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Plains of Dantooine
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Kendra Jendob
Moff


Joined: 19 Jun 2009
Posts: 170

 Post Posted: Tue, November 01st 2011 04:25pm    Post subject: Plains of Dantooine
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“Gods dammit, Sarge! What the kark are we doing out here?”

I sighed as the complaint came over her helmet speakers for the umpteenth time that hour. “Stop asking, Czulak. Just karking stop.”

A disgusted snort prefaced the answer. “We're on Dantooine, Sarge. We've been on Dantooine for more than two karking weeks!”

“Twelve days,” piped in another modulated voice.

“Yeah! Two and a half weeks, Sarge. And I don't see any Zendies to shoot. Not a one,” Czulak went on. “Two and a half weeks of marching up and down the same karking plains and hills, past the same karking ruins of this and that. What would Zend want with this rock? Nothin', that's what. We're pissing away our time here when should be out there, takin' the fight to that bitch.”

“Y'know, Czulak,” I grated, voice brittle and sharp. “Every... gods... damned day. For the last twelve days... you treat the platoon to this speech. No, there's no karking Zendies out here. We know it. And we're sick of hearing it. So shut your frakking mouth and patrol, trooper.

“Amen to that,” another soldier called.

“I'm just sayin', Sarge—”

“You say stuff a lot, Lance Corporal. I'm just amazed your jaw hasn't fallen off,” I snapped.

“His helmet keeps it in.”

“Cram it, Dolo. The background commentary isn't helping,” I seethed while fruitlessly scanning the horizon for the umpteenth time. Czulak did have a point, though: Dantooine was the ass-end of nowhere, and had been for millennia. Fay was running the company ragged with constant foot patrols, on top of automated and droid security. “All right, frak it. Platoon, hold up. We're taking a little break, so... pop your helmets, get some air, take a leak, whatever. If Fay doesn't like us back five minutes late, too bad for her.

“And you, Lance Corporal Czulak and PFC Dolo... front and center.”

I pulled off my helmet and tucked it under one arm and walked some distance away from the milling mass of forty-two Stormtroopers clad in the bizarrely-patterned Dantooine-plains camo. Two others scrambled up from behind and took up rather pathetic excuses for attention. They stood rather stupidly for a moment, then pulled off their own helmets. “All right, you two... what the hell is the malfunction?”

“What do you mean, Sarge?”

“I mean, Czulak, you've been pissing and whining since we got here. You've got your own sergeant telling you to shut up, and yet I still have to before it starts to get through that skull. So, who the frak are you to piss all over unit morale and remind us that we're in the middle of nowhere when we should be finding the enemy and killing him?”

“I... I uh...”

“And Dolo, you must really want me to rip those bars off the way you keep up the little side comments. It's a tactical frequency, boys, not a karking therapist hotline or stand-up club. Got it?”

They murmured. “Yeah Sarge...”

My lips pressed together in a thin line. Partly to scare them with some play-acting, partly because they were genuinely getting under my skin with their substandard performance across the board... and partly because I felt like grinding their noses in it. “I did not hear you, troopers. How about sounding off like you've got a pair between you?”

Defiance flashed in Dolo's eyes, and anger flashed in mine. “You got something to say, Private First Class Dolo?”

“No, ma'am,” he hissed. “But Czulak...”

The taller trooper shot Dolo a warning look. “Eyes front,” I snapped. “What is it? If there's an actual reason for you two dragging ass, I want to hear it so we can get you unfrakked and see a decent imitation of a stormtrooper.”

Czulak looked away. His comrade gave him a look of contempt. “His brother bought it on Muunilinst.”

“That true, Czulak?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral. Inside, a large bucket of ice water started to splash onto the raging fire their shenanigans had sparked.

“Yeah, Sarge. Yeah... by those new damn droids, too.”

The ice water landed squarely on target. His motivation—even eagerness—was very clear now, and much deeper than just boredom as I'd originally figured. He had a score to settle. I asked, in my best gruff platoon sergeant tone, “Why didn't you tell anyone?”

“I thought you might pull me off the line.”

“Do you need me to?”

“I... I dunno, Sarge. But I want to be where the action is; I wanna get some payback on those damn clankers.”

I rubbed the end of my nose with a gloved hand. “All right. I can understand that... I have a brother, too,” I said more gently. “But I can't have you griping like that in front of the whole unit, all right? Because we all feel that way. Yeah, for you, it's worse. But we all want a piece of Zend's hide... and we all know she's not here. So, if you need to talk, you look me up back at camp. But not in front of the platoon. Got it?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Don't ma'am me, I work for a living,” I grumbled the old non-com's correction, placing my helmet back on my head.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“And definitely don't do that,” I warned. “Or I will feed you to the first kath hound we see.”



We trudged back to base, through the purple grasses and strangely-gnarled trees that occasionally sprouted from the rolling plains. The base was in sight: a crudely set-up affair with a prefabricated command center for the battalion staff, an outer perimeter wall of duraplast with E-Web bunkers every three-hundred meters, a few processing centers for keeping the machine shops stocked, and a few anti-vehicle laser towers. Still, not bad for being set up in a week. And the barracks top sleeping in our field tents.

We passed through the front gate, through the sentries, and onto the parade ground. I turned to face the column. “Platoon, dismissed!”

The mottled purplish-greenish-gray horde dispersed, and I made my way to the command center. A petite, gray-uniformed woman with dark hair was hunched over a holomap with an armored master sergeant. I pulled my helmet away and tucked it under my arm as I approached.

“No, we need to have a deeper defense on the northern wall. Maybe if we move this bunker from here to—ah,” the woman stopped as she looked up. “Sergeant Jendob. Your report?”

I snapped to attention. “There is nothing out there, Captain. At least, nothing more dangerous than a kath hound. We had to put down a couple, but...” My train of thought started to echo the comm chatter from before. I clamped down on it before I could vocalize anyway.

“But what, Sergeant?”

I stiffened. “Permission to speak freely?”

Captain Fay's lips narrowed. “Go on.”

“We've been up and down the plains, between here, Khoonda, and the edge of the Jedi Academy, a dozen times since we've landed. We haven't seen so much as a probe droid or a scout. The men in my platoon are tired, and we're still waiting for Eltee to show.”

“Oh, right. I'm afraid you'll be getting a new lieutenant for the platoon,” Fay noted.

“What happened to Lieutenant Caine?” I asked, startled. “Uh, ma'am.”

Fay let out a sigh. “He's been detained by Security. And with all of the scrambling after Muunilinst, we're not likely to get the new officer for a few weeks.”

“Detained?” I repeated. I missed the rest of what she said after that first sentence.

The captain nodded. “Apparently, he's suspected of being a Zend collaborator.”

I shook my head. “How is that possible?”

Fay shrugged. “Don't ask me; that's just what I was told. At any rate, until the new platoon commander shows up, Sergeant, Second Platoon is yours.”

What the frak happened with Caine? How could he...

Wait, what did she say?

“I didn't quite read that, Captain,” I admitted.

“I said,” Fay replied, with a note of annoyance at having to repeat herself. “Second Platoon is yours. For a few more weeks, anyway, Sergeant.”

“I, um... thank you,” I finally stammered. “Thank you, ma'am. I'll try to keep the unit in shape until our new commanding officer arrives.”

The captain nodded. “See that you do. Dismissed, Sergeant.”

I started to leave, then paused. “I'm sorry, Captain, but what about the recon report?”

“I've taken it under advisement, Sergeant Jendob.” She looked up from the holotable again, and spoke with more emphasis. “Dismissed.”

I saluted and replied with a quick, “Thank you, ma'am,” before departing. Come on, it's not so bad. You've basically been running the platoon since Caine busted his leg anyway.

Yeah, but a busted leg versus being hauled off by ISB? I just believe... of all people... he never seemed to be the type.


My mind began running through my memories of our old platoon lieutenant. I'd come to consider him almost a friend; at least as friendly as a non-com could be with an officer. It never went beyond just mutual respect, at any rate, but I was bewildered that someone I respected that much—and even looked up to a little—could turn traitor...

If he can... I can't help wondering who else...
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Sergeant First Class Kendra Jendob


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Nick Zorrin
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 Post Posted: Fri, November 11th 2011 05:58pm    Post subject:
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(Continues from Here)

It had been a strange couple of weeks, and it felt both like it had rushed by and carried on a at a crawl. The biggest relief of it all was that the Empire had finally shown up on Dosuun and sorted things out. As a bonus, those who had remained loyal to the Empire and hadn’t required time in a Bacta tank had been given leave time while their company had been resupplied to bring it back up to full capacity. It had given Nick plenty of time with his ‘former’ girlfriend, during which time he had taken Morwell up on his advice and taken her off the market. And to cap it all off, he had even gotten a promotion out of the deal.

“What’s eating you?” Nick asked Sergeant Morwell, who was standing behind him in the Imperial shuttle as the craft landed. “You look like someone being sent on a suicide mission.”
“It’s Dantooine.” Roc said. “Thrawn only knows why they’d allow a Jedi academy on this rock.”
“That’s what bothers you?” Nick asked. “You do remember that they’re part of the same Union the Remnant is part of, correct?”
“Still a mistake, if you ask me.” The Sergeant said.
“I’m not.” Nick said. “So please don’t make me order you to keep that talk to yourself. Galaxy is in enough trouble as it is.”

“Aye, sir.” Roc said with a snort, which the Lieutenant was willing to let slide.
“Good to hear.” He said, just in time for his platoon’s landing craft to hit the surface. Immediately, the troops began to move.

“Alright, platoon, move like you mean it!” Lt. Zorrin shouted. “If you don’t like Dantooine, I suggest you learn to, because this rock is our new home for the time being!”
“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Morwell asked.
“As long as it’s not about the Jedi.”
“No, sir.”
“Granted.”
“Your motivational speech could use work.” Morwell said bluntly. “I’ve heard tougher speech out of Ithorians.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.”

Zorrin proceeded off the ship in the midst of the troopers and stopped soon after he stepped out into the open air. To his surprise, he could see larger transports loading outside the base parameter, the likes of which were undoubtedly carrying some kind of vehicles.

“Lt. Zorrin!” He heard, and turned to see Lt. Graves approaching. Or rather, Captain Lara Graves, since she had been awarded command of the company and the promotion that had come with it after the events on Dosuun now that she was field ready again.
“Captain.” Zorrin said with a salute. Morwell followed suit next to him.
“At ease, Lieutenant.” She said. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“What about, Ma’am?” Nick asked.
“Turns out we didn’t leave all of Dosuun behind. Command decided to send your AT-PTs after you. Word is they’re hoping our company can still squeeze some use out of them despite their age.”
“Is that what the larger transports are for?” He asked.
“That they are.” Graves replied, and started walking in their direction. “I heard they even expanded the motor pool to help make room for them. I need you to get over there and see to it that they get into the shop and get a full look over and tune-up ASAP. Because we’re also expected to prove their usefulness in short order.”
“We’re being re-deployed?” Nick asked as he followed behind.

“Hardly.” Graves replied. “But we have military exercises schedules to happen within the next couple days, and I want those things operating at peak efficiency when they happen.”
“Understood, Captain! Consider it done.” Nick replied.
“What I want to hear, Lieutenant! Dismissed!”

With that, the Captain rushed off to attend to one of the many other duties that were associated with the move in.

“Sergeant, see to the Platoon.” Nick ordered. Morwell nodded and rushed off, leaving Nick to go see to it that his walkers were moved in properly.

Tag: Moff
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2nd Lieutenant Nick Zorrin; Imperial Remnant Army Officer
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Zero
Jase


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 Post Posted: Sun, November 13th 2011 03:45pm    Post subject:
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"This is pointless, Zero. The PTs are outdated. No matter what we do to them, they're going to be useless against Zend's new hardware."

Zero shook his head, clearly annoyed. "Cool it, Dunvayne. We're just going to see if they still pack enough punch to be useful, otherwise, the higher-ups will scrap them for something else. We need everything we can get."

The larger man made a face of disgust and looked at his terminal. "They pulled us away from our platoon to work on these hunks of junk. I don't like it, Zero."

"Look, they pulled us away because we're the best damn techs in the army. Plus, Sarge is down there with the rest of the platoon. We'll all be a big happy murder family again, I promise."

Dunvayne let out a loud laugh. "Man! You'll just be glad to see the First Sergeant again! Bet you want to bring her up to working condition!"

"Cool it, Dunvayne!", Zero hissed, blushing under his helmet.

The transport shook slightly as it entered the atmosphere of Dantooine. They had spent the last 36 hours working on the AT-PTs, bringing the older machines up to original specs and making sure they were operating at peak efficiency. It hadn't been easy; and Zero had a bad feeling that Dunvayne was right: these walker models were going to be hardly a threat to what he had heard Zend had been using.

He looked at his cybernetic arm, in it's special armor that matched the rest of his stormtrooper armor, while allowing it to shift into the MWR if he needed it to. He wished Command would at least try a wide-scale test of the weapon. With the compact charges for the explosives launcher of the weapon, he knew it would be versatile and better than the standard rifle. He just desperately wanted to convince everyone else of that.

As the transports landed, Zero prepared for the next leg of this trip. nce they were settled, the hatches opened and Zero stood with Dunvayne, ready to lead the walkers out into the the Imperial setup on Dantooine. Both of them immediately snapping to attention as they were greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar 2nd lieutenant. Zero guesed he must be the one in charge of the walkers.

"Sir. Technical Sergeant Subdern and Corporal Dunvayne, Aurek Company, Second Platoon; reporting with AT-PT contingent, sir."
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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Nick Zorrin
Space Jawa


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 Post Posted: Mon, November 14th 2011 01:24am    Post subject:
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“Sergeant Subdern, was it?” Nick said as the two troopers who were apparently in charge of working on the AT-PTs stood at attention.

He was pretty sure he had heard of the man before. Even at the Academy, he had heard stories of a ‘Sgt. Zero’. The deployment certainly lined up with what he had heard about him.

“Would you be the infamous Sgt. Randoth Subdern?” Lt. Zorrin asked.
“Yes sir.” He replied.
“I don’t have to worry about whether they’re still safe to use, do I?” He asked, keeping a straight face as he did so.

There was a moment of hesitation as the Sergeant considered the question and how to answer.

“It’s just a joke.” Nick said with a smile. “At ease, you two. Second Lieutenant Nick Zorrin.”

I hope this works, let me know if I should scale back or edit it for Zero
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2nd Lieutenant Nick Zorrin; Imperial Remnant Army Officer
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Ams Jendob wrote:
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Zero
Jase


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 Post Posted: Mon, November 14th 2011 02:37pm    Post subject:
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Yeah, that was fine. Hope my Zorrin bit is good too

Great...

His reputation for accidents and glitches seemed to reach further in the Empire than he thought. As he tried to come up with an answer, the lieutenant told them to stand at ease. Dunvayne relaxed first and Zero silently sighed with frustration. He was supposed to be an experimental weapons tester and he was fixing old weapons for a war that was escalating quickly.

"Sir," he said, relaxing his posture and nodding. "These walkers are in the best condition they've ever been. I guarantee it. Corporal Dunvayne and myself took extra care to bring them up to original specifications."

As the rest of the crews began moving the walkers out of the transports, Zero and Dunvayne stood with Zorrin and observed the operation. As the walkers moved out, Zero groaned in frustration.

"Sir? Permission to speak freely?"

Zorrin raised a tentative eyebrow and nodded slightly.

Removing his helmet, Zero looked Zorrin in the eyes, a clear look of annoyance on his face. "These things are obsolete pieces of junk. What can we hope to accomplish with them? If I had one day alone with some of Zend's hardware I could give us something to really add an edge. We might as well throw our helmets at the enemy. I could build a better walker in my sleep."
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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Nick Zorrin
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 Post Posted: Tue, November 15th 2011 04:12pm    Post subject:
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Nick nodded as he listened to the Sergeants complaint.

“Be that as it may, Sergeant, I believe there’s a quote about going to war with the army that we have, not the army that we wish we had. Until we do get access to her tech or someone can get a new walker design off the assembly line, these are what we’re working with.”

He looked over the AT-PTs as they were moved, then back to ‘Zero’.

“To be quite honest, I’m hoping they’re not as obsolete as you make them out to be, because the alternative is likely to be a bunch of AT-STs. And between you and me, at least these walkers don’t make me feel like I’m riding around in a walking coffin.”

It was funny that the man had mentioned walker designs, because as it so happened, Nick himself had spent quite a bit of his own free time on Dosuun toying with the idea himself. Even better, he just happened to have a copy of the current schematics, as loose as a term as it was, on his person. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out the holoemitter that contained the design copy in it.

“Sergeant, would you mind doing me a favor?”
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2nd Lieutenant Nick Zorrin; Imperial Remnant Army Officer
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Zero
Jase


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 Post Posted: Tue, November 22nd 2011 02:38pm    Post subject:
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Zero raised his eyebrow questioningly as the lieutenant brought out the holoemitter. The answer had seemed typical at first, but he could hear Zorrin's personal opinion in the talk about available resources. Taking the device, he activated it and peered at the hologram.

It was some kind of new walker device. "Don't be surprised, I just want a closer look.", Zero said. His left arm split open at an unseen seam, revealing the artificial construction. Nestled behind his MWR upgrade to the blaster component was a screen with multiple cable attachments. Plugging the emitter into one of them, Zero smiled as he screen moved into position over the barrel of the MWR and expanded n size. Anyone who doubted Zero's brilliance due to his accident-prone history couldn't deny it when they saw the complexity of his own creations.

"This is... wow, this actually seems like a decent prototype. Modular systems? Stability? Hmmm... a bit rough around the edges... Sir? I don't mean to sound insulting... but did you come up with this design?"
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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Nick Zorrin
Space Jawa


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 Post Posted: Wed, November 23rd 2011 03:22pm    Post subject:
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“Please, your complete honesty on the matter is appreciated.” Nick said, trying to wave aside any worries Zero might have of accidentally offending him.

“We had a lot of free time on Dosuun before the war broke out.” Nick said. “Seemed worth trying my hand at toying with new walker possibilities. Tactically, I think it should be sound, but technically…”

He let the sentence trail off, though it was easy to guess what the missing words implied.

Nick mused on Zero’s arm as he waited to see what else the Sergeant would have to say. It was certainly not something that was come across often in the Imperial Army, but what was especially impressive about it was that rather than just use the arm as a means of keeping himself from being discharged from duty, he had turned it into an asset. That was the kind of attitude Nick usually listed as commendable in his book.
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Zero
Jase


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 Post Posted: Tue, November 29th 2011 03:00pm    Post subject:
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"Technically is easy to bypass if the base design is solid, sir.", Zero said, interacting with the display on his screen. "Dunvayne, get over here." There was no response and Zero turned to see the big man chatting with a couple of Zorrin's people assisting with the move.

"Corporal... Consult. Now."

Dunvayne turned around and headed over, his helmet covering up any embarrassment. "El-tee's got an idea to improve the walker ranks. This is the design for his prototype. How long do you think it would take us to build a functional alpha design with some modificatios?"

Dunvayne kneeled down and looked at the screen on Zero's arm, unfazed by the prosthetic after all the time he had known the man. "Shoot, Zero... if we can get some quality time with all the tools and other materials, three days?"

Nodding in agreement, Zero retracted the scree and unplugged the holoemitter. His arm folded and closed back to it's normal shape and he faced Zorrin. "If you're really itching to see something new, sir, it'll take three days at best for a functional alpha. However, that would require full access to the tech supplies of he base, a few of these AT-PTs, spare weapons, sensory modules, artillery... we'd basically need your clearance to have our way with every last piece of machinery you don't need for the exercises."
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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Nick Zorrin
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 Post Posted: Tue, November 29th 2011 04:10pm    Post subject:
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Nick hesitated in spite of how eager he was to see if Zero could really pull it off. It wasn’t just the minor attachment he had started to get to the older walkers, something he was sure he could get over quickly enough, especially if it actually worked. Far more importantly, it was also the matter of authority.

“Unfortunately, Sergeant Subdurn, I don’t have the authority to make that call.” He said, his loyalty and sense of duty easily winning out over his own personal preference. “I’ll have to run the idea by my superior before I can approve it, though I’ll be certain to see to the matter as soon as I’m able and get back to you with her response.”

He returned his focus to the walkers themselves and slowly started making his way towards them.

“How about we finish moving these things in so I can see to that sooner rather than later?”
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Kendra Jendob
Moff


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 Post Posted: Sun, December 18th 2011 12:19pm    Post subject:
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Nighttime on Dantooine was cool, but in a pleasant sort of way. It wasn't the biting cold of a Bastion winter, but it was far from balmy, too. The new unit, with their AT-PTs, was set to engage the company in some training exercises to see if the antique walkers were still of any use against modern gear and tactics... and if so, could infantry adapt to negate that. And could the cav jockeys adapt to that. And back and forth it would go until someone consistently frakked up enough to “prove” the other side could retain the advantage, or someone higher up the food chain said enough was enough.

Kendra looked up into the clear night sky. Out on the plains, she could see the glow from the cities and settlements beyond the horizon. But it was distant enough that the sky was ablaze with diamond dust formations: constellations only visible from this planet and some that were close enough to her home skies of Bastion to be recognizable. Dantooine, after all, wasn't all that far removed from Bastion. She could see the vast, milky band of the Galaxy's disc that cut across the sky. But while Bastion's band ran almost vertically, on Dantooine, the Coreward view cut across the sky at a low angle. If pressed for a figure, Kendra would've estimated about thirty degrees from the horizontal.

But if the stars in the sky weren't all that different, the ones the young sergeant could see were. Bastion was an urbanized world; no ecumenopolis, but settled enough that the night lights masked many of the tiny points of light she could now see. Of course, the view in space was far grander, but it had always seemed like cheating to her. One had to have their feet firmly on the ground, looking up through the distorting blanket of atmosphere that lent those distant points of light their twinkle. As she looked to the south sky, she found an unfamiliar constellation that held a very familiar point of light. Her home star, just an infinitesimal white point amid so many others of blue, white, and red.

Hmph. I'm starting to get all maudlin like Mom. Still, the sheer awesomeness and scope of the Galaxy—no matter how well-traveled it was—was something she'd appreciated since she was a child. There'd been a some trips, when she was younger and Mom and Dad had time, when they'd go out to a remote corner of Bastion and just stare up at the sky. She'd get the macrobinoculars and try to find this star and that. She eventually learned to find the other planets in the system, with the most breath-taking view being of the enormous, ringed gas giant in the outer system. She'd crank the zoom function to its maximum, fiddle with the focus—often while Kris would demand a peek and their parents would play peacekeepers—until she had it just right to see the rings, the cloud bands, and on occasion, a moon or two. In an age where ships that could cruise all the way around the edge of the Galaxy (theoretically, anyway) could do it in a standard week, there was a kind of primitive glee at peering into the heavens the way the ancients almost surely must have... though no one could be sure, since going back to humanity's pre-space history required treading through more myth and legend than hard evidence.

An idea formed in the back Kendra's mind, tugging a small smile onto her lips. Nah, come on. It's stupid. But the mental rebuke only made the smile widen at the silliness of the idea, and fueled its fire. After a moment, her decision was made. Can't hurt anything.

She strode to the supply shack, and snapped a salute to the quartermaster sergeant. “What can I do for you, ma'am?”

Kendra regarded the young Devaronian woman for a moment. “Do you have any Teedee-Four series electrobinocs?”

The quartermaster regarded her terminal. “Yes, but it looks like they're both out on patrol.”

“Oh,” Jendob sighed, somewhat crestfallen. I knew it was a dumb—

“But I've got a few pairs of Teedee-Five-Sevens. The recon guys don't like them since they're a little more fragile, but if you're not planning on jumping up and down on them, they should be good for some scouting.”

The platoon sergeant fought back a gleeful flush. “They'll do just fine. I just need them for a little bit, nothing dangerous.”

The younger noncom nodded, and disappeared into the vast maze of shelves and crates for a moment before returning with one of Neuro-Saav's more recent electrobinocular models. She set the device down before Kendra, who quickly scrawled her signature on the electronic signout sheet before picking up the binocs and heading back outside. Her prize clutched firmly in her hands, she took a slow, panoramic look around at the vast, open sky before lifting the TD-5.7s to her eyes.

If you guys are interested...

Tag: Jase, Space Jawa
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Nick Zorrin
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 Post Posted: Thu, December 22nd 2011 05:01pm    Post subject:
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“Lt. Zorrin, you wanted to see me?” Captain Graves said as Zorrin entered her temporary office.
“Yes, Captain. I’m here to request permission to dismantle a small number of the AT-PTs.” Zorrin replied, skipping straight to the point.

Graves didn’t respond at first, instead looking at Zorrin with a look that made clear she was questioning just what would prompt the Lieutenant to make such a ridiculous request.

“I’ve been speaking with some of the men on base, and there’s a walker design they believe they can build a working prototype of. Something more modern than our current outfit. However, to do so they require permission to take apart some of the walkers to do so.”

Graves glared at him.

“Who were you talking with?” She asked.
“Sgt. Subdurn.” Zorrin replied.
“Sgt. Randoth Subdurn?” Graves asked, having a pretty darn good idea just who the Lieutenant was speaking of.
“Yes ma’am.” Zorrin replied.
“Did he design this walker as well?”
“No. I did.”

Again, Graves paused to consider the situation.

“Would you please explain how he found out about this design of yours and why you’re now in front of me with a request to dismantle a number of walkers which we are scheduled to conduct military exercises with in the very near future?”

“The subject of walker designs came up.” Zorrin asked, skipping over the part where Zero had complained about the AT-PT’s older design. “I showed him a design I’d been working on asking for an assessment, and after looking at it he thought he’d be able to build a working prototype in relatively short order if he could have access to, among other things, a few of the AT-PTs.”

“Request denied.” Graves replied, though Nick was certain she had already made up her mind the moment he had asked for the walkers. “I am not about to try to explain to the people who ordered the war games in the first place why we are suddenly about to be short by ‘a few’ because someone wanted to take them apart and test out a new design that no one with the recognized qualifications has ever looked at.”

“Understood.” Zorrin replied, and prepared himself to leave. He was disappointed, but the answer didn’t surprise him. To be perfectly honest, he probably would have made a similar call himself.

“However,” Graves added, “There’s no word yet on what will happen if the AT-PTs do not perform at a satisfactory level.”

Zorrin’s ears perked up, listening carefully to what his superior officer had to add.

“If it’s decided that the AT-PTs aren’t worth using anymore, bring me an official request again and I’ll see what I can do. Dismissed.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Zorrin said with a smile on his face. He saluted and turned to leave.

“One more thing.” Graves added, a post script on the matter coming to mind before the Lieutenant could leave. “Let it be known that if you or anyone under your command sabotages my Company in hopes of getting your request approved, there will be hell to pay.”

Zorrin nodded. Even without the warning, he knew just how serious a matter it was she was talking about.

“Understood.”
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2nd Lieutenant Nick Zorrin; Imperial Remnant Army Officer
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 Post Posted: Wed, December 28th 2011 01:53pm    Post subject:
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"Got your head in the stars again, First Sergeant?", came the baritone of Corporal Dunvayne. Zero buried his face in his palm and shook his head as the duo approached Kendra.

"Sorry boss, Dunvayne's been acting up this whole trip. I think he needs to be banned from the NCO club."

"That ain't right, Zero...", the big man said with a frown.

Shaking his head again, Zero took a knee in the soft grass. The disappointment of being shot down to build a prototype was clearly weighing heavily on him. Now that he had a new design to work with, he desperately wanted to get working on it. Hopefully Zorrin would bring him some good news before the exercises were over.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything, boss. We just finished checking off the walkers for the exercises. Uh... I don't suppose there's been any word from Command on the MWR?"
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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 Post Posted: Wed, December 28th 2011 04:05pm    Post subject:
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The glowing orb of Bannakon filled the eyepiece of the binocs. Kendra could see faint bands of color that wrapped around the gas giant, handsomely illuminated by Dina's light. Gleaming fireflies hung in the blackness next to it, the largest of its eleven major moons. It was so beautiful, so wondrous. Almost... romantic.

Duvayne's call sent a flash of irritation up the platoon sergeant's spine. Not so much with his presence, or even surprising her, but his bungling address. She wondered how much he'd been drinking ahead of time to foul up the difference between a Sergeant First Class and a First Sergeant. It was like calling a lance corporal just "corporal": it was just disrespectful. A first sergeant was a company-level NCO, being responsible for all of the enlisted personnel in the company and bringing their concerns to the captain. Sergeant first class was just another grade of non-com, and usually slapped onto platoon adjutants at that. Like her.

Jendob turned to face the two men, lowering the electrobinoculars. She was glad to see Zero; actually, glad to see anyone a little bit. She enjoyed her planet-watching so far, but the gnawing feeling of loneliness was starting to build. A flicker of warmth started to dissolve walls of professional detachment.

And then Zero asked about his gun.

The shields snapped back online. Kendra silently chastised herself for... for what? Well, I guess if that cannon of his is all he cares about, then that's all he can look forward to.

The almost-hurt tone of the thought crystallized why she'd kicked herself. Even considering Subdern—for a moment—as something more than a fellow soldier and acquaintance... Stupid, stupid, stupid. Sure, Mom and Dad may have had the military version of an office romance, but they were still in different commands aboard their ship. In this case, it was unethical, it was illegal... And it seems like all he really wants is that gun.

The young sergeant banished such wholly unprofessional thoughts from her mind. "Sorry, Zero. I just talk to the captain; she's the one who talks to Command. Didn't mention anything to me about it."

Tag: Jase, Space Jawa
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 Post Posted: Wed, December 28th 2011 05:36pm    Post subject:
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"Oh... right...", he said, looking a little dejected and confused. What had been that look on her face? For even the briefest of moments, she seemed... different. He was suddenly very self-conscious of his feelings for her, which he had tried to bury over the past few weeks.

[b]"Uh... Dunvayne, why don't you go sleep it off? We've got a lot of work to do before we start the exercises."


"Aw, come on Zero, I wanna-"

"That's an order, Corporal." The big man skulked off, clearly dejected. Siting down in the grass, the young sergeant pulled his knees in and looked at his superior.

"Sorry about that, boss. Sometimes I don't know how how he got into the Corps." He looked at the binocs in her hands and then at the night sky, trying to offer a smile. "So... um, anything good out there? I've, uh... never been too big on stargazing. Too much time away from groundside I guess. You know, all that pirate hunting and patrolling."

Damnit, you're babbling again...
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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 Post Posted: Fri, December 30th 2011 11:45pm    Post subject:
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Kendra shrugged. "Eh, nothing much," she noted dismissively. "Maybe you'd better get some rack time, too. We're supposed to have our first crack at those walker jockeys bright and early."

That second part was true, at least. Jendob knew she'd probably have to knock off shortly herself to be wide-eyed and ready in the morning. AT-PTs were designed to take infantry down. So, knocking them out with infantry assault tactics and infantry small arms would be the real trick. Granted, the weapons' fire would be dialed down, but the training rigs could still pack a nasty shock to register a "hit." Grenades would be substituted with training versions as well, with an electronic signal tripping the hit detection sensors on any vehicles (or troopers) in the "blast range."

But if the ammunition was dummied, the rest wasn't. Full assault gear, real running to dodge simulated blasts, real diving into real trenches, and likely a lot of real bruises, abrasions, cuts, and someone was sure to break a real ankle doing something real stupid. The Stormtroopers were the elite, but that didn't make them all hyperspace theoreticians.

"Besides," Kendra added. "Someone has to make sure the corporal doesn't pass out in his own sick."

Tag: Jase
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 Post Posted: Sat, December 31st 2011 12:59am    Post subject:
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Lt. Zorrin stood in the motor pool and looked over the parked AT-PTs one last time before the big day came. Tomorrow, they’d finally take the old machines out and see if they still had some real life in them. But the thing that worried him the most about the upcoming exercises wasn’t the age of the machines they’d be using, it was the amount of experience the drivers had using them.

Certainly, they were all trained in how to use them and had satisfactory time in the cockpit, but prior to being moved to Dantooine, the AT-PTs had been stored away on some backwater depot for otherwise unwanted machinery. Contrast to the Stormtroopers they’d be facing who’d be completely in their element, doing something they trained on regularly, many of the AT-PT drivers would have a significant deficit in actual cockpit time.

And he wasn’t sure if any of them had run any military exercises with them before. Especially not of the kind they were about to run. The only one he had any real expectation of on the matter was Morwell. And that was just because of how dang old the guy was.

He knew that they’d get an opportunity to shake the old things down the following day before the exercises got underway, but it still left him wary. They’d be relying heavily on their own ground support and the leadership of Captain Graves.

Nick shook his head at the thought of the matter. He had no idea how things would turn out tomorrow, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to think about it. But it wasn’t something he had an easy time stopping thinking about. And as he did, he considered that he, at least, didn’t have to go in nearly as rough around the edges as the rest of the drivers. And requisitioning one of the walkers for a test spin was something he knew full well he did have authorization for.
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 Post Posted: Wed, January 18th 2012 08:20am    Post subject:
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He smiled and nodded slightly. "Yeah, he does tend to overdo it, I guess. I just ope he doesn't keep me up when I finally do fall asleep. It's as loud as a herd of bantha when he's out after that much drink." He tried to smile at his comments, but he was a little nervous being around her alone. He didn't know why, she always seemed perfectly at ease around him.

"Maybe I'll just sit out here for a few minutes first.", he said with a sigh. "I've never really taken a chance to just look at the stars. If I go back now, I'll just be holed up on my terminal for the next few hours anyway."
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Randoth "Zero" Subdern- Stormtrooper Sergeant, Aurek Company, Second Platoon



"I love the Imperial Army! I can blow things up and they usually don't yell at me for it!"
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