The roar of alarms saturated every corner of the city. Millions of citizens ran in terror towards their homes, terrified at the imminent sound of approaching war. Infants cried... Elders begged for help... The screams of mothers and fathers calling for their offspring before running in fear to a safe place. The pleas of the innocent for mercy and mercy.

Among the shadows of the city, thousands of hidden faces lurked. Waiting... Uneasy. Eyes that looked at everything from the shadows with regret, convinced that so much suffering was just a necessary evil. A momentary pain that will lead to a feeling of peace and utopian freedom. Ignorant of... true reality.

Inside the fort, every force, every weapon, every cannon pointed towards the northwest. There, in the distant sandy plains where the most visible threat loomed over the capital of Kergans.

The northern wall of the fortress soon filled with stormtroopers, their blasters loaded and ready, pointing towards an enemy they never expected to see.

The separatist frigate descended slowly, closer and closer, more and more imposing. In front of her a swarm of enemy fighters was deployed, while those on the walls watched with some relief as their own TIE fighters were deployed for combat. A swarm of sacrifices to confront another. 

But they knew that, no matter how successful their counteroffensive was, those enormous transport ships heading towards the ground would fill the plain before their eyes with shells of metal ready to finish them off. And so it happened.

From the command post, Katalina watched with concern as the enormous number of droids were deployed on the battlefield. Knowing exactly how many there were when they stood before his eyes was a utopia, but his binoculars showed him with ungrateful concern the thousands of metal shells, escorted by countless tanks and artillery pieces. 

She knew that the wall she was standing on was strong, but she doubted if it would be able to withstand that much. Now all that was left was... to wait. And pray that their TIE fighters were able to hold out long enough.

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While chaos broke out, a very particular group took advantage of the confusion to approach the southern entrance of the fortress. They used shadows to move, and their hidden silhouettes implied that they did not want to be seen. Gustav was leading Icarus's group through the narrow streets and corridors of the city, and now they had before their eyes the entrance to the first bridge of the fortress.

Kurt: - It seems like it's already started. I detect seven... no. Eight imperials guarding the perimeter. -

Zeb: - Aren't they supposed to close all the bridges when they raise the alarm? -

Icarus: - If the enemy is concentrated in one point, it is always best to leave a secured escape route. -

Gustav: - That's why we have Grezit inside. -

Zeb: - I'm still not completely convinced. -

Gustav: - It's your turn, general. -

Icarus: - Icarus speaks. We are in position. - He called through an internal channel.

Alpha: - Waiting for orders. -

Icarus: - Execute. -

With impossible synchronization, eight blasters soared through the skies and struck down the stromtroopers who were standing guard, preventing them from even knowing that they had ended their lives. Blaster that did not generate any type of noise.

Gustav himself was paralyzed by such effectiveness, and only dared to move forward when Icarus came out of hiding followed by his group, while many other hooded men came out of the different surrounding buildings. They were droids... Commando droids... More than forty of them.

Under the dark lights you could see the metal parts, while his hands carried the unmistakable E-5 blaster. Some of them had lumps on their backs, the vibroja swords being noticeable so lethal at close range. But without a doubt none as chilling as those in whose metallic hands rested the sniper rifles with silencers. 

Using the same commando droid model, Icarus, together with the military engineers of the former separatist alliance, designed these specialized units with the few resources they had at their disposal. Their single eye gave them impossible precision, and the modified E-5s rifles turned them into stealthy killers. There were only 9 of them. But they were more than enough.

Delta: - Sector clear, general. -

Icarus: - Understood. Punitive Guard, in front. Let the deadshoots go to the front. Maximum discretion. -

And so, the dark night turned red. More than forty commando droids advanced like shadows on the bridge, while soundless blasters took the lives of the few Imperials who remained vigilant. Behind them, the organics followed them at a firm pace, escorted by Icarus and the magnaguards themselves. Time was against them, and they didn't have a second to lose.

Gustav: - Grezit, we are in position. - He called on his communicator as soon as they reached the floodgates without being detected. - Grezit? -

Their gazes met for a second. The lack of response caused a slight panic among those present, fearful of some unforeseen event. But as soon as the mechanisms began to open the enormous metal plates, his lungs filled with air again, even though the droids' blasters kept pointing straight ahead.

Grezit: - That was faster than expected. And... They never said there were so many. -After all, he didn't know anything about the presence of the Punitive Guard.

Icarus: - There will be explanations for later. Zeb, Hera, Numa, Kurt, they already know what to do. Delta, go help them. Alpha, with me. -

Without wasting any time, the huge group divided into many separate ones. Each one had a mission to execute, and they had to do everything possible to complete it before the countdown turned against them.

Zeb and Hera headed to the warehouse, accompanied by Gustav, Delta, and half of the group's droids. While Kurt and Numa headed to the armory. They had to clear the area in less than ten minutes, before Icarus reached the control panel, located in the control room of the second bridge.

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Meanwhile, at the command post of the northern section of the bunker.

Official: - Report. The condition of our fighters remains at 80%, and the enemies are estimated to have the same condition. The separatist forces remain waiting, but their cannons continue firing against the walls. -

Katalina heard the report, and her gaze was lost in front of her. This didn't make any sense. It had already been ten minutes since the droid army was deployed, and they were simply standing at a distance.

A siege war? That made no sense. It was only a matter of time before Imperial reinforcements arrived, and he highly doubted that those attacking would be willing to fight even an iota of the Imperial navy.

Furthermore, this was not the way of operating the armies of the now fallen Separatist Alliance. Usually the droid hordes would advance with no sense of self-preservation, and would eventually claim victory. Just one look was enough for Katalina to understand that that bunker would not be able to withstand such a massive and unforeseen attack. So... Why were they waiting?

Something wasn't right... Something I was ignoring... But what?

Officer: - Major General! Self-defense systems have been compromised! - His voice caused panic in those present.

Catalina: - What do you mean!? -

Officer: - The anti-aircraft systems, the automatic cannons, the turbolasers, the shield... Everything... Nothing responds. -

Catalina: - Do a system reboot! -

Officer: - We are trying, but nothing works. -

The woman's eyes showed her total bewilderment, but very different from the scared eyes of the rest of those present. But it was no time to panic, so the superior wasted no time and pressed some buttons on her control panel.

Catalina: - South checkpoint. Do you receive me? - But there was only silence. - South bridge guard? Is there someone? -

That was all I needed. The major general turned around, leaving many surprised as she walked away from her observation post.

Catalina: - I want two battalions with me! Maintain position on the walls and inform me of any changes! -

Officer: - Your lady... What are you going to do? -

Catalina: - We have a traitor... And I'm going to purge him along with all the rats he has next to him. -

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Just a few seconds before, Icarus managed to access the control cabin, and the Imperials present could do nothing before the commando droids under the command of Delta. Icarus finally managed to gain control of the system, and it was his will to leave the imperial bunker completely unprotected.

Icarus: - Defense systems disconnected. Foxley, you may proceed. -

Foxley: - On the way. -

Icarus: - To all units. Operation Extraction in progress. Status report. -

Kurt: - Arsenal clear. Charging system ready. You're going to like what we have here. -

Hera: - Warehouse also secured. Many of these things could be useful in Ryloth. -

Icarus: - Noticed. Kurt, five minutes until the arrival of the Aurora and the Kestrel Nova. Hera, Foxley is on his way. We will precede face II. T minus 20 minutes for extraction. -

As soon as they arrived, Icarus and the rest prepared to go to the other section of the bunker. Now began the most complicated step, since they had to reach their destination without being discovered, or all the troops positioned on the northern wall would fall on them like attack dogs.

Now, the droids and the traitor were crossing the second bridge at a hurried pace.

Grizit: - I don't have access to this area... Nobody ever told me that we should get here... It would just be extracting the resources and that's it. -

Icarus: - For you maybe, but we need more than that. I must get to a database terminal or it will all be in vain. -

Grizit: - But... You just left behind a terminal... -

Icarus: - It doesn't matter. That terminal is connected only to the fortress systems. I need access that has a direct connection to the Imperial database. -

Grizit: - That's... too much. -

Icarus: - I agree. -

At the droid's words, the man was horrified when he saw Icarus take his blaster and point it at his chest. He remained motionless, afraid of losing his life... The only question was:

Grizit: - Why? -

Icarus: - Because he has already done enough for now. -

And without warning, Icarus fired his weapon. But unlike what the imperial traitor thought, the droid's weapon fired a bolt of energy that violently stunned him, but would not end his life. At least this way, he would go unpunished and escape the suspicious eyes of his superiors. ¨The one who chased the intruders and fought to the end on the second bridge.¨ A quite convincing story.

Icarus finally managed to access the database once the Punitive Guard droids cleared the way. Without wasting a second, he plugged his modified arm in and accessed all the Imperial data he had at his disposal.

An opportunity like this was unique. The secrets of his opponents, and the opportunity to attack them where it hurts the most. However, Icarus had to disconnect almost immediately.

All the droids present stared at him, wondering what he had weighed. But the super tactical droid soon stood up, and called the Munificient command post.

Doom: - General, the report from the... -

Icarus: - COMANDER! LET THE TROOPS RETREAT IMMEDIATELY AND JUMP INTO THE HYPERSTACE! .