Once again, since the site at this time is being a little bitch, thank you all to those who read the last chapter.
I will be honest, like I said before, that chapter was more of a layover of sorts but that's out of the way at least. First arc of Season 4 is done and now we can start the next one.
And it's one I am most certainly excited to do as I can do it properly rather than interspersed in random points of the story.
Band of Brothers.
This will be a pseudo anthology arc as we will be covering a lot of stuff from the past before we move up to the present and such and it's all about the clones, expanding their characters and roles in this story cuz boy howdy, are we gonna be having a lot of crazy moments with them in the future.
So let's get to it.
Also, have fun trying to sniff out all the references in this chapter as there will be for the rest of this arc.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 117: Band Of Brothers Volume 3 War Stories.
-Sikarra-
-A short time after the start of the war-
Captain Rex stood in the back of a LAAT gunship, armored up and ready for battle.
By his side was his newest Jedi General, Anakin Skywalker, someone who had garnered quite a reputation in a short time since the war's inception.
Around the pair, in their gunship that was escorting them to their objective were the fighting men of the 501st, troopers who, like their general, had quickly jumped to the forefront of prominence in the war. It had only taken a few missions before most of the GAR knew of the craziness that stemmed from the 501st.
And try as Rex was to dissuade, half-hearted as was his attempt, the men of the 501st were quick to take that crazy rep as a badge of honor.
His internal musings were cut short as his Jedi General stepped forward, signifying it was time for the mission debriefing.
The troopers in the gunship all turned their eyes on Anakin and Rex as the duo began outlining their mission.
"Alright boys, our objective is simple," Anakin spoke up, his voice was heard within the Gunship they occupied including the others nearby via the comms. A holo-display of a village was soon seen across the gunships coming in. "We are to take this village as our staging point in getting a better foothold on this planet. Normally, we would brush by this and avoid engaging in areas that still hold a civilian population. However, Republic intel has revealed that Sikarra has an intricate underground network that the Sep's are utilizing to hold the planet under their control."
"We've also received word that, as General Skywalker mentioned, this is a civilian-populated area. Republic civilians." Rex emphasized. "That means that despite us having to go door-to-door here, keep your trigger fingers calm and only blast any droid you see. Other than that, it's all about securing this village."
"It's unclear as to how many entrances to the underground tunnels this village has so it's gonna be close-quarters for the most part." Anakin added in. "So keep your vibro-blades and blaster pistols on standby when entering a structure."
"We'll be landing on the outskirts of the town." Rex spoke again. "Most of the intel we got on this town was relatively fresh so the force occupying this place is unclear but our estimates are around two, possibly even three garrisons stationed here. The problem is that there could be more in the tunnels below so even more unseen enemies."
"Stay on your toes." Anakin warned, the feeling of the gunships descending coming over them.
They felt the LAAT press on the ground and the side doors opened.
The men readied their weapons and Anakin Skywalker ignited his lightsaber, turning to Rex, the pair nodding.
"Follow me boys."
The Jedi general of the 501st jumped out of the gunship, Rex right by his side and the rest of the boys followed suit.
They ran right for the village up ahead and no sooner did they begin their run did the droids occupying the town began firing upon them.
"Jesse, take your men on the right." Rex immediately ordered, firing back at the droids. "Denal, go left. Everyone else, with us."
The clones did as ordered and split into three groups, quickly encircling the town.
Blaster bolts sailed back and forth between the opposing sides, several troopers having dropped dead with a number of droids getting taken out.
Anakin sprinted ahead, utilizing the Force to increase his speed, deflecting blaster bolts all the while. He slid in through the front gates of the village, slicing apart the droids stationed there and Force pushing away any that were further from him.
Rex saw this and made a beeline for the entrance all while calling out to the rest of his troops.
"We have our opening boys, move, move, move!" He yelled, turning his attention back to the battle at hand, running into the village.
He quickly ran up an unsuspecting B1 and with a swift elbow strike, popped its head clean off. Two other B1s nearby jolted at Rex's arrival, being shot down before they even had a chance to react by the Clone Captain.
Rex made a gesture with his blaster, with three clones rushing by him to a nearby building. Two of the troopers had their blaster rifles raised upwards whilst the third was holding up a scanner that analyzed the building. After a second, the clone holding the scanner made a chopping motion with his free hand and the two clones pulled out droid poppers and threw them inside.
There was the nasally sound of B1 droids inside wondering just what rolled in followed by the echoing shockwave that disrupted their circuits and shut them down. The troops outside quickly ran into the building, which was only two stories high. They checked the rooms and anything out of the ordinary that would indicate it had an underground tunnel system.
Finding none, they ran out just as fast, the trooper with the scanner slapping a device over it to mark it as clear.
Over with Jesse, he ran into the city from the left side but was assailed with a hail of blaster bolts, he ran for cover and could only be joined by Hardcase.
"Where the Kriff is everyone?!" Jesse shouted over the hail of blaster bolts.
Hardcase didn't answer at first, instead focusing on using his rotary blaster cannon.
"Get some, get some, get some ya clankers!" Hardcase whooped with manic glee.
"Oi Hardcase, where the hell is everyone?!" Jesse shouted at him, making the hyperactive clone glance back at him.
"I have no idea!" He gleefully yelled. "More for me."
The clone sergeant rolled his eyes beneath his helmet, releasing a haggard sigh at his brother's antics.
On the left end of the village, Denal and his troops were having equally as difficult a time getting into the town as Jesse was.
The trooper had managed to run in with two clones, who were Coric and Mixer yet the others couldn't get in further due to an E-web the droids had established.
"Gotta take out that turret." Denal said, wincing as several bolts struck the cover he, Coric and Mixer were using.
"Damn thing is spraying all over the place." Mixer gritted out.
Coric scanned the area, spotting a slanted rooftop right above the positioned E-web. Getting a wild idea, Mixer played several simulations in his mind until settling on one.
"I have an idea, brothers." He spoke up after a few seconds. "Mixer, can you run to that wall over there while Denal provides covering fire?"
"What?" Denal and Mixer looked at their clone brother.
"What are you on about?" The latter asked.
Coric pointed at the roof above the E-web and then down at the droids manning the turret before he pulled out a droid popper, tossing it up and caught it as it came down, priming it.
Getting the silent message, both clones nodded and got into position.
Mixer got down on one knee, Denal standing behind him with a hand on his shoulder and his rifle raised upward. Coric stood behind them, getting into a throwing posture, waiting on Denal's signal.
After a beat of silence, Denal slapped Mixer's shoulder and the clone broke off into a sprint, running as fast as his legs could carry him.
The droids on the E-Web pivoted the turret in his direction, blasting away all while he ran for his life.
Denal popped out of his cover and fired upon the droids, managing to get two before he was fired upon by other B1's surrounding the E-Web.
Coric took that chance to jump out and with all his might, flung the popper up to where the roof was. It hit the metal, bouncing slightly before it rolled down, dropping and bonking the head of the droid with the E-web.
"What the-" Was all the droid managed to say when the popper went off and the EMP wave short-circuited and disabled the droids.
"We have our window, let's go, let's go!" Denal called out to the clones still on the outskirts of the village.
A small wave of white and blue armored troopers rushed in.
"Three at a time, clear out these houses." Denal ordered them as they ran in. "Scanners first, get any civilians you see out of there."
The clones began diverging into groups of three, each selecting a house while the rest followed Denal, Coric and Mixer, engaging the droids stationed in the town.
Over with Jesse, he and Hardcase were still stuck, the latter of whom had yet to let up on the pressure with his rotary cannon.
The pair were abruptly joined by several other clones who had managed to get in despite the constant stream of blaster fire.
"Kano, Kix, Redeye." Jesse listed off several of the clones he recognized. "About damn time you guys joined up in the fight."
"Bit of a pain getting in." Kano wryly said.
Kix moved to get on one knee, peeking out from the cover Jesse and Hardcase had been occupying.
"We've got droids on the top of those buildings there," He pointed at a building close by. "There," Another further in the distance. "And all along the border to the south side of this place."
A clone stepped forward. "General Skywalker and Captain Rex are pushing up in the mid-"
The clone was shot in the chest and fell over.
"Shit." Kix gritted out, quickly grabbing him and pulling the trooper away to inspect him.
"We gotta get in this war." Jesse snarled out, getting pissed off now. "Alright, Kano, Redeye, you're with me. Prep thermal detonators. That building closest to us only has those bastards swarming it."
"Sir, what about collateral?" Kano asked.
Jesse shook his head. "Those damnable clankers won't abide by our rules so neither will we. Get ready to move. Hardcase, we're movin' up!"
The wild Clone Trooper roared with laughter. "About damn time, Sergeant."
"Let's go!" Jesse yelled, running out from his cover, Hardcase leading the charge as the rest of the Clones ran out, attacking the closest building.
The droids stationed on the rooftops spotted them and began firing down at them when a rocket destroyed a cluster of them.
Over with Captain Rex and General Skywalker, the pair had led their contingent of men smack dab into the center of the village and were now dividing themselves up to clear out buildings and assist the two flanks entering the place.
"Civilians up ahead, Rex." Anakin called out to his second-in-command.
"On it, general." Rex said, shooting down several B1s before pointing at two clones and gesturing them toward the civilians.
The two clones simply rushed forward, being covered by their brothers, getting to the people and moving to be on either side of them as they guided them away from the battlefield.
"Keep it moving boys." Anakin yelled out amidst the battle, turning around in time to deflect a bolt and send it back to the droid that shot it, taking its head off.
Rex ran forward, getting close to a B1 and booted it to the ground, stomping his foot over its scrawny neck and popping the head off. He got into an alleyway between two buildings and turned on his comms.
"Denal, Jesse, what's your status, over?"
Over with the former, he was moving through a building, practically jumping up the staircases to reach the rooftop.
The clone burst out onto the top level and quickly mowed down the three droids stationed atop there.
"Clearing out the east sector, sir." Denal responded, looking back as three more clones quickly moved to join him.
The Lieutenant looked at the village, seeing a good vantage point of the majority of the place, including the other rooftops being occupied by other clankers.
"Redeye, set yourself up here." Denal commanded. "Start taking out those blasted droids harassing our brothers."
"Yes sir." Redeye stated, quickly pulling out a scope from his belt and attaching it to his rifle.
"The two of you, stay here and provide cover." Were Denals instructions to the other two clones here, both of whom nodded whilst the LT Clone quickly moved to head back down into the streets.
Over with Jesse, he and Hardcase with Kix and Kano were currently moving down a street, firing at droids on the other end, taking them out in rapid succession.
Things soon sped up once Anakin and Rex came in with their group of troopers and the droids holding them back were promptly swept aside.
"Start checking those buildings." Jesse ordered.
Hardcase nodded, gesturing his head to the side for Kano and Kix to follow after him.
They ran up to a house, seeing a wooden door barely being held up by its hinges.
"Kix, where's your scanner?" Kano asked.
Kix patted himself down and released a curse.
"Shit, I lost it." The medic grunted out irritably.
"Guess we're doing it the old-fashioned way then." Hardcase said with anticipation.
"Don't go running in recklessly, brother." Kano calmly admonished as the three of them positioned themselves on opposite sides of the door.
They were all tense, Kix locking eyes with Hardcase despite their helmets and nodded.
Returning the gesture, Hardcase jumped and quickly kicked the door down and rushed in. Just as he did so, the clone trooper stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of a Togrutan family all cowering before him.
The clone felt a cold chill go down his spine at the sight of them, seeing the looks of terror and fear they displayed.
"Er… um…" He stuttered out.
"Easy there, Hardcase." Kix and Kano were already inside, the former of which moved past his blaster-happy brother to the family, removing his helmet in the process.
"Apologies, everyone." The Clone medic earnestly said. "Please, let's escort you to safety. It's getting intense out there."
The mother and children were shaking but the father managed to steel himself, bobbing his head up and down rapidly before ushering his family to stand and move. Kano moved out first, checking to make sure they were clear, nodding and the family followed after him with Kix bringing up the rear.
Hardcase stood alone in the house for a few seconds before grunting, shaking his head to stave off any intrusive thoughts.
"Great," He grumbled to himself. "That sure as hell won't be bothering me anytime soon."
Outside, the battle raged on as the village was slowly cleared of battle droids.
On the outskirts, more clones moved around, tracking down any droid that might have gone past them and swiftly eliminating them.
All the while, Denal and Mixer were storming another house with Coric and four other clones, this one being heavily defended.
"This one definitely has one of those tunnel entrances." Mixer remarked, cursing as a stray bolt whizzed by his head. "Damned clankers are well fortified here."
"Denal." Spoke a stern voice and in came Captain Rex. "What's your situation?"
"Clankers keep hammering the line, not letting us go further." The LT trooper explained. "This one is well-defended. So a tunnel entrance must be here."
Rex looked ahead, his eyes darting about to spot a weakness to exploit and soon found it. "Right then, follow my lead boys."
The troopers said nothing, simply trusting their Captain as they all prepped for a charge.
"Mixer, Coric, Thermal detonators on that ridge there," Rex ordered. "Denal, follow in behind me. Ringo, get your rocket launcher ready."
There was a beat until Rex made a forward motion with his hand and sprung out from cover.
Mixer and Coric threw their detonators at the designated ridge, the two grenades going off, creating a large plume of smoke.
"Ringo, fire!" Rex shouted.
Seeing where his Captain was running to, Ringo propped his rocket launcher on his shoulder and sent it flying. The rocket hurtled past Rex overhead and smashed into the front of the fortified house, the sound of droids shouting in "pain" as their front door was blown open.
Rex was the first to rush in, elbowing a super battle droid and riddling it with blaster bolts a moment later.
Denal and the other Clones came in, quickly firing at any droids within their line of sight before moving in further.
"Check every room." Rex ordered, vacating the house to go join back up with the main push of the battle.
All the while, Jesse was checking a dilapidated structure, looking as though it had not been occupied or worked on in some time. Pushing the door open, Jesse jerked about, trying to find any droids only to find the entire place was abandoned.
Making a quick scan, he saw no ground hatches or secret compartments when a sound from outside caught his attention.
Rushing outside, Jesse's eyes widened at a particularly large projectile from on high coming down into the village. Upon hitting the ground, it exploded, causing dirt, debris and clones to go flying everywhere.
"THEY GOT US ZEROED, SPREAD OUT!" Jesse shouted at the top of his lungs. "THEY GOT MORTARS, SPREAD OUT, SPREAD OUT!"
Just as he said this, more mortar fire reigned down, bombarding the village.
One blew up next to several clones on the run, two of whom were caught in the blast and killed.
"God damn Clankers." Coric swore in fury.
"Where the hell are they?" Mixer growled out.
Jesse, who was still shouting for his brothers to take cover suddenly found himself airborne from a nearby explosion that sent him hurtling into a nearby wall.
"JESSE!" Hardcase shouted, rushing over to him.
The clone sergeant coughed in pain, his body screaming in protest as he forced himself to sit up.
As he did so, Hardcase was already nearby, almost wrenching his helmet off.
"Jesse," The clone placed his hands on the sergeant's shoulders. "Jesse,"
"Not so loud." Jesse moaned in pain.
Kix then appeared, practically sliding into Hardcase, pushing him aside.
"Hang on, Jesse." Kix pulled out a bacta injection, quickly placing it over Jesse's neck and injecting the healing substance into his body. "You're all good, brother, no serious injuries. Hardcase."
The wild Clone wordlessly moved to heft Jesse over his shoulders and ran off to get him to safety.
Meanwhile, Anakin and Rex had spotted the droids sending out the mortar fire and together moved to take them down.
The duo operated in synchronized fashion, Rex providing the long-range fire while getting closer to the droids by Anakin deflecting all the shots sent at them.
Upon reaching the mortars, they were either sliced apart by Skywalker or destroyed by detonators from Rex.
"Mortars are clear." Rex announced through the comms. "Status of the village?"
There was some static but Lieutenant Denal chimed in.
"Village has been secured, Captain." The LT proudly said, though his breath sounded haggard. "We got most of the villagers out but some were caught in the fire of those damned mortars. Tunnel entrances have been found."
"Well done boys." Anakin praised. "Get yourselves patched up and some rest and await further orders."
His hand which held his lightsaber fell limply to his side, deactivating his blade.
Rex had removed his helmet, wiping his forehead from the sweat that accumulated during the battle and both men shared a look.
Anakin gave his Captain a tired smirk, clapping his shoulder with the pair silently heading down to join the rest of the 501st.
-Scene Cut-
-At another point during the start of the war-
Commander Cody of the 212th was walking around a small farming village where his battalion had taken up temporary residency after arriving on the planet called Harvest. It was a garden world, as most call it, and it was taken up by the Seppies as a staging point in hopes of trying to get a doorway into the mid-rim.
The Republic knew that they couldn't allow for such a vantage so they sent the 212th to quickly expunge the Seps.
They didn't realize how entrenched the droids had gotten so landing had been hell for his battalion.
They managed to punch through and begin deploying their troops only to be harried by nonstop artillery and starfighter bombardments.
The starfighters, they could handle.
But they needed to take out the artillery smashing into the landing zones.
That's why Cody was here, staging the assault on the set of the Separatist artillery guns. They were being protected by a shield generator, making it difficult to send in a starfighter or have an orbital strike.
That meant a boots-on-the-ground assault.
Cody walked into a large barn and saw his men along with a bearded man in armor mixed with robes.
"Ah Cody," Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi greeted with a friendly smile. "We were waiting on you."
"General." Cody respectfully said in return.
The 212th had been assigned to the Jedi Master a short time after the start of the war. Cody kept a professional air around the general at all times but even he held a hint of uncertainty when he first met the man.
He was amiable and polite enough, making sure to get to know his Commander well enough.
Cody had long read up on and studied up on the Jedi and had only heard of them in the stormy world of Kamino.
Meeting Obi-Wan was an interesting experience to be sure.
The Jedi General was very polite and friendly with all the men, taking time to know them before each mission and whenever he could, appeared to always take counsel with the Commander of the 212th. Cody saw it as a means to gauge him and his capability but was surprised at how open the Jedi was to insisting upon Cody giving him as much-needed perspective on the war as needed.
Cody had read that the Jedi were powerful and wise individuals with much of the manuals and data packs painting them in a light akin to being indestructible warriors.
To hear the General shoot down such a belief so readily, willingly and intensely was an eye-opening conversation.
The Jedi were just as fallible and killable as any other living being. Just harder to do so.
And all-knowing, while flattering, wasn't even remotely close to the truth. Jedi were individuals who endlessly sought to better themselves and enrich their order with knowledge.
So learning as much as he could from Cody, a man literally bred for war, was paramount if they were to survive this war, let alone win it.
The Commander stood amongst his men, all surrounding a holo table that displayed several turrets and a large satellite structure in the center of it all.
"Trapper, Gearshift," Cody spoke up, getting the men to focus. "I take it your scouting mission went off without a hitch?"
"Yes sir." Trapper quickly replied, gesturing to the holo display of their targets. "Gearshift and I were able to discern the positioning of the artillery guns hammering landing zone Alpha along with a shield generator that isn't just protecting the artillery but a sizable chunk of the Seppie forces in this sector of the planet."
"We pinged it as being a linked model with at least three or four additional shield generators on this planet that prevents any orbital ordinance from taking out their forces." Gearshift tacked on. "We got lucky with our landing zone despite it still being under fire."
"We take out the cannons and that shield generator, we can properly get the rest of the 212th on this planet." Trapper finished off.
Cody nodded, satisfied by their assessment.
"Did you manage to get a number on the droid forces occupying the area?" Obi-Wan spoke up.
"Unclear sir, there was a lot of movement but each gun is manned by at least two dozen droids." Trapper stated. "Likely the shield generator more so with a contingent of additional clankers likely in the five to six dozen with some change."
"They've got trenches in between the guns for quicker mobility." Gearshift quickly said, remembering another detail. "Likely figured that when we would be landing here."
"There are also several turrets stationed in the rear to provide cover for the artillery." Trapper finished off with the men all silently absorbing the information.
Enemy cover was ridiculous as it was hard for the Republic forces to breach without getting exposed. Whatever support fire there was, it would require a small, nimble team to get in and get out.
Obi-Wan rubbed his beard with a frown, mulling over a strategy. He glanced over at Cody, the Commander's eyes narrowed in intense contemplation before they slowly relaxed.
"Cody," Kenobi spoke up. "I take it you have a plan in mind."
The Commander didn't respond for a few moments until he nodded, stepping forward and pointing at the shield generator.
"The way this structure is entrenched is having the forest to its back." The Commander said. "It's thick and likely difficult to traverse but not impossible. Likely have something of a guard here but nothing too drastic. We'll still need to take caution."
He then shifted his gaze over to the artillery cannon furthest left. "Right here is where we likely have our best chance of entry. Fastest way in given that I see some blind spots with all these brushes and thickets surrounding the area. The right is where we hit it with the bulk of our men but only as a diversion. Keep the droid's attention scattered. We go in from these three sides, take out the cannons and shield generator and we'll be square."
"Sir, what about the garrison likely manning the generator?" Waxer spoke up. "Isn't that going to be the most defended position?"
"Which is why I shall be going in from there." Obi-Wan now said, catching on to what Cody was suggesting, especially after that quick glance he received. "I can move in fast along with a small group that can get in and wreak havoc within."
"Crys, Wooley, Burst, you're with the general." Cody immediately called them out, the three named clones all nodding. "Waxer, Boil, you'll be taking Gearshift, Trapper, Threepwood, Lip, Malark and Luz for the left cannon. You'll need to move fast so take only ammo and explosives. Got it?"
"Sir."
"The rest of you are with me." The Commander gazed at all of them. "We'll be hitting the third gun and the turrets covering for them. Divide yourselves into groups of five and be on standby."
"We have our plan then." Obi-Wan said approvingly. "Let's get to it men."
The 212th got their weapons ready and made their way toward the artillery and shield generator.
Obi-Wan broke off, going the long way around with the three Clones assigned to him right on his heels.
Cody soon split off as well, giving the silent hand gesture for Waxer and Boils to go off to their assigned cannon.
The pair led their contingent of men through some nearby trees that provided cover, being unseen by the droids manning the turrets and artillery.
Waxer and Boil glanced at each other, nodding as they split up, each gesturing for several men to follow them.
"Lip, Malark, set up your turret here," Waxer ordered, pointing to an indent in the ground with a thick enough bush to provide cover for them. "Focus on that turret there. Malark, you're with me, we'll take 'em out from the rear."
The two clones did as told, quickly setting up their turret with Malark manning the gun.
Boil had gotten into his position, gazing at the artillery cannon they were aiming to take down.
He glanced at the men who were with him. "Thermal Detonators?"
"I'll do you one better, Boil." Gearshift grinned beneath his helmet as he took off the pouch he had taken with him and pulled out three belts of detonators. "Magnetic."
Boil released an amazed breath, slapping Gearshift's helmet. "You mad genius."
Once the detonators were distributed, Boil looked over at where Waxer was, spotting him and giving a thumbs up.
Waxer returned the gesture and turned his head to Malark and Lip, pointing at them.
Both clones unleashed laser upon the droids, catching them completely off guard.
"OPEN FIRE!" Waxer shouted and the clones began unleashing a torrent of blaster fire at the droids.
"Huh?!" A B1 exclaimed. "CLONES?! Where did they-GAH!"
It was quickly shot down and the battle commenced.
Waxer and Boil's group hit them from several angles, Waxer rushing in with Trapper and Luz whilst Boil moved in with Gearshift and Threepwood.
Navigating through the maze of debris to get to a new vantage point was hard. Bombs were being thrown by the droids almost constantly, making dives or retreats very sudden and problematic.
"Get to the cannon, go, go, go!" Boil shouted, firing at the droids as the clones rushed in at full speed, knowing if they stayed idle, they'd be sitting Womp Rats.
Cody saw the commencement of their attack and popped out from where he was hiding, firing upon the droids on his flank, starting his part of their assault.
"Take out their turrets." Cody commanded. "Get to the trenches, move! Ranney, take Olley and Crisp around the bend."
Three clones detached themselves from the company as they continued pushing forward.
Over with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi general heard the telltale signs of the battle starting and put on a grim expression of determination.
"Cody and the others have begun their assault." He said to his Clone Troopers, igniting his lightsaber. "Now we must play our part."
"Right behind you, General." Wooley firmly said, getting an appreciative look from the Jedi.
"Droid poppers." Obi-Wan swiftly added, the trio of clones pulling out just that.
They ran forward, spotting the back entrance to the shield generator and saw a dozen droids moving about, getting weapons ready.
"Now!" Obi-Wan shouted and his men flung their droid poppers.
Kenobi threw up his hand just as the spheres sailed overhead, Force Pushing them ahead to land in between the droids and they were taken out a moment later.
The Jedi with his Clone Troopers got to the door which Obi-Wan cut through with ease and they dashed in, the sound of blaster fire following suit from within the structure.
With the rest of the Clones, Waxer and Boil closed in on the first artillery gun and with their combined magnetic detonators, the first gun was destroyed.
"Onto the next gun, move it, brothers!" Waxer yelled, jumping out from the trench he was in, and being followed by the rest.
Commander Cody had reached the trench line, spotting a malfunctioning droid that was trying to reach for a blaster rifle. Cody held up his rifle to shoot only to click on the trigger, realizing his clip was empty.
"Dammit." Cody cursed.
Luckily, another trooper had appeared, taking out the droid with Cody nodding at him and he along with several clones jumped into the trench.
A stray blaster bolt whizzed by and there was a thump heard.
"AH SHIT!"
"POP!" One of the Clones shouted, grabbing the downed clone and pulling him into the trench.
"You alright, Pop?" Cody immediately asked, kneeling down next to him.
"Ah you gotta be kidding me," Pop moaned, a hand on his rear. "Damned clankers shot me in my ass."
"Your ass?" A nearby clone said in disbelief.
An explosion went off close by, causing many clones to duck for cover as dirt rained down on them.
"Son of a-" A clone sergeant gritted out.
"Wynn, Herv, get Pop outta here." Cody ordered. "Toye, with me, we're moving to that turret. The rest of you keep the pressure on."
His order was met with blaster bolts that sailed overhead, Cody popped out of the trench to fire back at the droids, nailing several of them before the rest of his men assisted in taking them out.
"Alright, get a move on." The Commander ordered, Wynn and Herv moving to get Pop to safety while the rest resumed their blaster fire.
As the clones continued their assault, Obi-Wan and his three troopers were tearing into the droid garrison stationed within the shield generator.
"Wooley, on the left." Kenobi called out, spotting several droids rushing in from another hallway.
The Clone shifted his aim at the clones, managing to take out two before he had to duck for cover as they aimed at him.
Obi-Wan deflected a dozen blaster bolts before calling upon the Force to send a nearby crate flying at droids on the right before using a Force Push on the droids on the left.
Crys and Burst had tackled a Super Battle Droid, shooting it in the top center bulb piece that functioned as its head, moving to eliminate a cluster of B1s.
Burst was reloading his rifle when he saw movement.
Snapping his head up, he cursed, turning back to the others.
"Commandos!" Burst shouted when he was struck in the shoulder.
"Burst!" Crys shouted, quickly firing at the Commando droids.
They jumped around, firing at the clones and Jedi.
Crys and Wooley took cover whilst Obi-Wan blocked each bolt.
Kenobi stepped forward, angling his lightsaber forward to send a bolt back at one Commando droid, destroying it and then used the Force to pull in the others and decapitate them.
"Burst." Obi-Wan said, rushing over to the clone who released a pained groan as he rolled onto his back.
"That hurt." The Clone murmured.
"Hold on, Burst." Crys quickly said, pulling out a bacta syringe and injecting it in the opening armor between his arm and shoulder where he got hit.
The injured clone released a sigh of relief, feeling some of his pain getting alleviated, getting helped up by Wooley and Crys.
"I can keep going, General." Burst immediately said just as Obi-Wan was about to ask him if he was alright.
Knowing that right now they were in the heat of battle and getting any support to get him out of here was futile, the Jedi Master simply nodded.
"Stay back and far, provide only cover and call out anything we miss."
"Yes sir."
The assault on the artillery cannons continued, Cody, leading the men toward the second gun on the left.
The Commander spied at the gun, seeing droids on multiple angles covering it, firing back at the attacking clones. He quickly spotted a small section that was the most viable for them to attack, laying off pressure on the rest of the troops and their way into the gun to take it out.
"Toye, Compton, with me." Cody called out to them. "Spiers, take two men. We're doing a Hawkbat pincer."
"Sir," A Clone Lieutenant with multiple accents of the color of the 212th decorating his armor.
Cody led his men up the trench they were in.
First Toye got into position followed by Compton with Cody moving to kneel at the front. Spiers and his two men were further back, using a large mound of rubble as cover.
Cody glanced back at Compton who primed his detonator and nodded at the ready.
"GO!" Cody shouted, jumping up into a full sprint just as Compton threw his grenade with one of the clones Spiers led doing the same.
The detonators went off, creating mass confusion amongst the droids manning the gun. The clones then rushed in, shooting down the remainder of the droids, and clearing the gun.
"Alright, that's two." Cody said.
"Sir, we're low on grenades." Toye said, making the Commander look around, spotting one of the shells that served as its ammo.
"Sticky." Cody ordered, Compton slapping one into his hand. "Help me prop this up on the cannon."
The men moved fast to get the canister leaning on the Proton cannon.
Priming the grenade, Cody slammed it on the shell, ordering his men to clear out just as the detonator went off, destroying the cannon.
"That's two." Cody said. "Status on the others?"
Spiers glanced over to where Waxer, Boil and the others were, seeing they were on the last gun.
"One cannon left sir."
Cody didn't respond, instead turning his comms on.
"Boys, one cannon left." He announced through the links. "Pick your spots and we go in at once. We're finishing this now."
"Sir, any word on General Kenobi?" Waxer inquired on his end.
His question came in the form of an explosion coming from the shield generator. There were flickering lights from the base before shutting down entirely.
The clones looked up to see the shield it was maintaining high above dispel, eliciting a cheer from the men.
A moment later, they saw their General jump out from the generator with Crys, Wooley and Burst all repelling down to join them in the fight.
It was a three-pronged assault on the last cannon, the droids putting up little more than a paltry resistance until they were eradicated.
The last proton artillery cannon was destroyed and the day was theirs.
Obi-Wan and Cody walked side-by-side at the end of it, watching as the men helped the wounded, moved the dead, a scoured the generator and cannons for anything useful such as information.
"Well done, Commander." The Jedi Master praised. "A sound strategy and execution. How much did we incur in loss?"
Cody rattled off the numbers given to him. "Five dead, eleven injured."
Obi-Wan's expression fell slightly, releasing a small sigh. "While it is advantageous that we only lost five men it is still unpleasant to hear."
The Commander took off his helmet, a wary look in his eyes as he faced his Jedi General.
"That's the price of war, General. One we're likely to pay with every battle."
Kenobi sighed, putting on a resolute expression a moment later.
"Well then, let us endeavor to make sure our men are the best and minimize our losses as best as we can, Commander."
Cody was slightly surprised by this declaration yet despite his stoic professionalism, a small smirk made its way onto his face and he nodded.
"Yes sir."
-Scene Cut-
-Modern day: Coruscant-
Captain Rex felt a strange sensation that he had never experienced in his life before.
He was born and bred to be a soldier of the Republic and for the most part, that was how he had lived his life up until joining the war officially. Being a soldier was far more taxing, straining and challenging than he had ever anticipated but the good Captain took it all on head-on without flinching.
Since then, despite the stress and many, many injuries and losses he had sustained, Captain Rex stood stronger and more ready than ever to lead and fight by his men, his Jedi General and Commander and their allies and friends in the Avengers.
And then came Deliah Blue.
Seemingly out of nowhere, this hypersocial, outgoing, kind, friendly, sexy… like really, really, REALLY sexy Zeltron woman barreled into his life like a ship through hyperspace.
She had only been around for a short while but in that period of time, Deliah seemed to make it her goal to spend as much time with him as possible, be it during training, off time, any time.
And the boys were no help.
He caught on that they encouraged her and for once, this wasn't something he could order them to stop. How could he? He knew it wouldn't work and they'd do it anyway.
Rex had tried to resist, tried to remain professional, to have it that Deliah know that he wasn't a man who was looking for… such fraternization with one of his soldiers.
The Zeltron woman brushed aside such words, her desires and wants quickly starting to overwhelm his restraints and defenses.
It wasn't long until they had their first "date" followed by their first kiss and now…
His mind was a literal haze right now after the "life-changing" experience he had recently gone through and… and… he felt really, really good.
He lay in bed, thoroughly spent.
On him lay Deliah Blue, a woman who somehow captured his heart in a short amount of time and she had given him her own.
Their first night together was intense, to say the least.
Being a Zeltron, Deliah exuded pheromones that seeped into Rex's very being whilst increasing her carnal desires tenfold. She made him experience things he never thought he'd do and every time he thought he had reached his end, a simple look, a quick gyration of her hips or flaunting of her body and he was back in the game.
Exhaling softly, Rex gently brushed aside some of her vibrant blue hair that covered her face, his hand settling upon her cheek.
She was so soft. So gentle. So sweet.
Yet there was an iron beneath her joyous character, a hardened soul he saw in her eyes.
And those eyes looked at him with unconditional, unfiltered love.
It was one of the most intense feelings he had ever felt and… he loved her in turn.
The corner of his eye caught sight of the time displayed in the room and made a small noise of discontent.
He knew he had to get going.
Despite this being the day after the celebratory party of Ultron's defeat, he still had his duties as a soldier to adhere to.
Carefully disentangling himself from Deliah, he saw the way her face scrunched up in discomfort at losing her lover as her body pillow, squirming almost. That desire to crawl back into bed with her almost overrode his pragmatic responsibility.
Shaking his head, Rex managed to spot the crumpled and wrinkled clothing he wore from the previous night scattered around the bedroom.
He found most pieces of his clothing but not his shirt.
Grunting to himself, he knew he'd had to make do with what he had on him.
Trying to smooth out his clothing, Rex exited the bedroom and gently closed the door behind him, turned and found himself right in front of Anakin Skywalker.
A very surprised and perplexed Anakin Skywalker.
"G-General." Rex stammered out, feeling his gut jump up and down inside.
Anakin gave him a look, raising his brow as he took in his attire.
"Rex." The Jedi greeted, clearly curious as to why the Captain of the 501st was in the state he was in right now. "Everything alright there?"
The Clone coughed into his hand. "Er, um, y-yes, all is well General. Just a… well, you know how it was last night."
Skywalker narrowed his eyes at that and Rex felt like seizing up.
"Yeah…" Was the slow response from the Jedi Knight. "It certainly was something… but I don't know about you, Captain. You kinda disappeared for a while. And by while, I didn't see you for the rest of the night." Then came a mischievous glint in his eyes that Rex didn't miss. "Same goes for our new chief engineer, Ms. Deliah Blue."
'Oh for Kriff's sake.' Rex internally groaned.
He opened his mouth to respond when the door behind him swung open and a pink figure pounced on him.
"Rex~~~~!" Deliah Blue whined petulantly, rubbing her face against his neck and shoulder. "Why'd you go and leave me like that without a good morning kiss?"
She wore nothing but his shirt which was large enough to cover all the essentials of her body but she wore nothing else and the Clone Captain could feel it.
And as much as his primal part wanted to enjoy the feel of her body on his again, the feelings of shame and embarrassment utterly destroyed them.
Because the shit-eating grin Anakin Skywalker currently had on him made Rex want to curl up and stay in bed all day.
"So~~" The Jedi airily said, making Deliah pause in her excessive snuggling to look up at the Force-User whose grin grew at the sight of the frazzled Zeltron. "That's what kept my first-in-command so busy all night long."
Deliah gained a measure of color on her cheeks yet all the same, there was a sultry and proud smile that appeared as she nuzzled her lover who groaned at the position he found himself in.
"Sorry general." She didn't sound sorry in the slightest. "I just had a few ideas of drills and exercises I believe Captain Rex was able to assist me in. It required a private area where we can conduct the training exercise."
Rex really wanted to die right now.
There was the sound of a snap of some kind and the Captain looked up in time to see Anakin lowering an earth device called a smartphone and the shit-eating grin he had widened considerably.
"G-General." The Captain weakly said.
"You have been granted and extended shore leave, Captain." Anakin said with all the false professionalism that made Rex both want to strangle… and hug him. "The same goes for you, Chief Engineer Blue."
The grin coupled with the lustful way shit bit her lip as she caught Rex's eyes was an intoxicating sight.
"Try not to be too loud, yeah?" Anakin conversationally said as he turned to leave, not giving his Captain a chance to respond.
"General." Rex protested. "A-Anakin!"
Skywalker only laughed, waving his hand goodbye, making Rex hang his head in defeat.
So much for a soldier's duty and responsibility.
He felt a hot breath on his ear, followed by soft lips nibbling on his neck.
"So my Captain," Deliah whispered sensually. "Care to pick up where we left off from last night? That was only the appetizer, my Captain. There is still so much to learn."
Rex hung his head for a few seconds until he slowly angled his head back to gaze at Blue, a gleam in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine, her toes curling.
"Much to learn you say?" He said in a low voice, making goosebumps appear all over her body. "Then I guess I better hammer them into you."
Spinning around, Rex surprised her by hefting her up off her feet.
Her small shriek of surprise turned into a joyful laugh which then morphed into a lustful moan as Rex silenced her with a deep kiss, the Zeltron wrapping her arms and legs around him as he went back into the bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind him.
AN
So this was a relatively short chapter and one I wanted to get out sooner than later. There was a lot more that could have been done but that'll be covered in the rest of this arc.
That's right, focusing on a clone-specific arc, continuing the Band of Brothers theme only this time, we're delving headfirst into it.
Figured a good starting point was with the two most famous of the clone legions and such, the 501st and 212th. The rest will also be getting spotlighted in this arc as we expand on the clone characters, their thoughts, philosophies and such.
Jeb, Bullet and I have been extremely busy in our real lives, primarily work being a stank nasty bitch that just NEEDS to fuck us in one-way shape or form.
Annoying but that's life and we gotta pay our bills somehow.
So anyway, we are here at the next arc, the first of three, that's right you heard me, three arcs that are character-focused for the most part, concentrating on progressing, reflecting and expanding upon the heroes of Infinite Wars.
As to why I'm doing this now is presently due to the sheer SIZE of Season 4. I knew that not every character would have their chance to show off growth and change other than in small scenes or it's all off-screen. In that, these three arcs, while having progression of plot, are to help give major character work for a lot of our heroes that can be allowed to be expanded upon in the smaller instances in the future.
This will be fun.
Plus, I have a new poll out.
Saw some resistance to Cody and She-Hulk so I leave it in your hands, folks. Yay or Nay to Cody and if not, who else for our Jade Giant? Been a while since we had one so go nuts.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.