Crew Quarters, Voidbreaker

Early 36 ABY, 1210 Hours

Leeadra paced the floor. She always did when she was anxious and today was no different. One of these days, the Pantoran was certain she would wear a hole in the floor and fall through into what, if she remembered correctly, was the library. This time she wasn’t pacing because of a mission. No. Today she was pacing because not ten minutes ago, the Jedi had received a summons to appear before her Battleteam Leader, Lucine Vasano. Leeadra had interacted with Lucine a few times prior to this occasion but never had the redhead been so formal about her communications with her subordinate. Clearly, something was wrong. The Pantoran had screwed something up, and it was most certainly something big, she was sure of it. Why else would the human have requested a private meeting in her office?

Well, at least she isn’t trying to push me out the airlock.

Certain she was only delaying the inevitable, Leeadra straightened her robes, ran her hand along her braid, and left her quarters, headed for the office she knew all too well; after all, it had once been her own. The halls of the ship had never seemed colder or more barren of familiar and friendly faces than it was now. For a moment, she considered recruiting a friend to come along, perhaps Kelviin, but immediately thought better of it. Nothing good would come of dragging someone else into the mess she has created. The Pantoran certainly didn’t want to see someone else punished for her wrong-doing, so with a deep breath and a determined expression, she finished the last thirty meters of her journey. Before she could knock on the door the durasteel slid aside, revealing the red-headed human sitting behind the large desk on the far side of the room, typing away at a datapad.

“Ah. Lee. Please come in, darling. Do have a seat.”

Something was most definitely wrong. There was no anger in Lucine’s voice. Nervously, Leeadra approached the desk she had once been so fond of and sat in the seat placed in front of it which, admittedly felt quite strange. The Pantoran could feel her palms begin to sweat and, in a futile effort to calm herself, she rubbed them along the length of her thighs. With her anxiety very apparent in her voice, the Jedi began pleading her case.

“Lucine, please. Whatever I’ve done, I offer my sincerest apologies. I didn’t intend for any--”

A loud burst of laughter interrupted the blue-skinned woman in the middle of her rambling. Confused, the Pantoran tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Lucine had lost her mind. Did she not want an apology? Why had she called the Pantoran to her office? Seeing the questions on her subordinate’s face, the human adjusted the datapad still laying on the desk and faced the Jedi.

“Leeadra, dear. You aren’t here because you’ve made a mistake, in fact quite the opposite. As you may have heard by now, I have been selected to join the Clan Summit as Qel Droma’s Aedile. As such, I can no longer captain this ship and lead this team. I desperately need someone to fill this Captain’s chair. I had a chat with my dear friend Zujenia and it seems she has taken quite the liking to you. She told me she needed someone she could trust in charge here. Someone she believes can and will assist the Lotus should the need arise. She gave me your name and here you are, darling.”

If Leeadra’s hands hadn’t already been shaking with nerves, they certainly were now. She could feel the anxiety sweeping through her small body and seeping into her bones. The thought of being in charge of the still growing battleteam had given her nightmares the last time she had taken the helm. She often woke up with sweat dripping from her body after a nightmare, usually involving losing one of her crew in a firefight on a distant planet somewhere. Through all the panic in the Jedi’s head, one voice sounded off; quiet at first but soon, loud enough to be heard over all her other thoughts, Zuji believes in you. You can do this.

The Pantoran drew a deep breath, retrained her gaze on the Sith sitting before her, and gave two curt nods.

“I’ll do it. You and Zujenia can rely on me.”

“Excellent darling. I was really hoping I wasn’t going to have to use this,” Lucine cooed as she stood up and holstered the blaster that she had been concealing beneath the desk between them. A look of terror crossed the Pantoran’s face. Something about her human counterpart’s flippant attitude toward the possibility of intimidating her into the position was a bit unsettling, but Leeadra considered that there were worse ways to find yourself in power. With little more pomp and circumstance, Lucine moved around the desk and headed for the Captain’s quarters.

“Is that… is that all?” stuttered Leeadra, mind still reeling from the encounter.

“Yes, darling. Now, I’m off to finish packing my things. I still have half of my wardrobe to stow and we arrive on Selen in five days! No time to waste!”

Leeadra chuckled as Lucine excused herself from the room. Once more, the Pantoran found herself staring at the empty Captain’s chair. The last time she was here, she had been more than eager to take the helm, but this time fear lingered in the peripherals. Somehow she knew this time around things would be different. Hesitantly, she made her way around the desk and sat down in the large swivel chair, her toes only barely brushing the ground. Though the chair itself was physically incredibly comfortable, Leeadra could already feel the weight that she had just invited to sit squarely on her shoulders. Blue fingers lightly slid along the well-worn surfaces of the armrests, the texture grounding her in this very surreal moment. Her attention was drawn to an abnormality near the back of the left one, and the Jedi stowed her thoughts to look down at it. Etched there, though somehow still maintaining a very dainty and fantastic appearance, was the name ‘Lucine Vasano’. An easy smile found its way onto the Pantoran’s features.

I guess she left her mark on the ship after all.