Chapter 312: Ghost Coordinates
Ahsoka Tano laid on the ground, using macrobinoculars to watch a group of faraway droids load some transports with ammunition and supplies. Besides her were Captain Rex and Dageer.
"What do you think?"
"Too many for us, Commander Tano. We only have forty soldiers."
"Rex is right. We have to wait for reinforcements."
The padawan shook her head, disagreeing. The droids numbered at about a hundred and twenty, three times the clone forces, but she thought that if they were caught by surprise, they could win.
"What if Hell Squad and I used the cover of the night to sneak up on them? While we distract them, the others could attack from the other side, and we would catch them between two fires."
"The plan would be good, kid, if we had thirty more troopers. But with just us, even though we could win, we would lose too many."
"You know my rank is higher than yours, right, Dageer? I keep telling that to Rex. You shouldn't call me a kid."
The 501st Legion leader gave a dry laugh. Maybe because she was still young, Ahsoka didn't care if clones were a little more undisciplined near her.
"And I keep telling you, commander, that what matters is experience, not rank."
"I will have to agree with Rex on that one too, Commander Tano. It saw a lot of new officers that couldn't compete with a foot soldier."
Seeing how the two clones were against her, Ahsoka sighed, and gave up attacking the Separatist. She might be a good fighter, and had fought many battles, but she knew she would never be as experienced as any of the two clones.
Slowly at first, the three people retreated, and joined the rest of their group. They were just one of the many recon groups that had been sent to penetrate enemy lines, investigate, and, if possible, cause chaos. General Skywalker and General Kenobi were both in the lead of other groups.
Kiros was the first battle of the grand offensive the Republic was planning. The 501st and the 212th had joined forces once again to attack the planet, since their legions and their Jedi generals had good teamwork, per se. Their objective wasn't only to capture Kiros, but also to act as a smokescreen, distracting the Separatist from the weird movements of troops the Republic had been making for the past days.
"A spy clancker found us, general, but we managed to destroy it before it could send anything. One man of your unit is having a look at it, Commander Dageer."
As soon as they entered the small clearing they had settled in, a 501st lieutenant, named Jesse, if Dageer remembered correctly, came up to them. Dageer looked over to where Hell Squad was sitting, and saw Tech typing in his datapad, from which a bunch of cables were connected to a Probe Droid.
Walking over, he tapped his brother's shoulder, catching his attention.
"Did you find anything useful, Tech?"
"Not yet, sir. It's core was damaged when Axion shot it. There is something weird, however."
"What is it, trooper?"
When they heard Tech, both Ahsoka and Captain Rex joined them. Hell Squad stepped aside to make room for the Jedi, before turning back to cleaning their weapons.
"The clancker was set to return to these coordinates, general... Err... Commander Tano. But our intel tells us there is nothing there."
Ahsoka frowned, pensive. Possibilities were running through her mind.
"Are you sure the coordinates are right?"
"I'm positive, ma'am. I checked twice. The probe was to cover this sector, and return there to recharge, and have it's hard drive wiped."
That was standard procedure for Separatist recon droids. They sent anything they investigated to their headquarters, and, when it was running low on energy, it returned home. Not only would it recharge, but also have it's memory wiped, to make sure that, even if it fell on enemy hands, it couldn't tell them much.
"Maybe a small outpost that escaped our search?"
"That area is almost a desert. There is nowhere to hide an outpost. We would have seen it from kilometers away."
"That leaves two options, then. It's either underground, or moving. I don't know what is worse."
"If it's an underground base, then we have a problem, ma'am. We would have to check out backs all the time, to make sure seppies wouldn't spill from the ground like they do on Geonosis. But I don't think that is the case. It's costly to make those bases, even more in a desert. It's more probable that it's a convoy."
The padawan stood still for a long while, thinking. In the end, she decide she couldn't make this decision on her own.
"Rex, contact Master Skywalker and Obi-Wan, and tell them about all that. Dageer, you and Cell will come with me, to scout ahead."
"Understood."
"Got it. Cell, we have a job to do. Get the speeders."
The clone nodded, and soon, Ahsoka, Dageer, and him left the camp, speeding to the set of coordinates.
"We are only going to watch, understood? After seeing how many they are, and what they are, we decide whether we attack or not."
The two clones acknowledged her words quietly. Three people were in no way a proper attack Force, even if one of them was a Jedi and the other two amongst the best soldiers in the galaxy.
After a few hours, the three arrived at the sector to where the Probe Droid was supposed to go. They spotted a large dust cloud from a long distance away, and slowed down.
Lowering his macrobinoculars, Dageer analyzed the Separatist group. Just like they suspected, it was a small convoy, with about a hundred droids as escort.
"Batteries and ammunition, Commander Tano. Wait... There is something else in the middle. A vehicle of some sort. Not military."
"Uhmm? What can it be?"
"Maybe they are transporting someone important, sir?"
"With just a hundred units?"
"It almost escaped our vigilance. We only got news of it by luck. Maybe that was their objective form the start."
"What Cell is saying makes sense, Dageer."
The commander nodded. After confirming which direction the convoy was going, the three got back on their speeders again, and left.
...
When they reached their camp, they found General Skywalker and General Kenobi waiting for them. After they passed on the intel they had just acquired, the two Jedis also agreed the best was to strike soon, and capture whoever was in the convoy.
As such, they took advantage of their superior mobility and speed, and reached the Separatist group the afternoon of the next day, now having a group of about one hundred and fifty troopers.
The escort didn't withstand a chance.
Having sustained only minimal casualties, they killed all the clanckers, and Dageer followed the Jedis to the fancy vehicle's door. The entire fight, the person inside hadn't shown their face.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Reis123
Reis123 How is everyone doing? Okay? That's good.
Nothing much to say today, other than the usual. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and are liking the novel. If you can, leave a review and a comment, they are always so fun to read.
And, as always, stay safe and may the Force be with you.
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