The Carlrissian System

Chapter 6

Part I
Commander Cobaine Orbinthorne slowly appeared before Captain Kara Majere and her platoon, stepping out from the shadows to walk out into the light revealing himself fully.
Born and raised with the dogmatic ideologies of the tyrannical Imperial First Order, he stood tall, brawny and arrogantly proud exhibiting the permanent scowl that she had always remembered.
He slowly and guilefully lowered his twin blaster shooters whilst regarding Kara, Vern and the rest of her platoon with stern scrutiny. Suited and booted up in their Trooper uniforms they all looked like incompetent newborns to a veteran like him.
'I was able to get a blaster pointed at your head and your big friend here without being caught. Now how do you suppose I managed that ? Have you become so reckless since last I saw you, Captain ?"
Kara never met a man who's voice was as dry, bitter and cold as Orbibthorne's. It didn't come as a surprise for Kara as to how quick and easy it was for Orbinthorne to reprise his role as the headache of all drill Sargents.

"Apologies Commander. It won't happen again Sir" Kara replied repressing all emotion just as she had done countless times before during his training drills back at base camp.

The rain did little to wash away any sense of smugness, cruelty or shame from their Commander's Imperialistic mind. On the contrary, he seemed to welcome the jungle's downpour standing there before them in the decimated building of what was once his own Imperial Docking Station's command centre office. It was once a grand and tall intimidating structure but since the war it had now been reduced to rubble, fragments and debris becoming unsafe dangerous grounds. There were several other damaged structures on this great estate that had now collapsed further in upon itself with great flourishing loud crashes, shattering everything and anything beneath it.
Kara was not surprised that even in all this mayhem Orbinthorne had found a way to survive.
The platoon were glad to escape the majority of the rain despite it managing to still get through the cracks of the war torn openings of the ceiling above. Huddled in Orbinthorne's ruined office with it's broken windows, scorched walls, and burnt out furniture some soldiers like Waron took to staring through a great gaping hole opening through the side wall to the far left of the office room (caused by an explosion) that was letting the cold and rain through.

"This damn weather.." Renlin muttered cursing under his breath as he paced up and down ruefully by the entrance on guard duty.
Kara looked around.
No survivors. Just Orbinthorne.
"How did you survive, Sir ?"
Kara glanced at her Commander's condition as he briefly began telling her the 'situation' and of what had taken place.
He looked like he had been through the worst of it. Covered virtually from head to toe in mud, dirt and debris. The right side of his head exhibited tiny deep cuts from which tiny streaks of blood trickled all the way down -unnoticed by him- to the bottom of his chin. Kara's glances unconsciously went to all the familiar remembered scars and imperfections along her former Sargent's face.
Kara 's emerald eyes lingered on Orbinthorne's bleeding temple a little longer than she intended to as he continued to talk. Her gaze couldn't help but be caught up in the details of his old and remembered facial scars that were highlighted even more so with every spontaneous flash of lightening that paraded the stormy dark skies of the untameable jungle of Kashyyyk. The flashes illuminated the room of the wrecked office periodically highlighting his facial imperfections dramatically.
Orbinthorne had a war story for every one of those old 'war wounds'. His scars were like medals of honour, remnants left of the fallen who had dared defy and oppose him over the numerous wars and battles he had endured during his long and 'established' Imperial military war career. Kara scoffed privately to herself at the mere thought.
The rebellion siege on the Imperial docking station of Moss Kern raged on beyond the trees a fair distance away beyond the structural ruins they rested in. Even at this distance Waron could faintly hear the recognisable commands and instructions being barked across the battlefield from agitated and anxious Imperial squad leaders and Captains during the fleeting moments of ceasefire and random instances of silence in the early hours of this rainy morning.
The rebellion soldiers were not as combat effective as their enemy, however they overwhelmed the Imperial troops nonetheless by the sheer size of their mass army. The Imperialists were struggling to maintain the upper hand of the siege. For every rebellion troop or squad that was eventually defeated and overpowered another swiftly took its place. Destruction and decimation was rampant now at Moss Kern cargo station. Old storage facilities, buildings, cargo warehouses and a number of the dock's transportation vehicles were set ablaze during the conflict. The toxic smoke that rose from the chaos began to rise high into the air becoming beautifully and nightmarishly illuminated by the onslaught of amber and silver blue blasts that now plagued Kashyyyk's warring skies.
The shots whistled to and fro through the venomous smoke that had now developed into a choking canopy of poisonous fog as the screams and shouts of combat raged on. Troopers and rebel soldiers alike would randomly appear and disappear like spirits in the choking mist whilst the more experienced of soldiers took full strategical advantage of this subterfuge to surprise and attack their enemy.
During all the chaos below the heavens above was giving birth to a beautiful aesthetic.
Kashyyyk's blue skies merged with shades of pink, as herds of silver grey clouds roamed by continuing to dispense the heavy rain whilst immersing itself into darker regions. All the while radiant shafts of sunlight seeped through Kashyyyk's kingdom of clouds like rays of hope from an ancient sun that like a celestial caretaker over watched it all.
Orbinthorne looked down from the sky inspired by what he interpreted as a divine sign of approval.
He turned his attention back to Kara and her cadet platoon noting their surprised looks on seeing their former Sargent-now made Commander-again.