Landfall

The LAAT shuddered in the air. It zoomed through the skies making a landing approach at top speeds. More shuddering ran through its hull. It set the drop ship’s passengers on edge. The shuddering was normal for a landing, especially given the situation outside. Anti-aircraft missiles peppered the air with disabling tinsel. It was giving the LAAT pilots a hard time at landing safely. But still, the drop ships were finding ways to the ground.

The soldiers were crowded into the LAAT shoulder to shoulder. No room existed between any of them. They were fresh in from Tadath. Some recruits, some hardened veterans, but all were fresh to the Mygeeto Conflict. It had started months ago. A small New Republic force had been defending Mygeeto. Its crystals and valuable ores were one of the keys to the New Republic’s economies. It also made it a large target. The Vast Empire had dispatched a task force to take the planet, but found the resistance much, much stronger. Their intel had been wrong and the New Republic had a much larger garrison. A small ground force went up against a full army and was able to dig in long enough to construct a forward base. With that forward base came the dreams of conquering the planet.

The beleaguered Empire called for reinforcements, bringing in a rather larger force. Star Destroyers traded fire with the Mon Cal warships as a larger ground force landed on Mygeeto. The forward base expanded and the war front grew only larger. With an actual base and army landed on the planet, the Vast Empire was ready to stave off the New Republic attacks. Seeing strength in the Vast Empire’s numbers, the New Republic retreated back to their own garrison.

As the months wore on, each side landed more troops. The starships would retreat from the planet for repairs and new ones would take its place. The war front grew larger, enveloping more dead cities on the frozen planet. With no civilians living on Mygeeto, there was no collateral damage. Troopers fought every day in little skirmishes throughout the planet. It was a stalemate. No one was winning and no one would win. Unless something tipped the balance.

In the center of the LAAT’s hold, stood the two people that the Vast Empire hoped would tip the tide of battle. Both were taken from two elite divisions of the Vast Empire. One man from the Elite Corps and one from the ARC teams. The stormtroopers around them had tried to give them a wide berth. The two men were armed, looking as if they intended to fight the New Republic on their own. Given their mission, they were prepared to. The Mygeeto Conflict was important.

Important enough to send Norith Skarr and Zane Carthow to Mygeeto. The both of them had encountered combat that no one thought they could survive. Norith Skarr had just recently come back from Thyveck. It had been a month since that long and dreadful campaign. The man had been on the planet for six months fighting a losing battle. A battle no one expected him back from, especially once he had been captured by the enemy. In a daring attempt to take a whole army on himself, Skarr had been hurt and captured by the Republic.

Zane had been at Thyveck, but briefly. He had led Eclipse to Skarr’s rescue. So essentially, he had missed the whole campaign. He had been apart of some very critical missions on Mon Calamari at the time. He had been thrown on the watery planet to cause trouble for someone other than the Vast Empire’s own High Council. The tall man had always been insubordinate, following his own mind rather than orders. The only reason the ARC trooper avoided court-martial was that his way got things done. Missions he was a part of had a 95% success rate.

And so, the two men had been asked to come to Mygeeto. They were supposed to spearhead the attack against the Republic. Disrupt supplies, take down shields, infiltrate bases, and cause any trouble they could for the enemy. The Vast Empire chose correctly. The LAAT sped towards the ground faster. A soldier in the bay opened the doors to the shuttle. Wind rushed in, buffeting the soldiers, but they were used to the rush of air by now.

The battlefield below raged with one of the largest battles since the start of the Conflict. Lances of fire criss-crossed the field.  Craters were being created by explosives, rockets being blasted from each side. The structures that had stood for centuries had begun to fall under the fire. Cover was abundant with the wrecked tanks and fallen rubble. There was some man made cover that had been constructed as well. The place was a mess. And it was heavily contended.

The battlefield before them was Checkpoint Gamma. It was only a few kilometers away from Alpha Base. It was the Vast Empire’s main camp on Mygeeto. It was also the original destination for the LAAT until the command had been overridden. Now Alpha was demanding that the LAATs drop their passengers at Checkpoint Gamma.

The drop ship was now close enough to the ground for the troops to hop off. The soldiers jumped down the remaining five feet to the ground, making it look easy. The ship took off behind them, heading back up to the atmosphere. The unloading had taken all of ten seconds.  Weapons immediately began firing, raking lasers across the enemy line. Skarr and Lancer took up positions behind the cover the checkpoint provided. Their first mission on Mygeeto had begun.

OOC:

994 words. Only intended as the introduction to a larger story.