A New Begining

[Auspex-zero-one]

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

- DAY 94 -

The Shadow Vorld of Umbara...

Looking out over the edge of a tall balkony, at the shadow-y suroundings of this dark vorld, Auspex01's blue-ish glowing optics implants mised nothing.

Zooming-in to maximum, the unit culd see a pair of wild animals in the thick forest, figting it out. Closer, at the out-skirts of the smal city it vas in, it culd see a group of Umbarans talking in the street. Civilijans. If there wer such thing as civilijans on this planet.

In the short time it has spended here, just over 3 months, since it decided to leave the smuggler that taken it off the vorld vhere it rested for 30k years, Auspex01 has come to see this vorld and its people, as being just as under-handed and un-trustvorthy, as a smuggler crew. Deception and double-dealing vas a way of life here, among the Umbarans.

Vhich is why Auspex01 had its hands full, ever since it vas ofered a job as a law enforcer for this city. It vas a job the ansient cyber-nekrotic unit did wel. Its efisiency, lack of emotional response, and in-partial, objektive analitical mind helped it alot.

In spite of its superiors being as corupt and bribe-able as most Umbarans, vhich often hamperd its eforts to keep order.

In spite of this vhole alien culture being very kaotic.

And now, obzerving that group of Umbarans on the out-skirts, the unit culd see this vas about to get ugly. It vasnt anithing they wer doing, they wer just a group of people talking next to vhat looked like a store-front, or some kind of private busines. They wer not armed, it vasnt anithing around them, the paser-by looked to just go around on there busines. It vasnt even the proximity to the city-limit, and the wild animals roaming out there. They usualy didnt go in-to the city. Usualy. And if they tryed, the perimeter turets usualy taken care of them.

But, in its time here, Auspex01 has got to know the habits of the Umbarans wel. Nothing is EVER vhat it seems on the surface, vith them. Plus, it vasnt there nature to meet in groups on the street. They wer more secretive then that, they liked to socialize in private, especialy in a larger group. So that vas the first clue that sayed 'beter check this out', to Auspex01.

Vhat are they up to?, the cyber-nekrotic unit thoght, its quazi-human female face frowning sligtly.

Turning, the black-armored female figure walked back in-to the building, and tovard the stair-wel down. A security-cam in the korner of the halway folowed its movement. As it descented down-stairs, the metal creaking sligtly under its imense weigt, the unit recived a message from the security-station boss, its superior, on its internal com-link:

"Auspex, you have new orders. You are to begin patrol of east-perimetar. Do not interfer vith the security operation taking place in Sektor 11." the voice come prety clyarly, since the unit had time to adapt its langage-analizer, in the past months, to beter translate the modern Basic.

Auspex01 vasnt suprised by the comunikue. It wuld hav been more suprised if it didnt come. Evryone and evrything on this vorld vas being monitored. Vhat did suprise it, vas the reason.

"Security operation? I vas not aware of any under-cover op ocuring here, sir. Nothing in the status reports I have examind." the unit replyed it its semi-monotone, reazonable voice.

"Did anybody sayed it vas under-cover? It doez not koncern you. Lisen to me very carefuly, cyborg... do as you are ordered, and do not kuestion things that arent your busines." the Umbaran voice come back, noticebly iritated and rizing in pitch.

"Sir, as a security oficer it is my--" Auspex01 started to ansver, but the link vas cut off.

"...busines." it finishd, the mono-tone of its voice changing just a litle. Just enogh to let-thru a meazure of frustration.

Another under-handed deal. Another deception. Another instanse of politics inter-fering vith the law. Auspex01 vas sure of it. And the unit vas also tired of it. As the black-clad figure leaved the building, it borded a police speeder going east, making it look like it vas going to folow orders, and head out to patrol the perimetar. Once the speeder vas going down a relativly dezerted part of the city, Auspex01 sudenly speaked up to the speeder driver.

"You wil now turn, at the next inter-sektion, and double-back tovard the west."

The Umbaran female oficer looked up at the cyber-nekrotic being behind her in suprise.

"That.. thats not in the orders. Vhat do you plan to do?" she asked.

"Vhat is rekuired to be done. Diskover vhat exacly is this... covert operation... the chief mentioned. I do not belive it is vhat he states."

The Umbaran woman glared. "Do you know vhat wil hapen vhen the chief finds out? Havent you been here long enogh to know by now, that it is best not to get involved in internal politics? Just let it go."

Auspex01 looked at her, its pale face twisting in sligt kontempt. "And here I vas, thinking that our duty is to up-hold the law, not kater to some local baron's private plot or other."

The Umbaran shaked her head at the unit's naivete. "That kind of thinking wil get you kiled around here, before to long." she warned. To that, Auspex01 did its best impresion of a smirk.

"Lady, I hav out-lasted a planet leveled to glass around me. I hav endured, for a lengt of time you can not even imagine. And more to the point. I can not be killed. I am alredy dead. I do not care. I have tolerated this departments bias vhen it comes to up-holding the law, for long enogh. Now, you wil eiter turn this craft around, or I wil disable you, and do it my-self. Your decizion."

The calm konfidence in the units voice maked the Umbaran woman lick her lips in un-certinty and worry.

"Alrigt! Alrigt... your call. But I tell you, this vont end wel."

Vith that, the speeder maked a turn to a side-street, then another, starting its trip back the vay it come.

 

[Sigrid Forsberg]

A small covoy of hover tanks and troop carriers approached the capital city of Umbara. All of foreign make, such an event would have caused a panic in the past, but these were the Rangers of the Silver Jedi Order, allies of the Umbarans. They were on the return from a training exercise in the field, trying to acclimate to the unique landscape world. Umbara was definitely and oddity, a world shrouded in perpetual darkness, gnarled vegetation covering much of the surface, were great and terrible beasts hid.

However, the most dangerous game of all was the shifty and ruthless inhabitants of the cities. On the surface, one could mistake the cities for being bastions of peace amid the wilds of Umbara, but each day (or night) wars of power were fought in the shadows. All for the coveted position among the Rootai at the top. A collective goal by the majority of the race, all wanting their slice of the pie.

Of course, none of this was the concern of Sigrid, the Valkyri having little concern for the intrigue that dominated the intrapolitics of the land. If anything it was a mild source of annoyance. She was from a land of earnest people who were always direct in their thoughts and actions. Such scheming common among the Umbarans was seen as a weakness when it was discovered.

However, all that shifty thinking made the Umbarans good tacticians, that was undeniable as she played her war games out with them in the field. Still inferior to her prized Berserkers, but they showed talent and were always getting better.

She wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing, as it concerned the Umbarans. They were always up to something.

In between the field, and the return to the dreary city, Sigrid used the free time to blare her music, "Heavy Metal" as it was known to the outside. With one hatch open, the music spilled out into the surrounding environment, on the whine of the repulsor lifts louder.

From her commander's seat in the lead tank, she couldn't help but bang her head to the music. It always gave her a good buzz.

So far, the night was going well. Nothing ever seemed to happen aside from the games the Umbarans played among themselves. If she had it her way that night, she was heading off to a peaceful slumber (after much booze, of course).

[member="Auspex-zero-one"]

 

[Auspex-zero-one]

[member="Sigrid Forsberg"]

"Pozition?" a silky Umbaran male voice sounded over her com-link. It vas the same voice that ordered Auspex away from the area, the police chief.

"Almost there." the female Umbaran replyed in the device, holding her macro-binokulars vith 1 hand and her com-link vith the other, obzerving the Ranger tank colum.

"Do not engage yet. Let them move past the city wals. The Cleaners are ready. Activate the mines." the voice replyed.

Ahead of the Berserker tank colum, a line of carefuly camuflaged and cloaked EMP mines activated. They wuld not be proximity-detonated tho, they wer on a remote kontrol, and wuld be detonated vhen all the Ranger tanks wer in the radius. The line started just ahead of the wal, and ended a bit insyde the city perimetar.

***

"Wel done, Chief. We need to sow disent betwen your people and the Silver Jedi, if your vorld is to be a worthy investment for the Sith Empire. Proceed vith the exterminetion. Make sure no Rangers escape." a raspy voice of a hooded figure speaked, a Sith Lord, standing some distance behind the Umbaran police chief, in the office.

"Yes, my lord. Your unit wil have backup, as needed." the Umbaran bowd, then given another order, thru his com-link.

***

The group of Umbarans Auspex seen earlyer, talking in the street, moved to pozition. These wer the Cleaners the chief talked about. And they wer not Umbarans at all. They wer kozmeticaly-altered humans, maked to look Umbaran, and they wer commandos of the Sith Empire. And they wer not the only group. Auspex has only seen one squad, the other vas also moving to pozition. Twenty-for Imperial commandos. 2 full squads, just seting up to ambush the Ranger tanks as they moved past the Wall.

That other squad has stayed hiden un-til now, as they moved out, meted-up vith the first squad, and pased-out weapons. Auto-blaster rifles. Termal detonators. Hi-power sniper elektro-blaster rifles. Magnetic-lock proton grenades, vhich culd get thru tank armor.

Standing atop of her comandered speeder, in one of the side-alleys, Auspex01 obzerved them geting ready, thru its enhanced vizion. The unit did not rekognize most of the armaments it culd see, but it has seen vaguely similer, if less refined, verzions of them, back during its time.

ANALISIS: AMBUSH PENDING - TARGET - UNKNOWN

The unit turned to her Umbaran driver, vho vas staring wide-eyed at the distant group. "Vhat in blazes do they think there doing?! Planing to attack the Rangers? And antagonize the Silver Jedi? I dont get it..." the woman sputered.

"You wer not familjar vith this operation?" the unit asked, turning its head to her.

"No! I thoght it vas just something local, a smugling drop or some such, that the chief vanted a piece of. I didnt think it vas a coup... or vhat-ever the kark this is!" the Umbaran oficer shaked her head urgently, then looked at Auspex. "Vhat do we do?! We... I mean... we have to stop them."

"I asume caling for reinforcments wuld be pointless, if the chief is organizing this?" Auspex asked. The Umbaran scowled. "Yes... it wuld just tip them of. Vhat-ever we do, we'r on our own." nervusly fingering her blaster.

"I rekuire a closer look at the city aproach. They wil have some metod planed, to stop the tanks." the unit sayed.

Geting back in-to the speeder, they lifted-of, past the building roof next to them, to land atop. From here, Auspex had a clyar view of the aproach path.

"I dont see anithing..." the Umbaran mutered, peering thru a pair of macro-binokulars.

"I do." Auspex replyed coldly. Cycling thru its vision-modes, her EM vision culd easyli pick-up the signatures of the cloaked mines. "A line of concealed mines, set up to entrap the tanks as they cros the gate. Likely EMP."

Its own integrated EMP surge-emiter wuld be able to take care of those mines, disabling them, but the unit wuld need to be in the midst of them, since the device had a limited radius. Shifting its gaze to the aproaching tank colum, the unit kalkulated it wuld be in range in less then 5 minutes.

"I need to get there. Now." Auspex01 mutered.

"Are you crazy?! You wil be shot imediatly!" the Umbaran objected.

"My armor plating wil repel repeated fire from anithing short of a heavy blaster canon, or a shaped-charge." Auspex stated.

"Hello?! They HAVE shaped charges. Proton-grenades? In case you didnt notice! if they can get thru a tank, they can get thru you." the woman glared.

"A tank is some-vhat larger then me, how-ever. A risk I wil have to take. I wil hope there aim is not that good." Auspex tryed to smile, but mostly failed, the mono-tone of its voice changing sligtly.

"Oh funny... NOW you find a sense of humor?!" the Umbaran shaked her head, then aded... "vhat do you vant me to do?"

"Find a com-terminal, kontakt that tank colum, and let them know vhat is up ahead. And inform them not to fire at me, but at the ones shooting at me." the cyber-nekrotic unit replyed. The woman nodded.

"Good luck... i get the feel youl need it." before she turned at a run, in-to the building, to find a terminal. Leaving Auxpex alone, vith the speeder. The unit glanced after her, feeling a smalest trace of envy, at seeing the woman run.

I wish I culd do that...

Walking back to the speeder, Auspex lifted-of, and set it on a direkt course for the city gates. The intent vas to crash-land it there, in the midle of the mine-field, then use the surge-emiter, vhich wuld disable anithing in a 25m radius. Enogh to disable all the mines.

***

"Kontakt! Un-known speeder aproaching the mine-strip!" one of the disguized commandos sounded-out, pointing.

"Vhat--? Who is that?! The Umbarans asured us there wuld be no interuptions...?" the commando leader growled, then aded. "Irelevent. We cant let it reach the mines. Shoot it down!"

A barage of fire erupted from the walls, at Auspex's speeder, kuickly destroying its engines... but it vas to late. The vehicle, runing on inertia, crashed direktly in the center of the line of cloaked mines. Then sudenly, from the centar of the mangled vreck, a massive expanding-burst of EMP wave emerged. It vasnt the mines... it vas much biger, and more powerful.

"Sir! All the mines have been disabled!" one of the other commandos reported.

The leaders face twisted-in a snarl, as he obzerved a female black-armor-clad figure emerge from the vreck. She didnt seem injured, at all.

"Fire! Kill her! Now!"

Blaster and elektro-blaster shots started raining all-around and on-to Auspex01, not doing any damage to its dense plating, just spatering-off it. The unit's head-shield vas also engaged, making it practicaly invincible. But Auspex known it wuldnt last. As soon as those atackers realyzed there hand-weapons wer not doing the job, they wuld use the proton-grenade launchers and termal detonators. And that culd get messy. The unit's eye-charge emiters didnt have the range to reach them up there on the wall, so all Auspex culd do, vas to walk for cover, at the botom of the wall, out of there line of fire. And hope it gets there in time, before the commandos start using heavyer firepower. Auspex vasnt that worryd about the termal detonators, it culd take a few of those explozions, but a proton explozion vas a diferent mater. Especialy if the grenade hit it direktly.

And hope that those tanks got the message, and wuld start providing some cover-fire for it. Asuming the Umbaran oficer did her part, and kontakted them.

 

[Sigrid Forsberg]

It was smooth cruising to the city perimeter, all until an alert popped up on her monitor. Squinting, she leaned forward to see that the energy receptors had just picked up on weapon discharges in the distance just ahead of their position. Aural sensors also detected the sounds of a firefight.

"Stop" she called over comms, flipping off her music. Four Bengal MBTs and eight Wavecrests APCS immediately came to a halt.

"Thunder 01, what's going?" another commander in the second Bengal asked.

"Trouble, Thunder 02. There may be a fight going on right along our path, so I stopped us. Really odd it would be happening here of all places."

Violence between Umbarans was common and expected. Violence against a staunch ally from off world was not. Something was wrong.

"Deploying drone," she said. "Banthas, activate jammers and dismount."

One stealthy DRK-1 probe detached from its socket at the rear of her tank and immediately ascended into the black sky to begin scanning ahead. It wasn't long before it zeroed in on contact just within the city - a small scale firefight was indeed unfolding.

From what Sigrid could tell it was one (particularly buff) person against many. Explosions flashing all around them.

"Serious fighting ahead, with enough heavy ordinance flying around to rip up a whole block."

Or dent a tank.

"Do we engage, or leave it to the locals?"

"Negative, we can't just let this get out of hand and draw in bystanders. However, we can't start blowing up the city ourselves. All gunners, load glop rounds and prepare to fire. The target are all those little bastards ahead, follow the coordinates provided by the drone."

She was just going to stick everyone to the streets and walls and call it a day, then sort out the troublemakers later.

Seconds later, the autoloaders had made the switch, and she could see the firing solutions of each tank focused on different clusters of belligerents.

"On my mark, fire for effect...fire!"

There was a small whoosh made by each mass driver cannon as they launched their shells on a steep arc in a staggered release, all meant to impact the target area at the same time.

In a matter of moments, everyone ahead was due for a sticky surprise.

((Note: Rangers haven't yet received the call at the time of engagement. I'll address it on my next post.))

[member="Auspex-zero-one"]

 

[Auspex-zero-one]

Geting in-to cover, behind a large rock, Auspex01 vas out of imediate danger for a moment. A few proton detonations got near, but none vas direktly centered on it. The units head-shield held, and its armor plating, vhile chared and blasted, vas intact.

Sudenly, the rock behind it stoped echoing vith blast-impacts. Clyarly, something else has ocupied the commandos attention. Looking up-ward, the Auspex01's enhanced vizion zerod-in on a small probe flying above.

ANALISIS - POSSIBLE RECONISANCE PROBE // UN-KNOWN ORIGIN / DESIGN

Vhile it culdnt identify the probe, Auspex didnt need any partikular fore-sight to know that it must have come from one of the tanks aproaching the gates. They must have spoted the firefight ahead.

***

"INCOMING!" one of the commandos shouted, as he spoted tracers from the distant Ranger tanks. Either artillery, or mortars. He didnt think those Rangers wuld dare to use anithing deadly on their allies' city, but that didnt mean he vanted to be catched in the area of efekt, vhen that ordnance landed.

The other men didnt need to be told twice. Trained and disciplined, they scatered-of the walls, to take cover down in the streets. Vhen the glop shells landed, they sprayed there sticky contents all over the wall... and the rock Auspex took cover behynd... but they didnt reach behind the wall, vhere the commandos took cover.

"Glop... yea... looks like there skitish about hurting the Umbarans! That wil vork in our favor..." the man smirked, then adresed one of his troops:

"Five, take out that damn probe. Lets deprive that artilery of there spotter."

The sniper commando nodded, then, resting the barel of his hi-powered rifle on the edge of a wall, taken careful aim at the hovering recon probe. One shot later, it was reduced to a pile of burning scrap, faling down to the ground, next to the rock Auspex took cover behynd.

Covered in glop, the cyber-nekrotic unit vas curently in the process of burning it off, vith her belly flame-projektor, trying to get free.

"I get the impresion they are under-estimating the opozition... these are not un-ruly rioters. They are trained military units." it thoght, as it burned it-self free. The rock it vas hiding behynd vas good cover for the time being, and for now, Auspex vas pinned there.

As if to punktuate that thoght, a proton-grenade flashed past her rock a moment later, aimed at the front-most tank in the distance. The rocket-propeled ordnance impakted it sqare in the front, blowing a hole in it. Realizing there ambush had failed, the commandos wuld now rezort to direkt attack.