Captain Ali Hadrix (PM To Join)

[Ali Hadrix]

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"You ought to have worn the uniform expected of you, Captain Hadrix." General Raxton'tar, a Bothan, grumbled as Ali stepped into the chamber. She was garbed in a gown of her choosing, flowing but closely so, conservative, but flirty. The gown left one shoulder exposed, and was lined with artificial gems and woven with beads. Ali nodded to the General and smiled, she knew how resplendent she looked. "I don't wear uniforms, sir. You know that." Ali winked at Raxton'tar and politely stepped passed him across the foyer. Within the chambers, the rest of the battalion was splendidly garbed in dress uniforms; civilians were dressed as Ali had. Aside from herself, three other Leftenants had received promotions to Captain, hence the event itself being called a "Captain's Ball." Ali espied three of her female colleagues near a liquor and spirits buffet and approached them, nodding to each in turn. "Captain, Captain, Captain," they each greeted her, smirking. Ali curtsied mockingly and they all shared a laugh. "Why thank you, ladies, I look forward to the molehill of a pay raise and the mountain of responsibility." Laughter again.
One of the women, Coronel Jenning, placed her arm around Ali's waist and brought her close. She raised her glass in gesture to the others and looked down at Ali (Jenning was slightly taller). "To Captain Hadrix, Captain Stallings, and Captain Luthor." The women lifted their glasses and Ali poured herself a drink as well. Together they drank, and together they poured another. Ali looked around as she poured her third glass, hundreds of soldiers and officers were together tonight, all in celebration of the timely promotions of a handful of their own.
What a waste of taxpayer money, Ali thought to herself sardonically as she downed her glass once more.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Coronel Jenning was off making a fool of herself at the arm of General Harmon, a Falleen with yellowish-green skin and a bald head. The man was strikingly well-featured, though what Jenning saw in males Ali couldn't decide. She was off by herself now, leaning against one of the massive granite columns at the building's balcony, overlooking Hapes's Government District. The afternoon air was cool against her skin, and she felt it cut through her locks of hair as they bounced gently on her shoulders. She sipped at her glass, filled with a Nubian red wine of some irrelevant vintage, as she gazed out amongst the traffic and city lights that served as Hape's early-evening scenery.
"Surely you should be amongst the other promotions, no?" A voice called from behind. It was soft, and friendly, and male. Ali lifted an eyebrow and cradled her wine glass against her breast, glancing back at the fellow. "I would have skipped the promotion entirely if I'd been allowed...And don't call me Surely, the name's Hadrix." The man chuckled, lifting his own glass to her. "You're funny, I'd heard that." Ali suddenly wondered who'd been telling people things about her. "And from whom, might I ask?" The man shook his head, "You don't need to know, it wouldn't matter anyhow." He was human, and dark-skinned, with a wide nose and thick lips. He was bald, and both wide-shouldered and tall, and clearly well muscled. The rank markings on his chest and shoulders made him a Captain, same as her. His name tag read Solstice. "Well then...Captain Solstice," Ali began, but the man interjected. "Marc, please." Ali made a mental note. "Well then...Marc, why do you gossip?" She asked.
Marc smiled, stepping passed Ali onto the balcony and leaning over the stone-worked barrier. "I don't. But I can't help people gossiping at me." Ali turned and followed him with her eyes, then with her feet as she took the place beside him. She swallowed the contents of her glass and then held it out over the emptiness of the cityscape below and released it. The glass shone, flickering in the myriad lights as it tumbled through the air until it shattered against the front windscreen of a hover taxi. Ali giggled to herself and turned, leaning her back against the railing and crossing her arms over her chest. She shook a lock of hair out of her face and looked the man over.
"Why are you here? Talking to me, I mean." She jerked her head toward the building's interior, where the rest of the part was taking place. "Instead of in there...socializing." Marc furrowed his brow and frowned in thought as he looked down and inspected his glass. After deciding something for himself Solstice finished off his drink and tossed the glass over the edge of the balcony, though he didn't follow its descent with his gaze. Ali did, however, leaning over to watch the glass strike a passing speeder. The stem broke away though the rest of the glass remained intact until it disappeared from view. Ali smirked, he was entertaining at least; she hated propriety.
When she looked back at Marc he was looking at her. "You rolled your eyes during the General's speech, in the middle of the promotion ceremony. No one in the formation could have missed that. I found you interesting." He replied firmly. Ali laughed, then licked the tip of her finger and wiped a smudge of something from the Captain's otherwise sterling uniform. She leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm flattered, but I'm not attracted to men." Captain Solstice placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away. "And I didn't say you were attractive." Ali was taken slightly aback. "I said I found you interesting." The man looked out over the city around them, at all the activity. "What do you see out there?"
Ali followed Marc's gaze with her own, then looked back at him. "Targets. Every single one of them. Things to protect, people to care for, yes. But targets. Not for me, but for others." Marc nodded, "Fair enough. I would have thought much the same thing. My next question: What do you think the Republic can do about it?" Ali narrowed her eyes, unsure of the man's angle this time. "Are you implying they can't, or are you suggesting they're going about it all the wrong way?"
Marc smiled, "That's for you to decide for yourself. I've already decided for me."

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley watched Ali from a distance. The ceremony, most of the party, even when she was talking to Marc. Then again Riley wasn't exactly a 'people person', in some ways she felt alienated from them. Unlike everyone else who was dressed for the occasion, Riley was dressed in brown cargo pants, combat boots, and green combat jacket with a tactical vest underneath. Overkill by some, precaution by her standards. She had opted to be security tonight, since mingling with people was still foreign to her. She slowly made her way towards the pair on the balcony, her eyes went from scanning for threats to resting on Ali and what she had worn. There was a strange feeling in her gut that she couldn't quite explain, it wasn't combat nervousness or stress, but..something else undefinable in her vocabulary. Riley stepped up to the door leading onto the balcony, after several seconds of hesitation, she cleared her throat. "Captain. I have the hourly report if you wish to hear it now. Or I can leave it on your desk if you'd like."

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali caught sight of Riley out of the corner of her eye as the younger woman approached the balcony foyer. The poor girl had volunteered to run security for the event, and she'd seen so hard set on it Ali hadn't had the heart to turn her down. Riley "Captain'ed" her, something she hated, and Ali turned to face her. The girl was garbed in trousers, boots and a jacket; Ali wished she'd dressed up a bit, if only to show off her figure. Ali could have easily found something for her that would keep her prosthetics covered, and in that moment resolved to do so.
"Riley," Ali smiled, taking the woman's hand and gently pulling her out onto the balcony. "Enjoy a drink," She said, nodding to Marcus, who smiled and walked off to find more champagne, leaving the two women alone. It hadn't been long since Riley had joined her with the Intelligence Unit, though Ali had expected her to feel more comfortable than she was at this point. Ali drew a small pack of cigarettes from inside her dress and lit one, leaning with her back against the balcony. She drew in deep, letting smoke trail from her nostrils and leak from her lips, ignited by the night lights of the city.
"Next time, dress up, Riley." Ali said suddenly, ignoring her question about the report for the time being. "Especially as security personnel, you want to stay hidden, unnoticed. A ghost, a guest, nothing more." Ali drew from her cigarette once more, tilting her head towards Riley in acknowledgement as she exhaled. "Give me that report now."

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley almost blushed when Ali took her hand and pulled her out onto the balcony. She watched Marc leave before turning her attention to Ali. Riley remained silent as Ali lit a cigarette, she then glanced down at what she was wearing. "I'm...not sure I even have anything to dress up in. All I have is military gear and uniforms. If I dress nice though....how can a wear a tactical vest, or carry a blaster?" She straightened some at the sound of the report. "Yes, the report. So far there's only been one incident. Just..two drunks fighting outside. They're not even guests either, so not my problem apparently." She leaned her forearms against the railing and gazed at the lights of the city. The green irises of her cybernetic eyes glowed like green fire in the fading light.

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali turned her head far enough to follow Riley as she leaned next to the balcony beside her. Ali's eyes were suddenly catching the back of Riley's neck and trailing down her spine and legs. In her mind's eye, she began dressing Riley, finding outfits of her own from memory she thought might suit the younger woman pleasantly. "You don't always have to carry a blaster, Ri." Ali told her in a conspiratorial voice, as if it were a fresh discovery.
Ali turned and leant against the balcony rail in the same fashion as her companion. She drew from her cigarette again and blew a plume of smoke out into the city. Ali leaned back some, taking in Riley's figure. She rested her hand upon the other woman's shoulder squeezing the muscle underneath firmly. "All a woman needs to be is a weapon, and she'll never be without arms. Your body is your ultimate companion. Love it. Embrace it. Shape it. Enhance it. Mold it to be what you need it to be, so you never again have to rely upon the arms of men." Smiling softly, she tilted her head to the side slightly, looking Riley over. The girl was quite attractive. She had a lithe figure, a strong body, and Ali particularly enjoyed her dichotomous eye color, blue and green. She was pretty. Ali hoped Riley understood that.

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Don't always have to carry a blaster. She me not have needed to actually carry one, but it was in her training to do so if she had the means. "That would take some other kind of training to not want to carry one." She leaned back from the railing and gave a noise that almost sounded like a short amused laugh. "Enhance my body, huh." She looked her hand over before balling it into a fist. "I've been enhanced a lot in my life. Not as pleasant as you would think." Her attention then went to Ali. "Unless you have some other kind of enhancement in mind? One only Captain Ali would know."

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali's smile shrunk slightly; Riley was right, she'd been through enough changes. Suddenly she felt ashamed; the last thing Riley needed was anyone telling her her body wasn't already enough. "I'm sorry, I've got nothing in mind..." Ali's smile returned somewhat. She could hardly resist a chance to return to her flirtatious nature. "But it sounds like you might?" Ali grinned in the dark, taking another drag of her cigarette and letting the smoke leak from her nostrils like a sleeping krayt dragon.

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley stared blankly over the city scape for a moment before speaking. "You have nothing to apologize for." Her gaze went from the city to Ali. "I really don't have anything in mind. But...if you want to go on patrol with me, then maybe I'll think of something. I still have to check the upper floors, fewer guards up there." She took several steps back from the railing and tilted her head some to the side as if scanning Ali over.

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali, despite her experience and insight into people, had never been able to figure Riley out. The girl was sheepish, shy, naive, inexperienced, youthful...but she was also firm and aware, knowing. The way she looked at Ali from the periphery of her vision as they stepped off of the balcony and rejoined the celebration just long enough to make their way upstairs told Ali something else was brewing beneath the surface of this young woman. Ali followed her, quiet at first, as even Riley's invitation for Ali to join her on patrol seemed out of place for the girl. The cigarette between Ali's fingers was burning low, and she put it out in the glass of a passing tray of champagne, then quickened her pace just enough to catch up to Riley.
They stepped their way to the upper floor, where only the lonely and those they envied, the couples clinging to one another in alcoves, were to be found. The sound of the party had diminished and did not clout Ali's ears as it had on the balcony below. She followed Riley through the lustrously decorated hallway, passed paintings with gilded frames and doors with intricate bas reliefs engraved upon their faces. "Where are we going?" Ali asked, she wasn't used to being in the lead. Almost every woman she slept with was more submissive, more comfortable with Ali taking charge. Not knowing to what end she was headed made Ali curious and excited; Riley had been a dedicated, if not slightly uninspired, soldier thus far. Ali began to wonder if the young woman was about to challenge Ali's preconceptions about her.

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley lead Ali along the corridors, past other military officials and underlings. In truth, she wasn't exactly sure what to truly say or do. She was mainly making things up as she went. Mentally she fumbled for something to say. "You...you like nice tonight." Pausing for a moment she threw out the first thing on her mind just to keep conversation going. "It's definitely quiet up here. Not that that's a bad thing."

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali continued following Riley in silence, enjoying the splendor of their environment, even if she could have done without the others filling the halls. The pairings of guests began to filter out however, as the two women approached the end of the hall, which turned right into a large study lined with bookshelves. In there they could be alone, which Ali sensed Riley wanted. Ali smiled slightly as Riley complimented her choice of garb, though the comment seemed out of place for the younger woman. She felt Riley was reaching a conclusion of some sort, though had little idea of how to go about reaching it.
Ali turned at the end of the hall and entered the study through a pair of tall doors. An elaborate wooden desk rested at the center of the room and an oval-shaped stained glass window took up the entire far wall. The view beyond was beautiful: a vibrant city scape that wasn't too harsh in illumination, the lights were diffuse like a drawing smeared and blurred by the artist's hand as they crafted it.
Ali stepped over to the window as Riley spoke again, her words seeming hasty and unsure. Ali let her left arm rest atop the stone sill of the window, and she looked back at Riley with an inquisitive eye. "I have missed views like this," she said softly, her words aimed at the city outside but her gaze fixed on Riley. Slowly, Ali believed she was beginning to understand, and she was unsure. Riley was new to the world, her history and upbringing were rotten with pain and torment. There was much she had been denied, despite having lived twenty years. Ali began to wonder if Riley understood herself what it was she might be feeling or wanting.
"I am thirty-five, Riley," Ali said suddenly, her eyes drifting back to the city scape. "And I only am just beginning to feel as if I am doing something worthwhile with my life." Ali looked back over at Riley, tilting her head slightly and considering the other woman deeply. "I think we are similar in that," Ali continued. She wanted Riley to know they were the same, or at least similar in this respect. She wanted Riley to know that Ali understood why she might feel the way she did about her life, because it was how Ali herself felt often.
"You have been a great addition to my life, Riley." Ali dipped her head slightly. "And for that, I thank you."

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley gazed across the city scape and the view that Ali said she missed. She had to admit, the view was pretty nice from up here. Her gaze then turned to Ali when she said that even at thirty five, she was just now feeling like she was accomplishing something worthwhile. Riley thought about it, she herself had accomplished many things in her short life, but known were worthwhile or for the good of others. "The same. I guess, yeah." She was silent for a moment, staring at her prosthetic hands. "I'm not really sure where to start looking for 'worthwhile'. I mean, I was created to be a weapon, molded into a superior soldier. How do I move on from that? You had a family and friends to help you along the way. I only had squad members, the only thing we helped each other with was combat training and missions." She looked up at Ali. She almost had a pained expression on her face. "Is this my life? To be a soldier to the end of my days?"

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali smiled gently, taking Riley's hands as she held them before herself. They were hard, yet smooth, which made them comfortable in Ali's light grip. "A hydrospanner can be used to tighten a bolt, or knock someone's teeth out." Ali said, laughing lightly. She reached out with one hand and tipped Riley's chin up, looking the other woman in the eyes. "You're not a weapon, you are a tool. But you get to decide how you use yourself now, and that's what matters most." She jerked her chin toward the scene outside, toward the sky. "That's the difference between where you were on Nar Shaddaa..." Ali looked back down at Riley, "And where you are now."

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley knew Ali had a point. She was somewhere new, her old life was behind her now. If there was any better time to begin again, then this would be it. She pause for a moment before speaking. "Thank you, Hadrix. I'll try my best to start again, to be something more than a living weapon. Maybe something better." She looked Ali in the eyes when she spoke. "Still not sure where to start though. To be less...military would probably be a good place thought."

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

"Call me Ali," Ali replied softly, smiling at Riley as the younger woman made eye contact with her. Ali took both of Riley's hands again in hers, feeling their strength. "Dressing less military might be a good start," Ali hinted with a wink. "We should do a make over for you." Ali smiled devilishly, a dozen ideas already running through her mind.

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

A make over sounded...strange to Riley. It was something that she had never experienced before. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. Now wasn't the time for thinking on that though. "I'm sorry Hadri...Ali. I should be thinking of things like that later. We should be celebrating, today is about you after all." She reached into the side pocket of her pants and pulled out a flask that contained Corellian whiskey. Taking a quick swig of the strong substance, she handed it to Ali. "Cheers."

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali felt her own features soften as Riley spoke. The woman was quite pleasant, and deserved kindness, especially after all the kindness she'd missed out on in life. Suddenly, and much to Ali's surprise, Riley drew a flask from her trouser pocket and took a drink from it before handing it to Ali, who took it with an arched eyebrow. "You know, Ri," Ali replied, hoping the other woman was accepting of the minor pet name, "With a make over, we'd be celebrating your beauty." She winked and drew from the flask, then coughed slightly as the liquor burned. She cleared her throat and held the flask up for inspection. "My, that's tough stuff," she laughed lightly, then slugged Riley playfully on the shoulder with her free hand before daring another swig of the liquor and recapping it. "But thank you, Riley," Ali said, sincerity in her voice. "I appreciate it. And I look forward to having you around," she added before returning the flask to its owner with a smile.

[member="Riley Reese"]

 

[Riley Reese]

Riley gave a low laugh. "That's a strange thing to celebrate." She took the flask and had another swig. "I'm honored to be working with you...Captain."

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali narrowed her eyes at Riley, playfully hinting at suspicion as the woman laughed and drank again. "Thank you, ma'am, but I must remind you, you're on duty!" Ali flashed a smile and plucked the flask from Riley's grip, taking another sip for herself. She took the liquor more easily this time, still impressed with the other woman's ability to drink it at all. "You wouldn't want to do anything inappropriate, after all."

[member="Riley Reese"]