Jedi Master Shaak Ti moved through the battlefield ruins, her feet crunching over the wreckage of combat droids, craters left by explosions, and scattered robot fragments.
The battle on Geonosis had ended only recently, lasting a full twelve hours.
Now, the Republic Fleet had landed on the planet's surface, preparing to evacuate the troops.
Medical frigates docked directly at the edge of the battlefield, ready to provide immediate treatment to the wounded.
The rescue team—comprising Clone Troopers, Medical Clone Troopers, and Medical Droids—moved swiftly and methodically through the debris.
Uninjured Clone Troopers also volunteered to assist, carrying the wounded and clearing obstacles.
Despite the Clone Troopers' speed, skill, and decisive action, casualties were unavoidable.
Master Yoda's decision to deploy these untested troops had been a gamble. Theory could never replace practical experience; even the most perfect plan would crumble without real-world combat.
Others might see the clones as mere "weapons," but Shaak Ti could clearly sense their life force.
Though identical in appearance, each clone possessed a unique consciousness, far from being cold, mechanical tools of war.
The battle engulfed all of Geonosis, from the Droid Factory to the docking bays where Trade Federation and Techno Union transports loaded finished robots. Every corner became a battlefield.
The Republic deployed four legions, totaling at least 150,000 Clone Troopers, supported by thousands of armored vehicles.
Their fleet consisted of fifty Hailfire-class landing ships, thirty-five Consular-class cruisers, and twenty-five Medical Star rescue ships, accompanied by over four hundred starfighters.
The Separatist forces were equally formidable. At least a hundred warships orbited the planet, with another three hundred stationed on the surface, all busy loading tens of thousands of battle droids into their holds.
From the basic B1 battle droids to the devastating Destroyer Droids, every type was present.
The space battle was particularly brutal.
The Trade Federation's flagship was the Lucrehulk-class battleship, which had "shone" during the Blockade of Naboo, especially the modified versions.
By installing more powerful reactors and additional turbo-laser cannons, their firepower had been greatly enhanced, making them formidable opponents for the Republic Fleet.
Despite this, after losing fourteen Hailfire-class landing ships and sixteen frigates, the Republic Fleet managed to destroy eighty-three enemy vessels, seventy-three of which belonged to the Trade Federation.
The ground battle was equally grueling.
After breaching the defenses of hundreds of thousands of battle droids, Republic forces destroyed approximately one hundred Separatist transport ships. Yet half the transports, fully loaded with droids, managed to escape.
The ground forces lost hundreds of armored vehicles. Within twelve hours, 12,000 clone troopers were killed, and another 8,000 wounded.
Medical ships were severely lacking, forcing many wounded to be temporarily transferred to Hailfire-class landing craft that had landed on the surface.
The word "losses" weighed heavily on Shaak Ti's heart, a massive stone of sorrow.
The Jedi Order had not suffered such devastating casualties in a very, very long time. Each Jedi's passing sent ripples through the Force, and now countless ripples converged into an unending tide of pain and anguish that enveloped her senses.
Most of the 212 Jedi who participated in the rescue mission had perished. Even Jedi Council member Coleman Trebor, a Wookiee, was shot down by bounty hunter Jango Fett during his assault on Count Dooku.
In the end, only twenty Jedi managed to escape the arena.
The sheer number of battle droids had caught the Jedi completely unprepared—utterly unprepared.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, pursued Dooku relentlessly, tracking him to a secret hangar hidden within the rocky terrain. Yet even then, they failed to stop him.
Dooku's swordsmanship was too refined, while the young Skywalker was too reckless. Despite Obi-Wan's exceptional skill, he couldn't defeat the former apprentice of Master Yoda.
Had Master Yoda not sensed the danger and intervened in time, Obi-Wan and Skywalker would likely have perished.
Even after their narrow escape, both were severely wounded.
Skywalker lost an arm, while Obi-Wan suffered grievous injuries to his shoulder and leg.
Though several Trade Federation ships were damaged, they successfully jumped into hyperspace under the cover of numerous Vulture Droid fighters.
The Republic pilots suffered dozens of casualties, but the Jedi pilots flying Delta-7 starfighters distinguished themselves. Eight of them collectively shot down 170 Vulture Droids!
Shaak Ti was absorbed in reviewing the battle, completely oblivious to the Clone Troopers' cries echoing across the battlefield.
"Over here! Wounded soldier!"
"We need evacuation transport! Two wounded here!"
As she passed the wreckage of a walker twisted by an explosion, a faint groan reached her ears.
She turned to see a Clone Trooper in full armor stirring slightly beneath a piece of debris.
Shaak Ti immediately called out to a nearby medic, "Over here!"
Two Medical Clone Troopers rushed over and swiftly pried open several armor plates, pulling out the trooper inside. The markings on his armor identified him as a lieutenant.
"Brother, how are you holding up?" one of the medics asked, bending down to examine the lieutenant's injuries.
"I'm alright, just a ringing in my head... We took a heavy hit. The walker's ammunition depot and reactor detonated simultaneously," the lieutenant said, pushing himself up to a sitting position with his hands on the ground. His gaze swept around, as if searching for something. "Where's that Jedi?"
"Which Jedi?" The medic looked around, puzzled.
"The one who led our charge. He had a chest wound," the lieutenant explained, his voice tinged with urgency.
Shaak Ti suddenly remembered.
The young Jedi Knight, always smiling, who had ridden with them in the gunship earlier.
She closed her eyes, focused her mind, and reached out through the Force. She quickly sensed a faint life pulse and pointed in a direction. "Over there, beneath the debris."
The Medical Clone Trooper immediately called over a passing infantry squad. Working together, the clones cleared the rubble and soon discovered two figures beneath.
One was a Clone Trooper, the other wore Jedi robes.
The Medical Clone Trooper scanned the Clone Trooper first, then shook his head. "This one's beyond saving."
Next, he aimed the scanner at the Jedi.
The sight made Shaak Ti's heart clench. The figure was covered in dust and grime, a chest wound still seeping blood, and multiple burns scarred his arms and legs. His robes were tattered, and his hair and eyebrows had been burned away.
If not for the Jedi robes, Shaak Ti would barely have recognized her fellow Jedi.
The scanner suddenly beeped cheerfully. "He's alive!" the Medical Clone Trooper exclaimed in surprise.
He couldn't help but shake his head. With such severe injuries, an ordinary person would have long perished. Yet this Jedi had miraculously survived.
"Get him to the medical frigate immediately!" Shaak Ti ordered.
To save this comrade from the Jedi Temple, even deploying a transport craft would be worthwhile. After all, too many lives had already been lost today.
"Yes, sir."
Two Clone Troopers carefully lifted the Jedi onto a stretcher and hurried toward the medical transport speeder.
This speeder was an unarmed variant of the BARC Speeder, modified with stretcher mounts on either side to carry two prone casualties simultaneously. It could reach speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour.
Such speed was crucial for evacuating the wounded from the battlefield as quickly as possible. Every minute wasted could mean another life lost.
Clone Troopers never wasted time and never abandoned their comrades. Driven by a strong sense of mutual support, they rescued every wounded soldier they could and made every effort to recover the bodies of the fallen for burial on Kamino.
However, with so many casualties, some had to be temporarily housed on the landing craft.
***
When Solo regained consciousness, a medical droid was hovering over him, conducting an examination.
Through the droid's intermittent beeps and whirs, he pieced together the aftermath. The battle had ended completely hours ago.
The Neimoidians and other Separatist aliens had fled in their Lucrehulk-class warships, taking a large number of droids with them.
The Geonosians had retreated into underground caves, while Clone Commandos were planting explosives in the Droid Factory, preparing to destroy it completely.
A fortified base was being constructed on the planet, where a garrison force would remain. The rest of the troops would soon be heading to Coruscant.
The surgical droid was quite talkative, chattering about the battle while swiftly tending to Solo's wounds.
It stitched, flushed the wounds with Bacta, and applied healing bandages.
By the end, Solo's chest, parts of his arms and legs, and even his forehead were completely wrapped in bandages, making him look like a mummy.
Fortunately, he felt no pain, only a slight itching and burning sensation, likely due to painkillers the droid had administered beforehand.
After finishing, the droid emitted a series of binary beeps indicating "satisfaction" and summoned two Clone Troopers to transport Solo to the infirmary.
Due to a shortage of medical transport ships, Solo, like many other wounded, was transferred to a *Hailfire-class* landing craft.
By sheer coincidence, this ship turned out to be the flagship, where Master Yoda and the surviving Jedi had gathered.
At that moment, Yoda was in a meeting with the Jedi Council, discussing subsequent actions. Solo, however, had no interest in their deliberations.
Senator Padmé Amidala was also moving about the ship, and Solo quickly guessed her purpose.
It could only be about Skywalker. What other reason could there be?
The number of survivors from the rescue operation was already small, and those with injuries severe enough to require hospitalization were even fewer.
So it came as no surprise when Solo was placed in a cabin temporarily converted into a communal ward. His roommates turned out to be Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
Skywalker lay on his bunk, the stump of his severed arm wrapped in thick bandages, cursing in twelve different languages—from Hutt and Toydarian to the binary code used by droids, covering the entire spectrum.
The kid was clearly furious; otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to such obscure languages.
In contrast, Obi-Wan remained silent, his expression grave.
Solo vividly recalled Dooku revealing Darth Sidious's existence and his manipulation of the Senate. He surmised that Obi-Wan was now wrestling with the truth of those claims.
Solo himself had a mountain of things to ponder.
The battle frenzy had long subsided, the adrenaline drained from his veins, replaced by a silent panic.
*What do I do?*
*Why me?*
These eternal questions loomed before him with stark clarity.
Only now did Solo truly grasp the depth of the predicament he had stumbled into.
In this galaxy, the Clone War had already begun. Dogmatic Jedi, a corrupt Senate, scheming Sith, lawless black markets, rampant drug trafficking, and slavery—all these grim realities now confronted him.
After a long moment, he finally regained some composure.
*Stay calm,* Solo told himself. *Sort everything out.*
He began to reflect on what knowledge and experience from his previous life could aid him now.