The New Rogues

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The lone A-Wing emerged from hyperspace a full thirty seconds later than any ship in the battered fleet, its pilot slumped against the harness, limp. The craft cruised straight and level at the default exit speed of 10 MGLT, a snails pace for the fleet starfighter. A large drop of blood dripped off Milivikal’s nose, splattering against her left breast. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was near a standstill. Her gloved hands rested limply against her legs, having fallen off the controls.

“Blue Leader, welcome home.” Silence greeted the communications officer. Thirty seconds passed.
“Blue Leader please respond.” The comm. officer turned to his superior. “Commander k’Vik isn’t responding, sir.”
“Have another craft in her sector investigate.”
“Aye sir.” He flicked the comm. back on. “Any available fighter craft in sector 32 please investigate the A-Wing heading 265 point 7, speed 10.”

[Tarn Ardsul]

"Brown 4 reporting. I got a visual on k'Vik now. Heading in for a closer look." Ardsul was thankful he was even speaking right now. He and Hunk barely made it out of Endor alive with the stunt he pulled. Two Defenders wanted them in a bad way. Hunk led them right to the nearest VSD and played bait while Tarn waited. Once they were in range, he blew one of the shield generators and toasted those Defenders as if they were nothing but tin foil. Suckers were fast, but not that fast.

Unfortunately, Hunk got a little fried in the wake of the blast and was still giving him dren for that. What can ya do.

His scope picked up on one life form inside the A-Wing. "Hey, Blue Leader? Nice of ya to join us." Probably was false hope, but Tarn wanted to make sure the A-Wing couldn't pick up a close radio signal. His own radio went down during the battle so one never knows unless you try all options.

Ardsul pulled alongside the crawling A-Wing and saw k'Vik slumped over, "Aw frell! Command??? Brown 4 again.. Blue Leader is not moving. I repeat, Blue Leader is not not moving. She's probably unconscious. We gotta tow her in immediately for medical treatment."

R2 beeped like a hyper child.

"No R2. I don't think your tow cable is strong enough. Let one of the frigates take care of her."

The droid chirped unhappy.

"It's the thought that counts buddy."

[Henaru Sagekick]

For the most part, Henaru got off lucky.

When the pair of Tie Interceptors took their attention off the Y-Wings and chased him, he was lucky. When the two Ties unleashed their 4 Seinar Fleet Systems L-s9.3 Laser Cannons, tearing through his A-Wing’s Sirplex Z-9 Shield Projector and leaving him vulnerable, he was lucky. When he managed to shake the two Ties and lead them on a death ride through the debris of the Death Star, he got off lucky.

As Henaru floated towards the hangar, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that k’Vik’s ship was slowly floating, and another X-wing was alongside it. Henaru slowly cruised over to the other side of k’Vik’s A-Wing and noticed that she was lying lifelessly in her cockpit. He also noticed that his left wing proudly bore a deep, black, carbon scoring right next to his laser cannon, probably from when his shields were knocked out.

Well, that’s another stroke of luck for me… thought Henaru, shrugging and continuing to drift alongside k’Vik’s ship.

Henaru looked towards the X-Wing alongside him, and thought,

Hmm...I remember him from somewhere, but I don’t think I know his name.

Maybe its because you never talk...I know him, so you should!’ thought Henaru, as if it was from another person.

Well, I don’t talk unless I need to...and so far I haven’t had to...ok?

Truthfully, Henaru really did know that the man in the X-Wing’s name was Tarn Ardsul, but for some reason he couldn’t remember.

’you’re such a fool, Henaru…’

Henaru’s two personalities continued to argue. Ever since his hometown of Alderaan was destroyed, Henaru’s mind seemed to have developed two personalities, one being the quiet, reserved Henaru, and the other being the outgoing, cocky Henaru. He could almost remember when he used to be both, but now his mind was twisted and beyond repair. Henaru thought,

Fine...I’ll ask what’s going on this time. Then I’ll prove to you that I do talk to people.

Just keep tellin’ yourself that, Henaru…

Henaru clicked on his comlink and cleared his throat, saying,

“Umm...what happened?”

[Eluna Thals]

"No, dammit, no!"

Eluna was still broadcasting on a general frequency. She didn't care. She beat the control console impotently with her fist."

"Who gave the order? Who? We have to go back, now!"

Her obligation to her squadmates drove her to a near fit of obsession. There was no telling if anybody from Green squadron got the retreat signal, much less survived Executor's destruction.

She realized the moment she'd issued the outburst how stupid and impotent it was. Slumping back into her seat, she exhaled in a curse, removing her flight helmet. Her face was stained in what looked to be blood. It was less than nothing to her at the moment.

"This is Green Five, requesting permission to lead a volunteer force back to the battle zone to search for survivors."

[TieFighterPilot181st]

Tie slammed his fist into the side of the cockpit. The boldest strike in the history of the Alliance had failed with disastrous effects on the Rebel fleet. Sure, the Executor had been destroyed and the Death Star heavily damaged, but it still existed and the Imperial fleet still maintained control of the battle field and to him that meant that the Imps had won.

He had been in hot pursuit of a TIE Interceptor when the order to retreat was issued over all frequency. The space over Endor was chaotic as Rebel ships lined up for hyperspace jumps as best they could. Of Tie's squadron he saw none of the other fighters from his squadron on the sensors, and he had the feeling that the two extravehicular pilots had been left behind to uncertain fate in the hurried retreat. The Corellian in him burned to turn the fighter back around and take out as many Imps as he could but he knew that in his state with low fuel and no torps left, the thought was a empty one. Regretfully Tie thumbed the switch for the comm.

"This is Lieutenant Yamagi, to any Rebel ship. My squadron is gone, I'm the only one left. I need to dock for refueling and repairs."

[Radzyn Boomtown]

The caleidescope of white pulled back together as Boomer took the battle damaged Y-wing out of hyperspace. The rest of the fleet was a welcomed sight as he approached the gathered ships. R3 hadn't had the hard points back up and it was a good thing they had called for a tactical retreat. He wasn't to be much help to Green Five if he had gotten there sooner.

As he neared the ships the call for someone to check on the unanswering craft came across and Boomer decided to take a look himself. Minutes later, there it was...the straight travelling A-wing of the person who saved his hide. With two X-wings flanking her sides. But none helped her, although one of them did mention towing.

Boomer decided to repay the pilot by taking them in. He had a feeling time was of the essence and he wasn't going to let the one who saved him die. As he got near, Boomer ascended a bit and slowly slid over the trio. The tow cable shot out and *klank* attached to the fuselage of the A-wing. As the Y-wing eased passed them, the thrusters dimly glowed. And the cable got taut as he hit the maximum distance for it. Boomer eased the throttle up and the engines glowed brighter. Now he was her steering, turning her craft with the cable as it travelled on.

"I got 'er. This pilot saved my rear back there....I owe them this."

Boomer said over the comm. Steadily he got the, on the way and towards the waiting capital ships. As they headed in, he heard the desperation and concern in Green Five's voice and Boomer keyed in. "Green Five, This is Gold Nine.... let's get you re-fueled, re-armed and grab my X-wing and I'll accompany you back in there."

Boomer didn't like the idea of leaving fallen troops behind neither, but with the amount of damage they sustained, they needed better fitted crafts to pull off a search and rescue. As the large bulk of a MC-80 loomed closer, Boomer released the cable and the A-wing pretty much flew itself to the larger fighter carrier. And with the tractor beams, they would be able to bring her in safely. The black smudged and shot up Y-wing travelled in right behind the A-wing. "She's all your's guys.....bring 'er in nice and easy please."

[Henaru Sagekick]

Henaru glanced up visually at the Y-Wing as it flew by k'Vik and towed it in. Henaru nodded in approval just as the message came in from Green 5.

"This is Green Five, requesting permission to lead a volunteer force back to the battle zone to search for survivors."

Henaru turned his fighter into the hangar and docked as quickly as he could, thinking to himself,

Well, if you're not going to go out there...then I'm going to make you.

Henaru clicked his comm to Green 5's frequency and said in a monotome voice,

"I need a little time to repair my shields, then I will join you back out there."

Henaru opened his A-Wing's cockpit and climbed to the left wing, where he was met by a few deck crewmen who began to refuel and repair his ship, Henaru joining them by inspecting the damage on his left wing.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

“Green Five, that would put the fleet in jeopardy. I’m sorry.”

“All fighters dock with Home One for debriefing. The fleet jumps again in 45 minutes.”

---

Home One’s deck crew expertly maneuvered the drifting A-Wing, and used a hardline fuel probe to drain the A-Wing. The Novaldex engines cut a half-minute later. A pair of A-Wing technicians scrambled over the craft, which lay on its belly. After cutting open a panel, they had the cockpit open. The medical team gingerly extracted Milivikal. A slow, steady dribble of blood ran from her nose.

“She’s bleeding internally. We need a bacta mask ready.” The medical team strapped her body, taking care to keep her head raised as they ran down Home One’s corridors. Once in the emergency medbay, they set to work, and ran a pair of tubes into k’Vik’s nostrils, injecting bacta directly into her lungs. Meanwhile, they cut away her flight suit. Her entire body was bruised, easily noticeable against her unusually pale skin. One doctor examined her eyes, which were unresponsive. Many of the capillaries had burst, making her whites bright pink.

“Have one of the techs pull that A-Wing’s flight recorder. I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”

The flight recorder was revealing. Early in the battle, Milivikal’s inertia compensators had been destroyed. The G-meter was at a near-constant 3g, spiking frequently to 9, and peaking at 14 for less than a second.

[Tarn Ardsul]

Tarn popped the canopy open of his fighter and tossed his helmet at the nearest tech.

R2 was a beeping wreck.

"Yeah. I know. Going to go see how she's doing." He slide down the ladder and pulled off his flight gloves. "You stay put and get checked out. And don't argue."

The astromech whined unhappily like a scolded son and watched Ardsul run out of the docking bay to where the A-wing was taken.

His mouth dropped when he saw k'Vik's condition. "Hey you!" Tarn snagged a medical tech's arm and pulled him over. "What the hell happened to her? The ship was hardly touched."

"Her compensators were hit, Sir. Commander's bleeding internally from the strain of flying. We're trying to stabilize her now."

He let him go and slowly covered his mouth in thought before quietly commenting. "Lucky to be alive as it is."

[Eluna Thals]

She knew what the answer would be before she got it. Still, it was a frustration to her. They were right, after all. Any kind of rescue party hypering back into a hot battle zone would be annihilated. The Imperial presence was overwhelming.

"Powering down and coming in for approach." Eluna sighed, easing her speed down to idle and coasting close enough for Home One's controls to tractor her into the bay.

Once the Y-Wing was powered down, Eluna popped the cockpit, climbing halfway out while she undid her gunner's harness.

"He needs medical assistance!" Eluna snapped at the flight crew.

"So do you, sir." The lead crewer noted.

"Don't worry about me. Get him first."


<center>* * *</center>

Ten minutes later, the bedraggled survivors were brought into Home One's ready room.

A mottled-skinned Mon Calamarian crossed his white-sleeved arms as they entered.

"I just want you to know that you all fought hard and fought well. There is nothing more that can be asked of you. Our main objective, while not completed, was a partial success. We have crippled the Imperial battle station, and taken a good portion of the Emperor's best battle fleet with it. The cost was high in both men and material.

We will be departing soon on a series of micro jumps to further consolidate our forces."

[Arinna Ceyan]

Moments before Arinna was trying to make a rendezvous with Green Five in order to regroup and hopefully take more Tie fighters with them when a message went over her comms that made her do a double take. Meet at the rendezvous now? What was going on? It seemed bad out here but to give up on such a campaign now seemed rather ludicrous. Lekku twitching she tried to push the fact that it felt almost like they had given up on the war and entered the coordinates into her nav computer and reluctant went into hyperspace.


Arms crossed she waited for her ship to return to normal space hoping that there would be some type of good explanation for why they had been pulled out. So many had died and for what? As the view of space returned to normal she got a determined look in her face as she listened over the comm. for further instructions of where to dock.

“All fighters dock with Home One for debriefing. The fleet jumps again in 45 minutes.”

“R9 find Home one and prepare to dock with the ship.”

Once landed she powered down her ship and ignored all those who had also docked. Lekku twitching she wasn’t to happy for there sudden departure from able and less happy about going to a debriefing. Pulling of her specially designed helmet she got out of her ship and motioned for R9 to remain there.

“Make sure they take good care of her R9 I better go to the debriefing.”

Turning she headed out of the hold and off to the debriefing at a brisk pace.

[Mirax Kirret]

Mirax had been following Yellow 4 to aid Green Five when the order to jump to the rendevous point had been given. She hesitated, watching friendlies begi to take a heavy beating as each one flicked out of existance on her HUD.

"This is madness..." She spoke to no one in particular. A sad warble was the only response she got as RC echoed her statement.

Hating to leave the scene, but knowing she had to follow orders, she commed Yellow 4. "Four, I'm jumping as ordered. I have your wing for the jump."

- - - - - - - - - -

Moments later, they came out of hyperspace at the rrendevous point. The moment she arrived, another command came over the comm, indicating they were to regroup at Home One.

Angling her ship, she made her way over t the large Mon Calamari cruiser's docking bay, settling her ship in when it came her turn.

Climbing out of the cockpit, she waited patiently beside her fighter, helmet in the crook of her arm, as the other fighters made their way in. Her mind began to wander as she tried to think of what steps were going to be taken next.

[Tarn Ardsul]

Tarn was half heartily listening to the Mon Calamarian when he leaned back lazily on one of the white chairs. Normally he was full of smiles and an active participant in briefings, but his mind was still too occupied by the news given to him by one of the deck officers.

The only other pilot from his squadron to make it out of the hellstorm that was Endor was Hunk. He was right behind him when Tarn hit the jump to lightspeed. Problem was, there was no Hunk to greet him at the rendezvous point. His long time friend was probably dead.

[Biff Dronsom]

Biff was still in a daze. As he climbed out of the cockpit of his fighter, he saw and heard the aftereffects of the battle – pilots unconscious, wounded, others looking grim over the loss of comrades. Clicking open the clasp beneath his chin, he pulled of his helmet, breathing a sigh of relief. For a moment he wondered were all the fit and able pilots had gone – until he overheard a twi’lek pilot talking to her droid about a briefing.

He tapped Mirax on the shoulder and smiled weakly. “Come on. Debriefing time.”

That said, the two followed after Arinna, and joined the others.

“…We will be departing soon on a series of micro jumps to further consolidate our forces.”

They were a little late, but caught the tale end of what had been said so far.

[Radzyn Boomtown]

Leaning against the fuselage, Boomer watched as the techs brought R3 down from his spot in the Y-wing. Patting the little droid on it's head, Boomer thanked his little partner and had it go to maintenance for a check. Helmet in hand and feeling a bit fatigued from the battle, Boomer headed over to the debriefing room.

Part way there, he came upon two other pilots heading for the same place he was going. A smirk showed and he gave a curt nod of his head to Biff and Mirax as he pulled in behind them on the way to the debriefing. Running a hand through his damp hair, Boomer ruffled it up a bit to relax himself. Still unwinding from the adrenalin filled sortie, he was still on edge.

He was right behind Biff and Mirax, and stood behind them when they entered the room and caught the last part of the Mon Cal's speech.

“…We will be departing soon on a series of micro jumps to further consolidate our forces.”

Fishing the black cap from his back pocket, Boomer flipped it open and slid it on his head. The red republic insignia on front. Tucking his helmet under his left arm, Boomer drifted off to think and wonder if the pilot in the A-wing had made it. Later he would go in a check on them. And if they were up, thank them for saving his rear.

[TieFighterPilot181st]

The docking bay of the Nebulon-B Frigate Tedevium was a random collection of Rebel starfighters from several different squadrons, all sporting various degrees of damage. A weary crew of Rebel technicians wheeled up a yellow ladder so that the Lieutenanat could climb out of the fighter. Once he hit the floor he began jogging towards the blast doors that led out of the hangar.

"Refuel my fighter and repair it as best you can and as quickly as you can!" Tie shouted over his shoulder as he hurried out to find an officer that could authorize him to go back to Endor.

Crewmen cluttered the corridor carrying out various tasks. Repair teams were cleaning up blown mechanical equipment while medics trotted the wounded and dead about on repulsorlift stretchers. Finally, Tie reached the bridge which displayed the scars of battle. One of the consoles had completely melted away while another had its Rodian occupant fused to it in a gruesome pose. Tie found the ranking officer and stood crisply at attention and saluted.

"Lieutenat Yamagi reporting sir! Request permission to take the starfighters aboard this ship back towards the engagement zone as soon as possible."

"Your courage and dedication is admirable Lieutenant." the officer remarked wearily.
"However, you nor any of the pilots and fighters on this ship are in any shape to return to Endor. Besides, the fleet is pulling out to reqroup elsewhere. A handful of fighters wont be able to take out what's left of the Death Star and the fleet remaining to guard it. You will remain here until new orders are issued and the fleet is re-organized, and thats an order Lieutenant." the man wearily stated.

Defiance welled up within Tie, but he forced it down. Acknowledging the order of the commanding offcer of the frigate, Tie saluted once more, and spun on his heel, marching stiffly out of the bridge and back to the hangar to re-check the status of his X-Wing.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Hours later:

Milivikal’s eyes opened. She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were full.

Out of the South of the Ronn Peninsula a freak storm had brewed. A small collection of thunderstorms had fed off of the shallow flats, becoming a serious system overnight. Her father’s sailing ship was caught between running through the dangerous Washman’s Strait and the storm. The fifteen meter single hull boat was very sea worthy, but not against a full equatorial storm, even a weak one. Her father opted to ride the storm out in open water, instead of trying to outrun it in the Strait.

Water piled waves higher and higher. The previously calm water was now tossing froth over the sailboat. Her father kept the bow pointed into the waves. While the ship was self-righting, there was no need to test that ability. The rigging howled of tortured ghosts.

“Angel I need you to put the fore sail at a quarter!” He father, a leathery skinned veteran of the seas shouted over the scream of wind and rigging.

Milivikal scrambled to the bow as the boat climbed a wave, and grabbed the rigging as it came down. She leaned into the wind, grunting as she pulled the sail up, one more loop. Milivikal looked over the edge of the bow and forced herself not to scream. Lightning flashed, it illuminating 25 meters of wave. Her deep breath was pounded out of her, and her lungs burned for air while she clung to the rigging for life...

“Easy Commander.” A pair of medical technicians held her hands down. She couldn’t speak.
“You had internal injuries. We filled your lungs with bacta.” Mili mouthed an “oh”.
“But you’re stable now.” She felt a prick, and then her body felt more numb and detached.

She could feel the bacta ooze from her lungs, and in its place, air. The plastic tubes snaked out of her nose. Through the haze of drugs, she smiled and inhaled deeply. Milivikal waited, her eyes floating around her head idly. Time passed at an unknown rate. The medical techs were focused on the bacta machine while she sat up.

“I want some clothes.”
“Sir, you need to stay for a few more hours. Maybe overnight.”
“Clothes.” Mili affixed him with a steely gaze from pale blue-gray eyes, holding his for a moment.
“Yes sir.”

The operation debriefing was over, and non-engineering and ship crew were decompressing. The pilot’s lounge was occupied and lively, if somewhat grim. Too many friends had been lost over Endor. She shuffled over to the drink dispenser, unnoticed until she took a first sip. Many pairs of eyes seemed to be following her.

[Mirax Kirret]

Biff and Mirax had silently made their way to the pilots lounge after the briefing, picking out drinks and slumping into the metal chairs at a small round table.

Some of the other pilots had gone straight to the medical wing to get bandaged up. Neither Mirax nor Biff has needed medical attention as they hadn't been in the fight for long before they'd been pulled. The feeling kind of made her almost feel useless... like she hadn't been able to make a difference.

And then she looked at Biff across the table from her, slouched in his chair, staring out at the streaking starfield as the ship traveled through hyperspace, his finger idly drawing circles in the condensation being left on the table by his cold drink. And it made her smile. She had been able to save his life. That definitely counted for something, and suddenly she didn't feel so useless.

A new figure walking into the lounge made her turn her head lazily to take a look at who it was. She didn't recognize the woman, but recognized she outranked Mirax by a good margine from the rank insignia on her jacket.

But in the pilots lounge, there really was no rank. There were only people... beings of different backgrounds... all fighting and living for the same cause.

Mirax looked back at her drink and started matching Biff's circular motions with her own finger on the gathering pool of condensation left by her drink, creating a series of figure eights.

It was about this time RC had rolled into the lounge behind Mirax tooting as she rolled up to the chair, nearly giving Mirax a heartattck and causing her foot to accidently kick Biff's shin under the table. The resounding "ow" from Biff caused Mirax to apologize profusely.

"Sorry Dynamo! RC gave me the fright of my life, and well... I didn't mean it!" The stout astromech didn't help as it warbled a chuckle.

[Henaru Sagekick]

Henaru was silent through the entire debriefing. No matter what the mon Calamari said, the mission was a failure. They didn't achieve their primary objective. The losses racked up on both sides. Many Rebels died and for what? A partial victory?

Henaru spat on the ground, not caring that he was in a hallway. Walking into the lounge, he saw sombre, glaze-eyed pilots all thinking about their lost comrades. Henaru was both lucky and unlucky, since he did not know many, if any pilots who undertook the mission.

Henaru glanced over at a cooler, where he noticed a woman who he previously saw unconcious in the A-Wing. As her gaze met his, he Nodded to her and quickly looked back into the lounge, embarrased that he was caught staring which he sometimes did without knowing. Shifting his hair, Henaru bitterly said,

"This must be where we light the partial-victory cigars..."

[Biff Dronsom]

“That’s going to bruise,” Biff said, feigning a whimper. A small smile briefly eked onto his face, before the gloom over came it again. For all he was grateful to be alive, and pleased to see that others had pulled through, he had still been profoundly affected by what had happened. All of his engagements as part of the Rebel Navy, thus far, had been successful. As a rookie, his number of conflict missions had been limited – he had only been drafted into the Battle of Endor because of the dire need for pilots. It was a sobering experience to, at last, be on the ‘loosing’ side.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, pulling himself out of the malaise to look again at Mirax. “… thanks for watching my back out there.”

[Mirax Kirret]

Mirax shrugged, not really sure how to answer. "I think I'm fine. I dunno. It's like this rollercoaster of emotions in me. One minute I'm feeling lower than dirt and useless, and the next I'm grateful I was there to catch your six." She quirked a smile at Biff. "And you're quite welcome. A hundred times over."

Being there with Biff, having been in the same flight classes and just a rookie herself, she didn't feel alone. Most of the pilots around her were pretty seasoned. But she and Biff had essentially been pulled into the fight because the Rebels were in desperate need of pilots.

Her smile widened, her voice coming out in an almost whisper in the already hushed lounge. "I'm glad your here, Biff."

[Eluna Thals]

Eluna had covered up her broken nose and lacerated upper lip with a bit of bandage and gauze, but the job seemed a bit slapdash to be passed off as the work of a doctor.

Still, she couldn't fix it, and she wasn't exactly sure how to ask a doctor to do it either.

She paced around the medical ward a bit, seeing to her gunner's status as he was being treated. He was gonna be eating soft serve for the better part of a week, if not more. She talked with him and bantered as best as she could. He didn't care. He was too heavily medicated to fully understand it all.

Saying her goodbyes, Eluna left him, and headed for the pilot's lounge. An orderly asked if he could help her with her injury, but she waved him off.

She entered the lounge, and found the nearest unoccupied seat from the door. Straddling it unceremoniously, she leaned forward on the bar with her elbows propping her up. Her short red tuft of hair was disheveled and uncombed, and her skin, while cleaned of grime, had a sheen of perspiration on it.

[Tarn Ardsul]

Tarn was brooding at one of the corner tables in the lounge, nursing his ale and was given a wide berth from the other pilot's thus far. His body posture was less then inviting. One of the other chairs was kicked out and was used as a footstool, while he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. Emotions were mixed. He was happy that Commander k'Vik made it through all right, but his heart still sank at the loss of his buddy Hunk.

They were tight. When he defected from the Empire, Hunk was the first person to accept that he did it for the right reasons and wasn't a spy. That was five years ago. The life span of a pilot was short and Tarn was used to loosing buddies when he was part of the Empire and the Rebellion. Hunk was different and for all the dren they pulled on each other, Tarn had considered the man his best friend.

Loudly he sighed, and set his feet on the ground and elbows on the table so he could hold his head. The ale he was staring into was barely drunk and was probably warm by now. Maybe he should order another and start slamming them down to drown out reality. Not like he hadn't done it before.

[Jarek Tarrk]

Rebel Fleet Rendezvous Point

A heavily damaged X-wing exited hyperspace. Its upper left s-foil had been knocked off the ship structure and one of the engine nozzles emitted a long trail of sparks. Along the sides, there were scorch marks etched of plasma. The craft seemed to have stability problems in flight as the nose swerve to one side. The cockpit was filled with a light dim of smoke. Half of the instrumental panel had shortcircuited. At least the communication and sensors were still functional. The pilot reached for a switch and spoke into the comm unit.

"Greetings Home One. This is Jarek Tarrk. ID#834205. I am the last surviving member of Grey Squadron in Delta Wing. Requesting permission for emergency landing."

"Good to see youre still alive, pilot. Looks like your ship got pretty knocked up. Permission land granted. Turn off your engines and let our tractor beams do the rest. You will dock at bay 4."

He released the tight grip around the controller stick as the ship had a sudden jolt and was pulled towards the docking bay of the Mon Calamari Cruiser. With a trembling hand he wiped pearls of sweat from his face. He was still alive. Amazing..


****
****


2 hours later

"Jarek, Im hit! Aaaaaaggh"

The A-Wing of Grey 7 vaporized into a ball of fire as it hit the hull of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Another group of TIE Interceptors moved in. Missile lock warning lights flashed frenetically. The radar was full of red dots, indicating threats coming from all directions. Was this the end of the rebellion? Would they all die here this day?


The image faded out. It was just a flashback. The chilling scream of terror from his dying team mate resonated through his mind. Jarek could sense the horror in the voice. The realization this was the end. Poor boy, he was too young to die. Jarek wondered what to tell the kids family. He frowned thinking about it. Trying to get hold of himself and clear his thoughts, walked through the corridors of the Mon Calamari cruiser Home One. He eventually entered the lounge where there seemed to be quite a few pilots assembled, eagerly chatting and talking about todays mission.

There was a strange mix of relief, tension, regret and mourning in the air. Relief over finally having defeated Executor, the flagship of the Imperial fleet. Tension, because in not too long, there would probably be yet another mission. Regret because the Empire had withstood the attack on the Death Star, and the war was still on. And finally, the mourning of lost comrades. Some younger pilots talked excitedly about some of their experiences in todays battle. Jarek tried to blend in on the atmosphere, and looked across the room for friendly minded colleagues.

[Radzyn Boomtown]

Radzyn sighed as he looked around the room. His fellow fighter pilots began to meander off to either get a drink, grab an empty chair to relax, get into conversation with other pilots, or all of the above.

Deciding to do the same, the tired pilot made his way to the drink station and ordered up a glass of cold water, and the hardest rum they had.

The water he drank first. That was for the dehydration of the combat he suffered in the cockpit after taking a few hits. The rum was for the calming of the nerves and adrenaline he was slowly coming down from. Leaning against the blacktop counter, "Boomer" stared into the rum. Watching the swirling waves he created as he slowly shook the tiny tumbler.

Images of faces he knew from Gold squadron flashed before his mind's eye as he remembered each one lost. Some strangers to him as they were green rookies....others he knew as aquaintences. And a few he knew were really close friends.

Another sigh escaped him as his free hand reached up and thumb and middle finger rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to get rid of the slight headache he was having. shaking it off, Boomer downed half the contents of the glass before settling the tumbler back onto the paper coaster set before him.

Eyes slightly narrowed as Boomer got into thought. Thinking of the operation which was not completed.....in essence a failure.

"Was it even frelling worth it?"

The pilot asked himself as Boomer wondered about the mission they just got back from. The cost seemed too high a price to pay for what the outcome had been

[Arinna Ceyan]

The briefing had started and ended as a blur to Arinna. She barely heard anything that had been said all she knew was that she was not a happy pilot. Blue lekku twitched with agitation at the mere thought of the rebellion just giving up. That fight had been pivotal in stopping the empire and to her it felt like they had all just given up. How many lives had been lost for what felt to her was nothing? After the briefing she really didn't feel much like resting and after briefly checking on the condition of her X-Wing and a quick change into more comfortable clothes she headed for the bar for a very stiff drink.

Wearing a simple tight gray jumpsuit while her lekku was wrapped in simple blood red ribbon her brown high heeled boots clicked on the hard floors of the ship as she headed to the small bar found on the ship. Droids buzzed about the halls repairing and cleaning the seemingly poorly lit halls. Heading into the bar her eyes barely took in the room which already seemed rather full of other pilots who looked just about a happy as herself. And who could blame them how many lives had been lost how many colleagues? How many friends? The answer to those questions she preferred to never learn, it would be too much for one to bear.

Swiftly moving to the stools at the bar Ari surpassed the tables that many of the pilots where sitting at. She had mainly come here for one thing and socializing with the other rebel pilots wasn't on the top of her list. Sitting at an empty stool she motioned to the bartender with the back of her hand. "What can I get you?"

"Anything hard." She saw that he was about to ask her a question and her lekku moved in equivalent of a shrug. "Surprise me."

Nodding he walked off and came back with a bottle of what appeared to be Corellian ale and placed a full glass in front of her. "Anything else?"

"Yeah leave the bottle." Shrugging he turned and left as she downed the glass in front of her and grabbed for the bottle.

[Henaru Sagekick]

Henaru stood in the doorway for quite some time, sizing up the people in the lounge. As he scanned the room, the sight of a woman with a bandage on her face caught his attention. Looking away, he slowly strolled around the lounge, pretending that he could not find a seat until he reached the red-haired woman's table. Speaking from his more daring half, Henaru coolly said,

"Looks you've had one helluva ride. Mind if I sit with you?"

Henaru figited a bit, and another part of him choked him out and he couldn't speak anymore. He looked around the lounge a bit and back at the lady, waiting for her to decide on his offer.

[Mirax Kirret]

"Was it even frelling worth it?"

A pilot at the table adjacent to them had spoken out loud, albiet not loud enough for the entire room to hear. but it was loud enough for Mirax and Biff to here.

RC booped as her dome swiveled to look at the pilot.

Miriax swiveled in her seat so she was now sitting sideways, with one arm drooped over the back rest. She regarded the pilot, whom she hadn't met before and whose name she didn't know.

"Personally, I think it was worth it. Mostly for two reasons: One, look at all the people around you here. It was worth to save their lives. Two, to say it wasn't worth it would be to tarnish the lives lost."

In a way, she had butted into his thoughts, but hoped he wouldn't hold it against her to speak out her opinion. She smiled and held out her hand.

"Mirax "Snatch" Kirret, Yellow 10."

With her free hand, she gestured towards Biff. "That there is Biff."

A series of beeps came from RC. This prompted Mirax to jab a thumb from her free hand towards the stout astromech. "And this is RC." The little droid beeped a greeting in the pilots direction.

[Radzyn Boomtown]

Radzyn kept his eyes staring into the drink he held in that small shot glass. Listening to the disembodied voice of the pilot sitting next to him at another table, he gradually let a smirk show.

"Personally, I think it was worth it. Mostly for two reasons: One, look at all the people around you here. It was worth to save their lives..."... Radzyn nodded at that, ok she did have a point there. "Point made there."

It was the next point he didn't agree with."..Two, to say it wasn't worth it would be to tarnish the lives lost."

That was when he looked up and toward the woman speaking to him. "Would it? I keep seeing thier faces......and somehow I can't see that."

Can't all share the same reasoning Radzyn thought. He gave way to one part of the conversation but couldn't to another. Freedom of opinion....something they had that other oppressed systems couldn't partake in.

Radzyn let her infectous smile take him and he smiled back as he took her hand in greeting.

"Radzyn "Boomer" "Boomtown....Gold Nine."

Radz nodded to Biff and then to RC. "Nice to meet you both." Then to justify his earlier mood, Radzyn shrugged. "Guess we all lost alot of friends out there.... and I don't think Torq would want me sulking over it at all.... nope, he wouldn't."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

“Has intel scrapped up anything definite yet?” Milivikal dropped into the conversation, changing the morose topic. “I recall that the Death Star ejected a fair amount of mass during the battle.”

“Milivikal k’Vik, Liberty Blue, Lead.” When she spoke, she realized how much she ached. Two of her wingmen survived, thankfully.

“May I have a seat?” Mirax gestured at the empty chair across from her. Mili grunted as she sat.

“One of the deck officers was mentioning a squadron re-organization with the lack of pilots. Besides, when was the last time Command gave you time to worry about anything but your six? As soon as fleet licks its wounds we’ll all be busy chasing TIEs again. From what I’ve heard,” Milivikal said between swallows, “we beat them 5-1 in capitals and over 10-1 in fighters.”

[Mirax Kirret]

Mirax listened to the woman she'd seen enter earlier. er spirits perked up at the odds Mili mentioned. "Sounds like we did pretty good despite the fact we feel kinda lost as to what really happened."

She looked from Biff to Radzyn to Mili. "As for intel, your guess is as good as mine. Aside from the debriefing, we're not sure where we're headed after everyone regroups at these coodinates." She leaned back in her chair, plopping a hand on RC's dome. "Though rumor has it we'll be jumping again and then receiving further instructions."

She frowned, unfrowned, and then frowned again. "What do you mean by 're-organization' exactly?"

[Biff Dronsom]

k’Vik was a name he had heard before. Some pilots came with their own reputations. The leader of Blue Squadron was one of them. People called her the ‘ghost lady’, and now face to face with her Biff could see why. He caught himself staring after a moment and looked away quickly, right at Mirax. "What do you mean by 're-organization' exactly?"

Biff thought he could field this one. “All the squadrons have been cut down to size,” he replied, making a bit of an effort to speak more eloquently and hide his country accent. “They’ll have to merge some of us together to make up for it.”

[Radzyn Boomtown]

Radzyn kept the stool turned towards the table from where he sat next to them. Nodding in agreement as well as understanding at K'vik's explanation. They did give out more than they took, but it didn't seem like it.

And the re-organization of the squadrons only seemed right as most of them were whittled down to almost nothing. Take his squadron for instance as far as he knew, he was the only member of Gold to return from the assault on Endor.

“All the squadrons have been cut down to size.....They’ll have to merge some of us together to make up for it.”

"Exactly." Radzyn agreed as he leaned forward with his forearms resting on his thighs as he sat on the stool. "They'll toss us together, than throw us at them.....I can't wait." He said as he smirked at the currently gathered few at the table.

[Mirax Kirret]

Mirax nodded her head slowly, indicating she understood. She then looked at k'Vik. "Do you know when they'll start this new reorg?"

Still being somewhat green out of the academy, and still considered a rookie, she wondered where she'd fall in the reorganization, if at all.

[Eluna Thals]

Originally posted by Henaru Sagekick
Henaru stood in the doorway for quite some time, sizing up the people in the lounge. As he scanned the room, the sight of a woman with a bandage on her face caught his attention. Looking away, he slowly strolled around the lounge, pretending that he could not find a seat until he reached the red-haired woman's table. Speaking from his more daring half, Henaru coolly said,

"Looks you've had one helluva ride. Mind if I sit with you?"

Henaru figited a bit, and another part of him choked him out and he couldn't speak anymore. He looked around the lounge a bit and back at the lady, waiting for her to decide on his offer.

Eluna's shoulders rotated back, and she stiffened slightly. Looking up at Henaru, she gestured to the seat adjacent.

"Misery loves company. Sit."

[Henaru Sagekick]

Henaru gave a sigh of relief to himself as he quickly sat in the seat gestured to him. Looking around a bit, Henaru finally said,

"Its good to see that more pilots made it back than I expected..." Henaru looked around, thinking about how stupid he must have sounded since the number of pilots they were left with was nothing compared to what they had before the battle. "My names Henaru...Sagekick."

Looking around, Henaru noticed a man sitting in the corner, not talking to anyone. Nodding his head towards the man, he said,

"If that is what sums up the morale of the Rebel Alliance, then we might as well have lost this battle."

[Redic Scott]

(I'm not sure if I can post here. If not, you can just delete my post, or I will take it off. Just wanted my charry to get in on the action as well.)

Captain Redic Scott walked around Home One with a fresh face. He refused to let the losses of the battle get to him. It was true that he lost some good friends, but this was war. Deep inside he knew that no matter how much he wanted them all to survive, it was not realist to think that they all would have. From the start of the engagement, the Rebel fleet was out numbered, out gunned, and out surprised.

That was never a good position to be in when your the one invading. Because of it, the Alliance had lost so many people in a few flashes of the Death Stars Superlaser. Even with the loss of the Calamari Cruisers, Redic was surprised how well his fellow crews fought. They seriously crippled the feared Death Star and had dispatched the massive Executer Star Destroyer. Along with this, the Rebels had killed some of the best captains in the Empire's Navy as well as some of their best fighter pilots. No, to Redic this was not a defeat, but a massive draw in the rebel alliances favor. It could have been much worse.

Redic had come on board to meet with high command and get mission assignments. He also recieved updates and fleet status reports. It was amazing how many people and ships were lost and how many more would need extensive repairs. There was some good news though, 2 Imperial Star Destroyers were captured and would undergo repairs. This would add some much needed firepower to the Rebel fleet and would also act as fighter carriers. The other part of welcome news was the putting together of a Rogue Squadron again.

It was desided to give Redic one of the ISDs and let him take aboard Rogue Squadron. He would also have to go and give the pilots their new orders. This was his mission now, as he was walking towards the flighter Jock mess. He saw the door and peered inside. Standing in the enterance, he straightened his uniform and looked around. There were pilots here and there. Most looked as though the world had ended right under them and they had nothing left. Some were talking to each other as they ate or drank. Maybe they needed this time alone to reflect and get themselves together, Redic thought.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The pilots lounge uneasy chatter continued.

“I’m going to get some rest, and I suggest you all do the same.” k’Vik said, standing slowly. She was still unsteady on her feet. Her back hurt hellishly.
“Fleet is sure to be planning something.” A vauge mumble that could have been taken for agreement or disagreement sounded from most of the lounge.

In her temporary quarters, k’Vik stood under the sonic shower in what seemed to be one perpetual sigh of relief. She pulled on a top and bottom before collapsing into the bunk. An arm hung off the side.

830 Alliance Fleet Time: Mili groaned as the wakeup call sounded and she sat up. Her left hand was numb.
“Bastard.” She said, and gave it a good shake. It tingled as the blood began to flow smoothly again.

900, AFT:
k’Vik arrived at Home One’s Green Squadron Ready Room. There were three other pilots there already, two of which shared a table with her the day before. Biff and Mirax, she recalled. The other she had seen before.

Commodore Essk Relan was an unusually thoughtful Bothan female. Initially a diplomat, she joined the Alliance under the urging of Mon Mothma and proved to be an able ship commander, but more importantly, was extremely good with personnel and did most of the official organization, and ran most of the major crew assignments.

“Good morning, Commander k’Vik.”
“Good morning, Commoder Relan.” k’Vik said, saluting.
“As soon as the rest of your squadron arrives, we’ll start the briefing.” She nodded and took a seat.

“Looks like you were right about the re-org.” Biff said.
Mili nodded in agreement.

[Biff Dronsom]

Biff shifted in his chair uneasily. Working with Mirax and the others, he hadn’t felt as though he was anything special – yet now it seemed that he and the others called to the Ready Room were something more. Of course they were still only pilots, but already he could feel the weight of responsibility coming down on his shoulders.

He eyed the Bothan female with unconcealed curiosity. Much of his childhood had been spent in isolation from the other hundreds of species in the galaxy and it was only upon joining the Alliance that he had been exposed to them. He still found them fascinating, but upon seeing the Commodore looking at him tried to curb his interest, looking away and at Mirax.

[Tarn Ardsul]

Ardsul wandered in and gave Commander Relan a crisp salute before taking a seat away from the other pilots called in for briefing. The only thing that gave him a moment's peace was knowing that Commander k'Vik pulled through her ordeal all right. Otherwise, he stayed silent, and to himself, while he waited patiently for the other pilots to arrive.

[Mirax Kirret]

Mirax stiffled a yawn as best she could, but ended up wrinkling half her face as the yawn forced it's way up. She was sure no one would blame her though. The last few days had been taxing and despite having gotten to bed at a decent hour last night, it hadn't helped to aleviate the exhaustion that had accumulated within her.

As her yawn subsided, she looked around her, looking at each pilot's face as they all sat around the table, either whispering to a neighbor or sitting silently. The Commodore stood at the end of the table, eyeing each pilot before turning to speak with an aid. Taking a chance at the moment, Mirax turned to Biff, who was looking at her.

She knew, what with the briefing, that a re-org was inevitable. But there were so many questions in her head. She decided to let one out. "So, what do you think will happen now?" She whispered to Biff, keeping her voice low and as best as possible, under the other's muffled whispers.

[Biff Dronsom]

Biff leant forward awkwardly.

It was difficult to appear inconspicuous and hide the fact that they were whispering in such close quarters with the others.

“Beats me… suppose they’ll just merge us all together. Maybe split us in two, set us up with some new flight buddies.”

He shrugged slightly, pondering the likelihood of their being any rookies to draft in. Either the newbies would be clamouring for their chance to do their bit for the Alliance, or they would be scared off by the reality of it all. Biff hoped it wasn’t the latter. Looking around the room at the assembled flight crew, he didn’t think that they alone would be able to put up much of a fight.