VENA: Through the Shattered Glass

Details
Systems(s) Involved:	Moorja
Squadron(s) Involved:	-987th TIE Avenger Squadron -627th TIE Interceptor Squadron -203rd Training Squadron
Squad(s) Involved:	-Harbinger Squad -9 Unnamed Squads
Timeline (Actual):	Nov 4, 2016 to Jan 10, 2017
Timeline (In Story):	20 ABY
Number of Posts:	71
Mission Type:	Supply Raid
Outcome:	Unsuccessful
Link to Story:	[Through the Shattered Glass]

Mission Outline

Reassemble nearby VE Forces to launch a resupply mission on the nearby agrarian world of Moorja, removing the pirate threat long enough to accomplish the mission and avoiding any New Republic interference.

Units Involved

Army

Harbingers Squad

Squad Members
Position	Rank	Callsign	Role
Squad Leader	Senior Sergeant	Mox	Slicer
Trooper	Sergeant	Dusk	Rifleman
Trooper	Corporal	Therex	Medic
Trooper	Lance Corporal	Lightray	Rifleman
Trooper	Lance Corporal	Zippy	Heavy
Trooper	Private First Class	Jax	Heavy
Trooper	Private First Class	Swamprat	Scout
Trooper	Private	Madra	Rifleman

Summary

It is 20 years after the Battle of Yavin, four years after the Vast Empire was restored to its former glory, and three after it was essentially dissolved. The surviving members make a final attempt at reorganizing their forces for a counter-push to regain their territories, however much-needed supplies are required before such a push could occur. After an attack on the last remaining Vast Imperial Naval training station in the sector, those supplies are needed now more than ever.

Having barely survived the attack on the station, the surviving crew members of Longhorn-class Escort Cruiser Koom Valley and those couple hundred rescued from the training platform, consolidate their remaining forces in an attempt to take stock of their situation. Captain Rorran 'Slasher' Gorma had begun to settle in onboard the ship when a Bothan Assault Frigate, the Valiant, dropped out of hyperspace nearby the damaged Longhorn cruiser. The captain of the Valiant, Ensign Hale ‘Rocketman’ Firekeeper, contacted the Koom Valley. Words were shared between the two captains, ending with Ensign Firekeeper being reinstated within the Vast Empire Navy, promoting him to Lieutenant Junior Grade, Executive Officer of the Academy, as well as Squadron Commander of the 203rd Training Squadron.

Following this, both ships moved in closer to move around both resources and troops, the command officers of each ship coordinating together to plan out a course of action. Captain Gorna began assembling unit commanders from both ships to attend a briefing regarding their next course of action in attempting to survive; including LTJG Firekeeper, SSG Ven Kando, and PFC Jax Aramis as the mission specialist.

As the briefing began in Captain Gorma’s office onboard the Koom Valley, various members of the Stormtrooper Corps began to assemble and interact with one-another, equipping themselves with the stock armor and weapons onboard the Longhorn cruiser.

During the briefing, the mission was laid out to the commanders and the mission specialist: a resupply mission on the relatively quiet world of Moorja. The mission laid out called for a quick two-pronged assault on Moorja, ships in orbit providing cover and support while ground forces quickly moved in and secured food stores before evacuating back to the fleet. Despite a promise of forfeiture of goods by PFC Jax Aramis (who happened to own one of the distribution facilities, AF Holdings, on the planet), the revelation that pirates were in control of the planet and potentially the facility meant that a simple run to the store wasn’t an option. Unit assignments were distributed, as well as a ROE for ground forces established as don’t fire unless fired upon, before the briefing was called to an end.

During the hours leading up to mission window, both ground forces and space units assembled their teams and began mission prep. Shuttles docked onboard the Koom Valley dumping cargo crates onto the flight decks for removal, one of them carrying the more advanced SCOPE gear used by the Elite forces of the Vast Empire. Harbinger Squad, commanded by Senior Sergeant Tohar Xinn, began equipping themselves with the more advanced gear, prepping themselves for a long and grueling ground engagement, even procuring an E-Web blaster turret for any heavier resistance they may encounter.

As the Koom Valley and the Valiant dropped out of hyperspace in-system, fighters were immediately deployed. The 987th TIE Avenger Squadron providing support for the two command ships, the 627th TIE Interceptor Squadron providing close cover support for the landing ground forces, and the 203rd TIE Interceptor Squadron providing cover solely for the Valiant. Shuttles launched from the Koom Valley and began their approach toward the planet surface, with the larger command vessels beginning to open fire upon the four pirate vessels, all Bothan Assault Frigates, the Bountiful Brigands and the Looter’s Lift belonging to the pirates, the other two being unnamed, captured from AF Holdings. Two additional pirate CR-90s, the Backstabber and the Bloodlust, were also providing support for the pirate command ships. As Vast Imperial Forces began their assault, a New Republic Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, designated as the Alderaan’s Justice, dropped out of hyperspace out of weapons range.

The Koom Valley began pressing its attack upon the CR-90 Backstabber, relieving pressure off the Valiant, before destroying it in a spectacular explosion. As the debris cloud spread out, and the Koom Valley advanced forward to press an attack upon the Bountiful Brigands, two additional unnamed Bothan Assault Frigates dropped out of hyperspace and began firing on the VE command ship.

As the battle raged on in high orbit, the transport shuttles came under fire from pirate fighters. One of the shuttles, the Loose Latch, led several of the Warsprite fighters on a chase during its descent, the craft performing maneuvers that the aging shuttle should not have been performing under ideal circumstances. The copilot returned fire upon the pursuing craft before the aft gunner position was destroyed, resulting in the weapons console being destroyed. One of the troopers, PFC Jax, took control of a second weapons console and fired upon the Warsprite, managing to connect several shots during the high-stakes maneuvers, and ended up inadvertently destroying a completely different fighter instead.

The shuttles continued their descent, the Loose Latch falling behind due to the fighter pursuit. As the shuttle managed to lose the Warsprites, the arrival of the 627th managed to bring the horde of fighters back into their area, while also managing to keep the fighters off the shuttle as it entered the atmosphere. The shuttle began its descent to the surface, noting that their designated landing point was filled with a flaming wreckage of a destroyed shuttle. Ahead of them sat a makeshift turbolaser tower, prompting them to think on the fly, resulting in the shuttle sending a micro-burst transmission to knock out the makeshift tower. The pilot and PFC Jax selected a landing spot, the pilot quickly sending the shuttle into a dive before cutting the engines and dialing the repuslors to full as the ship made a rather rough, but survivable, landing.

Onboard the New Republic Mon Cal Star Cruiser Alderaan’s Justice, Line Captain Iciss Nakbuls surveyed the field of battle in front of him. After identifying the combatants, he ordered his crew to engage the pirate forces, deciding to opt for working with the Vast Empire for the moment. Meanwhile, on the ship’s detention level, prisoner Raigen Tei-Yehn was being held for acts of piracy when the ship’s power fluctuated, allowing him to escape and change into a guard’s uniform. Raigen made his way through the ship, dispatching two more guards that were sent after him. Captain Nakbuls decides after that to take a more personal approach to the situation and joined in the search, despite the battle raging on outside. Raigen made his way into a medical bay, destroying a medical droid inside, before quickly climbing up into one of the ceiling panels to hide. Moments after he got situated, the doors blasted inward as New Republic Marines flooded the room. They searched the room, and as they milled about awaiting orders, Raigen dropped an overloaded blaster cell into the room as it exploded, blasting heat and energy out through the room, knocking the marines and officers back. He used the opportunity to quickly slip out of his cover and took Captain Nakbuls hostage, pressing a vibroknife to the Mon Cal’s neck. He backed out of the room with the Captain, picking a blaster up before quickly making his way toward the hangar, where he used the Captain’s code cylinder to place the ship’s tractor beams and hangar turrets into a calibration cycle, allowing him the opportunity to steal one of the New Republic X-Wings and escape the ship.

On the planet surface, Harbinger Squad used the E-Web to blast out the front viewport of the Loose Latch, sending forth small groups of troopers at a time in the event there was an ambush waiting. No such ambush came, allowing them all to disembark relatively safely. They made their way through the trees and up a slight incline before they stopped on top of a ridge, looking down at the AF Holdings facility, as well as a mobile barracks vehicle resting outside one of the warehouses. The squad made their way down in fireteams, sprinting down the hill toward the closest warehouse and ducking themselves against the wall, managing to avoid being detected by the mobile barracks. The squad started to file into the warehouse, where they almost immediately ran into a group of pirates and started a firefight inside. As the squad dispatched the pirates inside, several lightly-armored vehicles moved themselves into position outside the warehouse and started firing on a small group of Harbingers placed at the top of the ridge. The group inside the warehouse finished off the pirates inside the building, making their way out front and managed to capture one of the vehicles. They used its cannon to take out another nearby vehicle. The squad then drove the vehicle back up the hill towards the treeline, using the cannon to shoot out two of the vehicles up there, and pushed the technical into a quick forward acceleration at another pair, bailing out at the last moment as the vehicle crashed through the pair of vehicles and into a tree, ending the battle on the ground for now.