The Forgotten
4
They were on yet another ship. Their fifth since their release from the Kessel barge – and still they did not know their destination. These rebels were as evasive and secretive as the Imperials were forthright and obvious. Jeft pulled open the zipper of his huge padded jacket. He didn't know where he was going, but if the clothes they had been issued with were any indication, he had the feeling it was going to be cold, very cold. He glanced at Adan and suppressed a grin. The younger boy looked lost in his own quilted clothes as he sat slumped in his chair, fighting to sleep. Adan was still scrawny-thin, but he was gradually gained some weight as he returned to full fitness under the watchful gaze of the Rebellion's medical officers and both of them had gained muscle tone from the training they had undertaking at one of the hidden boot camps.
Jeft looked around the shuttle at the other new recruits. Their faces were masks of excitement, apprehension and fear. He knew his feelings mirrored theirs. They were now infantry, ground troopers, uniformed and numbered, being sent into a war of desperation.
Suddenly, the shuttle lurched downward, violently. Jeft tightly clutched the arms of his seat as the ship bounced in the turbulent atmosphere of some unknown planet. He smiled at a now wide-awake Adan and tried to reassure his friend of their safety, even though he knew their skin shared the same pasty green hue. Gradually, the movement eased, and they at last felt the shuttle touch the ground, tentatively, as though the landing pads were unsure of the surface. A low murmur broke over the soldiers.
Jeft re-zipped his jacket, reached for the Alliance-issued kit bag, and withdrew a tight fitting insulated cap. He looked to Adan, who seemed to be having trouble moving in the thick layers and he laughed as a sudden thought struck him.
Adan glanced up at him, smiling in puzzlement. "What?"
"You looked like Flesh Features in those things."
Adan giggled lightly at the mention of their former math teacher, a portly old gentleman with a passion for the sweet things in life. "Then you're his brother," he gleefully retorted.
Before Jeft could respond with another quip, the hatch seal broke and a gust of chilling air blew into the passenger compartment. Adan gasped in a lungful. "Where are we?" he asked, surprised.
"Hoth."
The single word that caught everyone's attention had been uttered by the lieutenant who had accompanied them as he stepped in from the cockpit. He, too, was dressed in cold-weather gear, his officer's bars contrasting sharply with the white of his uniform. He was young and handsome, but at that moment his face was drawn, thin, and the shadows of sleeplessness coloured the skin beneath his eyes. Jeft wondered how long he had been with the Alliance.
The officer smiled at the wide eyes that turned to survey the vast ice whiteness that was gradually revealed as the hatch opening widened. He watched in amusement as several jaws dropped, mimicking his own first reaction to Hoth. "Okay!" he called out, breaking the spell that had transfixed the recruits. "Get your gear together and stick close to me – we don't want anyone lost. The sooner we get you all a place in a squad and cot to bunk in, the sooner we all get a hot meal."
Adan leaned close to Jeft. "Hot? In this place? Is he kidding?"
"Maybe he's got a weird sense of humour, like you," Jeft suggested as he slung the kit bag over his shoulder and fell in behind the rest.
Stepping from the shuttle, they found themselves within a huge, cavernous ice hanger. Jeft whistled loudly clearly impressed by the massive cave and the activity going on within its walls. There were many types of ships; X-Wings, Y-Wings, speeders, cargo barges and shuttles, most of which had technicians and droids working on and around them. Pilots and soldiers ran across the ice-packed floor to destinations Jeft could only guess at. The noise was deafening. Men shouted, engines roared and animals bellowed. Jeft pointed to a makeshift pen in which several lizard-like creatures were being held. "What are those?"
"Tauntauns." The Lieutenant answered as he strode past.
Jeft glanced at Adan who shrugged; he'd never heard of them either. But the younger boy had spotted another object of interest: an old, battered freighter. He grinned widely as its shape became more defined as they approached it. He had heard that the Alliance used ancient ships and took on almost everything they could scrounge, but he hadn't realised until now that they were this desperate. This ship was a joke. It was almost saucer-round; its hull was an amalgamation of cannibalised heat-shielding plating and was heavily scored with carbon streaks, the result of many battles. Its lifters looked ready to collapse and, at that moment, its hatch was stuck half open. Adan watched with humour as several Rebels and a large Wookiee, strained to open to the door to release whoever was trapped inside. Despite being muffled by the hatch, the curses from within easily reached the boys' ears.
"I said stick close, Colston."
The Lieutenant's voice rapidly wiped the smile from his lips; Adan turned to find the rest of the recruits several yards ahead of him. He ran to catch up. "Sorry, sir, I…." He started, but the officer had already turned and was walking on. Glancing back for a last look at the freighter, Adan slipped into place behind Jeft.
The small procession passed into an adjoining corridor. The passageway, like the hanger, had been cut from the ice of this planet. Several plastic pipes passed along the ceiling, steam rising from their surfaces like thin wisps of smoke. Adan guessed they must be part of the Rebel's heating system. The procession skirted a small pile of fallen ice and finally entered a room marked 'debriefing.' There they joined more recruits who stood in small groups muttering nervously among themselves.
"What do you think's gonna happen?" Adan whispered to Jeft as they watched their lieutenant talk to the other officers.
"Put us in squads," Jeft answered. "Like he said."
"Do you think they'll split us up?" Adan sounded concerned. He wanted to be involved with the Alliance, but he didn't relish being along among strangers.
"I don't know," Jeft's voice didn't carry much hope. He had gotten involved in this for Adan's sake and now he was facing the prospect of being separated from his friend. "But we'll find out soon enough."
"Can I have you attention, please?" The shout was more of an order than a request and was met with instant silence. All eyes turned to the Colonel who had spoken. "On behalf of the Alliance Council I'd like to thank you for your support in our cause against the Empire. These are not easy times, but the Force willing we will prevail…."
"The Force?" Adan whispered." What's the Force…?"
"Shhhhh," Jeft warned.
"…When your name is called come forward for your assignment."
The first name was called and a tall, eager man pushed forward. Then the next, and the next…
"Colston, Adan."
Adan started at the mention of his name. His heart pushed into his throat and for some reason he was suddenly scared.
Jeft nudged him forward. "Wait for me outside."
Adan nodded absently and stepped to the front of the room. He found himself standing before a small table covered with data pads. The man behind the desk glanced up from the pad he was holding and smiled reassuringly. "You're Colston?"
"Yes, sir."
The officer glanced at his readout. "You took part in the Cusrean Demonstration?'
"Yes, sir."
"Is that your home system?"
Adan frowned at the questions, the others hadn't seemed to be asked as many. "Yes, sir. It's my home planet."
The officer tapped lightly on the keys of the pad and consulted the read-out again. He nodded in satisfaction. "You're in G Company, Sixth Squad. Bunk Room twelve. Report to the Sergeant. Welcome to the Alliance, Private."
Adan's stomach twisted. "Uh, thank you, sir." He turned from the table as the next name was called and headed for the door, glancing at Jeft before entering the corridor. Outside, he leaned against the rough wall, kicking the loose ice on the floor while he waited for Jeft to appear. He was now a Rebel, a traitor to his government, a soldier. Two months ago he had been schoolboy, one month ago a prisoner headed for Kessel - and now, he was a soldier. He shivered as he remembered the many battle-games he used to play with his friends when he was ten…
"Phoew! I got you, Adan! You're dead!"
…and now it was for read!
"Are you sleeping or just daydreaming?"
Adan opened his eyes - which he hadn't realised he'd closed - and looked into Jeft's inquiring gaze. "Just thinking."
"Must've been boring thoughts." Jeft's light-hearted comment was tinged with concern and his smile was forces. "Are you all right?"
The younger boy nodded. "I'm fine. Maybe a little tired, though." And scared, he added to himself.
Jeft nodded, feeling the same, but he was determined not to let the weariness annoy him, for now. "Well, where were you assigned?"
"G Company, Sixth Squad."
Jeft's face filled with surprise; then he laughed and grinned. "Me, too." He was sure the expression on his friend's face was one of relief. "Why d'you think they put us together?"
Adan shrugged with the nonchalance of youth as they started down the corridor. "Who cares? Maybe they figure people work better when they're with friends."
"Friend?" Jeft repeated with humour. "I wouldn't call you a 'friend' after all you've gotten me into."
"I was speaking metaphorically, Private," Adan retorted, pretending to take exception to Jeft's comment.
"You don't know what that word means," Lantaff countered, laughing.
"I do!" Adan drew himself to his full height, which was still several inches shorter than his friend. "I'll have you know I got an 'A' in languages."
"Only because you copied me."
"I did not!"
And so their innocent bickering continued, a conversation more likely to be heard in a schoolyard than in the corridors of a rebel base, and more likely to be heard coming from children than soldiers. Their naivete pushed memories of past events from their minds and shielded them from thoughts of the future, thoughts of war. It was a naivete that many on the base would have envied.