She stood in front of a damage apartment building. The scorch marks from the fires that had once raged inside sill stained the building. Letting out a deep breath she entered the building. The power was cut from the building and the war prevented resources to be used to fix it. The lobby itself was relatively unscathed, minus the darkness and lack of people there was no sign it was ever abandoned, looked more like it was closed for the day. Jasmin knew better though, she knew what lied ahead. She didn't wait long before making her way to the stairwell.
When she entered the stair well she coughed a bit. The isolated section had no natural ventilation and the air was dusty and stale, still carrying the stench of the fire. Walking up the stairs the faint thump of each step echoed through the stair well. As she approached the third floor door she had to brace herself. Slowly pushing in the real damage was clear. The walls were charred, doors broken down and ash coated the ground in a thin layer. As she walked she could still feel the floor under her, each step under her boot lightly muffled by the remnants of the past. It had been almost a year since she had walked these halls last. She approached the only closed door on the floor, where the ash seemed to emanate from. She had been the one to close it once the fire died but at the time she refused to look inside. She could remember that day vividly. For a moment she was standing in a clean, lit hallway. She was in that red dress she bought for the holiday. The vision faded quickly and she gasped as she came back to reality. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and through the force opened the lock from the inside. Gently grasping the door handle she pushed it open. Again the area was well lit. Inside, a life day tree was still being put together, the ornaments still in their box on the couch. Her father at the door with wide arms to greet is little girl home. Wearing that sweater mom had made him before she disappeared. This was supposed to be the year they reunited fully. She learned her mother was coming back. Her sister got her leave approved and the family was about to be whole. Jasmin was just running late. Next thing Jasmin saw was the start of a fire coming from below the floor, expanding like a jet.
Reality set back in. Jasmin was standing in the dim light that came from the brunt out windows and the hole in the center of the room. The bent metal told her an explosion game from under the floor, a blacked skeleton lay close by. Jasmin stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Taking a brief look around her steps were cushioned by a thick layer of ashes, a cushion of her past. The tree was nothing but standing ash and she felt the lightest touch would cause it to fall. Moving to the back rooms she started with her parent's room. She pulled her blue saber out of her bag and ignited it. Holding it high to observe the room her lips curled in anger. Almost everything was where it was supposed to be. Untouched by time, however a few holocrons and her mother's double bladed sword were missing. Nothing else was touched, nothing else moved. And there were no tracks in the ash. Letting out a long breath Jasmin turned and went to her sister's room. Barley able to get the door open there was very little evidence the room was even a bedroom. Fire had ripped though the room with no effort as Allison was a collector of paper books. Amassing a small library for herself. Most everything was full destroyed minus the frame of her bed and desk. Both had collapsed under the weight of what they once supported. Jasmin saw no signs of tampering or even other bodies. She knew her mother survived as she was killed not too long ago. Jasmin still angry about when her ex told her about it, though she understood her mother well enough to know it wasn't his fault. Jasmin came back out and sat next to the ashen skeleton that was once her father. Looking down at it she sighed. "Hey dad, I made it. I wish you were still here, and I am sorry it took so long for me to come home. Mom is dead and I don't know where Allison's body is. I feel like I am changing for the better, if only it happened sooner." Jasmin spoke softly, being back here hurt her. She couldn't do anything that day to save anyone. When the door opened the explosion happened and she woke up in a hospital. She thought she was the only survivor from her family until she got the news about her mother. But her sister she didn't know anymore. Jasmin looked up and looked at her old room. Shaking her head she got up and turned to leave. Opening the door she looked back at her father's remains. "I'll be back next year dad. I promise." Slowly she closed the door behind her. Closing her eyes she heard the deadbolt turn over and lock before she walked away. Taking one last look from the outside she could see the damage spreading from her home to everywhere else. Nothing else was damaged from any other attacks. Her home the only thing attacked.
She walked back to the forward outpost in silence. The ash on her uniform only added to its scheme. When she returned she found Twiford waiting for her. "Good evening sergeant. You get done what you needed to get done?" Jasmin nodded taking notice of a private standing behind Twiford. Gesturing to him she turned the topic. "Escort or our third?" The private pulled his helmet off and it was reveled to be Mulcher. "I am the third, sergeant." Jasmin nodded. "Take it you lead that team on the red team?" Mulcher beamed a bit. "That was my lead and my plan." Jasmin looked up at Twiford. "Then you made a good choice. Why meet me here?" Twiford held up a datapad. "We have an assignment. And as you don't care for complex briefing or operation names I'll give you the basic rundown. Link up with republic forces in the outer rim on a forested planet and bust down a terrorist cell." Mulcher excitedly knocked his fists together. "We are not going with the main force, we are landing with them but then going off on our own. They are a distraction to cover our approach. Officially cover is the republic is delivering supplies to a local population. So if things go south we won't have much, if any support." Both Jasmin and Mulcher nodded and they all boarded the shuttle. Heading back to the cruiser to prep for the mission ahead.