The Gears of War (Part 2)
Among the Galactic Republic's not particularly extensive array of ground equipment, aside from the affordable and ubiquitous AV-7 self-propelled artillery, heavy combat units such as AT-TE tactical assault walkers were generally concentrated on frontline planets where offensives were underway. They were not normally hauled around at random.
Not to mention SPHA-T heavy self-propelled artillery! Even within the Republic army, these devastating weapons—comparable in firepower to warships and stretching over a hundred meters long, true land-based behemoths—were scarce. Wherever they appeared, massive Clone Army deployments were sure to follow!
In fact, more than two years into the war, Clone Troopers were not especially common on battlefields. Kaminoan clone troopers had previously been known for their small numbers and elite quality. They generally appeared only on offensive battlefields and did not take on many defensive duties.
Moreover, even at their peak, the Kaminoan clone troopers had never numbered more than ten million. For the entire Milky Way Galaxy, that was indeed far too few.
Thus, most soldiers seen on the battlefield were ordinary people. For instance, during the early stage of the war, when the Confederacy of Independent Systems' offensive had been at its fiercest, those who often faced the steel tide of B-1 battle droids were the planets' own ordinary defense forces.
Therefore, whenever the Clone Army appeared, it often meant that the Galactic Republic Supreme Strategic Command had already turned its gaze directly in that direction.
Yet the Republic transport fleet raided by Mira Han revealed another possibility... First, the appearance of AT-TEs and SPHA-Ts meant that a large Clone Army force was stationed nearby. It was likely preparing to launch an attack there—not on Tatooine, of course, which made Christophsis the most probable target.
But the problem was that this transport fleet had