STAR WARS

PLAGUE OF THE SITH

A stalemate lies in the middle of intergalactic conflict. Although THE FIRST ORDER

is near completion of the ominous Starkiller, RESISTANCE forces

continue to impede its progress.

In an attempt to strike back at the RESISTANCE, Supreme Leader Snoke orders

recovery of the plans to a secret biological weapon.

A deadly widespread virus said to have been devised by the legendary Sith.

Through their spies, the RESISTANCE also know of this lethal agent and its location.

They now battle FIRST ORDER forces over the lawless planet of Bu'thul, where the plans

to the weapon await for either side to reclaim them…

The silent majesty of the First Order starship KAISER II was interrupted by loud laserblasts that struck the left side of its stern as it glided over the planet Bu'thul. For firing upon it was the Resistance cruiser THE TRAILBLAZER, trying to inflict as much damage as it could despite being only a third the size of the Order's starship. They seemed hopelessly outclassed; but their determination and will to keep fighting against all odds is what kept them going. They carried the very same fighting spirit that the Rebel Alliance had with them prior when they eventually triumphed over the former Galactic Empire.

But the First Order also carried with them the steadfast will and resilience of the Galactic Empire. They would not surrender to a pitiful band of opposing forces so easily. Yet both sides were after one thing; plans to the biological man-made virus. Either side would have wanted to get their hands on it; but the First Order desired it more. Supreme Leader Snoke sought it fit to inflict massive casualties on the Resistance and their growing number of allies across the galaxy for delaying the completion of the Starkiller: the planet-sized weapon capable of destroying entire planets by the many in a single shot. Failure to retrieve the plans to the virus was not an option for either side.

Both ships exchange turbo laser cannon fire after fire. Both ships took some damage; and it wasn't long until the ship's docking bays sounded their alarms calling all available fighter pilots to their respecting Starfighters. Within moments, blue and black X-Wings shot out of the Resistance cruiser like birds freed from their cages. The First Order responded by launching their Tie Fighters and Interceptors from their own docking bays as well. Between turbo laser fire and defending vital points of the ship; the fighters from both sides exchanged blows weaving past one another and around the two large starships. It was difficult to tell which side had the upper hand. Both Tie fighter and X-Wing alike were being blown out of the sky; their debris falling like fiery little comets onto the planet below. The Kaiser II's sheer size made it hard to bring down; but The Trailblazer's small size made it more difficult to hit. A newer strategy was called for to help end this seemingly endless battle. The Order made their first move.

-The Boarding Party-

Rushing down the hallway with alarms blaring and echoing throughout the KAISER II, a platoon of well over twenty-eight First Order troops were running in unison towards the docking bay. Their pale dark eyed emotionless helmets masked their mixed emotions among the ranks. Emotions ranging from fear, to excitement, to utter bewilderment. Among those who felt the prong of excitement was a female trooper; her helmet hiding her determined look just as well as her short fiery red hair. Her operating number was 0511A. But everyone simply referred to her as "Osha." So named because when writing down her number; the 5 looked like an 'S' and the two 'I's looked like an 'H' when combined. She was also one of the few troopers to be given a nickname among the rabble as she was one of the few female troopers within her unit. Most female soldiers of the First Order were either high ranking officers or home station supervisors. Being physically adept in her training but not the most technical person, the Order decided she was best suited for doing the dangerous grunt work of First Order ground troops. That meant putting her out in the front lines where Resistance members or locals trying to defend themselves would no doubt fire at her. But she had done it many times before and emerged alive. As she kept pace with the rest of her similarly uniformed comrades, she thought to herself; 'How will it be any different this time?'

As they entered the docking bay and stopped in formation, their platoon leader Captain Blanc barked his orders through his helmet resting on his right blue shoulder pad. "Check all blasters before boarding!" He shrieked. All First Order troops followed the command and then awaited further instruction. "Port arms!" He began. All troops held their blasters at port arms as instructed. And with a motion of his hand, Captain Blanc urged them to follow as he ran toward the Troop Carrier. "Move out!" He cried. The entire platoon of First Order troops followed him towards the Carrier. Osha loved holding the blaster close to her chest as she ran. It somehow connected to her heart which gave her a sudden rush of adrenaline that more than prepared her to face the dangers that lied ahead. She then saw Captain Blanc entering the Carrier with two additional special Troopers flanking him. The first five lines of troops ahead of Osha boarded and took their positions. Before she knew it, she was among them, and waited in formation as the Carrier doors closed behind her. Almost instantaneously, the Carrier lifted off the ground shifting some of the troopers slightly off balance. The engine roared making a loud hum and vibrated throughout the ship. The vibrations seemed to sync in rhythm with Osha's own heart as she anticipated flying through the outer space dogfights towards the Resistance ship. Outside she heard that all too familiar howl of Tie Fighters. Four Tie Fighters and two Interceptors were escorting the Troop Carrier as it flew out of the docking bay towards THE TRAILBLAZER. The approach was anything but a smooth one.

As was anticipated, Resistance ships soon spotted the Troop Carrier heading towards THE TRAILBLAZER. While most still concentrated on the KAISER II, quite a few of them began to make their way towards the Carrier. Two of the escorting Tie Fighters engaged the oncoming Resistance X-Wings. The Tie Fighters managed to down two of the X-Wings through some fancy maneuvering. However, one of the X-Wings got past them and shot down one of the escorting Interceptors. The other Interceptor flew off from the Carrier and retaliated; destroying the X-Wing as it tried to fly away from its earlier kill. The attacking X-Wings stopped coming. One of the two Tie Fighters that broke off from the Carrier made it back to the formation as did the Interceptor. The other Tie fighter; well casualties were always to be expected in these dangerous missions. The cargo onboard the Carrier was far more important than the lives of a few Tie pilots. They neared one of the exposed passenger transport doors on THE TRAILBLAZER. No other X-Wings came to stop them as all other Tie Fighters not part of the escort mission kept them busy. Within moments, the Carrier lined up side by side perfectly to the door. The Carrier then opened up its own passenger door to which the onboard troops now faced the entry way into THE TRAILBLAZER. The two troops that joined Captain Blanc rushed over to it with their ion torches blazing. They awaited further instruction.

Captain Blanc faced his platoon. "This is a sabotage mission." He yelled. "We are to destroy the Resistance ship from within. We will not be taking any prisoners! If you see a Resistance member, shoot him or her on site!" Captain Blanc then called his troops to attention. With that he gave out the next order. "Set all blasters to 'Fire'!" All his troops did so accordingly. Captain Blanc then faced the two troops with the ion torches, and gave them the signal to begin their own task. Lighting up the torches, they burned through the Resistance fighter's transport doors; sparks and smoke flying wildly around them. When the door finally melted away, a loud clap of thunder seemed to resonate through the thick smoke. The Resistance ship was breached and the First Order troops were now free to enter. Captain Blanc then signaled his men to follow him through. "MOVE OUT!" he yelled. They all followed Captain Blanc through the smoke and found themselves in the hallways of the Resistance ship.

As the platoon ran through the corridor, Resistance troops soon appeared from behind the corners of the hall. With their blasters pointed at the upcoming Order troops, they proceeded to engage in combat to disperse of the boarding party. "Open fire!" yelled Captain Blanc. The First Order troops immediately fired at the Resistance, killing at least three or four within the first few minutes. The Resistance dropped only about two Order troops within the corridor; but their panic written faces and shaky hands made it difficult for them to make precise hits. The platoon was upon them like an unstoppable tidal wave. One unfortunate Resistance member just froze in horror as five Order troops passed him without a glance, until one troop behind them noticed he was still alive and shot him dead. The Resistance fighter pilots had proven their bravado out in the lethal dogfights still raging on in space. But the security team on the ship were proving to be pathetic. Order troops continued to gun down more frightened Resistance security guards. Osha herself shot down quite a few of them as she raced alongside her comrades towards their main objective. "Captain Blanc!" a voice called out. It was one of the troops pointing to a main screen in the navigational room of the ship that they now occupied. Captain Blanc looked at the screen without a word awaiting the troop's response. "The power core is located just a few corridors down from our location." "Are the thermal detonators ready?" Captain Blanc asked as if he was changing the subject. "Yes sir!" The trooper responded. Captain Blanc then turned to face his platoon as they stopped to await his orders. "Alright!" He yelled. "I need Bravo Team to go with the two men in charge of the detonators and follow them to the power core. Protect them at all costs and cut down any resistance you meet along the way."

Bravo Team consisted of ten highly skilled troopers. One of which happened to be Osha. Osha's marksmanship was usually considered very superb, hence why she was part of this vital operation. Captain Blanc personally chose her to be part of the team that was in charge of escorting the most important members of extremely dangerous and near suicidal missions. Though the Resistance security team fell easily, they suspected that the real elite forces were guarding the ship's vital power core. Captain Blanc and the remaining platoon would be in charge of diverting their attention away from Bravo team as they made their way to the core and set up the thermal detonators. Eagerness thumped away within Osha's heart as she joined the other nine troopers of Bravo Team encircling the two troops with the thermal detonators. Should one of these troops fall, members of Bravo Team would have to carry the detonators themselves, and thus make them more susceptible targets to Resistance forces. Osha wasn't going to let this happen. She was always willing to prove to her fellow troops just how capable she was at disposing enemy forces. And truth be told, she knew she was showing off and didn't mind anyone watching her being a little fancy. Especially Captain Blanc, who she seemed the most eager to impress. She always enjoyed being under his leadership; as he was a man who was a superb tactician and a top notch organizer. Every mission she had been on with him always resulted in success. She was about to escort the team with the same mentality in her mind that success was guaranteed again.

Captain Blanc gave the orders to move out and the entire platoon ran down the corridor towards the room where the power core was stationed. Bravo Team was nestled near the center of the platoon with the two vital troops being the very nexus of it. As soon as they got closer to the power core; their suspicions proved to be correct. The Resistance's most elite security defenses were awaiting them as they guarded the core. It was time for Osha to prove her value to the troops again.