BTW: "CO" means Commanding Officer
1 Star Wars: Painful truth part II
Rienn had woken up early, that morning. He got ready even quicker. Today, at the Academy, there was vital information to be reported to the entire battalion at an assembly by the CO. What it was centered around still remained a mystery, yet the suspense drew a lot of the cadets there. Even uncle Lando was to be there. This made Rienn know that something was up, more importantly, something seriously imperative.
Tsavong Lah looked out of his grand priest ship, a sign of rank and power among the infamous Yuuzahn Vong. His implants stood tall and high among his scarred face. He gazed through the view port and watched those under his command do battle with a doomed planet by the name of Tarine. The planet's forces were waging a long hard battle which was useless in the sense that they were ultimately on the verge of defeat.
'Infidels.' Thought the commander as he watched his army make quick work of the small, conservative planet. The battle reminded him of what happened a few weeks earlier. The battle with another group of infidels, the Jedi.
"These Jeedai and all those who ally with them shall find themselves at the mercy of us and the gods.", said the warmaster to Khalee Lah, his friend and warrior.
"With the help of these Sanarians, we shall surely destroy these infidels…for they shall have to match our quick,fearless warriors and the trickery of the Sanarians with some of their own.". He said,standing proud, deeply supporting his words.
He looked out of the view port. The battle was one-sided, obviously, the greenish glow of the improved Yuuzahn Vong fleet outnumbering the Tarine forces 2:1..and that margin was improving. Khalee looked at his higher-up.
"Sir, we have tracked the movements of this Millenium Falcon. It is in the 2nd quadrant of the Galaxy called "Milky Way". Another planet of infidels called Earth.", said the warrior, one of the top ones that the Yuuzahn Vong had, "With your permission, I would like to hunt down this Princess Leia Organa Solo and capture her to lure the rest of the Solo family to us, along with Luke Skywalker."
"Skywalker…Solo…", Tsavong Lah spat at the names. His look of good thought changed to one of hate.He was thinking of that failed attempt. The one to capture and kill Jaina Solo along with Jacen.
"This planet's "World Nation" has aligned themselves with the Jeedai. It will be a battle against a formidable military…in the sense that it will last longer than others.", said Lah.
"This Solo witch shall find that just compensation in our eyes is harsh and cruel as we torture her and her family, and the heads of this military.",said the warmaster of the Yuuzahn Vong. He looked out of the veiwport again.
Disgusted with the attempts of these infidels…defying their gods.
"End them.", he said. Then Khalee Lah walked out of the building to obey the commands of the warmaster.
It was the end of the year. The whole battalion was graduating, making way for a fresh new batch of students.
'Leaders of tomorrow', thought Rienn to himself of the clichéd adage. Rienn thus far ranked high for his class, but there were not even a handful of others higher, but there still was some, nonetheless. The young man ranked at Lieutenant Junior Grade. Rienn understood fully that with rank came responsibility and leadership, one of the skills he thought he lacked seriously. Even more pressure factored into his leadership-fright, if there was such a thing, with the Academy's instructors being strict and to-the- point. Everything was shaped out of tradition…legitimacy. It was something that Rienn could handle, but the stress of possibly leading an infantry of over 300 people frightened him. Reasons like these were why the young exotic skinned man preferred to go solo.
Speaking of solo…
Rienn heard from his uncle that Han was on his way also. The legendary captain/General was to make an appearance there. It would be Rienn's first time meeting him. It would be a great experience, since he and his uncle were like brothers, nearly, and Rienn hoped to make an impression in his sharp, crisp uniform. He walked down the full buzzing hallways, officer's combination cap in his hand. He stopped and talked to many a friend along the way, asking if they had overheard any conversation…any tête-à-tête between any of the instructors on why the meeting was called on such short notice. He hoped the reports were no shockers.
Rienn made his way to the large presentation room. Most of the other cadets had fallen in, with some getting situated. The guidons, the platoon markers with flags raised, were already fallen in. Rienn took his place in front of his platoon with his sword sheathed and such. He stood at attentention at the command as the Executive officer spoke.
"Officers, draw…", she, along with the other 3 officers gripped the grip of the blade and pulled it out some, revealing about 1/3 of the shiny, engraved surface, "Swords!", she said, concluding the command. All of the officers unsheathed their swords and held their arms out at a 45 degree angle, extended to the full length.They then lowered their arms, while at the same time, bringing the blade's tip up to face the ceiling.
"Parade rest!".The entire battalion executed the specified movement, all of them moving their left foot 12 inches to the left while folding their arms across their backs. The officers, however, did the same, but with their sword's blade tip facing the deck. Their left arm was across their back, their hands flat. The movements were done with such finesse and precision. The onlookers watched, some wishing that they were there.
"Officer's report.", said the XO. She snapped to attention as did Rienn and turned to each other, both at an angle. Rienn lifted his right arm with the blade in front of his face, then lowered it, his palm facing out and the blade flat.
"Ma'am, all present and accounted for, ma'am!", he said gracefully with a loud enough tone. He turned back to his previous position, and went back to parade rest. The Executive officer did the same with the other 2 platoon leading officers. After the intro, and the report to the Battalion commander…
(The XO about-faces and salutes the Battalion commander-
"Ma'am, the battalion is all present and accounted for,ma'am.", she said. The commander returned the salute.
"Thank you. Carry on.", she said also.)
…the head of the Academy, Admiral Recoi Guiddle, the World Nation's highest ranking Naval officer stepped up to the podium. He cleared his throat and began his speech.
"The Galaxy is at war.", he said Then he continued his speech, "Unknown to you all, the heads of the military department of the World Nation have met with the leaders of the New Republic. We have aligned ourselves with the Jedi.". Guiddle looked around as murmurs of the cadets showed signs of disbelief and approval. After motioning for the battalion to quiet down, he continued.
"Together, the World Nation of Earth, and the New Republic, not to mention the New Jedi Order, shall face an oncoming threat, a big one, called the Yuuzahn Vong.", the Admiral shifted his posture, "They and another called the Sanarians have vowed to destroy the presence of good in the name of their "gods". Together, their military force is huge. This is why as of now, your graduation, you are all World Nation Navy SEALS.", he said. The battalion cheered some. He quieted them again.
"I know this may seem sudden, but you all will go down in history. You, and the other military organizations, will be the largest single land unit in our history. But a leader…", he paused and looked around, " A leader must be. The World Nation Military leaders have selected us to choose a leader…Battalion Commander from amongst us. He has already been chosen.", said the Admiral. He looked , and a small smile spread across his face.
"Rienn Ishidgrayne front and center", he said. Rienn snapped out of his small daydream. He had missed nearly everything that Admiral Recoi Guiddle had said earlier except the part about the unity between 3 parties. Murmurs from the Battalion rippled and spread as all eyes were on him.
He walked to the center,about 4 meters from the stage. He stood next to the outgoing Battalion Commander.
"Unit Colors.Front and center.", said Guiddle, as the one holding the colors…the flag representing the unit from the color guard, marched forward. It was an all too familiar scene. Rienn hoped that it wasn't what he thought. He watched as the one holding the colors passed them to the Battalion Commander. She turned to face Rienn as he did the same to her. She passed him the flag. Rienn accepted reluctantly, and it showed on his face. He then turned to the one on the color guard and handed him back the colors.
It couldn't be happening…the change of command just took place here. Rienn had be chosen to lead a damn ARMY!
That echoed through his head. Then, the Admiral himself stepped down and stood in front of the two. Rienn could have sworn that he saw the then commander salute the Admiral and say…
"Permission to be relieved of the duties of Battalion Commander?"
…and the Admiral say…
"Permission granted.". Then he turned to Rienn as he turned to him. Slowly and visibly hesitantly, Rienn saluted. He then said…
"Permission to accept the duties of Battalion Commander?"
The Admiral returned the salute. "Permission granted."
Recoi Guiddle about-faced to receive the 5-bar pendant of Commander. The Vice Admiral stepped on the microphone.
"Would Lando Calrissian please step forward.", she asked. Just then, Lando did and received the pendant from the Admiral. He then stepped up to Rienn and pinned it on his left collar point. Its shine was a flicker to the spectators. Rienn was looking down the whole time. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into, and with a war coming, he didn't want to find out. Then he looked up. Lando was done. Then Rienn hugged his uncle. The crowed "Awwed" and such.
"Your new CO, Rienn Ishidgrayne.". The rest of the Battalion cheered. The exotic skinned man about-faced as his uncle took his seat again. Rienn looked. He looked at the crowd from side to side. The cheers of "YEAH,RIENN!" and such echoed through the cheering.
"The floor is yours, CO." said the proud Admiral. Rienn heard this then looked back. They were still cheering. It was a powerful moment for him. He looked down, the visor from his combination hard cover shading his slowly, tearing eyes from the light which would make them sparkle. He sucked up the emotion and wiped them. The New CO looked back up.
"Battalion, Ah-ten-HUT!", he said. It echoed along with the sound of heels clicking together and a stomping sound which accompanied the Battalions halt and call to attention.
"Battalion, fall out.", he said, giving them the command to go free. The all tossed their covers up as some walked over to congratulate. Lando did also, patting his nephew on the back. Rienn turned and smiled to him. They shook hands.
"Congratulations, Lando. It must run in the family.",said a familiar voice. Rienn turned and looked. The man was the legendary Han Solo. Han was accompanied by a lot of his companions, astromechs included. Jaina, Jacen, and Leia and Luke. It must have been "Twin day". Rienn was surprised to see the living legend in front of him smiling. The new CO stepped back and drew his sword and saluted. Han returned the salute also, then Rienn sheathed the sword again.
"It probably does", said Lando back to his old friend. The began their talk of things circling mostly around the Republic and the Jedi and more importantly, the war. Rienn looked back at them, then turned back around. The room was half empty.
"Congrats.", said a feminine voice. Leia's. Rienn nodded and did the whole hand-kiss thing. He turned to Luke and saluted him also.
"So how does it feel to know you're going to lead a whole army into war?", asked the famous Luke Skywalker. Meeting them was an honor. But being this all-important leader was a burden. That showed on Rienn's face.
"It feels great…", he said, lying as if he was about to be crushed by a Wampa or a Ronto…..as if it were the end of the world. He then looked around some more, looking for an escape route, or possibly the Instructor who selected him.Luke then went over along with his sister to talk to Han and Lando, who were chatting with the Admiral.
"You sure, you a little unsure.", said Jacen. Rienn was unsure. He hid it,just as Jacen hid the fact that he knew that the new Battalion Commander was lying through his front teeth. Rienn then noticed the tubular shape the waist of his peer. He saw that it was a light saber, undoubtedly.
Jedi…he thought. Before he knew it, he and the rest of the group were off of the planet and back to Coruscant. Rienn walked through the docking bay with Jacen. They talked of a lot of things. Mostly the war. Rienn looked around and saw a lot of Jedi. Most were working on ship repairs. The docking bay was busy. Already, nothing this day had went the way Rienn planned. He now, instead of doing his own solo thing, had to guide over 30,000+ people. He didn't want to have to do all of that. It seemed too much and out of his league. That's when He was approached by Han.
"I've contacted the Admiral. The Army is ready.The whole military,in fact.", said the aging man.Then the two were approached by Leia.She overheard them.
"Good.",she said as she looked out of the window. I think we've got some company.
1 Star Wars: Painful truth part II
Rienn had woken up early, that morning. He got ready even quicker. Today, at the Academy, there was vital information to be reported to the entire battalion at an assembly by the CO. What it was centered around still remained a mystery, yet the suspense drew a lot of the cadets there. Even uncle Lando was to be there. This made Rienn know that something was up, more importantly, something seriously imperative.
Tsavong Lah looked out of his grand priest ship, a sign of rank and power among the infamous Yuuzahn Vong. His implants stood tall and high among his scarred face. He gazed through the view port and watched those under his command do battle with a doomed planet by the name of Tarine. The planet's forces were waging a long hard battle which was useless in the sense that they were ultimately on the verge of defeat.
'Infidels.' Thought the commander as he watched his army make quick work of the small, conservative planet. The battle reminded him of what happened a few weeks earlier. The battle with another group of infidels, the Jedi.
"These Jeedai and all those who ally with them shall find themselves at the mercy of us and the gods.", said the warmaster to Khalee Lah, his friend and warrior.
"With the help of these Sanarians, we shall surely destroy these infidels…for they shall have to match our quick,fearless warriors and the trickery of the Sanarians with some of their own.". He said,standing proud, deeply supporting his words.
He looked out of the view port. The battle was one-sided, obviously, the greenish glow of the improved Yuuzahn Vong fleet outnumbering the Tarine forces 2:1..and that margin was improving. Khalee looked at his higher-up.
"Sir, we have tracked the movements of this Millenium Falcon. It is in the 2nd quadrant of the Galaxy called "Milky Way". Another planet of infidels called Earth.", said the warrior, one of the top ones that the Yuuzahn Vong had, "With your permission, I would like to hunt down this Princess Leia Organa Solo and capture her to lure the rest of the Solo family to us, along with Luke Skywalker."
"Skywalker…Solo…", Tsavong Lah spat at the names. His look of good thought changed to one of hate.He was thinking of that failed attempt. The one to capture and kill Jaina Solo along with Jacen.
"This planet's "World Nation" has aligned themselves with the Jeedai. It will be a battle against a formidable military…in the sense that it will last longer than others.", said Lah.
"This Solo witch shall find that just compensation in our eyes is harsh and cruel as we torture her and her family, and the heads of this military.",said the warmaster of the Yuuzahn Vong. He looked out of the veiwport again.
Disgusted with the attempts of these infidels…defying their gods.
"End them.", he said. Then Khalee Lah walked out of the building to obey the commands of the warmaster.
It was the end of the year. The whole battalion was graduating, making way for a fresh new batch of students.
'Leaders of tomorrow', thought Rienn to himself of the clichéd adage. Rienn thus far ranked high for his class, but there were not even a handful of others higher, but there still was some, nonetheless. The young man ranked at Lieutenant Junior Grade. Rienn understood fully that with rank came responsibility and leadership, one of the skills he thought he lacked seriously. Even more pressure factored into his leadership-fright, if there was such a thing, with the Academy's instructors being strict and to-the- point. Everything was shaped out of tradition…legitimacy. It was something that Rienn could handle, but the stress of possibly leading an infantry of over 300 people frightened him. Reasons like these were why the young exotic skinned man preferred to go solo.
Speaking of solo…
Rienn heard from his uncle that Han was on his way also. The legendary captain/General was to make an appearance there. It would be Rienn's first time meeting him. It would be a great experience, since he and his uncle were like brothers, nearly, and Rienn hoped to make an impression in his sharp, crisp uniform. He walked down the full buzzing hallways, officer's combination cap in his hand. He stopped and talked to many a friend along the way, asking if they had overheard any conversation…any tête-à-tête between any of the instructors on why the meeting was called on such short notice. He hoped the reports were no shockers.
Rienn made his way to the large presentation room. Most of the other cadets had fallen in, with some getting situated. The guidons, the platoon markers with flags raised, were already fallen in. Rienn took his place in front of his platoon with his sword sheathed and such. He stood at attentention at the command as the Executive officer spoke.
"Officers, draw…", she, along with the other 3 officers gripped the grip of the blade and pulled it out some, revealing about 1/3 of the shiny, engraved surface, "Swords!", she said, concluding the command. All of the officers unsheathed their swords and held their arms out at a 45 degree angle, extended to the full length.They then lowered their arms, while at the same time, bringing the blade's tip up to face the ceiling.
"Parade rest!".The entire battalion executed the specified movement, all of them moving their left foot 12 inches to the left while folding their arms across their backs. The officers, however, did the same, but with their sword's blade tip facing the deck. Their left arm was across their back, their hands flat. The movements were done with such finesse and precision. The onlookers watched, some wishing that they were there.
"Officer's report.", said the XO. She snapped to attention as did Rienn and turned to each other, both at an angle. Rienn lifted his right arm with the blade in front of his face, then lowered it, his palm facing out and the blade flat.
"Ma'am, all present and accounted for, ma'am!", he said gracefully with a loud enough tone. He turned back to his previous position, and went back to parade rest. The Executive officer did the same with the other 2 platoon leading officers. After the intro, and the report to the Battalion commander…
(The XO about-faces and salutes the Battalion commander-
"Ma'am, the battalion is all present and accounted for,ma'am.", she said. The commander returned the salute.
"Thank you. Carry on.", she said also.)
…the head of the Academy, Admiral Recoi Guiddle, the World Nation's highest ranking Naval officer stepped up to the podium. He cleared his throat and began his speech.
"The Galaxy is at war.", he said Then he continued his speech, "Unknown to you all, the heads of the military department of the World Nation have met with the leaders of the New Republic. We have aligned ourselves with the Jedi.". Guiddle looked around as murmurs of the cadets showed signs of disbelief and approval. After motioning for the battalion to quiet down, he continued.
"Together, the World Nation of Earth, and the New Republic, not to mention the New Jedi Order, shall face an oncoming threat, a big one, called the Yuuzahn Vong.", the Admiral shifted his posture, "They and another called the Sanarians have vowed to destroy the presence of good in the name of their "gods". Together, their military force is huge. This is why as of now, your graduation, you are all World Nation Navy SEALS.", he said. The battalion cheered some. He quieted them again.
"I know this may seem sudden, but you all will go down in history. You, and the other military organizations, will be the largest single land unit in our history. But a leader…", he paused and looked around, " A leader must be. The World Nation Military leaders have selected us to choose a leader…Battalion Commander from amongst us. He has already been chosen.", said the Admiral. He looked , and a small smile spread across his face.
"Rienn Ishidgrayne front and center", he said. Rienn snapped out of his small daydream. He had missed nearly everything that Admiral Recoi Guiddle had said earlier except the part about the unity between 3 parties. Murmurs from the Battalion rippled and spread as all eyes were on him.
He walked to the center,about 4 meters from the stage. He stood next to the outgoing Battalion Commander.
"Unit Colors.Front and center.", said Guiddle, as the one holding the colors…the flag representing the unit from the color guard, marched forward. It was an all too familiar scene. Rienn hoped that it wasn't what he thought. He watched as the one holding the colors passed them to the Battalion Commander. She turned to face Rienn as he did the same to her. She passed him the flag. Rienn accepted reluctantly, and it showed on his face. He then turned to the one on the color guard and handed him back the colors.
It couldn't be happening…the change of command just took place here. Rienn had be chosen to lead a damn ARMY!
That echoed through his head. Then, the Admiral himself stepped down and stood in front of the two. Rienn could have sworn that he saw the then commander salute the Admiral and say…
"Permission to be relieved of the duties of Battalion Commander?"
…and the Admiral say…
"Permission granted.". Then he turned to Rienn as he turned to him. Slowly and visibly hesitantly, Rienn saluted. He then said…
"Permission to accept the duties of Battalion Commander?"
The Admiral returned the salute. "Permission granted."
Recoi Guiddle about-faced to receive the 5-bar pendant of Commander. The Vice Admiral stepped on the microphone.
"Would Lando Calrissian please step forward.", she asked. Just then, Lando did and received the pendant from the Admiral. He then stepped up to Rienn and pinned it on his left collar point. Its shine was a flicker to the spectators. Rienn was looking down the whole time. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into, and with a war coming, he didn't want to find out. Then he looked up. Lando was done. Then Rienn hugged his uncle. The crowed "Awwed" and such.
"Your new CO, Rienn Ishidgrayne.". The rest of the Battalion cheered. The exotic skinned man about-faced as his uncle took his seat again. Rienn looked. He looked at the crowd from side to side. The cheers of "YEAH,RIENN!" and such echoed through the cheering.
"The floor is yours, CO." said the proud Admiral. Rienn heard this then looked back. They were still cheering. It was a powerful moment for him. He looked down, the visor from his combination hard cover shading his slowly, tearing eyes from the light which would make them sparkle. He sucked up the emotion and wiped them. The New CO looked back up.
"Battalion, Ah-ten-HUT!", he said. It echoed along with the sound of heels clicking together and a stomping sound which accompanied the Battalions halt and call to attention.
"Battalion, fall out.", he said, giving them the command to go free. The all tossed their covers up as some walked over to congratulate. Lando did also, patting his nephew on the back. Rienn turned and smiled to him. They shook hands.
"Congratulations, Lando. It must run in the family.",said a familiar voice. Rienn turned and looked. The man was the legendary Han Solo. Han was accompanied by a lot of his companions, astromechs included. Jaina, Jacen, and Leia and Luke. It must have been "Twin day". Rienn was surprised to see the living legend in front of him smiling. The new CO stepped back and drew his sword and saluted. Han returned the salute also, then Rienn sheathed the sword again.
"It probably does", said Lando back to his old friend. The began their talk of things circling mostly around the Republic and the Jedi and more importantly, the war. Rienn looked back at them, then turned back around. The room was half empty.
"Congrats.", said a feminine voice. Leia's. Rienn nodded and did the whole hand-kiss thing. He turned to Luke and saluted him also.
"So how does it feel to know you're going to lead a whole army into war?", asked the famous Luke Skywalker. Meeting them was an honor. But being this all-important leader was a burden. That showed on Rienn's face.
"It feels great…", he said, lying as if he was about to be crushed by a Wampa or a Ronto…..as if it were the end of the world. He then looked around some more, looking for an escape route, or possibly the Instructor who selected him.Luke then went over along with his sister to talk to Han and Lando, who were chatting with the Admiral.
"You sure, you a little unsure.", said Jacen. Rienn was unsure. He hid it,just as Jacen hid the fact that he knew that the new Battalion Commander was lying through his front teeth. Rienn then noticed the tubular shape the waist of his peer. He saw that it was a light saber, undoubtedly.
Jedi…he thought. Before he knew it, he and the rest of the group were off of the planet and back to Coruscant. Rienn walked through the docking bay with Jacen. They talked of a lot of things. Mostly the war. Rienn looked around and saw a lot of Jedi. Most were working on ship repairs. The docking bay was busy. Already, nothing this day had went the way Rienn planned. He now, instead of doing his own solo thing, had to guide over 30,000+ people. He didn't want to have to do all of that. It seemed too much and out of his league. That's when He was approached by Han.
"I've contacted the Admiral. The Army is ready.The whole military,in fact.", said the aging man.Then the two were approached by Leia.She overheard them.
"Good.",she said as she looked out of the window. I think we've got some company.
