As I vowed, I am back with another installment of "Imperials". I hope all of my readers are having a grand time on this ride so far. I know many of you can't wait to see Thorne in action for the first time, so here is part one of the battle. Enjoy, my friends!
"What in the void is that?" Tharcourt demanded, looking at the black and grey astromech that was standing outside the ramp of the team's ship. The droid let out a series of beeps and blips.
"That sir, is apparently R5-F77." Lago answered. "Assigned to us by command. Apparently, we need to have an astromech onboard our ship.
"I don't like droids," Tharcourt grumbled. "And I don't want one on my ship."
"Well sir, a major said he had to go with us." Ekks explained. "To repair the shuttle and help navigate. I don't mind…these droids can be useful sometimes. I could use some help finding my way around and stuff."
"How are your memory banks and star-charts?" Lago asked. The droid beeped and whistled. Lago chuckled. "I like this droid."
"Why?" Tharcourt asked.
"He just said 'Better than any of ours'." The young stormtrooper translated. Freya giggled.
"Oh, all right." The commander said defeatedly. "I guess I'm outvoted here. The droid stays with the ship though."
"Bleep-blip-blip-wheep-bloop. Blip-beep beeeeboop." R5-F77 sounded, and rolled up the ramp, followed by Ekks.
"What did he say?" Tharcourt queried.
"He said that he is programmed to follow Imperial orders, sir." Lago replied, then cleared his throat. "Better than most imperial officers, in fact." Freya giggled again.
"I think yer new droid fits in with the rest a' yer team, Drakken." She commented.
"So it would seem…" Commander Tharcourt hissed. "Still don't trust droids."
The team boarded their shuttle and took their normal seats, save for Felian, who abdicated his normal position beside the commander, sitting instead at the head of the port-side bench next to Mets. Thorne sat to the left of Tharcourt, with Daraay in her normal position to his right. Thorne looked around, taking in the interior of the small shuttle for the first time. On the trip back from Endor, she had properly ridden in the shuttle she had arrived in (technically then her responsibility) with Sergeant Felian piloting it back to The Accuser. Now Freya finally had the opportunity to see the ship a special operations unit used on its missions. As she scanned the inside of the shuttle, she imagined it would have been quite spacious and even luxurious if remodeled to be so. As it was, the ship seemed to match Drakken and his squad in personality; that it to say it was somehow spartan, cluttered and eclectic at the same time.
Crates of extra weapons, food, water and other supplies were stacked along the bulkheads and lashed into place. Three battery-operated emergency lights hung from the ceiling; their power cords draped lazily from the clamps that held them to the upper hull supports. The cables then ran down the port-side wall near the bulkhead separating the cargo/passenger bay from the cockpit, where they were clipped to a salvaged battery pack from a GNK droid in the corner. Three rebel helmets were hanging from the cockpit bulkhead like trophies, along with a huge, outdated blaster rifle probably made before she was even born.
Freya looked back astern, and finally noticed the large anti-vehicular rocket launcher strapped to the wall by the engine access panel. One of the troopers had painted on the wall above it 'In case of emergency', with an arrow pointing down at the weapon. She couldn't help but snicker a little. She may have only been on a handful of Imperial vessels, but she had never seen one like this. Only a unit like Drakken's could possibly get away with having a ship so disordered and altered. It was less like a proper ship-of-the-line and more like some clan chieftain's armory back home; weapons and trophies everywhere, and enough personalization to let one know whose realm they were standing in.
"Welcome to The Huntsman, ma'am."Gallen called from his seat across from Freya and Drakken as the ramp slid into its closed position. She smiled and gave a polite nod back to the sniper. Tharcourt leaned over.
"Doing alright, Freya?" He asked.
"Oh, aye." She returned. "Ye have a nice ship, Drakken."
"It does the job. And sorry about the mess." He said back. "Oh. Refresher is in the back, the door next to the surface-to-air launcher." He advised. "Need food or water on long trips, they're in the crates over there." He nodded toward the front of the bay. He saw Gallen fiddling with the wire plugged into his datapad. "And I hope you like music." Freya looked to see the marksman plug the wire into an input jack in the bulkhead and tap the screen of his pad. As the shuttle lifted off from the floor of the hangar and started out of the docking port, it was filled with the loud, twangy music of a guitar and an acoustic string and bow instrument playing a fast-tempo tune;
30,000 feet above
The city where I fell in love with you
And the fading concrete skyline
Brings an urban lullaby that still rings true
"Aw frack…not this stuff…" Mets complained. Gallen winked at Freya and pointed between her and the commander, who was reclined with his head against the wall. Thorne gave a nervous grin, and blushed a little.
When I passed you on the street that day
Should've let that red scarf fly away
Like any chance I had of keeping you
Like the Northern wind blowing
Yeah, my lonely heart was frozen
Never knew I'd find a way to break yours, too
"Nooooo…" Coleth groaned.
Where the wind blows babe
You can bet I'll be riding high with it
Holding on for my dear life just like I always did
Close your eyes babe, take a breath
Say my name and I'll be there
My love will find you anywhere
Anywhere my loooooove…
"BOOOO!" Coleth jeered, and Mets chucked an empty ration tin at Gallen.
"I don't even like that wildspace folk stuff!" Lago complained. Gallen stopped the song and let out a frustrated grunt.
"Oh, alright…" He grumbled. "You want something a little less civilized?" He pushed on the screen a few times, and a powerful, driving metal song began blaring from the ship's speakers. The singer screamed, and Commander Tharcourt opened one eye, looking at Gallen disappointedly, before closing it again.
"Oh yeah!" Mets exclaimed, bobbing his head violently with the music. Freya wrinkled her nose, and stuck her index fingers in her ears.
Always, known in, all my time,
A little left of center now
Reflect as I realize,
That all I need is to find the middle pillar path to sit like the sun by a star in the sky and just be.
Sinners, casting stones at me
"WHOOO!" Coleth held a fist into the air as the chorus broke out.
I... I stand, not crawling, not falling down
I... I bleed the demons that drag me down
I... I stand, (for nothing), not crawling, (the center), not falling down (of calms within the eye)
I... I'll bleed, (for no one), The demons, (but myself), that pull me down (for me and no one else)
Mets, Coleth and Lago seemed to be enjoying the music, practically dancing in their seats and pumping their fists into the air. Felian and Daraay seemed completely unaffected, and Dall sat with a stoical look on his face, occasionally shaking his head. Gallen moved his lips to the song, not surprising anyone that he knew the lyrics. Tharcourt looked over to Freya and smirked a little. She didn't seem to be enjoying the heavy music, possibly hating it more so than his cranky medic.
"Not into music, ensign?" Drakken asked over the din. She gave him an exasperated look.
"Aye…I love music." She answered. "This…this soons meur like a bean-síghe than music!" Tharcourt blinked, and gave a curious smile.
"I take it that's a bad thing?" He asked.
"Aye! The bean-síghe's a cryin', wailin' ol' specter what lets ye know yer gonna die."
"Oh." Drakken said. "Maybe this singer is a bean she…" Freya narrowed her eyes inquisitively. "He's certainly screaming and lamenting an awful lot. Sounds like somebody's about to croak." She laughed. So far, this was proving to be as much fun as she thought it would be. Instead of motionless stormtroopers waiting silently for their fight while stuffy officers presided over them like petty lords, this unit seemed to be having a party before they went into the fight. Drakken was reposing on the bench like he was about to go to sleep. Gallen was playing raucous music, and the ship was a flying bunker. It did much to take her mind off of the fact that soon she would be seeing a real battle for the first time. Of course, she had trained for war almost her entire life, but Freya was still a little uncertain of what it would actually be like.
"You alright?" Drakken asked, noticing her expression and her sudden silence.
"Och aye. Jest flat excited I guess…" She lied.
"Little nervous, huh?" Tharcourt returned with a knowing look. Freya gave a little smile and a nod.
"Little, Drakken." She admitted. "Hunners a' toughts. I umnae scared owa scrap…jes…" She leaned over until she was gently pressed against him, not enough that anyone else would notice, but enough for her to get the physical contact she needed from her battle-tested friend, as if some of his unwavering character might bleed into her. "Dun wanna get skelped with a rebel blaster-shot on me first time oot. Sure as the moon at nicht don't want ye to either, Drakken." He gave her a little surreptitious nudge.
"Just keep your head down and follow me." He said softly. "I'll be there. You watch my six, I watch yours. You'll be alright. I promise." She gave him another smile.
"Aye sir." She said gently. "Drakken? Um…what's it like…yer first time?"
"Everybody's different." He shrugged as the music ended. "You don't know till you're there. Some people lose their damned heads. Some people take to it like old hands at killing. Most just…do what they're trained to. That's what you have to focus on, Freya. Follow your training, the people over you, and common sense."
"What was it like for you?" She asked, wondering if that was too personal to ask of him.
"I didn't even have any military training my first time." He admitted. "Threw a grenade into a patrol of B1's and started blasting. Probably wasted most of the shots, but I didn't care. I shredded eight of the short-circuits in about ten seconds." He was silent a moment, and a tinge of sadness seemed to pass over his face. "They were on my world. I hated them enough for that, I think. I was all balled up and full of piss back then. Think I stayed that way most of my teenage years, and the thought of killing droids didn't bother me. They invaded us, and I wanted to destroy them all." He looked deep in thought now, and didn't seem to notice that most of his unit was watching and listening in almost rapt fascination.
"I ended up being a platoon leader, fighting the seps. I had to focus on leading and teaching the people under me…some kids, not old enough to hold a job, fighting those droids in their own cities and fields. I told them all that any one of them was more than a match for a dozen battle droids, that they had something to fight for the seps didn't, and that would give them an edge. Wasn't a lie. We scrapped thousands of those bastards before the end of the war, before Emperor Palpatine sent in forces to mop up what we hadn't smashed yet."
"Ye been fightin' since you were a child…" Freya softly muttered.
"Yes…and I never killed a sentient until after I joined the Empire." He said, and shook his head. "First time…damn, I think I killed four or five in that firefight. We won, and I didn't stop until we did. You can't, you know? You don't have time to stop and think about it till it's all over." She nodded. "Well…when it was all over, I think it hit me…the adrenaline, the fact that I'd just wasted those people. Made me sick to my stomach. Hands were shaking so badly; I could hardly reload my blaster. Then I just…went on with my duty. Got easier, I guess"
"I puked my insides out." Mets stated with a little morbid nostalgia. Tharcourt jerked his head toward the troopers across from him, momentarily embarrassed that they had heard the intimate details of his story. Instead, the scout trooper just shook his head. "It wasn't like I thought it would be, that's for kriffing sure."
"Don't think they can train you for that." Lago chimed in. "All the education and…drilling it in how right it is to kill the enemy. I froze in my first firefight. If it wasn't for my sergeant, I'd have been one dead dummy."
"I was sixteen." Gallen said. "Little group of marauders tried to hit my family's homestead on Saleucami. They were after the livestock, I think. I'd grown up shooting, taking out predators and putting food on the table, you know? I grabbed my blaster rifle, and drilled the leader straight through the brain bucket at forty meters. The rest of them took off, and never came back." He paused a moment, pursing his lips dramatically in thought. "You know…I felt kinda bad for having to do it, but it was either him or us. Funny thing is, the first thought I had was how little that damned thief twitched when he hit the ground. Most animals have more fight in them."
"Damn Gallen…" Coleth noted. "That's stone-cold."
"Hey, I would never shoot at anybody that wasn't tryin' to kill me or one of you." The sniper said defensively. "What, with my skills, it wouldn't be sporting at all!" He settled his gaze on the young ensign. "First time in the fire, right, ma'am?"
"Yes…me first battle, Gallen." Thorne answered. The sniper nodded.
"S'alright. You'll be fine, ma'am." He said. "You're a hell of a fighter. Almost as good as the old man. Besides, we'll all look out for you." She attempted a friendly smile.
"Thank ye, trooper." She replied. "I should be fine."
"Just remember." Gallen added. "When everybody's shooting ma'am, shoot in the same direction." He gave an amused laugh.
"Coming out of hyperspace." Ekks stated over the intercom. "Cloaking and jamming activated. We're in ghost and about five minutes out."
"Alright troopers!" Tharcourt announced, standing and suddenly becoming animated, as if all the while he had been laid back resting, he had simply been coiling the spring, and now released the catch. "Double-check all weapons and gear. Weapons on safe. We're touching down at Zero-dark four-five planetary time, so activate night vision once off the ship. Felian, Daraay, I want a perimeter around The Huntsman soon as we touch down.
"Yes sir!" The two sergeants called back, they and the rest of the team rising to their feet and checking their and each-others' gear.
"Ensign, once off, move to the port side of the ship, I'll move to starboard, and we'll regroup before moving out."
"Aye sir." Freya snapped back with a salute. Drakken took a few precious moments to quickly explain.
"If one of us is hit after we land, there will still be one officer." He stated grimly. "Not happened yet though, so don't worry too much." He turned back to the troopers. "We have about five klicks to cover to get to our objective. I want us to get there as quickly and stealthily as possible. Rehash; Temperate grass plains with interspersed woodlots. Target is a rebel outpost with anywhere up to and including fifty enemy combatants. Could be starfighters as well. Kill or capture. Destroy everything resembling equipment. If anybody finds a reb named "Skywalker", capture him alive, or Lord Vader will have your head on a platter. Let's make it quick and clean!"
"Yes sir!" The team barked out.
"Any questions?"
"How bad you think the opposition's going to be, commander?" Mets asked.
"If we hit hard and fast, and keep the initiative, we might bowl them over. We get stuck in, trading fire, it might get pretty hot in there, so remember; be aggressive. Get in there and dominate the battle-space, troopers!"
"Huzzah!" They all called back.
"Entering atmosphere." Ekks stated over the intercom.
"We're touching down soon." Drakken advised. "Be ready." He placed a hand on Freya's shoulder as she fumbled with her utility belt and blaster. "Steady, my friend." He said softly. She nodded gently, took a deep breath and double-checked her breast-plate and helmet for fit.
The shuttle touched down, the ramp extending downward before the landing pads had even reached the surface of the planet. Commander Tharcourt was first off, blaster in one hand, waving to his team with the other. Felian led Mets, Gallen and Coleth to the port side of the ship, with Thorne following as ordered. Tharcourt, Daraay, and the rest of the team moved to the starboard side of The Huntsman, all of the troopers dropping to a knee when in position, their blasters shouldered, scanning the terrain for any threat. After a tense couple of minutes, Commander Tharcourt rose to his feet, and spoke a single word through the mic attached to his helmet; 'Move'.
The ten-man team made their way through the tall grass of the wild plain, underneath a large, pale moon. Every small copse of trees was used as a regrouping spot for the unit, and in each small grove, Felian planted a small beacon they could use to find their way back through the grassland once they had completed their mission. Traveling slowly and constantly scanning their surroundings, Tharcourt and his team found after an hour, they had traveled a little more than two and a half kilometers. They halted at the foot of a rise, and he gave a signal with his hand for the troopers to gather around.
"We're halfway there." The commander advised. "From here on out, we need to be on guard. No telling what sort of patrols or remote sensors they have in place."
"Yes sir."
"Too right"
"Aye, C'mander."
"Fan out. Three-meter intervals. Stay with the man on your right. Easy to get lost in this tall grass. Happened to me once. I'll take the left flank. Thorne, you have the right. Felian, Gallen, you two take the right flank with her. We make visual with the rebel base or the enemy, we regroup and come up with a plan of attack."
"Roger that." Felian answered.
"Understood." Daraay stated. A snake slithered past Tharcourt's boots as they spoke, and Freya jumped back a little with a gasp.
"What's the matter, ma'am?" Gallen asked with a wry grin. "Afraid of a little snake?" Mets and Lago chuckled.
"Maybe she's afraid it'll bite her little toesees." Coleth remarked. They heard a metallic 'clink', and in an instant, Freya had a six-foot staff in her hands, and had killed the snake with a precise spear-like strike to the head. The comedians among them slowly looked from the snake to the unassuming freckled face of the young ensign, who was sporting a sly smile.
"Neaw, I jus' don't like th' slimey tings." She replied as they looked at her in stunned silence. Gallen and Tharcourt both grinned.
"Oh yes…" The commander commented as Freya collapsed her sectional staff and stowed it on her belt. "Never doubt Thorne's ability with a staff weapon. She's uh…quite the area denial weapon."
"Noted." Mets said approvingly.
"Now, let's get to it." Tharcourt said. "Move out, and stay frosty."
They continued on, spread out in a line, moving through the tall grass like a pack of predatory animals on the hunt. The only words exchanged through their headsets were an occasional 'halt' at any strange sounds or movements, followed soon by 'advance' from the commander. For the next hour, they traveled in this manner, none of them allowing themselves to be lulled into a false sense of security by the quiet and desolate landscape.
Freya was sure that she was the only one of the group who felt the slightest hints of nervousness. Whenever the team would stop, she would kneel down, scanning the dense grass to her right over the top of her E11 blaster. Twice, when the rest of the unit would begin to move again, she found she had missed the command, fixated on the horde of attacking rebels that never came. It was only when Felian placed a hand on her shoulder and motioned with his head that she sheepishly got to her feet and rejoined the formation. She wasn't frightened, at least she didn't think she was. Thorne felt tense, wound up way too tightly, and she tried to calm herself. She felt her heart pounding harder the closer they got to their objective.
Delta-7 finally reached the base. Daraay was the first to surmount the small hillock and spy the installation in the distance. The Death Trooper halted the formation, and lay down flat. She edged her way forward in a low crawl until she could scan the rebel outpost through the grass. Daraay remained in her position for several minutes, scouting the outpost through her helmet's image enhancer, and through a set of macrobinoculars. With her scouting complete, Daraay slinked back down the hill to rejoin the rest of the unit. They gathered into a tight circle around the sergeant.
"Five structures of interest." Daraay began in a low voice, taking off her helmet. The rest of the team followed suit. "Two look to be barracks, or at least where the rebels are staying. They were moving in and out of both often. There is a refueling station to the left of the compound, with a squadron of six X-Wing fighters. A single Y-Wing is sitting to the immediate right of the building closest to us, with two small transport ships next to it. I counted exactly three-five hostiles on my watch. Perhaps three civilians. Could be rebels out of uniform and unarmed or they could be civilian auxiliaries aiding them."
"Thirty-eight. At least…" Tharcourt repeated. Daraay gave a slow nod. "See any heavy weapons?"
"Yes sir. One heavy repeating blaster on a pintle mount near the refueling station. Two of the rebels were carrying heavy blaster rifles."
"How's the field of fire?" The commander pressed. "Never mind…give me a minute." With that, Tharcourt disappeared up the hill, to return a little while later with a sour look on his face.
"Sir?" Felian asked.
"They cut all the grass for sixty meters around the place." He complained. "And they have area lighting over most of the installation. Damn them to atoms, I hate it when the enemy is competent."
"No you don't, sir." Felian countered. "You said you like a good opponent."
"Yeah…but I don't like working so hard in my old age…" The commander returned in a huff. "Alright. I need a moment to think about this." He walked a short distance away, took off his helmet and sat on the ground, one knee up to his chest. Freya saw him lay back, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the stars above in silence. She broke from the team and joined him. As she neared, she noticed that Drakken didn't speak. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. He was simply and literally staring into space. She looked back at the rest of the troopers, who were now sitting on the dirt, their weapons in their laps. She looked back at Tharcourt.
"Just…thinking." He whispered. "Planning."
"Oh."
"Sit if you want." He offered. "It's a nice night…nice world. Relax a little before we go in." Freya nodded, and sat beside him, bringing her knees up to her chest and holding them in a hug as she stared up at the sky.
"Yer right…it's lovely." She whispered. "Too bad we can't enjoy…"
"Shhhh." He hushed her. "Thinking, Freya."
"Oh…right. Sorry Drakken."
"Heh. Damn I could use a cigarra for this one." He muttered. "Help me meditate on it. Can't smoke. Not out here. Too close." He fell silent again, and Freya remembered something she had brought. She reached into a small ditty pouch on her belt and drew out a four-inch long cylinder.
"Here." She said softly, reaching it to her friend. He slowly took it and looked it over.
"What is it, some kind of bomb?" He asked.
"Naw. It's a vaporizer. Like a cigarra, but it full-on…well vaporizes tabac extract. Nae smoke or smell. Thought I should bring it along."
"Huh." Drakken said, still examining the device. He noticed a hole on one end. "So I…" He held it toward his mouth, and Freya gave a nod. He took a drag from the electronic cigarra, almost coughing with the first breath of tabac. He blew it out and took a slightly smaller draw, held it in for a moment, then exhaled. "Yeah…that's what I needed. Thanks, Freya."
"Mmm." She replied, looking up at the stars. She thought it best to leave him to his thoughts. Indeed, Drakken seemed to have gotten lost in his mind again, absentmindedly puffing on the electronic cigarra as he stared upward at the sky. She watched him intently. He would pause, his hand on the way to his lips, and lay stock still for a moment, his brown eyes flicking about. He would give a grunt or a scoff and then continue smoking. Freya was intrigued. Could it be that Drakken was playing out multiple strategies in his mind, and somehow seeing the battle from every angle? She knew he was intelligent, but that was a new level of brainpower to her.
"Hm. No…" He muttered, took a puff and went back to his silent reverie. The moon came from behind a cloud and shone down on him. Freya was taken aback. Those feeling she had tried so hard to suppress came welling up again. She couldn't help but think how beautiful the man was in the moonlight. The enemy was six-hundred meters away, and he was laying there on the grass like he didn't have a care in the world, save for what was going on in that brilliant, scheming head of his. He was truly a great warrior chieftain, plotting what would almost certainly be another victory over the rebels. She felt fluttering in her stomach like she sometimes did around Tharcourt. He was a warrior through and through, and an honorable one at that. If in some alternate reality they had a chance together, she knew her parents would love him.
"Yes…alright…" Tharcourt finally stated. He rolled to his feet, tossed the smoking device back to Freya and made his way back to the team, Thorne following close behind.
"Sir?" Daraay queried as he came up to the troopers, looking like he was suddenly full of boundless energy.
"Felian, Daraay…" He began. "What is the common strategy for dealing with a heavily-defended enemy position you need to assault?"
"Generally, you soften it up with air strikes and armor, sir." Felian answered. Daraay gave a nod.
"Right. You blow the hell out of them before you send in the ground forces. And that's what we're going to do." By now, the rest of the team were gathering around closely to hear the strategy for themselves.
"But we nae 'ave an air-assault wing, Drakken…sir." Freya remarked.
"And I didn't bring any ATSTs with me, commander." Ekks commented dryly.
"You know, troopers…" Tharcourt began. "That thought occurred to me. We don't have air support or arty, and no time to call it up. Then I remembered how we used to get all of our gear when I was fighting seps." He raised his eyebrows. "Requisition. They have a couple fighters sitting there that they're not using right now…" He said, pointing toward the rebel base. "…so I think we should borrow one. I know we can do it." Ekks crossed his arms and sighed.
"You really ordering me to steal a rebel fighter, and attack their place with it?" He inquired with a hint of sarcasm.
"No….more like a friendly request, Corporal Ekks." The commander returned. "I'd like you to nab that Y-Wing, and light the fuel depot up like it's Life Day. Gallen, you target some of the lights during the chaos, and we can go in through one of the buildings. Use the darkness to our advantage, and engage them in CQB. They won't know what's happening, and we'll whittle their numbers down before they find out." He looked around at his unit. "What do you think?" He noticed Thorne giving him a narrow-eyed stare.
"I think yer positively mad, c'mander." She commented, then grinned playfully. "And I feckin' love it."
"I'm game." Gallen shrugged.
"This is a highly unorthodox plan, sir." Daraay stated. "And I think that's why it'll work. Nobody would come up with a strategy like this."
"Alright." Tharcourt mused, rubbing his gloved hands together. "Here's the plan…"
Great Jabba's folds! It looks like the team is about to have one legendary clambake for sure, doesn't it? Engaging the enemy with a stolen rebel fighter...that's one for the books!
The songs in this chapter...I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, because it's Gallen. We all know a Gallen; the guy or gal who has a song for every occasion. The tunes he played might be familiar to some of you. They are "Where the Wind Blows" By the Zac Brown band, and "Not Falling by Mudvayne. I don't own those songs...just like I don't own Star Wars and LucasFilm. What I DO own is a circus, and if you lot want to see what we get up to, check out our youtube. It's under Doctor Drake's Exhibition of the Bizarre."
I will try to get another chapter up in the next couple days. I have a show this weekend, and we leave friday, so I'm sort of pressed for time at the moment. Nevertheless, I'm sure I can manage to upload the next chapter so you're not all left with a cliffhanger for a week. So until next time, my dear readers, please leave me questions and comments. I like nothing more than hearing from all of you. And keep those dials tuned in here for the next riveting instalment. Until then, Cheerio!