Chapter 216 - The Last Battle

"Keeli, tell the pilots to move the gunship into position."

"This is command. Are all the charges in place?"

Not too far from where Commander Keeli was, two clones were hanging on the sides of a giant rock pillar, setting thermal detonators all over it. If everything went according to plan, it would blow up together with the gunship, and block the path.

"Copy that. We are all ready. The droid army is closing."

"As soon as they are in range, blow up the gunship."

"Yes, commander."

The two clones retreated until they were in a treeline, and waited. Soon, they saw two droids approach the gunship. Clearly, after all the battles and ambushes, the commander of the clanckers was more cautious, and wouldn't get near something that was obviously a trap. Unfortunately for the droid captain that was commanding this group of seppies, that wasn't a trap they could escape from.

When one of the clones pressed the switch, the Laat exploded, blowing the two droids and nearby units to kingdom come. And, not only did the gunship blow up, but so did the dozens of thermal detonators on the rock pillars around it. Within seconds, they all fell, creating a wall more than twenty meters tall.

The droid captain spent half an hour trying to get past it, but it was useless. If the droids went one by one, they could get past the gaps, but there was no way the AATs and B2 super battle droids could do that. And, without them, there was no guarantee the clanckers could win the battle.

Seeing the droid army turn around to follow the other path, the two clones cheered and reported to Commander Keeli, who ordered then to get back. Soon, the last battle would start.

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Hearing the explosions in the distance, Commander Keeli knew that their plan had worked so far. Now, all that was left to do was fight.

"You hear that, men?"

Commander Keeli straightened his back when General Di started talking. The Jedi stopped next to him, his hands behind his back.

"You hear that?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. That is the announcement of our last battle. And all I have to say is that we are going to win, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!"

"We are going to hold back those clanckers, and make them regret the moment they decided to chase us. Am I clear?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then, before we start, I have one last thing to say. You are the finest soldiers the Republic ever had. You fought bravely, and you never gave up. I am honored to fight alongside you. I am honored to die alongside you. This might be our last battle, but the 303rd will never be forgotten!"

Screams of agreement resounded as the troopers chanted General Di's name. The Jedi was their general, but now, above all else, he was one of them. He was willing to sacrifice his life, and didn't run away, but decided to stay and die with them. That was enough to garner the respect and loyalty of any clone.

"Good. Then let's go. We have an army to face."

Commander Keeli stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with determination, put his helmet on, and pulled out his two DC-17s.

"You heard the general, lads. Let's get to work!"

Soon, they were in their positions, waiting. Three hundred and twenty-six men - including General Di and Commander Keeli - that knew they were going to die, and weren't the least afraid of it.

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Wat Tambor looked angrily at TA-175. He had been in Lessu for a few days already, pillaging the riches of the Twi'leks to his heart content, and knew nothing of General Di or the 303rd. Now, however, TA-175 - who was just waiting to be deactivated thanks to his failure in conquering Ryloth sooner - asked him to send more troops to deal with a few hundred dirty Republic soldiers.

"I thought... Krksurb... Bzz... Jdiej... There was no Republic sc.u.m left on the planet."

His vocal dispositive made a lot of noises as Wat Tambor talked, making it almost impossible to understand what the Separatist was saying.

"We faced... Unexpected resistance from a group of... Clones. But they will soon be... Destroyed. Reinforcements are only to guarantee it happens... Faster."

"Agreed. Squash that Republic sc.u.m!"

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General Di and Commander Keeli stood side by side, watching three C-9979s drop even more clanckers on the ground. They originally had to deal with less than three thousand droids, but now that number had gone back to the initial eight thousand. Not that it made much of a difference.

The Republic had chosen a small, open forest to make their last stand. The rocks and trees were sparse, but at least provided a little bit of cover, and it would take time for the AATs to navigate through it, meaning that they would only have to deal with B1 and B2 units.

As much as Commander Keeli would have liked to destroy some AATs, he doubted they would survive long enough to even see the tanks.

"It seems like they really don't like us, general."

"No, they don't, Keeli. Hahaha... How are you feeling?"

Commander Keeli knocked his helmet with the butt of his DC-17, showing he was prepared, and ready to fight.

"I've never been better, sir. Let's give those seppies the fight of their lives."

General Di looked at the commander, and said nothing. There was no need to say anything, nor talk about it. Commander Keeli knew exactly what he was thinking.

Turning to the others, he saw the clones all looking at him. They were hidden behind trees and rocks, just waiting for his command. Each time he looked at one of them, the trooper would nod at him, indicating he was ready.

General Di knew the name of every soldier there. They were all elites who had fought in thousands of battles, and survived up till now. Just like Rozal, Admiral Dao, Captain Narza, Lieutenant Fondor, Sergeant Storge and tens of thousands of others, they were ready to give their lives for the Republic.

Through the Force, General Di could sense fear, anxiety, and despair. However, he also felt their excitement, their desire for revenge for all their fallen brothers, and their determination to protect the ones who were escaping. And, for once, General Di let those feelings become his own.

He felt angry at the droids, who dared to attack and kill so many of the troopers under him. He felt sadness, directed at all those who had died in this unnecessary war, not only in Ryloth, but in the whole galaxy. And he felt disappointed at himself, for not being able to teach everything he could to Ragout, for having to abandon his padawan so early. He could still feel Ragout through the Force, albeit weakly. The padawan was far, far away, and he was glad that was the case. He had feared that Ragout would disobey him and come back.

Looking up at the sky, General Di saw the Separatist blockade, but also the debris of the battle that took place up there. And he remembered Admiral Dao, an old friend whom he knew even before the Clone Wars started.

"In a blaze of glory..."