I idly ate the table, pushing around the food on my tray as I thought about the past events. So far, more than half of his squadron were harmed, currently residing in the medical bay. The only one to remain unscathed was Horatio, who sat on the other end quietly. We both were in a sour mood, since Sebastian, the team's comedian, was no longer with us. We weren't making fun of Pollix's knowledge of Imperial history as he tried explaining its rise to power, and we weren't trying to pry any information from the silent and timid Marion. No, it was just us two, and it had never seemed more lonely. It had been a week and a half since that harmful encounter with those rebels - now known as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa.

What were they even doing there anyway? The entire rebel force, what did they have against the Empire? I never understood why someone would want to decapitate the Empire and make way for something new. Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but I doubt any other dynasty could do much better. They claim to be fighting to break away from the Empire's iron fist over the galaxy, but honestly, who cares? As long as you're a human, than you won't be given a hard time. If you remain under the radar, or simply don't do anything against them, then they won't care about you. These rebels were just fighting to fight. Their lives weren't easy or exciting enough, so they had to go and plunge the entire galaxy into chaos in the name of freedom.

"Think they'll recover?" Horatio asked as he picked at his meal. His eyes never lifted from the table, obviously caring about his wounded brother. Sebastian and Horatio Buphi didn't look at all like brothers, nor acted like it. Sebastian was as pale as a ghost, who burned easily in the sun and could never get a tan. Horatio, on the other hand, would turn a golden brown if he was outside for longer than a few minutes. The two of them never had a tender moment in front of me, sometimes I wonder if they were even brothers at all. They were both only related by their mother, with Horatio being the older one.

His father died not too long after his birth, and their mother quickly moved on to the next guy, with Sebastian being born just a few months later. It was odd to think of never having parents. I always had mine around in my childhood. Hosnian Prime was a civil world with high standards, unlike the Buphi's home planet of Jakku. My mother was a kind and caring woman, while my father was more of the bad cop. But I loved them just the same, never once wishing to be born in a different family. I loved my sister dearly, although I never saw her much. She was too busy with work nowadays, never able to leave Hosnian Prime to visit me on Tatooine, or, before that, Alderaan.

"Of course they'll live." I said, looking up to face him. The medics wouldn't put them in the bacta tanks if they wouldn't. They'll recover in a few months from now, not a doubt about it. Have you ever been inside one of those things? Disgusting. It feels like you're floating in a pool of saliva. I got hurt back in initiation and spent a few days in one. Let me tell ya', I never want to get back in one." Horatio seemed interested in the topic, but was obviously still distracted.

That's the same way I felt with Pollix. I had been with him in the Imperial military ever since we signed up together. Horatio and Sebastian didn't join Eekeb Khaar's group until a year ago, and Marion didn't sign up until a few months ago. Pollix was my best friend, and I wouldn't want to do anything to mess that up. As I daydreamed of good memories with my group, a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned around, wondering if someone was bout to shout at me that we stole their spot. I was eager for a fight, and excitedly faced my opponent.

Until I realized it was a girl looking back at me. "Hello." She spoke simply, her voice light but reserved. She wore an Imperial officer's outfit, with a low rank symbolized in the pin on her shirt. A blond french braid peeked out from under her cap, resting gently on her shoulder. Her face was angular and her jawline was sharp, with every shred of beauty you could put into a single woman. "Are you Heskill Arkou?"

After taking a moment to absorb her beauty, I responded. "Yes ma'am, that would be me." I said. "Is there something I can do for you?" A smile smile was plastered onto her face.

"My name is Admiral Nora Storm, I'll be your new missions supervisor for the time you'll be stationed here. Get comfy though, I don't think your team is scheduled to leave for a while. May I sit?" She asked, and I quickly moved my tray and cup over with me to give her plenty of space to sit.

"New leader, eh?" Horatio asked, looking her up and down. "I'm surprised you're not trying to fight this Heskill. You hate being told what to do." It was true, I never enjoyed taking orders. It made me feel like a dog on a leash, and I hated feeling like that. But hey, this officer seemed pretty alright to me, not to mention gorgeous. Why not give it a try?

"Just make sure you say please and thank you, and we'll be all good." I said, flashing a smile. This caused Nora to laugh, hiding her giggle with her hand.

"Admirals shouldn't be down in the mess hall, we have our own eating quarters, but I was passing by and figured I'd introduce myself. After all, we're a team now. I hope the rest of your men recover, their profiles seemed to indicate you all work extremely well as a team. It's a shame we couldn't catch those rebels last week though." She seemed to glare at us, obviously wondering how we could take such heavy losses and deal practically none to them. In all honesty, I was more worried about Pollix, Sebastian and Marion being injured than a few rebels. The glare soon faded and was replaced by a smile once more.

"I'll leave you boys to your meals. Make sure to stop by afterwards, I have some orders for you." She stood up and excused herself before heading to the door and vanishing from sight. I stared at the entryway she had left in, wondering if I could get a view as she went on. Eventually I turned back to the table and continued eating with a new found strength.

"You seem extra cheery from our new friend." Horatio laughed halfheartedly from his seat. "I bet you 20 credits she'll want to exchange our unit for another after three months."

"You're on." I smiled in his direction as I ate. It felt good to finally share a joke again, even if it was just a wager. Either way, seeing a smile on Horatio's face always brightened up the room. I nearly finished my meal when the loudspeaker in the room crackled to life with a blare of sirens and red flashing lights.

"This is a code red, everyone to your battle stations. I repeat, code red, Rebellion forces are on their way, ETA 30 seconds." Horatio and I eyed each other as everyone around us began to pack their gear up and leave.

"Ready to go kick some rebel ass?" I asked, standing up.

Horatio joined me as we left the room. "I've been waiting all week for this."