Corellia, 2 standard years ABY (before the Battle of Yavin)

The noise was deafening. Anthe looked up at the sky, stretching her neck. Two Star Destroyers blocked the sun. They growled with their ion engines as they docked on the launch platform, and behind them, a row of TIE fighters paraded over the red banners with the Imperial insignia. Anthe watched them, finding it difficult because there were many other cadets around her who towered over her in height. She barely met the minimum height and physical requirements to enlist. She thought about that for a moment with a wry smile. If they only knew what she had to offer... they would have promoted her before finishing the academy.

—Excited? —Meda said, who was to her right, looking at her with a big smile.

Anthe looked around for a moment. The cadets were speaking loudly, very loudly. They competed against the roar of the engines and the noise of the fighters cutting through the wind as they passed at supersonic speeds. All eyes were curious. Meda was the only one who seemed relaxed.

—Pay attention, little bird, that one over there is the Devastator —said Meda, puffing out her chest —it's ours.

Anthe breathed in the dense, vaporous air of the early morning and was dazzled by the sunlight reflected on the Devastator's white hull.

—Our.

The whole scene was majestic. And Meda's words filled her with anticipation.

—I'm here at last —Anthe said to herself, with a melancholic air.

—Hey, don't take all the credit. Don't forget who recommended you —said Meda, draping herself over Anthe's neck, making her lose her balance. They let out a lighthearted laugh, overshadowed by the sound of sirens. The crowd began to grow restless.

—Thanks.

—The uniform suits you — Meda said proudly, almost making Anthe blush. She thought about how much they had grown. How important she had become to her, more than just a friend, she had become an older sister. Always watching her back. And she saw herself proud, with her high and impeccable braid. Now it was her turn to show the world who she was. Without the help of others.

—Booo!

A hand suddenly touched their shoulder and made them jump. Both turned at the shout of:

—Idiot! —Meda shouted at the guy who was now next to them.

—Norian.

He was accompanied by two other young men.

—You should have seen your faces —said Norian —all the drooling —he said, bursting into laughter with his friends.

Anthe and Meda looked at them with raised eyebrows, pretending to be serious. But Anthe couldn't resist his blue eyes, his black hair, his smile that wrinkled his nose and temple so charmingly.

—Aren't you going to congratulate me? —Anthe said with crossed arms.

—Yes, my love, congratulations —said Norian, bringing his lips to Anthe's.

—Ugh —said Meda, rolling her eyes. The noise of the crowd increased. Anthe and Norian were still kissing when they heard the shout of an officer, and immediately everyone fell silent and straightened up. The disorderly crowd of cadets transformed into several rows, ordered from the highest rank to the lowest. Anthe contained her laughter. She looked at Norian out of the corner of her eye. Meda also made an effort to maintain composure as she walked two rows ahead with other sub-officers of her rank.

—Attention! You are about to witness the magnificence of the Empire. The beginning of a glorious era, before your eyes is supreme power! And you will be part of it, now as pioneers, soldiers of the highest category — said the officer, accompanied by two shiny-armored stormtroopers —you have been assigned to the Devastator, and that is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. Carry out your tasks to the letter...

Blah, blah, blah. It was all just empty words for her. Anthe couldn't think of anything other than boarding that destroyer, walking through its corridors, and maybe one day sitting next to the great officers on the bridge. Dreaming cost nothing. Life would take a satisfying turn for any Empire cadet assigned to such a prestigious Star Destroyer. The credits in her bank account would also take a satisfying turn, and her whole life in general; she repeated this to herself over and over above the elegant words of the officer in front of her.

"Day dreaming as always."

After many speeches and boarding a convoy that transported them to one of the Devastator's platforms, Anthe found herself walking down a long corridor towards the quarters. The floor shone so much that she could see her reflection in it. Officers and sub-officers roamed the corridors, protocol droids and astromechs. Following another narrow corridor, she found her cabin number. With a combination, the automatic door opened. She found her belongings next to her litter. And below, Meda was waiting for her with her legs crossed.

—They assigned us a cabin together?

She couldn't help but think how lucky she was to have Meda. Her talent had taken her far in the last two years. With her specialization in tactics and tracking systems, she had made enough contacts to get her on board the Devastator. And not only that, she even managed to get her a place in one of the larger quarters.

—Look at the shower!

Anthe couldn't say much more because she was almost stuttering with nerves. The truth was that the luxury inside the quarters was even better than what Meda had anticipated.

—I know. These are reserved for cadets who graduated with honors, those with specializations, and of course, the favorites.

—You're my favorite —Anthe said.

They shared a knowing laugh, just before they heard the first ignition of the machines.

—Now it's your turn to shine —said Meda, playing with the visor of her military cap.

—Tsk —Anthe let out a relaxed laugh. She still hadn't gotten used to the idea of working alongside the Empire's top officers.

The floor began to vibrate.

—We're about to take off —said Meda, just before a voice sounded over the speakers warning of the imminent takeoff. —you can go to the third corridor and look out the window or you can come with me and I'll show you something even better —said Meda, winking. And she knew that when she winked it was something juicy. They looked at each other for a moment and shot out of the quarters, adjusting their ponytails and uniforms.

Three standard minutes to take off."

—Don't run! —Meda said, squeezing her arm.

Laughter was impossible to contain by that point. They almost collided with two stormtroopers patrolling the corridor. Causing a commotion on the first day wasn't in their plans. They weren't the only restless ones there anyway.

Meda walked quickly from right to left through corridors and hallways, opening doors and dodging droids. They took two elevators. The first one was for public use. The second one required a security code that Meda activated.

—Where are you taking me? —Anthe said, out of breath. And although she knew she had been heard, Meda did not respond.

The corridors began to widen and become more luxurious, some high-ranking officers passed by with holopads. It seemed like they were heading prow.

They stopped in front of a double sealed door with an advanced security system. There were many officers around them who cast furtive glances their way. The computer requested a voice identification.

"Meda Aztuc."

—Where are you taking us? —said Anthe.

Meda suddenly seemed more tense. Anthe saw her expression change completely a second before entering the command room. Wait, the command room? That was just a room adjacent to the bridge!

As the door opened, Anthe was amazed, because in front of her was a giant viewport that occupied almost the entire side of the room. She could see her planet slowly receding as the destroyer gained altitude. Some officers were monitoring on their holopads, others were operating the underlying computers, and still others simply stood in front of the window to watch the takeoff. Some greeted Meda formally, and of course they also looked at her, but no one dared to ask anything.

A group of officers accompanied Admiral Ozzel to the bridge. The cadets and officers made way for him and greeted him properly. It was the first time Anthe had seen a high rank officer in person. Just before entering, Ozzel looked in their direction, which sent shivers down her spine.

—Officer Aztuc —said Ozzel, with a smile.

Meda returned the gesture and then watched him leave. Anthe was speechless. Now she had even more reasons to admire Meda.

—Just to your right, just through one door, is the bridge —Meda said in her ear, —someday you'll be able to enter through that door.

That was something that was within her wildest dreams. If there was something Anthe was, it was ambitious. She imagined wearing the insignia of a commanding officer, even giving orders while everyone bowed in her presence. Then, another more fragile and tender side of her just hoped to have enough credits to take home, and earn the place she had wanted for so long. At that moment, she could only think about completing her next mission and earning a juicy reward. She imagined all the things she could buy once she received her first payment. She imagined all the planets she could visit. All of this in a fraction of a second, just before takeoff.

The intercom announced the jump to lightspeed, counting down. Meda and she smiled at each other and the ship gave a sudden jolt. Despite having inertia compensators, it was the first time Anthe had experienced a jump to hyperspace and the push made her nauseous. The window was flooded with fleeting lights. The destroyer advanced within a luminous tunnel, thousands of light years away; Anthe's eyes shone with the brilliant blue of hyperspace. Meda couldn't help but laugh at her expression. A little later, everyone was called to their stations, especially the machinery operators, where she belonged.

—Let's go, we have work to do.

—Yes.

Meda accompanied her ten floors down, just before going their separate ways with the specialization cadets. Anthe found the control room and her empty seat, with the holoscreens in front of her. She began checking the engine performance and making statistics. Everything was in order. They were about to leave hyperspace in about one standard hour.

—Where were you? —Norian said from another chair behind her.

Anthe smiled for herself. She thought about what she could have missed when locked in that room, and that it would be difficult to enjoy the rest of the trip. That was a privilege that only Meda and other officers had. But soon she would earn her place.

The rest of the trip was very different from what she had imagined. There were no surprises, no technical problems, nothing interesting. She spent almost three hours in the control cabin, listening to the beeping of machines, the hands of other cadets typing, and Norian's unmistakable yawn. The first rest bell rang and everyone dashed to the main hall. Upon arrival, Anthe felt dizzy. It was full of cadets talking loudly. She heard trays clashing and laughter in the background. She saw Shaffu and Geers in line waiting with their trays. Meda was next to them. They waved for Anthe and Norian to join them.

—How was your first day? —Shaffu said, proudly showing off her bun.

—We won't lie to you; far from interesting —Norian replied.

Anthe watched as trays filled up in front of her. Although she had heard complaints about the food on board, this one didn't seem so bad. However, she didn't have much of an appetite. Her enthusiasm had collapsed for some reason, and she no longer saw the cadets in the same way as she had a while ago. Instead of celebrating, she just wanted to lie down in her litter.

—You're with Norian and Meda —her inner voice told her. But that didn't comfort her.

—Kriff, this tastes like cardboard —Norian complained, taking a bite of the bread and making a face.

More than to complain, the clowning around was just meant to make the women at the table laugh. Meda and Anthe didn't laugh; they continued their conversation. They had reached such a point in their years of friendship that they could almost communicate telepathically. Anthe caught Meda's message instantly.

"He's an idiot," to which Anthe nodded.

—How did you manage to join the specialization team? —Anthe asked Meda, catching everyone's attention.

—Well, it seems the girl is eager on her first day —Shaffu joked.

—Many will tell you that by fulfilling and working hard, you will be promoted. But the truth is, by the time you manage to advance, you will have exceeded the age limit. To rise high, you must attract the attention of a high-ranking officer.

Everyone listened attentively.

—I plan to present my project from the academy.

—Do you see those over there? —Meda pointed with her fork. At a table, a mixed group of cadets were speaking in hushed tones and looked right at them. —They are your competition. They have each submitted more than ten projects. From statistics, hacking systems, espionage, decoding programs, to weapon design. All to impress the admiral and the moffs. But Ozzel is very reluctant.

—On the other hand, you have made a good impression with Admiral Ozzel —Anthe said. Meda went numb. Anthe couldn't decipher her expression.

—Well, but Anthe received recognition for her academy project. Wasn't it a code program? — Norian said.

—An adaptive real-time hacking system —Anthe corrected, annoyed.

—Of course, brainiac.

—I think it´s all about charms. My sister gained two ranks just by smiling at a lieutenant —Shaffu said without reservation.

Anthe felt disgusted just thinking about it. She remembered Admiral Ozzel's yellow mustache, and it made her stomach turn. She didn't need to sell herself to earn her merits.

—No commanding officer is interesting enough to make that worth it —she said.

—You would know —Geers said jokingly, as the conversation had taken an odd turn.

—And you, why are you here, Geers? What's your goal? —Anthe asked.

—Isn't it obvious? For the Empire. To contribute to a good cause. To achieve the peace that has been long awaited. The rebellion represents everything I cannot tolerate in this society.

—And what's that?

—Questioning, selfishness, rebellion.

For a moment, Anthe thought about herself and how each of those words described her perfectly.

Meda gestured for Anthe to look under the table. She had already seen it. Norian's hand was shamelessly caressing one of Shaffu's legs, right in front of them. That day didn't seem like it could get any worse.

From then on, she counted every minute until she could return to her quarters. Both Meda and Anthe arrived and threw their caps onto the litter. Anthe was more exhausted than she had thought.

—Is this a joke!? How can he do that? —Meda shouted, taking off her uniform, furious.

—It's just Norian being Norian.

—But that's not just brazen! It's disgusting! Since when has he been so affectionate with Shaffu?

—I don't know.

—I thought you said things were better.

—They got better.

—Is this your idea of 'better'?

Anthe sat on her litter, lost in thought.

—I don't know, maybe I have to admit that Shaffu's hair is very pretty.

—You can't be serious.

—He has never cheated on me.

—Has he never done it or have you never seen it?

—Norian took me in when I left home.

—I know.

—He paid for my entrance to the academy.

—I know! But...

Meda looked into her friend's eyes. She saw a very young and very tired woman. Despite always appearing to be in motion and ready to fight, the truth was that Anthe was exhausted. She never allowed herself a break from anything or anyone.

—You know, I'm sorry. Don´t mind about Norian. You'll see that everything will turn out fine — Meda said, taking her by the shoulders —and as soon as I have a chance to present your project to Ozzel, I will.

—Thank you.

They fell silent for a moment. The lights went out, and Anthe found herself lying on her litter, looking up at the ceiling. She hoped that Meda would talk to her about something else. Maybe then she could sleep.

—You need to sleep —Meda said. Anthe knew what she meant. —When was the last time you slept?

—Yesterday. But if you mean when was the last time I rested... —Anthe stopped herself.

—What will you do once you achieve the prestige you want? —Meda asked.

—What do you mean?

—What will you do when you're a commander, admiral, or captain?

—I'll apply for Moff —Anthe joked, and they both laughed out loud. —I don't know, I haven't thought about it.

—Isn't there something you want more than career success?

—Yes, of course.

—What is it? What do you really want?

Anthe pondered for a moment.

—No, you'll make fun of me.

—Oh come on! —Meda insisted.

—I don't know. I've always wanted to experience something exciting, something dangerous, an adventure. I know it sounds like a little girl's fantasy. I've imagined marrying Norian, but...

—But?

—I don't know. We've been together for so long. I saw how my brother lived with his wife; it was so different. I would like to know how it feels...you know.

—Desire? Passion? —Meda said, playfully.

—Something that consumes me, whatever it may be. Not falling in love. But being consumed. Experiencing what it feels like to truly be alive.

—Wow —said Meda, who couldn't help but laugh. —Do you think Norian can't give you that?

Anthe fell silent. For a moment, she felt as if she were back home again, taking in the scents of the market, the smell of burnt oil and roaring engines in the workshops. Norian's face suddenly became so vivid that it seemed she could touch it with her hands...