Chapter 328 - The New Tactician (1/2)
Hell Squad was woken up by the sound of AV-7 Antivehicle Cannons trading shots with the Separatist's J-1 Proton Cannons. The loud explosions shook the ground, but Dageer and the others only paid attention to it for a second before closing their eyes. Around them, the other troopers did the same, clearly more than used to the noise.
None of them fell asleep again, but there was no reason to rush to get up. The real battle would only start over an hour later, after the artillery decided to rest. To charge into battle now would be suicide.
...
Eventually, Dageer got up, and poked Brain with his foot. Just lying down was good, but they had a war to win.
”Don't be lazy, we got work to do.”
”Ouch! You could have just called me, sir!”
Still complaining, Brain got up, and mimicked Dageer by kicking Metal. In a split-second, the entire squad was up. Around them, their brothers were also moving, putting on their helmets - they all slept with their armor on, so they didn't waste precious time in case they were attacked - and grabbing their blasters. Those who had stayed awake at night, especially the sentries, crumbled to the ground, falling asleep immediately. It was simple for veterans to sleep through an entire artillery barrage.
”Captain Arbol, how is the battle going?”
”Pretty well, Commander Dageer. A lucky shell hit an MTT while they were loading it up. You should have seen the explosion. We also destroyed two J-1s, and only lost one of our AV-7. So far, we have yet to have any casualties. We are preparing for the assault now.”
Dageer nodded, and lowered his macrobinoculars to look at the enemy lines. Dozens of thousands of droids were entering formation. Amidst them there also were AATs, STAPs, Dwarf-Spider droids, Tri-droids, Crab-droids, MTTs, and so on. However, threatening as it may seem, Dageer knew they weren't the major source of concern.
Urban environments were a logistic nightmare, and Christophsis was ten times worse than anywhere else. Tall buildings, secondary streets, and civilians made focusing on the enemy almost impossible. Sometimes the enemy would see a road blocked, so they would simply go around it, and catch the blockade from behind, slaughtering them. It was impossible to control every street and alley. So, although the majority of both sides' armies would be on the huge main road, there would be countless skirmishes around it, and if even one group of clanckers got through, the damage they could do would be immeasurable.
Time ticked by slowly, and soon both sides stopped firing the artillery cannons. An eerie silence filled the city, as both groups of combatants just stared at each other. It was the calm before the storm.
”Let's kick the tin cans back to their sh.i.p.s, brothers! Attack!”
Suddenly, Dageer's voice broke the silence, immediately followed by the earth-shaking sound of AV-7s, AT-TEs, and SHAP-Ts firing. Huge portions of the droid army disappeared, replaced by craters and smoke. With a collective yell, the Clone Army marched forward.
The Separatist weren't to be outdone, however. They answered with the same intensity, and screams of pain filled the battlefield.
”Are we going too, commander?”
Even as he said that, Cell was already clutching his DC-15S anxiously. It wasn't easy for a clone to stay idle while their brothers went into battle.
”Of course. Arbol, watch our flanks. If the pattern continues, the clanckers will try something new today. While we are on the frontlines, you will need to keep an eye out for their dirty tricks.”
”Understood, sir.”
”All right, Hell Squad. It's our time to shine.”
...
Eyes closed and taking deep breaths, Dab hid behind a broken statue. Red lasers hit it incessantly, sending ch.i.p.s and splinters peppering harmlessly into his armor. To his left Three-four was bandaging a 212th trooper's forearm, while to his right Tech was peeking at the droids.
”Four hundred meters, a little to the right. There are two B1s in front of it. Commander, can you help me take care of that?”
A few meters in front of them were Dageer, Cell, and six or seven other clones, all hiding behind one of the barricades the Republic had set up the day before. The commander didn't answer at the time, since he was fully focused on emptying his magazine on the approaching enemies.
”One of them is down already! Kill the other Tech!”
The clone grinned under his helmet, and fired two lasers. The first missed, but the second hit the clancker squarely in the chest.
”Dab, the show is yours!”