***29 May 2005 -Good guys wear more than one color

 

Aaricia walked on the dark sand of Talus, the grass rustling under her shiny black boots. The last sunrays made her blink a bit. She saw the colors of the sky, purple, blood-red, bright pink, reflected in the windows of the Garrison building. She looked to the left as she approached the entrance of the building, at the setting sun, with a smile.

“Come, darling.” Jarome grabbed her right hand and she let him guide him into the building.

She felt a bit shy, but also secure. It was like after a long time she was coming home again. This was her past, this was her life.

But the war still wasn’t over, far from it.

 

She met the woman, which she remembered from the night when they picked her up from Mos Entha, this time dressed in the same uniform as her. The uniform that looked so much like the Imperial dress uniform, only the colors were different. Instead of black it was brown, with light blue. The uniform of the Empire’s biggest enemy, yet it looked so much the same.

As she talked with Jordiane she tried as hard as possible to get back memories about this woman.. in her mind she saw some house and a woman in some white dress. She saw herself standing in some desert, staring at two setting suns. Tatooine.

“Hey, the ceremony is about to start.” Jarome’s warm voice and his hand on her shoulder brought her back to the here and now.

She nodded and took a seat.

She saw Val-Tane Ricaud standing in front of them, behind a big holoprojector, in front of a big table. Behind this table she saw Cel’es sitting on one of the chairs. On the right there was this big red flag, there was this symbol on it that looked so familiar to her: the Alliance symbol. It looked like a little person that was stretching to get herself out, to break out, to struggle for freedom, never ever giving up. It made her feel sad, but at least it made her feel. She remembered the Imperial symbol, the perfectly round wheel, so orderly, so perfect. But it had given her no emotion, as emotions seemed to be trapped in this wheel. Emotions were chaos; emotions didn’t have a place in order.

“Tonight people will be rewarded for their achievement and bravery!”, Val-Tane’s words brought her back to reality again.

She listened to his words; it gave her a warm feeling. Val-Tane.. one of the Empire’s biggest enemies, like Jarome and Aaricia also on the WANTED list. He felt to her as an energetic personality, inspiring for them all. Jarome was going to be promoted, to private. She clapped for him, smiling. She liked how the captain introduced him. "Jarome horati has joined us, a face stepping forward from the faceless ranks of the Emperor's stormtrooper army.." Faceless.. faceless masks, all looking the same. She shuddered a bit, thinking back at what happened only such a short time ago. At how she had been one of those faceless people too. Faceless people.. but she knew that they all actually were people. Like Jarome, like Andy, like the others. She sighed sadly, in her mind cursing the war.
After a sigh and feeling a bit more peace inside of herself, realizing that in the here and now there was no war, she watched how others got promoted too.

Then his glance moved towards her.

“I am very happy, at last, to be able to announce, that Lance Corporal Aaricia Silverstar’s status has been updated..”, he started to speak. “She is no longer Missing in Action. A strike team was able to extract her from Mos Entha, after she escaped her captivity at the hands of Sentinel Company.” He smiled at her, then continued. “She is currently placed on Medical Leave until she has fully recovered from the ordeal of her capture, and is ready to return to active duty. Welcome back, Aaricia!”

She rose from her chair and saluted the captain.

“It’s good to be back.. sir!”, she said with a fanatical voice.

“It’s even better to see you in that uniform again.” He grinned at her. “And remember.. good guys wear more than one color!”

Feeling a bit shy Aaricia sat down on her chair.

Good guys don’t only wear white.. or black. They wear different colors.

The world didn’t only exist of two opposites, there was a whole spectrum of colors between the two extremes. With the Empire.. you either were for or against them.. black or white. To get Jarome out of that desert had instantly made Aaricia an enemy of the Empire, even though at that moment she was still pro-Imperial for a big part. Having saved her friend had thrown her completely out of the Sentinel Company and now a death warrant was on them both.

 

Val-Tane looked around the room with a grin, at the people that were sitting in their chairs, wearing spotless Alliance dress uniforms.

“I don’t know about you.. but getting Sasseke out of Mos Entha Starport gave me a taste for taking down stormtroopers..” He waited for a second. “And I’d like to satisfy my appetite!”

Everybody started to cheer and clap, the room went completely frenzy but after some seconds everybody calmed down again.

Val-Tane walked back and took a seat, while Cel’es came forward.

“I have disturbing news.” He spoke.

He talked about some bounty hunter that went under the name of ‘Waykeen Runner’, and was obviously after Aaricia and Jarome as he seemed to have threatened him, and some Twi’lek called Liakhara.

Feeling a bit scared, Aaricia sighed.

She saw Jarome rising from his chair.

“Sir..”

Cel’es nodded at him.

“We all knew that the Entha Garrison would come after Aaricia and me. Their commander will be in relentless pursuit of us.. and you.” He looked around, seriously.

“Well hear hear..” Cel’es said with a grin.

“I’m sure we’d all be happy to hand them their shiny white asses back on a plate!” Val-Tane remarked loudly.

Aaricia grinned, like they all did.

“Dismissed!” Val-Tane then concluded the ceremony and they all rose from their chairs to salute the captain.

With a smile Aaricia walked back towards the entrance, chit-chatting a bit with other members of her old Company, the Daggerwolves. Yet it felt like she had only just arrived, for the first time..

 

While walking back towards their new house, Aaricia picked a flower from the field.

“I think we can be happy here.” She said with a soft voice while looking at the flower, which even under the stars looked bright orange. “I can be happy. I think I can be happy.”

Yet again she said something that corresponded to what she really felt.