Holonews Live Feed 1400 Hours (Day 10)

Within a large courtyard of the Samaris Imperial Palace on Cepany, the holocam floats over to show a tall man in a heavily decorated dress uniform behind a raised podium.  He shuffles some notes and begins a lengthy speech...

“...and now, as the head of the Provisional Government of Rheagent, I am pleased to announce Lord Mayor of Cyth, Robert Sybrse the new High Governor of Cepany.”

A thunderous applause fills the lavishly decorated courtyard and the holocam pans spins around to show where Sybrse is.  There is a crowd around him and a man runs over to the podium, whispers something to the gentleman behind the podium.  Suddenly the screen goes black from a government issued command to cut all cameras.  Soft music and the Frequency 5 Holonews logo and motto appear on a blue background with the text, “/i>We are experiencing technical difficulties,” at the bottom.

Holonews Update 1435 Hours (Day 10)

Head of the Provisional Government of Rheagent Alexandre Jolus announced Lord Mayor Robert Sybrse of Cyth as the new High Governor of Cephany.  However when he was announced, those nearby found that he had died of heart failure approximately twenty minutes before the announcement.  There will be third announcement ceremony scheduled for next week.

Although two deaths are being considered coincidence, some suspect a form of conspiracy by one Lord Mayor to ensure he gains the office.  All the Lord Mayors have made public announcements that they ‘mourn’ and/or ‘wish the family of the deceased well.’  If there is a third reschedule due to death of a chosen candidate and the conspiracy is true, there is a leak in the selection council, as the chosen Lord Mayor is kept secretive until the official announcement.

Frequency 5 holonews has exclusive coverage of each Lord Mayor for the low subscription fee of 100 Imperial credits per week.  Frequency 5 Holonews, All the news that's fit to holo.

Holonews Update 1015 Hours (Day 12)

Although the governmental officials deny rumors of the deaths being assassinations, the Lord Mayors are now escorted and protected by Cepany planetary militia forces under General Brolusi Itar.  Apparently the security is to prevent ‘unfortunate accidents’ rather than assassinations or any attempt on the Lord Mayors’ lives.

In other news, Rear Admiral Hondre Sempreis of the Cepany Naval Militia has been announced second in command of the Pure Fury and has been commissioned with his rank into the Vast Empire Navy.

Tune into Frequency 5 Holonews next time for All the news that's fit to holo.

It had been an incredibly long and frustrating day and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.  Riqimo looked to the ground and rolled his head from side-to-side in an effort to relax his neck muscles as he left the conference room.  Seeing to misunderstand this as a gesture of shaking his head in the negative, a female guard at the door fell into step with him and inquired, "Was your proposal rejected, sir?"

"Actually it was approved.  The injury I acquired is acting up."

"Do you need to go to the infirmary and get it looked at?"

"No thank you Corporal, I just need to learn to duck when my squadmates throw stuff at me."

"How's your squad doing?"

"Pretty relaxed right now.  I hear you are in line for a promotion?"

"Yes, however, I hope to stay here, there are certain perks I have gotten used to," they shared a wink at the last comment.

To the average passerby, this seemed like normal banter between two colleagues.  Actually it was a carefully scripted code written by the Security Department.  Riqimo sighed at the thought of another meeting this lady told him to attend, but it wasn't like he had a choice.

She held a door open but did not enter as Riqimo proceeded into the suite of offices.  There was another individual waiting for the Stormtrooper and she was under strict orders that they not be disturbed.  As Riq approached, he was handed a folder by a man, who was wearing a heavily decorated dark blue uniform.  Riqimo was surprised that paper files were used in this dark corner of the building's lowermost basement level.  Blue Suit waved his hand in a 'follow' motion and Riq stole a glance at the label as he followed the Major into the office at the far end of the foyer.  Blue Suit eased himself into the overstuffed chair near the wall and gestured for Riqimo to use the small couch, "Read it."

Riqimo quickly pored over the contents with a slightly bemused expression.  It took less than ten minutes.  Riq paused at the end and made a pinched expression.  He then glanced at the Major and asked, "Is this a theoretical scenario you want me to evaluate?  This last page of signatures has more brass than an antique shop during a clearance sale.  On top of that, why do you have an Admiral from Abrae and a General from Tadath signed off?  Hard to believe you got the Navy and Army to agree on something like this."  He chuckled the last part dryly under his breath.

Blue Suit shared his laugh and replied, "This is completely real.  We have supposed assassinations on Cepany and need you to get your ARC team together as soon as possible.  You have 12 hours to collect prep your team to handle this situation.  You have complete autonomy on this operation."

"First off, you can't expect me to prep a team that rapidly for such a mission.  Secondly, from what I know, Army High Command would never agree to a functional command of this nature."

Blue Suit held up a hand to stop Riqimo from handing the folder back.  The Major then took a deep breath before addressing Riq's protestations, however valid they were.  Making sure there was an edge to his voice, he replied in a matter-of-fact manner, "As for the second part, you are quite correct.  Unfortunately desperate times call for desperate measures and our collective backs are against the wall because of an enemy becoming at least as good as we are.  The current Army High Command has no say in this matter since you will have separate jurisdiction and an independent command under my authority.

"As for the first part, I think that a man of your qualifications would be able to get a team together.  You get paid more than enough to carry a gun and assume leadership."

"They don't pay me enough to ignore stupidity."

"Check out the next to last page. Your new War Chest will help you forget about wanting to take that second job as a technical consultant for a procedural holo-drama about crime scene investigators which is about as realistic as 'Imperial Idol.'"

Riqimo looked again at the page and his eyebrows actually twitched in surprise.  He sighed, "Yes it would be nice to not have to remind that actor about the proper way to fire a pistol almost everyday."

"Good, then its settled."

"I guess my first order of business is get ARC ready," Riqimo said while rising from the couch.

"By any means necessary within the next 12 hours.  For all intents and purposes, I am Army High Command.  You are ARC Team Lambda Lead as usual."

---

"Doc, you sure about this?" Tanus leaned back in one of the dusty military-issue chairs of the nearly empty meeting room.

Riqimo nodded, rubbing one hand along his smooth shaven jaw.  He brushed the hard, thin line of knotty scar tissue hidden just below the jawline - a souvenir of Tormar.  Most of the time he forgot about it, remembering when he shaved.  The five-centimeter gouge had missed the right carotid artery, though it had bleed freely enough.  He remembered his throat slick with warm blood, and those first few seconds of panic.

"They only way to catch the assumed assassins would be to be with the Lord Mayors to hopefully protect them, or at the least catch the person or persons involved.  Just to be safe, we will have a VEA special forces squad on hold should the need arise."

Namyr shook her head, "And you expect this 'no-name' superior to accept this plan?"

"Of course, I have complete autonomy on this mission.  That even includes equipment and supporting personnel."

As Riqimo rose to stare out of the only window into the busy evening street below, his stomach growled uneasily - a reminder to missing both lunch and dinner.  Marka was also gazing out,  “Shuttle leaves in and hour and fourty five minutes...  You have until then to do whatever, just be in the shuttle bay at 2030 hours.”

OOC:

Okay, we are rolling again!  Just do something with your char in the hour fourty five for now.   I need to talk to you folks on IRC about what happens beyond that point.  This is not a normal story we are working with here but something with a special goal

Marka shuffled out of the meeting room with the rest of the squad, thankful that his limp was almost completely gone. Each member of the squad had taken a fair beating in their last mission. But that was what Marka lived for. He was incredibly proud of the amount of blood he had shed in that mission; more than ever had before. The night of their return, he’d dreamt of a slow-running river of blood, circling a decayed stretch of soil, a festering pile of corpses at the centre.
  Turning a corner, Marka found himself separated from the ARCs. But he preferred it that way. In the closing hours before a mission, solitude was the thing he cherished the most; his own personal calm before the overall storm. It was those moments that allowed him to ravage his enemy without emotion. In the dark, on his own, Marka would lock away his feelings and memories of happiness and peace, and would unleash whatever hatred he could summon. It was his brooding time.

After stepping inside his apartment, Marka headed to shower. The water was piping hot against his skin, and had he not felt pain significantly worse, he would turn the temperature down. But now, after a life of injury and disease, hot water seemed worthy of no attention; not even, it seemed, from the nerve endings on his skin.

The window at the end of his apartment, the one that looked out over the city below, was now electronically dimmed to black, allowing no light to enter. All the lights were off, and barely a sound could be heard past the thick walls and ceiling. In the middle of the room, kneeling and facing a small mantle was Marka, eyes closed, his breathing deep and slow. Upon the mantle was his vibrosword, showing signs of recent polishing, and a small wooden carving, no bigger than a thumbnail.
  In his mind, Marka conjured an image of fire spreading across a field of grain, leaving behind blackened and lifeless stalks and grass. The sun had hidden behind an ever-growing expanse of cloud, dark and menacing. Shadow was over the land, and the smoke of the fire swirled in the wind and across the sky. Marka stood watching from atop a rocky knoll. There were large stones around him, in a circle, perched upon each were the silhouettes of twisted birds, featherless and deformed.
 
Marka’s eyes opened slowly, and his breathing, which had apparently become slow in his meditation, became smooth and regular once again. He reached to his right and thumbed a small panel. The window lightened quickly until, in a few moments, it had become totally transparent once more. He stood, wincing as the niggling pain in his calf returned for a split second. Hoping the injury would not worsen in the coming mission, Marka grabbed the rest of his gear and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him as he walked out onto the street. A mother and child looked at him, their gaze seemingly attracted to his tattooed face. The trooper scowled at them and took a step in their direction. The mother fleetingly gripped her daughter’s hand and fled with her.

Marka had arrived at the ARC armoury at the same time as Arnaut, but no words were spoken between them. Arn knew Marka well enough not to disturb his train of thought before a mission. Doc stepped in a few moments later, and Marka glanced at the squad leader.

Soon..., Marka thought, Soon we will again be gone from this place. Such is life.

Namyr looked at her nails for a moment as the meeting progressed before looking up to see Arn grinning at her, and did she see a slight smirk on Tanus' face. She felt her temper flare and her skin grew hot, figured the one time that they were ordered to go through hand to hand combat was the day the doctor had told her to keep her workout easy and not to damage her mending ribs. Which meant along with her balance and speed being off, Arn and Tanus were able to toss her around the mat like a recruit. Tanus she didn't mind, she was expecting it, but Arn? Come on, she knew she could beat him on a good day, but now she would have to sit and wait it out before she could declare that she was kicking his ass. Oh yes she would, she had been wanting to get even with Arn since the squad had went out for drinks and on the dance floor he had insisted on getting the kiss she had promised him, taking her off guard she had grabbed her by thew waist, Namyr had almost fainted because he had brushed up against her injuries, and planted a sloppy kiss on her lips, much to the hooting and hollering of the rest of the squad. She had punished Riqimo for letting him surprise her like that by later that night tying him up then leaving his apartment and going home. She still hadn't asked how he had gotten free.

As she scowled at Tanus and Arn, from the corner of her eye she watched Riqimo stand up and look out the window, a sign that the meeting was over. Still looking at her nails, she waited until the rest of the squad had left the room, sliding back her chair Namyr picked up the small box that had been sitting on the floor and walked over to Riqimo, she stood behind him, and he seemed not to notice that everyone had left, or that she was standing behind him.

"Hey," Namyr murmured into Riqimo's ear, her voice gentle as she set the lunch on the inside window ledge, "You left before breakfast, I didn't see you at lunch, remember we were suppose to meet up, it's okay I figured you got busy. I brought you some take out from that deli you like," she murmured burying her nose in Riqimo's and take a deep breath and felting her temper relax a little. She grinned a little as she heard his stomach growl.

"Thanks Nams," Riqimo said turning around to face her and giving her a small smile. Worry flickered across Namyr's face, he looked so tired lately, at night he toss and turn murmuring to himself, no it was more like her was arguing with himself. Since thier last mission, he seemed to be thinner, dark circles under his eyes, and he didn't have the bounce to his step that Namyr had learned to love about him. Riqimo let out a sigh and buried his face against Namyr's chest, she wrapped her arms around him and let out a small smile, well at least a few things about him hadn't changed.

"Riq'eswo, are you all right?" Namyr whispered to him, her voice filled with concern.

Riqimo looked up at her a slight boyish expression was on his face and he smiled, "Yes Nam'eswo, I'm fine, I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Just a little worried is all, you haven't been yourself lately," Namyr replied giving a shaky smile before leaning over and kissing his lips, "You haven't been as affectionate or attentive lately as you use to be, I just wanted to make sure," she said running her nose from his ear, giving the lobe a soft kiss, along his jawline before stopping and touching his reopened scars that had scabbed over.

She sighed and rested her forehead against his shoulder, "Are you ever going to tell where you were or how your scars reopened?' she then asked biting her lip and pulling herself out of Riqimo's arms, she stared at him for a moment, looking into his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't say a word, she gave him a sad smile, "Eat you're lunch, I'm going to go get my equipment," she finally said swallowing down the knot in her throat and walking out of the room. Briefly she rubbed her eyes furiously, pulling her hands away she looked down in surprise to see them wet, she chuckled at herself. She was getting soft, too soft for her liking, soon she'd be quitting the corps to have, she shuttered, a family, something she didn't want for a very long time. She shouldn't worry so much about Riqimo, he was a grown man, he could take care of himself, but lately her extra senses as well as her womanly sense were going haywire. And at night all he would do was crawl into bed and fall into that half sleep, Namyr could honestly say she missed his touch and kind words. Namyr grimaced and put her hard shell back on, she needed to get ready for the mission and quit acting so weak.

Namyr walked into the armoury, picking up her normal gear and choosing a few choice ideas as well before walking out, she looked up and down the corridor, before heading for the hanger.

Namyr turned her head away from Riqimo as he walked into the hangar, avoiding his eyes trying to catch her own.  She felt strangely betrayed, she knew he was keeping something from her, being gone days at a time and then he wouldn't tell her where he went or who he was with.  When he came home he'd been more exhausted looking then when he left, so tired he couldn't even kiss her or do anything else before he collasped on the bed falling asleep.  Namyr's hands curved into fists, did he really expect her to take all this?  To sit at home alone, waiting for him, waiting for any sign that he was alive, she never even recieved a message from him.  All she was able to do was wait for him to drag his butt through the door and be expected to feed him, take care of him, and whatever else she could to keep him happy.

"Any weapons to declare?" the guard asked Namyr as she stepped
up behind the yellow lines.

"Two plasma pistols, two force pikes, one plasma rifle, about two dozen grenades of different sorts, an extendable blade in the toe of each boot, and an extra two plasma pistols in my purse," Namyr said looking bored as she opened a compact and looked at her reflexion and glacing at the guard with a sour smile.  shrugging her backpack to a more comfortable position, she stepped through the detector setting it off.  She could taste the guard's nervousness but kept it to herself as she watched the first shuttle dock, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck.  Biting her lip she resisted the urge to breakdown completely and instead turned away to a large window to the outside of the port to the street below.  Breathing deeply, Namyr rested her hot forehead against the glass.  The breath out of her mouth clouded up the window, and slowly Namyr began to get control of her fear.  Why hadn't Riqimo mentioned anything about a shuttle going to one of the military ship that was completely zero-g, that was what most of the shuttles went to right? 

Why was she so scared of space travel anyway, when she had first joined the corps she had been alright, she'd just listen to some music until the ship stopped shaking.  Now the even mention of a ship going into space made her flesh crawl. In fact it hadn't been that bad until she had join Lambda and met Riqimo.  Namyr whirled about and stared at Riqimo, her eyes grew large for a moment, something, something that she couldn't reach in her memory was bringing out her fear.  What it was she didn't know, but in that shock, she knew something, she remembered Riqimo from her past, what had happened she couldn't place it and she felt fustrated.

Namyr rubbed her eyes and looked tired, she was losing it, she sat heavily in a chair and looked around the hangar.  Her eyes drifted back to Riqimo and studied him, really studied him for the first time in a long time.  Her eyes hungrily gazed over him looking for soem sign of the memory she was trying to recall, he turned and locked eyes with her and Namyr found herself forgetting what she was thinking.  Her eyes then traced over his face, he was so tired looking, and he had lost wieght, Namyr bit her lip in worry and looked away from his tempting blue green eyes.  Her mind was brought back to where he had been disappearing to...Namyr's eyes grew large, was it possible he was seeing another woman?  Namyr couldn't unserstand it, was there something wrong with her that would make him crave another?  She could cook, she could clean, she, for all she knew, was pleasing him, at least she was giving him enough, except for lately when he had been too tired.  Hell she had even put up with those two bird lizard things he had bought that wouldn't shut up, was there really someone he liked or even loved more then her.  Namyr ran a hand over her lekku and frowned even more her eyes narrowing a little as she thought, her eyes wandering back over to Riqimo.  She couldn't help wonder, if he was part of her past, and he was keeping things from her wasn't anything possible?

Namyr was silent as she got to her feet and headed behind everyone else in the group and headed into the shuttle.  Quietly, she made her way to her usual spot for take off, each shuttle had designed a small room apart from the rest for officers.  Stepping inside Namyr instantly dropped down against the wall in one corner ans waited for take off.

Namyr felt sick as they floated around the ship, she had very reason to be, from the grinding and the bumps that threw them around, being up in the air was just as frightening. Worst still there wasn't a corner where she could curl up and be alone, which was what she really wanted that moment. Instead she found herself rushing over, if that was possible in zero-g to make sure that Arn was alright. Riqimo got to him first, Namyr stood back in case help was needed. She really did have to wonder at how her and Riqimo were like parents to these soldiers, it was rather frightening actually as Namyr watched Marka play with a knife, one thing was for sure she was surprised no one had lost an eye yet.

Namyr turned back to where Riqimo was asking Arn, who looked slightly annoyed, questions. They were the normal, how many fingers, what pain scale, and does it hurt here, type questions. Namyr smiled a little, her eyes running up and down his small frame. Her eyes narrowed a little as she took in how weill his shirt rested on his lean muscled chest, his breathing making the fabric tighten showing a little detail of his abs as he did so. Namyr stopped breathing as Riqimo looked up at her, brushing the his hair out of his eyes to look at her with those pools a blue green she loved to look at for hours at a time. Namyr felt her cheeks flush and she looked away.

What if there was someone else, what would she do? She wouldn't blame the other woman, it wasn't her fault at the least, if anything it would be Riqimo's fault, but what if it was Namyr's fault. Had she done something to drive him away, or worst yet something she hadn't done or forgotten to do to make him happy with her? Was her body unappealing to him? What was it? Namyr felt tear prickle in her eyes, no there was nothing wrong with her, and there was no proof that Riqimo had found someone else, Namyr looked back up at him, as far as she knew he was still hers, her Riq'eswo.

"Damnit I'm fine!" Arn finally lost his temper and pushed Riqimo away and went down to play cards with Marka and Tanus, Namyr shrugged and took Riqimo's arm, there was no better time then now.

"Riq'eswo, something is wrong," she murmured to him, enjoying the feeling of his muscle through his shirt. They ducked into an empty room, which Namyr shut the door and locked it behind them.

"Nam'eswo, what's wrong, what's going on?" Riqimo asked quickly looking very worried as Namyr floated up to him. She looked at him through half closed eyes, her eyelashes framing her vision as she looked at him with interested eyes.

"Nothing much, it's just that we haven't been together for a long time," Namyr muttered her voice deep and seductive her arms wrapping around Riqimo's neck and bringing him close to her for a long, wanting kiss. She pulled her lips away from his soft ones that were still in the shape of the kiss wanting more, she let out a low chuckle her mouth moving to his neck, kissing, and giving his collarbone a small bite as her fingers ran up down his chest, unbuttoning the jacket of his uniform and slipping it off of him, letting it float away from their pressed together bodies.

'Mm, Nams," Riqimo managed to gasp after another long kiss, he licked his lips to gather up the taste of the kiss, he let out a soft groan as she kissed his neck again before removing his other shirt, "Nams, please listen to me," he said again watching his shirt float by, he adjusted his pants a little to get more comfortable, 'Nams," he added again, his eyes closing as she kissed him again, her tongue darting in and out of his mouth. Namyr's hands reached for Riqimo's belt, "Nam'eswo stop," Riqimo said again as the belt floated by, 'Stop," Riqimo said once more as the top button was let lose.

"I said stop it!" Namyr looked up in time to see Riqimo's hand come bearing down on her sides. Her face went pale as his fingers dug into her still healing ribs and stuck there adding pressure. It took all of Namyr's strength to keep from screaming out in pain, she tried to move out of his grasp only to have the fingers dig in deeper.

"Riq'eswo, you're hurting me," she managed to gasp looking into her lover's eyes only to see his blue green were hard and cold, not the eyes she was use to, like the eyes of a stranger.

'I told you to stop, I'm not in the mood you stupid bitch," Riqimo growled his face inches from Namyr's own terrified features, 'In fact, I probably won't want it from YOU for a long time," he added letting go of Namyr with a slight shove. He let out a cruel chuckle as Namyr's wide eyes stared at him, positively afraid of the man in front of her. A few stray tears flowed out of her eyes, turning into floating droplets as she looked at Riqimo who suddenly blinked a few times and looked down at her.

'Nam'eswo?" he whispered before Namyr fled the room, leaving Riqimo alone with his thoughts.

Tanus sat in the shuttle, playing a few rounds of cards with Doc, Arn and Marka. Hours went by as the shuttle streaked through the blackness of space. Hours passed. Soon enough, Doc was whisked away by Namyr. Tanus watched as she dragged him into a room and a hiss as the door shut behind them. Tanus merely rolled his eyes and went back to the game. Not soon after, the zero-g kicked in, as was made apparent by Tanus’ drink sailing slowing through the air. Tanus watched it float in front of him. As it passed, Marka’s knife came into few, hovering a few inches above the table. Tanus thought of a few things he could say, but decided against it. It was best to avoid that now; the mission he had just come back from told him as much.
    Tanus tried to continue playing cards, but was interrupted by the sight of Namyr coming out of the room she had just taken Doc into, her head in her hands. Was she… crying? A few minutes later, Doc walked out, looking wracked with guilt and anguish. Tanus though about asking him to sit down, but felt the ARC team leader needed some alone time.

    The game quickly degenerated from the. Marka had by that time sheathed his dagger and was sitting back, staring out of the window every so often. Arn sat quietly to himself, possibly thinking about the mission at hand, or of ones past. Tanus realized this wasn’t the time to break the silence. It was then that he decided to Journey. He put on his C3-Pod and went to a drumbeat. He then closed his eyes and drifted off into a trance…

    Tanus was standing at the end of a long path, fog clouding his vision. He looked himself over. He was wearing a basic tan tunic, green pants and some leather boots. Great, I look like an elf, Tanus thought. Tanus walked forward, deeper and deeper into the fog that seemed to be clearing a path as he walked. Soon, he came a bridge. It was an arced, fixed bridge, supported by large wooden posts over a river beneath. As Tanus crossed, he felt himself get lighter, as if all of his troubles seemingly evaporated. When he got to the other side, he felt in his pocket a small puch. He pulled it out and opened it, examining small black marbles. Tanus smiled when he realized what they were: they were his angers and his sadness. Tanus put them back in his pocket and continued on his Journey.

    Tanus walked into a large forest. He could hear the wildlife and sounds of the forest around him. He turned and saw a large tree next to him. Tanus leaped up to one of its branches and pulled himself up. He did that until he got to the top of the forest canopy, looking at the forest beneath him. Tanus pulled himself back down and found a vine. He then started to swing. He launched himself off and grabbed the next available vine, flying through the forest with speed and grace. Soon, he came to a clearing, and a man was standing there. But this man, Tanus knew very well: it was his grandfather, who had been dead for more than ten years. Tanus walked up to him, and his grandfather turned around. His eyes were a sparkling blue, and they pierced right through Tanus. He was dressed in an old work shirt and jeans, and had a smile on his face.

“Tanus, you need to focus.”

Tanus blinked a few times, realizing what his grandfather had said to him. He nodded slowly.

“I know you’re scared of dying, but so are the others. You have to at least be strong for them.”

Tanus nodded again. Tears started to well up in his eyes.

“And Tanus…”

There was a pause, and it felt as if the universe itself stood still.

“Please, forgive yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”

And with that, the vision of the forest, the clearing and Tanus’ Grandfather vanished. Tanus came to with the realization of a hand on his shoulder. It was Doc.

“Get ready, we’re almost there.”

Tanus nodded, and grabbed his equipment. This is going to be a long trip.

OOC:

fine fine... I'll  go again...

"The hell you say."

Riqimo turned around at the sound of the gravelly voice.  So absorbed in observing the ship, he failed to note that someone had come up alongside him.  The other man stoodgazing fixedly at the distant ship through the transparisteel that shielded the entire exterior bulkhead of the observation deck.  He was a short gamecock of a man, coming just to Riq's height, in the uniform of a Cepany naval officer; his fiery red hair and the thrust of his sharp chin promised a fractious temper.

"She's an incredible piece of work," the man commented, "A real hunter that one."

Riq would have recognized him as a navy personnel even without the black spacer's stripe running down the outside of his service-green dress slacks.  It was obvious in his casual stance, the way he held himself in place with only the lightest touch of his fingertips on the handrail, and in how close his face was to the transparent shield.  The ten centimeters of transparisteel was stronger than the dropship's normal armored bulkheads, but only someone on the most familiar terms with space travel could be comfortable so close to a deadly, alien environment.

"I only meant from a distance," Riqimo said eventually, hoping to head off an arguement with a superior officer.  Two broad bands and a single narrow band on the spacer's epaulets made him a lieutenant general - a read admiral in the naval ranks.

"From a distance is where she can hurt you the most, Sergeant" The man stressed the rank difference between them as if that automatically won him the day.  "The Pure Fury could blast us into component atoms with her lasers from only two hundred clicksdistance.  From two hundred clicks, those proton and concussion missile launchers would break the Kementor's spine, and we would probably never know what hit us.

The man finally turned towards Riqimo with a little more than a slight adjustment of his hand on the rail.  He read Riq's uniform with a practiced eyes, no doubt noticing that marked Riqimo as a soldier of the Vast Empire Army and a Stormtrooper.  He smiled thinly, "From orbit she could obliterate an entire battalion without breaking a sweat.  Impressive."

Impersonal, Riq translated.  A ship could not hold territory or protect a city, except by laying waste to everything around it.  The Pure Fury, for all its technological acheivement and massive firepower, could not land on a planet, pick out the enemy and liberate the civilian sectors with minimum harm.  Stormtroopers could.  Riq himself had done so in the past.

But the admiral was not really interested in a debate.  Riq had no idea what he had done to attract the admiral's ire.  The guy was obviously spoiling for a fight.  Riqimo shifted one foot free of the anchor while gripping the rail with his right hand so he could turn to face the admiral.  He felt his ears burn from the rebuke, "I stand corrected, sir."

The admiral's eyes caught and held Riqimo's.  Pale green surrounded by the brightest whites that Riqimo had ever seen, they stared straight at him, hardly blinking.  They were eyes used to gazing into the vast reaches of space, and their distant focus made Riqimo feel like a mere pinpoint of light among thousands of others - until the admiral let his gaze drop to Riq's ribbons.  His focus narrowed like a laser, targeting on the black-red-black ribbon at the end of a very short row.  For all the admiral's own "salad" of ribbons, this was one he would never earn.

"ARC?" the admiral's voice was razor sharp, both jealous and accusing.

"Yes sir, Sergeant First Class Riqimo Pershaw, Team Lead of ARC Lambda."

"Hrrm," the sound seemed to convey an impending verdict.

"Admiral Hondre Sempreis," the other man finally said, deciding the ARC ribbon demanded at least minimum acknowledgement.  Sempreis refused to offer his hand, however, and a salute was not required of Riqimo in such an informal situation.  The admiral thrust his chin towards the transparisteel and the cruiser beyond, "She's mine."

And you are welcome to her Riqimo decided, also turning back to the transparent sheild.  He had no desire to get into a pissing contest with the Naval officer - no matter how much the older man seemed to be trying to provoke one.  The depth of Sempreis' hostility had surprised him.  Riq stared back into the darkness, his thoughts equally dark.

The harsh tones blared over the Kementor's intercom system, interrupting Riqimo and distracting Sempreis: a warning that gravity would be shifting again.  The deck thrummed with released power, and everyone settled back to the deckig at one-half standard gravity - enough that Riq's nausea retreated and he could finally swallow away the acidic taste at the back of his throat.  The dropship powered up above the plane of the space-borne construction yard, the cruiser and its docking array falling from sight below the edge of the transparent shield.  Beyond the titanic gantry, Riqimo could now see some of the assault-class ships that sat guard over the nearly completed cruiser.

"You're going to captain the Pure Fury?" Riqimo asked once the alarms gave way to the engine's distant rumble.  He knew enough about navy protocol to understand that the term "captain" was a sign of respect for any officer in charge of a vessel.

Sempreis continued to scowl daggers at Riqimo, apparently unmollified.  "No.  Executive officer."  He leaned into the shield, getting one lastglimpse of the Pure Fury before it disappeared off the aft beam.  "But I know every centimeter of her, every system.  She'll be mine someday."  He grinned, but there was no humor in it.  "Someday when you are lucky enough to command a few hundred Stormtroopers, I'll have the Pure Fury."

The man sighed then, a moment of unexpected frutration that he likely did not notice he had revealed.  "Two months," he said, "Two months before the official ceremony and my investure aboard."  He tapped impatient fingers against the railing and glared into space as if reading the positions of the stars.  "All right, we're over the dock.  Now we begin the roll towards Cepany."

Riqimo tried to hold the Kementor, the Pure Fury, and Cepany in his mind all at once, picturing the three-dimensional model that Sempreis grasped instinctively.  There was something he was missing.  "Cepany is to the dropship's rear, isn't it?"  He caught Sempreis flash of annoyance, but plunged ahead.  "I was trying to figure out why we need to move above the construction dock at all."

The admiral's smile was not kind, "just try to cross between any construction dock or orbital facility of the Casterbrodge Yards, and see if you live to regret it."

After a lengthy career in the military, Riqimo's first thought was for patrols.  The Pure Fury would be protected by several assault vessels and an array of TIE fighters, of course - each precious capitol ship was an appreciable chunk of the military budget after all.  But factories?  Why would the military condemn the Kementor for cutting across a factory's line to the planet...

A piece of intel floated up  to the surface of his memory, "The microwave uplinks."

Sempreis nodded curtly, "Cepany has one of the most severe approach paths of all VE planets."

Riqimo should have remembered about the microwave-power-generation faciliteis.  Several geothermic power plants situated around the planet beamed power to the orbiting factories and construction yards in the form of tight-beam microwave transmissions.  Most orbital facilities held geosynchronous positions and so received continual power from one particular station.  Others, such as the construction yard, which was positioned at the LaGrange point between Cepany and its one small moon, had to switch between stations.

"I forgot about the power stations," Riq admitted, feeling all the more foolish for being lectured by and admiral about the planet he had been poring over for the last 12 hours.

Capitalizing on his advantage, Sempreis took up lecturing in an almost condescending tone, "The Cepany rebel group, Free Cepany tried to destroy some of those back in the early days of the VE.  One of the microwave beams was redirected; smashed a fill fleet right out of orbit.  No survivors."

Sempreis stared pale green lasers though Riqimo, silent for several long heartbeats.  It was hard to guess what he might have done or said next.  But Riqimo would never find out because the Kementor rolled over and Cepany appeared off the starboard observation deck, allowing him to snob the younger officer for the first view of the planet.

Glancing towards the middle of the observation deck, Riqimo saw his team in their dress uniforms as well, obviously wanted to keep their distance from their lead when he was with a significantly higher ranked superior officer.  Dismissing himself from Sempries, Riqimo only received a grunt in confirmation before walking over to ARC Lambda.

"We are finally en route to the planet folks," Riq gestured out the transparisteel.  Blue waters framed yellow-green continents, the washed out vegetation a result of some pollutant issues.  The Kudros Mountain Range wrinkled the landscape just below them, and the island continent of Radcliffe had just peeked its shorelines over the eastern horizon.  Turning his head from the distraction Riqimo rubbed one of his eyes, "We should touch down in the capitol's starport soon enough, 45 minutes probably.  From there we get a little shuttle ride to the palace to be briefed by the General of the milita that we will be working with.  Hence the dress uniforms I asked you to wear."  Riq shrugged and stared back out the observation deck, "If you want to go ahead, feel free.  I'm gonna stay on this deck and enjoy the view a little more."

Riqimo made a few notes on a piece of flimsi, he was going to need to request some intel later when he had a secured contact point with Imperial Intelligence.

Namyr glanced up from a datapad, obviously transcribing the conversation, "There is another militia centered in the next city over, correct?"

Kube glanced over to Namyr, surprised that someone other than the team lead spoke out.  Riq eased him, "We  are pretty much on the same level in this squad, it's fine."

Nodding, the general answered, "Ah yes," there was a slight hint of coldness to his voice, "They are rather green, plus they only amount to three platoons.  The VE assumed two planetary militias would make things more efficient.  Their general, however, Keshik Aln, is rather... ineffectual when it comes to employing them."

"How?" Riq raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter," Kube shrugged it off, "We work separate from them."  He pushed a datapad towards Riqimo.

"Anyways, no doubt you want to start meeting your objectives?  They are all conveniently staying at various locations here in the capitol city.  That datapad will tell you exactly where they are staying right down to the room and the access key to let yourself in.  Should you need my men, don't hesitate to ask for a couple squads."  Kube rose from the table, Riqimo and the others did likewise.  "I am also available at virtually anytime, so feel free to buzz my personal comm channel, which is stored on the datapad as well.  Best of luck gentlemen and lady."  Kube gave a crisp salute and left the room with his protocol droid trailing behind him.

"Interesting character," Riq mumbled before turning to his group.  "Alright, I am sorry if what we are doing is slightly confusing.  Since this is the first secure environment I am able to get, you get your mission briefing on site.  We are now in Cepany as you are well aware, and if you watch the holonews, you will also be aware that two lord mayors had some very ill timed deaths.  We are here because of supposed assassinations against the lord mayors.  Our job is to protect, at all costs, these lord mayors.  There are already enough civil issues on this planet without a stable government."

"Anyways, equipment.  Ya'll brought your own weapons and what not along.  The only thing you don't have would be our gray body guard uniforms that put as part of a non-existant security firm contracted to protect the lord mayors.  As one of the lord mayors is most likely suspect of these assassinations, we cannot reveal out true identity to them.  Keep an eye out for suspicious activity.  Umm... anyways, this uniform has lightweight plates huilt in that are coated so that they can protect you from normal blaster bolts and can take a few slugs if you don't count the bruises.  Can't take some of those more powerful weapons though, so don't go charging in like you are some god or whatever.  You'll end up in a bacta tank for a few months or most likely dead.  And I must say that the black berets trimmed with red are quite stylish. "

"Our little lack of helmets on this mission leaves some things to be desired, especially comms communications.  Thus we will use an in ear comm system.  And yes Namyr, we have one specially made for you." Riq nodded towards the scarlet Twi'lek before she asked the inevitable question.  "This stuff is over in our little safe house that Kube was kind enough to set up for us, so if we will head down there, we should be able to get ready and then meet the mayors."

A long line of dark lead, ran along the length of the paper as Namyr drew. She stopped for a moment staring at the picture she had drawn. It was what she remembered while Riqimo had slept during the zero-g trip. He had looked so peaceful as she watched him, he hadn't even realized she had climbed out of the bed as soon as he fell asleep and watched him, having a strange feeling she was losing the old happy Riqimo even as he slept. Flipping through the older pictures she had drawn, they traced back to her bootcamp days, the sketchbook was thick and old itself, with several yellowed papers sticking out of rough sketches Namyr had done on napkins and whatever else was at hand.

Tucking the pencil behind her ear, Namyr began flipping through the thick book starting at page one. She chewed on a toothpick as she flipped through a few sketched of her family, which quickly changed to pictures of Lazarus's handsome but cold face, then to her drill instructor. Then pictures of Raider's squad, a few of Darr looking serious and pensive, a few of Leon and Marka, but the most of Raider's squad was Rogueboy, there were several pages of his face, smiling, sad, serious, a few full body sketches on how he stood. Then a lone picture of a Twi'lek and him standing in the rain an umbrella limp in the Twi'lek's hand as they kissed a kiss of pure want and lust. Then a few pages later was a half done picture of Rogueboy's face contorted in extreme pain. She remembered that face well when she had finally told him that she was seeing Riqimo and was happy. It pained her to the day.

After that there were several pictures of Riqimo including one without clothes, Namyr couldn't help but smile as she flipped through the pictures but her smile slowly became a frown as his face became darker and darker angry and sorrow taking over the pictures. Depressed, Namyr slammed the book shut, set it next to her and began cleaning her blade. She knew she was in the dark about a lot of things going on with Riqimo and she didn't like it. And she didn't like that he was becoming so violent, her ribs still ached where he had dug his fingers into her sides, and she had checked while he was asleep and seen ugly black bruises forming on her skin. It frightened her but it also mad her angry, what gave him the right to touch her like that? No man had, not since she had been a slave.

Namyr's teeth ground against the toothpick as she cleaned her blades, she didn't even notice the door open and someone walking over to her, or that they were looking down her shirt at the mounds that were just barely uncovered by the first few buttons of Namyr's uniform, which she had done because it was very hot in the armoury.  Namyr had figured since they were the only ones in the safe house she could at least be comfortable in her working uniform.  She didn't even notice the person as they picked up her sketch book and began looking through them.

"Nam'eswo, you never told me your were an artist, a good one at that," a low voice spoke to her causing Namyr to jump and look up at Riqimo.

"Give it back," Namyr said her cheeks flushing, "They're just some sketches I did!"

Namyr stared red faced as Riqimo changed his clothing, she looked away as he turned to look at her. She wondered why he was going through all this to turn her on when he already stated he was too stressed to do anything, one of the many mysteries of Riqimo she could only figure. She also didn't like that he had looked through her sketch-book, that was private to her, but she was also surprised to find out that Riqimo was a closet artist himself. She pursed her lips and flipped back through the book, the page landing on a picture filled with Raider's squad. She missed them, she had to reject a lot of their invitations to go out due to Namyr wasn't sure how Riqimo and Rogueboy would act around one another, and them fighting was another stress she didn't need.

Namyr let out a sigh, things had been easier when she had gone through basic that was for sure. Picking up her Datapad, she opened it to research on the Lord Mayor she was suppose to guard. Fun times, it was probably some fat diplomat who liked pinching female's asses and giggling about it. Namyr hated politics, she rather use her mind to make up plans that would lead to a good fight, but what did she know she had never been much of a butt kisser. Namyr began glancing over the datapad, and her hands began to shake. Green eyes stared back at her as she stared at the picture of her assigned Lord Mayor, blue skin, dazzling white smile. The datapad clattered to the floor and suddenly Namyr had the urge to find Riqimo and be held by him.

Scooping up the datapad she walked out of the armoury and up the stairs, her ears rang with every step. She had once kept careful tabs on Lazarus and the last she had heard he had left Ryloth, but then she had joined Raiders, then meet Rogueboy, and then Riqimo and she had eventually pushed him to the back of her mind. Riqimo only knew the very basics of her past and Namyr hadn't thought to give him the details, she had tried to move on with her life, and she thought she had. But the sharp pain of panic that had run through her body when she had seen his picture had made her realize that she wasn't.

Namyr stopped outside the door, did she really want Riqimo to know. He was stressed out as it is and to bring in and element of her past would only cause to worst en the situation. In fact she doubted that Riqimo after finding out would even have the will power to keep him from hitting Lazarus, and he would ruin his career and everything else he had worked so hard to acquire. And would he act differently, would he be disgusted in Namyr or treat her like a vase, not wanting her to break. Or worst he might try to send her home for this mission to avoid her anymore pain. Namyr's hand gripped the datapad, she refused to run away from Lazarus. So no she wouldn't tell Riqimo, not until after the mission, that was what was best for the time being.

And what would she do when Lazarus recognized her, Namyr didn't know but she would come to that moment when it came. Turning the knob she opened the door and walked into the room. She watched as Riqimo quickly downsized some files as she walked up behind his sitting form.

"You okay?" Riqimo asked turning and noting that Namyr seemed a little paler then usual.

Y-yeah just getting over the space ride you know how that affects me," Namyr said casually reaching over Riqimo's shoulder and seeing what he had minimized on the computer. A camera angle had been pulled up showing a naked woman showering. Namyr's lips became a thin line and she pulled away and sat down on the bed. She set her own datapad on the night table and looked thoughtfully at Riqimo.

"What, she's my Lord Mayor, I didn't know she was taking a shower," Riqimo said throwing up his hands.

Namyr shrugged for once not feeling like her usual jealous self, "I know, so each of these rooms have a super computer?" she asked kicking her legs up onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"Nam'eswo, are okay?' Riqimo asked coming over to the bed and laying beside Namyr who turned to look at him.

"Yeah, everything is fine," she said her voice shaking a little and managing a tight lipped smile.