Star Wars: Defect

Four

I stand apart from my men on the ride down to the surface of the planet. I know that if I stand there and talk to them I will end up getting attached, and I know I'm sending these men to die. If I get attached I'll lose my nerve and I promised Vis I would do this. 

"You okay?" Mako asked, his helmet off as he inched closer to me, clinging to the railing for stability. I looked up at him and slipped off my helmet, nodding.

"Yeah," I said quietly but sighed quietly. Mako put his hand on my shoulder. He would understand, I knew he would. I looked down at my helmet, turning in my hands. 

"We're almost there," he said. I nodded quietly and shifted my shoulders some. 

"I don't like these aqua trooper suits," I said quietly. "They're tighter than normal bodysuits," I added. Mako smiled softly and laughed quietly.

"You get used to it. Plus, it's not so tight in the water," he said.

I nodded and picked up my helmet, reconnecting the breather tubes to the lightweight air tank on my back. "Yeah, I still don't like them that much," I stated. "Now, get your helmet on, we should be there any minutes," I ordered, slipping my helmet on. 

"Yes ma'am," Mako responded with a half sarcastic tone. I gave him a glare through my visor as he picked up his helmet and pulled it on, checking his breathing tubes. I looked over and ordered the rest of the men in the ship to get ready as I felt the ship dip down above the water. A moment later the side doors opened and I walked to the edge, sitting down to pull on my boots that doubled as flippers for swimming. Everyone else followed suit. I took a deep breath, looking down at the churning water being kicked up by the repulsors of the ship. I looked down the line of men.

"Go!" I yelled over comms. The men that were ready pushed off the edge and let themselves drop into the water below. I glanced at Mako and he clapped me reassuringly on the back. I nodded at our silent exchange, then gripped the edge of the ship floor and shoved myself off the edge before I could think. A moment of complete weightlessness followed as I crossed my arms over my chest to narrow my profile and decrease the pain of impact. My feet hit first and a moment later I was submerged. I gasped instantly as if expecting my lungs to fill with water, but the seal on my helmet held and I simply got a lungful of clean cool air. I took a second to assert myself before twisting around and kicking myself down from the surface.

"Everyone in the water?" I called, looking through the dark murky water to try and spot my men. We were far enough from the Calamari base to be safe. 

"All here, Commander," Mako said after a moment. 

"Good," I said and reached up to turn on my helmet lights. "Break into your groups. Mako, you're with me. The enemy base if about three klicks from here and two klicks down. We will head down then over. Remember, full frontal assault. We will siege them if need be. They're civilians, they can't hold out long," I ordered everyone. A twinge of remorse struck me, making me feel nauseous as I thought about all of these men, most of them entirely innocent, blindly running into the fire of the enemy.

I couldn't save them all, though. Right now, my focus was saving the Mon Calamari and nothing else. 

"Yes ma'am," most of them chorused in response and I nodded, giving them a minute to split into their groups before I began descending into the murky waters. 

It took a good twenty minutes to reach the proper depth and once there the water seemed to clear from a murky grey to a clear blue. I could see the spires of the city in the distance and the lights from the enemy base were just ahead. I wondered if Vis was down there, although I hoped he wasn't.