The first to show their edge, of course, were twelve javelins bound with crystal bombs. These traditional weapons, seemingly from ancient times, suddenly shot into the sky like missiles and pierced the weakest part of the AT-ATs' armor: their undersides.
Ultrasound at a specific frequency triggered resonance along the seams in the armor. Only then did the restless crystal bombs unleash their deadly, frenzied force, as though venting their fury.
The violent explosions that burst beneath their bellies left the terrifying war machines momentarily paralyzed. The javelins, fitted with powered spirals, and the crystal bombs could indeed penetrate the armor of these extravagantly built war behemoths—even the armor on their weakest underbellies.
But the fierce blasts threw the connections between their "torso" and four sturdy legs out of alignment.
The Empire's iron war machines lurched like elephants that had twisted an ankle, staggering and tilting until their whole bodies began to lean.
The same thing happened beneath nearly every AT-AT on the battlefield.
As a result, two of the crooked walkers actually collided like a pair of drunkards who'd had too much to drink, then both toppled face-first toward the ground with a deafening crash.
But before that, the Sandfolk warriors who had struck their targets had already poured out from beneath the staggering steel giants. Like a pack of wolves shifting from stealth to the kill, they darted precisely through the Empire's tangled mechanical legs and attacked the armored grenadiers behind them.
At that moment, the AT-ATs' awkward gait, the boiling sandstorm and clouds of dust, and the explosions bursting all around them all served as natural cover for the Sandfolk riders.
Warnings flashed in Old Spear's ear, but this time they didn't come from his chief of staff. An electronic alert sounded instead: "Left flank engaged! It's an