5 Kraytia Zarin (1/2)

The transmission ended with Rax and Tobias 'promising' not to get involved with one another's plans. It seemed that Rax had no real use for Tobias as he wasn't going to accept Rax as a leader, and on top of that didn't seem to want to follow with the cause of the other remnants.

Iden and Del were staring at the man almost speechless. The Queen and Korro were also bewildered, rather curious and afraid of what was going on.

'What did he mean by thinning the herd?' Were the thoughts which trailed off the top of the Inferno Squad leader, Iden Versio's, mind. Did this mean her father was going to get purged? She had an immediate worry crossing over her face. The frown was the most prominent. Her mother was dead, died four years ago, believing she was a traitor to not only the Empire but also her father.

It turned out she was a traitor, who betrayed her father above anyone else. Her mother died hating her, curing her. Now she had come to believe that her father would be dying, doing the same? The thought made her heart throb negatively. Instinctively placing a hand over her chest.

”Garrick Versio,” Tobias Rune immediately stated as he looked at the woman who killed her teammate during their infiltration of the Dreamers. ”Hero of Vardos will refuse extraction.”

Iden looked at him, the frown still quite a sight on her face. ”I will rescue my father from his fate,” she asserted with confidence that this man, Tobias Rune, wouldn't object against this.

”You really don't have to,” Rune said in response to this with a mused tone, a glint in his eye.

”I implore you, Grand Moff Rune, allow me to do so.” She immediately stood up, the frown had turned into an indifferent confidence as if she didn't care what he said to deter her. Looming over the man who could snap her neck before she could even draw her pistol, she kept a stance of dominance and vigor.

”No, I literally mean, you don't have to.” he yawned with a light chuckle seeing her getting worked up. He gently reached out a hand for her to take, she blinked a few times as she looked at the gloved hand before resting her hand in it. Curious of what he was going to do.

Suddenly her head jolted back, he shared a vision with her. She saw herself in third person. ”Admiral! The Empire's time has come! You don't have to go down with it.” Her own voice echoed in her mind space as she watched this playthrough.

”This is a rescue attempt... I politely decline.” Garrick responded to her plead for him to come with her and escape the destruction of the Star Destroyer.

”We have to go now!”

”Rax expects me to leave too. This is where I belong. I gave my life to this Empire. Fought to keep it strong. It's hard to believe that this is all that's left...” A Nebula Class Frigate smashed into the hull, the two found themselves briefly embracing one another, but her father slowly released his hand from hers as it slid down her forearm.

She could tell the confrontation was coming to an end when he took several steps back, facing her as he did so. ”You saw the Empire's weakness and refused to let it consume you. It made you stronger. That's why you're leaving here without me....You deserve to live in peace. Go. Survive. Live.” He declined his life, believing he had no privilege to continue living on as his merit was now meaningless.

It wasn't exactly a heartfelt goodbye, but it seemed he was telling her to do what she always done. To survive. For some that could be considered a way for a tough military man with a military family, to say 'I love you.'

Iden lifted her hand from the Moff's and returned to realtime. It had only been a few seconds, while to her it had been several minutes. Her eyes were glossy, yet she didn't allow a single tear to escape. With foggy vision, she sat back down as she flexed her jaw in thought.

”The Galactic Empire at its height held twenty five thousand individual Star Destroyers under its command. This does not include the various other vessels in its service, your father will lose everything if he remains under Rax's command. If he wants to renew his strength for the Empire,” Grand Moff Rune gave the woman a soft gaze, one which she didn't recognize. It was unlike the dark looks he had given her when she had first arrived. It was different from the indifference she had been given soon after. It was different from his chaotic change in demeanor when Del made his appearance. ”You will be eventually be sent on a disavowed mission to, forcefully, extract him.”

”As for now Inferno Squad, you are being granted a new member of your team.”

”Sir?” Both Del and Iden stared at the man for a few moments until they felt, no, they heard someone walk in from one of the side rooms attached to the office. Something, someone, Leia hadn't even detected earlier.

A young girl about five foot one walked into the room. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit which was just a little bit too big. She appeared to be around the ripe age of sixteen. Her eyes were ice blue, and her hair was a cloudy snow white. It was thick and cut short into a pixie. She had pale skin and a slender almost malnutritioned frame, yet she was gilded with fatty cheeks and a babyface.

In the place of her eyebrows were four varied sizes of dot tattoos over each eye. They were a navy blue, making them very prominent features on her face. Her eyes alone, which were a pale icy tone, appeared animalistic in demeanor. As if she had once been feral, as if she could be attacked at any moment by anyone she didn't recognize as friend or foe.

Versio scrutinized the teenager with her eyes before narrowing her sights on a cylinder at the child's waist. She paused at the flat silver cylinder with black plastic buttresses. It was a lightsaber hilt.

”Commander Versio, I introduce you to my Apprentice. Kraytia Zarin, former Jedi Padawan who was placed inside a Stasis Casket and kept as a collection item by one of the 'Space Slugs' of the Hutt Cartel.”