This story had been written by several members who each represent one of these characters.
Disclaimer: We do not own Star Wars and I have not written anything you are about to read. This chapter was written by Jegora.
Characters Overview:
Mai:
(cathar)
Despite her notable feline features, Mai resembles a human female in overall shape and form. Her body is covered in a short reddish brown fur that blends into an unkempt mane of darker, gold flecked hair. Her yellow eyes are wider set than those of a human, with a 'tear stripe' running from the corner of each eye down the side of both cheeks to the base of her chin. Her ears are pointed as opposed to rounded, whilst her nose is wider and flatter to process a greater variety of scents.
Slow to trust, Mai is a naturally suspicious character. She tends to question or disobey orders rather than follow obediently, a trait which sees her consistently butting heads with her superiors in the Army. She also struggles with a fiery temper common to members of her race. Despite this, she is keenly intelligent, and quick to learn. She is also incredibly loyal to individuals who have gained her respect.
Reek:
(Human)
Shy and very timid, Goln has a very passive nature, but he also has a very short temper and when provacated, has a tendency to lash out aggressively. Along with his impressive size and the fact that he was an immigrant to the planet Iridonia, these qualities lead to him being given then the name "Reek" by his Zabrak adoptive family. As was the tradition with the species, he was given this name along with tradition Zabrak facial tattoos, during his rite of passage.
Tall and broad, Goln has a muscular-athletic build, his skin is tan, and his hair is long, jet black, and twisted into dreadlocks. His face is covered in stubbled. He has deep green eyes, and his smile is white and crooked, there is something charming about it, something that reminds you of home. He has a strong chin, and his gaze is long and narrow, it seems as though is nose has been broken at least twice, and he has the strange symbols and marks on his face, that tell his lineage, and history, the most outstanding of which are the three large horn shaped symbols on his for-head, for ever marking him as "Reek". Often seen without a helmet, he is usually clad in the standard Stoorm Trooper apparel, except for the fact that he wears tradition Zaberak field boots.
Abalar:
(Human)
Abalar is a quiet, unassuming person. It takes a lot for her to become angry: usually its when someone constantly calls her Stone instead of Abalar or Fyre (see pet peeves for more info). When she is angry, it takes a long time for her to settle down again. She will rarely drink, mainly due to her childhood, unless she is very upset or afraid, and needs to forget about something.
Jegora:
(The Squad Leader)
(Human)
During his time in the Navy, Jegora was known as a by-the-book man, never breaking any rules and following orders to the fullest. He never drank, never partied, never smoked, never did any of the stupid things that get sailors in trouble. He was a cold individual, making few friends and even fewer enemies, keeping to himself and doing his work as efficiently as possible. When he was drafted into the Vast Empire Naval Intelligence Division, and in effect the Starfighter Corps, much of this behavior changed. He 'thawed' out, becoming more friendly and more open towards the men and women he served with. He retained his ironclad discipline, however, refusing to participate in any activities he deemed 'destructive'.
Tall and physically imposing, Jegora is the ideal specimen for the Stormtrooper. Standing four inches over six feet and weighing in at two hundred and twelve pounds of solid muscle Jegora is a verifiable mountain of a man. He stands erect at all times, a soldier to the core, and always appears to be tense. He has often been described as a coiled snake by those who meet him, and an angry bear to those that have to fight him in melee combat.
Jager Luth:
(Human)
Few carry people in the Corps carry with them such a sense foreboding and dread then Jager. By no means could he be called a large man, coming in at a little over six foot and weighing near two hundred pounds, he lacks the physical presence that his fellow troopers tend to carry. But where he lacks the size, he makes up for with his more prominent features. His life in the Corps has been brutal, a fact which is shown on the many scars that cover his sickly colored body, some more obvious then others. One in particular, a fissure that runs the length of the left hand side of his face, from the base of his hairline, through his eye and ending just short of his jaw, general makes people uneasy around him.
In his time with the Corps, Jager has seen alot. The death of friends, the massacre of civilians and the darker, savage side of people. Where most would convince themselves otherwise, he has long accepted the fact that all people, be them human or alien, are savage, some just hide it better then others. And in a universe populated by savages there are no boundries and everything is permitted. This mentality tends to push people away from him. He is a cold, pessimistic, disconnected and ruthless individual who makes no compromises and shows few mercies other then a quick death to those who stand in his way. He is merciless, but not sadistic. He takes no pleasure in killing people, unlike some of his comrades. When he does, he does it as quick, clean and efficient as possible.
Giovanni:
(Human)
Not available
Seated at the desk in his small, albeit comfortable quarters, Jegora was in the process of reading through several after-action reports when his comlink beeped loudly. He pushed the flimsiplast away with one hand and rubbed the sleep out of his tired eyes with the other before reaching for the beeping device. While the interruption provided a welcome break from the monotonous paperwork, whoever it was calling him at this time of night probably didn't have good news. There was nothing else for it, however. Snatching the slim comlink of his belt, Jegora accepted the uplink, and soon Angel's voice echoed throughout his room.
"Jeg, we have a situation," the newly promoted platoon commander said. Angel had joined the ranks of the commissioned officers shortly before the mission to Eriadu, much to the disgust of the noncoms and enlisted men who had served under him when he was still the squad leader of Jester Squad. Then he and his platoon had performed so well on Eriadu that he had received another promotion, and there were rumors floating around that the skilled 1st Lieutenant would be taking on an even bigger role within the Corps very shortly.
But that was in the future, and right now Jegora needed to focus on the present. "What kind of situation?" he inquired, attempting to keep the fatigue out of his voice. Situations meant missions, and that was the last thing he wanted to think about.
"The mission kind," Angel said, sounding more than a little tired himself. "Briefing is tomorrow at 0830, Tadath time. Don't be late."
With that the superior officer cut the communications link, and Jegora was left to brood in silence. Shaking his head, he decided not to worry about what he couldn't control. If they had a mission, they had a mission, and that was that. The reports on his desk, however, weren't going anywhere. Groaning to himself, Jegora pulled the next sheet of flimsiplast towards him and began to read.
* * *
Jegora was the first to arrive at the briefing, which wasn't all that surprising. He arrived fifteen minutes early, got a cup of caf, and took a seat near the front of the small-ish briefing room. The size of the briefing room along gave a hint as to what the mission would entail. It was a simple squad-sized briefing room, and that meant that the Jesters would be going at it alone once again. Not that the Jesters didn't mind working by themselves; in fact, most of the time they preferred it.
As he watched his squad mates trickle in, however, Jegora had to admit that they were seriously undermanned. Angel was gone, Bloodhound had been transferred out on some special assignment, and Brightstar had decided to take what few limbs she had left and retire. The Jesters were three troopers short, and three troopers could make all the difference in the world during a mission. Leaning back in his rather uncomfortable chair, Jegora couldn't help but wonder what use a crippled, tired stormtrooper squad would be.
He didn't have to wait very long to find out. All the Jesters arrived before the scheduled time, and at exactly 0830 the door slid open once again, this time admitting two serious looking individuals. The first man Jegora recognized instantly, although it was still weird to see him wearing a commissioned officer's uniform. Upon entering the room, Angel started to call the Jesters to order, but he needn't have bothered. Jegora and the rest of his troopers were already standing at attention, spurred into action by the appearance of the second man. Even Jager was smart enough to realize that it was prudent to show a little respect for a general officer, and that it was doubly so when that general officer happened to be Rizzit Blackheart, the Army's executive officer and the Stormtrooper Corps' second-in-command.
If Angel was surprised at his old squad's sudden and rather out-of-character display of discipline, he didn't show it. He stood at attention himself, waiting for Rizzit to give the 'as you were' command, which he did without any real delay. It was probably for the best; Jegora wasn't sure how long his squad's new-found discipline would hold up under scrutiny. He sat down, as did the rest of his squad, and as soon as they were seated Angel began the briefing.
"First off, I'd like to introduce General Rizzit Blackheart, who has shown a personal interest in this mission." Rizzit inclined his head slightly, and Jegora had the distinct impression that his interest in the mission might have been more than just personal. Angel didn't wait for any questions, however, so whatever suspicions Jegora might have had were forced to wait.
Sliding a data disk into the consol on the podium, Angel rapidly flashed through a jumble of photographs, most of which the Jesters recognized. In fact, the Jesters had taken quite a lot of the pictures. It had only been a few weeks ago that they had finished an investigation into the background of a slicer named Jak Frozzt, and the subsequent attack he had helped carry out against the very heart of the Stormtrooper Corps itself. Apparently, this new mission would be closely related.
"Now, as you all know, we recently undertook an investigation aimed at finding out exactly how the terrorist attacks on Tadath were allowed to happen." Angel paused for a moment, then continued. "We didn't turn up anything solid, but the evidence we gathered was combined with intelligence from other sources, and Army Intelligence has come to a conclusion."
He pressed a button on the podium, and the screen was filled with the image of a blue-skinned humanoid with glowing red eyes. Instantly Jegora's blood ran cold. Chiss were recognizable anywhere, but this Chiss happened to be wearing the white uniform of a Grand Admiral. There had only been a handful of Grand Admirals in the first place, but only one of them had been an alien, and Chiss at that: Thrawn. If the Jesters had to go up against Thrawn, things were going to get interesting. By definition the Grand Admirals had to be extremely capable military and oftentimes political leaders, but Thrawn's tactical brilliance and his knack for strategy eclipsed that of all the other Grand Admirals. He was a dangerous foe, and not a being who was fooled easily.
Angel soon confirmed Jegora's fears. "This is Grand Admiral Thrawn," he said quietly. "Intelligence has indicated that he and his Imperial Remnant were ultimately behind the terrorist attacks on Tadath. It's also been determined that there was a higher purpose behind these attacks."
Jegora knew what was coming then, and by the way his entire squad shifted uncomfortably in their seats they did to. When Angel stepped back and allowed Rizzit to take over the briefing, Jegora knew the Jesters were all in trouble.
"The Imperial Remnant still uses the military academy on Carida in order to train their stormtroopers and officers. These newly minted stormtroopers are shipped off Carida and to the Chimaera, Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship and the true heart of the Remnant," Rizzit said. "Luckily for us, a class is graduating from the Caridan Academy in just two days time. They will ship to the Chimaera like everyone else, and be dispersed among the various stormtrooper squads there."
By then, Jegora already knew the plan, and he didn't like it one bit. Then Rizzit said, "You'll be among them," and just like that all appearances of discipline shattered. There were murmurs from the Jesters in the back, and Jegora could even hear Jager somewhere off to his right, cursing up a storm. For his part, though, Jegora remained silent, waiting.
"Silence," Angel said, his voice as hard as steel and as cold as ice. Whether it was the tone of his voice, or the fact that the Jesters were simply use to obeying him, they quieted instantly, and Rizzit was allowed to continue.
"Thank you. Now, for the specifics. We've arranged civilian transport from Tadath to Corellia. From Corellia you will board a separate civil transport for Carida," Rizzit continued. "You will be provided with your targets en route. You will remove these individuals, and then take their place. They are green recruits, so don't expect much of a fight, but know that your infiltration has to go off without a hitch. Also, you will carry no equipment. You will be supplied with equipment after your successful infiltration of the Chimaera, no doubt. Until then, you ARE civilians. Understood?"
A sullen chorus of affirmatives answered him, and Rizzit stepped down. Angel stepped back up to the podium. "Once you've successfully infiltrated the Chimaera, you'll need to begin gathering any intelligence you can that relates to the Vast Empire. We have an agent in place who will contact you once you arrive. She won't be able to help much, but she'll do what she can. Any questions?" he inquired.
Jegora stood, brushing himself off. "Just one," he said. "When do we leave?"
Angel motioned towards the door. "Right now. Civilian clothes have been found. You'll change, and then you'll make your way to the Tadath's main civilian spaceport. From there, you'll need to board the Starhawk. The captain doesn't know anything about your mission, only that you need quick transport, so from this moment onward you are no long soldiers of the Vast Empire.
"Right," Jegora said. He still had serious reservations about this mission, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He turned to leave, and most of his squad followed suit. When he reached the door, however, Rizzit's voice stopped him.
"Sergeant, at some point in time you may be asked to do something that will appall you, something you could or would never do," Rizzit said. "Nonetheless, you MUST do whatever they ask, without hesitation. Whatever they ask. Understood?"
"Yes sir, understood." Jegora said, and the rest of his squad answered much the same.
Rizzit gave a small, sad smile. "Very good then. Dismissed. And good luck."