Capítulo 310: A Time Of Defeats
"You let them escape! We had five Jedis, and two of the most hunted clone units, and you let them escape!"
Count Dooku looked at his apprentice, still locked behind the ray shields. They had meticulously prepared a trap for the Republic, and not only did it fail, but they also lost a valuable prisoner. All because Ventress had a grudge with one of the clones.
"They discovered our trap. Grr... It isn't my fault. Next time I find them..."
"There won't be a next time. You will stay far away from Hell Squad. I need them to be taken care of, and it's clear you can't do it."
"You can't do that!"
Ventress spat those words in anger, instantly regretting it, as she felt an invisible hand grab her neck, and lift her up. Her vision started going black, and she couldn't breathe. Finally, when she was almost going unconscious, Count Dooku used the Force to smash her against the wall, and let her.
"I can do whatever I want, my apprentice."
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While the Jedis talked at the control room of the shuttle, the clones grouped up in one of the rooms. The mission had been a partial success. They managed to rescue Ragout, but failed to destroy the factories, and lost four soldiers.
Hell Squad, surprisingly, was unharmed. The members of Doom Legion weren't so lucky, and one of them was in critical condition, while others had light wounds. Scorch had been hit in the shoulder, two times, while Boss was limping after Count Dooku almost severed his leg. Bad Batch's Tech had been shot in the back, and the blast padding was the only reason he was alive.
"How did your men do, Hunter?"
"Pretty okay, sir. Delta Squad got most of the fun, however."
"Ha! I never thought you would be humble now, after everything you said back in Kamino. Bad Batch fought well, Dageer. They saved us a couple times back there."
The clones all laughed at the somewhat embarrassed expression that their four defective brothers showed. Even Wrecker looked flustered. They certainly didn't expect that after all the scolding that they received from Dageer and Boss in Kamino, now they would be praised so much.
"Congratulations, Clone Force 99. You aren't shinies anymore. You are real troopers now."
Dageer patted Hunter's shoulder, and was about to say something else when his comlink bipped. Looking at it, he suppressed a sigh, picked up his helmet, and got up. The others looked at him, not too surprised.
"Duty calls. Doom, the Jedis want you too. The rest of you, take a rest. You deserve it."
...
"Dageer, Hell Squad didn't suffer any serious injuries. As such, you will come with me and Obi-Wan to Kiros."
It wasn't a warning or a question. It was an order. Dageer acknowledged it with a nod. He had no idea where Kiros was, but as long as he was given a command, he would follow it to the end.
"Tomorrow, a meeting will take place, to decide the future of this war. By then, we must already be in Kiros. Gather your men, commander."
"Roger that, General Kenobi."
Giving a last glance to Ragout, Dageer left the room, and went to prepare Hell Squad. Soon, the shuttle was going to arrive at a supply station, and the thirty-odd people would split up.
General Skywalker and General Kenobi, as well as Hell Squad, would go to Kiros. Commander Doom, his men, and the two female Jedis were needed in Dantooine. Ragout would return to Coruscant, to recover from his wounds. Delta Squad still had no assignment, while Bad Batch would be responsible for escorting a fleet of cargo ships. Seeing how fast everyone had received new orders, it was clear to Dageer that the Clone Wars had reached a critical juncture.
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In the command bridge of a Venator-class Cruiser, Hell Squad, Captain Rex, Commander Cody, and two Jedis looked at the hologram table. Right now, the second largest meeting of the war was starting.
The holograms showed dozens of Jedis, and their respective clone commanders, as well as a few special units. The meeting was presided by the Chancellor Palpatine himself.
"Right now, the Republic is suffering severe losses. We are losing one system after another, and our support amongst the neutral planets in waning."
"The chancellor is being too kind. Everyone here is a veteran of this terrible war, and there is no use in sweetening our words. We are about to lose."
"After over three years, we are running out of resources. I won't dwell on numbers, but what you have to know is that unless we convince some of the major neutral systems to join us, our troops won't only be outnumbered, but also defenseless and starving."
The discussion went on for hours. Most of the clones stood quiet, only saying something when asked. Inside, they were all furiously thinking. And, they all arrived at the same conclusion.
The Jedis once again showed why they weren't fit to lead a war. They were too merciful, too kind. They weren't willing to sacrifice anything or anyone. The answer to the problem was right in front of them, but none dared to say it. Clones didn't have all those moral problems.
In the end, the commanders from over twenty legions all looked at Dageer. For a long time now, he was the unelected representative of the soldiers, whenever they had to say something the Jedis wouldn't like.
"Generals, chancellor, there is something we can do. A gamble we can take."
All the Jedis quieted down, and fixated their eyes on Dageer. The clone, however, was looking straight at General Yoda. The powerful being hadn't said a word the entire meeting, which made Dageer think he too knew what the solution was. The pained expression on his face further convinced him of that.
"What is it, Commander Dageer?"
"We take our forces from Coruscant, Kamino, Kessel, and other planets, and commit them to an all-out attack."
"Those are our core planets! If we leave them defenseless, it's the same as giving up!"
"If we don't do so, we will lose the war anyway. Continue, commander."
"We take the systems that will make the scale tip to our side. But only the less important ones. We leave Geonosis, Mustafar, and the like alone. They won't dare to move their fleets from those systems. They will think it's a trap."
"Do you have any idea of how many troops you are talking about, Commander Dageer? Dozens of millions."
"Hundreds, ma'am. If we want it to work, we will have to use our troops on Felucia, Mon Cala, Dantooine, and so on."
"That would waste three years of effort we put on conquering those planets!"
"I know. But I don't think there is any other way. And, with all due respect, you don't seem to think so either, generals."
A long silence descended in the room, and for many minutes, no one said anything. Finally, General Yoda opened his eyes.
"Many lives, lost will be."
"Yes, General Yoda. But we won't falter. The Republic is our home. The clones won't let it fall in the hands of the Separatist, not while we are alive. And, if we are going to die anyway, then we prefer to risk everything in a last offense than wait cowardly."
Dageer was harsher than any clone had ever dared to be. Before, his blood wouldn't let him talk to the Jedis like that. But everything had changed after Ryloth. He was tired of just listening to orders even when he knew they would lead to death and defeat.
"Right Dageer is. To this war survive, no other option we have."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Reis123
Reis123 This plan that Dageer came up with is all from my mind, and never appeared on the series. However, there are literally dozens of battles happening at the same time, so I thought: why not?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and, as always, if you feel like it, leave a review and/or a comment. Also, I gladly accept ideas and suggestions.
And may the Force be with you!
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