Post by Mike on Jun 24, 2022 10:34:13 GMT -5
Red streaks of blasterfire zig-zagged back and forth across the barren, rocky battlefield. His prey had led him here, to Agamar, with a purpose, which now was clear.
Old B-Series battle droids, which Ith'li had not seen since the Clone Wars, were arrayed before his troopers, firing at the rusted chunk of bulkhead they were using as cover.
"I want a squad to take cover there! We will flank them and destroy them!" he said, pointing to another broken chunk of the Lucrehulk-class destroyer's hull.
The officer he was speaking to turned to the Stormtroopers. He pointed to one squad, and then another. "You! I want all of you to move to that bulkhead and take cover! You! I want you to provide covering fire as they-"
"Belay that order, Lieutenant. The B2's self-preservation subroutines are much less affected by fear than organics." He moved to the squad that had been given the order to flank. "When we move into the open, they will fire upon us. We will be the easier target, and their programming will tell them we are flanking and therefore that we are the greater threat. When they focus on us, take as many out as you can. Move!"
The Fifth Brother didn't give the officer much time to respond before jumping out from behind the safety of cover. With a hiss, his lightsaber blade sprang to life and illuminated the area around him. Almost immediately, blaster bolts began to streak toward him.
"I said MOVE!" Ith'li yelled, both hands gripping the hilt of his weapon. Using the Shien techniques taught to him by Lord Vader, using minimal movement for defense and taking advantage of easy shots to return, Ith'li created a shield for the troopers to move behind him. They ran behind the protective, glowing blur, and made their way to the chosen position. Just as he had said, each B2 droid with a clean shot started to take it, and the fire incoming to the initial position was now minimal. Stormtroopers were given the command to fire, and they took carefully aimed shots to eliminate as many droids as possible.
"Rockets!" Ith'li yelled, then covered his ears and hit the floor.
"Huh?" one of the Stormtroopers yelled, standing and looking down. All of the other troopers had hit the deck. Behind him, several of the B2's primed their arm-mounted rocket launchers, firing at both positions. One rocket zipped quickly to the hunk of durasteel in front of them and detonated, the blast and shrapnel taking the trooper off of his feet.
A hand went down to his throat. "One casualty, any others?" Ith'li called out.
"Negative, sir!" came a reply.
"One more volley!" he yelled, and took cover again. For a moment, there was silence, and his troopers looked around and wondered if the Inquisitor had been incorrect. Then, as if on cue, came the whistle of missiles streaking across the battlefield. Rocks and dirt flew high in the air above the fiery explosion.
"Charge!" the Inquisitor yelled, and sprang from his position, vaulting up and over the large chunk of bulkhead. Just as he had predicted, the droids were falling back. "Predictable," he said to himself, batting aside a blast from an arm-mounted cannon. He darted forward, only taking the effort to block the shots that would actually hit him, and raised his saber high. Blasterfire erupted from his left and behind him as Stormtroopers erupted on the fleeing droid units.
The droids had become flanked and still used their Clone Wars-era battle programming. When in an inferior position, B2 droids without active artillery support most often fired two volleys of rockets at their attackers' positions, then made a move to retreat and take away the advantage of a flank. Jedi - or, in this instance, an Imperial Inquisitor - quickly caught onto this, using it to their benefit countless times during the Wars. It would seem that these units had not received any combat upgrades since they had been stranded here.
When the last of the droids fell, the Stormtroopers and their commanding officer approached from behind.
"There will be more. This was just the vanguard, meant to slow our progress. We can rush in now, but we'll be rushing into a trap."
"A masterfully executed plan, my Lord..." the officer said in awe, looking around him at the pieces of scrap metal from an age now considered ancient history to most.
"You know how I feel about flattery, Lieutenant," Ith'li said, deactivating his saber blade. He surveyed the carnage he and his squad had wrought, looking for anything that may be a benefit to them in the upcoming fight.
"Yes, My Lord, I do; however, I do not say this to flatter you. I mean to say that it was a *perfectly* executed plan. It would seem that today, we are lucky. It would seem that you have faced these old Federation droids before."
In an instant, the SE-14R Blaster Pistol on the Lieutenant's hip flew into the gloved hand of the Inquisitor and fired a single shot into his chest. He looked down at the smoking pit in his uniform with incredulity, then back at Ith'li. Just as realization flashed across his eyes, he collapsed to the ground, the expression of horror never leaving his face.
"Sergeant," Ith'li called.
"Y-yes, my Lord." A Stormtrooper with the orange flash of being a Squad Leader on his shoulder stepped forward.
Ith'li dropped the pistol next to the officer's corpse. "What is your name, Sergeant?"
"I am Tee-Kay-Four-Three-"
"Your name, Sergeant, not your designation."
The blank face of the Stormtrooper's helmet was silent for a moment, and then said, "Varsen, my Lord. Erzreth Varsen."
"Lieutenant Varsen," Ith'li said, putting an emphasis on Lieutenant, "You will call in the nearest Victory-II class Star Destroyer that is not otherwise engaged under the authority of Lord Vader. Clearance code 8108. We will need armored support to take the wreckage of this Lucrehulk. I want a perimeter set up. When aid arrives, you will relieve command to the Captain of that vessel. Is that understood, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Inquisitor," the Stormtrooper replied. "Will you be needing your shuttle, my Lord?"
"No," Ith'li said, taking off in a jog toward the Lucrehulk. "I'll be inside. Do not allow them to fire an orbital strike. I will be inside, extracting The Mechanic."
Old B-Series battle droids, which Ith'li had not seen since the Clone Wars, were arrayed before his troopers, firing at the rusted chunk of bulkhead they were using as cover.
"I want a squad to take cover there! We will flank them and destroy them!" he said, pointing to another broken chunk of the Lucrehulk-class destroyer's hull.
The officer he was speaking to turned to the Stormtroopers. He pointed to one squad, and then another. "You! I want all of you to move to that bulkhead and take cover! You! I want you to provide covering fire as they-"
"Belay that order, Lieutenant. The B2's self-preservation subroutines are much less affected by fear than organics." He moved to the squad that had been given the order to flank. "When we move into the open, they will fire upon us. We will be the easier target, and their programming will tell them we are flanking and therefore that we are the greater threat. When they focus on us, take as many out as you can. Move!"
The Fifth Brother didn't give the officer much time to respond before jumping out from behind the safety of cover. With a hiss, his lightsaber blade sprang to life and illuminated the area around him. Almost immediately, blaster bolts began to streak toward him.
"I said MOVE!" Ith'li yelled, both hands gripping the hilt of his weapon. Using the Shien techniques taught to him by Lord Vader, using minimal movement for defense and taking advantage of easy shots to return, Ith'li created a shield for the troopers to move behind him. They ran behind the protective, glowing blur, and made their way to the chosen position. Just as he had said, each B2 droid with a clean shot started to take it, and the fire incoming to the initial position was now minimal. Stormtroopers were given the command to fire, and they took carefully aimed shots to eliminate as many droids as possible.
"Rockets!" Ith'li yelled, then covered his ears and hit the floor.
"Huh?" one of the Stormtroopers yelled, standing and looking down. All of the other troopers had hit the deck. Behind him, several of the B2's primed their arm-mounted rocket launchers, firing at both positions. One rocket zipped quickly to the hunk of durasteel in front of them and detonated, the blast and shrapnel taking the trooper off of his feet.
A hand went down to his throat. "One casualty, any others?" Ith'li called out.
"Negative, sir!" came a reply.
"One more volley!" he yelled, and took cover again. For a moment, there was silence, and his troopers looked around and wondered if the Inquisitor had been incorrect. Then, as if on cue, came the whistle of missiles streaking across the battlefield. Rocks and dirt flew high in the air above the fiery explosion.
"Charge!" the Inquisitor yelled, and sprang from his position, vaulting up and over the large chunk of bulkhead. Just as he had predicted, the droids were falling back. "Predictable," he said to himself, batting aside a blast from an arm-mounted cannon. He darted forward, only taking the effort to block the shots that would actually hit him, and raised his saber high. Blasterfire erupted from his left and behind him as Stormtroopers erupted on the fleeing droid units.
The droids had become flanked and still used their Clone Wars-era battle programming. When in an inferior position, B2 droids without active artillery support most often fired two volleys of rockets at their attackers' positions, then made a move to retreat and take away the advantage of a flank. Jedi - or, in this instance, an Imperial Inquisitor - quickly caught onto this, using it to their benefit countless times during the Wars. It would seem that these units had not received any combat upgrades since they had been stranded here.
When the last of the droids fell, the Stormtroopers and their commanding officer approached from behind.
"There will be more. This was just the vanguard, meant to slow our progress. We can rush in now, but we'll be rushing into a trap."
"A masterfully executed plan, my Lord..." the officer said in awe, looking around him at the pieces of scrap metal from an age now considered ancient history to most.
"You know how I feel about flattery, Lieutenant," Ith'li said, deactivating his saber blade. He surveyed the carnage he and his squad had wrought, looking for anything that may be a benefit to them in the upcoming fight.
"Yes, My Lord, I do; however, I do not say this to flatter you. I mean to say that it was a *perfectly* executed plan. It would seem that today, we are lucky. It would seem that you have faced these old Federation droids before."
In an instant, the SE-14R Blaster Pistol on the Lieutenant's hip flew into the gloved hand of the Inquisitor and fired a single shot into his chest. He looked down at the smoking pit in his uniform with incredulity, then back at Ith'li. Just as realization flashed across his eyes, he collapsed to the ground, the expression of horror never leaving his face.
"Sergeant," Ith'li called.
"Y-yes, my Lord." A Stormtrooper with the orange flash of being a Squad Leader on his shoulder stepped forward.
Ith'li dropped the pistol next to the officer's corpse. "What is your name, Sergeant?"
"I am Tee-Kay-Four-Three-"
"Your name, Sergeant, not your designation."
The blank face of the Stormtrooper's helmet was silent for a moment, and then said, "Varsen, my Lord. Erzreth Varsen."
"Lieutenant Varsen," Ith'li said, putting an emphasis on Lieutenant, "You will call in the nearest Victory-II class Star Destroyer that is not otherwise engaged under the authority of Lord Vader. Clearance code 8108. We will need armored support to take the wreckage of this Lucrehulk. I want a perimeter set up. When aid arrives, you will relieve command to the Captain of that vessel. Is that understood, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Inquisitor," the Stormtrooper replied. "Will you be needing your shuttle, my Lord?"
"No," Ith'li said, taking off in a jog toward the Lucrehulk. "I'll be inside. Do not allow them to fire an orbital strike. I will be inside, extracting The Mechanic."
