The dust whipped past him, as the orange hued sky was dulled by the black lens of the trooper's visor. He felt his battle skirt being twisted around by the whipping winds, as he had one hand holding onto the leather handles hanging down from a cylinder stretching across the ceiling. The battle below would be this commando's first battle. There was also as chance of it being his last, he thought, as he watched a gunship similar to his get gunned down.
"Two minutes 'till drop, Sir," His brother clone pilot, spouted to him.
He checked his DC-17m, when satisfied, he placed it at his side. He looked behind him at his squad, clad in the regular white Phase I armor. He wore Katarn-class commando armor, specialized just for his class. He remembered when he first received it. It had looked impressive to him, and he felt invincible when he first put it on. But now, looking at some of his brothers die below him, he didn't feel that so much as he did before.
This was Geonosis, and it was the Clone Army's first battle. It would be the first time this commando, Osiris 22, would be separated from his pod brothers: Anubis 04, Ra 72, and Horus 47. Some of the lesser informed would think that this would give Osiris a sense of fear, but it didn't, it only gave him determination. For he was determined to reunite with his brothers and complete their missions objective.
His mission had been given to him only but a few moments ago. He had to help secure a Techno Union ship crash site. Upon landing, the squad would receive help from a Jedi Knight. Once relieved of command, Osiris was to head for the Separatist War Room, along the way rejoining his pod brothers. Once in the war room, he was to download all Sep. plans. After doing this, he is to locate and capture Poggle the Lesser, alive. To say the mission is an easy one, is a grand understatement, but Osiris new Anubis would say such things anyway.
The gunship dropped in altitude rather suddenly, and almost caused Osiris to lose his lunch. He tightened his grip on the leather handle, and quickly pulled his DC-17m up in front of him, putting on the blaster attachment. The drop stopped, and the troops quickly exited the gunship.
The squad came onto immediate blaster fire, one trooper falling victim to a shot in the chest rather quickly. The squad took cover in the crash site, using smoldering pieces of metal for cover, while they delivered their return fire. So far there had been no sign of a Jedi Knight.
Another clone trooper fell to a series of blaster shots. Osiris leaned out from behind his cover and sent some returning fire, giving some troops time to find cover. Osiris pulled back behind the rubble, and seeing that the droids had the support of the outpost base. There was a huge steel door that was obviously an entrance into the catacombs, and there was building built into the rocks, being the enemy outpost. The enemy had the superior ground.
"Where the hell is that Jedi?" Osiris whispered to himself as he chanced another look at the outpost.
Osiris saw another two troopers get shot, and he quickly pulled back behind the cover, saving himself from some blaster shots. He gritted his teeth, and pulled out an EMP Grenade. He jumped out from behind his cover and returned random blaster fire, before throwing the EMP into the grouping of droids firing. The grenade went off, and magnetic pulses were sent through the droids, rendering them fried within seconds.
The squad knew this was their chance as they quickly got up from their positions and started to fire upon the remaining droids, who's number had been considerably hindered by the EMP. A few troopers ran ahead of the group and took cover outside the outpost at the foot of the firing window. One of them threw a grenade into it, and a loud bang later sent some droid parts out in front of them. Osiris grinned under his helmet, as the few troopers quickly ran to the entrance of the door and placed a charge. They stood back, finding cover, but before the charge blew, the door was kicked off, the charge blowing up seconds after, sending shards of metal into the troopers who were by the door, taking cover. They cried out in pain and some of their brothers ran out to help them, but then a Super Battle Droid came out from the outpost and fired several shots at the approaching clone troopers. Each shot hit, and each clone fell. The Super Battle Droid walked away from the door as a second emerged. The second one took notice of the injured clone troopers. Osiris flinched as the droid fired shots into their chests, killing them.
"Damn," Osiris groaned. "Blasted droids."
The squad started to fire on the first Super Battle Droid, who took the first shots without flinching but then then started to struggle to walk, and then fall to one knee. The droid managed to fire a few shots, killing three more clone troopers, before falling to the sandy ground. The squad was getting shorter in number with each new attack.
The second battle droid fired a wrist rocket at the front of the clone grouping, sending some of Osiris's brothers back a few feet, while impaling others with shards of metal from the rubble they were using for cover. Cries rang out, as clone troopers fired on the droid. The droid fell just like its fellow did.
The squad waited for more battle droids to come out, an eerie silence falling upon the battlefield. Only the sounds of blaster fire from the main battle could be heard. Groans were heard every now and then and the sound of an arm dragging a body towards the group, begging for help. After ten minutes of this, Osiris signaled for the clones to be at ease.
"Medics, help the wounded," Osiris ordered. "You three, take a heavy trooper, and two techies with you into the outpost."
Osiris pointed to three troopers near him.
"Yes sir," they replied, before following his command.
Osiris watched as the group went into the outpost, dust being kicked up with their every step. Osiris shook his head, as this arid planet seemed to give him the taste of death in his mouth, in the form of bile on his tongue. Osiris took off his helmet, as the breeze of the planet cooled his warm and sweaty face. The brightness assaulted him for a second, before his eyes adjusted to the light. He spat on the ground, before taking in a breath of fresh air.
"Sir, its regulation to have your helmet on during a mission," commented a clone trooper.
Osiris waited a second before, slowly sliding his helmet over his face, the tinted visor seeming much darker than it was before.
"Just wanted some breeze, soldier," said Osiris.
"Yes sir," the trooper replied, in an automatic way.
Osiris shook his head, as he got back into his battle attitude.
"So what happened to that Jedi we were suppose to meet?" Osiris asked a Clone Commander unit.
"Must've gotten lost or killed along the way," he replied.
"I thought you couldn't kill a Jedi?" inquired Osiris.
"Guess he got lost than," the Commander unit concluded.
The sound of grating steel ran through Osiris's ears, as he quickly brought his gun up in unison with every other clone in the squad. The steel door which was beside the outpost was slowly opening, as the orange sunlight poured into the dark cave. The dark form of an AAT started to come out from the dark cave. It slowly hovered out into the open. The squad's guns were aimed at the Assault Tank, waiting for the signal to fire.
Two more dark forms came out from the catacomb entrance. Two more AATs were revealed by the orange sunlight. Osiris could just imagine a comedic gulp simultaneously resounding from the members of the squad. Well, it might have been comedic if you weren't the troopers.
The sound of a rocket going off broke the silence, as a missile tore into the side of the first tank, causing it to instantly explode. The missile had come from the firing window of the outpost, as Osiris realized the Heavy Trooper he had sent with the group in there was taking action.
He wouldn't be able to take anymore action, however. One of the AATs turned its canon towards the outpost and released a shot. The outpost exploded in one gigantic blast, as a flaming clone trooper was sent spiraling out from the blast. He landed sickly on his neck, as his helmet rolled off his head.
The two AATs opened fire on the squad as they quickly dived for cover. The large blasts from the tanks easily destroyed any cover the members of the squad found. Osiris watched as he saw his brothers annihilated by the energy blasts. He gritted his teeth again, as he opened up a communication channel in his helmet.
"Command, this is Theta Squad Unit Osiris 22, the squad I was assigned to command until takeover of Sep. outpost is being destroyed, requesting back up," Osiris pleaded.
"Unit 22, request denied, we can't get any troops to you, sorry," Command said apologetically.
"Blast!" growled Osiris.
Osiris thought for a second, before turning the corner and opening fire on the tank. He emptied his clip, and he quickly replaced the clip, as he went to take aim. His eyes went wide as he quickly jumped out of the way of a blast. He looked up, and thought he was dreaming. He saw a dark form rappel down the rock face above the catacomb entrance. The form jumped off the frame of the door and landed on one of the tanks, he quickly opened up the hatch, and pulled the droid pilot up. He blew the droids head off, and quickly jumped down into the cockpit. The AAT's gun suddenly turned toward its partner, as a shot fired and the other AAT blew up. Seconds the later the form emerged from the cockpit, and jumped off it, the AAT blowing up when he landed. It was Horus 47.
"Osiris!" Horus cried out. "Seems like I'm not just saving your skin in the simulations anymore, eh brother!"
Osiris got to his feet and punched fists with his pod brother as he ran over to him.
"Just you remember who is the leader of this squad, 47," laughed Osiris.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Horus replied.
The two squad brothers reminisced for a moment, as the remains of the clone squad got up and did their best to secure the area. Suddenly Command's voice sounded in Osiris's helmet.
"Theta squad, each of your first individual objectives are complete," Command said, as Osiris could hear Ra and Anubis's voice over the communications link, as well as Horus's and his own. "We are giving you a last minute objective, however."
"Oh great, as if the mission was complicated enough," Ra complained.
"Complicated?" sounded Anubis's voice. "This is all easy stuff, 72."
Osiris chuckled.
"You must find the Jedi who was set to rendezvous with 22 when he first arrived," continued Command. "The Jedi is MIA and you need to find him. He should be located somewhere in the upper level of the catacombs. Meet up with each other along the way, Command out."
"Looks like this mission just got that much more complicated," groaned Horus.
"Anubis and Ra meet up along the way and search along the direction of the war room," commanded Osiris. "Horus and I will take the search full on. If we haven't contacted you by the time you reach the war room, take it over, guard it, and wait for us there. Osiris out."
"Affirmative," replied Ra.
"You got it," Anubis casually said.