Fifty Four
The hooded figure turned, a twisted, sadistic smile crossed his lips.
"Thank you Count Dooku, this is indeed, fortunate information."
The holographic image of a man bowed and disappeared from sight. The figure carefully removed the hood covering his face and pressed the comm on his desk.
"Sir, you require something?" the Chagrian asked as he entered.
"Get me General Kenobi; I believe he is still here on Naboo."
"Sire," he too bowed to the dark Lord and left the room reserved for visiting politicians from other systems.
#
"I don't understand. Why is it I have to stay here when it is my Padawan and Captain waiting to be picked up on Kashyyyk?"
"Believe me Anakin, I wish it were you heading down and not me. However, the Council feels the threat to the dignitaries here on Naboo is indeed real. Given your unique relationship with the Chancellor, the Council strongly believes that you are the best person to lead the guard if something does in fact, arise."
"Fine, but I really wanted to see that weapon in action. It's been years since we have been there."
"Yes, I remember the last time we were there together. You were still a Padawan." Obi-Wan placed his hand on his friends shoulder. "And I remember the bite you got from a pup from the ralr clan."
"I still have the scar," Anakin laughed. "May the Force be with you Master."
"And also with you."
"Oh," Anakin turned and smiled, "tell my lazy Padawan that she will have to begin work on her Trials on her return to Coruscant."
Obi-Wan laughed and walked from the room, "Come along Commander, I believe the worshyr trees are particularly beautiful this time of year."
"Right you are sir."
#
Rex fell in behind Ahsoka, watching as she continued to forge her way forward through the heavy vegetation of the planet's surface. Kashyyyk was known for it's beauty across the galaxy. The trees, being unusually large, were turning colour, casting a gold and red glow across the overlying canopy.
They all moved quietly, but swiftly.
Hardcase noticed Fi had a certain bobbing of his head as they walked. He had observed it for the past standard hour and finally, intrigued by this unusual behaviour, tapped into the commando's HUD.
"Ner vod, what's with the head action? You got a tick in your bucket or something?"
He heard Fi chortle before replying, "Nah, just some glimmik. Helps keep me focussed."
"Prepared to share?"
With that he patched through the downloaded music to the heavy gunners helmet and waited for Hardcase to pass comment.
"Whoa, that's loud," he replied.
Rex dropped back past a few men before meeting up with Judd. He was worried about the youngest member of this unit, he hadn't said much since losing both his cadet brothers after their crash landing.
"How you doing there Judd?"
"Sir. Good sir." A programmed reply.
"Look, I'm sorry about Syd and Docks. You were cadets together, right?"
He appeared to relax his shoulders a little, "that's right sir." They continued walking through the thick vegetation, following behind them was Niner and Coric.
"I lost three of my cadet brothers during a training exercise on Kamino." Rex looked down for a second, quickly reciting the names to himself before continuing. "If you would like to talk to anyone, I could - ,"
"All good sir."
It was pointless. Judd had shut himself off. Rex had seen it over and over again. Some troopers liked to talk, others clammed up, internalising their grief. He sighed and nodded as he walked forward, quickening the pace, he opened the commlink to the unit medic.
"Coric."
"On it sir." He'd heard the Cap try and make conversation with the newest member of the 501st. He would keep a close eye on the recruit from that moment forward.
#
It was a long ten hours, walking through the forest quietly, stopping for breaks every two, grabbing three hours kip in the middle of the night.
With their expert tracking skills coupled with the extra sensory ability of the young female in the group, they followed the sloppy Trandoshans, who were now aware they had lost soldiers and had a Republic Force closing in on them.
They marched on, Hardcase lost in the new entertainment of his helmet completely missed a large root. Tripping over it, he fell face first into the ground. Niner was immediately behind him but instead of helping him up, he lunged and held him down into the ground, tapping on his helmet. Niner had seen the silent hand signals from Darman, so he kept the 501st trooper from getting back up; for the time being at least.
Ahsoka halted the group, she'd heard voices ahead.
She felt the fear through the Force before she smelt it. Crouching down low, being significantly smaller than the troopers, she continued forward. Scrambling through the greenery she could see two of the monstrous lizards, speaking Dosh. As she manoeuvred herself into a better vantage spot, she saw what they were guarding.
She held up her right hand and counted off the Trandoshans. One, two, three, four, five, closed fist before starting again, six, seven. There in the centre of the clearing was a group of terrified Wookie pups ranging in age from two through to sixteen.
Darman crawled up to the Commander on his belly, "That's our informant, Enacca on the far right. The male second from the left is the Wookiee under surveillance," he whispered.
Ahsoka nodded and rolled over on her back to speak to the Commando when the unthinkable happened.
The largest Trandoshan plucked one of the pups from the group and shot it in the temple. The noise from the resulting murder was horrific. Darman quickly grabbed the young Togrutan and held her to him, forcing her face away from the ugly scene unfolding in front of them. For a moment, Ahsoka allowed him to hold her, the sudden disturbance in the Force not only audible to her but now, palpable. Rex, looked forward, startled; his focus shifting from the sudden blast to that of Ahsoka in another man's arms.
"My apologies sir." She was incapable of speaking; the cries from the Wookiees making it impossible not to feel their grief at losing the innocent offspring. It affected them all, no one more so than the young Jedi. Visible shaken, she retreated back towards the others. Holding a small hand up to her mouth she searched the men in white, her men, for the one she knew best. With Jaig eyes staring back at her, Rex moved forward quickly to be in line with her small frame.
"You OK Commander?"
She looked at him, and with tears welling high in her blue eyes, he knew she was anything but. It was at that moment she wished she still had the relationship she'd let go. In the Commando's arms, she remembered how good it felt to simply be held by someone physically larger than her. She wanted her Rex back, and right now, more than ever, she wanted to be away from this war.
Niner, the voice of all reason, made several hand gestures to the men remaining in the area, leaving the young padawan alone with Rex for a few minutes.
"Rex," she breathed, incapable of saying anything more, the cries from the females still loud amongst the darkness which had descended on them all.
"Come on Commander, we need to do something and fast, they won't stop with just one."
"What do you suggest Captain?" She immediately resented the line he had drawn between them both. 'I can't be in a similar position as yesterday ever again. You understand that Ahsoka don't you?' the words she remembered by heart. Of course she did, they were the last he said to her privately.
"Let's re group and discuss what we can do to save the remaining pups."
#
They huddled in an area half a klick away from the hostages.
Rex, as the senior ranking officer and had strategized a plan to draw the Trandoshans away from the Wookiee clan. He looked quickly at the chrono. The Generals would be arriving at the main drop zone in two standard hours. But after what they had witnessed, they simply couldn't wait a minute longer.
"Are we all clear?" he looked around at the men and Jedi assembled. Crouching down they all examined the etching in the dirt the Captain had drawn.
"Atin, Darman, Coric and Hardcase, you'll be waiting with the new weapon in the clearing. Let it rain the second you get a cluster of lizards. Fi, you'll pick off any stragglers heading back towards the hostages. Niner, you and Judd are with me. We'll head in and finish off any Trads while the Commander releases the chains on the Wookiees. Keep an eye on the pups OK?"
Getting more nods he continued, "show no restraint. They may turn back and try to kill off all the remaining Wookiees. Stop them at all costs. Are we clear? I ask no man to do anything I wouldn't do myself."
"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur." It was Atin who provided the sobering Mando'a.
After nodding to one another they dispersed into their allotted groups. They knew the job they had to do, they had trained their whole lives for a mission like this.
"Wait for my signal," Rex whispered quietly down the comm while touching his left glove to his chest. Ahsoka couldn't let it go this time.
"One day you'll explain to me why you do that?"
Rex tilted his head; he was unaware anyone had ever noticed his little habit which had become more of a battle ritual.
#
"This is indeed strange," Obi-Wan stroked his beard as he alighted in the area where Ahsoka and Rex were due to meet the Wookiee clan.
"Something is not quite right," he mused, "Cody, have you had any communiqué from Captain and Ahsoka?"
"None, sir."
"That's not surprising considering it's Rex and Ahsoka we're dealing with. Try again would you? Lieutenant, set up camp here. Someone is bound to come back to where they were supposed to be."
"Sir?"
"Never mind Lieutenant, never mind," Obi-Wan blew out a long breath. It was typical of the young Jedi to deviate from 'the mission brief.'
She was Anakin's Padawan after all.
#
Darman handed the end of a det to Hardcase who stood still while the Commando wound it around the base of the enormous tree. Looking inside his pack he then pulled out another device which he stuck unceremoniously to the base.
Thunk!
"Ret'lini," he said to the heavy gunner as he armed the explosives.
Hardcase just smiled and put on his bucket. He turned and began a final check on the new weapon which brought them to Kashyyyk. He stood, spreading his legs and jostling the gun before lifting it up to re-familiarise himself with the weight.
"Hardcase ready," he reported in.
The sniper had been watching the 501st soldier loading the gun.
"Looking good HC."
"Fi, where are you ner vod?" Hardcase looked up and scanned the foliage for the matte grey armour. It was better than the stark white of the regular troopers, giving them better camoflage.
"Cold, very cold," the sniper laughed as he too, reported his position in to the Captain.
"Hey Hardcase. Swap you my DC-17M for that thing," Atin wanted to get his hands on the new gun, and testing it out on Trandoshans was just too good an opportunity to let slide.
"When Geonosis freezes over ner vod," the gunner replied, clicking another round to his belt.
"OK, listen up. The Trads aren't gonna make this easy, one last time, shoot to kill, I'm not interested in hostages."
"Copy that Captain."
"Sir."
Judd moved forward nervously. This was his first live action fight since leaving Kamino. Rex knew he would be running through all his flash training experience as he waited to go into battle. He went closed comm and spoke to the rookie.
"Judd, relax. Just aim at their chests and keep repeating. The deece will do the rest. Cover my flank OK?" Rex thought if Judd was behind him, he could keep a closer eye on the green soldier.
"Yes sir."
Ahsoka looked over at the Captain. The shock of the death had abated slightly and he could see she was itching to get in there and have payback against the Separatist aligned aliens.
"Ready?"
She took in a deep breath. "Let's do this."
"On my mark gentlemen."
Everyone took in a breath to steady the adrenaline surge that was about to hit.
"Mark."
#
Boom!
"Sir!' Cody turned to the east where the noise had come from.
"That sounds like something we need to take a closer look at," Obi-Wan stated, "and I bet my lightsaber that's where we'll find Ahsoka and the Captain. Grab your men Commander, it looks as though we are going for a little run."
#
Darman set off the explosive. The Trandoshans began hissing wildly as they clutched their weapons and looked to the plume of smoke beginning to rise between the trees. Two large lizards herded the chained Wookiees into a tighter group. The pups still located centrally and heavily guarded by another reptilian.
Rex could see fear in the large mammals eyes, watching their young closely as they huddled together, shuffling against the guns pointed at them.
"Behaving as predicted Commander."
"The one in the centre is mine." Rex looked at Ahsoka. She was angry and now, thanks to the earlier encounter, her fight was now personal.
He smiled to himself as he looked at her. Her muscles taunt, poised for action, her body ready to pounce. Niner looked over and saw the Captain interacting with the young Jedi, noticing how he kept his gaze a little longer than necessary. Torrent Company had a 'reputation' thanks to the reckless General and his Padawan. Niner could now see the unconventional relationship between the Commander and Captain.
Four of the lizards headed into the forest towards the explosion, leaving the other three to hold down the camp and hostages.
"Hold back, hold back."
He waited until he heard yelling and the firing of guns in the distance. The Tradoshans were excellent fighters. Even though Hardcase had killed one outright with the new rifle, the remaining three were putting up a good show of it. One turned; leaving the other two fighting when he was abruptly catapulted forward, his back arching before he fell forward to the ground.
"That makes one," Fi mumbled to himself as he turned and watched the fight unfolding on the ground to his immediate left.
"Okay – now!" Closer to the camp, Rex lunged forward and ran full pelt as the Jedi ignited her weapons following him. In a blaze of green she wielded them at the shots coming from the lizard guarding the young.
She got there first. Her blades slicing the first Sep diagonally from his neck to his groin, the heat cauterising the wound in it's wake. He fell with sickening thump. Continuing on she raced forward, going behind the screaming young, releasing their bindings with a flurry of elegant swipes.
Judd followed his CO, continually firing at two who had taken up shelter behind the adult Wookiee captives, using them as a shield, making the fight one sided.
"Break round to their right, while I take the left," Niner suggested, his voice level and controlled.
"Copy that."
Rex knew they had to take them down with the blasters, a one-on-one with these aliens would be hard, if not almost impossible due to their size. The Trads, knowing this, were bringing them in close.
Ahsoka stood, deflecting stray red bolts from the pups. Niner, Judd and Rex continued to weave their way around to the lizards last stand.
Rex saw one drop dead and before he could focus on the remaining Trandoshan, the fight was over as the remaining lizard lifted it's gun above his head in defeat. Niner ran in and held his rifle a centremetre from his head.
"Move and it's your last," he growled. He pushed him away from the Wookiee group which began dispersing towards the young.
It was controlled chaos, the young pups whelped and the elders roared loud as they grabbed their young. The cacophony of noise was distracting, even to the seasoned Captain.
Niner continued to guard the surrendered soldier and walked him over towards Judd who opened his utility belt to remove some restraints.
That's when it happened.
The lizard moved his elbow up and connected it hard under Niner's chin, sending him careering backwards. The sound of plastoid and bone breaking unmistakable. Rex swung around and brought his pistols up but not before the animal lunged at the startled rookie, grabbing his head and ripping it violently to the right. Rex watched as Judd's body slumped and fell down to the ground.
"NO!" Rex pushed off and fired rounds into the head of the victorious Trandoshan, who momentarily looked pleased at his spoils lying in front of him before he succumbed to the relentless salvo of shots from the Captains twin DC-17's.
Rex was breathless as he quickly ran to the two soldiers.
Niner was rolling on the ground trying in vain to lift his helmet off which had cracked at the base, compromising his air flow. The other men, now alerted to the surprise attack, ran forward to the battle scene.
"Sarge, sarge!"
"Fek!"
"Captain, do you copy?"
There were a barrage of messages and men yelling, Rex yanked his helmet off and knelt down to the man in grey.
"Easy Sergeant. Take slow breaths, Coric we need you here now - "
"Argh!" the feminine cry was unmistakable. Rex released the commando and turned to see Ahsoka lying in a pool of her own blood, a bolt protruding from her heaving chest.
"Ahsoka? AHSOKA!"
Rex moved like a man possessed, when he heard the sound of something heavy hit the dirt. Hardcase stood over the enormous creature, plumes of smoke gently rising from the barrel.
The rogue Wookiee was down, at the hands of the weapon created to do just that.
#
Coric came running. He didn't know who to triage first. Hardcase was in shock standing over the dead Wookiee. Atin rushed past him, heading for his sergeant as did Darman.
"Fi, get your bony shebs down here a-sap," Darman grunted as he knelt next to Niner. He carefully manoeuvred the broken helmet off, listening to the moaning coming from underneath it.
Atin turned and looked over at the man lying on the ground in white. He bent down and checked for vitals.
"Hey, we've got a live one here."
He took off the soldiers ubiquitous white bucket and helped position the rookies head into a more comfortable position. He knew Judd wasn't long for it. He had seen it often enough. His breaths were shallow and his pulse thready.
"Hey Cap?"
Rex left Ahsoka with Coric, his white armour streaked with red. Walking over and kneeling down next to Atin, he looked at Judd, who, for all intents and purposes looked perfectly normal.
'How can that be?'
"Hey Judd," he softened, "you did a great job."
"The Commander, will she be alright?" His voice as soft as a whisper.
"Elek, she'll be fine, Coric is with her, then he'll see to you."
"I can't feel anything."
"It's just shock ner vod, just hang in there. Won't be long now. Coric?"
"Ah, I'm sc -, scared. Don't tell the Captain, Syd."
"Coric!"
"Got my hands full here," came the rushed reply.
"Where the fek is Hardcase?"
No one answered. Rex continued to hold the injured brother's hand as he slipped quietly away . He was frightened in the end, frightened of letting his Captain down. It was too much for Rex who closed the young man's eyes with his fingers.
He now had three new names to add to the list from his days on Kamino. His jaw set tight as he let go of the kid's limp hand. He quickly moved over to Coric who was working frantically on the Commander.
Atin looked over at the heavy gunner. Hardcase hadn't moved. Still clutching the new weapon as if it had just discharged, Atin walked over slowly.
"Hey Hardcase, ner vod, you good?"
No answer. He just continued to look down at the motionless mass of hair in front of him.
"Ner vod, drop the gun, you'll get a cramp. Hey, you hit or something?"
Hardcase abruptly swung around to face the man.
"Whoa, stand down," Atin put his hands up slightly as he continued to approach, "you could do some damage with that thing. Sarge is going to be fine, broken jaw, and the Commander is being looked after. You did good brother," he placed a hand on Hardcase's shoulder but the heavy gunner just continued to gaze forward into empty space.
"You're really creeping me out HC, come on, put it down and come sit for a sec will ya?" Atin moved forward and grabbed the gun, snapping Hardcase back into reality, and for a moment, the two were joined by the new weapon, staring into each other's visor.
"Come on, you're shell shocked."
"Fek you, I am not," Hardcase managed.
"Fek you back, and you are. Come on, drop the battle rattle. Fi needs a hand with the Sarge."
Slowly Hardcase relinquished the gun to Atin. The Commando was right, Hardcase had been holding on so hard his neck immediately spasmed and he had to rotate it a few times to release the tension that had wound tight.
#
General Kenobi and a small group of 212th made their way fast through the forest. They broke through to the clearing to be confronted with a scene of carnage. Bodies of all shapes and sizes strewn on the ground, and one whose sight turned like a knife in his gut.
"Ahsoka?"
#
A/N: This chapter was particularly hard to get done. Thank you must go to Slysenran0408 who kindly offered to beta and nut back and forth - albeit with the ridiculous time differences - some ideas. I promise to never use too many, 'that', 'the' and 'ands' ever again. And that's the honest truth...