The Longest Battle (Ahsoka X Axle)

The Captain

Brake's POV

I walked through our newly acquired base while the men scrambled to get the remaining defenses operational. Others were carrying injured soldiers to one of the small barracks we formed into a medical tent. The dead were laid out right next to it. The stench of over 50 lifeless bodies was unbearable. Several men were vomiting from the smell.

Tony had his helmet off working tirelessly on the injured. You could see the stress in his eyes and the sweat dripping down his face. Each clone company was assigned a handful of medics, but even the best can't handle the carnage. Like most of the officers in this company, Tony has served throughout the whole war since Geonosis. The war hits many soldiers hard, but I think it hits them the hardest for the medics.

First Commander Tinguard left me in charge of preparing to defend against a counter-attack. I left him alone to meditate in the tower. I could tell he was exhausted more than the rest of us. You could see it in his eyes. How desperate he was to get a quick nap. One thing he's learned in this war is that he isn't General Skywalker. He can't fight every battle with just blasters and a lightsaber and expect to win. As young as the Commander is, he knows he doesn't have an excuse for failing. 

"Sir, mortars incoming!" One of the men shouted from the large gates keeping the Umbarans out.

Men started running for cover as the rockets came down inside the base. I gripped my rifle tightly and dove behind an Umbaran tank. Mortar fire crashed into the ground spilling out shrapnel and creating large craters. 

I looked above me to see the men on top of the large walls opening fire. The sounds of blasters echoed throughout the night as more mortars came down on us. 

I activated my commlink, contacting Gunner who was up in one of the still standing turrets on the wall. 

"Gunner, please tell me you got those guns working!" I shouted

Some static over the radio buzzed for a few seconds until Gunner finally replied, "We can't get this thing to work, Brake. We need to find another way for now."

I grunted as another mortar went off nearby, taking out a parked Umbaran tank. I looked back over to the medical barracks to see Tony trying to cover the wounded from the blasts. The explosions kept pilling on for another half hour until unexpectedly, the rockets stopped falling from the sky. The Men up top stopped firing. And the world just seemed to stand still.

Smoke blew everywhere, making it difficult to see at first. As the ashes cleared, I got back on my commlink, contacting one of the troopers on top of the wall.

"What's going on?" I asked

One of the troopers hesitated, "Uh, sir, they left."

I looked over to some of the troopers taking cover next to me, then back to my commlink, "What do you mean 'they left?"

......................................................................

An hour past as men ran through the rubble from the bombardment, securing supplies and helping more of the wounded to Tony and the other few medics we had. 

I stood on top of the giant walls overlooking the dark forest. My blaster secured to my hip and my hands crossed. Gunner walked up next to me, holding his helmet in his left hand with his blaster in his right. 

"Why would they shoot some rockets at us and not try to make any advancement?" He asked

I kept my eyes on the forest, "They're trying to soften us up. Not giving us a chance to catch our breath. They know our manpower is getting lower every hour we stay on this planet."