She looked towards him, but kept her face impassive. "Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Viree13 grins and claps na'Tatha heartily on the back. "Sounds like a stuffy ol' interview, if y'ask me..... I don't envy ya none...." She looks over at Sahrai and winks. "I can do that just fine, long as I get a bit of action....."

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

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na'Tatha nodded and left the room, wondering about Viree13's quick change of attitude from antagonism to comraderie. She entered her suite, then began organizing the files on her personal datapad in preparation for the meeting that afternoon. It wasn't really necessary, she knew, since she wouldn't be speaking unless called upon. Both she and her Maedan counterpart would most likely be standing behind their leaders at the table, ready to offer advice to their delegations, but not speaking directly to the other side.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

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Viree13 nodded her thanks and took the datapad. "Will we be incognito?....." She grins slightly. "If so, I'm sure I can think something up...."

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Her data preparations finished, na'Tatha reached into the corner wardrobe and pulled out her dress uniform, holding it at arm's length before finally draping it over a couch. She stood and looked at it, and the now-familiar wave of memory washed over her yet again. What had happened five years ago seemed just like yesterday...

It was the first time she had worn this newly tailored uniform, and she felt equal to the occassion - a formal promotion dinner - even though it was on board a Maedan/Taarin patol ship, commissioned to hunt down interstellar pirates. The deep blue dress fit smoothly, its hem tickling her knees pleasantly. She'd polished every medal and button on her jacket, and the cream-yellow sash around her waist was knotted with military precision. The best part, though, was her dinner partner. Mattan ha'Nor had befriended her when she was ten, a new admit to training, and welcomed her into his circle of friends. Now, nine years later, he was everything she could have wanted in a friend or brother - and the only person who ever called her by her first name.

Tenil.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Sahrai looked up after he finished concealing his lightsaber. "No, they will be expecting us as Jedi, though we certainly don't need to make major spectacles of ourselves," he said in response to Viree's question.

Nice post, Valera. Your side-plots are starting to get really interesting.

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Viree13 nods. "Alright then... I'll be back soon....." She exits and moves down the hall to her own room. Viree13 reaches into a small bag on the floor by her bed and pulls out a nice leather flying suit. With a smile of satisfaction, she holds up the black pieces of fabric and disappears.....

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Viree13 reappears, sensing a slight flicker of anguish in the Force. She shrugs it off, now dressed in her black flying leathers. She straps her rapid-fire blaster to her back in an easy-access position, and then sets twin blasters in the holsters on the back of her belt. With a grin, Viree13 picks up twin dark blue lightsabers, darker than the normal electric blue, but not dark enough to be called black, or even purple. She slides them into twin holders on her hips, then steps out the door and heads towards Sahrai's room....

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Ooh...really interesting, Valera.

Sahrai stepped out of his suite, heading to the hangar to check up on the Serendipity. Viree was heading towards his room, so he motioned for her to walk with him. "Are you ready?" he asked as they walked.

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(Apologies for not posting - will do later. This is my shoot-me week - I'm giving up sleep, lol. -Val)

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

('Kay Valera!...)

Viree13 nods and falls into step beside Sahrai. "So, what d'you think of our Subcommander?...." She raises an eyebrow at Sahrai in question....

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

(Whoohoo, I'm back! Couldn't resist making the banner. This is going to be longish)

Life was simple after that. It was simple to pick up a blaster rifle with shock-numbed fingers, simple to pick out targets in the smoke-filled room, simple to cut down the invaders one by one. na'Tatha felt no pain, no anger, no fear, and no emotion. She shot, they died, just like in an entry-level training simulation. Simple.

After the haze cleared, she sat motionless by Mattan's body, wondering at what had just happened. It wasn't until they put him into an empty torpedo shell and ceremonially set him adrift in space that she discovered the fact - Tenil was gone. na'Tatha the soldier remained, but Tenil the woman had died with Mattan.

na'Tatha blinked, pushing her thoughts aside, and changed into the dress uniform. She felt strangely vulnerable without any weapons, not even a knife, but protocol dictated that neither diplomats nor soldiers could carry weapons.

Save one.

Opening a drawer, she pulled out a silk bag. Untying the drawstring, the subcommander reached in and withdrew a fan.

The tassen was the ancient weapon of an officer, when it was considered dishonorable to use an actual weapon on a subordinate or civilian. It was a brocaded silk fan, as long as her forearm, but the ribs were made of hardened, sharpened steel. It was mainly defensive, but could inflict serious damage. It also helped that the fabric was blast-proof.

Holding the base with her fingers, she unfurled the tassen with a sharp crack. Whirling in a tight circle, she turned about-face, furling and then unfurling again, blocking an imaginary knife. Her life might depend on her skill with this fan.

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Nice banner, Valera - I like it.
Lol, I was gone last week too, and got back yesterday. (I went snowboarding)

"She seems to be a very capable and undervalued leader," Sahrai replied to Viree. "She is efficient in what she does, and she does not let her personal opinions get in the way - at least from what I've seen of her. But, since I haven't known her for long, and I haven't talked to any of her colleagues or anything, it's hard to know if I'm correct or not."

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