Nessah stood in Irric’s office, her eyes roaming over the multitude of monitors he used for his work. “Are they ready?” She hadn’t spent the weeks waiting for Jyn’s team to arrive idle. Much like how the docking bay had been prepared for their arrival, Nessah also had new equipment for the team to use.
Irric nodded and motioned towards the large black briefcase on his desk. “I’ve prepared these data slates to connect only to each other. I’ve also made sure they were wiped of any possible bugging or tracking software. This one,” he said, handing Nessah a tablet, “is for you to use. It will let you connect to the others without anybody else knowing.”
Her conversation with Cyrix three weeks prior had ignited a spark of paranoia within Nessah. After learning that he didn’t think that even their private line was safe from prying eyes, she had ordered Irric to prepare special data slates that she knew she could trust. They were to be distributed to Jyn’s team so that the details of their mission could be kept a secret from whatever parties had tapped her lines. While she didn’t know who on the Tribunal might be receiving the information, she wasn’t taking any chances. She had her suspicions but didn’t know for sure.
She reached over and hefted up the briefcase, not at all surprised by its weight. “Well done.” She deposited the briefcase at her feet before speaking back up. “I have a new mission for you.” Irric sat up straighter, looking at her expectantly. “You’re being deployed to the research facility for field work.”
Irric stared at her, dumbfounded. He’d taken his role as an analyst specifically to avoid venturing out into the field. The entire point of his job was that he would remain safely tucked away inside the base while letting others take on the danger.
“I’m what?” he asked lamely.
“With Tassie back here, we need somebody on-site to help hack into the gru’uls’ systems. Unfortunately, in the spirit of keeping the details of the mission a secret, there aren’t that many individuals who have the expertise necessary to do the job. That’s where you come in. You’re to be Tassie’s replacement, as she will be busy here, guarding our newest acquisition.”
Irric hadn’t been told yet what exactly Tassie and her team had brought back that warranted such a reaction from the General. His job had been to guide them secretly onto the base without getting caught. He blinked, processing his new orders. “When do I leave?” He wondered what field agents needed.
“You leave right now. You’re to return with me to Jyn’s ship and receive a spare combat suit and gun. While I don’t expect you to need to use it, no soldier of mine is going into the field unprepared.”
“Does this mean I’ll get to see what they brought back or am I strictly returning to their ship for supplies and equipment?” Irric asked.
Nessah thought for a moment, debating on the best course of action. If Irric was to be researching the restricted section of the facility, then he was likely to come across information pertaining to Adrian. Him knowing would help him in his search. “I’ll show you,” she nodded. “Try not to be too surprised,” she said, her voice tinged with amusement. “You won’t have very long to observe. I’ve got a crew preparing to transport you as we speak.”
Irric closed all the programs running on his terminal and watched the screens turn black. He scurried after Nessah as she left the room, intent on reaching Adrian as soon as possible. Time was a precious resource that she didn’t have much of. Exiting the building and entering her vehicle, they drove over to the docking bay where Adrian was held. Irric could barely contain his excitement as the car’s tires crunched on the road when they pulled up.
He bounded out of the car and started walking towards the bay, only to remember in whose presence he was, and stopped short. “After you, ma’am,” he said. Nessah pointed towards the trunk of the car where the briefcase was stored and Irric quickly withdrew it, carrying it as he walked alongside her.
Nessah guided Irric around the still invisible ship that was docked, stopping him from running into it as he went to cross the bay through the middle. Their footsteps echoed on the thick stone floor as they approached, the only source of noise around. Stationed at the door leading further inside the building was Eimir, whose black suit blended into the shadows cast by the tall metal walls in the dead of night.
Spotting the duo from far away, he raised his gun and was about to call for them to halt, only to realize that it was the General. He quickly changed his stance into a salute as he let them by, before resuming his previous position. Kell and Beor let them pass undeterred as they made their way through the halls towards the control room where Adrian was being held.
Irric entered the control room and looked around. He immediately spotted the wall that gave way into Adrian’s cell. “By the gods,” he gasped, taken aback by Adrian. He lay with his head down on the desk, resting. His dirty, limp brown hair hung far down to his waist, matted and full of grease. “What’s wrong with him?” Irric’s first thought was that the man was diseased, given his strange colouring and shabby appearance. His mind barely registered the bloodstains covering his clothes.
“Nothing.” Nessah understood his reaction. It was the same disbelief that she’d had when she first entered the room. And I warned him, too, she thought wryly. “He was found inside what we believe to be a restricted section of the facility,” she explained when she saw the blank look on Irric’s face.
“They researched how to change skin colour?”
“No, he claims he was born that way.” The revelation garnered further shock from Irric. “We don’t know what they did to him, just that he was the test subject for gru’ul experimentation. He’s unwilling to elaborate on what happened.”
“How do we know he’s telling the truth?”
“Honestly, we don’t. That’s why it’s so important that you discover what’s in those files that the gru’ul tried so hard to hide.” She proceeded to explain what they had learned about him so far, filling him in on the details he was lacking. He asked clarifying questions when he was unsure but was soon brought up to speed on the situation.
Irric’s expression morphed into one of resolve. “I’ll do my best to uncover their secrets.” He turned back towards Adrian, who hadn’t moved. “I understand now why you want this to be kept quiet.”
Nessah nodded. “Jyn will take you back to his ship, where a spare set of clothes are waiting.” Jyn stood up straighter when he heard his name and beckoned Irric to follow him. They left the room, leaving only Rann and Nessah inside. “Your mission,” Nessah continued, “will be to learn as much information from Adrian as possible. Be nice, be friendly. I don’t care how you do it but find a way to make him trust you enough to start talking.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
“Once Irric is gone, load him back up into your ship and prepare to transport him to this location.” Nessah withdrew a neatly folded slip of paper from her pocket. She handed it to Rann. “Only open it when you’re safely back on your ship. Tassie will know what to do with it.”
Rann palmed the piece of paper, keeping a tight grasp on it. “What about supplies? You didn’t mention how long we’ll be gone for.”
“I’m honestly not sure.” Nessah sighed. “I’ll find a way to sneak out enough supplies to last you, but you’ll need to make a return trip to stock up. I wasn’t expecting to have to send you away quite so quickly when you arrived. Will you have enough with what you already have onboard?”
Rann thought for a moment, making a mental tally of everything they had left. She amended her calculations to include Adrian, who ate more than a normal person, before answering. “We should be good for a few more weeks, if we stick to ration bars. Is there any way we could get some fresh food? Commander Cyrix gave us some supplies before we left, but I’m not sure how long they’ll last us. Maybe a change of clothes for Adrian? I don’t think he’d fit in my spares,” she said, amused.
“I’ll see it done. I’ll have everything ready in a day or two. Expect to make a return trip to pick them up.”
“Will we still need to come back in secret?”
“Preferably, although it might not be necessary if all you’re taking are supplies. You could simply be making a supply run for your mission back at the facility, after all.”
“When do we leave?”
“Right now. Take this.” She motioned to the briefcase Irric left behind on one of the desks in the room. “It contains clean equipment that can’t be traced. Use it during the mission to contact me. Don’t trust your old equipment.”
Rann took the briefcase and opened it, inspecting the new data slates inside. She clasped it shut when she was satisfied and lifted it off the desk. She took it back with her to the ship when she was dismissed by the General.
----------------------------------------
Tassie was a tad annoyed that she couldn’t spend more time with Irric now that they were finally back on base together. It was always mission this, mission that. All she wanted were a few hours off to spend with the man. She turned around when the doors to the bridge opened, revealing Rann.
She made straight for Tassie and handed her the piece of paper given to her by the General. “What’s this?” Tassie asked. She unfolded the slip and stared at the series of numbers written on it, perplexed.
“I don’t know.” Rann looked over Tassie’s shoulder to read what was written. “It’s probably a set of coordinates.”
Tassie blinked. She looked back down at the paper in her hands. “Wow, I feel stupid. I should have seen that; it’s so obvious now that you’ve pointed it out. This where we need to go next?” She brought up the navigation pane and punched in the coordinates. A world map of Verilia appeared, a blinking red dot on the far left catching their attention. Tassie whistled. “That’s in the Kaldros mountain chains. That’s practically on the other side of the planet!”
Rann shrugged. “If that’s what the paper says then that’s our destination. I don’t know what we’re supposed to find over there, but I’m sure it will become apparent when we arrive.”
“What could possibly be all the way over there?”
Rann thought for a moment. “Probably a safe house of some kind. It’s the only thing that makes sense. The General wants us to keep Adrian a secret and keep him off base. There must be some place safe that she has in mind for this.”
“Alright. Get the others ready to go and I’ll take us there.”
Rann left the bridge, leaving Tassie alone again. Using her comms, she verified that everybody was ready to go before giving the command to Tassie to take off and leave. She barely felt a thing as Tassie rose the ship off the ground and took off, leaving the military base behind as they climbed in altitude and flew away unseen. The General had been very clear about what kind of flight speeds they needed in order to remain undetected by their surveillance grid while stealthed, a fact Rann had been unaware of until she’d been told. It made her wonder how many other times soldiers came and went in secret.
The trip took seven hours, the ship forced to fly at subsonic speeds. Rann tried to occupy her time by chatting with Adrian, who was uncooperative. He claimed he was tired and that he wanted to rest a bit before they arrived to wherever it is they were going. After watching him lay down on the floor and remain unmoving for a long stretch of time, she eventually gave up on the idea of extracting further information from him during the trip, deciding it could wait until they arrived.
She hunted down each of her team members and distributed the new data slates. At the same time, she collected their old ones, ensuring that she would give them back at the end of the mission. While they weren’t supposed to, each data slate ended up becoming personalized over time. Rann understood the frustration at being told to give up their beloved slates for a factory fresh one. She carefully explained that they didn’t have a choice in the matter and that they would receive their data slates back once the mission was finished.
Rann brought the briefcase – which now contained everybody’s old data slates – back to her room so that she could add hers to the collection. The rooms on the ship weren’t large by any stretch of the imagination, containing nothing more than a single bed, a small closet and a desk within its narrow, metal confines. Being second in command did have some perks, and her room was larger than the others’. She easily had enough space to store the old, confiscated equipment.
She sat down at her squat metal desk and ran a hand over it, wishing it were made of wood instead. She moved her mug out of the way, placing it further back on the desk with a clang and clearing up space. Her old data slate began to ring when she moved to grab the briefcase at her feet.
Rann frowned when she couldn’t see the caller’s ID. Such a thing shouldn’t be possible with military-grade equipment. She didn’t have time to contemplate the oddity when her data slate automatically picked up the call, alarming her.
Elder Kaius’ face appeared onscreen, startling her. Behind him was a window that showed a view of the top of other high-rise buildings illuminated with warm orange lights. He was in a city somewhere, but where exactly, Rann couldn’t guess. “Corporal, I trust I’m reaching you at a good time,” came his smooth voice from the screen she held in her hands. “I was hoping we could have a little chat.”
Rann broke out into a cold sweat, trying to figure out what was so important that warranted a call directly from the Tribunal. Judging by the way the call came in as private, she guessed that the Elder didn’t want others knowing about the call, otherwise it would have gone through proper channels. “Of course, Elder Kaius,” she replied with a forced smile. “How may I help you?”
“I heard that your team has returned to Verilia. On such short notice, too. The expedition should have arrived at the Arvis sector only three weeks ago. Imagine my surprise when I found out that one of the teams returned so soon.”
Rann tried to still her trembling hands, hoping that Kaius didn’t notice. She placed her data slate on a small stand on her desk and hid her hands on her lap, out of sight. The General surely hadn’t told him that they’d returned, that much she was sure of. Rann didn’t have time to contemplate how he acquired his information.
“I was hoping you could enlighten me on the reason for your return,” he continued, oblivious to Rann’s internal panic as she kept her features carefully schooled in a blank mask, giving nothing away.
“We were ordered back for supplies by Commander Cyrix,” she lied, trying her best to put her story in line with what the General had mentioned before they left. This way, she had a plausible excuse to return for more supplies on base when the General called. She hoped her it would be enough but doubted it. The Elder wanted something from her. She wasn’t sure what, but she wasn’t going to risk compromising her mission after being explicitly ordered to keep it a secret.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“I see.” Kaius stroked his beard. “And these supplies were so urgent that you were sent off right after the expedition arrived? What could the fleet require that they didn’t already have?”
“We weren’t sent off right away,” Rann said truthfully. “It was decided after exploring the facility that we were to return back to Verilia.” Rann’s comms began ringing. She quickly turned them off and ignored them.
At the mention of exploring the facility, Kaius narrowed his eyes. He made no comment about Rann’s comms going off. “Did you discover something during your exploration? I’m assuming that your team was one of the ones assigned to the ground operation.”
Rann hesitated, walking a fine line between truth and lie. “We discovered a restricted section of the facility,” she said, thinking quickly. If Kaius could learn that they’d returned in secret, then he would surely learn of this fact. She watched him visibly brighten at the news.
“That’s wonderful news!” he said excitedly. “What does this have to do with you returning for supplies?”
Rann cursed internally. Of course he would see right through it. She searched for anything else she could tell him. “The computer systems were corrupted by one of the researchers. We were sent back to get the proper equipment to crack the systems. The Commander told us to do it secretly so as not to raise suspicion about the nature of the mission.”
“He probably didn’t want the rest of the soldiers to know what was really going on until he had more information,” Kaius mused out loud. Rann’s shoulders sagged in relief. He’d bought it. It was flimsy at best, but her story would hold water if scrutinized more closely.
“The Commander didn’t explain his reasoning to us, sir.”
“I see.” Elder Kaius gave Rann a long look. “I’d like it if our little chat stayed between us, corporal. No need to bother anybody else about this. I would hate for anything bad to happen. If possible, I’d like for you to keep me informed as new discoveries are made.”
Rann wasn’t stupid. She read between the lines and nodded mutely. “I understand, sir. I’ll do my best to help, but I make no promises of finding anything useful. I don’t know how long it will take for us to crack their systems. It’s not my area of expertise.”
“That’s fine, as long as you tell me when anything new arises. One last question, if I may?” Elder Kaius’ eyes flicked off screen as he looked at something else for several seconds. “If you came back for supplies, what is your team doing flying over the middle of the Meisa ocean?”
Rann paled. How had he known where they were? The new data slates were cleared of tracking software, which means the old ones can be tracked, she realized. I need to hang up before he figures out where we’re going.
Rann was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door, taking Elder Kaius by surprise as well. “Remember what I said, corporal,” Elder Kaius said between knocks, hanging up when he was done speaking. Rann’s screen turned off, as if there had never been a call in the first place.
With trembling legs and a shaky breath, Rann stood up and made her way to the door. Opening it up revealed Beor. “Hey, babe, you weren’t answering your comms and I was wondering if – are you alright? You don’t look too good,” Beor said, concerned.
“I’m fine.” Rann lied. Again. “What did you come here for?” she deflected.
“Are you sure? You really don’t look well. Maybe you should go lie down. I can come back later.”
“I’m fine, babe,” Rann insisted. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you right now.” She pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder for a long moment. “I was just getting some work done, that’s all.”
“Alright, then.” Beor let go of Rann. “I was wondering if you wanted to come grab a bite to eat in the mess hall. It’s been a while since we last took a break. I convinced Eimir to take over watching our resident alien while I take some time off.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Give me a couple minutes, I have some things I need to finish up. How about I meet you there?”
Beor gave Rann a searching look. “That works for me,” he said finally. “I’ll see you there in a few?”
“More like ten.”
Beor nodded and left, following his stomach towards the food. Rann closed her door and dropped onto her bed. She lay there for a moment, not moving as she recovered from her stressful conversation with Elder Kaius. She’d just barely avoided having to admit to her lie. She sat up on her navy-blue sheets and looked towards her desk.
Forcing herself to get up, she sat back down in her armchair and picked up her new data slate. She called the General. After several rings, the call was picked up.
“Corporal,” Nessah said as her face appeared on screen. “It hasn’t been very long since you left. Has something happened?”
Rann looked torn but took a deep breath before speaking. “Yes.” She had received a direct order from the Tribunal to keep their correspondence a secret and wasn’t sure whether she should be having this discussion. Rann owed too much to the General not to inform her of the evolving situation. “I just got contacted by Elder Kaius. He knows we’re back.” She then proceeded to recount her conversation with the Elder.
Nessah was irate by the time Rann was done. “That old bat!” she cursed. If Rann was surprised by the outburst, she didn’t show it. “How’d he get his hands on that information so fast?” Nessah had been so careful in her preparations. Cyrix’s words from the previous night echoed in her mind, causing a chill to run through her. Her private lines were compromised. It was the only way Kaius could have known about the situation so fast. A sudden sense of relief flooded her that Cyrix had so carefully worded their conversations about the topic.
In contacting Rann, Kaius had unknowingly tipped his hand to Nessah. Her earlier paranoia for getting new data slates was justified, now knowing that she’d been spied on. While she was always careful about leaks, it was preposterous to think that her private lines had been tapped. They were supposed to be the most secure communication medium in the entire army. Yet the evidence was staring right at her. She had no choice but to admit that they were compromised.
Nessah bit her lip, deep in thought. “Thank you for telling me, Rann.” This changed things. Her every move, every word would have to be carefully monitored until she decided when to let the Tribunal know about Adrian’s existence. “Good thinking by claiming you were making a supply run. It grants me the legitimacy to give you a large quantity of supplies when you return.”
Nessah couldn’t afford to have any loose ends reveal any information about the research facility. Her mind turned to Reya. While she might not have known much, she had still been a participant in the mission that discovered the facility. Nessah worried that the Elders would try to use her for information she didn’t have. With her close connection to Rann’s team, it wasn’t unfeasible that she might come across some sensitive information as the situation evolved. She made a snap decision. “When you return for supplies, I want you to bring Miss Ayala back with you. I fear that she may be used by the Elders as well.”
The order stunned Rann. “You really think they’d try to use her after what she went through?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them. Once you arrive at the safe house, drop off your payload and return for supplies. I’ll have them ready by the time you return. When you’re back, collect Miss Ayala and return to the safe house with her.”
“I understand,” Rann said, conflicted. Ultimately, she couldn’t deny an order from the General and knew that if it wasn’t her, it would be somebody else.
“Good. Thank you for keeping me informed about Elder Kaius. If that’s all,” Rann nodded her head, “then I wish you a successful mission. Keep me informed if anything else happens.” Nessah hung up the call, leaving Rann alone in her room. Checking the time, Rann hurried to meet Beor in the mess hall before he became suspicious.
The rest of the trip passed by uneventfully and after seven hours of travel, the team found themselves high up in the Kaldros mountains. The mountain tops gave way to a large, idyllic valley with a sprawling forest of trees with blue leaves and a large, crystal-blue lake. Pale blue grass with white tips blanketed the ground where the treeline ended. Tucked away on the edge between the forest and the grassy plains was a large house, a short distance away from the lake. Spotting the house, Tassie brought the ship to land in the clearing next to it.
Ensuring that the ship remained cloaked, the team exited onto the ground and took stock of their surroundings. Their boots crunched on the grass full of morning dew as the sun crested the peaks in the distance. They cautiously approached the empty house with their weapons raised, on the lookout for any kind of movement.
Jyn stepped up onto the wooden wraparound porch and opened the door. He was greeted by the dark interior of an empty home. Light shone through the windows, illuminating the dust that hung in the air.
Doing a sweep, he made his way past the large, modern kitchen complete with granite counters and through the living room, where dark brown leather sofas sat around a large holoscreen. Satisfied that the first floor was clear, he instructed Beor and Eimir to check the upstairs while he inspected the three bedrooms on the first floor.
They reported five large bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor. Jyn was surprised that they had just enough bedrooms for the amount of people they were, especially considering that Reya was supposed to come live here as well.
When the all-clear was given, Rann returned to the ship to fetch Adrian. “Chilly,” Adrian said as he walked barefoot in the wet. He stopped for a moment and looked around.
“Is something wrong?” Rann asked as she watched him stare at his surroundings, enraptured.
“It’s just,” Adrian choked, looking for the right words, “I haven’t seen the sky in a very long time.” He looked up, noting the pale purple sky above. “And even though the colour is all wrong, it’s still a beautiful sight to see.”
Not for the first time, Rann wondered how long Adrian had been in the facility for. Reya had been much the same when she’d arrived back on Verilia, but Adrian’s reaction somehow seemed something more. She couldn’t quite place it, but she understood that being outside was very important for him. She gave him a moment longer before ushering him inside towards the house. “Come on, you can look around later. Let’s go get settled for now.”
Adrian nodded and followed along behind her, breathing in the earthy scents that filled the crisp morning air, not minding in the slightest as the hem of his pants got soaked. He climbed the front step and stood on the porch, turning around to see the view one last time. He smiled for the first time since his release, though it went unseen as the others were too busy checking out their new living accommodations. He walked inside and joined them, curious to learn the secrets of his new home.
Rann and Tassie went back onto the ship, already preparing to depart for their supply run. It would be a while yet before they had the chance to sleep. The others had been made aware of the General’s orders and Jyn had called to confirm them. With their new orders, the team settled in for the long haul and waved off Rann and Tassie as they departed back to base.
----------------------------------------
The sound of running water filled Reya’s ears as she lounged in the hot shower. She languidly raised her arm and inspected her scars as rivulets ran down its length. She traced them with her finger, recalling each and every cut that now marred her skin. Just looking at them was depressing. She hated them but had to admit that Irric was right. They were never going to go away. She had to learn to live with them.
Faintly, the ringtone on her data slate went off, so soft she almost she missed it. Must be Irric, she thought. I’ll call him back when I’m done. Reluctantly, she turned off her source of warmth and happiness, shivering as the cooler air touched her skin. She reached for her towel and wrapped herself up, keeping the chill at bay. Getting out is always the worst part, she complained to herself.
Turning on her hairdryer, Reya let it fan her, once more indulging in luxurious warmth. Her long hair took a while to dry. Over the months since her return, it had regained its silky luster under the careful ministrations of her many beauty products and shampoos. She’d had the ends trimmed, as they were damaged from her time in captivity, but her hair still remained around her mid back. Just above the scars, she noted.
Putting on a pair of dark purple checkered pajama pants and a white tank top, she walked out of her bathroom, toeing around the discarded garments that littered her floor. I should really clean that up, she thought with a groan. Going over to her nightstand, Reya picked up her data slate and checked her call history. It looked like her data slate had accepted a call automatically. Strange. There was no message. She checked who sent the call. Private caller? She frowned. That’s odd. Who could’ve called me?
There was a knock on the door, interrupting her train of thought. Reya looked up from her data slate and went to go answer. “Coming!” she yelled as she quickly shrugged on a sweatshirt. She opened the door, revealing a very soaked Rann standing in the rain. “Rann!” Reya exclaimed excitedly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back? Actually, what are you doing back?” She looked over Rann’s wet form. “Never mind, come in quickly and get out of the rain.”
She ushered Rann inside and ran off to go find a dry towel before Rann could say anything. Returning with a soft blue one she found in her bathroom, she handed it Rann and immediately began fussing over her. “What were you doing outside in this mess without an umbrella?” A bright flash followed by thunder interrupted what she was going to say next, causing her to turn around and look out the window. “See? Even nature is telling you to stay inside.”
Rann smiled at her friend. “It’s good to see you too.” Rann cast a critical gaze around the room, noting the mess and stacks of boxes piled up on the floor. “Is something going on? Your place looks like a tornado passed through it.”
Reya chuckled uneasily at the comment as she looked around her room, suddenly self-conscious of its state. She hadn’t noticed exactly how messy it had become until Rann pointed it out. Things had gotten out of hand, and she hadn’t had enough energy to bother tidying up. She hadn’t been expecting company either. “About that,” Reya started, “I’m moving.”
Rann frowned. “Why? What’s wrong with this place? You’ve been here for years. Why bother moving now?” The boxes made more sense now, but that still didn’t explain the overall mess scattered over the floor, on the counter, on top of the boxes and all over her bed. This was a far cry from the usual state of Reya’s apartment and Rann was beginning to get worried. She spotted leftovers on the counter and piles of dirty dishes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in days. The discarded instant noodle cups didn’t help.
“You don’t know?” Reya asked. “I got fired from the military. More like dismissed, but same thing really. Because of that, I’m no longer allowed to live on base. They want me to move out within the next month or so. I’ve been looking for a new place, but I haven’t found one yet. I figured I’d start packing. Gives me something to do, you know?”
“They fired you?” Rann was floored at the idea. “Why would they do that?”
“They claimed I was unfit for duty and that I would most likely never fully recover from my ordeal. They ordered me to ‘get better,’” she said. “Whatever that means. They basically don’t trust me in live combat and around weapons. So goodbye army career.”
“That’s awful.” Rann was at a loss. “How could they do that to you? How are you going to live now? Did they find you a job? Are they helping you out?”
“No to the job, but yes to the financial support. Turns out being tortured is quite lucrative. They gave me a shiny medal and everything, told me it comes with a stipend. I took a look. It’s quite the pretty penny. I don’t really need to work now if I don’t want to. They’re even providing medical care for me.” Reya walked over to her nightstand and grabbed the ornate box sitting on it. She opened it and showed it to Rann. “See? Shiny.”
Rann gasped, staring at the dazzling sapphire in the centre as it gleamed in the light. “Is that the Silver Star?” She’d only ever seen pictures of it. Taking a step closer, Rann took a better look at the beautiful medal.
“Sure is. Kind of a consolation prize if you ask me, but at least it’s pretty.”
“Reya, this is huge! Holy crap, I’m friends with a Silver Star recipient.” A look of awe overcame Rann’s features as her eyes never left the medal.
“Hey, now, not you too,” Reya groaned. “It’s just a piece of metal. Anyways, what did you come here for?” she asked, changing the topic.
“About that,” Rann said, looking uncomfortable. “I need you to come with me.” She really didn’t know how to broach the subject about taking her friend away from her home indefinitely for her own protection.
Reya’s face morphed into confusion as she turned to look out the window. “In this weather? You’ve got be joking. Where do you want to go that’s so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“That’s not what I meant. I need you to leave your home and come with me somewhere safe. The General has ordered me to bring you to a safe house. For your own protection.”
Reya closed the lid of the box she was still holding, a look of concern crossing her features. “What’s going on, Rann? You’re starting to scare me.”
“It has to do with the mission. We found something. Something big. I can’t talk about it here, but the General is concerned that you may be targeted for information.”
“But I’ve been here the whole time you’ve been gone! That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know, but the General doesn’t see it that way. I need you to come with me, Reya.”
“No,” Reya said firmly. “Not until I know where we’re going and why.”
Rann made a complicated expression. “You know I can’t tell you that. I don’t have a choice but to bring you with me. Please come willingly. We don’t have much time.”
Reya narrowed her eyes and gave Rann a long, searching look. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” she sighed. “Fine. I don’t think this is necessary, but what do I know? I guess my data slate ringing earlier was you? I heard it but wasn’t able to answer in time. Strangely enough, there was no caller ID.”
The news alarmed Rann. “We need to go. Now,” she said urgently. Reya shouldn’t have been contacted by anybody. Irric was gone and the others were told only to contact the General. Her mind flashed to the call she received from Elder Kaius. If the call came in as private, then the Tribunal was already looking to contact Reya.
“Can I bring anything?”
“One box,” Rann said quickly. “Maybe two. I can carry one. Hurry, please.”
Reya quickly grabbed some toiletries and threw them into one of her boxes that had clothes in it. After a moment’s thought, she threw in the case holding her medal, not wanting to leave it behind lest anything happen to it while she was gone. She grabbed a role of tape off of one of the boxes and sealed the box in front of her. She placed it by the door and pointed out another box for Rann to grab. “Can I at least get changed before we go? I’d rather not stay in my pyjamas the whole trip.”
“Fine but make it fast.” Reya sorted through a pile of clothes and scurried into the bathroom, where she quickly got changed. She glanced outside, threw back on her sweatshirt for added protection, and was soon ready to go. Both women picked up a box and left the apartment, getting into Rann’s car.
Despite the short trip, they were both soaked from the heavy rainfall by the time they sat down on car’s leather chairs. Rann started the vehicle and the pair sped off back towards the ship. Reya stared out the window, barely able to see in front due to the storm as they passed by the few brave souls to venture out in this weather, wondering what was in store for her.