Broke: A Clone Wars Tale - Volume 1 Chapter 269 Family

After the Jedis left, the clones lagged behind, in an unspoken agreement. They weren’t sure all of them would survive the battle to come – one of the most brutal of the war, they would see later – and Dageer, in specific, had something to ask to the two troopers behind Captain Rex.

“You said you are from Domino Squad, right?”

“Yes, commander.”

“Did you have a trooper named Cutup with you?”

A glint of surprise flashed through the clones’ eyes, and the one named Fives – probably because of his number – nodded.

“Yes, sir. He… He was eaten by some sort of creature. Did you know him?”

Dageer nodded, and patted Fives’ shoulder. The poor Cutup, whom he had met over a year ago, hadn’t been as lucky as his brothers.

“Yeah. He was still a cadet, when Kamino was attacked the first time. It was I who gave him his name. Poor kid.”

Echo and Fives looked at Dageer surprised. When Cutup had arrived at their quarters, after the attack, he had proudly announced his new name, and wasted no time in giving the others their own. In all but a few weeks, it had become a tradition, and as soon as they could, the cadets would give and receive names and nicknames. Who would have thought that this originated from the clone in front of them? Somehow, it added more to Dageer’s identity as the leader of a special unit.

While talking, the group of clones arrived at the outside of the facilities. Surprisingly, it wasn’t raining, for now. One by one, the members of the group left, Commander Cody and Captain Rex to go to their own legions, Fives and Echo following the later, and Deep Squad going to the south facility. With a head gesture, Dageer ordered Hell Squad to follow him. That would be a battle they would never forget.

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Several hundred troopers took their positions in the railways and bridges outside the west facility. Hell Squad was in the middle of the defenses, right in front of the entrance, and Dageer was, at the moment, standing on top of a crate, yelling orders, and making sure everything was in place.

He was still like that when over a hundred sh.i.p.s suddenly appeared in the sky. Frigates, dreadnoughts, destroyers, troop carriers, small cruisers, and, of course, Vulture droids, as well as Hyena-class bombers. The Separatist were going all out, but the Republic wasn’t to be outdone. The clones were defending their home, and their brothers. They would do everything they could to stop the clanckers, and their determination wouldn’t falter.

As the first starfighters clashed with the droids, and small explosions appeared on the sky, Dageer turned to the clones in front of him. They had hesitated for a moment when they saw the enemy forces, but were now working with renewed effort. Still, there was little else they could do to prepare, so Dageer ordered them to rest. They would need all their energy for the battle to come.

“At ease, soldiers. Our brothers in the sky will give the seppies a hell of a beating before they can touch our home. And when they come, we will kill them. Remember, today we aren’t fighting only for the Republic. We are fighting for all our brothers in the galaxy, and for our home! We will hold our ground, understood?!”

“Yes, sir!”

“The only way those bastards get through us will be by stepping on our dead corpses. So let’s show them what the clones are worth!”

“Yes, sir!”

Getting down from the crate, Dageer accepted the DC-15x that Dab offered him. It wasn’t the clone’s weapon, but one which he had retrieved from the armory. Since they were the last line of defense, they obviously would be one of the last groups to engage. As such, with the exception of Metal and Cell, the other members of Hell Squad had all grabbed sniper blasters. They might not be as good as Dab, but they didn’t need to. All they had to do was keep the clanckers at bay for as long as they could.

For the next seven hours, the clones stood quiet, watching the battle unfold above them. Several sh.i.p.s from both sides had already become debris, and fallen into the ocean, creating gigantic waves that crashed on the pillars of Tipoca City.

Still, there was no sign that the battle would end anytime soon, prompting the clones to stay focused. The veterans, like Hell Squad, and a few others, were calmly analyzing the surroundings for any threat, while the new troopers were anxiously fiddling with their weapons and feet. Seeing the rookie closest to him suddenly turn his head at the sound of a piece of a ship falling, Dageer patted his shoulder.

“Calm down, shiny. You will know when the seppies are attacking. They aren’t exactly subtle.”

“Shiny, sir?”

Dageer laughed, and patted his own armor, full of scars and battle marks.

“You have nothing on your armor. It is shining new, just like a clancker which just left the factory.”

He was about to say more when suddenly, a portion of the ocean next to them exploded, and shot upwards like a geyser. Inside the pillar of water, to everyone’s surprise, was an enormous, octopus-like droid. It reminded Dageer of the Blixus he had escaped from on Scarif.

The droid used it’s arms, each one over a hundred meters long, to grab a platform. In the entire city, dozens more did the same, and started spewing droids. In all but a few minutes, dozens of thousands were roaming through the platforms and bridges of Kamino, and the sounds of battle erupted everywhere. On top of that, the clanckers were all B2 units, which, for inexperienced soldiers, were a tough enemy.

Dageer looked through the scope of his blaster, and pressed the trigger twice, killing two clanckers just as they left the ‘belly’ of one of the weird machines. That made the other droids, when they jumped out, stumble, and become easier targets.

Once again, Dageer entered the weird state of mind that every veteran had when in battle. As a commander, he was paying attention to every minor change of the battlefield, and ordering the troops to move when necessary, but most of his mind was focused on the weapon in his hands. He would aim, press the trigger, aim, press the trigger, aim…

He was well aware of the screams of his brothers, and the metallic footsteps of the clanckers, but instead of taking it all at once, he would concentrate on his target, and his target only. It was the way the clones found to survive a battle without going crazy, and also why many people saw them as killing machines no different than droids.

At some moment, after over three hours of uninterrupted battle, he had switched his DC-15x for his normal DC-15A, and, later, when his ammunition ended, for a DC-15S belonging to one of his fallen brothers. The same trooper he had been talking too when the droids arrived.

Looking at the thousands of bodies, from clones and droids alike, and at the now very near B2 super battle droids, Dageer pulled out his vibroblade, and ordered the surviving troopers to enter the facility. If outside they already were making the seppies pay a hefty price, then, inside, they would make the clanckers regret invading their home.