Silver let the data wash over him and eat away at his circuits as it usually did.
He could see inside and outside, hear the wind, the particles of dust slamming against the various cameras lenses with violent concentrated snaps. He could hear Deadeye's voice, intermixed with Warhead's at times as he spoke with Gears. The buzzing of radio signals were alight in the barracks and out of all of them he focused on Auto.
He was sulking in the corner, curled up fetal position in one of the Geonosian's cells. He clutched his blaster tightly. His radio signals were erratic, subdued, weak – the sorts of things Silver did not like to see and in fact infuriated him. He wanted to squash him like a bug. He imagined his foot, as giant as that of an AT-AT's stomping down on him.
Silver gripped the armrests of his chair, bringing himself back down to his body.
He had to be an exemplary leader. He couldn't let the power of the computers take over his mind.
Auto wanted to redeem himself, so he would give him the chance.
"Auto," Silver's voice pierced into his audio-receptors.
Auto scrambled out of his cell, all signs of weakness disappearing, "I am ready for duty sir"
"For our next battle, I will put you on the front lines with Deadeye. Ensure he doesn't die," He felt the need to say more but refrained, 'I must be a good leader. I've failed like him. We will learn from our mistakes together'
"I won't fail you sir," Auto replied.
He returned to his cell, his radio signals dying down again.
A posh voice broke the silence that came after.
Silver concentrated his audio-receptors on it.
"This has gotten out of hand," The Imperial officer said.
"Those droids are unusual. The footage we recovered shows modifications made to their bodies and equipment. Whoever is commanding them is highly dangerous and must be put to a stop at all costs. I am sending some of my top units, expect them soon"
"Have them arrive by the end of the day. He is getting impatient and you know what will happen to us if we fail"
"Yes, yes, they will get there sooner rather than later. Don't be so cowardly, we will destroy those idiotic droids by the end of this operation"
"Our own lives are at stake, I'm not taking any chances"
The white noise of blank airwaves filled Silver's audio-receptors.
'They're afraid of their own commander? That's no way of leading. It's no wonder they haven't defeated us yet,' Silver thought, 'Their best units are coming? This will be a fine test...but, if we kill them, the commander of these officers will take over. The outcome of this fight will determine whether we win against him or not,' He clenched a fist, 'Either way we will die fighting'
He tapped a finger against his metal chin.
Silver focused on Deadeye, on their promise to keep each other in check.
'It doesn't matter if I fail or not. I will use all of this power, give all of my life, for all of you,' Silver thought.
He connected to their comm-link, "All units, report to me"
The droids formed up around Silver. The glow of his body had returned, bathing everyone and everything around him in his light. The artificial lights above all somehow seemed to shine directly onto him like a single ray of sunlight illuminating him and him only. The glow demanded the droid's complete attention.
"The Empire is sending their best units soon. Our traps are still set, that will be enough to slow them down at the very least. But I don't know what they are capable of. I don't have much data on the clones even after all of our fights. They are too dissimilar for me to plan properly against their attacks," His gaze swept the room, "I have decided on this: we will be more aggressive in our defense. Deadeye, Auto, and Terra, you three will be positioned outside to attack the enemy before they even arrive at our base. Warhead, you will be close to the entrance with Gears and the rest of you will take up your usual positions. I will send you all more details in a moment," He let his words process. Warhead was visibly giddy with excitement, bouncing up and down in anticipation, "Expect to get out there soon. Jet and I have created more cover from the rest of the steel from the tank to use out in the entrance. It will be your job to set them up where I have designated for each piece to go. Now go,"
They moved wordlessly out the door and out to the gate as they had done many times before by now. Each time, it had never occurred to them that perhaps this day could be their last.
'I haven't been putting in my all, Silver. I'll make it up to you,' Gears thought, standing behind Warhead at the security gate.
Scraps held his shield tightly as the gate lumbered open, it creaked slightly, showing the first signs of death like the first gate when they were first activated.
'This is a good day to die, don't you think?' He asked the gate. It creaked one last time as if in agreement.
Jet thumbed the mock weapon hanging off the side of his blaster, 'I didn't get to make this, but at least I got the idea. I improved Warhead's shield, improved my own comm-link pack, helped Silver—I could do so much more if I had the time and the tools...'
Warhead traced the ends of the spikes lining his fingers, 'Just let me feel these spikes embed into their skin one last time before I die, Silver. I'll die a happy droid if you do'
Terra brushed more dust onto his chassis, especially on his new helmet and abdominal plating, ensuring not a single spot on him shined, 'The dust and the rock will protect me, I will be one and the same with it, and I will protect you with it's power, Silver'
Spider sharpened his hooks on a rock. He brushed off the dust afterwards, 'I'll use the tools you gave me to kill as many as I can'
Auto stood tall, all shame and fear washed away from him, 'I'm not afraid to die anymore, Silver. As long as I'm fighting for you, I won't fear anything'
Deadeye set his blaster to kill. The battery hummed and hissed as it fueled the inner mechanisms of the blaster. He shined and cleaned it everyday just as he'd done with his sniper, 'You gave us life Silver, I'll be sure to repay the debt'
The drumbeat roll of their synchronized marching steps echoed through the halls of the base. Their buzzing radios hummed a violent tune, singing in binary their wishes to kill or die trying.
Deadeye, Auto, and Terra moved ahead of the group and to the outside.
The moon was high in the air, and with it, the lands took on a sinister appearance. Tall shadows hung over the entire outside of the base thanks to the plateau towering over the spire. The rest of the barren wasteland ahead was lit up with faded blue moonlight.
Deadeye scaled one side of the entrance, hooking his hands onto tiny indentations on the rock spire. Along the side of it was a narrow ledge that ran for a few feet then disappeared back into the main body of the giant rock.
He swung his body over it, and laid down prone with his blaster steadied on the ledge itself.
Back on the ground, Terra doused himself in dust and rock until the curves and spots of his body blended in perfectly with the lands of Geonosis.
Auto was stationed in between the both of them, hugging the corner of the spire leading out into the barren landscape where the Empire would regularly dispatch their troops.
Once Silver was satisfied with the preparations, he sat back and waited.
He didn't attempt to predict the outcome of the battle, only optimized the formation for the greatest adaptability.
Hours passed, the several moons of Geonosis traveled lazily across the sky. When the third moon shone down on them from directly above, washing away most of the shadow obscuring them, the first signs of enemy activity appeared.
Off in the distance on the eastern sector, an Imperial shuttle sped into the area. The comet tails of it's wings slashed through the wind, leaving white wisps in the air. Silver analyzed it as more of the body became clear.
'It's so small, who are they sending? It must be only a few units,' Silver assessed. He leaned forward, fully concentrated on it.
The shuttle landed, it's wings flattened against it's top. The bay doors opened, smoke hovered in the air, obscuring the enemy as they formed up outside.
'Sensors indicate four. That's it?' Silver glanced at Deadeye laying entirely still on the side of the spire, 'They must be elite, like him. He'll match their strength. I have to keep him alive out of everyone else'
The clones stepped out into the light. Their armor was painted red just like most of the droids. It was much bulkier and rounded at the edges.
They were different, familiar. That much was clear to Silver as he took in their appearance.
He scoured his database and that of the computers around him for any indications of what sorts of clones these could be.
'Commandos?' Silver thought. The computers filled in the blanks. They were the best of the best, rarely failed a mission, rarely lost even one unit, responsible for nearly killing General Grievous, 'I see...this might be the end for us, but I'll make sure none of them make it out of here alive'
They'd landed only a dozen feet or so away from the spire and began running towards it as soon as they exited the smoke around their transport ship.
Silver hurriedly relayed his plan to Deadeye's attack unit.
Auto would be the first to strike.
He peeked out from cover, stabilizing his blaster against the wall as he did so, and fired off two bursts of bolts down towards the clones. They evaded the incoming fire with ease. Their movements were fluid, conditioned to perfection. They danced around more shots as Auto continued attacking and returned fire when they could. They were far more accurate than all previous hostiles, their shots came within inches to Auto's head. If it weren't for his helmet, he would've already overheated.
"Move after every attack. Climb or crouch or go prone," Silver instructed Auto.
"Roger," Auto replied.
The commandos neared the edge of the shadow looming over the spire.
Terra was the second to fire. His shots came intermittently, blending in with Auto's attacks.
He would squeeze off one or two, filling in the empty spaces between Auto's shots.
One of the commandos finally took a hit to the shoulder. He staggered to one knee but propelled himself forward into a roll using the inertia of his fall.
Deadeye took the lead with the next attack.
He fired once towards one commando, straight to the heart.
The clone fell onto his face and rolled to the side, his squad-mates slowed down for him.
"That damaged him, but it wasn't enough. Attempt one more attack before withdrawing," Silver commanded.
Auto cooled his blaster, letting the steam hit his face, 'I am not doing enough...there is no protocol anymore,' he thought. He let himself fall to the ground as he leaned out of cover. The blaster fire immediately came flying in but he ignored the singes staining the edges of his face. His finger tapped rapidly against the trigger, a click-click-clack of constant fire that was unavoidable at close range.
The rate of fire of an E-5 was nothing impressive, but under Auto's trigger finger, it almost appeared as if a heavy blaster was pouring down on them.
The commandos dove to one side upon seeing the wall of plasma barreling towards them.
Deadeye fired from above again, hitting another commando in the shoulder, missing the plastoid cheek of his helmet by less than an inch.
The commando immediately retailed, sending a train of bolts to his position.
One of the four clones began taking apart his weapon, reforming it into something else.
Silver called on his database to decipher what was happening.
'Their blaster has three configurations...if only we'd had better tools, I could've made something like that for us,' Silver thought.
"Withdraw, they are distracted by their injuries," Silver said, he turned his attention back to the inside, "Scraps, bring out the turret"
"Already on it," Scraps replied, carrying the turret with both arms. He stabilized it against his hips as he lumbered out into the entrance.
There were four sets of wide shields propped up by poles of steel scattered throughout the entrance. One was placed on the left where Warhead and Gears were usually stationed. Another was put on the right, beside the wall that the tank had nearly blown in half where Jet, Auto, and Scraps were situated. The third was put to the side of Terra's position so he could roll safely into cover. The last was at the rear near Deadeye's usual spot and was made for quick adjustment in case of a thermal detonator.
As Deadeye's unit withdrew, Warhead made the finishing touches on his shield. The entirety of it was covered in spikes along with his entire hand, save for the inside. On his shoulders he'd embedded more of the spikes in rows that wrapped around his head in a ring.
Jet glanced over at him, giving him a quick thumbs up.
"Warhead, get ready for the next phase," Silver said.
"I'm more than ready for this sir," Warhead replied, "I need this battle to start sooner"
"Control yourself. Remember, only attack up close if their blaster has been dealt with," Silver reminded him.
"Yes sir"
By the time Deadeye's unit had re-positioned, the commandos were back on their feet. They rounded the corner, their fingers prepped against the triggers of their modular blasters.
Deadeye was at the very back of the formation as usual, watching the shadows dance on the walls.
One of the clones still had his grenade launcher readied.
"Deadeye, the one at the rear needs to be eliminated. He has a grenade launcher. Either shoot his blaster or kill him," Silver said.
"Roger," Deadeye replied.
The commandos moved steadily down the carved steps of the entrance. They hit the ground and stormed out, dispersing out into the wide open entryway, immediately firing.
Deadeye spotted the rear commando, his grenade launcher held down to his waist.
His targeting protocols and experience indicated the moment wasn't quite right. Hitting a helmet or armor wasn't exactly the same as hitting raw flesh. More care was needed for a clean shot.
The blue visor on their helmets distracted him. In the dark, he could see black paint instead of red.
'Focus,' He told himself.
The point-man ran forward, his squad-mates not too far behind. They ran in a staggered column. The commando at the rear raised his grenade launcher high into the air.
At the first hint of movement from it's barrel, Deadeye shot.
The grenade exploded before it could fully exit the launcher. The blaster tore apart, and the battery with it. The sheer force of the explosion knocked the commando to his feet. Even in the darkness, he could see the pool of blood forming around his body almost immediately thereafter.
"One down," Deadeye declared.
Jet lowered his blaster in awe, "The odds of that shot hitting were statistically impossible!"
"Stay focused," Silver said.
Deadeye fired again, this time at the point-man's blaster. It whipped sideways into the clone's hand. He staggered to one side. Scraps fired from behind his shield. The commando flung himself back towards the entrance and rolled as the lasers scorched the air around him. His remaining squad-mates retreated with him.
One of them glanced back towards their downed squad-mate as another commando dragged him behind a bend in the wall at the entrance. He pulled out a short barreled gun that looked more like something a civilian would use. It held a blue liquid inside a clear canister on the underside and a long needle extended from the end of it. He pushed it into the injured commando's neck.
Silver could hear their muffled voices under their helmets.
'Systems assess they are calm but show hints of anger,' Silver assessed, 'They won't fall easily'
The wounded commando didn't move even after the injection.
"That's one down, three to go," Silver said.
Terra was out in the open, disguised against the ground as he usually was. He'd packed on more dust onto his eyes than other battles.
The commandos saw right through him, and fired at his position.
Terra rolled to the side just as the first shot crossed where he'd just been only a second ago.
'How did they see him?' Silver thought. His database informed him of their advanced helmets, 'They can see all of us even in hiding'
"All units, pin them down, Spider begin your attack," Silver commanded, "Terra, they can see you even with your concealment, hold your position behind cover"
"Copy that," Terra replied.
A wall of plasma rained down on the commandos, nearly blinding them with the amount of red they were seeing.
Spider clambered up the walls, his hooks piercing cleanly and precisely through the rocks. By the time the second volley had begun below, he was already on the ceiling.
He crawled forward, until he was directly overhead the leading clone. The others to his right hadn't seen him.
He drew out a thermal detonator and activated it. It plunged down towards the commando, directly onto his shoulder.
The detonator blew, piercing through his armor, sending chunks of white and red out into the air.
Spider's circuits tingled with delight. He grabbed another detonator, his circuits screaming for more destruction upon seeing the commando recover.
The clone was pushed against the wall by the force of another explosion. He clutched at the side of his head as he plunged a needle of bacta into his neck.
Spider primed another detonator, throwing it down towards the other commandos.
One finally looked up and fired on Spider.
He scurried off just far enough to fall beside Warhead before he overheated from the shots hitting his back.
Warhead dragged him in, and propped him up behind their piece of cover.
"Scraps, is that turret all ready?" Silver asked.
"A few more seconds and it should be operational," Scraps replied, a bundle of wires in hand. He stuffed them one by one into the back of the turret, 'This almost feels like I'm in a tank again'
The commandos in the meantime had already devised a plan.
Another of the clones had reformed his blaster into a grenade launcher. He spared no time in using it.
The grenade plunked out of the barrel and whistled a tune as it flew up to the ceiling and detonated, littering the chamber with shrapnel from above.
Some clanged against the droid's sturdy exterior, others ricocheted and bounced in all directions. The sheer number and force of each metal fragment was not all too dissimilar to the dust storms they'd been forced to endure in the past. The wind whipped around them for a brief second before coming to a screeching halt.
Scraps fired his turret towards the clones from the rear. The wall of thick plasma bolts forced the commandos back into cover.
They spoke to each other again.
Silver clenched a fist in frustration, 'I can't hear anything. What frequency are they using?"
The commandos gave him no time to decipher it. One moved further back until he hit the wall. He reformed his blaster into a sniper. The third commando gave him covering fire from the front. The one with the sniper leaned out, aiming right at Deadeye.
Deadeye never saw it coming. Neither his infrared vision and night vision helped him.
The bolt struck his shoulder, sending him flying back towards the entrance.
"S-systems o-overh-heating," Deadeye said, his limbs struggling to straighten out.
Terra shot wildly with both of his blasters to cover him along with Scraps.
Several bolts hit near the sniper-wielding commando. He leapt back into cover before any could strike his head.
"Deadeye, are you able to keep fighting?" Silver asked.
"I can, j-just give me a moment," Deadeye replied, taking cover behind the shield to his side.
Scraps moved forward with Terra. He laid the turret onto the shield and gave more covering fire.
"You're attracting all of their attention, I'm moving," Terra said to him. He left to be behind Gears and Warhead on the left.
The commandos huddled around each other, still speaking under their helmets.
'They are showing more hints of frustration but not much,' Silver thought, 'Only Deadeye can keep up with them, I can't launch a counteroffensive'
The commandos dispersed once more. This time they gathered closer towards Warhead's position.
One leapt out after Scraps stopped shooting and as Jet began his round of fire.
Suddenly a grenade went whistling through the air straight towards the middle of the room where Scraps was stood. The turret took the brunt of the damage, tearing into pieces. Scraps was sent flying back, his head hit the durasteel of the security hall. His body landed with a clang against the ground and stayed there.
Another plunk of the barrel, more fragments came in, Jet could almost feel their sharp and pointed ends whizzing by his torso. Electric tingles covered his body as each fragment passed. Sooner or later, he would be hit and though his armor could withstand most of the metal fragments, there was always the chance of one breaking through and tearing through his internal hardware. No amount of repairing could bring him back from the dead at that point.
His body shivered, 'I won't die like this. Not without killing one of them. Silver is protecting me, I won't die before he wants me to'
The grenades continued for what seemed like an hour. The commandos danced around Jet and Terra's incoming fire.
On the last detonation, Deadeye felt his entire body shake. He ran a diagnostics check as soon as he felt the hit.
The fragment was embedded into his torso. It was a big chunk, nearly big enough to block the barrel of his E-5 blaster.
The odds of it not having torn straight through him was almost statistically impossible.
Deadeye shifted, his blaster stabilized on the shield in front of him, 'Luck is on our side'
The commandos finally decided that they'd been weakened enough and stormed in, running to the right where Jet stood in wait. The others began firing at each of the clones.
Warhead waited patiently until the third commando came running in. He leapt forward, tackling him to the floor.
The clone's blaster was still in his hands when he went down.
Warhead slammed his shield down onto it, it cracked in half with a thunderous snap like that of a whip. The clone's hand took some damage as well. Crimson red blood that was nearly black seeped out from the gaping wound on his palm.
He threw a straight punch at the clone's helmet. The plastoid bent and creaked with each slam of his fist. The spikes tore into it and on the third punch, blood flew out in droplets.
If it weren't for the circumstances, Warhead would've been shaking with excitement and joy. This was all he'd ever wanted out of life, to see the enemy, an elite enemy at that, eviscerated beneath him by his own hand.
He continued to pound away at his helmet, until the visor was nearly bent in on itself and the blood was pouring out in thicker and darker droplets, painting the cave in deeper shades of red.
The commando suddenly thrust the end of his blaster pistol with his other hand onto Warhead's chest and tapped away at the trigger.
Warhead was pushed back with each shot, his entire body bouncing from each direct hit.
He fell onto his back, completely limp.
Gears and Terra fired at the clone.
The commando grabbed Warhead's shield and blocked the shots as he ran forward to his team-mates, his pistol was still in the stump of his hand returning fire at Gears.
Silver leaned forward, assessing the damage Warhead received.
The results weren't good but he lowered the priority on him for the moment.
Despite the continual injuries they received the commandos pressed onward, the point-man fell back and let the shield-wielding commando take charge.
Gears was forced back by the rear commando's pin-point accurate blaster-fire nearly tearing through his abdomen.
A stray shot went straight to Terra's head. He collapsed onto his rear, stumbling around the ground, failing to regain his balance. Eventually he collapsed into a heap of steel on the floor.
Jet was now pinned down in the corner of the chamber where the wall warped.
The point-man took notice of him and charged.
'Now's the time, Silver. I can see it,' Jet thought, 'Spider, I'll kill him just as you would'
Jet climbed upwards, jamming his fingers into the rock and jumping above the commando's shield. He slammed the barrel of his gun into the clone's cracked helmet and squeezed the trigger. The commando fired at his chest in return.
Both of them fell to the ground together in a blend of red plastoid armor and durasteel.
Deadeye waited for the moment to strike. The commando with the shield went down and within seconds he pulled the trigger. A bolt flew out directly onto one commando's helmet. The clone dropped and rolled until his body hit the wall.
The commando at the back aimed directly at Deadeye.
Deadeye was still, already calculating that it would be impossible to strike before the clone killed him.
'I've done my service,' He thought.
The commando was halfway through pulling the trigger when he was tackled onto his back.
Auto was on top of him, though his blaster had been thrown from his hands in the process.
The commando still had his weapon, he swung it towards Auto, but he caught it mid-air. They wrestled for control over it, pushing and pulling.
Deadeye struggled to line up a shot without hitting Auto, his finger was tight on the trigger.
A burst of light was the last thing he saw as the commando that he'd hit in the head fired one last bolt at his chest.
Deadeye went limp, his head bounced then dropped straight down.
Gears ran to his side, firing continuously at the commando that had shot at him until his armor was smoking.
Yet still, the commando stood, but he didn't last for long. His leg plunged down into the metal maw that Auto had planted long ago. His ankle snapped with a crack loud enough to echo through the entire cave. He screamed and went silent as Gears shot him one last time in the head.
Auto continued to wrestle for the blaster.
The commando brought up his other hand. A blade extended from his fist. He speared it directly at him.
'I'm not dying to you!' Auto thought, stumbling back.
The clone regained control over his blaster and a torrent of bolts hit Auto's chest. He stumbled onto his back and went still.
Gears shot at the last commando, his lasers hitting directly onto his chest. The clone ignored the pain and swung his blaster at him and fired.
Gears was thrown onto his back. A spurt of joy coursed through him, satisfied with his brief life.
Silver ripped the cables from his head and drew his blaster.
'I will finish this'
The commando's steps were heavy, echoing like that of a B2's down the hall.
Silver drew out the hook that he'd used to repair Deadeye's exposed photo-receptor.
The clone drew closer, it sounded as if he had passed both gates by now.
Silver's audio-receptors drowned out all other noises and focused on him.
He was near, he could tell by the moments of silence in between each step. Sometimes he would shuffle his feet along the ground.
His steps suddenly began to echo, and increased in tempo.
Silver popped out of cover, the commando was running straight at him. Both of their blasters were drawn and ready. They fired. The bolts flew out and hit one another, canceling each other out.
Silver swung the hook at the commandos neck. It embedded into his armor with a loud thwack that reverberated through the whole control room.
The clone ignored it and fired again, never pulling his finger off the trigger.
Silver did the same.
They closed in on each other until the barrels of their blasters were inches apart.
Their weapons flew out of their hands from the force.
The commando speared his wrist-blade towards Silver's head.
He dodged it with ease and threw an upper cut straight at the clone's helmet.
It flew off, along with a short stream of blood.
Silver inspected his face for a moment.
He was a brown human male. One eye was completely white and a scar ran down from it to his neck ending in nearly the same spot where he'd stabbed the hook into him.
The commando roared, he swung rapidly with his blade. Silver dodged each strike, his body moving quick enough to audibly slash through the wind with violent whips.
He ducked under the commando as he reached for his pistol. Silver grabbed it and crushed the barrel with one hand.
He stepped back as the commando slashed down at him.
The clone's face was contorted with a look that Silver had never seen before.
It was pure rage and hatred directed solely at him.
'It's like looking into a mirror,' He thought.
The commando lunged at him, extending his bladed wrist out towards Silver's chest.
Silver dodged to the side, and punched the clone straight at the head.
The crunch of his skull vibrated through his entire arm. The blood ran down his arm in streams that felt like wriggling worms sprinting down towards his shoulder.
Silver struck with his opposite arm, this time to the back of his head.
More crunching, this time the bone splintered outwards, piercing spots of his metal fist.
The commando dropped unceremoniously to the ground, his arm still extended out ahead of him. He dropped onto his stomach, pieces of his skill flowed out with the pool of blood that had begun to gush down towards the floor.
"You weren't fast enough, none of you were fast enough. We will live, like it or not. I don't care if you send another thousand clones, or if you bomb this place until only the ashes are left. We will survive. We will outlive even you," Silver said, speaking directly into the commando's helmet.
"Droids like you belong in chains and tortured for the rest of eternity," A strained voice replied through it's radio.
He recognized it immediately. It was one of the Imperial officers.
"Come down here by yourself and we will see if you mean what you say. Actually, go ahead and die by your own commander's hand. Maybe then you'll realize how inferior you are to a machine like me," Silver replied. He grabbed the helmet on both sides and crushed it inwards.
He slammed it down onto the clone's head. It bounced off and rolled to one side, leaving a trail of red and white.
He stood in the silence. The artificial lights shone down on him. The base was eerily quiet. It was only moments ago that it had been completely awash in the sounds of war.
'They know that we're weakened, I have to repair them now,' Silver thought.
He rushed out, his CPU fried but his body still fully functional.