Chapter 79 - In The Water Once More

The water closed around Dageer, but this time he didn't get temporarily blind.

The clones taking part in this battle had vision gear made especially for underwater combat, and that should help them aim. Their armor was modified to resist the pressure from the depths, and their air supply should last a week. All in all, they were ready for a long battle.

Dageer looked around and saw all the clones that were under his command. He looked at the map on his comlink, and pointed south and down.

"Move out! Squad leaders, if anything happens, report to me. Keep an eye out for trouble. We might be on friendly territory, but that doesn't mean the clanckers can come and get us!"

Using thrusters, the clones dove in the depths below.

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Hiigi walked in a long, straight hall. On both sides, green lights illuminated him, giving his injured face a terrible look. Holding his hand at his chest and limping, he almost fell many times.

Finally, when he was almost giving up, he got to the end of the corridor. He got to another room, a storage one. However, the things it was storing were weird. Hands and arms made of metal were hanging from the ceiling. On racks, feet and legs laid.

Hiigi walked amongst the racks, looking for nothing in particular. The metallic limbs shone in the green light, and their shadows formed deformed beings on the walls, sending chills down his spine.

Hiigi made another turn, and when he looked at the things on the rack, he almost tripped on himself. Row after row of weirdly shaped metal heads watched him. Their empty eye sockets followed him wherever he looked.

Hiigi was almost turning back and getting out of this line of racks when one of the heads caught his attention. Differently from the others, which were opaque but new, that one looked old.

Hiigi got closer, trying to figure out why, and looked at the empty eye sockets. The darkness seemed to call him, and he reached with his hand... and then the eyes opened. Bright yellow irises, with reptilian pupils, faced him.

Something hit his chest hard, sending him flying, and he was unconscious before he hit the ground.

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Grabbing on thrusters, the clones of the 303rd dove into the ocean. Dageer was in the front, following his map to arrive at the city of Vernila, where their allies were.

Suddenly he received a signal from ahead. One of the scouts he had sent returned with another clone. Dageer looked at the clone and his worn out armor. He was from a different clone group, the SCUBA Troopers under jedi master Kit Fisto.

They were a legion specialized in underwater combat, and were of course the first to arrive on Mon Cala. Their equipment was even better than the one that the 303rd was wearing. They had propulsion backpacks and SCUBA rifles, which helped them operate to their best.

The clone approached Dageer, and seeing his helmet knew that he was of high rank.

"CT-9087, Glock, from Monnk Company, SCUBA Troopers."

"Dageer, 303rd Attack Legion. Glock, what is the situation ahead?"

"All clear sir. The quarrens and Separatists have engaged our troops in many small fights in the last week, but nothing big happened."

"Is General Fisto in Vernila?"

"No, sir. He went in a recognizance mission with Commander Monnk yesterday."

Dageer preferred to talk to the jedi as soon as possible, but if he wasn't there, then he could do nothing. Following Glock, the 303rd dove even deeper, going straight to Vernila.

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Slowly, Hiigi woke up from his torpor. His body was aching all over, but he realized that most of it was because he was hanging upside down.

Chains wrapped around his ankles, but his arms were free. His first reaction was to try and reach the chains, to get rid of them, but when he moved, his body rotated enough for him to see a dark figure in the corner.

Seeing he was awake, the figure approached him, his steps making heavy 'clank' noises. The figure appeared in the light little by little. In the end, the owner of the heavy footsteps showed itself.

Hiigi almost thought it was another monster. It was at least 2,5 meters tall, and his body was totally covered in dirty white metal pieces. His chest was sectioned on three parts, and Hiigi could see a dark red heart beating under them.

It was then that Hiigi understood that the white metal pieces weren't an armor, as he had thought, but the actual body of the creature. When it talked, the only thing that moved were its eyes, and it didn't have a mouth.

"Cough... cough... cough! KaKaKaKaKa! Insect... cough... cough! My master ordered me to train you in the ways that the jedi fight. Cough... cough! Like me you don't have talent in The Force, but you... cough... cough! But you can learn their other talents."

"Whoooo... whoooo are yoooou?"

The creature grabbed something behind his body. With a green flash, a lightsaber as turned on centimeters way from Hiigi's face.

"KaKaKaKaKa... I am the jedi hunter. My name is Grievous. KaKaKaKaKa!"