Storming the central command complex on Korriban wasn't going according to plan. The troopers were pinned down barely thirty meters inside the door. While the pile of battle droids was growing steadily the Republic soldiers had yet to sustain a casualty beyond a couple of mildly wounded. The battle raged fiercely as blue and crimson bolts seared by each other each group fighting for every square inch.

Rachelle spotted a slatted panel in the wall she was pinned to. Using the force to open the small door to see there was a hidden corridor behind from which an enemy could create a shielded crossfire. "Master! I think I can get through and cut them off from behind!"

Mark looked carefully from across the hall then nodded his approval. "Private Halcyon can you follow Rachelle in?"

Zena backed up to the Commander's position then checked the hatch for a fit. "Not with my armor on sir."

"Mark I can go in with her!" Naomi had crawled and squirmed her way up to the fragile position just out outside a large chamber.

"Okay Private lose the armor!" Rachelle you go in first and clear that room. Naomi your going in on this side in case they fail you can hopefully make up some ground from the other side." Mark peaked out of his hiding place to see that the droids were still filing in by the droves trying to push the invaders out of the building. "Get going all of you we can't hold this position much longer!"


Naomi found the passage strangely quiet considering it's tactical advantage. The space farer made her way quietly waiting for her presence to be discovered at any moment. The end of the corridor ended in an open doorway turning back toward the central passageway. Dropping to the prone position Sterling poked her head out looking both ways then straight across to see Zena doing the same as she was. The trio of women were stunned to find that they were alone and yet behind the enemies line.

"Maybe the droids are coming from somewhere else?" Rachelle was inexperienced but always ready to submit an idea.

Naomi and Zena looked to one another then shrugged at the possibility. "Either way we're going further in, maybe we can find where we can shut them down."

Rachelle noted that the Captain had circumvented her command of the small squad. "Excuse me Captain but I believe I'm still in command here."

"No offense Commander but I have experience in this kind of infiltration when I robbed the Empire of few credits and an official who had a bounty on his head." The moment Sterling said Empire she regretted it. No one on the squad except Mark and Rachelle knew anything about the Empire.

Zena looked at Naomi a little cross at the prospect of having not been given all the facts. "What Empire? There are no Empires around to infiltrate. Who are you really Captain?"

"Private stand down." Rachelle looked upset with Naomi at having betrayed something of a Jedi secret but got over it. "Okay fine Sterling how do we proceed?"

Naomi looked around then realized that this was a standard Imperial bunker design. "There should be a command room this way." The Captain hooked a thumb to around a corner to the right where the Empire always seemed to put their command structures.


Mark watched as another of his squad took another glancing blow and cursed. "Damn it they're going to take us a piece at a time at this rate!"

Just as Master Zane turned the corner to lunge at the attackers the lights died. The firing stopped almost instantly as both sides seemed to lose their targets. Seconds passed before shots shattered the silence as red bolts began racing from one side then an emerald blade began sweeping from the other. In moments the action was over with the lighting returned to normal. The squad relaxed to see Naomi and Rachelle each finishing off the last of the droids.

"Report!" Master Zane pushed his way through to meet his Padawan.

"We found a control room up the way a bit Private Halcyon killed the lights so we could take the droids from behind." Rachelle made her report as Naomi moved back up the passage two of her squad mates carried Zena's armor following the Captain so as to return it to its owner.

"Clever but dangerous." Mark thought the scenario over in his head. "Where were the droids coming from?"

Rachelle showed her master the droid bay filled with inactive droid units not far up the corridor. "It seems these junk heaps were a part of the anti-infiltration plan from the start."

"That means the Mandelorians are likely further in then." Mark continued to follow his student into the control house.

Naomi had overheard the conversation as it entered the room. "I wouldn't say in sir, I'd say down. This bunker is ten levels of fun straight down into the planet."

Mark leaned over to see the bunker schematic on the screen. "Any ideas as to how we can take it in one piece?"

"Sir?" Commander Darklighter was curious as to why they didn't just blast it from the surface. "Wouldn't an orbital bombardment be wiser? I mean why risk the Squad?"

Mark kept his patience as the question was sensible from a tactical perspective. "Because there is information down there the Republic needs to win the war. Not to mention that if the Separatists and the Sith have this place this well guarded then there's something down there we aren't suppose to see and I aim to see it so we can use it against them."

"Well then sir I suggest we gas each level one at time then move through it as quickly as possible to round up any defenders on the level before we proceed to the next. Might reduce casualties in the long run sir." The minor wounds the squad had endured had been one thing however the Commander was not in the mood to write anyone's parents just yet.

"I like it simple yet methodical." Mark returned his attention to the controls to figure out how they might accomplish the objective. "Naomi you seem to understand this fairly well any ideas how to do it?"

"Ideas hell I think I know how do it right now." Naomi pointed to another screen to her left. "You see this is a self contained bunker. Meaning it has its own life support systems installed. You drop a can of knock out gas in any of the vents and any room connected to it will be filled in seconds. the trick is to get enough to drop the whole level."

Rachelle spoke up with her own idea. "Master couldn't we use the force to push the gas around till it has a chance to work on everyone?"

"Capital thinking Rachelle that should limit how many grenades we're going to have to use to get this done." Mark stopped and looked around then asked. "Where are the lifts in this place anyways."

"Back of the complex." Naomi finished a final command then all of them heard a faint boom further into the level. "The defenders are taken care of so it's safe."

Mark glanced at his pilot. "What did you do Captain?"

With a sly smirk on her face she answered her commander with a hint of Corellian pride. "I overloaded an auxiliary power matrix. What the explosion didn't get the power surge did. I've already bypassed the conduit so no worries."

Fighting the impulse to rub his eyes Master Zane simply made a gesture with his hand that suggested they all follow him to the lift. "Come on let's check out the Captains handiwork shall we."