Homecoming on Ieron

With a few weeks of leave remaining before he was scheduled to return to the 58th Fleet, Captain Elija Rath decided he would pursue the origins of the message he had received. The transmission had mentioned the Ardent, the now shipwrecked flagship of his mother, so he figured he should start his search there. With the identity of the sender still a mystery, the captain didn’t want to rush in without support. He needed someone he could trust, which was why he had returned to Ieron, his homeworld.

The steps leading to the Ieron Military Academy were more vibrant than Elija remembered; tropical plants, no doubt imported from Daupherm, had been planted where native moon blossoms normally resided. He was stopped by a member of the Valley Highguard, but when provided his identification and intentions the guard let him pass. As much as Elija disliked it, names carried a lot of weight on Ieron.

After a while of searching, Elija finally found who he was looking for: Jonas Stralen, a member of the Ieron Royal Guard who had mentored Elija after the death of his parents. Jonas no longer served in the palace, due to his age and experience he was assigned to the academy to train new members of both the Royal Guard and Valley Highguard. He broke into a wide grin as Elija entered his office.

“Well if it isn’t my best student; welcome home Elija!” Jonas said.

“Hello Jonas, it’s good to see you again,” Elija replied.

“I’m sure we both have much to talk about, but first I think there are some people who might want to see you,” Jonas said, reaching for a comlink.

“Who?”

“Surely you want to see some old friends again?”

“Well, yes actually; that’s why I’m here. I’d like to ask a favor of Ordak and Argen if they’re around.”

“I was intending to call Ordak and Myra; Argen left long ago, for the imperial academy, shortly after you.”

“Oh, okay then.”

Jonas activated his comm and began speaking, “Myra, are you there?”

“Yes. Do you need something?”

“There’s someone I think you’ll want to see, come to my office, bring Ordak.”

A brief moment later, a chime sounded at the door and two Ieron Military officers, a Rodian and a human, entered. The pair stared at Elija for a few seconds before finally recognizing him.

“Elija?” the human said, perplexed.

“Good to see you too, Myra.” Elija replied.

“Greetings Rath; still part of the Empire, I see.”

“Ordak, long time no see.”

Ordak laughed, “Too long I’d say. What are you now, commodore?”

“Captain.” Elija corrected, quickly changing the subject, “How about you two? It’s been quite some time since last we spoke.”

“I have likewise reached the rank of captain, only within the Ieron Navy instead of your empire,” Ordak said, gesturing towards Elija’s hat.

“Chief Petty Officer aboard the Prism,” Myra informed. “I’m on extended leave for a while,” she added.

“I thought the Prism was decommissioned under the Empire; isn’t it a museum ship?” Elija asked, trying to remember how his homeworld had been when he left.

“A lot has changed, Rath. I’m not sure if you noticed, but the Empire no longer has a presence on Ieron,” Ordak said.

“Or anywhere in the Daupherm Planet States for that matter,” Myra added.

“Well I’m not exactly here on official business. As a matter of fact I came here to get some backup,” Elija explained. He turned to Myra, “ Is your brother around, he might be able to help me.”

Myra frowned. “Elija, he died six years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Elija replied, somewhat saddened by the news.

Captain Rath knew the feeling, his own parents had been killed fighting against the Botor Enclave. “It seems everyone dies fighting the Botor around here.” He said, “Don’t you guys ever wish you could be part of something greater, make a real difference. The galaxy is a big place, you don’t need to stay here fighting the same war your whole lives.” Elija paused, “I guess what I’m saying is you would have a far bigger impact working with me, in the Imperial Consortium.”

“I don’t think even you could convince me to join the Empire,” Myra said, half sarcasticly.

“I for one did apply to become a stormtrooper.” Ordak said, “Unfortunately I didn’t meet all the physical prerequisites.”

Elija decided not to explain that to him; it was often better to leave the past behind. He realized it probably wasn’t a good idea to offer Ordak a position in the Imperial Consortium as he wasn’t sure if they were any more accepting of non-humans. Changing the subject, Elija informed his friends of the message he received and his mission to find its source. Jonas had other responsibilities and would not be partaking in any offworld activities, but Myra and Ordak were eager for some adventure, and their destination wasn’t too far away anyway. The trio elected to take Ordak’s ship, a Shadewing-class light gunship, as Elija had arrived in a single seat TIE Interceptor and Myra didn’t have a ship of her own. The journey to the Ardent would be short, as it was in the same system as Ieron, but the firepower it could provide may be useful if the unknown messenger turned out to be hostile.