**Chapter 433**
**Scene 1**
**Outskirts of Ryloth Village – Site Alpha**
The forest canopy cast deep shadows over the ground. In our dark armor, we were nearly invisible. Had we still been wearing the standard white plastoid, we would have stood out like beacons — easy targets for every droid sensor in the area.
I crouched low behind a thick tree trunk, scanning the village wall ahead. It was an old barrier, maybe four meters tall and in poor repair, originally built to keep out wildlife. Now it served the Separatists. Watchtowers stood every ten meters, each manned by a squad of BX commando droids armed with heavy repeating blasters.
A short clearing separated the tree line from the wall. Taking this position with only infantry under normal circumstances would have been bloody — especially with the Jedi's restrictive rules of engagement.
"I want a missile in each of the closest towers," I ordered quietly over the squad channel. "Preferably before the clankers realize we're here."
"Yes, sir," Captain Cat whispered, relaying the order.
The droids noticed us first.
"Movement!" a mechanical voice shouted from the nearest tower.
"Open fire!" another barked.
I shook my head. I would never understand why CIS droids still used audible voice commands instead of encrypted wireless links. Their loud warnings gave my men the precious seconds needed to reach cover.
Red energy bolts chewed through the foliage as the heavy repeaters opened up.
"Suppressive fire on those towers! Now!" I snapped, igniting my lightsaber and deflecting a stream of crimson death headed straight for my position. Every bolt I redirected was one less aimed at my clones.
"We're on it, sir!" two troopers shouted.
One laid down heavy suppressive fire with his blaster carbine, forcing the droids to duck. His partner shouldered a missile launcher, acquired the target, and fired.
The warhead streaked across the clearing and slammed into the tower's heavy repeater emplacement. The explosion ripped off the upper half of the structure in a shower of rock and scrap metal.
In short order, missiles silenced the nearest towers. I nodded with satisfaction.
"Hell yeah!" one of the troopers cheered.
"Great work," I told Cat. "Pass my regards to the men."
We lost only one trooper, with four wounded. A clean operation.
"By the way, where did you find these guys?" I asked Cat, nodding toward the two troopers now strutting with three weapons each.
"Ah. Those," Cat muttered.
"I sense a story there," I said as we prepared to scale the wall using grappling hooks.
A Force-assisted leap carried me to the top. The village beyond was ominously quiet. The only sounds came from the squads clearing the remaining droids on the wall.
I mentally cursed my incomplete memories of the original campaign. I knew trouble waited inside, but not exactly what form it would take.
Cat joined me moments later. We studied the silent settlement together.
**Scene 2**
**Lorek Pass, Torangua Mountains, Ryloth**
Lieutenant Maximilian Veers watched the sensor display of his command hover tank with hawk-like intensity. His light tank platoon formed the vanguard of the armored column pushing through the dangerous mountain pass.
Above them, a pair of heavily armed MAAT gunships swept lazily overhead. Even higher, Republic fighters flew combat air patrol. In orbit, the *Gray Wolf* hung like a silent guardian, ready to provide fire support if needed.
Despite all the backup, Veers felt uneasy. His hover tank had only a shield generator for protection — one that might survive two solid hits at best. The cliffs to the left offered no escape, and a two-kilometer-deep chasm yawned on the right.
"Contact! Enemy tanks and infantry activating to the northeast!" the *Gray Wolf's* sensor operator announced.
"Affirmative," the MAAT pilots replied. "We are engaging."
"Lieutenant Veers," General Dagon's voice came over comms from a nearby quick-response MAAT group. "Push the vanguard forward and flush out any surprises the Separatists have prepared."
"Wilco, sir!" Veers answered. "You heard the General. Five hundred meters separation between elements. Move out!"
The hover tanks' engines roared as they accelerated along the pass.
The lead MAATs crested the ridge and unleashed hell. Missiles slammed into emerging CIS tanks from above, punching through thin top armor. Rockets and laser fire ripped into clusters of B2 super battle droids.
Their success was short-lived.
A hidden AA emplacement opened fire. One MAAT took a direct missile hit, losing an engine and crashing into the rocky ground in a fireball. The second gunship dove low, barely escaping.
A Republic fighter's missile erased the AA site moments later, and six TIE Defenders followed up with a devastating strafing run.
Veers glared at the distant mountain ridge. The CIS had established a strong position there — proton cannons and heavy AA protecting tanks and infantry. The position allowed them to harass the Republic column while remaining relatively safe from orbital bombardment.
It created a deadly gauntlet. The fleet couldn't afford to lose more ships, and the ground forces now had to push through under fire.
**Scene 3**
**Base Gamma – Ryloth Southern Hemisphere**
**Shin Wren POV**
Five days had passed since the initial landings.
Honestly, after Dagon single-handedly eliminated and secured the main proton cannon positions, the rest of the campaign had become significantly more manageable. The primary challenge now was avoiding unnecessary destruction of the scattered Twi'lek villages dotting the planet.
Erictia was currently at the forward medical post, treating rescued civilians. It was difficult to stomach the truth — most of these people had narrowly avoided slavery. Thanks to Dagon's earlier actions on Zygerria, the Separatists had kept them chained and forced into labor in the doonium mines instead of shipping them off-world.
As a Jedi, she had been trained to control her emotions, but the suffering she witnessed tested her resolve daily.
"General Wren," Marshal Commander Blam approached, offering a crisp salute.
"Yes, Commander?"
"We're preparing to move out. General Dagon reports that most remaining CIS positions are consolidating in the north. Your Lotus Battalion will stay behind to guard the base with the All-Terrain Anti-Aircraft walkers while the heavy units push forward."
"Understood, Commander," Shin replied. "We'll hold the line here."
As Blam departed, Shin looked toward the northern mountains. She could feel Dagon's presence through their new bond — steady, focused, and carrying the heavy weight of command.
The war on Ryloth was far from over, but for the first time since the invasion began, the Twi'leks had real hope.