Private Spring Showers

[Madison Starr]

​

Ashlan Crusade Air Base - North of Voss Ka Capital City


Another civil war had finally come to an end.

Lead by Sith extremists, the Gormak nation had launched a multi-year military campaign to rid the northern hemisphere of the local Voss population. They might have succeeded too if not for the valiant efforts of both Ashlan and Silver Concord reinforcements. In fact, just last week a joint Ashlan-Silver operation had besieged the stolen capital of Voss Ka and brought about the end of the Gormak military. And their Sith supporters too.

Now. It was up to a new alliance of multi-Jedi nations to step in and mediate a transition period.

It would not be easy.

. . .

"Morning."

"Morning ma'am."

Madison Starr stepped down from the exit ramp of the Silver Concord Pelta-Class Medical Frigate. Parked as it was, like a dozen others of it's type, on the soft golden grass of Voss surrounding the large Ashlan Air Base. The center of Ashlan operations on a post-wartime planet.

The Ashlan's zealotr-like ways showed simply in the number of colorful banners they'd erected since their arrival on-world. Decorations and flagpoles even near the jet runway. Near the latrines. Ugh. Really. More flags guys? Sheesh. Give me a break.

Madison sipped her morning coffee as she entered her landspeeder and closed the door behind her. It was a cool springtime morning outside Voss Ka. And it wasn't just the wind that was cold here either.

She started the car and pulled away from the Frigate's underbelly. Dashing across the empty fields of gold toward the Air Base's mess hall. It was quick jaunt across empty grass and empty tarmac. The mess hall would be half-full of soldiers and engineers already. Just how the Ashlan liked it. Military.

"Morning." Madison dismounted outside the drab tent-like structure that was the mess hall.

"Good Morning ma'am." The Ashlan Knight bowed. Clutching his steel gauntlet to his chest.

It made Madison wince. And not because her coffee was hot either. She passed the armored guard and slipped into the buildings warm heat easily. Escaping the cold morning with gusto. Quickly to be greeted with the sights and smells of a military cafeteria. The tables were large and numerous at this time of day. And plastic. Mmm. How fancy.

"Morning." She sipped as she approached the leadership there assembled.

The Ashlan Base Commander was having breakfast with the Silver Ambassador and his secretary. A few Ashlan Knights were also present, as was Captain Thatcher of the Silver Concord Navy. The Voss team had yet to appear it seems. Well. That was fine. They were early. ...The Ashlans, were always early.

"Morning Apprentice Starr." The Silver Ambassador, a handsome green Twi'lek man named Jerome Salavas, greeted her. Beckoning her to have a seat at the plastic table and join them. "Commander, this is Apprentice Star. Silver Jedi and liasion with the local Voss militia. She'll be my eyes and ears, on this one."

"Of course. Ashla bless us. Welcome young Apprentice." The Ashlan Commander gave a tilt of his head. Sadly. Madison forgot his name. However, without his helmet on? This might have been the first time she'd ever seen his face too. Ha. Funny.

"Thank you. As Ashla wills it." Madison nodded in curt reply. Ever ceremonious around Voss' new protectors.

"Anyway." Jerome waved them on, "I suppose we'll wait a moment for the Voss Mystics and the NJO to join us. Can't have a briefing without the whole gang present eh?"

"Quite." The Ashlan Commander nodded gruffly. Then he motioned for one of his Knights to bring him another holo-display. This one was, smuggy.

"I'm sorry. The NJO?" Madison sat down and queried. She wasn't familiar with any more Major Factions being on-world just yet.

"Oh. Yes!" Jerome bellowed happily, "As you know, our new alliance welcomes all Jedi who wish to take part. Handsomely, in fact. As such, a few New Jedi Order types volunteered. Well... With the temple renovations mostly. But I hear, Master Noble was visiting too. They are... Quite welcome to join us. Yes?"

"Of course Ambassador. Very welcome." Madison nodded politely.

Grateful really. These Ashlan zealot types rubbed her the wrong way. At least a combat mission with the NJO along? Well. It would be less taxing on her mental health anyway.

Madison turned to smell the kitchen and her stomach turned with a grumble. Oh dear. I suppose coffee wasn't much of a Jedi breakfast, was it. As such, she excused herself to go get something to eat. Meanwhile, the others busied themselves with paperwork as they waited. Luckily, the NJO and the Voss Mystics were quick to arrive. Together in fact, too. Excellent. Then when introductions were over and everyone was seated. The mission briefing could begin.

Long story short. It had been one week since the siege of the capital had broken the Gormak military. Alas. Nobody had been comfortable with the quiet ever since.

Unpleasantness was sure to follow.

. . .

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

Voss.

It was an interesting planet with a fascinating bond to the Force through its mystics, who guided their people by receiving and interpreting visions granted to them. A long time ago, Valery had taken over the work from a Jedi Knight who fell in combat at the planet, but had served as its emissary on behalf of her old Enclave.

For several years, she remained the diplomatic point of contact to the planet's people and Mystics, until other business required her to focus her time and efforts elsewhere. But during those years of working and often living on the planet for extended periods of time, she did develop a greater appreciation for Voss.

So when the NJO Council received word about the work of the SJC and Ashlan Crusaders there recently, she decided to travel back herself, rather than delegate another Jedi to the cause. It would be an opportunity for her to represent her Order and maintain good relationships with others, whilst also returning to a planet she hasn't seen yet since her time out of stasis. It was likely that a lot had changed over the millennia she had been stuck in that stasis pod, but she was going find out soon enough.

"Clearance codes transmitted," Valery said through her comms device as she approached the landing pad in her fighter.

"Received and clearance granted. Proceed to landing pad 2A," the air traffic controlled said in response.

With the coordinates locked in, Valery swiftly brought down her modified X-wing, powered down its engines and stepped out of the cockpit once the canopy had fully opened. Looking around, she spotted a few others in the area already, but she quickly looked back at her ship and removed her helmet, allowing her long hair to cascade down behind her.

Dropping the helmet back into the seat of her fighter, she finally turned around and made her way into a nearby building — the mess hall, where she had felt the presence of other Force-sensitives. Spotting them at a table with breakfast and coffee, the Keshian approached them and stopped to offer them a respectful bow of her head.

"Good morning. I'm Master Valery Noble, of the New Jedi Order."

 

[Madison Starr]

Madison was still in the cafe line when Valery arrived. She was greeted with a grand introduction.

The Ashlan Commander stood and clasped his armored gauntlet to his chest. The knights in shining armor behind him did not move.

"The Light of Ashla welcomes you Master Jedi. I am Commander Rook of the Voss Expedition. Base Commander and Holy Warrior of Ashla. ...Please. Join us."

Elsewhere at the table were the rest of the gathered leadership. A colorful bardic Twi'lek male. That would be Ambassador sent by the Silvers. He smelled more spymaster than politician really.

"Ambassador Salavas. Of the Silver Concord. A pleasure and a welcome to finally meet the esteemed Lady Noble. Come. Come. Sit next to me Master Jedi. ...Coffee? Tea? ...Nix. Go get Valery some tea, yes."

"Of course sir."

A blonde human woman with exquisite taste in Tetan eyewear gave a nod. She was obviously Salavas' secretary. And, well? Probably a cyborg assassin too If the Silvers were sticking to the 'Common Rules of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence' playbook. Something every good Jedi Shadow knew rather well. But that was just a guess, at this point.

Anyway. The other, quiet and mysterious one, was Captain Thatcher of the Silver Navy. The military guy in charge of the Silver Ships and logistics outside. He seemed bored and rather disinterested in anything Salavas had to offer. Clearly a navy lifer. He was young, handsome, well cut, and remained standing the whole time.

Rook sat back down at the head of the table and his knights remained at his flanks. Just in time for the Voss to arrive and Madison to return with a tray of food. Burritos, actually. Ambassador Salavas did his best to flatter Valery and beckoned her to join him. He was insufferable like that. But talented.

"Ah. And here comes the man himself." Commander Rook smiled as a blue-skinned Voss male approached. "Commander Kal of Voss Ka. Welcome. I was hoping the Council would send you."

Three Voss males in military attire approached the table. They wore blue ceremonial sashes decorated in metals and complex ribbons. Madison had no idea what they meant except that it brought the favor of the Voss Mystics and portrayed a history of battle. All three Voss wore no head coverings either. Bald, tattooed, and proud.

"Glad to be of use Commander. I am Commander Kal of the Voss. Acting liaison for the Council. These are my assistants. Lieutenant Kal and Lieutenant Kal. Thank you for assembling on such short notice Commanders. The people of Voss appreciate your support. As do I."

Madison frowned at all three Voss being called 'Kal'. An infuriating trait the local Voss had picked up during the war. Sharing names. Bleh.

Ambassador Salavas stood up motioned for everyone to be seated. His secretary returned with various flattering beverages for Valery also.

"Let's begin then."

. . .

I'll be brief.

Yesterday a large group of Gormak militarists seized a chemical-industrial complex on the coast of the main continent. Given the ravages of a multi-year civil war? Alas. This is the last on-world Class Two chem-I refinery. And Silver intelligence believes the Gormak are prepping it to create chemical weapons. Weapons of mass destruction.

Commander Rook pressed the wand again at the holo-screen again. Changing the picture to an orbital layout of the complex.

"As you can see. The complex is massive. Roughly as large as a small city. And, most notably. The last Class Two plant on Voss."

"It used to manufacture all shorts of medical technologies. From race-specific Bacta infusions all the way to Voss shampoo and detergents." Nix, Salavas' secretary, added.

"Yes. A multi-talented facility, to be sure." Rook pressed his wand again.

This time, Gormak war vehicles appeared on screen.

"The two main entrances have been heavily fortified by the Gormak militants. Two tanks, two APCs, an Anti-Air radar trailer, and automated turrets. Here and here. On both entrances. An impressive show of force."

Salavas pointed to the screen, "They have multi-missle launchers too. You can see them in the guard towers. Right there."

Rook nodded knowingly, "Indeed. And that is the most troubling anomaly of all. These Gormak have been supplied with a cache of infantry usable missile launchers that are capable of targeting our Air Forces. X-Wings included."

"Heat-seeking multi-missles. Impressive for the Gormak to show them now. One missile splits into four smaller ones. One man operable." Nix again added. "Very dangerous."

"That, and their radar capabilities, is why we aren't planning on hitting them head on." Rook leaned against the table.

Commander Kal nodded and looked to all the allies assembled. They all knew they had a huge military force to throw at the Gormak. This Alliance was telling of that. So yes, it was also interesting why there weren't going to use it.

"Kal." Rook passed the baton.

"Of course." The Voss' eyes glowed. Like he was smiling. Which, he wasn't. "...The Council has requested this be dealt with quietly and quickly. This is why you are all here on such short notice. Naturally, we cannot allow the Gormak to keep the complex. Chemical weapons, missile launchers, or naught. The coming days of peace negotiations will be tense. The Mystics advise caution. Alas, direct action is necessary. Thusly, we demand a quiet solution."

Commander Kal stood up and looked around the table. "I want a Jedi joint-task force to infiltrate the complex via the sea. Destroy these cycling-tanks here to prevent any weapon making, and capture or destroy their missile caches. This is a night time sabotage mission. Stealth. In by sea. Out by sea. Am I clear."

Rook nodded and motioned to his knights, "My men are ready."

Salavas motioned to Madison Starr and Captain Thatcher, "As are mine."

Kal turned his strange eyes to Valery.

"And you Master Jedi. I trust you have no objections? Wilt thou accompany this alliance as well? It is a dangerous task. With minimal support and hundreds of enemies throughout the complex. No doubt. The nights of Voss can be a fickle thing?"

All eyes turned to Valery.

Would the NJO be joining them?

. . .

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

"The Light of Ashla welcomes you Master Jedi. I am Commander Rook of the Voss Expedition. Base Commander and Holy Warrior of Ashla. ...Please. Join us."

Valery blinked in response, as the man clasped his armored gauntlet against his chest. She was used to bowing as a greeting and showing respect to others, but this was certainly a bit new. It was likely just how he learned to greet others though, so she offered him a warm smile in return, "A pleasure to meet you, Commander Rook."

Then, her attention was drawn by another voice.

"Ambassador Salavas. Of the Silver Concord. A pleasure and a welcome to finally meet the esteemed Lady Noble. Come. Come. Sit next to me Master Jedi. ...Coffee? Tea? ...Nix. Go get Valery some tea, yes."

Esteemed Lady Noble? That was certainly new, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. But much like the Commander, he'd be met with a charismatic smile and a respectful gesture of her head. She also understood he was trying to flatter her with his words and tea, but she didn't really mind. She was also getting some tea out of it, so she really couldn't complain.

"Thank you all for having me," She added, as she sat down beside Ambassador Salavas and turned her attention to those around the table. As a former Jedi Shadow, one who had even worked with the SJC a little, she almost passively began to study the others. From the Ambassador and his aide to the Ashlan Crusaders and the Apprentice who came back with food.

She made no real judgments yet, but it never hurt to start figuring out who you were working with before going out on a mission with them.

Finally, Commander Kal joined them, and a very elaborate briefing followed. The Gormaks they were up against were armed to the teeth and had everything set up for a nigh impenetrable defense. Or at least, one that would demand a lot of casualties to overwhelm and take out with military force. But before she could bring that up, the actual plan was made clear, and she could only agree.

It had been a while since she really served as a Jedi Shadow, and those missions were often conducted alone, but she hadn't forgotten her lessons or the abilities she developed as one. This was right up her alley.

"No objections from me, Commander Kal. You can count on my support and I'm confident that we'll be able to make this work." She raised her cup of tea up to her lips to take a sip and then offered a smirk filled with her determination.

"If I could download these maps and files into my vambrace's tactical computer, I would appreciate that though. It might help us if we run into unexpected trouble."

 

[Madison Starr]

Everyone at the table nodded their heads when Valery agreed she was onboard. That meant they were all agreed now. The mission could begin.

Nix tapped her holodeck at few times, then retrieved an old cell phone for Valery. Captain Thatcher nodded passively. So Nix approached and handed Valery the phone.

"This is a burner. You destroy it when you're done with it. In the meantime, it connects to the Silver Intel Net. The Voss Alliance doesn't have a separate system just yet for joint operations. So well be using ours for the time being. You can use this to access files, media, or just to contact me during the mission. I'll be aboard the Cruiser with Captain Thatcher. We'll be offering the team support from low orbit. And... Just in case I didn't say so before? Glad to have you aboard ma'am."

The blonde woman tapped her expensive glasses and smiled pleasantly. Ambassador Salavas smiled in turn. He loved it when the ladies were getting along. Pervert.

"That settles it then." Commander Kal slapped the table. "Mission begins at sundown. The shuttle leaves here for the coast later this evening. You have some hours to prepare your gear. We'll strike the complex and have everybody back here before sun up tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your participation. Now. Let's get to work."

Rook nodded and waved his hand, "Dismissed."

And the meeting was over.

. . .


It was still a chilly morning when the teams began filtering out of the mess hall. The Ashlan to their barracks. The Voss to their cars. The Silvers back to their shuttle and eventually, back to low orbit in their cruiser. But for now. A few stragglers remained behind to chit-chat. They had time.

Captain Thatcher stood outside the exit. Smoking a digital cigarette and frowning as the Silver Ambassador got in his shuttle to leave. Thatcher didn't much care for politicians. Jerome was more of a bard than anything but still. Meh. Kark em'.

Madison Starr approached the young Captain. Still cupping her morning coffee.

"Wow. Ya know Grant. You didn't say much back there. It's unlike you." She mused.

"Not much to say." The handsome male shrugged. Ignoring her.

"Uh huh. Sure, sure. ...So? What's the team composition this time?"

"I don't know. Ask her." Thatcher nodded to the approaching Secretary Nix. The blonde was now wearing a white trench coat of impressive make. Nice. Though, it was uncommon for her to leave the Ambassador's side. This mission must be special.

"Nix." Madison nodded.

"Starr. ...Ahem. I came to advise on..."

"She knows." Thatcher shrugged. "Just tell her."

Nix shrugged dismissively. Then turned to Madison, "Anyway. Command will be having Jedi Master Noble accompany you on this one Apprentice. You are to follow her lead and not get in her way. Understood."

Madison raised an eyebrow at that one. "Uh... Yeah. That's fine. Pah. No biggie. But uh? ...Better than babysitting the glamour knights over there. But em'. Why all the fuss Nixie? I thought I'd be with the Voss Sniper Teams on this one. Like last time."

Nix shook her head. "The Ashlans will being doing the babysitting of the locals from now on. It's part of their deal for moderating the planet. They get the territory. They get the odd jobs."

Thatcher nodded. "Their planet. Their locals. Meh. Whatever."

He shrugged and stamped out his cigarette on the concrete. A theatrical distaste. Probably.

Madison frowned at the Navy lifer, "You seemed grumpy today. Still miffed about the Romi Op?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Just... Voss is far from my mind these days. It's the Hutts I'm worried about. We should be... Tsk. Well. Nevermind. Nows not the time. Meh."

He stamped out his cigarette again. Dissatisfied. Luckily, Nix came to his aid.

"Ahem. What he means is. The sooner this whole fiasco is over and a suitable peace treaty gets signed. The sooner everybody can go home. Right Grant?"

"Yeah." The young Captain nodded. Breathing in the cool morning air. He was over it.

Madison nodded. She wouldn't press the issue. They were all feeling a bit glum since the siege. War pressure. That was all.

"Anyway. You should talk to her." Nix nodded.

"Who?" Madison shrugged.

"Noble." Thatcher pointed. Valery had just exited the building.

"Oh. Right. My babysitter. Got it." Madison smiled coyly.

"She's good." Nix frowned. "You could probably bother to learn something, ya know."

"Sure, sure." Madison smiled playfully. "And so could you blondy. Ya know. Bleh!"

Starr stuck out her tongue at the business woman. Then disengaged to go greet Valery before she ran off to her X-Wing again.

Thatcher just sighed as she left.

"...Karking Jedi."

"Shut up Grant." Nix scolded. "You hate everything."

"Heh." He finally smiled. "Yeahh."

. . .


Madison Starr was looking positively bubbly as she hopped over to greet Valery. Ignoring the shiver in the air as she approached.

"Heya. Sorry about not saying hi sooner. Hehe. Sorry. I'm Madison. ...Madison Starr. Apprentice. Wonderful to have you along."

Rather than bowing, Madison extended a handshake and a smile. Both seemed genuine.

"So? Ready for a little infiltration? You're... You're not nervous? Are you? Hehe." The shorter woman teased.

Madison was about 172 centimeters in height. Strong, lovely, curvy, smelled great, and was expensively dressed. If casually. Even for a Silver. The Apprentice wore a black bomber jacket with a dark fur hood. Faux-leather pants and private-label combat boots. Again, all black. Her hip harness was custom and included a single Electro-Plasma wand against the small of her back. Her pistol she kept hidden in her jacket. Her signature fur coat was at the cleaners today. Wearing it into battle had left quite a mess on the cuffs and it really was disastrous trying to find a dry cleaners in a post-Voss civil war Silver Navy. Thank the Gods, Jerome Salavas knew somebody. Ugh.

Despite the chill of the morning, Madison wore no gloves as she shook Valery hand.

"I'd tell you it was going to warm up later but... Alas. They say it's rain over on the coast. Meh. Our night time crusade will probably be accompanied by a little precipitation. Heh. Oh well? What can you do? ...Hides the footsteps better, anyway. Hehe."

Starr didn't seemed phased by the danger of the mission at all. That said, she was an adult. One of the older Apprentices, I suppose.

"Captain Thatcher says we should work together on this one. So let's talk. Girl talk. Hehe." Madison pulled on her coffee as she talked. Taking a sip now and again between words. "The Voss Snipers that Kal will be sending will be working alone I suppose. Overwatch and intel gathering. Climbing towers. Sniping targets. Keeping things quiet as we sneak around. That sort of thing. They'll be taking a different boat in, as well. With the Ashlans."

She pointed to the hulking knights strutting around the yard.

"These boys will be our assassins. I think Rook had six of them for this mission. Force Sensitives. Knife guys. They'll handling the demo job and missile caches. Mostly. You know the type. Tough guys. Tactical talk. No crying. That sort of thing."

She turned back to the Jedi Master and looked Valery up and down. Approving of her tight threads and exotic craftsmanship.

"Which just leaves us gals. Mm. So? ...What's your specialty Master Noble? Ever done anything like this before? Got any questions for me before we jump right in?"

Starr's confidence was amusing. Carefree and calm. Even when talking about what would normally be considered a suicide mission for most. So either the woman was totally green or this wasn't her first time dropping in with the troops. Given her strange loadout and the scuffs on her boots however? It was probably safe to assume the later.

She did feel like a Jedi however. There was faint strength to the light hidden behind her eyes. Like a sleeping lion. But, either way? As time would surely tell? Madison doubted Valery would be disappointed in working together.

No rush. They had time.

. . .

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

Valery accepted the burner phone and looked at it for a moment, studying it closely to get an idea as to how it worked. Handling technology was never a strength of her... no, quite the opposite even. But this looked simple enough and its purpose was clear, so she offered Nix a nod of her head and put it away for now. "It's a pleasure to be working with all of you," She said in response to Nix, and she met the woman's smile with one of her own.

The Ambassador's joy about it completely went over her head though — Valery was simply too focused on absorbing everything, and mentally prepping herself for the mission. It was still some time away, but it never hurt to get into the right mindset beforehand.

Then, the meeting was adjourned and Valery got up to her feet, ready to head back to her ship for some final preparations.

....

Others stayed behind to chat, some left to get some rest or prepare for this dangerous mission, but Valery went her own way for now, and was heading back for her ship. She wanted to make sure all her gear was fully functional and maybe send a message out to her family on a secured channel so they knew she'd be home late.

But before she could reach her X-wing, she heard footsteps coming up behind her, followed by the voice of a younger woman. Turning around, Valery met Madison with a warm smile and briefly glanced at the extended hand before shaking it.

"Master Valery Noble, pleasure to meet you," She said as she studied the woman who was perhaps an inch or two shorter than herself. But it wasn't her height or age that surprised Valery — it was mostly her attire and the way she carried herself. The Silver Jedi were the ones who first helped Valery settle into the Galactic scene after her stasis, and she viewed them as the more traditional types. So handshakes and less traditional Jedi clothing were a bit surprising, but not something Valery wasn't used to.

It just felt more like what she saw in the NJO.

"Nervous? Not really, I've been on missions like this many times before, and some rain won't really cause any trouble either," Valery said with a faint smirk that helped show her own confidence in the mission. It was definitely one of the more dangerous types, but she trusted the right people were chosen for the job.

"Captain Thatcher says we should work together on this one. So let's talk. Girl talk. Hehe." Madison pulled on her coffee as she talked. Taking a sip now and again between words. "The Voss Snipers that Kal will be sending will be working alone I suppose. Overwatch and intel gathering. Climbing towers. Sniping targets. Keeping things quiet as we sneak around. That sort of thing. They'll be taking a different boat in, as well. With the Ashlans."

Girl Talk? Valery blinked and looked over in the direction of the Ashlan Knights, who were supposedly the assassins and demo guys. She wasn't entirely sure if they really looked like the types for it, but time would tell. "I'm sure they'll handle their part," Valery said before looking back at Madison, who was curious about Valery's specialty.

"I was once a Jedi Shadow, so missions like this were my specialty. Infiltrating, hitting targets, gathering intelligence and exfiltration — it's what I've been trained for, although I'm used to working alone. Some of my methods don't work unless the entire team is trained in them," she admitted, but her confidence remained the same. Shadows knew how to adapt and be decisive, no matter the situation.

"I gave it up a year or two ago, though. The Jedi needed more visible leaders, so I stepped out of the Shadows and into the frontlines," she said, pausing briefly to glance over at some of the people leaving the mess hall,

"But don't worry, I haven't forgotten anything. This mission won't be a problem."

She grinned a little, and raised a hand up through her long hair to sweep aside some long stands from her face.

"Since we'll be working together, why don't you tell me your specialty as well? Anything you can tell me that's useful for our cooperation is appreciated. Then we'll show those tough guys what we're capable of, hm?"

 

[Madison Starr]

Outstanding. She was a veteran. No wonder Salavas wanted Madison running wingman on this one. No doubt Jax would approve as well. Perfect.

"Oh, I don't have a specialty per se'. I'm just what the Silvers had available."

She shrugged. Starr hadn't really planned on getting involved in this little civil war either. Oh no. She'd much be back on Kashyyyk enjoying the tropical weather. Alas. A jobs, a job. This is where the Force had taken here. Meh.

"That said. I've been on-world for weeks working with the Silver Navy to control this civil war. So I've dealt with hundreds of Gormak already and earned a few friends among the local war fighters too. I'm familiar with combat, weapons, Jedi tactics, and I promise not to slow you down. Hehe."

She gave Valery a playful wink,

"And if you prefer to work solo? That's fine too. We can work together to keep it that way. No problem."

Jedi Shadows were a weird type. Jax referred to them as rule breakers with hard edges. Often with a chip on their shoulder and a unique way of viewing the world around them. Not the happy-go-lucky type. That was for sure. Which?.. Was just fine by Madison honestly. Diversity makes the world go round, or so they say. Not all Jedi fit into the same size robe anyway.

"Oh! And the Ashlans have opened their armory to us while we're on-world. So if you don't have what your looking for in your wing, you can always take a swing at their quartermaster and see what's new. Guns, ammo, knives, etc. That sort of thing. All a girl's favorite toys. Hehe."

She turned and watched as Nix and Captain Thatcher went their separate ways. They'd wind up in the same place eventually, back in low orbit. Until then. Everybody was taking a moment to get prepped before leaving for the coast. They had time.

"Anyway. I guess I'll head back to the Pelta and hit the lockers. My comm number is in the phone Nix gave you. Call if you have questions or anything. I think we're taking two boats in along the coast and exiting the same way. So I guess I'll grab something for the wet and rain. Bleh. Oh! And night-vision too. Ha."

Stupid human eyes. Fun fact, the Voss don't need night vision goggles. They can see just fine in the dark. Ha.

"I'll leave you to it then. Good luck Master Noble. See you this evening for the shuttle ride. Comm me or Nixie if you need anything."

Madison began to take her leave. Strolling back to her car with a cup of lukewarm coffee in her hand. Casual as can be.

Secretly hoping to herself that this was the last mission she'd have to participate in on Voss for a very, very long time.

. . .

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

"And if you prefer to work solo? That's fine too. We can work together to keep it that way. No problem."

Valery shook her head and chuckled, both at the comment and playful wink from the younger woman, "I'd be happy to work alongside you. I'm sure you have plenty of experience, and you've been here longer than I have — I doubt you'll slow anybody down," Valery said with a dip of her head, hoping to make it clear that she had a lot of confidence in Madison. She may have been a Jedi Shadow once, and they did operate alone most of the time, but she stepped away from that as her focus for a reason.

The core beliefs of a Shadow were still part of her to some extent, but she had no trouble working together with people. In fact, she was doing just that more often than not. To be a good leader, one had to be trusted and respected, and she always wanted to lead by example.

"Oh! And the Ashlans have opened their armory to us while we're on-world. So if you don't have what your looking for in your wing, you can always take a swing at their quartermaster and see what's new. Guns, ammo, knives, etc. That sort of thing. All a girl's favorite toys. Hehe."

"Hm, I prefer different kinds of toys," she said with a chuckle, before realizing how terrible that sounded. To clarify, she patted the hilt of her double-bladed lightsaber and flashed a smirk, "I'm a bit more traditional, but feel free to grab anything you can make use of. It's just best for both of us that I stay away from blasters and explosives."

Her husband had taught her how to shoot a blaster once, or well... tried to. But she still was a terrible shot, and she never really needed explosives either. It was definitely for the best that Valery didn't take any.

"Anyway. I guess I'll head back to the Pelta and hit the lockers. My comm number is in the phone Nix gave you. Call if you have questions or anything. I think we're taking two boats in along the coast and exiting the same way. So I guess I'll grab something for the wet and rain. Bleh. Oh! And night-vision too. Ha."

"I'll make sure to get some robes and a hood for the rain as well, then. I don't need the Night-vision goggles." Much like some other species, the Keshians could see a broader spectrum of light as well, allowing her to see things like the body heat of a person in the dark. As long as there was no complete absence of light on any part of the spectrum, she could see.

"See you at the shuttle soon," Valery bowed her head one last time, and turned around to head back to her fighter. She didn't have much she needed to prepare, so she'd take the time to prepare a message for her family, and spent the rest meditating.

So when the call for action came, Valery would be ready.

 

[Madison Starr]

​

The Coast - Voss

The sun had just set and a light fog had rolled in from the sea. That was when they had moved on the complex.

It was a huge industrial center. Built like a space port, there were factories and high rises interspersed along long stretches of concrete roadways and heavy canals. Automated vehicles roamed the empty roads and tall radio towers crowned around every structure. It was dark. Raining lightly from low heavy, black clouds. Luckily it was a spring rain. Almost warm to the touch.

Three bodies lay in that rain. Blood mixing with water. Running downstream, across the white duracrete seawall. A Gormak patrol. Bored to death as they walked along the sea. Watching the water roll up against the stormy coast in great white tuffs. Frowning at the warm rain that descended upon them in heavy sheets. That was... Until six armored Knights stepped out from the canal and ended them. Knives to face. Knives to chest. Perfect throws, all.

Madison ascended the seawall on her rope-gun. Right beside Valery and the four Voss snipers. All dressed in glossy wet black cloaks.

"We're in."

The Ashlans gave a nod. Then broke off to hustle across the elevated walkways towards the first objective. Quick and quiet through the rain. They'd handle the demolitions.

"Gormak barracks is that way. Green Corp high rise. That's us. We're knocking out their man power and smashing spark plugs in the parking lot." Madison motioned to Valery.

The Voss snipers broke off into two teams. They'd cover the exit. Nobody comes near the seawall. Their aim was some of the elevated terrain on both sides of the coast. Good vantage points. Even in this weather.

Madison knelled down in her short black cloak and pulled the Thermal Goggles over her eyes and adjusted them. Good night vision for the rest of the mission. Then she pulled out a sound suppressed machine pistol. Sub-sonic automatic hollow points. Great for soft targets and plenty of ammo. She carried extra magazines on both hips. Enough to fight the whole base if necessary. (Okay, maybe too much ammo. But whatever.) Better safe than sorry.

Last but not least, her twin EP wands were still hooked to the small of her back. For that more, classic swordsman vibe. Mmm. She hoped she wouldn't need it.

"Walkway leads down to that canal." Madison stood up and motioned for Valery to see through the rain, "No cameras until we come out near the building. Then we're on our own."

She nodded to the Jedi Master.

"Your lead ma'am."

~ "Comm check. This is Command. Be advised. We have you on orbital op-sat. Driver One (Noble). Driver Two (Starr). You are clear to Objective. Proceed with all due speed. Nothing on sensors. Over." ~

"Roger Command."

Madison nodded. That was Nix on the comms. Good. All clear on the roadways. Easy hike in the dark.

It was go time.

. . .

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

After ascending the seawall together with Madison and the sniper teams, Valery stayed low and allowed her fiery eyes to scan the area around them from underneath her hood. But while they could perfectly pierce through the darkness, they sadly couldn't zoom in the way proper binoculars could.

So she allowed Madison to conduct a proper scan and waited for her to share anything she found.

"Walkway leads down to that canal." Madison stood up and motioned for Valery to see through the rain, "No cameras until we come out near the building. Then we're on our own."

"Your lead ma'am."

Valery stayed quiet for a moment, watching ahead and formulating a plan inside her mind. But when she made her decision, a nod was given and she'd look at Madison, "Let's get moving, stay close and keep your eyes open."

Then, with Madison right beside her, she moved for the walkway and followed it down to the canal she had pointed out earlier. Going through, the two ended up close to the building without being detected at all. Normally, this would have been the bit where her stealth skills had been useful, but the fancy eyes from above they had providing live intel made everything a lot easier.

Still nothing on sensors.

"Alright, with me. Keep your gun at the ready — I can sense them inside," she said before she closed in on the building and began to walk alongside the walls. The Master then stepped in front of the reinforced side entrance she had chosen and tapped against it with a few fingers. Large cracks formed instantly, and the whole thing fell apart to reveal a mostly empty hallway.

Only a single Gormak soldier who had been awake to stand guard was there, watching in disbelief as two Jedi infiltrated the barracks. He quickly raised his pistol but before he could get a shot off, Valery flicked up her hand and sent him flying against the wall to knock him unconscious.

But with him out, the real chaos began — a smaller group appeared, bundled up to form an easy target for Madison and her weaponry. With gunfire erupting and a battle starting though, the remaining soldiers were jumping out of their beds and looking to get their gear ready to defend themselves.

Were they going to be fast enough?

 

[Madison Starr]

The answer was overwhelmingly, No.

Madison raised her goggles to enjoy a gallery of unobstructed targets. Then pulled the trigger in short bursts to headshot her opponents with alarming ease. Her machine pistol made surprisingly little noise with a sound suppressor attached. More like a loud typewriter than a rowdy concussive bang. Honestly, it was the sound of heavy Gormak bodies hitting the floor that made the most ruckus. Red splotches were everywhere.

Madison moved quickly forward as she fired. She didn't mind getting up-close and personal with her targets. Often aiming overtop her redlight sights rather than through them. Such was the intimacy of their distance. The soles of her boots were already wet with the enemy by the time she reached the end of the first room. A flurrious' affair.

She nodded at the mess quietly. Then took the time to reload.

One Gormak had risen from his cot and simply raised his hands in surrender. So Madison shrugged and reached out with the Force, and sleeped him. He collapsed effortlessly onto the floor. Out like a light. Nap time.

She looked at Valery and nodded mentally, ~ "No Officers. We're missing a few." ~

Communicating mentally was faster than speaking. And it meant you didn't have to worry about making more noise or being overheard.

She turned and looked to the ceiling. Then aimed her firearm and blasted two cameras. Three bullets each.

~ "That was messy. We should assume an alarm." ~ She nodded to the hall stairs, ~ "...Going up?" ~

Luckily her comm remained quiet. That meant Command hadn't noticed anything outside the building yet. Hopefully the Gormak were more interested in the noise from down here enough not to call it in. The last thing the team needed was the whole complex on alert. Bleh.

As they say. Can't outrun a radio. Stealth was still their greatest ally. Especially with tanks and APCs just a few kilometers away.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

The combination of a Jedi wielding a lightsaber and one using a gun was a difficult one to handle for the Gormak soldiers — what little blaster fire they managed to unleash was either returned back to them or defected away, and they were constantly being hit by accurate fire from Madison. It was somewhat dirty, but incredibly efficient as well.

So with Valery taking point to provide cover, the two quickly passed through hallways and barracks to take down the enemy soldiers while they were scrambling to get their gear and defenses ready. If one thing was certain, this attack had taken them by surprise.

~ "No Officers. We're missing a few." ~

Valery nodded quietly and helped maintain the mental link Madison had created between them.

<T> "Makes sense, they tend to sleep separately from the troops."

She then watched as Madison took out the cameras, which was appreciated but she wondered if it was already too late. Even with a silencer on Madison's weapon, the Gormaks weren't all that quiet. So there was a chance that everybody who still remained in this building was now aware of the attack.

But what they likely didn't know was what exactly they were up against.

~ "That was messy. We should assume an alarm." ~ She nodded to the hall stairs, ~ "...Going up?" ~

<T> "Behind me, I'll cover."

Much like the way they had gone through the lower level, Valery took point and began moving up the stairs with her weapon drawn. As expected, a few officers and guards had gotten up but barracks were hardly the right environment to set up a proper defense. They were exposed in the hallways or hiding behind objects that couldn't really stop the blaster bolts from Madison's weapon.

But Valery planned to make it even easier. Drawing on the Force, her fiery eyes connected with the Gormaks and several were lifted up from behind their cover and smashed around through the hallway. Even on operations like this, if there was a way to avoid killing, she'd take the opportunity.

Some still resisted though, but they were all swiftly taken out by the quick and somewhat aggressive pace of the two Jedi.

<T> "I fear that at this point, we've alerted someone. We should wrap up here and get ready to move before we're pinned down."

 

[Madison Starr]

With Valery in the lead. Man. This was just like shooting fish in a barrel. Crazy easy. Madison never even had to reach for her knife. Impressive.

~ "Roger. I'll call it in. ...The parking garage is in the basement. We can check for vehicles there next." ~

She wiped her boots on a dead Gormak body. Then reloaded her pistol and reached for her comm,

"Command. Be advised, we are loud. Expecting noise and an alarm. Over."

~ "Roger that Driver Team. We are monitoring enemy channels and translating as we go. Updates as we receive them. We'll keep you in the loop. Over." ~

"Roger Command. How's rush hour looking out there?"

~ "No movement near the exits, Driver Team. We are still in the quiet." ~

"Roger that Command. Then we are proceeding with schedule. Driver Two out."

~ "Roger Driver Two. Set the pace. Command out." ~

Madison nodded and gave Valery a thumbs up. No enemy tanks. Not yet.

Time to move to the basement.

. . .


Alas. It didn't take long for the situation to change.

By the time Valery and Madison had hit the basement stairwell, enemy comm chatter was definitive. Somebody had raised an alarm.

Luckily, the Ashlan's didn't mind. They just blew their charges early and collapsed a few chemical tanks. A glorious explosion. You could even feel it underground. Which was nice for Valery and Madison too. It meant the enemy was distracted with multiple reports of combat and explosions. They didn't know what was going on yet.

The situation at the exits hadn't changed much either. The enemy had deployed in defensive positions and were digging in to repel an assault on the gates. No troops had left the complex's out defenses to come help the troops fighting inside. Which was good. There were plenty of Gormak to deal with already. And it meant the tanks, auto-guns, and APCs were still parked and facing the wrong way. Little victories, I suppose.

Alas. Two trucks worth of Gormak troops were reported as being on their way to the Green Corp building right now. You could see them repositioning on the live satellite feed in low orbit. So... Poo. That was bad. Madison certainly didn't want to fight an army of Gormak in a parking lot right now. Bleh. They'd have to hurry.

Also. There was no update from the Ashlans on those missile caches. So they had to assume the big guns were still in play too.

"Okay. New update. Two trucks headed our way on op-sat. Five minutes tops." Madison spoke as she stacked up on the basement door leading into underground parking. She'd dropped the telepathy when it was no longer useful. Their were explosions outside and the ground was shaking. Stealth was optional at this point.

"Let's clear this place out and investigate the vehicles they've got stored down here. Might be useful. Might be trash. Meh."

She smiled and tipped her gun to the door. With the Force you could sense four Gormak on the other side. Watching the elevator that Madison had sent down ahead of them. It was empty. But the Gormak didn't know that.

Starr smirked and holstered her machine pistol. Then withdrew her twin EP-wands and activated their blue blades. Time for a little tradition. Then she nodded to Valery again.

"Ladies first."

Time to clear underground parking and see what toys the Gormak were keeping down here.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

Thus far, the two Jedi ladies had been taking advantage of the chaos perfectly — the Gormaks still seemed uncertain about how to position themselves, how to respond and where to exactly deploy their reinforcements. It allowed the pair of Jedi more time, but they hardly needed it, as they kept up the pace and made sure not to give their enemies time to breath.

But it was only a matter of time before some kind of response came, and it so happened to be in the form of two vehicles filled with troops heading their way.

So they were forced to pick up the pace, and made their way down to the basement door, where Valery stopped and extended her senses. Like Madison, she could feel the Gormaks on the other side, and made sure to have their exact locations imprinted in her mind. It made it a lot easier to deal with them, because she fully expected all four to open up the second they got through.

"Ladies first." Madison said, and Valery just smirked.

"Let's move fast and hit them hard."

With a powerful kick strengthened by the Force and rotation of her core, Valery busted the door out of its frame, launching it into the basement to briefly force the Gormaks to stay behind their cover. But when she pushed through with Madison right beside her, they opened up and found their blaster bolts deflected without a problem.

However, one had a different idea to get rid of the Jedi...

"Grenade!" Valery called out as the thermal detonator landed close to the two Jedi, the danger of the imminent explosion echoing through the Force in such a way that it almost instantly provoked a headache.

But despite the almost overwhelming sign of danger, Valery extended a hand and projected a Barrier of Force energy to shield herself and hopefully Madison as well.

The thermal detonator exploded violently less than a second later, and its sheer power, while suppressed somewhat, broke through the barrier to blow Valery off her feet. She hit the wall several feet behind her, and let out a groan of pain, as she tried to adjust and get back up to her feet.

She just hoped Madison had at least been shielded...

 

[Madison Starr]

Madison appreciated the call out but it was hardly needed. Her twin knives still spinning for deflection, she could sense the explosive the moment it touched the air. And, sensing Valery's intent to shield herself, Madison moved to dash a great distance using the Force. Dashing through the air like a bullet herself, she covered many meters in less than a second. Little more than a blur. Outflanking her enemies and moving beyond the range of the grenade as well.

When it exploded. Madison was still busy deflecting the enemies diverted attention with her plasma wands. Alas, it was the concussive sound that disrupted the group the greatest. Even the Gormak soldiers staggered. The garage around them rocking and thundering from the explosion. Concrete cracked, pillars shattered, debris and dust filled the air. Small rocks and light fixtures cascaded like birds. It was perfect. Perfectly, perfect in fact,

Madison dashed straight through the chaos and dust to impale her first foe. Slam! Smack! Swinging her body around to rip her knife out from his chest and lunge it directly into the next one's sternum. Both soldier's glowed red with plasma sparks before toppling over like a train wreck.

The other two soldiers took a knee at close range and aimed straight for Madison's exposed formation. But just as their fingertips found the trigger and began to squeeze. Two plasma wands flew through the air and found their heads first. Ka'chunk! Both soldiers died instantly. You could still hear the sizzling sound of plasma against duraplast as they both slumped over onto the floor. Half melted into oblivion. The last bloody decoration for a parking garage already well littered with signs of climatic battle. Madison rose to her feet and clapped her empty hands together. Watching where she stepped, amongst all the debris.

"You good?"

She nodded over to Valerie. A rhetorical question. She could sense the woman just fine. Even as she stepped over the Gormak's smoldering forms to retrieve her energy weapons.

Time was still against them however. The operation was still in motion. Couldn't slow down now.

"Party wagons. Two of em'. Ha, I knew it. Bull's eye!"

Madison smiled as she noted the presence of two Gormak armored vehicles. Glassteel canopies and all. Yes! Maybe they had a ride out of here, after all. But...

Who would call shotgun first, I wonder?

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Voss
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Ship: Link
Tag: Madison Starr

"I'm good..."

With some effort and grumbling, Valery got back up to her feet and dusted off her clothing. Her ears were still ringing from the blast, and she was definitely going to be sore tomorrow. But that'd just mean she could easily convince her husband to give her a massage — one had to always look on the bright side of life.

"Good job taking these guys out," Valery added with a nod of her head.

The blast had made it difficult to track everything that happened, but she had been able to see Madison expertly take out one or two of the Gormak soldiers. Even if she was 'only' an apprentice, it was clear that Madison wasn't going to hold anybody back during operations like this. It reminded Valery of her own days as a Padawan, and she could appreciate that a lot.

"Party wagons. Two of em'. Ha, I knew it. Bull's eye!"

"Let's smoke one of them and the other can be our escape vehicle. But first..." she looked further into the basement, and gestured to a couple of crates she spotted earlier. They were large and heavy, metal containers with writing and symbols on it that made it impossible to mistake them for anything else — they had found some of the missiles they were after.

"We'll have to take care of those before leaving," Valery said before she stepped forward and brought her hands together in front of her chest, the palms facing each other. She channeled the Force between them and compressed it heavily to prepare a powerful attack. Her eyes shifted to one of the Gormak vehicles and after predicting its movements, she released the Force Burst towards it.

The telekinetic blast struck the vehicle and caused a massive explosion that sent it up into the air. There was no recovery from that, but there was one other vehicle they couldn't destroy.

"Let them get out, and we'll deal with them," Valery said with a grin.

 

[Madison Starr]

Madison raised an eyebrow at the pure spectacle of it all.

Out in the dark, it's raining. Heavy water splattering against the windshield. Cascading down the driver's side window like a tropical waterfall. Only your bright yellow headlights can see the road. The tall building in front of you appears as if out of a storm's fog. Then. Light bends and rain billows. As a comet of destruction, invisible, yet alive. Breaks through that fog. And sends your whole, splattering, stormy world tumbling. Upside down. Inside out.

The Force Burst destroyed that Gormak truck out in the rain of the front parking lot. The pure sound of it's rising a falling back to earth was calamitous. Shaking the concrete under your feet and sending black storm rain hurtling.

Madison almost smiled a deviant smile of pure joy. Just to see it.

"Let them get out," Valery called.

"Right. ...Dimming the lights a bit. Gonna set the mood. Heh." Madison nodded with a look to the ceiling.

She raised her hand and all the lights in the parking garage went out. Crack. Crack. Crack. Now it was just a debris filled cavern. An empty void for them to abid. A parking garage with no features but the dark. Ah. And with a perfect view of that lone Gormak truck out in the front parking lot. The heavy rain still pouring through it's quiet headlights.

The dark out there. Hm. It should be restated that Gormak can see just fine in the dark. As could Valery. But the storm rain was still splashing about. Like music to the ears. It was like fighting underwater really. You could almost move in it. Dance in it. But see through it? Nah. It was all still, just a moving haze.

There was a moment of silence as the second truck just, sort of lingered. Out there. Unsure of what to do. ...Then. In a sudden torrent of light. Out from the dark of that billowing rain. Red blaster bolts began to fly into the deep cavern of the underground parking garage. Again and again and again. Like fireworks of flame. Lancing out in the red dark. Destroying ceiling, and floor, and concrete pillars too. Or... Sometimes, destroying nothing at all. But the rain.

And In that darkness. That hazy fog of war. Two women were still just smiling. As a whole army of soldiers poured out from the night. To come and greet them head on.

. . .


In orbit.

Captain Thatcher watched the whole spectacle unfold from a brilliant white room at the helm of his starship. On the command screen he could see the whole battle from a top-down perspective. Zooming in with his satellite controls to focus on the entrance to the Green Corp parking structure. Watching a whole army of Gormak go shooting through the rain, just to get inside.

"Two. Versus two dozen." Thatcher scratched his chin. Frowning.

"I know." Nix, the beautiful woman seated next to him, smiled. "It's almost not fair."

The view from the camera subsided back into midnight rain. All the movement in the structure had stopped. All the red lasers had fallen into darkness. Nothing but stillness on the camera remained.

Then. Two singular, shimmering forms emerged. Completely unscathed.

"Damn." Thatcher snorted. Almost smiling. "...You never really get used to that."

"Pfft. You always say that." Nix smiled. Then touched her ear piece to speak into the comm.

~ "Driver Team. Ashlan One is reporting a mission success on their end. They've completed all objectives and are moving to EX the site. What's your status? Over." ~

. . .


Nixie's voice rang in Madison's ear as she peered through her night-vision goggles. Standing alongside Valery. Out in the pouring spring rain.

"Command. We are moving to secure and destory a cache of missiles. Then headed for the door. All objectives complete. Over."

~ "Roger Driver Team. All teams are moving to EX. Thanks for the update. We'll see you soon." ~

Madison smiled to Valery under her wet black hood. I guess that was the last of them. I suppose it was time to go.

"Okay. I'll grab that launchers and load them up in the truck. We'll keep them company until we hit the coast. Them bang em' if we have to. Here. You can drive."

Madison tossed Valery the truck keys through the rain.

"Let's go."

The two women loaded up the truck with a single heavy missile crate. Then rigged up a bomb to blow up the rest. A few minutes later, they were rolling out to the coast again. Watching in the rear view mirrors as the parking garage exploded with a fiery glee. Bye bye missile cache. Bye bye Gormak Officer barracks.

Hello going home.

. . .


The seawall.

Rain was still pouring through the headlights when the Gormak vehicle stopped along the old concrete road. Two women dismounting in the storm. The Ashlan Knights where already down the coast. Boarding the boats. Now all they had to wait for was the Voss Snipers to return.

Madison tucked her arms underneath her rain slicker and shivered in the warm midnight air.

"Airstrikes already on the way. Should be any second now."

She turned her dark features towards the east. Looking up into the sky. Sighing a bit. A little midnight relaxation, maybe.

"So... I guess that's it then. Quick and easy." She smiled playfully. Then motioned in the rain toward Valery's head. "How's the head? Feeling that grenade still?"

It was the ringing that stayed with you. She knew. Wasn't the first near-death explosion Starr had endured. Probably wasn't Valery's first grenade either.

"Ya know. Back in the winter campaign. For headaches I used to..."

A bright plume of light in the distance cut her off. Then another one. Huge and impressive in midnight dark.

"Ah. Speak of the devil. ...Airstrike. Heh."

It took a moment for the sound to reach them. Rolling over them like the water crashing against the dry coast. A terrible rumbling boom. Then nothing. Just the rain.

"Welp." Madison smiled. "So much for their tanks and such. Good ridance, eh? Ha. Glad we didn't have to use it."

She pointed back to the missile launcher in the back of the truck. They'd saved just one. For insurance reasons.

Madison looked back to the west now. Down the sea wall to the boats beyond and the men loading them up. It would be hours still before they got back to base. Hours still before she could have a wash and throw away these old boots. Bleh. How could she still be so dirty? She'd been walking around in the rain all night. Haha.

Well. I guess blowing up a whole underground parking lot while fighting your way through a dozen soldiers, illuminated only by the gunfire and your companions laser sword? ...Well. Yeah. That would probably do it. Hmph. Dirty boots indeed.

Good game. She smiled.

"Good game. Heh."

Yeah.

Time to go home.​

. . .

Valery Noble