General Licah Fox, commander of the Renegade Fleet, stood aboard the Calamari Cruiser Ad Astra, flagship of the Renegade Fleet and current location of all of its pilots, there to celebrate the end of a long, grueling tour. Nearly every pilot was now seated in the cruiser's largest briefing room, converted for the occasion to befit the large awards ceremony that this would be. Licah stood on a platform, near a podium which would be the location of the speech. The pilots trickled in and sat in chairs facing the platform. They were almost all arrived now.

The Renegade Fleet had had a long battle, but they had made it. They had just survived a tour of twelve missions spanning fifteen months, and had finally defeated their enemy, an Imperial Warlord named Admiral Cohn, by destroying his base, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer -Deathbringer-.

Licah inspected the crowd once again. It was time.

Licah stood up, approached the podium, and rapped on it. The crowd quickly became still, attentive, waiting for the first words of the ceremony.

"Pilots,

We've made it. We've conquered Warlord Cohn and his forces."

A large round of cheers resounded through the hall.

"It was a long, grueling tour, that saw the loss of many of our finest pilots, but in the end we proved successful."

Licah paused again. No cheers this time, as each of the pilots somberly considered the losses of friends dear to them.

"Fifty-eight pilots flew in this tour, from six squadrons. Resurrection Squadron led the way, with the highest score according to the RgF internal squadron scoring system. Jedi Squadron led in kills, and Dragon and Resurrection tied for most reports. Twilight and Ragnarok also put forth a strong showing, and Red Dragon was present as well."

Licah motioned for the RgF Executive Officer, Colonel Phil DarkFire, to open one of the medals boxes that was present on a table on the platform.

"While we had a large number of pilots come and go in this tour, a few gallant souls fought tooth and nail, not missing a single mission. These eleven pilots are all among our most dedicated and trustworthy pilots, and each of them will be rewarded with the prestigious Dantooine Key! {o~;;} Please come accept your award when I call your name."

- Resurrection Squadron
LCM Dyl'jo'ban
COL Phil DarkFire

- Jedi Squadron
GEN Licah Fox
COL Dev Azzameen
LGN Javin "Entropy" Ke'ylle

- Twilight Squadron
VA Tyrell "Spokes" Borran
LCL James "Nightwolf" Davidson

- Dragon Squadron
LCL David "Tenacious 'D'"
BGN Daryus Zalyn`Cya

- Ragnarok Squadron
MGN Xtremegene
MAJ Brigateen Dolaree


As each pilot came up and accepted his award, applause and cheers rang out. After the last one walked away from the platform, Licah motioned for Phil to bring forth another case of medals.

"Fourteen more pilots fought hard for a large part of the tour, completing at least a third of all missions assigned during the entire tour. A few of these flew nearly every mission. To honor their accomplishment, each of them will now be awarded the Dauntless Combat Citation! ^|DCC|^ Please come accept your award when I call your name."

- Resurrection Squadron
MGN Leonard Cable
CPT Asen
BGN Talon Starblazer

- Jedi Squadron
LGN Wes Belden
COL Cay-Qel "Pyro" Jade

- Twilight Squadron
GEN Lamin Zykara
FA Rensal Darklighter

- Dragon Squadron
LCL Rekio Corsair Tarentae
CPT Corut Po'Col
BGN Chris Horn "Kicks"

- Ragnarok Squadron
LCM jmcgoo
CPT Tingar "Tiny" Miletus

- Red Dragon Squadron
MAJ Rahvin
GEN Sienn Sconn


Licah again waited for the applause to subside, then nodded at Phil for a third medals box to be brought out.

"Nine of our pilots showed special distinction for their consistent skill by racking up over 200 kills in the Tour, and averaging over 20 kills per mission. We may often face overwhelming odds, but each of these pilots has contributed a great deal to evening those odds. As recognition of their skill, each of these pilots is awarded the Alliance Dagger! *†* Please come accept your award when I call your name."

VA Tyrell "Spokes" Borran - 328
GEN Licah Fox - 294
LCM Dyl'jo'ban - 282
COL Phil DarkFire - 274
MGN Xtremegene - 268
COL Dev Azzameen - 266
LCL James "Nightwolf" Davidson - 255
LGN Javin "Entropy" Ke'ylle - 238
MGN Leonard Cable - 213


As the pilots all filed back to their seats, all the large medals boxes were now empty, but two small ones remained. Taking the podium again, he continued,

"We have two more medals to award. The first goes to our leader in combat, a talented pilot who led his squadron to achieve more than any other, yet simultaneously was the chief strategist and orchestrator of the entire Tour. While many of the decisions were made by myself and my predecessor, this person had the strategic vision that led us to victory. Appropriately, tt is my pleasure to award Major General Leonard Cable the Golden Eyes! - oo -"

"The last medal will come as no surprise, as the battle for it ended with the destruction of the ISD -Deathbringer-. Though many pilots showed amazing displays of skills, two stood out above all the rest. The competition was fierce, and the lead changed hands often, but in the end, the unflagging skill and experience of Vice Admiral Tyrell "Spokes" Borran defeated the lightning reflexes of Lt. Commander Dyl'jo'ban to earn the Tour Champion Award. Congratulations, Spokes! ||--->||"

Before Spokes walked away from the platform after receiving his medal, he extended his hand towards Lt. Cmdr. Dyl'jo'ban, sitting with the Resurrection pilots. Dyl, encouraged by his squadmates, stood up, and the two top ace pilots saluted each other.

With all the medals awarded, a few pilots sat on the edge of their seats, anxious to have the ceremony over with so they could get back to partying. Licah noted this and smiled wryly. He had been just the same when he was still new to the RgF at the Tour 1 Awards Ceremony.

"With the end of this Tour comes a large number of command changes, so pay attention. This is a lot of leadership to be moving at once."

"To start off, Twilight Squadron, ably led by Lt. Colonel James "Nightwolf" Davidson for quite some time now, is the first place where changes will occur. Nightwolf and we on the command staff have noted a rising star for some time now, and agreed that this person should be trained to be the eventual replacement for Nightwolf, as James is deeply involved with the famed Wildcard Squadron of the Intrepid Battle Group. The time for that replacement has now come, and it is my pleasure to announce First Lieutenant Hec Losame as the new commander of Twilight Squadron. In accordance with this appointment, and in recognition of his efforts in boosting morale and activity of Twilight and the rest of the RgF, it is also my pleasure to bestow upon Hec the rank of Captain. Congratulations, Captain Losame, and may you take Twilight to new heights!"

"Red Dragon Squadron is the location of the next set of command changes. Colonel Renan Darillia has led the squadron for a long time, but feels that he has reached a point where he doesn't have the energy to take the squadron where he wants it to go. After the command staff discussed the situation with Renan, we agreed on the only suitable replacement. It is my pleasure to hereby place Major Rahvin in command of Red Dragon Squadron, to lead it where he decides is best. Congratulations Rahvin, and may you take Red Dragon to new heights!"

"The final squadron change is in Jedi Squadron. Longtime veteran Lt. General Wes "Gizmo" Belden has opted to step aside for a while, and after a discussion with the rest of the squadron, no one was eager to take his place. Therefore, I will personally be taking command of Jedi Squadron."

"To take a more active role in Jedi, I am stepping down as the Defense Operations Wing Commanding Officer. Replacing me will be Colonel Cay-Qel "Pyro" Jade, a former Jedi Squadron commanding officer and longtime member. I hope that his vision will carry the DOW through both easy and tough times."

Licah noted that, while interested, most of the audience was now restless and eager to get out of the briefing room. Grinning, he continued with the remainder of the ceremony.

"I only have four more items, and then you are free to go. Two of them are promotions."

At the word "promotions", the interest of many pilots in the audience was suddenly perked.

"First, it is my sad duty to announce that two of the most important members of the history of the Renegade Fleet, General Sienn Sconn and Lt. General Javin "Entropy" Ke'ylle, have decided that this Tour will be their last. Both of these highly decorated pilots will be greatly missed. It is always sad to see former leaders of the fleet leave us. Let us salute them."

Somber applause began, but soon cheers and catcalls rang out across the room as the two stood up to be recognized by all the pilots. Sconn smirked at the catcalls, and Entropy glared - but perhaps there was a twinkle in his eye.

After the recognition had ended, Licah continued.

"The first of the promotions is a reward for diligent and dedicated work towards the rebuilding of a squadron which long lay dormant, as well as for being the top pilot in the top squadron of the Renegade Fleet. In addition, this pilot has assisted in the training of many of the new additions to our forces. This pilot has set an example for us all in dedication and skill, and it is my pleasure to promote Dyl'jo'ban to Commander! Congratulations, Dyl!"

"And now for our last honor of tonight."

"Rare is it that I have the chance to promote to this rank, for it is the highest rank within my power to award. But today I have the privilege of doing so."

The room became abuzz as pilots murmured guesses to each other as to who the person was. Many nods were to be seen.

"To earn this rank, which you may have guessed is the rank of General, one must show the ultimate dedication to a fleet, or significant contributions to the entire Rebel Squadrons, or a combination of both. This person has shown some of both. As RgF Executive Officer," (and here the buzzing began anew, with realization blooming on the faces of most) "this person contributed a number of critical opinions to the Rebel Squadrons High Command, refusing to accept mediocre standards or excuses for the same. His uncompromising demand for excellence and accountability was a source of inspiration for many discussions. This person also was responsible for ensuring that many of the missions in Tour 3 were executed more promptly than they would have otherwise been, and for maintaining records and ensuring that every pilot was rewarded properly for his or her flying. In short, this person has contributed a great deal to the Renegade Fleet and the Rebel Squadrons, and I feel that it is the proper time to recognize this. Javin "Entropy" Ke'ylle, I hereby promote you to the rank of General! Congratulations!"

The cheering rang out for a long time after Entropy accepted his new insignia. It would have been a good time to adjourn the gathering, except Licah still had one crucial thing to say.

Licah spoke from the podium one last time.

"My friends and fellow pilots, the time has come. Many of you already know the news I am about to tell you, but this is the moment that it will finally come to pass. As of now, I am turning over command of the Renegade Fleet to Colonel Phil DarkFire."

"I have already said that I will be taking command of Jedi Squadron, so I am not going anywhere. However, it is my time to leave the command staff. I will make this short and simply thank the people who I worked with on a daily basis during my time as RgF CO: Phil, Rekio, Entropy, Sconn, and Cable. I also want to thank all of my Squadron COs, and I wish Phil the best of luck in his new command. And finally, I thank each and every one of you pilots in this magnificent fleet. It has been a pleasure to be your commander."

With that, this Awards Ceremony is over. Enjoy the company of your fellow pilots! And take care, everyone. Good-bye."

Licah saluted his pilots one last time and strode off the stage.


--== END AWARDS CEREMONY ==--