Location: Imperial landing craft - entering atmosphere of Fornow
Objective 8
Allies: First Order, Graug/Zambrano forces, [member="Darth Prazutis"]
Enemies: Slave Rebels, Ssi-Ruuk invaders
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8n6aYQwz0M[/media]
The recovery of Darth Vader's armour on Endor would be a momentous feat for the Order of Ren but it was not a glory she would take part in. Samka wished her colleagues luck but there was a rage in her that would not be sated by killing the wild beasts of Endor's forest moon. The Ssi-Ruuk had invaded her home, not just her nation but the very building where she trained and slept. That was a personal violation which could not go unanswered. While the bulk of Ssi-Ruuk gathered at Endor, the Imperials had to make sure there was no system in the region safe for them to retreat to. That and ensure there would be regional peace once this war was over. Coming to aid of the Iron Horde and their Sith Masters, not just against the Ssi-Ruuk, but the revolting slaves as well, was a step towards that. To show the local powers they had nothing to fear from a growth of the First Order's galactic boarders. In that sense, this mission might well be more important in the long term than anything happening around Endor.
The ship shook violently as it entered Fornow's atmosphere. The Knight of Ren was glad in all black combat armour. She silently paced in the cockpit with her arms folded in front of her, behind the pilot and co-pilot, catching her first glimpse of the planet's surface. Toxic clouds emitting from countless forges and factories covered the skylines helping make the scenery feel grey, barren and helpless. Closing her eyes, she feel the Dark Side's strength here. Immeasurable and unconquerable. Sam had not felt it on such a scale since Lake Natth. Occasionally she could see and hear explosions and blaster fire scarring Fornow's terrain. Every so often it would cause the landing craft to shake and the pilots to mutter some jargon to one another to overcome it.
The co-pilot turned to her,
"Landing in less than a minute, Ma'am." He was clearly doing his best to hide the unease on his face but it showed. Even the Imperial rank and file could sense the despair of this world.
Nodding, Sam turned away and marched to the back of the ship. Here were a squad of elite Stormtroopers. They stood in silence, lined up on both the left and right sides, giving Sam just enough space to march through the middle. The hum of the ship gearing up to land, the occasional volley of blaster fire and echoing of her footsteps were the only sounds to be heard. Reaching the back doors, Sam stretched her neck in preparation. They were landing in a hot zone and would see action the moment that door opened. She had to be prepared. A green light turned on above the doors accompanied by a loud beep. The Stormtroopers all raised their rifles in response and she unclipped the lightsaber from her belt. Then the doors flew open and the Stormtroopers ran past her, laying down blaster bolts as they sought nearby cover. Sam just walked calmly down the ramp, igniting her crimson blade and scanning the battlefield.
It appeared they'd caught the slaves by surprise, they were yelling and scrambling for cover inside of a half destroyed check point. Most of them were unarmed but a few had re-calibrated mining lasers and whatever guns they had salvaged off of their dead captors. Even before they'd landed this site had recently been a battlezone. Corpses of slaves and Graug alike littered the area and the checkpoint itself was damaged with parts of the inside exposed. It was this checkpoint they had to retake.
With a sudden burst of speed, Sam dashed forwards. A filthy woman covered in oil with a mining laser raised her gun but the Knight of Ren hit first with a powerful kinetic push, smashing the woman's head into the checkpoint's stone wall with a crunch audible even over the sounds of battle. Turning a corner into the checkpoint's main entrance, a Duros with a mining axe had been lying in ambush and took a large clumsy swing at her. Sam sidesteped the attack and countered with a jab to his exposed shoulder then brought her blade downwards to eviscerate her foe, granting him a painful death. Climbing a spiral staircase, a man with a pistol jumped out and fired a series of shots. She dodged most in a show of elegant movement but deflected a couple back at him, one of which struck the slave's leg. The pause in pain was more than enough time for Sam to close the gap and impale her attacker through the heart.
Her approach continued in this fashion, foes attacked clumsily and one at a time, until she reached the command room. There four slaves, all armed with Graug weaponry, had made a makeshift cover from an overturned table. A hail of blaster bolts greeted her as she attempted to walk in the doorway but was promptly forced back out. Standing to the doorway's side, Sam could only pity those who thought they could survive a Force user's assault behind unrestrained cover. Jumping back into the action, the teenager swiftly hit the table the slave's cowered behind with a strong push, sending the cover they had used against them. It knocked all four to the ground so now was the time to attack. Using her athletic skill, Sam jumped over the table, directly onto one of the slaves, knocking him down as he scrambled to his feet. At the same time she brought her blade slashing downwards to the side, slicing into the slave beside him. The other two had scattered and Sam spent just a split second too long wondering which to strike first. The man she stood on shock her off with a sudden burst of adrenaline, the kind one only gets when one's life is in critical danger. Falling to the floor, Sam quickly caught her balance with a dancer's twirl then spun around to slice the man before he could reach for his weapon. Now there was a series of shots fired at her from behind, Sam backflipped towards this third attacker, landing directly behind him and swiftly claiming another victim. Looking across the room, the final slave raised his gun and she adopted a defensive posture but before he fired, the man was hit with blaster bolt clean to the side of his head. Her back up had arrived, two Stormtroopers filed into the room.
"Ma'am, rebel forces are scattered outside. We're sweeping the building now," a female voice came from beneath the helmet.
"No casualties, just two wounded. We'll get them back on their feet in no time."
"Excellent," Sam responded and nodded approvingly. Her voice was smooth and rich yet she couldn't hide the youthfulness in it no matter how hard she tried.
"But this is only the start. You'll find the warriors of Ssu-Ruuk a far greater challenge than malnourished slaves who had never held a gun until this uprising."
The trooper nodded,
"We'll be on alert."
Turning away from the soldiers and towards the communications console, Sam brushed the corpse of a Graug off of the device and hailed [member="Darth Prazutis"]. the rear end on the Blood Pits was secure and risk of the slaves counterattacking and trapping the allied armies in the Underhold reduced to minimum.
