dageer, Cell, and six or seven other clones, all hiding behind one of the barricades the Republic had set up the day before. The commander didn''t answer at the time, since he was fully focused on emptying his magazine on the approaching enemies. "One of them is down already! Kill the other Tech!" The clone grinned under his helmet, and fired two lasers. The first missed, but the second hit the clancker squarely in the chest. "Dab, the show is yours!" Without hesitation, the sniper got up, using the broken statue as support for his DC-15x. A single laser left it, and Dwarf-Spider Droid that had already mowed down an entire squad blew up twice before crumbling to the ground. The first explosion was thanks to Dab''s charged shot, and the second to the seppie''s energy cell. "Incoming!" Hearing the warning, they looked up in time to see one of the Tri-droids turning it''s laser cannon at them. Scrambling to get away, they all looked for a better cover. Still, two troopers received a direct hit, while another one got shot in the leg, and became an easy target. "Trigger!" The soldier Three-four had been treating wanted to dash out and grab the wounded trooper - Trigger. Metal and the medic held him back, however. He didn''t have enough strength in his body to carry his brother. "Sir?" "I''m going! Brain, with me! The others, cover us!" On the other side of the street, Dageer could hear the medic through his comlink. With a determined gaze, he gestured for his right-hand to follow him. "Our turn, seppies!" As soon as they stepped out of their cover, Metal unleashed hell on the droids. Usually, one needed to have a stable footing to fire a weapon as big as a double-barrel repeating blaster. That''s why they always used tripods. Metal, however, was a specialist in controlling the recoil of it. Like Naboo flies facing a Gungan, the droids fell one after another. Twenty seconds later, when the droids finally discovered from where they were being attacked, over a hundred of them were in pieces on the ground, and Trigger had been rescued. Three-four glanced at the two laser wounds on his leg, and ignored it. He had more serious wounds to treat. "Ihaaaa! Do you like that?!" Laughing, Metal hid again behind the doorway, and put his blaster aside. He had to let it cool down, or the barrel would actually turn incandescent. ... As the battle proceeded, and the hours passed, Dageer decided it was time to set their plan in motion. "Dab, Cell, you guys are up. Take Alpha Platoon and clear the building we went by earlier. The one with the high windows. Get to the roof and stay there. Only fire if it''s worth it." "Roger that, sir. What exactly are we to look for?" "Anything out of the norm, but especially their new strategist. He must be at the back lines, but he needs to be close to the battlefield. If you see him, ping me, and I will confirm the shot." "Understood." "Brain, Tech, Three-four, Metal, you guys come with me. We will hunt for a seppie. The higher the rank, the better." // AUTHOR''S THOUGHTS // Guys, I have something to ask. Yesterday, I had to delete not 1, but 2 (probably) racist gifs. I say probably because maybe the person who used the n-word is black, but I have no way of knowing that. As such, I ask you to please not use anything that can be considered racist, even if you are part of the group that is allowed to use it. I ask that because it''s bad for the novel, just like it was with the political comments. Also, even if I misunderstood it, and it''s not racism, I will still delete it. I don''t want to leave any room for problems, firstly because I hate racism, and secondly because this is a star wars fanfic, not reddit. Again, if I misunderstood it, I am sorry. But with everything that has been happening in the world, and the USA elections leaving a lot of people "hot-headed", I think I have to make this clear, especially since over half of my readers are Americans. So, I ask to all of you, please, no political, racist, xenophobic, homophobic, gender discrimination, and so on, comments, okay? Remember, this is a SW novel. It''s not that hard to find somewhere else to discuss all those issues, so, please, not here. Sorry for the rant, but it is important. We''ve built an amazing community around Broke, with 3k loyal readers, and I don''t want to see it fall apart because I let something slide. It will be very strict in that sense, and, if you feel that your freedom of speech or something like that is being harmed, than I am so sorry, but the novel is not for you. Chapter 329 - An Attack In The Night Kicking open a door, Dab entered a small apartment. A family of three blue-skinned Christophsians looked terrified at the clone. His battle-scarred armor and raised blaster made him seem scarier than he actually was. "Joordi! Kolllia hishila tamee!" The two parents pushed their child behind them protectively, and one of them grabbed a knife and pointed it at the clone while saying something he didn''t understand. Even though he tried to appear strong, he was shaking in fear. Ignoring them, Dab advanced further into the apartment, followed by Cell. The scout wasn''t as coldhearted as him, and tried to calm down the family. "Don''t worry, we won''t hurt you. We just need to check your house. It will be over soon, I promise." He didn''t like to intrude upon civilians'' homes, but there was no other option. They couldn''t risk leaving a bunch of clanckers on their backs. If the natives weren''t hiding anyone, then Cell would apologize and leave. If they were... He wouldn''t be so soft. "Clear!" Dab came back from the back of the apartment, and nodded to Cell. The scout made a small gesture with his hand to the family, and left. He pitied them. For reasons they couldn''t control, and maybe didn''t even know about, they were caught in the middle of a war. It didn''t cross his mind how similar of a situation the clones were in. "This was the last one. All right, Byson, it''s time you leave." "Sure thing, Cell. Good luck." Without waiting, Dab and Cell climbed the stairs up to the rooftop, and set camp there. Many idle hours would pass before they got the chance to do anything, but they were patient. ---------------------------- While their two brothers were finally having the chance to rest, Dageer and the rest of Hell Squad were locked in a life-or-death struggle. "Reloading! That''s my last mag, commander!" "I''m almost out too! We gotta get out, sir!" Hearing Brain and Tech yell, Dageer looked over the pile of rubble he was hiding behind, and almost had his head torn from his shoulders by a torrent of lasers. "They got two crabs looking at us. We have to take them out first. Besides, the droid captain is still there. Remember he is our target." "We won''t be able to get anything from him if we are dead, commander." Three-four brought up a good point. If they couldn''t make it out alive, then capturing the clancker would be of no use. Albeit unwilling, Dageer had to give up. "All right. Brain, how many droid poppers do you still have?" "Only two." "It will be enough. Metal, Tech, and Three-four, cover us. Brain, on go we run to that statue, okay?" "Roger that, sir. Ready when you are." "One... Two... Three... Go!" Together, the two clones jumped out of their cover, aiming for the fallen statue fifty meters away from them. Red lasers passed zooming by their heads, and blue ones came from behind them. As the first row of droids fell down, Dageer and Brain arrived at the piece of cover. Two consecutive yells of pain marked the deaths of two clones behind them, and Brain let put a grunt as a laser scratched his arm. Luckily, the pain was caused only by the impact, and the laser didn''t actually injure him. Peeking over the rubble, Dageer saw the Crab-droids just a few meters away from them. Like the rest of the droid army, they were marching forward inexorably, although they had yet to make the clones retreat a single step. The two armies were locked in what seemed like a standard battle, which left Dageer with a bad feeling. After over a week of new and unusual tactics, why would they suddenly revert to the normal? Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, the commander focused on the problem at hand. Catching the Electromagnetic Pulse Grenade - or droid popper - that Brain three to him, he activated it and launched it over his shoulder. He had already memorized the clanckers'' position, so he didn''t even need to expose himself to throw the grenade. Brain mimicked him. Two weird noises, followed by metal falling to the ground, rang. In one fluid movement, Dageer and Brain got up and unloaded their entire magazines onto the two Crab-droids, until their heads exploded. After all, only deactivating them momentarily wasn''t enough. "All right, boys, we are falling back! To the barricades, and hold your ground!" Dageer''s apparently contradictory orders set a few thousand clones in motion, as they positioned themselves on any kind of cover they could find or had built. As night came, their job wasn''t to advance, but to stop the clanckers from gaining terrain. And, even though Dageer''s idea of capturing a seppie officer failed, the Republic Army managed to maintain the battle in a stalemate until the droids decided to retreat. And it was when night fell, and the clanckers left, that the real attack began. ------------------------ "Ahhhh!" When the first blood-curdling scream cut the night, Dageer woke up immediately. There was no mistaking it. The one who just uttered such a noise was a clone. Without worrying about putting on his helmet, Dageer dashed out of his quarters, holding his DC-17 and his vibroblade. Hell Squad, apart from Dab and Cell, were right behind him. Countless other soldiers were also searching frantically, trying to find the source of the scream. It didn''t take long before they found the bodies of a patrol, all six clones with their throats cut. "Arbol, come in! We got seppies here! They sneaked behind us, and are ambushing our sentries!" The commander was so focused on the reports of more and more troopers being found dead that it took him a while to notice Captain Arbol hadn''t answered him. When he tried again, there was still nothing. "Hell Squad, on me! Move, move, move! Lieutenant, keep an eye on the seppies, don''t let them take advantage of the confusion to attack us! The others, search for whoever is ambushing us! Frist, contact our other troops, warn them! Target, I want numbers, and I want every captain or above to enter in contact with me in the next three minutes, otherwise assume they are dead!" "Got it!" "Understood, commander!" "Roger that!" "Yes, sir! I''m on it!" Without waiting for his orders to be carried out, Dageer led Hell Squad to Captain Arbol''s quarters. As the commander of this battlefield, he had a room for himself. When they got there, they found the two guards dead, pierced in the chest by something sharp and powerful enough to break through the Phase II armor where it was the hardest. The door was open, and the control panel broken. Carefully, Hell Squad entered the room, and found Captain Arbol dead on his bed, his throat torn open. There was still blood gushing out, which meant that it had happened very recently. "Damn it! We were too late!" "No... Arbol was their first target. He was the commander of this battlefield, at least until we arrived, but the seppies couldn''t know that." "Commando droids?" Dageer shook his head, and approached Captain Arbol''s body. Examining the wound, he was even more sure of it. "Look at the cut. It isn''t clean, as a blade would leave it, but ragged. Whatever killed him didn''t use a vibroblade, but teeth and claws." Chapter 330 - Dirty Tactics "This is Commander Dageer speaking. Captain Arbol is dead. The attacker is some sort of unidentified creature, possibly more than one. I don''t want any trooper alone. I repeat, I don''t want any trooper alone." Even as he transmitted his orders to every trooper under him - something only commanders could do, and on exceptional occasions - reports of more clones being found dead came in. There was no way of knowing when or where the unknown enemy would strike, and Hell Squad could only run around aimlessly. However, his orders of grouping up worked. Whatever was attacking them slowed down, since it couldn''t find easy targets. "Sir, we need you on the south side! We trapped it!" Hearing that, Dageer gestured for Hell Squad to follow him, and ran to the south part of the base. Meanwhile, he also contacted Cell and Dab, to see if they had noticed any movement by the Separatist, but the answer was negative. Dageer was both relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved because that meant the enemy didn''t plan a big attack tonight, meaning they could worry about killing the creature or creatures that were attacking them. However, he was also worried about how patient and cold-blooded the seppie tactician was. They knew the Republic couldn''t send more troops to reinforce Christophsis, so they were taking their time to slowly chip away at the Clone Army''s forces and morale. Either way, Dageer couldn''t see how the Republic would win the battle, unless they found and killed that new strategist. He also knew that such responsibility was bound to fall upon Hell Squad''s shoulders. But that was something to worry about later. For now, they had to kill the thing that had ambushed them. And that was exactly what Hell Squad would do. Arriving at their destination, they found a bunch of clones surrounding a deposit. The building was actually a two-storey Christophsian mansion, repurposed for storage of ammunition. "Is it inside?" "Yes, commander. It attacked us, but we managed to repel it, then it ran inside. Two of them actually. We thought it was better to call you before entering." "You did well, lieutenant. What did they look like?" "Uhmm... I''m not sure, sir. They were too fast, and it was dark. But I saw that they used their front legs to attack. They were sharp enough to leave an indent on the walls. We gotta be careful." "We will. All right, listen up! We got two of them right here, but we don''t know how many others are lurking around our base. Until the sun rises, I want every precaution to stay in place. Sparks, you are in charge while Hell Squad goes inside. Split the men into two groups. While one keeps watch, the others rest. You know the drill." "Got it, Commander Dageer. Leave it to me." "Combo, Racr, Alsten, Heater, Scar, Bulldozer, and Flint, you are with me and Tech. Nerf, Fallout, Dash, Hawkeye, and Drum, you guys are with Metal, Three-four, and Brain. Brain, take the first floor, I will take the second. Keep your guards up, those things are smart and deadly." The chosen clones nodded, and prepped their blasters. At a signal from Dageer, the door was opened, and they entered. ----------------------- Two red eyes flashed in the darkness, searching. It knew the prey would come to them on their own accord. However, it was unknown who was the prey and who was the hunter now. And it knew that. It knew it had to be careful. It''s instincts told it that danger was nearby, so it didn''t dare to be arrogant. No. It would be cautious and deadly, like it was taught. Kill and retreat. Hissing, it contacted it''s partner. They were brother and sister, and had been raised together. They were the sole survivors of their litter, after they had killed all their weaker siblings. Only the strong survived in their world. Somewhere along the wall, it''s brother answered with a hiss of it''s own. Silently, it climbed to the ceiling, and stood upside down, waiting. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the building, hurting it''s eyes. Growling, it dropped down instinctively, and hid beneath a crate. Anger and bloodl.u.s.t started to emanate from it. It had lost one of it''s advantages, and it didn''t like it. ------------------------- Turning in the lights of the deposit, Dageer and his brothers walked forward slowly. It was a labyrinth of ammo crates reaching up to their chest, and it was full of hiding spots for small beasts. With a hand gesture, Dageer told his group to follow him, and went up the stairs, leaving Brain and the others to search the first floor. Minute after minute passed, and there was still no sign of the creatures. Dageer was starting to think that maybe they had found an open window or something, and got out, when he saw movement up ahead. Without hesitating, he fired, but missed. Whatever the shadow was, it had hidden beneath a crate very quickly. "Surround it. Racr and Tech, you are the best shots, so stay back and kill it if it escapes us. Brain, do you copy?" "Yes, commander." "We got one up here, but we don''t know where the other is. Keep your eyes peeled." "Got it." After warning the other group, the clones started to slowly encircle the place where they last saw the beast. At the same time, they pushed some of the crates aside, so it wouldn''t have where to hide if it tried to run. What they didn''t expect was that the being didn''t plan to escape, but to take the offensive. "Agh!" Heater screamed and almost fell to the ground when a limb sharper than any blade appeared under one of the crates, and impaled his foot. Cursing, he shot at it, hitting the creature, which let out a screech loud enough to hurt their ears, and retracted it''s leg. Limping, the clone staggered back, and leaned on a wall, as blood kept gushing out from the wound. It was about five or six centimeters long, and two or three centimeters wide, and went all the way through his foot. "Ah! Ugh... Damn thing! That hurts!" "Stay back, Heater. That thing was able to pierce through the armor, you, and the ground. We aren''t taking any risks anymore. Combo, Bulldozer, and Scar, get ready. You are going to push the crate, and we will kill it." "How are we supposed to push it, sir? If we get close, we are gonna end up like Heater." Dageer felt like cursing when he realized he hadn''t accounted for that. They couldn''t use grenades, obviously, so the only way would be to move it manually. But whoever took up the task risked ending up with a severed limb. "We could try using a droid popper, Commander Dageer. It won''t hurt it, but it might scare it enough so it jumps out by itself." Alsten''s idea was immediately approved by Dageer, who took out one of the Electromagnetic Pulse Grenades, and rolled it under the box. The creates were all raised a few dozen centimeters over the ground, in case of a flood - standard procedure - so the droid popper disappeared under it with no problems. Next thing they knew, a spider-like creature jumped at Combo, it''s sharp teeth ripping his throat open. Chapter 331 - Acklay Infants Faster than any of the clones, even Dageer, could react, a green blur appeared from under the box, and jumped on Combo. Scared by the explosion of the droid popper, the creature had attacked the first thing it saw, and sunk it''s razor-sharp teeth into his throat. The clone couldn''t even scream, and all that came out was a gurgling noise. Letting go of his weapons, he tried to push the creature away, but all he managed to do was trip and fall. Dageer watched as two of the six legs of the spider-like being pierced Combo''s torso, and he stopped struggling immediately. The Phase II armor, reinforced with blast padding, was weaker than paper before the sharp limbs. Although it was clear Combo was dead, Dageer and his brothers couldn''t bring themselves to shoot the creature, for fear of hitting him. Instead, Tech ran forward, and kicked it. The animal, however, didn''t appear to feel the blow. Instead, it shrieked at the clone, before jumping towards him. But Tech wasn''t just any trooper, and was prepared for it. Pressing the trigger two times in quick succession, he hit it''s head. Still in midair, the creature was launched in the opposite direction by the force behind the lasers, and, impressively, managed to get up, even though two black holes had replaced the right half of it''s head. Still, it''s steps were shaky, and it was clear it was at it''s wit''s end. Not wanting to take any chances, after seeing what the beast was capable of, all the clones fired at it a few times. This time, when it fell, it didn''t get up. Alsten knelt besides Combo and checked on his brother before shaking his head. Not only had the animal bitten his throat, but it had also pierced his heart with it''s legs. There was no doubt it was a creature that evolved to kill quickly and efficiently. "What is that?" Finally being able to have a good look at the beast, Dageer couldn''t help but ask. He had seen and killed many monsters in the galaxy, including the mighty Rancors, but he had never seen anything like that. It was light green, and had six long, and extremely sharp legs. They didn''t end in any kind of paw or claw, but in a tip that would put any blade to shame. As for it''s head, it was supported by a long neck, and it was slightly flat. Most of it was completely deformed because of the lasers, but Dageer could make out the rows of sharp teeth. "I think it''s called an Acklay, sir. I saw it during the First Battle of Geonosis. I was on the gunsh.i.p.s sent to that arena to rescue the Jedis, and the bugs had trained one of those things to fight. It was trying to eat General Kenobi when we got there, but he managed to kill it. Only, that one was about four meters tall, while this one here doesn''t even reach my h.i.p.s." "Maybe it''s still young. Still, it''s as deadly as the bigger ones. And look at the scars it has. I bet you the Geonosians also trained this one, only it hunts clones instead of fighting in an arena." Looking closely, Dageer realized Tech was right. Several scars, of all sizes, covered the Acklay. It had been trained to be deadly and savage. But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the lights went out without any prior warning. All the clones there were had seen too much to believe in coincidences, so they immediately lowered their night vision devices, which made everything acquire a shade of green. "Brain, what is your status?" "Nothing down here yet, commander. But we heard a lot of fighting up there. What happened?" "We killed one of the creatures. They are called Acklays. Unfortunately, they got Combo. What about the lights?" "I was about to ask you if I should send someone to fix the power, sir." "No. There is one of those things still here, and it is smart enough to mess with the power panel. If you go there you are only gonna find cut cables. Keep searching, and be extra careful. We will do the same here." "Understood. Good hunting, sir." ------------------------ Using it''s sharp teeth, the remaining Acklay bit off the energy cables. It had heard the dying scream of it''s brother, and it was angry. But it knew it wouldn''t be able to survive if it tried to fight the prey head-on, so it had to bring back one of it''s few advantages. The darkness. Holding back the urge to throw itself at it''s hateful enemies, the Acklay started crawling towards them slowly. When one of the clones heard it, the creature was already lunging at them. With an ear-piercing shriek, the Acklay cut up the clone''s throat using one of it''s limbs. "Argh!!!" ----------------------- Brain turned around as soon as he heard Hawkeye scream, and found a dark shadow gripping him tightly, as blood tainted the front of his blue and white armor. Night vision didn''t mean they had eyes on the back of their heads, and the Acklay was an ambush predator. It had waited patiently for it''s chance to strike, and, when it did, it reaped a life. Before they could do anything, the Acklay had already jumped back into the shadows, and Hawkeye fell dead. However, the creature had never faced an enemy with night vision devices such as the clones, and had thought that just hiding a few meters away was enough to escape. It was severely wrong. Blue lasers lit up the entire deposit, two of them hitting the Acklay before it would run, screeching in pain. It limped away, and hid behind one of the many crates. At about the same time, Dageer and the others ran downstairs, having heard the blasters being fired. "Where is it?" "It disappeared. We lost one..." "Drum and Metal, guard the stairway to the second floor, don''t let it go through. The others, we need to search this floor meter by meter. Let''s start on this side, and go all the way through." The soldiers barely had time to acknowledge Dageer''s orders when the Acklay stroke again. Out of nowhere, it appeared and bit Tech''s leg, grabbing onto it, and not letting go. One of it''s legs tried to stab him, but the clone managed to grab it. "Argh! Get this thing off me!" He tried to pull off the Acklay, and thrown it away, but ended up hurting himself more than anything. "Tech, stay still!" "Stay still, Tech!" It should have been a difficult, almost impossible, command to follow, considering the pain he was in, but the clone didn''t hesitate when he heard both Dageer and Brain yell at him. Ignoring the creature glued to him, he stopped moving. Almost immediately, two lasers missed him by a few millimeters, and hit the Acklay''s neck and torso. Shrieking, the beast let go of Tech, and tried to crawl away, but the clones wouldn''t be dumb enough to let it hide again. Dageer stepped forward, and, wielding his vibroblade, cut off it''s head, putting an end to it once and for all. For a few seconds, the headless body twitched, then stood still. Chapter 332 - From Bad To Worse Metal kicked the Acklay''s body angrily, making it flop around. They had underestimated the two creatures, thinking they were just stupid animals, and that had cost them two more soldiers, as well as a few wounded. "Do you think we got them all, sir?" "Yeah. There weren''t any other attacks reported. It can''t be easy to train those things, so unleashing two of them on us is probably all the seppies could do. They killed thirteen of ours, of which three were captains, including Arbol, and two were lieutenants. All from the 212th." "Ugh... They must have learned to recognize their armor. Ouch! Can you be more careful, Three-four?!" "Quit complaining." Dageer had already sent back the troopers that had accompanied them, and only Hell Squad waited in the deposit''s entrance. Heater needed immediate treatment, while Three-four could easily take care of Tech. Sharp as they were, the Acklay''s teeth were still small, and only dangerous if he managed to bite the throat. An area with a huge amount of muscle such as the thigh would only receive a nasty scar, nothing more. And, for soldiers, scars were a trophy, not a reason for shame. "This is gonna match nicely with the one you got from those Blixus spawns in Ando. Now you have one in each leg, Tech. Hahaha!" "Hahaha!" Even Three-four, who was usually very serious when medicating someone, couldn''t help but laugh out loud. During one of their many battles, Tech had been bitten in his right leg, and now it had happened to him again, only this time it was on the left one. It was as if he had allowed it to happen on purpose. Grinning, Dageer tapped Tech''s shoulder as his brother glared angrily at the rest of Hell Squad. They knew each other too well to believe that he actually was angry. "Come on, let''s sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow." ... For the next two weeks, the Republic was pushed back kilometer by kilometer, meter by meter. Without reinforcements, their losses were growing exponentially, while the Separatist seemed to have an unending inventory of droids - which wasn''t far from the truth. Dageer was forced to call back Dab and Cell, their mission of killing the enemy leader ending up in a failure. Even Ragout''s arrival wasn''t enough to turn the tides. In just a few days, the almost a million troopers had been reduced to just three hundred thousand. Not all of them died, obviously, but many were wounded and had to be evacuated. In other parts of Christophsis, the situation was even worse. Slowly but surely, the Clone Army on the planet was being decimated. -------------------------- Over a hundred kilometers away from Hell Squad''s base, a small clone garrison guarded a town already conquered by the Republic. Since the frontlines were almost eighty kilometers from there, there was no need for a large group. Only one sergeant and twentysomething soldiers were responsible for it. At the moment, one of the troopers was looking at one of the many panels, keeping an eye on the radar. Meanwhile, three others were playing a game in a hologram table, four or five were sleeping, and another two were cleaning their weapons. The remaining, including the sergeant, were patrolling. The monotony of their day was broken when the radar and scanners stopped working, and even the hologram table started to fail. As laid back as they might appear to be, the garrison was all made up by veterans. In a few seconds, they all had their armor on, had grabbed their weapons, and sounded the alarm. "Sarge, we got a problem." "Bzzz..." "Hey, sarge?! Do you copy? Sarge?" After two tries, the trooper gave up. Only static was coming through the comlink, which only reinforced their conviction that this wasn''t just a mechanical failure, but an attack. "Deck, try to contact our people on the frontlines. Tell them we are being attacked, and that they have to be prepared." "Already tried, brother. Comms are jammed." "Damn it! All right, we have to warn them somehow. Zap, take a speeder and go. We will hold them back." "What about Sarge and the others?" "The only way the seppies could have jammed our comms without us noticing anything weird is if they did it from the inside, and using one of our devices. That means sarge and the others are gone." His brothers looked at him and cursed. Still, they didn''t hesitate, and followed his orders. Before they could even leave the room, however, the door was blown open. Several clanckers, including commando droids, marched in, already firing. Two clones fell dead instantly, while the others managed to hide and return fire. They managed to hold on for a while, but, as more droids entered the room, the clone that had taken their sergeant''s place knew they couldn''t stay there or they would be overwhelmed. "We gotta leave! Zap, remember what I told you. You have to reach General Ragout and Commander Dageer. They must know about this, or they will all be killed." Shooting and retreating, they managed to reach the room where the speeders were stored. Unfortunately, they lost three more soldiers in the process. "Zap, now! Go!" "But what about..." "We will be fine, just go!" It was an obvious lie, accentuated by another of his brothers getting hit and dropping to the ground dead. Still, clones were decisive and determined. Zap knew that if he hesitated too long, thousands more would lose their lives, and the death of the garrison would be in vain. Clenching his fists, he jumped on a BARC Speeder, barely dodging a few lasers. Turning the vehicle around, he fired a few shots of the twin laser cannons, killing three or four droids in the front row, and slowing them down for a few seconds. After that, he gave his brothers one last look, and sped up. As he zoomed through the streets, he saw dozens of thousands of seppies entering what would be the range of their scanners. He also heard his squad members scream as they fell one after another, victim to the red lasers spewed by the E-5s. Several lasers flew past him, losing their accuracy the furthest he got. Still, three or four managed to hit him in the back, and he almost fell from the vehicle. Gritting his teeth, Zap laid down on the speeder, and held on. He knew that if he passed out, he would be as good as dead. Now, he only had one thing in mind: reaching Dageer, and telling him about the danger that approached. -------------------------- "One of the... Bzzz... Republic dogs managed to get away, sir." "Useless! Now they know we are coming! I should trash you!" "We hit him thrice, sir. Bzzz... He probably died and his vehicle crashed. Bzz..." Breathing heavily, the person talking to the droid let a smile touch his lips. Pulling out a blaster pistol, he blew off the B1''s head. "You are the new commander now, captain. Hurry up, accelerate the pace. I want to be there tomorrow morning." The poor captain, recognizable by the yellow paint on his head and shoulders, looked at his predecessor, and showed what should be a nervous look on his face. "Err... Understood." Chapter 333 - Deserve Their Trust Dageer was talking to Ragout while gesturing to some of their broken vehicles when he heard a commotion. Turning to it''s source, he saw a BARC speeder flying towards them at speeds much higher than it should. Frowning, Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, while the soldiers around him aimed their blasters at the vehicle. After so many unorthodox tactics from the Separatist the last couple of days, they were scared easily by anything out of the usual. "Hold your fire! It''s one of ours, and he is wounded. Get a medic! Burner, help me stop the speeder before it crashes into something or someone!" Having said that, Dageer jumped on a speeder himself, mimicked by Burner. Together, they zoomed towards Zap, and positioned themselves one on each side of him. With a little bit of trouble, they managed to slow it down, and eventually stop it. Dageer had already noticed several black spots on the BARC Speeder, certainly caused by lasers. The driver wasn''t in a much better shape. A few dozen clones, including Hell Squad, encircled them as Dageer and Burned lowered Zap. He was barely breathing, having been hit three times. One of the wounds wasn''t so bad, only injuring his shoulder, but the other two lasers had hit him right in the back. By the looks of it, his lungs had been perforated, and several organs were completely scorched. It was a miracle he was still alive. The medic looked at him for a second before shaking his head to Dageer. The Commander nodded slowly, before patting Zap''s head, to wake him up from his stupor. "What happened, brother? Where were you attacked?" "Garrison... Wiped out. Sixty thousand... Droids... At least. Garrison..." Zap didn''t hear Dageer, his eyes unfocused. He kept repeating the same words, over and over again. Clearly, he had relied on them to hold on for so long, even if he was mortally wounded. He didn''t even realize he had arrived at his destiny. "I know him, sir. Zap was assigned to the outpost in sector GH-11 " "That is almost a hundred kilometers behind our lines. How did they get attacked and we didn''t hear of it? How did the seppies reach them even?" While the others were discussing, Dageer and Ragout were still kneeling besides Zap. The Jedi put a hand on his friend''s shoulder, and calmed him down with the Force. "Pass... Message... Warn you... Commander. Don''t let... Death for... Nothing." In a last moment of lucidity, Zap grabbed Dageer''s forearm, his words barely audible. After that, his grip lost strength. "I won''t, brother. Don''t worry." ... "What are you thinking, general?" Zap''s body had already been carried away, and the troopers had dispersed, leaving only Hell Squad and Ragout. "It''s pretty obvious. The Separatist managed to sneak a sizable force behind our lines. Somehow, they captured our bases and outposts before they could send out any kind of distress signal. Fortunately, Zap managed to escape and survive long enough to tell us this, otherwise we would be engaged in battle only to then be attacked from behind. Pincered, we wouldn''t have any shot at survival, much less winning." "Our chances are still low, even if we know about their attack. What can we do? We don''t have enough troops to resist one army, whatsoever two." Cell''s words sent Ragout into deep thought. Neither he nor the clones were used to fantasizing and lying to themselves about their own destiny. If they were going to die, then they were going to die, plain and simple. But they would only admit defeat when there was no other option. "Come. The Christophsians swore to fight alongside the Republic, for the liberation of their own planet. It''s time they live up to their promises." --------------------------- Reluctantly, Om¨¦ let the Jedi and the clones who followed him enter his home. Over the past days, the Togruta had been trying to meet him frequently, but he had managed to avoid it. Until now. Unfortunately for him, this time Ragout had threatened to cut down his door if he refused to let them in. An uncharacteristic behavior by a Jedi, but, hearing the coldness in his voice, Om¨¦ had no doubt Ragout wouldn''t hesitate to fulfill the threat. "Master Jedi, what can I do for you?" "Sit down, Om¨¦. As we speak, Republic troops are facing seven hundred thousand droids in the front. An unconfirmed number of seppies is also preparing to attack us from behind. They will arrive tomorrow afternoon at the latest. The Clone Army is outnumbered three to one. You, however, have over two hundred thousand soldiers under your command, who had been doing nothing." The Christophsian was speechless. As a politician, he was used to hours of small talk and pleasantries before reaching the main topic. His counterparts were never so blunt. But he still had his pride, and couldn''t accept a scolding. "Master Ragout! This is my home, and I want you to show some respect! Christophsis sided with the Republic, and has been giving useful information and help to you. Several of our people lost their lives..." "A fraction of what the Clone Army lost, governor. And the majority of them were civilians, not soldiers. The only members of the Christophsian Army that died were those who decided to ignore the orders of you and your friends, and fight for their planet and their freedom. At least they died with some honor, and knowing that they were fighting for what is right. It''s a shame I can''t say the same about you." "Y-You!" "Make no mistake, Om¨¦. I''m not one of the diplomats and seat-warmers of the Senate you dealt with before. If you refuse to pay the trust your people put on you when they elected you, Commander Dageer will arrest you for interfering with the war efforts." Ragout had spent more of his training with clones than he did with his fellow Jedis, and it was normal he started to resemble them, and mimick the way they talked. He was, after all, a little more than a kid, and was easily influenced, although the countless scars and the threatening air around him might hint otherwise. Om¨¦ was shaking, horrified, when he heard the Togruta. He was nothing like the calm image he had of the peacekeepers the Jedis were supposed to be. No. He was ruthless. The terrifying clone behind him, with a giant scar, only contributed to his fear. "Y-You can''t do that! You don''t have the authority!" "No, I don''t. At least not to fully arrest you. But I need the Christophsian Army tomorrow, and by then, the news of you being imprisoned wouldn''t even have reached the ears of your friends yet." "They won''t follow your orders! Even more if you arrest me!" "You are missing the point, governor. We are not your enemy. I''m not your enemy. The Separatist are. I already overlooked the shady dealings you had with the CIS before the war, but, if you continue to refuse to aid the Republic, I will start to think you maintained some old friendsh.i.p.s." This time, Om¨¦ was truly scared. He didn''t betray the Republic, and he also wanted to save Christophsis. However, he didn''t want to lose the army under his command. Still, in the end, he had to concede. He knew Ragout had the means to make it look like he was a traitor. Whether or not a Jedi would really do that, he didn''t know, but he didn''t dare to test it. "Coward." One of the clones muttered something under his breath, barely understandable. Still, Om¨¦''s blue skin burned red with shame. "Quiet, Metal. He is finally doing something right. You will see, governor... Tomorrow we will either be all dead, and you can push the blame to us, or we will have won, and you can take the credit. Remember, clones don''t fight for fame. I certainly don''t. We fight for the free people of the galaxy, and for the people of Christophsis." The Christophsian was dumbstruck, realizing that in his indignation and anger, he had forgotten what should truly matter to him. "Oh, and just so you know, I already talked to the officers of the Christophsian Army stationed here. With or without your consent, they would have followed us into battle tomorrow. They are fighting for their home, after all. Orders only matter so much when everything you know and love is at stake." // AUTHOR''S THOUGHTS // A longer chapter than normal, but I couldn''t end it without letting Ragout speak all he wanted, could I? Jokes aside, I just wanted to thank everyone who gave their opinion on what I asked last chapter. I already contacted Royalroad, and they were very helpful. I''m glad to say that they have no such thing as exclusivity, meaning I can upload my new novel both here and there. For those who are confused, I am starting a new project, called Iferes: Slaves Of the Gods (and I will say nothing else for now). It will still take a few months before I start uploading it, however. But trust me, you guys will be the first to know when it starts. I will upload both here on , and also on Royalroad, and I also set either a ******* or a PayPal (maybe both?), which I did not do for Broke, because it was a fanfic. But let''s leave that for later. For now, what I want to say is that while I will upload on both sites at the same time, I am pretty sure that going premium here on is unavoidable. From what I understand, and learned when talking to fellow authors, all novels here (minus fanfics) HAVE to go premium after chapter 100. I still have to confirm, but I think that''s how it works. So, just know that even if it does go premium, it will be free on Royalroad. Well, I think that''s it. I will have a lot more to say the closer we get to the release of the new novel. Any ideas, suggestions, critics, and such are welcomed. Thank you all for your time! Chapter 334 - Never Again "Don''t you think you were a bit too harsh with him, general? He almost fainted with fear. Haha!" "Bah! He deserves it. Who knows how many more of us would have to fight and die because of his little schemes. He wouldn''t last a minute in a battle." Hell Squad laughed loudly, while Ragout limited himself to a grin. The clones knew him all too well. Not for a moment had they believed that the Togruta would imprison Om¨¦ based on false accusations. He had too much of his master''s righteousness and the Jedi Order''s mentality to do so. In fact, of all the threats he made to the Christophsian governor, the only real one was that he had already talked to the officers in his army. "Commander, what do you think?" "That we have a battle tomorrow that we are almost certainly going to lose. Quit joking around, and go prepare. Now." Dageer''s words were like a bucket of cold water being poured on one of their rare moments of fun. They were so unprepared for it that they had to stop and look at him. The seriousness in his voice, and the darkness in his eyes assured them he wasn''t joking. Something had made Dageer very angry, although they didn''t know what. "Yes, sir!" Not daring to disobey, Hell Squad left. Before they did so, Brain knocked on his helmet, a worried and questioning look on his face. To that, Dageer only nodded. When there was no one else in sight, the commander turned to face Ragout. He knew that from the moment his mood had taken a turn, the Jedi had sensed it. It was inevitable that he would make inquiries. "Something has been troubling you, Dageer, from the moment Om¨¦ opened his mouth. What is it? And don''t tell me it''s just your normal worries. I know you too well." "Haha... You really do, general... It''s... Uff..." "Say it." Dageer''s eyes were on Ragout, but it was obvious to the Jedi that his mind was elsewhere entirely. "This is too similar to Ryloth, Ragout. Once again we are outnumbered, outgunned, and about to be decimated. The Twi''leks we fought and died for left us that time, and the Christophsians almost did the same. Heck, they did do the same! Two hundred thousand poorly trained soldiers are the same as nothing." The number of times Dageer called Ragout by his name, without his rank, could be counted in one hand. Each time it was when Hell Squad and he were at their lowest. That was enough to show the Jedi how overwhelmed the commander was feeling. And, unfortunately, he was right, like always. "What will we do this time, sir? Run again? Leaving my brothers to die? You know Hell Squad can''t do that. Not again. Not for a people that won''t even fight for their own planet. At least Syndulla had the courage to do that." "No... We won''t run. This time we will fight to the very last man. If we are to die, we will do so together, and we will take as many of them as we can with us. A memorable end." Dageer''s eyes focused, and he took a deep breath. He was losing control of his emotions more and more often recently. He didn''t care if Ragout saw it, but the others couldn''t. For them, he had to, and he would, always be Commander Dageer, the one recognized as the best soldier in the Clone Army. "Don''t you try to convince me to escape once again, understood, trooper?" "Hahaha... I wouldn''t dare, general. Where you go, Hell Squad follows. Where you make your last stand, it''s also where ours will be." "It''s good to hear that. And, Dageer? I swear to you, I won''t let Ryloth happen again. Never." ----------------------------- The next morning, the battle started as usual. Republic and Separatist clashed once again, dozens falling every minute. There was no sign of the Christophsian Army. Surprisingly enough, the Republic was winning. That happened because Ragout had committed all their troops, including the rearguard and the reserve, to the defense. A dangerous tactic, because if even a single clancker squad pierced through their lines, they could cause a lot of damage. But it seemed to be working, since the droids were pushed back, row after row of B1 units being trashed, and vehicles being destroyed. Still, following Dageer''s orders, the Clone Army didn''t advance, but held their defensive positions. As for the second Separatist army, that planned on attacking the clones from behind, only eight people waited for them. ---------------------------- Hell Squad and Ragout waited for the enemy on one of the main roads. It was large enough for several AT-TEs to walk side by side, so when just the eight of them stood there, it looked quite empty. They could feel hidden eyes staring at them from every direction. The civilians inside their apartments must be wondering why they were there, when the battle was raging a few kilometers away. Finally, after over an hour, Cell whistled, and put down his binoculars. "Here they come. A lot of them. But at least I only see B1s and B2s, no vehicles or anything bigger." "Sixty thousand droids already make a lot of noise, vehicles would be detected easily." Dageer and Ragout looked at each other, and the clone let out one of his rare grins. Putting on his helmet, he ran his fingers through the markings on his armor. "You know we are probably going to die, right, general?" "Yep. So what?" "Nothing. Let''s do it." Laughing, Ragout dropped his robe, revealing the Jedi clothes underneath, and his lightsaber. Next to him, Hell Squad put on their helmets. He could feel their excitement, their desire for battle. And so, all by themselves, they started walking towards the enemy army, under the astonished gazes of the civilians, and also from Om¨¦, who was watching from afar. "For the 303rd..." ----------------------------- A blue-skinned Chiss watched as seven clones and a Togruta walked towards them. His expression was contorted into a frown. It didn''t make sense. Nothing of it did. "Bzzz... General Thrawn? Do we open... Bzzz... Fire?" "No. Something is very wrong. Send an emissary. I want to hear the Jedi." He was a brilliant strategist, but he couldn''t see what the Jedi wanted to accomplish. He already had checked all the buildings dozens of blocks to either side, and no clones were hiding there. He also knew that all the Republic troopers were engaged with his own troops on the frontlines. Unless the Togruta wanted to parlay, he was just walking to his death. Still, that bothered Thrawn. He liked to be in control, and know everything, but this time this wasn''t possible. While he was furiously thinking, he first ordered his army to stop, for fear of walking into a trap. A B1 unit had already reached the eight enemies, and showed his hologram to them. The safest way to talk to a Jedi was over a distance. "Master Ragout, I must admit you intrigue me. What exactly do you think you will accomplish by..." "You are?" Thrawn stuttered, not used to being so rudely interrupted. Still, he was a man of culture, and who cared a lot about his demeanor, so he recovered quickly. "I am General Mitth''raw''nuroudo. You can call me General Thrawn." "I suppose you are the one who has been giving me and my troops so much trouble this last month?" "I am simply using some unorthodox tactics, Jedi Master. The soldiers under you aren''t easy to deal with." "Unorthodox tactics? Haha... That was a bit low, even for a seppie." "There is no honor in war, Jedi." "You are right on that. Dab?" "Yes, sir?" "Shoot him." Chapter 335 - From Defeat To Victory "Shoot him." If it was any other person saying it, Thrawn would have laughed. He was over five kilometers away from the Jedi. No one could be this accurate, especially when the clone he had called - Dab - was standing, with no support or stable surface whatsoever. But something in Ragout''s voice made him freeze. Maybe it was the lack of emotion, or the confidence with which he said it, as if Dab hitting the target was already guaranteed. Maybe it was the fact that he had thoroughly studied Hell Squad, and knew everything there was to know about them. Facts remain, he felt danger. An unbelievable amount of danger, as if his life was hanging by a thread. Which it was. He reacted quickly, and pushed the newly promoted droid captain in front of him. That action saved his life, because in the next second, a blue laser pierced a hole through the clancker''s head, exactly where he was a moment before. A second laser, fired shortly after the first one, hit his left arm, sending him staggering backwards. He expected more lasers to follow, but instead, there was only silence. He could see it his hologram projector the Jedi smiling with a nonchalant look on his face. Embarrassed, he realized that he had forgotten how righteous the Jedis thought they were. They would never target a defenseless enemy. Still, the clones besides him weren''t so merciful, and Dab had clearly fired to kill. Using the Force, Ragout pulled the hologram projector that the droid was carrying, and looked at Thrawn. Dageer stepped forward, and cut off the emissary''s head. "General Thrawn, you sent suicide bombers, monsters, and tried to use poison against my troops. Hell Squad here lost many good brothers because of you. As you surely are thinking, I am different from other Jedis. Many of your counterparts have pointed that out to me." "What do you mean?" "I mean that I''ve seen too much war, and that I am tired of it. Unless you and your troops run back to your hiding holes, we will be forced to kill you. I''m not gonna be the one to hold Hell Squad back." Ragout had to admit that Thrawn was quite impressive. Even though he had just been shot, the Chiss had quickly regained his composure, and maintained a stone-cold expression as they talked. "If my eyes do not deceive me, you are only eight, Master Jedi. How exactly do you plan on killing all of us?" Ragout laughed out loud, and even Hell Squad couldn''t help but chuckle when they heard the Separatist. They weren''t good or stupid enough to think they could destroy sixty thousand droids by themselves. But that never was their plan. "Haha! I didn''t say I would end all the piles of scrap metal behind you, Thrawn. I said I would kill you. And I''m sure you read the reports about me and Hell Squad. You know we can do that." Having said that, Ragout threw the hologram projector on the ground, and resumed walking. Hell Squad followed him, three to the left, four to the right. Even though they were walking to their deaths, they felt no fear. "Remember, follow the plan." "Leave it to us, general. You got the hard part, so try not to die." "Hahaha..." ---------------------------- Thrawn looked at the wound in his arm dismissively, not at all bothered by the pain. What worried him the most was not knowing what the Republic dogs were up to. He liked to be in control, and when things didn''t make sense, he got angry. Suddenly, the group that had been calmly walking towards them split up. Dageer and his men found cover on the sides of the road, leaving only Ragout in the middle. He had a grin on his face, and turned on his lightsaber. It was then that Thrawn realized the Togruta had already achieved his objective, and that he had fallen to the Jedi''s trick. "Republic sc.u.m! All troops, advance. They are just wasting our time. Petty tricks!" All Ragout wanted was to give the soldiers on the frontlines more time, so they could cause more damage to the Separatist. In other words, the Jedi was a sore loser, who couldn''t accept his defeat. That''s why only he and Hell Squad faced Thrawn, so he would think there was a trap, and hesitate. But there was no trap, no plan, no nothing. Or so he thought. ---------------------------- Even as the clanckers under his command fired the first lasers, and Ragout deflected them, Dageer and Hell Squad waited quietly. Thrawn might have an army of sixty thousand with him, but since he didn''t have any vehicles with him, only twenty or thirty could aim and fire at the Jedi at a time. The front rows of the army blocked the view of the ones behind. Of course, thirty droids firing at the same time was still a huge number. However, it was still doable for Ragout. Dodging and weaving, he managed to survive for a few more seconds, which was all they needed. "Whenever you feel like it, Dageer!" "They are coming, sir! Hold on for a little while more." Having said that, Dageer squeezed the trigger of his DC-15A twice, killing one tin can with each laser. The droids were so closely packed that it would be difficult to miss even if he wanted to. Suddenly, from the windows of the buildings and from the side streets, thousands of blue lasers hit the droid army. Although poorly coordinated, the attack managed to destroy thousands of units in a single swoop. And, from everywhere, the coward Christophsians appeared, to fight for their planet. -------------------------- Taka was the general of the Christophsian Army allocated under Governor Om¨¦. For months now, he had been asking to fight, but because of stupid political reasons, he never received permission. When Ragout came to him, he didn''t hesitate to join the young Jedi, even if it meant going against the orders of the superior. One of the reasons why he did so was because Ragout was honest with him, exposing the entire situation, and their low chances of victory. Another was that he simply wanted to piss off Om¨¦, since the governor would rather let his people die than utilize his army. Of course, the main reason was that he wanted to free his planet of the Separatist oppression. And so, as crazy and suicidal as he thought the Jedi''s plan was, he went along with it. Two hundred thousand clones wouldn''t be easy to hide from the Separatist, but two hundred thousand Christophsians could easily pass by as scared civilians, hiding in their homes. Taka had to admit that his army was poorly trained, and barely better than recruits. For many, that was their first battle. But they did well. In their overconfidence, the droids had neglected protecting their flank, and were crushed. Four and a half hours later, the battle was ending, and the Christophsian general entered the battlefield while letting his subordinates deal with the stragglers. He wanted to find Ragout and Hell Squad, if they were still alive. Chapter 336 - Ragouts Path Taka found the eight people he was looking for holding the enemy commander prisoner. He hadn''t doubted that the Jedi would survive the battle, because of his supernatural powers, but he was surprised to find out that all the clones were still alive. Badly hurt, that''s true, but alive. It was only now, seeing the veterans covered in new wounds, that Taka associated them with the Hell Squad he heard rumors about. In an army of hundreds of millions, it would be impossible for units not to have similar, or even identical, designations, so when he first heard Ragout refer to them as Hell Squad, he thought they were just a normal unit. But now he was sure they were anything but normal. They had to be the group of clones he heard stories about. It was hard to find anything about them, other than whispers here and there. But those whispers found their way into the ears of those interested in them pretty quickly, and Taka was one of those people. Seven clones, veterans of a thousand battles. Responsible for dozens of thousands of confirmed kills, and who knows how many more. Survivors of a fallen legion. Some said they more metal than flesh. Others said that after so much time fighting alongside the Jedis, they had learned some of their powers. Many thought they were actually a lie, a legend created by the Republic to spread fear in the hearts of their enemies. But on one thing all the rumors agreed. Whoever faced Hell Squad met death. ---------------------------- Dageer noticed the Christophsian general looking weirdly at him, and frowned. His glare carried hints of admiration, curiosity, and... fear? The commander wasn''t sure as to why Taka was looking at him like that, but he didn''t really care. Most civilians feared clones, because they represented war, and were fearsome looking. The general was a soldier, however, so he shouldn''t feel like that. Dageer rarely talked to anyone apart from his brothers and Ragout. He had no idea that the tales of Hell Squad had spread across the galaxy. However, the battle hadn''t been nearly as intense as Taka thought it had. Neither Hell Squad nor Ragout were dumb enough to think they could take on sixty thousand droids. So, after distracting them for the time it was needed for the Christophsians to leave their hiding holes, it was pretty much a normal battle. Obviously, Thrawn had ordered his army to focus fire on them, but there was little they could do when they were being attacked by an enemy almost four times their own, ill-prepared or not. Each of the members of Hell Squad had received their share of injuries, but that was one of the few times they had the luxury of just hiding after being shot, instead of pressing on fighting. Because of that, they were able to avoid any casualties. If the ones attacking were their brothers, instead of the Christophsian Army, they wouldn''t have done so. The cold truth was that they didn''t care nearly as much for the natives as they did for the other clones. Family above all else. Still, they had been able to avoid fatal injuries, that''s all. For anyone looking, there were more holes in their armor than unharmed spots. Both Dab and Brain had one of their arms immobilized, and were limping hard. Cell still had to recover from the explosion of a wrist rocket, but Three-four said he would be okay. The medic had been hit on the shoulder, thigh, and left side of his body, but luckily, no organs were damaged. That meant he was in a lot of pain, but no danger. Metal was the one who had it worse of them all. A thermal detonator sent him flying, resulting in a broken leg, and a dislocated shoulder. Three lasers had also found their way to his arm, leaving him with only one good limb. Tech had survived mostly unscathed, apart from two lasers that hit his blast padding. As for Dageer, a laser had grazed his side, and another would two put his left arm out of use for a few days. However, that was all. Ragout, even though he was a Jedi, hadn''t fared much better than Hell Squad. He was the primary target of every clancker on the proximity. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, and another on his right shoulder and chest. Overall, they were all okay. And, better than that, they had managed to capture Thrawn. Dageer had almost killed him, but Ragout stopped him. The commander was hesitant, since he had many bad experiences with leaving enemies alive, but orders were orders. "Your plan has crumbled around you, Thrawn. Even if we can''t win on the frontlines, at least we will hold on for a while more. Besides, without their strategist, I doubt the tin cans can plan anything better than marching forward." The Chiss smiled, not angered. He seemed resigned to his fate. Dageer didn''t like that. He was a dangerous foe, and he had already proven that. "General..." "No, Dageer. He is a prisoner. I can''t let you kill him in cold blood, and you know that." Dageer knew from the start that the Jedi''s convictions wouldn''t let him agree with him. Still, he thought it was his duty to point out their options. Thrawn was too dangerous to be left alive. "We could simulate an escape, sir. When that happens, we have the right to..." "That''s enough, Dageer! I know that has been done before. That you have done it before. But I do not abide by it. You should know me better than to suggest that." Dageer shrugged, and let go of the matter. He didn''t have the morals of the Jedis, but he also didn''t want to change Ragout. As a subordinate, he gave a suggestion. It was his superior''s choice to accept it or not. "Hahaha... I underestimated you, Master Jedi. I studied those lowly Christophsians, and never thought they would have the spirit to revolt. However, I didn''t account for... External influences. That was a valuable lesson, however. Next time I will be more careful." Thrawn laughed even with a lightsaber on his neck, which almost made Ragout regret his decision of leaving him alive. Almost. "Bring him in. And make him stay quiet." Dageer nodded, and kicked the Separatist, sending him into unconsciousness. It was brutal, but Thrawn deserved a lot worse for all the inhumane and ruthless tactics he used against the Clone Army. Ragout, in a very uncharacteristic show of indifference for a Jedi, completely ignored Dageer''s actions, and, after nodding to Taka, left. The battle was still going on the frontlines, and he was needed. ----------------------------- War had changed Ragout, more than it did to any other padawan. Some, like Bariss Offee - with whom Hell Squad had fought alongside before - had fallen to the dark side. Not Ragout. General Di''s teachings were deeply engraved in his heart, and he trusted the Force to lead him to the correct path. But he had long understood that good manners and mercy wouldn''t bring an end to this terrible war. The young Togruta merged what he was taught with what he had learned. He was a Jedi, but he was also a soldier. If anyone threatened his brothers, he would retaliate, and he wouldn''t be kind. Ragout was following his own path, one that the Jedi Order wouldn''t approve, but that he knew it was necessary for survival. He wasn''t in the light nor the darkness. He was in the grey area in between, and he needed to build his path from scratch. Chapter 337 - Undercurrents Of The War Two days later, Thrawn was transferred to a prison in Coruscant. During transportation, the convoy was attacked. There were no survivors, and the Chiss disappeared. However, that left both Republic and Separatist baffled, since neither of them were responsible for the attack. With a little pressure from high places, the matter was quickly forgotten. --------------------------- "Where am I?" Thrawn sounded more curious than anything as the blindfold was taken off of him. He blinked, and saw someone wearing a blood-red armor in front of him, carrying an electrostaff. He raised an eyebrow. That was a Senate Guard. "Where you are, my dear friend, does not matter. What will be made of you should be your main concern." A hooded figure emerged from the darkness, chuckling. Thrawn had already guessed who it was, and was both shocked and impressed. "Who would have thought that the one controlling everything was none other than the incorruptible chancellor of the Galactic Republic. So, what are you? A Jedi? A Sith? Or something else?" Chancellor Palpatine smiled knowingly, sending shivers down Thrawn''s spine. Black shadows appeared in his mind, craving for blood and death. After what seemed like an eternity, he was left sweating profusely, his composed demeanor nowhere to be seen. He had faced a little of what clones went through every night, and it was too much for him. "You... What do you want from me?" "Kakakaka... Your submission, General Thrawn. The Clone Wars are coming to an end. Soon, a new ruler shall lead this galaxy. Republic and Separatist are nothing but children fighting in a playground. Only with an iron fist can one truly command all. The time for the Galactic Empire is approaching. Kakaka!" The Chiss felt his blood boil in excitement. He knew he was being partially controlled and influenced by Chancellor Palpatine - who he now was sure was a Sith - but that was also the opportunity he had been searching for his entire life. A chance to be an important piece on the writing of history. His name would be remembered, forever. "So, are you with me? Are you willing to become my general?" "Your words will be my commands, my lord." "Good, good... Our time is approaching, my general. We will do great things. Kakakakaka..." --------------------------- Count Dooku woke from his meditation frowning. The Force was unusually clouded these days. He knew Darth Sidious''s plans and aspirations from the start, which was why he was responsible for setting up and starting the war. However, things were getting way out of hand. He feared his master might be thinking about disposing of him. One thing was certain, however. The Republic was walking towards it''s downfall, and he would be there to witness it. And, with it, the time of the hateful Jedi Order was coming to an end. Soon, Sith would rule the galaxy, what they should have been doing for millions of years. ----------------------------- In a falling apart deposit in Coruscant, Ventress turned off her lightsaber. Around her, twenty or thirty outlaws had made the mistake of thinking she was an easy prey. They all laid dead, most of them in pieces. It was at that moment that she felt a strong disturbance in the Force. She could feel the dark side calling her, becoming stronger by the minute. However, instead of the smile usually would appear, a frown took her face. There was too much she didn''t know, and no one she could trust. Once more she was alone in the galaxy, betrayed by those she trusted. ------------------------------ "Uhmm... Wrong, something is..." "But what? I''ve never seen the Force this foggy before." "Into the future pry, we must not. Dangerous it is. Uhmm... Very dangerous, indeed." "We must prepare for whatever is coming." "Prepare to the unknown, impossible is. Trust ourselves, we will have to." ---------------------------- Darth Maul and his companion, Savage Oppress, were observing their lackeys move crates full of contraband around when they felt the surge on the Force. A grotesque smile touched both of their lips. "Soon the galaxy will be engulfed in chaos, brother. Then, and only then, it will be our time to rule the underworld. Kakakaka..." ---------------------------- On the other side of Coruscant, Ahsoka Tano roamed around aimlessly. After the treacherous Bariss Offee tried to blame her for the Jedi Temple bombing, she was shocked by the lack of trust her fellow Jedis had in her. Even her master, Anakin Skywalker, thought she was the culprit. Like Ragout, she was part of the new generation of Jedis, trained and raised amidst war. She placed a lot of importance on trust and camaraderie, which she learned from the clones. And, if the Jedi Order didn''t trust her, she didn''t know if she could trust them. Devastated, she left the Jedi Order, searching for her own path, to become something else. Something better. She too felt the waves on the Force, but that wasn''t her problem anymore. ----------------------------- Ragout spun his lightsaber, and cut off the front legs of a Crab-droid, crippling it. After that, he used the Force to pull three B1 units forward, which immediately were shot by Dab. Then, as he advanced, carving a path through the seppies, Hell Squad followed closely, always in sync with him. After so many battles, they knew each other''s thoughts and tactics inside-out, and were able to work together without even the need of saying anything. Suddenly, the Togruta stopped, and put his hands on his head, seemingly in pain. Dageer looked at Brain before gesturing with his head. Together, they stood in front of the Jedi, making a wall to protect him while they waited for whatever was happening to end. It didn''t take too long. Ragout deflected two lasers to the side, and hid behind the remains of a fallen building. Dageer followed him, while Hell Squad continued clearing the surroundings. "What did you feel, general?" "I-I... I saw the future... I think." Dageer raised an eyebrow. Even for a Jedi, peeking into the future out of nowhere seemed a bit unrealistic. "Good future or bad future?" "I don''t know. I saw flashes... Death... A shadow, a laugh. A hand clad in black armor wielding a red lightsaber. I felt... Pain, betrayal. But also... A child''s laugh. Happiness, but after much sadness and destruction. And..." The clone was stunned. Some of the things his general saw were too similar to the nightmares clones had. Uncomfortably similar. "And?" "I saw master. His face... He was worried, but also relieved. I am not sure what all that means. But we have to do something." Dageer was silent for a few seconds, and just stared at the Jedi. He seemed genuinely shocked. Most probably seeing the future had unsettled him. Well, it would unsettle anyone. "We will worry about the future when it comes, general." Ragout looked at him, and nodded. As always, the clone was right. Whatever everything he saw meant, they would discover later. Besides, the future isn''t set on stone. It might not even happen. "All right, Dageer. But let''s finish this quickly. I need to go back to meditate on it." He could feel the commander putting a grin on his face as he spoke. After that, Dageer got up, already firing at the droids, and speaking on his comlink. "Listen up, lads! I''m tired, so let''s wrap this up, and kick the seppies back to their sh.i.p.s!" "Uhaaa!" Chapter 338 - To Mandalore We Go Two weeks after the capture and subsequent escape of Thrawn, Hell Squad and Ragout were preparing to leave Christophsis. The planet was still in a heated battle, but with the Christophsian Armies all around the planet joining, the Republic was turning the tables. Jedi generals Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had also returned to take over their legions. Dageer found it ironic that Om¨¦, who initially was doing everything not to have his army act, was the one who took the credit for it. Well, at least it inspired others to do the same. Plus, it wasn''t like clones were running after fame or credit. The battle was fought and won, so leave the politics to the politicians. "Read this." Ragout threw a datapad to Dageer, who caught it in midair. As he read the short report, a frown took his face, and he clenched his fists. "Is that true, general?" "Unfortunately. I contacted Master Kenobi to confirm it." "What is it, sir?" Dageer passed the object to Barin, but even as the clone ready it, he was already explaining. "Ahsoka left the Jedi Order. That includes the Republic Army." "Oh? Why?" "She got framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple we were informed about a few weeks ago. Even though she cleared her name, she decided to leave." "She did well! We fought alongside the kid countless times. It''s stupid to think she would betray the Republic. Err... With all due respect, general." Cell quickly realized he was complaining about the Jedi Order in front of one of their own. The Togruta, however, shook his head sadly, dismissing his apologies. The scout was blunt and somewhat dense, but he was right. "We also fought with Offee, and she turned out to be the traitor. We would never have suspected her either. But Cell is right, sir. You gotta trust your own, even if you are wrong." Ragout nodded slowly, agreeing. Sometimes, he felt like the clones had more to teach the Jedis than his counterparts would ever dare to admit, or allow. After a few seconds of silence, he transferred some files to the datapad. "That has nothing to do with our mission, however. I was just letting you know because you were quite close to Ahsoka." "We did spend two months trapped in a hole with her. You get to know each other well when that happens." They all grinned. Those two months were worse than anything the Separatist could have thrown at them, than any kind of torture. No matter how lightly Three-four put it, it was hell. "What is the mission, commander?" Dageer''s frown deepened as he read. After a while, he turned off the datapad, deep in thought. His brothers knew he was analyzing what he just read. "This is going to be an interesting one. Our target is to capture or kill three high-level members of an organization called Death Watch." "Never heard of them." "They are an extremist organization trying to overthrow the government of Mandalore, Brain. Not only that, but they also believe that they have to bring back the strength of old, when Mandalore dominated the others through death and violence." That caught Hell Squad''s attention. Not the part about conquering the galaxy through violence, but the planet they were going to. "Err... Mandalore is a neutral planet, isn''t it? Not just a neutral planet, but the neutral planet, right?" "Yeah. Which means we won''t have to watch out for Death Watch, but also the Mandalorian government. They will hunt and kill us without a second thought." "That is just great." Three-four sighed loudly, inciting a smile from the others. Well, the medic wasn''t wrong. Mandalore was the leading system of the alliance of neutral systems. It had an amount of power that wasn''t any inferior to the Republic or CIS. But neutral didn''t mean peaceful or weak. The opposite, to be exact. To be able to maintain neutrality in those almost four years of turmoil, Mandalore had to show they were strong. And their way of showing it was by shooting down and killing any Republic or Separatist ship or group that appeared unannounced. Oh, and they hated Jedis. Well, Force users in general. The Mandalorians liked to clean their dirty laundry at home, per se. To send seven clones and one Jedi there was the same as dropping them in the midst of a Geonosian nest. Worse actually, since the Mandalorians were deadly and well-trained. There was a reason why one of them - although an exile - was chosen to be the genetic base for the Clone Army. "Why are we attacking those three only? Seems counterproductive to send us there only to do that. We could take out Death watch entirely, and solve this at once." To anyone else who heard it, Metal would have sounded overly arrogant. But his brothers and Ragout didn''t think so. Even Dageer, who was usually very cautious, was nodding. They had the skills to do so, they only lacked the orders. "I don''t know details. However, our objective is only to weaken Death Watch, not destroy it. Don''t ask me why. This came from the Jedi Council and the chancellor''s office." Hell Squad nodded, and went back to cleaning their weapons. No matter from where they came, as long as they were valid, they would follow their orders. ---------------------------- To get to Mandalore without being noticed, they made use of an old acquaintance: Hondo. The pirate wasn''t at all happy to see them, but when Ragout promised to overlook any cargo he smuggled out of the planet - only this one time - he quickly agreed. Security from any sh.i.p.s that came from Mandalore to the Republic was tight, so it was too risky to smuggle it normally. With a Jedi''s words, however, things were a lot easier. Clone armor would be easily noticed in Mandalore, especially their helmets. As such, apart from Dageer - his armor already looked more like a bounty hunter''s, with all the markings - they all changed to clothes Hondo gave them. Now, they looked like pirates and bounty hunters, which was more acceptable. To disguise their faces, they also put on scarred Mandalorian helmets. Ragout didn''t need much of a disguise. With half of one of his protuberances missing, and several scars, he looked more vicious than any Jedi should. They didn''t catch much attention when they landed on one of the worse sides of Mandalore. Outlaws and bandits were cowards by nature, and seeing eight well-armed, and clearly dangerous, people, none dared to attack them. That night, after finding a precarious base, they all sat around Ragout, waiting for instructions. "So, general, what''s the plan?" "Our targets are Arta Spnil, Thhert Kilrr, and Vlaz Vizsla." "Vizsla like in Pre Vizsla? Death Watch''s leader?" "Yep. His cousin, to be more exact." "This is getting better by the minute..." Dageer elbowed Tech, telling the clone to shut up, and gestured for Ragout to continue. The Jedi was already used to the clones'' antics, so he didn''t mind being interrupted. "All we know is that they are in Mandalore, and not on their moon base, so that''s something. They are all wanted by Satine Kryze, so they will be hiding on this side of the planet." Death Watch''s base had been destroyed by General Kenobi, leaving them with no option but to hide in Mandalore. As for Satine Kryze, she was Mandalore''s leader. "Tomorrow, we will need to split up, and look for anything that might lead us to them. Try not to be too obvious about it, and not to get in trouble." "Roger that, general." Chapter 339 - Showing Dominance Four days later, Dageer, Brain, and Three-four were sitting at a table in one of the many bars outlaws liked to go. Metal, Cell, Tech, Dab, and Ragout were somewhere else. For those last days, they had stayed quiet, and not caused any ruckus. However, they still had to hear anything useful. Until now. Although he was looking in the other direction, seemingly engaging in a conversation with his companions, Dageer was actually paying attention to two Mandalorians that were sitting at a table near them. Their famous armor was painted red and black, and with a drawing somewhat similar to a skull. Death Watch. "I''m tired of waiting! Those sc.u.ms are all high and mighty on their fancy buildings while we have to stay here with those rats!" The Mandalorian wasn''t making any effort to lower his arrogant voice, and received more than one angry glare from nearby customers. However, once they saw who they were, they decided to stay quiet. "You know the orders. Arta doesn''t want any more trouble. Kryze hunting us is more than enough. So keep your mouth shut!" The first Mandalorian scoffed, and got up. In doing so, he bumped on a large Kaleesh behind him. The reptilian species snarled, and pushed him away. Dageer could feel that was all the Death Watch member wanted. An excuse to make some noise, and vent his anger. He pulled out his blaster pistol almost as fast as a clone would, and put it against the Kaleesh''s chest. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Instantly, all noise in the tavern died down, all eyes focused on him. "Anyone want some? Or are we good now?" No one answered, and the Mandalorian muttered ''cowards'' under his breath before leaving. His companion sighed, and followed him. "Let''s go." As soon as they exited the bar, Dageer told his two brothers to get up. That was the first palpable lead they had in days, and they had to follow them no matter what. Unfortunately for them, now that the two Death Watch members were gone, the customers of the tavern seemed a lot more unrestrained. No sooner than they got up, Brain barely touched someone - they had to push people aside to walk, since it was so crowded - and was rewarded with a growl. A Quarren tried to punch him, but the drunkard was far too slow for a veteran like him. Brain dodged and continued walking, as if nothing had happened. They had very specific orders to avoid trouble, and they couldn''t lose sight of the Mandalorians. But the Quarren wasn''t satisfied, and, with his friends encouraging him, grabbed Brain''s shoulder. Dageer''s second-in-command frowned under his helmet, and prepared to grab his pistol. Clones weren''t used to these kinds of places, and, rather than entering a brawl, it would be much quicker to solve everything with a laser. Anyway, everyone there was a criminal of one kind or another, so the trooper had no qualms about killing them. But Dageer was faster than him. With a swift move, he unsheathed his vibroblade, and severed the Quarren''s arm above his elbow. Green blood spilled out as he screamed, but the three clones didn''t even look at him, and left the bar. This time, no one dared to block their path. They got out just in time to see the two Mandalorians turning around a corner. The clones might not be too good with social interaction - preferring to solve their problems through violence, as Dageer showed - but they were good at tailing others, having done it countless times. Dageer briefly contacted Ragout to tell him what they were doing, and split from Brain and Three-four. Three people together attracted more attention than three on their own. After about half an hour, and several twists and turns, the Mandalorians entered a big complex, having no idea that they were being followed. Dageer joined with his brothers, and kicked open a door that led to the roof of the building in front. From there, they could monitor the movement around the building without anyone noticing. "All right. Three-four, stay here, eyes open. I want to know how many people enter and leave that building, and if any of our targets are among them. Brain and I will meet with the others, and decide on a plan." "Roger that, sir." ... "That''s how it is, general. Three-four have been reporting that several people, including our three targets, and what seems like a bunch of high-level members of Death Watch, have entered the building for the last two hours. About ten minutes ago, people stopped entering, and nobody came out yet." Ragout acknowledged it, and was thinking when Three-four''s voice came through the comlink. "Scratch that, sir. Someone else is entering... That is... It''s Pre Vizsla himself!" Everyone stopped talking immediately when they heard Three-four. If before they thought it was just some sort of meeting, now they knew it was a lot more. "What do we do now, general?" They all looked at Ragout, waiting. That was a chance they might not have again. They could take out not only their targets, but many others, including Pre Vizsla. That was their shot at crippling Death Watch once and for all. The Togruta hesitated for a long time, deep in thought. He didn''t doubt that Hell Squad could do it, only whether they should or not. They had very clear orders of only touching Arta Spnil, Thhert Kilrr, and Vlaz Vizsla. But then again, neither the Jedi nor the seven clones had many problems with... Bending their orders if it suited them. Not a very clone or Jedi-like behavior, but they also weren''t normal clones or Jedis. "Okay, then. Three-four, keep an eye out until we get there. Any vantage points for Dab?" "No, sir. All windows are closed and blocked." "We all go in together, then. Dageer, your vibroblade. I don''t want to be recognized in case someone escapes." Dageer nodded, and threw his weapon to the Jedi. Any sign of an unauthorized Jedi in Mandalore could ruin the relations between the planet and the Republic, which weren''t good to start with. ... Two hours later, when they arrived at Three-four''s post, there was still no sign of the meeting ending. Ragout looked at Dageer and the others, who nodded reassuringly, and put on a mask. The chances of him being recognized were slim, since most of his missions were the same as Hell Squad''s, secretive and unofficial. The records about who he was, and his face, were few and well hidden in the Jedi Temple''s archives. Still, better safe than sorry. There was no need to ask if Hell Squad was prepared. They always were. Metal and Brain stepped forward, and kicked the doors wide open, surprising two Mandalorians guarding it. Before any of them could react, Ragout had already slashed forward, finding the small crevices between their helmets and their armor, and sent their heads flying in the air. Meanwhile, dozens of Mandalorians sitting around a table looked at them in surprise, anger, and shock. After a few seconds, lasers started flying. Chapter 340 - Completing The Mission...? Ten or twelve of the Mandalorians fell before they could even muster up a reaction. Before hiding behind a pillar, Dageer quickly scanned the room. There were at least fifty men and women inside, all armed to the teeth, and wearing a platinum armor. At first, Dageer thought they had already killed one-fourth of them, but he was stunned to see over half of the ''dead'' Mandalorians rise again, rubbing their chest in pain. Only those hit on the head stayed on the ground. "What is their armor made of?!" No one could answer Metal. One thing was certain, though: it was way stronger than the blast padding clones had. Even Hell Squad would need more time to get up after being shot. "Let''s hope their helmets aren''t as strong! Brain, Dab, time to do your trick!" Ragout frowned when he saw that some of the Mandalorians were already flying around with their jetpacks, and using two pistols and rockets against them. From time to time, one of them would fall, their visor broken by a blue laser. Even with Hell Squad''s accuracy, it was difficult for them to hit moving targets straight in the middle of the head. If they were just a centimeter to the side, the Death Watch members would only be knocked down, but not permanently. They were tougher than they had anticipated. Still, no armor could resist a detonator to the face. If Brain just threw it at their feet, they would fly away. But, with Dab hitting them midair, the Mandalorians had no time to dodge. Suddenly, one of the Death Watch members tried to flank them by flying around the sides of the room. Unfortunately for him, Ragout was waiting. He gave the Mandalorian an unnoticeable pull with the Force, then ran towards him, and stabbed forward. Dageer''s vibroblade, however, only left a puny scratch on the red and black armor. The Mandalorian laughed, and tried to shoot Ragout point-blank. One of his lasers flew by the Jedi''s head, missing by millimeters, all thanks to his heightened senses. The man didn''t get a chance to press the trigger again. Learning from his mistakes, Ragout found a part of the Mandalorian''s left side that wasn''t covered with armor, and stabbed it in an upwards motion. Dying immediately, the Death Watch member lost control of his jetpack, and crashed into two other criminals. If Pre Vizsla had seen what Ragout did, he would have noticed something was wrong. After all, he had thought Jedis before, so he could recognize one if he paid attention. But he was more worried about Hell Squad. The group of seven silent and lethal killers were taking down his top soldiers with scary efficiency. His eyes darted back and forth, but he still couldn''t discover who they were. Satine would never resort to such lowly tactics as assassins, and his other enemies were all dead or hiding. That left only the Separatist or the Republic. Both hated him. Especially the Republic. "Stop! Retreat!" Hearing their leader, the Mandalorians landed next to him, albeit reluctantly. Only then did they notice that almost two dozen of their own were left on the ground, while the enemy hadn''t had a single wound. That realization filled them with shook, and then fear. "Hold your fire." Seeing that Death Watch had retreated, Ragout told Hell Squad to wait. He was curious as to what Vizsla would say. After all, his terrorist organization was feared by everyone on the planet, but this time, they had hit a wall. While his troops needed just a second to aim and fire, Hell Squad seemed like their hands were guided by something. Not every shot was a kill, but every laser hit the target. If it wasn''t for their famous Mandalorian armor, they would all be dead by now, including him. "Who sent you?" As angry as he was seeing so many of his high-ranking officers die, Vizsla was a man of logic. He knew that if he insisted on fighting, maybe he could escape, but not the others. And Death Watch wasn''t just one person. Useless as they were, he needed the others. "It doesn''t matter. We will give you one chance to surrender, Vizsla. If you don''t, we won''t hold back this time. As for the others... You can go. We are not after you." Only Ragout showed himself, while Hell Squad stood behind cover, aiming at Death Watch. Even after killing almost half of them, the Republic group was still outnumbered about three to one. However, none of the Mandalorians found the Togruta''s exigencies arrogant. He had the skill to back it up. Still, Pre Vizsla wasn''t scared so easily. His shaved head, scar, and the dark glint in his eyes remained Ragout of Dageer. "Death Watch isn''t to be trifled with. I will admit you are stronger than us now, but to capture us, you will need a lot more people. Death Watch, scatter! Back to base!" Vizsla didn''t hesitate for a single second to run. He was angry, and his natural arrogance made him want to kill his attackers, but he valued his life more than his pride. That, and also wanted to avoid the unwanted attention their battle was sure to attract. Dageer didn''t wait anymore, and aimed at Vizsla. Unfortunately, the criminal knew he would be targeted, so all Dageer managed to do was damage his jetpack when he turned around. Albeit smoking, Vizsla still managed to break a window, and fly away. That was one of the advantages of the Mandalorian warriors. Their jetpacks allowed them to escape through the air, quickly getting out of range from Hell Squad. If they were to try and go out through the door, the clones would have dropped all of them in a few minutes. However, now, they only managed to kill four or five more Death Watch members. Ragout and Hell Squad were only frustrated for a few seconds before forgetting about it. Pre Vizsla and the others were never their targets. From the start, they only planned on killing their three targets. Anyone else was just a bonus. "Check them, quickly. We already wasted too much time here, the Mandalorian police will arrive soon." The troopers nodded, and started taking off the Death Watch members'' helmets. One of them was surprisingly still alive, although she was barely breathing. She had been lucky enough to avoid a laser, but crashed into the ground hard, and broke her spine. Without a second thought, Dageer finished her off, while Ragout only stared conflicted, but said nothing. "I got Vizsla''s cousin here!" "Kilrr is dead too." Brain turned over the last body, and popped the helmet off with his feet, finding a blonde woman. Half of her face was burned, but she was still recognizable. "I think that''s Arta Spnil, general. We got them all." "And a lot more. I see at least two other important Death Watch officers here." Ragout nodded, and urged them to go. Barely five minutes after they left the building, they saw spotted several Mandalorians wearing the blue armor of the legitimate government flying towards it. There was no doubt they would receive a huge surprise when they get there. Chapter 341 - A Favour For An Old Friend Sitting on her throne, Satine Kryze looked at the hologram projections before her. It showed several different pieces of information, from numbers, to texts, videos, and pictures. The most eye-catching were the ones of twenty-seven Death Watch members dead on the floor. She frowned deeply, uneasy. Pre Vizsla and his terrorist organization had many enemies, that''s for sure, but none who could do that. Instinctively, her thoughts drifted towards the Jedi Order, but she dismissed them. Almost all the bodies had laser marks, and exceptionally accurate ones on top of that. Only three or four had been killed by a blade, but not a lightsaber. Still, a little voice inside her head told her the Republic had something to do with this. Having learned to trust the voice, she called an old acquaintance. ---------------------------- General Kenobi was calmly meditating when his comlink bipped. At first, he ignored it, but when it continued to make noise, he used the Force to pull it over. When he saw who it was, he raised an eyebrow surprised, and transferred it to his hologram projector. A beautiful woman, with blonde hair, and a giant crown, appeared. She had an angry frown on her face, which eased a little when she saw him. "Satine. To what do I owe the pleasure?" "It''s good to see you too, Obi-Wan. I have something to ask, although I''m not sure you can answer it." Once again, the Jedi raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had spent years without talking to Satine, but their latest adventures had brought them closer together once more. Still, it wasn''t quite normal for her to ask something out of the blue. "What is it?" The Mandalorian queen quickly resumed everything that happened, and after that stared intensely at General Kenobi. He had a deep frown on his face, and she knew him well enough to understand the Jedi was organizing his thoughts. "You know who they are, don''t you? Are they Jedis?" "No... I didn''t know of this until you told me, which means this mission was kept a secret even from the Jedi Council. Probably only Master Yoda and Master Windu know about it..." "And?" "You said there weren''t any casualties amongst those mysterious attackers, right?" "Yes. They wouldn''t have had time to take away the bodies before my people arrived. Which makes it all more impressive, and scary. Who are they, Obi?" General Kenobi was quiet for a few minutes, and then sighed. He shouldn''t tell her that, but instead deny any knowledge of it. However, he and Satine were very close friends, and had been... Something else, when they were younger. "Satine, listen to me. You can''t share this information with anyone, understood? The less you know about them, the better." "As long is it doesn''t affect the neutrality of Mandalore, I won''t tell anyone, I swear." The Jedi nodded, and transferred some files to her. They contained a few pictures and lines of text, barely enough to show the names of the clones. "I can''t be certain, but I only know one group of people in the entire Republic who can attack elite Mandalorian warriors, and remain unscathed." "How do you know they weren''t injured? As much as I hate to admit it, Vizsla''s lackeys are very skilled. They wouldn''t go down without a fight. Besides, my spies tell me Vizsla himself was there. You experienced by yourself how dangerous he is." "That''s not the point, Satine. All I can tell you is that only Hell Squad could be behind that, unless this attack has nothing to do with the Republic, what I doubt. But you don''t need to worry. When Dageer has a mission, he focuses solely on it. Your people won''t be affected, only Death Watch. If their target is Pre Vizsla, then congratulations, you just lost a big source of worry." The woman got angry at General Kenobi, thinking he was joking about a big problem of hers. However, when she paid attention, she discovered that his expression was dead serious. "You... You aren''t lying, are you? You really believe they can do that. Why?" "Because I know Hell Squad better than most. The only way to win against them is with numbers or a Force user. Death Watch has neither of those." ... After exchanging a few more pleasantries, General Kenobi managed to convince Satine not to dwell on the subject, and halt the investigations about Hell Squad and Ragout. That would grant them an easier time leaving Mandalore. He was sure Ragout was with the troopers, although he didn''t tell her that. One thing was a group of clones, while an entirely different one was a Jedi. Even with their relationship, he wouldn''t have managed to control her anger if she got to know about it. He tried to resume his meditation, but his thoughts kept going back to what Satine told him. Usually, he wouldn''t have cared much, since he couldn''t possibly know about everything that happened in a war that spammed the entire galaxy. However, maybe because Mandalore held a special significance to him, he couldn''t help but feel worried. This was too serious for General Yoda and General Windu to decide on their own, without consulting the Jedi Council. He felt like this, like many other things in the Clone Wars, had been done without their knowledge. Slowly but surely, the Jedi Order was losing control of the war. Or, maybe, they never had it to start with. --------------------------- "What is our next step, general?" "What do you mean? We completed the mission, didn''t we?" "But..." "Don''t let this become personal, Tech. Pre Vizsla was never our target. Remember that." Hell Squad was back to their ''base'', talking to Ragout. The Jedi was leaning against a wall, using the Force to make three helmets float around. Meanwhile, the clones were cleaning their weapons, sleeping, or eating. There was none of the discipline they should have shown, but they were in an unusual situation. Besides, it was only Ragout. "Are you sure about that, sir? We could end a future problem right here, right now." The Togruta nodded, acknowledging what Dageer said. Still, he was set on his decision of leaving Mandalore. "Better not to push our luck. It will take time to find Vizsla again, especially now that he is scared. No... We are leaving." The clones shrugged. It didn''t really matter for them. Besides, covert missions like that weren''t really their style. Hell Squad much preferred a real battlefield, where all your worries were on the enemy in front of you, and not if you were going to be stabbed in the back. ... Only four days later they managed to leave Mandalorian unnoticed, hiding in a cargo ship directed towards Askok. There, they received orders to meet the padawan Caleb Dume on his cruiser, The Uncontested. Apparently, the soon to be Jedi would give them their new mission. Like any other Venator-class Star Destroyer, The Uncontested was armed to the teeth, so even if it was all by itself on the Outer Rim, no outlaw dared to attack it. "Brain, Tech, Metal, go get our armors. They should have been loaded on the ship in Coruscant. Dab, Three-four, Cell, the routine. Dageer, with me. Let''s meet Dume." "Understood." "Yes, sir." Chapter 342 - Bad Memories, Old Friends Caleb Dume was a young human male, with long brown hair, with several braids. He was just a few months away from completing his training, and becoming a Jedi Knight. He was looking at the door curiously, waiting for Ragout. The Togruta was a mystery for him and those apprentices near his age. It was an unspoken agreement in the Jedi Order that newly promoted Jedis would interact with the padawans, and guide them. They would be responsible for helping the younglings mend their problems with their masters, and similar predicaments. But Ragout never did any of that. If it wasn''t for the fact that he was frequently mentioned by the older Jedis, few would know he even existed. And the way his master and even members of the Jedi Council respected him, even though he was a padawan just under two years ago, created an even bigger picture of him in the minds of the padawans. They were just children after all. Suddenly, the door to the command bridge opened, and Caleb straightened his back. He was surprised, however, to see Ragout. He had imagined the Togruta differently. Ragout''s missing protuberance, and the several scars that adorned his face and arms - he wasn''t wearing the usual Jedi robes - made him look more like a criminal than actual outlaws Caleb had seen before. Even though he had a slight smile on his face, he was exuding a dangerous and commanding air. The Force around him was calm as a still lake, but beneath it was something just waiting to appear. The clone next to him wasn''t any less impressive. Even if the padawan ignored the scar that covered the entire right half of his face, he easily caught his attention. Especially the markings on his armor. They were a clear sign of how many battles he had gone through. The old colors of the 303rd Attack Legion reminded Caleb of what his master had told him, that Ragout''s legion had all perished in Ryloth, aside from a few, Hell Squad included. "Young Caleb. How are you?" "General Dume." He quickly returned the greetings from the two men. Ragout was just three years older than him, but he was much more experienced. As for Dageer... There was no need to say anything. After saluting the padawan, the commander turned to the clone next to him, who had faint red paint on his armor, and grinned while grabbing his wrist in a greeting. "Still fighting, Grey?" "Always, Dageer. Brain and the others?" "Alive and kicking, and with a few new trophies. Haha!" Ragout also greeted Grey enthusiastically, like they were old friends, which once again prompted Caleb''s curiosity. "You know each other?" "Yeah, kiddo. I saved Grey''s life back at the First Battle Of Geonosis, when a bug was about to grab him. He paid back the favor at the Second Battle Of Dantooine. He was part of the 184th at that time." Like all padawans, Caleb flinched when Dageer called him a kid, but decided to ignore it. It was very clear he was different from normal clones, and the way Ragout treated him was proof of that. "All right, Dageer, leave the stories for later. Caleb, what do you have for us?" "My master was occupied with a mission Master Yoda gave her, so she sent me, Master Ragout, to support Commander Dageer." "Uhmm?" Both Ragout and clone got a bad feeling at the same time, and any sign of a grin disappeared from their faces. Grey also became serious. Ragout knew Jedi Master Depa Billaba, Caleb''s master, well. She was already a member of the Jedi Council when he was just a padawan. It made sense she would send her apprentice in her place, since he was almost a fully-fledged Jedi already, but why would he assist Dageer, and not him? "Explain." "Well... Master said the Jedi Council think it isn''t advisable that you take part in this mission, because your emotional connections to it are too strong. They want you to return to Coruscant, while Hell Squad and Commander Dageer will be left in command." Truth be told, Caleb wasn''t happy with his master''s arrangement. He knew Jedis shouldn''t be arrogant, but it was difficult not to think that he, as a Force user, was best suited to be in command than a normal person. However, when he complained, all she said was that he would understand with time. "Stop beating around the bush, padawan. What is the mission?" Having spent so much time with clones, Ragout wasn''t used to small talk. Caleb shrugged inwardly. He had been hesitating because of the rumors he heard, that''s all. "Commander Dageer is to, with our assistance, go to Ryloth, where..." The apprentice was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise, which scared him. All eyes turned to Dageer, to find that the commander was trembling, his scar burning red. He had punched the hologram table, cracking it. Most of the people on the command bridge were shocked. Caleb because he had never seen a clone lose his calm, whatsoever demonstrate such blatant anger. The clones because they knew of the discipline ingrained in their genetic code. Few dared to even interrupt their superiors. Only Ragout wasn''t surprised, because he was going through something similar. He wasn''t as expressive as Dageer, but a wave of sadness and disgust washed over him. "Dageer..." The commander ignored his general - one of the few times he had done that - and turned around, leaving the command bridge. There was too much going through his mind right now. "This... What..." Caleb was left confused, uncertain of what had happened. He could feel the disturbance in the Force around Ragout, as if he was losing control of it. But when the Jedi turned to him, he was expressionless, his eyes ice-cold. "Grey, go after Dageer, and bring him here after he cooled his head. Don''t let him talk to Hell Squad yet. He will understand, he just needs a minute. As for you, padawan Caleb, leave for now. I need to talk to the Jedi Council." "But..." "You heard me. Ask Grey to explain it to you later." Bewildered, Caleb walked out, followed by Grey. Even though he was being kicked out of his own command bridge, in his own cruiser, there was something in the Togruta''s voice that left no room for argument. Ragout waited patiently, his eyes closed, for Dageer. When his old friend came back, he tried to apologize - his behavior wasn''t one a soldier, and a clone, on top of that, should have - but the Togruta stopped him. If anyone understood Dageer, it was him. "Why now, general?" "I don''t know. But this time the council will have to give me some real answers." As they were talking, a hologram of two dozen Jedis sitting in a circle appeared. Some of them were at the Jedi Temple, while others were on battlefields around the galaxy. The Jedi Council. "Call us, why did you?" "To clear some doubts about the task the padawan Caleb Dume gave us, Master Yoda." "Us? Didn''t my padawan tell you that you are to return to Coruscant, Master Ragout?" A human, who Dageer assumed was General Billaba, frowned when she heard the Togruta. Meanwhile, General Kenobi, General Plo Koon, General Ki-Adi-Mundi, General Windu, and General Yoda all had their gazes fixed on Dageer. It was unheard of a clone partaking in a Jedi Council meeting, and they could feel his anger, which was very inappropriate. "He did. But I want to hear it from you. Why us? Why Hell Squad?" "This... This isn''t a simple matter, Master Ragout." "The death of my master in Ryloth also wasn''t. Why now?" Chapter 343 - Old Memories, Bad Friends Caleb and Grey waited outside the command bridge, the padawan waddling around anxiously, and the clone surprisingly calm. Grey looked at the soon-to-be Jedi, and sighed. He hadn''t known him for a long time, but it didn''t take much to understand what was going through his mind. "Dageer''s behavior was... Wrong, general, but he has his reasons. General Ragout also do, but he is better at controlling himself." "There is something more to this story, isn''t there? It wasn''t simply a lost battle." Grey shook his head. As a clone, he hated to talk about what happened in Ryloth, but he figured that if the padawan was going to lead them there, it was only fair that he knew about it. "What do you know about it, general? What have you been told?" "Master Di and his troops, the 303rd Attack Legion, stood behind to protect the Twi''lek refugees while they escaped. Master Ragout was just a padawan at the time, and managed to survive." "I wish it was so simple..." "What do you mean?" Now Caleb was looking at him curiously. He had never paid too much attention to this story, but it seemed that there was more to it than he was told. "Days before the seppies reached Ryloth, the 303rd had already received the mission of protecting it. It was suicide, and they all knew it. After their fleet was destroyed, General Di organized the resistance on the ground together with Cham Syndulla, the Twi''lek fighter." "The one we are supposed to meet." "Yeah... I don''t know the details. Few survived that battle, and now, only Hell Squad is left of the 303rd. They don''t talk about it. It''s taboo for them. But I know that General Di wasn''t protecting refugees, or at least not only. Syndulla and his rebels had sworn to fight by our side, and they did, for some time. But when losses became too great, they ran. General Di knew that if they escaped too, they would all end up dead, so he stayed behind. And you know what Syndulla did, a few days after the 303rd was annihilated?" The padawan shook his head, focused on the story. He knew Grey was leaving out many details, but what he said was enough to make him think that maybe Dageer had a reason to lose his cool. "He blamed General Ragout, Dageer, and the Republic for their loss. He called them cowards, when thirty thousand of my brothers had died. And then he led his people to a massacre, wasting all the sacrifices Dageer and the others made. And now they have to go back..." -------------------------- "Ryloth is under the Separatist threat once again, Ragout. Cham Syndulla specifically asked that you and Hell Squad be sent to help. However, beca..." "Ha!" General Kenobi was interrupted by Dageer when the commander snorted, a disgusted expression on his face. Several of the Jedis frowned, especially the ones who didn''t know him. He was just a clone, who shouldn''t even be present in such a meeting. On top of that, Ragout didn''t make any effort to stop him. "Do you have anything to say, Commander Dageer?" General Billaba wasn''t happy from the start, both because her padawan would be under the command of a clone, and also because Dageer and Ragout hadn''t even let Caleb explain what their mission would be. Dageer looked at Ragout with the corner of his eyes, and, when he saw his general nod slightly, stepped forward. "With all due respect, generals, Syndulla is a coward and a liar. He doesn''t deserve the trust and respect you give him. He certainly doesn''t deserve ours." "Maybe, but that isn''t for you to decide, commander. We will ask your opinion when we see fit, understood?" "No, ma''am. The general is too attached to the Jedi''s ways to say it, but I''m just a clone, so I have no qualms. You weren''t there. We were." "Commander! That is insubordination! Master Ragout, how can you let..." "Dageer is a person, not an astromech, Master Kolar. I don''t control him. Besides, he is speaking the truth. Go on, Dageer." Most of the Jedi Council was left speechless by Ragout taking the clone''s side. The few that knew the Togruta well sighed sadly. It was impossible to know what was going through his heart, but he was walking a dangerous path. One of anger and rage. "We went to Ryloth prepared to die, generals. I have no problems with that. But Syndulla left us behind once, and he will do it again if it''s good for him. He doesn''t think for the Twi''leks or Ryloth. He thinks for himself, and himself only." All the Jedis went quiet, thinking about what Dageer said. They could feel that he believed everything he was saying. "Right, could be you, commander. Ask for help, Syndulla has, however. Answer his plea we must." The clone only nodded. While he felt like most Jedis had no idea of what war was like - although he would never say that out-loud - General Yoda was one of the few he respected from the depths of his heart. It was rumored he was almost a thousand years old, and had seen the Old Republic rise and fall. And if there was one thing clones respected, it was experience, of which the green being had plenty. "Dageer might be harsh on his words, council, but nothing of what he said is wrong. But if it is your wish that they go to Ryloth, I will follow them." "You have too much attachment for that planet, Master Ragout. I don''t think it is a good idea that you go." The Togruta looked at General Ki-Adi-Mundi, understanding why he said so. Still, he wouldn''t back down so easily. "If I run from my past, I will never have peace of heart, Master Ki-Adi. But if your worry is whether or not I will be able to control my emotions, fret not. This war is horrible, but it taught me how to maintain my calm under any circ.u.mstance." He looked resolute at the Jedi Council, not forgetting to add to himself that if needed, Hell Squad would help him. Deep down, he trusted them more than his fellow Jedis, although he wasn''t aware of that. ... After a long time of discussion, the Jedi Council finally agreed to let Ragout go too. The news wasn''t well-received by Hell Squad, but when Dageer told them that the Jedi would be with them, they stopped complaining. They would follow their general anywhere, even to the place where they lost everything. --------------------------- Three days later, The Uncontested landed near Nabat. As the troops disembarked, and vehicles and supplies were unloaded, a small group of Twi''leks went to greet them. Dageer didn''t know most of the people, presumably politicians that had run when Ryloth was attacked the first time. But two faces amongst the others were familiar. Syndulla and Gobi. Chapter 344 - Back To Ryloth Both Syndulla and Gobi had a complicated expression on their faces. After everything they had gone through together with the 303rd Attack Legion, they were well aware of their shamelessness in asking for help once again. But just like they couldn''t save their planet by themselves before, they couldn''t do so now. The many politicians that formed the delegation with them were governors, mayors, and such. They were all smiling, greeting the two Jedis while ignoring the clones. They also kept some distance from the two freedom fighters, which almost - only almost - made Dageer pity Syndulla. It was apparent that even after everything he had done - and all the mistakes - he didn''t receive the recognition he thought he deserved. The politicians'' smiles slowly faded away when Dageer and Ragout passed by them without even looking at them. Caleb nodded at them as a greeting, but since Ragout was the one in command, didn''t do much else. The four men stared at each other for a long time, none saying anything. Syndulla and Gobi felt guilt and shame, while Dageer felt anger, pain, and disgust. Only Ragout was calm, his emotions unchanged. He had thought he would feel anger or sadness, but there was nothing. The first to open his mouth was Cham Syndulla, but before the Twi''lek could say anything, Dageer punched him. Stumbling, Syndulla walked back a few steps under the startled gazes of the others. Surprisingly enough, he, Gobi, and Ragout weren''t the least shocked. They had all seen it coming. "Commander Dageer! What are you doing?!" "Quiet, Caleb. This is between us. Go entertain the other Twi''leks. We will be with you shortly. Grey, mount camp." "Roger that, general." The Togruta had two reasons for sending them away. The first was that he didn''t want to deal with politics now. The second was that the conversation between the four of them was a personal matter, that no others needed to see. Albeit hesitating, the padawan obeyed, while Grey pressed Dageer''s shoulder quickly. It was his way of telling his brother to control himself. "Commander Dageer, Master Ragout... No apology I make would be enough..." "Ragout won''t be the one talking to you, Syndulla. He is better than that." The freedom fighter shut up, but still stared straight into Dageer''s eyes. The clone''s anger was palpable. The Togruta, on the other hand, stepped back. He had already agreed to let Dageer talk, on the condition that he wouldn''t kill the Twi''lek. He knew Dageer was inclined to do that. After all, Syndulla''s actions were too much. "We don''t blame you for the deaths of General Di, Commander Keeli, and my brothers. That was our choice. Our job. There isn''t a day I don''t wish I had died here with them." Syndulla shrunk, aware that Dageer wasn''t exaggerating. He had seen for himself how strong the feelings between clones were. "But Miwy, Yate, and even Tram and Tae... Their blood is on your hands. You wasted everything the Republic gave you, the time we bought with thirty thousand lives." "They were my friends long before you knew them, Dageer! Tae was my son!" "And you led them to a massacre, all because of your arrogance and blindness! Is it possible that you couldn''t see you were wrong? That you still are?" Syndulla was trembling. Whether it was of shame or rage, probably even he didn''t know. As for Dageer, he was already tired of it. He never was one to make long speeches. The only reason he talked so much now was because he could sense that deep down, Syndulla still thought everything was the Republic''s fault. But here he was, asking for help again. "I don''t know why you asked for Hell Squad and the general, Syndulla. But we will do our job, like we always do. Ryloth is too important for us to let it fall into Separatist hands again. Just know that you aren''t worthy of the trust your people put in you. You betrayed them once, and you will be the cause of their demise again." The freedom fighter didn''t argue. It was clear by his expression that he only agreed to some of what Dageer said, but he decided to keep quiet. It was already good enough that the commander didn''t kill him. Unwilling to stare at Syndulla any longer, Dageer shook hands with Gobi - he understood why the Twi''lek insisted on following Syndulla, and he respected it, although the trust was misplaced - and turned around. Ragout looked at the two Twi''leks for a while longer, and sighed. "My master died to protect Ryloth, Cham. So did my entire legion, Commander Keeli, and Admiral Dao. Yate and Miwy, and countless freedom fighters, sacrificed themselves for their home. Don''t let your arrogance blind you to what they left. Gobi, I am counting on you to put him on the right track." The blue Twi''lek nodded, and put an arm over his friend''s shoulders. A sad, defeated grin appeared on Syndulla''s face. "Believe it or not, Master Ragout, I learned my lesson. That''s why I asked for you. Because I know only you and Dageer will fight for my planet as hard as I will. And I promise I will do my best to... Everything." "I know you will. Tell your old people we would like to see them. The ones who were with us back then. Hell Squad and I still got many friends there." "I will." The Togruta nodded slowly, and reached Hell Squad, who was waiting for him some distance away. They all looked at Syndulla with hostility, but Ragout had already told them to drop the matter, and so they did. ---------------------------- The meeting that followed the Republic''s troops arrival was lengthy and drawn-out. At the start the Twi''lek politicians insisted on making demands, and showing how badly they needed assistance, in a process Ragout knew all too well. Again, what mattered for them the most wasn''t their people, but their money and status. Eventually, he got bored of it. Ryloth was too important to him to waste time thinking about their interests. He gestured for Dageer to step forward, and take off his helmet. His anger still hadn''t subsided, and it was enough to scare the Twi''leks into shutting up. "The seppies took over Nabat and half of the southern hemisphere. For now, the 91st was able to hold them back, entering a stalemate. We are here to change that. The plan is simple. Grey and General Dume, you reinforce the 91st and Neyo. Meanwhile, Hell Squad and General Ragout will retake Nabat." "Just you?" "We already took Nabat once before, we can do it again. Besides, the freedom fighters will be with us. Remember, Syndulla, we are in charge. Got it?" The Twi''lek nodded. Obviously, the plan wasn''t as simple as Dageer put it. But Hell Squad had never been good with following the plan. They tended to improvise along the way. Another reason was that they didn''t know how much they could trust the Twi''leks present. The only two they knew would never betray them were Gobi and Syndulla. Having said his piece, Dageer stepped back, and looked at Ragout while putting on his helmet. In the end, all decisions laid on the Jedi''s hands. Of course, he rarely disagreed with the commander. "You heard Dageer. Caleb, this will be your final battle as a padawan. Consider it a test, but remember that while victory is important, you have to consider the costs." The human nodded, although he was fully aware Ragout wasn''t talking to him, but sending a message to Syndulla. Still, he promised to make his best. "All right, Gobi, lead us to the freedom fighters. Hell Squad, let''s go." Chapter 345 - Death Of The Republic "Mister Dageer! You are back!" A childish voice greeted Hell Squad as soon as they followed Gobi into the cave where the freedom fighters were assembling. Of course, after the First Battle Of Ryloth was over, they all returned to their homes and their families, but since they were needed once again, what better place to group up than their old hideout? The kid who was calling the clone so excitedly was obviously Shouta, Gobi''s daughter. She, like any child, was very quick to accept the clones when they first met. The stories they told about the war, albeit short and tunned down, were enough to entertain the Twi''lek children, and were a good distraction from the terrible weeks they faced after the 303rd fleet was destroyed, and before their annihilation. It was difficult not to like the little one, and even Dageer couldn''t help but smile at her. He knelt down to pat her head. "How are you doing, Shouta? Taking care of your father and mother for us, as we asked? You didn''t let them get in trouble, did you? Haha..." If any other clones were watching them, they would have been shocked by how kindly Dageer was behaving. That was very unlike him. "Uhum! They are very, very good! Yep!" "Hahaha! That''s great. Go say hi to the general and the others now. I have to talk with the a.d.u.l.ts. Go, go!" The small Twi''lek giggled, and ran towards Ragout, who made her levitate upside down. Meanwhile, Hell Squad was busy greeting the freedom fighters they knew. Many had lost their lives during Syndulla''s stupid attack, and others were trapped in Separatist controlled area, but there were still over two thousand of them there. Too few to take over Nabat using the orthodox way, but Hell Squad never planned to follow that route. "Master Ragout, Dageer, it''s good to see you again. Brain, Tech, Three-four, Metal, Cell, and Dab, the same." One of the first to go see them was Shouta''s mother, Yva. Using the usual Twi''lek greeting - putting two fingers in her forehead, then bowing - she smiled at them. They mimicked her unconsciously, having grown used to it. Weird as it may sound, the freedom fighters were the closest thing to a family Hell Squad had after their own brothers. That was a bond created by months of fighting and dying side by side, and difficult to undo. The only one they didn''t like - in fact, almost hated - was Syndulla. The Twi''lek in question was leaning into a wall at the back of the cave, a dark but relieved expression on his face. News of him being punched by Dageer, or what the clone said, had yet to reach the ears of his people. He knew he had to be thankful to Ragout for that. After a few more minutes, Ragout caught everyone''s attention. Kids and civilians were sent back home, leaving only those who would really fight there. "We are here because Hell Squad and I know better than any other Republic soldier what we have to do to free Ryloth. We''ve done it before, and we will do it again. But not alone. Freedom fighters, you fought with us before, and you are here because you are willing to do it again. We won''t let you down." There wasn''t much to say. Ragout nodded to Syndulla before jumping down from the rock he had climbed. He didn''t need to make speeches or anything of the like. He knew the hearts and minds of the Twi''leks were with them. "You heard Master Ragout, my people! Let''s take back our planet, and free our home once and for all!" --------------------------- Dozens of lightyears away, on the capital planet of the Republic, Coruscant, a very common scene was unfolding, but in horrible circ.u.mstances. The body of a clone trooper, shot twice on the chest, was being carried away. Near him were Captain Rex, Commander Fox, and several members of the Coruscant Guard. If Hell Squad was there, they would recognize their dead brother as ARC-Trooper CT-5555, or Fives. Even if Coruscant wasn''t a battleground, a clone dying to smugglers, criminals, and mercenaries was normal. However, Fives had died not by the hands of an outlaw, but Commander Fox''s, his own brother. For Commander Fox and the others, Fives had gone crazy after his best friend, Echo, died, and one of the members of his legion went insane and killed a Jedi. According to Chancellor Palpatine''s specialists, it was due to a parasite. Since no one was there to contradict him, his version of the story was accepted. The only one who still had some doubts was Captain Rex, with whom Fives had spoken shortly before he died. The truth was quickly hidden, and the news about it, suppressed. No one would know what Fives actually discovered, and why he had been deemed a traitor, until it was too late. ------------------------- "It''s done, my lord." "Did he manage to tell anyone about the inhibitor chip before he died?" "No, my lord." "Good... The end is approaching. Soon, the pathetic Galactic Republic will fall, and a new Empire arises. Kakakaka!" ----------------------- News of Fives death only reached Hell Squad months later. As for the circ.u.mstances of it, they would never know. But now, as Fives'' body was being taken away, Dageer and his men were worried about something else. Namely, the enormous Separatist army guarding Nabat. "How are we supposed to get past that?" Thousands and thousands of droids stood in formation outside the giant city. Differently from living beings, they could just stand in the same position for days, recharging now and again on their small camps. The clanckers surrounded the entire city, and the abyss around it. There was no doubt that there were even more of them inside. As for the ray bridge, it was deactivated at all times, unless a very well guarded convoy was going through it. On a hill about seven kilometers away, Hell Squad and Ragout watched through macrobinoculars as the seppies marched around. This time, the Separatist weren''t taking any chances. "We won''t be able to repeat the trick from last time, sir. Even if we get past them, I bet they have patrols on the abyss, so we can''t slide through it." "Yeah. Any ideas, general?" Ragout frowned, then shook his head. "Nothing. If we had twenty thousand of Caleb''s troops with us, maybe we could push through them, and then do as you did last time, and zipline through the abyss." "But we don''t have them. They are all with Neyo and the 91st." "I know. Uhmm..." The Togruta looked at the convoy leaving Nabat, and an idea started to get shape in his mind, based on something General Windu once did. But he needed more time to let it grow. Getting up, he patted his robe to get rid of the dust, and gestured for Hell Squad to follow him. "Come on, there is nothing more we can do here today. Let''s see if our Twi''lek friends have some secret tunnel we can use." Chapter 346 - Guerrilla The Twi''leks didn''t have any secret tunnel to Nabat. The only way in and out of the city was through the ray bridge, or - if one was crazy enough - through the abyss. Neither of them were available to the Republic forces. Knowing that, Ragout had decided to adopt the same tactics the 303rd did back then. They knew Ryloth better than any other planet. With their experience, and the freedom fighters'' knowledge, they knew every possible ambush site, supply routes, everything. They would give the Separatist one hell of a time. The disadvantage of using guerrilla tactics was clear, however. It would take a long time, and the smallest mistake could result in their deaths. But there was no hesitation on their part. Be it for Ryloth, the Republic, or simply their orders, Hell Squad didn''t care about dying. Looking at the seven clones, and the Jedi, discussing seriously with Gobi and some other freedom fighters, Syndulla remembered a talk he had with his right-hand man just after the Republic had won the First Battle Of Ryloth. ... Gobi had approached him right after they watched Hell Squad embark in a Republic cruiser. He was still limping from a wound he had received during the conquest of Lessu. "What are you thinking, Cham?" The freedom fighter leader looked at his oldest friend, and sighed. It was only now that he was starting to question himself. "Was I wrong, Gobi? I did everything I thought was right for our people, but..." "But?" "I only thought of us. I never considered the clones. Look at them. I thought they were like machines. But they aren''t. They are people just like us... And they gave everything for us, who they didn''t even know. So, was I wrong?" The blue-skinned Twi''lek looked at him, conflicted. He knew what Syndulla wanted to hear, but he wasn''t sure if he should say it. In the end, he decided lies would only make it worse. "You were, Cham. We all knew. You knew. The Republic may have abandoned us, but the clones never did. They fought and died for us, and with us. We all understand you were just trying to protect us, but... Yeah, you were wrong." Syndulla said nothing for a long time. He wasn''t shocked, shaken, or even surprised. He knew it all along, he just needed somebody to tell him that. But it was too late now. "Why? Why did they keep fighting? Why did they refuse to yield, even when we left them?" His eyes were fixed on the cruiser leaving the atmosphere. Gobi followed his gaze, sighing. "Because they made an oath. Because sometimes whether you live or die isn''t the important part, but how do you choose to do so. Because... To them, some things are more important than their own lives." ... Syndulla had never forgotten that conversation. He had just pushed it to the back of his mind, saying to himself that now it was over, and there was nothing he could do. But, two years later, the Separatist attacked again, and it all came back. Dageer had said he didn''t blame him for all the clones who died. But he blamed himself. Maybe, if he had done things differently... If he hadn''t been so angry at everyone and everything. If he had simply listened, instead of thinking he knew better than everyone else. He slowly walked towards the group. Dageer and the clones, and even his own people, just glanced at him before turning back to the hologram map. "We can''t attack head-on. So, we are going to have to take them apart, clancker by clancker. Tonight, Hell Squad will start provoking them. Knowing the mindset of a Tactical Droid, they will only be able to withstand it for a few days before making a retaliation strike to any small town they think may be helping us. We have to make a big move before they do that, as to not implicate civilians." Ragout was explaining his ideas to the people around the hologram seriously. He had used the Force to feel their intentions, and although he couldn''t read their minds, he was fairly sure there weren''t any traitors this time. Still, he wasn''t giving any specific intel. Better safe than sorry. "What are you thinking, Master Jedi?" "Three or four days from now, we will ambush one of their convoys. There are always two or there of them entering or leaving the city each day. However, we will have to fake a mistake, and let the convoy escape. From there, we will simulate a chase with a small group of freedom fighters, until we are in sight Nabat. The tactical seppie will think we are just a small and unprepared group, and send a large force to crush us, but we will be waiting somewhere to ambush them. If everything goes well, we might be able to take out three or four thousand of them at once." Several heads nodded, including Hell Squad''s. They weren''t new to this kind of plan. However, there was a problem. "Are you sure you want freedom fighters to be the ones to draw them out, general? If they aren''t careful, they might be wiped out." It wouldn''t have made any difference if Dageer had directly said he didn''t think the Twi''leks were skilled enough for this job. Being who he was, the commander rarely held back in his comments. He thought it was better for someone to be offended than dead for not living up to what was required of them. However, none of the freedom fighters complained, even after Dageer''s rudeness. They knew that not even fifty of them were equivalent to him, at least in experience and skill. The Togruta grinned slightly. "Exactly because of that, I want them to do it, Dageer. Every tactical droid has intel about Hell Squad, even if it just says you are dangerous. If they spot any of you, they will know something is wrong. But they don''t consider the Twi''leks a threat. The Separatist will think they are just stupid and reckless. We will prove that is a terrible mistake." This time, all the freedom fighters smiled excitedly. With just a few words, Ragout had changed their position from the bottom to someone who could make a difference. "It will still be dangerous, however. You will be too few to resist even for a minute if the major Separatist force catches up to you. In this case, slowing down by any reason is the same as death." All the freedom fighters nodded thoughtfully, but none said anything. It was a lot of responsibility for one person to take. "I will lead it." Without any expression on his face, Syndulla stepped forward. He was the obvious choice. He was the leader of the Twi''leks, and a skilled combatant. Ragout stared at him for a few seconds, and then nodded. He could feel that Dageer and his brothers had something against - they always would, as long as Syndulla was involved - but the clones said nothing. "It''s decided then. We will all be depending on you, Syndulla." Chapter 347 - Killers In The Night Deep in the night, seven shadows crawled towards the Separatist army outside Nabat. They were none other than Hell Squad. Agile and silent, they slipped past all the defensive measures the clanckers had set up. After all, they were meant to stop an army, not a squad, especially one such as Dageer''s unit. Without any trouble, they reached the base of the wall that encircled the enemy camp. Suddenly, Dab made a gesture with his hand, making them all stop where they were. He had spotted something. Surely enough, a few seconds later, a patrol passed above their heads. Luckily for them, the seppies were so confident on their defenses that even the droids weren''t paying that much attention, but mumbling to each other. After the patrol was gone, Dageer, Brain, and Tech launched their cables, and started climbing. Their first target was the patrol that just passed. Hanging on the outer side of the wall, they waited for them to come back. "Bzzz... What is... That?" "Looks like... Bzzz... Someone climbed the wall." "Oh... We should call this in. Bzzz..." "Roger rog... Ahhh!" Before the B1 unit could finish, a hand clad in white armor appeared over the railing, and pulled him. The fall was enough to break it''s joints, and two other clanckers suffered the same fate. Dageer winced at the noise they made when crashing, but didn''t stop moving. Pulling himself up, he kicked the nearest clancker, and swung his vibroblade. The weapon decapitated the two droids that were still standing, and then he swirled it before stabbing the one he had kicked. With the patrol gone, the others climbed up too, and then threw the cables to the other side of the wall, before sliding down. Now, they were inside the enemy camp, all by themselves. --------------------------- Ragout looked at Nabat from over ten kilometers away, and frowned deeply. He wasn''t worried about Hell Squad, because he knew they would escape unscathed. What perturbed him was the future. Lately, there had been too much happening, and too many instances where the Force was troubled. He had a feeling something big and bad was about to happen. That feeling was born a long time ago, but it was getting stronger each day. He felt like there was a blade hanging above his head, and he could do nothing to avoid it. Something in the galaxy was about to change forever. "Do you care to share why you are troubled, Master Ragout?" He turned around to see Yva and Gobi looking at him. The one who had spoken was her. The young Jedi sighed, and looked at the distant stars in the night sky. They seemed so close, and yet so far. "I don''t know. Maybe it''s this war. It should never have happened. But... I don''t think it''s just that. Forget it. Maybe I''m just too worried for my own good." The couple exchanged glances, both with a glint of sadness and worry on their gazes. "Are you sure the reason you are worried aren''t they? Maybe you should have gone too." "With Hell Squad? No. I would only bother them. There are somethings that even Jedis can''t do as well as clones." Neither of the Twi''leks were too surprised by Ragout''s answer. They had seen Hell Squad in action before, and considered the seven soldiers almost invincible. "Ha! There was this one time, in Carlac, where we were surrounded by almost two thousand Separatist troops, a mix between clanckers and humans from the CIS. We only had six hundred of our own. I was wounded, and unconscious, so Dageer took over. He and Hell Squad went out in the middle of the night, much like they did today." There was a proud smile on the Jedi''s face as he spoke. "The next morning, they were already back. I woke up to find the seppies in panic. We seized the chance to carve a path through them, and escape. I was surprised to see that they didn''t come after us. Only then Dageer told me about their little covert mission." The Togruta couldn''t hide his astonishment, as Gobi and Yva listened quietly. They weren''t interested so much in the story as they were in Ragout. They felt the young Jedi only wanted to talk, no matter about what. They pitied him. So young, and so many responsibilities on his shoulders. "They had killed thirty-seven droids, and eighteen CIS soldiers, unnoticed. Plus, all their targets were commanders and officers, from their leader to sergeants. Without their chain of command, they couldn''t organize themselves. Dageer and the others single-handedly saved all of us. You will see. Tomorrow, the Separatist are gonna be in disarray." -------------------------- Much like how Ragout said, Dageer and his brothers were now searching for enemy leaders. Of course, they didn''t let any chance to kill a droid slip. When the clanckers were in a big group, they would hide, but when they were few, Hell Squad silently destroyed them. This time, their objective was to create fear and panic - even droids would get uneasy if they didn''t know when they could die - so they didn''t care about leaving bodies behind. Signaling his unit to stop, Dageer looked over a deactivated Dwarf-Spider Droid. A huge metal building, which he recognized as a command center, was just near them. The problem was that there were a few dozen meters of empty ground between their position and the building, patrolled by several B1s and B2s. The commander frowned under his helmet, before gesturing for Hell Squad to go back. Then, he pointed at Brain, Dab, and himself, and to their left. After that, he gestured to the remaining three, and pointed to the right. They nodded, showing they understood. Silently, Hell Squad split up, and went around the camp. Dageer and the other two stepped lightly until they were right behind a patrol, and then sprung into action. The commander had his vibroblade, while Dab and Brain used vibroknifes. They didn''t usually carry it around with them, preferring to leave it in their quarters, but this kind of mission asked for it. The five B1 units barely had time to notice something was wrong before Dageer beheaded one of them. Dab pierced the side of another clancker, making it fall, and proceeded to stab a second one on the head. Brain performed a very similar motion. Meanwhile, Dageer cut down the B2 super battle droid that led the patrol by destroying it''s core processor in a single move. Without saying a word, they continued on, repeating their actions three more times before they finally managed to reach the command center. They waited patiently for the others to arrive, before Dageer gestured to Tech to open the door. The moment the door opened, Dageer barged inside, and thrust his vibroblade into a B2 unit, before kicking it and making it fall on top of two B1s. Then, he spun his weapon, cutting open the chest of a clancker. He was followed closely by his squad, who either used their vibroknifes to finish off the remaining seppies, or used their blasters to break their necks. The poor droid captain inside, seeing his guards and officers being slaughtered, tried to reach for the alarm, but Metal grabbed his head and smashed it on the control panel before twisting. Lifeless, the body fell to the ground. Chapter 348 - A Terrible Dawn In Coruscant, a human female furrowed her eyebrows tightly. She knew the Force had been turbulent these past few years, but now there were ginormous waves appearing randomly. That made General Billaba worry. After a long time of hesitation, she turned on her hologram projector, and called her padawan. Soon, Caleb Dume appeared. "Master." "Caleb, I want you to return to Coruscant. Something is wrong, and I want you by my side." "What about Ryloth?" "Master Ragout will take over your troops. He is a veteran, you can leave it to him." The padawan only nodded. He too, like all Jedis, had felt the disturbances in the Force, so he wasn''t surprised by his master''s orders. After informing Ragout, he took a ship to Coruscant. ------------------------ Back at the Separatist command center outside Nabat, Hell Squad had just finished cleaning up all the droids. Dageer kicked one of them aside, and started to set up thermal detonators. "What is our next step, sir?" Now that they were isolated inside the command center, they could talk without worrying about being uncovered. Dageer threw his detonators to Tech, and, while he and Brain planted the bombs, turned on his comlink. "General, we are inside the command center. Do you have special orders? Or can we proceed as we see fit?" "You are free to do whatever you want, Dageer. The more chaos, the better. Oh, and another thing. Caleb was called back by Master Depa, but Grey and the others are still here." "Got it." The clone only nodded, before turning off his comlink. The less they talked, smaller the chances the transmission would be intercepted. "Charges in place, commander." "All right. General''s orders are to cause as much damage as we can. We will blow this place up when we are some distance away. The clanckers will all come here, so we explode something else on the other side of the camp. After that, we leave." They all acknowledged his words quietly, and went out. After making sure no droid was looking at them, they slipped back into the shadows. They had yet to walk ten meters when a group of seppies appeared out of nowhere. The Droideka and five B1 units that accompanied it were more surprised than Hell Squad. Without wasting a second, Dageer went straight for the most dangerous target, the rolling ball of death. He jumped on top of it, and tried to cut it''s head off with his vibroblade. The droid, however, stumbled backwards, making Dageer lose balance, and fall. Still, a nasty cut was left on the Droideka, sending sparks flying. At the same time his brothers had attacked the other five tin cans, killing them almost immediately. Both Three-four and Cell threw their vibroknifes at the Droideka, managing to blind it, and buying time for Dageer to get up. However, even with it''s sensors destroyed, the clancker fired it''s twin laser cannons, breaking the night silence. "Damn it! Kill that thing!" There was no need for caution anymore, so Hell Squad pulled out their blasters, and obliterated the Droideka. "Let''s go, before they come after us! Go, go!" Even as Dageer said that, droids were already appearing from their recharge stations. He pressed the trigger twice, killing two B1 units right in front of them, and stepped over their bodies. Behind him, Hell Squad was also spitting lasers out of their blasters, taking down the seppies before they had the chance to react. "Dageer, I see a lot of lasers flying over there. Are you in trouble?" "We met a Destroyer, general! I wasn''t expecting it! Now the whole nest woke up. Brain, droid poppers!" Talking to Ragout and giving orders at the same time, the commander cut off a B2''s right leg, and used his blaster pistol to finish it. He heard the sound of electricity bursting out, and knew Brain had thrown his toys. "Tech, blow the command center! Now!" "That was a big explosion. All right, go to the entry point, Dageer! I will meet you there!" "Roger that, sir. Come on, move!" A laser scratched Dageer''s torso, and he returned fire, killing the clancker. Swirling his weapon, he stabbed a B1 unit, and lifted it, using it as a shield. Each laser he fired found it''s target, and the same held true for the rest of Hell Squad. Soon, they reached the same point of the wall where they had entered through earlier. The cables were still there, but they ignored them - they would be easy targets - and used the stairs. It might seem like they were lucky to get there unharmed after all the noise they had made, but the truth was that they faced little to no resistance. Everything, from the moment they left the freedom fighters until now had been carefully planned. Any eventuality, such as being discovered, had been covered. "Jump! I will slow you down!" A voice called from under them, and, without any hesitation, the members of Hell Squad jumped over the wall, to the ground twenty meters below. Dageer threw his last few thermal detonators, and emptied his magazine on the incoming droids, before following his brothers and jumping. --------------------------- "Jump! I will slow you down!" Ragout had barely finished speaking when he saw Metal, Dab, and Three-four plummet down. Using the Force, he created some sort of invisible, but soft, wall, to cushion their fall. No sooner than they touched the ground, Brain, Cell, and Tech also jumped, soon followed by Dageer. Using one hand to slow down the commander, Ragout stretched the other towards a group of droids running through the railings, and firing at them. With a pull, they were sent flying. Needless to say, there was no supernatural force to save them. Hell Squad fired upwards, making the clanckers duck to avoid their lasers, and ran back. Ragout followed suit, smiling. The operation was a success. ------------------------ "How is it, Dab?" The sniper was laying low, looking at the droid camp through the scope of his DC-15x. Even without his macrobinoculars, Dageer could see a lot of movement in the distant army, and dozens of vehicles were leaving and entering Nabat every hour. "We really pissed them off, commander. Hahaha! It''s been fifteen hours, and only now they called back their search parties." Dab laughed, but suddenly stopped breathing. Two seconds passed, and then his blaster let out a loud noise as a blue laser left the barrel. Dageer lowered his macrobinoculars, and saw, six kilometers away, a droid captain lose it''s head. "Good hit. Let''s go." They couldn''t stay too long in the same position, since STAPs were already zooming towards them. But long before they arrived, the two clones were gone, hiding in tunnels the Separatist didn''t even know existed. -------------------------- In the Jedi Council, two dozen Jedis - some present physically, others as holograms - watched as General Skywalker sat down. Under the pressure of Chancellor Palpatine, they had just granted the young Jedi a seat at the Jedi Council. It was highly irregular, but they had more pressing matters at hand, such as finding General Grievous. "Hiding in the Outer Rim, Grievous is. The outlying systems, you must sweep." "We do not have many sh.i.p.s to spare." General Yoda had a deep frown on his face as he listened to General Kenobi. After a while, the hologram of General Ki-Adi-Mundi was the one to talk, bringing more bad news. "What about the droid attack on the Wookies?" "It is critical we send an attack group there immediately." "He is right. It''s a system we can not afford to lose." General Yoda nodded slowly, and waved his hand. "Go, I will. Good relations with the Wookies, I have." Chapter 349 - The Ambush For the next three days, Hell Squad repeated the same actions. They sneaked into the Separatist camp, killed droids, and blew up things. Of course, they couldn''t do it with the same efficacy of the first time, since now the clanckers were actively searching for them, but their objective never was to destroy the entire army like that. Finally, on the fourth day, Syndulla did as Ragout told him, and attacked a convoy that was going to Nabat. Letting the droids escape, but without they noticing it, the freedom fighters chased them until the convoy reached the city. After that, they faked fear, and ran, followed by a group of almost four thousand droids, with tanks and whatnot. Clearly, the Separatist leader was confident that the despairing Twi''leks would lead them straight to their hideout in their fear. That could have really happened in other circ.u.mstances. Unfortunately for the Tactical Droid, Syndulla executed the plan masterfully, impressing even Dageer. He only lost six of his troops, and managed to lure all the droids into a canyon where the other Republic combatants were waiting. No clancker escaped. -------------------------- "Get ready! Here they come!" The Twi''lek lookout that Gobi had positioned at the entrance of the canyon warned them as Syndulla and his people zoomed by in speeders. The freedom fighters, plus Ragout and Hell Squad, were positioned at the top of the canyon. As soon as the hunted party reached the end of it, they abandoned the speeders, and started climbing ropes that had been prepared beforehand. It was an elaborate trap, with the sole objective of killing every droid that pursued them. Soon enough, the clanckers started pouring in the canyon, unknowingly walking into their own tomb. If they had time, they would notice something was wrong, but droids never were very smart, and they were too worried about finding the Twi''leks. When the last droid stepped inside, the ones in the front row were just starting to feel that something was wrong. The yellow-painted captain leading them tried to order a retreat, but the explosives set at the entrance of the canyon were already detonating, burying three or four hundred seppies, and trapping the others. Before the even more confused droids could react, countless lasers rained upon them, killing hundreds instantly. Hell Squad was purposely picking out the officers, but the freedom fighters had numbers. Two lasers hit the rocks close to Dageer as the Separatist started to fight back. Two Twi''leks near him were hit, one falling backwards while holding his shoulder, while the other let out a short yell before dropping to his death. All around the canyon, more freedom fighters died, victims to the red lasers. Some fell to the ground below, hitting the walls on their way down. Well, it was expected that there would be many casualties. Even if they caught the droids by surprise, there were just about a thousand and six hundred Republic troops, while the droids were over twice their number. "Agh!" Metal grunted when an AAT fired it''s laser cannon, and hit the wall near him. Three Twi''leks died immediately, while two others were wounded. The heavy machine gunner was holding his right forearm in pain. It had been hit by a rock launched by the explosion. Ragout quickly pulled the clone back using the Force, to avoid any more injuries. There wasn''t much the Jedi could do, apart from helping the wounded and deflecting a few lasers. He took a quick look at Metal''s arm, and frowned. "It''s broken. You stay out of this one, Metal." "No can do, general. Commander, give me one of your DC-17s. The tin cans are so crammed down there I can hit them without even aiming." Dageer didn''t even look back, and threw one of his blasters to his brother. Ragout only shrugged, not bothered by Metal disobeying him. "Three-four, hit it!" The medic nodded, and grabbed one of the RPS-6s that they had prepared. Carefully aiming, he sent the rocket at one of the AATs, blowing it to kingdom come. Dageer felt danger all of the sudden, so he instinctively tilted his body to the right. A laser scratched the left side of his helmet, leaving a burning black stripe, and his head buzzing. Falling on his back, he blinked hard, trying to clear his mind. Just to make sure, he took off his helmet, and pressed his hand against his head, but there was no wound. "Are you okay, Dageer?!" "Yeah. Just a scare, general." He sensed the Jedi looking at him worriedly, so he forced himself to get up, put his helmet back on, and continued firing. ... Trapped on the canyon, with nowhere to take cover, the Separatist force was like a Bantha grabbed by a Sarlac. They struggled, and caused some pain, but in the end, all they did was delay their inevitable death. After five hours of gruesome fight, the last droid was killed, and the canyon suddenly fell into silence. Each of the freedom fighters there had fought for Ryloth back then, but even so, they were tired. Mimicking Hell Squad, they sat down to rest. Only the medics were still running around, treating, and rescuing the wounded. "Actan, get Syndulla and Gobi for me, please." The young Togruta gestured to one of the uninjured Twi''leks, who nodded and ran to fetch the two freedom fighters. Meanwhile, Ragout helped Three-four as the medic went around, first immobilizing Metal''s arm, and then treating the Twi''leks. Since the Jedi wasn''t able to get close to the droids, he was the least tired of them all. "Tech, how long do you think before the seppies in Nabat notice something is wrong?" "Pretty sure they already did, commander. Even though we jammed comms, they must have had managed to relay something. But the Tactical Droid probably is scared now, since we took out one-tenth of his army in one go." "Tech''s right. It''s just a pity we can''t repeat the trick." "You asked for us, Master Ragout?" Two Twi''leks interrupted them while the clones were talking. The Togruta nodded, and got up, while the soldiers paid attention. "Yep. How were our casualties?" "Minimal. We are still counting, but there should be less than three hundred dead, and about that same about in wounded." Those were really good news. They had just taken down an enemy twice their size while losing less than one-tenth of their fighting force. "That''s good. Okay... Uhmm... I know everyone is tired Syndulla, but the sooner we go back, the better. Please tell them that." "Of course." There wasn''t the need to say much. The freedom fighters might not be exceptional combatants or strategists, but they weren''t stupid either. Ragout looked at the bustling and rustling, and sighed. Dageer and his brothers stared at their general for a while, but said nothing. They knew very well what was going through his mind. -------------------------- Three months passed by quickly. Ragout, Hell Squad, and the freedom fighters had their close calls, but they had succeeded in reducing the Separatist army to just a few thousand droids. Now, they were all outside Nabat, looking at the city. They were joined by Grey and his legion, who had already conquered the rest of Ryloth. Like it happened once before, Nabat was now the last seppie stronghold on the planet. The Togruta looked at all the familiar faces - and helmets - around him, and smiled slightly. "Let''s take back Ryloth, this time once and for all." Chapter 350 - Taking Over Nabat Dageer had suggested that they ziplined through the abyss, and climbed like they did last time, but as soon as he looked over the edge, he saw countless electro-mines, all activated. Anything that touched them would suffer a cruel death. "Seems like the only way is through the bridge. Thit isn''t gonna be easy." Everyone nodded, agreeing with Brain. They had to find a way to turn on the ray bridge, and, when crossing it, they would have no cover and little area to run. They would be like sitting Tartags. They also couldn''t bomb the city, for obvious reasons. "I might have an idea..." Grey, Dageer, Hell Squad, Syndulla, Gobi, and Yva all turned to Ragout. The Togruta had a faint smile on his lips that sent chills down Hell Squad''s spine. Unaware of that, Syndulla looked at him curiously. "What is it?" The Jedi turned to his unit, this time not hiding the wide grin on his face. Grey suddenly remembered some of the stories his brothers had told him, about how over half of Hell Squad''s crazy, suicidal plans came from Ragout''s mind. "How would you like to relive Nevarro, Hell Squad?" His proposal was received differently by each member of the unit. Dageer and Brain had sighed profoundly, knowing that the Jedi''s mind was already set, and nothing they said could change it. Metal, on the other hand, was laughing loudly, while sending a provocative glance towards Cell. Even Dab, Tech, and Three-four were looking at the scout, both excited and worried. Meanwhile, Cell had taken off his helmet and was shaking his head continuously. "No, no, no, no... Anything but that, general. Anything." "Hahaha! Come on, Cell, we all know that deep down you love it." "I don''t! I definitely don''t!" Everybody else was looking at them weirdly. Their image of the stern and serious Hell Squad had completely crumbled. "Err... May we know what you are talking about, Master Ragout? They don''t seem very... Receptive of it." Grinning, the Jedi looked to the blue sky. "We are going to attack Nabat from above." ------------------------- Two days later, Hell Squad was flying above Nabat in a Laat, almost at the atmospheric limit of Ryloth. The doors of the gunship were open as they hovered in the air. Each of them had a jetpack on their backs, including Ragout. "Ready?" "I hate heights. I hate heights so much. Can''t I just be on the ground assault with Grey, general?" Even though Cell was complaining, he didn''t back out. He just looked at the ground kilometers below through the door, and shook his head. His brothers looked at him and laughed. "Ready and set to go, sir. Cell, you are first." "Why me? No, don''t do tha..." The scout felt what was coming before it happened, and turned around just to see Dageer pushing him. Cursing, he pummeled down, quickly disappearing in the clouds. Of course, his commander had only done that because he knew Cell could easily regain control of his flight. Without saying anything else, the other six clones, and the Togruta, crossed their hands over their chest and jumped. ... As soon as he started falling, Dageer felt the air resistance, and heard the wind. In fact, he could only hear the wind. It was smashing against his body, throwing him from one side to another. His comlink bipped, but whoever was trying to talk didn''t manage to. Instead of worrying about that, Dageer paid attention to his altitude. When they passed by the layer of clouds, he saw a tiny black spot, growing bigger by the second. That was Nabat. All around it was an unending brownish red expanse. He briefly saw his brothers and Ragout, but it was difficult to focus on one thing when he was falling at breaking neck speed. Still, he felt no fear or anxiety. He had done that many times before and a lot more. When he reached the right altitude, he turned on his jetpack. The sudden reduction of speed felt like a punch to his chest, and he let out a grunt. Still, now he was much slower, and able to control where he was going. "Checking! Everyone okay?" "Yes, sir." "Definitely not okay, but alive." "Everything good here, commander." "Uhum!" "What about you, general?" "I''m fine. The show is yours, Dageer." "Got it. All right, everyone knows the plan. Land directly on top of the bridge controls, break the windows, and go in. We don''t have time to waste." "Got it." "Roger that." "Understood." Without wasting any more time, the group directed their jetpacks down, and flew towards the city. All it was needed was that one single droid looked up and saw them, and they would most definitely be killed immediately. But machine or not, people rarely looked up. They tended to think that danger only came from ground level. Seven minutes later, they all landed on top of the building that housed the bridge controls. They rested for a few seconds, just to take in the situation, then Ragout warned Syndulla and Grey to be ready to start the attack. The Jedi looked at Hell Squad, and nodded. The seven clones activated their jetpacks again, while Ragout pulled out his lightsaber and started cutting a hole in the roof. Needless to say, all the seppies inside immediately turned around to face the green tip that was appearing on the ceiling. Taking advantage of their certain distraction, Dageer and the others flew down, until they were in front of the windows. Brain and Tech glued two thermal detonators to them, and Dageer flicked the switch. The explosion sent shards of glass flying everywhere, but they couldn''t penetrate the Phase II armor, so Hell Squad just ignored it. The clanckers, which had been thrown to the floor by the explosion, didn''t even manage to get up before the soldiers executed them. "Tech, the controls are yours!" "Got it!" The mechanic just used a few seconds to to power up the blue ray bridge. As soon as it appeared, the mixed army of clones and freedom fighters outside started marching through it. Many fell victim to the red lasers fired by the droids on the walls, but there was nothing Dageer could do about it. At the moment, he and his brothers had a more important task. "General, you go help them! We will defend the controls!" "Are you sure?" "Of course. The tin can that is gonna kill us haven''t been assembled yet." The Togruta laughed, and left the room through the hole he had made in the ceiling. Soon, Dageer heard the screams of the clanckers outside, and he could imagine they being torn apart by a green tornado. Smiling slightly, Dageer turned his attention to the seppies that were charging through the door, trying to retake the controls. If they managed to do that, they could deactivate the bridge, dropping thousands of Republic troops to their deaths. Unfortunately for them, Hell Squad had defended that room once before, and they would do it again. If they wished to pass, the Seppies would have to step over their dead bodies. And anyone who knew Hell Squad knew that wasn''t going to be easy. Chapter 351 - Arrival Of New Orders Dageer pressed the trigger of his DC-15A, but was surprised to hear a dry sound as no laser came out. Cursing, he realized he was out of ammunition, and there was a droid aiming an E-5 directly at him. Without thinking too much, he threw his blaster at the clancker, hoping to divert it''s attention. He succeeded partly, and the laser that was supposed to hit his head put a hole on his right shoulder. For a split-second his thoughts traveled randomly, as he thought about how the seppies always managed to hit his shoulder, or break it. Then, on the next moment, he was back at the battle, and advancing towards the clancker. Grunting, he smashed his left shoulder on the B1''s chest, and reached out for his DC-17. Pressing it against the droid''s torso, he pressed the trigger twice. Using his momentum, he launched the droid carcass on top of two others, and pulled out his vibroblade. One quick slash managed to end them both. Panting, he retreated a few steps, until he was once again back to back with his brothers. Three-four threw a quick glance at his shoulder and then ignored it. They had more important matters at hand, and the pain didn''t bother Dageer. It had been barely fifteen minutes since they had activated the bridge, meaning they still had a long time to go before they could leave the control room and join their brothers at the fight inside the city. Because Nabat was currently a full-on battlefield, with the Republic paying a heavy price for every meter they conquered. They still had thousands of troops on the bridge and more behind it. While they were still there, Hell Squad would have to hold on. "Here they... Bzzz... Are! Kill them!" Without giving the seven clones a second to breathe, more clanckers appeared at the doorway, and were quickly taken care of. However, there were even more behind. It didn''t matter. They would just be an addition to the already big pile of bodies that was acc.u.mulating at the door and stairs. No matter how many came, Hell Squad would kill them all. ------------------------ A flash of green light cut a B2 super battle droid in half. At the same time, the two symmetrical pieces of droid flew towards it''s counterparts, pushed by an invisible hand. Without wasting a moment, Ragout ran forward, using the wall as a trampoline to propel himself. Three quick swings later, all the clanckers in front of him had been cleared. Groaning and panting, he pressed his hand over the left side of his body. A wrist rocket had thrown shards and pieces of the wall everywhere, and one of them had hit him. Even though the wound wasn''t too deep, it was painful, and, unlike a laser, it left him weakened by the blood loss. Looking at the blood in his palm, the Togruta furrowed his eyebrows. That could be a problem. He ripped a piece of his robes and made a makeshift bandage, which soon was dyed red. However, he ignored it, because he saw more droids incoming. Smiling savagely, he attacked. ----------------------- An explosion shook the ray bridge, and Grey saw two or three of his brothers being launched into the abyss below them. One more fell near him, his visor broken by a laser. The freedom fighters weren''t faring much better. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do other than urge his troops forward, and shoot at the clanckers on the wall. --------------------------- "Argh!" Gobi heard Syndulla yell in pain as a laser hit his friend''s arm. They had been amongst the first to charge, and were now fighting in the streets they knew so well. "Are you okay?" "Uff... Yeah. Don''t worry about me. We have to keep going." The blue-skinned Twi''lek nodded, and gestured to his people to keep going. Seeing the freedom fighters battling for them made the people of Nabat find the courage they had buried when the Separatist arrived. They came out of their houses, wielding knives and sticks, or anything that could serve as a weapon. "For freedom! For Ryloth!" ------------------------ Dageer didn''t know how much time had passed. All he knew was that he was exhausted. Up till now, he had been firing at the seppies that dared to poke their heads through the doorway. But now, it had been a few minutes since the last of them showed up, and he couldn''t stand anymore. The commander collapsed to the ground, panting. The rest of Hell Squad mimicked him, and sat down, laying their backs on the control panels or the walls. "Do you think we got them all, sir?" "Haha... Cough... Cough! Ha..." Everyone laughed when they heard Metal. There were literally dozens, if not hundreds, of dead clanckers around them. It came to the point where the doorway was completely blocked by the piles of bodies. The bridge controls, and the room itself, were in shambles. Even though only Dageer got slightly injured, their bodies were all sore, and they were sweating profusely. "I don''t think Metal is that wrong, to be honest. I don''t hear fighting anymore." Three-four, always the most cool-headed of the unit, pointed that out. Dageer quickly noticed he was right, but he was too tired to go check who won. Well, he was pretty certain of the result already. Surely enough, after a few more minutes a figure dropped from the hole in the ceiling. Ragout looked at his friends, laying on the ground, and smiled. "Had some trouble?" "Nope. But you did, general. That cut isn''t looking good." "Hehe... Don''t worry about it, it''s nothing much. Three-four can take a look at it later. For now..." As he said that, the Togruta used the Force to pull the droids that were blocking the stairs, and through them through the broken window. "... We have a victory meeting to attend. Ryloth is ours." ... Half an hour later, with his shoulder properly bandaged, Dageer was standing in the biggest building of Nabat, looking at a hologram table. On it were projections of Separatist movement around the planet, and all of them showed that the seppies were falling back to their sh.i.p.s. Other than Dageer and Hell Squad, Grey, two of his captains, Syndulla, Gobi, and Ragout were all there too. The two freedom fighters could barely hide the excitement on their faces. After all, it was their home they had just freed. "The price was great, but we pushed the Separatist sc.u.m back. Ryloth is free!" "Yes, Gobi. It is. So let''s try to keep it that way this time around. Grey, I want you to put pressure on the droids. No need to make risky moves, but just show them that if they don''t leave, they are going to lose all their troops." The clone nodded, and pulled out his comlink to talk to his men. Dageer also nodded to himself, thinking of Hell Squad''s next step. "Syndulla, Gobi, I want you to arrange a meeting between me and..." The young Togruta kept talking while exposing his plans. Meanwhile, Dageer''s hologram projector bipped, so he stepped back to answer it. The moment the image appeared, the commander froze. The hologram showed a hooded person, with wrinkled skin. His voice was rough and low, like he hadn''t spoken in years. "Execute Order 66." Chapter 352 - Order 66 "Execute Order 66." The voice was cold and calm. It incited fear in Dageer as he had never felt before. And there was one single reason for that. It was the same voice he heard in his dreams every night. Images of blood, destruction, and death drowned his mind. His hand shook, and he almost let the hologram projector fall. But suddenly, he calmed down. It all made sense now. The Jedis he had been fighting alongside for so long, the Republic so many of his brothers died to protect, they were all traitors. Every single one of them. Even... Dageer looked at the young Togruta that was talking to the two freedom fighters. Until a few seconds ago, he considered him his general. His friend, even. To think he was just another lying Jedi sc.u.m. "Will be done, my lord." He looked at his brothers. There was no need to tell them anything. Hell Squad, as well as Grey and the two captains, lifted their blasters and aimed at Ragout, who turned around with a shocked expression. "Dageer? Brain? What... What are you doing?" "For treason against the Republic, all Jedis shall be executed immediately." His voice was monotone, almost mechanic. Many emotions crossed Ragout''s face in an instant. Shock, surprise, pain, sadness, betrayal, and... Compassion? "I see... So that''s how it is..." For some reason, seeing the betrayal on Ragout''s face pained Dageer''s heart. That was wrong. He was the traitor. The clones that should be feeling like that, not sc.u.m like the Jedi. Under the horrified glances of Syndulla and Gobi, Dageer let anger take over, and pressed the trigger. ---------------------------- In the distant planet of Utapau, the 212th Legion, as well as the 7th Sky Corps, were fighting the Separatist occupation. General Kenobi had just killed General Grievous, putting an end to the abomination that had murdered so many clones. Morale was at it''s highest. Commander Cody watched as his general rode a Varactyl through the narrow mountain roads and trails of the planet. Then, he picked up his hologram projector, which had been blinking for some time. He had a bad feeling. "Commander Cody... The time has come. Execute Order 66." "Yes, my lord." Without any emotion on his face, Commander Cody turned off the hologram projector, and gestured towards General Kenobi. "Blast him!" An AT-TE fired, the explosion throwing the Jedi and his mount in the abyss hundreds of meters below. --------------------------- Bariss Offee was dragged out of her prison cell by two clones, and thrown on the ground. With her hands tied, and surrounded by over twenty Coruscant Guard members, there was nothing she could do. "What are you doing?!" No one answered her. Instead, they just formed two rows, one standing up, one kneeling in front of them. "Ready! Aim! Fire!" ------------------------ In Mygeeto, General Ki-Adi-Mundi and the Galactic Marines advanced through a bridge, pushing back the droids meter by meter. "Come on!" Seeing an opening, the old Jedi lifted his lightsaber and ran forward, while ordering his troops to follow him. But they didn''t. Instead, they formed a line, and fired at him. Confused as to why the men who he had commanded for so long, and fought with, were turning against him, General Ki-Adi-Mundi couldn''t muster a reaction. He managed to reflect one or two lasers back to those who fired it, but it was all too unexpected. The marines only looked at his body for a moment, feeling nothing, and then proceeded to continue fighting the seppies. ------------------------- Cal Kestis watched as his master tried to hold back the troopers that were hunting them. He didn''t understand why they were attacking them. They were his friends, weren''t they? His eyes widened in shock as two lasers hit his master''s chest, and he fell inside the escape pod. The door closed, and they were launched off the cruiser. "Trust... Only... In the Force..." "Noooooo!!!" ------------------------ In the jungles of Felucia, General Secura, Commander Bly, and the 327th advanced through Republic territory, going back to the frontlines after a resupply mission. The Jedi didn''t notice when Commander Bly stopped to hear something on his comlink. Neither did she notice when he and his brothers aimed their blasters at her back and squeezed the trigger continuously. ---------------------------- In the skies of Cato Neimodia, Jedi General Plo Koon flew with two of his pilots, chasing down Hyena-class bombers and Vulture droids. He was unaware that at the moment, Jag, one of the veterans of his legion, who had been with him since the First Battle Of Geonosis, was receiving new orders. When the Republic starfighters attacked him, he tried to dodge, and controlled his own ship to dive between the buildings. However, before he could escape, his engines were hit, soon followed by an explosion. After confirming the job was done, Jag and the other pilots turned around, returning to their cruiser. ----------------------- Commander Fox, Sergeant Hound, and Lieutenant Thire looked at each other, and nodded. Hesitating for a split-second, they lifted their blasters under the confused glare of two padawans. When the young human and Nikto noticed what was happening, it was too late. The civilians walking on the streets of Coruscant were horrified to suddenly see two kids - Jedi apprentices, on top of that - being gunned down, but, before anyone could say anything, several dozen members of the Coruscant Guard stepped forward and arrested them. "Where are we going next, sir?" "To the Senate. We are to take care of any troublemakers." "What about the Jedi Temple? There are hundreds of traitors there." "Someone else will take care of them." --------------------------- Caleb Dume and his master, Depa Billaba, managed to escape when their troops suddenly turned against them. However, she was mortally wounded, and wouldn''t be able to last for long. While deflecting some lasers, she looked at her terrified padawan, and smiled. "Go! I will hold them!" "Master!" "Don''t worry, I will be right behind you." He ran. And ran, and ran, and ran. But, after who knows how long, when he turned back, he didn''t see her anywhere. Instead, he saw two clones barring his path. Yelling, he cut them down, holding back his tears. And then he ran again. --------------------------- Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex were slowly walking away from the remains of a Venator-class cruiser. She had managed to take off the chip that controlled Rex. As for the others... The helmets in the snow told a sad story. "Fives was right... All this time, we were never supposed to fight for the Republic, but to destroy it." "Don''t think about that now, Rex. We have to get somewhere safe, and find survivors. That''s the galaxy''s only hope." ----------------------- In the forests of Kashyyyk, General Unduli was crouching while helping an injured clone. The soldier was groaning in pain while holding his chest. "Shh... Calm down, Cross. You are between friends... Agh! What..." She suddenly felt all the deaths, and it was too much. Her head hurt, as if someone was hammering it. So many dead, and all at once. "Understood, my lord." General Unduli heard one of the troopers speak, and saw a blaster aimed at her face. Behind it was one of her most trusted men. Slowly, she realized she was surrounded by the people was was treating. "Sorry, general." --------------------------- It was night, but Coruscant was awake like never before. Dozens of thousands of clones walked the streets, killing any Jedi they saw. Thousands were arrested, and the word on the streets was that the Jedi Order had betrayed the Republic. The rumor was slowly gaining strength, as a hooded figure led part of the 501st legion inside the Jedi Temple. Fighting broke out as the younglings - some almost Jedi Knights, others barely more than children - tried to defend against the Clone Army, but failed. No mercy was shown, no matter their age. General Shaak Ti, who had left Kamino to teach the younglings while General Yoda was on Kashyyyk, tried to send a warning to the Jedis around the galaxy. Before she could do so, a blue lightsaber destroyed the panel she was using. She managed to fight back for a few minutes before the weapon pierced her stomach. Looking up, shock filled her eyes as she saw who the person butchering the new generation of Jedis was. "You... Why?" --------------------------- Three dozen padawans were locked in a room, too scared to go see what was behind all the noises. They could feel, untrained as they were, many waves in the Force, and many deaths. Suddenly, the door opened, scaring them. However, they soon calmed down when they saw who it was. "Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What are we going to do?" The hooded figure didn''t answer. His eyes burned with anger and hatred. With an ominous sound, his lightsaber was turned on. -------------------------- General Yoda let his stick fall, and grabbed his chest. An intense wave of pain and sadness assaulted him. He could fell thousands of Jedis dying, all at once. Even... Even the padawans. He almost fainted, overwhelmed by his emotions. He was older than anyone else, and had seen the fall of the Old Republic and the ascension of the new one. He had gone to every corner of the galaxy, and faced everything it had to offer. But nothing like this. As the Separatist and Republic forces clashed on the beaches of Kashyyyk, he saw his troops turn against the unprepared Wookies, and kill them, until not a single one was left. He felt the same killing intention behind him, and didn''t hesitate. Showing agility someone his age shouldn''t have, he did a backflip, and decapitated Commander Gree and another clone, who were about to shoot him. The two Wookies next to him roared, angered. Still feeling every death, the small Jedi followed the two Wookies. The galaxy was changing. The Jedi Order was no more. -------------------------- Dageer pressed the trigger of his blaster three times, putting all his anger, pain, and hatred on it. All he could see was the betrayal in Ragout''s eyes, someone he had sworn to protect. Without being able to make a sound, Grey and the two captains dropped to the ground, a hole on their chests. Dageer looked at his three brothers, breathing erratically. He had killed them. He had killed his brothers. Besides him, Hell Squad was frozen on the spot, their hands shaking while still aiming at Ragout. But just like their commander, they couldn''t do it, no matter how intense the pain that assaulted their minds was. The room was completely silent. Neither the Twi''leks nor Ragout said anything. A muffled sound marked Dageer''s blaster falling off his hand, followed by him dropping to his knees. He couldn''t take his eyes off the small column of smoke rising from Grey''s chest. And he screamed. Chapter 353 - The Final Battle Dageer yelled until his throat got sore, and he couldn''t make a sound anymore. His eyes were bloodshot, and he could still hear the voice urging him to kill. Unable to find any other way to vent his feelings, he punched the ground. Now he understood everything. He had always known he was nothing but a pawn, but he never expected it to be like that. While the inhibitor chip inside his brain yelled that the Jedis were the traitors, he knew very well that the ones who betrayed the Republic were the clones. He didn''t know for how long he stared at Grey''s corpse. At some moment, he had taken off his helmet and thrown it away. Behind him, Hell Squad seemed to have done the same. They were all on the floor, some crying, some silent. After a few seconds of staring at nothing, Dageer took a deep breath, and got up. His fists were bleeding, and his scar was burning, but he couldn''t care less. His mind was a mess. Panting, he looked at Ragout. The Togruta had pity in his eyes, but said nothing. Dageer remembered that minutes ago, when he almost killed the general he had promised to protect, he had a calm look on his face, as if he had understood everything. Syndulla and Gobi, on the other hand, were staring at him shocked. They had yet to understand what was happening. "What... What can you feel, general? Indescribable sadness and sorrow filled the Jedi''s eyes. He lowered his head, and clenched his fists, trembling. "The Dark Side took over. The Jedis... Are dead. Thousands of us. Was... Was it the Clone Army, Dageer?" While helping his brothers get up, the commander nodded slowly. He was still having problems processing what had just happened. And the voice that kept screaming inside his head didn''t help. "Yes. We... I''m sorry, Ragout." "It isn''t your fault, Dageer. It was Chancellor Palpatine, wasn''t it? I feel an immense growth of the Dark Side coming from him." Dageer nodded, at the same time frowning as another wave of hatred assaulted his mind, and he almost grabbed his blaster again. "We can talk about that later, general. Now, we need you to do some things for us. We have a chip inside our brain, which is what is causing all this. I knew it existed, but I didn''t know what it would do. If only we had listened..." "You want me to take it out?" "A medical droid. It''s too dangerous if you are not experienced. But first we need to get off Ryloth. When they find out you are alive, my brothers will hunt you... And us. Syndulla!" The freedom fighter was paying close attention to everything they were saying. There was much he didn''t understand, but he knew it was important. "We need a ship, Syndulla. To get out of here. After that, you and Gobi need to disappear, together with the other freedom fighters. You will be hunted, and killed, if you don''t." "Hunted by who?" "The Empire. That''s what this entire war was about, but only now I understand it. It was all a preparation to destroy the Republic and create the Empire." The dangerous glare Dageer gave him was enough to shut up Syndulla. He knew that if he asked any more questions, the commander would truly lose his mind. "Brain, Tech, Metal... We have to go. Dab, Cell, Three-four, you too." "What... What are we going to do, sir?" "I don''t know. For now, let''s get the general to safety, and fix our heads." --------------------------- Surprisingly enough, they managed to get out of Ryloth easily. After all, no one would have expected Hell Squad to resist Order 66. Dageer still had the codes for the Clone Army channels on his comlink, so he was able to quickly gather news, and passed them all to Ragout before laying down on a bed. He was the last one who had to have his inhibitor chip removed. Brain, Metal, Dab, Three-four, Tech, and Cell were sedated near him, with a bandage wrapped around their heads after a successful operation. For now, Dageer had pushed back all his thoughts, and focused on getting out of Ryloth. He would worry about the future later. ... When he woke up, the first thing Dageer realized was that he hadn''t dreamed. Not a single nightmare. Obviously, the chip was what caused the dreams, and he lamented not knowing of it earlier. Looking around, he saw he wasn''t on the same ship they had left Ryloth. That meant they must have met with some of the Jedi survivors that Ragout managed to contact. They were Ahsoka, General Kenobi, and General Yoda. Dageer also knew two or three padawans had survived, but he didn''t know where they were. "Sir..." He turned to see his unit looking at him. All of them had despairing expressions on their faces. Now, their own brothers were hunting them, and they became traitors. There wasn''t anything they could say or do that could change that. They had had the same chip on their brain as other clones, so they understood perfectly what they thought. "It''s useless to say anything now, Cell. What happened, happened. Now we can only follow through with it." "But what are we going to do now?" "You know the answer. Unless any of you have a different idea?" They all shook their heads. From the moment Dageer killed Grey, they knew exactly where they were going to end. "Then let''s talk to the general. He needs to understand." -------------------------- Hell Squad walked into the command bridge of the small shuttle with their helmets under their arms, and a determined look on their faces. They had already steeled their resolve. Around the hologram table were Ragout, General Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex. They were looking at the hologram of General Yoda, who was somewhere in the galaxy. Captain Rex was the first to see them. He and Dageer exchanged glances, and nodded at each other. Just by looking at his brother, the commander knew he had also taken out the inhibitor chip. "Generals, Commander Tano." "Generals, we are not, Dageer. Now, criminals is all there is to us." "Yes... Unfortunately, Master Yoda is right. I trust you are all familiar with what happened?" Several heads nodded. Ahsoka was especially quiet, sometimes throwing a glance at General Kenobi. Something he had said had unsettled her, probably. "There is something else I need to tell you, however. These are Luke and Leia. Anakin''s children. I believe they might be the key to ending the reign of terror Palpatine will ensure." Only now Dageer and the others noticed the two human babies next to General Kenobi. On another occasion, they might be shocked that a Jedi had children, but now they couldn''t care less. "Generals, we have to make this quick, otherwise they will find us. We have a few hours, at most. You need to split up." Dageer stepped forward, interrupting the conversation. Discipline and hierarchy didn''t matter now. "Hide, we have to. And wait for the right moment to strike, we will. The children, under your care will be, Obi-Wan." "Yes, master." For a long time, no one said anything. Then, Dageer broke the silence. "It''s time you go. Rex, you take care of Ahsoka, okay?" The previous 501st leader nodded, already understanding what Dageer was going to do. As for Ahsoka, she bowed slightly to him. Slowly, she and the clone left the room. "General Kenobi, General Yoda, you should get going too. We need to talk to Ragout." They acknowledged his words - now it didn''t matter who was a Jedi and who was a clone - and said farewells to Ragout. The Togruta, who knew Hell Squad too well, was already staring at them, resignation on his face. After General Kenobi left with the babies, and General Yoda''s projection disappeared, a long silence ensued. It was only broken by Ragout after a few minutes. "You want to stay behind, don''t you? To protect me... Again. You could come with me. There will be a lot to do, a lot to fight for." Dageer shook his head with a sad smile. He looked at his shoulder pad, marked with a line for enemies he killed, and took it off. "We are tired of fighting, Ragout. For four years, we never questioned orders. Look at where it got us. You know we can''t run from this last fight, but it will be the last battle for us." "I''m staying too, then." The seven clones smiled, seeing tears in Ragout''s eyes. Now, he wasn''t a Jedi or a general. He was just the same kid they had gotten to know and respect. Still, Dageer denied his wish. "No, you aren''t. Remember when General Di and that lizard said that they could feel the Force around us, Ragout? That we wouldn''t use, but influence it? I never understood that. But now I do." His eyes were clouded with memories. There was so much he wanted to say, but he never was good with words. "We were never the ones who would change anything. Force or not, our objective never changed. To protect you. That promise we made in Ryloth, to General Di, still stands. The galaxy needs you, kid. The Jedi are gone, that''s true. But not all of them. If one day the Empire is to fall, it will be because you were there to guide the ones who fight against it." The young Togruta wasn''t holding back his tears. He didn''t want to admit it, but Dageer was probably right. A Jedi was needed to defeat the Sith, and someone needed to train those Jedis. "I understand..." "We wouldn''t be able to live, general, knowing we killed our own brothers. We wouldn''t want to. You know that. Now, go. We will hold them for as long as we can." The Jedi stared at them for a long time. There was determination, pain, and sadness in their eyes. "Do you regret it? The war, the deaths... Everything?" "For four years, all we did was follow orders blindly, general. Maybe... Maybe, if we had thought more, instead of just doing as we were told, things would have been different. I... We regret a lot of things we''ve done... But not this." Ragout nodded, and wiped his tears. Looking at each of the members of Hell Squad, he shook their hands, and entered an escape pod, after destroying it''s tracker. "May the Force be with you, Hell Squad." "And may it be with you, general." ------------------------ A few hours later, the shuttle shook as it was captured by a tractor beam, and pulled inside a Republic cruiser. By the colors, Dageer recognized the 212th. Standing up, he looked at his brothers. Brain, Dab, Tech, Metal, Three-four, and Cell. They had been with him for as long as he remembered, and they had gone through a lot together. They just never imagined that their last battle would be against their own family. "Ready?" "Yeah." "Let''s do this." "For the 303rd, and for Ragout." The commander nodded to them, and put on his helmet just as the door was breached, and clone troopers ran in. "For Ragout..." -------------------------- Commander Cody stepped over the dead bodies of some of his best troopers to arrive in front of Dageer. He didn''t know how many of his men Hell Squad had killed, and he didn''t want to. One was already too many. On his way, he found the fallen members of Hell Squad one by one, each of them surrounded by bodies. Metal, Tech, Dab, Three-four, Cell, and then Brain. Dageer''s second-in-command was just a few meters away from him. The commander was still standing, under the aim of three dozen troopers. He was wounded in several spots, but still holding his blaster. Commander Cody walked until he was just two meters away from Dageer. His brother could kill him easily if he wanted, but he knew Dageer had had enough. "They are not here, are they?" "No. They left hours ago." He stared at Dageer''s visor, and saw his reflection on it. Suppressing a sigh, he looked at his brother. "What now? Do you want to keep fighting?" Dageer said nothing. Instead, he dropped his DC-15A, and then his pistol. Then, he unsheathed his vibroblade, and stared at it for a long time before putting it on the ground gently. Lastly, he took off his helmet, and looked at it. A single horn, painted a long time ago, and scarred by a thousand battles... His most treasured possession. Sighing, he put it back on. "Was it worth it, Dageer? Killing so many of our brothers to protect a traitor?" "Worth it? I don''t know. I did what I had to do to protect my general, Cody. You did the same, otherwise Kenobi wouldn''t be alive." The 212th leader clenched his fists, before shaking his head as if to deny it. He followed through with Order 66, but he couldn''t help but feel slightly relieved that General Kenobi was still alive. "It''s fitting, you know? That the one who puts an end to Hell Squad is you. We''ve been through it since the start. You know things are not as simple as you want them to be." "I do. But... Good soldiers follow orders, Dageer. You know that. But I never wished to fight Hell Squad." "I know. But there is nothing we can do. My fight... Our fight, is over. Yours is just beginning, Cody." Having said that, Dageer gestured to the blaster in Commander Cody''s hands. "It''s time. Do it." He lifted the weapon, and aimed at Dageer. A single shot reverberated throughout the ship, signaling the end of the battle. Still, no one felt happy with the result. -------------------------- Many, many years later, in one of the stone peaks of Ryloth. An old Togruta sat down, legs crossed, and looked at the ball of flames in the sky. It was a sign that the Emperor was dead, and his reign of terror was over. The Empire was gone. Ragout''s eyes were calm as he heard the people of Ryloth celebrating. He knew better than anyone the price that the galaxy had to pay. "Can you see it? Palpatine is gone. The galaxy will flourish once again. The hope that was born so many years ago will once again fill the heart of the innocents." He looked at the air in front of him, and smiled. To anyone who looked, he was talking to himself. "Should I tell them? That the freedom they now feel is all thanks to seven soldiers? No? Haha... You are right, they wouldn''t want it." Grinning, Ragout got up. He had lived until now, and taught everything he knew to the one who destroyed the Empire. Now, it was time he rested. His body slowly started to become translucent, but he wasn''t bothered by it. In front of him, three blue figures appeared. A small Jedi, holding a walking stick, an old Nikto, with a small smile, and a human with a scar over his right eye. "So you are here too. It''s good to see you again, old friend." When Ragout disappeared, his robes fell to the floor. Besides it was an old, battered, and broken helmet. It had two brownish red horns painted on it, and a crack almost split it into two. But, at this moment, the helmet seemed to shine. It''s journey had ended. "May the Force be with you." // AUTHOR''S FINAL THOUGHTS // There is so much I have to say, but first and foremost, thank you. Thank you to all the 3.119 readers that believed in me, and followed me through this journey. I started writing Broke: A Clone Wars Tale day 13 of May, 2018, and wrote the final chapter today, 25 of November of 2020. This is also the day I wrote this note, so, if there is anything outdated, that''s the reason. Now comes the part where I write a note almost as big as the chapter, so bear with me, please. First of all, I have to say how much this novel influenced my life. It started as an idea, a wish to try something new. Now it has grown to the point were I can say with absolute certainty that this is the biggest, and probably the best, Star Wars fanfic in . I say that not only as a brag, but also as a reason of pride to us all, because I couldn''t have done it without you. To that, I have to thank some especial readers. If I had space, I would write the names of everyone, but unfortunately, I can''t. So, here are those who influenced me the most, be it by giving words of encouragement, ideas, or helping me through some difficult moments of my life. Democratis, Immortal_Demon, pbtv, _Pingu_, 2nd_Mad_Lord, Spartens, Daolord_Silvermoon, Krunch_, potatoking4, Phema2241, A1451, Pied_piper, Azunyan, Radhorn1999, and nonoemi. Those are just some of the people, and I wish I could write everyone''s name here. But since I can''t, what I am saying to them is valid to everyone else. Without you, I would have given up after two or three chapters, like I did with my first novels. I would never have had the motivation to really take forward a project like this. So, thank you. It''s not the biggest of novels, and certainly not the best, when you consider the genre as a whole. There are many, many mistakes I made, and things I could have written better. But it''s our novel. We embarked on this journey so, so long ago, all because you believed in me. And, without that trust, none of that would have happened. So, yeah, Broke belongs to all of you just as much as it belongs to me. Now, let''s talk about myself. I don''t even need to say how much the quality got better, right? I''m not just talking about the novel, but my life as a role. For many people, including me, 2020 was a rough year. I lost a friend to covid, several others were hospitalized (they are all better now) and I had trouble with a lot of things in general. Broke became a way for me to forget about all those troubles, and do something I really like, which is writing. It would have been a lot worse if I didn''t have it. Just so I don''t get too emotional and start crying (too late), I will talk about something that''s very exciting for me, which is my new project. Iferes: Slaves Of The Gods, will be available here on and at Royalroad. If any of you feel like putting it on your list, and giving it a try, I appreciate the hype. I''m really excited for the new project for two reasons. Firstly, because I won''t get (too) sad about not writing Broke anymore, and secondly because it will be my first real attempt at writing as a job. For almost three years, Broke was a constant part of my life. We had our mishaps, that''s for sure, but the happy memories are many more. This novel will always hold a special place in my heart. And, even if I''m not working on it anymore, I will always be checking it to read and answer comments, correct mistakes that people find, and such. I guess I will stop here for now, before I start repeating myself (again). Once more, thank you to everyone who made it to the end, and I will see you soon, in another universe, in another novel, but always with the same passion for doing my best, for me and for you. Stay safe, and may the Force be with you.