The Story of the Fighting Fifteenth

Episode III: behind enemy lines Part 4

Rocky stepped along the sentry line, arms at her side as she stepped between the defensive lines, her eyes admiring the stalwart defender of the republic as they knelt, rifles at the ready never complaining, never remarking. Each trooper moving as though they were a limb of a greater body. As her Tognath form waded through the dugouts and fighting positions a clone trooper adorned in reinforced shin guards, forearms, thighs and chest. Across their shoulders sat a double-sided pauldron and ballistic coverings wrapped around the back of their legs. Amidst all this protection was the green and grey markings that Rocky had come to realise was the Unlucky Seconds identity. A frown began to curdle across her mind desperately trying to remember the clone's name. No. Not a name, a CT-number... 2411. As Rocky answered her question the duo behind him resolved in her mind's eye. They were unlike their brothers instead adorned in a grey and white disruptive camouflage pattern that made them hard to track in the urban jungle of Illic City. But more than that they were masked in a complex helmet. Gone was the iconic T-shaped visor replaced instead with a single curved visor under the protective cover of a reconnaissance visor and an advanced rebreather system. After reaching an undefined distance the trio snapped to attention before 2411 stepped aside and began to speak.

'Commander may I present to you. Our two best Advanced Recon Force Scout Troopers in the regiment,'

'We're the only two scouts from the regiment in this city ma'am,' corrected one of the ARF troopers.

'As I said, the best two scouts,' 2411 remarked encouragingly.

'What do you need from us ma'am?' the trooper continued cutting off the ARC troopers' unhelpful energy.

'We need you to recon the surrounding area for one or more mobile jamming platforms and ascertain the strength of the enemy, we're running on outdated intelligence here and that cannot do,'

'What's the timeline ma'am?' the second trooper asked.

'Your preliminary reconnaissance will be one hour,'

A subtle shrug of frustration rolled through the pair before a stiff 'Yes ma'am,' echoed out of their vocabulators and they were off, DC-15A blaster carbines in hand as they moved out to explore the dangerous wilderness of New Cov. Four hours later they were presumed dead and declared Missing In Action.

'They were the best!' 2411 declared frustratedly.

'Well, that is why the planetary regulation is to not go outside the dome,' Wizard interjected.

'Well, there has to be a way to reconnoitre this area. Does this city have observation pods?' 2411 asked.

'Certainly!' Governor Iea said enthusiastically 'There are Observation blisters all across the city!'

'Right. I need electrobinoculars. I'm going to find the separatists,' 2411 said before turning around, gesturing for a set of electrobinoculars from a trooper on the sentry line and marching off with Rocky and Wimmel following suit as Wizard's voice rang over frequency.

'You'll have to fill out the requisition paperwork for that!'

The turbolift shot up and arrived within one of the many hemispherical observation blisters that surrounded the city.

'So what are we looking for exactly? Rocky asked, her confusion finally overriding her sense of decorum as a commanding officer.

'Anything that looks out of the ordinary for a jungle. A shimmer of light, a rustle of trees. Anything,' 2411 said as he took up one position, electronbinoculars tucked to his T-shaped visor as he began to scan his sector. Hours went by with nothing to show for the effort, the commander and the lieutenant both beginning to find concern that they should begin organising the company for combat instead of hunting for droids until 2411s left to right motion jerked back and the ARC trooper let out an exclamation.

'Gotcha! Light at point two seven!' he said marking it on a holomap 'They've been masking their Landing Zones and mobile emplacements with camouflage netting. Probably lifted it during the night to ferry in more troops and raised it during the day when we'd have better visibility,'

'What have we got trooper?' Rocky inquired.

'That's over a battalion of droids commander, packing armour and anti-aircraft support as well,'

'I'm assuming that's bad?'

'Thoroughly commander,' 2411 intoned before seizing up once more 'What the haran is that?' the trooper questioned as a box head, beady photoreceptors wrapped under the protective shroud of a visor clambered out of the tank commanders hatch of an Armoured Assault Tank Mk I, its clawed hands clinging to the ring of the upper hatch as the repulsortank thundered forwards.

'What is it?' Rocky asked again.

'There's some kind-,' 2411 broke off and sighed 'One moment commander,' he remarked before activating his comlink and feeding his information up the chain of command. An instant later Captain Wizard was on frequency with Rocky. 'Commander, an ARC trooper just ascertained the existence of a new command droid as well as a battalion of droids inbound. ETA, three hours,'

Absolutely confused by the exchange she'd just witnessed Rocky returned to her comlink 'Good... work... captain. Meet me in the war room ASAP,'

With that, the trio returned to the turbolift and made their way back down into the bombed ruins of the war room. After an awkward interaction with the room coming to a complete halt at the company commanders appearance, the trio finally made their way to the holotable and ARC-2411 outlined what he saw and the battle plan unfolding before his eyes.

'They will march on our troops in a trident manoeuvre and encircle us killing us one. By one,' 2411 reported solemnly 'So withdrawal is still an option, right?' 2411 asked plainly causing Governor Iea to burst into further rage.

'After all that you will abandon us?!'

'Take the civilian population with us?' offered Wimmel sympathetically. At this Wevr just shook his head.

'You misunderstand lieutenant. These domes are designed to cater for exact population numbers. Of the three million citizens of Illic City, we have an overflow of little more than twenty percent to account for transience but that is it and all domes have that overflow capacity,'

As the conversation died down Rocky once again spoke 'I'm open to suggestions everyone,'

'Well, if we knock out that command droid commander, we'd be certainly levelling the playing field,' 2411 remarked as Wizard began to offer a solution.

'I can allocate a Sharpshooter pair to the task ma'am, we're out of Valken 38x's but a DC-15 blaster rifle will do the trick in the right hands with the right gear,' Wizard finished.

'You're right, in the right hands. That's why I'll be taking the shot,' 2411 added, thumb hooked back towards himself 'I'm not letting one of your regulars endanger the mission like last time,'

'Watch your tone trooper,' bristled Wizard before Rocky intervened.

'Hold that thought. What are we doing when the droids get into the city? I'm not a tactician so I don't know how I should be deploying my troops. I'm open to discussion,'

With the change of topic Wizard began his report 'Well most Jedi Generals tend to prefer frontal assault street fighting it optimises the use of the sword and shield tactic,'

'Which is why that's a terrible idea commander,' interjected 2411 'We are outnumbered and outgunned by a seven to one margin,' the ARC trooper adjusted the display and magnified the skyscrapers of New Cov. 'We need to be here... if we use these buildings, we can feed the droids into chokepoints where their numbers become a disadvantage,'

'And when our troops get overrun my troops can jump to their deaths because they won't have any way out but down!' Wizard retorted as a placating hand settled in the air as Rocky turned to 2411.

'ARC trooper do you see no other way?'

'No ma'am,' the clone said with a shake of his head.

'Verywell then, we will follow your suggestion,'