501st Journal: Return to Geonosis - As recordered by CT-7180 'Ridge'
"The first battle of Geonosis was the crucible that shaped the 501st into an elite fighting force. Nothing like the simulations on Kamino, reaching beyond the scope of our training, those who survived were hardened into the best of the best. Captain Rex was there, so was Sergeant Coric. We lost a lot of those veterans on Teth and I know I'm not the only one who wished he had their experience to lead us.
"So to be back here, on this forsaken hunk of rock with enemies around every corner, none of us were too enthusiastic about it. The bugs had doubled-down on their defences and rejoined the Seps in producing battle droids to support their armies. The Chancellor knew they needed to be taken down and ordered an invasion. Generals Kenobi, Skywalker, Mundi, Unduli and Ty'ga led the attack, one of the largest the Republic has ever assembled.
"It was a hard, gruelling struggle just to get down there. We lost track of how many men we lost, our brothers dying left and right as we tried to retake ground from the Geonosians. Hours later, we were finally making headway. The biggest droid factory in the galaxy was running out of defences and the 501st would not be deterred.
"The invasion was so costly we halted to regroup and took an entire standard day to gather the forces needed for our big push. The factory was our endgame and we would not rest until we had dealt with it. But the Seps were ready for us. The bugs built special new tanks that could withstand our cannons. For a moment, we all thought we were goners. Luckily, Commander Tano and Commander Offee managed to destroy the factory and the tanks with it. They almost lost their lives in the process but managed to survive.
"But in the aftermath we found an even bigger boon. The super-soldier called 'Wraith' was wounded in the factory's destruction. Too wounded to escape, we took him prisoner. Now there's one less Sep out there to ruin our days. All we have to do now is track down the enemy leader; a bug called Poggle. He's all that's left between us and victory."
End of Entry