Chapter 2: Forges of Ithyari

[Rogue 4]

Nat raised a skeptical eyebrow, speaking into the comm. "No offense to Captain Antilles, but I believe he has broken most of the rules in the book."

---

"I know...believe me I know, but..." She continued her out of character examination of the floor. "When you've had your heart torn to pieces you kind of expect it to happen again. And Deign...he wasn't always the person who ordered my murder either."

Edited September 10, 2007 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

Tak shook his head. "That last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. Believe me when I say that. I'll prove to you that I'm better than him. I..."

He stopped when he heard a door open and footsteps down the hall.

"We should finish this discussion later."

[Rogue 4]

She nodded, her eyes tightening in apprehension. "Time to go do our thing." She started walking down the hall, then stopped and turned back to him. "Tak...don't get hurt parading about in gang colors, alright?"

[Drake 53]

He smiled, reassuringly. "I promise, babe. Watch out for yourself too, okay?"

[Rogue 4]

"Me?" Layla gave him a cocky grin. "i've got to watch out for these insertion newbs. Don't you worry about me."

[Drake 53]

"Just don't get that perfect backside shot at while you're busy covering the rookies'."

He chuckled and grabbed a hood and bandana from the duffle bag. He was already wearing black so he stood around and waited for the rest.

[Rogue 4]

"I'll try not to." She winked, before going to change into her own gear.

[Drake 53]

Takeshi tried not to focus on what had just happened, instead deciding to check and secure all of his weapons hidden across his body.

[Princess 35]

Nima let out a disgruntled sigh. "Yes he has, and look how successful both Rogue and Wraith squadrons are."

[Vergere 1]

With everyone almost ready to go they returned to the room where Tak was. "Ready to go, boss?" Although she had the gentle smile and soft voice, her eyes were closed off to everyone, making it impossible to figure out what was going on in her head. Although, if Layla were there, it's possible she might have sensed an unusual tightness or tension about Brier, even though physically Brier was very casual and nonchalant.

[Radioactive Isotope 29]

"I was unaware Captian Antillies and the Rogues and Wraiths even knew there was a rule book," Atuarre said dryly.

[Ayingel 24]

Szen looked around their room one more time before checking herself over one last time. Looking in the mirror, she pulled her hair up, grabbed her pack and walked out to wait with everyone else. As she looked at them, Szen started to realize that they weren't as ragtag as she had first thought. Now that they were all finally doing their jobs, she saw everyone in a new light.

Maybe this will be easier than it first seemed.

She walked up to Aston and tried an attempt at a conversation.

"So, what do we have for known codewords?"

[Bad furday 57]

Jya rummaged around in her pack and cloak, retrieving various explosives. Tak had said they were 'going to start things off with a bang', and she needed to be prepared.

Laying out the various weapons on the bed, Jya began hiding them on her body. Luckily, the outfit did not involve any skintight pieces, or this job would have been extremely difficult.

As Jya packed, she felt the familiar feeling of past demoliton jobs washing over her.

Here we go....again.

[Bad furday 57]

Arlan laughed at what the captain and Nat were discussing.

Having been sitting in space for a few hours, it felt good to pass the time talking, as opposed to just sitting there, lost in one's own thoughts.

Which was what was happening to Arlan now.

The R2 unit behind him wasn't exactly talkative. He really would have to see if that R5 from the kitchen was available for flying. That droid had an interesting personality.

Arlan glanced out the windows of the ship, the endless starfield filling his vision. Not having been in space as much as the others, he was still awed by the sheer magnitude of the galaxy.

Silence.

The only sound was his heart beating, and his breathing.

Does the air seem really stuffy in here?

Arlan breathed deeper, and felt the blood thundering in his ears. His vision grew blurry, and there was a sense of detachment from reality. His heart hammered in his chest, and breathing grew quicker, more ragged.

The X wing's small cockpit began to close in around him, suffocating, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Arlan's panicked yell cut through the comm silence.

"I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! CAN'T BREATHE!

Black spots began at the corners of his vision, as Arlan grasped the handle for the hatch release.

[Princess 35]

"ARLAN! Calm down!" Nima realized that Arlan was trying to escape his fighter. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath. You're not running out of air."

Nima swung her fighter around so that it was facing Arlan's. "Look at me Arlan. I'm fine. We're all fine. You're fine. Take a deep breath Arlan."

[Mara 29]

Having tuned out the current conversation over the comm, Kaden was shot from his reverie by Arlan's scream. He tried to think of something to say that would calm him down, but he came up short. Something like this wasn't in his forte.

When Nima's voice came over the comm, he settled down, too, but remained quiet. The last thing the kid needed was all six voices telling him to calm down at once. He was likely to get worse.

One calming voice was enough for Arlan.

[Bad furday 57]

Arlan heard Nima through the thundering in his ears.

He looked up and saw her looking back at him from her fighter.

Taking a deep breath, Arlan, shuddered, before letting go of the handle.

There was a pause, in which the only sound was that of Arlan trying to control his breathing.

Jya. Just think of Jya. Think of how she feels, tastes, smells. Think of what you will do when you see each other again. It will be alright...

"Thanks Nima...I guess I..I guess I"m just not as used to sitting in space as the rest of you."

[Mara 29]

Artie whistled softly in relief, knowing that Arlan would be okay for now.

Don't worry, kid, I don't think any of us get used to sitting for long periods before a battle. Anybody can go crazy sometimes, even the most battle-hardened ones...

[Rogue 4]

Nat had been on the comm with the shuttle that was carrying their gear for them to Ithyari, trying to prepare them in case they needed to pick up an EV pilot. But the lower tone of Arlan's voice relieved him.

It's too easy to forget that we have some flight-rookies in the group. Still, I didn't expect Officer Vaar to react like that. He flicked on the comm. "Everything okay?"

[Princess 35]

"That's good Arlan. Keep taking deep breaths. Close your eyes and imagine you're in a wide open space. Breathe in, count to 10, then breathe out slowly. You're gonna be ok." Nima switched back to two flight's channel. "I think that things are ok Natri'amor, but I want to stay by Arlan in case this happens again. Claustrophobia in space is a bad thing. We need to get groundside soon."

[Rogue 4]

"Unfortunatly it doesn't look like we can do that just yet. Until we get the call from Officer Braenen we're stuck here. We just have to hope that Lieutenant Beskar's team does their job quickly." Nat's lekku writthed in their warmers. "In the meantime, is he going to be alright in his X-wing? I would preffer for him to stay there, but if he can't manage we can have him go EV and the shuttle carrying our support personel can pick him up."

[Princess 35]

"I think that I can get him to stay in there. We just need the rest of the squadron to hurry. I'm not sure how long I can keep him in his fighter. His mind is very fragile right now." Nima thought for a moment. "E4, can you get any readings from the life support system in Arlan's fighter. I want to know if this is going to happen again before it does."

E4 tootled and started a rapid fire conversation with Arlan's droid.

[Rogue 4]

"I understand." Nat told her. "Let the Captain or I know if there's anything we can do to help."

---

"Okay," Layla said, emerging from her room in what appeared to be normal clothes for her. "Szen, Aston, if you're both ready we have a little pit stop to make before we head to the relay station."

She had taken the time to clear her mind, and compose herself, and now felt ready in her element. She turned to Tak. Like he had said everything else would have to come later. "I'm going to assume, knowing you...that this distraction you have planned is going to be big, flashy, and noticeable."

[Princess 35]

"Will do five." Nima glanced back towards Arlan's fighter.

Edited September 11, 2007 by Princess

[Drake 53]

"Of course!" He said with a grin. "Why else did we bring Jya along if not for flashy and noticable? Do you have everything you need?"