Four thousand years had passed since the great Formoric war, and the xenocide of the Formoric home world. History was twisted by Achilles de Flandres to record the event as one of the most regrettable events in human history. Tens of billions of aliens died under the vile Ender Wiggin, under this revised history. Ender was a child protégé whose thirst for blood was only fostered by the War Criminal Colonel Graff, and started a chain of events that lead the Starways Congress on a three thousand year story that ended up narrowly adverting the second great Xenocide, the destruction of Lusitania.
It was out of this event that the Starways Congress discovered that one Formoric Queen, a survivor of Eros, has settled a colony on Lusitania. Shortly after the events of the near second Xenocide, she took her colony and moved to the world now known as Thrakia. The Congress deployed a series of deep space satellites in the Thrakian System, watching the Formorics, and wary that one day the Formorics would want to take their revenge.
The Starways Congress - Hapes Consortium Sector
Hapes, Capitol of the Consortium
Hapian Intelligence.
285 Years Ago
It was one of the most boring jobs in all of the universe, and David knew it. When he joined the International Fleet, he believed he would be a hero. Having three square meals a day, playing video games, having a roof over his head, and eventually would be called to some secret mission that would save the Hapes Cluster from some potential and deadly enemy.
The reality of the job however was far more of a crushing burden than the video’s and texts would have had him believed. He stood up and stretched his arms, to keep himself from falling asleep. And looked out into deep space. It was one of the great miracles of the ansible, as he stood in what appeared to be the stars. Around him he could see the small streak of black space, surrounded and engulfed by the shimmering blue and green lights of the transitory mists.
He could barely remember the wonder he once felt when he first walked into this room, so many years ago. How the ansible connected him incautiously to the deep orbit satellites around Thrakia, and a simple gesture or command would control the satellite Four hundred light years from Hapes.
David reached his hands forward, and zoomed in the optical camera. Space rushed by, as he pulled the room closer to the Formoric world. He could see the tall brown structures, and as he zoomed in closer, he could see the ant like aliens working busily on the newest building. It is all they seemed to do these days, as he watched the drone workers do the bidding of the queen who was hidden from view.
David yawned from boredom and sat down heavily in his chair. Watching these bugs work, day in and day out was little more fun than watching an ant farm for a kid. Raising up his left hand, he pulled up a second orb of the planet. Looking for new power signatures, something to show they might be trying to re arm themselves as they did during the second bugger invasion, he was almost disappointed, as the only changes from yesterday were several new sky scrappers were erected almost overnight. He could see their claws digging into the soil, and natural acids purifying the stone into a hardened substance. What he found truly amazing about them was the speed in which they could build, but that was simply a fasanation that would quickly pass.
His arms began to feel a bit heavy, as he looked up towards the nebula surrounding the Hapian Cluster. Hoe the tens of thousands of stars shimmered around him in the cool evening space. The Blues and the greens dancing across the sky with one another, revealing and just as quickly covering up star clusters. He found it beautiful, and it was one of the few reminders to him that the Hapians were blessed to live in a world so beautiful that space itself felt like it must try to compete.
His eyes began to grow weary. Looking up, his eyes gently closed.
Several hours later
A loud bolstering alarm work the Specialist up from his nap. Wiping the music residue, more commonly known as sleepy eye, he looked up to the monitors. He was no longer staring at the Formorics, or Thrakians as others called them, but instead was staring out into the transitory mists. Frantically he reached to the controls.
Pulling the image in the room back to the space surrounding the satellite, David waved his hand, replaying the events of the last several hours. At first nothing happened, and he fast forwarded through the images, until the satellite moved wildly out of the field of vision.
Waving his hands further back, an image of the satellite appeared. False images made from the data of sensors and self diagnostics showed that the satellite was hit with a object about 7 inches wide, traveling at 40,191 KPS. Pulling it back, he was able to see it was nothing more than a micro near Planetary object. The hull was dinged up, but it was nothing that impaired the function of the Satellite. It was quite a relief for the specialist, as he sat back in his chair staring out in to the vibrant sea of the Transitory mists. He would have hated to have to tell his superiors that one of the satellites needed repair or replacement because he didn’t have enough coffee in the morning.
The camera lens began to filter the light from hundreds of thousands of stars in the nebula, as David stood to give the command. Information began to flood the room, Hot Jupiter’s showing up on the screen in irregular orbits, dead rocky worlds in the hot zone, hundreds of thousands of worlds in the cold zone, and about five thousand in the goldilocks’ zone. David lifted his hand to move the satellite back to Thrakia but paused for a moment. He couldn’t’ believe what he was seeing in one of the images.
The gravitational pull of one world barely in the goldilocks’ zone, just on the edge of the hot zone on one world got his attention. It had the mass of a super Hapes, a world roughly the same mass, but what he saw didn’t compute with the pull on the tidal regions of the star. The planet’s signature itself seemed to have less mass, much less, far too little to accommodate the pull against the star.
David raised his hand to pick out that image amongst all the worlds he saw. The planet’s image was distorted in several areas of the planet, that the computer couldn’t compensate for. Was the lens malfunctioning? David turned and began to do a diagnostic on the satellite. He was worried, did his slumber actually harm the satellite for, or the computer, or worse the transmitter? A moment later, the satellite checked out that it was in fully operational.
“What world is this?” he asked, as he pulled the image of the world closer to him. Dark spots littered the world. He was puzzled how this world could have such a tidal force on it’s star, yet according to his computer have a mass only 72% of that which was necessary to create that force? David reached out to touch the black spots on the image of the world. They were irregular, in varying sizes, and as he touched the spot itself, the computer made a more puzzling conclusion.
“Nothing in the region.” David squinted his eyes, and the reading peaked his curiosity. How was it possible for a solid world to have nothing in the dark spots that aligned it’s surface? Pulling up another image, he proceeded to have the computer construct a image below the planet’s surface. Hundreds of thousands of these large holes, and millions of smaller ones filled the mantle’s interior.
“What is going on here?” he wondered. “No one is going to believe this!” he said as he stood out of his chair. “This is Intelligence station 724, Authentication code WE3-78PS-9ytz2-L. he said as he placed his hand on the ansible to transmit his DNA, to a near by animus for conformation as well as vital signs to the near by computer. “Transmit Data recorded in sector 912A-3RS, Planet 2, to Hapian Command.”
A Meeting with the Queen Mother
The throne room of Ta’a Chume was one the most beautiful rooms in the palace. White marble walls, adorned with Aldaraanian Silk flags hung gently from the ceiling to the door, gently flapping in the slight breeze from the air conditioning units hidden inside the pristine walls. The floor was remarkably pristine with a long Blue carpet that lead to the throne itself.
The Throne was a chair of what looked to be gold and platinum, in front of a large golden Pyramid. Only the top of the pyramid was obfuscated by five large triangles, made each of a solid piece of Gem, starting at a light blue sapphire, and each growing progressively darker to the furthest left which was a light purple. This throne, and the Queen mother were the symbols of the Hapian Cluster, and the fulfillment of a promise. That no man, or wicked unnatural would ever hold sway or rule over the Hapes Consortium.
Her court was in full attendance, as two large doors, each coated in fine red and Blue gems opened. The bustle of whispered conversations and secret plots came to an end, as her Grace walked into the throne room. The Queen Mother was a sight to behold, with long Golden red hair, and a fair complection. Her eyes like all pure blooded Hapians was as blue as the purest night here at Hapes, a rich blue that looked as if had seen too many years in such a young form.
Her light green and golden dress gently touched against the floor, the top of the garment hugging her bodies contours, not as if it was a fabric, but as if it was a paint that was naturally apart of her skin. Two guards walked by her side, with white Dura steel armor that was only hidden by the long golden capes that they wore across their back. Over their shoulder was a blaster rifle. It was not a ceremonial rifle, it was a full combat rifle, and everyone in the room knew it.
Hapian politics were often terrifying to behold, and more than one Queen mother had fallen under an assassin’s blade, or a rival’s poison. It was a treachery so ingrained in the Hapain court that it was almost a tradition, and one the current Erenada wished to avoid.
The Queen Mother walked towards the throne, and gently sat on the blue and green cushion. As she did, two figures walked from behind the pyramid. One was tall, and handsome male, with Dark brown hair, and blue eyes. The Other was a smaller petite and beautiful woman with auburn hair, and the same light blue eyes as the Queen mother. They were her two children, her oldest Marcus Devon, who went by the mothers natural birth last name. He was a male however, and he knew that he had no hope of being the Queen Mother Consort, once his mother died without a wife, and removing his sister from the throne. But if he didn’t marry first, he had no chance of any of the luxury he was born into.
His sister, Morgan Ta’a Chume, was the heir apparent to the throne once their mother passed from this mortal coil, and didn‘t assume her mothers Birth name. She was a young fourteen years of age, and knew that her mother had many years to live and to rule, which suited her just fine. Morgan didn’t enjoy the fuss and commotion of court as much as she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the Royal Hapian gardens. It was the one place where Morgan was free from the trappings of ceremony and scholarship in politics and was free to be herself.
The two guards made a quick snap of their heels and stood as still as statues. The Erenada sat, her back perfectly straight, in the chair, her back one inch from the back of the chair. “Court is now in session.” she said, in a strong femine voice. “Who is the first who has business with the Queen Mother?” she asked bluntly.
It was no surprise to anyone that the first person to approach the throne was a woman. In the Hapes Cluster men were believed to be unfit to rule, be it as small as a county, or even a single platoon. First was the Duchess of Selab. She was short and Plump, but has a quality to her that seemed to radiate aura of kindness yet stern.
“Your Grace.” she said as she stood twenty paces from the Throne, and kneeled down before the Queen mother. Her eyes never gazed towards the Queen Mother, as her hands touched the soft velvet carpet below. ‘Your providence of Selab wishes to thank you for your wise rule, and your cherished protection of our system.” she said with the normal amount of pomp that was expected in the court.
The Queen Mother nodded slightly, not saying a word of acknowledgement, partially out of respect for the Duchess and her reason for addressing, and secondly to acknowledge the praise of a lesser might invite further contempt in court, as some may feel favored over another.
Selab wishes to further thank her Grace for allowing Selab to continue furbishing and upgrading your royal ship, the Star Home. However my engineers have informed me that our contract with Hapes is almost at an end. If it pleases your Grace, and our work has been a proven quality to the Queen Mother, we would like to ask that you consider continuing the contract.”
The mother’s eyes continued to watch the duchess, “For our engineers and shipyards have loyally and tirelessly worked to continue the work not only on your personal yacht, but on the other ships of the Fleet. We are ahead of schedule on three new Battle dragons and a squadron of Nova Class Cruisers.”
The Queen held up her hand, “You may rise, Duchess.” she said simply. “The people of Selab have been ever loyal and vigiliant in protecting our Consortium, and it is the will of the throne that Selab may continue in it’s role. Tell your engineers and workers that their mother does not wish to see them suffer or have their familes starve. They are to continue their jobs, and the contracts will be extended for another fifty years.”
The Duchess eyes grew wide with excitement, as the continuing contracts would mean that Selab’s economy would continue to thrive. “If it pleases your Grace, I will do so at once.”
The Queen Mother nodded, simply and curtly, “If that is all, then go with the blessing of the Consortium.”
The Duchess’s smile radiated enough that it could almost light the room on it’s own. She bowed sharply as low as she could get, before twirling around in her golden dress and walked out.
The next was a lithe red headed woman, with a vibrant green dress that seemed to move across her body. Much in contrast to the Duchess of Selab, the Countess of Felbrini had eyes that looked like a large emerald, dipped in the bluest ocean. Everything about her yelled grace and beauty, as she walked up, her hips slightly moving side to side. Even amongst Hapians, the Countess of Felbrini was considered beautiful, a woman of grace in a race known for their beauty.
“Your holy Erenada.” the Countess said, using the Hapian world for ‘A woman who has no equal.”, “I come before you, not as the Countess of Felbrini, whose world hides the passage between the mists, but as your minister of Intelligence, whom your grace has trusted your humble servant with such a position.”
The Queen Mother continued to look at her prostrating Countess, as she waited for the Countess to get to the point. “Three weeks ago, a male unsurprisingly fell asleep at their post.” The Queen Mother twitched slightly as she listened, “But in what was a colossal error for which he has been disciplined, his satellite which observes Thrakia became misaligned.”
“Was there any damage to the Thrones Satellite?” Her son Marcus asked, breaking the silence from the throne, as well as speaking out of turn. The Queen Mother shot her son a look, her eyes like daggers causing the young male to back down from the question.
“No, Prince.” The Countess still replied out of favor and duty to the Queen Mother. “The Satellite didn’t receive any damage, however we found a most unusual planet deep within the mist. This world has a standard Hapian gravitational pull just inside the Goldilocks region of the solar system. It seems to have an atmosphere that has a 92% commonality with Hapian atmospheric conditions, and based on some polar ice in the northern region, we believe it has water under the surface.”
“What is truly unusual about the planet however is there are vast areas of the world’s surface that our Satellite can’t pierce. It is as if the planet has a lot of holes in it and that this world has only 73% of the total mass to cause the tidal bulge on the star.”
“Do you wish to send a deep space probe?” the Queen mother asked.
The Countess knew that would be the easy answer, but she had a hunch that whatever was on this world would be of benefit, or at the very worst a threat that was hidden like the Thrakians who would need to be dealt with. “I would humbly request an expedition be sent to this world, to ascertain if it’s a natural phenomena which can be of benefit, or if it’s a potential threat to the Hapes Consortium and deal with it in their space. Like the Thrakians, if we had discovered them first we would have been able to contain them faster without the genocide of their home world.
The Queen mother was skeptical. The Transitory Mists were a unique nebula, and what was inside of it wasn’t well explored for good reason. The area was filled with some strange mixture of gas, that only the force itself knew why would not allow Faster than light travel within it’s bands. Every attempt to enter the mists at FTL speeds, the tens of billions of gas molecules shreded the ship, and the irregular radiation of the mist interfered with the formation of a Hyperspace window. The Queen gently wrapped her fingers against the golden throne.
“What reason do you believe that we should undertake such an expense to the Hapian Cluster to lose a valuable ship, as well as many fine young women for such a journey. One hundred and twenty seven years is a long time to lose trained and experienced officers.”
The Countess agreed that this mission would be asking a lot of the crew of any ship that was sent. It was the one part of the mission that was cruel and unfair to the Hapians on board. “It is a lot to ask, Erenada.” she had to agree, “Even though the crew will only notice that time will pass for roughly two years for them, One hundred and Twenty Seven will pass for us. Any communications by ansible from their family will end in the first few months as their younger siblings die of old age. A couple weeks for any husband they might have, and six months for any infant kids. By the time they arrive at the target, their great grandchildren would be an adults and have kids of their own.
“Do you think this is fair, when this world poses no threat to the Consortium, or the Congress?”
“I believe that our brave young women, and even some of the men would live and die by the command of Ta’a Chume. That for the glory and prestige of this throne and our worlds they would gladly take this burden upon themselves. It is the duty of every Hapian in our fleet.”
The Queen Mother knew that those words were true. They were well trained, well disciplined, and that they would do their duty. However that was not the point of this. Although it was their duty to follow the commands of the Consortium, it was the Queen Mother’s duty in return to care for those who would sacrifice all for Hapes. The Ta’a Chume didn’t believe herself a dictator, as she looked to her two children.
“The sacrifice is too much.” she proclaimed, “For a world that we know nothing about. I can not justify taking even a single crew away from their families for a venture into the Mists, without knowing a reason. If it is a threat, we should be able to detect them with our intelligence satellites long before they get out of the mist. Without Faster than light, there is no reinforcements, and it will take many decades for the potential enemy to send in a second wave. If there is no enemy and the world is dead, how many decades will it take to terraform the world, assuming that you’re right about a benefit to our country and the Congressional Confederacy as a whole?”
“Ta’a Chume.” The Countess replied knowing that her case was pretty weak, “It is quite an expense for such a fleeting hope. My concern though is that there is no way a probe will be able to aid us where our satellites can’t. If something is disrupting our signals and our camera’s then the probe would be disrupted by whatever force is on the world. We will have wasted a hundred and twenty seven years, waiting for the probe to make landfall, only to find it dead where we need it most. I believe that humans on the ground would be of benefit to this nation, to discover this mystery.”
The Queen turned to her two children. “I will consider your offer, and what is the best interest of the Consortium.”
The Countess stood, and bowed, never casting her gaze upon the throne that she was addressing. “On behalf of Felbrini, I trust in the Queen Mother’s decisions in all things. Glory be to you, Erenada, and to the Hapes Consortium.
Jacen Anton
Jacen could feel the flow of the force around him. It was a wondrous feeling being connected to the life and matter around him. Closing his eyes, he loved to bask in the energy, how it flowed through him into the rocks, and into the air. It was intoxicating how intertwined the universe was, how it was all held together by this energy field that most would never know, see or understand.
Like tiny vibrations in the air, he could hear the talk of near by lovers chatting, whispering and plotting their next rendezvous, and at the same time he could feel the gentle beats of a raven a mile above the surface. He could feel the joy in a near by child as he through his ball in the air, and the angry spat of an old woman who was upset by the rude behavior of an attendant, believing that the attendant slighted her purposefully. He could hear her failing heart, long plagued with a small birth defect that if not for modern technology would have killed her in her infancy.
The force was peace, was harmony, and as Jacen opened his eyes in the city’s park, his heart felt still, and calm. He loved the way the trees shimmered in the sun, how morning dew sparkled in the nightly dew. Pressing his hands to his knees, he lifted himself up. It was an important day for the young apprentice. It was the day he was up for knight hood.
The odds were against him. In the Hapian Order, the title was not given to someone once they had reached a certain level of connection with the force. It was given when a member who had previously reached the rank had retired, or passed away. He was going up against two others for the position, one a bastard daughter of a lesser Noble of Jovaria, given up at a young age once her connection to the force was apparent. It would have been a huge scandal if it was widely known that the Nobel had the ability to have prodigy that were of the Force.
The second was a another woman, ten years Jacen’s elder. She was not of notable birth, much like Jacen she was once a street rat, living off beans and bread, fighting every minute of the day for survival. Lydia was not particularly skilled in the force either, but she was a woman. And in the Hapes Consortium, the advantage of a chance of birth was enough to push someone over the edge for promotions.
Jacen walked towards the Temple. His white armor clasped tight against him, and his blue bladed light saber gently rocked on his hip as he walked. He hated the armor, but it was of the Queen Mother’s Edict. No JedI may leave the temple without their uniform on. Some might guess that it was to allow others to see them and feel safe that a JedI was in their presence. However they couldn’t be more wrong.
As he approached the humble building, he looked up to it’s glistening walls. The top was round, and he remembered as a kid laughing that it looked like a mushroom with two bronze statues in front of the main entrance. White and blue bricks covered the exterior, in a symmetric fashion, clearly marking this building from all the others.
As he walked up the stone stairs that lead inside he remembered the first time his lord, Lady Ya’Vala walked with him. She told him he was special and that this place was a safe place for their kind. A place with warm food, and soft beds, and where he’d never need to worry about the cold outside again. He believed her. She was right. Inside the walls of the Temple, the JedI took care of each other, and took care of all those who would cross their threshold. It was part of a tradition on Hapes, to pay back a five thousand year debt, that they could never actually repay.
Jacen remembered as he walked passed the children’s area his first history lesson. The Hapes Consortium was first settled by a band of pirates known as Lorell’s Raiders. It was a successful pirate group, and at the time one of the largest. Pirate fleets roamed the sector, and even the grand convoys of the Galactic Republic fell before their onslaught.
It was during these raids, that the pirates stole the most beautiful of the female passangers and turned them into slaves. Slaves that would bear their children, raise their foods and take care of their homes while they were away. Their boys would grow into men, and would suffer a second slavery, by conscription into the Lorell pirates. Over time the Conscripts would become full members, and the cycle would continue.
That was until the Order of Tython grew weary of the economic drain near the Hapes Cluster, and sent it’s fleet to battle the Pirates. The Lorell pirates were better pilots by skill, but the force gave them an unnatural advantage over the pirates. One by one, the pirate fleets were destroyed, and what was left hid in the safety of the Transitory mists. Believing they were safe from the JedI there, as the mists prevented FTL, the pirates waited for their enemy to leave. Unfortunately, the JedI didn’t. Years they ventured into the mist, guided by the force, and planet by planet, the jedI killed every member of the Lorell Raiders, every male in the cluster above the age of 12.
When their genocide was complete, the JedI left, and the Hapian society suffered greatly. It was in this moment that the Ta’a Chume came to power, the first Queen mother, and the one whom all Queen Mothers after would call themselves. Left in ruins of the JedI, Raider war, the Hapians rebuilt their world, vowing to never again allow a male, or a JedI to rule over them or harm them again.
Centuries past, and the force had a unique sense of humor. A few children were born of the JedI gifts. These children were quickly adopted off, or met with unfortunate accidents until a kind Mother came to power. She sent word to Corellia, to send a single knight to take care of these lost vagabonds, but her ideals were more complex. The Queen Mother didn’t wish to see the death of children needlessly, but also she wanted to study the JedI, to learn their methods, so that if they were ever a threat again, she would know how to handle destroy them.
For centuries the JedI lived with the shame of their ancestors. Distrusted by the populace, and marked by their armor, they were always watched. No matter how much good works they tried to do, the blood of their ancestors would forever stain their reputation and taint all their actions. They would always be a second class in the Hapes, even under the Dathomiri Witches, whom the current Queen Mother was born to. It was a lesson that Jacen learned first and remembered, but he didn’t feel bitter about it. He accepted it.
There was nothing that could be done about the call of unnatural, and once he accepted this face he had peace. He knew others looked down upon him, but that didn’t matter. Jacen knew who he was, and he knew that the force flowed through him for a purpose, and that purpose is what gave him strength. His acceptance gave him peace, and through peace he got closer to the force. Jacen forged this world view into a self feeding cycle, and this cycle made him a better person. This paradigm was something no one could take from him.
Jacen approached his destination. With a wave of his hand, the door opened, revealing a circular room. The walls and the floor were colored in a deep red that resembled the color of blood, with pale off white edges to resemble the pale color of dead flesh. It was beautifully done, in great artistic design, that if you didn’t know the color of symbolism you would think it a beautiful fancy room, fit for a queen. The ceiling was painted like the sky. Soft blues and purples, and thousands of stars so bright they could be seen day or night.
In the room, the two beautiful women who were in competition with him stood still. Their eyes closed, each were trying to quiet their excitement, and prepare for the chance of disappointment. Jacen slowly walked into the room, careful not to disturb their meditation. He would enjoy the chance to lead his own apprentice if given the chance, but if it was not the will of the force, or of his lords, than he would accept it. It would strengthen him, either way, so Jacen knew in his heart that no matter what happened, he would be better for it.
The inner door hissed open, and three women walked into the room. Even at their advanced age, these Lords were still beautiful. Lydia and Petra opened their eyes. Their hands and muscles didn’t move as they kept their hands clasped behind their backs. Jacen stood in the same position careful not to move.
The first to speak was the leader of the order, JedI Lord Jasmine Guile. Her hair was dark with some streaks of grey, giving away her age slightly, although her skin was smooth and without wrinkles or blemish. She walked towards the three contestants, and smiled a beautiful smile that lightened the room.
“Morning apprentices.” she said while pacing back and forth. “I would like to congradulate all of you for making it to this final position. All of you are shining examples of the light side of the force, your hearts calm and at peace.” she looked over to at Petra, some more than others, but each of you would make a good Knight, one day.”
Taking in her hand, she pulled out her light saber, and with the press of a button, a long blue blade hummed to life. She looked at the three of them and took a step forward. “Lydia, kneel.”
Lydia’s eyes opened, and Jacen wasn’t that surprised. For a male to make the rank of knight was rare, and to make JedI Lord has never happened in the history of the Hapian order. Disappointment crept into his heart, but he was resolved not to show it, or to slam against the unfair system of this world that cursed him twice. He was determined that he should accept this, and gain peace.
Lydia kneeled before the JedI Lord. “Do you swear to faithfully uphold the will of the force, the laws of the Hapes Consortium, and protect all Hapians to the expense of your own life?”
Lydia smiled slightly under her head as she stared at the floor. “I swear by the light side of the force.”
The JedI lord gently tapped the outer edge of Lydia’s armoe leaving two long black streaks across her white armored shoulders. A second woman walked forward with a blue cape. Draping it over Lydia, she inserted the edges into the two slight cuts one on each shoulder. “Then rise, Knight of Hapes.” Lydia rose and a large grin betrayed her emotions.
“I’m glad you’re happy about this.” Lord Jasmine replied. “You should be, emotions are nothing to shy from, just don’t let them make you arrogant, or control you. Go on, enjoy the rest of the day.” Jasmine said as she placed her hand on the newly minted knight’s shoulder.
Lydia nodded, “Yes lord.” Jasmine turned to her two ushers. “Lets leave, the young can never have fun if their elders are around. Jacen, and Petra, I hope that you will continue to work hard, and hopefully next year it will be you I knight.”
Jacen knew there was little chance of that. Petra would probably be next, and Jacen only if no other viable woman was able to fill a position. He shrugged off the vile thought of jealousy though and approached his friend. “Congratulations.” he said as he opened his arms for a hug. Lydia hugged him tightly.
“You are free now. What are you going to do, take an apprentice, or get married and have your own apprentice.” Lydia smiled as she pulled back. “Trying to purpose already?” she said joking with him. “I think I’m going to go out and get drunk. Want to come with me?”
Jacen laughed, “Sounds like a plan. Petra, are you in?”
Petra shook her head, “I’m happy for you.” she said to Lydia, but her face was full of disappointment and despair. Petra had been looking forward to today, and truly thought that today she was the one to make knight. “I… I got some things to do. I see you tomorrow ok.”
“Alright, have a good night Petra.”
Jacen nodded, “Remember, we love you. Some more than others!”
Lydia nudged him, “Come on, before I change my mind.”
Lt. Cmdr Susanna Davenport
Samantha’s hand was at the controls of her Miy’til Starfighter. Her right hand was controlling the stick, as the left regulated the engine speed, and close at hand was the shield controls. She loved the feeling of banking at high speeds, as she pulled the stick to the left, and pushing up on the Y axis, flipping the nimble starfighter around.
In combat it was important to be one with the ship, and her computer began to detect a dozen Thrakian fighters. Closing her eyes, she smiled for a moment, They were easy prey, as the Thrakian fighters were better in swarm formations than a simple individual fight.
Yellow beams crossed in front of her small ship, impacting the shield. Red lights filled the console telling the Hapian pilot that her ship had been hit, but the damage to her shield was minimal.
Pressing gently on the trigger, Samantha’s fighter began to spew forth steady bursts of blue light, the first hitting it’s mark, breaking the Thrakian Fighter apart. The second cracked it’s wing, and blew away it’s engine.
In space, without an engine, the ship was as good as dead, so she felt no need to go back and finish it off, as the two thrakian fighters rolled clockwise on the Z axis and took position behind her. It was a foolish move on the part of the fighters, as there is no up, or down, left or right in space. Two long yellow beams slammed into the rear shield of the small fighter. Her rear shield was down.
“This was it” Samantha thought to herself, as her left hand reached forward to try to angle the shield to the enemy. This was her moment, either she lived or she died right here and now. She angled her forward shield to cover what she believed to be the top of her ship. Her fighter began to shift up, as the engines kicked forward, and a third bolt hit her fragile shield system destroying what was left of her shields.
Alarms were flashing all around her, and she knew that her armor would only be able to take a hit or two before it was game over. Reaching with her right hand, she flipped the switch on her trigger, and pulled it gently. Her small craft jolted as four proton missiles streaked out of the ship. Guided by her sensors, there was no need for a lock, as the sensors lead the missiles towards their target. Two smaller yellow lights descended towards her, at least how she perceived it, shooting down the two missiles.
“What in the force?” she thought to herself as she couldn’t detect on her sensors in real time any ship in the area. What was that that just hit two of the missiles? Was it a new weapon of the thrakians? Was it a cloaked vessel? She looked at her sensors again, but there wasn’t any sensor data coming from the area of the shot. Her ship lined up on one of the fighters and squeezed the trigger again. Two of the missles lined up, as her guns lined on the same. Blue streaks ripped past the first, as the first missle hit it’s target. Debris ripped from the ship, tearing off the structure of the Thrakian fighter. For a moment she was glad, til her fighter was hit again. Her left engine ripped off, causing her plane to suddenly spin out of control.
The plane was spinnign rapidly, as she tried to hold on to consciousness. 17 G, her flight suit compressed against her arms and legs, trying to keep the blood out of her head. The world began to turn red, as she reached with her left hand to pull the ejection cord. The world then went dark.
“Son of a BITCH!” Samantha yelled as she took off the helmet and looked took in a deep breath. Her head still felt dizzy from the spin of the drone simulation. A couple of the girls laughed, as they walked by. “Smoked again, Hot pie.” one of her fellow wingman said as they plopped down next to her.
“Smoked, baked, got more holes in me than a piece of Selab Cheese. You could say that.” Her wingman reached down and touched her stomach. “Looks like it, you’re about to bleed all over this carpet.” she yelled. “Quick, we need to get a medic!” her wingman yelled out.
“Shut it Duster.” she said to her wingman, but it was already too late. Her squad began to rouse from their bunks, wearing simple under garments that were not all that flattering, in greys and blacks, that didn’t reveal much.
“Medic!” another yelled, as fourteen women descended upon poor hotpie. “No, No!” she yelled, as they picked her up, and walked with her down the hall. “We got a bleeder!” they yelled much to the musing of the passing enlisted. It was a tradition on this ship that if one got blown out of the sky, that their squadron got to come up with whatever form of punishment that they saw fit. Last week Duster got the brunt end of Kraken Squadron, and today as Samanthra was regretting, it was her turn.
“What are you going to do with me?” she yelled out, but her squadron just laughed. “Gotta clean up those wounds and get the blood off you.” a younger blond woman said with a mischievous smile. Where were they taking her, what were they going to do with her? Whatever it was she knew it was going to be humiliating.
The taunts and yells continued down the hall, catching the attention of everyone on the ship who happened to walk by. After a few moments, they stopped. She could feel herself moving up a replusor lift, then she could hear the hiss of two doors opening. Her squadron kept a tight to each other, so Samantha couldn’t see to the left or the right, but only the ceiling. She didn’t give up the fight and the struggle though, she couldn’t. It wasn’t in her nature to just give up, as the squad stopped. Parting ways she could see down towards the room. They were at the ship’s gymnasium. Below her was the pool.
“Oh hell no, I’m dressed.” she tried to plead, as her body was moved to the left and the right, in a swinging motion. “3...” the CAG yelled out, “2.…1” on one they let go ,and Samantha was helpless against momentum’s sway. She could only hold her breath, as she hit the cool water pool. A loud splash, and she was surrounded by water. Samantha kicked her legs, and pulled up to the surface.
Her squad laughed. “That should get the blood off ya!” they yelled and laughed. Samantha frowned, as her makeup ran down her eyes leaving dark streaks down her face.
She sighed as she pulled herself up. “Thanks girls.” she sighed. Around the pool were thick towels, and Samantha reached over and picked one up, and wiped her face dry. Her long dark brown hair clung together across her face as she began to dry with the towel.
Duster walked up and laughed. “We should call you Dark lines instead of Hot Pie.” she said as she turned to walk of the room. Samantha knew the second part of the long standing ritual. The walk of shame. With her wet clothes clinging to her skin, she began the long walk back to her quarters.
Passing various enlisted who smiled, and laughed, Samantha silently took the torment of the crew. It was a great way to relieve pressure on the ship, and she knew that had this happened to any other member of her squadron, she would have been right there helping to throw that Squadie without second thought. It just wasn’t her day.
By the time Samantha returned, she slipped out of her clothes, and put on some fresh under garments. It was two other’s turn on the simulator, and the best she could hope for was one of them were to be wiped out in their training. Sitting on her bunk, she watched and waited, but her tablet began to flash. “New Message.”
Pressing her hand against the screen, her finger unlocking her computer, a small holographic image appeared of an older woman, dressed in the Fleet’s uniform.
“Lt. Cmdr Samantha Davenport. Report to hanger bay one, Lambda Class Shuttle 07 for immediate transfer.”
Samantha looked around and sighed. Her score was normally top of the line, why would they transfer her over one simulation? She looked at the image. “Yes, Ma’am.” was all she replied, although she was concerned as to the reason of the transfer. She had two more years of duty onboard the Battledragon Chume’s Command.
She walked over to the closet, and pulled out her dress uniform. Slipping it on, she opened her storage locker, which had few personal objects in it.
“Where you going, Hot Pie?” Duster asked as she sat on Samantha’s bunk.
“Just got transferred.” she said simply, and the put the couple items she possessed in her bag.
“Well shit girl.” Duster said as she stood up and held out her hand. “You’ve been one hell of a wingman.”
Samantha nodded, “Yeah you to.”
“You know where you’re heading?” Duster asked.
“Not a clue. When does command ever tell you a thing.”
“Well shit, have a good one, and if you’re ever in the Tinta sector, look me up.”
Samantha nodded, and wrapped her arms around her wingman. “It’s been good serving with you Duster. Just try not to kill all the Thrakians if war comes. Save some for me.” A pair of arms returned Samantha’s embrace, and held her tight. “Good Hunting, mate.” Duster simply replied.