Lasers were flying around everywhere as they engaged the Separatists forces. Rose's battalion had sustained heavy losses and it appeared that the Separatists nor the Growth weren't going to let up their attacks any time soon. Rose and her men were wearing down by the second, tired and dirty with no chance at regrouping before the next wave of Growth and Separatist forces attacked. Plus, to top it all off there was still no sign that the Republic were on their way. To say that this had been a bad day for Commander Thorn would be an understatement.
"Get down!" Rose shouted as one of the droid tanks fired its missile at her position. The blast radius caused debris to fly in all different directions, many men fell as soon as the missile made contact with its destination. A piece of metal ricocheted off of a nearby droid and lodged itself into Rose's side causing her to cry out in pain as the burning started to spread through her side and across her chest. Pulling her hand away, she was met with it covered in crimson blood. Sighing softly, Rose placed her hand back to her side to apply pressure before slowly sliding down to the hard dusty ground as pain started to take over her senses.
"Hertogi!" Hyker shouted running over to Rose's aid once he had seen her fall to the ground. "We need a medic! We need to fall back!" Hyker shouted into his comm as he ducked to dodge blaster fire.
"No!" Rose grunted as soon as she heard Hyker give the order. "We need to hold this position!" She ordered through gritted teeth as she tried to compose herself. "If we lose this position the Capital is lost!" She muttered as another wave of pain spread through her body.
"But Rose! We need to retreat! We need to contact the Republic again!" Hyker tried to reason as he looked down at a stubborn Rose. "We need reinforcements." Hyker shouted back over the noise of the battle. It was true. Without reinforcements, Hyker knew that this war was already lost, and he knew that Rose knew that too, but she just couldn't accept it.
"The Republic aren't coming Hyker! We are on our own!" Rose shouted back, her voice thick with emotion. She was relying on Wolffe and the 104th to come to her aid but they hadn't. All Rose could feel was betrayal. Not at her husband, but at the Republic and the Jedi. "All heavy cannons fire at the cliff face! I want those droids buried under rocks and be used as scrap metal." Rose commanded into the coms after ignoring Hyker's pleading gaze. Soon enough, the heavy cannons started firing at the cliff face, causing it to collapse and come crashing down, crushing the droids and temporarily closing off the south side.
"That should buy us some time." Rose sighed out tiredly as exhaustion over took her entire being. "Smiles." Rose called waving over her medic. "Get the men the medical attention they need." She ordered as she forced herself up from the ground, gripping her side in discomfort which still have the shrapnel imbedded in it that she hadn't removed yet.
At first, Smiles looked at his commanders' condition but took her orders. "Right away Hertogi." He saluted before hurrying off to help aid the severely wounded.
"Hyker" Rose said as he helped hold her up, "Let's see if we can get coms working again." she stated clutching her side.
"Are you okay Thorn?" He asked concerned for her wellbeing. He could see how tired she had started to become, and it had started to worry him.
"I will be." She muttered as they both limped over to where they had decided to set up temporary communications to ensure easy removal in case their position was overran much like it had been before.
"All set for you Commander, although I don't know how long it will last." Rose's head of communications informed her and Hyker as they neared the communications.
Rose nodded her head tiredly, still leaning onto Hyker as her pain intensified. "Do you think this is going to work?" Hyker asked as he watched Rose set up the communication.
Sighing softly, Rose rubbed her face with her muddy hand before looking at Hyker. "I don't know." She answered honestly before she turned her attention back to the blinking button.
(On the Republic Ship)
"Master Jedi's, we are in dire need for reinforcements. Our forces are spread thin and we are losing more than I would like to count. We sent out a distress signal to the Senet and received no response. I fear this is a battle we may lose." General Milikas explained as his holo-Projection flickered through the slightly unstable connection.
"The Generals right. We've had to pull most of our forces back to the Capital. Apart from Commander Thorn's platoon who's managed to hold on at the southern side of the ridge." Captain Ordarla explained as he pointed out Commander Thorn's last known location on the hologram. "I and the 232nd were with them before they moved further down the southern side." He pointed out before looked at the confused Jedi.
"Have you heard from Commander Thorn?" Obi Wan asked as he inspected a battle recording. The brutality that was shown had greatly worried him and Anakin. They had no idea if there was going a battalion to back up with the way this war was going.
Sighing Captain Ordarla looked down. "I was with the Commander before she and her battalion went south to face the droids head on. So far we haven't heard anything from them." Captain Ordarla explained and brought the hologram to where their last known position was.
"General, we have an incoming transmission." One of the clones on the destroyer informed before connecting the new transmission.
"Patch it through." Anakin Skywalker said.
"Sorry we're a little late checking in General." Rose joked through gritted teeth as herself and Hyker's holo-projections appeared in front the group.
"Master Jedi's, this is Commander Thorn." General Milikas introduced with a slight sigh at the Commanders greeting.
"Ah yes, good to see you again Rose." Obi-Wan greeted with a small smirk at the usual sassy attitude of the Commander.
"Yeah well let's skip the pleasantries, we don't know how much time we've got before they break through the barricade." Rose stated whilst clutching her side tighter in pain.
"How have things progressed Commander?" Anakin asked concerned with how the situation had progressed.
"We've lost over half of my battalion and the rest are either gravely wounded or well, tired. I don't, ugh." Rose grunted in pain as she tried to explain their circumstances and started to become weaker causing Hyker to quickly catch her and supported her before she fell down yet again.
"We need to get you to a medical bay." Hyker muttered concerned for Rose as he watched her skin grow paler by the second.
"I won't leave my men Hyker." Rose grunted through gritted teeth. "I don't know how much longer we can hold out." Rose informed before she sighed regretfully. "Captain, General, raise ... raise the shields around the Capital." Rose ordered as she held onto Hyker tightly, her strength slowly slipping from her.
"If those shields are raised Commander you and your men won't be able to get back." Obi Wan spotted out in concern whilst stroking his beard.
"Let's be honest here General," Hyker spoke up after receiving a look he knew all too well from his Commander. "I don't think we will be coming back." He stated solemnly as their holo-projection started to flicker as they started to lose their connection.
"Where's Captain Rex?" Rose mumbled as she looked around at the group that surrounded the holo-projection.
"I'm here." Rex stated softly making his presence known as he stepped up to the projection.
Rose smiled softly seeing the familiar face before her smile turned into a slight grimace. Rex took note of his brother's wife's condition and a look of concern quickly swept across his face. He knew that he had to inform Wolffe of her condition as soon as this meeting ended. "Nú munk nár af bragði, Ok nær dýrum deyja. Telja Wolffe, iak munu finna hím yfir in logr." Rose grunted out in her native tongue.
"Þér munu líta hím bráðum systir." Rex replied before shouts and explosions could be heard in the background of the transmission.
"Commander! They've broken through!"
"Take cover!" Rose shouted, her strength quickly coming back to her. "Fire at will! Move! Move! Move!"
"We've got a tank inbound!"
The communications soon cut off causing a feeling of worry and dread to spread throughout the remaining people. "We need your help as soon as you are able." General Milikas pleaded before cutting off his transmission leaving Captain Ordarla still with the Jedi.
"Anakin, your fleet is the closest to the planet Kithom. You need to get there as soon as possible." Obi Wan ordered.
"Yes Master." Anakin nodded and disconnected the transmission.
"Captain Ordarla, ensure the Capital is secure. I will join you as soon as I can." Obi Wan Kenobi commanded.
"Of course, General Kenobi." Captain Ordarla nodded and disconnected.
(Back at the battle ground)
"We can't hold them much longer Thorn! We need to fall back!" Hyker shouted over the sounds of gunfire as he dodged the wave of lasers.
"We can't lose this position Hyker!" Rose shouted back. "Get those cannons firing now! And get everyone back to my position!" She shouted into the comms before taking cover as another bomb landed much too close for her liking.
"Concentrate fire on those tanks!" Hyker shouted complying with Rose's order before falling back to her position along with the rest of the men left standing.
"Fall back now!" Rose commanded whilst firing at the droids that were still advancing on their position. All hope for survival seemed to diminish as the battle continued. Almost all of the 2000 men in Commander Thorn's battalion were killed or gravely injured. Amongst those injured was the Commander herself.
"I don't think we'll be making it out this time guys." Scabs grunted as of the remaining troops pulled back to their commanders' position and watched as the droids and Growth started to surround their current position.
Looking at her men, Rose took off her helmet and observed each man who had managed to survive. "I think you might be right this time Scabs." Rose huffed when the noise of another wave of droids came louder. "I won't be getting out." Rose stated firmly before surveying the new wave.
"Hertogi, what do you mean?" Hyker said looking at Rose in concern wondering what was actually being processed through her war-stricken mind.
"Fall back Hyker." Rose stated bluntly as she turned to look at her oldest friend. "Get as many men out of here as possible." She ordered.
"We're not leaving you." Hyker demanded whilst ducking next to her and gripped her shoulder tightly as a way to trying to get her to allow them to continue to fight beside her. "I made a vow." He mumbled as he looked at Rose with a tearful gaze.
"So did I." Rose mumbled back confidently as she looked around at what was left of her battalion.
"Hyker's right." Scabs spoke up bringing the attention to himself. "We're not going anywhere." Scabs and the remaining troops agreed whilst looking at their Commander.
"Yes, you are. That's an order." Rose ordered. "Cause this place is going up in smoke." She said with a devious look. "And I need someone to come and find me under the rubble." She joked with tears firming in her eyes causing her men to let out a small, saddened chuckle knowing that there was no changing their Commander's mind. She was going to give her life so that her team had the chance to escape.
"It was an honour, Hertogi." Hyker and what was left of Tack Battalion saluted.
"Trust me, the honour is all mine." Rose saluted back. "Now go." With that Rose stood up from her cover and started firing at the oncoming swam of droids, giving covering fire so her team could escape. As one droid fell, another quickly took its place and continued firing at the lone Commander.
Seeing her opportunity, Rose grabbed a rocket launcher and a bag of grenades. She set the timers on the grenades and threw them towards the tanks and the cliff side where it was weak from the previous attack and got back into cover. "I hate droids." She muttered as she aimed the rocket launcher at the weak cliff. Firing she got back into cover as the rocket hit its target and braced herself for the impending impact with only the thought of Wolffe to calm her as she awaited her death.
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Here is another chapter!
Like always let me know what you think! I promise that there will be more moments of Rose and Wolffe, I just want to get through the whole ordeal with Rose's home planet before I move on with their love story. ☺️
Translations:
Hertogi = Commander
Nú munk nár af bragði, Ok nær dýrum deyja. Telja Wolffe, iak munu finna hím yfir in logr = Soon now will my body die among the beasts. Tell wolffe. I will meet him across the sea
Þér munu líta hím bráðum systir = You will see him soon sister
Also what did you think of Rex calling Rose sister!!!!