Chapter 176 - Ryloth In Danger

More often than he wanted, Dageer found himself in an infirmary. This time, however, he wasn't there to treat his wounds, but to check on his squad members, and, more importantly, his general.

Battle statistics showed that the cargo ship carried more than nine hundred droids, almost two battalions, all of which had been killed. Of those, at least five hundred had died before the ship arrived on Ryloth and was boarded by the 303rd.

It was a new record in the entire Republic Army, seven clones killing about sixty or seventy times their numbers. However, Dageer, who fought on the battle, knew that this had only been possible due to many factors. Firstly, they fought in a ship, with small and cramped corridors, meaning that not many droids could attack at the same time. Secondly, they had taken the enemy by surprise, and thirdly, they had two Jedis with them.

Still, they had suffered a lot to win the battle. Most of those who partook in the battle were injured, with the exception being Dageer and Ragout. While they were defending the command bridge, Tech had been hit on his left thigh, while Three-four had somehow managed to almost be killed several times, earning him several scratches on his armor and about five or six bruises and cuts where the droid's lasers cut through his skin.

None of them complained, however. It was a miracle that none of them died, and also that the only serious injury was Metal's, but even that should recover quickly in a bacta tank.

Now, Dageer and Commander Keeli were standing next to General Di, and the Nikto was talking quietly to them so they wouldn't wake up the convalescent Hell Squad. Ragout had talked to his master for a long time, and only a few minutes ago did the Jedi managed to convince his padawan to get some sleep.

"Keeli, as soon as I am recovered we are going to descend onto Ryloth. The planet is at war, not only with the Separatist, but also with themselves. Corrupt rulers and politicians almost sold them to the Confederacy Of Independent Systems. Only a few freedom fighters remain. Ryloth and its people can not be lost."

"We understand, general. Now, you should rest. Leave the details to Dageer and me, we will let you in as soon as you are out of bed."

The Jedi nodded tired, and soon drifted off into sleep. Commander and sub-commander left side by side, walking directly to the command bridge. They had to defend an entire planet, and this didn't include just ground battles. In fact, the decisive factor would be whether or not the Republic would be able to hold the space around Ryloth. Admiral Dao would be more important than them in the following battles.

"Dageer."

"Yes, commander?"

"You had been through a lot lately. I swear I never saw a clone gather wounds as fast as you do."

That earned a chuckle from Dageer. His eye, face, shoulder, legs, torso, arm. All of those were parts of his body that had received at least one injury. His entire body was scarred, more scarred than normal for a soldier, even though most of the troopers who fought since Geonosis had at least a dozen different scars. Commander Keeli himself had been wounded more than once.

"Go get some sleep, sub-commander. Don't complain, otherwise I will order you. The reports that came in today said that the Separatist fleet who will attack Ryloth is three days away. We can manage five or six hours without you."

Dageer wanted to protest. It felt wrong to go to his quarters sleep when his men were in the infirmary and other clones were planning and preparing for a crucial battle. But he was unable to suppress a yawn, and he suddenly realized that his entire body was sore, old injuries were aching, and he barely could keep his eyes open.

"Yes, commander."

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Dageer was in a dark place. Streaks of blue and red lightning thundered into the darkness. A massive, disform being looked down on him. A dark cloak covered this being, flapping into the nonexistent wind. Instead of a face, all the being had was a black vortex, spinning, and spinning, seemingly trying to destroy the universe.

The eerie laugh that always accompanied this figure startled Dageer awake. He could still hear it in his head, controlling him, ordering him to do horrible things.

His instincts told him that barely three hours had passed since he laid in his bed to sleep. However, he wasn't sleepy anymore, or rather, he wasn't sleepy enough to go back to his nightmares.

Putting on his armor, he grabbed his helmet under his arm. Dageer hesitated before living his quarters, and, in the end, decided to take his weapons with him. He strapped his recently acquired vibroblade to his back, sheathed his DC-17 and took his DC-15A on his hand, holding it parallel to the ground.

It was uncommon for him to take all his weapons with him just to go to the command bridge, but the nightmares left him feeling... vulnerable. At least, when he passed by troopers on his way, they thought he was simply preparing for the forthcoming battle, and not that their sub-commander was afraid of dreams.

Commander Keeli was still on the command bridge when he got there. In fact, the clone seemed to never leave, as he was rarely seen on his quarters or anywhere else.

The commander had his helmet off, showing his shaved and tattooed head. A small scar appeared on his neck, almost hidden by his armor. He was looking through the window, watching the planet below. The Sincerity towered over the other cruisers, the giant metal beast showing no signs of fear of the Separatist fleet that would attack them in the next days.

"Sub-commander Dageer."

"Admiral Dao. It's good to see you again."

"Same here, Dageer, same here."

Dageer shook hands with the admiral. He was shorter than the clones, and his eyes glistened with intelligence. A commander from the Old Republic days, the admiral had won many seemingly impossible battles by using unorthodox tactics.

"Dageer."

Dageer nodded to Commander Keeli, who didn't say anything about how much he slept. The commander knew better than any clone how difficult it was for a trooper to get a good night of sleep.

Dageer looked at Ryloth. The planet was as big as Mygeeto, but its climate was the exact opposite. While on Mygeeto it was always snowing, with chilly winds that made even walking difficult, Ryloth was hot and rocky.

Giant formations of loose rock made for precarious mountains, and the air was stagnant. Red dust coated every building and rock of the planet, making everything look rusted and old.

All in all, it was the perfect battlefield for a legion like the 303rd, a battlefield where they could display their full capacities. There, their armor would meld in with the terrain, their combat experience could be put to full use, and they could show the seppies who the real boss was.