Picking up the Pieces (open)

[Gamov]

Tempest emerged from hyperspace, assuming a close proximal orbit of the green-blue world named Taanab. The crew had been guided here by the whims of their Captain, brought on yet another expedition of his choosing in an attempt to sort out the clues and the winding trail his father had left him to follow in death.

There was something of importance hidden down there on the surface of this seemingly placid world. Something that his father had defended to his last breath, which he had coincidentally drawn a scarce handful of hours ago. Without his scheming ways and devious practices to obscure the true path any longer, nothing stood between Janus and his ultimate goal.... Revenge.

His father had made his life hell for over five years, utilizing the privileges of his position to tuck him neatly away within the confines of an Imperial mental hospital on Kessel, cleverly disguising his trails and paying off his constituents to keep everything a secret lest his precious image be damaged or brought into question by having a defective child. But now he had been removed, quickly and rightfully. There was nothing now to protect those who consorted with him from facing the wrath of a man scorned and disowned by his own flesh and blood.

Sitting within his private chambers, Janus held the document in his hands, reading the name over and over again:

Lira San

Who was she? Why was her name on this property deed? More importantly, why was it in his father's possession? All questions that would soon be answered. Once he found this Lira, he would get his answers. With her cooperation or without, it made no difference to him in the least.

His attention was suddenly drawn from the paper in his hands as the doors to his office slid open and Rain stepped over the threshold.

"Sir, we have arrived in system as you requested. However, I feel obliged to inform you that if we do not take the time to re-supply soon, we are in danger of becoming stranded." She said. a clear sense of concern in her voice.

Janus had not authorized a stop for supplies in months, Tempest was operating at half of her full capacity. The crew had been forced to ration what they had left for perishable supplies, and their travel had been fiercely restricted due to a growing fuel shortage. They barely had enough power left to make the trip from Tatooine to Taanab, let alone make another jump to an inner rim system docking yard. The Captain's relentless drive to see his mission through was forcing him forward at the cost of nearly all other things. Soon, they would be forced to resort to piracy just to stay alive unless something was done.

"I strongly suggest that you release some of the men for a ground operation to gather supplies and make arrangements for a refueling operation." Rain continued, admittedly putting a slightly more pessimistic outlook on the situation than what was actually the case. Hopefully, it would shock the Captain to action and force him to allow a brief lull in their mission to gather necessities.

Janus let the paper out of his hands, dropping it softly to the table as he leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands together. As much as he hated to put a temporary halt to his mission, he could see the reason in the Lieutenant's request. Indeed, he had driven his ship and his crew to the verge these past few months. Perhaps a slight rest was in order.

He nodded his head slightly. "Very well, Lieutenant. I'm placing you in charge of the operation. Gather what we need from the surface and arrange to have a refueling barge meet us." He sat forward, placing his elbows in his desk and folding his hands together. "In the mean time, I am going to investigate my recent findings. Inform Sergeant Prescott to prepare his detail for insertion."

Rain bowed respectfully to Janus' orders and took her leave from the room. "Yes, sir."

As Rain left, Janus took one last look at the name on the deed. Though he had yet to know who it was or of what importance she was, in time everything would hopefully become clear. Though a small part of him held little hope for that. Somehow he knew that this would only lead him another piece of the same puzzle. He let out a thoughtful grunt of curiosity before folding the document in half and placing it back in his coat before leaving his quarters to oversee the preparations for the crew's ground operations.

[Gamov]

Several dozen landing shuttles streaked across the azure Taanab sky, escorted by a small flight of TIE fighters as they broke through a thick cloud bank and made their approach to the planet's surface.

Taanab was not a foreboding world, nor even a hostile world. Covered in thick forests and rolling grassy plains, it was a temperate world, tranquil and out of the way. Like other worlds, it had endured its fair share of turmoil, but the settlers here have since managed to secure peace between themselves and their violent neighbors who once pillaged their world on a continual basis. For all intents and purposes, Taanab was a quaint planet resting in a secure location between the inner and outer rims of the galaxy. It was the perfect place to hide something you did not want someone to find. Right in plain sight, yet not important or unstable enough to be taken seriously like a prestigious core world or one of the more notorious rim worlds.

"All elements of Task Force Zeta, head for the local space port and secure it. The Captain will proceed ahead alone." Rain's voice came over the in flight comms. "Obsidian Squad, stay close to the Captain and cover his transport. Shadow Squad, provide air support for the ground operations at the space port."

The convoy of fighters and shuttles continued along its path, a single Lambda-class shuttle breaking from the pack and veering off in a new direction, heading almost due east under fighter escort while the bulk of the force continued on its northern path towards a small settlement nestled in the foothills of a nearby mountain range.

"Ma'am, we're receiving a transmission from the Captain's shuttle." The pilot said, looking back to the crew compartment.

Rain stood from her seat and moved to the co-pilot's seat. "Isolate his signal." She said, taking a seat and placing an ear piece in her ear.

The pilot acted quickly and locked the signal into a private channel, nodding to the Lieutenant to let her know it was done.

"Yes, sir?"

"I want this done quickly and efficiently, Lieutenant. I cannot risk letting my target evade me. When you arrive, I want you to lock the space port down. Do not let anyone in or out without my authorization. The target's name is Lira San, conduct a brief reconnaissance mission and see what you can find out about her." He ordered, his tone very clear and concise on the matter.

"Sir, am I to abandon gathering supplies at the completion of this?" Rain asked, becoming somewhat irritated with the Captain's ever changing demeanor. It often led him to issue conflicting orders, but it was not a new thing for her to deal with. They had manged in the past, and she wagered that they would manage now.

"No, we still need to get Tempest back to full capacity as quickly as possible. The supplies are your primary objective. But I would not be so foolish as to pass the opportunity up to learn more about my target. Find out who she is where she lives. I shall continue forward and investigate my findings, contact me when you have any relevant information." Janus replied decisively.

"Yes, sir." Rain answered before the channel went to static as the Captain's shuttle ceased transmitting.

"We're five minutes out, Ma'am." The pilot interjected. "Scanners indicate the settlement is just up ahead."

The Lieutenant glanced briefly at the pilot and gave him a quick nod before releasing a brief, despondent sigh and opening up the comm channel with the other elements of her task force. "Five minutes to the objective, all units move to combat alert status. Orders have changed, we are to effect a lock down of the space port upon arrival. No one gets in or out without the Captain's approval."

She cut the comm channel and sank back into the co-pilot's seat. The Captain's ever shifting persona's were beginning to get to her. After all of this time in his service, she never thought there would be a day where she actually disliked serving under his command. But apparently, that day was coming soon. She was unsure of just how many more seemingly random orders she and the crew could take before losing it and effecting a mutiny. She shook her head slightly, dislodging the traitorous thoughts from her mind. In spite of any personal feelings, her mind needed to be focused on the mission at hand now.