Author's Note

Before we begin this chapter. I just want to thank everybody for taking the time out to read this work of fiction, dedicating time that could be spent reading much better fics than this.

And also to those who have created Original Clones to be inserted into this story. This has been just as much your journey as it is mine. I raise a glass to Alicorns: The Clone Wars. A project that is over 1 year and 1/2 old. And also to another 1 and 1/2 as we have now reached the halfway point.

This is General Jo, a proud Brony and Star Wars Fan, who is forever thankful to the people who read my story, and to those who have yet to begin their journey through the Clone Wars.

Without further ado, let us begin...

Chapter 18: Mimban Killing Grounds

If Celestia could describe the most foul, disgusting, wretched cesspool, she would be describing a paradise in comparison to Mimban. This mud filled swamp world was her new home for the time being, as the Separatists have made headway in their campaign.

The 187th was sent to the planet to help hold the line as the 224th “Mud Jumpers” were severely understrength. The line has been stalemated since the invasion began, nearly one whole Galactic Cycle ago, just weeks after the First Battle of Geonosis. The 224th were specialized in this kind of warfare, but were not prepared for such a long battle. Their numbers dwindled and most of their officers were dead within weeks of the campaign.

For three grueling weeks, the 187th has had to slug it out, fighting both droids and nature. The near constant rain made the ground mushy and hard to step in. She had already lost several men when they sank into the mud. Tanks would get bogged down on the “roads” between cities, leaving them open to ambush. If Celestia’s unit would ever be transferred off of this slimeball, it would be the greatest gift the Jedi Council could give her.

She sat in the Command AT-TE with the rest of the officers, going over a plan of attack. One of the largest cities on Mimban, a large mining settlement in the Western Hemisphere, was one of the last Separatists in the sector, and it served as their main landing stage for the planet.

General Windu ordered her to take the settlement and secure the surrounding area to prevent reinforcements from arriving. It was going to be a challenge. Normally, she would rely on the native Mimbanese scouts to give her the intelligence, but none have returned. Which meant she was now going to have to rely on her ARF companies.

It was beyond risky, it was a suicide mission. But she could not form a better plan, beyond a full frontal assault, without intelligence. She turned her head to face the trooper that had just entered. It was Sergeant Blindside, leader of her ARF troopers. He stood with his helmet in his hands and saluted. She gave a quick salute back, giving him the chance to stand at ease.

“Alright Sergeant, here is the situation.” she activated the holomap of the city and began her briefing.

“Our native scouts have yet to report back on the enemy strength of this settlement. We have no intel on their numbers, their positions, or their defensive capabilities. As you know, I will not charge blindly into enemy guns. We are supposed to be smarter than our enemy, not dumber. I want your squads to scout the outskirts and give me a rough idea of what we can expect when we begin our assault.”

She sighed. “Normally, I would wait before making any moves, but General Windu has given us a time limit. We must take this settlement within three days. We’re still a day’s march from the settlement as this muck is slowing our progress even more. You’ll take the speeder bikes and provide information as you receive it. Am I understood?”

Blindside nodded. “Very well, dismissed. You leave in 30.” The ARF trooper saluted, placed his helmet back on his head, and stepped out. Celestia could feel the gazes of her officers on her. The pest few months have been hard on her men. General Windu has been pushing them hard, far greater than they were used to. The 187th has hardly had any rest since the incident with Boba Fett. Celestia hasn’t even had the chance to contact her sisters and see how they were doing.

The last thing she had heard was from Luna. She spoke of the worry she had for their youngest. Her nightmares were getting worse, and she seemed to be more distant from everyone, especially General Kenobi. Once the Seppies were driven from Mimban, Celestia was making a personal call to get some answers from Cadence.

Ronan groaned as his boot hand sunken into the mud. For the fifth time this week. He quickly pulled it out and sat on his speeder bike. The AT-TEs and AT-OTs stomped past him. He hated riding around in the rain while the regulars got to stay nice and dry. He sighed. Tis the life of an ARF Trooper. The scout trooper ceased his inner grumbling when his commanding officer approached. The rest of the squad did the same as Blindside approached. The sergeant simply marched to his speeder and sat down.

“Alright, this is going to be brief. We’re scouting out a local settlement that the droids are using for a landing zone to supply their operation. General wants this done in three days, so-”

“So Celestia obliged?” Sneaks interrupted, earning a glare from Blindside.

“She followed orders, which is what you’re all going to do, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Every trooper in the ARF Platoon knew how Blindside felt about soldiers who questioned orders. More than enough of them were transferred out when they questioned their assignments. Sneaks was very lucky to be on a timed mission, or the sergeant would have gladly taken the time out to chew him out.

“Good, so we go in, scout of their defenses and report back before they begin the assault.” He got into a comfortable position on his speeder bike and turned his head to the men, who were following his example.

“Let’s move out!” With a rev of the engine, the bike sped off, leaving the rest of the men to catch up. Ronan grumbled as he sped off. ARFs were ready to move out at any time, but to be sent out without a proper briefing was a little ridiculous, even by their standards. A part of him wondered what would have happened if he had been assigned to the 501st like he had hoped. Would Luna have taken the orders from her General? Or would she have disobeyed and come up with something better? He was not sure and he knew he should never ask such a question about his commanding officer. He was just tired. Tired of the mud, tired of the constant moving around, tired of the war.

It was nothing like he had expected, nothing like the stories told to him as a cadet. There was no glory, no grand victory. It was only one firefight to the next, death and destruction at every inch. Ronan hated every moment of it.

Havoc stood next to Celestia as she went over reports from other fronts. His battalion was sent alongside her’s to provide support and the necessary transportation and armor for the assault. He stroked his ever growing beard in thought as the alicorn commander went over every single detail of the reports. It was not good. Troops were either on the retreat or stalled just short of their objectives. At this rate, the 187th would be wiped out, and Mimban would be in Separatist hands.

General Windu seemed to stay in the rear much more often, instead of leading the charge like he used to. Not that he blamed the Jedi, not entirely, at least. More and more Jedi were getting killed each day, either being overwhelmed by droids or cut down by General Grievous. If a Jedi Council Member were to fall, this would give the Separatists all of the fuel they need to boost their morale and their drive to destroy the Republic. Havoc would be damned before he let that happen.

Sneaks was laying down in a field, looking toward the settlement with binoculars. So far, he could not see much of a defense. Only a handful of droid patrol squads and an AAT at the main bridge.

The settlement itself was surrounded by a moat, with only two bridges that allowed crossing. Tall buildings blocked much of the view into the settlement, so he could not determine what lies beyond the bridges. It was large enough to be a city, if only the mining company ever bothered to name it. He could see buildings stretch all the way to the horizon. The streets were narrows, except for the wide main avenue that connected every single road to the center of the settlement.

“We might finally catch a break, sir.” Sneaks said into his comms. “There’s hardly anything here.”

“Don’t get cocky, trooper.” Blindside warned. “We still need intel on what’s inside.” Sneaks nodded, then crawled back behind the hill to his speeder. He looked around to make sure no one could see him as he climbed on and activated the engine. The trooper sped off to meet with the others, who were already gathered near one of the bridges. Once he stopped, Blindside began making a plan.

“Alright, we’re going to cross this bridge, here. Since there are only two small squads, we can take them out before they raise the alarm. Once we’re across, we split into teams of three and scout out some of the buildings. If we can ca=onfirm what we’re up against once inside, we can give the Commander the information.” The sergeant turned to Sneaks.

“Send her the numbers we have now and let her know we’re pushing in. We’ll report back once we’re done.”

Sneaks nodded and transmitted the information. Ronan shook his head. Sneaking around was not one of his favorite things to do. His stomach churned at the thought.

“Excellent work, trooper. Proceed with the mission.”

“Green light, sir.” Blindside nodded.

“Alright, let’s move out ARF Troopers!”

R-442 was bored out of its circuits. It had to stand and guard the bridge all day. His battery was close to critical levels and the mud was getting into its joints. It hoped to be joining the action, like the rest of its factory group, but no. It had to be assigned the most boring post in the droid army.

A loud thunk broke it from its inner complaining. It looked right to see its fellow guard fall to the ground. A blue bolt slammed into the B2 that was with them, destroying it instantly. Within moments, the rest of 442’s squad was destroyed. It had just enough time to see a clone riding a speeder as it ran it over.

With its last few seconds of power, it transmitted an emergency code to Command.

In the tallest building of the settlement, General Grievous stood before the hologram image of Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress.

“So while you failed to secure the Fett DNA, you say you’ve successfully taken the Alicorn’s DNA?” The Count stroked his beard in thought.

Asajj bowed. “Yes, my Master. I have already prepared it to be sent to you as requested.” Dooku nodded, then turned to Grievous.

“And General, I must congratulate you. While you were not able to halt the production of clones, your plan was successful in causing significant damage. I expect the Republic Forces on Mimban are being dealt with?”

“Of course, My Lord. The Republic counter attack has been halted, and soon, with the new weapons and equip0ment, their troops will be wiped off the face of this Galaxy.” The General clenched his metal claw.

Grievous felt like he was on top of the world once again. After weeks of failures, he is finally able to report success to his Master.

But it seemed that the Galaxy was against him as one of his subordinates chose that moment to enter.

“General, our bridge post was wiped out by a Republic Scout Squad.” The General turned to the droid, who flinched under his destructive gaze.

“General.” The cyborg almost flinched himself at that tone. It held disappointment and contempt. Anyone who brought out such tones from the Count always ended up dead within hours. “If the Republic manages to secure this landing site, Mimban cannot be held. I expect you to take care of this.” Grievous turned and bowed, ignoring the smug look on Ventress’ face.

“I will deal with these clones, myself.” Without another word, he turned and left to deal with this minor annoyance.

Dooku turned to his apprentice. “Return to me as soon as possible. You will receive further instruction later.” Asajj bowed and deactivated her comms. Dooku did the same, leaving the General to deal with the Republic.

Ronan watched as the rest of the squad moved off to scout out the city. He was left with another brother, Spear, to clean up the mess and hold the point for the ARF Squad to escape, should they need to. The trooper never realized how heavy a B1 was. He had more respect for 99 and the other maintenance clones that had to clean up after his messes back in training.

With a loud grunt, he picked up the droid scrap and tossed it over the side of the bridge. It splashed into the swampy waters below and disappeared below the surface. If the trooper had leaned over a little more, he would’ve seen the small explosive charges activating on the support beams.

Sneaks slowly entered a building through a door in the alleyway. Two other troopers covered his rear as he scanned the room. It was empty, with only a few scraps of random objects strewn all over the floor. His helmet light hit a picture frame on the wall. Inside the frame was the holoimage of a family. The moving image displayed a daughter happily playing with her parents, one dressed as a miner.

Sneaks couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Mimbanese. They didn’t ask to be invaded, to be driven from their homes, and killed by heartless machines. He wondered where the family was now, and if they were alive. He shook away the thoughts as he moved into the next room. His teammates followed closely behind. Watching them enter the building from a nearby apartment was a pair of MagnaGuard droids.

--

Blindside finished his sweep of the second floor. The building seemed clean. Something wasn’t right. The ARFs had spotted nothing since entering the settlement. A city of this scale should have patrols everywhere, especially with the strategic importance it held.

Anyone else would assume that the droids might have been pulled out or were stretched thomas they waited for reinforcements. But Blindside didn’t stay alive long enough to make such a mistake. He signaled for the other clones to make their way out as he activated comms.

“Sneaks, get your men back to the bikes and back over the bridge, now.”

“....”

“Sneaks, respond, over.”

“....”

“Sneaks, come in.” The trooper fiddled with his comms, hoping that it was just a faulty communicator or that Sneaks simply changed frequencies by mistake. Nothing. Blindside’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. They were being jammed.

A loud thud made him whip his head around. At the foot of the doorway was one of his troopers, his chest plate scorched and his body smoking. A large metallic foot appeared from the side, followed by a MagnaGuard with an electro staff. Blindside unholstered his dual pistols and opened fire. Three shots hit the droid, sending it to the ground. A second Guard appeared and leaped over its fallen comrade.

Blindside took a step back as the droid landed in front of him and thrust its staff forward. The sergeant narrowly avoided the electrified tip and fired a single shot at the droid’s face. The bolt slammed into its eye, instantly knocking out its circuits. It fell to the ground, giving Blindside the chance to escape. In the hall, he could see the body of the second trooper, who was impaled in the wall.

How had he not heard this? That did not matter, he had to find Sneaks and the others and escape. He had to warn Celestia that it was all a trap.

--

Sneaks ducked down as his brother’s body was used as a weapon. The pair of Magna Guards had ambushed his team when they entered the second floor of the building. It was so sudden. His brothers stood no chance as they were quickly electrocuted by the Guards’ infamous electro staff.

He fired a shot from his carbine into the large red light of the first Guard. It broke through and destroyed the inner circuits almost instantly. It stuttered before falling to the floor. The second slammed its hand into the side of his head and knocked him to the floor. Before he could react, it drove its staff into his abdomen. Sneaks cried out in pain as thousands of volts burned his insides to a crisp. A blue bolt shot through the Guard’s head, disabling it immediately. The body fell to the floor, letting go of the deactivated staff.

Sneaks could see Blindside in his blurring vision. His sergeant ran up and knelt down beside him. He grabbed the staff and carefully pulled it out. Sneaks’ world went white with pain. He screamed as the long staff was pulled out and tossed aside.

Blindside placed a hand behind his head to keep it leveled. Sneaks looked at his squad leader with a pained filled expression.

“S-sorry, sir.”

“No worries, trooper. It’ll be alright. Now come on, we’ve got to-”

“No… sir. I… I can’t.” Blindside looked at the wound. He could see his brother’s organs. They were blacked and sliced open in more places than he could count. With a shaky nod, he looked back at his face.

“Okay, let me give you a little bit of this.” He pulled out a bacta syringe and injected the drug into the wounded clone’s system. Sneaks grunted as the bacta got to work numbing the pain.

“I… I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t-”

“You were great, Sneaks. You actually got one.” Blindside chuckled a little. “Not even the Commander could boast that.” He sighed and looked at the other dead clones before turning back to Sneaks. “Just rest, trooper. You earned it.”

“S-sir, save the others.” Sneaks reached into his pack and pulled out a thermal detonator.

Blindside recoiled. “Sneaks-” He stopped to listen. More footsteps were coming from the hallway. Metallic footsteps. The clankers brought reinforcements. He had to leave. The sergeant nodded and stood up. Sneaks clumsily pulled out his sidearm and aimed with a shaky hand at the door. Blindside looked out the window to see a vacant speeder bike.

With one last look at Sneaks, he jumped out the window and landed next to the bike. He wasted no time getting on and driving off.

Sneaks laughed as the first droid entered. He fired his first shot, killing it instantly with a shot to the chest. A second one entered and was also taken down. Then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. The sixth got lucky. It fired and hit his firing shoulder. He dropped the pistol with a grunt and pressed the button on the detonator.

The droid squad entered the room and aimed their blasters at the wounded ARF Trooper. He grinned as he raised the detonator. It began to rapidly beep, announcing its final countdown.

“It’s been fun, clankers…. But I don’t take prisoners.” The device detonated, destroying the entire room, along with the droid squad, and ARF Trooper Sneaks.

Blindside didn’t look back as he heard the explosion. He didn’t need to. He was going to make sure Sneaks’ story would make it back to the Republic. But first, he had to warn Celestia. In the distance, he could see Ronan and his teammate standing guard. He opened up the throttle and charged toward them.

--

Ronan turned to see Blindside coming toward them like Hell was on his heels. He grabbed his blaster and stood up.

Rapid beepings turned his attention to the side of the bridge, where he could see explosives blinking in the final countdown. He snapped his head around to his brother.

“Off the bridge!” The trooper turned to run while he waved Blindside off. When the last shrill beep went off, he made a quick decision. He jumped over the side. The explosion sent him into the air.

Blindside was tossed from his speeder. Spear was consumed in the blast.

Ronan landed in the muddy waters below. His world went black.

Celestia sighed as she was told. There were no further reports from the ARFs. She stepped out of the command tank to see her men gathered around in a makeshift camp. They huddled around onto whatever wasn’t sinking into the mud. It pained her to see her men suffer like this, and she had no idea how many of them would die in the next battle. She opened her wings and flew onto the roof of her tank. The position gave her a perfect view of the settlement in the distance. She scanned the outskirts and saw exactly what Blindside had last reported.

Small patrol squads and a single AAT. But something was different. She activated her comms. “Havoc, did Blindside report two bridges intact?”

“I believe so, why?” That was it. Celestia looked at the second bridge further away, or what was left of it. It does not take a genius to figure out the rest.

“Because this attack is now a rescue operation. Prepare the men to move out at first light. Increase the pickets.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The comm went silent and Celestia looked over everything again. This was a trap, and now she had no choice. She had to launch a full scale assault.

Havoc scanned the area through his binoculars. Nothing changed in the droid defences. It was strange and it left him feeling uneasy. But nevertheless, he had orders to follow. The AT-TEs were all lined up, with their turrets facing different targets. Some were pointed at the droid squads, two were zoned in on the tank, and the rest aimed at possible sniper positions within the city. Behind him, the sun began to rise.

-

Celestia stood behind the tanks with her men, who were doing last minute preparations to their equipment: checking their weapons, securing their supplies, fixing comms, and loading up energy packs. The 187th was ready to face whatever lies beyond that moat.

The alicorn felt the sun rise behind her. Her body was filled with energy that she only ever had during bright and sunny days. She was going to need it if her instincts told her anything. With one last look to her men, she took a deep breath and gave the order.

“Havoc, let’s begin.”

“Understood.”

--

“All tanks, open fire!” The first tank fired, then the second, and the third, and soon, a pattern of shots took form as the first shots were fired. Most hit their mark. The AAT was destroyed. Some of the droid squads were now scrap heaps, and the buildings were toppled.

“Charge!” Celestia flew past him, followed by her troopers, AT-RTs, and TX-130 Saber Tanks. Havoc scanned for more targets and relayed them to the gunners. Red bolts appeared from other buildings, taking pot shots at the clones moving across the open ground. Havoc scanned the buildings to identify the targets.

They were the new droideka based sniper droids, with blast shields that kept them safe from the standard small arms. Good thing his tanks weren’t small arms. “Focus fire on those buildings!” The walkers’ turrets turned and fired at the buildings, blowing holes in the tall structures.

-

Shotwire ducked as a red bolt screamed past his head. It slammed into a trooper that was directly behind him. He could hear and see the tank rounds firing overhead, vaporizing targets within the city. His eyes followed one round that impacted directly across the bridge. In front of him, his brothers charged forward. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a flash from a building, followed by a smoke trail.

“Rocket!” The missile slams into the ground in front of him, knocking the trooper back. Other troopers were also sent flying from the impact. Shotwire’s vision blurred and his ears were ringing. His movement was sluggish as he tried to get up. An armored hoof appeared before him. The engineer looked up to see Celestia looking down at him with a glowing horn.

“Get up, Corporal Shotwire!” She ordered as she picked the trooper up. “We do not stop moving!” She threw him onto his feet and his legs went back to work. His vision cleared and he could hear clearly again. He grabbed a carbine from the ground and continued his charge.

-

Indie crouched down on the edge of the bridge. A bolt slams into the ground behind him. He takes a deep breath before raising his blaster and firing at the droids on the other side of the bridge. Other troopers lined up next to him and did the same. Some troopers made an attempt to reach the other side of the bridge, when a window on the second floor of a building opened. A heavy blaster appeared in the window and took aim at the advancing clones.

The droid opened fire and cut down the clones halfway across the bridge. Indie turned to see the carnage, then turned to his troopers.

“Back, get back!” Two troopers do not receive the message in time and are gunned down. The rest make their way back to the other side to find better cover.

--

Havoc follows the troopers on the bridge, then trails the blaster fire to the turret in the building. He signals for an AT-TE to take it out. The tank’s top turret takes aim. The gunner waits for the computer to lock in the target before squeezing the trigger. The gun fires, sending the large energy round toward the building.

The droid sees the incoming fire and does the one thing it can do. Stand there in acceptance and say “Uh oh.” The building explodes, sending debris everywhere. Havoc watched the impact from his position and saw more movement in the building.

“Tanks 3 and 5, target the ground floor. Bring that building down.” Tank 5 aims its turret at the ground floor. Tank 3 lowers the elevation to match. They fire at the same time, sending twice the explosive charge. The explosion was much larger, this time consuming the whole building. The metal structure buckled, groaning and screeching as the walls warped and the roof caved in. The entire structure collapsed within itself, sending smoke and debris everywhere.

--

Troopers cheered as the building came down and the remaining droids retreated into the city. AT-RTs charged across the bridge and the infantry followed close behind. Last to cross were the Saber tanks. On the beam cannon of one such tank was Tech, a clone dunner with the 187th Tank Company. His tank, “Droid Popper” was in the middle of the convoy while his commander, Captain Steele, sat in “Heavy Hitter” in the rear. “Curb Stomper” took the lead as they crossed into the city. Smoke obscured his vision, but that did not faze the crews as they pushed forward.

From both sides of his vision, he could see infantry moving into buildings and walking alongside the tanks. The AT-RTs pulled off to the side to allow the repulsor tanks through. The scout walkers were good for many things, close quarter urban combat was not one of them. The troopers on board waved them off as they set up a perimeter around the bridge. This was their only way to escape the city without having to swim, and that water did not look very swimmable.

“Gunners, watch the windows and rooftops.” Steele warned. “This whole city just became a hostile fortress. Out.”

The tanks advanced down the street further into the city. It was quiet. Far too quiet for an enemy stronghold.

“All squads, report.” Came Commander Celestia’s voice.

“Nothing here, moving through the market area, now.”

“All clear around the bridge.”

“Nothing in the residential block.”

“This place is dead.” Tech muttered to himself. He scanned the rooftop of a building directly in front of him. All clear.

The first tank turned a corner, then a red bolt impacted the gunner’s shield. The gunner ducked down as a second bolt hit the tank again. Tech readied his beam cannon as his tank turned the corner. On the roof of a building further down, he could see… nothing.

“Can you see it?!” The third tank gunner asked frantically.

“I see nothing!” The first gunner said, just as panicked. Blaster fire echoed through the streets. It was like some had just flipped a switch and turned on the war.

“This is Solar 1-2, we’re taking fire from multiple buildings, pulling back to regroup!”

“Solar 2-1 is pinned down, requesting support, over!”

“Solar 2-2 is hit! I’m down to half a squad!”

“All units, proceed on mission! Secure strongpoints in the city and stay calm!” How could they stay calm? It’s hard to stay calm when you can’t even see the enemy! Tech spotted movement on a nearby apartment block. With a squint, he could make out thin figures moving into positions.

“Droids!” He held down the trigger and opened fire. A long blue beam of energy trailed from his gun to the target, which was a B1 battle droid with a sniper rifle. The other droids aimed and returned fire.

The first tank swerved left, right into the path of a rocket. Tech watched the gunner launch from the exploding vehicle and land several feet away. His lower half burnt to ash.

“Get us outta here!” He screamed as he fired a second beam. It cut through several droids, including the one with the rocket launcher. They driver floored it, accelerating to escape the killzone. More droids appeared in windows, using a wide range of weapons. Red bolts peppered the tank, forcing Tech to duck down to avoid losing his head. The gunner behind him did his best, but the beam could only cut through so many before needing to prime another shot. The tanks swerved around corners, almost sending their gunners flying from their seats.

As his tank rounded a corner, Tech could see a droid preparing a rocket launcher. He would not be able to prime a shot in time. The droid pressed the trigger, launching the rocket. Tech had only a second to react. He jumped from the turret and away from the tank. The rocket rammed through the cockpit, exploding where his feet should have been. The explosion sends him into the air. He could see the second floor of a building before he made his downward descent. With loud, sickening crunches, he hit the dirt.

A trooper appears from inside the building and drags the unconscious Tech inside. Just as the third tank explodes and consumes its crew in flames.

Celestia growled as she listened in on comms. More reports were coming in. Almost every platoon in the city was taking fire. Some were taking heavier casualties than others. She knew it was a trap, and now she was going to pay the price. “All units, set up defenses wherever you are and hold tight.” She had to make a new plan, and it was going to be hard if her units were moving around without proper coordination. She looked over the map that one of her men found in a communication center. Already, it was covered in markings and colored lines to represent the situation as far as she knew. It was a mess, to say the least. .

It was supposed to be a simple push toward the Industrial Sector, where the landing pads were located. But now her squads were scattered and confused. It was time to come up with a better plan.

Shotwire dragged the tank gunner inside, placing him against the wall furthest away from the building. His sergeant, Fours, was talking to his second-in-command, Twos.

“This isn’t good, sir. We need to fall back-”

“No, we make our stand here. Those are our orders.” Fours shot back, glaring at Twos for making such a suggestion. “Now, take a fire team and secure the second floor. We’ll turn this place into a stronghold and wait for further orders.”

Twos nodded and signaled his fire team over. Shotwire made sure the gunner was comfortable before joining them. “Okay, Shotwire, Shock. On me, we search each room. Stay away from the windows.” He turned to Shock. “Shock, you’re on point.” The trooper nodded and walked over to the stairs.

Shotwire stacked up behind him, then followed by Twos. Shock slowly stepped up the stairs, weapon raised. The hallway was clear, but that meant nothing to the troopers. They continued to march slowly down the empty hall, aiming at the doorways leading to other rooms. There were three doorways, meaning there were three chances for an ambush. Shock stepped lightly over to the first door. Shotwire stood on the other side. Twos covered the hall. Shock kicked in the door and Shotwire charged in.

He scanned the room and found nothing. Just overturned furniture. “Clear!” He exited the room and leaned up against the second door. Twos moved opposite of him as Shock covered them. Shotwire pressed a button on a panel, opening the door. Twos moved in. There was a few seconds of silence.

“Clear!” Shock and Shotwire moved to the next door as Twos moved out. Once ready, the two troopers nodded. Shock kicked open the door and was consumed in a small explosion. Shotwire was knocked back and Twos shielded his faceplate from the heat.

“Shock!” The two troopers ran to their wounded comrade, who groaned in pain. Shotwire looked his teammate over. His armor was covered in burn marks and missing in a few areas. His helmet’s visor was broken, revealing his burnt face to them both. Shock writhed on the floor as the pain set in.

“Medic!” Shotwire called out and in seconds, a trooper charged up the stairs. He pulled out a syringe of bacta and injected it into Shock’s neck. The medic then took the opportunity to check him over and sighed. He looked at Twos and shook his head.

Twos nodded solemnly and gestured for the medic to carry on. He then looked at Shotwire.

“Come on, let’s get going.”

“But what about…” Twos shook his head and Shotwire understood. Shock was not going to make it. He looked down at the scorched soldier and exhaled slowly. “It’ll be okay, brother. Just stay here. Bacta should make you feel better shortly.” If Shock heard him, he made no attempt to acknowledge him.

Shotwire and Twos stood up and moved on, clearing what was left of the third room. Nothing. It was empty. They left the room and moved back downstairs, leaving Shock alone to succumb to his wounds.

It took some time, but Celestia finally came up with a plan. It was going to require air support, however, and that’s exactly why she was trying to contact High Command. It took a little while for anyone to pick up her signal. Surprisingly, it was General Windu.

“Commander, what’s the status of that settlement?”

Celestia sighed before speaking. “It’s bad, sir. The droids left a trap for us, and now we’re stuck in the city. We can’t leave because they’ll launch an assault while we’re out in the open, and it’s going to be almost impossible to move around in the streets without being picked off by snipers and rocket teams.”

Windu placed a hand on his chin in thought. “I see.” He paused. “Please, continue.”

“To put it bluntly, sir. I need air support, and I need it now. I’ve already picked out key targets that require air strikes-”

“I’m afraid we have no assets available at this time.” Her ears shot up and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, but with all of the other offensives taking place, all of our fighters and bombers are on mission. I cannot send anything that far out at this time.”

“B-but, sir. I was told this was a priority mission.”

“I am aware, but you must understand that there are other battalions that need the air support as well.” He spoke slowly, as if explaining this to a child, rather than a commander that was losing men every minute this conversation dragged out.

“General, with all due respect, I need that air support, now. If I cannot take this city, then-”

“The city does not need to be taken yet, Commander. So long as you contest their primary landing zone, the Separatists cannot reinforce their frontline.”

Celestia could not believe this. She had to be hearing wrong. It sounded as if General Windu did not want them to succeed. As if he was complacent with simply fighting a stalemate rather than win.

A clone approached and saluted. “Sir, the Jedi Council is awaiting your call.” Windu nodded and turned back to Celestia.

“Press on if possible, Commander. Otherwise, hold position until further notice. Out.” Celestia opened her mouth to retort when the communication was cut. Every clone stared at her as she stood there, mouth agape. Her chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. Her eyes were glowing orbs of flames. She growled and slammed into the holotable, leaving a sizable dent.

She could not believe this. General Windu, a Jedi she thought she could trust, had just abandoned her men to a stalemate. Because he was unwilling to stay a course of action he had set forth.

Now, it was down to her, another day, where she has to fix everything and deal with the losses these corrections will create.

“Fine then, General. I will press on.” She turned to her men, some of them covered in bandages. They all stared back at her with worry and fear in their eyes. “We are soldiers of the Republic. Clones of the Might Jango Fett. We are superior to these droids, and they will learn that tonight! Tonight, we take this city! Not for the Republic and not for the Jedi, but for ourselves!”

“We will take this city because it is our brothers that are dying here! Our blood, which is boiling for a fight! This is our fight, our blood, our war!” Troopers nodded and grabbed their blasters.

“We will end this war, and our march to victory starts tonight, right here!” She used her magic to grab her rotary cannon. “So let’s get marching!” Troopers raised their fists in the air and cheered.

Celestia activated her comms and relayed her plan to all Company Commanders and stood before her brothers. Her mane, once tied down, was now flowing freely in the breeze. She smiled with determination at her men before placing her helmet back on her head, retying her mane as she did so.

Havoc began moving his walkers across the bridge. He gave her a two finger salute as he stood tall on top of the lead walker. She nodded her head and turned toward the frontline. Down the main street, she could see droids behind sandbag positions, supported by AATs that began to fire.

Their rounds hit the ground around her, but she did not falter. The alicorn held firm in her stance. “Charge!”

The Clone Troopers ran forward, following their Commander as she began her sprint toward the droid position. Havoc’s tanks opened fire.

Shotwire followed Twos and Fours as they ran forward.

Indie led his men forward, staying close behind his sister.

The 187th Clone Battalion charged forward. Their March to Victory had begun.