Darth Kronos scowled as she gazed through the main viewport of her flagship. The fleet she watched was an impressive sight. More than two hundred ships, and every last one held hundreds of Sith troops. They had come a very long way from the simple eleven ship supply convoy that had been ordered to stand by during the battle over Endor. Back then, she had been a mere Hand of the Emperor… but now? Now she was a Sith Lord backed by an entire army of Force users who had been trained as Sith.
The convoy had been transporting supplies, materials, and equipment for the new Death Star. Equipment that would allow troops to be cloned as needed. The supplies and materials were for the actually construction of the Death Star, but the important cargo had been the collection of Sith teachings and artifacts that were being transported to Darth Sidious.
Darth Kronos had felt the death of her Master just moments before the massive battle station exploded. She knew at that moment that she would require time to properly avenge his death. In an instant, she had taken command of the convoy and ordered them to lay in wait just beyond the outer rim. Once there, the materials were used to construct a habitable station around one of the massive cargo freighters. The Imperial Star Destroyer providing escort was then used to blast various asteroids into rubble. That rubble was then smelted into more materials, which became part of a much larger station.
The equipment needed for the creation of the clones was transferred to the first station and quickly set up. Instead of creating more Stormtroopers, Darth Kronos issued orders to begin the construction of Force sensitives. Her DNA was then individually combined with hundreds of others to create more than two thousand Force sensitive individuals. Subliminal training was quickly begun on all of them. Other chambers were used to grow technicians, and still others… a new breed of Stormtrooper.
The new Stormtroopers were something Darth Kronos was very proud of. Not only were they far more aggressive than previous versions, but they were more hostile, and eager to engage an enemy as well. These troops weren't meant or trained to maintain an Empire like the previous version… no… these Stormtroopers were going to reestablish the Empire from the remnants of the old. Using an old data disk that she had discovered among the Sith artifacts, the Stormtroopers were given the skills and knowledge of the original Clone Troops.
So it was, that thirty eight years after the destruction of the Death Star, and the death of the Emperor, Darth Kronos was at last ready to begin retaking the galaxy. Five hundred spies, each fully trained in the Sith arts were dispatched to gather information on the various leaders of the galaxy. Those factions that remained of The Empire were going to be closely examined because it was suspected that the leaders of those factions would not give up their power easily. Conquest would most likely be necessary, and Darth Kronos was certain that with two thousand five hundred Sith, backed by a million of the new Stormtroopers would get the job done. It was now only a matter of time.
BREAK
"Talon, where are you right now?" Leia asked through their Bond.
"I am in the Infirmary waiting for Master Cilghal. She said she might remove the cast and my leg brace today Master Leia." Talon answered as she sat on the bed.
"Very good Talon, just wait there for her. I'll be by as soon as I'm done here." Leia answered.
Talon nodded her head without even thinking about what she was doing. Sharing a Force Bond with her Master was like nothing she expected. Instead of Master Leia always being in her mind, it was more as if Master Leia had become part of her now, or as if she had become part of Master Leia. It was strange to her in that she could sense and even feel her Master's presence in her mind at all times, and yet Master Leia wasn't actually there either. It wasn't anything that Talon could describe, but at the same time she wanted her Master to be with her like this.
Cilghal entered the infirmary to see Talon sitting on one of the beds waiting for her. She knew that it might not be the right time to remove the girl's leg brace just yet, but she wanted to check and be sure. She picked up a scanner, and walked over to where Talon was sitting.
"Talon, I am going to examine your leg to find out how well it's healed so far. If the bones are strong enough, then I'll remove the cast, and possibly the brace. There is nothing to be concerned about, because I will not be entering your mind. Understand?" Cilghal explained easily.
Talon nodded her head. "Yes Master Cilghal, I understand."
Using the scanner, Cilghal began to examine Talon's leg. She could see that the two bones had knitted properly, but were still not up to the strength that the rest of Talon's bone structure possessed.
"Well, Talon… I'll be removing the cast today, but you'll still need to wear the brace for another day or two. After that, you should be able to assume full activities without any problems." The Mon Cal healer said before putting the scanner down and removing the leg brace.
Cilghal removed Talon's boot and began raising the pants leg when a group of about ten students walked in. She looked over at them and quickly recognized the young human that she was planning on taking as an apprentice, she also recognized young Pleena among them and couldn't help but wonder why they were there.
"We'll stay out of your way. We're just here to find out if Talon's going to be okay soon. I heard that she got tossed into that wall pretty hard, but from the vid it did look like she was about to kill Master Katarn with that training saber." Selar said seriously.
"Yes… from what I've been told, her saber skills are truly impressive. Better than anyone else in the Order apparently. Any demonstrations will have to wait a few more days because I'll be removing the cast today, but the brace will have to stay on for a while." Cilghal said firmly as she began cutting through the cast.
"If she's at least half as good with a saber as she is with an X-Wing, her skills will be intense!" Selar said with a grin.
"Her skills are more than intense! You should have seen the way she saved Kaldin when the remotes went crazy." Pleena snapped defensively.
"Teilaan showed us the vid record, so we saw the whole thing. Watching that was just as exciting as watching the recording of her going after a TIE fighter that would have given anyone a run for their credits! So we know Talon is wicked intense!" Selar bragged with a wide smile.
The slight ridges above Cilghal's eyes rose as she continued working on removing Talon's cast. She knew that Pleena liked Talon, but she'd had no idea about these others. She'd seen them around the Temple and knew that this group could be rather loud and boisterous at times, but then she also knew of Selar's reputation.
The young human had an easy self confidence that was almost, but not quite arrogant. Possessed of excellent leadership abilities, he was always looking out for those in his group. She also knew that he was just a touch paranoid in thinking that many expected him to turn to the Darkside while following in Jacen Solo's footsteps. Cilghal could tell that such a thing was unlikely, because Selar was overly cautious about his fear, anger, and even frustrations while following the precepts of the Order.
"Talon's leg is almost fully healed. She'll need to wear this brace for another day or two. By then her skeletal structure should be strong enough to allow her to resume normal activities." Cilghal said as she gave the group a side long look.
"Good! I want to see what she can do in an X-Wing when she isn't hampered by a cast." Deilaani said with a grin.
"I want to see how many remotes she can do!" Pleena blurted. "Knight Skywalker even said that she's better than he is, and I want to see it."
"Master Horn said the same thing yesterday." Crystal said quietly.
That one soft statement from a grey skinned Twi'lek female caught Cilghal's attention immediately. She snapped her head around to fix the young Twi'lek with a hard appraising look. "And what exactly caused him to say that?" She demanded sternly.
"We were watching the recording of Talon fighting the remotes when she saved Kaldin, and Master Horn saw it too. He said that she needs to have the title of best duelist in the Order." Pleena piped up quickly.
Selar snapped his head around to look at Pleena with narrowed eyes and a slight frown on his face before he nodded approvingly. He had seen just how fast Cilghal's manner had changed when Crystal made her comment, but Pleena had quickly spoken up and diffused any trouble before it started. He could see that even though she was very energetic, she was also reliable and extremely loyal. Those were excellent traits and exactly the kind of thing he was looking for in team members, which meant that she was a definite possibility. Maybe it was time to find out.
Selar knew that for the most part he was allowed to choose which students he wanted in his wing. As long as he didn't select only the best his decisions were accepted. The only thing was that sometimes, such as with Talon's assignment to his wing, he didn't get a choice. He still wasn't sure if the Force had been with him or he'd just gotten extremely lucky with Talon. There was also the fact that his was the only wing in thier age group that was short handed. Since Talon was now a member of his team, he decided to make her feel more welcome by taking on her friend as a member as well. He knew that it would take a lot of time and effort to get Pleena up to the standards of the other members and that they'd likely have to cover for any mistakes that she made, but that was all part of being a team.
"Hey Pleena, I'm going to have the whole team practice in the flight simulators after Master Cilghal gets done with Talon's leg. Want to join us?" Selar asked with an easy grin.
"I've never been in a simulator yet." Pleena protested softly.
"Well, you'll have to learn sometime. That time might as well be now when you aren't being graded for it." Chargon replied with raised eyebrows.
Pleena looked at the teen who was nearly twice her age. Thick radiant hair cascaded down her back in waves of red. Her brilliant green eyes sparkled in stark contrast to pale white skin. Those green eyes that were fixed on her glistened as if she'd just heard the most wonderful joke. "You… you want me to try out a simulator?" She stammered.
"Why not?" Chargon asked. "With Talon's help, we can get you up to speed in no time. Besides, you're the best friend Green Ten has and that means you'll be sticking with us now." She said with a light smile.
Chargon wasn't blind or stupid. Even though at fifteen, she was actually a year older than Selar, she also knew that he had much better leadership skills than she did. He could tell very quickly whether or not someone get along with the rest of the team. His job was to put the team together and lead them. The role she assumed was that of helping each member to find their strengths and weaknesses; to help them fit in with the others so that they all worked together. She knew that the time would come when Selar would give an order that would put their lives on the line and she accepted that. But she took it upon herself to make sure that each one was as ready as possible when that time came.
When Selar invited Pleena to join them in the simulators, Chargon knew that he was actually giving her a trial run to see if she could properly follow instructions. It was also a test to see if Pleena was as intelligent as she seemed. She could see that the young Nautolan was both excited and very nervous as well. It showed her that Pleena knew that this was much more than a simple bit of practice in the simulators. What Pleena couldn't have known was that this was actually a tryout, examination, and interview all at once, and if she passed… well Chargon would be happy to add another name to their roster.
Pleena couldn't believe her luck. All she'd wanted to do was thank Talon for the way she'd saved Kaldin's life. Somehow, one thing had led to another and now here she was about to be taught how to be a pilot by Green Wing! She knew that they were the most prestigious group of fighter pilots among the students. The fact that they were somehow willing to teach her something was unbelievable.
Seeing that both Selar and Chargon wanted an answer, Pleena nodded her head. A chance like this was rare, like once in a lifetime rare, and she was certainly going to take advantage of it.
Cilghal rolled Talon's pant leg back down before putting a sock and her boot back on. Then she reapplied the brace and smiled. "Talon, this brace can come off in another day or two. Once it's permanently removed, then you can resume normal activities and lightsaber practice… understand?"
"Yes Master." Talon answered instantly. She had heard and understood the instructions, but there was no way she was going to hesitate in answering a Master because such things always invited punishments.
"Good. This is a combination injection of pain killer, bacta serum, and vitamins that you need. I want you back here right after breakfast tomorrow morning." Cilghal instructed.
Selar was right beside Pleena and Talon as they left the medical wing of the Temple. As soon as the left, the rest of Green Wing, who had been waiting right outside, joined them. He could see that Pleena had a bounce in her step as they made their way to the simulator room.
Upon entering the simulator room, Selar gave a jaunty wave to Master Hamner who was tending to something on the computer and motioned everyone over to one of the simulators.
"Okay Pleena. You've shown that you can figure things out, but let's see how well you can fly. Now the first thing you have to do is get in." Selar said with a know it all grin.
Pleena frowned at that, but quickly climbed in the flight simulator. Once she was inside, she paid close attention as Chargon showed her how to fasten the safety harness. Then Chargon was showing her the preflight checklist, and she noticed that Talon had a confused look on her face.
"What's wrong Talon?" Pleena asked quickly as she interrupted Chargon.
"The checklist you're being shown is a lot more inclusive than the one I was taught by Master Callous." Talon answered as she leaned over to get a better look at the instrument panel.
Selar narrowed his eyes at that. He had thought that maybe Talon had intentionally skipped quite a few items, but if she was never taught a proper way to check out a craft, it explained how she had beaten everyone else.
"Chargon, I want you to finish showing Pleena the check list. Karlaani… I want you to show Talon how to do a proper check list, and make sure she understands why you have to check out everything." Selar instructed as he pointed out a nearby simulator.
Karlaani nodded her head at Selar before she turned to Talon. "Come on Talon."
Talon followed the red skinned Twi'lek over to another simulator. The pair was followed by Karlaani's twin sister, Deilaani and a Togruta male by the name of Vara. She climbed into the machine and buckled up. Then she looked up at Karlaani expectantly.
"Why don't you show me what you were taught, and then I'll show you what you should do instead." Karlaani suggested quietly.
Talon nodded her head before pointing out fuel, weapons, shields, and vessel integrity while naming each one.
"Someone would have to be out of their mind to use a check list like that!" Vara protested hotly. "Who taught you that fodder?"
"Someone who obviously didn't care if she survived or died! That's why I've been told to show her the right way." Karlaani retorted in a cold tone as she turned her head to stare him down.
"Don't worry Talon, I'm going to teach you the right way to check out a vessel." Karlaani said softly.
BREAK
Leia entered the simulator room because she knew that Talon was in there, but the only person to be seen was Master Hamner sitting at the desk reviewing some things.
"Talon is in here, isn't she?" Leia asked quietly.
"Yes, in fact, she's in one of the simulators along with the rest of the Wing she's been assigned to. Their getting some practice in along with a younger student by the name of Pleena." Master Hamner replied. "Were you aware of how little Talon knew regarding preflight preparation?"
"No, I wasn't. Why?" Leia asked curiously.
"Because when you consider that she flew from Korriban to here after checking only the weapons, fuel, shields, and vessel integrity… it's a wonder that she made it here alive." Kenth answered seriously. "Talon's Wing Leader, Selar Kyriin had one of his teammates correct that issue. Right now they are playing 'chase the leader' and matching Selar's every move while they teach Pleena how to fly for the first time. They're calling Pleena Green Eleven by the way."
"Really?" Leia answered in surprise as she looked towards the simulator that Talon was in before moving over to the desk to follow what was happening in the simulators on the viewscreen.
Talon was following the flight group as Selar led them through a very loosely packed asteroid field. She knew that they weren't grouped according to their flight numbers because Karlaani who was Green Four was right behind her, while Chargon who was Green Three was right behind Pleena who was being called Green Eleven. She understood that Pleena was being both taught and evaluated at the same time. She had to admit, that Pleena was following instruction very well. Granted they weren't engaging in any combat maneuvers or sudden changes in vector, it was just a leisurely flight to get Pleena accustomed to handling a fightercraft.