24 Turning Point

Part 1

Conference room, Republic cruiser Requiem, Task Force "Retribution" Flagship; High Orbit over Ryloth

"We'll have Galactic Mercy arriving in system within the next seventy two hours, sir." informed us Piett.

"Thank you ensign." I answered.

The command staff of the fleet and ground forces were gathered for another conference. This time we had more information to work with. The first recon flight over Ryloth were completed and we had some data from the people we saved when we took the freighters. It wasn't good...

"This...This is madness!" exclaimed Anakin after examining few images of processing camps set up by the CIS.

The population of whole regions was being gathered in such places, which were a high tech version of something a Nazi would have approved. Then they sorted the people in two groups – prospective slaves who were either collared or implanted with slave chip(which did have an explosive charge built in), and the rest, who were left to rot in awful conditions. What made those places deathtraps was the fact that after the invasion, the logistics network on Ryloth had broken. As a result, there was no longer food, and in places not even sufficient water, reaching the camps.

Whether that was an oversight which had murderous repercussions on the locals or by design of some madman within the CIS rank, we didn't know. However in either case, the outcome was the same. There were already hundreds of thousands starving with a lot of people, especially those in camps near the deserts, dying from thirst.

"The only places more or less functioning are the towns and cities near major industrial or mining centers. While occupied, the people in those settlements are left largely alone as long as they meet the CIS production quotas. If they fail at it or show any resistance, the locals are sent at one of the camps to be turned into slaves." finished Piett.

"While there are few resistance movements, their success is less than one can usually expect on a world as Ryloth." added Commander Cody.

"Its hard to be a guerillas, when there is no population in which to disappear, as is the case over most of the planet." I muttered.

"Most concerning is what we were told by the people we liberated." said Ahsoka, pointing at one particular stack of pads, amongst the many covering the table.

"The proton cannons." grumbled Rex.

"That's correct, Captain." I said. "We have to deal with at least three artillery sites with overlapping range, or land on the other side of the planet from our most important target."

"Wat Tambor." Anakin spat the name of the Sep leader who was responsible for the mess below us.

"If we can capture him, Ryloth is as good as free. He will have deactivation codes for the droid armies on the planet." said Kenobi.

I stared at the holomap of Ryloth which was projected over the table.

"The easy way is out." I grumbled.

The cannons in question were placed in the middle of settlements, with the local population used as live shields. So taking them out with orbital strikes wasn't on the table. At least for now.

"We need to insert small number of ground forces, who are to take out at least three of those sites. Then our Acclamators can land safely." said Skywalker.

"Those three." I pointed at a specific point of the world map. "They will give us an access to a few mountain passes leading to the Capital and will provide cover from enemy proton cannons on the other side of the mountain range. The city itself is on the edge of the desert," I studied the terrain for a moment. "On three sides it has nice, clear open terrain for hundreds of kilometers around. If Tambor calls for reinforcements, we will be able to take them out easily, before they are in range to cause any trouble. If they use people as shields, our cruisers' turbolasers can turn the desert into a lava field, cutting off the capital from ground bound help."

"And once we have Tambor..." Anakin trailed off.

I could sense the barely restrained anger raging within his heart. What we found on those freighters hit him hard.

"Considering our glaring lack of commando units, the three strike teams will be lead by me and the Jedi. Admiral Yularen," I nodded respectfully at the man. "Will take command of the fleet. On a brighter note, I spoke with General Valentra. We should receive few more cruisers and escorts before the day is over. Hopefully those ships as well as our fleet will be able to discourage the CIS from contesting the orbitals."

It was time to get close and personal with the separatists.

Unfortunately my newest apprentice would be unable to join us for at least a day. She had exhausted herself while we were clearing up the freighters. A significant part of her Force powers were used in sustaining her, because of the genetic damage I was unable to fix.

The good news was that I had contacted few scientists on Coruscant who were already looking into the problem. Unfortunatelly they were at least months from a viable cure.

=RK=

LAAT gunship, en route to Alpha Site, Ryloth

We plunged through the atmosphere behind three Assault Ships. Each of the Acclamators was targeting a separate settlement, using its heavy shields and armor as a barricade between the proton cannons and the Gunships deploying three companies of clone troopers.

Those were Torrent from Skywalker's 501st, Ghost from 212th Attack Battalion under Commander Cody, and Krayt company under Captain Cat, from my own 11th Legion.

Below us could be seen the dying glare of proton explosions. The Acclamators blew up a heavy torpedo each, in the upper atmosphere, blinding sensors on the ground for a short period of time. It bought us only a couple of minutes, but that was better than nothing. At any rate, the Assault Ships did their jobs and retreated with medium damage from the enemy bombardment.

The LAATs carrying us flew at the ground at insane velocity, fighting to pass under the proton cannon's engagement envelopes as soon as possible. Our passage through the Ryloth airspace was hazardous, with cannon shells configured as makeshift flak exploding nearby and rocking the gunships.

One of the LAAT's was crippled from a near miss by warhead meant to contest an Assault ship's defenses. It's left side was cut to pieces, and it fell to the ground as a brick, trailing smoke and bodies behind. A shell blew up behind another, totaling its engines and the stricken transport continued flying at the ground at top speed. It struck nose first, compressing the craft into a metal pancake, for a brief instant, before its on board weapons and fuel detonated thanks to the impact.

The rest of us made it in one piece and I was thankful for insisting that each bird carried only a single squad each. When the gunships touched down, we disembarked hastily and hurried to assemble within the forest surrounding the small clearing where we landed.

On my way to the tree cover, I idly noticed a huge dead insect, which was half devoured. Two brownish, armored beings were running away, spooked from the LAAT's. I hate insects. Especially the damn big ones. It was a side effect from my time fighting those damn things on Alderaan during the war.

I glared at the retreating forms and continued running to the trees.

We had to hurry. It was a race between a bunch of enemy reinforcements trying to reach the village we were about to strike (if they didn't get wrecked by orbital strikes) and us taking down the cannons.

My sight lingered over the equipment carried by my men. Most of them were lugging heavy blasters, man-portable cannons and repeaters as well as missile launchers.

The Jedi in contrast had their troopers carrying only blasters and ion grenades. Something about not wrecking the settlements of the locals. I had nothing of that when my men were concerned. The damn buildings were much cheaper than the life of my soldiers.

=RK=

Outskirts of a Ryloth village, codenamed Site Alpha

In the shadow covered grounds under the three tops of the forest surrounding us, the darker armor made us almost invisible. In the stock white colors, my men would have been sticking out as a whore on a Jedi convention.

The village itself was surrounded by a meters tall wall, which was in bad repair. It was probably build to keep the local wildlife away from the inhabitants. It presented a bit of a problem. There were towers built in it, spaced every ten meters or so from each other. Each of those was manned by a squad of B1 droids, which by itself would have been easily to handle.

They had heavy repeating blasters (read machine guns). Add the fact that there was a mercifully short clearing before the edge of the forest and the wall itself, and taking that enemy position with only infantry would have been costly, especially if we had a restricted rules of engagement like the Jedi.

"I want a missile put into each of the closest towers!" I ordered quietly. "Preferably before the clankers figure out that we've arrived." I added.

"Yes, sir!" whispered Cat, before he relayed my orders.

Naturally, the droids noticed us before we hit them. Either one of the machines was paying closer attention than the others or one of my men fucked up.

"Movement!" a synthesized voice shouted.

"Open fire!" snapped another.

I shook my head. I'll never know why the CIS droids didn't use wireless comms to communicate between themselves. Not that I was going to complain, when their shouts bought my men an extra couple of seconds to get into cover.

The repeating blasters opened fire, sending red energy bolts to chew up through the treeline.

"Suppressive fire on those towers! Now!" I snapped while deflecting a stream of crimson death heading towards my position.

Every one of the clankers trying to overwhelm my defense was one less that was shooting at my men.

"We are on it, sir!" couple of my men shouted in unison, their voices barely coming over the cacophony of combat.

I glanced at the pair and smirked. They were both carrying blaster carbine, a heavy blaster and a missile launcher. One of them opened up on the closest tower, blasting a droids from the rampart and forcing the rest to duck. Meanwhile his buddy prepared his missile launcher, acquired the target and fired.

The warhead surged over the no mans land between the two sides, and slammed in the repeating blaster. Its HE charge detonated obliterating the upper half of the tower in an explosion that didn't look particularly impressive. The pieces of droids and rock raining all over us would beg to differ on that account.

In short order the nearby towers were silenced by missile strikes. I nodded approvingly to my men.

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed the clone who blew up the first tower.

"Great work! Pass my regards to the men." I spoke to Cat. I could feel him grinning proudly under his helmet.

It was a sweet, short op. I could sense that we lost only a single man with four wounded.

"By the way where did you get these characters?" I asked Cat and nodded at the pair which was strutting around with three weapons each.

"Ah. Those." muttered the Captain.

"I sense a story there," I said while he was preparing to scale the wall.

That was an easy exercise thanks to the grappling hooks attached to the weapons carried by my men.

A Force assisted lunge later I was on the wall and examining the village. It was ominously quiet. The only sounds were coming from the squads dispatched to deal with the remaining enemies on the wall, so those droids couldn't hit us from the back.

I mentally cursed not remembering the events of most seasons of the show. I knew that there was going to be trouble in here but not what exactly.

Cat scaled up the wall seconds after me and joined me in examining the settlement.

"Those two are Waxer and Boil. They requested a transfer from 212th Attack Battalion."

"That's Kenobi's unit. Why?"

"Apparently there is persistent rumor that under your command the rules of engagement are more liberal. I had a chat with Commander Cody about them. He is not pleased that we got couple of his best men." the Captain shrugged and nodded at the pair who had just came up the wall.

Yeah, most Jedi would disapprove from their affair with heavy firepower. I grinned. Those were my kind of soldiers! Now, let's see if they are only good at blowing up shit or if they had other talents too...

"I'm taking couple of squads and we'll be scouting up ahead. I don't like the look of this." I waved at the deadly quiet village. "Let the men take a brief breather and tend to the wounded, while we check for surprises. "

"Consider it done, sir!"

When we were behind the wall, I called the pair who had taken my interest.

"You two, troopers. Front and center!"

"Boil and Waxer, reporting, Sir!" they ran next to me and straightened up, at attention.

"We are going to scout the village. Who know what nasty surprises the clankers have left for us!" I looked straight at them. "I was led to believe that you two are some of the best 212th had. It's time to put it to the test."

"Uh... Us, sir?" asked the one to the right.

"That's right." I smirked. "And you know what the reward is for a job well done in the army!"

They groaned. Yup, they knew!

=RK=

CIS positions, Site Alpha, Ryloth

"We lost contact with the outer perimeter." reported a B1 droid.

"I told you that those tin cans wouldn't be able to even slow the republic!" muttered a bounty hunter.

The tactical droid in charge of the CIS contingent tilted its head to the right.

"It was expected. I want to know their plans. Send probe droids. I want 855th platoon and the remaining tanks to reinforce the chokepoint."

"Roger, Roger!" the B1 snapped at attention.

"Release your pets." added the merc.

"Indeed. The modification you suggested could prove useful." chimed in the tactical droid.

The masked woman nodded nonchalantly. Mentally she cursed being stuck at this position. Her commander wanted eyes on the inside of the CIS operations after those madmen attacked Coruscant with the Blue Shadow. It was the prudent thing to do, however it let her in a nasty position. Now she was at least partly responsible for the atrocities committed by the damn Separatists!

She nervously re-checked her gear. Her rocket backpack was fully fueled and operational. The same was true for her wrist mounted rocket launcher and flamethrower as all her other toys.

She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen...