The crew fell out of hyperspace and raced back planetside. The crashing blue waves beneath them passed quickly as their fighters sailed overhead.
"Spire command this is Joker of Spades, prep for immediate landing." Lugo said into the comms, still riding high on the adrenaline from the recent mission. Maila had been unusually silent since they left, the Lieutenant too for that matter. The mission had been a success, so far as he was aware, so they should be excited shouldn't they?
"Spades, this is Spire command, clear for landing, welcome home."
The crew flew to the top entry ports of the spire and made their descents, coasting down the deep pipes and into the main hangar bay. As the deck operator rushed technicians left and right, prepping the stations for their specific fighters, the X-wings set down in their places. The gleaming black solar panels of the Lieutenant's fighter set itself down clean inside its curtained off section, where the large cloth covers were quickly pulled back into place. Lugo climbed out of his fighter, pulling his helmet off his head and whipping his sweaty hair back and forth. "Well that was damned fun wasn't it!" He said enthusiastically. Salya stepped down the ladder from her own fighter and frowned.
"I don't know, something feels off." She said. A moment later there was a flurry of motion near the Phantom. The curtains parted as a gurney was hovered out, Lindmon's unconcious body resting atop it. The R3 droid he kept with him whizzed and chirped as it followed behind and several technicians guided the gurney past the now fully disembarked crew and down a side hallway.
Maila watched the gurney that held Lindmon as it was pushed away by the technicians. It was a shock that he lost consciousness as they fled, the controls must have been taken over by the droid for the escape. She stood out of her seat and dropped her white and orange flight helmet down in the cockpit before she threw her legs over the edge and disembarked. The crew quarters were her destination, she didn't let any of the questioning technicians or deck officers stop her. Maila just wanted to get away from whatever happened on that mission.
Remaining dutifully in the hangar was the ever calm and collected Jack of Spades. He gave a quick damage report to the maintainers and spent a considerable amount of time giving an extensive report on mission parameters, combat maneuvers, as well as target positions and strike times. The debriefing was only extended by Maila's absence and he had to take on the burden of her reports as well.
Several hours passed with no emergence of Lindmon from medical. Salya had watched the distressed look on Maila's face as she passed and it bugged her through the course of the debriefing. Seger had done well enough that their own debriefings were fairly short. After they had all returned to their quarters Lugo had collapsed in his rack and passed out almost immediately. He usually slept hard after a mission. She looked around the room before standing up out of her own rack and exiting into the hall. She walked slowely towards the doorway of Maila's quarters and knocked on it.
"Hey, you ok?" She asked, concerned.
The door slid open quickly revealing Maila just on the other side. The two pilots were face to face and Salya could see the distressed grimace on her comrade's face. Her eyes were absent of tears and redness but they seemed heavy with exhaustion and stress. Maila had already discarded her flak vest and life support apparatus, her unzipped orange fatigues hung at the waist and she wore a grease stained sleeveless white shirt in it's place.
Maila gazed up at Salya briefly before responding, "I'm fine." She said curtly.
She turned her body to slip past Salya in the doorway and walked down the carved rock hallway towards the base mess hall. Hunger was the driving force now, if she couldn't get some peace in the room she might as well eat in the meantime.
Salya watched as she passed, turning and following her. "Don't give me that nonesense, you've been completely different since we landed. Something happened, talk to me." She followed close on the heels of her flight mate.
Maila stopped as she reached the hall leading to the lift. The Spire was a small enclave for the secret hangar and the pilot's quarters, but for everyday operations, meals and other stations not pertaining to the Spire a transport tunnel was needed to move between the main base and Spire.
"He killed them all." Maila said quietly. "I know that our missions are supposed to be secret but... they surrendered."
She clenched her fists in frustration and turned full around to Salya. "Aren't we supposed to be the good guys?" She asked desperately.
Salya looked at her for a moment "We are the good guys but...war is war." She sighed. "If we were any other operational unit it wouldn't have been necessary but you heard the Lieutenant before. Even the Admirals don't know he's a Jedi, if the Empire found that out we would be in huge trouble." Salya pressed the lift call button to the right of the tunnel. Further down a quiet rumble could be heard as the lift made its way towards them.
Maila quietly waited next to Salya, not continuing the conversation until the lift arrived. The recently installed fixture, the lift slid across ground loudly as it sailed through the carved tunnel inside Palatine base. A small panel next to the door buzzed and the durasteel doors whipped open with a hiss. They both step aside as the occupants of the lift exited, technicians and a few officers that had clearance to work in the Spire funneled out. Also coming off the lift from the main section of the base was their squad mate, Seger, still fully equipped with the orange flight suit. It was getting late in the day and he had already finished his reports hours ago. He glanced briefly at both of the women before he exited the lift without a word. Unfazed by Seger's usual coldness, Maila moved into the lift, not attempting to start conversation with her squad mate as they passed each other. Salya walked in just behind and slapped the activation console. The doors slid shut behind them and the lift jolted towards the main Palatine base. Lights affixed to the tunnel walls illuminated the interior every few dozen meters. The brightness fell across the pair faster and faster as the lift increases speed."It's not just the mission parameters, I understand that part I guess." Maila continued. "It was the way he killed them..." Screams of the troops howled in her ears as Lindmon's lightsaber sundered their bodies. His overwhelming power dominated them in combat, a reaper sent to cull them from this world. At the end he emerged with hardly a scratch, bodies strewn in pieces at Lindmons feet. The worst part for her was she didn't even know if he felt anything as he killed them all. Was it just business as usual, or did he even try to think of an alternative before jumping at the chance to surround himself with death? She brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle a reflexive sob. The powerful horror that pierced through the soldier just a few feet away lanced into her mind. She couldn't shake the image and how shockingly sudden the lightsaber could bring death, even to those prepared for it. It was a weapon of unrivaled power."It was like a slaughter." She said finally.
Salya stood next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I...I can't even begin to imagine what it was like, or how the Lieutenant thinks, but he doesn't have the same air as, let's say, Seger. I mean that guy could stare down a whole cave of Wompa's and not flinch." She chuckled slightly. "I mean honestly if anybody on the team doesn't have feelings it's that guy."
She stepped back and leaned against the metal wall of the lift. "It didn't look like the LT was unscathed though, they had to pull him out of his fighter."
"I saw that." Maila responded with confusion. "I'm sure he was fine when we left. Do you know what happened?"
Salya shook her head. "I haven't the slightest clue. None of the techs have been saying anything, and we weren't permitted to go to the med bay." She shrugged, the passing lights over head turned their movements into strange staccato motions with the rapid shadows passing by. "I wasn't there, so I can't really say what it could or couldn't be." She turned and watched as the passing grey-blue slate walls of the cavern whizzed past. The base was further than she thought from the main section.
The lift ride was silent for a long while. Finally the lights passing over head slowed. The quiet grinding of the lift grew as the breaks engaged. The lift reached the entry bay of the main base, as the door of the lift hissed open and the pair stepped off, Salya reached out and grabbed Maila by the shoulder.
"Listen, if you need to talk, you can talk to me." She said quietly.
Maila smiled appreciatively at the warm camaraderie. She hadn't been in Indigo squadron long enough to have known Salya very well, but she seemed nice. Maila hoped that she could take this opportunity with Spade's Gambit to get closer to Salya in the coming months.
"Thank you," Maila said. "I'm just tired I guess. Let's go eat, yeah?"
The main of Palatine base bustled with flight coordinators, mechanics of many different species, and the aforementioned Indigo squadron. Six X-Wing sized spaces were still left empty, as if those transferred to the Spire were still out on patrol. Their replacements yet to be assigned. The remaining six snubfighters were going through the final shutdown procedures for the day, leaving a skeleton crew of pilots for emergencies. Night patrols were discovered to be exceedingly dangerous when the base was being established, the wildlife made flying during darkness risky.
Even with spotlights active on the fighters it was difficult to spot the aggressive creatures. Night storms were common, almost every night was a thick downpour of rain. The Caravors made use of this and swarmed in similar fashion. It was difficult to tell at a distance if the dark clouds were just the nightly rain storm coming in, or a swarm of fangs determined to tear the flesh of everything in their path. Nights seemed long and claustrophobic on Palatine because of this. The base would undergo full lockdown procedures when a migration of Caravors was identified and tracked to pass over the base. Roiling storms throughout the nights sounded like an apocalyptic tempest even with hangar bay doors locked tight. If they listened closely, the men said they could hear ceaseless chittering underneath the thunder and rain.
It was important for Indigo squadron to brave the elements frequently because of this. Their main operational goals were to track and plot the migration patterns of these deadly creatures as well as the other inhabitants. They used this opportunity to undergo some needed flight training, and on occasion the entire squadron would be scrambled for a mock base defense. The brief absence of Indigos five through ten had yet to effect their operational capabilities, but with the sudden incapacitation of the commanding officer it didn't seem likely that a new group of rookies would be joining them soon. With two of the pilots dead from their last survey patrol and the other four pulled to join a classified squadron, Indigo was operating at half its normal capacity.
After exiting the somewhat hidden lift system, and passing the Indigo squadron flight bay, the walk to the mess hall was quick. The mess was a small carved out cavern, bannisters rose up around them to support the weight of the ceiling and rock above it. Tables were set in long rows throughout the room. On the opposite side from the entrance was a long buffet style counter. Different hot plates and water heaters kept different dishes from getting cold. The choices were always limited day by day. Usually at least one was some sort of seafood from the local Fauna. Salya had come to enjoy the taste of Cliff Crab and was excited to see that a pile of them sat in a large saucer.
"That's just what I need right there." She said, grabbing a generous helping of the crabs onto her plate. "Have you tried this Maila? It's like eating Corellian lobster, maybe not as rich, but it's really good. And after what we just did? We ladies deserve a treat." She said with a smile, moving down the row and picking up other bits of food, fruits, and vegetables.
In the month stationed at Palatine Maila had gotten used to the food provided by the cooks on base. Well whatever she tried first at least. Her less than fortunate background didn't allow for such a diverse range of flavors. Neither, she found did the New Republic military. Eating was just a menial chore that her body required, oil in the tank. After being disappointed by so many tastes she just fell into the habit of eating the first thing provided and returned to that whenever possible.
Still she resolved to try this new dish, for politeness sake if nothing else. Maila grabbed a few of the hand sized Cliff Crabs, the normally pale outer shell cooked to a steaming pink color. She had never had Corellian lobster before, but Salya made it sound worth the risk.
They both sat down at a table near the middle of the carved out mess hall. The many other tables filled with base occupants trying to get a final meal after long hours on duty. There were no windows inside the base but it was getting deep into the night, and the exhaustion showed on many in the mess hall.
"So what did you think of th-" Maila stopped halfway through her question. She had never been privy to secret information before and she didn't want to let anything slip carelessly.
She rearranged her words so as not to leak any important details but continued her question. The nagging curiosity pressing her forward as they ate. "What we we're shown before we all left, what did you think about that?" She said awkwardly, "It seemed weird to you too right?" Maila was hoping that Salya could have understood her fumbling question.
The true reason for the Unknown Region expedition and why Palatine base was created seemed like an odd allocation of resources. Especially with the amount of manpower they were moving away from defense against the previously overthrown government. The Imperial officers at the comm station didn't seem convinced of the sudden regime change. Maila was worried that they had more than rumors to fall back on.
Salya shoveled Crab meat onto a piece of flat bread and took a huge bite out of it. Thinking for a moment. She closed her eyes and savored the sweet meat before swallowing.
"You mean LT? I was surprised for sure, Lugo and I had heard stories growing up, but they were always these larger than life characters with magic powers. Seeing it first hand was surprising, but at the same time I would rather have it with us than against us." Salya narrowed her eyes and looked at Maila, lowering her voice. "What exactly happened down there. You said he slaughtered them but, how? Is it different from two sides shooting at each other?"
Maila frowned slightly at the inquiry. She had wanted to talk about the classified mission, just not that particular part. It was still painfully fresh in her mind. She didn't blame Salya, in fact she would have pressed even harder for details if it was Salya who had gone instead. If she was curious...
"That thing he had was a laser sword." She said, and grabbed a sharp eating utensil. She held it up, miming the burst of plasma that had erupted from the hilt.
With her free hand Maila grabbed one of her cooked Cliff Crabs and placed it in the center of the plate. From above the blade swung down and pierced the thin shell of the crab at the center. It slammed into the table, and the dish clattered loudly from the impact. A few of the tables stopped eating abruptly and looked around in a hush for the source of the noise.
Maila placed another hand on the grip and pushed the blade down and across the shell. Bits of carapace cracked and popped until the blade carved through the small head. It bisected half of the crab from the center point where it had been pierced. She picked up the cooked carcass as steam poured out of the juicy meat encased inside. With both hands she slowly separated the remaining halves gruesomely. Her eyes locked on to Salya as the shell and joints snapped apart, juices exploded from the inside as the crab hung above her plate.
She unceremoniously released the food and it tumbled back down to the table. A steaming heap of gory representation. Maila plucked a chunk of the meat from inside the newly opened crab and tossed it into her mouth.
"So I guess you could say it was a bit different..."
Bland again, but a bit better than some of the other food here. It was strangely salty and the texture was pleasant.
Salya watched the little display with an open mouth. "By the stars...was it really that bad? That sounds horrific." She turned to the other tables and smiled, waving her hand so they would leave them to their conversation. "The Lieutenant didn't strike me as the kind to be needlessly violent but for a weapon like that, I guess you have to be accustomed to some gore." She dipped a portion of her crab meat in some liquid butter, popping another piece into her mouth. "I mean did he say anything?"
The room was a buzz with voices, Salya wasn't terribly worried that somebody may over hear their conversation. Flights tended to eat with each other, so nobody was going to come and bother them. She saw a pair of pilots enter and take their seats, Indigo three and four, as she recalled. They looked over towards where the girls were sitting and waved, a gesture which Salya returned halfheartedly.
"Don't look now but Gordon and Tev just grabbed some seats."
Gordon and Tevrikanash, a pair of the more womanizing pilots at the base. Gordon was human, although his more pointed features set him as from the outer rims. Tevrikanash was a Cathar. His golden fur had a certain luster which said he took care of himself, but the glint in his yellow eyes told Salya he had something else on his mind. They had been known to hit on anything that could mate. That had always put Salya off, she wasn't terribly fond of men in general, but especially the kind who thought they owned anything they looked at.
Maila turned to watch the two pilots as they grabbed their meal and sat down at a far table. She absentmindedly brought a crushed crab knuckle up to her mouth and sucked the meat and salty juices. They were charismatic and charming, even if they were a bit pushy with their affections. Salya was sour about the two but Maila didn't think of them so harshly.
Gordon quickly drank one of his rationed alcoholic beverages, relishing the burning liquid with fervor. The two womanizing pilots told excited stories of previous missions to a group of enamored female officers. Maila hoped to hear just a bit of the tall tale, but the noise of the mess hall interrupted their voices too much for her to make out any details. She pictured herself at the table in place of one of the officers closest to Gordon. At that distance, a touch of the arm could happen accidentally. She could brush against his body and fill her senses with his distinct scent of leather, oil and sweat.
"Maila?" Salya called out to the daydreaming pilot. She rolled her eyes and tried again more firmly. "Maila!"
The young pilot jolted slightly and turned around to face her companion, slightly red faced.
"What?" Maila asked as she pulled out the crab knuckle that dangled from her mouth.
Salya raised her eyebrows and repeated. "Did he say anything to you?"
"Oh! No, no, I can hardly remember leaving we were in such a rush." Maila explained. She threw some more food in her mouth and was about to continue before she was interrupted.
"Maila! Salya!" A short and stocky Sullustan boomed from behind Maila. He slapped her hard on the back with his thick calloused hand. She recoiled forward from the sudden slap and the food that she was eating lurched into her throat.
Subb Ghegu chortled loudly, his large ears and dewflaps shook with joy. The leader of Indigo squadron, a diminutive Sullastan, was always in a joyful mood and did his best to keep his pilots as cheerful as he was.
Maila scrabbled at her neck, red faced and choking on the food lodged in the back of her throat. She looked at Salya incredulously, her eyes teary and panicked.
"It's good to see you back here!" Subb Ghegu exclaimed. Oblivious to Maila's distress as she choked and gasped for air. "Listen, I need some pilots to run the night patrols tonight. Tev and Gordon just got done and we're missing too many people to maintain our usual coverage."
"Gotta keep those Caravors in check am I right?" He continued.
Subb slammed his palm once more onto Maila's back with a loud wham!. The food dislodged from her throat and flew onto the plate below. She coughed a few times and glared back at the friendly squad leader as he spoke, still unaware of the distress he had caused. "So, can I count on you girls?"
Salya shrugged, picking up a piece of crab meat on her fork. "We got transferred Subbs, you know that. We just got off a patrol ourselves not long ago, so we would have to confirm that our fighters are green and that our CO is ok with it. Do y'all not have a new seven and nine coming in?"
The Sullistan shook his head. "Nobody yet, I expect with everything going on we aren't going to see any new pilots here soon. We haven't had any crazy activities since yesterday though when we lost five and six so if you're just wanting to fly, it would help me out to give my flight some R and R."
Salya popped the crab meat into her mouth, chewing on it briefly. "I can ask, for sure. We're waiting on some maintenance on our ships. What do you think Maila?" She looked over at her still gasping partner.
Maila breathed deep for a long second and recovered from her fit of choking. She stood up from the table quickly and pulled the top part of her flight suit back over her shoulders. "Flying's what I do. Just get me in whatever spare fighter you've got." Maila said confidently. Before she turned to walk out of the hangar she stopped. "You coming?" She asked Salya.
Salya laughed, picking up her tray. "Screw it, why not. Don't suppose we're going to have much else going on right now." She followed Maila and grabbed a last leg off her plate before tossing the rest of the food into the wall compactor.
The pair continued down the hall with Subb close in tow. The lights of the hall buzzed slightly overhead as they passed through the base into the primary hangar. Subb pointed at a pair of fighters, both hooked up to wires and tubes. "Those are the ones right there! Not sure what your new callsigns are but if you two are ok with using Indigo seven and nine again they are open.
"Yea those are fine," Salya said, slapping Maila on the back "last one in is a pile of poodoo!" She laughed, running off to one of the X-wings pointed out to her.
Maila smirked slightly, chasing after her and jumping up into the entry ramp for the fighter. Subb motioned to the techs and the X-wings were disconnected, a pair of helmets were provided as the X-wings cycled and a pair of R4 droids were pulled into the fighters' droid slots. Moments later the pair were out of the hangar bay and soaring over the dark blue waves of the night sea, the reflected light of the two moons overhead dancing across the crashing water beneath them.
Medical bay-Spire
Lindmon sat on the floor, cross legged. The fog roiled around him. The temple was dark, grey stone walls arching overhead and out of sight, impossibly far. The room pulsated, the runes on the walls fading in and out, first red, then blue, then back to red. He opened his eyes, looking around himself. The familiar environment sent chills down his spine as he recalled the events that took place. The final room of the temple. Where Black Skull had released his anger onto him.
Look at what I've become!
The voice echoed off the walls around him.
Vitals nominal, external wounds repaired.
The second voice was quiet, imperceptible, and robotic.
Across the room, opposite him and sitting in the same position was a black mass. The shape's face was only barely visible, and changed with the lighting of the room. In the blue, the face was sad, human looking, pale skin stretched thin across the bones beneath. As the lights changed to red the visage shifted, coils of metal and wire clung to the flesh, a dark socket where the eye once was.
"What is this..." Lindmon said quietly, his voice echoing off the walls.
The voice of the figure changed as drastically as his appearance, with each flash his sad, melancholic tone changed to a grating, tense growl.
"Your mind, turmoil, filled with the fog of your own uncertainty. You do not know the power of the dark side. You fear it. Yet the light side evades you. Like it once did me."
"I don't understand. Why are you here? Why am I here?" Lindmon said, he stayed seated, although it seemed like if he wanted to stand he wouldn't be able to. Was the black skull holding him down again? Was he going to need to defend himself? He reached to his hip but found only open air where his saber was supposed to be.
"You won't be needing that. It wouldn't make a difference anyways. Your mind created this space, a familiar place for this. Our first real meeting. I was once like you. Young, headstrong, confident. I let my emotions get the best of me and it pulled me from those I loved and cared for. Forced me to do terrible things for what I called the greater good. Fear became my tool, anger my weapon. Power, unfathomable power." As he continued the red light began to over power the room. The red gleam in the figure's eye dug into Lindmon. "The dark side is only limited by yourself. You felt it. The moment of fear as your comrade was to be blown to pieces. The drive to protect. That power is the Force, in its most true sense. The Jedi would disregard such things. Emotions were to be controlled. Feelings buried. Connections denied. But for what. For the illusion of control? For those we care about to die while we are helpless to save them?!" The figure was seething, the red flash lasted longer with each outburst. "The council forced it upon themselves! Pretenders sitting on their thrones! Lying to those who followed them!" The room grew dark. The lights had completely ceased. A moment later the light blue glow returned, and sitting in front of him was no longer the black cloaked figure but a man, brown haired, thin, and dressed in a plain brown robe. He spoke calmly now.
"But that power came with a price. One I was willing to pay. The people I cared for fell by my own hand. The ones I loved turned from me for my actions. I was consumed by that anger. That hatred. I was unable to control my actions. The pull of the dark side was so strong that it enveloped me, blinded me. It wasn't until my son came that I was able to clear the fog."
Lindmon held his breath. The flurry of emotions pouring from the figure was overwhelming his mind. He found his thoughts jumbled. Images of things that had not happened to him. A desert planet, a woman in his arms, blood and corpses of robed figures staining the sands. Finally he spoke.
"Ahsoka says that one must control their emotions to be one with the Force. But why control it when it can be so helpful?"
A flicker of dispare crossed the figures face. Brief recognition.
"She is correct, to a degree. The Jedi teach control, they preach self restraint. The power at our fingertips can be destructive if used the wrong way. And they are right. You saw it yourself. Those men, dead by your hand. Slain for your goals. But was it right? You ask yourself this even now. Should you have had the power to do such a thing. The Force is alive, it moves through all things and you have the ability to control it's path through you. It is not a tool. It is a comrade. And the way you instruct it is the way it will shape itself. Be aware. Learn from your actions. Ahsoka will lead you down the right path, but hers is only a piece of the puzzle." The figure stood. Turning away from Lindmon and walking towards an alcove in the back of the room. "Be aware of your decisions. We will meet again." He said with a finality, fading into the shadows as the room filled with fog and went dark.
Patient is coming to. Please alert the medical officer.
The quiet voice entered his head as everything turned black around him.