Why shouldn't the Senate have its own toaster? Should we just starve here while discussing politics? And did I show you the film projector yet? It's amazing! Combine that with our radios and we could broadcast the Emperor's image and voice all across the Empire!
((Outside Jerusalem))
(Over the phone)
"Sir, the legion has arrived in position. Intel has detected large fortifications protecting much of the city. The wall is strong enough to deflect any conventional bombardment, but we have found a weak portion of the wall that we can break through."
"The Rebels are alerted to our presence. General Melissenos was hasty in rushing towards Jerusalem."
"He...He felt surprise was wiser—"
"He is as clumsy as he is stupid. General Dalassenos, prepare your troops for a surface attack. Let's put these new tanks to good use."
"Yes, sir."
(line cuts off)
The rebels crouched in their trenches, breathing in the dry desert air. Their rifles and gyro-guns ((Gatling guns)) were ready, pointed at the thick dust cloud gathering in the mountain pass that Rebel Base Masada guarded. For several minutes, there was only silence. Just when some rebels began to doubt the claims of the message sent that morning saying that an imperial legion was on the way, there was a loud WHUMP. And another one. And another.
There was a screech as several shells shot over their heads, slamming into the thick walls making up the base's fortifications. Rebels scrambled to man their anti-artillery defenses, but with the dust cloud still there they could hardly aim. The artillery bombardment continued for a whole five minutes, with shells landing at random all across the base. Men screamed as they were blasted to pieces or slashed by shrapnel. Whole sections of the wall simply crumbled under the assault.
And then it was over. The rebels got up from where they had been hiding, confused. Why did the Empire stop shooting at them? They warily manned their positions again, and some peered into binoculars, hoping to see through the dust cloud.
There was a shout from one rebel division when they spotted something move. A shadow appeared in the billowing dust, large and menacing. It slowly advanced through the dust, accompanied by the sound of a large whirring engine. More shadows appeared behind it, similarly shaped and similarly moving. They emerged from the dust cloud simultaneously, revealing their dark metallic bodies and heavy treads. It was a large metal beast, with guns sticking out of the side and the top.
"Fire!" shouted a rebel.
The rebels opened fire, unleashing a deadly hailstorm of bullets and mortar shells. Plumes of dirt erupted at the feet of the tanks, and rocks and soil exploded where mortars impacted the ground. But those bullets and shells that did hit the tanks simply bounced off with a solid THUD.
The tanks returned fire with their cannons and gyro-guns. BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM. The gunfire repeated itself methodically and constantly, decimating the rebel ranks. Men screamed as rounds slashed through their limbs and chests. The tanks fired their cannons, and the trenches exploded. Men went flying, while others toppled to their deaths when the walls supporting their platforms exploded and fell away beneath them. It was an utter massacre.
After one minute, the tanks' guns fell silent. Nobody in Masada returned fire. There was nobody left alive outside to shoot the Empire's troops. Imperial infantry marched up from behind the tanks, ready to storm what remained of the fortress.
Some rebels desperately rushed to the communications room, trying to alert Jerusalem to the attack. "Masada is under attack, repeat, Masada is under attack!" shouted one before he was shot in the back by the first Imperial trooper to enter the room.
General Ioannes Dalassenos, flanked by ten Imperial troopers, stormed into the room, ruthlessly gunning down any resistance with his pistol. "Secure the compound," he ordered, "Find the hostages before they move them to Jerusalem proper. Minister Doukas will have your heads if we fail to find her brother."
))
