The Clone's Hero (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

The Substitute Commander (Intro pt9)

It's one thing feeling sympathy for someone. It's another going through exactly what they went through.

"Push them back! Push. Them. Back!" Kal commanded.

The clones all began shooting harder than ever. Blaster bolts were coming out so fast that it looked like a horizontal rain of blue lines.

"Eat this, clankers!"

"We almost have the path!"

"Should we tell General Krell to call in General Secura?"

Kal shouted back at the trooper who asked that. "Not yet! We need a guaranteed takeover!"

From the back of the battlefield. Krell watched with scrutiny. Judging every action, decision, and mistake made by Substitute Commander Kal. And comparing his performance to that of Steele.

This mission they're on has them aiding Jedi General Aayla Secura and the 324th Star Corps. Their job was to secure the main path so Aayla and her troops may use it as a trench base.

Krell checked the time on his disc. He contacted Kal. "CT-7701, you're 10 minutes overdue! Finish this already!"

"Yes—shoots a droid—sir—shoots another droid—I'll do that!" Kal barely missed a blaster bolt from two super battle droids. His heart nearly skipped a beat.

How in the galaxy did Steele manage to survive so long as commander? Kal's respect for his predecessor just rose exponentially.

Seeing that their new commander is having a hard time staying in the front, Compass and Egad encouraged even more firepower.

"Commander, we've got you covered!" Compass shouted.

Kal nodded in thanks. He quickly dashed across the enemy lines. The cover provided by his men was extremely effective. In a couple of seconds, Kal reached the droid in command. He held him at blaster point.

"We surrender! We surrender!" The droid cried.

"Order your clankers to cease fire!" Kal pressed the barrel harder against the droid's temple.

The droid commander did as told. And both sides stopped shooting at each other. The path was secured.

~ O O O ~

"Thank you for your help, General Krell," Aayla appreciated. She and her men have arrived by now.

"We'll take over from here." Aayla's right-hand man, Commander Bly added. "Oh and, best of luck in finding your missing commander."

Krell nodded. "I'm going to need it. If he was here today, then we would've gotten this done a lot earlier." He looked at Kal who stood next to him.

"I did what I could with the battleplan you gave me," Kal said honestly.

"Did you now?"

Aayla sensed growing tension. "What matters is that we got the path. I'm sure Commander Kal will improve with time. Don't be so hard on him, Krell."

She and Commander Bly left to plan the rest of their mission. The 304th on the hand were tidying everything up. They needed to make sure they weren't forgetting before boarding the fleet.

When Krell thought no one else was looking, he picked up Kal by the throat and shoved him against a large boulder.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that again, CT-7701!" Krell seethed. "If you've learned anything from your predecessor, then you'd know it doesn't end well if you attempt to talk back!"