"This garage is now fortified. They're also lurking around one of the mass transit hubs," said Captain Charyb, circling a section on the printed map of Davn they were using to coordinate their forces. "There's also a string of cantinas along this block where more troopers have bunkered down. We think most of them were off duty when the fighting broke out."
General Vix stared down at the map intensely, searching for anything he had missed. The battle to retake the city from the Blood Battalion seemed to be going quite well for them, with most of their forces cornered in their headquarters and their smaller outposts being mopped up or captured all across the city.
However, he knew better than to let his guard down and assume victory was assured.
"Mr. Scyll, what have you heard from your people on the ground?"
"Yeah, they're pushing the Bloods back." The Consortium envoy drew a haphazard string of lines to show them moving forward. "It's somewhere over here."
Charyb rolled his eyes, but remained silent.
"Let's remember, the gas, electricity and water lines are all being held by us," Vix reminded them. "Both of you should remind your forces not to go rushing into any fights or trying to besiege an entrenched enemy. The militia knows the utility grid backwards and forwards, so there are better ways of flushing them out."
"I'll go catch up with them," said Scyll, exiting the room.
Charyb hung back for a moment. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do. Don't ask me again."
The response took the Czerka Security Officer off guard.
"You were about to go talk to your people, were you not?"
Charyb walked out without another word.
As soon as he was gone, Vix pulled out his comlink and a pen, checking in with his militia forces.
"We're all set."
"Nobody has even attacked us, yet."
"I thought they would put up more of a fight."
It turned out most of the forces had gone running back to headquarters when word of an internal power struggle reached the seasoned officers, and those left to guard the most important resources were too green or too understaffed to put up much of a fight.
There had certainly been losses, but they were far less than expected and the General was grateful for that.
"Arc Row 4, come in. Arc Row 4, can you hear me?"
"Group 4, Arc Row responding."
"Johnson, how are things?"
"We're holding out," she said, sounding worried.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just…"
"If the Blood Battalion is assaulting your position, let me-"
"No, the Bloods are gone. The Mandos drove them off."
Vix looked back at his map. Johnson's squad should have been deep in enemy territory and had been specifically outfitted with extra manpower and their best gear for just that reason. "Are you in the correct position?"
"Ristrette Heating & Power, just like you said."
"Why are they halfway across the city?"
"I don't know, but they've been pounding the Bloods hard."
All the General could do was just stare at the map, contemplating how thinly Mandalore must have been spreading her troops for them to be pushing forward on such wide a front. He knew they were also leading the charge at a communications relay south of the industrial sector and also helping to clear out resistance near their base.
"We can go help them. The Mandalorians are starting to take losses and we could spare a few good people, instead of standing around with our thumbs up our asses."
"No," he told her, wondering if he would regret it. "Someone once told me that the Mandalorians are the greatest fighting force in the galaxy, so let them have their glory. Split your forces and the mansion of Zhan-Zhin the Hutt. Once the power is shut down to the Blood Battalion's nerve center and the last resistance is mopped up, that will become our new forward command post."
"Aye aye, sir."
