Count Dooku saw the clones before they saw him. The sniper, Dab, had also joined them. But he wasn't worried about the clones. He would admit that he underestimated them, and his swollen face was a reminder of that. But he would get his vengeance very, very soon. Unlike the Jedi sc.u.m, who despised revenge, the Siths adored it. It was anger, pain, and rage that gave them their power.

He could already envision his next course of action. Since he was on top of a tree, he would wait for the clones to pass by him, and then jump down and split the one carrying a gigantic blaster in half. Then, he would cut off the head of the one with an almost entirely brown armor. And the Jedi... Count Dooku turned his eyes to the Togruta leading the clones. He would get what he deserved.

He thought back to the words the Jedi had said to him, about him being the cause of this war, and sneered. He wanted nothing but to kill his old master, but the green midget was right when he said there were no culprits in a war. A war didn't start for nothing, neither did it start because someone decided to do so. Wars took a long, long time, and a huge amount of pent-up aggression, to commence. No one and everyone was to blame.

"Dooku, I know you are here. Show yourself!"

Startled, the Sith almost jumped down from the tree, and gave himself away. However, he wasn't someone who would fall for old tricks, and noticed right away that Ragout had no idea where he was. The Jedi probably could feel his presence through the Force, but not pinpoint his exact location.

That, however, instead of putting Count Dooku at ease, worried him even more. He was also a Force user, and an extremely powerful one on top of that, so he obviously knew how to shield himself from a Force scan. If Ragout was still able to sense him, that meant the Togruta was incredibly powerful.

And that led Count Dooku to another thought, and a very simple one. He couldn't allow the Jedi Order to grow stronger. Ragout had to die.

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

Dageer heard Ragout speaking confidently, but he could tell by his posture that he didn't know where Count Dooku was. Still, he believed the Jedi had a plan.

"Stay sharp, boys. The seppie is here somewhere."

"Roger that, commander."

"If he appears in front of us, we will give him what he deserves."

Metal had barely finished bragging when Dageer saw a shadow move in the corner of his eyes. Without thinking, he pushed his brother, but the tip of the red lightsaber still made contact, cutting a gash two centimeters deep and half a meter long in the clone's back. It wasn't a life-threatening wound, but it was very, very painful.

Screaming in pain, Metal fell face-first into the muddy water, and Count Dooku spun his lightsaber, preparing to finish him off, but Ragout was faster.

The Jedi parried the attack, and Dageer took the opportunity to pull Metal away from the two Force users.

After getting his brother out of immediate danger, he turned around to help Ragout, but found himself in a similar predicament to his squad. Each of them was able to hit a moving target from hundreds of meters, but the Jedi and the Sith battled in speeds impossible for the clones. Their lightsabers clashed time and time again, and their movement was faster than their eyes could follow. If they fired, they risked hitting their general.

"First, I am going to kill you, Jedi sc.u.m. Then, it will be the turn of your men. My apprentice has a special interest in them. I am sure she will appreciate torturing those clones until their deaths."

Ragout wasn't shaken by the Separatist's words, but he glanced briefly at Hell Squad, and frowned. He had saved them this time, but for how long could he keep doing that? Count Dooku was as powerful as him, probably more. One single mistake by Ragout's part would be enough for the Sith to wipe them all out.

Knowing that, the Jedi did a backflip, putting some distance between him and his opponent, and spun his lightsaber provocatively. Count Dooku grinned, knowing that he was being baited, but went along with it. Soon, both figures had disappeared into the swamp.

"What do we do, commander?"

Dageer looked at Metal, who had fallen into unconsciousness. He couldn't leave his brother behind, but he also couldn't let his general fight Count Dooku alone.

"Three-four, take care of Metal. Dab, you stay here too. Cell, Tech, Brain, you follow me. We have to help General Ragout."

"Understood."

"Roger that."

Several heads nodded, and Hell Squad got up. They split up silently, each member knowing their job. The three Dageer called followed him, and went after Count Dooku and Ragout.

They hadn't gotten far when a weird noise filled the swamp, getting louder by the second. In the distance, they could see trees falling and toppling over.

"Damn it! That's bad news. Three-four, do you copy?"

"Yes, sir. What is that?"

"The seppies brought out the big toys. Fall back with Metal. We are going to meet you at our mark."

"What about General Ragout?"

"He is a Jedi, he will manage it. We won't be able to help him if we are dead. Let's move!"

Immediately, the four clones turned around to regroup with Three-four, Dab, and Metal. After giving a quick glance at the giant machines destroying the marsh, going towards Ragout's position, Dageer followed them.

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

Ragout brought his lightsaber crashing down onto Count Dooku's head, but the Separatist stepped to the side, dodging, and counterattacking with a swing of his own.

The two of them had been fighting for almost half an hour now, but a winner had yet to be decided. Even with his shoulder brutality wounded, Ragout had been able to cut a gash on Count Dooku's right side, evening the odds. Now, it was all down to a battle of attrition. Unfortunately, Force users could fight for hours without getting tired.

"Surrender, Dooku. I won't ask again."

"You asked three times already, my answer won't change, young one. But, unfortunately, our playtime is over."

Ragout was somewhat stunned when he heard Count Dooku. What did the Separatist mean?

"General, there are two MTTs going your way!"

He had been so focused on the battle, that it took Dageer screaming in the comlink to make him notice the weird, unnatural sounds coming from the swamp. He hurriedly turned to his opponent, enraged.

"You called for backup! Couldn't handle me on your own, Dooku?"

"Haha! Why would I waste my time on a duel with a wannabe Jedi? I have more important plans, and a war to lead."

"I thought you still had some honor in you, Sith, but it appears I was wrong."

"What is the use of honor in war? Where did honor take your master? It's just a pathetic excuse the Jedis give to themselves to justify their ego and selfishness. I don't need honor."

Having said that, Count Dooku turned off his lightsaber, and ran away. Ragout, instead of following him, turned to face his new opponents: The gigantic vehicles, and the hundreds of droids they carried.