[OOC: At present, open to invitation only.]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Genon[/font]
[font=Trebuchet MS]Mountain range just outside perimeter of Army command base[/font]
[font=Trebuchet MS]0635 hours[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Some things were better left unsaid...unheard...unthought...unknown. The orders that had come down from all the way up at the top of the Coalition government were among those things, and so were the reactions that were flooding into Lance's mind as he recalled them. Almost straight away since joining the Coalition, his life had been twisted around into something he couldn't fathom all that much anymore. Everything he'd believed as a boy somehow felt like it had been shattered, left in droves of irreperable pieces.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Sitting atop a ledge on one of the lower mountains near the base, he forced himself to make the time to reflect on what had gone on in his life. It wasn't easy; never was, for that matter, but it had to be done, if any peace was going to come to him about it all. The first thing to come to his mind was the Jedi he'd met on Ilum...that, he maintained in his mind, could wait for later. Concentrating, he flashed back to the days of his childhood, and he could remember his mother's words every night, whispering softly into his ear as she tucked him in for his rest.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]"One of these days," she always said, "the Rebellion will come, and bring justice and freedom to our world. We'll never have to worry about a thing again, sweetie... So long as we can make it to that day."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]The words failed to bring a smile to his face; instead, they only brought more pain and frustration. He knew exactly why, too; something he'd done, later on, that drove a fateful spear of anguish through his mother's heart. Something he'd had plenty of time to reconsider...to recant...to undo. Something he'd chosen to do anyway, despite how much it had pained her. Instead, he'd unwittingly killed his own mother, and the guilt for it haunted him still. He'd known better, too...that was the clincher there. Ignorance couldn't be used to wash away the sin's guilt; only penitence...[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Is that even possible now, with all I've done?[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]That was the question that forced Lance to think of something else...if he didn't, he'd likely go insane just from what was in his mind. Wiping a single tear from his face, he stared out at the sunrise on Genon, knowing it would be another long day trapped in his mind.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Word had circulated fast about the orders being issued at Mon Calamari and in the Onyxian territories. The news had, naturally, stung him harshly, as it had pretty much everyone else in the Coalition. Reasons for this, of course, were as diverse to everyone as each other's own species. For the major, his reason was simple: loyal soldiers of the Coalition had fought, bled, and died against two empires; their Prime Minister, one of the very men they'd all fought for, had just undone all that hard work--all that sacrifice--in the blink of an eye. Men and women of all walks of life had served the Coalition to their last breath...[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]...for nothing.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Section 8 came to mind. How, he couldn't tell, but the most shadowy entity he could recall in his short service with the Coalition seemed to spring forward in his thoughts, a reminder of yet another failure on the NGC's behalf. Section 8 had shown potential in damaging the Empire; the potential to actually do something about the Imperial threat... For that, he felt, HighCom had ordered it to disband. Everything started to become clear when that command came in, and the rest was just the icing on the cake. As far as he could tell, the Coalition wasn't against the Empire at all.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Far worse, it was a puppet of the very Empire it purported to fight. The Prime Minister bowing before Emperor Hyfe had simply made that so visible that even a blind man could find it; the Empire's enemy in this galaxy--the one enemy that had supposedly survived the test of time and promised retribution for the Empire's corrupt ways--had instead promised to appease the Empire, to kiss its feet, and to ensure that it would never be angered by thoughts of equality and justice.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]"One of these days, the Rebellion will come, and bring justice and freedom to our world. We'll never have to worry about a thing again, sweetie... So long as we can make it to that day."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]The words stung once more, surging to the front of his mind, pushing straight to the very forefront of his thoughts. Only one thing came to his mind in reply as he began to head back towards the garrison, the few words bringing tears to his eyes. Mother...I'm so sorry...[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]As he finally reached the base of the mountain and started his jog back, he could see four fighters setting down from patrol, and another flight of four lifting off to take their place. Yet another futile little gesture of the Coalition's military...a military that served for naught.[/font]

Jalyne sat looking over datapads that held information on the Galactic Coalition. She wasn't going to tell anyone, but she didn't really know anything about the group. The only reason she joined, is because someone told her that it was a group dedicated to fighting the Empire. But the more she read about it the more she began regretting joining up with them. It almost seemed like she could have done more on her own. Too much red tape to cut through to get anything worthwhile done.

We need a rebellion, not a government. We need action, not politics.

Frustrated she walked outside, thinking back. When she was young she was inrolled in a Imperial controlled academy. It was amazing enough that she wasn't conscripted into the military, with how high her scores were. But than again, the Empire always has looked down on females, perhaps it was a good thing. At least CorSec welcomed her and allowed her to live out her dream as an enforcer. But as always, the Empire crushed her hopes.

Jalyne walked around aimlessly and thought about Coreillia, and how much she missed it there. She thought about her family and what they were going through as a result of the Imperial opression. Her mother had seen the years of peace and prosparity, but her father was a die hard Imperial. Even through the worst time he belived that the Empire was looking out for them. Like the time they stormed the house, a random house raid. She was on 8 years old, the year before she was inrolled. The stormtroopers came in without warning and began tearing apart the house, destroying prized possesions and "Confisacting" others. They beat her brother, Jeremy, to a bloody mess, because he asked if they had a warrant. Jalyne held on to her mother, crying the whole time, silently vowing to make them pay. All the while her father stoodby and watched, and commented how foolish Jeremy had been to try and stop them from their duties. Afterwords her mother asked why they did that, to which Jalyne's father slapped her and said that the Empire was making it a safer place to live.

Her mother always held her, taught her, and showed her the way the galaxy could be. A galaxy filled with hope, peace and prosparity. Her brothers were rebels and underground freedom fighters, they taught her how to fight and use the black market. Jalyne had secretly supported them during her time as an investigator. Now here she was, in a position to help, except the group that she was a part of was more politics, not war.

You can't stop a angry Rancor by talking to it. You have to shoot it, nothing else works. The Empire is a rancor devouring whole worlds, the Coalition is like the hunter who tries to talk the mother rancor into giving up it's nest. We all know how it ends.

After all these years, a chance to do more than raid a convoy or two, was looking her in the face. She had reached out and grabbed ahold of the dream. Only to find it wasn't real. It was a facade, trying to covince people like her that there was hope, when there really wasn't. Jalyne realized that most missed this truth, they didn't delve deep enough to find it. Maybe someday, a group of people who thought like her, would join together and fight the Empire. Than the galaxy would stand a chance. Walking towards the hanger she thought about what she could do.

[font=Trebuchet MS]It had been a good trek back to the base: nice and long, which was exactly what the major needed. The longer it took, the more time he had to clear his head of the thoughts that had gotten into him; the more those got cleared out, the better off he was. Still, the base itself felt more awkward than it usually did...almost like he wasn't wanted here anymore. He could feel it deep down, to the very center of his spirit. At the same time, there came a familiar feeling, cold and wretched...like that night on Vortex. Could the voices have started to return?[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Had they even left?[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Lance wasn't even fully aware of his surroundings as he drew closer and closer to the hangar situated at the army base. People passed by, not even bothering to look at him, and he easily returned the favor by not looking in their direction at all. It was almost like a severe case of tunnel vision, but not guided by any destination. His mind was far too gripped by the horrid thoughts of things he thought had vanished from his life...things that didn't belong in this entire galaxy.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Honestly never thought I'd want to deal with a Jedi again...especially after the giant 'thing' I saw on Ilum. Needless to say, for Lance, that thought was far from reassuring; it was more like a slap in the face, and he wasn't too keen on dealing with that at the moment.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]He didn't even see the news being broadcast in the hangar until he'd almost passed by it. It only took him a few seconds, though, to get the basics of what it was about. Just more bullshit about the evacuation of Mon Calamari and the surrender of the Onyxian Commonwealth. How the Hell can they show this stuff here? Are they that desparate to kill off their own fighting spirit that they'll suffer constant reminder of their own failures? The failures and total disregard of their Prime Minister?[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Trying to remain as calm as he could despite the sudden onrush of violent and wrathful thought, Lance reached for the little badge on his uniform that flagged him as a member of the Coalition. His mechanical hand grasped it tightly, and he looked down on it with a look full of hatred. It was so tempting to just shatter it right then and there...but what he wanted to do, and what anyone looking could easily determine from his face, was that he wanted to do so in Regrad's presence--nay, even more: right in front of him, so that he would see the deed and fully recognize the insult that was being shot back at him.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]The major didn't even see the female pilot walking up to the hangar behind him...whether or not he would have responded had he seen her was another matter. His eyes were fixed once more on the disgusting news broadcasts, his right hand closing in a durasteel grip of cold hatred as it began to slowly crush the badge he had once proudly worn, and now couldn't look at anymore.[/font]

Jalyne walked onward to the hanger hoping to find her droid to get his imput. She shook her head sadly, knowing that whatever the Coalition was based on was gone now. Why did she even come here? What did she see in it? Nothing anymore.

She thought about how hard she worked to try and prove something, she wanted to prove herself to these people. She had poured out some of her tricks and out herself in true danger just to prove herself to them. In the end they just shrugged their shoulders and said "Your ok, you can help us".

Help? I wanted to do more than help, I had big plans and ideas on how to defeat the Empire. They put me as a pilot in Greywind squadron. But I truely wanted the authority to create my own. Jalyne clenched her fists and tried to fight of the anger that swelled up in her. She had almost had a grip when some people walked by and were discussing what happened with the Black Dragon Empire. They lost Mon Calamari, and the Commonwealth surrendered? This is too much, I just joined but already I know that I'm out of here.

She didn't even look up as she walked on, she was about to leave, nothing could stop that. Jalyne quickend her pace as she walked to the hanger, she looked up just in time to see that she was about to run into an officer in front of her. She quickly stopped and barely brushed up against him.
"I'm so sorry!" She said a blush rising to her cheeks. Than she noticed that he was crushing a Coalition badge in his hand, and the look on his face portrayed all that he felt. Jalyne arched an eyebrow. "A little upset with the Coalition?"

Genon
Army Command Base
0704 Hours

"They've thrown countless sacrifices aside to please their mortal enemy. No...I'm not upset. I'm no longer able to forgive them for what's gone on."

The words were so filled with hatred that it almost came as a physical blow to Jalyne. Looking into his eyes, eyes tainted black with hatred, scared her. But, naturally she wasn't going to back down. She thought about the venom in those words, where had she felt that before.

Tyrena, Corellia
10 years ago

Jalyne hated it here, she would never forgive her father for sending her here. When she first arived someone tried to shoot her with a blaster pistol, and when she reported it the officer in charge just said that it was survival of the fittest. Than the next morning someone reversed the fuel injectors on her ship, which resulted in an explosion and left her out of commission for a month. After all this the one friend she had, Kris, was shot down and killed by another pilot. They would all pay...

Genon
Army Command Base
0705 Hours

Jalyne snapped back to reality, thats where she felt it before, she still contained that anger, keeping it bottled up inside just waiting for a chance to loose it. She thought of what he said. Will I be like that someday, wishing I had never joined the Coalition? No I'll never let it get that far, I'm not going to stay. Jalyne broke eye contact for a moment and thought about this, she was going to leave. Her mind swirled with the different ways she could escape, then she realized that the Major could help her. She looked back into his eyes and said. "Excuse me sir, I don't mean to annoy you, but could you help me? I want to leave, not just the base or the planet, I want to leave the Coalition."

[OOC: The purpose of this post is to ensure that, in the event Jalyne returns, this thread is not buried too far back for either her or myself to find.]

[font=Garamond]Lance sighed internally at the thought. It wasn't that he didn't want the help in getting off-world; he could do it alone, but getting help was always a welcome idea. It was just...he didn't know how to securely smuggle another member--soon to be member-emeritus--of the Coalition off of a Coalition planet without raising a few eyebrows, not to mention alarms. Several things were working against him in this matter, and he could tell that they weren't things that would go away peacably.[/font]

[font=Garamond]Firstly, the woman in front of him looked like she was almost 100% new to the idea of military life. There may have been something resembling experience in her, but he doubted that it involved an actual battlefield. Simulations and training exercises failed to replicate the dangers of the real combat environment, and he could tell that she hadn't seen those thrills yet. Secondly, thee was his doubt about her skills in subtlety. Admittedly, there was the consistent gender bias towards women when it came to being naturally subtle, but there were notable exceptions on both sides...this woman was probably one of them, especially with her being a pilot. Finally, there was his personal disadvantage: Section 8 had been disbanded a while back, rendering any clearance from it completely useless.[/font]

[font=Garamond]But...that news might not have gotten very far down the chain of command. At least the soldier could hope for that much. Smiling internally, he turned his sour-expressioned attention back to the woman in front of him. "Get your stuff, and meet me in the hangar," came the somewhat-neutral whisper. "I'm going to get us a few rides off this planet." With that, Lance turned his attention towards the guards nearest the hangar door, putting on his calmest expression yet. This was going to be very damn tricky.[/font]

[OCC: I'm back for a moment at least, I'll try to do as much as possible in the short time.]

Jalyne watched the man in front of her, he seemed to be considering whether or not he should take her along. She silently prayed to any cosmic force, that he would say yes. She held her breath and inwardly cursed herself and her bluntness. Oh well, nothing else to do but hope. Finally he opened his mouth to say something. "Get your stuff, and meet me in the hangar, I'm going to get us a few rides off this planet." Jalynewanted to jump up in joy, but instead she simply responded with a simple. "Ok."

Jalyne walked away and headed to her barracks. when she got to her room, she grabbed her stuff that wan't already in her bag and walked out the door. She stepped out and walked down towards the hanger, as she was walking, a trooper stepped right into her path.

"Aren't you the new pilot who pulled the fake you own death stunt?" he said with slight grin on his face. She just wanted to take him down right there, but she restrained herself.

"Yes....why?"

"just wondering where you going so soon."

Jalyne froze. "I just got reasigned to a....top secret location."

"With Major McCallister?"

"Yes"

"Oh Ok" then he stepped aside.

When Jalyne walked into the hanger Twitters rolled up and began going on and on about something. "What? Wait hold on... Ok, Yes we're leaving with a major... No I don't know him!...Yes I trust him...Don't worry I'm well trained for such things." Jalyne walked over to the door to wait for him, not realizing that he had already came in. Why did she trust him so much. That was the thing that bothered her the most....................

[font=Trebuchet MS]Genon[/font]
[font=Trebuchet MS]Army Command Base[/font]
[font=Trebuchet MS]0707 hours[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]The small hangar facility in the base's confines wasn't much worth talking about. Frankly, he couldn't have been bothered with observing as much at the time, however, due to more pressing matters that he had willingly brought to his own attention. Foremost among them was securing a method of transportation off of this planet, and that was going to be particularly challenging with all the lies he had to swing.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]First and foremost, Section 8 was no longer in existance; it had been destroyed and disbanded in a direct order from the Prime Minister. Only those who had been cleared to know of it before that edict would have any memory of it...and no paper trail. As a direct result of that, all clearance codes tied to it had been revoked; the major had to make use of those very codes in order to get through with this task. If anything went wrong with this plan, he was going to get quite the lashing for this one.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]...If he was allowed to live after pulling it.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Sighing and letting the dismal thoughts go, Lance calmly made his way over to the security desk of the hangar. There was a lone attendant, ranked at Lieutenant, and there were two X-Wings in storage that had been confiscated earlier from a successful sting on a band of pirates somewhere he couldn't readily remember. As he approached the desk, the major offered a very sharp salute, his cold eyes staring down at the lieutenant with a grisliness that radiated a chilling anger. "Two X-Wings, now."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]"I'm afraid I need to see your--urk!"[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]Her reaction was abruptly cut off by Lance's right hand clamping down on her left shoulder, pinning her into her seat. "No clearances; no identifications. This is covert." The voice carried by the angered commando was a whisper, and nothing more. "I'm on business from Section 8, lieutenant. Give me access to two X-Wings. That's all I need. Attempt to call this request in for anything, even so much as a standard clearance check, and I am entitled to treat you as I would any potential breach of security."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]The woman was trembling, and more than just slightly. "But, sir, I..."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]"But nothing. This is classified business. Just give me the fighters, and we can pretend we never dealt with each other."[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS]A few minutes later, the major found himself waiting near a pair of old Incom T-65 starfighters, waiting impatiently for a certain female fighter pilot. The frustration and anger in his appearance were enough to keep anyone else from going near him.[/font]

Jalyne stood looking out over the base thinking about everything that happened in her life. To go from fighting for survival, to head security, to fugitive, to joining a millitary faction, to be commiting an act of treason. Life was a little exciting it seemed like. not much more could happen that could suprise her. Though she had given to much trust to the Major, could she really trust him. It seemed a little coincidental that the major happened to show up. Was it a trap? Did they suspect her of treason's thoughts? Jalyne reached into her flight bag and pulled out a small concelable blaster, and put it into her breast pocket of her flight suit. just in case of course. One could never be too careful when it came to personal defense. She's heard of people getting to trusting and ending up dead.

Jalyne looked over and saw the trooper begin talking on a comlink, and then begin slowly walk towards the hanger. She began to get a little worried as she stood there. She began pacing and talking to herself, "Common where is he?" Twitters rolled up and began whistling. "hmm? Wait what did you say?.....Sithspawn! He's already here! Why didn't you say so?"

Jalyne turned around and began running towards the inside of the hanger. As she ran past the security desk a fairly scared lieutenant called out to her. "Are you with Major McCallister?" Jalyne spared a look as she ran by. "Yes where is he?" "In the rear hanger near the X-wings." Jalyne didn't even bother to answer, she just ran by. As she ran into the rear hanger where the X-wing she saw him there looking very impatient. She walked over calmly, keep her left hand up to reach for the blaster and kept herself out of his reach. "So have a long wait? Or expecting company?"