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LucasLaughing

[SoNE Ep IV] Sector E - Command and Conquer

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If we're going to re-take our base on Sullust, it's vital that we secure the command post. To do that, our troops will need to fight through to the heart of the base, potentially giving the rebels time to escape. We need another way in.

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There are hundreds of miles of tunnels and old lava tubes forming a labyrinth under the surface of the planet. The odds of randomly finding the right one are extremely low.

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There is a vast amount of machinery dedicated to keeping our Sullust base habitable: air filters, purifiers and exchangers connect with miles of ventilation shafts and pipes to keep the air breathable.

That’s good news for us; machinery requires maintenance, which means access hatches and schematics. Because we’re breaking into our own base, we can pull up the complete schematics from the Imperial archives. It doesn't take long for us to find a way in.

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As I follow Crash (the origin of his nickname is a whole other story) into a rift, I'm trusting that he's able to decipher the complicated diagrams and schematics. We walk through the pitch-black lava tubes, illuminated an eerie red by our optics; Crash leads the way at several tunnel junctions, and after about 10 minutes we arrive at a pressure door. So far, so good.

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We pass through the pressure door, and shimmy our way down a pipe. I'm thankful for the upgraded Shadow Trooper armor - I don't think I'd want to do this in a regular Stormtrooper outfit.

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As we reach the bottom, we find ourselves in another cavern. The tight spaces filled with pipes and the loud, low rumble of nearby machinery remind me of my first tour, on the Vigilant.

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Crash says it's not totally clear from the schematics, but he's pretty sure nothing horrible will happen if we pop open this maintenance hatch without turning off the machinery first.

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Once again, he's right, although it takes both of us to pull the hatch free. I follow him into the airduct, and then immediately wish I hadn't. Straight ahead is a double-bladed, industrial fan. Crash says not to worry. The trick is to take off our helmets, drop them down with our weapons, and then inch along on our bellies until we reach the next duct. No worries...

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Crash makes it. My turn.

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I want to clarify that the look on my face isn't fear; the lower blade is actually sucking the skin on my face downward, while the upper blade pulls my hair up. It's only a few feet across the shaft, but it's a long few feet.

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Finally, we make it into position. It looks like the rebels are using escaped prisoners to help guard the halls. They must be stretched thin, trying to cover as much ground as possible before our reinforcements overwhelm them.

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Imperial troops have entered the base.

We're carrying slug-throwers. They're much heavier than blasters, and they carry far less ammo, but they can be fitted with sound suppressors.

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When we open the door to the command center, we catch the rebels totally by surprise.

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They assumed they'd hear a blaster fight if anyone tried to take out the guards in the hall.

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We neutralize the armed prisoner, and put the rebels in hoods and binders. It doesn't look like they had much success slicing into our systems. I keep an eye on the door while Crash logs onto the main computer.

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Something about the room feels wrong, and as I'm standing there it hits me: whoever killed the tech at this duty station must have been standing right about where I am.

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And the two Stormtroopers were killed by blaster fire from inside the control room. As Crash uses the computer to lock down the doors and get the security cameras back online, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I think the attack on Sullust was an inside job.

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Once again, this turned into a larger and more sprawling build than I first intended. This time, though, it is more interconnected. All the pipes and caves that look like they attach in the pictures actually fit together. UPDATE: here are some pics of each individual level.

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Surface

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Upper lava caves

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Lower lava caves and ducting

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Halls and command center

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This seriously couldn't be any better :wub:

Also if this was an inside job, you have my blaster.

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Yep, agree with Mr.Man, couldn't be better, especially as it's an Imperial build! The underground stream looks especially good.

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I really like your build, but an overview of the whole build would be preferred though.

The thing with the BURP turned around looks great!

About the inside job, yes there were a view men still loyal to me who owned me a favor and enjoyed sympathy for the rebellion.

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Wow. This is some of the best minifig posing I've seen in a long time. Great job!

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Excellent story, and you've made a ton of scenes tho portray it. My favorites would be the seam in the surface, the facilities below ground (the blue and yellow subterranean equipment) and the final command center. Great job!

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I really like this, you seem to have a knack with rocks and the surface level is great! Nice story too, looking forward to finding out who the traitor (or hero? :wink: ) is!

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Are those bullet holes in the wall behind the dead storm troopers? If so, that is awesome. The layers are great. Good way to make the most of different color bricks

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Thanks for the comments and feedback everyone!

This seriously couldn't be any better :wub:

Also if this was an inside job, you have my blaster.

Excellent - we'll need all the help we can get once we track down the traitors.

Yep, agree with Mr.Man, couldn't be better, especially as it's an Imperial build! The underground stream looks especially good.

Thanks, I was really happy with how the stream turned out!

I really like your build, but an overview of the whole build would be preferred though.

The thing with the BURP turned around looks great!

About the inside job, yes there were a view men still loyal to me who owned me a favor and enjoyed sympathy for the rebellion.

Well, I guess now we know who to track down :devil: . Thanks for the compliment, though! :classic:

Wow. This is some of the best minifig posing I've seen in a long time. Great job!

Thanks! I did a dumb thing and tiled the whole hall before I decided where the minifigures were going to go, so then it was a bit of work going back and fitting in jumper plates :hmpf_bad:

Great story. You really make it come to life. Good work :thumbup:

Excellent story, and you've made a ton of scenes tho portray it. My favorites would be the seam in the surface, the facilities below ground (the blue and yellow subterranean equipment) and the final command center. Great job!

This is amazing, the story is just as good.

Thanks guys! The story-telling aspect is one of my favorite parts of SoNE, and definitely something I'm enjoying.

I really like this, you seem to have a knack with rocks and the surface level is great! Nice story too, looking forward to finding out who the traitor (or hero? :wink: ) is!

Thanks! The rocks took quite a bit of work and rebuilding, but I'm happy with how they turned out. And don't worry, I'm sure the identity of the traitor will be discovered soon :devil:

Are those bullet holes in the wall behind the dead storm troopers? If so, that is awesome. The layers are great. Good way to make the most of different color bricks

Thanks! Yep, those are supposed to be blaster holes on the wall behind the troopers. I had to do the layers because I ran out of dark bley bricks, but I ended up really liking how it looked :classic:

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You always succeed in bringing the best of building and the best of storytelling together. This is sublime, very captivating. It's almost as watching a movie. Only thing it needs is a soundtrack full of suspense. Next time, maybe try to make a video?

Nonetheless, let me highlight some of the beautiful aspects of this achievement. First of all, the build. you managed to get the best out of every location, bringing in some nice variety in your build. Moreover, every level has its distinct feeling. The top feels very barren, and you made excellent use of the studs and the amazingly shaped layers and holes. Even the colors surprise me, and those technical parts stand out pretty well, although a little bit more detail on those would make it more of a focal point. You didn't even need any fancy rockwork for this. Still, you wanted to give us some rocks, and those on the second and third level are just right. I especially like the almost hot and pressing atmosphere of the black level with all those boilers, pipes... exactly as a dark engine room should look like. The lights really help, but some more tints of red would bring that feeling even more forward.

Luckily, the next level offers some cooling with those fans and water. I like the diversity, and the different changes between the scenes. You go from surface to cavern perfectly, and from cavern to base. Only the black cave ends rather abruptly in the grey one. You tried to smooth it out a bit with those blocky black bits in the grey level, but maybe slope pieces or wedge plates would have made for more of a gradient.

The ultra-clean look of the base somehow manages to deliver real suspense. The smoothness, the grills, the angled walls, the detailed doors, the consoles... you understand how to build an Imperial base at its finest. Not sure what that extra room with the studded floor is supposed to be (some kind of prison cell?), but it doesn't seem in place. But it's quite surprising that it contains some detail and doesn't seem to be left out completely. Still, as was the case with the black caves where you hid the battery box, I really like how everything in this builds fits together to make one consistent build! But let's praise that hall some more. The shape of it is really nice, and the few pipes make it look fantastic. It's nice to see you continued those motives into the control room with the nicely shaped door (with extra details that you can barely see on photo) , tiles and grills, and even some nice little details like that Rebel datapad plugged into the computer.

It's impossible to sum up everything that's great, so let me say that everything is awesomer. My congratulations with everything. With the build (there are some flaws, but somehow they don't bother me), the way you've captured it, and the way you've enriched it with a story. I agree that it brings your build to life and that it's a very important factor. And you managed perfectly. I'm in awe.

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Excellent build & story LucasLaughing! :thumbup::wub:

I really like the shapes & colors on your surface section, and the layered plates around the stream. Excellent minifig posing as well!

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You always succeed in bringing the best of building and the best of storytelling together. This is sublime, very captivating. It's almost as watching a movie. Only thing it needs is a soundtrack full of suspense. Next time, maybe try to make a video?

Thanks! The idea of a movie is tempting ... I do have a little brother who does music composing ... maybe this summer when I have time off work!

[...]

Not sure what that extra room with the studded floor is supposed to be (some kind of prison cell?), but it doesn't seem in place. But it's quite surprising that it contains some detail and doesn't seem to be left out completely.

Good eye! That's actually just a bit that ended up unfinished when I ran out of time :look:

[...]

It's impossible to sum up everything that's great, so let me say that everything is awesomer. My congratulations with everything. With the build (there are some flaws, but somehow they don't bother me), the way you've captured it, and the way you've enriched it with a story. I agree that it brings your build to life and that it's a very important factor. And you managed perfectly. I'm in awe.

Thanks a lot! Reading comments like yours definitely inspire me to keep building, and make the (many) hours of work worth it :blush:

Excellent build & story LucasLaughing! :thumbup::wub:

I really like the shapes & colors on your surface section, and the layered plates around the stream. Excellent minifig posing as well!

Thanks LegoFjotten! I'd been looking for an excuse to use my small amount of dark orange for a while, so when I read that Sullust had a surface with colorful rocks, I knew I was in luck :classic:

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