Ambassador

Chapter 28: Teller and Gimbal

Alanja's chin dipped to her chest as the door hissed closed behind Captain Howzer. Her feelings were a tangled mess. That man was her friend. Guilt washed over her for how cruel she had spoken to him in the past. He should not be here on Ryloth. Rov and Tarkin should have found a way to rotate out him and his men. The war had been brutal, and Howzer's battalion had sacrificed too much here. They were becoming native, and that was very bad. Rov knew it too. That was why he was so hard on Howzer. Rov was trying to get Howzer to see the bigger picture before he was forced to discipline him.

She glanced back at Teller and Gimbal when Teller called to her, "I think it's going to be a while before he comes back, ma'am," said Teller. She could feel his friendliness even through the black scowl on his helmet and the blaster in his hands. Teller was a good man like Howzer, like so many clones. Thinking of them in such a pleasant light made her feel sick.

She pulled her robe tightly about her. "Can you hear the comm chatter with your helmets off? I would rather see your faces if I can. It would make me feel better."

Teller's sweet laugh made her feel safer. "Sure," replied Teller.

Together, Teller and Gimbal removed her helmets and placed them on Rov's desk. Both men smiled at her, Teller with his broad and warm grin and Gimbal with his reassuring grimace."Thank you, kind sirs," she said, gliding past them to sit behind Rov's desk. She wondered if they believed her feigned air of confidence. By their boyish reaction to her proud saunter, she could not tell.

Alanja leaned forward on her elbows and watched the scrolling updates and the ominous pulse of the red alarm light. She pressed the mute to shut off the irritating beep. Silence rang in the air, eerie and hollow except for the faint chatter from the troopers' comms. Unlike Alanja, Teller and Gimbal never sat; their rifles remained in their hands. Teller was easy-going, always a little chatty, while his brother was the quiet, contemplative type. Gimbal's awareness of his surroundings had kept her from tripping several times when he would point out unevenness or missing bricks in the walkways with a "watch your step." Both men were kind to Alanja in their own way, treating her like she mattered, not just her station.

Uncharacteristically, Gimbal was the first to speak. He addressed Alanja bluntly as if he had been holding in his concerns too long. "How did you know about the designation IDs in the infirmary?"

Teller frowned. "Gim? Really? This is not the time."

Alanja hesitated. By their body language, Alanja knew this was not a new discussion between the two men.

Teller gave an annoyed flick of his eyes at Gimbal and a stilted huff. "Ma'am. You don't have to answer him," said Teller.

Alanja let her elbows slip back from Rov's desk, her hands now clasped in her lap. "It's alright," she said kindly. "I understand why you want to know, Gimbal."

She hesitated again. She had to be careful what she said next. Howzer had been shocked by her revelations; no doubt these men would be as well. Gimbal's scrutinizing gaze searched her face for answers. He would know if she held anything back. That unnerving quiet hung in the room again.

Finally, Alanja said slowly in a tiny voice, "I witnessed it."

"What?" asked Teller, incredulous and suddenly as interested as Gimbal.

Deflecting for a moment longer, she pulled open one of the drawers, took out a small wooden box, and put it on the desk before her with a mischievous grin. Her focus on the box drew the troopers' attention as she flipped open the lid. Inside was more of the amber candies that she shared with them before.

She tossed a piece to each of them but didn't take one for herself. Knowing she expected them to eat the candy, both men put the treats in their mouths before she would continue. 'Good,' she thought. 'They are still compliant.' The candy still measured her goodwill with them.