The Raging Galaxy
BOOK 2
I do not own Star Wars the Clone Wars or Avatar the Last Airbender. They both belong to their respective owners.
A/N: So, sorry this chapter is sooo long. Over 8,800 words! Usually I try to keep them at about 6,000 words. The next one shouldn't be so long.
Chapter 6 - Landing at Point Rain
Counterattack! With the Clone Army stretched in a desperate attempt to engage General Grievous' Starfleet, Separatist planets that were once thought secure are now rising up against the Republic. On Geonosis, Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser, safe in his newly ray-shielded factories, creates thousands upon thousands of terrible new weapons which march off the assembly line against the outnumbered Clone Army. The Jedi, resolute in their effort to restore order to the Republic, mount a massive invasion to retake Geonosis and shut down Poggle's factories of terror once and for all.
Over 30 Jedi Cruisers and 10 Assault Cruisers dropped out of hyperspace, directly in front of Geonosis and it's ring of asteroids. The Resolute, Delta, and Negotiator we're at the head of the fleet, leading them into Geonosian Space.
On the Resolute, the command cruiser for this invasion, High Generals Mashu Sapphire, Rose Sapphire, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ki-Adi-Mundi stood on the bridge, looking out the large windows at the orange colored planet. "I cannot believe we're back here again." Obi-Wan said, shaking his head.
"I thought I would never have to set foot on this dust ball ever again. But, it looks like we have no other choice." Rose said, frowning at the planet as they got closer. She, like many other Jedi who were here when the war started, still have nightmares of all the death, screaming, bugs, droids, and... bugs. Then, you wake up and find out your still in a nightmare, the war is real and isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"It is unfortunate, indeed." Mashu said, nodding.
"The resistance from the native Geonosians was stronger than anticipated." Ki-Adi-Mundi added.
"The same can be said for their loyalty to Count Dooku." Rose said bitterly.
"A fact that is often overlooked." Mundi said nodding. Behind them, the door slid open and Anakin, Ahsoka, and Aang walked towards them.
"You're late." Obi-Wan said, turning slightly towards them.
"Sorry, Masters. Ahsoka, Aang, and I were busy routing the Seppies near Dorin." Anakin explained, stopping next to Obi-Wan.
"My squadron alone had 55 kills." Ahsoka said, proudly.
"Yeah, but mine had 76." Anakin responded as Aang shrugged and shook his head.
"Show off." Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I'm glad to see you two are enjoying yourselves." Obi-Wan said.
"It's just a little friendly competition, Master, nothing to worry about." Anakin said defensively.
"What we should be worrying about is the way this war seems to be drawing out, with no end in sight." Rose said, looking back at the planet.
"Which is why our invasion of Geonosis must meet with success." Ki-Adi-Mundi added.
"Agreed." Anakin said, nodding. "Ahsoka, contact Outer Rim Command, we're ready for the briefing." Anakin ordered.
"They're already waiting for us." Ahsoka said as they walked towards the Communication Room.
Communications Center
Rose, Aang, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Ki-Adi-Mundi stood in front of a holotable. Mace Windu, Yoda, Palpatine, and Luminara were also there on holoprojections, waiting for their report.
"Our ships are in position and we're ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians." Obi-Wan said.
"What about Poggle? Any reports on his location?" Master Windu asked.
"Yes, it seems he's holed up at the primary droid factory here." Obi-Wan said, pointing to the holoprojection of the factory and the area around it. "The factory is protected by a shield generator. Anakin, Rose, Ki-Adi, Mashu, and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield." He explained as three green arrows pointed to the square Landing Zone. "Once we have landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target."
"Isn't it risky committing five Generals to one area of the attack?" Palpatine asked, concerned. "If something happened to some of our best Generals, we could be dealt a serious blow." He said, looking at Windu, then Master Yoda.
"To ensure that rise again Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must." Yoda said to the Chancellor.
"Of course." Palpatine said, nodding. "As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi." He said, nodding to the five Generals.
"Our thanks, Chancellor." Rose said, bowing her head.
"Your, Excellency." Anakin replied, also bowing his head.
"May the Force be with you." Windu said, bowing to his fellow Jedi, along with Master Yoda, then cut the connection.
Right as they cut the connection, the door behind them opened and Commanders Cody, Blaze, Jet, and Captain Rex entered the room. "Good, Cody. These are the coordinates for the rendezvous." Obi-Wan said, enlarging the holoprojection to show the Landing Zone and the factory up close.
"Yes, sir." Cody replied. "When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter there. Getting past their defenses here will be the trick." He said, gesturing to a red dotted line on the holomap. "General Mundi and Mashu will come across the defensive lines from the north. You, me, and General Rose will make our assault through the middle. General Skywalker will make his attack on the defensive lines from the south, and we'll all meet at the rendezvous point at 0700 exactly." He explained as three gunships flew across the map to the Landing Zone.
"If we meet with strong resistance and are forced down away from the landing zone, hold out until we join our forces before attacking the shield generator." Ki-Adi-Mundi explained.
"Their front lines are heavily fortified." Aang observed. Rose had taught him all about strategy and leading an Army, so by now he knew what 'heavily fortified' meant.
"Yeah, look at that giant wall with all the gun emplacements." Ahsoka agreed, pointing to the map. "That won't be easy to get past." She said, looking at Anakin.
"Don't worry. We aren't going anywhere near that." Anakin said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Come now. What happened to all the enthusiasm I saw earlier." Rose said, smirking at Anakin.
"Don't worry about us. You just make sure you and Obi-Wan get to that landing zone in one piece." Anakin said.
Then Obi-Wan joined the conversation. "Yes. We shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive." He said smiling.
"Ahem. If you three are quite finished, we have a battle to begin." Luminara said, catching everyone's attention.
"Quite right." Obi-Wan said as he and Rose grew serious again. "Cody, prep the gunships." He said, leaving the room.
"Yes, sir."
Rose and Mundi bowed to Luminara and also left. "Blaze, ready the men. I'll meet you in the Delta's hanger." Rose ordered walking past him.
"Right away, sir."
The Delta's Hanger
Brick, Rachel, Alex, Adam, James, and clone troopers Trip and Sly were in the hanger, next to one of the hundreds of gunships preparing to depart. Rachel and Alex were cleaning their DC-15A blaster rifles. "Hey, Sly, Trip, were either of you at the First Battle of Geonosis?" Alex asked, curious about the first battle of the Clone Wars.
"No. I wasn't involved in the first assault." Lieutenant Sly answered.
"I wasn't either." Trip said. "You'll have to ask one of the older troopers." He said.
"I was there." A voice said from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw Commander Blaze standing there, his helmet at his side. They all dropped what they were doing, stood at attention and saluted him. "At ease, soldiers." Blaze said and they all sat back down.
"You were really there, sir? What was it like?" Rachel asked.
"Not pleasant." Blaze said, sitting on a crate across from them. "Just bugs, bugs, and more bugs everywhere. Intense blasterfire, millions of droids, death." He said, shaking his head. "I was only a Regimental Commander then, serving under then Jedi Commander Rose. We spent about a week there, securing area after area. Once we finally had the entire planet, we headed off to Coruscant and immediately after that, we were shipped off to thousands of planets across the galaxy." He chuckled. "To my surprise, General Rose was promoted to Jedi Knight and received an army of her own, but she specifically wanted me and my men. We had formed a bond over that week on that dust ball of a planet."
"So, that's one good thing that came out of it." Brick said.
"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Blaze said smiling.
On the Resolute, Delta, and Negotiator, squadrons of Republic bombers were launched to clear the path. They flew in low towards the Geonosians battlements, firing their loads of torpedoes and destroying numerous Geonosian sonic cannons and Separatist J-1 semi-autonomous proton cannons. The many Geonosian warriors were also hit in the torpedo fire.
Negotiator's Hanger
"No, sir, I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis." Cody said to Obi-Wan as they walked towards one of the gunships.
"Well, you didn't miss much. Last time I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters." Obi-Wan said, shaking his head as he stepped onto one of the gunships.
Cody stopped outside the transport. He was going to leave in a separate gunship, because in a battle as big as this, it's not really a good idea to place more than one high ranking officer on one ship. "That sounds... entertaining." He said.
"It was... for the Geonosians." Obi-Wan said as the blast-doors closed and his team of gunships took off. The many gunships and carriers, which were carrying the large AT-TEs, dropped from the bottom of the cruiser and headed for the LZ.
Some of the sonic cannons and proton cannons, that weren't destroyed in the first bombing run, fired at the incoming gunships and carriers. Obi-Wan and his men held onto the above handles as the transport shook violently from the intense cannon fire. Outside, one of their tank carriers were hit and the AT-TE was destroyed as the ship plummeted towards the desert below.
The Geonosians launched their Nantex-class territorial defense starfighters to intercept the gunships. The Republic bombers, who were escorting the transports attempted to down as many starfighters as possible, but there were just too many of them and they were being blasted out of the sky. The clones who were in the two laser turrets, on either side of the gunships, and were firing the transports lasers at the incoming Geonosians. Multiple bombers broke from their escort positions and fired torpedoes at the enemy cannons, trying to lighten the flak for the transports to get through.
Delta's Hanger
Commander Blaze stood on one of the gunships, waiting for Rose to arrive. Finally, he saw her and Team Avatar running towards them. "Everything set, Blaze." Rose asked as she stepped onto the gunships. Team Avatar were going to depart on another gunship, again because having numerous officers on one transport was not a good idea, especially for a battle like this.
"Yes, sir." He said, putting on his helmet. "Obi-Wan has just departed.
"Then let's get moving." She said as the blast-doors closed and they all took off. As soon as they dropped out of the cruiser, they were under heavy fire from the cannons and Geonosian starfighters. "This isn't good." Rose muttered as the ship shook violently.
Rose looked over at U.S. soldier Adam who was using both hands to hang onto the handles. "How's it going, Adam?" She asked him, smirking.
"Uh, so far so good, General." He said as the ship shook again.
"I recommend that you relax. Getting stressed only causes you to make mistakes. I should know from my week spent on this planet." She said, nodding to Blaze.
"Thanks, sir." Adam said, relaxing somewhat.
Resolute's Hanger
Anakin, Ahsoka, Mashu's Padawan Alix walked over to one of the gunships and boarded it where they found Rex. Alix claimed that being with Anakin was more exciting then being with Mashu, so he requested that he be with Anakin's group. "We all ready, Rex?" Anakin asked.
"Yes, sir. Generals Rose and Kenobi have already departed." Rex reported as they took off with their large team of gunships.
"Well, they've had a head start. We'll have to catch up." Anakin said, smiling.
A few minutes after Anakin left, Ki-Adi-Mundi and his team of gunships prepared to leave. "Good luck, General." Admiral Yularen said to Mundi as he and Mashu boarded their separate transports.
"There is no such thing as luck." Mundi replied as the doors closed and they were also on their way.
Anakin's Team
More Geonosian starfighters had arrived and it was getting increasingly difficult to shoot the all down. They still had most of their gunships, but multiple tank carriers were knocked out of the sky.
On one of the gunships, a clone looked out of the small opening of his transport and saw that most of the Geonosians shots were wild and missed a lot. ""Good thing those bugs can't aim." He said to his brothers. Right after he said that, their gunship was hit by cannon fire. They screamed as the ship caught fire and numerous men flew out of the transport.
Anakin's gunship was pursued by starfighters and they were eventually hit also. They all hung on tightly as the ship shook violently and fell from the sky. The transport crashed into the ground, sliding several hundred feet before coming to a stop. Multiple other gunships crashed all around them and all of their tank carriers were wiped out.
Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
"The flak is too heavy." Mundi said as the ship shook violently.
Commander Jet stood beside him, listening to reports from Anakin's Team in his helmet. "We're down! Repeat, down!" A clone shouted over the comlink. "Location, 5-" They didn't get to finish as the connection was lost. "I've just lost contact with Skywalker's team." Jet said to Mundi.
Anakin's Team
Anakin coughed loudly from all the smoke and stood up. He could hear blasterfire outside, which meant the survivors from the other down gunships were defending the position. "Come on, get up!" He shouted to the troopers behind him as he helped Ahsoka stand. "We've have to keep moving!" He and Alix moved towards the heavily damaged blast-doors, lifted them up and tossed it out.
Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix ran to the front and deflected blaster bolts from the Geonosians and droids. Rex and his men stayed back and fired at the enemy, covering the three Jedi.
"Here they come." One clone said.
"Watch it. Watch it!" Another shouted as a rocket exploded in front of them.
The Geonosians were everywhere. Some were in towers above them, firing multiple double-barrel repeating blasters at them. Anakin and Alix ran forward and engaging the bugs head on, cutting down any Geonosian in their way, clearing the way for the rest of the men.
"They're falling back!" Ahsoka shouted, who stayed back with the clones and deflected blaster bolts. "Come on!" She ordered, running forward. The clones followed her as they rushed the remaining bugs.
Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
The cannon fire was intensifying the closer they got to the LZ. Many more gunships and tank carriers were destroyed and they were losing air support. "Get the tanks on the ground now!" Mundi ordered. After he said this, the side of the ship was hit by blasterfire and one of the engines were destroyed. "We're going down, sir!" The pilot shouted.
"Cody, get the tanks down." Jet ordered into his comlink. "Come in, Cody." He said as the transport plummeted to the ground rapidly.
Commander Cody's Team
Cody's team of gunships and tanks had made it through the defensive line of cannons and starfighters and were almost to the Landing Zone. Only six of their AT-TEs made it through and 10 gunships each carrying about 20 troopers, both clones and U.S. soldiers.
"Cody, come in!" The commander heard over his comlink. "Get the tanks down!" Jet ordered.
"Copy that." Cody replied. "Pilot, begin landing sequence." He ordered.
"Copy that, Commander." The pilot replied. "Have fun down there." He joked as he brought the transport in for a landing.
The gunships flew to the ground, landing in a circle formation, and opened their blast-doors. The men all rushed out as the tanks landed all around them. "Move it! Move it!" Cody ordered, directing men in different directions. Suddenly, there were multiple explosions all around them.
"Here they come!"
"Bugs incoming!"
"Man down! Man down!"
"General Kenobi, don't land!" Cody said into his comlink as more explosions shook the ground. "The zone is hot!" He warned, worried about his General and friend.
"But there's nowhere else to go!" Obi-Wan shouted into his comlink.
One of the Geonosian targeted Kenobi's gunship and opened fire. The blasterfire hit one of the transports wings, causing it to loose altitude and fall towards the ground near the LZ. "We're hit. We're going down!" Obi-Wan reported as the ship shook violently. "Brace yourselves!" He shouted right before they slammed into the desert ground, disabled and on fire.
Aang's Team
"Sir, Kenobi's gunship was hit and he's down." A clone reported to Aang. "We're right over the LZ."
"Get us down." Aang ordered.
"Right away, sir." The pilot said as their transports landed and created a second ring of gunships and tanks around Cody's that were already there. Aang and his friends jumped of the gunship and ran over to Commander Cody. "Commander Aang!" Cody shouted as they ran towards him. "It's good to see you, sir." He said.
"What's the situation?" Aang asked Cody as more explosions rocked the ground.
"They knew our every move, sir. We've got 5 Generals on the ground, but known at the LZ. General Rose was forced down and she only has three of her tanks, Commander Blaze reported they're up and will meet us here on foot. Mundi and Mashu were shot down and only have two of their tanks, but they're alright. All of Skywalker's tanks are gone." The Commander reported.
"What about General Kenobi?" Katara asked, concerned.
Cody sighed. "I'm still not sure. We've lost contact with him. All I know is he was shot down not far away from here, I'm working on finding him now, sir." He said nodding.
Mashu and Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
Almost all of the gunships in the team were down and smoking. Scattered everywhere were the numerous downed tanks. The many surviving Clones and U.S. soldiers ran around giving and receiving orders. Commander Blow, Mashu's commander, was still looking for his Generals gunship. "Has anyone got something." He asked into his comlink.
"Sir, I think we've found the Generals transport." A clone said over his comlink.
"I'm on my way." Blaze replied as he ran towards their location.
Once he got there, four clones were pulling on the doors of the downed gunship. "We think he's in here, sir." One trooper said still pulling. Blow went over and helped them pull. Eventually they were able to pry the door off and toss it aside.
"General, are you alright?" Blow asked upon seeing Mashu in there.
"Yes, Blow, I'm fine my friend. There are only three of us left in here." Mashu said gesturing to the survivors next to him.
Blow helped Mashu out while the other troopers helped the remaining men. "Good to see your okay, sir." He said. "Your not injured are you?" He asked, seeing Mashu hold his arm.
"I'm fine, Commander. Just a scratch, I'll be fine." Mashu said as they got to where Ki-Adi-Mundi's down gunship was. A medic was tending to his side as he, Blow, and Commander Jet walked over.
"What are our loses, Commander?" Mundi asked Jet while holding his side.
"We got hit pretty hard. I think only Kenobi and some of Rose's forces made it through the flak to the landing zone." Jet reported, shaking his head.
"And what about Skywalker?" Mundi asked, wincing from the slight pain in his side.
"Captain Rex reported they're still in the middle of a firefight." Jet sighed. "Skywalker's tanks are gone, and they're trying to contact General Kenobi's forces for support. In the meantime, they'll press on to the rendezvous point."
"And Rose?" Mashu asked as the medic finished tending to his injuries.
"Commander Blaze reports they were forced down and are pressing forward to the landing zone." Commander Blow answered him.
"Very well. Load the injured onto the tanks. We'll make for that ridge." Ki-Adi-Mundi said, pointing towards the ridge in the far distance, in the same direction as the LZ.
"Yes, with any luck, we can meet up with Anakin and Rose on their way to Kenobi's position." Mashu added, nodding.
Rose's Team
Rose sliced another bug down the side and impaled the last one behind her. "Come on, we can't stop. Forward." She ordered as her three tanks moved forward. She still had a majority of her forces, but she lost all of her tanks, with the exception of the three. Commander Blaze was behind her, speaking into his comlink. "Blaze, what's the status of the LZ?" She asked him.
"Only Commander Cody and Commander Aang have made it, sir. They think Kenobi's gunship got shot down." He said, walking next to her.
"At least Aang and his friends made it. So half of our men are with Cody and Aang?" She asked, deactivating her lightsabers.
"Yes, sir." Blaze replied as they all stopped at the very top of a large hill. Blaze took out his binoculars and scanned the terrain. Then, he saw a few AT-TEs and clones moving towards a large ridge in the distance. "Sir, I think I found General Mundi and Sapphire's team." He said handing Rose the binoculars.
Looking through them, Rose smiled. "Yep, that's them alright. I'd recognize Mashu anywhere. Come on, troops. Forward." She ordered and the tanks were on the move again.
"Incoming!" A U.S. soldier shouted and the ground in front of them exploded. Hundreds of Geonosians flew in from everywhere, firing their sonic blasters. In two towers next to them, spider droids opened fire as well.
"Oh great." Rose muttered to herself as she activated both of her lightsabers.
Anakin's Team
On a tall Geonosian spire, two bugs had a double-barrel repeating blaster and were spraying red blaster bolts at the 501st below them. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix were in front of the troopers, deflecting bolts back at the many, many bugs in front of them. Some of the Geonosians had rocket launchers and were hitting them with everything they had.
Rex ran from behind a boulder, towards the three Jedi. Ahsoka and Alix were forced to leap away as a large explosion occurred at their feet. Anakin saw Rex coming and made his way back towards him. "Okay, Cody, I'll speak with General Skywalker." Rex said into his comlink.
"Rex, what's the word?!" Anakin shouted over the blasterfire and explosions. "Can Obi-Wan send support or not?!"
Rex fired a few bolts at the Geonosians before answering. "I don't think so, sir. Cody says General Kenobi never reached the landing site, but Commander Aang has. They think his gunship got shot down." He reported as Alix and Ahsoka jumped towards them.
"Great. The one time I actually ask Obi-Wan for help, he's nowhere to be found!" Anakin complained as Alix and Ahsoka landed next to them.
"Well, what if something happened to General Kenobi?" Ahsoka asked concerned. "He could be injured or-"
"No time for that kind of talk." Anakin said firmly, cutting her off. "Rex we need to mobilize, now! Get the men together. We're going to rush the guns." He said to the Captain.
"Yes, sir." Rex replied and left to gather the men.
"Ahsoka, Alix, your both with me. We need to give Rex and his men cover when we attack." Anakin said to the Padawans next to him.
Alix nodded. "Right behind you."
"Got it, Master, just give the word." Ahsoka said, looking down.
"Hey, I'm worried about him, too, but you have to keep your mind in the here and now, otherwise we'll never be able to help Obi-Wan." Anakin said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Ahsoka nodded and everyone got into position.
"All here, sir." Rex said to Anakin as the remaining troopers gathered around the three Jedi.
"Ready?...Now!" Anakin shouted jumping from behind their cover, lightsaber activated. He, Ahsoka and Alix charged forward, deflecting bolts and cutting down bug after bug.
"Go, go, go, go!"
"Take them out! Take them all out!"
Landing Zone
The two rings of gunships and tanks were getting hit hard on all sides. Geonosians flew above them and fired their sonic blasters at the troopers below. Separatist AATs accompanied the bugs and were hammering at the LZ defences. Explosions occurred all around the surrounded troops and they had little cover.
In the last ring of tanks and gunships, Commander Cody, Lieutenant Sly, U.S. soldier James, Sokka and Aang were scanning the area, looking for Obi-Wan's downed gunship. Sokka looked through his binoculars and found a gunship a ways away from them. "I think we have him." Sokka said.
James looking through his binoculars and saw the gunship, but he also noticed that more bugs were coming and circling around them. "Not good. More bugs incoming to our east, they're splitting up." He reported.
"This isn't going well." Aang said, deflecting another blaster bolt coming for them.
Clone troopers Boil and Waxer ran towards their leaders position and stood at attention, saluting.
"Boil, reporting as ordered sir."
"Waxer, reporting as ordered sir."
"We've got a downed gunship five clicks east. We believe it's General Kenobi's. I need you to get out there and check for survivors." Cody ordered.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Waxer and Boil said at the same time and ran past them towards the gunship.
Multiple sonic cannons attempted to hit the two clones, but they jumped and dodged all of them. One of the AT-TEs turned it's cannon towards them and provided cover fire. Some of the bugs near the gunship were blasted apart by the intense cannon fire. The Geonosian Commander ordered more of his warriors to assault the LZ and more to rush the Republic's northern front.
Waxer and Boil finally made it to the smoking gunship and got on either side of the door. "Why do we always get the fun missions?" Boil asked sarcastically as another cannon round hit near them.
"Oh, this isn't the fun part. Getting back to the square is the fun part." Waxer said excitedly. He and Boil took hold of either side of the blast-doors and pulled on them, forcing them open. As they opened the door, Obi-Wan shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight and looked at the two troopers.
"Waxer, Boil, am I glad to see you! Trapper and I are the only ones still alive." Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the trooper next to him.
Boil quickly went to Obi-Wan's side and helped him up while Waxer got the trooper. "Good to see you, sir!" He greeted his General. "Commanders Cody and Aang have established the square just beyond this position. The bugs are on the move and trying to surround us as we speak, sir." He reported, pointing to the LZ.
Lieutenant Sly looked through his binoculars again and could see Boil and Waxer exit the gunship with Obi-Wan and another clone trooper. "They've got the General." He reported to Aang and Cody.
Cody nodded. "AT-TE 636, lay down cover fire at 0.35." He ordered into his comlink. The tank closest to them turned it's cannon towards the east and opened fire on the bugs.
Multiple troopers and U.S. soldiers rushed forward towards Waxer and Boil and covered them. As more Geonosians approached the two clones, Alex and Rachel ran forward and opened fire on them, killing most of them.
"Take it down! Take it down!"
"Cover fire!"
Obi-Wan winced as a blasterfire flew past his head. Alex and Rachel walked backwards behind Waxer and Boil, still laying down a constant stream of cover fire. Out of nowhere, a Geonosian landed on top of Boil and tried to carry him away. Immediately, Sokka rushed forward and blasted the bugs before it could carry them away. "Go, go!" Sokka shouted, prompting Waxer, Boil, Alex, and Rachel to move faster towards the square.
As they made it to the LZ, Commander Cody and Aang ran towards them. "Are you injured, General?" Cody asked concerned.
"No, no, nothing too serious." Obi-Wan said as Boil set him down against a crate. "What's the situation here?" He asked.
Aang sighed. "We've got no air cover. Four Generals on the ground beyond our position." He reported as Katara ran over, water in her hands, and began to treat Obi-Wan's injuries.
"And a mass of bugs surrounding us." Cody added, shaking his head. "The enemy was more than prepared for our attack, sir. They knew our every move."
"Well, I'm sure Generals Skywalker, Mashu, Rose, and Mundi will make it to our position soon." Obi-Wan said as a clone medic stuck a needle in his arm, injecting him with some painkillers. "We'll just have to make sure we're still here when they arrive."
Mashu and Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
As everyone moved towards the ridge they saw earlier, numerous, large, metal, Geonosian obstacles stood in the way of the tanks. Mashu and Mundi went to the ones in their direct path and cut them down with their lightsabers, still holding onto their sides in slight pain. Commander Jet was on one of the tanks with the injured men, talking with Admiral Yularen. "Negative, Commander. We will be unable to provide air support at this time." The Admiral reported over Jet's comlink. "I understand that, sir, but we have five attack forces on the ground and only one at the landing zone." Jet said. "This is a planetary-wide invasion, Commander. If I divert resources to your position, it would mean sacrificing other areas of the campaign. All I can do at this time is help you find Generals Skywalker and Sapphire." Yularen said. "All right, sir. I'll report to the General. Commander Jet, out." Jet replied as the tanks stopped at the foot of the ridge.
The Resolute
After his conversation with Commander Jet, Yularen walked away from the bridge's large windows and towards the Communications Room. "Give me every fighter you can scrape up." He said to a clone officer as he past him. The Admiral walked over to the holotable where another officer was studying the map, searching for Skywalker and Rose. "Have you located General Sapphire?" He asked.
"I thinks she's somewhere near this large hill, a few a miles away from General Mundi and Mashu's position. They appear to be locked in a firefight with the bugs." The officer reported.
"And Skywalker's position?" Yularen asked.
"We think he's somewhere along the eastern barrier." The clone said, pointing to a red wall on the map, the same wall Ahsoka and Aang noticed earlier.
"That's not a barrier." Yularen said, frowning. "It's a fortress."
Anakin's Team
Anakin, Ahsoka, Alix, and the 501st troopers all ran through a large canyon area. At the very end, there was a massive wall. Multiple turrets lined the top of the wall, and over 50 battledroids and super-battledroids were also at the very top. As soon as the Republic forces were in range, the droids and turrets opened fire. The three Jedi activated their lightsabers and began deflecting bolts.
"Gentleman, careful." Rex warned, flicking his wrist to the right.
The clones immediately broke for cover, crouching behind boulders. The three Jedi also ran for cover behind Rex's boulder.
"Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into." Ahsoka said to Anakin, rolling her eyes, as another explosion occurred next to them.
"What? Hey, it's not my fault. You were supposed to study the holomaps." Anakin argued as Rex signaled to the troopers against the large boulder across from them to open fire on the turrets. One of the clones nodded and fired. He was forced to duck again as multiple turrets turned in his direction and fired repeatedly.
"I did!" Ahsoka shouted, annoyed. "Remember, when me and Aang reminded you about the giant wall, and you said, 'Don't worry, Snips. We won't be anywhere near that.'"
"Just get ready to climb." Anakin ordered dismissively, refusing to admit his mistake.
Mashu and Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
"Generals, I left a squad to protect the tanks." Commander Jet said to Mashu and Mundi as he caught up to them and Commander Blow. "Are you sure this is the shortest way to the Landing Zone?" He asked.
"No, I'm not sure, Commander." Mundi replied, shaking his head. "All we can do is trust our instincts." He said, gesturing to Mashu, who nodded in agreement.
Commander Jet turned to the rest of the men behind them and signaled for them to spread out and be on high alert.
Mashu and Mundi activated their lightsabers as they entered a cave at the top of the ridge. The clones moved behind them, weapons at the ready, and spread out to cover more ground. Before they could go any further, Mashu held up his fist, signaling for everyone to halt.
"Wait a minute. Wait a minute." Commander Blow said, tapping on his helmet. "I have a wing vibration up ahead." He reported. Immediately, the men crouched down where they were and looked around, pointing their blasters in every direction. Mashu and Mundi could sense multiple enemies in almost every direction and raised their blades at the ready.
Suddenly, from the ceiling of the cave, a Geonosian flew down and grabbed onto one of the troopers. "Ahhhh!" He screamed as another bug came and they both carried him away. All around them, more bugs flew around, startling the clones with their speed. They weren't even able to fire at the bugs because they were flying by so fast. Another bug flew towards Blow, who quickly fired a bolt into it's head. Commander Jet fired his twin blasters at more Geonosians that swooped down and attempted to fly off with one of the men.
Before Jet could react, a bug jumped on top of him. Mashu quickly beheaded the Geonosian before it could take him away. "Don't stop! We must push on!" Mashu shouted to the clones.
"Forward!" Mundi ordered.
Rose's Team
After about half an hour, Rose and her men were finally able to drive the Geonosians away. Rose deactivated her lightsabers, sighing. "This isn't how it was supposed to work." She said, shaking her head. "God I hate this planet." She mumbled, looking out towards the ridge she saw earlier.
"You and me both, General." Blaze agreed, looking through his binoculars. "I can see the Landing Zone." He said, pointing towards the northwest.
"Come on, men. We have to hurry to Cody and Aang's positions, they won't last long without assistance." Rose said, as the tanks began moving again. "Let's get this over with so we'll never have to set foot on this dust ball again."
"What about Generals Mundi and Mashu? Are we heading to their position?" Blaze asked.
"I was going to, but we are closest to the LZ and they are in desperate need of assistance. I'm sure Mashu and Mundi can make it on their own." Rose answered.
"Very well, General." Blaze replied and continued onwards beside his General and friend. "How long do you think we'll be here this time?" He asked.
Rose sighed. "This is a planetary-wide invasion, so it could be a week, maybe more. But, hopefully no longer than a week tops. Longer if we lose the LZ." Rose answered.
"I look forward to it, sir." Blaze said, chuckling.
"Me too, my friend." Rose said, looking towards the clear skys. "Me too."
Anakin's Team
"So, what's the plan, General?" Captain Rex asked as Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix each took a backpack from one of the troopers.
"Just keep us covered, Rex. There's too much laserfire for all of us to make the climb. Ahsoka, Alix, and I will handle this." Anakin said, throwing the bag onto his back. "Just be ready when that wall comes down." With that, he Ahsoka and Alix ran off, towards the far rock wall to their right. They dodged blasterfire and explosions along the way as the turrets hammered the ground from high above.
"Let's do this, extension cables ready." Alix said as they got out their small grappling hooks. Aiming at the top of the rock wall, they fired the cables and the hooks latched onto something sturdy. After tugging on the cables to make sure they would hold, the three Jedi ran up the wall with the cables pulling them along.
Mashu and Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
Mashu and Mundi continued deeper into the dimly lit cave, deflecting blasterfire from the bugs and slicing them down. It seemed the further into the cave you went, the more bugs there were. Multiple of their troopers were hit by the sonic blasters and others were forcibly taken by the flying warriors, disappearing into the darkness. Mashu attempted to save as many men as he could, but there were too many Geonosians to save them all. Commanders Jet and Blow stayed close to their Generals, covering them as they continued forward. "Sir, the exit isn't that much further." Blow said to Mashu.
"Excellent, Commander, let's try to speed this up before we lose anyone else." Mashu said, cutting down another bugs to his right.
Anakin's Team
Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix made it to a cliff above the wall. The droids already noticed them and they turned their attention to the Jedi while the turrets focused on the clones below. "How many droids have you two shot down so far?" Anakin asked as they deflected blaster bolts back at the droids.
"25." Ahsoka answered, deflecting another bolt.
"23." Alix answered. "No make that 24."
"Ah, your both falling behind." Anakin said, smiling. "Let's go."
The three of them jumped off of the cliff and landed on the wall. They began batting aside multiple blaster bolts and deflecting them back to their owners. Some of the droids turned back around and began firing at the clones again.
Rex moved from behind a large boulder and fired his DC-17 hand blaster at one of the turrets. He smiled to himself as the turret was completely destroyed. Then he looked up and noticed that most of the droids had turned their attention to the Jedi. "Focus on the droids at the top of the wall." Rex ordered one of the clones as he ran towards the rock wall Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix just climbed.
Landing Zone
Another cannon round was fired into the defensive ring, exploding at an unfortunate clones feet, tossing him backwards. Commander Cody and Sly had covered Obi-Wan after the explosion, but turned around to see who was hit. "Man down!" Sly shouted.
In one of the gunships, the clones and U.S. soldiers had set up double-barrel repeating blaster cannons. Both of the blast-doors were opened on all of the gunships, allowing the soldiers to open fire on the bugs. One of the U.S. soldiers firing the blaster cannon was hit by a stray blaster bolt. Immediately, a clone rushed over and dragged him away as another took his spot on the cannon and continued to fire.
"There they are. There they are." A clone said as the droid AATs were getting closer and closer.
More Geonosian flyers arrived and swarmed over the LZ, firing their sonic blaster cannons at the men below. "Men, they're above us!" Cody shouted, directing some of the soldiers to aim above them. One of the Geonosians flew up to one of the AT-TEs and tried to take the clone gunner for the cannon. Cody, Sly, and Sokka opened fire, killing the bug before he could take him.
Toph stayed in the middle of the LZ, launching large boulders at the enemy tanks and bugs. Zuko stayed at her side, protecting her from the Geonosians in the sky, which Toph couldn't see since they were off the ground. Fire proved to be highly effective against the bugs, so Zuko blasted ball after ball of fire at them killing them almost instantly.
Katara stayed with Obi-Wan and the other injured men, helping the medics heal the wounded. Aang stayed in front of them, deflecting blasterfire and sonic cannon fire. He still didn't like the idea of killing living beings, so he would only deflect the bolts away from him and push the bugs away with the Force or airbending.
"This isn't going well." Aang said to Cody who nodded in agreement. More explosions rocked the ground and one of the tanks exploded as the enemy tanks closed the distance, getting closer by the minute.
Anakin's Team
Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix cut down the last of the droids at the top of the wall. "Look for a hatch. We have to put the explosives inside the wall." Anakin said, looking around.
A small hatch on the ground behind Alix and Ahsoka opened and they turned around. "Found one!" Alix shouted. As he said this, a destroyer droid jumped out of the opening. "Aaaand, we found a friend." Alix remarked, steeping back.
Anakin turned towards them and rushed to assist them. Right as he ran away, another hatch opened and a second destroyer jumped out.
Alix and Ahsoka jumped over Anakin as he engaged the first destroyer and began deflecting rapid bolts from the second one. While they were busy with the two deadly droids, Rex appeared behind the destroyer that was firing at Alix and Ahsoka. He slipped his hand into the droids personal shield and blasted its head with his blaster. As the droid stumbled it accidentally shot at the other droid Anakin was dealing with. The sudden blaster fire stunned the droid, allowing Anakin to slid underneath the droids shield and cut it down the side. "Thanks, Rex." Alix said smiling.
The hatch opened again and a battledroid popped his head out. "Hey, did you get them?" He asked but stopped when he saw the Jedi. "Uh-oh."
"Here, catch." Anakin said, tossing his backpack full of explosives into the droids arms.
"Wh-What?" The droid exclaimed. Anakin smiled and used the Force to force him down. Alix and Ahsoka tossed their bags in after the droid.
"Come on, Rex." Anakin said leading them to the edge of the wall.
"Up and away." Ahsoka said as she, Alix and Anakin lifted the Captain with the Force and tossed him over the wall.
"Whoa!" Rex shouted as he began to fall to the ground. Anakin, Alix, and Ahsoka jumped down after him.
The droid from before held up on of the bags of explosives. "Help!" He shouted right as the wall exploded, sending debris and rocks flying.
"Ahhhh!" Rex shouted as he plummeted to the ground, explosions sounding above him. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Alix used the Force to cushion their fall, landing gently on the ground. Then they caught Rex right before he slammed into the ground beside them. The three Jedi looked up as the large chunks of rocks and debris and raised their hands. The debris went completely around them as they held their hands up.
The other clones approached as the smoke began to clear. "Next time, just tell me to jump." Rex said as Anakin helped him up.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Anakin asked, smiling. "Come on, we can't keep Obi-Wan waiting." He said as the ran past the debris and towards the LZ.
"You heard him, lads, let's go!" Rex shouted to his men.
Rose's Team
"Commander Blaze, any news on the LZ?" Rose asked her commander.
"Yes, sir. Commander Aang reported that they're still holding out for the time being, but he doesn't know for how much longer." Blaze reported.
"We have to hurry. Get me Admiral Yularen." Rose ordered.
"Right away, sir."
The Resolute
"Admiral, I need you to send down a squad of transports to my position. Aang and Cody won't last any longer." Rose said from the holoprojection in front of Yularen.
"Yes, General. A squad of U.S. BlackHawks, gunships, and bombers have just returned from the southern hemisphere." Yularen said, nodding.
Mashu and Ki-Adi-Mundi's Team
The team have finally made it to the end of the tunnel, but there were still plenty of Geonosians blocking the way. Mashu cut any bug that came near him and deflected the sonic bursts. "We're almost through!" Mashu shouted, cutting down two more bugs.
"Bring in the flamethrowers." Mundi ordered.
Three clone troopers ran forward, each carrying a large flamethrower. They immediately let loose and blasted a continuous stream of fire at the bugs. The Geonosians screeched in pain as they were burned to a crisp. Some tried to fly away while still on fire, but the clones fired at them, killing them before they could escape.
««»»
"Look, what's that." Ahsoka said, pointing to the top of a ridge where streams of fire and burning Geonosians could be seen.
"Master Mundi, Master Mashu, do you read me?" Anakin asked into his comlink.
"We read you, Skywalker. We took a slightly detour that put us out of communication a bit." Mashu replied.
"This has been a day for detours, Masters." Anakin said, chuckling.
"Indeed, but now the road is clear. We can see the Landing Zone, it does not look good." Mundi said, shaking his head.
Anakin turned to Rex. "Get me Admiral Yularen." He ordered.
The Resolute
"Admiral, we're at the breaking point. You've got to get some fighters down here." Anakin said to Yularen.
"You are in luck, Skywalker. I have one squadron available and General Rose has already ordered them down their. They should be down there shortly." Yularen answered.
"Leave it to Rose to think ahead." Anakin said, smiling.
Landing Zone
Multiple Geonosians were riding on speeders, circling the LZ while blasting their sonic cannons at the soldiers and tanks. One Geonosian took perfect aim and fired at one of the gunships were the clones were firing the double-barrel blaster cannons. "Take cover!" Alex shouted as the sonic blast slammed into the cannon, killing two troopers.
"Retreat! Retreat!" A clone ordered.
"Go, go, go, go, go!"
Alex stood up and made her way to the center of the LZ where all of the surviving clones and U.S. soldiers gathered around General Kenobi. She stood next to Rachel and continued to blast at the advancing bugs.
"Fight like clones!"
"Give it all you got!"
"Make every shot count!"
"Two new targets closing!"
Obi-Wan slowly stood up, fighting through the pain, and ignited his lightsaber. Aang stood next to Obi-Wan and Katara, deflecting blasterfire while Sokka, Zuko and Toph provided cover fire also.
"The reinforcements! The reinforcements have arrived!" A clone shouted from one of the AT-TEs. A squad of Republic bombers flew overhead, dropping their load on the enemy tanks and bugs. Multiple U.S. BlackHawks flew overhead and soldiers fast roped down to the remaining men.
"Woohoo!" The soldiers cheered, raising their fists in the air as the bugs were quickly forced back.
"That's the way to do it!"
"Alright men, charge!" Cody ordered and everyone rushed the bugs.
"Go, go, go, go!"
"You heard him, lads, let's go!"
"Up to the front!"
"Come on, hurry, hurry!"
Anakin, Mashu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Ahsoka, Alix and the rest of their men all ran forward, while the troopers engaged the bugs, the Jedi all ran towards Obi-Wan and Team Avatar. Overhead, multiple gunships landed all around them. One landed directly in front of them and Rose and Blaze stepped off. "Perfect timing." Obi-Wan said smiling at Rose.
"Master Kenobi!" Ahsoka shouted, crouching next to him.
"Well, what happened to you?" Anakin asked sarcastically, smirking at his former Master.
"I might ask you the same question." Obi-Wan replied, shaking his head.
««»»
Anakin, Rose, Mashu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Ahsoka, Alix, Aang, Blaze, Cody, Rex, Blow, and Jet all stood around a holomap while Obi-Wan explained the plan. "Our combined forces should be enough to destroy the shield generator. Anakin, you'll take a small squad through the shield, as close as you can get to their gun emplacements." Obi-Wan explained, pointing to the generator on the map. "From there you'll be able to temporarily take out their scanners so they are unable to target the incoming tanks. Once the tanks knock out the generator, Mundi, Rose, and Mashu will be able to bring the rest men in with the gunships."
"Consider it done, Master." Anakin said, nodding.
««»»
Anakin and a squad of about 10 troopers stood just outside of the red-colored shield. They had three tanks behind them, and multiple BlackHawks hovered nearby. On the other side of the shield, Ahsoka and her squad of 10 stood, waiting for the 'go ahead' to attack. "Skywalker, you are cleared for your assault." Rose said over his comlink.
"Got it. Ahsoka, let's go." Anakin said into the comm.
Igniting his blue-bladed lightsaber, Anakin and his men charged forward, through the shield. As soon as they got through, Geonosians flew in from every direction and opened fire. The clones aimed upwards and shot down a majority of the bugs. After less than a minute, they met up with Ahsoka and her men. Together they charged forward and stopped at the bottom of the large tower. Large satellite dishes, proton cannons, sonic cannons, and double-barrel blaster cannons lined the tall tower and the bugs fired at them with everything they had.
Anakin and Ahsoka stayed behind a small rock wall, along with the rest of the men. "Let's jam their scanners. Droid poppers, ready." Anakin said as he and Ahsoka took two EMP grenades out of their bag and tossed it as far as they could. Both of the grenades landed near the proton and sonic cannons and disabled all of them.
"Looks like it's working." Ahsoka said.
"It won't last long, Snips." Anakin said smiling. "Bring up the tanks." He said into the comm.
The three tanks stopped behind them, aimed their cannons at the tower, and opened fire. The blasterfire hit the satellite dishes and cannons, causing them to explode. Eventually, the very top of the tower collapsed, crushing the bugs and weapons below them. As the generator was destroyed, the shield slowly raised and disappeared, allowing the many gunships and black hawks to fly in and land.
Rose, Mashu, and Ki-Adi jumped out of the transports with the other clones and U.S. soldiers and aided Anakin and Ahsoka with dealing with the rest of the Geonosians. As the bugs were surrounded, they dropped their weapons and held up their hands. "Arrest them." Rose ordered the clones.
««»»
"So, Master, what was your total?" Ahsoka asked Anakin as he helped Obi-Wan over to one of the gunships where Mundi and Mashu were waiting.
"Not now, Ahsoka." Anakin said.
"Come on, are you afraid you lost this time?" Ahsoka asked smirking.
"Fine. 55. That's my count. And you?" Anakin said.
Ahsoka stopped walking as they reached the gunships and smiled. "60. Looks like I actually won."
Anakin turned around in disbelief. "Yeah, but... I could in the air strike. Tie."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Your impossible." She said and walked away.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'll never understand how you two can simplify these battles into some kind of game." He said as a trooper walked over and took him from Anakin.
"Well, take care of yourselves, Masters. I expect to see you three back here by the time me and Rose have destroyed the main factory." Anakin said nodding.
"We shall do our best, Skywalker." Mashu said smiling.
"65 Skywalker." Mundi said suddenly.
Anakin looked at him confused. "Uh..."
"My total, 65." Mundi explained. "So, what do I win?" He asked.
Mashu and Obi-Wan exchanged looks, then looked at Anakin.
"My everlasting respect, Master Mundi." Anakin said, bowing.
"Oh." Mundi said, slightly disappointed in the prize.
"That is an honor Anakin rarely bestows, I assure you." Obi-Wan said as the blast-doors closed and their gunships took off towards the cruisers above.
Anakin walked over to where Ahsoka, Rose, Aang, Rex and Blaze were. "You guys ready to end this?" He asked.
"Yep. I've found that I really don't like this planet." Aang said frowning.
"None of us do. I've contacted Master Luminara and Padawan Offe and ordered them to bring their forces here. We need all the help we can get in taking out that factory." Rose said as they walked towards the rest of the troopers.
"Well, let's get this over with." Ahsoka said.
Well, that's that. The Republic finally took their Landing Zone and have taken out the droid factories shields.
Next Chapter: Weapons Factory
Hope you enjoyed and Review!
:)
The Raging Galaxy - BOOK 2