Geonosis II

Battle

The past doesn't leave the present alone.

"Geonosis."

Someone in the gunship muttered the name of the planet as they careened through the air: smoke, dust and flak streaking past their limited view as they flew in what only a pilot would call a controlled flight path.

It might have been, decided Chopper as he glanced out the clear glassteel panels of the gunship walls. All of the gunships were maintaining a similar pattern. He kept General Skywalker's ship, Teth's Vengeance, in view.

The steady whine of the gunship combined with the bursts from Separatists cannons came through the helmet's baffles and seemed to drill holes in portions of Chopper's brain. As if I don't have enough there already. The gunship had already been hit, though only glancingly, and Chopper could feel the deck straining, vibrating off-key, through the soles of his boots. He hoped the pilot and gunners would desert the ship, he was sure it wouldn't make it back to the Resolute.

"Landing's going to be a bit rough," he told his squad, but open channel so everyone on the gunship heard him. Bitter electronic smell wafted through the gunship. Chopper hated that smell.

Already, Chopper could feel the grit of red sand scratching against his skin, the dust in the atmosphere of the planet already seeping into the gunship, into his armor, into his skin and scratching beneath his knotted scars.

He glanced back at his men, at his squad. A thumb swipe of blue marked the left temple of each helmet. He had marked most of them, as proud as the troopers in that moment, though Moss had quietly asked if he could take the paint and his helmet to Coric for marking - medic to medic. Chopper hadn't even had to think about that and the thumb mark on Moss's helmet had an upward curve slightly different than the others.

They were good troopers and they showed promise of being a good squad. Sergeant Azur was ensuring Dexterity's demolition equipment was secure on his back. Oak was doing the same for the squad medical pack on Moss's back. Shen and Double 2 were looking out the thin viewports, Shen gesturing towards the stony hills dotting the landscape, no doubt pointing out the best positions for a sniper and trying to see weaknesses in the placements.

All Chopper had to do was make sure they survived.

After checking each man's body for bruises, blisters or red marks they had modified each trooper's armor where needed; the back of the greaves for all the troopers, the couter and spaulder for Oak who carried the Z6 and needed the extra mobility. Chopper also showed them how he'd sharpened the curve of the armor covering his fist. Dexterity had nodded first and had decided to put a small hook-shaped notch in his for cutting the wire and cord common to demolitions. Then they had cleaned their armor and put the royal blue of the 501st onto the edges - the seams - of each piece. It wasn't a lot of color, just enough so someone looking at them from a distance would see a hint of blue when they moved. Chopper hoped most of the squad leaders would think to have the rookies seamed; it was the first sign of belonging and you fought harder for something that was yours.

He glanced around the gunship at the other squads. Caber's squad was running with his and he wondered if Rex had intended that from the beginning. Caber had also had his squad rub the blue into armor edges, they had a touch mark on the spaulder where Caber had dipped his thumb in the pain and set his hand on each trooper's shoulder marking the white armor. The other two squads were from the 212th. Not Jester's though.

Chopper, to his disgrace and self-disgust, hadn't bothered to learn the few names of the rookies except for his squad – and that only because of proximity. He'd given himself lots of reasons; he had told himself the shinnies, shorted the last six months of training, were only going to Geonosis to die. He wasn't even terribly optimistic about his own squad. He had told himself that his priority was his squad, no one else. A lot of the rookies didn't even have names yet and survivors would most likely name themselves here – at their first battle; he didn't need to know their designations for such a short amount of time.

Now Chopper wished he knew more of the rookies than he actually did because ultimately, they were his brothers.

"That was too close for comfort," said one of the troopers, a rookie, as blaster fire swept directly under them. He wasn't from Chopper's squad and his armor was clear of all color.

"No," replied Chopper harshly, still angry at himself. "Too close for comfort is when it's in the same kriffing ship as you." He glanced at the younger clone, obviously nervous at his first battle and recognized him as one of the few with a name. Chopper tried to pull the name from memory. He'd been in the mess a day ago and Chopper had heard another trooper greet him. Ja… something… Jahe, That was it.

"It's ok, Jahe." Chopper's voice was slightly softer. "There'll be a lot of near-hits. Doesn't matter; don't let them shake you. Just keep going; following the captain or commander – whoever leads your column."

"What about the general?" That was another rookie but his armor was lightly edged in the gold of Commander Cody's 212th.

Chopper grunted softly. "We haven't found a trooper yet who can keep up with General Skywalker. ARC Fives came close."

Chopper frowned. Echo and Fives had woken up in the middle of the night and armored up quietly. As they left the barracks, Chopper had reached out; gripping each man's gloved hand. They had gripped his hand in return then silently left the barracks. Their assignment wasn't his but he hoped they'd be safe.

Chopper kept an eye on the gunship to his right. General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex were on it. So were Sergeants Zeer's and Jesse's squads along with one of the medical squads.

A ball of plasma hit Teth's Vengeance and it spiraled down rapidly, landing hard. Survivable, his mind said, especially for a Jedi.

Flak burst around their gunship and it swayed in the air as if by a single thread in a stiff breeze. The vibration of the deck changed, stuttering more. Chopper decided that not only would the ship not make it back to the Resolute, but it was even odds whether it would make it to Geonosis.

"Crash landing," The pilot's voice sounded odd, like they were underwater and Chopper was checking his helmet settings for interface problems even as he braced himself against the wall of the gunship. Moss's head snap towards the speaker. Chopper sighed and went closed channel to his squad.

"Pilot injured, Moss?" Chopper watched as Moss's head nodded softly then he spoke through the channel.

"Yes, sir. With your permission…"

"You're the medic, Moss. Remember that. You outrank us all in medical matters. It's your call…" There was a moment of silence among the men even as the air shrilled around the gunship quickly losing altitude. Chopper didn't know if it was for the pilot, obviously injured, or the fact that he'd just given autonomous authority to one of the squad.

"I don't think it will take long, sir." Moss's voice was soft.

Chopper didn't think it would take long either.

The gunship hit hard and slid then gently swayed back and forth threateningly. "Down," shouted Chopper as he went to his knees. The other troopers followed his example and the gunship steadied in an upright position rather than tipping. They had the doors open and the troopers swarmed out of the gunship with their blasters blazing. Bugs and droids were firing back. Absently Chopper identified B1s, SBDs and spider droids; cataloguing their numbers, their formation, their weaknesses.

Caber's squad moved out to confront the droids. Oak, the big Z6 in his hands, took a step with them then paused. "I've got the heavy…" he began but Chopper cut him off.

"Go," he commanded. It was a good idea to help cover them with two Z's instead of just Caber's.

"Sergeant, check our turret gunners." Chopper was firing his blaster even as he glanced up at the gunner's bubble. Most of the fire was heavy cannon aimed over their heads to take out the gunships but with the droids were Geonosian soldiers – some with wings – with their own blasters, higher pitched in tone but just as deadly.

Shen was moving with the sergeant, while Chopper partnered Moss; covering while he checked for signs of life. The blasters were splintering air with noise and the bitter smell; the cannons and flak answering in heavier, lumbering tones and their own acrid scent.

The pilot was dead; the canopy of the gunship had taken a direct hit and splintered inward becoming jagged claws that had eviscerated the pilot through his armor up to his throat. Still, Moss tugged his helmet up and touched him with the small vitals scanner before shaking his head and turning away from the pilot.

"We've got a turret gunner, Chopper." Sergeant Azur's voice came over his helmet. "He has a broken arm, but he'll be coming with us."

Chopper glanced around, firing towards the Geonosian without too much thought for his normal precise targeting. He had his troopers to get to Captain Rex then getting whatever tanks survived to the square.

"Let's move," he called out to his squad. "Command ship landed about 5 klicks east."

"Lay in an intersect, Chopper." Caber was suddenly beside him, his heavy gun making the Geonosians retreat behind rock and the big guns. "I've got you covered."

Chopper quickly keyed in the three points; where he'd seen the Teth's Vengeance make what pilots liked to laughingly call a 'gravity-assisted landing', their own position and the square they needed to be. Then he extrapolated the most likely position to meet them and sent that to everyone's helmet.

They'd passed a Republic gunship that had crashed with the tank in its cablehold and Chopper had his squad take defensive positions while Oak and Moss climbed into the squat, busted tank and the shattered gunship to check for wounded. Caber's squad also waited as did one of the squads of the 212th. The other squad continued forward, but slowed down as they moved. There was safety in movement and safety in numbers.

"No one alive, Chopper." It was Oak's voice and Chopper realized that Moss wouldn't be talking for the rest of the battle. It affected some of the troopers like that. He went closed-channel to Moss even as his body moved him forward with the squad. "No, Moss. It never stops hurting and you never get used to it." He paused a moment, for a response but there was none. "You do your best and you'll be able to sleep nights." Then he released the channel to give Moss the solitude to do his work.

They were moving quickly, the turret gunner keeping up in spite of his arm, and they were making good time. The bugs obviously had orders to maintain steady fire on the gunships and starfighters, targeting the troopers only occasionally.

They were moving steadily, an overlapping quick-pace pattern when Shen shouted out, external audio. "Sniper! Fifteen degrees."

Chopper dropped behind one of the scraggly boulders smaller than a trooper; they had all dropped and Chopper felt a momentary pride to see his squad already firing back.

Jahe went down. Chopper cursed himself for remembering the trooper's name and speaking with him; getting to know him if only for a few moments. He ran, low and bent, to scoop Jahe's arm in one hand. Sergeant Azur grabbed the fallen trooper from the other side, smoothly after practice, dragging him to a little cover between two stones.

Moss was only a pause behind them then two pauses then he was moving quick-pace with them again. That told Chopper the rookie was dead.

Jahe, Chopper told himself. He had a name. Jahe. They all have names.

By the time, they met up with General Skywalker they'd lost three more men to one sniper or another. Captain Rex nodded at Chopper, Caber and the two squad leaders from the 212th as they integrated their squads with the men of Coric, Zeer and Jesse.

Captain Rex

Inside his helmet was a cacophony of voices; most calling him back. Chopper's voice came through low and hard, almost angry and Rex wondered at the anger.

"A rollie has no peripheral vision, Captain. Don't move fast."

That was counter-intuitive but Rex slowed to a walk as he nodded to himself. Chopper would know. The other voices faded.

"Move steady. You should be able to walk through the velocity shields. We'll keep them distracted." Chopper voice some instructions to Kev and the rest of his squad, but Rex didn't hear what was said. His entire concentration was on the droideka shooting blaster fire at his commander. The commander saw him and her eyes widened, a word on her lips, as her light saber deflected the blaster cannon bolts from the droid.

Don't look at me, Ahsoka. He mumbled or whispered or maybe simply thought the words. Keep your eyes on the battle.

Coric asked Chopper something but Chopper didn't answer or maybe he did but Rex didn't hear him. Everything had gone silent now, the entire battlefield, and Rex couldn't hear anything. How the kriff could a battlefield be that silent? Time was slowing down. It took several days for him to take a step forward.

He'd look in a few moments; find out what was happening to his troopers in

just…

a…

… few

… moments.

Rex stepped into the velocity shield of the droid. It was made for high-impact, high-velocity projectiles and plasma blasters; not slow-moving organics. Rex barely felt a slight warming as he stepped within the boundary of the shields.

Ahsoka's eyes went wide, wider and Rex relaxed, his breath finally released after an eternity.

I've got your back, Ahsoka, Rex whispered.

His forward foot was in front of the droid's stabilizing tripod. Rex brought his blasters to the back of the droid's own blaster cannons and the base of the AI stem and gently squeezed the triggers. He didn't hear his blasters but the rollie slumped forward, its shield gone.

Suddenly everything was normal; there were whoops and shouts in his helmet; the Jedi were moving in their normal quickness and Rex was sure he would pass out like the rawest rookie from Kamino.

He glanced around for another target but the general took out the second rollie as he watched and there was only smoking metal debris on the wall. It had been a good ride; no one could see his smile but Ahsoka smiled back, brilliant and sparkling. Beautiful, as she always was. Rex glanced at the explosives, tossed from Skywalker's hands, falling out of view down some shaft where a B1 had poked its head.

They'd never make it off the wall before the explosives took down the barrier-wall. Well, he wouldn't – maybe the Jedi…

"Time to go, Rex."

Go?

Where?

"Hey," he yelped, actually yelped, in his helmet as he was Force-pushed into the air. He was five, seven, nine meters above the wall's parapets and into a parabolic arch beyond the boundary of the wall looking down on the white specks of his troopers.

Below him the commander and General Skywalker both took a leap off the wall. They were graceful; like birds in a swooping dive or a leaf traveling on a breeze. They'd land safely and gently. He wasn't a bird, he couldn't fly and that ground was approaching at the square root of twice the distance … kriff … way too fast.

He did the only thing a reasonable clone could do and that, he did instinctively. Rex screamed.

The cushioning of the Force caught him and gently bounced him, absorbing the energy of the fall. He could reach down and touched the ground, but the rubble from the wall was falling toward them to land… around them. Rex hadn't even felt a pebble of the debris clatter against his armor. General Skywalker was there offering a firm hand to rise from firm air.

"Next time," Rex was surprised his voice still worked, "just tell me to jump."

"Now where's the fun in that?" asked the general with grinning lilt in his voice.

Ahsoka was already moving, leading the advance with Jesse and his squad at her heels. General Skywalker turned toward the battle, light-saber in hand followed by Sergeant Zeer. Rex raised his hand and motioned the troopers onward; hoping none of them noticed how shaky his knees seemed to be.

Chopper came up beside him.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Chopper." Rex murmured closed channel.

There was a pause then Chopper spoke. "I wasn't sure, captain, if it was ray or particle shielded."

Rex chuckled, he wouldn't have been able to walk through particle shielding. "Next droid report, you can confirm droidekas are ray shielded."

There was a small lull in the battle after the air squadron had reinforced the attack, pushing the Geonosians back towards their shielded artillery encircling the main foundry. Both General Kenobi and General Mundi had looked a bit mangled. General Kenobi didn't even rise from the ground.

The landing zone had tightened down to a small circle of gunships and tanks during the heat of battle but, with the retreat of the Geonosians and the addition of new troopers, the square had opened up.

Coric's squad, mostly medics and medic's aids, was setting up a temporary med unit to handle wounded. Moss had taken the turret gunner there and been helping them.

Chopper had talked with Captain Rex who pointed it out to Commander Cody; suggesting that the square had gotten too large and that each point of the compass rose be guarded by a squad. Caber and his men had taken the southernmost point of the area, beyond the now-derelict gunships and tanks being used for shade. Jester, Speed, Coop, Cal, Tek and Blast, a new addition, took the north. Chopper and his squad were in the east; protecting the back of the main force.

It was a lull in which the men gnawed at ration sticks and sucked down water.

"Don't stint on the water," he'd told his squad. "You can do without food, but lack of water will kill you quick in this climate."

Sergeant Azur suggested at least two troopers in helmets at all times and Chopper nodded, "Order it, Sergeant Azur," once again giving up authority. Sergeant Azur paused, looked at him, and then Kev through the helmet visors. He nodded softly. "Will do," there was a slight pause before the final word came, hesitantly, "Chopper." Then Azur turned away.

Kev watched him go and pulled off his helmet as soon as Chopper removed his. "You have a way with people," Kev spoke quietly with a soft frown.

Chopper grunted as he sucked water into his parched throat. "Bad way? Good way?"

Kev chuckled as he reached for his own supply of water. "I don't know all the time, Chopper, but look at your squad."

Chopper tilted his head at Kev in curiosity then turned to look.

Sergeant Azur had taken first watch, his helmet on his head and his fingers fine-adjusting the visor externally to compensate for the reflected heat and glare of the sand. Oak, heavy gun at the ready, waited beside the sergeant. Dexterity was sitting on a stone going through his remaining supply of explosives, setting up a few more quick fuses between swallows of water. Moss was at Shen's side; the sniper had taken a hit to the shoulder and complained his arm was numb, but he had taken up his blaster with his left hand and still held it. Moss had cut through the body glove and was smearing bacta on the wound. Double 2 had his helmet in one hand, a water bulb in the other and was moving toward them.

Chopper raised an eyebrow at Kev in question but Kev only shook his head and gave him a smile as Double 2 came and simply stood with Chopper and Kev. He quietly finished the water bulb then pulled on his helmet and drew his blaster to guard.

Looking outward, Chopper saw the broad expanse of sand punctuated by a few boulders and odd looking trees. Very little concealment; an attacking ground force would be seen and prepared for a long time before they arrived. Troopers and stragglers moved towards the general area of the landing zone. Stragglers were only to be expected when so many gunships had gone off track. Chopper watched as one of the oncoming troopers approach them. His armor didn't look familiar and the markings said he was with General Adi Mundi's company. He handled the Z6 in his hands easily. Perhaps some of the men had escaped from the Geonosians in the cave.

But there was something both odd and familiar about his walk.

"Moss," Chopper frowned, lines corrugating his forehead. "Is that trooper wounded?

Moss looked up from pinching the self-mending body glove closed over Shen's bandaged arm and observed the oncoming trooper for a moment before speaking quietly. "Not unless he's only slightly wounded in both knees."

Chopper grunted. Odder things had happened but he watched just the same. The familiarity was haunting him. He'd seen this trooper somewhere… if he could just remember.

It had been a vid.

Chopper let his mind go over what he had observed so often. The vids. It came from Captain Rex's helmet; his mind remembered that little detail, the trooper identifier in the lower corner of every vid.

That bothered Chopper. If the vid was from Rex's helmet, then he should know the trooper; Rex had never worked with General Mundi or his troops but maybe this guy was a transfer from some other company.

Knowing the vid, Chopper started remembering details. Darkness, a small outpost, a giant land eel. He liked it because Rex had taken out a commando droid in hand-to-hand combat.

Rishi.

Rishi?

"Commando!" he bellowed to his squad an instant before the Z6 in the trooper's hands came up and fired. Water bulbs dropped to the red sand as he and Kev both reached for their blasters moving apart; diving for stony cover.

Double 2 dropped to one knee where he was, the first to fire back with several resounding hits on trooper armor then the ding against the bronzium skin of the droid. The commando kept coming, running, moving quickly now, sweeping the Z6 back and forth. From the corner of his eye Chopper saw a droid popper slice through the air and discharge right at the droid's shoulder. The commando droid shuddered as the disruptive charge surrounded it but the popper was insufficient and the droid continued moving forward though slightly slower. More blaster shots hit it from Sergeant Azur and Shen's off hand; as Oak moved so his Z6 wouldn't take out his brothers.

Kev went down with a cry, but even from the ground he was firing his blasters. They all fired, until Oak's heavier weapon destroyed the commando droid, potholing the trooper's armor he wore and slagging its metal skin.

Moss moved quickly to Kev's side while Dexterity moved to cover Shen as he replaced his piece of armor. Double 2 stood and moved toward Chopper. It wasn't hard to know Kev was alive; every cuss and curse Chopper had ever heard was coming from the wounded trooper.

"Captain Rex," called Chopper through the helmet. "You've got scattered commando droids coming into camp disguised as General Mundi's men." He hoped, being the closest to the caves on the distant plateau, they'd been the first attacked; hoped the warning was in time. He spared a moment's thought for the unknown brother taken by the Geonosians.

He sat down on a stone, suddenly raggedly tired, his adrenaline eaten by pain. "Moss," he called, "after you tend to Kev. I'll need your services."

Double 2 was beside him. "Where, sergeant?"

"Ribs, I think." Chopper smiled to hear himself called 'sergeant'. "Nothing too serious. A bacta patch and adrenaline will keep me on my feet." He glanced up to Sergeant Azur's helmet. "You're in command, Azur."

Chopper didn't need to hand over the squad to Azur, but it seemed the right time to do what he'd meant since taking the squad from Rex. A good squad worked best under its own sergeant. He saw Azur turned his head, almost in preparation to shaking it but when he did move his head, it was a small nod. As though he were scared, as though he hadn't thought about leading men in battle nor about his men - his brothers - being wounded.

"Yes, sir, Squad leader Chopper." He shifted slightly. "I'd appreciate your input, sir. You're our best chance of getting through this battle."

The squad had been lucky. Kev's leg had been grazed about as much as Chopper's ribs; neither injury much more than skin deep but skin deep hurt. Chopper hadn't even been hit, his wound had been caused by high velocity stone fragments scattered by the blaster bolts. Kev had gone through every cuss word he knew then added sh'sto when Chopper had told him.

"It's Togrutan, Kev. I have no idea what it means." He tilted his head and grimaced as Moss pulled out some rock splinters then applied a soothing coat of bacta. "Don't ask the commander. She doesn't know what it means either."

None of the others were wounded. When Chopper put on his helmet, he ran a quick diagnostic and then keyed back into the squad. A black light showed up for Double 2. Chopper removed his helmet, frowning. "You're showing up as dead, Double 2. Let's see your helmet."

Double 2 handed it over. Blaster plasma from the commando droid's Z6 had skimmed one side of it, destroying a large chunk of the electronics. Chopper grunted. Double 2 had been lucky not to be dead, but it had been his first shots which had thrown the droid off-balance.

About the only functioning part of Double 2's helmet was the comm unit. Chopper handed the helmet back to Double 2.

"Make sure," he began softly for the squad, looking at Moss in particular, "that if Double 2 goes down, you check him." He looked down at the red Geonosian sand. His mouth was dry and it took him another moment to finish. "Happened to me once." Chopper slammed his helmet back onto his head in anger. "My helmet was destroyed, they counted me dead and didn't find out their error until they were collecting bodies." He turned and briskly moved toward the small circle of gunships trying not to think of the first time he'd been on Geonosis, the first time he'd been in battle.

Next chapter tomorrow is the final chapter and there's a surprise appearance by Sergeant Slick...

Enjoy...

Maybe I'll have an Order 66 epilogue or three...