Significant portions of the imperial air defense grid had been disabled by strikes from Buzz droid armed Vulture Droids, using the tiny expendable droids to sabotage them. Losses taken by the airborne elements had been staggering but the tide was slowly turning. The Imperial air force had been almost completely eradicated at this point, the few remaining Lightnings only traveling in groups in order to fend off the swarms of flying droids that were striking with near impunity throughout the Hive.
Imperial forces were pressed to the extreme, the Imperial Guard forces were severely depleted and the Militia and PDF had been documented surrendering to the Xenos. Civilians that could escape had formed into massive refugee trains emptying out of city during lulls in fighting. Collateral damage had been extensive as the ordinance of both sides pummeled the hive city.
Leman Russ eradicators had been deployed in force, their nova cannons proving to be absolutely devastating to dug in battle droids. AATs were constantly engaged with the roving Russes. Both sides were constantly ambushing one another and assaulting the hastily prepared defense erected by either side.
The largest battles were centered around the Defense Laser batteries, each one a massive bastion that the droids were intent of taking. In addition the Governor's palace which dominated the Hive, was under siege.
Fredrick himself was directly commanding the assault on one of the remaining Defense Lasers, one had been destroyed by massed proton torpedo strikes and in a few cases, the massive fortifications had been taken by storm.
Fredrick flanked by a pair of Magna Guards was waiting for his forces to move into position. The remaining B3 units were being concentrated alongside the heavier pieces of Confederate armor. They would form the spear head to destroy the colossal fortification. A group of the lesser tactical droids were in charge of the battalions that Fredrick had brought together and would be responsible for the fine details of their individual parts of the plan.
Special assault groups had been formulated by a tactical droid specialized in infantry tactics. The droid had theorized that by concentrating the heavier B2 super battle droids and some of their rarer variants into specialized teams they could increase the effectiveness over standard Separatist doctrine. Massive amounts of fire support were brought in, ranging from mortar droids all the way to the potent HAGs and Hailfire droids.
AATs and Homing Spider Droids were prepared for the assault. Fires had spread in various sections of the city and the pall of smoke and ash helped to obscure the preparations. With the Defense Laser batteries subdued, the Munificent Frigates could be brought in for their fire support and the war would be decided under their guns.
Fredrick briefed the Tactical droids, and ordered that as soon as they had mustered available forces that the assault should began. The grinding urban combat had taken a toll on the Separatist commander. He hadn't left the enclosing armor in months. The few times he saw his own reflection, he didn't see his own face, but instead the cortosis and durasteel plating of his armor. The face of an enlarged B2 droid was how he appeared now.
The droids that were carrying out his order spread out into the command station, contacting their subordinate droids and organizing the fresh offensive. One advantage of the droids was that they never suffered from combat fatigue. His Magna Guards followed in his wake, eyeing the approaches to any space he entered.
There had been several attempts on his life during the fighting. Snipers, artillery strikes on his location, raids specifically conducted to decapitate the droid armies. One time even a group of rampaging Sisters of Battle had struck at him. They always upset plans, requiring forces to be stripped from other sectors to deal with them. B7782 was currently designing a new model of droid to deal with the threat they posed but in the meantime, was dealt with by crushing firepower.
He watched as a small family was hurrying away from the fighting in the forward areas. The mother was leading a pair of young children away. They were so small against the surrounding turmoil. So helpless. He watched as they ran across the street, seeking shelter in a pile of rubble from one of the countless ordinance impacts.
One of the Magna Guards raised its radiation launcher, until Fredrick gave the signal to lower the barrel.
"Let them pass, slaughter for no reason is not how we operate, the Confederacy started the Clone War, because of such tyranny. We will not become what we oppose."
Fredrick had taken to speaking to his guardians, in particular on the reasons behind why the Confederacy had been founded, its ideals and why so much treasure was expended in securing planets and systems for the cause.
"Soon, this planet will be a thriving new bastion for the Confederacy and I will usher in a new era of prosperity to this planet."
They didn't respond, they were programed to speak only when they considered absolutely necessary, which was rare enough, preferring to rely on quick bursts of static binary. A column of spider droids were moving into the square, ignoring the scattered civilians as they escorted a group of J-1 artillery droids which would be used for cracking the immense fortresses that anchored the Imperial Defense. Their B-1 crews were packed into a pair of Platoon Attack Craft, which moved at a relatively slow pace behind the main body.
Fredrick shifted his weight off his remain organic leg, resting on the prosthetic, it had been designed to fit both his armor and interface with it, giving an even smoother step than had its original in the armor, but outside of it, the piece of metal felt alien to him. This war was brutal, with fanaticism and bravery on the part of the Imperials that had shocked him.
In addition, reports had come to him, priority channel from B7782 of individuals with strange, powers, doing things that were beyond normal explanation, they were similar to the effects of the Force as observed by actions against the Jedi, however they were far more destructive and unstable. Video recordings had shown several of them collapsing as whatever power they channeled, took its final toll and a nearby officer shot them with a bolt pistol.
The Adepta Sororitas had proven formidable, even more so than elite and heavily armed clones units. They had been hunted down by groups of B3 Battle Droids, which had become more common, as a simplified variant lacking the temperamental Density projector had been put into production to replace the arrition suffered by the original models.
Fredrick was constantly analyzing the information and it taxed the man under the cortosis and durasteel shell, even he had to rest despite the stimulants that had been administered to him in order to improve his efficiency as an organic command unit, the medical droid had said.
But even he had to rest, which much like a good portion of his life since that bombing raid, would be done from inside his armor. He hooked himself into a mobile charging unit, which grasped the central unit of his body, his chest he reminded himself. Something had gotten into him as of late, more mechanical.
Sleep came, and it was fitful, a recurring series of nightmares had beset Fredrick. Him surrounded by enemies, silent giants in suits of armor, insectoid horrors that blotted out the sun, green skinned monsters descending in unnumbered hordes, and finally, distorted parodies of humanity, mutants and abominations.
He could only fathom these half remembered nightmares as a vision of horrors yet to come, of a darkness so complete that the hopeful light of his home, of his ideals would be lost in that utter black.
The lights of Fredrick's suit reengaged as his rest period expired and the clamps released him. He took his first step, and before his metal heel set down on the second his Magna Guard's were in step behind him.
During his rest period B7782 had disabled the last Defense Laser protecting the Hive city, using a strike force to sabotage the power transfers between a massive reactor and the last defense laser. This allowed,HK-217 to bring Munificent frigates into atmosphere over the city.
There was only one final stronghold left, the Governor's citadel, a massive fortress at the heart of the sprawling hive city, where the various remaining Imperial forces made their stand.
Fredrick clambered aboard his AAT, and ordered the driver to bring him to the primary staging area. Huge groups of battle droids were concentrating around every approach to the citadel. Mass Drivers, turbo lasers and other assorted heavy weapons were being primed and charged to blast holes in the defenses.
"B7782, HK-217, begin the final preparations for our assault, we begin at nightfall.
