Typex stopped short causing the his squad mates to bump into each other as they couldn't see to far ahead, "You guys smell something?"

Riqimo took a sniff, "Yeah smells like smoke... but where is it coming from?"

Jag took a few whiffs and took Typex's datapad, "It's coming from over here."

The squad followed Jag cautiously,  ready to shoot anything that threatened them.  After about ten meters, Jag called out,  "Nothing to worry about, the tunnel here seems to be collapsing a bit and it just caused an electrical box to start smoking."

"Can you stop it from smoking?" Riqimo asked.

"No, sorry, it looks pretty bad."

Riqimo sighed, "Well, we are lucky that these helmets have filters that will protect us, but we should keep moving, I don't want to test the efficiency of these filters, especially after all that we went through, I amazed that we still have a working armor unit."

Garet nodded, "Keep moving, Doc is right, let's leave the testing to the engineers."

Handing the datapad back to Typex, Jag took up his position as the rear guard of the squad's line with Riqimo.

"Left here, keep going strait... left again guys," Typex kept calling out the directions to prevent any troopers from making a wrong turn.

Turning a corner a little too soon, Riqimo walking into a wall and fell backwards.  "Ow!" he called out as his back fell on something hard.  Riqimo thought he heard a snap but wasn't sure.

The squad quickly turned around and clustered around Riqimo.

"Doc, you okay?" Garet asked as he kneeled over.

"Uh, yeah, help me up, something is digging into my back."

Jag and RK lifted Riqimo off his back into a sitting position.  Riqimo now realized what the snap was, he had fallen on top of his arm that he threw out the break the fall.

"Uhh," Riqimo winced in pain, "I broke my left arm at the radius, I can't splint it, one of you needs to"

The squad mates glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry, I can guide you through it, it is easy just find something to splint it with first.  As the squad rummaged throught heir kits trying to find something, Riqimo looked around at his surroundings.  Wow, this tunnel seems pretty with the datapad's faint glow, I can almost see my reflection on the wall.  Geez, I look worse than I thought.

"Doc, this will work?" Jelly asked, holding up his vibroblade.

Riqimo gave a quick glance and shook his head, "No I am not risking that."

As the squad went back to searching Riq continued his observations of the tunnel.  Remebering the sharp pain that was at his back, he looked behind himself and saw a rather small rock about half the size of his clentched fist.  Now that explains that pain, its rather pretty...  Riqimo reached out with his right hand and was surprised at how light the rock seemed.  A little souvenir for me, a little something to remind me of my first mission, Riqimo told himself as he stashed it in his med kit, And a reminder of this blasted pain!

"Here doc," Phenix awoke Riq from his thoughts, "This piece of metal was near a toox box nearby, it is very light, will it work?"

Riqimo took it in his good hand and tested it's weight, "Well it is a little short, but I can't be picky can I?  So, who wants to wrap me up?"
 
-----------------------
Riqimo "Doc" Pershaw
EclipseSquad


TRP/LCP Riqimo/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
Imperial Baronet

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go, we'll find some Rebels or lose our marbles, hi ho, hi ho

Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

Raiders
Leon and Aphamos had finally arrived in the over turned Mess Hall. "Everyone, find cover quick, we got six commandos on the way here right now, MOVE!" Shouted Aphamos while quickly running to cover. Leon followed and ducked behind the same over turned table as Aphamos.

"Where is Rogue?" Asked Leon while popping his head out the top of the bunker.

"Damnit get you're head down Leon, and I don't know. Don't worry though, he's probably ok." Aphamos replied calmly.

"Alright Aph, so do you got a plan?" Squall said, jumping into the conversation.

"Yea, it's gonna be kind of risky though. Alright, so I want Leon, Squall, and Rayden to spread some cover fire, while there distracted by you three, Preditor and I will find a way to get behind them, you all understand?"

"Yup, just don't take to long; I don't know how long we can distract them for."

"Alright good, now get ready, there just about here."

Leon peeped out the side of the table, staring off into the dark corridor. Bodies were scattered everywhere, not a thing moved. The only sound Leon could hear was his breath, and even that was too loud. For some reason Leon felt out of place, and as if he were sticking out like a sore thumb. He didn't like that feeling.

Sighting a dead trooper not to far from him, Leon pulled the body close to him. Leon then leaned the trooper on the edge of the table, and watched as the dead troopers head lolled to the side. There was a small gap between the troopers lower back and the table, which was big enough for Leon to stick his head and rifle through.

"I see you've found a nice little hiding spot my friend," said Squall while chuckling.

"Yea it is, I don't think they'll be able to see me," said Leon in total seriousness.

"I was being sarcastic, never mind," finished Squall with a sigh.

Leon turned his attention back to the corridor up ahead. For a while nothing happened, and then Leon saw them. They were sticking close to the walls, blending in perfectly. Leon saw the silhouette of a rifle point up towards the ceiling. Leon's eyes followed the rifles aim, and saw that it was pointing towards one of the lights. They were going to blind the Raiders. Instinctively, Leon got up from his cover, ignoring his squad mates complaints and fired. The corridor lit up for a second, showing the six black clad troopers, Leon's shot just barely missing.

"Damnit there here! Open fire!" Shouted Squall.

The Mess hall was now a blazing inferno of blaster bolts. The commandos were quick and soon found cover. It was hard to suppress fire, being they had more troopers, and were also quite good at keeping Leon's head down. Looking to the right, Leon managed to see a quick glimpse of Preditors tail, and then it vanished behind another table.

"Damnit, these guys are tough!" Shouted Rayden over all the noise.

Leon was about to stick his head over the top of the bunker, but was cut off by a blaster shot that had flew over his head. Leon turned around and saw two troopers, and then a familiar voice came over the comm.

"Looks like you guys could use some help," said Darr-Rann over the intercom.

For some reason, Leon smiled, forgetting about the situation, but it quickly went away, and he dived back into the fray.

 
-----------------------
Raiders
May god have mercy upon my enemies, for I will show none.
TRP/LCP Leon/3SQD/1PLT/1CMP/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
And so we go.
I am the one...The one who made the 100,000 post.

Snipes was in the lead, a decent E-11 in his hand, recovered from a body. The complex was fairly simple, and it only took a matter of minutes for the group to march down the hall ways, eliminating any life forms they came across. The Wraiths had their prize, now to the shuttles. Thinking about it grabbing these two was almost as piratical as many things they'd done. Snipes popped into the turbo-lift, allowed to stand and think for a second. A minute might of went by and they were at the bottom of the command center again, they burst out of the turbo lift, Snipes and Arnaut laying down a spray of fire, incase anything still lived. Then they were running again.

The squad had to stop and pause for a moment to consider what to do with the captives, they'd probably freeze to death outside, they had little in the way of protective clothing. Snipes broke into a few rooms before finding a rug and a blanket that seemed suitable for wrapping them in. The fluffy red shag rug was wrapped around Vaynus, and then onto Tnepres back the naval officer went. Snipes irreverently wrapped the rodian in the blanket and threw the alien over his shoulder. Taking no special care to see that he wasn't hurt.

The squad took off again, this time into the snow and angry blizzard outside. The squad could almost feel the pressure of time on their shoulders, Snipes had to fall back again and struggle to keep up, the gunnery sergeant was a strong man, but he was beginning to get tired. The cold especially sapped him of his will and it took all he had to keep up. His mind wandered around, unable to concentrate because of the strain the cold was putting on him. It wandered over pleasant memories and unpleasant ones, over the mission, his choice of alcohol, his favorite song, and finally it rested on how much he hated the alien on his shoulders. He wasn't sure exactly what it was that pissed him off so much, but he didn't really care either.

By this time the squad had reached the breach in the wall they had come in through and the sounds of battle were all around them. They did the best they could to avoid any shapes in the blizzard though, not knowing weather they were friend or foe.

The snow had covered the squad's swoops well, and it took the group several numbing minutes to find them and get them dug up enough to turn them on and melt the snow around them.  Snipes studied his swoop for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to carry the burdensome alien. Snipes kept looking between the freezing alien his idling swoop. Then he had a plan.

Pulling a length of tow cable out of an emergency box on the swoop Snipes smiled behind his helmet. He picked the rodian up and sat him behind the seat, on the engine. Snipes then lashed him there with the tow cable, there was no way the rodian could get off, and there was also very little chance he would freeze to death, he might get a little charred around the butt and back, but that was only a bonus in Snipes eyes.

Snipes looked around him, and then his eye, with everyone else's, settled on Arnaut. Arnaut looked around himself, almost said something when he saw Snipes setup, then shook his head and gave them the order to go. Snipes hit his accelerator hard and in seconds he was nearing the top speed of his bike.

 
-----------------------
{Comnet Hermit}
-=Wraith Squad=-
The few, The proud, The CrAZy RAIDERS.
TRP/GSG Sniping101/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [LoR][IH][BoA][CDS]

Stultior stulto fuisti, qui tabellis crederes!

Having his arm splinted made Riqimo feel vulnerable, he was unable to fight back as well as he would normally if they were attacked.  Due to his left arm being virtually useless, Riqimo got his carbine clipped to his belt and welded his blaster pistol in his right.

"You want me to help carry anything Doc?" RK asked.

"No, I'm fine, it's just a little break."

RK looked at Riqimo's splinted arm and shrugged, "If you say, so.  I would hate to see what you define as a big big break"

"Gah, my arm is killing me," Riqimo muttered, not aware that he had just muttered into his comlink.

"Don't worry it shouldn't be long before we reach the garage." Typex called out from the front.

Using his good hand, Riq looked through the medical supplies in his belt pouch.  Finding a painkiller, he tried to get the needle into his arm above the splint.  Garet, seeing Riqimo's difficulty, offered to do it.

"Ah sure, here," Riqimo gave the painkiller to Garet, "Thanks, that really helps."

"No problem, let's just get you out of here in one piece."
 
Riqimo nodded, and picked up his pace to catch up with the rest of the squad before they disappeared around the next corner.

Typex stopped the squad as soon as Riq finally managed to catch up, "Here it is, the garage is right above us, there is a ladder there, or we can continue on to get to the stairs."

"I can't climb a ladder," Riqimo bluntly responded.

Garet started to climb up though and took a peek out the hatch.  When he came down, he gave his plan, "To the stairs because of Doc, and also there are boxes in that area that will provide cover."
 
-----------------------
Riqimo "Doc" Pershaw
EclipseSquad


TRP/LCP Riqimo/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
Imperial Baronet

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go, we'll find some Rebels or lose our marbles, hi ho, hi ho

Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

Riqimo heard Garet's go-code but stayed back because he would probably just get in the way.  Wincing as he made his way up the stairs, Riq was glad when he reached the door at the top.  Looking in the hangar, Riq saw the squad searching for a vehicle that could get them all to the extraction point through the blizzard.

Riqimo decided that he was not in the best shape to walk around and proped himself against a metal surface, watching his squadmates.  Jag was clustering enemy speeders together and forming a daisy chain of grenades, apparently to make a chase difficult for any Thrawn force.  Gazing over to Garet and Phenix, he noticed them casually browsing the treaded vehicles along the far wall.  Jelly followed, eagerly pointing out his favorites and talking all about them to RK, who just shrugged.

Riqimo turned back to Jag, who was now carefully backing away, keeping his daisy chain string taunt, when he reached a good distance away, the string fell loose and Riqimo watched the speeders explode into flames.  An icicle fell to Riq's right causing him to look up and see the icicles falling from the ceiling all over the garage.

The squad ran over, and Garet shouted, "Jag I told you to wait! now the whole base knows the garage is under attack!"

Jag quickly apologized, but Garet shrugged it off, "Fine, it's done now."  Looking around Garet pointed towards Riqimo, "There! Jag, you are driving."

Turning around, Riq saw that he was leaning against an AA-4 Mega Hauler.  It didn't have any weapons, but it seemed pretty fast and being a repulsorlift, it probably was the best choice in their scenario.

Once inside, Riqimo was amazed at the amount of room the squad had.  Jag didn't leave much time for Riq to marval at the AA-4.  Riq quickly straped himself in with his good arm to prevent another fall and injury.  Garet was looking at the computer displays and called to Typex, "Hey I need you up here, change it so we are broadcasted as friendlies, we don't want to be shot by our own."

Typex unstrapped himself and worked his way to the front of the vehicle.

"We're lucky that the gate was rammed, we should hit it in five minutes," Jag commented, probably to himself.
 
-----------------------
Riqimo "Doc" Pershaw
EclipseSquad


TRP/LCP Riqimo/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
Imperial Baronet

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go, we'll find some Rebels or lose our marbles, hi ho, hi ho

Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

The whine of the engines cracked through the silence like a whip. Through fog that remained of a winter storm, eight swoop bikes emerged, flying fast. Snow was shot into the air as the swoops flew past at tremendous speeds. As they dwindled into the distance, silence returned.

Just as it became still again, another sound was heard. Lower in pitch than the swoop bikes, the engine sound of speeder bikes was indistinguishable. Nine more bikes went shooting past, if not as fast as the swoops, still fast. White troopers held firm to each speeder, but they weren't snowtroopers. White commando armor did not reflected very little of the pale sun in the sky overhead, making the riders seem part of the snow around them.

Jastar Ard gritted his teeth, his white gauntleted hands clenched to the handles of his bike. When he'd learned of Vaynus' capture, only minutes ago, he'd rushed off the battlefield as soon as he could. The Deltas, the "Supposed Commandos", had been compromised already, it seemed. That made Jastar's teeth clench harder. His squad, the real commandos in Vaynus' Empire, worked in the shadows. The Deltas were poster-boys, not even knowing that they themselves weren't the real special operations force. Omega squad was a secret only known by Vaynus himself.

They never should have agreed to letting the mock commandos guard Vaynus. While his squad role in the battlefield had been helpful, taking out enemy squads with tactical precision, unbeknownst to the enemy, it had gone unrewarded. Vaynus' troops were in full retreat, already making a less then perfect withdrawal, despite the squad's best efforts to rally the troops. They were going to get Vaynus back if it was the last thing they did. Keeping him out of enemy hands ensured the somewhat survival of his Empire.

Jastar raised an unclenched fist in the air followed by putting up his first two fingers into the air. The squad got the signal and spread out into a 'V' shaped formation. A dozen faint clicks could be heard as safeties were turned off. Silenced autopistols, A280 armor piercing rifles with sound dampers, standard issue combat knives...they were the epitome of stealth fighting.

With a closed fist held into the air, Jastar stopped the squad.  The bikes gave out one last groan as the engines were killed and the squad disembarked into the snow. In the clearing ahead, eight swoops were parked around two Imperial shuttles. Pistols were raised. They had found their quarry, the only problem now was getting him out in one piece.

________________________________________

Arnaut stepped off of his bike, surveying their shuttle. It appeared to have survived while they were away in good condition. Then again, most of the fighting hadn't even taken place anywhere near where they were parked. Slowly he trudged through the snow to their shuttle and knocked on the side. With a groan, the doors opened wide revealing the bland interiors.

Behind him he heard a thud in the snow, as if someone had fell face first down. Which happened to be exactly correct. Arnaut half turned to see Tnepres starting to crawl back up from the snow, his upper arm armor scorched and melted from a laser blast. Arnaut barely had time to scream "DOWN!" before the laser bursts were flying among them, yet for some reason not making a sound. That didn't mean they weren't still deadly.

Arnaut pulled out his carbine and fired back from where the silent shots were coming from. Around him the squad was doing the same except for Yillis dragging the two prisoners slowly toward the shuttle. Arnaut could barely see his attackers, just dim outlines in the foggy haze in front of him. He continued to fire anyway. Two blasts exploded the snow right next to Arnaut's helmet and he decided it was no longer safe to lie prone on the ground.

Jumping up quickly, he sprinted over to the shuttle, fire blasting the air in his wake. Just as he ducked behind cover, a dozen simultaneous blasts melted the on the corner of the shuttle. If he had been just a split second slower...he shuddered at the thought.

A grenade exploded, snow shooting into the air. Arnaut saw Yillis' limp body streak across the space between the two shuttle before colliding with the ground.  Fro-Ja and Vaynus were nowhere to be seen.

Arnaut cursed, and fired off a few more blasts. Troopers were coming into the open now, but they were still hard to make out from the snow around them. A piercing whine suddenly could be heard, but Arnaut didn't pay attention to it, his focus on shooting. Without warning, one of the enemy troopers was knocked to the ground by a speeding brown blur. His hands went to his ruined throat, blood leaking onto the snow.

Arnaut looked around quickly. What the... His unfinished question was soon answered. Yelling widely, Snipes was careening in circles around the shuttles on his swoop, speeding by at top speed. Arnaut chuckled to himself. Despite the situation, it was funny. The enemies didn't seem to see Arnaut's way, though.

With a careful shot, the swoop and Snipes went down, trailing smoke. But the opportunity by drawing the enemies attention away was more than enough for Tnepres to lob in a grenade toward the enemy squad.

"To the shuttle!" Arnaut bellowed. Kanderin dragged the prisoners out of the snow where they had been lying and ran toward the shuttle just as the grenade exploded. Yillis and a badly limping Snipes were not far behind the rest of the squad. From the smoke, enemy troopers started to emerge, but the shuttle doors were already closing.

Fro-Ja's watery, insectoid eyes regarded Arnaut for a second before he turned to stare at the wall, allowing himself to be tied up. Vaynus was muttering to himself, eyes closed and barely seemed to notice the rope going around his arms. Arnaut, weary, flopped himself on the bench and removed his helmet. Finally over... he thought happily.

Getting the comm equipment from the shuttle, he signaled to the High command that they had recovered the prisoners and were exiting the planet's surface.

________________________________________

Jastar peeled off his helmet and threw it to the ground in disgust. Five years of his life wasted. And those...those bastards had killed Jall before they left too. Jastar stared at Jall's crumpled body but quickly averted his eyes when he saw Jall's throat.

The squad gathered around him, eyes weary and grim. They looked to him expectantly, maybe waiting for one of his speeches he was so well known for. He had nothing, though.

"Back to our mercenary days, I guess," He said reluctantly looking at the remaining imperial shuttle, and the squad nodded in agreement.

As they boarded, he looked up in the sky where the other shuttle had disappeared through the clouds. Someday he would get revenge for Jall. Someday...


-----------------------
Lance Corporal Arnaut
-=Wraith Squad=--=SL=-
SL/LCP Arnaut/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE

"Take care of your equipment, and your equipment will take care of you"

"Life is a dream; we all wake up eventually."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to dig graves for twenty-three oak trees?" - Davram Bashere

Riqimo groaned, he was going to have to trek about two kilometers while keeping away from the main force of the battle and at the same time having to deal with the growing pain of his broken arm.

"If I die, I hope I go to hell, at least it is warm there," Riqi muttered, trying to ignore the cold seeping in through the breaks on his armor.

"Ah, you'll live," Jelly said as he got out of the vehicle, "Although when we get back to the barracks, I am turning the heat on full blast."

Jag was the last one out, "I can get some humidifiers and we can turn the barracks into a sauna."  The squad laughed, and Riqimo was starting to feel a little warmer at just the thought of it.

"Okay boys, we have a long trek ahead of us," Garet cut in, "We are lucky that the blizzard really hasn't kicked off yet, but it could come anytime soon, so we have to keep moving."

Riqimo's brief feeling of warmth disappeared instantly as he started to follow his squad.  Taking one last glance at the AA-4, Riq started jogging.  He had little hope that someone would come by and give them a lift.  Sounds of battle could be heard far off to their right, but Eclipse stayed clear.

The sun was starting to set, and Riqimo could not believe that their raid had begun just that morning.
 
-----------------------
Riqimo "Doc" Pershaw
EclipseSquad


TRP/LCP Riqimo/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
Imperial Baronet

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go, we'll find some Rebels or lose our marbles, hi ho, hi ho

Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.

Raiders

*Earlier

"Aeos!" Darr-Rann cried out as the interrogator slammed her into the wall. The trooper fell to the floor and didn't get back up. The gruesome man let out a laugh, turning to face the squad leader.

"Your going to wish you ensured I was dead. Trust me - This is going to make the torture look appealing." He said, raising his weapons and firing a barrage in his way.  Darr-Rann rolled aside, raising his blaster and firing a set of shots at the armored man.  They scorched the heavy armor, but the weapon wasn't nearly powerful enough to harm it's target.

His gaze drifted to Aeos, who stirred slightly. She's alive! The sergeant thought, returning his eyes to his attacker. How am I going to take this guy down?

Suddenly the interrogator surged forward, pinning him against the wall. Darr-Rann struggled vainly against the mechanically enhanced strength. Suddenly he spotted something.

My gun! He thought as he saw the shoulder rest sticking out. That should be able to tear open this tin can.

His arms were pinned at his side -  He shifted his wrist and unclipped an object from his belt. He withdrew it and keyed the button at the end, flicking it past the heavy metal armor and bracing himself as best as he could in his state. The concussion grenade detonated, and he gritted his teeth as the metal-plated man pushed even heavier against him as he was thrown forward. It had done it's job though -  Disbalancing him, and Darr-Rann managed to get free. Darr-Rann rolled behind the man, then jumped up and drew out the shotgun. He kicked against the man's back and fell to the ground, raising his weapon to point at the interrogator.

"Hey bastard." He said, jumping a charge into the weapon. He fired a shot, which ate through the torso plating and burned across the man's chest. Darr-Rann got to his feet as his target fell. He walked over to the man, who lay inert in the damaged armor.

"Please..." The man said, fear in his eyes. "Please, don't..." Darr-Rann charged the weapon again.

"No mercy for torturers." He said, firing a second shot. The blast  was aimed at the interrogator's face  The sickening smell of burnt flesh grew more putrid as the energy blast melted the flesh away. Darr-Rann stood for a moment and looked down on the body, before turning away. He rushed to Aeos' side.

"My head..." The female sergeant said, slowly getting back on her feet.

"Could be worse." Darr-Rann said, nodding towards the body. "Are you oka..." Suddenly he was contacted over comlink -  His private channel with command.

"The targets have been secured, the parameters have been altered. We're getting you out of there." Rizzit's voice informed him, "They've deployed additional forces to your position. You'll be overrun shortly -  Extraction via landing craft on the roof. It's time to get out of here."

-----------------------
Raiders
SL/SGT_Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|EXO/WO2_Demonic/Kaph 2/PheonixWing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)(LoM)[BWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
SERGEANT
WARRANT OFFICER, 2ND CLASS
Communications Technician
Part time Webmaster Guy
"DICTATOR DARR"

Raiders

The squad ran as fast as they could towards the shuttle on top of the building; Darr used the map that was given to him by Rogue which in turn was given to him by Patch. The droid was snuggled in between Rogue and Preditor and was attempting to shock anybody that got close enough, but otherwise  he would shriek and try to alarm any enemy storm troopers about their position.

Darr turned to the two carriers. "Could you guys shut him up? If anyone in this base doesn't know where we are I would be surprised."

Rogue retorted. "I think the dropship was a dead giveaway." Darr gave Rogue a dirty look and Rogue added. "Sir." but made the S sound like a C and the I like a U.

Darr cracked a smile. "I think when we get back to base I will have you either strung up or flogged for your insubordination."

Rogue made a loud audible swallow sound. "Uh... you wouldn't actually do that...would you Darr?...buddy?"

Preditor let out a bray that Rogue thought passed for Barabel laughter his forked tongue coming out as he spoke. "This one thinks that he should tear you apart for idle amusement."

Rogue felt hurt that Preditor would even suggest it. "I think I should let go of this droid's treads so that it hits you in the..." Darr interrupted Rogue. "Guys, knock it off the landing pad should be through this door, pass a corridor, and up a flight of stairs."

Rogue who had perspiration literally leaking out of his armor was dismayed by the news, he was exhausted and felt as if the Force itself couldn't keep him standing straight let alone carrying this near 300 pound droid.

The only thing that kept Rogue going was the thought that they would get out of this death trap without Raiders suffering a single casualty, and while he was mad at High Command for not designating air support or giving the troopers artillery but he understood the risk on both of those. The air support would be at the mercy of Vaynus's star destroyer and Tie squadrons and the artillery squads would never make it off the planet with their speed, nor was there enough time to raise an army at that magnitude.

The logistics of it would give Rogue nightmares, the amount of provisions needed for this campaign, food, weapons, ammunition, wages, and equipment. The cost of such an enterprise would be enormous and only governments that have entire planets under taxes such as the VE would be able to provide the funds for it.

Rogue took a deep breath and waited for Darr to motion the squad to move out. Rogue only had one thing left to do; and that's to make sure his squad survives his mission intact, for some odd reason Rogue had taken an interest into the little droid named Patch. When he would arrive back to Tadath Rogue was going to have him memory wiped, restraining bolt placed, and have it reprogrammed to take care of Raider squad's needs.

OOC: Now this post length is more suitable to my normal posts
 
-----------------------
Raiders
Faithful To The End
He will give them death, and they will love him for it -Gladiator

TRP/CPL_Rogueboy/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [LoR][ES-FirstClass][CDS]

Raiders

Rogueboy's arms felt as if they would give, the droid was heavy and his hands were sweating through his gloves and causing him to stop in order to readjust his grip. Raiders made their way through the corridor and while they wanted to run as fast as they could towards the dropship if they were not careful their victory could just as easily be meaningless.

Darr was at the head of the line carefully opening each door to make sure there were no enemies waiting for them to walk by and than shoot them from behind. Aphamos was holding down the rear of the lineup; keeping a watchful eye that nobody would get "lost". Rogue was in the middle with Preditor carrying the astromech named Patch.

Preditor seemed to have near superhuman strength as he carried Patch. "White Knight why are we taking this droid, from my planet we regard people who rely on droids as weak, they slow down the hunt."

Rogue was feeling grumpy through his exhaustion. "So next time we need to storm a base or something this little droid could disable all the automated defense, steal some maps, gather helpful intel, and with a little work we could have him carry the beer while we fight."

The last comment got the squad a chuckle, as they reached the flight of stairs at the end of the hall. Rogue groaned as he began trudging up the stairs. If this was a mission objective he would of easily handed it to one of his squad mates, but he felt that it was his responsibility to see this droid return to Tadath in one piece, even if it is for selfish reasons.

The squad reached the top of the stairs and saw that the dropship was waiting at the top, Raiders squad let out a cheer. Preditor got so excited that he raised a fist into the air and pumped it, unfortunately he let go of Patch and the droid came crashing down on Rogue's foot who in turn let go of the droid's legs.

Rogue hopped around in pain. "You over sized lizard." Rogue fell over sideways and brought his foot up for inspection. "Darr, I think it's broken."

Darr looked around surprised. "You sure? Which part?"

Rogue had a pained expression under his helmet and through gritted teeth said. "I'm not sure, I can't see through my boot but I think its a few toes."

Darr shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it here, Leon help Preditor carry Patch into the dropship, I'm going to help Rogue get on board, we'll take a look at your toes as soon as possible."

Darr helped Rogue stand up and put Rogue's arm over his shoulder, together they limped towards the dropship.
 
-----------------------
Raiders
Faithful To The End
He will give them death, and they will love him for it -Gladiator

TRP/CPL_Rogueboy/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [LoR][ES-FirstClass][CDS]

Raiders
Thought, I'll ad in a possibe last post from my side, if thats oki. Raiders rule!

"Take a look at Rogue's foot first Dee,"
"Nah, I'll be fine," Rogue managed to say,
"Sit, Sergeant, you as well," ordered a sharp voice crisply. A tall woman appeared in their midst. It was female medic, her stern expression had everyone seated in a flash. As she inspected them, Aeos studied her intensely. She was well on  her way to her forties though she carried her years good. Mousy brown hair, but bright and serious green eyes gazed from from underneath her frown.
"You, go sit there. Memory loss equals concussions as well," she threw a thumb over her shoulder as to where to Leon should take a seat.
The trooper was about to protest, but hesitated when the medic quirked an eyebrow at him daring him to protest. Admitting defeat, he did as ordered. Darr-Rann was next. His male ego remained in tact as she prodded him on various sprained, broken and wounded injuries, never receiving a grunt or jump of pain.
"You, over there, with him,"
Darr-Rann let a shaky laugh escape his mouth.

"What? Its not even that serious, how co-" Darr-Rann was interrupted by a sharp cough, and stern glare this time sent by Aeos. She shook her head furiously. He sighed and rolled his eyes and stood up.
Aeos chuckled but was cut short by the medic,
"Your turn will be soon Miss,"
Reddening as the squad chuckled in return Aeos resigned her self to silence and dropped her head to the side. Vibrations stirred through the ship indicating its' leave from the hellhole planet.
"I'll stick us for the first round at a Cantina as soon as we get to one, I'm dying for a good drink, and game, " she muttered yawning.
"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Rogue  grinning and tried to poke his head out from underneath the medic's prying fingers.
Aeos kept her laughter to herself, allowing her body to relax and enjoy the relief. Finally losing her battle against the fatigue, she lost her self in semi-consciousness, on her way to a deep sleep.

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TRP/SGT_Aeos/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][ES2C][CoR]
'Raiders' Wiki Page'
CGEMPIRE

    The shuttle soared into space smoothly.  Disappearing from the planet's atmosphere, leaving behind the fighting.  The engines hummed softly as the ship headed back to Storm Trooper Headquarters, where Fro-ja and Vaynus would be handed over.  The shuttle had been the first to leave, the rest of the squads would depart soon.  Below, the snow troopers of the Vaynus force stood there, staring upwards at the sky.  They looked at each other, puzzled, wondering what would happen now.  They looked down, ashamed and started heading back to their quarters.  As they left, a snowflake fell.  Soon, one after another, snowflakes fell, gathering up into a soft snowstorm.  The wind blew the flakes around in a whirling cyclone and the dirty snow was layered and covered up by a new fresh white layer.  Snow, a symbol of human purity.  A snow trooper sat on a ledge.  His squad was gone, his commander was gone.  He no longer had a purpose but it was too soon to die.  The trooper stared at the snow.  A new layer, perhaps a sign of a new chance, had arrived.  The trooper stood up and smiled.  He ran back to his quarters, falling and slipping on the way.  Above him, the star began to set.

________

    "WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" screamed Leth as he cranked up the volume of the music.  He started to play air guitar as the squad began to celebrate.  Yoder stood by Vaynus and Fro-ja, poking Fro-ja with a long twig.  The Rodian mumbled curses at the trooper in his language.  Yoder, not understanding the buggy alien, smiled and whispered.  "I love you too."  Inside his head, the same voice that was always there whispered "Burn them.  Burn them all."  Draken grinned as he tuned his radio to hear the sport high lights.  Arnaut sat by him and listened, polishing his weapons.  Yillis was talking to someone, making sure if Fury was okay.  The gurrcat apparently had gained a few pounds.  Funny.  Talstorin sat by the window and stared out at space.  He stared at the ice planet they had left behind.  He had lost someone he never knew, and yet it was hard to say goodbye.  The Delta leader had inspired him to join where he was now.  He sighed and then smiled.  It was probably for the better.  Besides, Durandal just joined the army as well.  Talstorin had some catching up to do with his old pal. 

    "Guys, gather 'round!"  Snipes grinned as he reached into a secret compartment, getting out bottle of Correlian ale.  The troopers grabbed a bottle each, passing around the bottle opener.  Finally, when the squad was all done, Arnaut stepped up. 

    "A toast, a toast!"  The squad lifted up their bottles.  "To Victory! To the Empire!"  The squad clanged bottles and drank, taking a long gulp.  There was smile on each of their faces.  The shuttle had gotten near it's destination.  Another mission complete.  Long live the empire.  Long live the Wraith Squad.


 
-----------------------
In the brightest light,
We find darkness...
-=Wraith Squad=--=TRP=-
TRP/PFC Tnepres/4SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE[LoR]
Memoirs of a Withered Soul- Compendium of Short Stories on Talstorin's Background/Story of Talstorin and Durandal( out now- read it on army story board)
Happy Holidays! Cause Wraith is going to leave you others in the dust for the HSC

  Coprall sighed as he looked at another of the ISD Halberd's communication terminals on the bridge. The technician at the station looked up nervously. Shaking his head, Coprall motioned for him to return to his work. The day had not gone well. Things down on the planet had escalated far out of hand. With only a few squads the blasted Imperial forces had broken through the defenses too easily. Coprall assumed this was only possible since they had only been on planet an hour and only just obtained control of the turrets; but Coprall wasn't a tactician. His only duty was to relay what was happening to the commander of the bridge.

  Looking up from the pit, Coprall felt jarred when his eyes fell upon Commander Kartreck. He had been expecting to find Vaynus standing there like always, but he was down on the planet with his current status unknown. Kartreck saw him looking and asked, "Do we have any good news for once today?" His voice was not the solid military sound of Vaynus. It still had some emotion; that would pose a problem in future battles when the crew needed a strong cold voice to lead them to victory. Coprall had always like that about Vaynus.

  "We are still relatively unsure do to communication errors, but scans and other sources confirm what we expected." Coprall swallowed.

  Nodding, Kartreck let some of the pain he felt glimpse across his features for a moment. Yes, he would not do at all for a commander, and yet he would be the one to gain control of Vaynus did not return. Finally, he stated, "Very well. Have we sent out the bombers to scratch this fiasco from the galaxy?"

  "They were sent a few minutes ago."

  "Then that is all for now. Send out a communication that all ground forces are to retreat back to the Halberd with whatever they can. I know we sent out a force to find the people, but I doubt we'll find anything anymore. They've probably already left, and the bombers are already on their way." As if just remembering something, Kartreck asked, "Also, did the scouts find these Imperials' ships yet?"

  Coprall shook his head. Either they had all landed their shuttles on the planet and stayed planet side to avoid detection, or they were waiting farther out of the system until called in for pick up. Those were the only two possibilities for why they hadn't been found. At least, the only ones Coprall had developed. Realizing he had gotten ahead of himself, he jerked back to the control pit and started to move through the terminals again. He was just a deck officer. Nothing more. It was not his place to suppose about the enemy or to decide who should command. "I'm just a deck officer." He whispered to himself. The truth of the matter was that he was actually the fourth highest ranked officer aboard the ship. He would gain control of the ship one day. That, he had promised himself.

  The doors to the bridge opened. Deciding it would just be more bad news, Coprall didn't bother looking to see who it was. The gradual sound of the footsteps grew louder. Then he heard something he didn't expect to hear again, "Tell all the scout ships we sent out to come back. Also, make sure the bombers destroy everything. All I want anyone to ever see of that installation again is a black mark on this planets white surface; see to it quickly, so we might be able to catch the enemy still on the surface."

  Coprall thought he was dreaming. Turning around, he tilted his head back to stare at the visage before him. In a clean Imperial uniform, Vaynus stood with his hands clenched behind his back. His hair was neat like always, and not a spot could be seen. "You can stand down now Kartreck. It is me. Also, due to your ill handling of this matter, I am demoting you to First Lieutenant. Coprall, you are hereby promoted to Lt. Commander."

  For a second Kartreck and Coprall stared at each other, unable to believe what had just happened, then Coprall did something he did not believe he would do for a very long while. "You are relieved of your position Kartreck. Report to your proper station and go about your duties." With that, Coprall walked to the command platform. Kartreck stood where he was only a moment longer.

  Vaynus nodded and then said, "Make sure he doesn't mess anything else up, Coprall." Kartreck missed a step as he made his way to the control pit.

  Coprall let a cold smile appear on his face. "As you wish commander. Do you have any other orders?"

  "Don't start looking for the enemy's ships. I don't wish to bother with them. They don't have anything of real importance to us. Once the bombers finish their attack run, we'll leave the system and return to our designated area." Vaynus turned away and walked to the viewport.

  Looking down into the pit, Coprall asked, "Did you get all that?" Kartreck could only nod. Bringing his attention back to Vaynus, he couldn't push down his curiosity. He had to know, even if it did cost him his post. Walking down the ramp, he positioned himself slightly behind and to the side of Vaynus. "Sir, I don't wish to seem presumptuous, seeing as I only obtained this position a minute ago, but I must know. How did you escape?"

  "I never left." Vaynus answered. Turning his head to look at Coprall, he continued. "I realized these supposed Imperials would launch a mission to get Fro-Ja back if they every found out about him. Only a fool would send himself down as well. But, I also wanted to figure a few things about my crew and officers, so I decided to send a double of myself down to the planet while I secluded myself to my quarters. Only he and I knew about the switch. It's unfortunate that I had to lose him. He was a very good double, though a coward. I suspect he performed horribly down there. Nothing like a real Imperial officer. Probably tried to commit suicide. Now, does that answer your question?"

  "Yes sir." Corprall backed away slightly. Silence stood between them for a moment. "Uh, I just have one more," Coprall dared to press his luck. "Was this whole thing just a test then? Did you never really care about what Fro-Ja had to say?"

  "It was a skirmish of sorts, you could say. Something people do to see their enemy and themselves. I wanted to see what these people were capable of, and they gave me exactly what I wanted. Plus, it let me see what a few months in cold space has done to my men. They've grown soft, which is something to be fixed." Vaynus glanced down at the snowy planet surface. "I sent down a certain number of men for two reasons. First, part of me wanted to believe all would go well and that I was just being over anxious. I sent down the procedure amount of troops. Second, the other doubting part of me decided that for a true test, the odds should be even. In war, normally the person with more men, more resources, and better tactics is the one to win; but in some cases, this isn't true. Some say it is courage or if the troops have a deeper purpose to fight, but whatever it is, I wanted to see if these supposed Imperials had it. Do you understand, Coprall?"

  Coprall's head was spinning, but he managed to murmur, "I believe so."

  "Good. In the end, we lost today, but this is only the beginning. They may have destroyed a local base and decimated a few land forces, but that only told us our mistakes. They will go home and feel confident. Some of them will be overconfident now, and when it comes time to match forces again, those men will be doomed to their fate. It's strategy, Coprall, strategy. Learn your enemy, deceive your enemy, and the war is yours. Anything else?"

  "No sir, thank you. I should have realized."

  Looking out the viewport again, Vaynus stated, "No you shouldn't, and that's why I am still here." And why I will make these fakes pay for making fools of my troops. He added to himself.
________________________________________________________________________
Two days later in an undisclosed cell

  "Tell us where you got the information!" A stern looking man planted his face right in front of a dirty looking Rodian. Slamming the table with his mallet like fist, the bulky figure stood up to his full height and motioned toward to even larger men behind the Rodian. Turning around, he lifted his cigar to his mouth and inhaled slowly, savoring the taste. He had never liked doing the rough part of interrogating, but not since he wasn't built it for it. After the sounds had faded away behind him, he took one last puff of his cigar and turned around.

  The Rodian was sitting at the table once again, but now his skin was even more marred by cuts and grime. His manacled hands were resting on the table in front of him, and his wheezing breath was quick to come out of his tube like mouth. Sitting back down across from the Rodian, the man let his cigar hand drop down to rest it against the alien's skin as he asked, "Are you sure that's all you know now?"

  "YES!" The Rodian screamed in his language, jerking his hand away from the burning stub. "He didn't let me see his face really. Didn't even let me know anything. I swear. I SWEAR!" He yelped as one of the firm hands dropped on his shoulder from behind.

  Giving the two men a nod, the interrogator motioned for them to leave the room. Standing up, he flicked off the light and said quietly into the now dark room, "We'll see what you have to say after another few hours of solitary." The room was flooded with light as he opened the door. He stepped out into the hall then closed it. Once again, the room was plunged into a deep darkness. A low moan penetrated the stillness.

  I told them everything I know. Why won't they believe me. I was just a messenger. Just a messenger. . . Just a messenger. . . Just a mess... Jerking upright, the clink of manacles filled the room with a crescendo of noise. How long was I out?

  Trying to see something in the darkness, he gave up a moment later. Nothing was visible. He could have been out for a day or just a minute. Darkness was his only companion. "LET ME OUT!" he yelled at the walls.

  "You want out?" A cold voice asked from inside the room.

  "Who's that? Who's there?" I know that voice.

  "There's only one way out of here for you now." The voice seemed to emanate from everyone and nowhere in the small boxlike room.

  "I said who are you?" A trickle of cold sweat crept down the Rodian's spine. Where do I know this voice?

  "I told you not to send the message in system. I told you not to get caught. I thought you were smarter than that Fro-Ja, but I always seem to overestimate people."

  "You're him, but how did you get in here?" Fro-Ja asked in hysterics.

  "How? What a simple question, but that doesn't really matter to you. You failed me, and anyways, you said you wanted out of here. So here, allow me to give you this one last favor." The sharp snapping of bone whipped through the room.
________________________________________________________________________
Two hours later on Lotaith

  Situated at the top of the premier restaurant, a nice looking man picked up his drink and walked away from the bar towards the balcony, where a crowd of people were standing. They were all here as honorary guests either to critique the food or to be there as a high standing political figure. Both would be needed for any establishment to get any attention. The high class affairs of the galaxy were always entertaining to follow, especially when you joined in the event. Some people were players, while some were just pawns, but the best person to be was a controller, one who manipulated the current for his one gain. If you could learn to control these people without them knowing it, you could do the same in any other form of hierarchy. This is why the man liked to practice once and awhile.

  Accepting a greeting from a stunning woman, he kept on walking until he reached the edge of the platform. Things hadn't gone exactly as planned with his other endeavor of late. He hated having to get his hands dirty with the affair, but when Fro-Ja had slipped up, it needed to be attended. Fortunately, he had other people to take care of the sticky work. He had climbed his way up from having to do that work himself. Sometimes he did let himself do it, just to keep his skills honed. These Imperials had turned out to be more resourceful then he had anticipated. Nothing too much to handle, but the wait was, oh, so boring.

  He knew he had little patience. It was not a curse anymore though. He knew how to indulge his needs and take his mind away from the matter. If things started to slow down in his less honorable dealings, there were always more sociable attractions to entertain him. Raising his glass to a swarthy man in a purple suit, he tilted his head back and took a sip. The sweat and bitter taste of the liquid pooled in his mouth for a second, before he let it trickle down the back of his throat, savoring the effect.

  As he gave another woman a meaningful glance, he turned around to stare out at the beautiful vista of the city. Every newly created business always tried to obtain what they thought was the best view of the area. You could tell a lot about the owner and founders from these little things-the art, the selected food, furnishings. Some people couldn't understand this. Less intelligent beings were too foolish to believe that such things could give you an advantage over another person. "The key is intelligence," he whispered. "And thankfully, I was gifted with it," he added with pride.

  "You talking to yourself again?" A shorter man asked, coming up beside him.

  "You never know. Anyways, what is on the menu tonight, Gersund?"

  As the owner started to tally of through his list, the man pretended to listen, just to indulge the man. It was never good to insult the owner. Someday, I will make this established sector fall. I swear it. And then I'll have to find a new area to play with. The game never ends. "That sounds marvelous, my good man." He responded with a smile. "Now why did you choose this statue for out here?"
________________________________________________________________________
Elsewhere on Tadath

  "You're telling me that our information source has been killed and that the man we captured isn't even Vaynus? Is that what you are telling me?" Rizzit asked the holo-image darkly. His facial features clearly displaying mixture of astonishment and anger.

  The hazy image of the technician could only nod. "Don't shoot the messenger Rizzit," Kairo said tiredly from the corner of Rizzit's office. Sighing, Rizzit cut off the transmission. Thankfully, the two bits of news had not arrived at the same time, or the young technician might not have gotten away that easily. "It isn't like it's his fault."

  "True," Rizzit conceded, "But I'm thinking you'd much rather like me yelling at him than you."

  Deciding not to wait and see if that was a question or warning, Kairo looked over at Kami and said, "You'd think he'd be happy that we at least accomplished the main objective. The information never got out."

  Suppressing a small smile, Kami quickly interjected a comment before Rizzit exploded and Kairo's wise remark. "What Kairo meant while being flippant, was that even though those things have now happened, we still prevented Thrawn from obtaining that information. Plus, the troops are in good spirits and moral is high. That is something we can't buy." She shot Kairo a look when she finished. Kairo blinked and shrugged.

  "I wasn't going to yell," Rizzit remarked, although everyone knew to the contrary. "But you are right. We did succeed, and the troops don't need to know anything to the wiser. To them, everything went well, and they beat the enemy even out numbered. Unfortunately for us, we don't get to be so blissfully unaware. Things just keep escalating. This just means that Vaynus is still out there at large with his small contingent of who knows how many ships and forces, and I highly doubt he is following direct orders from Thrawn. Also, it means that whoever gave Fro-Ja the information in the first place hasn't been found."

  "Good going Intel." Kairo interrupted, earning him two more looks.

  "So, we may have stopped the overlaying threat, but the real problem is still at hand. We were unable to figure out where the information came from, and though an enemy group has been beaten, they now have a taste of our capabilities." Rizzit rubbed his temples. "So you are right Kami, the men did exceedingly well, but how long will that last." He stopped for a second and leaned back in his chair. "I'm just over thinking this. Or at least I hope I am."

  "So what's the next move?" Kairo asked.

  "Nothing for now. I think we earned a small break. In our line of work, you never know when the next mission will roll along, and I doubt things are going to be settling down for awhile." Rizzit grabbed his cup of cafe and took a sip. "On the contrary, things are probably just going to get a lot worse."


(OOC The story is now finished. Great job and congratulations to everyone. If you have any questions, just e-mail me or send me a comnet message. )
 
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Sergeant First Class Kairo
Platoon Commander

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

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