The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 3 - New Comrades

After leaving the ex-Imperial's office Nomi and Tarik went to the ship's quartermaster to get assigned quarters. Being only common crew members they got cots in the crew's quarters, but they were fine with it.
Nomi set down her bag on an unoccupied cot and looked around. Those who weren't at their stations were a ragtag mix of humans and non-humans. A woman in her thirtieth looked over to her and smirked.
"Look, there's fresh meat, Jyll," she said loudly, so Nomi was unable to fail to hear the remark, nudging the woman who sat at her side at a table.
The woman called Jyll, looked in Nomi's direction and grinned widely.
"Indeed fresh meat," she responded. "Since our victory at Yavin there are coming more and more who want to join our ranks."
The former smuggler ignored the two women and began to put her belongings in a locker which was standing at the cot.
Fresh meat...was it how everybody would see her until she earned her stripes? Nomi thought, as she closed the locker. She squared her shoulders and walked over to the women. Thinking about the old saying that offense is still the best defense. But she got no chance to introduce herself to Jyll and her friend. The door opened with a hiss and a man entered, looking around as if he searched for someone.
"Darklighter?" he asked, when he saw a woman he wasn't familiar with.
"Yes," Nomi responded and turned her attention to the new arrival.
"It's yes, sir, Darklighter. Being rebels doesn't mean we haven't any discipline and decorum," the man said.
From where Jyll and the other woman sat Nomi heard suppressed laughter.
"Yes, Sir," she said between clenched teeth. First the ex-Imperial and now this guy; this was anything but a good start for her to be a member of the Alliance. It could only get better over time, she hoped.
"Come with me," he said, turned and headed out of the room followed by the young woman.

It didn't take long and they reached their destination, one of the ship's turbolaser batteries. Tarik was there already and smiled seeing Nomi. The other gunners looked curious at their new comrades, trying to figure if they would fit in their team.
"With Nomi and Tarik we have two new gunners," the man who brought Nomi to the gunner station introduced them.
A man who leaned casually at one of the laser cannons smiled at both newbies.
"Welcome, I'm Jenkins. The Bith right over there is Chigrin and the woman with the grumpy face is Pola."
The two introduced by Jenkins nodded their heads in greeting. Jenkins looked as old as if he would have fought in the Clone Wars already.
"I leave you alone so you can make yourselves familiar with each other," the man who brought Nomi said and left.
Jenkins was still leaning against the cannon and made no move to change something if it came to this.
"So, you are the newbies which were announced to us shortly. On which ship were you stationed before, if I may ask?" The elderly gunner looked at Nomi and Tarik expectantly.
"We weren't stationed on any ship of the Alliance until now, since we just followed the cause," the young woman responded, feeling like they won't be welcome under these premises.
Jenkins laughed out loud and looked at his comrades.
"They sent us two who are wet behind the ears," he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Nomi. "I am in this fight since the Clone Wars, girl. And now you can take a guess on which side."
Before Nomi was able to answer Jenkins, he answered his own question.
"I was with the Separatists. We wanted to be independent from Coruscant and fought against the clones and their Jedi generals."
He spat on the floor.
"And for what? For nothing! They betrayed us, our leaders were killed on Mustafar and the Republic became the Empire! Everything became worse than before! To see the whole galaxy under Imperial reign isn't what I fought for!"
His eyes were blazing and the vein at his right temple puckered, showing even more how furious he was about the state of the galaxy after a war his faction lost. But it weren't only the Separatists who lost. Pola moved over and touched Jenkins' arm to calm the man.
"You should show them how to handle the cannons. Being on the run we could be under attack soon, Jenkins."
The gunner nodded his head and begun to explain how to handle the laser cannons. After a while he finished and looked at Nomi and Tarik.
"This is all you must know. Do you have any further questions?" He asked, as he leaned at a laser cannon again, folding his arms in front of his chest. It seemed to be his favorite place in the gunner station.
Before Nomi and Tarik were able to ask any questions, the siren blared and the formerly calm Jenkins and his team became busy.
"Kark, it seems the Imps have found us," Chigrin said and moved over to one of the laser cannons.
Jenkins turned toward the cannon he had leaned at seconds before and prepared it for battle.
"It seems you'll get your baptism of fire earlier than expected," he said as he cast a glance at the two new gunners. "This one is yours."
He pointed at one of the cannons, which was still unmanned. Nomi and Tarik moved over and made the cannon operational. It took only a few minutes and they were ready to fire at the enemy.

The ship was shaking under the shelling but the shields were still holding.
"There must be a Destroyer, no TIE is able to move this deep in space without it," Pola said while firing. "If it comes in firing range we're done."
Nomi ignored the remark, which she barely heard because of the battle noises and the still blaring siren. She, Tarik and their comrades fired constantly at the passing TIEs, but there were too many. It would be only a matter of time until the shields would give way under the shelling.
And then it happened. The shields gave way and an enemy laser salvo found its mark, slicing right through the laser battery which was operated by them. The cannons exploded. Shards flew and hit the gunners. Nomi blacked out after a big chunk hit her head, while Tarik had only some burned feathers. He dragged the young woman out of the destroyed gunner station, where medics took over. Others entered the room to help Jenkins and his comrades.
The same instant Tarik felt the ships vibrations as it made the jump to hyperspace. Finally they were able to escape. He followed the medics who carried Nomi to the med bay.