The Hotshot Mandalorian

Chapter 8: Empire Day Crashes and Burns Part 1

Coruscant, Core Worlds

Empire Day

Early Nightfall

3648 ATC

Flare P.O.V

The stage is set. The audience demands the same usual speeches of power and pathetic  authority. The Imperial Royal Palace's courtyard is filled to the absolute capacity with civilians. The sounds are roaring and loud. As it makes you deaf even listening for a moment or two, and it does nothing at all to ease my sensitive hearing, but even throughout all the chaos, I can use my connection to the Force to focus in on whatever that I want.

From under my hooded and concealed face, I careful spy the patrols watching all walls of the palace. I see their stiff and robotic marches, all in synchronization, all faceless, all about to become the ones responsible for being unable to apprehend the most wanted terrorist in the entire galaxy.

Taking a careful note of the numbers in each patrol, I flex my hand, a knife shifting slightly in it. Targeting the nearest patrol that cannot be seen or heard by the others, I shift the blade and throw it. It hits its mark and the sight of a bleeding wound contrasts the white of the armor. The other two turn to the source of their now dead compatriot. I jump from fifteen meters and slam my arms into them, sending them careening with the ground, knocking them unconscious in the process. I do not waste a single moment in time. I move on to the next two very unsuspecting targets. I turn a corner, and grab the next in a choke hold and casually twist his head, my hearing sensing the snapping of bones being broken. The one next to him turns, his blasters raised, but I grab the barrel and crush it, then my wrist knife comes out to impale through the abdomen. I run to the edge of the patrol tower and look down.

There is a fairly well sizable guarding force at this part of the palace. At least seven thousand stormtroopers, 11 AT-ST walkers, and lots of anti-aircraft guns. At least fifteen snipers are covering this area as well. All the troopers are lineup, ready to take down targets at a moment's notice. In short, it's a suicide to attempt entry that way for really anyone.

Unfortunately, that it's the only way to get to the objective that I want, but it is also very fortunate because the Imperials would never ever believe that anyone would have the gall or guts  to try this way.

If I had my sniper rifle, I could take down the snipers easily, but I only have my foldable bow with several shots. I can take out three, but that leaves me with seven others. I guess I have to take down a sniper, grab his rifle, and take down the others, but in order for me to do that, I will have to get past that wall of force, then scale the surface of the palace.

My position affords me a view of some of the snipers, but I need to get to higher ground in order to get the best field of view possible. I also need to do this without being detected, not exactly a walk in the industrial area when there are multiple towers overlooking the area. My best chance is to time my approach perfectly. My dark clothing should help me greatly at this point.

I jump off the platform that I am on, careful to reduce my noise. The shadows are my friends and I use them to great effectiveness to sneak past unsuspecting troopers. I am very careful to maintain a distance from hidden scanners and bright spotlights dotting the site. It is amazing to see that for all of their tightness in security, there are so many obvious weak links in the chain that can be easily exploitable, but I will not be complaining. Noticing a small detector on the ground, I activate my wrist computer and begin to do a hack. I cannot go around this scanner, not without drawing a to large of a amount of unwanted attention to myself

A small indication on the screen indicated that the device had been scrambled. It would last fifteen seconds, and I run out of its range in about five seconds, stopping to wait for a patrol to go by. My hands lay on my knives, ready to throw or deliver a lethal blow if I'm forced to, but they pass by me. I wait for a few seconds, then I move on. The wall is approaching faster and faster. Although there is less marching around and more silence, it is anything but a silence with no one in it. There is much going on.