Matt's Story

Battle

     The next day had passed with a blur. Sendak, the leader of the corrupted rebels has seemed to keep an eye on the training rebel soldiers, but Matt decided that it would be over soon enough, that he shouldn't worry too much. A couple of times, when Sendak wasn't around, he had noticed, Te-Osh had tried to talk to him, but they had usually been separated by one thing or another before they could so much as say hello.
     Matt did not rest easily that night. What had Te-Osh been trying to tell him? She never paid much attention to him, but the fact that she had tried talking to him several times in one day made him think. Did she know what they were doing? Was she trying to stop them? It couldn't have been possible, could it? Matt fell into an uneasy sleep dreading the next day.

     Olia and Matt met at their ship the next morning, masks already in place, weapons at their sides. They nodded to each other and then boarded their ship. Matt slid his hand into his pocket to reassure himself that he still had the disc with their video on it. He took a deep breath as he took his position.
     "Ready for one of the worst days of our life?"
     "Nobody can be ready, Olia. Not even the bravest soldier."
     Several minutes were filled with silence as they were given the command to take off and head to their destination. It was a distant planet, and Matt could never pronounce the name himself, but he had heard that the citizens had long since abandoned it, causing him to wonder why the Galra would want the territory. Once more, he checked that he had the disc with him. It was a long journey, but he hoped that, in the end, everything would turn to have a favorable end.

     Within minutes of arrival, the battle had begun. Shots were fired and soldiers from both sides fell. Matt was horrified to see the Blade of Marmora there, fighting the rebels. Was Ulaz there? Surely he would have tried to stop this battle if he was. Matt and Olia slipped away from their ship silently, their masks hiding their identities, though it was useless. They weren't Blade of Marmora members. They wouldn't be identified as allies.
     Lasers were fired from ships and from the ground, being fired in every direction. Olia almost screamed, grabbed Matt's arm, and pulled him sharply to the left to just narrowly avoid being crushed by a falling ship. They flew forward and quickly scrambled to their feet. Matt's heart raced and, though he couldn't see her expression, was fairly sure that Olia was frightened as much as he was. People on both sides fell to the ground and Matt had to look away. He couldn't watch anymore. He had a purpose to end this. It had to be done quickly to save as many people as he could.
     Several minutes were spent trying to get through to a cavern without having to fight. It went surprisingly well. Once they were at their destination and pulled out the bomb they were supposed to set off. Matt took a deep breath and looked at Olia. She nodded and offered her hand. He accepted it, shook it, and nodded back.
     "Whatever happens next, know that you have been a most wonderful friend. It has been an honor," Matt said, his throat tightening and tears threatening to fall. Somehow he restrained himself from crying, however. Olia nodded again.
     "Don't talk like that. We're going to make it."
     "For our families. For the universe."
     They stood for only the slightest moment, sounds washing over them, the chilly air blowing their uniforms around them. Suddenly the sounds of other bombs going off brought them back and they started setting their own bomb up. But before they could completely finish, Matt's finger pushed the detonation button. Olia dropped it, seemingly in Surprise and they both started running. Then a loud noise filled the atmosphere.
     "MATT!" Olia screamed. Time slowed down immensely for Matt. Something was wrong. He felt the heat, almost slowly, creeping around him. Fire flew toward him along with a cloud of shrapnel. Matt felt the ground, uneven beneath his feet, as he tripped and his mask flew off.
     Matt screamed as some of the shrapnel hit him. He felt a cut going down his cheek and started breathing heavily. He wanted to check himself for more major injuries, but was too afraid to move. Damage had been done, the Blade of Marmora's supplies scattered about, burning and broken. The smoke was hanging thick in the air, providing a good cover as he pushed himself off of the ground.
     "Matt!" someone said quietly beside him. He turned and saw Olia holding his mask out to him. He grabbed it and nodded his thanks as he slipped it back on. His cheek stung where he had gotten hurt, but he didn't dare complain. He very easily could have been dead.
     Matt and Olia ran toward the high point of the cliff where they had planned on broadcasting the message to every rebel and every Blade of Marmora members in the field. Matt looked sideways for only a moment and saw the familiar, slender figure of Te-Osh knocking a Blade of Marmora members unconscious. She hadn't killed him. She caught his eye and started running toward him, wanting to talk to him but she stopped as someone else came to fight her. She looked back at Matt one last time before the smoke clouded his view of her. He kept running.
     He wasn't aware that this would be the last time he would see her in person again.

      Matt pushed a few buttons on a broadcasting system that he'd made himself. They'd reached the top of the cliff and were about to send out the video that they'd created. They were about to release all of the information they'd gathered, expose the corrupt rebels and Sendak, and....

     Matt knew that they would be creating a new group of rebels, but he also knew that once everything was settled, Olia would want to go back to being the pilot she had worked so hard to become. But the rebels would still need a leader- a good, strong and reliable leader at that. And Matt knew that, whether or not he wanted to, he would have to become the rebel leader. He would still be able to go on missions if he wanted to, of course, but he didn't think he was ready for the job. But then again, he hadn't thought he was ready to expose Sendak, and here he was, his finger hovering over the button that would do just that. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes as if it would take him far, far away from this terrible place, and pushed the final button.

     "I'm not sure I'm ready for this, Matt."

     "You'll be fine, Katie."

     Katie Holt stood in front of him now in a green and white t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a mess, lopsided ponytail, but she didn't seem to care, even if there were still so many strands left loose in her face. It was her first day of middle school. Matt wasn't going with her though, like usual. Instead, he would be heading back to the Galaxy Garrison. This would be Katie's first year without him.
     Katie was nervous. She had been teased at school, and Matt constantly worried about her. How was his little sister going to handle things now?
     "You know, Pidge, we aren't ever really ready for anything. But we still do it. You'll be okay."
     Katie wrapped her arms around Matt in a giant hug.
     "I told you not to call me that," she said, her voice muffled by his Garrison sweatshirt. The bus pulled up to the curb. Katie let go of Matt, looked at him, and did her best to smile. He smiled back.
     "I'll see you soon, Pidge."
     "I'll see you soon, Matt."
     She turned and was gone. He watched her walk up the stairs of the bus and sit in her seat. She stared out the window, the smallest smile still on her lips as she waved at him once more. He waved back.
     "Bye, Katie," he whispered to himself, so quietly that the words were almost inaudible. His smile faded just a little and his eyes listed as he thought if how their lives we're about to vary. They'd always done everything together and now they were headed their own ways. He sighed. "It won't be too long, Katie. I promise."