Time's up! (A Clone Wars Fanfic)

Part 31- Touché

"We need to hold out as long as we can, I'm trusting Fives and Hardcase to pull this thing off"
"Even if they don't, knowing them, they'll have fun" Melian told him with a smile.
"Yeah, they sure will"

Fives and Hardcase took a bit longer than expected, but they did it. The two came back in the Umbaran fighters and destroyed all Heavy Cannons there. They finally took the airbase. Everybody cheered the two on as they flew away. The airbase was still filled with Umbarans, but they were in handcuffs, on their way to prison, the very own prison they built. Melian watched that scene with much enjoyment, they made her brothers suffer and die, they deserve this. Melian was with Rex and the other boys
"Despite Hardcase's flying, you two saved us all" Rex joked with them
"That wasn't so tough"
"You sure? You looked a little green when you came out of that fighter" Jesse replied to Hardcase with a smirk and all of them shared a soft chuckle. The smiles from their faces were wiped out when Krell approached. Rex stood in front of everyone alone, Krell only talking to him
"Captain, report. What is our situation?" He asked, emotionless.
"General, we have taken the base and cut off enemy supply lines to the capital" Rex looked up at Krell, proud.
"Luck has smiled on you today, Captain. Consider yourself fortunate"
"It wasn't all luck sir. A lot of men died to take this base" Rex stepped closer to him.
"The price for such victory. Perhaps someday you'll realize this"
Melian didn't need to see Rex's face to know what he was feeling. She could see his hand turned into a tight fist. Krell turned around and waved his hand thru air a bit
"Dismissed"
As he walked away, Melian stood by Rex's side. She took his hand and slowly relaxed his hand from the fist so she could be able to hold it. He didn't resist a bit.
"He's the one who will never realize"
Fives came from behind the couple. They all watched Krell's back as he walked away, with a few clones always by his side.

After they took over the airbase, the Umbarans kept attacking it, obviously wanting it back. Hardcase and Dogma were walking behind Krell, talking. Rex came with some news and he, Krell and Dogma were on their way to the tower. Hardcase stayed behind, turning left to Melian and Fives. Fives was under one of the Umbaran starships, trying to understand the way it works. Melian was leaning onto the starship, talking to Fives. The three had a short conversation.
"Hey I gotta run, I wanna hear what Master Kenobi has to say" Melian started to leave
"What?"
"Well there's a transmission from Obi-Wan, that's why Krell went to the tower"
"How'd you hear that?"
"I have ears, Hardcase!" Melian was already far away.

She arrived to the Tower just in time, Obi-Wan's transmission coming thru.
"General Kenobi, do you read me?" Krell asked.
"Congratulations on your capture of the Umbaran airbase, General. It's refreshing to have good news" his voice was distorted.
"There will be time for celebration when we've taken the capital"
"Yes, well, I'm afraid that's going to be more difficult than anticipated. Their attacks have increased and their long range missiles are forcing us to retreat"
"I was hoping we cut off their supplies when we took this airbase, no?" Krell asked, disappointed.
"It seems they're receiving new arms and shipments directly from a ship orbiting-" the hologram of Obi-Wan Kenobi started to disappear, you could barely hear him anymore.
"Can't we destroy the supply ship?" Rex asked while they could still hear Kenobi
"We're trying but with little success. Their fleet outnumbers ours, and the extra ships we were promised have not yet arrived"
"We'll just have to take that capital regardless of the missiles" Krell said, yet another one of his stupid, dangerous suicide missions
"General, you can't-" Melian quietly started, but he didn't even register her and just kept talking
"My battalion will meet you at the rendezvous coordinates"
Melian and Rex looked at each other, and then at Krell
"We cannot expect..." Obi-Wan's signal was completely lost now. The poor clone tried to get it back but with no success. The three left the Tower.

Krell was making Rex prepare the men for battle. Neither Rex nor Melian agreed with Krell's plan, like that stopped him before. More bombs fell around the airbase as they talked. Krell used Rex's loyalty against him and it hurt Melian. She knew he tried to be reasonable, but he couldn't disobey Krell like that, no matter how much he hated him.

The couple entered one of the hangars where most of the men were, telling them the final plan.
"Those missiles have 100 megaton yield, we won't even make it to the delta!" Fives leaned on one of the starships.
"Well we tried to reason with him but he just won't listen, so, those are the orders" Melian tried to make them feel a bit better.
"Great, another suicide mission"
"The capital is too well armed"
"Why does it feel like he has it out for clones?"
Many of them complained.
"I think you're all overreacting. Obviously, General Krell knows what he's doing" Dogma was defending him again.
"No, it's obvious he has no idea what he's doing and this is all just fun to him" Melian replied to him, and as usual he had no answer.
"I do think his desire for victory has blinded him to the fact that there are lives at stake. I've never seen a General with these kinds of casualties"
"He's out of control! He's not acting like the other Jedi, he has no respect for us!" Fives snapped
"Listen I don't agree with him either but I don't have a better plan" Rex tried to calm him down.
"What about using these starfighters to destroy the supply ship?" Fives smirked
"Our fleet has been trying, the Umbarans have it as protected as the capital"
"But we've got their access codes and their own hardware"
"You were able to crack it?"
"Mhm!" Fives hit Jesse with his fist
"We can sneak past their blockade and get where our ships can't" he finished the sentence.
"Ooh I like that plan" Melian smiled at Rex. He knew exactly what she meant.
"Fine, but you tell Krell"
"But he already hates me!"
"No wonder..." Fives slightly smirked and whispered
"He hates you more though" she smirked back
"Touché"