[FIC]Amongst the Ruins

[Jason Skywalker]

Good chapter,and nice explanation of the CP.

[Niner_777]

Thanks for all your comments. I'd like to thank you all who've been dedicated to reading this fic so far, and I invite others who haven't read/commented to do so.

Thanks again.

[RC-1162]

id like to say, youre a great writer, 777. you have the proper style and i like the way you make sure your grammar is as correct as possible. the 501st act as real brothers and, having played Republic Commando myself, i think youre on the right track.

keep it coming dude, and if you have time, check out my fic

[Niner_777]

Thanks, RC 1162. Also, thanks for appreciating my attempts at making my fics have good grammar. I really try.

 

Oh, and sure, I'll check out your fic.

[Niner_777]

As you all probably know, the end of the school year means final exams and, hopefully, lots of studying. So, I probably won't be able to find the extended period of time needed to write another chapter until this weekend. Sorry.

 

So, I invite everyone to discuss what they liked/didn't like about this fic so far. What parts were exciting or not. Stuff like that. I should be able to visit LF to answer any questions that you may have, etc.

 

I once again invite anybody who hasn't read this fic yet to read it.

[Niner_777]

I just found out that I have an Art final and Science test tomorrow. Sometimes I don't like the end of the school year. Well, I'll be happy when its over. I'll finaly have some time to write my fic.

 

I repeat my previous post.

[RC-1162]

i suggest you use the edit post button, Niner, otherwise the mods might decide to go on you.

[Niner_777]

Oh, yeah... I tend to forget about that fuction unless I edit right away. Thanks. Anyway, it is the weekend, so I'll be working on my fic, hopefully, between studying for multilple finals, working on a final exam technology project, writing a final exam paper, and going to parties.

 

Oh, and visiting LF of course.

 

EDIT: Added title pic, created by Sabretooth. Thanks. Maybe it will attract more readers? Maybe another chapter will attract more readers, lol.

[Niner_777]

Chapter 7: Battle for the Command Center---------------------------------------------------------------------//

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Forward Command Post – Mygeeto Mission Clock 09:30 //

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Hunter looked up also. “Fierfek,” he said rather casually, as blaster bolts began to rain down on them. Hunter rolled starboard and ducked underneath of a computer terminal. He quickly performed a routine scan of the area before lining up a droid and squeezing the trigger on his DC-15. The droid exploded; its parts fell to the floor. Luckily, by then, all the members of the 501st initial strike force had found cover.

 

“I could have taken the break,” Flash joked, and then blasted a droid that was heading down the ramp into the first level of the main command center. Hunter chuckled slightly at his squad mate’s comment. They all could have taken a break, except maybe Storm.

 

Hunter watched as Storm hid under the ramp in which the droids were descending onto the clone’s level. Every time another droid attempted to come down, Storm reached over and sliced off its legs, creating a backup of malfunctioning droids. Max and some other clones were providing cover fire for the opposite side of the look over railing above.

 

Hunter disposed of twenty more droids before he needed to reload. He paused to do so and looked out across the command center’s computers and display screens. A blaster bolt hit one of the clones across the room. Max shoved him under a desk. They couldn’t afford to spend time away from their blasters. Hunter jammed another clip into his rifle and continued firing. They were holding off the assault, but the droids kept pouring in from above. Who knew how many there were? Maybe there was an entire factory, continually producing droids above their head.

 

Half of the 501st forces were attacking outside the command center. They were using whatever ordinance they had to defend it from the onslaught of droids headed towards the command center. They were tying explosive ribbons around grenades to throw out as many explosives as possible. Hunter heard Caleb talking to Commander Spike. “Our forces are trapped in the first level of the main command center inside the Forward Command Post. We’ve got droids coming in on us from all around, including the top. Probably from the bottom, too.”

 

“Roger that, Kappa Lead. Do you have an estimated number?” Commander Spike asked.

 

“Negative. It wouldn’t be accurate anyways. There’s probably over a thousand outside the command center. I’d guess there’s at least five hundred inside, on the upper levels,” Caleb responded, crouched underneath a display screen desk.

 

“Copy. Do you have the AT – RTs available?”

 

“Negative on that, sir. They’d have to blow threw the hallway. Even that would be difficult.”

 

“True, but what other choices do you have. Fifteen soldiers can’t take out thousands of droids. Not even 501st soldiers.”

 

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to prove you wrong, Commander,” Caleb said confidently. “We’ll find a way, over.” Hunter finished off another clip. Thirty droids lay sparking due to the plasma that was concealed in the now empty case. Blaster bolts rained down all around them, but a barrier was beginning to form around the command center and its ramps. The barrier was composed mainly of droid parts, with a few fragments of wall mixed in.

 

Hunter was down to his last clip. The droids stopped pouring in from above, but the droids outside continued to near despite the clone’s efforts to halt them. Caleb rounded up the rocket launchers and positioned them in specific locations. The plan was to cave in the ceiling. This would hopefully take out enough droids to reduce the army to a manageable size. Though it was risky, it was their only real option for taking out the massive number of droids. Hunter was assigned, along with the rest of Iota Squad, to scout out the next level of the command center. They had the option to fall back if they were overrun. He wouldn’t let that happen though.

 

A single droid appeared at the railing, directly over Hunter. Hunter whipped out his pistil and shot the enemy in the hand. It sparked and fell off. The droid’s gun fell down to Hunter who snatched it out of the air. The droid peered over to see what had happened, only to receive a face full of plasma. Hunter pocketed his pistol, ripped the hand off of the enemy blaster rifle, and stocked up with ammunition from other dead droids. He met up with the rest of his squad at the base of the ramp, leading to the second level. Max signaled to Caleb that they were ready to go. Caleb waved them on.

 

They were alone now. Just their single four man squad versus anywhere from zero to millions of droids. Nobody ever knew. They crept up the ramp with their backs together. Hunter starred down the sights of his new droid blaster rifle. Every time he saw the glint of a computer screen his finger twitched. “Calm down, Squad,” Max told them reassuringly. “If there were more droids the officers would have sent them all. We’re relatively safe.”

 

“Relatively,” Flash commented when they reached the threshold of the second floor. Max turned on his platoon comm. and chatter filled his ears. He tried to contact Caleb, but to no avail.

 

“This is Iota Lead. We’re heading up,” Max said into his helmet. Max listened to the chatter going on below. He could hear explosions and blaster fire. “Dang it, Kappa, are you okay?” There was more chatter, but Max thought he heard Caleb giving them the go ahead. “Iota Squad is continuing.” Max turned down the platoon comm.

 

Iota Squad started picking through the mass of droid scraps that blocked their path at the threshold to the second level of the main command center. A bolt whooshed by Hunters head. “Down!” he yelled, digging his back into the pile of droids. From the amount of blaster bolts whizzing by them, Hunter estimated that there were approximately seven droids, about the size of a standard recon patrol.

 

“Let’s take them out,” Storm suggested, peering over top of the metal pieces. The rest of them brought up their weapons too. “Open fire?” Max nodded to towards him and opened fire with his rifle. The droids started circling the room, making themselves hard targets, for once. Four of them were shot down before they could find cover. The rest of them were pinned down behind desks and ranging equipment. “Come on out,” Storm whispered.

 

One droid poked its rifle out of its cover and took a shot at Storm. The bolt hit his pistol, causing it to spark and malfunction. Storm squeezed the trigger. Then he threw it at the droid. It blew up in midair causing the droid to be blasted against a computer terminal. The computer blew up and set the immobilized droid in flames.

 

“What are you going to do now?” Flash joked.

 

“I’m going to kill every last droid in this room by hand,” Storm replied.

 

“I’d like to see that,” Flash replied.

 

“Would you?” Storm asked, hopping over the barrier and dodging some blaster bolts. He ran around the perimeter of the room. The first droid he came to, he kicked in its abdomen. It came in two, but it was still shooting. Storm brought his boot down on the droid’s cranium. That fixed it. When Storm came to the last droid, it tried to shoot him. Storm ducked underneath the shot and slid on his stomach across the floor. His vibro blade was out. When he passed the droid, he sliced of its foot, causing it to fall face forward. Storm twirled around and jumped on the droid, stabbing the droid in the back. He stood up and threw it away.

“Good show, Storm,” Flash commented walking towards them.

 

“Yeah, now lets get to the next level,” Max ordered.

 

“Roger that, sir,” Storm said, obviously pleased with himself. They exited through a door that led to another ramp. The ramp led to the third floor. They picked their way through the third floor’s computers and display screen equipment unchallenged. They exited through another door, and climbed another ramp. When Iota Squad reached the fourth floor, Hunter spotted the bulkhead control station.

 

“Bulkhead controls are over here,” Hunter informed them.

 

“Nice job, Hunter,” Max said. “Let’s shut down this command center. Shut everything, except the doors that we used to get into this place. Flash, provide sniper fire for our troops downstairs.” Flash walked over to a window, looking out over the battle below. He cut a hole in the glass for his DC-15x sniper rifle to fit through. He fit it through and started firing away. Caleb looked up for a moment to see what was going on before he turned around and continued to direct the attack.

 

“Roger,” Hunter replied, scanning the controls until he found the panel to input the bulkhead numbers. He clicked on the button labeled “ALL” and then took away the few that they needed left open, using the diagram pasted on the window for reference. It was very confusing, but it could save their lives.

 

A computer terminal next to Hunter began to spark and sizzle. He realized that blaster bolts were coming through the exit that would lead to the next level of the command center. “Close ‘em!” Max shouted. Hunter scanned for the button and then hit it. The droids were almost to the doorway. Storm deftly skipped a thermal grenade under the swiftly closing bulkhead. It just made it under when it exploded. Ashes emitted from underneath the closed bulkhead and droid parts attempted to puncture it, leaving a series of dents.

 

“That’ll keep them there,” Hunter commented.

 

Just then, Caleb came through on the platoon comm. system. “We have our rocket boys in position. We’re going to cave in part of the ceiling.”

 

“Nice plan,” Max replied. “Make sure to fall back in here. We’ll finish closing the bulkheads and we’ll finally have some time to rest.”

 

“That’ll be nice. All right, we’re firing. Brace yourselves!” Caleb gave the command to fire. Several rockets streaked towards a single point in the ceiling of the command post, right overtop of the main part of the droid army. Flash pulled his sniper rifle in to witness the ceiling crack on impact. There was a deafening crash as huge hunks of super heated ceiling fragments peppered the droid army.

 

“They’re toast,” Storm said.

 

“This is Kappa Lead,” Caleb came through on the comm. system. “We’re falling back. Feel free to close the bulkheads.” Hunter punched in the codes and closed the bulkheads.

 

“Done,” Hunter reported. A patrol of droids looked down from atop the hole in the ceiling. Flash easily disposed of them with one clip of his sniper rifle.

 

“Close the windows,” Max ordered. Hunter found the codes on the reference sheet and punched them in as well. A moment later, the windows were covered with thick sheets of metal. “Good job.”

 

“Hold up, Lead. Check this out,” Storm said.

 

“What is it, Storm?” Max asked. He walked over to the station that Storm was standing over. It read “Auto Turret Control Station.”

 

“Do you like it?” Storm asked.

 

“Do I? Power it up, set it for droids.”

 

“Sure thing, boss.” Storm turned it on. Several security cameras turned on and fed images of the command post to the main command center. He programmed the auto turrets to destroy any droids, and then activated it.

 

Outside of the main command center, the remaining droids continued to make their way towards the command center, now covered in a metal. Suddenly, hundreds of turrets popped out of walls and dropped down from the ceiling and opened fire on the droids. They fired accurately and quickly. Within minutes, the droid army was reduced to rubble. Iota Squad watched the whole thing on camera.

 

“Sweet,” Flash commented as the auto turret kicked the last droid heading for the command center. Caleb and the rest of the 501st ran up the ramp and greeted Iota Squad on the fourth floor.

 

“Good job, Iota. I’ll make sure the Commander knows what you did for us,” Caleb said.

 

“Likewise,” Max replied. “But that doesn’t matter. We’re safe now.”

[Diego Varen]

Good Chapter Niner_777. Can't wait to see more.

[Niner_777]

Thanks. It is possible that I'll have another chapter out this weekend. I'd like to be able to do that.

[Jason Skywalker]

Good one Niner.And the image is good.

[Niner_777]

Thanks for the replies. I really tried hard to get this chapter done, seeings how I hadn't posted one in a week. Keep them coming!

[John Skywalker]

Wow Niner! great fic! I hope you keep this up!

[Niner_777]

Thanks for reading it. I'll make sure to get to your fic when I have some time.

[Diego Varen]

Thanks for reading it. I'll make sure to get to your fic when I have some time.

 

John's Fic is really good. Can't wait for the next Chapter Niner.

[HK-42]

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20+ = =) k

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p it up

[Niner_777]

Thanks. Don't worry, connor, I will.

 

EDIT: Nifty. I guess I numbered the chapters wrong. I hope I fixed them. Did you guys notice?

[Niner_777]

Chapter 8: The Safety Within-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

Forward Command Post – Mygeeto Mission Clock 11:00 //

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“That’s right,” Caleb said, scratching his helmeted head. Hunter looked around the room and for the first time, he took in all the details. He wasn’t just scanning for hostiles or for useful computer terminals. He was observing peace. Hunter noticed that the circular room, in which he stood, was very dimly lit. The soldier’s helmet spot lamps were emitting most of the light. There were many computers that Hunter hadn’t noticed before. They fed information about all of the functioning systems of the command post. The desks were cluttered with measuring equipment and data pads. For the first time during the Mygeeto Campaign, Hunter felt like he was in a safe environment. It didn’t seem like war.

 

Hunter’s thoughts were cut short when he looked at the entrance to fourth floor of the command center. Battle weary marines stood in smoking charred armor. They held their blaster rifles at their sides or clipped to their utility belts. Many of them had taken direct hits, but none of them had the time to take a break. This thought reminded Hunter of his own wounds. He couldn’t feel them at the moment, so he decided not to worry about them.

 

“How many casualties?” Max inquired.

 

“There have been four deaths total. Only two died downstairs. The others were captured in the Blood Bath,” Caleb replied. Hunter remembered seeing Pi Squad two members short. They hadn’t appeared to have been bothered by their losses, but Hunter knew that that wasn’t so. When anyone in your platoon died, you always felt grief. Hunter felt it now in the pause between action.

 

“I suppose it could have been a lot worse,” Max commented. “Those were some pretty wild tactics that had to be performed.”

 

“That’s true. Now that we have control of the main command center, we’ve got command of all the bulkheads and auto turrets in the whole command post. I think that those we lost weren’t lost in vein,” said Caleb.

 

“They’ve certainly helped in the mission. I only hope that this mission wasn’t done for nothing.”

 

“Nonsense. If we can get that Mygeetan power source back to Coruscant safely, we’ll have won this war. That’s what the Chancellor said.”

 

“I guess that’s what we want, peace,” Max said, deep in thought.

 

“Anyways, we need to hit the barq and get a couple of hours of shuteye. Kappa Squad will take first shift. We’ll watch the monitors. I have a feeling that we’re moderately safe in here,” Caleb told the platoon. “I’d better make contact with the commander.”

 

With that, the soldiers of the 501st got back into their squads and looked for a place to lie down. Hunter found a nook underneath a desk that was a suitable size for him to sleep. He crouched down and looked underneath. There was a data pad and some spilled oil. Hunter didn’t care; he laid down on it anyways. He didn’t even notice its presence in his fatigue. He hadn’t had a chance to sleep on the trip and he wasn’t going to get another chance for a while.

 

Flash came up to him and took a seat against the desk that Hunter was laying under. “What’s up?” he asked casually.

 

“Just going to sleep,” Hunter replied. “You?”

 

“Ditto. How’re your shoulder and back?”

 

"I can’t notice them. I don’t think that they’re anything serious.”

 

You’re probably just tired.”

 

“Roger, that. I think that ‘tired’ is a bit of an understatement.”

 

“Don’t tell me that you guys are tired,” Storm said walking over to them. He pulled off his helmet with his strong arms revealing many scars and bruises. Hunter looked away. They’d heal.

 

“What if we are? Are you going to beat us up?” Flash joked.

 

“Maybe I will,” Storm said, punching his palm. It made a dull thud against the tough material that covered his hands. They chuckled slightly and performed their secret handshake. They all looked over at Max, who happened to look over at them. He mocked their handshake too before going back to his conversation with Caleb. “Or maybe I’ll just take a nap over here.”

 

“See you in a bit,” Flash said, cocking his head into a more comfortable position. Hunter shut his eyes to give them a break. They’d served him well in that day’s action. They deserved a rest. As Hunter was falling asleep he listened to Caleb and Max talk to Commander Spike on the platoon comm. system.

 

“Yeah, we’ve only lost four troops so far.”

 

“That’s not bad, I suppose. We’ll be able to provide some fresh soldiers for you once your boys take out those anti-air turrets. We can’t get anywhere close to that command post while those things are up and shooting,” Spike said.

 

“No problem, I’ll have the troops up for that in…….” Hunter didn’t hear how long he had to rest. He didn’t want to know. He was comfortable inside his armor. The stale smell of overused blaster rifles seeped into his helmet as he dozed off. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the battlefield, in a dream.

 

Blaster bolts were flying past him. Storm ran up to him. For some reason his helmet was off, showing his scars and bruises. Storm said something that Hunter couldn’t understand. He couldn’t escape war. That was what he was made for. However, it didn’t take long for his dreams to disappear. Soon, his imaginary battlefields gave way to thick deep blackness…

[Diego Varen]

I didn't notice the Chapters being numbered wrong. Good Chapter as always.

[Niner_777]

I had two chapter three's. bballforlife pointed it out to me. I fixed it. Thanks for the reply. I was planning on having some action in this chapter, but then I decided that they'd take out the turrets next chapter rather than have one really long chapter. I tried to slow down and put in some details and some stuff about Iota Squad's bonding.

[Jason Skywalker]

Good one Niner.And i think that "dream" is a vision of Knightfall...

[Niner_777]

Thanks. I wasn't thinking of having his dream be a vision of Knightfall, but that is a good idea. I think that I'll put that in before the end of this fic. That should be a while as I'm always adding new chapters to my original plans. Actually, I never really wrote down an outline. I've been going with the flow, lol. Hopefully its working out alright.

[bballforlife]

Great chapter Niner. I just got down to reading it and it was good. Can't wait for more.

[HK-42]

heh bballforlife i since your still looking at this any news on your fanfic

whens next chapter im eager but don't rush