PALADIN

Zeshaun was very glad that the reinforcements had arrived so soon, he wasn’t looking forward to having to fight the whole station alone. The squad rushed down the halls, taking every set of stairs that lead up. Since they were still on the eighth floor, they would have to travel up before they got to get into their armor. With the help of the three new squads the guards had more trouble than they could handle, Paladin and Alpha squad were able to punish any group of guards that dared stand in their way as they kept going  up. When they reached the first floor, Zeshaun could see the exit into the docking bay, they were lucky that they had come up so close to it. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a group of New Republic soldiers came through the docking bay doors, all bearing their rifles and looking very agitated. Both imperial squads started firing toward the soldiers, attempting to advance as they fired, knowing that the longer it took for them to board the Mon Cal cruiser, the most fighters would escape.

“We don’t have time for this!” Lucky yelled to no one in particular.

“This should help.” One of the imperial soldiers said as he rolled two grenades down the hall.

The New Republic soldiers scrambled, but in the cramped halls there weren’t many places to run. Zeshaun covered his eyes as the explosions lit up the hallway and he was hit by a wave of heat. When he opened his eyes again the smoke was clearing from the hall and he could see that the walls were scorched, a small crater lay in the middle of the hall, and dead bodies were scattered everywhere, although he could tell that some of them were still alive.

“Should we finish them off?” Sergeant Barandos asked Lucky.

She shook her head. “We don’t have that much time.”

The sergeant nodded and the two squads quickly rushed through the doors and out into the docking bay. The Paladin squad boarded their shuttle, and quickly started to don their black shock trooper armor, and retrieve their weapons they had left onboard. Zeshaun was very glad to have his trusty S-LAR with him again; the normal E-11 blaster just wasn’t strong enough for him. He clipped in the last part of his armor and then slipped his helmet on. Alpha squad was waiting outside, guarding the shuttle incase more guards tried to attack. When they Paladin’s exited the shuttle Zeshaun could see looks of admiration from the faces of some of the members of Alpha squad. They turned toward the larger portion of the docking bay, where the Mon Cal cruiser was stationed.

“Looks like we’re gonna have a problem.” Sergeant Barandos said, pointing toward the cruiser.

Exiting the hangar bay of the cruiser was a large group of armored soldiers, from what Zeshaun could tell they were probably commandos, my favorite Zeshaun thought as he checked to make sure his rifle was fully loaded and his grenade launcher was ready. As the commandos came closer, they also realized that their opposition was standing in front of them in the docking bay.

“Fire in the hole!” Zeshaun suddenly yelled as he angled his rifle at a forty-five degree angle and pulled the trigger.

His rifle recoiled and fired one grenade, arcing over the gap between the two soldiers and landed, right in the middle of the large pack, and exploded upon impact. Smoke filled the area in front of them, and Zeshaun looked on in horror. He checked to see what kind of grenades that he had happened to pick to load his rifle with. Great, I have a bunch of smoke bombs Zeshaun thought, thinking about the tongue lashing he would get later from Alan and Lucky. He just turned toward his squad leaders and shrugged.

Lucky shook her head, “Fire!”

Both squads started firing into the thick of the smoke, not clearly knowing whether they hit anything but firing none the less. Soon return fire started to emerge from the slowly clearing smoke. Zeshaun took cover behind the ramp on their shuttle and aimed for the darker areas in the smoke. He pulled the trigger over and over again but it seemed that every time he fired a shot, his target would move just enough to one side so that they wouldn’t be hit. these guys are a lot better than those guards from the station Zeshaun thought, leading him to the conclusion that they must have come from within the Mon Cal cruiser itself. He saw two black balls rolling toward the smoke, they both exploded with a flash of light, blowing away the remaining smoke and leaving the rebel commando’s exposed, covering their eyes and blindly staggering around the hangar. Even with the commandos hampered, they did a very good job of avoiding being shot. Many of them took cover behind tool boxes, shuttles, and other supplies crates until they recovered. Without the smoke, neither side had a clear advantage and the battle started to drag on. Zeshaun managed to shoot one of the commandos in the face mask, sending him sprawling across the docking bay floor, blood started to pool around his head.

“Nice shot.” Alan said as he sat himself down next to Zeshaun after running across the docking bay.

“Thanks.” Zeshaun said squatting down next to him “Sorry about that smoke bomb…”

Alan waved off his apology, “Don’t worry about it, we’ll have a nice talk later.”

Zeshaun smiled and nodded. He fired his rifle at a commando that was getting a little too cocky, and hit them in the knee. The commando fell, exposing his head and chest to everyone, grabbing at his knee in pain. Alan quickly popped up and fired his DL-44 blasters, placing two shots in the chest of the commando, he immediately stopped moving, and a small trickle of blood started to flow from the top hole in his armor. Zeshaun searched for another target, then found one perched on top of a large stack of crates, assembling, what seemed like a sniper rifle. That’s not good Zeshaun pressed a button on the side of his rifle, and called up the digital aiming reticule. Unfortunately he didn’t have a sniper function on his rifle, and it made it really difficult for him to aim very accurately.  Then he remembered his ASL’s skill set.

“Alan would you mind?” Zeshaun asked, holding out his rifle and pointing up to the sniper’s positon.

“Not at all.” Alan said, rubbing his hands together and eyeing the sniper.

Zeshaun watched as his ASL expertly laid the rifle on the flat part of the shuttle’s ramp and slowly move the rifle bit by bit, adjusting until he stopped, and then tenderly put his finger on the trigger and pulled it. Both Alan and Zeshaun looked up and saw the sniper clutching his stomach, writhing in pain on top of the crates, attempting to climb down to where he could get medical attention. Alan handed the rifle back to Zeshaun and withdrew his DL-44’s. Zeshaun and Alan opened fire on the crawling commando, many of their shots connected with the commando’s back, causing him to lose grip on the crate he was climbing down and fall.

“Nice shooting.” Zeshaun said.

“Not so bad yourself.” Alan commented, while searching for more commandos.

“Watch out!” Njal yelled.

Both Alan and Zeshaun looked up and saw a grenade rolling in their general direction. They ran as fast as they could across the docking bay and diving behind a set of crates. well we’re not done yet Zeshaun thought as he slipped off his helmet and wiped his brow.

pALADIN
Luycky ‘s heart was pounding, she had a sudden and long-lasting adrenaline rush as she saw a grenade rolling in Alan and Zeshaun’s general direction. Her breath caught in her chest as it clinked to the ground and exploded. Thick black smoke enveloped the group, this dissipated after less than a minute.  When their view was clear once again, she saw a steady stream of commandos exiting the Liberty and heading in their direction.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her rifle and with a steady hand, tracked them as they were moving away from the cruiser.  When they were a good distance away, she signalled for the squad to fire when ready.  Without hesitation, all seemed to go trigger-happy as they fired at seemingly everything in front of them. A canister behind a duo of commandos blew up in a huge orange fireball; the shockwave sent the rest of the commando squad which gave the Pallies the chance to finish them off. Acting quickly, they finished off the squad and with a few finger motions, Lucky directed the squad to take cover behind a small cruiser near the Liberty. Sprinting, she shot blindly until she was safely plastered against the cruiser. The squad huddled, she had lost her track of thought as to what to do next.

Grinning under her helmet, she took out a grenade and flung it as hard and as far as she could, a few second later, the ground shuddered and a blast was heard as the grenade exploded. “Let’s move people.”

She ran out from cover and heard blaster bolts whizz by her head, praying all the while, she found herself nearing the Mon cal cruiser at a steady pace. She wouldn’t make it unharmed, looking around frantically she saw a transporter with some cargo on it. Taking a mighty leap, she hopped on the transporter, steered it to the cruiser entrance, jammed the accelerator with one of the items behind her and rolled off and away just in the nick of time. There was a mighty crash and a few screams as the imminent collision occurred, when she looked back behind her, a small portion of the cruiser was damaged by the crash, a few bodies were strewn in the hatchway, on the ramp and a few on the ground beside the ramp.

Grabbing her courage in both hands, she ran, shot a few rounds in the gaping hole that was the entrance to the cruiser and caught her breath when she was on the other side. The squad was still a little ways away from her, some were shooting and others seemed to be debating when to join her.  Sighing, she took out another grenade and threw it into the hatchway. A minute later, she regretted having done so. A volley of bolts shot out into the docking bay, the firing went on for a minute or two and then there was an eerie, deep silence. She swore you could hear a pin drop that moment, she smelled the familiar smell after plenty of firing and a few plumes of light smoke exited the cruiser and vanished into the air, at that moment, there was only stillness.

PALADIN

The docking bay seemed alive was alive with the heat of battle.  It looked like a scene from a really bad dance hall as red bolts of death flew all around them.  Alan sweated under his helmet, the heat was intolerable and the smoke from the multiple blaster bolts filled his nostrils.  Still, it was an exhilarating experience as his twin DL-44 blaster pistols were in his hands and firing.

He could feel the heat the blasters were giving off.  His hands felt they were on fire at times as his blasters never let up.  He wondered just how many commando’s there were but he couldn’t take the time to take a count, all he had time for was to shoot and not get himself killed.

“What’s Lucky doing?” asked Zeshaun.

Despite the noise from the battle, Zeshaun’s voice came over clearly through Alan’s com system.  Alan glanced around and spotted his squad leader.  His eyes widened as he watched her mount a transporter.  Where the hell is she going thought Alan as he couldn’t believe she was leaving the squad behind on some foolhardy attempt to gain access to the ship.

“Covering fire!” barked Alan.

Someone has to keep this squad together thought Alan as he saw Lucky’s transporter head off into the distance and directly towards the Mon Cal cruiser.

Glancing from his position he could see that the ranks of the commando’s had thinned but there was still one squad out there.  They had fortified their position.  From his position he could see that Lucky had reached the cruiser and was safe, although the squad seemed to be in disarray with the departure of Lucky.  He knew that they had to get onto the cruiser but they needed to take out the last squad of commando’s beforehand.

“Leon, Greywolf, go left.  Zippy and Gin to the right.  The rest with me” said Alan.

The squad nodded at the set of orders and as soon as Alan waved his hands they moved out.  Alan, Zeshaun and Njall started their advance on the remaining commando’s whilst the others started to skirt around their flanks.

The commando’s spotted the advancement immediately and opened fire on the trio.  As soon as the firing started they dived behind some loading crates.

“Well this is fun” commented Njall.

“They have us pinned down” stated Zeshaun.

“Looks like it, but not for long” replied Alan as he thought to himself I hope.

Getting onto the com system Alan queried “Leon, Greywolf, you in position?”

Leon’s voice replied clearly “we’re in position and they haven’t spotted us”.

“Good work” replied Alan, “Zippy, Gin, are you in position?”

“Yes Sir” replied Gin “awaiting your orders”.

“On my mark, give them hell” said Alan, “three, two, one, mark”.

Alan could see in the distance as blaster fire rained down on the unsuspecting commando’s.  Several of them tried to regroup but Alan wasn’t having any of it.  He stormed the commando’s with Zeshaun and Njall hot on his heels, their weapons blazing away.  By the time they arrived there was nothing left of the commando’s.  Their bodies lay strewn across the floor.

“Nice job” commented Alan, “now let’s get aboard the cruiser”.

The squad raced to the cruiser and saw Lucky standing waiting for them.  The transporter badly damaged and the cruiser suffering a nasty gash from the impact.

After the heat of the battle, the docking bay was eerily quiet.  Lucky waved the squad through the hatch. The squad started to file in.  Lucky was about to follow them when she felt a hand on her arm.  She looked up and saw Alan.

“What the hell was that?” asked Alan.

“We needed to get in and I saw a way to the cruiser” replied Lucky.

“You left us behind and you could’ve gotten yourself killed” stated Alan.

“Well I didn’t and we are here so let’s get this objective finished with” said Lucky.

“Agreed” replied Alan as he released her arm and watched her enter the cruiser.  He followed quickly behind her.

Alan had never before set foot on a Mon Cal cruiser before and from what he could tell it looked like a fine ship.  He was glad that they were here to cause damage as he could tell instantly what was going through Zeshaun’s mind, and that was to fly the ship.

“I think the fighters are down this corridor” said Leon.

Lucky waved her hand and beckoned Leon to lead the way.  Alan didn’t have a clue where the fighters were on the cruiser so he was thankful that at least someone in the squad had an idea as to where they were going.

“It’s awfully quiet” stated Zeshaun.

Njall jabbed him in the ribs and said “yes, and I’d like it to stay quiet”.

The corridor took them down the ship and rounding a corner Alan’s eyes widened as he saw a long line of fighters.

“Wow” stated Gin.

Alan had to smile at the new kids comment although he had to admit that he was thinking the same thing, just not being vocal about it.

“Hey” a voice shouted.

Alan whirled round to see where the voice had come from and immediately spotted a group of pilots playing a game of sabaac underneath a fighter.

Damn cursed Alan as the pilots advanced on them with blaster pistols raised.  So much for this place being quiet.

Lieutenant Marin Collesta, commander of the New Republic ground forces on Eriadu calmly moved from console to console. Her face was an stone mask of impassivity without even a single hair so much as quivering as she walked. Her bright green eyes flicked from screen to screen, taking in damage reports, casuality lists and troop movements. As the names and stats scrolled by, her demeanor didn't change one iota.

Within moments of the first reported attack on the aerial defense towers she had scrambled the headquarters troops to defensive positions within the facility. As reports came in from both the Targus and the central government building she knew the conservative defensive maneuver would pay off. Granted, she sacrificed the rest of the defense towers, but as long as the headquarters was secured, she doubted Alfonso would care much. They were, after all, merely for protecting the city, which mattered very little to the New Republic as a whole.

Leaning over the back of one of the commtechs, she read his screen which reported three shuttles landing at the starport and armed stormtroopers pouring out of them. A small trickle of sweat finally formed on her brow. She hadn't counted on the reinforcements arriving so soon. they were still organizing their defenses and several entry points were unguarded.

"Send two squads from alpha platoon over to the east entrace and set up an E-Web." She spoke smoothly and evenly. Her voice reflected her impassivity even as several more sweat droplets dampened her forehead.

It's gonna be one of those days...


*    *    * 

OOC:

BLACKJACK - Second Objective
Mission: Take control of planetside spaceport, which doubles as the NR Naval HQ on the planet.

Objective 2: Infiltrate NR HQ through sewer system.

Armor/Weapons: Standard Squad Equipment. ONE personal choice weapon.

Details: Having successfully destroyed the aerial missiles, additional forces have landed from the 37th Battalion and are mounting an assault on the main entrance to the NR HQ in the spaceport. Blackjack is to infiltrate the HQ and run a pincer attack on the defense forces holding back the 37th Battalion.

Expected Opposition:Should be token resistance in the sewers, perhaps no more than 5-10 guards. There are at least 30 soliders heavily armed with weapon emplacements at the main entrance.

Objective Bonus: Defeating the defenders will yield the following rewards:
10 posts or less - All three squads survived
13 posts of less - Two squads survived
More than 15 posts - All squads were killed.

JESTER


During the course of the drive to the capitol building Jegora had gotten the hang of driving the armored APC. Now he was motoring along at a goodly pace, trying to keep and eye out for any enemy forces that might try to intercept the Vast Empire squad before they reached their objective. From where they were perched in the turrets on the APC’s back, Lukas and Mai did the same, keeping their respective weapons primed and ready just in case any baddies decided to pop up.

So far things had gone well. The Jesters had managed to repel several attacks on their armored transport, even when confronted with light hover tanks and armored speeders. Now, however, things were starting to get a bit hairy. The New Republic troops had them pinpointed, and the amount of resistance the Jesters encountered was increasing steadily the closer they got to the capitol building. As they drove the occasional spatter of small arms fire pinged off the heavily reinforced hull of the APC. Physically, these attacks were far to weak to penetrate the hull of the transport. Blaster bolts just reflected off its magnetically sealed hull, and projectile slugs ricocheted off the durasteel plating. The small arms fire did have an effect on the moral of the troops inside the APC, however, and whether the New Republic troops realized it or not they were making the Jesters extremely uncomfortable.

Jegora was trying to keep the APC on the road when a massive burst of energy passed just over the transport’s back. Even though the beam didn’t make contact with the APC, Jegora felt the vehicle shudder as the residual energy from the blast was dispersed throughout the transport’s armor. He also knew that if they caught a blast like that in the side they’d be cooked. Literally. Apparently the New Republic forces were done playing around, and had decided to get serious.

“Bright, we almost there?” Jegora asked, not even trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

Brightstar took a moment to orient the map, and then quickly responded, “Next right!”

Nodding slightly, Jegora kept the APC moving as fast as he could. When the turn came up, he yanked the control yoke around, forcing the craft to make a one hundred and eighty degree right turn at full speed. It didn’t work so well, but somehow Jegora managed to keep the APC from tipping. Straightening out, the transport quickly picked up speed again and Jegora could see the capitol building looming just ahead.

He could also see the mass of infantry troops arrayed against them. They appeared to be New Republic regulars, armed with small arms and a few E-Web style repeating blasters. From what Jegora could see there didn’t appear to be any sort of heavy anti-armor weapons or tanks among them, but the sheer number of troops presented a problem that would not be easily overcome. The transport itself would survive, sure, but Jegora doubted that the Jesters could exit the vehicle and survive.

They needed cover to exit the vehicle. Jegora looked around as he drove, trying to find some way to exit the transport and enter the capitol building without getting shot. Nothing. The New Republic troops had cleared away an entire block all the way around the capitol building, ensuring that any approaching forces would find no cover during their advance. It was a smart move, tactically and strategically, but one that put Jegora and his squad at a huge disadvantage.

The transport slowed slightly as Jegora tried to work out what the squad was going to do. He had had tactics training, of course, but every situation was different, and it was impossible to cover every scenario in a classroom or a simulator. This particular situation, however, was extraordinarily dissimilar from anything Jegora had ever encountered before. He ran through the different options in his head, but in the end he could only see one solution.

Keying his throat mic, Jegora spoke over the squad channel. “Everyone strap in. Mai, Lukas, get down from there.”

There were a few mumbled acknowledgements, but Jager’s voice was the one that raised the question. “What’re we doing?”

Bright just shook her head, guessing Jegora’s plan. For his part, Jegora was focused on what he had to do. Opening the APC’s throttle as far as it would go, Jegora tried to build up enough momentum to accomplish what his intended goal. As the transport neared the infantry line, and showed no signs of slowing or stopping, Jager began to get a little more worried.

“Jeg? What are you planning?” he asked again, and again Jegora ignored him. Then they were at the infantry line. A series of dull thuds followed by a few screams was all those riding in the transport heard as the vehicle plowed through the New Republic soldiers, its giant tires literally flattening at least ten particularly unlucky individuals. By now even Jager had realized what Jegora intended, and he wasn’t happy about it.

The last thing Jegora heard as he aimed for what appeared to be a soft patch of wall was Jager’s voice screaming, “You asshole!”

And then they made contact.

Jegora got lucky. He had expected to be maimed, or probably killed, but his foolish plan paid off. The APC burrowed deep into the side of the building until grinding to a stop, and none of the passengers seemed too worse for wear. Jegora quickly undid his safety restraint and moved to the passenger cabin. A series of oaths greeted him, but Jegora was not in the mood.

“Enough. We’re here. Dismount, spread out, and watch for baddies. And someone find me the damn communications center,” he told the Jesters.

With that Jegora followed his own orders, disembarking from the shuttle via a ramp that was somehow still operational. The building was smoking, and the ceiling looked about ready to cave in around the area that the APC had burrowed into, but all in all things were looking decent. All Jegora had to worry about now were the twenty or so hostiles at his back and an unknown number of enemy forces in front of him.

For the first time that day, Jegora wondered how he had managed to pick this mission as his first attempt at leading a squad. He pondered that for a while, and by the time the rest of his squad had made their way out of the APC he had concluded that it was all Angel’s fault.

Figured.

Zeshaun hastily ran toward the back of the hangar, the charges weighing him down as he tried to wield his rifle to fend off any oncoming pilots. He ran and saw a pair of pilots attempting to get into their A-wings, near the back of the hangar. we can’t let that happen now can we Zeshaun thought as he shifted the charges to his other shoulder, and brought his rifle up and fired twice. The shots hit one of the pilot’s in the chest, sending him flying off of his star fighter and into a pile of empty boxes stacked in the back of the hangar. The other shot, was a little off but it hit the pilot in the hip, causing the pilot to double over in pain and fall head first into the cockpit of the A-wing. Zeshaun was afraid that the pilot would still be able to function so he quickened his step and reached the A-wing, jumping up the ladder to the cockpit, his rifle raised. When he looked in he saw the pilot, hyperventilating on the floor of the star fighter, the shot to his hip was bleeding profusely, staining the pilot’s chair red. The pilot looked up at Zeshaun with pleading eyes, Zeshaun raised his rifle and with one shot ended the pilot’s pain and misery, and while he was at it he threw a charge inside of the ship.

Zeshaun climbed out of the cockpit and started to work down the line of the different fighters, X-wings, Y-wings, A-wings, and Zeshaun even saw some B-wings. He almost felt like it was a waste to be destroying all of these perfectly good star fighters. After setting a few of the charges, the pilot’s started to catch on to the Paladin’s scheme, and started to attack Zeshaun and he assumed Lucky would be getting the same treatment. Although Alan and the rest of the squad were doing a good job of keeping them busy, some of the pilot’s started to break away and defend their fighters. Zeshaun was setting a charge when a shot landed right next to his hand; he turned around to see a pair of pilot’s running his direction with their blasters drawn and firing as they ran. Zeshaun jumped down into the safety of the cockpit and then started to return fire.

“Zesh, almost done?” Lucky’s voice came in through the comlink system on their helmets.

“Not quite.” Zeshaun said firing a shot from within the cockpit.

“Are you encountering resistance?” Lucky asked.

“You’re not?!” Zeshaun asked surprised.

“Not at the moment, are you gonna be okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, it’s not too bad.” Just as Zeshaun said that he spotted a large mass of shadows coming around the corner of the hallway leading deeper into the Mon Cal Cruiser. “I may have spoken too soon.”

At that moment, a squad of New Republic troopers entered the hangar, guns blazing, the pilot’s, bolstered by the addition of another squad, pushed the Paladin’s back and pinned them down behind a medical transport near the mouth of the hangar. Zeshaun hid inside of the cockpit of the Y-wing as the troops ran by, pursuing the Paladin squad, when he noticed that there was a seat for a second person, leading up to the ion cannon. this could be useful Zeshaun thought as he smiled and crawled to the back of the Y-wing and booted up the targeting system. He swiveled around the turret and as soon as he had a good shot on the soldiers, he opened fire. None of them were expecting to be attacked from behind, especially by ion cannons. The first few shots hit the troops in the back, shooting them forward into their comrades. The troops turned in horror and saw the storm trooper manning the turret. Zeshaun saw one of the troops move their mouth, as if they were giving orders, and troops started to fire at the unshielded Y-wing.

Zeshaun suddenly remembered that he had set a charge on the Y-wing and that the explosion would probably kill everyone inside of the hangar if it went off. He quickly crawled back forward and started to return fire with his rifle, hoping to find an opening where he could jump out and continue with his job of setting charges. He only had a few left so it wouldn’t take him very long. He got a small opening in the continuous onslaught of blaster bolts and he jumped, rolling on impact with the ground and then sprinting to the next fighter in the line. He set the charge as he ran by, placing it under the engine of the X-wing and then continued down the line, dodging blaster bolts as he ran, although most of their fire began to concentrate on the main Paladin squad again.

“Zesh, you still alive?” Alan asked through the comlink.

“Yup, I’m still in one piece.” Zeshaun replied as he set another charge. “Only got one more charge to set and then we’re set to go.”

“You might be set to go but we’re still stuck on the opposite side of the hangar.” Alan said.

Zeshaun looked over and saw that the squad of troopers and the pilot’s weren’t letting up and the paladin’s were having a hard time fighting back. He set the last charge on a B-wing, and tried to go around the hangar, but was spotted by a few of the pilot’s and they kept him from rejoining his squad. Well that’s a problem Zeshaun thought as he hid behind the engine of a X-wing, looking for any kind of opportunity to rejoin the rest of the Paladin’s but the pilot’s and troops seemed very intent of protecting their ships.

“Anyone have a way out of this.” Zeshaun asked through his comlink.

“I got nothing.” Njall said.

“Me neither.” Alan said sadly.

“Somebody’s got to have an idea.” Lucky said worriedly.

PALADIN

“Somebody’s got to have an idea.” Lucky said worriedly.

“Sir?”

Alan turned round and saw an Imperial stormtrooper standing before him, he knew from the voice that it was the leader of the Alpha Squad.

“What is it?” queried Alan as he ducked down behind an A-wing, hoping that the rebel pilots would not actually shoot at the ships.

“Let my squad engage this group of pilots whilst you lead the Paladin’s over to assist Lucky and Zeshaun” stated Barandos.

Alan looked at the officer.  It was a bold move on his part, the rebels had effectively pinned them down and for Alpha squad to engage them solely was risky.  They would be outnumbered by the pilots.

“I can’t let you do that, the odds of your surviving would not be good” replied Alan.

“I understand that” replied Barandos, “but the success of this mission is paramount and we all knew the risks when we signed up to the army”

Alan knew that he could not talk Barandos out of it and he admired the officer’s courage.  “Good luck” said Alan as he saluted to Barandos.

“And to you too Sir” replied Barandos as he returned the salute.

Alan gathered the Paladins together as he saw Alpha squad move forward to engage the rebel pilots.  He knew that retrieving Lucky and Zeshaun and getting out of here was vital before the charges went off.

“Tell me someone brought a sniper rifle?” queried Alan.

The squad were equipped with two sniper rifles and Alan wished he had taken one of them.  Instead he had opted for his standard DL-44 blaster pistols.

“I have one” piped in Leon as he slid it from his shoulders.

Alan smiled as he took the rifle and thought to himself thank goodness for that.

“Get ready to lay down covering fire” said Alan.

The squad nodded and fanned out, readying themselves for the approach of enemy troops.  Alan lay the rifle down on the front section of an X-Wing and looked through the rifle until he spotted Zeshaun.  He could see that he was hemmed in by several pilots.

“Zeshaun, do you read me?” asked Alan through the com system.

“Loud and clear” replied Zeshaun.

“I’m going to take out some of those pilots that have you hemmed down” said Alan.

“Glad to hear that” replied Zeshaun.

“Just get ready to move, the squad will provide covering fire” added Alan.

“Understood” said Zeshaun.

Alan moved the scope away from Zeshaun and over to where the closest pilot was.  The man never knew what was about to come.  Holding the rifle steady, Alan brought the targeting scope to the man’s head.  He knew that in en environment such as this that there was no wind factor to take into account.  Alan knew that this would be a nice easy shot.

Alan’s finger pressed very gently on the rifle’s trigger.  Squeezing it softly the rifle sent a lethal bolt towards the rebel.  The man’s head exploded, splattering the nearest X-wing with a coating of red.

The rebel pilots that had been near the downed pilot immediately spun on their heels.  Some dived under the X-wing whilst the rest tried desperately to locate where the shot had originated from.

Zeshaun wasted no time in sprinting towards the location of the Paladin squad.  Greywolf and Zippy were immediately firing towards the rebel pilots that were brave enough to try to take out Zeshaun.  They soon were met with blaster bolts that cut them down.

Zeshaun slid and skidded at the feet of Zippy.  He grasped Zeshaun’s hand and brought him up to a standing position.

“Nice to have you back” commented Zippy.

“Good to be back” replied Zeshaun.

Over the com system a voice came through and Alan knew instantly it was Lucky’s.

“Guys, I hate to say it but what about me, those charges are going to go off soon” said Lucky.

Alan smiled and replied “be right with you”.

He moved the sniper rifle over and zoomed in to locate Lucky and to identify which pilots had her hemmed down.

“So when do the charges go off?” asked TK.

Zeshaun checked his watch and replied “they should be going off very soon actually”.

“Great”, commented Njall sarcastically.

JESTER

“Keep moving. Don’t stop.”

Jegora’s crisp orders over the squad channel were almost completely drowned out by the clash of lasers and the screams of wounded and dying in the narrow corridor. Survival had become a twisted dance over the last few minutes. Each Jester member would move a few perilous steps, take cover to pick a target or avoid a barrage, fire if possible, and then step back out into the madness to progress forward once more. Mai’s pointed fangs were locked together in a grimace beneath her helmet, her golden eyes wide as she struggled to absorb everything flashing into existence about her. She’d been in a fair few fire fights over the years but the proximity of this particular brawl made it dangerous beyond all reason. It would only be a matter of seconds before Jester’s luck slipped and they began to fall under the sheer weight of enemy numbers.

Jegora’s sudden curse over the channel made it clear he was aware of his squads’ predicament as well. He ceased mid-step from where he was leading the remnants of his squad down the hallway, risking a glance behind him to where Mai and Kiption hovered.  Hond was sweeping his rifle in a wide arc at the rear of the small group, trying desperately to keep advancing militia at bay.

“Screw going where they want us too.” Jegora abruptly turned about and charged down a side corridor leading to the offices, his rifle whining back to life as he gunned down a few hapless militia in the way. Kiption swept after him, but Mai hesitated in the doorway. Unhooking a flashbang from her belt she snarled out loud and cast the small metallic device at the ground near Hond’s feet. There was a ‘whoomp’ as the flashbang went off, followed by a dazzling blaze of light which censored the entire section of the immense hallway. Militia cried out as hands involuntarily rose to protect their eyes, giving Hond enough time to cover the necessary few meters to Mai’s position. She didn’t wait for him to reach her. Jegora and Kiption had already covered a fair amount of ground in a few seconds and once divided again the Jester members would stand little chance.

“Let’s go...right,” Jegora seemed to pick another doorway at random, his armorred figure slowing long enough from Mai and Hond to catch up. The SL of Jester lashed out with a booted foot, driving a beautifully carved mahogany doorway in with a deafening crack of timber. He led the way into an equally expensively decorated office complete with an elaborate bathroom. “Right again!” He announced, kicking in another doorway at the side of the office and leading his team out into an even smaller passageway. The sounds of their pursuit became muffled as Jegora led them further into the warren of the mansion.  It was simply too big a building for the NR forces to adequately cover. No doubt many an officer was yelping into commlinks to find Jester and entice them back into the cleverly devised network of traps lining the main walkways.

“Left this time boss,” Kiption extended his stride to overtake Jegora, jogging about the left turn at an intersection. Jegora and the others followed, suddenly finding themselves facing a somewhat old-fashioned but reasonably perfect method of travel; a staircase. “Fire escape,” Kiption explained as he slammed the door open with his shoulder, “In case of generator failure.”

“Glad someone can read the bloody map,” Jegora grunted as he glanced up the flight of stairs, then down to where the staircase descended into relative darkness, “We can’t cover both upstairs and downstairs. We don’t have the time.”

“All signs would lead us to believe the command bunker is up,” Mai resolved to offer her perspective, “They wanted to channel us up the main hallway and towards the lifts.”

“Bastards are trying to throw us off track,” Hond followed on her train of thought, “If I was a shit scared diplomat hiding out in a building that practically screams ‘attack me’ I wouldn’t want to be exposed on the upper levels.”

Jegora seemed to consider for a moment. His choices were clear. Up or down, that was all there was to it. They couldn’t go back and try to discern the bunker’s location from signage or the layout of the entryway, not with rampant NR soldiers on their tail. He looked over to Kiption, who dipped his helmet in a barely visible sign of agreement. The veteran trooper agreed with the two privates. He finally made up his mind and keyed his throat mic,

“Alright. Down we go. Kip take point.”

The Gunnery Sergeant hefted his rifle back to his shoulder and descended the first flight of stairs. Mai followed close on his heels, Jegora and Hond falling in behind her. Her nerves had calmed slighty in the relative calm of the stairwell. It wasn’t necessarily the shock or the potency of the events since their landing that had frazzled her, more the overwhelming tide of sound and scent that had assaulted the squad in the confines of the mansion. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but the urge to break free and find a degree of solace in tight battle formations was sometimes overwhelming. She wished fervently that she could occasionally turn down her incredibly sensitive hearing, or shut away the intoxicating and stirring array of aromas that her nose processed in combat scenarios.

“Something ahead,” Kiption warned as the squad descended past the third level marked on the concrete wall of the stairwell.
Mai slid her last ammo clip into her rifle and proceeded warily as the staircase ended  to branch out into a wide and completely encased metallic storage room. It was filled with extinguishers, gas masks and more surprisingly, a completely loaded weapons rack.

“Looks like a fall back point,” Jegora said as he walked up to Kip’s side, “They sound the evacuation, personnel move out the rear door to here and gear up before moving up the staircase.”

“All looks very promising,” Hond was already at the rack. He tugged at one of the guns only to find them securely locked into place by one of the racks controlled bars, “The thing is freakin' stuck.”

Mai spun her combat knife into her left hand and drove the blade deep into the face of the racks console. Sparks flew into the air, followed by a small puff of smoke before the rack groaned and fell open.

Hond cackled as the large revolver fell into his arms, “Christmas come early.”

“Reload,” Jegora glanced towards the heavy door opposite them, “I have a feeling that whoever’s on the other side of that door won’t be happy to see us.”

BLACKJACK

The four on the dam dove for cover. Tank scrambled over and followed. Reese, Semaj and Inyk poked their heads over the impediment and fired wildly at the Gand. Slugs pinged off of their toughened carapaces. The aliens hissed in anger and rolled into cover.

Gates stood from behind a large solid mass of...something. He couldn't identify it, but it stank horribly. Mentally he shrugged, and racked back the slide of the M1 'Tyrant' LMG. The large support weapon clacked loudly. Gates grinned at the familiar noise, and pulled the trigger.

Even supported on its bipod in the muck, it clattered and roared and bounced around, making it a difficult weapon in untrained hands. Gates was anything but untrained. He'd been around heavy weapons since his teens; even now, a dozen years later, he still had an addiction for weapons.

He expertly sprayed bullets at the in-cover enemies, placing bullets like surgery into exposed limbs - for all the good it did. The Gand were practically bulletproof. Their exoskeletons could take tremendous punishment; low-caliber slugs and light blaster rifles had little effect.

Gates settled in one one of the enemies, a reckless one popping in and out of cover rapidly and spraying his E-11 wildly. The ASL put dozens of rounds into the hardened sewage the alien was in cover behind, blasting huge chucks of material off. Cover was quickly gone for the alien as he watched it disintegrate under the barrage.

An insect's crackle came from the Gand, and it stood and ran for fresh cover. Gates switched priorities and changed his aim, flicking to full auto and dumping much faster rounds after the fleeing target.

Gates took a shot to the side of the head, and dropped. He shook his head- stars and bursts of color danced in his eyes. He'd focused in so heavily on one target that he'd forgotten there was a skirmish going on. Only the super-hardened Katarn helmet saved him from losing most of his head.

A body smashed down next to Gates. "Where do you need me, sir?"

Gates shook his head, trying to clear the stars. "Who in the hell are you?" the ASL asked blearily, thinking he saw the Commando armor of his command but not recognizing the voice.

"Lance Corporal Rex Williams, sir," the now-identified man said. "General Rizzit assigned me to Blackjack. The army pointed you out, sir, and here I am."

"Great," Gates replied. "Tanus! We got another one!"

"Damn it Gates! Give me cover, not play-by-play!" the Squad leader replied, spraying his '82 over his cover. Blackjacks were yelling and firing, but still, no one on either side had gone down.

"Chief, let's just blow 'em to hell!" Gates said, placing the M1 on the ground and gesturing with the underslung grenade launcher. His over-mounted flashlight waved wildly on the ceiling. He flipped it off to save batteries- the sewers were well-lit by the tracers and lasers exchanged.

Tanus nodded and yelled the order over the comm. Semaj, Reese, and Inyk clambered up and over, readying their rifles; the rest of Blackjack aimed from cover. "Fire!" yelled Tanus, and a chorus of thumps echoed in the sewers as the small explosives were forced from nine barrels.

The gentle lobs were immiedietly followed by extremely violent explosions; Gates spotted at least one enemy thrown into the air. Raw sewage and dust were thrown into the air. Gates squinted through the dust and smoke, and saw a couple silouhettes run off.

Once the dust settled, they moved up. A couple dead Gand were lying dead. Gates whistled. "Tough bastards!"

"Let's hunt 'em down. I don't want them on my ass when we go and flank the life out of the Rebels," responded Tanus.

Gates nodded, and reloaded.

PALADIN

Zeshaun looked in the direction that Alan had his rifle pointed and saw Lucky, helplessly pinned down by two pilots who were advancing on her slowly. Zeshaun checked his watch to see how much time they had before the charges were set to go off.  They did not have very much time, and the addition of Sergeant Barandos’ soldiers meant that they had to have enough time to get them out of the hangar as well.

“Alan, now would be a good time to save Lucky if we’re planning to get out of here alive.” Zeshaun said, putting a hand on Alan’s shoulder.

Alan nodded and shrugged off Zeshaun’s hand as he tracked down his target with the sniper rifle. Alan tenderly pulled the trigger and Zeshaun saw one of the pilot’s fly forward and hit the nose of an X-wing, leaving blood splattered on the spot where he hit as the pilot slid to the ground. The other pilot instinctively jumped behind a crate, keeping him from advancing on Lucky but kept him hidden from Alan’s sniper rifle.

“Damn,” Alan said, handing back the sniper rifle to Leon. “Looks like we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”

Zeshaun smiled. “That’s what we do best.” Zeshaun reloaded his rifle and positioned himself next to Alan near the front.

The squad ran the length of the hangar, taking cover here and there to avoid being shot. Zeshaun thought he would help out Sergeant Barandos when he got a chance, stopping to shoot any soldiers when he had a chance.  As they approached Lucky’s position the pilot still seemed unaware of the approaching Paladin squad. Alan slowed the squad down and started to slowly sneak up behind the pilot.

“Not to hurry you or anything but we don’t have that much time.” Zeshaun reminded Alan.

Alan turned back toward Zeshaun. “Fine, do it your way then.” He said, shaking his head.

Zeshaun rushed forward, letting out a war cry and brought the end of his rifle down on the helmet of the pilot, bringing him to the ground, clutching his head. Before the pilot could recover, Zeshaun turned his rifle around and shot point blank into the pilot’s throat, blood started to bubble out of the whole and the pilot was motionless.

Lucky emerged from behind the X-wing, still defensively holding her blaster. Alan quickly walked over to her and they exchanged some quick words while the rest of the squad engaged a few of the New Republic soldiers that happened to notice them.

“Nice to have you back.” TK_421 said.

Lucky nodded in thanks, “We should get going.” She checked her watch as she said this, and then searched the room for an easy exit.

“I’ll relay the message to Sergeant Barandos.” Zeshaun volunteered.

Alan nodded agreement, and Zeshaun moved off behind some crates to make the call. “Sergeant Barandos do you copy?”

“I’m still alive.” The sergeant’s voice blasted over Zeshaun’s head set. He adjusted the sound a bit and continued.

“All the charges have been set, and you should work on a way out.” Zeshaun advised.

“That’s negative.” Sergeant Barandos said with a tone of regret “We have no clear path to an exit.”

Zeshaun frowned, We can’t just leave them here, they’ve been so helpful “Alright, hold on.”

He ran over to Lucky and Alan who were planning an escape route out of the hangar. He told them that Sergeant Barandos wouldn’t be able to make it to an exit in the near future. Alan turned toward Lucky and they seemed to agree that they couldn’t just leave them there.

“Tell the sergeant that we’re coming to get him.” Alan said confidently.

Zeshaun smiled as he clicked the button on his comlink. “Sergeant Barandos, sit tight, Paladin’s coming to rescue you.”

“There’s no need.”  The sergeant replied, “We’re just troopers, they can always train more of us, just get out of here.”

Zeshaun sighed, why are all soldiers so full of themselves, always wanting to sacrifice themselves He thought as he gathered the squad around Alan and Lucky as they started to explain a quick little plan to save Sergeant Barandos’ squad and then escape out of the hangar. Zeshaun listened closely, the plan was very simply but if it didn’t work, the squad would most likely be caught in the hangar when the charges went off.

“Is that all clear.” Lucky asked, making sure everyone understood her orders.

The squad saluted “Yes Ma’am.” They replied in a rare moment of formality for the Paladin squad.

BLACKJACK

Gates kicked a dead insectoid body out of his way. It twitched and hissed, stabbing at his chest with a super-hardened claw shaped like a pick axe's blunt head.

The attack bounced off his chest plate harmlessly, sending a dull clang echoing through the sewers. Gates planted a heavy boot in the middle of the prone alien's chest and poked his SLAR's barrel into a hole in the armor, pulling the trigger. Odd colored blood splattered the filthy ground and the alien shuddered to a halt.

"All clear over here," he said into the comm. A couple of other shots rang out as the rest of Blackjack finished off the aliens that had not been totally dead. Other status reports of 'clear!' were heard.

Tanus consulted his map casually. "We're only a few hundred meters from our objective now and Intel reports no more guards."

"Alright then," Gates said, slinging his SLAR and shouldering his M-82. He flipped on the flashlight. It was quickly joined by the other lights of the squad as they too, in the dimming light of small fires, saw the need light.

Tanus pointed and Gates started off, twitching his rifle left and right to reveal shadows their lights didn't immediately reveal. They quickly moved up through the clear area that was short of the lake of crap and the dam that held back a river of waste.

Unfortunately, the sewage began creeping back up to higher levels, and soon, they were sloshing through knee-deep dirty water and fluids. Gates sighed and continued moving. Swearing came from behind him as soldiers stepped onto ground that gave way under their boots or squelched nastily.

“Tanus, I am going to shoot myself if we have to walk through another sewer system. Please tell me we’re close,” Gates said over his shoulder to the commanding officer of Blackjack.

“You’re in luck, Gates – only a dozen more meters to the doors,” Tanus replied.

He nodded. “Ready weapons; you never do know,” Garryll ordered, flicking the lever from safe to burst. Tanus gestured to a branch-off and they moved quickly around the corner. The only thing there was a thick steel door.

“Great,” Gates said, lowering his weapon. “A steel door. Lovely.”

“Anyone know how to hack a door?” asked Tanus, turning to address the squad. Gates moved over to the scanner next to the door, and looked quizzically at it. He tapped it on its side aimlessly. The door hissed open.

“Hey, did I do -” Gates said, turning. He came face-to-face with a startled looking New Republic security guard. “Oh shit!”

Garryll dove into him, bearing him down in a tackle; the other Blackjacks raced forwards and crashed into a couple more guards. Gates’ opponent desperately punched and flailed, but his armor easily deflected the blows. Gates ejected his vibroknife and stabbed down at the man, cutting into major arteries in the neck, and splattering himself with the now-convulsing man’s blood.

“Yuck. I hate being bled on,” Gates tutted, wiping his blade off on the dead man’s pants. The other Blackjacks watched for enemy reinforcements and looked to Tanus for orders. “Let’s go up, then.”

BLACKJACK

OOC:

DJ-47
Sewer Battles playlist: http://www.playlist.com/playlist/16410019083
on Windows Media Player http://www.playlist.com/playlist/16410019083/asx

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Eriadu Sewers

Many Bothans and humans surged from the turn up ahead in response to the brief death cry of the Rebel Trooper Gates dispatched.  The ensuing firefight was both brief and intense, but ultimately no contest.  The barely armored troopers of the New Republic may have had numbers on their side but they were no match for the Stormtroopers, clad as they are in their Katarn Commando Armor.  Blood, filth and gore painted its own improvised camo over the black reflec.  Red and blue blaster bolts filled the corridor, sterilising the Stormtroopers' armor but doing no harm whereas the New Republic troopers were being cut down three to five at a time.

By the time the last trooper fell the most offensive bits clinging to the Stormtroopers' armor was replaced by fresh carbon scoring.  No words were needed; they all prefered the crisp, smokey aroma to that of the Eriadun sewage.

Seeing all the squadmembers were okay, Tanus gave the order to advance.  Turning the bend their enemies had come from the ladder up into the base was finally in sight.  BlackJack was nearly there when blood-curdling howls and growls gave them pause.  As one the troopers of BlackJack Squad turned about, weapons at the ready.

Wookie Berserkers, their fur soaked and matted with the most toxic-looking sludge the Stormtroopers had yet seen, baring fans as they roared and brandished their Ryyk Kerarthorr Blades.  Their leader however had a battle droid's torso worn on his left arm with many blades and spikes protruding from it, a similarly spiked polearm held aloft in his right hand.  Paw?

Tanus didn't give a damn about the Wook's challenges; BlackJack had a mission to complete so he opened fire, his troops followed suit.  A few wooks dropped dead from blaster bolts and hot lead but the rest rushed the stormtroopers.  Barely in the nick of time the Stormtroopers switched to their close combat weapons. 

The Wookie chief was fast but Tanus was faster still, deliver a sharp blow to the chieftan's groin with the warhammer.  Without pause he twirled the warhammer in a vicious arc to connect with the underside of the chief's left arm.  In the moment it took to register the pain from the second blow Tanus poured all his strength to continue the upward swing.  The wookie chief blinked in disbelief as the blades of his shield cleaved his head off.  Many Wookies howled in shock and anger as the head of their leader went flying.

Tanus proceded to unleash a flurry of blows upon any wookie in reach.  Tank delighted in the fact that the wookies were lightly armored as he hacked through them with his Ryyk blade and M32 combat knife.  Slicing through his foes effortlessly compared to the Gand they had tangled with earlier.  Gand exoskeletons were nearly indestructable; driving a blade between the plates at their joints was the only reliable way to hurt them.

Within a few bloody minutes it was over.  The Stormtroopers were exhausted but uninjured.  Metallic scratches from the Kerarthorr Blades were the newest decorations on the Stormtroopers' commando armor.  Tank looted a pouch of valuable-looking crystals from a wook he killed, noting one of the black crystals would make a nice 'thank you' to Cosmic for some valuable advice at the Academy.

Locked and loaded BlackJack ascended the ladder.  Alater eagerly went first, happy to terrorize the guards he found before tearing them apart with his hands and tail.  While Alater lost himself in wanton carnage the rest of the squad came up to finish off the other guards in the area.

No sooner had Tanus consulted the datapad for directions than two new groups of New Republic Troopers closed in on them from opposite directions; a textbook 'pincer' maneuver.  Tank wasn't the only Stormtrooper to groan at seeing more Bothans and Gand.  Having gotten well-versed at fighting Gand from their recent experiences in the sewers of Eriadu City, most of the troopers followed Tank's lead in attacking the Gand while Tanus, Alater and Garryll downsized the Bothans with Tyrant, Stouker and M82-G Assault Rifle. 

Tank and the rest exploited weak points with a vengeance.  Eyes, mouths, necks, shoulders and hips.  Blaster bolts, hot lead and close combat weapons repeatedly and without any shred of mercy did their duty and the Stormtroopers' will, cutting down Gand after Gand.  When eventually there were no more, they turned their collective and ungentle attention on the surviving Bothans as the others reloaded.

"The main entrance is this way, BlackJacks!" Tanus yelled as he lead his squad onward, to glory and victory!

BLACKJACK

Gathering around the hole to the exit of the stinking sewers, now filled with the bodies of New Republic troopers, Wookies, and Gand, Tanus began to speak to the squad.

"According to Gates' data pad, this ladder comes out right inside the New Republic's headquarters. It is by a secluded room, which is good news for us. The bad news is the room is cramped and there might be several guards posted inside. We need someone to go through first to see if there are any guards and if there are, kill them. Somewhat discreetly if possible. We don't need to fight the entire New Republic army in a dark room."

Tanus looked at each of the Blackjack members, his mask emotionless. It gave Wrex a slight feeling of hopelessness, something the masks were intended to do.

I really have been gone a long time. he thought.

Tanus looked directly at Wrex. "You there. Wrex, is it? You go scout the room. Inyk will be right behind you if you need help. I want to see what you two can do."

"Yes sir." said Wrex, promptly followed by Inyk. He knew he'd have to help the squad, he just didn't realize it would be so soon.

Wrex took a deep breath, afraid of what awaited him on the other side of the door. He walked toward the door, which seemed to grow bigger as he approached. It was rusted, only seeing use by waste management technicians. He pushed a small button and was met with silence.

"You might want to back away. We don't want any surprises." All he recieved in response was a gruff grunt. Wrex looked back and noticed the squad backing away.

At least now I won't be responsible for knocking out a squad mate. he thought with a grin.

After several tense moments the door opened slowly. Wrex finally proceeded through, training his eyes in the gloom, glancing around for any signs of the New Republic. As Tanus had said, the manhole was in a long, narrow room, barely large enough for two men to stand freely. He reached toward a small pack on his back, holding his set of lucky throwing knives. He pulled one out, preparing himself lest a guard walked into the room.

Making sure the area was clear once again, he pulled himself out of the hole. The walls were dark, leaving Wrex feeling as if he was within a massive labyrinth. The room ended about twenty yards away, giving Wrex a view of the hallways stretching through the building. Inyk quickly followed, watching the other direction for any sign of life.

A voice came through Wrex's radio. "Any sign of guards?" It was Tanus.

"Negative." Inyk responded before Wrex could say anything.

"Roger that. We're coming up." Tanus responded. Wrex could hear them moving through the door, their armor giving slight noise in the silence.

Suddenly a guard, oblivious to the two troopers in the hallway, walked past. Wrex froze. The guard passed by. Then passed again and stopped at the entrance, eying Wrex with a puzzled look on his face. He stepped into the room.

"What are you-" He didn't finish his sentence before a knife grew from his neck. Wrex smiled.

I still got it.

JESTER

Mai was well and truly over Eriadu. Her body was beginning to ache now that she’d stopped moving, openly protesting its terrible treatment over the last few hours. Somehow, miraculously, she was still in one piece alongside the other members of Jester squad. A virtual miracle against statistics when one considered the treacherous combat scenarios the squad had recently fought in.

“Narrow pass ahead, be aware.”

Bright’s voice over the squad channel. Even she was beginning to sound irritable. Mai simply hunched down over the handlebars in response, steering her speeder into formation behind Kiption as Jester dropped into a single file. Speeder bikes didn’t feature in her preferred method of travel despite the fact that she had more than enough experience flying with them to display a certain degree of skill.  They were too exposed for her liking. To liable to lose control if anything ever went wrong. And lo and behold, here she was behind the bars of one in a situation where people were going to possibly shoot explosive projectiles at her. Perfect.

“I don’t like this,” Jegora growled to the others as Jester moved through a virtually deserted cityscape, “They should have come at us again by now.”

“Alfonso is just ahead,” Jager replied, “They might have mobilized at his position.”

Mai was distracted from the conversation by a sharp twinge in her right leg. She glanced down to ensure her that her armor wasn’t resting on the exposed metallic components  of her bike only to notice that the ground flashing past beneath them was littered with precisely placed pins that rose only a few centimeters from the earth. Her heart jolted within her chest as she abruptly realized what the out of place objects were.

“Proximity mines!” Mai yelped into her comm., well aware that her warning was far too late. Jester had already moved well into the radius of the anti-vehicle minefield.

The first one exploded with a muffled ‘whoomp’ beneath Kiption’s speeder directly before her. Yells and cursing broke out over the squad channel as Kip’s bike splintered in half, casting the Sergeant over the face of the handlebars like a rag doll. The rest of Jester was far too busy weaving like madmen to aid their fallen comrade. Mai heaved back on her controls, whipping her bike around to narrowly avoid a pin directly in front of her. She managed to miss flying directly above it only to have the battered rear of Kiption’s downed speeder roll promptly into its path. The resulting explosion buffeted her speeder drastically to the side and off course. The wall of a nearby building spun up to meet her as Mai struggled to regain control of her errant ride. She heaved with all of her strength, her muscles straining as she threw her body weight to her left to counteract the spin. The whole bike shuddered and bucked beneath her as a result of her demands before slowly...painfully lifting its nose about. Pulling back on the throttle, Mai shot forwards and away from the building and back on course.

As quickly as they’d entered the minefield, Jester was suddenly exiting on the other side. Jegora throttled back and span about in his seat to examine his squad.  They were all accounted for save Kiption. Lukas’s bike was emitting a high pitched keening sound, its side dipping to a degree that the Senior Sergeant was struggling to remain in his seat. A few of the other member’s speeders looked worse for wear, but only Abalar seemed to be wounded. The young private had one arm clutched to her side. At Jegora’s inquiring glance she explained,

“Shrapnel. I think it might have sliced me across my ribcage.”

Jegora swore in an obvious display of frustration. Every second he spent dealing with the aftermath of the mines was another second in which Alfonso made his way closer to freedom. He shook his helmeted head before seemingly regaining his composure,

“Alright. Lukas. Abalar. Drop back and find Kip. Report to me on his status. We’ll meet up with you once we have Alfonso.”

The two troopers nodded, Abalar slumping in her seat as she realized her injury had effectively put her out of the fight. Mai spared a brief thought for her. In her mind there was nothing worse than being unable to carry on in the hunt.

“Let’s go Jester, we have to make up for missed time,” Jegora turned back around and accelerated quickly, a dust cloud kicking up in his wake. The remaining members of the squad complied, bringing somewhat battered engines back to life as they roared after him. Alfonso probably thought that his ambushes had rid him of their relentless pursuit. He would soon realize that it took a lot more than a few bombs and some snipers to discourage Jester.