The ship rattled dangerously as they entered the atmosphere. Inside, it was gloomy and claustrophobic. Crammed next to numerous, motionless, stormtroopers, Aya gripped the railing above her head. The small room was pitch black save for a red light that rotated quickly on the ceiling. Every few seconds her vision would erupt in deep red reflections bouncing from the armour each figure wore. They were deadly still, like upright corpses, silent.
The only way to quietly approach the rebel outpost was via small shuttles and parawings that strapped to their backs like parachutes. They could silently and swiftly approach the outpost undetected. That was the plan anyway.
Aya's face was blank as she stared at the light. She had wrapped a piece of black material across her nose and mouth like a scarf to reduce the possibility that she might be recognised by the rebels. She listened to the cacophony of noise that was being produced as it invaded and assaulted her eardrums. Every few seconds, she glowed red. She waited.
Suddenly but noiselessly, the lights stopped turning and flickered into blue. Aya flung herself into action and quickly turned to face the stormtroopers. "Make sure your parawings are secure." She shouted over the noise, rustling shortly ensued as each trooper double checked the straps. "Discard them as soon as you land and meet at the control point where I will be. Good luck."
With that the light finally turned green and the floor opened up to reveal a gaping hole in between the rows of stormtroopers. Aya signalled for them to start moving and they jumped out of the shuttle one by one, silently. As soon as the last stormtrooper had stepped off the edge, Aya shortly followed.
The jump wasn't too big of a problem. They were out of the rebel's range so remained unseen. For a few brief seconds the wind whistled ferociously past her ears as she plummeted towards the ground. Not attempting to focus on the blurred landscape around her, she pulled the cord on her side and the parawings opened up.
Instantly, the world stopped moving. She halted suddenly in the sky before slowly drifting downwards. She could see nothing but the trees below her and the silhouettes surrounding her. The dark metallic membranes of the parawings looked like bats against the clear night sky. It was littered with them.
Having used the devices numerous times with the rebel base, Aya had no problem guiding herself down towards the forest. As soon as she descended to a small clearing, she pulled the lever on her chest and the wings collapsed. Shaking them free, she then began to walk towards the point on the lightly glowing map that rested on her arm.
When she reached the control point she found herself alone in the dark. But this didn't phase her. On her map, she saw the red dots approaching. All twenty-four of her allocated squadron had made it and were approaching her. So far so good.
Within seconds they all stood around her quietly. Up until that point, it hadn't occurred to her how bright the white stormtrooper armour would appear at night. They seemed to glow like an army of ghostly spectres. She silently pointed towards a particularly muddy patch of the forest floor. Understanding her gesture, a few of them walked over to it. Within minutes they stood before her once more, covered in a layer of dirt that dulled their glow. With a single hand signal, she directed them towards the outpost.
The walk to the rebel outpost was short but difficult to make. The darkened trees cast looming great shadows that obscured her view as she led her squadron through it, her blaster in hand along the way. However, months of training allowed them all to pass through the forest swiftly and quietly.
Aya halted just behind the line of trees that opened into the large clearing. She raised her hand, gesturing for the others to stay put, before gently stepping forwards. Crouching, she approached the edge of the forest. The clearing was much brighter without the trees allowing her to see the outpost very clearly. Just as she had predicted, the line of defence on this side was relatively weak, and she had directed them towards the perfect point.
The building was incredibly tall, lit only by moonlight. Towards the roof, the brightly lit entrance to the main hangar overlooked the tops of the trees. Aya glanced at her wrist. Surrounding the clearing, every squadron was in place. She watched the clock; they were on time.
When the minute changed she instantly waved her squadron forwards. As soon as they began to shuffle towards her, she delicately slipped into the clearing. Hidden by a large shadow that had been cast by the building, she pressed herself against the cold brick wall before silently moving along it towards the hangar. Behind her, the squadron quietly followed.
Aya stopped as soon as they were beneath the hangar before withdrawing the grappling gun from her belt. She glanced up towards the bright opening above her just as the second squadron reached beside her. All of them had made it, all of them were on time. No doubt the rebels had noticed something by now, but it was still too late for them.
From the other side of the outpost, a single shot rang out. On cue, all of the stormtroopers pulled the trigger on their grappling guns, aiming them at the hangar. The speed of the grappling gun shocked the breath out of Aya as she was suddenly pulled up towards the opening by a small metal thread. Everything blurred as she whizzed up the wall alongside the stormtroopers.
Suddenly, the hangar opened up in front of her, blinding her with its light. Instantly, she released the grappling gun and withdrew her blaster, softly landing on the floor of the hangar as she did so. The room erupted in noise as the stormtroopers around her quickly shot down the few people that were in the hangar. Within seconds, their bodies lay motionless on the ground. Aya felt no remorse.
Racing across the hangar alongside her squadron, Aya began to shout out orders through the noise. "Seven, Quick, Thirty, and One: guard the entrance, nobody is allowed in. Twos, Eight-One, Bolt, and Forty-Two: disable every mode of transport here, I don't care what you do to them as long as they can't move. The rest, follow me."
With that she ran through the doors leading deeper into the outpost, her heart racing. By now, the other squadrons were busy as well. Attacking at the front, Captain Phasma and her troops had just marched through the entrance. Surrounding the outpost, numerous stormtroopers shot at anything that moved. The plan was working extremely well.
In six minutes, Aya met Captain Phasma in the centre of the outpost. In half an hour, the outpost was theirs. Only once did she pull the trigger of her blaster.
"Any casualties?" Aya asked the stormtrooper standing before her, to her side stood Captain Phasma.
"Only three, Ma'am." He said quickly. His voice echoed through the now empty corridor. It was dark save for the moonlight that poured in through the large windows, the electricity had been severed.
"Is there a count on the number of rebels yet?" Captain Phasma asked in place of Aya, her voice conveying the same emotionless expression as the blank helmet she wore.
"Not yet but we estimate about a hundred." The stormtrooper replied. Silence set in as they both took in his words. "Is there anything else, Ma'am?"
"Make sure you do a thorough search through their computers, especially concerning communications. I want to know if they had a chance to contact another base whilst being attacked." Captain Phasma ordered sharply.
"Yes, Ma'am." He said hurriedly before bowing to both of them. His footsteps echoed as he briskly left the room. Silence set in once more.
"Congratulations Cerrulo." Captain Phasma spoke with her metallic voice. "Your strategy was more effective than I thought. I have not seen an outcome like this for years."
"Thank you Captain." She smiled, turning to the silver-clad woman.
"You have already proven to be very useful. This will almost certainly have gained the trust of the commanders." The Captain spoke, honesty lined her words.
Aya smiled further. "I'm glad to hear it. This seems to have taken less time than expected as well. We could get back in time for dinner."
She could sense Phasma almost smile from beneath her helmet. Aya had won her over. "Indeed we could."