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'Would you look at that,' Fi said, from where he was leaning out of the Laat/i, hanging onto the handrail by one hand. Below, the jungles of Mantessa stretched as far as the eye could see.

'This is amazing,' he said, glancing back at where the others were seated. Like Fi, they were all wearing the same bulky black armour and helmets with t-shaped visors. 'Don't you think so?'

'You say that about every planet we visit,' Atin said, without looking round. Even though he had his helmet on, Fi could tell that it was him by the clipped tone of his voice. In an army of clones who all shared your face, you had to find other ways of telling your brothers apart.

'Well, they are,' Fi said, just as the pilot came on the comm.

'Approaching Barracks 0-27. Strap yourselves in...'

'Right. In a minute...'

'Now, Fi,' Niner said.

'But...'

'I said, now!'

'Yes, sarge,' Fi said. Reluctantly, he moved away from the hatch and sat down next to Dar, fastening his safety harness. Normally designed to carry up to 40 Troopers, the Laat/i was empty except for the four of them. Being a commando did have some perks. There was a faint shukk sound and Fi looked round to see that Atin had ejected his gauntlet blade. He retracted it and ejected it again, until Niner glanced at him and he sat back with his arms folded.

'It'll be nice to have a comfortable billet for a change,' Fi said. 'No slogging behind enemy lines or sleeping on the ground...'

'You going soft?' Atin asked and Fi rounded on him.

'Hey...!'

'Shut up, Atin,' Dar said.

'You tell him, Dar...' Fi began.

'All of you, shut up,' Niner barked. 'This isn't a vacation. We've still got a job to do. Am I clear?'

'Yes, sarge,' Dar and Fi said, Niner glancing at Atin.

'...yes, sarge.'

'Good. Because we need to stay focused. But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a few perks while we're here. Personally, I'm looking forward to something to eat other than dry rations. Who knows, the tech boys here might even have some new kit for you to play with...'

'Yes, sarge,' Atin said, as the Laat/i set down on the landing platform with a faint thump.

'Let's go,' Niner said, unfastening his harness and standing up. 'We don't want to keep Commander Rolt waiting.'

'Commander Rolt,' Niner said, as he lead the others into the command centre, stopping at attention and snapping a salute. 'RC-3109. Omega Squad reporting, sir.'

'At ease, sergeant,' Rolt said, his armour adorned with blue flashes on his helmet and pauldrons.

'Yes, sir,' Niner said and Rolt raised his voice.

'I want to make something clear to you, sergeant,' he said. 'I know you're used to...a certain amount of autonomy, but you're under my command now. I expect you to pull your weight and follow orders.'

'Yes, sir,' Niner said, just as a Trooper spoke, his voice clipped and urgent.

'Receiving a distress signal, Commander!'

'Report,' Rolt said, spinning round towards him.

'We're receiving a transponder from Laat/i 78-C, Commander. Last transmission indicated that they had been hit by an StA before we lost contact...'

'Surface to Air missile,' Dar said, switching to their private comm channel. 'The guerrillas here must be better organised than we thought...'

'Quiet,' Niner said, as Rolt started speaking again.

'Have you plotted an estimated crash site?'

'Yes, Commander,' the Trooper said, punching a map up on the holoscreen in the middle of the command centre, showing a blinking red dot.

##################

'Dispatch another Laat/i to those coordinates, immediately,' Rolt said. 'I want those men out of there, now.'

'Permission to speak, sir?' Niner said and Rolt turned towards him with his arms folded.

'Yes, sergeant?'

'We don't know the condition of the crew, sir, or what the situation on the ground is...'

'I won't leave my men behind,' Rolt said and Niner interjected.

'I'm not suggesting that you do, sir,' he said, moving towards the holochart and pointing at a spot below the crash site. 'If I remember the charts that I studied, there's a dry river bed that runs from here to the crash site. My squad can deploy here, approach the crash site covertly and assess the situation. If necessary, we can help secure the area until extraction...'

'...very well,' Rolt said. 'A Laat/i will be waiting for you on the landing pad. Dismissed.'

'Yes, sir,' Niner said, switching back to the squad frequency. 'Come on. We've got work to do...'

##################

'Last stop,' the pilot said as the Laat/i settled down in the clearing next to the river bed. 'Everybody out.'

'Thanks, Sicko,' Dar said as they jumped down, unslinging their rifles from their backpacks.

'See you boys, later,' Sicko said as they moved out of range, the Laat/i lifting off in a cloud of dust.

'Let's go,' Niner said. 'The crash site should be a klick east of here. Fi, you're on point.'

They set off along the river bed, their boots crunching on the rocks.

'How can people live in a place like this?' Atin muttered as he stepped over a twisted tree root.

'I don't know,' Dar said. 'I rather like it...'

'You would,' Atin muttered, just as Fi held up his hand and they froze.

'It's too quiet,' Dar said as Fi released the safety from his rifle.

'Noticed that, did you?' he said, just as three brown furred creatures with long snouts, sharp claws and teeth emerged from the undergrowth.

Panthacs...

'Defensive formation,' Niner yelled, his rifle snapping up as the first Panthac charged, his blaster bolt hitting it squarely between the eyes. It collapsed with a squeal as Dar and Fi blasted the second. However, the third got passed them and leapt at Atin, bearing him to the ground. Then, there was a faint shukk and the Panthac collapsed. With a grunt, Atin shoved the corpse off him, his gauntlet blade covered with green blood.

'Fierfek,' he muttered, getting to his feet and shaking the blood off his blade. 'These things stink worse than a Hutt...'

'You'd know,' Fi muttered and Atin retracted his gauntlet blade, directing an obscene gesture to him.

'We need to move,' Niner said. 'This blood will attract more predators...'

##################

'There it is,' Dar said, focusing on the crash site with his helmet visor. They were lying on a ridge overlooking the crash site. 'I count around a dozen Troopers. It looks like they're establishing a defensive perimeter...' he added, indicating where the Troopers were dragging rocks and stones into a rough circle around the Laat/i.

'Their Captain's still alive,' Fi added, pointing towards a Trooper with blue flashes on his armour and helmet.

'I've think I've isolated their short-range frequency,' Atin said and Niner nodded.

'Good work,' he said, activating his comm. 'Omega Squad to Laat/i 78-C. Do you read, over?'

There was silence and he glanced at Dar, before activating his comm again.

'Laat/i 78-C, this is Omega Squad. RC-3109 transmitting. We are en route to assist you, do you read, over?'

'Omega Squad, this is Blue-1. What's your position?'

'We're about 30 metres east of your location. ETA 5 mins.'

'Acknowledged,' Blue-1 said, shutting down the link and Niner switched to long-range comms.

'Omega Squad to O-27. We located the crash site and identified a dozen survivors. Transmitting co-ordinates, now. '

'Acknowledged, Omega Squad. We're deploying a Laat/i to you, now.'

'Copy that, O-27. We'll report when we've made contact. Omega Squad, out.'

##################

Niner lead Omega Squad down the slope towards the crash site, the Captain looking up when he saw them coming.

'RC-3109, sir,' Niner said, stopping in front of him and snapping a salute.

'Captain Rex,' the Captain said, returning the salute.

'We've radioed your coordinates to O-27 and they've dispatched another Laat/i...'

'ETA?' Rex asked.

'10 minutes, maybe,' Niner said. 'I'll request an update when I send a report...'

'We've lost 12 Troopers,' Captain Rex said. 'And we have a wounded man...'

Niner followed his gaze to where a Trooper was lying on the ground, his chest plate a charred ruin.

'Fi,' Niner said, gesturing to the Trooper and he headed over, dropping to his knee next to him and pulling out his medical kit.

'O-27,' Niner said, activating his long range comm. 'Omega Squad. Situation update. We have a wounded trooper needing immediate CasEvac. ETA on the Laat/i?'

'ETA, 5 minutes...'

'Acknowledged. We'll need medical assistance as soon as we touch down...'

'Acknowledged.'

Niner broke the link, just as one of the Troopers called from the defensive line.

'We've got movement, sir,' he said, just as figures emerged from the trees. They were dressed in rough green and brown tunics, each wearing combat helmets and carrying an assortment of blaster rifles.

'Cover,' Rex yelled, he and Niner sprinting for the defensive line as the guerrillas started shooting.

'Return fire,' Rex ordered, drawing his pistol and shooting a guerrilla as he broke cover, sending him tumbling down the slope. Blaster bolts zipped past them as the Troopers opened fire, forcing the guerrillas to take cover. Two more guerrillas fell, but the others kept firing, one of their bolts catching a Trooper in the stomach and pitching him backwards. As he fell, another Trooper moved to help him and Niner sighted up, killing the guerrilla who shot him with a bolt to the throat. As he watched, he saw Dar and Atin kill two more. There, there was a loud roar and his head whipped round to see a rocket slam into the Laat/i.

'Rocket launcher!' Rex yelled. 'Keep your cover!'

'Fi!' Niner yelled, gesturing to the guerrilla that was crunching at the treeline, frantically reloading his launcher.

'On it,' Fi said, clipping on his sniper attachment and sighting up. He squeezed the trigger and the guerrilla fell as the bolt punched through his chest.

'Incoming,' one of the troopers yelled and Niner looked up to see the Laat/i coming overhead.

'Covering fire,' Rex yelled as the Laat/i touched down, it's crew hatch opening on the side facing away from the firefight. 'Omega Squad, fall back.'

'Negative, sir,' Niner said, snapping off a shot at another guerrilla. 'You need to get your men out of here. That's what we came for. We can hold the line...'

'...acknowledged,' Rex said, raising his voice. 'Fall back.'

Dodging through the fire, Rex joined another Trooper and they helped the wounded man to his feet, supporting him towards the Laat/i.

'Here they come,' Fi yelled as the guerrillas, obviously emboldened by seeing the Troopers retreat, charged.

'Suppressive fire,' Niner ordered, his rifle blazing as he shot to guerrillas as the reached the bottom of the slope, Fi and Atin accounting for three more. However, one reached the defensive line and he sprang over the log, his rifle aimed at Fi. A shot rang out and Fi flinched. However, the guerrilla gave a strangled scream and collapsed, Fi's head whipping round to see Atin lowering his rifle.

'Omega Squad,' Rex yelled. 'We're clear. Fall back!'

'Go!' Niner yelled, rising from his crouch and sprinting for the Laat/i, the others right behind him. Blaster bolts whizzed past him and he grunted as he felt one strike him in the back. However, his armour held and then they were behind the Laat/i.

'Pile in,' Niner yelled and they scrambled in with a clatter of armour plates.

'They're in,' Rex yelled. 'Lift off. Lift off.'

The Laat/i's hatch ground shut and it took off, Niner struggling to his feet and making his way over to Rex.

'How is he?' Niner asked and Rex took off his helmet. 'Stable, for now. He should make it. Thanks for your help back there...'

'Don't mention it, sir,' Niner said, tipping him a salute and heading back to the others, taking the nearest seat, deciding to close his eyes for a few minutes.

Not a bad day's work...

When they got back to base, there would be reports to fill in. For now, he'd get some rest...

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.