“The major is here, colonel,” the orderly intoned, his voice devoid of any emotion and slightly lacking in respect. The senior officer couldn’t blame the younger man, though. They had been in this frozen hellhole for entirely too long, and it looked as if they’d be here awhile longer. And to make matters worse, he had just gotten word that the next shipment of supplies was going to be severely delayed.
“Very good, corporal. Send him in.”
High Colonel Arde Sorak was a veteran stormtrooper officer, having served both the old regime and the Vast Empire for well over two decades, and he had spent the majority of that time almost entirely in combat commands. He was perhaps the most seasoned field-grade officer that the Vast Empire possessed, which was probably the very reason he had been assigned this particular unit and mission. And yet as skilled and experienced as Sorak was, he still wasn’t sure if he and his men could successfully execute this campaign. All he knew was that if the Vast Empire was going to succeed on this awful little hellhole of a planet, it was the special forces teams that were going to make it possible.
The man they called Garryll Gates entered the tent then. He was a tall man, the ideal physical specimen for a stormtrooper, and he was clad in his unit’s signature SCOPE armor, his helmet held tight to his side. And as soon Gates entered the room he immediately assumed a position of attention, much to Sorak’s surprise. After all, discipline was often not a large priority among these special forces teams. However, Gates did not salute upon seeing Sorak; then again, Sorak hadn’t really expected him to. Afterall, stormtroopers never saluted when they were on campaign. They had better things to do with their time.
“At ease, major,” Sorak said almost as soon as Gates had come to attention. “Tell me, how’s Phoenix Company?”
If the major was disgruntled by Sorak’s immediate questioning he didn’t show it. Instead he answered the question calmly, his voice betraying nothing. “We’re good, sir. Morale is good, and we’ve yet to take any casualties.”
Sorak nodded, his face thoughtful, his eyes missing nothing. “Weapons?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
Gates’ mouth tightened slightly, but that was the only outward sign of his discomfort. “Intact, mostly. There have been few incidents with the cold or other malfunctions.”
“Armor?”
“Still in decent shape, sir,” Garryll answered, knowing that his commanding officer already had to know all of this.
“Ammo?”
Garryll’s frown deepened. “Low,” he responded curtly, attempting to end that line of questioning there. And for once Sorak backed off, realizing that the junior officer understood just how desperate the situation was. What Gates did not realize, however, was how much more desperate the situation was about to become.
There was a long silence in the command center as Sorak seemed to stare at nothing for several seconds. Then, his voice relatively low, he told Gates the bad news.
“There won’t be any fresh supplies until this planetary season is over,” he said, meeting Gates’ eyes and watching for the reaction there.
There was none. At least, there was no visible reaction. Sorak had worked with some hard men, but Gates was something else entirely. If the rest of Phoenix Company imitated him, and if the other special forces teams he had been assigned followed suit, they just might be able to pull off some sort of victory out of the jaws of defeat.
“We’ll deal with the lack of supplies later,” Sorak continued as he began to pace around his command center. “Meanwhile, I have some missions for Phoenix. We’re going to start using our special forces teams more and more, let them roam around the middle ground and cause general havoc and mayhem. The details are on your datapad.”
Gates nodded once, indicating that he understood. Sorak let out a tight smile, genuinely impressed with this particular officer. “Then you’re dismissed,” he said, turning his attention back to the pile of papers in front of him.
The Phoenix Company commander turned to go, but not before Sorak spoke again. “Major? Get it done.”
For the first time since entering the tent, Gates grinned. It was not a pleasant expression.
“Yes sir.”
- OOC:
Strike Team Aurabesh, Callsign: Ghost
Mission: Target Assassination
Details: As the Vast Empire’s capabilities have worn thin in recent weeks, the Remnant brass is getting more and more courageous, touring the no-man’s-land that exists between the Vast Empire and Remnant lines. Recently they have begun to brag that they control certain territories that the Vast Empire feels yet remain strongly neutral. In fact, the Thrawnists are so confident of their victory that they’ve begun giving tours to local planetary political leaders as well. Disabuse the Remnant of this perceived notion of safety and control that they have been flaunting. Kill both the enemy general and the politician that he is escorting and decimate their convoy. Heavy weapons might be especially useful in this situation.
Primary Objective: Eliminate the general and the politician
Secondary Objective: Decimate the convoy
Estimated OpFor:
Stormtrooper escort (15 stormtroopers)
Three Armored Personnel Carriers
One AT-ST
- OOC:
Strike Team Besh, Callsign: Wraith
Mission: Night Raid
Details: In recent weeks it has become apparent that there are hunter-killer squads of Thrawnist special forces operating throughout the city’s no-man’s-land, entirely too close to the VE-controlled territories. In fact, these squads operate so close to the Vast Empire lines that command suspects they have a forward operating base hidden somewhere close by. These squads are extremely mobile, and there are several of them. Intercept one of these kill squads and eliminate it. Gather intelligence through any means necessary, find the FOB, and neutralize the threat.
Primary Objective: Neutralize FOB
Secondary Objective: Eliminate the majority of the kill squads
Estimated OpFor:
Four roving kill teams (6-12 special forces operators)
Two squads of regulars, FOB garrison (app. 20 troopers total)
- OOC:
- Now, I'm giving you some relative freedom with these objectives. Please, try and make it realistic. If you abuse these missions, especially your secondary objectives, it's going to cost you. In my opinion these secondary objectives are hard to write well, which is why they are secondary. I feel, however, that you're all up to it. Prove me right.
And with that, I now declare this HSC open. Post away. Might wait for your squad leaders. Either way, some description of your character and how he/she feels about the current situation would not be remiss. Enjoy!