Chapter 57 - Training In the Middle Of Combat

As the men of the 303rd got into position General Di came back just long enough to take about half of the clone legion to protect the incubation area and the DNA room. Before leaving he told them about the situation.

Of the eighteen Gonzati-class cruisers, three of them were coming towards Dageer position. That was a lot of droids, but Dageer had confidence that the 303rd would kill at least half of them on the outside.

The open platforms of Kamino were optimal to defend and terrible to attack. If the defending forces were well positioned they could hold out for a good amount of time. With the enemy invasion force drawing closer and closer, Commander Keeli took Dageer on a last minute check of their defenses.

"Any ideas if there is any improvement we can make Dageer?"

Dageer analyzed the resistance that his brothers had made. Crates and blast shields have been put on the bridges connecting the platforms, and short-range anti-aircraft turrets on the buildings made so that the droids were forced to land a bit far away.

On the platforms that the clones calculated the droids would land nothing was left. Every bit of cover that the droids could use was taken away, leaving only the bare platform. The bridges connected to such platforms had defenses only in the opposing half of the bridges, so the droids would have to walk on a small area with zero cover.

"I think we are okay. When the clanckers land we should have our heavy machine gunners concentrate their fire on the disembark ramparts. After that, the first half of the bridges - the open areas - and the platforms on itself shall become death zones to them. Maybe if we have snipers take positions there, there and there we can kill some more of them."

Commander Keeli didn't answer. Dageer looked at him, and after a few seconds, realization struck him.

"You had already thought of that. Of course, you have, you are the commander. Then why make me say it all over again?"

"First because two minds think better than one, and you might have spotted something I didn't. Secondly, because the best place to learn things like that isn't in a classroom, but on the battlefield."

"Uhmm... So, did I miss anything?"

"Actually, yes. See those side bridges? They are too small for their sh.i.p.s to land, but we can put some men over there to catch the droids on a crossfire. I've already ordered that, actually."

Commander Keeli's comlink blinked to life.

"Commander, they are arriving. You should hurry back."

Both of them looked upwards and saw that the three Gonzati-class cruisers were only a few kilometers away. They hurried back to the first line of defense, on the bridges near the landing points.

Crates and blast shields were scattered here and there, so the clones would have a bit of cover. The problem was that once the droids got to those defenses they also would have cover, but there was nothing they could do about that.

Dageer sent Dab to a sniper point a little far away and put Metal with his Z-6 at the very front. The other members, including Dageer, scattered among the crates, and aimed their blasters at the landing droid cruisers.

Three Gonzati-class cruisers landed, each one on different platforms. This meant that the droid forces wouldn't be so concentrated, which was bad, because if one of the defending groups failed, the droids would be able to fire on the clones on the other bridges.

"Here they come!!!"

The lateral of the cruisers opened, revealing droids upon droids. Literally. The droids were mostly deactivated, one above the other, so they could fit as much of them as possible. Only the ones on ground level were activated and started marching out. In the first line was out of the way the second pile of droids was dropped and went live.

Of course, the clones weren't doing nothing while that happened. All of them had opened fire, and the lasers from the heavy machine gunners were totally drowning the doors of the cruisers.

Dageer was calmly firing his DC-15A for the first moments, but soon the droids started returning fire and he was forced to duck behind the crates.