Academy

The world of Belsmuth II was a mostly lush forest planet, with brilliant blue oceans and sweeping mountain ranges. Somewhere on the largest continent, nestled within a valley deep in its south, was located an Imperial Academy that both doubled as a troop training compound, and a technical university where the likes of engineering and communications were taught. As such, it was a large place, consisting of a pair of large, almost aristocratic-looking palaces built out of dull grey stone. Around them were several smaller, more modern rectangular subsidiary structures, as well as a parade ground, several barracks and a firing range. Beyond all that were the landing pads, which served as the direct link between the Academy and the outside galaxy. Ships came and went with regularity, and the latest one was a single Imperial shuttle that had touched down on the largest of the landing pads.

The landing area was lined up along a forest-covered ridge, with metal walkways serving to connect them to the rest of the academy grounds. At the present time, it was about mid-afternoon, and the skies above were thickly overcast. Soon enough, it would start raining. The weather during this time of year tended to be mostly rain, which allowed the forests to retain their dense, lush nature. The other half of the year, things would get hot and humid, with the occasional violent lightning storm. It seemed the perfect place for soldiers to be trained, as the environment, despite its natural beauty, proved to be harsh and often unrelenting. Marches through the mud were not uncommon, and the uneven, rocky terrain made for exhaustive long distance treks.

Lyssa was in her armour, and she emerged from the shuttle ahead of Major Korba. He followed her, and he in turn was flanked by four stormtroopers. On the landing pad, they were met by a man in an officer's uniform, a Captain, who in turn was accompanied by two guards in black uniforms. The man saluted the Major as he approached, but it came across more as a forced gesture, and the Captain's expression suggested that he was far from pleased to see the Major.

"Your arrival here is unexpected, Major," the Captain said.

"Rolston, it's been some time, hasn't it?" Korba stopped a few metres before him. Lyssa stood to the Major's left, her gaze floating over to the compound at the base of the ridge. She recognized all the buildings here, and she could even see the barracks she had called home for several months during her training, over a decade ago now. Indeed, little had changed, save for the addition of a couple of smaller, newer structures on the fringes of the compound.

"You were a Lieutenant last we met," Korba continued. "Moving up in the galaxy. Good for you." He did not sound like he meant it. The Captain, Rolston, visibly bristled at the Major's tone.

"Moff Severetti wants to talk to you. Specifically, he wants to know why you've decided to visit us here."

"He probably doesn't want me to stay, does he?" Korba smiled then, a knowing smile at that. He was well used to other officers not liking him much. "Well, fortunately for him, I don't intend on loitering here any longer than I need to. I want you to call him, tell him I want everyone here ranked higher than Captain gathered in the conference room. Can you do that?"

"Major, this is highly irregular…"

"I have a habit of being irregular. I guess that must mean that it's all just 'regular' to me, wouldn't you say?" He glanced over at Lyssa, and he smirked at her. Lyssa said nothing, and her face remained concealed behind her helmet. "Make the call, Captain. That's an order. Tell the Moff that I may have discovered something intriguing."

Rolston looked reluctant to do so, but he did, albeit slowly, remove his comm-link from where it was clipped to his belt. Flicking a switch, he spoke into it quietly, and he turned around to do so. Whilst he spoke to the Moff, Korba walked over to the nearby edge of the landing pad. He put his hands upon the guardrail and looked down at the vast Academy compound. Lyssa walked up alongside him, and he offered her a sidelong glance.

"Has much changed since you were last here?" He asked her.

"No, sir." Lyssa met his gaze. He appeared genuinely curious.

"You know what this is, Rayne?" He gestured towards the Academy with one clawed hand. "This is what we built. What the Empire is capable of. Places like this, that exemplify the order we bring. Soldiers are made here, good ones at that if your record is anything to go by. And had we had more places like this, making more people like you, instead of people like Captain Rolston over there, then we would not be in the dire situation we are in now. The Empire fractured, infighting all over. It should never have come to this."

"Major?" Rolston called suddenly, getting the pair's attention. "The Moff will be waiting for you in the conference room, along with the others. It's in…"

"The main building, ground floor. I know." Korba cut off the Captain nonchalantly and smiled at him once again. "I'll see you around, Captain. Always good to feel welcome."

Rolston said nothing more. A quick glance at him revealed that he was actively scowling, although by this point Korba had started down the stairs, followed by Lyssa and the squad of stormtroopers. The walk to the vast, palace-like building at the base of the ridge was a quiet one, relaxing even. There were very few people out and about the compound. Far down near the barracks, a squad of troopers in cadet armour emerged onto the parade ground. They were lead by a drill instructor in a black uniform, and he barked orders at them as they marched from one end of the parade ground to another. Seeing that, hearing the orders given, Lyssa was reminded of her own time here. There had been a lot of yelling during her training, and a lot of marching. A whole lot of it.

The main building was several floors in height, with two tall spires, one at either end. These may have looked old-fashioned, harkening back to older times, but they also served a purpose. Each tower was lined with communications dishes and sensors, and they also served as lookout positions for the resident guards. The main entrance was atop a set of wide stone steps, the doors open, the room beyond vast and circular. The floor was tiled with marble, with black and white tiles creating the emblem of the Empire underfoot. A large, elaborate portrait of the Emperor was up on the wall over the main reception desk, the man himself adorned in a sleek red outfit with large shoulder pads, his hair a pale white, his face that of a man perhaps in his sixties, with oddly piercing eyes. Lyssa did wonder just how accurate these portraits were, as she had never seen the man appear on any of the news broadcasts she had watched. It was always a hologram, or some spokesman, someone like the Grand Vizier, who had come forward to make announcements on the part of the Emperor.

Korba and his group continued by the reception desk and into the corridor behind it. They passed a security checkpoint, and the two black-uniformed guards here relieved the squad of their weapons. Korba ordered the stormtroopers to stay behind, but he did, somewhat surprisingly, request that Lyssa join him.

"Take your helmet off, Lieutenant," he said, and she did as she was told. "You shouldn't need it." She left it at the security desk, before she followed Korba down the corridor and into the conference room at the end.

This was one part of the Academy she had never seen. Soldiers had never been allowed access, as such a place was reserved for the command staff. Korba's insistence she come along was what granted her access this time around, and she found herself in a large room populated by a long rectangular table, with several sculptures and paintings lining the walls. At the far end was a large set of windows with a door between them, which opened onto a small inner garden courtyard. An assorted bunch of men were seated around the table, with a slightly pudgy grey-haired man seated at the far end. He was the one in charge, Lyssa did not need to see the rank insignia on his uniform to realise this. There were three others seated about the table, of varying ranks, including a man in the white uniform of the Imperial Security Bureau. This one seemed to recognise Korba on sight, and the look of disdain on his wizened features suggested the same level of distaste others had for the alien Major.

"Moff Albun Severetti," Korba said, and he gave a quick salute towards the weary officer at the head of the table. "So glad to meet you. I know this is short notice, but such is the nature of things now. Actual organization is hard to come by in the Empire these days, which is a shame, since we were so good at it before."

"What do you want, Major?" Severetti leaned forwards in his chair. He looked like a tired man, worn down even, as if the weight of the galaxy was upon his shoulders. "You've come at a bad time. I wouldn't expect anything less from you, of course."

"I've come to share my findings," Korba added. "I have returned from a recent mission, one that Commodore Toris Raka over there is aware of." He looked towards the middle-aged, moustached man in the white uniform, who was continuing to eye him with distaste. "One that he did not entirely believe in." It occurred to Lyssa that the Major was naming the officers aloud for her benefit, as he would have no other real reason to do so. He wanted her to know who these people were, and it made sense, given his desire for her to aid him in his mission.

"We have more pressing issues than your search for items that, from what I've seen, do not necessarily exist," Raka said. "You always were brash, Major. Is it something common amongst your species?" There was a pause, and Korba appeared to contemplate this rhetorical question. "Of course, you wouldn't know that would you, Major? You were nothing but an orphan, and Lovka made the mistake of taking you under his wing. He always did have a soft spot for dumb animals."

This was the first time Lyssa had seen Korba angry, and the look his face made at the remark was the kind of expression she hoped to never have directed at her. The then relaxed hood around his head flared noticeably, and his red eyes suddenly filled with a fire that Lyssa had never seen in anyone else before. Yet, despite this sudden flare up of emotion, Korba composed himself quickly. This was all the reaction the Commodore needed, and he turned to the Moff, his expression a dour one.

"Why do we allow this creature in our midst?" He asked Severetti. "He tarnishes that uniform by wearing it."

"I tarnish nothing, Commodore," Korba spat. "While you and these other bureaucrats have been sitting around, talking about what to do, I have been out there, looking for the means to turn the tide of this war." His voice took on that passionate tone again, the one Lyssa had heard back on board his ship. "I am on the trail of one of the Emperor's secret projects, one that could help us beat back the Rebel Alliance. I only come here to ask for assistance, ships and personnel mainly, because this search is going to take me into heavily contested regions of space."

"Secret projects?" Severetti frowned. "What kind of projects?"

"Our Emperor had many secrets, Moff," Korba explained. "I started delving into ISB records about a month ago, trying to find something that could help us win this war. That was where I learned of the Emperor's secret armouries, scattered across the galaxy. And in one on Rhen Var, I unearthed information pertaining to a secret project intended to serve as the Emperor's last resort. One that I believe was built in secret, and was never deployed and never will be, now that the Emperor is dead."

This was all news to Lyssa. She was intrigued, and it looked as if Severetti was as well. Still, he did not look convinced, and Commodore Raka even less so.

"Another Death Star is no good to us, Major," Raka said. "We need ships and soldiers, not superweapons."

"And with the superweapon, we can get those ships and soldiers. We can use it to unite our forces. Forces I would have no hesitation in placing under your command, Moff." Korba gestured to the Moff in a way reminiscent of a servant introducing a guest to his master, and Lyssa realised then that it was little more than an act on Korba's part. He was simply doing everything necessary to gain the Moff's support, given the fact that he was the highest ranking person the room. As for Commodore Raka, he audibly snorted in derision.

"You cannot honestly believe all this?" He asked.

Severetti frowned, but before he could reply, one of the other officials spoke up. He was a man in a Stormtrooper Corps officer uniform, bearing the rank of General. Lyssa recognized him then, as she recalled seeing him around the Academy during her time training here. His name escaped her, and the man himself had aged in the intervening decade. He was perhaps in his mid-to-late forties, with short crew cut hair and a look on his face that gave him a world-weary, almost resigned, appearance.

"I'd be willing to try anything right now," the General said.

"Your support is appreciated, General. Gaskorn, isn't it?" Korba narrowed his eyes, as he met the General's gaze. The older man nodded his head.

"Horace Gaskorn. Stormtrooper Corps." He clasped his hands upon the polished black surface of the table in front of him. "It doesn't matter to me what species you are, Major. If you think you know the way to turn this war around, I'm willing to back you up."

Raka snorted when he heard this.

"You cannot seriously be entertaining this idea?" He asked. "Korba is pursuing something that may not even exist…"

"We need to take some kind of gamble, Commodore. We've done enough talking as it is." General Gaskorn slowly shook his head. "Someone needs to do something, really. And if Korba thinks he can give us an edge in the fight, then I say we give him the help he needs."

Raka was not having any of it. Lyssa had already reached the conclusion that she did not like the man much, and it was apparent that he was someone who was very used to getting his own way.

"Moff, you cannot agree to this madness," Raka said. "Korba will lead us nowhere. We'll be flying about the galaxy chasing our own tails, while we really should be consolidating our forces and securing what territories we own."

"We can do both," Severetti countered. "Our current situation ensures that we cannot be picky. If Korba can find us something to turn the fight around, then he'll get at least some of our help." The Moff, as weary as he appeared, looked to Korba. He sounded almost resigned as he spoke. The mark of a man who was collapsing under the pressure, and the state of the war at large was certainly responsible for this.

"Major, what is the next location in your search?" Severetti eyed him carefully, as if trying to gauge his response. To determine whether he was lying or not, most likely.

"Bespin." This reply came as news to Lyssa, and the looks that crossed the likes of Raka's and the faces of the other officers indicated that she was not the only one with that reaction. "There is a laboratory there, that I believe can point me in the right direction. One that was secretly contracted by the Emperor to perform some delicate work, pertaining to specialised energy sources. Energy sources with great destructive potential."

"Bespin is still under Imperial control." The fourth officer at the table, an Admiral, spoke up then. "Finding this laboratory shouldn't be difficult."

"How can you be certain that this is where you need to go?" Severetti directed the question to Korba. The alien ISB agent looked confident, in the way his red eyes were blazing, his voice brimming with confidence.

"Information I found in the Emperor's armoury on Rhen Var. Only a few pieces of the puzzle, I might add."

Severetti nodded in understanding.

"Very well, Major. Admiral Prosser here will be able to divert a ship your way." He looked to the Admiral, who looked a little surprised at first, before he simply nodded his head in agreement. "An Imperial-class frigate should be enough for your operation, especially since it is within territory we control. How does that sound?"

Korba nodded. He appeared pleased, although Lyssa detected some deeper dissatisfaction.

"It will be adequate," the Major replied. "Thank you, Moff. And thank you, General Gaskorn, for your support." He glanced to the General and gave the man a curt nod. "And to you, Admiral Prosser, for the ship." He then nodded to the Admiral in turn, before his gaze went to Commodore Raka. The pair scowled at each other for a moment, before Korba turned around and started for the exit. Lyssa took this as her cue to leave as well, and she followed him out of the room and back into the corridor.

Out in the corridor, Korba stopped about halfway down its length. Lyssa followed suit, with the pair loitering near a potted fern and a framed portrait of some important Imperial politician. There were no guards around, save for at the very end of the corridor at the security station. As such, Korba decided that this was the perfect location for a more secretive talk. He did not look entirely pleased, and Lyssa could certainly understand why.

"If you don't mind me asking, Major, but do you and the Commodore have a history?" It made sense, she supposed, given the fact that the two of them were in the ISB.

"Toris Raka is one of the people who served as perhaps the biggest hurdle in my career in the ISB," Korba replied. His tone soured as he spoke about the man. "He did everything in his power to try and bring my career to an end. It wasn't bad enough that virtually everyone at the Academy hated me, save for a few close friends, but Raka was out to get me. To ruin me, or Javlen, however he could."

"Javlen?" Lyssa cocked one eyebrow, curious.

"Javlen Tovka is the man who raised me," Korba replied. "I was only young when he found me, during a patrol to my home-system. I had been on a transport flown by my parents, before engine failure caused it to crash on one of the moons of my home-world. Tovka was an officer from an Imperial corvette. He found me, took me in. Instead of returning me to my home-world, he decided to raise me himself." Korba watched Lyssa carefully, and a smile formed at his mouth. "He was the only reason I was able to enter the officer's school. I worked hard, harder than anyone else, to get to where I am now. Yet I still had people like Raka trying to hold me back. No matter how many perfect scores I got, Raka and others like him would do everything they could to try and keep me down. Kick me out, even. But I showed them."

"I'd say you did," Lyssa said. The subject was clearly a very touchy one for him, and the hardships he had endured to rise through the ranks of the ISB had made him who he was now. Lyssa knew only too well what it was like, how each challenge one overcame only made you stronger. And Korba had overcome a whole lot of challenges, this much was apparent.

"They don't understand," Korba said. It took Lyssa a second to realise that he was referring to the officers that they had just been meeting with. "If we put more of our resources towards finding this weapon, the Emperor's last project, we could…"

"You have to understand, Major," Lyssa said, gently interrupting him. His red eyes fixed upon her own. He came across as very high strung, and she wondered if interrupting him had been a good idea to begin with. "Severetti's in charge here, and he has to play things very carefully. He has three other officials, none of whom can likely agree on anything, constantly talking into his ears about what they should do, and they no doubt have different ideas. He can't go giving you a whole fleet, if that's what you were after. The situation's too sensitive for that, and one frigate is about the best he can divert to our mission. Not to mention the fact that he needs ships here, at Belsmuth II, to defend the planet if it ever comes under attack. This is probably one of the last Imperial Academies on the Outer Rim. Severetti can't go gambling its safety based solely on your word."

"My word?" Korba's expression loosened a little, and the intensity in his eyes lessened. "You are probably right, Lieutenant. This is why I want to keep you around. Not only are you a fine soldier, but you also have the reason necessary to temper my more brash side." This time, he smiled at her, and not the wide, toothy kind of smile she had seen on him before. No, this was something much gentler, and she found it oddly endearing. The look in his eyes, however, suggested something a little more. A hunger even, a fleeting flash in his red eyes that disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"We should get to this ship of ours," Korba said. "And I'll see about putting together a squad for you, Lieutenant. As good as you may be, you are just one woman."

Whilst Korba was off organizing the move to the new ship, Lyssa had returned to the landing pad. Here, she found Alvera's body still wrapped up in its black tarp, left behind on the shuttle. Lyssa utilised one of the available repulsor trolleys to move the body, and she took it down to the Academy's cemetery, which was located in a far corner of the compound, well away from any of the main buildings or training areas. Here, several soldiers had been laid to rest, some of whom may have been victims of training accidents, others being interred here because they had no family or friends outside of the Empire. Lyssa could see herself ending up in a similar place, a thought that occurred to her as she stood looking at the cluster of stone markers set into the gravel underfoot. About twenty of them, lined up near a corner in the perimeter wall.

Lyssa did not know too much about the Sergeant's family. She had not spoken much about it, and as such Lyssa was surprised by a few of her findings as she searched the Sergeant's armour. It seemed almost disrespectful, as if she were insulting the memory of her friend and comrade, yet it was necessary. She needed some clues as to what Alvera might have preferred, in terms of being put to rest, and the bulk of their personal effects had been left behind on Dantooine. From one compartment, Lyssa found a small necklace with a holographic tag hanging from it, one that glimmered with the transparent blue image of a young girl. One who, at a glance, appeared to bear a striking resemblance to Alvera.

It made sense now, somewhat, when it came to Alvera's apparent unwillingness to talk about her family. Had Lyssa known her best friend had had a daughter, she might have treated her a little differently. And that would have been one thing Alvera would not have wanted. Lyssa placed the necklace into a compartment on her armour, and she figured that maybe one day she would track the girl down. Tell her what had happened to her mother.

Lyssa found a shovel in a shed at the end of the gravel allotment, and she went to work on digging a fresh grave. Even though her muscles were sore, tired as she was, she persevered, digging and digging, until finally it was deep enough and wide enough to fit the Sergeant comfortably. It was not glamourous work, it never was, and it was certainly not the first time that she had needed to bury a body. Out in the field, she had made it a point to bury the fallen if they had the opportunity, or if they had no way of transporting the bodies back to base. She had lost too many friends in this war, with Sergeant Alvera simply being next in a long line of losses.

As Lyssa dragged the body into the hole, the overcast skies high above began to release their expected payload of rain. It started off softly, a gentle and scattered spitting. Yet she knew the weather of Belsmuth II well, and soon enough it would become a downpour.

Through the rustle of wind through the trees, and the patter of falling rain, she heard the sound of footsteps crunching upon gravel. She rested the Sergeant's body into the hole before she climbed out, her eyes going to the visitor. It was Korba, and he had come to a stop nearby, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I was looking for you," he said, as he watched Lyssa climb out of the freshly-dug grave. "You weren't answering your comm-link."

"I was busy, Major."

"I can see that." Korba did not sound annoyed. Lyssa had known officers who would have lambasted her for this breach of protocol, but apparently not Korba. In fact, he looked almost understanding. "That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I want to bring this war to an end. That way neither of us lose any more friends." He looked down at the body in the grave, covered up as it was. "Who was that?"

"My second-in-command, from Dantooine," Lyssa replied. "Sergeant Alvera Carvan." She turned to look at Korba, a figure who might have been imposing to most humans, yet to Lyssa she did not feel intimidated. Especially now, when Korba had struck her as strangely sympathetic. "She's from Corellia, but I don't think we'll be going there anytime soon."

"Probably not," Korba said.

"She had a daughter," Lyssa added. "I just worked that out myself. She never did talk much about her family."

"It's often better to keep that sort of thing off the battlefield."

"Maybe. But now there's a girl on Corellia missing her mother, and she's never going to find out what happened to her." Lyssa had not felt this empty for some time. Saying it aloud, it was as if doing so made her realise the true depth of the situation. Still, she had seen too much death for it to have any real effect on her emotional state. Thinking about that now, she realised that it had been several years since she had last had a good cry. Maybe that said something about her, about being desensitised, yet in her line of work it was a necessity. No use letting every dead body one saw affect them.

"I don't mean to rush you, but there's a shuttle waiting to take us up to our new ship," Korba said, after a pause. "Although, I think it can wait until you've finished burying the Sergeant. Come to the landing pad when you're done."

Lyssa nodded her head. Even with a friend to bury, her work did not wait. Korba turned and left, marching back the way he had come, whilst above the rain started to fall a bit heavier.