Return

1.2K 29 2
                                    

Open Circle Fleet - The Resolute

As the Separatist shuttle entered the capital ship through the large doors, a small squad of troopers rushed to the hangar bay where the ship would be landing. When the rear doors opened, three wounded were soon rushed out by the medics towards the infirmary where they would be patched up for the next op. Approaching the new arrivals, General Skywalker observed the rest of Mantis Platoon leave the transport. Master Chief and the ARCs were still inside, most likely just going over what happened. Sneaking up the ship's ramp, Anakin joined the three soldiers in silence until Echo called out; "General on deck!"

Coming to attention, the Spartan saluted the Jedi on behalf of the ARCs before standing at ease. Anakin jokingly scolded the three for doing all the formalities but Chief retorted by saying that by maintaining discipline in all areas, both on and off the battlefield, one will truly be able to be a warrior. Complimenting his way of thinking, Anakin asked whether or not they have anything to discuss with Command before the invasion of Geonosis began.

"Sir, while we were on target, 117 got some very important intel that should be taken into consideration before we commence the attack." Echo spoke up, earning a nod from Skywalker, who replied by saying that he'll organise a meeting with the rest of Command before they go over the intel.

Following the Jedi's departure, the three went over what had to happen before the briefing. Echo had to fill in an AAR (After Action Report) and Fives wanted to check in with the wounded to make sure they would be ready for the next engagement. Chief decided that he wanted to formally introduce himself to Mantis platoon and get to know them better, Fives offered to help by providing a holopad with a list of names and roles of the troopers. 117 gladly accepted the offer and took the holopad from the clone as he made his way to the barracks.

In the list, he read all he could about the men;
CT-1401, Thermos - EOD
CT-1402, Shrapnel - EOD
CT-1403, Midas - Chief Medic
CT-1404, Jester - Assistant Medic
CT-1405, June - Sharpshooter
CT-1406, Romeo - Spotter
CT-1407, Blitz - Pilot
CT-1408, Streak - Pilot
CT-1409, Gears - Field Mechanic
CT-1410, Static - Radio

Currently, Jester, Static and Romeo were stuck in the infirmary but the rest were all in the barracks. Opening the door Chief entered the room as the seven other troopers jumped to attention. From what 117 could observe June was in the process of cleaning his rifle, both Thermos and Shrapnel were restocking detonators and the rest were trying to get some sleep. 

"At ease troopers. Before I leave you to return to your tasks, there are some things I want to clarify with you. First, I have noticed that other units do not recognise rank when passing officers. That will not stand in this group, if you do not acknowledge a senior officer, you will receive extra work." The troopers looked around at each other as the supersoldier continued.

"Next, you will all be doing more tasks regarding your respective roles in the field, as a result, you will be training more in your specific roles to improve your proficiency. The last thing is the one unbreakable rule of this team, we leave no man behind. This goes beyond your indoctrination at Kamino, you are one in everything you do. You will sleep together, eat together and fight together. Though you may be bonded by blood, at the end of this war you will be bonded by spirit. Copy?"

"SIR YES SIR!" The troopers shouted proudly, clearly inspired by their new leader's approach to the job at hand. Those that were doing work beforehand returned to their jobs, the rest all got their uniforms back on and got ready for additional training. Leaving his men to their tasks, Chief went up to the bridge where he waited for the ARC troopers, Captain and General to join the briefing.

After about 10 minutes, everyone was present in the war room. Plugging in his suit to the display, Chief brought up the intel he had gathered from his brief time in the Separatist base. Turns out that there was a small fleet defending Geonosis and was supported by a deep-space sensor array that was stationed on the planet's desert surface.

This was not included in the plan, the fleet was not a problem but the sensor array would be a challenge. It would detect the Republic fleet approaching before they even dropped out of hyperspace, alerting the fleet and giving them time to scramble fighters. The sensor array would also send a distress beacon to nearby CIS forces to come to the planet's aid.

The Open Circle Fleet was powerful on its own but recently it had been stretched thin. If additional CIS ships started showing up in the middle of battle, the clone force would have to retreat. Via his hologram form, Obi-wan had an idea; "Master Chief, do you think your team could infiltrate that base and render it offline before the main force arrived?"

"Sir yes sir, We will move out in thirty minutes. Captain, we will need a shuttle prepared with extra supplies and possibly some heavy ordinance like mortars or rocket launchers." 117 answered promptly and gave instructions to Rex for what they would need. Rex was caught a bit off-guard by the sudden request but agreed nonetheless. Asking for one last request, Skywalker responded by saying that if it is valid he'll gladly approve it.

"The team's name sir, I would like to request that it be changed to Blue Team." Master Chief enquired, though everyone else may not know it, the name held meaning to Chief. Blue Team was the squad of Spartans that 117 fought alongside during the Sith Wars and was the closest thing he ever had to a family.

"Granted, Blue Team it is then."

Project AresWhere stories live. Discover now