However, such a task of infiltration through the rocky labyrinth was not going to be an easy task. Not because of the presence of enemy forces, since they were concentrated at the landing point as they had predicted, but because of the catastrophes that their eyes had to see.

The closer they were to enemy positions, the more frequently they saw the downed LAAT/i shuttles. The survivors barely numbered a dozen, and most had serious injuries, which made it impossible for them to continue their march. Not to mention the psychological damage from which some would never be able to recover.

Fractures, bruises, punctures from sharp objects, amputations. The macabre sight of the consequences of the war was a severe blow to the group's morale. Screams of agony that could only be screamed by morphine or very strong sleeping pills, but even the only surviving field doctor's hand shook when treating the wounded. Keeping going, even when two of them died at their own hands.

Lieutenant Nine could not hide his concern for the young Padawan. Roy may have been calm despite what his eyes were showing him, keeping his mind cool and his breathing calm. But even someone who was capable of controlling his emotions like him, his palms were sweaty and he gave a minute of silence for the fallen.

Unfortunately, this was a major impediment. Roy had to leave several of his men behind to take care of the wounded, who settled in a small cave that would serve as protection until they could return for them.

Unfortunately, the Padawan and those who continued on could only pray to the Force for the well-being of those they left behind, since the survival of many of their peers depended on the mission they carried on their shoulders. Now, with only eight men, including the two demolition technicians and Lieutenant Nine, the young Padawan was getting closer and closer to his destination.

Unfortunately, the situation at the disembarkation point was as catastrophic as anywhere else.

Unable to know what was happening beyond what his eyes saw, unaware of the situation of the enemy forces and that of his own troops, Commander Tukk led a desperate resistance in the vicinity of the Genosian installations.

The uneven terrain allowed the clones to find some cover, but the enemy fire was so heavy that advancing even one step was almost impossible. Reduced by half, and after losing the only armored unit they had at their disposal, the 194th legion had reached a very disadvantageous stalemate, at the mercy of the separatist troops who knew the terrain like the back of their hand.

Hammer: - TUKK...! SQUADS 11 AND 5 HAVE BEEN MASSACRED! AND KOVAL'S UNIT HAS LOST MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR MEN. - He shouted amidst the confusion and the roar of the blasters.

Tukk: - We must...! - His command was interrupted by an explosion that was heard dangerously close.

Hammer: - WHAT!? -

Tukk: - WHERE THE HELL IS THE GENERAL! -

Hammer: - WE DON'T KNOW! WE BELIEVE IT DIDN'T REACH THE DISEMBARKATION POINT! -

Tukk: - WHAT WAS MISSING!... WE MUST GET OUT OF HERE! WE ARE VERY EXPOSED! HAVE YOU KNOWN SOMETHING ABOUT DOSS! -

Hammer: - NEGATIVE! NEITHER FROM RIGO'S UNIT OR CASSIAN'S UNIT! -

Tukk: - DAMN! HAVE...! HAVE...! -

Captain Hammer felt it... He felt it in his commander's words. That fear. That helplessness. That terror that Geonosis left in his heart still crushed him and left him paralyzed. Tukk watched his men fall one by one before his eyes, and he couldn't do anything about it. He felt just as scared as that rookie who stepped on those fateful sands a little over a year ago.

Hammer: - Tukk! -

The call and the shake that his captain and closest friend gave him brought him back to reality. He had called him on more than three occasions, and he seemed to have simply become petrified.

Now, Tukk was looking at Hammer's helmet, but he could feel through that black visor the face of someone begging for him to return to reality. Someone who silently asked him to make a decision once and for all. Anything other than staying in that place to die.

Tukk left the state he was in. His men depended on him, and he couldn't afford to lose his composure. What kind of commander would I be if I did!? ¨No... They wouldn't die there today.¨ He said to himself.

The commander analyzed the battlefield for a few long seconds, long enough to know how vulnerable they were, and the answer to his doubts was not encouraging at all.

Right in front. There was a bastion of caverns, from where enemy blaster shots rained down on them like Taul's acid rain. To the left, a rock formation that seemed to provide good cover, but to get to it they had to cross a cross field of about a hundred meters or a little less. But in the face of such heavy fire it would be suicide.

To the right, more caverns from where the enemies were trying to outflank them, but their numbers seemed to be much smaller. Although it could very well be a trap. And finally, behind them, an open field where they would become an easy target for any shooter. Withdrawal was not an option. Even so:

Tukk: - WE HAVE NO CHOICE! -

Hammer: - SIR!? -

Tukk: - HAMMER, WHEN IT IS THE TIME, HE WILL RUN WITH HIS PLATOON TOWARDS THE LEFT! -

Hammer: - SIR!? - He exclaimed, aware that this would be suicide.

Tukk: - WE HAVE NO CHOICE! IF WE STAY HERE... WE WILL ALL DIE! -

Hammer: - But... But... -

Tukk: - CO-CAPTAIN HAMMER! - His commander's voice brought him out of his refusal. - Can do it? -

Hammer sighed deeply and sent it all to hell. They had made dangerous decisions throughout this war, but this was by far one of the craziest. Still, options were the only thing I didn't have.

Hammer: - SIR, YES SIR! -

Tukk: - GOOD! WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL AND RUN IF YOU LOOK BACK! -

Hammer: - SIGNAL!? WHAT SIGN!? -

Tukk: - YOU WILL KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME! -

The captain could do nothing but watch in confusion as his commander stood high enough so that every clone present could see him. Those closest to him, whether crouching or lying on the burning sands, saw their commander, and immediately knew that something was coming. Something big. So:

Tukk: - NEPTUNE COMPANY! FOLLOW ME! -

And so, just under half the troops rose to their feet, following their commander into a desperate charge against the enemy positions to the right of their position. A tide of white armor that left the safety of the hard rocks, and rushed into the caverns where only uncertainty could wait. It was a bet of everything... Or nothing.

Then, Hammer saw him. Their commander dashed through danger and defied death as dozens of blasters pounced on those who ran unparalleled into the caverns towards his flank, emptying their magazines even when they were not even able to see their enemies. Then, the captain knew that the moment had arrived.

Hammer: - TO THE REST, WITH ME! -

Commander Tukk's plan presented itself to the captain like a crystalline backwater. His crazy movement to the right attracted almost eighty percent of the enemy fire, giving his group the opening necessary to carry out such a crazy plan.

The rest of the clones rose from the sand and the corpses of their comrades. About a hundred meters separated them from a safe area, but the middle was a death row. Hundreds of white armor rushed to the left, following the captain without firing, doing nothing but running without looking back.

The time margin was minimal, and everyone knew it. The first ones were barely arriving when the blaster fire returned towards them. The separatists did not take long to notice this maneuver, and those unlucky ones who did not arrive in time, or were unlucky enough to stumble along the way, found a quick and painless death in the face of the wave of gunfire coming from the enemy side. Once again, Geonosis claimed the lives of those who dared to invade its deadly deserts.

A decision that was too risky without a doubt, and Tukk was perfectly aware of that. The commander was able to enter the cave system with his men, but his group had received significant casualties. For now they were safe, but reorganizing the troops and replacing fallen officers was not an easy task at all.

Now, the 194th was more divided than ever, and the commander had no knowledge of the status of the left group. He had hoped that Captain Hammer had made it, but with communications down he had no way of checking. He couldn't just play with luck. He had to keep moving forward, in the hope that he could run into his people later. But that would be like rolling a dice betting everything on one of the six sides.

Collin: - ENEMIES IN FRONT! -

Bang: - ¡A CUBIERTO! -

The Genocians, accompanied by their large army of droids, did not take long to appear in front of the commander's group, cutting off their path inside the caverns. The two armies faced each other in a brutal underground battle, where the clones were at a complete disadvantage.

Even with their thermal scopes, the heat sources were so overwhelming that defining an enemy was almost impossible. Much less knowing if he was an ally or not. The Genocians were perfectly suited for that environment, and their eyes were perfectly capable of seeing in the dark, and their wings allowed them to shoot down the clones from above, where cover was of no use.

Collin: - COMMANDER! WE CANNOT ADVANCE! THERE'S A FORTRESS RIGHT AHEAD! -

Bangs: - ¿¡UNA FORTALEZA!? -

Collin: - IT'S THE RELIEF, SIR! A ROCK FORMATION IS PROVIDING THEM COVER AND WE CAN'T KNOCK THEM DOWN! -

Tukk: - WHERE IS THE REST!? -

Collin: - IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW! WE DIVIDED WHEN WE ENTERED DOWN HERE! -

Tukk: - DAMN PLANET! WE HAVE TO...! -

Clone: ​​- MISSILE! COVERED! -

The clone's words echoed in the dark caverns. A powerful ballistic missile made its way through the narrow corridors with astonishing precision. A missile that sailed through the dark passages with its dazzling light. A missile that came from the rear of the Republic forces.

The natural fortress that had previously kept the Genosaians safe exploded into a thousand pieces, sending rock fragments in all directions, and raising a large curtain of dust. Which did not affect the thermal scopes in the least. Tukk, Collin, and many of the clones present turned around, only to see with amazement and joy who arrived behind them.

Bang: - ¡GENERAL! -

Pablo: - Sorry for the delay, gentlemen. My shuttle crashed far from the landing zone after losing one of the engines. -

Collin: - They're the rest of the 194th. They have survived. -

Pablo: - I'm glad to see that you too. And Lieutenant Roy? And Captain Hammer? -

Tukk: - We separate, sir. The lieutenant's shuttle was shot down before reaching the landing zone. -

The news fell like a bucket of cold water on the general. He trusted Roy and his abilities, but something like that may have even been able to surpass his Padawan. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about his student, when a commando clone approached him.

Clone Command: - General, the enemy defenses have been defeated. We must continue. -

Pablo: - Understood. Commander Tukk, take a third of the men and cover the upper hallways. I'll go with the center. Commander Boss. You already know what to do. -

Boss: - Yes, general. Delta Squadron, underway. -