Ellac sipped the glass of wine in his hand as the alarm beside his bed chimed. He had woken up a few hours ago, but he forgot to turn it off. Ceremonies always put him in a contemplative mood. Clicking the power to the alarm, Ellac turned his gaze back to the viewport in his room, staring out into space. His mind drifted to thoughts of his home on Raxus and of his parents. A life he had left behind for the Brotherhood.

Another chime interrupted his thoughts, his holoprojector beeping on the table behind him. “And so the day goes on,” he said to himself, gulping down the last of his drink. The holoprojector flickered to life as Ellac picked up the device, his master’s image forming in his hand.

“Today’s the award ceremony. Wear something nice.” Sykes’ voice echoed softly around the room.

“Good morning to you, too,” Ellac chuckled. “And I’m already dressed.” He looked down at the his black suit.

“Good. I’ll see you there.” Sykes said, ignoring his first comment. The image faded as Ellac’s room fell back into silence.

“Oh well. Time to get moving,” Ellac said as he set the empty glass on the table, picking his A180 blaster up as he clipped the projector next to the lightsaber on his belt. *“I’d rather have it and not need it.”* he thought to himself, holstering the pistol. Grabbing his cape from the rack beside the door, Ellac left for the ceremony hall.

“You clean up nice.” A voice said beside Ellac as he stepped into the lift that would take him directly to the award hall. “Well, aside from the… you know.” Already standing inside the lift, Adept Kamjin Lap’lamiz smirked as he gestured at Ellac’s missing eye.

“If I remember correctly, I have you to thank for this little souvenir.” Ellac chuckled as he input the floor number into the lift controls. “Given the occasion, I’m not sure if I should be calling you Maverick or ‘Sir’,” he said, extending his hand towards the Sector Admiral.

“It’s a special night. You can call me ‘Sir’ if you’d like, but just for tonight.” Kamjin smiled as he shook the young man’s hand. “I hear you got promoted. ‘Hunter Ellac Conrat’. Congratulations.”

“You had a part to play in that, Sir. Thank’s for giving me a chance back on Arx.”

“You know what? I’ve changed my mind. No more formalities for you.” The two men laughed as the lift slid to a stop, the doors opening to the entrance of the ceremony hall. “Well then. Shall we?”