New Coalition Army Proving Grounds (Location Classified)
It was dawn. The morning mist swirled around the first tanks of the New Coalition 1st Armor Platoon. Colonel Ross Williams peered out of the command cupola. It would be a new era for the Coalition army.
“This Sentinel Leader, all systems are go.”
“Sentinel Two is ready for action…”
“Sentinel Three is go.”
And so began the count off of the tanks, culminating with Sentinel 24.
“As you all know well if you actually read the mission briefing, this simulation should put us up against stormtroopers and AT-ST walkers. But we all know General Toag to be a little sneaky, so be prepared for any surprises.”
A series of acknowledgements flooded Sentinel Leader’s tank.
“All right, everyone to their assigned task. We’ll try it by the book.”
Fourth-fifths of the tanks immediately shimmered before vanishing into thin air; most of the Sentinel Tanks had immediately activated their holographic image disguise systems. Those that did not immediately moved forward to the front of the action, including Sentinel Leader.
“Sir, we’ve been scanned by something.”
“Good. Activate the long-range jammers and disguiser.”
As Colonel Williams had hoped, the vanguard had been detected. It was an intentional deception to make the armor regiment seem ill-prepared for action. Besides, it immediately confused the enemy as to the Sentinel’s whereabouts. No sooner had the tanks disappeared from the visual world then they split up, with only Sentinel Leader moving parallel to the original path. Roughly two minutes later, the 1st Coalition Armor got its first look at the enemy.
Colonel Williams’ mouth gaped.
“Do you see what I see?”
“Yeah, that doesn’t too pretty. At least you were right about General Toag,” commented the gunner, eying the craft through the gunsight.
The Imperial force was breaking camp and readying itself for battle. Doubtless, the Imperial commanders had decided to be cautious after detecting their adversary before it disappeared. And as consistent as Coruscant’s orbit, General Toag had beefed up the enemy force. It wasn’t merely several AT-STs and squads of stormtroopers. It was several AT-STs and squads of stormtroopers backed by Imperial 1-H-class heavy tanks and two AT-AT Walkers. Ross heard the distinctive shrieking sounds of Ties pass overhead; Seconds later, he watched as a quartet of Tie Fighter patrolled the perimeter. For nearly a minute, no-one inside the tank spoke.
“We are so dead.”
AT-STs and the quartet of Tie Fighters patrolled the perimeter as the last of the pre-fabricated buildings were packed up. The imposing squad of heavy tanks and the AT-ATs eminently surrounded the center of the camp like the pioneer wagons of old. The stormtroopers were being marshaled into ranks for recon missions. A stormtrooper looked up.
“Hey, look George, a firework.”
The other stormtrooper glared at his companion. “That’s no firework, idiot. Get down!”
Ross calmly watched as the first of the Coalition missiles struck the Imperial camp. The first wave of proton warheads converged on the heavy units, such as the tank and AT-AT walkers. One missile slammed into a leg of a moving AT-AT Walker, consuming the joint in a fireball. In motion and without a leg, the vehicle toppled over, landing on its own troops.
Ross gave a grim smile. A strength of the Sentinel was its ability to engage the enemy with overwhelming force without ever being seen. The idea of firing missiles en masse was not particularly new; such tactics had been used for millennia. Nonetheless, it was still particularly useful in shock strikes against clustered enemies.
“They’re scattering,” noted the driver.
“Indeed. All units are free to engage.”
His Sentinel’s holoprojector turned off as its power was diverted to the shields of the Coalition vessel. It was nearly the perfect ambush. The Coalition tanks with their stealth had completely encircled the Imperial camp. As each unit attempted to run, they came face to face with a Sentinel.
For lighter units like stormtroopers and landspeeders, that was instant death. AT-STs were better, launching a grenade that usually impacted on the shields, before succumbing to a lethal barrage of laser cannon fire. Their larger cousin, the AT-AT was something of a challenge. But Coalition army personnel had bee instructed to deal with the threat by taking out the legs with missiles. Thus, they were destroyed by gravity. Tie Fighters were also something of a challenge, forcing the Sentinel crews to act quickly to acquire a target lock. But once the target was acquired, there was little chance for the fighter to survive. By far, the toughest challenge was taking on other repulsor tanks, such as the Imperial 1-H-class.
“We got a tank coming our way; I’m pretty sure its-”
A steady stream of heavy laser cannon fire impacted on the Sentinel’s shields.
“Evasive actions, return fire.”
The Sentinel shifted in random movements from side to side while firing its dual medium laser cannon. The Imperial Heavy Tank was a fairly good opponent, but it too could be destroyed by a Sentinel in the hands of a skilled crew, or more easily, by another volley of missiles.
“Fire tubes Two and Four.”
Two missiles sprinted out from the Sentinel at the opposing tank. Ross watched as the other tank fired several proton grenades via its mortar. He shook his head. Grenades might be useful against infantry and stationary targets, but they couldn’t hit a vehicle as fast and maneuverable as his juking Sentinel because of lack of target guidance and propulsion. On the other hand, the Sentinel’s missiles easily hit a target by sheer speed and an excellent guidance system.
The missiles hit with an explosive force, tearing apart the unshielded heavy tank. Its vehicle now burning and settling on the ground, the Imperial crew abandoning their vehicle were promptly cut down by the withering fire from the tank’s medium blaster.
“Sir, the initial fire at the base might spread…”
“Yeah, and that might cause some environmental issues. We’ll have to put it out. All tanks, fire Missile Tube Three at the basesite.”
Once again, the missiles converged on the base site and detonated. But instead of creating havoc and flame, they quelled the area and encased in the icy grips of Cyroban. Ross spoke first.
“Not bad. Anyone for another go around?”
The dawn of Coalition Armor had come.
It was dawn. The morning mist swirled around the first tanks of the New Coalition 1st Armor Platoon. Colonel Ross Williams peered out of the command cupola. It would be a new era for the Coalition army.
“This Sentinel Leader, all systems are go.”
“Sentinel Two is ready for action…”
“Sentinel Three is go.”
And so began the count off of the tanks, culminating with Sentinel 24.
“As you all know well if you actually read the mission briefing, this simulation should put us up against stormtroopers and AT-ST walkers. But we all know General Toag to be a little sneaky, so be prepared for any surprises.”
A series of acknowledgements flooded Sentinel Leader’s tank.
“All right, everyone to their assigned task. We’ll try it by the book.”
Fourth-fifths of the tanks immediately shimmered before vanishing into thin air; most of the Sentinel Tanks had immediately activated their holographic image disguise systems. Those that did not immediately moved forward to the front of the action, including Sentinel Leader.
“Sir, we’ve been scanned by something.”
“Good. Activate the long-range jammers and disguiser.”
As Colonel Williams had hoped, the vanguard had been detected. It was an intentional deception to make the armor regiment seem ill-prepared for action. Besides, it immediately confused the enemy as to the Sentinel’s whereabouts. No sooner had the tanks disappeared from the visual world then they split up, with only Sentinel Leader moving parallel to the original path. Roughly two minutes later, the 1st Coalition Armor got its first look at the enemy.
Colonel Williams’ mouth gaped.
“Do you see what I see?”
“Yeah, that doesn’t too pretty. At least you were right about General Toag,” commented the gunner, eying the craft through the gunsight.
The Imperial force was breaking camp and readying itself for battle. Doubtless, the Imperial commanders had decided to be cautious after detecting their adversary before it disappeared. And as consistent as Coruscant’s orbit, General Toag had beefed up the enemy force. It wasn’t merely several AT-STs and squads of stormtroopers. It was several AT-STs and squads of stormtroopers backed by Imperial 1-H-class heavy tanks and two AT-AT Walkers. Ross heard the distinctive shrieking sounds of Ties pass overhead; Seconds later, he watched as a quartet of Tie Fighter patrolled the perimeter. For nearly a minute, no-one inside the tank spoke.
“We are so dead.”
AT-STs and the quartet of Tie Fighters patrolled the perimeter as the last of the pre-fabricated buildings were packed up. The imposing squad of heavy tanks and the AT-ATs eminently surrounded the center of the camp like the pioneer wagons of old. The stormtroopers were being marshaled into ranks for recon missions. A stormtrooper looked up.
“Hey, look George, a firework.”
The other stormtrooper glared at his companion. “That’s no firework, idiot. Get down!”
Ross calmly watched as the first of the Coalition missiles struck the Imperial camp. The first wave of proton warheads converged on the heavy units, such as the tank and AT-AT walkers. One missile slammed into a leg of a moving AT-AT Walker, consuming the joint in a fireball. In motion and without a leg, the vehicle toppled over, landing on its own troops.
Ross gave a grim smile. A strength of the Sentinel was its ability to engage the enemy with overwhelming force without ever being seen. The idea of firing missiles en masse was not particularly new; such tactics had been used for millennia. Nonetheless, it was still particularly useful in shock strikes against clustered enemies.
“They’re scattering,” noted the driver.
“Indeed. All units are free to engage.”
His Sentinel’s holoprojector turned off as its power was diverted to the shields of the Coalition vessel. It was nearly the perfect ambush. The Coalition tanks with their stealth had completely encircled the Imperial camp. As each unit attempted to run, they came face to face with a Sentinel.
For lighter units like stormtroopers and landspeeders, that was instant death. AT-STs were better, launching a grenade that usually impacted on the shields, before succumbing to a lethal barrage of laser cannon fire. Their larger cousin, the AT-AT was something of a challenge. But Coalition army personnel had bee instructed to deal with the threat by taking out the legs with missiles. Thus, they were destroyed by gravity. Tie Fighters were also something of a challenge, forcing the Sentinel crews to act quickly to acquire a target lock. But once the target was acquired, there was little chance for the fighter to survive. By far, the toughest challenge was taking on other repulsor tanks, such as the Imperial 1-H-class.
“We got a tank coming our way; I’m pretty sure its-”
A steady stream of heavy laser cannon fire impacted on the Sentinel’s shields.
“Evasive actions, return fire.”
The Sentinel shifted in random movements from side to side while firing its dual medium laser cannon. The Imperial Heavy Tank was a fairly good opponent, but it too could be destroyed by a Sentinel in the hands of a skilled crew, or more easily, by another volley of missiles.
“Fire tubes Two and Four.”
Two missiles sprinted out from the Sentinel at the opposing tank. Ross watched as the other tank fired several proton grenades via its mortar. He shook his head. Grenades might be useful against infantry and stationary targets, but they couldn’t hit a vehicle as fast and maneuverable as his juking Sentinel because of lack of target guidance and propulsion. On the other hand, the Sentinel’s missiles easily hit a target by sheer speed and an excellent guidance system.
The missiles hit with an explosive force, tearing apart the unshielded heavy tank. Its vehicle now burning and settling on the ground, the Imperial crew abandoning their vehicle were promptly cut down by the withering fire from the tank’s medium blaster.
“Sir, the initial fire at the base might spread…”
“Yeah, and that might cause some environmental issues. We’ll have to put it out. All tanks, fire Missile Tube Three at the basesite.”
Once again, the missiles converged on the base site and detonated. But instead of creating havoc and flame, they quelled the area and encased in the icy grips of Cyroban. Ross spoke first.
“Not bad. Anyone for another go around?”
The dawn of Coalition Armor had come.