This imperial fortress is the main driving defense against the rebels. Time and time again this past year the Imperials have defended it. But today, the rebels have a secret weapon. The workers that work inside this place. The natives are done being oppressed. They have decided to fight with the Rebel Alliance and strike a crippling blow to the Empire by taking away their fuel. If the Rebels succeed in this assault, then the entire Empire could fall. The forces left in the facility are quickly bearing arms, but what the Rebels lack in technology they gain by numbers. With the added assistance of the natives, there is no telling as to who could win this fight. Will the Empire drive away the invading forces? Or will the Rebels finally take the fortress and end this drawn out war?

BOOM!

Klaxons sounded in the imperial stronghold. Brill sat up groggily, one of his fellow troopers shaking him awake. "Rebel raid!" He shouted over the alarms. Brill nodded, rubbing his eyes, already moving towards his gear. This was life on Sullust. The few precious hours of sleep you had was usually interrupted by a rebel attack, or something of the sort. He donned the clunky armor. He liked the helmet. It masked your feelings, your emotions. Made you seem inhuman. Scared the hell out of the rebels. Especially when you spew flames at 'em and all they have are some half-empty canteens. He rushed pass the mess hall, lagging behind the other stormtroopers. Luckily the sergeant demanded he keep two standard stormtroopers by him. It wasn't because he liked Brill. It was merely because they were short on incinerator troopers. Especially with Brill as the only one. Once he finally exited the base and entered the ash filled air, he started forgetting about the hindering armor.
He just wanted to char some rebel scum. "Alright boys!" He called into the comm in his helmet. "How would you like your rebels done?" His bodyguards laughed. "I'll have mine medium rare!" TK-8943 called. "And mine well done!" TK-6574 responded. They were good fun. They had never really told him their names, just some nicknames they cooked up. TK-8943 preferred to be called Ghost. TK-6574 tried to be called Specs, but most called him Sketch. "Anybody detecting anything?" Intel responded to Sketch. "Four heat signatures inside the tunnel to your right." Brill laughed. "It's about to be a lot hotter."
They advanced on the cave. The Rebels were obviously prepared to ambush a squad, but by the time they realized someone was coming from behind, it was too late. Brill lit up the interior of the cave. He usually tuned out right about now, so he wouldn't have to bear the burden of hearing them scream. He stopped the flame once his bodyguards signalled. He slung the flamethrower across his back and drew his E-11. Sketch and Ghost did the same. They advanced, the lights on their helmets giving them a path. Suddenly a lone Rebel jumped out and fired at Brill. Luckily his armor protected him from the shot, and he quickly squeezed the trigger in response, the Rebel grunting in pain as he fell to the ground. "Anymore heat signatures, Intel?" Ghost asked. "Negative." A low voice told them. "Now report back to base. A special authority figure wants to see you all."

Vice Admiral Kal Barris sat at his new desk, scrolling through the datapad he held in his hand. He had been reviewing reports from the planet he had just been assigned to. He began to understand why the rebels had been so hard to drive off the planet. Kal began to run simulations in his head trying to find any other ways of securing the planet. He couldn’t bombard the planet, because of the precious materials on its surface. A full frontal assault would be too costly to call a victory.
Kal’s eyes widened while looking over some of the troop counts and conditions. On this entire planet, there was only one incinerator trooper on the entire planet. No wonder the previous commander had wished him luck saying he would need it. Low ammunition, small troop numbers, pitiful morale. This was what was standing in front of his promotion to admiral.
As the Vice Admiral was lost deep in thought a loud explosion sounded some distance away from him. Kal quickly stood up and moved to the door out into the hall. As he stepped outside two stormtroopers immediately fell into step behind him. He could hear fighting all around the fortress. The rebels wouldn’t launch a frontal assault unless… looking out a window he could see a group of the workers fighting a squad of stormtroopers. This is an inconvenience. He could tell the garrison was struggling against the rebels. He had wanted to save this weapon for later, but the fortress had to stand.
On his command, the sky lit up and engines roared as his personal flagship the Echidna came down into the atmosphere. A screaming noise could be heard as a squad of tie fighters shot out of the Star Destroyer and began to strafe the rebel forces. He was cautious about using any more of his forces because this was all the back up he was getting. He leaned over to the guard on the left and told him to bring him that incinerator trooper. After watching the battle for a few more minutes he began to walk back to his quarters.

[ Sullust ]
[ Rebel Outpost 00-Alpha07 ]

“Security Check” The guard’s expression seemed unwavering as he was just one of two stationed at the entrance to the Communications sector of the rebel outpost which was located approximately six klicks from the Imperial stronghold, the closest rebel base known to the Empire’s planetary Intelligence division.

“Of course.” The other nodded, raising a gloved hand to wipe the black grease stain from her brow as she handed the armed soldier her credentials, also smudged with a bit of grim and dirt. “Sorry about that sir, but it’s been a busy day making sure the service droids are up to code.” She half-smiled. “You know how that goes...”

Unfortunately, the woman didn’t have time for protocol, nor did she have time for rebel scumbags to keep her from relaying important intel back to her homebase. If her own contacts were correct, there was going to be an insurrection happening shortly within the Imperial compound, most likely targeting the fuel depots and weapons facilities. Not if Agent Brynn Ghorra could help it though. She’d embedded herself for more days than she can remember, floating from one rebel outpost to another undercover, just to collect enough information to transmit back to her superiors in Imperial Intelligence. Time was not on her side...

“Mmhm.” The guard didn’t even bother looking back at the woman, who stood roughly to the height of the man’s chest, and was dressed in military issue dark-gray coveralls with jet black hair tied up in a bun. His attention was on the holopad as he began running the girl’s identification card. “So, it says here you’ve been stationed at multiple outposts on Sullust for the last two months, mainly servicing protocol as well as maintenance droids, correct?”

“Yep. And let me tell you that this planet wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I go where I’m needed and I’m on a tight schedule, so there’s that.” The girl shrugged, readjusting the tool bag slung across her shoulder and doing her best to keep up the pretense of a rather quirky, yet happy-go-lucky technician. Essentially the opposite of her natural personality traits.

“So what brings you to Communications?” The guard said, handing her ID card back.

Brynn had a rather good cover story for why she was even at the outpost, and her reasoning for needing access to various sections of the base, and this particular story had nothing to do with repairing anything and more to do with getting as close to the truth as possible.

“Well, due to the recently heavy amounts of electromagnetic interference emitting everywhere within this facility, I need to use the Comms Room to send an important transmission to my bosses, so I can at least guarantee it will go through this time.” She shook her head in disappointment. “There’s nothing like being cut off mid-communication with a military officer who would rather see you fired than actually complete your job.”

It was a stretch, yes, but just about everything in her statement was true. “And you don’t want rogue droids rampaging about the base, right?...”

At that moment, a series of servos and clanging metal against metal echoed from the down the long corridor behind them, and both guards looked on with a puzzled expression, not realizing that the machine making its way toward them was also packing quite a punch. The silver and black painted service droid, which was essentially a repurposed protocol droid, strolled up closer to their position, partially spewing sparks from a damaged area of it’s back, and armed with two hold out blasters that were being slowly raised and pointed out front.

“What the…?” The guard had his own rifle at the ready, signalling the other to do the same.

“Oh look.” Brynn smirked. “It’s too late I guess…”

Dual blaster bolts came flying by all three of them as the droid unloaded round after round, causing just enough chaos and distraction for the two guards, that the girl’s immediate disappearance through the blast doors and into the communications sector went virtually unnoticed. Brynn ran down the long corridor, hoping to make it to a comms terminal in time, but she feared with the number of roadblocks she’d encountered on the way, that she may have been too late to warn Imperial Command...

@pandapolio


As the sounds of the battle rumbled outside, Brill, Sketch, and Ghost marched in formation towards the Vice Admiral's room. "What do you think he wants us for?" Ghost inquired. Sketch and Brill stayed silent. After what seemed like years of silence, they finally arrived to the Vice Admiral. They strode in, standing in formation. "Vice Admiral." Brill said, his voice distorted by the helmet, warping it into something almost inhuman. As he peered through his green-tinted visor, he couldn't help but feel intimidated. As far as Brill could tell, he hadn't broke any codes or laws. He just stayed a good soldier and fought the good fight. "Why did you request our presence?" He hoped the Vice Admiral wouldn't be offended by his blunt question and prayed he wasn't one quick to executions. Too many good men had been lost to the Empire's 'food cuts', but if it kept the strong alive, Brill understood completely. He couldn't help but wonder though, how the hell he wound up here.


A young Brill stood excited, by the transport pod. "I'm sorry, Mai." He looked back for a second at the transport. "I have a chance to do some good in the galaxy." Mai frowned. "The Empire might not be as good as you think, Brill." The pilot gestured wildly at Brill, telling him to hurry up. Brill gave his girlfriend one last goodbye kiss. "I'll come back some day. Once this war is over." Mai grabbed his arm. "Please, Brill. Stay with me." Brill pulled away. "I'm sorry." He said, his excited face flashing to sadness. "I love you." She said, as he turned towards his new life. "I know."

@Default

“You are Brill Cenvax correct? From what I have been told you are the only incinerator trooper on this entire planet. I want to thank you for the bravery you have shown, for you have no doubt been an important target for the terrorists.” Kal walked around the desk and patted Ghosts shoulder. “I also wish to thank you for protecting this man and putting your lives on the line for the sake of the mission. As soon as this planet is secure you can all expect promotions and bonuses.” Kal turned back around and walked back to look out the window. From inside the office, one could see the Echidna hovering above the fortress much like a protective mother bear guarding its young.

“If it doesn’t keep you away from your duties, I was wondering if you could tell me what this war is like on the ground. Reports are good and all, but information is often misinterpreted or forgotten. The fear you feel on the battlefield often cements what happens to you in your mind.” Kal sat down at his desk and gestured towards the chairs on the other side. “Relax. Eat something.” As soon as he said that some staff immediately came in through the front door carrying trays of food. They placed them in front of the chairs and rushed off. “Now...tell me your stories.”

“You are Brill Cenvax correct? From what I have been told you are the only incinerator trooper on this entire planet. I want to thank you for the bravery you have shown, for you have no doubt been an important target for the terrorists.” I've never thought of it that way. Should've stuck to a regular ol' stormtrooper. "Yes sir." Brill responded, still standing at attention. Ghost flinched a bit as the Vice Admiral patted his shoulder. “I also wish to thank you for protecting this man and putting your lives on the line for the sake of the mission. As soon as this planet is secure you can all expect promotions and bonuses.” Brill could practically hear the smile on his face. "Thank you sir." Brill and Sketch echoed this. “If it doesn’t keep you away from your duties, I was wondering if you could tell me what this war is like on the ground. Reports are good and all, but information is often misinterpreted or forgotten. The fear you feel on the battlefield often cements what happens to you in your mind.” All three sat down in the chairs. As the food arrived, Brill took off his helmet, revealing his youthful face. “Now...tell me your stories.” Brill chewed a bit of some poultry, then thought for a minute. "We all fight as hard as we can. The food cuts scare us all down to the bone, and most people kill to make sure they stay ahead of anyone else. The Rebels are incessant. Almost like ants. Alone, they are pathetic and weak. But together..." Brill shook his head. "They adapt, they survive. They fight. But we can beat them. With time, and patience. I started on my home planet. The Empire occupied it, and the terrorists tried to 'take it back'. Thank god we won. I left my home to train to be a flametrooper. Of course, they recycled the...other title. " It wasn't until after Brill started eating he realized how little his standards for food were. He gulped. "Are there...any more supplies coming soon?"





Mai stood in the briefing room of the Rebel base. Long ago this battle had started. And today might be the day it actually ended. The Rebel Commander looked at the group of specialists before him. "The Empire only has one Incinerator here. He's a key fighter for them, and we need you to take him out. We have received a holo of what he would look like. Mai waited eagerly for the hologram to generate. Once it did, she was staring at none other than Brill. She couldn't help but let out a gasp. The commander looked at her. "Is there something wrong, Mai?" Mai shook her head. "No. Nothing at all." If Brill had wanted to betray her and join the Empire, then that was his decision. But she wasn't going to get caught up in old times. If the mission required her to execute Brill, she would. Without hesitation.

Alarms blared throughout the corridors as the Agent hustled toward the communication room she knew to be less occupied, and housed a terminal that would allow the urgent transmission to go out under a secured and encrypted signal that even the rebels best slicers couldn't track. But something went wrong. In fact this whole mission went sideways quicker than Brynn had expected.
The communications terminal rooms were all on lockdown, a safety precaution when the alarms sounded. Blast doors suddenly closed off not only her target room, but also both ends of the corridor. Ray shields engaged, as cameras that were mounted at each bulkhead picked up the girl's vector and causing the electrified shielding to close in on both ends, thereby potentially trapping her. Brynn knew how they worked, and there was always a loophole, which she'd spotted with a quick survey of the walls.

Perfect. Ventilation shafts near the ceiling.

With a running start several meters back, the Agent headed straight for the wall, and pushing off the small ledge that was about shoulder height, leapt up toward the metal grate, grabbing onto it with both hands for support. She kept one foot firmly against the nearby vertical support beam to keep steady while reaching down to grab a small powered ratchet, which she quickly used to remove the two bolts securing the top of the vent cover. Within a few moments, the grate swung down on the bottom hinges and Brynn climbed up into the shaft and disappeared into the cool shadows.

The Agent mentally reprimanded herself for being so short-sighted not to have predicted that the rebel base would most likely have had magnetic or electrical interference that would cause her personal communicator to be unresponsive. Never in the 3 years that she’s been with Imperial Intelligence had she ever made such a rookie mistake, and worse, she feared that she was already too late to transmit whatever information she’d had back to base. As the girl crawled her way through the ventilation shaft that seemed to go on forever, voices could be heard echoing through one of the grates, causing her to slow her pace as to not attract any more attention.
“Affirmative, the attack had already commenced.” She heard one of the voices. “Although there were a few casualties, I believe we’ve accomplished what was needed. The Empire won’t know what hit them until it’s too late.”

Brynn signed under her breath as she slid silently passed the vent grate and continued through the shaft, realizing that her concerns were indeed confirmed. She was too late to stop the attack on her base, and who knows how many lives it cost the Empire. Pushing the dreaded thoughts aside, however, she knew her next course of action was to get the hell out of the base as soon as possible.

“I am distributing some of the rations from my flagship. It will be enough to last for a time, at least until I can call in some favors to get more supplies here. There is no knowing when that will happen. The bureaucrats in high command too often forget the plight of the common soldier.” Kal shook his head in disgust at those men who were more politician than soldier. “So I have decided that we will secure the planet before the food I brought with me runs out.”

Kal looked up towards the three in front of him and gave them a curt nod. “I am sorry to have taken you away from your duties. No doubt your officer has a job for you when you get back to him. From the sound of things, there is still some fighting where a flame trooper would be useful.” Kal stood up and walked over to the door and turned back to them, “Unfortunately I have some things that must be done, so I must go. Finish your meal and then report back to your officer. Thank you for your time.” As he left the room the three stormtroopers could see two black armored death troopers follow him from an arms space away.

As Kal walked down the hallway he began to think of his next step. No doubt the men in that room would spread his prediction of how long the war would last. Once the rumor starts to spread the rebel spies (he was confident he had them, they were everywhere) would send that information back to their command. They would expect a major attack, and he was going to give it to them. “Begin intensive scans of all outgoing messages and track every single one of them.” It was time to make his counterattack.