''Cadets.''
Sergeant Seren stands in front of the boxing room in her black yoga clothing as Eva and the rest stand in line. She tracks the Sergeant with her eyes as Seren walks among the cadets.
''You've been training personal combat against a punching bag for long enough, but let me give you a shocking detail. Rebel scumbags are never comparable to punching bags, so, to learn in a more realistic scenario, you will all fight against your own squadmates.''
Fighting against each other? That's a weird decision, thinks Eva.
''Against ourselves?'' interrupts Peyton, flabbergasted.
Sergeant Seren stops in her tracks and shifts her head to the girl.
''Sorry, ma'am,'' apologizes Peyton, her cheeks turning a bit red.
The Sergeant continues walking. ''Yes, against yourselves. However, you won't be fighting each other in the medical bay. That would be counterproductive,'' she says and walks to the front of the room and turns around to the cadets. ''So these are the rules. It's one versus one within your own squad. No fighting against another squad. When one lies on the floor, it's over. When the other says stop, it's over. No punches in the face or the back of the head. Is that understood?''
''Sir yes sir,'' cry the cadets, and they start to do the fighting matches.
Eva and her squad scramble together in a circle formation, planning out what to do.
''Who's going first?'' asks Eva.
''You,'' replies Ashara, turning her head.
''Yeah, right,'' giggles Eva. ''I'm not going first.''
''Afraid of a wound?'' smiles Roslin, the pink gum visible between her jaws.
''Hah, of course not,'' replies Eva, ''but I rather see how others do it before I throw myself into the pit.''
''So you want to see others being thrown into the pit?'' giggles Peyton.
''Yeah,'' replies Eva. ''Let's throw you into the pit then.''
''What? I'm not going in?''
''Oh so you're afraid of a wound too?'' asks Ashara, smiling, her golden tattoos shimmering on her cheeks.
Peyton giggles. ''Alright, alright, I volunteer to be the first then.''
''Against who do you want to fight?'' asks Roslin.
Peyton shifts her eyes to the floor, thinking of a fitting opponent.
''I'd like to see how Ecklund would perform,'' says Peyton, shifting her head to Ecklund.
''The quiet girl versus the slicer?'' says Eva. ''That's gonna be interesting.''
''Wanna fight, Ecklund?'' asks Peyton.
''Sure,'' replies Ecklund, her first word of the week.
''Alright then,'' smiles Peyton.
Before she steps onto the rubber mat, Ecklund takes off her shimmering, round glasses and turns to Eva. ''Could you-, keep my glasses safe,'' she asks, stammering a bit.
Eva reaches out to Ecklund's glasses. ''Yeah, sure. I'll keep them safe. Will you still be able to hit a punch?''
Ecklund smiles, faintly chuckling as she reaches out for her braided hair and checks its integrity. ''I can do it without it,'' she says, and she turns around and steps onto the square, rubber mat.
Eva stands back as she watches Peyton and Ecklund form up. While the other squads have already started practising with their cadets, Eva waits for Peyton and Ecklund to start.
''Ready, Ecklund?'' asks Peyton, stretching her arms.
''I guess so,'' replies Ecklund.
''Alright, let's start,'' says Roslin, standing back too.
As Eva watches, she sees Peyton and Ecklund starting to fight each other, pounding their fists into each other. She immediately notices that they're not putting full force into their blows, and understandably so. As Peyton receives a blow in her shoulder, she stumbles back but seems unharmed. If they'd go full commitment, they'd be both in the medical bay within a minute, even if they follow the rules of the Sergeant, and Eva feels happy that it's more of a friendly fight. A friendly fight in which they still learn something.
Watching them, Eva sees Peyton and Ecklund both seem to struggle with the movement of the other. A punching bag doesn't dodge or move at all, it's just an inanimate object intended to receive the blows, not dodge them. Peyton manages to step back from Ecklund, managing to take away some of the force.
Then, Ecklund pounds her fist into Peyton's gut, and she stumbles onto the rubber mat and reaches out for her stomach.
''Dank Ferrik,'' Peyton curses, gasping for air. ''That hurt.''
Peyton falls to her knees on the rubber mat, putting her hand on her stomach. The match is over. As Peyton gasps for air, Eva starts to worry about her well-being and she starts approaching the two girls on the rubber mat.
''I'm-, I'm sorry,'' stutters Ecklund, approaching her and lowering herself to the ground.
''No no no it's fine,'' replies Peyton, starting to chuckle. ''It's part of the job.''
Ecklund nods, starting to smile as Peyton chuckles.
''Hey, Peyton,'' says Ashara, standing next to Eva. ''You need the medic?''
Peyton shifts her head up. ''Just help me get up,'' she says, reaching out with her hands.
Eva and Ashara both take Peyton's hands and pull her up from the floor.
''Where were you hit?'' asks Ashara, as she lets go of Peyton's hand, seeing she can stand on her own.
''The stomach,'' replies Peyton, ''but it's nothing all too bad.''
''Yeah,'' replies Ashara. ''The pain will be over soon.''
As Peyton starts to walk away from the rubber mat and lowers herself to the floor to sit, Eva sees Roslin turning her head to her, the pink gum being chewed on in her mouth.
''Hey Eva,'' she says. ''Wanna go against me?''
''Against you?'' asks Eva. ''Sure.''
After Eva hands the glasses back to Ecklund, she walks onto the rubber mat and starts stretching her arms and legs, making herself ready for the fight. Roslin makes herself ready too on the other side of the rubber mat, cracking her fingers. Seeing Roslin crack her fingers and stretch her limbs, Eva thinks back to yesterday when she lost from her in The Well, just being inches away from third place. She can feel the discomfort and frustration build up inside her chest.
''Just go a bit easy on me, okay?'' asks Eva.
''Yeah, sure,'' replies Roslin, her pink gum still in her mouth.
''Are you two ready?'' asks Ashara, standing back with Peyton sitting next to her on the floor.
''Ready,'' replies Eva.
''Ready,'' replies Roslin.
Eva locks her eyes on the girl as she clenches her fists.
''Start!'' says Ashara.
Instantly, Eva raises her fists to guard her face. Although the Sergeant explicitly told them not to aim for the face, it resembles a realistic fight more accurately, and guarding her face makes Eva slightly more secure.
Carefully, she steps closer to Roslin with her fists in front of her face as the other girl comes closer too. Roslin instantly pounds her fist into her shoulder and Eva dodges, stepping back, but she can still feel the blow. Her shoulder hurts but not as much as she expected, and it's light enough to ignore it.
As they're merely two meters away from each other, Eva feels the rage boil inside of her, feeling the urge to finally win from Roslin. She might have won in The Well yesterday, but now it's Eva's turn.
Eva tightens her fist, feeling them ache, and the urge to win overcomes her. Instantly, Eva lashes out with her right fist and pounds it into Roslin's cheek.
Roslin stumbles backwards and turns her head away, reaching out for her cheek with her hand. She then turns back to Eva and she sees that her cheek is turning red, and she sees Roslin's eyes fill with the urge to avenge that punch.
''Skorvit!'' curses Ashara, taking a step forward. ''You're alright, Roslin?''
Roslin shifts her eyes to Ashara. ''I'm fine,'' she says, nearly hissing.
Stepping back, her fists still raised, Eva expects Roslin to get angry at her for the blow, but on the contrary, Roslin starts to chuckle.
''Good one,'' says Roslin, letting go of her red cheek. ''You really wanna take it that way?''
Eva's eyes narrow, enlocking them on Roslin. She starts to feel angry that Roslin isn't taking it seriously. The blow she dealt was intended to get Roslin to pay for not letting her win at The Well yesterday, but seeing her laughing it off makes her rage boil even more.
''What do you think?'' hisses Eva.
''Alright then,'' replies Roslin, and she raises her fists.
Making eye contact, Eva steps closer to Roslin, preparing to leash out and pound her in her liver. She starts to imagine Roslin crumbling to the floor and recognizing Eva as the winner.
Eva and Roslin step closer, waiting for each other's next step. Instantly, Eva sees Roslin's left fist coming towards her and she dodges, feeling her fist sliding over her training suit. But in the corner of her eye, Eva sees Roslin's left fist coming straight towards her. She tries to dodge but she's too late as Eva feels Roslin's fist pounding her head. Eva stumbles backwards and stabilizes herself as she feels dizzy from the blow, feeling her forehead ache. Reaching out for her forehead and retracting her hand, Eva sees drops of red blood on her fingers.
Stabilising herself, Eva prepares to lash out and tightens her fist. Seeing Roslin stepping towards her with her eyes locked on her, Eva steps forward and pounds her fist into the girl's stomach, but Roslin blocks her blow with her arm and Eva misses her gut. She retracts her fist and prepares her other fist to blow, but then she sees Roslin suddenly bend much more through her knees. Then, Roslin explodes forwards, and before Eva could respond or process the situation, the girl entangles her arms around both of her legs and pushes Eva hard. Roslin takes her down as Eva feels her feet slip away and loses her balance in a matter of a second. Instantly, Eva falls backwards and slams onto the floor, feeling her back ache as she lies on the floor. Roslin's eyes are still locked on her.
As Eva starts to process the situation, she realises she's been taken down to the floor. She lost. She feels disbelieved about Roslin's tactic.
''What the hell was that?'' hisses Eva, gasping for air as she still lies on the floor.
''You wanted to do this,'' replies Roslin, standing up and lowering her fists, and she reaches out with her hand. ''Still, you did well.''
Eva looks with anger at Roslin and refuses to take her hand. The anger is still boiling inside of her, feeling frustrated that she lost yet again.
Directly after the boxing exercise, Eva follows her squad through the corridors towards The Well for another training. She has to do better, fighting for a spot in the top three. Standing in the facility and feeling the floor stop descending, the squad comes together and chants again. Eva starts to feel unsure of whether she could get into the top three. All it takes is beating Roslin, but she's not sure whether she could defeat her. But the frustration and the anger start boiling again, and she starts to feel determined to beat her, here in The Well. As they wait for the taskmaster's signal, Eva feels the pressure build-up to beat her commander. The ache in her forehead from the blow Roslin dealt makes her more determined to beat her, and instead of feeling pain, the head wound feels encouraging. Tightening her grip on the E-10 blaster, she waits for the signal.
Then, the taskmaster gives them the go sign and Eva immediately runs off and uses her E-10 blaster to activate the platforms. She jumps from platform to platform, and she is quickly making her way up to the top of The Well. In the few moments she has time to look around, Eva sees she is not the only one who is quickly making their way up, and she is not surprised to see Roslin being quicker than her, climbing, jumping, and shooting her way up, but Eva is determined to beat her.
As the match goes on with the cadets jumping their way up from platform to platform, Eva nears the top of The Well. As the platform she stands on doesn't get her closer to the top, Eva notices a platform near her going up, and she presumes it going all the way to the top. With her heart pounding nervously in her chest, Eva jumps off her platform and lands hard on the other as it goes up, lifting Eva towards the top. She looks up and sees two other cadets have already made it to the top, and the third place is still vacant. Eva looks around and sees everyone else is still below her, nowhere near the top. Finally, Eva is going to make it. It took her weeks to reach the top three, and today it is going to happen.
Then, Eva feels the platform shake as she hears a loud bang, and she sees Roslin has caught up with her and jumped onto her platform.
''You here?'' asks Eva, trying to sound casual to mask her frustration.
''I take every chance to win,'' replies Roslin as she looks up, ''and it looks like only one of us will take the third place.''
Eva looks up too, and she sees the third place is still vacant, and the fact that she is with Roslin on the same platform means they will both reach the top simultaneously. Now, Eva risks getting defeated by Roslin once again. It makes Eva feel enraged that the chance is starting to slip away.
Then Eva sees the apparition of Eline, looking over the edge towards her with her blond hair swaying in an unsensible breeze. Eline looks straight at her, and Eva sees her sad face, and her watery eyes, and all the memories of Eline start flooding back. The hug in the fields, building the treehouse with her dad, her blue little watch on her wrist, her encouraging words at the treehouse...
''Wanna bet that I get the third spot?'' asks Roslin as they rise further to the top.
Eva turns her head to Roslin, the hands on her E-10 blaster tightening as she sees in the corner of her eye a platform below them moving into position. She knows she can't afford to lose in front of Eline.
''Yeah,'' hisses Eva. ''Not on my watch.''
Eva then braces the E-10 blaster rifle across her chest and turns to Roslin and crashes against her, pushing her over the edge, off the platform. Roslin lets out a scream as she falls down and crashes onto the other platform below. Eva walks towards the edge, and looks down to Roslin, rolling herself onto her back as she lies on the platform, moving away from the top of The Well. Roslin taps on her helmet to look at Eva directly with her watery eyes.
''Hey Eva!'' cries Roslin, the pink gum between her white teeth. ''Why?''
Why? It's for the many times you didn't allow me to win, laserbrain.
Eva keeps her helmet shut, staring at Roslin with relief building up in her chest. The only person who could take her third spot in the top three won't be able to do it now, and Eva feels relieved that Roslin won't reach the top in time.
Eva looks up and sees Eline, smiling as her blond hair waves in the air. The platform comes closer, and Eva jumps up and holds herself tightly onto the grips, and she climbs over the edge, reaching the top three and thus winning the match in The Well for the first time. Her shut helmet masks her face, but she smiles from ear to ear as the others are still climbing their way up.
Eva turns her head to her right to see if Eline is still here, but she vanished, and she realises that her hallucinating mind helped her win. As most of the cadets finally reach the top, the taskmaster approaches Eva.
''Cadet, congratulations on winning the match in The Well for the first time,'' he congratulates.
''Thank you, sir,'' replies Eva.
''However, if I were you, I wouldn't do it again,'' he warns.
''Sir yes sir.''
''For the losing cadets, report to your ACY droid for the tasks to carry out,'' says the taskmaster. ''Cadets, dismissed.''
''Sir yes sir,'' cry the girls.
As the taskmaster walks away, and the other cadets walk away towards their barracks, chatting about The Well, Eva walks through the training facility, on her way to the barracks too. She puts off her helmet and walks with pride, relieved that she won The Well for the first time and has finally beaten Roslin.
''Hey, Eva!''
Eva turns around, and as she expected, it's Roslin who walks towards her. She notices the girl took out her pink gum and stuck it to her black blaster, and by the looks on her face, Eva knows it won't be an easy conversation she'll be having with the girl.
''Eva, why the hell did you push me off?'' asks Roslin, infuriated, her hands shaking.
''I did what I had to do,'' replies Eva. The rest of the squad gathered around them.
''I'm your commander, Eva. You could've killed me if I missed the platform and hit the bottom.''
''And I made sure you landed on that platform. I was doing what was expected from me.''
''Eva, didn't you hear me? I'm your team member. I'm your team lea-.''
''Good soldiers follow orders. The fact you're a team leader doesn't matter in The Well, because this is an exercise about reaching victory at all costs, and I did exactly that. I followed my orders.''
Then Roslin punches Eva in her face. She falls backwards onto the floor and feels her left cheek burning. Eva puts her hand on her cheek and looks at Roslin's watery eyes, not believing that she punched her in the face outside the boxing exercises.
''Stop, stop!'' says Ashara, stepping in between Roslin and Eva. ''Roslin, take it easy.''
Peyton pulls Roslin back onto her shoulder, trying to get her away from Eva.
''Eva, I could've died!'' cries Roslin with tears running down her cheek.
''OK we get it,'' says Ashara, and she pushes Roslin away from Eva, after which she turns around and walks away with Peyton to calm down.
''Eva, you're OK?'' asks Ashara as she goes towards her and lowers herself. ''Let me take a look.''
Eva moves away her hand, and Ashara inspects her cheek quickly.
''And?''
''You have no injuries I can see,'' replies Ashara, her facial tattoos shimmering on her cheeks, ''but I'll take you to the medbay anyway.''
Ashara helps Eva get up on her feet, and as they walk to the medbay, Eva starts to feel enraged that Roslin punched her and took it so personally. She ensured that Roslin wouldn't fall all the way to the bottom of The Well, and the taskmaster himself said the training emphasises reaching victory at all costs, and that's what Eva did. She doesn't feel bad for getting Roslin to lose. Eva never even reached the top three, Roslin did numerous times. And, she did it for Eline, something that is the most important to Eva.
As they reach the medbay and the nurse droid gives her a pack of cold ice, Eva presses it tightly onto her cheek as she sits upright on one of the hospital beds. It still burns, but the cold ice softens the pain.
''Feel better already?'' asks Ashara.
Eva looks at her and nods, rubbing the cold pack of ice on her cheek.
''Why did she punch me,'' sighs Eva, pressing the cold pack of ice on her cheek.
''Eva, are you serious?'' asks Ashara.
''What?'' asks Eva, confused. ''She pu-''
''Eva,'' interrupts Ashara. ''Why did you push her off? Honest answer.''
Eva sighs, recalling the countless times Roslin didn't let her get a spot in the top three.
''I just-, can't stand getting beaten by Roslin all the time. I'm trying so hard to just win one single time from her.''
Ashara narrows her eyes, knowing there's an underlying cause.
''Jealousy?'' she asks. ''That's it? That's what drove you nuts?''
Eva lets out a sigh, recalling the moment she saw Eline standing at the top of The Well, her blond hair swaying in the air. ''I-, I saw my younger sister,'' she stutters, ''and I didn't want to fail her.''
''Did she die?''
''Almost.''
''So that's the problem. You don't allow yourself to fail. You desire revenge for your sister so much that you feel the need to win at all costs, and I bet you want to avenge your parents too. So much so that you don't allow yourself to fail and can't even think properly. What would have happened to you and all the others if she actually died?''
Eva remains silent, shifting her eyes to the floor, struggling to answer.
''That's what I thought,'' answers Ashara. ''You're filled with so much hate towards the Rebels that you don't use your common sense anymore.''
''Don't you want to take revenge for your parents?'' asks Eva.
''Oh, I do. I want the same as you, but in no way am I taking it this seriously that I am willing to kill you. It's because you're my friend and my squad member, but you don't see Roslin as your squad member. You see her as your enemy, which she isn't. The Alliance is your enemy, not her.''
Eva remains quiet. What Ashara told her hits her, realizing she got all of it wrong.
''You get it now?'' Ashara asks.
Eva slowly nods. ''I'm sorry.''
''Tell that to Roslin,'' says Ashara. ''I'm not the one who's upset with you.''
Eva nods in consideration. What Ashara just taught her makes her think differently. She starts to understand that she wanted revenge for Eline so direly that she's willing to push one of her own team members to her death. Roslin was just somebody who wanted to be the best she could be, and Eva would do the same, but not like this. Not by endangering others, and Eva realizes she should tone down her strive for revenge. She feels bad and remorseful for pushing Roslin off the platform and realizes that her desire for revenge was so strong that it clouded her thinking, and the pain in her cheek worsens as Eva realizes the punch was deserved.
In the corner of her eye, she sees Peyton and ACY-4 entering the medbay.
''Eva, how do you feel?'' Peyton asks as she approaches Eva.
''I feel better now,'' replies Eva, lowering the icepack.
Peyton nods.
''Eva,'' says ACY with its female voice. ''You're called up to Academy Command.''
For questioning.
Eva nods in acknowledgement, surprised but not entirely caught off guard by the fact that she's called up to command. Academy Command must have undoubtedly seen what Eva and Roslin did. Leaving the medbay and the others behind, Eva follows ACY-4 through the corridors, making her way to Academy Command.
Her mind races with thoughts of what will happen at Command, but she's sure that she won't be harshly punished. It's her first incident so far in a training program that requires a lot of her.
ACY-4 stops in the middle of the grey corridor, standing next to a shut doorway. The room has no sign, but Eva knows it won't give her room to feel comfortable. Her heart races in her chest with nervousness, knowing what she did today was wrong as she stands in front of the door, her eyes focused on the door button.
''Eva,'' says ACY. ''Do you need further assistance?''
She turns around to the droid, its metal body shining in the fluorescent light.
''No, thanks Acy,'' replies Eva. ''You can go.''
''You know the way back?'' the droid asks.
''Yeah,'' Eva replies.
The droid nods and walks away, its leg joints squeaking as ACY leaves Eva behind.
Shifting her head back to the shut door, her heart pounds in her chest. She taps the door button and opens the door. Entering the room, Eva sees the taskmaster of The Well standing in the middle of a lit office room. Standing in front of him stands Roslin, with her back towards Eva.
''Sir, cadet Eva Young, reporting in,'' says Eva as she stands next to Roslin.
The taskmaster casts his eyes downward, not knowing how to start the conversation, and he lets out a big sigh.
''So, ms Eva,'' starts the taskmaster. ''What does that insignia on the chest of your suit mean?''
Eva knows he is talking about the insignia of the Galactic Empire that is imprinted on the chest of her training suit.
''It means pride, power, order, loyalty, duty, discipline, and honour, sir,'' answers Eva.
The taskmaster then steps forward towards Eva.
''You're forgetting one thing, cadet,'' he says. ''Unity. It's one of the most important elements of the Imperial military. Whatever happened between you two, you neglected unity. You two are in a team that relies on unity, and both of your actions have weakened it. You two are at the Academy, where we are all united as one entity. Going at each other with fists is not who we are, nor what we live on. This is the Imperial military, not the school's playground. Pride, power, order, loyalty, duty, and discipline and honour are meaningless without unity. We are at war where we need all the elements of the Empire to function. If you two go at each other again, I will have no hesitation in recommending your expulsion from the Academy. Un. Der. Stood?''
''Sir yes sir,'' Eva and Roslin cry.
''And ms Eva,'' says the taskmaster as he comes closer to her. ''Let me repeat one thing. If I were you I wouldn't do it again for the sake of your team.''
Eva raises her eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what the taskmaster means.
''Sir?'' asks Eva.
''Your action in The Well today,'' he replies.
Eva swallows heavily with her heart pounding in her chest. ''Yes sir.''
''Cadets, dismissed,'' he says.
''Sir yes sir.''
Both girls walk out of the office room. Without making eye contact, Eva walks past Roslin, and as they enter the empty corridor, she leans with her back onto the wall, processing the situation and deciding what to do next, and she lets out a big sigh to release the nervousness.
''Eva,'' says Roslin. Eva can still hear the anger in her voice. ''I'm sorry for the punch at The Well.''
Eva nods, but she can tell from Roslin's tone that her apology isn't sincere. Her apology sounds meaningless, and it gives off a sour aftertaste. Eva considers confronting Roslin but ultimately decides not to. It would make their relationship worse than it already is. Looking away into the corridor, Eva struggles to apologize. Why should I apologize if she just made a meaningless one?
''Yeah,'' says Eva, nearly monotone, still staring away into the corridor. ''I'm sorry too.''
Roslin lets out a sigh. ''So we both don't feel the need to apologize,'' she replies and leans with her back onto the wall as well.
Eva swivels her head to face Roslin. ''I would've meant it if you didn't make such a meaningless apology.''
''Yeah, right,'' scoffs Roslin. ''Let's stop right here with our Bantha fodder and simply go on because bad apologies are not our biggest problem.''
''What do you mean?''
''Don't you see it? Eva, you ruined your reliability. I'm not sure if I can trust you.''
Eva sighs and looks away. ''As if I feel the joy to trust you.''
Roslin lets out a big sigh and walks away from Eva leaving her behind and leaning onto the cold, metal wall of the corridor, still processing the situation. Then she lowers herself onto the floor, still with her back onto the cold wall and presses her hands against her forehead.
''What am I doing,'' whispers Eva to herself, letting out a big sigh.
On one hand, she feels guilty that she pushed Roslin off, but on the other, she feels frustrated that Roslin gives her an empty apology. She knows that the trust between both of them won't be fixed soon and that it will take time to heal. However, she doesn't feel very fond of sticking with her team leader for that long with a reliability issue. Eva wants to heal her relationship with Roslin, but she knows it's not going to be easy. Roslin probably inherited some of the characteristics of her father who was a Stormtrooper, and Eva assumes she is difficult to convince until she proves herself to be reliable. The next days and weeks are going to be rougher than the previous.