The spacious tent barely moved under the gusts of wind battering it.
Soldiers in what had once been white armor hurried past outside.
There wasn’t a trace of factory-clean left on any of it now.
Black clouds were closing in over the Republic camp.
Looked like a storm was coming.
I wondered whether my new cloak would hold up against the rain, or whether I’d have to teach the new supplier a lesson after all.
Koven had asked me not to rough them up.
Eh — I’d decide based on my mood.
A light nudge pulled my attention back to what was happening in the tent.
“…Right now we’re locked in a standoff for control of the sky.
So don’t count on reinforcements.
If we crush the tin cans’ fortifications in this part of the city, we’ll have a foothold to set up orbital defenses.
That’d tip the balance our way.”
The clone stood in white armor painted with black-and-yellow stripes, his helmet tucked under one arm, laying out our new objective in a businesslike tone.
Copies of my own DC-17s sat holstered on his belt.
It was hard to believe this guy and I might be about the same age.
He leaned over the holomap, which showed one of the city’s districts.
“Commander, tell us straight — what do you actually want from us?”
Koven, decked out in Mandalorian-style armor, a rifle slung across his back and a pistol on his hip, cut an intimidating figure.
His helmet, fitted with special slits for his horns, threw off a steel gleam in the light of the setting sun.
“I need your group to infiltrate and destroy this installation.”
The clone pointed with two fingers at a spot near the center of the unfolded map.
Stepping closer, I saw it was a fortified droid stronghold, set a little way off from the main fighting.
“It’s well guarded.
If you need it, we’ll set up a diversion and give you some armor support.”
“What I’m more interested in is what we can loot from the place.
Same terms as always?
If the risk isn’t worth it, I’m not taking my people in.”
The clone hesitated before answering.
“Yes — everything except two of the shield generators.
I know there are three of them in there.
One’s more than enough to defend the base.
I’d ask you to hand the rest over to us.”
“No problem, Cap.”
“I’m KK-3452, sir.
Please address me according to protocol.
Any other questions?”
“No…
Cap.
Alright, we’re moving out.
Try to keep busy while we’re gone.”
Say what you want about it, but a war like this is a profitable business for looters.
Between raiding enemy forces and salvaging gear off the battlefield, we could pull in enough to buy a couple of brand-new CIS frigates, and that’s nothing to laugh at.
On top of that, the fortresses we’d captured were already being converted into our own bases. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
I had a feeling there was a major reshuffling of power coming once this war was over.
There was an understanding among the groups: whatever you took off the battlefield was yours, and nobody else could lay claim to it.
That’s how the pirates managed to steal a Munificent-class frigate right out from under the CIS’s nose.
Rumor had it they’d shot off into Hutt space to fix the thing up.
The Chemists had gotten less lucky, but they were still holding the biggest captured stronghold around right now.
Looked like we were about to push them out of that spot, though — assuming today’s operation went well.
All the senior officers had gathered in our den down in the catacombs, around the holotable where the base’s layout was laid out.
“This is going to be hard.”
“That’s putting it mildly.
Eight watchtowers, seven-meter walls, and only one gate.”
“The walls get patrolled constantly.
Forty droids posted steady on each wall.”
“And the shield snaps up in a couple of seconds, sealing the base off from any bombardment.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
I got up from the chair I’d been sprawled comfortably in, sipping something that tasted vaguely like orange.
“We do it the usual way.
Spec team, led by me, opens the gate from the inside, and everything after that runs like normal.”
“Forgive me, Shaman, but I disagree with you this time.”
The new recruit — a Zygerrian, a sentient whose species evolved from felines — leaned on the table from the other side, facing me.
His crew had merged with our ranks a while back, bringing fresh blood with them.
These days, his fighters made up most of the spec team.
“The guard’s too tight this time.
Even if you manage to survive and open the gate, the boys are all going to end up dead.
We’d lose people — good people, proven people.”
How dare that thing talk back to me!
Rage lashed through my brain.
My hand started curling into a fist.
I could already hear his vertebrae cracking, his body about to lift right off the floor.
Someone’s hand landed on my shoulder — the Boss.
My body loosened, and the grip on me let go.
The Zygerrian rubbed his neck in irritation, trying to make a show of his disdain, but I could feel the fear coming off him plain as day.
“Nadir’s right this time.
The guard’s too good.
We need a different plan.”
“Whaaat if we sshhtretch their forcssses acrosss two point and hit from behind?”
The second recruit cut into the conversation — a Trandoshan, a reptilian sentient.
He was a lot more useful — sharp, cunning, quick on his feet.
He’d been the one planning most of our best jobs raiding depots and fortresses.
“Attack in the open, they probably don’t have a tactical droid.”
“Agreed.” The Old Man marked a couple of spots on the map.
“As far as we know, there’s one battalion of droids in that fortress, plus scattered support.
No more than seven hundred tin cans total.
If the gate opens from the inside, nothing’s stopping us from taking the base.
Especially with the Shaman and the spec team already inside their perimeter.”
I’m not on board.”
Koven looked stubbornly around the room at everyone gathered.
“Bring in the tanks.”
I was sick of listening to them argue back and forth.
I wanted a new fight.
If they wouldn’t agree on something, I’d make them.
“We’ve got a bunch of trashed vehicles lying around, don’t we?
Use them as a mobile shield.
If we strap antigravs underneath, we can get even the junkiest of them off the ground.
Most of it doesn’t even need that much work.
Nobody’s asking you to actually charge in — just create the illusion of one.
And if a few idiots get themselves killed doing it, that’s on them.”
“If the ssspec team dissssables the sshieldsss from insside, we could hit them from the air too.”
“Now you’re talking, lizard.
We’ve got mortars from the clones.
Just relay the coordinates where the tin cans bunch up, and that’s it.
In and out, twenty minutes, tops.”
Everyone looked at Koven.
His word still carried weight in this group, but probably not for much longer.
My mask hid the predatory smile that flickered across my lips.
“Here’s the final plan.
The main force raises a ruckus at the front gate, using wrecked CIS hardware for cover.
Meanwhile, the spec team, led by the Shaman, gets in through the rear, opens the gate for us, and takes out the generators on the way.
Any objections?”
Nobody answered.
“Then let’s get to work.
Tomorrow at the latest, we move out.
As far as I know, the Chemists have their eye on this fortress too.
Saw their boss on the way out of headquarters.
We need to move fast.
Get to it.”
Everyone dispersed to their own posts in silence.
As for me, I figured I’d better get in a bit more precognition practice before the fight.
Seven hundred droids was a lot.
A lot.
Even though my skills had grown from all the constant practice, I still struggled against three bolts at once.
Realizing I was actually scared of a bunch of tin cans made me furious.
A couple of chairs crumpled with a crack.
Once I’d calmed down a little, I kept thinking it over.
Guess I’d take the blade this time, as unpleasant as it was.
Hopefully I wouldn’t need it — my aim was excellent, after all.
So really, I had a fun little trip to the shooting range ahead of me.
Well, that meant another lively night was coming.
Whistling some tune to myself, I headed off into the depths of the corridors.