IE IV: LINGERING QUESTIONS
The sparkling trail. The panicking driver. The blood.
The day after the robber's life was brutally snatched by 6 tons of weight racing towards him, Eva pushes herself up from the mattress and rubs her eyes. Her eyelids feel heavy and she feels like she's on the edge of dozing off again. Her duty yesterday didn't do well. As the other girls in her barracks get up, Eva yawns and stretches her arms to wake them up. Her lungs fill with cold air and she shivers a little. Hopefully, the cold atmosphere will keep her awake, but she can already tell her stripped night rest won't do all too well for her. The stone slab she was rewarded by Mr Dane lies on her nightstand and Eva glances at it. She sighs.
If you didn't look so valuable, I wouldn't have needed to let your thief be finished off by a kriffin' truck. Thanks, stone.
Even at breakfast that morning, when the canteen of the Academy fills with cadets and she constantly hears chatter in her ears, Eva keeps staring into space. Even when she shoves the piece of bread into her mouth, she doesn't feel more awake.
She suddenly feels a tap on her hand lying on the table. Eva looks up and sees it's Ashara.
"Hey, you're alright?" she asks, tilting her head.
Eva sighs and shakes her head a little. "Haven't slept really well."
Ashara nods. On her plate stands a cup with white vapour rising. She shoves it towards her.
"Here, take my Caf," says Ashara. "It'll do you good."
She grasps her cup of Caf and takes a sip.
"Tastes like kriffin' cardboard," says Eva, clenching her jaws.
Ashara chuckles. "As usual," and she shoves a piece of fruit into her mouth.
Though it tastes awfully dull, Eva slowly feels the energy rushing back. And eating the rest of her breakfast, she feels her mind clearing up. She's back on track. Now that she feels the energy rushing through her, Eva can reflect on the questions she was left with yesterday. A Rebel stealing a slab of stone that holds no value whatsoever still puzzles her. She thought Rebels would at least steal something they could use in their fight against the Empire. A piece of stone would add nothing. It's just a piece of antique. It holds no firepower, no protection, no force, nothing. With the same questions lingering in her mind, Eva goes to personal combat class with her squad.
Standing on the rubber mats, Eva cracks her knuckles and prepares herself for a fight. However, she keeps thinking back to the ancient stone and the Rebel robber. She's unable to shove them aside. On the other side of the mat stands Roslin, stretching her arms and raising her fists.
"You're ready?" Roslin asks, looking over her fists.
Her heart starts pounding in her chest with the energy still fresh in her veins. She nods.
"Ready," Eva responds.
The training fight starts. With narrowed eyes, Eva raises her fists and launches herself forward. Coming closer, Eva lashes out. Roslin blocks and Eva's fist smashes into her open hand, and she steps back. Roslin lashes out, hits Eva's shoulder and she stumbles backwards. She feels her shoulder burning with pain, but she goes on. She stabilises herself, launches herself towards Roslin and lashes out. Roslin dodges her blow but Eva launches her other fist and pounds it into Roslin's chest.
Meanwhile, Peyton and Ecklund stand aside, watching the two as Roslin and Eva fight each other with thuds echoing through the boxing room.
The two start circling each other, and with her heart racing in her chest, Eva anticipates Roslin's future moves. She catches her breath, but even when her lungs burn to breathe, the blood that streamed down the street returns and the Rebel's last seconds flash before her eyes. She can't get the images to rest. Suddenly, she feels a blow in her jaw. She's pulled out of her thoughts and Eva collapses to the ground with a burn of pain in her jaw. With her knees on the ground, Eva grasps her jaws. It's aching like hell, not because Roslin is stronger but because she got distracted. Eva realises the mystery that unfolded before her yesterday is trying everything to remain with her. Not even during an intense training session like this can she put it to rest. If she can't let it rest, Eva figures that perhaps, she has to pay attention to it. Perhaps it will only go away when she understands the whole mystery of the stone and the Rebel. Maybe she needs to vent it.
Roslin lowers her fists. "You're alright?"
Eva looks at her and lets go of her burning jaw. Though it feels painful, it's not bad, so she pushes herself up from the ground.
"I'm fine," Eva responds, and she starts chuckling. "That was a good one."
"Wanna stop?"
"No, I'm not on the floor yet. We just started."
Roslin nods, and as Eva takes some seconds to let her lungs fill with cold air, she raises her fists again and she continues.
"You're a little bit hesitant," Roslin remarks.
She steps closer towards her and Eva anticipates her next move. She shifts her weight from foot to foot.
"What is it you're thinking about?" Roslin asks and she tilts her head a little. "The boys of the training yesterday?"
Eva smirks. "No. I was thinking about something else that got me distracted."
Roslin steps towards her and launches her fist. Eva ducks, gets up, sees Roslin's other fist coming towards her, and blocks with her open hand.
"I've been thinking about yesterday," says Eva.
She launches her fist and pounds Roslin in the shoulder within a fraction of a second. Roslin stumbles backwards.
"Why would a Rebel steal a rock?" adds Eva.
Roslin steps towards her, raises her foot and kicks Eva with her leg. She hits her thigh and Eva tumbles backwards.
"That rock was as worthless-," Eva sighs, recovering from the leg kick and she quickly blocks Roslin's fist with her arm, "as worthless as an apple peeler."
To gain an advantage, Eva ducks and head rolls underneath Roslin's flying fist. She lands on her feet, lifts up her leg and kicks Roslin in her ribs from the back. A stab in the back but an effective one. Roslin groans and stumbles away from her.
"Nobody would steal a kriffin' apple peeler," Eva remarks. "So why'd you steal a slab of stone for the Rebellion?"
Roslin doesn't seem to care much about her loud thoughts. The girl turns around with her jaws clenched, longing for a payback. Roslin charges forward, Eva raises her fist and launches it towards Roslin. Roslin ducks, dodges the blow and pounds her fist into Eva's shoulder. The strike makes Eva jerk away from Roslin. Now that her shoulder aligns with her, Roslin launches forward, entangles her arms around Eva's throat and puts her in a neck clamp. Eva feels the girl's warm muscles pinching her airways as Roslin intensifies her lock. The pressure on her throat increases and Eva's lungs burn with agony, gasping for the tiniest bit of air that manages to go through her squeezed throat. Roslin goes further and pushes her arms towards Eva's chin, causing her to gag and choke. Roslin's sheer power makes Eva's feet lift up from the ground and she feels them dangling. Eva wheezes as Roslin's neck clamp intensifies, and Eva grasps the girl's arms that embrace her throat, trying to pull them away and get her airways back open.
"It-, it doesn't," but she can't get more out of her mouth, "make any sense," she manages to squeeze out.
"Shut up and fight me!" Roslin snaps, nearly shouting through the room.
Eva wheezes. "Thought I'd-, share it with-, you."
Eva's eyes dart around, from Roslin's arm muscles to the girl's chin, and then downwards. She tries to look for any weakpoint she can use but she's clueless. Eva has no idea how to counteract Roslin's neck clamp. She never learned this tactic, not even from Sergeant Seren herself.
Eva scoffs and clenches her teeth. "Where the hell did you learn this?"
"Stop asking!" Roslin snaps, and she squeezes Eva's throat even further.
The pressure on her throat makes her eyes water and the tears start forming. As she's getting out of oxygen, Eva assesses Roslin's possible weak points within a second. Her head? No. Would do too little. Liver? Painful, but blocked by her own body. Wrist? In a quick second, that can make Roslin lose grip, but it wouldn't do much. Roslin needs to be shocked and brought out of focus, so that wouldn't work alone. Knee? That can work. Especially the kneecap. A kick with the back of her feet can rupture a surge of pain. Mixed with gripping Roslin's wrist to escape the neck lock, the kick can work. With the little oxygen she has left to burn, Eva launches her leg forward into the sky. She lifts it up a few times, trying to create enough momentum to deal a serious blow. Then, with enough energy in her muscles, Eva lifts her leg one more time and pounds with the back of her foot into Roslin's kneecap. Roslin lets out a scream of pain and she loses her grip on Eva's throat. Eva grasps Roslin's wrist and pulls it out of the lock. Eva slips out of the neck brace and falls to the ground. Her airways open up and the cold air rushes through her throat into her burning lungs.
Eva wheezes, trying to get her lungs back on track, and as Roslin stabilises herself from her hit on the kneecap, they make eye contact. The game's not over yet.
Eva stands up with clenched fists, but her body is totally deprived of oxygen and the world feels like it's spinning out of control. Eva almost trips over her own feet as she tries to reorientate herself, but before she can respond, Roslin launches towards her, tackles her with her leg, grasps Eva's shoulder and makes her stumble towards the ground. Roslin grasps Eva's throat and slams her onto the rubber mat and Eva shrieks.
Gasping for air, she lies on the rubber mat with her back aching. With pain spreading across her body, Eva clenches her teeth and gazes at Roslin bending over her. She curses under her breath. Blasted hell.
"Game's up," Roslin gasps, "You wonder why?"
Eva doesn't answer.
"You're thinking too much about things that don't matter when a situation calls for your focus. I know what happened yesterday is weird, but you're losing your focus because of it."
"Does it make any sense to you?" Eva hisses.
Roslin grasps the collar of Eva's training suit and pulls her up towards her as she bends over. She nearly rips off Eva's collar and she gasps, startled by Roslin's sudden move.
"Eva, did it help you?" Roslin hisses, staring straight at her.
Eva sighs as her collar stretches out. "No. It didn't."
Roslin nods. "You're on the floor because you lost to a thought. This is training, but when it gets real, you'll have to set priorities, and this trivial thought you had was not one of them. Got it?"
Eva tilts her head down and looks away from Roslin, but she has a point. Thinking back to the stone and the Rebel robber held her back. It was the wrong priority she valued more than her own victory. If she hadn't thought back, she could've won.
Eva lets out a sigh. "Yes sir."
Roslin lets go of Eva's collar and falls back onto the rubber mat. Her lungs still feel like they're burning and Eva tries to cool them. Gasping relentlessly for air, Roslin reaches out with her hand.
"Here."
Eva clenches her jaws and grasps Roslin's hand. She's pulled up and Eva almost stumbles over her. The world is still spinning around, but Roslin holds her against her chest to keep her steady. She moves her mouth closer to Eva's ears.
"But you did good," says Roslin and she smirks a little. "You had me struggling here."
Eva nods as she presses herself against her commander. "Thanks."
She takes some deep breaths to cool her lungs and get her brain supplied with oxygen.
"If you really wanna know what I think about it," says Roslin in her ear, "it's weird. If a Rebel steals a rock, it's valuable. They're fighting a guerilla war against us. They'll use anything to fight us."
Eva shifts her head and looks at her. "Even a rock?"
"Even a rock," Roslin responds.
Eva lets out a sigh. "I'm not sure, but I suppose so."
"It's the only explanation," says Roslin. "Now get yourself refreshed. You look devastated."
Eva smiles. You can say that again.
She steps off the rubber mat and sits down. She pushes her back into the steel pillar and Ecklund shoves a bit aside, making space for her. The sweat drips off of her forehead and Eva still feels her jaw burning from Roslin's punch. It was a good hit, but perhaps a bit too good. Maybe she needs some help.
"So, who's gonna prove herself next?" Roslin asks with her hands on her hips.
Peyton and Ecklund shake their heads simultaneously.
"Not me," they both chant.
Roslin sighs. "Someone has to come and fight. Who was the last to finish their breakfast this morning?"
It was you, Peyton, and Eva and Ecklund simultaneously shift their heads to look at her. Peyton lets out a sigh and steps forward.
"Alright, I'm going," she says and she puts down her datapad on the floor. "Eva, could you keep it safe?"
Eva nods. "Yeah."
Peyton steps onto the rubber mats. "Hey Roslin, could you go a bit easy on me?"
"Why? You don't want to end up as Eva?" Roslin smirks. "I'll try to hold myself in."
As Peyton and Roslin start jabbing at each other, blowing their fists into their bodies, Eva watches. Her heart starts calming down and the sweat starts drying up a little. She glances around a little and sees other squads training with their members as well. She recognises most of them, but Eva notices she's missing one person. It's Ashara, the squad medic, and glancing around to see if she's somewhere else in the boxing room, Eva notices she is completely absent. She could need help for her burning jaw. Besides the need for her expertise, it's training. Ashara should always be at training, unless there's something that's hindering her. But what? Surely she would've let her know she's stopped by something.
Puzzled, she turns to the quiet girl sitting next to her.
"Ecklund, where's Ashara?" Eva wonders.
Ecklund keeps her eyes on the two girls fighting each other.
"Sick," she responds.
What? She looked completely fine to me at breakfast. Smiling and happy and all of that.
Eva nods. "She looked fine at breakfast."
Ecklund remains quiet.
Eva hums. "Weird," and she focuses back on the training fight that's unfolding before her.
Peyton blocks Roslin's leg kick with her shin. Eva tries to lose herself in the fight scene, but her mind keeps distracting her. This time, it's not the stone and the Rebel robber. It's Ashara now. This morning, she looked so much better than her. Ashara was smiling. There wasn't a single sign that indicated she was sick. She looked too healthy to supposedly feel so bad that it warranted a sickness report and immediate absence. Something is not adding up and aside from that, Eva can't stop thinking about the possibility of her being a Rebel. Once again, she knows from her heart that the most inconspicuous people can be the vilest traitors in their dark side. Unable to let her thoughts rest, Eva turns to Ecklund. Perhaps the quiet girl has an answer.
"Ecklund, about Ashara," Eva starts. "Have you noticed anything strange about her?"
Ecklund shifts her head to her with furrowing eyebrows.
"Elaborate," she slowly demands.
"Well, she's been acting strange lately,'' Eva continues. "It feels like she's distancing herself a little from the squad."
Ecklund shrugs. "She's always with us at training. What do you want more from her?"
Eva sighs. "I don't know, but that's just how I feel. Two days ago, Ashara left our barracks in the middle of the night. Earlier that day, she told someone in an empty corridor she'd be there. It's just a little bit strange to me."
Eva refrains from telling her about her suspecting Ashara of being a Rebel. She knows they all trust her, and Eva still trusts her too. It's just a gnawing suspicion that's baseless, and if she would tell it aloud, it could trigger a heated moment within the squad. It could break the squad apart again, so Eva swallows her words.
Ecklund shakes her head and gazes away. "You're just thinking too much about her."
Maybe she has to tell her about it. Eva swallows.
"Ecklund, I need to know what you've seen," says Eva, and she starts whispering. "I'm asking you because I have a suspicion Ashara's a Rebel."
Ecklund shifts her head with confusion in her eyes.
"I know it's so baseless," Eva whispers, "but I know from experience that the most normal-looking people can hold the vilest secrets. Trust me. You're the quiet girl, you have better eyes than the ISB. You know more about us than what I know about myself. I just have to check in on her. From my heart, I know she's not a Rebel, but from my mind, I know there's a .0001 per cent chance she is."
Ecklund gazes at her in silence, still seemingly unconvinced.
"I don't want to experience my first nightmare ever again," Eva whispers.
Ecklund looks away and sighs. "I did notice some weird things. She was on an arrowhead."
"When?"
"Like almost every day? Sometimes at night too. You didn't notice?"
"Except for that one time when I woke up."
"She's been like this for a month."
Eva raises her eyebrows. Apparently, Ashara's been showing this behaviour for much longer than she thought. The question of what's happening lingers to her mind and Eva can't stop it from distracting her. Perhaps she should handle and take care of it, and if she's really sick, then checking in on her would be the best thing to do. So, she stands up from the cold floor.
"I'll check in on her," says Eva. "Maybe I need a check myself for my jaws."
And with that, Eva walks out of the boxing room and heads into the corridors of the Academy. If Ashara is really sick, hopefully, she's doing alright and will be over soon.
She taps on the door button and the blast door of the barracks slides open, but she sees immediately that there's no one. Ashara isn't here. Perhaps she's at the medbay or somewhere outside, taking some fresh air or visiting a nurse droid, so Eva continues. With each step she takes, she gets more worried about Ashara and what's going on.
Eva looks at the Medbay. The only ones who are there are some nurse droids and a cadet who twisted his ankle during training. But no Ashara. Eva looks outside within the perimeters of the Academy. No Ashara. Eva looks at Trooper Armament Bay. ACY knows about Ashara's sickness report, but the droid has no idea where she went. Ashara's whereabouts is a mystery.
After a long search, probably an hour later, Eva leans with her back against the wall in the corridor. Ashara is nowhere. She expected her to be at places to rest like any other sick person would. Apparently, this is not the case. Maybe she's in a different way sick? Ashara is a Pantoran so maybe it's something related to her genes, something tied to her race. The galaxy is full of aliens with a wide variety of DNA and each species has its own reaction to circumstances. Pantorans are mostly unaffected by the flu, but humans can be seriously impacted when they are infected. For other diseases, it can be the other way around. Maybe it's that, just something in their genes, but Eva feels clueless. If she was really sick, Ashara would've let her know she was.
Suddenly, she remembers what Ecklund told her. When Eva asked her if she noticed something strange about Ashara's behaviour, Ecklund said something about an arrowhead. Suddenly, it gives her a lead, and in an instant, she sprints through the corridor, looking for the nearest ground hangar bay. Because of their distinctive arrow-like shape, speeder bikes are nicknamed arrowheads. She didn't pick it up at the time, but now, Eva realises Ashara was seen driving a speeder bike. If Ecklund is right, Eva can find her in the hangar.
Eva runs into the vast hangar bay of the Academy building. There are some ITTs standing in their parking lots. A few TIE Vulcan tanks are receiving some service rounds from mechanics, and some Stormtroopers walk around, but generally, it's mostly empty. But this is the place for ground vehicles, and if Eva's thoughts are correct, Ashara must've taken a speeder bike from here.
Looking around, she sees a serviceman inspecting a TIE Vulcan with a flashlight and a scanner. He's shining into the tank's engine chamber. Maybe he's seen her, and so, Eva approaches him.
"Uh-, sir?" Eva stammers.
The man turns around. He wears thick overalls with yellow, reflective stripes, and weathered, metal-grey work boots.
"Do you have a few seconds?" she asks.
"Be quick about it," he mumbles, and he shifts his focus back on the tank's engine block.
"I'm looking for my squad member," Eva continues. "She's a Pantoran, so blue skin, golden tattoos-,"
"I know how they look," the man snaps. "They're pretty distinctive."
"Well, did you see one in this hangar in the last couple of hours, taking a speeder bike?"
The man suddenly curses under his breath.
"Track Links are busted to hell," he whispers. "Yes, kid. I saw a Pantoran here. She hopped onto an arrowhead when I just started inspecting this unit an hour ago."
So she did leave on a speeder bike today.
Ecklund was right. Ashara left on a speeder bike and Eva is left behind to eat her dust. She's clueless why. What is she trying to escape? She can't form an answer that's plausible in the slightest. Besides, she's found absolutely zero signs that indicate Ashara has Rebel sympathy. She can't even believe she would have them, and so, with a confused mind that can't rest, Eva walks off, puzzled by everything. Apparently, Ashara is keeping a secret. Eva feels like it's okay to have secrets, but Roslin's punch in her jaw has left her with physical pain and a mild headache on the horizon. She needed her in the boxing room. Ashara's secret is now impacting her negatively, and Eva feels like that's not okay. It makes her more intrigued about what Ashara is up to.
Ashara, what are you keeping a secret?
Meanwhile, Ashara shrieks through the roads of Vaulent Capital. With her helmet squeezing her head, she holds tighter onto her driver. Seeing the Academy building in the reflection of the rear windows of speeders she passes, Ashara hopes her little secret won't get to light. It's all so serious at the Academy that it feels like she's trapped. In her heart, she's afraid it could land wrong with her friends…
