Ardin shrugged.It seemed like a good idea, but he was still waiting for the Master's confirmation.

"I'm game if everyone else is"

"Hmm... yes, good ideas, all. OsSec has a partner-assignment system--it's the oldest concept of law enforcement. The camps to the north should be small enough to scatter in pairs. If at all possible, aim to scatter, disperse, or stun the enemy. Killing should be a last resort, but if it becomes necessary, do not hesitate. Hesitation will result in the death of yourself or your partner."

Gash paused, and glanced over the group of Jedi. More may have planned to arrive of their own volition--many Rogue Jedi were about doing their duty throughout the galaxy--and if they would, they had his New Republic-cleared comm frequency. No need to put it off.

"I'll group each of you with someone with military experience. Don't be insulted; each of you has talents which will contribute to the effectiveness of your duo. Si Buu, you lead the attack on the Emikary Space Station, so you'll be partnered with Brava. Corran, you flew in Rogue and Echo squadron, so team with Ardin. Myself and Arrix will work together." Gash raised his left arm, one of his two prosthetic limbs and many prosthetic implants, and tapped one of the buttons on the built-in datapad. A hologram sprung forth.



"The city gate at the north should be up, so you'll be free to move through there into the dense forestry to the north. I used to play there during diplomatic trips to Triyphys as a child, so there shouldn't be any dangerous indigenous life, but be careful on those Swoops.

"Search around through the locations on this map, and report if any have legitmate pirate bases. Let's get going!"

Nate stepped forward, shrugging back the guard's cloak he wore to reveal his blue protector armor.

"Any room for an old spy on this one?"

Nate couldn't help but grin, his presence having been well masked, even to Jiren. Spinning two heavy modified blasters from his leg holsters then back again he states..

".. I came ready for fun."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> We come to train... and of all the places.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> I smiled in perpetual bemusement, gently noticing the brief touch of landing skids across the glossy metal deck. Once our pilot, an alien from an origin unknown to me, had disengaged the propulsion systems, and finalized his set up for disembarking protocols, a signal chimed, allowing us to break free from our acceleration restraints, finally giving us some justice of movement onboard the tight knit craft.

Retrieving a small duffle bag underneath my passenger stowage compartment, I slowly rose in unison with master Jiren, who took a bit more luxuriant chair in the cockpit. I marveled at how a character of a Jedi could possibly see feasible taste in this sphere of molten rock and volcanic emission.

The Sentinel class shuttle provided our expedition with an efficient, reliable transport to the system’s local airfield. The design was innovatively designed for a speedy getaway, promising to bring the occupants to a safe haven, but could also unleash a deadly salvo of energy fire from eight twin cannons.

As the entry/entrance ramp extended from below the ventral fuselage, I made my way towards the line of Rouge Order candidates descending towards landing deck, stepping in line with an apprentice, who curiously enough, might have been my relative. Perhaps, had his attitude not taken on such a negative taint. From what my senses could probe, the young man seemed confused, yet, perplexed at his surroundings and the events unfolding before him. I had not the opportunity to catch his first name, but the mere mention of <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Halcyon<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->... that indeed was enough to grasp my attention.

But only for the moment.

We were here in Asthentia to conduct a thorough series of training exercises with the young cadets, and I had high hopes for all but a few. Master Jiren himself had instituted a new form in his odd yet methodical training techniques, and I was writhing in anxiety to see his new daring plans put implemented into the cadets discipline. Feeling the deck beneath my feet, our party immediately parted to the cargo bay aft of the shuttle, gathering out the necessities brought along.

Ardin slapped Corran on the back and they both started for the speeder bikes. As they were checking the things and making sure they were ready Ardin felt somthing. It was strange...almost like a Force probe. Master Jiren had only begun Force training with Ardin and his powers were still weak, but he knew what a Force probe felt like.

Corran started his bike and Ardin shrugged off the odd feeling. He started his bike too and they zoomed off.

Gash glanced about the remaining Jedi as the younger apprentices hurried toward speeders. Kyp, Gash, Nathaniel, and Arrix stood and waited as they began preparing the Swoop vehicles for flight, not speaking for a moment. A tense silence hung over the four, as if someone was afraid to comment on Gash's pairing of the four apprentices with one another.

Finally, Gash broke the silence. "Yes, I know, I know. Two apprentices together versus an army--albeit a small one--of pirates." The Jedi Master sighed slightly. "They'll be alright. I took out an outlaw camp on Naboo at their age. As a Sith, mind you... but the idea behind this experiment was to give them field experience. And you can't get field experience with your teacher watching over your back and correcting all your mistakes before you make them. They'll be fine..." Gash's voice trailed off.

"Well, the four of us all have military experience in one form or another. We'd best keep some kind of watch over the Apprentices... Nathaniel, Kyp, you two can investigate the easternmost pirate locations, while Arrix and I will take the central ones. Keep comm contact with the Apprentices; I don't really care if we tip off the pirates. Better they come to us anyway."

Gash strode over to one of the short Swoop Speeder Bikes, bending down and flicking several airflow adjustment switches on the machine. "Let's get going."

Kamon Lambda-class shuttle landed in the appropriated dock. He had been informed late of the mission, but came anyway. And he was prepared. He and 25 of his Special Amphibious Assault troops exited the craft. Kamon spotted Gash's ship, and he and the troops headed that way. Kamon alone approached Gash. He bowed to the Master.
"Master Gash, I am here to assist, and have brought some special troops with me. If you don't mind, I would like to work only with my troops. They are highly trained and have experience in amphinious battles with pirates in our own system. So, which of the bases is nearest a body of water?"
His hands rested at his side. His troops held back. Honoring the Asthentia people. They knew their rights on foreign planets, and knew how to act properly.

Gash smiled slightly in surprise to see Kamon. The young prince was often busy about his diplomatic duties as the leader of the Tholatin monarchy, and couldn't always be expected to attend such missions as the expedition to Asthentia. The Jedi Master did not rise from his crouch, still working on the speeder.

"It is good to see you, Kamon. To the northwest, fifteen kilometers, lies the Sword Sea. Follow this for five more kilometers directly north, and intelligence reports you will find a pirate base."

Gash glanced back at Kamon's soldiers. "You'll need your men to route out this base. It is five-hundred soldiers strong, and defended by Golan defensive turrets, according to intelligence reports... it belongs to a powerful ship theft ring of pirates called the 'Swordslayers'. Good luck."

Kamon bowed again to Master Gash.
"Thanks for the mission, Master Gash. It wont be too hard. I shall walk their if you don't mind. Expect us too be long gone in a short time. We move fast and effectively."
Kamon left the shi, and informed his troops of the mission. Then they headed out. They passed through the city gate and headed due west. His troops were in peak phyical condition, but they would not be able to keep up to him. He started jogging, and his troops broke into a run. The moved on at a steady pase, for 10 kilometers. By then, it was night. They stopped and made camp. They lit no fires and made no noise. They ate cold dinners, then went to sleep. Two of the guards staying up to keep watch. Kamon decided against sleeping for a while, and drew on the Force to assist him in running. He burst away from the camp in the direction of the sea. He kept his eyes open and mind focused on locating any ambushes. He came to the Sword Sea about 25 minutes after starting. He had noticed nothing out of the ordinary, and decided that they had not been spotted. He ran back to the camp,and rested under a tree. He fell into a meditative state, and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Kamon came out of his meditative state as soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon. His troops were already up and ready. Kamon rose.
"Lets move. Today we reach the enemy base. Tonight we attack."
Kamon began a jog, and his troops broke into a run too keep up. He had scanned the first five kilometers, and found nothing out of the ordinary. They arrived at the Sword Sea at 1147 hours. They proceede on, keeping a sharp eye out for any enemies. They made there way to the camp, but stopped when they were one kilometer from the enemy base. They moved into the trees on the edge of the sea, and waited for nightfall. Kamon announced his plan.
"You troops will spread out and look for enemy guards. One of you per guard. When it is full night, I will use the Force to tighten all of the guards vocal chords. When you see this, move in and capture the enemy guards. Do not kill them. Gash will want some of them for questioning. We will most likely have to kill the soldiers, or we will be killed. We want to capture the leader though. Once you have captured the guards, I will move in and slice the barrels of the cannons off of the Golan Defensive Turrets. From there it will be instinct and the Force to guide us in our assault. Everything clear?"
"Aye, sir," his troops replied.
They waited in the trees for darkness to come.