Knight Squadron - Origins Ch. 08-09

Ru Laredo found her commanding officer in Hannover's Officers cafeteria, nursing a fizzy drink. Sliding into a seat behind him she said, "I thought you didn't drink."

"I don't. Alcohol makes me sick, not drunk. Besides I can be perfectly melancholy on my own."

"You're not getting pre-battle jitters on us Captain?" she grinned. Aiden managed a grin of his own.

"It's not that. It's just... I remember how many good pilots we lost to the last stellar converter. How many we've lost since. And I get to thinking, how many are we going to lose this time? Will it be Commander Simms? You? Me?"

He shifted in his chair so that he could look her in the eyes.

"I've watched dozens of pilots die around me. I keep having this thought in the back of my head that, maybe it'll be my turn soon. I mean besides dying I could end up crippled for life. Ours is not a profession that lends itself to health or long life. Sometimes I step back from all this and ask myself, what am I doing here? I begin to question my dedication to the Reich. You know that my home world is on the edge of known space. Neither the Reich nor the Khawarij have ever been particularly interested in Agmar. I got here because I stowed away on one of the few ships that came to our planet. I was so bright eyed and eager when I began my training as a pilot. I mean I had seen the holos that the Reich had put out about the Khawarij Empire. But even back then I had some doubts, especially after the Dravin mission."

Ru frowned, remembering that mission that Scorpion Squadron had undertaken just prior to the Battle of Dravin. They'd responded to a distress call from the base on Dravin, which was being assaulted by a stellar converter. Scorpion Squadron had been forced to engage the destroyer and it had cost them six good pilots, three more of which died at Torreon.

"What are you saying?" she asked, concern laced within her voice as she leaned closer to him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've never been more committed than I am now. When we flew at Dravin and I saw the platform up close, saw the lengths the Khawarij were willing to go to keep control, something inside me just gave way. I believe now more than ever before that any so-called Empire that could even conceive of a weapon like the stellar convertor doesn't deserve to be in charge of the galaxy. The mere fact that they would rebuild the platform is just one more nail in their collective coffin"

Ru smiled, a smile that lit up her whole face.

"I'm glad you think that."

"Yeah. I mean, who knows, if we don't destroy this platform it might show up at Agmar one day."

"And that's why we are fighting the Khawarij now."

"Exactly."

Ru grinned slyly at Aiden. "Where you looking for someone to talk to or were you just hoping that I would come by?"

"Not really. But I do seem to be able to talk to you easier than anyone, uh, else, umm." Just then a new voice broke into their conversation. Aiden wasn't entirely disappointed; Ru's face had been getting a little too close for comfort.

"Are we interrupting something?" said Lieutenant Weis Sylvania who, along with Jacen Kruger, Lilana Lao, and Kaylor Kane, had just strolled into the mess hall. Aiden frowned at Weis.

"Go away Weis, it's too early in the evening to have to deal with you. And that goes for the rest of you as well," he said nodding at his former Wolf Squadron comrades.

***

After drinks were ordered and the group was seated around a table the conversations resumed.

"Jacen did I hear right that that they won't be having the Condors flying with the fleet?" asked Aiden.

"In a sense they will be. We've just been split up into different squadrons. Jacob, Delaara, myself are still in Condor although its been joined with Strike Wing Eagle for this attack. I'm Eagle Leader, Delaara is Eagle Two, and Jacob is Eagle Five."

"I'll be flying a Warthog in Dragon Squadron as Dragon Three," said Kaylor.

"Figures. Valkyrie's are just too slow for us speed demons eh Kaylor?" said Ru with a knowing grin that Kaylor returned along with guffaws from Weis.

"Hey, you all just be careful out there okay?" said Jacen, "We want to see you down on Kanda to celebrate."

"I'll drink to that," said Aiden as he lifted up his glass.

"And to victory over the stellar converter and the Khawarij Empire," chimed in Lilana.

They raised their glasses and brought them together and then drank deeply, savoring the taste of impending victory.

***

Ru Laredo found her commanding officer in Hannover's Officers cafeteria, nursing a fizzy drink. Sliding into a seat behind him she said, "I thought you didn't drink."

"I don't. Alcohol makes me sick, not drunk. Besides I can be perfectly melancholy on my own."

"You're not getting pre-battle jitters on us Captain?" she grinned. Aiden managed a grin of his own.

"It's not that. It's just... I remember how many good pilots we lost to the last stellar converter. How many we've lost since. And I get to thinking, how many are we going to lose this time? Will it be Commander Simms? You? Me?"

He shifted in his chair so that he could look her in the eyes.

"I've watched dozens of pilots die around me. I keep having this thought in the back of my head that, maybe it'll be my turn soon. I mean besides dying I could end up crippled for life. Ours is not a profession that lends itself to health or long life. Sometimes I step back from all this and ask myself, what am I doing here? I begin to question my dedication to the Reich. You know that my home world is on the edge of known space. Neither the Reich nor the Khawarij have ever been particularly interested in Agmar. I got here because I stowed away on one of the few ships that came to our planet. I was so bright eyed and eager when I began my training as a pilot. I mean I had seen the holos that the Reich had put out about the Khawarij Empire. But even back then I had some doubts, especially after the Dravin mission."

Ru frowned, remembering that mission that Scorpion Squadron had undertaken just prior to the Battle of Dravin. They'd responded to a distress call from the base on Dravin, which was being assaulted by a stellar converter. Scorpion Squadron had been forced to engage the destroyer and it had cost them six good pilots, three more of which died at Torreon.

"What are you saying?" she asked, concern laced within her voice as she leaned closer to him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've never been more committed than I am now. When we flew at Dravin and I saw the platform up close, saw the lengths the Khawarij were willing to go to keep control, something inside me just gave way. I believe now more than ever before that any so-called Empire that could even conceive of a weapon like the stellar convertor doesn't deserve to be in charge of the galaxy. The mere fact that they would rebuild the platform is just one more nail in their collective coffin"

Ru smiled, a smile that lit up her whole face.

"I'm glad you think that."

"Yeah. I mean, who knows, if we don't destroy this platform it might show up at Agmar one day."

"And that's why we are fighting the Khawarij now."

"Exactly."

Ru grinned slyly at Aiden. "Where you looking for someone to talk to or were you just hoping that I would come by?"

"Not really. But I do seem to be able to talk to you easier than anyone, uh, else, umm." Just then a new voice broke into their conversation. Aiden wasn't entirely disappointed; Ru's face had been getting a little too close for comfort.

"Are we interrupting something?" said Lieutenant Weis Sylvania who, along with Jacen Kruger, Lilana Lao, and Kaylor Kane, had just strolled into the mess hall. Aiden frowned at Weis.

"Go away Weis, it's too early in the evening to have to deal with you. And that goes for the rest of you as well," he said nodding at his former Wolf Squadron comrades.

***

After drinks were ordered and the group was seated around a table the conversations resumed.

"Jacen did I hear right that that they won't be having the Condors flying with the fleet?" asked Aiden.

"In a sense they will be. We've just been split up into different squadrons. Jacob, Delaara, myself are still in Condor although its been joined with Strike Wing Eagle for this attack. I'm Eagle Leader, Delaara is Eagle Two, and Jacob is Eagle Five."

"I'll be flying a Warthog in Dragon Squadron as Dragon Three," said Kaylor.

"Figures. Valkyrie's are just too slow for us speed demons eh Kaylor?" said Ru with a knowing grin that Kaylor returned along with guffaws from Weis.

"Hey, you all just be careful out there okay?" said Jacen, "We want to see you down on Kanda to celebrate."

"I'll drink to that," said Aiden as he lifted up his glass.

"And to victory over the stellar converter and the Khawarij Empire," chimed in Lilana.

They raised their glasses and brought them together and then drank deeply, savoring the taste of impending victory.

*****Well, that's it. That was the rough draft of what was supposed to be the origin story of Knight Squadron. As I said, I wasn't happy with the result or how the story played out. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.