Kuat

[Cineon Yahn]

The final Imperial Star Destroyer, Terminex, had been completed for some time, and was sent to Cardia. The shipyards began to prepare to build new ships to replace any ships that might be lost, including the preperation of a new super star destroyer.

[Capt. Phillep]

The shining face of the Empire far too long ago had been reduced to a great deal less than he had been; rebahilitation, psych wards, and several medicinal mind-altering drugs can do that to a person, if he was even to still be called a person.

 

His body pulsed to life from the incubation chamber deep within an Imperial Research and Development building, the Moff Council who generally found much disdain for the impertinent prick to be known as Phillep, knew that his psychosis, his paranoia, and his insatiable lust for liquor, fine women and overly expensive foods could still be an asset to the Empire... and as it now fell into the hands of a true Emperor, someone who could in theory and by virtue of the Force, control the heavy-hand of the filthy and overbearing Phillep, it was time to reanimate him.

 

Eyes opened to find themselves pierced by the whiteness of a sterile room, but it was not so much a real room, as a padded one. A pair of over-sized Storm Troopers approached, but instead of the usual plasteel armor, they were wearing special respirators and escorted by an Interrogation Droid.

 

The livid mind of a genius-turned-psychopath immediately develops ways to run, but where to run if he is surrounded by four padded walls and a single door blocked by armed guards. Then he saw it, the needle... it carried a strangle yellow fluid, "Is it time?"

 

The leftmost orderly, only nodded, granting Phillep the initiative to find his eyes roll into the rear of his head and crumple to the floor... but in reality, the droid had already injected the fluid into his body. The intense sedative brought a world of joy to the insane, for it was not so much a sedative as a hallucinogen and the worst of its kind, at that.

 

It brought the patient into a lulled world of intense happiness, one where he'd forsake all his life, existence, possessions and reason to obtain once more, giving more of himself for each injection.

 

The average death stick couldn't compare to this chemical... not even the sinful pleasure of a nicotine addiction or the lulled libido gained from the consumption of alcohol. No, this was a chemical on it's own scale, the kind addicts not only craved but killed for... and this was how science would control the beast.

 

The straight-jacket was removed, he was given a razor to cleanse himself of his disgusting facial hair. He reduced it to his infamous mustache. He was returned his uniform, but his rank was reduced to that of Captain, pending a meeting with the Emperor who'd determine his best utility.

 

"Welcome back to active service, Captain Phillep... a shuttle shall take you to greet the Emperor shortly."

[Guest]

Upon instructions given in the comm Chief of State Kirana Sunrider had sent, the Alliance fleet came out of hyperspace, shields at full and quickly moved into range. All turbo batteries opened fire upon the shipyards, the first wave of fighters launched. Missiles targeted the defenses while the fighters moved into attack formations, moving to perform strifing runs.

[Onderin Starlisk]

Admiral Onderin Starlisk, aboard his flagship, the massive Star Defender named the Defiant after his original command, had reason to be determined and firm. Ships had been lost on Mimban due to a surprising and unlooked-for amount of defenses. Now Mon Calamari and Selvaris were under attack.

 

They would hold, however. His job here was to take out the Kuat Drive Yards. He would do it quickly and concisely, tearing down its defenses and striking the shipyard itself with as few casualties and as much efficiency as possible. There were no Star Destroyers here to offer resistance. There were only the stationary defenses.

 

"Take out the Golans immediately," he ordered. "Launch all fighters. Give K-wings and B-wings fighter escort. Send E-wings on strike duty as well. They have the torpedoes necessary to reduce Golans to dust."

 

And indeed the fighters struck hard and with speed. The K-wings carried specialized plasma bombs casually referred to as "eggs" that caused defestating damage to a target despite its shields, offering a cone effect that punctured a tiny hole and spewed highly volatile plasma at the structure below.

 

A concentrated number of these eggs and the numerous torpedoes of the E-wings were already showing effects, destroying one of the Golans in orbit before it had caused any casualties. They were marvellous defensive platforms, but they were up against much more than they could handle. Overwhelming them was the perfect job for E-wings, who could evade turbolaser fire while dealing out damage themselves.

[Guest]

((No John it's not Alias stacking - this is Chris (again^), not Ian as you were I'm guessing, hoping for, there is a third down for this alias as well so there is no way we will alias stack with it. 3 Day rule))

 

The fighters made their strafing runs, releasing their missiles and "eggs" on the golan platforms. Wave upon wave broke down the shields, the defenses, the missiles and batteries from the fleet destroying the shipyards the Empire used. They did not attack the planet where civilians lived, only their military targets and had minimal damage of their own.

 

With the Empire not seeming to care what happened to their shipyards, the Alliance left it in ruins. The ships that they had been building were now just shrapnel floating around the ruins of the shipyards. It would take the Empire a long time to rebuild.

 

The shipyards now a smoking mass of debris, the Alliance fleet disappeared back into hyperspace to an unknown destination.

[Capt. Phillep]

The three Imperial II Star Destroyers, rechristened the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria appeared in the far reaches of Kuat... the first of the Imperials to take note of the mass devastation was a recently commissioned Ensign by the name of Rodrigo Vivar, codenamed TK-421B.

 

His first words were short and simple, "Ay Virgen Maria! Que diablos ha pasado aqui!" Upon a glance from his counterpart and a report to the Imperial Secret Police, Vivar's commission was quickly revoked and he was executed... turns out, his counterpart spoke a rare Outer Rim dialect that roughly translated Vivar's statement to... "I'm carrying several rounds of thermal detonator cores rammed up my arse, the next thing you know, I'll blow up and take this entire Star Destroyer with me."

 

It's unfortunate for Vivar's seven children, wife, concubine, mistress, and mother; not so much for his mother-in-law.

 

Despite that completely irrelevant back-story, Vivar's statements were what were echoed by many in the Imperial Navy, and most famously by the very Captain of the Santa Maria, Captain Columbus, codenamed XO-137, "Those Rebels... they be in some tough s*** now."

 

The entire revelation was that several Imperial Engineers set about restructuring the debris fields and manipulating matter flow throughout Kuat, in several days time, a new Fleet Yard operated by slaves from several systems soon to be imported by the Dutch East India Company, a division of Imperial Slave Works, Inc., with several tonnes of frozen Belgian Waffles, several kiloliters of tea, and several tonnes of crumpets.

[Capt. Phillep]

The decimated world of Kuat was being rebuilt, specifically the fleet yards above it. Already, millions of enslaved persons toiled melding the durasteel structures that contained the massive Imperial Star Destroyers, and millions more would find their lives exhausted in the same endeavour or in the building of the actual fleet.

 

Captain Columbus looked over the new Kuat and smiled, "I claim this land for the Empire and I call it New Kuat."

 

A smart-mouthed Ensign approached the Captain, "Captain, you can't rename something if it hasn't been discovered, unless it's been captured. Kuat wasn't really captured it was just destroyed..."

 

The Ensign was quickly imprisoned and Captain Columbus misconception lingered for several days until a higher-ranking Imperial re-renamed New Kuat, Kuat and considered decommissioning Captain Columbus for being a fool who discovered a place that was already discovered, but no one would know this... because the first Imperials to discover Kuat settled many other places and became a lost civilization... they had a fondness for marking up their transport vessels with dragons and looting random villages.

 

Regardless, it is also noteworthy to remark upon the recently decommissioned and executed Ensign, TK-421B, Rodrigo Vivar, his goat and donkey were terribly saddened upon his demise; once more his mother-in-law threw a fiesta.

 

Progress was moving along swiftly and Phillep's Imperial Doctrine would be moaning exquisitely in the weeks to come...

[Capt. Phillep]

New New Kuat, er... New Kuat? No, Kuat, yes, Kuat, was finally complete. It stood as a testament to all the good things that made the Imperials Imperials. Overly efficient brutality, fine use of geometric shapes, limited bloodshed for unlimited results with semi-finite resources.

 

The Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria found company in the way of Admiral Phillep's First Fleet. Regrouping outside the atmosphere, the Fleetyard at Selvaris and the now complete Fleetyard at Kuat would work in unison, should one ever fail the other would exist to complement it... and both were armed to the teeth, yes... the metaphysical teeth for we all know fleetyards do not have teeth. STOP OPRESSING ME!

 

Ha, that's ironic... being a narrarator is awesome.

 

Anyhow, Phillep's hands clenched his enormously large cherry oak desk that he finally was able to afford now that the Empire was his and not some dumb Sith's... "I swear if it weren't for the Force they'd put on pants just like the rest of us... but no, they insist on wearing those ridiculously over-sized robes. Bunch of stupid Corporate Sell-outs."

 

Of course, as the Imperial Overlord continues to mutter much to his own amusement, an impertinent lower-ranked and much inferior officer insists on correcting him... Yes, we all know the drill, Phillep pulls out a pistol and shoots him in between the eyes, then continues muttering... WRONG!

 

"Sir, I'd like to remind you that, we in fact represent something that is much like a corporation and we in fact are quite generally sell-outs. Furthermore, given the Alliance's control of Coruscant and generally stable government, we in fact are Rebels."

 

Phillep's eyes became a terribly violent shade of bloodshot as he leapt from his desk with a large scalpal and cut across the man's stomach like a mad fiend possessed by rage and fury. He dug into the man displaced his innards with violent willful abandon, spraying crimson across the air as a mist and all over his bright, cherry oak desk and tanned leather swivel office chair, even over the framed pictures of his Promotion with the Old Emperor, his picture with Grand Admiral Payne and that one state dinner with Lord Ar-Pharazon and Lord Geki where they discussed the increasing long table of doom.

 

By the time, Phillep had exposed the man's still-beating heart to open-air and realized he had began consuming the man's appendex, Phillep came to a screeching halt. The blood drenched his often-clean and pressed grey uniform, smothered his hands in the viscous fluid and damaged his neatly trimmed mustache and exposed, greased-back black as night hair.

 

A second impertinent officer stopped dead in his tracks, frigtened to see Phillep madly waving the scalpal and perpetually eviscerating the recently promoted Lieuetenant on the ground, his face in a state of eternal agony as he had walked into the light and been consumed by the fires of hell. Instead, Phillep set the knife down, looked at the Junior Officer and back down at his handiwork, "You should try the liver, it's quite nice. He's been hitting the brandy, no doubt."

 

The savage appearance of the Grand Admiral of the Empire was almost intolerable and the female Junior Officer vomited in absolute repulsion. Phillep looked at her name, "What is your name and designation, love?"

 

He added the last bit in a flirtatious tone that had never been performed by the Admiral ever... "Lt. Eva Braun, sir, Technician and Political Officer, 3rd Class. X8-69R."

 

Phillep's eyes lit up at the mentioning of the slightly intriguing sexual position, "Well... make sure you pass around my office more often, Eva."

 

She nodded and turned around, where Phillep took a look at her rear assets, "Nice ass."

 

All in short, Kuat was complete with a pair of Golan III Platforms, multitudes of Turbolaser batteries and 50,000 active-duty Imperial servicemen and Citizen-Officers who were members of the Kuati homeworld.

[Capt. Phillep]

A new Imperial II Star Destroyer exits from the Kuati Shipyards, a sister ship well underway (Within five days). The new vessel was christened the Reconveyance and she immediately was sent off to orbit above Selvaris.

 

Meanwhile Phillep's current fleet of six Imperial II Star Destroyers and on Super-class Star Destroyer was separated; an invasion detachment of the SSD and three other Imperial IIs escorted by hundreds of frigates, assault gunboats and missileboats, and numerous spare Droid Katana Fighters set off for the Hapan Cluster.

 

The remaining three Imperial IIs were separated, leaving two above Kuat and another joining the Reconveyance above Selvaris.

--------------------------------

OOC: To be clear, 2 Imperial IIs (Selvaris), 2 Imperial IIs (Kuat), 3 Imperial IIs and 1 SSD (Hapan Cluster)

[Ki Vastor]

The Wildfire came out of hyperspace, transmitting her transponder codes to the authorities as Ki approached the Imperial fleet. She gave her destination as the planet below and that she was 'looking for work'. Surely there would be something in her line of work around somewhere. Everyone knew that soldiers frequented the bars and that there would possibly be the chance of employment in one of those establishments for an accomplished 'artist'. The dancer stretched within her chair while waiting for clearance to land.

 

Upon receiving it, she took her ship in to land at her designated landing zone, having to meet with port authorities upon landing. She explained that she had been 'gifted' with this custom ship, and that she needed employment in which to keep it running. She gave the port official a knowing look, her eyes travelling over him giving every indication of why she had been gifted with her fine ship. The official stuttered and swallowed, his mind concluding that she had gotten the ship from a sugar daddy or other client, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as she leant over to breathe on his neck, giving him a view of her leatherclad cleavage, her hand caressing his face. He was that nervous he stamped her paperwork without checking it over any further than a cursery glance as he stammered out that he hoped she found something soon.

 

Ki smiled seductively before moving off in the direction he had suggested might hold a 'local watering hole'. She could feel his eyes on her as she let her hips sway, the black leather like a second skin. While she had a blaster belt around her slim waist, she had her daggers concealed within her arm sheaths and boots.

 

She wandered the streets for a time, choosing an establishment that she saw the most Imperial soldiers enter. It would have to be a successful business with the amount of men that were entering there so she slipped inside, glancing towards a stage before confidently walking over to the bar and asking for the proprietor. It wasn't long before she was shown into his office out the back.

 

"I'm looking for work. Maybe you've heard of me... stage name Devine."

 

She was counting on the reputation she'd acquired before she had gotten tangled up with Kabe. Even though she'd often had trouble finding work in the Coruscant lower levels, she'd had a good reputation as a crowd drawing dancer...

 

The proprietor's eyes lit up, widening as he did recognise her. He offered her a postition, asking if she still performed the 'private' performances. When she rose a delicate eyebrow at him and he covered by saying that she'd 'dropped off the dancing scene'. Ki smiled wickedly,

 

"Yes... for exclusive clients I'm willing to go the extra distance..."

 

He reached to shake her hand, bringing it to his lips as he responded that he hoped that they would have a profitable partnership, also asking how soon she could start. She responded that she could now if he liked and he jumped at it, showing her the dressing room out the back. She changed, moving out onto the stage when the other girl came off, moving into a sensual dance using the poles and chairs around the stage... quickly losing herself to the music...

 

Ki smiled wickedly... it was great when a reputation got you what you wanted...

[Capt. Phillep]

A young, red-blooded Imperial Commander with nothing much to do on a good night and tired of the enclosed spaces and lack of sexual desire inherent with the random female Imperial nurse (all of mature age and lacking in... expertise) often finds himself drawn to the dimly lit world of night-culture. The young buck, in his early thirties, strode into the cantina on Kuat-proper and found himself enthralled by the newly plastered posters of "We Bare it ALL!" It was enough for the little man between his legs to come right out and smile at the world, which it would have, if it weren't restrained by restrictive leather pants he was now wearing.

 

The general consensus for Imperial relationships was... whatever you bring home, you gotta share with the Troops, and thus Phillep accounted for the increasingly high rate of Sexually-Transmitted Diseases in his Army, or at least, that's what he hoped was going on...

 

Nevertheless, the young buck strolls into the cantina to find one particular dancer on stage and his eyes fall out of his socket, his tongue reaches the floor and his manhood seemingly erupts. The blushing Imperial slides into a booth to better enjoy the show and himself, as the dim lights prevent much of anything from... being seen, especially what occured beneath the table.

 

The proprietors knew the Imperials were often the cause for the unnatural viscosity and adhesiveness of the table-bottoms but so long as they did not get an E-11 pointed at their forehead, they'd turn a blind eye and laugh in enclosed quarters at the Troopers sexual frustrations.

 

However, returning the heightened state of the Imperial Commander, once his body temperature returned to normal and he... disposed... of himself, his finer negotiating tactics called over the proprietor and put a bid on taking the stage-dancer off his employ... and into the folds of the Empire's... 'Special Skills' Division.

[Ki Vastor]

Ki danced and wove, her lithe figure weaving around the pole. Her eyes caught sight of a number of Imperial soldiers around the room, noting one that slipped into the booth not far from where she was dancing. A knowing twinkle appeared in her eyes as she saw his drooling expression, now making her dance focus more sensual and in his direction. She leant forward, twisted her body around in a complicated move before showing him her rear as she again bent forward, the palm of her hand resting on the floor.

 

She had chosen her outfit well, the extremely short mini-skirt covering black lacy knickers, fishnet stockings and a matching lacy black bikini top. Her knee high boots with high heel toping the outfit. She moved about the stage, crossing to the other side to tantilate the men on the other side of the stage, before she caught the eye of her boss, signalling her over to the Imperial Commander.

 

She approached, sauntering over to the table and slipping onto the Commanders knee, straddling him and giving him a kiss as she placed his hands on her rear assets... to... hold her in place upon his knee of course...

 

"You wanted to see me..."

[Capt. Phillep]

The Imperial Commander grinned sheepishly as he felt all of her figure upon him, especially her firm, tight rear 'assets,' in his hands. He felt her tongue in his mouth and adjusted himself to bring her ever closer... "I wanted to know if you'd care to have a more... private discussion... about your future?"

 

He spoke even as his anatomy discussed his personal plans rather obviously and to the dismay of many of the other patrons. Then again, the power of the Imperial Empire's Imperium Express Black Card was... almost as powerful as the flotilla hovering above the planet.

[Ki Vastor]

Ki grinned at him, a secret sparkle in her eye

 

"What about my future...?"

 

She kissed his neck, finding it not hard at all to fall back into the frame of mind that allowed her to detach her mindset from the situation, while her body responded automatically to keep the clients happy.

 

"You have... an offer... for me?"

 

Her voice was low, seductive as it would be expected to be.

[Capt. Phillep]

He nodded, a smile showing through his teeth, "Why yes, yes I most certainly do..."

 

He craned his neck as she kissed it and offered an insulting, yet gleeful expression at the other clients, then, whispered into her ear, "A very exclusive contract in Selvaris... you'll get paid several times more than you get paid here and you get to experience the luxury of several more men, fit, trim and attractive... perhaps even access to his Admiralcy."

 

He was exaggerating... then again, her record said she was just that good, and he was looking for a woman to entertain the men, regardlessly, if this would get her consideration, what did he care. He could do as he wished at gun-point...

[Ki Vastor]

Ki allowed a gleam to enter her eyes,

 

"An exclusive contract? How much more..."

 

Her face lit up at the thought of the credits that could roll in. She was offered a substantial wage here at the nightclub, but to get more than what she was currently offered...

[Capt. Phillep]

He thought for only a second, "More than you can dream... being that you'll be a diversion to Officers who're more willing to offer their salaries, paychecks and any random offspring for a taste of your enticement, you'd be able to... work them out of anything."

 

He mused, for another few seconds, "If you'd like a more... real... number, I'd say you'd be starting at several thousand credits per show, plus tips. The Empire has money to burn and attractive women to keep our soldiers alert, aware and ready... are a much needed commodity."

[Ki Vastor]

"More than I can dream? I can dream pretty high..."

 

Ki grinned, thinking for a moment before answering, running a finger along his jawline.

 

"I accept your offer, when do you wish me to start?"

 

She would be pleased to be making alot of credits. Ki had become accustomed to a lifestyle of luxury and didn't want that to change.

[Capt. Phillep]

The Commander grinned as her hand struck along his jaw-line, his body reacting much without his control by now, "We can start right away... I only have to test you, first, we can get going right now, actually..."

 

He straddled her off of him and led her towards the shuttle that would take them to the above stationed Star Destroyer.

[Ki Vastor]

Ki followed along, hearing sounds of disappointment, but also a few cat calls and wolf whistles as they departed.

 

As they entered the shuttle, Ki again caressed his face,

 

"Any preferences?"

[Capt. Phillep]

The Imperial Commander smiled as he felt her body caress his own, the shuttle was large enough to accomodate the general luxuries afforded higher-ranking Officers... and he'd admit, he did really love his job, especially the perks.

 

He motioned for a large spacious bedroom that took the center of the vessel...

 

"It's your evaluation... consider this a free-response question..."

[Ki Vastor]

Ki looked over the Commander, a smirk appearing on her face as she began to taunt and tease him. Her hand gently caressed his face before she trailed her hand lower down, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling him towards the bed.

[Capt. Phillep]

He let out a laugh, "Of course you've passed my test... the only other one may be a Battallion gang-bang, but something tells me you'll manage." He let out another hearty laugh from his frame.

 

He cleansed his face, body and genitalia before stepping out of the shower and drying himself off. He went to the soiled bed and pulled back the covers, discarding them towards the floor and falling down heavily on the bed.

 

"We should be on the Kuat Docks within moments," and then the officer slipped into an unconscious dream.

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

EDIT: Oct 18, 2005

 

The fleet blankets into realspace above the Kuat foundries and regroups with the current Star Destroyer defense above the planet's surface. Phillep boards a Imperial Lambda-class shuttle with a number of his best armed guards and sets off for Vjun, a planet steeped in the Dark Side.

 

Phillep's desire to study the nature of his Trandoshan Elite Death Squads spurring his curiosity, his Empire was thriving above the skies of the Cluster, Selvaris and Kuat, several raw recruits brimming forth from the depths of his bases on Cardia and even an Imperial presence remained on the dark world of Foy, he could take a spiritual vacation.

[Savage]

Cardia's latest fruits were ready to be plucked. The transport carrying the squad of raw recruits landed flawlessly with a hiss of steam and the dull thud of metal making contact with metal. The landing bay ramp lowered, allowing men in gleaming white armor to exit the ship in a perfect, machine like formation. Marching two by two, each one was virtually indistinguishable from the next. All of them carried standard issue E-11's, except for three. One at the rear of the squad carried a flachette rifle, another in the middle of the formation carried a grenade launcher, and the one leading the squad carried a light repeater. As the formation came to a hault, the leader tapped into his comlink.

 

"XJ-954, reporting in. The 501st's Alpha Squad has arrived from Cardia Academy. Awaiting further orders."

[Capt. Phillep]

A Colonel overlooked the 501st Alpha Squad and pointed them to their new base of operations, the Super-class Star Destroyer Moaning Hapan, the Imperial Flagship, of course, by pointing, the Colonel began to gesture to the immense monstrosity orbiting above Kuat, which they were currently already located within... "Your quarters are near the vessel's aft, on the lower decks."

[Savage]

The troopers picked it up and moved it out, swiftly finding their bunks and stations on board the massive vessel. Although most were green to the empire, some were not green to combat, least of all, one of them. With the glorious, if tedious, pomp and ceremony of joining the Empire seeming to be at an end, the one designated XJ-954, Private Vicious Ardo, eagerly awaited his challenges to begin. He often hoped the ship would somehow become infested with some sort of arachnoid alien species that picked bodies to pieces, or that a small group of highly trained Republic soldiers would make a daring escape attempt from the brig.

 

It didn't happen. Yet. He reported to his command and patrolled as orders required. He still had an intense urge to shoot something, as was programmed into him by the academy as well as his testosterone level.

[Capt. Phillep]

OOC: Jack take a few posts, I'll be out this weekend. This is what you'd be doing for a great deal of time, RPing against NPCs.

 

IC:

While it was far from the violent overture that many, or at least one, Imperial trooper desired to do, the call for Live Munitions training did come in, at least as a form of entertainment for the troopers, and it was better than randomly marching up and down the twelve mile spire of durasteel.

 

The Troopers of the 501st were led to a large open expanse, an empty hangar bay, for the Firefight against the 666th Squadron. The loud, monotone voice over the PA system ordered all present troopers to set their weapons to stun and begin the battle.

 

As opposed to training against Green Recruits, the 501st Squad was being given a chance to train against slighly more competent opposition than legions of Battle Droids or incompetent trainees...

[Ki Vastor]

Ki cleansed herself and redressed carefully, deciding that she would rest while the ship completed it's journey. She had earned a rest, what with her dance routines and the other... testing... this Imperial Officer decided that she had needed. It would take her at least a little while to recover from his rough treatment of her body, though she kept herself very trim and taunt she didn't go into that other much, only when required.

 

She lay beside the officer, falling into a light slumber. One in which she would wake from quickly if need be...

[Savage]

The obstacles littering the hangar bay were covered in the bodies of armorless stormtroopers, rookie and veteran alike. They were snoozing like babes that had been violently knocked unconscious by a brief nervous system failure. The tactics taught at the academy worked just as well in the field, but age and experience inevitably surpass youth and skill. The teams were down to their final four men each, and both had regrouped at opposing sides of the generously spaced bay, snipers waiting for anyone to dare come into the open as they simultaneously hunted eachother.

 

XJ-954 sat in the corner with his hand on his chin as he hummed a tune still stuck in his head from a Bith band in a seedy cantina. The other troopers, dressed in the black cloth they usually wore under their armor, were less calm. The 501st's elected sniper, TH-300, sat perched on a pile of scrap, underneath a lightweight piece of superficial hull material usually used to make major repairs to speeders. The scope attached to his antique E-11 trembled while he searched for the predator who was searching for him. A hulking piece of a durasteel door lurched forward, only inches, in the corridor the troops were hiding in, distracting 300 for only a second. Assuming the 666th's sniper was on the other side of the bay, neither man would be in a tactical range to take a shot, but they would be able to effectively report their enemy's location.

 

The two other men of the 501st, TH-301 and TH-330, had survived this long into the war game through cowardice. Whereas XJ-954 and TH-300 had gotten a decent number of "kills" each, their extraodinary efforts were cancelled by the greener men's total lack of effort. They took a moment to look over at Ardo as he hummed, wondering if the older man's nonchallant attitude would be the key to getting them discovered. They were too intimidated by his academy record to raise their voice to him.

 

Vicious stood up and brought his weapon to a ready position, flashing his eyes upward briefly. "TH-300, fire a shot towards the wall above my head on my mark, and quickly hide. And 330, stand behind 301, now." Before any of them could object to his orders, he had raised his rifle towards 301's chest, "Mark." He let out a single burst of stunning blue energy from his rifle, turning the rookie's shocked and confused expression into one of a peaceful slumber. A stun bolt simultaneously impacted the hull above Ardo's head at the exact moment this happened, the silent impact made even more undetectable as the storm trooper's loud grunt escaped his lungs and he collapsed into the arms of his cowardly compatriot. The durasteel door that had lurched forward earlier was suddenly thrust down, and three storm troopers emerged with their weapons at the ready. They charged towards 330, who dropped his rifle, 301's body, raised his hands, and immediately surrendered with a dull whimper.

 

One of the troopers called out, "Loothra, get down here!" A scrap pile on top of a scrap pile cleared itself away, revealing another black clad sniper with a confused look on his face and the insignia of the 666th on his arm. "You got one of them and we captured another. It's a matter of time now." The leader of the troopers held 301 towards the other troopers, one of which delivered a crushing knee to the man's solarplexus. The rookie dropped to his knees, exhaling all of his breath violently, as he clutched at his lungs in vain. "Tell us where your friends are hiding and I won't shoot you in the head," the leader said. The defeated man pointed to where 300 had been hiding, atop a stack of crates and scrap. The leader then shot him in the head.

 

Loothra suddenly called out, "Hey! I didn't fire at anybody! What's going on?" The two grunts looked at eachother while their leader was about to give away 300's position when someone tapped on one of their shoulders. As the trooper turned around, an E-11's barrel was shoved into his right side's floating ribs, crushing them into glass shards. The pain was quickly nullified by a stun bolt echoing through the remains of a lung shredded by sharp fragments of bone, pacifying him until a medic could be bothered. The other trooper quickly raised his rifle only to have the barrel caught by his assailant's nimble hands, which forced the weapon to remove him from the line of fire. Ardo growled loudly and grabbed the soldier by the back of his elbow and wrist, bending them into an unnatural contortion behind the soldiers back and turning him towards his leader. The wild eyed man thrust a boot with all his might towards where the detainee's humerus met his ulna, smashing his elbow so that his forearm would now swing like a door's broken hinge. It was now attached merely by flesh and ligament and no longer by bone and membrane.

 

The kick also sent the man reeling forward, stumbling towards his leader as he howled in pain. He was met with a merciful stun bolt catching him in the stomach, knocking him out immediately. In the course of all the confusion, Vicious leapt out from behind the collapsing body and grabbed the leader's E-11, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was locked in a power struggle over control of the weapon, and with a swift thrust of his foot at the bottom of his opponent's kneecap, he won that struggle. He clutched the trigger and jammed the rifle under the kneeling veteran's jaw. Vicious smiled like a child sheepishly receiving a gift as he watched the man's brain fry. He heard a stun bolt fire behind him as a man collapsed against his back, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

 

"XJ-954," TH-300 said as he stood from beneath his camouflage, "I got Loothra." They dropped their rifles.

[Capt. Phillep]

The Commander awoke groggilly and was surprised to see she was still in the room, dressed and awaiting him. He stumbled out of the bed and entered the 'fresher where he relieved himself and took a second shower to get ready. If anything, this guy was about as efficient as a regal and pristine woman... He finally got out and led her to her Quarters aboard the SSD Moaning Hapan.

 

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The loud voice boomed and congratulated XJ-954 and TH-300 for jobs well done. They were the top kill leaders in the entire exercise, even despite the intensive training of the 666th.

 

The troopers were all dismissed and those severely injured sent to the Medical Bay for treatment.