OOC: To make our last posts less wrong, this post will start before Mad's post and take it up till Mad's entry in the battle. Mad I'll write a small bit out of your char's POV. IC: Ground Artillery, Oreton considered had always been the Empire's weak point. Ever since the Clone Wars up to the peace treaty and the Vong campaign the Empire's philosophy in ground battles was to avoid them. Whatever the Star Destroyers in orbit could not annihilate the AT-ATs could stomp. Most of the times that had been enough, and when it hadn't not all the artillery in the galaxy would have done them any good. That did not mean that Oreton had not brought hs own ground artillery. Long-range energy cannons and hover torpedo launchers floated into the battle field. The cannons sent wide arc energy burst towards the RApora ground armies several kilometers away, which in return fired gigantic plasma weapons that sprayed over the Imperial formations. But their number was too little to last out long enough. When Oreton had chosen to take his armies into battle he had decided to leave much Artillery behind, as they would slow down the armies he brought here. He had only brought in twenty hover torpedo launchers, because he was either way short on supplies and the energy cannons, which could move considerably faster than the rest of the Imperial heavy artillery. Fortunately, the number of Raporan artillery was not high either. Oreton had to thank the Mandalorians for their unconventional use of weapons to penetrate through the secure shields, and destroy much of their heavy artillery. Not more than five dozens were operational on the Raporan front, if he could rely on the colored sparks in the distance. Unfortunately there was a larger enemy in the battlefield. The strange non-Rapora vessel that hovered over the enemy camps. One of the energy cannons had targeted it but no real damage had been done. Oreton believed it was one of the fire-walkers ships, and the overheated energy burst would definitely not harm him. From the explosions on the sky, Oreton had an educated guess at the range of the vessel, and knew that the Imperial Forces were still out of range. Once they were, Oreton knew that his enemy would make sure he knew. "The ship is expanding its shields over the RApora headquarters. Our artillery is having no effect in their weaponry," Colonel Klern informed. "We are detecting high temperatures emanating from the ship-" "Incoming fighters. Rapora design. They launched from behind the spaceship, they are coming on us," Commander Grabel spoke up interrupting Klern's report. "Call Squadrons Theta and Psi to intercept the fighters. Have the torpedo luancher get locks on the incoming fighters and relay telemetry on the incoming DeltaMissileboats." Oreton ordered. If the starship protecting the Rapora headquarters did in fact belong to the firewalker, to defeat it OReton would need more than intelligence. He would need all the forces of nature to collaborate with him. "We are losing energy cannons," Klarn exposed followed by a kill confirmation by GRabel. The Missileboats had taken out some of the fighters, but the damage was already done. "What's the status of the enemy artillery?" Oreotn asked. "Impossible to determine, but I would expect that we hit them pretty hard." One of the lieutenant's confirmed. "The GFFA?" Oreton insisted. "Their anti-air batteries are almost all gone, I have seen some debris of their energy cannons," there was a hesitant pause. "I would have expected much stronger artillery in the GFFA camp." "Solo is gambler, sometimes he plays a card, sometimes he keeps one, waiting for the right hand." Oreton shrugged. "Have our AT-ATs advance into the battle, send a special group through the forest." "The Jedi and the special regiments?" Klarn looked at his commander. "Send them with them. The AT-AT's leg's are very vulnerable." The exchange of fire between enmy artilleries has been greatly reduced. Imperials and Rapora still sent off a slavo against each other, but each side knew now that the battle would not be decided by shots at such a great distance. As the Imperial army advanced, Oreton expected the Rapora to reassign the artillery, and release their ground units into battle. The green forest, splattered with black scorch marks seemed oblivious ot the battle. Some few Imperial units, had been sent through them while the bulk just outside of the forest advanced into the central plain. Off in the distance Oreton saw some of the Rapora ground troops, they had crossed through the forest. Their number was as of yet impossible to determine, but the Jedi, his regiments and the insane amounts of walkers of all kinds would soon contront them. *** The hostilities began when two Jedis stepped out of the Imperial ranks and ignitted their lightsabers. Tuvax roared and charged followed by his troops. On the other side of the plain, the Imperial slowly started marching, the giant AT-AT's begining their slow advance. Tuvax stopped, it was only one Jedi with a lightsaber. But there was something else, something bizarre in those Imperial Forces. Even the Rapora warriors around him felt that, and slowed their charge. The hundreds of blackarmored troopers around the Jedi felt strange. They had a raw power, not as finely decanted as the Jedi, not nearly as powerful as the Rapora. Slightly unsettled but pwered by a relentless anger, Tuvax reassumed his charge. *** Inside his "command center" Oreton saw the Rapora advancing at the forward AT-AT group. The Rapora knew the vulnerability of the AT-AT, especially such an army as the Rapora could make good use of their spped and weapons to damage the AT-ATs in their weak spots. Their bellies, thier legs. OReton smiled, the knowing smile of a secret holder. *** The AT-ATs fired on the rapidly advancing Raprora infantry, behind them some Rapora ground vehicles exchanged salvos with the AT-STs. BEhind them, lead by a single Jedi Master, an elite cadre of troops set foot in the battlefield. For the first time in over three decades, Darktroopers entered the battlefield.
