Chapter 87 - Ambush

"Probably just natives. But anyway, Brain, Metal, check it out."

Both clones got closer to de door, and Brain pushed it slightly, but it didn't open. It was Metal's turn then, and he was a little more brutal. He got in front of the door and kicked it hard twice. In the second kick, the door creaked and dropped to the inside.

Brain covered the door frame, and he and Metal formed a sort of cross, covering the entirety of the room.

"Nothing. Moving to the next room."

A few moments later, Brain called them from the inside.

"Just a family sir. No clanckers."

Dageer entered the apartment, and found a family of three trembling on a corner. The child appeared to be especially afraid, and it was hiding its face on his mother clothes. Sometimes it would look at Metal and Brain, and then hide its face again. When Dageer entered, the father stepped forward, hiding his wife and child behind him.

"Brain, Metal, go outside. You are scaring them. Especially you Metal. Your blaster isn't exactly calming."

"What do you mean sir? This beauty here is absolutely charming. Hahaha!"

"Stop joking. Brain, prepare everything for the ambush. We will have only one shot at this."

"Yes sir. Come on Metal."

Both clones got outside, Metal still complaining that they were making fun of his new Z-6 Rotary. Brain shook his head, helpless.

"Tech, get to a window and see where this cannon is. Be careful to not be seen. Metal, you will take out the escort of the cannon. Three-four and Cell will help you. Dab, I don't think there is much you can do, even more without your modified DC-15x. Grab a DC-15A and cover us."

...

Dageer put his blaster on the table, and got his hands up to show he didn't mean anything bad.

"It is all right. We don't mean any bad."

"Yooou are a... cloooone, right?"

"Yeah. Sir, I am sorry, but I am afraid that I have to ask you and your family to leave this building. If you go towards the center of the city you will find other clones. They will lead you somewhere safe."

"Leave... my hoooome? Yooou... yooou! Yooou cooome here and bring yooour war, and we have tooo pay fooor it! Nooow I have toooo leave my hooome. I wooon't!"

"Sir, please think properly. This is about to become a warzone. Think about your family and leave now, please."

Dageer tried to persuade the mon calamari, but it was in vain. For fear or anger, the man started shouting a torrent of curses, but since they were on his own language, Dageer couldn't understand any of them.

He was trying to make the man calm down when Three-four came in and startled the family once more.

"Sir! They are coming."

"Damn! Sir, please calm down! You and your family have to stay hidden. That is an order! Three-four, come on!"

Dageer picked up his DC-15A, checked its magazine and exited the room. The child hugged her mother stronger.

...

Dageer looked through the window. Bunches of quarrens and droids were swimming past the building they were hiding into. There were even some of the new Aqua Droids amongst them. Those droids were something the Separatist first deployed on this battle, and they were almost as agile as quarrens and mon calamarians on the water.

Behind the infantry was the Crab Cannon, its massive body smashing in the buildings and breaking walls. Around it was thirty or so quarrens.

Dageer found it weird. Crab Cannons were droid weapons. Why would quarrens be guarding it? Then he realized it was most probably something arranged by Nossor Ri. The Crab Cannons were at the back of the enemy forces, and guarding it would probably be the safest role in the battle. Separatist and quarrens were just using each other, so obviously Nossor Ri wanted his people to stay as far of the fight as possible. Of course, he didn't expect that half of his forces would be buried under tons of rocks.

"Let them pass."

"Sir, look."

Dageer looked to where Tech was pointing, and saw a group of droids separate from the big group and enter a building. He paid attention and saw that there were other groups doing the same every time they passed by a building.

That was what Dageer didn't want the most. The droids were searching building by building, and most certainly the same would happen on the one they were. If Hell Squad didn't want their whole ambush plan to fail, they would have to take care of the droids quietly and quickly.

"Okay. There are five of them in each search group. We have to do this quietly. That means no blasters. They will start by the lower floors. That gives us some time."

Hell Squad positioned themselves. Brain, Dab, Tech, and Three-four were on two of the apartments, ready to surround the droids. Cell, Metal, and Dageer were just on the sides of the elevator door leading to their floor. They pulled some furniture from the apartments to cover them. The trick wouldn't last long, but it should cover them from the first stares of the droids.

...

The door of the elevator opened, and five droids swam out of it, all of them standard B1s, with thrusters on their backs. They glanced over Dageer, but didn't notice him or Metal and Cell. It was only after they were a little more on the floor that their scanners seemed to pick up something.

"Wait... zzzzz... zzz. Who is there?"

Dageer and Cell pushed the table behind which they were hiding. The table half floated, half crashed, and knocked down two of the droids. Dageer used his feet to push the wall behind him, and used the thrust to throw himself over one of the droids.

Holding both ends of his DC-15A, he passed it over the head of the droid and pressed its neck. The droid struggled, but with a violent twist, Dageer ripped off its head.

On his side Cell and Metal had worked together to hold one of the droids, and the others had come out of the apartments to take care of the droids.

The last thing the two droids who were trapped under the table saw was the butt of Hell Squad blasters.