Quantum Entanglement: Howzer and Aurelia

31. Unstable Footing

Aurelia pressed herself into a corner, hearing footsteps down the corridor. It sounded like multiple people; was Howzer accompanying the prisoners? She squeezed behind an auxiliary panel, vanishing from sight as the group drew nearer. To her shock and horror, she saw that beloved teal green clone, surrounded by white troopers and a grey Imperial, walking silently with hands cuffed behind his back. She had to figure something out, but she wasn't made for this sort of thing. Mind racing, she waited until it was mostly quiet, then slowly followed the group at a distance to avoid being sighted. 

She expected to be led to the holding cells, but they stayed on the ground level, continuing out to the landing bay where a few small transports were still docked, the rest having been sent to the refinery as a frantic response to the attack. Her anxiety began to grow as they boarded one of the shuttles. Why hadn't they gone to the holding cells? She couldn't keep a logical train of thought to determine the best move. If she snuck onto the ship, she could perhaps release him, but the chances of being caught were high as there weren't many places to hide on such a small ship, teeming with troopers. But what could she do if she stayed behind? This was way out of her league.

Sneaking along the edge of a line of crates, she drew nearer, calculating the time it would take to run across the open and up the ramp. The ship was powering up, though the door was still open and the gangway was still down. As she glanced frantically around, legs trembling, she heard a sound from behind. Diving in a small gap between two large stacks of crates, she peered through a crack in the palettes, seeing more troopers and Imperials guiding a group of maybe eight or so clones toward the ship. They were also handcuffed, heads down, and not a word was said by captive nor captor. She found herself wondering what had happened, for Howzer's own squad to arrest some of their own, but the Imperial involvement gave her a cold and clammy feeling that she might not want to know. 

As the last trooper boarded, she scanned the perimeter, preparing to run for it. If more groups were coming, she'd have to be on the ship before they were done. Just as she was about to spring forth from her little hiding place, however, the ramp folded up with a loud ssssshhhhhh, sealing itself around the door. 

"No!" Aurelia breathed, heart sinking as panic rose. She felt frozen to the ground, paralyzed with fear and fluster, as the shuttle slowly lifted off the ground, landing gear tucking neatly into the bottom as it turned toward the stars. 

* * *

There was no sleep to be had that night. Aurelia had returned to her apartment, cold and dark and empty now, and collapsed onto the bed. She tossed and turned, wracking her brain for any idea of how she could figure out where the shuttle was headed. If she could utilize some of Gowden's contacts, she thought with a shudder, she might be able to access some information in the ship log, but she didn't have any cover story to allow her to show up there with good reason. 

Her thoughts turned from possibilities to chastisement, inwardly kicking herself. She'd known what she was getting into... the likelihood of a sad ending... She just hadn't expected the twists and turns of the last twenty-four hours. The startling surprise of a new chapter of their lives opening up before them... promptly followed by the shattering loss of the one she loved most. She felt drained and lost, sinking into despair, and wallowed there for a while, seeking solace by reminiscing of days past -- Howzer's shiny young face and need to prove himself, his intoxicating closeness as he teased her at the opera house, the delight in his eyes as he showed her the speeder traffic above the Coruscant Tower, the incredible warmth and security of being able to curl up next to him, all defenses down, and drift off to sleep to the sound of his breathing and the smell of his soap. 

A sharp pain twisted in her chest, and she had to pull up from all of this if she were ever going to figure out an option. The sun was already up, and it would be time to report to work soon. Perhaps she could confide in someone there, although it wasn't ever quite safe to assume where someone stood as far as the Empire. She'd have to be careful.