ENDOR

[XCALIBYR]

Summary
Ground forces land in G-2 and G-3
Attack!


1000 Army Troopers vs BMIC Blue 4000
60 Speeder Bikes vs BMIC Blue 600

1000 Army Troopers vs BMIC Gold 4000
60 Speeder Bikes vs BMIC Gold 600

1500 Imperial Army Troopers vs 300 Rebel Fleet Troopers 6000
120 Speeder Bikes vs 30 Speeder Bikes 1200

Darth X vs Rebel Factory 3000

2000 Imperial Army Troopers G-3
120 Speeder Bikes G-3
1500 Imperial Army Troopers G-2
120 Speeder Bikes G-2
Darth X G-2

[SWSF Hale]

[^] PUNISHER SQUADRON [^]
1st Imperial Expeditionary Force
Primus Et Optimus | The First and the Finest
Commanding Officer: SUPREME EXECUTOR Lucidius Hale

THE FATE OF THE REBELLION, Part 1 of 2

   With reports of the Joint Imperial Fleet departing the system, Hale knew that the space battle was over. All that remained was the last defensive compound of the Rebel Alliance - a wooden fort constructed amidst an Ewok village. While the Ewok tribes presented a spirited and honorable defense of their home woodlands, in this "rematch" between them and the Imperial Army, their wooden spears, stone slings, log traps, and other primitive siege weapons amounted to nothing.

   As the VNSD Leviathan loomed overhead in the skies above, providing close air support, razing the Ewok villages and creating a permiter of fire around the Rebel fort, which prevented escape. At last, the ground battle was coming to a climax. In various other parts of Endor, other Imperial forces were rapidly pressing upon the few defensive facilities that remained. By nightfall, the planet would be the Empire's once again... but yet its future was still undecided.

   Jana had managed to regain control of herself, as she no longer felt the presence of Darth Algoz, but there was still a hint of darkness that echoed in her mind. She felt the presence of another Sith Lord... a strange presence that seemed out of place, yet nonetheless powerful. Surely after this battle was over, she would seek this presence out and determine what the will of the Dark Side was in the galaxy. If she was to conquer and control the Dark Side, she would need to know its masters.

   Hale on the other hand had managed to seperate himself from Jana during the battle, because he felt uncomfortable with her ruthless aggression against the enemy. Now an experienced combat veteran, Hale preferred to maintain a dispassionate attitude during battle and focused only on fufilling his objectives. With the support of dozens of AT-STs and thousands of Army Troopers, defeating the conventionally trained yet weaker Rebel Fleet Troopers was no less an live fire exercise than a true battle.

   Inside the Rebel Fort...

   Garm Bel Iblis was barking orders at his Troopers and Ewok warriors: "Reinforce the south wall! The enemy is approaching!"

   A Rebel squad captain approached Iblis, "General, we've spotted Supreme Executor Hale, he is closing upon the West gate. There is also a Dark Jedi among the Imperial troops, and so our worst fears have come true. The New Republic has abandoned us... if Luke Skywalker refuses to fight our cause then we are truly lost."

   "Silence captain! If we're to go down today, it'll be as free men who stood against oppression. Peacemakers who fought to end war. Martyrs to the true cause of liberty and true Rebellion Against The Empire!!"

   Hundreds of troops around Iblis cheered and felt emboldened by the words of encouragement, but as the ring of AT-ST blaster fire began sounding in the air and approaching the Rebel Fort, everyone knew the end was near.

   One hour later...

   The taking of the Rebel Fort was executed in a textbook manner. The assault began from an all-vector approach, using probing attacks until weak spots were identified, at which point the attack vectors shifted to hammer down on those weak points until a breach in the fort's palisade walls were made.

   As the south wall collapsed and Imperial troops rushed into the Rebel Fort, wholesale slaughter of Rebel troops began. Hale finally met back up with Jana, who was looking dirty from the battlefield and had bloodstains on her uniform. She had a worn look on her face and didn't seem to care that she had reunited with Hale on the battlefield. All she cared about now was complete desolation of the battlefield and ending the war. The momentary respite she gained from the Light Side earlier in the battle was just that... a moment... for now she was hollowed and hardened by the Dark Side...

   Hale turned away and sighted General Garm Bel Iblis, who was picking off Army Troopers left and right while dual wielding twin DL-44 heavy blaster pistols. Eventually, Hale and his personal squad of troopers closed in on him.

   "Set for stun," ordered Hale.

   But by that time Iblis had ran out of ammo, and so he threw his hands up. Immediately, troopers wrestled him to the ground and bounded his hands together behind his back. With his face in the mud, Hale spoke to him, "General Garm Bel Iblis... you are hereby arrested as a war criminal and member of the Rebellion Against The Empire. Your tribunal will take place onboard the Star Destroyer Punisher. Are there any questions?"

   "Where is the New Republic?!" shouted Iblis, who was frustrated that his brothers in arms had abandoned the Rebel Alliance.

   "Our reports indicate that the New Republic is consolidating its power on the other side of the galaxy. It would seem that Ramano's refusal to cooperate, in addition to his wild tactics and disconnection from reality has ultimately led to the seperation of your pathetic Rebellion. Now, a new dawn of Imperialism will rise over the galaxy. Only the strong will lead now."

   Iblis was brought to his feet and grunted. He was a capable foe, and one could tell that his was still calculating ways to escape, achieve victory, or determine ways his defense could have gone better. Even in defeat, the man would not stop leading, which is something that Hale admired in the man.

   "Soldiers! Take him away!" ordered Hale.

TBC!

[XCALIBYR]

Colonel Brams was pleased to note, as he applied a fresh bacta patch to the blaster burn on his shoulder, that there was a numbing agent included.  He'd been shot.  Of course he'd been shot.  He'd been too busy standing in awe of the monsters he'd personally brought into the Empire to pay proper attention to the field of battle, however brief the conflict had been.  As the landing barges touched down midway through what was already a decisive victory for the combined Imperial forces, Darth X had given him but one command.  "Watch, and see the power of a true Sith Lord."  The moment the boarding ramp descended enough to permit passage, the sith leapt toward the fray, still dozens of meters in the air.  The mandalorian followed close behind with a controlled burst from his jetpack.  Even the beautiful Captain Cole proved to be deceptively deadly, as she deftly used a sniper rifle nearly as long as she was tall to begin picking off rebel troops before the barges touched down.  What followed was nothing less than slaughter.  The enemy was helpless before the power of Darth X, who spun and cut and stabbed and slashed and whirled through scores of troopers, removing limbs and heads and splitting torsos.  Never far from the wildly spinning red lightsabers was an equally intimidating wall of flame that spat blaster bolts and micro-missiles in every direction, sowing carnage and destruction.  

Brams was no stranger to battle, but this was the largest he had ever participated in, and, he recalled with some delight, would look exceedingly well on his record.  He was well on his way to General, he decided, and had given up thoughts of early retirement shortly before receiving the order to lay siege to Endor.   It was over now, at any rate, and Brams was looking forward to returning to the Tuk'ata.  Anything to get away from all the green, he thought, sniffing to clear his nasal passages.

***

Darth X's scowl deepened as he watched his troops celebrate their victory.  It hardly seemed worth it.  It had been over so quickly.  He wanted a war, and got a skirmish.  The moment battle was joined he knew his ascension was guaranteed.  The pain was gone.  He could draw on the force as much as he liked without the slightest discomfort.  It still required more effort than he was used to, but it was only a matter of time before that final hurdle was overcome.  And so, he was disappointed.  More so than he ought to be, he knew, but that hardly seemed to matter.  Battle was familiar, and everything was very much still... not.  It was disorienting and intolerable and yet there was nothing to be done about it except to explore his new world like some sort of infant.  Lightning crackled around his clenched fists and he forced his hands open to relax and discharge the energy.  Beside him, Blaxer tinkered with some feature or other of his armors vast arsenal, while Captain Cole dutifully stood in for the injured Colonel Brams, overseeing the construction of the temporary camp site that would house thousands of troops and later become an Imperial stronghold.  Darth X worked the tension from his jaw, and turned his head ever so slightly.  "Captain? I'll be going hunting now."

"Ah... yes, my lord."  Cole's expression told him she understood his frustration and conveyed her concern.  He replied with a blank stare that was more than sufficient to prevent her from pressing the issue and force-sprinted away so the stubborn mandalorian would be unable to persue.  When he was a kilometer away from the camp he slowed down.  The Imperial database stated there were a great many ferocious beasts of all shapes and sizes in these massive forests as well as some type of semi-intelligent giant.  If he couldn't have a war, he would still have blood.  

[SWSF Eidolon]

   Just as Barl Cestiss' first wave of attackers had stormed up the gently sloping hillside and began taking fire, Supreme Executor Hale's forces were beginning to close and engage from the opposing side drawing a significant defensive shift.  Swarms of Imperial infantry and light walkers over-ran the base compound in sheer overwhelming force, the hopeless defenders mounted a fighting retreat as they fled in to the woods of Endor.  After hours of fierce battle, the dust had settled.  The General walked amongst the debris and dead, counting his few losses somberly along with an equal sense of gravity for the thousands more fallen Rebels soldiers.  The charred burnt out smoldering husks of Titan repulsor tanks dotted the landscape, peppered in with a handful of crippled over scout walkers. Kneeling close to a very dead Rebel infantryman who hadn't much of his face left, he closed his eyes and offered an age old incantation beneath his breath before a member of the nearby gathered staff interrupted,

  "General, we have many dead and wounded of our own that require tending.. ," the inexperienced officer began in an unintended yet insolent manner.  A recent transfer to Cestiss' General Staff, he wasn't going to last long.

  The General stood and in long determined steps approached the speaker.  Grabbing a hold of the back collar of his field jacket, he ripped it off in one swift powerful yank.  The force jerked the young officer to his ass while removing the garment from his person in a relatively destruction fashion, one sleeve left dangling as he confusingly inspected himself in a dazed state as he sat in the mud.

  The General returned to the defaced Rebel soldier and gently lay the ripped jacket across the man's upper body and head, covering his gruesome wounds and kneeling to finish his respects.  He finished and strode back passed the corrected officer who was just gathering himself and attempting to wipe away the muck but more or less smearing it around,

   "S-sir I-I. ." he began to attempt and back peddle his ill-thought comments.  The General simply strode passed not making any eye contact, but paused a few steps the other side of the group and spoke without turning around,

   "In death we are all equal," he said pausing to look to the ground, "Make camp.  And bury them.  All of them," Barl ordered before making his way to an idling command speeder.

   He climbed inside and was surprised to be greeted by Admiral Szymon's Right-Hand, Inspector General Urratio Niks.  The Inspector cut directly to the point before General Cestiss had even settled in to his seat,

   "Iblis has been apprehended by Lord Hale's forces.  Alive.  We need him," Niks said plainly.

   "What would you have me do?,"  the General inquired.

   "Nothing, he'll offer him to us.  Imprisonment on Kessel.  Refuse him," the Inspector directed Cestiss.

  The large bulky gentleman pried further, "And then?" he asked with sharp inflection.

  "Refuse him again," the Inspector responded.  "When he asks a third time.  Accept.  And send him to Sky Bogey IMMEDIATELY after," he concluded.

  The General appeared to be growing confused and displeased with the run-around,

  "Inspector, this.. ", he started before being cut-off.  "That's not all," Urratio began.

  "When the Serpentor returns, Ishfan won't.  A new.. situation has developed at Port that requires his full attention," the Inspector explained as he began to exit the vehicle on the opposing side that Barl had entered, "Captain Zesh will fill you in on the details when he arrives," Niks finished before strongly swinging the pop-up door hatch closed. . .(TBC)

[SWSF Hale]

[^] PUNISHER SQUADRON [^]
1st Imperial Expeditionary Force
Primus Et Optimus | The First and the Finest
Commanding Officer: SUPREME EXECUTOR Lucidius Hale

THE FATE OF THE REBELLION, Part 2 of 2

   With the Second Battle of Endor finally ended, the news of the Imperial victory spread across the galaxy like wildfire. In the coming months, this would be both a good and bad thing. Good because it would galvanize Imperialism and rebuff the New Republic, and bad because the many rogue Imperial warlords who fancied themselves something greater would now seek to capitalize on the seemingly pro-Imperial political movement sweeping the galaxy. During the height of the Galactic Empire, power and control was consolidated in Emperor Palpatine alone - but now that his personal presence was no longer inspiring fear and awe to maintain internal bureaucratic order within the Empire, splintering and fragmentation was abound. Even a planetary governor could now jockey for power and prestige by aligning with a particular sector fleet admiral. Countless of these "pocket Empires" were rampant across the galaxy.

   Yet the true Galactic Empire - still headquartered in Coruscant - maintained an illusion of control due to vast economic sway it held, the real power was vested in the burgeoning Sith Empire that was poising itself to make a comeback. The only other real Imperial power in the galaxy remaining was the Imperial Remnant, which had gained notoriety and popularity with a carefully calculated "Imperial Reformation" that rewrote many of Palpatine's intolerant or unwise military doctrines. Military sovereignty was obtained directly through the 1st Imperial Expeditionary Force, which had now added a crowning achievement to its record: the capture of General Garm Bel Iblis.

   In the post-battle clean-up, surviving Rebel infantry were rounded up and loaded into transports bound for "reprocessing" camps. A temporary command outpost was setup while Hale remained on-site to conduct his interview with General Iblis before requiring his deportation.

   "Mr. Iblis, you possess a brilliant mind for combat tactics and strategy, and so out of admiration for your personal abilities and your rather late entry into the Rebel Alliance... I am willing to overlook your command role and charges against the Imperial Remnant if you agree to serve the Imperial Remnant as an instructor at our Corulag Academy," offered Hale. "I'm willing to give you a fresh start, if you help us bring your counterparts in the New Republic to justice."

   "Wow, that sounds like a really great deal..." paused Iblis, "...but how about you go fuck yourself."

   "Mr. Iblis..."

   "No. I'm not going to cooperate, talk, or betray anyone or anything I've fought for. So you can go ahead and kill me now or send me off to your maximum security prisons or whatever you do," replied Iblis.

   Hale thought to himself for a moment. "No... I think I have an idea about where to send you. See, we've made some friends during these tumultuous times. Friends in far away places."

   General Iblis smirked and scoffed at Hale.

   "GUARDS! TAKE HIM AWAY!"

   Immediately, a pair of Army Troopers grabbed Iblis and took him off to the representative of the Spice Imperium. After much deliberation, the fate of Iblis was ultimately decided. To the infamous SPICE MINES OF KESSEL he would go!

   Meanwhile, elsewhere...

   Jana Sable had separated herself from the main Imperial fold where the Imperial Remnant encampment was. She was now going rogue, in search of a greater power and discipline to understand the nature of her Force powers and the ability to harness the power of the Dark Side without being controlled by it. Running wildly and taking great strides and leaps, she eventually approached the presence that she felt on Endor with caution.

   Donning her black hood, she withdrew her lightsaber and ignited its smokey silver beam, as she was not sure what to expect. Hearing a great noise in the forests ahead of a giant beast, she approached the noise and in the distance saw what could only be a Sith Lord...

[XCALIBYR]

The boar-wolf was an impressive specimen, standing over three meters tall at the shoulder and rippling with dense muscles, its mouth packed full of razor sharp fangs dripping with saliva and tusks the size of his arm.  Often, the colossal Gorax would keep a pack of the vicious animals as pets, and Darth X had hoped this was one such creature.  His disappointment manifested itself in a lightning quick series of acrobatics and lightsaber strokes that removed the beasts head from its massive shoulders and sent its body crashing to the ground.  The sith lord stood, shoulders sagging, head hung low and sighed, deep and long.  The force presence quivering with uncertainty and expectation that belonged to the allied commanders' toy force-wielder had been closing on his position for nearly an hour and seemed intent on a meeting.  His hunt for the mighty Gorax, it seemed, would have to wait.  After all, it would be rude to not say hello.  Locking his lightsaber into the on position, he hurled it like a spear, augmenting its velocity with the force.  His efforts were rewarded with a surprised yelp and a humming crash of energy blades as his stalker deflected the attack.  Darth X grinned, baring his teeth and narrowing his eyes as he drew the force, without pain, into his legs and leapt high into the air.  Roaring like the boar-wolf he'd just slain, he brought his second lightsaber crashing down on a woman's vaporous silver blade, forcing her back and down.  

"W-wait," she exclaimed, her voice strained from the effort of keeping the burning red blade from cleaving her face in two.  A bead of sweat raced down her forehead and Darth X laughed, planting a foot on her stomach and kicking her back into a pile of brush.

"Did you think we were to have a nice little chat," he inquired mockingly, summoning his fallen lightsaber to his outstretched hand.  She drew herself to her feet, but before she could answer he was on her, slashing low, and cutting high, overwhelming her defenses and slicing through her clothes but missing flesh.  He continued to do so until he was certain she knew he was toying with her, and then smashed his blade into hers so hard it flew from her grasp.  "What are you doing?"

"What?"

"You are weak.  You are soft.  You play with the force but have no understanding of what it is, or how to properly wield it," he sneered, inching his blade closer to her throat as she pedaled backwards to remain out of reach, her eyes never leaving the glowing tip.  "You come to me, presumably seeking power, knowledge... you think these things will come freely?  You believe yourself worthy to be my apprentice?  You are barely an acolyte, worm."

Her face contorted with anger and her blade flew to her hand, igniting in mid-air so it could be brought crashing against the lethal beam of scarlet death in front of her.  She swung her weapon back and forth, holding the lightsaber in a two-handed grip, battering at Darth X as if she could harm him with sheer force of will.  And if she hadn't been holding back, maybe she could have.  In many years.  With intense training.  And luck, for the Force was assuredly with him.  He sighed, caught her blade between his own, and kicked her knee with enough force to bend it sideways.  She screamed, but to her credit did not collapse, instead she moved to a one-handed defensive position and hopped backwards.  "Enough."  Darth X sheathed his off-hand blade and made a fist in the air.  The woman rose off her feet, her fingers tearing at the invisible vice around her throat, her silver lightsaber forgotten.  Her mouth worked soundlessly and her eyes bulged, her legs desperately pumping against nothing.  

"You seek mastery of the force?  Then listen well," he intoned over her sputtering and gurgling.  "Peace is a lie, there is only passion.  Through passion, I gain strength.  Through strength, I gain power.  Through power, I gain victory.  Through victory, my chains are broken.  The Force shall set me free.  Remember well, these words.  They can teach you much, though I suspect you have already learned a great deal today.  You fear the touch of the dark side; that much is clear.  Master your emotions, draw power from your fear as well as your anger.   Only the weak allow themselves to become puppets of the darkness.  I'll tell you a secret, little acolyte, and you will be grateful if you wish to survive our next encounter... true power lies in balance."

Darth X released her and she fell into a choking, gasping heap, writhing in the foliage as her lungs greedily sucked in air.  When she could, she lifted her head and glared at him, willing the universe to strike him dead.  "Oh, don't take it so personally," he chuckled.  "You'll thank me later."

She continued to stare at him, her eyes brimming with hate, her force presence overflowing with a mix of rage, fear, shame and... desperation.  "You've earned an answer, acolyte.  Ask."

"How," she screamed, her voice raw, tears bursting from her bloodshot eyes, her force presence bursting with demand.  Darth X noted that she was quite beautiful when properly motivated.  "How do I control the darkness?  It's so... so powerful," she despaired.

Darth X laughed loudly and shook his head.  "The darkness talks back, does it?  It wants things, does it?  Are you a child?  Are you a slave?  Are you so weak minded?  Where is your conviction?  You came here knowing full well it might cost you your life, so you are no coward.  If you cannot control the allure of the dark side, then perhaps you lack purpose.  Find your self, acolyte, and you will find the will to master your emotions and wield the dark side as a powerful weapon.  Now go.  Go back to your master and his spice peddling gangster friends.  Tell them Darth Algoz thanks them for their assistance in purging the Rebels, but it would be best if they leave while my men and I secure Endor for the true Empire."

In an instant, Darth X vanished from sight, his presence in the force gone as well.  Careful not to make a sound, he sped away as quickly as he dared.  He figured he had roughly two hours before the girl could hobble her way back to camp to deliver the message from Algoz, less if her absence was noted and they sent out search parties.  If hostilities arose and he arrived late, Cole would never let him hear the end of it.  With a sigh, he sprinted back towards his own camp.

[SWSF Hale]

[^] PUNISHER SQUADRON [^]
1st Imperial Expeditionary Force
Primus Et Optimus | The First and the Finest
Commanding Officer: SUPREME EXECUTOR Lucidius Hale

THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE

   As Jana crawled her way back to the Imperial Remnant command outpost, her anger and frustration was seething - and giving her strength to keep pushing on. In all of her years operating as the Emperor's Shadow, her Force abilities were unmatched, even against those given rudimentary Force training by the Imperial Sovereign Protectors or otherwise. Even recently, she had felt she had grown more powerful than any other agent of the Old Empire. Her Force vision on Hoth was a testimony to this fact. She had conquered her inner demons - or so she thought - and was finally free to explore the Dark Side and tap into its power... but yet her confrontation with Darth X irrevocably changed the way she perceived the Force and herself. Darth X had given her a name and title... Sith Acolyte, as well as her initiation.

   Yet Jana was angered more so by her apparent weakness than anything else. If she was to remain by Hale's side, then she would need to become strong enough to defend him from any and every threat. The many lessons of the Dark Side that the Emperor gave her began echoing in her mind again. In her studies of Imperial history, she was that the Jedi had failed because they lacked the strength of will to truly take command of the galactic situation. They were victims perhaps, but victims of their own lack of vigilance and staunch desire to be peackeepers, not peacemakers. Yet the victory of Luke Skywalker in defeating both the Emperor and Darth Vader gave Jana hope, if not proof that a true Jedi Knight - fully trained in the ways of the Light Side - could defeat the greatest Sith in the galaxy. As Jana was pondering all these things, she finally arrived back at the camp.

   The thousands of Army troopers began loading back into the Landing Barges in order to make preparatons for departure. It was finally time to leave the system. Since everyone was so busy, Hale was carrying his own bags into his personal shuttle, the Aletheia. That's when he finally saw Jana again, who was limping and holding her side, which had been bruised badly. Walking by the shuttle's loading ramp, she placed one had against the bulkhead, wincing in pain.

   "JANA!" cried Hale, as he dropped his bags to rush over and help her to her feet. As they embraced, Jana fell to her knees while Hale did as well, not wanting to let her go. "What happened?"

   Jana began crying and spoke some unintelligble words. Hale simply brought her back to her feet and helped her into the shuttle, where she was laid down on the medical table where a 2-1B medical droid began administering first aid basic treatment. After a short while later, when Hale finished loading the shuttle, he was finally able to catch up with Jana as the shuttle began operating itself using a sophisticated Droid AI piloting program.

   "Jana, what happened to you? Is this Darth Algoz's doing?"

   "Nooo... Darth X..."

   "Darth X?! Where are these Sith coming from?"

   Jana shook her head and then passed out, immediately falling to sleep. Hale also shook his head and returned to the cockpit to pilot the shuttle back to the Punisher. Whatever message the Sith Empire was trying to get across to the Imperial Remnant, they certainly made it by attacking and brutally wounding Jana. With the Leviathan returning to lower orbit, it took up bombardment formation with the Punisher, as Hale prepared to depart the system - but not before making a statement.

   < Attention all armed forces of the Galactic Empire and Sith Empire. The Imperial Remnant hereby declares Endor to be a joint Imperial penal colony under the vigilance of the 1st Imperial Expeditionary Force. All other Imperial systems in the galaxy must now recognize the Imperial Remnant as the legitimate and rightful government and supreme military authority by which command and control will be provided through. Let it be known that it has been the Imperial Remnant which has fought and destroyed the Rebel Alliance, and so we have earned the right to command. Those who defy this decree shall be subject to the Imperial Remnant's fury. That is all. >

   "Fire control, commence Tier III Base Delta Zero operations. Clear surface area sector GEO-1-Northwest," ordered Hale.

   The coordinated orbital bombardment between the Punisher and Leviathan began. Red and green streaks of energy began raining down on the dense forests below - immediately incinerating some trees erstwhile starting wildfires. The pair of Star Destroyers would continue this operation until vast swaths of forest were turned to ash and dust. Had a Tier II or Tier I BDZ operation been ordered, Endor's surface would have been subjected to more widespread, prolonged, and catastrophic devastation that would have rendered the planet a blank slate. Now, the mark of the Imperial Remnant's victory against the Rebel Alliance would be made permanent with a scar left on the planet's surface... a scar which would soon become the home of the Empire's slaves and criminals unworthy of rehabilitation.

   Once all had been said and done, the 1st IEF entered hyperspace for Hoth...

[SWSF Eidolon]

  A quartet of Scout Walkers trudged through the dense ancient forest-scape.  The smaller trees they trampled over, the larger they gracefully jogged around.  Their patrol route was nearing it's apex, and they'd soon turn back to camp where thousands of friendly soldiers and tons of equipment anchored the cooperative presence on Endor.  It'd been over a month since the unofficially delivered edict of the Imposter Empire had come through the channels of Lucidius Hale's consort, received in her personal confrontation with the new Sith Lord's personal dog.  While the bark appeared tough, there'd yet to be any form of challenge to the joint Remnant and Imperium occupation.  Still they were always on high alert.

  The lead walker paused dead in it's tracks as the other three formed up behind, their heads pivoting searching for threats, dusk had well set in and the suns retreating glow now barely penetrated the foilage,

  *SHHHHHHHH* "Point, you got something?  My scanners are dead." *SHHHHHHHHHHH* the headset of the lead walkers commander fuzzed.  He was perched looking out the top hatch, his elbows planted on the roof as he crouched low peering through his macrobinoculars and answered back,

  *SHHH* "Scanners, no Lieutenant. Possible visual, eleven fifteen, two hundred meters out. Can't make it out. . ." *SHHHHH*

  *SHHHH* "Are you shitting me Specialist?  No contacts, no worries.  It's a fucking forest.  We're at max range.  Let's get back to base. ." *SHHHH*

   The other three walkers slowly turned about and began to trot away as the lead scout had momentarily remained,

   *SHH* "Sir.  There's something out there. . ." *SHHH*

   The squadron leader's walker briefly ceased it's pace and pivoted it's head.  With a deep thud a concussion grenade was ejected from it's 'earpiece' launcher and hurled to the general direction of assessed worry from the hesitant member.  A several dozen meter fireball and lightly concussive wave brust out, throwing small shrub, tree, brush and soil.

   *SHHH*  "Not any more, mount up soldier." *SHHHH*  the patrol commander answered before resuming it's about face.  The cautious scout hurriedly turned about and caught up with it's group.

   They trotted along for several moments with the Lieutenant's walker in lead.  He'd closed his hatch and sat huddled inside with his crew as they exchanged banter and sipped a warm light stimulant from respective mugs.  Their jovial conversation was interrupted by a distinct and suspicious loud thump on the ceiling of their cabin.

   "God damn midget man-bears. . ." the Lieutenant cursed the native Ewok species while drawing his side arm and scaling up the ladder to deal with the assumed invader on their roof.

   As he popped his head out in to the darkness, he was yanked by his collar with astounding force out and cast aside overboard like a doll.  The mechanical gyrating rhythmic tone of the small walker's drive was accentuated by the sustained hiss and hum of an ignited light saber as a strong red hued glow became apparent through the descending external darkness to the vehicle's two remaining confused occupants. . .