Hey folks, Grubkiller here.

This is part 21 of this story.

Please feel free to Fav/Follow and review.

Hope that you enjoy.

A/N: Also, sorry for not updating in a while. I had final exams and projects to deal with, and work in between. But since the semester is out, I'll have more free time to work on my stories. I have 4 stories, including this one, in the works. . . . and an un-Godly amount afterword. (See profile for more details)

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Sundari docks, Mandalore.

As Mandalorian militiamen continued to gather the citizens of the city, and heard them into the city's underground network of sewers and subway tunnels, and Lieutenant Vill's men and Bo-Katan's Nite Owls tried to suppress Bow's Imperial uprising at the same time, Rex and his men from Torrent Company were transported to the docks, where they began setting up for a mass assault.

Rex was standing at the edge of the docks, looking out at the desert before him. He watched as Mandalorian volunteers dug trenches outside of the dome, and set up in the small buildings outside. All around him, the Mandalorian turbo-lasers were being supplemented by AT-TEs. The men in the trenches, mostly from Captain Autem's ships, were setting up repeating blaster turrets, and were being covered by snipers up in the docks.

His men had complete control over the landscape... for now anyway.

That's when several of his troopers gathered around him. Coric, Jesse, Echo, Hardcase, Kix, Boomer, and several others. They were all looking at him.

He could feel them behind him, which prompted him to turn around. None of them were wearing their helmets. "Anything to reports, troopers?"

"No sir, it's just-" Kix said before he gave up and looked down at his feet, "-It's just..."

"It's just that, of all the ways we thought we'd go out, this wasn't even on the list. Getting killed by our own brothers." Echo said, finishing what Kix was trying to say.

Rex looked at the rest of the men, who were nodding in agreement. He held his forehead, while also massaging his eyes.

"I know. I can't stand the idea of having to fight our own men. But think of it this way, boys. Those men, our brothers, have been enslaved by someone out there, stripped them of what made them men. Individual men." Rex said, as more men started to gather around him, hanging on his every word. "And know they've been used to wipe out the Jedi we served, uprooted the Republic we swore to protect, and enslave the galaxy we were born to fight for. We can't allow whoever is behind this to get away with it. We're going to free our brothers from the constant nightmares controlling them, and then we're going to fight the enemy we were born to fight!"

Everyone raised their fists into the air and shouted out a battle cry, which was powerful enough to rattle every nut and bolt that held this city together, and carried out across the arid desert around them.

Rex smiled.

And then, with a clap of thunder audible from miles away, the cloud cover broke, and something broke through.

Everyone turned around to see where it was coming from. They looked out across the darkening dusk sky, and saw that the flew clouds across the sky, started to glow from the many blue, green, and orange flashes that illuminated the region, and the city.

Rex flipped his Antennae down, zooming his visor's vision further, in order to see what was happening.

A Venator-class Star Destroyer sank through the clouds, its hull smoldering and clouds of smoke and steam rolling off of it from the massive amount of heat of the ship's speedy re-entry.

The clones knew that ship, recognizing the battle-scarred hull in an instant; It was the RSV Indomitable, followed by a few support vessels. Captain Autem had come through on his promise; their salvation had arrived.

Another sound assailed his ears. It was the high-pithched sounds of V-wing fighters, escorting scores of Gunships to the surface, where they planned to land on the other side of the city, and evacuate the rogues, the wounded and non-essential personnel first.

Troopers all around him began to laugh and cheer. However, once again, their celebration was premature. Rex, and some of the other more observant clones in his ranks, abruptly noticed that the rumbling air had been growling louder in the past minute. At first they mistook it for the natural result of the Indomitable's flash entrance, it had become much too loud to be the engines of a single ship.

And when his men looked up, they understood why.

Breaking through the cloud cover, behind the approaching Venator, was a massive line of ships. Light cruisers, fast attack frigates, shuttles, armored freighters, and even a couple of Acclemator-class assault ships.

They were also particularly disturbed by the burning debris that fell from the sky, and slammed into the desert ground below. Autem's fleet had made a heroic stand, only to be wiped out to the last ship

Rex turned back to his men, who had abruptly ended their cheers.

"Everyone get to your positions!" Rex ordered.

All of the Mandalorians and the rogue clone troopers began to man their positions. That's when Rex spoke into his com-link.

"All batteries, fire at will."

Seconds later, the dual-barreled turbolaser cannons that were used to keep the Republic out, were now being manned by clones to basically do the exact same thing. The barrels warmed up and crackled with energy. Then they fired, sending a volley of blue laser bolts at the approaching line of Imperial, formerly Republic, ships.

Rex nodded with approval as he saw that the gunners had decided to not only hit the closest ships, but also the weakest. An Arquitens-class light cruiser near the fore of the line was the first to feel the wrath of the 501st. The smaller ship's shields flashed as they valiantly tried to repel the deadly firepower, but then winked out, with the ship succumbing to the blasts and breaking apart in a brilliant explosion.

The detonation forced several other ships to swerve and avoid the debris.

Another kill to add to the already lengthy list belonging to the 501st.

That's when the Imperial task force responded with a volley of their own.

"INCOMING!" Someone shouted, as several bolts struck the dome that protected the city.

Several explosions blossomed along the dome, while others ripped through the 501st's positions. Clones were blasted in every direction, and walkers and small structures went up in fire and smoke. Even some of the men in the trenches seemed to take a hit, and so did the Indomitable, which was just about to finish docking on the opposite side of the city.

But then, the Republic cannons came back to life, and soon, both sides were exchanging fire with one another. Green and blue plasma bolts were traded across the arid desert landscape of Mandalore. Soon, as the exchange continued, a pair of Imperial corvettes were vaporized in a brilliant explosion, as well as a Gozanti-class freighter. A chuck was blown into the side of an Acclemator-class warship.

The Imperial battle line soon had to change course upon taking too much damage.

"They're pulling back!" One of the rookies exclaimed excitedly.

"That was just the first wave, shinie. Everyone, get ready for their next attack." Rex ordered.

Imperial Assault Ship.

On the bridge of the lead assault ship, the captain was visibly upset by the fact that the rogue clones, had managed to bring down several of his own ships. An injury to his pride which forced him to pull out of range.

"Sir," An imperial officer said. "Should we make another attempt to land at the docks?"

"No. Prepare for ground assault." The captain ordered.

Moments later, prefabricated buildings were deployed on the surface, and thousands of Clone Stormtroopers, wearing the standard all-white armor, began to disembark, with AT-TEs and other walkers. Artillery was also set up.

But the most interesting piece of equipment being deployed by the Empire was the latest piece of military technology.

A massive four-legged walker, known as the AT-AT.

In the trenches just outside of Sundari.

As the clones sat in their trenches, and waited for the Empire to make its move, Echo used his micro-binoculars to look out over the terrain, where he saw a new threat coming over the horizon.

"Enemy contact. Point two-four." He said to Rex, while handing his binoculars to Hardase.

Hardcase looked through them and was visibly taken aback by the massive behemoths. Rex pulled his antenna down again to get a look at the new contact. Jesse did the same thing.

"How many legs have they got, Hardcase?" Kix asked.

"It looks like four."

"Four?! How have they not fallen over?" Coric asked, grasping his chin.

"Would you look at the size of those things?!" Another clone exclaimed.

"Well boys, I'm glad you're enjoying the view. But I think that it's time to show the Empire we mean business." Rex said before he spoke into his com-link. All units, fire at will!"

Moments later, every cannon in the vicinity, from both the AT-TEs and the gun emplacements on the docks, unleashed a hailstorm of blaster fire on the massive armored behemoths. In any other circumstance, it would've been enough to make even the boldest commander exercise caution.

But the clones were surprised to see that the AT-ATs merely absorbed the bolts like they weren't even there. Completely unfazed, the walkers marched forward, firing the chin-mounted heavy blasters, which were powerful enough to erase whatever it touched with a massive explosion.

The scene was one that was repeated up and down the Allied line, as the twenty-odd walkers savaged the 501st's positions. Their appearance had been an immediately demoralizing blow to the troops, as the massive walkers effortlessly destroyed any armor that dared oppose them, while simultaneously shrugging off tank, artillery, and even aerial blasts from the Jedi-loyal fighters in the air.

Rex watched as every cannon in the docks unleashed a hail of plasma bolts on the lead walker, which detonated on its head with the force of a string of firecrackers. It just ignored the attempt to bring it down, and simply fired at a small building, which burst into flames and promptly collapsed.

The remaining men of the 501st continued to blast away at the advancing infantry and light armor with whatever they had. But it was only a matter of time before their lines would break apart, as many mandalorian militiamen broke ranks and fled.

"Captain, that armor's too strong for blasters! It's like Umbara all over again." Jesse exclaimed, referring to the advanced tanks that the Umbarans used.

"What do we have that can make a dent?" Rex asked.

The clones that were present though about it for a moment. Then one of them spoke up.

"What about those new ion disruptors?" Coric suggested.

"Alright. Pass out those disruptors. Tell our men to get as close as they can, before they fire. Once those walkers are forced to stop, we'll hit 'em with everything we've got until we find a weak spot".

Up and down the Republic/Mandalorian defensive line, a few clone trooper squads, armed with T-7 ion disruptor rifles, ran through the maze of Mandalorian trenches and foxholes, and the tunnels that connected them, which were wrapped around the dome, trying to find the right spot from which to unleash their payload.

When one fire team found the perfect spot, just beneath one walker, they waited, to make sure that the Imperial Stormtroopers who walked right above them didn't notice them and subsequently drop a grenade into their hiding place. That's when the clone wielding the disruptor aimed up through the crack in the ground, and waited for his shot to charge up. When it did, and his crosshairs were over the walker's armored body, the trooper pulled the trigger, and his shot went straight and true.

It impacted the walker.

It suddenly stopped walking and firing. Blue energy crackled all over it. The same was true for two other walkers that were nearby.

On the other side of the battlefield, where Rex and his squad-mates were watching, they noticed the same thing.

"Hit those three walkers with everything you've got!"

An instant later, every gun, handheld or otherwise, was aimed at the three walkers, and suddenly, a blue horizantal storm of blaster-fire was unleashed on the three walkers. AT-TEs and turbo lasers fired. But they still didn't seem to have an effect on the immobile walkers.

Suddenly, a squadron of Republic Y-wing bombers flew across the battle from the side, dropping their payload through the forward ranks of the Imperial invasion, including the three walkers. Explosions formed at their feet and on their backs. Suddenly, each walker exploded from the inside out, and they fell forward, crushing anyone that was unfortunate enough to be underneath them when they fell.

Every clone in the trenches cheered.

"Oh yeah!"

"Attaboy Broadside!"

"Good ol' Shadow Squadron." One clone said as he nudged one of his brothers with his elbow. "Always on target."

Moments later, the fighting men of the 501st, reinvigorated by another small victory, went back to firing on the hundreds of men who they had once called their brothers. The Empire seemed to be expressing caution, as they had witnessed the latest of several failed attempts to crush this rebellion.

But unbeknownst to the defenders of Sundari, their fight was about to get a whole lot harder.

Turbolaser control center.

Deep inside the domed-city, Commander Gar Saxon and Clone Commander Bow were stepping over the corpses of several dead Jedi-loyal clone troopers, who were charged with protecting the control center for the entire laser-defense grid.

They then shut down the controls, effectively taking away the very thing that kept this city safe from invaders.

Sundari Docks.

Back outside the city, Captain Rex and his few remaining men were still keeping the Imperial invasion force at bay. They continued to fight as a well-oiled machine, using their training and each other to keep the Empire at bay.

The Empire were actually using Spaarti-grown clone troopers, which were grown faster and given less training than regular Kaminoan clones. So it made sense that these men were sent into the frying pan without a second thought.

But even as the Imperial bodies piled up, and the fleet continued to hold back above the horizon, the 501st's greatest loss had just occurred.

That of the turbo-lasers which were protecting the city, which slowly powered down and ceased firing.

"Captain, we just lost all power to the heavy cannons. We don't have anything to keep the Imperial fleet from advancing."

Rex looked up at the docks to see that the cannons were no longer firing. He then looked back at the Imperial fleet, which was now advancing in conjuncture with the previously stalled walkers.

As Rex's men continued to take more and more casualties, and the frontline began to collapse, he could only thank of one thing. . . .

"Everyone, fall back inside the city. We'll make our stand at the royal palace!" He shouted into his comlink.

And soon, the rogue clones of the 501st retreated, tempting the Imperial forces to follow suit, and eventually storm the city.

The situation was dire.

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Well folks, that was part 21.

Hope you enjoyed.

Part 22 will be right around the corner.

Until next time, this is Grubkiller, over and out.