Oasis Calm: Volume II
"The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act."
Journeying through space was always a dangerous venture during the Clone Wars. Unknown threats lurking unseen in the distance, camouflaged by nebulas, or amidst space debris. In hyperspace, however, the Arquitens cruiser known as the Regulator glided effortlessly. While cruising at such incredible speeds, the ship's triad of engines lightly hummed. Every view port emanated a beautiful cerulean blue glow of the hyperspace lane. The crew and troopers aboard the vessel laughed as they reveled in this brief opportunity, but one presence wasn't so easily at peace.
The blast door to the bridge briefly hissed as its double sections split apart. In to the dimly lit, scarcely crewed area, walked Aayla Secura. When ships had long hyperspace waypoints during a mission, it was protocol to lower the battle order for the troops aboard the craft. This allowed a small skeleton crew to maintain critical functions while the troops checked gear and took in some much needed shut eye. Several crew members remained at their stations at the most forefront controls of the command deck. To their flank, Master A' Sharad Hett's silhouette was easily identified against the glimmering blue window. Aayla paced up the short stairwell to the elevated position. Her hand rested on two clone trooper's shoulders who mildly flinched upon her touch. She kindly lowered her face toward them, "Troopers, your station is not necessary during hyperspace. Both of you are relieved for the time being." Both looked at her with eyes of surprise, but were grateful. A silent weight lifted from their shoulders when they rose from their swiveling chairs, "Thank you General Secura." Heals clicked while they exited the bridge.
Master Hett's body remained facing the view ports. Closing the distance between them, Aayla twisted her head softly to the side, looking to view the solemn master's face. His eyes were closed, his breath steady. "I'm sure they are thankful for that. Heh, their tenseness could have burst the windows if you had touched them just a tad firmer." A large smile surfaced across the female Jedi's face, "Ha, I knew you had to be reveling in that.. just a little! Typically people are unsure what to around someone with such intensity." Hett faced Aayla, "I know, but I've always found more solace in meditation rather than the company of others." "Maybe we'll rub off on each other! Me with a little more foresight and you might leave the planet smiling!" Hett's eyebrows pursed in amusement, "What about hoping we don't get sand in our boots?" Still brimming with a smile Aayla replied, "Well that's the first priority!"
As if on cue, Lieutenant Hazoc, one of Commander Bly's subordinates, approached the pair with a data pad tightly gripped in his hand. "General Hett, Secura; your orders from the Jedi Temple and Security Council have arrived for review sirs." Extending from his crossed arms, Hett took the pad in his hand, "Thank you Lieutenant. This will be all for now." The clone trooper turned to walk back down the stairs. "Notify all quarters when we approach deceleration distance helmsman." "Aye aye, general!"
When at the table, Aayla pulled a small holochip from inside the pad her partner was holding. Clicking, the small data chip popped into place. An encrypted message spawned from the blue emulators circling the table. The figure was a tall man wearing ornate robes, adorned intricate piping and threading. His posture was not as erect it must have been in years past, but he still carried himself with a sense of pride and distinction. His right hand was raised beneath his dark pointed chin beard, pointer finger and thumb stroking through it,
"Good tidings counselors. Though there have been many years of tension between our system and the Republic, I do hope this message may begin to set a rebolstered foundation in place. Joining the Confederation of Independent Systems seemed to be too good a proposition and it was just that!! I send this message in the hopes to meet with a delegation. Striving to undo the damage incurred will be a long journey, but it is an undertaking worth embarking. Sources say a threat is developing in our deserts. I do not want my system to succumb nor be responsible for a creation that will bring the galaxy to its knees! This meeting will be off grid.. and the ledger.. at my palatial retreat. Coordinates also are encrypted with the droid carrying this message. May redemption for Aarognar not be too far from grasp.."
Again crossing his arms, Hett began thinking strategically about the various levels of the message. What was said, what was left unsaid, even what motives existed for a trap. His blue counterpart clicked her tongue lightly against the back of her white teeth. She looked to her friend, "This is a precarious situation.." Hett began to make his way from the bridge, "Especially when we're going into it effectively blind. Our mere presence, if framed in propaganda, will only serve to galvanize our foe further." Following his lead Aayla agreed, "You're right! We must tread lightly."
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Side by side they walked down the cold metallic corridors. Hatchway after bulkhead followed.
From down the corridor laughs and sharp voices echoed off the plating. "Ha ha!! EeyYES!" exclaimed a clone trooper raising both fists in a celebratory dance. "Come on Commander! Its your turn to show the lads how its done! OR.. are you only good at putting down SEPPIE DESERT DOGS!" Numerous voices laughed. "Aten-HUT! Generals on deck!" Hazoc shouted from his stance, resting against the entry bulkhead. The Jedi drew close. All clones snapped to their feet. Some wore only their under armor, others partially prepped for battle, but all revered the prowess of these two Jedi.
"Ease yourselves men." A' Sharad Hett calmly spoke, placing his gloved hand on a clone's arm and then another. "Though we have fought adversaries here, in this situation I'd urge you to be less pejorative." Hazoc approached from the shadowed bulkhead, "We're here to discover a plot possibly even turn the system's leadership to our side...I'd say this is a rare opportunity sirs." Hazoc rarely said much, but what he did say was heavy with calculation. Though a clone, he believed the application of steady, strategic thinking could win a fight against opposition of any strength.
"It is indeed Lieutenant." Aayla Secura affirmed confidently. Commander Bly pulled his helmet from a shelf with a curious spark in his eye, "So what's the plan general?" A' Sharad Hett made it a habit not to leave any element of a plan to chance. He had already devised several contingencies since their departure from Coruscant. "The plan is concise, but leaves us flexible enough to act. Since Grand Chairman Utak reached out to the senate initially, he won't be expecting Jedi, thus, Secura will be impersonating a Senator with Commander Bly and a squad as escort. Hazoc, you and your teams will board the gunships with me. They will be powered down while we approach the planet avoiding as many scanners as possible."
Bly raised his hand to attract minimal attention. "How will we conceal the gunships? This world still has a lot of Seppie support."
"Good question Bly, but we won't. Powering down won't allow them to be picked up by scanners. In terms of visual threats, we'll be docking in a covered hanger. This is what we'll have to do with the time given. The slowly fracturing beliefs of the populace means the Senate wants us to act NOW."
Hazoc clicked his small vibro-knife against his forearm, with an emotionless face his eyes squeezed. "Truth be said, I get it..but its fool-hearty. Never rush a military operation.." With a chuckle a clone from the shadows made his presence known. "Nothing goes according to plan Hazoc..no matter how meticulous! We all know Bly's approach. That's why we're the 327th!"
Hazoc exhaled lightly behind his comrade's zeal. "How could we forget Clipper?" The unamused clone brother raised his hands forming quotations with both his pointer and middle fingers, "Know the mission, know your enemy." Clipper chimed in, "Achieve the mission, kill the enemy!!" Bly's hand raised when Aayla began speaking with light jest, "Well that's all I need!" Bly looked to her at the same time holstering a pistol, "It's all any soldier needs."
Hett subtly nodded, "Well then arm up men, its time we put the Star Corps' pragmatism to work!" The Jedi turned to leave the room. In various degrees of unison the troopers gathered together cheered, "Ha ha ha, YESS!!"
"HuZaah!"
"That's what I'm talking bout!"
"Lets do this! Get it DONE!"
Clatters chattered while drawers slid open. The clone troopers pulled armor from where they lay stowed. Clicking and snapping each additional piece into place. Within minutes the three squads of troopers stood together with their helmets off. Their armor white with a muddled golden stripe down the center. Each wearing a dull, light brown kama; scorched by the testament of battle. Bly stood at the center of the room, "In war we seldom are provided the time to mourn, but before we leave, I want us to remember three of our fallen brothers. Cameron, Lucky, and Flash. They await us in the stars! We fight - so that others in the Republic don't have to! Lets stay tight, do it right, and get our boots back on deck!"
"You said it Commander!!"
"Back on deck!"
"Lets make it quick 327!"
In double file column the troopers left their barracks toward the armory to rearm. One clone followed the column alone, placing a black pair of dress boots next to the bulkhead seal. Tapping the side, he ensured they were placed right where they were meant to be. "We'll be back."
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Bly stood at the entry of the improvised boarding hatch which connected the pair of gunships to the larger frigate. His men hustled into the familiar Larty bay, strapping in and locking their weapons into place. A' Sharad Hett walked closer to Bly, "May the Force be with you commander." Respectfully Bly replied with the same pre-mission tensed focus, "Aye sir. May this not spark a bigger fight."
A younger voice came from the red hued bay after Hett passed, "Commander Bly..can you double check the Captain doesn't move my boots?"
The veteran commander smiled reassuringly at the shinnie, "Of course Stock. Now hop to!"
Hissing, the door of the gunship clamped shut, creating a self contained atmosphere within. Bly turned, pressing his thumb into a red key which closed the seal of the Regulator. "You always encourage the dynamics of your men Bly. It does them well." Bly, thinking he was alone, took a quick breath. "You're right Aalya. After my training I realized how instrumental honing personalities are. Yea...we might butt heads..but the versatility.. the variety gained from it is purely a strength." Aayla's face lightened.
This was always something she had believed and struggled with while commanding clones, initially. Jedi and Clone Commanders were paired for this purpose. Eventually they would grow to compliment one another creating a very potent combination of known strengths and weakness. "I'm glad we agree." the blue Jedi playfully whispered.
"I'll see you on the bridge shortly Commander Bly. Now I must go vale myself for a role as a senator!" She winked and briskly walked to her quarters to assume her new persona.
_________ Some time later. _____________
The ship silently pressed through hyperspace. In the gunship bay, many clones had removed helmets and began conversing with each other, even asking questions of the first battle to Hett. Bly stood with Captain Sightreh, commanding officer of the Regulator, overseeing the bridge. Officers and crewman had begun filing into their stations. Republic vessels were always at full battle readiness when dropping out of lightspeed. Captain Sightreh skimmed over his coordinates and star charts. His voice low and always calm spoke succinctly, "Helmsman, prepare to slow from hyperspace." A clone officer echoed the order, as was protocol, "Helmsman, prepare to exit hyperspace."
"Ready sir!"
The nav officer's voice chimed the updated count down, "6...5...4...3..2.1 --- Commence deceleration of the hyperdrive!"
The blue avenue of hyperspace gave way to the dark; littered with white specs of other systems far far away. All aboard the Regulator lurched forward slightly from the rapid deceleration. The Arquiten cruiser sped through the Perkell Sector. A desert system stood before them, where months prior a tremendous battle had ravaged the planet. A battle grand in scale and destruction! At this point in the war, its losses were only second to that of Jabiim!
Captain Sightreh again spoke, keeping his order two steps ahead so there was no cause to hurriedly react. He could take any frigate and have her "fly casual."
"Nav officer, bring us into that commuter line. Half speed. Let us drift into position, not enough to bring attention, but enough to let em know you are not a military trained pilot...even though we all know you are. heh* heh*"
A murmur of chuckles made its way around the command deck. Sightreh's humor always remained understated, but perfectly placed to break tension. "That's it lads. Bring us in to the fold." Maintaining its momentum , the Regulator closed in on the line of trade vessels, merchants, military crafts, and personal travel shuttles that were making their way toward the surface. The boosters dimmed, while others counter fired, slowly bringing the ship between two, much larger, ships. "Well done. Well done. Now, Keep your eyes on the scanners. If there's trouble, don't bring weapons up unless I order it explicitly."
"Sir yes sir!" the crew barked.
***CCRSSSHH***
The door nearest the hologram table opened suddenly. Bly turned his neck to acknowledge who he thought would be General Secura. His eyes widened whilst his brow perked up. "Well done coming out of the hyperlane Captain." Aayla's voice sounded. Bly began to stumble over his words, "Uh..Gen..General Secura, you look.."
Without missing a beat, Captain Sightreh interrupted, "~Stunning~"
"Thank you gentlemen. Remember the war is between the separatists!" The duo of awestruck men let out a shy laugh, but couldn't help taking a prolonged gaze at the cloth that adorned the toned Twi Lek.
Aayla Secura wore a thin and very light fabric that clung to her skin effortlessly. Her blue Lekku were wrapped in a white fabric that had the slightest sheen, speckled with fine clear and blue jewels. Around her neck was a white collar resembling curved waves that spiraled either side. Flowing down the white material drifted down her arms rather snuggly, being held in place by a small silver ring that was worn on the middle finger. Her lower throat was bare, unveiling her soft, azure skin. The same wave pattern rippled further down her torso, exposing the inner sides of her breasts. From there towards the floor, her dress dove into deep hues of blue and violet. Fine piping of green accented the design of what clearly was a master crafted article of clothing, for her and her alone.
From behind came echoes of loud Bwoops and Beeps's, clearly an R2 unit. Crossing on to the deck rolled Secura's bronze domed R4- G9 astromech. Rattling of a rapid series of Beeps, whistles, and sirens, her droid extended one of its claws which held tightly gripped, a snow white cloak, clearly intended to accompany the gown. Random suppressed laughs couldn't be contained as it became apparent that the droids alerts were not that of panic. Instead they fit the role of a knaggy mother chastising her adolescent daughter before going out for the night!
The Jedi Knight's cheeks heated up with both a dash of embarrassment and agitation for her droid counter part. "Thank you VERY much Gee-nine." Kneeling next to the droid she threw the albino cloak over her shoulders and under her long, dazzling lekku, with a flourish of finesse. The blue female then raised the lightsaber hilt she was holding, "Alright Gee-nine, where do you want it this time?" R4-G9 retorted with a low pitched, begrudging, little digitized grumble. A small trapezoid compartment popped apart. "Well that's a new spot! Thank you. Keep it safe." ***Bee Doo doo* The lightsaber fit perfectly into its new containment box.
Captain Sightreh opened communication linked with the gunships. "We are on the prescribed approach vector General. Set to maintain course until we near the palace."
***Ka-TACH! **crssCCHHHH **TONNNG ***kk..kkk.. *** pinG
Seemingly random noises began! Pieces of debris bounced off the hull and minimal shielding. A handful of clone officers stood from their seats to look out the view ports to report. "What is that noise?" No window was needed for A' Sharad Hett to know the answer. Solemnly through the commline his voice was clear, "Ghosts of the past. No more comm chatter from here until touch down captain."
Sightreh acknowledged briefly, "Yes sir." before silencing all deck comms. Bly looked out the window to a sight that struck every navy man at their station. The commander's face was nearly pressed into the glass. His eyes locked on what remained of a pair of bright grey, lifeless Acclamator Assault Ships. The pair were still being scowered by Separatist techs and scavengers alike. Secura stepped up to the windows.
A young clone, recently assigned, murmured without thinking, "What...in the name..of .."
Even Aayla's breath remained stolen for a moment. Captain Sightreh took a deep breath and sighed. "I thought we were dead in space that day. Its ironic to return here with Hett..he saved many lives during the rearguard action. It was gutsy to use the one, nearly empty assault ship to shield our vessel. That day trained Dao and I to be masters of our fear with Hett as our teacher... we'd all be dead as would those who later became Hawkbat Battalion...Ghosts.. ghosts indeed."
Continuing ahead, the unmarked republic frigate sped ahead, intermingled in the heavy traffic. During certain hours, Sepratists relaxed scanning and checks in order to get out as many cargo filled transports, reaping the benefits from the mineral laden planet as quickly and unmolested as possible. The Regulator flew right through the CIS blockade without a hitch or flag being raised.
"Here we go General. Entering the stratosphere."
A light bounce turned into a more violent shutter. Commander Bly sat in a chair, belting himself in. The ship heaved upward into the air then sharply down! The view plate transitioned from the dark void of space to a brilliant baby blue, but only for a moment. The further the descent took them, the more obscure their vision became. Relying on their instrumentation became necessary. Every body on board was relentlessly jostled by the turbulence. Aayla Secura's knuckles grew the closest they could to white while clenching the arm of her seat!
The captain held his footing which were spread for balance as if they alone kept the ship stable.
"Steady the helm! Keep us on course! We've flown right into the middle of a sandstorm!!"
