Victory of the Stars

Chapter 4:

Vi woke up with a massive headache, the memories of last night stinging raw on her face and hands. She laughed without opening her eyes, the manic sound echoing through the holding cell she was in.
The sound tore out of her chest, shredding her throat on the way up, but she couldn't stop the floodtides of hysteria. Suddenly she couldn't breathe again, the claws around her heart having migrated up into her throat, and she started sobbing.
No, Vi decided. That... that wasn't real.
That couldn't be real.
I'll open my eyes and find that Captain Riley is still a... ali... alive. Laira and Dane just... just played a prank on me.
Yeah, a prank.
I'll yell at them a little, and then life will be normal again.
I'll open my eyes and they'll be right there.
Everything must be fine.
Experimentally, Vi flexed her legs, then her arms. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and opened her eyes. She was on a smooth metal floor staring at the cloud-grey walls of the holding cell.
Her breath rasped as she tried to keep herself from hyperventilating.
None of the first aid she'd learned was coming back to her except that she was in shock. She'd been in shock since she'd seen that wound.
Too high to have missed anything vital. Too big to perform first aid.
Stupid panicked brain. We could have saved him. We SHOULD have saved him. She knew, though, in the rational part of her brain, that she couldn't have.
Vi curled into a ball, wiping the last of the sobs off of her face.
She was still wearing Captain Riley's jacket.
Vi's face was the surface of a star, trying not to erupt back into solar flares of tears. She put her hands into the pockets of the jacket and hit a small paper package with her non-injured hand.
The caramelle de trefle and the letter that she'd been so excited about crinkled as she pulled them out. The tears came as she put it back into the pocket and she let them flow, each becoming a memory.
Riding her vélo with her friends along the river.
Teasing Laira and Dane about their mutual crush.
Climbing to the top of the massive chêne trees to watch Demetrix's triple moons rise on the
winter solstice.
Dancing at the fête d'hiver with her town and wandering the streets in the lantern-light
laughing and singing and looking at the bright displays in all the shops. And amongst all the memories, even more of Captain Riley.
Comforting her after her first fight.
Teaching her how to fly a shuttle.
Supporting her in debates against older or more experienced ambassadors.
Fixing her braid before a presentation.
The time he had the entire Galactic Council searching for his lost toothbrush after he'd put it into the galley cupboard with the pudding.
The time he broke his toe kicking 8-6.
The time he'd tried to make cookies with her and they'd almost set the ship on fire.
Vi pulled her knees into her chest, wiping her tears onto the once-white uniform skirt. The hand she'd used to accidentally punch the soldier had dried blood between the fingers, and the knuckles were purple and red.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. She was trained in first aid, but that didn't mean she liked having to administer it.
If only I had ice, or antibiotics, or gauze, or, or, ANYTHING helpful.
Vi sighed and pulled the ribbon out of the end of her braid. Using a torn corner of her dress she wrapped her knuckles, then neatly tidied her hair.
Feeling cleaner did make her feel a bit better.
Memories won't help, she chided herself. Neither will feeling sorry for yourself.
Quietly, Vi pulled herself into a standing position. Pushing a stray curl that'd already fallen out of her braid behind her ear and wiping her eyes, she walked over to the cell door. Poking with her good hand, Vi tested the door for weaknesses methodically, making sure to cover every inch. She found none.
In frustration, Vi kicked the door; that only made her toes hurt.
So she kicked it again.
That didn't help.
"Stupid door!" She huffed in frustration and kicked it again.
Finally she sat back down and tried not to think about what had happened to Captain Riley or what would happen to her.
She sung her favorite melodies to herself to pass the time, which felt very, very, very long.
It probably was very long, when she thought about it.
Suddenly, there was a very loud bang and some muffled swearing, and the door to her cell slid open to reveal a very annoyed 8-6.
Vi leapt to her feet and embraced the droid.
"8-6! Thank the stars!"
8-6 beeped. "------ Vi, I can't very well leave you alone, can I? Riley would- ... Never mind. Come on, let's get you off of this ------- ship."
He rolled impatiently out into the hallway, with Vi following as fast as she could.
As they turned into the main hallway she found the source of the mysterious bang. There was a scorch mark on the wall and a soldier lying unconscious opposite it.
8-6 shushed her before she could speak.
"Look, Vi. I did what I had to. Now do you want to get off of this --------- ship or not?" Without waiting for her to answer he turned and sped away. Vi blinked, tucked her hair behind her ear, and followed him.
As they snuck through the ship, Vi was surprised at how easy their progress was.
"Isn't it odd that nobody's tried to stop us yet?" She asked 8-6 as he tried to open the escape pod. "I mean, doesn't something seem wrong?"
The door opened and she lifted 8-6 in.
"Look, Vi," he said, quickly programming the pod. "I don't know why we weren't caught, but I couldn't ------- care less! ---- with that ship. All I -------- care about is getting you to safety. Now get the —— up!"