Art of War

[Kyyrk]

---

​

---

OCTARCHY COVENANT TASK FORCE RALLY POINT, SOMEWHERE NEAR THE RISHI MAZE​

---

---

​

---

[youtube]https://youtu.be/rN1ivALQvxg[/youtube]​

---

​

---

​

Voph sat tucked away in the crude workshop he'd fashioned aboard The Arbitration. He was working on something. Not a weapon, nor armor. No, this was...something different. A message. His crew had been on their way back to Geonosis after the Battle of Zonmira, if one could even call it that, when they discovered something. Passing through the region of space inhabited by Felcat, The Vanguard detected a transmission. It was old, garbled. Hardly understandable.

But Voph was curious. And...well, he needed something to occupy his time. It wasn't a uniquely difficult task before him. It was, after all, a transmission type he was familiar with. But encoding procedures had changed drastically over the years. There wasn't anything on the ship, or on the Arbitration, that could read, and thus play, the message. And so Voph busied himself meticulously reconstructing the message from scratch, translating it to modern encoding techniques.

Voph looked up as a transmission echoed through the ship. "Alert: Hyperspace signature detected. Incoming Vessel." Odd. The Confederacy knew Voph was out here, but no one ever visited this exact spot that often. That's why Voph was out here. A safe place for the migrant fleet of the Octarchy Covenant Task Force to station, away from prying eyes. Usually if they needed him, they would summon him. Voph stood, and dusted off his robes. Of course, come to think of it, it very well could be Seaja returning from whatever venture she'd embarked on.

"IFF confirms, Dauntless vessel inbound. Please Advise." Voph looked up at this. Dauntless? What would they want with him? Voph picked up his lightsaber from the desk. "Offer an escort to the Arbitration, and inform the flight deck our visitor is cleared to land, highest priority." Voph exited the room, and walked towards the turbolift down to the hanger decks. "Attention Dauntless Vessel, you are cleared to dock in Arbitration Hanger B. Proceed to docking corridor, and our guidance system will direct you." Voph emerged into the port hanger a short while later, ignoring the soldiers and pilots that saluted him as he walked by. The hanger was, as always, abuzz with activity. Though in this instance, it was patrols coming and going, moreso than combat activity. Ships were being repaired from what little damage had been sustained at Zonmira, and flight crews were reviewing the cause of damage to see if it might be avoided in the future.

Voph's now shock white hair was pulled into a loose pony tail that hung over the top of his black cloth blindfold, only just reaching to the hood bunched between Voph's shoulder blades. He stood near the indicated landing section in the hanger bay as the Scimitar II class vessel touched down. He folded his hands behind his back, standing proud and tall, like any admiral would. This was, after all, likely business calling. His assumption was confirmed when [member="Allya Vi'Dreya"] stepped down the boarding ramp onto the cold metal plates of the hanger deck. "Adjudant Vexia. Always a pleasure to see you alive and well. Had I known you were coming I would have prepared a formal welcome. Dare I ask what was important enough to seek my presence in person?"

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. “​

Sun Tzu – Art of War​

​

​

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0uIOW2IGlY
​

She could run armies, she could lead planets, she could calculate the quickest routes to victory, she knew how to press the mental weak points of her enemies, and to lay traps for even the strongest of Jedi. She had survived a Star Destoyer falling on her entire squad, and lost not a single casualty from it due to quick thinking, she had killed a Sith Lord at the side of another, who thought to entrap them. Allya had designed weapons of war, powerful droids and vehicles, she had overseen the cloning of the Dauntless commandos, she even now, led the CIS in an effort to secure it's borders. She was a weapon of war, unlike anyone else her age could be. But, there was one thing she knew above all else: She did not know herself.

She was no Sith, not like her father, aunts and uncles. Allya did not fear the dark side though, and she did not feel it was wrong to feel emotions, to form attachments, to kill those who wanted to harm you and your people. She was a leader, she felt pride, arrogance, and she was her father's daughter, so desire, and frivolity as well. However, she did not see herself as a God. She didn't lust for power, or believe in deceit, nor did she desire to utilize fear to gain power, or to control the masses. What was she? The Sith Code fell empty in her mind, the Jedi Code was hollow and half formed. The Darkness surrounded her and she used it unashamedly, and yet, she protected those under her with her life.

To make it all more complicated, she had fallen head over heels for a perfect Jedi boy. His morals were beginning to mold her own, but it just made her all the more aware of the lack of identity she had. On the battle at Zonmira, she found something, hidden away in a vault. A datapad, encrypted coordinates based on a system of data they hadn't used for thousands of years. It talked very briefly of a planet, a name that meant nothing, but she felt the force stirring. Lettow. What was it?

However, there was one man she felt a spark with. A connection. A Sith Lord, who used his forces to protect, to guide, and lead. He stood in the way of the darkness and kept his people, and the people he swore to protect safe. He was a monster, a son of a queen, like her. Unashamedly so, but he didn't play the games the other Sith did, he did his DUTY, as he himself had defined it, rather than just following some code of conduct, or what other Sith said he should do. And it happened, he was thousands of years old. Lord Voph. This was no coincidence. Allya firmly believed in the force and its will as well as the will of her god, Hod Ha'ran. Two pieces of a puzzle, something that guided her to it, and a man who fit the bill of what she needed. He had seemed impressed with how she handled herself on Eshan as well.


Her ship came to rest in the main hanger of the Arbitration, and she exited alone. The small Mandalorian was dressed in her full beskar'garm. Her right hand made a fist, and pressed it to her chest, above her heart, in a Mandalorian salute. “Lord [member="Voph"] . It's a pleasure to see you again. I admit, this isn't a formal visit, or else you would have been told about it long before I got here. Honestly, I have two questions for you. And I was hoping we could talk in private.” Once more the armor obscured her in the force. Her intentions would be difficult to ascertain, but not impossible. She was here for knowledge, but she was here for a favor. She had bet a lot on this. Right now, there was no back up plan if he said no. She doubted there was any other in existence that could do this.

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph turned on a heel, gesturing for the girl to follow him. "I presumed as much." He walked along, head turning slightly to watch as another fighter came to dock within the massive hanger. "Welcome aboard the Arbitration, Adjudant. Heart of the Covenant Task Force, and the only home I've known since the dawn of the Zakuul Invasion. The Octarchy have been busy since our return from Zonmira. What with the news of the First Order collapsing. Tensions are high. Defeated, but not destroyed, and leaving much of their holdings abandoned. First Order space is about to become a lawless wasteland. And while we may not be able to help everyone, the Octarchy are preparing to mobilize to help bring stability to the region as best we are able."

He led the way through corridor after corridor, towards the heart of the ship. As they walked, Voph offered Allya an informal tour, highlighting the various features of his combat flagship. Eventually, the pair arrived at the Combat Bridge, housed deep within the center of the ship. A large holographic display sat in the middle of the circular room, currently displaying an image of the galaxy, with various specks moving about in what seemed to be real time. Voph stepped to a door on the side, and ushered Allya into the small office. It contained some decoration, most notable being an ancient saber-staff hung on the wall behind Voph's chair.

Voph sat down as he finished his current thought. "...Still ample room to update designs, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Our suppliers are already heavily taxed under our demands as it is." He sat rigid in his chair, still maintaining an air of formality even if Allya had designated this meeting as informal. For all he'd done within the CIS, Voph was, after all, still a minor factor. His title of Fleet Marshal had only been granted to him in recognition of his navy merging with the CDF. Beyond that, he held little sway in the social realms.

"But, you did not come all this way to listen to an old man prattle on about his fleet." Voph leaned forward, clasping his hands together and resting them against the desk. His brow furrowed as he looked at Allya. The young Mandalorian had two questions for him. And he couldn't help but wonder what those questions might be. He had his suspicions. "So, Adjudant. What questions did you wish to ask?"

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

Allya listened, enraptured. She was good with administration and logistics. Along with R&D it was her thing. It's what allowed the fifteen year old to be second in command of the Dauntless. She had skills that Luna needed, and it's what kept her there. Now, she had the clone's loyalty, they obeyed her far more than they did Luna. It ensured she wasn't able to be gotten rid of, unless she wanted to be. “I know that feeling. I was recently commanded to patrol the entirety of the CIS border, and attempt to do the impossible. They want me to force everyone going in and out of CIS space is registered. It's insane.”

As they reached the room, Allya closed the door behind them, and reached up. The Mandalorian undid the latches holding on her helmet, and placed it on the table. While he couldn't see, he would FEEL what that meant. She was dropping her barriers, through the force, and the physically. It was a sign of trust by a Mandalorian. The girl's face was young, her aura was dark, passionate, and for someone like Voph, there would be no doubt, she was a girl in love. Her mind kept wandering to someone not here. However, when she spoke again, her mind focused completely on the here and now.

“I am not a Sith, Lord Voph. Not in the traditional way. I do not give into my hatred, I experience anger, but I reject fear. I am Passion. And I am being pressured into a lot of things. But I have made up my mind, I do not desire to be a traditional Sith, if a Sith at all. I will never be Jedi, but I can't follow the Sith Code either. I still feel like, the Force is trying to bring me some where. Or maybe it's just my own will and the force is making it happen.”

The small Sith ran her fingers through her hair. “My two requests. On Zonmira, I found a datapad, talking about a planet, called Lettow. There are coordinates, and a brief history, I think. But it's encoded, in a code that hasn't been used in thousands of years. Before your original time I imagine, but I am hopeful, you can help me crack it. And the second, Lord Voph, if it pleases you, I would like to offer myself to become your apprentice. I don't expect you to take me right away. However, I believe you are like me. There is a shard of light inside, it casts all the shadows that appear. You are passionate, but wiser than I. You are tempered, but your actions while self serving are not vicious and evil. You are monster, like me, an abomination. Someone that can do horrible, evil things with little remorse, but at the same time, act to protect the masses, and guide them. I feel we both know, that in this galaxy, peace is possible, but not without someone willing to bloody their hands for it. If I am wrong, please correct me.”

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph watched Allya quietly for a moment, then leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Hmph. Following the Sith Code is not all bad. Depending on your translation. After all, it is merely a...guide to power. It never says what one must do with it." His brow creased as he watched Allya, in part because of her obscured image within the Force. "The Sith are only seen as evil because the Jedi would condemn that order to rot and decay, refusing to accept that the Sith are capable of good. Instead stating that they have been...'redeemed', or have become like Jedi."

Voph fell silent for a moment, then said, "I, however, am nothing like you. There is no light, merely echoes in the dark. The Jedi were wise enough to recognize me for what I am, and cast me out. There is no throne awaiting me within the grand halls of the afterlife. Nor will I ever be a hero. History has already proven once that it is ready to forget me. I do what I must to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Not an act of compassion, but an act of penance. To atone for my sins, that I may die in peace, knowing my rest has been well earned and deserved."

He smiled grimly for a moment. "I temper myself because I have seen what happens when I do not. I have seen the world laid bare, broken in mind, body, and spirit. I have seen planets consumed on a whim, entire star systems reduced to rubble..." Voph sighed quietly as he trailed off. "Peace is a lie. Even if the code is naught but lies, that alone I have seen proven to be true, time and time again. It is the duty of the strong to ensure survival. If you wish to seek power for yourself, so that you might stand fast in the face of Armageddon, then I will share what I know."

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

Allya pulled off her armored gloves. With her helmet and gloves off, the force was much easier to feel around her. Still a bit hidden but there. The girl began to laugh softly. “I've watched a world be devoured just to make a pair of boots. I've seen entire races genocides because they dared to talk back. Even my own life, if I talk to my father wrong, or at the wrong time, is up in the air. Peace for the sake of peace, is pointlessness, so long as people walk the galaxy. However.” The young girl moved close to the older man, and tilted her head a bit. Without fear her calloused hand reached out, and caressed the taller man's cheek.

“This is where you are wrong. Penance? A heart without light, cannot seek penance, it cannot know it needs to. You scream to make things right, not because you care? Wrong. It's because you care, but you've seen what happens when you care and it destroys it all. When you lose control you can destroy everything around you. You destroyed everything you cared about. Welcome to the Sith Code. We can argue about the code all we want. But you are a very curious Sith indeed. I'm passion. I feel, I am. I scream when I see someone hurt. I cry and grieve when someone dies. I am angry when someone is mistreated. I hate what harms the ones I care about. And yet, I rejoice when a new child is born. I am happy on the days when things go well.”

Only then did she finally remove her hand. “You aren't blind. You aren't ready to die just yet, even though, from what I can tell....you were. I think, you are the shadow that's created when the light breaks into a million pieces. Something that cares. But hates that it cares. Someone who has seen so much pain and suffering that to care is a special form of torture, because you grasp reality, that you can never save them all. And that you will always be betrayed. You pull in, and lash out, trying to figure out what you are, why you are, what you should do. You count the evils you have done and they are so numerous, that when you look at yourself you hate what you see. How can you ever sleep at night? How can anyone ever forgive you?......or am I just talking about myself now?”

The young girl reached back and ran her fingers through her own hair. “If you are so broken, I won't let you teach me to survive the apocalypse. The end of the galaxy is always a step away. There is always some disease about to destroy everyone, some ancient evil about to devour life, some intergalactic disaster one step away. The only thing that allows the people of the galaxy to sleep at night, is people like you and me don't let them know about it. So, be all melodramatic about how reality is. But if you teach me, I will take your power, your knowledge, and everything you have built, and one day I will prove you wrong. Peace, true peace without any fighting is a lie. But, a peace, where people can sleep at night, not having to worry about that constant destruction that lays over them at any moment, because I am there? That is a peace worth fighting for. So, what do you think? Am I just a delusional girl?”

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph tensed as Allya touched his face. His head turned slightly away from it, but he made no other action to prevent it. He could manage. This one...he trusted. Not a statement made lightly. He waited in silence until the girl had finished speaking. "You are...correct. From a certain point of view." Voph lapsed into silence for a moment, as he considered the girl's words. "I will never know peace. And yet...you speak true. It is possible for those ignorant of the evils lurking in the shadows." Voph stood, and walked around to the small view port set in the wall behind him. Not a true window, but a feed of the space beyond the ship.

"I should never have been here. I fought and died for a world I knew I'd never see. And yet...Here I stand. Asking myself if what I have done to ensure this peace was worth it." Voph's head hung for a moment, and his hands clasped behind his back as he turned back to Allya. "No...no, you're not delusional...No less than I, at any rate. The records have all but been lost, but...there was a war..." Voph began to pace as he recounted the tale. "At the time it was known simply as The Invasion. By now, it is known as the Zakuul War. Perhaps you have heard of this war. Great, and terrible. It spanned the galaxy. No world was left untouched. For seven long years, we fought. The fighting was over in months. Zakuul overwhelmed us. Denova...Kuat...Commenor...Those were just the beginning. From then on, a ceasefire was called. And Zakuul was declared the victors. But some of us did not go quietly."

Voph fell silent again. His face was emotionless, yet he radiated anger...sadness...and underneath it all, resolve. "Commenor was to be our final stand. And for all the lives lost...all the death caused...We bought the capitals...a week, at best. My crew was decimated. Survivors flocked to the Iron Fist. Many were ready to continue the fight. And so we fought. Battle after battle. Campaign after campaign. The Desolation came to be feared throughout the fringe systems." Voph stepped close to one of the walls, and placed a hand upon it. Gentle, as if showing affection to a child. A gesture that Allya may recognize. Or at least understand the meaning of. To Voph, the Arbitration was not simply a ship. No, it was so much more. It was the vessel from which he commanded the greatest military campaign of his life. Several thousand years later, The Desolation lived on, even if the original crew did not.

​"And every battle was the same. Insurmountable odds. Certain death. Hopeless, by all accounts. And yet we fought on. Because we all knew what must be done. To free the galaxy from Zakuul oppression. We fought for a peace we knew we would not live to see. And yet we were happy to lay down our lives, that our sons and daughters might live in freedom, peace, and prosperity." Voph turned to face Allya once more. "If you continue down this road, then you too shall understand that peace is a lie. I am not an agent of the light. Nor shall I ever be welcome within its embrace. But I will still protect those unable to protect themselves. Till my dying breath."

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q46xYqUwZQ​

Her heart broke for the man in front of her. The girl's instincts were to wrap her arms around him, until the pain left. However, this pain, it was deep in him. And she saw how he reacted the last touch. He tolerated it, but it wasn't a source of comfort. Perhaps because nothing could comfort what was inside. “I know about the war back then, and how it ended with Zakuul, only to become something different. The war never ended. It's never stopped over thousands of years, it just changes form, and faces.”

Instead of comforting Voph, she did an action she hoped HE would understand in return. She touched the same wall and whispered. “Thank you.” To the ship, the crew that died to crew it, and those who were there now. Through the force, Voph could feel the intensity of her passion as she spoke. “Peace for us is a lie Voph. But look at you. You died and yet when you came back, what did you do? You protected. You gathered more people, took up the role of that evil bastard that stands infront of the darkness again....and again, and again. We aren't light. I didn't come to you thinking you were. If I want light and floofy, the Jedi at the Rest have more than enough for me. My man, Jerek, is a Jedi. I know he dreams of turning me. I also know he doesn't honestly want to make me something I am not. Darkness fills my bones, I am a shadow. And it's why I am good at what I do. I can do what he can't, I can face the darkness without losing steam.”

She sighed and leaned on the wall, her emotions soared around her so visible: Determination. “I see something in you, I want to emulate. How you stand there, confident in your lack of confidence. You are a dark man, able to do what it takes, but your heart breaks. You will protect with your life, simply because you said you would. Sure you have other goals along the way, but Manda is it impressive. You DIED and came back, and are just as much of a bad-ass as you ever were! I know you are not godly, I've watched you fall. But. Teach me to act as if I am. To stand in front of this galaxy when the Apocalypse is upon it, and to give inspiration simply from being there, like you do. Teach me to be a Sith like you. And I can figure out the rest on my own.”

The girl chewed on her lower lip. She showed hesitency in her words for the first time since she met him. “What, I never told my man. The light can't touch me either. Living for years in a dark side nexus during my developing years saw to that. The body can survive amazing things, but it changes to do it. The light burns and tears at me. I don't think I can ever really go that direction even if I wanted. And I don't. My emotions are mine. They will not be taken away, be it hate, rage, desire, I don't care what. Besides.”


Allya placed a hand on her hip and stared at Voph straight up. “Do you know, how long I've waited, to have another Sith tell me it's okay to fight to free the galaxy from a tyranny even if we know we won't live to see fall? I was beginning to think, I was alone in the desire to stand against darkness, no matter the cost. Even if you didn't teach me, and take me down this path, I would go there on my own. But you can prepare me, make me more effective than I could ever be on my own. I desire this....Master. Teach me to be a Legend, even if no one remembers me."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph watched the girl in silence. As she laid a hand on the metalwork of the ship, Voph's brow furrowed. "Hmph. Understand that I speak with the utmost respect for your loved one when I say this: The Jedi are flawed. Weak. Unable, and unwilling to do what must be done. And yet it is far better that the galaxy place their faith in them, than in us. For beings like us are not leaders. Not to the common folk."

Voph turned, as a chime sounded from his desk. He pressed a button, and leaned forward on the desk, fists resting on either side of the console. "Speak." "The Fleets are ready, Sir. Standing by for your orders." The time had come. But for now, Voph's eagerness to travel into the ruins of the First Order were tempered. "Send them. The Arbitration shall remain here for some time longer. We shall join you when we are ready. You have your orders." "Understood Sir! Vanguard signing off. For the Tomorrow we may never see." Voph stayed leaned over the desk for a moment as the connection severed, before murmuring to himself, "For the tomorrow we may never see."

Voph pushed himself back to his full height, turning to look at Allya. "The Light shall always succumb to the dark. As Dark shall always succumb to light. So many, across so many generations believe this. And yet it is a falsehood. For in all things, there is a balance. Two sides of one coin. The Dark shall not persist without the Light. And the Light cannot shine without the Dark."

Voph folded his arms behind his back as he looked down at Allya. "If you are to learn what I will teach you, you must understand this. The Force is neither good, nor evil. It merely is. The Force molds those around it to more reflect its true nature. Corruption will only occur where corruption already exists. And while to some, the light may seem blinding, understand that for every deviation, the Force shall compensate. Fitting, that you should have such a relationship with yours."

Voph turned to the wall behind him, and pulled the lightsaber down from its perch, running his fingers over the rough craftsmanship. It certainly looked similar to one of his blades, but...different. Rough. Not as refined. An imitation of his blades. "In the tradition I was forged in, a Lightsaber was a customary gift to signify the beginning of one's training. The forging of their own blade to mark the end." Voph looked up at Allya for a moment, then held out the blade. "This blade belonged to my son. Wield it well...apprentice."

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

The girl's eyes closed as Voph's words swam through her ears and mind. It was beautiful. Everything she had felt in her heard, everything she understood. So complicated, and so simple. And yet strangely out of the grasp of so many. Two halves to the same whole, each unable to exist without the other. . Neither good nor evil, not right or wrong, they just are. It sung like sweet music to her, and rang TRUE. Far more true than the selfish power seeking of so many Sith. So much more true than the blatant lies fed by the more conservative Jedi. Now, the Dark Side did PULL you to do more destructive acts, however.... “The Dark Side's nature isn't corruptive. It's decay. It's Death, destruction, change, the End. The Light isn't good, it simply represents birth, life, growth, the beginning. Both are needed, both are natural states of being. It's always made sense to me, the Dark Side would make people question their own mortality more, you are surrounded by Death's song. It also makes you more prone to destroy, because it's what it is. However, it isn't evil, it isn't some horrible thing that cannot protect, or should be wiped out. It just is. Balance, is amazing.”

“I'm with a Jedi as I told you. And I agree with you. They are incapable of doing what must be done. They are weak, frail, and they fail. But I hope, for a day when people like me, like you, are not needed and I believe the Jedi are the best chance for that. They are the heroes the galaxy needs to see. While I, am the one that will silently, unseen stand against everything that haunts it. Flowery? Maybe. But, it's Jerek's fault. He showed me how nice it is to bask in his light, as he rests in my shade. Balance is a beautiful thing.” Her eyes went lost for a moment and she shook her head. “I need to learn, Voph. I know my weaknesses. Eshan showed me that. If I want to protect what I value, I can't turn away now.”

Armored hand reached out, and took the hilt. She stared at it for several moments, and took it in. In her own culture, this was a thing too. She had been given a dime a dozen lightsaber when she completed the Sith Temple's training. It wasn't personalized, it held no meaning. However, the next stage of Sith, you were given a piece of your master, a weapon that held meaning, history, and were forged into their narrative through it. But you made it your own, and one day, you would create your own, and pass this one onto another, and then another.

This one was much larger than hers. Double sided lightsaber? It looked like it. It would take some training to use, but it could be used to great effect and give her even more options once she got used to the extra weight and size of the hilt. The Sith....no...no. ALLYA passed it from hand to hand. “It is my honor, my master. What is your bidding?”

[member="Voph"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"]​

​

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph watched the girl quietly for a moment, then said, "You already host a considerable command of your own skills, as evidenced by your actions on Eshan. But...as Adjudant of the Dauntless...I am curious." Voph stepped to the door, and gestured for the girl to follow him out into the battle bridge. "Warfare is more than the movements of a single blade. It is a culmination of many moving in symphony with each other. I wish to see how well you conduct them." He stepped up to the commander's station, and keyed in a command. The holodesk began to change, as Voph verbally entered a command. ​"Begin Simulation IF-001."

The ships computers began to display simulated readings, as Voph turned to Allya. "The date is the 85th day of the 16th year after the Treaty of Coruscant. The Galactic Republic and Sith Empire are reeling from the Revanite Incursion, and are still crippled in their efforts to weed out the disloyal elements. You are in command of the Iron Fist, a state of the art Harrower cruiser, as well as four support Terminus vessels. You are being deployed to Denova on a training sortie for your crew to become accustomed to their new ship. Once you have arrived, you will rendezvous with the Obliteration, a fellow Harrower, and begin a sequence of wargames and training exercises. Denova is the backbone of the Imperial military, being one of the few sources of raw Baradium in the galaxy. The planet is heavily fortified, and has been so ever since the incursion by the Warstalkers during the Cold War. As such, after the completion of the training exercise, you are to escort a shipment of Baradium to the refineries where it will be converted into the much needed weapons of war."

The crew on the command bridge took positions to assist in the simulation. Dials began to turn, lights began to flash, and the instrumentation showed that the ship was in hyperspace. "There is, of course, a catch. You are ten minutes out, and you're realizing that the Iron Fist is detecting no transmissions of any kind from Denova space."

Voph stepped down from the commander's station, and gestured for Allya to take a position there. "The simulation begins when you take your position. Good luck...apprentice."

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

Allya took command with great confidence and experience. She was used to leading a fleet of this size. Truthfully..before she met Jerek, Tactitus had trained her intensively on how to lead fleets. As soon as she notices the quiet from Denon. “Lesson ten. All crewmembers to stations. Activate yellow alert. It could be nothing, but it's rare to receive nothing from a planet as busy as this. It could be a massive solar flare, however, always better safe than sorry.” Fingers moved over to the nav-computer and she began to study data, and began to type things into it. Of course it was the simulation, not the real nav computer. “Prime all weapons, shields up for reentry, in case there is unknown debris or asteroids in the way.”

She had no clue this historical battle. Her mind flexed, attempting to remember anything, however, she had to wing this one. Honestly, it was unnerving for her to have so little data. However, this was how it often was. Uncle Tacitus often told her she was to careful, she always tried to move her pieces only when she already understood the outcome. And she didn't here. Eyes closed. And the force was no help. It was a simulation, she was approaching no real danger, nothing that could be picked up ahead of time. And knowing Voph it could be nothing, but to see how she operated without full knowledge. Either way, caution was the best approach.

Fingers moved with a flash, calculating something in her head, and putting it into the nav computer, one string at a time. Ten minutes. The perfect amount of time to get everything ready. She had once made the mistake of entering a peaceful area with her shields down and weapons offline. This had been a mistake, because while she caused no alarm for the natives, there were unplanned asteroid fragments in the path. She hadn't ever done so again.

This with the nav computer, was a habit picked up from an assassination attempt after leaving the Sith Temple. It had caused the death of her friend, nearly killed her, and was caused because it took too long for the Nav computer to create emergency exit vectors. Most data was already available, you could plug in so much of it. It would then take ten percent of the time for the computer to finish the rest. Then again, she understood that making these types of calculations in your head wasn't something most people could do. Jerek couldn't and he was amazing. She wanted to build a droid that could do this for every bridge in the CIS ship, imagine, freighters dropping out of hyperspace into traps, being able to quickly, escape before the pirates could hit them. Would be something to look into later.


Two minutes till, she settled down. “Status report. Any change in the comm status?”

[member="Voph"]