Dress Whites

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Being summoned to Dac wasn't the first choice on Cirrsseeto's list of things to do, but he was a fast learner. Even in a sometimes-informal outfit like the Alliance Navy, you had obligations to meet that couldn't be ducked. Didn't mean you couldn't shuffle your feet a little.

The holo-flimsy with his orders lay on the hangar deck of Challenger while he worked. The Black Cat's frame was held aloft a meter high by an antigrav harness, it's bare frame exposed in places where the felinoid had stripped components off, to effect a massive repair / upgrade project. The deck around the shuttle was strewn with parts and tools in a slapdash clutter, with Cirr resting on his back underneath, torquing a spanner while wearing sweat-dampened PT shorts and a tank.

This was his sanctuary.

He'd been at work for twelve hours, stripping down and rebuilding whatever he thought could stand a reworking. Master Chief Kochanski had swung by with a pallet full of liberated parts and useable floatsam. She stuck around for a bit of silent moral support as he worked, before wishing him well and leaving. Cirr was tired and strung out, but relentless. He'd tear the damn thing down and build it up as many times as he could, because this was simple. Stopping and having to think about the weeks past and the aftermath? That was hard.

A bolt fell from its carriage, rolling across the deck. His hand shot out a second too late to catch it, and it bounced out of his reach.

"Shjit."

He didn't bother. He worked the other bolts loose, and pulled another panel free, staring at the guts of a power relay that the reader unit insisted was tip-top. It should be, he'd optimized it yesterday. He checked it again, hoping to find something else.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The bolt, bouncing and rolling a short distance away, was stopped by a boot that came down over the top of it and quite effectively ending its' movement. The person who belonged to the foot paused momentarily before reaching down to pick up the small piece of hardware. Slender fingers closed around it, and straightening back up, Lok s'Ilancy stood a moment longer. Her eye went from the bolt to the lower half of the Cizerack sticking out from beneath the Black Cat. All around him in a haphazard scattering were the poor shuttle's innards, and s'Il frowned slightly.

She blinked, tugged her cuff, and clasped her hands at the small of her back, the bolt still in her grasp. Rather than the robes that most had become accustomed to seeing her wear, the Lupine had donned the uniform that many of the Alliance's senior ranks wore. It fit her frame well, and the rank plate on her left breast was accompanied by tour of duty pins that spanned decades of service.

With an inner sigh, s'Il audibly cleared her throat.

"I was going to ask if you'd gotten your orders yet, but the flimsi on the deck answers that question well enough. So I must ask now why you're where you are at this moment, and not where you should be."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr knew the voice, and he crawled out from under his ship, pausing only when he saw her unusual choice of clothes. He didn't bring that up, and only addressed her question.

"jI'm not due out untjil tomorrrow. Fjigurre jI've got tjime forr a few rrepajirrs."

He rose to his feet reluctantly, wiping his brow with a grease-streaked hand, and leaving it's tell-tale mark. He could tell that his excuse wouldn't be enough to cut muster with Lok, and he sighed.

"Honestly, jI'm not lookjing forrwarrd to gojing."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

That too did not go over well, and s'Il frowned.

"You obviously did not read that flimsi then."

At his confused look, she lifted a hand up to rub at the bridge of her nose as if to alleviate some sort of headache.

"Cirr, we are both going to Dac, and quite frankly we should have been halfway there by now."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

He was silent in response at first. There wasn't a real defense in his actions.

"jI can bolt herr togetherr wjith my eyes closed. Gjive me a half hourr, and jI can have us on ourr way."

He pulled a work rag from his back pocket, working at his hands, wringing the filth from the craggy wrinkles at his knuckles. All at once, he paused.

"jIf they'rre makjing the fuss of orrderrjing me acrross the galaxy jinstead of just catchjing a holo, jI guess jit's prretty jimporrtant, huh?"

He shifted weight on his feet, feeling ill at ease just standing about, so he busied himself with parcelling up parts and tools as he talked, preparing to undo his handiwork and get the Cat put back together.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Pulling her hands from their clasped position, s'Il tossed the bolt to him which he caught deftly.

"It's important, yes. A summons from Dac isn't usual, but it's also nothing to be upset over."

She watched him work, falling silent for a short while. There was not much that she could really say to alleviate the anguish that she knew he was feeling, and in her own way, she too was dealing with the same emotions he was. Perhaps not to such a degree, but still.

Finally, after a quiet few minutes, she spoke. Her voice, far from its' previous tone, was now gentle and understanding.

"I'm sorry, Cirr."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

He dismissed her apology with an understanding wave, and looked at her, his jaw tight and lips pressed thin as he reached for a slab of hull plating.

"No, jit's..."

He gave a deep shrug, turning to maneuver the plate into its bolt tracks so he could fasten it to the rest of the superstructure. It wasn't that her condolances weren't appreciated. Maybe he just wasn't ready to deal with putting a huge chapter of his life to rest just yet. Keeping busy with other things seemed a lot better.

"A summons ljike thjis? jI have a good jidea what happens. One of two thjings. Ejitherr jI've rreally fucked up, orr jI haven't."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

That he did not wish to dwell on the matter was expected, and s'Il decided it best to not pry into his wound until he was ready to do so himself. Instead, she pursued his last line of inquiry.

"If it would put your mind at ease, then I can tell you that it has nothing to do with any sort of unsatisfactory behavior."

A look was sent about the hangar, taking in those around them with a cursory, if not idle eye. Her awareness however had not left him, and she kept him in her periphery vision.

"It is per my request that they are calling you. There are orders for Sanis as well, but as he is unavailable at this time, it is just you and me who will be traveling."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

At that moment, Cirr wished he'd taken Sanis up on his offer to crawl under whatever rock he'd decided to skulk off to. So it was a commendation, a promotion, or worse?

He shrugged that thought off. He wasn't an ingrate. Maybe at the bottom of it, he didn't want to put a price on Layla. She was far more than the sum of her parts.

In the end, he changed the subject. Back to work.

"jI haven't told mama yet."

He gave a laugh at that.

"She'd have a tjiff, no? To know how close we werre to bejing space dust?"

Cirr seemed strangely at ease with the thought of that.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She smiled a bit, but there was a health amount of relief in her features all the same.

"I do not want to think of what she would do to me if that had happened."

She laughed lightly herself at that thought, but it wasn't long before her amusement died away.

"Frankly, I do not believe I'd ever be able to forgive myself if you and Sanis had not survived. What happened is partially my fault - " he looked about to argue, but s'Il lifted a hand to stop him.

"It was my thoughtlessness that made Sanis join up. You and I both know how he can be at times, and when he agreed to fly with the Alliance, it was to spite me. So yes, I feel a significant enough amount of responsibility for the state of things and I aim to rectify that as best as I know how."

And still, she gave him no room to interject or offer any words in argument.

"Now. I have already had your dress uniform and other clothes packed, and Master Chief Kochanski is waiting for you to finish putting the Cat back together so that she can have our luggage loaded."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"She'd send you the bjill forr what he stjill owed on the shjip!"

He broke out with an earnest laugh, faint lines at the corners of his eyes as he grinned.

The more serious part came later, and the laughing quickly stopped. He listened, holding a pneumatic rod assembly as she tried to assume responsibility. He was ready to pounce on a stray breath, and cut her off at the pass, but she wouldn't have it. Instead, he stood and listened, his grip on the assembly tightening a little.

She was right about what had gotten them into the Rebellion, but that was really only half of it. She'd given him an out to work through. It would be easier to finish his work. There would be a time to talk about the rest later.




* * *



True to his word, the Cat came together quickly, and Cirr didn't keep his guest waiting needlessly. With the last of the assembly finished, he saw Kochanski off, and lumbered into the small shuttle, running a full diagnostic to make sure all soft systems were green.

"We'rre rrunnjing nomjinal, so, all's left to do jis get clearrance..."

An incoming comm from the flight deck officer gave a fly code.

"...and therre we go."

He gestured to the seat to his side, looking up at s'Il.

"jI can stjill keep a tjight shjip, even jif she's just a ljittle smallerr."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Lowering herself into the seat beside his, s'Il leaned back slightly.

"I know you can."

The piloting she left to him, and through half-lidded eyes the Lupine focused her gaze to a spot on the console, purposefully ignoring the view of the flight deck as the Cat lifted up. It was all reflex at this point, and Cirr had seen enough of her coping mechanisms to know that though mildly uncomfortable, she would be well. It was simply one of the things in life that one had to deal with.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

The act of maneuvering the shuttle out of the bay was as automatic as breathing air, and Cirr gave a push on the sublights once they were clear from mooring distance, gaining distance on the convoy. He worked the jump coordinates into the navicomputer, and a minute or two later, he had a jump solution.

"Should be a two hourr trrjip thrrough hyperrspace."

He gave a reassuring smile.

"No bumps along the way."

With the green light given on the console, he pulled the motivator throttle back, and sent the shuttle hurtling through the ether.

About 30 seconds later, the combination of hypnotic star kaleidoscope, idle hands and feet, and 20 hours without sleep caught up with Cirr, and his head lolled to the side as he slumped a bit.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The quiet of hyperspace was welcome, and angling her head away from the console, s'Il looked to Cirr with a sympathetic look. He'd pushed himself until he could barely keep his eyes open, and the reasons why were so painful to think on. And yet, if he stopped, that was all that he would be able to run through his mind.

There would come the time however, when he would need to come to grips with the loss; he and Sanis both. Sanis had, predictably, run off to bury himself in alcohol and women. Cirr unfortunately had turned to the last remaining piece of home that was left - the Black Cat.

"You should get some rest, I think," she finally murmured, still watching him.

"You have two hours, and the downtime, however small, will be good for you."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI'll get rrest laterr..."

Cirr's words slurred, already thick with the effects of sleep catching up to him. His eyes fluttered half open, then closed, and he fell fast asleep in his chair. Moments later, the snoring began.

Meanwhile, the Black Cat hurtled toward Dac, carrying its two passengers to a momentous rendezvous with Alliance command.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

* * *

She hadn't even bothered him in an attempt to move him to somewhere more comfortable. It was best, she figured, to simply let him sleep where he'd 'fallen'. And so, for the next two hours s'Il had busied herself with other tasks. A series of communiques were sent off and received, requisition requests were finished, and other, more long-winded messages were sent to a myriad of recipients. Not all was official business however, and with fondness she read a series of letters that Teagan had written, forwarded from Dan. It was always the same when she spent her time at the Wheel; Teagan stayed aboard the Dauntless, and every few evenings s'Il received recorded messages from her husband and daughter. Whenever she was gone for longer than a week, the courier brought her at least two handwritten letters from her little girl.

So far she had been with the Jedi for almost a month, and it was turning into her longest stay. Therefor the letters had been often, and many. She missed her daughter, and if the subject matter of each letter was to be any indication, the elder Lupine's presence was sorely missed as well.




Ten minutes before the Cat was to drop back into normal space, s'Il made her way back into the small bridge. Cirr's snoring was constant, and moving to stand behind his chair, s'Il placed a hand to his shoulder, gently giving a few light pats.

"Cirr," she whispered," ... wake up."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

His baby blues blinked open and he sat up like he hadn't missed a beat, sucking in a sudden breath of air as he got his bearings.

"We'rre ten mjinutes frrom terrmjinus."

He turned away momentarily from his guest, wiping at a little ribbon of drool that traced his cheek from where he'd snoozed.

The minutes passed, and Cirr brought the Cat out of hyperspace, swooping down upon the serene blue sphere that was Dac. He broadcast his transponder, and was greeted by the harbor master, who then guided his shuttle to a landing pad on a large floating city in the southern hemisphere. It was a driving rainstorm on the pad, a sight that Cirr took in with some foreboding. He touched down softly, dropping the small gangplank and popping the rear hatch.

"Welcome to Dac, jI guess."

He watched the rain striking the windshield in driving sheets, tugging at the tip of an ear.

"jI need a sonjic showerr anyway. Guess jit doesn't matterr."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Eyes scanning the tarmac, s'Il couldn't help the ghostly smile on her lips as she spotted a speeder transport coming to meet them.

"Well, you can walk I suppose," she reached down to grasp her small duffel while turning to head from the bridge, "... but I think I will take the provided transport."

The speeder stopped a scant few feet from the Cat's boarding ramp, and from the backseat emerged a smartly dressed officer. He unfurled a wide umbrella as he stepped out, and with quick steps he was standing at the hatch's threshold with a broad smile. His unmistakeable red hair was greying at the temples.

"Commodore, always good to see you."

s'Il returned his smile with her own.

"Kes," she greeted warmly, "I wasn't aware that you'd been posted to Dac."

"Not officially, but I tend to spend more time here for General Brecklin so that he doesn't have to be here himself."

At that she laughed, as there had been times when Dan too had sent her in his stead. He had always said that her own intuitions would gather more fruit than his, but they both knew that he simply tried to avoid these sorts of official matters as though they were a plague.

s'Il half-turned to where Cirr had moved to stand beside her.

"This is Mr. Raurrssatta."

Kes, his genial smile never leaving his face, extended a hand out to the big Cizerack.

"Major Kes Akiena. I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Raurrssatta."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr knew what was expected of his station. He snapped a regulation salute, and extended a big hand that enveloped the Major's own in a handshake.

"Honorred to be herre, sjirr."

It was the correct thing to say. He kept it polite and short, all the while getting pelted by a little rain here and there from where a bit of wind would carry it under the shuttle's overhang.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Kes gave a nod, his smile still ever-present as he motioned for the two to walk beside him. The speeder's driver had also left the vehicle, an umbrella of his own in hand and open to shield him from the driving rain. Hastily, he opened the trunk and easily took the small amount of luggage that both visitors had brought with them. Each was deposited swiftly before they could become too drenched, and with that quickly done, he moved back to the driver's side.

Kes opened one of the back passenger doors and gave a wink to s'Il.

"After you."

Ducking in, the Lupine moved to one side of the spacious vehicle so that Cirr could follow her.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr ducked in, careful to close the hatch on the [i}Cat[/i] by remote as he did so. The craft whisked them away to one of the domed structures at the far end of the tarmac, which was the entrance point to the floating city.

Cirr watched the rain stop as they sped through an arch, leading to the interior, and the craft moved to berth in a small motorpool. There, the group departed the speeder, and moved to a lift to carry them to the district concourse.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Using their limited time, s'Il and Kes had taken the opportunity to hastily catch up with one another. She asked him of Brecklin, and he asked her of Dan. For that brief amount of time, the two old friends were young once more, reliving old memories. But, as all things invariably come to an end, so too had their ride.

As the doors to the lift closed behind them, duty and official behavior took over.

"The Review Panel was expecting you earlier," Kes began as they traveled upward.

s'Il, her hands at her back and staring ahead, gave a slight tilt of her head.

"We were detained by unforeseen matters that could not be ignored."

"The dockmaster was as well."

At that, she gave a slight grimace. "I was not aware of that."

"He seemed to want to know if you had lost your marbles; or if you particularly liked the smell of mothballs."

"Not particularly, no." She sighed then. "I will speak to him when we are through here. The Panel will make their decisions in light of recent matters."

s'Il glanced side-long at Cirr then, offering him a thin yet reassuring smile.

"It is nothing to worry over, I promise."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

An ear cocked as he shrugged.

"Ourrs jis not to rreason why..." he mimed the old mantra of the professional underling.

The door opened, and Cirr was escorted to his assigned billet for the duration of the proceedings. He said his goodbyes to s'Il and Major Akiena for the evening, and retired to quarters for the night. The first thing he did was to grab a sonic shower, then changed into his underoos. He sat on the bed for a moment, looking at the pressed white uniform that hung on the hangar rack opposite him, before peeling back the covers to climb into bed.

0800 was an earlybird rise for a guy who worked best on 10 hours rest, so he put all complications out of his mind and was gone as his head hit the pillow.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Unlike Cirr, s'Il spent her evening and long into the night meeting with one of the many advisory committees that littered the bureaucratic halls of Dac. It was a far cry from the humble beginnings of the Rebellion, but her role now was one that she'd fallen into rather easily. She had gone from Jedi to soldier to hermit to officer, and in her current role, the Lupine performed a delicate balancing act that tested many of her nerves and much of her patience at times.

It'd not taken long for her to realize just how little downtime her post and position allowed, so it came as no surprise when at the 0200 hour she finally found herself standing at the door to her temporary quarters. The neckline of her uniform had been unbuttoned in anticipation of being removed once alone.

Kes had accompanied her, having taken it upon himself to escort her. He was shaking his head as she keyed the door panel's entry code.

"I never thought you'd bring her back to life, to be honest."

"Well then," she gave a tired smile, "... it'll be my little secret."

"Not even a hint?"

Stepping in through the open door, s'Il turned to face him, her fingers hovering over the button that would close it. She shook her head, then hit the switch.

"Goodnight, Kes."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's ears angled back as he examined his attire. Some who didn't understand Cizerack expressions would almost consider it a stoic look. Anyone who knew better would understand he was perturbed. The uniform would probably look very sharp on somebody 40 pounds lighter. On him, it still looked okay, but somehow off. Maybe it was the high collar, or the pleat of the pants. Every time he moved, the fabric seemed to resist him. Starch was the order of the day. The clothes were certainly something from home that he occasionally missed. A silk tunic and a mantle were the true synthesis of style and comfort.

Cirr turned to the side, and sucked in at the mirror. He had a paunch, but on his frame it was hardly noticeable, except in his mind's eye. It was just another minor rebellion for his subconscious to wage on his current situation. At last convinced that it was futile to be a frump about it, Cirr sighed, left his billet, and headed to the room he was assigned to for his hearing. He was still early, so best to leave a good impression, just in case he had to jump out of a window.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a modest room that had been reserved, with the panel members each seated in their assigned chairs behind a long table. In front were two chairs, though only one would be occupied this day. A small row of benches sat at the back of the room to accommodate any who wished to be present, and as this gathering was not strictly a classified entity, there were a few who had chosen to attend, sitting in silence and waiting for the proceedings to begin.

The panel members, speaking quietly amongst one another, compared the notes before each of them with hushed tones and matter-of-fact hand motions. s'Il, among those seated along the table, was deep in low conversation with an aide and fellow review officer; the aide nodded to her short queries, making notes on his datapad before backing away once more to carry out her wishes.

When the door opened to allow the subject of their meeting to enter, the room fell silent, and s'Il rested her folded hands on the table's surface, watching as Cirr stepped in, the door shutting behind him.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr headed to the front of the room, standing behind the chair that had been designated for him. As there were senior officers in attendance at the hearing, he stood to attention, again with regulation salute, until a Mon Calamari with Admiral's stripes put him at ease, and bade him to sit.

Cirr tugged down at the base of his coat as he sat to straighten out a faint crease caused by the action of sitting, and Major Akiena began the hearing.

"This panel of the Alliance command officer review is now in session, Admiral Otienne presiding. Be advised that all comments are consigned to the record, and are bound by Alliance military honor code. Would the summoned party please state his name, rank, and posting?"

Cirr spoke clearly, hands clasped in his lap.

"Raurrssatta, Cirrsseeto. Lieutenant. Auxilljiary supporrt technjicjian. Rrogue Squadrron."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il remained quiet as she sat. Her time to speak would not come for a short while yet, so she contented herself with listening.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

The Admiral's unmistakeable rough voice was calm in its' own way.

"My peers and I have been going over your records with quite a bit of interest. In the relatively short amount of time that you've been with us, you have shown yourself to be a capable individual."

Otienne's bulbous eyes blinked, and he dipped his head in a nod.

"Your service history, though for the moment short, is commendable."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr gave a short nod, and a careful "Thank you." He was never all that comfortable in taking praise, and even less so in a formal setting where he really wasn't sure how much he was supposed to acknowledge it.

"There are some infractions on record"

A female Zabrak officer, Captain Undra, scrolled through a flimsy.

"Fighting, some verbal citations for procedure violations by harbor control, and you were named in a grievance with an Alliance quartermaster, although I understand that was later dismissed?"

All true, and Cirr nodded.

"What was the issue with the quartermaster?"

His ears lowered momentarily, and raised as he tried to form a narrative that would be acceptable.

"The quarrterrmasterr assjigned only enough coolant cannjisterrs forr a factorry specjifjication YV-666 ljight frrejighterr."

"The ship you were posted to?"

"Yes ma'am."

He remembered that day. It took about ten people to hold him back from running the quartermaster over.

"Ourr drrjive system was overrbujilt to enhance subljight perrformance. We needed two morre cannjisterrs than werre gjiven."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I see."

There was an odd inflection in the Captain's tone, but she said nothing more as another of the panel's members, Captain Marius, spoke. He was a thin, almost wisp of a man with a shock of grey hair, a pair of thin half-moon spectacles set atop the bridge of his nose, and his voice was quiet and level.

"There is another complaint filed, though not against yourself directly. This infraction seems to be mostly placed upon your captain's shoulders... "

Marius thumbed the datapad he held, looking at it momentarily before his eyes traveled back up to look at Cirr from over the tops of his glasses.

"... by General Dan.

"Can you explain why you were included in this grievance?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr stiffened slightly in his seat. He'd seen the grievance and had to sign that he'd seen it, but he'd gone on record at the time in protest over it. To him, it was due to the General casting a wide brush stroke and catching him in something that wasn't his problem.

"The grrjievance jin questjion stems frrom an jincjident jinvolvjing hull arrt pajinted on my shjip that my Captajin rrequested."

He averted his eyes from Lok. He wasn't comfortable with it at the time, and he still wasn't.

"The Generral beljieved jit was jinapprroprrjiate, and jI beljieve he used my long-standjing assocjiatjion wjith my Captajin as justjifjicatjion that jI should have prrevented jit frrom bejing pajinted."

He hoped the panel really didn't find it worth their time to pry on the issue.

"The arrt was jin poorr taste, but jI had no hand jin jit's crreatjion. jIt was wjithjin hjis rrjight as ourr commandjing offjicerr to orrderr jit to be rremoved, but that would be between hjimself and Captajin Prrent."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Captain Marius."

It was the first time s'Il had spoken, and her tone was one of caution.

Moving on, s'Il leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on the table.

"Tell us of your mission to Coruscant, Lieutenant."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Now was the heart of the matter. Cirr's face darkened just momentarily, then relaxed.

"Ourr task was to escorrt and jinserrt a Jedji strrjike team jinto jImperial prrjison facjiljitjies on Corruscant, to rrescue Serrena Larran."

The claws at his fingertips started to lengthen slightly as he thought over the mission.

"The odds werre hjigh that jit would be a sujicjide mjissjion forr a larrge parrt of the task forrce. We werre lucky to come away wjithout a sjingle loss."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A single loss. s'Il knew well enough that for everyone but Sanis and Cir, that was indeed the case. However, for her two friends those three words were an outright lie. She knew what Layla meant to Sanis, and she knew what the battered old freighter had meant to Cirr. The ship had been their baby and their mistress, and to lose her had been heartwrenching.

Cirr at least was taking it mildly better than Sanis.

"Your success was unprecedented," chimed in another officer, this time another Zabrak. Every member but s'Il nodded in agreement. For her part, she merely kept her gaze solidly on Cirr.

Outside of herself, only Admiral Otienne it seemed understood why the Cizerack was not as happy with the outcome of his mission than the others.

"The loss of your ship is regrettable, Lieutenant Raurrssatta, but your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr tried not to grimace. He didn't feel comfortable with Layla getting a eulogy from somebody else. Neither he nor Sanis could sum it up in words yet. It felt wrong. Worse, he knew the words were given in genuine sympathy, so he had to be gracious and accept them. His jawline tightened a bit as he nodded.

"Thank you, Admjirral. Lay..."

He paused, swallowing his words.

"...my shjip, she meant a lot to me. But jI know wherre my prrjiorrjitjies ljie. Therre was neverr a questjion of what to do. The mjissjion was jimporrtant."

He didn't want to look at s'Il. He was doing well to keep his cool.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Admiral delivered his next words calmly.

"In light of these recent events, and after careful review of your actions and service record, this panel has decided to promote you to the rank of Commander."

There was no time for Cirr to respond as Otienne went on.

"Commodore s'Ilancy has petitioned that you and Captain Prent receive a new ship, and has secured for you a vessel that I hope will be to your liking."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr blinked, blindsided.

"Admjirral, jI..."

He quickly shut up, knowing that anything he had to say right now was very out of place. His mind raced inside. He knew that at some point during this hearing, he'd likely be facing some kind of commendation. A promotion to subcommander and a posting to some other assignment, sure. Going straight to executive level rank and being charged with a new ship? This was insane.

Now he looked to s'Il, his eyes saying to her what his mouth stopped short of saying to the Admiral. Had they all lost their minds?

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Without missing a beat, s'Il picking up where the Admiral had left off. She didn't need notations to remind her of what she was about to say next.

"Your new ship is an older model, but dependable and fast."

If she were anywhere else, the Lupine would have been smiling like a proud mother. As it was, her face remained set in a neutral mask.

"A Marauder Corvette.

"The Novgorod."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's eyes went distant, a sign that his mind was racing a million miles an hour. He knew Novogorod well, indeed that class of marauder corvette was a timeless classic. They weren't as plug and play as a Corellian ship, but they were overbuilt in the way that all engineers loved.

Still, it was leaps and bounds larger than Sanis or Cirr had ever flown. It was a capital ship, with a crew of over 100. This was an amazing opportunity, but also a daunting challenge. His stomach twisted in a knot, wondering what the hell Sanis would think of it all.

He took a deep breath, staved off a rising feeling of nausea at the shock of it all, and spoke low.

"Perrmjissjion to jinspect my postjing?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

As if in answer to his question, s'Il leaned back in her seat while casting a look to either side of her at her peers.

"I believe we are done here. Admiral... ?"

Otienne gave a curt nod and stood up.

"Indeed we are, Commodore. This meeting is adjourned."

He turned to the officers who had begun to also stand, and as an afterthought rapped two of his knuckles on the table to signify the gathering finished.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your time."

s'Il stood, and flanked by Kes, she made her way around the table to stand before Cirr as he stood. The Lupine gave him a salute that looked absolutely foreign coming from her, yet given her attire, completely in place.

"Congratulations Commander. Let's go see your ship, shall we?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr returned the salute, still feeling a bit airy and overwhelmed. He nodded decisively at Lok's suggestion.

"jI'm rready. Can you meet me outsjide jin fjive mjinutes?"

He didn't wait for her response, and walked out of the room quickly. He turned a corner, found the nearest refresher, doubled over the first unoccupied commode, and vomited.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Both s'Il and Kes stood outside the meeting room, waiting for Cirr to emerge from the 'fresher. Her worry was manifested in an offhand tap to Kes' shoulder and a flick of her finger at the 'fresher's closed door.

"Make sure he's not upending all of his lunch if you would, Kes."

The red-head nodded knowingly, and ducked inside. He found the big Cizerack hunched over in the first stall.

"Easy now," he reassured, giving a light pat to Cirr's shoulder.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr was just finishing evacuating, giving a few forceful coughs, a long sigh, and a final spit before whisking the damage away with the press of a button. He stood carefully, cinching down the hem of his jacket, and noting with some relief that he hadn't dirtied it with his sudden attack of nerves.

Still, it was a little embarassing to have the Major sent to check on him. His ears fell a bit, and he passed it off with a nervous smile and a wave of his hand.

"jI'm fjine, jI'm fjine, thanks."

He rinsed his mouth at the sink, then one last look in the mirror, a wipe at his mouth with a towelette, and a small adjustment to his hair, and he was ready.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Kes, always ready with a smile and words of encouragement, gave a nod as the two left the 'fresher. s'Il, like some stone sentinel, was still waiting. She smile to Cirr, gesturing down the corridor.

"Shall we?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

After his bout of nerves, Cirr felt much more at ease. He looked to the Major, then to s'Il, and nodded.

The three made their way to an outside awning, that lead to another awaiting speeder. This trip took them on a journey to another floating settlement, some ten minutes away. Rather than a cityscape, this had all the looks of a spaceport. The speeder veered toward a behemoth structure, a good 400 meters long, and at least fifteen stories tall. It was a hanger big enough to berth a capital ship inside. As they approached, massive bay doors began to slowly trundle apart, revealing a bustling, well-lit interior full of activity....


...and a gorgeous white-hulled Republic Sienar Systems Marauder Corvette.

Cirr leaned forward as the speeder decelerated, coming around for a pass over the missile corvette, before perching on a service walkway to drop them off. All over the superstructure, teams of workers were busy with spot welding, various repairs and upgrades, and making sure the Novgorod would be space capable.

Cirr hardly even noticed that the speeder had stopped, and had to be prodded before tearing his attention away from the awesome sight before him.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Standing beside the speeder, s'Il waited for Cirr to extricate himself while somehow managing to keep his eyes glues to the massive ship that sat berthed, her powerful engines silent. The sight of it pulled her back to years long gone, and with a wistful expression the Lupine found her mind wandering back to the time she'd served aboard it. So long ago...

Kes had moved to stand beside her, knowing full well the thoughts that were now running through her head, and he let a satisfied gaze sweep over the pristine hull.

"I'd say she's a fair shade cleaner than when she was first retired."

s'Il gave a soft laugh at that.

"Never had much time to fuss over particulars such as that back then."

"You ever miss her?"

"Oh of course. Took a long while to let her go after I left for Cathar."

Kes was silent then, and though he had more to say, he knew it best to speak at another time. As it was, he turned to regard Cirr, who had by now exited the speeder with eyes as large around as saucer plates.

"I'll tell you this right now; there's not a better ship in the fleet."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr didn't say anything in response, but walked along the path leading up to the main retractable catwalk leading to the ship's interior. Enlisted crewers passed him going the other way, and snapped a salute to acknowledge a senior officer coming aboard. It took Cirr a second to recognize they were saluting to him, and he very belatedly returned their salute to put them at ease.

The catwalk ended at the airlock terminus just aft and portside of the bridge, so Cirr had only taken three steps to his left when a loud "Commander on deck!" bellowed from an Ensign, causing every crew member on the bridge to rise to their feet.

The felinoid had stepped into a whole new universe. He looked around at twenty-ish faces, all trained on him, and he could feel Lok's and the Major's eyes on him, just beyond the bridge's threshold.

"At ease."

The thrum of activity resumed on deck, and a Yeoman pressed forward with a datapad for him to authorize. He knew enough of naval convention on capital ships to know that he was signing himself in as XO into the log book.

Now, it was his turn to look back at his senior officer, who still insisted on eavesdropping from just beyond the bridge.

"Rregulatjion states that the senjiorr offjicerr on deck takes the conn."

Was he passing the buck? Maybe he was. This was moving pretty fast, and he was just barely hanging on for the ride. Besides, he wanted to go below deck anyway. He couldn't wait to see the power plant on this beauty.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Now she did step onto the bridge proper. It was like stepping back in time, and there was the barest of pauses as, for a half a moment she was transported back in time. She could see Kori and Dage, and the entire bridge crew was a mess of activity with their commander, Dan, seated comfortably in the captain's chair. And in a flash it was gone as the Lupine was pulled back to the present.

The yoeman was holding the datapad out to her.

She took it, skimming through its' contents before pressing her own thumb into the signature box. It was only temporary however.

She dismissed the young officer with a nod as she returned the 'pad to him, and her eye travel up to Cirr's face. She could read his thoughts without even using the Force; he very nearly held his intentions on his sleeve, and the eager look to his eyes only meant one thing.

But, there was still another matter to attend to, and s'Il cut into the big felinoid's engine-filled daydreams like a sudden jolt.

"I have something else for you," she turned about, leaving the bridge and motioning that he follow.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Taking one more look around, Cirr turned about, passing through the double doors that lead to the Deck 1 main corridor. s'Il rounded a bulkhead, arriving at the ship's lift. Heh, an actual lift. You know you're on an actual ship instead of a boat when you've got that instead of a ladder or stairs.

She punched her selection as 2 Deck, and bade him to climb in. As he did, he continued to watch the bustling foot traffic down the corridor. Technicians were everywhere, carrying equipment pallettes and other important items.

Where was she taking him? Obviously not to 3 Deck, which he already knew would house the engine compartment, which is where he was chomping at the bit to inspect.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

When the lift doors opened, s'Il was the first out, followed by Kes with Cirr bringing up the rear. She could almost smell his hesitation, and where he couldn't see, she smiled a thin smile. He would be allowed time enough to inspect every inch of engineering. But for now, there was another much more pressing matter.

Past a constant stream of enlisted officers and deck crews, the trio made their way to the small wing of quarters reserved for the command crew. It was before one of the closed doors that s'Il stopped. These would be Cirr's new rooms, and stepping to the side, she looked first to Kes - who was himself giving her a confused look - and then to Cirr.

She keyed the entry code, and the door opened.

"Go in."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr gave s'Il a strange look, his ears cocking unevenly as he tried to imagine what she had in store for him. Deciding at last that conjecture would get him nowhere, he shook his head with a smile, and opened the door...

"Mama?"

His eyes widened, followed by his smile, as he stepped through the threshold to wrap up the much shorter woman that met him with a hug.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Dai'aalla ne cheeia taalai'e Cirrsseeto"

The woman on the other side of the door, dressed uncharacteristically in plain-looking clothes, met Cirr's embrace with one that was perhaps not as big, but matched in sincerity.

"Let me ssee mjy jyoung cub jin hjiss unjiforrm."

She peeled herself away from him, taking the sight in as she worked to adjust his jacket, correcting the rumples she'd made with her sudden embrace. She stood silent a moment, taking a deep breath to help her take it all in.

"Do jyou know how prroud jI am of jyou? jI wass sscarred forr jyou, and jI sstjill am, everrjy dajy. But now, jI ssee the man jyou arre, and..."

She reached to grab his hand, holding his right hand with both of hers as she looked up to him.

"Ssometjimess jI wonderr how farr jyou could ssucceed jif jyou had been borrn a woman, and djidn't have sso much fooljisshnesss put jin jyourr wajy. But jyou'rre asss sstrrong ass jyourr motherr. Asss sstubborrn too, majybe morre. jI'm jyourr motherr and jI won't everr sstop worrjyjing overr whetherr mjy cubss arre ssafe, but jI'm no longerr worrrjied that jyou've made a wrrong decjissjion."

She gave his hand a squeeze.

"ss'jIl told me what happened, and told me how brrave jyou werre, gettjing everrjyone home aljive frrom that terrrjible mjisssjion. And jI know how much Lajyla meant to jyou and Ssanjiss, even jif jI hated that thjing."

Putting on a knowing smile, she continued.

"ssjIl told me jyou werre gettjing a new sshjip, and jI wanted jyou to have a few thjingss."

She turned to a small utility desk, picking up a holoflimsy and pressing it in his hand. It was a manifest of every part and system from Koensayr-Meorrrei Galactic that had been or was in the process of being installed in the ship. The Novgorod was a solid, battle-tested ship, but she was a ship that had seen decades of service, and despite intentions, was not as cutting edge as others. Fortunately, the design was modular, and Taataani took great pains to give her son the biggest edge he could be given. There were easily two million credits worth of improvements in the manifest.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

For his part, Kes had to keep himself from gawking. This woman was the one to provide the upgrades that Novgorod had received?! He cast his disbelieving look sideways to s'Il, who for her part merely smiled in satisfaction. Taataani, as always, had provided far more than she was ever asked.

The Lupine gave the slightest of bows to the Cizerack woman.

"The Alliance wishes for you to know their gratitude, Taataani."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"jI...uh..."

Cirr glanced down to the manifest, and his jaw dropped. He looked back up to his mother with incredulity.

"...mama, don't thjink jI'm ungrrateful, jI'm not at all, beljieve me, but thjis jis too much! Arren't you worrrjied you'll get jin trrouble wjith the Prrjide orr the Empjirre?"

He looked back to s'Il, wondering how she could have let his mother risk so much.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jYou've made an jimprresssjion on jyourr dearr old motherr."

Taa spoke reassuringly, but in a very determined way.

"jYou made jyourr decjissjion to fjight jin a wajy you knew how. jI'm dojing the ssame."

She sighed, perhaps an admission of the risk that Cirr was quick to point out.

"jI can't sjit back and prretend nothjing'ss happenjing, Cirrsseeto. jYou'rre rrjight. Majybe jI can't sshoot a gun orr fljy a sshjip, but jI can ssjign a chjit wjith the besst of them. Don't be ssurrprrjissed jif jyou 'fjind' ssome ajid herre orr therre."

She kissed him on his cheek, an act that took a lot of standing on tip-toes, and a bit of cooperation on his part.

"jI can't tell jyou not to worrrjy about me, becausse jI worrrjy forr jyou each dajy. But trrusst Taataani on thjiss."

She walked past Cirr, and stood by s'Il.

"One dajy, nejitherr of uss wjill have to worrrjy."

[Kallum Romanoch]

The door slid open once again to reveal a young man dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a scout jacket with a decidedly non-regulation popped collar. He was hunched forward, absorbed in a small datapad which may well have contained the mysteries of the universe, when he gave an amused snort.

"Alrigh' mam, I go' yer shoppin' list 'ere. Shoulda seen deh look on da' snooty lieutenant's face - thought i' was Life Day, 'e did - sure removed deh stick from 'is aaah-"

He snapped upright, short of walking into a stranger with red hair. Upon realising he and the matron were no longer alone, Kallum cleared his throat, and presented Taataani with the datapad, becoming motionless.

"Didn' mean teh interrupt a family reunion," he muttered sheepishly, his gaze climbing the full height of Cirrsseeto Raurrssatta.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Ah, the help.

Cirr gave Kallum a glance, and a glance back to his mother. With the guy's thick Nar Shaddaan accent, he probably wasn't her PR assistant. But it also didn't look like the sort of male ornaments she accessorized with when on trips elsewhere, which implied he was at least partially a professional acquaintance of hers.

He extended a big hand to Kallum.

"Hji, jI'm Cirr."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taa's ears perked up as she quickly corrected her son.

"That'ss Commanderr Cirrsseeto Raurrssaatta."

She wore a prideful smile as she looked to her boy.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's ears ticked back. He didn't like pulling rank as a junior officer. It was only going to get worse from here on up, and he had a feeling that mother's newfound acceptance of his lifestyle would compel her to throw a ticker-tape parade every time he was namedropped.

He gave Kallum the slightest of head shakes and an apologetic smile.

"Don't let herr put on. Just Cirr. And you?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

His hand was swallowed by the hefty Cizerack paw and as they shook hands, Kallum's eyes danced between mother and son, quietly amused by the exchange.

"Chief-Lackey Kallum Romanoch, bu' between us, jus' Kallum will do."

It was a strange sight to see Cirrsseeto decked out in his military finery, a vast deviation from the subservient norm with which he was familiar in Cizerack culture, and it took an effort to divert his gaze. A nod at Taataani.

"Yer mudder's been tellin' me all abarr yeh. Congratulations on deh promotion."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Abarai??!!

Blinking, s'Il straightened her back only slightly as she corrected her initial thoughts upon seeing this newcomer. No, not Abarai Loki. There was simply an uncanny resemblance that bordered on being utterly eery. If she didn't know any better, then she would guess that, years down the road, this man was what her young Jedi friend would grow up to look like.

But, ever mindful to keep herself in check, s'Il only looked briefly at the datapad that had been given to Taataani before lifting her eye back up to Kallum's face.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Parrdon mjy mannerrss, jI'm late wjith jintrroductjionss."

Taa took Kallum by the arm, pulling him along to stand next to s'Il.

"Kallum Rromanoch, mjy executjive ljiasson, meet Loklorrjien ss'jIlancjy, Jedji Knjight, and..."

She looked to the Major, who looked as if he'd been dragged to a family reunion that wasn't his own.

[Kes Akiena]

Kes nodded politely.

"Major Kes Akiena."

He extended a hand to Kallum.

[Kallum Romanoch]

While he shook hands with the major - a good firm shake, which was always important on business, legit or otherwise - Kallum only had eyes for the silent blonde beside his employer. He replayed Taataani's words in his head, words so irregular that, when it came to repeating them, they got lodged in his throat:

"A Jedi Knight?" he spluttered, "Yeh've been holdin' out on me, mam!"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Sometimes Cirr had to be reminded of the fact that in some corners of the galaxy, Jedi were less likely to be found than gold egg-laying Tauntauns. His travels with Sanis, and his service on the Wheel had jaded him to that notion, and he smiled at Kallum's incredulity.

"Want herr autogrraph?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum froze, suddenly remembering himself. There were, of course, a great many degrees of professionalism to be observed in business, each with their own subtle shades of tradition and decorum. It then occured to him that, when in the presence of majors, commanders, and Jedi Knights, it was a safe bet to assume standards were fairly high.

"Sorry," he said, "Kinda caugh' me off guard dere."

In the end, he returned his attention to the Jedi, and offered an apologetic smile for his starstruck gawping.

"I assure yeh, Madam Meorrrei 'as no' jus' presented yeh wi' deh village idio' as 'er executive liasson."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Still, she could not quite overcome the sight of the man before her, and the knowledge that she knew his face as a boy. She smiled genially however, giving a shake of her head.

"It is nothing to worry over, Mr. Romanoch. Usually while on Dac my duties are more in line with my rank, and not with the Jedi."

s'Il gave a kind smile, still a bit awed at the sight of him.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr laughed a bit at the exchange, when suddenly his wrist comm beeped (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=368129&postcount=43) a few times, tearing him away from the immediate conversation. He excused himself, took a few steps away, and opened the message.

"Huh, that's odd."

No visual, or even audio. Just a numeric message on the screen. That was unusual. Even more unusual, he recognized it as a distress signal. Sanis's distress signal. The origin came from Gelthia, the planet Sanis had logged in his shore leave plan when departing from the Jedi convoy a few days ago.

Cirr closed the comm, saying nothing, but his face bore concern, and he looked distant as he mulled it over.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taa immediately noticed Cirr excuse himself, and watched his demeanor change. It was either a virtue or a fault that he bore his emotions on his sleeve, and it made it obvious to discern what sort of things were on his mind.

She approached him, placing a hand against his arm.

"Cirrsseeto, jai'i innei a?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr shook off his mother's worry.

"Nothjing, nothjing. jIt's Sanjis."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"Prrobably jin a drrunk tank, askjing me to post bajil money."

He didn't believe that, and saying it was just a comfortable denial. As prone to all sorts of minor trouble that Sanis was, he would've at least gone to the effort to lie about it if it was something like that. The very brevity of the message worried him. His tail jerked up and down, further betraying his concern.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum watched the exchange in silence, and marvelled at the way Cirrsseeto held himself - so far removed from the stoic subservience of Taurrifar and Taataani's other manservants, he may very well have been of an entirely different species. Even if he hadn't overheard mention of a distress signal, the slight droop in the big Cizerack's ears translated clearly enough to show something was wrong, and that name. He recalled his meeting with Taataani, and the story of how she'd managed to smuggle her son off-world with a pilot from Nar Shaddaa: Sanis Prent.

He studied mother and son intently, curious to see how they chose to handle this brewing conundrum. And a quiet voice at the back of his head was quick to point out that things we're already starting to look more interesting than he'd bargained for...

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

In some ways the mention of Sanis helped to bring the here and now back to the forefront. There was a reason s'Il had taken command of Novgorod for the time being, and she used Cirr's concern to push things forward.

She stood up just a little straighter, her back stiffening as her hands moved to clasp at the small of her back. Any interest in Kallum would need to be placed on hold, unfortunately, for other more pressing matters. She would however, need to at some point inquire more about him. The resemblance was simply too uncanny.

She turned her gaze from Kallum to look up at Cirr. His concern she read like an open book.

"Our current logs show him as having gone to Gelthia. We will go there first."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's mouth gaped a little, a bit surprised at the direct support. He tugged at his left ear tuft lightly.

"Arre you surre?"

I mean, this wasn't the sort of blue milk run they'd do without a thought in Layla. This was a capital starship, albeit a small one. This was sending over a hundred people, and thousands of tons of durasteel across the galaxy for what might be nothing.

Still, his demeanor picked up a bit. He grimaced at the notion that he had technically questioned his superior's order. He straightened up and gave a curt nod.

"At the Commodorre's command."

His baby blues turned to his mother and Kallum.

"Well, jit's not the way jI'd want jit, but you'rre welcome on our majiden voyage."

He still hadn't got to white glove the engineering section yet. He'd have to settle for a systems status report. Surely the Alliance wouldn't stick him with a gaggle of incompetent mynocks in his engine room. He'd have to kill them!

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She'd given the ship her approval. It was certainly a much cleaner, less cramped, and at her insistence, she'd paid extra to make sure the ship had decent mattresses in the crew quarters. While she was under no illusions this was a luxury liner, it had just enough amenities to keep her in good form, yet still offer a chance of a thrilling excursion. If it was just to pick up Sanis, there surely wasn't any chance of getting blown up or anything.

Her eyes lit up, and she ran a hand along the nearest bulkhead.

"Commanderr, jI would be honorred to wjitnesss jit."

She turned to Kallum, her ears suddenly with a twitch in them.

"Djidn't one of ourr carrgo contajinerrss have ssome champagne jin jit? Can't have an occassjion ljike thjiss wjithout jit."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes, remaining silent, watched from the corner of his eye as Mr. Romanoch departed on the errand that the Cizerack Matron had sent him on. Once the door had closed, he turned his full attentions to Taataani however.

"Madame Meorrrei, we are all most thankful for your contributions. Thanks to you and the Commodore, this old girl has life again... "

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"... especially given the fact that Loklorien and the General at one point landed her belly-up on Ryloth."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"An unfortunate mission for all involved," the Lupine interjected quickly before Kes could open his mouth once more.

"The crews should be nearly finished on the outer hull, and the technicians, last I heard, were in the process of clearing away their testing equipment."

Hoping to push away any possible inquiries into the sometimes less than heroic (or even dignified) events that Novgorod had been a part of, s'Il pressed on with business.

"We should be able to leave within the hour."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

The hour passed quickly, as the technicians made sure their finishing touches were well attended to. Cirr still couldn't tear himself away for an engineering inspection. Instead, he was given a crash course of command on a Marauder Corvette. He looked over his station, which sat to the right of the command chair, and then to all of the bridge stations. Propulsion, shields and weapons, comm, navigation, and sensors / EM warfare. It was a lot to take in, but Cirr was serious about his responsibility. It certainly helped that he suggested that his mother actually help Kallum with the champagne while he mustered his bridge, and she actually listened. With a cautious smile on his face, he began to think this whole crazy idea might actually work.

Finally, toward the end of his command orientation, Cirr got a spare minute. He took a seat at his station, and tapped the comm to the engine room. If he couldn't cut the steak himself, he could at least ask the butcher about it, so to speak.

"Brrjidge to Engjine Rroom. Status Rreporrt."

He caught s'Il's eyes on him as he opened the line, and all he could do was give a slight helpless shrug. What kind of mechanic would he be if he didn't at least ask?

[Regan Altink]

A string of expletives escaped from under Regan's breath, as he hung at an awkward angle half-way out of a maintenance crawlspace, watching the hyperspanner tumbling away from his fingers and into an inaccessible nook behind one of the bolted-in chunks of engineering equipment.

The Marauder Corvette had been designed by Republic Sienar Systems to mount as much firepower and engine power as possible, into the smallest package possible. Unfortunately, the designers didn't live in quite the same version of reality as the rest of the universe. There were certain components and equipment that just couldn't be made any smaller than they already were; something had to give, and inevitably that was the space occupied by people.

Systems were layered on top of systems. Components were bolted on in front of other components. To make matters worse, the bolts were positioned in the most awkward and out-of-reach places imaginable; and the makeshift replacement parts that the Alliance had cobbled together - parts that were seldom the right size or shape for the holes allocated to them - didn't exactly make the job easier.

Tink was a fighter mechanic. He was used to working on systems that were so tightly bundled together that you needed to be a multi-jointed gymnast to reach them all; it was the reason they'd offered him the job in the first place. Unfortunately for him though, when you couldn't get at something in a starfighter, it would only take a few hours on the flight deck to strip off all of the components in the way. Floating in the middle of space, that didn't really seem like a viable option.

"I'm a wee bit busy right now, bridge," he called back, after retrieving the comlink from his tool belt. "Would y'mind pesterin' someone who isnae so busy keepin' the ship held t'gether in one piece?"

He shook his head and sighed. "Seems like this ship was put back t'gether by monkeys."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Mr. Altink."

Standing beside Cirr's seat, she looked down to meet the Cizerack's upward turned eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest as her voice was raised just enough for the man on the other end of the comm to hear.

"Despite the nature of my ship's construction, I would be most appreciative if you could answer the question asked of you."

[Regan Altink]

Tink rolled his eyes. Officers were all the same. You put a certain type of uniform on someone, and they transformed into a holier-than-thou commandant who seemed to have lost all concept of reality and reasonability, firing out impossible requests with impractical deadlines, and expecting some sort of mechanical miracle to spring out of nowhere.

It was a side-effect of the uniform, no doubt about it: though Tink had his suspicions that Commodore s'Ilancy had been spending a little too long with a different cycloptic Commodore, and that some of his command style may have rubbed off on her.

"We'll get where we're goin', sirs," he responded with a sigh. "Even if I have t' get out and push."

An afterthought followed shortly after. "But I cannae be so confident about some of th' other systems. Try not t' shake us up too badly when we get there. There's far too much mesh tape an' faith holdin' us t'gether for my liking."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's claws dug into his armrests, if anything to keep him tethered to his post where he knew he should be, instead of down one deck, with his shirt off, and a spanner in hand. At least he knew the guy down there was a true mechanic. It was almost Mechanic's Code to piss and moan over the sad state of affairs of your beloved engine, even if the kitten was purring happily. That way, when things did end up working tip-top, you got your praises sung and occasionally a few drinks you didn't have to pay for when you were off duty. If you called your shit completely straight every time, the only time people knew you existed was when you fucked up. So yeah, true blue mechanic. Cirr almost relaxed knowing that.

Still, he brought up the holographic interface at his own seat, pouring through engineering systems data. The Republic Sienar Systems stock motivator and power plant were honestly pretty vanilla, but the numbers he poured through were as far from it as possible. Matter annihilation ratios that required an enormous magnetic bottle to sustain. It also required a coolant system orders of magnitude beyond what came stock. He overlaid the engine schematics against the manifest from KMG that Kallum had. The engine might as well be for a completely different ship entirely. It was so overbuilt, so robust, that maybe Mr. Altink's kvetching might have been genuine, in that he needed a sturdier cage to keep the beast inside.

His fingers flew over the holo interface. Sublight drive rating was 3,800G, which would overtake a stock X-Wing. Hyperdrive clocked in at a 0.55 rating, which was obscene. Cirr had Layla at a 0.65 which was a point of pride for him. Shaving a whole other tenth of a hyperspeed factor required an exponential increase in resources. The only ship Cirr knew of that could clock a faster jump to light speed was the Millennium Falcon, and that was lost at Endor.

Cirr started to sweat a little, and his mouth was suddenly very very dry.

"That'll be all, engjineerrjing!" he blurted out a bit quickly, closing the comm as he bit down a little on a fist, still looking at numbers.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Cirr's actions were amusing enough that s'Il had to look up and away lest she laugh aloud. His eagerness and anticipation rolled from him like relentless waves, threatening to crash against like a wild surf hitting a rocky shoreline. Instead, she at least allowed herself the slightest of smirks, and moving past his chair, smoothly lowered her frame into the Captain's seat.

It had, so long ago, been the very same perch that Dan had sat upon with ease. Back then she had been amazed at her husband's commanding presence which seemed to come so naturally. Now however, she knew that such behavior came about with time and experience. Both of those she had - as Sanis often said - in spades.

Where once Dan had sat, presiding over the comings and goings of his first command, she now sat. It was not her first command to be sure, but it was still a reminder. A reminder of a part of her own history.

s'Il gave an idle pat to Cirr's arm.

"Calm yourself," she spoke quietly so that only he could hear, "... your crew is like a gula. They can sense your emotions through the saddle's leather."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Suddenly aware at his own ridiculousness, Cirr straightened up. He leaned back against his chair, adjusting at his jacket, and gave a polite cough.

"jI thjink the engjines wjill be fjine, untjil jI can take a closerr look laterr."

With a few keystrokes, he minimized the engineering interface at his terminal, bringing up instead a broader systems summary. All boards were green. The Novgorod was ready to leave port.

"All statjions rreporrt rready, Commodorre."

He watched the bridge crew finalize their preparations to weigh anchor and begin atmospheric ascent.

"Orrderrs?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Then."

Leaning back in her seat, s'Il took her eye from Cirr and set it forward.

"Helm. Send word to flight control. Novgorod is ready to depart."

As the helmsman nodded, turning to his station to fulfill her order, s'Il angled her head to look at Cirr.

"I leave the honor to you, Commander."

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr's ears raised, and the Commander dipped his head slightly in appreciation.

"Thank you."

Eyes forward again, he began departure procedures.

"Thrrusterrs and rrepulsorr drrjives to harrborr masterr contrrol."

The guidance of Novgorod was temporarily slaved to Dac's Harbor Master, enabling the careful arrangement of the ship's initial exit trajectory combined with the cris-crossing patterns of ship activity. Novgorod's engines glowed blue-white, the air shimmering around them as the corvette's superstructure trundled out of the enormous hangar. Once free, it began its slow cruise to higher altitudes. Among the thick stratus rainclouds of Dac, peels of rainshowers strafed across the main viewport.

"Harbor Master relinquishing helm control. We are go for escape velocity."

Cirr nodded.

"Ahead on exjit vectorr, engage subljight drrjive one quarrterr."

The corvette picked up assured speed, leaving the atmosphere of Dac behind in a fade of violets, purples, and eventually black. Beyond, shapes could be seen in the distance. The First Fleet kept vigil in orbit, and the graceful organic lines of the Mon Calamari ships dwarfed the Novgorod as she passed. Nevertheless, the little corvette danced and weaved with agile grace through the monolithic formations of heavy capital ships.

"Helm, enterr coorrdjinates forr hyperrspace jinserrtjion. Tarrget: Gelthjia system."

The helmsman quickly input coordinates.

"Navicomputer preparing FTL solution. All stations prepare for FTL jump."

The giant guardians of the First Fleet left in their wake, the marauder corvette thundered for the outer reaches of Dac's solar system, escaping the influence of adjacent gravity wells for the free movement that deep space provided.

Cirr couldn't suppress a smile on his face, despite the seriousness that would await them at the next jump point. Zero point five five hyperspace rating.

"Go."

Space-time unfolded in front of them like electric origami, and Novgorod exploded through the abyss like a rifle shot.