The man in black looked him straight in the eyes for a long time and then turned and fled into the darkness.  What were the color of his eyes?  That was the only way he'd be able to tell Corsec who killed her!

There was a hand and the vision became distorted slightly as he felt himself lifted to his father's waist.  Suddenly he was moving very quickly, past the dense foliage and through an oasis of murky water that threatened to pull them into its shallow depths.  Feet splashed, but the mind kept on the eyes.  Were they blue?  That had to be it...  Such a ferocious look in them.  What had he done?  And at the moment he heard a buzz and then a vicious slashing that was accompanied by a swift hissing.  He watched as he flew face first toward the ground...

Shazam sat up quickly in his cot, eyes open and body completely alert.  Light flooded into his vision and the walls were white again without shadow or lurking predators.  The room was quiet except for the gentle hum of the ship's engines and...

The SC turned his head, realizing the alarm on his holo was sounding and it was probably what had awaken him.  He slapped his hand down on a wide button below the display, and as he did so, something escaped him.  He thought, as he observed the plain walls and single chair in perfect solitude, that he would never be able to pull out exactly what happened in that dream...  He'd had it several times, never able to remember it upon waking because something else entered his mind before he was able to think on it.  The basis for interest behind it was only that he could not remember the dream, not that he felt it had any actual significance to him or his family...

A new sound entered the room and immedietly annoyed the pilot.  Again, Shazam twisted his head, still in a sitting position, and noticed his handheld blinking.  The SC remembered that he'd picked the loudest and most irritating to make sure he'd hear it; he still wasn't entirelly sure these little handhelds were the best...  But he couldn't argue with the staff, so he turned off of his cot, the blanket rolling off reluctantly.  His feet met the ground as if walking on a foreign planet, and then, deciding it was safe, he stood and yawned.  His arms stretched high above his head in a semi-triumphant look as if to say- 'I am man...  Hear my roar...'  This made the SC smile and without looking, he dropped his hand down on the handheld and clicked the received files button.  The password beep accompanied the click and then Shazam was going through the messages to find that he was to have been in the hanger already.

The man lifted an eyebrow and read the message carefully this time.  "Fifteen minutes ago?" he said softly to himself, glancing back to his alarm.  Did the holo wake him up?  He clicked the set backward and noticed the alarm time and actual time were quite different.  "Crap..."  He shook his head and began switching his sweat pants to the lower half of his flight jacket as he looked on.  Curious, he thought and threw on his flight jacket when there was a knock, at which he replied-

"YEA?"  Shazam undid his flight jacket, realizing that he'd forgotten his white shirt, a sort of tradition he'd began since he'd joined the Navy.  Warren Dimmias entered the room, first poking his head around the corner and then chuckling slightly, noticing Shazam's apparent frustration with his clothing. 

"I was sent to check-up on you.  Make sure you hadn't decided run off with that fine young thing from the command bridge..." He seemed freindly enough, or atleast he'd better have been trying to considering Shazam was now his commanding officer. 

Immedietly after Nar Shadda, he had decided this was going to be his home and he'd very much like to be apart of the group.  Shazam had thought that the adminastration would have turned him down out of policy, but to his surprise...  Well, he was there.  And within a few days!  That must have been some pirate crew he'd delivered, Shazam thought as he looked at the dark, cleanly shaven man.  But then again, Jaden was back as well.  Pilots were being traded like cards in a sabacc game and Shazam hadn't made up his mind on what he thought about it just yet.

"How perceptive of you..." He'd finally gotten the white shirt and was not replacing his flight jacket as he slipped his feet into his boots.  "Lets go..." Shazam's head popped out of the hole in the top of the shirt; he'd decided to ignore the indescrition this time and looked towards the doorway.  The SC's hair seemed to come together properly as his sloppy appearence transformed into the imperial officer look.  Warren stepped away from the entrance and waved the SC towards the exit as if to say," I incist..."  Shazam blinked hesitantly but then he let it go, deciding to not be so rigid with the new guy.  Not yet anyways...  Shazam strode through the doorway and took a sharp left; the lights in this corridor were white as well, but they only kept the paths lit well enough to walk on.

"So do you let your people in on whats coming up before hand?" Warren pulled up beside Shazam, a look of genuine interest on his face.  Shazam again noticed the spirit of an old imperial in the man...

"You can wait for the breifing my freind." Shazam grinned sheepishly and sped up his pace slightly; Japheth would ream him if he knew that he was late for a tranfer.

"Well maybe you can tell me what we're boarding?" Dimmias had met his pace and looked at Shazam with a confident look.  This must be what ex-officers are like...  That need for some kind of control...  It took less energy to feed the addiction, so Shazam said-

"The modified corvette Dronjo," Warren was about to say something but Shazam spoke again.  "And if you must know, Dronjo is the name of a favorite pet the captain had as a child...  Anything else?"  The SC stopped and met eyes with Warren, not sure if his reply was angry or just informal.  Shazam began his walk just as the other man said-

"I see.  I'll refrain from hacking you you up with questions.  If I can..."  Shazam could actually understood that but didn't say another word as the darker man began to speed-walk with him again.

*Hanger Bay- Three Minutes Later*

The two pilots made excellent time, running through a few hallways and narrowly missing the messhall manager, Lense, as he carried some special ingredients for the staff's supper.

Shazam turned his head about wildy looking for the rest of his crew as he was sure he was finally in the hanger bay.  Every time he walked into the place he felt an old comrodery, as if the room and he had a certain understanding. 

"Oh, forgot to tell you, some of the others are already over at the...  Dronjo?" He paused and looked Shazam in the eye.  Shazam couldn't help it and chuckled, noticing he'd indeed been a bit acidic with a simple questions.  The two looked out on the hanger bay and Warren continued.  "I didn't see them leave because someone needed to be sent to get you as soon as we exited hyperspace..." Shazam slapped the handheld into his other hand, a grimace on his face.  He'd promised he wouldn't be one of the 'lazy' commanders that he'd seen in the past.  This was only a minor transgression, but he didn't want to make a habit of it...

"Lieutenant Shazam!" Formallity...  Where? Shazam thought and turned to receive a man clad in all black who saluted curtly and stopped in front of him.  "Your squadron awaits you aboard the Dronjo..."

"Uh, yes...  Thankyou." The man who appeared to be in his mid twenties saluted again and Shazam returned it this time.  Interesting what the command staff has their new recruits do, he thought and turned to find the stairwell leading up to his fighter when he noticed Art.

"What are you doin here?  Thought everyone was gone..." Shazam yelled over the hum of machines and Art waved, smiling and then barelly retaining it as he said-

"Well, I heard that Dimmias had gone off to get you and I figured I'd wait for you guys..." Art screwed his eyes slighty and said to Warren as the two pilots met him after a moments navigation through the semi-hectic hanger.  " Next time, lemme know Warren, that way you can go with your assigned flight when they have to leave."  Warren nodded with folded arms.  Neither of them said another word, but Shazam sensed the slight tension.  But then again, Art was like that everyone, especially experienced pilots...

Shazam sighed deeply as both pilots left him and went up to their fighters in opposing ways.  Art took the stairs and Warren the lift, leaving Shazam scratching his head.  Wheres the chick from the bridge with some hot coco and a goodbye when you need her?  Oh yes...  He'd have his goodbye woman...  Then again.  That'd probably never happen in the way he imagined it, so...  Screw it, he thought and the SC made way for his fighter...


(Okay guys, not much revealed in this first post, but it leaves room for your first post.  Go on ahead and explain whats been going on since the last mission and how you get over to the other ship.  Remember, we're focusing on character developement.  I'll make the post where they pull out the guns and take us hostage, so just make them how you will when you see them on the Dronjo.  Les do it...)

 
-----------------------
*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/ESN Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) (=*FOCE*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:S] [DSM]

Art climbed the stairs in a hurry; his steps, while rushed, were in perfect precision timing.  As he made his way up the metal stairs to the walkway above, he thought about Dimmias.  The rest of the squadron seemed to like him but to Art, he seemed slimey and arrogant.  They were of a similar age, Dimmias at thirty-four was only three years older than Art.  However, they were two very different imperials.  Dimmias clearly was a fanatic, something Art did not respect in someone.  Art was a member of the empire but he had despised the emperor.  Art, while an officer and an elitist, also had class; this was something that had worked in his advantage on numerous occasions as a smuggler.  It probably also drove his rivals and associates nuts.  It seemed in the smuggling world, most wanted to drink, fight, and get laid.  Art despised that part of smuggling culture; in fact, he even felt rather sleazy when he paid his associates because he knew that money would be going solely to booze, strippers, and prostitutes.  It was not a dignified life, but clearly some enjoyed the filth and the vulgar entertainment.

That wasn't to say that Art hadn't had his share of that life.  As a young boy, he had been exposed to the filth and vulgarity of a smuggler's life through his father's small spaceport.  His father didn't ask questions, just accepted the money from those who wanted to land.  Ultimately, this lax attitude probably led to his death Art thought with disgust.  In hindsight, he recognized the dangerous game his father had played and with the wealth and elitism Art had developed, he had begun to look down upon the petty life of his family.  There is generally something shameful about scourning one's roots; but Art reconciled himself with the fact that his roots were far from being idolized.  Art craved order and sophistication; his belief in a rigid meritocracy based upon order, intellect, and character was one of the reasons he had joined the empire.  Or so he thought.  He wasn't exactly sure how he had ever ended up in the empire.  For lack of an explanation, something which humans despise, he created one.  It was certainly one that he believed.

Despite his views, Art was not arrogant or aloof.  His silence and indeed his internal bitterness may have made him seen as such but he did not consider himself above his comrades.  He looked down with disgust at the masses in general but because of their lifestyle and values more than who they were as people.  His views on life were rooted in elitism but he had compassion as well and cared for people.  The caring, however, was only limited by his immense distrust for people in general.  That was partly why he so despised Warren.  Not only was he slimey, he also didn't trust his friendly nature.  He seemed too friendly with his seniors; something an old imperial officer generally wouldn't be.  It didn't quite fit somehow but then again, nothing in life ever really did.  Perhaps that was the final purpose of life anyhow; challenges based on unpredictability.

Art made his way down the walkway and climbed into his fighter.  The officers of Nazgul were going to ferry their own fighters over to the Dronjo.  Art climbed down into the cockpit and sealed the hatch behind him.  He quickly started up the systems and strapped in, sliding his pistol into a new ankle holster that he had purchased.  Rather than storing his weapon in a compartment in his fighter, he wanted to ensure it was always on his body.  This over sense of security was alive and well.

The all clear came shortly and Art detached from the rack and made his way out of the hanger.  Shazam and Dimmias followed soon after.  The trip over was short and relaxing.  Being in the cockpit and cruising through space was something that Art had always enjoyed.  Enjoyment.  Enjoyment was something he hadn't had in a while.  Lately, flying had lost some of its charm.  Maybe Taylsha was right.  Maybe he was getting too old for this.  Then again, Warren was still flying and while Art hated to gave him much credit, Warren wasn't bad at what he did.

The flight ended far too soon.  Art docked and quickly shut down his fighter.  He climbed out and descended into the hanger to find the rest of the squadron.  They were standing over by the shuttle unloading their bags.  As he walked over to the shuttle, Art noticed that the ship seemed rather filthy.  Indeed, there was grease lying in pools and tools and parts scattered.  The crews were loafing around; some seemed to be at work but others were just standing around talking.  Someone needs to snap some discipline into these guys Art thought.  He collected his bags, saying nothing to the rest of the squadron.  With anyone else, someone would take offence at the lack of dialogue but the squadron seemed to have gotten used to his distant nature.  It's a pity they also have gotten used to Dimmias.

-----------------------
FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

Jack and his wife, Alexia, were now sitting in their cabin, discussing Jack's future in the Vast Empire.

"...and I don't want you to get killed, especially since Jason's on his way," Alexia said, referring to their unborn son.

"Alexia, I know that it's dangerous. And I'm torn between my responsibilities as a father and husband and my duty to the Empire," Jack replied.

"But we had discussed this before, Jack. I married you not knowing what I was getting myself into," Alexia said. "And it would be best for all of us if you left active service."

"I'll think about it."

"Jack," Alexia said, "I don't want you to go on another mission and end up dead in the cockpit of your fighter."

"I promise you, nothing will ever happen to me. Sure, I've been through rough times before, but I will be safe. Trust me."

Alexia just looked at Jack. "For how long? How long will you be safe?"

Jack was left without anything to say. "I promise you, Alexia, I will always come back from a mission to be with you and Jason."

"Jack, I love you," Alexia said. "I have always loved you. But with all of these missions, I feel like we're getting farther away from each other."

"We're not, though. We're always close."

Alexia then touched Jack's super battle droid right arm. "You've already lost your arm on a mission-"

"That was a psyco clone of a friend of mine that cut off my arm and replaced it. It really wasn't a wound from a battle," Jack said.

"It doesn't matter. If it happened once, it could happen again."

"I don't want to argue, Alexia. We love each other, and that's all that matters. I'll make you a deal - I'll take a leave soon. Then we can be together. Okay?"

"Okay," Alexia said.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," Jack said, feeling hungry.

"Let's go, flyboy," Alexia said as they walked out through the door.

(Nothing much, I know, but I figured I get a post in on this.)

-----------------------
Revenge is what holds this galaxy together. Without it, the universe would be a boring place.

------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Nebulax, Nazgul Squadron, Imperial Navy, Vast Empire.
XO/FL/SCPO Jack Nebulax/Nazgul 5 (2-1)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=) (=*SA*=) [SV] [VC:S]
Rep|Int/Rep Jack Nebulax/Rep: 4/Reporters-Interviewers/VE/VET
------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Jack Nebulax, third-in-command of the Auroran Defense Fleet (ADF) and leader of Nemesis Wing (Wing I)

The Petty officer entered the still dark mess hall, finding all the chairs empty and out of place. Nobody gives a damn. Flashed through her mind.

The kitchen was just opening for early morning breakfast. She had time to burn before Nazgul needed to get on ship so she had put on her uniform and went down to eat. She hadn't been able to sleep much this last week. Her lavender eyes had begun to show weariness as the black circles darkened day by day. She was the first one filing through the line, the food warm for once. She smiled at the cooks and followed with her usual "Yes please" and "No thank you's".

Jen faltered and gazed around the hall. Still, no one had come. Sighing, Jen shuffled to a chair in the far corner and dropped her plate down on the table. She chuckled as she shook her head, her hair still out of place. She hadn't cared to brush it that morning. Her food looked far from appetizing. Grimacing, she ran her fork her food and let it slide off the end, listening to the gentle rap as it hit her plate. Her head snapped up and eyes flashed toward the door, DJ had entered and was heading for her table.

DJ seemed to have an extra skip in his step. "Hey Jen! You ready for today's take off? Can you believe it! Another mission!!" He took the seat next to her, still beaming.

As he sat, she dropped her fork and what food she was playing with and smiled. "Hi DJ. Yeah, I know. I'm kinda happy to get out there and flying again." Her hands searched their way into her long, tangled hair and began to comb through, her fingers struggling to get rid of a knot. "This place is keeping me cooped up. There's really no place to go."

DJ shrugged. "I find this place relaxing after our last mission. I was glad to get back. So how are you doing?" A grin formed across his sharp features. "Forget to brush your hair this morning?"

"Ehh..yeah. I was in a hurry." She was staring down at her meal, still laying in front of her.

"Heh, well, it definitely wasn't because of the food. It looks like you haven't eaten anything. You feeling alright?" DJ searched Jen with concern in his eyes, wavering over her posture and face. "You look beaten."

Jen's eyes cracked back to her surroundings. Her mind was wandering again. "What? I'm fine, I just haven't been able to get much sleep lately. Especially this week. I'll stop by the pharmaceuticals and pick up something for it."

DJ grabbed her tray and dumped it in a near by bin. "You sure? Do you want me to come with you?" He motioned for her hand.

She shook her head and pushed her body up from the chair. "Don't worry about me, DJ. I'll be ok." Jen smiled and turned for the door. "I'll see you on the ship."

"Ok, bye." He frowned as he waved, his hand pausing a moment before returning it to his side. Watching more people file in through the door opposite of Jen he turned around. "Oh yeah! Food!" There it was. The kitchen. Glittering before his eyes.

Her pace slowed as she moved through the halls. Jen ran a hand through her dark auburn hair and took in a deep breath. She still had a couple hours to get ready for the take off. Maybe time in a refresher was just what she needed. Smiling, she picked up her pace and headed back to her room. At the end of the hallway, her legs bounded up the stairs. Since the last mission she had been in a lot better shape. All that running had been beneficial after all. It was too bad the base didn't have a track.

*An hour later*

Jen stretched her arms as she stepped out from the refresher unit. She was feeling a lot better than this morning. Maybe today was the day that she'd start feeling better. Picking up her clean uniform, she ran her hands over it, making sure no wrinkles had formed on her suit and slipped it on. She was ready to head to the ship. Jen locked her room door and almost feeling in high spirits, made way down to her TIE.

Climbing in the cockpit was the happiest moment she had had that week. Jen had always loved flying, but feeling the controls for the first time in which felt like a long time, but really it had been only a week or so. She shrugged in her seat. "I must be getting really attaching to all this flying. Maybe that's why I feel so down."

Buckling herself in, she asked for permission to take flight, as she gazed through the frontal window. Her lavender eyes flowed up and down over the rows of TIEs the hanger, then they stopped at something that hadn't been there before. Dimmias had appeared. He was staring at her, an arm resting against his TIE. A small smile appeared across his lips, then disappeared as fast as it had come. Jen tore her eyes from his and squeezed them shut. One of her migraines seeped back and throbbed through her head. Suddenly, flight control retorted back through the comm. It was safe to take off. Opening her eyes, she shifted the throttle forward and blasted out of the hanger.
 
-----------------------
Jen Knight

As Darkness falls, Night unfolds ebon wings to wrap the world in its dark embrace...

Vast Empire Navy
XO/FL/PO1 Jen Knight/Nazgul 5 (2-1)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE(=*A*=)(=*SA*=)[VC:B]

Trevor leaned against the side of the passanger area on the shuttle. He didn`t feel like sitting down at the moment. Tokijin was quietly drawing something on a notepad, but she was the only person Trevor could see. He wasn`t really paying attention to what was going on around him, which was something he rarely did. The other pilots where probebly playing a game of sabbac or something, but he didn`t bother to go check it out. The last time he had been aboard one of these shuttles was when he had been captured, along with a few other pilots from the Hussars.

Trevor was near the back of the group being led aboard the prisoner shuttle. Where they were going, he didn`t know, but he knew it wouldn`t be good. Apperently the others knew this also, and they had planned something in their cell before they were taken to board the shuttle.

First, Reaper tripped over his own feet. As the guard that was leading him started pushing him up, Szar snapped the handcuffs he had on and picked up his guard by the throat, using him as a shield. The other guards had pulled thier blasters and were shooting at him, but he had excellent control over the now dead man`s body. He was hit once in the arm, but didn`t care at all, shrugging it off.

In all the commotion, Trevor had stepped 'out' of his handcuffs, so they were now in front of him. He had managed to sneak up behind one of the guards, and threw his arms around the guard`s neck, strangaling him with the chain. When the man hit the ground, Trevor picked up his blaster and held it towards the last guard.

This man wasn`t quite sure what to do, with an angry trandosian approaching from behind, having a blaster pointed at his head, and a man near by who could do any number of things since Szar had broken his chain as well. He proceded to faint into a lump on the floor, which the trandosian kicked, but otherwise ignored.

"We got hit in our arm." Szar told Trevor, speaking in regular trandosian style, refurring to himself as more then one person. "Come on, we must go capture the shuttle." He finished with a hiss as he snapped Trevor`s chain and ran up the boarding ramp. A scream was heard from inside, and a man`s body was thrown out of the shuttle, past Trevor and Krey. Both pilots ran up the ramp after Szar, and into the cabin.

When they arrived, they found one man dead already, and another held up against the wall by the throat.

"He won`t give us the clearance code for takeoff, so we are chocking him until he decided to tell us." Szar said with a grin. The claws on his left hand were drenched in blood, and he was really enjoying himself.

"Fine, fine! I`ll give you the Damned code!" The pilot said. Szar released his grip, and the man fell into a heap on the floor. "Its 2904. Now let me go."

"Nope..." Trevor said, shooting the man twice, then draging his body out of the cockpit. Szar pitched the co-pilot out of the cabin, and then took the controls.

"This is prisoner transport zero-nine-two. Requesting permission to take off. Clearance code 2904." Reaper said with his best impersonation of the now-dead Bespin prison pilot.

"Zero-nine-two eh? Well, acording to my list, that is not only the wrong code, but your not suppose dot lift off for another few hours. You guys running ahead of time? Please give me the correct clearance code and why your leaving early, or I`ll be forced to send in some security." The control tower replied.

"Shit..He lied to us!" Reaper yelled in frusteration, and Szar let out a low hiss.

"Well...Who says we need clearance....why don`t we just leave?" Trevor suggested.

"Because, we will have a few squadrens of planetary fighters all over us before we get out of the atmosphere... Thats why. O well, Its worth a shot.." He said as he hit the accelerator and lanched off the landing pad.

"Zero-nine-two, Return to landing pad immediatly or I`ll send out a squadren of planeta-". The control tower was cut out as Szar ripped the comm system from the control panel.

"Was that really nessicary Szar?" Trevor ask with a shrug.

"He was annoying us. You know we hate to be annoyed. It makes us angry." He said, returning the shrug. Then he laughed. It was a rare thing to see a trandosian smile, and rarer to see one laugh.

Trevor was shaken back to reality before he could finish the memory.

"Trevor, you comeing? We`ve landed." Someone told him.

"Huh? What...O yeah, Ok." He replied, as he hurried off the shuttle. He stepped into the corvette`s bay, and looked around. It didn`t look very fancy. There was oil puddles on the floor, tools out of place and strewn about, and messes of parts covering the floor. It reminded him somewhat of the `Menace. It must be what all under-staffed corvettes looked like. Although this one didn`t quite seem under staffed.  There were crews of techs all over, some working, most not. He could have sworn he saw a group of techs sitting at a work bench playing sabbac.

*** In the room ***

When they had arrived in the room, Trevor had again stayed a bit back, but after standing alone for a while, decided to go see if any conversations would interest him. He walked passed DJ and Jack, who were in some light conversation about different sports. They had just started talking about kaduu riding when Trevor arrived.

"Yeah, those guys are crazy. I could never strap myself to one of those things. Flying TIEs is one thing, but...well, I guess TIEs are more dangerous, but its still stuipid." DJ said, scratching his chin as he spoke.

"I`d have to agree." Trevor said, jumping into the conversation. "We are pretty crazy. It might seem like a dumb thing to do, but as long as you know what your doing, your fine. They are pretty crazy things though."

"you`ve ridden them?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, but I was refurring to the TIEs." Trevor said, a grin quickly spreading accross his face. He grabbed a chair, and joined in the conversation.

A little while later, They were shewed off to the breifing. Trevor had protested, but to no avail. They left the room and headed to the lift, then off the lift to the ampitheater.

They had been waiting a while andnothing happened, until Shazam started to ask a question, probebly about when the breifing would start. A bunch more guards had appeared, and one had his pistol against Jack`s head. Another had his rifle pointed at Toki, and the rest were guarding the doors, weapons trained on the squardren.

Trevor didn`t really do anything. What was going to happen, he sure as hell didn`t know, but there wasn`t anything he could do about it. He let out a sgih and put his feet up on the chair infront of him.

When one of the guards mentioned to pair them up and put them in cells, Trevor nudged DJ.

"Hey, wanna be cell mates?" He wispered then laughed quietly. DJ returned his laugh with a bit of a silly grin, before a guard got mad at them.

"Shut up. Both of you!" the guard said in a harsh tone.

"Are you going to make me?" Trevor said smugly, taking his feet off the chair infront of him, not really thinking about whether or not the guard would make him.

"Yep." The guard replied, and with that, he hit Trevor in the back of his head with his rifle. Trevor fell forward and hit his head on the seat infront of him. He fell to the ground, and he heard from somewhere nearby someone yellign at the guard.

"You know your going to have to carry him now..."

"O yeah..Damn.."

He grinned to himself and was out cold.

-----------------------
FM/SCRW/Trevor Evenson/Nazgul 3(1-3)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=*A*=)

(before the transfer and capture)

The YT-2400 emerged from hyperspace, flying on a docking course with the Atrus.  Before he could punch in the docking codes, TIE fighters were swarming around him like a nest of angry hornets.  Once he communicated with the ship, they escorted him instead of trying to find the best way to shoot him down. 

In five minutes, the freighter had gently touched down on the and Darius rushed down the ramp before it had touched the cold, steel deck plates of the shiny hanger.  Japheth was waiting for him, standing erect in perfect military form.

Darius immediatly stepped up and saluted in form, "Senior crewman Darius Pursius, returning from battle sir."  Then it came the cold, infamous stare. 

The young pilot stood about a foot taller than Japheth, and he had to look up slightly, but Darius appeared unphased.  In his mind, he was thanking his Lorrdian mother for the trait she had passed to him.

The two men made eye contact and the face did not bother Darius, it was something else entirely.  Some mysterious aspect that tugged at him, telling him that it is alright to break composure, and he almost did.  He was being teased, so when the seemingly forever silence was broken, he was relieved from some of the tension. 

"Do you realized I could remove you from the Navy for desertion," came Japheth's voice.  "You could go back to Kessel."

Darius was reading his commander's face now.  "Sir, you wouldn't do that."

"Why is that pilot."

"Sir, because number one: I'm needed.  Number two: it's not commonly your way of punishment, from my experience thus far in the navy."

Layren appeared next, pushing Baits down the ramp.  "Who's that?" questioned Japheth.

"Sir, that would be the New Republic commander, General Baits."

"Not him, her," he rebuttled, his voice solid and calm.

"That would be my wife, sir."

"You're not married."

"I wasn't married, until now sir."

By now, the medical staff and several stormtroopers had taken Baits into custody.  Layren stood there, hand on her hips, leaning on one leg, looking slightly distressed.  Japheth ignored Darius, walked around him.  He approached the man's wife, took her hand, and gently kissed it like a gentleman.  "Welcome to the Atrus, my lady."  He gave her a polite smile.

She pulled documents out of her back pocket and handed them to Japheth.  It was the assignment and position to the medical staff aboard the Atrus.  The commander turned and his icy glare returned.  He stared at the back of Darius' head as if he could burn a hole through just by looking.  "At ease pilot."

Darius turned around, still mostly in a strict posture.  He would always remember this day, when he faced and survived unscathed the commander's deathly stare.  Japheth continued, "you're lucky.  A spot just opened up."  As he finished, a shuttle took off and Darius knew exactly who was on it.  He had gotten rid of some bad history.

"Sir, my belonging were transfered back to the quarters I had here, correct?"

Japheth nodded and said, "Nazgul has been transferred to a modified corvette.  You'll be joining them, I'm having a shuttle prepared for you."

"Yessir!"  Darius sharply answered.

A droid came over and gathered Layren belongings out of Darius' ship.  "Come Layren, let me show you the medical facility you'll be working at," said Japheth and left Darius.  Layren gave a look to Darius and lipped 'I love you' to Darius before she turned to follow Japheth.  He replied in the same manner.

TC and R7 came bustling into the hanger, hauling boxes to be loaded onto the Forgotten Patience.  "You have the modifications and programs of the ship's droids that I gave to you?"

"Yeah, yeah, we gottum," TC acknowledged in a sassy tone.  Darius just shook his head, and laughed to himself, inside his head.

In fifteen minutes, Darius was in the shuttle and departed the Atrus.

(at the corvette)

The shuttle roughly landed in the small hanger and Darius scolded the pilot.  The young man who was quite wet behind the ears, flinched and closed the door and sealed him from the cabin.

Warren was there to meet him, and he gave him a firm hand shake.  "Nice to see you again."  He gave Darius a big smile.

"Same here," Darius uttered.

"Let me show you to your cabin."

"Hold on, I need to get my gear."  He came back with a massive duffle bag full of weapons and clothes.

They then went to a small, unkept cabin, and Darius unloaded.  He quickly set up extra security. Through motion sensor, if he wasn't in the room first, the intruder would be shot several time with a stun blast.  Trust was not an option for Darius when he jumped ships.

Next, Warren led him to the conference room.

Darius felt a little out of place, being in full uniform.  It had been a long time since he had worn it.  He was spoiled by his street clothes.  But, as usual, he had his armor on underneath, leaving out his bulkier articals though, such as his wrist lasers, and wrist rocket launcher.  He had also left his helmet and blaster rifle onboard.  In he safe that hadn't been opened in years until just recently.  He was just armed with his dual DL-44, a couple holdout blasters, and several vibroblades hidden all over his body.

Strapped on an convincing affable look and stepped into the room of awaiting Nazguls.  Toki jumped up excited and rushed up to Darius, giving him a hug.  He accepted it much different than he would have two weeks ago.  He was married now.

Not only had he not announced a few details yet, be he also tried to hide his left eye from he squadron members.  The scar would stay with him for the rest of his life, and he didn't know if his artificial eye would be noticable.  All would be revealed in do time.

"Where did you come from?" Jaden sat up smiled as well.

"Where did you come from?" He removed his instictive hand from the blaster, getting over the initial welcome from his squadron mates. 

"Touche," Jaden replied and decided to go up and shake hands with his old squadron-mate.

"We were to go to the breifing room once the squadron was fully-boarded, correct? Warren had crossed his arms and looked for someone to confirm it.

"I'll go ask the commander, Dimmias," Art replied, not adding the customary 'Lieutenant' to the title. 

"Very well, Lieutenant Arturus..." Warren replied indifferently.  That smug basterd, Art thought as the man replied instinctively.  To anyone else, it wouldn't seem like anything, but now Art felt the tinge of intelligent, and seductive argumentation.  This wasn't the place he decided and the Ensign turned curtly on one heel and began strode down the line of chairs until he reached Shazam.  The SC had his eyes narrowed slightly and when he looked up it almost made his old freind back-up.  Shazam relinquished the stare though and straightened up to reveal Jen from underneath his shadow.

"Yes, Arturus?"

"Darius has arrived.  The rest of the crew was wondering if we were to go to the breifing room..." but Art stopped as Shazam sighed slightly and nodded.

"Yes, we need to be going.  Let the others know,  Art..." Shazam didn't press his freind any longer as he turned and returned to the group.  As the ensign left them, he heard Shazam say-

"We'll speak about this later..."

"Start movin' people!" Art bounced his head and made the shewing motion with his hands, indicating 'skidattle...' 

"Already?  We've just gotten settled!" Trevor seemed to have be getting pretty comfortable with his squadron-mates so it did disappoint him to have to end it, but it was time to go.

"Sorry, gonna have to pick it up later guys." Art turned to see Shazam come from behind with Jen and they seemed intent on whatever was coming next, so he didn't think much of whatever they had been talking about. 

A groan could be heard from the front of the group as they filed out and took a right, striding down a white corridor that looked to be freshly painted. 

"Atleast they keep the interior looking okay," Art said and Shazam nodded with an 'mhmm...'

The group liked into the lift and still spoke anxiously as they began to rise, stopping almost as abpuptly as it began.  The doors opened once more and they were walking until they met a T-junction, taking the first left and then a quick right into a circular room with a holoport in the center. 

Darius was the first to enter with a fierce look at the guard in the corner who was covering the other exit in the back of the room.  The man clad in a dark grey uniform had a single pistol and paid Darius no mind as the rest of the group strolled in.  Nazgul Squadron filled the first two rows of the amphitheatre, everyone clustered pretty well.

The young pilot felt very uneased.  The faces of the guards were disturbing to the young man, though nobody else seemed to notice.  He cleared his throat, and his hands settled close to his blasters.

"There's gonna be a lot of downtime, I think..." Shazam said to Jack who was seated to his direct right.  Jen had gone up a row and to the left to sit with Tokijen.  Warren was the last person in, taking a seat next to the SC.

"Why?" Jack said as he fixed up his boot for lack of anything better to do with his hands at the time.

"Well, we havn't even entered hyperspace yet, and we're just about to start the breifing...  Then again, I forget where we're going exactly, so maybe it won't be so..." Shazam glanced to the far wall and then said-

"Where is the commander..?"  The door they'd entered from slid shut and Shazam noticed that two guards remained at the commander's entrance.  The SC craned his head backward to ask one of the straitlaced imperials from behind how long they'd have to wait when he noticed a greater number of guards then before. 

A single guard with a slightly freindlier look to him skipped the step in front of him and made his way to the center aisle.  Jack was sitting on the edge of the seat into the aisle with Art on the otherside and Dar on the far end.

"You have a question?" he said, leaning over Jack and peering at the SC genuinly. 

"Yes actually, I was wondering..." The guard's right arm slapped down on Jack's battle droid arm while his second arm flew forward, pistol in hand and pushing agsint the SC's temple. 

"Don't even think about it..." the darkened man from the far exit said as his pistol at him, eyes trained on both he and Art. 

Tokijin gasped and clutched both DJ and Jaden as a heavy rifle thrust into her deltoid muscle.  The remaining guards kept themselves at a distance with their weapons trained on whoever for whatever reason. 

"Don't do anything..." Art said just in case Darius was really thinking of making a break for it or throwing out some kind of secret move to stun the enemy...

He had briefly considered pulling his blasters, but not the fastest man in the galaxy could kill all of the guards without losing a friendly life.

"What do you want?" Shazam turned his head to the guard at his left.  The uniformed fellow said nothing as someone finally came in through the captain's door.

"Pair them off and put them in cells.  Each group gets plenty of coverage..." A sturdy man with the commander's uniform as well as his pistol appeared and directed orders to the man in the far right corner of the room. 

"Where is Captain Frazer?" Shazam said with supreme calm and almost child-like curiosity. 

"If your referring to the peice of imperial shit I cut apart myself...  Well, I think you get the idea..." the commander didn't look Shazam in the eyes but instead began to exit.

Darius was immediatly filled with controlled violent emotions.  Betrayal.  An absolute, all time hatred of his.  They would pay, and Darius would make sure of it.  His artificial eye began to bother him for the first time ever.  He ignored it.

"And you are?" Shazam felt the guards' hands on him as he asked it.  The commander didnt' stop but said-

"Death..."

In the next few minutes, Trevor was unconscious.  Shazam was paired with Warren, Art with Jack, Toki with Jen, Trevor with DJ, and Darius with Jaden.  They had all been unarmed.  The guards left Darius' armor on because they either didn't notice it, or thought it was going to do him no good.  He felt naked without being armed.  He cleared his throat again and the guard jabbed him in the back with the muzzle, "Get moving!"

(edit: little change in plans.  My ship is not going to follow the corvette)

-----------------------
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing. --Edmund Burke

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FM/SCRW Darius Pursius/Nazgul 2-2/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=)

(OOC: No blaster arm.  It's completely disabled mate.)
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

*Before they were put into cells*

Tokijin stood frozen. They were surrounded and Trevor had just fallen to the ground. She glared at the guard responsible and hissed, "Damn you!" The guard who had his gun positioned at her jabbed her with the nose of the gun. Hard. She grimaced but swallowed her cry of pain.

"You know your going to have to carry him now..." Another guard chimed in.

"O yeah..Damn.."

A thought struck her. A cell? She winced. Isolation filled 17 years of her life, and she didn't want to go back to that. She thought and looked at her surroundings and wiped under her eyes with a hand. She couldn't do anything. She didn't think anyone could do anything right now without putting anyone else in danger. She looked down and closed her eyes to think.

The guard that had his gun aimed at her noticed her change in mood and used the nozzle of his gun to raise her head and looked at her. "This gun's loaded you know." She stared at him with cold eyes. "I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you."  When the guard looked away she stuck her tongue out at him quickly and looked down at Trevor. Sighing heavily, she rubbed her side were the guard had hit her. Damn it all. She looked up and saw the guards were pairing them up. She looked at her friends and closed her eyes as a guard shoved her to move.

*In the cell*

Tokijin paced back and forth and Jen sat on the cot, eyes closed. She looked around the cell. She suddenly realized how tired she was. She sat down against a wall and closed her eyes. really should've slept while I had the chance. She looked over at Jen and noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

"Do you think anyone else's cells are around here?" Tokijin asked.

"I have no idea. You could try asking." Jen said without looking up. Toki glared at her and stood up. She went to the door and looked out the window. She looked up and down the hallway, a few other doors along the walls. There weren't any guards around for the time being and the only sound that could be heard was the constant sound of dripping water.

Tokijin studied the room and looked at the control panel by the door. She pressed a button and it made a beeping noise. She jumped and turned around arms behind her back, not knowing what she just did. She saw the vent on the celling and thought for a moment but then sighed. She was getting too frustrated. She reared back her leg and hit the wall with her foot as hard as she could. She sighed as her toes began to throb. And sat down against the wall.

Jen spoke from her place on the cot, "Don't hurt yourself." She looked up and rose an eyebrow.

Tokijin sighed and stood up. She couldn't feel her foot anymore. Where she had kicked the wall before there was a small crack. She kicked it again. Harder this time. A loud thump echoed throughout her cell. The crack got to be about three inches long. A guard heard the noise and banged on the door.

"Stop doing that!" He bellowed. Tokijin shrank away from the wall and sighed and just layed down on the floor, limbs out spread and she just stared at the celling.

"This sucks."

-----------------------
Nazgul Squadron

SC/FM Tokijin/Nazgul 11/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Denfensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=*A*=)

~ Tokijin ~

Trevor was just about to explain his plan with the cot to DJ when the door opened again. Four guards were at the door, each with a rifle pointed at one of the two men. They marched in and one man cuffed DJ, then Trevor, and they were both escorted out of the cell.

"Where we going buddy?" Trevor asked in a very mocking tone, Trying to make the guard angry.

"To the boss. Personally, I feel sorry for you, but then again, if you keep up your lip with me, I can give you a small sample of whats going to happen to you." The guard replied, pushing hte muzzle of his rifle deeper into Trevor`s back.

"Oh...I see." Trevor said quietly, suddendly realizing that this wasn`t good at all. He kept his mouth shut the rest of the way, as he was marched down hall after hall, until they arrived outside a room. From the outside, it looked the same as any other room. But as soon as he stepped inside, Trevor knew what was happening. They were being interogated.

There were plenty of guards in the room, at least fifteen, not counting the four that had escorted Trevor and DJ. In the center of the room there was a pair of chairs,one normal, and one with bindings on the armrests and on the legs, and Trevor was marched over to it, and told to sit down. His cuffs were removed, and the first thing he did was punch the guard that had made him sit down in the face. He was immidieatly knocked into his chair by a blow to the chest from the butt of a rifle and his hands and feet were locked into the bindings.

"Would you quit it with the clubbing! Can`t you just hit me insted?" Trevor told the guard who had hit him with his rifle. The guards only response was a nod, then a punch in the face to Trevor.

"I wasn`t serious..." Trevor said to himself, wanting badly to reach up and massage his jaw. The guard who had hit him turned around and stepped to the side as a new man came into the circle of light made by the rooflight.

"So, you are one of the pilots who my men have taken captive eh?" He asked Trevor in a heavily accented voice, but Trevor couldn`t distignush the accent.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Good. What is your name?" He asked, continuing the questioning.

"I won`t say a damn thing. You can`t get me to talk." Trevor said, and spit at the man.

"Ah, quite a fighter we have here. Well, maybe a little incentive would get him talking." The man said, wiping his face off with a hankerchief. "If you refuse to say anything..I could always...Cut off your testicals."

Trevor noticed that the man was smiling when he said this, and one of the guards had brought him a very sharp looking vibroblade.

"I think your bluffing...I`ll never talk." Trevor said, swalling his fear and continuing with the 'hardened criminal' approach to interogation. The man nodded and one of the guards stepped up to the chair, shouldering his rifle. He reached for Trevor`s fly, but
Trevor broke before the guard even touched him.

"Fine! Fine, I`ll talk." Trevor yelled, and the guard backed away. "My name is Trevor Evenson. I`m a pilot in the Vast Empire, and I do belong to the squadren which you captured today."

"Good, Good. Now, tell me about your girlfriend. Or are you single." He said, waving the blade around, reminding Trevor that he wasn`t screwing around.

"I have a girlfriend. She used to live on her parents farm before she moved in with me. We raised kaduu, and I rode in a small rodeo near our hometown. We don`t have any kids, and we are trying to sell my farm. We`re trying to get her up here with me." Trevor blurted out, trying to keep his composer.

"Alright, good. In your squadren, are you of a high rank?" He continued the barrage of questions, now pushing the knife along the arms of his own chair.

"No, I`m nothing important. I`m a senior crewman..Nothing big, like I said, but after our last mission there were supposedly some promotions pending, so that may change...If I make it back." Trevor said, hanging his head now, the truth hitting him hard. If he made it back. He might not make it back, he might die on this sorry excuse for a corvette.

"Alright, well, you`ve co-operated so far. Why did you join the Vast Empirer?"

"I don`t know..." Trevor said, hoping that the man wouldn`t catch on to his lie.

"Don`t lie to me, stuipid pilot. I could kill you with a snap of my fingers, but i`m not going to...unless you make me angry." The man said, starting to get angry.

"I`m not lieing. I joined because I just did."

"Quiet Lieing!" The man yelled as he punched Trevor across the face. "I`ve been patient up to now. Are you going to tell me what I want to know? Or am I going to have to hurt you?"

"I`m telling the truth..." Trevor said, trailing off as he spit blood out of his mouth.

"No your not!" The man said, and he exploded with anger. He brought his hand down on Trevor`s leg, stabbing him deeply with his knife, just above the knee. Trevor yelled in pain, and then started to cough. His chest hurt, and he started wondering if maybe he had cracked a rib when the guard hit him. "Now tell me why, or I will kill you next time."

"I joined because I had nothing left. Alright, is that what you wanted to hear? I joined because I had lost my friends, and my girlfriend was going to leave me. I needed something to keep my flying. To keep my in the sky, and this was it." Trevor said, coughing near the end as he broke down into tears. "I`m here so I don`t break down and go do something stuipid. I`m here so I don`t go and get myself killed in a gang fight, or with the NR, or with anything. The NR almost killed me before, and they sure as hell will try again if they get a chance. I`m here for protection."

"There, that wasn`t so hard, now was it?" The man said cruelly, with a smile across his face. He pulled the knife out of Trevor`s leg, and stabbed him in the other. "But you didn`t tell me soon enough!"

Trevor yelled in pain again, felt his eyes burning from the tears. He had broken down and cried, in less then fifteen minutes, after not having shed a tear in over fifteen years.

"That girl, the younger one. Not the red-head. How do you feel about her? Do you care about her?"

"Yeah, I do. Its more of a little sister, big brother kind of thing, even though I havn`t talked to her much." Trevor replied, hoping to not be asked anything more about his squadmates.

"You lie again!" The man shouted, and slugged Trevor across the face again. "You care about her mroe then that!"

"No, this time I`m telling the truth..." Trevor said weakly. Even if the man didn`t believe him, he was telling the truth.

The man hit him again, and Trevor`s head rolled lazily on his shoulders. He had been knocked out by the last punch, and the man wouldn`t be able to get anything more out of him until he came to.

"Get him out of my sight. Take his cell mate to. I`ll get to him later. Bring in someone else, maybe the two girls..." The man said, handing the bloody knife to a guard and then walkign away. Trevor was un-done from the chair and fell face first to the floor. Blood dripped out of his mouth, and he would have a black eye for sure. Two guards picked him up and carried him, while another two lead DJ back to the cell.

When they got to the cell, Trevor was tossed heavily onto the cot, and bounced onto the floor. He lay there face down, andDJ rolled him over onto his back after the four guards left and locked the door.
 
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FM/SCRW/Trevor Evenson/Nazgul 3(1-3)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=*A*=)

***in the briefing room***

Art stared darkly at the man in the corner pointing the gun as the other guards moved around the room to take any weapons from Nazgul.  When they got to him, one of the guards grabbed his gunbelt roughly and pressed the clasp.  It dropped to the floor with a loud clang.  The guard then reached down down legs and pulled out the vibroblade he had hidden on the inside of his left leg.  He had only recently started carrying one; he had decided that it would be good to always have a secondary weapon handy and to be reasonably proficient with it.

"Alright move it" one of the guards barked at him.  Art moved slowly towards the door, his posture erect and his steps solid.  His arrogance was creeping up and he was not going to let these men have the satisfaction of intimidating him.  "You too!"  the guard shouted as he pointed his gun at Jack.  Jack stood and a cluster of six men escorted them out of the room and down the hall.  When they reached the brig, the guards shoved the two of them into a cell and slammed the door.

Art stopped against the side of the cell and began to look around slowly.  He was furious.  Now he knew why the hanger was so unkept and the men undisciplined.  Why didn't I raise the point? he thought angrily.  Looking around, he saw that the cell was absolutely filthy.  It looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in years now there is one area that the imps and the pirates have in common he thought to himself.  Neither were big on keeping the jails looking nice.

"Damn."  Jack said as he looked at his droid arm.  It was completely disabled.  "Now what?"  He asked looking around, trying to find someway to get out.

"I'm not sure yet."  Art replied, looking around the room in detail.  There was a tiny ventillation duct in the rear of the cell but it was far too small to climb through.  The makers of the ship weren't stupid; they knew cells had to be escape proof.  The only other thing in the cell besides the flat walls were two pipes that were starting to rust.  The larger one led to the toilet while the smaller one provided power to the dim lights above.  "Hmm."  Art said to himself as he examined the pipes, not sure if they would be helpful.

"What is it?"  Jack asked.

"I'm not sure."  Art replied.  "Let me think it over for a while."

"Suit yourself."  Jack said sharply.  Art let the remark go; they were all under a bit of stress and Jack, a father to be, must have been more than a little anxious.  Art looked over at the bunkbed on one side.  There were two filthy mattresses sitting on them and nothing else.  Jack had finally sat down on one but Art wasn't going anywhere near the other one.

Art looked down at his chrono.  They had only been in the cell an hour but it had felt like an eternity.  Suddenly, the door openned with a loud hiss.  Art wheeled around and saw three guards standing there with blasters trained inside the room.  Two more entered and pointed their weapons at Art and Jack.  The other three entered and quickly put binders on both of their hands.

"All right you two, let's go!"  The guard barked gruffly.  Jack stood up and followed Art out the door.  The guard shut the door and hit Art in the rear with his weapon.  "Move it."  He ordered.  Art stood straight, unphased by the attack.  They made their way down the hall and quickly entered another room.  Inside, Art saw some blood lying on the floor and two boards that had been erected on one side of the room.  Each one had shackles for the legs and feet.  Two of the guards took off the binders on Art's and Jack's hands before shackling them to the board.  In the corner, an enormous man was standing with an evil grin on his face.  Standing beside him in the darkness of the corner, the light in the room was dim, was a slightly smaller man.  He was expressionless and simply watched as the two entered.  He gave a quick nod to the larger man standing beside him.

"Time to have some fun."  He the larger one said, laughing as he approached the two men.

"So far your friends haven't been too helpful but we managed to crack them in the end.  You imperials; you think you are so tough but like any other wimpy man, you run crying for cover at the threat of pain.  You should be ashamed of the rest of your squadron.  So far the toughest ones have been your two whores."  He said referring to Toki and Jen.  "You are great at threats but when push comes to shove, your tiny balls aren't enough to stand up to the threat of force being aimed right back at you."  He said, grinning right into the face of Art.  Art stared back, his eyes slightly narrowed but his face was a like a stone and expressionless.

"Now then, let's see how helpful you can be."  He said grinning.  He turned to Jack.  "Let's start with your name."  Jack didn't respond; he was staring straight ahead and not making eye contact with anyone.  The guard swung his rifle hard into Jack's stomach.  "Look at me when I speak to you.  What is your name?"  The guard demanded.  Jack coughed and his body shook for a second as it absorded the pain but he said nothing.

The guard turned to Art.  "How about you?"  He asked.  Art stared the man right in the eye and said nothing; his eyes were full of arrogance and defiance.  The guard swung hard with his fist and hit Art right in the face.  Art didn't flinch, he continued to stare right into the man's eyes.  The guard appeared slightly startled for a second but only for a brief second before he punched Art again in the face.  Blood began to run for his lip and nose but Art continued to stare unflinching in the man's eyes.

"Looks like we have a tough one on our hands."  The guard said turning to Jack.  "Sit and watch the show.  If you're smart, you'll tell me all you know after I break him."  He said grinning.  The guard turned back to Art.  "What can you tell me about Nazgul squadron?"  He demanded.  Art continued to stand in defiance; he was not going to let any second rate scum rattle him.  The man was a merciless brute and nothing more he knew and there was nothing that could rattle a man more than sheer defiance in the face on one's percieved superiority.  The guard swung his gun hard into Art's stomach before dealing another blow to his face.  Art was tempted to spit blood back but thought better of it.  Better not to give any reaction at all.  His heart raced as the pain ricocheted through his body and he tried to absord the pain away from his stomach.  He still could avoid his body from shaking as it reacted to physical assault.

"Alright you worthless scum, what is your rank?"  Art said nothing.  The guard punched him again in the face, splitting his lip on the other side.  "Wrong answer scum!"  He shouted.  "What is your rank?  Crewman?  Maybe not even that, you hardly look like half the calibre of a man the empire would accept.  You hardly look fit enough to lick your blood off of my boots."  He said tauntingly.  He was catching on  Art though.  The guard recognized Art's own arrogance and was now trying to provoke him.  Art did not take kindly to having his reputating smeared in the ground but he wasn't going to give this bantha shit the satisfaction of provoking him.

The guard, quickly discovering that verbal abuse and beatings weren't going to get anywhere drew out a vibroblade.  He walked slowly up to Art grinning before slowly stabbing the blade in Art's left arm just above the elbow.  The blade only went in enough to break the skin and stay there.  Art's body tightened and his breathing increased while he fought to control the pain.  "Why did you join the empire?"  The guard demanded, pulling the blade down Art's arm slightly as he asked.  Blood began to run down Art's arm towards his hand.  Art winced slightly but continued to stare right down into the man's eyes.  The guarded noticed a slight grin creep into Art's face.  "Something funny?"  The guard demanded.  Art still said nothing, just content to stare down into the man's eyes with arrogance and contempt.  The guard pushed the knife in slightly deeper and pulled the blade down another two centimeter towards Art's elbow.  Art knew he was now in trouble, the wound was growing and blood was starting to run off his arm and form a pool on the ground.  His heart began to race but he fought to control himself while still maintaining his slight grin.  He couldn't do it for much longer.  His mind began racing, the pain was overwhelming now as the knife that was still in his arm felt as though it was stabbing his brain.  The guard punched Art in the face with his other hand which made Art wince as he his mind began to jump from the locations of pain making it all the more agonizing.  The guard grinned; he knew he was getting the better of him.

Art continued to stare down, as sweat began to pour from his face and his facial muscles were contorting due to the pain.  Suddenly, his head dropped to his chest as he lost consciousness.  The guard stared at him angrily before pulling out the knife and turning to Jack.

"Enough."  The man in the corner said coldly.

Two of the guards took out a first aid kit and began to stop the bleeding Art's arm.  The fact that he was unconscious helped to slow the bleeding as his heart rate had dropped.  The guard turned to Jack.  "Alright, you have seen what I can do but I am just getting started.  Tell me what I want to know or you lose your other arm!"  The guard demanded.

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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

Jack was left without a choice. He had promised that he would always come home to Alexia intact.

"What is your name!" the enemy yelled at Jack. He held the knife closer and closer to Jack's left arm.

He couldn't stand it. He knew revealing the information could be dangerous, but he had a promise to his wife.

"Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Nebulax," Jack said as the enemy started to move the knife away from Jack's flesh.

"Ahh, see, was that so hard?" Then, the butt of a rifle slammed into Jack's face, causing a large black and blue mark to appear, in addition to blood coming from his nose and lips.

"Why did you join the Vast Empire?" the enemy asked.

"To get back at scum like you," Jack replied.

Suddenly, the knife came closer again. "I hope you know that I could easily kill you right now."

"What about your orders," Jack replied, giving their captor a sharp glare.

The butt of the rifle once again hit Jack's face, this time causing a black ring around Jack's right eye.

"You Imperial scum, thinking that you're the best. You think that you can just rule the Galaxy and do anything you want. But you can't," the big man said.

Jack was enraged all of a sudden. He didn't know whether it was the situation, the man, or... Could it be himself that he was enraged at?

After all, it seemed like his life was about to end.

Then, he made himself a promise. I'll be coming back, Alexia, he thought.

I'm coming home no matter what.
 
-----------------------
Revenge is what holds this galaxy together. Without it, the universe would be a boring place.

------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Nebulax, Nazgul Squadron, Imperial Navy, Vast Empire.
XO/FL/SCPO Jack Nebulax/Nazgul 5 (2-1)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=) (=*SA*=) [SV] [VC:S]
Rep|Int/Rep Jack Nebulax/Rep: 4/Reporters-Interviewers/VE/VET
------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Jack Nebulax, third-in-command of the Auroran Defense Fleet (ADF) and leader of Nemesis Wing (Wing I)

(This takes place after all of your interigations)

Maybe what was ironic about the situation was that back-up and safety were only across the way.  Still, they had not gone into hyperspace and neither had the Atrus.  Cargo was still being loaded then...  Shazam had already cut the image of his foe out of the white background from the amphitheatre into the dark wall in front of him.  It stared indifferently at him as if to mock him, but then held back just before he was to speak... 

For a long while, probably over an hour and a half, Shazam and Dimmias said little to eachother.  A guaurd's step's could be heard occasionally in the almost complete darkness.  A gossamer thread of light leaked around the edges of the door, disappearing whenever movement occured on the otherside.

"You know what's next right?" Warren said quietly, abruptly braking the silence.  The cell they'd been put in was as dingy as any Shazam had seen, yet his partner did not seem to notice.  After all...  He'd been here. 

"I can guess..." The SC replied.  Shazam did not look at Warren but he knew that his eyes were on him.  Something about the man's features in the gloom of the light was a little disturbing and one wondered if that was the reason Shazam did not look at him. 

"I suppose there's three types of pirates..." he chuckled slowly.  Now the SC glanced over at him, a slightly maddened look across the first lieutenant's face.  He held up a single finger as he let his head drop so that his eyes no longer looked anywhere. 

"One...  Your looters...  They're totally in it for the money.  They choose the IC deposits over the half-naked brunette any day..."  The man looked up and stared into Shazam's now darkened eyes.  The hazel had transmuted from an amorphous entity into a clear structure of dismal attention that could be easilly located at first glance.  He said nothing so Warren continued.

"Two...  Your losers..." They both sat in the dark as it seemed Warren would stop, but then he went on.  "They only do it because they feel they have to.  Easilly broken the losers are..." Disdain choked the final portion of the segment as footsteps sounded.  Shazam removed his eyes from the dark fellow in front of him and watched the white-outline of the door disappear as the guard reached it.

"And three?" Shazam queried as the door flew up and the guard motioned with his pistol for them to stand.

Warren lifted his head and looked at the guard, and as he stood-

"The loonies..." he whispered a sepulchral tone upon passing behind Shazam.  The SC stepped forward out of the darkness, controlling a shudder by feeding himself strenght from the light outside.

Shazam glanced sideways as he exited, noticing atleast three more guards, each with a clear shot thanks to the wide hallways in the dention area.  There would be no escape just yet...

Step after step, the SC prepared himself.  A minute and a half of nothing but walking seemed like a second, but it gave him enough time to regain whatever sangfroid he'd had in the past.  The group stopped in front of a door of dark metallic texture.  Then it slid upwards and a wide room unfolded menecingly; the smell of blood was heavy in the air and wondered if they should been calling it torture rather than interigation. 

"Take a seat...  " A large brute in the corner said, a blade held at his side signaled Shazam that he'd best do so immedietly.  Shazam located one of two chairs about five feet from eachother in the center of the room.  As he reached it, he was forced down and the lights went out.  Shazam did not fight the straps around his arms and legs but instead felt the edges of the metal chair and found a good place to interfere with the wrapping.

The lights were back and the man from earlier sat in front of him in his own chair.  He sat with one of his arms on the rest while his other supported his head as he quietly studied his two patients. 

The man's eyes fell on Shazam and the two fought a silent battle for a while...  Neither of them seemed to care...  Then the man in Frazer's uniform pulled out the dead man's weapon and had the sight on Shazam's forhead.  The gun sounded and Shazam already had his head to the left.  The bolt sunk into the upper right hand corner of the chair from where Shazam could see.

"And you're the commander..."  He seemed disappointed."  Well, I spose I don't need to let you know that I'm willing to put a bolt in your head if you decide to give me any trouble."  Then on second thought- "Or if you don't..." He rose from his chair.  His hair was short and light brown, complimenting his sharp eyes. 

"Tell me, have you seen your father lately?" He stopped in front of Shazam lifting his left arm with the pistol toward Dimmias. 

"Can't say that I have..." Shazam's eyes were not narrowed and he appeared to take the question lightly.  Neither the challenger or the challenged expected it to go in this way, but the questioning was not over.

"How bout your mother?" The enemy stared indifferently at Shazam.

"Nope..."

"Exactly, should have given up a long time ago." Now Shazam's eyebrows furrowed as the enemy announced some rather disturbing news. 

"She's dead and yet you'd think you would have it all figured out.  Too bad your search will end before you have a chance to sort things out..."  The gun fired once more, the bolt crossed Warren's face so closely that it could of easilly singed off the first lay of skin.  The guards in the room jumped at the sound of the scene and then regained their composure realizing it was part of the mind-game.

"So are you going to shoot us..?  Maybe throw a punch.  Cut out my insides?" The SC smiled as if letting the customers know what was on the menu.  He wouldn't let the information sink in until he was away from the awful man.

"What would you like removed..?" the enemy's gaze did not lie.  He glanced to the holo and to the brute on his right.  "Have your way with him." He said it coldy and the man exited the room curtly as the brute rose with his blade.  A slight snicker sounded as the larger man stood in front of Shazam and asked his initial question.

"What's your name?"

"None of your damned business..." Shazam replied matter-of factly and saw the fist rear up.  The SC would not wait and had already been pushing the strap around the edge of the chair.  The upper portion of the leather restraint came loose around where the blaster bolt had struck and the upper half off of the chair was undone.  Shazam's head was allowed to duck completely and so the fist past him without injury.  The SC's right hand flew down to his leg strap and undid the loop with ease, freeing his leg to send a barelly controlled kick to the right side of the brute.  The three guards swarmed as Shazam fell out of his chair and caught hold of the buckling man before him.  The left side of his body was still connected to the chair and together they fell to the ground.

"DON'T SHOOT!" the larger fellow yelled, but to no avail.  The room filled violently with red light and the man was mutilated by his allied firepower.  Shazam lay behind him as he writhed with the pain from the various bolts plastering against his chest and abdomen.  The SC felt the man go limp as he loosened his left arm and grabbed the man's blaster pistol.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Warren screamed to grab the guard's attention as Shazam shot the last constraint and rolled from behind the body of the big fellow.  The pistol rumbled like a purring pet as the light partially blinded him.  The bodies of the guards hit the ground around the same time and the light in front of Shazam's eyes passed and brought him back to reality.   

"Ganna help me out or what?" Warren said from his chair.  He was untouched. 

"Uhhh, yea..." he shot the control panel on the door in the back and then went to Warren to undo his straps. 

"That was...  Interesting." he said, chuckling slightly, less gloomy and tomby. 

"Well, what can I say?" he became frustrated witha  stubborn strap and blasted it once.  Warren tensed slightly and then said-

"I think I'm good..." He undid his bottom straps as Shazam gathered the three guards rifles.  His eye's made contact with the big man's riddled body.  He had been like an unbrella of protection for the SC and he felt partial guilt in the way he died.

"Gimme one of those..." Warren brushed his hands through his hair and took one of the rifles from the SC.  "We need to get goin...  Now."  Shazam handed Warren yet another rifle and kept one for himself along with the pistol.

"We need back-up." And Warren stopped as they were moving to the exit they'd come in from. 

"The Atrus...  "  Shazam stopped as well and turned to him and said-

"Our fighters are still here.  If we can reach the Atrus maybe we can let them know what's going on.  They wouldn't be able to escape a ship like that..." The two nodded in approval, not leading way to futher discussion.  Shazam returned to his pacing and arrived at the still working door.

The door panel disappeared as he pushed the command over override and Shazam lifted his pistol quickly, moving to the right of the entry way as a guard let out a burst into the room.  Red light from Warren's rifle embraced the chest of the enemy and he dropped; Shazam sighed and stuck his head into the corridor. 

"I'd rather not do this...  But you need to get to the others.  I'll take a TIE and try to get some help..." Warren said from behind Shazam, the two of them exiting the room and striding down the hallway towards where they remembered the hanger to be without any thankyous or your welcomes... 

"No...  I should go.  I need to go," Shazam said, a gentle hesitancy in his voice.  He slowed and looked both ways down the hallway.  No one.  "Alright...  You remember where they detention hall was?  Correct?"

"Of course..." Warren replied.

"You get the others.  I'll bring back-up in no time.  I'd go with you, but time is just not on our side.  I bet anything the Atrus is about to jump out of..."  Warren fell against the right wall and began firing into the darkness of the hallway.  He stopped and a body hit the floor. 

"That's two I owe you...  And.  Thanks in advance I suppose..." Shazam said without another look to Warren and began sprinting down the corridor to the hanger bay.

(Do not post about what I do- by no means whatsoever, let me be.  You can add Warren by your post though.  Let him lead you.  Let him help you fight the pirates.  Remember, if anybody knows about them- its him.)


-----------------------
*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/ESN Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) (=*FOCE*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:S] [DSM]

Tokijin woke up on the hard floor. She sat up and realized she was drenched in her own blood. She panicked. She looked around the room and saw the cot. She ripped the sheet into long strips and then wrapped the sheets around her arm tightly. The bleeding had almost stopped. She wrapped one around her leg too. She looked around and she felt hopeless.

The light flickered from above and tears rolled down her cheeks. She pressed a hand to her cheek and felt a burning sensation. The cut on her cheek had gotten worse. She crawled over and sat against the wall, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees. She thought about what that bastard had said...To leave her alone and let her nightmares be unleashed...The tears wouldn't stop and they were burning her cut.

She wiped her eyes and stood up. She was seriously getting tired of this. She refused to cry anymore. She looked around the room. She walked over to the control box and stared down at it with raging hate. She put her right foot behind her left and reared back, this time going up wards instead of straight out. She came down on the box with such force, it began to sizzle. The door slid open about two inches.

She smirked. That was better than she had planned. She took a peek out the door and the barrel of a gun jammed into her shoulder, making her stagger back. "Ouch."

A guard looked in and stared at the door. "What the hell did you door to the frickin' door?!" He tried to open it with a key and when that didn't work just tried pure force. He did get too far before foot steps echoed down the hall. The guard left the door and a thump sounded.

"I think you over did it with this guy..." A voice traveled into her room...She knew that voice!

She called out, still clutching her shoulder. "DJ?!" She walked over to the door and looked around. Trevor appeared and smiled. "Hey Toki. It looks like you could use some help."

Tokijin smiled and said, "So you noticed? Listen, I broke the control box and now this retarded door refuses to budge."

"How could you break the control box?" Warren's voice came from somewhere in the hall.

She looked around the room for something that could work for leverage, but no luck. She stuck her foot through the crack in the door, barely fitting. "Just try pushing please." She began to push as three sets of hands joined in the struggle. The door slowly began to open. Three inches...Four...Finally five. It was then that Toki jumped through the door, tripped over someone and fell. She sat on her legs and panted slightly.

"Well that worked." She said with a sigh. A hand appeared into her view as Trevor offered to help her stand.

"Are you ok?"

"For now, yes. How are you guys?" She took his hand and stood up.

"Fine at the moment." Warren replied as he searched up and down the halls for more guards.

"We need to find everyone else fast." DJ said and turned around and began jogging, Warren followed his lead, giving enough time for Trevor and Toki to catch up.
 
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Nazgul Squadron

SC/FM Tokijin/Nazgul 7/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Denfensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=*A*=)

~ Tokijin ~

(During Shazam's post...)

Jack was now lying face down in his cell. He could barely see out of his right eye, and apparently some had bruised his left eye enough to make his vision seem hazy in both eyes.

He didn't know if Art was still there, and he was suffering with too much pain to speak. He slowly turned over and stared - although he could barely see - at the ceiling.

With a pain in his ribs from being thrown on the ground, Jack asked, "Art?"

He heard a slight groan, and he realized Art was with him.

"We... have to get out of... here," Jack struggled to say.

"I know," Art replied. Jack realized that Art seemed to be slightly better than Jack, despite Art's torture.

"If I survive this," Jack began, coughing, "Alexia's going to kill me."

"Well, Jack, don't worry, we're not going to die here," Art said.

Suddenly, Jack's vision began to clear. But the pain still remained, causing him to continue to lay down on the cell floor.

With the last bit of strength he had for the time being, he turned on his holoprojector, looking at the image of his wife.

"I'm coming home," Jack said, repeating a few times. "I'm coming back, Alexia."

Suddenly, Warren and his company, some other members of Nazgul, stood outside their cell. The guards had been dispatched quietly; in fact, Jack didn't even hear it. Or were his ears bad now as well?

But anyway, they had finally been rescued.

"Where's Shazam?" Art asked Warren.

"He went to get help. Now, come on, let's get you guys out of here," Warren replied.

DJ slowly helped Jack up, and soon enough, Jack was on his feet and ready to fight.

"Give me a blaster," Jack said.

-----------------------
Revenge is what holds this galaxy together. Without it, the universe would be a boring place.

------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Chief Petty Officer Jack Nebulax, Nazgul Squadron, Imperial Navy, Vast Empire.
XO/FL/SCPO Jack Nebulax/Nazgul 5 (2-1)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=) (=*SA*=) [SV] [VC:S]
Rep|Int/Rep Jack Nebulax/Rep: 4/Reporters-Interviewers/VE/VET
------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Jack Nebulax, third-in-command of the Auroran Defense Fleet (ADF) and leader of Nemesis Wing (Wing I)

How had he known?  The man certainly wasn't a jedi...Yet he knew Art's every thought and things about his past that even he didn't know.  How had he known that Art had been a major at one time.  What did he know of tales of supposed betrayal and treachery?  How did he know all of this?  Art thought to himself as he sat hunched in the corner of the cell.  He was in agony; his arm still felt as though the knife was still inside.  The bastard must have used a dull one  Art realied.

All he could hear was his heart pounding.  It wasn't that he was panting; his head was so sore from being punched in the fast so many times that anything he did or heard increase the agony.  Even thinking hurt but it was necessary; he had to try and understand what had happened.

Art sighed and tried to clear his mind for a moment.  Suddenly it occurred to him.  The journal.  He kept a journal in which he recorded his emotions and what he could remember of visions.  How did he read that?  Even Taylsha hasn't read it.  Art thought to himself in amazement.  How did he know....  Something didin't make sense.  Suddenly the door whooshed open and Dimmias entered.

"Alright time to go."  He said.  Art inquired about Shazam and climbed slowly to his feet.  When his head oriented itself correctly, he made his way out of the cell and took one of the extra blasters.

"Ok Dimmias let's move."  Art said his commander tone.  Dimmias stared back at him.  Art felt another bout of dizziness come, the loss of blood wasn't doing him much good.  He steadied himself and look back at Dimmias.

"Art, the Lieutenant is in better shape than you are right now.  Let's not waste time with this.  Let's just get out of here."  Jack said anxiously.  Art looked to the left of Dimmias and glared at Jack for a second before turning back to Dimmias.

"Move out Dimmias, you take the lead."  Art commanded.  He didn't like Dimmias to begin with but there was something he was really starting not to like about him.  He seemed too friendly and charasmatic for the arrogant imperial he usually was.  Art shook it off and tried to keep his focus.  He had his left arm in tight against his body; the patchwork care the two guards had given him was barely holding.  The brute had made a ten centimeter long slash in his arm and it was very painful.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu