Probably The Best

"Shouldn't we send backup to Master Ragout? He only just completed his training. Not long ago, he was still a padawan."

Bariss Offee was a very quiet padawan, but this time, she decided to voice her thoughts to her master. She wanted for their mission on Geonosis to be accomplished as soon as possible, and Ragout hadn't given her a good impression. At the meeting, he barely greeted the other Jedis, before immediately engaging in a conversation with the special unit called Hell Squad.

She thought her master - Luminara Unduli - would agree, as she did most of the time, but she was wrong.

"Ragout should be able to take care of this task with no problems. Even before he became a Jedi Knight, his skills with a lightsaber and the Force were better than many in the Order. Ima-Gun Di was a member of the council, and one of the best. Ragout learned a lot from him. Besides, he has Hell Squad by his side."

The Mirialan Jedi patted her apprentice's shoulder, and went to talk with a 41st captain. The preparations for the invasion were almost done, but there was no harm in double-checking.

Bariss was left quite confused. She hated when things weren't properly explained, and, above all else, when her questions weren't answered. And now, she was the most curious about Hell Squad. Everyone, Jedi or clone, seemed to think of them as invincible. As such, she stopped Commander Gree, to satisfy her curiosity.

"Gree, who are those clones? Hell Squad? All I can find in their files are their names and that they were associated with the 303rd Attack Legion. I can't find their record of battles or anything like that."

The commander took off his helmet, and gave his datapad to a trooper, so the preparations would be carried on. His dark green armor was filled with scratches, both from battles and also just from the native flora of Felucia, where his legion spent most of the war up till now.

"It's because you are looking at the wrong files, kid. If you want to know about their battles before Ryloth, look at the 303rd files. Anything after that should be classified. Even I can't access those. You will have to ask General Unduli, if you wanna have a look at them."

Bariss frowned, for two different reasons. First off, she didn't like being called a kid, but her master had warned her that the clones would only call her 'general' after she earned their respect. And the only way to do that was through battle. The second thing that disturbed her was, of course, all the secrecy around Hell Squad. She hated to be left out.

"Why all that?"

"They are a special unit. Just like Delta Squad, the missions they take part in aren't normal stuff. If any information about them was to fall in Separatist hands, we could lose a lot. But although all of this is classified, every clone in the Grand Army of the Republic knows them."

"Are they really that good?"

"Good? Haha... Kid, you will see them in action in this battle. Hell Squad is probably the best unit the Republic has. ARC Troopers, clone commandos, even Delta Squad, Dageer and his men are a step above them."

Bariss was surprised. Commander Gree rarely complimented someone, whatsoever say that that someone was the best the Republic had.

"You think very highly of this squad, Gree."

"I fought with them before. That's how I know how good they are. Moreover, they have General Ragout with them. The general was part of the 303rd too, you could say. Their coordination is flawless. Don't worry. They will get the job done."

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Although they were currently being praised by Commander Gree, Hell Squad wasn't faring too good.

Dageer cursed when a laser hit the ground between his feet, and ducked behind a crate of ammunition to hide. He had forgotten how infuriating the Sonic Blasters that the Geonosians used were. Not only they were dangerous, but the green rings they shot also caused a shockwave upon impact.

"General, on your left!"

Ragout used his lightsaber to defend against a laser, and pulled the Geonosian that shot it using the Force. The being was still screeching when the Jedi cut him down. At the same time, he used his weapon to cut the legs of a J-1 Proton Cannon, making the droid fall, and become a useless pile of metal.

That was the alternative that they had found. Since they couldn't blow the anti-aircraft turrets without killing themselves, then Ragout would go one by one, destroying them. Hell Squad's job was to kill every seppie on his way.

"Damn bugs! They just keep coming!"

The scout, Cell, yelled as he emptied his clip on a swarm of Geonosians. They were flying out of their nests underground, and for the clones, it was like that for every Geonosian they killed, ten more appeared.

"Dageer, this just won't do! I will give you and Metal a boost, and you keep the seppies away while I take care of the other cannons."

"Wait, what?"

"Boost? What does that... Ahhhh!!!"

The two clones were confused to what the Togruta meant, but before they could sketch any reaction, they were lifted off the ground, and launched through the air. They flew for more than a hundred meters before they 'crashed' against an invisible - but soft - wall, and dropped to the ground.

It was confusing and unexpected, but Dageer and Metal were elites. Flexing their knees, they softened their landing, and immediately fired their blaster at the very startled Geonosians. Metal's blaster, especially, created quite the havoc, as the bugs dropped from the sky, their wings full of holes.

Now that they were closer to the seppies, the bugs became clumsy. Their bodies were fragile, and they weren't made for war, like clones and clanckers. Dageer discarded his DC-15A, and pulled out his DC-17. The pistol was better for close ranges and it had the bonus of leaving his left hand free to use his dear vibroblade.

He approached two Geonosians, who were loading a J-1 Proton Cannon, and slashed upwards, cutting the wings of one of them, and the head of the other. The bug that was still alive shrieked, trying to get away, but Dageer put his pistol against his head, and pulled the trigger. No enemy of the Republic deserved to live, even if he was out of combat already. That was the order in his genetic code.

While he and Metal were laying waste to the Geonosians, the other members of Hell Squad, and Ragout, took care of the remaining anti-aircraft turrets. At the same time, they heard a large explosion a few kilometers away, followed by a sequence of smaller ones. It was likely Delta Squad's doing.

"We are done! Let's get out of here!"

"We need to take care of those bugs first, or they will hunt us all the way to Rain Point. Dageer, Metal, step back."

The Jedi somersaulted his way forward, until he was next to the clones, while Metal and Dageer did as they were told. Then, Ragout turned off his lightsaber, and stretched his hands towards the cave entrance from where the Geonosians were coming.

With a flick of his wrist, the entire cave started shaking, and collapsed amidst rumbling noises, and the screams of the bugs being buried alive.