Beyond the Pines

[Lord Gaius]

OPERATION: UPPERCUT

A scout glanced through his binoculars. He sat with his spine against the bole of an ancient tree, and his elbow rested on a rock. He appeared calm and casual. Blaster lazily held in his right hand, rested against the soil of the earth. He was surprised to see that the insurrectionist forces bordering Silver Order and Mandalorian territory had multiplied in strength. It seemed that after the cascading and constant defeats of the insurrectionists, they'd finally pulled a strong enough force in an attempt to quell the Silver's advance. Unfortunately for them, the Silver had thirty-three companies of troopers - 2,640 soldiers, primed and ready for combat. Corporal Evon Rothchild called it in "Immediate: Grid kilo two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort." He lowered his binoculars, knowing he would soon hear the singing of birds. He raised his rifle, peering down the sights. His finger gently twisting at the range finder, adjusting it with precision. He gazed down upon a solitary patrol of two. He creeped his lines of engagement upon them. He snapped his finger against the trigger.

Flight Officer Trayton called back over the comms, "Roger, recon." Trayton craned his neck over his shoulder, looking to the Nautolan Jedi, "It's your call, General." Hasjo nodded, the Knight turned his back to the pilot and moved hulked across the metallic floor. His right hand raised above his head as he steadied himself on the rails. He was shoulder-to-shoulder with troopers of Fireteam Gwan, he looked them over, his powerful voice piercing the silence "We're going in. Get tactical, marines!" The bay doors slid back with a screech. He raised his wrist, counting down the clock. Sweeping his eyes, he watched the other LAAT's. There were eighty of them filling the air like a swarm of bees. Trayton crackled over the intercoms on the transport "Thirty seconds out. Stand by to dro- evasive manoeuvres!." The LAAT was abruptly rocked by AA fire. Explosions tore through the sky as other gunships began to weave back and forth. The Nautolan tightened his grip, assuring he wouldn't fall. Plasma fire ripped through the right flank, the aircraft convoluted forward in an inverted flip. The Jedi slammed against the roof of the vessel. Trayton lost control of the gunship, slamming into the pine trees below, coming to a great grinding halt.

@[member="Rasu Gan"]
@[member="Lok Jorunn"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

The scorching heat supplied from the system's sun, bet down upon the forces of Oxford Company, the sole AT-TE and other machinery drinking in the heat like lizards basking on the rocks. Fully suited up, the hardened soldiers of the Sixth Battalion did their best to ignore the sweat and dizziness while in their armor, distracting themselves with their armaments as the company continued their trek across the vast desert.

Supplies were still being distributed, and Captain Yatan gratefully took her own water ration, reaching up towards her head, revealing wet matted hair underneath her scarred helmet. Taking small sips, the human found some form of relief as the cool liquid passed down her dry throat. Looking around, she caught similar expressions from her men, watching as they too drank to sooth their parched insides. It had been a tough march thus far, with the companies supplies depleting since their departure from Alpha Base two days ago. Yatan reminisced as she remembered the cool, snowy mountain caps, the soothing snowflakes floating down onto her armor, making it appear as clean as the day she had enlisted. What a rude shock had awaited them as the passed into the territory of Bactria with it's scorching deserts taking up most of it's region, with only few patches of rain forest offering a reprieve to the harsh sands of the nation.

Bactria would be next to fall to the forces of the Silver Jedi Order, and with the Jedi taking part in the fight, Yatan was confident that the battle would run as successful as Salamis. Oxford had been absent from the Order's first conflict, having arrived with the other reinforcements from Voss, thus had not experienced much resistance since her arrival. She and her subordinates had no idea what Juliet and Gamma had gone through to secure the Order's position on the planet, but because of their efforts, Chaeronea was likely to become a planetary member of the Silver Order. Becoming lost in her thoughts, Yatan pulled her helmet back over her head, and attached her water container to her belt, picking up her pace as their forces continued in their narrow line through the sand, keeping her eyes out for any sign of jungle or resistance. They would not come so far into this wasteland to be brought down by the deadly hand of the environment.

Rasu steadied herself upon the hull of the lone AT-TE as it continued its trek across the sands, it's mechanical legs, causing the entire machine to shudder with each step. The Jedi Master seemed unaffected by the sheer heat provided by the sun, withstanding the scorching metal beneath her boots. Rasu's attention was focused directly in front of her, keeping her Force presence extended as her company continued their march. So far, the troops had yet to face any forms of resistance, but she was unsure if this proved the same for Hasjo and his aerial assault on Bactria. Rasu had said her goodbyes back at Alpha, watching as his LAAT's took off in the direction of the city, their next objective in the long campaign on Chaeronea. Rasu had preferred to stay back and allow Hasjo and his forces the first slice of the action, with his company having faced majority of the heavy resistance during the battle of Salamis. Rasu and her men wouldn't be far behind them, and would provide assistance if they needed it upon their arrival. The Shi'ido knew that when it came to giving orders and leading, the Nautolan was her superior, and she had accepted this many days ago, having watched him in action during the minor campaigns to the North and South. She was ready to be given orders and follow them to the tee.

Sensing something strange, the Shi'ido turned, facing to the left of the long chain of infantry. A large dune blocked most of her natural vision, but by extending her Force awareness, she picked up on some odd shimmers in the Force. Keeping her eyes on the dune, she brought her wrist communicator up to her mouth, contacting the AT-TE driver. "Bring your scanners over towards the North. Can you pick up on any unusual readings?" she asked, wondering if her assumptions were indeed correct. Taking a pair of macro binoculars, she aimed them in the direction of the dune, keeping an eye out for any odd activity. Keeping her vision fixed on the peak of the dune, she let out a gasp as a robed figure stood up holding what seemed to be some large weapon, before firing it in the direction of the large walker. "INCOMING!" she screamed, as the missile made contact with the sand in front of the walker, exploding and sending the Shi'ido flying off from her perch on the roof. Flailing her arms, Rasu landed with a hard thud on the sand, her vision becoming as hazy as streaks of blaster bolts soared over her. Reaching up with a weak arm, Rasu felt her consciousness slipping away, and cursed under her breathe as the darkness took her over.