Freya wanted to run. She forced herself to walk down the halls of the star destroyer, and it took everything she had to hold back, to keep from sprinting, crying down the corridors of the ship. She had finally worked up the courage to go to Commander Tharcourt, but she still didn't know what she was going to say to the commander when she saw him. She just knew she had to confide in him, to cry in front of him. Pour out all of the fear and horror that was inside of her. What then? What would he do? Likely just impart some soldierly wisdom, make some stupid, cynical comment and try to make her smile like he always did.
She made it to the area of the ship Tharcourt described to her, an old lounge area tucked away in an obscure corner of the vessel, near the main hanger, and just down from the training hall. It was obvious that something important was going on in this deserted section of the ship; there was a real, living (if you wanted to use that term) death trooper standing by a door, a huge blaster rifle held at chest-level. She slowly approached the door, unsure of whether or not this was actually the right place. Commander Tharcourt had alluded to being involved in something clandestine, but this scene pointed to him being into things far higher-reaching than she'd originally thought. As she reached the door, the guard came to port arms in a droid-like fashion.
"Halt." The menacing, black-armored trooper stated, the voice distorted and strange. Freya had never seen a death trooper up close before, but she'd heard a few stories about them, mainly involving dead bodies and machinery, dark scientific experiments and pitiless killing. She swallowed hard.
"I…I'm here to see Commander Tharcourt." She declared; her voice softer than she would have liked.
"I am not authorized to recognize a Commander Tharcourt." The death trooper answered in its cold and mechanical way. "Identify yourself, Ensign."
"Um…Ensign Freya Thorne." Thorne stated nervously. The glossy black helmet turned forward.
"You may enter, ma'am." The intimidating trooper said. "Commander Tharcourt is in his office." With that, the trooper dropped its left hand from its huge blaster rifle and pushed a button on the keypad of the door. The hatch slid open.
"Uh…thank you…soldier." Freya nodded. The trooper didn't speak again. Thorne slowly entered the office. Inside, a stormtrooper and a scout trooper sat on a padded bench, talking with their helmets off. A man in a well-worn Imperial Army uniform and short cape mottled in greens and browns was sitting on a stool, a long blaster in front of him as he fiddled with the dials on the scope. The scout trooper, a tan-skinned man with black hair, looked up as she entered, and leapt to his feet.
"Officer on deck!" He announced. The other two soldiers in the room stopped what they were doing and stood, offering salutes to Ensign Thorne. She awkwardly saluted them back.
"Um…at ease, troopers." Freya said. "I jus' came t' see Commander Tharcourt."
"Yes ma'am, he is in his office." Sergeant Felian said dutifully. He pointed to a door. "First door on the right, ma'am."
"Thank you…" Thorne replied with a polite nod. It felt odd to her, having people saluting her and calling her 'ma'am'. After two months of continual servitude, being forced to stand at attention and acting almost worshipful of Captain Raliss, and not having any contact with people of lesser rank, being treated with reverence and respect was a new feeling. A dark thought struck her; was that it? Raliss had intentionally kept her away from subordinates and duties she could oversee this entire time. She had kept Freya locked in a prison where she was lowly, and had forced her to be submissive.
Now more than just the horror and pain she had been feeling began to well up inside her. She felt angry. She felt used. Commander Tharcourt had been kind to her the two times that they had spoken. And the look he had given her in Raliss' office…he had wanted to say something. What's more, these soldiers may not have been overly kind, but they had been respectful, and treated her as someone of her rank deserved. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. How could she have been so naïve? She was being used as Raliss' servant girl. Her slave. She felt like such a slag. Freya's hands shook as she walked to the door, and knocked.
"Come in." A familiar voice answered from inside the room. She pressed the button, the door slid open, and Freya stepped in. "Oh…Thorne." Tharcourt said from behind his desk with a little smile. She noticed that he looked tired, maybe a little unhappy. "Always good to see you. How are you?" She opened her mouth, then closed it. She closed the door, and sat silently in one of the large chairs in front of his desk. He watched her with curiosity. Thorne wasn't acting like herself. She was somber, quiet. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"Thorne…are you…alright?" Drakken asked, leaning forward. She didn't reply, and her eyes were locked on the desk in front of her. Thorne's breath hitched a couple times, and she let out a few quiet sobs.
"No…gah…I dunno…" She whispered. Tharcourt immediately stood, and throwing decorum to the solar wind, rounded his desk and knelt beside her chair, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Thorne…what is it? Did something happen?" She began to cry harder.
"I…I did…" She gasped. "Help me…" He squeezed her closer and spoke comfortingly
"I want to help you. I will if I can. You have to tell me what's happening though, okay?" This wasn't good. Something terrible had happened to the young ensign. He felt himself caring about her more than he thought he could for anyone. What a day it had been. He reached onto his desk with his free hand and grabbed a cigarra out of the open box on the desk. He stuck the tabac-filled tube in his mouth, and grabbed his pocket torch. As he prepared to light the cigarra, Thorne finally spoke.
"I'm so sorry, sir…I'm sorry…"
"For what, Thorne?" He pressed.
"I'm weak…I'm not s'pposed t' tell, sir…it's class…classified…but I have ta'." She cried.
"Thorne, I have a high security clearance, it's okay." He tried to joke. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"Don't 'ate me, please don't hate me…" She sobbed.
"Thorne…I won't hate you. Talk to me." She finally looked him in the eyes for a moment. Hers were red and puffy from crying. She dropped her head.
"I…I tortured a prisoner…" She whispered. Thorne was now shaking, and Tharcourt felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach. Out of everyone he knew, this young and cheerful girl was the last person he'd ever expect to hear that from.
"What?" He finally blurted out. "Wh…why?" She bounced lightly, sobbing.
"I had to…she made me…"
"Who did? Rallis?" Tharcourt asked sternly. Thorne nodded. Drakken stood, and paced the room a few times. Freya caught her breath for a moment.
"She…she made me torture this young girl…she was…only sixteen!" Freya cried out. Again, Tharcourt felt gut-shot. He immediately knew who Thorne was talking about. The young ensign let out a pained whimper. "She made me 'it 'er and beat on 'er, and Cap'n Raliss ripped 'er sotting toof out while I 'eld her 'ead! Raliss made me take off me uniform and…there was blood and I didn't want to be there, but I was scared an…I broke the girl's nose and the blood…"
"Thorne…calm down…" Drakken said softly. Thorne was becoming frantic.
"I broke 'er kriffin' nose an' I hurt her so bad an' Raliss beat on 'er some moor, but she didn't know anything! Then she left an'…I tried to 'elp 'er…I really did. 'Er name was Kasa…oh stars…Kasa…I'm soooo sorry! I'm sorry Kasa!" Tharcourt couldn't move. He was frozen with fear and revulsion. He didn't want to hear this story, but he couldn't stop it. "I cleaned 'er face…I pet 'er…I told 'er how sorry I was…that I couldn't stop it. She was an ensign, sir…a kriffin' scared spitless ensign like me. They devastated her planet, I don't know. I told her to…" She began to cry again. "I told her let go when Raliss came back…just let her kill her…I said…" Thorne gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that Drakken thought she might actually break them off.
"I promised her I wouldn't kill her!" Freya cried loudly. "And then Cap'n Raliss, sadistic hoor! She came back. She made me…she made me kiss the girl. She made me kiss her, then took me hand and shoved a blaster in it an'…an'…" Freya looked at Tharcourt, panic in her eyes. "I killed her…I killed her…" She looked at her hands as if they were covered in blood. "I killed Kasa an' I threw up and…I'm sorry, sir!" She stood shakily. "I want to leave. I'm sorry I told ye, and I know ye don' wanna see me anymore." To her surprise, Tharcourt was suddenly there in front of her. He wrapped his arms around Freya and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Don't you go anywhere, Thorne." He said, his own voice shaking a bit. "I'm not mad at you. You didn't have a choice, and it don't change a damned thing. You hear me, girl?" He felt her nod gently into his shoulder, already damp from her tears. "It's going…to be…okay. We'll figure this out. You going back on the clock today? Answer."
"N…no…not till tomorrow." She whimpered.
"Then…you're staying here." Drakken stated. "If you want." He released her from the embrace and held her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes a few moments. She finally noticed that he had tears in his own eyes.
"Sir?" She squeaked. He let go of her, and picked up his dropped cigarra and lighter. He stuck the cigarra between Thorne's lips and lit it. She took a long drag and inhaled it as Tharcourt grabbed a fresh one from his desk and touched the flame of the torch to it. She coughed a little, and pulled the smoking cigarra away with two fingers.
"Alright…Freya…" The commander began. He walked behind his desk, poured a glass of water, and slid it across the duraplast-topped desk to Thorne. Drakken took a deep puff of his tabac. "I want you to tell me everything."
Freya didn't know why, but she didn't want to scream anymore. She didn't want to run away. The moment the commander had grabbed her in a hug and told her that things were going to be okay, she had felt safe. She had believed him. She looked at him now. His face was set in a stony expression as he methodically took drags from his cigarra, his eyes locked on her like little, insignificant Freya Thorne was the only thing that mattered to him at the moment. She took a puff of the smoke into her lungs. Freya had come here feeling like she was alone, that she was facing destruction at the hands of some unbeatable enemy. Just imagining that Commander Tharcourt was actually there, that he would help her…she felt like she had half a chance.
"Freya, I want to know everything that this Captain Raliss makes you do." Tharcourt said, snarling at mentioning the woman's rank. "This does not go beyond this room." Freya sighed. She took a final drag and handed the commander her cigarra. He took it and mashed it out in his cigarra tray.
"Alright. She makes me stand at salute…sometimes for minutes at a time. I think it was for an hour once, I'm not sure. I thought it was 'cause she wanted me to learn t' follow orders an' show respect…maybe it is." Thorne's lip trembled. "She said that I needed t' learn 'ow to obey…so she punishes me when I disobey…or when she thinks I'm not doin' things good enough."
"How does she punish you?"
"I 'ave to stay up doin' reports, or she'll have me miss lunch…sometimes breakfast if I 'aven't worked hard enough. It's my duty to clean 'er office…and the refreshers. I don't know why she won't let the droids do it…but if I make a mistake, sometimes I have to clean the floors with a rag…or the refreshers with a brush." Thorne explained. "Ain't that normal for an ensign though?" Tharcourt snuffed out his cigarra and lit a new one, but didn't answer her question.
"What kind of mistakes do you make?" He asked calmly. She thought for a moment.
"I'm always making mistakes, sir. She says it's 'cause I'm stupid and don't know any better. Maybe I just get all stressed an' ferget things. I'll swear she gave me an order, but she didn't, and other times, I don't do something that the cap'n says she told me to. Then I end up in trouble." She sighed. "I get in trouble a lot…"
"She sends you to do something, and then says she didn't…when you get back?" Tharcourt asked, clarifying her statement for himself.
"Yes…or the other way 'round."
"Hm." The commander sounded, and took another drag. "What does she say to you…when you make those kinds of mistakes?" He halted her. "Exactly?"
"Well…she says I'm stupid a lot…or that I don't know what I'm doin'. She says I'm a child an awful lot, or that I can't do anything right." He could see that she was getting emotional, tears falling down her cheeks. Things were beginning to make much more sense now, everything she'd told him in their first meeting in the training hall, the way Raliss spoke about Thorne in front of her, the torture incident. He began to piece all of it together, and he didn't like the picture it was creating at all.
"I want to ask you something, Freya…" He said in a gentle voice. "And it might be hard to answer. She ever hit you?" Thorne froze. She began to breathe faster. She didn't want to tell him, but she couldn't lie to this man.
"Yes, sir…a couple times…" She replied meekly. "But I think I deserved it."
"Why in the stars would you deserve it?" He asked in a genuinely confused tone.
"For not being a good officer…"
"By the void Freya! Why didn't you tell somebody?" Tharcourt shot.
"Should I 'ave? I mean, she told me not to, and I thought it was alright…like this is how it worked…"
"I can't…the karking…" Drakken stammered angrily. "What else? She beat on you? Cut you? Make you slam your head in gangway hatches, girl?"
"She…I mean no…she doesn't do that…" Thorne answered, nervous at seeing the commander getting mad. "She did test stun cuffs on me though. I didn't think that was right…or normal." She shrank back as Tharcourt knocked several items off of his desk with a swipe of his hand. He paced back and forth a few times, then went to the water dispenser and poured himself a cup of water, turned it up and chugged it. He tossed the cup carelessly onto his desk, and approached Freya. She thought she'd finally made him angry, that he was going to explode on her for being silly, or making things up. Instead, he grabbed her by the shoulders again.
"I don't know what to say." He spoke. He huffed. "No, Thorne…no officer is supposed to do those things. Hell, some could get away with some of it, but some of what you've said…" He turned away. "It's illegal…by the laws of this military to beat on your subordinate. You can yell at them. You can demote them. You can lock them in the brig. You can send them to die on some suicide mission, but you don't…kriffing…hit them."
Freya felt like crying again. Everything she'd been told over the last eight weeks was a lie. She had suspected some of it, but knowing, that was almost as heavy a burden as the punishments and agony she had gone through.
"You don't make someone think they're crazy or ignorant, then punish them because you're a sadist bitch, neither…" Tharcourt continued in a whisper. He turned back to Thorne, his arms folded behind him. "And you don't test stuncuffs on them. You don't deprive an officer of rations to make them work." He unfolded his arms and wiped his face with his gloved hands.
"I…didn't think it was important…" Thorne commented. "I didn't know."
"I know." Drakken muttered. "And I'm so sorry, Freya…I'm sorry about the girl. I'm sorry you had to…" He looked up, realizing what he'd just brought up. She sobbed a couple times, and buried her face in her hands.
"I killed her…she didn't do nothin' wrong…and I killed her…" Freya whispered softly. "And I didn't even have to. Did I?" Tharcourt didn't answer. He wished she hadn't asked that. Thorne looked up pleadingly. "Did I? D…Drakken…"
"You…you're assigned…to prisoner interrogation…" He said somberly. "Physical…you know…is actually legal to extract information." He paused, unsure of even how to say it. "If you get ordered to interrogate a prisoner, you have to. The only thing that was unlawful…was you having to kiss the prisoner."
"No…" Freya gasped. "No, I can't! You mean she can make me do this?! I have to…"
"No." Tharcourt stated. "While it's legal, it's not moral. Not by a damned sight." He sighed. "I will ask you, not just as an officer, but…as a…friend…" He waited a moment. "Do you want out?"
"Yes." She stated harshly.
"You're sure…"
"Aye! I want away from 'er! I want to be someplace else. Even if that means leaving the navy. But sir…I gotta get outta this mess."
"Then I'll get you out. I don't know how. I don't know what I'll have to do, but I'll do it." He rubbed his face in disbelief again. Another daunting task, this one, he felt honor-bound to become involved in to whatever end. "Kriff…you weren't making this up, were you?" He asked, mostly as a rhetorical question. He didn't doubt her account at all. Freya narrowed her eyes, and her face turned bright red.
"Doon't ye accuse me a' lyin', sir." She spat emotionally. "Not to you…not ever."
"I know." Tharcourt returned, holding up his hands defensively. "Sorry…I just…" He blew out a breath. "It's been a karkin' loooong couple of days." He looked into her eyes. "I'll help you, Thorne. Don't worry. You can stay here the rest of the day, or even all night if you want. Raliss asks, tell her you went to the officer's club and drank all evening. I'm involved now, and I'm going to do everything I can. It might take a little while, but let me try to get you out from under her." She relaxed a little, and dropped back into the chair.
"I don't doubt you'll try." She said dejectedly. "But what can ye do?"
"Don't ask me that." He answered gravely. "You understand that I can't let Captain Raliss know you told me anything. Neither can you." Freya nodded in affirmation. "I have…ways. Let me do what I can do, and don't ask me what I'm doing. Hell, some of it's probably going to be illegal." Thorne gave him a worried look.
"You won't get in trouble…will you, sir?" Tharcourt scoffed.
"Sometimes Thorne…it's okay to risk getting in trouble…as long as it's not over something stupid."
Now Commander Tharcourt is involved with helping Thorne. Did any of you see that coming? Let me know in the reviews if you knew he would end up aiding her. I will have the next chapter up tomorrow. Until then, Cheerio! -Drake