The Will (Siege of the Great Fortress of Xhile)

Trench Warfare does not appeal to the Grand General of the Scoath, Korathion. He, along with his thousands upon thousands of strands, hordes, and monsters longed to bring the fight to these puny warriors of a bygone age. In their opinion, glory was not won in the dirt, but on it. Everyone in the Scoath ranks held the belief that glory was only won by spreading The Will of the Zhra’ad throughout the Universe’s galaxies, planets, and minds. And yet, Korathion found himself facing the impossible: He and his hordes were failing. It didn’t matter that the Zhra'ad took this backwater planet and subjugated this position and its inhabitants. The enemy  arrived much too early. First the massive starships and then the soldiers with their neat and orderly mannerisms. It simply didn’t make any sense. Every source the Zhra'ad had told a story of a frightfully dysfunctional society made up of bitterly divided Factions. It simply hadn’t mattered. No matter the information gathered, the hours studying the Factions, even taking captives to learn their styles and mannerisms, they had put aside their differences and fought as one unit. The Galaxy’s Allied Forces had responded to the violent beauty of the Zhra'ad. Worst of all, they started to dig their holes and trenches. It was infuriating for the Scoath to see. Korathion hadn’t expected them to sit and wait for the Hordes to come to them. This was not as The Will had intended for events to occur. The Horde was to sweep over the land, crushing all opposition and furthering the goals of the Princes. Yet every time Korathion’s troops tried, those cursed trenches held. When one was purified of its unworthy inhabitants, the one behind it would immediately continue the work of their fallen brethren. It was… unsettling for the Scaoth. Worse, the Enemy was at their doorstep, the GREAT FORTRESS OF XHILE. Those trenches scarred the terrain and inched closer each day. It was infuriating. But no matter, the fortress would hold. It always had. And when those foolish mortals attempted to breach this hallowed ground, only death would meet them there…

Private Tel Sintor watched with unease as his opponent made his next move. He would have to be careful, he knew, but Sintor was still new at this. Only recently being transferred to 109th Attack Battalion, he didn’t know the strategies this particular opponent would play. It would be close, and he could lose everything…

“HA!” exclaimed Corporal Grilt, throwing down his cards on top of the container crate, “Read ‘em and weep, Private!”

Sintor groaned and threw his own cards down with a huff. Angrily, he watched as the victorious Corporal greedily grabbed all of this and next week’s biscuits from the table and stuff them in a container. Sintor knew he shouldn’t have led with the kyber. Maybe gambling wasn’t going to work out as well here in the 109th than it did back in his old unit with the Imperial Federation. All these new special rules made his head spin anyway. 

As he started to walk away, he noticed two Stormtroopers talking in low voices by the archway. The Stormtoopers were far and few here in the trenches, mostly patrolling them to make sure none of the Army troopers got too rowdy. But if these two were talking about his failed spurt of gambling, he wanted to know so he could prepare a response if they went to the higher-ups. Luckily, the comms equipment was not well suited for the harsh conditions on Ra’un and needed near constant cleaning. Normally Sintor hated the job, but today it provided a rather useful excuse to listen in to the close-by conversation.

“Rumor is they’re planning a major offensive on the lines,” said the trooper on the left.

“I think it’s already begun. I heard that Mandalorian commandos were ambushed in Trench Line Concordia and barely managed to kill them before those things could cause too much damage,” responded the one on the right.

“I still don’t like it. That fortress is about to blow and we’re directly in its path. Don’t think these Scaoth wouldn’t takes us down with them if they got the chance.”

“Regardless, we need this position if we’re going to move on… Hold up. Transmission is coming through. You, Private! Put it through. Looks like a General order.”

Private Sintor barely registered the Stormtrooper’s words. He was still processing what those two had said. Major Offensive? Mandalorian Commandos ambushed? They were all terrifying thoughts, but after what seemed like an eternity, Sintor pushed the button and let the message play. 

“ALERT: All Trench Units: Imperial Intelligence has detected a massive surge of enemy activity from the Enemy fortifications. Prepare to halt the enemy. Expect all manner of attackers.”

Sintor could hardly breath has the message played on repeat over and over, getting louder and louder each time in an effort to drown out the dramatic wailing wafting from the all-too-close walls of the Fortress of Xhile. As the Trench's First Officer crawled in through the doorway, Sintor realized with a start that the attack really was coming.

“All right, Everyone! You heard the message! Fight for all the units preparing to storm the walls! Hold here and we finally bring the fight to them!”

All throughout the lines, soldiers climbed up the ramparts and placed their weapons over the edge of the trenches. Thousands of blasters, vanguards, and heavy cannons all pointed towards the screaming horde charging before them. Aerial Soldiers and Mandalorians readied their jetpacks and thrusters and artillery shells were loaded. After a still silence throughout the snaking trenches, one New Republic soldier from Trench Adelphi shouted a battle cry that was answered throughout the lines, regardless of which faction they were from.

“FOR THE GALAXY!”

“FOR THE NEW REPUBLIC!”

“FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPIRE!”

“FOR MYSELF!!! AND FOR PROFIT!!!

“May the Force be with us all.”

“Here they come!”

“Watch your left! They’re everywhere!”

Hold Position! Don’t let them scatter you!

Mortars, open fire!

“What in Vader’s Name is tha- AAAAAGH!”

“Trench Line Corellia has been lost!”

“Mandalorian reinforcements inbound!”

“Concentrate Fire on these coordinates.”

“NR troops have successfully halted the enemy advance in Trench Taris.”

“Are those Stygian troops or more of those Scaoth things?”

“Whatever they are, it’s working!”

“Pentastar Forces have arrived!” 

“They’ve stopped sending out soldiers!”

“ALERT: All Units: Return to Trenches and await further instruction. Our forces are gathering for an assault on the Fortress. This will be a momentous day for the War Effort.”

The Will of the Zhra'ad and those who follow it shall fall. It is only a matter of time.``