Chapter 113 - Planet-wide Invasion (1/2)

A green ball floating in space, Dantooine was a quite beautiful planet. It would be more if it weren't the debris floating around in space or the clouds of smoke on the planet that were visible from space.

Between big and small starcraft, the two Republic fleets hovering above the planet had close to fifty sh.i.p.s. That was without counting the starfighters, of course. But such a big group of cruisers had nothing to do in the battle that was about to start. The droid defenses were too near the cities for an orbital strike, and the few targets that weren't were not worth it.

As it was usual before a battle, Commander Keeli was making his small speech to boost morale. The only certainty on the conquest of Dantooine was that many troopers would die. That was something nobody said but everybody knew, and they could do nothing about it.

Ever since Dageer became sub-commander, his sense of responsibility had become stronger, as it was expected. That prompted him to make sure the battle plans were the best possible, and that weapons, sh.i.p.s, vehicles and soldiers were ready. Everything could save the life of a brother.

But his increased responsibility also made him think a lot more about the consequences of a battle, even if it hadn't started yet. He didn't know how many of the brothers he grew up with would die today, and how many more would be severely hurt. He could die today, as could Commander Keeli, General Di, Ragout, Brain, Metal, Tech and any other clone.

But he had to steel his heart and fight. In Dageer's vision, he had a bigger purpose on Dantooine and any other battle. That purpose was command Hell Squad and destroy any droid in his away. Only by doing that could he make sure the brothers who came behind him would face less danger.

”Get on the Laats! We are going in, boys! For the Republic!”

”For the Republic!”

When Commander Keeli finished his speech, Dageer shouted the same as the soldiers. As a clone, his job was simple. Fight for the Republic.

...

The Laat Hell Squad got into was different from the ones he was used to. Its sides were freshly painted with the reddish-brown of the 303rd. Two horns, one on each side, made the gunship look fierce. And it wasn't only his Laat that was like that, but all of them. In the words of the pilots: 'we might fall today, and if so, let it be for the 303rd.'.

Personally, Dageer liked it.

Using the basic tactic of splitting the commanders so they don't get all taken down in one swoop, Commander Keeli and General Di each boarded a different gunship.

”Sergeants, check out your groups. We set off in six minutes. If anything is wrong, fix it now, or go without it. Move, move, move!”

Dageer rushed the men in the gunsh.i.p.s, and for six minutes there was only the sound of troopers moving and the sergeants making the last minute checks.

Hell Squad boarded their Laat quietly. There was a tradition that the clones started after Geonosis. That was to close their eyes and stay quiet until the Laats took off. It wasn't just a sort of mental preparation, but more of silent respect for all the clones who would die, and already died. That way, the moment the clones stepped on the battlefield they could focus entirely on the battle.