Chapter 280 - War Waits For No One (1/2)
In the darkness, eight shadows crawled forward. The streams of lava served as a source of light, even if there was no moon around Sull.u.s.t. One would have expected that to bother Hell Squad and Ragout, but the air was so hot that the thermal sensors of the Separatist didn't work, and the droids had to rely on their eyes. That made them easier to fool. And the clanckers weren't known for their intelligence either.
”All right. Hell Squad, from here on, complete silence. If we make a single noise, they can discover us. Captain Dice, when I contact you, initiate the attack.”
”Understood, general.”
Hell Squad just nodded, and turned off their comlinks. They couldn't risk making any sort of noise. After that, they slowly entered enemy territory, moving from cover to cover carefully, and, when there was none, crawling with their bellies touching the ground.
Droid patrols walked mere meters from them, but didn't notice the group. If it was any other planet, that would have been impossible, but Sull.u.s.t messed with the clanckers' sensors more than they thought initially.
The few times they were discovered, a quick green flash put an end to the patrols. Once again, Dageer admired what the padawan had grown into. He now knew how to use his powers perfectly, and was much more skilled. Liked them or not, Dageer was sure the Jedi Order now had one of the best generations of fighters in their history. Few things could make people improve like putting their life on the line at every moment.
Still, not everything went perfectly according to plan. Although they got pretty close to the Separatist command center, they could only go so far without being discovered. A radius of two hundred meters around the enemy camp was illuminated, and the group stopped at the threshold between light and darkness.
Ragout ordered for them to stop, and Hell Squad dropped to the ground. They hadn't expected the Separatist to be so cautious, and now they had no idea of what they could do. Luckily, they didn't have to worry about the sun rising, because the nights on Sull.u.s.t lasted about twenty hours.
Suddenly, the sound of a battle reached their ears. Sirens blasted in the Separatist camp, and battalions of B1 and B2 units started to march out of it. Hell Squad and their general looked at each other, confused.
It was normal for battles to break out, even at night. This was a real war, not children's play. Be it the Republic or the Separatist, if they saw a chance to deal a blow to the enemy, they took it. And, whatever the reason for the battle, it benefited Hell Squad.
Ragout made a gesture using one finger, and Dab nodded, acknowledging it. He would stay there to provide support. The others started moving forward, and into the illuminated area, trying to get as far as they could before being discovered.
They actually moved a hundred meters forward before the clanckers were alerted to their presence, and started firing.
The advanced command center the Separatist had was nothing more than a camp surrounded by Dwarf-Spider droids. Those units were basically mobile turrets, which could tear apart an entire Battalion in a matter of minutes. Usually, four of them would be enough to keep the Republic forces away, but not Hell Squad.
One hundred meters were easily covered by Ragout, and the Jedi cut the legs of two Dwarf-Spider droids before finishing them off. Dab took care of another one, hitting it right in the eye, and the other clones quickly destroyed the last one. In less than twenty seconds, the main defense of the seppies had crumbled.
Fighting as they got closer, Dageer quickly contacted Captain Dice, and ordered him to start the attack. The clanckers already know they were there, so there was no use in hiding anymore. Besides, their main target, the Dwarf-Spider droids, had already been taken care of.
The Republic forces that had been waiting about a kilometer away started to move, and suddenly, blue lasers cut the night, hitting the unaware droids. In a matter of seconds, a giant battle broke out, spreading for kilometers. In less than an hour, the entirety of the southeast front was burning with the flames of war as the Republic launched an all-out offensive in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, Hell Squad and their Jedi general, Ragout, were cutting through the clanckers inside the command center as if they were nothing.
Brain threw two thermal detonators, which blew a group of B2 units to pieces. Tech and Three-four climbed up an AAT, and opened the hatch before executing the droids inside it. Outside the enemy camp, Dab was picking off the seppies on the outskirts, confusing them. With so many blue lasers coming from the Republic side, they couldn't identify which one was causing them so many losses.