Chapter 88 - Typical Hell Squad Strategy

Hell Squad took care of the droids nicely, and not one blaster was fired in the process. They took back their positions near the windows, just waiting for the Crab Cannon to get close.

"zzzz... zzzz... R1 zzzz... R1-H6, what is your unit doing? zzzzz... zzz... Report. You were supposed to have cleared this building... zzzz... zzz... twenty seconds ago."

The voice was all broken, with static interference, but it was coming from one of the dead droids. That was bad. If they didn't respond, that could screw their whole plan. Dageer had to make a decision at the moment, so he chose to pass on the responsibility.

"Cell! Answer that!"

"W-What?! Me? But... I'm not a droid."

"You are always mocking the voice of the clanckers. I hope you can copy it."

"Urghhh. I will try. Errrr... bzzz... I am sorry... bzzz... there was some debris on the way. We are returning soon."

"R1-H6 check your vocal piece when we return to the cruiser. Your transmission is weird."

"Roger, roger."

"Pheefff, that was a close one. Hey, Cell, maybe we should change your name to R1-H6. Hehehehehe!!!"

"And maybe you should change your name from Brain to Joker. I just saved us, and you are making fun of me."

"Hahahahahahaha!!!"

"Hey, it's not time to joke now. Their infantry already passed. Be ready to assault the cannon."

"We are ready, sir."

The Crab Cannon was really close now, almost under them.

"Brain, if you don't mind."

Brain got close to the wall of the building and stuck a thermal detonator on it. Hell Squad took some distance from the wall, and Brain blew it up. Small rocks crashed in their armor, but they didn't see to notice it.

With Dageer leading the way, Hell Squad swam out of the building through the hole they blasted. Somehow the explosion had passed unnoticed, and the quarrens protecting the cannon weren't looking up, but to the front. Until one of the rocks blasted from the building dropped in the head of one of them.

The quarren looked up, and his eyes widened in surprise. His mouth started to open, but Dageer's blaster was faster.

Now that they were revealed, Hell Squad spared no efforts to make the most out of the surprise effect. Metal's Z-6 was again the most eye-catching, and the fact that there were no obstacles in the way only helped. The following scene wasn't a beautiful one.

After the quarrens were annihilated, Brain planted the detonators. Before the droid forces nearby could see what it was going on, a big explosion shook the water.

Moments later, when enemy reinforcements arrived, all they found were dead quarrens and the remains of a Crab Cannon. Hell Squad was nowhere to be seen.

---------------------

Ten minutes later, at another building four blocks away from the one they were, Hell Squad was laying on ambush again.

"Sir, we might have a small technical difficulty."

"Which is?"

"I am down to my last grenades. We didn't have time to catch our breath ever since we got to Vernila, so I couldn't find many detonators. I'm afraid that Crab Cannon is the last we can take out."

"That sure is a problem. And I suppose we can't go back to our lines and come back even if we wanted to. Let's destroy this one first and think about the others later. We will work something out. We aren't a special squad for no reason."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Hell Squad is ready for some fun, sir!"

...

Their second ambush went as well as the first one. This time the enemy was a bit warier, so the fight was more intense, but Hell Squad didn't sustain any injuries, and the second Crab Cannon was destroyed.

It was their third and last target that was the most troublesome. All problems seemed to have come together on this one. Not only they didn't have anything with which they could blow up the cannon, but there were two Crab Cannons.

Besides that, the guard around them had increased a lot, to almost three hundred enemies. No matter how good Hell Squad was, there was no way they could pass through that. But if they didn't, the Republic might win the battle, but casualties would be heavy.

"Apparently they heard of us, sir."

Dab showed a multitude of enemies on their way. Dageer shrugged.

"We weren't exactly discreet."

"So what is the plan?"

"I'm open to ideas."

"Is the situation that bad?"

In the end, it was Tech who had the best idea. And even then, it was a terrible one but the best they got.

"Tech, are you sure you can do it?"

"No, sir. But we have to give it a try. And I have quite the confidence in myself."

They didn't have the time to sit and think, so they had to go with Tech plan. His plan, of course, involved a lot of shooting, and quite a bit of luck.

The Crab Cannons were getting really close. They brushed by another building, turning parts of it into rumble. The dust settled quickly in the water, but it was enough for Hell Squad to make their entrance.

A droid swimming in the front looked at its sensors, which have changed to red.

"My sensors are picking up something. Going to investigate."

"Roger, roger."

The droid went forward, but something touched his chest and made a 'clank' sound.

Dageer looked at the droid and pulled the trigger. The droid's chest blew up, and at the same time, Hell Squad opened fire.

The droid frontlines were hit hard. Each droid was hit three or four times, chest, head, arms, legs, everywhere. They were thrown back due to the impact, hitting the others behind them, and dropped to the bottom, becoming more debris in the ocean.

"Tech, go!"

After Dageer's order, Tech dropped his blaster and turned the thruster on his backpack to full, gaining speed. He swam swiftly across the droids, and got to the nearest Crab Cannon. Using all his force he opened the c.o.c.kpit of the cannon, and pulled out the droid inside it before quickly closing it again.

Torturous slowly, Tech controlled the cannon to turn. When it was facing the other Crab Cannon, he smiled.

"Hello there."