Star Wars: Dar'Aliit

Chapter Twenty-Two: Reflections

18 BBY ???

"Over here!"

I groan. What is that sound?

"I'm picking up a life sign, sir, I think he's okay."

Haywire's voice cuts in, gruff and firm. For a moment, I mistake him for Addie, disappointed in me like usual.

"Get in there and get him out, now. I want both streets closed off."

"Sir, yes sir!"

My arms hurt. There's hands gripping my sore bleeding skin. Let me go. I can only moan.

"We have you, just relax."

"You're okay."

I'm really too tired to say anything. I give into them limply. There's a cool injection and some of the pain fades. I can almost breathe again. They're lifting me, hauling me onto a stretcher.

So I guess I'm not dead.

I don't know what time it is. Or how long I've really been here. I probably need some water.

Cracking my hazy eyes, I can see Haywire looking down at me and nodding to someone beside him. Their faces fade and I close my eyes again. The relief is galvanizing. I'm going back to base. I didn't fail.

I'm tearing up without really knowing it, my face too scraped and bruised, but I can feel the salt in all my cuts. They came for me.

#

Captain Haywire waits for me in the debriefing room of the base. He and his men got my message two days ago. And thanks to them, I'm back on my feet, albeit limping. The medics declared at least half my ribs broken. But they cleared me to give the briefing before I head back to the Empire.

I step inside and find the Captain pacing the room.

"Glad to see you on your feet." Haywire doesn't look up.

I walk to the table in the middle and lean on it to take the weight off my bruised hip.

"It's thanks to you," I say.

Haywire pauses momentarily. "I was told you know something. What's the report?"

"You and your men need to prepare," I say and look at the holo table. "I don't have details, but I know those rebels were planning something big. Since none of them have been apprehended yet, I assume they still are."

"How big?"

"The, bringing a droid army against this city and arming it with your stolen weapons, kind of big."

Haywire takes a deep breath. He pulls up the map of the city. "I'll increase patrols and see about civilian evacuation into the base. There's an underground shelter here from the clone wars. We can keep people from getting caught in the crossfire that way."

"I've already informed the Moff," I say. "I asked him to bring you reinforcements."

"We're going to need it." Haywire rubs the back of his head. "Thought I'd never have to see another tinny in my life."

"So did I."

Haywire walks around the table and faces me. We're the same person, same face, same height, but two very different men. He looks older, wiser, and somehow almost like he was born on this planet, while I'm an offworlder.

"I haven't met a lot of men like you in my lifetime," Haywire says, a rather blunt note on perhaps my stubbornness, or maybe that bit of my personality Headshot always called anti-social.