[indent][h3]N E D[/h3][/indent]
[hr]

	NED stepped carefully out of the shuttle. Sparing a passing, eyeless glance towards the first casuality of the battle, he raised the barrel of his weapon toward the ceiling. He was wielding a DLT-19 light machinegun in his two steel hands. A bandolier of extra ammo was slung over his shoulder and he had a belt with satchels and holsters attatched to it for extra storage. Stomping out into a clearing, he raised one hand.

	"I am going to the Station's bridge. Nine of you will join me." He barely acknowledged the shortlived firefight that involved unprepared troopers getting gunned down in their unpreparedness. The droid was singularly focused on his objective. With newly acquired knowledge of the station's layout stored in his memory, he would make an effective leader navigating up to the bridge.

	After gathering his squad, the droid began to make his way first down the hallway, leading the soldiers from the front. "Everyone stick together. Beware of opening doors, and the two at the back keep a watchful eye on our six." He reminded his soldiers. He walked at a fast and steady pace, holding his machine gun level and low infront of him. They turned a corner and there was a locked portal infront of them. He had brought explosives with him, but that would make a lot of noise. Announcing their presence to the Imperials was not something he wanted to do.

	"I'd like to get through this door without making too much noise, Scarlet Moons. Does anyone have any suggestions?" He turned to face the squad following him. One of them, a light-blue skinned Twi-lek, raised her hand.

	"Yes, Private Dasiv?" NED looked toward her patiently.

	"Uh, I'm an okay splicer." She shrugged.

	"Excellent," Keeping his gaze on her, he pounded his fist on a nearby control panel, popping the thing open. Then, he stepped aside. "If you would, Private Dasiv," He said, gesturing to the now exposed control panel. Dasiv approached and began to work on it, occasionally glancing over at NED.

	"Don't mind me, Private Dasiv. You are the expert here," He said after the third glance. The droid was focused on a life scanner device infront of him, scanning a few feet on the other side of the door for approaching Imperials. Standing front in center at the door, if anyone opened it the first thing they would see was NED. Most of the other troops were leaned up against a wall or behind some of the supporting pillars that emerged from the walls of the station.

	She smiled nervously. "I'm no expert-"

	"Eyes on the control panel, Private Dasiv," He reminded her.

	Nodding, she worked her fingers across some of the wires. Just at that moment, NED detected movement just a few feet infront of him. "Pay attention everyone. There are Imperials on the other side of this door."

	Dasiv gulped. "Okay, I got it." 

	"Open it." NED commanded.

	The doors slid open. On the other side was an imperial officer, fiddling with a keypad on the other side of the door, accompanied by a few storm troopers.

	"Bad luck," NED commented sympathetically to the surprised Imperials, raising his machinegun with one hand and firing. There was a hail of lazfire and the imperial troopers fell with smoking holes in their bodies. The droid stepped over them and continued his march to his current destination- an elevator. It would take far too long to walk to the bridge. If they were to be united with the squads approaching the bridge from other angles, they would have to be quick. 

	"Well done, Scarlet Moons."  He flatly praised his squad, rounding another corner. Finally, they had found the elevator. 

	"Okay, Private Dasiv. Splice this elevator so we may stop in when we please. I have no plans on our elevator doors opening to a squad of Imperials lying in wait. We are going to stop the elevator just short of the floor we desire. I'll use a maintenance panel to climb onto the roof of the elevator, apply a breaching charge to the elevator doors, climb back down into the elevator while keeping the maintenance panel open. The breaching charge will detonate, creating a sizeable smoke screen. Then, I will throw a thermal detonator through the open hole of the maintenance panel, bouncing it so it will explode anyone waiting for us on the otherside. Then, you will ascend the elevator, open the doors slightly, and we can engage the foe from there."

	Private Dasiv and the other squad members blinked. "Uh-" she began.

	"Stop the elevator when I say, rise the elevator when I say. Trust me, Private Dasiv," He reassured her. Dasiv nodded. The elevator doors opened to an enemy, featureless room save for the command panel. Popping that sucker open, Dasiv quickly acquired manual control of the elevator. NED pointed to square imprint on the ceiling in the back corner of the elevator. That is the maintenance panel he knew had to be there. Jumping up, he pounded his fist against the panel and broke it open. Then, he jumped higher, rising through the newly created hole. With a shuddering thud he landed ontop of the elevator. He looked to the staggering height of the Crown's elevator shaft above him. 

	"To the bridge, Private Dasiv." He said, his voice echoing far above. With that, the elevator began to rise, the droid standing on top. Unorthodox breaching plan in his mind, the droid had little to think about except the battle ahead. Hopefully, their mission would succeed. This would be an excellent victory for the Scarlet Moons. Taking out the Crown and liberating Ord Thorden. His homeworld. It was a long time coming. Failure on this day would be unfortunate. Ord Thorden would be free one day, but NED would prefer he would be lucky enough to be involved in it's final liberation. He and his squad rose to the challenge. It would not be long before they reached the same floor as the bridge. They would be one of the few Scarlet Moon squadrons attacking the Crown's bridge. Success was necessary.