Finally Allies

Dageer, Commander Keeli, and General Di looked at a hologram of Admiral Dao and the captains of the other cruisers. However, there were fewer faces there than on the day before.

"We lost The Resolute and three corvettes, general. However, Steel Battalion and Blue Squadron were able to take down one of their dreadnoughts."

"We saw it. What about reinforcements? Did the Jedi Council say anything?"

Admiral Dao shook his head.

"No help is coming, general."

General Di sighed. He already expected that, but it was disappointing anyways.

"There is nothing much to say then, admiral. I suspect they will wait at least a day or two before attacking again. Even though they are a droid army, it stills take them some time to organize themselves. Take advantage of that time to prepare. You know what to do."

"Yes, general."

"Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

"To you too, general."

The holograms disappeared, and General Di turned to Dageer.

"We have to make sure Syndulla is on our side before the Separatist break through our blockade. Dageer, show me the way. Syndulla's man is also coming."

"Yes, general."

"Keeli, you will be in charge of the defenses here."

"Yes, general."

------------------------------

"Bring the ones who suffered the most damage to the back. I want The Sincerity and The Righteous to be on the back too. They will be our last card. If they start to break through, these two have to cover the holes."

"Yes, admiral."

As soon as the call with General Di ended, Admiral Dao started to bark orders, which were quickly followed. His decisiveness and tactics had been one of the reasons why the Republic held ground so well on the first battle, and his prestige was now higher than ever amongst the troops.

After making sure everything was on the right path, Admiral Dao left the command bridge. It was very unlikely that the Separatist would attack again so soon, and he wanted to use this chance to rest. The battle had taken a toll on him, even though The Sincerity was not once under fire.

The corridors and hallways of The Sincerity were emptier than ever. Of the two thousand starfighter pilots that the 303rd fleet had, about four hundred had perished in this first clash. It was rare to find wounded and injured in space battles. If your ship was hit, it was almost the same as a death sentence. That was one of the reasons why the mortality rate of the Republic airforce was much higher than the infantry's.

Before he laid on his bed to get his much-needed sleep, Admiral Dao held some calculations on his mind. Before the battle, he had told General Di that he would be able to hold the Separatist for a month. Now, after seeing their strength, he couldn't even guarantee he would survive for ten days.

----------------------------

"Jedi Master Ima-Gun Di. Welcome to the freedom fighters."

"Cham Syndulla. I'm glad to see you didn't let your rage take the best of you. This proves you are a good leader. I hope that with your freedom fighters and the 303rd Attack Legion allied, we will be able to defend Ryloth."

The Twi'lek sneered when he heard General Di, but - even though the way the Jedi put his words was an obvious attempt to confirm their alliance - didn't deny it. That was the same as agreeing to fight side by side with the Republic.

General Di looked around, and didn't see Hell Squad nor Ragout.

"Where is my padawan?"

"I didn't tell him you were coming. I wanted to make sure Gobi was okay."

The blue Twi'lek stepped forward and tapped Syndulla on his shoulder, after which the freedom fighter visibly relaxed.

"I am, brother. I told you, we can trust the Republic."

Syndulla gazed at Gobi, and shook his head. To him, this brother of him trusted the others too much. That would get him killed one day. But, for now, Syndulla decided to follow Gobi's advice. The Republic ships blowing up in space was enough proof of how much they were willing to sacrifice.

"Follow me."

The four went through a crack in the rocks, and eventually found themselves in a tunnel. Not long after, Dageer started to recognize the place. As soon as they entered the big cave, two Twi'leks threw themselves over Gobi. The first one was a young woman with pink skin, and eyes full of tears. The second person was a little girl.

"Yva! Shouta!"

Seeing the family be reunited, Syndulla allowed himself to smile. After gazing at the family, General Di found his padawan amidst the growing crowd, and beckoned him forward. Hell Squad followed the Togruta closely.

"Master! I see everything went well."

"General."

"Yes, Ragout. Dageer will explain what happened. For now, I need to talk with Syndulla. We have to move the freedom fighters around the planet to the cities. Moreover, I want at least one or two of them in every outpost we have."

"Why?"

"They know the planet. Not only they know how to fight here, but they should also know better places for ambushes and defense. Dageer, talk with Gobi and the other leaders amongst the freedom fighters. Organize them."

"Yes, general. However, I am not sure they will listen to me. Many of them don't view the Republic well."

"They will follow Syndulla."

"Yes, general."

...

Dageer was watching as hundreds of Twi'leks packed their belongings and started to move. Cham Syndulla was with General Di and Ragout at the head of the line, while Hell Squad was scattered in the crowd, helping the young and elderly.

Gobi, Miwy, Tram Cholq, and two other Twi'leks called Tae Boon and Yate were Syndulla's lieutenants. Those five were also amidst the crowd, organizing them to move faster.

Since they were moving at quite a fast pace, and no problems had appeared yet, Dageer looked at the sky for a moment.

Like they had been for the past day, the 393rd fleet was immobile in the sky. They were too far away for Dageer to see details of the cruisers, but if he was near, he was sure he would see various scars on the ships. For now, he couldn't see the Separatist, but he had no doubt they would strike again soon.

"What are those in the sky, mister Dageer?"

The sub-commander looked down and saw Shouta standing near him. The little girl barely reached his hips. He crouched next to her, and noticed Gobi watching him. The Twi'lek might trust Dageer to fight alongside him, but no parent would be comfortable if their daughter got near a dangerous man like Dageer.

"Those are Republic cruisers, Shouta. See that big one right in the middle? Her name is The Sincerity. It is the ship that brought me here."

"Are they here to protect us?"

"They sure are. All my brothers are giving everything they had to protect Ryloth."

"Yesterday there was a very, very loud sound. Did you fight the bad guys?"

Dageer smiled. The little girl didn't understand how wars worked, and her eyes shone with excitement when she heard Dageer talk about the battle.

"Yes. Yesterday a ship fell down from the sky, but it was a bad guys' ship. No one is going to get to Ryloth while our ships are in the sky."

"Let's see just how long they can last."

Of course the small Shouta wouldn't utter such vicious comment. Standing up, Dageer saw Tram and Yate looking at him. The one who spoke was Tram. The two Twi'leks clearly disliked the Republic. Dageer, however, just gave them a cold glance before putting on his helmet and moving away. He had no wish nor reason to waste time talking with those two.