The steady downpour of rain is accompanied by the constant roll of thunder and the boom of distant artillery. It weaves together, mixed in with the noise of blaster fire and the cries of the wounded as they try and crawl through the mud. The sounds create the cruel and twisted music of another night fight, on another backwater planet, with Alpha Company on another near impossible mission... to break the stalemate. On one side of the valley, is the command post of the 203rd Republic Expeditionary Legion. It is hidden in the treeline on the edge of the valley, interwoven in a web of trenchs that have turned into half-flooded moats of mud from all of the rain. On the other side are the Imperial lines, which begin at the edge of their treeline and extend unknown miles into the dense forrest behind, with their own web of trenches. In the middle lays no man's land. A vast mudscape, cratered by mortar and artillery fire, littered with dead from both sides trying to make some dent in the other's lines... like two large boulders, bashing at one another with neither budging an inch but with both slowly chipping away with each collision. The flash of lightning illuminates the battlefield like a constant strobe light in a night club on Nar Shadaa. With blaster fire racing past each other, carving a colorful trail through the night. The rattle of automatic assault-cannon fire take turns with alternating fire to let the other cool off. They seem to be talking, like some sort of endless debate in this seemingly endless battle.
In the Republic lines men chatter in low tones, as if they were afraid to awake some sleeping terror. The ceaseless blaster fire is almost expected every night by the troopers, it doesn't phase them... hell they are relieved to hear it sometimes. It lets them know they are not dead yet. In one section of the trenches sit a squad of troopers, huddled underneath a tree hanging over the trench on the edge of the forrest. From their little sanctuary away from the battle the troopers talk of home and joke. Some are eating rations, others are tending to their weapons, others their wounds... some are doing all of this at once. A Lieutenant emerges from the forrest and jumps into the muddy trenches, half losing his footing as he lands. A chuckle can be heard from the squad as they look up at him, see his rank, and then carry about their business. The Lt. approaches the men.
"I'm looking for the command post for the 203rd." He says in an authoritative voice.
"And just who might you be... Sir?.." A grumbled reply comes from one of the men.
"I am Lt. Otheron of the 521st!" The Lt. exclaims. "Who the hell are you!?"
The soldier looks up and peers through the night at the obviously newly commisioned Lieutenant. The Lt. can see that the trooper has no helmet on and catches a glimpse at a scar over the man's right eye. The trooper squints at the young Lieutenant through the water dripping off of his bangs from his regulation haircut. The Lieutenant catches sight due to the lightning that the trooper is relaxing and sitting on the helmet of an Imperial officer, with a clear blaster hole through its left eye-lense. The Lieutenant also sees that the trooper bears the rank of Sergeant from his armor markings, scathed from endless battle on this hell hole.
The trooper breaks the long silence, "I am Sgt. Neves. And these are some of the best damned fighting men in the Republic's service!" He says while raising his arms and looking around as if giving a speach to a vast prestigious audience. A grumble of approval is heard throughout the squad. "Here we have Sgt. Fairbairn." Neves points across the trench to a seasoned Sgt. leaning against the muddy wall. Neves then nudges a trooper next to him in the ribs. "This is Corporal Ranque, our most valued medic. He could put your head back on your shoulders after a sniper round hit you... it may be on backwards, but hey... he isn't a surgeon." Neves adds with a smirk. He then points to three other troopers circled around, eating and cleaning their weapons. "That's Trooper Drexxen, Trooper Prokelarr, and Doc Jromwald. That fucker you see throwing his vibro-knife into the trench wall is Corporal Chadeaux." Another thump is heard as the vibro-knife thuds into the wall. Chadeaux pulls it from the wood and dirt and makes a motion of acklowledgement towards the Lieutenant with his knife. "And finally we have Sgt. Corth." Neves says, with his finger pointing up towards the rain. The Lt. looks up and a pair of boots comes flying through the tree branches nearly catching the officer in the face.
"The rest of us are on a mission, super secret... you can't know." Corth taunts the Lt.
The Lieutenant scoffs at the men. "Yes, yes... once again where is the command post located at? Sgt. Neves..." The Lieutenant adds with a sense of annoyance and mock respect.
Neves shrugs, with an unconcerned look on his wet face. He looks up at the rain and runs his fingers through his hair and shakes the mud out of it. "Probably where it has been this entire month." Neves replies.
"Yeah Lt. where you been? On leave?" Prokelarr adds.
The squad bursts with laughter. The Lieutenant, obviously frustrated damands once more... "Alright boys that's enough, who is your commanding officer!?"
Corporal Ranque speaks up. "That would be Major Qorbin Oca sir. Though he is with the rest of the company on their mission. You're more than welcome to speak with our executive officer Captain Viozaer though. Take a left, go down the line and it will be the third underground bunker entrance."
"Thank you..." Grumbles the Lieutenant. He trudges off through the mud and nearly slips again as he takes the turn.
The squad bursts again with laughter. "Hey Lt.!!! Ask the Captain to send us on another raiding mission...we're running out of food!" a voice yells out.
Once again the squad is heard laughing amidst the rain, thunder, artillery, and blaster fire... as the Lt. enters the command bunker with new orders.
((To be continued))
((End Chapter 1))
In the Republic lines men chatter in low tones, as if they were afraid to awake some sleeping terror. The ceaseless blaster fire is almost expected every night by the troopers, it doesn't phase them... hell they are relieved to hear it sometimes. It lets them know they are not dead yet. In one section of the trenches sit a squad of troopers, huddled underneath a tree hanging over the trench on the edge of the forrest. From their little sanctuary away from the battle the troopers talk of home and joke. Some are eating rations, others are tending to their weapons, others their wounds... some are doing all of this at once. A Lieutenant emerges from the forrest and jumps into the muddy trenches, half losing his footing as he lands. A chuckle can be heard from the squad as they look up at him, see his rank, and then carry about their business. The Lt. approaches the men.
"I'm looking for the command post for the 203rd." He says in an authoritative voice.
"And just who might you be... Sir?.." A grumbled reply comes from one of the men.
"I am Lt. Otheron of the 521st!" The Lt. exclaims. "Who the hell are you!?"
The soldier looks up and peers through the night at the obviously newly commisioned Lieutenant. The Lt. can see that the trooper has no helmet on and catches a glimpse at a scar over the man's right eye. The trooper squints at the young Lieutenant through the water dripping off of his bangs from his regulation haircut. The Lieutenant catches sight due to the lightning that the trooper is relaxing and sitting on the helmet of an Imperial officer, with a clear blaster hole through its left eye-lense. The Lieutenant also sees that the trooper bears the rank of Sergeant from his armor markings, scathed from endless battle on this hell hole.
The trooper breaks the long silence, "I am Sgt. Neves. And these are some of the best damned fighting men in the Republic's service!" He says while raising his arms and looking around as if giving a speach to a vast prestigious audience. A grumble of approval is heard throughout the squad. "Here we have Sgt. Fairbairn." Neves points across the trench to a seasoned Sgt. leaning against the muddy wall. Neves then nudges a trooper next to him in the ribs. "This is Corporal Ranque, our most valued medic. He could put your head back on your shoulders after a sniper round hit you... it may be on backwards, but hey... he isn't a surgeon." Neves adds with a smirk. He then points to three other troopers circled around, eating and cleaning their weapons. "That's Trooper Drexxen, Trooper Prokelarr, and Doc Jromwald. That fucker you see throwing his vibro-knife into the trench wall is Corporal Chadeaux." Another thump is heard as the vibro-knife thuds into the wall. Chadeaux pulls it from the wood and dirt and makes a motion of acklowledgement towards the Lieutenant with his knife. "And finally we have Sgt. Corth." Neves says, with his finger pointing up towards the rain. The Lt. looks up and a pair of boots comes flying through the tree branches nearly catching the officer in the face.
"The rest of us are on a mission, super secret... you can't know." Corth taunts the Lt.
The Lieutenant scoffs at the men. "Yes, yes... once again where is the command post located at? Sgt. Neves..." The Lieutenant adds with a sense of annoyance and mock respect.
Neves shrugs, with an unconcerned look on his wet face. He looks up at the rain and runs his fingers through his hair and shakes the mud out of it. "Probably where it has been this entire month." Neves replies.
"Yeah Lt. where you been? On leave?" Prokelarr adds.
The squad bursts with laughter. The Lieutenant, obviously frustrated damands once more... "Alright boys that's enough, who is your commanding officer!?"
Corporal Ranque speaks up. "That would be Major Qorbin Oca sir. Though he is with the rest of the company on their mission. You're more than welcome to speak with our executive officer Captain Viozaer though. Take a left, go down the line and it will be the third underground bunker entrance."
"Thank you..." Grumbles the Lieutenant. He trudges off through the mud and nearly slips again as he takes the turn.
The squad bursts again with laughter. "Hey Lt.!!! Ask the Captain to send us on another raiding mission...we're running out of food!" a voice yells out.
Once again the squad is heard laughing amidst the rain, thunder, artillery, and blaster fire... as the Lt. enters the command bunker with new orders.
((To be continued))
((End Chapter 1))
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