Chapter 3: Welcome to Havoc

By the time Elara had fully emptied her bags, they had left the orbit around Taris and jumped into hyperspace, though she didn’t know the destination. Now that she had finished putting away her gear, Elara took a moment to look around the room. 

It wasn’t much, just a bed, a desk, a closet, and several shelves, but somehow it already felt more welcoming than her room in the barracks on Taris. She wasn’t one for decorations, but thought maybe she could find a few pictures to add somewhere. Maybe one of her brother, though obviously not the one of his graduation from the Imperial military academy. Elara paused, taking a moment to wish for her brother’s wellbeing. She had known that she’d never see her family again when she chose to defect, but she missed them all the same.

“Jorgen! Dorne!” Elara left her room at Lieutenant Lacroix’s call and saw her commanding officer standing in front of the holotable, the planet of Nar Shaddaa floating above it, rotating lazily.

Now that she wasn’t reeling from the surprise that the lieutenant was a Chiss, she was able to take in more of the woman’s appearance. Lacroix was fairly tall, and had a sturdy build, though some of that could have been exaggerated by the armor she wore. Her eyes were pupilless and blood red, like all Chiss, and stood out against the medium blue of her skin. A scar that looked like it may have been from a burn covered most of her right cheek. The lieutenant’s hair, which was dark blue, was styled in a short mohawk, with two tight lines of close cut hair running along each side of her head. It was an interesting look, combining the high and tight style of many enlisted soldiers with a little bit of rebel flair, matching what Elara had seen of the woman’s personality.

“Ma’am!” Elara snapped off a crisp salute.

“At ease, Sergeant.” The lieutenant exchanged a nod with Jorgen, who had moved to stand next to the holotable, arms crossed loosely in front of him. Lacroix strode over to Elara, who had to fight to not stand at attention. Apparently, this did not avoid the lieutenant’s notice, as her eyes crinkled slightly in amusement. “If you would prefer to be at attention, that’s fine, but I’ll expect you to be able to loosen up sooner or later.”

Elara felt a flare of embarrassment. It had been less than ten seconds and she had already made a fool of herself. She’d always been criticized for being too much of a rule-follower and a killjoy, though she didn’t see any harm in wanting to follow procedure. However, it’s not like she wasn’t able to relax, it was just the new situation putting her on edge. She desperately wanted to have a chance to prove herself, to make a difference, and was not off to a good start.

“Apologies, ma’am,” she said regretfully. “But I would be remiss not to be perfectly transparent though. If you are looking for someone who is considered fun, relaxed, and lenient, I am not going to fit the bill.”

Lacroix waved her hand. “Don’t worry Sergeant, I’ve read your file. I don’t want you to change who you are. Protocol is important, and it needs to be followed, but as we are both being honest, there are times that I will not follow protocol, because I believe in doing the right thing. Is that going to be a problem for you?

Elara thought back to the mission on Taris, how Lacroix had destroyed the Imperial data, obviously contrary to her given mission objective. If that was how her new commanding officer was going to approach situations, she would be happy to follow her lead.

“No ma’am,” she stated confidently. “If you’ve read my file, I’m sure you’ve seen my reasoning for defecting. I trust your leadership.”

Lacroix smiled, obviously pleased with her answer. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to introductions. Lieutenant Eko Lacroix, defected to the Republic after serving my time in the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force. Recently assigned to Havoc Squad, and promoted to leader after the rest of the squad defected to the Empire. You’ve already met Sergeant Aric Jorgen, who became the first member of my squad after the debacle on Ord Mantell.” Jorgen gave a wave, and Elara saw a shadow of something cross his face at the mention of Ord Mantell.

“And you are Sergeant Elara Dorne, recently defected to the Republic after witnessing far too many atrocities committed by Imperial commanders. Most recently stationed on Taris, where your talents were utterly and totally wasted. I intend to make full use of your talents as part of Havoc Squad, so I hope you are prepared.”

Elara couldn’t help but grin giddily at the promise. “I am more than prepared, ma’am.”

“Good.” Lacroix stuck out her hand, and Elara grasped it, returning the LT’s strong grip with one of her own. “Welcome to Havoc Squad.”

—

Though she would have loved to get into the field immediately, Elara understood that she needed to get up to speed first. That knowledge didn’t help the twinge of longing as she watched Lacroix and Jorgen exit the Thunderclap on Nar Shaddaa to follow up on a lead regarding one of their targets. 

Determined to be ready for the next mission, Elara dove headfirst into all the files she had access to regarding the former members of Havoc Squad. It was a little bit intoxicating, knowing that the information she was reading was restricted to all but a select few. If nothing else, that proved that Lieutenant Lacroix was not concerned with her loyalties. Again her thoughts wandered and she wondered if the lieutenant had fought through similar prejudice upon her defection. While it appeared that she was on a positive trajectory for her career, it may have been due to a lucky break, like the one Elara had just experienced. Maybe she’d be able to ask her about it one day.

Zeroing back in on her research, she took studious notes on the remaining ex-members. One had been eliminated on Taris, which meant four were left, including the previous leader of Havoc Squad, Harron Tavus. Unfortunately, it appeared that the squad was still trying to find any indication as to where the other four were located. Elara perused their service records, using her own knowledge of where the Empire had operations to try and come up with potential places where the traitors might fit best into the Empire’s plans. Although she acknowledged that her own intel was outdated, and therefore would probably be of little use, it was rewarding to feel like she was at least doing something to contribute to the mission.

Several hours passed before Elara forced herself to take a break. She’d read over all of the pertinent information at least three times, and didn’t think she’d gain anything else by another read. Heading over to the holotable, she checked to see if there was any update from the lieutenant. Nothing yet. She sighed, then plodded to her room, deciding to spend some time checking all of her medical equipment to ensure it was ready for action.

—

It was late the next day before there was any update from Lacroix and Jorgen. As soon as Elara heard the message chime from the holotable she dashed to the controls, enabling the connection with the LT. There was a brief burst of static before Lacroix’s voice came through.

“This is Lieutenant Lacroix. Do you read?”

“This is Sergeant Dorne, reading you five by five, Lieutenant.”

“Good to hear your voice, Dorne. Jorgen and I defeated a contingent of Republic special forces troops that had followed Tavus in his defection. We also had to destroy a prototype war droid, though Jorgen thinks we may be able to get our SIS contact on the planet to rebuild it for us. We’re on our way to meet with him, then will head back to the ship. Anything to report there?”

“Negative, Lieutenant. Looking forward to your arrival.”

“Copy, Sergeant. Over and out.”

As the connection was severed, Elara quickly gave the common area a once over, ensuring that she hadn’t left any of her notes or gear strewn about. With any luck, the LT would have gathered some clue as to where one of their targets might be. Elara grabbed a pen that she’d left carelessly on the holotable. She knew that Lieutenant Lacroix believed in her abilities, but she was still determined to show her that her confidence was not misplaced. Hopefully, she’d be given the opportunity sooner rather than later.

—

Elara was flipping through a research paper on the efficacy of current field medicine procedures when the boarding door opened and Lacroix and Jorgen stormed into the ship. Startled, Elara almost dropped her tablet, then immediately got to her feet. Before she could inquire, Lacroix was already explaining the situation.

“Our SIS contact got word that Tavus’ ship just ambushed a Republic research outpost. A group of Imperial Commandos ransacked the place and escaped with a prototype stealth generator. Unfortunately for Tavus, the stealth generator has a tracker on it.” They had made their way into the cockpit and Lacroix dropped into the pilot’s chair, immediately spinning up the engines and initiating take off. Elara had to grab onto the back of the chair to prevent herself from toppling over due to the sudden departure.

“It’s not far, just one system over, but there’s no telling where he’ll go next. We need to board the ship, disable it, retrieve the stealth generator, and take care of Tavus, one way or another.” The lieutenant turned to look at Elara, the visor of her helmet glinting in the sunlight refracting through the atmosphere. “It’s all hands on deck, Sergeant, so get prepped for combat.”

He turned back to the ship controls without waiting for a response, keying in the coordinates of their target. Elara still gave a quick salute, then dashed back to her quarters, pulling open her closet. As she began strapping on her armor, she mentally ran through a checklist of what she’d want to bring for supplies.

It looked like her opportunity to prove herself had already arrived.