Anakin ran up the stairs, the heavy footfalls of clones clearly audible behind him. Clearing another flight, the young man grimaced. Everything had gone wrong from the very beginning. No—everything had gone straight to hell.
Separatist ships had blockaded the planet Christophsis, suppressing Senator Bail Organa's attempts to break through the ring and deliver food and medical supplies to the surface. There were more than one hundred seventy of them. And it was into this mess that he and Obi-Wan had plunged…
In truth, they had been headed for this sector—but the Jedi had not expected the fighting to be this intense.
Even the newest ships hadn't helped much. After all, the enemy squadron was commanded by the legendary Trench—believed to have been killed twelve years earlier in the Battle of the Malastare Narrows, the great space engagement between the Judicial Forces and the Corporate Sector fleet. With enormous effort, they managed to destroy Trench's flagship and then push back the remaining enemy vessels long enough to land troops on the planet. The Jedi personally led the ground assault, supported by local militias who, with their last reserves of strength, were holding back the advance of the clankers.
Brave… fools.
They never stood a chance—small arms against tanks.
Once planetside, the clones, under his and his master's command, launched a decisive attack. Everything was moving toward victory; they had nearly taken the capital. But then a droid tactician seized control of the enemy fleet, and before long the Separatist ships returned—not alone, but with reinforcements.
A protracted battle for Christophsis began…
Christophsis was an unusual—crystalline—world in the Savareen sector. A single moon orbited the planet, and there were no other major celestial bodies in the system—only seven massive asteroid rings. Constant meteor bombardment made Christophsis an unattractive place to live, but some six hundred years ago an aristocratic family from the Tapani sector undertook its colonization, pouring colossal sums into the effort and securing the planet with a powerful anti-meteor defense network.
The reason for their "generosity" soon became clear. Their expenses were enormous, but the "investment in crystals," as the venture came to be known across the galaxy, paid off quickly when unprecedentedly vast mineral deposits were discovered: chanlon, hfredium, quadrillium, and many others. The system's asteroid fields were rich in these minerals as well. On top of everything else, on some of the largest asteroids, nergon-14 was also found.
The planet's inhabitants renamed what had once been the numbered world DS-394-71 after themselves, and the system's wealth ultimately turned Christophsis into the richest world in the Outer Rim. The natural crystals of this world were also used in manufacturing: the local population—predominantly human—mastered the technology of cultivating them, and many corporations purchased locally produced crystals for use across a wide range of industries. The finest specimens were snapped up by arms manufacturers. Governed by a local oligarchic regime, the planet prospered: new cities rose, factories opened… The population grew from a few hundred thousand early colonists to an impressive three and a half billion sentient beings.
The planet's sole drawback was that it was unsuitable for growing any agricultural crops or livestock, making food its primary import.
Naturally, such a prize drew the attention of the Separatists…
They had no intention of retreating. Reinforcements were dispatched, and a fresh droid army—several million combat units strong—was landed on the surface under the command of General Whorm Loathsom, a Kerkoiden from the planet Kerkoidia, who had served in its planetary forces before defecting to the CIS at the outbreak of the war.
The Republic's forces were far less imposing. The task force consisted of two squadrons, ninety ships in total, under the command of Admiral Yularen.
Several formations took part in the ground operation: the 501st Legion under Anakin's command, the Seventh Assault Corps led by Kenobi, and seven auxiliary brigades. The Christophsians also raised several regiments of their own. The fighting unfolded in the planet's southern hemisphere, where the capital—Crystal City—was located. Aware of the importance of both capturing and holding it, Obi-Wan and Anakin concentrated their efforts there, taking their best troops with them and fighting in the heart of the city.
Alongside Anakin fought Torrent Company of the 501st. After the battle of Terra Sool, Anakin selected the best troopers to join it. The company became the elite of the legion. Under the command of Captain Rex, it numbered one hundred forty-four clones and was equipped with AT-TE walkers and heavy artillery.
Among the company's troopers was KC-15Q-013, known by the nickname "Scorch." He had arrived with a batch of replacements to make up for losses after the battle—but he was no rookie. A gruesome scar ran across the clone's face, his left eye had been replaced with a prosthetic, and with its red photoreceptor he bore a faint resemblance to CIS droids. While nearly all clones in the legion painted blue markings on their armor, this trooper wore armor proudly coated entirely in a brownish-green hue. Possessing exceptional combat experience and sharp instincts, the clone soon became Rex's deputy and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Elite troopers of the Seventh Assault Corps followed his master as well—the 212th Attack Battalion under Marshal Commander Cody, the Corps' commanding officer. The 212th Battalion clones were specially trained soldiers, designed for long-range deployments. Their training regimen was already more demanding than standard, but this battalion stood as the elite and pride of the Corps.
Together, they formed a formidable force, one against which more than one Separatist assault had already shattered. While the troopers and artillery of the Seventh Sky Corps held the line, Anakin and the 501st carried out deep strike operations, hitting the clankers rear lines and actively using jump packs and grenade launchers.
Right now, Anakin and Rex were returning to the main force after another raid, during which they had destroyed one of the advancing droid columns, including several Octuptarra Magna Tri combat walkers.
"Another insane stunt," Obi-Wan greeted him.
"I have a special approach," the young man replied, glancing around. "Did you take much damage, Master?"
"The enemy's using only tanks," Cody answered instead of Kenobi. "So for now, we're lucky—losses aren't too heavy. But if they bring up IG-227 missile platforms, things will get ugly fast."
Kenobi tilted his head upward, as if expecting to see the starship they had called for arriving overhead.
"I still can't reach the admiral. We could really use some help."
"We've got a lot of wounded," Rex confirmed, "but nothing critical."
"One company got buried under a collapsed building. While there's still time, we need to save whoever we can," Cody said, turning and heading in the indicated direction.
"Well then, let's dig the boys out," Rex said wearily.
A heap of rubble—that was all Anakin could see around him.
"You heard the man, boys—let's pull everyone out! Move it, you slack-jawed banthas!" Scorch bellowed cheerfully. "You think this is a real fight? Hutt's ass! This is just a leisurely stroll through whores and brothels! The real fun comes later! Move it, you pregnant squidbrains! Waxer, haul over more charges!"
Skywalker snorted, watching the head-shaking Kenobi cast a disapproving look at the trooper. Where does he even pick up that kind of language? Wait—didn't he mention serving in the Thirteenth Legion? And that's… right, Vikt's legion. Could it be his? Skywalker saw nothing especially wrong with it—he himself occasionally slipped into expressions from his own childhood on Tatooine.
The clones were outnumbered by the droids, but they were human—mobile, stubborn, driven. The droids were just machines. They were victims of their own rigidity in every sense. Put them in confined spaces, and not only were they unable to move off the line of fire—movement itself became a problem. To fight, they needed a lot of space; that was how they were programmed. They couldn't, like Rex, use a blaster's stock as a club, or toss a grenade down a hatch and leap after it like Lieutenant Scorch, or fight selflessly to protect their brothers' lives—or even truly think. They were machines. Just stupid machines.
Anakin felt as though he were sobering up after a drunken binge, even though he hadn't touched a drop. Disoriented and unsettled by this strange feeling, he hastened to push it aside. The droids were advancing again, and the wounded needed to be evacuated. Together with Kenobi and Rex, he rushed to help carry off those who couldn't move on their own.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
"Hold on, clankers," Scorch muttered, hefting another mine and setting it into a crater in the pavement. "I'm not done leaving you a couple of surprises yet!"