Thee was only place in the Averam system where peace was extent in any form. Space. Beyond the throngs of Imperial warships, there lay serene open spaces for all to go and thrive.

Averam itself, however, was far from peaceful. From high atop the atmosphere sat an Imperial flotilla, each ship taking part in the turning of Averam's surface into a moon scape, for almost every vessel was raining fire down on the planet below. Command ships and destroyers, heavy cruisers and frigates were all responding to the troops and fighter squadrons on the ground who need centres of resistance removed and bunkers eliminated.

Others were continuing with a pre selected fire pattern derived in naval command for the destruction of rear areas. Supply depots and group command buildings were all under fire from turbolasers and missiles.

Across the landscape, energy torrented down, showering the ground with earth and flame as the force of vengeance called upon them. The Jutraalian soldiers were brave and stoic, but with their shied no longer juxtaposed between the Imperials and their fate, they were slaughtered.

Tens of thousands of men were dying on the side of the enemy, but thousands more of the attackers were faling next to them, for the owners and inhabitants of the world would not give up an inch of ground, no matter how insignificant on the strategic scale, without a fight to the death. Battalions, once shattered, fought on without carefor life or limb. Officers assumed command immediately after a superior had died. Lieutenants were commanding divisions: a testament to the bravery of the soldiers of Averam and Jutraal.

* * *

" Admiral, the latest casualty report."

Rear Admiral Telan Desaria had been orbiting Averam for over two weeks. His ship alone, the Allegiance-class Star Destroyer <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Intimidator<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> had fired over twenty thousand anti-surface heavy turbolaser shots and loosed over ten thousand missiles. Supplies had to be ferried in from the nearest Imperial sector command, for the fleet's stockpiles were dwindling.

The Rear Admiral, his face the only show that he had been directing a continuous battle for near a month, took the data pad: his uniform was immaculate, his boots polished and hair perfectly combed, but his eyes were tired and under them, lines had formed on his face, far too early for a officer as young as he.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> 17,856 Fleet troopers KIA
10,904 WIA
198 MIA

24,009 Imperial Army soldiers KIA
32,556 WIA
1.085 MIA

7,444 Imperial stromtroopers KIA
8,995 WIA
28 MIA

84 TIEs downed (65 recovered and undergoing repairs)

24 Assault gunboats downed (34th Assault Wing destroyed in supply ambush)

UNIT REPORT

1556 Fleet battalion considered combat ineffective. Casulaties: 95 percent

75th Storm Regiment: ahhinihlated. Action near village of Parmell.

6th Armeegruppe Surrounded and undergoing extracation. Known casulaties: 43 percent....<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

The list went on and on. There was good news attached, however. Over 20 percent of the Jutraalian resistance had been broken up, much due to bombardment and fighter action (thus the low Imperial casulaty count).

Many fine young officers and men had died, though. And it was time to finish off the enemy once and for all.

" Captain Vorran!"

The <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Intimidator<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->'s commander came over.

" Send out an order to all ships. Commence bombardment of primary enemy held cities. VSDs are to enter atmosphere and destroy all positions encountered. And deploy the remaining ground attack fighters. Rotate out all wounded and ineffectives. All troops are to preare for the final drive."

" The armored reserves, sir?"

Vorran had become much more well versed in other than fleet issues since Desaria had taken command.

" Release them all."

Fifteen Miles South of Narok
Major Metropolis of Averam

All had gone to hell in a hand basket. The Empire had torn apart everything that was theirs, had taken it and tossed it asside as easily as flimsiplast caught in the wind. They did not care for what was in the people's best interest, they wanted power, and Averam was a perfect spot to attain this power.

Averam was such a perfect location, so close to Coruscant, and holding the greatest stormtrooper training station in the galaxy, rivaling even the academy on Carida. Those stormtroopers were plummeted right into battle again, fighting in the name of their lordship.

Hundreds, thousands, who knows how many were killed by the horrid bombardments? Men, women, children, pets, nothing really mattered, all were slaughtered without mercy and without remorse. The Empire's horrid battleships lingered in the sky and simply rained down death casually as if it were as common a thing as bringing in one's milk.

But fortunatley a dilligent blow had been struck. The Jutraalians held something that the Empire simply didn't: supply lines. Where this was their home, their land, where they had fought and bled for hundreds of times already, the Imperials were aliens, invaders, suffering heavily because of the ambushes on the supply lines the Jutraalians had set up all about.

Tanks pounded on canyons and roads, entire divisions of Imperial troopers were knocked out before they even realized they were being ambushed. That prevented the front from getting the siege supplies they needed, but that did not make the persons on the front feel any better about their predicament.

As such was now as grenades caused seathing explosions to rang out all about the soldiers around, the two forces nearly at one another's throats, entrenched and battling viciously. What were once beautiful plains and meadows were now upheaveled dirt and entrenchments, brown replacing green, red blood replacing crystal blue rivers.

It was hell.

And the men about were stuck in the middle of it. Neither side enjoyed where they were, neither side wanted to be where they were, if anything they wanted to break out, get away, run as fast as they could and then some. The only thing that kept the Jutraalians where they were was the culling hatred they now felt for the Empire and her war machine.

The pale white of enemy stormtroopers became the sign of hatred for Jutraalians, whom wanted nothing more than to put it down and rattle it full of red laser blasts. Often times that did indeed occur, but more often than not the armor withstood.

Red blasts shot back and forth at each other at indecipherable speeds, so fast and common were they that one watching would be caught in amazement by the spectacle, unable to tell exactly which lasers belonged to who.

It was an annoying, frustrating, perpetual stalemate.


**********************************************


While the forces on the groudn held on for dear life, defending all they had lived for throughout the years, the most important battle of them all was only moments fromt aking place. The Allegiance-Class Super Star Destroyer Mithril Katana, the flagship of this battle with a considerable reputation, took the command of this battle, its Executor-like form caught in a twirling blust mist as was the rest of the Jutraalian force.

Admiral Zedrich was in command - for the moment - and was very particular about this battle. First would come the Dreadnaughts and Frigates in very specific locations, defined by the interdiction pickets. Their heavy tubrolasers would open up viciously from there along with the starfighters. The Mithril Katana would open up a space in their next of interdictor for the relief fleet to come in to finish off the Imperial forces.

Emperor Fearsons had stated that he had a special surprise for them once that task was complete. But apparently at least a small net had to be opened.

As the Dreadnaughts came from hyperspace however, the Empire seemed to be caught entirely off guard. The defenses appeared to be minimal (correct me if I'm wrong). There were twenty four Dreadnaughts in all, picking off the twelve pickets the admiral had chosen. The commanders had started instantly by opening fire with turbolasers, the battleships playing "pinball" with the enemy. They had moved on both flanks to force the enemy commander to keep their shields even on both sides.

Only seconds afterward, just as many Lancer Frigates were caught in the web of interdiction, rebolstering the TIE Defenders that had launched to assist in taking down the pickets. Any fighters moving to intercepot were targetted and fired upon by the frigates.

On the Far Side of the Planet...

Where the battle had been left nearly completely alone, a new set of ships had just come from hyperspace, but had done so quietly, well out of range of the Empire and her scanners. Nearly fifty small Assault Transports had come from hyperspace, followed immediately by the two Escort Carriers.

Away from where the Empire could see, the transports began breaking through the atomsphere, escorted by the carriers's fighters...silently.



MANIFEST of NAVAL FORCES

-Imperial Side

24 Dreadnaughts
24 Lancer Frigates

*Full TIE Defender Complimen
*Full Troop Compliment
*Full Tranports to Accomodate

-Other Side

-50 Assault Transports
-72 TIE Defenders
-72 TIE Advanced

*Full Troop/Armor Compliment

It was with near maniacal glee that the heaviest Imperial barges and transports left their hangars aboard the Destroyers and carriers bound for the planet, carrying in their holds heavy walkers with near impenetrable armor, the Imperial Tiger hovertanks, with a rail gun at its center that could go through even the thickest Jutraalian armor, and the main assault divisions. From the warships they poured, what was hoped would be the crescendo in the battle on the planet. But now their purpose was not to gain tens of kilometers in penetration of the enemy front, but to shore up the defense of the Imperial front lines.

Rear Admiral Telan Desaria stood at the very bow of his flagships' bridge, his chest less than half a meter from the viewpanes. He knew that the last two Jutraalian held continents had to be eradicated quickly, as stressed in the communiques from High Command. But they were not soldiers and officers of the line. They had not seen the breastworks created by the enemy, nor tasted the mettle of their resolve. On Averam, it was the Imperials who were despised and hated. The Jutraalians fought withn the caged determinated that only defenders of the home could. The armies on the ground were paying dearly for every inch, and its was growing to the point where losses were exceeding inflicted casualties.

He as well knew that while the Imperial Transport and Logisitcs Fleet was doing its best to keep the lines open and filled, they were simply not prepared for the type of siege that had begun.

The battle at the front was not the only problem that needed to be dealt with, unfortunately. Twenty percent of the Imperial Ground force was dedicated to securing the lines and combing the rear areas, for it was known that every civilian and citizen of the enemy's empire would gladly take up arms against their empire's enemies.

Those being <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> the<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> Empire.

* * *

will edit l8tr....not yet chadd.....im me so we can talk.