| abstract | - The landing caught the port guards by surprise. With the tradgedy of the ship's crash and the massive loss of life, most of them walk around stunned. As the Meteor comes in and sits down. The bay doors are open. Like a well oiled machine, the commandos storm out. Using stun, they disable the stunned guards and anyone packing a blaster. They make their way into the palace itself with little opposition. Morrison stays close to Lorn, all this would be in vain if Lorn was killed in the crossfire. Raika nods to his men. "Let's open that door." He looks at the sealed palace doors and motions at them as he jogs to the side of the entrance. "Demo up." He called into his com. the men watching the gate spread out and two went up to the door it's self and begin to set standard HE satchel charges which was not stand on patrols but seeing how Raika had fully intended to turncoat had been stolen from the garrison armor durring their patrol. The demo team was covered by the other guards while they set a total of five charges, two on each side of the gate and one in the center and linked their detenators. The soliders steped back after setting the timers and the squad dispersed to both sides of the entrance. Raika raised his hand and made a fist, the signal to detonate the charges and try to breach the palace's lower levels. Zrak exits the Meteor at the end of the stream of commandos. Pistol drawn, the wolfman waves two of his comrades back who promptly take up positions to secure the dropship. He quickly covers the distance to the rest of the team, kicking a prone stormtrooper before taking up position in preparation for the breach. The satchel charges detonate with a terrible roar and its concussion can be felt throughout the highest levels of the palace. However, the mighty blast doors still hold tight. Radio chatter among the palace forces increases again as troops regroup and start to fortify the lower levels. Royal Guards are the main resistance on these upper levels, their Force Pikes and crimson robes looking intimidating as they prepare for prolonged combat. Lorn, being no stranger to combat, appears calm and collected as he disembarks the Meteor. With his lightsaber clutched firmly in his right hand. He walks grimly and purposefully towards the inner sanctum of the palace and his goal... Osbourne. The red blade of the lightsaber hisses alive sporadically, usually to deflect some piece of debris or stray bolt as he is still behind the beginning of the front lines. Three armored commandos, carrying thick blast/riot shields step into the corridor just off the hanger. Men behind them use the shield-men for cover. Methodicly the team advances from corridor to corridor, disabeling everyone as they go. Several stromtroopers attempt to organize resistance at an intersection, but they are quickly disabled by the pure volume of fire coming from the assembled ST-II/cs and EKX rifles. Morrison walks beside Lorn as most men are want to do when under fire, head down shoulders rolled forward, ST-II/c at port-arms. He looks behind him as the Auditor comes up. Zrak is the only non-human in the palace and probably on the planet...a terrorizing image in his armor. Within the palace the force of the blast at the gate is felt and those who were also against the current took that as a sign to begin their assault. Some royal guards near the landing pad spun and brought their force pikes down on the storm troopers just inside the gate as a hail of fire errupted from behind them from the loyalists still mor of the storm troopers begin firing on the loyals as utter choas errupted within the palace walls, no one really seemed to know for certian who was who, all the soldiers hid behind the red uniforms of the royal guards or the cold white of storm trooper armor. The sound was no doubt loud enough to be heard on the levels above and below the disordered riot. The team advances on the previously defended intersection, approaching cautiously behind the cover of the shield troopers. They pause there for the briefest moment before a trooper with a technical schematic waves them towards the the left turn. With blaster rifles drawn, the team cuts the angle as they turn, pinwheeling to maintain cover. Just as the commandos proceed down this new corridor, a pair of patrolling stormtroopers appears from another branch of the intersection. The wolfman, already in a rear-guard position charges them... still banking on the element of surprise. With a quick shot of his pistol he fells one with a stun blast, then whirls, catching the other with a forearm strike that sends him slamming against the wall where he crumbles unconscious. The odds are in favor of the ESPOs during the initial breach into the palace. However, the Royal Guards and Stormtroopers have begun to fortify the corridors. The main turbolift junction just ahead already has a team attempting to set up an E-Web. It is probable that the other floors have teams doing likewise. As Lorn makes his way through the corridor, he suddenly stops and makes a turn to the right. "Osbourne is this way," he explains to no one in particular. Morrison and a few other ESPOs break off and follow Lorn down this quieter dimmed hallway. The guards on the lower level of the palace works feverishly to get a mass defense set up against the assult outside the main gate, working to get their e-Webs and fortifactions set up and rein forced even as the turncoat imperals set up another, double sized load of satchel charges on the main gate in an attemp to blow it. Further up a single floor, the choas had begin to die down as the fire slows from the thining out of the combatants, the floor littered with bodies of the ST and royal guards and the survivors attempting to determine who's side the other survivors were on before re-entering combat for the sake of their chosen leader Zrak seperates from the main force, padding stealthily along behind Van Sen and Emperor-to-be towards their date with destiny. The rest of the Espos continue to advance along the darkened corridor behind the forward shield troopers, approaching the e-web emplacement, hoping to extend the element of surprise. But, the misstep of one of the troopers dislodges some loose debris, alerting the enemy. The Espo commander manages a hasty "GET DOWN!" before the stormtrooper's repeating blaster begins hurling blaster bolts down the corridor. If not for the forward troopers protective shields, it would have been over just that quickly. ST_Squad_Leader keeping his blaster rifle at the low ready so at any moments notice he could be brought up to fire. Upon hearing the the blasts from the E-Web and now knowing there is no need for stealth the StormTrooper shouts, "CONTACT FRONT!" His Rifle is brought up to take aim and fires off 3 quick shots trying to force the E-Web crew down into finding cover. Nerves of steel and a far greater fear of repirisal from their superiors than of the gunfire pays off and the E-Web team hold their ground as two of the bolts go stray, though the third catches one of the troopers square and the chest and knocks him off his feet, his rifle flying into the air as he does the same in the opposite direction. Com unit's crackling into life amidst the near-constant barrage of E-WEB fire, the team not bothering to take aim and opting instead for a volley of supressing fire. The unmistakable sound of the stormtroopers ringing out. "Die rebel scum!" A tremendous blast rocks the imperial palace at it very foundations as the ten sacatchel charges set by Raika and his men explodes into the main blast doors, despite the fact the force sent a tremmor through the palace and the ground around it the blast doors are only slightly dented and charred. Leaning around and seeing the condition of the main gate he yells into his com again, "Demo up!" the ST next to him shakes his head. "Those wre our last charges sir." Raika gruns and looks to the men beside him. "You men, get a hover tank, I don't care what you have to do, just do it." He said coldly and them men saluted and dashed off to follow their orders. Further up on the second floor near the main firing towards the CSA assult team a devision of the royal guards, anti-regime, approached the second E-Web blaster that awaited down the hall from the first that was firing at the team. Rasing their force pikes as they approached the RGs charged the emplacement as the blaster begin to open fire on them. Teh red armored men closed the distance quickly despite being gunned down, one managing to plung his force pike into the chest of the main opperatop as his life drained away. Though the unexpected and desperate charge of the royal guards creates brief relief for the besieged Authority team, allowing for a couple of random poorly aimed shots, another resilent stormtrooper rises to the post, taking up with the heavy blaster and resuming the suppressive fire. Under this kind of punishment, the energized riot shields that are protecting the Espos can't hope to last much longer. From the rear, one desperate trooper rises, manages to pitch a timed glop grenade down the corridor before being cut down by the e-web. The famed Espo device bounce clanks down the corridor, a spherical orb that land rolls to a halt right under the e-web gunner. It detonates, spewing an adhesive compound that immobilizes the stormtrooper, averting the team's current crisis. However the respite is breif as from down the corridor and about the corner the rhythmic pounding of another squad of ST's sent to reinforce the defense approaches and the barked orders to takeup firing positions are given. Six troopers divided in pairs, and set eitherside of the second E-Web. Front rank on their belly's those behind kneeling down and the last standing up to provide a veritable wall of blaster fire at anything coming around the corner. Even further down the network of corridor's a dozen ST's ransack supply rooms of crates to form makeshift barricades every thirty or so meters whilst a few search franticly for anything explosive. Looking to the rest of the squad at the second E-Web blaster a lone ST reaches towars the coolant being supplyed to the weapon and un attaches it from the blaster it's self sure it will cause it to over load and explode when they begin to open fire on the CSA team. The trooper shifts his blaster from side to side, trying to decide whic of his squad mates to open fire on first when the team approaches his position. Two of the troopers behind the crates turn and rushes the STs in the supply room, opening fir on them as they search for explosives to attack the CSA team with. The other trropers open fire on the attackers before they can kill the searchers, massacering them in a hellfire of blaster bolts and leaving those fortifyed behind the crates waving their blaster back and forth between each other ready to open fire on their own squad mates at another insurection. The steady thudding of heavy boots fills the air from the far end of the coridoor and moving swiftly along Colonel Imral of the 3rd Stroomtroopers snarls his anger over the coms. "Anybody! And I repeat anybody, who dares to aid those rebel scum when they come blasting through here will die by my hand if it is the last thing I 'ever' do in this world! If we have to give them our lives then we'll give them hell before that comes!" a sharp salute from the squad's leader and the much-needed hi-ex rounds are placed in threes on the loyalist side of each of the barricades in preparation for the enemy arrival, Imral taking the very last one his twin MX's held ready in each hand for the enemy. The team however remain quite unaware of the sabotage and as each checks their weapon one last time for jams or empty mags the main gunner staring down his sights with grim resolve behind the grimer ST helmet. "Prepare to fire!" The Espos continue to advance past the neutralized e-web emplacement, one of the troopers going out of his way to stun the guard as the group pasts. It soon becomes apparent that the defense is organizing faster than anticipated. The strike team commander, his brown armor accented by golden shoulder plates and a stain of crimson from a minor leg wound, turns his gaze down the corridor and curses. "Hells." Confined spaces, an entire palace of possible hostiles... this wasn't looking so good. He gestures to the turbolift, "Slicer! Secure that lift!... Gorath! You're on the e-web! Get it functional." The two strikers break off to their assignments, "I want covering fire down that hall! Shield troopers maintain position!" The shield troopers drop to their knees forming an energized barrier across the teams leading edge, strikers rise from behind them firing down the hall at the quickly organizing opposition. The earlier struck trooper, his breathing heavy raises his eyes up to look through the helmet's eyes. Dismayed as 'Gorath' moves up to the E-web he slowly reaches for the downed rifle, fixated upon the grendade launcher. Meanwhile down the coridoor the barricades are readied, two stormtroopers placed behind each, Colonel Imral keying in a code to seal the blast doors behind him, were it not for the helmet his expression would be one of a man pressed to his limits, literal back to the literal wall he flicks on the intercom, sounds crackling to life all over the floor. "Attention rebels! You are out-numbered and outgunned. The Emperor cannot be defeated. Throw down your weapons and your lives...will be spared. Resist the Empire and you will die!" The guard who sabatoged the E-Web still waits fo it to begin firing and over heat. A trooper near the Colonel shddenly bursts towards him swinging his rifle at man. "No, it's revoulation, not rebellion!" The trooper growls as Imral dodges the blow and fires a single blaster bolt into the back of the ST's head. Outside the main gates the turncoats and the second assult team waits patiently for the team inside to have success and open the doors, even as a large imperal tank glides into the area. "Report." Raika snaps into his com as all the men in the area brings their weapons to bear on the tank. "Tank secure." A voice with an edge of happiness breaks through the inter come and the man waves for his troops to stand away from the doors. "Begin to shell the blast doors." Raika orders over his com. The tank's kenetic shell strikes the door seemingly not effectiong it, the impact of the hit can again be felt through the palace. The guards on the inside of the gate looks to one another as the doors come under fire again. Their leader reports the assaut to the Imral as they brace for impact after impact hoping the doors will stand up to constant seige as they were designed to. The seasoned Espo commander listens to the Stormtrooper's ultimatum, and just shakes his head. "Damned STs are certainly full of themselves aren't they?" remarks the veteran to a nearby trooper, who nervously nods along, more out of habit than real conviction. He glances back. Gorath is spilling some solvent on the the e-web, trying to free it from the glop adhesive. The slicer is slightly quicker at his task, overriding the security lockdown. The turbolift doors spring open with a pneumatic hiss, and the commander cries out, "Outstanding, Sergeant!" As the solvant douses the E-web and begins to free it's mechanisms some of the extra splashing drops onto the stunned trooper and the joints in his arm free up. Vengence! Darting forwards he grasps the E-11 and lifts it up, the barrel trained on Gorath and a zealous grin across his masked features. "Rebel...scum!" and the low 'THUNK' of a grenade launched from it's frame fills the air as it's high-explosive content hurtles towards the Espo's. The shuddering of the palace is meet with another of Imral's angry snarls as he kicks the rebel's corpse out of his way, barking out the name of another trooper who rises and darts for the Colonel. "Get me a planet wide uplink and the MOMENT you do patch it through to my com unit!" and keeping one MX trained on the trooper he taps in the code to the blastdoor behind him. The tank continues to shell away at the palace doors with little success, leaving only scratches on the doors as a small band of loyalist soldiers charges the tank from behind, a set of 4 balls blets out from the tank's side at high speed towards the loyalists, the explosive charges decimates the small squad as the tank continues to shell at the door mindlessly. The solider near the E-Web jumps at the sound of an explosion in the distance, almost turning to open fire on the loyalista but catches his self before taking action, setteling back into his position. The stormtrooper's grenade bounces off of Gorath's chest plate. Landing at his feet, there was only a second to respond, and heroism doesn't come easy to the mercenary-minded soldiers of the CSA. But, in that moment, the Espo did what he had to do...to save the team. He dives on the explosive, pinning it between himself and the still partially immobilized Stormtrooper. Their bodies absorb most of the blast, and the detonation, potentially catastrophic for the commandos, reduced to sickly wet-sounding thud that claims the two combatants' lives. Spinning at the sound, the Espo commander immediately recognizes what happens. He's able to muster a brief battle epitaph "Dammit, Gorath! Good man," the rips up e-web up from it's tripod. "Strike Team! Hug the wall, and fall back! We're making an exit!" He starts levelling suppressive fire down the corridor, as his team splits down the middle and begins retreating towards the lift. Ironically a stray shot, catches the unmarked loyalist at the opposing e-web emplacement in the head... ending any further support from that particular ally. Such tactics as supressive fire leave little to the imagination for experienced soldiers and as the blast catches the trooper in the head, blasting a hole clean in his helmet a soft rattling of steel on steel as he hits the ground. Pulling the trigger on the e-web the gunner glances to his side and his eyes widen in shock. "Son-of-a..! The coolant! Run!" and as the big gun falls silent the troopers rise from their positions and storm forwards as the weapon begins to go critical, blaster fire streaking from their rifles after the Espo's as they make the insane charge. Allowing the trooper by the open blastdoor Imral keys in the code once more returns his attention to the barricades and the sudden erruption of blaster fire. "Squad! Report!" he barks into his comlink, kicking open a smaller crate by his feet and grinning broadly at the bounty inside. A ZCF and a dozen assorted rounds from nerve gas to hi-ex and smoke. As the stormtrooper gunners charge forward, the Espo commander is falling back with his troops. He grits his teeth and is about to cut them both down with the heavy blaster he's wielding, when realization hits him. "SHIELDS!" comes the cry, as he throws down the rifle and dives backward. Usually the e-web's overheated energy cell wouldn't pose much of a threat, but, in the confined space of the corridor, with the anti-personnel explosives set by the defenders to harry an advance, the blast rips through hallway in both directions... killing the charging gunners and collapsing a good portion of the corridor around the former gun emplacement. The Espo commander just lies on the ground for a moment, armor singed from the blast, but in tact. He uncovers his head and looks around. The shield troopers held, save one. Knocked into the wall by the blast, the fallen trooper lies unconscious. As the entire level shakes violently with the sheer force of the concentrated explosion Imral and the defenders stumble until the shuddering stops, the veteran colonel's voice once again sounding on the coms. "Steady yourselves men! Squad! Report! Squad?!" and a loud series of expletives hit the comlink as he holsters the MX's and grabs the ZCF slaming in a clip of gas rounds and grabing another of HI-EX's. With the other teams on the level annihilated by either gunfire or sabotage the colonel's expression grows darker as he speaks into the comlink to his soldiers. "Troopers! This is Colonel Imral...the rebels have all but taken this level, the battle is nearly over. But do not drop your weapons or offer your surrender yet because the war will go on, these traitors will NOT be victorious, they move swiftly because they lack support, if we can hold them long enough for long range communications to be established with the fleet, the rebellion will be crushed and you will be hero's to the Empire. This is what we have trained for...this is what we have lived for...and this is what we will die for! For the Emperor!" and kicking open his barracade the colonel charges down the line, troopers following his example and doing the same, every last standing man passing through the bottleneck of the partly collapsed corridor and charging blasters firing towards the insurgents. The commander still partially dazed from the explosion, snaps back to focus with the appearance of what just might be every last stormtrooper in the garrison charging towards them. "No rest for the wicked," is the thought that flashes past through his mind as he scrambles for the energized riot shield from his fallen subordinate. With a swift hand motion at the quickly advancing enemy, he orders, "SONICS!!!" Then, manages to kick the discarded e-web's fusion cell back at combat slicer still manning the turbolift. "We're going to secure that lower level!" Three Espo troopers advance to stand alongside the commander. The slicer grabs the energy cell and an E-11. He tosses the high-energy battery inside the lift, then quickly enters a command code into the lift panel. As the lift's repulsor field fails and the emergeny braking is overrided the slicer shoots a timed grenade inside just before it begins its fall to the bottom of the shaft, and the forward troopers level their sonic rifles and fire. As the blaster fire blisters through the air in brilliant bolts of red light the sonics impact hard against the oncoming wave of troopers and the vast majority drop motionless to the ground where they stood, the very floor now literaly covered with bodies of unconscious/dead troopers. But the defense is not overcome yet. Even as the sonics cease Imral and the two remaining trooper sergants turn the corner, blasters sorching the air and blasting two of the rifle wielding rebels back with holes drilled between their eyes. Imral bellowing his anger aloud. "You should have given up when you had the chance! as a trio of loud 'THUNK's emit from the ZCF in his hand and the powerfull nerve agents begin to fill the corridor. Two of the gas grenades ricochet off the remaining shield troopers' defense, the third rolls under the commander's shield to a stop at the foot of the remaining sonic rifleman. They exchange a brief look of shock, both thinking back to Gorath's earlier sacrifice. But, this time there'll be no chance escape... the grenades expend their noxious contents felling the three lesser forward troopers instantly. While the rest of the unit falls back away from certain death, the commander dives forward into the fray coughing up blood as internal hemorraging begins. He swings his shield as a melee weapon, striking the leading stormtrooper while simultaneously discharging a lethal blast from its energized surface. The effort is enough to topple both men, leaving the anonymous Espo commander twitching on the corridor floor, his last ounce of strength expended. Protected from the gas by their resperators, the stormtroopers are in no danger but as Imral falls to the sheer-bloodyminded assault of the Espo commander the two sergents look to their dying leader, silent curses on their lips. Though as the enemy flee the troopers can do little but take up the discarded E-web and reaffix it to it's tripod, hoping that their stunned comrades will recover before the next wave. Down below, a group of nervous Stormtrooper defenders stand, able to little but watch as the furious siege of the blast doors continues from outside. A distinctive bleep turns their attention to turbolift behind them. And then, the overriden lift with it's makeshift explosive cargo hits home on the ground level. A near-perfectly timed grenade detonates the fusion battery within the lift. The explosion is powerful enough to obliterate the unexpecting defenders behind the blast doors, and send a fiery plasmic shockwave upwards through the turboshaft. By this time, the Espo strike team has withdrawn from the turbolift to avoid the noxious nerve agents. When the blast reaches their upper level, the Espos are still knocked back a step, but don't suffer any harmful effects. The sergeant/slicer who orchestrated the blast seems to take charge. Eying the open shaft, his voice echoes through the comm's of his team. "Charge descenders. We're going for a ride."
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