All Rex had was the note and a fresh addition to his squad, "Bull", a specialist of sorts. He was a new line of solider, More of a survivor then front line guerrilla. He could analyze a given situation and set a choke point, ambush, or find a weakness in a trade federation patrol squad. His insight had saved the squad on more then one occasion. Bull was a welcome addition, He was quite and yet those eyes showed something more. Past the genetic enhancements there was something... more.
Rex thought the night before his squad was to move on a droid manufacturing plant. There was something on this planet that kept his focus off the mission. Something pulled his gaze to the east. He had his five man team with the "rookie" Bull. They were to infiltrate the complex and set a thermal detonator at the base of the power generator in the sub basement of the facility. Bull noticed the shield generator around the complex protecting it from aerial bombardment. The destroyer droids were set to kill anything alive approaching the plant. There was a vent that would take them into the facility one at a time and they would have to get past the sentries. The hard part would be getting out alive.
South east from the complex was the pipe disguised as a large stump. Only a ground unit could notice it for what it was. "Bull you take point." Rex pointed as he spoke. "Im going to stay and make sure the exit is clear. Lets set the time for two hours from now after that abort the mission."
"Sir I recommend you hold the detonator so the mission will still succeed" Bull was still thinking like a rookie.
"No, Your going to make it back or the mission will fail." Sometimes Rex had to get through to the new guys and the conditioning. The time with the Jedi taught Rex to value everything as an asset especially his team. Bull was even more of a trooper then the regulars. Most of the times his ideas to Rex were crazy but they did have a higher chance of success.
The team cut through the grate and the started to descend down the pipe. thanks to their armor the heat that would give most living things third degree burns by now and set fire to normal clothes, was just another inconvenience they would have to suffer through as they went closer to the source. The schematics showed they would have to descend almost twenty meters before they could cut though the pipe and start the hard part of not being detected by the automated defense system. Then make there way down to the reactor without tripping motion sensors or running across any destroyer droids. For this Bull remained on point.
Outside Rex was on alert and yet he would catch himself staring at the east. The sun to his back. The pull was strong. Rex hit his helmet a few times to keep his feet from moving against his will. Rex had to use the dirt to hide the white armor he wore that stood out far too munch for his liking no matter how well it kept him safe. Due to the un-shielded reactor communication with the team was no possible. The droids were immune to the radiation it was radiating. This was a design deterrent to keep out life forms. And why the reactor was buried so deep.
The complex was like the inside of an oven. No matter how hot it was inside the armor they knew not to take it off. Ten minutes of exposure would be a lethal dose of radiation. Bull could see the energy lines of sensor stations. A modified disruptor to generate a focused EMP beam would take care of that. It did leave the squad a gun down but given the mission parameters any discharge from a blaster rifle might be traced by a local destroyer droid.
They reached the core to find one destroyer droid stationed on sight. The radiation being they were so close to the reactor was causing a static like noise inside their helmets. Using hand signals bull couldn't get a shot with the modified rifle with the droids shielding. With the mission on the line and only forty minutes left to get back Bull set his rifle to over load the explosion would set off the sensors in the control station but the shrapnel would disrupt the shield while the EMP shock wave would fry the droid.
"Boom..." Bull then took his position. One trooper on point, two for the placement, and Bull started welding through the door hydraulics. Once it closed the stress of raising it again would cause it to fail. 'Hopefully on a droid' Bull smirked inside his helmet. Thirty seven minuets to climb out before the thermal detonators would go off. Any more time and the command droid would have a worker move it across the facility making the squads trip pointless.The door would give them a few more minutes Bull hoped.
"Set" Signaled the riggers with a rap on the metal rail followed by a hand signal. The squad left the room letting the heavy lead panel descend to its closing position. the hydraulic was too cut to hold it open after the stress of locking it in place. The team knew the droids were all trying to get to the reactor in the most direct route. So their path was clear. The climb up the pipe was the hard point the heat caused more exhaustion then they thought once they reached the surface it was only a matter of minutes before the whole place was a crater. The perimeter droids were deactivated due to a lack of command signal. They waited a few hours before calling for extraction. This mission was over but the pull to the east was still present in Rex on a first time visit to this particular planet.
