"This is the Admiral. We will be exiting hyperspace in T-minus five minutes. All troopers to your stations. All pilots to your fighters. I repeat, T-minus five minutes. This is not a drill."
The sound of Yularen's voice echoing over the ship intercom was mere background noise to Ahsoka. She already knew what was at stake, and she knew what she had to do. Rex's team, and by extension her, were ready. From the sounds of commotion around the hanger bay, the 501st and 212th were getting there as well.
Shortly, they'd exit hyperspace, and the battle would begin.
But for now, all Ahsoka could do was stare at the image painted on the LAAT gunship before her. She was used to seeing nose art on the ships. She had even helped paint some back during her earlier days with the 501st, before her duties as 'Commander' became more and more serious.
Now though, she honestly didn't know what to say. She had never in a million years expected to nose art herself!
"Hey Ridge?" Ahsoka called the trooper over. "Was this you as well?"
"Nope. Not me Commander. That was a gift from the Wolfpack, if you'd believe it."
"The Wolfpack?!" Ahsoka exclaimed in surprise. A mental image of Wolffe, on his hands and knees and covered in paint as he decorated the nose art of the gunship came to mind, very nearly making her break down with laughter.
"Yeah." Ridge replied. "It was an official apology for them hunting you down when you were on the run. Wolffe felt really guilty about it apparently."
Ahsoka remembered that day. Wolffe had pursued her, and Ventress, fully intending on taking her in. Like everyone else that day, they had refused to listen to her, refused to trust her!
In the end, it had been Wolffe that had captured her, thanks to Barriss. A stab on pain ran through her heart at the thought of the Miralian. Ahsoka still wished she could have saved her that day on Yavin Four.
As much as part of her wanted to be angry at Wolffe, she knew she couldn't be. He had just been following orders that day. It wasn't like he had tried to have her executed, like a certain pair of Republic Admirals.
"That was nice of him. I'll have to tell him I'm flattered next time I see him." Ahsoka replied with a warm smile.
It was then that a gentle Force signature touched her own, causing her to turn round to find Anakin approaching her.
His eyes too went to the nose art as Ridge departed, leaving the two alone for a few moments.
"I gotta say, I'm glad the 104th had the decency to paint you with respect, rather than like a dancing girl of some kind."
"They'd know I'd kick their asses if they did!"
"Wouldn't you just. I think the entire 501st would help too." Anakin replied with a chuckle, his eyes moving from the art and to the real thing. "How come you aren't using that fancy shuttle of yours? Surely the stealth drive would help?"
"Damn thing is on the fritz at the moment." Ahsoka replied, rolling her eyes. "I tried to make a few modifications to it, and then it stopped working. Might have gone a bit too far."
"Oops! Well, a LAAT is just as good, and Hawk is the best pilot around. Be careful down there Snips. And good luck."
Reaching her arms up, Ahsoka slipped her helmet onto her head and replied.
"You too Skyguy."
"Ok Anakin. Once we make landfall you'll have to advance the best you can until Rex is able to deal with the sniper nest. Stick to cover and push as far as you can up the bridge, but don't compromise your position with any reckless stunts."
"Reckless? Me? You must have me confused for someone Obi-Wan!"
"Yes quite. May the Force be with you old friend."
"You too Master."
The hologram before Anakin faded away, bringing him back to the situation at hand. He was inside a LAAT gunship, currently entering the atmosphere of Mygeeto. The exit out of hyperspace had been as chaotic as ever, but Yularen had pulled through, breaking through the blockade and keeping it occupied long enough to allow the transports to slip through with minimal resistance.
"So what's the plan Sir?" Sergeant Appo spoke from beside him, drawing Anakin's attention back to his current companions. He didn't know how many Clones had already died, but he imagined they had likely lost a few already. Each and every one of those losses was tragic to Anakin. If he could have stopped them…
The LAAT shuddered suddenly, the sound of an explosion outside the doors, likely from a ground based flak cannon, rumbling in the distance.
"Ok boys." Anakin began, addressing the group. He knew that Appo was transmitting his orders to every other 501st LAAT was well. The Sergeant always was good at thinking ahead. He'd make a good leader one day. "We've got a standard siege on our hands. Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her legion are pinned down in a central structure. They are surrounded by clankers, so expect the worst. There are two bridges that lead to this structure, but as expected, both are occupied by Separatists. Command has identified two landing zones, one for the boys in the 212th, and one for us. Our objective is to secure the LZ, and advance up the bridge, eliminating the artillery batteries pinning Billaba and her men down in the process. The 212th have a similar objective, but we can't rely on their support."
"Sir?" Another clone asked, one that Anakin didn't recognize. Perhaps he was a shiny? "Is it true that Captain Rex is off on a secret mission?"
Before Anakin could respond, Appo did.
"That's correct Ranger. Captain Rex and a small team have their own objective. There is a droid sniper nest on another set of platforms above both bridges. Those snipers will be pinning us down as we try to advance, at least until Rex eliminates these snipers with his team."
"Once Rex neutralizes the snipers, he and his team will use their own weapons against the droids. Hopefully it will level the playing field enough for us to rescue Billaba." Anakin finished the explanation, nodding with gratitude at Appo for the help.
The Clone, Ranger, seemed content with their response as he slipped his helmet over his head, gripping his blaster rifle in his hands, ready for combat.
"Just point me in the direction of the clankers Sir!" Ranger replied with enthusiasm, clearly ready to go. Anakin appreciated his willingness to fight for the Republic, he just hoped it didn't cost him his life.
"General Skywalker! We have passed through the atmosphere. Do you want me to open the blast shields?" The voice of the LAAT pilot, Phoenix, came through Anakin's comm link.
"Depends Phoenix? What's it like out there?"
"We are meeting the usual droid resistance Sir, but there is a squadron of Mandalorian Gauntlet fighters supporting us. We should have safe passage thanks to them. Same for the 212th's transports."
"Copy that Phoenix, keep up the good work, but keep the shields closed for now. No need to risk it." Anakin replied, content with the situation.
"Copy Sir." Came Phoenix's response through the comm link before the line was cut.
"You heard the pilot boys… gear up and prepare for landing!" Appo's voice echoed around the transport, confirmations from assembled troops following within seconds.
"Once we land, provide as much cover for any surviving AT-TEs we have. Their firepower will be needed to take out the cannons." Anakin called around the transport, reminding everyone of the remainder of the plan. The AT-TEs would be vital to the plan succeeding. Without them, it would all fall apart.
Another explosion caused the transport to shudder suddenly, nearly knocking several of the Clones off of their feet.
"General Skywalker! We've got a problem!" Phoenix's voice called over the comm again, worry clearly present in his tone. "There is a Vulture droid that has pulled up alongside us. It's just shot down one of the 212th's LAATs! I'm opening the blast shields, If anyone has a missile launcher, now's the time!"
"I've got one!" Called Ranger in response as he reached across to a rack of heavy weapons inside the LAAT. The shiny hefted the launcher as the blast shields opened, exposing the interior of the transport to the chaos outside.
They were still in the clouds of Mygeeto, but despite that Anakin could clearly see the raging battle around them.
Blaster fire from fighters, missiles from gunships, explosions as ships on both sides got shot down. All of them raged around them. To those below, the battle could easily be mistaken for a fireworks display. He envied those people. If only they knew.
Another explosion caused the LAAT to shudder, this time nearly knocking Anakin off of his own feet. Behind him, Appo reached out to steady his General.
"Thanks Appo!"
"My pleasure Sir!"
The harsh 'whoosh' sound of a missile leaving its launcher caught Anakin's ears as he watched Ranger fire the weapon at the target beyond, a single Vulture droid flying in formation with Phoenix's LAAT.
Anakin watched as the missile soared through the air, before colliding with the Vulture's wing closest to the LAAT.
The missile, and by extension the Vulture droid, exploded into a shower of fire and metal shrapnel, ending the threat Phoenix had called out.
"Ha! Got the clanker!" Ranger called out in joy as he shouldered the launcher for future use in the field, several of the Clones beside him joining in with the cheering in the process.
"Nice shot Ranger!" Anakin complimented, gently patting the Clone on the back of his armour in a friendly gesture.
"Yeah! Not bad kid. You'll make a mean trooper yet!" Appo joined in, before turning his attention to Anakin once again as the blast shields closed around them, safeguarding those within the transport. "General. I just received a confirmation call from Hawk. He's diverting from the pack to deploy Rex and his team."
A rush of concern flooded through Anakin momentarily at the thought of Ahsoka and Rex breaking off from the rest of the transports. He had full faith in Hawk, but that didn't mean he liked it.
"Hopefully they'll be able to neutralize the sniper nest before they pose too much of a…"
Another shudder, this one much harsher than the last few, shook the LAAT, knocking Appo off his feet.
"Sergeant! You ok?" Ranger moved to help Appo back up, an action that Anakin assisted in.
"Fine. Nasty bumps today!" Appo replied with sarcasm. Anakin was pleased to see he was unhurt.
"General!" Phoenix's voice echoed over the comm again. "We just lost our AT-TE's! Those artillery batteries on the surface aren't artillery batteries! They are AA-guns!"
'Kriff!' Anakin's mind yelled in his head as the transport shuddered once again, no doubt thanks to the anti aircraft cannons on the ground. They would complicate matters, at least in the air. Once they were on the ground, things would be much easier.
"Makes sense. Why would the Separatists deploy artillery on a planet they own? They are siege weapons, not defensive ones!" Ranger called over the chaos around them, hand holding one of the grips beside him for support.
"Not to mention the fact that the clankers could have blown Billaba and her men away with them easily!" Kix spoke for the first time, moving to check on a trooper who had knocked their head against the hull moments earlier. "Something doesn't make sense!"
Anakin knew Kix was right. Billaba and her legion had been pinned down for days. If the droids did have artillery, why hadn't they simply used it on the Republic forces, rather than pinning them down inside a single building?
As worried as that train of thought made Anakin, he knew that he had more pressing matters right now. The 501st had lost their AT-TEs, and they would still need those to eliminate the AA.
That left him only one option.
"Obi-Wan? Do you copy" Anakin called into his commlink, praying that his Master would respond.
Moments later, he did.
"Anakin? Cody just told me. The intel was wrong! The ground based artillery are actually anti aircraft batteries. We are taking a beating!"
"I know Master! We just lost both our AT-TEs!"
"I'll divert one of ours to help you." Obi-Wan replied, answering Anakin's question before he could even ask it.
"Thanks Master! I'll take good care of it!"
"No you won't! It's you! Stay safe!"
Anakin cut the comm link as he turned back to Kix, who was still treating the wounded trooper.
"Kix, I'm going to need you on the frontline. Have Coric tend to the wounded in the back ranks."
"Yes Sir!" Kix replied as he straightened up and moved towards his Jedi, Coric taking over in the background. Another harsh shudder shook the LAAT as Anakin felt the ship begin the shift course, no doubt dodging a barrage of ground based AA fire.
"Phoenix! How close are we?"
"LZ is in sight, General. ETA thirty seconds."
"Copy that! You heard the man Troopers! Prepare for landing. We are going in hot!"
Thirty seconds later, with lightsaber in hand and Clones by his side, the blast shields opened once again, and Anakin jumped out.
"Hawk, what's our status?" Captain Rex inquired over the comm as he grasped hold of the grips inside the LAAT. The sounds of battle outside grew distant, hardly being able to be heard over the sound of the transport's engines.
That didn't mean they were safe however. If anything, they were in more danger. They had no fighter support to protect them, and as much as Ahsoka hated to think about it, no other targets around them to be shot at.
If they were spotted, and if a droid fighter group pursued them, there was nothing they could do, not unless Hawk pulled some crazy moves to save them.
Still, they had known this plan would be a risk, but it was one worth taking. If they didn't neutralize the sniper nest, then the 501st and 212th would lose far more troops than necessary.
That was something else Ahsoka hated about war. She knew people would die, but she never felt comfortable about it, especially after Ryloth. If she had her way she'd make sure each and every Clone made it back alive.
However, war didn't work that way, much to Ahsoka's despair. She knew she couldn't save them all.
Still, she'd try her best to make sure they did!
"Captain, we remain undetected and are approaching the LZ. I'll pull back to the clouds once I've deployed you. Signal when you are ready for extraction."
"Copy that Hawk." Rex replied as he cut the comm, turning to face Ahsoka. "What's the plan then Commander?"
Behind her helmet, Ahsoka scowled. Wasn't this supposed to be Rex's mission? Why did she have to come up with the plan?!
Almost as suddenly as the annoyance had crept up however, it faded away. It wasn't Rex's fault that he still saw her as his superior. It had been that way for years, and it was very easy to fall back into old habits.
But this wasn't her mission. This was Rex's, and he deserved a chance to shine.
"This is your mission Rex. I'm just here to help. Tell me what you want to do."
Rex seemed shocked at first before he nodded his head, turning to the rest of the team.
"Ok boys. We need to move as fast and as stealthily as we can. We are undetected at the moment, but once we fire a single shot expect fierce resistance. Hopefully Generals Skywalker and Kenobi can keep the bulk of the Seppies occupied long enough for us to level the playing field."
"We'll be fine Captain." Jesse spoke up in support, hands gripping hold of his blaster rifle tightly, clearly eager for a fight.
"I wish I had your confidence trooper. Once we exit the gunship, find cover and stay out of sight as best you can." Rex replied, his tone shifting between humorous and serious at the flip of a switch. Ahsoka had always admired the way Rex could do that with ease.
Nodding her head in response to his orders, Ahsoka turned to spot Boil stood just behind her, helmet off and hand on his head. A brief grimace covered his face before he shook it off, placing his helmet upon his head.
Rather than question aloud, Ahsoka shot him a questioning glance. Boil merely shook his head in reply. It was nothing to worry about.
"Captain! LZ in sight. Blast some clankers for me boys!" Hawk's voice came over the commlink again as the blast shields on the side of one side of the LAAT opened, exposing the outside world to them. The sound of explosions in the distance were louder now, but still far enough away that their team wouldn't be at risk.
"Copy that Hawk!" Rex replied as he took the lead, unholstering both of his DC-17s from his holsters on his waist in the process.
The Clone Captain charged out of the LAAT, dropping a short distance and landing with a comfortable roll. Clearly Hawk had been unable to land the LAAT on the platform they needed to be on, and had thus opted for a fly by drop off instead.
Bracing herself, Ahsoka followed next, jumping out of the transport and landing just behind Rex as the Clone moved towards some Separatist weapon crates to use as cover.
Following in his path, Ahsoka heard the sounds of boots hitting the ground behind her, as well as felt the presence of Jesse, Ridge and Boil.
Moving into position next to Rex, Ahsoka turned to watch Hawk's LAAT take to the skies again, disappearing into the clouds above, undetected.
Turning her attention back to the squad, she gestured with her hands silently, requesting permission to scout ahead.
Rex nodded his head in confirmation.
Nodding back, Ahsoka moved forward. The platform they were on was a long winding path littered with various pieces of machinery, and numerous crates as well. If Ahsoka had to guess, this was a storage area of some kind, used to keep the equipment safely away from Republic fire.
She didn't care about the equipment however. What she did care about was the sniper nest at the other end of the platform they were on. She couldn't see the snipers, not yet, but she knew they were there somewhere.
It was just a case of finding them.
Taking a breath, Ahsoka moved forward, darting between two crates, before finally coming to rest beside what appeared to be a badly damaged AAT. Clearly it was here for repairs.
Peeping out from behind the tank, Ahsoka spotted two battledroids with their backs to her, deep in conversation. They hadn't seen or heard her, but they were looking the way they all needed to go. They had to be taken out, and quietly.
It was then that movement hit her vision. Another pair of battledroids emerged from within a damaged Multi-Troop Transport. Behind them, another pair of droids were working on the MTT in an attempt to repair it. They could all be a serious problem.
Behind her, Ahsoka's montrals caught the sound of Clone movement. The Force told her it was Ridge, moving to cover her just in case something went wrong.
Rather than move to neutralize the two droids guards as originally intended, Ahsoka opted for patience. Perhaps, if she just waited…
Her patience paid off. The two droids that had emerged from within the MTT continued to patrol, heading away from Ahsoka and the Clones and towards where the sniper nest was located. They would still have to be dealt with, but for now the task had been made a lot easier.
Turning from her position, she spotted Ridge and began to make several hand gestures.
Understanding the positioning of the droids within the MTT, as well as the ones moving away, Ridge then turned to repeat the hand gestures to Rex and the others, before returning their response to Ahsoka.
The Togruta nodded, understanding the orders. She had to sit this one out. Rex didn't want it being revealed they had Jedi assistance, as that risked more droid reinforcements being called upon their position.
Swapping places with Ridge, who was now joined by Jesse, Ahsoka watched as the two moved around both sides of the damaged AAT. Seconds later, she heard the sound of metal being sheared in two, as well as the gentle thud of two droid bodies hitting the floor without their heads.
Another moment later, Ahsoka heard the same sound from within the MTT. Clearly Rex and Boil had found similar success with their objective.
Content that they were safe, Ahsoka moved forward and took the lead once more, scouting ahead. She moved between various crates, deftly avoiding detection when a super battle droid looked her way… a droid that was sent flying off the platform ledge and into the abyss below moments later by the Force.
Signalling with her hands again, Ahsoka made the gesture to indicate it was all clear to move up to the Clones, who did.
As they moved up however, Boil darted to cover, removing his sniper rifle from his shoulder in the process and setting it against a nearby crate as he knelt to pear down the scope.
Moving to cover herself, Ahsoka watched as Boil surveyed something up ahead, before the 212th Clone made a series of gestures with his hands, indicating enemy numbers and types.
Seven B1s. A pair of B2s.
And a commando droid.
Ten droids altogether. Ten versus the five of them. Not exactly an even fight, but one that was still in their favor, as far as Ahsoka was concerned at least.
Glancing over at Rex to see what his orders were, Ahsoka watched as he made another series of hand gestures, telling the team that it was time to abandon stealth, if only for this fight. If they were lucky, they would be able to demolish the droid squad without alerting any reinforcements.
Ahsoka hoped that today was a lucky day.
Moving her own hands towards Rex, she signaled that she would take care of the commando droid herself, a signal that Rex agreed with.
Turning her attention back to the droids, Ahsoka waited.
Rex made a few more hand gestures to the rest of the team before he gave permission for them to attack, starting with Boil.
Boil pulled the trigger on his sniper, and a single blue bolt erupted from the barrel, crashing into the closest Super Battle Droid's eye, disabling it in one shot.
Ahsoka heard the panic in the voices of the B1's as they realised they were under attack, as well as the deeper robotic voice of the commando droid issuing orders.
Rex moved next, his twin pistols letting loose a volley of shots at the second B2, destroying it before it had a chance to retaliate. He was joined moments later by Ridge and Jesse, who fired their own blaster rifles at each remaining B1, destroying three of them as they scurried for cover.
Another sniper shot from Boil sailed over their heads as a fourth B1 was destroyed. Now there were only three B1's left… and one commando droid. Ahsoka chose that moment to strike.
Reaching out with the Force, she grasped hold of the commando droid and immobilized it in place, before signalling to Boil behind her.
Boil responded immediately, and the commando droid fell with a clean shot through the head.
Throwing a thumbs up Boil's way as thanks, Ahsoka turned her attention back to the small skirmish. Another B1 fell to Rex's fire, and another to Ridge's whilst the last attempted to retreat and call for help.
Ahsoka didn't let that happen. Once again she reached out with the Force and grasped hold of the droid, pulling it back towards the Clones. Jesse put a single shot into its head, destroying the last of the droid squad.
Content that the job was done, the Clone squad ducked back behind cover to see if any reinforcements would come to investigate. Luckily, none did.
Rex turned to his team and made several gestures with his hands, a sign to regroup behind a stack of crates ahead. He received several nods in response.
Ahsoka hung back for Boil, deciding it would be best to stick together. When the 212th Clone caught up she whispered to him.
"Nice shot."
"Thanks Commander, I… urgghh"
Ahsoka had been about to smirk when Boil stopped moving forward, very nearly falling to his knees instead. The 212th Trooper crouched behind another crate, hiding himself from view as his free hand came up to his helmet as he groaned again.
"Boil? You sure you're ok?"
Boil didn't respond immediately, too focused on whatever phantom pain he was in. He dropped his sniper rifle on the floor, both of his hands coming to rest upon his helmet as he leant back against the crate behind him.
"Boil?" Ahsoka questioned again as she rested a hand on his arm, trying to help him.
Boil's hands moved away from his helmet as he looked up at her and spoke, his tone oddly dark.
"Jedi?"
"No… not anymore. What's wrong?" Ahsoka replied, thoroughly confused.
Boil seemed to come back to his senses, shaking his head as if he was throwing off whatever had been hurting him.
"Yeah… yeah of course. Sorry Commander I… just a headache. Let's catch up to Rex." Boil replied as he pushed himself off the ground, picking up his weapon in the process as he moved forward, whatever had happened seemingly forgotten.
Ahsoka grimaced behind her helmet. Something was wrong with Boil. But then, perhaps it was just a headache. She had had those before herself, and she too had grasped hold of her head as Boil had done to ward off the pain in the past.
Still, it wouldn't do any harm for Boil to get checked out after this was all over. Better safe than sorry.
"WATCH THOSE WRIST ROCKETS!"
Reaching out with the Force, Anakin delivered a harsh push forward, knocking several droids off their feet, including the B2's that had been about to fire the aforementioned wrist rockets. Those things were deadly, capable of taking out entire squads of Clone Troopers, even in an open field such as this.
Luckily, years of war had taught the men of the 501st how to know when the B2's were about to pull their 'special move', as well as how to evade and counter it.
Still, Anakin wasn't willing to risk it. If he could take out the B2's before they could even attack, as he had, then his men were safe.
Or at least as safe as they could be in a battle.
Pivoting his ignited saber, Anakin deflected a barrage of blaster fire coming from a newly appeared Droideka. He hated those damn things!
"Ranger! Missile! Now!" Anakin called to the Trooper covering his back. At this range only explosives would breach the Droideka's shield.
"On it General!"
Mere seconds after Ranger's reply, a missile shot past Anakin and into the Droideka, erasing both it, and a nearby B1 from existence.
"Good man!" Anakin called out in appreciation as he continued to deflect more incoming blaster fire, safeguarding the troops behind him as best he could. The bridge before them was a lot longer than he had anticipated, and practically every meter of it was swarming with Separatist droids as well, too many to even count!
Beyond the bridge, a towering structure lay ahead. That had to be where Depa Billaba and her legion were pinned down. There was still considerable ground to cover, as well as a pair of anti aircraft guns to neutralize before they got to them however. Anakin prayed to the Force that they weren't too late to save Billaba and her men.
The one saving grace that Anakin kept in mind was that the droids were now being forced to fight on five different fronts at once. Between dealing with the 501st, the 212th on the other bridge, Billaba and her men, and the space combat above, the droids had been forced to divide their forces massively. Surely that put them at a disadvantage, especially once their other major front opened up. Once Rex and his team went loud, and he knew they would, the droids would be the ones in trouble.
That thought alone brought a smirk to his face.
"General… first AA cannon is in sight!" Appo called from behind as he moved forward, blasting a trio of droids that were firing at Anakin.
"Excellent. Sergeant, coordinate the AT-TE!" Anakin replied as he pushed forward a few more steps, trying to gain some ground. They were still closer to the LZ than the end of the bridge, but progress was progress.
Over the chaos of the battle, Anakin heard Appo issuing orders to the Clones, pointing them to various pieces of cover, whilst laying down a constant barrage of covering fire for their General. Appo's style of command was different to Rex's no doubt, but he got the job done just as well.
"AAT!" The cry of another trooper, one that Anakin couldn't determine the identity of over the chaos of the battle echoed through the air, accompanied by a loud explosion from behind as said AAT fired a shot from its central cannon towards them.
"Appo! New target for the AT-TE now!"
"Yes Sir! Walker, new target! Seppie tank!"
Swinging his blade in an upwards arc, Anakin deflected a series of blasts towards him before he spotted a Clone collapse to the ground just ahead of him, a small blaster bolt in his head.
A sniper… or more specifically, the sniper nest!
"Come on you two." Anakin whispered to himself. Both the 501st and 212th were counting on Rex and his team. Anakin had full faith in all of them, he just hoped they could complete their mission sooner rather than later.
Reaching into the Force, Anakin unleashed another harsh push at a pair of approaching Droidekas that had been rolling directly towards him. The push sent them careening backwards and smashing into a small group of B1s, resulting in their destruction as well.
"Appo! The tank!"
"AT-TE you may fire at will!"
Seconds later, and despite the raging war around them, Anakin heard the thunderous boom of the AT-TE's central cannon firing its shot.
Anakin watched as the blue plasma bolt soared overhead and into the approaching AAT, obliterating it in the process.
"Good shot!" Anakin complimented as he pushed forward once again, flanked by Ranger and Kix.
They were making progress, albeit it slowly. He just hoped Rex and Ahsoka would complete their objective soon, or else this whole mission would be lost.
Reaching into the Force, Ahsoka lifted another droid from cover, giving Boil a clear shot once again. The droid's head exploded in a shower of sparks and metal as the shot connected, ending the threat.
From beside her, Ahsoka spotted Rex signal the all clear sign, before gesturing the team to move up. Following his instruction, Ahsoka moved forward, sliding round a pair of crates and into cover beside Jesse, who nodded his head. Seconds later they were joined by Rex and Ridge.
"Look." Ridge whispered softly, nodding his head over the crate they were hidden behind to an open area on the platform they were traversing.
Taking a glance herself, Ahsoka spotted what Ridge had seen that was so important that radio silence be broken.
The platform ahead came to an end. There was nowhere else to go. Standing around the edge of the platform, overlooking the bridges below where the 501st and 212th were currently engaged in ground warfare stood several commando droids, all armed with sniper rifles.
They had found their target.
Crouching back behind the cover of the crate and out of site, Ahsoka turned to Rex and made several quick gestures with her hands, informing him of the resistance. The commando droids would be a serious problem, even if they were caught by surprise.
Luckily, it seems Rex already had a solution.
Ahsoka watched as the Clone Captain removed a handful of spherical objects from a pouch on his armour, offering one to each of the Clones, as well as her.
Droid poppers. Ahsoka had used them before. The EMP released was capable of shutting down any form of droid. Not even a Droideka could withstand it, assuming it's shields were down. Otherwise you had to breach the shield first.
Luckily, commando droids did not possess such shields. All it would take was several well thrown poppers, and the sniper nest would be neutralized with minimal effort.
Gesturing to Rex, a symbol that she was ready when he was, Ahsoka crouched into a position ready to throw. Beside her, the Clones did the same.
Equipping a droid popper himself, Rex held his free hand out, three fingers up as he began to count down.
Three.
Two.
One.
Ahsoka pulled her arm back and thrust it forward, the Clones doing the same. Peering over the crate, she watched as the droid poppers sailed through the air, landing at the feet of the sniper commando droids with expert throws.
Seconds later, the telltale ringing of the poppers releasing their EMP hit Ahsoka's more vulnerable montrals, and the commando droids collapsed into heaps of metal on the floor, out of action.
Rex signaled to wait for a few moments to see if anything went wrong before he was finally content, vaulting over the crate they were hidden behind first, taking the lead. Ahsoka followed without hesitation.
They were out in the open now, with no cover. Luckily, there didn't seem to be any droids around to fight back.
"Boil, set up with your rifle and cover the 212th. Ridge, Jesse… grab a rifle and help the 501st. I'll see if I can pick off some of those clankers pinning Billaba's legion down." Rex began to order as he moved to scoop up one of the fallen commando droid's sniper rifles, both Jesse and Ridge doing the same.
The four clones set themselves up, and within moments their rifles were firing, likely scoring kills on clusters of unaware droids.
Ahsoka knew why Rex hadn't asked her to help. They had already discussed this part of the plan. Yes, Ahsoka could shoot, but she was better off watching their back, just in case any droid resistance showed up.
Ahsoka had, in theory, the most important job of all. Keeping the snipers safe, and alerting them if any more enemies decided to flank them.
It might not have been the most exciting job, but it was one she would happily do to keep the Clones safe.
"FIRE!"
The thunderous sound of the AT-TE cannon discharging hit Anakin's ears once again, even over the chaos of the war around them. Anakin watched as the blue bolt soared towards the exposed Separatist anti aircraft battery.
The bolt collided, and the cannon exploded into a shower of fire and shrapnel. Around him a few cheers from the Clones hit his ears before they refocused their attention on the battle at hand.
Pivoting his saber, Anakin deflected several bolts of fire from a B2 droid away from his men, redirecting them towards a group of B1's that were attempting to retreat in the process.
"Push forward men!" Anakin called over the chaos, his flanks being watched by Ranger and Appo. Kix had fallen back slightly to care for a group of wounded men, but Anakin had no doubt he'd be back in the thick of it with them soon.
Continuing to move his saber before him, shielding the Republic forces as best he could, Anakin glanced forward at the bridge before them. They had made good progress, despite the odds being stacked heavily against them. In the distance, Anakin could see the central building growing closer and closer. Only one more anti-aircraft cannon stood between them and General Billaba's legion.
That and a ton of droids as well.
Blaster fire continued to be exchanged, and Anakin continued to redirect what he could back at the droid army before him. To someone in orbit, the endless trade of red and blue blaster fire would no doubt look very pretty. Magical even.
In the front lines however, with people dying left and right, there was nothing special or pretty or magical about it.
War was horrible, and the sooner it ended the better for everyone.
A flash of light in the distance drew Anakin's attention to the other bridge in the distance, where Obi-Wan and the 212th were making their advance. The too had succeeded in eliminating their first droid AA battery. If all went well, they'd have the second one down shortly too, just as the 501st would.
"Oh holy kriff! Droideka army!" A cry of panic from a Clone Anakin couldn't identify brought Anakin back to his own situation. Ahead of him, a line of Droidekas were rolling into position, ready to set up a next to impenetrable defence.
To make matters worse, another target, much larger in size began to move forward as well.
An OG-9 Homing Spider Droid!
"Oh great." Anakin muttered under his breath as he began to plan ahead. That Spider Droid could easily cut through their AT-TE with it's cannons. It's top mounted laser emplacement too could easily decimate anything with pinpoint accuracy. Anakin had seen Spider Droids massacre entire squads of Clones, as well as armadas of vehicles and aircraft as well. They were not to be trifled with.
"Appo!" Anakin called over to his temporary second in command, who replied instantly.
"On it General! AT-TE… new target for you boys! Target that Spider!"
Anakin heard the confirmation come through the comm link moments later, followed by a barrage of laser fire soaring over his head towards the Spider.
Anakin saw the shots connected in the distance, but the threat was not eliminated, not yet.
The laser emplacement mounted up top fired suddenly, a bright red beam speeding towards the advancing Republic army in an attempt to slow them down. Anakin could already tell this shot would miss him, but not the Clone beside him.
Without hesitating, Anakin moved to save Ranger, throwing the Clone to the floor and rolling back to his feet in the process the deflect blaster fire away from Ranger.
"Huh?! Oh… thanks General!" Ranger yelled when he finally realized what happened as the laser sped past where he had been standing moments earlier, scorching the platform below them. Not even a Jedi would be able to withstand a direct shot from such a weapon.
"No problem." Anakin replied as he continued to deflect, bringing his attention back to the second approach threat.
The wall of rolling Droidekas seemed to break suddenly. Half of them halted their rolling, unfolding into the mobile weapon emplacements that so many feared and began laying down a barrage of blaster cannon fire. The other half however…
"What the kriff? Why are those Droidekas still coming? Are they suicidal or something?" Ranger questioned, firing his blaster past Anakin and scoring a hit on one of the still rolling Droidekas, destroying it in the process.
It was a good question. This sort of behavior was off for Droidekas. It didn't make sense strategically for them to keep advancing. They'd be better off forming a defensive line with their shields to keep the Republic infantry from advancing.
Whatever the reason, the bright side was that it gave the Republic forces an advantage in the fight.
Swinging his lightsaber again to deflect an oncoming barrage of fire from the Droidekas that had set up, Anakin reached into the Force and pushed outward at an approaching Droideka, sending it flying back.
"Ranger! If you've got any missiles left, now's the time!"
"Copy Sir!"
Content that the trooper could see his plan, Anakin continued to defend him as he set up.
A few seconds later, a missile erupted from Ranger's missile launcher and into the line of fully deployed Droidekas. The missile connected and erupted into flames, bypassing the shields around the Droidekas with ease and reducing them to dust.
"Ha ha!" Ranger yelled from beside him as he alternated back to his blaster rifle, scoring another kill on one of the still approaching Droidekas in the process.
Surveying the field before them, Anakin counted another trio of approaching Droidekas, rolling towards him with almost suicidal intent. Bracing himself, Anakin moved his blade into the ready position, fully intending on cleaving them in two before they approached.
That was before a trio of blaster bolts neatly speared through their shells from above, destroying them.
It only took Anakin a second to realize where those shots had come from.
Sniper fire.
Rex and others had done it!
"That's a lot of kriffing destroyer droids!" Ridge spoke with alarm as he continued to pick off what he could below. Every droid that went down to the Clone's sniper fire was one less the 501st and 212th had to deal with themselves.
"Yeah and they aren't exactly acting with military intelligence today are they? Why are some of them breaking that defensive line?" Jesse called in response.
"No idea, but it can't be good!" Ridge replied as he fired his rifle once again, taking out another target, or at least Ahsoka assumed he had.
Beneath her helmet, her eyes surveyed the platform behind them, watching for any sign of droid movement. No doubt the Separatists would send reinforcements soon to try and stop them, and she would be ready for them. The Clones had their job, and so did she.
"Ha! Kenobi just used the Force to lift up a whole squad of B1's. Damn he is a powerful… Jedi?"
"Boil? You ok?" Rex inquired as the 212th member's speech became slow suddenly, as if confused. Upon hearing his brother's voice however, Boil seemed to snap out of it.
"Fine Captain. Just a headache. Sooner this battle is over the better."
Through the Force, Ahsoka felt Rex's concern for Boil before he let it pass. Ahsoka felt like she should say something about what had happened earlier. This 'headache' of Boil's clearly wasn't going away anytime soon.
Turning her attention back to the platform behind her, movement caught her eye.
There, behind a pair of crates, something moved.
"Boys! I think we've got company!" Ahsoka informed the Clones, who all reacted as expected, pivoting from their positions to support her just in case. She appreciated the gesture.
"What do you see, Commander?" Jesse asked, forgetting once again about not needing to add the honorific for her. She was technically no longer a Commander, and thus they didn't need to call her that. Why they insisted on doing so was a mystery to her, but right now there wasn't time to talk about it.
"Movement, behind that crate." Ahsoka replied as she gestured with one hand, lightsaber ready in the other, though not yet ignited.
The five waited for a few moments to see if anything would emerge from the crate Ahsoka had pointed too. Ahsoka knew droids could wait indefinitely. They could be trying to lure them out as well. Easier to pick them off that way.
Ahsoka wouldn't fall for that, and she knew none of the Clones with her would either.
Another few moments passed by, the distant sounds of explosions from the battles raging nearby the only sound Ahsoka could hear aside from her own breathing. Her fingers twitched on her hilt, ready to activate it in a moment's notice. All she needed was a target.
Luckily for her, her target finally emerged. A Super Battle Droid.
The B2 emerged from behind the crate and immediately fired off a wrist rocket towards her. Reacting on instinct, Ahsoka reached out with the Force and pushed the rocket away from her, sending it careening into the sky above, detonating harmlessly after a short flight.
Upon realization that it's ambush attempt had failed, the B2 defaulted back to its normal style of attack.
A barrage of blaster fire came her way from the wrist mounted blaster on the B2 as another trio of them emerged from behind the first, blasters firing as well. Behind her Ahsoka heard the sounds of the Clones joining the battle, firing their own weapons at the approaching B2's, which now numbered at least ten.
Dancing around through her forms, Ahsoka's now ignited golden blade deflected blaster fire away from her and the men as the skirmish continued on. Three B2's fell to the Clone's assault before Ahsoka was able to find a gap in the barrage of blaster fire herself, lunging forward and bisected two B2's at once, before pivoting and eviscerating a third.
As quickly as the ambush had begun, it ended. Ridge put a blaster bolt from his sniper rifle right through the last B2's head and watched as it collapsed to the group, offline.
"Clankers. Utterly useless." Ridge said as he moved back to his former position, resuming his sniper covering fire for the 501st. Jesse did likewise, followed by Rex. The only one who didn't was Boil, who seemed to be staring at her with an odd tilt to his head, as if he was trying to remember something.
Before she could ask what was wrong however, more movement caught her eyes as another figure emerged from behind the crate.
Upon recognizing the design of the droid, Ahsoka felt herself take a sharp breath.
A MagnaGuard.
"Oh kriff." Ahsoka whispered to herself as she crouched into a ready position as the MagnaGuard approached, electrostaff ready for combat.
If there were MagnaGuards around, then that could mean General Grievous was nearby as well.
As if their day couldn't get any worse!
Bringing her blade up, Ahsoka clashed her saber against one end of the electrostaff as it came down towards her head, before breaking off to deflect the other end.
The MagnaGuard pulled back momentarily before continuing it's assault, rotating it's staff in vicious circles around its body as it attempted to strike at her.
Ahsoka had fought MagnaGuards before however. She knew how to handle these things. They just required a bit of patience.
Moving back, Ahsoka clashed her lightsaber and deflected each and every strike from the electrostaff before the two suddenly found themselves locked together, both combatants pushing against each other, trying to gain control of the duel.
However, before she could plan her next move, a blue blaster bolt tore through the air before it, striking the MagnaGuard in the head, sending it reeling backwards.
Ahsoka knew it took more than that to put a MagnaGuard down however, so she seized the initiative and lunged forward with her blade, impaling the droid before pulling her blade up vertically, bisecting the droid.
Content that the threat was eliminated, Ahsoka turned on her heels to thank her saviour.
"Nice shot Boil. Thanks for the…" Ahsoka began to say as she nodded at the 212th Clone, who was still aiming down his sniper rifle sights in her direction. Had she missed something behind her?
Spinning around, Ahsoka surveyed the platform, but saw nothing. The Force however was screaming in alarm. Something was very very wrong.
Turning again, Ahsoka faced Boil, who still had his sights trained on her.
"Boil?" Ahsoka inquired, now very worried about him.
Boil began to lower his sniper for a moment, before he snapped it back up into position once again, aiming directly at her.
And then he spoke one word, full of hatred and malice.
"Jedi!"
Author's thoughts
(Peeps out of the door of my Beskar reinforced fallout bunker) Sooo... you guys want to kill me yet? Be honest! XD
Cliffhanger aside, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was a fun challenge to write a long battle centric chapter for once, even if I usually don't like writing them much. A nice change of pace is needed every now and then. Plus I wanted to show the Clone War in actual action for once. Large piece action set pieces are needed sometimes... just don't expect them to become common place. I prefer small scale scenes that allow for character development. :)
I honestly don't have much else to say regarding this chapter. The Clones (both canon and OC) were the main focus for this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed them getting more of the focus for once. They are fun to write, even if they are unwilling timebomb traitors! (Damn you Palpatine... and Filoni too! XD)
So yeah... big chapter... big cliffhanger... hope you guys don't hate me too much. XD
Thanks once again to my awesome beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his hard work and dedication to the story. You are the best buddy. :)
Next time round... 'Good Soldiers Follow Orders.'
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Dream Plane: Glad you enjoy the banter. It's my favourite thing to write honestly. Character development disguised as fun! XD
Hopefully Anakin keeps his promise... but then we all know what Anakin is like when it comes to keeping promises. XD
Ridge is just showing his loyalty to his former Commander in his own special way! XD
RyanSquad: Ha ha! Don't worry about it. Easy to do. :)
Poor Anakin and his temper huh? He's trying his best... really he is? He's just very protective of those he loves and will destroy anyone who hurts those he loves! Yularen better be careful from now on that's for sure.
The 501st have removed a device? What device would that be? Hopefully not their communicators, or that could be a problem! XD
the Mandalorian terminator: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, as well as the inclusion of Yularen! :)
Ysmira: You read all this in a few days?! Wow! Thank you very much! I'm pleased you enjoyed it thus far. The reaction from others is he reason I've kept going as long as I have honestly. Without people like you leaving comments I'd of stopped this story eons back. XD
The Ahsoka-Palpatine dynamic is one that is criminally underused both in canon and fanfic, so I wanted to explore it. I find it somewhat unbelievable that he wouldn't pay special attention to her as a viable option for his schemes, especially post trial. She and Anakin are very much alike after all, and if Palpy could turn Ahsoka things would be easier for him in the long run. :)
Ahsoka really does have some difficult days ahead of her... believe me. I feel sorry for what's going to happen, but not at the same time. Ahsoka is gonna need a serious hug once this is all over.
Glad you are enjoying the story though. Hope this chapter was just as enjoyable. XD
Australian Dealer: 60 seconds are up! Let battle commence!
There is a lot going on in these next few chapters, and the cliffhanger of this one likely shows. All hell is starting to break loose. I only hope you enjoy how it all wraps up.
Yularen is in a dangerous place right now indeed. One wrong move and it's off with his head! XD
Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter. The sparring and banter was great fun to write considering what is right around the corner plot wise. Getting the character interactions and dynamics right is something that always pleased me. Plus who doesn't love some Skyguy, Snips and Rex banter! XD
As for your suspicions... you'll have to wait and see what happens next. You might be onto something though. XD
tf330129: Keeping it up as best I can. XD