Saga Last stand at Fortress Zulu: complete OC's oneshot CW era Update and finished 13/Jan/2010

Title: Last Stand at Fortress Zulu
Author: thorn058
Genre: action, clones, magnificent valor
Timeframe: Clone Wars
Main Characters: Complete OC's just clones and none that are memorable save for this story
Summary: This is a one shot story that I might submit for a challenge. i had intended o write it as one long unbroken tale but as I am equally excited to post it and too tired to type more I will post what I have which is a good stopping point and will finish it soon. Feel free to say what ever kind of concrit pops into your head.

Last stand at Fortress Zulu

False dawn had come and gone, the faint rays of the rising sun were just barely clearing the mountains in the distance. In an all too brief moment the peaceful night would give way once again to the horror filled day. The rising sun would make visible the bone yard that sat in front of him. This place, this planet, for untold millennia its inhabitants had fought each other. A legacy of wars spanning the length of their history, killing and dying and then suddenly it all stopped. They ascended on the path of enlightenment seeing violence as something to scorn and became a people of peace. The only remnants of those dark days before enlightenment were vast walled cities, fortresses that had walls thicker than three men laying head to foot. Defenses so impressive that the centuries had yet to find a foothold in them and seemed destined to stand untouched by time. They provided a perfect backdrop for those whose very creation was for war, their purpose to battle against all enemies, to die for the Republic.

They had been sent here two full battalions strong, more men and weapons than were needed to hold a backwater world that had no significant military value yet it mattered to someone and so they came. Eventually the inhabitants fled to nearby moons or planets seeking refuge from the war meanwhile the CIS had thrown more and more resources at it for reasons no one could fathom. Soon one city of barely 500 thousand civilians was all that remained of the planet?s inhabitants. It was protected by an energy shield and its ancient defenses, its shield generator sitting outside the great wall protected by newer walls but still easily assaulted. For the civilians there wass no escape, no retreat, only death or slavery awaits them. His orders had been simple, hold the line at all costs, that had been weeks ago, they were near the end, yet still they fought.

He was lost in thought as the dawn cleared the mountains and advanced on the plain below them. He didn?t hear his sergeant approach.

?Ell Tee, you ok??

?Yes, just admiring the peace and quiet the night brings, the sun will be up shortly. How many did we lose Sarge??

?None sir. Tone was the only one in serious condition but they managed to stop the hemorrhaging and are using what we have left of plasma expanders to replace the lost blood. Four more were wounded but they say they are fit to fight. Not as bad as we thought sir.?

?No not bad at all? he lied, it was bad. He was down to just over fifty men, the last five hurt so bad that if they made it through the day it would only be to die in that peaceful black of night. He had at least half of his men that could be listed as walking wounded but none of them would ever think to leave the line. They had lost their General when things became too intense to have him on the ground, they had lost their air support when a bigger CIS fleet had appeared and drove them away, and he had lost his captain during the second week of fighting. They were alone, yes it was bad and so he lied.

?Place the four in the middle of the line; make sure to alternate them one wounded to one healthy soldier. How are we sitting on supplies??

?Getting low on blaster packs, still about a hundred EMP grenades, less than fifty frag grenades, a dozen plex launchers and rockets, and an assortment of AP mines. Medical supplies and MRE?s are dangerously low but we have plenty of water?

He chuckled at that, the rising sun had almost reached them now. ?Well what more could a clone trooper ask

 

and now the long awaited final chapter of Last Stand at Fortress Zulu, sorry it took so long to finish.

Disclaimer: The idea for this came from an old movie so I can no claim ownership over the names or the particulars.


Part Two:

The Droid advance had slowed as they approached the river. The natural choke points that the crossing created were even more pronounced after the weeks of fighting. The Separatists had pushed the broken hulks of their tanks into the river trying to create a larger beach head during the crossing. It had succeeded at first but as the weeks of endless battle had continued even those became avenues of death. He had given orders to concentrate fire on the flanks of the droid formation hoping to force them to cluster, making them more vulnerable to grenades and rocket attacks. Yet still they came. The battle raged in the early morning sun for almost a full hour, it had taken the droids almost that long to reach the near bank of the river and then begin to march across the bone yard. Their numbers almost matching his forces, then the inevitable happened they ran out of ammo. At the far end of the line he could see Sergeant Hawk signaling that the six man team had secured the supply drop, now it was just a matter surviving long enough to get them. When the droids were at twenty meters he climbed part way up the front of the trench clear exposing himself to enemy fire.

?Twenty-fourth? he shouted ?Prepare to defend your selves!?

Tone, who could barely stand the line just hours before was the first over the top screaming at the top of his lungs ?24th? He smashed his rifle butt into one battle droids head, used his last remaining shot to take out another one before taking three blasts to his chest. He fell to his knees but managed to grab a fallen droid blaster screaming ?24th? again and blasting two more droids before he slumped over dead. The ferocity of the charge over whelmed the remaining droids and the battle ended with smoke rising once again from the carnage. He had no time to dwell on how many men he had lost.

?Hawk, to the supply drop? he shouted.

?24th, fall in, to the river at the double quick,? he bellowed.

They had to get whatever supplies they could and fast before the separatists could work out what was happening. They were exposed and the cargo containers packed with whatever ordinance that was left could explode at any stray blaster shot.

?Sir, blaster packs in this container? Hawk pointed

He was too busy scanning the far side of the river to notice which container he pointed at. ?Sarge get me 15 men, the ones in the most complete armor. Tell them to grab as many blaster packs as they can carry and have them meet me by the river. The rest start moving this stuff to the trenches, ammo and meds first, followed by food and whatever else.?

?Yes sir?

Two minutes later fifteen troopers almost in full armor stood with him by the river in front of the cargo containers. A long chain of the remaining men led from the cargo containers to the trench moving supplies as quickly as men weary from battle could. Time was something they needed most and they didn?t have it. Dust was stirring far out on the plain beyond the river. The Separatist commander had spotted them and sent the next wave of droids to try and pin them away from their defensive position. Lowering his rifle he swore under his breath, Super Battle Droids, two hundred strong by the look of them, the Separatist had committed his best troops to try and stop them.

He separated his men into three ranks, those with the most complete armor in one group and so forth going down. The first five he ordered to lay prone on the bank of the river, the next five he had kneeling at the feet of the first rank, the last stood just behind the second.

?Each rank will wait till ordered to fire, aim for the center of each droid men and make them count, one shot apiece.?

Second Lieutenant Hood ran up to the formation. ?Sir request permission to help?

?Done, take second rank. Here they come boys, steady, steady, now! first rank