So, for the sake of camouflage, it was worth going into battle. So, as soon as the enemy launched an attack, we would respond in kind—arrange a massacre in their battle formations, then slip into their rear, and after scattering the CIS troops, return to base to replenish ammunition. And during the next attack, we would rush forward again. A bit rough as a tactic, admittedly, but it might work.
It felt a little strange to charge the enemy like this, but now, with the Juggernauts… Yes, this technology had its flaws—not as much cross-country capability as walkers, and not as maneuverable as repulsorcraft—but here, on a planet of eternal mud, those shortcomingsweren't so critical. If only they had more weapons, maybe twice as many… But even so, they were dangerous opponents. And against droids… The armor and survivability of the A6 Juggernaut were truly impressive. Judging by the specifications, the guns of most CIS tanks had very little chance of penetrating the armor of this mastodon.
For comparison, the Imperial AT-ATs on Hoth actually had less armor. (After looking at the specs, I was surprised to realize that the local AT-AT was a pathetic parody. Its only after Maximilian Veers, the local "Guderian," redesigned the AT-AT based on the A6 Juggernaut did it become a proper combat vehicle for the assault corps. As a result, the Imperial version grew by seven meters, gained that characteristic hump on its back, and received stronger armor and weaponry.) Meaning that we practically didn't have to worry about the most common Separatist tanks, such as the AAT or the NR-N99 droid tank. Even the IG-227 self-propelled gun, armed with anti-tank guidedmissiles, could only seriously damage the Juggernaut's wheels, and only with a full missile salvo did it stand a chance of disabling the A6. Well, of course, three dozen missiles will make anyone scratch. And there's no need to mention all the grenade-throwing droids and smaller-caliber systems, which could be ignored entirely.
And with wheels like that, it would be a sin not to crush the enemy with them—especially the B-1s. A steamroller, in short.
I decided to leave all twelve companies of our remaining B-1 droids at the base. There they could recharge and support the clones. If necessary, they could also be used to block dangerous sections of the perimeter.
Three days had passed since our landing. In a day and a half, we managed to create a defensive perimeter, practically tearing our muscles apart. Ahsoka and I also had to work hard, moving turrets with telekinesis—some areas were inaccessible to repulsor carts, and we only had two cranes (based on the sameAT-TE). The clones weren't slacking either—they weren't working for someone else, but for themselves—shoveling mountains of soil and hauling piles of rocks to build their own defensive positions.
The enemy discovered us at the end of the second day. At first, local militias tried to overwhelm us with brute force—result: at least seven hundred enemy fighters dead. After that, they preferred to maintain a blockade, surrounding our positions with trenches. We could have wiped them out immediately—a couple of volleys from the proton cannons would have done it—but I preferred to keep those as a trump card.
The enemy began gathering strength, and now, on the fourth day, at least 100,000 droids supported by 12,000 Nationalists had surrounded us. Their commander apparently decided these forces were sufficient and, logically, began an attack on our positions.
Here we are, by the way, we've reached them. The clones were mostly hiding behind cover, waiting for the enemy to get within about three hundred meters. But the DF.9 gunners were having a great time, firing charge after charge into the advancing ranks—something over there was already exploding. Initially, it had been planned for ordinary clones to handle the guns, but some emplacements were manned by surviving (and relatively intact) gunners from the Sinano. Although it was difficult for them—switching from shipboard artillery to ground guns was like switching from a Toyota to a tractor—but they had experience, so they would manage.
On the surveillance screens, we could clearly see combat vehicles rolling by next to us, with nimble Sabres darting around nearby. Some had already opened fire—the power of their main guns made that entirely possible; the enemy was less than three kilometers away…
"Master, we're not going outside anyway, so maybe…" Ahsoka drew out the words slowly, looking off to the side. Such an innocent little angel.
I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. You just want to shoot. Well, fine—whatever keeps the child entertained. And who knows—maybe she'll actually hit something. Might also distract her from sensing the deaths of her opponents. She's too… sensitive. But she's also easy to distract. And who knows—maybe she'll get used to it.
"All right, I give in. I'll warn the bow-turret gunners."
"Yes, Master!" the Togruta replied cheerfully, then slipped past us with her usual grace and dashed toward the stairs.
Flipping the switch on the comlink, I called the vehicle commander and explained the situation. He replied that he would take care of it.
Well, gentlemen. The bets are placed. All that remains is to act. The time for deliberation is over.
However, I wasn't relying solely on the linear units. Three of our specialists—"Puck," "Lucky," and "Devil"—each led groups of four commandos. And already at the end of our first day on the planet, they had gone off to "do some good" in the Separatists' rear. There were a couple of "tasty" targets there that couldn't be ignored.
The Separatists are in for a big surprise.
Meanwhile, we pushed past our defensive line and moved into, so to speak, operational space. A wave of droids rolled toward our positions—though "rolled" wasn't the right word. The clankers slogged through the muddy slush; any semblance of formation was already gone. Only the heavier vehicles and spider droids were handling the terrain decently.
"Commander Tano is a good shot," Sumeragi noted. "Her accuracy is ninety-seven percent, and the number of targets hit is forty-one… forty-two."
"That's nothing unusual for a Jedi."
The rest of our squad's vehicles also contributedto the destruction of the droids. Several missiles from the Sabers struck particularly fast enemy vehicles trying to flank us, while the X-T mowed down infantry in the trenches with proton grenade launchers.
Soon, our vehicle began to shake noticeably.
"The drivers are going straight through clusters of droids and enemy manpower," Sumeragi said with a slight grimace, fully imagining what was happening out there.
"Let's save ammunition," I shrugged. "The guyswant to participate in the battle too, but they don't have any guns."