Chapter Three: The Brush Fire Wars

[Akirapryde]

Wolves at The Gates
OPA 5th Army
Outer Rim World of Kel Al Shamor
Sertar sector
Date: 2920 AOK (Three Weeks before New Year Fate)
 
The Outerrim Planets Alliance’s Fifth Army is one of the first officially formed units within the OPA. It was unofficially formed during the heroic defense of Olivan, and later during that same campaign it was officially named, Olivan’s Finest. The Fifth Army is formed up from nearly a hundred thousand freed clone loyalists. The unit was reinforced with over a hundred thousand droids after the Olivan Campaign. Currently the unit has over two hundred thousand droids and over a hundred thousand clone loyalists. This has made the 5th Army one of the largest OPA units.
 
While the unit wet its sword on Olivan against the Jedi and the Republic. They earned fame and experience fighting the Royal Guard on Baklid VI. With further campaigns on Lorrd and Runnia, the Fifth quickly became one of the OPA’s most combat experienced units to date. Thanks to spoils of war, the 5th Army is one of few OPA units that fields Republic equipment. This has allowed the unit to have a unique insight in to the enemy. The unit might even be considered as a rival to the Republic’s own 501st Legion in terms of combat experience and equipment.
 
The Outer Rim World of Kel Al Shamor has always been an unimportant world. Even after the world joined the Republic some two thousand years ago, it seemed to meld in to the background of Republic affairs. Dotted by tens of thousands of islands, Kel Al Shamor is well known by locals for its vast white sandy beaches. While the world has a government and a reasonable population, the people of Kel Al Shamor felt forgotten by the Republic. For decades, a soft outcry over current issues across Kel Al Shamor have gone unheeded. That all changed the day Graff hand his forces landed on Kel Al Shamor.
 
For hundreds of years, the world had been a haven for pirates and outlaws. These pirates and outlaws had held the world’s population in particle slavery. From Kel Al Shamor they would launch attacks against shipping along Gordian Reach, Parlemian, and Daragon Trail trade routes. While the Republic and Jedi deployed additional forces to its massive anchorage on Sembla, this did little to curtail the pirate activity in the region.
 
Faced with a massive task of weeding out the large number of pirates that called Kel Al Shamor home, Graff decided to divide and conquer them. He picked three pirate leaders that appeared the best to conform to his vision. He met personally with the pirate sisters Nomi, Linba Greeta and the pirate-smuggler Philipp Sihin. Graff and his followers managed to win the loyalty of the three most influential pirates on the world. Using his new allies, he offered any pirate a clean slate in return for loyal service. Those that turned down the offer, Graff took care of them using his armed forces.
 
After cleaning up the world and bringing many of the pirates in to the ranks of the OPA’s navy, the locals cheered Graff as a savor. With followers of Heaven spreading across the world, Kel Al Shamor plans on hosting of the largest Temples of Heaven in the Outer Rim. The concept came from the newly recruited and follower of Heaven, Nomi Greeta, military commander over Kel Al Shamor’s militia. Within a year of being under the control of the OPA, Kel Al Shamor’s conversion to Graff religion was nearly ninety percent.
 
One of the OPA’s most faithful worlds is now home of one of the OPA’s most elite unit. More importantly than that, Kel Al Shamor’s faith and loyalty was rewarded with Graff’s personal visit. Thousands came out to witness the arrival of the Prophet. At the Capital City, Graff was welcomed like a returning god. Before cheering masses, Graff spoke to his followers about the future and their place within the new order. He placed emphases on the importance of Kel Al Shamor and its wonderful people.
 
The world’s vast stretches of beaches would be ideal for any unit to call home. Since the days Kel Al Shamor was welcomed in to the OPA, it quickly became an ideal vacation spot. Hundreds across the OPA would travel to this world and enjoy its mild days and warm temperatures. They would dream of relaxing under the sun, while sipping colorful frozen drinks. For anyone, it would be an ideal vacation spot. But not for all, for the Republic was on the move!
 
Trysta glanced down the beach as large plums of thick black smoke rose from several craters, “Captain Forin, get your unit moving,” Trysta screamed in to her commlink over an explosion that rocked the walker she was standing on.
 
The hologram nodded, “Commander, we’re trying to.” The man speaking was clearly a clone. As he looked away from the commlink, his burned barcode could easily be seen. “We are pinned down by heavy fire from enemy positions just beyond our range.” He pointed up the beach, “the Republic’s reinforcing about five hundred meters ahead of our position.”
 
Trysta side stepped the large Mass Driver Cannon of the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer she was standing on. She searched the area with her electrobinoculars. Numbers appeared in her sight as she scanned the area. Through the electrobinoculars she could see fifty or so Republic troopers were taking up position. They had moved some heavy weapons and were preparing to launch a counter strike. A pair of walkers were moving up to reinforce the Republic position. Trysta could see that within moments, Captain Forin and his company will be forced to withdraw. Or be destroyed.
 
She brought back the commlink, “Captain, I spotted your problem. And we have it under control. Keep your heads down.” She changed the channel as she turned around and saw a massive Venator resting in the water off the coast. “Utopia!” she ordered, “Fire mission” she turned back and sighted the Republic position through her electrobinoculars. She held the commlink in one hand and her electrobinoculars in the other. She spoke smoothly and calmly despite the explosions that were rocking her walker. “One Five, Two Five One by Zero Three Zero Four. One salvo!”
 
A massive round ripped from the Venator and flew over the battlefield and exploded just short of the Republic’s position. Trysta calculated an adjustment, “Correction, One Five, Two Five Nine by Zero Three Zero Four. One Salvo!” Once more, a single shot flew over the battlefield and landed right on top of the Republic’s position. The explosion forced the Republic troopers to dive for cover. Trysta smiled, “got you bastards!”
 
“Fire for effect!” she ordered in to her commlink. Within moments, all the massive turbo lasers of the Utopia opened fired. Shots flew overhead as the mightily ship continued to fire on the position. Within seconds the Republic’s position was no more. Walkers were blasted where they stood and troopers were blown high in to the air as the powerful guns laid waste to the area.
 
Trysta smiled as she watched it rain Republic forces. She changed channel once more, “Captain Forin, your path is clear. Get moving!”
 
The holographic image nodded, “yes ma’am!”
 
Trysta turned to see that her walker still wasn’t moving. She walked over to the gunner, who was firing at Republic positions high on the bluffs above the beach. “Why are we still holding on the beach!”
 
The gunner pointed to the line of walkers trying to work their way up a narrow road, “that’s the problem ma’am. We are being bottlenecked.”
 
Trysta scanned the road ahead of them. He was right, the entire first wave was bottlenecked as they tried to get off the beach. The walkers were making short work of the defenders, but it was just slow as they had to make the twisting climb up the road. Her eyes continued to scan the entire area as she tried to get a better grip of the overall situation.
 
Out in the center of the massive lagoon, were the two Acclamators and three Venators. Those five ships were about half of her entire fleet. She was forced to keep the rest of her fleet out of the system till the Republic Threat was dealt with. In the water between the beach and her ships, a steady stream of troops were still making their way towards the beach. With all her troops ressed in Republic Armor and used Republic equipment, she counted on confusion. It was all part of her plan to gain surprise, and it worked for the most part. Because of the confusion, she was able to land her troop ships within the shield footprint of the Republic Base.
 
She scanned the battlefield. Enemy fire was as intense as she expected it to be. She was counting on her own air wings to keep the Republic fighters tied up long enough for her to get her unit up to the base. She turned and saw that another wave of her forces was just hitting the beach. Once more she scanned the beach. Her initial landings had set off the alarms. But was too late for the Republic defenders. Her ships were already within their shields. But now she had to get off this damned beach. She had to think quickly.
 
Across the beach, the high bluffs limited her unit’s ability to move. The base set atop of a massive ridge line. The only up to the base were a series of narrow winding roads. She had planned on using seven of these roads to reach the base. Once up on the bluffs, taking over the Republic base would be easy. But now those roads were turning out to be a death trap for her units. She thought carefully as she scanned the area, “there has to be another way!” she said.
 
Then it dawned on her. She rushed over to the front of the walker and stomped on the window. She pointed to the bluff, “We climb! Set your walker for the task!”
 
The pilot in his Republic armor looked up, once and realized what she was saying he nodded. “Yes Ma’am!”
 
“Let’s go!” she ordered!
 
The walker started to move for the bluff as she brought up her commlink. She set for wide net broadcast, “all walkers still on the beach, follow my walker. We are climbing up the walls of the Bluff.” She said as she rushed back to the Mass-Driver Cannon. She kneeled next to the gunner and directed his fire. “Give me smoke along that ridge line,” she ordered. The gunner nodded.
 
She brought up her commlink once more, “Utopia, we are climbing up the face of the bluff. We will need cover. Have your gunners search for my smoke. Once you have range, fire for effect.” She held on as the walker continued to move for the wall. “I want you to keep those Republic soldiers away from the edge of the cliff.
 
Trysta’s command walker reached the base of the bluff first as several walkers were following. It slowly started to move up the face of the bluff. Trysta was forced to move to the front of the walker as it started to go vertical. Overhead, massive rounds of the Utopia landed at the top of the bluff. Within minutes, Trysta’s unit was in motion once more. With heavy cover fire, the ascension was going much better than she expected. She saw the Republic attempting to regroup along one of the ridge line further down the beach. She brought her commlink up, “Kraken, get your heads out of your collective asses. Saber Beach needs fire support!”
 
“Yes Ma’am, we see them. Getting ready to fire.”
 
As the furthest of her Venators started to level supportive fire, Trysta turned to see a Republic trooper attempting to line up a shot on her gunner. Drawing upon the Force, she leaped outward drawing her sword. She let out a scream as she struggled to pull off the maneuver. Her blade contacted with the blaster bolt causing it to deflect harmlessly away from her gunner. She landed back on the walker at the Mass-Driver Cannon caused the entire ground where the trooper was lying to erupt in to a large column of smoke.
 
Trysta looked at the gunner, who nodded his thanks. She turned to face the threat above her as she tried to catch her breath, “Graff and Jenna make it look so easy.”
 
Trysta’s keen ears picked up the sound before anyone else noticed. She turned to see three ARC-170 starfighters making a wide turn as they cleared the massive walls of the bluff. Trysta brought her commlink up once more, “Antioch, we need cover fire!” Trysta called on her last remaining Venator. Trysta searched the skies in hopes of seeing any of her own fighters. Her heart sank as she realized they were alone. Her eyes fell upon the incoming fighters as if she could will the pilots to turn and leave her unit alone. “Antioch!”
 
It was too late; the fast-moving fighters were lining up and flew over her walker. Behind the fighters, three lone streams of flares drifted down to the ground. A massive holographic image of Graff formed over the battlefield, “cease fire, all units cease fire…”
 
From high above, a hover platform drifted down to Trysta’s walker. Within the platform Graff stood next to a tactical droid. Soldiers lined the edge of the platform. One of them informed the group that the range was now clear. Graff turned to Trysta, “secure your unit,” he said and motioned her to join him on the platform.
 
Trysta nodded as she returned her blades to her back. She drew upon the force once more as she leaped across the space between the two. She landed next to the droid and slowly rose to her feet. She brought her commlink up, “all commands, return to the ships. Unit commander, be ready for an After Action in three hours. Everyone else is to clean up their gear and make whatever repairs that need to be made. We are doing this again in the morning.”
 
Trysta then turned to Graff, but the droid spoke, “you have attempted to take this mock base nine times. And nine times you have failed.”
 
The platform flew over the Republic Positions as the Commando Droids started to remove their Republic helmets. Graff watched the training range as the droids started to clean up the mess. “Trysta, you have to learn to think outside of the box. The 501st is one of the best units the Republic has. If you are to beat them, you have to think like them.”
 
Trysta shot a glare at the Droid as she spoke to Graff, “Sir, with all due respect. If I can land my full force, I could have overrun and taken the base the first time.”
 
Graff shook his head, “no, you can’t use droids on this mission. You have to use your clones.”
 
“Your droids will be detected by Republic scanners and they will know you are not one of their units,” the tactical droid said.
 
“But Sir,” Trysta said speaking only to Graff, “we are outnumbered five to one. Once we lose surprise, it’s over. We can’t take the base without the use of the droids.”
 
The Tactical Droid spoke up again, “I could have taken the base with half the forces.”
 
Trysta started to draw her sword out of a desire to slay the droid. But Graff’s words stopped her in her tracks, “Trysta will lead this mission. And we will make sure that she is successful.” He turned to Trysta, “Trysta, taking on this mission is no easy thing. We will be driving a dagger in to the heart of the Republic’s influence in the Outer Rim. Allies and enemies alike will take notice of this mission. This must be you. We must show our followers that this is more than just my war. It’s our war. And everyone is needed if we are to win.”
 
His words filled her with pride as she listened. She felt her confidence rise. He turned and looked at her as he rested a hand on her shoulder, “Trysta, I know you can do this. Go back to your ship and watch the battle. Search for when you lost surprise and find a way to make it last longer.”