Cayden woke up and looked next to him.  He saw Maroy, one of her lekku wrapped around his arm, the other twitching with each of her breaths.  He leaned over and kissed her forehead, smiling as his lips touched her warm skin.  He began to unwrap her lekku from his arm when he saw her eyes open.  He smiled and said "Good morning."

"Morning, Cayden. How's my favorite commander feeling today?"

He smiled again.  "I'm fantastic... I was just about to..." he started before being cut off by his datapad.  He ignored it, continuing his thought.  "I was just about to..." It went off again, and he ignored it again.  "I was just about..."  It went off a third time, and he grabbed it and read it.  His face turned white after the datapad fell out of his hands.

"What happened? What's wrong?"  Maroy sat up and looked at Cayden with concern.

"Onderon has captured Bimmiel with minimal resistance..."

"Cayden... that's terrible... I'm sorry." She wrapped her arm around him and tried to comfort him.

Cayden smiled weakly at her, then looked at the datapad again.  "They surrendered after 12 hours of bombardment from orbit.... none of the ships were ordered to engage, lest they be taken out by superior firepower..."  He looked at Maroy again, this time his face cold as stone.  "I have a job to do... the Forensis Incendia is on her way to pick me up now."

He stood up and started to grab items out of his chest when Maroy's left lekku touched his forearm.

"Cayden... let me come with you..." she said, pressing her body against his.

He looked deep into her eyes, then said "I can't... I have to do this on my own... plus, the squadron needs a commander in my absence.  As of right now, effective immediately, you are acting-squadron commander."  He threw on a black shirt and tucked it into his pants.

Maroy sighed and kissed him softly on the cheek.  "Be careful, Cayden... the squadron isn't the only thing that won't be right without you..."

He turned to her and smiled.  He kissed her lips gently, then said "I won't be gone too long... I'll be back when you least expect it..."

He slammed the trunk shut and grabbed his M-590 and a blue over-shirt.  Emblazoned on the left shoulder of the shirt was the patch for Bimmiel Military High Command.  He kissed Maroy one last time before stepping out the door.

He walked over to his desk and grabbed a packet labeled "Leave".  He ran out the door and flagged down a cab.  The cab stopped several feet from him, and he hopped in.

"Naval High Command, and step on it!" he said to the driver, putting 500 credits into his lap.

The driver smiled and said "Hold on, sir!  We're going to be going extra-fast today!"

The cab raced away from the barracks, heading towards the main city.  They passed many large buildings before coming to a stop in front of a large, ornate building.

Cayden hopped out of the cab, gave the driver another 500 credits, and told him to wait here.  He ran up the stairs and entered the building.  Cayden stopped inside the main foyer of the building.  Cayden had only been inside the Command building only twice: once, when he was assigned Squadron Commander of Regents, and again when he was reprimanded by 1st Lieutenant Drac for the stunt he pulled on their last mission.

He saw the turbolift at the end of the hall open, and he quickly walked towards it.  He stopped inside the lift and pressed the button for the 5th Floor.

The lift stopped after what felt like an eternity, and he quickly walked out and headed towards the 2nd Fleet Commander's office.

He was about to reach for the door handle when the secretary stopped him.

"I'm sorry sir, but he's in a meeting right now," she said in a high-pitched squealy voice.

"Oh, well... can you give this to him for me?" Cayden asked, handing his leave packet to the secretary.

"Why certainly, sir.  I'll make sure the good Lieutenant gets this as soon as possible," she said, smiling as she grabbed the packet.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said, smiling back.

Cayden went down the turbolift and walked back to the cab.  He stepped inside and said "Abrae Maximum Security Prison, please."

The cab zoomed off to the outskirts of the city.  They passed several large plantations before coming to the prison.  It towered most of the landscape, it's battlements piercing the early-morning sky.

The cab stopped in front, and the driver asked "You want me to stay here again, sir?"

"Not necessary... I have a ride coming to pick me up," he said distantly.

He walked up the stairs and opened the large doors.  He stepped inside and immediately felt the cold, nappy air hit his skin like a ton of bricks.  He quickly put his overshirt on, pulled out a hat from his pocket and put it on his head moments before a guard approached him.

"Can I help you, sir?" the guard asked, pointing his weapon at Cayden's mid-section.

"Yes, I need to see the warden regarding a prisoner transfer?" he asked in the most monotone voice he could muster.

"Alright, the warden's office is just this way," the guard said, waving him to follow.

The two of them walked through the prison hall, the poor lighting illuminating it just enough for them to see the next light ahead of them.  Cayden looked around him and he thought he could make out people in the cells around him.  He noticed one man knawing on a bone... "Sir, you don't keep cannibals in here, do you?" he asked suddenly.

"I'm not at liberty to say, sir," he said, looking back at Cayden and winking.

Cayden looked at the man in the cell again, then back to the guard.

They continued walking down the hall when an arm lashed out and grabbed Cayden.

The guard swung around and struck the arm with his, nearly snapping it in two.

The prisoner retracted it's arm quickly and uttered a cry of pain.

Cayden took a step closer and looked at the prisoner and recognized him.  "This is one of the surviving crew members of the Silence, isn't it?" he asked, looking at the guard.

"He was... until the madness set in.  Some fall faster than the others..." he said, grabbing Cayden's forearm.  "Come on, sir... the warden's office is just ahead.

Cayden took another look at the Reshie crewman, then continued following the guard.

They finally reached the warden's office, and Cayden saw a small, chubby, balding man sitting behind a deck.  What surprised him, though, was the young blonde in prisoner clothes in front of the desk.

"Warrant Officer Tavers!  Please do come in!  I was just having a nice little chat with former Lieutenant Rollan," the warden said, standing up.  The older man walked over and shook Cayden's hand.

"Yes, speaking of the Lieutenant... I'm here to pick her up, actually.." he said, pulling a folded-up sheet of paper out of his pocket.  He handed it to the warden, who took it hurriedly.

The warden read the paper slowly, then sighed.  "Guard, remove the Lieutenant's restraints immediately... Mr. Tavers shall take custody of her immediately."

"Thank you, warden.  Now, Lieutenant... you're still... you, aren't you?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She smiled and said "Yes Commander, I'm still me."

"Good, now... follow me, Lieutenant.  You have a job to do."

"And what is that, Commander?" she asked, following him out into the hall.

He stopped and turned around.  "You're going to help me save Bimmiel, Lieutenant... then, you're going to tell me everything you know about the New Republic and her allies," he said, his voice dark and grave.

She hesitated, then saluted.  "As you wish, Commander."

"Good, now... the Forensis Incendia should be waiting outside for us right now..." he said, opening the door for her.  He noticed it was raining heavily, and looked up into the sky.  He saw his ship waiting above and smiled.  "Lieutenant, I give you... the Forensis Incendia!." he exclaimed, running down the stairs.

He and the Lieutenant stopped underneath the ship when a bright light shined above them.  A ladder reached down to then, and Jayda began climbing up.  Cayden looked around and saw a shadow move quickly across a nearby field.  I didn't just see?  No... it couldn't have been... he thought, staring off into the field.

"Oi!  You coming, Commander?" a familiar voice called out from above him.

Cayden immediately looked up and smiled.  "Indeed, Captain Brodi!  Ready the ship for immediate jump into hyperspace the second we break atmo!" he yelled up, smiling wider than ever.

"Aye aye, sir!" Peter called back enthusiastically.

Cayden looked into the field again, then climbed up into the ship.

The Forensis Incendia exited the atmosphere and entered hyperspace for Bimmiel.

=== Abrae Orbit, 2 hours later ===

A Bothan Assault Frigate, the Ashley Clearwater, exited hyperspace over Abrae.

"Colonel, contact the Regents Barracks, and inform XO Maroy that we're in position and prepared to send down a shuttle to pick them up," Alpha 38 said, moving towards the forward viewport.

"Yes, Alpha 38.  Sending transmission burst to Regents holoreceiver now," a female voice said from the ship's intercom system.

"And, Colonel Clearwater?" Alpha started.

"Yes, Alpha?" Ashley asked.

"Commander Tavers has told me much about you... I am confident that you will do the job with 115% efficiency," he said in a pleasing tone.

"Thank you, Alpha... that was quite a positive statement from you," Ashley responded, the ship's monitors turning a light shade of pink to indicate embarrassment.

OOC:

WC: 1631

Alrighty Regents... that's quite a bit to digest...

I just ran off to fight a war...

Alpha 38 (organic machine thing from Devils... Monsters...) has arrived to pick y'all up.  Ship has AI of my dead girlfriend...

and... Maroy is in charge until Cayden mysteriously appears out of nowhere... maybe...

So... yeah... Maroy has your orders... she'll post them in her next post... maybe... hopefully...

Welcome... to Infiltration of the Damned



Oh yes... sticky this AFTER Avalar posts on Comfort for the Discontented.

As Michele listened to Maroy give out mission orders, she wondered where Cayden had run off to and hoped he would rejoin with them soon. While Maroy was a very good friend, and a good XO it wasn’t the same without their SC. As she wolfed down the remainder of her breakfast, she watched everyone from the corner of her eye. Some seemed tense; she also didn’t fail to notice that Sarah didn’t look too happy. She could read concern, anger and frustration on the young woman’s face. As she got up to head off to her quarters, she gave her surroundings a final sweeping gaze before hurrying off.

When she finally reached her small room in the barracks, she only took the time to grab a few weapons and ensured everything was in order before heading out, but as she passed by her dresser something made her pause and drop her duffel.  On top of her dresser were a few personal items, some of which were photographs of her past. As she stared at them she recognized the shipyard she had worked at which brought back a few fond memories but what really made her pause was the family photo she had in plain view. Her mother, MaryAnn was smiling down at her; she had been very small at the time. About five or six years old, her father Avery was looking up at the camera with a wide, toothy smile on his grimy face. As she thought for a few minutes she remembered the moment faintly, a family friend had brought Michele to go see her parents at work and had brought a holo-camera with her and snapped a few pictures. Michele had wanted to help her parents but all they would allow her to do was hold lightweight tools and have her hand it to them when they were needed. With a final deep, longing sigh she picked up the dropped duffel and made her way out, only pausing to look over her room one last time making sure everything was as it should be.

As she started off down the hall she stopped briefly at Sarah’s door and debated whether or not to disturb her preparations and find out what was troubling her, right then and there she decided she would try and figure things out. Sarah had gone through a lot of trouble to help her out, and even though she knew that Sarah had only been doing her job she thought it wouldn’t hurt to return the favor. Sometimes keeping things to oneself wasn’t always a good thing.

As soon as she knocked she heard a moody “Yes, come in” and wondered if she was doing the right thing after all.

                                   

---

As Sarah finished her meal, she quickly made her way too her quarters. She wasn’t too happy about the news Maroy had given them…A very short time ago Cayden had almost gotten himself killed and soon after receiving bacta treatments to treat his numerous fractures, he was off again and she didn’t think it was a good thing that he was going off alone, without going to see her first and get a final check-up or something. He had just…Rushed off as though getting banged up was something of a regular occurrence! While it was true that the man seemed accident prone, she wished he would be a little more careful, he could get seriously injured one of these days. As she kept thinking about all the bad things in the world that could happen, she heard a knock at her door which brought her brief pause. “Yes, come in” she said sighing deeply as she neared the completion of her packing.
When she heard the door open she wasn’t sure whom to expect but she was pleasantly surprised to see Michele standing in the doorway.

“Ah. Hello, Michele. How are you feeling?”

“Good thanks. I had actually come because I was a little worried about you”

“Oh?” This had come as a surprise, not many people had expressed too much concern openly in the past so this was new to her.

“In the mess hall, when Maroy informed us of Cayden’s absence and as we were given our orders I observed some changes come towards you and wanted to know if you wanted to talk about it? I’m not trying to play reverse psychology or anything of the sort with you, but sometimes it’s good to talk to someone about what’s on your mind- even if you are this crew’s Naval Surgeon…”

Sarah couldn’t help but smile, she had helped out Michele a short while ago when they had gotten back…It had been the young woman’s very first mission and emotions had come over her which was to be expected from new Pilots.

As she beckoned Michele have a seat on her bunk, she told her everything…How Cayden hadn’t come and see her to ensure he was in good form to leave, which wasn’t what bothered her the most, but she as truly concerned about his safety. “He seems to manage to get into scrapes pretty easily…”

“I hear ya but unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it now. For one thing he’s gone and I’m assuming he’s been gone a while since the time we first got our orders in themes hall.  And from what I’ve seen of him…He doesn’t seem to listen to you very well so even if he was sick or something I think he would still have gone off to do whatever it is he’s off doing…”

“You’re probably right…Come on, let’s go down to the hangar, I want to know how you’ve been since I last saw you. You seem much better, composed and almost stone-faced which is a nice change from all that post-mission stress you had been under.”
                               

---

With that both women left the room and proceeded down the halls towards the hangar, chatting amicably but what remained unspoken were the questions about the mission which popped into their heads. What were they getting themselves into now? What would the outcome of this mission be? Would Cayden meet up with them at some point or were they going to be without their SC for the whole duration? Was he going to come back to them unscathed…?

OOC:

WC:1056

Maroy jogged over to her quarters and closed the door behind her, mulling over the orders Cayden had left for her. A training session with a Special Forces team... that should be pretty interesting... She grabbed her duffel and began packing a spare change of clothing and a few toiletries. She was about to put in a sock when she realized it was a bit heavy. She slowly pulled out a piece of metal and looked at it silently. It was a small fragment of a ship's hull, and she could still make out a dull, worn Rebel Alliance insignia on it.



The Brightlands, fifteen years prior

Maroy's uncle stumbled and nearly fell, but she reached up and pushed as hard as she could to keep him from falling over. He slowly straightened back up, grabbed Maroy's hand, and continued his slow, limping walk. By now the scorching hot stone and sand had completely burned away all the nerves and outer skin on the bottom sides of her tiny feet. The five-year-old Twi'lek girl had long since stopped crying- all the spare moisture in her body was completely gone.

A hoarse, moaning cry came from one of the elders ahead of them. "I think I see something up ahead!"

Maroy strained her eyes, and noticed a small but bright glint in the distance. She took off towards it, not minding the bloody footprints she left in a trail behind her. She tripped over a loose stone and fell onto her face, leaving a deep cut down her cheek. She ignored the pain, lifted herself up, and kept running. As she got closer, she realized there was more than just one glint; there was at least a dozen. And they weren't glints, they were starships.

She crawled closer, trying to get a better look at them. They were practically shredded, with many of the sides missing panels and small holes in the roof. She finally reached the nearest one, and noticed a faded but prominent crest occupying a large portion of the side panel. It looked somewhat like a trident, painted a deep crimson. There were no signs of life... or death, for that matter. The ship was completely empty, except for several large containers labeled as 'food', 'medical supplies', and 'water', and a small datapad. She grabbed it from its place on the empty seat and attempted to read it.

"Crashed. Looking for... help. On... root for... colonee."

She turned around, and saw the rest of the surviving members of her extended family coming toward her. She yelled as loud as her small lungs would let her.

"Water! I found water!"



Maroy sighed, and placed the metal fragment carefully back into the sock. I forgot I still had that... and now I remember why I hid it in the first place.

She quietly packed the rest of her things, threw the bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the room. The rest of the squadron's probably waiting on me... I should have set a better example. I should have been a better leader.

She pulled out her comlink and signaled the Ashley Clearwater.

"This is Maroy. Regents is standing by for your shuttle."

[[Acknowledged. The shuttle is on its way now.]]

She jogged faster, barely paying attention to the people she bumped into. She finally came through to the squadron's hangar, just as a shuttle gracefully descended down inside it. She did a head-count, and confirmed that everyone but Cayden was there. She stepped forward in front of them, and told them to stand back as the landing ramp descended. A woman strode down to meet them.

"I'm assuming you lot are Regents squadron, judging from commander Taver's detailed description of your XO. Lieutenant Colonel Corinna Brodi at your service. I'll be piloting you all up to the Clearwater. Right this way, please."

They boarded the shuttle one by one and took seats in the back. Maroy made sure everyone got on, then walked in herself. She was about to go sit down with the rest of the squadron when the Bimmiel pilot motioned her over, a slight smile on her face.

"Maroy, if you don't mind, I'd rather have you up here as my copilot. I'm not sure flight con was particularly happy with our sudden appearance."

The Twi'lek chuckled. "You'd think with all the stuff Cayden's pulled they'd be used to it. I'll be with you in a sec."

She shoved her back into an empty seat near the front then entered the cockpit. The controls were fairly standard, and the Bimmiel officer handled them like an expert. Maroy switched on the comm.

"Tadath Control, this is shuttle Clearwater 2 requesting permission to depart."

"Clearwater 2, this is Control. Permission granted, but stay on the designated flight path this time."

"Will do, Control. 2 out."

She glanced over at Corinna. "You didn't use their flight path?"

"Not exactly. They wanted me to go around the long way, and apparently didn't appreciate it when I cut over the Navy's airspace. It's okay though, I didn't hit anyone. Too hard, anyway."

Maroy grinned in reply, then strapped herself in. "Well, let's do it right this time. Pre-flight is all green."

The shuttle's engines roared to life, and the craft backed out of the hangar and shot out into the air. They followed the designated exit vector, and circled around to meet up with the large cruiser floating above them.

"Isn't she incredible? Our engineers have been spending the last few months practically rebuilding her from scratch. I think you'll be impressed with some of the modifications."

Maroy sat silently as the slightly menacing Bothan Assault Frigate grew closer and closer.

OOC:

WC: 948. The action's coming, I promise. Feel free to post more CD, and interact with some of our NPC squadron mates a bit.

Ashley watched Alpha 38 through the security cameras and smiled internally as he almost bumped into Major Calfan.

She navigated her center of concentration to the holonet and began surfing.  She stretched herself out into the net, searching for something.  Finally, she found it.  She found the internal security feed for the Forensis Incendia, and began remotely taking over the security cameras of the ship.

She switched through the ship's cameras, searching for the Captain's Quarters and stopped when she came up on the mess hall.  She saw Cayden sitting at a table with Captain Brodi and sighed.  She didn't realize she was broadcasting back on the Ashley Clearwater, and quickly shut off her end of the intercom.

She watched him finish up a sandwich and leave the mess hall.  She quickly thought on her feet and, utilizing the ship's internal sensors, she projected a 3-D holoprojection of herself onto the Forensis Incendia.

She ran off after Cayden, turning left into the hall.  She saw him climb down a ladder, and followed him to the deck below.  She watched him slowly enter the Captain's Quarters, and followed him to the door.  She looked up at the camera posted outside the door, then found herself inside the room.

She saw Cayden sitting on the bed, holding something in his hands.  She slowly walked up to the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder.  She knew he couldn't feel it, but it was all she could do.

Cayden looked up, walked over to the port-hole, and just stared out into the hyperspace tunnel.

Ashley walked up next to him and quietly said "It's going to be alright, Cayden..."  She looked down at his hand and saw that he was holding the Onderonian Medal of Valor he gave her before he disappeared.

Cayden's ears perked up and turned to his left.  He saw Ashley and nearly broke down into tears.

Ashley frowned, and tried to increase her energy density.  She increaed it to the maximum setting and touched Cayden.  She placed her left hand onto his cheek and smiled, a tear running down her face.

Cayden felt the tingle of static electricity on his face, and placed his right hand on her face and smiled.  "Ashley?  Is this really you?" he asked, tears starting to stream down his face.

"Yes Cayden... it's really me," she replied, smiling back.  She reached down and grabbed his left hand and held it tight.

"I thought you had died back on Csilla?" he asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I did, Cayden... the scientists on Bimmiel managed to save my neural imprint on my dogtags.  They plugged me into the Bimmiel Main Computer and offered me two options.  I could become an AI and serve on one of our battlecruisers as a software upgrade.  Or... I could hope they could make me a new body, and live again.  I knew the statistics of the latter, the success rate.  So, I chose to serve as an AI.  I knew I wouldn't be able to be with you again, but... at least, this way, I won't ever have to worry about being unable to see you again."

Cayden stared at her, then turned away.  "Do you have any idea how many times I almost killed myself?  How many times I've almost killed everyone on my squadron?"

"Cayden, I'm sorry... I really did want to be with you again... I still do..." she said, digital tears falling down her cheeks.

"Ashley... I met someone... my XO, actually..." he said quietly, walking over to the bed and sitting down.

Ashley stopped crying and looked at Cayden, anger burning through her subroutines.  You met someone? she thought, sighing.  At least you're happy...  She walked over, sat down next to him, and placed an arm around him.  "What's her name?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Senior Chief Petty Officer Maroy Caeli... she's a twi'lek from Ryloth," he said, looking at Ashley.

"A twi'lek?  That's an interesting change for you... seeing how you never really cared for their species in the past," the AI said, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, well... the time I've spent in the Chiss Prison Camp, as well as with Regents, have softened me to non-human species... especially twi'leks.  I've been relying on Maroy heavily the past couple of weeks... as well as the squadron medic... been injured several times the last couple of missions... especially the last one.," he said, sighing.  "We should have never accepted that mission..."

Ashley reached over, grabbed Cayden's hand, and squeezed it tight.  "Cayden, it's not your fault.  Missions go sour from time to time... you know that."

"But it didn't go sour... not until I gave the order to take a DP-20.  Everyone in my squadron, except for me, was deeply affected by the New Republic crewmen they killed.  I never even fired a shot at them... I was already injured from a missile hit on my fighter... so, I was immediately sent to the medbay, and forced to watch as my fellow squadron members mentally deteriorated."

"But Cayden, you can't have known that.  No one could have... I doubt even they knew it themselves," she said.

Cayden looked at Ashley and said "I know... but, it's my desire to endanger my life that caused them to become emotionally traumatized.  That's partially why I'm having Colonel Brodi, her team, as well as Chief Master Sergeant Bowman's team, teach them the basics about ground combat.  The exact same stuff you and I learned in the Onderonian Royal Academy all those years ago."

"Cayden, don't you think that you're pushing them too hard?" Ashley asked concernedly.

"I know I am... but, it's either that, or they mysteriously be insanely skilled warriors," he said, squeezing her hand.

Ashley was about to respond when she heard Alpha 38 ping her.  "I have to go, Cayden..."

Cayden looked up at her face, the first time since she entered the room, and asked "Duty calls?"

She nodded and kissed Cayden lightly on the cheek.  "Be careful, alright?  I don't need a dead Commander," she said, smiling.

Cayden smiled back and said "Will do."

She stood up and saluted.

Cayden stood up and returned the salute.  "Be good to my people, alright?  They're important to me.  And if they ask anything about me, anything at all... answer them honestly."

She smirked and said "Of course, Cayden."  She smiled at him one more time before retracting her hold over the Forensis Incendia's security system.  She switched her view to the bridge of the Ashley Clearwater and projected herself onto the bridge, in front of Alpha 38.  "You called me, Alpha?" she asked.

"Yes.  Regents Squadron has arrived in Hangar 2.  I would like you to go greet them and send their leader to me," he said in his menacing mechanical voice, bulbs on his head fixture flashing with each syllable.

"I shall send her up here immediately, Alpha," she said, smiling.

OOC:

WC: 1160

Alright, so... I stalked myself...

Maroy, Ashley is meeting you in the hangar and taking you to the bridge, where you'll meet the captain of this grand vessel.

As for the rest of you... to the barracks!  Excet for Sarah, she goes to the medbay...

>_>
<_<

have fun!

Maroy stepped into the turbolift and looked around. The deck configuration appeared to be more or less the standard for a Bothan Assault Frigate, but it was obvious that almost everything had been ripped apart piece by piece at least once. Looks like the Bimmiel engineers don't particularly like factory standards... And if the upgrades I've seen so far are any indication, they've got every right to tear this ship apart. Ashley stepped in with her, and the door closed. Noticing the weird aura around the woman, she guessed that she was a hologram of some kind.

"So are you the real Ashley Clearwater? Cayden told me you'd been killed."

Ashley looked at the Twi'lek. "How do we define real?  As something we can feel?  Then, no... I'm not the real Ashley Clearwater.  But, if we define it as something that has existed at some point in time and space?  Then, yes... I am Colonel Ashley Clearwater of the Bimmiel Navy."

"How do I explain this? Hmm..." She leaned on the wall and smirked. "When I was brought back to Bimmiel, I wasn't completely dead. The medics on the Etere Videum resuscitated me long enough to download my entire consciousness, using the same machine used to separate Cayla's consciousness from Cayden, into the Bimmiel Super Computer. They offered me a new physical body, but I refused. I knew I could never be with the man I love again by doing so, but... by staying as a program, I can do what he cannot: I can watch over all of Bimmiel at all times."

"So I guess that means you still love him..."

The AI noticed that Maroy was starting to get uncomfortable and said "I do... but, I also hear that I'm not the only one..."

"Yes... I... I love him. A lot. But at least three people have gotten hurt because of it..."

"Maroy, do you know why he had to leave this morning?"

"No... he wouldn't tell me."

Ashley smiled and said "He's going to save himself... from himself. He's been at war for too long... if it continues, he'll end up killing himself. So, he's gone to end it. For good, this time."

Maroy chuckled. "Of course, he's gotta be the big hero and go off by himself... wouldn't be Cayden if he didn't."

The AI smirked again and said "He always was the noble one... willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the universe. He's..." A digital tear ran down her cheek. "You're very lucky to have him, Maroy... very lucky indeed."

The turbolift stopped moving, and the door slid open. The Twi'lek and the hologram stepped out, and Maroy immediately noticed the large robot occupying the center of the room.

"Executive Officer on the bridge!" It called loudly, swiveling its head to face the turbolift.

Maroy stepped out of the turbolift, and saluted the robot. "Officer Maroy reporting as ordered."

The old machine looked Maroy over and said "The Commander chooses his subjects wisely." He then swiveled his head forward and said "Prepare to jump to lightspeed!"

The stars stretched out past the forward viewport, and the ship jumped into a swirling multicolored tunnel.

"You requested me, sir?" The Twi'lek asked tentatively.

"Correct.  The Commander has left specific instructions as to the nature of your training."

"And those instructions are..."

"To train Regents Squadron to be soldiers, to work together in perfect unison, and to ensure their mental well-being," Alpha said, turning to Maroy. "Detailed instructions have been placed in your quarters, Colonel."

Colonel? I guess Cayden went ahead and signed me up for the Bimmiel navy... I'll have to talk to him about that when he comes back. "Thank you. When will our first training session begin?"

"Your first training exercise will commence in one standard hour," he said, turning to Ashley.  "Alert Colonel Brodi and her team.  Get them suited up and prepped for training."

Ashley nodded, then disappeared. "I'll go and get the squadron ready, if I'm not needed up here."

"One more thing, Colonel."

"Yes, sir?"

"A message from the Commander has arrived and been transferred to the terminal in your quarters," he said in a rather happy tone.

"I'll make sure to read it, then. Thank you for your time, Alpha."

"No, thank you Colonel.  Go prepare your people for training," he said, turning back to the bridge, his last line sounding depressed-like.

Maroy looked puzzled for a second, but nodded and re-entered the turbolift. Going down it seemed to take forever, but eventually it reached the deck where the Regents were being accommodated. She sent a quick datapad message to everyone telling them to be ready in 45 minutes for training, then found her assigned quarters and booted up the terminal. She accessed her Holonet messages and pulled up the only unread message.

The image came up and Cayden was sitting in his quarters. "Is this thing on?" he asked. An off-screen voice said "Yes, sir. That's that the red light here means."

"Are you sure?" Cayden asked.

"Yes, Commander. I'm recording. And transmitting, actually, so..." the voice trailed off.

"Oh, we are? Well then... Maroy... Oh how do I explain why I left? Well... Bimmiel has been invaded, that much you know. What you don't know, is the nature of this mission you're going on. Arraj is home to a criminal organization that could potentially threaten the supply lines of the Vast Empire, due to it's close proximity to VE Space. You all have been given temporary ranks in the Bimmiel Military, save you.  You have been commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel under my command. Congratulations, Colonel. Now, you might have noticed the orders packet on your bed. It details what you are going to be doing for your training exercises while on the Ashley Clearwater," he said before an alarm went off. "Proximity alert?  Oh dear... Maroy, I'll send you a message later, alright?" Cayden smiled. "I love you... and good luck."

Maroy grinned, and switched off the terminal. "Busting a criminal organization, huh? Shouldn't be a problem for a bunch of fighter jocks with little squad experience... which is the whole point of this training." She switched off the terminal and looked around. Still have over half an hour to kill... might as well take a tour of the ship. She opened the closet to hang her spare uniform up and noticed the blue jumpsuits already hanging up. Were these someone else's quarters or something? She took one down to look at it, and noticed a small slip of paper fall from it. She picked it up, read the hand-scrawled message, and smiled. "Thought since you're part of the Bimmiel Military you might want one of our uniforms... just in case. Love, Cayden."

She slipped off her TIE uniform and tried on the Bimmiel uniform. It was very comfortable for a uniform, and she decided to keep it on. Fits perfectly... all snuggily wuggily... She eyed the insignia of Colonel with a bit of pride. I haven't done anything worthwhile to earn it, but it sure is pretty.

Maroy unpacked the rest of her bag, then walked out into the hallway. Bringing up the deck plan on her datapad, she decided to go inspect the second hangar. She strolled off towards it, noticing with some satisfaction the few salutes she got from the low-ranked crewmembers running around. She reached the hangar and stared wide-eyed. He never mentioned we were going to fly Chir'daki... This is going to be amazing.

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WC: 1254

As Michele paced around her quarters, her datapad let out a shrill beep. Walking over to where she had left it, she took hold of the device and read the message that was displayed.  As she closed the message, the look on her face said it all. Entering the small bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror and frowned at her reflection. Her flight suit wouldn’t do; it was great for piloting but she didn’t find it fitting for what they were in for. As she walked towards the closet, she wondered if there would be anything in there that would suit her needs. Sliding the door back, she spotted a few jumpsuits in a corner and a pair of military boots on the floor. She didn’t touch the jumpsuits however she did take the boots. Placing them at the foot of her bed, she rummaged through her things and found what she thought suitable for training: a fresh pair of socks, a pair of military fatigues and a muscle shirt.

Before heading out the door, she looked back and wondered if she was forgetting anything or needed to bring anything that hadn’t been mentioned in the message she had received;  after letting these thoughts torment her for a minute or so, she decided to push her luck  and left without taking anything extra with her.
Entering the turbo-lift, she took a deep breath and waited for it to reach deck 1. She figured that one of the lower decks was where their training would be taking place, if it wasn’t going to be one of the hangar bays it would surely be the cargo hold.

After searching for a few minutes, she finally located what she had been looking for. She had finally strolled into the cargo hold and saw a group of people whom appeared to be the ones that were to train the Regents.

                                       

---

As Sarah finished her inspection of the medbay, her datapad caught her attention. It had been vibrating so hard that it would have fallen off the examination table had she not caught it in time. Quickly scrolling through the message, she sighed resignedly, put everything she had taken out away; made sure everything was in its rightful place before going out the double-doors and down the hall to the bank of turbo-lifts. As she waited for one to come up and the doors to slide open, she wondered what kind of training she should expect and if there were going to be any casualties during these sessions. 

Upon hearing a set of heavy footsteps approach, she turned around and saw Avalar walk towards the turbo-lifts. Sarah refrained from launching into any conversation with her; instead she simply studied her squadron-mate. Avalar looked somewhat troubled and unhappy, she also seemed deep in thought which was made apparent went the turbo-lift doors opened and Sarah stepped inside, leaving only Avalar who remained standing in the hallway.

“Avalar?” Sarah queried questioningly. Looking up with a start, Avalar noted the waiting lift and hastily stepped inside.
As the turbo-lift made its way to the lower decks, they stood waiting in what seemed  like a heavy silence. When the doors finally opened, both stepped out into a seemingly deserted hall and made their way towards the cargo hold where people

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WC:558