Chapter 129 - Hell Squad Armor

Usually, just by walking around, Hell Squad would incite salutations from the other soldiers. Dageer was a sub-commander, so he was only under commanders and jedi generals. But all the other Hell Squad members, namely Brain, Metal Three-four, Tech, Cell, and Dab, were normal troopers, at least in rank. Nevertheless, because of their status as a special unit, most clone soldiers, and even low-ranking officers were respectful to them.

So, like it was said before, there was always some kind of reaction when Hell Squad passed. But now, when they entered the command bridge of The Sincerity, every crewman and trooper stopped for a second before resuming their work.

Dageer's armor was the one which was almost entirely brown, with just a few white patterns. This clearly set him apart from the other members of Hell Squad, since their armor was mostly white, with the exception of Cell.

As a scout, Cell had two requirements. He had to be quick and silent, and he couldn't be noticed. So, his armor had even less white than Dageer's. It was a mix of brown, red and white, with darker and lighter shades, and in random shapes. That way, he would be indistinguishable from the surroundings.

To the right of Cell was Dab, carrying his DC-15x over his shoulder. As a sniper, he was way from the thick of the battle most of the time, so he needn't worry about camouflage. His armor was the one with less paint, only a circle around his chest and back, and a small triangle in the back of his hand.

Brain's armor had the Republic symbol on the left chest, the right arm was painted all the way from the shoulder to the back of the hand, and the paint created irregular patterns on his right chest, making it seem like he had dipped his entire arm in a can of paint. The shins and feet of his armor were also brownish-red.

On the left of Dageer were Metal and Tech. Metal's armor was a tad more eye-catching than the others. It had a brown shoulder pad, a symbol of his identity as a heavy machine gunner. The paint job was composed of a vertical strip going all the way from his left-top to the left bottom, and encompassing about half his armor, and his entire left leg.

Tech's armor looked like paint was splashed in his chest, making an irregular circle. In fact, it was so similar to a splash of paint that it even had small stripes going down from it and into his legs, as if they were droplets.

Of course, they couldn't forget Three-four, who was still in the infirmary. Out of curiosity, Hell Squad had taken a look at his armor. It had the symbol of a Republic medic on it, but crossed over the symbol was a big line, going from the left shoulder to the right side. Its calves and back were also covered in paint, but with a clean spot in the middle.

All in all, when Hell Squad entered the command bridge, it was quite the sight. They stopped in front of the hologram table, where Commander Keeli, General Di, Ragout and Admiral Dao were. Expressionless, Dageer took off his helmet and held it under his arm.

"Hell Squad reporting for duty, general."

"I see you liked your new armor."

"It is good, general. General Ragout, commander, Admiral Dao."

"Welcome, Dageer."

"Dageer."

"Sub-commander Dageer. I am glad you brought my corvette back intact."

"Ahem... Dageer, you are aware of our battle plans to Mygeeto, right?"

"Yes, general. Pass through the Separatist blockade, capture or destroy their airbases and hold our ground until the Galatic Marines arrive."

"Good. Then there isn't much to discuss. You and Hell Squad should rest. We will have to wait until we are on the planet to do anything."

"Actually, general, there is something I wanted to tell you. About Iktotch."

General Di frowned, and so did Admiral Dao and Commander Keeli. What Dageer did was highly informal. According to the protocol, he should have written a report, and handed it over to Commander Keeli, who would then decide whether or not to pass it to General Di.

"Dageer, write your report, and give it to me. Then go get some rest. It appears you are tired."

Commander Keeli broke the awkward silence, and said harshly. But for the first time, Dageer ignored his commander, and looked at General Di. The jedi seemed to sense something, and made a sign for Commander Keeli to stand down.

"What is it, Dageer?"

"We met someone at Iktotch, general. I didn't recognize him, but when I searched our archives later, I found his species. An Iktotchi. The only thing is... they were supposed to be extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. But that wasn't all. As soon as we found him, he started talking alone. At first we thought he was crazy, but..."

"But what?"

"He said something about the Force. And then about the war that is happening, and that it is all just because of the desires of a dark lord."

"A dark lord? He said this whole galactic war is because if one person?"

"Not like that, but... yeah, I think that was what he meant."

"Uhmmm..."

General Di went deep in thought. All the dissatisfaction he was feeling about Dageer had disappeared, replaced by a hard frown. Even his apprentice was serious. Suddenly, Dageer had the feeling General Di was sensing the same thing he had when he stepped into Iktotch.

"When this battle here is over, I will go there to have a look. A dark lord... I need to talk to the council. Ragout, come with me."

"Yes, master."

Master and apprentice left the command bridge, even though the battle was still raging outside. As soon as they crossed the door, Commander Keeli approached Dageer.

"What was that?! Sub-commander Dageer, you understand that is highly irregular, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"It is good the general took you seriously, otherwise you would be in big trouble. Bigger than now, I mean."

"Yes, sir."

"I want that report. Return to your quarters, you and your squad. Now."

"Yes, sir."

Dageer turned around, out his helmet back on and marched out of the command bridge.

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"Steel 5, you have two on your tail! Try to shake them off, I'm coming."

Rozal spun his starfighter, dodging an incoming missile. Two Vulture droids were chasing a fighter of his battalion, and he was after them. His aim locked in one of them, and he pressed the trigger, sending a spray of blue lasers on the Vulture. The droid was hit, and was sent spinning off into space before blowing. After taking care of the other droid, Rozal set his eyes on a small Separatist transport ship.

"Steel 1 to 7, form up on me! Target: transport cruiser on marking 109-983!"