Kara summoned Lieutenant Screech and the sergeants of the landing party when the first 'imminent arrival' warning went off. She'd already gone over her plans with Captain Sei'lar to make sure that his role in things was settled, and then dropped by her quarters to check her pack. This time, she stuck a spare commlink in the bag before she closed it. Forgetting the commlink the first time could possibly be forgotten with enough effort, forgetting it a second time would mean that someone was always going to ask about it. Kara had learned that one the hard way as a youngling, she still had clanmates who asked her if she had her stylus when they saw her. To be fair, that had been an unprecedented and memorable breakdown for a six-year-old Kara.
Pack checked over, Kara went back to the conference room that she'd designated as 'hers', checked to make sure that the landscape painting she'd attached to the wall with magnets was straight, poured a cup of caff, and then settled down in one of the chairs. No sooner had she'd gotten herself settled with cup and datapads than the troopers arrived. Knight Squad's Sergeant Bright arrived first, with Lieutenant Screech steps behind him.
"Lieutenant, Sergeant," Kara said with a warm smile, "have a seat, are you ready for another mission?"
"As ready as I can be," Lieutenant Screech said as they sat down, "any word on that resupply sir?"
"Nothing yet," Kara said, "I mentioned it to General Windu when we spoke." She taped her stylus on the table. "I'm half tempted to take time after this mission to track down our supplies. I imagine it would be faster than waiting."
There was a tentative knock on the door, and Kara glanced up to find two troopers at the door.
"Yes, she said calmly.
The two troopers saluted, "Sergeant Hook and Sergeant Foggy reporting as ordered General."
Kara stood and returned the salute, then offered her hand, "Sergeants, come in, have a seat. This briefing is to familiarize all of you with our primary objective and basic contingencies."
Kara shook their hands and settled back in her chair, closing the door as she studied the two sergeants. The only difference in this pair was that the one who had spoken previously had a crooked nose, legacy of a broken nose no doubt.
"Sergeant Foggy," Kara said, "I understand you are with Home Squadron?"
"Yes sir,"" the second Sergeant said as he jerked upwards, almost to attention in his chair.
"And Sergeant Hook would be our NCO for our third squadron in today's mission."
"Bucket Squadron, sir," Hook said firmly.
"Bucket Squadron," Kara said with a slight nod. "I'll remember that." She glanced at her datapad, then at the four men. "Our mission objective today is to retrieve Jedi relics from an enclave on Alsaiir. While currently a Republic world, there is concern that Alsaiir will be conquered by the Separatists soon, and these valuable relics will be in danger." Again, she tapped her stylus as she collected her thoughts, "Our plan at the moment is this. There is a landing pad about half a klick from the enclave that is used for arrivals and supply runs when the enclave is staffed and in use. We'll land there. Home Squad will secure the pad while Bucket Squadron and Knight Squadron will advance to the enclave with me. Bucket Squadron will secure and hold the entrance to the enclave while Knight Squad will proceed with me to the Vault. Once there, we will secure the relics, then rejoin with Bucket Squadron and return to the landing pad for departure." Kara glanced up to study her men for a moment, "Any questions?"
There was a moment of silence before Lieutenant Screech half-raised his hand.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" Kara asked.
"Where will Captain Zip be?"
"Captain Zip will be on board the Retrieval. Should we run into difficulties, or the Separatists attack, he will be in charge of getting us all back to the Retrieval."
"What if the Separatists do attack, sir?" Blaze asked.
"If possible, we'll return to the ship and leave," Kara said. "If we cannot, the enclave was originally built by a crime syndicate as the private residence of their leader. It is palatial and restful, but it was also designed for a siege. If we cannot leave, we will seal the enclave and hold out."
She tapped her stylus again, letting the rhythmic sound settle her thoughts for a moment, "The enclave has a secondary hanger that is well hidden, but someone has to be inside the enclave to lower the protections. If it comes to it, a ship can get to it." When no one reacted to her words, Kara sighed gave them a wry smile, "If it helps, there have been no warnings in the Force. As Sergeant Blaze can attest, I have some talent in that direction."
She saw Blaze relax slightly with a nod, "That does help sir." He glanced down for a moment then back at her, "What kind of security can we expect, sir?"
"For the enclave, it's top of the line, but no real surprises. The syndicate put in top security when it was built and the Jedi invested in keeping it that way. I'm not in possession of all the details of the Vault however. I know that it requires a Jedi to get past the security however."
"What? Hook blurted out, then ducked his head as everyone looked at him.
"The vault plans are classified," Kara said. "No one would transmit those plans anywhere. Furthermore, my Master once said to me that the Separatists have had at least 10 years to prepare, it would be blind arrogance to assume our uncoded communications have been left alone."
"Why ten years, sir?" Lieutenant Screech asked.
"Because Master Honso believed that the war was supposed to have begun on Naboo. Senator Amidala, she was Queen then, wasn't supposed to have the kind of backbone she showed back then. Master Honso told me that the common opinion in the Senate before that was that the Naboo had elected another young idealist to the throne, and at fourteen, Queen Amidala was young for the position she found herself in. Then to, nobody expected Master Jinn to find a pilot like Skywalker by chance then either. Personally, I don't think the kriffing Sith realized how talented General Kenobi was with a 'saber, even back then. There were too many surprises for the Separatists to account for and it set them back." She tipped her head down and head down and then looked back up, "This opinion is considered rather controversial among the Jedi however. It would be a kindness to me if you would keep that inside the company for now."
"Trouble?" Blaze asked. Kara imagined she could see his protective instincts come alert with the word.
Kara shrugged, "Not really. Mostly it's shouting or shunning with these things. I just don't want to get a reputation for controversy and rebellion before I've decided that's the reputation I want. People are already going to label me as not a conservative because Master Honso never was." She stood up, bringing the other four to their feet, "If there are no other questions, then consider yourself dismissed."
"Actually sir," Lieutenant Screech said, "what is the climate like on Alsaiir?"
"Temperate," Kara said, "it's late spring there, so warm with a possibility of rain, according to the report."
"Thank you, sir," Lieutenant Screech said and headed for the door, where Sergeant Blaze was hesitating.
"Yes Sergeant?" Kara asked as she settled back into her chair.
"I'm glad that it took another ten years for the war started." Blaze said, "Because then we got to meet you." He gave her a saucy salute and left.
Kara shook her head as she pulled her other pad in front of her and pulled up the drawing program. She should have enough time to get out whatever the Force wanted her to see before she got ready to leave.
Just as she finished drawing, someone rapped sharply on the wall by the open door. "General Saje, sir?"
Kara signed and dated the image and sat back, "Enter, Lieutenant Swoop."
Swoop nodded and stepped inside, trailed by a nervous looking trooper in the same pilot armor Swoop wore. Where Swoop wore Lieutenant blue on his arms and torso, this trooper only had three brown dots in a triangle formation to the left of his life support gear.
"Captain Zip suggested I introduce you to your pilot today," Swoop said carefully, resting his hand on the back of his companion. "This is Jumper."
Kara stood up and carefully returned Jumper's salute. "Pleased to meet you Jumper. You've been briefed already?"
"Yes sir," Jumper said.
"Good," Kara said, "the only thing I have to add is that if it comes to it and we have to fall back to the enclave, you fall back with us. We can replace a ship easy. Might not be the same exactly, and you'll have to make adjustments, but a ship can be replaced. You cannot be replaced. Understood?"
"Understood sir," Jumper said with a quick salute.
Kara nodded slightly, "When we're on the ground, you'll get your instructions from Lieutenant Screech, his people will be securing and holding the landing pad for us unless Captain Zip has to come planetside."
"Very good sir," Jumper said.
The second warning started up and Kara sighed. "I'd suggest you get to your ship, pilot. Thank you, Lieutenant."
The pair saluted and left. Kara drained her cup of caff and collected her datapads before heading for her room. She double checked her pack and her comm units, made sure her personal datapad was in the pack, and then headed up to the bridge to await departure from hyperspace.
Captains Zip and Sei'lar were on the bridge, Sei'lar was standing just behind his navigator, one hand resting on the Sullustan's chair while Zip stood by the door, with one hand resting on a rail that had been attached to the wall. Kara adjusted her pack and moved to lean against the rail beside Zip, gripping the rail lightly in preparation for their exit from hyperspace.
"General," Zip said after a moment.
"Captain," Kara said. She slid a glance at her companion, "Don't make a mess while I'm gone, yeah?"
"Sir?" Zip asked.
Kara sighed, "Never mind."
It had been easier as a Padawan, even a senior one. The troops followed their generals, but there had been something different about being Commander Saje. It was like she'd been closer to their troops before they'd cut her braid. Whether that was just because the 115th had a different attitude than the 425th or because she didn't have the braid, it stung a bit. She wasn't the sort to find a friend in every stranger, but Kara did like having friends, and she liked teasing them a bit when she could. Surrounded by people she was going to trust with her life and who she was pledged to lead and protect, she had hoped to make a few friends, but the gulf formed by the word sir seemed insurmountable.
The ship shuddered slightly as it came out of hyperspace and Kara straightened, loosening her grip on the rail when no alarms sounded and no shouts came. She eased forward enough to get a look through the viewscreen to find a world growing larger as they approached. Its surface was green and brown with large bodies of blue, and one of the three moons was visible towards the northern part of the planet.
"That's Alsaiir," Kara said quietly.
"Yes General," Captain Sei'lar replied. "There are no capital ships on the scope, and we're establishing contact with the ground. The enclave appears to be broadcasting automatically."
Kara nodded slightly as she looked down at the planet. "Let me know if there are any surprises, Captain. I'll be on the gunship." She glanced at Zip as she walked past.
"General," Zip said.
Kara turned.
"Did you remember your commlink?" Zip asked with a little smirk that told her that he knew exactly what he was doing.
Kara's smile was sharp and predatory, "I've got two." She paused, "Zippy."
As the door closed, she distinctly heard Zip's aggrieved, "Who told her that story!"
As she took the lift down, Kara reminded herself that she owed Chip and Fallback a drink for sharing that story with her. She could understand why Zip had shortened his name from the original Zippy, given that he worked hard to present himself as a sober captain worthy of his rank. It still made her wonder what was hiding behind the shield of rank, what sort of cadet would he have been for an offhand comment of 'zippy little thing' would have stuck as a name.
Then she dismissed her contemplations as idle fancy best suited for when she wasn't about to go on a mission and strode onto the flight deck ready for whatever Alsaiir would throw at them.