Chapter 39: The 341st Company

"Sir, everything is ready for the defense. We’ve discovered three more passages leading to our caves. The men have taken their positions, but I doubt we can hold off the clankers for long. And it looks like we won't be able to retreat if they pin us in the caves. Our scouts are searching for a second exit, but it seems there isn't one. Though these catacombs are quite complex, so they might still find something."

"Tell them to keep searching. I don't want any nasty surprises in our rear. Hey, trooper! What do you see out there?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Strange. We pulled back an hour ago; the droids should have reached the entrance by now, even if they were crawling."

"I think they’re planning an attack."

"A tactical droid?"

"Possibly, if the fortress commander decided to make this personal. The fact that we exposed their trap definitely bruised his ego. When I served in the previous war against the Separatists, many of their leaders were prone to emotions and illogical moves."

"Understood. What do you think about orbital bombardments?"

"Unlikely. In this wilderness, they’d need precise coordinates to hit us. Besides, we’ve taken cover in the most defensible caves, but they're far from the only ones. Even if they do open fire, it won't yield much of a result."

"I’d like to believe that... Snipers?"

"In position. This breather gave us a chance to better fortify the gorge. If only we hadn't left most of our supplies behind..."

"Don’t dwell on it. We'll pull through."

He let out a grunt and began listening to the soldiers' reports again.

"Yes, all snipers have taken their spots. They might even have time to deploy shields. Though getting them down from there is going to be a problem..."

I just waved a hand.

"If we’re still alive, we'll figure out a way to get them down... Let's just live to see that 'later.' What about that strange spare part? Did you find anything out?"

"Yes, but I don't think you'll like the results."

"Out with it, don't keep me in suspense."

"Our engineers suspect it’s some kind of protective coating. The main chassis of the commando droid was covered in a half-centimeter layer of an unknown substance. Experiments show they aren't very susceptible to energy bolts now..."

"Are you saying even a direct hit won't cause them problems?"

"Something like that. Naturally, this stuff has a limit, but it can significantly complicate our lives."

"I really hope they don't have many of those droids."

"Me too, sir. Me too."

"Listen, I'm just curious. How did you guys think to just take a shot at the thing? I know we have practically no scientific equipment, but to just start shooting at it right away..."

"Honestly, sir, it was an accident. The engineer carrying the part didn't have time to put it in his pack. He didn't think of anything better than to just clip it to his belt. It actually saved him during one of the skirmishes. If it wasn't for that thing, we’d have one more casualty. After that, he just tested his theory, that's all."

"I see."

Hurried footsteps behind me made me turn around.

A stormtrooper approached, stood at attention for a second, then relaxed and handed me a rifle.

"Tested and modified according to your orders, sir. The optics have been swapped, the trigger pull smoothed, and the stock adjusted to your grip."

"Excellent. Hand it over."

A pleasant weight pulled at my arms. I admired my new weapon for a few seconds before slinging it over my back.

"So you've decided to use it after all?"

"Yes."

"But what about the lightsaber?"

"Look here, my dear friend. How many meters from our positions to the entrance of the gorge?"

"A little over half a kilometer."

"And you’re suggesting I walk out in front of the machine guns and stand under a downpour of enemy fire? While also blocking the line of sight for our own shooters? No thanks, been there, done that, didn't enjoy it. Since we only have two repeating blaster teams, I'll take one of the passages. I rarely miss, so I can significantly delay the enemy. And this little beauty is capable of dropping even a B2 in one, maybe two shots at most. Right, trooper?"

"Exactly, sir."

"Well then. And when the buckets get close enough, that’s when I’ll reach for the blade. Of course, I’m more used to it. But as they say on a certain planet I know: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. It’s the same here. You have to use what best fits the situation. Understood?"

"Understood. Forgive me, sir, I’ve been used to it since the Clone Wars...—he hesitated for a second, searching for the word—...unusual... people using only lightsabers."

"As a rule, that’s true. It’s a versatile weapon suitable for almost any situation. If I were asked what I’d prefer, a blaster or my blade, I’d choose the latter without a second thought. Но in a defense, when I don't need to cover the troops and the enemy is still far off, a rifle is better."

It was clear he was interested in the talk about weapons. He wanted to continue. The surrounding soldiers pretended to be busy with their tasks, but they were listening intently too.

"But why a rifle specifically, and not a classic blaster or maybe a light repeating blaster?"

"Stopping power and control. The ratio of enemies killed to the time spent doing it, plus the amount of energy the weapon consumes—it all seems optimal to me. My knowledge isn't exactly vast in this field, of course. There might be other options, but I simply don't know about them."

"Interesting. And what do you..."

"They’re coming!"

The sentry's shout had an effect comparable to several grenades exploding, instantly plunging the camp into a state of focused tension.

"Any word from the allies? Are we still being jammed?"

"No, sir. Yes, sir. We're trying to establish a link, but nothing’s getting through yet."

"Hutt take it. Everyone to your posts!"

Running to my passage, I could already clearly hear the sounds of battle. Thirteen stormtroopers were laying down precision fire on the advancing enemy.

The local terrain provided excellent cover, shielding my men reliably.

Even as I approached, the barrel of my rifle spat out a green bolt, incinerating one of the B2s marching behind their smaller brothers.

My run ended at a pile of rocks that left just enough space to poke the muzzle through.

Catching a B1's chest in the optical sight, I squeezed the trigger, then again, and again. A stormtrooper fell nearby with a muffled cry. By the time his body hit the jagged stones, he had stopped breathing. A black hole in his helmet stared back at me like a dead eye socket.

But all of this happened on the periphery of my vision. Only my nose registered the unpleasant smell of scorched flesh. Almost all my concentration went into catching the next body in the crosshairs, pulling the trigger, waiting a few seconds, and repeating.

I don't know how the other sectors were doing, but we were managing to hold back the enemy's advance. However, it came at a high cost. No matter how well the stormtroopers hid, a stray bolt found them now and then. Half were already wounded but could still manage to return fire. Four lay motionless on the cold ground.

More than once, I had to urgently raise Force shields to shield my guys from certain death. Thrown grenades were sent back to their owners. But I couldn't keep track of everything at once.

One side of my face was a gruesome sight. A rocket fired by a B2 had exploded less than a meter away from me. Being too focused on my shooting, I only felt the danger at the last moment. Only because of that did I manage to raise at least some protection.

Amidst the constant cacophony, I couldn't even hear my own orders. I don't know how long we had been holding this cursed corridor, but if my senses were to be believed, it had been hours. Though I’m certain not even twenty minutes had passed.

A thin ray of hope shone when my next shot opened a gap between the droids, who until then had been coming in solid ranks. The seemingly inexhaustible flood was starting to thin. The real question was what would run out first: the enemies or our supplies. Those still capable of fighting had already scavenged everything they could from their fallen comrades.

After spitting out another bolt, the rifle gave a faint click, signaling that the magazine was empty once more. My fingers frantically searched for another power pack, but there was only emptiness in the pouch.

"Sir, they’re retreating!"

Leaning into the optics, I saw that the remnants of the droids were indeed turning around and heading back toward the exit of the gorge at a brisk pace.

"Hold your fire, conserve your charges. Trooper, go find out the status of the other sectors... and bring us fresh ammo if there's anything left."

"Yes, sir."

Returning to my observation, I saw the clankers huddling together outside of our firing range, as if waiting for something. But what?

The answer wasn't long in coming. Barely three minutes passed before commando droids appeared alongside the enemy soldiers. At a quick pace, they stepped to the front of their squad.

Curse it. I was nearly a hundred percent sure these were the ones. Through the sight, I could see that their plating differed from the smooth metal of B1s and B2s.

"Hold your fire. I'll handle the rest."

There was no point in hiding or coming up with a complex plan. Despite my wounds and exhaustion, I should have enough strength to crush some upgraded bastards. Five large stones rose into the air, slowly rotating on their axes.

We attacked simultaneously. Rock fragments hurtled toward the enemy, and at that same moment, red energy bolts drummed against my Force shield.

Almost all my projectiles missed, merely knocking down standard droids. Only one successfully clipped its target, apparently damaging some control node. The metallic humanoid figure fell to the ground, its arms and legs twitching erratically.

Four swift shadows closed in with rapid bursts, firing non-stop. A pair of grenades glinted in the air, intending to tear my body to shreds. Seizing control, I sent them back to their masters. Two synchronized explosions eliminated another headache.

Only the last droids remained, leaping into the air in unison. Madly vibrating vibro-blades descended vertically toward my shield. It didn't pose a real threat, but it was better not to let the collision happen. The standard droids were already concentrating all their fire on me; additional strain would definitely be overkill.

The commandos froze in mid-air, less than five meters separated us, but I was faster. A screeching sound accompanied the transformation of some of the Separatist army's most dangerous soldiers into mere scrap metal.

Improvised projectiles swept away the front ranks of the enemy, giving me a chance to close the distance with a quick dash. A high-pitched hum signaled the start of the slaughter.

I struck, hacked, stabbed, spinning like a top, trying to stay in motion to throw off their aim. Several blasters lying on the ground soared into the air. A second later, they were spitting lethal bolts in all directions, sowing even more chaos.

The Primordial Darkness swirled within me, granting its full power. At one point, I felt that if it went any further, I would be torn apart from the inside. A Force push swept everything from its path, meeting no resistance—rocks, droids, dead bodies—all were equally insignificant.

The gorge was empty; only I and piles of mangled metal filled it. A deep breath helped me steady my wildly pounding heart. Right now, I needed a cold head.

Now, only a few meters separated me from the exit. It was that distance that guarded my hope for a happy ending to this whole affair—a hope that was rapidly vanishing.

Thousands of droids were emerging from the forest in neat ranks. Tanks were taking their positions, preparing to begin shelling us. Several Separatist landing craft hung in the air, searching for a place to touch down. Another pair could be seen through the significantly thinned vegetation.

"Well, kark..."

Holy mother of—! They’ve brought an entire army here! What we destroyed could barely be called a scouting party! How many were there in total? Four hundred droids? Five hundred? That’s just a drop in the ocean! How can we even...

A distant, but familiar roar of starfighters reached my ears. Craning my head, nearly snapping my neck, I managed to make out small black dots that were rapidly growing in size. A few minutes later, a literal branch office of hell opened up at the foot of the hill.

******

The rough surface of the stone felt pleasantly cool against my feet. A light breeze blew over my face, grimy with soot, blood, and dirt. It brought with it the intoxicating scent of some unknown flowers. The rising sun’s first gentle rays illuminated everything around. It was quiet and peaceful.

The numerous bacta patches, generously handed out to our squad by the arriving medics, felt pleasantly cool on my skin.

From here, there was a magnificent view of the plain stretching below. I wasn't meditating as I used to. My being simply dissolved into the world around me, drawing peace and tranquility from it.

I’m sure if one of my colleagues had found me, they’d have taken me for a heretic, but I didn't care. I was so tired of all this. Maybe it was a temporary state, and I’d feel better later, but right now, I just wanted silence and peace. Heh, maybe there is something to the Jedi teachings after all.

"Sir."

A raspy voice jolted me from my lazy reflections. The commander, whose name I still hadn't learned, appeared at my shoulder.

Our entire squad was positioned on the crest of one of the hills beneath which we were nearly buried. Now, the reinforcements that had arrived just in time were busy doing something or other. We were just resting after that intense mission.

"Have we received new orders?"

"Yes, you’re being summoned to headquarters. As I understand it, they don't plan on sending you back to us. On behalf of the entire personnel, I have to say we’ll miss you, sir. A ship will be here for you soon. We're being given a short leave to recuperate and replenish our ranks from the remnants of other squads. Business as usual."

"Well then, thanks for watching my back all these days. I don't think I could have asked for a better squad." I clapped him on the shoulder. A friendly smile crept onto my lips of its own accord. I really did get a great squad, and an equally great commander. "Hey, troopers! This goes for every one of you."

"The honor was ours, sir." The stormtrooper snapped to attention and saluted. "If you ever decide to put together your own personal unit, the 341st Company will always be ready to join."

The entire squad, which had been listening intently to our conversation, rose to its feet. Dozens of nearly identical faces, among which were only a few non-clones, looked at me with the stern eyes of veteran fighters.

I didn't know their names, but I knew that each of them was my loyal brother-in-arms, ready to go into hand-to-hand combat to save their commander. And they knew I’d do the same.

We looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, and then they all, as if one man, stood at attention and saluted.

A multitude of voices, merging and overlapping, rang out through the area.

"Sir, yes, sir! It would be an honor to serve under your command!"

"Thank you, troopers." I was sincerely touched. "Heh, at ease. If I really do have to put together my own squad, you’ll be the first ones I personally call on. Attention! Everyone, listen to my last order as your commander in this war!"

The speech, bolstered by the Force, reached into the soul of every stormtrooper.

"Don't you dare die. You are the elite of the Imperial Army, the 341st Company. You survive everywhere; we’ve been in dead-end situations more than once, but we always came back with a victory. But victory without people is nothing. I expect that when I come for you, everyone standing before me now will be alive. Is the order clear?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The troopers' shout nearly drowned out the roar of the transport ships' engines descending from the sky toward our positions.