Ralroost, Tuesday afternoon Fandom time
There was something a little off-kilter about going home this time. Namely that when Jaina went into briefings and strategy meetings, she wasn't used to Jacen being there too. And she especially wasn't used to Tahiri being there as a squadron commander. She'd adjusted to the idea pretty quickly, and definitely faster than Jacen did, but given some new added history with a different Tahiri and it made things more interesting. (Not that it would prevent asked-for hugs later. Details.)
John and the other pilots had been left back on Starsider while the meeting was going on, which was just squadron commanders and people in charge. It couldn't really get underway though until Kyp showed up, of course, fashionably late.
"Sorry I'm late, Admiral," he greeted when he finally arrived. He showed the datapad he carried in one hand. "I was getting the latest intelligence reports. And, uh, some of the data was kind of interesting."
"Very good, Master Durron," Admiral Kre'fey said before turning to the others. "Master Durron has submitted a plan for action against the enemy. As it's fully in line with our operational goals as established by Admirals Sow and Ackbar, I've given it my tentative approval. I thought I would place it before my senior commanders, and you squadron commanders, to see if you might have anything to add."
Jacen looked a little warily at Jaina, and it wasn't that he didn't have reason to. Kyp had tricked Jaina once, and hard. Jacen could hear how much Kyp had changed in the time he'd been away, but that didn't mean he had to believe it if he'd never seen it. Jaina didn't have much of a reaction back at him. She had reasons to trust Kyp now.
They'd had a raid go wrong on Ylesia before, and had had to put things off until things quieted down. The Peace Brigade, Vong allies, had taken it as their capital, and the plan was to raid Ylesia right this time, and show the galaxy what happened to collaborators by taking down their government. There were a few Vong around, nothing too serious to worry about, and the fight was going to be with the Peace Brigade. The same people who'd turned Yavin 4 over to the Vong. Jaina couldn't say she wouldn't look forward to hitting them hard.
The problem in the plan was that Kre'fey wasn't so worried about the civilian casualties something like this would cause, mostly to slaves. So it wasn't a surprise when Jacen spoke up with, "Let's capture the government instead. If we captured the Brigaders' government, and put them on trial and exiled them to some prison planet, wouldn't that be more of a propaganda coup than simply bombing them? They'll all be in one shelter, right? As you say, that should make it easy."
"Jacen has a point," Kyp agreed. Kyp was agreeing with Jacen. Now Jaina could die, having seen everything. "If we destroy Peace City, we make an announcement and then it's forgotten. But if we put the traitors on trial, that would be on the HoloNet for weeks. Anyone thinking of switching sides would have to think twice, and any collaborators would be shaking in their boots."
"Not only that," Jacen went on, "but a team could be landed in Peace City to become our permanent intelligence presence in the enemy capital, and perhaps to organize the underground there."
Kre'fey seemed to be seriously considering this. "This requires a more elaborate mission. Perhaps you do not realize how much more elaborate. With the original plan there's very little that can go wrong. We transit to the system, engage, win our victory, and leave. If the enemy are too strong, we run without a fight. But with Jacen's idea we'd need transports, drop ships, ground forces. If things go wrong on the ground, we'll take a lot of casualties just getting our people away. If things go wrong above the planet, the forces on the ground may be stranded there."
Jaina spoke up. "Sir, I volunteer to lead the ground forces." She may have been a firm believer in 'If you want things done right...' in certain circumstances.
Kyp actually looked a little embarrassed when he turned to her. "I, uh. I really don't think that would be a good idea, Sticks."
She didn't know what was up with that, so she happily made an assumption. "You don't have to be so protective of me, Master Durron."
"That's not it," Kyp said quickly. "It's just that the latest news from Ylesia indicates that you have a personal relationship with, ah, one of our potential captives. And Jacen, too, of course."
Jaina couldn't even figure that out. "Jacen, too?"
"The Peace Brigade just announced their new President. He's your cousin Thrackan."
Because of course the Skywalker side of the family couldn't be abnormal enough, the Solo side had to at least try to make up for it. And they did so with Thrackan Sal-Solo, almost a dead ringer for her father who was a speciesist felon who'd been released from prison just in time to aid to the mess at Centerpoint Station. Jaina didn't talk about him much.
"That doesn't make any sense," Jacen said.
"Sorry," Kyp said, "I know he's a member of your family, but-"
"No, that's not it. I'm not going to defend Thrackan Sal-Solo because he's a distant cousin-"
"A cousin who's vicious as a slashrat and slippery as an Umgullian blob," Jaina added.
"I was only going to point out that it doesn't make any sense because Thrackan is a human chauvinist. He's always wanted to run Corellia so he could throw the other species out. He'd never make a deal if that meant he'd have to collaborate with an alien species."
"I suppose the story could be false," said Kyp, "but it's all over the HoloNet, complete with pictures of your cousin taking his oath of office in front of the Peace Brigade Senate."
Jaina fought the urge to facepalm, and settled for setting her jaw instead. "Right, now I've got to be with the ground party."
"It'd be... enlightening... to see cousin Thrackan again," Jacen considered.
Kre'fey looked between the twins. "I must say," he said, "that the two of you belong to the most interesting family."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Dialogue taken from the short story Ylesia by Walter Jon Williams. I can't make this stuff up, people.]
John and the other pilots had been left back on Starsider while the meeting was going on, which was just squadron commanders and people in charge. It couldn't really get underway though until Kyp showed up, of course, fashionably late.
"Sorry I'm late, Admiral," he greeted when he finally arrived. He showed the datapad he carried in one hand. "I was getting the latest intelligence reports. And, uh, some of the data was kind of interesting."
"Very good, Master Durron," Admiral Kre'fey said before turning to the others. "Master Durron has submitted a plan for action against the enemy. As it's fully in line with our operational goals as established by Admirals Sow and Ackbar, I've given it my tentative approval. I thought I would place it before my senior commanders, and you squadron commanders, to see if you might have anything to add."
Jacen looked a little warily at Jaina, and it wasn't that he didn't have reason to. Kyp had tricked Jaina once, and hard. Jacen could hear how much Kyp had changed in the time he'd been away, but that didn't mean he had to believe it if he'd never seen it. Jaina didn't have much of a reaction back at him. She had reasons to trust Kyp now.
They'd had a raid go wrong on Ylesia before, and had had to put things off until things quieted down. The Peace Brigade, Vong allies, had taken it as their capital, and the plan was to raid Ylesia right this time, and show the galaxy what happened to collaborators by taking down their government. There were a few Vong around, nothing too serious to worry about, and the fight was going to be with the Peace Brigade. The same people who'd turned Yavin 4 over to the Vong. Jaina couldn't say she wouldn't look forward to hitting them hard.
The problem in the plan was that Kre'fey wasn't so worried about the civilian casualties something like this would cause, mostly to slaves. So it wasn't a surprise when Jacen spoke up with, "Let's capture the government instead. If we captured the Brigaders' government, and put them on trial and exiled them to some prison planet, wouldn't that be more of a propaganda coup than simply bombing them? They'll all be in one shelter, right? As you say, that should make it easy."
"Jacen has a point," Kyp agreed. Kyp was agreeing with Jacen. Now Jaina could die, having seen everything. "If we destroy Peace City, we make an announcement and then it's forgotten. But if we put the traitors on trial, that would be on the HoloNet for weeks. Anyone thinking of switching sides would have to think twice, and any collaborators would be shaking in their boots."
"Not only that," Jacen went on, "but a team could be landed in Peace City to become our permanent intelligence presence in the enemy capital, and perhaps to organize the underground there."
Kre'fey seemed to be seriously considering this. "This requires a more elaborate mission. Perhaps you do not realize how much more elaborate. With the original plan there's very little that can go wrong. We transit to the system, engage, win our victory, and leave. If the enemy are too strong, we run without a fight. But with Jacen's idea we'd need transports, drop ships, ground forces. If things go wrong on the ground, we'll take a lot of casualties just getting our people away. If things go wrong above the planet, the forces on the ground may be stranded there."
Jaina spoke up. "Sir, I volunteer to lead the ground forces." She may have been a firm believer in 'If you want things done right...' in certain circumstances.
Kyp actually looked a little embarrassed when he turned to her. "I, uh. I really don't think that would be a good idea, Sticks."
She didn't know what was up with that, so she happily made an assumption. "You don't have to be so protective of me, Master Durron."
"That's not it," Kyp said quickly. "It's just that the latest news from Ylesia indicates that you have a personal relationship with, ah, one of our potential captives. And Jacen, too, of course."
Jaina couldn't even figure that out. "Jacen, too?"
"The Peace Brigade just announced their new President. He's your cousin Thrackan."
Because of course the Skywalker side of the family couldn't be abnormal enough, the Solo side had to at least try to make up for it. And they did so with Thrackan Sal-Solo, almost a dead ringer for her father who was a speciesist felon who'd been released from prison just in time to aid to the mess at Centerpoint Station. Jaina didn't talk about him much.
"That doesn't make any sense," Jacen said.
"Sorry," Kyp said, "I know he's a member of your family, but-"
"No, that's not it. I'm not going to defend Thrackan Sal-Solo because he's a distant cousin-"
"A cousin who's vicious as a slashrat and slippery as an Umgullian blob," Jaina added.
"I was only going to point out that it doesn't make any sense because Thrackan is a human chauvinist. He's always wanted to run Corellia so he could throw the other species out. He'd never make a deal if that meant he'd have to collaborate with an alien species."
"I suppose the story could be false," said Kyp, "but it's all over the HoloNet, complete with pictures of your cousin taking his oath of office in front of the Peace Brigade Senate."
Jaina fought the urge to facepalm, and settled for setting her jaw instead. "Right, now I've got to be with the ground party."
"It'd be... enlightening... to see cousin Thrackan again," Jacen considered.
Kre'fey looked between the twins. "I must say," he said, "that the two of you belong to the most interesting family."
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay. Dialogue taken from the short story Ylesia by Walter Jon Williams. I can't make this stuff up, people.]