Robert McNamara

Robert bristled at the interruption from the Grand Admiral. In all his years in the Imperial Forces, he had never seen this Grand Admiral. What was his claim? He looked like a chump, and the way he interrupted this meeting with anyone else other than Raven, he would have had his head removed from his neck. But Raven was no Sith, that was obvious. So it was business as usual. Robert stood there- he had no role in this meeting other than muscle if things went south. The Jedi's donation of three ships of supplies did indeed drop out of hyperspace- Lisa was feeding data into his neural link- he was visualizing data as the meeting went on. Ships were coming in and out of the space around Carida as you would expect- construction, supplies, workers, shippers, and aid assistance. The ysalamir offer by Raven surprised him, and it frustrated him after the hard work and sacrifice that his men had given in order to obtain these lizards, and she just offered the Jedi some? What if they find a way around the effects? Their tactical advantage would be gone. Soldiers from the landing bays sent up a message and Lisa pulled it as "unusual" some bounty hunter pressing his luck for payment. Communicating with his ships AI, he made a recommendation to the Spaceport control to pay the man and let him leave. A Sith bounty- and he claimed he had a former Jedi in the form of ash. Sorry, we aren't a trash disposal facility. he thought- and sent the message to the troopers to secure the Sith and be about typical business. ~~~~~~~ Spoiler is nulled. - Aryian

Robert eased his stance as the Raven gave the guards a dismissal gesture, and they left the room. All the while his vigilance heightened and crested as- if Robert wasn't in front of guests or Raven he might have gasped as a dead man walked through the door. My, my, how old bones learn how to walk again. He thought- all the while keeping a eye devoted to the Jedi.

Robert cleared his throat. High priority visitors seemed to be coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden. "I'll have Adams start doing the ground work for the retrieval. And... a few guards should be here with a Ysalamir shortly. Hopefully soon they train the vornskyrs up to par, shortly, I hope. Meanwhile, I'll stay here. If they try anything..." his voice trailed off- already thinking about who, what, where, what's their plan, what is going one, how to get this Mazzari, and how he wished he had one of those Force-Sensitive Beasts here with him- the predator. He swallowed and eyeballed the room with how to fight inside it, should he need to. Within a few minutes, however, he would have six troopers walk through that door with two Ysalamir inside nutrient frames, and a response squad one floor up that held another Ysalmir and plenty of stunning weapons for Robert's liking. Half ready to rappel down the outside of the building. If it came down to it, he would have ample backup against their VIPs. Lisa was patched into his neural link, and Robert just had to think in order to communicate with her. She was onboard, and helping get things ready.

Something tingled in the back of Robert's mind. Like his danger sense when going into battle, but this was different. He knew he was not Force Sensitive, so this was a natural gut feeling that every solider felt- or died. It was a cautious moment, glittered with confusion. "Raven, I-" He stumbled for words, picking them very carefully. "Might I make a recommendation that you have Imperial Intelligence dig into that? Combat Troops do stick out like a Wookiee at a Noghri family reunion... I don't mean to question your orders. I just have this feeling that there is something that will fit the puzzle piece you're trying to find. You think they- the Galactic Alliance- would be so foolish to attack us? We are no laughing matter..." His wrist buzzed- the chrono there was like a mini-datapad, he could view important reports sent to him. For Lisa to push one through while he was meeting with Raven, it must be important. Shooting a quick glance to the chrono, then back to the Head of State, Robert was unsure of whether or not to smile, or get his armor. Old habits did die hard, after all, and it was only one shuttle. "And speaking of which, a Jedi Shuttle has just landed in Forty-b. Life scans indicate two humanoids. Should I have my troops mobilize with the Ysalamir to be ready for the visitors?" His gaze went back to Raven, whatever this was, he was ready to fight in order to get her to safety. His mind wandering to the familiar weight of the blaster at his hip.

Robert walked into the room- looking around to see how she had chosen to decorate. All suggestions of design directed the onlookers eyes to the desk. The shiny desk. Of course, the strong willpower of Mistress Zinthos naturally grabbed your attention as if yanked from hyperspace by an Interdictors Gravity Well Generators. The blue skinned alien that had been escorted out- interesting, but now forgotten. With his cap under his arm, he walked towards the desk. Then his body snapped to attention- saluting, "Mi'Lady, I am well. I'm glad to see you are as well- seems we missed something big happening up there." His eyes motioned to the sky, as he settled back down to an 'at ease' stance. "Myrkr was... an irritant, but productive. We harvested and kept One Hundred and Nine of the yslamiri, and Forty-two Vornskrs. Most of the Yslamir have been placed around the capital. Most still in the landing pad in the third section, should you want them elsewhere. I have positioned five onto my ship, if that is alright. My troops- " a slight hesitation in his voice as there was a practiced way he claimed ownership- but also pride there, lurking. He was proud to be a Imperial, he was happy with this so far... He had been a pirate for just a few years, these were not corrupt bastards- they were his men, in The Galactic Empire- good people, mostly. It was always shameful for good men and women to die, and of course, Death Star was a slaughter of his entire crew- entrusted upon him by the former Emperor. "-will need six prosthetic limbs and one eye. But all have expressed their deepest desires to remain active in the Empire, which I've granted." With a slight reservation in his tone- a noticeable change this time. "I apologize for missing the battle, what else have I missed?" And there was the relaxed- ol' typical Robert tone.

Robert, dressed in a clean and pressed uniform, made his way down planetside- summoned by Raven. Making his way through security checkpoints, and other red-tape. He made his way to her office lobby, but he would have to wait it seemed. It didn't bother him, he was late himself so naturally the schedule continued forward through the day. Waiting for his turn, he toyed with a datapad showing the status on his injured crew.

Robert had shed his armor and showered after the threat was neutralized on the other side of the planet. Which was for the best- he didn't want to see that action, he would rather want to relax and not do a microjump to the other side of the planet. Those microjumps were always so tricky. Running over the battle reports flowing in, he wanted to get going on some other assignment. But here they sat- surveying anyone that jumped in system. Ordered into a patrol pattern his corvette drifted silently through the vacuum of space in an effort to control the perimeter. Providing scanning and real-time video data to Space Traffic Control, no one would be able to get past his ship- or the other ships in the area who were now coordinating their sensors and weapons. The ysalamir had, mostly, been transported off to the city. That was included in the reports to Raven. What he did next was up to her now.

"By the Force, I can't believe we just did that!" V-Two called out, as the wyrm crumbled to the ground- and crumbled into ash. It just dissolved, flabbergasting the pilots who had slowed to watched their quarry burn. They were seeking satisfaction, as they had been out of the main fight. "Gozantti One, cancel approach. Threat neutralized. Situation, by all accounts is secure. Someone should go pick up that Knight down there, do we have any shuttles in the area? Or are we still in Search and Rescue mode?" The wing leader called, half requesting orders- half giving them. The four ships collected themselves and fell into patrol pattern. "Copy that V-One, continue to patrol the area. Call out anything of note and we will respond accordingly- we are still in SR mode, and will continue to do so. Friendlies and hostiles." Gozantti One responded back. Relaying the orders via their private comm- V-One eased back in his seat a bit. The adrenaline was purging from his system and it was a sobering ordeal. Something else seemed to sap away their strength as well. Soon, they would all feel what passed for normal.

Suddenly it was as if they had all been on pause- V-3 saw the other ships, even the VT49, yaw a bit. Then there was a voice and he knew what had to happen. They all did. ~~~ V-1 was in the lead- he and his squadron had just discussed what just happened- but to no details. There was something down there- a Jedi- that had touched their minds. They each broke off the pattern and folded back- but not in sync. Staggered, they unleashed another volley- but One shot straight past the beast- while the others provided harassing fire. Steadily drawing its attention away from where it had emerged. One knew she didn't call to them over the comm, but there would be some way to see the woman that spoke to them, even if from the air. It was slow, but progress was being made. Shifting his gaze- he realized there was a small luminescence on the move towards the creature. That was light from a lightsaber- his astromech scanned the area and managed to put her into a way point that the pilots could track on their displays. Nodding to himself, he pulled the ship over and up- heading up to his left- an arc over the Jedi below. Leveling out- he line up a shot that would follow the beast up its front portion. His discipline kept a smile from his face as he pressed down on the triggers- green laser fire shot into the giant serpents flesh. Increasing the thusters a bit with the help of the droid- he shot forward his body falling into the seat and shot under the arch of the beast. On his radar he saw the VT unleash another few rockets towards the creature- out of the area the Jedi was occupying. "Gozanti One, V-One, how copy?" "This is Gozanti, good copy, go ahead, V-Leader." "ETA on firing range? Friendly in area- they have a plan. Are you equipped with a harpoon, netting, or a tractor beam?" He would have liked to see the expression on the communication officers face, even V-One would pay money to see two cruisers drown a worm- or fling it into vacuum. "Firing solution is in progress, negative on the other items. Your best bet would be a cliff that leads down to the water about 3 clicks south by southeast of your position. We'll have the One-One-Five in orbit soon, firing solution on the cliff will be completed soon." Two Gozanti and the c90? Hm, they were about to put this worm on a skewer- he thought as he circled around- letting two shots go wide but striking 3 more times where the cluster bombs had just exploded. This thing was going to be a bloody mess.

Two Gozanti Cruisers dropped out of hyperspace, and before you could sneeze- four additional craft would appear on sensors. The small bounty the cruisers carried- three V-Wings and a VT-49 Decimator. The four ships dropped and swooped to get around the debris from the ships that had been blown apart. In coordination the three V-Wings took up a wing flight pattern in front of the Decimator- vaporizing small bits of debris for target practice. An alert went out and was silenced. "Pilots, divert attention to target marked at the coordinates uploading to your fighters. Alpha priority." A cool female voice called to pilots, a subtle note of concern in the AI's voice. "Copy that, adjusting trajectory. V-One, moving to intercept. V-Two, V-Three, V-T, acknowledge and follow." The lead pilot called to his squadron. Three green lights blinked twice- they had all followed. "Gozanti One, any details on our target?" He asked back to the cruisers- which were moving down as well to the surface coordinates. "Standby V One..." A different female voice called back. V One watched his chrono count down all the while dodging space debris and taking shots when he could. They had jumped close to the surface, but still high enough to be in orbit- a concession of the hyperdrive it seemed, you couldn't preform a micro-jump into the surface. "By the stars, you see that?!" The VT49 pilot called. V One was about to reprimand him, but let it slide after his own jaw dropped- what the hell was that thing?! They could see it from space as it wiggled and whipped through the sky. Calling to the astromech droid- he had it make the calculations until the thing was within firing range. "Gozanti One, Gozanti Two, what are we looking at here?" "Unknown, but take it out- weapons free- danger close. Seems as if it's a Sith Creature of sorts. Reports are still sketchy at this time." He gritted his teeth, but he considered they did rarely fly into something they didn't know what it was capable of. He was just volunteered to lead his squad into some decent trouble. Switching back over to the squad channel- "Alright, you heard her. Weapons free- Danger close- so we have assets on the ground there. Deci- break off and accelerate- come in at vector One-Eight-Zero. V-Two, break off and approach from vector One-Five-Zero. V-Three, approach from Vector Two-Seven-Zero." The ships broke off and in true fashion- the Decimator did accelerate and shift vectors- they had all switched their flight path. "V-Three, Priority One. V-Two, Priority Two, V-T, Priority Three. V-One, Priority Three. Weapons hot." Acknowledgement lights once again- the command identifying their assigned attack pattern. A bit confusing granted they hadn't been flying that long together, but V-One had confidence about as much as he could muster with the unknown threat- which now looked like a worm coming up on their screens. A quick communication and time calculation and he felt they were ready to take the worm. They didn't have to know what it was in order to kill it. They would be able to coordinate this perfectly. V-Three launched his bombardment- the worm wiggled to chase it with it's giant gapping mouth, but Three leaned heavy on the thrusters- and shot out from the creature- then Two went- a blaze of green light filled the sky as Two barrel-rolled through and out of the way of the creature- completing his path through the circle and out the other side- and increased his altitude. One squeezed the trigger at the back of the creatures apparent head- just enough to get it turning to face him a barrage of missiles from the VT impacted the area- cluster missiles that would cause superficial damage, nothing of substance- just to clear some forest area, from their previous mission to Myrkr- but it would still boil the flesh of whatever this thing was. The VT pulled vertical- and back its original vector in- One banked hard to the left and spun to the side- drawing low over the trees- a bit lower than what he would have liked but it was better than getting caught in the shockwave of the blast. One had only seen two rockets impact the creature- but the thing was massive there was plenty of target to hit. "Gozanti One, Two, Are you in range?" "Affirmative V-One, but the creature is too close to our assets- draw it to the Southern Pole- that will allow us to open up." Gritting his teeth- "Swoop Attack- Harassing Firing Pattern. Southern Vector. V-T, engage at will, but be considerate of us." A set of lights winked in agreement. The four small fighters would try to pull the creatures attention to the south.

"Orders coming in, sounds like a request for fighter support." A cool, crisp, modulated voice came from the corresponding hologram that was being projected a meter away. His hands rubbed over what looked like some beard stubble, Robert silently nodded his head against his hand. The three dimensional map that was laid out before him projected the battle on the other side of the planet. They had been suggested to stay here above the capitol for the time being, but now- they were calling. Hundreds of drop pods were making a line to the surface of the planet- so many pods and chunks of debris that it overloaded the sensors with how much was coming down. Robert sat in the briefing room along with Adams, Spook, and two Liaison Officers from the surface that had come aboard to supervise the offloading of their Myrkr bounty, which was mostly done. He had requested that enough remain on board to cover his ship. There were times where he did feel he was too paranoid. "Gozanti One? Gozanti Two?" Robert calmly called out to the room, his eyes locked on the map displayed in front of him. "Yes, sir?" "Here, sir." The two voices called in unison- the holographic projections of each of the cruisers captions appeared, leaning over the table, but with heads turned and their eyes fixed on Robert. "Hyperdrive status?" "Hyperdrive is spun up, and pre-loaded. We can just in a moment." One replied confidently, but a bit nervously. "Hyperdrive took a dip in power, but we will be able to jump in a moment. The VT is a bit heavy, and we are drifting." A subtle tone of embarrassment was in this captain's voice. Robert shook his head in acknowledgement- his fingers still playing with the stubble, eyes fixed on the map. They had all been preparing for this- but weren't expecting to leave their flagship- Robert's Corvette- behind. But, the cargo did have to be unloaded. Soon the last batch would be bound to the surface, the injured had already been offloaded. "Pilots are ready? Gunners?" His eyes looked up for their responses. Both just nodded. Nodding back- "Make the jump, remember, you're jumping into a debris field, your shields on all ships are your priority after your exit. The One-One-Five will follow shortly. Standard procedure- if there is anything harassing Imperial Forces- engage. Save any Imperial lives you can. Lots of people are out there, prioritize and don't waste time. Jump when ready." Robert looked back to the map after the two holograms saluted, and vanished. He watched the two cruisers break formation, gain speed and disappear. He had just told them to jump into a post-battle clean-up action. And abandon anyone who was not worth the effort to save. Wishing for an Interdictor cruiser, he sighed. Tractor beam most of that debris and escape pods to safety. His brow wrinkled as the two Gozanti ships reappeared on the other side of the planet. Where is Raven? He wondered and sent a communication to her, asking her where she was and if she needed assistance.

Three little winks in the space around Carida and a Vigil Corvette along with two Gozanti Cruisers flanking it. Communications were brought up to the Space-Traffic Control, and were permitted into a stationary position above the planet. Robert communicated up the line of command that he had returned with a plentiful harvest- the wounded were taken care of- but they held off on restocking anything- it seemed there was a military engagement going on, and Robert wanted to be ready to assist, if requested. For now- he let his three ships sit in orbit- awaiting orders.

Robert let his blaster dangle at his side. He was showered- fed- his thirst quenched- and eager to leave this place. Looking over the final numbers, he looked to see what the final tally was. One hundred and nine ysalamir. "Dang, we should get six more, you know?" Robert said as he sat in his seat on the bridge, Adams was off to the side- messing with some sort of report himself- perhaps the wounded that Robert just passed him a few minutes prior. It was Lisa who responded- taking a visual form on one of the projectors. Her frame was that of a human female- her skin- or shell- or whatever was just a haze of digits. She was calculating the take off- and was running the numbers. The hum of the engines was growing stronger- any second now... "If you want to stay for just six, I can turn off the engines that cost a few hundred credits in fuel that we just wasted..." She narrowed her eyes, and put her hands on her hips. An AI with sass wasn't ideal, but Robert liked it- it kept him from getting too cocky. He snorted a laugh- "I wish, but no, continue take off, please." He also always remembered to use his manners, he wasn't a heathen. Her image flashed away. "We have a lot to make up for-" the countdown came on interrupting Adams. Robert finished the rest of the sentence for him. There had been a lot that transpired between the time they landed, and now. "Take us to orbit, link with the Gozanti and let's be about it then. We need to get to Carida." Robert finished off- and with no surprises- no ambushes- no enemy at the last minute- just the same old boring lift off and into space- then the model blue visual of hyperspace to fill the front screen. Robert watched as it cycled through the blue and black mixture. One hundred and nine that survived the transplants. That was a lot of ysalamir. Then the compliment of 42 Vornskrs. Their time here had been worth it after all. With a relaxed body- he sunk into the chair, put his feet on the railing, he took a gulp of his water and started to see what they needed for restocking.

After a mysterious event erased two hours of Robert's life in the field, he wasn't quite sure how to shake this feeling of deja vu- the feeling where you've done this multiple times, but you just keep getting a restart. Apparently his troops felt it also as they all stood there- looking around. Their confused expressions hidden under their helmets. By the stars... Robert cursed with escalating vulgar comments to be made. He didn't care- he was hot- and was tired of being on this planet. Tired of whatever atmospheric laws of physics made this planet so hot. Cursing the cooling factor in his armor as well, as it would drain the power supply faster than he could walk back to the ship to recharge. He had called in for a speeder to come assist their crew- they had captured several vornskrs in their spray nets- some had to be put down due to their velocity and immobility causing injuries. One was so bad that the bones in its leg were sticking out. A shot to the head quickly silenced the creature. They had a handful of the powerful predators- once again with the feeling of deja vu- and Robert was pleased. The crew was still under threat of the tiny herd of these predators- and it seemed like it wouldn't end. Time after time, they shot the spray nets over the creatures, as well as outright killing the ones that were injured or that they couldn't get their nets over them in time. His mind wandered as he raised his blaster and shot a beast off of Spook- who recoiled under the dead animals velocity striking him. Robert wondered what else was going on in the galaxy. Something called to him to get off this planet and back to Carida. He had been gone too long in order to capture all these- ysalamir and vornskrs. Unsure of the real numbers, he made a note to get back to the ship. The speeder showed up a few minutes later- considering the terrain was not kind to bigger vehicles, they loaded the stunned and netted predators to the vehicle and watched it float back to the ship. He wished they all could ride on the vehicle back to the ship- but with that much weight the speeder would break down and they would all have to walk and carry the predators themselves. Activating his cooling mechanism for a moment, Robert felt some relief as they scaled the next hill. The whole squad he was with was scratched and banged up- but no lost limbs and no dead soldiers. Considering that a win, he moved on. He knew some men and women died out here, but he would be okay with that once he got off this planet, conducted their funerals, and returned back to Carida. Once he got in range almost thirty minutes later, he had Adams and Lisa start collecting everything they deployed. Their whole camp was to pack up and get ready to leave the planet. He wanted final numbers, and to be off the planet within the next day. He hoped the engineers and the troops had collected enough of the force-absent creatures as well as their predators to augment the next phase of the plan. The plan they had so many weeks ago... that has undoubtedly changed by now. As the camp came back into view, Robert paused for a moment, and surveyed the scene. The ship- the camp- the dozens of moving little bodies of his company- and the cages filled with vornskrs to the engineers and zoologists that had been hired to get the ysalamir off the planet alive, and that would help them in their coming battles. Scaling the boarding ramp, he spoke to Lisa and Adams- everyone was either returning, or preparing for dust-off. Still no word from Carida. (OOC: After the board has eaten five of my posts, the IR is leaving, and a ruling is requested.)

The campaign on Myrkr was coming to a close, that much Robert knew. They all had spent days here, weeks even. Progress was slow, but steady. Three more had died out right by vornskyrs, two were left disfigured in ways that made Robert cringe. One would need a robotic leg, and another would need a robotic arm. Even more had been stung by the vornskyr's tails- between the armor plates- those lucky shots. Everyone was tired and bruised at the very least. The commander was anxious, so he decided it was time to get his boots muddy. It would give moral a good boost as well- seeing the commander on the field always boosted his spirits, whenever he was a grunt. Also gave him a bit of anxiety- knowing he had to protect the commander. Lacing up his boots and fitting the armor pieces was always a therapeutic exercise. Once that mask came down over his face and the brief second of darkness lifted, he felt empowered. Not overconfident, but solid. The faceless mask was who he aspired to be- just a suit of armor and a blaster. A damn effective suit of armor and blaster. A mirror was across the way so soldiers could inspect their armor if something wasn't right. Also so they identified as a storm trooper. But were they storm troopers anymore? They were now the Imperial Remnant, they were striving for something better. It seemed as though years passed as he stood in front of the mirror, analyzing himself. The clock on his Heads Up Display inside his helmet tracked it as 90 seconds, before Spook's armored fist bumped him in the shoulder- bringing him back to reality. Spook remarked how ugly Robert was, and that's what caught his gaze for so long. Robert made a hand gesture that was offensive. Something about a rancor and his mother? Either way, it was time to move along. Robert, Spook and three others that had seen action, but were new to the squad were about to be sent out. The rest of Robert's crew were to stay on board. A sliver of Lisa AI was put into his helmet- a companion of sorts. Robert would feel a bit lost without her around. Relying too much on technology would be his downfall eventually. But wasn't it everyone's downfall? One break through would outweigh another one.... so on and so forth? But the five headed out into the jungle, along with the standard column of troops, but they were going further than they had previously. After about a mile into the jungle, the encountered the first vornskyr that was an issue- Spook had shot it mid-leap. The beast still had velocity to it and knocked the one trooper to the ground. Now covered in blood, they had lifted the dazed trooper to his feet- his blaster had broken in the fall. A roar from the jungle wasn't uncommon as they all well knew at this point, but it was how many reverberations there were now. They had their spray nets in their other hand, holding it under their blasters- acting as a stabilizer now. Both barrels pointed outward, they moved cautiously through the jungle.

The electric fences were set up- cages and nutrient frames were organized so the workers and troops would be able to fill them quickly and keep the workflow running smooth. Maybe he was over reacting to the whole set up, but Robert's resources were limited. He was trying to protect his company, better than what he had done in the past. ~~~~~ Squads started their push into the jungle, the rough terrain was slowing their process but it was about getting it done right, no time limit really. The yslamir would harvested, as well as vornskyrs. Everyone had been armed with a blaster pistol, vibro blade, and spray nets. Troops got a quarter mile in- and then additional people were moved in to start the process of harvesting the creatures that pushed back the Force. A secure perimeter had been established, the troopers were alert for vornskyrs- from above and below. Each was in a position to cover at least two others- and so on down and around the line. Some type of cover. Reinforcement troop squads were stationed inside the column ready to respond to hard pressed sections of the perimeter. Robert eyed the column of troops on his display map, and waited.

Robert ran through his mental exercises to detect the smallest movement with his eyes. The whole exercise was done in shades of green- camouflage. The blaster he held in his hands moved to track his quarry. A squeeze on the trigger and he was awarded with an audio note that indicated he had hit the target. After all this was a training exercise. One of many on the computer- ones that were interactive and learned. Sometimes they went into the holodeck in groups, but sometimes just solo. That was one of the ways he and his crew became better at their... past. An innercomm announcement went over the speakers- they had arrived at Myrkr. Briefings had been undergone, and the men were ready. Soilders carrying spray nets for the nefarious vornskyrs, and the engineers who had been working since they left Carida to make the nutrient frames needed for the yslimari. Everyone was to wear a blade at the very least. He keyed open the door and made way for the bridge. While he was in full armor- he was able to key up a report on what the status was with each of the ships. If any damage had been done during the jump, but no- each ship was powering up their engines and impulse thrusters. This was turning into another ground maneuver. The ships were capable enough. They chose a clearing- and touched down in broad daylight. Their escorts remained in orbit, incase bigger fish needed to be fried. Due to the metallic content of the flora any form of sensor scan was near blind. Sensors that were focused off motion in a close proximity would be possible though. Once they had touched down and nothing blatant came out and attacked the ship- a beachhead was formed and a steady supply of people had been put in the field. Currently, they were in a lighted- clear area, with a sizable space between them and the edge of the jungle. The hunt would begin soon. McNamara examined the terrain in a real-time 3D map. An ensign remarked that he had seen that in the movies. Robert winced at the statement. This wasn't the movies, this was real life.

After the 115 landed, Robert and his crew had gone out on routine patrols- albeit a little awkward for Space Marines, but it was to get them in coordination in a tactical sense. Brushing up on their ground maneuvers- hand signals- coordination with other units, both infantry, and the mechanized variety- the dust was betting swept away. He knew that a commander could not be on the ground- he had to lead them, position, support, and ensure his people's survival. While things were still settling after the recent turn around- he scheduled some whole outfit exercises. Enough to pass the time in a constructive manner. Also a little bit was for the sake of getting people into squads along with rolling around some pros versus cons about how they all interacted. With each other- orders- and coordination. Selecting a few certain people to promote to squad leaders would prove vital to his organization. From there he modeled his attack force as if it were a piece of clay. Along with getting resources for the crew of the ship- getting a bigger crew for the ship- droids- weapons- blaster packs- Stokhli sticks- various cages and other unconventional equipment. But then he had his orders- they made sure to bring some engineers- so that the structures needed to house the Ysalamiri they would need soon. After he had prepped all that he thought he needed to- along with Lisa's recommendations- he scheduled one corvette and two escorts- Gozanti class cruiser- equipped with one VT-49, and three Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters. Something for escort and interception. That was all that he could gather together. He submitted his reports- and his departure with launch control. It was good he took the time to get everyone acquainted to one another. Further specialized training would have to come from the little convoy they all were about to call home. He submitted another report to Raven- saying goodbye, and if she needed them to come back- she knew where they would be. Just a few preperations left, and they would be on their way off the planet and out to catch their quarry.

"As we have now wiped the sith presence off of this world, we must prepare for an eventual counter attack. I give you discretion over a battalion of men. The 48th Infantry and support division, though we were both trained as space marines, I am sure you would be up to the task." Raven said... ordered. So it was, he was now again in charge of a couple hundred men. The lines that ran across his face tightened. In the immediate vicinity too, not like the network they had spawned over the past few years. Back in the saddle again... "Yes, Your Grace." Business voice again. A quick hand signal- and the crew was navigating closer to the planet. "I'll start submitting the proper forms to look over who is in the four-eight. And what we have on hand- intel and weapons." Inside Robert's mind, two little issues raised up- Who did he answer to? Didn't he deserve more than what she had given him? He shook the second thought- he didn't deserve anything. Rubbing behind his ear- his neural link activated. Lisa spoke inside his mind and fed him reports and statistics. The neural link wasn't practical to use all the time, or at least this model. It got uncomfortable in a manner Robert couldn't quite place it- but over all it was helpful. "Before we hit atmosphere- do you wish to board your craft?"

"Hold your trot there, Turkey..." Well, he just called their new Head of State a Turkey... Hopefully she would find humor in that. Beneath their rigid exterior the crew had loosened a little- jokes and fun were a thing now. "If we aren't here for the party after the first lil pow wow. Besides, we're dressed for the occasion. What do you need, Mistress? We are at your disposal." When it was time to get serious, the all-business faces came out. They were all ready to get dirty. A bit as if they really believed in her- which was true.

Since it was just the two of them, he was much more relaxed. Good to see his paranoia was an overreaction. Peas in a pod is what they were it seemed. "Great minds think alike, Raven," Another gruff chuckle, "That is indeed what I was thinking- the ysalamiri. You know as well as I that if you try to fight the Sith- proactively or not- they will not hold back like the Jedi. Their chains are broken- nothing to hold them back. But now, I do have a feeling that you need me- us now, at Carida. I won't waste time elsewhere when that can wait." Keying the comm link in his ear- "Adams. McNamara. What jump are we on?" A reply was heard- but muffled outside of Robert's ear. After confirming they had not been followed or traced, he gave the instruction to plot a course to Carida. Looking back to Raven, they had made their way aft at first, now working their way to the bow of the ship- "We'll be in Carida shortly. To your earlier bit- Outside of us eight plus Lisa and few droids- there isn't anyone left from the 1-1-5. After I was sucked into vacuum... well I don't know what happened, but when I woke up onboard the Strider, Lisa told me that she could only save just a few since the Strider had been bombed out. After we left- it was a miracle that any of us came back. Not many survivors of the Death Star battle. He drifted off, a bit caught up in everything that had happened. "Anyways... we're almost at the bridge and I know Adams would be glad a chance to see you- and you remember Lisa of course. She has a hologram projection that she and Spook managed to conjure up. Or I can get you to a bunk and a refresher if you want some time to yourself? Either way." It was time to move on from that section of conversation.

Crossing his arms over one another, Robert turned to Raven. Looking over her with a new depth- if the Sith were now their enemy, it would be some work to get ahead. Either way he looked now- she had pulled them into her plans. Whether intentionally or purely by coincidence, they were now connected by proxy. If that Rookwood character had anything to deal with the Sith, he would report this ship to the evil cult and they would keep an eye out for them- even if the ship had no distinct markings. If he had any stature within the order, they would listen to him. "We will need certain assets, if you wish to keep the Sith at bay." He bit his lip, realizing what he had just said and implied. A deep, gruff chuckle came from Robert, "Heh, well. I guess that is that then..." The girl- woman, Robert had to keep correcting himself- was still shorter than him, and while he looked down in the literal sense, he admired what she had become- even in that brief instance. "We are with you, Mistress Raven. And before you give me that look- I am not going to draw it out and call you 'Head of State Raven.' Too... stuffy and formal. What role would you like us to fill? Because... I have a few thoughts on that." The hyperdrive hummed in the background- they were still bouncing around in an escape route.

Robert recognized the hand signal, and surely Lisa- who was monitoring via the security cameras would as well. She wouldn't spool up the hyperdrive without his authorization. However, she did know Robert with how much faith he placed in Raven. The girl- woman- was now on a level field, actually she was aiming to be Robert's new boss. The hyperdrive had been spooled since they first settled down into a low orbit. An emergency vector had been plotted- standard procedure- to accommodate for quick exits, should the need arise. Adams of course, knew all this as well. That is why he did try to keep the interloper close. But Rookwood- in the smaller craft had shifted through the debris with ease. Raven said not to open fire- well, implied it- so they had let him go. While Robert did not agree, letting him leave, he did acknowledge the concerns from Raven. Keying the bridge, Robert and Adams did touch base- and drop new programming orders to the drones they had in the system- and then engaged the hyperdrive, with the help of Lisa. They followed their escape vector and would jump several more times before settling into strict destination. Raven's ship would be safe- it was secure- connected to the airlock it would travel with them. Feeling the slight shift in the deck plates- he knew they had shot to hyperspace. Silent listeners had been left behind with perfect camouflage. If Raven had wanted to avoid the Sith, and implied the connection between their visitor and them, it was a good thing they had monitored the situation. The Death Star had made them all paranoid and rigid to covering their collective butts.

Adams watched the cameras as Raven came aboard- without incident. Good. he thought. Then he turned his attention over to the ship and it's pilot. Rookwood was it? With an inhale, he keyed the comm and opened a channel. "Rookwood, my name is Adams, our ship only has one docking airlock.Come around to our starboard to match our speed and trajectory. Please stand by and await further instructions." Adams called into the comm- sensors were sweeping the area for debris collisions as well as any active weapon signatures. ~~~~~ Robert smiled like a child the whole time Raven spoke. At least, up until she offered all them money. It wasn't about the money at this point, they were doing fine by themselves. He knew the boys were with him, and they would follow his lead. The fact that all of them shared his smile was their approval of going along with whatever Robert decided. And he had seen this coming, but from Raven, this was backup. Looking back to the crew, a silent nod- and they broke rank and made their way back to their stations. It was just them and a handful of droids afterall, no one as backup on their ship. They were needed elsewhere again. Helmet in hand, he gestured to Raven to walk down the hallway with him. "Walk with me." Not a command, more of a no-option suggestion. As they turned, Robert broke out- "Before I say yes or no, I must ask you something. Well, three things. First, why are you splitting the Alliance you brokered in two? Second- what backing do we have? Third- do you think you can hold it all together? Fourth- Is this launching the Galaxy into another civil war?" The reason, the support, the confidence, and the fallout. That is what Robert sought, he had faith in her. The questions were a test to figure out if she had faith in herself. Raven had been so nervous the first time they were shot out of the Strider and into another ship- she had grown, but he wanted to hear it for himself. Plus he had been on enough suicide missions not to board a sinking ship. There had to be enough backing to the separation that they could hold their own against the GA if necessary. He would get to her Jedi statement in a moment.

"Track and monitor that ship." A snub fighter had come in through the debris- Robert called out, but knew Adams and Lisa were already aligning the scanners. The two expressed there was no threat- the guns on the frigate were capable of dealing with the new arrival- if it should be a problem. The crew intercepted the comm as Raven's ship moved closer. Robert gazed over the small, but possible threat- how did this... blip know about Raven and his meeting? There it was- the Holonet broadcast. The man took a few deep- powerful- calming breaths. Cracked his neck to the side, and to the other. If this was her plan, he wasn't quite a fan, this certainly did not have the right process of steps. A vein in Robert's head pulsed. Of course. Of course.... just as soon as they start one of their most expansive campaigns, this would happen. Raven's plan. But, there was respect the company had for Raven. Mostly unspoken, but felt among them all the same. After the two communicated- Raven brought her ship in a path that would dock with the 115. Robert noted it, and left Adams on the bridge- bolstered by Lisa- to monitor the other ship. Meanwhile- he, Ghost, Spook, Phantom, Hunter, plus Hunter's little tech squad. Two mouse droids and an R4 unit with some panels missing and some plasma scoring. Assembling at the air lock, they poised- sharp and at attention. Robert stood in front of the row- the airlock door down the hallway a few meters. The men were armed and wore their battle gear, but did not stand for fighting. More of a ceremony. Robert's feet were spaced just right, his right hand at his side- his blaster on a holster below it- and his helmet braced against his thigh with his left hand. Butterflies flew in his stomach- his knee even quivered for a moment. He was never this scared in a battle. Why was he now? A knocking from the airlock door- Raven- she was asking for permission to come aboard. Robert knew camera's were on him- Adams and Lisa were watching him. Glancing side to side- he eyeballed everyone. With his eyes back towards the airlock- he nodded silently. A smile played on his face- almost hidden under his beard. The door slid open... "Raven, Formerly of the Imperial 115th Drop Shock Squad, Formerly of the Galactic Senate, now- Empress of the Imperial Remnant- You have grown in life and spirit since last in each other's presence. We welcome you aboard." Robert's voice boomed down the hall and over the hissing of air from the newly pressurized room. A quarter bow from each of them- save the droids. It was unmistakable that they clinging to some ceremonial aspects- and that they were happy to see Raven. Each of them was curious though, especially Robert, as to what was going to happen next- would she ask them to give up their...well everything for her? Robert saw both sides of the picture now, the Jedi were the right choice in the long run. However- would they have the stones to settle matters- or surrender to the inevitable differences. Or with Raven now the de-facto leader- would there be some progressive changes from the young girl? Was she ready for all this? Robert aimed to find out.