Chapter 1
Celebration of the second Death Star's destruction in Ion Company was cut short when they received word they would be spear-heading a daring invasion of the planet Hazram on the edge of the Mid-Rim. It was supposed to be a quick campaign, with the Empire in full retreat, and, according to Alliance high-command, shouldn't have lasted more than a month.
Three months into the campaign and the Company was barely half way to completing their objective. With a sizable Stormtrooper garrison and a fully-functioning AT-ST production facility, the imps were not giving up easy.
The air on Hazram was thick and was plagued by a constant sharp and pungent smell that one could only compare to manure . The members of Ion Company were already growing tired of it after their first month on Hazram, and resented it by their third. Sergeant Jett Talbert was no exception. The scent reminded him of his home.
New Apalaina was a large city with nearly a hundred thousand inhabitants, and it was the capitol of Hazram. Normally, even for a company as large as Ion, the total liberation of the city would be a challenge.
However, in lieu of recent events, the Empire was on edge. A simple city in the far reaches of their mid-rim territories should mean nothing to them, especially during their most desperate hour. Or, at least, that's what Alliance high command thought, anyway. Yet, since day one, Ion had encountered fierce resistance at the hands of the local Stormtrooper legion as well as Imperial sympathizers.
The city was built like a fortress. It was divided into five rings, or districts, each one wrapped around the last, and each separated by a large security wall. In the center of district one was Ion's objective: A magnificent hyper-velocity cannon that surely spelled doom for any Rebel ships passing through the system. Ion was only able to get planet-side by disguising themselves in a rather timely meteor shower, and their landing was nearly cut short when the Imperials finally realized that the huge, metal asteroid with Rebel markings wasn't actually a huge, metal asteroid at all. Currently, Ion held districts five and four, and were well on their way to holding district three. However, as they progressed through the city, resistance grew fiercer.
"I hate this smell." said a tall, lanky soldier called Mercy.
Mercy and Talbert had been friends for a long time. Mercy had joined up with Ion Company only a couple weeks after Talbert, and the two had endured many long night-watch shifts together. Mercy was wearing a similar outfit to the rest of the company: black cargo pants tucked into her tactical boots and a plane, light grey shirt to deal with the heat.
"It never leaves, you know?" Mercy continued. "Even aboard the Centurion, it sticks to your clothes, to your skin. It stays in your hair. You can't get rid of it." She was fiddling with the trigger to her scoped DLT-19X blaster rifle as she walked alongside Talbert.
"Stop messing with that thing, you could hurt somebody." Garner said. Mercy glared at him. Garner was an old soldier. You could see the stories on his face, scars and wrinkles and all. He was skeptical of this campaign from the beginning. He had remembered the first time the Rebellion had tried to take control of the Mid-rim, and that ended in disaster.
"Maybe I want to hurt somebody." Mercy scowled.
"I'd like to see you try, Missy." Garner replied. He had a distinctive scar from a gash across his left eye, which was cloudy and white. He wore a helmet and heavy raincoat over his uniform, somehow able to endure the heat.
"Watch it, ladies." Talbert barked.
"Who you callin' lady?" Mercy joked. She adjusted her backpack.
"Certainly not you." Garner chimed in. Mercy glared.
"Okay, okay, cut the chatter. Let's just get finished with this blasted patrol." Talbert said, and the trio continued on their way.
The city streets of New Apalaina were dense and crowded. Moisture stuck to nearly everything. The streets and sidewalks were littered with all sorts of garbage, and perfect places for improvised explosive traps. Flags and decorations from one of the city's more recent festivals hung from building to building, and scavengers or imperial sympathizers watched from dark corners and alley-ways. Talbert and the squad was always on edge. Patrolling in New Apalaina was hell.
...
The trio was nearly done with their patrol when a laser bolt nearly struck Talbert as they passed through a crowded market intersection. The crowd dispersed in a timely manner and the three scrambled for cover. The surrounding blocks were laden with apartment buildings and storefronts, it was going to be hard to avoid civilians.
"Anyone see where that came from?!" Talbert yelled as he crouched against a steel box containing local and exotic fruit.
"Stormtroopers at your twelve o'clock! I count four on top of that apartment building! Three more just came out of that store front!" Mercy shouted in reply.
As they exited the store front, the stormtroopers threatened nearby civilians. The civies scrambled away and the stormtroopers continued into the intersection.
Garner started shooting, sending the troopers scrambling.
Talbert peeked over his fruit and fired a bolt, striking one trooper who was still running for cover.
"Nice one!" Mercy said, adjusting the ranging on her scope.
"Your turn, Rookie." Garner said.
"Rookie?!" Mercy replied, almost offended.
"Focus!" Talbert said, as blaster bolts flew overhead.
Mercy took aim, and finally fired as a Stormtrooper on the rooftop rose above his cover, sending him to the floor.
"Who's the rookie now?" Mercy taunted.
Garner laughed, and took aim at two Stormtroopers running to flank them. He was about to fire when a Mercy quickly pulled his barrel down.
"What?" Garner asked.
His question was answered when he saw a human mother run into the intersection to pick up her wandering child.
"Get out of there!" Talbert shouted to the woman, as he fired at the Stormtroopers.
Her child was in her arms when a stray bolt found her back.
Talbert cursed.
"We've gotta go get that kid!" Mercy declared.
Before Talbert could object, Mercy ran into the intersection, dodging bolts wildly.
"Blasted girl." Talbert mumbled to himself as he rose above his cover, trying to cover her. Garner did the same.
Mercy grabbed the little girl from her mother's arms. She was little, but not so little. Mercy guessed she was three or four years old. She had short black hair and hazel eyes. Mercy was reminded of herself. She began to run back.
"Come on! Come on!" Garner shouted, still shooting.
Somehow, Mercy, by some miracle, was able to run out into the intersection, grab the girl, run back, and get into cover, unharmed.
Garner was baffled.
Talbert wanted to call her stupid, but a stray bolt nearly hit his leg.
Mercy was trying to comfort the girl, even as blaster bolts flew overhead.
"Guys, we need to get out of here!" Talbert said, pulling his limbs closer to him.
"Yeah!" Mercy agreed. "Watch for those flanking troopers!" She pointed them out with the girl in her arm.
Talbert nodded, and rose above cover, trading bolts with one of the troopers that was now very close to flanking them. He was hidden behind a storage crate. Talbert continued trading bolts with the stormtrooper until he himself was struck in the arm by one of the troopers on the rooftop. He screamed in pain.
Mercy cursed. "Garner, deal with those flanking troops, I'm gonna help the Sergeant." She put down the little girl and ran across the gap in cover to Talbert, and she nearly caught one in the process.
When she got to him, Talbert was drifting into unconsciousness. She took a syringe out of her backpack.
"Ready big guy?" She asked
Before he could answer, she slammed the syringe down into his chest, and a rush of energy came over him.
Talbert cursed, almost angrily.
"You're okay?" Mercy asked
Talbert raised over cover, instantly taking down the stormtrooper that hit him.
"You're okay." she said. "We should probably get moving, Sarge.
"Yeah, let's do that." He agreed.
Talbert popped out of cover once more, firing at a Stormtrooper attempting to flank them. He hit the ground hard.
"Okay, moving!" Mercy said as she ran back to Garner and the child. She picked up the girl and told Garner she'd cover him.
Garner nodded and ran into a nearby store front, dodging bolts here and there.
Now it was Talbert's turn. He ran across to Mercy without a hitch. Good.
"You take the kid, I'll be right behind." Mercy declared.
"No." Talbert said, and he picked up the little girl. "You're coming with us!"
Talbert grabbed Mercy and led her out of the intersection under heavy fire, and into the storefront. Mercy didn't feel the bolt, but Talbert felt her as she fell to the ground, unconscious. She caught one in the leg. It must have been a stun bolt.
Talbert cursed.
He fired back at the trooper who got her.
Talbert cursed again.
He picked Mercy up and carried her into the storefront, behind a heavy steel counter where Garner was waiting for them.
Mercy wasn't in any immediate danger from her injury, because, due to their nature, blaster wounds usually cauterized on impact. Her leg, however, was sure to be a real pain.
Talbert decided that the best course of action would be to grab Mercy and head for the back door before any stormtroopers could get inside the store. His plan, however, was cut short when, in the process of picking Mercy up, Talbert himself caught another blaster bolt in the arm.
He fell back onto the floor, dropping Mercy. Her unconscious head lay on his shoulder. The child sat crying beside them.
The stormtroopers stopped firing.
Talbert's ears were ringing. He took time to notice the shattered glass all around him. The black scorch marks that littered the store. He looked down at Mercy's face. He admired her short hair, her freckles. He noticed her ear rings. They were silver and gleamed in the light. He never noticed them before. He wondered where she got them.
Talbert thought of home.
He was about to go unconscious when a large explosion broke the silence.
Too big to be a thermal detonator, too big to be a thermal imploder, even. It couldn't be orbital, and probably wasn't a demolition charge.
Talbert smirked.
A loud, mechanical voice broke the following silence "This is Captain Henley Morals of the Rebel Alliance's 133rd Mechanized Infantry Company. I am currently residing in one of three T4-B heavy tanks within your immediate vicinity. This is your first and only chance to surrender."
The blasters started again, just, this time, not at Talbert.
"I'll take that as a no."
Another explosion.
The T4-B's rolled into the intersection, making short work of any remaining Imperial resistance.
Talbert and Garner picked up Mercy and the kid and shambled out into the intersection. The tanks were huge. They towered over the three of them. They were made up of two compartments, one for a driver and one for a gunner. Each compartment had a huge cannon attached to its turret and a couple automatic blasters to deal with softer targets. The T4-B's were some of the last tank that still had tracks in active use. One of the T4-B's turrets turned and faced them, almost curiously. The hatch on it flew open, and Captain Henley Morals popped out.
"Tal-man! Good to see you, dude!"
Talbert collapsed on the floor.