Log:New Republic: Race for Rhaler

New Republic: Race for Rhaler

OOC Date: April 14, 2021
Location: Corellia
Participants: Ambrosia Greystorm(GM), Rose Tico, Tallissan Lintra(As Aerena Pavana), Yuun, Chani Tahn, Lofty, Jax Greystorm(as Kort Greystorm), New Republic

The Republic Army has been patiently(some more than others) standing by, on board their drop ships, ready to roll for the past two hours. And then, twenty-six minutes ago, it happens.

<<"..This is Black Leader, we have taken the station. Tell the Old Battle Axe she can begin her approach. We're firing every turret this station has.">> And so they were. It was such a power draw that the lights began to flicker.

Nineteen minutes ago, the first of the transports launched. It was followed by another. And another. Another...

Now, they plunge through Corellia's atmosphere, accompanied by Azure Squadron, slicing through the clouds. The vague shadows and lines of terra firma sharpen with rapid acuity and soon the peaks of the Rhaler Bastion range are not only in view, but jutting along all sides.

"We'll need to move quickly. Commander Tico, the moment we touchdown, you and your crew wake up those shields. I want them charged and online before the First Order knows we're here." That aforementioned Battle Axe, tarnished as she may be, is still sharp enough to be leading this charge from a jumpseat within Lofty’s Auzituck gunship. Her already unsmiling lips twist into a deeper frown. "That's Alpha Plan."

It needn't be said what conditions neccessitate Beta Plan. The unspoken reality that somebody might already be at home down there can be dealt with, if need be.

<<Azure 4 to Leader, I'm picking up a problem - scratch that - /three/ problems on approach, 7 o'clock. Looks like we've picked up a few admirers on the way in.>>

And indeed, heartbeats later, three TIE Interceptors can be seen swooping into range, drawing tendrils of mist in their wake.

Lofty is in the pilot position of the tandom cockpit of his dropship - an Auzituck-class gunship called the WHORRWAARR. His Sullustan co-pilot Stebbs is in the gunner seat watching the scanners as they descend into Corellia's atmosphere. A half-liter Biscuit Baron cup of Boaboo Fungus Fizz FizzyGlug is secured in the Wroshyr cupholder beside his thruster mix controls. The troops in the back are either strapped into their wooden seats or hanging from kthysh vine straps.

Having joined up with the ground crew last minute, Yuun is on the WHORRAWAARR. Sitting buckled in and quiet, this reminded him of some old missions he went on with the Resistance, but that had been a bit ago. Yuun's eyes are closed as they fly to thier destination. Yuun tunes things out a bit as he meditates but after a long moment, he opens his eyes and take in a breath. "Here we go." he says more to himself then to any of the others around him.

Aerena Pavana felt she could find all the new toggles and touchscreens with her eyes closed after a long sit-down in the T-85 X-Wing cockpit. She is hyper-conscious of the shush of her breath under the face mask and the unfamiliar seat. All traces of apprehension leave her when they launch, <<"This is Azure Leader, we're green to go. Your only priority is protecting the troop transports.">> The veteran pilot reiterates what was said in pre-flight briefings.

The flight suit she wears is much older than the T-85 provided by the New Republic, the new insignias still stiff and sticking out oddly from her sleeve. For luck, she wears an old orange flight helmet, scratched and dented from missions flown when the Rebellion was still in flower.

A chorus of voices reply, <<Azure Two, copies that Azure Leader.">> His voice, joined by others, fill the cockpit as they dive steeply into the atmosphere aligned with the precious troop transports.

"Understood, General." Tico says from her seated position watching as the ship, and those occupying it, rock from entry. Tico is wearing the trooper gear for the New Republic, her rank plastered just over the upper right protective breastplate and partially hidden by the leather strap of a shoulder rigged harness that holstered her heavy handcannon. When word was passed that they had company swooping in to make this a quick trip, Rose spoke up. "Is there a turret on this thing that I can man?" She hated sitting there feeling useless.

Azure Squadron had picked up a freelancer orphan for this operation, light gray T-65c X-wing with oddly enough azure blue details. In Aurebesh the name 'Ice Queen II' is painted in script down the fuselage just behind the nose cone. Though at the moment the pilot had taken to answering to 'Azure Seven' or 'Crash'. The X-wings s-foils already in attack position as he flies in escort formation with Lofty's gunship. There's a beep and squawk in the cockpit. "I see 'em, Sev. I don't know what you're complaining about it not being a newer tie. There ain't anything about either of us or Ice Queen that you can call state of the art. Hell the kid and his R2 are probably here somewhere." There's a groan from the droid. Crash replies, "Yeah I know you want to give his R2 a fat lip. Lets focus on the Squints first."

Then Kort opens up the com unit, << Azure Seven here, Copy that Azure Leader. We're green, and I got an R2 looking for a fight with me. >>

The New Republic transport hasn't stopped rattling since they set off from the bay of the capital ship. First it was engine thrumming, then it was re-entry inertia, and now it's turbulence from currents forced around the jagged, jutting edges of the mountains stabbing towards the sky like snow-covered daggers piercing the heavens from the ground. Chani Tahn is dressed in non-descript clothing consisting of a brown robe over a cream-colored top and trousers. They all look to be made of rough fabric of little value. Only the leather boots seem to be of sturdy make, and those are dulled rather than gleam with polish. She's secured into the crash seat by a four-point harness and jostles around inside of it with the rest of the ground forces every time the ship is buffeted by shearing forces from the atmosphere. She remains some semblance of limp, however. Her eyes are closed and her dark hair is pulled taut and back into a messy bun away from her face, revealing a look of serenity that stands at odds versus the rough ride and the information regarding a trio of TIE craft heading for them.

The base is now visible within a dip between peaks. And the moment it becomes framed within viewport, a volley of anti-aircraft fire goes cutting across their approach, seeking the WHORRWAARR's hull. Meanwhile, the TIE force, as small as it is, drifts into battle formation and wastes no time in launching some heat at the X-Wings and T-65. They fire and peel away, doing their best to evade retalliation while setting up for a second strike.

<<Azure 4 HIT! Shields ... 72 percent. Just a scratch!>> While their onboard astromech mutters to itself and initiates repairs.

Lofty keeps his large paws on the flight yoke. "Squint on scanners!" A warning on both the pilot and co-pilot's viewscreens pops up, flashing ENGINE THRUST in ominous Aurebesh. "Left engine acting up again. Stebbs, go fix!" The short Sullustan co-pilot worms out of his seat and scurries into the back of the cramped Wookiee gunship, leaving a spot open on the forward guns. "Rose, get in gunner seat!" She'll have to climb over Stebbs on the floor who is jimmying open a wroshyr wood panel, of course. "Ukai munywe cai naihenya mutanacererwo!" Stebbs mutters in Sullustese to Rose as she dawdles, loosely translated as 'get your tea before it is cold.' Maybe it is a euphemism. The entire WHORRWAARR rattles as enemy fire brackets the ship. The wooden interior creaks in a menacing manner.

Yuun looks out the nearest transparisteel viewport and watches, seeing what's going on outside the gunship. Yuun looks away and leans back in his seat. He is dressed in a pair of long baggy black shorts with a red tunic like hoodie. His footwear isn't fancy but it's good for combat. He is buckled in during the flight and as the gunship jostles and shakes, he is able to keep his composure. He raises the hoodie up over his head and he glances around at the others for a moment before lowering his head.

<<"We copy that, Azure Four. Look, alive people, we have company on our six.">> This said moments before the TIEs open fire on the newest pilot added to the freshly formed squadron, and certainly one of the oldest veteran pilots among them. Even older than she is, she smirks as she throttles the T-85 back to remain even with the transport carrying the General.

<<"Drinks on me when we land, Crash, since you're receiving all the love.">> Behind her, Drill, the R2, whistles loudly as Bende, piloting Azure Four, reports taking a hit. <<"I'm good, I'm good. Just a little welcoming hello.">> crackles over comms.

Years drop away for the veteran pilot; she no longer second-guesses herself, as she briefly separates from formation to engage one of the TIEs that had dropped in on them. Inertial systems smooth all the kick from the three lasers that drop the first TIE/in from the fight. <<"We have one less Squint on our tails, Azure. We are looking good. We have landing in view.">>

"On it!" Yells Rose, who has to climb over poor Stebbs to reach the gunner seat. To the external view, Rose may or may not have pressed her hindend against the canopy once or twice trying to FIT passed the gunner turned mechanic. Perhaps it should have been Rose working on repairs? It matters little now, because she plops down into the seat and takes hold of the gunner controls. It was a different system than what she was used to, but the basics were still there.

"Turret is online," She says, repositioning the targeting computer so she can see it a little better. She didn't have those gorgeous Sullustan eyes to see with afterall!

As the Tie Ace fires at Azure 7, Kort pulls back on the stick and hits a rudder for a tight bank going evasive. Sev is letting out a series of curses aimed at the Squint pilot and the old man. "Come on, I'm just knocking the rust off and making sure you're awake back there. What's the matter you think you were just along for the ride?"

The shields take a hit and then Azure 1 is taking care of his tail. Kort loops the X-wing around firing on one of the remaining Squints. It knows it's been hit when he's done but it's still in working order. Sev pops something off. "Still knocking the rust off, you bucket of bolts." Then he turns on com, << Thanks Azure Leader. I won't turn down free drinks. Though I feel like I should be the one buying. >>

The rattling becomes worse. As kinetic impacts of super-cooled Tibanna gas in the form of laser cannon fire stitches against the shields of the craft that they're in cause the starship to jerk and its hull to creak where the shield emitters are embedded in, Chani's eyes slip open to snap towards the rest of the contingent gathered aboard. Her hands ease up to expose her wrists and forearms from beneath the oversized sleeves of her robe. She finds purchase on the shoulder straps with her slender fingers and attempts to plant the soles of her boots harder against the deck plating beneath it. Although no longer in whatever state that has allowed her to keep her eyes closed through the start of an aerial battle, she looks no more concerned than before.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" The General is stirring in her seat, prodded by the little rumbles to echo through Lofty's boat. "That's not just turbulence, who's..."

Audible frown.

"G'dammit. TAKE OUT THOSE GUNS!!! TAKE'EM OUT AND GET US TO JUMP RANGE." General Greystorm is peeved. "TROOPERS! Prepare to make an exit. Visors down, rifles ready, head on straight! We've got squatters to evict."

One of the TIEs errupts into a glorious blaze under Aerena's loving care and another jukes a half beat too slowly but although they bear the marks of a Republic lovetap, they are most definitely still in this fight. A volley is reciprocated to Aerena and another pursues the already shield-compromised Azure 4.

<<MAN I'm popular!>> they exclaim, voice hinting at alarm as their shields sustain more damage than the droid's been able to mend. <<Shields next to null>> A warning. They might not be in this fight much longer. <<Get'em off my tail!>>

Below, tiny white dots are visible in the base courtyard, scrambling behind the perimeter walls, while that AA turret fires away at the inbound transports.

Lofty is trying to pull up after angling the nose down. Flying in a straight line is dangerous against aircraft batteries. "Shoot battery!" He toots at Rose through his snoot.

Yuun is able to keep from knocking his head against the bulkhead, still he is able to keep himself ok. Looking across the cabin, he takes a good look at everyone near him. Studying each person, he then looks over at Chani, noticing her clothing, he nods his head to her. He's not met her before but he has heard of Rose. Watching and feeling what's going on around him, Yuun takes a deep breath. Once he does this, he steels himself and prepares for the possible quick exit they have to make.

The last moments of their descent gets hot as the last two TIEs try to stop them. Aerena imagines the scene on the RSD flight decks orbiting Corellia as pilots scramble madly for their fighters. Swooping into a loop to come up behind one of the TIEs, the veteran pilot sights the Squint as it angles for a shot. Smoke trails behind the fighter zigzagging away from the transports.

<<"A little bit of dodge, pilots. We are nearly in.">> she calls over the encrypted frequency. <<"General, we wish you luck.">>

"Opening fire!" Rose calls back to the snooty toot Lofty! So she does, creating laser fire that goes: PENKPENKPENKPENKPENK As they pass over it. She manages to get a good look in the fly by and comments, "Its capacity to fire is reduced, but it's not down yet! We should have a bit of a reprieve. Stebbs.. how's those repairs?!" She steps on their ankles in her excitement of firing, Rose's eyes huge!

The tie rookiee with the TIE interceptor has a bad day as Kort fires at him again and something flies loose on the tie. Then it starts to pin wheel out of control. Kort shakes his head as he zips past, "Young pilots. They need to learn when to withdraw." Then he calls back to Sev, "What's the statuf of our Shields?" There's a squawk, "What, you're not fixing it?" Then he starts to get ready to help with the Anti air guns. << Good luck down there. Don't get firebombed. I won't be able to rescue you. >>

The General -- Chani has yet to have any formal introduction to the woman and knows her only by her last name -- leading their excursion into the wilds of Corellia starts yelling at her troopers to get ready to infiltrate the installation they've been looking for. It explains, without asking, why they're being shot at during a hunt for somewhere that used to be hidden. Chani does not yet begin to undo the safety restraints that ensure she remains in the crash chair rather than sprawled out on the deck of the gunship thanks to the wild shifting of inertia that comes with evasive maneuvering, but she does take a deep breath in through her nose and lets it out slowly through her mouth. It’s practice that allows her to exhale with the pressure that she wants, because the telltale noise that sounds hollow in her head is drowned out by the muffled thumps of the shields jittering under contact and the sounds of the ship's engines and own turrets returning fire.

The lone TIE who's still able to keep altitude makes a hasty retreat, heading southwest. Someone may want to note that direction of travel.

For the time being, resistance to the Republic's landing effort has been quelled. In the air, anyway. A very brief crackling of sky blue ripples over the entirety of the retired rebel base, but it is fleeting. Evidently the shielding array has NOT had all the rust knocked off it yet.

<<Your loss,>> Ambrosia grunts back to the old fighter pilot taking a jab over the comm. It's been awhile since she's had to share a workspace - or any space - with her spouse.

Meanwhile, Lofty's upswoop goes in reverse, again, while Rose hammers that AA emplacement hard enough to keep it quiet awhile. The transports file in, gracefully dropping in altitude to drop their platoon just outside the perimeter wall. Only the ship carrying the ULAVs touches fully down, however, the others hovering a couple meters off ground for a hasty relocation if needed.

"File out!" Ambrosia barks an order over helmet comm. "Lt Quish!" Who is in another transport alltogether, but listening in over comms. "Take two squads, make the march around to rear entry. Everyone else, you're comin' with me through the front door." Her visor is alight, replaying some of the imagery captured when flying overhead and stored in HUD. "Looks like there's just a few fireteams to contend with here. Singular platoon. My guess is these were dropped in first, like us, to get things online. Hadn't anticipated our company. Let's milk that for what it's worth!"

The hatch begins to yawn, battering the interior with a little wind turbulence and without another thought about it, the graying soldier hops out. Knee replacements and hip repairs have held so far....her left knee touches just briefly when her weight catches up to her, then she's making a run for the entry. A few helpful blasts from their Azure escorts drum a line overhead at the two turret towers flanking the open gate, suppressing the hell out of who or whatever might've been up there. Even still, it won't be easy.

This entry forms a narrow bottleneck, maybe three men wide, about ten meters into the yard. Her boots kick up dust until that ingress is nigh, then she skids to a halt and takes a knee alongside the base of the tower wall. Rifle's up, aimed inward.

Unfastening his harness Yuun stoop up, he reaches for something along his hip and pulls on a pair of fingerless fighting gloves. He wrings his hands a little bit before unclipping his lightsaber from the belt. He doesn't lit it yet, there was no need. He stretches a little and when the gunship jostles he is able to hold his balance. He waits for when they are ordered out, nodding to Amber as she tells them they are coming with her. "Copy that." he says to her. He bows his head and once she goes out, he waits a moment then he drops out of the ship landing in a crouch.

He quickly scans the area moving to keep Amber and anyone else that's with them in sight and he quickly runs towards the entry trying to use what he can of the base entrance for cover. He checks back to see where the other troops are so that he can see where he will be needed during this push.

Rose had a tough time climbing out of the cockpit, and found she had to orient herself OVER Stebbs to get by the poor Sullustan, again. When the sole of her boot crushes his large head, Rose is the first to say, "Sorrrrrry!" She makes for the yawning ramp, jumping out last of the group and landing with youthful grace. Her run, however, is not anything good to look at. It seems Rose's gear got shuffled in the kerfluffle that was the gladiatorial obstacle course named Stebbs, so she set to fixing that, stumbling along and favoring the right side (safe zone) like some typical officer until she can get her drek in order. -

The seal on the bay breaks and recycled cabin air is traded for crisp mountain air. The first breath makes her lungs hurt. Chani twists the central core over her torso and three straps fall away on release of the metal tongues clipped into it. She rises from her seat despite the battering wind that whips her robe around her legs and has stray tresses of her hair tickling the nape of her neck. Rather than lift her arm to blind herself with the oversized sleeve, Chani's eyes narrow to fight the brisk air flooding in. It's sharp enough that it forces moisture to well up near the corners of her eyes, but none of it spills over.

As the troopers ahead begin to file out, Chani joins them, boots thunking first against the deck and then against the ground. What starts as a bad jump turns into a graceful landing. Hard, solid ground thumps under her feet with each quick step, but Chani can feel the shifting sediment and loose rocks grind underneath the soles and threatening to help her tear a ligament if she doesn't maintain her balance well enough.

The move on Rhaler's Bastion has officially begun, to the tune of a strafing run pelting the parade ground and fifty, sixty boots hitting the ground in sequence.

Half the Republic herd splits away from the rest, making an orderly advance (hastily) along the perimeter wall towards the rear entry point. A few of /those/ halt every twenty meters or so along the wall and launch grappling hooks into the wall for a sure and steady climb. Disassembled sniper gear is strapped to their backs.

For those closing in on the fore entry, the most difficult part of today's mission is about to begin. <<Twenty meter push in from here, kids. Straightaway, no cover till we punch through to interior. Mess, vehicle bay'll be westward,>> She angles her left arm accordingly. <<Barracks to the east. Could not get visual on how many bucketheads might've been occupying those spaces, so we could be in for one hell of a fight. On count of three, I'm tossing a frag to open a window>> of possible flesh <<then we move. Tico, you hang back for a wave.>> Because some brains need preserving. <<Bekks,>> a look directed around to a Sergeant who comes huddling up close behind. <<You're leading first wave through. By my count?>> Bekks nods his understanding and motions to one of his squads, then raises a brow to the Jedi.

<<One....>> Ambrosia lifts a finger away from her rifle where it's braced on knee. <<Two...>> She yanks a grenade from her belt. <<THREE>> *Clink* *TOSS* It's a mostly blind toss, as she leans juuuuust far enough around her portion of wall to lob it down their runway, but the ominous BOOM-scatter some five seconds later suggests that more than earthy debris has painted the field. <GO!!!!>

Lowering his head, Yuun takes a breath and blows it out. It's been a while, still he is ready. Listening to Amber as she gives them orders and Bekk looks towards him. Yuun gives a nod of his head and he glances over to look at Chani and Rose for a moment. He gives them a nod of his head as well, "Alright." he says as he looks forward. With the information he needed for where things are located within the base, "I'm one with the Force, the Force is with me." he says as eh moves out. His thumb hits the activation stud as he moves.

A brilliant electric blue blade comes to life as the sound of a snap-hiss eminates from his lightsaber as he moves. The explosion from the frag was loud but still he would do what he can. He begins moving quickly down towards the base but as he does, he is moving pretty quickly until debris trips Yuun up causing him to lose his footing and trip a bit. Yeah a Jedi just tripped, try not to laugh.

"Understood, holding back," Rose confirms, keeping her back planted to something solid and waiting. She didn't feel guilty because she was not going with the front line; Rose Tico is not a front line soldier. She specialized in mechanics and engineering, and lived a life where soldiering came second. Watching the team go by, Rose waited for the command to move forward, staying firmly parked and watching with narrowed eyes.

The wind whips her robe into a billowing trail behind her, revealing the cream attire beneath and the darker brown boots that come up to her knees. The unveiling of her slender, athletic form also allows certain details to stand out, like the fact that she carries no visible kind of blaster weapon. Her only concern at the moment is to make it to the wall with the rest of the troops to remove herself from being out in the open.

Once there, Chani reaches down to remove a simple metal cylinder from her belt into her right hand. Rather than attempt to make any kind of run for herself, Chani moves into the first group organizing itself to make a break for it with the opening created by the General's thrown grenade. "I'll provide what cover I can." How she plans on accomplishing this is revealed when her thumb depresses the activation stud on the cylinder and a brilliant blue beam coalesces to life following a distinct snap and heralded by a hiss.

The only battle cries to accompany this first wave of Republic troopers through the narrow pass is the thundering of boots and rattling of gear and huffing, puffing breaths. Also, the copious amount of blaster rapport. Streaks of red beam from both sides, slamming into the walls and generating a cloud of ozone and pulverized matter before long.

Sgt Bekks survives his run to the end of tunnel and immediately banks right, attempting to draw some of their attention and fire away from others still making the run.

<<Next wave, GO!>> The General leads this one herself (now that the FO is thoroughly distracted, of course!) and takes long, low strides along the wall with her rifle raised and seeking. It finds a target, punches a hole clear through the gap above breastplate and below helmet. The owner of that helmet hits the ground a couple seconds after their noggin goes rolling away. <<CLEAR'EM OUT!>> Ambrosia roars.

Yuun senses his surroundings and as he does he does notices the two stormtroopers further down. The cacophony of blaster fire rings in his ears. Yuun quickly checks back where everyone is and he notices where the others are. He sees where the others are positioned. Turning around as more blaster fire comes streaking in, he waits for a heartbeat then quickly moves forward. He sees a group of stromtroopers, he doesn't say anything as he moves up towards them. As he does his lightsaber in his hand twirls and he spins in towards one of the wounded troopers that was wounded by the frag that Amber tossed prior to their charge. His brilliant blue blade buzzes through the air and through the trooper.

Yuun moves on towards another trooper but over extends. He grimaces as he tries to strike the same trooper again but again misses the second trooper. Before allowing himself to get frustrated, he pulls himself back and brings his blade up into a guard position so that he is ready for whatever comes next, he did see the amazing shot that Amber made prior to him getting to the trooper he had struck down. <<Still a few troopers up.>> he calls into his comm unit.

At the signal to move, Rose followed hot on the heels of General Greystorm, surprised (yet somehow not surprised) that the Old Battle Axe was quick on her feet. Rose pulled free her pistol from its holster mid-stride, angling the muzzle up in an indicative way that said she was ready to fire. That moment came shortly after arriving in the heated combat zone. Rose took a poised stance and lowered the heavy weapon to fire a single red bolt into the chest-piece of a trooper. The impact was so concussive that it flattened them against the ground and robbed them of their breath. Rose took a moment then to search for cover and move to it. Being out in the open was asking to get shot.

he entire advance forward with the first group is spent on their lateral flank so that Chani is positioned as centered as she can be on the core of the troops. She surmises they'll concentrate fire on the most likely location to score hits and that means interjecting herself into harm's way for the sake of trying to make sure that none of those targets of opportunities turn into casualties. She doesn't abandon them once they make it to the right side of the compound. Instead, Chani continues to move with them while casting an eerie glow of pale blue against the ground and against the nearby wall. The illumination from her blade outlines sharp shadows against the thick duracrete that flicker and change angle as she moves and adjusts. She thankfully doesn't have to act despite the numerous divots dug into the ground or the carbon scoring left along the wall around subtly burning craters carved out from impact.

Roughly 180 degrees from 'frontdoor' team, a similar scenario will soon be playing out. A squad of Stormtroopers are already filing out to lay down a barrage of fire at their rear access, should anymore of the Republic troops attempt to spill through that end.

The Perimeter walls are begining to accumulate some color-shifting suits of armor as the climbers are hauling themselves up into position for a little sniper action.

Ambrosia halts in her tracks as a searing heat wings by her left arm and adds to the scoring on the wall. A quick sidestep makes herself a moving target for the follow-up shot. Her HUD is ever twinkling, marking enemies with the built-in tracking system, as they fire. Her riposte in red ought not come as a surprise to the culprit, when they catch one to the chest and topple over, short on air, but she imagines there's /some/ widening of eyes behind that mask of theirs.

<<Spread out. Teams of five to the outbuildings, keep a sharp eye around. Our snipers should be in position shortly to help mop up anyone on the move.>>

<<Affirmative>> Sgt Bekks replies and motions for his crew to follow him on toward the barracks after pinging a straggler trooper with a quick shot to shoulder, thereby rendering arm and weapon useless.

Yuun is in the thick of things, he wanted to keep the troopers focused on him for the time being. He glances to his right and sees the first squad moving past which at that point he quickly steps forward towards the First Order trooper. He quickly brings his weapon horizontal against the trooper slashing from left hip to right hip. He quickly side steps the fallen trooper and he spears the troopers squadmate through the chest dropping the trooper to the ground.

Once that trooper is down, he glances up and sees something moving. <<Possible hostile along the ledge above the hanger entrance.>> he calls into his comm and he drops back not wanting to draw attention to Bekks team Yuun pulls back to drop back so that he's between both the first and second.

Rose took a hit and found that the ground rises up fast. She clattered into a pitiful pile and slid across the deck to hit a wall. Her pistol was lost in the fall, spiraling across the deck to stop nearby, spinning. Rose held her leg and cried out. A bolt had caught her inner thigh mid-stride, buckled her balance, and sent her sliding. It hurt like a, "HUTTSUCKER!"

Rising up, slowly, Rose had great difficulty in walking but she put her soldier face on, scooped up her weapon, and POWER LIMPED toward the hangar, grimacing each time weight found that bad leg. Now she knew how Kaydel felt when she'd been shot on Exegol.

Planting her back to the Hangar door a moment, Rose took stock of who came with her, squinting her eyes in pain as if struggling to see who was who.

After a moment, she looked inside and saw a single troop transport, heaps of junk along the walls, and some new looking crates stacked to one side in the nearest bay. "Looks alright," She says in a pained tone. "Only one way to find out.. stay close." Sweat forming along her brow, Rose stumbles out, raising her pistol at the ready despite not looking ready.

"Good luck, Sergeant." She's helped them get into position to begin sweeping the compound to retake it, but there is a greater pressing matter. The arrival of the New Republic forces to the old rebel installation triggered an attack by TIE craft and then a resisted landing by ground forces. The shields may not be online yet, which allowed them to land in the first place, but communications? Radar? All of that seems to be operating. Chani has no reason to believe that the forces here have not called for reinforcements yet. Intrinsic to the New Republic troops surviving is getting the shields back up so that the two groups are isolated and protected. While the New Republic would not bomb the installation, Chani is not so sure the same could be said for the enemy they fight. "Commander Tico, I'll accompany you to the shields and provide you aid if you'll have me. Allow me to go first." If so allowed, Chani precedes ahead of Rose so that she is between the Commander and potential troopers they come across while heading for the second level.

The Assault teams fracture again, dividing into a multitude of sweeper squads to clear the outlying structures first, while a small contingent pushes toward the center with Commander Tico to cover her six as she hones in on the object of her mission like a slow moving, bit crippled heat-seeking missile.

<<Commander!>> One of them cries out and sticks to her like tape. Their hands are fumbling with a pack on belt - a medkit. Bound to have a few seconds of downtime in the lift to slap on a patch, right?

Now that the welcoming committee has been incapacitated, Greystorm taps two of her men on the shoulder and starts to plod along the westernly route toward vehicle bay with her two buddies. Sounds carry across the compound, indicating that Lt Quish has arrived at her destination and is engaging a welcoming committee of their own. She gets above halfway to her destination when Yuun's voice crackles in her ear. Possible hostile along ledge. She slows her creeping and twists ninety degrees for a squint of her own while backstepping toward a heap of discarded who-knows-what. The other two hunker down as well and one raises a set of macs from their belt.

<<Copy that>> says one of the Republic snipers getting into position. <<Scanning compound now.>>

Even as the words leave their mouth, a piercing blip of red exits a lengthy barrel from on high, destination Yuun. Somewhere across the compound, a body clad in Republic Trooper gear falls from the wall, victim of a second hidden scope.

<<See two enemy scopes on high. Takin sh-->> They don't get to finish their sentence, either, for there was a THIRD sniper, but now that the First Order has sniped, they've betrayed their positions and become vulnerable beneath the Republic's crosshairs.

Meanwhile in the hangar bay, things are quiet....too quiet.

Yuun senses something and quickly turns in time but mis-judges the his block and is is nicked along his right side. He grunts in pain, but he keeps moving, now regrouping with AMber and her team. "I will stick with you and try to keep you and your troops covered." he says as he makes his way to Amber. He focuses on the Force and does what he can to control the pain, which is startign to subside. He wasn't hurt too badly still he is ready to do what is needed.

"I would be mad to turn down the help of a Jedi," Rose said with a laugh and pausing long enough to allow the Naboo female by. Following after Chani, Rose closes the distance to the lift, not even stopping to address the soldier calling her by rank and chasing her with first aid. "Just give me the biofoam and call it a day, we don't have time for a full treatment." So the expedient care is what she got, and Rose screamed when the foam hardened.

"Gah... it does not feel any better the /second/ time. Ugh.." Her eyes are watering, and she can't even see the screen of the terminal in front of her, thus botching an attempt to slow the lift. "We may have company," Rose warned.

The hangar is quiet. Despite its open nature, the outer walls muffle the sounds of combat outside because of how most of it is funneled in through one main entry way. It means that a majority of the noise in the hangar is the sound of New Republic troopers and their footfalls. Chani's leather boots make distinct little taps, but are lost in the din of heavier combat boots in the multitude. The only other thing that makes noise beyond the dimmed assault taking place is the sound of the young Naboo woman's lightsaber. It fills her ears more than anything else, but her sense of hearing is not the only sense she has available. As they advance towards the lift to ascend to the second floor of the compound, Chani attempts to stretch the bubble of her perception out and away for her. She does not detect any life, however, and the sense that she is in danger has been prevalent since the TIE fighters started attacking their shuttle. She is, no doubt, in danger, but she is unable to get glimpses of anything beyond what she is doing now. Chani does not become complacent. Her lightsaber remains lifted before her in a guard, ready to respond should the need arise. At least they've made it to the lift. Chani moves into a position to cover their rear with the other troopers while the Commander works.

<<Somebody's not in the mood for company, I'll take it.>> Says the trooper not actively trying to wrangle a biofoam cannister from their kit while keeping rifle half trained on the rest of the cavernous space. <<You want me to just blow the door?>> And then what, climb?? The Corporal pats some demolition darlings on their person, anyway. About thirty seconds tick by in peace while Rose combats pain and control panel alike. But over yonder....shadows are on the move, exiting the resting troop transport with quietly stalking steps.

<<Well, let's hope we've seen the last of those snipers,>> Gen Greystorm remarks to Yuun ater witnessing the arc of sniper fire and flail of saber. <<You gonna live?>> Punctuating her sentence is the forward slump and sliiiiide of that particular sniper body off the roof as one of the Republic's own takes care of the problem. <<C'mon. But be quiet about it." She resumes her slinking toward the bay and halts around the corner from bay doors. Listening.

A few hand signs confirm with her men that there's movement occuring inside. Hard to say what, or how many whats, but then a low hum tells tale that an small engine is powering up. Ambrosia grimaces and upholds three fingers. Then two. Counting down.

Yuun nods, "Yeah I will be alright." he says to Amber. He is crouching down near by her, he looks to her troopers, "I hope so, but at least now I'm a little more ready for them this time." he chuckles a little bit. As she brings up her hand to give a count down, Yuun looks in the direction they are about to go, and he is quiet, closing his eyes trying to sense what's awaiting them, but his mind is a bit jumbled and he shakes his head. He grips his weapon as he gets ready.

"Got it," Rose calls out, slapping the panel shut on the terminal she was working on. She turned to regard the lift to see the handiwork take shape, if it managed to work out that is. When the lift arrived, the doors parted and there was.. nothing. It was empty, quiet, and it seemed, "Lucky.. let's go." Not looking a gift bantha in the mouth, Rose stepped onto the lift and began to rapidly tap the button to go up. Up, up, up.

"Coming from our left!" Chani calls out when she sees a huddle of troopers attempting to ambush them out of nowhere. When they come into view, they're greeted by the young Naboo woman and her activated lightsaber angled in their direction in a position that is defensive. She also adjusts her position to once again place herself between the troopers that have gathered around the lift and the angle of attack of the plasteel-clad shocktroops that have attempted to sneak up on them. "Please lay down your weapons and surrender." There's a sincerity in her plea, but she in no way falters in her defensive stance. The tip of the blade is just beneath the level of her vision and her feet are on line and staggered, with her hands held centered near her own center of gravity and the lightsaber itself angled outwards from her torso.

The whoosh of opening lift doors could not have come at a better time! The small ambush party gives pause, just a heartbeat, when suddenly so many eyes and barrels are trained on them, but what is a bigger wrench to their plan is the rhythmic trot of boots filing in from the outside. Elements of Lt Quish's team have arrived and immediately give the impression that choosing to follow through with their attack on Commander Tico and friends will achieve little more than suicide.

Those shield controls might be reached yet!

Ambrosia's one remaining finger held aloft now comes down, resecuring its poise over trigger. On the next breath, she nods to the trooper waiting on the opposite corner of bay door and together, they pivot on inside. A second-splitting decision is made, targets identified, and shots fired. Only one of them hits, striking a trooper in the back as they attempt to mount a speeder bike. Their partner in attempted escape punches full forward thrust on their bike and evades some plasma.

Which means it's the Republic's turn to pull some evasive maneuvers. Ambrosia almost can't step back fast enough and ends up on her ass with the swoop blasting by toward potential freedom!

Glancing across at the other New Republic troopers on the other side of the vehicle bay, he then looks to the door as it lifts. He take a breath and as the last finger of Ambers come down, and someone fires hitting one of the troopers who is on the speeder bike. "Kriff gotta stop'em." he says as Yuun quickly runs around Amber and quickly moves in to intercept the trooper. His blue blade quickly slashes out, cutting the trooper from hip to hip slicing the trooper in half. Yuun doesn't take pleasure in killing anyone, but this had to be done. He quickly moves into a defensive position to be able to react quickly to others.

Chani is the last to board the lift that will carry them to the second floor. She keeps herself present between the troopers filing in and the ones that'd like nothing more than to shoot them. Whether the presence of her lightsaber or the uncertainty of being discovered before being able to successfully ambush the group has forced them to abstain from firing is a guess Chani doesn't bother trying to make. They don't, for now, and that's all that matters as she ensures she backsteps into the enclosed space right as the doors begin to close. The lightsaber doesn't deactivate, and Chani doesn't move, hoping that when the doors open again, she will be facing the right way. She does, however, angle the tip upwards so it's not inadvertently cutting through any of the durasteel right in front of her.

While Ambrosia /remains/ ducked down now that a mostly-riderless speeder bike is veering into crashmode at breakneck speed and her troopers are likewise diving out of the way, the fracas elsewhere in compound is also coming to a gradual resolution. What few stormtroopers have survived the ordeal are being herded together into one of the barracks for temporary detention until a permanent situation can be arranged.

The hangar bay lift carries its occupants dutifully upward to the second level. It opens into a narrow corridor that continues ahead or to the right for about thirty meters in either direction, then makes a ninety degree turn. It is essentially a square, a few hatchways along the outer wall are labeled as briefing rooms, utility, medical. There is only ONE hatchway along the inner wall of either hall and it is labeled 'Operations'. The accompanying soldiers file out, commiting themselves to two pairs and methodically go from hatch to h---HO THERE'S a burst of fire! It comes from a 'utility' hatch across from the Operations deck. Both of the Republic troopers are caught by some bolts and while their armor absorbs the worst of the damage, their pained grunts suggest they're definitely hurt.

<<Additional firepower requested, operations deck!!>> one of them shouts over comms while the other pair trots back to help safeguard the Commander, in case whatever's in that room spills out.

The few holdouts occupying this upper level of the Operations/Control deck are keen on defending their stations to the last man, but after a short, albeit bloody shootout, the Republic has reclaimed the space.

There’s much work to be done in the hours, likely days to come, to restore the proverbial (maybe literal, too) shine this base once had, the first among which of course is the shield tech.

<<You up for this?>> Ambrosia asks of Rose when she locates the Commander, with a pointed look at the younger woman’s wound. The way it’s said though, sounds more like a formality, than anything. The undertone is clear - she wants this task done. If not Rose, then someone. And what a job it will be!

The First Order had begun work on its restoration already, but evidence of the damage they were trying to repair is still visible if one pokes through the guts of the shield array. Some of the electrical components are frayed, possibly nibbled upon? Mostly, there’s a lot of dust in need of blasting out.

General Greystorm leaves the engineers to their work and indulges herself in a slow turn of the room, idling examining some of the old communication terminals. A quiet smile, unseen behind the glare of her visor, comes and goes.

“General,” It’s Sgt Bekks, reporting in from the grounds outside.

“Sergeant.” Ambrosia tugs her helmet free from her skull and rubs a soiled glove over her scalp. “After our own fallen are accounted for, get a team together and clean up the uh...filth,” motioning vaguely to the dead stormtroopers that lie beyond the walls. “Strip’em of armor first, though. Can leave the bodies on Bindreg Hill and set a flare to burn. Either the rest of their company, if there are any, can claim them or they become food for the scavenger hawks. Either way, they can’t stay here.”

“General.”

“This is our home, now.” A barely perceivable nod as she walks away to tend next order of business. “Let’s make it feel that way.”