Hellas Fleet Yards
Corps Commander Joss. It had a nice ring to it. And the mission and mandate he had been given certainly seemed to suit him, and would likely pare well with the other standing orders and assignments that he and Karracca had been given.
As the two of them and Reece sat in the bridge of the Corra VI approaching the Hellas yards, they got their first look at their new ship. The 282 metre long Pelta class Frigate, that was named Bright Light.
She was a good looking ship.
“Probably going to be a bit cramped, with a crew of 900 plus the fighter squadron and attached platoons.” Karracca commented.
“Indeed, likely going to be pretty cozy when we’re out on operations.” Kalen replied.
“We?” Kerak growled.
“Yeah, I need a Deputy Corps Commander. I need some to help me do all the operational planny, strategery fracking thingies. Thats all you, then I put it all into action.”
“I work for the Emissary Society and the Envoy Corps of Brotherhood. Now you want as the Corps Commander of your clans propoganda team?” The Wookie roared incredulously.
“And what am I here Kalen? Bantha fodder? I can plan the sith out of stuff. I fly through space without hitting stuff.” Reece piled on with some rambling beep and boops.“
And there Kalen was alienating his friends and floundering as a leader in 3 different languages in the same conversation.
"Fine Reece, you can be my strategic planner. Karra you can take over running the Corra VI.” Kalen sighed.
“Nah, I dont want it now, I was your second choice.” Reece laughed in binary and wheeled himself out the rear hatch.“
Kalen just shook his head, "You too are just impossible, I tell you, here I am getting this big new assignment and I can’t even count on my frien…”
“Shut up. We’re missing with you Brother, of course we’ll help you, but we just wanna stay on the Corra, its too stuffy on a military ship, think of us as one of your support vessels, make us look more like a squadron. And of course I’ll be your deputy.” Karracca churled as he ruffled Kalen thinning hair with his massive paw from the seat next to him.
“Now, lets go meet your Corps.” Karracca took the controls and flew the ship in for a gentle docking with their new Flagship, knowing they couldn’t afford another ‘accident’.
After touring the ship with XO who had been sent to meet them, Kalen, Karracca, and D-3PO arrived at the bridge of the vessel. Near the rear of the vessel atop the dorsal prominance, it was wider the it was long, with 8 different console wells spread infront of a command deck with 3 chairs. And someone was standing there, as if waiting for them.
“How are you doing Zuser?” Kalen asked.
The Obelisk Adherent glared out at the bridge, cybernetic arm drumming impatiently on a console currently occupied by an unfortunate Ensign who was just trying to do his job. He brought up his left wrist to his mouth and spoke to his droid Skull.
“Skull, memo to me: whip this bridge into shape before I find out how to drive it myself.”
“Yes, Sir…” came the robotic baritone.
Zuser exhaled sharply through the corner of his mouth as he felt Kalen and his cohorts approach, turn his torso just enough to glare at him.
“As good as one can be with this crew.“
He removed his right hand from the console and turned away from it to sit in one of the chairs, leaving the poor Ensign to his job. His Mandalorian helmet set on the table in front of him, T-visor facing the rest of the table.
“Have half a mind to have my droids come in and rewire this mess into a single helm. But noooo, apparently that’s ’too expensive to reverse.’”
“Sounds like our droids might be from the same production run then.” Kalen was about to added that ‘his R3 droid had a similar idea last week’, but caught himself.
“Reece, my R3 model Chief Navigator suggested we do a similar alteration to the Corra last week…so inefficiencies aside, what do you think of our new Flagship?”
Zuser reclined in his seat and turned his head around, his cybernetic hand making an ‘eh, so-so/good enough’ gesture.
“She’s a good ship, she’ll do. All things considered. Not as big as a Star Destroyer which is good, makes missions easier and less expensive.”
The wrist comm beeps and the depressed mechanical voice of Skull comes through.
“Sir, the ships mechanic crew keeps trying to approach the Banshee and stop the pit droids from refueling her… Chime is threatening to, and I quote, ‘Rip these meatbags limb from limb if they keep interfering’, Sir.” Dual circle saws can be heard in the background. The maverick held eye contact as he responded.
“If they’re too dumb to stop trying then it can’t be helped. Identify the ship with them and the Deck Officer and inform them the ship is only maintained by myself and the droids. If they’re still too dumb to comprehend that, they can talk to me or suffer Chime’s defense system.”
Kalen gazed out the large viewports that wrapped around the front of the bridge and saw a Corsair type raiding vessel parked in one of the shipyard bays next to the Bright Light.
He chuckled to himself. “The things actually got external ventral gunwhales…shouldn’t be too hard to convince folks that she’s a pirate raider, definitely has the look for it.”
“Considering the region of space we occupy, we might spend more time fighting actual pirates then we will deterring Astralis’ false flag raids.” Karracca growled from behind the Jedi Corps Commander.
“You might be right.” Kalen shrugged as he walked over to what he presumed was his command chair and had a seat.
The 450 pound wookie took one look at the 3rd seat, and more specifically its armrests, and remained standing. The chair would leave plenty of room for any normal sized humanoid to fit their rear ends inbetween, but a long history filled with broken or damaged seats that failed to accommodate his unique body shape had given him keen insight into where he could park his butt.
After Zuser, or atleast the component of Zuser that he had been chatting with, got off the comm, Kalen asked, “So are you planning on taking the Banshee out on the first patrol with us?”
“That’s the plan!” Sighed the human, his hands brushing up his forehead into his hair before thumping down on the arms of his chair. “At least, that’s assuming I can trust this crew of neophytes to not crash this thing into the nearest moon. I may be stationing Skull here on the bridge in my stead.”
“If not crashing into a moon is the plan then we should probably keep Kalen away from Navigation console.” Karracca growled before giggling.
“Oh, guess who’s getting on a solo recon mission behind enemy lines at the first opportunity then big guy?” Kalen retorted.
Just then a communication officer notified them that a message was coming in from Hellas Station. “They’re requesting your presence milords.” He said to the 3 Plagueians on the command deck.
Kalen, Karracca and Zuser made their way through their new ship to the forward airlock where the ship was harddocked with Hellas Prime Station itself. They were still unaware of the reason for them being summoned.
“So what do you think they want us for?” Kalen asked Zuser.
Having donned his helmet, the Obelisk Adherent tilted his head. “Probably something along the lines of ‘you are our elite advanced front line team, specialized for missions in the high importance and/or high risk nature’. Honestly though? Could be anything, all bets are off. Last time I was on a team, this happened.” He gestured to his cybernetic right arm.
Kalen nodded solemnly and placed a hand on Zuser’s other shoulder.
“If I order you to do something that might cost you this one, I’ll make sure it’s for such a worthwhile reason you won’t have a reason to complain about it. Deal?…now lets go get our marching orders.” Kalen, Zusers and Karracca made their way through the main airlock and into the station proper.
Zuser chuckled and nodded, cybernetic hand clapping on Kalen’s shoulder. “Sounds like a plan. Not unless there’s another crash landing in the cards.” Zuser’s eyes swept through the station as they walked, cybernetic hand resting on his folded saber. “Think they’ll have us ship out right away?”
“No idea. But I have a feeling we’re about to find out.” Kalen said as spotted some Plagueian summiteers standing near the railing on the upper level of the stations docking hub.
“Heya boss. Come to see us off?” Kalen said to Furios as he approached the group of Plagueian leaders.
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“In a manner of speaking. I also wanted to talk to you about monopolizing the time of the clergy at the Monastery. The Abbot said you’ve enlisted a bunch of his people in brewing peach cider on an almost weekly basis now.” Furios said flatly as he glared at the Jedi.
“Well, I did ask you about talking to them a few months ago didnt I?”
“Yeah, talking to them, not setting up a farkin commercial brewery there. They’re still monks after all. It’s fine for now, but when you get back, just move your brewing equipment out of there and hire your own employees going forward.” The Tyranus Quaester replied.
“Understood boss.” Kalen said apologetically.