บท 287: A Jedi's Path
A battlefield. Rocks and red soil. Small and shriveled trees. And bodies.
A stretch of over ten kilometers, all of it covered in bodies. The majority of them were yellowish droids or big, silver ones. They were in pieces, and full of holes. Their carcass toppled over one another, sometimes piling up to half a meter high. Here and there, something different appeared. Something white and brownish-red.
The deeper one went inside the battlefield, the more they would see those bodies. Each of them had a blaster in their hands, and dozens of dead droids around them. Clearly, they put up quite the fight. But the enemy was too overwhelming.
At the center of the battlefield, laid twenty or so of those soldiers wearing white armor. Under their helmets, they all had the same face. Around them were hundreds of droids.
A broken helmet, with a peculiar design, was next to one of the dead bodies. It was broken in the middle, the visor cracked, and pieces of it were missing. In the few parts of it that were still intact, an image appeared. The pitch-black visor reflected flames that weren't there.
Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of noise appeared. Weapons being fired, explosions, and screams. Many, many screams. Of pain, of rage, of hatred.
The source of those screams was a different body. Brown skin, rough like scales. Small bone thorns on the face. Weirdly enough, even though the screams were coming from it, the body had a smile on it's face.
The smile grew wider, and the body got up. The ones clad into white armor also started to rise, even though they were clearly dead.
"We suffered a lot. We suffered too much. Put an end to it... Put an end to it! Avenge us! Kill! Avenge us!"
The screams, filled with anger, seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. But the target of all this pain was calm. A voice filled with sadness, but also a bit of happiness, spoke.
"Sorry, master, brothers... I will always remember you, but... Revenge is not my path."
As if it was made of dust, the entire battlefield crumbled and disappeared. The dead bodies, including the one the voice called master, also started to become particles that flew away. The angry screams stopped, replaced by a voice filled with pride.
"You have grown, my padawan. Follow your own path, for it is an important one. And remember to take care of those who follow you on that path. They will need it. May the Force be with you."
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Ragout opened his eyes, and, for a moment, saw his master in front of him, in a translucent, almost spectral form. General Di was smiling warmly, and his words resonated inside Ragout's head, filling the Jedi with happiness.
"Thanks, master... For everything."
As he murmured those words, General Di's smile grew wider, and he disappeared. His padawan was on the right path. Now, he could rest knowing that he had done everything he could to prepare Ragout.
"Did you say something, general?"
Ragout shook his head slightly, awaken from his stupor, and looked at the spot where General Di had just been. He didn't know if it was a dream or a vision from the Force, or even just his subconscious showing him what he wanted to see, but he was happy anyway.
After a few seconds, he looked at Hell Squad, who, in turn, were staring at him. They were used to the Jedi's weird actions, but Ragout staring at nothing confused them.
"Nothing important. I was just... Talking to myself."
The clones shrugged, and returned to what they were doing. A few minutes later, Dageer got up, and told his brothers to follow him to the canteen.
"We were going to grab something to eat, general. Wanna come?"
Ragout declined the offer. After the vision he just had, all he wanted was to meditate. Dageer just nodded, his scar moving along with his frown. He could feel that something had happened to his general, but whatever it was, Ragout seemed almost happy with it.
Watching Hell Squad walk away, Ragout felt Dageer's doubt, and grinned. The vision he had was a Jedi's matter, and he couldn't tell that to anyone but his fellow Jedis.
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Dageer hadn't even started eating when a trooper ran up to him, saying that his presence was requested at the command center.
Looking at his men, Dageer shrugged, and put down his tray. He was more than used to being called without any prior notice, and it seemed to happen even more when he was trying to eat or sleep.
He walked to the command center, his helmet under his arm, and met Commander Gree on the way.
"Do you know what this is about, Dageer?"
"No idea. This is weird... Why wouldn't they contact us through our comlinks?"
Commander Gree shook his head, unsure. He knew from experience that if something couldn't be discussed over comlinks, it was because it was extremely important, and top-secret.
He was proved right when they entered the command center, and saw a projection of Chancellor Palpatine, General Windu, and General Kenobi, talking to General Unduli. Aside from them, the room was empty.
"Commanders, please, come over here."
The two clones exchanged surprised glances, and, after greeting the chancellor and the Jedis, stood quietly by General Unduli's side.
"All right, everyone is here now. Dageer, Gree, the mission you are about to receive is extremely important. The fewer people who know about it, the better, so don't tell your men any details."
"Understood, general."
"Roger that."
The two clones weren't too surprised, especially Dageer. It was normal to hide critical information from their men, after all, many were captured and tortured. The less they knew, the better for the Republic. It was cruel, but it was the reality. Just like when Brain had been captured. He knew more than normal clones, but still, the information he had was of little value to the Separatist, so they sent him to the prison above Sullust, where he was later rescued.
"Chancellor, if you could explain what is this all about?"
"Of course, Master Kenobi. In a few days, Senator Padmé Amidala will go to Orto Plutonia, to negotiate a peace treaty between the natives, called Talz, and the Pantorans. The Pantorans live in one of the moons around Orto Plutonia, and, up till now, didn't know that the planet had natives. Since the Talz aren't an advanced species, Pantora's senator hoped to resolve their dispute by killing them. Luckily, Master Skywalker was able to stop that attempt, and initiate peace negotiations."
"Unfortunately, the Pantoran senator died during their first encounter with the Talz, while the 501st, and the Pantoran army, lost many troops. The Talz also didn't come out unscathed. As such, tensions are high, and we fear that Senator Amidala might encounter problems during the negotiations."
"We can't send a legion to accompany her, otherwise the Talz might back off. Dageer, I believe Hell Squad is well suited for this mission, right?"
"Yes, general. Leave it to us."
General Kenobi nodded, and, for the next half an hour, he and General Windu laid out the details of the mission, while General Unduli and Chancellor Palpatine added something here and there.
Two days later, Hell Squad left Felucia, headed to a medical station near Pantora, where they would meet Senator Amidala. Ragout stayed in Felucia to continue fighting.
// AUTHOR'S NOTE //
What's up! I hope you are all staying safe, and enjoying the novel.
Unfortunately, I have a bit of a rant today. Recently, some people have been getting very political on their comments. Some of those I don't even know what they are supposed to mean, since I'm not American or British (I googled who those people were).
However, I can tell they are being extremely rude, not to say something else. As such, I deleted them as soon as I saw them. I don't want my comment section to turn into a war or a debate about real life politics.
Few of you probably read those comments, because I receive a notification every time someone comments something, so I was able to delete them quickly. For those of you who did read, or even posted, them, please, remember this is a fanfic about star wars. None of what is written here is real, and even when I try to represent politics in the novel, I do it was neutrally as I can, showing both sides.
I know I can't do anything to change your mind, and I don't want to do so. Everyone has their own opinions, and that is great. That's how we make the world a better place. But please, don't bring this in my novel. I write it because I have fun doing it, and I feel proud whenever I see you guys like it too. As you know, it's totally free. You don't have to use coins, neither there is privilege.
So, together with this rant, I want to bring a official warning. If your comment is in any way political or offensive, I will delete it. I know that this might make me loose a few readers, but I prefer that than to watch my comment section become a forum for you all to curse at one another (this happened before, also deleted).
Again, I accept any criticism, of any kind, and any ideas, suggestions, or thoughts, as long as you are polite to me and others when you do so. If you really want to discuss politics, there are thousands of other places you can do so, including our discord (cheeky advertisement, again, dont be rude).
Sorry for the long message/rant, but I know you understand why I did it. So, again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and may the Force be with you!
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