o.o.o.o.o
Ransack
Fighter Corps Baobab, Manda
Ransack held his helmet at his side as he strode along the flight line a couple of the other veteran members of Blaze Squadron.
Ranks of Z-95AF4 and Z-95R Headhunters, V-19 Torrents, BTL-T and S1 Y-Wings, Cord-class fighters, Delta-6 Sprites, and Delta-7 Aethersprites sat parked on the tarmac, service droids, ground crew, and vehicles running between the rows of fighter craft, carrying fuel, parts, and munitions between the ships.
Beyond the familiar ranks of his vode was a largely human and Bothan mix of birth-born ground crewers and pilots, most of them wearing similar coveralls, helmets, and vests to the Clones.
All of them wore the Republic roundel on their sleeves, causing Ransack's chest to swell with pride as he walked.
Sure he was one of the finest soldiers to ever be created, but that didn't stop him from realizing that everyone was trying to do their part for the Republic.
As he broke off from his brothers and approached his bomber, he noticed something unusual. Someone was atop the craft, shouting something in Bocce down to a nearby human female in an accent he recognized as one of the Bothan ones, if the Captain and her aide were anything to go by.
What they were saying, he didn't know, a passing ground cart drowned out most of what was being said.
"Oi! Who the kriff are you?" Ransack barked at the intruder.
A slate grey-furred, and extremely effeminate, head with a pink-trimmed brown mane popped over the side of the craft. "Your ship's new hangar chief." The now obvious Bothan uttered in basic as they descended back into the bomber's systems cavity.
An incredulous look on his face, the Clone shook his head and strode up to the craft's boarding ladder.
Nearby, R2-E11, Ransack's designated astromech, chortled away in droidspeak.
The Clone gave the droid a dirty look as he clambered up to the cockpit and stared over the back of the bomber at the brown jacketed Bothan. "I'm pretty sure my fellow-" Ransack began.
"Don't care." They interrupted as they grabbed what looked like a multi-tool attachment. "All the birds in your squadron are mine now."
Ransack looked down at the nearby human female. "Don't mind Chief Yi'nel. He gets defensive of his machines."
The Clone recoiled in surprise, he assumed that was a female Bothan given his prior experiences with the Kestrel's Captain and her aide.
This galaxy was more unusual than he'd assumed, nothing like the standardized life back on Kamino.
"Defensive is an understatement Nela! These Clone mechanics are too by the book and they don't put any spirit into their work!" The Bothan yipped back, his oil-stained fur bristling angrily. "A craft like this was probably treated with more care while coming off the production line!"
The human merely shrugged and walked away, shaking her head as she ambled off.
Ransack felt mildly insulted in the place of his brothers and slid down the ladder, turning to see Reflex walking over.
"Ah, Ransack, I see you've met our new crew chief." Reflex noted with a smirk.
"A kriffing Bothan repairing our birds, sir?" Ransack remarked only half-jokingly. "I swear we're going to be up to our knees in shed fur by the end of the week."
"I heard that!" Yi'nel growled from atop the bomber's hull as he continued working on the machine.
Reflex patted Ransack on the shoulder. "If they're good at their job that's all that matters ner vod."
Ransack frowned and then sighed in defeat. "Understood, sir."
Smirking, Reflex walked down the flight line as R2-E11 chittered away at Ransack. "What're you laughing at, trashcan?" Ransack huffed at the droid as he himself turned and left.
The droid merely trilled gleefully as it followed after him.
o.o.o.o.o
Kelia Los'ean
Joint Base Baobab Naval Office Annex 2, Manda
Kelia waltzed into her office with Dan'lya in tow, holding two boxes of donuts in her hands and resisting the urge to start giggling like an idiot.
"Captain, was buying so many donuts necessary?" Jural sighed as she sat down, nursing her foot after having stubbed her toe on the sidewalk while not paying attention.
She considered herself fortunate she had not spilled their caf again.
Shrugging, Kelia sat down at her desk and opened a box, taking out a frosted cake one with sprinkles. "Eh, we can store these for later. They'll take for a while."
"Right… Anyways…" Dan'lya linked her terminal to Kelia's and sent over the requisite forms. "After what happened earlier, you'll need to fill these out in addition to your current work."
Kelia sighed as she looked over the spousal registry datawork, including insurance related documents. ["Kill me now…"] She moaned in Bothese, her mood hitting a one-eighty immediately afterwards.
Jural gave her a disapproving look. "I'll handle the grunt work; you get this done once you're finished looking at the crew dossiers."
"Sorry, I forgot that's your job."
Getting over herself, Kelia frowned and then began to tap away at her keyboard.
She hated this sort of stupid nonsense, wanting to just get things over and done with so she could move on to the next thing she wanted to do.
"Let's see… Ah Kriff…" Kelia hissed under her breath. "Jural?"
Jural looked up. "Yes ma'am?"
"I just remembered I need you to set up a whole bunch of things for me for when they arrive, sorry… Agh I need to get so much done for this…" Kelia growled, resisting the urge to tear out her mane.
Dan'lya simply nodded and pulled out her desk's comset, dialing in a number to begin making a call.
Smiling softly at her aide, Kelia opened one of the military dossiers Dan'lya forwarded her.
Non-Clone crew, mostly fresh personnel.
It never hurt to be proactive for once. Especially since Dan'lya was continuing to subtly give her haran over not doing such.
She had grabbed a few dozen and was currently looking through their files to see how they'd interact with her current crew setup, slowly working through them while occasionally sipping from a nearby water bottle.
Pausing on one notable file, Kelia stared at the grey-furred heterochromatic face of the most effeminate Clan Onel Bothan she had ever seen.
For a minute, she'd legitimately thought they were female.
"What the kriff?" She whispered as she looked at their file further and noticed several remarks from their previous commander.
Obsessive, prone to disobeying regulations... And so on.
Well, that explained why she was being given them. "Figures." She muttered.
"What was that ma'am?" Jural asked as she looked over at Kelia.
"Nothing." Kelia replied as she rubbed a hand down the length of her snout and sighed. "Dan'lya?"
Jural looked up. "Yes ma'am?"
"Tell me how I ended up assembling the misfit brigade?" Kelia growled as she stared at the notes on the record.
Jural simply shrugged in response. "Who knows... Speaking of assembling. Admiral Zsinj has requested to see you."
Kelia groaned audibly, knowing Jural was getting back at her by doing this as much as she was doing her job. "Riiight... Let's finish this up then."
o.o.o.o.o
Kelia Los'ean
Joint Base Baobab Naval HQ Building, Manda
Kelia's fur swirled anxiously as she strode into the waiting area for Admiral Zsinj's office after finishing up with her earlier duties. It was nerve wracking to face one's superior officer, especially given she had no idea why she'd been called.
To make matters worse, a BD-3000 secretary droid styled up with Republic military markings on its 'dress' stared at her from behind the desk with its unblinking blue photoreceptors.
She never liked the damn things; they were too organic looking, but also not nearly enough, and it creeped her out, especially given the lengths Leisuremech went to make them look human.
Give her a bug-eyed RA-7 or LOM series over one of these abominations any day.
The door slid open, allowing Captain Zsinj to stride out. As he did, he shot Kelia a sideways glare as he walked past her.
She hadn't interacted with him much, but Kelia always had the impression his dislike of her was more personal than Gressler's, who just seemed to be biased against non-humans given he was from Eriadu.
"The Admiral will see you now." The 'Bettie' Droid uttered silkily as Captain Zsinj left the waiting area.
Kelia nodded and walked inside, thankful to get away from the droid.
Giving Admiral Zsinj a salute, Kelia froze as she realized that it was not returned.
Instead, Maarisa Zsinj remained seated at her desk with fingers tented in front of her face. "At ease captain… Please, take a seat."
Oh, that was rarely good if the stories were any indication…
Arm falling to her side as she sat down, Kelia steeled her nerves as best she could. "So, what's this about you requiring the filing of marriage datawork?"
Oh… Right… Dan'lya would have had to inform base command about that.
Kriff.
"It's… I may have forgotten to fill everything out upon being commissioned…" Kelia uttered to cover for herself, face burning in embarrassment under her fur, which spun and twisted despite trying to simultaneously fold flat against her body.
Not a lie, she had forgotten to file her datawork regarding her marriage with Korsk... What she left unsaid was that she added something to it recently that required more urgent action.
Maarisa Zsinj observed Kelia studiously before nodding. "In hindsight, you did not exactly have a traditional commissioning and the issue was likely forgotten amidst all the paperwork and the start of the war. I will let the mistake slide this once. Do not let it happen again Captain." She warned, eyes hardening.
Kelia nodded in understanding, knowing how such a lapse reflected on the Admiral as much as herself. "Yes ma'am. I understand."
"Good… Now, how are you feeling? You took a rather nasty fall according to your XO's report." She asked, keeping a wary eye on the strip of bare skin running down the side of Kelia's head.
"It's… I'm dealing with a minor headache, and I'm fairly sure not everything's working right… Mentally I mean." Kelia stuttered, afraid of being deemed unfit for continued duty. "I'm getting better though."
"Anything of note?" Zsinj inquired as she sat back in her seat.
"No ma'am. I've been struggling a bit with impulse control though."
Kelia wasn't sure if that was the result of her adrenal implant or brain damage. Either way, not good.
"Is that recent?"
She nodded in confirmation.
Maarisa frowned. "Captain, between your recent injury and your already erratic behavior, I want you to report to the base hospital in several days for a brain scan. If there is substantial enough damage I wish for you to go through neural regenerative therapy at the earliest convenience, though for the time being I doubt you will be able to do so given the need to maintain all hands on deck. I will also be assigning a psychologist to your vessel, she may be fresh from her commissioning but she's well recommended."
Blinking in surprise, Kelia opened her mouth to protest before being pre-empted.
"With all due respect to you Captain, I do recall that Bothan brains are even less able to recover from damage than human ones. And human brains are fragile enough already."
Zsinj paused to let the information sink in. "The procedure cannot repair any mental damage, but it will at least help your brain recover physically, after which mental healing can began. So for the time being you will be on liberty and light duties. Unless something comes up your vessel will be rotated off the deployment list for another two weeks"
Kelia nodded in understanding, more than a bit relieved that she wasn't being dismissed. "Yes ma'am."
Admiral Zsinj clasped her hands in front of her. "One last thing. Speaking candidly. I am aware that you're acutely unused to combat stress, but I would have never put you in such a position if I did not think you could handle it, Captain. Remember that if you doubt my faith in you. So I think it is fair that my judgement regarding you receives some faith in turn from yourself."
Kelia, not sure if the Admiral was giving her a form of backhanded reassurance or just genuinely trying to be earnest, said nothing and merely nodded again.
"Dismissed, Captain."
Standing, Kelia nodded at Admiral Zsinj, giving the woman a parting salute.
Zsinj returned the gesture this time, with Kelia leaving not long after.
Exhaling softly, Maarisa looked through the list of non-Clone dossiers on Kelia's crew. Another relative handful of names added for one reason or another.
Los'ean herself was neurotic, flighty, introverted, and somewhat mentally unstable. Likely not helped by the head trauma she'd suffered recently, but Maarisa had faith she'd prove more mentally resilient than she appeared.
She was also competent, very capable, and a ready learner.
Dan'lya was clumsy, nervous, and easily depressed if her own psych evals were any consideration.
In contrast, she was one of the best aides Maarisa had ever encountered. She genuinely considered Los'ean lucky to have her.
Now add in the new additions...
Either this was a recipe for disaster or an unconventional force that would be a wild card the Separatists would be hard pressed to counter.
While personally she believed it was the former, history had proven time and time again that rag-tag groups and even lone individuals could often do as much as literal armies of pure professionals.
Personally, she'd have Los'ean on a desk job until she went through a full eval just to be on the safe side, but the Republic was severely lacking in competent officers.
As Wilhuff would say, everyone must do their part.
She had hers, Los'ean had her own.
Though, what part either of them had to play in this war was honestly yet to be seen.
o.o.o.o.o
Korsk Los'ean
Los'morut, Los'shtarn, Krant
Korsk sighed as he finished packing while a drooling strill, one of Kelia's favorites no less, laid on his temporary bed, 'wing' membranes folded up as it looked at him.
It had one of his favorite pairs of pants in its mouth, clearly looking upset that he was leaving soon.
His white-streaked black fur rippled in annoyance. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Be an idiot?" Nelir noted as she leaned against the wall.
He didn't have a counterargument for that and simply sighed. "Fair enough…"
Nearby, Linay finished packing her own garments before looking at him. "So, we're getting the speeder shipped over, right?"
"My brother's handling that yes. And on that subject, our handler already has our flight set up."
Linay rolled her jaw slightly. "We flying public or…?"
"Public shuttle." Korsk stated. "Could be worse." He conceded as he grabbed his suitcase.
"We could be dead?" Linay offered dryly.
Nelir chuckled softly and shook her head from behind him.
Korsk glanced over at his sister in law and shook his head as he turned back to look at Linay. "No, we could be cleaning strill pens." He said flatly as the Strill lifted its head up and barked at him, dropping his pants in the process.
"Good job Rii." Nelir chuckled quietly as the animal looked over at her.
"How do you even keep these things? The smell's almost unbearable." Korsk grumbled as he carefully picked up the pants and shoved them in one of his bags, the odd creature simply drooling at him before he sighed and patted it on the head.
"Only when they're not bathed recently." Nelir replied as she picked up Rii, the strill clambering over her armor until it was gripped around her torso from the back with all six legs. "The strills we use for narcotics sniffing and tracking assistance are more routinely cleaned than hunting strills to keep their musk from interfering with their ability to track more subtle scents or from alerting Bothan fugitives." She stated as if she didn't have a sizable animal grasping onto her like a backpack.
It was a sight that Korsk knew he would never get used to.
"I hope my great grandchildren remember to do that, because otherwise I'll come back from the grave to haunt them if they don't." He grumbled softly.
"Wait? How long do these things live!?" Linay yipped in alarm.
Both Korsk and Nelir looked at her. "Three to four centuries." They uttered in unison.
There was a moment of silence before Linay opened her mouth after a moment to process the information.
"WHAT THE SHTAK!?"
As if prompted by Linay's screech, every strill on the estate began howling and baying simultaneously.
Rii remained silent for some obtuse reason, merely drooling on Nelir's shoulder.
"KRIFFING DAMNIT LINAY!" Cath's voice roared from a nearby room. "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SHEBS IN FOR GETTING THE DAMN STRILLS GOING!"
Fur, falling flat in fear, Linay turned to Nelir. "Should I run?"
"Well considering she and father were up much of the night having sex and she still has the energy to be this mad. You'll just get your ass kicked tired, so take it like a real Mando, given you're one now." Nelir remarked smarmily. "Besides, if she's openly yelling it means she likes you."
Linay half-whimpered again as the thunderclap of angry footfalls echoed up the hallway.
The door slid open, and then Cath reared her fist low and back as she approached Linay, fury in her eyes.
Korsk tensed up, ready to intervene, only to watch as Cath only slapped Linay and then tapped her on the head.
"Eh... Eh?" Linay whimpered as she rubbed the side of her snout.
"Don't kriffing do that again..." Cath grumbled, the bags under her eyes betraying her utter exhaustion before she turned her head and shouted. "SHUT UP!"
The Strills went silent. "Now, explain to me... What in the kriff made you shriek like that when half the household is hungover, tired, and irritable?"
A still flustered Linay squirmed a bit. "W... Well, I just learned strills live a really long time and... Please don't hit me I didn't know you were up all night with Burukt..." She yelped, flinching as Cath shifted slightly.
"I'm not actually going to kick your shebs in... I just get dramatic when I'm pissed." Cath sighed before pausing. "Wait... How the kriff did you know I was having sex with my husband?"
Korsk glared at Nelir out of the corner of his eye, putting the pieces together.
Linay blinked. "Nelir told me. Just before she told me to take it like a 'real Mando'."
Rii suddenly got off Nelir's back and scurried out of the room as Cath turned to face her daughter. "Nel'ika, what's the meaning of this?"
Nelir snorted. "You can figure it out." She moved to leave, only to be stopped by Cath.
Korsk's fur bristled as he watched the two stand off, Cath's eyes narrowing at Nelir. "If you have a problem with me, leave it with me alone, don't bring Kelia's spouses into it." She growled.
"I have a problem with all three of you." Nelir growled back, genuine anger in her eyes. "Mando'ad draar digu." ["A Mandalorian never forgets."] Seeing her mother's resolve weaken, Nelir shoved Cath's arm aside. "Ba'buir and Uv may be able to get over their anger, but none of you will get a cin vhetin with me. Them for abandoning Kel, and you for abandoning all of us."
She promptly pushed past Cath, who looked somewhat deflated now, and stormed out of the room.
Linay exchanged a look with Korsk, silently gesturing at him to step forwards.
"Cath?" He mumbled unsurely as he stepped up to her, unable to really bring himself to use anything less formal than that.
"I'm fine... Just more tired than I was before... Should've figured that Nelir would be the most vindictive of all of my children. Burukt always said she had my ability to hold grudges." Cath sighed as she shook her head. "You two just focus on getting back to Kel'ika. This shouldn't be your problem."
"You're family... It's kind of our problem."
She shook her head. "Just... Thank you but go, please... You have a shuttle to catch."
Korsk frowned, but nodded and grabbed his bags, gently ushering Linay to grab her own.
Casting a final glance over at Cath, Korsk saw her sit on the bed and stare at her feet.
Then the door slid shut between them.
o.o.o.o.o
Linay Los'ean
Los'shtarn Spaceport, Los'shtarn
"Kriff!" Linay yelped as she brushed her head against her chair and recoiled away in pain.
Korsk glanced over at Linay as she nursed the nasty bruise hidden underneath the fur on her left cheek some time after getting through security at the spaceport. "You still nursing that?" He asked.
"Yeah." She mumbled as she looked up at the female Khagkess Lines, Krant's flagship interstellar shuttle service, desk attendant as they waited for their shuttle to begin boarding.
He handed her a cold pack and sighed. "Here take this. If anyone asks tell them you got into an argument with an Aean."
She took it from him and placed on the side of her snout. "Right... Taking advantage of stereotypes... Still… Flying public, really?"
"Yes, really." A voice familiar to the two called out over the din of the crowd.
The two turned to see a light brown furred Bothan male walk up and sit down next to them. "Heard from a little Ral that you two hitched with a mutual acquaintance." He uttered as he pulled out a datapad and looked through the news.
Linay scowled softly. "What's it to you Pri'fon?"
"Nothing, just something interesting." He replied candidly. "We should hopefully arrive before any further storms crop up on Manda." Pri'fon mused cryptically.
"Storms?" Linay questioned as the gate door opened and a stewardess walked out.
Pri'fon nodded as he tapped his datapad and looked through the news. "Of a sort."
Linay looked at Korsk in utter befuddlement and then back to Pri'fon as he smirked at the two agents.
"Don't rope me into this..." Korsk groaned loudly as the boarding call chimed out over the spaceport terminal speakers.
"What does that even mean though!?" Linay snapped as Pri'fon and Korsk got up after their section was called. "Can you stop being cryptic for once!"
Pri'fon laughed softly. "No."
"WHY!?" She yelped as Korsk smacked her on the back of the head just a second too late.
He smirked at Linay. "Because I enjoy screwing with you."
Growling under her breath and deciding not to make any more of a scene, she stood and then followed them, her ears perking up at the faint patter of rain on the window as a cloudbreak occurred overhead.
o.o.o.o.o
Kelia Los'ean
Joint Base Baobab Housing Complex, Manda
Droplets splattered on the visor of Kelia's buy'ce as she sprayed it with a cleaning solution before wiping it off, listening to the main holoscreen play the news as she worked.
She was currently sitting on her couch, cleaning her armor for the first time in a while after having completed her much-hated spousal paperwork for the time being.
The news wasn't much of interest to her, but it sort of kept her mind active. And it was always nice to have some downtime for herself, but only if she filled that time with active things to do.
As she finished wiping the visor, her datapad chimed, Kelia picking it up and checking her messages.
It was a FamilyNet message from Nelir, written in Botha cyrillic.
[["Your idiot spouses are on their way ner vod, they should be there soon enough."]]
Kelia sighed and shook her head. "Since when did I become the sensible one…" She muttered as she sent a thankful reply back.
She thought on it for a few moments afterwards, deciding it was largely due to her being assigned a warship command.
Having a few thousand lives weighing on your every decision tended to affect one's thought processes.
Flicking a wrist and putting the helmet down next to her, Kelia frowned and then stood up, stretching as she walked to the kitchen and looked through the pantry.
Kriff, she was terrible at cooking. Korsk was always better at it, mostly because he took culinary classes back in school.
Another message from Mineth chimed on her datapad, Kelia checking it as she pulled out some random food articles.
[["So, about that thing that got me a free day off. Some idiot Clan Efay Captain who was in our vehicle deliberately went and got us 'killed' by OPFOR. Kriffing bastard just wanted to get a shower instead of being in the mud for another three days. Turns out the entire exercise is being redone so joke's on him."]]
Kelia smirked as she continued searching the cabinets, finally just deciding to just make a dubdub and cheese sandwich, grabbing some bread to do so with.
She shot back a reply as she paused. [["Peh, remember the time I got nailed by one of my clan members who was doing OPFOR during our graduation exercises?"]]
[["Oh that! That was hilarious!"]]
Smiling as she turned on the stove and began prepping the pan, Kelia sent another message out. [["Yeah, cousin Onesk was smug about it for weeks."]]
[["I could imagine. Anyways, looks like my messaging time is about up, talk to you in a couple days Kel, unless something comes up of course."]]
[["Talk to you then."]]
Kelia flipped through ConnectNet and FamilyNet to check some posts and shrugged as she heard a knock at the door.
Quickly turning off the stove, Kelia walked over and opened it with the press of a button.
On the other side were a pair of Navy personnel wearing Chief Warrant Officer rank plaques, a Zabrak male and a Bothan female.
Idly, she smelled the air and realized that underneath the hints of briny salt water, they smelled like eachother.
The Bothan part of her mind filed that away for later.
"Afternoon ma'am." The light skinned Zabrak uttered as he tipped his cap.
"Afternoon…?" Kelia replied, fur rippling in confusion as she realized she had no idea who they were.
The Bothan elbowed her seeming partner. "Hey Nekh. Introduce yourself, shtak for brains." She snapped at him.
Nekh rubbed the back of his head and flushed a bit red. "Sorry. Chief Warrant Officer Nekh Tarr, and this is my partner, Masir Sov'lab."
The Bothan gave Kelia a nod. "Afternoon ma'am."
Kelia looked between them. "Is there any particular reason you've come to my front door?" She questioned; eyes half-lidded in mild annoyance.
Masir and Nekh exchanged a look. "Well… That's the thing ma'am. We just came to introduce ourselves since we're going to be assigned to your ship as the Masters at Arms, along a handful of others."
"Any point to coming up to my door to do this?" She asked, fur settling as she managed to catch her rising temper and replace it with confusion.
Masir ran a hand through her mane, her fur rippling as she realized how stupid this entire scenario was as well. "Well, we wanted to introduce ourselves… And…"
Nekh jabbed her in the side. "We didn't want to bother you for too long, ma'am. My apologies if we've irritated you."
"I see." Kelia replied, sighing at their awkwardness. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have things I to do around my home given I'm on liberty. I'll take a more formal introduction when I'm back on duty."
The two nodded and walked away as Kelia stood at the door, hearing the two bicker a bit as they argued about whose idea this had been.
As amusing as seeing that was, she was still somewhat miffed that her time had been pointlessly wasted.
Still, they seemed nice enough. Weren't as annoying as those stupid Force Cult kriffers who kept trying to convert her during her stay on Anaxes.
She smiled as she remembered seeing them scramble as she began speaking in Mando'a at them, like she was some kind of demon.
Well, back to making that sandwich then.
Maybe she should ask Dan'lya if she needed anything. Stars' knew what Jural was doing at this moment.
o.o.o.o.o
Jural Dan'lya
Joint Base Baobab Housing Complex, Manda
Jural sighed as she lounged in her bed, in the mess that was her room.
Since she had settled in only a scant two days ago, or something, she just had not had the time to even unpack properly.
Let alone clean up all the clothes and underwear she'd tossed about the room.
Not to mention the cans of beer she'd left lying around from her recent drinking.
She was burnt out from all the work and some part of her just wanted to scream into a pillow at her Captain's idiocy for giving her more.
Honestly, she kind of hated Kelia for putting her through so much stress by impulsively marrying someone over a holocall.
She also hated her for having such a loving relationship with two beings that she could get away with marrying them both when other relationships of a similar manner would implode on suggestion.
Tears welled up as Jural remained where she laid.
Every relationship she had been in had been some kriffer trying to advance their position in life through her because her father was a Marshalcy Major. Even the females.
Some her clanmates who had joined the Church of the Force, and who had found out about her depression, had tried to direct her towards the religion as a coping mechanism, but she considered it some stupid hippie nonsense.
Not that the kriffing Way was much better.
Jural exhaled softly as she laid there.
Someone like her was pathetic. Who the kriff could relate to that? Not her clanmates, who mocked her as a stupid clumsy bitch. Not her Academy cadre, who believed her to be nepotistic scum. And certainly not the humans on Anaxes who called her a 'fleabag' and a 'lying spy schutta' when they thought she couldn't hear them.
Hell, Kelia had graduated ahead of her class because she was intelligent and capable enough. If she didn't have all of her issues and emotional baggage to help relate, she'd probably be just like all the others and think she was annoying and useless.
As she laid there, she heard her datapad chime.
Ears perking up at the sound, Jural slipped out of bed and walked over to her dresser before grabbing it.
It was a message from Kelia.
[["You eat anything?"]]
Jural frowned and briefly considered not answering at all before sighing and typing in a reply. [["No."]]
[["I can make you a sandwich if you want."]]
Dan'lya's face scrunched up as she scrutinized the message.
Kelia clearly realized she may have accidentally made an innuendo if the panicked follow-up was any indication.
[["I MEAN FOOD! FOOD!"]]
Jural laughed softly as her mood lifted. If there was one thing she could count on as of late it was that Kelia legitimately cared.
Admittedly, three little messages had done more for her mental health than weeks of therapy did usually.
Smiling, she typed out a reply. [["It's fine, I'll be over in a minute. Just let me get cleaned up."]]
She paused for a moment before adding. [["And dressed."]]
Wait… She probably shouldn't have said that.
Kriff.
o.o.o.o.o
TZ-23
CSS Naliju Gale, Deep Space
TZ-23 strode into Commodore Naliju's office on the Naliju Gale, giving a crisp salute as he went to attention. "Tactical Droid TZ-23, reporting."
Colum turned and smiled at the droid, returning the salute. "It is good to see you again Teezee."
The droid's optics flashed as it processed the nickname for a moment, then filed the information away. "It is a pleasure too see you again Commodore. Though I question what purpose you called me here for."
The blond-haired human smiled softly. "Simple… I want your input on how one would be able to get past the defenses on Manda… General Tann wants us to draw more Republic attention away from her first shipment of the new Decimators from Krant in the coming weeks." Naliju explained as he activated a holoprojection. "Our primary purpose is still a raiding operation as we lack the firepower to hold Manda from an immediate counterattack should we somehow capture it."
Teezee stared at the projection of Joint Base Baobab, noting its immense scale compared to the surroundings.
"A direct attack on the base would be illogical. It is far too large and heavily defended, and any damage will have little to no effect on long-term Republic operations unless we devote an excessive amount of resources to fully destroying critical sections of the base." The droid analyzed as it walked around the projection before pointing at the Adanso space-maritime port.
The Tactical Droid promptly tapped at the representation of the main cargo hub, pointing out cranes, repulsortrain and mag-lev yards, and fueling depots. "By contrast, targeting the Baobab Merchant Fleet's facilities and other civilian infrastructure with a surprise bombing raid while fighters and corvettes harass any cargo ships in orbit will have a much more outsized and pronounced effect on civilian morale and Republic strategy. I advise targeting only the armed merchant vessels and avoiding excessive collateral damage to reduce Republic propaganda value."
Colum nodded in agreement. "My thoughts as well. Maximum reward, minimum risk. A good call."
He swapped the projection to show the orbital pane. "Now, let's go over our attack plan…"
o.o.o.o.o
Kelia Los'ean
Joint Base Baobab Housing Complex, Manda
Kelia looked up at Jural after a while of the two sitting at the kitchen table and eating. A holotoon set during an inter-planetary war fought by massive humanoid walker/starfighter equivalents playing on the entertainment projector in the background.
Jural had found the entire thing fascinating, especially the political intrigue, though both she and Kelia agreed it wouldn't be long until it was pulled by both sides of the war and only broadcast in neutral territories whose HoloNet stations had access to the rights.
Fidgeting a bit, Kelia looked at Jural. "So… What's our plan to deal with my…"
Dan'lya sighed. "Don't worry, I'm getting everything cleared… Still, I've had to talk some family members. They're getting that stuff sorted out with the spooks. But for safety's sake, keep everything quiet."
Kelia frowned and then nodded. "Right."
Neither Bothan said anything less than strategically worded statements.
What they were discussing could easily be construed as treason for allowing non-Republic spies on the base, especially undeclared.
"Thanks. By the way… I owe you one." She told Jural, closing her eyes and taking a bite of sandwich.
Jural smiled. "I take payments in zav, credits, and sexual favors."
Kelia almost began to choke in surprise, coughing violently as Jural laughed. "Don't worry ma'am. The last one was a joke."
Blond fur rippled in discontent as Kelia glared at her. "Don't scare me. I'm already going to have enough trouble juggling two spouses…"
Dan'lya laughed again. "Alright, alright. But I have to admit that you've given me enough of a headache to deserve it."
Kelia snorted. "Yeah, I'll admit that."
There was a short silence as the two sat there, the holoprojector starting to play a different program unabated after the credits had rolled on the holotoon. "Y'know… It's nice to talk and unwind." Kelia stated with a soft smile as the rumble of a larger ship passing overhead shook the house.
Dan'lya smiled back and nodded. "Yeah."
She paused before looking across the kitchen table at Kelia. "You doing any better by the way?"
She shrugged. "Well, I haven't tried to rip anything apart with my teeth today besides food."
Jural laughed a little but then regained her composure. "Well that's good enough."
"Alright then, what do you suggest we do to pass time? I've got a brain scan coming up whenever and my spouses are set to arrive in like... Two days? One? I dunno it depends on what Khagkess is doing with shuttle services to a war zone"
Dan'lya paused for a moment and then shrugged. "I dunno, wanna go shopping?"
Kelia blinked dumbly for a few moments.
Honestly, Anaxes had not been kind to her clothing options and everything else was either out of date or didn't fit anymore.
Tapping her snout, Kelia nodded at Jural. "Alright, let's get going then. Might as well pick up some more groceries on the way back as well."
Dan'lya smiled warmly at her, fur swirling in reflection of her mood. "Alright, lemme use the refresher real quick and then we'll go once we're cleaned up here."
Kelia nodded as Jural got up and headed down the nearby hall to the downstairs refresher, sitting back in her seat as she looked around her house.
She frowned as she observed the plain grey-white colored walls, most of the non-seating furniture bare of any decoration.
Actually, aside from her armor, a few holo-portraits, and some racks holding decorative weapons, including an old Mos'nisk bolt-action slug rifle that was at least twelve thousand years old, there was nothing that served as actual decoration.
Even her offices had more going for them with pictures of the Kestrel and models of the ship itself in them.
"Maybe I'll buy some things to make this place seem more lived in too…" She mused softly.
Yeah, sounded like a good idea.
With that in mind she stood up and stretched, taking the two plates and setting them in the sink.
With a twist of the faucet, water began to roll over the plates as Kelia began to wash them.
o.o.o.o.o
Rav Vi'ean
Vi'shtarn Government Building, Vie'shtarn, Krant
Rav Vi'ean strode into Kolir Vi'ean's office and clasped her hands at the small of her back as the door shut, the screen behind the Vi'ean elder displaying the downpour occuring outside.
["You wished to see me, Elder Vi'ean?"] She inquired, silver eyes hidden behind the lowered visor of her Secret Service captain's helmet.
Kolir sighed and pulled out a datapad before waving Rav over. ["Come, I need to show you this."]
Seeing that they were in an informal situation, Rav strode up to the elder's side and looked at the datapad before recoiling away in surprise. ["A Separa-"] She began to yelp before Kolir hushed her.
["Keep quiet!"] Kolir hissed as she glanced up at the sealed door for a brief second. ["If this gets out, our entire house might be killed!"]
Rav's fur bristled in alarm. ["Surely our clanmates won't go that far!"]
Kolir fixed Rav in a dead stare. ["I'm not talking about the rest of Clan Aean, or the other Bothan clans for that matter."] She whispered fearfully.
Rav gulped nervously and nodded. ["Understood... What are my orders?"]
["You are to take a team and monitor incoming shipments at our docks. Two of them have already arrived and the third agent, your partner, should be arriving tomorrow."] Kolir said calmly, keeping her face even despite the circumstances. ["You have free reign to obtain additional resources, within reason or your ability to acquire, should they become necessary."]
Nodding softly, Rav backed away from Kolir. ["I understand. Is that all?"]
Kolir nodded softly.
As she turned to leave Rav stopped and looked over her shoulder, the thirty year old female frowning. ["Mother... Try to find a way out of this for us... Please."] She pleaded.
Pursing her lips and tightening her jaw, Kolir nodded again. ["I will."]
Frowning in the knowledge that this was the best she'd get, Rav turned and exited the office, leaving Kolir alone with her thoughts and caf.
o.o.o.o.o
Maarisa Zsinj
Joint Base Baobab, Manda
Maarisa sipped at her caf as she sat on the porch of her home up the street from where Kelia and Jural lived, Priv Gressler sitting on the chair next to her.
"I must say Priv, the environment here is certainly better than Eriadu's." She noted casually as a gardening droid tended to some ornamental hedges.
Priv merely snorted as he watched another trio of Venators descend towards the main docking yards in the distance, more reinforcements that should've been deployed sooner. "Perhaps. I do suppose my fellow Eriaduans could do better to at least keep our world livable. Being known as a core world on the rim does not always carry the most positive of connotations in that respect." He noted begrudgingly.
"Not every world needs to be Naboo, Alderaan, or Chandrilla, but neither do they need to slowly become the next Raxus Prime." Maarisa agreed as she watched some shorebirds circle overhead, likely around the Biscuit Baron on base.
She did recall it was trash day for them.
Priv snorted. "And to think Raxus Prime was once fabled as the Circlet of the Tion." He took a sip of his own caf before speaking again. "What a waste of a good world."
"You seem in better spirits than usual today." Maarisa observed casually as she lowered her mug. "Something on your mind?"
"Maybe." Priv said as he looked conspiratorially up the street. "Do not take me wrong about this, but it felt somewhat good to hear that our resident uppity Bothan got taken down a notch." He admitted.
Maarisa gave him a dry look. "I would hardly consider her being injured a reason to celebrate."
He snorted dismissively. "Not celebrating, but the two of us have worked with too many Bothans to not understand how egotistical they get. That psychotic Gyar'trek bitch, for one… Personally, despite my respect for Governor Tarkin, I still believe that he and that Bothan had sex. It only makes sense with how much they have in common." Priv remarked as he took another sip of his caf
Maarisa frowned deeply at the horrific mental image of Wilhuff Tarkin and Liska Gyar'trek kriffing, even if them having hate-sex, or just casual sex over their shared 'love' of committing war crimes, was something she could genuinely see happening under the right circumstances. "As an Admiral in the Republic Navy, I am giving you a direct order to never speak of such thoughts in my presence again, Captain Gressler."
"Yes Admiral." Priv snarked dryly as he rose his mug to his lips.
"Anyways, I doubt Los'ean is that much of an egotist. Her first post-action report was nothing short of scathing about her own tactical faults. She even blamed herself for the loss of two of her pilots and several of the transports." Maarisa informed Priv, who seemed to recline further into his chair as he stewed on the words.
"That explains her stubbornness regarding the survivors…" He conceded after a few moments.
Both humans suddenly turned to see Kelia's Velocityhawk return to her driveway and park after the speeder's engine became audible, the vehicle's hatches opening to allow Jural and Kelia to leave it and begin unloading the groceries and other things they had purchased.
Priv looked back at Maarisa. "Regarding Los'ean. What do you see in her? Beyond her abnormally high score of courses."
She smiled softly. "I see the future Priv. For all of her issues she shows immense promise. Someone like her will go a long way in the Navy once she gets her act together. Probably further than either of us."
He looked up the street as he watched Kelia help Dan'lya unload several bags, frowning contemplatively. "You may have a point there."
Maarisa smiled as a pair of LAAB/e Gunship bombers roared over the housing complex. "I certainly believe I do."
o.o.o.o.o