Above The decimated world of Callos

Admiral Reshmar stood silently looking out the forward viewpoint at the world below. A once vibrant world of peaceful dreamers. They quested for understanding and Knowledge, not wanting or understanding the power which was unleashed upon them. A proud people who paid the cost for their want for neutrality and peace. Reshmar had been young when Vader destroyed the world of Callos and destine its people to die of pride. The once green jungle world now sat frozen and baron. The lifeless ball now sat quietly in space lost to a galaxy who had little use for the past.

“Admiral, We have two hyperspace contacts entering the system. Shall I open a channel Sir?” Captain Kritor stood silently and awaited the admiral’s order.

“No captain, our guest will let us know when he is ready to see us.”

In his quarters aboard the Kirov Raymond awaited the arrival of his boss. He had not really cared for the accommodations aboard the Aging CIS destroyer but He did credit the rebels for the speed at which their engineers had retrofitted the ship for their needs. His dinner was bland and cold but at least he was treated to a fine after dinner drink with a female engineer for whom he had promised an interview at the corporate headquarters once she had finished her service with the rebellion. Of course that was a lie. He hoped never to see the woman again. she had played her part in the nights festivities and now she was gone leaving the wine and her dignity behind.

It was not long before the call came. His comlink chirped letting him know it was time. The voice on the link was that of some nobody lieutenant who thought more of his station in life and the current situation then was true.

"Mister Mosses, Admiral Reshmar requests your company on the bridge."

Raymond smiled and politely answered the lieutenant.

"Right away. Tell The fish I will be up in five standard minutes."

Noticeably shaken and angered, the lieutenant started to reprimand Mosses for his degrading comment about the admiral then paused then let it go. Mosses had been nothing but a menace since he arrived. The man was a rouge and as rude a man as Lieutenant Mathor had ever meet. He was not worth the time it took to argue and he knew it was not his place to correct or criticize the man. He was important to Admiral Reshmar and the rebellion and that was all that mattered.

As he had said it took five minutes for Raymond to make it to the command bridge of the old recusant Destroyer. He entered and walked directly to where Reshmar was standing. The forward viewport gave a delightful view of the half rusted hull of the Kirov and at the two vessels nearing the old CIS ship.

"I see the boss is here."

Mosses smiled at Reshmar who returned the smile in his slightly awkward calamari way.

"Yes it appears so mister Mosses. I see he has lived up to his word. She is a sight for my sore eyes."

Mosses looked out at the two vessels moving to intercept the Kirov. One vessel he knew very well. the other was odd but only took a moment to recognize.

"That he did Admiral. You can hardly recognize her. I would almost call you a lier if you told me that was an old Venator class. Looks like the boss did a job on her for sure."

The two men stood silently watching and waiting for contact from the lead ship in the formation. Reshmar had last seen the Hawkeye six months ago when he handed her over for refitting. Now he looked out on a ship much different than the one he had left. A new shining beacon of the rebellion.

"Ten seconds until reversion, sir." Called out the helmsman...or helmswoman in this case.

Xandar Lo'Vas nodded as the human woman's voice reached his ears even though the report was not directed at him, but at Captain Maaras Banol, the commanding officer on the ship. It must have been a surprise to the crew when the acting CEO of Stellar Enterprises joined them for this assignment, since it is not everyday that such a busy man would drop everything to simply deliver a ship to its owner. This was not a routine delivery, however. This could be the start of something different for the whole company, for good or bad... times were a changing.

Xandar looked down at this green clawed hands and for a second the past two and a half years flashed by his dark Falleenian eyes.

The departure of Rob Stellar from the company had been a shock to everyone. Being Rob's CFO, Xandar had somewhat seen the move coming. In the months before the leave, Rob had started acting...weird, that was the only word for it. The man had become depressed, paranoid, and generally closed off. In fact, the last time he had seen the man leave his quarters, before, the forced vacation was for his meeting with Mr. Raymond Mosses. Even then the guy had been completely disheveled and not like his former self.

Xandar had actually been the person to suggest a prolonged vacation for Rob. As he remembered, the meeting had not gone too well. It had ended with thousands of credits worth of damage, a priceless artifact destroyed in a fit of rage, and a bloodied lip and nose for Xandar. It had also been the day, though, that Rob realized he was no longer fit to control the company he had created and appointed Xandar Lo'Vas was CEO.

There were no hard feeling between the two males, however. They had been friends far too long to let something like that come between them.

As Xandar looked up, he wondered, for the first time in a long time, if Rob was alright and if he would ever see his friend again. The man had pretty much disappeared from the galaxy his he left office. Not even the substantial resources of Stellar Enterprises had been able to locate the man.

"Three...Two..."

The sound of the human female brought him back to reality and the job at hand. This was not the place and time to think about the past. The galaxy was such a different place now. It was amazing how much can change in such a short amount of time. This time around, however, change, destruction, and death were analogous to each other. With the Reavers arrival, everything had turned upside down. Once more the innocents of the galaxy were paying for their existence with their very lives.

Was that the reason he was doing this? This exchange could alter the way galactic powers see Stellar Enterprises...if it was revealed publicly.

"All hands, prepare for hyperspace reversion." Sounded the voice of the Duro Captain as he stood in the middle of the bridge.

"One...Mark!"

Xandar felt a soft shudder run through the ship as it emerged from hyperspace and its sublight engines fired up. All around the bridge the blue and white light of hyperspace was instantly replaced by black of space. The blackness made Xandar realize just how dark the bridge was without all the lights on. Only ambient light around ceiling and guide lights along the deck light up the interior of the large room. The light from command consoles also contributed of course, lighting up the faces of the men and women commanding this large ship.

For its size, however, the ship could be commanded with a very small crew, about the same number found on your average frigate. That was all thanks to advanced automation and a sophisticated Ship Management System. The bridge itself only needed 6 crew members to man and monitor all the stations.

"We have contact with the Rattler." Called out the comms officer. "She's at twenty out and following"

The Rattler was a brand new Caster Class Heavy Cruiser and was tasked with providing protection for the refit Venator Class they were all on.

"Picking up a single ship...Recusant class?" The man at the sensor console look up at the Captain. "Is that right? Those aren't even around anymore, are they?"

The captain stepped closed towards the forward viewport. "Maybe as floating museums. Track and magnify."

On his order the whole forward section of the bridge shifted view. What used to be a view of the ships black and spotted gray superstructure changed to a forward view of just space and the spinning planet beyond. Xandar had almost forgotten that the bridge was no longer on one of the old Venator spires, as both of those had been removed in the upgrade, but inside the rear half of the ship, with the structure. Every viewport around it was in fact a holodisplay that could shift and show whatever the captain wanted. It was feed through hundreds of holocams along the hull of the vessel.

The dead planet of Callos continued to engulf the forward half of the bridge as optical sensors zoomed in on the destroyer using it for a backdrop. The image autofocused and revealed the crystal clear image of the aging CIS destroyer.

Of course they had already known the ship was in the area. A stealthed HawkEye drone had been sent into the area before Xandar's arrival, just to make sure everything was as it should be.

"Take a look at it ladies and gentlemen. A true antique of the Clone Wars. You may never see one like it again." Xandar exhaled as he stood up from his seat and moved towards the Captain.

The Captain turned towards the Comm Station. "Send the Confirmation Code."

"Yes, sir." The sailor said and went to work. Within a minute he looked up and nodded. "It's them sir, secure authentication confirmed. That's the Kirov."

"Very well. Open a channel." The Captain straightened as the comm channel connected to the other ship. "This is Captain Maaras Banol of the Hawkeye to the Kirov. The ship is ready to take onboard your personal crews. You may start ferrying them as soon as you like. Updated schematics of the ship are being transmitted with his message. Please note the fighter and shuttle hangers are on either side of the vessel and not along the centerline as they were."

He paused for a second and looked at Xandar. "Also Xandar Lo'Vas requests a meeting with the commanding officer to finalize the delivery."

As the two men awaited word from Lo'Vas, Captain Kritor had already begun making preperations for the crew exchange. In the lower hanger of the Kirov men and women began loading the six transports which would ferry them to the Hawkeye.

"Admiral, all is ready and we await your order."

Reshmar turned and nodded to Kritor. He then returned to looking at the Hawkeye as it grew nearer. The ship looked nothing like a Venator now. The twin command towers which were synonamious with the class were now gone. only a stubby single tower remains with a central pod atop. Clearly this was not the bridge. Reshmaer could plainly see now there were no viewports on the pod. Also plainly obvious was the hull. the once indented ventral hangers were now gone and the hull was a straight continuios line from prow to stern. The hangers which was once amidship down the center hade been moved. Along the ventral trench were four Hanger bays. As his eyes ran along the new lines of the Hawkeye he noticed the upgraded Guns stratleing the new stubby tower. the twin heavy turbolasers had been replaced with Octuple Heavy Turbolaser Batteries.

"She sure is differant."

his gaze was broken as Raymond Mosses spoke beside him. His obsevasion was true. The ship looked like a completly differant class. only the main hull lines and the 8 massive batteries gave the ship away as what she once was.

"Communication from the Hawkeye sir."

Reshmar turned and walked to the communications station. As he neared Captain Kritor Smiled and handed a data pad to Reshmar.

Sir specifications and recipt of dilivery."

Reshmar took the pad and began to look over the main details. The obvious changes were just the begining. much of the new systems and upgrades were not visable with the eye. A list of changes and upgrades with corisponding pruce scrolled down the pad. He looked up as Kritor spoke again.

"Administrator Lo'Vas wishes a meeting once you have transfered your flag to the Hawkeye. sir"

Reshmar handed the data pad to Mosses then turned back to look at his new ship. It had been months since he was home and he was ready to return.

"Captain, Have all transports launch and begin the transfer. Also send the burst transmission to the fleet and have them join us. We will began prepreations for our final jump. You have the ship Captain I will contact you once we have control of the Hawkeye."

Captain Kritor saluted then went about the chore of command. Reshmar motioned to Raymond mosses and the two men walked to the turbolift.

Reshmar and mosses rode the lift in silence. Raymond looked over the list and price break down on the pad then handed it back to the admiral.

"So admiral, what do you think?"

Reshmar looked again at the data. it was amazing what Stellar Enterprises could do and in such a short time. He knew the rebel engineers and yards could not match Stellars facilities or personnel. It seemed the galaxy cared about credits and not power these days. The rich got rich and the freedom fighters, well they never would be rich.

"Your people have more than delivered on the contract Mister Mosses. If she is half the ship this data says she is it will have been credits well spent."

Raymond Smiled and waited for the lift to come to a stop and the door to open.

"After you admiral you chariot awaits."

The two men walked across the floor of the hanger deck at a swift pace. All around transports lifted off the deck and moved out of the hanger and on to the Hawkeye. A single shuttle sat in the middle of the hanger. To each side of the ramp stood a Specforce marine. Reshmar walked to the ramp and returned the salute the men gave as he and Mosses boarded the Shuttle.

The cramped shuttle was dimly lit and nearly full. Reshmar sat on the last seat in the row and began buckling in. As he had finished restraining himself for the short trip the two marines boarded the ship and closed the ramp. Raymond walked to the front of the shuttle and sat in one of the Command seat. A sullustian was sitting in the other running the prelaunch check.

"Are we ready to co Commander?"

The sullustian warbled something in his native tounge and then engaged the repulsor drive. The shuttle rose off the launch deck and began moving towards the invisible shield which kept the hanger pressurized. Mosses looked over the gauges then moved the shuttle out into space.

"Kirov this is tr-104 we are clear and inbound to Hawkeye."

Mosses engaged the thrusters and began the short trek to the Hawkeye. The trip only took five minutes but the view was something to be seen. No other ship in the galaxy looked like the Hawkeye now. She was one of a kind. sensors and weapons emplacements ran the length of the trench to the forward port hanger. As he neared the Hawkeye he cleared his landing pattern and slowly moved the shuttle into the hanger and sat her down close to the back near a large titan lander.

"Hawkeye we are home. Admiral Reshmar is aboard."

Mosses stood and began walking to the aft of the shuttle leaving the post flight procedures to the sullustian commander. As he neared the back he looked at Reshmar.

"Are you ready to board Admiral?"

Mosses pressed the open switch on the aft control panel and the hiss of pressurized air exploded into the quiet troop compartment of the shuttle. The ramp began to lower and bright light rushed into the shuttle. Reshmar unbuckled and stood. The smell of new ship overtook Reshmars senses. The paint and electrical smells mixed into a convoluted scent that only a new ship could have.

"Mister mosses I think I am ready. Let us join Administrator La'Vas and take control of my ship.

Xandar stood motionless at the back of the bridge, arms folder behind his back, as he watched the commotion unfold all around him. Personnel from the Kirov were arriving every minute and talking control of their ship. On the bridge a number of Rebellion officers were taking in final instructions from Stellar Enterprise employees about how to operate the new system installed on the ship.

Even though most of the controls and commands were made to be in common with other naval ships, there were bound to be a number of differences between those systems and ones as advanced as these. The sheer multitude of sensors and other equipment installed on this ship would overpower the processing capacity of older systems.

"Sir, Admiral Reshmar's shuttle just departed the Kirov. He should be here shortly." The Duro Captain stated as he turns to walk back towards Xandar from his post.

"Very well Captain, thank you. Shall we go meet them?" Xandar turned slowly and walked out of the bridge, not waiting for an answer, since there was no real question asked.

Within minutes they stepped out of the brand new turbolift and through the large blastdoors that separated the hanger bay from the rest of the ship. Xandar's nostrils absorbed the horrid scents coming from the fresh paint and polish all around him as he moved into the hanger. Many people loved the new ship smell, but he personally detested it. He would have to fund a study about using scent free materials in construction.

As his foot pasted the ship/hanger barrier, four Special Operations soldiers surrounded him and the Captain, two in front and two behind. They wore spotless black combat suits made from the same material as the ship's hull, Carbon matrix. Xandar could see just the faint bit of a seem on one of the soldier's backs where the suit would open to allow the wearer inside before sealing shut. They looked very menacing in their black armor and black visorless helmets. Each carried a high powered MIR-18 Carbine across their chest with the barrel pointed down and the stock against their shoulders.

As he looked ahead to could see the shuttle coming in towards the hanger and pass through the MagCon Field before settling down on the hanger deck. He could also see the shuttles complete reflection in immaculate deck plating, admiring the quality of the work his engineers were capable of doing.

Xandar and his party approached the shuttle's ramp and stopped just before it opened. For a moment, they were the only ones standing still in the hanger as all around them people and equipment were bring moved around to get the ship ready for departure. He adjusted his one piece black and purple high collar tunic and watched the ramp move down.

As the first person descended the ramp, Xandar was actually caught off guard for a moment. He was not expecting Mosses to be here and why should be be here. It was strange that just minutes ago he was actually thinking of this man. It seems the day was full of surprises, which wasn't always a good thing.

Behind Mosses he witnessed the Calamari Admiral Reshmar walk down the ramp and onto the deck.

"Come Captain." Xandar said softly and moved forward.

As if they had eyes in the back of their heads, the two front bodyguards split aside without a single sound and allowed the CEO and Captain and carry forward.

Xandar extended his hand and came to a stop in front of Reshmar. "Admiral, welcome to the Hawkeye. It is my pleasure to present her to you. It has been a pleasure working on a ship...as unique as this one."

He smiled and look over at Raymond. "Mr. Mosses, it is a pleasure to see you again as well, although, I must say, you were not expected. Nontheless, it is good to have you here."

Xandar paused for a moment and waved his hand over the Captain. "May I present Captain Banol. He has been taking care of the ship for you and was part of its week long shackdown cruise. If you have any questions at all, he would be the man to ask."

Turning back to the Admiral. " Admiral, the ship is yours, is there anything you would like to see or know before you and your personnel take full command? I have also prepared the conference room for us to discuss some matters if that is alright with you, once you get through the tour of course."

Reshmar motioned for Lo'Vas to lead. The four men fell into position around the Admiral and Lo'Vas.

The Admiral nodded and walked away with Lo'Vas, Mosses and Captain Banol. The men made there way to the turbolift and onto the Engineering deck. Lo'Vas guided Reshmar threw the main reactor room and to the Auxiliary Control room deep in the heart of the ship. Two massive reactor cores sat side by side in the cavernous expanse that was the Reactor room. After a brief talk with the ships chief engineer the men made their way to the next level of the ship.

"This is truly an extensive overhaul. I have never seen workmanship and detail like this. I thank you and Rob for the work. I think we should proceed to the meeting now and finish this tour. It is time we work out the details and we get on with other matters."

Lo'Vas nodded and motioned for Reshmar to board the Lift. The three men rode the lift another twelve levels. The door opened to a long hallway which was dimly lit and free of the new ship smell so persistent in the rest of the ship. moment later Reshmar noticed the air was moist and cooler than normal. he knew then this floor had its life support set to suit Calamari crew. He was surprised but not overly excited. Many ships in the fleet had levels such as this. It had not been on the plans but Reshmar appreciated the gesture by Stellar and his people. As the men neared the end of the hall Lo'Vas stopped at a door on the port side of the hallway. The door slide open and the group walked in. The room was large enough to house a table with twelve chairs around it. In the far corner was a desk and a doorway. Reshmar assumed it connected to his quarters. Lo'Vas motioned for Reshmar to sit in one of the seats at the head of the Table.

"This is smaller than the old conference room. I would imagine the space went to something more important than a dinning hall."

Xandar walked both Admiral Reshmar and Mosses through the ship, showing them different sections they might be interested in. One large shielded room contained automatic targeting computers for a bank of weapons systems and he explained how they were some of the most advanced around. The system gave the ship incredible accuracy that human gunners could never match. It also allowed the guns to be more coordinated when firing up on a single target or multiple targets in the same battlespace.

As they got to the conference room, Xandar waved his hand over a control panel next to the entry and let the thick door silently close. As it contacted the other side of the wall, a shizzle sounded in the room as a static field engaged.

"Don't worry gentlemen, the field is perfectly safe. It was put in place for security. The field blocks any transmissions into or out of the room as well as prevents sound waves from passing through it."

Xandar turned towards Reshmar and put his hands behind his back. "Let me start off by telling you that all credits payed for this vessel have been refunded back to your accounts. Think of this ship as the company's first donation to your war effect. The first of many I hope. Stellar Enterprises has stood on the sideline for far too long and with the way the galaxy is changing, I believe it is our time to start contributing more resources to bring justice and right to the galaxy.

"I would like to request a list of needed supplies and equipment for your fleet and ground forces. Perhaps we can meet some of those demands for you."

He stopped with that and pointed towards one of the walls with a sharp clawed hand. "Now back to the matter at hand and your questions. That exit leads into the captain's quarters and that one..." Xandar pointed to another room. "Is into the bridge."

He motioned them all to sit and sat down himself before turning towards both men. "This room is smaller than usual, you are correct. The reason is because the remainder of the room has been converted into an escape vehicle in case of emergency."

As he said this, the wall that was covered with a large holodisplay slide open to reveal another black steel door which lead to small shuttle like craft.

"The craft has its own launch tunnel that leads to the surface and contains a hyperdrive unit." He paused for a moment as the wall slid back into place and the room lights dimmed. There was a soft whine from the ceiling as a spherical device extended down and lit up, throwing a high definition holo image around the room before focusing it over the top the table. The image was a revolving three dimensional model of the Hawkeye.

"This ship was reconstructed according to your specifications, but I would like to say that we added a few more weapons for you." He pointed to the two wings projecting at the rear of the ship. "These wings have been completely refit and now house two fully contained 30 cell vertical launch systems. The VLS cells can hold any weapon available and can be customized any way that you like. Each Cell can hold up to 4 fighter deployed missiles or torpedoes or a single heavy anti ship rocket and everything in between."

He stopped for a second to let the ship turn upside down to expose the underside. "We also installed launch bay doors on the ventral surface of the ship to allow your shuttles to exit below the ship, allowing you greater flexibility in troop deployment."

Xandar continued talking for sometime as he recalled all the different systems they installed on the system and how they had all been integrated into an immense ship management system.

Finally he stopped and a door along the wall opened to reveal a small bar. He got up and looked towards the two males at the table.

"So any questions? How about a drink?"

Reshmar sat quietly as Lo'Vas gave his presentation. The new systems and weapons on the ship made her a threat to any ship she engaged. Reshmar thought back to the first time he stepped onto the Hawkeye's deck and to the ship it was then.

Lo'Vas finished his presentation and offered a drink. Reshmar dismissed the offer and looked at the halo display for a few moments. He saw Raymond walk to the Bar and pour something green in a glass and return to his seat. The tension between Mosses and Lo'Vas was undeniable. He could see the two men were not enemies but were certainly not friends. After the me shared a drink and some banter Reshmar stood and walked to the door.

"Administrator Lo'Vos, I believe it is time to see the CIC."

The Fallen smiled and walked to the doorway to the bridge. As the door opened the Air returned to the dry normal air of any processed life support system. A small stairway spiraled down and under the bridge into a room twice the size of the Bridge. Reshmar looked around the room at the halo panel walls. It was hard to tell where in the belly of the ship they were but Reshmar knew he was at least a hundred meters from the outer hull.

Around the room sat twelve officers each watching one of the displays. Reshmar notice various displays had more than one feed. Some even had live feeds from one hundred cameras positions over the outer hull. The room would be the hub of the third fleet. A modern war room complete with any and every type of sensor, scanner, and weapons targeting system imaginable.

As the men finished in the CIC they walked back up the small spiral staircase and into the Bridge. Reshmar had never seen a bridge this small. at least not on a capitol ship. three central chairs sat in the center of the bridge. all with halo Huds. Four navigation stations sat forward of the Command Stations. Each capable of completely controlling the ship. The remainder of the stations were laid out along the aft wall from just behind the nav station to the stairway down to the CIC.

Just like the CIC Halo panel displays circled the Bridge. Each with independent feeds. Reshmar had never seen anything like this. He walked around the front of the bridge to the navigation stations then back to the stairway where Mosses, Lo'Vos and Banol Stood He turned to Lo'Vos and smiled.

"Administrator, On behalf of the rebel Alliance I accept delivery of the Hawkeye. I thank you and Stellar Enterprises for everything they have done. I know I speak for every man and woman of the Rebel Alliance when I say We are eternally grateful to you and Rob Stellar."

Xandar looked out the viewport in his suite and watched the Hawkeye pull away from the spot it had occupied for the past multitude of hours. It had been nice to talk with the Admiral and he admired the being for his pursuit of galactic freedom as well as his species as a whole. The Calamarian's have not had an easy time in this galaxy, even their rise to high stature and reknowndness in the galaxy did not save them from hatered as aliens/nonhumans.

He hopped the ship would come in handy and help the Admiral win as many victories as possible.

With a sign he commed the bridge. "Captain, we are done here."

With those words he turned away from the dead planet walked back across his room. It was time for dinner.