Victory of the Stars

Chapter 13: Gone, Gone, Gone

It'd been two days.
Vi didn't like to be left alone with her thoughts.
She barely remembered how they'd been found.
8-6 tazed a lot of people, Liam yelled curses in Gaelic, and Kara dodged the soldiers surprisingly easy, but eventually Xian caught them all.
Now Liam and Kara were somewhere being interrogated and she was alone again. She tended to make herself sick when she thought too much.
Alright.
Stop thinking. First things first.
Escape.
Quietly, Vi curled into a ball, then stood back up and tried once more to open the door. It still wasn't budging.
Not an option. Next, presentation.
Captain Riley's voice echoed in her head, one of his earliest lectures on being a proper ambassador.
Proper presentation is the key to successful diplomacy. If you look like you know what you're doing, people tend to believe that.
How do you look?
She imagined that she looked a mess.
She hadn't brushed her hair in a while, (how long had they been traveling?) her face was puffy and red from all the crying she'd been doing, and her new outfit was torn and dusty from the fighting. She tucked her hair behind her ears and tugged on her collar.
I can't believe this is happening again. I wonder where Kara and Liam are.
I'm scared.
Stop thinking.
To distract herself, Vi quietly sang her favorite songs. And then she sang them again. And again. By the time she heard anything outside her door she'd lost count of how many times she'd sung each of them.
Was that footsteps?
Nothing happened, so she continued singing. It kept her from thinking if she was trying to make sure she remembered the words and tune right.
There it is again.
This time, the door swung open. Vi jumped to her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear and twitching her shoulders back. Xian stood there. Her brow was furrowed, though whether it was with anger or confusion she wasn't sure. Her long blonde hair was perfect as usual, and now that Vi saw her up close, she realized that Xian was smaller than she'd expected. Her boots and bun really did make her look taller.
"The emperor requests your presence."
Vi tucked her hair behind her ear again and walked out into the hallway.
Xian put handcuffs on her and guided Vi down the hall. Vi's stomach was trying to turn itself inside out. She was glad she hadn't eaten anything since they'd been taken onto the ship two days before; it would've been on the floor by now.
They walked through the long, identical halls of the Annihilator and more than once Vi thought she recognized someone, though they always turned away before she could see better. She tugged at her collar again. Xian walked fast, so Vi almost had to run to stay with her. She
didn't dare say anything though.
Vi didn't think she was brave enough to even open her mouth.
They arrived at an elevator and Xian pushed her in and then followed her.
She still looked angry.
As they rode, Vi tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced at Xian, trying to get a read on her.
She was running her finger down the hilt of her light-sabers. Xian tensed and looked sharply over at Vi as though she'd sensed her watching her. Vi looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear again.
The elevator dinged and they stepped out into another hallway. Finally, they reached a large door that Xian pushed open and Vi found herself standing in what appeared to be a huge, barren throne room.
Her chest tightened.
"Emperor Vitus," she whispered.
The man turned around as if he'd heard his name spoken and smiled at her so warmly that Vi shuddered.
Someone so evil shouldn't look so nice.