Commander Keeli activated the lockdown order immediately after getting back to the barracks. No clones were to leave the barracks, and those who were outside it were to return immediately.
Luckily, there were still entertainment facilities inside the headquarters of the clone army, although not as good as the Revontre. More luckily than that, the clones hadn't gotten out of their usual routine, so no complaints were raised.
The next action Dageer took was to bring Hell Squad together, and head to where Commander Keeli was. This was basic military tactics, and the commander should be protected at all costs. An army without a leader wasn't more than a bunch of loose grains of sand.
"Sir, who is the enemy? What should we prepare?"
"Bring everything we have. Metal and Three-four, you two especially. We will need heavy firepower, and, Three-four, stay close to Commander Keeli. Protect him no matter what. Tech, Cell and Brain, you are to pursue if anyone tries to flee. Dab and I stay here to make sure it isn't just a distraction."
"How many enemies?"
"We don't know. In fact, we don't even know if they will really come. Remember your orders. Our priority is Commander Keeli's safety."
Hell Squad moved fast, and arrived in front of Commander Keeli's chambers. The clone commander showed no surprise, and asked Dageer to come in.
"Three-four, Tech, with me."
Commander Keeli's room was nothing different from the ones belonging to the normal troopers. The only thing that stood out was the huge number of blasters on the wall.
Hell Squad took position, and stayed beside Commander Keeli the whole day and night, no matter what he did or where he went. But it was unnecessary, as no attack had happened. As a way to cover up the futility of their actions, Cell said that the attack Dageer was expecting didn't happen because Hell Squad was there. The members of Hell Squad, tired from the last day and night they stayed up and awake, gladly accepted the excuse.
The blow came next morning, when Dageer, who hadn't slept yet, saw the report that Commander Fox had sent to Commander Keeli.
No clone from any of the legions temporarily on the capital planet of the Republic went missing the last night. But almost thirty Coruscant Guard soldiers didn't return from their patrols.
The next day that number was reduced to twelve Coruscant Guards. There was no kind of pattern, neither in the number of attacks or in the place they happened. With more than fifty clones missing, Commander Fox finally decided that the Coruscant Guard couldn't deal with the problem all by themselves. Still, all the commanders agreed that since the clones were being specifically targeted, the jedi weren't to be involved.
A measure was soon taken, thanks to a contact that Commander Fox had in the underworld. The snitch would do anything for a good price, and didn't deserve any trust, but Commander Fox pressed him heard. Of course he didn't pay, but hinting that he knew about some of the crimes the snitch committed was enough. In turn, Commander Fox had lost his best informant, as the snitch wouldn't do anything for him anymore, unless Commander Fox paid double the price.
But it was worth it. Although the snitch didn't know the name of who attacking the clones, or why that group was doing it, they got other important news. First, the location, and second the number. According to the snitch, deep in the underground world of Coruscant, a gang of more than a hundred members was capturing the clones.
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"How can we make sure your informant is telling the truth? And even if he is, how can we guarantee he won't tell that gang that we know their location?"
Later, in the meeting, Commander Monnk voiced his doubts, for which Commander Fox already had an answer.
"We can't. But he has nothing to win if he does this. You moved from a planet to another, and didn't have the time to understand how the underworld works. But I have been here since the start, and I can guarantee to you that Coruscant is much worse than it looks like on the surface. A snitch that tells both sides about each other wouldn't survive a day here. And even if he decided to do that, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that they would kill him for crossing them."
Commander Cody cut in at this point, think more rationally them Commander Monnk.
"Even then, a hundred is still a lot to deal with. And if finding them was so easy, I wouldn't be surprised if the real mastermind is still hiding in the dark. Fox, how many men can the Coruscant Guard spare without leaving other areas lacking?"
"We can barely cope with what we have in hand. Two hundred men at the most. But we have to be careful. They are on level A83. The Coruscant Guard have no men after level 67. Down there is a world with no laws."
"Two hundred... if we take them by surprise, that should be enough. But we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. We can take the legions that are here. What do you all say?"
Commander Bly put his fist in front of his chest, determination on his face.
"We thought you are never going to ask. We will squash those who dare to mess with our brothers."
There were sounds of agreement between the commanders and sub-commanders. But Commander Fox destroyed their desire to move out before it had the chance to grow.
"I said the Coruscant Guard can move two hundred men, not that it should. If we mobilize more than a hundred men, the chances of they noticing are already big. If we bring out the legions, before we make it out of the headquarters, there will be no more than rats in their place."
Silence. It was logical if the clones thought about it, but still frustrating. If the depths of Coruscant were under total control of thieves and criminals, one clone would be quickly stopped, not to talk about two hundred.
"We will have to storm their lair before they get the chance to flee. How many soldiers shall we take?"
The sub-commander of the 327th broke the silence with a question.
"I will take a hundred men of the Coruscant Guard. You move your troops in a different place, to give anyone the impression that we are just searching aimlessly."
"That is a good plan. But take some of my men with you, Fox. I can assure you they won't disappoint."
Commander Keeli spoke for the first time since the start of the meeting.