Captain Rex

She knew about Half B.

It had to have been the Generalwho told her. Or showed her, more is like.

In my experience, Senators and other VIP aboard the cruisers were only interested in the view from the bridge and couldn't be bothered by any of the inner workings of the warships. They wanted to stare out the forward viewports or congregate around coms and feel important, and when they had their fill, they retired to their staterooms to leave us to our own devices. Which was more than fine with us.

But she wanted to see it all, and General Skywalker was only too happy to oblige her. Enough so, I reckon that's how she found out about Half B. Can't think of any other explanation as to why a politician would know about a maintenance deck not listed on any register.

All Acclamator-class assault ships had a Half B, or 1/2 Beta Deck as it's officially known on the blueprints. Built into the bowels of all large cruisers, the subdeck sat between Deck 0 and 1 - hence the Half designation - and was meant to be a backdoor access for the mech teams. Most of the rest of my brothers barely knew of its existence as they didn't have a reason to unless they were up to something they shouldn't be. As a matter of fact, most generals didn't know of its existence either, but then again, General Skywalker wasn't most generals.

When he wasn't down there to hide or take private coms, he would stow away on the subdeck to tinker and have fun. The mechs got so used to seeing him in the maintenance corridors, they probably didn't even blink when he had a guest in tow. Though I doubt she really fooled anyone. Even with her hood up to cover her face, we all - mechs and soldiers alike - knew who the small, cloaked figure was walking in the general's shadow.

But she was "one of the good ones" and so her reputation gave her more of a pass than most.

Until he brough me into the know, I had only suspected an undue interest on the General's part. You'd have to be a real Shiny not to notice how rapt his attention would fix on the holoscreens in the mess whenever she was pictured or even so much as mentioned. On those rare occasions, she was aboard, the General was always at her beck and call. She never assumed him to be as accommodating as some of the other Senators we hosted, but he was always at her side nevertheless.

I just also happened to be nearby when she made the slip that told me that interest went both ways. Everyone was gathered around the coms, analyzing an intercepted Sep message long since deemed trivial by now, and she leaned over during a particularly heated moment in the debate and whispered, "Half B later?"

Try as he might, the General never could contain his answering smile.