***19 May 2005 –Betrayal part II

 

Feeling a mixture of emotions, that she couldn’t get hold of, Jane rushed to Mos Entha on her speeder. Tears streamed over her cheeks, she felt confused.

Jarome please stay alive.. PLEASE!, a voice from deep inside of her screamed.

She parked her speeder in a trench, then rushed towards the northern shuttleport, leaning against one of the walls. She stared at the medcentre from the distance.. would she take the risk to just walk into the building to find a doctor? Maybe she could find one of them outside of the building, that was way more safe. She ran from corner to corner, peering around herself, especially for people dressed in white armor.

Good guys wear white.

Iredwi’s slogan.. once a friend, now an enemy. Just like the rest. They would kill her without mercy.. or would she also be saved by somebody else like Jarome? Lieutenant Onoxa would probably order to shoot her in the head immediately; if she would get back into their hands nobody would even be able to save her. And Jarome would die too.

With a sigh she stared at the Imperial insigne that was on her suit, under the dark cloak that made her sweat a lot. The suns were rising from the horizon, the sky was colored purple-blue. A girl was approaching the position where Jane was standing, a very familiar looking girl.

“Lyzzie!”, she hissed, and motioned the amazed girl to come to her.

“S.. Sasseke?!?”, she said quietly with a brief gasp.

“I.. I need a doctor. Quickly.”, Jane whispered.

“W.. what..”

“No questions girl..”

“I can contact Vernant.”

“No, not Vernant. Somebody that doesn’t know me. A friend is heavily wounded..”

“Don’t you have doctors in the Garrison?”, she then asked, with a bitter articulation.

“The Garrison is after me. I’m a traitor now, a rebel. Just like you.”

She saw the girl gasping at her.

Then Lyzzie grabbed her commlink, with shaking hands, and contacted somebody.

“I’m finished.. a doctor will move to the mentioned coordinates. Now what?”, the droid-girl asked.

“Follow me.”

Then suddenly the madman approached them from the corner.

“Can I help you?”, he asked, “S.. Sasseke?!?”

Jane felt a lot of hate and confusion.

“Back off!”, she almost shouted, grabbing her carbine and pointing it at him, “You have nothing to do with this.. rebel.”

“Ok ok..”

“Move it.. NOW!”

He backed off and then she and Lyzzie ran back towards the trench, where her speeder was parked.

“Get on the speeder.”, Jane ordered the girl with a cold voice. Then they left the city again..

 

They both didn’t say a word while moving in the direction of the deserted building. Jane peered around, hoping that no scout troopers would cross their path, but she saw nobody. She parked the speeder again in a trench, then walked inside the building, followed by the droid-girl. Inside she found Jarome, faintly awake.

“We have to make it quick, so that you and the doctor can leave soon. You are in danger with us, as you are traitors now too.”, she said to Lyzzie with an emotionless voice.

Then a young looking woman walked in. She stared at the people in the room, then her glance stopped with Jarome. She quickly moved towards him, kneeled and opened some bag that she carried with her.

“The injuries?”, she asked Jane.

“Broken ribs, shot wound in the knee, I don’t know what more..”, she sighed to her.

The woman nodded at her, then started scanning Jarome.

Feeling nervous Jane peered around the room. Then she saw something black around the corner, at the entrance of the room.

“What the-“, she grabbed her blaster and stepped towards it, glaring at the.. madman. “YOU!”

“Sasseke.. I can help him. If you let me-“

Enraged Jane bit her lip.

“NO WAY you rebel!”, she shouted, “Get back.. get on the ground!”

 Everybody stared at her.

“It’s ok Sasseke..”
”SASSEKE IS DEAD!”, she screamed hysterical, aiming at him.

“No Sasseke, don’t do it.”, Lyzzie said to her. “He is a friend!”

A friend.. a traitor.. a rebel. She aimed at the droid-girl too. She was surrounded by traitors..

The madman slowly walked towards her, standing in front of Lyzzie.

“ENOUGH!”, he shouted, “You don’t aim at her!”

“TK-222, stand down!”, she heard Jarome order her.

Jane backed off into one of the corners, ready to defend herself.

“Get back!”, she shouted at the madman, feeling scared of him. Afraid that he would hurt her.. maybe Jarome too.

“I’m not going to hurt you Aaricia.”, he said with a soft voice. “We served in the same unit. Remember? Banshee? Val-Tane?”

“I DON’T HEAR YOU!!”, Jane screamed, then ran away from the corner. “Everybody on the ground NOW!”

Traitors.. Jane felt confused.

This wasn’t right.. she had to.. she had to turn them in, even if they would kill her too for it. She was a threat to the system, just like the others in the room. If she would call the Garrison she would die, but together with a nest of rebel traitors! hen she would have made it all up, everything that she had done wrong last night. She grabbed for her commlink, still aiming at the people. The madman was still standing.

 “You have no choice in this matter.”, the madman then said.

“Did I ever have..”, she mumbled, feeling sad all of a sudden, but she managed to get back to reality. “Get down madman or you will be shot!”, she ordered him with a cold voice, “YOU HAVE 3 SECONDS!”

The man raised his hand, she moved her finger to pull the trigger. But suddenly it was like some invisible person ran into her from the front, and she was thrown backwards. She screamed in terror, then her back hit the wall behind her and everything turned black..

 

“You will be alright Aaricia.”

She stared into the suns, lying on some hard metal. She saw the desert around her. Then again, blackness.

 

“Wake up Aaricia.”

It was darker, she was lying on some soft surface. She opened her eyes, stammering.

“W.. where am I?”

“Safe, safe from the Empire. You don’t have to worry here.”

“I’m not scared of the Empire.”, she said confused, “I worry more about you.”

“Aaricia they brainwashed you. They made you think that, but that’s not really you.”

“The Empire cured me!”, she said fanatically, then stared into his eyes fiercely.

She saw the madman shaking his head, and sighed.

“What’s your name.”, she then asked, resigned.

“Xanado.”

Xanado.

The name sounded very familiar. She shuddered.

“What’s going to happen now? When will I be tortured?”

The man shook his head again to her.

“You won’t be tortured Aaricia. An old friend will come.. follow me.”

She wasn’t cuffed or anything, she could just run away. Why hadn’t they done that? It made her confusion even bigger.

“Come Aaricia.”, he motioned at her.

Hesitating a bit she followed Xanado, towards some house.

“Where is Jarome, where is Lyzzie.. where-“

“They will arrive soon. They are alright.”, he smiled at her.

Cynical she bit her lip, repressing every emotion that tried to get on the surface.

At the entrance of the house there were standing some people. One of them-

“You!”, she pointed at him, gasping, “You were at the audience of the queen of Naboo, in Theed!”

“Ya I was.”, he said to her.

Traitors..

They were luring her into a trap!

“Get in Aaricia.”, Xanado said to her with a friendly voice.

No Jane don’t give into it, they are bad, they will poison your mind again like they have done when you were young.. don’t do it!
Instead of walking into the house she turned around and started running.

When she looked around her shoulder she saw Xanado running after her. She tried to sprint even more, but the heat was too much. She collapsed from exhaustion. Scared she stared into his eyes.

“Don’t hurt me!”, she stammered with a trembling voice, shuddering as he approached her even more.

He offered his hand to her.

“Don’t-“

He shook his head.

“It’s alright Sasseke.”, a sad glance was visible in his eyes.

It made her sad too, then she grabbed his hand and got up. Almost crying she followed him back towards the house. With a sigh she entered.

The very familiar looking man stared at her, warily.

“Why did you bring this Imperial trooper here, Xanado?”, he asked the madman.

“Gou, it’s Sasseke.”

Gou.. Gou-geo..

He examined her.

“Sasse.. was shorter. This is not Sasseke, Xanado! She doesn’t look like Sasseke!”

There was this other woman and a young looking man.

“Why don’t we just shoot her.”, she heard the man mumbling, alert she tried to keep an eye on him, ready to duck if he was going to shoot her. The last thing that she wanted was to be killed by a rebel. She wanted to tap her carbine, but her holster was empty. She had to take him out by hand. She remembered her unarmed trainings at the Imperial Academy and also at the Garrison. First take out the man in her front, then grab the knife from the table, throw that well-aimed at the man behind her, then take down Xanado and the woman. Then take their weapons and contact the Garrison. Another rebel nest, they were everywhere.

“You are rebels, aren’t you?”, she asked Gou-geo, “I think you are. I know you.. you are a rebel!”

“No we aren’t.”, Gou-geo said to her with a cold voice.

Then suddenly Jane felt rage.

“You are rebels, I know that! You tortured me you bastards!”

“Aaricia!”, he gasped at her, “It.. it IS you!”

She backed off, the man behind her aimed his blaster at her.
”Don’t shoot her!”, Gou-geo ordered him.

“Sasseke.. we torture nobody! They have brainwashed you!”

“No, I have been cured!”, she shouted.

“She has flashbacks, she ran from the Empire.”, Xanado explained to Gou-geo.

“That was a mistake..”, she said bitterly.

“She saved a friend of her, that’s why she left. That’s why they are hunting her and Jarome now.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight!”

“Sasseke..”, Gou-geo tried to touch her.

“GET BACK!”, she screamed, backing off.

“Sasseke.. the Empire tortured you! They captured you and wanted to know names of rebels and the location of the base. That’s why they did it.”

“The Empire never lies!”, she shouted, confused. “How could they.. that CANNOT be true.. YOU are lying!”

“No Sasseke.. I’m sure you must have seen them do it to others. In that interrogation room.”

“That was for a reason!”, Jane bounced back.

“A reason? What reason?”

“For order.. to maintain peace and safety!”

“Maintain peace and safety.. a government that hurts people with that aim.. I don’t call that peace and safety.”

“Because you are a rebel.. you cut off my ear and my pink!” She gave him a very dark glare.

“Sasseke..”

“Jane! TK-222!”

“Jane.. are you scared of us?”

“Yes.”, Jane said sincerely.

Gou-geo nodded at her.

“Why.”

“Because you are going to cut off limbs of me.”

“Why would we do that?”

“I think you eat them.”

Then they all chuckled, confused she glared at them.

“Who told you that?!?”

“The Empire.”

At that moment a panting Lyzzie entered the building, together with Jarome. She put Jarome on one of the chairs around the wooden table, then, sighing, took a seat on one of the couches herself. She saw Jarome staring at her, she saw all of them staring at her.

“TK-222, stand down.”, Jarome then said to her. “You are safe here.”

He was a traitor just like them!

“You won’t be hurt Sasseke.” The woman now talked with her, friendly she smiled at the girl.

“I’m not Sasseke.”, Jane answered bitter. “Sasseke died.”

“My cats recognize you. So I know you are. Welcome back.” She put a hand on Jane’s shoulder. “Get some sleep.”

This time Jane didn’t back off, feeling tired all of a sudden.

Yawning she followed her into a small bedroom and fell down on the bed. Xanado entered the room and carefully put a hand on her forehead. Suddenly she felt peaceful and before she could even finish her yawn she fell asleep..