[SoNE Freebuild] The One Who Knocks

[LucasLaughing]

Nar Eurbrikka; 3 days after the bombing.

The rebels didn't realize it, but they'd made a serious mistake. The sewage tunnels they'd used to get below our garrison were unguarded because they'd been unused and largely forgotten for so long.

These forgotten tunnels saw few visitors, so a probe droid dispatched the day after the bombing spotted telltale signs of recent movement.

Nothing obvious at first, but areas where slime had been inadvertently wiped from the walls as men moved through narrow passages and, most damning, ladder rungs where years of grime had been recently knocked off as boots climbed down from the surface.

The probe droid beamed its coordinates to base, and an aerial surveillance droid confirmed the presence of a sewer access hatch, in a courtyard next to a building in one of the vast, sprawling slums surrounding the spaceport.

ISB immediately started 24/7 monitoring of the building, using both air and ground assets. After waiting and watching for two days, they called us.

Normally, SpecOps wouldn't be needed for a simple assault on a residential building, but the situation on Nar Eurbrikka was complex. There was a growing rebel presence in this part of the city, and the local commander refused to send in troops without heavy armor support.

The army, having recently lost two scout walkers nearby, refused to commit forces before the area was "softened-up" by TIE bombers.

Naval command was under orders not to unduly upset the Hutts, who would certainly consider widespread bombing of one of their colonies an act of war.

High command did not view the Hutts as a serious threat, but they did control vast swaths of space, and fighting them would require forces that were desperately needed elsewhere in the struggle against the rebels.

That's how I found myself riding through the streets of Nar Eurbrikka, in the back of a civilian hovertruck, 2 hours before dawn.

Two hover trucks pulled to a stop in front of the target house, and we piled out. Gunners with heavy repeating blasters covered the street as the entry team stacked up at the door. On cue, a small explosive charge destroyed the door. At the same time, flash grenades were thrown through the windows, and we went in.

[note - the following photos have been light-enhanced to show the scene more clearly]

Flash grenades are a beautiful thing. Unlike stun grenades, which leave unconscious prisoners who have to be carried out of the building, flash grenades explode with blinding light and deafening sound. This overwhelms the nervous system of most creatures, causing them to instinctively move into the corners of rooms while covering their heads.

It takes most beings 10-15 seconds to recover from the shock, and by then we've infiltrated the building. Of course, we also have traditional blasters for anyone who was outside the range of the flash grenades and tried to put up a fight.

The final tally was one rebel stunned by blaster, and four captured without further resistance.

Less than three minutes later, the prisoners were loaded onto the hover trucks, along with captured weapons and datapads, and we disappeared into the night.

This was my first mission with the Special Operations division of the Stormtrooper corps. To the casual observer, there was nothing to differentiate the commandos from regular storm troopers. A trained eye might notice that the troopers did not carry standard blasters.

Commandos are given much more leeway when it comes to weapons selection, and for close-quarters raids like this one many prefer blaster pistols, which are more accurate when fired one-handed.

A trained observer might also notice the fluid way that commandos move, communicating with hand-signals (habit from the missions where helmets with comlinks are not worn) and quickly clearing all areas of the target building.

We kept our helmets on and didn't speak as we headed back to the temporary garrison, on the outskirts of town, but I knew there'd be celebration once we dropped the prisoners off. I relaxed, somewhat. I was still the FNG, but at least I hadn't screwed my first mission up.

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Overall view:

[dooberfloober]

nice build, particularly the courtyard. where'd you stock up on the new stormtroopers?

[Kaitan]

Thought you were going to wait for my reply? ! That's a few evenings building down the drain.

Edit - Scratch that, I can still make it work.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Kaitan

[Nom Carver]

Nice breaching! the action is well depicted, good job trooper, you are well on your commando shoes.

[LucasLaughing]

nice build, particularly the courtyard. where'd you stock up on the new stormtroopers?

Thanks! These stormtroopers are mostly from the Endor battle packs (9489) that came out a few years ago. I'm hoping the stormies coming out this summer don't look too weird with my existing troopers.

Thought you were going to wait for my reply? ! That's a few evenings building down the drain.

Edit - Scratch that, I can still make it work.

Sorry! I wanted to tell more story, but didn't think that it might screw you up. I'm glad you can still make it work; I figure it's a big city/planet, so there are many different rebel safehouses. We only got one, so far....

Nice breaching! the action is well depicted, good job trooper, you are well on your commando shoes.

Thanks! I feel like I watched a lot of SWAT team type shows during my formative years

[Kaitan]

Sorry! I wanted to tell more story, but didn't think that it might screw you up. I'm glad you can still make it work; I figure it's a big city/planet, so there are many different rebel safehouses. We only got one, so far....

I know you didn't mean any harm. I can't really make my build work after all, and to be honest I've lost my enthusiasm for it, so I won't be posting anything else until the next challenge. Have fun with your story...

K

[LucasLaughing]

I know you didn't mean any harm. I can't really make my build work after all, and to be honest I've lost my enthusiasm for it, so I won't be posting anything else until the next challenge. Have fun with your story...

K

I'm sorry to hear that! If your build is still together, maybe you could send me a PM with what you were making and your story and I could help brainstorm some ways to make it work? I could even edit some bits of my story if needed...

[Kaitan]

I'm sorry to hear that! If your build is still together, maybe you could send me a PM with what you were making and your story and I could help brainstorm some ways to make it work? I could even edit some bits of my story if needed...

I've already dismantled my build and as I said above, I've kinda gone off the whole thing. I'm glad I could give you the inspiration that started your own builds, and I hope you continue with it. I'll probably come up with another storyline for my character at a later point.

[VK-318]

Great! This is an interesting way to move this mini-story forward, and has the Empire taking the initiative for a change using the classic Imperial tactic of overwhelming force. A very efficient operation.

Normally I prefer a design without studs showing, but the setting of this build, a slum-type, run-down building, is perfect for studs, and the posing of minifigures definitely suggests a highly-trained, well-drilled commando operation and complete tactical surprise gained.

I can only think of three critiques, and the first at least is pretty nit-picky. I see five rebels in the building, as you state in the story, and there are five blasters and five helmets in the back room; but one of the rebels is a Mon Calamari, and can't wear any of those hats. Makes me think that a rebel got away ... Sounds like a hook for a Rebel builder to respond to! The door leading left, to that little closet-like space, and the door to the right, out into the courtyard, are too small for a minifig to fit through. And the closet-like space is a little empty; just one rebel curled up in a corner, no boxes of explosives, portable communicators, or any of the more mundane things used by a strike base.

Again, great job! For the Empire!

Edited March 2, 2014 by VK-318

[LucasLaughing]

Great! This is an interesting way to move this mini-story forward, and has the Empire taking the initiative for a change using the classic Imperial tactic of overwhelming force. A very efficient operation.

Thanks VK - welcome to Eurobricks, and I'm glad to see you're building for the empire!

I can only think of three critiques, and the first at least is pretty nit-picky. I see five rebels in the building, as you state in the story, and there are five blasters and five helmets in the back room; but one of the rebels is a Mon Calamari, and can't wear any of those hats. Makes me think that a rebel got away ... Sounds like a hook for a Rebel builder to respond to!

That's actually an awesome observation - I think you've got a promising future in Imperial Intel I like your idea of a rebel builder using that as a story hook too!

The door leading left, to that little closet-like space, and the door to the right, out into the courtyard, are too small for a minifig to fit through. And the closet-like space is a little empty; just one rebel curled up in a corner, no boxes of explosives, portable communicators, or any of the more mundane things used by a strike base.

Again, great job! For the Empire!

Damn those broad-shouldered minifigs! I like your suggestions though; they're a good reminder for me to pay attention to detail. Thanks for viewing / commenting!

Edited March 5, 2014 by LucasLaughing

[Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka]

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