Wind in the sails. Wind in the sails.

[Domino]

Silk District, Cloud Nine

Pacing back and forth in the dawn twilight, the beauty and serenity of Domino's meditation garden was wasted on her as she waited for word to reach her. It didn't matter that she knew what it should be or that she'd checked the feed on her datapad every few minutes for the last hour. Today was going to be big. Materials had been gathered and plans drawn up, construction had already begun. But for the people coming here today, this would be Day One. It was crew selection and Domino wanted only the best for her ship, as such she'd designed a series of screenings to slim down the number of applicants.

A month ago they'd closed off applications after receiving a little over a hundred thousand responses to the various holonet recruitment adverts and local booths set up across the outer rim. Her name was kept out of it all and the focus had been on worlds unclaimed by the major galactic powers in an effort to avoid notice but the numbers came in simply from how population dense some of the planets had been, that and the promise of adventure and danger out on the cutting edge of civilization. The compensation and pay wasn't anything to turn a nose up at either, full medical too. By today that number had shrunk drastically down, Domino needed maybe a single percent of the applicants, and her V.I. Argo had spent nearly a week screening candidates.

First considered were those with more than three years military service, more than six and you were dropped (too loyal to whatever nation). Then came civilian spacers, anybody more than five years experience in space or six in a militia that had seen combat. After that came graduates in the top half percent of their class. Those remaining were subjected to a battery of other screenings. Background checks, health records, job reports, social media, familial and social status, group memberships, the list went on and on as a profile was constructed for each. The slightest of reasons used as an excuse to boot someone from the list of prospective candidates. If a person was deemed lazy, never having a medical accident, too good of a record, certain crimes, or even having to many children or a child below majority age. It was harsh, but some of the checks were to catch spies or those with false backgrounds, others just to knock out problem people before they were.

 

[Domino]

​

First considered were those with more than three years military service, more than six and you were dropped (too loyal to whatever nation). Then came civilian spacers, anybody more than five years experience in space or six in a militia that had seen combat. After that came graduates in the top half percent of their class. Those remaining were subjected to a battery of other screenings. Background checks, health records, job reports, social media, familial and social status, group memberships, the list went on and on as a profile was constructed for each. The slightest of reasons used as an excuse to boot someone from the list of prospective candidates. If a person was deemed lazy, never having a medical accident, too good of a record, certain crimes, or even having to many children or a child below majority age. It was harsh, but some of the checks were to catch spies or those with false backgrounds, others just to knock out problem people before they were.

At precisely a quarter past six a messenger approached her, he didn't run but walked as fast as propriety allowed and arrived with his breath intact. He reported that exactly nineteen thousand eight hundred and twelve people had shown up on time for the test. The rest of the twenty thousand invitees either hadn't made planet fall or were late, all absent at six o'clock were dropped from consideration. The testing would take place all day with a single break for lunch, one for dinner, and a short one between the two and in the morning before lunch so the applicants could take care of biological necessities. Other than that, the center of the Forum was completely blocked off to traffic with checkpoints at each of the bridges so that the multitude of desks could be set up. Those being tested knew the schedule and were told to prepare, if they left before a break, they were disqualified, if they hadn't prepared to sit out in the sun all day, they were disqualified, even if they'd left for a drink of water. This was an endurance test of the body as much as one of the mind and would continue on for eighteen hours.

 

[Domino]

The test itself was literally impossible to complete in the time allotted and all the applicants had been told was that they had to complete a minimal number of questions with a certain degree of accuracy and speed. Nobody was told specifics to leave them wondering and to add another level of anxiety. A large datapad on each desk would supply the one sitting there questions from a list of several thousand ranging through math, navigational, geographic, engineering, critical thinking, ethical, tactical, physics, related to previous work, and many more and ran from basic to advanced in difficulty. Some were multiple choice, others short answer, a few were matching or fill in the blank, even a few essay questions. One entire section in the afternoon was dedicated to getting the testers to cheat while not getting caught. To catch them, Domino had brought in three hundred of her Lotus Syndicate Enforcers to maintain the bridge checkpoints and to wander among the rows and rows of testing stations. If they spotted someone they were to call in the number the tester had been assigned but otherwise not act. Domino wanted to see who noticed that they were caught, how they reacted, and who noticed others being caught.

Their answers, speed, and accuracy over time would be compared to each other and a predicted chart of acceptability, build the profile of each, and further weed out people with answers or writings inconsistent with their background. In the morning Domino hoped to have maybe a quarter of people spread out in the Forum remaining. Until then however, she had a test to oversee.

Few people noticed Domino step onto the island forming the Forum's center, either too focused on one of her people droning on through the test's introduction, or tired by the early morning, or simply too hammered by planet lag. Then it was also a huge gathering, she herself could barely make out the man at the head of the group with the microphone even though speakers around the perimeter and central lane assured that all could hear. The ones that did notice either gave her a confused look as if wondering why she would be here or dismissed her as another member of the Lotuses. Only a one gained a sudden knowing look before snapping their attention back to the presenter, their back suddenly a little straighter in their seat. Mentally Domino made a note of his number and continued around the perimeter to check on each station.

 

[Domino]

As the test began, she extended her awareness out through the Force, not trying to probe anyone's mind, just lightly touching the surface waters, looking for deception, force users potential or otherwise, and seeking those actively blocking mind probes. If she found the later, she would use the bone conducting comm in her diadem to call in the tester's number. During the break they would discreetly be asked to leave and would be monitored to the spaceport until they were off-planet. Or at least Cloud Nine. The former would gather them closer scrutiny and the Force potentials would get a mark should they pass the test for expanded opportunities should they have the right skill sets.

By lunch several people had dropped on their own request. Domino figured they were either discouraged by the test's difficulty or were unable to wait for a break. After lunch, one girl had been forced out because she was developing a nasty sunburn and was refusing to admit she needed help. Less surprising was the number of cheaters already caught, over a hundred and some growing quite bold as no action was taken. The worst were then removed by Domino's order.

Outside the perimeter watercourse a crowd had gathered, partially dispersed, and then slowly grew and ebbed as people came to watch the proceedings or came to grumble about the central avenue being blocked off to the ones manning the checkpoints. Domino spotted more than a few taking their lunch while watching or filming the proceedings to share later. By the time the testers were dismissed in section for their own half hour lunch, Domino had completed her circuit of all the potentials and had knocked out or noted several of them. She was also certain that word of who she was along with several rumors and guesses as to what she was doing here spread among each group while lunching now that most of them had gotten a look at her walking the isles. Her own spies would later tell her that the most popular three were, she was there to oversee activity in her district, she was hired and brought in to use the force to detect cheaters, and the correct one being; she was there because it was her operation. Several more quit after lunch, unwilling to work for or with the former leader of the Black Suns.

The dropouts had petered out by dinner, everybody that went that far had made it to the end of the test. Domino had completed another two rounds of the potentials, one before and another after the day's final meal. She'd spent the day out in the Forum walking among them or conferring with the supervisors, only disappearing for her own meals or to deal with business as it arose. She was there again when they arose at midnight to stretch tired muscles and rub at overworked and blurry eyes and stumble off under direction to the warehouses that had been cleared and filled with bunk beds for them. The bedding was far from luxurious but nobody complained, so tired that it felt like heaven.

 

[Domino]

Four hours later Domino was again there as they were roused from bed and told to dress in the sweats provided and form up. Those unable to be woken up or who stayed in bed were allowed to sleep, when they awoke they would be told of their dismissal. The many complaints were met with reminders that if they wanted to go back to bed they could drop. A few did, already pushed to their tolerance limits by the day before. In the Forum, the tired speaker from the day before was waiting for them with a large cup of steaming caf in one hand and his microphone in the other. The high-altitude morning air was absolutely frigid without the sun to warm the predawn chill and the sweats didn't help much as everybody tried to huddle up for warmth before being broken up into proper lines.

Unbeknownst to the previous day's testers, Argo had been actively monitoring their efforts alongside several protocol droids and had now finished grading them beyond the testing program's right/wrong capability. The presenter now informed the remaining eighteen thousand that they would be divided and that when their number was called to cross one of the southern bridges and form into ten lines with an arm's distance to the person to their front and to either side. After the initial confusion, several of the enforcers with datapads began calling numbers and then names if a number didn't provoke a response. By five in the morning there were just over two thousand people lined up before Domino. The rest were told to wait for them to clear out before they continued.

 

[Domino]

"I'm going on my morning run," Domino told the best two percent of the applicants. She didn't yell or use electronic amplification, instead letting the force carry it to those before her. "You lot will accompany me, if you stop, you fail. All you have to do is not quit and you'll be handed a contract and a breakfast to read it over. If you can't keep up, step aside and fall in at the line's end." Done, she slung a weighted pack over her shoulders, and set off out of the Forum at an easy lope. This morning her run was more of a jog, and with her short legs nobody really had any difficulty keeping up with her. For the first kilometer. By the second, people were breathing heavy and nearly everybody had a stitch in their side by the end of the third. Those in the front glared at her and struggled to keep up with her tied-back lekku bouncing over the pack she wore while those further behind struggled to either keep up or not get passed. Of course, those with either military experience or militia time didn't have too much of a problem. Another two and some people had dropped out, to exhausted not to stop for breath. More importantly, they'd arrived at breakfast where their numbers were taken down, the completionists handed a folder containing a contract, and were directed to the chow lines for breakfast.

The stragglers were rounded up by the chase truck and taken back to the temporary bunk houses where the ones who were also disqualified were sullenly packing it in and changing back to their own clothes. The few who tried to express their frustrations with angry outbursts of vandalism or fighting quickly discovered that the warehouses' catwalks made excellent observation and shooting platforms for the Syndicate members watching with stun rifles. Their twitching bodies served as warning to the rest. This equipment had to be resold when they were through with it. The testing pads had been rented along with the announcement speakers. Destruction of any of it wouldn't be tolerated, profit/loss margins would be protected.

 

[Domino]

Most of the people signed, already feeling like they'd gone to far or achieved to much to turn their backs now, or possibly they were intrigued by the selection process so far. The contract was conditional, and made plain that it would be treated like a military enlistment and that continued employment was conditional on success in training. The strong wording warned off those that didn't, or maybe they felt the selection process to extreme, Domino didn't care which. Each was given a hundred credits for making it this far and were allowed to rejoin the others being returned home. The few that had managed to slip off during the test or in the morning were hunted down and sent home as well, this was a beautiful city and Domino wouldn't contribute to vagrancy or illegal immigration into it.

The rest of the morning belonged to the new recruits who either explored some, celebrated quietly, watched a few holos, went back to sleep, wrote home, or some combination thereof. After lunch they were assembled again and told to head over to one of the now empty 'bunk houses' for medical. Where most of the dropouts had slept that night was now a rough field examination unit. Local doctors had set up a small ward heavy on examination tools and screenings . One by one each trainee was fed through the process of having their biometrics taken, eyes examined, and a full health screening. Those with minor issues had them addressed while larger issues were either put on a program or washed out if they would be detrimental to being on a combat ship. At the end of the screening each received a battery of species-specific shots, immunity boosters and inoculations against diseases mostly.

 

[Domino]

Deep within her estate, Domino took a sip from her wineglass and lay her head back against the hot tub's rest. She was feeling quite satisfied with herself and the events of the last few days. Things were off to a good beginning fro her crew. The best available were hers, brimming with either experience or the academia needed for engineering. One sour note had blemished the test yesterday, a young man refusing to leave when asked to had grown quite violent. Domino hadn't been able to detect anything from him and had discovered that the youth had been putting up mental blocks against thought reading. Not the first she'd found, but unlike the others he hadn't gone quietly when denied reentry from a break. His shouting and proclamations of innocence of cheating had grown increasingly more vocal until his hand gesticulations had flown too close by an Enforcer's face and he found himself getting brought down by a stunner. From there he was bound and loaded up into the rear of a called speeder. Last night should have found him waking on one of Cloud City's jail cells with a one-way ticket home.

Sliding deeper into the steaming waters, she let them lap the bottom of her chin and did her best to just relax and let the wine do its work. A tiny beep from the datapad next to the tub refused to let her. "Fine, put it through." She spoke to the air and Argo did as requested, sending the message to the wall screen facing her. "Show me the body scans, fat and musculature as well as any illness." The myriad of medical files disappeared to be replaced by wire frames scrolling sideways across the screen. Blue portions showed muscle, pink fat, and flashing red a rare medical issue among the crew candidates. "Hmm, I'm not too happy with the crew portion." She said after watching for several minutes. "But then most have been living out in space on freighters too long, not much room or reason to exercise. The others though, the frontiersmen, militia, defense forces, and soldiers... Not many of them have let themselves go." Some of them even had a wiry hardness to them that spoke of just enough food and plenty of hard work in dangerous places. "They'll do, start them on a regime of basic work-outs tomorrow to trim off some of the fat and build stamina. We'll stay here a week for those needing basic treatments and then head out to do the real training."

 

[Domino]

The week passed slowly for Domino who was more than eager to move on to the next step in the process of crewing the Katarina. But those she'd hired needed it to recover from the antibiotics and start the process of getting back in shape while in the relative comfort she was providing to them. It was far from the facilities they would end up in but was at least in the heart of a very civilized city for them to enjoy during their rather lax free time. But now it was time to leave the Silk District of Cloud Nine, Domino planned to throw her new crew into the wilds of Onderon for some intensive training.

​

At exactly sixteen minutes past four, a black and gold MCR-125 still bearing the Double A emblem of the old Atlas Academy pulled up to the pier hanging away from the floating island. Domino had pulled it from storage on Vaynai and now it was stuffed with bunk beds and the other accommodations needed to take the thousand plus to Onderon. Even then it would be impossible for the little ship to do it in one go so several trips were planned. Over it the soon to be Marines would do calisthenics and the crew members would be allowed to get some hands-on time at the different stations. The ship's skeleton crew had installed a few different gunnery sims and the ship had already been kitted out for training, just on a much smaller scale. Atlas Academy had used it to take out maybe a half-dozen students at a time on day trips to familiarize them with the requirements of larger ships and working a larger crew for those interested. Now, well Domino didn't know what she'd do with it once they were done training on it, she imagined that it'd be pretty well trashed after running all these people through and using it as a base of operations on Onderon.

 

[Domino]

Landing on the moon was a relatively straightforward affair, Domino had already picked a spot maybe a click away from a lake with plenty of surrounding hills. All that'd been left to do was blast a landing zone with the turbolasers (after several days simulation in hyper the gunnery crews were excited to finally fire the guns for real even if the trees didn't shoot back) and toss out the minimal supplies and the ship's passengers. Then the MCR left back to Bespin for another group leaving a somewhat bewildered group of would-be marines and crew milling about and wondering why there weren't any facilities, or buildings, or civilization of any sort about....

Domino could pick out the more experienced by their quiet curses as they realized what was planned, and her confirmation caused the sinking feeling it created to spread. For the next two months, or as long as she deemed it necessary, they'd be rouging it in one of the most dangerous jungles in the galaxy with only a limited tool selection, whatever shelter they could create, and a whole lot of firepower. Either her units would shape up, or they'd die. "The ship won't be back for another eight days, after which we'll receive some more supplies and an equal number of recruits. And I'd advise being ready for them!" Domino called out over the group. "I should also point out that the local authority hasn't been informed of our little soiree here, so don't expect any rescue or help from them of any kind. In fact, if we are discovered, it's likely they'll think us to be smugglers or pirates here to set up camp and treat us accordingly. Because of this, I'd highly recommend each of you grab a bag or box and join me for the ten kilometer hike to our campsite at the other end of the lake." That had pretty much set the mood for the rest of the day and by the time the recruits reached the camp, a patch of mud and trees indistinguishable from any other they'd passed save that it was on a slightly taller (and steeper) hill than any of the other dozen they'd trodden over, they'd decided on a name for it, 'Camp Hell.'