Aphamos climbed down from the catwalk, turning his head to look at the firefight that had just erupted.  Absolute chaos.  What the hell do they think they are doing?  He shrugged, heading toward Garra; the hutt had headed off when the firefight began, but Aphamos had kept a keen eye on him and his whereabouts.  Aphamos hit the ground when a blaster bolt whizzed passed his head, the bolt of energy just barely clipping the top of his helmet.  Turning around, he raised his dual pistols in the direction of the firefight, making sure that no one was after him.  At least learn how to aim, dammit.

Aphamos moved into the darkness near the walls of the pathway that he was taking.  He could here the hutts footsteps as he moved further and further from the firefight.  Every footstep shattered the silence and sent a powerful vibration through the metal floor.  Aphamos stopped walking for a moment, wanting to get a more clear sound.  One hutt and&.two other guards.  This may be a bit harder than I imagined.  Quickening his pace, the stormtrooper etched closer and closer to the enemy, having no idea where they were leading him.

Aphamos turned on the infrared sensor in his headset, wanting to know the exact positions of the enemies ahead.  Hutt in the middle, guards on opposite sides.  He kept the sensor on as he finally got in firing range of the hutt and his guards.  So how am I going to do this?  Can't flash, don't want him dead right now, so no grenade-  A smile came on the stormtroopers face as an idea presented itself in  his mind.  This better work.  Aphamos thought a little more about his plan, second thoughts finally making their way into his concentration.  Meh, what have I got to lose?  Aphamos switched the audio feed in his headset so that it channeled directly to his comlink; he also changed it so that no sound would resonate from his helmet.

Now, time for the finale.

Aphamos pulled his comlink from his belt, turning it on and throwing it in front of the enemies ahead of him.  He moved to the side of the path again, his back touching the wall as he concealed himself in the darkness.  The enemies in front of him immediately turned around, the guards turning on their weapons.  Electrostaffs?  Who the hell do they think they are?  Well, here goes nothing.

"YOU ARE UNDER IMPERIAL ARREST!  RAISE YOUR ARMS RIGHT NOW!" he yelled.  The enemies spun around again, Aphamos instinctively seizing the moment to complete his plan.

He charged forward, still remaining silent, his pistols raised toward the first enemy.  He opened fire, sending five shots in the way of the first guard as he got down on one knee and finished the second guard with five more shots.  He swiftly moved behind the hut and changed the feed of his headset so that he could be heard directly from the helmet.

"You move or make a sound, and I swear I'll kill you," said Aphamos.  "I don't give a damn whether or not you are in pain or if your mother just died, don't say anything."  The hutt let out a small sound, signaling his distress.  Aphamos recalled the man he had carried with him earlier, and decided not to hesitate at all.

Aphamos raised his pistol and shot the hutt in the arm, pressing the barrel of one of his pistols to the back of the hutt in order to keep him from making any more noises.  The hutt let out a deep exhale, the stormtrooper letting it slide.  "I told you to shut up," said Aphamos, urging the hutt to move back to the firefight.  "Now let's go see what my friends are up to."


-----------------------
Raiders

War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is the sooner it will be over.
--William Tecumseh Sherman--

Barracks. Darr-Rann thought, crouched in front of the door. Should be cleared out, with the fighting next door. He kicked the door open, sweeping the area with his Mynock. There was nothing.

He entered the room, stepping forward slowly and carefully. He only managed to duck in time to save himself from a slit throat. Darr-Rann struck his elbow back, catching the commando in the neck. He followed up with a quick jab, cracking the helmet's visor. He then kicked the in the center of the chest, sending him falling to the ground. The squad leader pointed his Mynock at the man's head.

"Think you're clever, hiding behind the door?" Darr-Rann said, grinning. "Where is the rest of your squad?" The man shook his head furiously.

"Listen, we can debate this, or you can tell me. You do not want to debate with me." He said. The man shook his head again.

Darr-Rann lowered the gun and squeezed, putting a round in the commandos' leg. The man screamed profanity and gripped at the wound. "You want to answer now?"

"You can't win. They should be down there now, hostages in hand. You won't be able to fight them all. Your pitiful rescue is a failure, Vast Imperial scum." The man said, his voice sounding smug of victory. Darr-Rann flicked the pistol back forwards the man's head and fired once more. The corpse slumped back against the wall.

Darr-Rann walked over to the trap door, which was thinly disguised. Likely, the fact that the room would normally be filled with mercenaries probably discouraged anyone from sneaking in. He crouched by the trap, planning things out.

The rest of the commandos were down there, likely with the hostages ready to threaten. If he went down there by himself, he'd only likely be shot or captured himself, with no chance of real success. He needed help. He left the trap door for the time being, and began to search. 

He found what he was looking for. Darr-Rann turned the dial on the comlink, adjusting the channel to the Raider's private signal. He wouldn't be able to understand them without the proper security keys, but he'd be able to contact them, which was all he needed to do.

"Guys, get down to the barracks by the spectator's area entrance. I may have located the hostages, and need backup." The squad leader said. He turned off the comlink and span the dials so that nobody would discover the channel he had used, them threw it to the floor carelessly. 

He waited for the squad to arrive. They were probably still in combat with the people in the spectators area, but he didn't expect it would prove difficult for the seasoned troopers. He considered running out to join them, but he knew he had to stay by the trap and make sure the commandos didn't leave when there was no one around to track them. He stayed crouched there, awaiting his squad, and preparing himself for one hell of a fight.

 
-----------------------
Raiders
SL/SSG_Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|WO2_Demonic/Reserves| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)(LoM)[SWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
SENIOR SERGEANT, SQUAD LEADER/ASSISTANT COMMANDER OF TRAINING
WARRANT OFFICER, 2ND CLASS
Communications Technician
Part time Webmaster Guy
"DICTATOR DARR"
Clearly Canadian!

Darr-Rann nodded to the Raiders squad as they entered. "It's good to see you guys again." He pointed to the trap door. "This is where were going. The commandos are down there, probably waiting for us, unless there's another way out.

He turned to Garra, who's pudgy form was bound in restraints they had found in the lockers around the  barrack. They had also barred the door, putting enough heavy junk in front of it to ensure that they wouldn't get surprised while they fought.

"Alright, let's go." The squad leader said. He pulled the trap open a little, peering inside before peeling it open entirely. There was a staircase, leading down into a dark hallway. He raised his gun, and motioned for Tal to take the lead.

"I'd go first, but I don't have my helmet. Without nightvision, I'd be the perfect victim of a knife in the dark." The squad leader said. Tal nodded and began to descend down the stairway. Darr-Rann followed after, then the rest of the squad followed him in tow. Andrew Miller stayed behind to gaurd Garra.

Darr-Rann squinted to make out any shapes in the darkness. He needed to improve his blind fighting skills  He'd become too used to his helmet and the benefits it brought. Equipment is nice, but loseable. The Senior Sergeant thought, slowly creeping forward.

"This hall is clear Darr... I hear noise around the corner." Said Tal, his voice low and distorted by the built in voice filter. The squad leader nodded. They reached the corner, and Darr-Rann borrowed Tal's fiber-optic cable.  Running it around the corner, he spied nine commandos, crouched in wait.

"Do you think Gerard really got taken out?" One of them said aloud. Another shook his head.

"No way, no how. Gerard is too tough  His suit's systems probably just got busted."

The other trooper spoke again, not convinced. "But both the biosigns and his comlink? I hope your right, but it really doesn't look good." Another troop made a cutting gesture.

"I don't want to hear that kind of talk guys. I'm sure Gerard is fine. If he isn't, then he knew he was risking his life to find the server and get the cell door open while the rest of us headed down here to watch the targets."

"Yes sir." The first speaker said. "But Ryan, why are we down here now?"

"We gave him half an hour, and he hasn't near hit that time yet. We're going to wait until he... Damn it!" The commando leader said, raising his blaster as he finished in a yell. Darr-Rann withdrew the cable immediately as shots began to ping along the edges of the door frame.

"Come on you bastards!" One of the troopers yelled. Darr-Rann waited for a clear moment, then made a "Go" signal with his hand. The stormtroopers stormed in, exchanging fire with the Commandos.

Rogueboy was hit in the side, and LK got a burn on his right arm. They were much more fortunate then the commandos though  Two of them were downed immediately, their armor pocketed with blaster burns. Darr-Rann was happy to see one of the fallen was carrying his stolen Blaster Shotgun, and it lay unharmed. The commando leader ran to the side, pulling open a metal door. The Raiders managed to cut down another commando as they retreated. The door slammed shut behind the last, and Darr-Rann found it locked. Swearing, he walked over to one of the fallen and picked up his blaster shotgun.

"Hey." A voice echoed out over a small intercom. Darr-Rann walked up to a second metal door. "Who are you?"

Darr-Rann looked through the transparasteel window on the doorway  It was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had long strait black hair, and wore regular civilian-style clothes. He recognized her as one of the hostages, Lieutenant Amanda Salamon. The squad leader saluted immediately.

"Senior Sergeant Darr-Rann, Raiders Squad. We're here to rescue you." He said. The door opened, and the intelligence officer walked out. "Erm, Mam. We were informed there was two of you?"

The woman shook her head. "Someone's already picked up Drais. Apparently, we were to be sold to two separate groups."

The squad leader nodded. "Can you use a weapon?" He asked. She nodded, so he picked up a blaster rifle from one of the fallen troopers and tossed it to her. "It's time we get going then."

-----------------------
Raiders
SL/SSG_Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|WO2_Demonic/Reserves| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)(LoM)[SWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
SENIOR SERGEANT, SQUAD LEADER/ASSISTANT COMMANDER OF TRAINING
WARRANT OFFICER, 2ND CLASS
Communications Technician
Part time Webmaster Guy
"DICTATOR DARR"
Clearly Canadian!

Darr-Rann was relieved to see Garra still sitting there, and Andrew Miller still at guard. He waved to the trooper. "Move him along - We're leaving." The squad leader said, heading towards the door. He borrowed a fiber-optic cable and ran it through the gap in the door, looking for enemies. "All clear." He announced, opening it and stepping through.

They entered the long hallway. "If I remember right, there's an exit through the Arena, and around the stands. Which way should we go?" Asked Namyr. Darr-Rann nodded towards the stands.

"If those are all clear, we might as well take them. I'd rather be up above in the stands if we get ambushed, rather then in the pit." The squad leader said. They headed in that direction, weapons raised and watching for an ambush. Behind them Andrew and Sayah pushed along Garra's hovering platform, while the Hutt whimpered to himself.

"I'm getting tired of that you know." LK muttered to the Hutt, menacing his rifle. The sluglike alien silenced himself quickly. They entered the stands of the arena.

"Well," Darr-Rann said, his eyes sweeping over the carnage in front of him, "I must say, you guys did well. Even if we didn't manage to recover both hostages in time, we at least must have shut down Garra's center of operations with this one." To this point, the slug muttered.

"Drais knows things though. Important things. We can't afford to leave him to whoever has him now." Salamon said, a grim look on her face. "The shit is really going to hit the fan if we can't have him rescued soon."

"Don't worry." Darr-Rann said, "The slug should know where he is. A round through the interrogators will make him talk."

"You lie!" Garra said, his eyes widening, "You promised trial!" Darr-Rann grinned at this, though he quickly composed himself, remembering he didn't wear a helmet to block it.

"Of course you'll have a trial. After they squeeze out every last drop of intel from you, and throw you in prison for a while. You didn't honestly think you were heading to a resort or something, did you?"

He turned his head forward again and inwardly chuckled to himself at the Hutt's dismay. Of course, what he said was probably true, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to pity a slaver.

Suddenly he saw something in the shadows ahead - He wished he had his helmet so he could use his nightvision. He raised his pistol and fired a shot low, trying to hit whatever it was in the legs. An armored Rodian cried out in pain and stumbled down the stairs.

"Ambush!" Tal cried, taking aim and firing at another attacker who sprung out of the shadows. Garra let out one deep, booming laugh - Darr-Rann promised to give the slug a good kick for it. Ten mercenaries, fully armed, rushed the squad from the shadows...
 
-----------------------
Raiders
SL/SSG_Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|WO2_Demonic/Reserves| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)(LoM)[SWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
SENIOR SERGEANT, SQUAD LEADER/ASSISTANT COMMANDER OF TRAINING
WARRANT OFFICER, 2ND CLASS
Communications Technician
Part time Webmaster Guy
"DICTATOR DARR"
Clearly Canadian!

"No contact for this long," The copilot of the N35-24 said,  looking down at the zoomed image of Garra's palace. The pilot turned and looked at his companion.

"They still might make it out in time." The man said, nodding towards the computer mounted in the center of the control panel. A timer was displayed on the screen, counting down. "It's not impossible."

"But it's damned unlikely. They'll have to run out clear through Garra's external defenses, which have been reactivated by now. I think one of our inside contacts was a double agent. They'll either get shot or caught in the cleanup."

The pilot shook his head. "Don't count them dead ye..." Suddenly he stopped, his eyes locked on the sensors display - A new object had come into the area, moving quickly towards the bunker. "Where the hell did that LAAT come from?"

The copilot ran a quick check. "It's property of the local military... I've got a codenamed passenger on board. Running it through the VEI database now... Senior Sergeant Aeos."

"What the hell do the Corps think they're playing at? I swear, every time we organize a mission like this they find some way to screw everything up."

"It's engaging the perimeter defenses. Well, great." The copilot said. "So much for stealth."

The pilot nodded, "Fuck it. Punch in the coordinates for home - We can't stick around for this mess."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darr-Rann stepped around the corpses in front of him, his pistol raised. The mercenaries had been killed, with little more injury then they had already encountered. He waved them on, and they continued towards the passageway which would bring them to the lifts, and extraction. Namyr tapped him on the shoulder.

"Senior Sergeant Aeos just radioed in - Her LAAT has entered the local area, and is currently engaging the defensive systems. Apparently they've been reactivated. They're also dealing with the AA guns."

Darr-Rann nodded to this. "We should hurry then - I don't want to stick around here any longer then we have to." The squad leader said. They hurried their pace.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darr-Rann had not been able to retrieve all of his equipment, only having found his weapons claimed by mercenaries. What hadn't been taken sat in a storage room, beside the facilities' microreactor.

His helmet lay on the table, it's comlink already dead from the forced removal. Next to it lay is omninode pack, currently turned off. Various more minor items were scattered around the table.

One item nobody recognized. It was a box-shaped object, given to the squad leader by Vast Imperial Intelligence officers. He was told it was a tracking device, but that was not quite true.

When the object could detect the N35-24's broadcast of the highly untraceable and encrypted signal, it did not serve any real function. However, should that signal undetected, such as being underneath electronic-secure reinforced durasteel, as it was now, it would begin to count.

It didn't have much counting left to do.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garra whimpered with fear as blaster fire raced over his head, fired by his own poorly-trained defense forces. Raiders squad ran along the sands, returning fire with far more precision. Darr-Rann laughed as he witnessed the look on the Hutt's face. It seemed as if the slug had expected it would be rescued by now.

Darr-Rann saw the LAAT swooping in, it's strafing beams blasting down another turret. The squad ran towards it at full speed, sand flying up in the air as they scrambled onward.

Tal, LK, and Leon were the first to reach the ramp, carrying Andrew and Rogueboy along with them - The squad leader saw someone reach out and help them load the wounded trooper onto the transport before they climbed aboard themselves.

Next was Sayah, pushing along Garra - The hovering platform easily slid into the LAAT, then Sayah  gave an akward hop, just landing aboard and tumbling forward into safety. Namyr and Aphamos ran with the squad leader, forming a triangle around Lieutenant Salamon, who didn't seem to be panicked by the chaotic combat around her. Who knows what the hell knows what kind of stuff she's seen. Darr-Rann thought to himself, stepping aside so the officer could climb aboard. He waited until the others were aboard, then climbed up just as the dropship lurched. A hand grasped his arm and pulled, steadying him. The metal blast shields lowered themselves to protect the passengers.

"Good to see you." Aeos said, nodding to him. The squad leader returned the nod.

"It's good to see you too. Thanks for the pickup."

Suddenly an echoing boom tore out through the desert sky.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The clock hit zero - The device was armed. Similar to a thermal detonator, the device would make quite the bang. Next to an active micro reactor, that bang would be quite effective.

Violent flames shot up, the explosion blasting away floors and reducing anything that got caught in them to a crisp.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What in hell was that?" Leon yelled out, watching as the Bunker exploded, creating a shrapnel of it's walls that tore up nearby mercenaries. Darr-Rann shook his head - He had no idea.

"It's a security measure." Salomon said, a grim smile spreading over her face. "In the case of your failure, it would have eliminated me. Better off dead then disclosing classified information." Darr-Rann shook his head, cursing the VEI in his head. He wouldn't be taking a mission for them any time soon.

Garra cried out in agony, his pudgy hands waiving in the air as he watched his home consumed. At least something good came of this. The squad leader thought.

"Set a course for the nearest airfield. It's been a long couple of days, and I think we've earned a few days of rest."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jodda sat in the sands, waiting for pickup. Beside him Cerine stood frozen, watching the dying flames.

Somehow, the female was lucky enough to have survived. Both of them had ran when they heard Garra had been captured, managing to avoid the attention of the guard with some well spent credits. They had met on the outskirts when the LAAT swooped in, and decided to take the time to see what would happen. They watched as the troopers extracted, and Garra's palace had been destroyed.

Jodda acted as a slave manager for Garra, but that was not the Twi'leks true career. He was a double agent, placed to gather information in the background while the hostage negotiations took place, and to help provide the help the his employers would need to stage their rescue.

"Lieutenant Santorini. Where's that pickup?" The operative asked, speaking into his comlink. The signal was highly encrypted, though he doubted there was anyone left in the local area to intercept it.

"According to my sensors, it should be just approaching you now." Santorini's voice answered him. As if on cue, a speeder appeared over a nearby dune and slowed to a halt four meters ahead of him. He ran over to the vehicle and hopped in, nodding to the driver.

"Wait!" Cerine said, snapping out of her trance. She ran up to the vehicle. "Take me with you."

The other Twi'lek grinned, shaking his head. ""Fraid that's not an option. But don't worry, the nearest town is only a few days walk away that way." He said, pointing. "I think." The speeder shot forward, leaving the female to chock on the cloud of sand it kicked up.

Everything had worked out perfectly. Garra was dead, his objectives completed, and none of their enemies truly had an idea of what was going on.

The Vast Empire had no idea it had helped move another piece in the plot against it.

THE END
 
-----------------------
Raiders
SL/GSG_Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR][IH]
|WO2_Demonic/Reserves| (=*A*=)(=*SA*=)(=*ee*=)(VC:B)(MC2)(VEB)(DSM)(LoM)[SWC]{O1}-=TOP PILOT=-
SENIOR SERGEANT, SQUAD LEADER/ASSISTANT COMMANDER OF TRAINING
WARRANT OFFICER, 2ND CLASS
Communications Technician
Part time Webmaster Guy
"DICTATOR DARR"
Clearly Canadian!