---

Colonel Achenar was whom Riq’s eyes met first, and watching him stumble along with his words and explanations was almost painful because it was clearly obvious he was only considering profit.  And Major Sirrus, that was terrible too, seeing the cunning manipulation and startling calm, but at the same time knowing the mad genius that hid behind the facade and didn't show itself to anyone yet was there all the same.

Riq’s intent was to save and please everyone he could, even though looking back later that was an impossible intent. And he tried.  Riqimo didn't fully know what the consquences would be until it was too late. Their words were simple enough. "Separate the Cleoggi from the mining operation." That's all he had to do and Riq was fine with that. The meaning was quite straightforward on the outset.

Only he learned shortly after and far too late that "separate" meant "choose."  Choose one or the other. In order for the mining operation to be successful, the Cleoggi must be removed. Or Riq could let them live... and the planet will remain pointless, its potential left to waste.

Then there was a flash and the entirety of Riq’s mind seemed to shiver for a moment when he finally did that separation. He didn’t realize what he had done at first. Riqimo wanted to say something happy to explain of how he had finally accomplished this and now everyone and everything would be all right.  That flash and those small rumbles of the holoprojector starting up didn’t mean separation…it meant death. It meant that with the force of Riqimo’s will and his hands shaping the future, he had chosen a future over a past and present and seen a species shattered and lost.

It was too much to contemplate. Riqimo returned to the waking world feeling terribly cold and thinking how utterly impossible that was, trying to convince himself that it all didn’t happen. But he couldn’t do that...

He had given the confirmation to kill a monster. He had signed the death warrant of those who utterly deserved it, who lived to wreak destruction and sadness to everyone they touched. It was only right that they should die in such a strange and terrible way. If Riq didn’t, they would have led to hardships for the VE. They would have killed all by preventing the VE expansion. But Riqimo also killed potential genius; a strange, twisted species with a seemingly brilliant mind and such pride and such…such strength.  Riqimo couldn’t have lived on an empty planet all those years. He did’t think anyone could. Yet they managed to take that maddening world and turn it into something. Riqimo don’t know anyone who could have done that. He killed someone who in another time and place could have been great...

“But...” Riqimo blinked at his audience, "in respect to Major Sirrus, we will attempt to capture and preserve some.  This is not a wanton slaughter or genocide.  This is more of protecting assets.  And in order to do this effectively, we are only taking a small portion of the planet and protecting it, building it up. Once we have a better understanding of this species, further action will be determined.”

“You did it!” Rogueboy mouthed from Riq’s left. As if Riqimo had done something that he should be proud of.

Riqimo stumbled out of the chair and started to walk over to the door, he needed a breath of fresh air. Achenar turned to look at him, and Riq couldn’t make out the expression on his face. Then Sirrus looked at him and smiled, though it was a weak and far away smile.

Choose who lives and who dies, who flourishes, who falls. And that wasn't right. That decision was not his to make. It never was and it shouldn't have been. It's not my place to decide that.  And yet here Riqimo was going to kill a species whom he found he could hate with a passion and in that same moment found that he could forgive everything. And the scene played over and over in his mind as he headed down the hall...

It had been about two days since the sims were completed, and now the entire company was aboard the ISD Dominion.  A bridge officer had just contacted Riqimo in his quarters that they had just arrived in the Vectra System, the Vast Empire System maintained primarily by the Naval Branch.  Granted the Navy could have taken care of this mission, that is if it would had been alright to just plain bombard the planet, which would make it hard to mine and live test subjects would be a little harder if not near impossible to obtain.  So the Stormtroopers get called, given some rad trooper suits and expected to go in and handle it rather quickly, within five days local time, which came to around 40 standard hours.

Riqimo rose from his bunk (if you called a cold steel platform a bunk), and pulled his black dress jacket from the hook near the door and put the uniform on over his white t-shirt.  This should be a fun briefing, don't think there has ever been anything like this before.

* ...  Later  ... *

"Alright, ladies, gentlemen, and other genders, our target is Strak within the Vectra System, which we should be in orbit of within a couple hours," Riqimo nodded to the tech on the side who started up the holo projector to illustrate the planet.

"Strak is a tiny planet with a close orbit to the star Vectra. This planet is rich in natural minerals and ores and would be a very profitable mining operation. Such an operation, though reaping great benefits in the long run, would be very costly to set up due to interference of some fierce humanoids known as Cleoggi who inhabit Strak.

"Despite lacking any atmosphere whatsoever, the Cleoggi live on the planet, mainly in a complex tunnel system. Imperial scientists have yet to discover how exactly the Cleoggi survive on the planet without any atmosphere whatsoever.  So, as you may have guessed, one of our objectives is to gather live specimens for the scientists.  Here is the only picture we can show you at your classification levels:"



"Our primary objective however is to obliberate, or otherwise pacify a small section of the Cleoggi population so that a mining operation can be safely established.  Two other platoons will arrive after we are done to defend this facility that will be underconstruction for a while."

Riqimo brushed some dust off the podium and glanced around, "You will be assigned to squads shortly based upon your performance in the sims, assigned where your skills will be most used.  Rogueboy and I are still reviewing the data and numbers, but you will hear shortly, within an hour or two.  Your equipment will be ready for pickup from the quartermasters once you have your squad assignment.  Dismissed, if you have any questions please consult me via a datapad message."