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Prologue: Promotion!
The shuttle bumped to a stop and the rear door slowly opened, revealing a cityscape unlike any Trey had seen before. The city had level upon level of building reaching several miles into the sky, and from this vantage point, down into the sky as well. Vehicles traveled well practiced routes the standard 10 meters apart in several areas above, and in some cases, through buildings.
His gloved hand reached up to shield his brown eyes as he quickly and routinely took in the security points and made a mental note of an escape route. The red moustache adorning his upper lip slid into a smirk as his conscious mind realized what his training was up to. Having already checked his Power Cell attached to the Annihilator-5, both in excellent condition, Trey put his helmet under his arm and stepped down the ramp.
Almost immediately a two-man transport appeared.
“Trooper McDuff?” the driver asked officially. After nodding, Treywick mounted the transport on the other side and memorized the turns taken during the short trip to the Command Center. A slight bit of apprehension was quickly squashed as he dismounted and stepped through the front doors of the Command Center. An unknown sergeant fell in beside him as he made his way towards the security checkpoint.
“The brass is going to be happy to see you, McDuff.” Sergeant gruffed. “Morale has been in the dumps since we lost Lieutenant Aric Jordan.” His face became a bit softer. “Fine soldier.”
“Yes, Sergeant…” Treywick paused.
“Gnoral, Sir” he paused as Treywick looked at him sharply. “I guess that was a little premature…Trooper McDuff.” And with that Sergeant Gnoral stepped down a hallway and disappeared from sight.
His apprehension increased at the hint Sergeant Gnoral had conveniently dropped for him. During his tour rebuilding Havoc Squad, and his current tour with Alpha Company, Trooper McDuff did not see himself becoming an officer. The situation here must be worse than he had anticipated.
Coming to the end of the long hallway, Trooper McDuff nodded to the ceremonial guard.
‘All flash and no combat experience’ he filed away the assessment for future use, if necessary.
The guard stepped smartly and turned to open the double doors behind him. The room inside was not what Trey had expected. Several holomaps were surrounded by officers pointing and vehemently discussing what looked to be troop movements. The tight security inside the room was incongruous with the lack of outer security. Fully armored Vanguards lined the balconies, interspersed with a few Commandos with their Kholto cells activated. It almost looked as if an attack on this position was imminent.
As Trey stepped into the room, two Vanguards stepped in front of him, weapons ‘ready’. Without thinking he reached for his badge, and the ‘ready’ became ‘aim’, incredibly close ‘aim’. He barely let his agitation show as he pulled his arms back to an upright position and allowed the right Vanguard to examine his badge. He then removed his shades as a retinal scanner was applied by a nearby Cyborg-Commando. Only after clearing the scan was he allowed to step into the room.
‘Definitely worse than I had been led to believe’
On the top left balcony a holomap larger than the others and with higher level brass extended partway into the room. Looking for the nearest stairs, Trey quickly went to the balcony, looking for the Commander who had summoned him to this planet. As he arrived, the holomap went quiet, and every eye was on him, except one. With an audible sigh, a Major with a solid blue bald head, red eyes, and a full rack of republic commendations walked towards him and motioned to a door on the side. Partly distracted by the Chiss standing before him, Trey paused a moment before walking through the open door. The door boomed shut behind him, seeming to close off the world.
“Drink, Lt. McDuff?” the Chiss asked with a decidedly crooked smile.
Rather than argue the point, Trey stood at attention, and shook his head no.
“One of the finer points of being an officer, Lt. McDuff, is the ability to requisition better… accommodations, shall we say?” the Chiss walked over to a large desk and sat down behind it. “Oh, do sit down,” he motioned to a chair across from him, “my name is Major Knvlick, and you have just been promoted. This planet is the third largest harvest point for Kholto known to the republic, and has been a republic stronghold for many years. Your first order of business… clear the planet of Imperials.”
Trey could not hide his shock as he was halfway to his seat. Imperials, this far into Republic territory, and with a foothold, no less.
‘Could this get any worse’ he thought to himself, and yes, it turns out, it most definitely could.
The shuttle bumped to a stop and the rear door slowly opened, revealing a cityscape unlike any Trey had seen before. The city had level upon level of building reaching several miles into the sky, and from this vantage point, down into the sky as well. Vehicles traveled well practiced routes the standard 10 meters apart in several areas above, and in some cases, through buildings.
His gloved hand reached up to shield his brown eyes as he quickly and routinely took in the security points and made a mental note of an escape route. The red moustache adorning his upper lip slid into a smirk as his conscious mind realized what his training was up to. Having already checked his Power Cell attached to the Annihilator-5, both in excellent condition, Trey put his helmet under his arm and stepped down the ramp.
Almost immediately a two-man transport appeared.
“Trooper McDuff?” the driver asked officially. After nodding, Treywick mounted the transport on the other side and memorized the turns taken during the short trip to the Command Center. A slight bit of apprehension was quickly squashed as he dismounted and stepped through the front doors of the Command Center. An unknown sergeant fell in beside him as he made his way towards the security checkpoint.
“The brass is going to be happy to see you, McDuff.” Sergeant gruffed. “Morale has been in the dumps since we lost Lieutenant Aric Jordan.” His face became a bit softer. “Fine soldier.”
“Yes, Sergeant…” Treywick paused.
“Gnoral, Sir” he paused as Treywick looked at him sharply. “I guess that was a little premature…Trooper McDuff.” And with that Sergeant Gnoral stepped down a hallway and disappeared from sight.
His apprehension increased at the hint Sergeant Gnoral had conveniently dropped for him. During his tour rebuilding Havoc Squad, and his current tour with Alpha Company, Trooper McDuff did not see himself becoming an officer. The situation here must be worse than he had anticipated.
Coming to the end of the long hallway, Trooper McDuff nodded to the ceremonial guard.
‘All flash and no combat experience’ he filed away the assessment for future use, if necessary.
The guard stepped smartly and turned to open the double doors behind him. The room inside was not what Trey had expected. Several holomaps were surrounded by officers pointing and vehemently discussing what looked to be troop movements. The tight security inside the room was incongruous with the lack of outer security. Fully armored Vanguards lined the balconies, interspersed with a few Commandos with their Kholto cells activated. It almost looked as if an attack on this position was imminent.
As Trey stepped into the room, two Vanguards stepped in front of him, weapons ‘ready’. Without thinking he reached for his badge, and the ‘ready’ became ‘aim’, incredibly close ‘aim’. He barely let his agitation show as he pulled his arms back to an upright position and allowed the right Vanguard to examine his badge. He then removed his shades as a retinal scanner was applied by a nearby Cyborg-Commando. Only after clearing the scan was he allowed to step into the room.
‘Definitely worse than I had been led to believe’
On the top left balcony a holomap larger than the others and with higher level brass extended partway into the room. Looking for the nearest stairs, Trey quickly went to the balcony, looking for the Commander who had summoned him to this planet. As he arrived, the holomap went quiet, and every eye was on him, except one. With an audible sigh, a Major with a solid blue bald head, red eyes, and a full rack of republic commendations walked towards him and motioned to a door on the side. Partly distracted by the Chiss standing before him, Trey paused a moment before walking through the open door. The door boomed shut behind him, seeming to close off the world.
“Drink, Lt. McDuff?” the Chiss asked with a decidedly crooked smile.
Rather than argue the point, Trey stood at attention, and shook his head no.
“One of the finer points of being an officer, Lt. McDuff, is the ability to requisition better… accommodations, shall we say?” the Chiss walked over to a large desk and sat down behind it. “Oh, do sit down,” he motioned to a chair across from him, “my name is Major Knvlick, and you have just been promoted. This planet is the third largest harvest point for Kholto known to the republic, and has been a republic stronghold for many years. Your first order of business… clear the planet of Imperials.”
Trey could not hide his shock as he was halfway to his seat. Imperials, this far into Republic territory, and with a foothold, no less.
‘Could this get any worse’ he thought to himself, and yes, it turns out, it most definitely could.