Broke: A Clone Wars Tale - Volume 1 Chapter 247 Losing A Brother

Dageer could feel his muscles being ripped apart as he held not only his own weight, but also Tech’s, using just one hand. His legs hovered above the deep hole inside the destroyer, and, to make matters worse, he could feel his fingers slipping.

“Dageer, Tech!”

Three-four yelled concerned above them, having to fight the clanckers at the same time. He had only seen Tech fall off the bridge, and then Dageer jump, disappearing himself. The only proof that the two of them were still alive was Dageer’s fingers on the side of the bridge.

“Three-four, hold them off! Tech, I can’t lift us both! You gotta climb yourself!”

Tech nodded, and tried to curl in a ball, aiming to grab Dageer’s hand. The movement, however, made them both swing, and Dageer groaned in pain as his fingers slipped even more. Tech almost fell once more, and now Dageer was holding him by his ankle.

“Come on, Tech! I can’t hold on for much longer!”

“Just a second, sir!”

Once again, Tech tried to grab Dageer’s hand. This time, the fact that they were swinging actually helped.

Using the extra impulse, Tech grabbed Dageer’s wrist. His commander then let go of his leg, and Tech was upside down no more. He weaved a sigh of relief, although he was still in a very similar predicament to the one he was before.

“Tech! You know this isn’t my good shoulder! Don’t just hang in there!”

Dageer almost let go of the bridge. His entire body, and especially his arm, was burning. He didn’t know for how long he could hold on. The fact that several lasers almost hit his hand didn’t help.

Thankfully for him, Tech was fast to recover from his relief, and quickly climbed, using Dageer’s body as a ladder.

Just when he put his head above the bridge, trying to get on it, he was forced to duck down again. Feeling Tech’s weight on his shoulders once more, Dageer couldn’t help but groan.

“Tech!”

“Sorry, sir. Hang on in there, I will help Three-four take care of the seppies and we will pull you up.”

“Just get off me, and I can get up myself!”

Tech chuckled, completely unfazed by Dageer’s anger. He knew his commander for too long to believe he really was angry.

When he finally got up, he and Three-four quickly took care of the ten or so clanckers that remained. The medic had been hit in the chest, but – once again – thanks to the blast padding, he wasn’t too hurt. According to himself, all he felt was a slight pain in the chest.

After killing the droids, both troopers turned around, and helped Dageer. When he finally was up in the bridge again, Dageer made sure the two clones were all right.

“How are you two?”

“I’m good.”

“I’m okay too, sir. Thanks to you.”

Dageer nodded, and kept walking, kicking the droid bodies off the bridge. It was weirdly satisfying.

He and the clones under his command had been through so much, and had saved the lives of each other hundreds of times. That was just another one.

————————-

Brain paced back and forward nervously, stepping over the bodies of several clanckers. He, Metal, Cell, and Dab had just arrived at the escape pods, and, although Dageer said they were to go as soon as they could, they decided to wait. It was a unanimous and collective decision.

“Why are you still here?!”

Brain turned around to see Dageer looking at him. His commander was gasping for breath, but that didn’t stop him from shouting at his second-in-command.

“We…”

“No time! Grievous is behind us! Get into the escape pods!”

Brain was cut off short by Three-four, as the medic fired at the direction they came from. Now, he could hear the sound of metallic footsteps, and one pair was much heavier than the others.

Hell Squad had been briefed about General Grievous after they met the Separatist general on Korriban. Nobody knew where he came from, but General Grievous was an abomination that lived for two reasons only. Obey Count Dooku, and kill Jedis. He was half machine, half something else, and had been trained in the Jedi arts. He knew no pain and had no morals, and would stop at nothing to complete whatever task his master assigned to him. Brain remembered shuddering in anger when he read the files. The clancker had cruelly killed hundreds of his brothers, and tortured dozens more.

Thinking of this, Brain wanted to grab his blaster and shoot at General Grievous, but discipline spoke louder, and he entered an escape pod, followed by Tech, Metal, and Cell. Dageer, Dab, and Three-four would have to fit in another pod.

Before they could do that, though, Brain saw a giant figure emerge through the door. Three lightsabers waved as he cut the barrel of Dageer’s blaster, and a kick sent Dab flying. The sniper hit a wall with a loud sound, and fell to the ground motionless. Three-four’s fate wasn’t much better, and a claw grabbed his neck before lifting him up, and smashing the medic against the ceiling.

…

Dageer saw General Grievous, who was at least twenty meters away, suddenly drop on all fours, and crawl forward faster them he could react. When he arrived in front of Dageer, his lower half exchanged places with his upper half, in a sickening move that the clone couldn’t describe.

When the general was back on his feet, his arms had split into four, and he slashed with his lightsabers, cutting Dageer’s blaster in half. With his foot, he kicked Dab, and he used one of his hands to grab and lift Three-four. All of that happened in less than a second.

Seeing one of his brothers unconscious, and the other struggling to breathe, Dageer dropped his useless blaster, and grabbed his vibroblade. He tried to stab it into a crevice between two armor plates on General Grievous’ chest, but the Separatist sneered, and released Three-four. As the clone fell, the clancker used his hand to grab and crush the vibroblade.

“Cough… Cough… Cough! The assassin was right. Kakakakaka… You are special, clone. Now, die!”

A lightsaber swung down, aiming for his head. Dageer knew he wasn’t able to evade it. However, just when he had accepted he was going to die, the barrel of a blaster appeared between him and General Grievous, aiming directly at the Separatist’s face, and fired three times.

The clancker was forced to stop the hand that was going for Dageer, and bring it back to deflect the blue lasers, giving the clone a chance to stumble backwards.

He glanced back, and saw that his savior was Brain. Metal, Tech, and Cell were pulling Three-four and Dab to the escape pods, while the grenadier had come to his rescue.

“Let’s go, commander!!!”

Dageer nodded, and ran to an escape pod with Brain. With the corner of his eye, he saw two other pods leave the ship, carrying the other members of Hell Squad.

He quickly pushed the buttons on the control panel, trying to close the door of the pod as fast as he could, and, for a moment, he thought they were safe.

But then, a hand grabbed Brain by the back of the head, and pulled him. Just as the doors closed, Dageer saw his brother on the ground, General Grievous’ claw-like foot holding him down, and heard the abomination laugh.

The pod was ejected, and Dageer looked at the destroyer without a reaction. Seconds later, it exploded. No other pod left the ship.