Gyndine Star Fort

[Jalua Solast]

^{Here is pictures of Star Forts from our times, now visit that and imagine them webbed together across the underground of a planet. This is the Gyndine Star Fort.}

On the surface of this great powerhouse of a planet, things were going about normally. Police were patrolling on the streets like usual, even the occasional soldier was in his Uniform. In fact, most planets who had contributed enough to the military now had the choice of colours to wear for their military personnel. The Gyndine colours were green and white, and were proudly displayed on their collars. Nothing was out of the ordinary, at least from the public's perspective. But the military was missing half of it's forces, doing training in urban warfare and urban defence. This sounded routine, but in fact, soldiers were digging tunnels beneath buildings, into buildings and around them. Nests were being dug and small holes in the sides of buildings were being dug out by hand, where soon, turrets would be placed. In fact, the city barely changed at all, these small holes were barely visible and tunnels were hidden anyway. A network of hidden pathways was establishing themselves and even the soldiers were getting confused by the network. But soon the pattern would be realised, even by the basic soldier, it was a web. Three tunnels would form into one tunnel, which in turn would go into a larger one, and a larger one before finally, they hit the centre, where another main tunnel would hit the centre of another web, and another, and another. In fact, the webs would soon be joined up with each other, so these series of tunnels would form into strongholds and be easily contained. Even if enemy personnel managed to enter a tunnel, it could be easily sealed off and protected from further attack. In fact, where the tunnels met was the perfect place to defend, but not for an attacking force who had a straight tunnel with no cover. Gyndine was becoming a fortress planet, but a hidden one. The military could easily keep these networks supplied and maintained with turrets and passages stretching into the urban landscape. Barracks was also being set up, which was giving birth to legends about a new selection of soldiers who were even better trained than the Royal Guard. Such pure myths would be dismissed by some common soldiers, believed by others, but no evidence yet had proved of their existence.

[Jalua Solast]

The medics arrived at the part of the Star Fort which encompassed much of the planet's urban areas which dealt with the medical treatment. The facility was designed to treat injured soldiers during an invasion of the planet, where the Star Fort could be defended well and continue it's resistance for several months, possibly years. With medics standing by, and almost a quarter of a million soldiers reassigned to that area of the Star Fort for added protection, the Imperial Coalition was sure that nobody could get in.

Above the skies, hundreds of R-Wings were patrolling the skies, in a wide tactical formation with Gunboats and other incoming ships to provide a web of safety. This was multi-layered and citizens were being amazed at the sight. Only dots to them, it still formed a shape much like the outline of a hurricane, with web upon web providing protection and a hollow center for the hospital ships to descend through.

Even on the ground, soldiers were beginning to move with police patrols to provide added protection on the streets where it would be possible for militants to use weapons to aim at the ships. Even R-Wings were zooming between the skyscrapers to help defend against a ground threat. Besides this being protecting allies of the Imperial Coalition, those who had allowed the Empire's founders to survive and form the ever growing collection of planets and systems, it was a useful training exercise for when the Empress or her family would come to the planet.

[Dan Zorko]

The Hospital Group moved through the atmospheres, right through the web that the R-Wings and Gunboats provided. One of the frigates broadcast. "Gydine control, Guardian Angels is beginning its final descent. Tell us where you want us to settle down."

[Jalua Solast]

"This is Gamma Leader to Guardian Angels, follow us. Epsilon, Omega, Beta, Delta and Zeta Squadrons will form into formation with your convoy". Within a few seconds, a formation of twelve R-Wings came from the web and formed in front of the front hospital ship at the same speed. The other five formations of twelve R-Wings formed alongside the remaining ships, creating a formation similar to a pentagon. Subtle changes in the leading squadron's heading led the formation down in between the skyscrapers, giving a weird effect to all of it's pilots. "Don't worry, we get used to this sort of flying" Gamma leader said over the comm at the crew of the Hospital Ships. With the skyscrapers all around them, the area now seemed more like a tunnel before finally, what seemed like the surface got into view. The R-Wings continued before finally, a rectangle of thirty spot lights appeared, and two blast doors separated from each other. The shining light from within the hanger bay was a weird sensation in all the darkness, within ships could be seen with it's pilots walking seemingly down the hanger floor. "This part of the hanger bay is at this angle for easy entry, gravity generators allow us to park our ships and we can walk down before the corridors curve horizontally, where the planet's gravity takes control again. You will have to activate your repulsorlifts before you enter the hanger bay to cope with the change in gravity". With that, the R-Wings began to rise with the activation of their repulsorlifts before entering the hangerbay and landing. It was a weird feeling, with what should have been the walls full of pilots and ships landed perfectly, with people walking between them. There was already dozens of teams ready to take the injured crew to the medical facility nearby.

With the injured being placed onto hover-stretchers and led down the corridors, they turned and the people felt the change of gravity clearly. Even some of the Imperial Coalition staff who were walking down the corridor which changed back from vertical to horizontal staggered or fell to the floor from the change which they hadn't gotten used to yet, making the others laugh. They headed down a maze of corridors before finally reaching what seemed like a walking road, and escalator on the floor. "We are having these fitted all over the base, but they've only gotten this far unfortunately, sorry about the delay" one of the medics carrying the stretcher said to his injured patient. One of the doctors leading the medics began using an interface on the side of the road, and a see through wall began to rise around them in a pentagon shape, before finally, the road began to move and they zoomed through the facility like on a train. With the pentagon walls eliminating most of the air resistance from the tunnels, they stood on the road going at around the speed of fifty miles per hour. It wasn't long before they all slowed down and walked away from the road and at the medical facility.

[Dan Zorko]

As the stricken hospital EF76 Nebulon-B II escort frigate fell through the atmosphere, the scene around it was utter chaos. The ship was falling towards Yractos, the planet's capital, and all attempts were being made to stop the fall. But it's very hard to stop a ball of molten metal.

In the bridge, with a groan, Lieutenant Mitchell dragged himself up to the controls. When the doors had first blown open, he had been slammed into a corner and knocked out. The commandos, thinking he was already dead, had ignored him, and had found what they were looking for before reaching his body. Now, bleeding from several wounds in the head, he grasped the controls, desperately trying to pull up. As he pulled, a massive boom was heard, and he looked to see the engines explode, tearing the ship in half. As his half of the ship fell, he could only watch in horror of what happened next.

In the confusion of the attack, the Coalition Victory-class Star Destroyer; Hope, had moved closer to the planet to prevent a surface bombing. The heaviest part of the frigate was cockpit, and it's piece was hurtling straight for the ship. In a panic, the engines activated and tried to move away. But instead of hitting midship, like it would have done, it crashed straigh through the bridge, turning the ship into nothing more then a giant piece of crashing metal with engines. Hope went nose down, and as the piece of the frigate that crashed into it spinned away, it plummeted straight into the industrial center of the capitol. As the nose impacted the ground, a bright flash of light formed, and fueled by the still running engines, the reactor exploded, flattening buildings and instantly incinerating people.

The tail piece, which housed the engines, weas still hurtling straight for the ground. A pair of R-Wings tried to manuver out of its way, but were instantly crused by the falling piece. The residential center was right below it, with skyscrapers reaching for the sky. As it fell, it clipped the top of a skyscraper, lowing it's descent and incinerating the building, which exploded in the opposite direction, leveling buildings on the opposite side and crushing people in its fall. The ship piece the crashed through several more buildings, efore coming to a rest on the roof of a midsize skyscraper. For a pecarious few seconds it teetered on the edge, and then it plummeted, hitting the ground and exploding. The damge caused couldn't be seen through the spreading dust.

[Jalua Solast]

The destruction was awe inspiring. It had turned into the Coalition's worse nightmare. Not only did the frigate go through several skyscrapers, making some fall down and others burn wildly, the star destroyer had wiped out a large portion of the industrial part of the city, with hundreds of thousands working during the day at those areas.

The media was in a frenzy, with the destruction being so evident and the entire city being hidden in the dust and smoke of the two crashing ships, nobody be could sure of the extent of the damage. The wind was almost none existent and therefore it stayed, obscuring the view. It was over thirty minutes before it cleared, but even then the surface itself was still covered. What remained was the skeleton remains of the towering skyscrapers once iconic of Gyndine. By that itself, the disaster had caused millions of deaths.

The city would be rebuilt and repaired sure enough, but what would the citizens of Gyndine and that of the Imperial Coalition itself think of the failures? What the Imperial Coalition military would need is a diversion, something to focus public attention on so they could not remember. What they needed was a war. With the conscription still recruiting more and more men, only equipment was limiting the forces. But soon, enough would be produced for each man and woman. Then the Coalition would fight back.

But for now, there was anger and hatred at the ones who had attacked the helpless and the trusted. The Black Guard was now known by the entire galaxy, it's destruction scaring and angering many citizens and governments. Where would they strike next? Who was funding them? What were their motives and goals?

[Jalua Solast]

The hovercar carrying Caedus and Landra settled outside a security checkpoint within the Star Fort, where they were escorted by a squad of armed soldiers to the VIP blocks.

[Caedus Sadow]

Caedus had been scanning the checkpoint. He used the force to sense the area around them...nothing. Only a fort teeming with life and hard military living. he could sense no threat of any kind. After a few moments his comm buzzed and a much smaller figure of General Delso appeared.

"Ah General, good to hear from you."

Delso: Glad to see the both of you in one piece Master Jedi.

"As am i. The council's meeting will occur in three days time."

*Conversation continues*