First Reply Ground Control to Major Tom

[Naomi Carolina]

The young squad-leader reached up and tucked some scarlet strands of hair behind one of her ears. She kept an eye on the terrain. A general look as to what direction they'd come from and where they were going. She'd have to rely on Private Berik to lead. And she felt like her nerves were more frayed than a poorly stitched jedi robe.

A look of surprise splashed across her freckled features.

He hated the sith too?

How many others were like herself and Berik? Just small pieces in the larger cogs of the powers of the 'verse. Used up, spit out, or discarded like trash and only good for what could be given until those powers snuffed out their short lives?

"I grew up on Barkhesh when it was Alliance owned. Kind of the same story. Pops worked with the Alliance. We got invaded." Slim shoulders shrugged as she shifted the pack on her back.

Berik would find that her steps were getting slower. Fatigue and probably those old injuries were quickly catching up with the Alliance pilot. But she was determined to try and keep up at least.

"I barely made it out. Enlisted with the Alliance. I lost my family. Everything I do is for them. I like to reckon maybe one day they'll show up or I"ll get word on what might've happened to 'em. You ever lost anyone you were close to Berik?"

 

[Sid Berik]

He took a deep breath, looking over at her.

"We all lost people, you know."

Stormtrooper academies were large. And wars were costly. Especially ones against the Alliance- Sid was one of the few dozen remaining out of his training class. Out of several hundred. He watched as she slowed down, slowing his pace as well.

"There's always another person on the other side of the war. Kinda sucks, seeing it firsthand."

He realized that the wars they were waging, that had been waging, were not fought by Demigods and Angels, Demons and Saints. No, they were fought by 19 year olds who had no real reason to hate each other. His face turned down to the ground. He was doing his duty, still. He believed in the cause. Just never thought he'd have to come face to face with the reality of it so soon.

"I'm sorry about your family."

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

"I'm sorry about your family."

The silence stretched between them. It wasn't the uncomfortable type, the kind that stretched and tugged and built until it felt like the very air itself would snap. It was the type of silence that was familiar between friends. Folk that could relate on war and loss and danger and the quick spark that was their lives in this verse. Given just a moment to burn brightly before fizzlin' or being snuffed out.

Finally, she's squeezed his hand.

"Thanks," she said quietly, blue-green eyes meeting his own.

"At least we can both agree that the sith are bastards," one corner of her mouth ticked upward. Eyes flickered through the trees ahead of them. Looked like there was a break and the town ahead. She slowed and faced Berik. "How you wanna do this? You sure you ain't wanna head back so you don't get in more trouble than you might already be in?"

Maybe surprisingly or not, Naomi felt a twist of guilt about that.

Maybe she was naive or maybe her heart was just too big for its britches.

 

[Sid Berik]

She was sweet, kind, innocent-

And she was the enemy.

Or at least, was part of it. But maybe every enemy wasn't his enemy. Maybe the galaxy could do with another friendship, another connection. Maybe it didn't need another hatred.

She burned brightly indeed. He stopped when she touched his hand, and nearly froze entirely when she squeezed it. He stopped and thought for a while about the Sith, lots of traitorous, private thoughts in his troubled mind, before walking again.

"I'm already at risk of being shot against a post. Can't get worse than that, yeah?" They approached the base, bustling and hustling with Stormtroopers- and luckily, civilian workers that she might be okay enough to blend in with, provided she didn't attract any attention to herself.

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Naomi forced herself to keep moving. To not freeze up as they left the cover of that lilac forest that had been a momentary sanctuary. Her mouth went dry at the site of the base. Even though there were others dressed in civilian clothes bustling about between the white-shine of plasteel armor.

"I'm already at risk of being shot against a post. Can't get worse than that, yeah?"

She frowned at his words. Didn't sit right with her. Sure, the Alliance had punishments for things like that, too, but getting shot? No.

Fingers lifted and smoothed some of her rusty hair across the bacta-sprayed cut on her forehead. Times like these, she wished for a different hair color. One not so bright a beacon. Or her smashball cap. The teen kept her eyes on the ground as she walked, blue-green orbs flickering upward every now and then as they entered the outskirts of the base.

Breath hitched in her throat as a squadron of troopers marched by. But she forced her feet to shuffle forward. Her hand dropped from Berik's and jammed inside her pocket, instead. One step at a time.

Just needed to find a ship.

Then hide.

Eyes lifted, noting the security holos on the outside of the hangar doors. Head ducked further even as her outside shoulder bumped into a civilian worker.

 

[Sid Berik]

He realized a few things, as he tucked his hair back over his ear. No weapon- he’d have to explain that one, or go back and find it. But only soldiers on active patrol or guard duty were with weapons at all times, so it wasn’t suspicious too too much.

He looked over at her, nudging his head to the hangar.

“Cameras are just cameras. No facial scan or anything. You aren’t in our databases or anything.” He said quietly, making his way to the hangar area. It was closed off and protected, and neither of them had the passes to slip into the doors. Keycards and ID badges.

He pursed his lips, pulling her inbetween a few cargo movers.

“We need to get you a keycard or find a way to sneak in. Got any ideas? You seem a lot more sneaky than me.” He said begrudgingly. Sid was a capable young man, but just a soldier. Not exactly the sneaky type.

He also realized how close they were. Barely five inches between them.

“I like your freckles.”

A bold, brash statement- and honest.

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Berik was right. She found herself remembering to breath as he tugged her between two cargo movers. She was a volunteer squad leader for the Alliance. Even if they were scanners, she doubted she'd even be in the database. No one here cared about her.

She'd be okay.

A breath in. Then slowly out through her nose as her eyes snapped up to Berik's.

“I like your freckles.”

"Wha-a," she swallowed. "Thanks." Hazel eyes locked with his own for a long moment. "Anyone ever tell you your eyes are kind?" There was a noise of a crate being moved and it made her gaze skitter away from his. Then she looked a little closer at the boxes stacked behind him. She stepped toward him, only to reach around him. Her shoulder brushing against him as she pointed at the box.

"This," she took out a hydrospanner from her pocket. "I bet I can crack this keypad open. I can hide inside. Looks like it'll be loaded into the hangar. Then I can sneak back out and into a shuttle."

If everything went to plan.

She began tinkering with the mechanism with the spanner until there was a small beep and whir, the lock of the box opening. She turned back to Berik. "Can you give me a boost up?" The box was tall and well, she wasn't.

 

[Sid Berik]

His eyes were kind.

But they were also scared, and full of doubt. She was the enemy, she was the one he'd have to fight soon. At some point, they'd be on opposite sides of the flags unfurling. He believed in the Empire. She believed in the Alliance.

So why help her?

Why bother?

Looking around for security's sake, he helped her up to the box, and took a glance around. "I'll stay with the box, up until it gets loaded up." He said, part of him just wanting another few moments with her face-to-face. He helped her into it, and stopped, before he was about to seal up the box. He needed to stay with it, made sure it got onto a shuttle.

"I- I hope I get to see you again." He looked around. He wanted to ki-

Get her out of here.

"I'll make sure it gets on a shuttle, at least."

He stammered out. He meant it. He wanted to survive the next fight. He wanted her to survive it too. He wanted to see the girl again. And he wanted her to go home.

And he wanted to go home too.

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

She carefully stepped into the box. A quick, nervous glance around but no one had seen them. Then her eyes with different shades of green and blue looked up at him. She stepped closer and threw her arms around his neck, tugging him in close for a hug. Tighter than a bear or Barkesh.

Pressing against his plasteel armor, she gave him a squeeze.

"Thank you kindly," she breathed. "Appreciate all you did - are doing Berik. Maybe-," she paused. Maybe what? They were on two different sides of the same war. "Just, I hope the best for you."

And she meant it.

Unwinding her arms from around him, she'd give him one last look before squeezing back down into the small space between the shipment of food and water items in the cargo box. Waiting for the lid to seal her in darkness.

 

[Sid Berik]

He stood there for a second, staring at the redhead. His body needed to move. His mind was racing. He was in a lot of trouble. But so was she. He had taken some lives thus far. He had seen some death. She embraced him, holding him tightly. He stood there for a second, before he wrapped his arms back around her.

So that's what it felt like.

Why not save a life for a change? He breathed in deep, sealing the crate back against her. Now just to make sure it got where it needed to go.

And more importantly, she.

There was a label on the outside of the box. Said it was headed to another outpost. It was an easy enough fix- he just swapped the labels. Another crime, why not? What's worse than being shot, anyways? He was stealthy and quick enough, and avoided the cameras. He watched her box be taken away, loaded up into the hangar.

It was up to her from that point.

He ran a finger over his hands.

Guilt.

Shame.

Doubt.

It all raced through his mind. He was an Imperial Stormtrooper, and yet- he had helped a member of the Alliance. For what? For why-

And more importantly, why did he want to see her again? Why did he want to know more about the enemy?

Naomi Carolina