Project Ares Gold Edition

Chapter 5 - Preparations

Open Circle Fleet - The Resolute

As the Separatist shuttle entered the capital ship through the large doors, a small squad of troopers rushed to the hangar bay where the ship would be landing. When the rear doors opened, three wounded were soon rushed out by the medics towards the infirmary where they would be patched up for the next mission. Approaching the new arrivals, General Skywalker observed the rest of Mantis Platoon leave the transport. Master Chief and the ARCs were still inside, most likely just going over what happened. Sneaking up the ship's ramp, Anakin joined the three soldiers in silence until Echo called out; "General on deck!"

Coming to attention, the Spartan saluted the Jedi on behalf of the ARCs before standing at ease. Anakin jokingly scolded the three for doing all the formalities to which the two ARC troopers chuckled lightly with Chief just remaining in his usual silent form. Then Echo spoke up again, informing the Jedi General that they got some intel that could prove useful for the invasion of Geonosis. "Sir, while we were on target, 117 got some very important intel that should be taken into consideration before we commence the attack."

Congratulating the three on a successful mission, Anakin left them after telling them that he would organise a full briefing with the fleet's leadership where they will get a chance to directly brief everyone on what we're up against along with a plan. "Go find Rex and Cody, they'll help you guys organise everything."

Following the Jedi's departure, the three went over what had to happen before the briefing. Echo had to fill in an AAR (After Action Report) and Fives wanted to check in with the wounded to make sure they would be ready for the next engagement. Chief decided that he wanted to formally introduce himself to Mantis platoon and get to know them better, Fives offered to help by introducing the men to Chief in person with all of them being in the barracks at the moment. Agreeing to the suggestion, Chief let the ARC trooper lead him down the corridors of the Resolute before reaching one of the barracks.

Opening the door, an 'attention' was called and everyone rocketed up from their beds or seats and stood at attention at the arrival of the Master Chief. Because he wasn't an officer, he didn't need to be saluted, something 117 actually appreciated somewhat. "Chief this is Midas and Jester, the platoon's chief and assistant medics. They were the ones who were patching up the wounded on the way back to the fleet."

Looking at the two medics, Chief noticed the slight blue markings on their armour indicating that they were proudly serving under the 501st. Both men were squared away, clean shaved and almost identical, only difference being that Midas had a buzzcut and Jester had a fade. Moving on the the next two, Fives introduced Thermos and Shrapnel, the team's explosives experts. Specialising in anything related to explosive disposal, breaching and sabotage, the two both carried a stern demeanour, waiting for their next fight against the droids.

"Here we have Gears, the field mechanic and over there is Static, the communications expert. Back there is Blitz and Streak, they're the pilots that will take us wherever we need to go." Fives continued as Chief shook everyone's hands, greeting them for the first time. And lastly came June and his spotter; Romeo. June was the sniper of the platoon, having one of the best marksman scores in his entire class. He was cold and quiet, but his brother Romeo was the flipside of that, being able to easily get a smile from June's otherwise emotionless face.

"At ease men. Before I leave you to return to your tasks, there are some things I want to clarify with you. First, I have noticed that other units do not recognise rank when passing officers. That will not stand in this group, if you do not acknowledge a senior officer, you will receive extra work." The troopers looked around at each other as the supersoldier continued.

"Next, you will all be doing more tasks regarding your respective roles in the field, as a result, you will be training more in your specific roles to improve your proficiency. The last thing is the one unbreakable rule of this team, we leave no man behind. This goes beyond your indoctrination at Kamino, you are one in everything you do. You will sleep together, eat together and fight together. Though you may be bonded by blood, at the end of this war you will be bonded by spirit. Copy?"

"SIR YES SIR!" The troopers shouted proudly, clearly inspired by their new leader's approach to the job at hand. Those that were doing work beforehand returned to their jobs, the rest all got their uniforms back on and got ready for additional training. Leaving the men to their tasks, Chief and Fives walked over to Rex's room where Echo was already waiting. Opening the door and noticing Cody, Chief gave a quick salute before entering.

Getting straight into it, Chief pulled up a hologram of where the main battlefield is going to be. As they discussed, they eventually settled on a plan of attack; the 501st would focus on taking out the support bases and major artillery sites while the 212th would be assaulting the main factory. However, there was a problem, one of the things that the CIS had up their sleeve was a deep space scanner that would alert the droids if there was a fleet approaching. This would give them time to get ready and fortify, something the Republic could not allow.

Chief proposed a manoeuvre that would definitely work, although it would have to be executed perfectly to have a chance at success. He would go alongside his men and infiltrate the planet using the shuttle they had just stolen. Loading it up with high-yield explosives and sending it on a suicide run into the scanner whilst the men jumped out using jet packs. They could then move to secure a landing zone for the main Republic forces that would be arriving in a couple of hours.

Agreeing to the mission, Cody gave the all clear and made a call straight to the chief armoury technician and told him to give 117 anything he asked for. Fives liked this idea, but Echo had his reservations, Mantis platoon was still fresh to the war and this mission was something that not even Republic commandos would usually attempt. Telling Echo that it'll be ok and that if they all do their jobs, no-one will get left behind.

In agreement with the plan, the four clone troopers and supersoldier walked out of the room and towards the bridge where Skywalker, Yularen, and Kenobi were waiting alongside a holographic Mace Windu. Entering the room, the soldiers acknowledged the Jedi generals and admiral before starting the briefing and informing them of what the plan was. Although Skywalker was a bit bummed out that he couldn't join the main assault on the factory, he kept it relatively to himself seeing as Windu was standing right next to him.

"Master Chief, how soon can you and your team move out to that sensor array?" Windu asked through the hologram. This would be important because the sooner the invasion could commence, the better. "Sir, the shuttle will be ready in 30 minutes, after that we'll depart immediately. This puts the start of the main assault in approximately 36 hours."

"Alright then, I'll relay this to the rest of the Council. Master Chief, may the Force be with you." Windu replied before ending the call. Both Kenobi and Skywalker were very happy with the plan, it was thought out and well planned. And best of all, it would move into action relatively soon, meaning less time for circumstances to change. Chief however, had one last request for General Skywalker before he and the men departed. Anakin smiled, saying that if it is within his capabilities, Chief will probably get it.

"The team's name sir, I would like to request that it be changed to Blue Team." Master Chief enquired, though everyone else may not know it, the name held meaning to Chief. Blue Team was the squad of Spartans that 117 fought alongside during the Sith Wars and was the closest thing he ever had to a family.

"Granted, Blue Team it is then."