The Rebel Faction

Bonadan

Time...I don't have enough time...

Miles shoulders felt heavy, too heavy, all of him felt..heavy. Yet he did not let this show within his expression, keeping all that he had to uphold and attend to inside himself. He kept his heavy feelings within because he had to, there was no time to let such feelings be known. There was a time to let go and a time to press on. He would press on and so would Yana..

He made a curt nod toward Yana, not meaning to be rude but time was of the essence, and at the moment, someone else needed his time more, the guard.

His eyes settled tiredly on the guard, though the expression in his eyes went unnoticed as he blinked, being replaced with a more attentive, alert look, mixed in with a sense of awareness, reaching his eyes just as the guard spoke.

The looking glass...The sands of time...

The other comm went off, this time Yana's, the one that was obviously expected, yet the one Miles still was not prepared for.

Miles kept his eyes on Yana as she spoke, almost as if he could not look anywhere else, even if he had tried. The conversation between Yana and those whom had now become her not so friendly adversaries, not that they were ever friendly to begin with...

The conversation had gone well(better than what Miles himself had expected), much to Miles astonishment. He smiled lightly at Yana, reassurance crossing his face.

"..You did well.." He spoke quietly.

He turned to the guard once more, giving him the go ahead.

"Make it so..."

He paused, his eyes seemed to dart back and forth as he looked onward, onto the table.

Who can I get to help me out here?...

Miles knew just about everyone who worked at or for Vinda Corp, well, Yana and a few others being minor exceptions.

He spent a very many a time with Mr. Vinda, talking of this or that. Mr. Vinda was often excited to speak of new employees, no matter what branch of Vinda Corp they worked for. He was quite glad he paied attention to every word Mr. Vinda said to him.

"I can't be fully assured that the task force will be used to its fullest of capabilities, not until I speak with someone in charge of the defense fleet, I need to know that everything will be well taken care of..."

He diverted his gaze back to the guard.

"I do not care whom you get to speak with me, but find me someone. Arrangements must be made for that fleet, and I wish to make very sure that those arrangements are met."

He had learned a thing or two from Mr. Vinda. He watched him communicate with his fleet members, watched as Mr. Vinda went and double checked through all the arrangements. He would do that same, regardless if he knew what he was doing or not. If Mr. Vinda did it, it was good enough for Miles, and that was all that Miles knew how to be and do...

Follow by example...

Tallien was walking behind the captives, his razor-like fingers contracting and expanding as he passed each person.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> So... you think you control death do you? You think you can dictate to the God's when you wish your life's greatest sacrifice to take place?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


The girl was shaking and he could smell each captive's fear.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> This is a galaxy of weaklings!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


As Leia spoke softly, wincing from the pain.


He stopped at her last words and turned to her.


"I lie?" the near accusation, especially from an infidel, was surprising to his ears.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Did she take him for a servant of Yun-Harla?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


"Woman, what possible reason would I have to lie to you?"

He stopped at the old man and thrust out his hand, grasping the back of the captive's neck. His eyes bored into Leia's.

"Listen to me carefully, Jeedai. I will let you go, if you choose one to die in your place."


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Take away her convenient excuse, Xanadal. Let's see if she welcomes death willingly, of her own mind's volition...or if she grasps on the the dying embers of her life's ashes as her kind are known to do...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

"So be it... Jeedai."


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> I am winning, Xanadal. These primitives can be made to embrace our way of life. They merely need the proper .. motivation.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


Tallien released the old man and his razor fingers were rammed into the base of the Bothan's neck, severing his nerve endings in one stroke.

The Bothan slid to the floor instantly paralyzed.

The boy cried out at the sight and the girl started to sweat blood. The old man closed his eyes resigned to what would come next but Tallien had the guards take them away.

Turning to two other warriors, //Take the Jeedai to the holding cell. See that she gains her strength back to stand on her own. I wish her to see the destruction of this world and our final victory enacted. Bring her back at midday.//


The warriors knodded and drug the weakened Leia through a corridor and threw her into a holding cell. A membrane slid over the area that served as a "door" sealing her off on all sides.

The membrane of this ship's area was semi transparent and Leia could see the outline of warriors standing on all four sides.

A Leia drifted in and out, a voice whispered from above, "Who's there?"

The voice sounded like a teenage male.

"Anyone there?" came the dry whisper.

The death of the Bothan played over and over in Leia's mind as she was drug to her cell. She had not seen it happen, as her head had been turned away, but she had felt it through the Force, which was actually much worse. The Bothan had been at peace with the situation, but Leia certainly was not.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> That contemptible, ugly, dirty, lying, piece of filth!

He chose for me.

And he didn't kill me. They must not be done with me... yet.

What next....?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Leia fast ran out of steam for her musings as she lay flat on her stomach in her cell, as still as her trembling body could manage. Her mind was fatigued and heavily ridden with pain, she couldn't process thoughts properly. She began to drift on the edge of consciousness fitfully....

During her few, short periods of coherence in her drifting, she thought she heard a tapping noise, that echoed in her cell. Sometimes she could have sworn she heard a voice, too.

After a few times of this, she groggily dismissed both as figments of her imagination, and fell into full unconsciousness at last.


Some time later, the membrane that was her cell door retracted, and a Vong stepped in, clutching a living bowl of some sort. Leia was still laying flat on her stomach, the position that she had found gave her the least pain.

The Warrior lifted a foot and kicked one of her hands, which aroused an instant reaction from Leia.

She let out a sound that seemed like a cross between a groan and a strained gurgle, and her entire body jolted. Her eyes snapped open and she lifted her head to glare venemously at the offender. The Vong merely smiled gleefully at her pained expession.

He knelt beside her and put a scarred and tattooed hand under her head to support it, then pressed the bowl to her lips and forced to her swallow a bland tasting mixture that had the consistency of runny oatmeal. She choked it down obediently, knowing that it would not kill her, and that she desperately needed the nutrition. Next down her throat was lukewarm water from some sort of pouch, and then the Vong rose and exited quickly without a word, leaving Leia alone again.

Or perhaps not. The tapping began again almost as soon as the membrane sealed shut.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> What the frell <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> is<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> that!?<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Irritated, she began a more thorough visual search of the cell. Leia's head was clearing rapidly, and she first noted that her head felt different as she turned it. Half of her face had apparently stopped bleeding and had swelled, where Tallien had struck her earlier.

Reluctantly she next tried to wiggle her fingers. Her hands had gone completely numb, but her wrists, arms and shoulders were still causing her a great deal of pain.

"..hey, I know there's someone down there... are you ok?" The voice said. The hope was so thick in the tone of the voice that Leia figured if she looked hard enough she could see it.

It was coming from above, she had noted. It hadn't really occurred to her to look up before, in her dazed stupor. Leia rolled onto her side and looked up at the ceiling. It was translucent like the walls, and she could see the blurry outline of a figure laying prone on the floor. He didn't appear to be bound either, all four limbs she could see spread out. Lucky him.

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> I'm not alone, and I'm not having delusions... I'm better off than I thought. Er, maybe.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

She cleared her throat, and carefully measured both herself and what she intended to say before she replied to the eager and hopeful presence in the cell above her. The voice sounded very young and she didn't want to start off too badly, yet it seemed to carry a surprising amount of wisdom in it.

"I'll live, though your guess is as good as mine as to how much longer..."

She grunted.

There was a long silence, as if now that the boy had a reply he didn't quite know what to do next. Leia found a smile fighting it's way onto her lips despite all of her troubles. Now it was her turn to do the prodding.

"Hey, you still up there?"

"Yeah..." was all Leia got in response to her question. Slightly concerned, she reached out to the boy in the cell above her with the Force.

She felt potent fear, and anxiety. But hope and a miniscule amount of comfort seemed to reside within the young boy as well.

He seemed to be hoping against hope that she would be able to do something...

Does he know who I am?

No, he couldn't....

Then why does he think any differently of me than the last person in this cell? How come I am the one who he puts hope in?

Is there really anything I could do?

Leia had strong doubts, which were further reinforced as she looked around at her surroundings once again.

Why the hell am I here, anyways? I can't do anything, I...

In a sudden rage Leia lashed out and drove her boot into the transparent wall nearest her. The wall gave way under the blow with surprising elasticity, and did not break.

The outburst got the attention of the guards outside, who looked at her with amused expressions on their faces. Leia had surprised herself, even. She felt a pang from the young presence above, but paid no mind to it, she suddenly had other things to focus on at the moment.

Stunned, her mind began to race. Something within had broken free of her strict self disciplines that she had erected as a Jedi. She couldn't track it, couldn't find it... She knew it was something that she was often Forced to keep bridled, but what was it...?

It coursed through her, seeming to carry with it the silent message that there was a such thing as too much control...

It registered, she remembered and recognized. That now free something was her spirit...

There was a time to be a Jedi, and a time to be... Leia.

She had realized this on Endor, and had strained to unlearn the mental disciplines that had robbed her of her Self. But since then she had not gotten an ample opportunity to learn whether or not she had been successful, as there had been no need to summon that sort of strength....

With a considerable effort Leia rolled onto her stomach and awkwardly lifted herself into a standing position, which proved rather difficult. She took a deep breath, and calmed herself.

Why am I here?

<font color=red>To do what I am best at: Lead, fight... and win.</font>

She looked up to the figure above, and spoke softly to the boy. He was still silent. She felt he was troubled, disturbed. But not because of her...

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine soon..."

<font color=red>I'm going to get us out of here, one way or another...</font>