Fallen Stars

Chapter Seven

The last two Astali sat beside a dwindling fire.
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess,” Vielo said soberly. “I didn’t think it would end up like this.”
Thandra shrugged.
“Well, it did, and there’s nothing we can do about it now. I can’t go back to my old life. Only forward.”
Her tone was full of resolve, but Thandra mainly just felt tired inside.
“I should take your place,” said Vielo. “I’ll find that old ally of Cassia's, Tasin or whatever.”
“Talin,” Thandra corrected. “And no, I should be the one to go. He’s an old friend of Cassia's, and I know her better than you do. Anyway, better this than just...waiting around to get invaded.”
“You’re heading straight into Imperial territory. You even know how to use that sword of yours?”
She hesitated. She’d been a capable fighter...back in the days before she’d gone blind. She’d practiced a little since then in her hovel on Isma, but striking at the air and striking at a living opponent were two very different things.
“It won’t come to that,” she said.
“It might. At least let me come with you.”
She thought about it for a moment.
“No. If I do get captured...or worse...then we’ll need you here to keep the spark alive.”
“The spark's already dead,” said Vielo sadly. “All that’s left is just ashes.”
A sudden chill permeated the room. The fire had gone out.
Vielo stood up and placed a gentle hand on Thandra's shoulder, which she met with her own.
“Even if the order's dead and hope’s about to be extinguished from the Galaxy, I’m glad I have you as a friend.”
“Me too,” she replied, sincerely in spite of everything that had happened.
“Get home safe.”
“So we can go out in a blaze of glory together?”
“You just read my mind,” he chuckled.

***

The next day she left Eldilon on a small interstellar reconnaissance craft, bound for the Estefal system.
Her only companion for the mission, a pilot named Gance, was friendly enough, and a decent conversationalist. Throughout the journey they mostly made small talk, but at one point, nearing their destination, the topic turned to war:
“Were you there at the final battle?” asked Thandra, after they’d spent the past couple of hours going through various war stories.
“No,” said Gance. “I was wounded at the Battle of Chyron, a few weeks earlier. My ship was scorched and I had to make an emergency landing. I've recovered from most of the burns and scars, and I've learned to live with the ones that won't heal. But it meant I had to spend the last few weeks of the war in a hospital bed, while everything around me burned. What was it like?”
“It was just...chaos,” said Thandra. “Pure chaos. And that was before they fired the weapon. You can't imagine what it was like, to know so many millions of lives around you just got...snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Lives just as big and complicated and messy and beautiful as yours. Gone like that.”
“I guess I can't imagine...” said Gance. “Part of me wishes I could have been there, at the end. But...what could I have done? What could anyone have done?”
The rest of the journey was spent in silence.

***

The Valley of Invamere was home to most of the settlements on Invastal, the fourth planet in the Estefal System. A thick layer of volcanic ash had rendered much of the planet uninhabitable, but the air in the valley was just about breathable enough to support life. The area had a token Imperial presence, but the Empire's greatest stronghold on this world was its capital – a large, domed city on the other side of the planet.
The Valley certainly wasn’t the kind of place you’d live in out of choice, or want to be stationed at. But it was a perfect hideout place for those who didn’t want to be caught, and it was there that Thandra and Gance began their search for the elusive freedom fighter named Talin.
Armed with nothing more than their modest wits, concealed blasters, and a codeword that Cassia had used during the war (Songbird – which was likely out of date by now), they entered a tavern on the outskirts of the town of Eastwell.
According to Cassia, there were secret networks of underground tunnels below many of the Valley's settlements, and even ones that connected different settlements, miles apart. It was here that many of Talin's freedom fighters had lain in wait during the war, although Cassia herself had admitted it was possible the tunnels had collapsed, or been abandoned or infiltrated since.
Apparently, some of the tunnels led to the backrooms of taverns.
Thandra and Gance split up, mingling with the crowds who had come to drink or gamble or listen to the band that was providing the evening’s entertainment.
At first Thandra couldn’t stand the lead singer’s voice, which sounded too shrill and seemed to contrast starkly with her earnest lyrics, but as their set went on, Thandra found herself warming to her voice, and enjoying the ethereal music more and more.
She almost had to remind herself that she was here to find people who would help her fight an upcoming war she had almost no chance of winning.
She stood at the bar beside a woman who was clearly enjoying the performance as well, clapping and cheering at the end of every song.
“What’s their name again?” Thandra asked her at the end of one particularly moving ballad called 'Stars Apart’.
“Huh?”
“The band. What are they called?”
“Dreadnight.”
“I see...”
“They’ve come all the way out from Halo's Crest to tour Estefal. Amazing they stopped at a town like this. What do you think of the singer, by the way? Apparently she’s an acquired taste.”
“She’s quite the songbird,” Thandra replied without really thinking about it.
That moment she felt something cold press softly against the back of her neck.
What felt like a moment later, she found herself in a cold sweat on some kind of metal bench, her hands and feet restrained.
“Sorry about that,” said the woman from earlier, her voice echoing off the room's walls, cavelike. “Couldn’t take any chances.”
“Where am I,” Thandra said slowly, “and what do you want with me?”
“Don’t worry, you’re safe. And so is the flyboy you walked in here with. We just need to ask you a few questions.”
“Who’s we?”
Another voice spoke up, a man’s voice, deep and gravelly:
“Interesting choice of words you got there.”
Thandra scoffed.
“You really went to all the effort of kidnapping me because I said...what...songbird?”
“Yeah...that one’s pretty out of date. So I’m thinking you’re either a long-lost ally...or a badly-informed spy...”
“Talin, I presume?” Thandra said slowly.
“My reputation precedes me. I can see you’ve already met my lieutenant, Layal.”
“Pleasure to meet the two of you. Governor Cassia sends her regards,”
“Governor Cassia, eh? Last time I talked to her she was a princess.”
“Things have changed.”
“So it would seem. How’s Cassia doing these days?”
“Could be better. The Empire has declared war on the Vallenstar.”
Talin let out a slow whistle.
“Again?”
“We need your help,” Thandra said. “The Vallen can’t do this alone. Cassia helped you out in the last war, and now we need your help in this war.”
“We helped each other out,” Talin said defensively. “But far be it from me to sit idly by while my dear friend Cassia gets blown to bits. I’m guessing if the Empire is at war with you then...they’ll be passing right through here on the way to blow you up. Am I right?”
“We think so.”
“Just so happens I have a network of brave warriors lying in wait for a revolution, waiting for the right moment to strike against the Imps who took Estefal. If we give the signal when the new fleet passes through Estefal...we could deal some serious damage.”
“Alright so...we give the signal when they arrive.”
“Small trouble with that. The Imps have decrypted pretty much all the direct channels of communication I had to work with, so I had to go a little old-school.”
“What do you mean?”
In a forest deep in the Western Wastes of Farlone, there’s a tower. That tower, if you enter the right code, will broadcast a signal to my warriors, telling them the time to strike. Take your pretty pilot friend and light the beacon, while I prepare for war. You know what, take Layal with you too. I trust her more than I trust you. No offence.”
“None taken. Now if you wouldn’t mind releasing me...?”