A/N: Well, chapter 9 and still Mariko is the only one who reviews… You should look up to her, at least she doesn't give me the feeling my story's totally insignificant on ff.net… so, if anyone apart from Mariko reads it be brave and REVIEW!!!!!!!! As long as it's not meant to simply flame me I welcome every suggestion. Oh, and by the way, maybe you want to have a look at Gray Squadron's second virtual home, http://besu.ch/TheHaven (no, I'm not Swiss, they were just the best provider for a short-domain name *g). At the moemnt I'm working on the art section and could use some nice character art and a cover… if anyone feels compelled to do, just mail me, 'kay? Now, on with the story.
Chapter Nine
Lifeday on Alderaan. A festival of light, music, colors and most of all life. It was the holiday every kid on Alderaan, every adolescent, every adult, every being on Alderaan waited for the whole year. Presents for the young, art, theatre, concerts for the old. Fun, joy…
"Coreena, where are you, dear?", a tall slender woman with long flowing red hair called over the crowded main plaza of the University of Alderaan. A little girl with the same hair color – maybe only a little brighter than the woman's – turned away from one of the many stalls selling all kind of sweets, colored ribbons, lanterns and the like and came running towards the woman trying to keep her skirt away from the plaza's fine dust.
"I'm here, mum!" The woman scooped her up in her arms and whirled her around.
"Did you see something you liked?" The girl nodded eagerly, bobbing her head up and down with bright eyes.
"Oh yes, mum, over there they had such cute stuffed Wookie dolls. Oh please, mum." The woman nodded at the antics of her daughter.
"Well, it's Lifeday… and you haven't had your present yet…" The eyes of the little girl seemed to grow even larger as the woman opened her purse. She took out some coins and laid them into the small children's fist. The eyes of her daughter shone with delight.
"Oh, mum…"
Laughing the woman gave her daughter a light slap on the back and said: "Off you go… and pick a real cute one…" Grinning from ear to ear the girl ran and looked behind her. The face of her mother was smiling at her… but suddenly the smile faltered and the face contorted into a horrible mask of fear and pain. It seemed to be burned away and the surroundings changed into a living hell as fire suddenly seemed to be everywhere. People were screaming and running around if they had all gone insane in an instant. The little girl who had been happy a few seconds before now was screaming as well, just couldn't take away her eyes from what happened to her mother, couldn't stop screaming, screaming…
Sweating and panting Coreena jerked up. She needed some seconds to orientate herself and convince herself that it had just been a nightmare, nothing else, just a dream. Just a dream, like in all of the ten days since Alderaan… disappeared and that other incident… She put her face into her hands. She hadn't told Marcus the entire truth. It hadn't been only the run-in with Zifra that had her tired out so much, it were also the nightmares, haunting her every single night. Maybe he knew she had had some nightmares during her time in the hospital but she hadn't bothered to tell him they still hadn't subsided. Why should I? It's not that he's my mother or anything…, which was completely the wrong thing of her to think about because it made her cry immediately. Before Alderaan had ceased to exist she only needed to look at a little 2D-holo of her mother to cheer her up. Now she couldn't do even that because it made everything only worse.
Ragged sobs escaped her mouth and she somehow wished Lochlin would come around and wake her from this nightmare, too. Then she remembered something stuffed away deep down in her duffle bag. She jumped from the bed and pulled it out from the closet. Digging through it she got what she was looking for. An old battered looking Wookie doll who had seen better days but was one of her oldest friends. She looked at it and squeezed it to her body, feeling the soft fur in her chin. Right now it seemed the only thing in the universe connecting her with home. Home… Another wave of tears rolled down her face and she crawled into her bed again, hugging Hikkaruk as tight as possible to her.
It seemed only seconds later when the alarm on her chrono went on. She jerked up again, feeling worse than before going to be. Groaning, she laid Hikka away and gathered a flight suit and her shower things from the closet. After a short brush she pulled her hair into a simple pony tail and left her quarters for a short shower and the patrol afterwards.
"Good morning, cap. Or good evening, depending on your point of view." Marcus grinned, but the grin faded as she just shot him a short look and mumbled something like "Whatever, lieutenant." He could see she obviously hadn't slept very well and wondered if there was something she didn't tell him. Then again, why should she? It's not that I'm her mother or something…
"Good morning to you, oh mighty COs.", a sheepishly grinning Jaris Banon called out and sat down with his tray beside Marcus. "Yeah, well, you don't have to talk to a meager little flight officer."
Two heads jerked up and they both said in unison: "Huh?", causing Banon to first look puzzled and then break out into a middle-sized laughing fit. Raising their eyebrows, they shared a quizzical look. "This was just too good…" Trying to be serious again, Banon coughed and set his mouth to a firm line. After some seconds of odd silence Coreena raised her head again and finally asked: "Excuse me, flight officer, we didn't quite get the joke. What in the stars was so funny?"
Jaris coughed and tried to stifle a grin, then said: "Oh… I just… um… won a bet." Coreena threw Marcus a look that was even more confused, then looked back at Jaris but said nothing. Realizing the ground became hotter Jaris quickly finished his breakfast, went up and backed away. When he finally was out of hearing range Coreena turned to Marcus and said: "Lieutenant, I know that you what this was about just now. So… would you mind telling me?" She noticed that he took a second time before answering, doing a quick scan around the canteen.
Then he coughed and said, carefully choosing his words: "Gray Squadron has a reputation of being the nosiest and most gossiping squadron in Starfighter Command. They tend to interpret much too much into meaningless little encounters or actions…" She didn't hear him out and barged in, sounding rather annoyed if not infatuated: "Are you trying to tell me in a diplomatic way that the both of us are the squadron's hottest topic at the moment? That they are betting on us?" If she hadn't been so upset about the whole affair – most of all about herself for not noticing it – she would have found his immediately flushing red quite amusing. He almost stammered: "I'm sorry, captain… I know, I should have told you, but…" Again she didn't want to hear him out. She somehow knew that he hadn't told her partly because the squadron was right, at least a bout him having more than only professional or friendly feelings for her.
"I don't want to hear it, lieutenant. Just tell the squadron I want them in the briefing room at 1300 and not a second later. This needs some handling." He gulped and nodded. "Yes… ma'am." With a last nod she stood up and left the table.
"Hello, young Rodian huntress. Can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Slowly Kesra opened her big black eyes and starred at the face above her. Somehow the human face framed with blond hair seemed familiar to Kesra but she just couldn't place it. Heck, she even couldn't place herself. "Well, at least you are awake, unless this is some Rodian sleep pattern I don't know. Anyway… you know you have been really lucky?" The face disappeared and some moments later suddenly excruciating pain shot through her body. She moaned and twisted but the restraints on her wrists and knuckles held her in place. As she became aware of them all the memories from the interrogation came back and she felt her whole body revolting. Something inside of her snapped and she felt a strength she had never known before. It was the strength a being felt just before the moment of death. With all she had left she pressed against the restraints and when she eventually felt them snap open she jumped from the hover bed and looked around with wild eyes. Finally she saw something.
A human standing opposite to her, only few meters away, pressed against the white durasteel wall. She didn't hear what the human was saying, she only felt the pain inside her body and saw the pictures before her eyes. It had been humans who had tortured her with this pain and the one who incensed it again was a human, too. In her blaze of fury and pain it was the only connection she needed. She staggered toward the human, becoming more agitated with every step. Then, when she almost had the human a strange sensation flooded through her mind. She felt weak and light and the only thing left from the terrible pain was a dull aching, a light throbbing, nothing of importance…
With a thud the unconscious Rodian's body hit the floor. Sighing with relieve Ilara Kardian crouched down and finally injected the chemical which eliminated the one that had caused the young woman such pain. "I tell you, dear… this job ain't worth the pay…"
Just as Saron Kenzy was about to finally fix that starboard stabilizer that had been bugging her for almost two weeks now her comm beeped. Just a little bit annoyed she answered it. "Kenzy here. It better be something important…"
"Mallan here. And next time you're answering your comm better watch your language, it might be someone further up the chain of command next time it rings." Sarcasm was evident in Mallan's voice. Kenzy coughed. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I just…"
"No time for chit-chat, lieutenant. To my quarters, now. And bring everything you have on Chesfer. Mallan out." Startled she looked at the comm in her hand. Whatever had pissed off Mallan it must have had severe bruises now. If Mallan is anything like me, she added mentally. Sighing she gave her R2-unit Wack a friendly slap and said: "Sorry, pal, you have to finish this on your own." The little droid made some whistles and warps. "Cap wants to see me." Wack let out his "be careful" sound and she nodded. "Will do. See what you can do until I'm back, 'kay?" Without waiting for Wack's answer she set off for her quarters to gather her things about Chesfer.
When she arrived some 5 minutes later Mallan was standing in her doorway and impatiently taping wit her right foot. "What took you so long, lieutenant?" Without reporting as ordered Kenzy exhaled once and then said: "I was in the hangar when you called, captain so I had to go to my room first to fetch the data cards." Looking a bit more like her usual self now, Mallan just nodded and led Kenzy in. Offering her the chair Mallan took place on the upper bunk. "Two questions before we begin: Did Lieutenant Lochlin tell you of the meeting in one hour?" Kenzy nodded. "Yes, and I think the rest of the squadron got it, too. And your second question…?"
Mallan let out a breath and then said: "How much does the squadron suspect between me and Lieutenant Lochlin?"
At first Kenzy didn't get the question. "Between you and Lochlin…?"
Mallan glared at her. "You heard right. What do they think our relationship is like?" Kenzy considered everything she had squadron mates overheard saying, had seen herself between Lochlin and their captain, had talked about with other people from the squadron and finally said: "Well… you see… it's not easy… but after all I know… they find it likely that you two become… um…involved in the near future…" Only her eyes were betraying the emotions of Coreena Mallan to an observer. "This has to stop. Something like this nearly ruined my career shortly after it had barely started. I want nothing of this in my squadron, is this clear? No bets on me or other squadron members, no gossiping, no "interpreting", not even guessing. And I want you and Lochlin to help me push this through the squadron. I've talked about this to Lieutenant Lochlin, so he already knows about this. And before you ask: This is an order and I want it to be followed. Did I make myself clear?" Kenzy nodded. It must have been a very low career blow that the captain got so serious about a little bit of gossip… and well, the squadron's main entertainment since they had first seen Mallan and Lochlin together in the canteen. "Good. Now let's get it on with this Chesfer thing. Zifra doesn't want to hear about him? Well, then he's going to have to read it. Lochlin is not familiar with the stuff so you have to help me to get a report together which even convinces him." Mallan jumped from the bed and walked over to the small desk at the wall opposite the bunks. She picked up a data pad and slid in a data card. Then she tipped on her screen and suddenly numbers and letters hung in the air. Mallan first looked at Kenzy, then clasped her hands and finally said: "Let's do some writing."
When she awoke this time it was slow, like the first time. Kesra opened one eye, then the other. This time the room was dark and her ears detected no sounds whatsoever. She tried to move her fingers and found it easy. Then she realized that she could move more than just her fingers. She lifted her hands and looked at them, at first not fully understanding what had happened. Slowly and still half dazed from the sedatives she got up, feeling dizzy as the room spun for a second or two. Moaning she put a big hand over her eyes, trying to figure out why she was still in the infirmary and not back in her cell or even worse. Were they keeping her here out of medical reasons? Were they…
"Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your night." At the same moment as the voice began speaking to her the lights in the room went on an blinded her for a moment until her eyes had adjusted. She turned in the direction from where the voice had come and found the human from before standing there with a small silvery glistening Imperial standard officers' blaster pointed at Kesra. The human – a woman – Kesra now finally remembered must have had noticed her quick frightened glance at the blaster and said, after a look herself: "That's just a precaution. If you stay calm nothing will happen. They made me take this thing, an I sincerely hope I don't have to use it." Kesra frowned shortly and then chose to draw her legs up to her chin and stay in this defiant posture. "You still playing the silent one? Well, that's okay by me… I'll tell you how you ended up here anyway. I eventually could persuade them that you needed further care, and I don't know why but when Chesfer got word of this whole incident he decided to make you his new favorite toy so I got my wish granted. I don't know if you understand his, being a soldier and all but I once swore I'd never harm a patient intentional or unintentional, and I will stick to that. Stars, why do I even tell you this? Probably you don't even understand me…"
"I do.", came back a croaked whisper and Kardian looked genuinely surprised. "You… oh… I… you even… can speak…" Kesra felt the grudge growing again. This Imperials were all the same, male or female, soldier or civilian, doctor or stormtrooper. "We have a language. That you don't understand it doesn't necessarily mean we can't speak at all." The doctor flushed red with embarrassment and run a hand through her short blond hair. Kesra noted that she had lowered her blaster in the process. And with that she also had let down her guard. Faster than any human could react Kesra curled out of her posture and jumped at Kardian.
In her life before the Rebels she had been a slave and a warrior. It was time to abandon the slave and let out the warrior again. With a few moves she had her arm at the doctor's throat and held the woman's right arm twisted at her back. A firm grip on her wrist made Kardian let the blaster fall down. Still holding Kardian's arm at her back, Kesra quickly gathered the blaster and held it at Kardian's temple.
"You will be my ticket out of here.", she hissed with every once of resentment she had bottled up inside. To her surprise Kardian made approaches to shake her head. "I will be nothing apart from your ticket to the execution commando. I'm expandable, like every Imperial soldier."
Kesra considered this and remembered what the other prisoners had said about Ilara Kardian. "How could you become chief medic at the rank of a lieutenant if you are no-one's protégé or even favorite? Someone aboard this ship surely likes you." Kardian again shook her head and said through her clenched teeth: "Desra Tellik kind of fancies me. I hate him. And he will find a new damsel in distress who needs supporting. Believe me when I say I'm expandable." This did nothing to convince Kesra and Kardian knew it. It wouldn't have convinced her either if she was in a situation like the Rodian. So she grabbed for her last resort and said: "They will execute you whether I'm with you or not. And if I survive it the least they will do is keeping a constant guard whenever I treat someone of you. The only reason that all of you survived for so long was that I had the permission to do it alone. I could use medicine a normal prisoner never would have came even near. I never let any of you die, not on orders and not arbitrary, I swear. Everyone that died was either to severely wounded or fell from he grace of Chesfer. I swear I treated everyone of you with everything I had at my disposal." At this Kesra eventually lowered the blaster a little and loosened the grip on Kardian's arm. She didn't know how but the little speech had sounded genuine.
"How do I know you aren't lying to turn me over to the henchmen once I released you?" Kardian let out a little humorless laugh. "You are right, you can never be sure, most of all if your opponent is your arch enemy. I… I will try to prove it. There… there is one woman in your group… human, with shoulder long brown hair, average height, green eyes…" Kesra nodded and said: "Kat Deira, yes." Kardian chocked and went on with her explanation. "That's her name? Anyway… she was brought here three weeks ago or something. When I treated her after her first interrogation something terrible happened. I was giving her some sedatives and some vitamins and suddenly blood came gushing out from between her legs. As I found out minutes later she had been pregnant at that time. Whatever Chesfer had done to her, it had caused a miscarriage. She would have died of shock and blood loss if it hadn't been for me. I could have let her die at this day, claiming I didn't have left any blood conserves which weren't vital for our own forces or denying her immediate first aid bacta treatment with the same explanation. I didn't do it because I swore an oath and I stick to that, whatever my orders are or my superiors expect from me as a good Imperial officer." Kesra knew of this story. H'sishi had told her when she had found Deira weeping silently and couldn't find any access to her. Deira had cried for her never born child and its father who never even knew of it.
The Ishi Tip had also told her about the doctor who apparently had helped Deira and had kept her in the infirmary long enough to let her almost fully recover from the terrible experience at least physically. And she had stated the incident more or less two weeks ago. Though still not fully trusting the surgeon lieutenant Kesra finally released her from her grip but kept the blaster pointing at her. "But why should you keep me alive and unreported? I assaulted you…" Kardian shortly raised her eyebrows. "Good question. My answer is that I will let you go unreported if you give me my blaster back immediately and never do this again. Oh, and you should call yourself lucky that there aren't any surveillance cameras in here because Tellik doesn't like to be seen naked by too man people. Anyway… give me back the blaster and I will be able to treat you as before. If not… here's a nice little button I just have to press and a full stormtrooper squad will storm the room in less than 2 minutes." Her hand hovered dangerously low over a button to her right. Kesra shortly considered all her options and the finally hesitantly handed the blaster's handle over to the doctor. The doctor took it as careful as possible and laid it aside with a clearly disgusted face. Noticing Kesra had seen it Kardian just shrugged and said: "Hated that thing from the first time on the shooting range. Always was the worst shooter there."