Hey Force Fans!
Anyone else watching our favorite Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal, in the new tv series where he once again has to look after a kid in a dangerous world? It's only been one episode of The Last of Us, but it's off to a good start.
Shorter chapter today, but I'll post again either tomorrow or the following day.
I know I've been super erratic with posting, and was MIA for a while, but any feedback, positive or negative, would be awesome. Thanks y'all.
Hope you like it!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mortar rounds still fired relentlessly-the mortar teams exhausted, and seemingly near collapse. And they were running low on ordinance. Only one turbolaser was functioning now. The other three having been destroyed. The pile of downed battle droids at the comprised corner was so high it nearly reached up to the intact walls. Now the clankers were having to climb up over their identical counterparts, and the moment they breached the top, a laser bolt blasted through their mechanical head, and they went tumbling back down. So that had turned into an advantage for the tenacious fighters, but the fortress was surrounded on all three sides. Big spotlights illuminated the battlefield and ramparts as the siege had moved on past twilight and into the night.
But the troopers fought on. Kyra remained with her troops on the ground. The Cobalt guard, Hoppie, and her making an exceptional fireteam, stepping up big whenever the defenders needed it. Which disturbingly enough, seemed to be happening with increased frequency. After dismantling another separatist charge, Kyra stepped back behind the lines to take a quick breather, though she didn't really need it. The force was with her, and she was one with the force.
The casualties were over a hundred now for the republic troops, a mere fraction at what the droids had lost. But every loss hurt the defending force far worse. And every loss Kyra felt through the force. This was something relatively new. She hadn't been fully tapping into the Force, becoming Alight, until Onderon. But now that she was, every death was like a dagger to the heart. A wave of despair invaded each time she sensed the trooper's life force slip away. This unsettled her, but she couldn't dwell on it now.
She glanced up at the command center's balcony, and there was Cosmo with a DC-15x Sniper Rifle, picking off droids in a methodical rhythm. She stepped towards the five-story building, sucked in a quick breath, inhaling force energy, and then leapt upwards. She soared through the air and landed on the balcony right next to the commander. Several clones were so startled by the dynamic entry that they drew down on her, and then sighed in relief when they realized it was her. Then their relief turned to disbelief when they realized she had just jumped up five stories.
Kyra turned and gazed out at the battlefield. Her heart sank. More multi troop carriers lined the horizon. B1 and B2 battle droids numbered in the thousands were marching on their position. They just kept coming. It didn't matter how hard they fought, or how many machines they decimated, the metal army continued to march on their walls.
How can we win this? How can we win against an endless machine army? There will be no escape this time.
She turned to Cosmo, "What do we do, Commander?"
"Exactly what we've been doing. We still have more than enough supplies, the vast majority of our troops, and we still hold the line," he said, pointing to the broken wall section where the clones fought viciously, not giving a single inch.
She shook her head, "But for how long? We can't hold out forever."
"We will hold out as long as we can," he said back angrily. "'Til the last man."
She squared up to him, not deterred by his vehemence, "That's not good enough. A valiant death is still death. Too many have died already. We have to find another way."
"There is no other way," he yelled back.
"There always is," Kyra said, but there was no strength to the words. She leaned down against the railing, her shoulders slumping, head drooping. Stupid Chyrsopaz. How can we waste so many lives for a stupid gem? Okay it's worth a fortune, but what is the price of 2,000 lives. For the separatists it's a different story. They would send a million droids to their death to get the treasure.
Wait a minute...
A thought coming to her. She began toying with it in her mind. Pulling it this way and that.
"I think I have an idea."
Cosmo turned to her, "What?"
"Raise the white flag."
He took two big steps towards her, getting right up in her face. "I am not surrendering."
Kyra raised her hands up in front of her, "Easy, easy," she said, "I have a plan."
Cosmo inclined his head, "What kind of plan?"
Kyra smirked, "The really stupid kind."
A white flag was raised from the roof of the command center, flood lights illuminating it in the darkness. It didn't take long for the droids to all cease firing at the exact same time. Down at the hole in the wall, a B1 Battle droid, with a red stripe on his shoulder, stepped forward. "Are you surrendering?" the droid asked in its robotic voice.
Kyra was behind the front lines, and answered the droid, "We would like to discuss terms. Will you take me to your leader?" The troops remained stoic, as their commanding officers had briefed them all.
"Uh, yes, uh," the droid stammered, "Come with me."
"Lead the way," she said, "Commander would you join me."
"Of course, General." And the Jedi and the Clone Commander followed the droid officer. In front of them, the surrounding droid army made a narrow path for them, leading to open swath of ground, a hundred meters away from the outpost. A separatist shuttle was descending through the atmosphere aiming right for them.
"Think they'll just try and shoot us now?" Cosmo asked.
"Maybe," she said.
He turned his helmet towards her, "Oh. Great."
She met his stare, "We'll be fine," she said simply.
The separatist shuttle touched down, and an L-1 Tactical droid, followed by a contingent of B2 droids, walked down the boarding ramp and came to stand in front of the Jedi and the Commander.
"We wish to discuss terms," Kyra said.
"For surrender?" The Tactical droid replied.
Kyra nodded, "Yes."
From where she stood, Kyra could hear the servo motors turning in the droid's oddly shaped head. "We have the superior numbers. You will not be able to outlast us. Why should we make any compromise?"
Kyra glanced at Cosmo, and then looked back, "I'm afraid there's a misunderstanding," she said. "We've come to accept your terms for surrender."
The tactical droid stepped backward, his head shifting left and right. "Er, uh, what?"
"We've come to accept your surrender," Kyra reiterated.
The tactical droid was still flummoxed, his movements jerky, glancing from Kyra to the Commander, and then to his own droids. "But...you. Surely you see that our overwhelming numbers will eventually overrun your forces."
Kyra took the datapad that Cosmo had, and handed it to the commanding droid, "And surely you see any further attacks would be highly counterproductive."
The droid slowly reached for the datapad, and then looked on the screen. What it showed was surveillance footage of the pit where the chyrsopaz was being mined. Around it, were several objects the droid immediately recognized as explosive charges.
"As you can see, those are fifty-three-R high-yield thermite explosives. More than enough ordinance to bring the entire mountain down," Kyra said, letting the words sink in. "If you don't pull your troops back, we will detonate the charges and turn that mine into a worthless pile of rubble."
The droid was once more baffled, adjusting his gaze from Kyra to the datapad to the commander. "But...this completely illogical. There is no advantage here. And no escape. If you destroy the mine, then you will lose it as well. And if you destroy the mine, then there's nothing stopping us from bombing you from orbit."
Kyra shrugged, "What is the chrysopaz worth to you? To the confederate of independent systems?"
He seemed to be short-circuiting, "It," his head swiveled back and forth, "You will..." his hands lifted up, and then he set them down.
Kyra held up her hand, "Discuss this with your leaders. In eight hours, we'll reconvene here. But know this, I have every intention of blowing that mine to kingdom come if you don't pull your troops back." Before the droid could respond, Kyra turned her back on him and walked back to the base.
Just as they walked through the front gate, Cosmo asked "General, do you really think he's going to pull his troops back."
Kyra shrugged, "Maybe. Probably not."
"Then why...oh," he said, realization dawning on him. "You just wanted to buy some time."
"Exactly," she said with a smile. "Eight hours gives us some time to reinforce the defenses. Gives our soldiers a break. And maybe, just maybe, enough time for the Victory Fleet to return."
The two walked through the front gate of the outpost, and as they did, the droids surrounding the base began to draw back. Kyra couldn't help but smile to herself. She didn't know if it would be enough. But it was something.
She gathered with Cosmo, Hoppie, Neeja, and the other three clone lieutenants. "I bought us eight hours. Reinforce the broken section. Give the men that need it some rest. Repurpose every turbolaser we have, even the ones that are in storage, and get them working."
"Roger that," they said.
"Get moving," she said, and everyone dispersed, moving to carry out the orders. The clones worked like men possessed. Fatigue, stress, or strain didn't appear to register on their bodies or minds. They just kept working like machines. Reinforcing the compromised section, moving barriers, barricades and shooting positions, repositioning mini turbolasers and rotary cannons. The eight hours passed by in what seemed like minutes.
Hoppie walked up to Kyra, breathless, "You should have asked for twelve hours."
Kyra, resting her hands on her knees, breathing deeply, "They wouldn't have given us that. Eight was a stretch. We've done all we can."
Hoppie's helmet bobbed up and down, then turned his attention to outside the walls just as the droid shuttle was touching down a hundred meters outside the front gate. "Well, guess it's time for you to meet them."
Kyra shrugged, "Nah, I think I'll stay here, and keep working."
Hoppie turned his head sharply toward her, "But...oh," he realized. "That's good. That's really good," the clone lieutenant said, laughing now.
Kyra couldn't help but smile, "They're just going to waste more time, but the attack will come soon. Get the men ready."
Hoppie nodded, "They are," he said. "And general..."
"Yes, lieutenant."
"Good job. No one could have done a better job," he suddenly straightened, and gave his best salute. "It has been my absolute honor fighting alongside you. And if I could, I would follow you into battle forever, like I said on Sarrish."
Kyra stamped down the emotions rising within her. Hoppie had been her closest companion the past few months, and hearing this meant the world to her. But now wasn't the time for emotion. "The honor is all mine, Hoppie. I hope we won't be battling for much longer, and you can see the other side of this beautiful thing called life," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder armor. "I'll see you when it's over."
"You got it, General," the clone saluted once more, and then ran towards the cobalt squad who was waiting for him. They stared at Kyra, and each gave an expressive nod to her. She nodded back, and then the five of them took off at a jog, heading for their post. She watched them go, hoping this wasn't the last time she'd see them.
Commander Cosmo and Master Neeja came up alongside her, and all three were staring at the tactical droid walking out of the shuttle a hundred meters away. "We're not going back out to meet them, are we?" the Commander asked.
Kyra smiled again, "No, we're not. Let them wait." Cosmo chuckled in response. "Does Voolvif have enough firepower up there?" Kyra asked.
"He does," Neeja said, "We've doubled their armament up there, particularly fifteen RPS-6 rocket launchers. The only way they can be overrun is by attacking aircraft so the shoulder fire rockets will handle that. They'll be fine up there."
"Good. I think that's all the preparations we can make."
Neeja nodded, "We've done everything we can."
"I hope it's enough. Gentlemen, May the force be with you," she said and jogged over to the compromised section. They had moved the pile of downed droids to the sides, so that the debris created a short funnel. The Clones then gathered all the M3 Blast Shields and made Three rows of twelve shields. A semi-circular trench had been dug inside the broken section of the wall, and there the first row of shields was placed. The second was raised a little higher than the first, and then the third was at ground level, giving the clone troopers three well protected lines of fire. Rotary cannons were placed on the ends of the intact corners of the walls, overlooking the hole, and a dozen snipers were placed on top of the command center roof.
The ground began to shake. Kyra looked out through the broken section and saw the droid army, thousands strong, began marching on the outpost. The final battle for Shadow Outpost had arrived.