There was a noticeable tremor in the Force, followed immediately by Mirro's report.
"General, I'm detecting an electromagnetic pulse."
"It's over," I nodded.
We had already been on the road for almost an hour, traveling seventy kilometers from the perimeter of the base.
As Sumeragi had predicted, the enemy had been waiting for our breakthrough—but not in such numbers. During the breakthrough, we did not skimp on ammunition, hoping to ease, even a little, the fate of the clones remaining at the base. Through incredible effort, we managed to load almost twenty thousand clones into the vehicles—four thousand more than we had expected. Still, more than six thousand clones under Zilo's command remained at the base. We took all the technicians, repair crews, and wounded with us, so we didn't even have enough combat-ready personnel to fill two full brigades. But it was better than nothing. After all, there was less useful cargo even than we expected.
During the breakout, by the most conservative estimates, we managed to scatter and destroy around three thousand militiamen and ten thousand droids. The convoy of vehicles was heading south, trying to exit the combat zone.
The enemy jammed our communications, but we didn't need comms to know that Zilo wouldn't be able to hold out for long. And then the explosion came.
"Fifty-three minutes," reported the ever-punctual Sumeragi. "Give or take a few seconds."
"Gentlemen," I removed my helmet. "Let us honor the memory of our fallen comrades."
The headquarters fell silent.
***
Stratus dropped to his knees, ignoring the mud. Reaching out, he lifted Cordelia. Only a memory remained of the once-beautiful woman. The left side of her face was still intact, but the right side had been burned to a crisp. Huge blisters covered her skin; her eye had burst and leaked out. Where the crust of scorched flesh had cracked, scarlet muscle seeped blood.
"How did this happen?" Stratus' hoarse voice broke the silence.
One of the Nimbuses stepped forward. His armor was scorched, and his helmet melted.
"Sir. As planned, we were preparing an attack on the camp of those damned Republicans when they broke through to the south. They'd been doing this for a while—sending fast groups in wheeled vehicles into our rear—and this time we were prepared for such enemy tactics, but they still outsmarted us. They attacked in one direction. More than two hundred combat vehicles. We couldn't respond in time, and they slipped past us. We thought they'd abandoned their camp, but our scouts met resistance, and Ms. Cordelia decided to raze their camp to the ground before pursuing."
"The troops went on the offensive. Forty minutes later, we broke through all defensive lines, and a handful of surviving Republicans retreated toward the crater left from their frigate. Cordelia ordered us forward, and our mobile command post began to approach the enemy perimeter. The droids launched an assault to finish them off, but at some point a massive explosion occurred ahead of us."
"Only the light filters in our helmets saved us. Many militiamen were blinded for a while, and several were blinded permanently. We lost everyone who was outside the perimeter of the enemy base. It was a plasma cloud, sir. The shock wave swept everything away. The lady was outside, and we were nearby, as we should have been. Our command post was destroyed by the shock wave, and then the heat came. The rain evaporated before reaching the ground. Everything that could burn was burning. People… living torches."
The soldier's voice trembled. "I'm sorry, sir. We couldn't save Cordelia."
A faint rattle sounded.
"A… t…" The girl scraped her fingers weakly against the sleeve of his robe.
"Cordelia!" Stratus caught her hand, but beneath his fingers the burnt flesh began peeling away from the bones.
"Al… to…" A thin trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth. She spasmed and went limp.
"No! Cordelia!" Stratus pulled her to his chest. Rain washed the tears from his face.
I will have my revenge. I will destroy them all!
***
Shaak Ti silently watched the endless stream of starlines. A group of Jedi stood on the bridge of the flagship Acclamator. Obi-Wan Kenobi was speaking with Masters Leska and Sirrus. Nearby stood Master Glaive with his Padawan, Zul Xiss. Falleen observed the bridge crew with interest.
"And yet it is a pity, Master Ti, that you won't be able to take part in this battle—your help would be very useful," said Master Glaive, once again, with a sigh.
"Unfortunately, my presence is required in the Third Sector. I will accompany you to the planet's orbit, oversee your landing, and then we will depart."
"Ten minutes until we exit hyperspace!" reported Captain Arkani.
"Get ready, Anakin," Obi-Wan said into the comlink.
"I'm ready, Master. Are you?" came the cheerful voice of his Padawan. Now he was in the landing ship's hangar—more precisely, in the cockpit of the Ether Fairy. He was to lead a fighter squadron into battle to cover the troop landing. Later, he was to join his master on the planet's surface.
"I'm ready as well. What do you think, Anakin—how many enemy ships do you think are in orbit?"
"Enough for all of us, Master."
Shaak Ti turned to Kenobi.
"Master, what have you decided regarding the Padawans?"
Obi-Wan sighed.
"That's a difficult question."
Togruta nodded. The Jedi Council had assigned every relatively available Jedi to the operation, but their numbers remained small. It was therefore decided to recruit those Padawans whose masters had fallen in battle—five in total. The initial plan was to distribute them among the participating Jedi, but either the Jedi already had Padawans and declined the honor, or they simply refused.
In the end, it was decided to form a "Padawan Pack" out of them. Yet Obi-Wan still believed they needed supervision.
An idea suddenly came to Shaak Ti.
"Master Kenobi, I believe I may have found a solution."
"I'm listening," Obi-Wan said, clearly perking up.
"You know, I think these Padawans can be entrusted to Knight Vikt."
Master Dara Leska shook her head.
"I see you still hope he's all right? And his squad?"
"One should always hope for the best."
"Master Ti, do you think Vikt will agree? The others… didn't show much enthusiasm," Obi-Wan said doubtfully.
"I don't think he'll refuse. Tell him it's my request."
"All right. Master Glaive, will you ensure that the Padawans are delivered to the appropriate location?"
"Yes, Kenobi. I wanted to meet this Jedi anyway." The man nodded.