FORSAKEN II - Eternal Dawn

CHAPTER TWO

A Lambda-class T-4 shuttle left the ecumenopolis of Coruscant, heading to an Imperial-class Star Destroyer; the recently commissioned, Hypori's Revenge. Aboard the shuttle, Commander Ilza Eisvolk contemplated the irony of her new duty. As a junior intelligence officer during the Clone Wars, she had endeavored to earn an assignment aboard a capital ship to serve in the frontlines. As fate would have it, Eisvolk's success employing unorthodox slicing methods earned her a post in Coruscant, frustrating her goal. Resigned to her planet-bound role, she thrived in her assignment, climbing the naval ranks with great celerity; reaching the title of inspector general by the end of the war—one of the highest levels in the intelligence apparatus—and became the head of intelligence for the Order of Inquisitors. She then set her sights on becoming the Director of Naval Intelligence, but her ambition was trounced with the recent reorganization of all espionage branches under the umbrella of the Imperial Military Intelligence agency. The shrewdness, war record, and ruthlessness of the officers above her made further advancement nigh impossible.

Being one of the few survivors of the recent attempt on the Emperor's life, Eisvolk had dared to intervene in a deadly fight between Darth Vader and a group of Jedi. She was deemed too valuable by the Emperor to be executed by his wrathful apprentice, so Eisvolk was assigned to a punishment detail. She was to be the executive officer of the Hypori's Revenge, which was tasked with the hunting of the Jedi assassins. Her captain, Villen Haibak, had failed to prevent the fugitives' escape. He too would be assigned to wander the galaxy in search of redemption.

Cutting a striking figure in her gray imperial uniform, Eisvolk kept her short blond hair tightly in a bun under her cap. She deboarded the shuttle once it landed on the Hypori's Revenge, and made her way to the captain's quarters.

She had heard that Captain Haibak was a brilliant tactician and a staunch Imperialist, with little latitude for incompetence. He was a veteran of the wars who was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Hypori—making his commission as captain of Hypori's Revenge rather fitting or callously ironic, she perceived. His injuries from the fight almost cost him his life and would have surely ended his military career, if he hadn't been implanted with an AJ^6 cyborg construct. Rather than erase his personality, as was often the case, the implant allowed Haibak to continue serving in the Imperial Navy with greater efficiency, something the captain attributed to his faith. The captain was a devout follower of the Disciples of the Whills, a religion that sought to listen and understand the will of the Force.

When Eisvolk arrived at the captain's quarters, she heard the dramatic crescendo of famed Corellian opera, The Brief Reign of Future Wraiths, booming through the door. Eisvolk rang the digital chime and waited. The music was turned down and the door opened.

"Come in."

A tall swarthy human in his fifties with ample shoulders, Haibak sat behind his desk. He had a Y-shaped scar on the right side of his solemn face, crossing his trimmed beard all the way to his neck. He was reading a hardcover copy of the Collected Poems, Prayers, and Meditations on the Force by Kozem Pel, while a glass of brandy rested near him.

"Captain Haibak." Eisvolk stood at attention. "Commander Ilza Eisvolk, reporting for duty, sir."

Haibak finished the passage he was reading before he closed the book. "As you were, Commander." He gave her a look under his brow as he placed the red-covered tome over the desk. "So, you are my new XO. Have a seat. Brandy? I got it sent from Savareen."

"No, thank you, Captain. I'm fine."

"That's precisely the point." Haibak got up to pour himself another glass from the bottle behind him, and served a second one for Eisvolk. She noticed a slight limp due to his cybernetic leg. "I don't trust an officer that can only perform when they are fine." He placed the glass in front of her and returned to his seat. "Chaos—both literally and figuratively—is where we conduct our business, Commander; to bring order where there is none, in the face of death, confusion, uncertainty. If one of my people can't hack a simple conversation while having a drink, then what the Void are they doing under my command? Cheers. To the Hypori's Revenge maiden voyage. May the Force will her service to be long, honorable, and distinguished."