Ashes: We all burn down [Goran]

[Alexia Sturkov]

The shuttle emerged from hyperspace, cutting through the inky darkness toward the glittering orb ahead. Even from the limiting sight of the viewport she could see the familiar Star Destroyers and support craft in high orbit that form the bulk of the blockade. It did not instill in her the sense of safety and security that she knew it should. Instead it felt like passing through the walls of a prison cell; and the moment the shuttle passed through she could feel the door slamming behind them. Her trip to the Core had been a vacation by comparison, and even though she had been hard at work it had not been unpleasant. Any situation spent with Vissica was a joy regardless of the circumstances.

And now she was back. Returned to her post. Coronet. The city grew in the viewport as they approached, and she was sickened by the sight. This was her prison of concrete and steel. The unwinnable battlefield for the hearts and souls of Corellia. Down there a small group of people hated the Empire; hated her. They would stop at nothing to destroy their enemy. They had already proven that when they dropped that Star Destroyer into the city. The Destroyer was gone but the scar still remained. A cut through the Industrial District; a massive trail of calamity. It was being cleared; stone by stone, but it would be years before it was all put back together.

But that damage was only superficial. The real damage was hidden below the surface. An open would in the minds of the people. They had done this to themselves, and they would never trust each other again. It was her duty to root out this great evil and win back the people. Or die trying.

They landed at the Garrison in short order. The landing ramp lowered to reveal the glowering face of Sergeant Wendal waiting for her. His usually impeccably clean white plastoid armor was dirtied. His black shoulder guard was grayed with carbon scoring. There was a sleepless paranoia in his eyes that was haunting to see in the face of the storied commandeer of the Raven Guard.

"Knight Sturkov. We have a situation."

"By the force, Wendal. I was only gone for a week. What has happened?"

"We lost one of the Destroyer reactor cores. It was being transported to Tyrena when it was ambushed and taken."

"How could you-." She stopped herself, rubbing her forehead in a worthless attempt to dispel the headache that was already bubbling up. The how was not important. "Do we know who took it? The Kingsmen? Shadowcel?"

"The Ascendant."

"The Ascendant, operating outside of the city? Come now, Wendal. Are you sure it wasn't a false flag?"

"Bane sent us a holo taking responsibility for the attack. He says he's going to turn it into a bomb, and detonate it within the city."

"I need to see that holo. We must find them first and, well, I don't know. I guess we should get a team together. This is an entirely different kind of threat. We have any experts on hand?"

"I've put together a few thinking heads but not many have ever had to deal with a radioactive threat. I've requested assistance from command. The only thing they could send on such short notice was one Goran Dala. A Rad-Trooper."

"Just one? Well, that should be interesting. Let me know when he arrives."

[Goran Dala]

Tension was high, but nothing much happened. There was only exercises that were increasingly frequent but decreasingly engaging. Sure, it could help the troops retain their skills, but troops needed much more than skills to survive and win. Goran was dull, and each day he would desperately read the news, hoping there would be action soon. He also pestered his platoon's lieutenant, always asking him if there were tasks he could volunteer for.He was cleaning his armour, making sure it was a bright, pristine white, also applying the anti-radiation coating on. The lieutenant called him from the comms to go into his office."15, I've got something for you, hopefully to keep your mouth shut for a while." the lieutenant opened with some banter."We'll see about that, lieutenant. It's always hard to keep a good man down!" Goran replied."Got orders from high command they need to send a few soldiers to Corellia, cuz you know what's happening there, yeah?" the lieutenant asked, which was met by a nod. He continued, "They told us to only send as few troops there as possible, to keep overall troop strength high everywhere as a show of force, so that we can respond to whatever the New Rep might throw at us, so you'd be the best bet.""Aww, thank you, SIR!" Goran saluted, a smile beaming from his face like a child seeing his favourite toy.He ran out of the lieutenant's office and started packing. In a gray bag, he put his body suit and neatly stacked his armour pieces in. With a suitcase, he put his standard issued weapons in. Carrying both, he jogged to the designated Sentinel-class shuttle. Inside, however, there were no other combat troops. He only saw staff that were going on leave, or for whatever other reason. As he sat down, he received a briefing from his officer. It seemed quite brief, even for a briefing. Yet one thing was clear, those terrorist had to be stopped or major cities like Coronet would be decimated from a reactor core explosion.

[Alexia Sturkov]

It never ceased to surprise her just how absent the elements and nature were in the city. It's density and towering structures blotted out the sun, blocked the wind, and sometimes even the weather. One gets used to it, when they have spent heavy amounts of time down in the streets of the immense city. It was no Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa, but it aspired to be in every way. Stepping out on the landing pad, high above the city on the parapet of the garrison exposed her to the elements once again. The wind kicked about and threatened to loose her red hair from it's tight. Her black cape whipped about in the stream, wrapping every which way around her blue armored plated body. Even her heavy lightsabre hilt bounced upon her thigh.

With the wind came clean air, the smell of distant vegetation, and with the height came a view of distant mesas and valleys sprawling out in every direction. Corellia was a beautiful planet. It reminded her of something. Some, distant memory long forgotten that she could not exactly put her finger on. Something from a childhood she could not remember. The faint idea of rolling hills, towering trees, and sweet smells. The moment of nostalgia was dashed as the roar of sublight engines pierced through the foggy veil of her mind. The speck of a shuttle in the sky grew by the second. Their specialist was arriving.

Turning her head she looked back at her entourage. Wendal was at her back along with an honor guard of Stormtroopers. They lined the path to the exposed landing pad; each facing away. Watching for insurgent starfighers, rebel sharpshooters, or cultist anarchists. There was no such thing as safety on Corellia, and especially not in Coronet. The last thing they needed, however, was for their specialists to die on approach. Even over the roar of the shuttle setting down, she could hear the reassuring scream of TIE fighters flying just out of sight.