Reflections: A Star Wars Fan Fiction Novella

Chapter 11

It was so wrong. If I was in his shoes, would I betray my squadron? Imperial squadrons were even closer than our squadrons, or at least so I've heard. I hadn't known Cryus for long, but I knew he wouldn't betray his brothers and sisters. That meant saving him was up to me. Poetic, now I was going to risk my own freedom, for his. Of course, the most I could lose theoretically was my political rights. He could lose his life.

When I returned to the room Frisk and I had rented, I found him sleeping. Most people would freak out, if they knew what I did next. I lied down next to him, and fell asleep before I could even think about it.

The next morning I told Frisk what had happened. He wasn't an Imperial, but he knew how hard it was to live a life which had been declared invalid by those in power. It wasn't hard to convince him that I needed to get in contact with our Commander.

Frisk offered to call Gunny, knowing that I wasn't ready to explain what was going on to them. I could tell she knew something was wrong, hearing her voice from the main room, so she let him know where the Commander was. He was on Coruscant.

We didn't wait, Frisk and I immediately, having consumed a rush ordered meal, went straight for Javes current address. There was virtually no security or control on visitors, it wasn't like he was a Senator. We sat down, leaning against the monochromatic wall for support, in the hallway, across from his door and waited.

I was starting to worry. I had been authorized one hour of meeting time with Cryus per day, and it was looking like I was going to be forced to miss it. That was ok, it was only one of the three days, and if I could speak to Lindon, that might fix everything.

I had started to drift when Frisk's left claw gently shook me back to reality. There he was, Commander Lindon Javes, the Imperial defector which had risen through our ranks in record time. For the first time, I felt ashamed to call him my Commander.

He noticed Frisk first, as he stopped outside of his door. "Frisk, you better not be here asking for another loan." Then he spotted me. "Fyra, what are you doing here?"

The look on my face must have been horrible. "Frisk, what did you do?"

"This one's completely on you, bosss." Frisk pulled me to my feet. "I'll be waiting where we were dropped off, give me a buzz when you're ready to leave." He left.

"Fyra, please, come inside."

"Thank-you."

"Please, have a seat. This isn't my permanent residence, so I'm not sure what I can offer you to drink." He stopped behind the bar. "I'm sorry, are you thirsty?"

I rapidly shook my head, I knew when I started talking I would get emotional.

He sat down on the couch beside me. He reached out to touch my right hand, but I jerked it away.

"Fyra, bare with me, please. I have no idea what's the matter. What did I do?"

It was now or never. I turned to look at him, but I could sense losing control. I pressed my palms to my forehead, and opened my mouth. "I saw Cryus today."

"Cryus? You visited him? Fyra, why would you do that?"

"I don't know, I needed to see him again. It's my fault he's in there."

Lindon sighed, and I knew that his shoulders had relaxed. "Fyra, you're the reason he is still breathing. He's a war criminal."

"Would he still have been one if he had surrendered a day earlier?"

"He did terrible things for years, Fyra, regardless of whether or not he could legally be designated a war criminal." So it was true. He could have literally done whatever he wanted to me, even killed me, and surrendered a day earlier and he would be a free man. I felt sick, but I couldn't give in to the urge to be sick now.