Private Unwanted Memories

[Luna Terrik]

M E E T I N G

Location: Camp Phoenix - Hanger
Time: 0800 Hours
Equipment: Tactical Recon Handguns (2), Personal Armor
Tags: | Tyrias Aran |

Visitors were not things that Luna could stand to entertain too often. The life of a Grand Marshal was a busy one at that. Especially when things weren’t exactly fully operational on a brand-new base. Installing power generators deep into the planet’s crust wasn’t the easiest task to complete, meaning that a few of the wings underground still did not have power. And the threat of overheating the power generators that were installed hung over the heads of the troops that had moved into the barracks already. Thankfully they hadn’t had a large scale blackout just yet, but Luna would be much more at ease once the final generators were snuggly fit and light touched every dark corner of the underground base.

This all made for, once again, a very busy Grand Marshal. With the attack on Kaddak fully carried out, and an exhausting trip to Geonosis for the Viceroyalty meeting accounted for, the idea of taking time to relax in her office for a day was extremely enticing. So enticing, that she might have canceled any visits to the base that day. At least, she would have, had the visit not been from a more intriguing character.

The Chiss that she had recently named her Fleet Marshal would be arriving on planet soon. Luna planned to give her a full tour of some of the above ground facilities, underground facilities, and possibly even take time to take her to one of the shield generator facilities that had already been installed. A tour like that would hopefully be fun. And who knows, Tyrias might have some interesting tidbits on how to increase security even more so than it already had.

And it wasn’t like Luna didn’t want to spend a little extra time with the woman. Their time fighting together had already proved fruitful, and picking at the mind of someone so brilliant, yet so unlike any culture that she had encountered before made for an interesting experience to say the least. As much as this visit was for official reasons, just getting to spend an extra bit of time learning about the woman that would be shuttling her men around would be plenty worth it on her own. Or, at least worth it enough for Luna to have not canceled on Tyrias.

“This is shield gate command to Grand Marshal Terrik. We have a shuttle requesting entrance that bears the admission code sent earlier. We’re letting it through now.” That would be her. Luna stood from her comfortable durasteel crate seat to brush off either shoulder, awaiting the arrival of her newest partner. Maybe this one wouldn't die the next time the Grand Marshal sent her out into battle.

 

[Tyrias Aran]

Outfit: Chiss at Work

Tyrias Aran held her customary spot behind the pilots of her shuttle as they descended toward the base. Trust was never an issue. The view was simply nicer out the forward window, and at times one used one's rank for something as simple as a better view. A little privilege for the piles of paperwork and weight of fleets worth of personnel whose lives were her responsibility.

As the shuttle swept down to land, the Chiss Fleet Marshal wondered how the Grand Marshal of the Dauntless was weathering that burden. After all, she held the responsibility of every commando under her command. They were an incredibly risk-prone organization. Their very motto said all that needed saying -- First in. Last out was a nice touch, but 'First in' meant they had no advance force, no warning, no opportunity to retool before charging in. Jedi and Sith liked to say the same, but they could literally move boulders with a gesture, and deflect blaster bolts as casually as one deflected a feather floating in the air.

As much fun as hunting people on Nar Shadda and other villainous worlds was for Tyrias herself, she hadn't booked passage to Bastion to try her luck against a Sith Lord. Why? Because despite her capability as a hunter, there were enemies you needed to be well equipped to handle if you had any intention on surviving. The Dauntless, however, didn't take that philosophy. Eternal Vigilance was their code. Be prepared for everything, and handle anything whenever and wherever it surfaced. It was quite a burden. One Luna Terrik was tasked to handle. If the Dauntless were seen as unable to meet their own mandate, then they would be decommissioned. Much as the Ministry of Secrets had been of late -- though Tyrias saw no problem with their being incorporated as part of Naval Intelligence. Doubtful Luna would feel the same if the Dauntless were merely another regiment in the Defense Forces.

Once the ramp was lowered, Tyrias descended expecting Luna to meet her shortly thereafter. Intuition. Unlike the first time she'd arrived in this manner, however, the Chiss wore a black outfit with a lightweight overcoat. All still quite professional, if not entirely Naval tradition. A small smile played upon her lips as the open air swept by.

"Grand Marshal Terrik," she greeted formally until told otherwise, "a pleasure as always. How have you been?" Pleasantries to usher in a new day and what Tyrias hoped would be an enjoyable examination of the facility. What's more, an opportunity to talk outside of planning blockade busting and death-defying drops.

Tag: Luna Terrik

 

[Luna Terrik]

M E E T I N G

Location: Camp Phoenix - Hanger
Time: 0810 Hours
Equipment: Tactical Recon Handguns (2), Personal Armor (sans helmet)
Tags: | Tyrias Aran |

The sight of the shuttle entering into her hanger caused a smile to play at Luna’s lips. This whole base had certainly gotten a good bit more active now that it was close to finishing, but seeing shuttles come to drop off passengers made it just a bit more real feeling. Something about the transportation of people had a tangible feeling to it that was different than anything else. It was a good chance to test out how the protocols would be handled, seeing as they were quite different than anywhere else in the Confederacy. At least with the military side of things.

Speaking of which, as the shuttle’s ramp was descending, Luna spent a moment looking around, then finding, the current deck officer on hand. “Lieutenant Maximof!” She called, gaining the younger man’s attention, prompting him to hustle over. “yes ma’am?” He responded, settling into an at attention stance. “Make sure the pilot is brought something to eat from the mess. He is not to leave this hanger, otherwise. Show him to the guest room. You know the drill.” A quick salute and confirmation he had heard her order was given, turning to make his way up the shuttle’s ramp as the guest of the hour made her way down.

Luna couldn’t help the little smile that tugged at the edges of her lips, seeing how the Chiss was dressed and hearing her voice. “I’m getting better, Fleet Marshal. Still working on recovering from our past few skirmishes.” With a step to the side, she motioned with an open palm toward a hallway that led out of the hanger, smile still on her lips. The hallway would open right into the middle of the upper base, giving Tyrias a quick first impression at all of the progress that had been made.

As the pair walked, side by side, Luna couldn’t help but remark a bit on the other officer’s dress. “Didn’t feel like dressing completely up to code, my friend?” There was a playful tone behind her words, unlike how the Grand Marshal would’ve acted had it been practically anyone else. Luna didn’t mind, and certainly knew of the alien’s unique look on things. It’s why she had been picked to work so closely with the Dauntless, of course.

The open air of the upper base would soon greet the pair as they stood for just a moment outside of the hanger, observing the frenzied activity that accompanied practically all military installations. Marines out for their morning PT, construction equipment being loaded onto large service elevators, and guard companies getting the morning briefings in formation. A beautiful sight if Luna ever saw one. As they observed, Luna spoke up, just loud enough to be heard over the low roar of activity. “Figured it would be interesting to show you one of our security stations, maybe take a walk along the wall before heading down to see the underground portion. Does that meet your expectations for your time here?” The redhead turned, slight smile still playing at her lips as her emerald eyes caught those deep, red spheres.

 

[Tyrias Aran]

Outfit: Chiss at Work

A slight tip of the head preceded the Chiss taking Luna's direction to begin their trek through the hanger. "The Dauntless are often called upon to ensure the safety and security of all Confederacy citizens. It is an honor to work along side you and those under your command, Grand Marshal." Even one's enemy should be able to acknowledge and respect a body devoted to being first on the scene of battle. Tyrias was not their enemy. The men and women of this command were valiant, able bodied, and sound of mind. In short, they were people a Chiss could appreciate.

"Yes," Tyrias turned her head as they walked side by side, a smile played upon her lips, "you have seen my Naval Uniform. I did not want to confuse any of your officers; that they would think I was of higher rank and here on inspection. You understand." The lower eyelids of the Chiss drew up a millimeter as the smiled deepened just as much. Just because they worked together did not mean the rivalry between branches had to be completely forgotten -- especially when it played humorously to their advantage.

There was a certain truth to her words though. This was not an official inspection or existed any need to sated a Naval officer's whims. It was early in the relationship between herself and the Dauntless. Let them become familiar with her appearance as a person, and let not the uniform be all they saw. Whatever thoughts a commando might have of someone out of uniform -- were they unable to see or knew her face -- would be easily quashed as a matter of course. The Grand Marshal was free to invite whoever she willed on the base; if anyone had a problem with that, they were free to bring it to her attention. Unsurprisingly, this did not happen.

As they stepped into the open, Tyrias took the opportunity to draw in a deep breath of the fresh air. Ah, yes, there was the scent of grease and oil in the air, but what military base would be without? That would have been far more jarring than the fact it was not "purified" air. Better than the recycled sort no matter how familiar it became.

A soft laugh followed Luna's itinerary. "It does. Though any exploration of this facility beyond the confines of an outsider would be well received. I am here at your pleasure, Grand Marshal. I would not presume to dictate the operations of your command, though I hope my advice will be of use to you." Tyrias' tried not to set 'expectations' of her superior officer -- except that she be competent at her job. An expectation that the Chiss had no concerns over to date.

Tag: Luna Terrik

 

[Luna Terrik]

M E E T I N G

Location: Camp Phoenix - Hanger
Time: 0810 Hours
Equipment: Tactical Recon Handguns (2), Personal Armor (sans helmet)
Tags: | Tyrias Aran |

This one had quite the sense of flattery about her. Rare was it that Luna got to speak in such candid terms and general overall talk. Typically that was limited to squad pazzack nights, sometimes with the strip bets included, thought that was dependent on just how much alcohol had been consumed beforehand. Luna was just lucky to be a good player. It wasn’t often that any more than her boots came off, and that’s just because she wanted to lose a round. Had to stretch the toes sometimes. It would be nice to have someone else beyond her squad and master sergeants that she could talk to in such relaxed terms.

“You? Coming to inspect my base?” Luna asked, incredulous sarcasm dripping from her tongue. Tyrias would know she was just poking, but it would be fun to see if she could get the dark haired chiss to react a bit. Their species was known for their stoicism, it’d be fun testing that early on. Tyrias didn’t seem to follow too closely to the chiss way that Luna had become used too from the few experiences that she had with the species. Perhaps it was a bit too harsh on her own part to judge an entire species based on a few interactions. Not that they had been bad, but they definitely…left an impression.

The Grand Marshal was plenty happy that the visit’s itinerary had found favor with the Fleet Marshal. She had spent more time trying to decide exactly what to show her. There wasn’t really a nee d to impress her, but Luna couldn’t help but feel that tugging for admiration just a bit when she was around Tyrias. “Let us start with that security station then.” Luna began toward the nearest installation, stopping for just a moment to look over her shoulder to make sure the chiss was following, a little smirk playing at her lips. “And don’t worry. I’m sure your advice will be quite…useful.” With that, it was time to start tour off.

The security station was as up to date and technologically advanced as possible, though the outside may not look like it. It gave off the look of something of little more important than a storage pillbox. Once inside, that assumption was easily washed away. A full station of the most modern monitors showing displays of different security outposts scattered around islands. One wall was lined with pristine blaster rifles, the Dauntless’s exclusive ones, while a workbench was pressed against the other wall, ready to do a quick fix on any soldiers equipment. At the moment, only a few soldiers were in the station when the pair entered. A couple taking a break on one of the bench, two at monitor station, and an extremely tall looking commando staring over their shoulders.

The tall alien turned as Luna and her guest entered, flashing a smile and starting over. His blue skin became clearer as he approached, though a shade closer to purple, due to his Keshiri heritage. Giving a little salute, the commando, a master sergeant as indicated by his insignia, allowed his smile to widen just a bit more as he greeted them both. “Welcome to security station number seven. My name master sergeant Ulinesque. Grand Marshal Terrik wanted me to be here to help with her tour, and to show off what our security station can do. I assume you must be Fleet Marshal Aran? Our guest of the day?” The Keshiri’s hand extended in the chiss’s direction, happy to meet anyone that Luna deemed worthy of getting a full tour of their very restricted base.

 

[Tyrias Aran]

Outfit: Chiss at Work

Tyrias's eyes slid to the side to regard the Grand Marshal at her response. Hands clasped behind her back, the Chiss' chest was thrust forward with her head held high. "I know. However, it is only natural such well disciplined men and women would recognize the superiority of the Chiss, and naturally make such an assumption." While the importance of being devoid of life whatsoever in public was not something this Chiss exuded, it would take effort to break her composure. A little sarcastic word play would certainly not earn anything but a response in kind.

As they began on their way toward the security station, Tyrias once more regarded the other woman. It would see the Grand Marshal was enjoying herself, or anticipated some rather mirthful moments to come. Delightful that Luna could find it in herself to be distracted from the day to day, and pressing matters of command.

When they entered the bunker, her eyes slowly scanned the room and those in it. A great deal stuck out at a glance, but there was no need to rush through her examination and appreciation of the Dauntless' hard work. Tyrias unclasped her hands as she entered; it had been a polite jest between women, but now others would appreciate a more open body language.

"Master Sergeant Ulinesque," the Chiss echoed careful to mimed the inflections and pronunciation of the name, "it is a pleasure to meet you. And those here today. I would be honored if you share with me details of this impressive facility." She reached out to accept the man's hand. A careful application of force to worthy of her station, of course. Not limp at the wrist or bone-crushing over-compensation.

Tag: Luna Terrik

 

[Luna Terrik]

M E E T I N G

Location: Camp Phoenix - Hanger
Time: 0810 Hours
Equipment: Tactical Recon Handguns (2), Personal Armor (sans helmet)
Tags: | Tyrias Aran |

The huge commando smirked, giving the chiss a tough handshake before letting go to stand at attention. He cleared his throat, then began the little impromptu tour. “Welcome to command station A7. We have a total of twelve security stations on the main island which..” he gave a little smile at this point, “is where you stand. Then there are another eight spread out among the other facility islands, and we rotate the security crews so they don’t see the same view every single day.” It was obvious that Tien was enjoying this. Not often that the commando got to play tour guide, and he was very obviously leaning into it.

As the man began to turn and walk toward the wall of weapon storage, Luna took a step back, leaning against the wall of the station. She’d let Tien and Tyrias have their fun. No need for her to interject unless the master sergeant got anything horribly wrong or the chiss had a question he couldn’t answer. Tien leaned forward to unlock a locker, pulling out one of the SAARS rifles inside. “This is our primary weapon here. Every locker has at least one and the necessary ammo, alongside a pistol. And in each security station, there’s fifteen lockers. Enough for two security squads and their commanding officers.”

The rest of the security station tour was pretty normal, considering. Medical section, gate controls, sensor array, all the normal stuff. The last part, though, was certainly not normal. What looked to be a small, durosteel box part of the wall jutted out slightly, and the commando motioned to it. “This..is the contingency plan. If an enemy force took this station..a trigger in the command center underground would set off the bomb behind this panel, so they couldn’t take this and use it against us.” A harsh cost, but a necessary one. At least in luna’s mind.

With the tour completed, Tien stood back to attention and Luna returned to Tyrias side, glancing over the chiss before regarding the commando. “Any questions, sirs?” Luna paused, looking back to the fleet martial, awaiting to see if she had any questions before moving on.

 

[Tyrias Aran]

Outfit: Chiss at Work

Tyrias listened as the Commando began the tour. Her red eyes pivoted to regard what was spoken of, or in lieu of that then the man himself. A Chiss was the embodiment of respect to those deserving it; only one's actions could take that worthiness away from their self. It was a humble and focused tour. One detailing the function and processes of those that guarded the facility. She appreciated the effort even if the security bunkers were not 'mind-blowing' as Humans put it.

Admittedly the stations were surprisingly well-stocked with weapons. The Grand Marshal seemed interested in keeping her people prepared in the event of a frontal assault. Prudent. Anyone attempting such an act, however, would either by reckless or committed to a prolonged war with the Confederacy with a sizeable portion of their fleet committed to taking this base.

"No questions, Master Sergeant. Your tour and explanation of these security stations was quite thorough. I believe you have the security of this base well in hand, and your fellow Commandos are safer for it. Thank you," the Fleet Marshal responded when prompted.

Some might have raised alarm or even objection to having an explosive device in the station. Admittedly there were risks, and such a sacrifice would be costly. Nevertheless, the Chiss understood the rationale behind requiring the ability to detonate should ground level be overrun. Why furnish the enemy with your own supplies or give them access into your computer system? To that, Tyrias had no question or comment. It was a rational decision and not her place to question the decision for its inclusion.

"I will be certain to radio in my approach to avoid being at the wrong end of your response," the Chiss officer said with the same even tone, but with levity in mind. Obviously no vessel approached without permission; and certainly did not touch down in one piece without a heavy escort screening fire. Still, if it happened, Tyrias expected the Commandos to make short work of the occupants of a single vessel like those she often used to ferry to and from the surface.

Tag: Luna Terrik

 

[Luna Terrik]

M E E T I N G

Location: Camp Phoenix - Hanger
Time: 0810 Hours
Equipment: Tactical Recon Handguns (2), Personal Armor (sans helmet)
Tags: | Tyrias Aran |

The master sergeant looked pleased at how the chiss had responded. He was certainly among those at the base that had read of the chiss’s perfectionist nature, and to receive a compliment for one was something it looked as though he would hold onto for quite a long time. Luna couldn’t help but smile at the look on his face, though she held off telling him just yet that Tyrias was…different than most all chiss that any of them might’ve heard off. She was certainly much less coldly calculating, though Luna had observed her falling into chiss way of observing a situation. Typically when there was a combat situation was happening, but Tyrias had a way of slipping those musing thoughts into a conversation here and there.

Luna stepped to the side to allow the fleet marshal to head outside of the security station once the tour was completed. On their way out, the Grand Marshal made sure to give Tien a thankful nod. He wasn’t exactly known for his tour guide giving, but he was a much, much better option than putting Q’vares in there. Not that watching Tyrias debating security measures with a severely pissed off and frustrated zabrak wouldn’t have been enjoyable. Had that been the case, she could have seen herself making a small bet with Tien over how long it would take the former sniper to begin chewing out an amused chiss. Not long, she imagined.

The first thing that the pair were greeted by once they exited the security station was a supplies shuttle coming in for a landing. Putting up a forearm to block the incoming wind gust, her eyes turned to the Fleet Marshal with a little smirk. “One of many. Supplies shuttles land once or twice every hour at the moment. Parts of the underground are still incomplete, and people do need food every once in a while.” With the amount of people here at the base, the budget for food supplies was quite..quite a lot. Just under the ammunition and other training gear.

“Speaking of the underground..” Luna made a motion with her arm, heading toward what looked like an elevator entrance pressed into the rock of the island’s mountain. As they approached, the security measures became obvious, including the code cylinder and biometric security locks. The Grand Marshal to a step to the side, nodding toward the control panel then to the code cylinder on Tyrias’s hip. “I believe yours should work at this point, as well as your biometrics. Please, feel free to try it out.” The pride on Luna’s face could be easily seen. This security station, among others at Camp Phoenix, had been ruthlessly scrubbed over until it fit perfectly with the needs of the Dauntless.

 

[Tyrias Aran]

Outfit: Chiss at Work

Outside, the blue woman's red eye turned toward the Grand Marshal. The woman seemed quite pleased with herself, or rather the interaction she had with the Master Sergeant. There'd been no reason to ruin the moment inside the security bunker, however. Instead, Tyrias waited until Luna was inclined to describe the approaching vessel and its importance to the facility. "People also need to be recognized that their otherwise routine duty assignments hold great value." It helped when it came from someone that was not quite an insider yet. In fact, the Fleet Marshal was still exceptionally new to the Dauntless only now being introduced to more than the squad commanders.

At Luna's beckoning, the Chiss followed toward the entrance of the facility quite interested to see what she'd hidden below the surface. With a small smile that graced Tyrias' lips, the Fleet Marshal stood in wait as Luna spoke. It was fortuitous if access had been granted. Though Tyrias might be essentially in charge of ferrying the commandos about, access to the base suggested she had more of a role than glorified chauffeur.

The indicated code cylinder was slid from its place at her side and inserted into the receptacle. With a final glance at the Grand Marshal, the Chiss placed her hand down and closed the distance with the optical scanner. She hoped they'd used one of the higher end devices that relied on something other than a red laser.

Once the scans were completed, Tyrias retrieved the cylinder and slid it back into place. "What is it that a Grand Marshal does beneath the surface of the planet? Besides paperwork," she said in case Luna thought to answer 'work' as though that were entirely appropriate. This may be a tour, but that was hardly a reason to ignore the fact they were both people with lives outside of learning how to fire the latest gun, or command the most recent graduates.

Tag: Luna Terrik