Chapter 343 - Old Memories, Bad Friends (1/2)

Caleb and Grey waited outside the command bridge, the padawan waddling around anxiously, and the clone surprisingly calm. Grey looked at the soon-to-be Jedi, and sighed. He hadn't known him for a long time, but it didn't take much to understand what was going through his mind.

”Dageer's behavior was... Wrong, general, but he has his reasons. General Ragout also do, but he is better at controlling himself.”

”There is something more to this story, isn't there? It wasn't simply a lost battle.”

Grey shook his head. As a clone, he hated to talk about what happened in Ryloth, but he figured that if the padawan was going to lead them there, it was only fair that he knew about it.

”What do you know about it, general? What have you been told?”

”Master Di and his troops, the 303rd Attack Legion, stood behind to protect the Twi'lek refugees while they escaped. Master Ragout was just a padawan at the time, and managed to survive.”

”I wish it was so simple...”

”What do you mean?”

Now Caleb was looking at him curiously. He had never paid too much attention to this story, but it seemed that there was more to it than he was told.

”Days before the seppies reached Ryloth, the 303rd had already received the mission of protecting it. It was suicide, and they all knew it. After their fleet was destroyed, General Di organized the resistance on the ground together with Cham Syndulla, the Twi'lek fighter.”

”The one we are supposed to meet.”

”Yeah... I don't know the details. Few survived that battle, and now, only Hell Squad is left of the 303rd. They don't talk about it. It's taboo for them. But I know that General Di wasn't protecting refugees, or at least not only. Syndulla and his rebels had sworn to fight by our side, and they did, for some time. But when losses became too great, they ran. General Di knew that if they escaped too, they would all end up dead, so he stayed behind. And you know what Syndulla did, a few days after the 303rd was annihilated?”

The padawan shook his head, focused on the story. He knew Grey was leaving out many details, but what he said was enough to make him think that maybe Dageer had a reason to lose his cool.

”He blamed General Ragout, Dageer, and the Republic for their loss. He called them cowards, when thirty thousand of my brothers had died. And then he led his people to a massacre, wasting all the sacrifices Dageer and the others made. And now they have to go back...”

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”Ryloth is under the Separatist threat once again, Ragout. Cham Syndulla specifically asked that you and Hell Squad be sent to help. However, beca...”

”Ha!”

General Kenobi was interrupted by Dageer when the commander snorted, a disgusted expression on his face. Several of the Jedis frowned, especially the ones who didn't know him. He was just a clone, who shouldn't even be present in such a meeting. On top of that, Ragout didn't make any effort to stop him.

”Do you have anything to say, Commander Dageer?”

General Billaba wasn't happy from the start, both because her padawan would be under the command of a clone, and also because Dageer and Ragout hadn't even let Caleb explain what their mission would be.

Dageer looked at Ragout with the corner of his eyes, and, when he saw his general nod slightly, stepped forward.