No Excuse

[Orick T'ane]

Orick shifted in his chair in the mess hall, all of these Republic personnel were making him uneasy. New Hospice was a great world to recover on, and they did great work on the Ranger, but he was a ball of energy today and he couldn't figure out why. He sat back and rubbed his neck, his mind flashing back to Denon. It had been a long time since he had done something as stupid as what he and [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] had done. Hell, he wasn't sure he had ever done anything that stupid.

She asked him to take her for a ride to the surface and she berated him the entire way there, worst of all was that she was right. "Captain, when I have some down time you can buy me a drink while you recant to me all the stories of your heroic smuggling." Her words still stung, not because they were right or wrong, but because he really didn't have an excuse for landing in this line of work. He became a smuggler because it was what was available at the time. Thinking back on it, he hadn't really thought much of anything through since he left the Navy. And here he was now, surrounded by Navy types, but not one of them. It had taken days of soul searching just to admit that he missed it. Not the crap patrols or the inspections, but the camaraderie, you couldn't find that anywhere else in the galaxy.

I blame Wix, if he hadn't been here it wouldn't have been so bad, but it was good to see that old space dog again. And that was the problem, Wix brought it all back. He was thinking about the others all the time now, wondering how many of them were still out there. He stood and grabbed his stuff, he was done just sitting, he needed to get of this rock.

Getting the Ranger powered up and in the air was easier than it had been in a while. She was fixed up and happy and she was going to act like it for a little while. At least until something broke again, or I crash again. Once he was in space it was easy enough to hit his hyperspace communicator, " Caledonia command, this is Aimless Ranger, I have to speak to the admiral."

 

[Mariya Pyne]

The Aimless Ranger would be met with a response from the communications officer aboard the Caledonia. "Request received Ranger. Standby for docking clearance." The comm would go silent for a minute while the officer relayed the message to the bridge. "Admiral, the Aimless Ranger has made contact, requesting to board and an audience with you." Kayleigh nodded her acceptance of the request, and the man returned to his post to relay the clearance.

"Your request has been granted Ranger. Docking bay 1 will be authorized for landing. Caledonia out."

Orick had managed to catch the Caledonia in between operations, and Kayleigh with a small window of freedom to speak before being pulled back into discussions with the leaders of the Senate and the military. Though after having his ship fixed she wasn't exactly certain what he could be after.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He smiles and changed course to the bearing given to him by the Caledonia flight command. He knew that the admiral had a ton of stuff on her plate, Military command.. senate committees.. commanding her fleet. The window for this conversation was narrow and he knew it, so he would need to not stumble through this. He fixed his shirt and put on the new coat he had and smoothed it out. He buckled his belt on, not bothering to remove the pistols on it this time.He opened the cargo bay doors and made his way out of the ship and met two marines like before. He smiled at them and nodded, " Lead the way gents."

He followed them as they guided him once again to the bridge of the ship. He glanced around as he was walking, noticing how advanced the Caledonia was. The fleet had gotten better equipped since he had left. He noticed several state of the art consoles along the way. The bridge doors opened and he smiled, noticing how different it looked when it wasn't in the middle of a battle. [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] was there where he knew she would be. Her hands tapping furiously on a data pad. He stopped well short of her, allowing his escorts to introduce him this time " Admiral, your guest has arrived."

He smiles at her as she turned, his gaze wandering to the conference room door. " Do you have time to talk, admiral?"

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh lifted her head as her officers presented [member="Orick T'ane"] entering the bridge. Her cheeks puffed out a bit when she smiled at him. He had become a welcome sight among the stars as of late, and she would be insane to turn down anyone willing to help, even if they were of a bit dirtier nature, as far as professions. But the man had proven to be a valuable resource to the Republic's war efforts, and as such she couldn't afford to turn down a good thing.

Tucking away the datapad she stood and greeted the man. "I can spare a few minutes I suppose." Turning to Captain Rovins she nodded, his acknowledgement of her silent orders was returned without a word. Gesturing with her hand towards the blast doors exiting the bridge she ushered Orick out with her aside. "We aren't due for the next operation until next week. What is it I can do for you if I may ask? Or did you simply miss me that much."

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

"What can i say, admiral, I missed having you ask me to take you on a suicide run and then have you berate me the entire time, aboard my own ship at that." He said with a playful smile. He like that she had a sense of humor, too often the upper brass seemed to forget that it was OK to let go and be alive. " I do have to ask though, where ever did you hide that snark when you went in front of the promotion boards, I heard you had to have it surgically removed when you reached commodore." If she was in a good enough mood to joke around then he would return the favor. the truth of the matter was that he wouldn't have even be here if it wasn't for her. She had this charisma that was infectious, and her insane tactics, while dangerous and totally uncalled for, were the kinds of things he would pull. And he respected her for her blunt assessment of his situation. she wasn't afraid to deal with him, but she would remind him of how he lived his life. With her it didn't feel like judgement, more like an outside voice showing him how much talent he was wasting.

He sighed and rubbed his chin for a second and finally spoke, " I want back in..." he said with a short pause just so she could let what he said sink in before he continued. " I realized that no matter how much good I was doing on my own, there was so much more that I could be doing with you guys. The Republic has been my home for most of my life, even when I haven't always lived IN the Republic, I have always been a citizen." He tried to guage her reaction to his statement, but failing to pick anything up he continued. "Denon sold me on it. You're suicide mission was the spark that made me realize that I have all of this training and skill that I waste on nothing. i can't even find an excuse foe doing what I do, one day I just woke up and I was smuggling."

"Let me back in... hell give me a stun baton and a grav chute and I'll take back Coruscant."


[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

As she escorted Orick through the corridors of the bridge aboard the Caledonia, her hands wrapped behind her back and clasped ever so professionally, she couldn't help but smile as he recalled the operation on Denon, of which she could have very well gotten them both killed, the least of which was near irreprable damage to the Aimless Ranger that the Republic had paid to restore to slightly better working condition than it had left with. "Luckily for me they had no choice in the promotion. Nobody else would take the jobs I took because they knew it was suicide. I on the other hand don't believe in getting myself killed, so I never let it happen and so they had no choice but to promote me off the merit of my lunacy." She nudged Orick as she smirked, her followup comment would be sarcastic, yet surprisingly honest. "Either that, or they ran out of upper brass to do the job when all the galaxy went to hell."

Continuing into a conference room and sitting at a table she listened to the first four words he said, and they nearly made her laugh. She tried with her entire being to remain composed that the smuggler wanted back in to the confines of military life. But his voice sounded genuine, and his continued speech seemed logical enough. She was proud that her crazy antics were enough to sway the man to rejoin the Republic's naval forces. Her eyes stared blankly at Orick while her brain processed everything he was saying to her. He really does want back in. What a sap.

Without speaking a word she reached into her side pocket and removed her data pad. She navigated through the Naval records to locate Orick's archived information. Moving the file from the archive she re-activated his Navy ID: 820698A-V397 and handed him the datapad. "Sign below, and your rank of Captain of the Galactic Republic Navy will be reinstated."

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He took the data pad from her and looked down at his file. His entire history in the Republic military was there, his commendations...his reprimands, which far outweighs his commendations, his postings, his transfers; his pay grade, which he knew was never a captain. He looked up at her and noticed a look in her eye, She knows just how stupid you are now, tough guy, he thought, but his words were calm and composed. " Admiral, I'm sure you are aware that I wasn't a captain when I left the Navy. So I do appreciate the trust you're showing by giving me a promotion, however I have to wonder what the catch is." He tapped the datapad, but didn't sign it, " I'm sure you think I'm a fool for giving up all of my many freedoms to return to the rigid and boring lifestyle that you so happily enjoy. We both know that I'm just stupid enough to believe that the galaxy can be a better place with the Republic strong again. There's wolves on every boarder ready to tear the walls down. It's only a matter of time before the galaxy becomes one large war zone. I don't know about you, but I would rather be ready for it, because I would make a terrible refugee."

He signed his name and slid the datapad back to [member="Kayleigh Tyven"], " The question I have to ask now, is how long have you had that file open on your datapad? Were you digitally stalkign me Admiral?" He smirked at her, knowing that once things became official his flirty banter with her would be over. I have to get this all out of my system now, soon enough I'll be in that uniform again and my decisions will cost people their lives.

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh nodded in acknowledgement of his prior rank. "I am aware of your file, Captain. The catch is that you don't make me regret my choice, and that going forward your record is clean. Meaning that during inspections there aren't any...additional storage areas aboard the craft you command. Understood?"

She laughed as he continued his speech. "Orick, I know you're a fool. This life isn't pretty, nor is it memorable. When we're gone, only those who served with us and our families will remember us. The fact of the matter is we need fools. We need people crazy enough to give their everything to the idea that peace may one be achieved, and our great Republic will stand as the beacon of hope it once was. That, my friend, is worth fighting for, worth dying for. And if that is what makes a fool, then lump me in with the rest, and lets go kill us some Sith."

Picking up the datapad after the man signed it she smiled. "Welcome to hell, soldier. I've had your file open since the first time you dropped out of space and requested to aide us. Do you think I'd simply let any rogue vessel navigate through our lines, let alone dock aboard my ship? Let's be serious here, I am crazy, just not that crazy. This ship is my baby. Now get to your quarters. Your name is already on the door, and you'll find your uniform, complete with your current rank already embroidered on to it, with your previous commendations and medals to go with. Meet me on the bridge and we'll discuss things further."

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He smiles as he turned, " I'm not sure what hurts worse admiral, you thinking I'm going to smuggle, or you thinking I would put something in a place you would ever find." He was halfway out the door and added, just loud enough for her to hear " I knew you were stalking me." Finding his quarters was project itself, the Caledonia was huge, and there were hundreds of rooms and departments that he had to navigate through. But after what seemed like forever, he found the door with his name on it. The room was small, as he knew all quarters on a ship were. Bed, a couple of nooks and crannies to put stuff, and a storage locker against the bulkhead.

He opened the locker and found three sets of officers uniforms, a work uniform, four undershirts and all of the assorted under clothes and personal hygiene products.... all in perfect order and brand new. Well that didn't take long to get, I wonder how long she has had this room ready for me, he thinks as he pulls out one of the officers uniforms and inspects it. Captain T'ane...well Kriff me.. He looks over the rank and other ribbons on the uniform. He lays the top down on the bed, careful not to wrinkle it and he carefully pulls off everything except his rank and his combat award. No one out side of the review board gives a flying kriff about medals, combat experience, that's what the men want to know. He smiled as he thought of his captains when he was an enlisted man. Many of them had jackets filled with useless awards, impressing their friends and stroking their own egos, he didn't want to be those guys.

Getting dressed took longer that he was used to , mostly due to the amount of effort you had to go through to wear the uniform right. everything had to line up perfectly, creases had to be managed the right way. I hate it already, he thought as he put on the new, and completely uncomfortable boots. He slipped on the uniform belt and stopped, he quickly added both of his pistol holsters to the belt and put it back on. Adjusting the holsters, he positioned the first one on his right hip, the large blaster not even close to regulation. The second went to the small of his back, a small backup for those long nights. Checking himself in the mirror he took a small piece of synth-leather out of his old pants and tied his hair back. That's about as professional as I'm getting for now, [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] wants to see me before the day is over I'm sure.

He stepped out of his quarters and looked and felt like a different man than the one that walked in, he wasn't completely happy with the uniform but he could deal with it. his trip back to the bridge was much different without an escort, he still got more than a few sidelong glances, but at least with the uniform and the rank no one had the gumption to stop him. The bridge was just how he left it, a few new faces, but it was a sea of calm and quiet. He walked smartly over to [member="Kayleigh Tyven"] and gave a proper salute, this time without a smile and holding it until she released him, " Captain T'ane, reporting as ordered, Ma'am"

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh muttered something under her breath as Orick headed towards the exit of the bridge. Something about blowing whatever ship he was on to pieces if she suspected him of doing something so idiotic as smuggling aboard a Republic ship. She smiled to him as he left, turning back to her duties while he proceeded with what he needed to get done. He would find his room eventually, and she could already see the smirk on his face in how it had been arranged, likely trash talking how ugly or uncomfortable the uniform was. He was back in the service, and he hadn't a choice about it. So he had better hope to break those new boots in soon, lest his feet be uncomfortable for years to come.

Upon returning, it was all she could do but hold her face as proper and stern as possible when he began his salute. She wanted so badly to burst out laughing, if it were anywhere less saturated with servicemen she would have, but she was forced to maintain composure for the sake of respect and regulation. She returned the salute, though held it for an awkwardly long period of time. It was the least she could do to make him uncomfortable, now that he was effectively under her command. This is going to be fun. Kayleigh lowered her hand, releasing the new Captain of his obligation, and replied. "At ease. How does it feel, Captain?"

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He sighed, her could hear the enjoyment of his torture in her voice. " It chaffs a bit and I don't remember the boots being this bad, admiral. I do have one question, if it pleases you to answer. How many days have you had that room ready for me. Ten minutes isn't enough to do anything in the military outside of a combat zone." He was trying his best to show her that he was completely comfortable in this situation, even though he was questioning his decision the entire time she gave him the looke like she was a Minstygar on a game trail.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh thought for a minute and calculated the days in her head. Time was so relative now that she could barely remember what day it was, let alone the history of days passed.

"Somewhere around a week, I think. Don't worry, the boots will break in, and your baby skin will eventually toughen up." She cracked another smile. That had to sting.

"I suppose this means I will have to put you on my payroll until we find you a ship, huh? We'll have to discuss with the finance board what we can afford and what we have at our disposal. That Senate Chief, [member="Geneviève Lasedri"], has been on my case like you wouldn't believe. I am starting to consider turning off my comms so she doesn't invade my dreams." A small bit of laughter escaped her lips. She had nothing against Gen, but boy could that woman get under her skin.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He tried to think back to where they were a week ago... He couldn't even remember what planet he was on a week ago. The Republic had been moving so fast with it's push to secure things, and he had gotten so swept up in their wake, that he didn't have any time to keep track either. " What planet were we even on a week ago? And you didn't seem to worry about my baby skin when you decided to let me do the dirty work on Denon, all comfortable and cozy in your shiny armor playing sniper." He grinned back at her, even though he didn't move his head at all.

" Keeping me on the payroll, huh. Well it's cheaper this way for you.. paying me as an independent was much more expensive than it is to pay my officers salary. I suppose you have some torturous position open that just needs an officer to fill, garbage officer or something equally terrible; as opposed to using my skill set in a way that's actually helpful" He really hoped she didn't actually have something like that in mind. she would be in for one hell of a surprise the first time they entered combat and saw the garbage brigade storming the defenses.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"A week ago? Ossus. That little Jedi endeavor at the far edge of our reach that they needed to reclaim."

There was a bit of contempt in her tone. Resources were expended there to secure that planet and she had taken a lot of flak for it. "And as for Denon, Captain, You ran your own ship. You smuggled. You should have had the brains to buy yourself some kriffing combat gear. I can't be expected to supply every rag-tag merc with equipment when they aren't on my payroll."

She laughed and nodded in tepid ackonowledgement. "True enough, it is far cheaper to pay you less than a quarter of what we were with you as an officer than a hired gun. That will also help get the Senate off my back about needless finance expenditures. You would think these people were bookies, not senators, by how tight they get with their finance books. As for your position, you'll be taking over temporarily as my XO while Captain Rovins takes a leave of absence. After which you will be assigned your own vessel to command."

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

"Ah yes, the Jedi world. Not my type of planet, but they seem to like it well enough." He heard her words about his ship and his combat gear. We don't all have companies to build our stuff for us, laser-brained pain in the rear. He let out a deep breath hand let her get her rant off. She's gonna push all of my buttons now. I can feel it coming.

He chuckled at her assessment of the senate, it was close. He heard her say the words but he didn't believe it. She was going to make him the XO of her ship, at least temporary, while Captain Rovins was on leave. The Caledonia had thousands or personnel on it, and it was huge, he was lucky if he could remember the way back to his quarters. " You're serious. You're keeping me here. Guess it makes sense, if i kriff up as your XO, you only get a bit embarrassed at the next state function, but if I get a ship and mess up, you might be out on your can as fast as I am. Keep the new guy close and hope he can handle it. If not, I suspect I WILL be the garbage officer." He smiled at her, but he knew that he was right, and she would be watching him to make sure he didn't screw this up.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

"It wasn't my first choice, but it had to be done to appease the magic glowstick wielders. And so it was." She smirked. She knew how vital they were to the Republic's success, but she didn't understand a damned thing they did, aside from magic tricks and energy swords. She couldn't fathom how they managed such strange power. Her logical mind refused to grasp the idea. Perhaps that was why she simply wasn't gifted with the ability.

"I am keeping you here indeed. At least until the craziness of whatever is happening here subsides. You'll be in charge under me, so don't screw it up and make me look bad. If you do, garbage officer will be a promotion for your next position. Just something to think about how far down the totem you'll be, if that's what you have to look forward to." She didn't think it would come to that, but a bit of fear wouldn't hurt. She knew he was a damn good pilot, and he followed orders when he hadn't even been required. He would make a good officer.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He chuckled slightly, " I'm sure you made friends back in the senate with that one." He understood the need to keep the Jedi appeased, they were a vital part of the military effort in combating the Sith. Life would be much harder without those glowsticks.

"Cramped quarters, navy food, and getting woken up at all hours of the night, Admiral, I'm living the dream. I make no promises, but you can guarantee I will do my best, and you will get rid of me soon enough. I am not so sure it's safe to have long term exposure to ' Crazy Kayleigh'." He was well aware that she would go through with any threat she made, that comes from having the power that she had. Power that caused nothing but headaches and sleepless nights, he was only worried about making sure he wasn't added to that list of things.

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh shrugged. "I'm sure the Senate hates me by now. That's a good thing. They need motivation to get things done. They sit on their behinds enough while we are out here doing the heavy lifting."

The blonde admiral almost laughed at his recollection of their conditions. "If you think the quarters on this ship are cramped, wait until you get back into one of the smaller ships. Some of our Corvettes make the rooms here seem like grand halls. And the food is sadly about as good as it has been in years. But don't worry, I know you'll do your best. If not, I'll jettison you out into the darkest void of space I can find in an escape pod with 24 hours of O2, and then contemplate for 18 hours whether or not I will come back." The girl winked. It was an empty threat, she would never do something that cynical or evil, but it got the point across.

[member="Orick T'ane"]

 

[Orick T'ane]

He nodded at her statement of the Senate, he knew what they were there for, but he never really saw them doing any good on their own. they just sat around and talked about the problems that the rest of The Republic had to go and fix.

"I can't wait to see the lovely accommodations on a corvette. I hear that you can sneeze on the bridge and have them hear it in the engine room. As for the food, that's an old navy trick. You're so pissed off at the food quality that you spend your entire paycheck on shore leave eating. Broke troops work harder for the chance to make more money."

He laughed loudly at her threat. "If you ever did Jettison me, admiral, I know for sure you'd come back, at least for the escape pod. You can't afford to ask the senate for another dime that's not accounted for. I doubt they would accept 'had to rid myself of a junior officer' as an acceptable line item."

[member="Kayleigh Tyven"]

 

[Mariya Pyne]

Kayleigh smirked, running her hand through the lockes lf long blonde hair.

"You'd be surprised what I could get away with. But you're right, nobody, least of all me, want the Senate asking any more questions than they are already prone to."

Taking out the datapad she would look through the vessels currently in service by the Republic. Many were in for repairs or already deployed to other commanders.

"Well, Captain, it would seem you have the choice of three ships to command. We've received three replacements to compensate for losses in battles past. You may choose from below and name your ship."

She handed [member="Orick T'ane"] the datapad to look at containing information on the Stalwart, Unity, and Spearhead.