The Coming Storm.

[Davin Jusik]

Major Davin Jusik of 1st Battalion, 73rd Infantry, sat in the middle of a very large meeting of Republic military officials and strategists at Republic Joint Military Command, Coruscant. He was here to represent the concerns of the 73rd Infantry in place of the Division Commander or those above him. The Major felt slightly out of place sitting in the middle of so many men and women above him in rank. To send a Major to such a meeting was unorthodox but the DC had supreme confidence in Jusik's place as a substitute due to his years of military experience and sound tactical decisions. Jusik was also the only being in the Battalion who'd once served with the Sith, so the Commander figured he'd be most qualified of his Officers to comment on the coming threat.

He adjusted himself in his seat and looked down at a galactic map he'd been drawing on for several days, marking defensible planets and hyperspace routes that would need to be shut down when the Sith finally launched their attack. The threat was real. Impending.

Damn near inevitable unless the Mando's suddenly and magically invaded the Sith Empire. He waited for the first speaker to arrive impatiently as he tapped his pen and stared at the map.

 

[Darron Wraith]

"Another meeting R5? Well I guess I better make haste then."

The astromech droid let out a few whistles and beeps as the Jedi Master exited his starfighter, all around Republic pilots and soldiers moved throughout the hangar. Yet, as soon as he made his way through the massive hangar, all stopped and stared at him. It wasn't that he was a Jedi, those were common, but a Jedi wearing some armor and one who looking like a soldier definitely drew attention. He simply nodded and smiled to those who didn't manage to look away in time, the simple gesture seemed to do a world of good for those he got the chance to acknowledge. Too often soldiers and workers regarded the Jedi as gods, when in reality there wasn't much difference between them. Darron had made it a personal mission of his to break that barrier down and allow the Jedi to be seen as normal individuals and equals when possible. After all, his job was to protect innocent life with the talents he had been born with. His Force-sensitivity made him no better than any man, woman, or sentient, in fact it made him strive that much harder to not be seen as anything more than a man....a man with two lightsabers strapped to his belt.

As he made his way through the halls, he couldn't help but reflect how much his life had changed in the past few months. He had been returned to active duty, he had a wonderful Padawan, and life was definitely picking up for the Jedi Master after being frozen for the past two decades. Even the Council had come back around to him, and given him all of his clearances and he was being given his usual missions again. Gone was the feeling of uselessness and the mornings of fighting training droids or whoever was unlucky enough to be in the gym with him on any particular morning. While he never liked to take a life, knowing that he was back to defending the galaxy and taking care of the monsters that kept the Council up late at night had restored his sense of purpose. The wounds of the past still stung a little every now and then, but this new life he was embracing in this new time was definitely helping heal his soul.

His boots stopped echoing the second he entered the meeting room for the high ranking military and Jedi, he saw a few familiar faces and most that he didn't know. The armored Jedi considered his options and made his way through the briefing room to sit next to the major he had come to see a few times. As he sat down in the chair, he extended his gloved prosthetic hand for the Major to shake. "You still owe me that beer Major, good to see you here as well."

 

[Davin Jusik]

Davin looked up as he heard the Master's voice. He smiled as he firmly shook the heavily armored warrior Jedi's hand. Darron was one of the few Jedi he'd met who wasn't overly arrogant and blind to the fact that Blasters killed Jedi too, though on occasion with a good bit of difficulty if the lightsaber's wielder was skilled.

"That I do. We can see to it after all this." He said with a chuckle and gesture toward the center of the room.

"What do you make of all this?" He then said grimly.

 

[Darron Wraith]

Darron shook Davin's hand firmly and with enthusiasm, the soldier was one of the few honest men that he got the pleasure of being around. His no-nonsense attitude was just what made the Master want to be around him, and Darron could see why he was being allowed in the meeting despite his rank. This man will be one of the generals leading the Republic in her wars in the next few years. That was one of the few benefits being immersed in the Force allowed Darron, he could see when men were marked for greatness and Davin most definitely was. Many were blind to the fact that good men like him where what made the Republic great, the Jedi were servants too, but the soldiers that made up the backbone of the Republic where the true shining example of what good men could do. "Good, I need it after my last mission. A Sith Lord had taken over an entire city and I was sent in to eliminate him and his thralls...rather messy business."

The Jedi Master looked around the briefing room and noticed that more men and women were shuffling in and taking their seats. The proceedings would start soon, of that he had little doubt. Unfortunately this wasn't his first, nor would it be his last briefing on the state of the galaxy. "You know I was frozen for twenty years, and these things are still just as boring now as they were then." Darron let a chuckle escape his lips as he paid attention to the generals moving about the room. He reached deep into his senses and expanded his sphere of responsibility to get a read of the room.

Wow, there's a lot of negativity in here. Whatever this briefing about it can't be good. The Jedi scratched his chin, deep in thought before offering his opinion to Davin. "I honestly don't know, but judging off how these men are acting and what I can feel. This briefing won't be pleasant and I have a feeling we both will be very busy with work very, very soon."

 

[Davin Jusik]

"I'm inclined to agree with you friend. Something just feels.......off. Sounds like an interesting story." Davin said as he watched a black uniformed man walk into the center of the presidium and pull out a mechanical pointer. The man had beady eyes and a hooked noise, eyes that seemed accustomed to seeing things most weren't privy to. His jet black hair was much longer than standard regulation dictated and a lack of rank on his shoulder accompanied with the very expensive looking blaster pistol in his hip holster spoke volumes to his position.

"Intelligence." Davin whispered to Darron.

The rat faced man began to speak.

"Ladies, Gentlemen. As you all know the Republic faces the largest threat to it's existence since the Plague." A map appeared above his head and he gestured with his pointer. "The Sith are resurgent and have taken their piece of the galaxy. The problem is, as Sith, they aren't of the disposition to remain in that corner and instead will inevitably try to take our corner. They are already taking swaths of Mandalorian territory and it is truly only a matter of time before they reach the edges of Republic Space. The Mandalorians simply don't have the strength to hold them off for long." Rat face sighed. "Despite our urgings thus far, all pushes for more military support other than the few units we have helping the Mandos, have been denied from the Senate on the grounds that the Sith haven't attacked us yet and may never even reach us. Despite that claim. We must remain vigilant." The map focused on the Parlemian Trade Route. Rat Face dramatically pointed at it. "If they come. They will probably come here, unless the Mandalorians fall completely. This is the only route where they can safely move huge amounts of supplies and vessels into the heart of the Republic. We cannot allow this to happen. We need to move units into these systems and allocate the Navy to patrol it. We have no idea when they may come. Questions?"