Private Dima Solomon took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself but his hands refused to stop shaking. They had reached Geonosis nearly two hours ago and as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace, they were immediately engaged in a space battle by a Rebel blockade. A single Lucrehulk-class Battleship, a MC80 Liberty Star Cruiser, two Nebulon-B Frigates and CR70 Frigates. By then, they had figured out that the blockade was the reason why they can't get a hold of the 562nd. The Judicator, it's sister ship the Executioner, and their three escorts launched all TIE Fighters and the rare TIE Interceptors to battle it out against the Rebel's own Starfighters. TIE Bombers were sent out to perform bombing runs on the enemy ships while 8th Regiment Marine Raiders were sent to board said ships via TIE Boarding Crafts with the intent of damaging the Rebel ships inside.
Halfway into the battle, Agent Kovak and her ship, the Crusader, dropped out of hyperspace and right in the enemy's left flank. Surprised by the Bureau Agent's sudden appearance, the Juror managed to take out one of the Nebulon-B frigates. Due to the fact that the Marine Raiders that boarded the frigate had taken out it's shield generator and disable it's armaments, it didn't take too much effort from the Crusader to destroy it after the Marine Raiders were extracted from the frigate. With the destruction of one frigate, the 8th Regiment saw an opening and were having the Conscripts board the Lambda-class T-4a Shuttles. They would be the ones deployed first before the rest of the 8th Regiment's Army Troopers. Lucky them, right?
"This shuttle smells like Stormtroopers."
Dima stopped staring at his shaking hands and looked to the Conscript that spoke up.
"At least Stormtroopers have weapons. Where the hell is ours?" Another Conscript added.
"Weren't you listening? They already sent a company of Shock Troopers down there to secure a foothold. Once we get there, they'll be the ones to give us our blasters."
"What a load of bullshit."
This got a round of laughter from the Conscripts until their platoon commander stepped down from the cockpit.
"Quiet. All of you! We're almost to the surface."
The Conscripts shut their mouths and held onto their seats as they felt the transport shake. Silence fell upon them until they felt the shuttle land and hear the pilot inform them that they'll be disembarking through their helmet's built-in comlink. The ramp slowly lowered and the Conscripts were quickly greeted by the sounds of blasterfire and the sight of blaster bolts zipping through the air. Once the ramp fully lowered, the Platoon Commander began barking at them to leave the shuttle.
"Go! Go! Go! Outside, you worthless scum! Form a line and prepare to receive your weapons. Move!"
The Conscripts did as they were told and ran down the ramp before forming a line. Once outside, Dima could see what was going on in the battlefield. The Shock Troopers had set up a barrier close to where the shuttles had landed and were aiming their weapons at the distance but weren't firing them. He could see Army Troopers who he guessed must be the soldiers from the 562nd there as well. Most of them were being treated in a Triage Center away from the enemy's line-of-sight while those who weren't wounded were taking cover behind the barriers and some looking through macrobinoculars at the enemy's position. A bunker with a hangar to it's left where the enemy artillery was stationed. There was also another bunker in the middle of the field and a trench network which were filled with Rebels.
Dima nearly jumped when he heard the loud explosions of the enemy's artillery hitting the field in front of them. He could already see the Conscripts that had received their weapons, standard E-11 blasters, take cover behind barriers while their Platoon Commanders ordered them to hold steady and not to return fire yet. Dima's platoon soon joined them behind the barriers. As he looked at the Conscripts around him, he could see it in their eyes and their body. They were scared. Terrified. Some were visibly shaking, one was even huddled up by a rock and muttering to himself as the artillery intensified. One artillery round struck a transport shuttle that was in the middle of dropping off it's Conscripts, destroying the shuttle and killing it's passengers in a fiery explosion. Those who managed to get out in time weren't safe either and were caught in the artillery round's blast zone and sent them flying. Dima found himself breathing heavily and gripped his E-11 tightly close to his chest. He was going to die. They were all going to die.
"Hold steady, men. Steady!"
His Platoon Commander, an Officer wearing the standard Officer's armor with the addition of a trench coat, yelled at his men.
He didn't know how long they waited but the artillery slowly decreased in intensity until they stopped altogether. All was quiet but that didn't ease the Conscripts one bit. Then they saw it. The signal. A red flare slowly descending from the sky.
"ADVANCE!!"
The Conscripts let out a battle cry as they charged into the field. Dima vaulted over the barrier and matched his comrades pace. The Conscripts ran, yelling out battle cries or insults at the Rebels yet something felt wrong. There was no blasterfire aside from the Conscripts who were firing their blasters in the air for no reason. Shouldn't the Rebels be shooting them right about now?
The answer came when one of the Conscripts stepped on something that made a click which was quickly followed by an explosion a second later. Before the Conscripts could react, more stepped on hidden land mines strewn about on the field. Decimating chunks of the Conscripts. Screams were drowned out by the sounds of explosions before the roar of blasters joined in as the Rebels inside the bunker in the middle of the field and the trenches opened fire on the Conscripts. A few of the Conscripts took cover behind some rock formations and returned fire while others went prone and placed their hands over their heads. Too scared to shoot back.
"Mama! Mama!"
"Make it stop. Please!"
"Where's my leg? I can't find my leg!"
"Aaagghh!"
Amongst the chaos, Dima lost his blaster when someone grabbed him and threw him behind cover. The Conscript looked to the person who threw him to cover and saw another Conscript but this one was different from the others. This particular Conscript was a former Army Trooper Sergeant that was court-martialed for shooting an Officer in the back. This was Sergeant Petyr Kaz.
"Stay close, kid. And try not to die." The disgraced Sergeant stated before firing his weapon at the Rebels. Dima looked away from the Sergeant and turned back to the battlefield. A lone Conscript with his right arm blown off was looking for something on the ground before picking up a severed arm. He turned around to run for cover but a hail of blaster bolts tore through his body before he could even take one step.
Meanwhile, one of the Conscripts pinned down turned to the others around him.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
"Fall back!" A second Conscript yelled as he got off the ground only to catch a blaster bolt to the neck but this didn't stop the Conscripts, except for a select few, to turn tail and flee.
"Run for it!"
"Out of the way!"
"Go!"
Some ran faster than the others. A few even went as far as shoving someone in front of them down or using them as meat shields though that wouldn't matter in the end.
Dima moved to run as well but Kaz stopped him by grabbing his arm and roughly shoving him back to cover.
"You run back there, you're dead, kid."
"If we stay here we die!" The Private replied.
"Then we die either way."
Dima turned away from Kaz to look towards the retreating backs of the fleeing Conscripts. Back to the landing zone where the Shock Troopers had set up a perimeter, Captain Venk Zolin scowled at the sight of the retreating Conscripts before unholstering his RK-3 Blaster Pistol.
"You are soldiers of the Empire. Turn back and fight damn you!"
Even though they heard it, the retreating Conscripts kept running towards the Shock Troopers. Zolin sneered and nodded at the Shock Trooper next to him who proceeded to set up an E-Web turret. The Captain turned to the Conscripts once more.
"This is your last chance. Turn back and fight or die. Cowards and traitors will be shot!"
Though a few stopped in their tracks when they saw the E-Web and the Shock Troopers aiming at them but the majority kept going. Zolin grunted in annoyance and turned to the Shock Trooper manning the E-Web.
"Fire."
Without hesitation, the gunner did as he was told. The E-Web roared as it sent a storm of blaster bolts towards the fleeing Conscripts. The Shock Troopers didn't hesitate to pull the trigger of their DLT-19 Heavy Blasters and gunned down the Conscripts before they got too close. Those who didn't joined the retreat but stopped turned back and ran to the front lines. From the Triage Center and the barriers, the soldiers of the 562nd watched in horror as the 8th Regiment gunned down their own soldiers for retreating.
The retreating Conscripts screamed. It was all they can do as the Shock Troopers gunned them down. From his spot, Dima paled at the sight of his fellow Conscripts get killed simply for retreating. They were all going to die. Either by the Rebel's or their own Commanding Officer's hand.
"I told you." Dima looked to Kaz who simply watched the slaughter happen without so much as an emotion "We all die either way."
The Conscript next to Kaz fell back as a blaster bolt from the Rebels struck him in the neck. The disgraced Sergeant grabbed the dead man's E-11 and handed it to Dima.
"If you wanna die then at least die fighting." Kaz popped out of cover and fired his weapon at the Rebels.
Dima looked up at the Sergeant then down to his weapon before holding it correctly. Gripping the blaster tightly, Dima stood up and aimed at the distance before pulling ghe trigger. Red streaks flew back and fort between the Rebels and the remainder of the Conscripts.
~Line Break~
Captain Zolin walked around the bodies of the Conscripts on the dirt ground and made sure they were dead by shooting them in the head. The Shock Troopers did the same. Seeing that none of them were still alive, Zolin turned to his second, Lieutenant Abram Felo who was looking at the scene with a neutral expression.
"The main force is awaiting for our report. Tell them that the Rebels are holed up in two bunkers, trenches and a hangar. The field is covered with land mines but the Conscripts have taken care of it. Also, inform the General that the cowards and traitors have been dealt with."
"Understood, Captain." The Lieutenant left to inform the General.
"Now for the rest of you." Zolin turned to the Shock Troopers "Link up with the Conscripts and get to those trenches. I don't care how you do it. Just do it." He then pointed at the Shock Trooper manning the E-Web "You. Stay here and kill anyone, Trooper or Conscript, who falls back. No exceptions."
The Shock Trooper nodded while the rest of them left without a word. The Captain stood impassive behind the Shock Trooper manning the turret. Ready to take over himself if the Trooper were to be shot dead. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Abram watched them go with disgust before taking out a holoprojector and contacting the General. A moment later, General Margath's hologram appeared and Abram saluted.
"General Margath. Lieutenant Abram here to report the situation planetside."
"Proceed."
"We have found the remainder of the 562nd and placed them in the Triage Center and guard duty. The Rebels are holed up in two bunkers. One in the middle of the field and on the far side north of us as well as a hangar. They also have a network of trenches in the field, ma'am."
"Anything else?"
"They have access to artilleries, General. And land mines."
"I'm glad the Conscripts were sent in then. I'm sure they handled disabling those mines fairly easy."
When Abram didn't respond, Koleen narrowed her eyes at the Lieutenant.
"Lieutenant Abram Felo. What happened?"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Abram told the General everything.
"Captain Zolin had ordered the Conscripts to leave their mine detectors and defusal kits back in th Judicator. He said we didn't need them. The Conscripts made it halfway into the field before they stepped on the land mines. Then the Rebels opened fire on them. They were pinned down and retreated but Captain Zolin did not order any retreat and gave the Shock Troopers permission to open fire on the 'cowards and traitors'. He's ordered the Shock Troopers to link up with the Conscripts who did not flee and told them to find a way to the trenches, General."
"And the land mines."
"He told me to tell you that the Conscripts took care of it."
"...He used them as a way to clear the mines, didn't he?"
Abram didn't need to answer and just by looking at the General's look, she already knew the answer.
"I'll have words with him later but he did follow my orders that cowards and traitors will be shot on sight." The General shook her head "Once the main force arrives on the ground, we'll be setting up a Command Post as soon as possible. In the meantime, Lieutenant Abram, you'll be staying here until we arrive. Captain Zolin no longer has need of your services but I do."
"Understood, General."
~Line Break~
"Thirty seconds!"
Rima looked down on the battlefield as the LAAT/i made it's way down to the landing zone. There were three more next to the transport she was in and together, the four Laarties carried the Army Troopers of 4th Company. A squad of eight Laarties flew behind them but these transports carried groups of Conscripts instead. More transports followed behind, carrying 1st, 2nd and 3rd Company with 1st Company being led by General Margath herself and composed of her Storm Guards. Once 1st to 4th Company land and deploy their Troopers, 5th to 10th Company will soon follow. Then 1st Heavy Cavalry Battalion, ferried by Gozanti-class Cruisers, would land planetside and act as the second wave. The 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion would then arrive and set up a base of operations while the 1st Artillery Brigade would set up themselves near the base and provide fire support for the infantry and armour. Or at least that was the plan until X-Wings from the remaining Rebel blockade entered the atmosphere and began shooting down the Laarties.
"What the hell is going on out there!?" Rima roared into her comlink as she held onto the side of the LAAT.
"We got enemy fighters on our tail! I can't shake them. Hold on to something, people. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."
As soon as the pilot finished, one of the LAAT's engine exploded and sent the transport crashing towards the ground. The Army Troopers were thrown about the compartment as the pilot tried to steady the out of control transport.
"We're going down! We're going down! Everybody hang on!"
Unfortunately, the warning came to late as one of the Troopers was sent flying right into Rima and sent them slamming to the back of the Laarty before everything went dark for her.
~Line Break~
General Koleen Margath kept a stoic face as the side doors of the Laarty slid open and the Army Troopers jumped out. She did the same albeit in a more composed manner and calmly made her way over to Lieutenant Abram despite the fact that blaster bolts were whizzing past her head and the transports falling from the sky and crashing into the ground. While walking, Koleen clasped her hands behind her back before standing straight as Lieutenant Abram and a squad of Conscripts around him saluted. She nodded her head at them before facing Abram.
"Sitrep."
"Captain Zolin is still 'keeping an eye' on cowards from his position. He refused to acknowledge that you're here."
"And what about these men?"
Abram looked over his shoulder at the squad of Conscripts before facing the General once more.
"They were part of 4th Company's attached Conscripts. Their transport crashed near the landing zone and I rallied whatever's left of their platoon. I had them stay hear and await for your arrival and orders, General."
"Good work, Lieutenant." Koleen commented before looking out into the battlefield.
She took out her DC-17m ICWS which was set in it's sniper configuration. The General magnified her aim with the help of the holographic visor on her headset comlink. In the distance, she could see the Rebels inside the bunker in the middle of the field. From what she saw, they were using Mark II Medium Repeating Blasters to pin down the Shock Troopers and Conscripts. She could also see the ones on the trench next to the bunker firing their weapons as well. Koleen hummed as she lowered her weapon and looked up at the sky. They need the Heavy Cavalry if they want to advance but those artilleries would be a problem as well as those X-Wings. They could target the AT-ATs and those cannons pack quite the punch. That is IF the cruisers get past the blockade. Koleen looked to the side where she could see the beginnings of a path before looking to where the smoke of what she assumed to be one of their Laarties that got shot down.
"Lieutenant Abram. Get two squads of Shock Troopers and a squad of Army Troopers." Koleen ordered without taking her eyes away from the black pillar of smoke. She had a feeling that was Rima's Laarty. Hopefully, the redhead was still alive. Not a lot of good soldiers left out there, especially one she could trust "Head over to that path and see if you can locate Captain Aki and the platoon she was riding with."
"And if they didn't survi-"
"Retrieve their ID Tags. They will be remembered. We'll come back for the bodies once this blasted mission is over."
"Understood, General."
Abram left along with the squad of Conscripts he was with to gather the team the General requested. Koleen watched them go before turning to the remaining Army Troopers of 4th Company that managed to safely reach the landing zone. She could see Sergeant Jayce Luxem was barking orders at the Troopers though harsher and louder than usual. She would bet that hearing Captain Aki's transport was shot down had something to do with that. She remembered reading the report on the clusterfuck that was Felucia.
The 116th Imperial Armoured Division lost contact for months and a series of unfortunate events that led to the division splitting in two groups. One remaining loyal to the Empire and the other claiming that the Empire abandoned them. Add to the fact that everything on the planet and the planet itself seemed intent on killing them and the reports of fighting 'savage' Rebels that killed their soldiers in gruesome ways and without any contact outside of the planet. She could see why such a tragedy happened. Then the remaining survivors of the Division went back to the fight as soon as their numbers replenished but mission after mission, the original soldiers of the Division slowly dwindled until only Rima, Jayce and Jim were left. Everyone else in the Division were new and different faces which were quickly replaced when another dies in the next mission. Tragic indeed.
Shaking her head and focusing on the here and now, Koleen made her way over to the Sergeant.
~Line Break~
"Sergeant Luxem."
Jayce straightened and turned to face the General as she approached and saluted the woman.
"General."
"At ease, Sergeant." Koleen nodded her head before looking at the gathered Army Troopers "How many?"
"We lost one platoon, ma'am. Along with the Captain. I got about seventy Troopers here."
"It'll do." Koleen replied before turning her head to face the Sergeant "I've sent four squads to head for the crash and see if anyone survived. But if there are none, I had Lieutenant Abram retrieve their tags instead."
Jayce grimaced but nodded nonetheless. Shaking her head, the Sergeant looked at the General and asked for orders.
"I want you and your Troopers to reinforce the Shock Troopers and the Conscripts. See if you can find an opening to get to those trenches."
"Understood, General. Anything else?" Jayce asked.
"Does your Company have mortar teams?"
"Yes, ma'am." The Sergeant nodded before motioning her head towards the Army Troopers carrying the Mortars and their tripods "We got DF-90 Mortars and some old ones from the Republic. What's the plan?"
"Set them up just behind the front line. Have them focus fire on the trenches. I got a look at the trenches and it looks like it leads to the bunker. Take out the Rebels in the trenches and have your Company move in to get in that bunker. The rest of us will try and draw the bunker's fire."
"Will do, General. Leave those bastards to us."
It didn't take a genius to see that the Sergeant wanted revenge and she would be glad to let her do just that.
"Good. I'll assemble 1st to 3rd Company. Good luck, Sergeant."
Koleen turned and walked away, followed by a fireteam of Storm Guards.
~Line Break~
Rima blinked her eyes open before narrowing them when she felt a heavy weight on top of her. The redhead pushed the weight off of her, Private Grimbel's body, and sat up to get a good look around her. The lights inside the Laarty were busted but the from outside light seeped through the open viewports of the side doors and she could see that bodies of the Army Troopers on her platoon were strewn about. Getting off the floor, Rima tried to find her E-22 only to see it half crushed underneath Private Bodo's body. She would've shook him awake had she not seen the Trooper's lifeless gaze blankly ahead of him and the weird angle his neck was in. Shaking her head, she pulled her blaster free from underneath him and made his way over to Garm who was beginning to wake up. Rima knelt down in front of the Combat Engineer and lightly slapped his cheek.
"Hey, kid. Wakey-wakey."
Garm groaned and pushed her hand away before muttering 'five more minutes, mom' to the Captain much to her amusement.
"Glad to know you see me that way, sweetie. But I suggest you get your lazy ass off the floor before mommy kicks you off."
"H-Huh?"
Rima grinned as Garm slowly opened his eyes and got a good look at his surroundings.
"Captain? Ugh." Garm put a hand to his temple. Wait. Where was his helmet? The young Engineer shook his head and looked back at Rima "What happened?"
"We got shot down and crashed to fuck knows where. Some of our guys are dead and ain't moving. Come on. Up your feet. Help me find the ones that are still alive."
Rima stood up and grabbed Garm by the arm before easily pulling him up to his feet. Together the two began waking up those who survived the crash. Rima tried contacting the pilots but all she got was static on their end. Sighing, she called for two Troopers to help her force the side door open.
"One. Two. Three!"
The slid the side door with effort and immediately brought their arms over their eyes to shield themselves from the glaring sun. Rima grimaced before lowering her goggles over her eyes to protect her vision from the sun. The Captain climbed out first and checked her surroundings. They crashed in clearing and she could still hear the roars of blasters in the distance albeit a whisper though. At least they weren't too far off. Rima turned around as the remainder of her platoon got out of the transport which included Garm and six others.
'Damn.' Rima cursed in her thoughts 'Barely half survived the crash. We'll just have to make do.'
"Did you retrieve their tags?" The redhead asked the young Engineer who replied with a nod and patted his pack. Nodding, Rima turned to face the Troopers.
"Find whatever weapons you can salvage in the transport. Heavy Blasters, Rocket Launchers, anything."
"What about Heavy Weapons like E-Web turrets and Mortars?" One of the Troopers, Dietrich, asked.
"If it survived, take it. Otherwise leave it. We travel light."
"Shouldn't we link up with the rest of the Regiment?" It was Garm who asked this time.
"That depends. You know where they are?"
"Uh... no, ma'am."
"Pity." Rima sighed "That would've made things a little easier."
The Army Troopers went back inside to retrieve any salvageable weapons and equipment they can find. A few of them traded their blasters for heavy blasters while one grabbed a rocket launcher. By her order, the Troopers also retrieved the bodies and lay them outside of the downed Laarty. Even the pilots. They placed cloaks over their bodies and lay their weapons above their heads. Rima shook her head at the sight of twenty four covered corpses of their fellow Troopers. What a fucking disaster... but they still have to leave. She thought about firing a flare to signal their location but the smoke coming from the Laarty was doing that for them. Besides, she wanted to get a move on. No sense staying in this place waiting for an ambush.
"Alright, you shitheads." Rima called out after their moment of silence has passed "Time to go. Gunn, take point. Beesley. Pilano. You two cover the rear. Garm, keep that M-45 Repeating Blaster at the ready. Provide suppressing fire or just tear the bastards apart. Whatever floats your boat. Volker, do the same with your DLT-19. Vell, stick close to me. You're our only Medic right now and we can't afford to loose you. Dietrich, shoulder that HH-12. Who knows? Maybe we'll find some Rebels patrolling with armour along the way."
"Even if we have this, can we really take on enemy armour, ma'am?" The Trooper carrying the rocket launcher asked. The response she got was a shrug.
"Iunno."
"Great." Dietrich sighed which got a laugh from the Captain before she turned serious.
"Alright, Mud Skulls. Let's get the hell outta here."
The Troopers obeyed silently as they went into formation before leaving the area. No use standing around with their fingers up their asses considering the rest of the Regiment was probably fighting. Besides, the Regiment has no time to search for one crashed transport right?
~Line Break~
"Jayce!"
The Sergeant stopped shooting and ducked back down to cover and turned her head to see Jim crawling over to her. She couldn't blame him. With the rate the Rebels were firing their blasters, it's amazing how the Company and attached Conscripts weren't lying dead on the ground along with the first wave. There were dead bodies and some limbs here and there but she wasn't sure whether these guys were the Company's Conscripts or not.
"What is it, Jim?"
"Mortars are set up and ready to fire. They need us to mark their targets."
Jayce turned away from Jim and looked over the rock she was using as cover. Pulling out her binocs, she looked to the distance and marked the trenches before calling in a mortar barrage.
"Coordinates received. Barrage inbound."
The Sergeant kept her binocs at the trenches and waited for the mortar rounds to hit. A few seconds later, the barrage struck, halting the blasterfire coming from the trenches but not the bunker. Damn thing was sturdy as a starship. At least it lessened the blaster bolts sailing over their heads. Giving them a little breather. Jayce watched the barrage proceed before lowering her binocs and turned away to look at Jim only to see him dragging a Conscript to cover.
"I got ya, buddy. I got ya."
"I can't see! Oh, God. I can't see! I'm blind!"
"You're not blind. There's just some dirt over your eyes. You're fine."
Try as he might but the Conscript wouldn't stop flailing and Jim was having a hard time wiping the mix of blood and dirt off the man's eyes because of it.
"I'm blind!"
"Hold still. You're gonna be fine."
Despite the Medic's attempts to reassure the Conscript, the man kept yelling. This, of course, annoyed the Sergeant greatly.
"Oh for fuck's sakes." Jayce muttered.
The Sergeant moved over and decked the screaming Conscript in the face, knocking him out before wiping the dirt off of the Conscript's eyes. Jim just gave her a look to which she replied with a shrug.
"What? He ain't blind anymore and he stopped screaming, didn't he? Problem solved."
"You just dislocated his jaw." The Medic deadpanned.
"It was dislocated before... probably."
Jim sighed before moving to return the jaw in place and look the Conscript over for any injuries. Jayce huffed before looking over to the landing zone and saw the soldiers from 1st to 3rd Company heading towards them. In the sky, transports carrying the Troopers and Conscripts of 5th to 10th Company were flying down towards the landing zone though the enemy Starfighters were making their landing harder.
'Reinforcements. Fucking finally.'
~Line Break~
Koleen dropped to a slide and stopped next to Sergeant Luxem and Corporal Namba who were taking cover behind some rocks along with a few wounded Troopers and Conscripts. Her Storm Guards not far behind.
"Fancy seeing you here, General."
"Likewise, Sergeant. Corporal." She nodded at Namba before turning back to Jayce "5th to 10th Company will arrive in a bit. We need to get in those trenches and take those Rebels out. Did you see any way to get to them?"
"But ma'am. Why can't we just wait for the Artillery Brigade and Heavy Cavalry to arrive? They can handle this no problem." Jim asked.
"The Artillery Brigade and Heavy Cav can't leave the ships without getting fired upon. They're a big target up there. Chances are, the Rebels would have their blockade intercept and take them out. If that happens, we won't have any support left."
"Damn it." Jayce cursed before looking at the General "What's our plan of attack then 'cause I sure as hell can't see a way to safely get in those trenches. It's either we risk the support or we risk the men by charging in and just jumping down the trenches. Those Mark IIs will tear us apart out there."
Koleen didn't answer but instead looked over their cover and into the distance. The mortars were doing their job and the Rebels couldn't fire back as mortar rounds rained from the sky. Some even struck the trench itself. The barrage at least managed to drive the Rebels out of the first trench so they don't have to worry about them shooting back. She looked up and saw the TIE Fighters and Interceptors going toe-to-toe with the Rebel X-Wings and A-Wings. So far, no Bombers from both sides have reached planetside yet so that's both good and bad. Hopefully, neither side would. Koleen then set her sights back to the trench and narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a plan until...
"Troopers!"
Koleen, Jayce and Jim turned their heads to look at the speaker and saw Major Van Zandt standing atop a rock formation. K-16 Bryar Pistol pointed at the enemy in the distance.
"The enemy is weakened and hide like cowards! The might of the Empire has dropped them to their knees and have them shaking in fear. Now is our chance, comrades. Go forth and don't stop. Fear no enemy. Death to the Rebel scum. Charge!"
Van Zandt jumped off the rock and charged, blaster pistol roaring as he fired.
"URAA!"
The Troopers and Conscripts of the 8th Regiment ran out of their cover and charged towards the Rebels with a battle cry. Bright red blaster bolts sailed across the field as they fired their weapons at the Rebels. The bunker returned fire but it did not deter the Regiment from their charge regardless of casualties. Koleen sighed and shook her head before giving the other two a smirk.
"Well you heard the man."
The trio then vaulted over their cover and joined the charge with a battle cry of their own.
"URAA!"
Behind them, 5th to 10th Company followed closely after the General. They had taken heavy casualties on their way down the planet, lowering their numbers when they reached the landing zone but this did not stop them from joining the charge. After all, what's a better morale booster than seeing your General fight alongside you? Especially in a suicidal charge led by a probably senile Major.
~Line Break~
Major Kato Van Zandt grit his teeth as he made his way over to the trenches. Barely keeping up with the charge. As much as he wanted to shoot down some Rebel scum, his bones were another story. Perhaps he was getting too old but if he retired, no one else can maintain the discipline and loyalty of the 8th Regiment. Not like the way he does it anyway. But he's still a soldier of the Empire and he'll be damned if he died from old age and not fighting where he would have given his all. So with a roar, Van Zandt quickened his pace until he was among the first of the Troopers to reach the trench. Luckily, the mortars have stopped firing when they got close to the trenches to avoid hitting their own men but this also meant that the Rebels had rallied enough to regroup and fire at them.
To the Rebels' surprise, rather than stand atop of the trench and fire down on them or stop and drop to cover or do the more sensible thing and throw a Thermal Detonator, Van Zandt instead jumped down and slammed right into a Rebel infantry. Grunting, Van Zandt pointed his blaster pistol on the Rebel's abdomen and pulled the trigger, causing the man to scream. The Major got off the Rebel, aimed his blaster to the man's head and pulled the trigger. Putting a hole in the man's forehead.
While this happened, the rest of the Troopers with him had followed the Major's example and jumped down the trench. The Troopers, rather than use their blasters, used their fists and fought the Rebels in hand-to-hand combat. Among these Troopers was Jayce.
The Sergeant struggled against a much larger opponent as he pushed her against the wall. Gritting her teeth, Jayce spat into the Rebel's eye before kneeing him in the groin. As the man keeled over, she grabbed him by the head and slammed him against the wall. He fell to his knees but Jayce punched him in the temple and his head bounced against the same wall before the Sergeant grabbed him by the hair and bashed his brains in.
"Still think you're tough, you piece of shit?"
The Rebel limped and his body slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood. Jayce sneered before picking up her E-10 then proceeded to take off the glowrod. She then took out a long knife and attached it to where the glowrod used to be. Bayonet secured, Jayce charged at the closest Rebel she could find who just so happened to be fighting against Jim. With a roar, she buried the bayonet deep into the Rebel's back before twisting it and harshly wretching it out. The Medic then punched the screaming Rebel across the face and sent him face down on the ground. Jim picked up his E-11 and gave Jayce a look.
"Did you really have to do that?"
The answer he got was a simple shrug before the Sergeant let out another roar and charged towards her next victim. Jim watched her go before shaking his head and followed after her.
"I knew I should've given her something else. Maybe a stuffed R2 unit."
Meanwhile, Koleen grit her teeth as she held a Twi'lek in a sleeper hold. The purple skinned Rebel struggled against her hold before settling on punching the General on the head. Koleen cursed before tightening her hold and felt the Rebel began to lessen her struggling. A few moments later, the Twi'lek limped and Koleen didn't waste time in snapping the Rebel's neck. The General stood up and looked at her surroundings. The trench didn't give them a lot of room and the piling bodies of both Imperial and Rebel didn't help either. She heard a scream behind her and turned around to see one of her Storm Guards twisting a Rebel's arm painfully before pulling out his RSKF-44 and used it to slug the man across the face. The Storm Guard didn't let the Rebel go even as he aimed the Heavy Blaster Pistol on the Rebel's head. He pulled the trigger and the Rebel went limp before the Storm Guard carelessly threw the body to the side then made his way over to the General while holstering the blaster pistol.
"General, the trenches are too tightly packed. Requesting permission to escort you out and back to the LZ, ma'am."
"Negative, GS-534. I'll be staying with the Troopers to fight."
Her eyes then spotted the discarded weapon on the ground and squatted down to pick it up. She gave the SX-21 Scatterblaster a once over before pumping the forestock of the weapon then nodded the Storm Guard.
"Let's go."
Without warning, the Storm Guard quickly raised his blaster pistol at the General and pulled the trigger. The blaster bolts shot out of the blaster's twin barrels and whizzed past Koleen's cheek. The General then heard it make contact with something followed by a grunt of pain from behind her and quickly turned around to see a Wookiee Warrior staggering back while holding the wound on it's shoulder. Not wasting any time, Koleen fired her weapon pointblank into the Wookiee's chest. The walking rug fell back and the Storm Guard walked over to it before shooting it in the head for good measure. Koleen nodded her thanks before rejoining the fight.
Back to the Sergeant, Jayce sneered as she twisted her weapon before pulling the bayonet out of a Rebel's chest. She looked to her right and saw a pathway that lead up to the bunker but it was filled with Rebels who were taking careful shots at them while trying to avoid hitting one of their own.
"Moorcroft!" Jayce yelled out to the Army Troopers "Light those bastards up!"
An Army Trooper carrying an incinerator kit ran towards the Sergeant before firing his flamethrower at the Rebels guarding the bunker.
"Burn! Hahaha! Burn!"
The Rebels screamed as they were engulfed in flames that licked every inch of their skin. Those who ran towards Jayce were immediately gunned down while the rest tried to roll on the floor to put the fires out but to no avail. The flames seared their skin and the smell of burning flesh struck Jayce's nostrils, making her put on her oxygen mask to filter the smell out. Once the last of the flames died down and the Rebels stopped screaming, Jayce called for three other Army Troopers along with Moorcroft.
"Short. Jenk. Fundis. Moorcroft." Jayce waited for the Troopers to gather before pointing at the bunker's door "Breach open that door and have Moorcroft cook those bastards inside. Go! Go!"
The Troopers quickly made their way to the door before taking positions, unaware that one of the Rebels, despite the severe burns across his body, was still alive and holding a his blaster tightly. It was only when the burnt Rebel let out a yell as he stood up and shot the tanks on Moorcroft's back did they realize he was still alive but by then it was already too late. The blaster bolt struck the fuel tanks of Moorcroft's flamethrower and he, along with the Troopers and burnt Rebel, were engulfed by a fiery explosion.
"Holy fuck!"
Jayce shielded her eyes from the sudden explosion before lowering her arm to see that nothing was left of the Troopers but burnt corpses that still had flames on their bodies. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Jim looking down at her with worry.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm good." Jayce replied before letting Jim help her up her feet "What about you?"
She motioned at his limp left arm and the Medic replied with a one arm shrug.
"Don't worry. I took care of it but I won't be using it for a while."
"What happened?"
"You know I was never good at Close Quarters Combat."
"Fair enough." She then turned and pointed at the bunker's entrance "Over there's our way in the bunker. My plan was for Moorcroft to light the fuckers up once the door's out of the way but... well you can see the results right?"
Jim looked away from her and grimaced at the sight of burnt corpses by the door.
"Know anyone else with a flamethrower in the platoon?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Pity."
"Look out!"
The two turned around and raised their weapons when they saw one of the Conscripts tackle a Rebel soldier to the ground. The Conscript, a young man, moved to punch the Rebel but his fist was caught before it could land and his opponent retaliated with a headbutt. The larger man quickly grabbed the Conscript by the collar and lifted him up with ease.
"Hey!"
The Rebel turned to face the speaker only for a blaster bolt to strike him right in the forehead. He immediately lets the young Conscript go before his body fell limply to the ground. The Conscript breathed heavily before looking up to the Sergeant and Medic to see them walking over to him. Jim quickly looked him over before helping the Conscript up to his feet.
"Name and rank, soldier?"
"Uh, D-Dima, sir. Private Dima Solomon."
"Alright, Dima. Next time you want to tackle someone, make sure they're not bigger than you. Understand? Oh, and that was Doctor's orders."
Jim gave the young man a pat on the shoulder before handing the Conscript his blaster. Meanwhile, Jayce was still trying to ask if anyone had a flamethrower before shaking her head and turned around towards the Troopers of her Company.
"Kord. Peyton. Front and center!"
Two Army Troopers stopped shooting at the Rebels and quickly made their way over to the Sergeant.
"Kord. Here."
"Peyton. At the ready. Orders, ma'am?"
"See that door over there?" She pointed at the bunker's entrance "Help me breach that door open. We need to clear that bunker and silence those guns. Peyton, get a detonator on that door. Kord, as soon as that door gets blasted open, throw a flash grenade. Jim, Solomon and I will go in first then the two of you follow. Understand?"
Receiving affirmative nods from the four, she motioned for the door and Peyton immediately ran over and placed a Thermal Detonator on it. Kord took out a flash grenade from his belt and primed it while Jayce, Jim and Dima aimed their weapons at the door. Moments passed by and the Detonator's beeping grew faster before it exploded, blasting the door open and giving them a way in. Kord quickly threw the primed flash grenade in which was quickly followed by a loud bang and a flash.
Jayce was the first one to enter and quickly shot a disoriented Rebel in the chest twice before shooting him in the head for good measure. A staggering Rebel crossed her path and she grabbed him by the head before slamming it hard on the wall, hearing a loud crack as the man's head made contact with the wall. She quickly took out the gunners of the Mark II Medium Repeating Blasters but was unaware of the Rebel that was aiming his weapon at her. Fortunately, Jim was quick to take care of it with a quick shot to the head.
"Clear!"
Jayce lowered her weapon and looked at the dead bodies around her before looking at Jim.
"These guys were fewer than I expected."
"At least it's better than having more of them inside. I mean, five of us against who knows how many of them? I don't see the odds going in our favor." Jim replied with a shake of his head.
"Good point." Jayce conceded with a shrug "Alright, people. I want some Troopers here to set up a small base. A rally point. Maybe get the wounded brought over here. Peyton, contact the General and tell her we have the bunker."
"Ma'am... we have a problem."
Jayce turned to Peyton who was slamming the built-in comlink of his helmet.
"I can't get a hold of them. I can't get a hold of anyone. All I'm getting us static."
"Mine too." Kord added.
Jayce tried hers and all she heard was static as well. She looked to Jim and all he did was shake his head as he lowered his hand from his helmet.
"They're jamming our comms."
~Line Break~
The Crusader
"Agent Kovak. We just lost communication with the planet."
"What?"
Liv Kovak turned away from the viewport to face the speaker.
"What do you mean we lost comms? What the bloody hell just happened?"
"It's the same thing that happened with the 562nd, ma'am. We can't get a line through the General or any ground units as well as our TIEs in the planet. They're jamming all communications inside the planet."
"Damn it." Liv cursed "What was the last update of the battle below?"
"They're taking over the trenches, ma'am."
"Trenches?" The ISB Agent rose an eyebrow at that before looking at the hologram of the planet on the holotable "What is going on down there?"
~Line Break~
"They're retreating!"
"Don't let up. Keep shooting!"
"Drive them out of the trenches!"
Koleen watched the Rebels retreat from the trenches while the Army Trooper, Shock Troopers and Conscripts gunned them down. She dropped to a crouch and raised her DC-17m ICWS and looked down the sights to see where the Rebels were retreating. It was obvious they were going for the hangar and bunker in the distance but she did not expect to see another set of trenches in front of the aforementioned bunker and hangar. It didn't look as large as the trench they were currently in now but it was still big. Who knows how many more of them are there?
"General."
Koleen lowered her weapon and looked over her shoulder as GS-534 walked over to her before turning around to face the Storm Guard.
"Yes?"
"All communications in and out of the planet are down, General. We can't contact the Judicator and the Crusader or their escorts. The Rebels are cutting off all our communications in and out of the planet. We can't even comm our soldiers."
"Damn. Now that's a bit of a problem, innit?" Koleen shook her head before composing herself "Anything else?"
"The bunker's been seized. The Troopers are gathering the dead and wounded as we speak. The Shock Troopers are scouring the trenches for any sign of the Rebels."
"Excellent. Now, where's Captain Zolin?"
"Dead, ma'am."
"Oh?" This made her raise a brow "What happened?"
"Shot in the back of the head but someone tried made it look like he was caught in the crossfire. Whoever did it, forgot that they left a trail when they dragged the body to the battlefield."
"And no one has noticed?".
"They were too busy fighting to care, ma'am."
Koleen hummed in thought. She had a pretty good idea on who might've killed the Captain but she wouldn't say. After all, it saved her the trouble of promoting Lieutenant Abram for the Conscript Company's Commander but that does beg the question.
"How many casualties did Zolin's Conscript take?"
"99.8%, General."
That was... less than she had hoped for.
"Who are the survivors?"
"Sergeant Petyr Kaz and Private Dima Solomon."
"Hmm." Lo and behold, Zolin's killer survived "Have them transferred to 4th Company for the time being. Surviving this ordeal has earned them a spot in the Regiment's regulars. Go and find them would you?"
"Of course. By your word, General."
"Dismissed."
Koleen nodded her head before turning away to look at the hangar and bunker in the distance. With communications out, there's no way to contact the Judicator nor the Crusader so that leaves them with no access to Orbital Strikes and no contact with the TIE Fighters leaving Air Support out of the question. The Artillery Brigade and 1st Heavy Cav would have a hard time getting down on the planet and if by some miracle they do, they still had no way of communicating with them through the comms. This mission could take a while before it's over. Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long.
A/N: URRAAA!