Rachelle reached her first objective when the scream of the Dream's engines roared over her head exactly as her master had predicted. With ascension cables the small group of insurgents easily climbed the wall before them. Briefly glancing over the wall scoping their surroundings it would seem as though it was all clear. Rachelle being headstrong and after having listened to the stories of Anakin's 501st she made it a point to be the first one in the cross fire.
"Come on everyone we need to back up Master Zane by taking out these bucket heads!" Rachelle was swinging her saber reflecting the shots fired in her team's direction as the others found solid cover.
Chaos was a kind word to describe the scene before the Padawan. Most of the Mandelorians were still racing towards the gates when her troops started opening up on them. Commander Darklighter's troops weren't far behind adding their own fire power to the equation. Trapped in a cross fire between the three positions the armored warriors had no choice but to barricade themselves in the central complex in the middle of the base.
"Captain Sterling things seem to be quieting down here how are things going up there?" Mark Zane was marching towards the gate with purpose as he called the former bounty hunter.
Naomi had her hands full at that moment two dozen fighters had come down apparently stationed on the planet's satellite moon. "Private put the com line on VOX."
"It's on Cap!" The Private was working quickly to fill the orders his captain was feeding him.
"General you boys and girls better find some cover quick we're not alone up here anymore." Pulling the freighter into a tight corkscrew turn Naomi had barely dodged a missile launched from point blank range. "They came from this planet's moon at least that's what their trage..." Static and what sounded like an explosion silenced the line.
Master Zane responded instantly. "Everyone find cover now!" changing his comlink over to that of Darklighter's and Rachelle's channel Mark issued more orders. "Rachelle, Commander find some operational AA guns and get ready for incoming. Naomi may be out of it."
Again heavy with static and interferance from the range Naomi's voice broke through to continue her report. "So..y Gener.l a lucky s..t got my lon ange ant...nae. We got mos f th.m a few .. your way though."
"Copy that Captain you did good now set down and make repairs." Zane knew the ship was still in the fight he just didn't want her to fly into an AA kill zone over the base.
"Set down my ass General." Naomi knew what to expect she'd flown into her share of hot spots during hunts. "Strap in boys we're going in after those last few fighters."
The young private at the com smirked. "But the General ordered us to set down Cap."
The twinkle in the man's eye told Naomi that what he was saying was out of obligation and not out of duty to follow orders. "I don't know what you're talking about kid that message was to garbled to understand his orders." She glanced around with a look of that's what happened and you're all going to agree. "Right?"
With nodding heads all around the captain continued her pursuit of the last two flights of fighters that had managed to escape her guns. Far below the square of the base perimeter was just starting to come into view when the first salvos from the surface AA guns erupted out at them. Naomi was swaying back and forth from side to side to slip in between the scarlet energy bolts as she edged closer to her targets just ahead and out of her guns range.
Watching one of the fighters blossom into a fiery torrent Naomi cursed the gunners far below. "Bastards they're mine! Gunners open fire!"
"The fighters are still out range Captain." The voice on the speaker was matter of fact but Sterling wanted no part of it.
"Barely open up maybe we'll get lucky and take a few before the ground troops steal all our fun!" Naomi had a crazy look in her as she focused on what was happening her view ports.
The speaker spoke again in response to his orders. "Rodger that Cap opening fire."
Mark watched from the ground as the fighters came just barely into view. The black shadow emerging from behind was unmistakably the Dream chasing the ships straight into their AA fire. Cursing under his breath the Jedi Master only hoped the Corellian Captain survived just so he could chew her ass about following orders. Slowly one by one the fighters disappeared into black clouds of smoke and fire. A pair on fighters managed through the hail storm as they leveled off lined up to strafe the bases guns.
Naomi watched in horror what was happening below her. "Damn hang on boys this one's going to be rough!" rolling the Dream into a high g partial outside loop the Corellian found herself running head to head with the her enemies.
The fighter's weapons peppered the forward shields as Naomi's tongue slipped between her lips in concentration. She tasted the blood that was seeping from a cut on her forehead though she had no time to worry about it. Locking her forward missiles onto the fighters she squeezed the release that sent the guided projectiles on their deadly mission. Watching with the utmost concentration Naomi watched one score its target while the other missed wide.
Mark silently cheered when the first ship exploded. The Corellian's Dream roared over his head clearly accelerating to catch the fighter before it could strafe the base. The two passed the other with meters to spare causing Mark to feel just a hint of nausea at the maneuver. As that wave passed he witnessed the torpedo burst from the freighter's aft section and shred the fighter just as it was reaching its weapons range. Watching the freighter make a lazy turn inbound for the base Mark felt relief that none of people were killed in the action that had been their first mission thus far. the ship passed once more over head performing a victory roll over the base before leveling and landing a short distance away. Mark's only concern now was how to penetrate the central compound without killing anymore than they had already been forced to kill.