Derylon Prime…

Several hours after the engagement in space…

The skies over Derylon Prime were light gray; a thin layer of cloud covering the skies over the rugged, rocky taiga landscape of the world. Forests of thick green trees dominated most of the planet, surrounding the planetary highways that stretched over the rolling terrain.

Amidst the forests and the high rocks, the battle droids of Vork's renegade force waited with machine patience for the Republic to arrive. The anti-air guns stationed outside of the major urban centers were in semi-circular batteries of five with a control center stationed at the center of the semi-circle.

"This is Control to Battery 3, come in Battery 3." The droid commander droned over the commlink.

"This is Battery 3, nothing on scanners, Control, the skies remain clear." The battery leader answered.

"Keep an eye out; the Republic could come at any time." The commander said.

"This is Battery 4, we're picking up interference on our scanners; looks like a cloud burst or something in the upper atmosphere." Said the Battery 4 leader.

"Well that doesn't sound right; the weather reports indicate no such thing." The commander said, taking a look at Battery 4's feed. Indeed, it looked like something massive was headed their way. "All batteries, load flak rounds and aim up, seventy-six degrees at one o'clock." As its orders were carried out, the commander continued to monitor the feed; watching as a single blip broke off from the larger one. "Battery 1-" It didn't finish its statement as Anakin's Eta-2 broke through the clouds and hurtled at high speed directly towards the battery.

The yellow interceptor skimmed the treetops, coming in on an attack run that intended to decimate the battery. This was made more difficult by the droids, who opened fire with repeating blasters and heavy blaster cannon fire. Anakin weaved his interceptor through the fire with ease, remaining on his run. When he reached the beginning of his run, he dove forward, blaster cannons firing as he strafed all five cannons without missing a one.

"All batteries, report in!" The droid commander called. Comn-static greeted it as the massive blip burst through the clouds, revealing a swarm of LAAT Republic gunships. "Wha-, oh, oh…" The commander said dejectedly as a gunship strafed its position with laser fire, destroying the battery in its entirety.

"Gold Leader to gunships, battery destroyed; you're clear for approach to Carga City!" Anakin reported proudly.

"Good work, Anakin; get the skies clear then join your forces at Tellerton. I'll send word once we're finished here." Obi-Wan called as the tanks of the 83rd Heavy Legion descended from the sky. The gunships settled down five miles outside of Carga City; clones rushing to the frontline as the AT-TEs detached from their carriers. Obi-Wan and Commander Prizefighter watched as the legion began to form up and march forward.

"Five-mile trek to the capital; and based on the speed of General Skywalker's attack, they don't know we're coming." Prizefighter said.

"Regardless, keep your men alert, the droids could have skirmishing forces in the woods." Obi-Wan ordered. "The last thing we need is a depleted legion before we encounter the main enemy."

"Already got my boys on it, sir." Came the voice of Major Lance. "I've got the Spearpoints out front in skirmish order; they'll let us know what the droids are up to. Think some of the boys from the 10th are going to join them."

"Who are the Spearpoints?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The closest thing we have to light infantry, sir," Lance said, "they were my old battalion before I became XO. They hit the enemy hard and fast before they can react, then pull back for the heavies to do the rest."

"Lance made the Spearpoints into a well-oiled killing machine, respectable by the 83rd's standards." Prizefighter admitted. "Figured he could do that to the rest of the legion."

"Isn't that your sergeant major's job?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No sir; my job is to keep them in line and show them how to blast clankers." Mule said as he approached. "That, and yell at them when they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing."

"Which somehow includes me." Prizefighter joked. Mule ignored the joke.

"Our armor is setting out right now, and the infantry are moving towards Carga City as well speak. What are your orders, sir?" Mule asked Obi-Wan.

"Stay with the main element and coordinate our advance forward, I'll go with the infantry advance." Obi-Wan answered. "What unit will form the main push?"

"Second Battalion, the Meks. Captain Bulwark is leading the first company with Captain Blitz's second company in support."

"Meks?"

"Mechanized, sir."

"Ah; clone naming at its finest. Where can I find them?"

"They're moving ahead right now; Bulwark's men have a castle wall and two towers on their armor while Blitz's boys have crossed-lightning bolts." Lance said.

"The second company is also mounted with AT-RTs; shouldn't be too hard to find them, even for a Jedi." Mule said. Obi-Wan ignored the snark from Mule, but he made a mental note to address it later.

"Thank you; see you on the battlefield, gentlemen." He said, taking off at a job towards the Second Battalion. It didn't take too long to find them; while they were already advancing at a good clip, Obi-Wan had the Force to guide and speed him along.

He found the second company first, a wide spread of AT-RTs picking their way through the taiga forests slowly. Obi-Wan, who was using the Force to fuel his run at this time, decided to have a little fun; instead of slowing to a stop, he leapt into the air and landed on the side of the nearest scout walker.

"Hello there!" He greeted cheerfully as he landed, watching as the walker's pilot almost leapt out of his seat as the clone yelped in terror.

"Sir!" The clone gasped.

"Apologies for the start; do you know where I can find Captain Blitz?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Up ahead sir, he's near the front of the company; I'll radio him and let him know." The walker pilot said. Obi-Wan gave a two finger-salute and leapt off into the trees. The clone sighed as he keyed his radio. "Crazy bloody Jedi." Obi-Wan continued his trek through the woods, leaping from the trees onto AT-RTs and off again. Word quickly spread through the company that the general was amongst them and…. keeping them alert. By the time he found Captain Blitz, he was getting waves and greetings from the clones.

"Morning sir, how can I help you?" Blitz said as Obi-Wan landed on his walker.

"Just coming along for the ride, captain," Obi-Wan answered, "pleasant ride so far?"

"No clankers so far, sir; pretty boring is you ask us." Blitz answered. "We're about three and a half miles outside of Carga City, however, so we may be getting some action soon."

"You sound eager, Captain."

"I'm not called Blitz for nothing, sir."

"Is that why you ride AT-RTs?"

"No sir; I was apart of Major Lance's battalion before I was laterally transferred to the Second Battalion. The commander thought I'd be a good fit for the Meks."

"And why is that?"

"The Meks used to be slower foot-soldiers before I made the second company all mount up. Now we're a hybrid of walkers, light tanks, and infantry; keeps us mobile."

"And is it safe to assume your first company is infantry?"

"Yes sir, that's Bulwark's company. They're up ahead right now."

"Good, I'll be ahead with him then. Keep your head on a swivel, captain!" Obi-Wan leapt away from the AT-RT and back into the trees, leaving Captain Blitz to shake his head in bemusement. One of his men moved his walker alongside his.

"What do you think of him, General Kenobi I mean?" The trooper asked.

"They say he can walk through a droid army and come out the other side without a scratch," Blitz said, "if he can really do that, and lead us out of this mess with as few casualties as possible, I'll follow that man anywhere and do whatever he tells me, no matter how bloody quirky he is."

As Obi-Wan moved swiftly through the trees, he found the gray markings of the 83rd below him. He dropped down in the middle of a squad, startling them, their weapons whipping up towards him.

"Easy men, just out for a stroll." Obi-Wan said with a grin.

"Sir! With respect, what are you thinking?!" The clone squad leader demanded as respectfully as possible.

"Just keeping you on your toes, sergeant; you're forgetting to look up." Obi-Wan admonished, the grin still on his face. The sergeant sputtered a bit before turning to his men.

"You, eyes up you lazy bastards!" He barked. The squad dutifully added looking up as part of their scanning routine, grinning behind their helmets at their sergeant's frustration. Unfortunately, clones are familiar with body language behind armor, so the sergeant knew exactly what they were doing. "And stop smiling!"

"Fine work, sergeant; do you know where Captain Bulwark is?"

"He'll be up in the middle somewhere, sir."

"Thank you, stay alert!" And Obi-Wan took off again, jogging through the taiga while the sergeant radioed ahead to inform his commander of the crazy Jedi running through his ranks. The clones waved and reported in to their general as he passed through the company, greeting him as one of their own. When Obi-Wan reached the center of the company, which was spread out through the forest, he found Captain Bulwark waiting for him, leaning against a tree and looking out through the forest. "Captain Bulwark?"

"Aye sir, that's me," Bulwark said, straightening up and saluting, "how can I help you?" The captain's voice was lower than most clones, not quiet but lower in tone, and it was much calmer and flat.

"I'll be joining you for the journey to Carga City," Obi-Wan explained, "I hope you don't mind my intrusion?"

"Not at all, sir, Jedi support is always welcome." Bulwark said, waving an arm to move his troopers forward.

"How goes the trek?" Obi-Wan asked, falling into the slow, calculated step that Bulwark set, avoiding branches, and attempting to make as little noise as possible.

"Slow, steady, and quiet, sir, and that's how we want to keep it until we hit the clankers." Bulwark said, his head searching through the forest, despite him being in the center of his formation.

"Do you expect them to be in the woods, or are we to meet them at the city walls?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"General Vork is no slouch when it comes to escape plans, sir, he'll have consolidated all of his forces in key positions as to make things more difficult for us, especially if there are civilian considerations." Bulwark answered, stepping over a log.

"You've had experience with him before?"

"Once, back when Commander Prizefighter was Captain Prizefighter and I was Lieutenant 33 under his command. Vork was burning villages as we came into them, mixing them with the droids who are naturally resistant to fire, which made fighting difficult."

"By Lieutenant 33, do you mean you were his thirty-third lieutenant?" Bulwark laughed.

"No sir, my number is CT-87233; I used to be called Thirty-Three."

"What changed your name?"

"Prizefighter did; my platoon was in a defensive position that the Seps wanted to get ahold off. I held that point for two days with little support before the rest of the company could get to us. Prizefighter said that I was, and I quote 'the bulwark on which I'll break those bastard clankers'. The name stuck; sounds better than 33 anyway." Bulwark paused as a large bird fluttered overhead, disturbing the calm of the forest.

"Were these Vork's droids?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No sir, Vork never engaged us like that. He never let us choose where we wanted to fight." Bulwark answered, his fists tightening around his rifle. In Obi-Wan's opinion, Vork was universally hated across the 83rd Legion; something else they shared with their commander.

"Then we dream of the day when we can force Vork to fight the way we want," Obi-Wan said reassuringly, "but for now, let's beat him on his terms."

"I'll fight for that." Bulwark said as they neared the first two platoons of clones. For a few hundred meters ahead, the trees thinned and gave way to a short open field, and on the other side was a wall fifteen meters high. "Report."

"Sir," one of the clone platoon leaders crouch-walked towards the two, "droid sentries patrol the wall; looks like B-1s with the standard loadout. They've got repeating blaster cannons along the wall at every ten meters and heavy cannons every thirty."

"An infantry assault would be suicide," Bulwark said, shaking his head, "we need the tanks to even think about an assault." He turned to Obi-Wan. "What do you recommend, sir?" Obi-Wan scanned the wall, assessing the situation.

"If we wait for the tanks, they'll hear our approach and begin firing before we can even sight in our targets."

"So what do you suggest?" Bulwark asked, a small feeling of dread in his stomach. The clones had all heard the stories of the ridiculous escapades the Jedi went on, many of which got the clones in trouble and/or killed. General Kenobi was no exception as he turned to Bulwark with a sly grin.

"Wait for my signal." He said simply, and before any of the clones could ask what that would be or what he was doing, the general was off, sprinting through the forest, closing the gap between the edge of the woods and the foot of the wall, and leapt. The droids only became aware that the enemy was among them when Obi-Wan's lightsaber activated and cut the first droid in half.

"Jedi!" One droid cried.

"Blast him!" Another ordered, and red laser fire began to pour towards the Jedi. Obi-Wan's lightsaber became a blur of blue motion as he blocked the blaster fire or deflected the bolts back at the droids. As the droids thinned, Obi-Wan began directing the blaster fire into the weapon emplacements and their respective power sources, disabling them and sending several up in flames and violent sparks. The clones watched briefly until the section of the wall Obi-Wan fought on was cleared of the weapon emplacements.

"First platoon, grapples!" Bulwark ordered, and the first platoon ran forward, unhindered, and began to climb the wall. Several droids looked over the wall to see the clones, but before they could call a warning or level their weapons, the other three clone platoons drowned them in blue blaster bolts. By the time the first platoon had ascended the wall, the droids were cleared, but the rest of the droid forces in Carga City were well aware that there was in a breach in their defenses.

"This is General Kenobi to Commander Prizefighter; we've begun an assault on Carga City. One section of wall is cleared, and we are working to clear more of the weapon emplacements on it, out." Obi-Wan barked into his comn-link before dashing off to the right, intent on disabling more guns before Captain Blitz and his men arrived. A team of clones followed him, armed with three rifles and a Z-6 rotary cannon, they fired around and over Obi-Wan as he deflected blaster fire back towards the droids. One of them hurled a droid popper over Obi-Wan, landing the grenade behind the initial line of droids, frying their circuits. This allowed Obi-Wan to be a bit more aggressive; stepping forward as he deflected one bolt into a droid, dissected another, Force pushed two off the wall, and ripped one gun emplacement from its perch and throwing it into the droids.

"Keep pushing; the more guns we disable, the fewer we lose on the wall!" Obi-Wan ordered. The four Bulwarks behind him followed without question or hesitation, clearing the way for more of their brothers to ascend the wall. Ahead of them, on the next section of wall, the guns were already firing; Blitz and his company had arrived, their blaster cannons strafing the walls as best they could under return fire. One walker was not quick enough, and two repeating cannons were able to target it together, destroying the recon walker in a hail of red bolts.

"Eat laser, rust bucket!" The clone with the Z-6 barked, leaning out from behind Obi-Wan and hosing the droids before them in weapons fire. He leaned just far enough for a lone commando droid to put three shots into the clone, killing him, his body slumping against the wall as his brothers stepped over him and took their revenge on the commando droid. Obi-Wan grimaced at the loss of the trooper, but pressed forward, disabling another set of batteries. Upon clearing the wall, more clones ascended, and Captain Blitz's AT-RTs began to leap onto the wall, the mechanical joints straining to make the jump. The Captain himself made the jump on his AT-RT, landing just ahead of Obi-Wan, firing down into Carga City as droid reinforcements began to move in.

"With respect sir, but you choose a bloody difficult section of wall to take!" Blitz said as his cannons strafed the incoming droid formations.

"Well the droids certainly didn't expect it!" Obi-Wan counted as he switched his attentions from the wall to the streets below. "How far to the nearest gate?"

"Half a kilometer, sir; we'll need it open for the rest of the tanks and infantry." Blitz answered. "Climb on, we'll take it together!"

"Good plan," Obi-Wan used the Force to propel himself upward, grabbing onto the frame of the AT-RT as Blitz stepped off the wall and began moving to the gate; the wall was not large enough for the walker to maneuver effectively. A few droids fired after them, but the AT-RT was already disappearing into its own little dust cloud.

The gate came up shortly thereafter and with it came a maelstrom of laser fire. Blitz ducked in his seat as red blaster bolts stabbed down towards him, riddling his walker with fire. The AT-RT responded in kind; its cannon answering the droids with measured, calculated fire, blasting apart small clumps of droids that clustered too close together. Obi-Wan hoisted himself upward, balancing on the back of Blitz's chair, and threw himself onto the wall, somersaulting in the air and beheading two B-1s. A squad of droids turned to face him, attempting to bar his way to the gate, but the experienced Jedi Master was not to be denied entry. He gathered the Force around him and pushed, sending the droids flying backwards into the gatehouse, cracking their frames and disabling them. Obi-Wan turned to check on Blitz, who was firing away at the other side of the gatehouse, when he heard the pulsating noise of an AAT engine. Looking past the clone captain, he saw the tank's turret moving to aim at the AT-RT.

"Captain!" Obi-Wan cried, reaching out with the Force and yanking the clone from his walker, just as the tank fired. The walker exploded as Obi-Wan slammed Blitz into the ground to keep him safe, knocking the wind out the clone. "Apologies, it was either that or watch you die, and neither of us want the latter!" The Jedi said, reaching down and helping Blitz to his feet.

"Agreed," Blitz wheezed, drawing two pistols from their holsters, "rather not die today." The AAT's main cannon boomed again, forcing the pair to throw themselves to the ground for cover.

"Get inside and open the gate; I'll deal with our friend!" Obi-Wan ordered, reigniting his lightsaber and propelling himself off the wall. Blitz rose and opened the door to find a group of five B-1s waiting inside.

"Wait, you're no Jedi." One of the droids said.

"Next best thing, clanker." Blitz hissed, opening fire on the first droid. The rest responded in their typically delayed fashion, allowing Blitz to move into cover and blast another two into bits without much problem. The other two droids advanced, forcing him to carefully pick his shots, a blaster bolt or two grazing his armor. In the end, however, the simple B-1s were no match for the clone captain, and upon finishing with the two, Blitz holstered his pistols and went to the other door, jamming it. "This is Captain Blitz to Commander Prizefighter, General Kenobi and I have secured the southeastern gatehouse, I say again, the southeastern gatehouse is secure!"

Outside, Obi-Wan dodged a blast from the AAT's main gun, sprinting at an angle towards the tank, attempting to avoid its two side guns. The tank pivoted slowly, trying to track the small, agile target that rushed toward it, firing the main turret once more. Obi-Wan put on a burst of Force-enhanced speed, dodging the blast and leaping onto the AAT. His lightsaber cut through the main gun, the bisected barrel falling to the permacrete with a loud CLANG, and he made his way across the tank, slicing the two smaller guns. In response, the tank commander emerged from his seat, blaster in hand, and Obi-Wan responded by lifting the hapless droid from his tank and throwing him down the street with the Force. As the droid splintered, Obi-Wan backflipped off the tank, lifted the turret barrel from the ground, and threw it through the center of the AAT, destroying it.

"They never said you were a showoff, sir." Captain Blitz observed from the gatehouse. Behind Obi-Wan, the energy wall deactivated and durasteel portcullis rose, opening the way for the Republic forces to move through. The third and fourth companies of the Meks began to move into Carga City; a squadron Republic interceptor tanks and another company of infantry.

"Once you've worked with General Skywalker for some time, you'll understand." Obi-Wan replied. Blitz nodded as the troopers of the 83rd Legion moved in to Carga City, beginning the liberation of Derylon Prime.

"This is Prizefighter to Kenobi, status report please, sir." Came the voice of Commander Prizefighter over the comn-link.

"Kenobi to Prizefighter, the southeastern gate has been opened and the 2nd Battalion is entering the city in force. Captain Blitz and I have the situation under control." Obi-Wan answered.

"Glad to hear it, sir, I'll move forces to push through the southeastern gate ASAP. Captain Bulwark has reported success in entering Carga City as well." Prizefighter said.

"Then it appears our assault is going well; I will rejoin Bulwark and assist in pressing into the city." Obi-Wan looked to Blitz. "Think you can manage on your own?"

"I've made it most of my career without Jedi support, sir," Blitz said as a member of his company approach in an AT-RT, "I think I can manage awhile longer."

"I hope you can; may the Force be with you, Captain Blitz." Obi-Wan said, giving the clone a two-finger salute before running back towards the Bulwarks. The Blitz's trooper offered a hand and swung his captain up behind him before setting off for the rest of their company.

"So what's he like, sir?" The trooper asked.

"He's a good fighter, good tactician, and he cares about clone lives more than most Jedi I've heard of. I'll follow that man anywhere he tells me to go." Blitz declared.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Obi-Wan reached the Bulwarks a short while later, finding the clones taking cover around the mouth of a major road, the surrounding side streets, and alleyways. Captain Bulwark noted his general's approach and waved him over.

"Glad to have you back, sir." Bulwark greeted, poking his head around the corner of the building he leaned against.

"Glad to be back, Captain," Obi-Wan replied, "Captain Blitz and I have opened the southeastern gate. How have your men fared?"

"A few casualties, more wounded then dead, but enough to get the boys motivated." Bulwark reported. "The issue now is those bloody guns down the road." Obi-Wan pulled a pair of micro-binoculars from his belt and peered down the road, staying in cover as best he could. Through the binoculars, he saw three separate rows of guns; the first row consisting of anti-infantry repeating blaster turrets, the second row being a mix of lighter blaster cannons and repeaters, and the third consisting of two droid artillery units. "Reports indicate that there's an anti-air gun deeper in the city, so an air-strike is out of the question."

"And those guns will mulch tanks and infantry alike if we try and go down the main road." Obi-Wan continued.

"And those side-streets and alleys could be a deathtrap as well; anti-infantry guns, mines, or defoliation units could be in there."

"Defoliation units?" Obi-Wan questioned, though he had an idea of what Bulwark was referring to.

"Prizefighter once told me that Vork employed defoliation droids; flamethrowers, chemical launchers, poisons, the like." Bulwark explained. "If you need anymore evidence that Vork is a monster, I don't know what to tell you sir."

"I doubt I require much more." Obi-Wan said. "Have you informed Commander Prizefighter?"

"He's aware; a few other units have encountered similar situations," Bulwark said, looking to Obi-Wan, "but they don't have a Jedi, sir."

"Indeed they do not," Obi-Wan agreed, "though even I can't deflect droid artillery."

"Ever tried, sir?"

"I heard a padawan tried to once."

"And?"

"There's a reason no one has ever tried again."

"Damn; would've made this a lot easier." Bulwark cursed flatly. "Got any ideas, sir?" Obi-Wan looked around; the area they were in was close to a small shopping center with a square for parking landspeeders. Obi-Wan's eyes settled on the speeders.

"What do you have in terms of explosives?" He asked, turning back to Bulwark. The clone captain looked to speeders, cocked his head, then began to nod in understanding.

"Enough to possibly make your idea work, sir."

The droid defenders had seen the clone troopers poke their heads a few times down the road at them, but they had since not been seen. Their limited brains calculated that the clones had seen the apparent might of their fortifications and had decided to retreat, an assumption that would not be incorrect if the clones were as restricted in thought as the battle droids were. The droids also failed to calculate one other possibility: the potential of Jedi leadership. So, when empty landspeeders began to hurtle down the road towards them, the droids were briefly stunned.

"What are you waiting for? Blast them!" A droid command unit ordered. The first and second lines opened fire, a hailstorm of red laser fire that enveloped the speeders. The first wave of speeders exploded in plumes of smoke, sparks, and twisted metal, but more came. One speeder was behind all the rest, and thanks to the droids' focus on the speeders before it, the vehicle made impact with the first line. The thermal detonators attached to the land-craft detonated, blowing the center of the line away and creating a gap in the front line. Another wave of speeders followed, with two speeders unladen with explosives punching through the front line and bulldozing into the second, further decreasing the intensity of the weapons fire.

A final wave of speeders was sent as the first line was blown away and the second line was bogged down by crashing landspeeders, confusing the droids and opening the way for the Bulwarks to make their assault. The clones sprinted forward, taking cover behind speeder wrecks, buildings, side alleys, and whatever else they could us for cover, all while being covered by their brothers armed with longer ranged blaster rifles and Z-6 rotary blaster cannons. Obi-Wan was among them, taking the center of the street with his lightsaber and the Force. The droids, naturally, began to focus fire on him, the few remaining serviceable blaster cannons and repeaters opening fire, while behind them the two artillery units leveled their barrels down the street.

"Spread out! Don't give those cannons good targets!" Obi-Wan ordered. A team of clones took cover behind one of the larger landspeeders they had sent down the main road and began firing at the remaining droids, alerting the artillery units to their positions. One of them swiveled, turning their gun to aim at the clones. "Move!" Obi-Wan cried. Too late. The cannon boomed, the shell was fired, and the clones and their cover vanished in a violent explosion. Obi-Wan gritted his teeth as anger briefly flared inside of him, but he shoved the anger back down; rage would not bring back those clones, nor would it save more of them.

"Keep moving forward! Take those cannons out!" Came the voice of Captain Bulwark from behind. Soon after that, Obi-Wan was made acutely aware of Bulwark's presence immediately behind him when the clone captain's blaster rifle was fired.

"Captain, I recommend finding cover!" Obi-Wan called over the blaster fire.

"With respect, sir, you are the cover!" Bulwark answered, weaving between blaster bolts that Obi-Wan neglected to deflect. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile at the captain's candor; he was, after all, completely correct. But as the second of the droid artillery units turned to aim at them, he couldn't help but feel very inadequate in his coverage.

"Get down!" He cried, using the Force to throw both him and Bulwark to the side, avoiding the artillery shell but being showered in broken masonry permacrete.

"How do we take those things out?!" Bulwark asked as he rose, firing his rifle angrily at the droids. The answer came in the form of ten AT-RTs; Captain Blitz led a small charge against the remaining droid units, the ten scout walkers firing as they sped down the road. Their blaster cannons concentrated on the droid artillery, and their fire was what won the fight; wearing down the artillery until them were destroyed in a shower of sparks, a failure of their legs, and the guns slumped down, silent.

"Heard you gents needed some help." Blitz said, leaning down from his walker to salute.

"Your timing couldn't have been better!" Obi-Wan said, smiling as he dusted himself off. Around them, the Bulwarks moved forward, mopping up the last few droids with assistance from the Bolts; Blitz's company.

"How's your company faring, Blitz?" Bulwark asked.

"The Bolts are spreading down the line a bit; helping to make some headway into the droid defenses," Blitz answered, "I'm taking these boys and flanking around the sides to speed things along."

"And the rest of the battalion?" Bulwark asked. Blitz pointed behind him as the 3rd Company in TX-130 Saber tanks came rumbling up the street.

"The fourth company is holding the gateway we took against any counterattacks," Blitz explained further, "though with the way the droids are spread out, I doubt that'll happen."

"Stay on your toes; the droids could have anything waiting for us." Obi-Wan cautioned.

"Will do, sir, good luck to you!" Blitz saluted once more before leading the other nine Bolts away to assist the rest of the legion.

"Good man, that Blitz." Obi-Wan said to Bulwark, who merely nodded in response. "Ready to push further?"

"Whenever you are, sir." Bulwark answered, hefting his rifle. Obi-Wan waved his arm and moved deeper into Carga City; deeper into whatever Carcus Vork had left in waiting for them.