Sole Survivor -Kari

[Originally posted by Kari] OOC - My first story ever! Be gentle! Rated R for Violence, Brief Sexual Content, and Brief Nudity. Vyrin is her maiden name, will be different for in-game. Thank you to Obi and Jento for their input and contributions EDIT 11/2/2011 - Fixed grammar, punctuation, and past/present tense errors. Added and changed a few lines here and there. The sleek silver-mirrored ship broke through the highest layer of clouds as it escaped the atmosphere of the planet. After responding to a distress call and picking up the sole survivor, the small Imperial crew prepared for a jump to hyperspace. Inside the medical bay the survivor lay silently in bed, being treated for injuries sustained during a battle. Normally she would take notice of the handsome, sandy-blond haired medic tending to her wounds. The full beard was a bit distracting though. Laying on her belly, she raised an eyebrow while he took his time administering an injection to her rear. She didn't really pay attention as the droid spoke to the medic, “...Isn’t the normal procedure for that injection to be in the deltoid...” He cut the droid off while pulling a sheet over and asking her to flip over. He finished the kolto treatment and excused himself. Before leaving he gave instructions to the droid next to the girl’s medical console. The droid nodded and began to clean up bits of bloody bandages and empty kolto canisters. Kari gave a small nod when he left; over the side of the bed laid her plain grey and black uniform jacket. She reached over and held the standard issue Cadet’s uniform in her lap, running her fingers over the material. Finding scorch marks and blood on the front and along the arm. ‘How did this happen…’ She whispered to herself as she gently and neatly folded the jacket in her lap. ‘It was supposed to be a training exercise.’ She frowned looking at the blood spatter across the rank insignia. She closed her eyes for a moment before examining the jacket again, and noticed some blood still dried on her hands. She didn’t know how long she sat there staring before noticing a beeping sound get faster and faster. Her head snapped toward the sound, seeing the heart rate monitor hooked up to her chest. She felt her heart pounding in her ears along with the sound. Kari felt a surge of anger and frustration well up in her. Without thinking she ripped the wires off her body, throwing them off to the side. Shooting up out of the bed, she steadied herself for a moment before walking over to the large windows on the far end of the room. She felt a bit sick and suddenly claustrophobic, needing to be outside wasn’t going to be possible at the moment. The droid behind her flailed trying to catch the wires, unsuccessfully. In a metallic voice the droid pleaded, “Ma’am please you need to lie down…” Ignoring the protesting droid, she raised her hand as she approached the window, the droid stopped talking, but she could still hear it cleaning up behind her. Standing next to the window, looking into the inky blackness, watching the stars become brighter and the planet shrinking away, she took a deep breath. Looking into the stars, she ached for silence, the beeps and constant humming of the med bay was eating away at her. Getting a chill standing there in a grey tank top, slacks and black boots, she tucked her jacket under her arm and turned to the exit. The droid lifted it's finger about to tell Kari that she should not leave. She Marched past and ignored the droid again. As she reached the doorway it hissed open and she tilted her head slightly, talking to the droid, “Where are the crew quarters?” Her voice was weak and tired, but determined to keep it together. The droid gave a little dramatic sigh and gave quick directions to the impatient patient. Kari scanned and listened in the corridor for a moment before mumbling “Thanks”. She began silently making her way through the ship. The ship was immaculate, sterile, but it seemed to be more luxurious than any military ship she had seen. It also seemed to be more high-tech than some battleships she had studied. She thought perhaps it was a prototype, she wasn't going to stop and ask. She slid her right arm under her bust, clasping her left forearm, trying to move quietly through the steel-blue corridors, really not wanting to run into anyone at this time. Hearing heavy boot steps coming from the crossing corridor in front of her, she pressed her back into a locked doorway. She watched a uniformed man march by, probably on the way to the cockpit; they should be entering hyperspace soon. For a moment she thought it was silly to be hiding from anyone on a military ship, but she didn’t want to deal with any human contact, not right now. She waited for the sound to disappear with the man before turning down the hallway he had come from. She found her way to a room with a few single beds and a few small windows on the other side of the room with a couple of chairs and a table. And finally, what she was looking for, somewhere quiet to get cleaned up. Everything was the usual steel bathed in either blue or red light, cold, but familiar. She neatly laid out her clothing on one of the beds. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept or even showered alone since entering the Academy. Steam escaped from the personal refresher as Kari let her long black hair down and pulled off the bandage covering her cheek, the mark still bright red against her light skin. She leaned in close to the mirror and touched the mark lightly trying to recall how it got there. Sighing she turned around, extending her right hand to let the hot water run over her fingers as she moved under the spout. She tried to raise her left arm, wincing as a stabbing pain shot up her arm. She tilted her shoulder forward looking down, frowning at the thick purple-black lines arcing up the back of her arm, from the elbow to her shoulder. She couldn’t even remember getting shot. Closing her eyes as the hot water cascaded down her body, washing the grime of a recent battle away. Her mind started racing ‘How did this happen’. Over the noise of falling water she could almost hear the sounds of blaster fire slicing through the air, the heat as it streaked by, the impact as it struck… Kari’s face fell in a pained grimace trying to will the thoughts away, only to see his face. He was handsome; even as the life escaped from his body he looked up at her. He gave a weak smile and tried to speak. She knew what he was going to say, she hated that he was going to be right, it broke her heart to think of it. She slammed her hands into the wall in front of her, ignoring the white hot pain in her arm again. Clenching her fists against the slick steel-grey wall, she hung her head down under the water letting it pound the back of her neck. The water helped numb the pain, but the throbbing in her head, the knots in her stomach and sharp pain through her heart was starting to consume her. She opened her eyes looking down her toned wet body, she looked fine for the most part, healthy and alive, but she felt broken and defeated. Even though she was the only one left, for a moment she wished she died with the rest of them. She shook her head trying to push the thoughts away. She barely noticed the lights flicker and go dim; she raised her head, but didn’t care enough to leave the warm embrace of the water. She tried to think of something else, a happy memory… Kari’s bright green eyes glanced around the dimly lit shuttle, strapped in next to a dozen other anxious eleven year olds. She looked over to the one surly looking man in uniform that was stationed inside, silently watching as the shuttle traveled to its destination. Something outside the small window across from her caught her eye. Looming outside was the Kaas Military Academy. The massive and impressive looking building filled the window and became a blur of dark steel as the shuttle approached the landing bay. The ship shifted slightly as the landing gear lowered. The blond boy next to her fidgeted uncomfortably while staring at the large bay door. Noticing his nervousness, Kari patted the boy’s hand that was grasping the belt strapping him in. She knew he would be eaten alive if the boy showed any weakness, she hoped to calm him. The boy let out a startled gasp looking to her. Frowning at first, but then seeing the green-eyed girl smile, the boy nodded and without a word being exchanged he took a big breath then looked out the window. They watched the nearby traffic fly by the building then disappear as the shuttle entered the hanger, the boy seeming a bit calmer. The shuttle landed with a slight shutter, the interior illuminated and the belts automatically unlatched allowing the occupants to stand. All eyes turned to the shuttle door opening and over the loud hum of the engine powering down she could hear a man barking orders outside. The man inside straightened up and sounding terribly bored with the entire situation ordered the group to get into formation. Excited to hear an order she had practiced at home with her mother, Kari immediately stood up straight, turned on her heel facing the door and dropped her hands to her sides. Most of the children did the same, a couple of them looked confused, including the blond boy in front of Kari ‒ they were promptly and roughly shoved into place as the man walked between the two lines. It was difficult to keep her excitement in check, she had been waiting for this day for what seemed forever to the eleven year old. A real adventure, meet new people, make new friends and most importantly, make her parents proud. It never occurred to her that she didn't have a choice in the matter. She had to suppress a smile as she thought of her mother, hugging her and telling her goodbye before putting her on the shuttle. The new cadets were marched through the large and dramatic entrance to the Academy. The man droned on about the history of the place and then something about a cafeteria. She was distracted by the boy she had reassured earlier. He was trying to turn his head to look at her, but was too afraid of being caught. Finally they stopped for a moment and the two lines were made to face toward each other on either side of the corridor. The man disappeared around the corner; a few of the children fidgeted and looked around, a few stood face forward un-flinching. The boy next to her tried not to turn his head to look at Kari, as if the man would come around the corner any minute and smack him. He asked, “What’s your name?” “Vyrin, Kari Vyrin.” She smiled at him, catching his eye momentarily before turning back to face front and center. “Victor Theril…” He said politely, he quickly turned to look at her, and beamed. He seemed to want to say something else, when suddenly everyone else snapped their heads to attention as a large uniformed man rounded the corner. Kari thought of their time growing up together, years of friendship that turned into a crush and then finally the last three years as a couple. Thoughts of their time together flashed through her mind, first kiss, first fight, first time they got caught making out behind the courtyard’s shrubbery. She remembered a few years ago when she was 15 years old, Victor held her as she cried in his arms. He asked her what was wrong, she couldn’t tell him. She could not tell him her father, who would visit her once a year, would not be coming this year. He would never know why she cried that day, the only time he saw her cry. A small smile crept into the corners up her mouth as she thought of their first time making love. It was terribly awkward, but still sweet. She thought of their last time together, before leaving to the training facility off-world. They knew it would be difficult to find time to be alone. So they treated it like it was their last time for a long while... The classroom was dimly lit, a few red lights dotted the classroom when not in use. A flash of lightning illuminated the empty room as two figures quietly walked in, one of them wandered along the wall and the other locked the door. Kari let out a high-pitched gasp as she found her back pressed against the wall just a couple meters from the door. She pulled her assailant in closer by the collar of his uniform, pressing her lips against his, he gladly went along as his hands wandered downward. Both her and Victor had grown into attractive, talented, and spirited eighteen year olds. Being caught and berated never discouraged them for long, over time they got better at sneaking around campus. As she felt her belt unfasten and fall to the ground, her heart fluttered and her hands moved down to do the same for him. The heat between the two was unrelenting as they urged each other to continue. After Kari pulled off her grey uniform top Victor lifted her up against the wall, she quickly wrapped her legs around him and gave him a mischievous little smirk. He grinned before placing his lips on her throat, his kisses being rewarded by the sounds she made. His fingers lightly teased their way down the curve of her waist, causing her to let out a little giggle. He stopped to look at her, tilting his head slightly. “I love you.” Saying those words just above a whisper. Kari tilted her head the same way, her whole body melting while responding “I love you too.” Gazing into his dark green eyes for a few moments. She giggled again and gave him a squeeze with her legs, giving him a hint. Victor was happy to oblige... Kari let out a small cry, closing her eyes, the water and tears melding together as she let the stream of water rush over her face. Shaking her head as she ripped herself away from her thoughts. She finally shut off the water, dried off and wrapped the towel around her torso, wet hair slicked back and around her shoulders. The mirror showed a glistening tired and red-eyed wreck of a girl. She shrugged and hoped for a dreamless sleep as the door hissed open, back to the bedroom. Walking into the room, she stopped a few steps in, pausing a moment before turning her head to the right. In the darkened corner of the room sitting at the small table sat the red-haired officer that commanded the ship. Coming out of a haze all she could do is utter, “…Sir?” She couldn’t remember if she was told his name at any point. “Kari Amorra Vyrin, born on Dromond Kaas. Seven years in the Kaas Military Academy. Service record number C3348128, special training with sniper rifles, first in class. Also high marks in flight training, linguistics, diplomacy, and leadership. Minor demerits, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure and an incident in the boys’ locker room....” He seemed to pause for dramatic affect, she wasn’t sure. Kari still stood with her mouth slightly open before she started to reply “...I can explain that last one...” He cut her off and continued. “Daughter of Captain Taline Vyrin, commander of the battleship, Citidal... And Lord Ardour, Sith Lord.” She tried to stop herself from reacting, but couldn’t help it and interrupted him, “Wait, what? My father?! What do you know of my father?” Raising her voice as she walked over to the table, her hand automatically going to her chest making sure the towel stays on. She watched the confident officer carefully, trying her best to read him. Jento raised a finger as if to end the stream of questions which seemed to pour out of her. As she quieted he responded, "Careful not to ask questions you truly don't want to answers to, Cadet." He leaned forward and pushed the uniform towards her. "The Sith Empire is a complex machine, there are many moving parts, many games of politics and struggles for dominance, but there is one constant in all the galaxy. Information is power. There are few true secrets even when they are well hidden that someone doesn't know about, and if you really want to know," he leaned back in his chair, "There is always a way to get that information." She stayed quiet, but couldn’t hide the fact that she was still a bit stunned and somewhat alarmed at what he knew. As he explained, she listened carefully, glancing down at the uniform as he leaned back in the chair. She composed herself, reaching out and dragging the clean and pressed uniform to the edge of the table. Standing up straight, erasing the mess of emotions she was going through off her face. She looked to him as he finished speaking. He observed her for a brief moment and then continued talking, "I am Captain Jento Svarthos." He held up a pair of fingers, "There are two things which have kept you alive today. First off, you have impressed me, even before I arrived here. Secondly, I believe you can follow orders and you are about to be given a very simple but imperative one. I was never here, you never saw this ship or anyone aboard and you will not breath a word about your rescue to anyone on Dromond Kaas, understood?" Several questions raced through her mind, but she only said, “Understood, Sir.” Jento stood up from his chair, "Very good." He looked down at the uniform, "I'll let you get changed and then join me in my ready room. I would like to go over a few details of what took place down on the planet." Without waiting for her reply he simply nodded and strode out of the room the doors swishing closed behind him. Kari watched him leave silently before getting dressed. She paused before reaching the door, just realizing what he may have meant by his two reasons why she was alive right now. She tugged on the front of her uniform, straightening it before heading to the ready room. Trying to figure out how to explain, she frowned thinking how all of this will just be a few names, ranks and status reports’ on a datapad. It could never account for what happened that day. The war-torn plains were littered with old bits of wreckage, demolished ships and vehicles, buildings and battles droid from previous battles. A small base and hanger sat a top one of the rolling hills. The mostly sunny day was very different from the perpetual thunderstorms and swamps of Dromund kaas. It was nice to actually get out and be somewhere new. Even more exciting was the reason for being on Balmorra. Kari pressed her back against some old wreckage, holding her blaster rifle up, ready to turn and fire on the approaching enemy. A man’s voice in ear yelled, “You are losing ground! Get out there! Stop them before they get to the base!” With her back against the wreckage she could see two officers in the distance standing in front of the bunker’s blast doors, just behind a waist high steel barricade. The commanding officer of this platoon of cadets, twenty-four young men and women being tested. His hands were relaxed behind his back as he barked orders into his comm link attached to the older man’s ear. Another slightly younger officer stood next to him watching the battle, taking notes. Suddenly one of the other cadets collapsed to the ground. A voice called for a medic, Kari tried to determine which droid got him, the only way they could get to him from his cover point was from the side, but no training droids were in that direction.The cadet lay motionless on the ground, his eyes un-moving, he should still be trying to watch the training scenario while waiting for the medic to get to him. Victor started to run over to the fallen cadet, Kari shot her arm out in front of him, telling him to wait as she scanned the area, then she looked far out into the hills. Another cadet slammed into the dirt, it was one of the guys from her fireteam, shot down in front of Victor. She watched the cadet’s blood fly off to the side, indicating the direction the attack. Looking off into the hills that surrounded the compound she watched as the plains shifted - several figures, at least forty, emerged from their camouflaged hiding spots. Humans and aliens with all sorts of weapons began to surround the training facilities battle simulation area, they began taking cover at the edge of the battlefield. Kari yelled out “We’re under attack! Not a simulation!” She fired her rifle in the direction of the new-found enemy. Her fireteam immediately followed suite. Glancing back toward the base she watched the officer with the datapad get shot down. Her commanding officer shouted orders, pushing cadets in front of him as he made his way to the blast doors. “Hold them back, take care of it!” He disappeared through the doorway and she watched for a moment as the blast doors slammed shut. A volley of bolts blasting into the wreckage in front of her snapped her back to attention. She took a breath and nodded to her muscle bound friend in front of her, Savio; he always wanted to be a commando and it looked like he was about to start right now. He nodded back and swung around with his assault rifle, laying down suppressing fire on the enemy. He artfully peppered the area with green bolts, as he slowly backed up with the rest. Kari's group moved back toward the base, getting off a few shots before diving behind the cover of a what could have been a piece of an old starship. She peeked out from cover, shooting one of the lightly armored attackers squarely in the chest, she started to smile watching his body fly backwards to the ground. Her smile was immediately wiped away as Savio fell limply to the ground, a pool of blood already gathering around his head. She cursed ducking back down, shaking her head at the other two. Just the three of them left now, just a few meters of open space from the base’s large blast doors. The other female in her team, Dalhia, a small girl that liked to pack a punch, tossed a grenade over to the pack of enemies approaching their position. They waited a couple seconds before sprinting to the waist high solid steel barricades that surrounded the entrance to the base. Blaster fire flew all around them as they ran for it, a moment later a loud crack went off behind them, along with screams of surprise, followed by a wet thumping noise... Kari glanced back to see Victor pulling Dalhia up, her leg a bloodied mess, Kari quickly turned back to help bring Dalhia to safety behind the steel barricade. Once they were all over the barricade, Victor knelt beside what was left of Dalhia's lower leg, pulling out a kolto canister, readying it for use. Kari leaned against the wall, popping up to take aim as the enemies scattered behind cover. A red bolt streaked by her head, she turned and fired at her attacker, hitting him twice before he was able to fall to the ground. Scanning the battleground, she saw several fallen cadets, none were standing, no one else made it. She hoped some tried to find another way, maybe they are flanking the enemy? Who are these people anyway? They wore no uniforms, their weapons are a miss mash of old and new. What do they want? Weapons, supplies, vendetta against the Empire? These questions raced through Kari’s mind for a few moments before she heard Victor yell for her to get down. She suddenly found herself down on her side on the hard steel plating, there was a blast right in front of their position. The force knocking the air out of her. Victor lay protectively over her for a moment before pushing himself up and against the wall, reaching over to pull Kari up to the cover position as well. He held her face for a moment, looking her over then looking into her eyes, his thumb running down her cheek. She felt a slight stinging and the warmth of blood down the side of her face. “We are almost there.” Nodding his head toward the blast door behind her. His voice was muffled by the ringing in her ears, that was slowly subsiding. “There’s at least 20 or maybe 25 of them out there...” Still sounding brave but his voice faltering at the end of his statement. Kari got to her feet, still hunkered down next to the barricade and nodded. She glanced over to Dahlia, seeing her lifeless body slumped over on her side. She bit her lip, keeping her emotions in check as she reached over to pick up an explosive. “We’ll use the last grenade and lay down some fire as we run for the door. I’ll put in the code, we get inside, lock the door...” She paused for moment hoping that they get that far. “...And call for help.” Kneeling on one knee, Victor, leaned in and kissed her, Kari stifled a soft moan as emotions ran high. For one fleeting moment it was only the two of them there. The kiss broke abruptly as the sound of the attacking soldiers approached. She peeked over the side for a moment as Victor shot his blaster over the top. Taking one last deep breath she launched the last explosive at the invaders and took off for the door. She could hear them yelling about the grenade seconds before it exploded. She felt the shock-wave push her toward the entrance just as she ran behind the panel that controlled the door. Starting to enter the code, she watched Victor run in behind her, pressing against her behind the small bit of cover. INVALID She groaned and tried the passcode again. INVALID “That coward.” She glared and slammed her fist into the console. “The commander locked it when he went inside... he left all of us out here.” Unnecessarily sacrificing twenty-four promising cadets for one useless officer, hardly seemed fair. She clenched her jaw as she opened her wrist comp to slice into the console. Suddenly, she was spun around as Victor called out her name and both of them were pressed into the door. The familiar sound of blaster fire filled the air, the heat as it streaked by, and the sound of the impact... Kari looked down, Victor had a pained look on his face as he held his bloody side. She helped him lean up against the blast door’s frame. She could only move out of the way as he lifted his arm to shoot and kill some alien sneaking around from the side of the building. He leaned against the wall and slowly sank to ground. “Hold on, you are going to be ok, let me fix you up real quick...” She told him confidently as she kneeled down to open his medic pack, finding bits of bandaging and some other things she didn’t really recognize, but no kolto. Victor grabbed her wrist and looked up at her, willing her to look at his face. “It’ll be alright, you’ll be alright.” He said reassuringly, his voice becoming quieter, a bit of blood creeping out the corner of his mouth. “Keep trying.” He gave her a small nudge toward the console and winced as he continued to hold his side. Another flurry of blaster bolts flew right by them into the wall and the locked blast doors. Kari gripped her blaster rifle tightly, closing her eyes for a moment, holding her breath as she leaned against the small alcove that gave her a small bit of cover. She looked back over to him as she crouched next to him. He gave her a weak smile and it seemed like he was about to say something, but just nodded instead. Everything seemed to slow down, her mind raced as she leaned to the side and took aim around the corner. She scanned the area quickly, seeing about ten enemies left. A single man off to the right was turning to shoot, she shot first, seeing a red mist behind the man’s head she turned to a group of two men and an Twi’lek popping up from behind the steel barricade. She slowly exhaled and counted, One, Two, Three. One right after the other, they fell back to the ground in the same steady rhythm to her blaster shots. Five more appeared from the wrecked battlefield, diving behind some burning wreckage that littered the entrance a few meters away. Leaning back against the wall again, taking a breath, she noticed two people, a man and a woman, approaching from the side again, she peeked out to shoot them. Lining up her sights, she could only hear her own blaster fire and the woman letting out a short shriek as she spun around, slamming into the ground. The man managed to duck to the side as Kari took a shot at him, he fired back. Still holding her rifle, the bolt sliced down her elbow through her shoulder. She shot back a second afterward. The man, just a quick hop away from the safety of the barricade, slammed into it instead, blood smeared down the barricade as he slumped over. Kari groaned and pressed her back into the wall, letting her left arm hang for a moment. Shaking her arm, telling herself its fine, it still works. ‘I can still do this.’ She whispered to herself before taking another breath. Luckily the adrenaline saved her from the worst of the pain as she lifted the rifle up, taking aim once more. While she was distracted five of the enemies, a mix of aliens and humans, approached the barricade. Kari counted again, moving faster than ever. Various colors of blood erupted out behind the head or chest of each one. Another small group about ten meters behind the five she just decimated caught her eye. She brought up her rifle as she watched them duck down. A few moments passed as Kari continued to hold her rifle up, her arm becoming fatigued and the pain starting to creep up on her. She concentrated on the steady sound of her breathing as she watched for any movement. Holding her position until she watched them turn and run. They were retreating, she took a couple shots as they escaped, running through the obstacle course of the war-torn battlefield. A glint of bright sunlight caught her eye from high above in the sky. The clouds swirled and parted as the ship swooped in followed by the sound of a speeding starship, raining turret fire down on the retreating men. One of them must of had a large amount of explosives on him as the group disappeared in a fiery cloud in the distance, a couple bodies went flying just as they reached the edge of the battlefield. The ship came in close overhead, turned toward the hanger and vanished. Silence. Turning around to tend to Victor, she felt as though a Wookie had gut punched her. She sees him there, his head tilted over slightly, no smile on his face, his eyes half open, lifeless. Falling to her knees beside him, she reached out to touch his throat, no movement, no pulse. The world started to fall away, the silence deafening as she caressed the side of his face. A few tears escaped, she tried so hard to be strong, they would be here soon. After gently closing his eyes that were now void of life, she bowed her head, wiping the tears away. Taking a few breaths, she heard the blast door start to hiss and creak open. She brought herself to one knee, composing herself, gripping her rifle with her left hand she pushed herself up. Seeing the red-headed officer march up to her,flanked by a few of his own guards and her commanding officer following behind him with his own guards around him. Kari immediately stood at attention and saluted. Holding the the barrel of her rifle, standing the end on the ground to help steady herself, blood from her arm dripping down the length of the gun. “What do you think you are doing?!” The commander spat at Kari from behind the newly arrived officer. Glancing out at the smoking battlefield he continued, “We are in the middle of a battle Cadet…” He stopped mid-sentence looking out at the sea of bodies littering the training grounds. Jento stopped mid-step turning to face the officer, "I hardly see any danger, Lieutenant," he gestured toward the scattered dead bodies. He turned back to Kari and returned the salute, "It’s nice to see someone on this base who actually follows some military procedure." He sharply brought his hand down, "Status report, Cadet." That was a loaded question. Her mind started racing, then decided to keep it short and simple. Keeping her voice calm and steady as she explained, “A small army attacked us during our training session. Several cadets were killed in the confusion before we were able to fall back and defend ourselves. A small team of us were able to reach the barricade, before they started using explosives. We were pinned down at the door here until they began their retreat. Sir.” Kari took a small breath, finding her throat a bit sore. Nodding his head, Jento clasped his hands behind his back and slowly looked around the area while Kari explained what had happened. He came across one of the rebels and kicked the body over with the toe of his boot. "This man was killed by a sniper rifle," he turned to look at Kari who was still standing stiffly at attention. "Just like that one you have." He leaned back and saw several others just outside the opening. "Are you responsible for taking all these attackers?" Jento pointed around the area with two fingers as he looked at Kari square in the eyes. Looking slightly down to her right, swallowing hard seeing Victor’s scuffed boot in her peripheral vision, standing back up straight she replied, “Yes... I was just trying to survive, Sir.” Trying not to sound upset. She opened her mouth to continue, but stopped. ‘I was trying to save him, us’ she said to herself. She thought for another moment, then it dawned on her, “There may be others alive out there, Sir” Motioning to the battlefield, only the sound of crackling fire could be heard out there and no other movement could be seen. "At ease, Cadet," Jento gestured to Kari who was still at full attention and he turned to his guards, "You two, begin a scan of the area for anyone left alive. If you find any Cadets take them aboard and get the Doctor to treat them. Any rebels.. you know what to do. Also, move the bodies which took fire from our ship and disintegrate them. We were never here." He turned and looked at Kari, "Understood, Cadet." She nodded her consent and before she could speak he gestured for them to follow and he walked back to where they'd first found her. The odds were not high that there was anyone else alive out there. Kari could only hope someone else had made it. Not realizing she had been holding her breath she exhaled, while relaxing her stance and waited for further orders. Blood continued to run down her arm, still gripping the barrel of her rifle. Jento turned to his one remaining guard, "Sergeant, take Cadet Vyrin aboard and get her injuries treated." He glanced back at Kari to see how she reacted that he already knew her name, even though he'd never asked for it. "You've done the Empire a great service today, Cadet. I shall make a full report to central command with a full commendation for your valor." He briefly looked at the slumped corpse of Victor not far away and from the longing look she'd given, he knew there was more there then she'd said. "Take her aboard Sergeant, I have some," he paused briefly giving the armored guard a faint but disturbing half grin, "business to discuss with the Lieutenant. I shall be along shortly. Have Lieutenant Tam begin pre-launch, we will be leaving straight away." “Thank you, Sir.” She said gratefully, clicking her boots together, and saluting. ‘Wait did he say my name? He didn’t ask...’ Following orders she kept her mouth shut. Not bothering to look at her injury, her eyes turned to look down at Victor, taking a quick glimpse at his still body. On her way into the base she noticed security holocams at the entrance; those would have recorded everything that happened. She frowned thinking ‘What if the commander was watching the whole time, watching us die out there…’ Emotions started to flood her mind and body; she quickly erased the pained look on her face and left with the guard. Kari sat there, stone-faced looking at Jento sitting across the table from her in his ready room. She managed to get through the debriefing, rationally describing what transpired. She clasped her hands together in her lap and cleared her sore throat. After a few silent moments she spoke, “I think that covers everything.” Jento nodded as she finished her recounting of the events and he pressed a button on the holorecorder switching it off. "Very good, that seems to match verbatim to what I saw on this," he holds up a small disc. "We will be arriving on Dromond Kaas soon and landing in one of the non-standard landing pads of the city spaceport. Do your best to seem casual as you leave and draw as little attention as possible as to how you got there." Rising up from his desk he continues, "We shall meet again Cadet. Dismissed." Kari stood up along with him and nodded, “Yes, Sir.” Her body protested as she stood, new aches and pains creeping up on her now. Standing up straight, saluting, and turning about face, she paused before leaving the room. Her face softened for a moment as she turned her head just enough to see him, “Thank you, Sir.” She left the room and quickly made her way back to the crew quarters, finding her cadet uniform still laying there. She sat down on the bed and held the folded battle-worn uniform in her lap as she waited for them to land at Dromond Kaas.