Cadet Captured

11. The Airbase

We march slowly down the gorge towards the airbase. As we walk, we see the creatures who attacked us earlier flying away.

"They look spooked," Leadhead comments from Hotshot's other side.

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. A gigantic, worm-like creature with tens of legs rises from the ground.

"Oh, skrag," Hotshot mutters from beside me.

We try shooting at it, and it seems to be shooting back. It's a machine. It's head is ray shielded. We need rocket launchers to defeat this... thing. I call it in, and the heavy weapons are brought out.

A trooper with a rocket launcher falls before me. "Take it," he says. "Take it!"

"Thanks, buddy," I say, taking the rocket launcher as Leadhead drags him to cover.

Fives ushers me onward, and we duck behind a tree. I aim and fire, taking out one of the worm-machines. We almost get crushed by what's left of it.

"That was close," I laugh.

"Tell me about it," Fives states in exasperation.

Rex calls us to regroup, and we head that way. He has a plan to bottleneck them in the gorge and blow them skyhigh with rocket launchers and bombs. When everything is set, the men start waving and taunting the machines. In any other situation, I would be laughing hysterically, but this is no time. Once the machines are close enough, Rex detonates the bombs. It works, but Rex barely makes it out.

We continue onward, and see the flying creatures are back. One of them is trying to feed on a dead clone.

"Still hungry?" Kix yells angrilly, running and shooting at the creatures. Once they're gone, however, he's told to leave the dead trooper. There's nothing else we can do now.

Then, bombs are being fired at us again. We fall back,

"Captain, continue your attack," Krell orders through Rex's comm system.

"Sir, we're overpowered," Rex answers. "We need reinforcements."

"The rest of the battalion is holding the entrance to the gorge, Captain," Krell states. "They're guarding it so your troops can break through to the airbase."

Another bomb goes off near us, and I see Lucky, among others, vaporized.

"Sir, we can't possibly-" Rex is cut off by Krell.

"You must stand your ground. Do you read me? Captain? Are you listening? Do not fall back. That is an order!"

The transmission ends. Troopers are dying by the second as more and more bombs are sent.

"Keep the wounded as quiet as possible," Rex orders Kix. Then, to the rest of us, "All right. You heard the general. Let's go."

"You can't be serious," I ask. "I'm all about following orders, but this is practically suicide!"

"I used to think General Krell was reckless," Fives states. "Now I'm beginning to think he just hates clones. We can't take them head-on. We need to think of another way."

"You got any ideas?" Rex asks. Fives shakes his head, and Rex says, "Then this is it."

Following Rex's lead, we run back out into the fight. But my rocket launcher proves useless against this thing. I try to help Kix with the wounded, but Rex stops us.

"We have to leave them."

"We can't just leave them, sir!" I protest, unwilling to leave behind the wounded. Not when this very battalion refused to leave me behind when I'd been captured.

"We don't have a choice," Rex sighs. "That's an order."

"You sound like General Krell," Kix retorts, and I freeze. That must sting, but it definitely got Rex's attention.

"Look, Kix, it's more important to save yourself right now," Rex explains. "If we survive, you can patch up the wounded later. We're not finished yet, and I've got an idea."

"What were you thinking?" Fives asks.

"Remember what you were saying about finding another way to destroy those tanks?" Rex replies. "Well, I have a mission for you."

Fives is given his mission, and after, Krell calls in to Rex.

"CT-7567, where are you?"

"General Krell," Rex answers. "We've come up with a plan to infiltrate the airbase."

"What is your plan?" Krell asks, entertaining the idea.

"I've dispatched two men on a stealth incursion into the airbase," Rex says. "They've been ordered to co-op the starfighters and use them against the tanks."

"You what?" Krell asks in anger. "You put this entire assault on your hope that two clones could do what your entire group could not?"

"Sir, the rocket launchers don't work on these tanks," Rex explains patiently. "And it'll be easier to slip by undetected while the rest of us keep the tanks occupied."

"Captain, you will launch a full-forward strike immediately!" Krell demands. "Or you will be relieved of duty."

The transmission ends and Rex turns to us. "We need to hold out as long as we can. I'm trusting Fives and Hardcase to pull this thing off."

We fire rocket after rocket at the tanks, but each one seems less effective. Blaster fire isn't doing much better, from what I can see. Finally, a much appreciated voice comes over the comms.

"Clear out, Captain," Fives orders.

"The big guns have arrived, sir!" Hardcase shouts, making me wince at the volume through the helmet.

Fives and Hardcase take out the tanks, and we cheer them on from the ground as they take the starfighters into barrel rolls, whether they meant to or not.

As the rest of our troops are sent down by Krell to help us, we finally take the airbase.

"Despite Hardcase's flying, you two saved us all," Rex tells Fives and Hardcase once we have a moment of more relaxed time.

"Aw, it wasn't that tough," Hardcase grins.

"You sure?" Jesse asks. "You looked a little green when you came out of that fighter."

"Captain, report," Krell orders as he strides up. "What is our situation?"

"General, we have taken the base and cut off enemy supply lines to the capital," Rex says.

"Luck has smiled on you today, Captain," Krell states placidly. "Consider yourself fortunate."

"It wasn't all luck, sir," Rex rebuttles. "A lot of men died to take this base."

"Including the one we called 'Lucky'," I mutter, but I know they hear me.

"The price for such victory," Krell assures. "Perhaps someday you'll realize this."

I see Captain Rex clench his fist, and think maybe I'll have to hold him back for once. But Krell walks away, dismissing us as he goes.

"He's the one who will never realize," I tell Rex.