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Beyond - Legends Talon Intelligence Squadron: The Catch (Book Five) - COMPLETED 28 MAR 2011

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by TalonIntelSquad, Jan 6, 2011.

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  1. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Chapter Ten - "It's too late, sir! They're here!"

    Reyanna eased the speeder to a halt beside the skywalk, and then she and the others all bailed out. They were still a block from the IHC building. Nash loped to the corner and scanned the building with a compact pair of occulars pulled from a pouch on her combat harness. It seemed quiet, as it should at this time of night, but with news of the Talons' breakouts spreading like fire on an oil slick, surely the members of the IHC would be scrambling to take steps. Reyanna had skillfully dodged several military and civilian police patrols on their way.

    "Incoming."

    Nash pulled away from her observation of the IHC building and turned to look where Karn was pointing. Another speeder was approaching slowly, all of its lights turned off. Before it drifted to a halt behind their own vehicle, Nash had made out fellow Talons inside. Once it was parked, Qui-Sein, Marhl, and CiCi joined them. Marhl and Qui-Sein greeted the still prison-garbed Kendrick while CiCi drifted over to Nash.

    "Any activity?"

    Nash shook her head, tail lashing the air. "Sstrangely quiet. A few officse lights appear to be on, but not what I would have exspected after thrree breakouts."

    "Maybe we're still a few steps ahead of them?"

    Nash flattened her ears, her tail twitching. "Perhapss."

    Just then Karn joined the two females. "The others are here." Behind him, out of the dark, came the forms of Homer, Danya, Owen, Kaiba, and Ty.

    Nash gave a slight shiver that momentarily fluffed her fur and nodded. "Then we begin. Homer, Kendrick, CiCi: you will be with me. We will secure the premises of the IHC and give cover to Owen, Ty, Danya, and Qui-Sein, who will gather all the evidencse they can find. Karrn, Rreyanna, Kaiba, and Marrhl, hit the rresidencses and capture as many members of the IHC as you can. Major Sski will join us with Generral Madine as soon as they can. All weapons on sstun... prrisoners, not corrpsess."

    There were quick nods all around, and a third of the Talons present faded away into the night. Nash led the rest onto the skywalk connecting to the IHC building. They did not march in lock step, each moving at his own pace, but they instead moved together, with a single purpose. Weapons bristled from the group, though Danya's brandished weapon was her datapad. They stepped out of the darkness of the skywalk into the lights around the guard post, and the worried shouting began.

    The Trianii stalked right past the guard post at the end of the skywalk without pausing. The startled guard there already had a weapon in hand, but glanced from her to his comlink and back, then took a step toward her, calling for her to stop. She ignored him entirely, trusting her squadmates. As the guard turned to rush back to his post to summon help Kendrick's stun shot took the man square in the chest.

    **********

    The low tone in which Telia had told Jaren about the baby had not escaped Trika's own hearing, and she paused from her typing, keenly feeling the ache as if she had been personally hit with a ton of duracrete. She tried not to focus on the couple, understanding that what should have been a private moment was being interrupted by her steady typing into the room's main terminal console. The two of them had turned near-silent, merely embracing in the cold of the hospital room as they attempted to control the tears. Trika couldn't possibly know the pain of losing a child, and she didn't want to have to think about it. The sobbing was increasingly painful to hear, but she kept focused and silent, aware of the sorrow clouding the very air they were breathing.

    Telia's medical file was encrypted twice, and something funny about the extra layer of security around the information struck Trika immediately upon attempting to access it. She quietly found the additional lab reports and began packaging them to send to her personal terminal at the Nest, given that it even still existed between the ransacking by the Guard and the after-assault clean-up. The upload was running smoothly, but the packets were tr
     
  2. CPL_Macja

    CPL_Macja Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2008
    "In and out, no trouble, got it?"

    "That usually works for us Talons."

    [face_laugh]

    Telia and Jaren's baby news :_|
     
  3. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    killing an unborn baby:_|

    The Talons should succeed in bringing these criminals to justice. They have to escape.

    Excellent post going from action to drama
     
  4. Trika_Kenobi

    Trika_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1999
    I love it when the Talons get down to business! You gotta love the shadows creeping in on the IHC offices. :cool: Great work from everyone on these scenes, Talons! :)
     
  5. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    CPL_Macja, thanks for reading! I'm glad that you enjoyed the humor. The baby news is really depressing. :( The IHC do not play well with others.


    earlybird, glad that you really enjoyed the update, even with the dark mood. The Talons will definitely bring their "A" game, no doubt about it.


    Trikes, that is a really cool scene, for sure. Very creepy, and just what the IHC deserves.


    Next update will be up shortly.
     
  6. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Chapter 10, Part II

    Quis nervously pulled her long, black hair back from her face again, the night wind's constant pull forward on it giving her more reason to anxiously play with her hair than she already had. Major Ski had stopped pacing for the moment, his presence next to the engineer somewhat comforting. She couldn't get the idea out of her head that something was going to go wrong... despite the regular status updates from each of the Talon teams, Quis nearly felt ill at the possibility that something would go awry.

    The crackle in her left ear made her jump slightly. "Team Two reporting in." It was Karn again. "There's no sign of the target. We've found the same signs as in most of the other apartments. There's been a struggle, and a really bad one in this apartment from the look of it. Conducting recon and evidence sampling now. Estimated return in five minutes."

    Quis made sure she'd heard everything, then relayed the information to Kevin carefully. She frowned at the conclusion she'd reached. "Something's going on, sir. Someone must have known we were going after the IHC."

    Major Ski nodded grimly. "It seems like it." Rubbing an absent hand through his hair, he sighed. "Tell them to return with whatever they've found. We'll just have to hope Team One has some answers for us."

    The engineer began to relay the message. Kevin leaned back against the duracrete alley wall just outside of the main IHC offices. He certainly had a bad feeling about whatever was going on, and with Quis assisting him, he was certainly doing his best to hide that fact from the woman.

    She looked to him then, her eyes belying the brave face she was wearing. "What if they've somehow escaped? We could have a very complicated problem on our hands if our timing was off."

    "I know," he said solemnly, a grimace coming forward with his next thought. "We'll all be shot on sight within the hour if this doesn't work out just right."

    Quis turned back to her earpiece, wishing the ache of the stress in her chest could somehow make her stronger, more focused as it did with other Talons that she knew. Many of the others thrived on the uncertain, on the edge of danger. A part of Quis wished she could back away from the edge; another part of her kept pushing her forward. Several crackles of a shaky connection signaled distant units somewhere on the ground. Were they hostile units coming for them? Normal patrol units? She pressed the earpiece closer to her in a vain attempt to hear a confirmation one way or another, but the connection was gone.

    Major Ski had pushed himself from the duracrete alley wall and was peering into the distance as Quis looked back up. She matched his gaze and began to see what he apparently had noticed coming from the direction of the IHC offices. The faint forms of four figures had appeared from the shadows, at least two of them appearing as if they would never materialize at all. CiCi was apparent first, and then Kendrick. A fifth figure appeared with the last two Talons. Ski and Quis both realized that Team One's mission had at least yielded one capture.

    "Nash and Homer have Admiral Salos," he said softly, a slight relief touching each word. He took several steps forward, remaining just inside the alleyway as they approached. With Team Two on its way and the recon team behind them, all that was left was to take to the sky. It would be a collective disaster if the Hands Down didn't get to them in a timely manner, and at any moment, Ski hoped to hear the fleet ship's transport units breaking atmosphere.

    The area they had chosen to stage their IHC take-down and subsequent escape to the sky was the front courtyard of the intelligence community's hub. It was conveniently open enough for transport ships to land while still providing a modicum of privacy in the alleyways between the buildings the surrounded the courtyard. If the timing failed and the Talons needed cover, the alleyways would at least aid them for a short while. Team One marched silently toward the pre-appointed meeting location, making haste to
     
  7. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Kaiba:_| why? And Mekial what's wrong with her?

    Let them all escape and get the one who did this.

    Action filled post=D==D=
     
  8. Trika_Kenobi

    Trika_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1999
    Phew! There was a lot that went on in this part of the chapter! We're left with a lot of questions and a lot of heartache yet again here... what will possibly go wrong next? :p

    Great work all around, Talons! :)
     
  9. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    earlybird - Thanks for reading! Yep, killing of Kaiba wasn't much fun, but we wanted to make the end of The Catch more dramatic. And what is wrong with Mekial? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!


    Trikes - Unanswered questions is something that we're definitely good at. :p And who knows what will go wrong next, but I think that we'll find out soon. [face_mischief] Thanks for reading!


    Next update, coming up soon!
     
  10. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Chapter Eleven - "They'll pay for everything they've done."

    Quis had screamed when the shots went off, the tense situation coming to a horrible apex. The rest happened so fast... it seemed as if Major Ski had been hit, and Kaiba had fallen at his side... and that's when she realized that it hadn't happened that way at all.

    Qui-Sein had rushed past her when they fell. Owen was already on the ground beside the two. Quis jumped into action, opening a channel to the nearest emergency service. "Oh gods," she uttered shakily, feeling the queasiness rising up from her stomach, threatening to choke her, to make her incapable of being strong. Looking up to the sky, she couldn't and wouldn't look down at her injured teammate.

    Would Kaiba be all right? How soon would someone be able to get to them?

    "Somebody call a medic!" Owen called, the panic in his voice as scary as Quis's imagination had made the situation.

    "I'm on it!" Quis called back, hearing the receiver pick up her channel. As she began to relay the information to the receiver on the other end, she saw Kendrick approaching. He had been with Team One and with the captured Admiral Torin Salos. There was blood on his jacket.

    She finished and began to listen to the receiver repeat her information. The grim expression on his face told the story the blood on his clothes showed.

    "He didn't make it, did he?" she asked softly, solemnly.

    Kendrick shook his head. Quis sighed sharply, turning back to listening. "Roger all of that," she said, her eyes inadvertently finding the dying body of Kaiba on the ground. Her voice cracked. "Please hurry."

    It was then that she nearly lost all composure. Major Ski was tending to Kaiba, but there was so much blood on the ground. It was all over Major Ski... his hands were covered in it. It was all over the place... it was all over the ground. It was everywhere... it was...

    Kendrick grabbed her right hand, drawing her attention away from the blood, the choking panic. She met his eyes and the concern there. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her, casually pulling her away from the scene, she noticed.

    Quis swallowed hard, realizing that she was on the verge of entirely losing it. "I... I don't know." She was going to look back to check on Kaiba, but before she could turn her head, Kendrick was there, taking her to his chest in a soft embrace. Quis was stunned by the action, how Kendrick had so suddenly taken her into his arms.

    She was completely relieved by it.

    "Oh, Force, Ken, what just happened?" she asked, knowing that he likely didn't have a complete answer for her that would calm her fears. His arms merely held her tightly, covering her anxiety with his concern. As she began to compose herself once more, she realized that she felt safe and protected there, as if nothing was wrong outside of those arms.

    In her ear, a voice began to speak with patches of static mixed in. Landing procedures were beginning for the group of landing craft that were representatives of the Hands Down, the craft that would take the Talons to their new home.

    Quis took a deep breath and pulled back just far enough away to look at him. "They're here," she told him simply, finding strength in his presence where her own had finally collapsed. Ken squeezed her arms in support, letting her know he was still there... that he would always be there.

    Speechless at the scene around them, they stood there together as the screams of their teammates became a blur of sound.

    **********

    "He iss dead," Nash growled her pronouncement as she and Homer stopped working on Admiral Torin Salos. The blood on her fur had come from both the spatter of the initial shot from the woman with the blaster and from the first aid she had tried to administer to the man. Not entirely disgusted with the end result but surprised as hell by it, Nash stood back up to full height and pointed a single claw at the strange woman. "Who iss that?" she demanded.

    The Talon that she had been told was named Ty was in the process of walking the dangerous woman toward them. He
     
  11. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Yes, exciting possibilities for new action. But where is Talson?

    Great update=D=
     
  12. Trika_Kenobi

    Trika_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1999
    Hmmm... we've discovered the traitor in the crew! Or at least one of them! :p Will the Talons finally find some peace after all of this? And yes, where the hell is Stone?! lol

    Great work, Talons! :)
     
  13. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    earlybird, yep, the potential for many awesome future adventures is very strong. Thanks for reading!

    Trikes, yep, Reyanna has been exposed. Although, I'm also highly suspicious of this Scruffy character, too. If I remember correctly, he might be a baddie, too. :p And sorry, no one knows where Stone is. :( :p Thanks for reading!



    Next update coming up shortly!
     
  14. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Chapter Eleven, Part II

    Jaren listened to Trika load the last bits of their essential equipment into the Eagle's cargo hold even as the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the horizon. It had taken two hours to get back to the Nest, a task made slower with Telia in tow. Trika had offered to run ahead and pick them up, but the last thing that he had wanted was to split up and risk being caught, even while he knew the IHC was simultaneously being arrested and their crimes uncovered for the rest of the IC to see. They had taken it slow, and within two klicks of the base, Jaren had actually carried Telia the rest of the way. And now, she lay curled up in his arms, asleep and downright exhausted from crying the entire way.

    She hadn't been the only one to shed tears that early morning. Jaren was keenly aware of the dried streaks that itched at the corners of his own eyes, of the spots that had dampened and dried several times on his shirt. They had reached the Nest and headed to the cockpit of the Eagle, where they had come to rest in the silence, where Telia had poured out her aching heart to him. He had just sat there in the co-pilot's seat, her head against his chest, and thought of what might have been.

    First steps that were not destined to be. Life that would not enter the galaxy.

    He sighed wearily just before Trika entered the cockpit quietly. He had absently heard the cargo holds shut and knew they were ready to go. Trika had volunteered to get most of their other items packed up and ready to fly. According to what Major Ski had told him before they'd parted ways earlier, the Hawk was already loaded with the majority of necessary items the Talons would need for a long stay in the fleet. It hadn't taken long for the slicer to get things taken care of.

    She was completely silent as she started the pre-flight checks, and Jaren was content to sit in the quiet. He was tired, weary of the week's chaos and the night's activity in addition to the stress of what he and Telia had found out just a few hours earlier. Apart from the solemn air, Trika seemed as energetic as usual... at least alert enough to actual pilot them away from Coruscanti airspace and set the autopilot. For that, he was thankful. At that point, all he wanted to do was close his eyes and rest. He wanted to sleep away the exhaustion, the pain. He wanted to wake up refreshed from this horrible nightmare he was trapped in. For a brief moment he did close his eyes and attempt to remove the permanent sting that had settled there.

    The Eagle lifted gently from the Nest and away from Coruscant, the ship nearly as quiet as the passengers within.

    "Thanks for everything back there," Jaren mentioned softly, careful not to wake his wife. He opened his eyes just as they broke through atmosphere and into the black of space. His eyes did not feel any better, and neither did he. The dead silence he could not allow to persist any longer, though. "It wasn't exactly a mission, but you really performed admirably. I couldn't have done it without you."

    Trika was inputting a predetermined set of coordinates into the navcomputer. As soon as she was finished, she sat back and watched the autopilot engage. "Any of us would have done the same thing," she replied humbly, likely wishing she didn't have to reply at all... not in the situation they were all being forced to deal with. "For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I have you to thank for getting me out of Kray in the first place."

    Jaren nodded somewhat awkwardly. For another handful of breaths, the two continued to sit in silence, pondering whatever horrors they desired to ponder.

    Trika turned back to her superior and appeared to be at least attempting to think of something other than Telia's news. "You reckon everyone else got out all right? I haven't been able to comm Major Ski or any of the others yet."

    The sniper shrugged in return, unsure of anything else that might have happened that night. "I'm sure everything's fine." He paused briefly, even managin
     
  15. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Great post, all coming together on the Hands Down and even Bullwinkle:)

    But where is Stone[face_thinking]
     
  16. Lilith Demodae

    Lilith Demodae Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 1999
    Oh! I know, I know! He's hiding from his stalker. [face_mischief]
     
  17. Trika_Kenobi

    Trika_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1999
    We're on the Hands Down! There are so many adventures to come... I'm so excited to pen some of them so very soon! :cool: Great work, Talons!

    I'd like to take a brief moment to shamelessly plug my Talonverse Extra Daring to Soar, which takes place just before this last post. I hope it proves to be a great filler for what exactly Major Ski is feeling during this time! :)
     
  18. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    earlybird, glad that you enjoyed the post! The Hands Down is easily my favorite ship in the Talonverse. So many interesting people on board, including Bullwinkle. We certainly couldn't leave him behind, now, could we? :p Thanks for reading!


    Lilith, I think that you're right about Stone. He's definitely hiding from his stalker. [face_mischief] Thanks for stopping by!


    If you haven't read Daring to Soar, you need to get there, immediately. Trikes did a fantastic job with Kevin in that short story. Thanks for stopping by, Trikes!



    Next post coming up shortly...and it's the beginning of our final chapter in The Catch. Enjoy!
     
  19. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Chapter Twelve - "There will be no peace to be found while the Talons are in the sky."

    The woman he once knew as Mekial Yrisar sat on the examining table, eyes staring blankly at the gray wall in front of her. Her legs were thrown over the edge and hanged limply there, an occasional spastic jerk the only movement shaking her otherwise motionless form. Like a marionette, she seemed... well, it wasn't her who seemed anything at all. This wasn't the same Mekial that Ty had come to know since they'd been Talons. This wasn't the same vibrant, fiery, passionate woman he'd befriended so long ago.

    Ty sucked in a breath that threatened to come out in a whimper. This wasn't the same woman he had come to love.

    The MPs had shackled her legs and hands together, making the vision of her all that more unbelievable. This woman had been his voice of reason, his beacon, his sunshine... in times when he had messed up so badly with the squad, Mekial had been the only one to actually put any trust in him. Her faith had been everything to him and had made him want to be a better Talon, a better person, a better man. Seeing her now, or whatever she was now, was horribly frightening in a way that Ty could not quite understand.

    He approached her slowly, noticing with a slight grimace how her eyes shifted so mechanically and suddenly at his movement. She wasn't looking at him so much as watching him through her peripheral vision. Did she even register who was in the room with her? Did she even know where she was?

    Ty had gotten permission to be in the room with Mekial through the evening, and the last thing he wanted to do was mess this up and leave her alone to whatever tests the doctors were going to perform on her that night. Major Ski had been very clear about Mekial remaining under constant supervision. He was already taking a serious risk by bringing her aboard as part of the Talons, and Ty had to admit that he was probably crazy for doing so. Commander Rosche, on the other hand, was a little less enthusiastic about the idea. He was also very clear about Mekial remaining under constant supervision, but the difference was that Rosche had every right to refuse Ski's request for Mekial to come aboard the Hands Down. The safety of the crew could be at stake for all they knew, and Ty was determined that if there was something Mekial could gain from his presence and familiarity, he would be there as long as it took.

    As he carefully perched himself onto the cool table beside her, Ty watched her eyes flicker back to the gray wall again and continue that distant stare into nothing. Was there anything at all to be gained from his presence and familiarity?

    "Mekial," he called to her softly, wishing more than anything that his words would make everything right, would take all of this away. "Mekial, it's Ty." To his dismay, her face registered no recognition that he was even speaking, let alone that she remembered the name. "Mekial, I wanted to be here with you, and they say that I can stay as long as it's a benefit to you. I... I don't know what's wrong, and I don't know what's been done to you, but..." Ty sighed, feeling like a babbling idiot. "I'm here. I know that saying that used to not mean anything to anybody, but it means something now. My promises and the things I say mean something now because you were there for me all of those times I needed someone."

    Ty gently placed his hand on hers, taking the serious chance that his touch would cause... something. He took a breath after a few moments, not realizing that he had unconsciously been holding his breath in anticipation of whatever it was that was going to happen in his mind. Mekial remained still as if he hadn't moved at all.

    Ty sighed again, now wishing that he knew exactly what words would make everything right. His eyes traced the scars on the side of her face as they cascaded down to her slender neck. The extent of the torture likely ran the entire length of her body, but exactly what it all was a sign of, no one could yet say for sure. The marks
     
  20. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Will Mekial be alright[face_worried][face_praying] I hope Ty can help her more.

    A nice update with Kevin and his brother. And more adventures are coming:)
     
  21. Trika_Kenobi

    Trika_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1999
    I definitely enjoyed re-visiting Kevin and Ric at the end of this update... there's something about these brothers that I really liked from the old series, and I hope that we can really treat their relationship well in the coming books. :)

    Great work, Talons! One more update... wow!! I can't wait!! :cool:
     
  22. Storms_Legacy

    Storms_Legacy Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2007
    Gah...I'm so behind on this because of school! I'm up to the second half of the tenth chapter - great stuff, Talons. I keep feeling bad for all of the characters...you guys are seriously amazing. I'm constantly on the edge of my seat...
     
  23. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    earlybird, have no doubts about that. There's plenty of fun Talon adventures with the Hands Down. I'm glad that you enjoyed the scene with Kevin and Ric - Trikes did a great job with it. Mekial's a concern for all of the Talons, and I'm sure that they'll do their best to take care of her. She's been through a lot, though. Thanks for being such a loyal reader, earlybird!


    Trikes, I agree, Ric and Kevin had a great vibe in the original chaos. You did a great job trying to reintroduce it into our more "sane" revamp. Thanks for stopping by, and leading the charge!


    Storms_Legacy, school and other obligations definitely know how to get in the way of fun. I'm glad that you've really enjoyed what you've read so far! Thanks for stopping by and the kind words. Be sure to let us know what you think of the last few chapters of The Catch either here or at The Nest, our headquarters, work center, and haven for insanity.



    Thanks, everyone, for reading and commenting on our story - we hope that you've enjoyed reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it. Without further adieu, here's the finale of The Catch.
     
  24. TalonIntelSquad

    TalonIntelSquad Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2009
    "... need to use both of them to get in. Swipe the card, enter the code, then swipe the personal ident card with your clearance on it. That should get you into any rooms you need to access. We'll be clearing you all systematically for the more secure areas in the next day." Slips, Commander Devoe Rosche's right-hand man and the official security clerk of the Hands Down, looked down at the file in his hands and the envelope attached to it. Qui-Sein was watching him carefully count the security cards while he was waiting for a room assignment with the rest of the squad. The week's events were wearing on him heavily. The Talons hadn't exactly had a lot of time to rest since taking to the skies, and they were all looking more than a little tired. They were finally getting real rooms and were rather impatient to get inside of them and get some good sleep for a change.

    Slips looked up and around as if trying to identify someone specifically. "I'm going to pass these out now. You all have some of your crew missing?"

    Karn stepped forward from the side. "I can go ahead and take care of things from here, Petty Officer. Thank you." Qui-Sein watched Slips hand off the package to Karn, which he considered a good thing. There really wasn't a need to dwell on the fact that Stone was still missing, several members were still en route, Reyanna was under arrest, and Kaiba was never going to be joining them ever again. The weight of not knowing where certain Talons were or why certain events happened that week was enough to make his head hurt.

    Slips eyed Karn suspiciously for another moment before nodding. "If you have any issues, there's someone on-call every hour of every day down in Security. I'll have Commander Rosche brief your squad on procedures around the ship tomorrow, sir."

    "Thanks." Karn began to rummage through the envelope before Slips had turned to leave. He pulled out a set of flimsies and began to study the top one intently. "All right... let's see. Looks like we're going to have to utilize any naval training we've got to figure out where we are around here. Help your teammates out. If you've got experience with these Mon Cals, you'll probably be a pretty hot commodity until everyone gets used to being on board." Karn made a face at the flimsy, turned it sideways, then turned it back forward again. "Hell, the directions look like gibberish. Anyone read this stuff normally?"

    Qui-Sein jerked fully awake at the question. "I can help out," he said, stepping beside Karn to look at the layout of the decks. "It's pretty standard schooling back at Denon." A quick glance at the series of numbers and letters and Qui-Sein knew exactly where they were. "All right, Danya and Quis, you're in Unit Two-Aurek." Not bothering to look up from the map, he pointed his arm to the left. "It's down this passageway, then to the right. Kendrick... you're by yourself for now. You're right across from them in Two-Besh."

    Ty groaned from the back of the gathered Talons. "That figures Ken gets a room to himself. We really have to share?"

    Kendrick received his scan cards from Karn and headed on his way. "Bummer for your roommate, eh, Ty?" he quipped in return.

    Qui-Sein smirked slightly. "That would actually be me. We're across the passageway in Two-Esk."

    "Rookie privilege!" Ken called as he rounded the corner.

    The pilot just shook his head. He was quite used to sharing a room with someone, and being the permanent rookie, or what seemed like it with the Talons, wasn't so bad, even with the prospect of having the unruly Ty as a roommate. He may even receive more than he bargained for in the way of laughs! "Actually, all the berthing is in this area, and that passageway has been cleared for us. The indoc flimsy tells you your room assignments, so just look there." In a rush of excitement, the rest of the Talons swarmed Karn for their cards. Before they totally overwhelmed them both, Qui-Sein tried to speak up again, gesturing with his hands the sides for the vacant rooms. "Guys are on the right-hand side on all these passageway
     
  25. Darth McClain

    Darth McClain Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 5, 2000
    Congratulations on completing Book Five in our exciting series! We Talons hope that you enjoyed the fifth story in this amazing saga, and we hope that you'll enjoy the many stories to come. Unless anyone requests otherwise, I'll keep you all on the PM update list for TIS: Book Six, when it gets posted. Again, thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing and editing it.

    To those who enjoyed this book and crave a little something more, I'd like to personally extend an invitation to you to become a part of the Talon Intelligence Squadron crew. The great plan for this TIS resurrection was to give our amazing saga a final home and to expand what we Talons affectionately call the "Talonverse." These characters and their adventures are endless, and the project itself requires passionate writers, editors, artists, graphic designers, and enthusiastic cheerleaders to create, perfect, and promote TIS. If you enjoyed this book and want to be a part of something truly unique on the JC, TIS is the place to be!

    The series is big, but it is very possible to tame it. If you're interested in doing the same and becoming a part of the editing/writing team, we'd love to have you. We're willing to work with as many people as would like to join, for as long as it takes. We're that crazy!

    If you're interested in contributing to the Talons in some other way, such as graphic design or art, we could use your assistance, too. We're going to need artists and designers with diverse talents to create the world in which TIS exists, and your help in making it happen would be much appreciated. The more, the merrier!

    If you would like to help in some other way that I have not mentioned, we're still eager to have you on the team! This project is ready to take on as many people as it can handle, and we're excited to bring anyone aboard who wants to!

    Please PM me with questions, comments, ideas, or your desire to contribute. I'm excited at the books to come and the growth of this crew.

    Thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to hearing from you, and we'll definitely be back in action soon. Thanks!

    DMC
     
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