Defiance Armada: The Battle of Sarapin

[Green Ranger]

DEFIANCE ARMADA: THE BATTLE OF SARAPIN​

With the alliance forged at Manaan, the newly-coined invasion fleet of Defiance Armada moved quickly upon the Imperium. Set with the goal to eradicate the Sith rulers of the Imperium or die trying, the massed fleet - a combination of Rebellion, Jedi, Hutt and Bogan forces - along with a host of civilian vessels and other, small organizations lending their aid to the task, the enormous force quickly moved into deep space in order to avoid detection. From their staging point in orbit around a dead star, the fleet, led by the former Jedi Master, Kara Vaalki, plotted their avenue of invasion into the core.

From Manaan, there were two avenues the fleet could use to reach the heart of the galaxy. The first involved passing perilously close to the Kuat system, host of the famous Kuat Drive Yards - a hardened fortress with a host of dreadnoughts and hardened defences that would give even the colossal armada pause. Any campaign in that system had the potential for dragging out for months - time enough for the Imperium to amass their forces and crush the armada in its first battle.

The alternative, however, was far more appealling. The volcanic world of Sarapin was only moderately defended - far from the edge of Imperial territories and sparsely populated, the planet served as a valuable source of energy for the core worlds, the ashen landscape dotted with enormous laser drills and energy collectors. Imperial influence was centralized in a main garrison facility that housed the Energy Collection Repository for the planet, a sprawling, twisted facility that stored the gathered energy before it was shipped off-world. For such a vital facility, however, the garrison was relatively light - the harsh planet prevented the Imperium from establishing a larger presence, and the garrison relied heavily on supplies being delivered from off-world - a costly exercise to defend a facility that had not been the site of a battle in over a thousand years.

The target chosen, Defiance Armada elected two individuals to lead a taskforce to secure the facility and eliminate the garrison, in order to allow the bulk of the fleet to pass further into the Core inhindered. For this task, the Mandalorian Tal Veran (@Phœnix ) and the Matukai Xeus Qel-Droma (@Korvo ) were chosen to lead the assault and given command of one fully-loaded Galaxon-A Escort Cruiser each to transport the troops for the ground assault.

As the two vessels dropped out of hyperspace over Sarapin, they immediately began to scramble hyperwave signals to prevent the Imperium being alerted to their presence. Moving swiftly, fully loaded shuttles and dropships issued forth from the vessels' hangars, beginning the long descent through the atmosphere to the ashen landscape below.

((Tagging @Galad J. Victus and @Moheep as well. Posting order will be us first, then you guys. OOC THREAD CAN BE FOUND HERE))

 

[Phoenix]

He could hear his pulse in his ears and the sound of his own breathing filled his helmet. Somehow he had wound up here. The Defiance Armada. He had no real illusions about who or what he was. He was a mercenary and assassin who had killed on behalf of the Cartel numerous times, and likely would again. Sure, he had something of a code of honor that he followed, but he had no illusions about being some great and honorable freedom fighter. His motivation for being here was so much simpler. So much more basic. Revenge. The Imperium had wiped out his people, forced him to live his life looking over his shoulder, and now he would force them to do the same. He would be the thing that haunted their dreams, and it would all start here. On Sarapin.

He would have called it a backwater world save for the fact that it was actually in the Core planets, nevertheless, it was borderline uninhabitable, which was likely why it had been used as a power facility for so long. Few people moving to and fro meant fewer possibilities of sabotage. Or so everyone thought. It didn’t seem that that notion would stop the Defiance Armada as it made its way deeper toward the heart of the Imperium.

His mind was pulled back into the here and now as he heard the announcement that the dropships would be launching soon. As soon as the ship had dropped into the system, means had been taken to prevent their detection, now as they came within range, Tal Veren climbed into one of 12 dropships that would ferry them down to the planet’s surface. He gave one final check over his gear as he began to climb into the gunship. He was a veritable walking armory and had equipped his regular arsenal as well as a variety of explosives including two-trigger, momentum-detonated sonic detonators, magnetic thermal detonators with multi-choice triggers, an EMP grenade, and a good old-fashioned stun grenade hidden away in pouches and pockets.

This was going to be a crap show and he was going to be ready. Stepping onto the gunship, the door slid closed behind him and he took a seat. Waiting for the fight to start and getting planet-side were the worst parts if you asked him. Once he pulled the trigger for the first time, everything fell into motion, but until then, the nerves were a real problem. He rapped his knuckles on the bulkhead for good luck and a moment later they were off, shooting toward the planet’s surface.

Luckily, it appeared that the Imperials hadn’t detected their presence yet allowing them semi-safe passage planet-side, where his job would start, along with the others embarking on this dangerous adventure. He had a direct com line to the other team leader, Xeus Qel-Droma, a man whom Tal shared almost nothing in common with. At least at first glance, but that was the beauty (or horror) of the Empire: people from all walks of life really hated their guts. Perhaps planet-side the two would meet up, but if not, they had what they needed to get in contact.

The descent took what seemed like an eternity, but after some time, the ashen surface of the planet came into view. Take out the resistance, sabotage the energy collectors, and take out pretty much any mechanical things you find. Simple enough right? Perhaps it would be. Perhaps not.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

Silence. It was a perfect silence. His breathing, slowed in a haphazard meditative exercise. His hand gripped tightly to a silverly-white three-metered bladed trident, as he sat in the greatest expectation of it. The only interruptions to his auditory void was that quiet thunder, rhythmic and heavy. Over and over again, it sounded and boomed gently in his ears and resonances through the smallest veins of his body.

LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB... LUB-DUB...

Xeus was no stranger to battles, or to wars, but not to this sheer magnitude. Never before had he been a part of something that so much greater than himself. Donning a silky white cowl and cloak while fully clad in his warskin, the man's presence alone was in stark contrast to the more practically-attired soldiers - he looked more like a clergyman or a soothsayer than a soldier. But from the moment the Galaxtron-class cruiser took off, destined for the dust of Sarapin, such trivialities ceased to matter. It was a large enough vessel, and Xeus hadn't even caught sight of the other officer commanding the counterpart team. A Mandalorian warrior, from what he had heard. If nothing else, those of that walk of life had proven themselves resilient to the constant attempts to wipe them out, both on the genocidal and cultural level.

The slight inertia shifted the man within the armor, and he knew what it was. Passing through the atmosphere. A gleam of reddish light flickered into glasteel windows, transmitted by the sensory receptors of Xeus' helmet; the light refraction of a planet's atmosphere in response the the brilliant light of a living star. Even with his eyes shut, he could perceive the increased light against his eyelids. It was an omen, a countdown to signal when his own battle would begin.

Yet still, he was waiting for it. Its call. The one that he would answer. As the artificial gravity was replaced by the slightly heavier natural forces, Xeus felt the rate of his heartbeat gently increase. They were through the stratosphere and into the troposphere, which was typically when ship functionality adjusted for planetary conditions.

"ATTENTION ALL HANDS", as the voice came, filtered through the comm systems, the eyes behind the mask opened, "DESTINATION IN SIGHT. OPERATION COMMENCING."

 

[Galad J. Victus]

Quiet. Peace and silence. Absence and anger.

Galad sat alone in his dark room as emotions of all sorts drifted through his mind. Meditation was the one thing that kept him from dying out of boredom in this dull planet, and it also helped him calm his cold anger. The hilt of his lightsaber slowly drawing circles in mid-air around him, Galad was sitting crosslegged and his mask put out, on the metal floor with the face side turned towards him.

Eyes closed, he was meditating. His thoughts wandered to the happenings of the past, questioning his morals, decisions and actions. Yet another one of those self-judgement sessions that he kept coming to regularly. He had been seeking the peace of mind that had avoided him thus far. To shut down the voices and the curse that was gifted to him in Coruscant... Going back so deep, Galad felt as if he was tapping into someone else's memories, events buried so far within his consciousness that were all but forgetten. The mere passing of time wasn't what made it all so misty. There was more to it. A sickness that he hid carefully.

Raising his eyelids, he revealed a pair of crimson eyes and gazed into the darkness aimlessly before shifting his attention to the helmet; viewing the metal mask that kept his face covered for so long. It looked to him like a second persona of his, almost. A thick skin to hide the vulnerable being inside. A mechanism of survival. He reached for it, grabbing it with both hands, taking a closer look as he raised it to eye level. He could identify every smallest scrape and battle mark, where and how they were etched. He looked on and on as battles and duels were re-enacted in his head one by one.

It was far too quit inside the room, silence eating at him. He attached the cold hilt back to his belt before getting up, concluding the dark meditation. He had lost track of time inside the room but he reckoned time to leave was coming soon. Having been stuck in this huge rock far too long for his likeing, he was eager to jump back into hyperspace once the breakdown of his personal starfigter's engines could be fixed by the engineers deployed in the garrison, the reason of his forced landing here. Putting his black helmet back on, he walked out of the chamber and went off into the dimly lit corridors, heading towards the hangar section.

Galad made a self-note about speaking to commanding officers of the facility before leaving for good. Well, since he was here; a quick inspection of the military personnel wouldn't hurt either. Not that the Rebels would have any reasons to attack this irrelevant nowhere, but still.

 

[Sara Rain]

From her viewpoint from behind the blast-proof glass of the Central Command Tower, Sara was able to see for miles in every direction. Her eyes filled with wonder and awe as she took note of the endless rivers of lava weaving their way across Sarapin's hostile landscape. The outlines of several gargantuan laser drills loomed In the distance, a true display of the superiority of Imperial engineering.

Even Sarapin's garrison, while small, was an impressive example of the skill possessed by Imperial architects.Building and maintaining a functional and effective military base on a world as dangerous as Sarapin should have been outright impossible, yet the Imperial garrison, with its labrythian corridors and state of the art cooling system, had managed to imprint itself into a permanent fixture on Sarapin's restless surface.

Turning to the young ensign who had escorted her to the tower, Sara nodded her head and quietly said, "Thank-you, I think I am done here".

As part of her training, Sara had travelled to the planet of Sarapin to gain a better understanding of how energy was generated for the Imperium. As a Sith acolyte, Sara recognized that one day she might hold a position of power and influence in the Imperium, and if she wanted to make effective decisions, she would need to understand the Imperium's infastructure. Of course, there was also the possibility that the lasers used to mine deep into Sarapin's surface could also be used as weapons against the Imperium's long list of enemies, but Sara's inquiry had quickly revealed that there were better WMD weapons available.

Sara was almost relieved when she followed the ensign into the turbo lift that would take her down to the hangar. Despite her desire to learn, Sara had not found the details of Sarapin's energy industry to be very exciting. She was happy that her few days here were over, and that she would be able to return to Ziost and resume her core Sith training. Her short trip to the command tower had been her last stop before saying goodbye to this literal hell-hole of a planet.

The turbolift shot downward, causing Sara's stomachs to perform an acrobatic routine. A strange feeling of dread began to enter her gut, causing a shiver to run down Sara's spine. Something felt wrong about today, but Sara did not know what. Perhaps the feeling was a result of staring out the glass window for too long. Sara had never been a fan of heights.

Sara was dressed to travel. She wore dark, loose-fitting robes, with a black utility belt around her waist. On her belt rested her blaster pistol, vibroblade, and training saber, as well as her commlink. In the duffel bag Sara carried in her right hand was a some more clothing, a second blaster, ammution, a medpack, and her datapad.

The turbolift finally arrived at her destination, and Sara and the baby-faced ensign stepped off and continued towards the hangar. Turning into a dimly lit corridor, Sara suddenly found herself face-to-face with an intimidating man wearing a frightening dark mask. If the man's appearance did not give his identity away, the sudden spike Sara felt in the Force told her that the man was a powerful member of the Sith Order.

Not wanting to anger the Sith, Sara immediately offered a bow to the man in front of her, offering a humble greeting.

 

[Phoenix]

He stood from his seat and made his way in the direction of the cockpit. Through the viewscreen, he could make out the surface of the planet in all of its blazing glory. With the dropships nearly to the ground, it was likely that the fighter and bomber pilots had already begun their descent to the planet’s surface as well. With a filled hangar, the Galxon-A cruiser had just over a dozen BB-Y12 fighter-bombers and another dozen VZ-22 fighters for escort. That was more than enough firepower to ruin the Imperial’s day planet side.

The dropship shuddered slightly as its gears hit the ground, the obvious signal that it was time to disembark. As the door to the Vindicator gunship that had ferried them to the planet surface opened, Tal and the other soldiers poured out of the exit, taking only moments to disembark before the gunship had lifted off again. He had to admit, now that he was down here, he was a bit glad for his helmet’s filters since all the ash on this planet just made him feel like he was breathing in death, even if he wasn’t.

Bringing his PSB-2ac up from where it was hanging on its sling he began moving rapidly toward the main command and barracks building. Speed, stealth and violence of action were the staples of any commando raid, and this one would be no different.

So it begins, he mused before triggering his coms to give the final assault order. Commence attack run. With that simple order an incredible fireworks display would began. The Vindicator gunships that had acted as their dropships, as well as the 18 BB-Y12 bombers from the Galaxon and their escort of VZ-22 fighters began a terrible and deafening display of firepower as they unleashed their payloads of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles.

The armada wasn’t interested in taking the facility in tact, their goal was to deprive the core worlds of power and clear a path for the rest of the armada. This meant there wasn’t a huge reason to leave things in tact, especially not since they housed the military force left to defend the planet. He looked up just as the first of the bombers streaked through the sky and unleashed the first of its payload on the main barracks facilities. Meanwhile, each of the dozen gunships that had landed and deployed its 16 troopers at predetermined points throughout the energy collectors and drills also began to join the barrage. While that happened, the men, Tal included, would move through planting detonators on the drills and collectors as they made their way to the barracks where the (hopefully minimal) surviving resistance would be rooted out and cleared, the old fashioned way: room by room.

Tal moved forward, his rifle raised, the barrel tracking everywhere his eyes went as he made his way closer to the compound. He had intentionally chosen to land his gunship closer to the facility than most of the others given that that would be the most likely point to encounter resistance and he wouldn’t ask the others to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. First into the fight and last to leave.

The barracks and command center were still receiving a pounding by concussion missiles and proton torpedoes as he and his team came to the edge of the mining field and as he watched, he was quite grateful that he wasn’t the one inside that building at the moment. He paused for a moment while a pair of operators set demolition devices on a nearby energy collector. His team was one of the first to make it to the edge of the mining field before the main compound, but he knew the other squads were right in tow.

As he waited, head on a swivel watching for hostiles, he opened up the direct coms to his co-leader on this operation: Xeus. Pulling up a small map in his HUD of the projected landing points for all of the gunships, he thought that Xeus had also chosen one of the closest landing points as well, but wasn’t sure.

This is Reaper actual, do you copy? he hailed the other operator. Upon receiving an answer, he continued Minimal resistance on our end. Several drills and collectors have been taken offline. We are outside the main compound now and ready to make the push inside once the final strafes are finished. How are things looking on your end?

The first of the other squads had started arriving at their little staging area where they would wait out the end of the bombardment before pushing forward into the main compound. The various squads began to gather along the edge of the drills where they had basic cover before pushing forward into the main compound, taking advantage of the insanity and disorientation caused by the airstrikes. Tal could still make out several of the Vindicator gunships overhead ready to provide danger-close air support to the squads upon request.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

It was like a storm of explosions. Flashes of crimson bolts and azure energy clusters rained down as the Defiance Armada struck with extreme prejudice. Xeus didn't glance back at the men and woman in his charge - they knew what about to happen, what they were about to do. The tenseness of the waiting and anticipation had been sheared away by the reality of the coming conflict. The late eleventh hour had come and past. Now, it was zero hour - the beginning.

The pilot dove down in among the swarm of other Vindicator ships, setting down toward the battlefront. They were the vanguard, something Xeus would have no other way. "Move out, now!"

A flurry of blasterfire peppered the air as Xeus twirled his wan-shen defensively, deflecting the incoming blasterbolts away as he pressed forward. "Advance and terminate with extreme prejudice! 9th, 12th, 22nd assault platoons, charge in Howlrunner formation! 51st and 103rd recon platoons, fall back to entrenched positions and provide long-range support! 212th and 99th, on my six!" Windu's Charge, with him as the spear. A military tactic defined by an ancient Jedi Master during the historical Clone Wars.

Shells exploded as the 51st and 103rd platoons provided long-range support with sniper fire and light artillery strikes, cutting down clustered enemy forces as they routed from the 9th, 12th and 22nd assault platoons charging in a hybridized pincer and support fire movement. Down the middle, between the assault platoons, Xeus sped forward with the 212th and 99th to reach the repository. With most of the already minor resistance being occupied with the other five platoons, Xeus' immediate forces reached their destination almost immediately.

Tagging the drilling platforms and energy collectors with strike beacons as they charged toward the facility, Xeus assigned the 212th with marking tactical zones for pinpointed bomber strike. With the aerial assault happening overhead, Xeus and the 212th and 99th quickly fled the hot zone as the bombers made their run, demolishing several of the drills and collector platforms.

As he then sent a transmission ordering the other platoons under his command to regroup for the next offensive, a second transmission came in from the operation's co-commander, the Mandalorian.

"Reaper actual, this is Tempest actual - I copy," Xeus began, utilizing the com system and HUD within his helm, "What's your status?"

That things were going so well almost brought unease. Of course, the security was minimal to begin with, but he couldn't ebb the intuition that with the ways things were going, it was almost too easy. After hearing Veran relay his own preparation for the successive assault into the facility itself, his gut feeling was only reinforced.

"Our situation is parallel. We have encountered limited resistance, but nothing we can't handle. Initial attacks thus far have proven successful," pulling up an electronic map on the inside of his helmet, "We're mounting for an offensive approach outside the facility's East access."

Between the bombardments completing their runs over the main facility and the convergence of his other platoons, Xeus had since ordered his forces to entrench themselves in expectation for a retaliatory counter-strike. At least in some form - after all, it's what he would have done. Remain inside and wait the bombardment out? Exit and fight? Either were possible, but he was making sure to prepare for both. Xeus didn't have the almost iconic Force-sensitive trait of clairvoyant intuition - Matukai were much more physical and material than the rather esoteric and spiritual Jedi Knights and Sith Lords - but he knew inevitability when he felt them.

 

[Galad J. Victus]

"Well met." He uttered upon finding the acolyte before him. He was aware of the presence of someone else from the Order here; he was told it and he had sensed it. For a moment the name escaped him, then he found it. "Rain." His metal, devilish voice was from from friendly, but not hostile either. Dread was in Galad's nature.

Before the pleasantries could be traded, the whole compound trembled as a distant noise of explosion clattered. The personnel looked around confused and a fuss took hold of the men around them. Galad reached out through the Force, and it wasn't hard to tell what was going on. The alarm sounded with the voice of the officer echoing throughout the base. "All personnel to their battlestations, we are under attack. I repeat, we are under attack!" Galad kept his calm for the morale of the men was crucial; especially in a surprise attack scenario such as this one. His own act of bravery would hearten them as well. He quickly contacted the commanding officer through the comlink while making his way towards the elevator with wide steps. "Organize our defences at once, the Rebels are attacking. Fire the AA guns and mobilize the garrison. Send help signal for the closest Imperium miltiary presence immediately. We will keep the enemy occupied until the aid arrives. Link me up to the platoon commanders, I want every men on this compound to be able to hear me." Before entering the elevator and ascending to the command center he briefly turned to Rain. "We shall take them on here, the energy platforms are expandable. Assemble a force and reinforce the main entrance. Do not tread outside for the air superiorty gives them the upper hand, lure them inside and set up a welcoming party. And await my further orders." With that Galad dissapeared with the elevator door shutting behind him.

It was a brief journey up to the command center but it gave him a moment to gather up his thoughts. He was too busy meditating and thus could not see the incoming blow, nor could the systems detect it before it was too late. But why here, why now? Possibly a raid aimed at the valuable energy production. Was that simply it? If that was so, why would they bother bombarding and assaulting the main compound? They were here to secure the system. What would possible interest them in such an isolated place? Galad would find it out. This way or that way.

Bombing was heavily directed at the command center which held on for now but the each dropping bomb shook the place one after another. As the door opened before him he quickly made his way towards the center where the officers and technical personnel were struggling with holograms, monitors and all sorts of control devices. The man in charge of the garrison was a middle-aged average looking officer. He turned to greet the dark Crusader as Galad stormed his way through the corridor. He could sense the stress and anxiety in the man. "Report in, Commander." The man hastily activated the main hologram displaying the main compound and the drilling zones around it. "They have taken control of the platforms established outside our compound my Lord, eliminating our few troops deployed there, merely a few dozen. They have taken up defensive positions to our east, here;" marking the area with his forefinger, "and are gathering around the main entrance. We have amassed the bulk of our forces around these two entrances, ready to give them hell once they walk in. Lastly, the AA focus are being shifted at the bombers as he you have commanded. It should give us a breathing space from this dreaded bombardment." Galad paused a moment to analyze the information given him. Everything was depending on whether the entrances would fall or not, now. "Tell the barracks reserves to await my command. I shall personally oversee the fighting at the gates, and have tasked the acolyte Rain to defend the other entrance, she will serve as the second-in-command." With that he turned back heading towards the elevator, in order to take the field. His one final command echoed through the command center as he made his exit.

"Make them regret crossing us."

 

[Phoenix]

Spoiler: OOC

Per Manaan rules, it has been 48 hours without a post from Sarah Rain. Given that she was not there to defend the gate, Rebel forces had a much easier time taking them over.

The battle seemed to be going decently thus far, but he knew that this wasn’t the time to let his guard down. The teams had all but taken over the energy collectors and drills, which was all fine with Tal, but it meant the battle to take the gates would likely be more difficult. Nevertheless, it was certain that the Imperials would have already sustained heavy casualties from the bombardments.

Many of the bombers and gunships began to pull up and away as the facility’s AA guns began to open up, but as the final passes ran over the base, Tal used a designator to call in a strike directly on the front gate, knowing that Xeus would take the East gate. A pair of concussion missiles streaked toward the gate and with a deafening crash and the feeling of an earthquake, the gates blasted inward, showering the defenders inside with deadly shrapnel and a shockwave of death.

Now was their chance and Tal intended to take it. With a blanket of covering fire, the troopers made their charge across the short gap to the entrance. The defenders returned fire, but didn’t seem to have actually set up their positions yet. Tal’s rifle blazed with fire as two of his particle rounds struck home in the chests of two stormtroopers before violently releasing their build up of energy.

A grenade from one of the Rebel troopers shook the corridor that was the front hallway, blasting another soldier to pieces and filling the air with smoke and dirt. Tal cut down the hallway and quickly sidestepped into an offshoot passageway while the other troopers overwhelmed the meager defenses assembled at the front gate.

A sense of thrill filled Tal’s body as he realized what this meant. The rebels were inside. They were past the choke point that the Imperials could have used to stop them and could now spread out throughout the base, creating a nightmare to hunt them all down.

Dozens of soldiers began to fan out throughout the base, clearing room by room as they went. For his part, Tal began leading a small team of 8 toward the East gate where they would help his ally punch through by flanking the defenders from behind.

 

[Sara Rain]

The feeling of dread filled Sara's stomach as the Crusader acknowledged her presence; however, the feeling was soon erased by surprise as the building began to shake. At first, Sara atributed the shaking to Sarapin's high seismic activity, but when she heard the muffled sound of explosions and gunfire from outside the compound, she realized the Imperial garrison was under attack.

After receiving her orders from the Crusader, Sara began sprinting towards the nearest armory. As she ran, the building shuddered as another round of explosions went off from outside the compound. Losing her balance, Sara stumbled forward and fell to the ground.

Rage clouded Sara's vision as she pulled herself to her feet. Those explosions outside could only have been the destruction of the energy platforms responsible for providing power to millions of innocent civllians who lived on the Core Worlds. Did the rebel scum actually think the key to saving the galaxy was unnecessary destruction?

With anger rushing through her veins, Sara continued into the armory. Upon her arrival, she was greeted with the welcome sight of dozens of stormtroopers donning their weapons and armor. The garrison on Sarapin might not be large, but the men were definately well-trained. The soldiers prepared themselves in a disciplined and efficient manner, and within a minute they were ready for Sara's orders.

Sara divided the men directly under her command into three platoons, with each platoon consisting of three four-man fireteams. With the rebel forces outside approaching with every second, Sara did not waste time giving a rousing speech. Grabbing a blaster rifle for herself, Sara led her men towards the defense of the front gate.

Turning a corner into a medical bay, Sara found herself ten feet away from a pair of enemy soldiers. Without thinking, Sara aimed her rifle and emptied two shots into his chest. At such a close range, his armor was vaporized, and the soldier died on his feet. The second rebel was gunned down in similar fashion.

Unfortunately, the two soldiers' presence indicated that the enemy forces had already bypassed the front gate. Refusing to pet her failure be the cause for a rebel victory, Sara thought of a way to salvage the situation.

Despite the rebels' intial success, the Imperial defenses still possessed two clear advantages. Firstly, the Imperial soldiers knew the compound extremely well, while the invading forces likely had no idea how to navigate the maze-like structure. Secondly, the garrison had been built for defense, and through her analysis of the building's blueprints beforehand, Sara knew that there was still three chokepoints the Imperials could utilize to trap the intruders in this particular section of the building.

Lifting her commlink to her mouth, Sara issued orders to her men. She ordered two platoons to fall back and defend two of the checkpoints, preventing the rebels from getting too far into the base before reinforcements could arrive. Sara herself would lead the third platoon to defend the third, most important checkpoint. Any intruders that managed to break through Sara's line of defense would be able to reach the eastern entrance and flank the defenses there.

Patching herself up to central command, Sara ordered the commanding officer to kill the lights in her section of the compound. Perhaps the rebels would be tricked into thinking they had knocked out the power, and would be lead into a false sense of security. Also, Sara's men would be able to see clearly in the dark, thanks to the infrared capabilities in their helmets, while the rebel intruders might be impeded by the sudden lack of visibility.

Moving through the corridors, Sara concentrated on the fear and anger running through her veins. Focusing through the Force, Sara felt the presence of a small squad of rebel intruders, around eight or nine soldiers, moving through a narrow hallway nearby. A small smile formed across Sara's lips.

The hallway the rebels were travelling down would eventually lead them to a small computer room with little cover and multiple entrances. Silently signalling two fireteams to split off from the main group and loop around to take flanking positions in the computer room, Sara herself would lead the third fireteam, four stormtroopers and herself, to ambush the intruders from behind and drive them into a trap.

As the stormtroopers began looping around to take their positions, Sara herself led her squad to the hallway containing the hopefully-soon-to-be-dead rebel troopers.

Pausing for a moment before turning into a hallway, Sara felt fear, anger, and hatred well up in her chest. Silently, she signalled for her men to initiate the attack.

The stormtroopers moved like a well-oiled machine. With complete coordination, one trooper turned the corner and tossed a grenade into the middle of the rebel group. Nanosecond later two more stormtroopers entered the hallway, one crouched and one standing, and unleashed a hail of blaster fire at the rebel squad. In the room at the end of the hall, the eight stormtroopers rushed to get into position.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

"103rd platoon, target heavy weapon at relayed coordinates."

The thunderous booms of the aerial bombardments violently quaked the air and the ground, as if the entire landscape were about to cave into the mantle below. The anti-aircraft turbolaser batteries were repelling the bombers and gunships - whatever they were doing by way of air supremacy, they were in their final bouts. Some of the target fire struck where the other segment of the ground forces were centered, likely hitting the main gate. Taking an alternative approach, and comparatively more subtle, Xeus had ordered surgical attacks on the gate's structural weak points, which were to all be targeted simultaneously.

"Copy that, sir, transmission received... 103rd locked on target."

"Stand by for mortar strike."

Xeus slowly rose his arm, bent with his forearm upward, until his elbow was level with his face. Without a word, he quickly felled his arm, aiming it forward at the Eastern gate as a swarm missiles flew overhead, exploding on a dozen tactical points. A mighty creak screeched through the air as the gate slowly collapsed, falling to the dusty ground. Ideally, it would be hoped that the gate was damaged in the final aerial attacks, and thus fell to sustained damage. However, Xeus knew all too well the danger of assumptions in battle.

Rallying the other platoons, Xeus designated their respective objectives. The 9th, 12th and 22nd were ideal for combat in enclosed spaces, and would spearhead the incursion into the facility along with him. The 51st would escort the 212th in locating and disabling the primary power generator to neutralize the AA weapons, while the 103rd would be dispatched to do silent recon of the facility while relaying the information back to the other platoons, giving up-to-date layouts of the installation and forces within. In turn, 99th were on standby as available backup.

"Seek and destroy. I'm on point, 9th and 12 are on my six. 22nd is rearguard. 99th, entrench our incursion site and remain on standby. Fortify this position. The rest of you, fan out."

The platoons immediately went into action, with Xeus himself leading the offensive sweep through the Eastern access. Coming to an interior door, Xeus ordered a door-breach maneuver, setting a demolition charge on the door's lock while throwing several thermal detonators within to either neutralize or temporarily disorient the opposition. Blasters fired in all directions, confirming enemy presence.

"Engage!"

As the rest of the troops stood by the wall to avoid stray blasterbolts from the breached door, Xeus used the Force to hasten his steps as he sped into the room, charging into the fray of the chaos as he leapt into the air once in the room. Descending over a stormtrooper that had attempted to keep track of him, the trooper had scarcely managed to get off a poorly aimed shot before the blades of Xeus' trident pierced his neck, like a blade thrust into water. Charging his weapon with the Force, Xeus immediately pulled the wan-shen back out, spinning his blade rapidly as he deflected incoming blasterbolts, before charging his movements and reflexes with the Force again, dodging them outright. By that time, a new wave of weaponsfire had emerged as the 9th and 12th platoons had struck in the wake of Xeus' attention-grabbing display, with the 22nd guarding their rear during the attack. At this point, their primary objective was to eliminate all opposition while meeting up with the other commander's forces.

 

[Galad J. Victus]

Galad crushed the trooper with his iron fist from afar, directing the powerful dark energy to break his soul and bones alike, then blindly raised his hand and opened up his palm to receive the hilt of the lightsaber that he had sent to slay the Rebel to his back. Silence fell upon the halls and as Galad inspected his surroundings, all that was left of the previously stationed Rebel forces were dead, broken and dying men. His vanguard of well-armed and disciplined stormtroopers rallied to him to pursue their unbreakable assault even further and take back the lost ground.

While the intruder forces were engaged elsewhere with the irrelevant front guards and the scattered miniority of the garrison, Galad had mobilized the main body of the forces; a group of full strength platoons who were just entering the fray under the dreaded leadership of the mighty Sith Warrior in the form of a flanking manevour striking from the far flank of the enemy. The sudden assault on both gates had ensured that the full might of the defending forces could not be pushed to usage in these previous conflicts, and for some reason, the intruder leaders had failed to anticipate that these men would be later mobilized and used to breakthrough their vulnerable flanks. Of course the two group of Rebels would seek to come together and unite the assaut. That's exactly why Galad sent Rain to block their path, (whose failure to secure the gate coming in handy for the Sith Crusader), leaving the bulk of the recently mobilized garrison under his own command to strike from their rear and trap them inside. Rebels had taken Galad's bait and the expert commander was now busy pushing his plans to motion with a surprise attack directed at the eastern entrance, from there taking a sharp turn into the corridors that the Rebel leader in the area had went towards to meet the intruder force coming from the main gates, leaving his rear exposed to Galad in the process. Watching their every movement through the camera security system spread throughout the base; a basic principle of Imperium military establishments, the dark knight was about to hit them in their soft belly thanks to a well orchestrated plan.

The military base was made up of four main sections; the two entrances, one being the eastern enter and the main gate itself, the mini-compound that seperated these two, and the main body of the facility that housed the internal organs; the hangar, command center, barracks and the power generator. Three corridors each linked up the main compound from the entrance sections which had fallen to the intruders, coming to a total of six. Acolyte Rain's forces were dispatched to guard the western corridors that led to the main gates, while Galad had sent a platoon to guard the central eastern corridor, and formed the survivors of the eastern vanguard into a single platoon back together and stationed them near the other one. The last corridor far to the edge of the base was housing the brutal counter-attack; the furthest away from the central of the conflict focused around Rain's position. A crucial tactical advantage Galad had was the fact that his flanks were safe. Meaning; Rebels could not hope to push through the narrow corridors where their numbers meant next to nothing. Imperium forces stationed within these corridors, although lesser in numbers, were dug-in, entrenched and ready for anything. Any frontal assault Rebels would dare launch in any of these passages was likely to end up in failure and heavy casuilties. Galad was not the type to trust anything to chance, at any case. Ordering the troopers to set up explosives throughout the tunnels. Even if Rebels would achieve the breakthrough into the main compound through any of these corridors by some miracle, their path would still be shut tight with falling debris and flames.

They could not go forward, and their only way back was about to be closed by the Sith Warrior and his platoons of stormtroopers.

Galad rushed into the eastern hallway, ignited blade at hand, squads of brave men at his back. A flawless eye-hand coordination and the trusted aid of the Force ensured that each blaster bolt Rebels sent his way ended up killing one of their own. With the majority of the group pushing forward into the base, the entrance was quickly overrun and conquered by Galad's superior numbers and the might of a fully-trained Sith Warrior, against whom the average troopers could not hope to achieve anything. After brutally smashing them to the last man, Galad found a wounded survivor amongst the fallen soldiers. Merciless Sith raised him up into the air with the Force, and invaded his mind with the dread of the Dark Side, clouding his judgement and shattering his will. He had his questions. "Who is this man leading you, a Jedi? What do you know about him?" Having watched him fight, the Warrior was curious of the style emposed by the seemingly formidable fighter. And of course, eager to seek him in the field. "I- I don't know! Please! Mercy! I know nothing about that!" And more importantly, there was something else. "What is the true aim of this attack? What do you hope to find here? Tell me and you shall live." Inspired by the hollow promise, soldier began to speak. "We are here to secure a way for the main fleet. The-the Defiance Armada. So that they can push deeper- no please!" With a quick twist of his finger, he killed the rebel and his cold, lifeless body dropped on the cold ground, having had his answers. He would give more thought to this matter, later. Now to crush the intruders.

The rearguard left behind in the eastern entrance shattered and the Rebel group trapped inside, now Galad was safe to go after them as he willed. Leaving one of his four platoons to secure the position and re-assigning the corridor defense group forward, he led the 362nd, 551th, and the 111th forward to smash the enemy trapped inside, soon to hit the hopefully exhausted intruding offense group from behind with his rather fresh piled up army.

 

[Phoenix]

After mere moments, Tal’s com device filled his helmet. Reaper actual, there appear to only be three passage ways leading into the main facility, do you want we should reinforce your position? Affirmative. With this new information in hand about a mere three passageways in, there was no sense in only taking a single squad with him to overtake one of the passageways.

He continued forward, taking point within the squad’s forward movement as the lights suddenly went out. We aren’t to the power generator, yet, he thought to himself as with a flick of his eyes his HUD began to glow with a faint green, lighting the hallways once more before the emergency lights came on.

Forward they went, ever deeper into the semi-darkness, the peace of mind of knowing he had another 20 men coming up to watch his back lending him a small measure of comfort.

Eventually Tal came to a long hallway, the type of hallway that he would expect to be heavily fortified or something. Certainly not the type of place to be left empty and unguarded. Tal was no idiot. He was a soldier and there was no way that he was going to lead his men down a long hallway with no point of escape. He split squad into four groups of two, a classic buddy system and sent the first two to begin their trip down the hallway, the rest of the squad watching the entrances and exits to the current room they were in.

As they got about a quarter of the way down and the next pair was about to follow, something very disconcerting happened: the door behind them and to Tal’s left opened with the hiss of hydraulics and revealed not one but four stormtroopers and some other woman who, judging by how she was dressed, clearly wasn’t a Stormtrooper.

Tal’s rifle sights fell on the first Stormie in line, who clutched a grenade in his hand, and fired. They didn’t seem to expect the Rebels to be ready for them and it would cost them. The round from his rifle burst forth and struck the man square in the chest where he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, grenade laying harmlessly unprimed next to him. At the sound of gunfire, it appeared that the troopers in the hallway had hit the deck, preparing to engage, but that was the least of Tal’s troubles at the moment.

The Imperials had sought to use a small side-hallway to flank the Rebels and it would prove their undoing. Not only would they find themselves cut off from their friends at any moment by the other 20 troopers coming in behind them, but Tal decided that this would be an opportune time to end everyone in that hallway. Raising his left wrist, he fired a small anti-infantry rocket into the hallway. With troopers still standing in the doorway, there would be no way to close the door before the small missile stuck and with its travel speed of 1,000 ft./s there would be no way to run back and out of the hallway before it struck. The concussive force alone would certainly stun them if not kill them outright and the rest would be ripped to pieces by the fragmentation that would rain down on their heads.

It was a certain death sentence for the troopers and likely for the Sith as well.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

"All hostiles terminated," a trooper sergeant replied, kicking over a stormtrooper with several holes burned through the breastplate of his armor.

The firefight left the air smoldering with the scent of blaster gas and thermal scorching. Something as amiss, however. By now, the opposition should have become more concise, more coordinated. The fact that still so little had come to him by way of opposition had heightened his already acute sense of caution. With the area secured, the present being as good a time as any. Xeus stabbed his wan-shen into the ground and removed his helmet. Aside from the convenience of the built in com system, there were little advantages to speak of. With his helmet gone, Xeus fed on the Light, allowing the Force to magnify his senses without the harshness of hypersensitivity.

As the corridor continued down a good distance, Xeus used his Beyond-Sight and heightened the natural distance his eyes could see. With his eyes straining to become attuned to the energy fields around him, he noticed pulsations of frequencies. It was electronic for a certainty, rather small, and were attached to the walls. It took no great imagination to determine they were mines, or some other form of explosive devices. Perhaps even sonic mines - he couldn't tell for sure. Either way, someone was attempting to box them in... which meant--

"Tempest actual! Tempest actual, this is the 99th -- do you read?!"

"This is Tempest actual, what is you current situation?"

"We've had hard contact! Imperial troops funneling to take the Eastern gate!"

"Hold the line, trooper!"

He was right, they were trying to box them in. The way ahead of them was clearly a choke-hold point. Mines to crush most opposition, then the troops to finish them off. Or troops as the main force, with explosive weaponry as the last resort. Whichever the case, he had to change the manner of engagement.

"Tempest actual, Sith presence confirmed! I repeat, Sith pres--!!"

The sound of a blaster bolt filled the com, likely a stray bolt or a deflected shot. They might have been fighting then, but they were dead. He knew it, and the rest of them probably did too. Furthermore, a Sith was apparently leading the attack. In his own experience, Sith never delegated themselves as a diversion, they were always the tip of the spear. The aggressors. The main forces were behind them. With time being of the essence, Xeus quickly activated his wrist-mounted com.

"This is Tempest actual to the 51st and 103rd, do you copy?"

"This is the 103rd, affirmative."

"51st Reaper actual, we read you."

"Transmit present locations via EHT, now!"

A small holo-emitter came alive on Xeus' wrist as his holo-map was synced with those of the commanders of the 103rd and 51st. The 103rd were a floor above, still doing recon whereas the 51st were a floor below, serving as escorts for the 212th. Due to their ascent and descent, they had yet to enter as deep into the facility as Xeus' group had.

"Relaying new orders; break off and converge on these coordinates of your respective levels. 103rd, Skyfall. 51st, Barricade's Fall."

Receiving both affirmations simultaneously, Xeus immediately turned to the wall of the next corridor. "Set up some charges -- now!"

After several soldiers quickly applied demolition packs to the walls at strategic locations, Xeus called the men back and blew them, blowing a hole into the next corridor. The integrity of the walls and structure were already well compromised due to the bombardment, the only real danger was careful application so that the ceiling didn't come down as well. Ordering several troopers inside with a Dual Watch maneuver, Xeus then turned to the rest of his troops.

"The rest of you, to me!"

Returning in the direction they came, Xeus had no doubt he'd eventually come across the Sith that was attacking the 99th platoon. If the fighting wasn't already done, it soon would be. After hastily marching for a time, Xeus received a transmission from the 103rd, and a few moments later, from the 51st. Both were ready and in position. Ten troopers from the 103rd properly anchored themselves with their weapons armed and charged.

"Commence."

The 103rd had placed sonic detonation packs on the floor below to achieve maximum collateral damage in fracturing the floor level, with ten troopers using cables that latched them to the ceiling from cords. The others took cover within the hallway. When the sonic charges detonated, the ceiling over what Xeus had predicted, and silently prayed, was an Imperial presence fell, no doubt crushing or injuring most of the troops there, if not all. Mere moments later, a second explosion occurred from underneath, with the 51st having set charged beneath the main floor of the East gate. With the second floor having collapsed, the ten troopers keeping themselves up via cables sprayed their blasters on the floor level below, scouring the area. If there were any survivors, by some miracle, there wasn't any anymore.

There was one final play before a predicted confrontation, and he would be ready for it. "103rd, rendezvous with the 12th's detachment at these coordinates. Transmitting them now. 51st, continue with your previous assignment." Having received affirmation, Xeus switched his com to transmit only, and left it on. "Support, fall back. Prepare the line. The rest, on my mark, Teyla's Gambit."

Without another word and with weapons at the ready, Xeus led his troops down the corridor to meet his new opposition. Chances were, he still had a relative element of surprise - most couldn't even get the name 'Matukai' correctly, let alone identify who or what they were. Fortifying his body with the Force in battle-readiness, and his mind for combat, Xeus led the march. One way or another, a confrontation was all but inevitable.

 

[Sara Rain]

Unfortunately, Sara's ambush did not work as well as she had planned. Somehow the rebels had been prepared for an assault on their rear, and while two rebels soldiers had been too slow to avoid the stormtroopers' blasterfire, the rest had managed to hit the deck fast enough to avoid being hit. Meanwhile, the stormtrooper Sara had ordered to throw the grenade was shot in the chest before he had even managed to prime the explosive. At this close of a range, the trooper's armor meant nothing, and the loyal stormtrooper fell backwards to die at Sara's feet.

Of all the different emotions a person was capable of feeling, anger was perhaps the quickest, and most decisive. The sight of the pear-shaped hole in the dead stormtrooper's chest filled Sara with rage. Without thinking, Sara lashed out towards the rebels in the hallway, seeking retribution for the stormtrooper at her feet, and every other brave man who had died needlessly today. With a yell, Sara thrust her arm outwards towards the rebels. A ball of white hit anger formed in her chest, travelled down her arm, and exploded out of her palm.

What followed next was a telekinetic force attack completely identical to a force push. Because Sara was still an acolyte, and this particular technique was still relatively new to her, the force push was neither spectacular nor impressive in concern to brute strength. What was special about this particular force push was the timing.

The force push collided with Tal mere nanoseconds after he fired his wrist rocket, as a result, the rocket exploded prematurely, less than a foot away from where Tal was standing. While the rebel strike team definately caught the worst of the explosion, Sara and the three stormtroopers beside her we're blown back by the blast.

Pulling herself back to her feet, Sara was lucky to not have received any major injuries as a result of the blast. One of her soldiers, unfortunately, had landed in an awkward position, with his neck twisted at an odd angle. Sara grimaced at the sight.

By now, the group of stormtroopers Sara had sent ahead were already in position, and had entrenched themselves in to defend the corridor leading from the entrance section to the main compound. Suddenly, Sara felt a prickle on the back of her spine. While she could not specify how many, more enemies were approaching her position from behind. Thinking quickly, Sara ordered her remaining two stormtroopers to follow her as she retreated out of the hallway. With the second rebel force swiftly approaching, Sara and her men ducked into the side hallway and rushed to rejoin the rest of her platoon.

 

[Galad J. Victus]

Galad led the steady march through the corridors and into the upcoming confrontation agains this, Warrior. Arriving unto a doorway, he signalled the forces to stop with a hand gesture as there was an upcoming comlink transmission. "My Lord, our rearguard has come under attack! Rebel forces from both floors above and beneath us have ambushed and inflicted moderate casulties on the 155th! Awaiting your orders!" This was unexpected. Going over his options, Galad decided on something that would secure him the main compound for the price of cutting his own way back temporarily. That wouldn't mean anything after the main Rebel group could be terminated, anyway. "Detonate the corridors leading into the main facility and fall back into the compound with the rest of the platoons." With that, their only chance of securing the base completly was now using the western tunnels which were guarded well by Rain's forces. A gamble that would see him fend off the immediate threat. But the ultimate outcome was far from clear, still.

Before he could go after the smaller groups who had infected the base like rats, Galad was well aware that the head of the snake had to be cut from the body. The rest would scatter like leafs before wind. Igniting his crimson blade, Galad carved ways for himself unto the both corridors on two sides of the passage that his forces were piled up within; opening up a pair of holes in the opposing walls of the tunnel and sending one platoon to each one and diving into the right passage himself, leaving the bulk of the forces to the central corridor where the Rebel party was trapped. The Warrior knew of his intentions to trap him in, and was more than likely maneuvering through the flanks to beat him at his own game. Figuring out that anyone in his place would do the same, Galad was quick to realize he had to play the same card.

He moved like a shadow, hastening and silencing his steps with the aid of the Force, with the soldiers behind him racing to keep up. Knowing that his rival was a Force user himself, he cloaked his presence, making it impossible for it to give his surprise attack away. Galad was no master of the power which limited the time he could keep it up, albeit being well-trained in it's usage.

Using the Force to magnify his senses, Galad utilized it's power to function like a sensor and picked up the man's exact location through his spirital silhouette, and probaly his forces along with him. Then he silently commanded to his second-in-command through the comlink as he made his way forward through the side-tunnel. "Rebel forces are standing just next to me in your corridor. Take up positions behind the door and await my signal. You'll know when. And kill the lights, switch to your night vision mode." Galad mentally prepared for the upcoming hunt as he awaited for the detonaters to be planted unto the wall. In mere seconds, all was ready and troopers around him readied their blasters and grenades. The specially designed detonaters were to push the might of the explosion into the direction of the outburst, hurling pices of walls, smoke and fire all over the Rebel forces which would hopefully lead them into a complete dissaray. Taking a few steps back, the Crusader signaled the men along him to kick-start the party as hell would be set loose upon the unsuspecting enemy, if all went according to the plan, of course.

In that case, the Rebels would be knocked off their feet while explosions around them trembled the corridor, and silent killers would emerge from within the flames and a dark figure with a crimson lightsaber at hand, his armor the color of the deepest tone of night, would unleash the fury of the Dark Side upon them, while the main force made up of a pair of platoons would emerge from the door in front of them and turn the encounter into a completly one sided slaughter.

 

[Phoenix]

A mere hundred nanoseconds after Tal had activated the rocket, the Force push hit him. Of course to a human, the time difference was imperceptible, but it resulted in something that the Acolyte - which there was now doubt in Tal's mind after that display that that's what the woman was - had not anticipated. After that short of a period of time, the rocket, despite traveling at 1,000 ft./s had only managed to travel a meager three tenths of a millimeter. Indeed, it was still almost fastened completely onto his forearm. Rather than the impact of the blast striking the rocket, it struck the bottom side Tal's arm which was alreeady slightly raised from his preparation to fire at the ceiling of the hallway, which meant that rather than detonate the rocket prematurely, the rocket simply shot off course.

It flew across the room and struck the ceiling just above the hallway rather than inside the hallway itself. Tal became vaguely aware of it killing one of the Stormtroopers, but the changed flight path and considerable distance of impact from the squad meant that it actually saved he and his team from substantial damage.

Get back here, coward, his mind nearly raged as he watched the Sith flee. The hallway was going to be their undoing for certain. Tal raised his rifle and fired right at the back of the Sith, just above the waist. At this range, he wouldn't miss and it would be nigh impossible to either duck or jump over the round in such a small space. The Sith wouldn't be able to outrun the round and a simple side step, while possibly saving her from a lethal blow, likely wouldn't be quick enough to dodge the bolt of energy, especially given the fact that she had her back turned and she couldn't see it coming. Perhaps her armor would spare her life, but the micro-explosion caused by the particle beam would still cause some nasty damage, stunning her at the very least.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

Enhancing the senses was a specialized ability of the Matukai, as mastering them, both in their natural state and Force-augmented. Even against the Savants and Elders of the Matukai, Xeus was considered a master of his senses. Robbed of his sight, he could still fight at optimal capacity through his senses of smell, touch and hearing. But the true value of it all was that it all came with none of the harshness of sensory overstimulation, as frequencies of the infrasonic and ultrasonic could be perceived by him. A subtle rhythmic ping tickled his ears mere moments before a cascade explosion detonated.

Looking back just before it'd happened, bombs went off in the distant corridor, toward the direction they had originally headed. So they were mined after all, he contemplated. The fact that they had detonated them meant the attack had been reported. It was to be expected, and meant the Sith in charge was changing tactics. Moves, countermoves, with both sides attempting to box the other in. Were it not for the readiness of inevitable battle, Xeus would have appreciated the irony. This move also meant that the other platoons were being ignored - Xeus was almost positive he was being targeted personally. It made sense, even with a hierarchical military force, the loss of a commander often kills morale and disorients enough to change the flow of a battle in favor of the opposition.

Xeus lacked the powers traditional to most Force orders. Matukai didn't dabble in the esoteric, unveiling powers like telekinesis, precognition, telepathy or clairvoyance. He did not have a Force Sense like most Jedi or Sith, but due to their strong tether to their physical bodies and biotic essence, they could detect the presence of life itself. And the Force was life - those strong with it were like beacons compared to those that lacked it. Even to one only moderately trained in the ability, such as Xeus himself, the Sith was easily identified. Until suddenly, he wasn't. Like a fire going out, his presence faded into nonexistence. He had come across such trickery before, with the Witchmen of Vanqor. Cowardice itself, leave it to a slave of Darkness to strike from the shadows.

It was at that time that that Xeus heard the peculiar alteration. Marching was steady, predictable and unchanging by an approaching force. But their noise had dissipated. Not diminished, but enlarged, as if it had become spread out. His eyes narrowed as he realized the most likely scenario was that the other corridors had been penetrated. That compromised a part of his plan, but potentially opened up the avenue for a new one. Hearing their pace increasing, Xeus foresaw it was only moments before both sides were finally within each other's sights. Quickly pressing his hand against the wall left of the corridor, the Matukai warrior used his cryokinesis, creating a frigid chill in the corridor as ice formed outside the wall.

The corridor to his right had his forces in there already. Between the forces of the 12th, who'd infiltrated from the East gate end, and the 103rd, who'd infiltrated from the opposite end, the enemy would be flanked. However, it would also make it more difficult to perform the maneuver, Teyla's Gambit. Having placed explosives along the wall to detonate in the proximity of hostile forces, the plan was to create a localized explosion, then have the main forces finish off the opposition in the disarray. Of course, explosions in enclosed spaces always carried great risks, most notably being mutual destruction. Using a series of hand signs, Xeus signaled his bulk forces to fall back and fall into battle positions. Snipers and heavy weapons squads were at the far rear, providing support, while gunmen took cover along the corridor protrusions. This was a firefight waiting to happen.

There was no easy way to claim dominance. Open combat was the only path. "Impulse!"

Giving the code for quick action to the 12th and 103rd, explosions set off all along the corridor wall to Xeus' right. The battle there would inevitably begin after. Inhaling deeply, Xeus had simultaneously launched himself through the then-frozen wall, crashing through in a barrel roll on the ground. He didn't know precisely how many were in the corridor to his left, but it wouldn't matter. What was important was clearing out all opposition until he could pinpoint the Sith. It was in that moment that Xeus happened upon an unusual essence. He could feel the life there, but there was something muffled, like a fog. In truth, without having focused his mind toward that task, he could sense no life there, but the feeling was an unnatural absence. Unnatural...

Immediately after entering the corridor to his left, Xeus unleashed a Karvossi Roar, what would be perceived by most to be a bellowing Force Scream. The floor ruptured as the ground shredded away and the paneling on the walls were sheared off. He would blow back and cripple the troops there in a single attack, and it his intuition was correct, unveil a hidden intruder he was yet unable to see.

 

[Sara Rain]

Sara was completely unaware of the blaster bolt fired towards her back, and as fate would have it, she would never feel its sting. The rebel bombardment, coupled with the near-endless explosions coming from the east entrance, had severely compromised the structural integrity of the Imperial compound. When the Mandalorian's stray rocket collided with the ceiling, the blast proved to powerful for the supports to bear, and ceiling of the entire hallway crumbled down on the rebels below.

The rebels would experience a difficult time escaping the heavy debris that suddenly detached itself from the ceiling, seeing as the entire squad had dropped flat on their stomachs to avoid the stormtroopers' initial barrage. Fortunately, Sara and her stormtroopers we're able to escape just in time to avoid the carnage. As for the Mandalorian's cowardly shot at Sara's back, the bolt was intercepted in midair by a dursteel panel before Sara could even register the danger behind her.

Turning down the side hallway, Sara reached for her commlink. Right before entering the room where her men had set up an ambush, Sara relayed the predetermined codeword to the commanding trooper, ensuring that she was not blasted as she made her way inside. Because Sara whispered the codeword into her commlink instead of shouting it out loud, there would be no way for the rebels to determine what the codeword actually was.

Upon entering the room, Sara's eyes performed a quick scan. Despite the room's limited cover, her stormtroopers had managed to set up quite nicely. The stormtroopers were scattered in a way to minimize casualties of the remaining rebels planned on trying to blast their way through. Also, each trooper had managed to find a position that offered him at least some form of cover from an assault from either the main hallway, or the side hallway.

Choosing a spot in the rear for herself, Sara crouched down and trained her blaster pistol at the main door. A surge of prise suddenly rushed through her. The Imperium fielded the finest soldiers known to the galaxy, and the ten brave men standing before her were more than capable of holding their own against the ragtag group of rebel scum waiting outside those doors. No fighting force in the galaxy could match the discipline, coordination, and lethalty of a squad of Imperial stormtroopers. If any rebels attempted to escape the collapsed ceiling in the adjecent hallway through these doors, Sara's stormtroopers would mercilessly cut the rebels down, even if Sara herself had not made it through the side hallway yet.

 

[Galad J. Victus]

The trap was set in, and the hunter patiently awaited for the arrival of the unsuspecting prey. Except, it never walked in.

Minutes dragged on and on as the Sith and the stormtroopers he led lay in ambush for the Rebels. Galad became inreasingly aware that the man in charge of the enemy had clearly suspected something was amiss, pulling back his forces. When suddenly a chilling cold spread throughout the corridor. The wall linking the central passage to their current position suddenly got covered by ice, and cold took hold of the long tunnel. The experienced Sith was quick to recognize Force at work. The man was clearly attempting something, knowing that Galad was there. The Warrior turned to his troops, signalling them back to reinforce the main corridor, ordering them to fall in with the rest of the platoons there. Although hesitatant to leave their Commander alone to face an unknown threat, loyal men of the Imperium obeyed to his command, leaving the Juggernaut clad in dark armor standing there alone, about to face whatever was to be thrown at him. He had no fear. Turning on the built-in heat system, Galad prepared himself mentally as he wrapped the black cape around his body after lifting the cloak on his presence, silenlty awaiting his rival. He needed not wait much long, as the warrior made his entrance. Galad was ready for him.

He calmly encircled himself with a solid barrier of Force energy as the killing shout was sent his way, blocking the sound as the walls and ceiling around him took their fair share of the raw might of it. Letting the shield drop once the attack was over, Galad's black hand hovered over his lightsaber hilt as he took a step towards his foe. "We meet at last.I have been awaiting to test your unique style of fighting. Make sure to give me a fine demonsration." Fighting had broken out in the distant corridor far to their right, and the central tunnel was about to house the main event for both commanders had the bulk of their forces deployed there, but neither of them could pull off tricks to influence the tide at neither of these places, for it had come to a more personal confrontation between them both.

Galad's attention shifted towards the weapon of the man, seemingly a trident of sorts. Performing a pulling motion with his free hand, the Sith Warrior directed a Force wave to try and disarm his opponent, trying his defences. He was neither Jedi nor Sith, that much was obvious. Knowing that he probaly would have tricks up his sleeve, the Warrior examined caution.