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| − | Split off from the main [[Hermus Dogan]] page due to size. | + | Split off from the main [[Hermus Dogan]] page due to size. Pulled for the horrible writing and general obsolescence. Rewrite due in time. |
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| | =Biography (Fictional)= | | =Biography (Fictional)= |
| | Hermus Dogan was born on [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hosk_Station Hosk Station] in 18:9:35. His family included his parents, Heckler and Salina, an older brother Keth, and a handful of droids they owned. | | Hermus Dogan was born on [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hosk_Station Hosk Station] in 18:9:35. His family included his parents, Heckler and Salina, an older brother Keth, and a handful of droids they owned. |
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| − | ==Early Days==
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| − | His family operated a fledgling droid repair shop in one of the market districts of Hosk Station, mainly servicing droids of the local businesses. During Hermus' early years there was little change. Customers brought in their droids or sent them in for repair and general maintenance as they had even before he was born, though the customer base was slowly growing. Hermus learned most of his basic education from the family droids, generally preferring to learn about astrography.
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| − | By the age of seven, Hermus saw the family business making a fair profit. Having witnessed every sort of repair his parents were able to do, they decided he was ready to receive training in droid repair to help with the increasing number of maintenance tasks.
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| − | While a bit slow to grasp the finer points of wielding a hydrospanner, Dogan learned the trade.
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| − | During his eleventh year of life, two notable events occurred. First, his older brother left to join the Imperial Academy. He did well enough in the entrance tests to be allowed into the prestigious Imperial Naval Academy. Hermus was in awe of the event, wishing to join the Academy once he was old enough.
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| − | Second, his parents expanded their droid repair business to include general equipment repairs and custom droid work. This move led to a boom in business, with long time customers eagerly seeking affordable droid customization. Word spread to the point where orders came in from customers' friends off-station, sometimes even beyond the Kalarba system. Such orders resulted in an increasing number of customers demanding delivery services, requiring the use of a transport ship. Uninterested in purchasing a vessel for the task, Hermus' parents chose to hire on a freelance transport pilot looking for regular work.
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| − | Zhorin Kobylarz, a male Duros, was the sentient hired for the task. His ship was a modified [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/GAT-12_Skipray_Blastboat GAT-12h Skipray Blastboat] named [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Durese ''Bechesmy''], an unusual craft to use as a freighter. It was quite suitable for the droid transport role, having room for a fair number of droids and equipment with enough protection to withstand the usual pirate attack. Initially flying runs alone, Zhorin eventually befriended Hermus, who wished to tag along on delivery runs to escape the confines of the shop. Already planning to hire additional staff, his parents agreed and off Hermus went.
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| − | By his early teens, Dogan was learning to fly under the guidance of Zhorin and even learned a fair bit of Durese, able to engage in conversation fluently. One notable cargo run featured a sizable piece of debris slamming into the ''Bechesmy'' without warning, knocking the Duros out of his seat and rendering him unconscious. Unable to rouse him, Hermus had no choice but to pilot the freighter to the nearest medical facility. Zhorin recovered, pleased to hear that the human was uninjured and the ''Bechesmy'' suffered only minimal damage. The duo got back to work.
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| − | Early in his fourteenth year, Hermus' brother graduated from the Imperial Naval Academy as a commissioned officer, Lieutenant Keth Dogan. His first posting was the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Carrack-class_light_cruiser ''Carrack''-class light cruiser] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dominant ''Dominant''].
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| − | At eighteen years of age, Hermus Dogan was growing tired of droid maintenance and cargo runs, despite enjoying the flights alongside his good friend Zhorin Kobylarz. He decided it was time to join the Imperial Academy, as his brother had done nearly eight years before. Unfortunately for him, Dogan's entrance tests to the Academy were insufficient; he was turned down.
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| − | While disappointed, Hermus looked for other options than Imperial service. He briefly considered joining the Rebel Alliance, but decided against it. He had nothing against the Empire, feeling that the Rebellion offered him little. He continued searching.
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| − | ==Hosk Station Security==
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| − | ===Law Enforcement===
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| − | In the end he chose to join Hosk Station's security force, aiming for duty as a fighter pilot. Training began, instructing him in the ways of piloting, equipment maintenance, small arms combat, and more. In the final phase of his training before piloting, Dogan was placed into a station law enforcement unit to gain combat experience and serve Hosk Station. Thanks to his constant proximity to droids of all kinds as he grew up, Hermus was frequently paired up with [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/501-Z_police_droid 501-Z police droids] from Hosk Robotic Security.
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| − | One week before he was due for placement in the station's pilot program, Hermus and the Zed he was paired up with - Unit CL-VR, nicknamed 'Cleaver' by Hermus - were attempting to apprehend a trio of smugglers aboard a derelict bulk freighter in the Kalarba asteroid belts. The freighter was serving as a secret smuggler outpost, complete with defense perimeter. Though their ship's weapons were damaged on the way in, Hermus and Cleaver managed to dock with the freighter and make their way inside.
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| − | They found three smugglers in the base, who chose to start a firefight instead of surrendering. One had fallen to Cleaver's stun blaster, but the others were still putting up a fight. Hermus was trading shots with the two smugglers when Cleaver suddenly broke cover and charged toward the smugglers, firing his stun blaster and raising his stun baton to strike. One of the smugglers pulled out a thermal detonator and tossed it at the droid before diving for cover. Though CL-VR attempted to run for cover as well, the detonator didn't give him a chance; even his durasteel hide couldn't withstand the blast.
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| − | As pieces of CL-VR were bouncing off the walls, the smugglers jumped to their feet and resumed firing at Hermus, though not before he managed to clip one of them with a stun blast. The third smuggler fired another volley at the Hosk native; one shot damaged his stun blaster, another grazed his blaster arm. That shot severely burned the flesh from the knuckles to the elbow of his right arm.
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| − | Rather than dropping his blaster, the pain caused Dogan's fingers to tighten around the pistol grip in a reflex action. The remaining smuggler took advantage of the distraction and fled deeper into the freighter. Discarding his useless weapon, Hermus picked up the heavy blaster pistol dropped by the first smuggler, making sure to switch to the stun setting before moving off. A corpse cannot be arrested, after all.
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| − | After initially losing track of the criminal, Hermus found him trying to activate a powered-down escape pod near the crew quarters. The injured Dogan leveled the unfamiliar blaster and steadied his aim with his left hand as he demanded the smuggler's surrender. The smuggler spun around to fire, but Dogan shot first, rendering the man unconscious. He collected the smuggler and returned to the scene of the earlier battle.
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| − | After securing the prisoners, Dogan surveyed the damage to CL-VR. Both arms, the head, and one of the legs had been blown off, with the rest badly deformed. The head was surprisingly intact, suggesting that CL-VR's memory core might have survived. Hermus gathered the pieces and returned them to the ship. Before leaving, he made sure to find and deactivate the defense perimeter controls.
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| − | Hermus' right arm was treated in one of Hosk Station's many medical facilities, but even bacta couldn't completely erase signs of the blaster burn. It was a scar he'd need to live with. Fortunately, it did not hamper his ability to fire a blaster; he was able to shoot as well as he had before the injury.
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| − | CL-VR's memory core had survived intact, though the Zed's body was beyond repair. Hosk Station security techs decided it wasn't worth the trouble to salvage the droid's personality, but they allowed Dogan to hang onto it when he asked - after going through and erasing any sensitive data the droid had regarding Hosk Station, of course. During some off-duty time, he took the core to his family's repair shop to see what could be done.
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| − | Testing on CL-VR's memory core confirmed that his personality and unerased memories still existed, though Hermus wasn't quite certain what to do at first. The logical solution was to install it in a functioning 501-Z police droid body, but Hosk security had already turned him down and it was illegal for civilians to own a Zed.
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| − | His next thought was to place the core in a different droid model, possibly one that had recently lost its own memory core. His parents' shop didn't have any in storage, nor did any of the other droid repair businesses he was familiar with. He was forced to check into the unfamiliar businesses, though had to wait until his next opportunity. His placement in the Hosk pilot program was imminent.
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| − | ===Starfighter Duty===
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| − | Hosk Station utilized a number of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zebra_starfighter ''Zebra''-class starfighters] to defend the station, and Hermus Dogan trained with them during the final phase of his pilot training. He did quite well, passing all but the hardest tests on his first attempt in the simulator, with the second attempts of the failed tests succeeding. He moved on to piloting the real thing and continued to do well during training exercises and mock battles. Once the training phase ended, Dogan became the newest pilot in the station's starfighter squadron at the end of his nineteenth year of life.
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| − | At twenty-one, Dogan was still part of Hosk Station's starfighter force. The incredible Battle of Endor occured around this time, followed by the conflict at Bakura. Hermus' older brother, Keth, was still stationed aboard the ''Carrack''-class light cruiser ''Dominant'', which was a critical part of Bakura's defense fleet. During the conflict with the Ssi-ruuk, Keth was killed in action when the ''Dominant'' suffered a particularly nasty blow. The news took a few months to reach the Dogan family, but struck hard when it arrived. Hermus was devastated. His performance ratings in Hosk Security dropped sharply and remained that way for over a week before he began to recover. After that period he pushed himself harder than ever, steadily increasing his performance to the point where he surpassed his previous standards.
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| − | No other particularly noteworthy events occurred during Hermus Dogan's service with Hosk Station's starfighter force. Long stretches of routine patrols, escort duties, and wargame exercises were punctuated with the odd skirmish with pirates attacking ships near Hosk Station or blasting meteors straying too close to the station and nearby space lanes. Dogan continued to excel in the ''Zebra'' starfighters, but began to ponder other possibilities. He wasn't keen on spending his life in Hosk Station Security, but did want to continue flying.
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| − | During one of his days off-duty, Dogan was approached by his old friend Zhorin Kobylarz, who was seeking a co-pilot to join him in his cargo runs. The Duros said that he couldn't both fly the ''Bechesmy'' and adequately operate the helpful dorsal laser turret during the increasing pirate attacks he was suffering while between destinations.
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| − | By that time Zhorin was no longer the only pilot for the Dogan family's droid repair and customization business. His Blastboat was the smallest ship on the payroll, leading to fewer and fewer cargo missions for the Duros as the amount of cargo increased. To compensate, he was forced to take on jobs from other employers, including fairly dangerous missions that took him far from Hosk Station. Zhorin thought that Hermus might consider a change of career and fill the co-pilot role, partnering up with the Duros. Dogan's skill as a fighter pilot and ground combat experience would be invaluable on the more dangerous cargo missions, and he was a being that Zhorin trusted. Dogan was definitely interested, though he had to wait a few months before leaving Hosk Station Security. When the time came, he was more than ready to join up with the Duros.
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| − | ====CL-VR====
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| − | In the middle of his nineteenth year of life, Hermus had a few days of off-duty time and used them to seek a solution for poor CL-VR. He continued his earlier search for a droid body lacking a memory core, quickly checking the places he had already been before moving on to unfamiliar territory. One droid repair shop had an abandoned [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BLX_labor_droid BLX labor droid] waiting on a replacement memory core before it could be sold to a droid dealership. CL-VR's core could not be installed with any amount of modification, however, due to complete incompatibility. That particular model of BLX droid was outdated before the 501-Z police droids were even invented.
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| − | Undaunted, the Hosk native continued his search. He looked at one droid repair business or salvage yard after another with little luck, though finally found a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/3D-4_administrative_droid 3D-4 administrative droid] with a damaged memory core. This was only a brief ray of hope, however, as the 501-Z memory core was too large to fit inside a 3D-4's core receptacle. Dogan had no choice but to move on to the next shop.
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| − | Deeper inside Hosk Station than he had ever been, Hermus investigated a used droid dealership. At the insistence of a female Wookiee salesbeing named Frolanna and her [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TC-series_protocol_droid TC-series protocol droid] TC-37, Dogan was initially shown row after row of servant and protocol droids. After politely cooperating for several minutes, the human managed to steer the tour towards the clearance wing. Hermus looked around to see dozens of deactivated, malfunctioning, or limbless droids. He bombarded the Wookiee with questions about each droid that appeared intact, with TC-37 translating Frolanna's answers.
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| − | The Wookiee was becoming increasingly agitated with the incessant questioning, with TC-37's nervousness increasing to match. Just as the droid was about to suggest a break for refreshment, Hermus came across a deactivated [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/HXZ-1_Immobilizer-series_police_droid HXZ-1 ''Immobilizer''-series security droid] that caught his eye.
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| − | He turned to Frolanna. "What's the story with this ''Immobilizer''?"
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| − | The Wookiee roared and yowled in her native tongue.
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| − | "This HXZ-1 has a damaged memory core," TC-37 translated. "While still capable of function, it can no longer distinguish between friend and foe. Corrupted recognition subroutines, you see. I'm afraid its previous owner was repeatedly stunned when attempting to enter his own home."
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| − | "Why wasn't the memory core simply replaced?" Dogan asked. "The droid's memories could have been transferred to the new one."
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| − | Another answer was unleashed by the Wookiee.
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| − | Dogan glanced at the protocol droid. "The previous owner was uninterested in spending the required credits for such a task, choosing to simply sell the unit to this establishment," replied the droid. "It was not replaced by the dealership's technicians for the same reason. They memory-wiped the droid, but the problem remained."
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| − | "So you're trying to sell a trigger-happy security droid to potential customers?"
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| − | Frolanna shrugged, offering a short series of hoots and howls.
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| − | "She says she is not responsible for company policy," TC-37 translated.
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| − | Dogan considered for a moment. "I have a functioning memory core with me." He retrieved the core from the case and lifted it for the Wookiee to see. "Can we check if it would fit?"
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| − | More Wookiee speak.
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| − | "Such an arrangement is acceptable," answered the protocol unit.
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| − | Frolanna assisted Dogan in the task, demonstrating that she was no mere salesbeing. They had the old memory core out in short order and inspected the interior.
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| − | A sharp roar exploded from the Wookiee.
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| − | TC-37 hesitated before answering. "A rather unpleasant Wookiee curse I refuse to translate."
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| − | Frolanna snarled at the droid and jabbed a claw towards the interior of the HXZ-1.
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| − | Dogan leaned in to look where she was pointing. "Right, looks like that circuit is burned out. Didn't the techs find that?"
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| − | She shook her head and yowled a bit.
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| − | "The technicians never removed the memory core, even while testing it. An oversight, perhaps?" TC-37 offered.
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| − | The human thought for a moment. "Well, the memory core I have looks like it will fit without too much trouble; perhaps some minor modification. What's the price?"
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| − | The Wookiee hooted and pointed to a sign on the wall behind them.
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| − | "''Three thousand?!''" Dogan blurted. "I could buy a ''new'' droid for that! For a damaged and trigger-happy droid like this one I'd expect to pay five hundred." He pointed to a series of cracks in the armor. "Look at that plating! I've seen droids on the scrap heap with better."
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| − | An angry roar was his answer.
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| − | "She says that your offer is unacceptable," the protocol droid said.
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| − | "As is yours," Dogan said to the Wookiee. "With these flaws you're never going to sell this ''Immobilizer'' to anyone!"
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| − | She stewed in bitter silence for a moment before rumbling a response.
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| − | TC-37 turned to the human. "Twenty-six hundred credits."
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| − | "No way. Seven hundred."
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| − | Frolanna bared her teeth at the human and growled.
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| − | "Two thousand, three hundred and fifty," the droid answered.
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| − | Dogan crossed his arms. "One thousand."
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| − | An angry snarl erupted from Frolanna.
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| − | "Two thousand," TC-37 said nervously.
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| − | "Still too much," he told the Wookiee. "I might be convinced to pay twelve hundred."
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| − | She stepped closer and sneered down at the human with her answer.
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| − | The protocol droid took a short step back from the Wookiee. "Eighteen hundred credits. And I suggest you take it, sir, before she loses her temper completely."
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| − | Dogan glanced at the droid and raised an eyebrow before looking back at Frolanna. Angering a Wookiee was never a good idea, but dismembering potential customers was bad for business. "Fifteen hundred."
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| − | TC-37 threw his arms up in exasperation. "Humans! I'll never understand them."
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| − | Frolanna menacingly peeled her lips back from her teeth and roared in the human's face.
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| − | "S-sixteen twenty-five," the droid stuttered.
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| − | Dogan considered the sum as he watched the Wookiee, resisting the urge to back away from her. The dangerous look in her eyes promised that she would not reduce the price any further. TC-37 took another step back.
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| − | He smirked. "Deal."
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| − | The protocol droid visibly relaxed. "Oh, thank goodness!"
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| − | Frolanna rumbled at Dogan before turning away to stalk back towards the main part of the store.
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| − | "A string of Wookiee curses and insults aimed at you in particular and the human species in general," TC-37 offered helpfully. "You may pay the sum of seventeen hundred credits to the cashier in the administration wing. I will accompany you to confirm the agreement."
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| − | "Hold on," Dogan said. "The agreement was for sixteen twenty-five!"
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| − | "Correct, sir. However, this HXZ-1 unit is incapable of safely following you under its own power in its present state," TC-37 replied. "It will need to be shipped to your destination of choice on Hosk Station. The additional seventy-five credits cover this service."
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| − | Dogan nodded in amusement. "I should have figured. Very well, let's go see the cashier."
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| − | Seventeen hundred credits was a sizable chunk of his life savings, but Hermus Dogan felt it was worth the cost. He just hoped that the HXZ-1 didn't have too many hidden problems to fix. The droid would likely take a day or two to arrive at his parents' shop, so he would be unable to work on it until his next couple off-duty days. It was time to get back to the fighter base.
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| − | ==Cargo Running==
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| − | Once out of Hosk Security, Dogan's first task was to finally fix up CL-VR, nicknamed 'Cleaver'. Beyond installing the droid's memory core in the HXZ-1 ''Immobilizer'' chassis he had bought and patching up a few worn circuits, Dogan hadn't done much with repairing the droid. CL-VR took up the task of providing additional security for the Dogan family's business to occupy his time. When Hermus announced that he was going to finally finish repairing the droid, Cleaver was as thrilled as a droid could be. The cracked armor plating and blaster scars on the HXZ-1 chassis annoyed the droid, who claimed the damage hampered his security ability. Choosing to humor the droid, Dogan got to work with the repairs. After some hard work, the repairs were finished. CL-VR's armor was replaced, blaster scars removed, armaments cleaned, translation library upgraded, and other tasks accomplished. The security droid was as good as new.
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| − | When Zhorin Kobylarz returned to pick up Dogan, the human brought CL-VR along. Though the droid didn't have any sort of pilot programming, he was able to monitor sensor data, guard the ''Bechesmy'' while it was docked, and provide translation for many common dialects. Zhorin welcomed the droid, and was certain he'd be a valuable addition to the team. The trio began looking for their next cargo mission.
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| − | During a usual cargo run when Dogan was twenty-three, the ''Bechesmy'' was navigating through an asteroid field. While the Skipray Blastboat was near the center of the field, a damaged New Republic [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/MC80B MC80B Star Cruiser] abruptly dropped out of hyperspace outside the field, followed by a small Imperial fleet containing a pair of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Victory_II-class_Star_Destroyer ''Victory II''-class Star Destroyers], a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nebulon-B Nebulon-B Frigate], and an [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Immobilizer_418_cruiser Interdictor Cruiser]. While the Star Cruiser began moving around the asteroid field in hopes of escape, the Interdictor Cruiser fired up its gravity well generators, preventing all ships in the area from entering hyperspace. The Nebulon-B Frigate held off in escort position with the Interdictor while the pair of VSDs plunged forward in pursuit of the MC80B. Both sides disgorged fighter squadrons from their hangars.
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| − | The crew of the ''Bechesmy'' were troubled. Not only did their path led directly into the battle, but they could not enter hyperspace as long as the Interdictor was active. Returning to the other side of the asteroid field and finding another route to their destination was possible, but would take more time than waiting for the battle to finish. Seeing no other alternatives, the trio brought the ''Bechesmy'' to a halt and settled in to wait, CL-VR keeping a watchful photoreceptor on the sensor screens.
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| − | After ten minutes of the running battle between the New Republic vessel and the Star Destroyers, the Star Cruiser lost. Huge gouts of flame erupted from the dying ship as the atmosphere escaped through hull breaches, followed by hundreds of escape pods spewing out from all sides. Just over a minute later, the massive engines of the MC80B exploded. Dogan had never seen such a large ship destroyed with his own eyes.
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| − | With the New Republic vessel dealt with, the Imperials focused on the Skipray Blastboat lurking within the asteroid field. A squadron of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/ln_starfighter TIE Fighters] were dispatched as the admiral of the fleet demanded to know the ''Bechesmy'''s business in the area. Well aware of the Imperial dislike of non-humans, Dogan responded. He stated that the ship was on a scheduled cargo run, delayed by the arrival of the Imperial fleet and former New Republic vessel and their subsequent battle. The admiral demanded the ''Bechesmy'' emerge from the field and surrender to a cargo inspection. With little other choice, the crew of the Blastboat agreed.
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| − | Just as the ''Bechesmy'' was about to exit the asteroid field and the TIE squadron deployed into an escort formation, New Republic reinforcements arrived. The newly arrived fleet consisted of a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Corellian_gunship Corellian Gunship], three [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/CR90 Corellian Corvettes], two [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/MC30c%20frigate MC30c frigates], and one [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/MC80A MC80a Star Cruiser]. The Imperial fleet turned to meet this new threat as the MC80a deployed its six fighter squadrons. Zhorin Kobylarz abruptly hauled back on the Blastboat's controls, snapping off several shots with the Dar-2 ion cannon in the ship's nose. Two of the escorting TIE Fighters were hit, disabling them entirely. The rest of the fighters scattered, avoiding a similar fate.
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| − | Dogan was utterly baffled by the sudden turn of events, unable to find words to respond to the Duros' actions. As the ''Bechesmy'' dove back into the asteroid field under Zhorin's control, Dogan finally found his voice.
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| − | ''"What in the Emperor's blackened bowels are you doing?!"''
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| − | The Duros glanced at Hermus for a moment before offering a brief explanation. Quite simply, he was a member of the Rebel Alliance, now the New Republic. He had no intention of cooperating with the Imperials any longer, using the distraction of the New Republic fleet's arrival to act. Before Dogan could ask any of the many questions that suddenly flooded into his mind, a laser bolt from one of the TIEs slammed into the ''Bechesmy''. Zhorin stared at Dogan expectantly. As the best gunner of the three, the human was the best choice for operating the Skipray Blastboat's dorsal Senko Systems 'Tru-Lok' 5000x2 laser turret. Seeing little choice in the matter, Dogan jumped out of his seat and headed for the turret controls.
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| − | As Zhorin navigated the ship between asteroids and as many laser blasts as he could, Dogan fired at the attacking TIEs. He had ripped through three of the fighters when one managed to land a pair of shots on the Blastboat's bow. The impact flash of the blasts blinded the Duros momentarily, preventing him from seeing the small asteroid approaching the ship before it was too late. The rock slammed into the ''Bechesmy'', launching Dogan out of his seat and slamming him into the bulkhead. Dazed but conscious, the human shakily got to his feet just in time for a second rock to slam into the ship from behind. He was knocked into the same bulkhead and fell, hitting a nearby support with his head on the way down. That time he was rendered unconscious.
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| − | ==Medical Mayhem==
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| − | Hermus woke up to the sight of sterile white surfaces, almost certain he was in a medical bay aboard one of the Imperial vessels. He rolled his head to each side to see more of the area. Medical equipment surrounded him, confirming his initial suspicions. Slowly, Dogan shifted himself into a sitting position. No one else was around, but he spotted his clothes draped over a chair across the room. His boots were on the floor near the chair, neatly positioned. The blaster normally holstered at his hip was nowhere to be seen, of course. The door to the room was closed.
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| − | Dogan slipped off the medical bed he sat on, pausing for a moment to make sure his legs were steady. He crossed over to the chair with only a slight wobble in his stride and traded the medical shroud for his clothes. As he secured his boots on his feet, he glanced around for a makeshift weapon. A datapad on the table near the door caught his eye. He was about to step over to grab it when the door slid open. Quickly ducking behind a medical console, Dogan quietly scuttled to the far end so he could keep the door in view.
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| − |
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| − | An attractive human woman strolled into the room and took a couple steps toward the table with the datapad before she glanced at the bed and, seeing it unoccupied, abruptly stopped. Dogan frowned. He assumed Imperial vessels wouldn't have female crew, given the all-male standard he'd heard of during the Palpatine era. Perhaps the Empire had altered its policy to allow human women into the Fleet?
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| − |
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| − | The woman took a step backwards as the door closed. She glanced around the room, her eyes pausing on the chair where Dogan's clothes had been. She took another step back towards the door and started reaching for the intercom panel next to it. Dogan exploded from his position behind the medical console and tackled the woman, briefly amused by the astonished look on her face. He capitalized on her surprise and locked her arms behind her back in the classic move he learned while training with Hosk Station Security. There was nothing nearby to bind her arms with, though.
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| − |
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| − | Dogan held her down and asked how long he'd been there. She nervously claimed he had been there just under a day. Finding nothing wrong with him physically besides the lump on his head, the medical staff had declined to wake him up, opting for a 'wait and see' approach. They did not expect him to awaken for another day or two. Dogan smirked. If he could avoid sounding the alarm and make it to some kind of maintenance hatch, he might have a chance to escape. One problem was that he had no idea what kind of ship he was on; if he was on one of the ''Victory'' Star Destroyers or the Interdictor, he'd have no idea where to go. But if he was aboard the Nebulon-B Frigate, he might have a chance. During his time in the starfighter squadron at Hosk Station, he had briefly studied the deck plans for the stock model Nebulon-B to pass the time. He hoped he'd be able to remember what he had seen.
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| − |
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| − | Dogan lifted the woman to her feet and moved her over to the medical console he had hidden behind. Shifting his stance to hold her against the wall with one hand, he ripped a long strip of wiring out of the console and looped it around her wrists, following up with a quick, secure knot. He pulled her away from the wall and guided her to the door, telling her that he would release her later, unharmed, as long as she remained quiet. The woman considered for a moment before silently nodding. The two paused at the door while Dogan took a quick look outside. A short corridor was what he saw, with an identical door across from the one he stood in. One end of the corridor had a ninety degree turn leading out of sight. He couldn't see or hear anyone else around, so he pushed the woman out into the corridor ahead of him and started walking.
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| − |
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| − | The two humans managed to reach the reception area of the medical ward. Dogan peeked around the corner, seeing two human males. One was behind the desk, muttering to himself. His attention was focused on the terminal in front of him. The one closer to Dogan was a guard on his feet dressed in gray, blaster holstered on his left hip. Both faced away from Dogan. He pulled back around the corner and spoke to the woman in a low voice. "Stay silent." She nodded. The two quietly stepped around the corner and slowly moved forward. There was enough background noise to mask their footsteps. The only other door to the reception area was well within view of both the guard and the receptionist. No chance of quietly slipping out. Instead, Dogan guided the woman closer to the guard. Closer. They continued moving.
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| − |
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| − | About a meter away from the guard, still unaware of the presence behind him, the woman suddenly inhaled. Loudly. The guard whirled around, shock registering on his face as he saw the woman and the former patient. As the guard rested his hand on the blaster, Dogan abruptly launched the woman into him, sending both to the deck in a jumbled heap. Dogan snatched the blaster out of the guard's holster and backed away, glancing at the blaster long enough to see it was on 'stun'. He aimed it towards the receptionist and told him to step away from the desk and stand next to the others. The man frowned, but followed instructions. The guard untangled himself from the woman and sprang to his feet, tensing to strike. Dogan shifted aim and shook his head. Reluctantly, the guard relaxed and lifted his hands above his shoulders. The woman struggled on the floor, having trouble standing while her arms were secured behind her.
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| − |
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| − | Dogan was about to lead the three back to the room where he woke up when the other door in the reception area opened and another male guard stepped through. The man dropped the beverages he was holding and grabbed his blaster. The first guard and the receptionist scattered out of the line of fire as the second guard opened fire. Blue stun bolts erupted from his blaster, but went wide. Dogan dove behind a pillar, snapping off a shot at the armed guard as he went, missing the man. Scrambling to his feet, the Hosk native reached around the pillar with his blaster and fired again, still missing. The first guard, unarmed, charged at Dogan. With a flick of the wrist, Dogan snapped a shot at the running man, catching him in the chest. The man crumpled to the floor next to the terrified woman.
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| − |
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| − | The second guard used the moment of distraction to move out of the doorway and crouch behind the reception desk before firing again. A klaxon suddenly roared to life, ending any possible chance of salvaging a quiet escape. Snarling with a vicious curse under his breath, Dogan fired twice at the guard, forcing him to duck behind the desk. Dogan sprinted out from behind the pillar, firing at the guard as he went. One shot clipped the guard's blaster arm, which abruptly dropped to his side uselessly. Dogan leaped over the woman and sent a second shot into the man, stunning the rest of him.
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| − |
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| − | Unfortunately, the woman wasn't quite as terrified as she pretended. She kicked out with both feet and caught Dogan's ankle mid-leap, yanking his legs out from under him. He crashed into the floor with enough force to partially knock the wind out of him. Grumbling, Dogan dragged himself forward with his elbows. The woman tried to wrap her legs around his and pin him, but he broke her tenuous grip and rolled out of reach. Climbing to his feet, Dogan glanced at the door to make sure another guard hadn't showed up. None had, so he slipped over to the entry and threw a quick glance out of it. No one was in sight, but he heard someone shouting in the distance. He was about to exit the reception area when he heard running feet behind him. Dogan jumped to the side and spun around with the blaster in time to see the woman on her feet and coming straight at him. She tried to redirect her charge towards Dogan's new position, but stumbled and slammed into the wall with a pained grunt. Tired of the game, Dogan stunned her before she could get up. Stopping only long enough to retrieve more blaster packs from the guards, he sprinted out the door.
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| − |
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| − | He had just made it to a maintenance hatch and was opening it when a security team found him, comprised of two male guards and one female, all human. A brief firefight ensued, leaving one of the guards stunned and the others taking cover as Dogan hobbled into the maintenance shaft. One of their shots had clipped his left leg, leaving the appendage useless. He couldn't even feel his own fist slamming into the leg when he punched it experimentally. So much for moving with any sort of speed! A quick slap of the control panel slammed the hatch shut, and a couple shots from the blaster on the 'kill' setting sealed it. He hoped he wouldn't have to use that route again. Lighting in the maintenance shaft was low, but steady. Reloading the blaster and switching it back to 'stun', Hermus moved forward.
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| − |
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| − | Losing the use of his left leg had been the beginning of the end for Dogan's chance of escape. Every hatch he tried had guards waiting in ambush. Only rapidly closing the hatches and disabling of the controls saved him, though it meant he was stuck in the maintenance shaft. After the third such incident he stopped to think. That time he had seen a Mon Calamari amongst the guards. Was he really on a New Republic ship? If so, did it make a difference? He didn't know what their intentions might be, but stunning several guards and wrecking the ship's internal sensors probably wasn't helping his cause. His best chance appeared to be finding a ship and escaping, though such an attempt would likely be short-lived if he couldn't jump into hyperspace quickly enough, assuming the Interdictor Cruiser was gone or out of action.
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| − |
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| − | But that wasn't his immediate problem. He still had to escape the maintenance shaft he was in before possibly escaping the ship. All three hatches he tried had been on the same deck as the one he'd entered the shaft with, all with guards waiting for him. He didn't know how many guards were on the ship, but there was no possible way for them to cover every hatch on the ship. Dogan decided to hold off on opening any other hatches until he was far from his present position. Operating with only one leg meant that such a journey would take far longer and be much more difficult, but it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter.
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| − |
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| − | It figured. It really did. Dogan's left leg was finally recovering from the stun bolt. Unbelievably tingly, but at least he could feel it again. As he started picking up a little speed in a vain effort to make up for lost time, the two hatches behind him opened to permit multiple guards, all jockeying for a shot at Dogan. Unwilling to oblige them, he pumped a few stun bolts toward the nearer group and scrambled for the T-shaped junction in the shaft ahead of him. Just as he was rounding the corner to the corridor on the right, a stun bolt from the guards caught his left leg and rendered it useless for a second time. Swearing viciously but unintelligibly, Dogan hopped down the corridor as quickly as he could on one leg, searching for a way out.
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| − |
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| − | Fleeing for several minutes through the maintenance shafts, picking routes at random, Dogan finally halted at a hatchway. He suspected a welcoming committee awaited him outside, but was willing to take the risk. He couldn't keep ahead of his pursuers forever. Drawing on his dwindling reserve of energy to stave off increasing exhaustion, Dogan triggered the hatch and stepped out into a short corridor with only one other hatch. A flick of his arm tapped the control next to him, closing the hatch he just exited. Squaring his shoulders for whatever might lurk behind the other hatch, he hobbled over and opened it.
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| − |
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| − | ==An Unfortunate Encounter==
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| − | His luck ran out. The room was one of the ready rooms for the shipboard troops. All ten or so occupants simultaneously turned to focus on the disturbance while drawing and aiming blasters. Surprise registered on their faces as they noted the blaster in the intruder's hand and opened fire. Dogan couldn't help but chuckle as multiple stun bolts engulfed him.
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| − |
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| − | Hermus woke up. This time he did ''not'' see the sterile white surfaces of a medical sector. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of a cell in the brig. He chuckled. Two guards stood outside his cell's security field, one human male and a Barabel, though Dogan wasn't sure whether it was male or female. Both were equipped with [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/DH-17_carbine DH-17 carbines] and body armor. Another chuckle slipped out of the captive human. Neither guard was amused.
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| − |
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| − | Eventually, a Duros came to Dogan's cell. The human glanced at the newcomer and did a quick double take; the Duros was his old friend Zhorin Kobylarz. Naturally, Dogan wasn't too thrilled to see him, especially when he noticed the lieutenant insignia on Zhorin's sleeve. The two said nothing for a few moments before the Duros broke the silence and summarized what was happening. The New Republic fleet had defeated the Imperial vessels and was busy recovering escape pods and other items from the destroyed Star Cruiser. The unconscious Dogan had been brought aboard one of the fleet's two MC30c frigates by the Duros after the TIEs engaging the ''Bechesmy'' were dealt with. Medical scans indicated that the human had no lasting injuries beyond mild bruising, which was treated. He was left to rest and awaken naturally, which was expected to take around two days at least. The Duros had wanted to be there when he awakened in order to explain the situation.
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| − |
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| − | Unfortunately, Dogan's early regaining of consciousness meant he was alone in unfamiliar territory. The human's subsequent actions, including holding one of the medical staff prisoner, then stunning her and several guards, sabotaging the ship's internal sensors, and escaping into the maintenance shafts all led to criminal charges being leveled against him. Zhorin's superiors reviewed the situation and understood Dogan's response to being on the ship, but were forced to incarcerate him according to New Republic laws. He would need to endure a reduced sentence of forty-five days in the ship's brig to satisfy the laws. Once that time was served, Zhorin told the human that he would be invited to join the New Republic military at the Duros' recommendation and in (admittedly reluctant) recognition of the skills demonstrated during Dogan's attempted escape. The human couldn't help but smile. Clearly the New Republic wanted him as an ally instead of an enemy. After a few more bits of conversation the Duros left to attend other duties. Dogan glanced at the guards. Neither showed any indication of leaving. He settled into a comfortable position and mulled over what Zhorin had told him.
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| − |
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| − | The days passed. The Star Cruiser made periodic hyperspace jumps, but Dogan had no idea where they were going. Zhorin stopped by from time to time to see how he was doing; such visits were rare, as the Duros was stationed aboard the MC80a instead of the MC30c frigate Dogan was on. During one such visit, he told Dogan that he could no longer participate in cargo runs with the human. The Empire had thoroughly scanned the ''Bechesmy'' during the scuffle with TIEs and tracked down information on who the owner was. The Duros had been added to the Imperial watch list, making any trips through their space hazardous. Zhorin chose to take on more duties with the New Republic rather than taking the risk of capture at the hands of the Empire. With clear reluctance, the Duros told Dogan that the ''Bechesmy'' was now his. Though Imperial scans might have noted a human was with the Duros in the Blastboat, they had no way of knowing the exact identity. Dogan was free and clear, and Zhorin relinquished the ''Bechesmy'' to him to do with as he pleased. Stunned, Dogan thanked the Duros as he left. The human sat heavily on his bunk and considered what his friend had said. His own ship! It wouldn't be the same without the Duros, and he'd need to have the ''Bechesmy'''s ID altered so he could actually fly it through Imperial space. But it was his. Dogan spent the rest of his incarceration pondering his options.
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| − |
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| − | ==Discord Reigns==
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| − | Dogan ultimately decided to go his own way. Certain aspects of joining the New Republic military interested him, but the last thing he wanted was to be assigned to some boring defense posting. He'd had enough of that in his time with the starfighter squadron at Hosk Station. With Zhorin Kobylarz relinquishing his ship to Dogan, there were intriguing new possibilities to explore. Traveling the galaxy on his own schedule, exploring unusual places, taking on odd jobs to support himself and CL-VR along the way... Dogan couldn't help but grin at the idea. Now that he had finally been released from the brig and his blaster reclaimed, it was time to leave.
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| − |
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| − | Naturally, it wasn't that simple. Just as Dogan was piloting the ''Bechesmy'' out of the Star Cruiser's hangar in some unrecognized system, an Imperial fleet jumped in, complete with two Interdictor Cruisers. Dogan immediately requested a jump route from the nav computer, but it didn't feed him one in time. The Interdictors powered up their grav well generators, preventing all ships in the area from entering hyperspace. He glanced at the sensor readout. Both fleets were deploying starfighter squadrons and reforming into battle formations. Some of the Imperial fighters were angling straight for the Skipray Blastboat. Dogan sighed.
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| − |
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| − | Hostile Imperial starfighters were everywhere. [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/ln_starfighter TIE Fighters], [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/In_interceptor TIE Interceptors], [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/sa_bomber TIE Bombers], [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Assault_gunboat Assault Gunboats], and even the rare but dangerous [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/TIE/D_Defender TIE Defender] were all present. Two [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Escort_carrier escort carriers] were in the Imperial fleet, each able to carry a full wing, or seventy-two starfighters. This was in addition to the fighters carried with the other Imperial ships. Even with the additional ships it had picked up during Dogan's incarceration, the New Republic fleet's fighter complement was outnumbered four to one. The New Republic fleet had more capital ships than the Imperial fleet, but not enough fighters to protect them. Dogan knew that whoever won the battle would do so at great cost.
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| − |
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| − | Hermus Dogan couldn't believe he was still alive. The ''Bechesmy'' had sustained considerable damage by the end of the battle, but was still flying. The New Republic fleet had clawed a victory out of the mess, but an observer might not believe that. Of the fairly impressive array of warships the fleet had started out with, only the MC80a Star Cruiser Zhorin Kobylarz was stationed on and an Assault Frigate had survived the battle, both heavily damaged. From the starfighter complement, barely a squadron of mixed fighters remained. All Imperial fighters had fled or been destroyed. A handful of Imperial warships had escaped, including one of the Interdictors.
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| − |
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| − | Dogan had vaped numerous fighters and destroyed a Nebulon-B Frigate almost single-handedly. The ''Bechesmy'''s missile and torpedo magazines were both empty. The dorsal laser turret was damaged. The nose weaponry was a mixed bag; the concussion missile launcher was damaged, the ion cannon heavily damaged, and the proton torpedo launcher gone entirely. One of the ion cannons in the rear wing assembly was still operational, but the other had misfired and fused. CL-VR was lightly damaged during the engagement, but still fully operational. Dogan was most displeased with all the repairs he'd need to pay for.
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| − |
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| − | The comm panel crackled, surprisingly still functional. The captain of the MC80a invited Dogan to land in the Star Cruiser's nearly empty hangar to see about repairs. The New Republic craft had priority, but the captain promised to fit the ''Bechesmy'' onto the schedule as quickly as possible. Dogan didn't put much stock in that promise, but he didn't have much choice. The Blastboat's hyperdrive was offline and the life support system was failing. Accepting the captain's invitation, he carefully landed in the Star Cruiser's hangar.
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| − |
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| − | As he had expected, the captain's promise didn't hold. The Star Cruiser and its few remaining fighters prevented any help from the ship's technicians. Dogan was not allowed to leave the hangar until the captain cleared him, giving him nothing to do but see to his ship. He and CL-VR managed to repair the ''Bechesmy'''s life support system, concussion missile launcher, and some of the fried circuitry, but he lacked the expertise and CL-VR the programming to do anything about the hyperdrive or energy weapons. He was stuck aboard the Mon Calamari vessel.
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| − |
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| − | Eventually the captain came to see Dogan personally, with Lieutenant Zhorin Kobylarz in tow. Dogan was glad to see the Duros still alive. The captain apologized for the delay in getting a repair crew to the ''Bechesmy'', explaining that some of the Star Cruiser's crew had had to be transferred to the Assault Frigate in order to repair its damaged hyperdrive before the remains of the fleet could leave.
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| − |
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| − | The captain commended Dogan for his aid during the battle and offered to transport the human to the New Republic repair station the fleet was headed for. He admitted it was unlikely that the ''Bechesmy'' could be repaired in any reasonable time frame, however. Dogan said there was little point in such since he didn't have the funds to get the heavily damaged Blastboat fully repaired. The captain grunted. New Republic bases wouldn't repair civilian vessels without payment for services rendered.
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| − |
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| − | Zhorin spoke up with an alternative: join the New Republic military. Personal vessels of military personnel would be repaired at a substantial discount, but were still considered a lower priority than New Republic vessels. Dogan would still need to wait for repairs. He sighed. Choices always seemed to be evading him. Dogan thanked the two officers for their advice and returned to the ''Bechesmy'' to think.
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| − |
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| − | In the end, he reluctantly chose to join the New Republic military. Without the ''Bechesmy'' to run cargo, he saw no other way to scrape together sufficient credits for repairs. CL-VR was already grumbling, well aware that he would be spending most of his time aboard the Blastboat while Dogan was busy with his duties.
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| − |
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| − | ==Rebel Squadrons==
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| − | Dogan was assigned to the [[Patriot Battle Fleet]] in the [[Greeop Sector]], a place he had never even heard of. Checking a galactic map, he found the [[Greeop Sector]] was well out on the rim, apparently in the middle of nowhere. He was not thrilled, since such a distant place couldn't possibly be anything more than a minor posting.
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| − |
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| − | He was wrong, much to his surprise. The Rebel Squadrons, as the New Republic task force in the area was called, was battling the Empire with incredible regularity and always needed new personnel to swell the ranks. It was based on the planet [[Blerthmore]] in the [[Greeop system]], also home to the academy he would be attending. He, CL-VR, the ''Bechesmy'', and several other recruits and their personal effects were transported there.
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| − |
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| − | Cadet Hermus Dogan's instructor at the academy was [[Gabrich Varmer]], a somewhat eccentric fellow. He helped Dogan through his time at the academy until it was time for the new recruit to graduate and join a squadron. That squadron was [[Sabre Squadron]], one in need of new blood. Almost as soon as Dogan was assigned, he was whisked away with his squadmates to engage Imperial Forces.
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| − |
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| − | During this time the ''Bechesmy'' was finally repaired. In honor of the occasion, Dogan and CL-VR discussed the idea of renaming the ship. Cleaver suggested the name reflect the incredible battle where the ship was damaged in the first place, and how the two had survived it against all odds. Eventually they agreed upon the name. The ''Bechesmy'' was rechristened the ''[[Finest Hour]]''.
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| − |
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| − | Sometime later, during the Rebel Squadrons' conflict with a pirate faction known as the White Guard, Commander Zhorin Kobylarz arrived at the base Dogan was stationed at, on an extended leave of absence. Not long after the Duros had met with Dogan, the human abruptly requested his own leave of absence. After some extensive modification to the ''Finest Hour'' by the two organics and Cleaver, Dogan attempted to retrieve the R6 astromech he had been assigned in the RS: Void. Command refused to allow Dogan to take Void until he gave up and bought the droid, swiftly settling the issue. The four of them boarded the ''Finest Hour'' and blasted off for points unknown.
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| − |
| |
| − | ==The Return==
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| − | <div style="float: right;">[[Image:Gold Patch.png]]</div>
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| − | Long after the leaves of absence ended for both Dogan and Zhorin, even after the point where both were considered dead, the ''Finest Hour'' returned to the [[Greeop Sector]] to find the base on [[Blerthmore]] destroyed and abandoned. The Rebel Squadrons capital had been moved to another planet in the system, [[Tarsonis]]. After a heated exchange over the comm, the Skipray Blastboat landed at one of the RS landing fields (with defense batteries aimed at it). A platoon of RS troops deployed around the ''Finest Hour'', ready for action. When the hatch opened and the ramp extended, only two occupants emerged: Hermus Dogan and CL-VR. There was no sign of Zhorin Kobylarz or Void.
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| − |
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| − | After a lengthy review with RS Command, First Lieutenant Hermus Dogan was reinstated. [[Sabre Squadron]], his old posting, had been decommissioned during his absence. He was assigned to [[Gold Squadron]], his current posting. Though asked repeatedly about where he had been and what had happened to the Duros and R6 droid, the only details anyone managed to get was that the ''Finest Hour'' had gone to the Unknown Regions. Dogan refused to give any further details to anyone.
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| − |
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| − | ==Notable Character Possessions==
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| − | * [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/GAT-12_Skipray_Blastboat GAT-12h Skipray Blastboat] ''[[Finest Hour]]'' - housed on RS capital world [[Tarsonis]] at an exorbitant rental fee
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| − | * [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/HXZ-1_Immobilizer-series_police_droid HXZ-1 ''Immobilizer''-series police droid] CL-VR, nicknamed 'Cleaver' - mostly stuck aboard the ''[[Finest Hour]]''
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| − | * [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/SSK-7_heavy_blaster_pistol SSK-7] heavy blaster pistol - generally found holstered on Dogan's right leg
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| | [[Category:Characters]] | | [[Category:Characters]] |
