Asoka jumped nimbly, dodging the droid's shot. The new model was very agile and unlike the flimsy B-1s or slow B-2s. However, this only provoked her. I hope Master can see me, thought the Togruta, knocking the head off another droid.
For the clones, they were serious opponents — fast, skilled, strong, and accurate. However, as always, the Master had taken care of this — the clones that followed her were armed with melee weapons and stronger armor, which allowed them to defeat their opponents, if not easily, then certainly without losses.
***
Zabrak watched with relief as the separatists went into hyperspace. Commander Rinaun's ships began landing troops on the planet to finish off the droid army.
Suddenly, an alarm siren blared, interrupting Ragnos' thoughts.
"Ships are coming out of hyperspace! It's the enemy!"
The captain watched in shock as seven CIS warships emerged from hyperspace.
"Ships! Prepare for battle!"
The Marat, along with the Akagi and the Shinano, opened fire on the ships, but they onlyaccelerated, breaking through the line of his group's ships, and Zabrak suddenly realized what their target was.
"They're attacking the factory! Everyone, intercept them! Relay to the Artkainen...!"
However, Fokker understood everything himself — the Dreadnaught flew forward, covering the massive hull of the factory with its body.
The Separatists' flagship opened fire, followed by the frigates. The deadly fire from the heavy bow guns crushed the ship's shields, and the ion cannons disabled it. This was followed by a volley at the factory itself, after which the CIS ships turned away and jumped into hyperspace.
Ntor Ragnos watched spellbound as the factory's hull swelled, spewing plasma tongues from the detonated reactor. One of the Pelta-class frigates simply disappeared in the flash. The fuel, although not explosive, still contributed to the huge fire. Huge protuberances shot out in all directions. One of them caught the helplessly drifting Artkainen, and a new star flashed in space.
Soon it was all over.
"All ships! We are moving to Donovia orbit." The captain's voice trembled slightly. He was shaken by the death of Roy Fokker and his ship.
***
I stood on the rather battered runway, waiting for the arrival of Rinaun and Ragnos. By this time, communication had been established, and we sent a message to Sector headquarters. The reply came fairly quickly and was brief: "Gathereverything you can and fly to Lantilles. There, contact the Council and await further instructions." With the loss of the factory, the system, like the planet itself, had become so insignificant that it no longer made sense to leave a garrison there. However, a tracking station will still be set up, but a little later.
I started to think about all this. It seemed like we had won the battle. Rinaun's troops, who had landed behind the droids, carried out an exemplary attack, destroying all the remaining droids within an hour. However, the statistics were depressing.
We lost almost all of our droids. The losses among the clones amounted to two thousand one hundred and forty killed and another threethousand wounded. All this was the result of enemy bombing. The captured AATs also "fell in battle" — less than a dozen of these machines remained in service. And almost the entire base was badly damaged. So packing our things was, like beggars tightening their belts.
"Marshal Blam!"
"Yes, General?"
"Make arrangements for the funeral. We're leaving soon, and we're unlikely to return here."
"I've already given the order, sir. In the same place?"
"Yes. Let the boys lie side by side."
A shuttle with the commander on board passed overhead with a hum. And the Marat wasdescending onto the platform.
Rinaun descended the shuttle's ladder and headed toward me.
"Commander, good to see you."
"General," Rinaun nodded. "How's your arm?"
"Could be better." I grimaced involuntarily.
Rinaun glanced around the base.
"You've taken quite a beating."
"Bombers. Probably a new design. And the saboteurs did their best."
"Saboteurs?"
"Yes. They landed in rescue capsules."
"Bastards," the commander swore unexpectedly. It flashed through my mind that these capsules were, by all laws, prohibited from use in military operations, which meant that the warring parties did not have to fear for the lives of those who used them. The separatists had broken this law, as they had many others.
Stepping back a little, the commander asked:
"What are your next steps?"
"We contacted headquarters—they're taking us to Lantilles. We'll wait there for instructions from the Council."
Rinaun was a little surprised—you could sense it—but then he laughed:
"I forgot for a moment that you're a Jedi. All right. My troops will finish loading the ships, and we'll leave immediately.
"We'll finish up here and follow you," I nodded.
***
Elizabeth approached El Johnson, who was standing near one of the half-ruined barracks.
"Hutt, what a mess."
"Yes, when those bastards started bombing us, I thought we were done for."
"However, this Jedi managed to get us out of it. We're alive."
"Yes. But many of our guys have fallen," the man crossed his arms over his chest. "Almost two hundred won't be coming home. And they died in vain — the factory is destroyed anyway."
"This isn't a skirmish with pirates, Gregory. This is war."
***
Standing next to Asoka near the monument, I remained silent. Several plaques had been added to the rows, and now the total number of dead was close to eight thousand.
"Master, will we ever come back here?" the Togruta asked unexpectedly.
"Most likely not. Why do you ask?"
"Well... I'd like to come back here someday, to see what it will be like."
What can I say?
A clone pilot from the shuttle ran up to us.
"General, it's time."
"Yes. Let's go, Snips."