SithLore

A cold gust of wind blew through the window, causing the little girl laying down in her bed to shiver.

"Aww, cold honey?"

The TDL "nanny" droid walked over to the window, closing it slowly as to not cause too much noise. Upon completing its task, it walked over to the child, who still did not seem any more comfortable now then she was before it closed the window.

"It is way past your bedtime, you should be asleep by now. Would you like me to sing you a song?"

The little girl turned to face the droid, and nodded, smiling ever so slightly. The droid let a noticible sigh exit from its audio chords.

"Very well. Make sure you tell your father what a good nanny I am, lest he threatens to memory wipe me again" it chuckled darkly. "Honestly I dont see what could he could possibly be on about. All I ever hear him talk about is work work work, all night long. Sure, I'm sure star destroyers are SO hard to build, but did he ever actually clean up your refuse once? If my programming allowed it I would love to swap responisibilities one d-"

The droid stops its rant when it sees the child looking at it with sad, expectant eyes, giving it the utmost attention.

"Ah yes, the song." The droid straightens up, and its voice changes from a mechanical sound, to a sweet tune."

"Under the shipyards
A little girl sleeps,
Watching o'er
No more does she weep,
For daddy sees you
Your his to keep,
Under the s-"

"Shipyards, a little girl sleeps."

The droids voice is cutoff at the end, replaced by a much deeper, gravely voice. The little girl jumps up in bed at the sound, her eyes goes wide at the sight of the man in the door.

"Daddy!" She beams, running out of bed into his outstreched arms. He laughs and picks her up, giving her a spin before bringing her back to her bed, laying her down gently. The droid clears its throat a little.

"Good to see you sir, I did not expect to see you tonight. Your daughter seems to be a bit restless, and if you remember, she has her first galactic history test tommor-'"

The father waves his hand at the droid dismissively, ushering it away. Looking slightly offended, the nanny droid saunters off, muttering slightly to itself about doing all the "hard work".

The man's full attention was on his daughter lying in front of him. God, he thought, she looks just like her mother. The same platinum hair, the same dark green eyes, the fair skin, all of it, was a stark contrast to his darker skin and jet black hair.

"I knew you'd come tonight daddy, I just knew it." The little girl exclaimed, sitting up in her bed unable to contain her excitement.

The man let out a tired sigh, but the corners of his mouth curled upward unable to contain the smile his daughter was giving him.

"You know everything my little Mia. Pretty soon, you are going to be telling me stories huh?" He chuckled.

Upon the word "stories" Mia's eyes got wide, and listened expectantly to ever word her father said.

"Yeah, I got a good story for you today." He smiled. "It's about your mother."

Mia's father walked over to the room configuration board, and twiddled with some buttons. The roof over their heads faded, opening up to the night sky. Thousands of stars were visible on this cloudless night, and the great shipyards could be seen, a million lights, all across the skyline. Where Mia was cold before, she certainly wasnt now.

"Look daddy, that's where you watch over me!" Mia's hand pointed to particularly large area of the spaceport, where you could just barely see the outline of a star destroyer almost completly built.

He smiled. "Yes honey, I'm always thinking about you at work. But our story doesn't take place here. In fact, this takes place no where even near Kuat. This happened above a planet far from here, named Endor. "

The girl laid back down, content to listen to her dad tell the story.

"You see, we used to have this HUGE" he held his hands really far apart "Space station. Way bigger than our spaceyards could ever dream to be. It was a sight to see." He said wistfully, a gleam in his eyes.

"Your mother worked on one of the big ships daddy builds, you know what those look like yes?" He asks.

Mia nods her head fervently, her attention unwavering.

"Well this ship was just like that. And it was assigned to that HUGE space station. She was a part of the largest fleet this galaxy had ever seen." He spoke dramatically as he got into his tale.

"But some people" his tone got much darker "some people were scared of all these ships. They were scared of your mom. And you know very few people can live with their fears." His eyes narrowed.

"They called themselves the rebellion, and they tried to attack the big space station and your mother. Your mother was on the front line of defense." His voice cracked.

"They were stronger than we expected. They destroyed the space station, killed our leader, and killed your mo-mother." He shudders as he finishes his story, realizing this is probably too dark for his 5 year old, he grabs her and gives her a big bear hug. Confused, Mia hugs back.

"You mean those bad people, those….rebels took away mommy?" She asked through the hug.

Nodding slightly, her father set her back down on her bed gently. "She went down with the ship, she was so focused on getting others out of there, she didn't get out in time herself." He looked her dead in the eyes. "Your mother was a hero Mia. And everytime I look at you, I see her. Just as brave, just as…. Beautiful."

For the first time since he's entered the room, Mia's father tears his eyes away from his little girl, staring up at the stars in the night sky.

"I wanna be just like mommy when I grow up."

Mia's father smiles to himself before slowly turning to face his daughter.

"You have no idea how proud and how sad it makes me to hear you say that." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls something out, hiding it from his daughters field of view.

"Hold out your hand."

Mia obliged. As her dad reached out, she felt a cool metal on her hands. She saw a small blue crystal with two closed halves, around a small chain that could fit easily around her neck.

"Open it." Her father said slowly.

Tugging at the crystal, the ends popped off, and a small figurine came loose. As Mia examined it she saw it was a miniature version of a Star Destroyer.

"Your mother's ship, the Defendant" He says proudly. "A fine ship, that even I could not have improved upon, but it wasn't enough." He finishes sadly.

Mia closes her hand around the small object bringing it close to her chest. "Thanks daddy, now I'll always have something to remember mommy by."

His smile returning, Mia's father moved back over the console, returning the roof over their heads and tucked his daughter back under the covers. He kissed her and bade her good night, leaving the room.

Walking out the door he turned into his shop, the back part of a new star destroyer engine suspended in the air, ready for him to continue working on. "I always have something to remember her by too, kid." He whispered to himself, picking up his tools, getting back to his work.

* * * * * *

17 years later

Mia grasped onto the blue crystal hanging around her neck, allowing it to comfort her nerves which were running wild. She could almost feel herself shaking in her new dark olive officer uniform issued to her a week ago. She was so proud to get to put it on for the first time today, but as the ceremony got closer, she started to get more and more nervous. She sighed and looked into her mirror.

Her room was the utmost example of clean. There was absolutely no dust anywhere to be found, and all of her possesions were assembled neat and ordely on the wall. She never failed a room inspection the entire time at the acadamy. And she had been at the academy for 3 years now.

3 long, hard years at the Imperial officer academy. Mia did quite well at certain things. Her ship engineering expertise was very high, and she outshined most of her peers in Galactic History and Public Relations. Other things she wasn't so good at.

She barely managed to pass her small arms class, and she was not particularly good at piloting. In fact, she was an awful pilot, who just did manage to pass the TIE fighter piloting test course the 3rd and final time she was allowed to test.

She allowed herself a small smile at the memory of getting out of the cockpit of that TIE, barely scraping an "Acceptable" rating. Looking at herself once over again in the mirror, she accepted this was as good as she was going to look for now, and exited the room.

Walking with a sense of purpose, she walked down the long red carpeted hall to the Hall of Heroes. The Academy was buzzing with chatter today; it was always like this on graduation days. All anyone would talk about was who was finally graduating, and guess what post they would be assigned to.

Mia kept telling herself that's why she was so nervous. Being in front of thousands of people didn't bother her so much as receiving orders did. She really wanted a Star Destoryer post, but she knew those assignments were incredibly unlikely just out of the academy. Those posts were not even given to honor grads, was she was just short of recieving (stupid piloting class).

Walking inside to the Hall of Heroes, a huge auditorium was open with great commedations to the fallen soldiers of the glorious Empire. The stage was set up right next to model of the Death Star. Mia always wondered why the Empire always had to give such dark names to everything.

She saw that people were beginning to talk before the ceremony began. Quite a few important people were attending today, so she figured she should talk to them before the graduation began.

Commander Rhoden Carbine walked around, attracting several stares--for his uniform was not the standard of the Imperial Navy. He took no notice of this however and continued to walk with purpose. Jorvan and Haly were beside him, wearing the same uniform as he did. The uniform--so rarely worn--was black almost in its entirety, with red trimming, and the rank plaque upon his chest was gold instead of a dull silver. It was a uniform entirely unique within the Empire, it was the uniform of the Inferno Squad. Not that so many people would no exactly what the group was they would simply see an officer set apart.

Rhoden gave up the hunt, he had heard that Captain Vassyl would be present, but if he was he had done well in hiding himself. He turned instead to a group of people speaking thinking vaguely of making idle chat. Noting ISB Major Heis Brant's presence in the group he turned quickly away again, the damn man always seemed to be skulking around after the Captain--so perhaps he was present.

"You remember what it was like last time you visited a bunch of cadets, right?" Jorvan asked dryly "That was different--they'd just gotten off the shuttle!" Rhoden said defensively. Jorvan raised his eyebrows as Haly snorted, "What does it matter about the cadets, you got shot at!" Rhoden ignored this and began walking in another direction. Feeling as though the two were about to begin badgering him again he turned quickly to a young lady--one of the cadets he noted.

"Why hello there!" he said, "It's a rather nice ceremony, isn't it? I'm afraid I've not been able to attend in a very long time." he paused, "Forgive me, I'm Commander Rhoden Carbine, and you might be...?"

"Sir!" Upon realizing she was being addressed by a superior officer, she snapped to the position of attention, and turned to face the man.

"Cadet Annis reports. It most certainly is."

Mia hesitates slightly. Seeing a uniform she did not recognize, she held herself a little higher. She could not remove her eyes from the red trimmings on his uniform she did not recognize.

"I confess sir, I hope the ceremony goes quickly. We were told Command is to give our duty stations tonight. I am eager to recieve my post."

Rhoden smiled faintly at the way she responded, "Yes, I'd bet you are." Rhoden said, "The first assignment, always an excitement." He looked around at the surroundings, really taking them in for the first time. It was a rather nice building, he decided, perhaps too much so. He smiled again at his presumption, Outpost A-832 wasn't what one would call modest.

"You're looking forward to a Star Destroyer posting, no doubt. You would need to have exceptional marks." Rhoden said, turning back to the young woman. There was respect and pride in her posture, her eyes shone with unspoken excitement at the prospect of her future career. Rhoden wondered if there might be refreshments on hand before or during the ceremony. "I'm sure, of course, that you exceeded expectations."

Looking around again Rhoden felt his own rush of pride at the Empire. It had come far in recent years, he had always been loyal during Palpatine's reign but great improvements had been made since his death. Progress was the byproduct of war, he supposed.

Mia swelled with pride and the compliment, allowing a grin across her features, still standing at attention.

"Yes sir! It's been a dream assignment for me. My mother was an technicianHowever, I will be ok with whatever posting I receive. Just proud to serve."

She smiles, but slightly hesitates before her next question

"S-sir, if I may, I have never seen that uniform before. They did not show us that in our Dress and Appearance class, and I have not seen it before. What is its significance?"

Just proud to serve. It was a sentiment one might think was good in an Imperial officer--Rhoden was of the opinion an officer should know and desire the post they were best suited for not the one high command wanted to throw them at. Perhaps she would learn this in time, or perhaps she would simply continue to be proud to serve.

She asked about his uniform and he tilted his head to the side, just slightly. Technically speaking the Task Force operated in secret, but the uniform, the unique design of the Hydra, and just about everything else associated with the Task Force spoke to a different letter. What Inferno Squad did was of utmost secrecy, left to be guessed at by those who cared to do so, but the existence of the group was not so highly guarded a secret--not least of all since Alliance intelligence had seen them in action.

"It is the uniform of Inferno Squadron--while we are technically under the Imperial Navy we stand apart." he said, he raised a single eyebrow. If he was interpreting correctly, Ms. Annis was competent in the field of engineering, technical work. The Hydra as it so happened needed a new head engineer, or any number of other officers for that matter considering the casualties of the recent attack. Task Force Inferno was an assignment for the best of the Empire, by all accounts. But Rhoden had his own opinion, as usual. He had no issue taking on younger men and women into the Task Force if they showed enough promise, the issue was their loyalty. Rhoden--however--held a distinct thought that she was more than loyal to the Empire, which could of course be confirmed to his own satisfaction by looking through her records more.

"So, an engineer. You've.. followed in your mother's footsteps?" he asked, then, another thought occurred to him "Who might your mother be, is she still active or has she retired?"

Annis listened to the commander, her interest piqued. Those uniforms are so badass, she thought to herself. I'm going to have to try and get one someday.

She realized she was probably staring so she drew herself in. When he asked about her family, her attention snapped right back to focus.

"Yes sir, all though it was actually my father who taught me more of what I know. He was a design contractor on Kuat, where we lived. He would take me to his work up in the shipyards, and show me a bit a bit about how everything worked. I liked to think I was a quick study" she finished proudly.

"My mom though.." her voice quieted slightly. "Where my dad made the parts, she fixed them, all the way to the end. She was on the Defendant before it went down sir."

While her voice quieted a bit, she stood straight as ever, trying to convey the pride she felt.

Rhoden nodded to himself, father worked at Kuat, mother butchered at the Battle of Endor. He grimaced, that was indeed a terrible day. She stood tall, proud of her family, as well she should be. Rhoden smiled, for he noticed to for the briefest moment before the topic of family had surfaced that she was staring slightly. Perhaps she might serve the Task Force, the Grand Admiral would of course have to sign off--as well as himself for that matter--of course Ms. Annis would have to willingly join, he'd not have someone aboard the Hydra who didn't want to be there, that could be messy.

"My family's a bit more disappointing, I'm afraid." Rhoden responded, "My father and sister were traitors--I captured my sister and killed my father." the briefest look of distant pain flashed over his features. "My brother's still around, former Inquisitor--no clue what he's up to now though." Rhoden stood straighter, "My incapacitated sister and civilian mother were deliberately slaughtered by a Rebel attack--presumably my dear sibling had information which couldn't fall into Imperial hands." Rhoden smiled bitterly, "You can be proud of your family, the most I can say for myself is that the traitors did little harm."

Rhoden brought up his datapad and opened her file, not particularly caring what she thought he was doing--but ensuring she could not see the screen. He swept his eyes over it, taking in every detail at rapid speed. He clicked it off, his face impassive. Her record was every bit as impressive as he could have hoped for. She could brush up on her combat skills--perhaps make use of the Task Force's flight simulators--but she was a damn good engineer. And according to the record she was to be assigned a ground position. So yes, he'd see about getting her signed on to Task Force Inferno--and whether by Argus or her own decline of the offer he'd make sure she at least served on a ship of the line.

He consulted his memory, there was a room off the main corridor, "Walk with me, cadet." he said. Turning he began walking towards the room, keying his comm to tie into the holoprojector of the room. He remembered the last time he had sought to bring a mere cadet onto the Task Force. Cadet Rake Tybar. The young man had promise, still did, but he'd chosen a different path--Rhoden wondered if their paths would cross again. Rhoden came to a decision and turned not towards his intended destination but towards the hangars where his YT-2000 sat ready. Cadet Annis would need to be field tested first. Jorvan, fell back while Haly continued to follow them, no doubt he already knew Rhoden's intention and was calling Lieutenant Commander Mercado.

Rhoden consulted his chrono, the test would not take up too much time, besides, ceremonies were boring.

Line Captain Vassyl nervously paced to and fro, his various medals clanking bluntly against his tunic. The request to speak at this most recent graduation ceremony had come as quite a shock to the young officer. Surely there were other fine men and women of the fleet just as capable, and perhaps more deserving to perform such a prestigious task. Nonetheless, the academy chancellor's correspondence had been quite clear, and Doren was hardly in a position to refuse. In fairness, Vassyl had seen a great many battle fields in a remarkably short period of time. His rise through the naval ranks could not be seen as anything less than meteoric, and by way of luck and or skill, such experience had returned him to the threshold of his old academic stomping ground. Mustering his waning courage for public speaking, the Captain made his way out of the ready room and towards the main conference stage.

As he marched long the sleek durasteel hall, Doren could not help but reminisce over his own tenure on these hallowed grounds. The reveries for his own departure had been modest, owing to the recent fall of the capital, among other treacherous factors that deeply wounded the overall moral. However, despite strategic setbacks, Vassyl was gladdened by the return of the usual pomp and circumstance. Officer schools were not merely the stuff of brute strength and physical prowess preached by the army training facilities. No, colleges such as these were rich with a reverence for knowledge, and a garden from which the sharpest wit was sown. Given time, anyone could learn to fight; leadership, in contrast, was an active, and timeless skill that saw mastery over a broader spectrum. Countless hours of memorization, exposition, and experimentation were required for good tactics and sound strategy. Anything less simply would not do.

Quickly nearing the promontory dais, the voice of Chancellor Qe-Zaj echoed toward the young officer's ears, "Cadets, this year's keynote speaker may be familiar to some, and not so to others. No more than a year ago, he stood where you stand, and put in the same time and due effort that has led you to this hallowed chamber". The older educator sent a polite grin and friendly nod Doren's way, and concluded, "Without further ado, it is my privilege to welcome Line Captain Doren Vassyl back to this prestigious establishment". A round of customary applause followed shortly thereafter, and with a reciprocal smile, Vassyl summarily took to the main podium. The limelight, both physical and figurative, ferried a distinct heat down upon the Captain. To make matters worse, a slew of camera droids flitted about Vassyl's person, keen on broadcasting his speech to every room and holoscreen within the campus structure.

Clearing his throat more for a social reprieve than actually, Doren straightened up and began, "Thank you Chancellor. You must forgive my correction, but truly the privilege is mine this day". Vassyl swept his gaze out and across the sea of black uniforms. For a moment, he pondered if the lining of the onyx tunics had seen any improvement since his day, before continuing on, "I am truly humbled to stand in the presence of so many gifted young leaders. From the bottom of my heart, I commend each of you for the achievements you have made thus far, and all which you shall achieve in future. Up until now, you have faced numerous trials to reach this point in your careers, and although I am gladdened by your success, I have not come here for the sole reason of singing your praises". Clusters of heads turned from side to side, and a hush fell over the crowd as their guest speaker indulged a moment of silence.

"Yes, I have come here to remind you- all of you, the seriousness of our present moment", Vassyl started once more, a cold seriousness bleeding from his words. "We are at war", Doren added emphatically, "Not some trite skirmish, nor an isolated incident, but a conflict of true life or death consequences. Our security is maintained, yet only if we work to maintain. Our borders remain intact only so long as we make the conscious effort to retain them. Our navy, our army, and our military are the finest this galaxy has ever seen". Vassyl inhaled slowly, in anticipation of his next phrase, "And they are not invincible: no one force is". Muttering could be heard at Doren's rear, but he persisted nonetheless, "Time after time, we have endured defeat, as a people, and as a sovereign state. However, though we might fall, it is our combined spirit that has lifted us above the realm of ultimate ruin".

Any eyes that evaded the Captain's gaze were now staunchly fixed upon him, and Doren could felt a different warmth swell within him. His internal energy on the rise, Vassyl announced, "Indeed, for every loss we incur, we learn from it. Facets of the enemy, facets of ourselves. Those precious details should be honored and acknowledged for what they are, and it is that process of growth that will only make us stronger!". The Captain's tone reached a feverish boom, and bellowing on he sustained, "When the rebels tested our hand at Anaxes and Nemoidia, we stood firm and taught them lessons they shan't soon forget! When the Sith, for all their ire, assaulted us at Gree, and in the skies over Spintir and Niruan, we did not relent! No, we did not yield- we fought together, as one tremendous company of loyal sons and daughters! And against such a union, their dogged agents were sent groveling back to their masters!".

Doren halted mid-speech, his mild panting just barely transmitted over the comm system. The older members of the audience appeared overcome with emotion, and the Captain thought that perhaps he had caught the occasional glimpse of a tear near the back end. Similarly, the youth, by way of shock or awe, stood motionless, consciously awaiting whatever else Vassyl had to say. Readying himself for the close, Vassyl gripped the edges of the podium more tightly than before, and spoke in a somber tone, "This is not merely an Empire of fleets and walkers, blasters and turbolasers. It is an Empire of people, and it is those same people that are our greatest gift, and most lethal weapon. Torn apart by station and hubris, we can accomplish very little. It is only we stand together that our true merits shine. Thus is my final wisdom cadets: stand fast by your crew, your peers, your comrades, and they shall do the same. Do so, and nothing may part you. Do so, and victory shall forever favor our halls".

Instantaneously, Doren brought his gloved hand to bear before his officer's cap, and concluded, "Long live the Empress: All hail the Empire!". As if to mirror their patriotic announcer, the entire chamber lit up with identical shouts and cheers. In the presence of so many fervent salutes, Vassyl nearly lost his composure in its entirety. And yet, in an ironic twist of fate, the distant, grinning figure of Heiys Brant snapped Doren out of his elation and back into his normal demeanor. Having completed the heavy-lifting, the Captain was invited to take a seat beside the other professors and the like, as the honor students saw recognition in due order. Despite Doren's own fatigue, the reverie did not persist for long. Summoned forth once more, Vassyl cordially received the list of posting for the graduation class. Whilst graciously declaring name after name, designation after designation, one particular signature stood out to the Captain, and evoked an added calmness to his tone, "Cadet Mia Annis. Hereby elevated to the rank of Ensign, designated for active service within the Third Expansionary Fleet, formal assignment pending: Congratulations".

OOC: Apologies for my tardiness, hopefully this will make up for it some~

Rhoden paused as he heard a familar voice. A very loud familiar voice. He turned and walked through a door and found himself in the back row of a large auditorium. He stood behind two Captain's, "As you were." he said with only slight sarcasm when they turned to glare at him. He stepped to the side of their seats and listened to Doren's speech. Doren finished and Rhoden smiled, a gleam in his eye.

The ceremony began, and forestalling his little test he leaned against a wall. "Cadet Mia Annis. Hereby elevated to the rank of Ensign, designated for active service within the Third Expansionary Fleet, formal assignment pending: Congratulations" Rhoden noted the slightest change in the Captain's tone at her name. "Congratulations, Ensign." he said. So, either his notation in the system had nullified her assignment for the moment or the Captain had his own machinations, in any case Rhoden wanted to make his pitch before she could be swept away to the dream assignment of some old Star Destroyer.