Title: Former Glory
Rating: R
Summary: When Commandant Braca is asked to destroy a secret illegal Peacekeeper weapons facility at the heart of Hynerian space he is thrust into a war he cannot possibly hope to win.

1 Air

Felko didn't report for flight duty today. Greshyn felt unbalanced flying without her. Her substitute was a poor pilot and an even worse flirt. In the end she disabled her comms just to get rid of his pointless chatter and her instructor noticed immediately and punished her for this disobedience, even though she finished her manoeuvre impeccably without instructions. Greshyn thought the old bat jealous, or even worse; she seemed to like it when they disobeyed. The pain was just a formality.

She roamed the Command Carrier in search of her friend, but found her quarters empty. Maybe she had been sent on a secret assignment, but even then why hadn't she told her? They did everything together. Or at least they used to, when Chatto was still around. Now there were just two of them left since Chatto had been assigned to some border outpost as far away as her mother could have sent her. To the most remote and desolate place she could muster, just to separate them. Nothing her mother did was ever without hidden intent. This had been done just to scorn her. To keep them apart. But their friendship would survive this.

"Felko?"

Greshyn quickly swallowed her words when captain Keedo manifested himself in the doorway of Felko's personal quarters. It was almost as if her mother had heard her thoughts. Had she placed a tracking device on her somehow? She wasn't superstitious, but always seemed to think of her mother as this omnipresent all-knowing entity that hovered over every conversation.

The captain was her mother's personal guard. She never went anywhere without him. All two metras of him and not a single part of his body wasn't covered in scars.

Greshyn told him Felko wasn't there, but he wasn't there for Felko. A single grunt was all he needed to communicate that he had come to collect her. Vice-Chancellor Mele-On Grayza had summoned her daughter and her every wish was command. This had been the single constant fact in her life.

"Take me to her."

The brute grabbed her shoulder even though she expressly told him not to.

**

It had been six cycles ago that he had been sent to the Hynerian border. It seemed strange, but Dorak Deluge had become a home to him now, more than he could have possibly imagined. The sight of the lifeless grey giant which the small station orbited had become an anchor around which Commandant Miklo Braca's life turned.

The first day he'd set foot on this station six cycles ago he had been a bitter man. His promotion and re-assignment had been a wholly political move on Vice-Chancellor Grayza's part. He had not been judged by his own merits or skills, but he shouldn't have expected any differently being at the mercy of the woman he'd once scorned. All the feelings had washed away now, replaced with a tranquil serenity of routine duty. But still he felt uneasy.

It had taken him ages to earn the trust of the new crew. A tiny garrison aboard this station. Sometimes he catches himself forgetting their names even now. Not something the Commandant was proud of. He was no fan of long-winded speeches, so he only gave one. He wanted the soldiers under his command to judge him by his actions, not his words. His service record needed no introduction. Trouble is, there was little action here at the Hynerian border.

Dorak Deluge had been one of many stations before the signing of the treaty three cycles ago that forced the others to be dismantled. The new Dominar Rygel XVII was a great politician, he had to admit, helped in no small part by the advice of his grandfather who Braca still remembered well. The old Dominar Rygel XVI. The once fugitive aboard the Leviathan Moya.

The memories made him smile. When he stared out into that barren space at the edge of the Hynerian sector he saw potential, hís potential, and babysitting Hynerians wasn't it. They were always moody and arrogant, always troublesome and frustrating, but in the end the Hynerians posed no threat as long as they didn't interfere with their dealings. They only cared about their own. Their independence. Miklo respected that.

Nights of negotiations had drained Miklo considerably. When he stared out into that barren space at the edge of the Hynerian sector he saw potential, hís potential, and babysitting Hynerians wasn't it. Six cycles he'd bore this burden and he didn't know whether he could handle six more.

The former Commandant of this station had been a great man. Stepping out of his shadow proved to be an almost impossible task for Braca, since the old man was a war hero and a cunning strategist and legendary negotiator. Even now still many of those under his command still preferred Commandant Fgorek over him. Especially lieutenant commander Cyl Arden.

She had been Fgorek's second-in-command and she would never let him forget that. She was a true thorn in his side every microt of every day. Always a sigh hidden under every word. He wanted to think he tamed her after six cycles but he knew that was a lie. She mellowed and finally had come to accept his command, no longer questioning his every order, but whenever she looked at him he could tell she wasn't seeing him. Hell in high heels. Her loyalty would always lie with Fgorek. Maybe even her heart.

Driven with ambition and styled for success. Sometimes she reminded Miklo of himself at that age. Look at him now.

Miklo rubbed his brow.

There was a knock at the door of his office. Miklo rubbed the wrinkles above his old eyes and called for whoever was at the other end to enter. Sleep could wait.

"Sir?"

Six cycles. Vice-Chancellor Grayza had had plenty of time to scheme and plan her next move and yet every transmission from High Command came without a bite. He'd expected worse by now.
Scorpius had advised him to wait and so he did. He'd play the part, assumed his role, waited for that transmission to come which would put everything in motion. But what if it would never come?

What if she had sent him here to rot? To grow old and tired, here at the edge of Hynerian space? Would that be her final revenge? Maybe in the grand scheme of things he was unimportant.
And Miklo wondered whether he'd let his ego get the best of him. His promotion had turned him soft.

"Yes, lieutenant, what do you want?"

"Prowler patrol detected a Maurauder on a stealth trajectory towards this station. They are requesting to dock."

"Strange, we haven't got any shipments planned for today," Braca replied. He'd grown used to the distance she put between them and did not object as long as she performed as admirably as she did. He didn't blame Fgorek for putting her in charge as she did. She gets the job done.

"Does it have the proper authorization codes?"

"They specifically requested for you, sir."

Braca turned mid-step. This wasn't right.

"I asked you a question, lieutenant," he said and the lieutenant corrected herself.

"It was an old authorization code, sir, but it checks out."

"Good." He resumed his pace around his desk. "Did they tell you who made the request?"

"Yes, sir. He said his name was Scorpius."

Miklo felt his chest expand with relief. It had been too long since he had seen his mentor.

"I shall welcome him personally," he smiled at her. He had been cooped up inside his office too long anyway. "Tell them Docking Bay 4 is available. And you, lieutenant, will join me there shortly."

"Understood, sir."

"And that is Admiral Scorpius to you," he added. "Remember that."

Miklo turned to the drink he had prepared for himself when lieutenant commander Arden walked out his office, but he didn't feel thirsty anymore. Meeting Scorpius again would do him good.
He hated it when they didn't take him seriously. He had fought too hard to regain his rank to lose it all over again to a bunch of youngsters fresh out of flight training.

**

Vice-Chancellor Mele-On Grayza was just starting to enjoy her morning cream bath when she received the news. It ruined the mood. She stepped from the tub naked and screaming to her underlings for a towel. She was too angry to be reasonable today. She could be vicious when she wanted to.

She returned to her quarters to get properly dressed. Mele-On knew presentation was the key to intimidation. If her children hadn't forced the Council to make her abdicate her position as Grand Chancellor her beauty would've gone unchallenged throughout the galaxy. But that was almost seven cycles ago, when the new Grand Chancellor was sworn in and she took her place at her side. (Now look at her faded beauty...)

Mele-On knew not to underestimate her. The Grand Chancellor was not to know of this transmission.

She stormed on to the Command Deck of the Command Carrier Dauntless like the softest breeze, but there was panic in her heart. While the good captain watched her every move with caution she stopped at the navigator to loom over him like a dark cloud.

"Take me to Graviton Base," she demanded. "Now."

She could not face the Nebari delegate without more information.

When they reached Graviton Base the Prowler scouts reported finding nothing but a giant crater on the system's largest moon.

The captain could no longer keep himself from asking questions. He knew better than to not upset the Nebari, but he forgot not to upset the Vice-Chancellor.

"Why are we here?" he demanded to know.

"That is none of your concern, Captain Daenz," she replied stern.

"It might be," Captain Daenz said. "If I am not mistaken, my brother was stationed here. I know what Graviton Base is, Vice-Chancellor..."

"Let us discuss this in private, Captain, before you forget your place."

Mele-On understood family. They are a risk. A distraction. And she knew this from personal experience.

She explained to the captain that Graviton Base was a secret weapons research facility under the command of Admiral Scorpius, just before she informed him of his reassignment to the Uncharted Territories and his brother's death.

Even if the good captain's brother was still alive somewhere Mele-On would make sure his survival wouldn't last long.

Scorpius. This had him written all over it.

He's always been a thorn in her side. He was a threat and he would ruin everything. She had no choice but to take action. She couldn't risk him spoiling months of careful planning.

**

"Braca."

His old leatherclad friend spread his arms wide for a hug. They carefully patted each other's backs.

"How wonderful to see you again."

"My pleasure, sir," Braca replied returning with pride to the formation of senior officers which he had summoned to welcome Admiral Scorpius to the station. But he started to suspect Scorpius had preferred a less formal and more intimate event upon arrival. He felt embarassed for misreading his mentor's intentions.

He proceeded to introduce her to lieutenant commander Arden and Scorpius sized her up with a single look.

"Yes..." he exhaled, while Arden never said a word. Miklo was pleased.

The flight deck had been decorated with banners while all ship maintenance had been put on hold so that only the best and most spotless Prowlers could be showed off to the newly arrived Admiral. Miklo had hoped to impress Scorpius more, but there was only so much he could do with this old station without building a new one in its place.

"This is lieutenant Filch, sergeant Davos and Marnell and flight leaders Jeska and Chatto..."

"Do you have somewhere we can speak in private?" Scorpius interjected politely and Miklo swallowed and told him he would lead him to his office. But they wouldn't go alone. Scorpius had brought a female Interion scientist with him and her son of ten cycles.

"Who are they?" Braca stammered and Scorpius smiled.

"They are my family," he said and Braca quickly and nervously dismissed his senior staff.

Activity aboard the station was quiet for a change. The garrison entertained itself by making daily inventories of the station's constant stream of supplies and weaponry, while every few arns a squad of Prowlers would be sent out to patrol the border and keep an eye out for smugglers, Hynerian traffic and alien phenomenon.

It was this normal routine of the day that did not interest Scorpius. He refused to sit when Braca offered him a chair, instead letting 'his family' sit down in his stead.

Neither did he seem interested in the accomodations Miklo had provided for them. But it did seem that finally old age had caught up with Scorpius. Miklo had never seen him this old and tired. For cycles they'd only ever spoken through transmissions, messages and holograms, but in person Scorpius seemed to have lost his flair, but time hadn't bested him yet.

"This may very well be the last thing I will ever ask of you, my friend," the once spry fellow spoke.

"I have come to you, because I trust you, Braca. You are the only competent officer in this fleet. You understand this, don't you?"

"Of course," Braca spoke flattered. He had come here unannounced with a family seemingly out of nowhere and speaks of trust in hushed tones and careful whispers. Braca knew something had to be wrong. This is not the man he remembered. Never had he been so...desperate.

"But I don't understand. Why are you here?"

A deep pause could only mean a deep thought and in this uncomfortable silence not even the boy dared to make a sound. They were frightened of something. Scorpius afraid? Impossible.

Braca watched him gently kiss his wife's temple to comfort her. How six cycles changed a man...

Scorpius took a data-chip from her breast pocket and placed it on the table between them. The hologram it projected into the thin air displayed a set of co-ordinates on a 3-dimensional map of Hynerian space.

"When High Command ordered the dismantling of all Peacekeeper bases in Hynerian space there was one station left behind. Not Dorak Deluge, but another, right at the heart of Hynerian territory. You may find that supplies to Dorak Dom are being sent from this very station. "

"Dorak Dom? Why wasn't I informed of this?" Braca said foolishly. He was memorizing the details of the hologram in case the information was lost.

"Not even High Command knows of Dorak Dom. Technically, it doesn't even exist and therefore wasn't part of the treaty. I doubt our Hynerian allies would take kindly to deception."

Braca understood.

"There is more," the Interion scientist said. "According to our intelligence reports it's a weapons testing facility. Countless Hynerians used to be kidnapped and brought there to be experimented upon. They were to become the test subjects for various prototypes. It's sickening to even imagine this. Shame on you. Shame on every Peacekeeper!"

But Braca felt the same outrage in his heart. No honourable Peacekeeper should treat their prisoners like that.

"What would you have me do? Break the treaty? March right into Hynerian space with a small armada at my command and kill fellow Sebaceans for doing their jobs?"

Scorpius drew breath. Their eyes met.

"Yes," he said. "If the Hynerians find out it will nullify the alliance and perhaps even lead to war. The Hynerians are a proud and stubborn race. For cycles they have been looking for an excuse to terminate this brittle friendship. You know this. Other races will surely follow when the news of our betrayal spreads. These desperate times require desperate measures. You must destroy it."

"What about High Command?"

"Grayza *is* High Command!"

Braca was baffled that Grayza would risk the entire treaty over a single station. Why was it still there?

The Interion scientist begged him. "Please."

Braca already mentally prepared how he would broker the news to his senior staff. It didn't seem right, but he trusted his old mentor when he told him to tell as few people as possible. Grayza had eyes and ears everywhere.

"Consider it done."

He appeased his mentor's gratitude, but his heart feared the worst. Miklo didn't like the look on Scorpius's face when he thought he wasn't looking.

**

The flight deck had caught fire. Mr Flirt had predictably paid no attention to his flying and had crashed his Prowler in the middle of the docking bay, badly hurting himself in the process without Greshyn ever noticing a thing.

Greshyn watched the medical team rush to the pilot's aid. A fuel tank had ruptured and debris had pierced his leg when it exploded. He begged them not to cut it off.

The Vice Chancellor wasted no time in explaining the situation to the boy. Either you get the prosthesis or you die.

"Do you understand how much your stupidity is costing this State? Cripples are too expensive."

She calmly showed him the patience Greshyn had not while he was screaming and bleeding all over the deck. The surgeons were already choosing which saw to use. The infirmary wasn't too far away. The young pilot started to panic. He turned as pale as a sheet.

"Your time is up."

Grayza's patience had ran out. Mercilessly, she turned to Captain Keedo.

"Kill him."

In his final moments his eyes flitted to Greshyn, silently begging for mercy, as Keedo reached for his weapon in one fluid motion. Four blasts easily penetrated the cold sweat and finally put him out of his misery.

Greshyn did not disagree with his fate. The needs of the state outweighed the needs of the individual. Now he would be spared a life as a cripple. This had been an act of mercy, not cruelty.

He should've paid more attention to his flying and not the contents of his pants.

"Cadet Grayza," the Vice Chancellor seemed pleased.

She now completed ignored the removal of the boy's body, leaving nothing behind but a large red stain on the flight deck.

"You summoned for me, Vice Chancellor?" Greshyn said. It had been her cue to speak.

She was dying to know of Felko's absence from this morning's flight training. This had been what started this nasty chain of events. Greshyn pretended not to care. Their carelessness before had had Chatto sent off to the Hynerian border.

She felt her mother's eyes preening her mentally. Her secret was her shield.

Suddenly her mood changed. "Why haven't you taken her to my personal quarters?"

She reprimanded Captain Keedo. He endured the public humiliation. Everyone did.

"Come, child," her mother told her. "I've been expecting this moment for quite some time. Your achievements have been well noted. I am not the only one that has been keeping their eyes on you."

It was one of the first lessons Greshyn was taught by her mother as a child. They are always watching.