Training new Captains

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan Miles sighed as he stood on the bridge of the Death's Embrace looking out over the rest of Blood Fleet shaking his head sadly as he turned his back to the viewport and made his way down to one of the briefing rooms on the ship. Striding calmly into it he looked around at the various beings that had answered the call to take up positions as Captains in the reformation of the Mandalorian Empire's navy. His one visible eye a piercing and brilliant violet as he let it rove over those present as he smirked noticing that most didn't seem to realize who he was yet. He moved to stand at the head of the room a few of the newer ones looking at him confused he was tall and lean but physically appeared younger than some of them so they assumed he was a Captain who had already served in the fleet and would be assisting with training. As he stood there watching them he tapped his foot once quietly a pre arranged signal as a tall wookie with some gray hair mixed into the rest of his pelt strode in standing slightly in front of Aedan so he was off to his right and looked around calmly observing those present slowly before he seemed to nod and pressed a button on the holo table bringing up a hologram that showed the fleet taking up the largest part of the room. Most notable amongst the ship was a Salvation-class Star Defender. Aedan let a small smile cross his lips as he saw that ship knowing that the Wookie standing beside him also known as Captain Drake served as the captain of said ship known as the Chimera. Finally Aedan looked up as Drake let out a fairly loud howl to gain attention before gesturing Aedan forward and speaking in Shyriiwook as the protocol droid at his side translated. "The man you see at my side is our leader known by many names including Alor Miles of Clan Akaata and Pirate King Miles but most recently as Warden of Mandalore Aedan Miles. I will now hand it over to him."

With that he stepped back offering Aedan a polite bow as the 26 year old male stepped forward calmly offering a calm and confident grin to those present as he looked around taking note of those present his eyes hesitating on a slightly older human female with a cane turning his attention back to everyone as a whole he started to speak his voice ringing out calm and confident. "Welcome all of you who answered the call for experienced captains no matter their background. I am aware that some of you have served in the structured militaries of various governments and that some of you come from the same background of myself. I just want you to all know that first and foremost I will not allow ANY discrimination against those that pass the tests that are to come. I also want all of you to be aware that you will be given the opportunity to advance whilst under my command. NOW to get down to business the first series of tests will involved placing all of you on ships that are from various governments ranging from the CIS to the Republic. When I call your name step forward and be prepared for one hell of a test after all your opponent is quite vicious." Aedan smirked savagely before turning his attention to the list before him starting to call off the names of various species and beings aboard the ship watching them come forward.

Spoiler

Vim Mai'rona (Bothan F) - Tulak Hord-class Star Destroyer
Cit (Codru Ji M) - Tulak Hord-class Star Destroyer
Rann Ezrij (Dathamorian F) - Tulak Hord Star Destroyer
Goozan Bensiks (Duros M) - Tulak Hord Star Destroyer
Giglim Lenlen (Ewok?? M) - Aurora-class Siege Destroyer
Col Esh (Gamorrean M) - Aurora-class siege Destroyer
Qond Hin (Ishi Tib F) - Aurora-class Siege Destroyer
Shozi Ranto (Korunnai F) - Aurora-class Siege Destroyer
Blatt Krieconn (Shistavanen M) - Indomitable-class Star Defender
[member="Livia Maddox"] - Charon-class Star Destroyer

 

[Livia Maddox]

These so-called Captains could no more impress Livia ‘Fury’ Maddox than a voorpah could intimidate a krayt dragon. Bunch of sloppy dressers… she sniffed at the… delicately deemed ‘person’ beside her, and cleared her throat. No accounting for smells. Standing at rigid attention since entering the room, Livia’s frigid cerulean eyes flickered from one face to the next. Pirate, pirate, spy, loser, drunken pilot, respectable officer, wanted in 3 systems, wanted in 8 systems, wanted in all the systems by a legion of child support claims… The more she saw the collection around her, the more Fury believed firmly that she’d answered the wrong call.

Once [member="Aedan Miles"] entered the room, the former Fringe Captain’s eyebrow shot straight up. He was younger than she’d thought. She angled to stand at a clear attention. Didn’t the others know who this was? Although the wookie was impressive, Livia wracked her brain for the details on the ships captains she knew of Blood Fleet.

Three bottles of Wyrens and a night of surviving the greasy spoons of the Galaxy was enough for the former Handmaiden to get a skeletal lay of the land. Yet, there was much to fill in. Maybe if she didn’t need the credits, maybe if she wasn’t in such a tight spot. Maybe if her glitterstim habit hadn’t gotten her removed from duty she’d be standing on the bridge of a Republic battle cruiser, or if she truly hit the bottom, she’d be back on Sabarene, teaching at the Academy like her former Admiral [member="Manu Xextos"] offered.

When Admiral Miles glanced at her, Livia’s knuckles went white on the cane. She was fit. She could prove it. All she had to do was Captain a ship. Names rang out.

Name after name.

“Give me a ship… give me a ship.” She whispered, teeth clenched. The last name rang out…

“AYE SIR!” Livia bellowed, stepping forward as tall as the relatively dainty woman could. She wore her old uniform from the Levantine Sanctum, as pressed and dressed as she could muster. Not a hair out of place. And not a single hair, which remembered anything about the Charon-Class Star Destroyer except what it felt like to be shot at by one.

Nasty thing. Livia pressed her lips together, to refrain from a smile. Whatever came next, she could figure it out.

 

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan smirked as each one stepped forward some more confident than others looking them over absently he nodded his eyes drawn back to Maddox deciding he would face her personally he dismissed them all down to the hangar where a shuttle would take each to the ships they would captain for their test the others were dismissed back to the stars they had come from. Turning his attention to the wookiee beside him he smirked nodding his head once "Remember Drake give them hell I want them to be able to withstand anything that will come our way." He turned and headed down to his personal hangar climbing into a fighter there he took off headed towards a mid sized ship of the line deciding he would put Maddox to the test. As each captain rode a shuttle to their own ship they were given instructions on what would happen via holovid of Aedan. "Once you board the ship on loan to you it will make on your signal a jump to a predecided and entered location once you arrive you will engage the target or targets there the ships have been set to only give simulated combat and once your ship has taken a predetermined amount of damage it's weapons will become disabled and you will have been defeated. Before you start to panic no defeat does not mean that you don't get a position it just lets me know what I need to work on." With that the holovid cut out just as the shuttles arrived at the ships and Aedan's fighter jumped to hyperspace arriving at his destination and the large imposing ship that was the Death's Abyss an Indomitable-class Star Defender easily 500 meters shorter than the ship he had loaned Maddox boarding the ship he made his way towards the bridge swiftly calling out orders as he went to the assembled crew members. "ALL CREW ARE TO PREPARE FOR SIMULATED COMBAT! Our opponent is a hopeful member of our esteemed and feared force lets show them what they are signing up for."

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

If Livia could have run, she would have. As it was, her cane thudded against the flooring as she scarpered as fast as she could to the shuttles. She wouldn’t be last. She couldn’t be last to the shuttles.

The entire way to the Charon-Class Star Destroyer, Livia read up on the ship’s capabilities, and number of hands. How had the Sith used them at Bimmisari? Improved hangars, thirty turbolaser cannons, thirty ion…

“All hands prepare for simulated combat! I want every gunner and engineer we have at posts! If they’re giving us simulated damage, we can make simulated repairs. We don’t know what we have to battle, so we go in with both sets of teeth or nothing at all!” Livia limped toward the captain’s chair, smacking a wayward crew member aside with her cane. “So get your dentures in your mouths, and glue them in tight! And never get in my way. That’s yes Ma’am!”

The pirate balked, then stuttered out a Yes Ma’am as the crew roared their assents.

“I don’t suppose anyone knows how to make a cup of tea on this Kad-Danged bucket, hmm?” Finally sitting down, Livia tried to maintain composure. Her lungs burned. Rushing with a crippled leg was no small feat, and yet Livia would have none mention it.

“Shields up the moment we exit hyperspace. Train ion gunners on all targets, shoot to disable weapons systems until we know what we have. Flak Cannons, eyes open to keep our metres clear. Sensors, continue active-scans on mutiples to aide the ATS. I want eyes out those viewports. And helm, keep us moving out there. I will not have us paused on the field of battle like a duck frozen halfway out the pond. Alright. On my mark...

Engage!”

The familiar churn of her stomach brought them into hyperspace. To be in space again! A crew at her back and a ship round her, it was all she could hope to find.

They veered out of the hyperspace corridor, and Livia sat straight in her chair, gripping both arms.

“Shields! Gunners ready! Sensors, report!”

“It’s the Death’s Abyss, Ma’am!”

“Target cannon batteries! For’ard all fire!” The Fury did not wait for the opening volley. “Helm, keep to that ship’s bottom diagonal at all times. I don’t want to see the top of it until we’ve won.”

[member="Aedan Miles"]

 

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan grinned as he saw her ship come out of hyperspace and waved his hand once blandly a smirk crossing his lips as the ship started to align with the Charon it was a tad slower than his ship which meant as long as they kept moving they could keep them in position for their Javelin Hyperveolocity Cannons. Smirking he snapped his fingers calmly waving his hand forward absently. As his hand started to wave his hand all weapons on his ship opened fire with a flurry of activity as he smirked starting to do a calculation on the datapad in his hand planning a micro jump. He looked up as he felt the impact of weapons fire on the shields of his ship.

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

“That cruiser has sixty gunnery positions alone, hit them off! Come on, you dirty mugs, we don’t even have death on the line! For’ard power plus 20% to the laser batteries!”

Livia balked, at the movement of the ‘enemy’ ship, clutching the arms of her command chair. “Shields! Helm, downward oh-five-five axis. Minus seven on the Y. Target the quad-laser flak cannons, fire at will.”

Livia felt the surge of weapons, even if they were simulation. She felt the buzz of her shields, the vastness of space opening up for her untrained mind. For once, Livia wanted no glitterstim to dim her senses. She was alive, and her ship was alive with the bodies inside.

“Full shields! Helm, keep moving to lee. Aft batteries, target their propulsion! I want them dead in the water before they get another ten-count on our guns!”

The crew, as reticent as they were to follow a pressed-and-dressed officer initially, began to snap to. Livia grinned, alive with her ship. “And comms, send our terms for their unconditional surrender. I want to see how insulted they get.”

[member="Aedan Miles"]

 

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan grinned as he sent the calculations he had just done to his helmsmen the man blinking a few times before he smirked and quickly entered the info into the hyperdrives looking back at Aedan who nodded before the man sent the ship into a swift micro jump grabbing onto and holding tightly to the console before him as with a violent shudder the ship jumped the hyperspace for a fraction of a second before it appeared behind the Charon and Aedan smirked gesturing. "BRING US ABOUT AND PREPARE TO FIRE ON THEIR REAR!"

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

“They’re jumping!” The sensors officer, if she could call the toygarian an officer in his sparkly hat and feather boa, yelped.

“What?!” Livia gripped the seat, watching the ship before them disappear. “Oh you clever boy... or girl. Or... ship. You clever ship.”

“Get me the best slicer on board.”

“Slicer?!”

“Slicer. You’re telling me there’s no hackers on this ship? I don’t believe you. Get them here. I have an idea.” Livia watched one of the pirates scramble, and smirked out of the side of her mouth. “That’s yes ma’am, by the way, what is your name? Hector?”

“Ah.... how’d you...”

“You tried to blow up my frigate once, by Sabarene, to save your stolen cargo.”

“That was...”

“Never forget a face of your enemy, Mr. Hector. They might become your friends. Helm! Roll our horizontal axis! I want our top facing its tail. Continue bringing us about, it might be hyperjumping, but we can assume it’s going to keep trying to grab our arse and shake it. Let’s not give it to them. Ion Gunners, continue firing on their quad-cannon batteries. Quad Gunners, target any propulsion or stabilizing units you can. Main cannons, target the shields.

Engineering, decrease power to star’ard engines, and punch to the port engines. You’ve got 32% to play before the condensers burst.”

“Wait... it is you! You shot me!!” Mr. Hector snapped his fingers and glared at her. He lifted his shirt to reveal the blaster burn on his nipple. “You shot me in the gidget!”

“Yes, and I’ll do it again if you don’t get working! Where’s my Slicer?”

The crew threw into their tasks. Guns fired, and the ship began to jitter and turn in space, first rotating on its horizontal axis, second increasing the speed of a monumental turn. Maddox’s power shift in the engines was a bold fluctuation, locking them briefly into a near suicidal arc.

But it would give the 2200m ship a faster, more radical turn than conventional methods. The engines could take the overburn... if the engineers were as talented as Livia expected.

[member="Aedan Miles"]

 

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan grinned savagely as he saw the enemy ship start to turn looking towards his fighter control officer he gestured swiftly. "Launch the bombers and gunships. Than activate all thrusters ahead full and swing us around as quickly as possible. Any weapons that enter their firing arc are to fire at will prepare to fire the Hypervelocity guns in a snap shot." He gripped the arms of his command chair as the ship surged to full speed starting to pull it around in a turn to the starboard smirking as weapons started to fire directly at the engines. His smirk darkened as the missile pods on the side of the ship rotated and fired releasing their payload of concussion missiles directly at the rear of the larger ship. Bombers and gunships tore out of the safety of the port hangar tearing into space and diving swiftly away from the Death's Abyss in an attempt to hit their target before they were noticed.

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

“You wanted a Slicer?” A togruta female sauntered in to the command deck of the Charon-Class ship, a mirror-edged visor taking up half her face.

“Yes. Hack into the Death’s Abyss. Non-essential System. Implant this little number, in the next 90 seconds and I’ll buy you a bottle of your fancy.” Livia handed the togrutan hacker a data chit and watched as the ship scrambled.

“That’s it?! Easy!” The hacker plunked down at an unoccupied console station and got to work, plugging herself in.

A ping hit at the Death’s Abyss systems. Then, a crackle upon the comms. Every speaker on the Death’s Abyss would burst at its loudest volume with Ithorian Technik Screamer Punk. At odd intervals, Livia’s surrender terms were blasted, intermixed with the screaming Ithorian ‘music’. Inside the Slicer ice Livia gave to the togruta, an expanding subroutine would attempt to sift in, slowly pinging back with the diagnostics of the Abyss... if, that is, it worked.

The gunners slammed the Abyss with their scattered fire. Helm continued to push the engines, curving the Charon-Class in a down-spiraling corkscrew at a rate faster than the lumbering vessel should have mustered... which wasn’t all that much.

“Ma’am! Shadows on the black!” The sensor scout yelled, flickering through his sensor array to find confirmation his eyes couldn’t see. Black on black... he squinted and looked on.

“Launch gunships. Continue firing on the quad-guns, prep ion cannons for blasting their side. Slicer, keep working that program. I want a by the second indicator of how much damage they’ve taken, if you can.” Sitting forward on her command chair, Livia held her cane’s handle to hold herself up, other arm propped on her right knee. Livia pursed her lips, wondering of the captain aboard the other ship. “Defences, report!”

“Shields are taking hits but we’re holding around 85%.”

“Then get the engineers repairing the damage, Mr. Hector.”

“Ion cannons primed, Fury.” The main gunner roared, his cathar fur puffed out like a riled tomcat.

“Target the hangar bay if you can... wait...” Both vessels kept in motion, twisting and shifting through the theatre of space. “... FIRE!”

[member="Aedan Miles"]

 

[Aedan Miles]

Aedan laughed as he waved his hand quickly standing as his ship executed the last of the micro jumps he had planned and he strode forward gesturing the ships captain to the chair as they opened a video communications link to Captain Maddox's ship. "That will be enough Captain Maddox. You have done well if you would please come aboard the Abyss for a more specific overview and evaluation you will be brought to the captain's office once you arrive." The man left communications up long enough for her to respond before it was close and the man looked at Aedan raising an eyebrow wondering why that had been done before he turned calling out orders to send men to the hangar to meet the newest captain when she arrived. He guided Aedan to the captains office bowing respectfully before leaving to go see to the ship and the few men that had been shaken a bit to much. Aedan sat calmly in the chair in the office bringing up the recording of the scenario from a stealth shuttle that had been sitting by recording it all. He was also receiving reports back from the rest of the testers finding some of them disappointing others surprising before he nodded and leaned back to wait.

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

“Fury!” The Comms officer barked, tossing the holoview of [member="Aedan Miles"] standing on the Death’s Abyss’ Command Deck. At first Livia thought it was a scam. An act of their own slicers creating a holotransmission of the famed Pirate King.

She fumbled for her cane. It tumbled to the ground, rolling across the borrowed ship’s command deck. Livia stared at it, the fingers of her right hand reaching too late. For all intents, it looked like the woman was ineffably unbothered by the presence of the Pirate King and Warden of Mandalore. As if she felt nothing but the clear silk of command, while her comms officer relayed her holo-projection forth.

Gripping the sides of the Captain’s Chair, Livia willed herself up to her feet, white knuckles holding to the arms. “Presently, Sir! Right away.”

The holo cut off, and Livia stood while the entire Command Deck stared at her and the cane. Livia attempted to put weight on her knee, and faltered teeth grit.

“Mr. Hector, you have Command. And pick that up, dang fool leaving it in the middle of the deck.” Livia reached out, as Mr. Hector’s eyes never left her face, instead scooping up the cane and handing it silently to the Fury.

“Takes balls to spurn the King, Ma’am.” Hector whispered, handing her the cane. “Threaten to shoot me again and I’ll beat you to death with your cane.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hector. That will be all.” Livia grit her jaw tight enough her teeth scratched together. She limp-rushed to the shuttle bay, barking orders for the shuttle to be primed and ready for her, when she arrived. A pristinely dressed officer sat prim and back-straight in her seat as the shuttle traipsed through space to the Death’s Abyss. She was silent, going over her tactics and the read outs from both ships. Cold and distant as a frozen star.

The woman, who came to an abrupt attention behind Aedan Miles’ chair was statuesque, gripping her cane until she felt her knuckles would split.

“Warden, you wanted to see me. Captain Livia ‘Fury’ Maddox, reporting.” No way. No way would she let him know how breathless she was, trying to rush from the shuttle to his office. No way would she let him know the blush on her cheeks was the flush of an overworked crippled leg.

 

[Aedan Miles]

He looked at her half raising an eyebrow as he leaned back letting his eyes lock onto her face before he sighed and gestured for her to sit leaning forward calmly. "Tell me Maddox why did you answer the call that was sent out?" He looked down at his datapad as it beeped letting him know a messaged had arrived sighing he sent a return message informing the man who had threatened her that the next time he threatened a superior officer he would be gutted by Aedan personally. He turned his attention back to Maddox waiting for her answer his eye gleaming as he turned his attention to the playback that was going on taking note of reactions of her ship and than reactions of her personally from a camera set up on the bridge.

[member="Livia Maddox"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

One purple eye stared through her retinae, down the track of her visual nerves to the centre of her brain. Livia studied [member="Aedan Miles"]’ face, the lines and passive glow. The purple hair flowing over half his visage like a terrifying, yet titivating mask. A litany of apologies clambered to her tongue. Sorry for the music, sorry for taking so long to arrive, sorry her uniform was out of date. All such words were lost in staring the Warden directly in his eye. He must have seen all of her, the desperation and the fatigue. The dogged need to reclaim her position at the Captain’s Table. To give meaning to a listless, ruined life.

“Yes, Sir.” She stood at attention until he nodded to the chair, only then breaking the tension in her muscles to sit. Clutching her cane in her left hand, Livia attempted to bend her left knee, to put as little emphasis on the injury as possible. Her polished boot hesitated on the floor.

“I need a Command, Sir. I’ve given my life to the navy, and after the governments I served under disbanded, first the Fringe, then the Levantine Sanctum, being ‘out’ as it were in the galaxy felt… incorrect.” Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Livia gripped the cane until her left knuckles were white, the other hand propped on the arm of the chair. “After they discovered I was a recovering Glitterstim addict, Commenor wouldn’t take me. I heard the Mandalorians took any who wanted to come, regardless of… past predicaments. And if I might say so, you throttled half my fleet in the Omega Protectorate days, I know full well how good a commander you are and it would be an honour to serve under the unorthodox.”

 

[Livia Maddox]

One purple eye stared through her retinae, down the track of her visual nerves to the centre of her brain. Livia studied [member="Aedan Miles"]’ face, the lines and passive glow. The purple hair flowing over half his visage like a terrifying, yet titivating mask. A litany of apologies clambered to her tongue. Sorry for the music, sorry for taking so long to arrive, sorry her uniform was out of date. All such words were lost in staring the Warden directly in his eye. He must have seen all of her, the desperation and the fatigue. The dogged need to reclaim her position at the Captain’s Table. To give meaning to a listless, ruined life.

“Yes, Sir.” She stood at attention until he nodded to the chair, only then breaking the tension in her muscles to sit. Clutching her cane in her left hand, Livia attempted to bend her left knee, to put as little emphasis on the injury as possible. Her polished boot hesitated on the floor.

“I need a Command, Sir. I’ve given my life to the navy, and after the governments I served under disbanded, first the Fringe, then the Levantine Sanctum, being ‘out’ as it were in the galaxy felt… incorrect.” Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Livia gripped the cane until her left knuckles were white, the other hand propped on the arm of the chair. “After they discovered I was a recovering Glitterstim addict, Commenor wouldn’t take me. I heard the Mandalorians took any who wanted to come, regardless of… past predicaments. And if I might say so, you throttled half my fleet in the Omega Protectorate days, I know full well how good a commander you are and it would be an honour to serve under the unorthodox.”