Raid at Mentina: Galactic Alliance Dominion of Laertos

[Asmus Janes]

Mentina Station

Asmus quietly drummed his fingers across the console of his X-Wing. They had been drifting in silent mode for some time now. With comms silent or on point-to-point mode and their engines powered down they were little more than floating debris on anyone's sensors at a distance. He could just about make out the other fighters. Ahead of them were the dropships.

Mentina station was a hub at the centre of chaos in the region. Two trade routes passed nearby and during the chaos of the Alliance retreat the duros warlord Jiun Klem had managed to hijack several vessels and outfit them for war. Using this new naval power he had then taken the station from the people of Laertos and started charging a cut on all imports and exports that passed through the station. With this money his power had grown until his influence was just as significant as that of the elected Laertos government. It was a problem the Alliance couldn't afford to let continue. Diplomatic channels had failed. Klem had refused to return control of the station back to the government and had threatened violent action.

The Alliance plan was simple. Several shuttles and fighters coasted in and struck the station before Klem's fleet knew what was happening. With the station already falling under control a small strike fleet of frigates and patrol ships would move in to clear out any vessels that refused to cede control of the system with their power base already taken.

Asmus' comm crackled and woke him from his reverie.

"Janes?"

"Yes Chad."

"Is that enough dropships?"

"Elite forces and a handful of Jedi they said. Should be plenty."

"Alright."

Asmus was left in silence for a few more minutes.

"Janes!"

"Yes?"

"Station is supposed to be unarmed?"

"It is, yes. Why?"

"Just had my astromech enhance the image. Looks an awful lot to me like someone mounted some heavy flak turrets on that thing."

Asmus sat bolt upright and peered through the canopy. He couldn't see the guns with his own eyes but could see several fighters lingering around the station. Asmus swore.

"All fighters, power up and prepare to engage. Change of plan. We need to hit those towers or the dropships are dead in space."

---

OOC/ Join the raid or take part in other activities on the ground. Can't risk a large build up of forces this close to FO space so keep it low key (looking at you Cathul)

 

[Choli Vyn]

Chandrila
New Jedi Order Temple
Mission Aurek-Cresh-Nine- Four- Xesh
0400 Hours

---

---

The stealth U-Wing barely gave a hum as it came down on the landing pad. It was still dark out, nary a ray of morning light to kiss the dark matte surface of the U-Wing as descending. Her landing struts went folding out from under her belly, wings silently folding forward. The mission was simple. The brief relayed that it was pretty clear-cut. Insert job and then extraction of a small special forces squad.

Lieutenant Commander Omar would be joining her as her co-pilot for this mission, which promptly resulted in the young woman giving a small mental groan. He was the last one that she'd want to work in a covert op. Not because of any lack of skill; on the contrary, the Zeltron's record was exceptional, if riddled with Page Eleven's of outrageous behavior. No, it was because Omar had a knack of wanting to get on everyone skin and some sort of reaction. He was a Zeltron thorough and thorough, and with Choli and the rest of the Rogues a temporary addition to the Subversion, a new piece of entertainment in his relatively boring deployment.

"All clear and just like that ladies and gents, as smooth of a landing as you'd ever seen." Omar sang, grinning a scoundrel's grin from ear to ear.

"Good to know you can fly, Omar." Choli managed to say, checking over her instruments. Her helmet set carried with it a small comm and tinted polarized lenses. She wore a matte gray flightsuit with no outside rank visible, save the small patch over her right breast that identified her as a Lieutenant Commander. The patch could quickly be ripped off, allowing for a possible way of antiminority. Beyond that she had her survival pack stashed behind her pilot's chair along with standard issue Heavy Blaster. After having gone down so many times, Choli wasn't risking anything.

Not again.

Turning her head to stare out through the viewport, she could barely make the visible shapes of her pick up. From what she'd been briefed, her pick up was a Jedi special forces squad. The knowledge that it was a Jedi group had undoubtedly made her think of [member="Trextan Voidstalker"]. So much time had passed since their last meeting and both had gone through periods of blackouts due to their responsibilities. Didn't mean that attempts of contact had been utter failures. Those times when they were able to message via comm or a quick holo served to at least give evidence that Choli wasn't just imagining things with the Justicar in training.

Funny how the Force seemed to take a hand in that.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Trextan kept his thumb through the strap around his rifle as he stepped up into the shuttle. It was a sleek thing, with matte grey and black camouflage. The thrusters were almost silent. The perfect ship for inserting a special forces squad and a pair of Jedi onto a rogue space station.

“Get strapped in we’re clear to go.”

Trextan stopped. He turned towards the cockpit sharply at the sound of that voice. “Oh. Hello,” he said rather slowly.

“So that’s Choli then?” grunted one of his team. Trextan winced. That had been painfully obvious of him and he hadn’t even said her name. Fuck it all if the Scarred decided to wind them up he was going to be in trouble. It was hard to think about taking his seat instead of rushing into the cockpit. It had been three weeks since he’d seen her in person.

Choli spared him a quick glance and nervous smile over her shoulder. But it was the copilot who reacted the most. Hands were taken off controls and the seat span around very slowly to face him. A Zeltron with the dirtiest grin turned to look him up and down.

“And so this must be Trextan?” he asked, his voice like liquid silk.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

Mentina Station

"...of course it's the mighty Jiun Klem. My apologies." The karker. "Got that Rathtar in exchange for the hyperspace routes and those parts we discussed. Or you looking to switch the deal?"

Blues leveled to Jiun's right hand man. Only in this case? It was a right hand zeltros woman named Misses Beasley. Sure Kinsey had been Alliance a long time ago in a galaxy far, far, whatever. She was mostly a free agent now. Which meant, she had no idea about the quickly approaching Alliance forces.

She was just here to make a deal with the dictator to secure some passage for the fleet. Couldn't wait on the Alliance to get their chit together. Did the young Starchaser intend to double cross the mighty Jiun Klem?

Kriff yes.

Just didn't realize that was about to get a whole lot easier. Or more complicated. "Oh so now he'll see us? Good. We're both coming."

Kins looked to Brak who nodded and followed Miss Beasley through security at the hangar and toward lift 15c. Could still hear the rathtar's grumblings from its semi-secure container as it was being unloaded.

 

[H3xle]

Mentina Station

Bann paced in front of Besalisk that rippled with muscle barely concealed by a four arm form fitting shirt and armored pants. Daven Tossk was his name, and he was currently standing between Bann and his ship. Daven was a mid level enforcer for Jiun Klem, and had an amused grin on his face whenever he could place his bulk between a captain and his ship. There was a scattergun hanging from the belt of the muscle bound enforcer, but it likely saw less use than an Ewok pleasure slave. Rumor was that he liked to use his fists, of which he had plenty to spare.

"Come on, Daven, I can't very well earn a damn thing without my ship!" His voice always sounded higher pitched than he wanted to when stress got to him. He rubbed his head with his left hand, keeping his right arm tucked tightly across his chest. His hands were well away from the blaster at his hip.

"You know you can't leave without seeing the man, why do you try to worm out of it every time?" The deep, velvety resonance of the big man's voice only made him more self conscious of his own voice. Bann reached the end of room and turned around to pace the other way.

"You said he was busy! I've got a schedule to keep. I've got a legitimate cargo of Nabooian Ice Eels heading for Nar Shaddaa. Do you realize how rare a legitimate cargo going there is?" He asked, turning to stare up at the large mans eyes. "I push this along, I may get the regular deal, and that means I can pay off Jiun that much faster!"

Bann knew it was coming. As soon as the crime lord's first name left his mouth, he cringed. The meaty fist came soon after, and Bann's body became a rag doll as he flew across the room. He hit the wall and slid down into a heap. He didn't cry out, and he didn't hear any bones breaking, thankfully. When you dealt with this group enough, you ended up learning how to take a hit.

"Mr. Sundorah, we are a business here. Do not speak so familiarly of my employer."

Bann pulled himself up into a seated position, letting his arms drop limply to his sides. He just sat there, thinking over his current options while he waited. Eventually, Jiun would free up, and Bann would have to deal with being berated by that fool again before he could get on his way.

Every day of his life since he took out that loan, he has regretted it.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"] | [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] | [member="Choli Vyn"] | [member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

Shock ran through the Rogue’s body at the sound of [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] ‘s voice. Hazel orbs had gold flecks deepen to amber in surprise, Choli turning her head to spare a glance over her shoulder to confirm. It had been three weeks since she saw him last and to see him here, of all places, startled her.

“Trex..” she managed to mouth out, what bit of pleasure at the sight of the Justicar that went bathing over her face suddenly flush at the leer that her Co-pilot gave.

This was the LAST thing she needed. With a firm twist of her neck, that helmet swiveled to the Zeltron. Brows drew tight together and her lips drew thin.

“Omar no!” Choli said firmly.

“But we haven't had a chance to…”

“No!” she added. Turning back around, Choli gave Trextan an apologetic glance. It seemed the military personel they surrounded themselves with were equally likely to try and embarrass them.

“Nice to meet you Omar,” Trextan said quickly before making his way to his seat.

Heat would flare across Choli’s face, momentarily thankful for the dim green glow of the piloting console and the HUD visor that would shield her eyes.

Behind her, the sound of boots and settling down of the Special Forces squad seemed to roar in her ears. The roll and slide shut of the crew door was a solid indicator that everyone was now safely inside.

“Good to go, Ma’am.” She heard behind her from the Jedi Master leading this particular group. Trextan was here?! Talk about surprises. Momentarily out of sorts, she managed to give a silent nod of confirmation before relaying, “Ten-Four. Strap up. Departing in less than a minute.”

The Comm Tower went crackling in her headset, and as Choli answered and awaited the all clear, she kept turning her head back. In the dim lit cabin, she could barely see his profile.

Unable to help herself, Choli smiled again.

[ Umbra One, you are cleared for launch. ]

Corporal Heddison gave him a sharp elbow. “Navy girl?” he whispered to Trextan.

“Jedi boy?” Trextan heard from the cockpit.

[member="Bann Sundorah"][member="Kinsey Starchaser"][member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Bann Sundorah"]

Flying Point- Second Column: Flight Eleven
Fighters: 12 X-wings

She was half asleep herself when the call came in. She was new to the Rogues, a fresh face in the cockpit. And maybe fresh meat, if she wasn't too careful. She'd read through a dozen or so of their fallen's dossiers. almost always they were taken down in action fighting way beyond their lines with little respite.

That idea did something dangerous in the young girl. It emboldened her, and made her blood perk up a little faster. Since joining on with the Rebellion her sense had become quicker and her hand steadier at the Yoke. She had Aryn to thank for that.

"Roger that. Rogue Eleven copies."

She flicked two switches and breathed heavily into her faceplate, letting the fog build up in her helmet. Fighters began to break off into columns.

"Flight eleven, on me. Check in."

"Standing by Paladin."

Paladin. It the was the name they had given her as her call sign. A healer and a fighter. Zealous.

"Form up behind me, two abreast. Dak take my left wing. Engines full burn, marking targets now."

"Watch those cannons, getting a little more-"

​

BOOM!​

Red hot shrapnel ripped into space. Small explosions began to blossom across the ring of the station as one of the Squadrons went in hard. She was holding velocity, streaking straight in. It was a suicide mission. Too much flak, too much space in between their column.

"They got too much time to reload. Vectors look locked! Break it off, dive!"

They dove, two by two, engines cutting the black night like with orange halos. Two fighters up ahead were ripped apart as they flew headlong into the shrapnel fields. Their fuselages shredded, blasting fuel and o2 into the void in crystallized form.

"Two of ours are out!"

"Got it climbing."

"On your six Paladin."

She paused, feeling a prickle of anticipation as the nose of the StealthX turned up. Her column followed like the tail end of a black and orange snake.

"Incoming, they got scout fighters underneath!"

"Crap. Corkscrew, split formation, weapons free."

"Firing!"

The column split, dropping into two solid ranks and opened up. Z-96 Headhunters met X-Wings dead on in a furious battle. Laser cannons belched, missiles streaked away. Both sides crashed head on into each other below the station in a withering fusillade of fire. She keyed open the channel to the broader force with a twist of a knob as her other finger jammed the trigger, sending a burst of linked blaster rounds into the right wing of a Headhunter. The craft veered off, spiralling out of control.

"Rogue Eleven, requesting support!"

A year ago she might have balked at shooting down another soul. Now it came as naturally as anything.

What have I become? ​

​

Your true self. Neither here nor there. Somewhere in between what you call the light and the Dark.​

​

Who are you?​

​

I'm you Karren.... and what you will become.​

 

[Wedge Draav]

For the Alliance!​

2nd Column​

Rolling.

Diving.

Hunting.

Wedge was a kid. A kid in a war. A kid in a galaxy that forced him to grow up. It took his father. Took his friends. Took his innocence. The Vong took that from him. No getting that back. He replaced it with cold, calculating vengeance on any of the Alliance's enemies. And right now- it was these poor bastards.

"Rogue ten, on station. Rogue Eleven, stand by for support."

He threw the stick forward, and his X-wing went into a spiral. He finished off the Headhunter that Rogue Eleven hit. It exploded in a silent shower of debris. Wedge flew straight through it, and right into the chaos. He was becoming good- he was well on his way to be being one of the better, more effective pilots in the Alliance. He just needed more time. He came behind Rogue Eleven. His X-wing had a pair of jaws on the nose, like that of a shark. Made him recognizable. Also got him bitched at a lot for having it on there.

[member="Karren Trask"] l [member="Choli Vyn"] l [member="Bann Sundorah"] l [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] l [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] l [member="Asmus Janes"] l

 

[Sol Stazi]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Choli Vyn"]

Passenger Bay
Alliance Stealth U-Wing
Laertos System

"Elite forces my left antennae!" Sergeant Armado screamed not five centimeters away from the face of a stark white looking company private, "I've never seen a sorrier excuse for a unit in all my years in the Force! Why the verse​ High Command chose you lot for this op is one of the enduring mysteries of our fragging time! You are an insult to the term special forces, do you understand me?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the chorus of voices packed into the rest of the bay were almost enough altogether to drown out the sound of laser cannon and flak fire outside the hull of the transport.

Near the front of the craft just outside the cockpit Lieutenant Sol Stazi watched on impassively, bracing himself against the turbulence while the little Rodian noncom berated the ever living hell out of the rest of the platoon. For such a compact figure, Armado had a surprisingly powerful voice, and after years in the Company was more than capable of putting down any new recruits bold enough to challenge him on one of these tirades. Sol for his part, simply rolled his eyes and continued in his mostly unsuccessful attempts to listen in on the pilot and copilot's comm chatter.

His men had been volunteered for another extra-planetary op, something normally outside their purview. But their orders were to play a support role on this one, and units like Stazi's had had much more experience working alongside Jedi during the war than Space Command. So the brass had asked for the Sixty-First's First Platoon. For the average Twilight grunt, any chance to shame Space Ops Marines was worth the additional discomfort, as the branches of the Force often shared a mostly friendly rivalry. But for Sol, whose primary concern was not only achieving his objective, but bringing his boys back alive again, the mathematics of it all had just gotten a lot more difficult.

Of course, there was always the chance that none of it would matter anyway, if their U-Wing took a direct hit. But for a mobile infantry unit like Twilight Company, that was always a part of the deal. Hence, Sergeant Armado and his string of insults. Anything to keep their minds off of where they were, of the overcrowded shuttle passenger bay, the point defense fire terrifyingly close to the hull, the panicked but unintelligible voices of the pilots in the cockpit. It was enough to sap a man of all strength and courage, but not if a short and extremely muscular Rodian platoon sergeant was screaming in your face at the top of his lungs.

"And to think, the Lieutenant and Captain Lyra Sunfell hersself pulled your sorry shtukas out of an icy hell on Hoth," the Rodian continued on, having hardly paused for a single breath in the time Sol had been watching his performance, "Past First Order reinforcements and Vong pirates, just so you could disgrace the very name of-"

"Sergeant!" Sol's voice drowned out Armado's as the Lieutenant staggered his way back to the center of the bay, "Helmets on!"

They were close enough to the insertion point by now, and besides Armado's tired had just begun verging into the realm of the too personal. It was time to make their final equipment checks, and go over the details one last time.

"First Platoon, listen up!" Stazi barked out, grasping onto a hand hold jutting out of the U-Wing's upper bulkhead, "Remember, this time we're the cavalry. Next shuttle over are some Justicars and a whole bunch of Scarred, they're going to be the first wave. We come in next, mop up at range, and help the Jedi cops clear the rest of the station."

"We are entering a civilian populated combat zone! Double check your weapons are set to stun, and only take violent action under direct threat, or in the defense of others. Captain Sunfell is counting on us, to get the job done, and to make the Sixty-First proud. Who are we?!"

"First Platoon!" the shuttle roared back at him.

"What do we do?!" Sol shouted back.

"Twilight survives!"

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Karren Trask"] [member="Wedge Draav"] [member="Choli Vyn"]

Asmus grimaced inside his helm as the battlefield opened up. He duked aside as a Headhunter cut in to try and block his path. His finger remained lightly over the trigger. His repeating cannon fired in bursts, he could wait for the right moment.

"Command, we put in an RFI on those defences just days ago and there was a flyby. Did they fly past the wrong damn station?"

"Acknowledged Wraith One, stand by for an update." That was basically a minor admonishment from the person on the other end of the comms. They had expected the fighters. The warlord had them in numbers to enforce his rule. They could have dealt with that or the towers, not both. At least not easily. The towers were silent for now but I'd any fighters broke through they would be certain to change their firing solutions.

"Wraith Four, take target designation Nexu Four."

"Acknowledged."

Asmus' kept flying straight, the Headhunter coming around for another run. Asmus flicked the controls, his starboard engines firing in reverse and swinging him around. All four engines fired reverse thrust to put him essentially flying in reverse. In space it was all relative anyway.

Now came the squeeze of the trigger and the whine of the repeating cannon. The stream cut the Headhunter almost clean in half.

"Wraith Squadron, Rogue Squadron this is command. Ochre Squadron are burning hard after you in D-Wings. Our cloaked vessels are going to attempt to infiltrate the far side of the station, the larger dropships are going to have to wait. They are vulnerable. Provide cover. We're sending in a Hammerhead Corvette, Illustrious, to provide support."

"Understood."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Sol Stazi"] [member="Choli Vyn"]

There had been no more conversation on the matter from the back of the ship. The senior NCO had given a few sharp words on the matter and blissful silence had followed. Trextan had heard some hushed chatter from the cockpit. He didn't dare go up there to talk to Choli.

Any thoughts on the matter were pushed away when the Scarred comms tech started to look concerned. There was some loud chatter from the Zeltron up front too.

"Sir, situation has changed. The station is armed, the large dropships are delayed. We're taking a wider course to avoid the fighting and coming in dark on the far side. That means we have two platoons on our own for a potentially extended period of time."

"Orders when we land?"

"Hold the landing zone. Send out a strike team to try and reach the command centre before they know we're there."

"Can't send any questions back now," came a shout from Omar. "We just went full covert mode. Not even point to point comms."

Trextan found himself looking for Choli. He didn't need to look down as he checked his weapons. When they landed they would be looking to him to be the first out.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Wedge Draav"] [member="Asmus Janes"]

Flying Point- Second Column: Flight Eleven
Fighters: 9 X-wings (Unit Shaken)

Karren swerved left, rolling her nimble X-Wing as hard as the thrusters would allow. The rest of the column broke off the attack and fell in, breaking away. It was a standard manoeuvre, except the pilots were shaky in their cockpits. Some of them were rookies. The Vet's kept them in line, reassuring them on the comms.

"Nice Shooting Rogue Ten! Damn that was good. Hold on!"

She dove, letting the snake follow with her, out of the tangle of the dogfight. Z-96 Headhunters were hot on their tails.

"Dak, Jerry, fall back flank. Rogue Ten, rest of the Column with me. If we don't get those damn towers down we're gonna get chewed up out here, not to mention the landers."

"Copy all Paladin."

​

"Break!"​

Dak and Jerry fell back, full reverse slamming their thrusters. She tilted her nose up and gunned it, doing a tight loop nose over tail. The engines screamed, and consoles beeped incessantly. A stray blaster cannon scorched her wing. She began to tumble.]

"Crap I'm hit!"

The tumble was getting worse, until one of her own tapped wings with her hers, stabilizing her. It was Dak on the left, giving her a thumbs up and a grin through the cockpit. They were dead on behind a trio of their pursuers, racing straight for the belly of the station. She jammed the trigger, shooting a nod dak's way.

Two blast rocked a Head hunter, ripping it to shreds. The second peeled off with the third.

"Keep an eye for pursuit. Weapons free, keep in close to the hull and nail those towers with missiles. We'll break on the full lap!"

"Copy."

"They're all over me! I can't shake em!"

"We lost another one!"

She glanced back to see the explosion. A wave of sorrow ripped through her as she felt the life force of her fellow pilot perish. Rage began to simmer beneath the surface.

"Stay on your damn wingmates rookies! Close it in NOW! Seniors police em up! We don't loose another fighter, you hear!"


More rounds ripped past her canopy. A stray piece of flak from above careened into her cockpit canopy as her nose tilted ever so lightly. They were racing for the pole, in close. The velocity of the shrapnel whizzing in random directions began to spider web her cockpit.

"Damn it!"

Her hands were white knuckled on the yoke. One came free and slapped her helmet, sealing the suit. Just in case.

"I'm on target to engage, follow me!"

Twin concussion missiles tore from the recessed bores of her prow. Blue contrails streaked and corkscrewed, slamming into their targets and detonating in beautiful orange and red lotus blossoms. More shrapnel soared from the explosion. Consoles beeped, she grunted, pulling away slightly, and then burning through the explosion as fast as she could.

She glanced down at her dash as her Column executed their attack run. Half fuel, systems damaged. She was down a wing, and with a near shattered canopy. Things weren't looking good right this second.

The squad no doubt needed a refit as well. She was fresh out of rockets.

We need that Damn Cruiser here! Where the hell is it?​

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

MENTINA STATION
[member="Bann Sundorah"]


The space explorer frowned as her belly jumped up instead of going down. Lift was going down and not up. Wide blues traveled to Brak. The reptilian' shoulders tensed, only something she'd be able to pick up on and anyone else who knew him well.

"The mighty Jiun convinced not to take the penthouse?" Starchaser quipped, probably channeling Xin.

Miss Beasley had a pink finger pressed to that pink ear of hers, privy to a private comm line. The lift shook a bit as they plunged further. Felt like heavy cannons. Worried blues traveled to Brak as Beasley turned to them.

"Trade discussions have been suspended but you are to be Jiun's guests in his private bunker. It seems the station is under attack. Don't worry. You'll be perfectly safe here and we'll resume negotiations shorty....or at the leisure of the mighty Jiun."

Kinsey frowned.

The rathtar's containment cage was set to automatically unseal in 25 minutes. And counting. She wondered now many other business associates were being confined to Jiun's 'bunker.'

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] [member="Karren Trask"] [member="Sol Stazi"] [member="Bann Sundorah"]

[ Sempree Gumby. ] It had been an ongoing wisecracking motto for those in the Navy. That every mission could change in an instant and where briefings would prepare for one outcome, it was very likely that mid-way that would all get tossed to the trash compactor and a new plan would get pulled out of some Major's ass to be shat out for everyone to follow.

This was one.

They were flying in blind, no way to communicate back and if the plan changed for them to be on their own while they dropped their charges on the dark side of the station, so be it.

The only difference being that Choli was distinctly aware that it was Trextan and his Spec Ops group she was delivering into a Warlord's den.

[ We'll be at the rendezvous in five minutes! ] Choli called out to those seated behind her. Twilight Company with Captain Sunfell and her crew would be just behind them.

Here's hoping things went well.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Wedge Draav"] [member="Asmus Janes"] [member="Choli Vyn"]

OOC: Only tagging the guys in space.

Flying Point- Second Column: Flight Eleven
Fighters: 7 X-wings (Unit Shaken)

"Pull off, pull off!" A frantic voice called. Another fighter took an impact to the canopy, shattering it and sending the pilot ripping into space. Karren watched in horror as his helmet blasted off his body, seals not quite holding. Her gut dropped as she checked her own, eyes nervously flicking back to the readouts in her HUD and then to her dash.

"Im taking too much damage! We gotta go!"

"Those flak cannons will tear us up if we try and break for it now Paladin. Let's fly topside and break vertical."

"Acknowledge, change flight vectors and stay tight."

The column moved in unison, spiralling this way and that, but never straying from their two man stacked formations. More blaster bolts pinged past. another piece of shrapnel buzzed her canopy, clinking across the glass. She felt the cold rush in as it shattered just that much more and her grip became white knuckled on the yoke. Never before had she experienced such terror, even at the hands of the Sith.

30 Minutes of O2. Would that be enough to get on the station?​

She pressed the thought away focusing on juking her way left and right, rolling to avoid pursuing lances of fire.

"Where the hell is that cruiser!"

"Just hold tight, stay on your leaders. Almost-"

Another fighter went down, vaporized in a brilliant blossom of flak fire and criss-crossing beams. The station was turning out to be a nightmare.

"Status check?"

"Lost em. I'm almost dry on rockets and fuel."

"Me too, coming up and BREAK, BREAK, BREAK!"

They tore up and away, zig zagging at an angle from the top of the station, just out of range of the flak cannons trajectories. Her teeth gritted down twice as hard as the Z-96 Headhunters pursued, tracking their quarries like dogs till the bitter end. They had to shake them.

And then there prayers were answered. From a flash of blinding lights a Hammerhead emerged, the symbol of the Galactic Alliance bold on her sides. The second she reverted laser cannons opened up, shedding green and red lances into the fight. She cheered, screaming her joy as the comms crackled.

"Task Force 1 this ANS Valor on Station, Cap'n Deru speaking. What's the situation?"

"Valor Actual, Rogue eleven. My Column suffered heavy losses and the dropships are flyin' in with minimum cover. Request permission for land a refit immediate. Repeat immediate."

"Close in, full burn!"

Karren responded, slamming her throttle lever forwards with a flick of her fingers, sending the entire column racing away. They curved, doubling back towards the ANS Valor, far outside the flak cannon range.

....

"Rogue eleven, confirmed. Come on home."

"All units, Second column, Return to ANS Valor. I repeat all units second column, return to ANS Valor."

"All units, tracking."

They came in hot, thrusters firing as they entered the hangar. Karren squinted, dropping every ounce of concentration into sticking her landing. The deceleration combined with gravity jolted her stomach, almost forcing her breakfast free into her faceplate as the screamed in. Thrusters fired, her body went forwards against the retainer straps and then the deck magnets locked her craft in place, slowing her burn and nailing her to the deck.

With deft hands she popped her seal, and cycled the canopy. Her body jumped up, harness flying free and she reeled, bending over the edge of her cockpit. Vomit spewed forth in bursts. Every muscle quivered, and her eyes closed shut tight.

"Paladin, hey wake up!"

"Wha?" She answered, wiping her face with the back of her hand, snot string hanging from every orfice.

"Paladin what the hell did you do to these fighters!"

She glanced up, squinting through the shock and her watery eyes. She found her composure and nodded.

"I need a refit Chief. We have to go back out there."

"No can do. Half the birds are out for the count. You'd be flying a three man Column. Plus this thing is about one good hit away from a snafu. Canopy shattered, one wing lost, and don't even get me started on your stabilizers."

"Chief, refit my craft."

"No."

She growled, glancing around at her fellow pilots as they stood up in their cockpits looking to her. Some of the Deck crew scrambled to and fro, hooking up hoses and tweaking panels on the X-Wings. She glanced left and right, all eyes looking to their leader. She could see the shock in their own eyes, that thousand yard stare that came from witnessing the extremes of death and destruction.

Some of the veterans nodded, able to contain their own disgust at the situation much better than her. There was a war out there and the dropships were now flying with minimal cover. That boded ill for the many of them. And the Pilots knew it.

"Chief, my crew is going back out there. Now fix my fighter or find me a new one."

"I can-"

​

SLAM.​

The cockpit canopy came down again. She rammed her helmet back on clipping in as the pilots followed suit, a maniacal grin on their features.

"Paladin!"

"Sorry chief. Thanks for the conversation though."

"Close the bay! Close the bay!"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

[member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] [member="Sol Stazi"]

It was an odd thought that struck him then. When those doors opened he would be expected to go out first. That was how it usually went. He pulled focus and relied on the Force to keep him safe. This time it concerned him because he could imagine being caught in a hail of blaster fire and bleeding out on the deck of the U-Wing. That was always a risk, but now he could vividly imagine it and Choli being at the helm, helpless to save him.

He pushed the thought from his mind and looked out the window. The battle on the other side of the station looked fierce. An Alliance hammerhead had joined to fray, perhaps to secure the route for reinforcements.

They turned and a hangar started coming in to swallow them up.

"Here we go."

As they flew into the bay there was panic at their appearance. A repeater that had been mounted on the deck started to turn but was cut apart by the ship's autblaster.

Trextan slid open. The doors and dropped out whilst the ship was still ten metres from the ground. He landed lightly and activated his blade. Blaster bolts spat out from several angles towards him. His saber was a blur as he advanced slowly. A marksman from the Scarred picked off two of the defenders.

A large group that looked semi organised rushed through the main exit before the blast doors started to open behind them. Trextan leapt and landed in their midst. A telekenetic wave expanding from where he came down to scatter them. His new, white saber was plunged into the blast door mechanism to stop them half closed.

"Jedi...boy?" Murmured a Zeltron back on the U-Wing. The scarred rushed out as a second transport landed. This one carried a tall and graceful falleen Jedi master. Guarded by eight GADF marines she swept across the hangar bay floor to catch up to Trextan.

 

[H3xle]

Mentina Station

Bann continued to be slumped down against the wall where he had landed. He was gathering his courage, his mind working at lightyears a second trying to figure something out to get him out of this situation. His hand lay bare inches from the handle of his blaster, and Daven either didn't notice or didn't care. Daven pressed a finger of his top right hand to his ear and turned slightly away. Bann slid his three fingers around the handle of his blaster, keeping his eyes unfocused, relying on peripheral vision to track the movement of his quarry. He was just about to pull, aim, and fire as smoothly as he could make himself, when the walls shook.

Daven turned and grabbed Bann up by the front of his tunic in a simple lunge and threw him down the corridor.

"Move Mr. Sundorah, we're going on lockdown. You will now have the distinction of being a guest of Mr. Klem." He said with a slick grin, continuing to herd Bann further from his ship, and freedom. "Walk swiftly, we're under attack."

"You seem decidedly chipper about the prospect of being under attack, Daven." Bann couldn't help it, he was nervous. When he was nervous, he talked.

"Bann, my friend, I am..." Daven began as he leaned forward and put an arm around Bann's shoulders. "..because it means I may be able to hit someone who will hit me back." His eyes glinted with murderous intent and glee.

They soon arrived at a secure elevator, and after Daven put in a code and verified who he was, they walked on board and descended to the bunker.

When Bann exited the elevator, his eyes roamed around noting the people and items present in a glance. He couldn't find any other exits right off, but that didn't mean there were none.

"Go stand with our other guest." Daven said, not leaving the elevator. The doors closed, and Bann assumed the elevator moved back into the upper reaches of the station.

Shrugging, Bann moved towards a young lady who seemed to be in the same predicament he was in. He stuck his hand out as he neared [member="Kinsey Starchaser"], and offered a smile.

"Bann Sundorah, looks like we'll be here a while." He wasn't usually a very forward man, when it came to strangers, but it didn't pay to die with a stranger when you could try to escape with new friends.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Karren Trask"] [member="Wedge Draav"]

The Alliance Hammerhead would have been a welcome sight if Asmus could see it. Several fighters, of various classification , had seperated him from his wingman. The first wave of fighters had been larger than expected. Yet that had been a surprise they had come equipped to handle, unlike the towers.

Now the variety of vessels joining the fray suggested that independents and mercenaries on the station we're launching. The original plan was long gone now. In that scenario the troops would all already have disembarked and entered the station. They were on contingency three or four by now.

They were less organised. Asmus had seen one shredded by their own flak towers. The three on his tail seemed to be in communication and to know each other well enough to coordinate their hunt for his decal to paint on the nose.

"Chad I'm going low! Sending coordinates for a cross," asmus called.

"Won't survive long around those towers!"

"Longer than they will." The haptic pad in the small of his back buzzed. Someone was getting weapons lock. He had one of the most maneuverable ships in the fleet and it meant nothing with three tails hemming him in. He dropped his nose and dove for the station.

One of the three pulled out. Two followed him. He used small bursts of lateral thrust to make himself a difficult target. If they missed him now they would hit the station.


"Computer, track that ship that broke and warn me if it moves to intercept," asmus said.

"Black One, this is Ochre Three heading up to deal with those towers. Valor is covering heavy dropships."

"Ochre Three, this is Black One. We will provide as must cover as able." Right now it wasn't much, but the D-Wing fast bombers often didn't need much support.

 

[Sol Stazi]

[member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Kinsey Starchaser"] [member="Bann Sundorah"]

Hangar Bay
Mentina Station
Laertos System

The U-Wing's hatch opened, and mobile infantry troopers began pouring out.

This part was usually accompanied by a hail of blaster fire and at least one man dead before they even passed the threshold, but this time practically the entire platoon had made it off the boat before the few remaining hostiles spread fire in their general direction. Lieutenant Stazi could not help but wonder if this was what it was always like backing up Jedi. Twilight had worked with force adepts in the field before on a few occasions, but this was their first experience fighting directly alongside Justicars and their Scarred cohorts. As marksmen advanced past Sol to assist in finishing off the last of the resistance inside the hangar, the duros surveyed the situation with a mixture of relief that all his men were still alive and frustration at how efficient the Jedi warriors were in clearing a room.

"Third squad, secure and hold this bay!" Sol barked out into the comm system inside his armor's helmet, "First, second, and fourth squads on me! We've got the Jedi's six!"

Nine soldiers split off from the pack and began to make a methodical circuit around the room, firing stun rounds into every fallen enemy body they came across. The rest of first squad fell into step behind him as the Lieutenant hustled to catch up with the Scarred rearguard. Second and fourth brought up the rear on either flank, with the last troopers in each squad moving carefully backwards, remaining alert just in case a halt was ordered via comms or blink command.

"Voidstalker, we're in position," he said more quietly as he switched encrypted channels, "What's the play here? Do we head for the core or storm main operations?"

The HBC-01 carbine in his hands felt less familiar than his trusted A320, but it was better suited for a mixture of close to medium range combat. The blink command powered augmented reality component to his heads up display synced with the carbine's scope, and as Sol moved at a brisk pace towards the bay's main exit his sensors continuously scanned for more hostile contacts.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

MENTINA STATION
[member="Bann Sundorah"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Trextan Voidstalker"] [member="Sol Stazi"]

Across the windowless bunker, screens and counsels filled up one entire wall. Looked like Jiun had command of most of the station from here. Or had they just turned the command center into a type of bunker? The Vagrant Fleeter wasn't entirely sure. She just didn't like being locked away in a space for any amount of time. Blue starburst orbs narrowed as she caught some action on one of the security feeds.

Was that a karking lightsaber?

Looked like a kid was wielding it. Alliance markings on the uniforms. "Great. Of all the days the Alliance decided to get their chit together," she muttered beneath her breath, a hand jutting into her field of vision. Blues tore away from the monitors and tracked up to Bann. Brak's eyes looked down. The barabel looking on with mild interest, probably noticing the same things she did.

Seemed roughed up. Maybe another of Jiun's hired smugglers. Got on his bad side?

"Kinsey," hesitating a second, she uncrossed her arms and quickly shook his hand. "Looks like we're in the middle of a karking mess," chin tipped to the monitors. "And I don't intend to stay for an Alliance meet and greet."

They'd ask too many questions she didn't feel like answering. Not to mention the whole rathtar escaping in ten minutes. Hopefully it was around Jiun's men but not too close them them...

"You a good shot?" Eyes flickered to the guy's blaster. They were being watched pretty closely. They'd also need a distraction.