Reverse Empire Pt. 2

The first sensation to returned to her was taste. It was as if someone had fed her cotton, cotton laced with a slightly coppery tang.

With a start Yerrin tried to push herself into a sitting position on her cot. She almost fell back down as her head spun from the sudden movement.

Finally managing to prop herself against the wall, Yerrin tried to take stock of her situation. She then realized that she had been fed cotton. Spitting out the cotton pad, she noted it had what looked like dried blood along one side. Feeling the inside of her mouth with her tongue, she was relieved to find that it had nothing to do with her teeth and that they were all still there.

It took a moment longer for it to come to her but she remembered the circumstances that led to her being in this detention cell.

"Oh no.. Pradran... Traarel, Zlen, Pydid..."

Before she could ponder further the fate of the others, a low rumble reverberated through the walls and set her teeth on edge. The door on the far side of the cell slid open to reveal a lone Imperial Internal Intelligence officer. Despite her concern for the others, Yerrin recoiled and tried to back away from the apparition of terror.

The tall blonde III officer entered and strode to the center of the room. Dressed in a close cut black uniform, she managed to scare the wits out of the youth in front of her without doing anything. For a long moment the officer just stared silently at the teen who kept her back pressed against the wall.

"Come with me." The blonde turned and stepped back into the dark corridor and out of sight.

At first Yerrin tried to convince herself that the III officer was an illusion. She didn't really come in and the door wasn't really open. It was a futile gesture, the door still gaped open and the officer had snuck a peek to see if she was following.

Hesitantly, Yerrin uncurled and slid off the cot. She didn't want to follow the blonde but she knew that this politeness was only an empty gesture. If she didn't follow on her own they would just drag her out. Coming to a decision, the rebel teen stood up and schooled her expression. If she was being led to her execution, she would meet her end with dignity.

A ghost of a smile touched the face of the III officer when she saw the change and the new determination in her eyes. She nodded to her left as Yerrin stepped out of her cell. "This way."

Yerrin was surprised. First, the intelligence officer was surprisingly gentle with her commands. Second, it was only the two of them in the corridor. The two towering imperial stormtroopers she was expecting as escorts were nowhere to be seen. Third, the officer was unarmed.

A briefly considered plan to overpower her captor was discarded. Who knew if she really was unarmed. Besides, the blonde was much taller and looked formidable enough to take on a stormtrooper unarmed.

The two entered a turbolift and were whisked to an upper level. Yerrin grew uneasy as she noticed the officer studying her with an unreadable expression. The end of the trip came abruptly and Yerrin let out the breath she'd been holding when the scrutiny ended.

They emerged into bright corridor and took a right turn, coming face to face with a pair of stormtroopers. The blonde palmed the door behind the troopers open and ushered Yerrin in. "In here."

She needn't had bothered as Yerrin had caught sight of one of the figures within. "PRADRAN!!"

"YERRIN!"

The two siblings embraced and were joined by all the others of their rebel group except Traarel. Herrin was the one who noticed and moved over to her. "Traarel, are you alright? You've been uncharacteristically quiet."

"I... I don't know. The last thing I remembered before, after the pulse grenade went off.. I thought I sa-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as she saw who had just stepped into the conference room. Traarel's face went white before colouring in fury. "YOU TRATIOR!!"

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Part 3 (the conclusion) to come soon. ^ ^