Chapter 235: The Dark Side Of The Republic
Aayla Secura was a female Twi'lek, and one of the youngest Jedis of the Jedi Order. She was in charge of the 327th Star Corps, an elite legion that, just like the 303rd, existed since Geonosis.
General Secura, as the clones called her, had been to many battles in the last few months. As such, she wasn't new to the horrors of war. However, when she looked at Hell Squad, she couldn't help but frown. They brought back some bad memories.
Although Jedis were supposed to leave their affections behind for the greater good, she still worried about her home planet when Ryloth was attacked by the Separatist. She was on Felucia at that time, and couldn't help, but news of all the cruelties that her people were subjected to still reached her ears.
The death of General Di was another blow to her. He hadn't been her master, but he had trained her in the Jedi Temple, and she was quite fond of him.
Of course, she didn't blame Dageer for anything that happened on Ryloth. She knew, as well as any Jedi that was leading troops on this war, that clones weren't machines, and that they felt the deaths of their brothers and commanders as deeply as any Jedi. Still, the armor of Hell Squad was a reminder of what happened.
The Hell Squad that now stood in front of General Secura was very different from the one that left Ryloth. Their armors had been cleaned from all the blood, dirt, and laser marks. The holes and cracks had all been fixed, and the blast padding had been changed. However, they had refused to change armors.
Armors weren't like blasters. Blasters were all equal, with the exception of a few like Dab's DC-15x. Armors, however, were unique. Each clone crafted and modified their armor during the war, many because wanted to have their own identity, others because of something that happened.
Be it Dageer's scratch marks, be it the long line that crossed the entirety of Dab's chest plate - because of when a commando droid slashed it -, or the tattoo shaped like a horn that Tech had on his head, all of them were something that only their armor had. It couldn't be copied. Their armor was a companion that followed them through battle and death.
More subtle then when clones started getting names, their armor was nevertheless a symbol that they were people. They had thoughts, they had emotions, they had a family they cared about. No matter what others said about them, the troopers knew very well that they might have been created to fight a war, but the Republic they were protecting was also their home.
After saluting General Secura, and greeting Commander Bly - leader of the 327th Star Corps - Dageer lowered his hand, and the others mimicked him.
"Where is the exchanging taking place, general?"
"On a small planet called Kiros. Colonized by Togrutas, it is a neutral planet, or at least it was supposed to be. They were part of the Confederacy Of Independent Systems, but they left when the war started."
Dageer nodded. It was a good place to exchange prisoners. Although it had some affiliation to the Separatist before, it was now a neutral planet. And, considering it were the seppies who proposed it, it was understandable that they would want to do the change somewhere they knew.
"Is it safe?"
General Secura shook her head when she heard Commander Bly's question.
"As safe as it can be. The Separatist aren't exactly honorable, so we will have to be careful. That is the reason they sent a special unit."
She gestured at Hell Squad, and Dageer acknowledged it. That was what they were best at. In a big battle, or a planet-wide invasion, even, there was little a single squad could do. Small operations like that were where they really made a difference.
...
Later that same day, already on a ship to Kiros, Dageer finally found the time to talk with Commander Bly.
There was something that had been bugging him ever since Commander Fox gave him the details of this mission. There were too many things that didn't make sense, but Dageer didn't dare to ask Commander Fox about that. The commander was a loyal clone, sometimes too loyal. Dageer had no doubt that the answer he would receive if he asked him would be just a stern face and nothing else.
"Bly, nobody said anything about Wolffe. Not a word. But you and I both know he was captured too."
Commander Bly scratched his head. Clearly, he was troubled by the same question. Commander Wolffe was the leader of the 104th Battalion, and the commander under General Plo Koon. The Jedi had been captured in battle, and so had been the commander. The other clones with him had been killed, but a commander of the Republic Army had some value.
However, it was as if everyone forgot Commander Wolffe existed. From the chancellor to Commander Fox and General Secura, nobody mentioned the clone.
"You know the answer to that as well as I do, Dageer. To the higher-ups, a clone isn't that important, even Wolffe. Our mission this time is General Plo Koon, not him."
Dageer shook his head. Sometimes, his brothers were too fixed in fulfilling their orders, and didn't think about anything else. Maybe because they had more independence, special units like Hell Squad, Delta Squad, and Deep Squad weren't so disciplined. No, that was wrong. They were disciplined, they just thought more about the commands they were given, instead of just following them.
"Still, if Hell Squad has a chance of rescuing Wolffe, we will."
"And I will help, brother."
Dageer nodded to Commander Bly. They wouldn't leave a brother behind, unless they had no other option.
"What is our course of action there, then?"
"Just like the simulations. We put Tambor forward, they put General Plo Koon. They walk, and we trade. At the first sign that the seppies might be thinking of doing something, shoot Tambor."
Dageer grinned. He might not have been to a prisoner's trade like that before, but he sure had trained for it. Sometimes it went right. Most of the time it went right. But when it didn't... Hell Squad would take care of it.
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Two days later, their ship arrived at Kiros. They only landed after making sure there were no Separatist waiting to ambush them. One can never be too cautious when dealing with clanckers.
Twenty-eight clones - seven from Hell Squad and twenty-one from the 327th - followed General Secura out of the ship. Two clones pushed Wat Tambor forward, his hands tied with electromagnetic chains. If he tried to escape, all General Secura had to do was push a button, and they would electrify him - not enough to kill him, but it would hurt.
The Separatist, led by a commando droid, also appeared, bringing with them their prisoner. The Kel Dor was limping, but apart from that, he didn't seem to be too hurt. Weirdly, General Plo Koon had a device covering his mouth, preventing him from talking. Dageer, however, didn't think much of it. He knew Jedi's words had power, so it was normal the droids wouldn't allow him to talk.
Seeing the Jedi was alive, Dageer started analyzing the enemy troops. If anything went wrong, he wanted to have a plan ready.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Reis123
Reis123 I realize General Plo Koon already have a weird device in his face so he can talk, but imagine something like a piece of metal over that, sending small electromagnetic pulses that prevent him from talking.
Also, I don't know if there are any moms reading my novel, but if there are, happy Mother's Day!
As always, may the Force be with you, and don't forget to have a look at our discord!
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