[IC] Star Wars: The 417th Legion (Dead)

[Vandy]

417th Flagship Ven 000417 “Red Draigon”

Preparing to jump to Ord Mantell

The bridge of the Red Draigon Venator Star Destroyer was buzzing. Over a dozen naval clones ran about busily checking their stations and readying the ship for combat. It was a short notice mission, the Senate hardly gave the 417th Legion enough time to get all the troops aboard the fleet before they were expected to head towards Ord Mantell. Senior Commander CC 33-1297, nicknamed Blue, stood with his helmet tucked under his shoulder on one side of the holographic battle table. Standing with him was the Jedi General Jiyan Krik and the fleet admiral Crezci’eri’ando. This was his first time meeting either of them.

Blue couldn’t help but think that the Jedi was ugly, his face looked mangled together by some mad scientist. He also couldn’t help but think that the Admiral was very attractive with her blue skin and deep red eyes. Perhaps both of these judgements were based on the fact that he had hardly ever known anyone with a face other than his own for his entire life. Such was the fate of every clone.

“Commander, you were saying?” The Admiral spoke up, he enjoyed her voice. It came from the only humanoid female he had ever met. She stood there arms crossed waiting for him to finish.

“Right,” he snapped out of his inward thoughts, “as you can see the blockade is weak here.” He pointed at a lone Separatist Frigate at the end of the enemy formation. “The Navy can make short work of this vessel and cover the gunships as they run troops to the ground.”

“Agreed, though we can’t send our entire formation after a single ship.” The Admiral placed her hands on her hips. They were not given enough time to plan this attack. The entire ground strategy was basically full frontal assaults on two areas with heavy droid activity. She didn’t like it, it felt amateurish.

Jedi Master Jiyan Krik stood silent, gazing at the holographic projection before him with his huge red eyes, as the two officers discussed the pending battle. As General of the 417th Legion, it would be at Krik's word that hundreds if not thousands of clones would go off to die today. Minimizing casualties would be essential to succeeding in reclaiming Ord Mantell. Firstly, he would have to address how to break the blockade. The lone ship highlighted before him did seem like a safe option, but it also seemed like a wasted opportunity.

"Admiral." Krik's voice was deep and had a vibratory quality to it. "I agree that sending the entire formation to this weak point is not an option." Krik moved around the hologram to find the strongest point of the blockade. "As far as we are informed, the Separatists have no reason to expect us. Perhaps the element of surprise would be best put to use if we make a direct attack on the strongest part of the blockade." Krik raised his hand to point out his suggested target. He raised one of the three long, bony fingers on his hand to the hologram. If we come out of hyperspace as close to this point as possible, we should be able to rip the strongest point of the blockade apart before they even realize what's happening." Krik stepped back around the table, alongside the Chiss Admiral. Her eyes were a deep red like his own, yet she was much more pleasant to look at.

Admiral Cieria nodded in agreement with the Jedi's plan. He had highlighted the Separatist command vessel, one of two Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ships. "I'll move all four of our capital ships against the middle. With a surprise attack we should be able to take the command ship through overwhelming force." She moved the holograph back to the lone frigate. "I recommend sending three Acclamators to take the lone ship out and get our troops on the ground. They can rejoin the battle once they are done and flank the blockade."

"Good idea, I would send the Big Blue under Captain Polly as the lead ship for the run on the frigate." The Clone Commander spoke up again. This was the first conversation that the three of them had ever had but the plan was forming nicely. "Sir," he said as he put his helmet on the side of the table and turned toward the general, "we really must look into the battle plan on the ground. I don't like the idea of rushing my men blindly into battle." He leaned over the table and zoomed into the Separatist facility that was to become their base of operations on the ground. "We'll have to land at least a kilometer out if we are going to avoid those anti air cannons, and even that is a little close for comfort. The urban landscape should give the infantry plenty of cover but with the cannons and the blockade we'll be hurting for air support."

Krik examined the glowing blue landscape sprawled out before him. Blue was right that the buildings provided cover, but they also forced the clones to attack via easily defensible lanes. It would be a difficult assault no matter what, but it would be even more difficult without air support. "We could use the AT-TEs. They have magnetised feet, am I correct?" Krik pointed out seven tall buildings in various places around the compound. "If the AT-TEs scale the far side of these buildings their ascent should go unnoticed. From there they should have a good elevated firing position to act as makeshift support for our advancing troops." Krik circled around the table to get a better view of the target. "Land troops on all four sides. We can divide their firepower between multiple forces, and cut off escape at the same time. That should help to ensure our victory."

As soon as the Jedi finished talking the door at the back of the room slid open. Commander Spook and the Commander of the Armored Division walked in followed closely by what looked like a walking cat. The three of them walked around the holo table and joined in on the discussion.

"That all depends on how stable those buildings are. If they fall apart as soon as my walkers start to scale them it'll be damn hard to do anything." The Armored Commander spoke up. Apparently they heard that part of the plan from the next room. "Is there a problem sir?"

"Who is that?" Blue asked, he had been making a pretty dumbfounded face ever since the cat entered the room. With his luck it was going to be someone important and his words were going to sound highly disrespectful.

Commander Spook walked alongside the Armoured Division Commander and an upright feline. Spook had trouble remembering the Commander's name: he was an entirely forgettable man, coming from someone who looked identical to nearly a quarter of a million others. The feline was Vail Lencer though, their new Jedi Knight of the 1st Legion. Like the Jedi he had witnessed rarely in the training center, Vail too was quiet and unconcerned with the clones surrounding him in any personal capacity. Body shields for his advance, Spook supposed. It did not matter though, as they had breached the door of High Command. Around a holographic table stood Jiyan Krik, the Jedi Legion General, talking calmly to Commander Blue, Spook's own commander as well as comrade, the leader of the 1st Regiment. Among them was the Admiral whom he had forgotten the name of; it wasn't often the Navy and the Army mixed, therefore little interaction was had. Spook approached the table and saluted the High Command. The sudden change in tone, courtesy of Commander Blue, changed the mood though. Spook cleared his throat. "It's a Jedi, apparently, Sir. Vail is it's name," Spook interjected. He looked up at the mixture of incredulous, shocked, and unperturbed faces. The Infantry Commander stepped forward again, to the edge of the table.

"What the other Commander said. If those buildings are unstable or if the metal inside has lost its magnetism those AT-TE's are going diving. I agree with the Jedi Master though, we can only attack from four sides. They have too much fire- and man-power to attack from any less, and any more means unorganised chaos," Commander Spook said. He pricked the hologram on the steepest of the sides. "Send the 99th up there. They've been trained for this sort of high-risk approach, I believe they can handle it." He stabbed the sloped road heading up to the city entrance. "Send the Armoured up there with a battalion of Infantry. This is mainly to draw the fire, their advance will be almost entirely halted but if they lay enough rounds down then it will keep the scum busy until the walls have been scaled, and the Armour will stop them being mowed down, Hopefully," Spook added. This wasn't sure fire, he hadn't had combat experience with the Separatists before. But these are the plans he was trained to make, the effective ones. "The remaining armour should be able to carry the infantry up here," Spook pointed to the two remaining sides, "and pincer in. This will allow the Infantry and Armour on the road to haul butt and keep them under fire while the 99th close the hole." Spook presented his plan to the Generals at the table, hoping for improvement or approval. Disgust wouldn't be well-received.

Turning his feline eyes from one clone to the other, the exotic creature would appear to have a rather unamused expression on his face. His fur pattern would draw him rather mystical to say the least, the black coloration upon his white fur spiraling and twisting into elegant shapes one wouldn't deem natural at first glance. "'It'...objectification is quite lovely, especially if it comes from a...clone..." The Jedi would think for himself, his thoughts trailing off for a moment before he turned his attention back to the war table. Jedi Master Krik and the others had been debating this for a while already and given the fact that Vail had already been introduced, he found little need in doing so again. With his arms crossed, the silent feline stood leaning against a metallic table quietly, analyzing the scene unfolding before him. Vail was a good combatant, but not very comfortable with combat briefings and plans of attack. He would much rather have someone else with a more strategical mind in charge of such a task.

The soldiers before him had been throwing ideas back and forth but seemed unable to come to a consensus. Master Krik appeared to enjoy a full frontal assault given their element of surprise, but that idea seemed to be challenged. Meanwhile, the proposition of striking towards the separatists weakest point was being debated. Slowly raising his hand to scratch his chin, Vail's claws gently made their way through his fur and unto his skin. He would add his own opinion on the matter, but truthfully he wasn't a tactician. Vail wasn't a military man or a soldier. On the battlefield he would do better in leading an attack rather than planning one over a table. Silence would continue to grip the cat as he placed his hands on the edge of the table, halfway sitting on it while listening to the others speak. This was their first battle, wasn't it? The clones were designed for this very purpose, the very concept of choice foreign to them. Despite this being their first real fight, they were ready, prepared and eager to begin. Combat had a thrill to it unmatched by anything else, but hopefully they understood what they were getting themselves into. "No matter how we do this, our enemy has the upper hand. I am unsure of how effective a Clone Trooper is in combat, real combat...I am curious to see how far they are willing to stretch their humanity..." Clones already had a reputation, and some people saw them as nothing more than weapons with opinions. It would be interesting to see what they were truly capable of. Hopefully the Republic hadn't created the 'Flesh Droids' some believed these warriors to be. Each and everyone one of them was an individual, something that would be glaringly obvious in the face of danger. It was after all said that nothing got you to know someone more than the heat of battle. "Whenever they've decided on an attack plan, I'll be ready..." The cat's feline eyes would continue to analyse his allies, from one person to the other. "This ought to hurt more than a simulation..."

The second Jedi remained silent, Spook had obviously struck a nerve when he used the word 'it'. Blue gave the other clone a stern look with a clear message, watch your mouth around the Jedi. "Sorry general, we aren't used to seeing different faces."

The admiral slammed her hand down on the holo table drawing attention back to the discussion. "We have orders from the Senate to jump to Ord Mantell within the next two hours. Let's figure this out right now!" She was getting a little flustered, for the supposed command of the 417th Legion, they were beginning to act less than professional. "Master Krik said the tanks are going to scale the buildings and fire down on the enemy until I can give you air support, he's in charge so that's the plan."

Blue nodded in agreement. "She's right, now we have one more plan to sort out. Dar Stochen and his Resistance are located here." He turned back to the table and brought up a view of Fort Garrick on the planet surface. "The clankers have them surrounded but their formation is packed too tight. Spook, I know you want to support the charge on the urban facility but I need the entire 2nd infantry Regiment at Fort Garrick if we are going to have any chance of breaking their offensive."

"Divide and conquer." The admiral spoke up again, "Agreed, we'll also have to send half of our armored units with the second regiment."

"Right, with how the enemy is spread around Garrick we should be able to encircle them entirely with the Battalions under Commander Spook's command and half of our Armored Division. We'll outflank them and cut off any chance of retreat. They'll lose half of their droids before they even know what's happening."

"That depends on if your troops can pull such a maneuver off." The admiral said crossing her arms again. "The Clone Army is still untested."

"Oh don't worry about us admiral, we're the blasted best there is." Blue said with a chuckle. He turned back to the Ongree Jedi Master. "Of course this is all up to you sir. We're awaiting orders."

Krik had been silent since his former Padawan Vail Lencer had joined them on the bridge. Now, it was finally time to give the orders. "One last time then, now that everyone is present." Krik brought the hologram out to show the blockade, intending to run through the entire plan once more. "The Venators will come out of hyperspace and target this command ship here, accompanied by all but three of the Acclamators. These three, led by the Big Blue, will target this weak point here at the edge of the blockade. Once the blockade is dealt with, the Admiral will assemble our own planetary blockade to prevent any threat of escape and secure safe supply lines. From here, myself and Commander Blue will take the 1st Regiment and half of our AT-TEs to this complex here. The AT-TEs will scale the buildings and provide fire support for the four-pronged attack. General Lencer and Commander Spook will take the 2nd Regiment to lift the siege at Fort Garrick. It is crucial that you totally encircle the besieging forces and trap them between us and the militia. Air support will be crucial to the success of this task. Once the fort is secured, reinforce your position and make contact with the Resistance leaders, and ensure you are prepared for a counter attack." Jiyan Krik stood up as straight as his slouched form would allow him, and looked around the the faces of every member of the High Command. "This will not be easy. Expect fierce resistance and heavy casualties. Whatever happens, keep in contact, so that we can adjust according to how this unfolds." It was now time for the official orders. Krik's first orders as a General of the Grand Army of the Republic.

"Admiral, set our course for Ord Mantell. Prepare your fighter wings for combat and ensure some are kept in reserve in case the Separatists mobilize air forces against our ground assault. Send word to the rest of the fleet and get the bomber wings prepared to support General Lencer and Commander Spook's forces on the ground. Commander Blue, Commander Spook, ready the gunships and inform your men of the plan." Krik wasn't sure if his commands had come accross how he'd wanted them to. They seemed so convoluted in his mind as he ran through his words. Still, it was unimportant. They had a battle to fight. "May the Force be with you all."

Space over Ord Mantell

"Admiral, we'll be exiting hyperspace in five, four, three, two, one..." The abrupt drop out of hyperspace sent the entire bridge crew forward with a slight jolt. The Draigon appeared as close as it could to the droid command ship without plunging into it head-first.

"Concentrate fire on the Lucrehulk, deflector shields at full power." She yelled at her bridge crew. The clones ran about their stations with a hurried pace. The ship made as sharp a turn as it could to avoid contact with the enemy ship. "Send out the fighters." The ship's hangar opened and dozens of clone fighter pilots flew their ships into combat.

HotShot, Striker Squadron's leader, lead the charge. His ship sped out of the hanger first. The Separatist didn't even have anything in the air for him to shoot yet. He banked his ship hard to the right and started an attack run on the Lucrehulk with his pilots in formation following him closely. They made a full pass over the enemy before they even started firing back. Eventually dozens of droid fighters entered the battle. He made another hard turn and shot the first one he could see out o the sky. It exploded so close to his own ship that he had to dodge out of the way of the debris.

"That's one!" He yelled over the open comm.

"Keep the chatter to a minimum Striker One." The Admiral's voice filled his head. He simply grunted and shot another droid out of the sky. The Draigon began taking a few hits but the enemy was still in disarray. The concentrated fire of all four Venator Star Destroyers broke through the Lucrehulk's shields and began taking chunks of metal out of its hull.

"Sir, the enemy frigates are closing into our position." Captain Proto yelled from across the bridge.

"Get a few of our Acclamators to cut them off, the command ship is almost gone." As soon as she finished her orders the Clone Captain relayed them to the rest of the fleet. At least he followed orders well enough. The Draigon took another hit, this time sending a bump throughout the entire ship. She cursed under her breath and checked the console to her right. The shields were holding well enough but they couldn't take this combined fire for much longer.

A squadron of droid bombers headed for one of the Venators was interrupted by HotSHot and Dog. Each of the clones gathered two confirmed kills from the enemy squad. "WooHoo!" HotShot let out a cry of glee. He was having much ,ore fun than the simulations were ever able to give him.

"Shut it HotShot, you've got one on your tail." Dog said over the squadcomm. He fired at the droid chasing his friend and destroyed it, the battle was heating up.

"Karabast, thanks Dog." As he finished his statement the Lucrehulk exploded. The force sent large chunks of metal flying through space. He rolled his ship to dodge the debris bu one of the larger pieces killed one of his men. He cursed and rolled to dodge again.

Admiral Cieria smiled, but only briefly. "Split our ships down the middle and cut their formation in half. I want a U-Shaped battle line to surround the edges of each side of the blockacde in the middle." One of the enemy frigates also exploded. So far the battle was going well, the Separatist armada was cut off from each other. The Draigon headed for the other Lucrehulk in the fleet. "Did the Big Blue and the others get the troops on the ground yet?"

"The gunships are entering the atmosphere now sir." Captain Proto yelled back.

"Good, we've got a long way to go."

Surface of Ord Mantell

The gunships flew into the atmosphere above the enemy urban complex with the shutter doors closed. Twenty clones including Commander Blue and Lieutenant Kai from first company stood in the darkened passenger area with General Krik. A dim red light illuminated the plain white body armor of most of his men signifying that it was not yet time to unload.

"Nothing like a good battle to wake a soldier up eh Commander." Kai spoke up, a few of the other clones chuckled.

"If it wakes a soldier up I can only imagine what its doing to you Kai." That sent another wave of chuckles throughout the transport. The humor was short-lived however. The flak from the anti air guns could be felt bombarding the skies. The gunship next to their's exploded in a ball of fire.

"I'm going to have to land sir, this can't be flown through." The pilot's voice came over the comm.

"Understood." Blue answered back. "Get ready boys, we're about to show the tinnies how a real soldier fights."

"Damn straight sir." One of the men said. The ship landed roughly on the ground. After a few seconds the lit turned green and the doors opened. Droids were already on them, the man to Blue's left was shot in the chest and fell to the ground dead.

"Go go go." Kai yelled. The men sprinted forward firing their weapons. Blue took two of them down before taking cover behind a pile of rubble. They were in the outskirts of the facility and the battle had just begun.

[The Survivor]

Surface of Ord Mantell
CIS Stronghold
185th Attack Battalion

185th Battalion Commander Zeta felt the heat of an AA blast as it just barely missed his gunship. Major Ice whistled in appreciation as the blast exploded in a shower of energy behind them. Zeta ignored him and activated his communicator. "This Commander Zeta, all officers report." He was greeted with his Captains all reporting in, confirming status as battle ready. He started his second briefing of the day. "Remember, our objective is to take this stronghold. After that, we set up a base of operations so we can stay for a good while. Make sure you capture the points showed on your HUD. Good luck, lads." He cut off the communication and gripped his blaster rifle, the ground racing toward them now. They were greeted with red blaster fire, emerging from the various buildings around the LZ. "Light 'em up!" Ice ordered, firing his own blaster. The gunships turrets roared to life as the high-density laser ripped through the droids lackluster cover. "Go, Go, GO!" Zeta roared, waving the troopers onto the LZ, being the last one to leave the ship. He smacked the hull underneath the cockpit and the gunship took off, firing at enemies yet to be engaged by ground forces.

"Ice, take point, we have to clear these buildings and get up to the main entrance. Our boys are gonna need all the help we can get." The officer nodded and raced off, Zeta and the 2 dozen troopers right behind him. It seems that the gunship had done most of the damage. The droids had been hiding out in old abandoned storage cubes, hoping to ambush any clones that came this way. They had obviously failed. The team of clones cleared the remaining buildings with ease and rushed towards the main entrance, the sound of blaster fire becoming louder and louder. Zeta looked up to see more gunships approaching the stronghold, one erupting into a ball of flame after an AA blast hit it square in the nose. He grimaced as he blew the head off of a stray droid. This would be a bloody battle for sure. They group of clones emerged into the battlefield, the wall of the stronghold packed with turrets and droids. "Bloody hell." a trooper said as a volley of blaster fire raced toward them. "Get to cover, go, go go!" Zeta shouted, sprinting for the nearest wall. Three troopers didn't make it, the lasers ripping through their armor and sending them crashing to the ground. "Keep moving, troopers." Ice ordered, not even paying attention to the clone corpses. Ice took point once more as they jogged to join their brethren.

****

Captain Blade dove to the ground as an explosive was launched in his squad's direction, the projectile hitting the wall behind an abandoned vehicle, causing it to erupt in flames. Several troopers yelled, getting thrown off their feet, but no one had been killed. Yet. Blade was leading several of his platoons to flank the facility and scale up the right side of the stronghold, where the defense was weakest. Commander Zeta and his various other superiors already knew of this plan, which was proposed by him. He was to take two of his battalion's platoons and infiltrate the facility, fighting their way to one of the various power reactors to plant explosives, so, when detonated, the explosion would take down the energy field protecting the facility as a whole and do quite a bit of damage. Blade returned fire on the squad of droids, who was not expecting to see a mess of clone troopers down in the old access tunnels. Needless to say, they didn't present much of a challenge for the troopers. "Keep moving troopers, we're nearly there." he yelled down the tunnels behind him and he continued on, seeing a glimmer of light through the slightly opened gate at the end of the tunnel, which would lead out to the right side of the stronghold.

He ordered his tech trooper to get access to the panel that controlled the large gate. After a few minutes of tinkering, the ancient gates groaned to life and opened, revealing the right wall of the stronghold. Blade grinned behind his helmet when he saw there wasn't even a platoon of droids guarding it, just a few squads and some turrets. He silently motioned for his men to follow and they sprinted out into the light, straight for the wall. The droids noticed almost immediately and opened fire. The clones returned fire as Blade and various other troopers reached the base of the wall and started to set up the rappel guns. Firing in unison with 10 other clones, a sheet of rope flew up the side of the wall and hooked onto the railing. "Alright lads, reel 'em up!" he ordered, hitting the recall button on his own gun and flying towards the top. Blade and the first squad up hit the top with surprising velocity, diving over the line of defending droids and mowing them down. Blade looked around and saw that the other droids hadn't noticed and he motioned for the rest of his men to come up. While waiting for the rest of his men, Blade took a knee to review with his second in command for this op, 1st Lieutenant Wing. "Alright Wing, let's review the plans for this place." he said, looking around for any droids that might blow their cover. "Aye, sir." Wing pulled out a holo-map, it erupting to life with the plans to the reactor floor. "The reactor is one of the most heavily guarded locations in the facility and it's 10 floors below us. It'll be a hard fight, for sure. But if we get to it, it'll be game over for the clankers." He said confidently, putting away the holo-map. Blade watched the last trooper vault over the ledge. "Alright, let's move out!"

[Shard]

Vail Lencer

"And so it begins..." Vail stood leaning against the wall of the ship, awaiting their inevitable landing. The clones were all hyped up for this and luckily none of them was panicking. In the midst of war, anything could break you. These soldiers were all new, though. They had only been through training and none of them had faced this kind of danger head on. Their positive attitudes were enough to lift a sense of doubt from Vail's heart, however. They went into this prepared and eager to combat the droids. That was all a commander could ask for. The fact that none of them had seen a Tinnell before and reacted to a bipedal cat in a less than respectful manner wasn't all that surprising. It was incredibly rare to see a Tinnell outside of the Mid Rim, especially a Tinell in a position of prestige and authority. For twenty three years, Vail had never seen another Tinnell apart from his parents, it wasn't very common for them to leave the Mid Rim.

Jedi Master Jiyan Krik's voice would appear in the young Jedi's head, going over the plan once more for the Knight to zero in on the details. The man had been like a father to Vail for quite a few years, and he had taught the cat all there was to know about Jedi history, about lore and about the force. Never once had Krik criticised Vail on his limited use in the force, probably knowing that this limitation was indeed a strength if used correctly. "General Lencer and Commander Spook will take the 2nd Regiment to lift the siege at Fort Garrick. It is crucial that you totally encircle the besieging forces and trap them between us and the militia. Air support will be crucial to the success of this task. Once the fort is secured, reinforce your position and make contact with the Resistance leaders, and ensure you are prepared for a counter attack."

Softly tapping his clawed finger against his bicep, Vail waited for his ship to land. The moment that door would open, all hell would break loose. How many clones would die this day? This battle was not going to go without casualties and even though a Clone Trooper was worth two or three droids, the sheer amount of blaster fire they would need to endure from the robotic creatures could overwhelm them. Funny how a five foot tall cat was leading this charge to retake Fort Garrik. It was going to be a bloody task, but the calm in Vail's chest didn't waver. The moment the general lost his sense of calm, the rest would follow. He needed to remain in control, in harmony with himself. Luckily then that the five foot tall cat who seemed more cute than threatening was a Jedi revelling in combat.

Spook, he was the one who had called Vail an it, wasn't he? In hindsight it was just funny, but the occurrence was more uncommon than one would expect. The absolute majority of races in the galaxy were used to odd, weird and plainly disturbing sights from other species so few ever called Vail an it. However, it would be a lie to say that his appearance never affected his situation. The cat was small, he was lithe to the point where some would even call him scrawny and of course, he was fluffy. Despite this, his physical strength by far surpassed his appearance and many other creatures bigger than him. The answer was obvious. The force running through his muscles like blood through a body elevated his capabilities astoundingly.

"Everyone..." The cat would finally speak for the first time, his quiet and serene voice filling the ship's interior as he approached the door. They were closing in on the point of landing. "Try to have some fun..." Turning to look at the clones, Vail managed a soft grin just as the door opened, his white lightsaber igniting in response. It was time to attack, to join the dance. Vail motioned towards cover for the troopers to find a defensive position and a good vantage point, entering this battle.

As the Tinnell moved, his speed was quite impressive, as if a weaker version of Force Speed automatically blessing every step he took in a zig-zagged dash towards cover. Now that the droids had their fire aimed at him, it would give the Clone Troops a chance to shoot them down effectively. "Work as a team, do not let your brothers fall..." The only way they could do this was if they all worked together. Vail despised ranged combat, though charging into enemy ranks would surely get him killed. As it was now, all he could do was act as a decoy until the situation allowed for him meet their enemies with his blade.

[Vhagar]

With the gunship doors closed, everything suddenly seemed to become so much more real. Jiyan Krik stood in the dim red light, wedged among a dozen and a half or so clone troopers, including Commander Blue and one of his Lieutenants. The chatter was idle, but Krik stayed silent. He was entirely focused on the task at hand. Two hours ago he had given the order to jump to Ord Mantell, and since then he had done nothing but meditate, preparing himself for the battle at hand. Now, however, he stood in the passenger area of an LAAT gunship, still in the hangar, waiting for the signal to head planetside.

The wait seemed to drag on forever. In the distance, the sounds of a naval battle indicated that the Red Draigon and the three other Venators had made contact with the Separatist blockade. Krik's thoughts fell briefly on whether or not he had made the right call. If the fleet failed to penetrate the blockade then the assault was doomed to fail as well. Either way, men would die today, and it would be at Krik's command. But if he let himself get caught up in guilt, he would fail as a General.

After what seemed like hours but could have only been minutes, Krik heard the whir of the gunship engines and felt it lift from the hangar floor. The chatter among the clones picked up, and the Lieutenant's name was revealed to be Kai. Despite the situation, the clones seemed to be utterly without fear. This is what they were trained for, Krik tried to remind himself. It was reassuring to see such eagerness from his men. The gunship jolted slightly as the gunships entered the atmosphere, and almost instantly the boom of the anti-air guns grew deafening. Krik could hear explosions either side, but it was difficult to tell whether they were detonating flak rounds or if another LAAT had just been shot down.

"I'm going to have to land sir, this can't be flown through." The pilot's voice came over the comm. A new wave of excitement rushed through the men in the passenger bay. This was finally it. The gunship touched down, skidding a few feet along the ground before finally reaching a stop. The sound of the guns grew louder, and the air became thick with the ring of blaster fire. The light switched to green. The doors slid open.

Krik flicked his lightsaber from his wrist, and the blue blade hummed into life. The Jedi Master went into autopilot, running from the gunship into the thick of the battle. He could hear screams behind him, to the left and to the right. Battle cries, cries for help, cries of pain. Krik deflected an incoming laser bolt, and then another, and then another. Bolts of red tore down towards General Krik's forces, and bolts of blue rushed back to meet them. Until the AT-TEs were in place atop the surrounding towers, there was little the First Regiment could do to force an advance. For now it was a game of getting as close as they could with minimal casualties. Krik sheltered behind the wreckage of an LAAT gunship and Commander Blue came up at his side.

Krik looked back at his troops. The majority of them had made it to ground, but they had landed much closer than they had intended, and right into the firefight. The first AT-TEs were beginning their ascent of the buildings, and some were landing in support of Blue's battalion. Their mass-driver cannons let out a tremendous boom as they sent crowds of battle droids flying. Krik's attention was devoted to a nearby LAAT. It was smoldering and cries could be heard from inside. Two clone troopers were prying the door open. "Get away from there!" Krik shouted to the pair, but his voice was lost among the cacophony of blaster fire and explosions. Both clones entered, and a moment later the flames engulfed them as the ship exploded. There was so much death already and the day was only just beginning.

"Commander Blue." Krik turned his attention back to the Clone at his side. "Rally your men and prepare to advance. I will lead the charge and try to draw the majority of the fire. We just have to push on slowly until the AT-TE walkers are in position." Krik glanced at the nearest tower. Two walkers were crawling up the side, and were close to the top. "If we get caught up here, our assault is doomed to failure." Krik left the commander with that, and jumped up over the LAAT, back into the line of fire. Instantly a target, the Ongree Jedi stood at the tip of the spear, flicking away red bolts with ease as they hurtled towards his men. The AT-TEs would not be fully effective until Commander Zeta's men took out the shield, Krik knew, but for now all they could do was fight on. Jiyan Krik just hoped that Vail's forces were faring better than his own.

[Bluetommy]

ACC-22006, "BIG BLUE"

From the time his orders were given, P-011 was ready.

He always had to be, an order could change in an instant, it could have not worked in the first place, and thus a fixing was required. This day, neither of those was an option, it was do it once, or everybody dies. Pressure was something P-011 was excellent under, though nobody else seemed to be, lazy sods.

The orders were simple, the admiral sent them personally, something that P-011 was flattered by, someone recognized his talents for once. They were in the bridge, him and the rest of the officers, they were supposed to receive a transmission, Wolf helped them remember. The hologram burst to life, and P-011 was face to face with a Chiss female. Now, P-011 felt no attraction, he felt little attraction to anyone really, but Cannonball's pleased sigh was audible, and Claw looked away, a visible blush on his face. How cute, the clones saw a woman, it was like seeing a small child "fall in love", or a puppy meeting it's new owner for the first time. P-011 sighed disappointedly, leaning into the table. "So admiral, what are my orders?" He asked passionlessly. The admiral looked at him, her red eyes seeming to examine his soul, just a cold glare. P-011 leant back into his chair and yawned, stretching his arms over his head. The admiral finally spoke up, in a cool and authoritative tone. "Your job is to split from the main force, attack the weak part of the blockade, land the men, and then regroup, can you handle that?" She sounded confrontational, angry or frustrated, like the possibility of failure itself angered her. P-011 laughed out loud with closed eyes, clapping his gloved hands together a few times. He remained in his lean, one arm laying flat on the back of the chair, the other on his knee. "Please admiral..." He smiled from ear to ear, his head going down and his eyes going upwards. "I can more than handle it." The admiral didn't even bat an eye, simply holding her head up, which meant he was supposed to salute. So P-011 clapped his heels together and saluted, though, standing up was usually expected, pfft, he barely knew this admiral, he'd salute once she'd proven herself. She looked disgusted, before the hologram turned off.

"I'm not sure that was necessary sir." Claw interjected, looking as he usually did, mildly angry, eyebrows down and mouth closed. P-011 stood slowly, turning to him and shooting back the same look, though his was better, the milky eye always made him more intimidating than others. "What wasn't?" Claw's face didn't change, one thing P-011 learned about Claw was that he wasn't intimidated easily. "The whole 'I'm so scary' bit you did." P-011 scoffed, rolling his entire head instead of just his eye, before stomping one foot forwards and pointing directly at Claw's armored chest. "She tried to do it to me, just returning the favor." He said, overenunciating the last sentence. Claw walked up to P-011, to the point where his finger was touching Claw's chest. Claw didn't look angry, just his usual face. "Big scary man huh Polly? You just ruined any chance you had at a promotion." Their eyes met for a minute, before P-011 burst out laughing. "You're lucky you're my first mate, or I'd have had you fired as soon as we got on the ship. Now, on to business, you all heard that right?" P-011 said, backing away and addressing all the officers with open arms. They nodded in recognition. Planting his arms akimbo, P-011 spoke clearly and loudly, as if he wanted the entire crew to hear. "We're the landing ship, so that means we're focusing on shields for the next little bit, Thor, where are our engineers working?" Thor was chewing on a cigarra, as usual, it made him scowl every time. He pulled it out of his mouth, blowing smoke into the room. "Focusing on our engine right now, Toast says his guys are doing well." P-011 snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Focus on our shields, keep them up as long as possible." Thor bowed. "Yessir." P-011 turned back into the room. "Everyone else, do what you're trained to do." Everyone saluted, before leaving, everyone except Claw, who returned to the helm, he seemed worried. P-011 looked over, mouth agape. "It'll go well Claw, just you wait." Claw didn't look up. "I sure hope so."

That was before, now, he was in orbit around the target, the last few minutes a blur, the rush of combat was too much fun! His division encountered the frigate they heard about while moving in, and they didn't know what hit them, a few spins from Claw, a little peppering from Wolf, and they were gone.

Entering the planet's atmosphere was hard on Big Blue, and it took all the shield it had to prevent hull damage. Normally it was fine, but fire from the ground made it much more difficult. Wolf sent out the gunships, and the landing started. "Sir, should we send out bombers?" His voice came over the bridge comms, the echoing of the hangar heard under his voice. P-011 held a hand to his chin, responding coolly. "No, this is only our first objective, we rejoin the armada, then we return to begin bombardment, there's still ships in orbit." Claw immediately made moves to leave orbit, he knew P-011 too well.

After a quick burst of G-force, the ship was back in space, P-011 could see the two forces engaging, explosions and blaster bolts lit up the sky. P-011 pointed to the battle, smirking a bit, "Blue squadron, move to engage!" Big Blue's engines roared to life, and the ship traveled towards the battle, flanked by the other acclamators. "We're coming in behind, so engagements with fighters will be minimal, Wolf, focus on getting our bombers in position, strike fast, then retreat and get the fighters in to destroy any interceptors." P-011 remained calm, despite battle being about to begin, he took deep breaths to calm any anxiety he had, a technique stressed by his instructors, it worked well enough.

---

Wolf's assault

Immediately, Wolf's voice came over the hangar intercom, which also reached the barracks, he yelled to get the clones' attention, though it came out wrong, he seemed flustered by the concept of real battle, sure it was no less dangerous than a training sim, or even the frigate earlier, but... Hmm, he couldn't think of a reason to be afraid actually, caution to the wind then. "All pilots, report to the hangar immediately, this is not a drill." Wolf then stomped out of the room, grabbing his helmet on the way out. 'Let's show these buggers what Blue Squadron's made of.'

Walking down the halls, helmet under his shoulder, Wolf was not happy, no sane person would be, he was knowingly sending hundreds of men to their deaths, no pressure. Turning to his right, Wolf came face to face with the hangar door, he exhaled deeply, before throwing his helmet on, and entering the hangar. Immediately the smell of oil and burning gas entered his nose, he could also smell some bacta, some had been injured during the initial battle with the frigate, though a quick bath in bacta did a lot of good, most of them were back to fighting condition already. Scanning the room, Wolf saw tons of clones running back and forth, some entering ships, others repairing them, Wolf didn't care though, he spotted his fighter, his Liberator. Running over, and hopping in, Wolf preformed all the necessary preparations, then took off.

Entering space, Wolf saw the rest of the troops leave the hangar, eager to fight, Wolf came over the comms, directing it to everyone. "Bombers, focus on the cruisers, try to take out their engines, then return to base, don't remain out in the air longer than necessary, once you return, stand by for further instructions." Wolf exhaled. This was gonna be a fight, the Confederate fleet was huge, though taken by surprise, it wouldn't be long before they retaliated, he had to act fast. After a few seconds, explosions erupted from the closest cruisers, than more, and more, the bombers reached their targets handily, one or two cruisers retched, before erupting in a magnificent light-show. Wolf gawked for a second, before shaking his head, and flying forwards. "All fighters! Group up and engage!" He yelled out as loud as possible, adrenaline was already showing it's effects on him, he thought a hundred miles a minute, his body felt numb, but he was able to maneuver his ship as if he were born in it.

A drone fighter flew into view, and Wolf turned his attention onto it. "Dammit! Where's my squad?" The fighter flew towards Wolf, corkscrewing from above. Wolf accelerated forwards, flying towards the nearest enemy cruiser. The fighter followed him. Wolf rolled to the right just as he reached the fighter, flying along the hangar side. Red bolts flew by him, but Wolf flew left to right repeatedly, and they flew harmlessly by. He knew he couldn't keep this up, and soon one of their comrades would collapse in on him, Wolf began to sweat profusely. Then, an explosion and then a slam was heard behind him. Looking back, Wolf saw the remnants of an explosion on the cruiser, and another Liberator flew in behind him. "Looks like I just saved you, commander!" A clone's voice erupted through Wolf's ship, echoing a few times before resting. Wolf was relieved, but remained taut, the battle wasn't over yet. "You did, whoop-dee-doo, dot your i's and keep going, we still have to win this." Wolf's brow furrowed, and he flew up, his squad forming up with him in arrowhead formation. "Let's go then!" Wolf yelled excitedly, and the fighters dove towards the main engagement.

[The Scotsman]

Commander Spook

99th Storm Battalion
2nd Infantry Regiment

Commander Spook, unsettled by the decision to ensure the lives of thousands to a cat, turned to his new comrade. "Looks like we'll be working closely from now on, General."

On route to Fort Garrick

The LAAT flew smoothly until the skies split with thunder and shrapnel. The transport ship juddered in the air and the teeth of the men to his left and right clacked together. The trooper to his left tightened the fist around the pistol grip and Spook watched as his hands relaxed and constricted at even intervals. The commander flicked through his HUD and changed the communication channel to 'Regiment'. "Listen up 2nd. This may be out first battle, but we have proved ourselves for 10 years. For 10 years we have grown and evolved from younglings to men to warriors, the hands that will carry the Jedi, the backs that break under the weight of the Republic. Do not sacrifice your life for something you may not believe in, but for your friends to your left and to your right. For your major's who have raised you like their children. For me, because you are my men. Whatever happens on the ground below, remember that you are not a clone. You are an individual. We will not leave you or forsake you, and we will fight for you and you fight for one another. Fight for the end and for victory, for survival. Your comrades will do the same," the Commander said. Major Angel, who was seated near the front of the ship, contacted Spook. "That was beautiful, General. I'll see you in the dirt."

"I'll see you down there. Survive this, Angel, I need you. You're a good man," Spook replied. He looked back at Angel and they met each others steely gaze, a slight nod between the two. This would be a tricky battle, their first. He had no doubt that the 2nd and the 99th would prove themselves beyond a doubt; but how many good men like Angel would have to die for their recognition? As far as Spook was concerned, a single soldier of his was too much but that was unrealistic. There was only one way to measure this and that was to count the empty seats on the ride home. Spook looked along the other side of the LAAT to Vail Lencer, their designated Jedi. He had obviously proven himself to become a Knight, but what use was a General that didn't speak, but the descent of the LAAT to ground triggered Vail. Spook listened carefully and shook his head minutely. Telling a clone bred for war to have fun? Telling an untested clone bred for war to have fun? They were tense, anxious, prepared but frightened. Fun wasn't even above luck in the things necessary for war.

The rear doors opened and an enemy shot sped through the centre walkway striking the plating behind the cockpit. "99th, on me! Get those damned clankers!" The soldiers ejected from their seats and rushed out in to the rising tide of red rounds, slowly being fought back by the green undercurrent.

417th Flagship Ven 000417 “Red Draigon”

"Men, your attention," Commander Spook said. The soldiers stopped their chatting and turned in their seats, backs arched straight and knees together. A good sign for the incoming battle, they were disciplined. "We're going to war today."

The hall groaned with silence. The rushing water in the pipes behind the walls was like white noise rising in intensity. "I've just come from a discussion with Commander Blue of the 1st, the Admiral, and two Jedi. The objectives have been determined, which are to help Dar Stochen and his resistance force by breaking the siege of Fort Garrick by Separatist droids. I want you all to remember that Dar Stochen and his men are the sole reason we still have a chance on this planet. Rest assured, soldiers, that we will do everything we can to help this man. Now, for the plan of attack," the Commander said. He pressed a button on the interface he held on his hand and a map of Fort Garrick grew from a small device on the floor. A squat, sprawling building shimmered into view, the image a ghostly blue. "This is Fort Garrick," the Commander stated. He circled around the building in red. "This is the Separatist army. We need to get past them to make contact with Stochen and then contact Commander Blue. The officers have discussed this and we have devised the plan that we feel best suit the situation. Garrick is on the relatively flat plains underneath Mantellia Conlis. Besides Conlis, there's nothing but rolling plains for miles. We can't advance from the ground, and we can't hide. Conlis is too far for an effective advance from cover, but it can be used. The first step is to encircle the droids though. Therefore we'll be hitching a ride on the LAAT's until we're only a half a kilometre out. I'm trusting our pilots can evade whatever artillery we encounter as we haven't had any reports on numbers. The LAAT's will fly in from eight different directions, from above cloud cover and reducing to low-altitude for the advance. You will evacuate the ship and spread out, about 1.5 metres apart from our calculations. At that point you will lay waste to anything that does not have flesh. I want you to fire and fire until every clanker is scrap metal. You will not move from your position, and you will not lose your position. You have the advantage in training and in weaponry. Once the clankers have been engaged, and hoping their artillery is distracted, a single LAAT hiding behind Conlis will fly into Fort Garrick and reinforce them with weapons and troops, who will then attack the enemy from inside. The LAAT from behind Conlis has to be fast, it has to be speeding to the ground. We're hoping it can reach inside the Fort before the droids realising anything. Whoever that pilot is, we need you to do that. We need you to bet in there faster than you've ever plummeted and to be able to land it. The LAAT doesn't even have to be in one piece! But my troops do, so we need you to succeed. After that, it's simply a job of exterminating. Soldiers of the 2nd, you are the bravest men anyone could ever hope to work with. Prepare yourselves, and meet at the launching bay in one hour." The Commander caught the eye of Major Angel departing, who looked melancholic. The days of simulations were dead; may the days of bloodshed commence.

Breaking the siege of Fort Garrick

The sunlight peaking around the tip of Mantellia Conlis was blinding. The Commander and half of the 99th had the extremely unfortunate luck to be fighting into the sun. "Company, increase the darkness on your visors! This sun will kill us before the enemy gets the chance to! Fire at will!" Spook roared. He rolled the setting down and suddenly the gravitas of the situation became clear, red lasers blocked out the light and all of his men were diving into the dirt for better protection and steadier aim. Their instincts were working well, they were showing they were soldiers. Spook swelled with pride that burst when an enemy blaster round singed the dirt by his left elbow. He swivelled back to face the enemy and fired rounds at solid enemies he could distinguish. Any target would do. The droids scrambled around in sheer panic, allowing the clones to suppress them. Suddenly the red glare of receiving fire died away like the sunrise to the effervescent bliss of morning sunshine. Which, in this case, was the glorious green of the 2nd Regiment. Droids retreated behind cover while the clones suppressed them. A practice which was going swimmingly until the artillery blew up some men only forty metres away. Their bodies hurled upwards, limbs detaching at the apex of their leap and landed a few feet from the owner. "Company, return fire! DO not let the droids gain the upper hand here, we need to keep their heads down and blasters pointed away!" Spook informed his soldiers. Another round delimbed soldier to his right, followed by another two rounds to his left. They had three guns, he had realised. The first two had been slow on the uptake when the clones first attacked, but they had joined in now.

"Conlis Company, get in the air. On my mark, swing around the mountain and get that ship in the Fort!" the Commander said. "Roger, good copy. On your mark," the pilot responded. Another set of rounds hit the ground shredding soldiers. Those rounds were coming ten seconds apart. Spook waited until the next set landed. More soldiers disintegrated. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... "Launch! Get yourself in there immediately!" Eruption.

Commander Spook woke up startlingly. He glanced around the sky, lolling his head side to side. He was still on Ord Mantell, easily defined by the raging battle taking place. Spook looked to his left and saw the crater followed by the shape of a baked helmet; the head was still attached. The tail of the LAAT was sticking out of the ground, heavy spirals of smoke twirling into the blue ocean above. Spook activated his comlink. "Angel... did you get... in the... Fort..." No reply. "Angel... Major Angel..." Static.

"I'm really busy right now Spook! The buckets of bolts caught on quicker than we anticipated, and a few lucky shots managed to bring us down. Poor pilot got it through the kidney. Thankfully he exploded to death," Angel responded. The sound of rapid blaster fire told him Angel was performing as should. "What... about the others?" Spook asked. He coughed up some blood and groaned before sitting himself up. "Most of us survived, but the clankers are starting to fire at us instead!" Angel replied.

Spook stood up shakily. He changed communication channels to 'Regiment' again and breathed deeply before talking. "We got our men in but they're in a lot of danger right now. The droids have started attacking them, and the state of play of the Fort is that the droids are going to storm them before the hour is done. Our men are in there, let's show these rust-buckets what humans do for their own," Spook said. He picked his own rifle up and levelled it at the sources of the red lasers. Pshow, pshow, pshow pshow pshow, pshowpshowpshow. Droid after droid fell as the men of the 2nd advanced together, uniformly. The ones that Spook aimed at weren't necessarily the ones that fell, more than occasionally it was the ones nearby due to his wobbly walking, but the only good droid is a broken droid. Spook continued firing. The closing circle of clones stopped at the edge of the droids' defenses. They used these barricades and husked vehicles to recuperate, regain their breath, compose their aim. Many of them still fired over the top, trying to eliminate the remaining few droids. Only a few dozen remained but they had encamped themselves in the maze of their siege defenses, so rooting them out would be tricky. "Soldiers, this is as close to CQC as I intend to get on this planet. Group up in fours, watch your corners and watch each others backs'. Let's get these bolts." At that, three soldiers hurried to Spook. "We're with you, Commander," the first said. "What's your name, soldier?" Spook asked. "The name's Squeal, this is Whiplash-" motioning to the soldier a distance back behind his left shoulder, "and that's Blowhole. Whiplash is on point," Squeal said. Spook, never one to damper initiative especially when the men had fought and achieved, followed orders.

Whiplash turned the corners without the barrel of the DC-15A rifle even shaking. He was evidently a marksman, designated by the longer blaster rifle. Whiplash had once missed a corner on his advance, and a droid had flung himself at the clone as it had obviously run out of ammo enough to resort to melee. Squeal had charged forward and launched the droid nearly 10 feet through the air and into a rusted tank hull. It was at that point Blowhole screamed and lunged forward, his boot rocketing into the droids casing and decimating the robot-equivalent of a skull. The ability to understand at an instant the need of a comrade's help and the immediate reaction to save his friend was enthralling. The way they traversed this maze, and saved Whiplash's life was nothing short of miraculous. If the rest of his regiment showed as much loyalty as these three did, his men were unbeatable. It was then the call over the comlink came: "Sectors are clear, all droids have been eradicated."

The howling, manical cheering was infectious. Their first mission was not only an extreme success, but one that was vital to the first steps to winning the war. Squeal, Blowhole, and Whiplash danced and sang, shaking each other hands. "I must say, you three were very impressive. Which battalion are you?" Spook asked. Whiplash responded, "We're all from the 75th Attack Battalion." SPook thought about this for a moment. "No you're not, you're part of the 99th now. Welcome to the elite boys, you all deserve it."

Inside the Fort, Spook walked through the crowds until he found Angel with a younger clone ursing a head wound. Blood pulsed out and his skin was as pale as an exogorth. Angel stood and walked to Spook. "Damn kid saved my life. Took a laser to the brain when I got shot in the arm trying to defend me," he said morosely. "He's not a kid, Angel. You are the same age. He was brave, we'll make sure he gets a burial. How are you?" Spook asked. Angel shrugged, tired and sad. A dirty, bloody trooper walked past. "Trooper! Find me Dar Stochen and the Jedi cat, Lencer."

[The Survivor]

CIS Stronghold
185th Attack Battalion
Captain Blade's Task force

Captain Blade took cover behind a pillar as his task force once again came under fire. They were on the 6th level now and still had 4 more to go and the droids weren't getting any nicer. "Destroyers, incoming!" yelled a trooper as a squad of destroyers rolled to assist the battle droids. A hell-storm of blaster beams unleashed from the droid opposition and the troops returned fire. Blade scowled as he blasted a battle droid in the head and yelled to his Lieutenant "Get some bloody droid poppers out there!". The officer relayed the message and a few moments later, over a dozen EMP grenades were thrown to the mass of droids. A large, volatile electrical explosion followed and the troops finished off the destroyers, their shields gone and battle droid companions hunks of useless metal. A thick silence settled for a few moments before Wing started to reorganize the platoons to continue. Blade stepped out from behind cover and sighed, taking off his helmet to let the fresh air cool his face. The majority of the right side of his face was a burn scar from a SpecOps training mission and his right eye milky white from the damage. While having performed admirably, it wasn't enough to be accepted as a republic commando. But instead he got a company of men. Wing came up to him and gave him the report. "We lost over half a dozen men in that last skirmish. We have 52 men left, but they're all tired and more than half have minor wounds." Blade nodded and slid his helmet back on, he addressed the task force. "Only 4 more levels to go lads, remember, we were assigned this mission because we're the best damn company in the Legion and this is our chance to prove it. So let's move out!" This seemed to reinvigorate the remaining troops and they got to their feet, following Blade deeper into the base.

It was hard fighting and at least a dozen more clones were killed trying to get to the reactor. Out of the 72 men that were assigned to this mission from Blade's company, there were only 40 left and the number was dwindling. "Frag out!" Blade yelled as he lobbed as grenade at the battle droids who were entrenched at the Reactor entrance. The ceiling turrets opened fire at the clones just as the explosion went off, taking out a turret and the majority of the guarding battle droids. The clones returned fire, and after several minutes of intense firefight, the guards were destroyed. "Get that reactor door open." Blade ordered, a tech clone jogged up to the door as the rest established a secure perimeter. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the clone finally got the door opened. "'Bout damn time." Corporal Sun muttered, who was carrying the charges. "Alright soldier, get in there and do your thing." Blade said, slapping him on the back as he passed the Captain. Sun nodded, stepping into the room cautiously, blaster at the ready. When there was no one in the room, he holstered his blaster and planted the charges with a few adjustments. "Good to go, Captain!" Sun confirmed, taking out his blaster and jogging out. "We have 10 minutes to get the hell out of here."

****

Commander Zeta sprinted towards Commander Blue, telling his men to join the others in the main assualt. He saw the General leap over the downed LAAT with ease and into the fray. He slid into cover next to the Commander, taking a few potshots at some stray droids. "Sir, Blade and his men should have the shield down any moment now." As if on cue, an earth shaking BOOM!!! rocked the stronghold and the surrounding area, the massive shield surrounding it dying and major parts of the base erupting into flame. Zeta smiled behind his helmet, knowing Blade would get the job done. "I believe that's our cue." he said, and pushed forward with the other men.

[Shard]

Vail Lencer

The chaos erupting all around him was an explosive inferno, the sound of blasters deafening to the ears. Vail saw how clone soldiers were falling in equilibrium with the droids, but so far the clones were on the winning side. The imminent destruction of a LAAT ship was an unexpected addition to the mix but one that Vail's senses did not miss. Upon its devastating demise, the cat was thrown back due to the shockwave but dug his claws into the ground and returned to his feet before raising his lightsaber to meet the debris heading for him with immense force. One, two and three powerful strikes of his lightsaber to the metallic pieces of burning ship blew them away from connecting with Vail's frame. He would however not have time to breathe before noticing the explosive effect this disaster had on his squad. With the chaos not pausing for a second, it was hard to pinpoint and differentiate between the clones but it all boiled down to who was still moving. Vail didn't know if Spook was still alive but right now all he could do was continue the battle in hopes of seeing the clone commander alive on the other side of the wall.

Charging forth, Vail moved between the blaster shots and deflected several bolts with speed and precision on his way towards a small group of droids. Once he came in contact with their lines, the cat swung his devastating blade in a wide arc and decapitated four droids in a single strike, moving into the thicket of them before executing a spiral cut to remove torso from legs, lowering every droid around him to the dust. Despite the horrific chaos, one thing was very distinct on the cat's face, his smile. Much unlike a traditional Jedi, Vail seemed to enjoy this. With something that could only be described as a chuckle, Vail shoved his hand forth and grabbed a droid by the throat, crushing its plates beneath his grip before throwing the metallic corpse into another group of droids and knocked them off their feet. Without a second to breathe, the cat lunged forth like a predator and rammed his fist into a grounded droid, hearing the cracking sound of its metal shell caving in under the weight of his strike.

Leaving his position, Vail knew that he could never stay in one place for very long before moving. Standing still for as much as a second would leave him a pincushion for laser bolts. With a backflip, the cat felt how the force infused every single action he made, flowing through his body like liquid in a bottle. He raised his blade and sliced another droid in half upon landing on the ground, starting from the top of its head and separated its two halves as his lightsaber slid down its frame. With extreme disorientation, the droids didn't know if they were going to keep their attention on the Jedi or the Clones who were mowing them down. Though, it was rather hard to get a good shot on the feline creature as he moved from droid to droid as if a blur of white, his saber dancing around his body to leave a trail of decapitated limbs. Just as a droid was going to fire a shot into the Jedi's gut, he managed to move out of the way and placed his hand on the rifle's barrel, moving it out of the way and saw how the blast connected with the droid's ally. A second passed before a powerful backhand connected with the droid's head and sent the metallic bucket flying to the ground. "Are we having fun yet...?" Vail's grin widened as he was closing in on the fortress, droids falling to the ground all around him from shots fired by his allied Clones.

The savage fighting contained within this feline creature was both graceful and terrifying with all the grace of a cat and and the savage strength of a lion, all the while he didn't say a single word, never making a single sound apart from chuckling due to the pleasure coming from this battle. Vail felt his heartbeat accelerating but his mind was still at peace, a sense of zen and serenity filling him through the fight's escalating chaos. Raising his blade for another series of strikes, Vail noticed how several clones managed to make their way into the fortress, a successful mission indeed. He sliced his way through his fair share of enemies until he eventually entered the walls of the fort, seeing how the clones made short work of the droids that remained. Twirling the hilt of his saber between his fingers, Vail retracted his sword and returned the hilt to his belt, hearing how his name was mentioned from a certain someone who had managed through this battle. "Well done, Commander..." The Jedi would speak, walking up behind him. The cat's eyes would however quickly drop to the clone trooper lifeless in the arms of another, someone who had been struck in the head.

Kneeling down in front of the lifeless warrior, Vail carefully placed his clawed hand on the trooper's shoulder, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "You have all shown courage worthy of praise and song...It has been an honour fighting besides you..." The feline would look up at the one known as Angel, his eyes meeting the clone with sincerity. "Once the battle subsides, they will get a proper burial..." Even though the fort had been retaken, there was still much to do. This was no time to relax, the droids were in no way going to retreat from this battle and the Clones couldn't afford to lower their guard.

[Vandy]

117th Attack Battalion

"Commander Blue." Krik turned his attention back to the Clone at his side. "Rally your men and prepare to advance. I will lead the charge and try to draw the majority of the fire. We just have to push on slowly until the AT-TE walkers are in position."

“Aye sir.” Blue responded. He barely had time to get his words out before the general was busy cutting down droids. “Alright 117th we’re advancing. Major Pierce I want those anti air cannons either captured or destroyed ASAP. Everyone else push further into the city.”

“First Company is on the job sir.” Pierce’s voice rang back through the comm followed by a string of Mandalorian profanity aimed at the Separatists. The battle sure hadn’t dampened the Major’s spirits yet.

Blue popped up from his cover and shot down three battle droids before advancing. He took cover again behind a duracrete building that was mostly reduced to rubble. The sounds of explosions rang all around him. Two other clones that were following him were shot down by the super battle droids advancing down the street directly in front of him. Blue leaned from behind the wall tore through the nearest one with his DC-15 Blaster Rifle before retreating behind the safety of the crumbling building. He was joined by Lieutenant Kai who slid into cover barely being missed by the advancing machines.

“Sir there’s no way my platoon can link up with the rest of 1st company under this heavy fire.” The officer stated. He turned to his right and fired into the hole that lead inside the building itself. The droids were advancing from several sides.

“We landed to close, most of the Battalion is cut off from each other. I want you to find Milo and the third Company, they should be closer. Support them and then push to the anti-air cannons to link up with Pierce.”

“If you say so sir.” Kai ran back into the fight and gathered his men. The platoon followed their officer through the building that Blue was taking shelter behind. A few of them were hit but the majority broke through the enemy lines. The Commander attempted to peak out into the street but had to retreat before an enemy rocket took his head off. A chunk of wall exploded and peppered his army with dirt and grime.

“Captain Cut, you’re with the General. He should be somewhere towards the front by now.” Blue said over his comm-link. He heard an affirmative click through his helmet. Apparently Cut was too busy getting shot at to answer verbally.

******

Sergeant Deuce cried in agony as Bacta pulled his shoulder armor piece off to inspect his wound. They were close to one of the anti-air cannons, a mere twenty yards to be exact. The large weapon was constructed as a tower, the same as the other cannons surrounding the facility. It stood a reasonable distance away from the enemy shield that protected the center of the compound. The gun at the top of the three story-high tower rotated at the top and shot down a gunship that had gotten entirely too close.

Specialist Boomer was keeping them covered as best as he could using his DC-15 but he had lost his rocket launcher earlier and two rolling Droidekas had started to advance on their position. They were in the lobby area of what must have been some kind of business office on the planet before the construction of the Separatist military base that was now present in the city. Bacta had Deuce leaned up against a durasteel desk as he treated his wound. Boomer was taking cover at the front of the room behind the wreckage that was once the building’s main entrance. The shielded droids slowly advanced toward the three clones as their weapons released a volley of red energy bolts.

“Blasted clankers!” Bacta barely heard Boomer yell over the sound of the battle. The extremely too close for comfort cannon tower deafened his ears each time it fired a shot.

“Karabast hold still you whining protocol droid.” The medic yelled as he wrapped a bandage around Deuce’s wound. The usually charming sergeant was too busy passing out from pain to protest. When he was finished, the medic set the other clone down on his back in order to let him get as much rest as was possible under this much fire. Bacta poked his head over the desk and retreated back down instantly, barely dodging a barrage of red energy.

Boomer turned to fire at the advancing droids once more to fire but was thrown back from a gigantic explosion. His wind was knocked out of him as he landed flat on his back. His vision went blurry and he could only barely make out the silhouette of a super battle droid now standing over him. He reached for his discarded weapon but it was too late.

The droid fell on top of him with six burning holes in its back. An armored boot kicked the droid off of Boomer and a hand reached down to help him up. The clone took the hand and slowly stood as he regathered his strength. The anti-air gun that once stood twenty yards away from the building he was standing in was replaced by a massive pile of debris.

“One down, eleven to go.” The voice next to him sounded like a clone. Boomer looked to his side where the man was standing.

“Where did you come from?” Boomer smiled under his helmet when he finally recognized his rescuer.

“Over there.” Major Pierce pointed back at the rubble that used to be a gun tower. “Figured you boys can use some help, and you might even want this back.” The Major handed Boomer his rocket launcher. The specialist smiled again before the two of them turned to check on Deuce and Bacta.

When they reached their comrades, the glow from the energy shield disappeared.

[Vhagar]

With every step he took, Master Krik could feel the Force growing stronger around him. Commander Blue had rallied his men and the 117th was advancing, and the AT-TE walkers were finally in position atop the towers. The only piece of the puzzle yet to fall into place was Zeta's men bringing down the shields. The 117th were making surprisingly good progress, apart from one unexpected obstacle. In all honesty Krik had expected the Separatists would be smart and stay entrenched in their stronghold. Instead, the 117th was in severe danger of being outflanked. Super battle droids were baring down on the clone forces, while groups of B1 battle droids swept down the streets on either side of the clones, taking up offensive positions in the surrounding buildings.

The droids were getting ever closer, and the clone front line was scattered among the rubble and debris, their only hope f avoiding the laser fire. Commander Blue had taken cover in a nearby building, issuing commands to his officers. General Krik was fighting among the clones, willing their battle line forward at an agonizingly slow pace. While the shields were still active, the AT-TEs could not target the anti-air cannons within the facility, and so were instead focusing on the super battle droids advancing on the clone army. Krik sheltered behind a low piece of concrete embedded into the ground, looking back on his army. The AT-TEs supporting his forces from the ground had moved up but were struggling with the difficult terrain. Still, the four laser cannons on the front of each walker and their mass-driver cannons made short work of the droids advancing on their forces.

His attention snapped back to the battle at hand when the clone to his left took a volley of laser fire as he stood to shoot, falling to the ground with his armor smoldering. Krik brought his lightsaber up near to his face and stood, standing defiant against the metal tide before him. Less than gracefully, the Jedi vaulted over his cover, hurtling into the nearest droid and sending it crashing into several others. He swung left, and a droid fell in half. He swung right, and another was without its blaster arm. Reaching out with the force, Master Krik grabbed hold of the disarmed droid and hurled it into the crowd, knocking over and pinning down a couple more. A cannon shot from an AT-TE zipped over his head, sending up a cloud of dust and twisted metal about 15 metres ahead. The Ongree Jedi continued his hacking and slashing, carving his way through droid after droid, trying to force his way through their ranks and create an opening for his men.

Just as Krik sliced one droid in half down the middle, and the one to his left went down in a hail of blue laser fire, the first anti-air gun went up. The explosion shook the ground, and the debris tumbled down to the street, kicking up a wicked storm of dust and shrapnel that engulfed the street for a few minutes. The AT-TEs mounted on the sides of the buildings had begun to target the anti-air towers as well now that the main push was finally making progress. Still, Krik was relying on Commander Blue's leadership to organize a way to prevent the droid flank.

Fighting in the dust was near impossible. The Ongree were amphibious and tended to stay in the water; the dust stung his eyes and throat, not to mention reducing visibility. Krik felt as though he might choke. In the dust, every laser seemed brighter, and it became eerily reminiscent of the combat that Krik had part-taken in on Geonosis. Soon enough however, the dust cleared, the intensity of the fighting increased. But the main change was that the faint red glow over the core of the facility was gone. Zeta's men had done it.

Krik cut down another droid, taking a strange delight in the way his blade seared through the metal, before turning and trying to locate Commander Blue. He found the Commander among the rubble, fighting on and pushing up alongside his men. The Jedi General crouched down beside him. "Commander. We are making good progress. The shields are down. Order all AT-TEs to target the enemy defences. If we carry on the way we are going, this won't last much longer." And just like that, he was gone again, back into the fray.

Sure enough, almost the instant that Krik returned to the thick of the fighting, the earth began to shake as dozens of mass-driver cannons began to bombard the facility. Krik was concerned that they would reduce the facility to something they could not defend, but if that did indeed end up being the case then they could fall back to Fort Garrick until they found a solution. That was assuming, of course, that General Lencer's assault had been successful. The crowd of super battle droids was beginning t thin out now, and as Krik slashed down yet another, he turned, roaring at his men to advance and spurring them into a charge. The 117th Battalion rushed forth, making short work of the remaining droid forces and pushing hard onto the complex. The vice was closing. Krik turned to the clone Captain at his side, one of Blue's officers. "Contact Blue and get a sitrep from the other Battalion Commanders. We must squeeze this stronghold together if we are to succeed." The Captain nodded, and did as he was bid. That seemed to be the way with these clone troopers.

Krik admired their ferocity, their loyalty, their courage, but most of all he admired their spirit. Even when things had been at their very bleakest, not a single man would dare think of anything but victory. It was in their blood. These soldiers were born and bred for war, and now, Krik realized, he was at the head of one of the most fearsome forces in the galaxy. Each of his clones had proven their worth today. The General was proud. They had pushed on the facility with incredible speed and flexibility, demonstrated clearly by Zeta's men's impromptu plan to lower the unexpected shield. Now, they had punched through the Separatist defences, and the first phase of their campaign on Ord Mantell was almost complete. Indeed, the Force was with them.

[Vandy]

117th Attack Battalion

"Sir we just captured another of the anti-air cannons at position 34523-4548h. Tell the AT-TE's to avoid firing at us." Pierce spoke over the commlink to Commander Blue. The sounds of battle could still be heard all around him but the men of first company was allowed a slight rest.

"Good, I need you to stop the enemy from flanking our position. Two large columns of droids are advancing up Zeth's position, get over there and plant explosives on the taller buildings. Bring the street down right on top of those clankers."

"Oh with pleasure sir, I've been wanting to do something like that all day."

"Good, just tell Boomer to be careful. I want one street destroyed, not the entire complex." Blue's comment wasn't really an order, rather it was an attempt to lighten his men's spirits. Pierce laughed and turned to his men.

"I resent that Commander, I've only ever messed up once." Boomer replied over the comm.

"Yeah and now you're as bald as a newborn Gundark. Blue out." The entire company laughed again before they ran back into the fray. Within minutes the men of the 1st Company were setting up the ambush.

Ven-000417 "Red Draigon

Admiral Cieria nearly lost her balance when another volley from the remaining Separatist control ship hit the bridge. Luckily the shields were holding steady. The ship swung around to return the attack. While far less maneuverable than a fighter, the Draigon was able to turn with impressive speed for a capital ship. It let out hundreds of giant blue lasers that impacted with the enemy Lucrehulk. By now most of the blockade was reduced to scrap metal.

"Sir, we've got a message coming in. Its from the Separatist Admiral." Proto calmly stated over the noise on the bridge. He seemed far too composed, maybe the other clones were right about him not being able to feel emotions.

"Put it through on the holo table Captain, you have command of the ship while I'm conversing with the enemy." The clone only nodded before throwing out his own commands. The ship took another hit from one of the enemy frigates which was quickly destroyed by the combined firepower of one of the other Venators and Striker Squadron.

"Admiral Crezci’eri’ando, your beauty was not exaggerated." The hologram came to life to show the full profile of a young Muun officer on the bridge of the Lucrehulk. She could barely make out the destruction behind him.

"Yes yes, get to the point traitor." She crossed her arms and gave her enemy her famous sneer. The young Muun's face went turned into a grimace.

"I surrender myself and all of my ships to the Galctic Reoublic. Let me go and I'll make sure you are rewarded handsomely."

"You have absolutely no bargaining power here Lockar, and you don't have the authority to surrender your ships without approval from Dask Gat. Not that you have any ships to surrender anymore."

"Admiral I assure you I have the full support of the Banking Clan and can make you an extremely rich woman." The Muun was desperate now. The Draigon rocked again from another hit. Cieria caught herself on the holo table and looked the hologram straight in its eyes.

"Listen here slimo, I came here with the full intention to kill you and destroy your entire fleet. You have nothing to offer me." She cut the communication and walked back to the bridge. "Focus all fire on the Lucrehulk, we're blowing that pile of trash out of the sky." She turned and picked up the fighter squadron comm-link. "HotShot make an attack run on the enemy capital ship."

"Whatever you say Admiral. Come on Dog try to keep up." HotShot angled his fighter toward the Lucrehulk and hit the thrusters. He rolled past two enemy fighters before shooting a third down. Dog cleaned up the other two and the squadron was on their target. The enemy capital ship was being bombarded heavily. Large chunks of metal exploded outwards barely missing his squad as the flew over its surface.

"Let's take this pile of bantha fodder out boys." Dog yelled over the squad comm. HotShot only smiled. Not to long ago his wing-man was berating him about being to excited. Every ship in the squadron launched all of their missiles directly at the bridge. It combusted in a beautiful outward reaching ball of flame. The squad lost a pilot as it pulled away from the control ship but their shrieks of victory still sounded proudly. The capital ship dropped fell apart in an incredible display of fireworks.

The last remaining enemy frigate was destroyed soon after. The fleet had lost a few of their smaller cruisers and one Acclamator. Casualties were much lower than anticipated. The Admiral allowed herself a slight smirk as she stood on the bridge of the Red Draigon. She looked out into what was a battle field only seconds ago. Krik's full frontal assault plan worked and the clones did their jobs efficiently.

"Get our bombers on the planet. Let's give the clones on the ground some support." She said after a few minutes of silence.

117th Attack Battalion

Commander Blue rushed up the final enemy barricades followed closely by six other clones. He fired at the nearest B-1 battle droid and kicked its smoking body towards its comrades. The rest of his squad mowed down the enemy with deadly efficiency. The AT-TE's that were advancing up the street behind him fired their massive cannons at any droids that were dumb enough to let themselves be seen, which was most of them.

With each hit of the massive tanks' weapons the dust in the city got more dense. His visor was becoming caked with dirt making it hard to see. His reduced vision allowed two super battle droids to get the jump on his squad. Two of his men were killed before they could react. Blue fired his weapon into the enemy's face plate at point blank range while the other droid was taken out by his other men.

Several explosions rocked the ground from behind him. Blue turned around to see a multitude of building collapsing on top of each other followed by more explosions. The noise was deafening. A massive dust cloud billowed out from the direction of the explosions and covered a large part of the city in seconds.

"Sir, the enemy advance has been cut off. We've got nothing left except for the droids in front of us." Pierce's voice came over the comm. Blue used his gloved hand to wipe the grime off of his visor before responding.

"Do you think you used enough explosives Pierce?" He asked sarcastically. The cloud blocked out the sun and darkened the entire area. Blue switched to night vision and commanded the other troops beside him to do the same.

"Maybe, didn't expect such a large dust cloud."

"Tell Boomer he's cleaning the latrines for the next week."

"Yes sir." Pierce laughed before Blue commanded him to link up with the rest of the Battalion.

Blue gathered as many men as he could and pushed up the last hill in the complex. On top of it stood the enemy command center. Dozens of clones were already breaking in to the building. Through the darkness of the cloud only the laser rounds from the weapons of both sides could be seen. A few of Blue's men were shot down by droid gun emplacements but the majority made it through the barricade.

Within minutes the building was cleared. The dust cloud that had settled over head still blacked out the sun but it was retreating. He received reports from every Battalion in the regiment that their objectives had been completed. He let out a cheer which was followed by that of the other men beside him. All there was left to do was clear out any holdouts and establish a defensive perimeter.

"Sir, the general wants a report." Captain Cut ran up from behind the Commander and tapped him on the shoulder. Blue wiped another layer of dirt off of his visor and looked at his officer.

"Tell him all Battalions are reporting success. The complex is ours." The Captain nodded and ran off the way he came. "Commander Spook, report." Blue switched his comm to long range. All he was getting was static. After a few more tried he decided that the Separatists had at least one jamming station nearby. He had his next objective. "All units begin building defenses. How many anti-air guns did we capture?" He switched back to regimental comm.

"We captured five and destroyed seven sir." Milo responded over the comm.

"It was more fun to blow the things up." Pierce added.

"I want those guns operational ASAP." Blue commanded before he went to look for the Jedi. The smoke in the sky was finally starting to go away.

[The Survivor]

Surface of Ord Mantell
Inside the now Republic Stronghold
185th Attack Battalion

Commander Zeta switched on his night vision as the dust cloud from various explosions blocked out the alien sun. He activated his commlink. "All Captains get your wounded to the infirmary and all your other men to work on repairs to fortify this place. Then report to the north barracks." He turned to Major Ice, "Ice, help get this place up and going, direct the companies to wherever they're needed. I'll brief you on the battalion's condition when I get back." Ice shifted his gun to his shoulder, "I think I should be there at the briefing, I am your second-in-command." Zeta scowled behind his helmet, turning back and saying firmly "You will do as your ordered, Major. There is no need for you to be at the briefing. Now get going." Major Ice gave a sharp, if resentful, salute and ran off. Zeta sighed and made his way towards the north barracks.

His Captains were already there when he arrived, he took off his helmet, revealing his bushy beard and republic logo tattoo on the side of his head. Captain Pine, with his well trimmed goatee and twinkling eyes. Blade, with his scowl, burned face and milky eye. Ryker, his curly blonde hair and bizarre tribal tattoo. And Peck, his mohawk and mustache combination as strange as ever. Zeta set his helmet on the table and looked at Blade, asking solemnly "How many men did you lose?" Blade's scowl deepened "Thirty-Three." he replied. Zeta nodded, clasping his hand on Blade's shoulder. "We couldn't take the stronghold without their sacrifice." Blade shook his head, but said "I know." Zeta looked at the rest of the Captains. "What about your company, Pine?" Pine grinned and gave a thumbs up, "Minimal causalities, sir." Zeta looked at Ryker and Peck "And you two?" Peck stepped forward "Without the addition of Blade's remaining Platoons, I feel our casualties would have been much more significant, we only lost 4 or 5 squads." Zeta nodded. "Good work men, now, we have to get this place up and running for further operations. I'll report to Blue with our results. Dismissed." They all gave a sharp salute and marched out. Zeta sighed and picked up his helmet and slid it on, walking out as well.

****

Padawan Wae Koo
Aboard the Red Draigon

Padawan Wae Koo walked the halls of the Red Draigon towards the hangar. He had just been informed that the first Regiment had taken the CIS stronghold, led by his new master Jiyan Krik. He had never met Master Krik, though he had heard of him. Wae nodded to a passing clone as he entered the hangar. He saw the shuttle waiting to take him down to the surface. He leaped off the entry ramp and hit the ground in a roll, barreling towards the shuttle. An ancient technique that was taught to him by his brethren when he visited Mygeeto two years ago. He leaped again just short of the shuttle and landed right in front of his pilot, who briskly saluted him. "At ease, my friend, what is your name?" he inquired. "Lackluster, sir." Wae nodded, walking up the ramp. "Very well, Lackluster, please take me to the stronghold our forces have captured." Lackluster followed him up the ramp, "Right away, sir."

Soon after they were out of the hangar and flying towards the planet.

[Vandy]

117th Attack Battalion

Major Pierce and nine other men from 1st Company took cover behind a large bolder a short distance away from the Separatist jamming station housed in a small cave. There was only one entrance which was guarded by a barricade with two laser turrets manned by battle droids. On the bright side, the cave was built into the side of a rock formation that created a hill above the cave’s entrance. Lieutenant Kai and the four clones with him would be in position shortly.

“Alright, let’s go over the plan one more time. We engage from here in a frontal assault as soon as Kai gets his men in position. They’ll attack from above and take those turrets out, then we enter the cave and blow up anything that looks important. The entire area is a free fire zone.” Pierce could almost see Boomer’s smile behind his helmet. That meant there was no need to watch for collateral damage.

“Good thing I came prepared sir.” Boomer said tapping the rocket launcher slung across his back. The major nodded and pat the specialist on the shoulder. After another minute or so Pierce’s comm-link made a beeping sound that meant Kai was ready.

“Go go go!” Pierce yelled. He popped out from behind the boulder and fired his DC-15 blaster rifle. He took the head off of two battle droids before they could even react. The turrets came to life quicker than he expected, one of his was ripped apart from the combined fire of the two weapons. Pierce took cover behind a small rock and leaned to his side to take out another droid.

Kai’s men began firing almost immediately. Within seconds the two droids manning the turrets were destroyed from above. Droids began charging out from the cave only to be torn apart by the two pronged attack. Boomer fired a rocket into the mouth of the rock formation causing a large ball of fire to erupt from the inside.

The Major rushed through the fire as it died and tackled a droideka that was in the process of rolling towards the battle. The attack was more accidental than he’d like to admit but he remained composed. He fired his weapon into the unprotected metal and took down a super battle droid that was advancing toward him.

Lieutenant Kai ran up beside and tossed a detonator deeper into the cave. Apparently his men were done rappelling down the rocks. The two officers nodded at each other before Pierce picked up the metallic corpse of the destroyer droid he was lying on top of. He used it as a make-shift shield as he advanced further into enemy fire. He took down more and more droids as his men followed closely behind him.

Boomer was the first one to notice the large concentration of computers and circuits on the very back wall of the cave. He fired another rocket destroying everything. The explosion was accompanied by blue volts of electricity that passed through the entirety of the cave. The volts were not enough to kill or injure any of his men but it did mess up the droids systems for a second. The clones mopped up the rest of the droids within a few minutes.

“Set charges on everything else that looks important. The clankers aren’t going to be able to salvage anything.”

Fort Garrick

Jedi Knight Vail Lencer blocked two more blaster bolts before cutting through the armor of a super battle droid. The feline back flipped into cover next to Major Angel of the 99th Storm Battalion. The clone was fighting valiantly but they were over run. It was obvious that someone was leading this attack. The Jedi stood up and sliced down two more droids with a slight smile. Somehow he was still enjoying this.

“General, communications are coming back online.” A clone in plain white armor ran up to him. The cat nodded and took cover beside Angel once more.

“Admiral, Commander Blue.” The cat started as he set his comm to Legion communications. “Fort Garrick has fallen, we need to evacuate. Send ships to pick us up now!” Vail never heard the affirmative, he was thrown out of the way of a multitude of missiles by Major Angel. They connected with the ground and sent concrete and dirt flying into the sky.

Vail’s ear were ringing, he looked over to the side to see the charred body of the Major dead next to him. It was only recognizable by the wings painted onto the side of his helmet. The Jedi picked himself up and followed the clones falling back further into the fort. A resistance fighter to his right was shot, her twi’lek body hitting the ground alongside dozens of dead clones.

“2nd regiment this is HotShot of Striker Squadron, we’ll cover your retreat.” Vail heard over the comm as dozens of clone fighters flew overhead. They fired missiles into the mass of advancing droids and tanks. It wasn’t enough to break the siege but it might just give them time to retreat. The entire regiment had fallen back along with the resistance fighters to the center of the fort. Vail noticed Commander Spook and Dar Stochen arguing next to one of the gunships that was landing.

“I am not leaving this fort! We will not retreat again.” The human law enforcement officer was yelling at the clone in a raised tone.

“If you don’t get the hell out of here all my men died for nothing. Move, NOW!” The Commander responded. Vail said nothing but Stochen finally agreed. The resistance fighters were the first to be evacuated.

“Commander you must leave as well.” The Jedi said.

“Not until all my men are safe.” He yelled before running back towards the fight. For another thirty minutes the droids advanced before breaking through the Clones’ lines. Vail recognized their leader immediately. A Muun general with a double bladed red lightsaber. Dask Gat. The last of the Clones were retreating to the gunships but the Dark Acolyte was cutting them down far too quickly.

Vail jumped towards Gat and engaged in a vicious lightsaber duel. He blocked a high slash only to have to dodge out of the way of a low attack from the other side of the weapon. The Jedi rolled away from the Muun and cut up three battle droids that were getting too close before blocking another saber attack.

“You have lost Jedi, and now you will die.” Dask Gat chuckled as he force pushed Vail backwards and into a wall. Spook jumped off of the last gunship and ran to aid the Jedi. He let out a battle cry as he fired at the lightsaber wielding enemy.

“No Commander, get on the gunship!” Vail jumped back at his opponent. The Muun blocked his low slash and spun away deflecting the Commander’s blaster bolts. With another spin he lobbed the Clone’s head clean off of his shoulders. Spook’s lifeless body fell to the ground slowly.

The tanks were in the center of the fort now. Their combined fire destroyed the last LAAT before it could escape. Vail was all that remained. The droids surrounded him but the Muun raised his hand ordering them to stop.

“He’s mine.” He said. Vail and Gat circled each other looking for a weakness. Vail knew he would not survive this no matter the outcome but at least he could take out a Dark Jedi with him. They clashed again. Vail rolled under Gat’s blade and thrusted backwards. His attack was batted away and he had to regain his balance in order to block the next attack aimed at his feet.

Vail blocked a high slash so powerful that it put him on his knees. The sound of the two sabers struggling against each other was extremely loud. Using the force to strengthen his legs Vail stood up, their two lightsabers still connected.

Dask Gat used his free hand to send thousands of volts of Force Lighting through the Jedi’s body. The impact from the attack sent him flying backwards. Vail fell to his knees again. After a struggle he stood up but was too slow to block the next attack. His right arm was severed from his body sending a white shot of pain to his head. He didn’t even see the blow that decapitated him coming.

[Bluetommy]

Big Blue

A few spins, and it was over, a few go arounds, and the fleet had fled, Wolf exhaled for the first time in hours, finally returning to base, it was a quick fight, most of the droids attacked him head on, so he just shot them out of the air, burning into nothing and exploding into red and orange.

The bigger ships went the same way, Wolf had been surprised by the ease of their attack, though apparently attacking from behind led to an easier assault, Wolf's eyes popped open and a look of disappointment went across his masked face. Yeah, attacking from behind leads to an easier assault, in other news, Naboo is green.

---

P-011 was impressed, his men had taken out the enemy blockade so easily, even with an attack from the rear. He held a hand to his chin, stroking his beard.

"Claw, hull status?"

Claw pressed a few buttons on his computer, each making a loud noise like an oven as he pressed them.
"Relatively undamaged, though shields have taken a beating." P-011 rubbed his chin again, he had recently recieved new objectives, he was meant to leave the planet and assault a pirate base, he knew that they'd be funded by the Separatists, so they'd presumably be heavily armed. He continued to think for a second longer, he moved his hand from his chin and crossed his arms.
"Tell Thor to get the shields back up to one hundred percent fast, if they're not up by the time we reach the base, then why in the galaxy is he my First engineer?" Claw turned back, his face unchanged from it's usual, he nodded, pressing a few buttons, then his distorted voice came over the intercoms.
"Engineers, get shields to a hundred percent as soon as possible, we're going to need them."

P-011 nodded at this, running a hand over his chestplate to wipe it down from any dust.
"We fly to the new objective, immediately." Claw nodded, without turning to P-011, pushed a few buttons, and pulled a lever, and immediately, the shock of movement nearly knocked P-011 from his feet. His legs spread to keep his center of balance below him, but after a few seconds the shock no longer bothered him. Pronto, who had been sitting in the far corner of the room, chimed in.

"Why are we going so slow?" Claw chuckled at that statement, continuing his work.
"Because using hyperdrive too often leads to heavy fuel consumption, and it's only a few seconds away." Pronto seemed happy with that response, and returned to lounging.

After a few seconds of travel, they arrived at the starbase, a thin structure with a few rings surrounding it, it seemed to be colored brown, though P-011 assumed that was due to the strain of solar flares and the such, and that section of black paint on one of the rings seemed to suggest the radiation of space had caused the paint to flake off, normally, they had shields to stop that, if not, the original owners of the station would send out maintenance men to repaint it, but these pirates seemed not to care.

P-011 immediately noticed a flash of light blue around the station, which immediately dissipated after a second, and one of the windows to the inner sections went dark. They had limited power, he guessed, and the flaking paint was the result of keeping the shields off to keep the inner parts from being without power, he'd assumed CIS funding could do better, but apparently not. In any case, that blue flash was the shields, which meant that they'd been noticed. P-011 sighed, it couldn't have just been easy could it?

"All hands! Battle stations!" Claw came over the intercom, yelling at the top of his lungs. P-011 thought for one last minute, before informing Claw of his strategy.
"Send all bombing squads from the closest hangars to the front, don't mix fighters in, I want just bombers, they can't get all of them, if any fighters leave the enemy station, tell the bombers to avoid them at all costs, focus on the station.After the bombers reach the station, launch the fighters, all fighters will focus on the enemy fighters, which will have turned towards their own station to defend it, meaning we'll be able to attack from behind. After the shields are down, use our orbital bombardment weaponry to bomb that base into the stone age." Claw repeated almost word-for-word into the intercom, and through the bridge window, P-011 could see a swath of white bombers flying towards the base.

After a few seconds, explosions began to pop out over the landscape, the small explosions of bombers getting destroyed, and the larger ones of the bombing runs hitting their targets, with every hit, the shield became visible, before fading away again. A wave of fighters left the ship, travelling towards the station, and enemy ships began to be added to the body count. More and more orange circles appeared over the area, but P-011 focused all his attention on the enemy station, and after a few more explosions, the blue shield stopped showing up, shields had been knocked out, at what cost would be determined later.

"Fire orbital bombardment weaponry." P-011 ordered, but Pronto let out a yelp, and yelled from behind P-011 concernedly.
"But our men are still near the station!" P-011 was unhappy with Pronto's outburst.
"Then they'd better move, Claw! Fire!" Claw lifted a hand, throwing it down on the control panel, immediately a large amount of huge bolts left the ship's cannons, each with power enough to destroy a small town. They traveled quickly across the landscape, and then they hit, an eruption of orange and yellow followed, the bridge immediately dimmed in comparison to the fireball of monstrous size before them. One of the rings connected to the station fell away slowly, as the support beams connecting it to the ship melted under the intense heat. The station lurched one more time, before an even larger fireball exploded from it, and all P-011 could see was a sea of orange and yellow.

After all the ships still out returned to Big Blue, P-011 asked to hear the casualties. Claw returned to the room fuming.
"I pushed the button, I did it so you wouldn't fire me, and now look what's happened!" He threw his blaster from it's holster into a wall. P-011 was confused, and angrily asked Claw what had happened. Claw stared angrily for a second before yelling out the problem.
"Near seventy percent casualties!" P-011 seemed confused.
"We succeeded, that's good enough for me." Claw threw himself sideways, clenching his hand into a fist.
"Yes we succeeded, but what of the next battle?" P-011 chuckled.
"Wolf'll just get me more men." Claw walked up to the captain, then turned away and punched a wall.
"WOLF IS DEAD!" Now P-011 got the problem.
"WOLF DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR ORDERS! NOW WHAT?! HUH?! GREAT STRATEGIST?!" P-011 looked on, his body posture closed off and his face a cold frown.
"Now, we return, and replace the lost."

[The Survivor]

185th Attack Battalion
1st and 3rd Companies
2 miles from CIS Communications Station
Major Ice stopped the troop to consult Captain Ryker. "Ryker, what's our location?" Ryker snapped his fingers and a trooper ran up holding a datapad. The trooper said somewhat hesitantly "Uh, about 2 Klicks from the village, sir." Ice's eyes narrowed from behind his helmet. "What's the problem, trooper?" he asked. "Well sir, according to the datapad the trail we've been following completely disappears." the trooper admitted. Ice turned and looked into the rocky valley below. Ord Mantell was a hard planet, full of rocky mountains and dangerous inhabitants. "Let's keep moving, I'm sure we'll find the reason for the absence of a path soon enough." Ryker nodded and yelled, "Let get moving, ladies!" The troop began to march again, with Ice walking beside just past the middle. The troop continued on, any small talk drowned out by the thunderous march of the clones. The path started to get narrower as it sloped upwards and fallen rocks started to become a more common sight. After about 20 minutes of marching, the troop found the answer to the missing path, it had been blown to smithereens. Ice scoped the scene as a dreaded feeling set in his stomach. He spotted them the moment they loaded the tank. "Tank, get to cover!" he screamed, diving to the ground as an energy beam exploded behind him.

*****

Jedi Padawan Wae Koo
Republic Stronghold on Ord Mantell

Wae hopped from machine to machine, clone to clone, looking for Master Krik. Apparently clones were already mobilizing towards other objectives. He climbed to the top of a tank and finally spotted the Jedi Master, conversing with what looked like a clone commander. "Master Krik!" he shouted, leaping off the tank and rolling towards him. He stopped just short of Krik, springing to his feet and said cheerfully "Padawan Wae Koo, at your service!"

@Vhagar

[PlantEater]

Division Commander Shell

120th Heavy Battalion

1st Armoured Battalion

On-Board an AT-TE Command Walker, Approaching CIS Stronghold

Commander Shell stood motionless at the nebula of the command center as the world exploded around him. Cocooned safely inside the leviathan that was his AT-TE, the battle that raged beyond it’s thick metal plating seemed distant and surreal to the Commander, who was more focused on the small display before him. As his fingers flew across the digital interface, comms chatter erupted and swiftly died in his ear. While he could sense the nervousness of his fellow clones in the cramped and dim interior, Shell was in his element, directing and controlling the flow of battle with a simple twitch of his hand. Stumbling slightly as a missile collided with the tank, he allowed a small frown to cross his face as the spotter seated nearby relayed the updated positions of the forces on the field.

While Shell had been pleased with the performance of his Battalion so far in wrenching control of the stronghold from Separatist forces, he noted with some concern that three AT-TEs had been brought down in the process, along with many of the lighter armoured vehicles; it also appeared that Separatist forces were regrouping, a worrying prospect given that he had trusted the remainder of Republic forces to crush resistance at the nearby city and prevent such a counter-attack from occurring.This would not do. Clones were replaceable, machines and weaponry less so. Turning swiftly to the on board comm station, Shell raised the pilots of the various AT-TEs lumbering towards the gates or over the walls of the now crumbling compound.

“Attention, this is Commander Shell speaking. By all indications the compound has been secured, due in significant part to the work of our forces on the battlefield. Excellent work.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully. “However, do not get complacent. Any remaining units still on the exterior of the compound are to turn at once and prepare for further engagements. Those behind the walls will assist in clearing out the remainder of enemy forces, before awaiting further orders.”

Not waiting for a response from the pilots, Shell jabbed at the console, closing one comm link and opening another. Now he spoke directly to his Second-in-Command, Major Legs, with a crisp voice.

“Major, status report.”

When no reply was forthcoming, he tutted softly, before attempting to raise the Major again.

“Major Legs, status report.”

The reply this time was a burst of static, followed by a whooping holler that was only barely able to rise above the sounds of the ongoing battle.

“Reporting in Commander!” There was a break in communication as a volley of blaster fire landed presumably close to the Major’s head. “First Company has lost a few men, and a few AT-RTs are little more than smouldering wrecks. We’re just outside-damn it Corporal, these machines are expensive!-just outside the compound sir, covering the retreat of the last of the ground forces!”

Shell pursed his lips. “Major, please observe the proper protocols when using military communication channels.” A pause allowed him to hear the growing ferocity of the fight around Legs and his men, and more importantly around their vehicles. A curt glance at the list which detailed the current reported loss of offensive machinery gave Shell his orders in an instant.

“Major, order your company to retreat into the compound at once. We cannot afford to sacrifice armoured firepower to save the lives of a half a dozen clones. I expect you to relay the same orders to Captain Stone promptly. A counter-attack is imminent, by my reckoning, and the Infantry can’t survive on goodwill alone.”

Once again, no sound could be heard from the Major’s side, except for the telltale rumbling of a nearby detonation. Whether it was the clone’s doing was hard to tell, but the distorted screams of the dying soon told him what he needed to know. Shell knew it was that sound that would make his overly-sentimental Major hesitate, and it was that sound which would wipe out the entire company if his orders were not followed to the letter.

More forcefully, with a sharp edge to his voice, he repeated the orders.

“Am I understood Major?”

At last the affirmative came, through what sounded like gritted teeth. Shell had no time to speculate as to the cause of the strained tone however, and cut the link before more could be said. Taking a moment to exhale, it was with some satisfaction he received the latest troop positions from the spotter; the lighter armoured forces were retreating behind the walls, while Fourth Company under the command of Captain Tooth were forming defensive positions around the compound in their intimidating AT-TEs, his orders having been relayed to the Captain through the earlier message to the walker pilots. Watching their movements on screen for a time, Shell couldn’t help but feel there was a majesty in the way the small dots aligned perfectly around the compound, ready to bring death to all who dared oppose them. He had faith in the gargantuan walkers. He only hoped Captain Tooth’s men were competent enough not to utterly ruin the machines before the battle was done.

---

Captain Tooth

120th Heavy Battalion

1st Armoured Battalion, Fourth Company

Exterior Walls of CIS Stronghold

Captain Tooth was finishing a speech to the men onboard his walker when the order came, relayed through the distant voice of his pilot in the cockpit.

Hold the line.

Tooth nodded, more to himself than anyone. This was what his training had been leading up to. This was his chance to prove himself to the men of the Republic. He would not fail. Calling out loudly to his Lieutenant, BG, he grew concerned when the man did not answer. Spinning on his heel, he peered into the gloom of the vessel, searching for the man he relied on to transmit his orders. It was only when one of the clones strapped to the wall jerked a thumb upwards that Tooth understood where his Lieutenant had relocated himself.

Fiddling with the comm channels, Tooth managed to raise his Lieutenant, and demanded at once to know why he had exposed himself to enemy fire to fire the heavy cannon atop the AT-TE. The reply was, not unexpectedly, brief.

“The gunner was injured, sir. Cannon had to be fired with haste. I took his place.”

Tooth had to admire the clone’s courage, and his readiness to fight back against the Republic’s enemies. It was certainly one of the traits that endeared Tooth to the man, he had to admit.

“Very good, Lieutenant. See to it that each platoon understands we are to take defensive measures to protect this stronghold. It seems the Republic is to make it’s stand here. Victory awaits us all.”

A small click was all the acknowledgement Tooth needed, and at once he turned his attention to the battle at hand. The pulsating thumps of cannon invaded the ears of every clone aboard, as the walkers began to fire at the approaching hostiles. The only sound loud enough to cut through the rhythmic pounding was the sharp sound of the first missile striking the shell of the AT-TE.

As the missiles exploded harmlessly against the heavy plating, Tooth smiled faintly beneath his helmet. Like the walkers, Tooth and his men would hold.

---

Division Commander Shell

120th Heavy Battalion

1st Armoured Battalion

As his AT-TE passed through the thick walls of the once impregnable stronghold, Shell maneuvered himself to the cockpit and surveyed the state of affairs inside the Republic’s new Headquarters on the planet.

Several buildings lay demolished, their once impressive architecture now little more than rubble and dust. Mixed with the rubble were the twisted bodies of droids, their limbs splayed at unnatural angles, and sensors blinking pathetically as they reported critical failures in all systems. This was the work of the 120th, the raw power of the Republic’s armoured forces on display for all to gaze upon in awe and wonder. Shell however would not let himself be taken in by the sight. Fighting raged just beyond the walls, and he would not be taken in by the illusion of victory, not while there was still work to be done.

Turning from the cockpit, he gave the order for the large bay doors at the back of the tank to be opened. The sound of clones unstrapping themselves from their positions replaced the hum of engines as Shell disembarked. Casting a critical eye over the surface of the planet, seeing it up close reminded him why he preferred the interior of any vehicle of alien planets. With a quick march he distanced himself and his men from the gargantuan tank, before raising his hand to signal that the pilot should proceed to await his return in an open space nearby that had once been some imposing structure, now reduced to nothing. Nearby stood Major Legs and Captain Stone, both taking stock of their remaining forces, with Stone occasionally pausing to bark orders at his Lieutenant.

Striding towards the two men, Shell noted both had sustained fire, their armor blackened slightly by blaster shots. As Stone finished yet another rant at his Lieutenant, Shell coughed softly.

“Major, Captain. Status reports if you will.”

Stone was the first to speak, after giving a short salute. “Sir! Lost a good few TX-130s in the field, patching up those we can now!” As he spoke he cast a glance at his Lieutenant, who was currently supervising repairs. “We should have just under a hundred or so ready for combat within the hour.”

In response, Shell shook his head disapprovingly. “Unacceptable Captain. Those TX-130s will be vital in defending this compound. We will discuss your liberal use of Republic resources at a later date.”

Turning to face his Major, Shell listened as he reported much the same; around a hundred AT-RTs remained. As Shell opened his mouth to reprimand the Major, he was cut off by the sound of approaching footfalls as a clone sprinted up to the Commander.

“Commander Shell, sir! The rest of command is located nearby, you’re needed at once!”

The Commander nodded and followed briskly, curious as to how, as he had reasonably deduced, the other objective had failed to be secured. Approaching those gathered, the Commander paused briefly to salute, as was proper given their rank.

“Commander Shell, of the 120th, reporting for duty. Am I correct in assuming that plans have been…”modified”..?”

[Vandy]

Ven-000417 "Red Draigon"

"Incoming!" HotShot yelled through the sound of battle. He dodged another volley of enemy attacks before shooting a droid fighter out of the sky. The 417th fleet was in an arrowhead shaped formation with the Draigon at the tip of the spear. The formation had forced the enemy to split their fleet in two when they jumped in the system. If the enemy fleet wasn't twice the size of their own, the 417th would have quite the advantage in the space battle. As it was now it would be a hard fight.

"Watch it HotShot, you've got one on your six." Dog called over the squadcomm. HotShot rolled out of the way and his friend blew the enemy out of the sky.

On the Draigon Admiral Cieria stood in the communications room next to the bridge talking to Commander Blue on the holotable. "I need you to send us some air support. We're losing too many clones down here and the enemy has us surrounded." The clone said. He stood there in holograph form with his helmet tucked under his arm.

"Commander we can't spare anything, the Separatists reinforcements have entered the system. If we don't hold the line you'll have even more droids to worry about." She said after making a face. The clone wasn't even trying to follow standard protocol. TO be fair he was also in the middle of a fight.

"You don't have any..." Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by an explosion on his side. Cieria saw him throw on his helmet and run back towards the battle before the transmission was cut. She stood staring at the holotable for awhile wondering if she could spare a bomber squadron to help the forces on the ground. Her internal question was answered when the ship rocked from an enemy attack.

She ran back to the bridge to see the battle before her. Hundreds of red and blue laser bolts passed through space obliterating both Separatist and Republic vessels. Captain Proto ran around the bridge barking orders to the men. Luckily Engineer Salen and his men had the weapons and shield running at peak efficiency.

"Captain, inform the fleet to hold formation. Let the enemy come to us." She yelled across the bridge to her first mate. He nodded and followed her orders. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a Separatist frigate explode followed by a yell from Dog over the comm. She made another face. Apparently nobody was following protocol today.

The Droid ships advanced from across the skies rapidly. Within minutes the battle was a close quarters naval engagement. The Admiral grimaced after the ship got hit by another attack. The battle was only just beginning.

[Mortarion]

Here's the collab between me and @agentmanatee

"Retreat!" Shouted commander Malcolm over the 279th frequency before turning off communications. He let out a curse as the droid army advanced towards them, frowning when he noticed the Dark Jedi that lead the assault, a Muun of all people; he thought he heard Faulker cursing over the presence of the Force-user, most likely complaining about 'treacherous Jedi' or something but the commander of the 279th was now focused on getting as many of his men out of Fort Garrick, the presence of the Muun yet another detail "This is commander Malcolm over all units of the 279th, retreat, do not try any heroics, the battle is lost. Over." He repeated into the box, hoping that his men would listen to him and retreat like he had ordered them to. 

Banger growled over hearing the retreat order from Malcolm... not that he thought there was much chance of a victory at this point. Besides the... traitor jedi? Whatever it was called was cutting men down rapidly, and Banger wasn't crazy enough to go head on with that. He repeated the order over comm to his own men, the stubborn bastards were gonna need the extra push, "You heard Malcolm brothers! Get to the blasted gunships! Give that crazy jedi a wide berth, don't let him cut you down.", Banger steadily fell back, returning fire into the droids as they approached, Nix was by his side doing much the same until they reached the gunships, hopping in he got back on comms, "Malcolm, this is Banger my men are on gunships, lets get the fuck out of here!", he could see Malcolm across the way, and opened fire on some of the droids advancing on his commander, the other's in the Gunship doing the same, hoping their Commander would see the shots and hop on board.

Malcolm heard Banger over the comms, giving a silent thanks to whatever force watched over the universe that some of his men had survived "Understood Banger, I'll be retreating to join you shortly, how many spaces are left on the gunship?" He asked the captain of the 4th company. HE started retreating towards the source of the transmission, letting out a few shots from his blaster rifle, hoping to take some of the damned clankers as he retreated. That was when he noticed the Muun fighting the feline Jedi Knight, and how the Commander of the 99 was encroaching into their fight with the intent to help their Jedi. He scrambled for a second, trying to find the frequency of the 99th before quickly forgetting about that "Spook, run you damned idiot!" He shouted to the man, and that was when he noticed that he was too late as he saw the clone commander's head rolling on the floor, quickly followed by the head of the Jedi Knight.

He felt hatred surging towards him, pushing him to attack the Dark Jedi, even firing a few shots at the Muun Force-user, but that's when he felt someone dragging him backwards to the gunship "C'mon Commander, you said so yourself, no heroics" He heard one of his men said but before he had time to ask who was dragging him back they were both inside of the gunship. Commander Malcolm let out a steady breath, trying to calm himself before he punched the interior of the gunship in frustration, falling into one of the empty seats.

Banger couldn't believe it... he had watched Spook's head fly from his shoulders... damn brave man. As the gunship took off, he watched Malcolm let his anger out on the wall of the gunship. He shook his head, and took his place next to his commander, removing his helmet as he sat down, "... So Malcolm... whats our move? Spooks gone and so is our jedi so... guess your giving orders now. Well, you or Drake, guess your ranks are the same huh?", he chuckled a bit, looking at the mish-mash of men in the gunship. Toes and Numbers were on it, and Nix obviously. He put his hand to his ear, "4th company, give me a head count, who'd we lose?", most of the officers checked in, but he lost a squad and half at least... he cursed, "What in the blazes happened down their? Who the hell gave clankers a Jedi?"
Nix responded with a shrug, Numbers just looked down at the floor, he had seen Spook go down too and he was still a shiny. toes spoke up though, "Seems a lack of communication to me Banger, I mean, surely somebody knew right? Maybe we'll get told in a minute maybe not, but hey we made it our aye?", Banger shook his head, Toes moved on quickly from everything, he had obviously already moved on from Spook at least.

Malcolm rose his head when he heard someone ask the question of who had 'given' the clankers a Jedi. He was about to answer when he heard an all too familiar snort "Who do you think was? It's that bastard Dooku, he is surely looking to form his own Order composed of other treacherous bastards like himself" Said Sergeant-Major Faulke, sitting next to Toes in the gunship "We don't need your conspiracy theories now Faulke, the Count isn't looking to build his own order, train an apprentice, yes, but not build another group of Jedi, plus he probably picked that apprentice within the Banking Clan itself" Said the man who had dragged Malcolm into the gunship, whom he now recognized as Heinrich. He heard Faulke give yet another snort, but the Sergeant-Major gave no further comment, at which point a heavy silence fell over the gunship as Heinrich moved over the injured, trying to help them as much as he could.

Malcolm let out a soft sigh after a while, removing his helmet as he stood up to watch over the other clones that were in the gunship "Banger, you asked me before what's our move now, and I tell you that it's the same as before" Said the commander of the 279th, letting out a heavy breath "We'll try to rendezvous with Drake's group, see if our Jedi General survived the assault, once that's done we'll plan for the moves that the Separatists will make, and hopefully we'll get to kill that Muun bastard" He said, clenching his fists at the mention of the Dark Jedi, before he put his hand to his ear "Pilot, try to make contact with either the Admiral above or any of the other commanders of the 417th, try to find if there's any meeting point with the rest of the army as well if you can" He said before rubbing his forehead "Something tells me that this campaign got a lot more complicated" He said, clearly frustrated over the situation as well as tired, as he sat once more next to Banger.

Banger chuckled at Malcolm's last comment, turning to his commander, "Aye commander, it would seem our job just got a whole lot more interesting, and I can't wait to get back into the thick of it.", Banger looked at his men in the gunship with him, all of who answered him, "Can't wait sir!", he smiled, looking back at his commander, "As  you can see commander, me and my men are ready for anything these bankers throw at us." he knew it would get under Malcolm's skin as he was so willing to throw himself and his men into dangerous situations, and he wanted to lighten the mood.

Malcom wanted to groan at Banger's words but couldn't help but laugh a little bit "Alright then you maniacs, but my order still stands...so no heroics, ok?" He said, laughing once more a little bit as he gave Banger a light punch on the shoulder. Before he could say anything more, Malcolm heard the pilot speaking to him via their comms "Understood" He said giving a small nod "Alright men, new information, according to what our pilot heard, we are to regroup at a recently captured Separatist facility, any questions?" He said as he stood up, turning to watch the rest of his brothers on the gunship as he waited for any potential questions they might have.  

Banger laughed, "So our new base is in the recently vacated home of the enemy? Sounds fine with me, will the rest of the men on the ground be joining us? Do we have status on the other regiments?", Numbers spoke up after his captain, "What sort of casualties are we looking at? That was a disaster..."

"That's correct Banger, seems a bit ironic though, doesn't it? They push us out of the fort only for us to fall back to one of their bases" Said Malcolm, chuckling darkly "As for the rest of the men, that's the plan, seems the other regiments are ok but we've lost contact with a team sent to destroy the communication arrays of the separatists, I will assume them as MIA for the time being" He explained to the other troopers in the gunship, letting out a soft sigh at the number of casualties "No idea to be honest with you" He said, letting out a heavy sigh "I just know that we gotta make the bastards pay for this" Said Malcolm, looking at his troopers in the eyes "Get ready, ETA is of an hour or more" He said before he went back to his seat as he waited for them to arrive at the recently captured Separatist facility.