Bump on the noggin.

[Ash]

"This war... it must end soon.. It has to."

Vincent spoke to no one at all, simply speaking his mind. Around him, Legion soldiers in Legionnaire and Lilah armor stood guard, while a handful of of Hammer armor stood with heavy weaponry. Overhead, Raptor corvettes, Starscream fighters, and even a handful of Valkyrie-class assault cruisers kept the airspace well and clear, save for a handful of Archeri fighters that broke through, where they were chased down and promptly destroyed.

In the space overhead, visible to them on the building Vincent and his solders were on, the newest Legion ship, A feral-class Destroyer, fired her very powerful main cannon into an Archeri held capital ship, running it through stem to stern and it detonated spectacularly, debris raining down onto the ruined city. He was sure he even spotted some escape pods....\

"Governor, Archeri are invading the towers from the lower levels. Also the Republic and Sith are reporting invasions on their respected areas as well. Ours personally are clear so far."

"Ok. Have some of our forces go aid the Sith. A few come with me to aid the Republic. We have enough forces to send some help. Captain, you have this area."

Vincent didn't salute the slightly taller, similarly armored man, and ran off the side of the building, jets engaging as he went to a different building, slightly larger and more open building. Troopers and half the hammer heavy troopers went with him in the easy crossing. On landing, they orientated themselves and a soldier next to Vincent began to relay information to the Republic about their positions and where Legion could help.

[apothecary]

"Seek. Locate. Destroy." A battle mantra of the Vartians soldiers was periodically called out by one of the petite armour clad figures as they remorselessly advanced through the city streets. Seemingly ignorant of their own losses, of civilian causalities, more like a hive of ravenous insects than a true sentient species.
"Exterminate the inferior species!" An officer yelled, firing her blaster at distant alien forces. The Vartians had been committed to bolster the faltering Republic positions, and with all of the viciousness of their kind, they set about the task with relish. To any other army, or indeed any other nation, their casualty rate would of been the stuff of nightmares. But to a Vartian, whose species held no words for retreat, they achieved victory or they died fighting. They scrambled forward clambering over the rubble, their own dead, in some cases using the fallen as cover from incoming enemy fire.


Vartian Soldier, VDNKH-215612 also known as Valnina Dionskia popped round from behind a wrecked Vartian IFV, the tracked vehicle spewed oily smoke from several holes. She snapped a few aimed shots of with her blaster, drawing in a harsh breath from her gasmask. It was standard issue, every Vartian wore one, part of who they were, just as much as any arm, or lung. Hatred pulsed through her very being, hatred of the enemy, of this inferior species which believed itself capable of being anything close to a threat, anger at the ineffective weaklings they were shackled to in order to wage this war. Here or there a shell shocked civilian would stagger passed, ignored by the Vartians. Though on the odd occasion a blaster barrel would flick in the direction of one, Vartian instincts screaming at them to kill. After all, they were ordered not to suffer the alien to live. They were not Vartian, they were weak, savage.

"Move up." She barked, as her identically dressed sisters rushed forwards. A Vartian looked perfectly identical to her kin, they looked the same, acted the same, some even believed they all smelled the same. Each clad in camouflaged fatigues and armour, equipped with blasters and gasmasks. It was almost as if they were identically built model soldiers, each lovingly crafted by the hand of some demented god.
Valnina was aware of her comrades advancing towards the enemy, firing from the hip as they rushed forwards. Vartians stumbled, falling to the ground struck by blaster or shredded by artillery fire. Their fellow sisters did not stop to assist the wounded or the dying, they kept advancing, ignorant of their own losses, their minds converting their horror, their grief into hatred, into the desire to slay.

It is said by the inferior species that you never hear the round which gets you, yet Valnina heard the whine of an incoming shell. Any other soldier would of thrown themselves to the ground, crying out for their comrades to do so. Not a Vartian, when ordered to advance, to seize a position, they would do so... Or die to the last woman in the attempt. One moment she was running forward, the next she flung through the air like a discarded water bottle. The impact drove the air from her lungs and for a moment she stared up at the fractal sky, the glass of her visor a spiderweb of cracks. Her head pulsed with liquid agony, it hurt to breath, it hurt to think... With weak hands she tugged the broken mask from her face, her vision blurring, crimson leaked out from her ears, eyes and nose. The left hand side of helmet was dented where something had struck it. Amazingly, her skull was intact but the impact had disabled the Kran Val. Valnina did not know this at the moment, the last thought she had before the welcoming blackness swallowed her was, Why?

[Ash]

Vincent and the rest of the soldiers with him flew towards nearby large bridge walkway. It was a wide thing, as wide as a building, if not larger, and had plenty of room for just about anything to roll down. It included a Republic unit and the enemy Archeri.

"Ok Legion. Keep it tight, pick your targets, and show them how we really are."

Though there was little in the way of talking, Vince could about feel the enthusiasm of everyone else as they broke into designated squads and began to open fire onto the enemy from their superior height advantage. Some legionaries landed to help the wounded, mostly medics, but the majority, including Vincent, remained airborne and let lose with his blaster rifle.

A massive wave of blaster fire, and even some light laser fire, went out from Legions line, tagging the Archeri line and being to tear into them.

"Throne, this is Cougar coming in hot on the enemy line."

As if a giant angel, a Raptor-class corvette dove out of the clouds from the side of the bride, firing her lower point defense cannons into the Archeri for a few seconds before rising out of the area. Everyone took to ground during the barrage, and some jumped back into the air. Vincent stayed on the ground. He landed next to a young female, one just like the bodies surrounding him and his Legion, but this one was alive, but looked wounded. Her face was bleeding from just about everywhere, but she was somehow, still alive.

"Medic! I Need a Bacta mask and respirator tank!"

It was but a few seconds before a medic, denoted by the red cross on his arm and helmet, and he threw over the girl's face, attaching a small tank to it. A burst of compressed gas and the light trickle of bacta in a super light mist began to flow in. In a second port on the clear mask wet a tube and connected to a five pound oxygen tank, which was clipped to her uniform. The medic then ran off to find someone else to help.

"Hey girl, you're gonna be fine."

Even if she didn't hear anything, it still felt good to tell her that she would be.

"Governor, all Archeri dead."

"Good work Captain. Lets head back to this building and wait for our other soldiers. Collect the wounded and set up a temporary base camp. Have the nearest Evac corvette here soon to collect them as well."

"Yes sir."

Again no salute. Good. Vincent went back to the wounded girl he helped out moments ago and picked her up, carrying her back the way they came from.

[apothecary]

 For what seemed to be several eternities, Valnina floated in an empty void of nothingness. It was the closest a being raised without even the slightest hint of the concept of peace could experience to it. Thoughts occasionally flickered through her mind, memories of training, of war... Of death, seeing sisters slain in battle, seeing inferior species fall in righteous war. A life marked by death, a life designed for that one goal. Slowly, she became aware of voices, strange voices, which echoed through the vaults of her mind, disrupted the flickering frescoes of nightmarish battle. Crawling and clawing, she dragged herself back from that seamless pit and back into the waking world. The first sensation which struck her was not pain, nor even the alien sounds... But the utterly foreign sensation of comfort. She lay on some manner of comfortable bed, her helmet was removed, her mind pulsed with pain, yet it appeared distant diluted somehow. 

A mask lay across her face, not a Vartian mask, some strange one. With a flailing limb, she grasped it with her right hand and tore off. With a slight groan she pushed herself up, the room spinning. She used her hands to support herself as she blinked her purple eyes to the world returned to focus. 
It was then, she noticed the alien, the other creatures in the room. Humanoid, they were classed as allies. But what shocked her was not their presence, nor the lack of any other Vartian in immediate sight, nay it was the lack of hatred she felt for them. There was nothing... She did not feel anything towards them, she watched them curiously for a few moments, akin to the way a zoologist might study a particularly fascinating new animal species. 

Valnina's combat instincts kicked in and she made to get up, she needed a weapon, a helmet and a respirator. Her movements drew the attention of some of the medical staff. Whether or not they made to help or hinder her, she did not know. She adopted a fighting stance, raising her hands into fists. If they wanted to fight or harm her, the Vartian intended to fight. "Do not touch me alien." She snapped. "Where am I? Who are you? Where is my unit?" She spoke her demands rapidly, purple eyes flicking from one potential attacker to another. The Vartian formation deployed into battle had been slain to the last woman, they fought to the death regardless of odds or casualties, the thought of surrender or retreat never even crossing their minds. 

[Ash]

"Commander, one of the republic soldiers woke up and is quite confused."

"Yea, im sure. Ok, ill go get them sorted out"

A man who was in uniform from the waste down, with a black leather jacket adorn with a red stripe down each arm, from shoulder to wrist, turned and walked from the observation bay he was looking out. It was easy to make out the still ongoing battle from the low orbit they were in.

Just down the hall and to the right was the medical bay where a lovely young woman was in some sort of fighting stance. Funny seeing that in a medical bay. But she did just get blown up and was now on a starship hovering in low orbit.

"Easy now princess, you're safe here. Not many people survive getting blown up like you did."

Bit pulled up a seat and sat in it backwards, leaning over the back of the chair.

"Have a sit and we can have a nice talk. I am Commander Bit. And this is apparently you."

He gave a small cart a push and sent it over to Valnina,it having some of her belongings on it, including stuff with her name and numbers on it.

[apothecary]

 The unexpected arrival of Bit pulled Valnina up short. "I am no princess." She snapped in response, uncertain as to what a princess happened to be. Possibly some worthless title inferior species liked to give themselves. "A Vartian survives." The words were almost robotic as if they were responses drilled into her till they became instinctual answers. She remembered being flung through the air, pain then waking up here, where ever here happened to be. 

The petite figure stiffened at the mention of his rank. "Commander." She snapped a salute to him dropping her fighting stance, even though he was not Vartian the need to follow ranks burned in her, even without the Kran Val, her discipline screamed at her to show respect to a being of superior rank. "I obey." She seated herself down on the edge of the bed, pausing to examine the gear which he pushed over to her. 
She started to slot in place the various pieces of armour. "I am VDNKH-215612 also known as Valnina Dionskia Commander, Corporal within the 33rd Recon Regiment." The cloned soldier provided her name and rank, yet felt surprised by the strange absence of hatred for these beings, just... Mistrust... No disgust, no burning hatred of their inferiority. Her mind pulsed with pain. "Permission to ask questions Commander Bit?" The question itself was a question. The medical personal seemed to wisely keep their distance, returning to their duties now that the crazed patient was for the moment contained. 

After receiving his assent. "I have several questions Commander. Firstly where am I? Secondly what happened to my unit? Thirdly did we achieve victory? A Vartian does not leave the field of battle until the enemy is slain." Then a sudden thought occurred to her. "One more question Commander. What happened to me? Except for my head I feel fine... I... Don't feel right though... I don't hate you, but I should as you are not Vartian." She looked confused, like a puppy woken from sleep by something and uncertain of the world. Just in this case, the puppy was a cloned being designed with one purpose, to wage war. 

[Ash]

"You should learn this little thing called humor. I am quite aware that you are a soldier and not royalty, little Vartian."

Bit put his feet up on the nearest counter, relaxing deeper into his seat. He pulled up a datapad as the girl snapped off a crisp salute at him. Bit did a half salute with his pad before he set to reading something on it and typing something after a few moments.

"Chillax. Just Bit. No rank."

She spoke her name now... or rather her designation fallowed by her name and a few other things as well. This he typed into his pad as fast as she was spitting it out, and ran it through the system to pull up information on her.

"Valnina then. No need for armor right now. You're still recovering. If needed that will be an order. We are on the same side of the war after all."

He gave her a glance over the pad, then went back to scanning over her personal and unit information. He nodded when she asked for questions. He kept eye contact with her now, making sure to have an answer prepped at the front of his mind for her questions.

"Alrighty. First, you're on the Valkyrie-class assault cruiser known as Prometheus. My personal command ship. It is currently situated with The Legion fleet, well protected from the Archeri and some few dozen miles directly above where you were fighting. You're unit was half wiped out, but we came in to help and kicked the fungus's ass. They are back at the ground base with our Governor, Vincent Krenth. He was the one who helped you in the first place.

That little head bump? Yea, you got your pretty ass blown nearly up here. You should be lucky you're alive. You were rushed up here with a few of your sisters for immediate medical attention and will be taken back down to your commanders after we are sure of your survival. I am about 90% sure you will survive."

He added the percentage as a little joke. He had a sly smile on his face as he swapped tabs, sending off a quick note to Vince saying that the individual he saved was awake and active. That would bring the man some small comfort.

"Any other questions?"

[apothecary]

 Valnina frowned at him, she knew of humour and made a joke on the odd occasion. But this was not a humorous situation, besides the pain in her head made it difficult enough to focus her thoughts. She was surprised when he put his feet up on a counter, an officer should not behave in such a manner. Valnina happened to be confused by this, but then again they were aliens so they were strange creatures. 

"Just Bit." The Vartian repeated as if that were his name rather than Bit. It did not come naturally to her to address ranks by their name instead of ranks or numeric designation. No need for armour? Did he not understand anything about Vartians? They needed to be prepared for conflict, clad in armour and equipped with gasmask. Yet he said if he required it, then it would be an order. Valnina paused, halting mid dress in her armour. She hesitated, which alarmed her, Valnina had never hesitated before in her life. Orders were obeyed without question and to be obeyed without hesitation.
Her head pulsed with pain, searing and liquid. For the moment she considered the idea of asking a non Vartian for assistance. The thought turned her soul to ice, something was wrong. She normally never would of even thought of such an idea. Alarm shot up her spine, what had happened to her? 

 She took in his news, considering it through a fog of pain before replying. "Have the Archeri been exterminated?" She questioned, feeling within herself, searching for the burning hatred, the certainty of her task and her duty. But only foreign sensations lurked there, almost drowning out the wisps of anger that usually burned bright as flame. "I did not require help." She objected with the stubbornness her species was renowned for. "I... The healing was well received though." The words sounded weird coming from a Vartian, a race who thanking others not of their own was inconceivable. 

Head bump? Pretty ass? Valnina glanced down and shot him a confused look, uncertain by what he meant? How could one's rear be attractive? Did he mean her's in particular was pretty or that asses in general were? "I remember the artillery shell... My sisters how are they faring? Do they function?" The corporal asked focusing her mind onto the more important matters, such as her fellow Vartians. "Do I... Function correctly?" She searched for the right words. "My... Thoughts are not normal." She had never experienced before a full range of emotions such tried to withdraw from them. But they were there, alien and horrible. Unwelcome thoughts such as guilt lingered there for having survived a battle where so many others died fighting, fighting like true Vartians and thus were saved from being rescued by aliens.

"Why are you only ninety percent sure?" She questioned, the joke having missed her. "Why are you helping?" Valnina asked, recalling all to well how her own kind dealt with those not of it asking for help. The memory of a carbine recoiling in her hands instead of the familiar satisfaction contained only guilt as she watched a body fall to the ground lifeless before her. She shuddered, what was wrong with her. "What's happening to me?" She looked at him, eyes clouded with uncertain trepidation.  

[Ash]

"Nope. The battle is still ongoing right now. I am understanding that we have broken through several of their lines and are making progress against them."

Bit now got to his feet, as he was looking out the window and something caught his eye. He moved over there, looking as there was a massive flare up on the other side of the planet, which he could make out even over the horizon. It was a massive explosion for him to see from here. Quickly, Bit took out a small earpiece and stuck it in.

"Alright, report to me on what the hell that massive flair up was. Even I could make that out from here."

Bit was silent for a moment as a voice spoke over his comm, relaying reports from the Sith and Republic about what happened. After a few seconds of listening he turned towards Valnina.

"Seems like we destroyed their spire deal that has been a royal pain in the Galaxy's ass for the past year. Also you are not fully healed. You blew up. Kaboom. If Vince wasn't there to help you and your sisters out, you would all be dead or Archeri mind slaves.

You're sisters are still in bacta tanks, but our bacta is working wonders right now. Surprisingly you took some of the least damage, save your little bump."

He sat back down in his chair, leaving his earbud in just in case. He didn't need the intercom blaring when there was no need for it.

"As far as I can tell you're perfectly fine, if still a little out of it. The 90% thing was a joke. You're going to be just fine. I am helping because we are all on the same side of this war. People need to stick together in times of adversity. You just need to calm down a little bit, sort yourself out, and here soon we will bring you back down to the planet to reconnect with your commanding officer."

[apothecary]

"Then we should not be sitting in some ship in the rear, we should be engaging the enemy." To Valnina it was very simple, attack the enemy and keep in contact with them to prevent any form of retreat or reorganisation of his or her forces. Her eyes tracked him, in the disconcerting manner of a predatory feline studying an unusual form of prey. They widened at the glimpse of an explosion. Had the other species finally realised the need to employ strategic weapons against the enemy? Evidently, her current companion was surprised as she was at this development. 
"Another glorious victory for our forces." She declared, the destruction of an enemy asset always had been a source of celebration. "I am functional." She protested stubbornly, despite the lancing agony in her mind. "A Vartian would never be a slave to alien filth. Death is the preferable alternative to alien subjugation." Indeed, a Vartian never surrendered, preferring to fight on, driven by the Kran Val to do so in spite of the hopelessness of a struggle. 

"I am particularly resilient." She admitted. "My batch was renowned for it's tenacity." The cloned soldier explained to him, wondering at the nature of the strange unfamiliar thoughts and emotions floating within her mind. Alien concepts, perhaps she was infected with some form of alien disease? But he said that her only injury had been the head wound. 

"I am unfamiliar with your sense of humour." She wondered if he would understand her own jokes. The Vartian doubted it, but found Just Bit to be rather interesting to talk to. To be honest it was strange how she had avoided communicating with aliens for so long. Were they so different? After all they were just another life form, if inferior compared to the glory of the Vartian, but still largely capable of reason. "Allied forces." She said in agreement knowing how her own people referred to them and treated them. As second class citizens at best with no time for the 'civilians' and other non military beings. "I am calm... Just my head hurts and there are strange thoughts in there." When faced with something new she fell back onto her training which was to fight it. But how could she attack something within her own skull?
"Did your own forces sustain losses?" Another question, one normally never asked by any of her kind to someone not of their race. But Valnina was different, if only because of the head wound she sustained, even if she did not yet fully understand the scope of it. 

[Ash]

"Not sure about your people, princess, but us mortals here cant fight if we are wounded or dead. We employ the best technology to ensure a victory despite casualties, but the single most important tool we have... It is us."

Bit pointed out to Valnina, then to himself, and finally to the stray personnel in the room.

"All the weapons. All the gear is useless without those to fill the boots. Soldiers aren't machines and need care too."

Bit was starting to get slightly annoyed at this lady and her stubbornness to go out and get herself killed rather than accept medical treatment. She was so unlike anyone else he had known so far. Maybe it was because they were all clones and could be replaced as easily as robots. But to Bit, it was wrong.

"Legion took some hits, but nothing serious. Our armor is a little more sturdy than what they seemed to have given you. We try to avoid having soldiers killed and do what we can to protect them.

As for you... You probably have a mild concussion still. The bacta in your system should take care of your headache soon enough. You will have free reign of your tenacity soon enough. If it makes you feel better i will have a shuttle prepped to take us back down to the service."{/b]

[apothecary]

 The Vartians maintained a disdainful view of their allies in the war, they believed their military forces to be weak, inferior, barely worthy of recognition let alone respect. It was these beliefs which often caused considerable friction and poor cooperation between Vartian and allied units. Her mind flicked instinctively to dismissive when he mentioned their own wounded being unable to continue the fight, the effect of a life time of propaganda drowning out any idea of questioning it. Surely, after all they were for if they preferred to give into their wounds, rather than win the fight. But then again, perhaps their minds were not clouded by the Kran Val, so they were capable of feeling other emotions, they were not swamped by hate. 

"A soldier's duty is to fight, kill and if necessary die to ensure victory." She responded, but it seemed like it was a sentence ripped straight from propaganda rather than an independent thought. Valnina found it difficult to understand why he bothered with soldier care, it was not a concept to a Vartian, they were content with weapons, with food and someone to fight. The strict utilitarian nature of Vartian life would have been depressing to anyone who was not one, they simply knew no other life, no alternative. Perhaps given time their nation could find another path, but with a war to fuel their military complex... There would be no counter to the war effort. 

She frowned at him. "Your weapons and armour are superior in only one respect, you bother with decoration." It was such a strange concept for a Vartian to mention. Of course had the question been asked to a Vartian without an head wound, the response would have been drastically different. "Do you lack the will to fight then?" She inquired, the question a genuine one rather than a insult or dismissive comment. A Vartian commander would have not hesitated to call in artillery or air support on a position occupied by friendly forces if it was being swamped by enemies. This was why they served as poor garrison choices for Republic worlds, the Vartians' instinctive hostile response to a believed or real threat tended to be extremely counter productive to the Republic's efforts and war aims. 

She considered his question, if it makes her feel better? "I am fine thank you, but if you wish to go by all means." 

[Ash]

"Soldiers do indeed fight, but unlike what you believe, we are not to die. It is our job to survive so we can come back home to our friends and family."

This girl was wrong in many ways and he just wanted to get rid of her now. He knew he was wrong in these thoughts but he couldn't change a lifetime of propaganda and thoughts. Oh well. It was all out of his power. He was simply a soldier.

"We dont lack any will to fight. Get your gear back on now. You seem healthy enough to head back down to the planet and rejoin your group."

Bit stoof up and removed his jacket, tossing it on the chair he had been sitting in. Nearby he grabbed his armor and started to put that on now. Super easy to do and Bit was use to donning this armor.