The Rodian soldier tossed the thermal detonator through the open wall, ducking quickly back behind the small remnant of that wall for cover. The ground rumbled lightly as it struck the Chiss soldiers' cover, out of Gash's sight. The other Ossan defenders placed their blasters over the open wall, firing in response to the constant wail of the enemy fire.
Gash glanced over to them, then let his eyes slide back to N'iktal. The man, still sitting on the other side of the half-open room, had the navy leg of his Rogue Jedi Order uniform rolled up, the bacta bandage across his knee soaked in crimson blood. He took another puff on the cigarra, seemingly unconcerned by the battle around him. Sounds of a fight on the opposite side of the short duracrete building came from the door on Gash's left, a port just ahead of the stairwell leading downstairs.
"Headquarters?"
Gash asked, crouching down to take cover. "We're in worse trouble than I'd thought."
'You're a quick one. Too bad you don't move so fast getting back to your city when it's under assault from an alien race so well trained we've been thwarted in a matter of minutes.'
That stung. Gash shut his eyes for a moment, looking away. "You've got a lot of lip, kid."
Gash paused as a laser blast was flung through the open wall in front of him, blazing across the room. "We'll get acquainted later. Show me to the... 'headquarters'."
'Aye aye.'
* * * * *
N'iktal had lead Gash down that stairwell, into a small, duracrete basement. The duracrete walls were uncovered, and while large, the room was dominated by a large table with a makeshift flimsiplast map on it. All around the table were about a hundred soldiers, most, if not all, were wounded. Only three or four stood at the table, holding comlinks; four or five of the wounded soldiers sitting around the basement also held comlinks.
On the map were a variety of metallic trinkets and rock fragments, assumedly representing the various soldiers the Rogue Jedi Order and Chiss had in battle. The room occasionally shook with the shock of a thermal detonator exploding above ground.
As Gash strode in, conversation stopped. Those soldiers who could, stood and saluted. N'iktal Jiren stepped around his uncle, walking to the table. "As you were, men."
They nodded, sitting, and conversation slowly resumed, subdued. Gash stepped to opposite side of the table as the three who stood watching the map. The commanders switched off their commlinks. 'Admiral Jiren.'
"
Gash Jiren. I am no more an Admiral than anyone, anymore."
'Yes, sir.'
The human commander in the center said. Two of the commanders were human, one was a reptillian Krick. 'I am Commander Shiek Maner.'
'Commander Venn Tainlet.'
The other human said.
'Captain Laren Yyvess.' Added the Krick.
"Okay, then. What do we have?"
The human in the center began speaking. 'Obviously, everything we know is sketchy. There were about nine-hundred of us who avoided being captured by the OsSec traitors in Orilcia. Eight hundred or so survived the bombing. Two thousand were freed from the Triahel Detention Center by Arrix Stryker. When we fleed from the detention center, we were scattered. There could be as many as four hundred soldiers still alive and fighting.'
"In total, how many, now?"
'Around two thousand five hundred. They're spread out through the city, engaging the Chiss in small pockets. The Chiss headquarters are at the Ossan Parliament Palace. Most of our men are entrenched in buildings, with ample cover. Fighting is literally everywhere, but comm reports say the four most heated engagements are here,'
He pointed to the west of the Ossan Parliament, 'Here,' To the southwest, 'Here,'
Far to the south, 'And here.'
To the east.
"I'm sorry, Commander, but I've been running from the enemy for about an hour. Where are we?"
'Here,'
He said, pointing to a point roughly south-east of the Ossan Parliament Palace. 'We're still getting communications in from isolated patrols. On the outskirts of the city, Arrix Stryker is leading the defense.'
'Commander?'
Spoke up a Twi'Lek in the basement's corner, holding a portable commlink system. 'Arrix Stryker reports successful retreat from the defensive line. But the walkers and speeders seem to have... they've stopped, sir. Arrix will return to headquarters, ETA ten minutes.'
'Stopped?'
Shiek asked, glancing back at the Twi'Lek. 'Thank you.'
His gaze returned to Gash. 'Arrix reported the defensive line being broken about an hour ago.'
"The walkers have stopped?"
Gash repeated, ignoring the Commander. "They could crush this city with those walkers, even as my fleet stops their's from bombarding it--"
He stopped, eyes flickering to the Commander again. "What about my fleet? Who is commanding it... where--"
'Captain Tellien,'
N'iktal spoke up. 'Or,
General Tellien. He's commanding the entire thing, and as far as we know, he's got orders to hold the world.'
"Is he being commanded from the ground?"
'Not possible. The inner core of the military and about half the senate went underground, or at least retreated, thirty minutes into the orbittal battle.'
Gash sighed, glancing down at the table, a variety of thoughts and strategies running through his mind. "Can we contact them from here?"
'No,'
Said Shiek 'Our comms aren't powerful enough. If you can get to here,'
He pointed to the battle to the west of the Ossan Parliament Palace, 'You can contact them using whatever communications systems are in that building. It's still intact.'
"Good. I don't know what orders those idiots gave them, but if OsSec was corrupted by the Chiss forces, I'll bet they've got people in the senate, as well. Which would explain how I was ousted.
"Mobilize me a squad. We're going to enter the fire fight."
