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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2915005" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 347Jyren looked down at the vaguely greenish coloured liquid within the glass in his hands. It was some form of Corellian ale, fairly weak and tasted horrible...and yet, everyone drank the stuff, despite the many other things offered in the mess. Even Rulae Nok, the Duros commander of the newly reformed Zephyr Squadron and never known for his ability to hold his alcohol , had a glass in front of him on the table, though it was just sitting there as the Duros sat back and stared in near shock at the human sitting across from him.    “You’re serious?” Rulae asked, trying to take in all that Jyren had just told him.    Jyren just laughed and took a sip of the drink, trying to remember how he used to not make a disgusted face before, then said, “Yeah.”    The Duros shook his head, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but after what happened with Liz...well...didn’t really think you’d ever get past that.”    “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jyren was, of course, still grinning, but he soon put the drink down and adopted a more serious tone before nodding, “I didn’t think I would either. Nearly didn’t...its...it still hurts. It still hurts a lot. But I...I learned to accept it.”    “Seeing you here now proves that,” Rulae agreed, “I’m still angry with you for just disappearing, no matter what you were up to. You were so close to the edge in those months after Coruscant before you just...disappeared. When they said you died in action I...didn’t believe them. You were too good for that. I thought...I thought that...”    Where the Duros trailed off, Jyren picked up carefully, “You thought I’d done something stupid. And I nearly did...more than once. But that’s the past. There are more important things going on right now than my childish actions a decade ago.”    Even without eyelids, Duros had a certain way of narrowing their eyes that was...strange, but was definitely able to produce the correct effect. As Rulae did this, he said, “Answer me one question before you change the subject and ask me when and where we’re going.”    Normally, Jyren would have smiled at that...but from his old friend’s tone, he knew that was not a good idea. This was definitely serious, and probably one of those questions that Jyren had dodged in his telling of where he’d been (from which all references to Alraxia and its people were removed), “Alright. Ask away.”    “You found your parents and you have a family that you obviously care very much about,” there was a pause after that, as the words were allowed to hang in the air for a moment before the more cutting question was asked, “What the hell are you doing all the way over here when you should be back with them keeping them safe from what’s happening in the galaxy?”    It was like Marix had found a way to follow him and was now controlling the words of those around him. But Jyren knew better than that. Despite the fact that, distantly, he could still feel her through the link...she was doing her own thing. Rulae was right...and so was everyone that even thought that question, which had probably been a good amount of the Empire that knew him better than just ‘the Empress’ Mate’.    And, in all honesty, Jyren had no rational answer. But there was something...else...almost acting on him and telling him what he needed to do.    “I need to be here,” Jyren eventually said softly, before looking down at the green liquid again, “I told you that I...learned a little about the Force. I can feel...somethting...maybe the Force but I can’t really say, just something. And its...its pulling at my very core. Pulling me here. I need to be here to do my part in protecting my family.”    For a long couple of minutes, the blue-skinned Duros simply looked at Jyren...though it was hard to tell if he was being studied or if Rulae was simply lost in thought. The small mouths and lack of pupils made it so hard to read emotions for Jyren, and the Force sure as hell wasn’t helping any...it was so heavy lately. Almost like back when they’d been on that ship fighting the Darkwings....but larger, more spread out, and much more dangerous.    Then, finally, Rulae reached down and picked up his glass to finish off the ale it contained before saying, “Can’t really argue with that. I don’t know much about the Force beyond the usual stories, but it sounds to me you’ve got your head in the right place...for once. Must have taken one hell of a woman to do that to you.”    Jyren couldn’t a laugh, and used it to mask his utter distaste as he followed suit and finished his own ale. After setting it back down on the table, he leaned back and nodded, “That’s a pretty accurate description, actually. Still, you’d be amazed how much physical force it took to get my head to where it needed to be.”    “No,” Rulae shook his head, the small smile on his features, “I wouldn’t. A lot may have happened to you in the last fifteen years, but I know you’re still just as crazy as you used to be.”    “I try my best,” Jyren shrugged with a smile still on his face, though he couldn’t help glancing around to the other pilots moving about in the mess around them for once. Then, finally, he turned back to Rulae and asked, “Alright, now its my turn. Where are we going and when?”    “We leave in ten hours,” Rulae answered in a very officer-like voice that had to have taken years of practice to achieve, “Going to be attached to the Araddon’s task force. Two Star Destroyers, three frigates, two bomber groups, a recon squad, and us...not counting the marines and ground troops.”    “They aren’t holding back on this one, are they?” Jyren couldn’t help cutting in, not really taking in the fact that they were going to be station on, of all things, a Star Destroyer. That would likely sink in much later.    The Duros simply nodded before going on, “We’re going to be one of the first task forces to hit the Vong head on. Two groups are headed for Ithor, as everything points to that being the next major target, another to the Yavin system, and we’re headed out towards Vortex.”    “Doesn’t sound like front line to me,” Jyren almost grumbled.    “If this invasion continues as its been going and Ithor is attacked, Vortex will be the front line a matter of days afterwards.”    The words forced a silence in the air. They were true. No one knew what to expect from these first fights. Sure, there had been smaller skirmishes here and there, and many unique qualities of the Yuuzhan Vong’s weaponry and ships were fairly well known...but it couldn’t be anywhere near as much as was out there. All of the first skirmishes had ended in either the total destruction of any non-Vong forces, or a few managing to barely escape to tell the stories of the amazingly planned out tactics and alien weapons that created a horrible slaughter.    And then something else struck Jyren that was completely different, forcing him to ask, “Hang on. Why did you just tell me that so casually without even a mention about protocol and all that garbage?”    The grim look faded from Rulae’s face to be replaced by another smile, and as he stood up, Rulae said, “My XO needs to know what’s going on. Now come on, Captain, there’s a briefing in an hour and its about time you met the recruits.”</blockquote>

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