Meetra was sat in her room aboard the Infinity. Alone yet again and left to her own devices, the blonde, who was young only in looks, stared out at the whirlwind of Slipspace. It was tranquil. The hum of the ship's repulsor engines, the eerie blue hue piercing through the window and the otherwise spartan room reminded her a little of her time on the Ebon Hawk.
Sighing softly, the woman sat down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and at the presumptuous number of sensors and cameras that had been installed in the place. She knew that the UNSC had its own intelligence agency, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and that they were fairly particular on keeping tabs on anyone and everyone, but the amount of security slotted in her dormitory was... A bit overkill.
Letting out a sigh, the woman utilized Force Pull to bring a tablet from her desk into her hand, grabbing it mid-flight and starting to browse it. The UNSC had left her some basic reading materials about their people and their Wars. The Human-Covenant War, AKA the war that lead to the UNSC being the way it is right now, was one of her main subjects of interest. Beginning to read through details on said war, she was already horrified.
Massed casualties, a genocidal campaign, planets burned and melted into glass. Tens of billions dead. It was a gut-wrenching telling of how evil their enemy had been. And a surprising news to see that the UNSC had, in fact, allied with one of the species belonging to this 'Covenant', in order to dish out the revenge so necessitated by the loss of so many lives. Had such a crippling war occurred anywhere within their Galaxy, she dreaded how great the howls in the Force would have been. Perhaps even worse than Malachor...
She shuddered, remembering her old choices with some fear. She set the tablet aside and sighed, feeling the comfort of the mattress she had on her bed gave her. She'd slept on steel or the ground for the most part, never really wandering off of Coruscant while the world around her continued to exist for a little over 500 years after the High Republic Era... Her mistakes still hounded her.
She jolted as she heard a knock on her door. Straightening up, she told them, "C'mon in," before she smiled as she saw B312 walking in. He gave a nod to her while a figure clad in a jet-black uniform with no recognizable markings stepped inside. She slicked back her red hair, then nodded to Meetra, who raised a brow, curious as to who this woman was.
"Greetings, general Surik," The woman in black spoke, "I'm Major Smith, Office of Naval Intelligence. I've been asked to finally begin an interview and a background check by the higher active duty members of ONI and the Admiralty board on board the Fleet..." and she noted Meetra's confusion. Impassive, the woman continued, "It's only a formality, so to speak. One we had little time to do while running back-and-forth between Christophsis, Coruscant and Teth."
"Ah," Meetra nodded, "Right, so it's a questionnaire and I just need to answer as truthfully as possible, right?"
"That about sums it up, yes," The woman nodded, then motioned for her to follow. B312 and a couple more members of Crimson acted as her escort as she walked out with the Major, the group going through the halls of the UNSC warship under the gazes of Marines and troops that barely now, did Meetra notice. Riflemen clad in black uniforms stood in the shadows, staring at her and the ONI officer.
Meetra asked Six, "Why didn't this happen earlier, anyhow...?"
"Like the Major said. Everything from the battle of Christophsis to us moving now has kept everyone a fair bit busy, so protocol was ignored when you joined us. The Colonel commanding the ONI Staff on board was kind enough to remind the Admiral and doctor Halsey, though," B312 then replied as they marched, climbing onto a tram that belonged only to ONI Staff, some of which was also on board.
The stone masks that the UNSC's intelligence agency staff basically wore as faces, never shifting, eyes cold, somewhat made Meetra feel uneasy. The fact that they were also Nulls made it even worse, because she couldn't even feel how they viewed her. Similarly, the Spartans wore their helmets now, so they were inscrutable automatons to her as well. The sole one who showed any form of emotion, which was an eerie calm, was the Major herself.
The tram arrived with terrifying velocity in ONI's own section of the warship. Entombed deep within the laboratory section of the UNSC vessel underneath many layers of armor and honeycombed supports, the UNSC vessel, the Office of Naval Intelligence's mobile Headquarters was a closely-guarded area only accessible by that one tram that could presumably travel throughout the whole ship, switching lines as required.
The Major showed Six and his teammates to stop at a door, then slid a magnetic card through a scanner and peered into what seemed to be a retinal identification scan device. A door appeared out of the wall with a hiss, sliding to the side and revealing what one would expect a very modern interrogation room to look like. A couch that surrounded a rather large table where refreshments and food had been laid out.
The Major motioned to the Jedi to walk in, then told Six and the others, "Nobody is to interrupt this conversation. We let a security risk slip for a little too long, so the Admiral will go through us for any further arrivals..." before she nodded and stepped inside. The trio of Spartans, specifically 312, Tom and Lucy, looked to one-another, then took up positions around the 'wall door' as it closed, disappearing into the titanium wall.
Inside the room, Major Koroleva told Meetra, "Please, take a seat..." as she took one at the head of the table and pulled out a tablet from her pocket. Meetra plopped herself down and looked around at the snacks on the table. She didn't recognize many of them, though they smelled sweet and had obviously been baked fresh. All had various colored toppings, some even including a rarity, that being chocolate. Koroleva didn't even look up from her tablet as she said, "Feel free to take any of the donuts that you like the look of. You may as well make yourself comfortable for this interview..."
Meetra nodded, then warily leaned forward and grabbed one of the 'donuts'. One with colored sprinkles and a pale-white frosting. She bit down into the round bakery good and suddenly felt her mouth assaulted by the sheer, mind-numbing sweetness. The young girl let out a short, muffled, but happy moan, before proceeding to consume the donut in several quick bites, following up by grabbing another, this one with chocolate frosting, and scarfing it down.
Koroleva, for all intents and purposes, let out a simple snort and shook her head at the cutesy behavior of the quarry. She set aside the tablet and poured herself some coffee from one of the thermoses on the table, before setting it aside. Taking a sip from the dark beverage, the woman let out a sigh of contentment, then looked to Meetra as she was still basically munching down on the stuff. She commented, "I'd say you should be wary. Those things can still cause major stomach aches."
Meetra blushed and staggered, stopping her little mass donut munching, before looking apologetically to the Major. The woman waved it off, then told her, "I'm ready to begin whenever you are, general Surik..." as she lifted up her tablet. The meek Jedi gave a quick nod, wiping some of the crumbs of food from her mouth and taking a quick sip of the glass of water next to her. The woman hummed and pulled up the questionnaire, stating, "First name, Last Name, Meetra and Surik respectively. Birthplace?"
"Dantooine. I guess the current location would be called Khoonda City?" She replied, unsure. The Major hummed, suspicious of Meetra, before turning back to the questionnaire.
"Age..." She said, her voice almost unnoticeably hopeful.
Well, Anakin Skywalker had already said it aloud, so it was only safe for her to shyly tell, "Four thousand...? Give or take a couple of years...?" which made the woman blank. She looked to Meetra, finally showing a hint of emotion. Said emotion was surprise. She murmured something about 'General Skywalker telling the truth', before clearing her throat and picking the tablet back up.
"Right. That is basic data out of the way... How did the medical checkup go when you came aboard, by the way?"
"Good, actually. Turns out I'm all in the clear, heh!" Meetra gave an awkward thumbs up. The woman ahead took a moment to read through the files, before murmuring something to herself, all while the young-yet-old Jedi maiden sat there, staring at what was tantamount to Secret Police interrogating her dumb little brain for any information she could give about herself.
The woman then strode into the next question, "Occupation is Jedi, obviously..." which got a frown from Meetra that did not deter her interrogator. "Here we go. First question of this questionnaire. What is your intention in coming aboard a UNSC Warship as volunteer Civilian Service, miss Surik?" She then asked, looking at the blonde. Meetra had to have expected this question. And she had.
"I wanted to tag along with the new kids in the Galaxy. See what you're all about and see if I could help... Perhaps right some wrongs I've done," She replied softly, rubbing her arm. The Major seemed sympathetic, for what little a change in the glimmer of her eyes told Meetra about her feelings. She jotted it down, then hummed and went on to the next question.
"Do you feel comfortable with the idea of serving with our men and women in combat as a trained combatant, should the need arise?"
"Yes."
"Good..." The Major jotted that down as well, "Do you understand that the UNSC and we, of the Office of Naval Intelligence, will be keeping you under watch for the duration of your evaluation?" And she got a nod from the girl. Jotting down the answer and casting a glance at one of the cameras in the room, the woman hummed, "Next, then. Into more personal matters. Have you served as a soldier prior to coming aboard our ship?"
"Yes... A long time ago," Meetra was, yet again, seemingly trying to be distant, even though her voice told of great pain. She breathed in, then out and thought to herself that she had already revealed to some her own past, so what was it to the interrogators? "I fought in the Mandalorian Wars several thousand years ago... Led the Republic alongside two close friends of mine... Against the Council's orders."
"I see... That would answer the next question, then..." The Major hummed, "It is... Odd to hear you're that old, ma'am, if you'll pardon me saying so."
"Oh, it's quite fine. I'm surprised at how 'in stride' you're taking talking to what's basically a zombie, heh..." She joked, though the joke obviously landed flat. She coughed, then whispered, "Sorry..." averting her gaze. The Major waved it off, then went on a couple more tangentially related questions, such as 'How experienced are you in commanding troops?' and other such things.
... Nearly an hour later, the Major hummed, then sighed and said, "Well, last question for now. Do you understand what will happen to you if we discover any attempts at betrayal or lies, miss Surik? Because what ONI says are not idle threats. They're truths..." And she seemed to stare Meetra dead in the eye. The blonde didn't even flinch, however, staring her right back in the eye. She simply gave a nod to the woman, unfazed.
And the Major hummed, then smiled, "Then, that'll be all... You may finish the donuts if you wish..." before she stepped off with her tablet in hand.
... That was uh... Surprisingly simple...
The Bridge.
"You're kidding," Lasky raised a brow at General Skywalker.
"I'm most definitely not," The man replied, arms crossed to his chest. He motioned with a hand toward the holo-screen displaying the interview that had taken place minutes ago. While Meetra herself continued to eat, the General told them "Unless it's someone impersonating her, it's Meetra Surik, the Jedi Exile that's basically at the basis of the entire modern Jedi Order as it stands. Save for a few of the dogma-related things, anyhow."
Ahsoka, meanwhile, giddily bounced up and down still, much to the chagrin of Captain Rex and their escorting Clones. The clone with platinum-blond hair that was basically buzzed off to the point it was a thin layer on top of his head stared at the Padawan as the girl looked on at the interview room. Rex hummed and looked to Richard, who simply held position nearby.
"This is terrifying..." Lasky murmured, rubbing his eyes, "Is she safe?"
"Honestly, admiral?" Skywalker shrugged. Despite the sigh from Lasky, who, let us recall, was the one who let her aboard, Skywalker continued calmly, "I can't feel any ill intent from her, but for the most part, it's genuinely been four thousand years of her being alive, so we don't really know what new skills she's learned. One thing's for sure, though, the Order is gonna be surprised when they hear of her existence..."
"Don't worry," Meetra's voice echoed across the bridge, "It wasn't like I'm gonna reveal myself to the Order any time soon..." And everyone turned to see her. With her arms crossed, 'General Surik' stepped forward, her escorting trio of Spartans also entering the bridge. They saluted Lasky, who saluted back in response. Ahsoka, meanwhile, started freaking out again. Meetra chuckled and patted her on the head, then told her, "Easy does it, young Padawan. I'm not that big a thing."
"Agree to disagree, Master." Skywalker shrugged, looking the woman in the eyes. He told her, "You're basically the reason for the Order's existence after the First Purge." before he motioned to her greatest fan, a little Jedi known as Ahsoka Tano, still giddily waiting to talk to her hero. Meetra was honestly happy to know that she was still influencing people, but she hoped that meant they'd do good. Alas.
"And the Order today is a disappointment..." She murmured, arranging her robes over her armor. The Order was full of the same dogma that had led to the First Purge through their inaction. She wondered if there was a Malak or a Revan out there today, ready to take up arms against the Republic and the Order once more because of the War and because of how much, or how little, the Jedi were doing.
"What?" Anakin blinked, surprised. He thought he might've misheard her.
"Nothing..." The girl sighed, mentally berating herself for nearly letting her views on the Order as a whole slip. She told them calmly, "I'm afraid I'm not really that much of a Jedi anymore, either, so, please, don't tell the Order a damn thing. I don't want them on my case," then, she turned to the UNSC officer and waved at him, smiling, "Greetings, Admiral Lasky."
"Welcome back to the bridge, General." The Admiral replied calmly, smiling at the woman.
Meetra frowned, then inquired, "... Why do you folks keep calling me that?" which garnered a few chuckles out of the people on board. She didn't understand what was so funny, though, considering it was night impossible for her to be a General. She looked back to see the Spartans remained the same straight-laced, straight-faced people she knew very well.
"Because it's what the Clones call their Jedi, so-" Lasky clarified.
"Pardon the interruption, Admiral, sir, but we only call them as such when they're commanding us as part of the GAR." Rex added, with a few of his troopers butting in to give approving nods and confirmations. Meetra hummed, then gave a nod of thanks for the Captain clarifying the little situation. She then crossed her arms and looked around the bridge, stopping at Six and smiling. The Spartan gave her a nod.
"Understood, Captain. Thanks for the correction. Still..." Lasky shrugged, then chuckled.
"It's fitting, honestly," Ahsoka added with a bit of heart.
"Heh. Thanks, Padawan Tano," She offered the girl a smile. Ahsoka smiled back, giving a very jaunty thumbs up, much to her Master's and Meetra's joy. (And probably Richard's going by the way the boy was staring). Meetra cleared her throat, then added, "Anyway, how's the little Huttlet? I presume he's being taken care of within one of the UNSC's medical bays?"
"He is." The Admiral commented, before looking around. One of the crewmen marched up to him and whispered something in his ear, to which he gave them a nod and dismissed them, before telling the rest of the group, "We're nearing Tatooine as we speak, too, so the handoff should go off without a hitch," as he picked up a tablet and started setting up a roster.
"Nice," Meetra smirked, then looked to the others around her, Six included, "So, how're we landing with the Huttlet?"
"We have an escort of three Pelicans and two platoons of Marines loaded up already," The man told her. A show of force, Meetra thought. Good enough, considering the Hutts did respect strength. Admiral Lasky told them, We're also sending the Spartans and the Jedi downstairs to provide proof the Republic was heavily involved in the young one's safe return," then set the tablet back into his uniform's pocket.
"Guess that means I gotta put my politicking face on." The 4,000-year-old Jedi quipped, arms crossed to her chest, still. She motioned to Anakin, who paused, then asked him, "You don't mind if I tag along, do you?" with a witty smirk. B312 stepped up beside her and wanted to reply for the General, but decided not to piss off one of their new allies this quickly.
"Not at all," Skywalker snorted, then shrugged, "Heck, I'm sure Ahsoka'll be glad to have you with us, heh."
"Indeed, I am!" The Togruta padawan remained as jovial as ever. Six cast a glance toward Richard, who cleared his throat and looked away. B312 stifled a snort, then nodded to the young Gamma Spartan. Richard sighed and gave a nod to his Lieutenant, before stepping up as well, weapons still attached to the magnetic locks on his armor's back and right thigh.
"Heh. Alright then, ladies and gentlemen. Pack your kit," The Admiral ordered, receiving nods of approval from everyone. "You'll be meeting the two platoons soon. Dismissed... And General Skywalker, I forgot to say it to you and your troops, but, welcome aboard the UNSC Infinity..." And he offered a kind smile to the Jedi. Skywalker gave him a quick mock salute.
The group waded off under escort from the Spartans, boarding a tram. Ahsoka looked to Meetra as the two sat together, then told her, "I've read all about you. I know of the adventures you went on with your comrades, including things like the hunt for Nihilus and how you basically helped reform the Order through the Lost Jedi. I have to ask, was the Handmaiden really that tough?"
Meetra snorted and looked to Ahsoka, smiling, "Bri was one hell of a hand-to-hand fighter. I've learned a lot of stuff from her, Teräs Käsi moves included, even if she didn't know she'd mastered a few alongside her own Echani ways..."
"Wow..." Ahsoka beamed, giddy still, "... C-Can you teach me some?"
Meetra giggled, "Sure thing. If your master will let me."
The two women gazed upon Anakin now, who sat opposite them, between Six and Rex. The man let out a short laugh and shrugged, "Hey, one less thing I have to teach her, I guess. Just make sure to go easy, seeing as she's still a kid..." which got a pout out of the girl and a short laugh out of Rex. Meetra let out a chuckle, then shook her head. They reminded her of Atton and Kreia a bit.
As the tram arrived at the hangar and the Clones, Jedi and Spartans disembarked, they were met by the trio of heavily-armed Pelicans that they would be landing with. The leading of the squadron had a maw-mounted heavy autocannon, wing-mounted fragmentation missiles and various other weapon systems, while the other two carried 30mm cannons in their noses and various other armaments.
The Marine platoons were already present, several of them checking their weapons and desert BDUs for the deployment. One of the leading men, a gruff-looking guy with multiple burn scars and a prosthetic right arm, saluted the Jedi and Spartans, then said to them with a relatively light accent, "Welcome, sirs! We're the Black Devils and we'll be your escort for today's fun-filled ride."
"Sergeant Nemeth," B312 said, "Yet another one walks the Earth still."
The man snorted, "Evening, sir. It's real hard to kill a Reach citizen," before turning to the Jedi and Clones and said, "Taking we're gonna be escorting the group here. Good to meet you all, folks..." and eyeing Ahsoka a bit suspiciously. Richard nodded to the Marine, who nodded back in return, before shifting his Battle Rifle onto his back and telling them, "Don't worry. We'll keep you and the slug safe..."
He pointed toward a cradle in which the Huttlet was being carried. It saw Ahsoka and chirped happily, grabbing toward her while in the arms of a Navy Corpsman. She walked up to Ahsoka and handed it off, telling her, "Stinky here's all yours. She seems to like you, ma'am..." before stepping off while holding onto her nose. Ahsoka looked at the little guy, who cooed, before giggling and rolling her eyes as she put the harness onto her back.
The Lieutenant in command of the Devils gave a spin of her fingers and the group began boarding. Anakin tilted his head toward the Pelican with the Marines for Rex and the Clone and his men took the order to heart. Climbing aboard with the Marines, Rex told the Sergeant, "General's orders are we tag along with the UNSC's troops. I'm Captain Rex, GAR."
"Sergeant Paul Nemeth, UNSC Marine Corps, sir," The man extended his prosthetic hand toward him. Rex shook it, surprised.
"Looking a little rough there, Sarge," Quipped a Clone as he sat down, "Seen a bunch of combat?"
"On and off, yeah. On my homeworld and off it, while it burned," The man said with little regard as he sat down, though Rex could see that fire burning in his eyes. He humped his kit off to the side while Rex sat down, before telling the Captain, "We'll talk on the way over, Sir! If you have any questions you wanna ask us, feel free! Heh, we're always happy to chat up new buddies!"
"Noted!" Rex nodded as the aircraft's engines roared. The rear door closed behind them.
And the aircraft took off, Rex feeling a pit in his stomach as gravity fields seemed to collide, before normalizing. He felt the craft dip forward...
... And toward the Planet...