Hearts Are Meant To: Chapter 20
By KnightMara
Genna looked up quickly from her seat on the hard bunk as the door to her cell slid open. Half-expecting Luke to walk back in, she was surprised to see Laire standing in the doorway instead. She valiantly fought the urge to groan.
"Genna Cage," Laire began, his tone much more pleasant than she had ever heard it before, "I am here to apologize to you for your wrongful incarceration, and to let you know that all charges against you have been dropped."
It took her a moment to realize what he had just said, and even then, she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "Sir?"
"You are free to rejoin the Renegades," Laire said with a smile.
Genna could hardly contain her relief and excitement. She quickly rose to her feet. "Thank you, sir!"
He acknowledged her thanks and said, "If you'll follow me, we have to go to the offices one level down to complete all the appropriate documentation."
"Yes, sir," she replied, following him out of the cell and toward the lift. "I'm a little surprised at how swift that was," she added as they waited beside the lift.
"New evidence came to light," he explained. "That must be a relief to you."
"Of course," she answered.
The lift arrived, and Laire gestured for her to step inside. "Must feel good to be free again," he commented as he stepped in after her.
"It does," agreed Genna as the doors closed. The lift began to descend.
A fraction of a second later, she felt herself slammed against the wall as the lift jerked to a halt. Before she could piece together what had happened, she was pinned against the wall with a vibroblade at her throat, fearfully staring into Laire's mad eyes.
"How do you feel now, Cage?" he hissed.
Between the terror of being held at knifepoint and the throbbing in her left temple from where it had made violent contact with the wall, it took her a few seconds to respond. At last she stammered, "Oh stars, oh stars, you're the tr-"
She was cut off when stars exploded in her skull as her head was rammed backward into the steel panel of the lift. When her vision cleared, all she saw was Laire's mocking smile.
"Treason is such an ugly word," he sneered. "I prefer to think of it as broadening my operational parameters. For a price, of course."
Genna bit her lip to keep from whimpering as Laire's grip tightened and the blade inched closer to her throat.
"Now, as I understand it, you were given specific orders, Cage," he continued, "orders which you blatantly disobeyed. Lord Vader has not been pleased."
"I-" she began in a faltering voice, overcome with terror, but was silenced again by another shove into the wall. This time she cried out in pain.
"He does not like having his patience tested, my dear," Laire went on, ignoring her cry. "When you failed to deliver the information you were sent to retrieve, I was ordered to deliver Skywalker directly to him, while arranging the evidence to look like you had betrayed the Rebellion. But of course, we all know how that little operation turned out."
Again, pain erupted from the back of her head as it was rammed into the wall once more. Her vision blurred, but Laire's voice and tight grip kept her conscious.
"Failure is punished, Cage," he said in a deadly whisper, his face mere centimeters from her own as he slowly, deliberately raised the vibroblade between them.
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing pleas would be useless but too terrified to boldly face her own death. She didn't want to die. Not now.
But instead of the bite of the vibroblade, she felt Laire's breath against her cheek as he said, "Grey is dead, Cage. I believe you knew him once. You graduated from the academy together, did you not?"
Her eyes opened in shock. Stunned realization hit her as she finally placed Grey's face in her memory. They'd been friends once. She remembered that now. Now that he was dead.
Laire spoke again as soon as he saw the look of recognition on her face. "Would it surprise you to know that he was innocent? Poor fool was too suspicious for his own good. His curiosity led him to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I'm afraid he has paid the ultimate price." He paused, letting his words sink in as Genna trembled violently in his grasp.
She was losing whatever fight she had left. She knew she had lost as terror held her hostage in its unrelenting grip even as Laire held her in his.
"You, on the other hand, are far from innocent. You were ordered to gather information on one Luke Skywalker. You were told to find out his personal history, family, place of birth, medical history-"
"But I did!" Genna shrieked frantically.
The vibroblade advanced again as he demanded, "Such as?"
When she hesitated, he pressed the tip of the blade into her chin, drawing a small thread of blood before she stammered rapidly, "He's from Tatooine. Raised by moisture farmers. Both of his parents are dead. His father was a Jedi, but Skywalker never knew him."
Laire lowered the blade a fraction. "Very good, Cage," he said with a menacing smile. "You've managed to find out as much information as the rest of the Rebellion knows."
Genna swallowed frantically, not knowing how to reply.
Again, the blade was brought back to her chin as Laire pinned her even more firmly against the wall of the lift. "I don't think you understand, Cage. I want you to get close to Skywalker. I want you to find out just who he is! Information," he paused, the tip of the blade slowly sliding down the exposed skin of her neck, "that only a woman can obtain."
"Genna shuddered. "No," she breathed raggedly.
"You don't have a choice in the matter," Laire growled. "That is, unless you want to be responsible for the deaths of your two fellow conspirators, the ones who are in Lord Vader's captivity as we speak, and whose very lives depend on your ability to follow orders."
"No, please," she choked. This couldn't be happening.
"If you fail," Laire explained, tightening his grip on her with each word, "they die. And you live a long and horrific life in the spice mines of Kessel."
Knowing she had lost, Genna sagged against the wall, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Why?" she sobbed.
"The reasons are of no importance, Cage," Laire hissed into her ear. "Only the commands. You've been given your orders. The rest is up to you."
With that, he released her and sheathed the blade as he simultaneously handed her a cloth with which to dab her chin. His face was once again the picture of perfectly constructed arrogance.
Genna blinked at him. "Who are you?" she asked in a broken whisper.
Laire raised an eyebrow at her and responded casually, "Just a Commander in the Rebel forces; but I'm also a man with a price. Rebel commands do not pay well, I'm afraid. Not as well as an Empire can."
"But your fervor? Your zealous hatred of the Empire?"
"Come now, Cage," Lair replied menacingly. "You, of all people, should know how to play a part." He paused, running a critical eye over her as he reached toward the button that would restart the lift. "Now make yourself presentable, Ms. Cage. It's time for you to play your part."
By KnightMara
Genna looked up quickly from her seat on the hard bunk as the door to her cell slid open. Half-expecting Luke to walk back in, she was surprised to see Laire standing in the doorway instead. She valiantly fought the urge to groan.
"Genna Cage," Laire began, his tone much more pleasant than she had ever heard it before, "I am here to apologize to you for your wrongful incarceration, and to let you know that all charges against you have been dropped."
It took her a moment to realize what he had just said, and even then, she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "Sir?"
"You are free to rejoin the Renegades," Laire said with a smile.
Genna could hardly contain her relief and excitement. She quickly rose to her feet. "Thank you, sir!"
He acknowledged her thanks and said, "If you'll follow me, we have to go to the offices one level down to complete all the appropriate documentation."
"Yes, sir," she replied, following him out of the cell and toward the lift. "I'm a little surprised at how swift that was," she added as they waited beside the lift.
"New evidence came to light," he explained. "That must be a relief to you."
"Of course," she answered.
The lift arrived, and Laire gestured for her to step inside. "Must feel good to be free again," he commented as he stepped in after her.
"It does," agreed Genna as the doors closed. The lift began to descend.
A fraction of a second later, she felt herself slammed against the wall as the lift jerked to a halt. Before she could piece together what had happened, she was pinned against the wall with a vibroblade at her throat, fearfully staring into Laire's mad eyes.
"How do you feel now, Cage?" he hissed.
Between the terror of being held at knifepoint and the throbbing in her left temple from where it had made violent contact with the wall, it took her a few seconds to respond. At last she stammered, "Oh stars, oh stars, you're the tr-"
She was cut off when stars exploded in her skull as her head was rammed backward into the steel panel of the lift. When her vision cleared, all she saw was Laire's mocking smile.
"Treason is such an ugly word," he sneered. "I prefer to think of it as broadening my operational parameters. For a price, of course."
Genna bit her lip to keep from whimpering as Laire's grip tightened and the blade inched closer to her throat.
"Now, as I understand it, you were given specific orders, Cage," he continued, "orders which you blatantly disobeyed. Lord Vader has not been pleased."
"I-" she began in a faltering voice, overcome with terror, but was silenced again by another shove into the wall. This time she cried out in pain.
"He does not like having his patience tested, my dear," Laire went on, ignoring her cry. "When you failed to deliver the information you were sent to retrieve, I was ordered to deliver Skywalker directly to him, while arranging the evidence to look like you had betrayed the Rebellion. But of course, we all know how that little operation turned out."
Again, pain erupted from the back of her head as it was rammed into the wall once more. Her vision blurred, but Laire's voice and tight grip kept her conscious.
"Failure is punished, Cage," he said in a deadly whisper, his face mere centimeters from her own as he slowly, deliberately raised the vibroblade between them.
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing pleas would be useless but too terrified to boldly face her own death. She didn't want to die. Not now.
But instead of the bite of the vibroblade, she felt Laire's breath against her cheek as he said, "Grey is dead, Cage. I believe you knew him once. You graduated from the academy together, did you not?"
Her eyes opened in shock. Stunned realization hit her as she finally placed Grey's face in her memory. They'd been friends once. She remembered that now. Now that he was dead.
Laire spoke again as soon as he saw the look of recognition on her face. "Would it surprise you to know that he was innocent? Poor fool was too suspicious for his own good. His curiosity led him to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I'm afraid he has paid the ultimate price." He paused, letting his words sink in as Genna trembled violently in his grasp.
She was losing whatever fight she had left. She knew she had lost as terror held her hostage in its unrelenting grip even as Laire held her in his.
"You, on the other hand, are far from innocent. You were ordered to gather information on one Luke Skywalker. You were told to find out his personal history, family, place of birth, medical history-"
"But I did!" Genna shrieked frantically.
The vibroblade advanced again as he demanded, "Such as?"
When she hesitated, he pressed the tip of the blade into her chin, drawing a small thread of blood before she stammered rapidly, "He's from Tatooine. Raised by moisture farmers. Both of his parents are dead. His father was a Jedi, but Skywalker never knew him."
Laire lowered the blade a fraction. "Very good, Cage," he said with a menacing smile. "You've managed to find out as much information as the rest of the Rebellion knows."
Genna swallowed frantically, not knowing how to reply.
Again, the blade was brought back to her chin as Laire pinned her even more firmly against the wall of the lift. "I don't think you understand, Cage. I want you to get close to Skywalker. I want you to find out just who he is! Information," he paused, the tip of the blade slowly sliding down the exposed skin of her neck, "that only a woman can obtain."
"Genna shuddered. "No," she breathed raggedly.
"You don't have a choice in the matter," Laire growled. "That is, unless you want to be responsible for the deaths of your two fellow conspirators, the ones who are in Lord Vader's captivity as we speak, and whose very lives depend on your ability to follow orders."
"No, please," she choked. This couldn't be happening.
"If you fail," Laire explained, tightening his grip on her with each word, "they die. And you live a long and horrific life in the spice mines of Kessel."
Knowing she had lost, Genna sagged against the wall, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Why?" she sobbed.
"The reasons are of no importance, Cage," Laire hissed into her ear. "Only the commands. You've been given your orders. The rest is up to you."
With that, he released her and sheathed the blade as he simultaneously handed her a cloth with which to dab her chin. His face was once again the picture of perfectly constructed arrogance.
Genna blinked at him. "Who are you?" she asked in a broken whisper.
Laire raised an eyebrow at her and responded casually, "Just a Commander in the Rebel forces; but I'm also a man with a price. Rebel commands do not pay well, I'm afraid. Not as well as an Empire can."
"But your fervor? Your zealous hatred of the Empire?"
"Come now, Cage," Lair replied menacingly. "You, of all people, should know how to play a part." He paused, running a critical eye over her as he reached toward the button that would restart the lift. "Now make yourself presentable, Ms. Cage. It's time for you to play your part."