Ilum, 2200 hours, weather: blizzard
Maiven hoped that whoever the Zweihander Union had sent shared her resilience for snow. They had just occupied this frozen world, and with their expansion into historical Chiss space, she had no doubt they were experienced with weather like this. The Chiss were a cold people, reflected both in personality and in the planets they liked to settle on. She had no idea who she was meeting, but if the Zweihander's had been straight with her there would be someone waiting at the coordinates that she now eased her clawcraft down towards.
The knowledge of the open immigration policy offered to the Chiss had been censored heavily in the core worlds of the Ascendancy, but those who were disillusioned enough by the Ascendancy's government knew where to look for the truth. Contacting the Union had been fairly simple for someone of Maiven's skill in espionage. She was likely the first CEDF officer to defect, but she had no doubt many soldiers had accepted being absorbed into the Union's armed forces. The Zweihander's offered a sense of security and unity to the Unknown Regions that the Chiss had always striven for, and moved further and further away from in recent years.
Her immediate thoughts upon arriving on Ilum were tainted with regret. She felt as though she would regret her coming actions, and there was no going back after crossing over. She wondered if any of her soldiers would follow her if she called on them. She had let them down on Muunilist, failing to give the command that may have crippled the New Imperial assault. She had proven to her followers that she was not ready for leadership, undeserving of her rank.
The clandestine meeting she was about to attend would further prove her lack of worth to the Ascendancy. For all she knew they would brand her as a criminal, accused of treason. She didn't want that, but there was nothing left in the Ascendancy for her. Not since the rebellion. Since then she had no family or faith in the system, perhaps the two most important things for a Chiss to have.
So, this was it. She would leave the only way of life she had ever known, hoping that the Union was everything the Ascendancy wasn't. It was gamble, but one she prepared to make. She mentally prepared herself as she exited her ship into the bitter and whipping winds, the perfect cover for tonight's proceedings.
Tranquility
Maiven hoped that whoever the Zweihander Union had sent shared her resilience for snow. They had just occupied this frozen world, and with their expansion into historical Chiss space, she had no doubt they were experienced with weather like this. The Chiss were a cold people, reflected both in personality and in the planets they liked to settle on. She had no idea who she was meeting, but if the Zweihander's had been straight with her there would be someone waiting at the coordinates that she now eased her clawcraft down towards.
The knowledge of the open immigration policy offered to the Chiss had been censored heavily in the core worlds of the Ascendancy, but those who were disillusioned enough by the Ascendancy's government knew where to look for the truth. Contacting the Union had been fairly simple for someone of Maiven's skill in espionage. She was likely the first CEDF officer to defect, but she had no doubt many soldiers had accepted being absorbed into the Union's armed forces. The Zweihander's offered a sense of security and unity to the Unknown Regions that the Chiss had always striven for, and moved further and further away from in recent years.
Her immediate thoughts upon arriving on Ilum were tainted with regret. She felt as though she would regret her coming actions, and there was no going back after crossing over. She wondered if any of her soldiers would follow her if she called on them. She had let them down on Muunilist, failing to give the command that may have crippled the New Imperial assault. She had proven to her followers that she was not ready for leadership, undeserving of her rank.
The clandestine meeting she was about to attend would further prove her lack of worth to the Ascendancy. For all she knew they would brand her as a criminal, accused of treason. She didn't want that, but there was nothing left in the Ascendancy for her. Not since the rebellion. Since then she had no family or faith in the system, perhaps the two most important things for a Chiss to have.
So, this was it. She would leave the only way of life she had ever known, hoping that the Union was everything the Ascendancy wasn't. It was gamble, but one she prepared to make. She mentally prepared herself as she exited her ship into the bitter and whipping winds, the perfect cover for tonight's proceedings.
Tranquility
