Greetings and salutations, my loyal readers. Hey'a...how ya doin'? I'm back with another chapter of Imperials now that got the bugs out of their system. Technology, huh? Being able to bring this story to you is one of the few good uses I've found for digital technology myself. Carburetors are much easier to work on. If only computers had carbs, clutches and points systems, I could figure them out. Ah well, you kids probably don't know what I'm talking about anyway, so let's get on with the story.
Freya was almost in shambles. It was only ten-forty in the morning, and she was at her desk, reading over her Imperial Officers' Manual feverishly, and on her third cup of tea to boot. Drakken had just left for his mission the afternoon before, and it hadn't taken but two hours before it seemed that everything was catastrophically falling apart at the seams. Now, she wished a bloody miracle would happen and he would show up out of the blue and save her from what felt like a fate worse than death.
Setting sentry schedules was easy. She had done that in the first ten minutes of being left in charge of Delta-7. When Ekks had messaged that he needed an advance on his next pay cycle, and whispered that he really needed to impress his new ladyfriend, it had been slightly irritating. Freya wired him two-hundred credits from her own account as a gesture of good will. Then Dall had come to complain that someone had swiped two vials of painkillers from his bag, and he was betting it was Ekks. Furthermore, he bemoaned, Gallen was keeping him up at night with his music. Then the cleaning droids came, and made a racket in the office while Freya was trying to work out a training schedule for the team for the next two days.
Just when her day had reached into the realm of fully exasperating, Captain Piett had summoned her to the bridge. As soon as she entered the bridge of the massive ship, Thorne knew something didn't bode well. Piett met her at the hatch, and explained that she was to meet with Lord Vader. There was some matter of pressing importance, and he'd demanded to see the pro tempore C.O. of the unit. As soon as she reached him, Vader had spun about, and stared at her, still as death and breathing loudly for a few moments as she stood at attention. She had a vague flashback of her time with Raliss.
"Ensign Thorne…" Vader finally spoke. "I understand Commander Tharcourt is indisposed at the moment."
"Aye, sir." She said. "He's out on some sort of mission. Classified. Um…ISB stuff, I think, Me Laird."
"I am aware, Ensign." Vader said. "I cleared the commander for his current assignment."
"Oh. Apologies, sir." She said nervously. "Aye, me commander is away, but I'm at yer service."
"And I hope I can trust that you are as capable as Commander Tharcourt."
"Aye, Me Laird." She answered. "I mean…I do me duty as best I can, sir."
"And I expect no less." The dark figure stated, his right index finger jabbed toward her. "You must take your team to the planet Daiyu. There you will meet with an Imperial contact. They will then accompany you to a planet called Mimban. The agent will guide your team to a rebel cell operating there. You are to eliminate them at all cost. Do you understand, Ensign?"
"I…Yes…yes, Me Laird." She stammered, and threw up a salute.
"If you make contact with the rebel pilot known as…Skywalker…" Vader said the name slowly, as if tasting every syllable. "…you are to capture him alive. Any information about rebel whereabouts is to be brought to me. Once your team has secured the base, I will personally arrive with a garrison force."
"I'm sure I understand, sir." Thorne complied. "When do you need us to begin?"
"You leave tomorrow evening." He answered. "Do you have any questions?"
"Me Laird…Commander Tharcourt is away, an' our pilot is on leave for the next two days…if it would right please you…" She felt a slight pressure in her throat, and glanced down to see that Vader had the thumb and index finger of his right hand formed into a pincer. There was no doubting his very real and painful threat.
"Yes. It would please me greatly for you to travel to Daiyu with your team, Ensign. I would in fact be very pleased if you eliminate the rebel presence I just briefed you on." Freya grasped her throat as the choking sensation grew slowly and slowly more intense.
"I will…be happy to lead the…mission…Me Laird…" She breathed. "I'll…start prepping at…at once." Suddenly the pressure was gone, and she could breathe freely again. She rubbed her throat and came to attention.
"I am glad you agree." Lord Vader said with a slight nod of his shiny black helmet. "If you have no further…comments…then you may go, Ensign Thorne."
Now, Thorne was a wreck. There was nothing in her manual about exactly what power if any an ensign had in a combat situation, especially with no superior or clear chain-of-command. She was only a proxy, a subaltern; meaning that Freya's sole job was to be a professional subordinate to her C.O. until she was promoted to lieutenant, even in a unit like Delta-7. As an ensign, her word technically only carried the weight of the commanding officer who issued the order to begin with. Whereas it was an uncommon situation, she was certain that because the order came from Lord Vader himself, that no Imperial law or rule contradicted the matter.
She was now in full command of the unit until Drakken got back...and on assignment. And no matter how dumb it felt, she expected him to return early from his little escapades with that ISB woman and save her from her duty. She sighed. No, there was no clear way around it. She would have to lead the team on a real combat mission by herself, with no experience in that role, not to mention that said team was two men down. Ekks wouldn't be back in time to fly them, and she had to find a pilot. Thorne looked up as Daraay and Felian entered the office. Both of the sergeants came to attention.
"You asked to see us, ma'am?" Daraay greeted.
"Aye." Thorne replied, saluting them in return. "Won't ye 'ave a seat? This might take a while." They seated themselves in front of the desk. Freya finished off the now-cold tea in her cup. "Alright…ye know that we 'ave that lark o' a mission this evenin'. I need to discuss it with you two."
"Alright, ma'am." Felian nodded. "What do you need?"
"Well, is everyone getting prepped?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am." Daraay answered. "The troopers are getting ready as ordered, and the shuttle is being stocked as we speak."
"Good…aye…that's good." Freya remarked, deep in thought. "Now…" She blew out a breath. "…I don't rightly know if ye know this or not, but I don't have worlds o' experience leadin' combat missions."
"I think you're doing just fine, ma'am." Felian commented.
"Sergeant…" Thorne growled. He chuckled.
"Well…I mean, of course we all know you're still a rookie officer, Ensign Thorne." The scout sergeant said. "And to be frank, an op like this is a little much to be giving a person of your experience level." He raised his eyebrows. "Regardless of how good an officer you are."
"Me point…" She sighed. "So what I wanna ask of ye is this; can I count on you two ta' lead the team proper and keep me from makin' a total fool o' meself?" Felian and Daraay looked at each other a moment, and both gave small smiles.
"Ma'am, if I may…" The death trooper spoke. "…this quality is what makes you a good officer. You know when to ask for help."
"You can count on us." Felian nodded.
"I will be makin' the major decisions and issuin' what the book calls 'broad orders'." She explained. "Also, I s'pose I have t' be the one t' meet with this contact too. I figure last thing we need is for it to get back that Delta-7's officers are short on brains and bumblers to boot. Och…Drakken'll kill me if I bollox this 'un up."
"You'll do fine, ma'am." Felian said encouragingly. "Most of this unit could carry out a mission without an officer or NCO there to lead them. You just tell us where to go, and what the mission objective is, and we'll take care of the rest."
"Right…" She breathed. "That's…uh...sort of how Drakken does it, yeah?"
"And he jumps in and helps break things." Sergeant Felian added. "And from what we've seen, ma'am…" He leaned in over the desk. "I think you're better at that than he is." Freya let out a snort.
"Aye…maybe at everything but shootin'. I'm still nae as good as he." She laughed.
"I don't think anybody is." Felian reflected. "Oh, you heard from him at all, ma'am?"
"Och the neu. He said he'd be out of contact due t' the sensitive nature o' the mission an' all that." She answered glumly. "He'll be back in a couple of days though."
"You find a pilot, ma'am?" Daraay asked.
"Oh…oh yeah, I almost forgot about him." Thorne said excitedly, sitting up straight. She grabbed a commlink off the desk. "Halresk, this is Ensign Thorne. Please report to my office."
"Yes ma'am." A male voice answered.
"He came highly recommended." Thorne said to the two sergeants. "I asked Ol' Captain Piett, and he sent me right on down to a bloke called Baron Fel. Crackin' fella…he assigned one of his pilots to join us fer the mission."
"Baron Fel's squadron is one of the best in the Empire." Daraay said. "If we are to be utilizing one of their own, we'll have no problems with the ship."
"Aye…" Freya said wistfully. "…still won't be the same without Ekks. That lunatic has his own style." Felian chuckled.
"I couldn't agree more, Ma'am." He commented. Just then the hatch opened, and in stepped what could only be described as a figure cut out from some Imperial recruiting poster. His red-trimmed black flight suit looked almost tailored, and his black helmet shined in the light of the room. Tall, strongly-built and sporting a meticulously-styled head of short, brown hair, the newcomer entered and snapped the heels of his flight boots together as he came to attention.
"Pilot officer Halresk reporting as ordered, ma'am." The man said dutifully. Thorne stood and saluted him.
"Ah, at ease, pilot." She said. "I wanted you to meet some o' the team yer t' be workin' with on this assignment." She gestured to the two NCOs in front of the desk. "This is Sergeant Daraay and Scout Sergeant Felian. They're the squad leaders and real brains of this operation. Sergeants, this is Pilot Officer Halresk." Thorne said as the two rose to salute the man. Halresk returned the gesture.
"My pleasure Sergeant Daraay, Sergeant Felian." He greeted them in turn.
"Sir." They each replied.
"Now Halresk, as odd as it might sound, we 'ave our own way of doin' things." Freya began. "Ye need t' watch about the saluting business once we're on the ground. You e'er had a mission on the ground, by the by?"
"No ma'am." Halresk answered.
"Ye know 'ow t' shoot, right?"
"Affirmative, ma'am. Though I haven't carried a blaster in three years, nor fired one in anger." A perplexed look crossed his features. "I assumed I would be with the ship for the duration."
"Well, likely, but sometimes durin' a mission, our pilot joins in the fun." She continued. "There's been times where we need a flyguy…like the time he stole an enemy bomber and right merked half a rebel base." Some of the color seemed to drain from the young man's face.
"Stole a…rebel ship?" Halresk muttered.
"Aye. He also commandeered two civilian speeders on another job. Would you be up to that sort of shenanigans?" The pilot shifted on his feet.
"Ma'am…I have been in twenty-one engagements in the vac, with two more in-atmosphere. I've flown everything from TIEs to Lambdas, but I have to admit that I've never taken part in any activities like you have just mentioned." Thorne just smiled.
"Aw, Halresk…" She said. "I ne'er asked if you had. I asked if you could."
"Ma'am…Saber Squadron is nothing if not versatile. May I speak freely."
"Always, Halresk."
"I've heard of this unit. How…unconventional you people can be, but how successful as well. I'll go as far as to say that Saber Squadron is the best starfighter wing in the Empire, and it's thought by many of us that you are our terrestrial counterparts. I hope I can be of service, ma'am."
"As much planet-hopping as we gotta do this time around, I'm sure ye will be." Freya agreed. "Ye just need one thing."
"Yes ma'am?"
"Sergeants, can you scavenge Halresk a good chest plate and some gear?" She ordered in a pleasant tone. "And would somebody please…get this man a blaster."
An hour later, the team boarded The Huntsman, and Halresk started toward the cockpit. He was met halfway by an odd-looking droid, who stood in his way, making strange-sounding garbled vocalizations. The fighter pilot had only learned a touch of binary in flight school, and he stood with a confused look as the droid continued to ramble on to him, waving its spindly arms in the air as if to emphasize its unintelligible words.
"Oh, sorry Glitch." Thorne said, joining the pilot in the aisle. "This is Halresk. He's to be our pilot this time."
"Mehnehmurna-munuh mur-nur-nur-murn."
"Glitch wants to know if he's trustworthy." Halresk turned to see who had spoken. A stormtrooper had now joined the group.
"The little fella's quite protective of our ship." Freya explained to the Saber Squadron pilot. "Halresk is a great pilot." She said to the droid. "He's really looking forward to seein' what zany adventures we all get up ta'. Right, Halresk?"
"Yes ma'am, most certainly ma'am." He said. He looked down at Glitch, feeling awkward explaining himself to a droid. "I'm an experienced combat pilot, droid…er, um…Glitch was it? So don't worry. This ship and team are in good hands."
"Mahnana-murnana-nur-nahnah-meemp-honk."
"He said 'fine, just don't touch my nav-computer'." Lago chuckled.
"Burmmmp-murnurnur-munarnar-meeemp." Glitch said. Lago laughed.
"What'd he say?" Freya asked with a grin.
"He said this Halresk sounds like he has a stick like the commander." Lago translated. Thorne giggled.
"Oh Glitch, ye funny lil' metal man." She patted his head. "I think you two'll get along jes fine. Now if ye'd be so kind Halresk, get us to this planet called Daiyu."
"Right away, Ma'am." He saluted, and quickly entered the cockpit. Glitch trailed behind, making exasperated noises.
Thorne took her normal seat on the starboard side, and for a brief moment she glanced over at the empty space beside her and frowned. She wished Drakken was here. Not just because she felt like she was stumbling around in the dark heading up this mission, but because she felt a pang of loneliness without him. It just didn't feel right not having him here beside her. Who knew what he was getting up to on his own assignment. Freya sighed and let her head fall back against the bulkhead as the shuttle's engines began warming up.
"Are you okay, Ensign Thorne?" Daraay asked, sitting beside her.
"Hm?" Oh yeah, I'm alright." Thorne lied. Daraay's amber eyes stayed on her.
"It's alright ma'am." The Death Trooper finally said. "I miss him too." Freya scoffed.
"That obvious, it is?"
"You two are inseparable." Daraay commented. "You bring each other a lot of happiness, and you make each other more efficient in combat. You're a good match." Thorne huffed.
"Aye. Too bad Drakken don't feel the same way." She said in a low voice, meant only for the sergeant. "We're not seein' each other…no matter wot e'erbody thinks. We can't…it's just not professional." The last part practically dripped with scathing sarcasm.
"Thorne…Commander Tharcourt is a complicated person. I have only known him for six standard months or so now, but I've learned one thing."
"What's that, Daraay?" Freya sighed. She felt the ship lift off and start moving.
"He's headstrong when he knows he's right." The Death Trooper said with a slight smile. "And he usually is. If the commander knows he is right, he would argue with the Emperor, I think." She placed a hand on Thorne's shoulder. "Sometimes though, he's not right. Those times, it takes him a little while to come around…but for an officer, he's honest enough to admit when he's wrong." Thorne smiled, and forced down the tears she wanted to shed.
"Thanks, Daraay." She whispered. "Ya know…sometimes yer an awful lot like a big sister, ye know that?" The Death Trooper gave a rare snicker.
"It is well I am not." She said, trying to repress her smirk. "Having a little sister as my commanding officer would be painfully awkward…ma'am." Thorne stared at her a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Huh? What's so funny?" Gallen asked from across the aisle. Thorne waved dismissively.
"It's an inside joke, Gallen." She laughed. "Ye wouldn't get it."
"Oh…alright…" The marksman said awkwardly. "So…what's the details for when we get to this…" He rolled his right hand in a prodding way.
"Daiyu?" Thorne asked.
"Yeah, that place." Gallen shrugged. "Where is it? What kinda planet is it, ya know?"
"I have to agree that that's a handy bit of intel if you have it, ma'am." Dall agreed.
Thorne felt her cheeks growing hot, and she dug her nails into her palms to keep from cursing herself loudly. She had forgotten to brief the team on the planet they were going to. The night before, she had held a short briefing about the mission, and detailed that they would be traveling to Daiyu to meet with an Imperial agent of some kind, who would then take them to Mimban and point out the rebel's hidden base there. Freya remembered ordering extra weapons, power cells and gear to be stowed on the shuttle, and even bothered to look up in the manual exactly what authority this mysterious contact should have, and whether or not they were considered a combatant.
Thorne felt like a complete idiot. Somehow, she had gotten so wrapped up in trying to plan out everything perfectly, that she had forgotten to bring up the very planet they were to be travelling to. She had failed to inform the team on one of the most important aspects of any mission. Freya growled, angry at herself for her slipup, and vowed to herself that when Drakken got back, she would confess her incompetence and throw herself at his mercy.
"Right…" She sighed irritably. "I should've brought that up last night. Sorry you lot…a lil' slip up on me part. Sorry."
"Aw, that's alright ma'am." Gallen waved.
"Yeah, you're still a new officer. You're allowed minor infestations of brain-bugs." Felian smiled.
"Oh…oh yeah, that makes me feel world's better." She griped. She pulled out her datapad for reference and looked over her notes. "Anyhoo, this world we're to be visitin'…Daiyu…it's a developed world, industrial-slash-entertainment, with major population centers. Population, twenty-three-million, mixed."
"Finally, an assignment in a place with some culture." Gallen commented.
"I dunno, I never heard of it." Mets said. He looked over at Coleth, who shrugged. "Is it in the Mid Rim?"
"Um…no, intel says it's located in Hutt Space, on the Shag Pabol Hyperlane." There were a few groans and sighs. "Wot? You what?" Lago spoke up.
"Uh, ma'am? Remember Tatooine?" He asked. She nodded. "That place was only sort of run by the Hutts. Hutt Space is like…a bazillion times worse. I heard it's nothing but spice, slaves and gambling all the time in that region."
"Yeah, and the only reason we got a presence there…" Gallen added, "…is because if we didn't partially control it, Hutt Space would be like…the second-biggest governmental entity in the galaxy…and completely lawless, ma'am. Yep…" He reclined back with his head on his arms. "We're going into the most dangerous, crime-ridden sector in the whooooole galaxy." Freya took a long drag off of her electronic cigarra. Great, on top of having to fight a clubhouse full of rebels, they were heading into a cesspool of crime and debauchery too. And Drakken wasn't here to hold everything together.
"I dunno guys…" Mets commented. "Hutt Space is bad, but I heard from a friend of mine that the lower levels of Coruscant can be ten times worse."
What has Thorne gotten herself into? Or rather, what has Vader gotten her into? A mission of her own, and we'll just have to see how that works out for Freya and the team. I will try to post another chapter within the next few days. Until then, please leave me your reviews, drop me a PM, and don't forget to like. In case you didn't already know, I love my readers, and enjoy conversing with you and answering any questions you have. Until the next installment my friends, Cheerio!
