Private The Book of Jericho

[Yeshua]

VERUN - ORBIT

Jericho had fallen.

What was meant to be a routine patrol mission evolved into warfare at a blinding speed. He was meant to travel the lanes leading to Druckenwell - anticipating pirate activity in light of the recent refugee crisis. Yet, whilst the CNS Jericho was in Hyperspace, the situation changed. Frantic orders arrived telling Him to turn the ship around. And when they did? Hell was waiting for them. The Vampyre would never forget the feeling of utter shock as they reverted into realspace. Seeing the collosal number of enemy vessels crowding the space above Naboo - complete with a literal monster breaking through the ether.

It was the stuff of nightmares. But their suffering had only begun.

During the assault, the Jericho was all but ripped apart. Concentrated fire and impacts from the monstrosities scuttled his prized command. And though it would have been poetic to go down with the ship, the Commander needed to ensure that his crew survived. In the end, he crowded into one of the last pods leaving the vessel, packed in with the last of his crew. It was uncertain, then, if they would survive the day. It was very uncertain, then, what would happen to their nation. Their home.

That was months ago.

At the present day, the Vampyre had quite the impressive view. A massive viewport was all the stood between him and the void of space. Below, all one could see was a slumbering world. They called it Verun - and it was the newfound home of what remained of the Confederacy. On the surface, many of the survivors and refugees had founded a settlement that was rapidly growing. But here? In orbit? What remained of the nation's military was mustering.

Yeshua had made a call, beckoning all that remained of the Jericho's crew to assemble. Partially to comply with the new orders coming down from command. But mostly...to see who all had made it out.

Thus far, none had arrived.​

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

FINNEA VIRLEE | PETTY OFFICER | IN RECOVERY

'The first impact forced her out of balance and her body slammed against the hard metal underneath before she slid all the way across the decks away from the canon she and the small crew had been working at. The sight she saw way ahead was dreadful and made all the color from her otherwise pale complexion vanish. She knew there was no time to dwell, actions had to be taken and so the petty officer got up and threw herself at the nearest door, frantically typing away the codes to have it open. Once inside, the alarms screamed in every hallway, panicked screams and calls for help was heard from what seemed like every room. Another impact, and Finnea had to catch herself from slamming into another wall. As she kept running, one fire door after the other closed down. At one point she barely passed through a set of doors shutting, and she could hear the four crew members that didn't make it, bang on desperately on the doors from the other side.
She couldn't stay behind. It meant she would suffocate herself in the thick smoke from the fire spreading. Thank goodness she had memorized the entire ship and that her wrist piece told her where the ship was struck. Only one escape pod was available from her location...'


The doors sliding apart was the main source of sound filling the room as the smaller frame of the petty officer from CNS Jericho slowly stepped inside. With one arm in a sling and careful steps, she made her way closer to the captain but it was evident that she had taken a notice of the very same thing as he had; there was nobody else here, despite being pretty late herself. Stopping at quite the distance she tried her best at picking herself up and taking a military stance of respect. "Captain von Sorenn, petty officer Virlee... sir." she announced herself, her proud stance faltering as her back was hurting too much. "Where is everybody?" she both knew and feared the answer before even asking the question.


TAG:

Yeshua von Sorenn​

 

[Yeshua]

The doors hissed open.

A mixture of relief and disappointment rippled through the Vampyre's expression. Relief that anyone had come. Regret that there was only one. His call had been made quite some time ago, and only a single soul had answered. This cemented a grim reality in the officer's mind. He had made it out. As had the woman before him. Outside of that? The crew of the CNS Jericho had perished.

His gaze then focused upon the woman. It was Chief Petty Officer Finnea Virlee. Hers was a face the Bridge had been familiar with. She was the one soul aboard who could bark at the commanding officer without fear of consequence. Why? Because more often than not, their lives were in her hands. And not once had she let them down. Not once had she let Him down.

He noted her injuries. How she struggled to stand at attention. "At ease, Chief Petty Officer." he began, rendering a salute.

Then to her question. "As much I hate to say it, we are everybody.".

The reality of the situation was as frigid as space. But still they carried on. They had to live for those who could not. Such was Yeshua's way as it were.

"We find ourselves in uncertain times. What's left of the Confederacy stands on the surface. But everything we knew is gone." He began.

"I've no idea what the future holds, but it will be rough that much I can assure you. If we are all remains, I have but one question. Will you face this unknown with me?"

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

'We are everybody.'
Finnea closed her eyes hard, and when she did, she could hear distant voices in agony from the depth of her mind, screaming and calling for help. She shook her head quickly and looked over to the captain again. "I understand." was her short and unpersonal reply. It would be impossible for her to deliver a more thoughtful answer without faltering right there and then and that was the last thing she wanted.

As the captain spoke, Finnea stood still, watching him closely as if she was waiting for a backlash and she wasn't too sure she'd be able to take it in her condition. Her time with the sith had made the engineer expect nothing but harsh treatment, so when it all boiled down to a simple question instead, she seemed at loss.

"I-I..." she stuttered.

She threw a look down to her side, watching the new world that they were building from above. Verun. She hadn't had any time to decide if her future was here with them but she didn't actually need to, either. When she needed it the most, the Confederacy had taken her in and given her shelter and the possibility to enhance her skills as an engineer and a technician. Of course her loyalty was with them. And with Yeshua.

"I always knew whichever path I'd take would be rough, ever since escaping the Sith, so that doesn't scare me nearly as much as facing a future where I stand completely alone again." Finnea shrugged . "So that's a 'Yes, sir'. I'd be honored to face the unknown times with you, captain."

Yeshua von Sorenn ​

 

[Yeshua]

The immortal bridged the gap.

His footsteps were quiet, yet resulted in his being only an arm's length away from the engineer. He knew. Each death was as a weight upon his soul, and he had not known each member of the Jericho the way she had. His place was always on the bridge, overseeing battle and directives. Hers was in the trenches. She joked with them. Drank with them. Shared meals with them.

Now there was only silence.

Yeshua placed his dominant hand upon her uninjured shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "Your support means more to me than gold." he said. His touch lingered for only a moment before he cleared his throat.

"I trust your eyes, skill, and instinct. And, even if the assault had not occurred, this would have been yours."

The Vampyre straightened his posture and rendered a firm salute.

"By the authority vested in me by the Ascendancy, I hereby confer upon the rank Ensign. Additionally, you will serve as First Mate aboard our command."

First Mate. The one most trusted. If hell or high water came, Yeshua knew she'd do whatever it took to save their people.

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

Finnea didn't move, she only stared at her captain and felt uneasy as he slowly stepped closer to her. Did she say something wrong? He lifted his hand and she was sure that he'd strike her and mock her positive reaction somehow. As he put his hand to her shoulder he would hear her sharply inhale with fear, no longer meeting his eyes. She wobbled, feeling the squeeze, barely able to pick up what he was telling her. The engineer had to blink a few times to redirect her thoughts, she didn't expect that. His gesture was highly unusual to her damaged mind and his words of gratitude that followed was even rarer.

She managed to give a firm nod in return to let him know that she took it to heart, still a little shaken and alert. He spoke once more and this time it was a compliment and praise of her work. What was happening? Finnea stared at Yeshua like he was a mad man, especially when he gave a salute.

Ensign. First Mate.

A twitch at her lips was evident. She wanted to smile but didn't entirely trust her own ears. It took her a moment before she slowly rised her arm to give a salute back. "Thank you, sir!" She had to lower her arm, the pain was too much.
"This is a huge honor to me and i won't let you down." This was something she would have to process after she'd leave. It was a huge jump up, one she'd never even considered an possibility for herself.

"Captain? May I ask you something?" She shifted her stance, having to lean to her side so that her back wouldn't feel as bad. Finnea felt it was a risky question but at the time she had only a limited circle of people she believed that could answer her question. "Something happened on board as Jericho went down, sir. The doors were programmed to shut if the alarms nearby went off, a security measure. Several doors was nearly closed when i got to them, I should have been trapped. I know I'd use too long to reprogram each door open. But they reopened just enough that i could pass through, closing the second I passed them." Finnea spoke very quietly as if it was taboo and kept shifting. "I'm scared that what happened is related.. to..me." She carefully looked up to him to trying to read any expression he might have.

 

[Yeshua]

There was no doubt in Yeshua's mind that she would accept.

It was in the Ensign's nature, after all. And this only further allowed her to employ her talents without being impeded by the typical command structure. If she needed to bark orders to a superior officer to keep the ship from going down, now she could do it with impunity. The thought alone caused the Vampyre's lips to curve into a light smile. "I should be the one thanking you, Ensign." he replied. "You haven't once let me down, and I've no doubt you'll continue this trend."

With the promotion rendered, Yeshua's first thought was of their command. From his own orders, he had been told to muster what remained of the Jericho's crew and then report how many survived. With only two souls - himself included - he wondered just what they would end up commanding. What would be their new home in this strange new world?

But before he could reach the subject, the newly-promoted Engineer posed a question. "Of course." he answered.

And as she spoke he could tell that this was something...uncomfortable. A circumstance that shook her confidence to the point where her tone lowered just above a whisper. Her body language changed - she shifted on the spot and slowly met his gaze.

"It sounds to me like you may be blessed." He extended his dominant hand, reaching past her and settling his attention on the closed doors behind them. His will was made manifest: the doors slowly creaked open, even though there was no one in range to trigger the motion sensor.

"The Force is a mighty tool. And sometimes, those blessed with its touch do not realize until a moment of great need. It sounds to me like escape was a great need."

He smiled, releasing his "grip" on the doors.

"From here, we'll consider this to be an 'off the clock' conversation. You may speak freely. Tell me, does this trouble you?"

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

The short silence that fell after she finished speaking was utter torture for her, yet at the same time she didn't entirely know what she had expected would happen after sharing her thoughts so abruptly to the commander like that. What an downright idiot she could be at times. When he first spoke, the engineer couldn't do anything but frown badly at the way he worded himself. 'Blessed'? What utter nonsense was the man speaking? It all changed when he reached his hand forward, making her tense up again only to reach past her, forcing her to follow his hand's path to the door all the way across the room which now opened. Wide-eyed, Finnea quickly did the 'math' and slowly looked back to Yeshua. He..was one of those?

Her first reaction was to slowly take a step away from him, like she was frightened by what she had realised. She had already had months to think about and figure out what had happened during her escape from Jericho and she was unable to come up with a reasonable explanation. She couldn't logically explain it, which was why she had decided to seek answers elsewhere. Even if the thought had graced her several times, she had quickly abandoned the idea of being force sensitive.

But why? Why would that be so bad? Perhaps her upbringing and past life among sith's made her utterly terrified of the very idea. She had no good experiences with the force. But the commander was smiling in a way that let her know he wasn't about to strike her down, nor did he seem bothered by it like she was.

'Speak freely'.

Finnea started to pace with a slight limp instead, her real personality starting to surface as her busy mind sorted through several memories and feelings. Finnea stopped and stared at Yeshua again. "Yes, it does trouble me." she scoffed. "I don't know what it is, what it does, beside being a source of destruction, ruining whole populations." the pacing started again, faster this time, clearly putting too much strain on her injured leg as she suddenly cursed like a sailor and was forced to stop.

"How do I get rid of it?" she asked, angrily, as the lights around them suddenly flickered.


Yeshua von Sorenn

 

[Yeshua]

The Vampyre lofted a brow.

After explaining his thoughts on the matter, the Ensign frowned. Her disapproval was immediately evident as she backed away from him. The display of the Force did not go over well, much to Yeshua's surprise. To him, the Force was synonymous with another limb or hand. It was a useful tool, nothing more nothing less. And like all tools, some take their usage to the extremes. So it was that men first orbitally bombarded each other with star destroyers.

So it was that religious zealots burned civilizations to the ground.

He could understand her fear, given how others used their gifts. And his curiosity mounted after he told her to speak freely. She paced - the wounds evident as she limped. Decorum paused, as Yeshua intended, and Finnea spoke her mind.

And as she seethed, the lights above them flickered. Yeshua remained calm.

"The Force is a tool. Some are born with it, some are not." he began.

"It is not different than the warships we command. Some may use their vessels for good - to protect civilian vessels or to serve a nation admirably. Others may use their vessels for evil - to prey upon the weak or attack the innocent. The Force is no different. It does not think. It does not live. It is a tool to be used however you see fit."

He extended his dominant hand to her. An offer. "Being rid of this power is a matter of control. I have this power - but you would never know it until I showed you. Because that is my choice. I do not bring destruction or ruin, because I am in control. Let me teach you."

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

The engineer's hands tightened into small fists at her side while the commander calmly explained how the Force was tool and how it would be up to the wielder how to use it. Her stubborn nature didn't want to let go of the idea of how evil it was but her logical side started to triumph as it did make a lot more sense that the Force couldn't be bad or good. It was just unlucky that every display of the Force that she had seen, was by evil people. She scoffed again, knowing she had to abandon her initial hate of the force.

Now staring at the floor, her thoughts spun rapidly. If she couldn't just get rid of it, would it just lay dormant within her if she took no action? Only bursting whenever she was in an emotional distress? Fear had opened the doors onboard Jericho when she needed it the most. What else could happen? She knew she was carrying a lot of fear, and fear itself was powerful. What about anger? Now that she was aware that she might be sensitive to the force, would it display itself more frequently and could it become dangerous if she wasn't in control?

She couldn't risk not being in control.

Looking up at his outstretched hand, the new Ensign nodded slightly. "Ok." she met his eyes with a cautious glare in return. Taking his hand, hoping that this was the right way to go. "I trust you, and respect you. Please, teach me how I can control it." she said firmly without looking away, loaded with a warning that this Engineer didn't trust easily, and in return she was one to be reckoned with as well. Having a guide, would be her safetyline going forward.

Yeshua

 

[Yeshua]

The decision was not easy.

The Vampyre could tell as much from the silence that ruled the young woman. Her gaze descended to the floor after he made his observations - and Yeshua did not rush her. One's path was not something that could be hastened by others. She would move only when she was ready. Choose only when she was ready. In time, Finnea's gaze rose and settled upon his outstretched hand.

She chose. She accepted his offer.

His lips curved into a toothy smile.

"I see no reason why we shouldn't begin right away." he began. His hand gave hers a confident squeeze. "We yet have some time before we are expected to report in..."

He released her hand then, raising it to gingerly stroke his beard.

"I can only assume that this was the first time that something like this happened. And you were in a moment of mortal peril. That is good - as it means being annoyed at a coworker won't set it off." He chuckled lightly, opting to keep the air light.

"Control begins with you. Sit, please." He motioned to the floor and began to pace slightly. "Close your eyes. Breathe. Shut out the sound of the engines. Shut out the room. Shut everything out - focus only on your breathing."

"And once everything is shut out, tell me what you feel."

The Vampyre stopped moving behind her and exhaled. Deliberately, he "flexed" his presence in the Force. If done correctly, she would feel him there. Know that he was standing behind her, even though she could not see. Even though he was being silent. He would be as a beacon amidst the black.

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

The toothy grin he gave was hard for her to read into. Was he happy about her decision or had she just stepped into some kind of trap? Surely that couldn't be the case. She didn't get the chance to think too much about it as he suggested that they could begin right away seeing as they still had some time before they had to report in. The little joke he made about how it was a good thing that annoying coworkers hadn't set it off was probably meant to keep the air light, perhaps even make her smile but the Ensign had barely ever heard a joke her entire life, far less from a superior. Her lips didn't even twitch, even when he chuckled himself. How strange to see a commander in a good mood.

At his request for her to sit, Finnea looked to the spot he gestured towards like she expected to find a chair, but alas, there was only floor. She slowly sat down, deciding to sit on her knees as it was easier to get back on her feet faster. At first, she didn't even close her eyes, she just stared into nothing while trying to calm herself down enough to finally close her eyes. She trusted him.
Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, slowly relaxing, shutting out all disturbances. It took her quite a while until she finally felt the silence embrace her. Her shoulders sank and she kept up the slow breathing.


'Tell me what you feel'.

Frowning, Finnea tried to figure out what he meant. What she felt?
"Uneasy." she silently mumbled from her spot on the floor. "No.. " Her chin fell to her chest and she sat in silence for a few moments more and when she raised her head she quietly gasped. "You are behind me, sir." Finnea's eyes flew open and she scrambled to her feet and backed away again, staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Except, it wasn't him that was scary, it was what he had showed her that she could do. "What was that?! I..I... could sense you in a way that I can't explain. Like I could see you, but not with my eyes."

Yeshua

 

[Yeshua]

Clearly the Ensign did not find his jests amusing - as evidenced by her silence. But given the circumstances, that was understandable. Finnea had just opened a page of her life for Yeshua to witness. A page that she was not particularly fond of. None of what they accomplished today would be easy, especially given her initial feelings on her blessing. But for her sake, Yeshua hoped that she would be able to master herself.

As instructed, the engineer settled upon the floor and did as instructed. At first, she mumbled that she felt uneasy...but in time she her head snapped back up. She scrambled to her feet and backed away - eyes widened. Fear. Awareness.

"Easy. Easy." he said, speaking in a gentle tone.

"That is awareness. And it is the first step in gaining control." He tapped his temple with a single finger, as if to say think. "To feel my presence meant you tapped into your power. Remember how that felt. How you felt."

"Remember, so that if you angry or afraid, you will recognize if your power is about to manifest. You did not recognize it aboard the Jericho - but now you can."

"And once you recognize it, you can control it. Use it if you must, or bury it. Understand?"

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

Holding a hand up in front of herself as a warning of coming any closer, Finnea kept her distance to her Commander while she tried to wrap her head around what just happened. He was of course right when he assumed that what happened onboard CNS Jericho was her first experience with the force, at least it was the first time she was aware of it being something she did. It had been a moment of great distress and clearly one that had opened a part of her mind that allowed her to use the force. This time it was not connected to her distress, but rather a very seldom moment of inner peace.

Finnea lowered her hand and took a moment to calm herself down. It was not scary. It was not like she had thrown him out a window at will. All that had happened was that she had taken a step towards gaining control, dipping into her newfound abilities.

He had asked her to take it easy, calming her down. Something about the way it was said helped the engineer to catch her breath and soon she felt less shaken by the short experience she just had with the force. She nodded along and watched him as he explained to her what she had just discovered and what to make of it.

"Yes, sir." her initial reply came as dry as a default setting any droid would have. Now staring at the floors again, letting silence take the room once more, Finnea came to a few conclusions and she hated all of them; this would take a long time to actually master to some degree where she as in total control and if she didn't put in that effort, she might just regret it.

"I am sorry, sir, but I will need your help to fully grasp this. I.. uhm." she halted, knowing she had permission to speak freely but nearly incapable of doing so. She lifted her head and stepped in his direction only to stop in her tracks. She wanted to say that she had no one else she could ask and even if she did, she wouldn't want anyone else to know about it either, but that was too.. personal. So instead she formed the the type of smile she knew the best how to make which was a fake one. "Thank you for taking your time to show me. I will apply myself to learn more." she finally bowed her head in appreciation but with a lot unsaid.

Yeshua

 

[Yeshua]

She needed a moment.

That went without saying, but she raised her hand to signal a pause. To stay where he was while she wrapped her head around this newfound truth. Only a few minutes prior, life was nothing out of the ordinary. A freak occurrence happened while the Jericho fell - something that could easily have been dismissed as sheer luck. Fortune. Now, the Ensign was facing a new reality. She had power she hated - Yeshua would give her all the time she needed.

When he spoke, she answered with a dry "yes sir."

She had permission to speak freely, but given the circumstances, he assumed a desire to go back to normalcy returned her to military bearing. She could be herself, yes, but that wasn't normal. Not in front of a superior office anyway. And though they had become more familiar in the past few minutes than they had over their service record, it was not normal. He didn't take offense.

She thanked him, with a smile.

He offered a toothy grin in return.

"You're precious to me, Ensign. Your success and peace of mind are important. I know this has been...jarring. So if there's anything I can do - beyond this - just say the word."

If she needed space? Time? She'd have it. A few extra days to "mend?" She'd have it.

He couldn't have his First Mate in less than tip top shape after all.

"I do believe this has been enough of an introduction for now. We'll revisit when you're rested and ready." His words were coupled with a formal nod. The military bearing was seeping back into his voice as well.

"We've still a few minutes. If you'd like, we can hit the mess before reporting in. Or, you can meet me at the west wing. I'll leave that to you."

Yeshua began to stride past, pausing only to pat her shoulder as he headed for the door. If she chose to follow, they'd be heading left down the corridor.

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

'You're precious to me'.

She visably flinched at the praise she got and once again she stared at him like he said something utter nonsense. But she gave it a firm nod and took it to heart. At least she was worth something and her ability to run quick and effective diagnostics onboard wasn't just a waste. "I will let you know if I do need anything." she tried to but her arms behind her back, slowly retreating to the safe and military default.

"Of course." her words louder now that he let her know that the introduction to the force was finished for today. "I will meet you at the west wing, sir. Do I have 30 minutes?" she asked, assuming she did seeing how he had mentioned visiting the mess before reporting in.

The Ensign stared ahead as he passed by her but all of a sudden stiffened with a straight back, correct pose and her pupils clearly shrank with fear as he suddenly patted her shoulder. She knew it was well ment, but touch alone was enough to trigger her bad memories. Finnea didn't dare turn her head but watched him in the corner of her eye as he passed her. Only when the doors hissed the second time did her shoulders sink and she finally let out a breath. Now walking over to the large glass window, she took a moment alone to stare out into nothing while fishing for her necklace that was always well hidden under uniforms. A very small piece of kyber crystal encapsuled in a tiny glass.

To her, it was just nice to look at, and something she often fickled with to calm down while thinking. Rubbing her thumb along the glass, she couldn't help but feel like some pieces of a puzzle was starting to fall into place after the session. It felt like she had been standing still for too long and now finally she could see the path ahead. It would be alright.

Finally time was up and she hid the necklace again before heading out, not walking as fast as she would have wanted to due to her injuries, but she made it by the time she had said she would be at the west wing.

Yeshua

 

[Yeshua]

At first, she flinched.

The response to his words of affirmation was a physical recoil - but the Vampyre did not draw attention to this. Rather, he simply nodded as she returned to at ease and acknowledged that she'd let him know if she needed anything. As he headed out of the room, she chose thirty minutes of reprieve.

"Yes, you'll have thirty minutes. We'll meet up then."

She stiffened at his touch. All of which left Yeshua with a certain impression. Either one, she simply did not enjoy the breaching of personal space - which he'd keep in mind for the future. Or two, she had gone through literal hell before joining the Jericho. He had seen such before. Like a puppy who had been neglected - it took time to acclamate to a positive environment.

And though the road ahead would indeed be long, Yeshua was determined to have his command be just that. A positive environment.

***​

The West Wing was effectively identical to the meeting room - all stations were fairly uniform in terms of their internals. However, where this locale differed was the view. Instead of a planetside glance, one could see the active construction. Starships that had been ruined from the escape from Naboo were being cannibalized. New ships were being designed from the remains. It was grueling work, but it had to be done.

Gone was the iconography of the Confederacy, in its place was something different. Yeshua stood before one of the larger viewports, speaking to a Tactical Droid. It was evident that this unit did not evade damage as well, as evidenced by the scars upon its chassis. Moreover, the unit was of identical rank to the Vampyre - given the Confederate insignias painted upon its arms.

Upon Finnea's arrival, she would catch the tail end of their conversation:

...this is all we can do.

Lovely. Out of the fire and into the frying pan.

Indeed.

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

The doors that would take her into the west wing came into view for the new ensign. She did try her best not to limp too much on her way up the corridor but it was impossible to keep it up for long. Perhaps she should have the medical droids look into the wounded leg again, maybe they missed something. Or maybe she was just impatient, disliking that her weakness was showing. Once she arrived at the doors, they hissed open and the engineer walked through them, immediately laying her eyes on the commander who seemed to have an conversation with one of the tactical droids. She slowed down and came a little closer but made sure to stop at an respectful distance from them, not intending to come any closer until she was spoken to.

She didn't mean to listen into the conversation, but it was hard not to when it was only the two speaking. The droid was clear enough, even if it was slightly harder with the commanders baritone. She didn't like it, no good news could come from what she just heard. Not that she had ever expected good news and enlightened speeches.

Now standing at a resting position, staring head out into the ship graveyard, she only waited to be addressed by the commander. In the meanwhile, her overly active mind needed to amuse itself, and it did so by sorting through several of the ships she saw out there and what damage they might have taken. It didn't take her long to rather hope that some of the engines wasn't completely whacked, several of them had good cores, excellent for reconstruction. A corvette with one of the engine cores from a particular cruiser might just become ridiculously fast. Could need a sturdier build though, to handle the forces. Now lost in her own world, it would take the commander a second try to get her attention and only then did she snap out of her chain of thoughts to give him her full attention. "Yes, sir?" the engineer came to an absentminded and slow salute as she tried to finish that thought she had. It was hard, because it would be interesting to try pilot the absolute monstrosity she had been designing in her mind over the last moments.

Yeshua

 

[Yeshua]

In short order, the First Mate made her appearance.

The Vampyre regarded her with a respectful nod as she drew near and made brief introductions to the tactical droid. For her part, the woman did not seem to be listening intently to said introductions - and so Yeshua cleared his throat ever so slightly. This wouldn't be held against her. He knew, as did they all, the toll that the Cataclysm laid on their shoulders. Rest evaded most, if not all of them. Injuries ran rampant. Just the fact that Finnea was in one piece was enough.

"At ease, Ensign." he said, returning her salute.

"Both myself and my Commander here have received our orders. The good? We will be having a new vessel to command shortly. A second Jericho if you will. The bad? Well. We've received intel on what we're up against out here. Commander Kehlani?"

The Droid stepped closer to the console behind them, pulling up the star map that had been provided to the Commanders.

"This region is called the Shiraya Expanse. We are here."

The holographic projection filled the space above their heads. The droid then indicated a red circle towards the south of the region - a planet called Verun. "This entire sector is dominated by a raiders. The Khanate. Our first mission is to maintain our space superiority against them."

Yeshua interjected. "They're unlike most of what we've fought before. We're used to large capital battles, it's what the Confederate doctrine specialized in. But these raiders? They're fast. In and out before a proper response can be mustered. High command has us adapting, of course but, we'll be making most of this up as we go along."

"Any questions? And speak freely, please."

Finnea Virlee​

 

[Finnea Virlee]

Speak freely.
Again?

En engineer looked from Yeshua to Kehlani in silence at first.
"Yes sir. Did you read my files, by any chance?" she stared and waited a second because she knew the answer. "Of course not, I have deleted all records of my previous life onboard BS Cyclone. What you do need to know is that I was a technician oboard and have experience with intelligent programming that will detect flight patterns nearly immediately. It works very well with small and fast ships as the cannons needed for the job isn't as massive and hard operated." Finnea paused and a tiny smile could be detected.

"The files on how to set it up onboard the Cyclone is all gone, but I remember exactly how to recreate it and I think, depending on the ship, that I can improve it too." she looked out into space for a second. "I remember, because I was the one setting it up in the first place." she shrugged and looked over both Commanders to try and read their reaction. "Combining my technician experience and engineering I don't depend on dumbasses to do all the handy work for me, some of them always make he easy way out with some of the steps. It's often fatale to the efficency. " She knew she was being harsh, but shouldn't be a surprise. She could be , when she was annoyed and the memory clearly provoked her at some level. "It'd be interesting to run analysis on the Khanate style of flight. Perhaps you already have some tapes I could start working at?" Finnea kept her hands at her back the entire time.

Yeshua