Disclaimer: In no way do I take credit for the characters of this story, only possibly the way they will act in this story.
The Jedi Master's communicator started to beep, shaking Ki-Adi-Mundi from his deep trance. He knew what it meant, and answered shortly."Ki-Adi-Mundi here."
"General Mundi, we've reverted back to realspace again, and we're about to rendezvous with the 501:st in orbit, before going down to the surface" Commander Bacara said, the eagerness for battle prominent in his voice. Ki-Adi-Mundi smiled, the Commander was a true warrior.
"Very well, Commander. I'll meet you and the 501:st in the Hangar Bay" he answered.
"Very good, sir." The communication was cut and Ki-Adi-Mundi stood up, stretching his body, warming up his shoulders and arms after the meditation. He used the Force to draw his lightsaber to him from the desk where he had put it before, and walked out the door and down the hall into a turbolift. He entered the command for the Hangar Bay, and waited as it went down a few levels.
When he exited the turbolift, he was shortly joined with Bacara, whom had used another lift.
"Commander", "General", they said respectively, as they walked down the seemingly endless corridor with doors leading to equipment rooms, dorms and mess halls, where many clones now was either preparing for the upcoming inevitable battle, sleeping out, or eating what could be their last meal.
It disturbed Mundi that many of them would not live after the end of the war.
After a series of left and right turns and opening of doors, they arrived in the Hangar Bay, with 30 clones from Bacara's army, the Galactic Marines.
The Jedi and the Commander split ways, the former jumping down to the landing pads, the latter sprinting to the computer controls, keying in his access code and opened a comm-link with the 501:st's shuttle.
"This is Commander Bacara of the Galactic Marines. Please send identification and landing code" he said, keeping an eye on the monitor.
"Commander Bacara, this is Commander Appo. Identification and landing code sent. Please open your blast doors before I force them open." The harsh voice of Appo reached his ears, which made him grin. Appo was still the same.
"Alright, Commander Appo. Everything is as it should. Blast doors are opening", he said, pausing only to add, "Welcome in."
As the 501:st's shuttle flew in, General Mundi and the clone soldiers lined up, waiting for the hatch to open. With a hiss and the venting of air, the ramp lowered down to the ground, revealing the blue-striped men of the 501:st. Commander Appo went down the ramp and shook hands with the Jedi Master.
"Master Mundi, I hope that our mission together will be a success. The Supreme Chancellor speaks highly of you" Appo said icily. Ki-Adi-Mundi merely smiled and said: "The Supreme Chancellor should have told you that flattery does not work on Jedi."
A small smile tugged for a few seconds on the clone's lips, but he quickly suppressed it. The man did not like being here, that much could be seen. After the commander, several more clone troopers joined them from the shuttle. The three leaders decided to go to the briefing room, so they could get a picture of what they were about to face.
In the small, undecorated room, a large-scale model of the planet was hovering, zooming in on the main city. Commander Appo pointed out a few keymarks, such as anti-air turrets, and droid manufacturing facilities. "If you don't mind, Master Mundi, we better start preparing for a full-scale frontal assault as soon as we land. The only safe spot is where we land, and we will only be able to set in a certain number of units at once, since the anti-air turrets here and here automatically will try to shoot us down", the 501:st Commander said, "So that is effectively trapping us there. Therefore, those who land will have to disable the turrets, and clear this area here", he pointed at the circular plaza, right after the bridge where they would land, "And then proceed to disable the force-shields here and there. That is where you come in. We land you here, and then you have to make a run for it, help us destroy the generator, and guard us as we run back to the ships." He paused, making sure the others understood what he was saying.
"I only have one question. Will you and the 501:st leave immediately after your mission is finished?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked. Appo nodded the affirmative, and then shut down the holo-projector. The briefing was finished.
The ship was quiet, more than usual. Everyone had their thoughts about the coming battle. They knew most of them would not see the day after this one, and if they did, they would soon die anyway. Such was the life of a clone. The Jedi Master and Commander Bacara went around the ship, talking to many of the soldiers, encouraging them as much as they could.
So, in just a few hours, the battle will commence, Ki-Adi-Mundi thought as he strode along the corridors with Bacara, The sooner, the better. And, hopefully, the battle will be over faster than we've anticipated.
The thoughts in Bacara's head was quite the same, though he also contemplated on whether to tell the Cerean Jedi about the 501:st mission without blowing their cover.
Maybe I should tell him, a little bit. After all, it can't hurt, can it? But just as those thoughts surfaced, another came up with them, telling him it was not a good idea.
"Well, General Mundi, let us rest as much as we can. There will be no more time for rest during the assault" he said respectfully. The Cerean Jedi nodded, and left for his quarters, with a short "Very well, see you planetside tomorrow" hanging in the air. The clone released a long breath he did not know he had taken, and began to jog down towards his quarters, where he would practice his sword-fighting skills. He always carried a short vibrosword with him these days.
Commander Appo sat in the cockpit of the small shuttle, his eyes closed. 'Your mission must not fail, Commander. And neither must the Jedi even suspect what your mission truly is.' Those had been the words of the Supreme Chancellor before he had left Coruscant. Palpatine put a lot of faith in him, and that trust Appo would not abuse. He would make sure his mission would not fail, if he so would have to give his life in order for it to succeed.
I will not fail, sir, his last thoughts were, before he drifted into a dreamless state of unconsciousness.
In his quarters, Ki-Adi-Mundi practiced a few lightsaber katas, in between his meditations. Empty your thoughts. Dispel your fear and anger, and focus on the Force, and let it guide you. One of the basic meditations learned to younglings, it was also one of the most effective. It always helped him, both in battle and in other situations. The meditations soon started to grow longer, and finally, the Cerean Jedi Master fell into a deep sleep.
Bacara paced his quarters, the vibrosword forgotten on the floor, tearing up boxes and desk-drawers, in his search for one of his most prized possessions.
Where in the Force is that stupid blaster? I know I put it in here somewhere! He seethed at himself for forgetting it, his own modified DC-16 blaster. He did not go on any mission without it. He hardly ever fired it, but it had to rest against his hip anyway.
Soon I'm going to blast this room to pieces! Wait… Is that it? As he looked in the corner where he had thrown most of the drawers, he saw a gleam of metal. Instantly the clone rushed there, threw away all papers and drawers on top of it, and took up his DC-16.
Aahh, my baby! He kissed the pistol lightly, before hefting it to his side. Then he fell down onto the floor, descending into a deep sleep.
A/N: Well, Chapter Two is up, and Chapter Three will hopefully be up by either Thursday or Friday.