A/N: Happy 10th Anniversary, Clone Wars!
"Get up!" someone shouts into Droidbait's ear. "Get up, we've gotta move!"
Droidbait groans and swallows thickly. He feels lightheaded, weak, slow. Something's happened. He remembers the gunship, the invasion—and then a sudden feeling of weightlessness, a drop so sudden that he'd lost his grip on the hook above him.
"Droidbait, come on!" a brother cries again. Droidbait feels someone grab his shoulder, shaking him incessantly. Droidbait moans at the sharp lances of pain that drill through his skull at the motion, and the shaking stops.
He opens his eyes slowly and nearly chokes when he realizes he can't see anything out of his left eye. The only thing he can make out is a terrifying red haze. His whole body seizes in panic, and he reaches frantically for his helmet, tearing it off. Nothing changes. He still can't see, and he reaches blindly for something, anything—
"Oh, Force. Oh Force oh Force oh Force," someone mutters. Droidbait feels hands grab either side of his head gently. "You're okay, 'Bait. You're alright."
"How—how can I be?" Droidbait gasps, all too aware that his breathing is speeding up, because his eye, his eye, his eye. The brother holding his head reaches up, feeling somewhere along Droidbait's forehead. A sharp stab of pain from the same area makes Droidbait hiss in pain. Someone is still shouting nearby, yelling frantic orders. The thud and rattle of a mortar hitting the ground in the near distance makes the ground tremble for a second.
"Hold still," the brother murmurs. "You're fine." They wipe their hand over Droidbait's face, sweeping across his eyelid. "Your eye is okay. It's just blood, alright? From a head wound. Your eye is fine, I just need to wipe this away."
"Kriff," Droidbait gasps, nearly sagging in relief. He's gaining enough presence of mind to reach up and help. Now that the brother has pointed it out, Droidbait can feel the blood running down the side of his face. When he tries to open his left eye again, he can see out of it again, though he has to swipe his hand above his eyebrow every few seconds to keep the blood from streaming back into the way.
Now that he isn't panicking, he can make full sense of what's going on. Coric is standing in front of him, rummaging through his medic pack semi-frantically. While he pulls out a bacta-patch Droidbait shifts to let Coric apply it to his head while he glances around for the others.
The gunship feels upright, but it isn't in good shape. Sparks fly from crushed machinery inside, sending shadows flickering across the walls. Weak streams of light come in from the gaps in the closed side doors, and dust swirls through the air in strange patterns. Fives and Del are conversing grimly by one door, guns at the ready while the others struggle to pick themselves off the floor.
"How—how aren't we dead?" Droidbait asks, wincing when the bacta patch seals over his wound. It stings for an instant before the whole area goes numb. Coric shakes his head, an awed sound escaping him.
"Somehow, Flak managed to land us so that we didn't impact too hard, or roll. I don't know how he did it. We're okay, though. We're… somewhat okay. No one died, at least."
Droidbait takes a breath. "My helmet…"
"Protected you from the worst of the impact. Even then it wasn't quite enough. You hit the wall pretty hard," Hevy mutters, stepping up to Droidbait's side. He offers Droidbait his helmet back, wordlessly brushing his other hand over Droidbait's shoulder in reassurance.
"Is everyone alright?" Del asks. "Droidbait, you okay?"
"I'll be fine, I think," Droidbait answers. He doesn't feel concussed, although that might not mean anything. It doesn't matter, though, because even if he was concussed he would have no choice but to continue onward.
"What's the plan, boss?" Hevy asks solemnly. Cutup lets out a cough as he stumbles closer to them, and Nax lifts his head, hanging onto Echo's shoulder as he gets to his feet.
"There's good news and bad news," Fives tells them tensely once they've gathered closer together. Droidbait wants to tell him that it's going to be alright, because Fives seems to be practically vibrating with nerves, but there's too many others around. "The good news is that we haven't been on the ground for very long, so the bugs haven't sent anyone to finish us off yet. The bad news is that we're two klicks out from the cliffs, and there's zero cover around us until then."
Droidbait's eyes widen. They're a little more than a mile away from cover, but the chances of them being seen before they can make it there are extremely high.
"If it helps, General Skywalker and Commander Tano's gunship crashed at the bottom of the cliffs, at the beginning of a canyon. The comms are full of static, but I'm pretty sure most of them survived and are trying to find a way through the rock formations to the rendezvous. We could meet up with them if we hurried," Del includes, but he doesn't sound very optimistic. Droidbait grimaces as he puts his helmet back on carefully, trying not to jostle the bacta patch as he does.
"Well… it sounds like we don't have much of a choice, here," Echo contributes quietly. "We have to at least try and get to the cliffs. We won't survive otherwise."
In the ensuing silence that only lasts a moment, another explosion makes the ground shake again. It feels closer this time. Droidbait looks over at Echo, who's whole body is tense.
A ball of ice settles low in Droidbait's stomach, and he shudders involuntarily, turning to look at the rest of Domino squad helplessly.
They've accomplished nothing. General Skywalker's ship still crashed. They crashed. It's a heavy failure. Droidbait feels an invisible weight settle over his shoulders—guilt and stress and fear all combined into one. He can't even imagine how Fives and Echo feel.
No time to focus on that, though. It's too late to change things. Droidbait forces himself to stay in the present, and knows that the rest of Domino is doing the same.
"Come on," Fives barks roughly, snapping into ARC mode. It's like a defense mechanism for him, Droidbait realizes. "The longer we stay here the less time we have to make it to the cliffs. We need to get moving before we're surrounded."
Beta squad snaps into action. Droidbait falls into step behind Nax, who's a bit wobbly on his feet but able to move. The gunship doors are heavy, but not so much that they're impossible to open manually. When the ship had crashed the magnetic locks keeping the doors sealed had failed, so Beta squad is able to push them open with some effort.
Ryloth had been a dry planet, but Geonosis is even worse. Droidbait steps out into the scorching sun and winces at the dry heat, apparent even through his armor. The landscape is ragged, rocks and sand competing for dominance, and in the distance he can see the cliffs that General Skywalker had landed near.
Beta squad stays close to the sides of the gunship as they disembark, clinging to the white metal to try and stay camouflaged for as long as they can. They'll stick out like sore thumbs once they make a move into the desert. Droidbait wishes that they could have gotten access to ARF armor for this mission. He feels far too exposed, and unlike Felucia, there's no way to cover their blinding white armor this time.
Fighter jets zip far above them, thankfully less concerned with the grounded enemies for now. Droidbait is glad for it, but he knows it won't last. They've got to get moving before they become the priority targets.
Their gunship is missing a chunk of one wing, and there's a massive metal chunk sticking out from close to where the engine is. It's likely a piece of shrapnel from the ship that had exploded near them. Droidbait winces just looking at it. Things could have been a lot worse.
Droidbait isn't blind to the way Fives and Echo are subtly positioning themselves, ensuring that one ARC is at the front and one ARC is at the back of their squad. Echo takes point, leading them to the front of the gunship while Fives stays at the back, walking practically sideways as he scans both the sky above and the horizon for trouble.
Miraculously, Flak isn't dead. It seems like he is for a long moment, motionless in the cockpit, until they get close enough to see the weak twitch of his arm as they pass. Coric lets out a quiet curse and surges ahead of everyone else, hurrying to climb up and reach the pilot. The plexiglass of the cockpit is shattered. Coric grabs him under the arms and tugs him free. Beta squad collectively winces at the agonized groan the pilot lets out.
"How is he alive?" Cutup mutters incredulously as they gather around, waiting for Coric to look the man over. Droidbait shakes his head in amazement, but then flinches when Flak lets out another moan.
The pilot isn't bleeding, at least not that Droidbait can see, but he is in immense pain. His legs… aren't right. They're not supposed to bend that way. Droidbait swallows down bile and looks away, more uncomfortable than he'd like to admit.
Coric is shaking his head slowly, fingers clenching and unclenching fitfully in the way that means there's nothing he can do.
"They're both broken, for sure. I can't tell you anything about the extent of the damage, but… it's bad. I wouldn't be surprised if something's wrong with his ribs, too. Regardless, he's not walking for a while."
"Force," Del mutters grimly, hands tight on his gun.
Droidbait sees Fives and Echo exchange a meaningful glance out of the corner of his eye, and sees a flicker of movement between them as they sign something rapid-fire. Droidbait doesn't look fast enough to see what they're saying, but he can tell that they're bracing themselves—preparing to make a hard decision.
Kriff. Droidbait doesn't want to leave Flak. He knows Echo and Fives know what they're doing, he knows that they understand, but he also knows that they're aware of when sacrifice is necessary and he really doesn't want one of those times to be now.
Flak himself seems to be too out of it to give input, motionless on the ground. Droidbait can hear his labored panting through his helmet, and his heart aches for the other man.
Before Echo and Fives can speak up, however, Del steps forwards, squaring his shoulders.
"We'll do what we can to take him with us," the sergeant orders. "Shoot him up with as much painkillers as you dare." Del hesitates for a split second before continuing. "If it becomes too much, we'll leave him. Until then, he's with us. We'll try our best to get him out of here."
Droidbait lets out a relieved breath.
Trying is better than nothing, even if it will slow them down a little. Fives and Echo exchange one more glance before settling, apparently alright with the decision for now.
They have to wait for another tense minute as Coric eases Flak's helmet off to stick a hypospray in his neck. The air above them is bright with laser fire. It makes everyone antsy, and to top it all off, Droidbait spots a Geonosian fighter dipping lower in the sky. It could mean anything, but they all tense anyway, lifting their weapons to the sky until it soars back up again.
They don't have much time. Coric and Hevy put Flak between them, ignoring his weak cries of pain as his legs are jostled.
"Let's move," Del orders, and they set off for the cliffs.
It's only a mile away, but it feels like a whole continent. Droidbait stares up at the cliffs in despair as they jog-walk along, prevented from going any faster by Flak. The dust swirls underfoot, and the heatwaves rising off of the sand distort Droidbait's vision, only making things worse.
Geonosis, Droidbait decides, is pretty bad. Maybe not as bad as Felucia, but it's up there.
Flak drifts in and out of consciousness as they move, mumbling out half-sentences that Droidbait doesn't understand even though he's right in front of them. At the quarter-mile mark he gasps sharply enough that Hevy and Coric slow, concerned, but Flak only shakes his head weakly.
"Shoulda left me," he hisses. "Stupid… idiots, should have—"
"Shut up," Coric tells him sharply, and presses forwards even faster than before. Flak bites down on a whimper, but tries again—
"No, you don't… sithspit, the chips, you need to—you're… it's too important—"
"Stop it," Hevy says gently. "We weren't gonna leave you." Flak lets out a shuddering breath and goes quiet again.
Droidbait bites his lip and shoves away the thought that Flak does have a point. Domino squad knows an awful lot of things. If one man has to die so that they survive in order to save the rest of their brothers… well.
Still. Droidbait isn't leaving anyone behind. Rule number one, and all that. They'd failed their first test because of it.
He wonders if it's different in ARC training. During basic training they're taught to stick together and work as a team, but sometimes ARCs are required to prioritize the mission over everything else. Droidbait doesn't like that. It doesn't sit well with his conscious.
"We need to angle around a little," Echo calls back from the front. "I can see blasterfire near the cliffs, a bit to the right. That's got to be where the General is."
"Lead us, Echo," Del orders quickly. "Coric, Hevy—switch out with Fives and Cutup." The switch is fast and efficient, and then they're moving again, heads on a swivel, looking out for enemies.
The closer they get to the cliffs, the more rugged the terrain becomes. It gets harder to get Flak over the ridges of stone peeking out from the sand. The silence of their nerve-wracking trek becomes interspersed with occasional swearing as men trip over the rocks.
They're close enough to see General Skywalker's downed gunship and tiny white figures running around at the base of the cliffs in the distance when their luck finally runs out.
They hear the whine of high-powered engines before they see them—three Geonosian fighters, soaring low to the ground and headed right for them. Droidbait's stomach drops abruptly at the sight.
"Run!" Fives shouts behind them, scooping Flak into his arms and staggering into the fastest sprint he can manage. Droidbait tears after him, and the rest of Beta squad follows suite.
They're a little less than a half mile away from the cliffs.
The Geonosian fighters fire on them, sending stone fragments and dust exploding everywhere. Droidbait yelps and throws himself to the side, praying that it's enough to keep him from harm. The shrapnel rattles against his armor, but he isn't hurt, so he scrambles to his feet and keeps running. Beta squad is all around him, shouting as the fighters go hurtling overhead.
Droidbait's heart beats faster and faster when he hears the fighters loop around again, coming in for another run. He risks a glance behind him and slows in horror when he sees Fives behind them once again—the ARC is setting Flak down, he's setting Flak down and Droidbait wants to scream. He skids to a stop, turning around as Fives starts sprinting to join them.
"Fives, you—!"
"Droidbait, kriffing move!" Fives shouts, grabbing Droidbait's arm and hauling him back around so fast that Droidbait yelps from the suddenness of it. Droidbait runs. His fists are balled and he feels anguish, betrayal on Flak's behalf but he can't stop, Fives is right, he needs to move.
They're a quarter mile away. Droidbait can make out more details of the battle raging in front of them, now—the Geonosians have gun placements in stone structures high up on the cliffs, as well as forces down on the ground at the front of the canyon. The clones are using the natural trenches in the rock formations as cover, struggling to deactivate the mounted turrets above them. A few of them have noticed the fighters, but there's not much they can do to help. They've got their own problems to deal with.
The fighters fire again. It isn't close enough to Droidbait that he has to dive this time, but someone gets thrown several feet from the explosion and lands painfully. Droidbait can't tell who it is through all the dust, and Fives keeps pushing him forwards anyway so he doesn't have time to look.
"Keep going, don't stop!" Fives yells, matching Droidbait's strides step-for-step. The ARC reaches down for his comlink. "Commander Tano, we're coming up behind you and I know you're undoubtedly busy but if these fighters get one more pass we're gonna start losing squadmates, if you could spare two kriffing seconds—"
"Oh, Force, they're coming around again!" Droidbait yelps as the fighters start to circle back. "Kriff, kriff." Calling the Commander is a great idea but Droidbait doesn't know if she'll be able to get to them, if she has the time to spare, if she even heard—he can't even see her yet from here—!
A boulder easily the size of three clones goes hurtling up into the air from out of nowhere. Droidbait gapes wordlessly as it shoots up like it weighs nothing. He turns to watch it fly just in time to see it collide head-on with the first Geonosian fighter. The explosion is brilliant.
"Holy kriff!" someone shouts. The other two fighters turn away abruptly. The dust is starting to settle, and Droidbait can finally make out a green glow near the trenches, right next to a blue one.
The Commander has their backs, as usual, even though it's technically supposed to be the other way around. Droidbait has never been more grateful.
"Head for the trench!" Fives yells, and they run for it. It takes too long—Droidbait's eyes shoot up, waiting for the mounted Geonosian turrets to target them, but the Jedi push forwards as Beta squad runs for cover and they're much bigger targets than the desperate clones.
Droidbait practically falls into the trench, right on top of two other 501st clones who yelp in surprise as both he and Fives tumble into safety. Droidbait is panting hard, and it takes him a long moment to catch his breath, hands curled tightly around his gun.
"You guys alright?" one of the other clones asks, sounding concerned. Droidbait takes a deep breath as turret fire blasts over their heads.
"I think we're okay," he answers, glancing back up at Fives. "Did everyone make it?"
"Del got thrown, but Echo got to him," Fives answers. "Nax, Coric, Cutup, and Hevy made it somewhere over to the left, I think."
As if summoned, four familiar dust-streaked men come charging through the trench, heads ducked low. Droidbait sighs with relief upon seeing them, then immediately feels guilty about it and turns to Fives in horror.
"You left Flak!" he says accusingly. Several of the others let out pained sounds as they join them, similarly upset. "Fives, how could you?"
Fives sighs.
"'Bait…"
"Don't 'Bait me," Droidbait snaps. "We could have made it!"
"Or we would have all been killed," Fives responds instantly, but he doesn't sound angry, or even annoyed. He just sounds… sad. Droidbait deflates a little bit. "I had to leave him, but I did everything that I could to keep him alive until we can go back. I left him against a rock ridge, so he's partially hidden. He's got my pistol, and my emergency homing beacon. He can defend himself, and once everything dies down we can go back for him."
Droidbait frowns and tries to stay optimistic. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. There's no guarantee that Flak will survive, but he's got a much better chance of it now.
Del and Echo appear from the other side of the trench. Del's limping, but he's walking without help, which is good. Coric rushes to his side to fuss over him.
"Okay," Fives says. "We made it hear. That's good, that's great. What's next?" It sounds like he's talking to himself, just a little, but Droidbait helpfully points forwards, towards where two lightsabers are spinning furiously to deflect blasterbolts.
"Everyone, on me!" someone shouts. Captain Rex comes careening through, both pistols in hand. "With me, let's go!"
Everyone goes after him instinctively, even though none of them know why he's rallying them all together. Droidbait sees Echo race to catch up with Rex and exchange low words with him very briefly before falling back to the rest of Beta.
"General Skywalker wants to rush the guns," he reports a bit breathlessly. "We're stuck here unless we do something about them, that's why we're all getting together."
"Oh, wonderful," Cutup groans. "I can't wait."
"Force," Del mutters. "Stay sharp, boys. Every shot counts."
Up ahead, the Jedi are waiting in the trenches, lightsabers lowered to hide their positions from the guns. The men gather around them.
"We're all here, sir," Rex tells General Skywalker. Droidbait glances around and takes quick stock of the men around them. There's the eight current members of Beta squad, plus ten other troopers.
Commander Tano's montrals are faded and dust-streaked, but she offers Beta a quick wave when she sees them.
"Keep your eyes up," Fives advises Beta quietly. "Don't forget that the bugs can fly. Concentrate fire on the turrets, but don't ignore the grunts."
"Stick as close to the Jedi as you can," Echo adds, just as quiet. "This isn't going to be pretty."
"Everyone ready?" General Skywalker calls, voice just a little hoarse from the dust. Droidbait really, really isn't ready, but he takes a deep breath and nods anyway.
"Now!" the General shouts, and throws himself into the open. Commander Tano is right next to him, with Captain Rex barely a step behind. Droidbait watches the Captain go without hesitation and steels himself, surging out of the trench alongside his brothers.
They run, again, but this time there's Geonosians floating above them, hanging off of the cliffs and firing at them from carved rock towers. The Jedi deflect what they can, and it's impressive, but not enough. Someone gets shot right out the trench, going down with a cry. It makes Droidbait's adrenaline surge, because he wants to live. He looks up like Fives had advised and shoots a Geonosian out of the air.
His first tally mark from Geonosis.
Turret fire turns towards them. Droidbait plants himself a few feet behind General Skywalker and stays. He aims for the Geonosians that try and fly overhead to get the drop on the hustling men, gritting his teeth and hoping that his squad mates are alright.
Someone else gets shot.
"The turrets! Aim for the turrets!" a brother cries. Most of the clones readjust their aim, firing at the heavy guns. Droidbait sticks to hitting bugs, because someone has to, otherwise they'll get hit from the air. He clips one by the wing and watches as it drops out of the sky, right into Commander Tano's blade. It screeches horrifically when she runs it through.
The turret fire starts to lessen as they run further into the canyon. Droidbait isn't sure if that means they've passed the turrets or that the clones have been successful in destroying most of them. It's probably a mixture of both. They start to get more cover further in as well. Droidbait throws himself behind a boulder to avoid a neon green sonic blast and gasps when his head wound throbs despite the bacta when he impacts a little too hard with the rock.
"You alright, DB?" Nax shouts, joining him behind the rock. Droidbait peeks around the boulder to fire a couple shots off in response. The Geonosians are falling back under the pressure of two Jedi, who stand firm in the middle of the canyon while the clones find hiding spots. One takes a dive at Commander Tano, chattering angrily, but Droidbait shoots it down before it can get too close.
A minute later, the bugs are in full retreat. The clones take a few last potshots as the bugs escape further down the canyon, and then finally the shooting stops completely. Droidbait sighs in relief.
"Everyone alright?" General Skywalker asks worriedly, glancing back at the men as they come out from cover to join the Jedi. His gaze lingers on Beta squad—all of which, Droidbait notes gratefully, seem to be alright. Del is limping heavily now, but he moves at the same speed as the rest of them do determinedly. There were eighteen men total, but now there are only fourteen. "Beta squad, when did you get here?"
"Just before the charge, sir," Del answers. "Our gunship crashed two klicks from here. Commander Tano chased off the fighters that were after us so that we could join you."
"Oh, is that what that was?" General Skywalker says slyly, glancing at Commander Tano. "I saw the rock going backwards and just thought you had really bad aim."
Droidbait chokes out a tired laugh. Commander Tano lets out an offended sound, but before she can defend herself the General is moving on. "Glad to have you, Beta. We don't have any time to waste, we've got to keep moving. We can make it to the rendezvous if we can get through this canyon. It's faster to go through this way than to wait for the turbo tanks to come pick us up."
Droidbait blinks.
"Yes, sir," Captain Rex says. "Let's move, men!"
The group falls into a jog again. Droidbait leans over to Fives. "Fives, the turbo tanks—maybe—"
"I know, hang on," Fives interrupts. Beta squad is forming up behind Commander Tano as usual, and Fives takes a few steps so that he's in the front, next to the Commander.
"Can you give us a sitrep, Commander?" he asks. "We don't know what's going on."
"Of course," Commander Tano says, turning to face them all. Her expression softens for a moment. "First of all, I'm really glad you're all okay," she tells them sincerely. "I wish you'd gotten to the rendezvous, but this is okay, too. My pilot…?"
"He's actually okay for the time being," Hevy volunteers quickly. "He's pretty messed up, though. We had to leave him on the mesa, but he's alive. We can go back once this is all over."
Commander Tano nods, expression wavering between relieved and concerned before she takes a deep breath.
"This is what I've heard from Rex," she begins as General Skywalker starts a light jog down the canyon. "Master Kenobi and most of the 212th made it to the landing zone, as did most of Master Mundi's troops. Master Mundi's gunship was shot down, but one of the turbo tanks picked him up, and he and the rest of his men are on their way to the rendezvous as we speak. Because of the rocks, it's harder for the juggernauts to get to us. Master Skywalker decided that cutting through the canyon would be faster and safer than running out in the open for a pickup."
Droidbait can't speak for a long moment. He's pretty sure most of Domino are in similar states of shock.
It actually worked.
"That's good news, sir," Del says when Fives doesn't immediately respond. "Thank you."
Commander Tano nods and speeds up to fall into step beside her Master. Fives keeps walking, but the motion seems automatic until Echo whaps him on the shoulder.
"Well, then," Cutup mutters triumphantly.
They can't exactly celebrate, not when there are so many others around and not when they're still technically in enemy territory, but Droidbait wants to yell in excitement.
They'd assumed that they'd failed because they'd been shot down, but things are changing anyway. General Kenobi isn't heavily wounded. Both the 212th and the 21st have landed at the rendezvous and are working to hold the position. General Mundi is safe and on his way.
"Thank the Force," Echo whispers quietly. Droidbait quietly agrees.
Now, they have to survive.
Droidbait is starting to see a pattern in that, and he doesn't like it.
They run along the canyon carefully, eyes up to watch for bugs. Droidbait remembers what's coming—the giant wall is up ahead. Is there something they can do to help with that? He glances at Fives curiously and signs a quick question: what do we about the wall?
Head to cover ASAP. Right when you round the corner, Fives signs back, then passes the signal to the others surreptitiously. Droidbait frowns. That's okay advice to start with, but how can they help afterwards?
He doesn't get a chance to ask. The canyon bend comes up faster than Droidbait realized it would. Fives and Echo are already moving before the wall comes into sight, speeding up and ducking for the sides of the canyon. Domino follows, so Beta does too. The other troopers are confused with their speed but follow them anyway, so when General Skywalker lets out an alarmed cry of "Take cover!" half of the men are already racing for safety. One man at the back is unlucky, letting out a cry as he's hit by two blasterbolts simultaneously.
Droidbait ends up next to Echo, Del, and Coric, the four of them squeezed behind a rock that's barely big enough to hide them all. Droidbait sticks his head out once and yelps when thirty droids and twenty turrets fire at him, ducking back into safety.
"What are we gonna do about this?" he says to Echo, who pokes his head over the rock to fire at the turrets for a moment before diving back down. Gunfire makes their rock vibrate, and larger explosions make the ground tremble. Droidbait flinches.
"Just wait," Echo replies. "Look!"
Droidbait glances to the side and blinks when he sees the Jedi braving the enemy fire, sprinting towards the canyon wall. He turns back towards Echo in confusion. "What are they—"
Echo leans closer to Droidbait, so that Coric and Del can't hear him when he speaks.
"Sometimes we don't need to interfere in order for General Skywalker and Commander Tano to succeed," he says quietly. "They've got this. Don't do anything crazy."
Droidbait nods and watches as General Skywalker and Commander Tano use grappling hooks to scale the canyon wall, making it to the top faster than any clone could and activating their lightsabers. The droids at the top of the wall are effectively distracted, so the clones have more opportunities to take out the turrets.
When General Skywalker and Commander Tano start to make their way onto the wall, droid parts get flung over the edges as they hack their way through. Droidbait cheers for them as he fires at a turret.
"Focus on the droids at the top of the wall!" Captain Rex suddenly shouts. "Give the Jedi a hand!" Droidbait obeys mindlessly, aiming for the B1s scattered across the top. The droids get confused fast—they waver between firing at the clones below and at the Jedi in front of them.
"Stay in cover!" someone yells—it sounds like Fives. "Stay behind the rocks, we'll be alright! Hold position!"
Droidbait keeps blasting. The number of droids decreases steadily, until there are only a few left around each of the Jedi. They're quickly sliced to bits, and Droidbait grins triumphantly. There are only a few turrets left, and the Jedi will plant the explosives to bring the whole thing down any minute. Droidbait aims for a turret and feels a surge of satisfaction when it goes up in flames.
"Oh, no," Coric suddenly gasps. Droidbait's eyes shoot back up to the Jedi. He gasps as well when he sees the two droidekas on either side of the wall. He hadn't seen them come out, and the Jedi hadn't expected them, either—they're back to back, on the defense.
"We've got to help!" Droidbait says, ready to burst out of cover, but Echo grabs his shoulder before he can move.
"Wait!" he says, and gestures up.
Captain Rex is there, moving soundlessly towards the droid attacking Commander Tano. Droidbait blinks—he hadn't even seen the Captain climb up.
Rex gets close enough to put his gun through the droid's shield and blow a hole through its processor. It crumples, leaving General Skywalker free to—well, Droidbait can't quite see what the General does because the angle is wrong and General Skywalker ducks low, so he misses it, but whatever it is it's enough to take the second droideka down for good.
Echo whoops in victory. "Duck your heads, boys!" he cries. Droidbait sees Captain Rex come flying off of the wall, then Commander Tano and General Skywalker leap after him—
The wall explodes. The clones all cheer as the fortress crumbles with a deafening boom. When the dust clears, the Jedi are unharmed, and General Skywalker is picking the Captain off of the ground. Fives is laughing, for some strange reason—Droidbait can hear him from the other side of the canyon.
They regroup as General Skywalker and Commander Tano catch their breath. Captain Rex seems a bit… disgruntled. Fives is still chuckling, and he shrugs when Droidbait tilts his head at him.
"The Captain screamed the whole way down," the ARC whispers gleefully. "I'm so glad that happened this time. We teased him about it for months the first time. I can't wait to do it again." Behind him, Echo huffs in weary amusement. If Droidbait could see his face he's sure Echo would be rolling his eyes good-naturedly.
"Alright, men, we've got to keep moving!" General Skywalker finally announces. "Keep your eyes peeled, we're not out of this yet."
"Sir, yes sir!" Droidbait chimes with the rest of them, and they keep surge ahead.
It takes the thirteen surviving clones and two Jedi a few worrying minutes to clamber over the rubble left from the fortress, but once they get across, the canyon widens further and further until the cliffs on either side end, and they're running through open desert. Droidbait is getting tired, and the other clones are too, but they stick with the Jedi doggedly with blasters at the ready.
There are a few stray bugs scattered about, flying through the air, but the clones are quick to shoot them down. Apart from that, they seem to be in the clear. Droidbait can hear the distant thuds of walkers firing and the higher whine of Separatist tanks far ahead.
"We're getting closer!" General Skywalker rallies. "Keep going, men!"
Droidbait sets his jaw and obeys.
They reach the top of a slight ridge. Droidbait looks down and can suddenly see the the rendezvous out in the distance—or at least, he assumes that it's the rendezvous. From here it looks more like a massive dust storm that gets illuminated every other moment in blue and red flashes of light. Farther in the distance, the red glow of a shield generator is visible, protecting their main target—the primary droid foundry.
Nearly there. They're probably less than a mile out.
General Skywalker charges down the slight incline at top speed. The men follow. Droidbait nearly stumbles as he goes, and that's pretty much the only reason he looks to the side and sees the massive object headed straight for them, kicking up so much dust that Droidbait can barely even make out its shape. He has a brief panic moment, shouting for the others and fumbling for his gun, but as the Jedi ignite their blades Cutup lets out a shout of excitement.
"It's a Juggernaut!" he yells, waving his arms back and forth. "A turbo tank, to the East!" As it grows closer Droidbait can hear the low rumble of its wheels. The massive vehicle stops next to them, and the back ramp lowers, an obvious invitation to get in. There's already a few 21st men inside, as well as a few more 501st. All of them perk up at the arrival of two Jedi and Captain Rex.
"Hang on, everyone. The closer we get to the rendezvous the rougher our ride becomes," the pilot informs them grimly, voice blaring over the intercom. The back ramp slides back up with a hiss, sealing closed, and the turbo tank lurches back into motion.
"Good call with the turbo tanks, Snips," General Skywalker says as they all shuffle to find a place to sit. Commander Tano grins brightly.
"Thanks, but my men were partially responsible. They deserve some credit, too."
Hevy's chest puffs with pride, and Cutup scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. Droidbait grins as General Skywalker looks them over proudly.
"Is that so? Good work, men. These tanks have been a critical point of our attack."
The turbo tank turns what would have been a ten minute run into a two minute ride. True to the pilot's word, explosions shake the vehicle as they get closer to their goal, but the turbo tank pushes its way through. When it rolls to a stop and opens the rear door again, Droidbait hears the familiar shouts and calls of brothers hard at work.
"Alright, let's move!" Captain Rex orders. They pile off, and Droidbait takes a deep breath of relief as he steps into the rendezvous zone.
According to Fives, the ground forces at the rendezvous last time had been completely surrounded and running on fumes by the time Admiral Yularen was able to provide air support. Everything is completely different, now—especially since there's already two Jedi on the front lines, providing cover for the turrets and walkers. Instead of the defensive circle Fives had told them about, the rendezvous is shaped more like a large square, with the walkers and men in front and injured in the back. They aren't worried about being attacked from the rear—the walkers prevent any enemy forces to flank them, and the Geonosians have their hands full in the front, anyway.
It… doesn't look that bad. They certainly haven't won yet, but they aren't desperate, either.
That being said, one turbo tank is a flaming husk of metal off to the side, and the one that Droidbait had just gotten off of smokes dangerously. They'd done their jobs, but at least one pilot had been lost in the process.
Speaking of pilots.
Droidbait whirls around and steps in front of Fives as an idea strikes him.
"Fives, could you give the emergency beacon frequency for Flak to the tank pilot?" he asks quickly. "Maybe he can go get him."
Fives stops. "Not a bad idea," he says. "But he might not be able to, 'Bait, they might need him here—"
"If he goes out to pick up more stragglers he could, though!" Droidbait pushes. "Please, Fives. At least ask! The longer we wait the more chance there is that he'll get found by the wrong people."
"Alright, I'll go see what I can do before he leaves," Fives reassures him quickly, whirling around to run towards the front of the juggernaut. Droidbait silently crosses his fingers.
"We need to go help the front," Echo tells them all. The Jedi and the men they came in with are already surging towards the line to assist. "They need as many men as they can get. Everyone okay? Right, then, let's go."
Beta squad only walks a few steps before Del stumbles, swearing viciously as his leg finally gives out. He's been limping for a while now, keeping up with sheer determination, but he can't last forever. Coric grabs him gently so that he doesn't fall.
"I'm taking him to the back," the medic says firmly, thwacking Del's helmet with his knuckles before Del can even try to protest. "Be careful out there, alright?"
"We'll do our best," Hevy answers. Coric whisks Del away, and then it's just the five of them—Droidbait, Echo, Hevy, Cutup, and Nax. Everyone turns to Echo instinctively, who straightens under their attention. Del and Fives are gone, so Echo's in charge now.
"Follow me, then. One more time, boys, let's go!"
Droidbait is tired. He's sick of running and sick of this planet already, but he forces himself forwards anyway.
"You know, just once, could we go to a planet where we aren't under fire the second we breach atmosphere?" he mutters petulantly as they weave through the legs of a walker. Nax's quick laugh is half-hidden underneath the boom of the walker firing above them.
There are four glowing lightsabers standing in front of the clones, pushing the Geonosians back with startling speed. The Separatist tanks seem to be the most troublesome, but Droidbait catches sight of General Skywalker breaking away to dash towards them and can't help but grin in awe. The tanks won't be a problem for that much longer.
He earns more tally marks. He's got a good amount of them already, and he's proud at the thought. There's a few bugs on speeders that cause the clones to momentarily scramble for cover, but Commander Tano somehow manages to leap onto one and kick the rider into the dirt, leaping off in time to send the speeder spiralling into a column of grunts. Hevy also manages to shoot one down with a well-placed stream of blasterfire. He hadn't brought his own Z-6 because he'd worried that it would slow him down, which was a good call. He'd stumbled across an abandoned Z-6 as they moved to the front and picked it up practically gleefully. He puts it to good use, cutting down the bugs before they can get close.
It goes on for too long. The dust, the explosions, the constant screeching of the bugs—it starts to get on Droidbait's nerves. He grits his teeth every time he pulls the trigger of his gun and waits impatiently for it to be over. When the Seps finally fall into a retreat Droidbait can't even muster up the energy to cheer. He's just glad that they can rest, if only for a few minutes.
He meets back up with the rest of Beta squad at the edge of the section blocked out for the medics, huddled around where Del sits, fuming over his leg. Coric is gone, helping where he's needed, but everyone else is there, including Fives, who shrugs helplessly when Droidbait tilts his head at him. Fives doesn't know if the turbo tank pilot had been able to get to Flak or not yet. Droidbait groans in disappointment and sits down next to him.
"Good work, men," Del complements them all wearily. "That wasn't easy, but we pulled through."
"Thanks, sir," Droidbait responds softly, fondness for the Sergeant suddenly making him smile. Del shifts his weight and sighs heavily before continuing.
"We'll move on the droid factory next, most likely. Stay at the ready, if you can. I don't know what the plan will be, but we need to stay prepared just in case."
The lightning-quick attack on the droid factory is something that Echo and Fives don't actually know much about. Both Echo and Fives had been dropped in with gunships after the shield had been lowered, so they know very little about what was involved during the actual charge.
Ugh. More things to be uncertain about. Droidbait frowns and doesn't even bother trying to hide the way his shoulders slump.
Beta squad relaxes slowly, waiting for more information and taking the moment of rest while they can. Droidbait glances over at the central section of the square where all four Jedi have convened and nudges Echo gently as the ARC sits down.
"So… how long do we have until we move again?" he asks quietly. Echo chuckles.
"An hour, hour and a half. Something like that," he answers. "Why? Planning on taking a nap?"
"Exactly," Droidbait confirms. Hevy snorts. Echo laughs fully this time.
"You know what, 'Bait? Rest for a little bit. I'll wake you up before we mobilize," he says.
"Me too, then," Cutup mutters, laying down on the ground uncaring of the dust beneath him. "'M tired. Give us a few minutes, won't you?"
Droidbait leans up against a nearby crate and tries to make himself comfortable. He's vaguely aware of Echo shifting so he has a little more room.
"Fine, fine. Rest, guys. You've earned it."
Droidbait hums in agreement and closes his eyes.
Commander Tano comes to find them after about an hour has passed. She grins when she notices the sleeping men and quietly sits down next to Echo.
"I was going to ask you guys for help, but they almost look too peaceful to disturb," she whispers to Echo conversationally. Echo grins as she gestures to Droidbait, Cutup, Hevy, and Nax, all of which are dozing in various spots around Del. The sergeant is awake, but he's resting, too—trying to will his leg back into full health so that he can come with them later.
"I can wake them," he tells her, starting to get to his feet already. "What do you need, sir? Just say the word—"
Her hand finds his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"It's okay," she says. "It's fine, I promise. It might be too dangerous, anyway."
Fives tilts his head from where he sits, close to Hevy's sprawled form. "We can handle it, sir," he promises. "I'll wake them up." His leg is poised to kick Hevy in the ribs when Commander Tano frowns, waving him off.
"No, really. It's fine," she protests. "I only need two men, anyway."
Echo shrugs, pointing at himself, then Fives. "Right here, sir."
She's still frowning. Echo frowns, too. Something's wrong.
"Commander Tano? Are you alright?" Echo asks carefully. The Commander sighs.
"Is it selfish of me to not bring Beta squad on missions because they're dangerous?" she asks abruptly. Echo's eyes widen.
"What?" he says, too surprised to think of a good response in an instant. She makes a frustrated sound.
"I don't want you to come with me because you might be hurt," she says. Echo stares at her in surprise again. She hadn't acted like this the first time—but then again, they hadn't been friends with her the first time. The clones enjoyed her company, but it was different, detached.
It's changed now. An unintentional change, but one Echo suspects will be for the better.
"It isn't selfish to be worried for your friends," Fives speaks up gently. "But we aren't helpless, Commander. We can take care of ourselves, promise. We're supposed to be watching your back, anyway. What do you need us to do?"
She nods slowly, making a decision, and then she lifts her chin.
"I need two men to come with me. The shield around the droid factory has to be taken down before we can get any further," she tells them seriously. "Master Skywalker already has a squad, and I could borrow men from him, but I wondered if you'd be willing to come. You don't have to," she continues before either of the ARCs can say anything. "It's dangerous. Our goal is to get close enough to disable their turrets with droid poppers so they can't shoot the walkers. We'll be running straight into heavy artillery. If you'd prefer to wait for the gunships—"
"We're coming with you," Echo interrupts, climbing to his feet. He's glad the others aren't awake. The Commander is right—it's a dangerous play, but it also proves to be effective. Echo and Fives have a greater chance at surviving than any of the others. "Del…?" he says, glancing over at the sergeant.
"Be careful," is all he says in a grim tone. Echo nods. Commander Tano breathes a sigh of relief. Fives is giving him a look, figures twitching like he wants to sign something. He can't with the Commander standing right there, and with his helmet on Echo can't tell what he's thinking. He sighs inwardly in annoyance.
"We're with you, sir," Fives tells her reassuringly. "We don't care how dangerous it is. We're supposed to watch your back, anyway, remember?"
She smiles at them gratefully. "Come with me." Echo and Fives follow her for quite a few yards before Fives stops and swears suddenly.
"Kriffing—hang on, wait. We've gotta tell the others where we're going. Commander, can you give us a split second?"
"Meet us in the center of the rendezvous when you're done," she says, and starts to make her way back.
"Force, she's changed," Fives mutters once she's a ways away. "She's worried for us—I mean, she was friends with clones the first time, too, but after she lost her pilots over Ryloth she kept most of the men at a distance safe, all except Rex."
"We changed that, too," Echo mutters distractedly, watching her leave. "Will it hurt her more in the long run?"
"I… don't know," Fives answers, and groans softly. "This is ridiculous."
Echo nods in weary agreement.
Fives snaps out of it quickly. "I was serious about telling the others," he announces, turning on his heel. "I made a promise to Droidbait that I wouldn't do that again. He'll kill me if I run off without letting him know what's happening."
Echo blinks. He'd nearly forgotten about that. The Blue Shadow Virus incident seems like a lifetime ago—and Echo would know. He smiles, proud that Fives had remembered.
"Alright, but we've got to hurry," he agrees. "Let's get them up."
Droidbait is confident that Echo and Fives will be fine. If anyone can pull of a full frontal assault without injury, it's them—and besides, the Commander will be in front of them every step of the way. Droidbait has faith that nothing bad will happen.
The ARCs had explained the situation quickly even as the walkers around them were starting up, preparing to march on the shield. Droidbait is grateful that they hadn't simply left.
He doesn't mind not being included in the lightning assault teams. Droidbait's done enough running today, thank you very much. He's happy to wait in a gunship for the others to knock the shield down. The gunship doors are wide open as it hovers lazily in the air, waiting for the shield to fall, so Droidbait can squint to watch as the battle progresses.
The assault begins fast and stays like that, General Skywalker in the lead. Droidbait can only just make him out, a tiny black and blue blur against the orange sand. Commander Tano is even harder to find because her skin blends in much better with the terrain, and the Geonosian sonic weapons send streaks of green hurtling through the air, making it hard to find her lightsaber. Cutup catches fleeting glimpses of her, and the two white dots running behind her that can only be Fives and Echo. When they disappear through the red shield Droidbait can't see nearly as well, and he fervently hopes that everything will go well.
All things considered, it doesn't take long. It isn't called a lightning assault for nothing. The tanks make their way just inside the shield slowly. Hevy is right next to him, and points out gleefully that the walkers look more like large beetles from this distance. Droidbait smacks him on the arm and tries to concentrate.
Once the walkers are close enough to fire on the shield generator, it's all over.
The strike teams have done their jobs well—the enemy scanners are jammed, so they can't target the massive walkers. Droidbait pumps his fist in the air in success when the walkers hit the shield generator hard. The red bubble around the area flickers, then retracts slowly.
The men in the gunships cheer. Droidbait can even hear the men in the gunship hovering next to them, and grins at the sound.
His stomach lurches a moment later as their gunship suddenly swoops forwards. They're moving in. He glances back to make sure Hevy and Cutup are right behind him on impulse—of course they are. Nax is there, too, checking over his rifle determinedly. Coric and Del are absent this time, but they're safe.
When the gunship lands, Droidbait steps out into the sun again and raises his gun, prepared to shoot anything that moves, but the Geonosians are already throwing down their weapons. They know they've lost. The shield is gone, and the gunships are flying in like angry hornets, guns primed and at the ready.
Droidbait's comlink chirps cheerfully at him, and he hears Fives' voice come through, tired but triumphant.
"We're good, Domino. Echo and I made it through without a scratch. How'd it go on your end?"
Droidbait grins.
"Perfectly," he responds as the men let out another ragged cheer.
It's not over yet, but victory is sweet in the moment, and everyone is safe, so Droidbait relaxes his grip on his gun and cheers, too.
A/N: This... entire chapter was supposed to be Hevy's POV. I don't even know what happened.
I'm playing with numbers just a bit in this chapter. There's less than fourteen clones with Anakin during the wall bit and stuff, but you know... things are changing, so I don't feel bad about it.
Follow me on tumblr at meridiansdominoes or meridianpony for more!