So I heard the Republic's thinking of invading Coruscant. With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and I suppose to the Republic:
Half a hex, half a hex, half a hex onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the Republic
"Forward, the Pub Brigade!
"Charge for the Sith!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the Republic.
"Forward, the Pub Brigade!"
Was there a clone dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Groupthink had blunder'd:
Theirs not to take a hit,
Without reporting it,
Theirs but to find the grit:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the Republic.
Dark Lords to right of them,
Dark Lords to left of them,
Dark Lords in front of them
Lightning'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they wrote and well,
Into the jaws of Sith,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the Republic.
Flash'd all lightsabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the Sithlings there,
Charging an army, while
All the 'verse wonder'd:
Plunged in the lightning-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Acolyte, Sith Knight,
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the Republic.
Dark Lords to right of them,
Dark Lords to left of them,
Dark Lords behind them
Lightning'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While every Jedi fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Sith
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Of the Republic.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the 'verse wondered.
Honour the charge they made,
Honour the Pub Brigade,
Noble Republic.