The warrior's perfection lies in vigilance;
in ever-ready strength;
in discipline and in sincerity;
in the stillness that no wind can disturb.
***
Zule moved forward, avoiding the obviously deep puddles—though it was a pointless exercise. The moment she stepped out from under the canopy, she was soaked to the skin. And while her cloak still offered some protection from the falling drops, the boots hinted that they had clearly been chosen for the wrong season. The Master walked alongside Knight Vikt, clearly discussing the part of the plan that Master Kenobi had entrusted to them. The two men gestured animatedly, paying no attention to the weather.
Zule turned her head. Walking beside her was a Togruta—the Padawan of this knight, Vikt.
"Listen, your name is Ahsoka, right? And I'm Zule—Zule Xiss, Master Jeb Glaive's Padawan."
"Nice to meet you."
"How long have you been a Padawan? Sorry, but you're so… small."
The Falleeni ran her hand parallel to the ground.
"I'm not small!" the girl flared up, but then immediately calmed down. "I'm only fourteen. Almost. And yes, I became a Padawan… recently, in general. On the second or third day after the war started. And have you been a Padawan for long?"
"Yes. I've been Master Glaive's Padawan for four years."
"So you're already…?"
"Seventeen, yes. And a half," Falleeni smiled. "Listen, tell me—how are things here?"
"What's there to tell? We flew in, landed. Then there was a battle, then another one, then another… It was difficult, but we managed."
Falleeni reached out toward the girl and listened to the Force.
"Were you injured?"
"Yes. When the clankers stormed our base, saboteurs from this 'Nimbus'—they have these jumpers here…"
"Jumpers?" Zule echoed in surprise.
"Yes. They have repulsor boots. Excellent training and a lot of explosives. So these… blew up our hospital. I was nearby with my squad, so I got hit by shrapnel."
"Did it hurt?"
"At first, yes. But then the Master came. He took me to the hospital, where they removed the shrapnel, so now everything is fine."
"Snips, don't fall behind!" Vikt's voice reached Falleeni.
"Yes, Master, we're coming!" the Togruta replied.
"And your Master… He… Don't you think he's strange? And what is this 'Snips'?"
"Well, yes." Ahsoka smiled. "He's a little unusual, but at the same time he's an excellent Master. He knows a lot and tells stories way more interesting than the mentors at the Temple. As for 'Snips,' that's my nickname."
They approached the Juggernaut, inside which the Jedi were already entered. Falleeni tilted her head back, assessing the size and, in particular, the height of the combat vehicle.
"Uh, why is that?" Zule asked in surprise.
"Yeah, just because. I like to joke around," replied the Togruta as she climbed up the ramp.
Follinka nodded silently to herself. They'redefinitely crazy.
***
After these two weeks, the opportunity to relax for even a couple of hours felt like a holiday. Even if the entire vacation amounted to nothing more than a good night's sleep. How little a person needs to be happy…
And then everything started spinning again. After we unloaded all our wounded, we carved out a space for ourselves at the base, where we set up our entire operation: technicians, repair crews, and everyone who wouldn't be needed in the upcoming mission. Meanwhile, the troops replenished their equipment and ammunition and prepared for the assault on the city.
That was another headache. Even with my limited memories and newly acquired knowledge, it was clear this was going to be hard work. Images flashed through my mind—snippets from World War II films mixed with vague impressions from other movies. The overall feeling was… well, not inspiring. Fighting within city limits is far more difficult than in an open field, and if there are civilians there too… And the fact that most of them aren't enthusiastic about the Republic is the least of our worries. We'll have to work very hard to resolve the situation and avoid casualties on both our side and civilians. At least without major losses.
After the general meeting, Master Glaive, his Padawan, Ahsoka, and I headed to my headquarters to discuss the details of the operation. We had quite good conversation on the way, quickly finding common ground. Honestly, I have rarely met such sociable and good-natured people. And such burly ones. He must be a good two meters tall, if not more. And his muscles—Schwarzenegger and the like don't even come close. And with his beard, he looked like a stereotypical Viking—give him an axe and he'd fit right in. A little rough around the edges, sure, but tolerable. A colorful personality, in a word. No surprise we quickly switched to informal terms.
"So, Miko, what do you think we should do?" Jeb asked.
I zoomed in on the map—which was rather schematic, by the way, and a bit outdated.
"What's there to think about? You see, the town covers a large area, but the houses are low—three or four stories at most. That's good: the enemy won't be able to use snipers effectively. But it also means the town's footprint is large, and our own snipers will face the same limitations. Then… well, the streets are crooked and narrow in places—large vehicles won't be able to pass. And going in with light vehicles is risky. There's little room to maneuver, and tanks will be especially vulnerable to grenade launchers at close range. So, in the first stage, you'll have to rely on infantry alone. And then, in the second wave, send in the AT-XTs first, then the Sabers. Enter from here and here—from two sides—then cordon off the perimeter, deploy vehicles at key heights, and send in large mop-up groups, combing through every house. If the Nationalists resist, isolate and destroy them carefully."
"Let's hope they limit themselves to fighting on the outskirts and don't drag the battle into residential areas."
"I wouldn't count on that. They'll fight to the last. Jeb, how many clones do you have?"
"A full brigade, plus a dozen of those four-legged monsters."
"Excellent. Add my squad to that, and we'll have a solid force."
"Knight Vikt," Zule Xis, Jeb's Padawan, addressed me. "What do you mean by a 'mop-up groups'? And what will they be 'mop-up'?"
I shrugged involuntarily.
"A group of clones—two or three squads—plus flamethrowers. They block the entrances and exits of a house, then ask everyone to leave. Ideally, the civilians come out, a couple of fighters search the building, then let everyone back in. If there is resistance, a sweep is carried out. First grenades, then flamethrowers. If the resistance is strong—flamethrowers right away. The groups move along the edges of the streets, controlling their side and the roofs opposite. The vehicles move slowly in the center, providing fire cover. Plus, you need at least one reserve group for each direction."
"Isn't this all a bit… slow? The city isn't small, and all this fuss will take at least a day. Can't we do it faster? Especially since we have clones, and they have militias—and possibly droids?" Zule Xiss piped up.
Oh, here we go… a Jedi, damn it. Completely out of her mind.
"Underestimating the enemy leads to defeat, young Padawan," I replied, stretching my stiff neck. "A fast pace of attack risks neglecting the danger of mining along likely routes of advance. In such cases, it is recommended to bypass strong defensive strongholds that are difficult to take frontally. They must be approached carefully and with special equipment. The offensive should be developed in directions where the enemy's defenses are weaker—but at a fast pace, we would be unable to identify these and assess the situation properly."
"Subsequently, after isolating the most difficult defense nodes and their surroundings, attackers can use the advantage they've gained. To break the active resistance of such strongpoints in defense, it is necessary to find their weak spots. The most effective means are walkers with shields, as they can advance short distances without fear of infantry fire, as well as repulsor tanks. Besides blaster cannons, they carry guided missiles, allowing them to hit enemy firing points with great accuracy."
"Sounds solid. Did you think long about it?" Jeb chuckled.
"Quite a while. If we act rashly, we risk losing more clones than we can afford."
"And how many can we afford to lose?"
"Not a single one."
"Okay, Miko, how long do you need to prepare?"
"A day. Maybe a little more."
"Then I'll move forward with my troops, and you'll catch up with us."
Not a bad idea. Two squads will make them think we have two targets—and we'll strike in one place.
"Deal."