Note: Ok this is a little longer chapter. You might like it, you might hate it, but definitely place a review or comment about. It helps.
Disclaimer: I shaved my beard off some time ago, and I don't have gray hair!! I'm not George Lucas, so I don't own Star Wars. Neither am I Lucasfilms or Lucasarts. Are you blind or what??
Soon after Carthar left the base's tiny bunker hill, the young trooper wondering around to get a feel for the place. The sky was getting dark, fast, as sun was moving into it's twilight position above the horizon. The clone was shocked, but wasn't surpraised. Carthar had gotten a small sitrep on Kothlis on the cruiser came on, Democracy's Star, before he was dropped off and the ship left system. Like many of the planet's obriting Koth'lar, the host star, Kothlis had an accelerated rotation. Thirteen hour day and four hours for night. Which left the trooper walking about in the fading light... ...lost... ...
It was exactly easiest thing to do. Standard fire support base or FB configuration followed like religious dogma, no matter it was layout in the on a forest planet or a ice glacier. Carthar had his brains bashed in with the arrangement of the training FB at Su Des' cloning facility, back on Kamino, so the young trooper was a little embarrassed at this.
It's like getting lost in the womb, the clone silently scorned to himself, ...well...growth tube, but still I'm an idiot.
Truthfully, though, Carthar was probably not the one to be blamed. The paratrooper was trod through the second barracks he was directed to, by the fourth clone base personnel he talked with, who was suggested by the third squad Carthar had asked...so, yeah. The building was empty, however, in sheer contrast to the worker clone's description of being "packed" with trooper squads. Apparently, Gamma Squad was the enigma of 8th company. The young trooper sighed heavily, itching the back of his head as he held his HALO against his hip.
"Clone! Stand-to!!" Carthar quickly popped up to attention at the call of unseen commander, imitating a steel beam in it's rigidness.
"Excuse me, sir!" The young trooper barked in apologetically, "I was having a problem find my squad, sir."
"Ha ha ha! Enough the sir fodder, kid!"
A figure draped in a off-white set of armor pass from around Carthar, folding his arms in front of him and grinning away. A follow clone greeted the young trooper with a continued grin and a nod. His salt and pepper hair caught Carthar by surprised, as he blinked.
"What is it with shinies and making trouble..." The clone said as he shook his head, "So what squad has luckin' out with getting you, huh?"
"Gamma Squad, sir."
"Grunts, huh. Wow...what did you do the captain to you thrown with them??" The gray haired clone's smirk morphed into a frown, "Well, come with me. It's better to get these things over with fast than slow."
The young trooper's face sunk as he blinked twice. Though before he could asked the other trooper to elaborate, the gray haired clone turned and walked away. Carthar sped after him, trusting that the trooper would take him to where he need to be.
"Did you call be sir again, back there?" The leading clone asked over his shoulder as two walked out of the barracks, "Well, stop it. I'm just a trooper like you, a mud kicking medic. You'll call be Uncle."
"Uncle?"
"You've noticed the hair right?" Carthar opened his mouth, as though to speak, but quickly closed it again as he thought better. Uncle went on, "Well I'm an old Bantha of a' paratrooper in this company. I've seen action with Captain Burrs since Geonosis, and I keep planning on see more." The young trooper gave a babyish nod as he recalled how enhanced aging in clones had varied, "So you can guess how it started. One clone called me brother, another then joked I looked too old to be any clone's brother, so I must be his uncle. The just stuck after that. I suppose it's appropriate for one of the longest standing troopers around."
The pair where coming close to crossing the base when the sun finally dropped below the treetop horizon, sending the FB into darkness. A series of pole mounted glowlamps burst to life around the base and atop the raised landing pad. The cool night air chilled Carthar's skull, with the remnant of sweat from burning bunker's experience doubling the effect. It was one of the things that bugged the young trooper, the heated office... ...
"Say...um...Uncle?" The gray haired clone turned his head to the back and to the side, indicating his awareness to the other trooper, "About the captain's office... ..."
"You mean that the spot in hell he puts his desk!" Uncle chuckled, "I asked around about that once. He seems to despise reprocessed air."
"WHAT?! Bu-But he-"
"Yeah, yeah...I know. Born in that sterilized laboratory they call a city, we should all think that processed air is the best thing. But Burrs just hates breathing the stuff. He says that it smells and taste like fodder. Can't imagine what he does on spaceflights."
Carthar thumbed over the older clone's words as Uncle continued the lead, heading toward the outer fringes of the base. A defensive perimeter trench came into view, with a E-Web heavy repeating blaster at the edge, pointing out into the jungle growth from behind the sandbag wall. Eight or so clone paratroopers up and around the trench with their HALO helmets on as they clean and prepared their weapons, a few glanced through datapads. They were just as Carthar had envisioned his squad...always at the ready, in clean yet battle-grim-covered armor. One the troopers looked over to the two come clones and jumped out of the defensive trench, marching up to them... ...
"Who's your shadow, Uncle?" The trooper inquired through his HALO's speaker. Carthar quickly tensed up, saluting, and answered before the gray haired clone could.
"Sir! Private Ka'rta, CT-2249, reporting for duty, sir!!" The paratrooper tiled his head back, placing his hands on his hips.
"...Ka-rata...??"
"Sarge, he was assigned to Gamma Squad." Uncle explained to the apparent clone sergeant.
"Ah, yes. I heard they need replacements." Carthar blinked in confusion as the sergeant pointed back into the center of the FB, "I think they were placed on temporary Quartermaster duty."
"Thanks, Sarge."
Uncle tugged on the young trooper's arm, pulling Carthar along to the where the clone sergeant indicated. Couple dozen meters into the base, the two clones came upon a stack of crates piled next to a flimsy made structure of sheet metal, not much bigger than a few troopers standing shoulder to shoulder. Right outside the door of the tiny building was a group of clones gathered around a glowlamp on sitting the ground as they laughed and gave each little shoves. Their armor was stained with dry mud and almost all of them were bare-headed. Carthar brow wrinkled up as his expression sunk with each closing step, deeper and deeper.
What happened to my battle hardened squad?! The young trooper thought to quietly.
"Hey! Downs!!" Uncle shouted over to the group as the pair neared.
"Look, boys!" Bellowed one of clones, "It's Downs favorite estrange family member!!"
"Hm, I thought was everybody's estrange family member!" The gray haired clone retorted with a smirk. A blond clone (dyed, obviously) came up from around the group to Uncle's side. The older clone seem happy to see him, gibbing his hand and slapping him on the shoulder, "Downs...how you keeping these echuta sleemos you call clones!"
"Just as you taught me to. Needled and wrapped up tight!" The clones both laughed.
Carthar silently watched the two as the made their private jokes. From what he gathered from the exchange, the blond was Uncle's fellow medic, stationed with Gamma squad or the Grunts, as everyone seemed to call them. They all acted so close knit, even more so than the clones Carthar met at Basics and Jump School. It was then that it hit the young trooper just what he was. He was the new guy, a unknown who can't even get across the base on his own. He was a shinie...an outsider... ...
"Hey, kid." Carthar was knocked back to reality by Uncle. The gray haired clone placed his hand on the young trooper's shoulder and pulled him a little closer to the clones around the glowlamp, "This is your new man, Grunts, Private CT-2249...Ka..ahh... ... Hey, how do you say your name again?"
"Um...most people just call be Carthar..."
"Right, Carthar here is going to replace Axle." The younger clone blinked and glance at the senior, than looked back at the gathered clones. The few that hadn't had looked at Carthar first now eyed the trooper closely, as though they were skeptical of something about him.
What? I can shoot. I can run. What? After a moment, the young trooper caught on, ...I'm replace someone...which means their on permanent leave from the squad. Dead.
The only leave a clone gets.
"Watch after this kid, guys..." Uncle went on, a little more somber, "I mean it. Watch after each other."
"ka' eah, whatever ya' gray nerf herder!"
The senior clone smiled back at Carthar and gave his shoulder a small squeeze before heading off the way they had came. The squad immediately jump right back to their previous merry make, Downs too seemed to meld in the group as he drummed up a conversation. The young trooper was left out, walking around the encircle group as they ignored him. He found small crate less than a meter away, which sat down upon, unsure of what else to do. The clones kept rambling on about nothing in particular, until one of the clones start to get upset.
"No no no!! I'm not pairing up with Pro next patrol!" The clone exclaimed, "He's a busy little peedunkey and he makes me carry that fierfekarking heavy power pack!!!"
"Hey! Who are you calling 'little', Stones!!" Another clone (Pro it seems) screamed at his accuser. Pro was same height as any clone, perhaps taller with the small spike he had formed with the hair on front of his scalp.
"Come on now, Pro." A third clone cut in, "Stones does have a point. He's being paired with you since Omwat. Maybe give the shinie a shot." That really snared Carthar's attention as he sat up straight.
"Ka'eah...well, the shinie probably doesn't know the gun-end of a blaster..." The spiked head clone looked over to the young trooper and called to him, "Hey. CT-what's-your-number... How much action have you seen?"
"Um, I did participute in a number of simulated battles, back on Kamino."
"You have to be kidding me." Pro match right up to Carthar and stared down at him, "You have to be fierfekarking kidding me! Are you saying that this is your first posting?!"
"...Yes."
"E chu ta!!!" The clone bellowed with his hands grasping the sides of his head, "This guy worst than a shinie!! He's one of those...what'chu call them...a fruit... ..."
"A cherry!" A random clone of the squad proclaimed with a chuckle, "He's a clone who has burst his battle cherry!! By the Force, that's grand one!"
"So, Carder-" Pro started, but the young trooper cut him off.
"Carthar."
"Whatever. Seeing that you don't have much experience, I don't know if I should take you now as my partner in crime." The spiked head clone reached into his belt pack and pulled out a small paper-backed container. Pinching his fingers in the container, Pro slide out a small cylinder roll of white paper and place it in between his lips. Carthar watched in wonder as the clone took a second item from his belt, with which he seem to activate a flame and started burning the end of the cylinder. Smoke waved up from the paper roll as the trooper pulled it from his mouth and blew his own puff of smoke. Pro finally noticed him then, "What...you want one, kid?"
"Oh...oh no..." Carthar put on a fake smile and waved his hand in dismissal, "You know what they say, 'Don't shorten the years you already got!'"
"...By the Force. You must be the first shinie I met to quote directly from that anti-smoke poodoo from Basics." The whole group of clones roared with laughter. Carthar, though, felt the need to defend his words and that of the Republic's anti-tabac campaign... ...
"Yeah, laugh it up, guys..." The young trooper called over the clones, "but with all I know, you couldn't threaten me to puff on one of those things."
All at once, the clones ceased their cackling to the point of silence. Carthar watched them, proud that he'd shut them up. However, the squad looking at him. Their heads where turned to the stack of crates on the other side of the glowlamp, where the shadows truly become dark. The young trooper looked between the clones, squinting, trying to make out what was being looked at. To his surpraise, another trooper sat at the base of the crates. With a long DC-15 blaster rifle propped up next to him, the clone moved his hand up to his mouth as a orange light grew bright, than dimed again. After a second, the mysterious trooper stood up. With slow, methodic steps he crossed the distance between Carthar and him, clones parting out of the way. He stopped in front of the young trooper, gazing down at him from around his cigarra.
In the light, Carthar made out much more of the clone. A belt of bandolier pouches was strapped around the clone's chest, probably tripling his kit load. He was dirty, like the rest, and it had somehow seem to fit him, but what really set him apart was long braided ponytail running down the trooper's shoulder. It remained Carthar of hair extension he had seen on Jedi Padawan who visited the troops, though this clone had his split his in two halfway down. The mysterious trooper did seem to care about the regulations on hair length.
"... ..." Carthar watched as the clone continue to stand in silence, as smoke pure through his nostrils. Suddenly the trooper grabbed the top of his, using his entire hand to grip the clone's scalp. The young trooper was shocked and try to stand up, but the hand pushed him back down onto the small crate. With his free hand, the trooper pinched his cigarra from his lips and plopped it into Carhar mouth. With a rag voice, the clone commanded, "Breath, trooper..."
Carthar looked down at the burn end of the roll as the small black line crawled slowly along the white paper, morphing it into grayish chunks of ash. An orange glow shone just under the gray, releasing a thin spiral of smoke into the air. The young trooper could already slight taste the tabac on his tongue...or at least what he thought the taste of tabac was.
It's ok. The younger clone thought, If I just sit here and don't breath, he'll just let go... ...right?
But Carthar sat and held himself from inhaling, and the trooper kept his hand firmly atop clone's head. The cagarra continued to burn closer and closer to the young trooper's mouth. Carthar would be to surprised if the mysterious trooper replace the roll with another, if the clone hadn't taken the desired breath. With no other solution or plan to work out, the young trooper submitted. Sucking in air around and through the cigarra, Carthar felt the tabac smoke squish down his throat, stinking and tickling the breathing passage as it went along. The moment the breath touched his lungs, the younger clone roar out cough, sending the cagarra to the ground along with a trail of spittle leading back up to his lips.
"Definitely a cherry...through and through..." The trooper smirked and dropped his hold, as the squad of clones laughed at the scene.
Carthar bent over himself, grabbing his collar and yanking on it as far as it would go. His eyes watered with a well of tears and his throat screamed in flames. The young trooper's senses had spun about him for a moment, but only moment and he soon gathered himself. The clones were still laughing. Though, quite suddenly they stopped and one of them bellowed out... ...
"Ten-hut!!" The group troopers tensed up straight where they stood and pushed their hands up to their temples. Carthar managed to stand and salute just in time to see two familiar faces, trotting up to the squad. One of them was the paratrooper the younger clone had seen in Captain Burrs bunker oven. The other the ARC sergeant from the transport.
"At ease, troopers..." The paratrooper related as he halted before them. Carthar remember seen this clone help the captain, his bright red markings in shone in vest contrast to the white of the trooper armor. Before Carthar did have good look at the markings, though now he could see that odd triangular designs they made down the right side of him, from the helmet to his belt. The officer went on, "I see your welcoming the new recruit like always. Make sure you don't shake him up too, we have a operation unfolding."
"Sir. Doesn't that mean we're finally get a new sarge?" One the clones posed.
"Hopefully he's not another rigid echta who doesn't know his left from his right..." Proclaimed another clone, "I swear, that peedunky would have lead us off a cliff if he stayed on!"
"Hey, Lieutenant...shouldn't Saga be taken over Gamma?" Pro inquired to the officer. Carthar watched as he continued to talk, skillfully gripping his cigarra in the side of his mouth, "Last time I checked, sir, the one-man gets hold the reins after the sergeant gets kicked."
"Normally yes, but the captain had...a change of mind." The lieutenant glanced towards his left, to Ram, but went back to speaking, "If there's any cripe about it, cripe to Burrs." The young trooper surveyed about the group of clones. They all seem to turn grim and frown at the prospect of complaining to the captain, which left the ARC in command. That didn't bother Carthar in the least, "Sergeant Ram will brief you on the mission." The lieutenant added, then turned to leave, "...there all yours, Sergeant..."
The commando nodded to the retreating officer and grasped his hands behind his back. Looking over the troopers, Ram study each of them with a steel hard figures. Though, when coming upon Carthar, the elite gave the young trooper a small smirk of acknowledgment. After another minute of silence, he spoke... ...
"I'm not here to step on people's toes, but I do expect you to follow my orders. If you have a problem with what I tell you, then call either shut up yourselves or have me assist your mouths. I'm no command bred, looking for a stepping stone to promotion. I'm here to lead men." The clones looked to each other, some scratching their chins. No one seem to much offense to the ARC's little speech. A few actually smiled, "Ok, then... Go get your sunbonnets and blaster, and we can start our tea party planning."
The squad dispersed, heading out in a few different directions. Pro and the mysterious trooper had paused for moment as the trooper pinched a cigarra from the other trooper's container. Just as Pro lit the clone's roll, the sergeant came up behind him... ...
"Your Saga, right?" The ARC posed to the mysterious trooper. The clone took a drag on his cigarra and slowly turned to the sergeant. Ram took the silence as a yes, "I wanted to say that I never intended to take your command. But I'm not going to apologize for it."
"Hey...just don't get us shoot..." The trooper was as smooth and emotionless as viboblade, it almost shocked Carthar.
"Right." Sarge Ram smiled, then glanced at Pro and pointed to his cagarra, "...tabac?"
"Ahhh...yes, sir..." The clone quickly flicked the roll from his mouth, "I swear I'm just holding them for a friend."
"Well, does you 'friend' mind if I bum one?"
Pro blinked and looked to other trooper, but Saga was already walking away. He left the pack up to the sergeant, to the ARC pull out one the tabac rolls. Ram inspected the cigarra, turning it over in his fingers before putting it up to his nose and sniffed.
"Hmm...carababba?" The sarge inquired.
"No. Just havao, sir."
"Shame." Carthar was lost. Supposedly the two clones were speaking Basic, but the young trooper wasn't too sure. Ram bent in a little as the clone ignited his device and lit the cigarra. Breathing out a puff of smoke, the sergeant continued, "Now if you could do me another favor and hook the private here with latest in GAR blaster fashion."
"Right-ee-o, Sarge. Come on, Cherrie."
The young trooper fumbled after Pro, into the unsound structure. A tiny armory lined the walls of the shack, from mortars to missles. Pro moved to the back, gripping a long blaster with an extra thick barrel.
"Say hello to the T-21 light repeating blaster, Cherrie." The experienced clone said as he cradled the weapon in his arms, "Just under five kilos, fires twelve thousand shots a minute, and is carried with a thirty shot clip. On the ground we've got an integral bipod for support and iron-sites for aiming. Never worry, it's NOT a meant for snipping. With a Info-power-pack, you have over two million laser on the target."
"Now that's a gun!" Carthar exclaimed as reached for the blaster, but the other paratrooper promptly swished his hands away.
"Ah ah ah! Shinies don't get the good toys right out the bag. You got to stop being a cherry, Cherrie." Placing the long weapon back down, Pro tossed the young trooper a much shorter blaster, which he caught with relative ease, "DC-15, S. Standard issue, which means it will jam in a firefight. Five hundred shots. Good for blasting tinnies and Sanies like nobody's business."
Carthar frowned and looked the blaster carbine up and down. He was trained to handle an assortment of weapons and kit, Deece-S's included, just as all clone had being trained. The young trooper knew this rifle mobile inside out, could even strip and clean the thing blindfolded. He knew full well that it was more than a decent weapon...but Carthar wanted the bigger one! Pro seemed to sense the younger clone's thoughts, but didn't feel like patronizing the trooper though.
"Feh... Hey, Cherrie, big boys don't cry. Suck it up." The paratrooper reached behind himself and picked up a meter or so long hose, placing it around the other clone's neck, "Plasma cable, a crew always carries two because the 21 burns the fierfek out of them. You also carry the Info-power-pack for me, so I'm trusting in those big muscular legs you got from Basics. Ok, Cherrie?"
"Right..."
"I mean it. Your glued onto me out on partrol. By the Force's help, I will shoot you if you start wondering off."
"Ok! I get it!!" Carthar was getting sick of this clone's attitude. Shinie or not, he knew how to work on a repeater team.
"Ka'eah...you better..." Pro threw the long barreled blaster onto his shoulder, along with another plasma cable onto his other. Fixing the young trooper a nasty stare, he brush past the clone and made sure to slam against his shoulder.
Carthar ringed his hand around his weapon's barrel, let his anger bleed through his grip. He's new repeater blaster partner had came close to setting the clone off. The trooper wouldn't have mind knocking Pro's fat mouth to the ground, and he probably would if the paratrooper shut it.
One good pop and he'd definitely learn his lesson.
The young trooper swallowed his frustrations, grabbed a couple Deece clips, and booked it out the door. The sergeant was kneeling next to the glowlamp, wait patiently as the clones assembled around him. Unlike before, the whole squad was topped with HALOs and armed to the teeth. It was almost surreal seeing the groups who had just a few minutes ago were joking and smiling had morph into this band of somber and decked in full battle-kit. Carthar quickly slipped his helmet on and joined in the proceedings, taking a place next to Downs.
"Ok. We're in for a nice simple mission for starters..." Sergeant Ram place a round disc on the in front of him, to which swoosh of blue jump up from and start to form a irregular shape. A geo-holo of a miniature peninsula pushing out into the ocean, "We got reports of a small band of Sanyassan officers who want to surrender. There should be a few lieutenants and a dozen so regulars. The Grunts, along with rest of 20th platoon, will meet up with them around here..." The ARC pointed to a spot a little north of where the strip of land met the main continent, "If everything goes to plan, this should be a place of uja cake." A few troopers looked to each, then one spoke up... ...
"Sir, should we expect the Sanies to be armed?"
"No, but I'd say keep your eyes trained for any surprises." The sarge gazed down at his chrono and continued, "The meet's twelve klicks away and a couple hours march. Should be dawn by the time we get there, local time."
The squad remain silent, absorbing the sergeant's words and thumbing over any possible "surprises" they could run into. Carthar felt his insides clench a little, either from excitement or anxiety, he wasn't sure. He wondered if anyone else was feeling the same clenching. But that's stupid, he would quickly surmise, since all the other clones were all veterans from one planet or another. The young trooper speedily cleared his mind of thoughts as the squad started to move out... ...
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"They'll come from the east..."
General Rahm Kota was standing atop a hill, not far from their bunker command center, surveying the coming attack's front lines. Pulling his electrobinoculars back up to his eyes, the Jedi click the zoom and melted the haze of distance that distort the view of the area being so far away. The petite woman next to him, Major Tekshar, study the front lines with unassisted site. Though, no matter how one looked at the topography was only one word that fit the location... ...
Wasteland.
When Republic forces landed on the planet, a massive battle ensued. Being the dry season of that particular area, the fight ignited thousand of brush fires which leaded to blaze that washed over the entire continent. In it's wake, the planet's once lush and hilly fields became a black and dirty corpse. Scatters of craters, punch in by artillery, added to the effect. It was more like a dead moon than the farmers' planet it was.
"They'll come from the east and with enough tanks and armor to capture Coruscant." Kota removed his binoculars and glance to his senior officer.
"Sir, I could get a team down there in no time and start placing mines and tank-traps."
"No...no...that would tip our hand to their scours, then we would have lost our major adventure in the fight. We need to surprise them when they launch their surprise attack." The Jedi set his electrobinoculars back up and traversed across the fields. After a moment, he pointed to the far right of the front, "That low rise seems promising. If we can quietly get a number Saber tanks there...and keep a few on the front...it will leave their flanks open to an attack and they never see it coming."
"A giant ambush, covering a hold battlefield..." Tekshar definitely like the sounds of this plan, "We could cut their forces in half before the fight really started."
The general beamed his senior office a small smile, showing his pride at her rapid anaysis of the situation. Kota had quickly took the young lady under his wing when see was still just a struggling Judicial recruit. Now Aasia Tekshar was equal of any general in the GAR, superior to any clone commander. Of the Padawans and Knights that Kota help train, this average Kuati girl had somehow beat them to the Jedi's heart. The general wonder if his feelings were something close to father's.
"They'll still try to over run us with infantry. Probably a mass of droids, followed by Sanyassan fighters..."
"Sanie mercs...experienced, but under trained and armed." The major was on her ball today, "They'll go down like any wet troopers."
"If you learn anything from being a jedi, it's that over confidence is a death note. Master Gatama teaches us to be mindful of our future effects, but focus on the truth of the moment. In war, the here and now is more important than battlefield predictions."
"Isn't it a little odd to use the words of a pacifist Jedi Master in war tactics?"
"Ha...Some would no doubtingly say that..."
"General Kota!!" The two twisted around and caught site of a blue fatigued soldier in chest armor and pads, running full speed over to them, "General Kota!!!"
"Calm down, boy!" Kota exclaimed as the soldier skidded to a halt.
"General, sir! We're unable to contact several planets with Republic forces."
"You can't WHAT!!!"
"I-I-I, umm..." The soldier blinked, startled by the Jedi's tone, "Sennatt and Tao-Grant and Kothlis, none of them can be reach at the moment."
"How is this possible. Those planets have the best communicate stations on this side of the galaxy!"
"Sir, if we can't contact those outposts soon they'll be wide open to the Sanyassan's push." Tekshar voiced the general's fears, precisely.
I think I trained her too well..., Kota groaned in his mind.
"There's something else, sir..." The soldier related. The Jedi gave him a glare, causing the poor man to fumble again, "Th-um-um, the Bothans are have trouble, too. None of their forces are receiving their transmissions, it seems, sir."
"The Bothans...have an communications break down?"
"That would explain the Republic outposts we can reach..." The major added, "We rely on Bothan supplied communications on those planets."
"Private, have shuttles prepare and sent to relay the message. We can't afford to lose a single one of them!"
"Yes, sir!!" The soldier turned and raced off to the bunker entrance.
"...Do you think the word will reach them in time..."
Kota glanced at Tekshar, noticing her normally calm expression stretch out in worry. He had nothing solid or promising to tell the major, nothing hopeful at least. So the Jedi said the one thing a jedi would say in such a circumstance... ...
"All we can do is trust in the Force, Aasis..."
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Through the heights of the canopy, Kothlis' morning light began to pour down on squad of troopers as they crept across the jungle floor. Carthar was among, walking single file behind Pro, as their ARC sergeant lead the clones. Sarge Ram and Saga had had a small argument pertaining the elite's choose of taking the position on point-lead of the squad, as would seem that Saga normally took point. As the young trooper reviewed the exchange in his mind agree, he concluded that it wasn't really an argument. For an argument, both sides needed to speak. Saga just had glared at the sergeant after he mentioned taking point, to which the ARC had simple glared back. In the end, the sarge took point-lead and the silent trooper just accepted it with a deep throated growl.
Carthar continued to follow behind Pro, keeping an eye to the ground for any twigs or branches to avoid. They had to be careful of how much noise they were making, especial this far into enemy territory. The squad had even left some of their equipment back at the base for the sake of stealth. The young trooper mindlessly glance over to the far right of himself as another squad quietly maintained a parallel speed to them. From his HALO's HUD display, the clone could identify each of the troopers by his serial number, trailed by the clone's call sign. Half away to the across the line of troopers, Carthar spotted caught site of number 'CT-1007 "Uncle"'. Downs had told him that Uncle was in Theta squad, which appeared to be this band of clones.
The young trooper went back to focusing on the ground, twisting and turning his feet around the assortment of noise-making jungle debris as the squad pressed on. Trodding down at angle, the clone started to fall forward until he shifted the heavy power pack on his back and straighten out. Pro looked back and shock his head. That was all the sympathy he gave the young trooper, even though he was the one made Carthar carry the half of ton pack. The paratrooper felt like cursing Pro...but he never paid attention to any of the swear words he had heard... ...
After a while, the sound of waves clashing against each other hid Carthar's ears. It was coming somewhat from his left, behind a wall of the thick plants and wood. Remember the holo, the young trooper deduced they close to the peninsula's ended the main continent began, where the meet was be held. The sergeant must of realize what Carthar had, as he his right hand sprang up in fist to signal the squad to halt. Dropping to one with rest of the clones, brought his Deece to bare and scanned the dimly lit forest. Theta had done the same, along with other two squads farther off to the right. The clone platoon had reached their destination.
"Ambush formations..." A clone's voice, Lt. Czar's, whispered across the comlink. The troopers jumped back up and head off in ever which direction, clone sergeants highlighting needed positions behind trees and in between shrubby.
"Cherrie! This way!" Pro called to the young trooper in a hushed tone.
The clone pair rushed left, toward the plant wall separating the jungle from the ocean. Continuing around the back of troopers settling into kneeling and prone firing positions, all the way to the outer flank. Pro dropped to the ground first, behind a moss covered log, placing the repeating blaster's bipod legs atop it's bark. Carthar rolled the heavy power pack off of his back and the two paratroopers knelt behind their wooding barrier. The younger clone started to work on unlocking the packs connector flap as his partner yanked blaster's aim clip out. The paratrooper pulled the power cable from around his neck and handed it to Carthar, then the pair plugged it in and linked the pack and blaster in a devilish cohesion of destruction. Infinite ammo, baby... ...
His task done, the young trooper raised his DC-15 barrel over the log and aim in the direction that Pro had. An opening in the canopy laid just and arms length from the clones, covered in ferns and with a single dusty trail crossing it. The path was perpendicular to Carthar and Pro, as well as it was with every over clone in the platoon. It was a firing angle, any trooper would have picked it...as the case was. From his HUD, Carthar spot the lieutenant dropping by the trunk of a tree not too far away from the trail. Sarge Ram was closer to them, somewhere in a grouping of bushes, the paratrooper couldn't quite see.
Carthar suddenly released that he was panting! When had he start panting?! When was he going to stop? The trooper's heart was beating rapidly, too, pulsating the veins in the back of the clone's head. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was starting to get to Carthar. For the longest time, nothing happened. The forest was dead quiet, no one spoke and the path remained empty. The young trooper gulped down a swallow, finally taking control of his breathing as a remnant of tabac filled his mouth. That taste just doesn't leave!!
This is my first mission on my first deployment, why am I even thinking about his stuff? Carthar tried to pull his focus back to the field.
Suddenly a shape appeared back in the reaches of the jungle before settling back into darkness. Was that enemy or an animal? Maybe just a branch falling? They couldn't shoot, whatever the case, so the young trooper willed himself to calm down. Another shape moved, then another and another. Soon, humanoids began to form, standing two by two, walking down the path. As they reached the light of the clearing, Carthar got a full look at them in their their plush metal plate-armor, set in dark brown leather. Must of them wore helmets, some with pointy face masks. They must have made to protect the head from blades and arrows, they didn't seem too effective against a blaster shot. A good number of them carried weapons as long as they were, two meters height, and were topped with double prong spearhead. A few, though, had traditional blaster rifles.
Sanyassans.
They were all walking at very hesitated pace, watching the ground as they moved like the clones had. All but one. A Sanie was marching up the length of them, carrying a HUGE broadsword and wearing a long fabric cape over his shoulder. Carthar deduced that he was an officer, probably the one who would offically surrendered to them. The Sanie officer turned his head about, studying the clearing as his troopers move slowly across it.
Snap!
A sharp noise rung through the air and the Sanies all squatted close to the ground. Some clone must have step on a twig as he checked the chart on his Deece or moved to a better aim. Carthar was too tensed up to make such a mistaken, frozen to the spot he original targeted. The Sanie officer pulled his mask up from recoiled position for a better look. He was fifty meters from the young trooper, but the clone could still make out his sunken in eyes, slit nostrils, and flat noise. It was too surprise that the clones called them "monkey-faces".
Carthar glance to the Pro, unsure what to do. Older clone looked back for a second and returned to watching the Sanyassans. Obivously, he had nothing to offer either. Without warning, the lieutenant shouted out to them... ...
"Contact Zero!" That was a code word to identify the deserters. They should be saying 'True Orders', or something painful would befall them.
"First Meet!" At first, Carthar thought that he heard the Sanie wrong. But soon the lieutenant bellowed over the comlink... ...
"Lay into them, boys!!!"
The clearing erupted with blue streams of the plasma shots. Pro had his long repeating blaster roaring away next to Carthar's ear, sending a wall of bright shots over the numerous ferns and into the squatting Sanies. The young trooper brought his Deece to bare and squeezed the trigger. Wham! The shot ranged out and Carthar squeezed the trigger again. Wham! A second shot and again he squeezed the trigger. Click... ...
The clone quickly re-primed the blaster and squeezed the trigger. Click... nothing. The young trooper pulled his clip out of the Deece and checked it's charge. It was still full, which meant the barrel was jammed and he was in a firefight without a functioning weapon. However, it hadn't matter.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!!" Czar commanded over the shooting.
The shots stopped. Carthar breathed a sigh, he heard his partner released one as well. The sudden change from apprehending to mowing down had caught all the clones a little off, as a whole they were calm and ready for more. All the Sanie soldiers laid, motionless, in the center of clearing. The young trooper's body had went to work on his failed blaster, rechecking the charge and jammed barrel. It was all muscle memory, Carthar didn't even need remember what to do. It add to the surreal awe of the moment.
"And that's how they go down, Cherrie..." Pro related to the young trooper.
Carthar looked at the paratrooper next him as patted his T-21 repeater like a domesticated mooka, with the same amount of affection. The trooper sighed heavily again, moving to rest his head upon their log barrier. At the moment the clone's helmet touch the bark, the log burst apart! Splinters and wooden chunks scrapped along Carthar's HALO, as the young trooper fell onto the ground.
"In coming fire!! From the forest!" A clone cried as Carthar realized that it was a blaster shot that evaporated the log from under him.
"Come on!! We got to move!!!" Screamed Pro, picking his long barreled weapon up and jumping over the remains of the log.
The young trooper cast his failed Deece aside and heaved the have power pack in both his arms, crimson lights dance around them in deadly effect. The two clones dash into the clearing, stopping to set up behind a small boulder. The jungle before them was jetted out dozens of red shots, culminating from Sanie blaster repeaters and rifles. It reminded Carthar of looking up into a rainstorm on Kamino, droplets constantly falling down and down. Though these droplets were something you would want to avoid. Pro kept his T-21 roaring, sending out small bursts as he scanned the forests edge. Just beyond the paratrooper, Carthar saw Sergeant Ram dashing up to a forward position as WESTAR sprayed away what was in front of him.
"Move up and right, Gamma!" The ARC bellowed, "Push them on the right!!! Into the ocean!!"
Another clone had run up beside the sergeant, dropping to his knee to fire as Ram kept move right. Suddenly a short stick flew from the tree line and hit the clone right in the face, bouncing off his HALO. Phased at first, the trooper looked down at the stick and seemed to recognize whatever it was. As he picked it up, the clone started to run towards the jungle with stick held in his out stretched arm.
Bang!!
The clone's side exploded in a large cloud of dust. As it settled, the trooper became visible as he sat on his knees, the stick was gone. Along with the clone's arm.
"Concussion grenades!!" Pro shouted as launched a long burst form his weapon.
"Don't stop! Keep moving!!" The elite clone yelled across the comlink as he ran to the dismembered trooper's side.
As Sarge Ram wrapped the clone's existing arm around his neck and pulled him along, another grenade was flung from the forest and exploded in the air. The ARC didn't stop, though. He just kept yanking the clone and himself out of the clearing as Carthar watched in wonder. The young trooper was snapped to his sense by a some thudded to his helmet and rolled his back. It was oddest feeling.
"Cherrie!! Get down!!!" Pro cried as he leaped upon the clone.
BANG!!!!
The blast was longer than any of the others, deafening Carthar as rang out. The paratrooper's weight still pressed down onto the young trooper, some much so that Carthar had to roll Pro from off of himself as he pushed up. Looking down at his savior, first thing the trooper noticed was the clone's twitching arm almost slapping his thigh. Pro's back that faced the younger clone was littered holes and gashes. His HALO was missing a large piece in the back, just like Pro's head... ...
Pro saved me from that... The young trooper thought, mouth agape under his helmet, That could have been me. That's going to be me!!
Carthar scrambled to the T-21, bracing it's butt against his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. A rain of shimmering blue shots ripped across the clearing, into the trees and Sanies. Soon the red fire as zeroing in on Carthar, sending shots into the boulder underneath and whistling by the trooper's head. The clone's heart raced faster, pumping more and more adrenaline into his system. With thinking about it, the young trooper stood up with repeating blaster in the nook of his arm and sprayed the lower reaches of the tree line. A few screams ranged out and much of the red shimmers faded for a few moments. Without worrying, a hand grabbed the back of Carthar's arm and pulled him down behind the rock.
"We're pulling back to base!" Sarge Ram proclaimed to the clone. Carthar blinked and reached over to the power pack, but swapped his away from it, "No!! Leave it!"
The young trooper nodded and disconnected the cable from the repeating blaster. The elite tossed Carthar a couple clips from Pro's belt before hauling the shaking clone onto his shoulders. The two started a long march back to the rear of the fighting, back down the trail towards the base. Carthar stopping a few times to knee and fire, giving Ram and rest of platoon time to retreat, until another trooper took up the firing. The Sanies kept moving and pressing the attack, never letting up... ...
G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G_G
Named after a predominant figure in Sanyassan astrology, the Jotun Offense was one of the bloodiest pushes in the war. In first few hours, thousands of Bothan defenders were killed...along with millions of clones.
We had the misfortune of meeting the vanguard of that attack on our mission to take in a surrendering enemy. Weather Sanies planned to hid us or if it was just an accident, nobody actually found out. What I remember, though, was all the vod troopers we left back in that clearing to die. The Sanies had fun with them. If I had it my way we would have fought back to them, just so that we could give them a faster death. We were too busy at the time to do that even.
With Grievous' fleet coming in a few days, the Sanies weren't going to let up soon... ...
Author's Note: Review!!!!
