The Rebel Faction

"Those things are gonna kill you one day." Green Two walked up behind Natros Uthria as he took another drag on his death stick. "I been tellin' you this for six months now. Those things cause..."

"Screw you," Uthria interrupted. "These things might kill me, if a stray blaster bolt doesn't get me first. And if I don't smoke 'em, it probably will. I get nervous otherwise."

"Suit yourself," replied Two. Even though Uthria was technically above him in rank, the intense training over the last six months had bonded Green Squadron together. Uthria, Green Leader, was the only one of the squadron that had any Special Forces experience before this new assignment. The others had come out of all three branches - army, navy, and fighter corps. Two had himself come out of the Imperial Marines.

"Y'know," Uthria said, "the thing I wanna know is why the heck we got stuck in this...this hell hole, while the others get the prime jobs. Heck, we don't even get to be backup. We get to guard the prison where our wonderful commander thinks nobody's gonna come. What, does he not think we can handle ourselves?"

Two simply listened in silence. He knew by now not to answer those kind of questions. Green Leader just needed to talk it out.

"Ah, well," Uthria continued, "I guess we'll just have to do our jobs and not worry about it now." He took another long drag and put it out. Blowing out the last vestiges of smoke, he adjusted the strap on his modified E-11 and said, "Alright. Let's make another round."

Uthria ordered the rest of the men by comm to make another round of their respective floors and check for any anomalies. Then he and Two began moving cautiously through the building, checking doors, closets, hallways, etc. It wasn't long before they were approaching the main gate.

Uthria, the rank insignia of a lieutenant clearly visable, stopped for a short conversation with the guard at the doors. "Anything to report, soldier?" he asked.

"Nothing new, sir. A few crates were a bit heavier than usual, but probably just extra rations for your men. We did a thorough search and found nothing."

Uthria thought for a moment. Could be nothing, but still...

"Thank you, soldier. Resume your duties, and keep a clear eye for suspicious activity."

Uthria and Two began to move on. They headed for the storage room slowly, checking doors and openings along the way. This might be the infiltration they had been worried about. If there was anyone there, they would be dealt with quickly.

When they arrived at the room, Uthria stood by the door, weapon raised, as Two punched in the code to open it. They entered quickly, scanning the room for threats. Nothing. They moved slowly around, checking everywhere they could think someone might hide. Still nothing. But Uthria couldn't shake the suspicion that someone might still be there.

As the two exited the room, Uthria, turned and stared once more. Then he headed out and down the hall. When he was out of sight of the doorway, though, he ducked around a corner and waited. Two did the same a little farther down. If anything came out that door...

Green Leader held his place for a solid five minutes before deciding that there was nothing to be found here. Delusions of grandeur, he thought forlornly to himself. Nothin's gonna happen here. He motioned to Green Two to continue the patrol and rose to join him. At that moment, a muffled thump drifted down the corridor from the storage room.

Uthria reacted quickly. "Green Squadron, this is Green Leader," he commed in. "I've got a possible break-in, PL-1 storage room. Get your butts down here." Shifting his carbine to a ready position, he moved quickly down the hall, Green Two following as backup. When he reached the door, Two pulled out a flash grenade and prepared to toss it as Uthria smacked the door lock.

The flash, which would have blinded anyone left in the room, barely escaped the door, and was followed quickly by two rolling bodies. Uthria came up behind a stack of crates, weapon ready, and scanned the room. Empty. Green Two landed behind a repulsor cart. It was he who noticed the slightly disfigured ceiling.

Silently signalling Uthria, Two moved cautiously towards the point of interest and examined it. It looked as though the tiles had been hastily replaced after having been pushed through. Interesting. Two was about to explore when Uthria stopped him. "Better to wait for the others," he whispered.

In less than three minutes, the rest of the squadron had arrived. Uthria had Green Ten slice into the console there and pull up a map of the facility, as best he could. The security of this place was tight. Still, Uthria deciphered a maintanance tunnel directly above the room they were in.

Plotting all the possible exits, Uthria began issuing orders. There were just enough men to send two to every spot. Uthria himself took Green Two and began to poke his way up into the tunnel itself.

As the rest of the squadron disappeared out the door, Two began removing ceiling tiles. The hole made by the explosives was fairly obvious. Green Two took a small device, a periscope scanner, and poked it through the hole. "No life forms," he reported quietly. The intruders were almost certainly gone by now. Or maybe not.

Alright. Time now to call for backup. Uthria switched to his commander's personal frequency. "Captain Vos, Green Leader here. We have infiltrators. Pursuing now, backup requested." With that, he pulled himself into the maintanance corridor. The hunt was on.



Back at Company HQ

Wes Vos received the message from Green Leader with a bit of shock. Why would the Coalition spies want to infiltrate an Imperial prison? he asked himself. No time for questions now, though. It was a good thirty minute speeder ride from HQ to the prison. Time to move.

He got on the comm. "Gray Squadron, we have infiltrators at Maximum Security Prison 8A-23. Green Squadron is requesting backup, ASAP. So let's move!" As he ran towards the speeders, he commed in to the other squadrons as well. "Black Squadron, Red Squadron, pull your men together and head for MSP 8A-23. Infiltrators detected." His final call went to his superior. "Major, I've just received word that spies have infiltrated Maximum Security Prison Facility 8A-23. We're moving all squadrons to intercept. Request that you give me clearance to requisition prison guards to aid in the apprehension of the infiltrators."

A long pause on the other end. Finally the reply came back as Wes was reaching the hangar. "Permission granted, Captain. Use all available means to eliminate this threat. We cannot allow them to leave that facility alive. This is Priority One, Captain. There are prisoners in that facility that could seriously damage the reputation of the New Order with their lies should they be released. Do you understand, Captain?"

Wes paused as the gravity of the situation descended upon him. "I understand, Major." With that, he boarded the speeder and punched the throttle, heading with all possible speed for MSP 8A-23. He only hoped his team could keep the spies occupied long enough for the rest of his men to get there. He didn't know how many there were, but surely all forty-eight of his men could take them. Probably even the twenty-four from Gray and Green Squadrons could overwhelm them. But Green Squadron by itself...Wes could only hope they survived the encounter.

Uthria flipped on his night vision goggles. Starting down the dusty maintanance corridor, he could follow easily the tracks left in the dust by the infiltrators. Well, I guess Captain Vos was wrong about the prison, he thought. But what could spies want from here? The question remained unanswered as the two followed the trail silently.

So intent was he on the tracks that Uthria almost slammed into the door through which they led. Sliding it open, Green Two dropped down into a cellblock and nearly landed on Green Four, who jumped out of the way just in time. After the customary explatives from both, Uthria dropped through the hole. "Did you see anything?" was his first question.

"No, Sir," came the reply. "Are you sure they came through that way?"

"Of course I'm sure," Uthria replied, frustrated by now. "You must have missed them. Come on!"

As they ran, Uthria got on his comm. "Green Squadron, get your butts down to Cellblock 11C-3. We've got a shot at the infiltrators."

That was just before they came upon the sealed blast door. After slapping the control panel a few times, Uthria, now immensely frustrated, said, "Blow the kriffing thing!"

Green Four, who happened to be the demolitions expert, moved quickly. It took him less than a minute to set up four magnetic charges that would send the four corners collapsing in on themselves, sending the door flying into the chamber beyond. He set the timer for a minute as Green Five and Six ran up. The six operatives took off and rounded a bend just as the charges blew. True to expectations, the blast door collapsed and flew into the stairs.

Uthria tossed a smoke grenade into the hallway and several seconds later rolled through the smoke and took cover. Green Two, Three, and Four followed as Five and Six covered from the recently widened doorway.

The prison guard sat in his control room on the top floor of the prison. The night had been slow so far, and only the hot caf that was constantly being refilled kept him awake. He was the only one manning this room at the moment, and he was getting a bit lonely, though he did have the newest biography on Simon Kaine to keep him company.

Engrossed in the book, he missed the security holo image of the door being blown. What he didn't miss was the massive power surge that followed soon after. His eyes widened as he saw the spike, then he screamed in pain as the caf spilled on his hand and uniform. Cursing, he wiped himself off, then looked again. This was bad. The surge had been caused by the security defenses near the control room in Detention Block 11C-3. And if he remembered correctly, no one was supposed to be manning that room tonight.

He grabbed up a comlink and quickly called in a code. "All available guards, be advised, Code Black in Detention Block 11C-3. Repeat, Code Black. Follow Plan Alpha. Repeat, Plan Alpha is in effect. Permission to use lethal force if necessary."

He smiled and went back to his monitoring task. He hoped no Imperials had been in the Detention Block. That would be very, very bad.


Detention Block 11C-3

Green Squadron had entered the corridor safely. Surprised at the lack of fire, they had waited just a moment too long. When the security door slammed shut, Uthria knew they were in trouble. Motioning frantically, he stood and ran for the open hatch of the maintenance corridor.

The others followed, knowing their commander wouldn't run unless absolutely necessary. Uthria hoisted himself into the corridor, then turned and pulled Green Two up. Green Six and Four followed, but Four's feet had just been shoved through the hatch when a buzzing sound was heard. Knowing it was too late for the other two, Uthria, with a sick feeling in his stomach, closed the hatch.

Green Three and Five didn't know what was coming, but when they saw the look on their commander's face and the hatch slam shut, they knew it wasn't going to be pretty. The grasped each other's forearm in a soldier's handshake, then saluted.

The defenses for this prison were unlike most throughout the Empire. Because of both the nature of the prisoners and the former role of the building, the Empire hadn't found the need to install standard defense mechanisms. There were no warning signs, no mercy shots. Instead, at the push of a button, the entire block would come alive with electric bolts of energy, similar to the dreaded Force Lighting of the Sith, that would fry anyone and anything inside. The only warning was a buzzing as the electricity built in the walls.

When it hit, the two squadron mates were still saluting each other. The electricity took Green Five first, jolting him forward so he collapsed into Three. He then became a conductor for the electricity that now flowed into his companion. It was only milliseconds, though, before it no longer mattered who was conducting the energy. The entire detention block was alive with it. The screams of the soldiers mixed with the screams of the prisoners in their cells as all were fried alive.

The smell of burning flesh drifted past the shut hatch, as did the sound of the screams. Uthria sat unmoving, but the others couldn't help themselves. Vomit now graced the floor of the corridor, and tears welled up in the eyes of Four and Five. Both of them had just lost a wingmate and a good friend. The sadness they felt was only matched by the hatred that welled up inside them. Someone was going to pay.

The sound of the electric bolts continued for a few minutes even after the screams had ceased. When no more sound could be heard, Uthria pulled out a gas mask and attached it. Motioning for the others to do the same, he quietly opened the hatch and dropped into the Detention Block. Stepping over his comrade's now-unrecognizable bodies, he moved silently up the hall to the stairway.

The four of them were alone now, sealed off from any help. The only access to the Detention Block would come through the maintenance tunnel. Uthria had done his research on the prison; when the security measures in a detention block were activated, all entrances were sealed until cleaning droids could dispose of the mess. The sight and stench of electrically-fried humans was not a sight most people could take, even Imperials.

And their situation was even more complicated. Green Ten, the squadron slicer, was still outside, and they had to get through that security door. Uthria spoke softly. "Four, do you think you can blow the door?" The answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, so Uthria spared a glance in his direction. The soldier was staring off into space. Uthria spoke again. "Men, I know we've just seen two comrades killed in a brutal fashion. It's tough, but we have to keep going. The best way to remember them is to avenge their deaths, and the only way to do that is to get through this door. Now, can you blow the door?"

Green Four looked up. The man was little more than a kid, just out of his teens. He'd seen more than anyone his age should have to see. But he pulled himself together enough to answer. "Not a chance, Sir. Those doors can take a proton torpedo without cracking. We don't carry anything strong enough. Sir," he asked then, "can whoever did that do it again? 'Cause I don't wanna get fried like that."

"Don't worry about it," Green Leader replied. "I did my homework. Those measures can only be activated once without being reset in four different places, specifically to keep someone from accidentally destroying service droids and personnel. We'll be fine. So can any of you slice the door?"

Green Two examined the remains of J-3's work. "I think I can do it. Give me a second." He began twisting wires and examining the ends. After a few moments, he touched two of them together. Nothing. "Hmm." A few more moments. "Oh. Alright, cover the door," he said. After the others had spread out to either side, blasters ready, he touched two more wires together and rolled out of the way. The security door slid open.

Green Leader was mad now. He hadn't quite gone into a frenzy yet, but Green Two knew his commander was getting close. Their quarry had escaped once again, this time crashing through a mirror and jumping to what should have been their deaths.

The four Imperials had begun shooting under the door as soon as it had risen enough, which probably hadn't been smart. Or maybe it was. Their presence had been announced either way. Apparently none of their wild firing had hit; there wasn't even a bloodstain. The four had burst into the room as soon as possible only to find it vacated and the mirror destroyed. Uthria growled in anger.

Even in his frustration, though, he was wise enough not to stick his head through the hole. These guys were too good not to have a sniper somewhere watching them. Pulling out a strange-looking tool, he opened it into a portable periscope holo camera. This he pushed into the hole and stared at the image on the other end. Tweaking the camera, he got a clear view of what was going on.

"Alright, here's the situation," he said to the other three. "There's six of them. Mostly aliens. One's an Azguard, so for sure they're GC." That elicited a snarl from Green Two. He'd lost a father recently in a skirmish with the Coalition. "It looks like they've already freed one prisoner, and one of them's moving to free more. Two of them are in the center of the room - the Azguard and a Rodian sniper - and the others are moving towards the door directly under us. Green Four, you're the best shot here. Think you can take the sniper out before we go down?"

Four hesitated a moment, then took the camera. He scanned the lower chamber again, focusing on the sniper. "Maybe. I can sure try." He removed his carbine from his shoulder and detached the barrel, quickly replacing it with a longer one. He swapped the power pack as well, exchanging it for one with fewer shots but a higher shot velocity. "Alright. Here goes."

He moved next to the mirror, then slowly slid his head and rifle around the corner. He waited a few moments while lining up his shot, which ended up being a moment too long. As he stared down the barrel, sighting in on the Rodian, the alien noticed him and quickly swung towards the opening. A shot was heard, and Green Four flipped backward, a hole burned in his forehead.

Uthria started cursing. Four had only been a kid. Nineteen years old. Now he was dead, and that made Green Leader mad. Really mad. Or at least so it seemed to Green Two. And when the commander pulled out a thermal detonator, Two knew he was right. "Sir, wait. Our men are down there too. A detonator won't work. Use a frag grenade."

Uthria stopped, stared, and switched weapons. The grenade went flying out the hole, followed immediately by a flash-bang thrown by Two. As the two went off, the remaining Imperials stuck their weapons out the hole and began firing rapidly, filling the chamber with blaster bolts. They weren’t as concerned with accuracy as their rate of fire, though they did aim in the general direction of the GC spies. Three SF guys had died already – the Coalition would pay double for the loss.


Five minutes earlier and one floor lower


"The doors are locked down," said Green Nine, the senior officer present. "I don't think we can get in."

"Now what?" asked his wingmate, Ten. "And where's Green Leader?"

"Inside, probably," came the response. "And now we simply attempt to block the exits. No one gets out unless they're in an Imperial uniform."

At that moment, footsteps were heard in the hallway behind them. The six Special Forces soldiers turned quickly, weapons trained on the entryway, but they relaxed when two squads of stormtrooper prison guards came trotting up. Their commander approached Nine and asked, "My men are at your command, sir. Where do you want us?"

Apparently a call had been made to the head of the prison about the nature of Green Squadron's mission. Perfect. Nine replied immediately. "Fan out. Cover all the exits to the detention block. We'll cover this one. Move."

The stormtroopers did as ordered. Within a few minutes, every exit was covered. No one would be getting out without a firefight.


Present


Green Nine got confirmation over the comm. The last stormtrooper unit was in place. "Alright men. Anything comes out that door, start shooting. We're cut off from communication with our men, but they won't be the first ones out. Not if there are any of the enemy left inside."

Even as he finished speaking, the door began to slide open, and the sound of blaster fire drifted out. Somebody was coming through. The soldiers took cover and aimed towards the doorway. At the first sign of the enemy, the doorway would come alive with blaster fire. For now, though, they held their fire. There was no sense in spoiling the surprise.