Restuss Chronicles (VI)

It is a slow period in the Galactic Civil War. Restuss, usually a den of confronting special forces is really quiet. It is a moment to gain commendation medals and evaluate the amount of destruction that the city suffers.

In other parts of the Galaxy, on Talus, Corellia and Naboo, the various factional locations have been in Imperial hands for a while. So much so, that rallying banners and stimpacks E have been delivered.

From Hoth

It starts in Dathomir, where expecting members of the Alliance and the Empire wait by their respective briefing instructors. It somehow looks like the prom ball, each group standing on one side of the room, waiting for the group to fill up (min. 4 to get in, but 8 is better) ; "LFG" is the chorus.

Then, comes the much awaited jump to Hoth, as our group went in on the first day, we pretty much had no clue about to do. Mission instructions appear on screen, jump into an ATST and protect 3 ATAT, get a Hoth exploration badge (yay), unable to protect the ATAT, proceed to the generators, enter the base. New mission updates, locate various items, fail, keep on moving through Echo Base. Get the Echo Base Location Badge (yay). Needless to say that we failed all missions, so 1 token (out of nine). Meager results, but it's the discovery, when you're guessing whether to turn left or right, it's pretty difficult to achieve much. Practice makes perfect.

There's still some time left on the counter, so go to Wampa valley. It's a nice place, desolate and cold. Here too, to make it short, unable to spawn the boss mob, so we'll skip that part, it'll be for another time. Here, it's more about collecting, Hoth Meteorite, Frozen Corpses, Malfunctionning Probe Droids, Slaying wampas and tauntauns. Perhaps there are more, who knows. At any rate, it'll be a place to return, the collection rewards are great for the Twin Mountain Base Museum of Natural History (hunting trophies, holograms, displays).

Beyond the collections, some of the junk loot was quite attractive too, icicles, skulls and bones, wampa liver, unknown bones, and so forth. Plenty of nice things. There must have been other good things, crystal fragments, Hoth cables and isomerase enzymes among them.

It was a good moment to explore and discover, thanks Iur, Sethhaca, Inuno, Romac, Karnage, Dzenkl and Soca ; it was also a moment to enjoy cross server cultural exchanges as the group was partly from Bria.

Dantooine: Three Walls

Undisclosed Location. A destroyed Rebel perimeter, this perimeter protected a subspace communication antenna as well as various light materials. There are currently abandoned Rebel personnel still using the base as a landmark, though cautiously because of nearby Imperial presence.

Dantooine: Debris (II)

1787 3202, elevation 1. During the exploration, I came across what seemed to be a recently crashed Rebel ship with two survivors (stranded Rebel scouts).

While their ship is of unrecognisable make, it is still possible to make up for the ship fuselage, two damaged crates, one half buried R5 unit and the possible dome of another R-unit. A stranger element of the fuselage is visible on location. The diameter of this element, the internal structure, suggesting metal construction and the apparent fused plates suggest that it is indeed part of the ship, to be confirmed.

I have let the scouts used my radio and communicate with what I would assume be the "abandoned" Rebel base. I have decided not to report their presence to Imperial command or what is supposed to be planetary authorities.

On a side note, the debris of their ship may be those that are scattered on the planet and, to some extent, integrated in Dantari lore.

PvP secrets ?

There have been many comments from players during PvP sessions during the GCW, duels or guild wars that their opponents were "cheating" in some ways (use of exploits or what else).

For the last weeks, warning had been issued by the Devs (praised thee the Devs) about a crackdown on illegal weapons. With the removal of 2000+ DPS weapons, it seems that some of the cheating claims may have been substantiated after all...

Restuss Chronicles (IV)

On July 9th, members of the TMB strike team took place in a fierce battle in Restuss, Rori.

Arriving on an Alliance dominated battlefield, small Imperial elements gathered from the city outskirts and crossed the city, reaching the Alliance line, outside the refugee camp. There, despite negative odds, Imperial forces managed to defeat the Rebel forces and held the line, thus blocking access to the Restuss ruins.

While the fighting stabilized for a short duration, Rebel reinforcements poured from the refugee camp, and soon, Imperial forces faced certain defeat despite a valiant and spirited fight. The situation became darker as Imperial reinforcements were matched by Rebel reinforcement thus, maintaining the numerical advantage in favor of the Rebellion. In addition medical support on the battlefield gave a strong advantage to the Rebels. Despite successful targeted raids of Alliance high value targets and on battlefield medics, Imperial forces were forced to admit defeat on The Line.

Still, despite the grim outlook, change of tactics on the Imperial side enabled a successful penetration in the ruined city thanks to a flanking maneuver. This maneuver helped disorganize Rebel forces and a Rebel hunting party thus got ambushed. The victory was short-lived however as the entire Rebel force fell back to the city and destroyed the Imperial side.

Empire Day Celebrations

Twin Mountain Base's Mayor, Tarn Pagott, has been decorated during the Empire Day Celebrations by Lord Vader in Theed. This decoration was part of the numerous decorations offered to loyal citizens and Imperial officials whose work contribute to the Imperial rule. This decoration comes as a tribute to General Otto's strategy on Lok of installing strategically located small outposts in order to extend planetary control.

As Mayor of one of the oldest Imperial outposts on Lok, Tarn Pagott was chosen for his continued efforts for the city and the Empire. Mayor Pagott may be considered a controversial choice; self-styled liberal and outspoken critic of Imperial excesses, his work alongside Sean Trenwell in Bestine and author of an open letter to the Emperor his promotion as Hero of Empire Day may be seen as a gesture to Imperial liberals. While the Rebellion is reported to have gained grounds on some worlds, the Emperor may have chosen to woo back potential Rebel sympathizers. Since the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, moderate Imperials have found themselves facing mounting difficulties to express their concerns.

Is the Empire losing the battle for hearts and minds?

This very question can be asked when during the Empire Day Celebrations, Lord Vader failed to show up on July 2nd in Theed. An expectant crowd of wannabe Heroes were left stranded but the Dark Lord kept postponing his arrival. While it is likely this will be fixed shortly, it does send a mixed signal to loyal servants of the Empire.

While the Empire Day Celebrations are marked with gifts and special rewards, failing to decorate Imperial officials whose efforts contribute to the Imperial grandeur sends an ungrateful message to the crowds, as well as sowing resentment in otherwise devoted servants.

It is this kind of sleight that makes local politicians, civil servants and ordinary citizens look favorably toward the Rebellion. And while none of them is in a position to significantly alter the course of Intergalactic affairs, their common ire seriously hinders the Empire. Indeed, they may provide shelter, contraband goods, funds, equipment, knowledge or muscle to the Rebellion out of spite.

In this context, let's not be surprised that the Rebellion is reported to gain strength everyday as the highest levels of the Imperial leadership seems to ignore the efforts of those working beneath it.

Celebrating Empire Day

Naboo, Theed. It is a grand day as the Empire celebrates the day the Old Republic was dismantled. Lord Vader visited Theed, where Imperial citizens gathered in front of the Emperor's statue and addressed the crowd:

"Loyal Imperial citizens, we are here today to celebrate the day our Emperor made his Declaration of a New Order and dissolved the Galactic Republic. Out of the ashes our Emperor formed the mighty and invicible Empire we are today. It was not easy, even for the Emperor. Without the help of extraordinary Imperial citizens, it could not have been done. Extraordinary citizens, or one might even say, heroes, such as <...>." The Imperial Celebration Organiser asked then : "<...>, step up and bow before Lord Vader", and Lord Varder to resume : "Congratulations, <...>. From this day on you shall wear the title 'Hero of Empire Day'. Stay forever loyal, the Force is with us."

Beyond the festivities, it was also an opportunity to have a frank and amicable discussion with members of the Rebel Alliance, on visit to Theed for a PvP session. Few casualties on both sides were reported. In an another attempting to disrupt the ceremony, a giant worshyyyr tree from the Life Day Giftbox was dropped, presumably by Naraelle (though unconfirmed) when Lord Vader made his speech. While the prank was pretty original, it also risked hindering the Vader radial for the title recipient (/tar is to be used is such case).

Quite interestingly, it was mostly an opportunity to meet up with fellow Imperial citizens and reminisce about old times, such as the long shuttle waits (10mns) and the trading, fighting and socializing that took place there, the small population in these parts of the galaxy (with friends list down to 10 active people), how guilds became the center of social life in lieu of random meeting and grouping, and how emote contests were being runs in cities.

In addition, it was a great time to catch up and meet new friends, spend time with people we've known for long, yet never had the time to chat if only for a few words. Expanding the circle of friends always seems like a good idea. As one mentioned, updating the friends list regularly and adding new people means to have between 40 and 50 friends online every day.

Twin Mountain Base, as far as the celebrations were concerned was honored on this day, Kohaeg Noubat, received from the title from the hands of Princess Leia on Coronet. Though, this was the 'Remembrance Day celebration', congratulations nevertheless. Ashelin (former guild/city) received the Empire Day badge.

Weapon Development Facility

The Weapon Development Facility was taken over single-handely by corporal Pagott on Friday, June 6th. It was an opportunity to discover the place, meet the locals...Well, shoot them at least, and switch those terminals. A small action, but publicized over the entire server ; though it failed to prompt a response. Much later during the night, around 4.15pm PST (1.15am EST), a Rebel strike team took the Weapon Development Facility, though it is unknown if it had changed hands between the two actions.

Sneaking past the GCW

An unusual sight took place in Restuss two days ago, two purple dots and one red dot on the battlefield, yet, instead of facing one another, facing commonly Aralina Silk with success. This episode was a proud display of solidarity within the TMB community, where members of opposite factions worked alongside for the benefit of the community, here acquiring a famed Jinzu Razor Lightsaber. The group parted afterward, not before contributing in a modest manner to the Imperial domination of Restuss.

From Tatooine to Mustafar to Rori

On May, 16th, TMB residents took part in several heroics / instance runs. Defending Mos Espa from the onslaught of the Tusken King, the team failed on phase II. It however met with greater success in the depths of Tulrus Island on Mustafar, when it confronted Malfosa, a fearesome Sher-kar. Carried by this success, the team moved on to confront HK-47, but was eventually defeated by the droid.

In spite of the of the difficulties, the three runs where conducted in a very good spirit and in a spirit of solidarity. The team showed great cohesion. Thanks everyone.

In the meantime, general Hull was imposing Imperial rule on the galacitic civil war fields of Rori, in the ruined city of Restuss. Despite his long career, he is reported to have commented with a child-like surprise on a brazen run from a Rebel Jedi, jumping into the fray with courage or foolishness as his only weapon. Recorded duration on the field : 1mn. Innovative techniques regularly change the course of warfare, clearly this one was not one.

Restuss Chronicles (III)

On May 14th, 2008, Imperial forces and Rebel forces battled once again for the control of Restuss. Jed, Dar'Ness and Tarn flew high the colors of TMB/TWIN.

As always, a battle knows several moments, and this one didn't escape the rule. Despite advantagous numbers, the Imperial side suffered early setbacks, thanks to skillful duelling, smart terrain utilisation and a good alternance of tactics on the Rebel side. Imperial Special Forces ended up mostly on a one on one basis, against well prepared opponents. Kudos.

The tide turned however as Imperial forces became more focused and remained grouped. The repeated tactics became more obvious and cohesion was the winner of the day.

An interesting, but short, balanced moment occurred with Rebel reinforcement arriving, which gave place to squad movement, coordination and maneuver. This phase, turned to the Imperial advantage, which had acted more coherently as a group earlier. Rebel special forces didn't have time to adjust to one another and the tactics were visibly messier.

Finally, trench warfare developped as more Imperial forces arrived, helplessly outnumbering Rebel forces, which stayed within a safe distance from the line, as Imperial forces neared the Restuss spaceport. This state of affair surely evolved after that, but TMB/TWIN eyewitness accounts are lacking. Good job everyone, especially our own, but also to all participants.

Restuss Chronicles (II)

As the Galactic Civil War continues, so does the participation of TMB citizens ! On Sunday 4th and Monday 5th, TMB elements took part in the daily confrontation. During these epic moments, a valiant general (Rebel) Knine killed (twice) Private Pagott before finally falling under the saber blades of colonel Hull, while on another episode, enemy airstrikes took down a TMB element - not before his first kill of the day.

All in all, with the modifications brought by the current update / chapter, GCW should experience a renewal of officers with the generous collection rewards in place. In this context, it should come as no surprise that colonel Hull's assiduity on the battlefield be rewarded by a promotion to general this coming Thursday with the GCW. All hail.

Restuss Chronicles

On Saturday May 3rd, 2008, a 6 men strong Imperial squad built around our city's very own Colonel Jed Hull and Private Tarn Pagott drove a 6 men strong Rebel Special Forces on the run for two hours, while suffering minimal losses.

We would like to laud the good teamwork on the Imperial side, but also, the brave fair-play of the Rebel team, assaulting our forces with perseverence.