Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, I'm just borrowing the characters for a little bit and will bring them back when I'm done :-)

A/N: This storyline is based on the events of the KOTOR game and is my interpretation of it. Be forewarned, those who have not yet played the game, there are SPOILERS. I've rated this as M since eventually the violence will escalate and mature subject matters may arise later on.

Also I've used a few words from other Sci-fi themes, as you will notice, but this is NOT a BSG fic, I just borrowed some military titles and a swear word most commonly used as I myself am more comfortable writing 'Frack' than it's true counterpart. :-)

This is my very first fic ever, so any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated so please R&R. Also if there is anyone interested in being a Beta reader for me, please PM me.

ENDAR SPIRE 1.0 - A Bad Start

"That was a frack'n irresponsible and reckless move!" Carth Onasi, star pilot and Commander of the air group for the Endar Spire fumed as he crossed the hanger full of pilots and crew men to get into the face of the new recruit.

She was a scout, recruited for her exceptional skills and one of the many caveats requested by the Jedi since their boarding upon the Endar Spire. Bastila herself practically forced this late addition to the roster on them and if that did not sit well with Carth Onasi, the fact that the scout showed little to no regard for authority and took the Republic's new prototype scout ship out for an unsanctioned 'joyride', definitely gave him a 'hate on' for her.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. I'll get it right the next time" the scout replied in her usual dismissive tone as she walked passed Carth towards her Rodian pilot.

"It's 'Sir'." Carth corrected stringently, "It's 'Sorry about that Sir'."

"Right," The scout snapped her fingers and turned as she shook a pointed digit at Carth. "Ya got me there…I keep forgetting the whole, Yes Sir, No Sir thing. Don't worry I'll get it right next time."

"That seems to be your catch phrase for everything Recruit!" Carth fumed, "You've been on board long enough to–"

"What can I say…" the recruit interjected adding to Carth's irk, "I'm a slow learner." She replied as she ducked beneath a parked fighter.

"Hey Chief," The scout caught up to the Chief deckhand, "She glides through the slip streams like silk, but I think you should have a look at the main drive; I got some irregular fluxes when I took her to max speed. Mind taking a look at it?"

"No problem Angel." The Chief winked and hollered at some mechanics to look at her ship.

Her naturally serene and innocent looking face catered to their decision to name her 'Angel'. It was the nickname the crew gave for her when she first came aboard the Endar Spire and became her call sign in the fleet.

"Thanks Chief!" The scout waved then jogged up to her Rodian pilot, once again trying to dodge the irate CAG.

"Nice piece of flying Dizz." The scout acknowledged as she clasped the Rodian's shoulder.

"No it was an idiotic stunt!" Carth retorted as he rounded the aircraft and made another direct bee-line towards the scout, his anger fueled by her flippant walk-by and dismissal of him. Jedi favored or not, he was not about to let her off that easily. "I'm not done with you Stark!"

Asha Stark, newly recruited Republic scout stopped and turned when her real name was called.

Dizzy, her Rodian pilot looked up at her side and muttered something in Rodesian as the enraged CAG approached. Carth did not understand which infuriated him more, the fact that the scout was so flippant with him, or the fact that she spoke to the alien in its language so that Carth himself could not understand it.

"Don't worry Diz, I'll handle Captain Tight Pants." Asha consoled her Rodian pilot quietly in Rodesian as she flipped up the visor of her helmet and gave him a knowing smile and a wink.

Asha unfastened the uncomfortable buckles of her flight suit and helmet, as she prepared for the onslaught of berating she knew would come.

Carth Onasi made the remaining steps to her and closed the gap between them.

"Do you know what these chevrons mean?" he started pointing to the small pins on the collar of his uniform.

"Uhm, should I?" Asha asked with an innocent look that raised Onasi's level of intensity ten-fold.

"I'm the CAG, so I'll spell it out for you since you're new. It stands for Commander of the Air Group and that means what I say is gospel. So if I say 'do not engage the enemy' that means you don't go near enemy ships."

"You jeopardized the life of my squadron, 'My' pilots with that little display of self-aggrandizing heroism!" Carth continued on his barrage.

This time Asha did not make any attempt to walk away. Instead she removed her helmet and shook free the long locks of dark raven black hair. Amber eyes met the man's eyes unflinchingly.

For a moment Carth was thrown off guard, stunned by the strange hue of the woman's eyes and her eerie exotic looks. He had seen her before on flight briefings, but always from a distance, never this close; her eyes were mesmerizing in an eerie and freakish way.

Asha noticed the man's reaction to her, finding it amusing that he had all but stopped his tirade. She almost smiled; though kept it in check. Instead she leaned forward and offered softly, "I believe you were in the middle of yelling at me...Sir"

Carth blinked back angered more by his momentary laps and her glib response. She was laughing inside, he knew it, despite her outward appearance of calm, it was written all over her damnable amber eyes.

"You were ordered not to engage the enemy." Carth fumed. "And to compound your error in judgment you were on an unsanctioned flight on a prototype scout ship you were not cleared to fly then proceeded to engage yourself in a fire-fight."

All eyes were on them. Asha could feel the curious stares and noticed in particular the eyes of three Jedi; a female flanked by two male Jedi watched the exchange.

"Look Captain," Asha said purposefully calling him the wrong rank and enjoying the myriad of emotions that played out on the angry man's face. "I understand your anger-"

"It's Commander!" Carth grated through bared teeth, she couldn't even get the ranks straight. Damn it what the hell are the Jedi playing at bringing this reject on board? He thought angrily. "And you couldn't fathom the depths of my anger right now."

Asha cleared her throat. "Right, Commander." She kept her voice even and calm; a stark contrast to the enraged CAG's tone and resonance. "It's true I took the Pathfinder on an unsanctioned flight-"

"A fact that would have had you court marshaled if you were a true Republic soldier." Carth cut in.

"Perhaps, but I am not. I'm a civilian scout who agreed to help the Republic and that's exactly what I did."

"Help?" Carth snorted. "By stealing a prototype scout ship, taking it out on a joyride and engaging in a firefight with an enemy ship that dragged my pilots into the foray? That kind of help sister, we don't need."

"Look, you've had me on a 'no flight' status for the better part of a week, Sir. I'm a scout, my job is to find you the best hyperspace routes to get us to our destination fast. I can't do that on the sidelines reading star charts and navi-computer readouts." Asha countered but still kept her tranquil tone.

"It's no secret the Sith are hot on our trail and it's only a matter of time before they figure out our next hyper jump trajectory and intercept. So I took the Pathfinder to test its capabilities and found us a route that will make it more difficult for the Sith to follow. It will cut our travel time in half. Plus on my flight I managed to get some Intel on where the Sith fleet tracking us."

"And you somehow think that by coming back with a newly charted route and some tidbits on the where abouts of the Sith fleet tracking us that you'd be absolved of your irresponsible actions? That somehow it justifies your recklessness?" Carth growled. "It doesn't!"

"Look, you may not like my methods, but I get results and you know I'm right about the Sith tracking us. That scouting party we ran into is proof enough that –"

"Results?" Carth scoffed. "Mayhem is what you bring to my ship, lest I forget your little skirmish with the Sith on the very scout ship you stole!"

"I was on my way back to the Endar Spire when Sith interceptors got the drop on us," she kept her tone casual and calm refusing to enter into a yelling match with the obviously infuriated CAG.

"And you were ordered to get back to the ship and leave the firefight."

"But Alayne…Striker," she corrected using Alayne's call sign, "was sustaining some heavy fire. They were about to lock on him…We had to improvise."

"Improvise?!"

"Well yes." Asha continued, "Dizzy and I –"

"There's no room for mavericks on my team. Either shape up or I'll have you shipped out." Carth hissed his anger bolstered by his new found frustration with the woman.

"I couldn't just leave them-"

"You're a scout, not a combat pilot. You were flying a recon ship with limited armaments and light armour. You were not meant to engage the enemy."

"I know that but –"

"There is no 'But'…" Carth cut her off, his frustration growing if it could at all raise any further this woman knew how to take it to its limits Carth thought to himself.

"There's no room for selfish acts of heroism." Carth scolded. "In your 'unit', there is your 'Commander' and there is your 'squad', your 'team'. Every soldier has a role to play and it works best when we all stick to it."

"I don't understand why you are all bent out of shape about this. The Sith were swarming him, they had a lock on Striker." Asha tried to reason. "I couldn't just fall back to base and leave him to die."

"Besides, my ship is fine, a few dents in the armour, a few pulsar burns, but fine…Your man is safe. I came back with some crucial Intel and all your pilots made it back in one piece." Asha said evenly, "Yeah I threw a hydrospanner into the works, but everyone got back safely and the Hutt's your uncle. It's all good…uh Sir." Asha finished and watched as the man's angry face turned a brighter shade of Republic Red.

She's just not getting it. Carth fumed inwardly.

"Your orders were simple. Return to base. You are not a star pilot and you are not qualified for deep space combat." Carth seethed. "Your orders were to return to the Endar Spire, not engage the enemy."

"But-"

"Did I not give you the order to return to base?"

Asha shifted strategies. "I must not have heard the order, sir." She replied innocently.

"Why? Something wrong with your com systems?" Carth replied skeptically.

"Maybe..." Asha offered quickly. "There was some kind of static interference…I should probably get the Chief to look at it. In fact, I'll go do it now…" She was about to turn and walk away when Carth moved to face her once more, his eyes dark and angry.

"Pull that kind of stunt again Stark and it'll be your last on this ship. I'll rebuke both of your flight statuses and throw you both in the brig for insubordination for the remainder of the tour." Carth threatened; all business. He knew scouts like her hated to be cooped up and penned in a holding cell and he used that to his advantage.

"I'm one of your best scouts and Dizzy's the best recon pilot around. The Republic's hard up on recruits, you wouldn't side line us."

"Lady, you could be God himself come down from the heavens to rain down divine retribution on the Sith, but you and your pilot break from protocol again and endanger my men with your antics and I'll throw both of you in the brig myself and toss the key out the air lock."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me sister."

Asha sensed that the CAG meant business and did not say a word.

"As for you Dizzy-" Carth pointed a finger at the trembling Rodian at Asha's side.

Asha stepped between Dizzy and Carth, "Leave Dizzy out of this Sir, it's my fault." It was one thing to punish her, but to drag Dizzy into it was another matter.

"Step back Soldier!"

"No." Asha said softly.

"Step back." Carth warned his voice strained.

"It was my idea, I forced the issue. Dizzy didn't want –"

"Who was piloting the ship?" Carth persisted.

Asha did not answer but Dizzy did.

Carth nodded at the little Rodian then looked up to face Asha.

"He chose to follow you, that makes him just as guilty. His fate is tied to yours." Carth said sternly, "Remember this next time you decide to pull a hare-brained stunt like that again."

Asha's jaw clenched tightly but didn't say a word. She merely stared at Carth with those compelling amber eyes.

"Have I made myself clear Recruit?" Carth finally said breaking their icy silence.

"Crystal…Sir." Asha replied coolly.

"Good." Carth responded, his voice taking on a softer tone, as he noticed the interplay of emotions in the scout's eyes; more concerned about how her actions affected her pilot than saving her own skin.

Maybe she wasn't as selfish as he thought, Carth mused, she stood up for her crew mate and did save one of his pilot's life, but he just could not reward such blatant recklessness, no matter how well intended. Orders were orders and must be obeyed.

"Don't do it again."

"Yes Sir."

Bastila Shan watched silently from the sidelines the entire exchange between the scout and the Endar Spire's CAG with great interest.

"She did not try to dominate." Shae whispered at Bastila's side.

"No." Bastila answered simply.

"She did not act with passion, unlike the CAG." Offered Daryun, the other Jedi at her side.

"No she did not." Bastila affirmed.

"She acted selflessly in defending the Rodian-" continued Daryun.

"And acted selflessly in saving the star pilot from the Sith." Shae added.

"Perhaps the Masters are being overly cautious. She does not seem a threat."

"Everything is not as it all seems…" Bastila replied with a hint of irritation at the esteem her two Jedi companions displayed for the young scout, "Revan was said to be soft in her manipulative ways and look how many of the best Jedi she had embrace the dark side…She masked selfish intent with acts of selflessness. She made the shadow of darkness seem a gentle shade of grey closer to light…"

"Carth was right, the scout's actions were reckless and she was lucky no one was injured. She risked the lives of the other pilots without thought to their safety. Her actions were rash and impulsive all traits that lead to the path of the dark side."

Shae and Daryun exchanged curious glances at Bastila's odd reaction to the scout.

"That scout is far from a Revan Bastilla." Daryun replied skeptical and confused at Bastilla's co-relation. "She's not even Jedi."

"But there is something about her." Bastila offered. "Already she had gained some measure of respect from the CAG, though he will not readily admit it. Even those on the deck, the crewmen, the pilots and soldiers, all who witnessed the exchange have been changed…even the two of you she was able to gain a certain amount of esteem."

Her two companions lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Do not be shamed by it, you are not alone in your regard. And perhaps it is that I am merely seeing shadows at every turn." Bastila smiled. "We will do as the Council requests, observe, report, and avoid speaking with her directly." Bastila suggested and made eye contact with Daryun, "Are we clear on this?"

He had the grace enough to flush and look away, "Yes, Bastila."

"Shae?"

"Yes, Bastila."

"Good." Bastila nodded, and continued to watch as Asha moved to clasp her Rodian pilot's back consolingly, and watched as other pilots slowly gravitated to Asha's side, as they joked and offered words of support and camaraderie.

Asha made a smart remark about their CAG that brought the crowd to hysterical laughter and like a pack of kath hounds went baying out of the hanger deck and headed to the Mess.

Wordlessly Bastila followed a fair distance away with her two Jedi companions, wondering at how quickly Asha Stark Republic Scout had easily won over the crew of Endar Spire and marveled still at how effortlessly it had all occurred.

"The Council needs to be informed…" Batsila muttered.