Saph looked at Jersh for a moment. He appeared truly sorry for what he said but like it mattered to her really. The temptation to pop him in the jaw was tremendous as she sighed as she stored what he said about the ship in the back of her mind. "No problem. It's not that it bothered me." she replied, turning her head to him as she sat in the co-pilots seat.

Jersh stopped and turned to look at her. "Then what?" He asked, leaning on the wall for support. "It's..personnal.." She replied and pointed to the pilots chair. "Sit, I doubt we'll be going anywhere for a few minutes and your wounded."

"So are you." he stated back but took the open chair with welcome. Saph felt slightly uncomfortable but she herself enjoyed the moment of having time to site and relax. Jersh looked at her arm with interest as she gave a tentative smile.

"So how did -"

"Frag went off early." Closing her eyes for a moment.

"I kinda heard that but how?" He asked in disbelief knowing that all their weapons are always well cared for and never faulty like that.

"Wicket.." She replied as Jersh blinked a few times. Obviously interested and she couldn't tell if surprised or not. "He was in front of me on the catwalk non-stop talking and stopped suddenly. I dropped my duffel and I guess the Frag was damaged.. " Saphira shrugged, not sure what the reaction was going to be. "Honestly it's no big deal. I've had worse when I was in the academy. It really does look worse then it feels." Well it wasn't the whole truth. The bacta patch kept the majority of the pain cut off. Either way she was going to need more medical treatment when they all got out of here.

Pulling her arm back she felt a cool shudder roll down her back. He was at least gentle with her wound. Much better then most would have been. Saph remembered back int he academy when one of the cadets  tripped comming out of the sim and tore his akelies tendon. The screams the poor kid did. Added to the fact that the medic on call had a student with him learning on the job and caused even more injury to him.


"Say Saphira.... Why did you become a fighter?"

His question brought her back into the present. She blinked for a few and almost looked startled. It wasn't something  that anyone had asked her very often. When he apoligied she shook her head. "No it's alright. Im sure you would find out sooner or later." Jersh arched an eyebrow.Can't be any worse then my own reasons He thought.


Licking her lips the Twi'lek  gave a small smile. "I was actually forced into service. Taken away from my parents when I was a young child and raised int he academy." The look in her eyes gave the impression that there was a whole lot more to it then simply that. Jersh urdged her to go on.

"From the time I was a small child I guess I had always been a rebel. I could have had it all." Looking at him intently for a moment. "My parents were and are to my knowladge, wealthy merchants on Coruscant. My mother wanted me to be a 'lady' and my father didn't know what to do with me. I just did things my way. Snuck out of the grounds and made friends witht he locals. I  started racing speeders int he garbage pits and could fix about anything thanks to my studies and connections  to that status."

She paused for a moment, catching her breath. "It was because of  doing stuff like that I caught the attention of local imperials and was forced froom home soon after." Saphira finished. The story much more to it but Jersh was going to have to ask for deepr questions.

Riq knew enough of Alater by now that he shouldn't push the Barabel for answers unless there was something that merited the risk of going to far.  Right now though wasn't that time.  Riq had to worry about the safety of his squad.  Alater was the most seriously injured, having blacked out just moments ago.  Riq had just ordered the scaly tower, at least compared to his height, to rest a bit.

Jersh and Saph are in the cockpit I believe.  Getting the ship systems set.  Both injured, but not too severely.  Hearing the sounds of a firefight just outside, Riqimo unshouldered his rifle in one quick fluid motion that came with extensive practice and ran for the loading ramp.  He came out a little late to a finished battle, Wicket and Rike had been standing guard outside the craft.  Still not sure what happened earlier with Saph back there with the grenade...

"Hey Doc, bit late aren't ya?" Jelly shouted in his familiar scorning, frustrated tone.

Riqimo returned the mockery, "Well you didn't save any for me."  Chuckling at Jelly's huff, the squad leader nodded to the other two members of beta fire team, also known as the Night Hawke Team.  "Good to see you guys made it out fine.  Hell of a first mission."

Riq was already on the ramp motioning for his team to follow quickly out of the chaos that was sure to come as soon as they engaged the final cut in the defenses.

"You might want to buckle up and fast.  Hell of a ride coming up." Riqimo turned back for a quick wink the squad, "It will beat Cartwheel's piloting I promise that."  Jogging up to the cockpit, Riq saw the troopers he had asked earlier sitting in the two pilot chairs, talking to each other while pushing a few buttons.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it is time to get the hell outta here.  You got the ship powered up and everything?"

Jersh nodded nonchalantly, "Ya, you blow that last box and we are outta here."

"Will do," Riq confirmed as he pulled out the remote detonator for the explosives he had put in one of the wire boxes.  Blowing that would cut tractor beams and defense cannons in the area, giving them the required window to power themselves to hyperspace and escape.  Although the minute explosion was not heard, the alarms, now louder than before, gave warning of the now offline defenses.  Looking out the pilot's window Riqimo groaned, "The damn airlock doors are closing, we gotta rush this."

"Easy do," Saph took the controls of her co pilot seat.

"You have had pilot training?" Riq blinked, a little uneasy.

"Can't be too much different from a repulosorlift." she muttered as she pushed the craft to full speed at the closing opening.

Her squad leader had been standing behind her just before the sudden acceleration, forcing him to crash into the nav computer wall.  Shaking his head vigourously to clear it, Riqimo tried to grasp one of the safety straps dangling from the ceiling out of his grasp.  Making a slight jump, he managed to catch them and dangled about an inch above the ground.  Wonderful... and... I'm facing the wrong way... perfect.  Straining to look over his shoulder to see their progress, Riq was completely unable to glance out the cockpit's transparisteel panes without letting go of his supposedly safe position.

'Supposedly' was the keyword there, as Jersh let the ship make a few rapid calculations and then hit them into hyperspace.  The jump from real space to hyperspace isn't that bad if you are sitting or have a firm grip on something solid.  Unfortunately for Riq, the straps were far from solid and swung him towards the nav computer wall once again.  There was an audible snap of on of the straps breaking and he must have let go of the other for some reason, as he was looking at the map of the galaxy literally with his face right against it for the second time.

... ow... ch  Riqimo shook his head a little more to clear the cobwebs knocked loose.  Once his bearings were gained, he turned to Saph, "We're gonna need to leave hyperspace for about 30 minutes to identify our little, humble ship before it gets blasted when we pull out near our own forces.  After the hell we been through, friendly fire isn't exactly how I want to go."

OOC:

Basically we have to be out of hyperspace to transmit messages. We pop out for a while, say "Hi" to the VE fleet there, let them know we are coming in, give them our ship's signature.  Pick up their address, etc.  Then a nice 45 minute hyperspace jump to where we can get pickup up by an ISD.