Garet dropped a cardboard box of his personal belongings on the desk that previously belonged to Kairo. On it laid a small engraving that read "Gunnery Sergeant Garet Daimun", signifying his new place as Jester Squad Leader. The office served as an entry room to anther, smaller room that served as Garet's new dorm. After taking fifteen minutes to situate him and his belongings, he finally sat down in the rather large office chair behind the desk and began to relax.

Garet Daimun, Squad Leader, he thought to himself with pride. He was so deep into that thought (and the comfortable office chair) that he was caught off guard by the beeping of his Datapad. He spun around in his chair to face the desk and pick up his Datapad.

Garet,

Congrats on making SL. Now you're going to earn it. Meet me in the Briefing Room.

Kairo

Garet, a little nervous now due to the message, got up and quickly made his way to the Briefing Room. He entered and saw Kairo talking to two other soldiers at a long, wooden table, as well as a holo projector of a foreign planet sitting in the middle. The two soldiers fell silent as Garet entered and took a seat. Kairo nodded towards Garet as a greeting.

"Welcome," he started as the three soldiers turned to him, "I guess you're all wondering why I've called you here. Before we begin though, I'd like you to introduce yourselves."

The three turned to each other and stared trying to signal who'd go first. Garet decided to break the deadlock and leaned forward. "Gunnery Sergeant Garet Daimun, Jester Squad Leader. Recon."

The man sitting across form Garet went next. "Senior Sergeant Falarco Darak, callsign Spark, Lightning Strike Squad Leader. Mechanized Recon."

Being last, the Rodian sitting next to Garet had no choice but to introduce himself. "Senior Sergeant Ruvo Chips, Landslide Squad Leader. Heavy Support."

The three shook hands as the spoke, and Kairo immediately started again as they finished.

"Now, if you'll direct your attention to the holoprojector, you'll see what you're here for. Anyone know what planet that is?" When nobody answered, Kairo continued. "It's Atzerri, a relatively useless planet to the Vast Empire. Well, as you can see now," the screen changed as a light started blinking over the planet, "a tracking device was recorded over Atzerri. The tracker was intentionally placed inside a crate of Imperial weapons that was being put on private market. The facility that held said weapons recorded multiple break-ins and thefts, and thus went under investigation. Thanks to the tracking device, we now know where the pirates are bringing them. Unfortunately, they discovered the device before we could get an exact location." Kairo paused to look at the soldiers. All of them were staring at the tracker's transmission, which was on a loop. Kairo hit a button on a remote and the holoprojector turned off, which ended the trance the soldiers were. "Still with me, guys?" Kairo asked, trying to get their attention. Garet nodded, now paying full attention to his Commander. "In total, over 4 tons of weapons have been stolen from our Private Markets."

"So here's the mission: Jester, you're going in first. Your job is to locate and secure the facility the pirates use as storage. Once you locate the facility, contact Lightning Strike and Landslide and they will begin the drop out of orbit with the cargo. Don't forget this will take a couple hours at least; if Lightning Strike and Landslide get to the facility before you are done clearing it, then they will assist you. If you can, find any information on who the pirates are, and what they were going to do with all the weapons. Once the stolen weapons are loaded, escort them into hyperspace and make your way back to Tadath. Any questions?"

Ruvo spoke up (in basic). "When do we leave?"

"Two hours," Kairo answered. "Best inform your Squads."

---

"... So this mission is going to be a smash and grab job?" RK asked as Garet finished briefing them.

"More or less, yes," Garet replied. "We'll be going in with standard Squad gear, nothing more. All of you are expected to bring your carbines, hold out blasters, and armor. We'll be taking four of our speeder bikes and our two sleds as well. RK, I want you to fill in as Fire Team Captain from now on," at this, RK gave a smirk, "which you and I will be riding the sleds, and everyone else will be on the bikes." Garet looked down at his Datapad for the time.

"You all have an hour and a half to get ready and get to Hangar C. I'll meet you there."

-----------------------
Jester Squad
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

SL/GSGT Garet Daimun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"If evil were a lesser breed than justice after all the years, the righteous would have freed the world of sin." - OK Go

Dark rings under the eyes. Gunnery Sergeant Hashi Shiyun stared into the mirror as he made his final ritualistic pre-battle inspection. He was decked out in the glaring white of his Scout armour. Missing from the final piece was his helmet. Donning that would complete the terrifying anonymity of his image. He stared back into the mirror. Stared back into his own black pupils. A reflection into his soul. They tell of the hidden sentiments he harboured at that moment. A surpressed excitement. A controlled relief at finally being back where he belonged - Jester squad. Yet, beneath all that, there still flickered a hint of anxiety at the prospect of combat. Barely a moment had passed by when he found himself back in the thick of action when he received orders to gear up for a reconnaisance mission. No matter. He was back to being a professional. Back to being a murderer. The simple carbine was clenched tightly in his right grip. He fingered the cool metallic butt of the black mass of firepower, closing his eyes and envisioning utilizing it once more in the heat of battle. It has been a long while. He tore his gaze off the facsimile in the mirror. Resurrection and redemption was his to claim.

Hashi double-timed his way to Hanger C. So he was going after some lowlife pirates this time. Potentially psychopathic adversaries. The hit job seemed easy enough on paper. A quick and hopefully clean incursion to secure the perimeter. Sit tight and wait for the back-up from Lightning Strike and Landslide. Still, the Jesters still have to be on their toes. The unexpected has an irritating habit of rearing its ugly ass up in a firefight and shitting all over the ceiling fan.

"Great to have you with us, Hashi," greeted Garet Daimun as the two men met at the entrance of the hanger.

Hashi grinned back, "The pleasure's all mine. Jester's been my home away from home."

Several members of the squad were busy loading up the speeders and sleds up the Sentinel landing craft, positioned squarely in the middle of the hanger. That was their ride to Atzerri. Others were busy stuffing spare ammo packs into their waist pouches and doing a final personal inventory check. They carried only the barest of neccessities on them. Recon troops go in light. Garet gave a sharp whistle to round them up, introducing them to their latest comrade-in-arms.

"Guys, this is Hashi. Not exactly a new face to Jester. He is gonna be handy to have around for sure. He's coming along for the ride with us," chuckled Garet.

Hashi nodded at his new team-mates, his new circle of brothers and sisters. The exchange of handshakes was brief and informal, there was not much time for pleasantries to be dispensed. Besides, the ice-breaking takes place naturally when they covered each others' asses from being shot to charred pieces in combat. For now, grunts of acceptance were more than enough. He took a look around his new squad. Garet was the enthusiastic Squad leader - it was his first mission out as Jester's boss. He had the hot-headed RK backing him up as a Fire Team leader. There was also an Andarian - spunky Corporal Trix. Privates Arrowcaan and Arrijar rounded off the squad. It was totally different to the Jester he knew so long ago. But he was confident they would carry on the fine traditions of their reconnaisance unit.
 
-----------------------
TRP/GSG Hashi Shiyun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [IH] [CoR] [SoA] [LoR]

Hashi Shiyun fiddled with the miniscule Q2s5 hold-out blaster pistol in his gloved hands. It was the standard side-arm for a Scout Trooper, not the most elegant of weapons but reliable nonetheless. One could fire off six rounds before a new magazine needs to be chambered. A useful alternative to resort to if the Sith forbid his carbine were to go "black", army slang for running dry on ammo. The worst thing that could happen in the middle of a heated exchange of fire would be your weapon jamming up or dying on you. Strapped around his waist in pouches was the standard load-out. Survival kits and medpacs, spare power packs and his comlink. It should be sufficient for self-preservation on this mission.

He stood up and scanned his surroundings. The silence was near impeccable, only broken by the soft breathing of squad mates who were napping peacefully and by the gentle snaps of others stripping and reassembling their weapons for a final inspection. Some of the men were studies of nonchalance, whether their ostensible casualness was genuine or for public consumption remained unknown. Others were strained, barely holding back the violence begging to be let loose. The card games had long since died down. They were closing ever nearer to Atzerri, and Hashi could feel the pricks of anticipation at the back of his neck. He felt restless. Impatient. It was never easy to be cooped up in a transport, especially for long durations of time. He would not be able to restrain himself from charging down the ramp when touch-down finally came. It would just be so much of a relief from all the pent-up frustration. Like an orgasm staved off for far too long. Combat can be analagous to intercouse. Unthinking and instinctive.

Wandering over to the cockpit, Hashi plopped down in the empty seat behind the silent and morose figure of the Imperial Navy pilot seconded to them for this mission. The pilot's only movement were from his fingers, continously tapping buttons while maintaining a grip on the stick. Now and then the comms system cackled to life with random transmissions from other channels. The two men remained reserved and distant. Hashi himself was no longer the enthusiastic young man he once was. Slitting the throats of his adversaries and watching his brothers die in combat over the years had a dampening effect on him somewhat, mellowing his once wild character. He was more serious now, less of an aficionado for murderous rampages. Yet no less an efficient soldier, for the Stormtrooper Corps was his calling. A calling he had been resigned to long ago.

"ETA twenty minutes," declared the pilot suddenly, jolting Hashi out of his private reflections. "We're coming out on the edges of the system to avoid early detection before flying on to the target."

Hashi nodded in acknowledgement as the white lines of hyperspace disappeared to give way to the blackness of space with its infinite glinting stars. The Sentinel craft gave a slight jolt as it reverted back  to its sublight engines. He strained his eyes to spot Atzerri. It would be a good twenty minutes at least before they reach its orbit. There it was, a globe whose primary features seemed to be the marshes and plains that dotted its surface. Much of it was obscured by heavy cloud. The locals there pretty much hated the Empire, and had organized a low-intensity resistance against Imperial forces during the Galatic Civil War. There was a chance an insurgency might still be going on. Intel as expected, did not have much updated info on the planet's current state of affairs.

"You recon boys better lock and load," warned the pilot. "Intel says the designated landing zone might be a hot one. Yeah, I know that Military Intelligence is pretty much an oxymoron. But better safe than sorry."

"Got that right," chuckled Hashi softly, appreciating the dark humour. "I'll help Garet round us up for a final briefing and pep talk before we go into the bush. Bring us in nice and easy. Thanks man."

The pilot grunted in reply as he slipped off away from the cockpit to inform his squad-mates. They must have felt the bump out of hyperspace anyway. It was high time to get down and give those swashbuckling thieves a good asskicking. High time they had some new assholes torn for them, courtesy of the Jesters. The squad were habitues to the Elysian fields of warfare, rightful heirs to the battlefield. Unproven some of their ranks might be but their mettle was beyond doubt.

"Alright then," Garet said putting on his helmet. The voice filter took over as he continued, "everyone down to the cargo area."

Garet led the way as the group followed suit to the cargo bay. The ship started rumbling, signifying that they were entering the atmosphere and preparing to land. Garet double-checked his weapons. His pistol was holstered at his side, and his blaster was hung over his shoulder in commando like fashion. Confident that they were there, he entered the cargo bay.

As the group entered, lights flickered on overhead. Secured inside were they bikes and sleds that they were to use. Garet walked over to one of the sleds and turned it on. It jolted to life and lifted off the ground, but the chains that were securing it stopped it from going any further. "I want all of you to go to your bikes and turn them on, make sure they are operational."

The Squad separated towards their speeders, and one after another the hum of the engines turned on. All seemed to work fine, so Garet continued. "When we get to the surface, I want Hashi, CJ, Arrowcaan, and Arrijas to jump out and secure the area. We don't know who or what is out there. Trix, Matherion, and RK will help me unload the speeders." The idle troopers just nodded as Garet looked over. Maybe this won't go so bad after all.

An abrupt beep sounded in the bay, followed by the captains voice. "We'll reach the landing zone in three minutes, you ready Sergeant?" Garet answered by yelling out "Good to go" into the air.

"Alright then, let's do this," he said while he walked to a wall. He pressed a button which revealed that it wasn't a wall, but in fact a giant door. The door began slid open and a rush of light and wind filled the cargo bay. If it wasn't for his helmet, Garet would've had to cover his eyes from the light that flooded in. Looking down, they were about 50 feet above the surface, and slowly descending. The Squad flocked to the open doorway to see what it was like. Garet grabbed onto the side, and Hashi on the other. The rest filed in, almost dangerously, to the  of the opening.

"Morning on Atzerri," Hashi commented. The scene was rather picturesque. The sun was directly level with the open bay door, and the light bathed the forest below in an orange color. Smoke rose from a couple clearings, indicating that villages were present. Off in the distance the sparkling of water could be seen as well.

"I suppose this means no civilian casualties?" RK asked as they passed over a village. Garet caught a glimpse of who the locals were as they looked up. Seeing an Imperial Landing Shuttle probably wasn't an everyday thing for them.

"Hey... what's that?" the lone female voice of the Squad pointed out. What she was referring to was a large domed building, apparently made out of metal. A sore thumb on the scene of forests and villages.

"I'd say that's where we start," Garet said as he took it in. "RK, try to remember where..." Something caught Garet's eye before he could finish. A sparkle flickered off to the side; something was moving.

"Dammit! Everyone grab on to something!" Garet yelled as he realized what it was. In an instant, a beam of red energy hit the shuttle. The shields protected them, but it was enough to shake the ship. Everyone stumbled a bit as the blast hit, but they managed to stay up. RK and Trix had now thrown themselves over to Garet, while Matherion and CJ grabbed on to Hashi. Arrijas and Arrowcaan, who had unfortunately been in the middle, had little time before the next shot hit. This time the shuttle shook violently, causing the two in the middle to lose their bearings. Their knees buckled under them, and Arrijas and Arrowcaan both fell out the open wall.

Garet's stomach was flipping as he watched his two troopers fall and disappear into the trees. Garet stopped breathing, he was stunned at how fast everything just happened. Within a matter of seconds, two of his troopers took a forty foot drop into the trees. Sound seemed to become fuzzy as he focused on the surface below him. He heard a muffled voice yelling "Pilot, put us down!", but he couldn't help but stare at the trees, hoping that he would receive a sign that Arrijas and Arrowcaan were ok.

Suddenly, a scream shook him out of his trance. The ship had started shaking again, and on the floor was Trix, screaming because she was slipping towards the wall. Subconsciously, Garet let go of the wall and dove to grab her arm. He managed to reach her, but she was already out and now pulling Garet down as well. "RK!" Garet yelled for a hand.

RK answered, grabbing Garet's other hand while hanging on to the wall. Garet looked down. The shuttle was getting closer to the ground and slowing down. Garet had to make a choice. He looked down at the ground again, and then at Trix. "Trust me," he said with effort. The ship lowered it's altitude a little more, and Garet used all his strength to pull Trix up to the ledge of the ship. "RK, take her!"

"What?!" he yelled in shock at Garet's order.

"Do it now!" Garet yelled back. He couldn't take any more physical strain. Garet let go of RK and started his free fall. As he crashed through the trees hit the ground, the air escaped his already burning lungs. Garet managed to pull himself up and lean himself on a nearby tree. He took his helmet off with his last bit of energy, and let his head lean back. The pain was nearly overwhelming, but his determination kept him up. Wonder what happens next, was the last thought before he fell asleep.


-----------------------
Jester Squad
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

SL/GSG Garet Daimun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"If evil were a lesser breed than justice after all the years, the righteous would have freed the world of sin." - OK Go

"Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them," murmured Hashi Shiyun to himself.

It was an ancient saying from an alien world, one passed on to him by an unknown bar companion who had fought in the Galactic Civil War. Passed on to him over the dim light of a cantina table. There was ale then. He remembered it being a fine golden brown. And dancing, with voluptous women around the poles. A cheeky smile exuding uninhibited youth as his hand snaked up the thigh of the girl on his lap. It was all a hazy dream now, light years away both in the essence of the physical and that of time. That was the real world, the real dream. What he and the rest of Jesters were living through right now was just a nightmare. At least, that was what he felt about combat. Maybe some of the younger soldiers might be experiencing the initial adrenaline rushes, as of yet immune to the jadedness affecting the older ones.

A snap back to reality and Hashi found himself back in the thick of it all. The Sentinel shuttle was behind him. Him and his squad mate, a young Private, were tasked with securing the perimeter as they awaited the return of the others. He chided himself for letting his abstracted musing wander. The enemy would still target you no matter how deep you were into your reverie. He raised the carbine he held up to his cheek, noticing a speck of dust on the sights. He flicked it off. Killing can be refined to an art and the purist does not fire a dirty weapon.

"CJ, watch your six from time to time!" he called out irritably to the Private. "You don't want to be shot in the ass, do you? I don't want anyone sneaking up on us. Focus, boy!"

The green Private CJ fidgeted uneasily in his Scout Trooper armour as he turned to give a hesitant nod. It was important to maintain three-sixty degree security. Many a hostile ambush had been conducted on unsuspecting Troopers who had forgotten the basic principles of defensive emplacements. Hashi turned his eyes back to his front, now fully back to his senses. A dense wall of undergrowth faced him with ambient light dancing off the leaves back into the visor of his helmet. A line of anti-personnel claymore mines had been strung up in the trees, a trick he had picked up from old veterans. They were set up for controlled detonation, about fifty feet from his position. He had entrusted, if the word entrusted could be used loosely and paradoxically, the detonator to the hands of Private CJ.

"You sure you know how to work the claymores, man?" he called out once more.

"Uh huh. Sure," came the tremulous reply from CJ, "Hit the red button if I hear or see anything funny."

"And damn well you will. Don't catch no zzz's on me buddy or I'll sling your ass. You hear me?" roughed Hashi. He was generally fond of all Jesters, but that penchant did not extend fully over the totally uninitiated. CJ was jittery, and he did not like that, not at all.  Nerves get people killed. It would take that CJ a little while yet to wear off the Fricking New Guy (FNG) syndrome, as the more seasoned termed it. Hashi looked down at his watch. Where were RK and Trix? It had been ages since the pair set off for their search and rescue mission.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn there was an almost indiscernible tone change in the surroundings, as if the flora and fauna had been disturbed by the slightest of changes, the slightest of refractions in the wind. Then a piece of wood was stepped on, a bush rustled. A shadow of a figure appeared about twenty five yards from him. It did not move. Still as a dead night. Hashi's heart rose to his throat but a grim glint settled in his brown pupils. Slowly, the figure advanced, yard by yard, deliberate and prudent steps. Yet his equipment rattled despite his attempts at silence.

"CJ, we're gonna have contact. Just a heads-up," whispered Hashi sardonically into the comlink. There was no reply. The poor kid was probably frozen, cursed Hashi. The figure came ever closer, before pausing as if to whisper to someone behind him. The unseen being had surely spotted the shuttle but hitherto, not Hashi. More figures, more shadows. He could not make out how many. Maybe just a forward patrol. Or maybe a whole gang of those damn pirates.

Suddenly, the lead man swivelled and brought his weapon to bear on Hashi's position. A muzzle flash later and automatic fire was raking about, all hell breaking loose as Hashi dived out of the line of fire. CJ reacted by firing off a few random shots wildly before a thrown grenade hurled him off his feet, jarring and confusing him.

"THE CLAYMORES! BLOW THOSE BITCHES!" screamed Hashi, firing back full automatic at the hostiles now.

CJ fumbled with the claymore switches, panicking. "They won't give!" he shouted, fear making his cries unnaturally high. He tried again and again to squeeze the life out of them. Hashi hissed and lunged over to CJ, knocking the other Trooper away with a quick swipe. A few shots zinged about their heads. He flicked off the safeties and thumbed the detonation remote. In an instant explosions ripped the ground as the blast blew the enemy back in black billons of smoke. Hashi and CJ scrambled back to their feet and lay a stream of fire.

A sudden and violent whiplash shocekd both friend and foe as the repeating blasters of the Sentinel shuttle suddenly burst out from the bottom hull and came to life, unrelenting and merciless as they  whirled and twirled, lasers streaking out in an awesome display of firepower. If the actions of the two Jesters did not convince the enemy to hang around, the shuttle certainly did. Amidst incandescent shouting, the hostile forces turned tail and fled. Hashi cheered their shuttle's pilot on, screaming coarsely as he kept up his own volley of fire at the retreating figures.

The firing gradually ceased. Once more, impeccable silence dawned on them, punctuated only by sharp and fast intakes of breath. Hashi stared dizzily at the direction where those shadows had rendered from. So this was his first day at the office on Atzerri. Not a dull start. At least he was earning his pay now. He turned to CJ, his voice straining to sound calm but still edgy.

"Next time, take the safety off."

* * * *

"So no casualties? No dead bodies or nothing?" frowned Garet as he laid on the cot. He was taking a little breather. That puncture wound had knocked him about, but it was thankfully nothing serious.

"Actually, there was a body. A torso anyway. He was vaped by those repeaters on the shuttle. No documents on him. Sorry to report that," Hashi grunted. RK and Trix had returned with Garet about a half-hour after his and CJ's brief engagement, but the other two were still missing. Hashi was reporting the contact they made with the unknown opposing force to Garet. They were trying to regroup while they still could. It was definitely not the cleanest of mission insertions. Anything that could have gone wrong did. The element of stealth might have long been lost.

Garet groaned as he sat up, "Alright. What the hell. It's time to get  back on the right track of this goddamn mission. Things have been  pretty screwy so far." He got up on his feet and donned the helmet back over the bald head of his, before walking out with a slight limp to address his squad and give a situational report. The rest of the squad listened, attentive but muted. It was hard to be in the mood for a fight when you were still missing a couple of mates.

"Alright, we have to go see if we can find our missing squad mates. If we leave them out there, if they even survived the fall, they won't survive long," Garet paused and looked at RK. " You did well for your first mission in charge, I'm proud of you."

Garet gave the squad a quick scan with his eyes, as if to assert them. This was no time to start feeling sorry for themselves, thought Garet. What mattered was to find those lost men and medevac them out of Atzerri, and more importantly, to carry on with the mission.

"So let's gear up and head out. We don't want to lose anybody, hopefully they are still alive," he barked out, signalling how they should all head for their bikes. Hashi rolled his neck and flexed the fists. He was no longer the gung-ho type, but the earlier encounter had him gushing with adrenaline. And that was what he needed to cope with what was going to be a long day. 

  Sliding his hand across the glistening steel leg of his At-St, Senior Sergeant Falarco Darak walked around the base of his beloved vehicle. He had just gone through his routine inspection, something he always did during a mission while on route to the planet. Wiping a bead of sweat which was trickling down his face, Falarco walked across the hanger bay of the transport, boots clicking on the shimmering surface. As he was about exit the hanger, his comlink buzzed on his belt. Snatching it, he raised it to his mouth and said, "Falarco here. Are we there already?"

  "Not quite sir," Rouchine's voice said through the comlink. Sergeant Rouchine had been with Falarco in Lightning Strike the longest. Even though they were equal pilots, Rouchine had never resented Falarco of his position. In fact, he had become a perfect right hand man for the squad. Falarco wouldn't trust anyone else as the squad's assistant leader. Rouchine's voice but into Falarco's thoughts, saying, "We got a message from the other sentinel shuttle. It seems Jester got a little of a surprise during their landing. From what the pilot tells us, most of Jester is alright. Two members are missing, but they could still be alive. The main problem is, a high powered turbo laser turret is on the ground guarding the landing sight. Until Jester destroys that turret, we can't land to aid them, and the other shuttle can't lift off the ground."

  Striding down the hall, Falarco frowned. He didn't like being told that they couldn't aid fellow Imperial squad if they needed aid. "How long until we arrive at the planet?"

  There was a slight pause in the conversation. Turning down a hall, Falarco nodded to a trooper he didn't recognize. Someone from Landslide probably. "ETA is ten minutes to the system and another five to our orbit position."

  "Alright, round up the squad and tell them to meet me in the briefing room." With that, Falarco cut off the link and put comlink back onto his belt. Since the Sentinel class shuttle was not too large, it only had one briefing room. Once he arrived, he didn't have to wait long before members of his squad started to file in; Rouchine was last. "Ok folks, it's great that we all made it out of the last mission alive, especially with that third wave of vehicles, but even though this mission seems like it will be a piece of cake in comparison, it doesn't mean we should let our guard down. Jester squad has already arrived and has also come under enemy fire. It is uncertain, but they may have lost two of their members." A few people whispered a few of their personal respects for the other squad. "We are completely uncertain of the capability of this pirate group. The fact that they have a turbo laser turret in place seems to indicate that they are plenty prepared to hold their own. I don't want any slip ups. Even though we all came out a live last time, there were quite a few mistakes. Engrine, you were pushing your walker too fast at the beginning, that's why you over heated during the end there. Try not to do that this time. Also, a few of you newer members haven't been in a forest but once or twice, so I want you to go over all the details that brings to bear while we wait to land on the planet. Hopefully, if all goes well, Jester will be able to take out the Pirate forces on the planet by themselves, and we'll just have to guard the workmen onboard this ship while they retake the stolen Imperial supplies. So, any questions?" Falarco finished, taking a long slow breath. I really need to learn to shorten these speeches.

  A member in the back of the room raised their hand, asking, "Do we know what the forest conditions are exactly like sir? Are we talking conifers, tropics, jungle? Are we even certain the trees are going to give us enough room to maneuver our walkers?"

  "Good question, Derek." Falarco made a mental note to see how long ago Derek had been nominated for a promotion. "We aren't entirely certain what the forest conditions are going to be like. We are nearer toward the center of the planetary rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since forest conditions change from planet to planet. Unfortunately, the logs we have aren't very specific, so we'll have to judge it when we arrive. Thankfully you are all trained for speeder and ground work, so if worse comes to worse, we'll do this on foot and rely on our secondary specialties." Everyone nodded. "Anything else?" Falarco waited a moment then said, "Very well, you are dismissed until you here that we are landing. Do what you will, though I advise you check on your vehicles."

  Getting up from his chair at the head of the table, Falarco motioned for Rouchine to follow him out of the room. "You called?" Rouchine joked.

  "Since three new members are coming with us for Jester, I believe we should inform them that they may be even more needed than was suspected," Falarco informed as he headed down another hallway that crisscrossed the shuttle.

  "Ah, you mean about the three soldiers that may be out of action?"

  "Yes, so I would like you to go inform PFC Red Sand, PFC Sapphire Raine and Corporal Phenix about the situation. You know where their rooms are, correct?"

  "Of course," Rouchine said as he broke away and headed down a different hall. Falarco stopped and watched the dwindling form of his second in command. Being a Twi'lek, Rouchine always seemed to know everything Falarco either didn't bother to know or just assumed Rouchine knew. I should really stop depending on him that way. But old habits died hard. Falarco stood to his full height of six feet and four inches. He had always been proud of his size, though it had posed some problems during his vehicle training, but his skill as a pilot was enough to compensate. His sharp angular features and black slicked back hair also gave him an appearance of a Falcon, something his men joked about a lot, wondering if their leader's name was an accident or not. Heading off to his quarters which had been provided for the flight, Falarco decided he should get into his armor and make sure his equipment was ready. Time to get busy.

  (OOC Not too much of a post. Just a little something to introduce some of LS squad and give Phenix and Red an introduction to the story. I'll make the next one a bit more interesting and to my normal standards, unless otherwise requested not to... )


-----------------------
Gunnery Sergeant Kairo
Platoon Commander

PC/GSG Kairo/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE [CDS][BoA][CoR][BC][CoV]

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in ten thousand battles.
You may forget the past, but it always has a way of haunting your future.
Men can die, but a symbol is eternal.

Rain on Atzerri. The lush undergrowth of the forest had been forced down, and the solid ground became a thick mud. The weaker branches fell from they're trees, adding to the sight obstruction, and Garet's team found all of this made their journey through the forest a slow one. Garet dangerously raised one of his hands now and then to wipe his visor.

"Finding these two isn't going to be easy," Garet heard over the the com channel.

"Hey Sarge, we goin' in the right direction? We've been riding for a while now..." Garet could only assume this was the voice of CJ.

"I don't like this as much as you do," Garet replied in a stern tone, "just keep your eyes peeled, focus on the task at... hand!" Garet's tone changed from serious to shocked as he finished. A white piece of plastic was sticking out from under the mud, and Garet barely saw it through the rain and splashing mud. He hit the brake on his sled, bringing it to a stop and almost throwing Garet off the sled. Excited now, he jumped off to go see if his intuition was correct. The mud proved to be deeper than it seemed however, and Garet slipped as he jumped down. A strike of pain surged through his arm and into his chest'; he fell on the wound from earlier. Pain had become a standard for Garet in his time with the Empire. Each time the wound was different, but it his iron resolve kept him going.

Overcoming the pain that had fallen on him, he clambered back up, stumbled, and slid to the body that was lying in the mud. A battered and bashed helmet stared towards the sky and labored breathing was coming through the voice filter. Garet lifted the trooper's head in his arms. Everything seemed to be in slow motion now; Garet looked around in a panic, seeing that CJ and Matherion were jumping off their bikes to come help eased Garet a little, but the hurt trooper in his arms was a lot to handle for Garet. It was his responsibility now, not Zafo's or Evani's, or even TK's; it was his turn to step up.

Garet removed the helmet to determine who it was. The bloody face of Arrijas, the Squad's lone Zabrak, was revealed. Garet's arms were shaking at this point, and his thoughts were scattered to oblivion. The gruesome sight of a gash on Arrijas' face sparked sadness and fear in Garet. He couldn't explain the feeling, and it amazed him because this had happened before. But these were totally different circumstances. Garet could feel the blood drain out of his head.

But the rain began to stop and sun began to shine, and it triggered an instinct in Garet. His muscles tightened up, and his mind started organizing itself. The pain in his arm disappeared. "Leader" was the only thought Garet had now. The time for emotion was over. He was glad his helmet hid his face now. It wouldn't be good for their mindsets if they saw they're Leader in fear. Everything was in real time now, the rain had almost stopped. Arrijas lay unconscious in Garet's arms, while Garet's other trooper's were out of site. Garet was confused.

He looked around and saw that they were at the base of a tree looking up. Forgetting about Arrijas momentarily, he looked up to see his other missing trooper folded over a branch. Matherion was now helping CJ up to the nearest branch in an attempt to rescue the limp Arrowcaan. Garet used his one good arm to drag Arrijas to a tree and sit him up, then went to help get Arrowcaan.

"Is he ok, sir?" asked Matherion. "He'll be fine, but he needs treatment." Garet stared up. Arrow was a good fifteen feet above the ground. A faint moan could be heard from time to time. After a quick climb, CJ had made it to their strung 'mate and was shifting the weight to make him slip off; Matherion was waiting to catch him on the ground. Almost comically, Arrowcaan slipped off and the dead weight of his body fell on top of Matherion, forcing him to the ground.

Garet extended his good hand to Matherion as he stared at the other unconscious soldier. He opened his mouth to speak but a distant hum interrupted him.

"You guys hear that?" Garet asked about the sound.

"Yessir," CJ said as he jumped down from the tree. "Sounds like speeders." Garet nodded and stepped towards the sound in curiosity.

"RK, this is Garet. What's going on?"

"We encountered an empty bunker, we ran into the occupants though. They're dead." The link crackled as he stopped talking, but other than that, it was silent.

"Alright," Garet said, half minded, "we've found our missing soldiers. Hurry up with that turret."

"Yessir."

Garet stared, motionless, into the forest. With the rain stopped, he could see far enough to make out two speeders combing the forest. CJ and Matherion came up to Garet's side and saw the same thing.

"Change of plans: get those two to the shuttle now. I'll take care of this pirate sentry."

Garet's soldiers ran off to get the two unconscious bodies while Garet walked over to his sled. His emotions now under control, and having complete control over himself, Garet revved his engine and sped off in the direction of the enemy.

-----------------------
Jester Squad
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

SL/GSG Garet Daimun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"If evil were a lesser breed than justice after all the years, the righteous would have freed the world of sin." - OK Go

Hashi Shiyun raced back down the passageway where RK and Trix had been hit and last heard from.  The air in the tunnel was severely torrid, and he had flung away his helmet to escape from the heat. His facial features could now be clearly defined by his enemies. Wavy black hair and brown eyes narrowed dangerously to slits. He now had a face for his enemies to imprint in what remained of their lives should they encounter him. He was no longer masked by the terrifying anonymity of his faceless helmet. Yet in its bareness was a rage so unfathomable that no foe would desire to stare into. The agonizingly grim tragedy of losing another two of his squad mates had raised his combativeness to levels beyond all form of human comprehension. The killer instinct had returned to him once more, down in the arachnids' havens of the tunnels.

"RK!" he shouted, running over to the fallen body and turning him over. RK stirred and gave a low moan. Debris lay all around him, his once immaculate armour now unrecognizable, stained by particles of black earth and grey dust. A heavy slab of concrete lay close by, the culprit responsible for his initial unconsciousness. Hashi slowly sat him up, "You okay man? What happened?"

"Blast was a little too strong," mumbled RK, barely audible. "I'm ok. Where's Trix?" Hashi paused and scanned the immediate surroundings. She was lying a few feet away from them, her body still. He scrambled over to her, his heart racing as he checked her pulse. She was still alive. "She's ok! Knocked out pretty good though."

Still in a daze, RK gave a low groan. Hashi released his grip from Trix's wrist and raised to his feet. A hand snapped back the bolt of this carbine. He stared down at his two fellow soldiers. They had to be left to fend for themselves for now. He had to push on. Clear the way for help. He knew that their mission had lost the shield stealth and surprise afforded them long ago. Fact was, they had been pissed on since the word go. They had touched down with no intel on what scenarios to be expected and more importantly who they were to engage. Such unfortunate circumstances. Shit flows down from High Command and the grunts at the bottom of the barrel had to take it.

"RK, sorry to tell you this bro. You're not in any condition to fight right now. Neither is Trix," explained Hashi, his tone calm, cool and collected. It was most unnatural how his voice had a put on a quality of alien assurance. It carried over ideas of fatalism. "Stay here. Look after her." He jerked his head in the direction of her now moaning and wriggling body. Her physical state was not the most comforting but not yet too dire such that he could not leave them defenceless there. A medpac, maybe some morphine would do it. She and RK just had to hang on. Hang on for a little while longer.

"Where are you going?" asked RK, hints of desperation and fear palpable in his voice.

"To get help. Don't die on me here. I'll be back soon. I promise."

RK nodded weakly. He was in no position to argue. His body was tormented with severe bruises, battered to a point where the slightest movement of any joint resulted in intense pain. Hashi scooped up RK's E-11 blaster rifle which had been knocked aside from during the explosion and shoved it into the chest of its owner. RK made sure the cartridge was still in place and that his weapon was still in working order. It was all that seperated him and Trix from death should the enemy come marauding about. Hashi meanwhile, was stripping himself of all excess gear. He was down to only his carbine and ammo.

"When Trix comes about, stagger yourself across this line," briefed Hashi hastily, drawing out an imaginary line with his gloved hand. "Shoot anything that doesn't identify itself."

"Maybe you should wait till we're okay," suggested RK, half-heartedly. "Then we can come with you."

Hashi grinned, his features devillish in the darkness. "I move faster alone."

With that, he vanished back into the abyss of the tunnels.

* * *

Angie. Beautiful Angie. She was the purest thing next to the ice-cold water they were both dipping their feet in. The hike up the river gorge had been exhausting yet purifying for the heart and soul. It was beautiful there. The high cliffs pierced the white mist. Eagles soared above them. The calm river gently licked their feet. Their favourite place in the universe. A retreat from the meaningless and trivial pressures of student life at the university campus.  Hashi playfully flicked the water in her face, much to her delight.

"Stop that!" she giggled, her laughter twinkling.

Her soft white hands reached out to play with his fringe, rumpled untidily over his forehead. Hashi smiled at her, sighing at her beauty. Her eyes. He stopped fooling about and leaned forward to cup her cheeks in his hands, massaging them with his fingers. A sudden sadness befell them. They knew that before long they would suffer the agony of not enjoying the caresses of the other.

"I'm going to miss you babe," Hashi sighed, a sad smile playing on his lips. Her eyes turned moist but she bravely refused to let the tears fall. There was no point in them. He leaned in again, this time to kiss her nose. He loved kissing that part of her face, for inexplicable reasons. His lips moved over to her closed eyes, then finally, her forehead.

"I'm sorry I made the choice to go," he whispered. There was that Imperial scholarship that awaited him at the Academy. He was signing up for the Stormtrooper Corps and leaving her behind. But not forever. Not forever. At his painful reminder, Angie began to choke.

A hand found its way into her skirt, searching, trembling from the unrestrained passion. She gave an almost inaudible gasp as she allowed him to lie on top of her and undo the buttons of her blouse one by one. She laid there as he felt her for that one last time, looking up at the grey clouds moving in. Hashi was coming home to her one day. And he will be that same boy she loved, just like things were here and now.

"Be back soon baby," whispered Angie.

* * *

Hashi stood silently, listening.  In the distance the faint sound of heavy boots coming his way. His helmet gone, his hair hanging free, he was at his best now - alone. He remained still as a shadow. Unmoving, unbreathing. People running up through the tunnel, about 100 yards, coming towards him. He began to move lateral to the sound. His steps unheard. He was better at that than the enemy.

Three enemy figures now appeared, crouched and moving very fast with light equipment through the blackness. Hashi swerved up, a coiled viper disturbed. A burst from his carbine and all three men fall, life extinguished most unceremoniously. He did not bother to stop, but quickly moved on. His feet flew over the ground, like deer over forest floor. More firing. Then silence. Two more lay slain at his feet. He gave a jubilant war cry, his soul possessed. He hated it. How he was killing with such ease, stealing life with such casualness. It was inane. Yet he was high on it. An addiction he could not cure.

It sickened him. On he ran.
 
-----------------------
TRP/GSG Hashi Shiyun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [IH] [CoR] [SoA] [LoR]

"There will be no surrender, Nids," General Ramon said into a microphone in Star Square.  The message was not only being heard by the Falthornian people but also by the Arachnid fleet in orbit.  "We will never give up Falthornn alive!!!"

Cheers went through the crowd, an ironic reaction for their impending fate.

An electronic voice of a computer translation replied, "Then you choose death."

"Our bodies may become one with the sand but we will not be forgotten," said the General, his voice was laden with honor.  "We did not go quietly into the night; we did not go out signing away our souls to your kind.  We will die for all that we believed in!!!"

Singing of an old war song began in the square.  Everybody was afraid of the mass eradication plans of the Nids, but they wouldn't let the enemy know that.  They were comforted by the fact that they had not surrendered, today they would all die with honor.

When death was knocking and there was no back door, hope some how snuck up behind him and snapped death's neck.  At one minute the flat screen showed a space video feed of the Arachnid ships.  The next minute a violet haze appeared over a section of space and triangular ships came into being.  Fighters with Hexagonal wings scrambled from them.  Green fire erupted from the big, triangular ships and engulfed the Nid space craft.  In minutes it was all over...

...A buzzing sound went through Red's head.  He opened his eyes and got up from the cot and quickly threw a pair of pants on.  The door opened and a Twi'lek male in an Imperial Uniform stepped in.  Immediately Red stood up strait in a salute.

"At ease soldier," said the alien officer.  "I am Sergeant Rouchine, Senior Sergeant Darak's second in command.  I am right to assume you are Private 1st Class Regbur Mah?"

"That would be me sir," Red replied.

"So, you're the squad's fresh meat.  I am going to be honest with you; things are not going too well for your squad.  Two men are MIA in an accident caused by your Squad's ship being detected by an enemy AA gun.  Obviously your squad could use our help but we can't land until they take out the AA turret.  You're going to have to hang tight until we get the all clear."

"I understand sir," replied Red.

As soon as the Sergeant left, Red went back to sleep on top of the covers.  About an hour later the buzzer went off again.  Now who is it? thought Red as he went to answer the door.

He opened it to a man that looked like he had seen combat before.  Judging by the man's loose posture, it had been some time since he had seen combat.  He was probably just getting back into the game.

"Hello, I am Corporal Phenix," said the man as he offered his hand.  "I believe you are Private 1st Class Red Sand."

He had definitely been out of the game for awhile.

"That would be me sir," he shook the Corporal's hand.  "If I am correct, you are our squad's Assistant SL."

"That is correct.  I thought I would drop by and get to know you."

This conversation seemed to be awkward to Phenix, not something he probably did regularly.  He covered that fact up pretty well though, only reason Red could tell was that the man was sweating slightly at the brow.

"What do you want to know?"

"As soon as we are cleared for landing we are going to be in the thick of it.  How does it make you feel considering it is your taste of combat?"

"In the Empire this is my first mission but it is far from my first taste of combat.  I fought two years to defend my planet from what we called the Nids before the Empire ended the war." 

"Oh."

Red noticed right after that he had made the other man feel stupid, "though you wouldn't know that since you probably haven't gotten the reading material on me yet."

"What exactly are the "Nids" anyways?" asked the Corporal trying to change the subject from himself.

"Two years ago a spider like race came to my world of Falthornn.  They made an invasion attempt that was unsuccessful for two years.  On the second year they gave up trying to take the planet from us by conventional means.  They made one last effort to take it unharmed by threatening to launch a nuclear strike from orbit if we didn't surrender.  Like I said, the Empire came in and stopped it at the last second.  Good thing because we would be glowing in the dark if you guys hadn't..."


(OCC: Hope I lived up to your expectations.  I didn't know how Phenix would have replied to dark humor so I just stopped there.)

 
-----------------------
TRP/PFC Red Sand/1SQD/2 PLT/1 COM/1 RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA

Red Sand=Than Sion

Garet Daimun and Hashi Shiyun inched forward in the darkness. It was a claustrophobic and dank hell, and they were playing a very deadly game of hide and seek with the enemy. They probed the walls of the tunnel, touching and feeling their way as if born into the universe blind. Down in the heart of darkness, sight was not a sense they could rely on. The tunnel system was a paradox in that it was of built with primitive construction methods yet it was intricately and meticulously planned. It was simply carved out from the earth. The soil was made up largely of laterite clay, which was extremely easy to work with. Hence, the pirates had constructed a vast network of these endless passages. The design showed simple ingenuity. They were not built in a straight line, for one, but at twists and turns at angles of no less than sixty degrees and no more than a hundred twenty degrees. The blast of a thermal detonator dropped down into the system would be deflected very effectively. These pirates seemed to possess an intellect higher than the Empire wanted to give credit for.

Garet, in the lead, swore obscenely as the utilitarian flashlight he was holding revealed a solid brown wall, "Son of a bit.."

"Clever bastards," wheezed Hashi, his breathing strained by the thin air. "This dead end ain't no accident. It's here by design." The two men wiped their brows, their eyes narrowed to slits of frustration. It was nerve racking work down there, testing even the most coolest of temperaments. Besides dead ends, they also had to live with the fear of being shot coming around every nook and corner, or possibly setting off a booby trap. They knew full well they would not receive any quarter if the enemy got the drop on them. The mental stress pushed them to their limits, stretching every nerve. 

The two troopers paused to let the sheer frustration ebb away slightly. Garet unscrewed the metal cap of his canteen and let the cool liquid run down his throat, easing him somewhat. It was of no use continuing if they were in such a messed up state of mind. What was needed was clarity, calmness and patience if were to ever get back on track with the mission. Hashi took the moment's rest to inspect a ventilation shaft in the tunnel wall. The vent was constructed with an oblique angle so as to prevent the rains flooding the system. These vents lined the tunnels. They faced east, he guessed, to find the light of a new day, whilst others were placed toward the wind so as to provide a constant cooling drought. Despite these efforts the tunnels were still hot, dark, and claustrophobic.

The momentary respite was over and they trudged on, their shoulders sagging. Hashi found it less torturous to adapt to the cramped situation as his small frame allowed him to pass through the narrow straits better. Garet, on the other hand, a hulking six feet three inches, was positively aggravated how the walls seemed to squeezed on him in an ever tightening grip. He did not know for how much longer could he take the torment anymore. They had been moving for ages, it seemed. Their march had deteriorated into a nauseous crawl. Where was that damned entrance to the turret? It was to his eternal regret that he did not kill the lowlife who had provided him with such vague direction.

The two men suddenly found themselves in the middle of a junction, where two passageways branched out into oblivion. Garet stopped suddenly, his brooding interrupted. "Ah. Finally. A sign." He stooped low to inspect a crude figure of a humanoid, depicted in a strange martial arts stance, carved into the wall and high-lightened with dull yellow paint.

"You sure about that?" Hashi stirred behind him, his voice wary. Garet nodded. "Yeah. Quite positive. Now I guess we have to find out for ourselves to see if the sucker was lying."

Hashi shrugged his shoulders uneasily as they moved out once more. More intersections, more of those symbols. Each step he took felt like he was getting closer to a slaughter. He just had that gut feeling, and he knew not to distrust that from years of experience. The question was, would the proverbial lambs to be slayed be the Jester duo or those fiendish pirates?

Garet's sharp whisper cut the deathly silence abruptly once more. "This must be it."

"Aww shit. Another one?" Hashi hissed angrily, thinking that they had once more ran into another dead end, judging from the solid wall that blocked their path. Garet smiled grimly and pointed to a hidden trapdoor above them. Hashi's jaw dropped slightly. It was marvelously concealed, the brown woodwork blending seamlessly with the dark hue of the soil. A speck of light shone through the tiniest of cracks. There was soft murmuring in an alien language up above. Straining his hearing, he could make out the scraping of a chair against the floor and the sound of a mug thudded onto a table.

Garet had already unclipped a grenade from his belt. "Storm in after I frag the room. I'll be right behind you. Wait for my go."

"Affirmative," replied Hashi tersely as he snapped back the charging handle of his carbine. A flick of his thumb and the safety was on. He was on the verge of dishing out a "Let's rock and roll!" or something similar to that effect when he thought better of it. That was juvenile bullshit and green recruits' tough talk.

The frag grenade was clenched tightly in Garet's right fist. His face was taut and strained, as if cramped. There was always that fear of screwing up. And dying as a result. But he had tempered down that fear such that though his facial expression may say otherwise, his mind was clear. The focus was always on that task at hand.

He breathed deeply, then as if to release himself from the grip of a beast, he pulled the pin of the grenade and with a holler, punched the trapdoor open and flung it in furiously. "Fire in the hole!!"

Garet and Hashi both ducked as the ensuing explosion resulting in gut-wrenching screams from above as the fragments tore into the bodies of the occupants of the room.

"Go go go!!"

Hashi frantically shoved himself up through the trapdoor, his carbine held tight to his chest, finger ready on the trigger. What greeted him was not a pleasant sight. A man was trying desperately to hold his red-raw intestines from spilling out, while another laid in shock, his face a mangled mass as the blast had torn off most of his facial features. His upper lip was hanging by a thread and a gaping hole below his eye meant that Hashi could stare in morbid horror into the contents of the man's cranium.

A huge and furry figure, seven feet in height, hitherto unnoticed, gave a weak animal grown in the shadows of the room. Hashi pivoted on his heels, his carbine raised as he took in the sight of a Wookie slumped down in a chair with blood staining his golden brown fur. The Wookie fumbled with the bowcaster still in its huge paws, trying to bring it to bear on Hashi, when a shot hit him clean in the neck. A muffled moan and the Wookie's head snapped back and the bowcaster slipped from his lifeless grip.

He then turned his attention on the two mortally wounded men on the verge of death. A volley of shots tore into the chest of the one with the mangled face, his body jerking violently before snapping back and laying still. The other froze and mouthed what seemed to be the word 'mother' when his misery was ended with a double tap to the head.

"All clear!" Hashi rang out, almost serenely.

Garet meanwhile, had just come up through the trapdoor. He took in the sight with a frown. "Messy."

The two Jesters surveyed the situation they had placed themselves in. They were above ground again, in what seemed like an enclosed concrete bunker. A door lead out to the outside world, and they cautiously exited through that entrance. Resting on the rooftop of the bunker was the gun turret that had been causing them so much grief. Garet and Hashi climbed up the rusty metal staircase to the turret emplacement. Sandbags lay around it, with a few smashed bottles of Whisky evident as well as decks of Sabacc. They scanned the vincinity of the area once more, uneasy about how they had managed to take possession of the turret a little bit too easily. It was too lightly guarded.

"We caught them drunk," snorted Hashi.

A shrug from Garet's shoulders. He waved his hand over at the artillery piece that sat square in the middle of the low-rise turret.

Hashi was previously a heavy weapons specialist for Jester. He knew his stuff. "This, my friend, is an Blastech Oerlikon Anti-Starcraft cannon. Eighty eight millimeter rounds. Fires at a rate of two hundred a minute. Pretty old but effective crap from the Clone Wars though. Not surprised the riff-raff would have access to such junk metal. They can be brought off illegal arms dealers easy in the Outer Rim black market."

"Whatever. Spike it."

Hashi did not have any demolition charges handy and looked around him, hoping for an improvised method to 'spike' the gun - that is render it useless by dropping an explosive down the barrel. Inspiration struck him when he spotted a couple of propane canisters lying around by the empty Whisky bottles. He stuffed them down the tube of the gun piece before proceeding to light a cigarette. He took several long draws. He was as tired as hell. Midway through the stick, he flicked it down the barrel and lunged away. A small fireball erupted from the muzzle before the whole cannon disintegrated, its metal components clanking to the ground, smoking.

"Jester Six to Red Bird, Jester Six to Red Bird, do you read me, over?" Garet shouted into his comlink, ignoring the recent explosion.

High up above, the Sentinel shuttle with Landslide Squad onboard acknowledged.

"Red Bird copies. What's the situation down there Jester Six? Over."

"Turret neutralized. Turret neutralized. You may begin landing operations, over!"

"Ahh, roger that Jester Six. Red Bird will commence landing sequence. Setting down now on pre-arranged coordinates 895642, Sector Zulu King, over."

"Affirmative Red Bird. Nice to finally have some back-up round these parts. Jester Six over and out."
 
-----------------------
TRP/GSG Hashi Shiyun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [IH] [CoR] [SoA] [LoR]

"Red Bird Red Bird this is Jester Six. I am popping smoke on my location, over.."

"Roger that Jester Six. Red Bird identifies purple!"

"Affirmative Red Bird. I popped purple. Stand by for landing!"

The purple haze that Garet had triggered from the smoke grenade floated lazily upwards, carried on by a gentle wind. It revealed their exact location in the dense forest. It would be hard for the crew of the Sentinel to identify them merely by flying to what were just numbers and grids on digital maps, hence the visual clue. Any moment now reinforcements in the form of Landslide and fresh replacements for Jester would arrive. They needed the extra rifles, badly. Everything had gone wrong. They were still fighting in a thick mist, with barely no idea of the overall picture. It was like killing in a drunken daze. A shrouded nightmare.

Hashi Shiyun was lying on the cool grass. His hands were cupped behind his head, eyes staring distantly into the sky, ignoring the communications exchange between Garet and the shuttle as well as the dialogues with other squad mates. His carbine lay across his tummy area, the ammo in the cartridge half-expended. He was sick of the fighting. The mission was getting too draggy for his tastes. As far as he could see, the killings he had committed so far served no visible purpose. It was hateful to kill without reason.

How many had he killed so far? There was the eight he had confirmed. He was close enough to feel those last breaths from their faces. He had watched without passion or remorse the light of their eyes go out. His thoughts flickered back to the Twi'lek girl, picturing here falling to her face, her lips pursed in unspeakable horror as the shot went through her head and back out again. It was a battlefield execution, pleaded Hashi, anxious to downplay the strings of guilt tugging at his heart. The sweat began to trickle down his forehead as the anxiety and morbidity of that moment began to play itself over and over again in his head, like a broken tape. He turned over to his side, clawed his hair and mouthed a silent scream. It was going to haunt him forever. Those deaths. There were many he had killed like her, and many more he would murder in similar fashion in the near future. It tormented his soul.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip back into memories of dark unbridled evil.

Maybe facing the past specters would help him seek the redemption he was looking for.

Confrontation was always a positive way of engagement, as he was trained.

Another blast to the past.

* * *


Sergeants Shadow and Hashi entered the small prefrabicated housing unit, their E-11 rifles searching the room. They had received orders from the Jester Squad leader, Senior Sergeant Dragoon, to conduct house-to-house searches. Just a little activity to pass the time and keep them on their senses. Zerek 456, the Outer Rim shithole they had been sent to, had been brought under their control. The Vast Empire had wanted a foothold on the planet and they sent Jester to get the job done, but not before blood had been spilt on both sides. Now they were just mopping up.

The room appeared empty until a vase shattered to the floor, the pretty white roses stored in it spilling to the ground. The two soldiers whirled around and aimed the barrels of their weapons at an aged mother and her teenage son. Her son, a boy of maybe seventeen, had upset the vase. Hashi moved forward to secure them, trampling the roses in the process. The white petals were crushed under the force of his studded boots.

He grinned at Shadow before putting on a hateful glare for the mother and son couple. "Well what do we have here? A couple of greasy little civilians. Bet you were the ones helping to supply those food stocks we found in the hostiles' warehouse." The Jesters had recently raided a building where they found cache upon cache of weapons and supplies. Military Intel said it was stocked by civilian Fifth Column elements.

"Probably. Whole goddamn population's against us," sneered Shadow, going over to a simple fireplace and knocking off family momentos from it ; photographs, a few trophies earned for school and more vased flowers. They clattered to the ground, the glass breaking apart. The mother gave a low moan as Shadow tore up a picture of a man who looked to be her husband. Another mocking sneer from Shadow. "Why? He got wasted fighting us?"

She whimpered, knowing that any effort at resistance was futile. Her son meanwhile, attempted a strained smile, as if to show they meant neither harm nor hill. It was a severe mistake on his part.

Hashi flared up. "What are you smiling at, greaseball? You think I'm funny? Huh? HUH?! Fricking assholes."

Shadow turned, an expensive watch in his hand. He intended to pocket it as a campaign souveneir. "Cool it, Hash. There's nothing here. Let's get out back to base."

Still feeling the heat, Hashi turned to leave, leaving the young teenager and his mother with tears running down their cheeks, frightened and confused over it all. But as he shifted, he could not help but notice the small twist on the young man's lips, a slight smile of victory, contempt and hatred. In one fluid motion Hashi swivelled on his feet and charged him, smacking and breaking his jaw with the butt of his rifle.

"F***er!"

Shadow was stunned, the watch he was holding slipped to the floor. "Hash! What the hell are you doing man?!"

Hashi clubbed the teenager's head over and over again. He gave a muffled moan but another blow silenced him. The savage beating went on. His skull endured the force until it could handle no more, and a particularly forceful drive split his forehead open. Blood and brain tissue flew out, specking the white armour of Hashi and Shadow. The young man's mother had sunk into a corner, her eyes lifeless now from the shock.

A demonic flame glinted in Hashi's pupils. "Wow. You see that head come apart man? That was art. Pure art."

Shadow was disgusted at the barbarity of his squad mate. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here. We didn't see nothing, okay? Nothing."

Hashi grunted and followed him out the door. Just before fully putting his foot over the doormat, he turned once more and with an accurate shot, blasted a round off to the mother who was hunched pathetically over the violated body of her son, crying her heart out aggrievedly. Her head bounced off the wall in a sickening thud and rolled over to her shoulder, gore splattering the wall behind her in a mosaic pattern. Blood began streaming out of her mouth in a steady river.

Hashi shrugged nonchalantly. "Old bitch."

* * *


He awoke back into reality with a start, his intakes of breath sharp and painful. No. The past did not help. It just intensified the pain. He had to put the ghosts behind him. He jerked his head from side to side, his carbine suddenly in his grip again.

Garet gave him a concerned look-over. "What's up? You heard something?"

Hashi shook his head vigorously and eased himself back down onto the grass again. "Nothing. Just nightmares."

Sweat was all over him, coating his body in a sticky shine. He reached for his canteen and drank down the warm water in large gulps till he choked on the liquid. Spluttering, he put his canteen away and got to his feet. He was on Atzerri. His past was scattered across different worlds across the Outer Rim. Atrocities he committed in the past did not matter in the situation on hand. He was on Atzerri now. Atzerri. Atzerri. He kept repeating the word in his mind. It was time to move on. A new mission. A new life. Atonement for his sins was not what he seeked but instead purpose and direction. He prayed he would find it here.

The lights that illuminated the corridors went out, RK could hear Garet's voice through the commlink, "Turret AA is down, all trooper's may land." He got up and moved over to Trix who was still cringing from the pain of the impact.

"RK, Trix!" RK looked up for a brief second holding his E-11 level with the pair drawing closer. The two figures appeared out of the shadows, Matherion was the first to talk. "Whoa, we already lost two squad mates, let's not make it four."

RK was glad to see them he needed help to get Trix out of the tunnels, and in the shape he was in there was no way he could do it himself. "CJ help me get Trix out of here, she is going to need more medical attention then I thought." RK felt guilty, He should have known that he couldn't control the explosion, and that these walls couldn't hold up to the explosion either. What was done, was done. He couldn't change the past, but he tried his hardest, and he almost killed himself and a fellow Squad mate. I will never make that mistake again.

"What happened here?" CJ was always the most curious of the group, but RK just ignored that and made sure CJ did what he was told. RK was more of the laid back easily made angry.

"Tried to blow up the squad that was above here, so that we wouldn't get her heads blown off."

"I think you did a good job of that yourself."

CJ picked Trix up. RK grabbed anything that flew off of  her armor and gathered it up. Matherion was already gone before CJ or RK. I wonder about him.RK stood up carrying pieces of there armor, some important some not so important. RK's C-3POD was demolished and his carbine almost flattened, but still in working condition. RK felt like his head was in a air tight room, but that feeling soon wore off.

20 minutes later---

Soon he could see the lights peeking through the holes in the bunker, free at last.

When they were finally out of the tunnel, RK decided it was time to get a move on. He didn't know what was going on, and something told him he didn't want to know. The dead Twi'lek was gone pirates must have thought her valuable. Matherion was no where to be seen, and RK was just about as confused as CJ.

"So now what?" CJ was tired, having to carry someone out of those tunnels would make you tired, but RK was thankful he wouldn't have to find out.

"We find the others, and get her to a medic."

RK was surprised that he wasn't the one needing a medic, he was closer to the explosion, yet still cautious as ever. In some ways he felt guilty that Trix had to take the fall for what he did, but in others he was glad he wasn't hurt.

Half hour later-----

Garet was waiting by the turret entrance, Hashi looking around the perimeter making sure there was no souls left to defy them. They turned off there bikes and hoppled off, RK having aharder time due to his injuries.

"RK, is everyone alright?" Garet was worried, though RK couldn't see it, he could hear it in his voice. Worried that he might loose more squad members, worried that there mission was comprimised.

"Yeah, I may have a broken arm, but Trix needs a medic now." Garet didn't hesitate.

"CJ, take Trix and RK to the medic. Hashi and I will meet the other when they land, meet up with us when your done."

CJ nodded. RK did a quick glance to see if Matherion was around, but still he was no where to be seen. Garet didn't seem to notice, unless he knew where Matherion went.

"Where is Matherion?"

Guess he did notice.

"He left before us, he may have taken a different route, or gone to the landing area."

"Alright, I'll see if I can find where he is, you and just get some attention."

RK mounted his sled, and CJ mounted his bike, Trix was awake by this time, so CJ wuoldn't have to worry about her falling off.

Hour later-----

"So you guys good?"Garet's worries and concerns seemed to diminish, but he still needed to care for his Squad.

"Yeah, we just had minor scraps and bruises, I think we will make it."

Garet handed both of them new helmets, and new armor. Once they finished changing, they waited for the rest of the squads to get here. If they didn't anytime soon this would be one short mission.
-----------------------
Jester Squad
FTL/LCPL RK/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA/VE

Corporal Phenix led his small fireteam, Fireteam Alpha, forward through the dense vegetation. The two members of his small warrior band, Hashi Shiyun and Matherion, kept close behind him. They advanced stealthily forward, aware that though the enemy knew they were out there, somewhere, they had to get as close as possible before being detected. They were slowly but surely nearing the north entrance. Fireteam Alpha, meanwhile, had the other entrance covered.

Phenix paused to pull out a lensatic compass from his pouch, checking the azimuth to make sure Fireteam Alpha was on the right track. Hashi took the brief respite from the march to inhale deep breaths and survey his surroundings. He shifted uneasily and snapped a twig, causing an abrupt silence. The silence was a disturbance in the triple-canopied forest that enveloped them, with its constant rackets from the avian and primates high above. His eyes and ears were as one, every sense keenly attuned, searching, listening and analyzing, for anything that was not theirs and not nature's.

"Have we not caused thy bosom to dilate, and eased thee of the burden?" mused Hashi to himself, unheard by the others, as he brought his Stormtrooper Carbine II up to his cheek. He stared down the iron sights of his weapon, reflecting.

Phenix frowned, snapped shut the lid of his compass and brought his comlink up to bear.

"Jester Five actual to Lightning Strike Four, can you radio in your position, over?"

"Roger that Jester Five actual. We're on a course slightly behind you, about a hundred metres back. Over."

The AT-ST Walker from Lightning Strike Four was behind Fireteam Bravo, somewhere. Phenix turned his head and strained to spot it among the thick wall of trees. He could not see the lumbering Scout Walker, but he heard the faint whirring sound of mechanical gears from that direction. It was very reassuring to know that they had armoured support going into the mission. An infantry and armour combo could be devastatingly effective. The grunts go forward to flush the hostiles out, then the Walkers were rolled in to control the fight on their own terms with their awesome and unmatched firepower. Standard Imperial procedure. Working in tandem, however, was no easy feat by far. It posed a problem as the grunts had to co-ordinate their movements with the Walkers or risk exposing them to anti-armour projectiles from the flanks.

Besides the support of the AT-ST Chicken Walkers from Lightning Strike Squad, Jester, the leading element, would also have the comforting backing of Senior Sergeant Ruvo Chips's mortar teams. Landslide Squad had two SoroSuub 81mm mortars manned by teams of three men each. They were stationed back at the landing zone to cover any forced retreat if things get to hot or to bomb the shit out of the enemy should he be dug in too deep. Jester very much appreciated the fire support they promised. Sergeant Ruvo himself had deployed himself forward with Landslide's E-Repeater team, acting as element leader cum FO (Forward Observer).

Private Matherion, meanwhile, had crouched down to refill his canteen in a muddy stream of water that snaked through the ground.

Hashi frowned and clicked his tounge impatiently. "Don't drink that, stupid git. You wanna get malaria?"

A sheepish grin from Matherion as he drained the canteen of its contents and put it away. "Sorry Gunny."

They were all tired and tense from the unremitting combat of the past few days. The time that passed between contact with the enemy agonized them in a slow torture, yet the firefights were blindingly fast and furious, just flashes of light and thunder, leaving them stunned and dazed. Yet here they were again, replaying another scenario. The bad dream that would not go away. They all fantasized about that shuttle back to Tadath. Fantasized about those RNR (rest and relaxation) leaves to be granted once they got this mission through and over with. Through and over with. That was all they wanted. All they needed.

Phenix cursed and slapped the side of his neck. "Matherion, get up there and take point. Watch out. I got a feeling we're walking into something bad.."

"Aye, sir!" enthused the young private, rushing forward eagerly.

He was fresh from the Academy, keen to prove to the old-timers what he was made of. The gung-ho spirit however, was tragically short-lived. A few steps forward and a burst of automatic fire rang out, catching Matherion at full blast. He spun around, his body hitting the dirt like wildly discarded garbage. His hand went up to his throat, in an animal instinct to stem the blood spurting out from his neck while his legs kicked wildly about.

"SHIT!!" was the simultaneous verbal kick-back from Phenix and Hashi.

The two men wasted no time hitting the deck. Hashi crawled up behind a small ant-hill and blasted away at the source of incoming fire, a concealed bunker, not unlike the one he had encountered earlier in the mission with RK and Trix. The blasts from both sides of the firefights were kicking up a storm, and the dried leaves that littered the space between them were incinerated in the cross-fire. Phenix had rolled behind a tree and was cursing as blaster fire hit the trunk he was taking cover behind, sending sharp splinters of wood piercing him deeply through gaps of his armour. Panicky screams from Matherion, begging them for help, intermitted the rifle fire before being drowned out again the in the murderous cacophony.

Smoke grenades rolled down, thrown by the enemy. The black smoke that billowed out added to the intense confusion. It was almost surreal, the pace at which events were unfolding. Phenix and Hashi desperately fired on as their fallen comrade's cries rose through the smoke.

Matherion raised a gloved hand towards them, moaning.

A red laser caught the hand and shattered the bones of three fingers, leaving his hand a mangled stump.

* * *


"Just what the hell is going on there, Phenix!?" shouted Gunnery Sergeant Garet into his comlink, the alarm rising in his chest. In the distance, he can hear the sharp cracks of rifle fire from Bravo's direction.

Phenix's reply cackled through static. "-tact! We mad- contact! Am under hea- fire! Matherion's hit! We cant get to h-"

The transmission blurred out and the line went dead, altogether, making Garet swear obscenely.

Once again, current events were going SNAFU on his ass. Situation normal, all fouled up. He snapped back the bolt of his rifle and motioned for Fireteam Bravo behind him to pause as he assessed the situation. He mind was racing. Jester was already a man down and Bravo was pinned down, trapped with nowhere to go unless help came, and help needed to come fast. He was halfway through unfolding a map when automatic fire rang out in his sector, and his Fireteam scattered to take cover behind all manner of rocks and trees. Garet peeked out and returned fire. The rest followed suit, laying on a hail of lasers to their two o'clock, the direction of the incoming fire.

"Get your damn firepower out there! Spread it out! Move to the flanks and look for a target!" hollered Garet to Bravo.

Suddenly, five men came charging up to Bravo's position. In the lead was Senior Sergeant Ruvo Chips, behind him came his E-Repeater LMG (Light Machine Gun) team. They were all huge men, with a minimum of six feet in height and tipping the scales at a beefy hundred eighty pounds each. They needed to be big, for the gun and associated ammunition required to keep it pumping was iron-heavy. The one carrying the E-Repeater dropped to his belly and began firing away, while another fed him ammunition. The remaining two men provided security on both edges of the Repeater as it churned out automatic fire at a jaw-dropping rate.

Ruvo skidded over to where Garet was, kicking up dirt. "What's the situation?"

Anger and frustration rankling him, Garet rattled off, "Gone to shit, that's what. The dome has a ring of well-manned outposts guarding it. My other Fireteam have been caught flat on their asses on the other side. We're pinned down ourselves over here. The perimeter defense is much tougher than we thought!"

"Give me Alpha's position, I'll rain some lead down in front of them. See if these bastards like to eat mortar rounds for dinner."

The exchange of weapons fire still providing a violent backdrop, Garet handed over the map to Ruvo, who began shooting off a string of instructions to his mortar teams back at base.

"Redleg, Redleg ... Landslide Six Actual. Fire mission. Grid six-four-niner ... four-zero-two. Direction six-one-zero-zero. Hostiles dug in bunkers. Danger close.  Adjust fire, over ..."

"I copy you Landslide Six. Rounds on the way. Stand by for shot. Out."

Distant thuds as mortar rounds were dropped into barrels and propelled out.

* * *


"Incoming!" Phenix screamed as he ducked.

The barrage of mortar rounds landed in front of him and Hashi, tearing up the ground in front of them and knocking the both of them wildly off their feet. The sheer firepower that was now thundering in front of them was an awesome spectacle to behold, and for a moment they were caught stunned as they admired the handiwork of the mortar teams. Fireballs erupted in front of them as the ground shook, sending up clouds of dirt. Several trees caught fire and heavy branches, set aflame, came crashing down. More rounds shattered the face of the earth.

It was a symphony. A beautiful symphony of orchestrated firepower.  For millenia, artillery had been rightfully called the Kings of the Battlefield, and now Phenix and Hashi could see why. The mortar rounds gradually died off and all that was in front of them was a smoky haze so dense they could not penetrate it visually. The bunker outpost had been silenced, its occupants shredded to pieces by shrapnel fragments, their bodies charred and the intestines that hung out of their guts cooked to a fine black from the heat of the explosions.

"All clear?" croaked Hashi.

"Clear.." came the dazed reply from Phenix.

They rushed up together to where Matherion was laying. The kid was now staring up at them, tears in his eyes. He could not speak, blood and bile had choked up his throat. His eyes were glossing over, but they pleaded for survival, for his very life. Hashi and Phenix each took an arm and began dragging their comrade, whose life was hanging by a thread, back to the landing zone. They had to attend to him before going back out again. They carried Matherion silently, venom in their eyes. The bastards were going to pay for all this.

"Someone's gonna die," muttered Hashi as he tightened his grip on Matherion.

It was slipping because of all the wet blood.

"Someone's gonna f***ing die."
* * *


"Ruvo, I need your men to lay on a base of fire," Garet explained hastily as he jammed a new magazine into his weapon and cocked it again. "I'm gonna maneuver my Fireteam out to their eastern flank and close in on them."

The Landslide Squad leader nodded. "Got it. Fire and movement's the game."

"Wish me luck," chuckled Garet. A grim smile played on his lips. "Bravo! Move out! On me. Keep those heads low!"

"Covering fire! Covering fire!" yelled Ruvo to his E-Repeater team.

In fire and movement, there was always a fire element and a maneuvers element. Textbook knowledge from the manual. The fire element, Ruvo's team, was responsible for laying on fire on the enemy's position, covering the movement of the maneuver element. The task of the maneuvers element, Fireteam Alpha, was to close with the enemy or to reach a better position from which to fire at him. Ruvo's E-Repeater team was performing their job in an admirable manner, like the cliched well-oiled machine. They had been drilled through with the procedure in basic training so thoroughly that it was second nature to them.

They poured on the fire at the enemy bunker relentlessly. Their hail from Hades ensured that the enemy kept his head down and prevented them from returning fire effectively and with accuracy. The hostile fire was more wild now, as if the shots were triggered off in desperation. The automatic fire splattered the bunker but the men in it held firm. They had to be forcibly extracted if the threat of the enemy bunker were to be removed.

With the enemy well and suppressed, Garet led his small element bashing through the woods, away from the epicenter of the firefight. He snaked around the outpost, careful to not reveal their movement yet still maintain speed in case the enemy attempted a withdrawal. Finally, they came to a clearing where they could observe the eastern face of the bunker. He could make out the frantic workings of the occupants inside, manning light repeaters of their own.

"Nades. I want grenades on them," Garet ordered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Someone pop a smoke can too."

The Scout Troopers with him nodded, some more nervously than others.

"On my go, we advance. Combat wedge formation."

The combat wedge was an effective fighting formation. Each soldier in the team had a set position in the wedge. They were spaced out in a triangle, with roughly ten metres between them. Garet formed the lead vertice in this triangle. In the wedge, the standing order was to do what the leader did. If the leader opened fire, so did the rest. If he hit the deck, then the rest better damn well too. Again, something out of the manual.

"Fire in the hole!"

Four grenades, each flung furiously by a member of Fireteam Bravo, landed in the vicinity of the bunker, triggering off violent explosions that led to screams as the shell fragments tore into the faces of the hostiles occupying it. RK, meanwhile, had pulled the pin on a smoke grenade and they were now shielded from the visual contact of their opponents.

"Storm the front!"

The four Jesters advanced like gray ghosts, their steps heavy and their breathing laboured and sharp, but they remained unseen, remained invisible. Rifle shots rang out, and corresponding screams. Garet landed first into the open top bunker, his heavy boots crunching the soil. He calmly and collectedly released a volley into a surviving Gran humanoid. Red Sand jumped in next and viciously jammed the barrel of his E-11 into the mouth of a broken-down man weeping from the sheer nerves of combat. The pull of Red Sand's trigger resulted in a messy collage of skull fragments and brain matter, coated in red blood.

Garet stood in the middle of the bloodshed. He was surrounded by his Fireteam and the mauled bodies of his opponents. He was in a state of near serenity. The clarity of life in such moments was of a pure crystal quality.

"Clear."

* * *

"DOC!!" screamed Phenix as he and Hashi entered the clearing, dragging the bloody body of Matherion between them. They dumped him unceremoniously onto the ground as the medic rushed over.

A hand suddenly shot out and gripped Hashi's tightly. "Don't leave me here man. Please."

Hashi stared back down at Matherion. His right hand was shattered, those missing fingers now stumps with bones jutting out. There was a gaping hole in his neck. He grimaced.

"You're gonna make it."

"Don't lie to me."

"They're gonna send you to a hospital. Three warm meals a day. White sheets, with pretty nurses in white uniforms. You're gonna be okay, kiddo."

The grip loosened, and the faintest of smiles was evident. "Yeah. Maybe. Thanks.."

Feeling like a liar, Hashi tore after Phenix, who was already racing back into the thick of combat.

*Before they landed*

Raine stood tall, anxiously waiting. She couldn't wait to get down there and do something to help. She had always hated smugglers and pirates. That was main reason she was here.

She exhaled slowly trying to calm herself. This wasn't meant to be fun. They were going to kill people, and this was her final test.

She was new to this whole experience and she hadn't done anything like she was about to do before. She ran a hand through her hair, her curls quickly bounced back into form.

She stood, staring out a window. Fear struck her as the realization of what she was doing entered her mind. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and calmed herself. There was no turning back now. She couldn't. She was in too deep and there was no way she could go back and face the man she had once called father.

She straightened up, regaining confidence. No. She was not a coward. She would have her comrades with her. She would be fine...

She turned away from the window as a voice echoed over the loud speakers. Apparently it was time to get going. She had gotten ready a few minutes ago and was glad of her good timing. She snatched up her helmet and headed out the door, practically running to the landing bay, trying not to run into anyone.

"If I am correct, she is a late addition to the trip." Raine turned around at the sound of she.  Raine was the only "she" around that she noticed at the moment.  Wait&

"From standing behind me you could figure out I was a girl?" she asked. She was surprised. Not many people could figure that out very easily. She was impressed.

"Well yeah," said.

"Most have mistaken me as a guy from behind." she said.  "How could you tell any different?"

"Well your neck is in a feminine proportion to your head, the armor is positioned slightly different to that of a male in the same armor, and your body was in a slightly feminine stance..."

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. He was an observer, this one. She shrugged it off. The anxiety level was rising again. She hadn't recalled ever being on any sort of terrain besides the city before. There are probably more places to dodge incoming fire than in the city.  She just hoped she wouldn't trip and get herself killed in an easy situation.

"Your head looks human but I am not sure if you are one," said the other PFC, smiling.

"I assure you I am one." And she laughed at this.

"I don't care if he may sound weird right now," said Phenix, "that level of observation skills is going to be very useful on the battle field." Indeed they would be.

"Agreed," commented Raine, "I guess you still want a name.  It's Raine Amavia."

The loud speakers flickered on again, "ETA 5 minutes." Alrighty. Time to get going. She put on her helmet and looked around through its eyes. Anxiety was replaced with nervousness and the fact that she would be taking the life of a person was pushed to the back of her thoughts.


 
-----------------------
TRP/PFC Sapphire Raine/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1REG/1BAT/Tadath/VEA

"If you don't appreciate loud noises," Garet said to Red as he pushed himself up against the tree, "now's the time to cover your ears." The Walker had descended upon their position. The plan had worked so far. Without delay the Walker shot at the embedded repeater team with the familiar "One two" round, causing a minor explosion as it impacted. With a surge of adrenaline, Garet jumped out and yelled "On me!" to Red.

Garet was blindly charging the enemy's position. A relatively stupid move given the situation, but then again the situation seemed to be unpredictable today. Garet held his carbine up as he jumped over the small barricade of sand bags. The Walker had successfully done it's job with taking out the team, leaving all dead but one, who appeared to be coughing blood.

"Make sure that one doesn't pull anything," Garet said to Red about the dying pirate. "Hold this position."

Garet sprinted back into the forest. As he ran he radioed the second half of his team. "Bravo leader, what's the situation?" Garet could hear the repeater in the distance over the clanking of Walkers, but the thick vegetation growth limited his sight.

The voice of Bravo Leader, RK, spoke up. "Where's that walker sir? We're pinned down under fire!"

"I can hear it but I don't see it," Garet replied, slowing his pace.

"Well, it better get here quick. There's two, maybe three hostiles at our position," the panicky voice of RK replied.

Thinking of nothing else to do, Garet started off in the direction of the threat. "Hang on, I'm comin'." Garet dipped and jumped his way through the roots and branches of the forest of Atzerri. The blaster noises were getting louder as Garet ran. His lungs were screaming for air by now. The distance between the two halves of his team wasn't far, but the weight of his armor and the tough terrain made the run more difficult than it should've been. At last, the trees started to clear and the enemy could be seen. Luckily for them, it didn't seem like they saw Garet.

He chose a nearby tree to hide himself against and catch his breathe. He followed the blaster's trajectory to the area where RK and Raine had been pinned down. The walker was no where in sight. Garet, frustrated, called Alpha.

"Alpha Leader, did you take away my walker?"

"No sir," chimed the voice of Phenix. "We're in a sticky situation ourselves, but we didn't call any walker."

"Alright, fill me in later. I have to find a walker." Even more frustrated with that result, Garet wasted more precious time by calling in to Sergeant Darak.

"Lightning Strike Six, this is Jester Six. Are you interfering with my orders?"

"I haven't touched a thing, Jester Six. But I do know where your Walker is. A couple tanks showed up, haven't you noticed?"

Dammit, Garet thought. He left Red alone over there. "Thanks, out."

Garet peered around the tree again. RK was still taking fire. Garet saw no choice but to use his last grenade. He grabbed it, pulled the pin, threw it, and got behind the tree again. The explosion was his green light to charge forward, again, blindly, towards the enemy. He jumped over the sandbag barricade and down into the nest. Moans from the hostiles earned a shot in the shot from Garet's pistol. Mercy was Garet's game today, seeing as it would've been more painful for him to let them lay there dying. Garet looked up to see RK and Raine slowing to halt meters away.

"Thank you, sir." RK said through labored breathing. Garet nodded in acknowledgment.

"We need to get back to Red," Garet said without waste. "Some tanks just appeared and he's over there alone. Lightning Strike Four may not have made it."

"Is he gonna be ok?" These were the first words Garet heard from Raine. Apparently she had time to get friendly with him on the flight over from Tadath.

Garet started jogging while giving the signal to follow. "He'll be fine if we make it back quickly."

The area was quiet when Bravo reunited. Red was kneeling down next to the pirate who was still coughing blood. As Garet approached, Red flashed a card.

"Picked it off of that body," Red said as he pointed to a dead pirate. Garet grabbed the card from Red.

"Good job, rookie. This'll save us some time," was all Garet could say in appreciation. He was too worried about Hashi and Phenix. His last words with Alpha left his thoughts on their situation an enigma. Thinking it would be safer for them without distractions, Garet turned his attention to the tanks, which still hadn't made their way into his line of sight.

"LS Six, this is Jester One. Any news on those tanks?"

"No sir," replied Darak, "I've been carrying out your orders."

"Well, I want you to focus your armor on those tanks, see if you can get rid of the more distract them," Garet paused, a million thoughts passing through his head within that fraction of a second. He was making an order that would probably result in devastation of Lightning Strike. In his mind though, it had to be done.

"Alright," was all Darak had to say to that. He probably knew also.

"You hear that, Landslide Six?" Garet asked to the quiet Ruvo. "I want you to focus on the exits of the dome, but if LS needs backup make that your priority."

"Yes sir, Jester Six."

Garet sighed a sigh of frustration. These petty thieves weren't worth the trouble the Empire was getting; and the sure as hell weren't making Garet any happier. A blaster shot made him jump, and he turned to see what it was. RK was holding his pistol over the barely alive pirate, who was now dead.

"He was messing with my calm," RK spoke out. Obviously annoyed by the sick gurgling and coughing from the enemy.

"How are you two holding up?" Garet asked the two greens, using the lull in the fighting to give them a break. The two looked at each other and made slight nods.

"I think we'll be ok, sir." Red spoke out.

Garet thought back to his first time out in the field. They showed courage like he'd shown. Nervous, yet ready to serve. Hopefully they wouldn't get shot in the back by a friendly, like he did. Garet would do everything in his power to make sure they came out of that dome alive.

"Alright then," Garet ended his trip down memory lane. "Let's get inside."

Garet led the others to the door, now unguarded as they had gotten rid of the repeater teams. There was a slot where, Garet assumed, the card Red found would go in. Garet ordered a standard breaching formation. One person opening the door (himself), two getting ready to fire (one crouched, Red, one standing, RK), and one covering the rear with their own against the wall (Raine).

Like the command to Darak, a million thoughts were racing through Garet's head in the seconds before opening the door. What would be waiting? Grenades? Mines? More repeaters? A rigged explosion? Clearly the situation wasn't protocol breaching, as they knew nothing of what was inside. They didn't even start out the day knowing there was a building like this there, and look how things turned out. Just dandy.

Garet slipped the card in and leaped to the side. With a smooth sliding sound, the door whipped open. Nothing happened.

"Clear," RK said after a few moments. Garet peered his head around, saw nothing, and stepped inside, the others following. The dome was, for the most part, empty. There were stacks upon stacks upon stacks of crates piled as high as half way up the giant dome. Garet snapped his wrist, giving signals to spread Bravo out.

The team combed their way through the cache, trying to find and eliminate whatever remained of the enemy. After a good two minute search, they met up back at the south entrance.

"Anyone find anything?" Garet asked the group. An almost simultaneous "no" answered his question. "Well, at least we know the weapons are still here," Garet said with a little satisfaction.

"Yeah, but this is alot." Raine observed the enormous amount of stockpile. "It doesn't really fit the estimate of missing weapons." It was odd.

"Alpha leader, what's your status?"

"Just mopping up out here, sir."

"Looks the dome is empty, save our weapons."

"Outstanding!" he yelled with jubilation. "We get to go home now, right?"

Garet thought that the answer would be yes, but you know how the saying goes. Out of the frying pan, into the oven.

"What was that?" Red asked as Garet finished his thought.

"What was what?" Garet asked, oblivious to what had happened.

"Sounded like... a crash."

"You two hear anything?" Garet directed towards Raine and RK. They shook their heads, and Garet got skeptical.

"Alright, let's check it out." Garet wanted the group together for this one. They were in the clear, he didn't want to take any chances. Again, they began to comb the dome for any signs of the enemy.

It took them less than a minute to find the source of Red's "crash". Once again, the trooper had displayed a superb sense of attention. Laying just a few feet in front of them was a round, metal slab, similar to a sewer covering, which had been thrown off of a hole. Whoever's job it was to search that area obviously missed it. Garet strode over and gazed inside. "It's the tunnels," RK observed.

Garet's head and heart dropped. Muddy footprints coming from the opening indicated at least a dozen hostiles had already made it inside. They could be anywhere in the giant cache, which was not good for Bravo.

"Footsteps," Red pointed out. This time Garet heard it. The four backed up to each other, back to back.

"I want your eyes open, and your guns up."