The first
mission assigned to Asha, Tara and Sando battalion, sent them to aid the nearby
forces under General Kit Fisto. Joining with Fisto’s fleet they were briefed
for their attack on the planet Alvorine. Alvorine was a world of vast forests
and mountain ranges. It was devoid of sentient life beyond a few scattered
colonies, but Separatist forces had recently constructed a staging post there.
This outpost, built atop a rocky mountain outcrop, incorporated a signalling
station and supply depot. Large hangers, big enough to hold several landing
craft or even frigates were under construction in the mountain side. From here
the Separatists could relay transmissions and resupply forces deep into the
Republican mid rim territories.
Having detected the base while sweeping the system, Kit Fisto was preparing for an assault, calling on Asha and Tara’s nearby forces to reinforce his attack. The base was well equipped with anti-aerial defences, and they would take heavy losses attempting to get gunships anywhere near it. Fisto aimed then to get as near as possible before landing his men and tanks, using the forest to cover their advance, before making a cliff front assault. However, Asha and the always adaptable Sandos sought to make a more unorthodox entrance.
Leaping out of hyperspace Fisto’s fleet took the Separatist station by surprise. Believing the outpost still undiscovered, there was no planetary defence force ready. Wishing to keep it hidden there were only two frigates present within the atmosphere beyond long range detection.
The hangers of
Fisto’s star destroyers opened as soon as they appeared, with gunship and
fighter escorts streaming out. The lone light gunship, with its painted
Rancor’s maw, belonging to Captain Fordo and the ARCs, launched from Asha’s
ship besides them.
The attack was
rapid to make the most of the surprise. Fisto’s fighters dived through the
atmosphere, instantly engaged by the swarm of vulture droids pouring from the
frigates’ hangers. The gunships followed behind them, and the fire from the
frigates’ guns came heavy. In good order fighters rolled the droids back and
the gunships dived through the clouds. While in the clouds, the ARC’s gunship
sped off unnoticed.
The barrage of
gunships broke through the clouds. Instantly the ground defences opened up a
heavy fire, and more vultures emitted from the outcrop hangers. The gunships
persevered. But the defensive fire became too heavy, forcing them down to the
tree line. The fighter escort was quickly becoming overwhelmed and the gunships
had no choice but to land. It was a little shorter than expected, but the
forest canopy would give them cover to advance.
Fisto and his men jogged through the forest towards the cliffs ahead of them. Behind them a couple of AT-TE tanks laid down covering fire at the droid cliff defences.
Coming to the boulder scree, they fired their grapnels up the sides and proceeded to ascend, despite heavy fire from the droids. At their head, Fisto wore his characteristic smile.
While Fisto slugged
through the forest, Fordo’s squad sped through the pillowing valleys in the
clouds. They had lost their droid pursuers in the clouds, and were following
the holomap of the surface below carefully. The holomap projected from Fordo’s
brace flashed as they approached their position. ‘Down’ he gave the short order
to the pilot. The gunship dropped below the clouds.
Directly below them was the outpost. Beyond this, on the rocky peak above, the communications relay and gun placements covering the base. The gunship dived fast, soaking up the panicked fire from the platform on the peak. The gunship dropping down and pulling up, the ARCs hopped out, clearing and silencing the platform with their rapid and overwhelming fire. Guns and droids silenced, the Clones set about fixing charges.
Minutes later,
while Fisto’s men were still only part way up the mountainside, the ARCs
bundled back into their rancor-mouthed gunship. While they lifted away, the
communications platform becoming small beneath them, Fordo thumbed the
detonator. The charges ripped through the platform, sending parts of rods and
relay flying in every direction. Hopefully this surgical strike would prevent
the Separatists being alerted to the scale of the Republic attack until it was
too late.
Up in the upper
atmosphere, Asha’s star destroyers had engaged the Separatist frigates, jamming
their communications and attempting to prevent their flight. With the ARCs’
mission complete, the star destroyers’ hangers opened. The droids has no
scanners left to detect their next move. Asha and Tara stepped up into a
gunship, and the consignment of Sando battalion lifted off, ready for their
part in the mission.
Asha and Tara
stared out through the slats in the side of their gunship as they hurtled
between the clouds. Around them the gunships carrying Sando battalion weaved,
avoiding the fire from droid fighters, now only light. Commander Colo,
the clone commander of Sando battalion, signalled to Asha. ‘Reaching
drop site Sir.’ The convoy banked and dropped through the clouds.
The side doors slid back to reveal a whirling world of air, the distant ground flickering between the low clouds. ‘See you at the top!’ Asha shouted over the wind to Tara, then, leaning out, he fell. Tara stared wide eyed. The clones took running jumps, leaping one after another from the gunships. ‘Come on!’ Said one of them patting her shoulder as he passed by. Recovering herself, Tara took a run up and threw herself into the open world.
The clouds sped past her, brushing her cheeks with their empty fingers. Then they were gone and the forest surface of Alvorine opened up below her. All around her the clones of Sando were free falling. She caught sight of Asha through the flock, and dived towards him. Colo was falling nearby, projecting a holomap of the ground to direct them.
The forest and ridge stretched out below them. There was the mountain and a still smoking peak, while laser fire burst up and down the cliff revealing Fisto’s men making good progress on the defences.
The ground was coming up fast. The Clones, equipped with jetpacks, began, as it seemed to Tara, flying upwards, as they started their packs to slow their descent. The two Jedi likewise stretched out their arms to the ground and began to slow themselves with the force. There were the droids, looking up, taken completely by surprise.
Tara ignited her lightsabre landing straight down on top of a battle droid, and catching half-a-dozen other shots with her blade. Asha was beside her, scything through droids, while several clones landed, surrounding them, and keeping up a hail of fire. Others from the Sandos landed on each of the defence turrets, knocking them out with detonators. There now were Fisto’s men, forcing their way over the parapets as the droid fire was thinned out.
More droid forces poured out from the outpost onto the landing platform. The clones quickly threw together cover from the rubble from the turrets, while the Sandos used their packs to gain the high ground atop the buildings and cliff side.
Joining
together, Fisto, Asha and Tara, raised their sabres and lead the charge,
carving up the droid defenders and progressing into the facility.
They skirmished on through the control rooms and hangers, the Sandos flying down to trap the last defenders in the hanger. It was all quickly over. With the outpost secured the clones laid fresh charges throughout.
With the
frigates breaking up and crumbling down in burning clusters into the distant
forest, the fleet of gunships returned and the Jedi and Clones were
quickly evacuated. As they returned to the fleet, mission over, Fisto detonated
the charges, still smiling as the hangers collapsed and rubble tumbled down the
hard own mountainside. Separatists hopes for the Alvorine staging post were
dashed. Tara’s first mission had been quite the experience.
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