"Well at least that explains what Soketh and I felt"
"Portland I have an assignment for you but I don't know how you'll take it"
"What do you mean Captain?"
"I need to send you to Hoth to check up on the old Rebel base"
As soon as the Captain mentioned Hoth he knew that Portland wasn't happy about it
"You don't like what I just said do you? I can explain though if you'll let me"
"Okay, why are you sending me there?"
"We've been receiving some weird signals from there and I need someone who truly knows their Republic history to check it out"
(Sighs) "I understand, and you're right I don't like it"
"Portland, if you want some other officers with you I can spare a few for this mission"
"That's actually a good idea Captain, just one thing make sure they have cold weather gear because Hoth is a frozen planet"
"Understood"
Ashland leaves the office and heads to her room to do a check on a potential away team when she noticed a Lt. who was in a very foul mood so she switched gears immediately because she could sense what was going to happen if she didn't intervene
"Okay, Lt. follow me"
"Yes Sentinel Portland"
They head to the holodeck which confuses the Lt. and what makes the confusion worse is that Portland put on the Force inhibitor which all Starfleet officers are trained to recognize
"Okay Lt. try and hit me"
The two go at it and while the Lt. does his best to hit Ashland through his anger Ashland simply dodged all his attempts knowing he needed to vent. Once she was sure he wasn't blindly hitting in anger she gave him a real fight. Finally both were out of breath and simply standing there trying to catch it again
"You...want to...explain your...anger Lt.?"
"You don't...want to...know Sentinel...otherwise you...might be...worse than me"
"Fine, but be glad I found you before you got into trouble"
"I am, I didn't even realize just how bad it was building up until we just sparred"
"I figured that out when you went at me in blind anger, it's part of the reason why I fought you with my Force inhibitor on me"
"Well I have a shift I should go to"
"And I have a few things to take care of myself"
Ashland goes to her quarters and sees who would be best suited to handle the Hoth mission when suddenly the ship went to red alert and Ashland didn't know why even with the Force inhibitor off after the spar, but Ashland didn't report to the bridge like she was supposed to in emergency situations because while the Force didn't tell her why they were at red alert it did inform her that she was needed in the shuttle bay. As soon as she arrived she could see why, there was pure chaos not to mention the fact that she also saw trouble through the force field
"Okay, let's get those people under medical care first and then...I'm gonna be taking a shuttle"
"But Sentinel..."
"No buts Ensign, those are orders"
"Yes ma'am, what about the Captain?"
"Tell him I've taken the shuttle to deal with the intruders at a much closer level, and get Lt. Commander Decker down here I'm going to need his help in the shuttle"
"Understood, though I don't like it"
"I didn't ask if you liked it Ensign I'm telling you what's happening"
Five minutes later Portland and Decker were doing damage to the attacking ship which Ashland recognized from history as part of the Empire, when she thought back to that history she remembered a message from the Senate recently and realized just what was going on
"Great, we might have a civil war going on again soon, if having to deal with the problems of the Federation weren't enough we're going to have to deal with Separatists now which I am not happy about, especially because they haven't been declared yet"
"What do you mean Sentinel Portland?"
"Later Decker, right now we have to disable this ship before...reinforcements arrive"
Ashland said the last part dejectedly for a reason, while Ashland was speaking a few more ships arrived and Ashland knew exactly what was going on with the ships that just arrived
"Sentinel Portland to Coruscant I need a clone division trained in aerial combat ASAP"
"We've already dispatched a team they should be at your coordinates in two minutes"
"Copy that"
Before the clones arrived though the shuttle was hit again and they lost their gravity
"We no longer have gravity here"
"I know, for now you just stay put I'll deal with the attackers myself, at least until I get some backup here"
The Lt. was surprised that Ashland could move freely without gravity and succeeded in managing until the clones arrived and turned the enemy back
"Thanks guys...could you possibly give us a tow back to the ship?, we've lost propulsion as well as gravity in the shuttle, we're lucky nothing vital was lost"
"No problem"
"Thanks"
The Captain wasn't too happy about the damage done to the shuttle but he had understood why Portland had done what she had, but it meant the mission to Hoth was now delayed because unfortunately the ship only had one shuttle at the moment due to what they called an incident during the Tanixi episode
"Sorry Captain, but to be honest there was really no other option"
(Sighs) "I know that Portland, but the mission you need to take is critical"
"Actually I have an idea about that, I was actually thinking about taking some clones with me to Hoth as well and since as far as I know every officer is required to know how to pilot an x-wing..."
"You know you have a point Portland"
Those in the meeting all shuddered at the reminder that everyone was required to know how to pilot an x-wing due to an incident that had happened during one of the periods that Ashland had been thought dead. Everyone kept those qualifications up mainly through holodeck training but every so often they got to practice with the real thing too so that they knew the differences between the holodeck and the real thing though the holodeck was as close to the real thing as most could get for their entire lives. The Clones however were a bit confused and said so
"Excuse me, we're just starting to learn about the Federation and more specifically Starfleet, but why would Starfleet officers be required to know how to pilot x-wings?"
The Captain would be the one to answer with a sigh
"It's due to an incident that happened the last time Portland was thought dead. We were having trouble with Jedi turned Sith mostly because of an artifact and things weren't going too well at one point. One day an x-wing pilot crashed back into one of the ships the Republic managed to send and the pilot was injured, too injured to continue the fight and the x-wing wasn't in much better shape. A Starfleet Ensign decided that she wanted to join in on the fight because she was tired of being stuck on the ship in a representative capacity so she essentially stole an x-wing and joined in the space battle. Unfortunately for her x-wings are drastically different from a shuttle craft so she initially did more damage than she did help until she got more control over the craft. After the battle she was reprimanded but that's also when it was realized that knowing how to pilot an x-wing was actually a good thing because you never know if in the Republic it might be required. So after that day learning to pilot the x-wing was made mandatory for all ranks and we keep up our qualifications mainly in the holodeck but occasionally we get to fly an actual x-wing"
"Yeah, when I read that report I was initially angry at the Ensign but then I saw it from her point of view and I also saw that it made you guys learn how to pilot a craft that I was familiar with and I figured that overall she did good, even if she almost got herself killed in the process"
"Well for now we are going to have to borrow some x-wings so that you guys can go to Hoth"
"Understood sir, now then you told me we have to go to Hoth and why but just what's weird about the signals you're receiving?"
"The fact that signals are even being received would be constituted as weird in my book"
"Nope there's a small base being run still just in case"
"Okay I get that but have you ever received signals like this before?"
The Captain shows Portland the signals and Ashland realizes that yeah there was a potential problem
"Okay you win Captain"
"Do you have your team?"
"Not yet sir I haven't really had a chance to choose due to multiple distractions"
"Okay, well you know that some are not allowed to leave the ship period the end of it, though I think I can spare a medic just in case"
"Don't worry sir I'm a combat field medic, I regained my qualifications during the Tanixi mission remember? I think some of the clones are also combat medics too if I recall correctly"
"You do Sentinel Portland"
"Okay, if you need transport for multiple people let me know and we'll head to Hoth, or let the Senate know so that they can send a ship"
"Sir does the Senate know about Hoth?"
"I told them about the signals and they said they were normal and to not bother with them, even when I told them that it was from the old rebel base"
"That's actually odd because the actual base is quite close to the old rebel base but not exactly the same location...though there are a few tunnels that will lead to the old base in the new base"
"Well either way I think it needs checked out and if the Senate isn't going to do so..."
"Understood Captain, oh I will actually need Soketh now that I think about it"
"Why?"
"He's the only other Sentinel that I know of that's in Republic space at the moment and while he's a Federation born Sentinel there are some areas of both bases meant for Jedi only. I don't know how Master Skywalker did it but he managed to rig those areas to react to the Force only so it will actually go faster if we split up to check those areas"
"I understand Portland and actually agree with your thinking, look at the rest of the crew to see if there's anyone else you feel you should take and I'll let them know they are to serve under you for the moment"
"Yes sir"
Two hours later Ashland had picked her team and they were on their way to Hoth
"Sentinel Portland could you possibly explain why exactly we're going to a frozen planet?"
"The New Hope has been receiving odd signals from the old rebel base, the Senate says it's nothing but the Captain wants us to check things out just in case"
"Understood, though I question his decision to let both Sentinel's off the ship at the same time for the moment"
"That was actually my decision Ensign, things will go faster with the two of us there is that understood?"
"Yes Sentinel Portland it's understood"
Soketh didn't ask any questions because shortly before the team left Ashland came to him in private and explained the situation to him about the Force sensitive doors on the bases
"How long will it take us to get to Hoth?"
"About two hours, don't worry the x-wings were modified to last long enough to get to the Republic when it still took six and a half months"
"So we're good in regards to engine power?"
"Exactly, now then, we're mainly going to Hoth to check out those signals but don't hesitate to inform anyone if you see anything else off, and make sure your med kits are ready at a moments notice, however only Soketh and I will use any Federation drugs in the kits"
That got several protests from the Starfleet officers while the clones remained quiet
"The clones are smart knowing they have no knowledge of Federation drugs and as such could do more harm then good, the rest of you may have a basic idea but you won't really know about the alien physiology and will also do more harm then good. I on the other hand have lived with these races most of my life and as for Soketh the Force will help him if need be"
"Oh and you trust us with Republic drugs more?"
"More like you guys don't have anything that will harm someone if you do something wrong. I deliberately made sure that basic med kits have maybe bacta, bandages that have or don't have bacta infused in them, and common mild pain killers for the Republic, on the other hand the Federation drugs are also simple and common for the Federation but not many people in the Republic have been exposed to Federation drugs which means it could be dangerous for them, though epinephrine is still epinephrine for either the Federation or the Republic so if that's needed you can use it"
When Ashland explained things that ways the protests stopped because the officers realized that Ashland was right and was only doing what she had to to protect the people living at the base should any of them need medical attention
"What if anyone needs more attention then what we have with our kits?"
"There should be a medical facility at the base and a med droid to help"
"Good to know"
They soon reach Hoth and land as close to the old base as possible but since it wasn't as close as Ashland wanted it was still a good thing there was cold weather gear on them so that they could survive the environment of Hoth
"Whoa when I was told Hoth was a harsh cold environment I wasn't expecting this"
"Yeah, Hoth is one of the colder planets in the Republic plus there isn't much life here since it can't really be maintained"
"Then why was there a rebel base here during the time of the Empire? I also wonder why the Republic is maintaining a base here now"
"It's because of the harsh environment of Hoth that it made a good location for a rebel base, even though it was eventually discovered by the Empire most people wouldn't think about setting up a base here because of how cold it is on this planet, it's impossible to survive outside of the base at night especially when a storm is brewing and daytime is only slightly better and again that's if there's no storm. It's also why it's such a good location now, because people who aren't used to the Republic wouldn't think about using Hoth as a base and as such we can launch surprise attacks from this planet with the enemy being none the wiser, so long as no one is tailed back anyways"
"How many people are here anyways?"
"At the moment only a skeleton crew of about twelve, during full blown operations there can be as many as two hundred living and working here"
"So this is basically one of the smaller bases"
"Only by force, the Republic wants to expand it's space to hold up to two thousand but that's proving to be a bit difficult at the moment, now then even though it'll be warmer inside you'll still need to wear your cold weather gear except for what covers your faces, and don't worry Hoth knows about the clones so they won't attack you on sight"
"What about an access code to gain access from the outside?"
"It's easy, though I'm the only one who knows it because of the fact that I'm team lead"
"Understood"
As soon as Ashland opens the door however she could instantly sense that something was wrong and she quickly brought out her phaser
"Soketh..."
"Yeah, I feel it too"
"Everyone keep your weapons at the ready, something's been here and it wasn't friendly, in fact it still might be here considering what Soketh and I are feeling"
"Any restrictions?"
"Capture alive if possible for questioning, if not possible...make sure it's dead because believe me there's dead and then there's dead in my books"
"Experienced something like that before"
"Exactly"
"How should we split up?"
"Teams of two one clone, one officer at least"
"Understood"
The groups split up and start searching for the team that was supposed to man the base. About half an hour after they split up an explosion sounded