Nar Shaddaa

[Beth Andromina]

Beth slid the glove from her hand reflexively and she looked at the red and cracked skin near the seals of her EV suit. The lacerating viewport of the TIE defender had left her in dire straights for the two hours it had taken to pick her up after the battle had concluded. Some tie down tape had saved her life, but significant layers of skin and muscle sinew had burned first in the explosion then had been thoroughly iced over in the vacuum of space. Her bright yellow eyes caught sight a few jedi (@Nia Doarr and @karyu128) in robes and she hurried over, pulling off her TIE pilot helmet and shaking out her short hair that was soaked in sweat. 

 

She looked at the two apprentices as she neared, her eyes taking in their youth as she spoke. Her high kuati accent betraying her heritage more than the nameplate on her breast with ‘Lt de'Andromina’ emblazoned on it with imperial Templar red ever did. . 

 

“You guys are jedi right? Look, i cannot afford to be taken off the flight line and if they see these burns I am one hundred percent going to be put in bacta for a month.” She leaned forward conspiratorially, “I will do anything for a bit of Jedi Magic to help these wounds.” She grimaced, “I will give you my entire damn paycheck if that’s what it takes. Seriously.” Her voice lowered again. “Please.” 

[Beth Andromina]

Beth let her smile slide off her face like ice on a griddle. The open air was starting to penetrate the exposed wound and was prickling at the bone underneath. Causing flashes of pain that felt like thin knives getting drawn up the length of her bones. She shuddered and sat down beside the two of them, feeling a little light headed. She sighed and lowered her head, taking the whole scene in with shallow breaths. 

 

“Exactly, i’m trying to avoid the bacta tank, can’t let them take me off the flight line. Not when there are Sith to blow up.” She looked at the non jedi, jedi and shrugged softly, her flightsuit rustling. “You will do your best no doubt I-” Then she groaned from the pain, biting onto her lower lip until it bled. “Gods this hurts.”

[Beth Andromina]

Beth looked dully at the rag held by the Kel Dor jedi and frowned. It didn't look particularly dirty but she was not going to go and shove it in her mouth anyway. So she instead bit down on the corner of her flight jacket until she could taste the duraloid impregnated fibers like a bitter malaise on her tongue. She looked a the ‘not jedi’ jedi and smiled softly through the pain. 

 

She spat out the mouthful of flightsuit and looked at him with a weary expression. 

 

“I hunt Sith because they have killed everyone I have ever loved and cared for. Kuat, Cardia, Dark Sun.” She shrugged and flexed her healing arm. “Those are only the latest in a campaign of terror that stretches back beyond memory for those of us on the front lines. I have been in the fight since i was five, when chaos and death came to my homeworld in the form of a Sith Lord. My parents were killed in the hailstorm of fire, and I was left an orphan, it's a common enough story.” 

 

She flexed again and smiled, “Will eight hours of rest do the trick master jedi?” 

[Beth Andromina]

Beth let the smile drip off her face like hot caf as the watched a Rebe- Galactic Alliance officer head their way, carrying of all things a pike staff. She nodded her thanks to the two Jedi and saluted the incoming alliance pilot before extending her non injured hand in greeting. Her imperial flight suit would tell this red faced man all he would need about her combat experience. The Imperials had been fighting the Sith since before the Galactic Alliance had gotten its lazy ass in gear. She did not care the slightest what species he was, even though he seemed ashamed. 

 

“Beth Andromina, Templar squadron commander, formerly of Carida, then Kuat, then here. Sith eh? A good one looks like it. Seems like everyone but myself is a jedi around here, but you are on safe ground. Not need to haul a vibropike around. Might scare the non commissioned officers into shooting someone.” Her laugh was kind, though very tired. “X-Caliber squadron? Never heard of it, from the name I assume you fly X-wings?” 

 

It was a friendly jab that only pilots would make to each other, though it might come off hostile to the younger jedi. 

[Beth Andromina]

Beth let a blush crawl up her tired face and a pang of guilt for making fun of the Jedi stung her at the same time. She took the pike stave and gave it a lookover before returning it to the red faced man. 

 

“I have a feeling that we will all be flying X-Wings before the game is up. The GA and the Jedi lost a lot of good people over Onderon, I am so sorry.” 

 

It was with that line that Beth could feel the reason for this rebel alliance finally strike a spark. Both sides had suffered horribly at the hands of the New Sith Empire. And now it was up to the survivors to make a last effort. 

 

She spoke again, extending her hand again to the Sithari Jedi Knight. 

 

“I look forward to flying beside you. It's inevitable that the Starfighter commands get conjoined into one, so who knows, maybe X-caliber and Templar might fly together someday.” 

 

She looked at the Kel Dor her eyebrows raising. 

 

“If you are looking for the bright blond headed girl, she is probably with the imperial knights on floor seven like she usually is. But I haven’t seen her today.” 

 

A message popped up on the datapad attached to her belt and the vibrations caused Beth to glance at it absentmindedly. There was a call for Templars to head to briefing room one. 

 

[Beth Andromina]

Beth clapped both Nia and the Sithari on the back as the briefing ended. Never in her short life was she so happy to have a Jedi along for the adventure than she was right then. Her imperial brain wished they had one of the special operations Imperial Knights along for the ride, but this jedi would certainly do the job. If perhaps with less fervour than one of those sworn to the imperial crown might have.  Those men in red certainly had a knack for killing Sithies.

 

Beth took a conspiratorial tone. 

“So what do you think? We gonna all fly old Z-95s? That’d suit the rebellion eh?” 

 

She looked over towards the viewport into the hanger, where the sleek set of TIE defenders were having their red striping removed to be placed back into routine service. 

 

“Spast i’m gunna miss that thing.” 

 

She let out a long sigh as they walked towards the Corvette. 

 

“Do you guys want to bunk together?”

[Beth Andromina]

Beth was shocked, and it marked across her face with a flash. 

 

“Wait you guys segregate your quarters?” For ever since the time of Emperor Blacks reforms, the Imperial military held no distinction. Believing that any kind of barrier between their crews would adversely affect them, forming faction and getting in the way of unity in squadrons. A look of disgust stretched across her pretty face. “How are you supposed to get to know one another and work as a tandem unit? Mealtimes? Surely lieutenant, privacy is something that the Jedi reject as well?” Her eyes actually showed real concern as they boarded the Maelstrom. 

 

“It’s not like we have orgies or something you Rebel. And any impropriety is very strictly punished.” She looked to Nia and shook her head. “If you wanted privacy, the military is the last place you should have come. I am afraid private cabins are something of the past. No one gets special treatment here. When we get to station we will be divided into squadrons and of course separate bunks, but I think especially on an operation like this segregation of any type should not be allowed.” But the rebel corvette was divided much like the Red faced Jedi had said. Two wide segregated bunk rooms. Causing Beth to pout. She tossed her baggage on the bunk near Nia’s as the ship launched into the trailing lines of hyperspace. 

 

"Tell me about yourself little Jedi."

 

((Post in space boys))

[Beth Andromina]

The densely packed ‘fab housing looked like concrete mountains whose long slopes stretched out to the horizon. Here and there a splash of neon colour indicated a mall or shopping center, in the mass of refugee housing, but mostly the housing units were dark. Enforced dark zones by the imperial authorities in the event of a Sith Raid. Something that was becoming more likely by the minute.  

 

Her scopes blinked for a moment as another ship showed up on the long range sensor suite and Beth lightly pressed on the rudder pedal and pulled on the yoke to bring the starfighter in a long loop as she and her wingmate rounded on the Corellian Light Freighter headed towards the Red and Black.  

 

“Take a look at that registration ping Lieutenant.”

 

This Machine Kills Fascists

 

Now that was an insulting name if she had ever seen one, even though it brought a stifled laugh in her headset from her wingmate. Someone was playing a funny game on the imperial starfighter corps. She lifted a finger and depressed her comm interface, broadcasting to the freighter on the Guard Frequency. 

 

“Corellian Freighter Machine Kills Fascists, this is Templar One. Please transmit cargo and load data. You may need an inspection before heading to Red and Black Tower." 

[Beth Andromina]

Hearing her own first name over her headset was such a bizarre thing for someone whose brain was so completely frazzled by months on end of mindless combat air patrol, that she physically jumped against her crash restraints. The intonation was familiar as well, like a ghost out of her dreams. Where had that familiar lilt come from? That tired and studious disposition?PLus the name of the ship could only come back with:

 

Sophia? 

 

With a little too much eagerness she rekeyed her comm, trying her best to keep her voice level and professional. 

 

“Receiving manifest now Moriarty.” 

 

She glanced at the data scrolling across her screen and she angled her fighter’s nose up a half degree by lightly pulling on the yoke. 

 

“You are clear for departure when you would like. Turn to Freq 403.33.” A shortwave frequency. 

 

She clicked her own comm over. 

 

“Sophia, I thought you died. Back from beyond the grave are we?”