Chapter 1: Baptism By Fire

[Princess 35]

Nima turned to Atzena. "I thought about staying for another round, but I'd been travelling for 18 standard hour before that hour in the sims and the interview with the Captain, and I was just totally drained. I was planning on grabbing a quick cup of caf, then got dragged into the plotting of the downfall of that sorry excuse of a chef."

[Chickenman 9]

Atzena grinned.

"So what exactly did the guy do? Not that that matters, of course."

Edited June 22, 2007 by Chickenman

[Rogue 4]

"Apparently this serving droid dropped two trays of pastries, and he decided to beat it up. Poor thing." Layla tiredly twirled a strand of hair round her finger. "Then he served the pastries anyway, made the bean paste taste worse than crushed dung beetles that roasted under Tatooine's twin suns, and used a strange and obviously un-Corellian alcohol in the Corellian sweetcake--which was stale by the way."

She paused. "Oh, and the caf is strong enough to corrode ferracrete."

[Chickenman 9]

Atzena's smile dissapeared.

"He's dead."

[Princess 35]

"Maybe we should feed him some of his own food. I bet that he keeps the good stuff for himself." Nima sat up. "I wonder who I'm rooming with."

[Rogue 4]

Lazily, Layla stole the binoculars out of Tak's hands. "Atzena Meiling." she smiled. "Looks like you two are rooming together."

Edited June 22, 2007 by Rogue

[Chickenman 9]

Atzena flashed Nima a smile.

"I don't foresee any problems there, do you?"

[Princess 35]

Nima laughed. "You don't snore do you?"

[Chickenman 9]

"You'll have to tell me."

She glanced at the screen.

"What holo is this?"

[Princess 35]

Nima snickered. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to let you know if you do. And I'm not sure, some random HoloSoap that Layla found."

[Rogue 4]

"Doesn't look like any HoloDrama I've seen."

Slouching Layla suddenly sat rigidly on the couch. "L-Lieutenant Riamor, sir?"

"Staying out of trouble Officer Nasrin?"

"Of course sir. I wouldn't let the thought of anything mischievous pop into my head, sir."

[Princess 35]

Nima stretched and yawned. "Lieutenant, guys, if you'll excuse me, I think that I'm going to grab some rack time while I can. I want to inspect the medical facilities later and I'd prefer to do it while awake." She stood, saluted, and headed towards the door.

[Rogue 4]

"Goodnight Officer Secura. Your belongings should be in your room."

"Sir, I think I'm going to go do the same thing, sir." Layla said, eager to be out from under those piercing topaz eyes. She handed Tak's binoculars back to him, said goodnight to everyone and fled the room like a durney in the gaze of a hungry katarn.

Relief flooded through her as she walked through the long corridors, the worry dripping from her with every step, and then suddenly a new wave of emotions found her.

She paused in front of the simulator room, drowning in the despair and desperation that masked the determination of the person who's emotions she so clearly felt.

She looked through the transparasteel door to the simulator room. One of them was active. Her intuition told her it was the same person who's emotions were smothering her.

[Chickenman 9]

Atzena smiled at Lieutenant Riamor.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack as well. Goodnight, Lieutenant."

With that, she headed for her room.

[Rogue 4]

Laylas made herself go down the hall, needing to escape before she drowned. The farther she got, the more bearable it was, and the less it reminded her of her own problems. She finally reached her door, and went inside. Atuarre was already asleep, so she crept over to the other bed, ignoring her personal belongings for now. She'd unpack when she knew she wasn't leaving. On that note, Layla Nasrin went to bed.

The first thing she felt as she awoke was the heat of the feracrete beneath her, followed by the throbbing of her shoulder and the burning in her lungs. She opened her eyes, looking around, and never had she been more afraid in her life. She felt like she was choking. The smoke billowed around her, stealing away her lifebreath, stinging her eyes, and filling her with an overwhelming sense of despair. All she could see around her was the fire---and before she knew it, she felt that too....

She burst awake, sitting up and clutching her chest as her ragged breathing came to slow. A dream, it was a dream. A memory of those flames...she was at Altagak Base now, not some warehouse in Tyrena. What did she have to fear? Still, it had been as vivid as that night and she found her hands roaming over her body, checking for the injuries that should have been there---but had been healed all those years ago.

She looked at the chrono. It was early, but there was no way in the Core Worlds she was going to be able to sleep again, so instead she showered, and left the room to find some breakfast.

What she found instead was a familiar sense of despair and frustration outside the simulator room.

She grabbed two trays instead of one, sneaking them out and doubling back to the simulator room. She kicked the door gently open with a foot, and took a seat on one of the room's observational seats.

[Chickenman 9]

"Fierfek!"

Aeric ferociously kicked at a rudder pedal, cracking it. He didn't care though.

The same sim, for over a week. And no matter what I try, the result is always the same. But it can't be. It can't be. There had to be something I could have done!

For the first time in hours, he crawled out of the sim, a haunted look on his face. He staggered forward, not noticing Layla.

[Rogue 4]

"Good morning Captain Tunon." Layla's gentle voice came from behind him. "I know this probably goes against base policy, but I thought you might want something to eat after a long night in the sims."

[Chickenman 9]

He whirled around, still looking as though he'd seen a ghost.

Then again, I have. Many of them. And I watched...

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He simply stared.

[Rogue 4]

She stared back at him, meeting his gaze evenly as if she could see through to his soul---and to some degree she could. "Forgive my bluntness, but all night in the sims...replaying one mission I assume. Trying to fix it? Trying to find a way out...I can't think of another reason you'd spend all night in the sims, sir."

She tilted her head curiously. "Was it that bad?"

[Chickenman 9]

He regarded her as gently as his phantom-stare would allow.

"Yes."

[Rogue 4]

"I'm sorry." She stood, regarding him with a pained expression. "But...If they cared about you, Captain Tunon, they wouldn't want you to keep mourning like this. They would want you to continue living not join them in death and as long as you continue reliving what happened---the longer you're stuck in those moments, the more control it will have over you. Before you know it your past will be your present, and without a present you'll be denied a future as well."

[Chickenman 9]

"I could have done something. I know I could have. I just don't know what. And I have to find out."

[Rogue 4]

"I know." Layla's eyes burned with hisnsame emotions. "I know...because I used to wake up thinking the same thing, I still do sometimes..." She sighed, looking away. "In a galaxy full of infinate poissibilities it seems there has to be a way, but what do you do when you find it?"

[Chickenman 9]

He paused.

"I don't want you to play that mission. That's an order."

[Drake 53]

Takeshi woke suddenly in the couch he had apparently fallen asleep in the previous night. He looked around and found only Arlan still sleeping in his chair.

Guess it was a long day...fell asleep myself!

He turned his attention to the still-playing holo of Teroch's vid information. His little droid appeared to be currently stalking the cook as he went about his breakfast duties. Tak smiled.

He hadn't been entirely truthful to the others. He didn't particularly like lying to Layla anymore. He lied, in particular, about Teroch. He was alien in origin but Takeshi found him on the moon Dxun along with a number of other Mandalorian technology. In truth, Teroch was the brain of a Mandalorian Basilisk war droid. One which Takeshi kept stored at a secret location...