Capítulo 182: The Invasion Starts
"To your battle stations!!!"
"Move, move, move!!!"
"Come on, what are you, clanckers?!"
"Blue One ready!"
"Steel Six ready!"
"Thorn Eleven in position!"
Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains barked orders while pilots got into their starfighters. It was an organized mess, as hundreds and thousands of clones got ready for battle in a matter of seconds. Soon, the hangars of the Republic cruisers opened, and starfighters flew off to meet their opponent.
...
Seconds before the Separatist fleet left hyperspace, the scanners on The Sincerity picked it up.
"Admiral! The seppies are arriving!"
"Sound the alarm!"
Admiral Dao looked out of the command bridge as Separatist ship after Separatist ship came out of hyperspace. The feeling of doom in his heart increased, but he steeled his resolve. If they were going to die, he would take as many as he could with him.
Turning away from the window, Admiral Dao had a serious expression on his face, but there were also glints of excitement.
"All soldiers to their battle stations! I want every pilot in the air! After the first engagement, find the weakest ship and focus your fire. Turrets, don't let a droid slip past us. Cannons, go all out, no holding back"
"Yes, sir!"
"Let's show them Ryloth is not an easy target. Let's show them the 303rd isn't playing. Show them all we've got, and they will understand that they will have to pay a heavy price to get through us."
All the crew acknowledged his orders, and the entire fleet was bustling with activity as the starfighters of both sides flew to meet each other. Under his breath, Admiral Dao murmured something only he could hear.
"And let us go out in a blaze of glory."
------------------------
Dageer looked up to the sky, and saw the huge battle happening. Instantly, he knew they had no chance. However, he believed in Admiral Dao. He knew the old commander already noticed it. He would buy as much time to the troops on the ground as he could.
Shaking his head, Dageer yelled at the troops surrounding him to get back to work. They had to make good use of the time their brothers were giving them at the cost of their lives.
"If you have nothing to do, go find something, whatever it is! If you already have, hurry up! Move!"
The soldiers started to move, a sense of urgency that wasn't there before now gripping their hearts. Dageer walked inside the building as fast as he could without looking too worried.
General Di and Commander Keeli were around a hologram table, dead serious. On the table, a hologram of Admiral Dao appeared. Dageer hurried into the room and listened to the conversation. General Di and Commander Keeli barely saw him enter.
"... won't be long before they break through our blockade. We are losing fighters too fast!"
The transmission shook, as if something hit The Sincerity.
"I am sorry, general, but we can't buy you much more time."
"Hold for as long as you can, Dao. Contact the Jedi Council, ask for help. There have to be something they can do."
"I will try, general."
"May the Force be with you."
The transmission was cut, and General Di immediately turned to Commander Keeli and Dageer.
"We need to secure the supplies. In a few days they will break through our blockade, and land. We have to be prepared."
"About it, general. We have supplies for a month if we keep splitting them with the population like you ordered, general. However, if we..."
"No. We are here to save Ryloth, not starve it to death."
Commander Keeli looked at Dageer, and nodded. They were already doomed, maybe sharing their supplies wouldn't be of any harm.
"Yes, general."
"Dageer. Where is Ragout? What about the freedom fighters? We will need them."
Quickly, Dageer explained everything that happened. The faces of the two became grave, and General Di instantly left the room, followed by Dageer and Commander Keeli.
They soon arrived at the City Council building, where two Twi'lek guards tried to stop them, but General Di simply pushed them aside, leaving them extremely confused and fearful.
Dageer and Commander Keeli looked at each other. They had never seen their general so angry. The Nikto had a lot to deal with, and it was clearly taking a toll on him.
"Shar Yellps!!!"
His voice amplified by the Force, General Di called for the leader of the council. Many minutes later, the fat Twi'lek appeared in the room, followed by other members of the council.
"Master Di? There is a battle in the sky! Is this the peace the Republic promised us?"
"Shar Yellps. You know everything that happens in this city. Did a man by the name of Gobi come looking for me?"
Fear glistened in Yellps' eyes, and he even shuddered when he heard the name. He quickly disguised it, but his reactions showed that he clearly knew something.
"Gobi? Isn't that Cham Syndulla's dog? Why would he come to me to see you, Master Jedi?"
"Leave us."
General Di ordered the other Twi'leks in the room to leave, and, when seeing them hesitate, Dageer and Commander Keeli stepped menacingly towards them. Scared by the two clones, they quickly left. Shar Yellps tried to leave too, hiding amidst them, but General Di pulled him back using the Force.
"W-What are you doing? Y-You can't do that. I am your ally!"
General Di made the fat Twi'lek float until he was above a stool, and released him. The stool creaked under his weight, but held on. General Di sat in front of him, with Dageer and Commander Keeli on his sides.
"Shar Yellps, for how long have you been working for the Separatist?"
Fear transpired from every pure of Yellps' body, and he let out a weird snarl, clearly scared.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about, master Jedi."
General Di sighed, and motioned for Dageer and Commander Keeli to grab Yellps.
"W-What are you doing?!"
"Dageer, Keeli, arrest him for treason against the Republic."
The Twi'lek shrunk, and stopped struggling. Being charged with treason was worse than death. He kept silent for a while, but when he saw that the two clones really were going to arrest him, he spilled everything.
"It wasn't me! Count Dooku forced me to help him! I had to put Gobi away, otherwise Count Dooku would kill me when he conquered Ryloth."
Dageer almost spat with disgust.
"And I bet you would receive a nice role after he defeated us, right? Somewhere from which you can watch as your people starve and suffer under the seppies. Don't worry, that is not happening. They won't set a foot on Ryloth."
"Who else is with you?"
Yellps told them a list that included almost all the members of the City Council. Immediately, Dageer ordered some clones to arrest those men. After watching the defeated Shar Yellps being taken away, Dageer turned back to General Di. Hadn't the Jedi been so decisive, it would have taken them a while to startle all the corrupts off their holes.
...
Gobi was a Twi'lek with blue skin, and very friendly. After Dageer rescued him from the dungeon he was in and told him what happened, he promptly said he would talk with Syndulla, and that the freedom fighters would surely join hands with the Republic to fight the Separatist.
Dageer looked up to the sky, where the battle was still going on, before turning to Gobi.
"Talk with Syndulla. We will need all the help we can get. And it still won't be enough."
Suddenly, his eyes were attracted to a huge series of explosions. An Acclamator-class Cruiser had thrown itself in between two Separatist frigates in a suicide move. Facing the point-blank barrage of the Republic cruiser, the frigates fell apart, becoming debris floating in space. The price, however, was steep, as the cruiser now laid dead in the space, just waiting to be destroyed.
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