In Which Ares Makes Bad Decisions

Montross Upper Atmosphere
Skystrike Academy

"Look, all I'm saying, is we borrow a shuttle-," Jaina began.

"Steal, you mean steal one," Ondor interrupted drolly.

"-as-I-was-saying, borrow a shuttle, and hit up Celon Station. It's only a half an hour's flight, we could hit the cantina-I've heard their drinks are spectacular-and pick up some locals, impress them with the uniform if ya know what I'm saying," Jaina continued, unabashed.

"Oh yeah, nothing's sexier than a cadet uniform. It just screams 'take me now, truant officer!'. You know. To the brig," Ondor said.

Jaina pouted and looked at Ares for support. Ares studiously concentrated on his lunch tray. Jaina stole his lunch tray.

"Come on, let me eat in peace. I don't steal your food," Ares protested.

Ondor and Jaina both turned to stare at him in disbelief, and Antares winced.

"Ok, I don't hold your food hostage. Any time I steal your food, it goes to a good place. My stomach."

"Anyways, no, Jaina, we are not stealing a shuttle to fly to a bar, and pick up chicks," Ondor said.

"You can pick up guys if you want. I won't judge. Ooh, there's supposed to be a really great club planet side that we could go to, if a cantina isn't your speed," Jaina said.

"The locale is not the problem, Jaina, it's the theft and truancy!" Ondor squawked.

"Wait, hold up, how is there a club down on the surface? I thought the gasses around the core were too thick for anyone to actually go down there? Plus, y'know, the violent chemical reactions that happen in the lowest stretches of the atmosphere," Ares began, before trailing off into a slight tangent about the atmospheric makeup of Montross.

"See, that's the cool part! It's a station, just like Skystrike, but they've lowered it as close to the core as possible. It has special shuttles from a station in the upper atmosphere, and the club is completely insulated, with starfighter-grade viewing ports so that you can watch the storms all around!," Jaina gushed.

Ondor just held his head in his hands and sighed as the two devolved into a discussion of what kind of shielding the club, apparently called the Stormsurfer, must have to withstand the weather at the core. Ares nudged his shoulder and grinned.

"Obviously we won't steal a speeder and fly to a club," Ares reassured him.

"Oh thank the stars-," Ondor replied.

"We'll wait until we get a leave weekend, and legally go to the club," Ares continued cheerfully.

Ares and Jaina both laughed at his exaggerated groan.

----Commodore's Office----

Commodore Goran's face lit blue in the wash of light from the hologram. His frown was severe as he listened to the other commander speak.

"With any luck, the hyperdrive will not require a complete replacement," the officer before him droned on.

"And first, you will need to stop on Montross with your prisoner?," Commodore Goran replied stiffly.

"Your academy is the closest Imperial base, landing there would be ideal," the officer said.

"Very well, we shall expect you on the morrow. Upon landing, be prepared to escort your prisoner directly to the brig. From there, I'll have one of the instructors direct you to your quarters, Captain Cossa," Commodore Goran said.

After a few quick, meaningless pleasantries were exchanged, the light of the hologram winked out. Goran allowed himself the luxury of a frustrated groan, before resuming his guise of formality. Somehow, he just knew, his more rebellious students would find a way to cause trouble during the visit. Maybe he could order the captain to demonstrate a few maneuvers, to keep the students occupied. And given the news that just came in from Onderon, from whence the captain was travelling, Goran might have to engage in some good old fashioned interrogation while the captain was busy.

---The Next Day---

The academy hummed with a low drone of excited murmurs. Today was to be the day that Captain Cossa arrived on base, a real pilot actively fighting against the rebels! And he was even bringing a prisoner (who none of them were going to see until, or after, the captain disembarked from his ship)! Most of the students had never seen a real rebel, so the stories of its' monsterousness were continuously exaggerated, until many of the younger students were sure it had seventeen eyes, rows upon rows of teeth, and the ability to kill you with its mind.

One student was not sharing in the excitement of the rest; Ondor Skane. Ares and Jaina were determined to find out why. They tracked him down to an out of the was alcove in a mostly disused corridor. His eyes were puffy and red, and his voice shook when he spoke. Ares could feel waves of despair and nausea crashing against his senses, interspersed with flickers of fury. Not good.

"What are you doing here? You should be jockeying for a spot to see the prisoner," Ondor mumbled when he saw them approach.

"No, we should be helping you with whatever is wrong," Jaina countered.

"Yeah, we know something's not right. But if you tell us, we can help," Ares added.

"No, you can't. Not unless you know how to ressurect the dead," Ondor said.

"W-what?"

Jaina was taken aback, but Ares...he'd thought it might be something like this. Ondor felt like his mother and Hobie did whenever his father was mentioned. It was the same sort of grief.

"Rebels...they...they attacked Jekker yesterday, on Onderon. My parents were there, and my siblings, and plenty of my cousins...my Aunt called last night," he whispered.

Ares wasn't sure how much of the rage he felt was his, and how much was Jaina's. He feel his heart beating thunderously in his ears, and for a moment, he fought to keep himself from lashing his fists against the wall. First his father, now Ondor's family...Rebels really were trash, Ares decided.

"That's...that's fucked up! God, I hate them so much," Ares spat.

"Isn't that prisoner a rebel from Onderon?," Jaina murmured thoughtfully.

Intrigue, hate, and mischief swirled off of her, and Ares grinned.

"What are you two thinking?," Ondor asked warily.

"I'm thinking that, tonight, we should pay her a visit, and ask some important questions," Ares declared.

(OOC: A couple of things I've taken liberty with:
Goran's rank: In canon, he's a commandant That makes no sense, because that's an Imperial army rank. He's not a storm trooper, he's a flight instructor. He runs a pilot school. He flies a TIE fighter. So as that bit of canon is stupid, I've elected to ignore it, and instead give him the equivalent imperial navy rank of Commodore.
Montross' Location relative to Onderon: We're never actually told where Montross is, or what's near it. So, I picked a planet to be nearby, that was likely to have rebels (since Saw is from Onderon). Speaking of Onderon...well, obviously the Imperials wouldn't be responsible bombing out a rebel base that happened to be in a small population center. Nah, the Rebs did it out of spite...totally...
Montross' Population and Composition: Montross appears to be a gas giant, from what we see in the show Rebels. So, I took that to the logical conclusion, that you cannot actually go planet side. And that any inhabitants live on stations in the upper atmosphere.)