"So where are we going again?"
Evani yawned tiredly as she trudged with Jenny down the Dragoons ' barracks.
"Shh, we don't want to wake the rest of the squad," muttered Evani slightly agitated. It was 4 AM the morning. With her nocturnal habits she wouldn't normally be weary this time of the day, but they returned from their mission yesterday, and she was still in bandages.

"So, where are we going again?" asked the twilek in a hushed voice this time,
"To the Raiders, going to pick up Slick, thought it would be nice for you to train with old timer Lancers" replied Evani as they stepped outside the barracks. As the door hissed close Evani risked raising her voice.

"I've wanted to spend the first few hours of the Simulator alone with you to see how well you progress, and how we can improve you there where its needed," Evani quickly slipped through another long corridor which blazed with light. Jenny stayed quick on her heels.

"Best timing ever Hell" muttered Slick tiredly while rubbing his eyes with his fists. Through the windows beams of suns shimmered through clouds and trees illuminating the corners untouched by the artificial light.

After they shared a quick breakfast Slick and Evani lead Jenny to one of the many simulator rooms found in the academy.  As they stepped inside a technician aged in his late teens was already situated at the consoles ready to assist them. 

"Your name?" asked Evani while she seated her self lazily in one of the stairs

"Lance Corporal Jess, Sergeant" answered the technician stiffly as he jumped to a salute.
"A Lance Corporal? Well, the twilek at my side is a Lance Corporal as well, Jennabelle, and the grump here is Sergeant Slick, former Squad Leader of Lancer Squad, the formidable Raiders, and now Squad leader of Wraith." Said Evani gesturing to Slick and Jenny.

"So what do you have in mind Sarge?" asked Slick curiously after a few moments. Evani jumped up from her daze and bolted to the consoles' side.
"I've went through some logs of the simulators that was designed here, one I really liked was that of Senior Sergeant Cyanus, it was training sim for Raiders, ended in bit of disaster though" muttered Evani oblivious to the rest of the room's nervous glance as she continued.
"What he designed is amazing, I'm hoping to run my squad through it some time," answered Evani excitedly, her eyes glittered like that of a child who was about to receive candy.
"Mind telling us?" asked Slick dryly yet inquisitive.
"Operation Gemini Storm, but I'm only using a part of the sim, its originally designed for squad use" beamed Evani, her expression turned solemn however as she faced Jess. The trooper raked his hands through his mud brown hair.

"Jess, your rank inspires distrust in me, I do hope you refrain from going rookie on the console" muttered Evani sarcastic as she handed him a disk and the log of the previous time the simulator was activated"
"Won't do, why did you hand me logs of you, Slick and Jenna?" he asked curiously. Evani rolled her eyes.
"This sim requires it, read the raiders log and dish I gave you, it should be explained there," answered Evani.

In mere minutes they were strapped in their chairs, with various wires connected to their head and arms.
"By the way, Ev, I left Darr a note to join us when he has the time," muttered Slick hastily to Evani,
"Heh, I did the same with Zafo, so it should be cool, Jess, find their logs while we are in the sim, then they can jump in straight away should they join us" ordered Evani to Jess, Jess grumbled a reply but it went unheard by Slick, Evani and Jenny as a heavy darkness suddenly replaced their vision.

"Where are we?" asked Jenny puzzled. Evani blinked.
A grey sight met her eyes. The surface was just there, yet it was untouchable, with a odd mist that disappeared in the unseen horizon.
"Jess, a bit of life please" ordered Evani through her ComLink.
"Kay" he replied through the tiny voice box. No sooner minute droplets of water fluttered down on them. Slick looked at her with a puzzled glance. They were in standard Stormtrooper armour; Evani was equipped with her trademark weapons, a DC-15 blaster pistol, her dagger and lastly her most prized weapon; two whips. One tucked in the side of her boot, the other clipped to her utility belt. The latter she found in a pit fight on their mission to Utapau. It had the ability to spike it self by the push of a button.
Tiny shadows appeared through the mist, slowly gaining a bit of colour. Evani didn't experience the simulator often and each time a scenario was build it turned out magnificent.

The raindrops increased both speed and size, the shadows were tiny bushes, but to there surprise skulls formed as well, with a few shallow graves, and tombs.

"This Jess kid has issues," muttered Slick sighing.
"Yeah well, teenagers, what can I say?"
"You are a teenager"
"Shut up"

Their conversation were broken as Jenny made the first move.
"Whatever happens, we work as a team, we don't order each other round, we make suggestions and we come up with ideas, you will find that weapons you are equipped is the weapons you prize most" muttered Evani stepping forward as well, a twig snapped under her Stormtrooper boots.

With the snap another three shadows appeared. Slick and Jenny looked up alert. Evani smirked.
Silently they waited for the misty shadows to form an identity. Jenny gasped.
The distinct form of a twilek appeared against the raining sky.
It was like standing next to a mirror. Their group against an exact replica of them, and both armed.

Evani looked at her counter part, they both bore the same smirk. The same whip that dangled from Evani utility belt, were clipped at her clone's side.
"What's the mission of the sim?" asked Jenny with a dry throat.
"Kill them, and then continue the next phase, remember they fight their counterpart only" answered Slick with a strange glint in her eyes.
"How did you know?" asked Evani slightly surprised.
"I managed to sneak a glance at your holopad before we strapped our selves in" Evani gave a small nod, satisfied with the answer. Their clones stepped forwards. Slick counter part had his weapon raised already. Evani stole a glance at Slick. He had his weapon raised as well.  Evani's eyes narrowed, and the remnants of her smirk returned.



-----------------------
DarkDragoons
SL/SGT Evani/2SQD/2PLT/1CMP/1REG/1BAT/Tadath/VEA[LoR][ES2C][CoR]
TRN/IN Evani/Training 1-1/Lopen/VEDJ/VE

Darr-Rann looked around the simulated Environment - It certainly was impressive. The shallow graves and skulls were a bit disturbing, but he could see it was a well made simulation. He noticed that he was wearing his black Katarn Commando armor as he saw the visor's display, a quick glance down at his hands confirmed the theory. He also carried his Electrostaff, A280, and a set of throwing knives; He grinned, impressed. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sounds; He could hear the rain coming down, washing over everything. He could also hear blaster fire off in the distance. Opening his eyes, he stepped forward in the direction of the fight, but was stopped by a blaster shot that just barely missed his face. He turned to face a exact duplicate of himself. The armor, the weapons, everything.

"Alright..." He said, drawing his electrostaff. The other did the same. They circled each other for a few moments, analyzing any possible threats or advantages. Suddenly the clone moved, kicking a rock up at Darr-Rann's face. The trooper dodged it, but in the duration the clone made it's move, leaping forward and bludgeoning down with it's staff like a club. Electricity cackled with a almost wrathful sounding delight as the two's staffs met, both pushing forward in an attempt to take the other off balance.

Darr-Rann swore as he nearly took a blow to the head. "Dammit, he knows everything I do." They clashed again and again, and Darr-Rann's arms soon became sore from all the battering. Rolling behind a tombstone, he drew his A280 and opened fire upon the clone, causing it to seek shelter itself. The repugnant smell of Ozone filled the air as the two fired upon each other unrelentingly.

Darr-Rann decided he had enough of the blind shooting. Crouching down, Darr-Rann started going over his stealth training in his head. He slowly snuck out from behind the tombstone, taking low, short breaths in an attempt to make less sound. It was hard to walk over the rocks without making alot of noise though, and once or twice he had made enough of it that he was afraid he may be caught, by stepping down too hard or slipping. He wasn't exactly quiet as he'd like to have been, but the copy didn't seem to hear him. Grinning, he drew two of his throwing knives, wielding one in each hand. He leaped at the clone, stabbing down. Just at that moment he realized that if he hadn't seen any activity out of his opponent, he would be alert. He also realized that he would fool his opponent into thinking they had the element of surprise. With a sudden movement the clone spun around and  tackled him, causing Darr-Rann to drop his knives as he staggered back.

"This is going to be alot harder then I imagined..." He thought to himself as the clone's fist met with the face of his helmet, cracking the visor.

-----------------------
Raiders
SL/CPL Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|FL/PO2_Demonic/Kaph 5/PheonixWing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE| (=*A*=)
CORPORAL
SENIOR CREWMAN
one of few - A vast Empire medic
Read Losses of Vandetta by me and Hellra
Flashmaker

OCC: doing this in accordance to slick's first post, but adding on because of the second. Enjoy.

Jenny chuckled a bit too at slick's confusion of his own grin as she checked her gear. She had chosen the DC-17M Interchangeable combat system, which was basically the GAR clone commandos' choice weapon, no needed for the anti-tank rounds so she took them out, the second weapon she chose was the Treppus 2 vibroblade, a standard vibroblade used by stormtroopers, the third was the XV 7 Vibroblade, a great edged blade for military purposes. Also she got her armor, standard, plus the utility belt with all her chosen weapons, no grenades.

Skipping all the weapon details, Jenny quickly got behind cover near two tombstones, both with her parents' names on them.

"Damn, Jess, quit it with the names, those are my parents, idiot!" Jenny cursed as she heard Jess yell in surprise or anger, the only thing Jenny heard was "what the hell, it's the program, damn it!"

"Jenny, forget about it, he's just a stupid teenager that's lost&" Slick encouraged as he kept up fire on his clone, which did the same.

"I'm getting tired of this shit, always trying to predict your own moves and overcoming them again and again." Jenny commented, taking shots at her clone, which got a pretty good place one that almost hit her. "Oh shit!" She added while hugging the gravestone. "Damn Bitch!"

"That thing just copied you again&." Hell remarked while placing a well aimed shot at her clone, which flicked off the tombstone and the clone smiled while pinning Hell down with shots.

Slick ran off to find his clone, which took the pinned down enemy as a signal for retreating, Jenny heard slick's voice over the gunfire:

"Well I found mine. I need to go catch him. The best of luck on your search, ladies. I'll see you on the other side."

The other two clones also ran off in the same direction, but to different paths, Jenny and Evi followed their individual clone, said goodbye quickly and went off.

Jenny's clone went off inside a mausoleum, closing the heavy doors behind her. It looked a lot like Jenny's parents' house when Jenny was a kid. But there were memories etched on the wall of Jenny's childhood. I wonder what I'll find in here. Jenny thought as she went inside.

"Oh my god... It's my parents; those are my goddamn parents&." Jenny said, amazed at the sight of two graves, right next to each other, gravestones near them etched with their names.

"Well, well, well, Jenny, you're in your parents' graves, won't it be nice for the traitor parents to see their honored daughter dead, they would get revenge&." Jenny's clone teased, smiling and grabbing Jenny by the neck with a vibrobayonet at her neck. Jenny felt herself spoke the same words.

"You damn bitch, get off me or I'll send you to them in hell." Jenny herself retorted as she tried to break herself from her clone's hard grip.

"Always learn from where your weakness is, remember Jenny, your weakness is never showing people your weakness, that's the true one, Jenny, you hated a women's touch on you, you desired men too much and your grip breaking techniques are lacking." Jenny's clone hissed, as she kissed Jenny's cheek.

Jenny took that as a distraction, as she shot a few into her clone's arm. Her clone fell back and Jenny holstered her DC-17, taking out her vibroblade and vibrobayonet, the clone doing the same, both wearing a smile on her face, and a wound on their left arm.

"Damn, what the&" Jenny exclaimed as she saw the bloody bayonet that Jenny's clone has, "Oh, now it's going to get ugly, yeah, I'm going to mess you up!"

The two attacked each other with the same fierceness, each trying to get the other's advantage, each trying to overwhelm the opponent. Jenny felt the fight would go on forever, until her opponent snapped herself back out and kicked her bayonet away, it landed near the steps going down the way to her parent's grave. Jenny took a punch in the mouth and was pushed to her limits, as the clone forced the blades on her neck.

what a hellhole you landed in, Jenny, how are you going to get yourself out of it? Jenny thought, shaking her head, staring at the same shaking head of her clone.

 
-----------------------
DarkDragoons

TRP/PFC Jennabelle/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. " -Darth Vader

"Well, Jenny, any last words before you join your parents?" Jenny's clone murmured, chuckling at Jenny's pitful state of trying to block with one hand, staring at Jenny with that same stare that Jenny used to have when she was about to kill her enemies.

"Yeah, always look where the other hand is going!" Jenny remarked loudly before taking her fist and punching it into the duplicate's stomach, letting it drop the vibrobayonet and clenching its hurtful stomach.

Jenny quickly got up as she speedily assaulted with her vibroblade onto her clone, which also got up and blocked the blade's swift attack, backing up from the impact. Jenny and her duplicate once again continued attacking each other, blades swiftly and accurately trying to narrow it through the weak points and killing the opponent.

"Very nice, but this will go on forever unless you can find your way through your weakness, this is for training, Jenny, training&. training& " The double commented slowly and every word seem to wander into her mind, reminding her of what her training with her parents and the stormtroopers, how it brought her so much training in the skills of melee and ranged weapons, both getting what she wanted, her murderer's deaths.

"Yes, those murderer flashes through your eyes, every one of them on these walls, echoing the silent or violent deaths they enjoyed, they await your arrival, Jenny, they----" The clone continued as Jenny quickly punched her in the mouth, giving her a hell of a mouth job.

"Stop your lecturing, I'm sick of it. Let's get to fighting!" Jenny said angrily as she raised her blade once again and went to swing her blade onto the enemy when a swift kick from the duplicate brought her away and near the steps, her vibroblade swinging between the two graves and landing, her vibrobayonet nearby.

"Why continue, you look very tired and restless, this battle has worn you down like it has with your parents, and I know what you think because it's what I think&." The double whispered in that odd voice that echoed through Jenny's mind.

Jenny got back up as she sheathed her vibrobayonet nearby and took out her rifle, firing a few shots to silence the talks of her clone and to let it dodge, grabbing its vibrobayonet on the way, until it went behind a statue of Jenny's father, which was lecturing about something to an image on the wall. Jenny heard it sheath both the vibroblade and the vibrobayonet, taking out its rifle. Jenny decided it was a good time to get her vibroblade, which was still lying there near her parents' graves.

She ran from cover to cover, roll from here to there, taking fire from the duplicate and closing in on the vibroblade, as she got to the vibroblade and rolled, taking it along with her, it managed to get a hit on her back, missing the spinal cord and hitting her left shoulder, to her great luck. Jenny quickly took cover as she looked at the wound. nice, the son of a gun managed to get my left shoulder, man that stings, I hope it doesn't hit any major artery&. Jenny thought as she looked at her armor, which was pretty dented with blaster shots.

"Get yourself together, Jenny, you can do it, just ignore that crazy girl's words and fight her, you know what to do, just do it." Jenny muttered to herself, focusing on every part of her training, exploring the weaknesses, and finding solutions, until she came up with a perfect plan. "Well, I think I'll force her into close combat with a rifle and see if I end up getting hit right where Freje's medallion is, then I'll kill her, perfect& let's do it." She added, kissing the medallion, as she got ready to face the double once again.

 
-----------------------
DarkDragoons

TRP/PFC Jennabelle/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. " -Darth Vader

"Come on, Jenny, get up! Get up and fight me!" Jenny's clone yelled in desperation, as she reloaded her rifle with a new clip.

"Yeah, well, I'll just have to believe in myself!" As Jenny said those words, it hit her, like a big flashback right on the scene.

The night of her parent's deaths, there was one thing that her mother said before she was stabbed and killed by the assassins, the same thing she said her mother had said in her last words. It came to her in a tidal rush, a wave of self-confidence, belief and faith, it all came. Finally! It has come! My morale will be much lifted and I will be more confident in myself! Jenny thought happily, as she got back to reality.

Jenny quickly raised herself from her odd flashback stance and switched back to her regular stance, she was nearing the left stairs, all she had to do was to endure one more of her double's rifle blasts and Jenny would be able to intiate her plan. Jenny waited until she heard her duplicate almost done reloading, then she started running, faster and faster, upon the steps of her road to victory upon the clone. Her clone had shot again and again, but against what seems to be a fast enemy, Jenny remembered, she would lose in trying to get an accurate shot on him or her. man, am I learning to beat my own double with my own weakness or what? Jenny thought to herself questionably and smiled, as she reached the bottom step with only a shrapnel on her lower arm, which looked like it didn't went too deep.

"Well, Jenny, not bad, not bad at all. I'd say you could take some hits!" The duplicate commented angrily, reloading as she walked down the steps to where Jenny was, while the clone examined Jenny's wounds and remarking, chuckling, "A shrapnel on your lower arm, a rifle blast on your left shoulder, left arm stabbed with a vibrobayonet, bruised face. I'd say you're just about ready to die."

"Maybe I should be the one saying that you're going to die, a punched-up mouth, a bruised stomach and a blasted arm, what a shame." Jenny responded quickly as she raised her rifle and aimed at her double's heart, but before she could shoot, her duplicate aimed and quickly took a few shots at her heart, which accurately hit the medallion.

Perfect, my plan is working, now to get rid of my clone once and for all. Jenny thought to herselfas she prepared to kill the clone.

 
-----------------------
DarkDragoons

TRP/PFC Jennabelle/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. " -Darth Vader

"First day back and already they've got me doing..." Giovanni muttered profane things under his breath. It wasn't his place to complain.  After all, he had been gone for a good long time settling family matters back on Coruscant. With the recent death of his father, it was up to him to set his mother up nicely and make sure she was looked after. 

The death of his father hadn't hit him as hard as he thought it would have.  Sure he was grieving, but he knew his father had led a full life, and had been a loving provider for him and his two younger siblings.  It was his younger brothers he worried about. Without a father figure they could stray to a life of crime on the lower levels.

"It's not your problem let me deal with them" her mother had told him. She was probably right.

So he set off for Tadath, much like the first time, with nothing with him except the same tattered old duffel bag.  This time he docked with the Orbital Platform and made sure to check in on his apartment before touching down on Tadath. His things were the same as he had left them. His worn stormtrooper armor in a pile on the floor, and a new set in a box at the foot of the bed.

A hiss at the door brought in a rush of compressed air from the outside. It was a courier.

"Holomessage for Sargent Giovanni Bryden," he said in a low voice, as if trying not to disturb the man who had his backed turned to him, and was looking under his bed for his belongings.

"Yeah, that'd be me. Just put it down anywhere." The man set the holopad down next to his stringed instrument.

Another hiss let him know the man had exited his room, as he found what he had been looking for. He pulled the mahogany box out and deactivated the lock with a combination of seemingly random numbers. In the box were the few medals he had accrued, and what few credits he hadn't stowed in his bank account. He left the medals alone and took the credits, closing the box and setting it on the table next to his bed. He changed into his black shirts and gray slacks, and left the room.

His dogtags rattled as he ran for the next shuttle down to Tadath.  He had missed the army life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Come to Simulation room A-103," the holopad had said. It didn't say who it was from.

"First day back and already they've got me doing..." Giovanni muttered profane things under his breath.

"Gio, is that you?" said a familiar voice behind him. It was Kairo.
"How have you been?"

"Can't complain. How are things with you Kairo?"

He responded saying things were ok. He asked if i wasn't too busy. I responded that i was headed for one of the simulation rooms, but that if i remembered correctly the bar was on the way.

"Alcohol before a simulation? You never learn do you..."

"I guess not," Gio replied in a low tone.

"Let's go see what your squad is doing in the simulation room" said Kairo. He must not have had anything better to do at the time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The two entered the room to see the technician hacking away at a terminal. He could count at least 4 different bodies sitting down with wires strapped to their heads, arms and chests, and another 4 empty chairs.

The technician hadn't noticed them come in and was startled to see the two men approach him.

"SGT Bryden, reporting for duty." The technician saluted him, and showed him to his chair. "I've had a simulation ready for you sir, I think you'll find it quite challenging." Giovanni merely chuckled.

"Interesting..." was the last thing Kairo said before Giovanni's senses were flooded with light from all directions.

The first sense he controlled was smell. He smelled urine and soot and some kind of smog. His sense of hearing kicked in next. He heard shuttles exiting and entering the atmosphere miles above him. A cool wind rustled his clothes as his vision came to him. He was on some familiar planet. The warm glow of the evening sun washed over his face and slightly warmed his face through his helmet's visor.

He was on Coruscant.


 
-----------------------
*DarkDragoons*

*Sergeant Giovanni A. Bryden*

TRP/SGT Giovanni Bryden/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE/[LoR][ES][1st Class]

Whenever death may surprise us, let it be welcome if our battle cry has reached even one receptive ear and another hand reaches out to take up our arms.