A/N: My first KotOR fanfic! This has been attacking my brain for the past month or so, so those who were hoping for a Lost Star update, I'm very sorry, my plot bunnies are trying to take off with various part of my brain and I can't think straight for the life of me. ;-; The other day I spelled my own name wrong and I elected myself the Idiot of the Month. Not to mention I've a third story in mind, this time on Skyrim (because I just can't get enough of shooting fireballs at people, I guess) and now I keep interchanging the wrong freaking names, so if you see a name that doesn't make a bit of sense...sorry. Anyways, should you want the draft of Lost Star chapter 14, PM me and I'll send it along quickly. Perhaps some suggestions from the people who want to see it finished could provide some ideas. Well, enough rambling, more story telling. ~Evera Yuuki
The Endar Spire. A pinnacle of troop transportation for the Republic, the current fastest transport ship in the Republic's Navy...and now Dela Dagur's home for the next few months. She was just cleared for duty again after a training accident and they signed her up for the calmest job they could find on short notice. Her current job was to translate and in her opinion, they signed her up for the most boring job possible.
"Dagur!" Another ensign, one she'd never met as far as she knew, came running up to her. "Trask Ulgo. I'm going to be your bunkmate. They want me to show you to our room."
"Uh, okay..." Dela mumbled softly as she followed after the speedy man. He jogged down a series of disorienting turns as he rambled on about how he'd never shared his room and how excited he was, and between the labyrinthine halls and Trask's seeming inability to shut up, she had a headache in no time at all.
When they finally reached the right room, Dela immediately cut him off. "I'd like to get some rest, if it's okay with you. I've had a long day." The ensign nodded and left, and she collapsed on her new bed. Who knew the heirs of House Ulgo could ramble that long? You'd think being a respected military family would get you some friends, but it seemed like he didn't have any.
She sat up suddenly. She needed to take her medicine in case she dozed off. If she didn't, she had terrifying dreams, flashes of gory images and the sounds of screaming, that chilled her to the bone. She picked up the small bottle of pills and took two. She didn't want any more or less in case the wrong dosage would make them get even worse. She had plenty of important things to do and she couldn't afford a restless night's sleep.
It seemed like the whole accident was a blur. Dela actually couldn't remember any images, but the sounds of a woman screaming and men telling her to stop fighting still rang in her ears sometimes, like her mind was trying to tell her something. It took a full two weeks to realize, the woman who'd been screaming, had been her. She'd woken up to a medical droid quizzing her about what happened and filling in the blanks. She'd been leading a training for close quarters combat and one of the frag grenades in a nearby private's belt went off. She was put in a coma for a week and the private died instantly. Her gunnery sergeant had put off her reinstatement as fit for duty as long as possible, but she'd been an excellent fighter and instructor and the Navy wanted her back in ASAP, so he dug for a loophole, and landed her here. A translation job until he decided she was healthy enough for battle.
She spotted a tiny porthole in their room and she wandered over. Space always had such a beautiful panorama of colors swirling together as the ship moved. It was like the stars were dancing around, leaving sparkling streaks of multicolored lights. It reminded her of-...Of what? What was it she was reminded of? She couldn't remember...
Suddenly a shock goes down her spine as she remembers. Her older brother. Going out into a field. Gazing up at the stars and laughing. Dreaming about visiting every single one. And then she knows why she couldn't remember. Because she wouldn't. Because after that, they snuck home. Mother caught them out. She went for her, to punish her first. The slaps and kicks she received. Her brother begging Mother to stop. Him being smacked to the ground like a fly by Her. Her sobbing because it hurt, it hurt, but She wouldn't stop. The complete waterfall of relief when She got tired and left them alone. Her still whimpering, and him crawling over to hug her. Him swearing that one day, they'd be free. That She'd never hurt them again and they'd travel to those stars.
As she came back to reality, she finds herself curled on the ground, her cheeks wet. She resisted the urge to cry out for her big brother. He couldn't help. She made sure of that.
She crawled back to her bed and resolved to sleep. No more. No more memories, no more pain, no more anything but her drug-induced black haze.
It had been weeks since Dela had joined the Spire. She found the translation job could be quite interesting. The foreign officers had terribly dirty mouths, and it was hard not to snicker through the entire debriefing. The other, less competent translators would quote it word for word without considering to revise it. She was the only one in the room who had to leave when one of the Selkath officers called a proposed battle plan a "piece of bantha shit" because she was the only translator that understood Selkath. The other Selkaths had started laughing hysterically and she didn't have the heart to tell that poor Twi'lek he was the one they were laughing at.
She'd spotted several Jedi on board, and one brunette Jedi with her hair in childish pigtails caught her eye in particular. Icy eyes, a haughty air about her, and a rich Coruscanti accent was more than enough to make Dela avoid her. Something was off about her. The way she'd stare at Dela very carefully. Several times she'd looked to see if her boots were untied or something, but nothing was ever out of place. The woman simply...stared. Almost as if she was gazing into her mind. Honestly, it scared her to all nine hells.
When she retired for the night, cruelly overjoyed to find she and Trask had opposite shifts and never saw one another for more than a few seconds, she had no idea that she'd awake to the Endar Spire's fiery end.