Chapter 11 - Ready to Die

CT-4063 jumped over his cover and immediately started sprinting. Behind him CT-2981 stopped cursing his craziness and ordered the others to fire.

Blue laser flashing by him, he himself firing, it didn't take long for the droids protecting the AAT to fall. The droid lines were too far to get accurate shots, so the only danger he was facing at the moment was the AAT. Not that it was little danger.

The cannon of the AAT aimed at him. Through the black hole on the tip of the cannon barrel he could see a red glow building. He wait to the last second before making a sharp turn right and diving behind a boulder.

BAMMM!!!

On the place he was before there was now scorched earth. He had escaped this time, but now the AAT knew where he was. He had few seconds before it fired again, and this time he wouldn't be able to dodge.

He sneaked a glance over the boulder. The cannon was aimed at him. To make things worse there was a droid squadron - about a hundred of them - coming to support it.

Laser fire was pouring on the AAT, doing little to no damage to it. There was nothing his brothers could do to help him.

He had two options now. Continue charging, maybe taking out the AAT and most probably dying. Or he could try to make his way back, and most probably die together with his brothers.

Others might have chosen the second option, but not he. He was a clone, sacrificing his life for the greater good was his nature. If he could do that without endangering any of his brothers it was even better.

So he charged.

Firing like crazy he run the last thirty meters. Although he was zigzagging to dodge the shots, the AAT followed him like an insistent bug. But it was another bug saved his life.

From one of the many natural towers on the battlefield a green halo flew. It was one of the geonosians weapons, a LR1K Sonic Cannon. It shots exploded on contact. Normally it would have been devastating, damaging everything around. But this time, as the sonic blast hit the ground near him he was thrown out of the way of the AAT shot.

His body was launched over five meters, and he landed on his side. His left shoulder made a sickening crack sound. His head was buzzing and his vision turbid, but he knew that if he stayed there either LR1K or the AAT would fire again.

Bitting his lips in pain he got up, his left arm hanging on the side. The AAT was now less then ten meters from him. He left his DC-15A on the ground - he couldn't fire anyway - and reached for a V-1 thermal detonator.

With the AAT recharging it was easy to reach it. He jumped on the front of part of the AAT and stretched for the cannon barrel. With a soft click the thermal detonator was activated. He put it inside the barrel and let it roll down on its own.

CT-4063 jumped from the AAT and run as far as possible while counting the seconds.

One.

Two.

Three.

BAAAAMMMM!!!

Like the most fascinating of fireworks the AAT exploded from the inside. A heat wave passed by him.

He had done what he needed to do.

But he didn't have the time to celebrate, as the squadron of droids he had seen before was alredy in front of him. Their weapons clicked as they prepared to shoot.

CT-4063 picked the nearest weapon, a geonosian Sonic Blaster and aimed as well as he could with one broken arm.