Silent Praise

The room was packed. It was rare that the full roster of Alliance High Command would be able to gather in one place but on occasion it happened. Depending on where they were meeting, sometimes it wasn't safe to have everyone in the same place. Mon Mothma would impose restrictions so only a certain level of the leaders could meet. It would have a smattering of the different Tiers, as to not collect the power base in one location, but at least 2-3 of the main Command members would be present or connected via holo-comm. That was until they found Zastiga. After the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the first Death Star they had started to grow bold. They had destroyed the Death Star, the single most expensive piece of weaponry in the galaxy. For the first time in a while, the Alliance had achieved some tangible results against the Empire. Despite security concerns raised by Airen Craken, the Alliance had began to get bold with their policies. Rather than operating as a Clandestine group, they were beginning to function more as a lawful and legal government. There was even talks of setting up a permanent base somewhere to operate from but thankfully General Dodonna had quelled those requests.

In light of this, Pike le Trenne wasn't surprised to see the room nearly full. In his first cursory look he could most if not all of the major players: Gial Ackbar, Airen Craken, Jan Dodonna, and Bandwin Cor all stood near each other talking in private conference. Laughter came from across the room and le Trenne turned to see Wedge Antilles doubled over with a group of other pilots. They had the dignity to change out of their orange jumpsuits at least, it had always confused him on why they never seemed to be able to change into something less tactical for these meetings.
"Pilots," he thought. The rest of the room was full of nearly every Alliance Cell Leader that was able to make the long haul to Zastiga. This Outer Rim outpost was incredibly difficult to get to. A series of shifting asteroid fields and massive nebulas made the hyperspace trek impossible. The only way in was to drop hyperspace on the edge of the fields and sub-light through them. This presented the Alliance Fighters a chance to destroy or disable anyone coming through the field. Although they had been on a bit of a victory streak they couldn't turn down the natural defense mechanisms this location provided. An Alliance Survey Team had actually found this in search of a new location for shipyards. Given the complexity and density of the asteroid fields, they deemed it unsuitable for any ship, let alone one that is damaged, to make it through the fields. They did not that it would be a good place for a safe haven. Craken had pounced on the opportunity as he had become desperate to find somewhere safe after Yavin was exposed. Within a few months they had a small modular facility set up on the planet.

Zastiga was an arid planet but the wind today was surprisingly cool. The room's windows were all open and part of the roof had been retracted. le Trenne closed his eyes, tilting his chin up, smiling as the cool caress of the wind. Opening his eyes he smiled at the sleek and bulbous ship hanging above them in orbit. He had always loved how the Mon Calamari designed their ships. Home One was the flagship of the rebel fleet and boasted an impressive arsenal and a massive starfighter component. Definitely not something to scoff at. Not everyone considered Yavin to be a victory. Some saw it for the near destruction of the entire Alliance in that one moment. If General Skywalker hadn't blown up the Death Star when he did, it would have been Jedha all over again.

Dodonna stepped forward and rapped his hand on the table. The room quieted and looked to him expectantly. He motioned to a female standing beside him in flowing white robes, Mon Mothma, the leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
"Welcome," she said and motioned to the various seats around the room. "Please sit". There was a few moments of shuffling as the room occupants found their seats. There was never enough chairs in these meetings and le Trenne didn't even bother to look for one. He weaved through the crowd to the back of the room where two of his peers, Nelani and Tolk were waiting. They motioned with hand talk a greeting and he replied. Given the level of subterfuge and the pseudo-political nature of this war council, the kinetic speech of Lorrdians was quite useful. They were classified as Near-Humans but most knew them as skilled mimics and masters of the subliminal. Craken had tried a few times now to recruit le Trenne and his group as part of AIB but they had refused every time - their fight was their own. He looked to Dodonna and Mothma who appeared to have started discussing the matters at hand.
"-and before we get into further war business we need to discuss some of the more critical matters." she said and motioned to Colonel Cor. The dark skinned man nodded reverently and stepped forward.
"Thank you Ma'am," he said in a thick Coruscanti accent. "As you all know there was an incident on Hosnian Prime. One of our starships, the Thunderstrike, operated independently with a wing of starfighters to engage and destroy an Imperial Raider Class Corvette. They did so to assist a group of criminals known as the "Kajidic Hunters" in escaping the planet with some valuable cargo," be explained to the room. "Despite our best efforts, neither Captain Howl, Captain Prower, or Sgt Suvan, who are the architects of this endeavour, have elected to share the nature of the cargo or the location of these criminals with us. Short of resorting to torture I don't see any way to get the information from them," he finished. Colonel Hazen Delto, a tanned male chuckled.
"Toss them in jail then?" he said, looking to the group.
"Were it that easy," Cor said mockingly. "Unfortunately Howl and Prower are somewhat of local heros. That would be too much of a hit to our morale; something we cannot afford to gamble with," he said the crowd murmured in agreement. Wedge Antille stood up and stepped forward towards the table.
"Yea I wouldn't recommend touching Prower. She's got Mandalorian blood in her and I wouldn't fancy being the one who tries to throw a pair of binders on her," he said. "So what are we going to do with them then? I've got Prower flying escort for the Redemption right now. Pretty boring job if you ask me," he finished. Cor nodded approvingly.
"Yes that should do. As for Howl and Suvan. Dodonna had them posted to Hoth where they can cool off for a while. Maybe some time with the Talz will convince them to reassess their loyalty," he said. "And what are we doing with these Kajidic Hunters. My sources picked up a message from Oruda the Hutt asking for a peace. An expensive peace but it would be an end to the bloodshed. We tracked the Jiramma's for any troop movement but there appears to be no change which makes me think they took the deal," he said. Mon Mothma pursed her lips.
"In this fight we cannot afford to turn away any potential asset. We have been victorious as of late but the Empire is moving. I don't know what they are scheming or where they are going to hit next but I know the Emperor and he won't ignore us much longer. We need to hold the initiative and continue to hit the Empire before they can hit us," she said. There was a chorus of agreement followed by a polite round of applause. le Trenne snickered at the display.
"Politics," he thoughts. "Always a show". Dodonna looked leaned on the table and pressed a few buttons. A series of figure flickered to life on the projectors. There were three human males, one with a beard and two without, and a Verpine.
"According to the AIB's intel, these are the Kajidic Hunters. Apparently they have lost a few of their members along the way. They have reportedly found somewhere secret to operate out of and have been actively hitting the Jiramma Kajidic. The reason for this vendetta is unknown but reports are showing that it is successful," he said and then paused, looking at the screen below him. "It is still unconfirmed but we have received that they were the last people aboard the Demeter. Black box data shows them arriving months after the ship went missing. We have no idea what or why they were on it but only that it was under the order of one of our own - Exeden Virai," he said. The room fell silent. Exeden had been the Team Leader for one of the most successful Squads in the Alliance, Noble Squad; however recently, he had apparently gone rogue and was threatening mass terror-like attacks against Imperial cities. He had gone missing a few weeks before, finally severing all contact with the Imperials. Some said it was losing his team to the ISB was the real cause of his mental breakdown but le Trenne had met him, the man had always thought the Alliance wasn't being aggressive enough. Lorrdians were masters of the non-verbal. Whenever Exeden had participated in any planning or meeting he was always tense and on edge. He seemed perturbed by how reactive the Alliance was and insisted they needed to strike at the "heart of the enemy" as he said numerous times. He never vocalized his true intentions but le Trenne and his companions could see it in him - he was angry.
"Although not formerly affiliated with the Alliance, since the incident at Hosnian Prime the civilian response to them has been somewhat positive. They have become something of local heroes. We've also received reports that the Corellian war hero, Major Rogan Alder, is fighting with them and brought the rest of the 42nd with him. They alone command a large deal of respect. All in all it seems as our only choice to capture this momentum and ensure it is funneled into our agenda is to, well, invite them to the Alliance," he said. The room erupted into noise as the various players protested this idea; le Trenne smiled. They would be upset but it made sense. The Alliance needed heroes right now. General Skywalker had left to carry out more of his training apparently and General Solo wasn't really the hero-type. They were also only two people. Even with Princess Organa they weren't enough to bolster the entire Alliance. These fighters had taken a fight to the Core Worlds and hit the Empire close to home. le Trenne knew that the success of the attack was largely based off luck. The Imperials likely weren't expecting a retaliation of force to that degree in the Core Worlds or they would of sent an Imperial Class destroyer with a few wings to wipe them out. Regardless, the had taken out an smaller capital ship above baby Coruscant - that was an accomplishment. The noise quieted as Mon Mothma raised a hand.
"I understand your concerns but if we don't reel them in we risk creating another Noble Squad. The Alliance needs to function in cooperation not isolation. If the men and women of the Alliance view them as heroes, then we need to display them as such. They've also proven their quite capable so let's give them some resources and set them to task," she said. Colonel Cor stepped forward, nodding his head but he looked concerned.
"Well of course but we need to ensure they have the proper direction. We can't afford any more lone wolf activities," he said and the room murmured in agreement. She nodded and then looked to le Trenne. He froze and looked to his left and right, seeing if there was perhaps someone else beside him. No, she was looking at him.
"Colonel le Trenne," she said smiling. "My quietest but one of my most effective commanders," she said. le Trenne looked down respectfully but more so to avoid the baleful gaze of his fellow Colonels at the praise.
"You have commanded your own branch of Special Tactics for almost a decade now. Your teams have completed some of the most dangerous assignments we have ever endeavoured upon," she said. He nodded again.
"Thank you Ma'am but I don't think they would fit the needs of my team. They are loud," he motioned with hand talk. Mon Mothma was a true politician and had learned kinetic talk in addition to many other languages.
"I understand but I believe that if they are to learn any element of discretion who better to learn it from than the finest in the Alliance - The Espers," she said. A murmur came from the room and all eyes turned to him. The Espers were likely one of the most effective but least discussed arm of the Alliance. A covert group of agents who operated to gather both information, recover sensitive items, and remove persons of interest. Most of the Alliance didn't like to acknowledge that the Alliance participated in those unsavoury activities but true realists, such as General Craken, recognized the importance of these activities. le Trenne, realizing that he wasn't going to win this, motioned that he would acquiesce to her proposal and she smiled in thanks.
"It is settled then, an envoy will be sent to propose this to them. With some luck, they will join us and we can capitalize on their skills. I know we have limited resources to provide right now as everything is stretched thin and then some but I would think that a spot in one of the most prestigious and famed arms of the Alliance would be enough. If you have any issues, appeal to Major Alder's honour. He is a true patriot and if we can't convince the others, maybe he can," she said and turned to General Dodonna.
"General, please carry on," she said and he opened up a galaxy map to discuss troop movements. le Trenne phased him out and looked to Nelani who was grinning widely. He pushed her away and crossed his arms, leaning back on the wall.
"Great," he thought. "More Nerfs to herd," and he stared up at the sky once more, waiting for all of this to be over.