Kessel

Dageer was proved wrong. Hiigi didn't try to kill him, although his eyes flashed with resentment. However, Dageer also wasn't able to get anything from him. Clearly, the mon calamari's hatred for the clones, or, more specifically, for Hell Squad, ran deep. The feeling was mutual. Hiigi had given painful deaths to many of their brothers, and they wouldn't forget that.

Even after a few hours, the mon calamari refused to write anything that might be useful, and only kept growling whenever the name 'Grievous' was mentioned. He looked more like an animal than an intelligent species. Whatever made him lose his voice, also made him lose part of his sanity, and that made him even more dangerous.

...

After being released from duty, Hell Squad went to the Revontre, as they usually did. Since they were on Coruscant, they might as well enjoy it.

In the end, only General Yoda himself was able to make Hiigi 'talk'. The Jedi wouldn't talk to just anyone, since he was leading a war, but every small clue they had on General Grievous whereabouts was too important to be ignored.

"To the Outer Rim, go you must. Kessel, there Grievous is. Careful, however, you have to be. A home to thieves and robbers, the planet is."

General Piell nodded to General Yoda, and ended the transmission. The Lannik was very direct and decisive, not hesitating to cut off General Yoda. He also wasn't very patient for a Jedi.

The moment he received the intel, he departed to Kessel, and Hell Squad went with him, of course. That was exactly the type of mission a special unit was good at.

"Commander Dageer, I understand you have some experience dealing with Grievous?"

Dageer looked at the human admiral that was under General Piell, and shrugged. He didn't like Tarkin. The man looked like he always had a plan, or was always hiding something. Still, he was loyal to the Republic, or so it seemed.

"We met him in battle a couple times, Admiral Tarkin. He is dangerous. Extremely dangerous."

"Elaborate, please."

"He fought against General Secura and General Plo Koon, and pushed them back easily. And when we fought him on the dreadnought above Falleen, he was unstoppable. Even Hell Squad couldn't do anything. We almost lost a member."

"Seeing how you survived all those encounters, I am not sure that General Grievous really is so..."

"That is enough, Tarkin. Commander Dageer, give us all the intel you have on him. Spare nothing."

Glaring at Tarkin, who doubted Hell Squad's capabilities, Dageer started explaining in detail all his encounters with General Grievous. Clones were very disciplined, and rarely showed emotions in front of others, but Tarkin almost crossed the line. Dageer was a commander, and Hell Squad a special unit. They didn't need to report anything to Tarkin. Admirals commanded ships, not troops. Usually, Dageer wouldn't mind, because up till now, all the admirals he met were worthy of his respect, but Tarkin clearly despised the clones.

...

After two hours, Dageer left the command bridge of the cruiser, leaving a General Piell and a Tarkin in deep thought. The Lannik couldn't help but frown when he looked at his admiral.

"You shouldn't look down on clones, Tarkin. Especially on Hell Squad."

The admiral scoffed, but didn't disagree. That wasn't because he changed his mind, but because he couldn't go against a Jedi's words.

"Do you know anything about Hell Squad and Dageer, Tarkin? They are the best special unit the Republic has. That means they are the best clones the Republic has. And that is not all. They are the one and only special unit formed by normal clones. Not commandos, not ARC Troopers, but normal clones. That is enough to show how good they are."

"Still, General Piell, I have seen you and other Jedis in battle. If Grievous and that other Ventress they fought again are so deadly, I find it hard to believe they could survive without losses."

"Luck played it's role, that is for sure. But pay attention to them, Tarkin. Have you ever seen a clone carrying a vibroblade? Or that giant blaster one of them had? I know you have been an admiral since the Old Republic, but I guarantee you don't have nearly as much battle experience as they have."

The admiral kept his silence. When he thought about everything that General Piell said, it struck him that maybe he really had underestimated Hell Squad. Obviously, that wasn't enough to make him change his mind about clones, but he wasn't stupid either. He would be more careful when dealing with Hell Squad in the future.

"General Piell, one more thing..."

"What is it?"

Something on Dageer had caught Tarkin's attention, the same thing that made every non-clone who met him curious.

"The markings on Commander Dageer's armor... Are they confirmed kills?"

Hearing that, the Lannik gave Tarkin one of his rare smiles.

"Yes. But according to Dageer, only the ones he wishes to remember. Clones don't like to talk about that, but if I am not wrong, only droid captains and above make it to his armor. And not all of them."

--------------------------

General Piell had a reason to praise Hell Squad so much, and it wasn't just because he liked Dageer, although that was true. The real reason was that Tarkin thought too highly of himself. Confidence in oneself was good, but not when it blinded caution and rational thought. After a few victories, Tarkin was starting to become too bold, and thought of himself as better than anyone else. If General Piell didn't burst this bubble of pride, odds were that the admiral would get himself killed. Hell Squad just so happened to be the perfect opportunity.

If Tarkin thought that he was worse than some clones, that would make him more cautious, and help him improve.

"General! Separatist ships approaching!"

The Jedi had barely left the command bridge when alarms went off, and a trooper came running to bring him back. At the same time, the cruiser swayed from one side to another as lasers hit it's shields.

"How?!"

"They came out of hyperspace, sir! Their tractor beam is already on us! We can't escape!"

"How did they know?!"

The chances of them coincidently meeting a Separatist fleet in the Outer Rim was almost zero. As such, even as he asked that question, General Piell already knew the answer.

There was a traitor.