Chapter Twenty Seven

Liberty, Lt. Lochlin's quarters

Marcus had twelve hours left until he would finally get his chance at getting back at Chesfer. He knew he shouldn't let his personal feelings interfere with his duty but he was way past the point to care. Ever since the battle Coreena had been captured and Randy had been killed he had been a little beside himself, and he had simply stopped to care for protocol or decorum. He knew he was totally unfit to be a commanding officer if he continued behaving like this but even about this he didn't really care anymore. The only thing that had remained important to him where bringing Zifra down and getting Coreena back.

He knew that actually it was time to resign his commission and find a nice planet somewhere to settle down if he had come this far already but he just couldn't. At least not as long as Coreena was in the hands of this… monster. You don't even know if she's still alive after all., a treacherous voice whispered in the back of his mind but he chose to ignore it. Somehow he just knew that she still was. He felt it. There had been those dreams… He had seen her, and he had been her, and it had all been so confusing…

Determined not to let the memories of these dreams overpower him, he put his face in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut tight. She was alive, and he knew it and that was all that counted. But in what state will she be? If you manage to get her out there alive., the voice whispered again. He didn't really want to think about that, either. But those dreams where he had seen her… they had been disturbing, to say the least. His mind told him that she would most probably be broken completely but his heart refused to believe it.

Grunting Marcus turned in his bed and starred at the wall. He should have never fallen in love with her, but it was too late now, anyway. He had, and the only thing he regretted was to never have acted on it. And Stars, did he miss her. He missed her voice, her smile, her mismatched eyes, even the way she tucked her hair behind her ears when it was escaping her braid… His grip around one corner of his blanket tightened. This would get him nowhere, but he just couldn't stop. She would be all right. He needed her to be all right. Because with infinite clarity he now knew that a part of him would die as well if she died. And even if her body was intact but Coreena wasn't in it anymore.

Predator, brig

Since the last big brawl all of them had been even more subdued than before. To Kesra it seemed as if they had finally all began to resign themselves to their fates. She knew she should be furious or worried or… or just something, but she just felt… relieved, if anything at all. Other than this fleeting sentiment nothing had remained. She felt herself drifting on and off, not even really sleeping anymore and just picking on the sparse food they got thrown once in a while. To be honest: They all were only vegetating now.

Suddenly the door hissed, and a few of them looked up with mild interest. Which turned to terror when they saw that it was not the usual gray-clad watch officer but a group of storm troopers. And Admiral Chesfer. Kesra felt fear and hate welling up inside, and somehow she was grateful for that. It meant that not all feeling had died inside of her.

And then she felt surprise as she saw a rather short human woman with short blond hair stepping into the prison after the Admiral. What's she doing here?, she wondered and took a look at the other prisoners. They seemed to be as surprised and distrustful as her.

"Well, you Rebel scum, get up. We're finally getting rid of you with the help of the good doctor here." Slowly the women got up one by one, and the doctor started examining them, quietly telling an assistant some medical specifics about each prisoner. When she came to Kesra, the Rodian suddenly felt something being slid into one of the pockets of her torn pressure suit and heard Kardian whisper: "Don't look at it until you're in the shuttle." Kardian must have known that Rodians were prone to have excellent hearing, better than any human hearing could ever be, stemming from their centuries of being a civilization of hunters.

When the doctor was done with her examination, she stepped back, and Chesfer signaled the storm troopers to take the prisoners with them. Each of them was taken rudely by one of the armored soldiers and dragged out of the brig. Kesra turned her head and could get a glimpse of Kardian following them before her head was turned to the front roughly by her guard. Whatever this was about, at least it meant getting away from the cell and from Chesfer, and with Kardian in their company it also meant they weren't be going to be hurt again by him. And that couldn't be all bad, now could it?

Liberty, Lt. Kenzy's quarters

She groaned. Someone was banging on her door and had woken her up from her sleep. Which was awful since she felt like having slept only minutes before being woken up again. After the whole ordeal with Blenwell she had desperately tried to going back to normal but she had gotten nothing but a sleepless night and the poorest simulator results in her whole history as a pilot. And now that she had finally managed to fall asleep just hours before they were away from Windermere III, someone was knocking on her door and driving her nuts!

Groaning again she finally got up and padded towards her door. Racking her hair, she opened the door. And was greeted by a slightly embarrassed looking Blenwell who straightened up just seconds after the door had opened. She cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, Flight officer?"

"We got ordered to be at the briefing room. Marcus told me you weren't answering your comm and wanted me to fetch you. So, here I am, fetching you." She could see he was trying hard to maintain his usual business façade, but in the end was miserably failing. Saron didn't like it, but somehow it hurt seeing Blenwell standing beside him like this. I'm so sorry, Marten. But I couldn't. I just couldn't., she thought and wished for the hundredth time there had been any other way.

"Kenzy?" He slightly tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction to see her scatterbrained but failed in the end as she racked her hair again and said: "Right, debriefing. Could you… wait outside until I get dressed?" In the moment she said it the utter absurdity of the whole sentence became clear to her. And to him, apparently. "Lieutenant… Saron… I've seen you naked now quite some times, don't you think…" Saron wasn't in the mood for any arguments now, and she made that clear to him: "Don't start debating this now, Flight officer. Just wait here while I change." And with that she closed the door and started changing into her pressure suit.

And the whole time she could see his the only marginally concealed pain and confusion in his features. It made her hurt herself but she had made her decision and she would stick to that. It wasn't that she didn't… have feelings for him that where more than just lust or the need to feel a body against hers once in a while but she just couldn't bring herself to give in to them, to let him in, let him see her vulnerable and make it easy for him to hurt her.

She snorted. Who am I trying to kid? He's seen me vulnerable already, and I have given him plenty of opportunities to hurt me up to now. Saron shook her head. She didn't want to think about this anymore. It had caused her enough grief already, and she needed to have a clear mind for the upcoming battle. She had chosen to close herself off from him, denying him any possibility to see her weak, making it impossible for him to hurt her. How stupid can one being be? You are hurting already enough, because you are cutting him off from you., a treacherous voice whispered in the back of her mind, but she wiped it away with a move of her hand. Taking her helmet she went to the door again and stepped out into the corridor.

"Saron, about the thing in the work-out room…"

"Not now, Flight officer. We have a job to do. Concentrate on that, and on nothing else. And that's an order." Hesitating only seconds, he finally said: "Yes, Ma'am.", and silently fell into step with her as they were walking to the briefing room.

A/N: Aaaaand another chapter.Yes, like to torture my characters, I do ;) And it's not over by a long shot, people.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I don't know if I can keep up the pace of one chapter per week because events in real life are starting to change at the pace of... say... lightspeed. My studies are pestering me again, with term papers being due and examns and all that stuff, and there's this election campaign and well... just don't get pissed if there might be a week without a chapter in the next time. I won't forget you, I promise.

And of course, mighty thanks to Bjrn for the cake. I hope, it has a lot of chocolate in it ;)