Flashback - Ministry Of Preservation Base of Operations - Republic Medical Station Hope’s Vision

”There is a bit of a problem with the Ministry, Captain…” The young Director spoke.

“A problem, Director?” Arianna asked, her eyes focusing on the young officer in front of her.

The Director walked over behind his desk and tapped a terminal, a hologram of the station appearing.  “It appears that we are running dangerously low on supplies and equipment.”

“Shall I return to the Virulent Glory to spearhead a mission to acquire the necessary supplies and equipment, sir?” She asked, preparing to grab her communicator off her waist.

“Negative, Captain.  I need you to return to Abrae and continue your mission of analysis and reporting on the state of the Vast Empire,” he replied as she seated himself behind his desk.

“Director… Cayden.  If I may… You and I both know that the Vast Empire is a bust.  At best, it has only a few months before it collapses in on itself.  My time will be better served assisting the Ministry with the day to day affairs and commanding the Virulent Glory instead of commanding a squadron for a dying government,” Arianna said firmly, grabbing her datapad instead of the comm device.

“I understand that Arianna… Believe me, I do.  I made the decision to abandon the Empire three years ago in favor of assisting Onderon in its time of need.  If I wasn't here with the Ministry, I would have returned to serve.  But… It is an institution that I believe can help this galaxy, same as the Ministry.  And I need you there to determine if we can work alongside them into healing this broken galaxy,” Cayden replied calmly, smiling at her.  “Believe me when I say this, Captain… I want you here with me.  I desperately do.  But you are needed more with the Empire than here by my side.”

“... Yes Director..” She replied slowly, nodding her head in affirmation.

“Excellent.  Now then… Anything new to report with the Empire, Captain?” He asked.

“Not much, Director.  Aurora Squadron is running low on supplies and equipment as well, so we will be performing a raiding mission on a nearby Rebel system,” she replied, watching him closely.

“Very well… Be sure to avoid civilian casualties.  I'm not sure that we can handle providing aid to another world, especially one suffering from an attack from the Vast Empire..”

“As you desire, Director.  No civilians will be harmed during the mission,” Arianna replied with a quick salute.  With a swift turn on her heel, she started to walk out before Cayden spoke up again.

“Oh, Captain?” He asked, prompting her to turn around.

“Yes Director?” she asked, facing him with a look of hope on her face.

“Take the [i]Virulent Glory with you as well.  I'm sure it would be easier to steal military supplies from a world that has already suffered an attack… Maybe, Riflor?” He offered, smiling widely at her.

“Sir… Are you suggesting…?” She started, flabbergasted that he would even suggest such a thing.

“Merely presenting an opportunity… Riflor holds no [/i]

Abrae - Aurora Squadron Barracks - Present

Arianna sat in her office in the squadron barracks on Abrae, reading through a datapad, several files and dossiers flashing across the screen.  She selected one and pulled it up on the projector on the wall, looking it over.  “Cadie Reese… Former executive officer of the 143rd Rhegeants Reign, renamed Regents Squadron.  Was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade following promotion to Capital Ship Service… Then demoted to Warrant Officer 1st Class following physical altercation with a superior officer.  Reason for altercation was refusal to obey orders, citing orders were questionable.  Investigation… Shows that orders were indeed questionable, however her reaction was unbecoming of an officer in the Navy.  Discharge overlooked due to longevity and details of service… Most of which has been classified.  Demotion from officer ranks to Warrant Officer, plus suspension for a duration of five months, deemed an acceptable punishment.  Following suspension period, Reese left the Empire to pursue a career as a privateer of sorts, occasionally lending her aid to the Imperial Army, namely to General Ayme Katash,” she read aloud as she smirked softly.  “She may be a bit of a troublemaker, but has valuable insight that is required for our next mission…”

Arianna tapped her datapad, writing a message out before sending it off to Cadie, sighing a bit before smiling at the holo-display.


===============================================

Vast Empire Official Messaging Service
From: Warrant Officer 1st Class Arianna Blaire
Recip: Warrant Officer 1st Class Cadie Reese (ret.)
Attn: Temporary Reactivation

Warrant Officer 1st Class Cadie Reese.  I do hope this message finds you in good spirits.  If not, then I do apologize for interrupting you.  However, I am in a bit of a pickle.  Due to recent events involving New Republic forces and several renegade cells of a terrorist organization, the Vast Empire has suffered a great many losses.

I am not, however, writing to request that you return to active duty.  Instead, I have an off-the-books mission in which your expertise as both a pilot and in the underworld would become quite useful.

I am more than aware of your service record, Reese.  It is part of the reason why I would like you to join us on this mission.

If you do wish to accept this mission, please report to Hangar B-22 on Abrae.  Members of Aurora Squadron will either already be assembled there, or will be in the process of assembling.  Our mission begins in 24 hours.  I do hope to see you there.

The best of luck,

Warrant Officer 1st Class Arianna Blaire
Squadron Commander of the 175th Vast Imperial
TIE Interceptor Squadron “Aurora”

===============================================


“Alright Reese… let’s see if you’ll be willing to lend me an assist…” she said quietly before grabbing her gauntlets.  She slipped them onto her hands as she walked out into the general common area of the barracks.

The young Squadron Commander made her way toward the bulletin board, looking over several postings of letters from Naval Command regarding various new regulations or reminders filtered down through the chain of command.  She smirked softly as she tapped at her datapad before posting an open request for an off-the-books mission, something rather uncharacteristic of her.


===============================================

From the Desk of Warrant Officer 1st Class Arianna Blaire
Commander of Aurora Squadron

Members of Aurora Squadron,

I am aware of the losses we suffered during our engagement with the New Republic and the terrorists.  We lost many fine officers, troopers, and pilots.  However, due to this, there is a wide-spread shortage of supplies and equipment throughout the Vast Empire.

In order to overcome this, we will be going on an off-the-books raiding mission against the New Republic in the nearby Riflorii System.

Since this mission will be off-the-books, we will be using personal gear, to hide our affiliation with the Vast Empire from the New Republic.

Gather your gear and assemble in Hangar B-22 within 24 hours, where a more detailed briefing will be taking place prior to departure.

===============================================


She read over the request several times before nodding.  She made her way back into her office to make sure she had everything she needed before heading back to the bulletin board.  She read through the request again and smiled to herself, humming faintly.  With a quick turn, she walked out of the barracks and began making her way towards the hangar bays.


Abrae - Hangar Bay B-22

Arianna walked out into the hangar, her emerald green eyes gazing up at the Lambda-class Shuttle, smiling a bit at the thunderbolt flanked by two wings emblazoned on the side.  This was her shuttle.  Her shuttle from her own ship, the Virulent Glory.  With a bit of a giggle, she quickly walked up to the loading ramp, returning the salute of the pair of guards at the base as she walked up inside.

The young Commander opened a locker on the wall and took out a suit of armor, shedding her own uniform and stowing it away as she began slipping on the undersuit.  Arianna shivered lightly as the form-fitting suit slid on over her body, stretching out some as it bunched up under her chest.  After she got the suit where she liked it on her body, she began attaching the armor plates to the suit, starting with the pieces on her legs and working her way up.  After several minutes of donning the armor, she secured the final piece of her chest plate, smiling to herself as her gloved hand runs along the black and blue armor.

With a quick stride, she made her way down to the hangar deck and motioned to the guards.  “Come on.  I need to finalize preparations on the Virulent Glory before tomorrow,” she said to them.

“Yes Captain!” The both responded before walking up onto the ship.  A minute later, the shuttle took off from the hangar and went up into orbit.

OOC:

Alright ‘Rora!  Here begins our new story!  First few posts will detail the 24 hours leading up to the briefing, so do make your way to the hangar by the end of your posts.

Havock will be joining us in her old role of Tinker, so please afford her the proper courtesies and form of address when conversing with her.

Secondly, this story is purely for us to have fun and to jump-start activity!  So, I'm going to let loose the dogs of war and tell you all to have as much fun as possible… Just do keep it within the realm of possibility ;D

Lastly… I would like everyone here to also participate in the joint CD story on the Neutral Net with Direcat.  This will be the perfect opportunity for both of us to work together, not as supporting units, but as single happy family looking to have fun!

So come on!  Let's show the good General how we do it here in the Navy!

Trevor sat at one of the tables in the common area of the barracks on Abrae, rubbing his eyes. In front of him sat a steaming mug of caf and a data pad. He stopped rubbing his eyes and picked up his cup, blowing across it before taking a sip and setting it back down again. He ran a hand through his short hair and sighed, picking up the data pad. It contained a message from his second in command back on Nar Shadda, currently acting as one of the heads of a minor crime syndicate.



The message had come as a disappointment, as Trevor had been reasonably good friends with Jner Laitnes prior to leaving Nar Shadda. This was the second friend he had lost recently, after Tokijin had been transferred to a completely different ring. As far as he knew it was at her request that she get transferred, and that was what hurt him the most. He had spent a few days moping around the barracks being antisocial, before committing his spare time to the simulators. He had considered leaving, after all, there was nothing keeping him with the Vast Empire and he did have something to go back to. However, being back in the pilot's seat, under a command structure, and with people he could trust made him feel at home.

He was jerked from his thoughts when the door to the Commander's office slid open and the short, thin frame of Commander Arianna Blaire entered the common room. Trevor was off duty and did not jump to salute - not that he necessarily would have even if he had been on duty. She was too absorbed with the data pad in her hand to notice him anyway. Without a second glance she approached the group bulletin board and posted a notice to it, humming to herself the entire time. Pretty sure she doesn't realize when she is humming.

After Arianna had walked out of the room without acknowledging Trevor, he set his data pad down and pushed his chair out, standing and stretching a few pops and cracks out of his knees and back. In just a few long strides he reached the bulletin board and located the what the Commander had posted.



“Huh.” Trevor said aloud, reaching up and stroking the stubble on his chin. “Didn't see that coming.”

“Didn't see what, Lieutenant?” Came a fake, overly sweet voice from behind him. He turned slightly to see that Arianna had walked back into the common area and was looking at him. He couldn't tell if the sweet voice was supposed to be her way of flirting or if she thought she was somehow making fun of him, but it was a relatively new development and it was the best he could do not to roll his eyes at it.

“You doing something off the books, against the rules, without Vast Empire authorization. I mean, obviously if it had been authorized it wouldn't be off the books, and it's optional.” Trevor said, re-reading the posting. He glanced back at Arianna, who had furrowed her brow.

“It doesn't say it's optional.”

“True, but if it's off the books - as you say - that means you can't punish us for not participating.” Trevor said, the gears in Arianna's mind turning as she tried to figure out where Trevor was going with this. “And as far as I can tell it also means that any authority you have during the time period from the mission starting to the mission ending is formal only, and nothing that takes place during it will affect our permanent records.”

Arianna's mouth opened slightly as if she was going to say something, but she closed it along with her eyes and took a deep breath in and out. She re-opened her eyes and took a step toward Trevor, holding up a single finger. “Technically... You're right. But I actually was hoping you'd be able to help us out on this one. I know you're still in touch with your criminal friends and we might need some... outside resources for this.”

Trevor smirked and turned his back to his commanding officer as he re-traced his steps and sat back down in his chair, his back still to her. He picked up his caf and took a deep sip, then picked his data pad up and started browsing it again. Arianna clenched her fists and released them, not taking another step towards him.

“So are you in, or out, after that little speech of yours?”

“Oh, I'm in.” Trevor said, and Arianna's shoulders relaxed slightly. “But you owe me.”

“Owe you? Owe you what?”

“Don't know yet, I'll let you know when I think of it.” Trevor replied, knowing full well that he was playing dirty right now. He'd have gone along with it either way, but couldn't let her know that.

“Fine, I'll owe you one.” Arianna replied, trying keep herself from getting frustrated. “Get whatever equipment you need out of mothballs, I'll expect you on time.”

With that, Arianna slipped back into her office for a moment before gliding back through the common area and out of the barracks. Trevor let out a chuckle and began sending messages off, checking in with a few of his contacts in the area and giving Ms. Nona a heads up that he was going to be needing some resources in the Riflorii System.

------------The Next Day-----------

Trevor arrived to the hanger slightly later than he meant to. He was dressed comfortably for now in jeans and a plain t-shirt, but had a pilot's suit and helmet in one duffel bag and some lightweight body armour in another. Each bag contained an HSB-200 blaster pistol, a few packs of rations, and credit discs and identification with Trevor's photo and a different identifying name.

He spotted Arianna across the hanger in front of a shuttle with Arianna's insignia painted on it. Subtle. As he was making his way over to her, another shuttle landed in the hanger and unloaded. A flustered looking red head beat a path down the exit ramp and confronted Arianna. After a short conversation, during which the red head appeared annoyed and exasperated, she snapped an awkward salute. Trevor had just been within earshot to catch the final part of their conversation.

“Warrant Officer Cadie Reese reporting for duty. Katash says hello. Where do you want me?”

“Hopefully the same place as me.” Trevor said, dropping one of his duffels on the ground and extending his hand for a shake. Cadie flipped her hair back out of her eyes, and Trevor felt he caught a bit of an eye roll as well. She accepted his handshake though. “Lieutenant Trevor Evenson, usually Aurora 5. No idea what I really am today though. Already annoying the recruits, Bolt?”

“Not annoying, just trying to educate. I hope you're ready to go. You can throw you stuff on the shuttle, we don't leave for another hour so you've got a little bit of time to kill. Surprised you were on time for this.” Arianna replied, waving her data pad at the shuttle and at the bags the pair had. Trevor shrugged, picking up his bag and carrying both of them to the cargo hold of the shuttle.

Cadie rolled her eyes as the two new comers arrived at the bottom of the transport. She did little more than nod to them as they eyed her from their stiff position near the squadron commander. She didn’t know what to make of any of them. It had been years since she served actively in the Navy and nothing seemed to have changed. Everyone still used way too much starch to iron their clothes. Stiff, stuffy, frustratingly bureaucratic, that’s what she remembered.

She dropped her bag and ran her fingers along the underside of the hull. She could see the technicians working on the final preparations for their mission.

“Warrant Officer.” The crisp tones of her superior officer caused an instant involuntary sigh.

“Yes Blaire.”

The woman’s boots clacked across the durasteel as she took several steps towards Cadie. “Not to question you Reese, but shouldn’t you get your gear stowed onboard.”

Cadie turned slowly and nodded. “Yea, I’m on it Blaire.” She stepped quickly past the woman and made her way on board. The crew quarters were small, just as she expected. These boats were never built for the comfort of their crew.

The two men who had arrived before her were already engaged in some conversation which compared the amount of kills and the sizes of explosions they had caused. Typical pilots.

She dropped the pack on the nearest bunk and started to secure her gear, waiting to see what other interesting people she would meet on this vacation of hers.