This is the fourth and final installment of the Ryloth Ark. Please suggest some arks for me to do, if no one suggests, I will just do the next one in chronological order. Sorry for taking a while to get this one finished, these take a lot of research and time to write in one day, and with school coming up I will be lucky to upload every other day if not twice a week. I hope you enjoy! And on another note, the AT-SAT is intended to look like the head of an AT-AT, but attached to a flexible elongated body, just to help get a mental image for the All Terrain Serpentine Attack Transport. -Cloaked Writer
Mesa of Ryloth, 22 BBY, The Clone Wars
General Mace Windu was having a bad day.
He was under fire on a steep path to the badlands of Lesu, and his lead All-Terrain Tactical-Enforcer walker had been destroyed. They were cut off and unable to progress
Commander Pons rushed towards him, his white and brown armor dirty from the dust in the air.
"We're pinned down!" He yelled to his General.
"Send out Lightning Squadron, and get the injured back, I'll clear the road." Mace said, handing the care of a wounded Walker Pilot to another trooper, as he readied to use the force.
Pons turned away and spoke into his wrist comlink, as Windu clenched his fists and forced the walker from the walkway.
"I want Lightning up here now!" He shouted, as Mace Windu used the force to force the damaged and empty walker from the road. At his marshal commander's command, a dozen All Terrain Recon Transports poured from the landing hatches of the AT-TE Walkers. One of the AT-RT drivers surrendered his seat to General Windu.
"She's all yours General!" The driver said, climbing down from his seat, only to be replaced by his Jedi General.
"We'll lead the way, Commander," Mace said, before sprinting off to battle. Mace chugged onward, and prepared his mind for combat. Pons called out to his AT-TE walkers, pointing down the road the AT-RTs had just sped down.
"Forward!" He shouted.
Mace Windu streaked towards the offensive tanks, noticing their fire was split between him, and... something else. It couldn't have been Gutkurr, they only fed on organic flesh, and ignored droids-
His thoughts were silenced as one of the tanks exploded, and through the smoke bright blue plasma bolts burned through the air, striking the tanks and leaving deep scars. Through the smoke an AT-SAT slithered through the wreckage, fighting tooth and nail. His eyes narrowed, and he noted that Lightning Squadron was having it's thunder stolen by General Shard.
Shard's troops made short work of the tanks, while Mace and Lightning squadron blasted the commanding officers.
Pons and his AT-TEs had arrived, the legs slugging forward, in a slow but steady pace.
"How many men did we loose?" He asked his Marshal Commander, trying to ignore General Shard climbing down from his walker and approaching him.
"Thirty Two, I think, including the command crews of three walkers." Pons said, removing his helmet.
"The good news is Kenobi has broken through their last stronghold, and cleared us a path straight to the capital." He said to his Jedi leader.
"This battle was costly, Commander. Even with General Shard's troops. We need to get our blasters in a row first, and contact Coruscant to speak to Chancellor Palpatine and Senator Orn Free Taa, and inform them of the situation." Mace said, internally rolling his eyes and approaching General Shard.
"I have Coruscant ready for us in my command post, we are ready for you General." Shard said. He knew Mace windu would be the most difficult to convince of good intentions, as he was a very stubborn Jedi, and wanted things done conventionally, with experimentation eyed with caution, if not outright distrust.
The scene filtered through a hologram on the Holo-pod in the Strategy room of Lesu. Wat Tambor's probe droid, cleverly hiding in a pile of rubble, was undetected.
"So it seems that TX-20 was compromised when he sent us his report. I am disappointed to see that this Clone is gathering so much ground." He said, looking to his T-Series Tactical droid.
[I calculate, at their current pace, the Jedi, and the Clone, will reach Lesu by morning. I would recommend imminent evacuation of our forces.] The droid dralled.
"I will not retreat! That Jedi and the Clone don't have the troops to take the city." Tambor said, slamming his fists with rage.
"Bring our troops inside the city and secure the bridge." He said darkly.
[By your command, Emir.]
General's Shard and Windu entered the AT-TE's tactical center, to see holograms of General Skywalker, Grand Master Yoda, Admiral Yularen, Senator Taa, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, awaiting them.
"Ah, Master Windu, General Shard. Good to see you. General Skywalker was just reporting on your progress," The Chancellor said, smiling kindly.
"As you were saying, Anakin?"
"My fighters have regained control over the system, and we have complete air control over the planet." General Skywalker said confidently.
"Very good." Palpatine said, inclining his head to the Jedi. Anakin left the conversation, his form replaced by a hologram of the planet. Mace Windu stepped forward and began gesturing to the planet.
"General Kenobi just captured the Jixuan Desert, meaning the Southern Hemisphere is ours." Windu said. Palpatine then spoke up, with a warm yet all-knowing smile.
"Actually, I am told that it was an act of brilliance by General Shard. Simultaneously striking four targets in order to restrict their web-strategy was a stroke of genius, young man." The Chancellor said, smiling to the Clone. Shard was stoic on the outside, but on the inside he was cheering. He had the support the the Chancellor, at least for now. This temporary favor would be useful capital for the navy hierarchy.
"Thank you, your excellency." Shard said, inclining his head in a bow.
"Then, this is almost over." Senator Taa said in his heavily accented Basic, sounding relived.
"Not just yet, The key position is the Capital of Lesu. Our spies are certain the Separatist leader Wat Tambor has his headquarters there." Shard said, gesturing to a map of the city which appeared in the place of the planet.
"When taken the city we have, capture Tambor, we must." Yoda said, his holographic claws clenching into a fist.
"It's not going to be easy, master. Tambor has chosen has stronghold well. This plasma bridge is the only way in or out." Mace said, pointing to the blinking structure at the edge of the city gates.
"We have some tech to put it under our control, but it would take time to get it down here, and even longer to calibrate it." Shard said, putting a hand and gingerly stroking his chin.
"I'm afraid a siege could drag on indefinitely," Palpatine said gravely.
"My people have suffered so much already!" Senator Taa said indignantly and somewhat frantically.
"A plan to take the bridge have you, General Shard?" Master Yoda said, his hologram looking up to the scarred leader.
"Somewhat, my AT-SATs can navigate the gap safely, either by extending across or climbing down then back up again. Using them to ferry small doses of troops over to the city to activate the bridge and hold the control tower for the remaining troops to cross could prove fruitful. However there are many intangibles, and it could use developing." Shard said, tracing a path with his finger.
"Hmm, an idea, master Windu?" Yoda then asked, turning his large eyes to the Jedi.
"With our forces stretched so thinly, I'm going to enlist the help of the Freedom Fighters, led by Cham Syndulla. His fight against against the droids has made him a symbol of hope for the people." Mace said, bringing up a file on the Twi'lek revolutionary. He was a light orange in color, and bore a series of tattoos across his leku.
"Cham Syndulla was a radical before the war," Palpatine said pensively, bringing a hand to his chin.
"He is very unpredictable." He finished, before almost being cut off by an explosion from Orn Free Taa.
"He can't be trusted!" He bellowed like a wounded reek.
"I know Syndulla seeks to gain power. We were political rivals." Taa said venomously.
"We'll leave the politics to you Senator. We have a battle to begin, and we will try our best to help these people." Shard said pointedly.
"Perhaps, we could send you republic reinforcements?" Palpatine offered, trying to resolve the conflict. He looked to Admiral Yularen for support, when Yularen's hologram flickered, and he turned to speak to someone out of the capture radius. He turned back with a grave look on his face.
"That is impossible. A separatist fleet just entered the system, and there is too many of them to use General Shard's sovereigns on them. I'm afraid there are no reinforcements." He finished, his hologram shuddering again.
"We can't win without Syndullas help," Mace said, clenching a fist.
"We'll seek the rebels and try to convince them to join us."
Admiral Yularen turned away and his hologram vanished, his presence obviously needed on the bridge.
"Senator, I would like to discus the Civil Water Standards bill with you, could you drop by the Senate Building?"
"Of course, Chancellor." Senator Taa said, bowing as their holograms fading out.
"I'll take a scouting force to make contact with the rebels. You stay here with Pons and make your way to the capital." Mace said, unceremoniously brushing past Shard. Shard's eyes narrowed. Why was Mace Windu so hostile towards him?
Why was he being so hostile to General Shard? Mace thought to himself, as his walker chugged forward, the wind whipping past him. He considered for a moment, contemplating why he was allowing himself to be so petty to the Clone-
And then he caught it. He was letting his personal beliefs creep into his duty. He did find the Clones rather limited, a strained idea that these Clones were just the same man, copies of the man he had slaughtered. He didn't mind the Clones as subordinates, but there was something about him that irked the Jedi. A Clone on par with and as an equal to a Jedi, like the old Fett... But that needed to stop. General Shard could not help that he was a Clone, and he wasn't just placed there for no reason. He had great potential and had already flexed it in the liberation the town and the Jixuan desert.
He was cut off from his thoughts as his men reached the site of the massacre. He dismounted from his AT-RT walker, and approached a long collection of gravestones and pillars.
"Wasn't this the site where they were... massacred?" An ARF trooper asked, wielding his DC-15S blaster carbine. Mace stooped down and examined the grave site, seeing a large three toed footprint the size of the end of a Proton Shell. He placed a hand in the track, feeling the heat the animal had left.
"The Resistance fighters ride creatures native to this region, and these tracks are fresh," He said. A semi-distant animalistic groan caused his men to raise their guns, but Mace waved them down. He had found Cham.
General Shard ordered the troops to make double time, in order to reach a neighboring town an hour or so before sunset. It was walled with natural slabs of rock, but other than this it was structured as all the other homes were made on the planet, and by comparison the whole outer rim. The Walkers took potshots at the retreating droids, managing to destroy an AAT. Pons approached him, removing his helmet.
"Should I send a recon unit, sir?" He asked, admiration hanging in his voice, but it was more veiled then the Marshal Commanders Cody and Rex.
"No, I think we'll be alright. We are ahead of schedule as well... We'll hold here for the night. Position ourselves in a defensive ring around the settlement. Not to close though, we don't want to scare the villagers. I stocked the AT-SATs with extra rations and Funge bread for the villagers, they must be starving." Shard said, lowing his eye with a look of sorrow on what was left of his face. His photoreceptor eye dimmed to mimic the motion of the other eye.
"Yes, Sir!" Pons said, saluting and moving out to dictate his orders.
Emir Tambor's plans for an evening meal in a atmospheric bubble overlooking the sunset were foiled by a call from Count Dooku.
"Your Tactical droid informs me of the horrible mess you are making of our investment in Ryloth." Dooku said venomously, his arms folded beneath his cape.
Wat Tambor turned in disbelief to the cold photoreceptor eyes of the droid, then back to Dooku.
"That droid, exaggerates!" he yelled though his suit's vocabulator, pointing at the droid's head.
"I have not lost yet!"
"You are not a match for Mace Windu. Take all the valuables you can, then destroy everything else." the Count ordered.
"Everything?" Tambor asked, inclining his head in a half questioning, half confirming way.
"Everything" Dooku repeated. He unfolded his arms and directed a long holographic finger towards the Emir.
"The charred ruins of Ryloth will show the galaxy the cost of a Republic Victory," he said darkly, a twisted smile forming on his face. His hologram vanished, and Tambor turned to his droid. He should be furious, but he had little time to vent his anger at the machine.
"Target every village in range; the inhabited ones first." He said.
[The Bombers will be loaded and ready to launch in ten minutes] The droid replied, it's voice as cold as space
The villagers were incredibly welcoming of the group, sharing what little they had with their honored guests. Shard tactfully however, invited many into his 'homes', in order to make sure many had food and water supplied to take back to their families. He sat down at one of the campfires, where the Clones largely sat alone, save for a few Twi'leks who came close and exploded with kindness and enthusiasm in dance and song, which many of the more hardened clones found enjoyable, but that some of the shinies found uncomfortably new. He stooped over the flames, readying to roast a stick of gruuvan shaal that a local had thrust upon him despite his protests, when the Clones began to act nervous. Seeing that there was something wrong, he did not sit idly by.
"Everything alright boys?" he asked, his voice filtering through his helmet. He had neglected taking his helmet off, in fear that the locals would be afraid of it.
They jumped, and began looking at one another, unexpected at being spoken to.
"Well... it's just..." the leftmost Clone started, raising a white armored arm behind his head.
"We weren't expecting to be joined by the General" He finished. He suddenly raised his hands.
"Don't get me wrong! We are honored to have us with you, it was just... unexpected." He finished, looking to his left and to his brothers for confirmation, to which they looked helpless.
"It's alright, I do have a bit of an intimidating aura, what with the dark armor and mauled face," He said, smirking as he took off his helmet to eat. He turned the gruuvan shaal over, the vegetables perfectly charred and the meat with a perfect bark. he turned his human eye towards them, and saw them all holding their breath.
"You can be at ease boys, we can relax here. What're your names?" he asked, lifting his stick and blowing out a small fire that ignited at the end.
"CT1298, Sling, sir" the Clone who spoke said, straightening slightly, a Protein stick in hand.
"CT0876, Tri, sir" the center-most Clone said, he too with a protein stick in his hand.
"CT4350, I haven't yet gotten a nickname, sir!" the Clone to the farthest right said, somewhat sheepishly. He held a steaming wooden bowl in hands, having excepted a bowl of Rycrit Stew, which had been brewed in a giant pot for the occasion. He moved to use his wooden spoon to take a bite, when he gagged at the intense heat assaulting his tongue, and only just managed to choke it down, his throat likely blistering.
"...hot..." he mumbled under his breath, drinking some water from a canteen. Shard smiled.
"Maybe we just found a nickname for you, if you'll take it," Shard offered temptingly to CT4350.
"Really? What is it?"
"Stew."
All four men laughed heartily. Shard's gruuvan shaal had finished cooking, a little overcooked to be honest, and he took a bite of the reptile meat offered on the skewer. It was slightly gamy, but not horrible.
"So tell me, how did you boys get your names?" Shard asked, making friendly conversation.
"I was shot three times by a super battle droid, but I still put it down before I blacked out. They rushed me to the med bay, and Pons had a name for me when I woke up" Tri replied, his face a mixture of a smile at the joy and a grimace of the pain.
"I brought down a rock-slide on a droid patrol on the way here actually. I improvised a slingshot to hurl a Thermal Detonator into a crack in a cliff, and caused an avalanche to destroy a few dozen lines of battle droids." Sling said, smiling at the memory, and taking a bite of vegetable.
"What about you sir?" Stew asked, taking a bit of his now cooled meal. Shard chuckled.
"I like to say that I got it heroically saving the day, fighting off a horde of droids, when a scrap of a Proton Shell whizzed past me and gouged my face up," he paused and gestured to his grisly scar.
"But that would be a Nerf Faced Lie. My boys are rowdy, and when we were younger on Korasa, two got in a serious fight. They would have killed one another if I didn't step in, but a shard of glass they were going to use on one another caught me in the face. And thus," he gestured to his face once again.
"Shard."
"And that's why you name your ships like that..." Tri said in understanding. Shard nodded. He opened his mouth to ask them another question, when his Comlink went off shrilly. He answered it.
"Sir! There are Bombers heading our way!" A unidentified Clone said frantically. Shard's eyes widened as he grabbed his helmet and thrust it on over his head.
"Get the gunners ready to fire, I want those things brought down before they can attack the village or our troops, and send out some kind of alarm to let our boys know to get to battle stations." Shard said, before letting out one of his bellows he was oh-so good at.
"All troopers! Battle-stations! We have bombers incoming!" He howled as loud as he could.
They managed to shoot down one fighter, the body crashing into the sands in an orange fireball. But the other droids hit their marks. The town was lit ablaze, with homes burning like matchwood.
Shard saw Pons emerge from a hatch inside one of the AT-TEs, horror written on his face.
Shard turned to him and shouted.
"Contact General Windu! I'll lead the fire prevention squads. Deploy search and rescue!" He shouted to another soldier. White armored and black armored troops rushed to the town, some of them marked with red crosses on their arms and backpacks, signaling medic status, helping coughing people from their homes. They improvised blaster coolant packs into fire extinguishers, and the Twi'leks woefully used some of their precious stew and water to douse the fires.
General Windu sat in an underground hide-out being entertained, begrudgingly, by some of Cham's men and dancers. He had successfully made contact with the resistance leader, tracking him and his men to a small spot where they ambushed a droid patrol, then they were escorted to the hide-out.
"I hope you do not mind. This distraction, eases the burden of the war, on my men," Cham explained, gesturing to the dancers from his sitting alcove.
"You provide for your men, as a General myself, I respect that. So why won't you let us help you?" Mace asked. From his point of view, it made no sense. The enemy of his enemy was his friend, especially of the enemy of his enemy was his friend long before he and his friend shared enemies.
"I do not trust Senator Taa, and what he plans for Ryloth when the war is over." the Twi'lek said distastefully, looking down and shaking his head.
"We will help you rebuild, and make sure your people are not left as refugees." Mace assured him. Though he was sure his troops would be called elsewhere, he knew Shard's troops were Privateers and had the freedom to attack and aid whomever they wished unless ordered otherwise by the Chancellor himself.
"Your Clones will stay for security?" He asked, his eyebrows raising on his high brow. Mace hesitated. He did not want to cause any anger in the revolutionary, to stoke further feelings of an abandoned Ryloth.
"For a time, to keep the peace of course." Mace assured him.
Wrong move.
"Another armed occupation, is not a free Ryloth!" Cham Syndulla snarled, his clawed hands closing into a fist.
"How long until I am fighting you, Master Jedi?" He challenged, staring deep into Mace Windu's brown eyes. The match of wordplay and threats was interrupted by a chime on Mace Windu's hand held hologram projector. He keyed it on.
"What is it?" He asked the shuddering image of Commander Pons.
"The Separatists have begun a fire bombing campaign. General Shard is doing all he can with the most local villages, but there is little we can do." He said, his voice frantic and afraid, with almost microscopic beads of sweat dripping down his brow.
Cham's eyes watered and he dipped his face into the depths of the palm of his hand. There were whispers circulating amongst the freedom fighters, worred cries and anguished murmurs. When Cham emerged from the veil of his hand, his eyes had hardened ever so slightly.
"Make the arrangements. I will speak with Senator Taa." he said calmly.
A small Holo-pod, salvaged from a Separatist ship, was ready and stood tethered to a pair of bulky generators for power. The pod turned on and the bulky image of the Twi'lek senator appeared.
"Senator Taa, so nice of you to join us from comfortable Coruscant," Cham said angrily, turning away with his nose held high. He turned back, with a fiery glare in his eyes.
"I have led our people to freedom in your absence." He declared triumphantly.
"I knew you would use this situation to take power!" Taa said, his face rippling with anger.
Mace Windu's comlink chimed. As soon as he pressed a button, a flurry of noise sounded from the source, along with a familiar cry.
"General Windu!" Anakin said loudly, his voice distorted from the rapid movements and diversions of energy to communications to the weapons systems of his Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptor.
"I hear you Skywalker-" Mace began, before being cut off by an urgent Anakin.
"Our fighters are taking out the bombers as fast as we can, but there is no way we can destroy them all,"
"You must destroy those bombers Skywalk-" another chime cut him off. He activated it, and heard a Clones voice.
"General? This is Shard. We are doing our best, but the fires are spreading too quickly in these villages. They are even attacking liberated towns and homesteads in the Southern Hemisphere. We are evacuating all we can but we need more ships!" Shard said frantically. Mace felt a deep sense of pride in the General, and a deep sense of shame flow within him. He was wrong to ever have doubted him.
"Do the best you can, and load the civilians onto gunships or transports in order to keep them safe. They seem to be targeting villages." Mace said, ending the transmission.
"What could the Separatists hope to gain by... burning our homes," Orn said, his large chin waggling on the brink of tears.
"Nothing. Wat Tambor spoils for others, what he cannot have." Cham said.
"Senator, the resistance is hesitant to work with us because of the fear of another armed occupation. What can you say to assure them?" mace asked, seeing an opportunity.
The Senator dried his eyes and stood tall, looking at Cham directly in the eye.
"On whatever honor I have left in this body, the Clone army will leave, and Ryloth will be free from those droids!" Senator Taa said, with the grandiose and flair of a battle-cry.
"Cham Syndulla, the Senator has been wary of you in fear that you will try to seek control of the planet. What assurance do you have to assure him that you will do no such thing?" Mace asked. Now was the hitch. He wasn't sure if Cham was truly a freedom fighter, or a faction seeking to gain control. Cham looked up, then spoke.
"All I want is for my people to be free." He looked to Orn Free Taa.
"I give you my word, I believe in Democracy!"
"Then we will fight as one. Ready your men, we will muster outside of Lesu." Mace said, as the image of Senator Taa vanished.
General Shard's troops emerged from the buildings with true char on them, not the decorative paints, but true soot and grime from flames. Some helped carry the wounded and dying from huts, others emerged with stretchers and survival blankets covering bodies in makeshift shrouds. The fires ate through the mud like it was made with wood-pulp, and sometimes it required blasters to fire at the flames to disturb them enough to cease. General Shard helped a limping Twi'lek male from his home, when his Comlink chimed. He keyed it on, and his Clone Marshal Commander Tusk appeared.
"Report." Shard requested.
"Sir, everyone has been evacuated, and has been moved to a local staging area. We took their names and the name of the city they come from, so when this is all over, we can help them rebuild." The holographic image of Tusk said, looking up to his General.
"Very good, Commander. Send the remaining AT-SATs to my location, we are truly reading for the final push to fight the droids off this planet. If any Twi'leks want to help, give them blasters and chest plates from the dead. We could use all the help we can muster, and Cham's local militia could use the extra fighting men. Make sure to bury any of our men, and make sure the bodies of the fallen Twi'leks follow them as well. So they can pay the proper respect." Shard said, keying the hologram off.
The battle was to begin in earnest.
Shard rendezvous with his five AT-TEs, and a half dozen AT-SATs, with the promise of more on the way. His AT-RTs, Swallow Squadron, and General Windu's Lightning Squadron, being led by Commander Pons, was already on the ground and deployed when General Windu and Cham's resistance group arrived on strange local reptilian creatures. They approached, and Shard walked forward, determined to get a plan out and ready. He had several retorts, and a half dozen arguments ready to fire at a moments notice.
None would be needed.
"Ah, General Shard. Good. I think your plan of the ferrying of troops with the AT-SATs should work. Get your best men across the gorge quickly, the sooner the bridge is captured, the better." Mace said, a friendly smile on his face. Shard stiffened, caught completely off guard by the Generals sudden change in behavior. He had gone for borderline despising him, to friendly to him in moments.
"A-Alright. Command crews two, three, eight, begin stealth maneuvers, get down and back up the gorge!" Shard called to his men.
The serpentine transports activated, slithering forward using the cover of the mountains to climb down a steep road, and scale the walls undetected. The doors opened, and a small group of Clones disembarked and began a stealthy approach. They slipped through the open city gates, and with a brief blast of blue light, they had control of the bridge. The battle could begin.
The AT-SATs scaled the wall of the building, destroying dormant AAT tanks and droids awaiting orders, while the freedom fighters, and the Lightning and Swallow Squadrons rushed in to take control of the city. The droids were caught completely off guard, and Wat Tambor was caught on his own palace balcony, unable to react to Shard's blaster rifle in his face, and Mace Windu's lightsaber at his throat.
"Surrender." Mace demanded to the Skakoan.
"It seems that a surrender is," He was cut off by his suit giving feedback.
"...Unnecessary," He said, gesturing behind him. In the light of the sun, several Hyena bombers were closing in, ready to destroy the capitol.
"We will all perish for the glory of the Separatist alliance!" He proclaimed, as a pair of Jedi Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptors, colored red and yellow drifted into view. In bursts of blue plasma energy, they destroyed the fighters just before they could attack the city.
Wat Tambor lowered his hands, and dipped his head in submission.
"What are your terms for surrender?" He asked.
"Unconditional" A voice behind them said. Shard turned to see Cham pointing a blaster at the Techno-Union foreman.
"Agreed," Tambor said in defeat.
Ryloth celebrated its new freedom with a parade of the freedom-fighters and of Republic soldiers marching alongside them. Senator Taa arrived in person in order to make appearances and see to it that his people were stable. After the festivities, and when the promised removal of Republic troops, Shard approached Cham.
"General Syndulla, I have a proposition for you," the Clone said, his voice masked by his helmet's vocalizer.
"And that being?" The General asked, a wary expression on his face.
"My men are exceptionally good at fighting, but if you desired, we could remain for a time to aid you in rebuilding. And we would be happy to leave behind some republic equipment and weapons in order to defend yourselves when we leave," He offered.
Cham considered for a moment, but he shook his head after a time.
"No, I think we need to rebuild on our own, without outside intervention for a while. We would gratefully except the defense weapons however, and I am honored by your kindness, no other Jedi or Clone has offered that to us. I thank you." He said, bowling slightly with his hand over his heart. Shard mirrored the movement.
"It has been an honor to fight alongside you, General Syndulla." Shard said, walking towards his transport.
"The same to you, General Shard. The same to you," Syndulla repeated, watching the Clone leave. The Republic was lucky to have a man like that leading her forces.
OK! that took a lot longer then expected and I am very sorry about that. This is the last one of this little bit, the next part will be the Second Battle of Geonosis. I will likely continue that idea in a bit, as A) family stuff coming up and then B) School starting *sobs*. Anyways, thank you as always for reading, Cloaked Writer out.