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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1921114" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 102: Fighting a Losing WarAkan had crashed into the enemy lines in a blur. The details of everything that was occurring were lost on him for those first few minutes. All he truly knew was moving, swinging, ducking, and swinging again. Again and again and again his lightsaber cut down the four armed creatures. Worry came when his mind caught up with the insanity, and he realized that two of the four arms carried metal blades. The other two had slugthrower type weapons that weren’t getting much use. Or rather, not much use on him. Akan could still hear the weapons firing behind him, but he never took the time to turn around.    He simply pushed forward. And it was soon apparent he was not alone. Red Tail was not a half step behind him, cleaving through the enemy with only slightly more trouble. This was only because Akan’s blade cut through the enemy’s weapons, while Red Tail had to actually find an opening to attack. But the Topsider kept up, eventually making it right to Akan’s side as they continued plowing through the impossibly huge mass of creatures. It was impossible to tell how far they’d gone, and turning around was simply a stupid act. The only way Akan wasn’t chopping up Red Tail was through keeping tabs on the Topsider with the Force. He would have said something, but no sound could be heard above the loud roar of the thousand sounds of the battle.    To the sides, Akan knew that both Trker-Hon and Hansen were also just getting into the thick of things. But they were going to stand and fight, while Akan had to simply cut a path through and get into the distant facility.  This meant that both he and Red Tail had put some significant distance between themselves and the majority of the other Topsiders, who’d also stood and taken the attention of the enemies. No sound that Akan’s Alraxian ears could hear indicated that Voort was doing his job, but the blaster bolt that would shoot past him every few seconds and drop an enemy was enough to prove it. The man was a damned good shot, each time the blaster making a head shot from the half glances Akan could manage.    From Voort’s view in the distance, he could see Akan and Red Tail as a small moving hole in the seemingly never ending mass of troops. They had gotten far, so much that the enemy was having trouble deciding what they should do. Attack these two mad warriors just plowing through the center without stopping or move forward and get rid of the actual troops they were facing? The confusion was obvious to Voort, and was an advantage he’d hoped on having. It made it easier for him to find targets, and obviously gave an edge to Akan while he cut a path through. Voort only wished that he could be the one to get to Jen. No. No, his place was out here. He could do the most good here.    “Sir!” that was one of the few Imperials who’d stayed back with him.    Voort didn’t look back to the man, but simply continued to take shots at creatures that Akan wasn’t looking at, speaking over his shoulder, “What is it?”    “Artillery is in place, but we’ve taken too long,” the man was having to nearly yell even though the battle was so distant, “The enemy platforms are already raining fire on the right and left flanks.”    “Take them out anyway!” Voort growled after letting off another quick shot, “Then pound the deep sections of the enemy troops and make us some weak points,” he paused a moment to quickly reload a new power pack into the weapon. In the short few minutes that had already passed, Voort had expended two of the packs. After resting the weapon down again and finding the blue-green blade that easily identified Akan in the distance, Voort continued what he was saying, “Tell the airspeeders to move in now. Forget waiting. Have them use their own judgement as to where to set down, but make sure they keep at least two gunners onboard each to give us some air support.”    “Understood,” and then the man was gone again. Thankfully, though, Voort was not the only sniper. He may have been the best skilled, but he was joined by at least twenty others, some Imperial, some Topsider. All had an array of various weapons, but all were doing a very good job. Only Voort fired towards Akan, though, as the shot was very dangerous from this angle, and it reached farther and farther off to push the range of the weapon itself. He’d soon be useless. By then, though, Akan should have made it over the first hill and be able to see the actual facility.    Of course, Voort still couldn’t help wondering what was behind those large metal walls that were scattered about and causing havoc with the sniper fire. It could be nothing, but Voort knew that if he was in charge, those things would have some heavy artillery behind them. Sadrak(or whoever was in charge) must not have thought the same way, as there was no evidence of anything but more troops. A waste of a good strategy, Voort thought to himself as he picked off the head of another enemy, the shot going right over Akan’s shoulder. The boy would probably have felt the heat on that one.    And then there were three loud booms. Voort didn’t flinch or look away, knowing that it was the artillery. Projectiles. Old, yes, but they still worked. A few loud explosions soon echoed across the sands, and he could hear some small talk amongst the others around him. No point in quieting them, as they were all still intelligent enough to continue with their jobs. The booms continued, and Voort couldn’t help being slightly curious as to how well they were doing. They weren’t going to be firing in front of his line of fire(that was made sure of before hand), so he really had no way of knowing the damage they’d done. Hopefully, the gunners would take out those metal barricades and other defenses along with the weapon’s towers that should have been the first to go.    Quickly switching another power pack into his very hot weapon, Voort turned back to firing straight across the sands. Akan had moved enough now that he was nearly on an even level with the sniper’s hill. Voort got four more shots off before the boy and his Topsider companion disappeared among that sea of troops. The farther the two had gotten, the more they’d been swarmed, yet they still were making it. And now it was out of Voort’s hands. Akan had made it over the dune, out of the valley. How many troops were beyond that, none of them truly knew except Akan and that Topsider. If the two of them survived, none of them would know either. Voort sat back a short moment to take in the whole of the situation now that his original focus was gone.    To the far left, Hansen’s group was having a lot of trouble. Though there were five or six large smoking ‘holes’ in the enemy lines from the artillery, the troops just continued to push forward. No longer did they just stand and wait, having no trouble pushing back after being pushed against. The majority of Hansen’s force was lost in the sea of enemies, and the only way Voort could tell this at the distance they were at(without the rifle’s scope at least), was through the slight coloration differences that were scattered around. Divided and easily being exterminated. He didn’t even take time to look over towards the other two groups before the sounds of the airspeeders joined the continued barrage of artillery. Voort watched the flying ships streak over the lines, taking a few shots from the slugthrowers below without trouble. Blaster fire along with slugthrower fire was rained down, doing little but put tiny holes in the endless lines of troops.     And then, two of the larger airspeeders dropped almost to ground level, nearly landing directly in the enemy lines. An insanely chaotic barrage of fire could be seen through Voort’s rifle scope(to which he even added a few shots), and in a few moments there were twenty more troops on the ground, trying to tear the lines apart little by little from the center. A desperate tactic, but with a little help from the snipers it would keep them alive for a short time. Not only that, but when the airspeeders got up into the sky again, they also helped. So far, things were going according to plan.    In other words, the enemy was winning. It was expected, and they’d need to fall back soon. But sadly, Voort knew how hard it would be to get that kind of order to the forces in the thick of it. Not only that, but half of the troops were surrounded and fighting for their lives. Voort suddenly found himself wondering if this had been such a good idea. They were outnumbered by so many more than had been expected. But it was too late now. Jen was already in the rancor’s den, along with Shadow. Akan was on his way there. Somewhere in that mass of fighting to his left was Hansen, and Voort would be damned if he didn’t at least try to help someone out. So, he continued to take shots at the enemies, one by one lessening their numbers as his scope searched for Hansen.</blockquote>

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