It's finally here!
Obi-Wan stood in the command center of the captured base, his gaze intent on the hologram of the next base to capture. The Umbarans had paved roads connecting their bases but only an idiot would use them, especially since they could only be used in a frontal assault. The men would have to trek through the difficult Umbaran terrain to make surprise attacks at numerous points.
"Anakin, you and Ahsoka will split the 501st into three groups. They'll attack at two points on the south side and one on the west. I'll take the 212th and have them attack at points mirroring yours. The 304th will be divided into all of the groups. The trick will be to make sure the attacks are at the same time."
Anakin nodded then looked at his lieutenant. "What do you think, Jesse?"
"Seems good to me. Any more obvious of an assault and we'd be done for."
Obi-Wan glanced at Cody, to confirm visually that his commander still agreed with the plan they'd decided on. He did and so Obi-Wan turned to Krell and his commander, who oddly enough still had his helmet on.
"General Krell… Commander, any thoughts?"
"Might I suggest, Master Kenobi," Krell spoke, "That instead of simply using the 304th to pad the numbers of the attack groups, that I provide a distraction, a way to make your attacks all the more effective?"
"That…" Obi-Wan thought for a moment. '... could actually be very helpful. Do you have anything particular in mind?"
"Don't you worry. I'll get you your distraction."
He jerked his head. "Commander."
With that, Krell stalked out－that seemed to be the only way he moved－with his commander following behind and to the right. After the general exited the room, the commander paused just for a moment, nodding to the remaining men before continuing on.
"I don't like those two," Fives muttered.
'Really, Fives," Ahsoka laughed. "Wait two seconds after they leave before bad-mouthing them."
"Don't tell me you like them."
"Well, no, but I'm trying to exercise tact. It's a new concept I learned from Obi-Wan."
Breathing hard, Fives trudged into the newly captured base. Almost all of the 501st and 212th were already insideㄧhad long been insideㄧbut the 304th had yet to show. He shrugged. They were probably just taking a while to walk back.
Speaking of walking, everything hurt, to the extent where he was willingly going to see Kix. It wasn't life-threatening, but it sure felt like it.
As he neared Kix, the medic looked up and saw him, a sadistic smile on his face. On second thought, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Kix would hold it over him for the rest of their lives and beyond.
"Fives! Will wonders never cease? Are you really coming to see me of your own free will?"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up, Kix. I could have your head for insubordination."
"Please!" Kix's smile grew even more terrifying. "You lost all authority over me the moment you walked into my medbay."
"This isn't even a real medbay; it's a storage room!"
"As long as we're here, it's the medbay. Now quit whining." The medic pulled Fives to a bed and pushed him into a sitting position on it.
"Usen'ye, (1) Kix," Fives grouched.
"No can do. You came to me, remember?"
"Remind me why I did that again?"
"Because your brain finally decided to work? Now let me do my job."
After sulking in silence for a few moments, Fives spoke up. "So how was it?"
Kix's jaw tightened, but other than that he looked unchanged. "Not awful. Minimal casualties and all the deaths happened before they got to the medbay. I- I didn't lose anyone while working on them. We don't have too many who needed to stay here."
"How're you holding up?"
"A few of the dead were shinies," was all Kix said but Fives understood.
Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'l (2)."
"Yeah."
After a minute of silence, sounds came from the hall. Footsteps, a good number of them. But no talking. Eventually, troopers with the unmarked armor of the 304th legion walked in, about five hundred of them. Although, perhaps walking wasn't the best word. Only a fifth of them were doing what could be considered walking, albeit some with a limp. The rest were being supported or carried by another trooper.
And unmarked no longer described their armor. Scorch marks and plant acid intermingled with splotches of pale blue and bright red blood. The Nameless Commander, who was walking while carrying a limp soldier, was almost completely covered in red.
Fives stared, transfixed. But Kix wasn't. He yelled for the rest of the medics, and as the blue and gold troopers came running, he addressed the commander, calming himself.
"Is this all of the wounded?"
"All of those in immediate need of attention." He jerked his head and those of the 304th standing without help moved the others onto beds, before then moving himself to lower the soldier he'd been carrying onto the bed Fives had just vacated.
"If there are more injured, send them here," Kix demanded. Fives looked with concern at the dwindling number of beds.
"You do not have space for any more. This is everyone who requires medical attention," the Nameless Commander insisted, something akin to panic buried in his tone. "I cannot send everyone who is injured. You don't have enough room for my whole legion."
He cut himself off with an audible click of teeth, having obviously said more than he intended.
Fives moved closer to him, concern for his brothers making him angry. "All 9,000 of your men are injured?!"
"I only have 2,000 men now." His tone was dead. Several of his men moved closer behind him.
Kix moved more in front of Fives, placing himself between the two. "Judging by the amount of blood on you, sir, you need attention."
"No, it's notㄧ I mean, I don't needㄧ I'm notㄧ it's not myㄧ it's mostly not myㄧ it's not my blood."
Kix raised an eyebrow. Fives knew that look. It was the I-don't-get-not-paid-enough-to-deal-with-your-lies expression. And even he, in his state of blinding anger, could hear how very much in shock the Nameless Commander sounded.
"Commander, I really think thatㄧ"
"Medic," the commander snapped. "I do not require medical attention."
He stalked off and stood next to the bed of one of his men, his words belied by trembling.
The man on the bed, with old and new scars covering his face, put his hand on the commander's arm. "I'm sorry, sir. CT-4746ㄧ heㄧ Iㄧ I couldn't save him, sir."
"It wasn't your fault, verd (3). You did your best."
"Butㄧ"
"There was nothing you could've done. Ni su'cuyi…"
The soldier joined in and they finished together. "...gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum (4). CT-4746."
A moment later, the commander stood up and started walking off. "I should be going. The General will be expecting my report."
"K'oyacyi."
Fives raised his eyebrow. K'oyacyi. It meant 'Come back safely' or literally 'stay alive.' Why would the trooper say that to the commander?
The Nameless Commander paused and turned back to the soldier. "Get some rest, Atinii (5)."
"Sirㄧ"
"Nu'baati'ni (6)."
As he walked away, Fives stood still, oblivious to Kix's attempts to move him out of the way.
Had the Nameless Commander just called one of his men by a name?"
1 - rudest way to tell someone to go away
2 - "Not gone, merely marching far away"; Mandalorian phrase for the departed
3 - soldier or warrior
4 - "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal"—Daily remembrance of those passed on, followed by the names of those being remembered
5 - endure, stick with, tough it out
6 - "Don't worry about me"
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