And this is not our fate (Fel Military)

[Jared Starchaser]

The problem with the galaxy was that there was hardly ever peace. It wasn’t for lack of trying, this was because of so many beings, so many borders, so many doctrines. It just was a numbers game. If one group could find neighbors that didn’t want to bother with fighting things out, that would make peace, but for as long as the Sith were around, the galaxy would always have a public enemy number one.

They were a race, sure, and that was genocide to take them all out, but it still needed to happen. Not the raise of the Sith, but the ones who tried to stand above everyone else? That just wouldn’t work. Making his way back to Bastion for a shakedown between trips in the front, Jared made sure he was stopping by his typical haunt. It was an old fighter pilot bar with a rich history, and mission patches all along the walls.

That was the cool thing about it.

Sitting at the bar, in his Starfighter Corp uniform, the Imperial Cadet was here more as a military man, despite his saber hanging on his hip. Ordering a Corellian Whiskey, he turned his eyes up to Holonet screen, and the report that was being read by the stereotypically busty blonde.

She brought the ratings up, and he knew her skits, and thankfully wasn’t able to hear her over the music in the bar, but he could read. It was nice to see that there was a turning point for the engagements he was fighting. Maybe soon he’d be able to calm down and work on his Force training to gain his armor. The pilot raised his shot up to the screen before taking it.

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

Life in the intervening days between departing her homeworld of Morellia, crossing Sith space, and heading straight to Zeltros had been a whirlwind complicated by a torrid affair with a girl she had in the end discovered to be Sith. Just what, exactly, was it about her that her life was marked by them? Why was it the very first person she met, liked, and had started to possibly feel comfortable with was the last thing she wanted anything to do with? These were questions she might never have an answer to, and if she never did, it was no loss. But what she did have an answer to is what she might do to keep herself from turning out the same way.

The Fel Imperium had its decree with respect to the Sith - conversion, else be culled from the herd of life. It was an extreme to walk this road, to show such a severity of opposition to that which she did not wish to become. It made sense in her mind. Perhaps… just perhaps she was trying to prove something to herself. Regardless, her mind had been made up, and quickly.

It had been merely three days since she had arrived on the capital world of the Fel’s small dominion, which was Bastion. She had looked briefly into the history of the world, to find that it had been a world attached to an empire of a different kind, hundreds of years long into the past. One that, with what little she knew of the Fel Imperium… she could draw some parallels between the two. But…

...none of that mattered at the moment. RIght at this very moment, she was following the directions given to hunt down a fighter pilot bar she’d been told of, as she had enlisted her body and modest skills with the Starfighter Corps. So… it was never too early to go try and meet some other pilots. It could never hurt. Finding what looked to be the right place, she checked the name on the sign against the name on the piece of scrap flimsi the directions had been jotted down on, smiled with a small amount of satisfaction that she hadn’t gotten completely lost on this still alien world, and gingerly pushed her way in through the door, casting her grey-eyes a look around the premises, taking in the unique details on the walls and how the place was laid out. After that?

Well, after that, she looked a little lost. She didn’t know anyone here.

So, this is what being the ‘new girl’ feels like, huh?

Lia smirked at her own thoughts and shrugged, moseying on up to the bar and imploring the bartender for…

“Surprise me, sugar.”, she lilted, her vague Morellian accent giving her away as an offworlder. "I'm not too picky when it comes to some things I put in my mouth."

...well, that would do it.

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

The war was changing its path, after all. The Sith had fallen, and there was the land grab. The worlds had two options, to change, or to be destroyed. It was an ultimatum, and maybe not one that Jared felt 100% confident with, but once he was in battle, he wasn’t thinking. It cleared the mind, really. And that was important. Sure, he was an Imperial Cadet and that meant he was going to put himself behind the Imperator, which was true, he was going to, but he wasn’t some mindless soldier.

He had to think about where the line was between orders and what the Force would want. Yes, the Sith were evil, but some were noncombatants, and that changed a whole group of them. It wasn’t that there was any confusion for him, he knew in the heat of the moment where he was supposed to be. But when the hour got late, and he was drinking, he did start to think.

And that wasn’t what he was paid for. That was why he came drinking, to not think.

Bastion was a great place to clear ones mind. It was the Fel Capital, anything that felt out of place was put right on this world. Especially in this bar. Hell, even a Warbird patch managed its way onto this wall. Not that he was going to be paying special homage to it, sure it was his home, but he was part of the Fel Space Corps now. Looking over to the new arrival, he gave a light nod.

An exotic, that was fun. And well, yeah, she was going to be, redhead and crudeness. Terrific. “Might wanna be careful how loud ya say stuff like that, pilots be around.” He grinned, taking another sip from his drink.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

She slipped onto a barstool, and watched the ‘tender as he did up something that started yellow at the bottom and moved from green to blue. He slid it to her with practiced finesse in a wide-fluted glass, and she traded the necessary credits, plucking the drink from the bar counter by the stem.

“I know…”, the redhead began, not looking at him just yet. “...I am one.”

Then she took a soft sip of the clearly sweet drink, a toe-curling smile painted on her lips when she lowered the glass. Then and only then did she slide her grey eyes over to the man who had spoken, and saw that he was not just another unimportant patron, but someone (another pilot, by the style and cut of his uniform), that she just might end up being stuck with.

Not that this was a bad thing. He was far, far from ugly. Lia lifted the glass to her mouth and took another sip.

“So, was that a warning, Mister Nameless, or are you hitting on me?”

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Typical kind of drink for a girl, but they could order it, and not get odd stares. Was that jealous? Not really, too much sugar made Jared feel like he was going to crash, and that was never a good feeling. But it made the ‘tenders work more than just beer and whiskey. Plus Jared got to drink pretty cheaply, if not for free, most times in this bar.

Grinning at her retort, he gave her a once over. “Oh yeah? Freelance or…?” He didn’t quite recognize her, and he was Commander of a Space Wing. The Space Wing when it came to the Fels.

Seeing her eyes, the Starchaser’s steel blue eyes met hers before looking away, not in a submissive way, just in an observational way.

“Now, warning you just doesn’t make sense, if you are, in fact, a pilot yourself.” He smirked at her. “Where you from, its not here, and you’ve spent too much time on one world.” Even if he couldn’t pick it out.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

Lia took another couple of gentle sips of her drink, a drink whose name she did not know and honestly didn’t care to know, and listened to this man talk. And sat relatively still. A strange position to be in after… well, after.

“Not freelance… just… new, around here.” She said, the words that pegged her as basically a nobody still not tasting great in her mouth.

Despite that pretty much being the case back home, as she was second to her sister, she still was what she was even if she had little intent of going back for the time being. She wasn’t even certain that she would go back in the event of her sister passing before bearing an heiress (unrealistic), even if blood and ascendancy required it of her.

“Morellia. All the way on the other side of Sith space…” Her nose wrinkled in distaste. “...or rather, former Sith space. That is… was my home.”

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Jared tried to only speak when he had something to say. Not really a man of words, but a man of action, it was the pilot in him. There wasn’t really any negotiating needed when you were in a fighter, hence the need to not talk. But sometimes, there were just people that needed to be impressed. Most of the time.

Nodding, he finished his drink, tapping the rim of the glass with a finger when he made eye contact with the bartender. New, around here? So, someone else for the Space Wing. “A Fel pilot, then?” That wasn’t a bad thing, they could always use more pilots.

Morellia. He nodded, sure, he’d heard of it, and it clicked now. Jared had been all around the galaxy. Raising his refilled glass to the holoscreen and to his companion, he smirked. “Don’t those words just flow so well? Former Sith?” As in, gone.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

“Yes, from being the second daughter of House Urstalis of Morellia to… a Fel pilot.” One corner of her mouth curled in a bemused half-a-grin. “And already, my life is infinitely more exciting.”

She tipped back a mouthful of the yellow-green-blue drink, significantly more than the dainty little sips she had been taking so far. This kind of drinking was idle enjoyment, far from the getting drunk territory that she had indulged in a handful of times over the past little while. Swallowing, she turned her face fully to the guy she’d ended up talking to, saw him pick up a fresh glass of whiskey, and raise it to the holoscreen, then to her.

The other end of Lia’s lips lifted, forming full, and somewhat pleased soft grin. She reciprocated, lifting her glass and gingerly clinking it to his.

“Music to my ears… beautiful, flowing music,” the redhead replied, in wholehearted agreement, at which point, she took another decent-sized gulp of her drink. It was vanishing fast. Maybe she was thirsty? Swallowing, she looked at him with a look that, while indicating mild enjoyment, was largely quizzical, though the lilt of her voice seemed to betray a thin degree of flirtation. “So, tell me: do you have a name, or do I have to settle for calling you ‘hey, you’, or... something else?”

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Oh a politicians daughter. That was trouble. Granted, Jared knew little about politics, but whenever anyone claimed to be of ‘house such and such,’ he automatically assumed a baron, or other political rank of something. “Well, that’s because pilots always have more fun.”

Or that was the supposed standard. Jared, being part of the command structure, had to at least keep his fun and games to a minimum, or quiet and behind the typical, ahem, closed doors. And with the right people, that was possible, though still rare for the Starchaser.

At least she was against the Sith, that was a good thing. “It really is. And so eloquently put.” Finishing his drink, he grinned at her. “I suppose ‘hey, you’ could for right now. But I go by Jared.” No need for the last name, depending where this night was heading, he wasn’t really sure he wanted to screw it all up right now. Chances are she didn’t even know her CO yet, though.
@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

She finished her drink. That was that. Did she want another? Well, maybe, maybe not. As nice as Jared was to look at, and how easy it was in general to flirt with just about anyone, letting it slip further than that with just as much ease hadn’t turned out well, lately, and even if Jared was in agreement about the Sith, she didn't know who or what he really was. Sure, it had gone pretty well initially, with Emily, but she still hadn’t forgiven herself for being blind enough, once again, to not see a Sith for what it was… even if Emily was by no means a match for the man her father had been. Former Sith, indeed.

“Nice to meet you, Jared.” Lia replied, handing her now-empty glass off to the bartender, and when he asked if she wanted another, she asked for the same thing Jared was drinking, instead. Too many of those sweet things would not end well for her, no matter where the night went. “My name is Marselia, but… Lia will do just fine.”

She glanced again at the holoscreen, then back to her companion.

“How long have you been a part of…” Lia lifted a hand, whirling it about. “...all this? Why the Fel and not anywhere else?”

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Jared really didn’t have to report in tomorrow, he was on shakedown time, which made life a lot easier for him. Still, he couldn’t let things get too far out of hand, being a commander and all that. He needed to make sure he was setting an example. And that example was to have fun, but when you had a post, you made sure you were there in full dress and ready for everything. Being an Imperial Cadet, he let it get to his head a bit, but he felt he was a fair judge of people.

Very few mistakes from this Starchaser.

Smirking, he tried to get the attention of the tender to put her drink on his tab. It made it easier that way, and hell, polite. If he was anything, he definitely made sure he gave off the officer and gentleman vibe, for what it was worth. “Well, its a pleasure, Lia.” The news was just running the war effort, and general business for the Fel Imperium. At least it wasn’t chasing down the latest celebrity trend. That was reassuring.

“I followed the Imperator when he refounded the Fel Imperium, so here from the start really. And you might say its family business. My father has worked with the Fels in the past. Its what I’ve been taught to respect.” Why not be honest? It was the truth, after all.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

The family business, hm?

Well, wasn’t that all neat and tidy and simple… in fact, she was almost jealous of him. The barkeep slid her drink to her, and she immediately picked it up and went back to daintily sipping a little bit at a time, as she had done initially with her first drink.

“Following in your father’s footsteps… now there is a trend I can’t ever be caught repeating,” she said with a smirk of her own as she took another small sip of the whisky, which she had been first exposed to at sixteen, on her birthday. More than once she had wondered if the introduction of alcohol into her life held a dual purpose for… she blinked, breathed in and out, and banished the thought. "Noble, in a way."

Why had she brought this subject up, anyway? The redhead smiled through it, slightly sombre.

“But that’s good. Good for you. It’s… purposeful,” Lia affirmed, leaving the glass on the bartop, with her hand around it. She hoped to find this place, this imperium purposeful, too.

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Saving people, hunting things.

It made Jared have a point and direction. Sure, for others, and his second cousin who was doing Force knew what on some forsaken world or another, they had the opportunity to be who they were going to be. For Jared, he was a soldier, a pilot. It was what he knew. From the first days he could really remember, he lived aboard a Star Destroyer, waiting with the other younglings as the parents in the rogue Wing carried out Fel interests without any Fel to lead them.

“Its… What I know, what I’ve been taught.” Sure, he was educated, having taken classes along with Ellia in astrogation and astrospace technology, but he was military through and through. And he really couldn’t say he hated it. “It makes things simple, and if I can affect change…” He cut himself off and shrugged. No need to get that philosophical.

“Its better than some folk, they just kind of find themselves in these watering holes with not much else to go on.” That was a life he didn't think he could live, ever.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

‘...they just kind of find themselves in these watering holes with not much else to go on.’

Oh, if only anyone knew… that was exactly what she’d done with her life up until a couple weeks ago. Keeping her mouth shut on the matter, she sipped at the whisky in her glass again, and thought of what else there was to talk about.

“Yeah. At least we’ve got something to go on, right?” And her smile came back. “So, the people here, are they alright? I mean, I can’t base all my expectations on you, now can I?”

And then the grin returned, and she knocked back another little bit of her drink, with a laugh.

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

His father wasn’t always a military man. There was a lot of Coren Starchaser that was a smuggler. According to his father, Jared’s grandfather was a Jedi who was on the run. And that made Coren trained, but never formally educated in the ways of the Force. Running, his father made his way through the galaxy, smuggling, as an intergalactic wheelman of sorts. Until he came across Lily Ardellian and Scall McLean. That brought the Starchaser line in with the Fels. And the Chiss. It wasn’t quite so simple as that, but still. The majority of it was.

Taking a sip of his drink, Jared gave one of his rare smiles. But with Lia being, well, attractive, the booze, and the way she phrased it, one was pulled out of him. “The Imperium? Yes, they’re a fine bunch. Some loose screws and hot wires, but when aren’t there those types, right?” It all made perfect sense to him.

“But I’m sure you’ll fit in fine.” A woman in a uniform? Count him in on that court martial.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

“Right.” She agreed. “Life would be dull without them.”

She could ask him question after question and while she was certain he’d answer all of them to the best of his ability, no amount of poking and prodding would tell her what exposure and experience could. She would have to wait until she actually met and mingled with the other pilots she’d be stuck with.

“I hope so.” She said, following it up with a sip. Lia swallowed, and thought of another good, relevant question, while studying him quietly with her grey eyes. She figured the uniform would look as good on her as it did on him, and then she wondered what he looked like out of it… and she nipped at her lower lip, unable to stop it, or the thoughts, on account of the booze. There was supposed to be talking going on here, right? Right? Moving along, then.

“Well, are there any other… women, or am I walking into a sausage party?”

And she bit her lip, then shook her head lightly, peering into her glass, and taking a slightly larger sip than before. That hadn’t been exactly what she had meant to say, not that she had a problem with being surrounded by men. Not that she wasn’t used to it. Just… not usually in that way. If…

...well, nevermind. She blinked noticeably, started to look like she was saying something, but then clamped her mouth shut. And then, again, with words this time.

"That... did not come out the way I intended." She admitted, with a slight laugh.

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]

 

[Jared Starchaser]

At least she was understanding about that. Every group had their oddballs, but if any one group had everyone fall into the same mode, then nothing would get done. Besides, having everyone being a jack of all trades was just dangerous. They needed people from all walks, who could see something from another angle.

Sure, maybe his idea of fitting in was that she’d have no problem getting her questions answered and the over hyped up military men would be all for laying down and letting her walk over them. That was what he figured might happen, a little bit. Granted, if that was the case, the commanders, Army, Fleet and Starfighters were going to have to make the soldiers fall in line. And that was never really anything Jared looked forward to doing.

“Nah, we’ve got some women, I mean, it’s the military so you’re a rare breed, but we do have Ash, she’s a pilot.” Really, could he name another female in the Fel military? If he was given a bit of time, but not right off his feet. But Ashtara and him went back, so she was going to pop up first. He wasn’t even paying attention to any undertones in her question, just… what it was.

“Never crossed my mind. I figure people aren’t going to be hunting their coworkers for stuff like that.” He smirked, draining his drink, taking a subconscious step closer to her.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

To hear that she was not the only woman was good, even if she believed she could handle herself around the male-dominated nature of your average military. She knocked back a little more of the whisky; another small gulp and her drink would be done for, too. She could easily keep going, and that was the very thought that went through her mind as she took that last gulp, clearing out the glass.

"You figure?" she said with a smirk, then a laugh, of her own, placing the now-empty glass on the bartop. Then she swiveled in the barstool, leaning sideways against the bartop, pulling her rather red hair around to rest over one shoulder. "It's the military. What else could I possibly expect?"

The question was mostly rhetorical, but there was a hint of hesitation in the charged tone of it, that belied the fact that it might actually be serious. But she wasn't in this bar to think, so much as to take her mind off things. The questions were just for building rapport, and... well, talking up a handsome guy never hurt, either.

@[member="Jared Starchaser"].

 

[Jared Starchaser]

It was the military after all. But there were more and more women coming out of the wood work of the galaxy to take their place among the greater stage. And that was something Jared could respect. He knew it was important to give all beings in this crazy, mixed up galaxy their fair shot at everything. Unless you were part of a group where your existence was toxic to everyone. Still, who was he to make that call? Looking at his glass, he swirled the amber liquid around.

He grinned and shook his head at her. What was she to expect? Sure, it was a question that really didn’t need an answer, but Jared… well, sometimes he didn’t always clue into that. Besides, what else was there to talk about? “But, if someone does come after you, that’s all on you, how to handle it.” He smirked, leaning against the bar, not to put his form between her and leaving, but well, he was close enough.

Like most men, Jared was having to fight the urge to just give this redhead the once over, especially at close range like this. Still, his upbringing and discipline were kicking in… mostly. “So what brought you out to this end of the galaxy in the first place? Please tell it wasn’t our bars.” He shot the bartender a look and grinned. Clearly he was jesting about the state of this place.

@[member="Marselia Urstalis"]

 

[Marselia Urstalis]

When the barkeep queried whether she'd like another, she almost looked at him like he was stupid, instead changing tack for a nod and a flirting smile... and he took care of it right quick. Making friends and influencing people, indeed, was not beyond her. At his somewhat unexpected response to her mostly rhetorical question, she let off a highly amused sound that approximated something between a delicate snort and a raucous laugh.

"I assure you, I can handle myself quite... all... right," she said, plucking the now-refilled glass from the counter, and giving it a gentle swirl, giving Jared an almost inviting look when he relaxed against the counter. "Fortunately, my father doted on me in useful ways."

Funny, then, how his next question seemed to touch on that subject in a way.

"Well, it's a good thing you're asking, when..." She held up the glass of whisky, tipping it gently to and fro. "...I'm already a few drinks in. But it more or less comes down to ideals."

@[member="Jared Starchaser"]