Side Quest: Battle of Serenno

[Shika2k]

Mission Name: Battle of Serenno
Mission For: Jedi Crusader, Starfighter Command, Naval Command, Army Command
The Mission: With the Republic victory on Toprawa, the momentum of the war effort has swung in Republic's favor. With the assault along the Hydian Way blunted by the Republic, the Empire has begun to renew its offenses at minor hyperspace routes. If Thrawn's faction can link up with the Moff faction by bypassing Toprawa, the Republic victory on Toprawa would be all for naught. Grand Admiral Thrawn has launched a large scale offense at Serenno by ground and space forces.
Difficulty Classification: Class II (Difficult) - Minor
Recommended # of Participants: 2-3
War Score: 10
Reward: 800 Credits

====================

Since the minor victory at Tiss’sharl, Atro had been promoted to Lieutenant in the Starfighter fleet while Rish had been promoted to Captain of the Special Forces. Even though Rish’s promotion was based on his efforts as a starfighter at Tiss’sharl, there was something he had shown that the Special Forces needed. Or maybe they thought, like himself, it would be better to keep him out of the cockpit. Either way, he was happy to be back on the ground.

Flying was definitely not for him.

These promotions gave them a lot more responsibility, and it was not long before their squads had been called into battle once again due to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s aggressive war efforts at minor but very important hyperspace routes. As they had failed to break through at Toprawa, the Empire had set their eyes on the planet of Serenno and had launched a strong offensive by both ground and space, in hopes of breaking through and linking up with the Moff faction.

“We’ll be there in two minutes. Heavy losses have been reported, and they can’t hold them off much longer,” the pilot spoke through the speakers of one of the two Lambda-class T-4a shuttles transporting the ground reinforcements. “Starfighters, we’re going to need you to cover us while we go in for a landing,” he spoke through the intercom to the two squadrons of starfighters that had been dispatched as reinforcements in space.


OOC: Reinforcements – Two troop transports (20 troops each), two starfighter squadrons (12 X-Wings each) and two capital ships.

[Ryoku]

“Starfighters, we’re going to need you to cover us while we go in for a landing,” came the sound of a shuttle pilot. Atro nodded to himself as he stared down at a combat visual that had been displayed, maintaining a close proximity to the shuttles.

"This is Lieutenant Pos, I have you on visual. We'll bring you in safely." Atro said, closing his broadcast to the shuttles while maintaining his link to the squadrons around him. "Alright, we're splitting the squadrons into two roles. One is to assume defensive positions around the shuttles to absorb enemy shots into your shields to reduce their damage. Another is to take the offense with me and take out any enemy fighters. Let's move."

[sai]

"Lieutenant Pos, eyeballs approaching from above," one of Atro's wing-man indicated over the intercomm as a TIE Advanced fighter throttled towards the convoy flanked by two regular TIE fighters. The Jedi Apprentice could sense that the Force was strong with the pilot in the TIE Advanced and the pilot's Force presence was familiar. Atro could vividly feel the dark side of the Force emanated by the pilot warping the fabric of space-time.

==========

"My lord, we have the Republic reinforcements on our targeting scope," an Imperial pilot commented.

"Fire at will. Wipe them all out. We will finish off the Republic garrison on the planet afterward," the lead pilot ordered in a machine-like voice. He was wearing an all encompassing armor that was designed to inspire fear in the Jedi and Sith alike.

"The Jedi is mine," the lead pilot added as he focused his sights upon Atro's X-wing. After obtaining a lock on his X-wing, the lead pilot recalibrate the targeting computer manually and squeezed tightly on the trigger. A barrage of green laser fire flew at Atro as the rest of lead pilot's wing men also began to fire upon the convoy.

==========

Craft: TIE Advanced x1
Pilot: ????

Chassis: 100
Shields: 50
Capacitance: 150-20
Focus: 114

==========

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+2 Targeting

==========

x2 Rapid Fire (x4 Laser Bolts (20 Damage each)

==========

OCC: Just moving things along. I think the Theta-class shuttle has pilot and gunner functions so Shika has to choose between piloting (Maneuvering Expertise and Freighter Type Proficiency) versus shooting (Targeting Expertise). You guys will also have to decide the next move you want to learn and work it out as a flashback.

[Shika2k]

“We’re taking fire, we need more people at the cannons!” the pilot of Rish’s Lambda-shuttle spoke through the intercom. Not wasting any time, Rish, along with 5 other of the troops being transported, took the cannons and started blasting away at any moving enemy ship. Rish took one of the GA-60s twin laser cannons located at the ship’s rear. That’s where they would need the most protection when taking the ship down through Serenno’s atmosphere, he figured. After all, that’s where they were supposed to go.

As he kept the trigger pressed on the twin cannons, he felt something - dark and very familiar. Although he had no idea where it was coming from.

=============

[Flashback]

“I felt like I was being dominated by his aggressive style. I could not defend against his blows with just Shii-Cho. Shii-Cho was too slow… too basic. Too inadequate,”

“Inadequate? So you think that it is the style of fighting that in the end determines the victor? It is how you use it. This is why you are required to have knowledge of all forms before you can be accepted as a Jedi Knight. With knowledge of all forms, you can adapt to any situation.”

“I’m sorry, master Horn. I did not mean any disrespect,” Rish apologized, looking down at the ground in slight shame of his previous statement.

“It seems to me that you want to learn a defensive form of lightsaber combat, am I right?” Jedi Master Corran Horn inquired.

“Yes, master,” Rish responded.

“Well, there are two generally defensive forms of lightsaber combat. These are form three and form two – Soresu and Makashi respectively. While Soresu, the most defensive of the seven forms, has been adapted to defend against blaster fire, Makashi is the ultimate refinement of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. Makashi relies on timing, accuracy and skill while Soresu relies on quickness, cunning, and patience to trap the opponent in their own offense.”

“From your explanation, Soresu sounds like the form I wish to learn,”

=============

During his flashback induced by the dark presence in the Force, Rish had unknowingly managed to damage one of the enemy 'eyeballs'. What was amazing, though, was that he had not hit any republic ships.

==========

+1 Targetting

[Ryoku]

"Lieutenant Pos, eyeballs approaching from above," Atro heard as he felt a dark presence wash over him. It became obvious to him that there was another Force-sensitive within one of the TIE fighters, a TIE Advanced. It had two of the Fighter craft flanking it on either side, creating a loose triangular formation with the Advanced at the point, moving at full speed towards Atro.

"This is Lieutenant Pos to squadron, take out that TIE's wingmen. Do not engage the lead pilot until the wingmen are down. I will harry him until we have our numbers secured." As he spoke over the channel, he was engaged by the enemy Force-sensitive with four consecutive shots. "You won't defeat me with brute force alone..."

==========

"Makashi?"

"Yes master, Makashi." Atro's recollection of him standing before Master Horn was a lot longer than it had actually been, though it was a major decision, the choice to actually seek to obtain a second form of Lightsaber combat, and was one that potentially affected how one developed as a Jedi.

"What do you seek to learn Makashi for?"

"I have pieced together scant information about the duel that took place during our big mission, before I joined the service. While I wasn't the one that had to stave off the Dark Jedi, I don't want to be put in a situation where I will be poorly prepared to take on another duelist." He remembered how the Jedi Master looked at him, as if peering into his soul. He couldn't defend against it properly, couldn't mask his feelings properly, he wasn't aware of how to do so, so the following question was obviously coming.

"What else do you seek to learn this form for?"

"As a pilot, master. I feel that even though it's steeped in lightsaber to lightsaber combat, I can adapt it to piloting fighter craft. To understand the mechanics of the ebb and flow of combat, to maximize my performance when I'm on an equal footing. I wish to learn so that I can do my best instead of relying on a lucky performance."

==========

Although he had sparsely began practice as a Form II user, the basic tenets of the form were enough for him. With Force-aided elegance, he rotated released fire as he rotated his craft, the fuselage dodging fire narrowly and other fire passing on either side of his wings. As they did, he released another set of fire at the TIE Advanced. Although he was shooting to harry, he was not going to waste his time: unless avoided these shots were made with the intent to neutralize the enemy.

[sai]

Using the Force, the pilot of the TIE Advanced performed a barrel roll to easily dodge all of the laser bolts that Atro shot at him. His two wing men in their standard TIE/In fighters had also slipped past the laser fire of Atro's subordinates for the shuttle. The lead pilot had quickly realized that engaging the X-wing escorts would be too time consuming and risky so the Imperials had switched their focus on the two shuttles instead. In addition, by threatening the safety of the ground reinforcements, it would allow the Imperial space forces to thin the numbers of the two squadrons sent to assist the Republic fleet orbiting Serenno.

"Crimson and Black Wing, focus all firepower on the shuttles," the lead pilot ordered in his mechanical voice which was quickly followed by affirmatives from each of the respective squadron leaders.

The lead Imperial pilot obtained a target lock on the cockpit of one of the shuttles where he felt a familiar Force presence coming from and unleashed a barrage of laser fire. The combined firepower from the remaining twenty three Imperial fighters had a good chance of taking out the ground reinforcements.

==========

"Lieutenant Pos, they're aiming everything at the shuttles. What should we do?," a frustrated X-wing pilot asked over the intercomm. The Empire had used the same tactic to devastating results on the Battle of Telos IV by aiming at the civilian population and forcing the First Fleet to protect the planet. The aftermath of that particular battle saw thousands of Republic warships annihilated by hundreds of Imperial warships.

==========

"Captain Zalk, the Imperials have managed to land a single AT-AT on the surface. It is heading for the shield generator. It's only a matter of time before they breach our positions," the hologram of the garrison officer updated Rish on what to expect as the shuttle shock violently from the barrages of laser fire from the Imperial fighter squadrons.

==========

Craft: TIE Advanced x1
Pilot: ????

Chassis: 100
Shields: 50
Capacitance: 130-20+10
Focus: 114-10

==========

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+1 Targeting
+1 Mind

==========

x1 Rapid Fire (x2 Laser Bolts (20 Damage each)

==========

OCC: Keep track of what you use, Ryoku (X-Wing Stats). I'm assuming it's Force Sense (-10 FOC, +1 Mind) to dodge the laser bolts and Rapid Fire (+1 Targeting) for returned fire. As for Shika, assume for the duration of the trip to the atmosphere, that you have all of the X-Wing's attack minus the proton torpedo. Let's assume the trip to Serenno's atmosphere would take 2 more posts each from you and Ryoku. To learn your moves, you each need one more flashback post.

[Shika2k]

“Captain Zalk, the Imperials have managed to land a single AT-AT on the surface. It is heading for the shield generator. It's only a matter of time before they breach our positions,” the hologram of the garrison officer updated Rish on what to expect as the shuttle shock violently from the barrages of laser fire from the Imperial fighter squadrons.

“We’ve run into a bit of trouble of our own up here. We will be with you shortly. Do anything you can to stall the AT-AT or even destroy it! Do not – I repeat – do not let them destroy the shield generator!”

“Roger that. We will do our best, Captain,” the garrison officer acknowledged Rish’s orders and the hologram disappeared with a flicker.

“Start descending to the atmosphere. We are of little use up here,” Rish spoke to the ship’s pilot through the intercomm located on his left wrist while keeping his eyes fixed on the extremely fast TIE’s outside. He locked his focus on one of them as he started charging one of the cannons while keeping the trigger on the other tightly squeezed. He knew he had landed a few of his shots, and it was not far until it could be shot down.

Even though the proton torpedoes he had in the X-Wing was better suited for this, the charged shot would have to make due. Although, there was one problem: proton torpedoes could be maneuvered, charged shots traveled in a straight line. As the TIE was maneuvering very erratically, it was very difficult for Rish to determine where it would go.

He took one deep breath and slowly exhaled as he reached through the Force for aid. After a few seconds, he could almost determine the TIE’s next move. Using a mix of his own intuition and guidance from the Force, he pressed the trigger of his right cannon, sending a few charged shots flying in high speed at its target. As a few of the shots landed, the pilot of the TIE lost control of his ship, spinning out of control, finally crashing into a Imperial capital ship.

“This was much easier with an X-Wing,” Rish said as he looked for another TIE he could shoot down before descending through the atmosphere.

==========

Focus: 95/105

==========

+2 Targetting (Rapid Fire + Charged Shot)
+1 Mind

(Saving the learning post for appropriate time)

[Ryoku]

"In order to understand Makashi, you must understand that there is more to combat than simply landing a blow. It is a constant ebb and flow, each action lends itself to one that can follow it up. You must learn to position yourself just as much as the lightsaber you intend to combat your fellow duelist with."

==========

Atro exhaled as he saw the TIE fighters slip past him. With a sigh, he entered a flip as he commanded the troops. "Incoming enemies. Defense team, assume positions to absorb any blaster fire that the shuttle cannot dodge. Do not overextend yourselves. Attack team, continue focused fire on the other fighters. I will continue to engage the primary pilot."

Atro hadn't completed his flip yet, but he was already preparing his blasters. He had no current lock on any fighters, but his switches were set to fire. He spread the capacitance of his shots between all of his wings, as the Force watched over him.

==========

"You have to understand that you will not always be in the most advantageous spot, Atro."

Atro's look was scared as his Master stood over him, lightsaber alight.

"Well there was little for me to do when I'm on a downwards slope. It's much easier for you to overpower me when the terrain is to your advantage."

"Then you must learn to find an opening so you can seize the high ground. Until then, you have to defend yourself while using the least amount of energy, allow one parry to flow into the next. Remember, while parrying is a wise way to defend against an opponent of equal strength, an opponent of greater strength will just barrage you until you are overcome. You must not trade hits, you must allow a single defense to work against their multiple offenses, all while making some headway into a better position."

Atro sprung off his hands behind the Jedi Master. He wasn't sure that the Jedi Master had forseen it, but he couldn't wait to assume that he had not. His lightsaber ignited in his hand as he now had the high ground, assuming an opening stance with his blade pointing downwards to intercept attacks. The Jedi Master smiled as their blades crashed against each other once again.

==========

He knew that his opponent's craft was going to travel, for the most part, in a linear fashion to close in on the shuttle. He released his shots as he was coming out of the loop to arrive where his combatant would, while his later shots were made to be a threat to the pilot even sooner. "This is Lieutenant Pos to shuttle, how're you handling?"

==========

Fighter Stats

Chassis: 100/100
Shield: 100/100 [+10 per turn]
Capacitance: 80/100 [+10 per turn]
Proton Torpedo: 3/3

Pilot Stats

Focus: 110/120

==========

Used Rapid Fire followed by another Rapid Fire.

Last Turn
+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+1 Targetting
+1 Mind

This Turn
+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+2 Targetting

[sai]

==========

To the surprise of the Zabrak Jedi, the Force-sensitive Imperial pilot had decided to risk the damage to his space craft in order to further damage the two shuttles. Interpreting the readouts from the X-Wing sensors, Atro's astromech, Exo reported that the TIE Advanced x1's shields were down and radiator panels were damaged. Unfortunately for the two shuttles, the few shots fired by the lead Imperial pilot were much more potent and caused much more damage than anticipated. Both shuttles were venting something that left a visible trail as the atmosphere grew denser around the combatants.

"This is Lieutenant Pos to shuttle, how are you handling?," the Zabrak Jedi inquired.

"Shields down. Vertical stabilizers gone. One more shot to a critical system and we're in for a rough landing, Lieutenant," the pilot of the second shuttle reported.

Rish's shuttle had yet to give a reply as the two Imperial TIE squadrons throttled behind the shuttles with the intent on finishing them off. It was evident that the single X-Wing squadron assigned to shield the shuttles weren't sufficient enough to absorb the laser fire from the TIE fighters. The Imperials were clearly aiming for a riskier approach by focusing all firepower on the shuttles and had taken more losses compared to their Republic counterparts as a result.

"Lieutenant Pos, we miscalculated. The Imps are betting everything on taking out the shuttles. What do we do?," the squadron leader of the defensive X-Wing squadron asked.

Static could be heard over the intercomm as one of the X-Wing pilots frantically attempted to regain contact with Rish's shuttle. In war, intelligence was everything. Knowing the extent of the damage done to the Kel Dor Jedi's shuttle would allow for better calls from their fighter escort.

"Captain Zalk, do you read me? What is the situation with your shuttle?," the pilot inquired.

==========

As the laser fire ripped across the fast-paced descent of the shuttles, the lead Imperial pilot had maneuvered his TIE Advanced in a trajectory towards Rish's shuttle to put it out of its misery. Although half of the alarms were going off, the fighter was still holding together due to input that Lord Vader had on the TIE Advanced project.

"Finish off the shuttles. If the X-Wings move into position to protect the shuttles, take out as many as you can and rejoin the space assault. I will personally take care of the ground reinforcements," the lead pilot ordered in his mechanical voice. The damage to the radiator panels meant that the fighter was overheating so the next few shots could possibly be the last for the fighter.

"It will be done, my lord," the two squadron leaders affirmatively acknowledged the order.

==========

Craft: TIE Advanced x1
Pilot: ????

Chassis: 100-30
Shields: 50-40-10
Capacitance: 120-20-20
Focus: 104

==========

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+2 Targeting

==========

x2 Charged Shots (60 Damage @ Each Shuttle)

==========

OCC: Ryoku learns Form II. One more post for Shika to learn Form III. And one post from each of you guys for the landing sequence to be complete. The possible results of the landing sequence for the ground assault are a. crash landing -> ground reinforcement loses half of its strength or b. safe landing -> make it to the shield generator to help defend it. The starfighter squadrons (Ryoku's call) have the options of a. providing full fire support for the ground assault, b. participate in the ongoing space battle or c. bleed off one squadron to support Shika's forces.

The force-sensitive lead pilot has dealt considerable damage to both shuttles by ignoring the rapid fire from Atro's X-Wing. Shika, you will have to decide the extent of the damage done to your shuttle. Bear in mind, you're venting something so whether it is good or bad depends on your choice. Ryoku will have to make the final call which will decide whether it is a crash landing or safe landing..

==========

Total Kills:
Atro Pos - 4 (4 for Tiss'sharl and 0 for Serenno so far)
Rish Zalk - 4 (2 for Tiss'sharl and 2 for Serenno so far)

[Shika2k]

“They’re everywhere! We need to go faster, or this ship will be blown to pieces!” Rish ordered the pilot of his ship.

“I’m doing all I can to hold this baby together. Any faster and we will meet the same fate,” the pilot responded, keeping his eyes fixed on the planet below.

The TIEs were swarming around the shuttles, doing everything in their power to take them down. According to the report of the second shuttle, their stabilizers were gone and their shields were down – a nightmare for the average pilot.

Meanwhile, the communications officer along with an astromech on Rish’s shuttle was trying to set up a communication link with the others as it had been severely damaged in the last TIE attack on the shuttle. Not a second too late, a link could be established and a voice could be heard through the occasional static.

“Captain Zalk, do you read me? What is the situation with your shuttle?”

“We lost you there for a moment, but I read you.” Rish reported through the comlink. “Shields are down, and we’ve lost about a third of our critical systems. The hyperdrive and the shield generators have been disabled. Either we’re very lucky, or we’ll be going down harder than expected.”

[Ryoku]

Atro gritted his teeth as the fighter before him dodged none of the shots, optimizing his firepower against the shuttles. He needed to provide support to the shuttles, but he couldn't accompany them all the way down or he'd be neglecting the ongoing war effort in space.

"Rish, I'm sending some units your way. They'll provide air support for you." Atro was speaking through a through a link to him as he assigned the earlier Defense Squadron to assist the shuttles in securing a safe landing and providing them air support until recalled. "As for the rest of you, let's get that damn eye," he said, releasing another torrent of shots at the mysterious force-user.

==========

Fighter Stats

Chassis: 100/100
Shield: 100/100 [+10 per turn]
Capacitance: 70/100 [+10 per turn]
Proton Torpedo: 3/3

Pilot Stats

Focus: 110/120

==========

Used Rapid Fire followed by another Rapid Fire.

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+2 Targeting

[sai]

POV: Defense Squadron

The two shuttles broke through the cloud cover thereby gaining a clear view of the Imperial ground assault spearheaded by a single AT-AT. Parallel trenches were dug out to slow the advance of Imperial stormtroopers as the Republic garrison remained holed up in the stronghold rumored to once belong to the infamous Count Dooku. A planetary shield generator was built into the center of the stronghold and reinforced further by permacrete thereby requiring a direct assault to disable.

"Lieutenant Pos, I have visual on the AT-AT. It's getting within range of the outer wall," the squadron leader of the Defense Squadron reported.

"Sir, we've just lost our propulsion system. I'm gliding her into the hangar. Brace for landing," the pilot of the second shuttle yelled. With the vertical stabilizers destroyed by TIE fighters, there was very little the pilot could do to correct for the altitude.

==========

POV: Mysterious Force User

Power was briefly restored to the deflector shields of the TIE Advanced x1 before fizzling out from the impact of one of Atro's laser bolts. Another three laser bolts from Atro further damaged the titanium hull of the mysterious force user's space craft. Drawing upon the Force, the mysterious force user shifted his fighter abruptly into the path of Rish's shuttle away from Atro's continual laser fire. The stress from the maneuver yanked out even more hull platings from the TIE Advanced x1 turning it into deadly shrapnel shards for the X-Wings in pursuit. With the aid of the Force, the mysterious force user released a charged shot directly into the cockpit of Rish's shuttle before maneuvering sharply out of the way.

==========

POV: Rish's Shuttle

Although the impact from the shot didn't damage the structural integrity of the cockpit, the pilot and co-pilot were knocked unconscious. Smoke obscured the viewport of the shuttle making it virtually impossible for anyone aside from a Force sensitive to land the shuttle. Rish could feel the Force presence of the mysterious Force user and had quickly determined that it was possible for him to take a shot at the mysterious Force user's space craft. After taking the shot, there was still enough time to take control of the shuttle and utilize the Force to land the shuttle in one piece. The option of taking the shot would determine how many of his men would be killed or injured in a crash landing. As the Kel Dor's mind struggled between his choices, the voice of the pilot of the second shuttle boomed over the intercomm.

"All hands accounted for. We've glided safely into the hangar."

==========

POV: Offense Squadron

"Pull up!," Atro's wing man yelled as the mysterious Force user utilized the damage caused by the Zabrak Jedi to leave a deadly trail of shrapnel. The brief evasive action caused the offense squadron to lose sight of the mysterious Force user's space craft. It was only after seeing smoke coming out of the nose of Rish's shuttle did Atro regain a visual on his opponent. Being a mechanic himself, Atro could tell that the damage to the TIE Advanced x1 would render it unable to participate any further in the battle.

"All hands accounted for. We've glided safely into the hangar," the pilot of the second shuttle reported to the cheers of the fighter pilots.

Before the Zabrak Jedi could inquire on the status of his fellow apprentice, the miniature hologram of his master in front of his viewport. The transmission was evidently coming from one of the capital ships that was engaging the enemy in space as Master Horn wore a flight suit as well.

"Atro, we need you up here. You've done all you can as an escort," the hologram of his master stated as the TIE squadrons that were shooting at the shuttles had already pulled up after damaging the propulsion system of the second shuttle.

==========

Craft: TIE Advanced x1
Pilot: ????

Chassis: 70-30
Shields: 0+10-10
Capacitance: 80
Focus: 104-20

==========

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+1 Targeting
+1 Mind

==========

x1 Force Sense (Dodge First Rapid Fire from Atro)
x1 Charged Shot (60 Damage @ Rish's Shuttle)

==========

OCC: Shika, you have two options: a. you take the shot and knock down the mysterious Force user's space craft as well and go for the controls of the ship or b. you run for the controls right away and land the shuttle. In the first option, you would basically delay the mysterious Force user from approaching the Republic garrison and at the same time lose half of your men either by injuries or deaths. In the second option, both the mysterious Force user and you would land safely without additional injuries. In such case, you would be able to determine where you land so you can possibly take out the AT-AT which is a largely threat at the moment. The AT-AT has the speeder bikes from Episode VI so you can reach the garrison in time assuming you take out the AT-AT intact.

Ryoku, you can probably take pot shots at the mysterious Force user but he's out of the space component of the battle. The TIE squadrons are rejoining the fight in space so it is tactically better to follow after them. You can probably take a few down as they break clear of the atmosphere and rejoin the fight above.

[Shika2k]

'He's close,' Rish thought as he sensed the presence of the mysterious Force user. He could not spot the ship, as the view was limited by the smoke coming from all parts of the ship after the last attack. He quickly pondered his alternatives. He could take the chance to try to shoot the Force user down or focus completely on taking the ship down safely. The Force user still posed a threat to the ship, but he determined it was far more important to bring the ship and his men down safely no matter what happened on the way down. He was the only one who was capable of doing it.

He knew the force user would get away, but at this point it was worth it. There were far more important things happening on the surface of Serenno.

"I'm taking her down, keep an eye out for hostiles. Fire at will," Rish said to the gunners as he gripped the controls of the ship. He called upon the Force to be his eyes as he did his best to try to get the ship down safely. Smoke had also started to fill the inside of the ship.

"Roger that, Captain,"

"All hands accounted for. We've glided safely into the hangar," Rish heard the pilot of the second shuttle speak through the intercom.

He knew most of the critical systems had been lost after the last attack, but he had to contact anyone on the ground to request a status update. Several attempts… without any luck. Apparently the incoming messages went through, but the outgoing did not.

'Guess I'll have to hope for the best…'

==========

+1 Mind
+1 Maneuver
+1 Light Transport

==========

Focus: 85/105

[Ryoku]

Atro watched as the shrapnel flew by him harmlessly. However, regardless of whether his opponent intended it or not, it provided enough distance between the two of them to make properly targeting his foe, especially assisted by the Force, hopeless.

"Attack Squadron, redirect yourselves and prepare to exit the atmosphere. We're returning to the fight above." Atro wouldn't anger his master by needlessly engaging his opponent any further. As great a threat as he may have been, it wasn't worth the effort or sacrifice as the Officer in Charge.

As they were pulling out of the atmosphere, Atro noticed the TIE fighters still making their way out as well. Unfortunately for them, they weren't oriented to attack. "Atro, we've got eyeballs dead ahead. Orders?" came the voice of his wingman.

"Attack."

==========

Fighter Stats

Chassis: 100/100
Shield: 100/100 [+10 per turn]
Capacitance: 50/100 [+10 per turn]
Proton Torpedo: 3/3

Pilot Stats

Focus: 110/120

==========

Used Rapid Fire followed by Charged Shot on <insert any one TIE fighter here>.

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type
+2 Targeting

[sai]

POV: Rish's Shuttle

Rish struggled with both the controls of the heavily damaged shuttle and the smoke filling the cabin while relying on the Force to 'see' what laid ahead. The navigator had begun to count down the measured altitude reading of the falling shuttle in order to give the Kel Dor Jedi Apprentice enough information to land safely. As the shuttle continued its descent, the Kel Dor Jedi could feel the AT-AT up ahead backed by hundreds of Imperial stormtroopers. From his Special Forces training, the Kel Dor understood that if they would need cover of some sort if they were to land close to the AT-AT in the middle of the Imperial formation. The smoke coming from the front of the shuttle would be sufficient to provide a minute of confusion among the Imperial forces.

"Captain Rish, the AT-AT is now in range of the outer defenses. We have you on visual as well. You're heading straight for the AT-AT.," the commanding officer of the reinforcements from the second shuttle reported over the intercom. Rish could feel the firepower of the chin mount laser cannons coming from the mechanical behemoth through the Force.

==========

Atro's offense squadron were able to destroy two TIE fighters before they had completely pulled out of the gravity well of the planet and the dense atmosphere. The blue skies and white clouds quickly gave way to a massive space battle between two fleets exchanging green and red laser fire. Before the Zabrak Jedi could ask for orders from his master, static began to fill the intercom channel. It was evident that the Imperials had turned on their signal jamming device making it difficult to communicate with ships that were a significant distance away.

In his brief officer training course, the Zabrak had learned that the normal procedure was told to reestablish contact with his superiors as soon as possible. In such a case, he would have to fly into the thick of the fighting and get close enough to the flagship of the Fleet to reestablish contact. Otherwise he could simply take orders from one of the warships nearby. As Atro weighed his options, the presence of a single Imperial Interdictor Star Destroyer at the flank of the Republic formation made him extra wary...

==========

POV: Mysterious Force User

Straining hard against the controls, the pilot of the TIE Advanced attempted to maneuver the damaged fighter to a position closer to the Republic stronghold. The fluids that were being vented were the coolant which caused the reactor to overheat quickly in its absence. Considerable damage was done by Atro to the control system in his last shot at the Force user's fighter. Much of the remaining power was diverted to the repulsorlift system in order to cushion the landing of the space craft. The first contact with the ground came hard and fast causing the space craft to bounce a few more times before the repulsorlift system stabilized the spacecraft in front of what appeared to be a farmhouse.

The Force user exited the wreckage of his space craft shortly after crashing without injuries due to the structural stability of the chassis. Surveying his surroundings, the Force user caught sight of a landspeeder that was surrounded by a group of teenagers watching the ground assault unfolding ahead. Like a hunter stalking his prey, the Force user stealthily crept up behind the teenagers before igniting the crimson blade of his lightsaber...

==========

Craft: TIE Advanced x1
Pilot: ????

Chassis: 40
Shields: 0+10
Capacitance: 80
Focus: 84

==========

+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type

==========

OCC: Shika, Force Sense would be what you're using to get the shuttle down. If you approach the AT-AT, you can probably find a way to eliminate it as an obstacle. If you move out of the way, you would have to outrun the AT-AT to the base and find another way to guard against it. Ryoku, either fly into the middle of the fighting and take a few TIEs down or ask for orders from a nearby ship and take a few TIEs down as well. There is a third option if you get the hint.

[Ryoku]

Atro grimaced as the static filled his ears, scanning the battlefield as he spotted his master's ship. In the background, he heard his wingman ask for directions as he scanned the battle. They were relatively in calm waters, no fighter craft around them, most likely taken care of by the Republic Fleet before them acting as a buffer. However, his eyes narrowed as he saw the bulbous appearance of an Interdictor vessel.

From what he could gather, Admiral Thrawn had used these for some tactical reasons in the past, although the only special thing about them was their ability to produce a gravity well. Atro didn't have much experience in how gravity wells worked, but even without such knowledge he knew that even if he couldn't think of their use, this Admiral had years more experience and just as much more cunning. Instead of trying to figure out what it was doing trying to flank the Republic ships, he was going to make sure the plan failed.

"Attack Squadron, begin to move towards your starboard side, following my lead. There appears to be an Imperial craft that's flanking our ships. I won't pretend to be versed in what this craft is capable of other than producing a gravity well, which I personally know little of, so unless anybody has any information that they can provide, we'll need to go into this with caution."

He opened the floor for any information that his fellow pilots could provide. Although he was in the command of the squadron, he wasn't going to fall into the trap of pride and fly in with high hopes and no actual prowess when someone, despite their lower rank, could very well have the knowledge he was looking for.

[Shika2k]

“Captain Rish, the AT-AT is now in range of the outer defenses. We have you on visual as well. You're heading straight for the AT-AT,”

“Roger that. We will rendezvous with you shortly. There’s one thing we need to take care of,”

Rish did not have much of a choice; he was going down pretty hard and it was going to be very close to the attacking Imperial Forces. He decided to land on the AT-AT’s left side, somewhat behind the Imperial Forces. This would minimize the blaster fire they would take since the AT-AT could not turn its head more than 90 degrees. It would also provide a cover from the Imperial infantry on the right side of the AT-AT. If he was lucky, he would be able to take out a couple of infantry soldiers as he landed.

Unfortunately, this meant they were going to fighting in an open area far away from the Republic stronghold. But it also meant that the Imperial Forces were going to have to deal with being attacked from two sides. Hopefully that would give the Republic Forces some advantage.

“Brace yourselves, were going in for a hard landing. When we touchdown, we are going to be taking fire. Lay low and do not return fire before I say so. The smoke will provide a moment of confusion. I’m going to need you to cover me while I deal with the walker, understood?” he ordered the men in the shuttle, hoping there was no trigger-happy soldier on board that would attract attention from the enemy.

“Roger that, Captain,”

“Alright, hold on… We’ll be touching down in 5…4...” Rish squeezed the controls in anticipation of the hard landing while he did his best to keep the ship flying straight. “3…2…1…”

---

“Is everybody alright?” Rish asked, coughing. The ship was full of smoke and debris and the windows had been shattered by the impact.

“Ye-”

The second in command did not get any time to respond until the Imperial Forces had started shooting in their direction. “Everybody, get down!” He whispered loudly to his men in the ship. “Remember, do not fire before my mark,”

A few moments later, the incoming blaster fire had died down. Rish looked through the shattered windows through the smoke and saw a group of stormtroopers coming their way to inspect the wreckage.

“There are ten, maybe more, stormtroopers coming our way. Attack on my mark. I will head directly for the AT-AT. Whatever you do, don’t get in its way.”

“Will do, Captain. And good luck,”

Rish nodded and started counting down, waiting for the stormtroopers to get close enough for a surprise attack. “3…2…1… Attack!”

On his mark, the soldiers in the ship stormed out towards the incoming group of stormtroopers as Rish sneaked out from the other side of the ship and made his way towards the AT-AT. His men would have to take care of themselves for a while, while he took care of the gigantic metallic beast that posed the largest threat.

The closer he got to the walker, the more it started to look like a machine and became much less intimidating. As the back leg of the walker was on its way up, Rish grabbed one of the toe flaps and pulled his way up so he could stand on the AT-AT’s foot. From there, he would make his way up the leg onto its body.

Not even Rish knew where he would go from there…

==========

+1 Mind
+1 Maneuver
+1 Light Transport

==========

Focus: 75/105

[sai]

"Attack Squadron, begin to move towards your starboard side, following my lead. There appears to be an Imperial craft that's flanking our ships. I won't pretend to be versed in what this craft is capable of other than producing a gravity well, which I personally know little of, so unless anybody has any information that they can provide, we'll need to go into this with caution."

"Interdictor Star Destroyers are used primarily to prevent hit and run operations from the time of the Rebellion. I can't see why it's exposed on the ...," one of the X-Wing pilots noted before being cut off by an alarm.

"I've detected spacecrafts coming out of hyperspace, Lieutenant," another X-Wing pilot reported. To the starboard side, the two squadrons of TIE Bombers had just arrived in close proximity to the Interdictor Star Destroyer. It was evident that the Interdictor Star Destroyer was placed into position in order to coordinate strikes at the vulnerable positions of the Republic fleet formation.

"They're heading for our capital ships!," a third X-Wing pilot noted from the calculated trajectory of the bomber crafts. The rear deflector shields of the Republic capital ships were vulnerable due to much of the power being diverted to forward deflector shields.

"Atro ... zzzz ... where are you ... zzzzz .... we need more ... fighters .... zzzz to push into the center ...," the hologram of Atro's master flickered on and off from the static caused by Imperial jamming equipment.

The young Zabrak Jedi was left with a pivotal decision that could very much decide how the space battle would unfold. He could choose to follow orders and assist in the breakthrough at the center or he could take out the bombers from behind to reduce their threat to the Republic fleet. A third obscure choice was taking out the Interdictor Star Destroyer which was in itself a gamble on whether it would be used to bring more ships into the fray.

==========

The ground forces was doing slightly better due to Rish's decision to put the ship down near the rear of the Imperial ground assault. Under the cover of the smoking wreckage of the shuttle, the Republic Special Forces had taken out many of the stormtroopers sent to investigate the wreckage. The Special Forces were experts in guerrilla warfare and had training in disrupting the enemy's lines so their presence could cause the Imperial ground assault commander to divert some manpower from the forward push.

Meanwhile, Rish remained on one of the AT-AT's foot as he considered how to climb up far enough to take the AT-AT out of the picture. Each movement of the AT-AT caused the ground to reverberate and the metal on metal friction gave a mechanical hum. The Kel Dor Jedi understood that he would have to make his move soon or risk being sighted by a stormtrooper and being shot at. Equipments that he had brought for the mission include his lightsaber, blaster pistol, thermal detonators (3) and a liquid-cable launcher. While the liquid-cable launcher would make the climbing an easy task, it was a one-time use equipment. Rish knew that he could rely on the Force to time his maneuvers and position his way up to the top.

==========

OCC: Ryoku, you have the three choices outlined above. If you wish, you can delay the choice and utilize the Force to foresee what is possible - ie whether there would be more ships entering the fray. Shika, you can either use the cable or utilize the Force - Sense and Jump to time your move upwards.

[Shika2k]

Rish grabbed his liquid cable launcher from his utility belt. The movement of the AT-AT was making it hard to aim properly, and the fact that he had not used a cable launcher before didn’t make things any easier.

When there was something he could not do on his own, there was always the Force to rely on. Rish calmed his breathing and felt the Force rushing through him. Almost as if the time had slowed down, he could now time the launch of the cable better. He raised his arm and pulled the trigger. A liquid substance shot out of the reservoir but quickly solidified as the spike embedded itself into the side AT-AT’s body.

He gave the cable a few tugs and started pulling himself up. Before he knew it, he was at the end of the line, and he pulled himself up the last few meters and stood on top of the AT-AT, able to get an overlook of the whole battlefield. His men were doing pretty good on the ground, but the defending Republic Forces was at a major disadvantage with the gigantic AT-AT spitting blaster fire at them with high accuracy.

Rish quickly realized he would have to work fast, or the stronghold would soon be overrun by Imperial Forces. If the AT-AT managed to get within range of the shield generators, the whole battle would be over, both on the ground and in space. With a few leaps, he made his way to the head of the metallic beast. He took out his lightsaber and cut a small hole through the neck – the weak spot - of the walker, threw two thermal detonators down the hole and closed the hole again, making it nearly impossible for the people inside to get rid of them.

Rish ran back quickly, hoping he had enough time to take the same way down as he came up before the walker exploded.

==========

+1 Mind

==========

Focus: 65/105

[Ryoku]

Atro swore as he watched several bombers exit hyperspace, directly prepared to flank one of the Republic capital ships. "Take those bombers out before they get to our ships, Squadron!" he said, his foils charging as they released a pinpointed barrage on one of the bombers as he tried to scout the future.

He wanted to take down the Interdictor before it called in any further troops, but if none were coming it would all be for naught, and the bombers would get their free raid on the capital ships. As they neared the flanks of the Republic ship, Atro tried to obtain a connection with the ship, hailing it several times in a desperate attempt to obtain audio/visual connection.

==========

Fighter Stats

Chassis: 100/100
Shield: 100/100 [+10 per turn]
Capacitance: 50/100 [+10 per turn]
Proton Torpedo: 3/3

Pilot Stats

Focus: 105/120

==========

Used Force Sense and Charged Shot.

+1 Mind
+1 Targeting
+1 Maneuver
+1 Fighter Type

[sai]

POV: Ground Assault

Rish could feel the vibrations rippling across the hull of the AT-AT as a result of the explosion and the ensuing deaths of the majority of the crew via the Force. Before the Kel Dor Jedi could get back to the cable and lower himself down to the ground, the AT-AT began to fall forward due to loss of control. The mechanical stress felt by the front legs gave off a ear-piercing screech before finally giving way and mechanically deforming. Smoke could be seen coming out of the cockpit of the AT-AT boosting the morale of the besieged Republic defenders and lowering the morale of the Imperial ground forces.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the escape route via the cable was unfeasible due to the likelihood of being pancaked by the falling AT-AT. There were two possible escape routes for the Kel Dor Jedi, the first which requires maintaining balance on the AT-AT's head and falling along with it and the second which requires extracting a speeder from the falling AT-AT and riding it to safety. The first option was not very attractive due to the head of the AT-AT being close to the bulk of the Imperial ground forces. The second option was a bit trickier and required both excellent timing and confidence in one's piloting skills.

"Captain Rish, good job on the AT-AT. We have what appears to be a civilian land speeder heading straight for our barricaded southern entrance. We're firing at it but it's been dodging our laser fire...," a garrison officer reported. Rish could hear little bits of chatter in the background and was particularly alarmed by talks about a red lightsaber blade.

==========

POV: Mysterious Force User

The single land speeder cruised towards the Republic stronghold and zigzagged across the mine fields while dodging laser fire from the garrison itself. The pilot hurled his red bladed lightsaber skillfully into auto-turrets set up to maximize casualties among the Imperial ground forces. The sight of smoke emerging out of the AT-AT's head caused the mysterious force user to contact the Imperial strike force commander. A connection was patched through just as the force user's lightsaber returned back to his right hand in a boomerang fashion.

"My lord ... cough ... we're having ... cough ... some difficulties ...," the commander reported as his surviving crew attempted to regain control of the AT-AT. The smoke from the damaged circuitry prevented the surviving crew members from realizing that the AT-AT was falling forward.

"You have failed me, Colonel," the force user stated angrily as he telekinetically choked the life out of his subordinate from afar. The loss of the AT-AT was met with much anger from the force user who was intent on disabling the planetary shield generator personally.

==========

POV: Space Battle

"Lieutenant Pos, we have you on Channel Five-Oh-Four," a technician from the closest capital ship answered back to the relief of the attack squadron. The signal to Atro's master was slightly strengthened due to the more powerful receptor dish and broadcaster unit abroad the capital ship.

"You've got TIE Bombers heading for the stern of the formation," one of Atro's wing men reported.

"Affirmative, we'll have all our ships divert firepower to the aft shields. You have to take those bombers out because we need all the power we can get focused on the Imperial ships ahead," the technician answered back. There was still no reply from Atro who focused on drawing upon the Force to determine whether the Interdictor would call in further reinforcements.

==========

OCC: Shika, two possible options - a. Balance yourself on the head of the AT-AT and fall with it. You will have fight your way through the mass of stormtroopers up ahead. b. Go for the hangar or storage bay of speeders on the AT-AT. Get one on the ground and pilot your way from being crushed as the AT-AT falls. Ryoku, check your PM. I've given you a vision of what would happen if the Interdictor isn't destroyed.

[Ryoku]

As the vision faded from his mind, Atro's eyes winced almost as if in pain.

"Tech, this is Lieutenant Pos. I'm going to need you to pass this message to your Commanding Officer: The Interdictor to your starboard is getting ready to use the gravity well to bring in a large number of reinforcements, exact number unknown, so please prepare to adapt to that situation accordingly. Further, if you can get a message transferred to Master Horn, let him know about this as well."

As he got confirmation from the tech, he watched the two squadrons before him, preparing for a bombing run. Gritting his teeth, he raised a switch as a targeting reticule lowered itself. "Sir?" came the voice of one of his fellow pilots.

"All hands, engage targeting reticules. Bring the bombers down with your torpedoes. You only get one shot before we disengage and take on the Interdictor, so if you manage to take out more than one with a single torpedo, drinks are on me." Atro said as he locked on to one of the bombers. Releasing his devastating payload, he disengaged, watching the trail of light as it made it's way towards the bomber, followed by the torpedoes of his squadron. "Bombs away," he said, orienting himself towards the Interdictor. "You've got balls, I'll give you that..." Atro said, his targeting reticule raising to the sound of explosions away from him. He narrowed his eyes as he faced the craft, as if sizing up an adversary. "Where does the energy for that Gravity Well come from?"

==========

Fighter Stats

Chassis: 100/100
Shield: 100/100 [+10 per turn]
Capacitance: 60/100 [+10 per turn]
Proton Torpedo: 2/3

Pilot Stats

Focus: 105/120

==========

Used Proton Torpedo.

+1 Targeting
+1 Fighter Type
+1 Maneuver

[Shika2k]

The grenades exploded inside the neck of the AT-AT and Rish realized he had no time to get back to the back of the walker to take the same way down as he had planned. As many different courses of action flickered through his mind, he heard the voice of one of the garrison officers in his ear piece,

"Captain Rish, good job on the AT-AT. We have what appears to be a civilian land speeder heading straight for our barricaded southern entrance. We're firing at it but it's been dodging our laser fire...,"

"Copy that. I'll be right there. Keep your distance, do not engage directly."

He knew immediately what he had to do. Going on foot would be too slow. The only thing that could get him to the stronghold in time was a speeder. Although Rish had never seen an AT-AT in real life, he knew the basic schematics of it and quickly moved into position at the very top of the AT-AT and started cutting a hole into the vehicle bay.

Inside the vehicle bay, he saw a still-alive crew member with blood running from his ears, nose and mouth. Lying on the floor, moaning in pain, he reached out his hand to Rish and struggled to speak,

"Help… me… please…"

Rish froze for a split-second. Not because of the fact that he was alive after the two explosions, but because he looked so young. He could not have been older than 18 standard years. Even though he was an enemy, Rish couldn't help but feel responsible and wanted to help the boy. But, as the AT-AT started shaking, he knew it would fall in only a matter of a few seconds. Either he would help they boy and face a large risk of being killed in the process, or he would leave him there and have a bigger chance of getting himself out of there safely.

Rish went against his will to help and jumped onto a speeder. After looking back to the dying boy one last time, he burst through the boarding hatch of the walker and headed straight for the Republic stronghold while ducking and weaving incoming fire from the infantry soldiers. He looked back to the AT-AT again as it hit the ground hard. Only a few seconds later, it exploded as the fire reached the fuel tank.

Rish could not help but wonder if he had the time to save the boy from a certain death.

[sai]

POV: Space Battle

"Lieutenant Pos, we're in luck. I've scrapped together a squadron to hunt down the remaining TIE Bombers. General Horn has gotten your message. I will relay the signal from his starfighter into your squadron's comm frequency," the technician reported.

"Sir, we have company," one of Atro's wing men reported as the scanners on Atro's starfighter indicated several TIE fighters were approaching the attack squadron. Several more TIE fighters could be seen flying out of the hangar bay of the Interdictor Star Destroyer.

"Sir, you might want to consider recalling the defense squadron," another pilot in Atro's squadron commented. He had enough experience dealing with Interdictor Star Destroyers to understand that each one of them had a capacity of four starfighter squadrons.

"Atro...zzz. Good, I've gotten through...zzz," the sound of Master Horn's voice was reassuring to the young Zabrak Jedi Apprentice. The static was noticeably less pronounced due to the nearby capital ship relaying priority signals across the entire fleet.

"Atro...zzz. The Interdictor places a massive drain to the main reactor...zzz so the defense should be weakened...zzz when the gravity well is turned on...zzz If the gravity well is being used...zzz to bring more reinforcement rather...zzz than keeping us from escaping, expect the Interdictor to...zzz strengthen their shields," Master Horn commented on a known vulnerability of the Interdictor.

"General, does that mean you want us to shoot when it's about to bring reinforcements in?," a pilot asked.

"That would be the optimum timing...zzz but wars never go according to plan...zzz Try to take our the Interdictor...zzz before it powers up the gravity well...zzz Atro, you've been on a Star Destroyer before...zzz so you should know where the reactors are...zzz If you can't punch through the hull...zzz, aim for the Bridge...zzz That trick is the oldest in the books," Master Horn added, taking care not to make it sound like an order. The situation could require changing plans constantly so the Coreillian Jedi Master didn't want to place impossible constraints on his apprentice.

==========

POV: Ground Assault

"Captain, we got reports of what appears to be a red lightsaber blade cutting through the outer blast doors. We're withdrawing all units from that section of the stronghold as per your orders. But there is a limit to how far we can pull back into. Our plan is to barricade and utilize the Shield Generator Chamber and Reactor Chamber as the fallback positions," a garrison officer reported through Rish's comm device which was now placed on an extension of the speeder that he was riding.

The numbers on Rish's HUD counted down the distance to the Stronghold as the Kel Dor Jedi weaved through the stormtroopers that were being cut down by laser fire from the Republic gunners from the fortress. Although the Imperial ground forces were caught off guard by the destruction of the AT-AT, the new commander evidently caught on that a Jedi had stolen a speeder. Three Imperial scouts were dispatched quickly to intercept Rish before he could successfully make it to the Stronghold. Red laser fire erupted from the three speeders as the rest of the stormtroopers began to take potshots at Rish.

==========

OCC: Ryoku, the gravity well projectors are off and the shields are powered up. You have your choices outlined in front of you for the assault on the Interdictor. If the gravity well projectors are turning on, you will have a warning around one post before. It would take another post to have the reinforcements brought in. The defense squadron if recalled will take two posts to get into position. Shika, you're on a Speeder Type vehicle which should have a means to shoot down the three speeders pursuing you if you can somehow get behind them. Otherwise a lightsaber would work if you can get close enough to them similar to Jedi Knight : Jedi Academy. Don't worry about your focus because we'll restore some number of it before the duel. You got roughly two posts till you get to the Stronghold.

[Ryoku]

Atro tried to take in all of the information at once, it was a lot to handle but he was going to manage. As soon as his Master had provided his orders, he quickly established a link with his Defense Squadron. "Sir?" came the voice of one of his pilots, a young human with the name Roed.

"Roed, I need you to establish contact with Rish. Unless he needs you, I am recalling you to accompany me in combat. Contact me with the answer as soon as possible."

"Yessir."

Atro closed the link as he re-established one with his squadron. He narrowed his eyes, becoming fixated on the Interdictor. As if by rote, his mind began pulling up schematics of the ship through direct referencing to the ship he had infiltrated before. It was relatively easy, his experience with ships in general leading to his understanding of the task before him.

It was then that he realized something critical. "Squadron, we're going to move to the underside of the Interdictor. Let's move." He knew that the bulbous gravity well projectors had caused the armament on the craft to suffer a setback, but they managed to force many of them to fit. There was only one other place that the young Jedi figured could have made room for those projectors that they had to remove: the hangar: using the gravity well projectors to pull ships from hyperspace with pinpoint accuracy meant that the Interdictor didn't need a hangar, they could just slowly pull entire fleets from hyperspace instead.

But it would be the one weakness that they wish they would have in a minute. "The Interdictor is going to pull ships from hyperspace soon, I can sense it. Be ready to attack when the time arises."

[Shika2k]

"Captain, we got reports of what appears to be a red lightsaber blade cutting through the outer blast doors. We're withdrawing all units from that section of the stronghold as per your orders. But there is a limit to how far we can pull back into. Our plan is to barricade and utilize the Shield Generator Chamber and Reactor Chamber as the fallback positions,"

"Defend that position with everything you can spare. They must not overrun that position. I'm heading for the Stronghold right now, but I'm being tailed by three hostile speeders, and I don't think I can deal with them all on my own. I'm going to need some sniper or ground support," Rish responded, still dodging blaster fire, weaving obstacles and cutting down Imperial infantry with his lightsaber while desperately trying to shake the Imperials off his tail. There was only so much he could do simultaneously.

The Republic Stronghold was getting closer every second, but the chances of making it there would increase substantially if he could get some support. He could probably take one of them out, but not all of them.

[sai]

POV: Space Battle

"The Interdictor is going to pull ships from hyperspace soon, I can sense it. Be ready to attack when the time arises."

"Sir, you've got eyeballs on your rear," one of the Atro's pilots reported as two wings of three TIE fighters each began to track Atro and his two wing men. At the moment, Atro's lone starfighter squadron were facing an enemy-to-ally ratio of 4 to 1 with the odds possibly growing in the Imperial's favor once they realize what the Republic was aiming for.

"Rookie, you got four eyeballs on your tail. Shake them over the edge of the Interdictor," one of the veterans suggested to the only rookie assigned to the Offense Squadron.

"There's too many of them. I can't ...," the rookie pilot tried to respond before being vaporized by the combined fire of the TIE fighters. Pressure began to build on the Zabrak Jedi Apprentice as the TIE fighters pursuing his group began to let loose laser fire.

"Sir, the odds are terribly against us. We need more reinforcement from the General," another veteran pilot added. Without further reinforcement and the Interdictor diverting power to its shields, the squadron would eventually succumb to the TIE fighters.

==========

x4 Rapid Fire (x8 Laser Bolts (20 Damage each)) fired at Atro's X-Wing by 2 of 6 pursuing TIE Fighter

==========

POV: Ground Assault

"Defend that position with everything you can spare. They must not overrun that position. I'm heading for the Stronghold right now, but I'm being tailed by three hostile speeders, and I don't think I can deal with them all on my own. I'm going to need some sniper or ground support"

"Affirmative, Captain. I am patching the CO of the squadron left behind by Lieutenant Pos through," one of the garrison officers replied.

"This is Sub-Lieutenant Roed. I've received word from Lieutenant Pos to support his assault in space. Do you need me down here? My squadron has been picking off stormtroopers for the rest of your group but the speeders behind you are moving too fast to take out," the starfighter pilot reported. The urgency of the situation could be felt through the Force by the Kel Dor Jedi.

Support from the stronghold came in the form of laser fire aimed at the speeders in pursuit of Rish as the Kel Dor continued to catch the stormtroopers by surprise by slashing left and right. Rish could vividly feel through the Force that his pursuers had locked the targeting reticule of their forward mounted laser cannons on his speeder. A lucky sniper shot took out one of the three pursuers causing its speeder to crash into an obstacle and erupt in a fireball. The two remaining speeders unleashed a volley of laser fire on Rish as they weaved through the chaos wrought by the Kel Dor Jedi.

==========

x4 Rapid Fire (x8 Laser Bolts (20 Damage each)) fired at Rish's Speeder. The Speeder has a Chassis value of 100 so if you can dodge 4 of the laser bolts, it could still barely make it. Force Sense can dodge 4 attacks per use but you can only use two in one post without any other action.

==========

OCC: Ryoku, I'm still holding off on the Interdictor pulling in the reinforcements since they have an odds of 4 to 1 at the moment. You'd need to request more reinforcements from Master Horn, continue dodging the TIE fighters or threaten them enough that they feel that pulling in more reinforcement is to their advantage. The first batch like I messaged you about would be smaller ships that won't completely tip the balance of the battle but would prove to be dangerous to your starfighters. Once Rish has ordered the Defense Squadron off, they would be available for use in your second post. Shika, one more post to the Stronghold.

[sai]

Mid-Point EXP/Proficiency/Expertise

Shika2k
9 Posts x 11 = 99 EXP
+3 Targeting Expertise
+4 Mind Expertise
+2 Maneuver Expertise
+2 Light Transport Type Proficiency
+5 Lightsaber Proficiency*
+10 Form III Proficiency*
learns Form III : Soresu*

*<-one more post to learn it

Ryoku
9 Posts x 11 = 99 EXP
+6 Maneuver Expertise
+9 Targeting Expertise
+6 Fighter Type Proficiency
+2 Mind Expertise
+5 Lightsaber Proficiency
+10 Form II Proficiency
learns Form II : Makashi

sai
9 Posts x 11 = 99 EXP
+5 Maneuver Expertise
+6 Targeting Expertise
+5 Fighter Type Proficiency
+2 Mind Expertise
Shika, assign the bonus EXP to yourself and Ryoku