| abstract
| - Danik Darkness is beginning to fall upon the planet Farlex. On the outskirts of Imperial-occupied territory in the Outer Rim, Farlex was a simple mining planet that had been past its prime for many long years. Thus, the Empire began to forget about it, leaving only a small defense force. That defense force was utteraly obliterated in the first few hours of the Republic invasion. All that was left had been drawn to the capital, Morai; the capital was now a mess due to orbital bomardment and artillery. Fire, debris, death now were commonplace in the once lovely capital. The batallion of Imperial troops, previously under the command of the now-deceased Major General Paulusi, had dug in, built trenches, set up fortifications and artillery, placed boobytraps and mines throughout the streets and houses, and mobilized the few remaining scout walkers they had left. And, fortunately for the, the Imperial fighter squadron Mobius was still operational. As the darkness hit, the Imperial troops were ready. In the command center at the heart of the city, deep underground, Danik Kreldin, the aging, but infamous military commander and advisor to the Warlord himself, stood overlooking a tactical display of the city. With the death of Paulusi he had taken control of the armed forces in the city, having snuk into the planet with a team of reinforcements just a few hours ago. The situation was looking bleak for the Imperials. The rebels had control of space and most of the surrounding area. This was their last stand, and Kreldin was going to make the rebels fight for every inch of land, house by house. "Send one AT-ST to reinforce Ashby's squadron to the southern gate; is Master Sergeant Woden in position? And why hasn't Corporal Whorus' squadron checked in yet? Are they finished planting the mines?" These questions Danik asked, directed to his advisor. Snarl So far the efforts to relieve the Imperials of the planet Farlex seems to be going well. Groups of New Republic Marines and other Ground Ops personnel are split up into attack sections and preparing to make a push toward the last major known stronghold -- the capital. Darkness may be more of a problem for some than others, and the NR leadership is making full use of its lack of xenophobia by sending forth fighters who are in possession of greater night-vision and other senses than most Humans are blessed with. Linked to the other Captains and Majors leading the preparations for attack by a headset comlink on a scrambled frequency, Snal'Fashtalli keeps track of their progress and position as she addresses her own group of operatives. "Remember," the Horansi rumbles quietly, "Stay extremely alert. Chances are they won't just be shooting at us. Keep your eyes, ears, and noses open, folks." Gesturing two Wookiees and a Shistavanen forward, she continues to instruct her group. "Let Lieutenants Kyysh, Trykka, and Lacomen stay ahead of you. Let them check things out before you go rushing in. I would rather take you all home in one piece. Now, it is time." Turning away, she activates her com and informs the other groups that she is ready to move out. Sandor Although the sense of quiet around him was easily reminiscent of what he endured consistently during peacetime, and between missions, the IGF Master Sergeant had to wonder if they weren't entirely different sounds. People worked around him in both, of course, and every moment hypothetically can put your life on the line, but somehow he knew that this was somehow more important. The briefing hadn't made this mission out to be anything significant, but then they all start out that way. Briefings have a tendancy to omit the risk of death encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. For Sandor, however, the battle had already begun. Searching for positions, seeking out obstacles, and mapping out routes in the back of his mind; all of this had gone on since the moment he had arrived on the planet. Checking, double checking, and rechecking yet again his weapon for anything that might hinder him once in the fray, at least, as close to it as he intended to get. Settling on a rooftop, and having checked his laser sniper rifle one last time, Sandor Woden finally breaks his silence, letting the sounds of the com channel almost overwhelm him. "This is Master Sergeant Woden. I'm in position," he offered to whomever might be listening on the other end, before scanning the horizon in anticipation of what was to come. Evir A dropship skims low over what remains of the landscape behind the New Republic lines, passing above a battery of concussion missile launchers that intermittently pour fire down on the closest Imperial positions as it ferries another unit to one of the staging areas. A squadron of Y-wings sits on a broken stretch of tarmac nearby, loaded with plasma bombs and ready to swoop in to support the Republic advance. The dropship settles down and thirty lifeforms of various sorts debark, a Shistavanen, a Quarren, and others among their ranks. Commanding the platoon is First Sergeant Giran Blaine, a veteran of the assault on Coruscant and other less important planetary assaults. His unit is one of the best, Pathfinders of the New Republic Marines, and he speaks to his radioman to alert the company commanding officer that he's in position. Whorus Whorus is poking around just a few yards ahead of Sandor, slightly up the road at an intersection. His rifle at the ready, his eyes trying to get a better feel for the low light turning the city into nothing more than vague, dark shapes sucking up the suns waning light. "Hurry up with those traps." He speaks quietly. "They're on their way." He then spits a huge wad of black saliva onto the ground, some filth coughed up from his lungs a few minutes ago. The intersection was littered with broken bikes and land vehicles, all of the corpses having been recently gathered and mulched into chuck and bone fragments. Corporal Whorus had enough time to mulch up the dead invaders and sprinkle them into the dilapitated vehicles, nooks and crannies of the crowded city streets. His superiors told him to stop wasting his time. But now every peice of cover that advancing Rebels would hope to hide from blaster fire behind was reeking of rot and ablaze with only the most vigorous flies. Thankfully, all of the clean, best fortified positions were occupied by Imperials. A negligible advantage, but the beseiged of Morai had nothing but time. Danik The flag of the Imperial sunburst, tattered and ripped, still adorned the entire front side of the capitol building, where the Moff of the system had taken shelter in his underground bunker. Anti-aircraft batteries, mortars, artillery, and E-webs were all fitted on to the capitol building, peeking out windows, atop the roof, at the entrance, or in the back. Mines lay in the street ahead of it, with troopers dug into trenches around it with their weaponry and grenades. The anticipation for the coming battle was intense. Adrenaline was coursing through the troops veins. Craters marked the streets where rebel bombardment had ripped it apart, and houses and other buildings laid in ruins, but some still managed to stand. Rubble, debris, bodies all lay around, some used as shields for other troops to use their machineguns. One AT-ST pulled up behind a large bunker near the southern gate, where a large part of the troops were defending one of the four entrances into the city; east, west, north and south gates. Each one was heavily defended and mined. Rumbling shaked the nerves of some troops, as artillery slammed into the capital, or the Imperials returned fire with their own artillery into the Republic troops out in the distance. Some troops were already suffering from shell shock. Meanwhile, deep in the underground bunker, Danik Kreldin begins to issue more commands as pebbles and dust fall to the ground following a vibration due to artillery impacts. "Sir, the Master Sergeant is in position," said Kreldin's advisor. "Excellent. He's our eyes for now. Have him report to us of rebel troop movements. We need to know what gate they will attack through," Danik replied, rubbing his chin as plans began to formulate in his brain. "I hope the speaker systems are still working throughout the city. Snarl Receiving word that the Pathfinder team has arrived and deployed itself, Snal'Fashtalli nods to the three Lieutenants standing beside her and watches as they begin to carefully pick their way forward through the war-torn mess of potholes, disabled vehicles, and what would appear to be little bits and pieces of people. Possessing excellent night-vision herself, the Horansi is actively taking part in her battalion's efforts be assisting with the effort to locate and disarm any traps that might be in their way. "This is Captain Teague-Ikihsa," she says quietly into her headset, broadcasting to the other attack forces, both on the ground and in the air. "Ground troops begin your approach from all directions, but not too fast. Kithayl Squadron, now is the time for that little distraction." Those brief commands issued, the Kasa Horansi grows silent and gestures to her squad of soldiers to follow her as she carefully moves forward down the street, keeping close to whatever shelter she can find. Progress is slow due to suspicion. The Imperials are known for fighting dirty and their situation doesn't look good. A trapped rat can become vicious. Sandor "Understood. I'll report in every ten minutes, regardless of if I've seen something," Sandor replied after recieving orders from one of Danik's adjutants, "That way we'll know even if I'm eliminated. Woden out.". Just hearing himself admit to such a possibility brought on a cringe. He hadn't worked his way through the ranks, through the bodies of dozens of fallen comrades especially, just to let himself be taken out. Still, he seemed to be the only sniper amidst the Imperial ranks, which made him more of a watchman than anything else, until the enemy risked a full attack. He hoped others like him might be around to help turn the tide into Imperial favor, but suspected that not to be the case. Were it not for the desperate confrontations that had propelled him to his current rank, Sandor was convinced they wouldn't have sent him, either. He assumed he must be here because, on paper, he should already be dead. Catching a glimpse of movement on a roadside not far from his position, Sandor's rifle swerves to meet it, his finger barely holding back from squeezing down upon the trigger. But his scope gives him a moment of relief, as a small animal is gnawing on what looks to be a human limb. "How many more of those will we have, by the time this is over?" the sniper wondered to himself, before scanning for threats once more. Whorus A buzz and a click can be heard over Woden's communicator. "Hey, this is Whorus on the ground. We're leaving open sight. We put most of the traps around to keep your back watched, so if you hear any mousetraps go off... get out." Whorus didn't necessarily want to talk too much about his traps- the Rebels were around for long enough to maybe crack their frequencies, despite their frequent shifting of the appropriate codes. A circling wave and a point is given, and the intersection is swiftly evacuated by the engineers. "Back to the trough, double time." He yells, then jogging towards a dark, broken building and sliding into a ground level window that had been fitted with bundles of razor wire. Except a small lane to climb in and out of. Evir The squadron of Y-wings rises on repulsorlifts and then climbs further up into the atmosphere as the New Republic artillery redoubles its assault. Inbound towards the north entrance to the city, Blaine and his Pathfinders lead an assault force in closer and closer, their combat engineers keeping a careful watch for explosives and other nasties in their path. Danik "Copy that, Master Sergeant," the adjutant replied to Sandor's message, and then turned to Kreldin. "Sir, what shall we do with the civilians? They're rounded up in safe house 104." "Give every man, woman and child a rifle and something that illuminates. Once the fighting starts, release them to the front of the battle. Their light blinking out, or falling, will tell the troops where the enemy is firing from. It's rather unconvential, but these are desperate times. Have all the troops been given their rations and ammo?" "Yes, sir. They have enough to get them through the night, given they don't die." A repulsortank hovered through one of the streets, flying over the mines set into the street; on the hull of the tank sat three infantrymen. The tank pulled up next to the bunker defending the eastern gate, its turret aiming at the gate entrance. Where were the rebels? It was unfair to keep them waiting. At safe house 104, the civilians were handed their rifles - standard ST-I, with enough ammo supply to give them a few shoots at the enemy. Some civilians had to carry only ammo packs, as there weren't enough rifles to go around for everyone. But everyone was handed a light, or a torch, something to illuminate through the darkness of the night. The Imperial officer began shouting out propaganda, getting the civilians, brainwashed for years by the Empire, riled up. Imperial TIE Bombers begin their bombing runs, dropping explosives around the perimeter of the city; whether to thwart any approaching rebels, or simply to provide some illumination through the night to see if any rebels were inbound. Meanwhile, in the underground bunker below, the sensors begin to to catch the first signs of the approaching Y-wings... Snarl With grenades adorning her harness and two pouches bulging with large rocks dangling from her belt, Snal'Fashtalli looks like she should be equiped with a slingshot to complete the image, but she has a good reason for carrying these heavier items in addition to her normal weapons. Her Lietenants were similarly loaded down, being strong enough and swift enough to handle the burden. As they make their way through the dim light, they occasionally pitch a rock at anything they see or smell that strikes them as being suspicious. Leaving the southern gate to the squadron of Y-wings, the ground troops time their approach of the other gates so that their rush occurs at the same time. Arriving at the eastern gate, the ground pounders wait for the loud BOOM of the plasma bombs before making their move. Snarl and her three lieutenants each grab several grenades and lob them through the gate, waiting for the explosions to cease before they make their rush, rifles blazing furiously. At the western gate, a nearly identical assault is initiated only seconds later. This is not the only method of invasion being used, however. While the battle begins at the gates, small groups of warriors quietly use grappling hooks and coils of rope to begin scaling the walls. Sandor It was typically a sniper's duty to remain patient, but, Sandor couldn't help but feel he was in the wrong position. He was only barely ahead of the line, and the house beneath him actually had a few men inside, or so he reasoned from the sounds coming out of it from time to time, but still. If he fired before moving to a safer position, or decided to stay and see if his shots were hitting anything at all, no doubt the Empire would be without one of their men. Not left long to his musings, however, Sandor realized that his moment was at hand. Scanning around him, he saw that the attack was coming towards him from the east, and amidst the sounds filling the air he figured that they had devoted their entire force to that area. It made sense to him, after all. Bleed the enemy dry and stretch him thin, then attack with overwhelming force at one point. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen, though not for the same reason that he believed as he turned on his com once more. "Enemy attack coming in from the eastern approach," the sniper crisply spoke, hopefully to one of Danik's underlings, but nearly anyone would do, as far as Sandor was concerned. His job was only beginning, after all. Daring a quick shot in the general direction of one of the approaching infantrymen, Sandor then raced down the half-collapsed end of the house that still faced the Imperial line, and up into one of the few standing buildings nearby. Whorus Whorus grins a sawtoothed grin. The urban landscape had been changed with contruction equipment to be more or less a collection of fortresses placed in front of long roads and damaged, much less defensibile buildings. Holes had been carved into the sides of certain buildings. Razor wire and trip wire everywhere. Mines and remote explosives were left in piles of rubble and beneath the hulks of burnt war vehicles. It was either walk directly into a bottleneck position, or slog through the smaller capillaries that were the back streets and alleys of the capital city. A voice is heard over the communicator. East. That was... Whorus looks up from his compass and out the window. Well, as long as they weren't coming in from behind. Every other direction led to the intersection, with all the important objectives ensconced further up the road, into the core of the near-empty city. "Don't fire until they're past the line." Whorus speaks to his fireteam, poking their rifles out of the ground level window troughs. "Let 'em expose themselves." Evir From the north, the Pathfinders and other SpecOps troops advance slowly and quietly, their attentions focused less on finding the closest enemies and more on finding the traps that might alert said enemies to their advance. They reach rifle range, sighting in on the sentries and defenses at the north gate, and then open up with squad automatic repeaters and hand weapons. Three artillery spotters move up with the troops, painting targets, and the missile launchers a few kilometers back fire off several volleys before beginning to move to avoid counterartillery fire. Danik The battle begins. Explosions rip open the night sky at the southern gate, as the Y-wings earlier detected by the sensors release their bomb load on the southern fortifications. The fort's ceiling caves in, killing several troops in the base, while the AT-ST lumbers around, trying to find cover. Troops run, jump, duck, and hide as the plasma bombs rain down on the troops, and then open fire on the advancing rebel troops; the last functional E-web in the ruined southern fort is still operated by a wounded trooper, who opens fire into the night, watching for the outlines of advancing troops with each shot he sends out. "Where is our air support? Those Y-wings are reaping hell on our southern defense. Dispatch Mobius Squadron immediately; pull back those TIE Bombers to city airspace. We might need them for later. Keep the civilians back for now; the rebels have not yet entered the city proper. Hold the gates for now. We'll slowly begin to pull back into the city," Danik announced over the commotion in the command center, sweat pouring down from his head as he watched the tactical display monitor. "Activate the siren." It wasn't much of a siren. In fact, not a single Imperial troop heard it. But others did. The siren, a loud pitch sound, enough to damage the ears of a normal being, was heard only by certain species..the frequency of the sound was tuned so that humans did not hear it at all. The aliens in the Republic army, however, were a different story. This was a little something Kreldin cooked up for his nonhuman friends. "The Master Sergeant has reported in. Enemy forces are concentrating heavily on the eastern gate. But we're getting scattered reports from the west, but we can't make it out," the adjutant announced. "Very well. For now, focus the artillery on the eastern gate." As Danik gave his command, the artillery pieces concentrated primarily in the center of the city, but also postioned in other strategic points, began to open fire to the east, artillery pouring down in to the rebel troops as they advance on the gate. The men in the fort were opening fire with their machineguns and rifles, but to no avail; the fort was overrun, and the artillery fire soon demolished it, taking whatever rebel and Imperial troops that were inside. As the artillery barrage began, Mobius squadron, twelve TIE Mark II Interceptors, swooped in at the southern entrance, their laser cannons opening fire on the Y-wings in the sky. Below, mines begin to detonate as rebel troops ignorantly step over them, causing explosions and sending troops flying, killing those and others who stepped on it and happened to be in the immediate vicinity. Other booby traps included pits and wire traps, situated in the narrow streets and alleys. The west was still holding strong, the two AT-STs and the fort holding back the rebels for now, the machineguns lighting up the night as lasers streaked through and killed advancing troops, mines went off, exploding and killing more. It was a scene of utter chaos in Morai city. The repulsortank, "Holly," that had been hauling the few troopers on its hull pulled up behind the eastern fort, its night vision cameras feeding the driver inside images of the outside. There were rebels scaling the wall of the fort..a hatch on top of the tank popped open, and a man grabbed the E-web attached the top of the hull, and began to fire up at the wall where the rebels were climbing. The three troops that were riding along the tank got down and readied their weapons, though they could not see anything just yet. Snarl Whether it's good luck or bad luck that her team is spotted first, Snarl isn't entirely certain. It drastically lowers their chances for survival, but at the same time, it should make it easier for the troops entering at other points of the compass to push their way further into the city. Particularly the ones who aren't coming in by any gate at all. These scaling attackers were climbing in small groups on each wall, careful not to get bunched up together and thus make themselves easy targets. She had just divided her troops up into four smaller squads and sent them to branch out when the siren goes off. Completely bewildered, the Human troops following the Horansi, Wookiees, and Shistavanen all nearly jump out of their own skin as their leaders clamp their hands over their ears and cut loose with horrible screams and howls of agony. They stare for a few moments and then most quickly move on, following their training in a way that would make their commanding officers proud if they hadn't been currently incapacitated. Snarl herself drops to her knees, driven there as though she'd just been smacked in the head with half a ton of bricks. "GO, GO!" she screams at one of the younger lieutenants who stayed behind to try and help, "LEAVE NOW!" On the western side of the city, similar difficulties are experienced, but the majority of the fighters are still capable of continuing the battle. Explosions continue to be heard in the distance, so it would seem that some of the Human troops must have "borrowed" a few grenades and put them to good use. Those scaling the walls have moderate success, some of them being blown away as they reach the top and prepare for their decent into the city -- but some of them do make it. Those who have entered the city move forward in small groups, avoiding areas that appear to "easy" to cross since they seem likely to be set with traps. Many are cut down, but those who remain doggedly thread their way toward the center of the besiged city. Sandor Once in, and having raced up what little remained of the stairs in the two story building Sandor had taken shelter in, which was still structurally stable but not much of a sight to look at, Sandor laid himself prone at the beginning of a fairly large hole in the wall. It offered a fair view of the battle, after all, and wasn't an immediate threat, as people were firing from positions all around him, and mostly lower to the ground. Not perfect, but it would have to do, Sandor reasoned. His section of the battle seemed worthy of a similar description. While they were holding thus far, the Master Sergeant could make out positions that had either caved in under fire, or had been blown away altogether already. Scanning the section ahead of him carefully, he watches a small team cut into a substantially smaller number, and sends a well placed shot after one of the survivors as they move towards cover. It wouldn't be long before they had enough people into position to overwhelm the line, given that most of the Imperial armor appeared to be elsewhere, but at least there was the hope that the attackers would be bled just enough that taking the city would becoming an impossibility. Whorus Whorus had control of seldom few troops, but now that his command services were at a premium, he had almost an entire squad at his disposal. As it was, he was only taking his boys with him. "Efreti, Dayntin, Iaunibn, Vidci. You come with me upstairs. The rest of you- enjoy your duck shoot." Whorus is skittering around quickly, in a hurry to be ready for any incoming foot soldiers. "Efreti, grab two boxes of grenades and meet me in the northern alleyway." Whorus grabs up a tripod and hands a heavy mountable blaster to one of his personal fireteam. He then sprints up the stairs, keeping his typical hyperactive mannerisms about him as he finds a roof overlooking a large alleyway through which troops would no doubt filter in attempts to overrun the eastern bottleneck. Evir At the north gate, New Republic Marines breach the defenses, weakend as they are from the artillery barrage, and begin to pour in, supported by light armored repulsorcraft shuttled down from orbit. They move along main thoroughfares in bounding overwatch patterns, squads running ahead as others cover them. First Sergeant Giran Blaine and his thirty Pathfinders are suddenly whittled down to twenty as the siren sounds; those for which the noise is out of their hearing range pause, fashioning makeshift earplugs for those affected and moving onward as only two of the ten that can hear the noise decide to move onward. The Pathfinders keep to narrow back streets, one of their number watching a scanner for power discharges that indicate weapons firing. They keep quiet as they approach the western entrance, finding an empty, ruined building and climbing to the top floor. Blaine pulls out a pair of macrobinoculars, looking through them at the fight going on for the west gate, and begins to mark positions which fire on the Republic troops. Danik "The siren appears to be effective, sir. Early reports are indicating that a lot of the rebel troops are faltering. It's giving us a slight advantage," the adjutant reported to Kreldin, whom merely nodded. "However, it would appear that Master Sergeant Woden's information was false; we're being assaulted on every front with massive forces. The eastern front is all but gone, sir, but our concentrated artillery barrage has taken a toll." "Spread the artillery out now; focus on all fronts. Divide up the armor as well. Tanks and AT-STs to all fronts except the eastern front. Too many rebels there. It's time to send in the civilians. Have the infanty ready to follow in their wake," Danik said grimly, sitting down in his command seat. "Here's to hoping.." Bloody house-to-house fighting ensued. Imperial troops, boxed in homes, opened fire from the second floor windows down into the streets where rebel troops either walked over mined or slipped by. Imperials, however, were being flushed out of the houses by the rebel troops, but not without losses on the rebel's part. Artillery continued to pound rebel positions in the city, and now AT-STs and repulsortanks were arriving on all fronts to reinforce the damaged lines. Imperial troops, deep in their trenches, ran along the trench line, or peeked their head up and took shots at the rebels, or sometimes the order was given to go over the top, and the Imperial troops charged forward into the night, running into rebel troops and engaging in deadly hand-to-hand combat. The Imperials, however, were not all out of hope; they still had their artillery and armor, and the siren gave them a slight advantage insofar that it allowed them to take pot shots at rebels who were distracted long enough by the piercing sound, except for the humans. Still, it played a crucical part in some skirmishes spread throughout the capital. And at last, the civilians were ready to go. "Fight for your Emperor, fight for your Empire, fight for your home!" shouted the Imperial officer to the band of civilians, equipped with ST-Is or ammo packs. "CHARGE!" And with that, the civilians ran forward, a light attached to each of them, illuminating the way and letting the trained, hardened infantry who were followed to let them know where the civilians were through the darkness. The partisians met the rebel offensive in the east, and waded into them like fools. They were slaughtered wholesale, but there were -so- many. As a dozen fell, another dozen took their place, and with each one that fell, the Imperial troops behind them could see where the rebels were firing from. Thus, this meant improved artillery bombardment, improved sniper fire, and better shots for the infantry present there, watching the slaughter unfold. But the civilians kept on coming... "Sir, the northern gate has fallen. The situation is looking bad for us, sir." "Very well. Once our offensive in the east is over, order all available units to fall back to the center of the city. We'll draw them in, house-to-house fighting along the way. They'll run into our mines and traps. We'll make our last stand in the plaza." Mobius Squadron had apparently taken down the Y-wings that were wrecking the southern defenses, and were now free to provide close-air support for the besieged Imperial troops. The fighters swooped in low over the eastern and northern gates, their laser cannons firing into the rebel lines and providing illumination for the troops below. Snarl Wondering it her head is going to just pop like a squashed grape, it takes Snarl nearly 30 seconds to even begin thinking intelligent thoughts again. Hands still clamped over her ears, the Horansi suddenly notices that she's pressing the pads of her headset into her ears. What was it that Colonel Syvers had said about these things? And then she remembers. Yelling into her comlink, she communicates this insight to the others even as she reaches to make the necessary adjustments herself. "ADAPTIVE INTERFERENCE!" she roars into the com, unable to accurately gauge her own volume. Not that it matters, since the others probably wouldn't hear her normal speaking voice anyway. "YOU CAN SET AN ELECTRONIC FILTER AND CANCEL THE NOISE!" the Horansi bellows to her fellow stricken warriors. And then, all of a sudden, there is a silence that startles her. At least it seems like silence for several seconds after the damage her hearing just took. Then vaguely she can once again hear the thundering booms of explosives. She gives her head a quick shake to help clear it, and then her golden eyes narrow dangerously. Leaping to her feet, she beckons to the Wookiees and the Shistavanen who didn't get too far before the siren struck them. Together, the four quickly navigate after their troops, heading west toward the center of the city. The fire and cross-fire going on seems a bit higher than the Rebel troops would like, but the continue to do their best to dodge in and out of the meager cover that is available. And then an order comes through the comlink from a VERY angry Horansi. "Spec Ops and battalion leaders, take out those buildings with heavy fire coming from them now! And see if you can get rid of the tanks!" Even as the non-Human fighters are able to resume the battle, there are brilliant flashes and huge explosions from a few key points around the city as the Rebels pull a little surprise out of their pouches. It's a risky maneuver because if a warrior mis-judges his or her throw the results are fatal, but they've been trained for this. Those with the skill necessary begin to throw thermal detonators at prime targets, the small and light-weight devices flying more than far enough when flung by a creature with a Wookiee or a Horansi's strength. Many of these have a sticky substance on them that makes them difficult to remove from the surface that they come into contact with upon landing. Although this is likely to be a surprise, it doesn't stop the battle by any means. Even if a lot of Imperials are taken out, there are still those mines to deal with. Sandor On a level purely based upon his chances of survival, the Master Sergeant genuinely admired Danik's ploy. But that didn't stop him from faltering for a second, silently cringing at the sight of such a slaughter. Shot after shot when out from his rifle, and only a few ever seemed to come in reply, as they were all directed towards the mass of innocents being propelled into the fray. Even at some points where it seemed to be spent, the charge shortly resumed, with no hope of success whatsoever. No doubt some of them realized that as well, but with so many weapons discharging around them, did any of them really think they had a choice? Which brought up an interesting point in Sandor's mind; what were they defending here, if the very people that breathe life into the city are expendable? Still, those questions could wait. As long as someone else was able to die in his place, the sniper was more than happy to continue carrying out his duties. And take as many rebels as possible into the afterlife while performing them, of course. Whorus Whorus eventually reaches the roof of one of the fortified buildings- once a stylish, antiquated coffee shop, now a fortress, with scores of infantry firing from the lower (and a few upper) windows at any advancing infantry. There was, naturally, a back way into the building, up a long, straight alleyway. An alleyway that Whorus and five of his men were now overlooking. "Ok," He yells over the sound of erupting blasters and the odd detonator. "See these barrels over here?" He gives a rough pat atop some steel drums. "It's corrosive waste. If you see anyone trying to come up the fire escape, just dump it over." He rips open the seal on a box of fresh grenades. "It'll save us some of these. Load up and disperse onto the safe buildings." The safe buildings were the ones with sabotaged stairwells, with roofs only accessable by rope ladders and other roofs. Guerrila fighting at it's most simple. Evir "Zone and sweep, fire for effect," Blaine says quietly, and the radioman nearby relays the order to one of the Republic artillery batteries on the outskirts of the city. The horizon lights up for a moment, and then the positions Blaine identified as Imperial come under heavy fire, explosive and timered shells raining down on them. The Pathfinders slip away, rejoining the main force coming in through the north gate and making their way towards the defenses at the center of the city. Danik Hundreds of bodies litter the street in the Eastern front, civilians and infantry alike; houses are nothing but rubble, and whatever armor was caught up in the fray was decimated. Thermal detonators rang out through the city, wiping out entire buildings and killing many. But, the Imperials were relentless; slowly they pulled back to the center of the city as rebel artillery rains down upon them, taking rebels with them as they fought house to house under the intense bomardment, but the remaining Imperials, about fifty-five infantry, two tanks, and one AT-ST, all found their way to the heavily defended plaza and capitol building. E-webs, mortars, and numerous other fortifications and trenches marked this area, the final stand of the Empire. Meanwhile, the TIE Interceptors of Mobius squadron continued to rip into the rebel lines, their laser cannons pouring out blast and blast into the troops below, and for the first time, the TIE Bombers were now being put into use; carpet bombing was being put into use. The bombers did not care what they dropped on, they just knew ther rebels were in this vicinty. "Sir, all units minus Corporal Whorus's fireteam have reported in at the plaza. They're still out there in the city.." "Bloody hell..what is that man thinking? Keep up the carpet bombing and close-air support. And prepare our evacuation transport."
* Scene ended here, NR would go on to victory*
- Danik Darkness is beginning to fall upon the planet Farlex. On the outskirts of Imperial-occupied territory in the Outer Rim, Farlex was a simple mining planet that had been past its prime for many long years. Thus, the Empire began to forget about it, leaving only a small defense force. That defense force was utteraly obliterated in the first few hours of the Republic invasion. All that was left had been drawn to the capital, Morai; the capital was now a mess due to orbital bomardment and artillery. Fire, debris, death now were commonplace in the once lovely capital. The batallion of Imperial troops, previously under the command of the now-deceased Major General Paulusi, had dug in, built trenches, set up fortifications and artillery, placed boobytraps and mines throughout the streets and houses, and mobilized the few remaining scout walkers they had left. And, fortunately for the, the Imperial fighter squadron Mobius was still operational. As the darkness hit, the Imperial troops were ready. In the command center at the heart of the city, deep underground, Danik Kreldin, the aging, but infamous military commander and advisor to the Warlord himself, stood overlooking a tactical display of the city. With the death of Paulusi he had taken control of the armed forces in the city, having snuk into the planet with a team of reinforcements just a few hours ago. The situation was looking bleak for the Imperials. The rebels had control of space and most of the surrounding area. This was their last stand, and Kreldin was going to make the rebels fight for every inch of land, house by house. "Send one AT-ST to reinforce Ashby's squadron to the southern gate; is Master Sergeant Woden in position? And why hasn't Corporal Whorus' squadron checked in yet? Are they finished planting the mines?" These questions Danik asked, directed to his advisor. Snarl So far the efforts to relieve the Imperials of the planet Farlex seems to be going well. Groups of New Republic Marines and other Ground Ops personnel are split up into attack sections and preparing to make a push toward the last major known stronghold -- the capital. Darkness may be more of a problem for some than others, and the NR leadership is making full use of its lack of xenophobia by sending forth fighters who are in possession of greater night-vision and other senses than most Humans are blessed with. Linked to the other Captains and Majors leading the preparations for attack by a headset comlink on a scrambled frequency, Snal'Fashtalli keeps track of their progress and position as she addresses her own group of operatives. "Remember," the Horansi rumbles quietly, "Stay extremely alert. Chances are they won't just be shooting at us. Keep your eyes, ears, and noses open, folks." Gesturing two Wookiees and a Shistavanen forward, she continues to instruct her group. "Let Lieutenants Kyysh, Trykka, and Lacomen stay ahead of you. Let them check things out before you go rushing in. I would rather take you all home in one piece. Now, it is time." Turning away, she activates her com and informs the other groups that she is ready to move out. Sandor Although the sense of quiet around him was easily reminiscent of what he endured consistently during peacetime, and between missions, the IGF Master Sergeant had to wonder if they weren't entirely different sounds. People worked around him in both, of course, and every moment hypothetically can put your life on the line, but somehow he knew that this was somehow more important. The briefing hadn't made this mission out to be anything significant, but then they all start out that way. Briefings have a tendancy to omit the risk of death encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. For Sandor, however, the battle had already begun. Searching for positions, seeking out obstacles, and mapping out routes in the back of his mind; all of this had gone on since the moment he had arrived on the planet. Checking, double checking, and rechecking yet again his weapon for anything that might hinder him once in the fray, at least, as close to it as he intended to get. Settling on a rooftop, and having checked his laser sniper rifle one last time, Sandor Woden finally breaks his silence, letting the sounds of the com channel almost overwhelm him. "This is Master Sergeant Woden. I'm in position," he offered to whomever might be listening on the other end, before scanning the horizon in anticipation of what was to come. Evir A dropship skims low over what remains of the landscape behind the New Republic lines, passing above a battery of concussion missile launchers that intermittently pour fire down on the closest Imperial positions as it ferries another unit to one of the staging areas. A squadron of Y-wings sits on a broken stretch of tarmac nearby, loaded with plasma bombs and ready to swoop in to support the Republic advance. The dropship settles down and thirty lifeforms of various sorts debark, a Shistavanen, a Quarren, and others among their ranks. Commanding the platoon is First Sergeant Giran Blaine, a veteran of the assault on Coruscant and other less important planetary assaults. His unit is one of the best, Pathfinders of the New Republic Marines, and he speaks to his radioman to alert the company commanding officer that he's in position. Whorus Whorus is poking around just a few yards ahead of Sandor, slightly up the road at an intersection. His rifle at the ready, his eyes trying to get a better feel for the low light turning the city into nothing more than vague, dark shapes sucking up the suns waning light. "Hurry up with those traps." He speaks quietly. "They're on their way." He then spits a huge wad of black saliva onto the ground, some filth coughed up from his lungs a few minutes ago. The intersection was littered with broken bikes and land vehicles, all of the corpses having been recently gathered and mulched into chuck and bone fragments. Corporal Whorus had enough time to mulch up the dead invaders and sprinkle them into the dilapitated vehicles, nooks and crannies of the crowded city streets. His superiors told him to stop wasting his time. But now every peice of cover that advancing Rebels would hope to hide from blaster fire behind was reeking of rot and ablaze with only the most vigorous flies. Thankfully, all of the clean, best fortified positions were occupied by Imperials. A negligible advantage, but the beseiged of Morai had nothing but time. Danik The flag of the Imperial sunburst, tattered and ripped, still adorned the entire front side of the capitol building, where the Moff of the system had taken shelter in his underground bunker. Anti-aircraft batteries, mortars, artillery, and E-webs were all fitted on to the capitol building, peeking out windows, atop the roof, at the entrance, or in the back. Mines lay in the street ahead of it, with troopers dug into trenches around it with their weaponry and grenades. The anticipation for the coming battle was intense. Adrenaline was coursing through the troops veins. Craters marked the streets where rebel bombardment had ripped it apart, and houses and other buildings laid in ruins, but some still managed to stand. Rubble, debris, bodies all lay around, some used as shields for other troops to use their machineguns. One AT-ST pulled up behind a large bunker near the southern gate, where a large part of the troops were defending one of the four entrances into the city; east, west, north and south gates. Each one was heavily defended and mined. Rumbling shaked the nerves of some troops, as artillery slammed into the capital, or the Imperials returned fire with their own artillery into the Republic troops out in the distance. Some troops were already suffering from shell shock. Meanwhile, deep in the underground bunker, Danik Kreldin begins to issue more commands as pebbles and dust fall to the ground following a vibration due to artillery impacts. "Sir, the Master Sergeant is in position," said Kreldin's advisor. "Excellent. He's our eyes for now. Have him report to us of rebel troop movements. We need to know what gate they will attack through," Danik replied, rubbing his chin as plans began to formulate in his brain. "I hope the speaker systems are still working throughout the city. Snarl Receiving word that the Pathfinder team has arrived and deployed itself, Snal'Fashtalli nods to the three Lieutenants standing beside her and watches as they begin to carefully pick their way forward through the war-torn mess of potholes, disabled vehicles, and what would appear to be little bits and pieces of people. Possessing excellent night-vision herself, the Horansi is actively taking part in her battalion's efforts be assisting with the effort to locate and disarm any traps that might be in their way. "This is Captain Teague-Ikihsa," she says quietly into her headset, broadcasting to the other attack forces, both on the ground and in the air. "Ground troops begin your approach from all directions, but not too fast. Kithayl Squadron, now is the time for that little distraction." Those brief commands issued, the Kasa Horansi grows silent and gestures to her squad of soldiers to follow her as she carefully moves forward down the street, keeping close to whatever shelter she can find. Progress is slow due to suspicion. The Imperials are known for fighting dirty and their situation doesn't look good. A trapped rat can become vicious. Sandor "Understood. I'll report in every ten minutes, regardless of if I've seen something," Sandor replied after recieving orders from one of Danik's adjutants, "That way we'll know even if I'm eliminated. Woden out.". Just hearing himself admit to such a possibility brought on a cringe. He hadn't worked his way through the ranks, through the bodies of dozens of fallen comrades especially, just to let himself be taken out. Still, he seemed to be the only sniper amidst the Imperial ranks, which made him more of a watchman than anything else, until the enemy risked a full attack. He hoped others like him might be around to help turn the tide into Imperial favor, but suspected that not to be the case. Were it not for the desperate confrontations that had propelled him to his current rank, Sandor was convinced they wouldn't have sent him, either. He assumed he must be here because, on paper, he should already be dead. Catching a glimpse of movement on a roadside not far from his position, Sandor's rifle swerves to meet it, his finger barely holding back from squeezing down upon the trigger. But his scope gives him a moment of relief, as a small animal is gnawing on what looks to be a human limb. "How many more of those will we have, by the time this is over?" the sniper wondered to himself, before scanning for threats once more. Whorus A buzz and a click can be heard over Woden's communicator. "Hey, this is Whorus on the ground. We're leaving open sight. We put most of the traps around to keep your back watched, so if you hear any mousetraps go off... get out." Whorus didn't necessarily want to talk too much about his traps- the Rebels were around for long enough to maybe crack their frequencies, despite their frequent shifting of the appropriate codes. A circling wave and a point is given, and the intersection is swiftly evacuated by the engineers. "Back to the trough, double time." He yells, then jogging towards a dark, broken building and sliding into a ground level window that had been fitted with bundles of razor wire. Except a small lane to climb in and out of. Evir The squadron of Y-wings rises on repulsorlifts and then climbs further up into the atmosphere as the New Republic artillery redoubles its assault. Inbound towards the north entrance to the city, Blaine and his Pathfinders lead an assault force in closer and closer, their combat engineers keeping a careful watch for explosives and other nasties in their path. Danik "Copy that, Master Sergeant," the adjutant replied to Sandor's message, and then turned to Kreldin. "Sir, what shall we do with the civilians? They're rounded up in safe house 104." "Give every man, woman and child a rifle and something that illuminates. Once the fighting starts, release them to the front of the battle. Their light blinking out, or falling, will tell the troops where the enemy is firing from. It's rather unconvential, but these are desperate times. Have all the troops been given their rations and ammo?" "Yes, sir. They have enough to get them through the night, given they don't die." A repulsortank hovered through one of the streets, flying over the mines set into the street; on the hull of the tank sat three infantrymen. The tank pulled up next to the bunker defending the eastern gate, its turret aiming at the gate entrance. Where were the rebels? It was unfair to keep them waiting. At safe house 104, the civilians were handed their rifles - standard ST-I, with enough ammo supply to give them a few shoots at the enemy. Some civilians had to carry only ammo packs, as there weren't enough rifles to go around for everyone. But everyone was handed a light, or a torch, something to illuminate through the darkness of the night. The Imperial officer began shouting out propaganda, getting the civilians, brainwashed for years by the Empire, riled up. Imperial TIE Bombers begin their bombing runs, dropping explosives around the perimeter of the city; whether to thwart any approaching rebels, or simply to provide some illumination through the night to see if any rebels were inbound. Meanwhile, in the underground bunker below, the sensors begin to to catch the first signs of the approaching Y-wings... Snarl With grenades adorning her harness and two pouches bulging with large rocks dangling from her belt, Snal'Fashtalli looks like she should be equiped with a slingshot to complete the image, but she has a good reason for carrying these heavier items in addition to her normal weapons. Her Lietenants were similarly loaded down, being strong enough and swift enough to handle the burden. As they make their way through the dim light, they occasionally pitch a rock at anything they see or smell that strikes them as being suspicious. Leaving the southern gate to the squadron of Y-wings, the ground troops time their approach of the other gates so that their rush occurs at the same time. Arriving at the eastern gate, the ground pounders wait for the loud BOOM of the plasma bombs before making their move. Snarl and her three lieutenants each grab several grenades and lob them through the gate, waiting for the explosions to cease before they make their rush, rifles blazing furiously. At the western gate, a nearly identical assault is initiated only seconds later. This is not the only method of invasion being used, however. While the battle begins at the gates, small groups of warriors quietly use grappling hooks and coils of rope to begin scaling the walls. Sandor It was typically a sniper's duty to remain patient, but, Sandor couldn't help but feel he was in the wrong position. He was only barely ahead of the line, and the house beneath him actually had a few men inside, or so he reasoned from the sounds coming out of it from time to time, but still. If he fired before moving to a safer position, or decided to stay and see if his shots were hitting anything at all, no doubt the Empire would be without one of their men. Not left long to his musings, however, Sandor realized that his moment was at hand. Scanning around him, he saw that the attack was coming towards him from the east, and amidst the sounds filling the air he figured that they had devoted their entire force to that area. It made sense to him, after all. Bleed the enemy dry and stretch him thin, then attack with overwhelming force at one point. Well, he wasn't about to let that happen, though not for the same reason that he believed as he turned on his com once more. "Enemy attack coming in from the eastern approach," the sniper crisply spoke, hopefully to one of Danik's underlings, but nearly anyone would do, as far as Sandor was concerned. His job was only beginning, after all. Daring a quick shot in the general direction of one of the approaching infantrymen, Sandor then raced down the half-collapsed end of the house that still faced the Imperial line, and up into one of the few standing buildings nearby. Whorus Whorus grins a sawtoothed grin. The urban landscape had been changed with contruction equipment to be more or less a collection of fortresses placed in front of long roads and damaged, much less defensibile buildings. Holes had been carved into the sides of certain buildings. Razor wire and trip wire everywhere. Mines and remote explosives were left in piles of rubble and beneath the hulks of burnt war vehicles. It was either walk directly into a bottleneck position, or slog through the smaller capillaries that were the back streets and alleys of the capital city. A voice is heard over the communicator. East. That was... Whorus looks up from his compass and out the window. Well, as long as they weren't coming in from behind. Every other direction led to the intersection, with all the important objectives ensconced further up the road, into the core of the near-empty city. "Don't fire until they're past the line." Whorus speaks to his fireteam, poking their rifles out of the ground level window troughs. "Let 'em expose themselves." Evir From the north, the Pathfinders and other SpecOps troops advance slowly and quietly, their attentions focused less on finding the closest enemies and more on finding the traps that might alert said enemies to their advance. They reach rifle range, sighting in on the sentries and defenses at the north gate, and then open up with squad automatic repeaters and hand weapons. Three artillery spotters move up with the troops, painting targets, and the missile launchers a few kilometers back fire off several volleys before beginning to move to avoid counterartillery fire. Danik The battle begins. Explosions rip open the night sky at the southern gate, as the Y-wings earlier detected by the sensors release their bomb load on the southern fortifications. The fort's ceiling caves in, killing several troops in the base, while the AT-ST lumbers around, trying to find cover. Troops run, jump, duck, and hide as the plasma bombs rain down on the troops, and then open fire on the advancing rebel troops; the last functional E-web in the ruined southern fort is still operated by a wounded trooper, who opens fire into the night, watching for the outlines of advancing troops with each shot he sends out. "Where is our air support? Those Y-wings are reaping hell on our southern defense. Dispatch Mobius Squadron immediately; pull back those TIE Bombers to city airspace. We might need them for later. Keep the civilians back for now; the rebels have not yet entered the city proper. Hold the gates for now. We'll slowly begin to pull back into the city," Danik announced over the commotion in the command center, sweat pouring down from his head as he watched the tactical display monitor. "Activate the siren." It wasn't much of a siren. In fact, not a single Imperial troop heard it. But others did. The siren, a loud pitch sound, enough to damage the ears of a normal being, was heard only by certain species..the frequency of the sound was tuned so that humans did not hear it at all. The aliens in the Republic army, however, were a different story. This was a little something Kreldin cooked up for his nonhuman friends. "The Master Sergeant has reported in. Enemy forces are concentrating heavily on the eastern gate. But we're getting scattered reports from the west, but we can't make it out," the adjutant announced. "Very well. For now, focus the artillery on the eastern gate." As Danik gave his command, the artillery pieces concentrated primarily in the center of the city, but also postioned in other strategic points, began to open fire to the east, artillery pouring down in to the rebel troops as they advance on the gate. The men in the fort were opening fire with their machineguns and rifles, but to no avail; the fort was overrun, and the artillery fire soon demolished it, taking whatever rebel and Imperial troops that were inside. As the artillery barrage began, Mobius squadron, twelve TIE Mark II Interceptors, swooped in at the southern entrance, their laser cannons opening fire on the Y-wings in the sky. Below, mines begin to detonate as rebel troops ignorantly step over them, causing explosions and sending troops flying, killing those and others who stepped on it and happened to be in the immediate vicinity. Other booby traps included pits and wire traps, situated in the narrow streets and alleys. The west was still holding strong, the two AT-STs and the fort holding back the rebels for now, the machineguns lighting up the night as lasers streaked through and killed advancing troops, mines went off, exploding and killing more. It was a scene of utter chaos in Morai city. The repulsortank, "Holly," that had been hauling the few troopers on its hull pulled up behind the eastern fort, its night vision cameras feeding the driver inside images of the outside. There were rebels scaling the wall of the fort..a hatch on top of the tank popped open, and a man grabbed the E-web attached the top of the hull, and began to fire up at the wall where the rebels were climbing. The three troops that were riding along the tank got down and readied their weapons, though they could not see anything just yet. Snarl Whether it's good luck or bad luck that her team is spotted first, Snarl isn't entirely certain. It drastically lowers their chances for survival, but at the same time, it should make it easier for the troops entering at other points of the compass to push their way further into the city. Particularly the ones who aren't coming in by any gate at all. These scaling attackers were climbing in small groups on each wall, careful not to get bunched up together and thus make themselves easy targets. She had just divided her troops up into four smaller squads and sent them to branch out when the siren goes off. Completely bewildered, the Human troops following the Horansi, Wookiees, and Shistavanen all nearly jump out of their own skin as their leaders clamp their hands over their ears and cut loose with horrible screams and howls of agony. They stare for a few moments and then most quickly move on, following their training in a way that would make their commanding officers proud if they hadn't been currently incapacitated. Snarl herself drops to her knees, driven there as though she'd just been smacked in the head with half a ton of bricks. "GO, GO!" she screams at one of the younger lieutenants who stayed behind to try and help, "LEAVE NOW!" On the western side of the city, similar difficulties are experienced, but the majority of the fighters are still capable of continuing the battle. Explosions continue to be heard in the distance, so it would seem that some of the Human troops must have "borrowed" a few grenades and put them to good use. Those scaling the walls have moderate success, some of them being blown away as they reach the top and prepare for their decent into the city -- but some of them do make it. Those who have entered the city move forward in small groups, avoiding areas that appear to "easy" to cross since they seem likely to be set with traps. Many are cut down, but those who remain doggedly thread their way toward the center of the besiged city. Sandor Once in, and having raced up what little remained of the stairs in the two story building Sandor had taken shelter in, which was still structurally stable but not much of a sight to look at, Sandor laid himself prone at the beginning of a fairly large hole in the wall. It offered a fair view of the battle, after all, and wasn't an immediate threat, as people were firing from positions all around him, and mostly lower to the ground. Not perfect, but it would have to do, Sandor reasoned. His section of the battle seemed worthy of a similar description. While they were holding thus far, the Master Sergeant could make out positions that had either caved in under fire, or had been blown away altogether already. Scanning the section ahead of him carefully, he watches a small team cut into a substantially smaller number, and sends a well placed shot after one of the survivors as they move towards cover. It wouldn't be long before they had enough people into position to overwhelm the line, given that most of the Imperial armor appeared to be elsewhere, but at least there was the hope that the attackers would be bled just enough that taking the city would becoming an impossibility. Whorus Whorus had control of seldom few troops, but now that his command services were at a premium, he had almost an entire squad at his disposal. As it was, he was only taking his boys with him. "Efreti, Dayntin, Iaunibn, Vidci. You come with me upstairs. The rest of you- enjoy your duck shoot." Whorus is skittering around quickly, in a hurry to be ready for any incoming foot soldiers. "Efreti, grab two boxes of grenades and meet me in the northern alleyway." Whorus grabs up a tripod and hands a heavy mountable blaster to one of his personal fireteam. He then sprints up the stairs, keeping his typical hyperactive mannerisms about him as he finds a roof overlooking a large alleyway through which troops would no doubt filter in attempts to overrun the eastern bottleneck. Evir At the north gate, New Republic Marines breach the defenses, weakend as they are from the artillery barrage, and begin to pour in, supported by light armored repulsorcraft shuttled down from orbit. They move along main thoroughfares in bounding overwatch patterns, squads running ahead as others cover them. First Sergeant Giran Blaine and his thirty Pathfinders are suddenly whittled down to twenty as the siren sounds; those for which the noise is out of their hearing range pause, fashioning makeshift earplugs for those affected and moving onward as only two of the ten that can hear the noise decide to move onward. The Pathfinders keep to narrow back streets, one of their number watching a scanner for power discharges that indicate weapons firing. They keep quiet as they approach the western entrance, finding an empty, ruined building and climbing to the top floor. Blaine pulls out a pair of macrobinoculars, looking through them at the fight going on for the west gate, and begins to mark positions which fire on the Republic troops. Danik "The siren appears to be effective, sir. Early reports are indicating that a lot of the rebel troops are faltering. It's giving us a slight advantage," the adjutant reported to Kreldin, whom merely nodded. "However, it would appear that Master Sergeant Woden's information was false; we're being assaulted on every front with massive forces. The eastern front is all but gone, sir, but our concentrated artillery barrage has taken a toll." "Spread the artillery out now; focus on all fronts. Divide up the armor as well. Tanks and AT-STs to all fronts except the eastern front. Too many rebels there. It's time to send in the civilians. Have the infanty ready to follow in their wake," Danik said grimly, sitting down in his command seat. "Here's to hoping.." Bloody house-to-house fighting ensued. Imperial troops, boxed in homes, opened fire from the second floor windows down into the streets where rebel troops either walked over mined or slipped by. Imperials, however, were being flushed out of the houses by the rebel troops, but not without losses on the rebel's part. Artillery continued to pound rebel positions in the city, and now AT-STs and repulsortanks were arriving on all fronts to reinforce the damaged lines. Imperial troops, deep in their trenches, ran along the trench line, or peeked their head up and took shots at the rebels, or sometimes the order was given to go over the top, and the Imperial troops charged forward into the night, running into rebel troops and engaging in deadly hand-to-hand combat. The Imperials, however, were not all out of hope; they still had their artillery and armor, and the siren gave them a slight advantage insofar that it allowed them to take pot shots at rebels who were distracted long enough by the piercing sound, except for the humans. Still, it played a crucical part in some skirmishes spread throughout the capital. And at last, the civilians were ready to go. "Fight for your Emperor, fight for your Empire, fight for your home!" shouted the Imperial officer to the band of civilians, equipped with ST-Is or ammo packs. "CHARGE!" And with that, the civilians ran forward, a light attached to each of them, illuminating the way and letting the trained, hardened infantry who were followed to let them know where the civilians were through the darkness. The partisians met the rebel offensive in the east, and waded into them like fools. They were slaughtered wholesale, but there were -so- many. As a dozen fell, another dozen took their place, and with each one that fell, the Imperial troops behind them could see where the rebels were firing from. Thus, this meant improved artillery bombardment, improved sniper fire, and better shots for the infantry present there, watching the slaughter unfold. But the civilians kept on coming... "Sir, the northern gate has fallen. The situation is looking bad for us, sir." "Very well. Once our offensive in the east is over, order all available units to fall back to the center of the city. We'll draw them in, house-to-house fighting along the way. They'll run into our mines and traps. We'll make our last stand in the plaza." Mobius Squadron had apparently taken down the Y-wings that were wrecking the southern defenses, and were now free to provide close-air support for the besieged Imperial troops. The fighters swooped in low over the eastern and northern gates, their laser cannons firing into the rebel lines and providing illumination for the troops below. Snarl Wondering it her head is going to just pop like a squashed grape, it takes Snarl nearly 30 seconds to even begin thinking intelligent thoughts again. Hands still clamped over her ears, the Horansi suddenly notices that she's pressing the pads of her headset into her ears. What was it that Colonel Syvers had said about these things? And then she remembers. Yelling into her comlink, she communicates this insight to the others even as she reaches to make the necessary adjustments herself. "ADAPTIVE INTERFERENCE!" she roars into the com, unable to accurately gauge her own volume. Not that it matters, since the others probably wouldn't hear her normal speaking voice anyway. "YOU CAN SET AN ELECTRONIC FILTER AND CANCEL THE NOISE!" the Horansi bellows to her fellow stricken warriors. And then, all of a sudden, there is a silence that startles her. At least it seems like silence for several seconds after the damage her hearing just took. Then vaguely she can once again hear the thundering booms of explosives. She gives her head a quick shake to help clear it, and then her golden eyes narrow dangerously. Leaping to her feet, she beckons to the Wookiees and the Shistavanen who didn't get too far before the siren struck them. Together, the four quickly navigate after their troops, heading west toward the center of the city. The fire and cross-fire going on seems a bit higher than the Rebel troops would like, but the continue to do their best to dodge in and out of the meager cover that is available. And then an order comes through the comlink from a VERY angry Horansi. "Spec Ops and battalion leaders, take out those buildings with heavy fire coming from them now! And see if you can get rid of the tanks!" Even as the non-Human fighters are able to resume the battle, there are brilliant flashes and huge explosions from a few key points around the city as the Rebels pull a little surprise out of their pouches. It's a risky maneuver because if a warrior mis-judges his or her throw the results are fatal, but they've been trained for this. Those with the skill necessary begin to throw thermal detonators at prime targets, the small and light-weight devices flying more than far enough when flung by a creature with a Wookiee or a Horansi's strength. Many of these have a sticky substance on them that makes them difficult to remove from the surface that they come into contact with upon landing. Although this is likely to be a surprise, it doesn't stop the battle by any means. Even if a lot of Imperials are taken out, there are still those mines to deal with. Sandor On a level purely based upon his chances of survival, the Master Sergeant genuinely admired Danik's ploy. But that didn't stop him from faltering for a second, silently cringing at the sight of such a slaughter. Shot after shot when out from his rifle, and only a few ever seemed to come in reply, as they were all directed towards the mass of innocents being propelled into the fray. Even at some points where it seemed to be spent, the charge shortly resumed, with no hope of success whatsoever. No doubt some of them realized that as well, but with so many weapons discharging around them, did any of them really think they had a choice? Which brought up an interesting point in Sandor's mind; what were they defending here, if the very people that breathe life into the city are expendable? Still, those questions could wait. As long as someone else was able to die in his place, the sniper was more than happy to continue carrying out his duties. And take as many rebels as possible into the afterlife while performing them, of course. Whorus Whorus eventually reaches the roof of one of the fortified buildings- once a stylish, antiquated coffee shop, now a fortress, with scores of infantry firing from the lower (and a few upper) windows at any advancing infantry. There was, naturally, a back way into the building, up a long, straight alleyway. An alleyway that Whorus and five of his men were now overlooking. "Ok," He yells over the sound of erupting blasters and the odd detonator. "See these barrels over here?" He gives a rough pat atop some steel drums. "It's corrosive waste. If you see anyone trying to come up the fire escape, just dump it over." He rips open the seal on a box of fresh grenades. "It'll save us some of these. Load up and disperse onto the safe buildings." The safe buildings were the ones with sabotaged stairwells, with roofs only accessable by rope ladders and other roofs. Guerrila fighting at it's most simple. Evir "Zone and sweep, fire for effect," Blaine says quietly, and the radioman nearby relays the order to one of the Republic artillery batteries on the outskirts of the city. The horizon lights up for a moment, and then the positions Blaine identified as Imperial come under heavy fire, explosive and timered shells raining down on them. The Pathfinders slip away, rejoining the main force coming in through the north gate and making their way towards the defenses at the center of the city. Danik Hundreds of bodies litter the street in the Eastern front, civilians and infantry alike; houses are nothing but rubble, and whatever armor was caught up in the fray was decimated. Thermal detonators rang out through the city, wiping out entire buildings and killing many. But, the Imperials were relentless; slowly they pulled back to the center of the city as rebel artillery rains down upon them, taking rebels with them as they fought house to house under the intense bomardment, but the remaining Imperials, about fifty-five infantry, two tanks, and one AT-ST, all found their way to the heavily defended plaza and capitol building. E-webs, mortars, and numerous other fortifications and trenches marked this area, the final stand of the Empire. Meanwhile, the TIE Interceptors of Mobius squadron continued to rip into the rebel lines, their laser cannons pouring out blast and blast into the troops below, and for the first time, the TIE Bombers were now being put into use; carpet bombing was being put into use. The bombers did not care what they dropped on, they just knew ther rebels were in this vicinty. "Sir, all units minus Corporal Whorus's fireteam have reported in at the plaza. They're still out there in the city.." "Bloody hell..what is that man thinking? Keep up the carpet bombing and close-air support. And prepare our evacuation transport."
* Scene ended here, NR would go on to victory* From SW1ki, a Wikia wiki.
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