In Time Gone By...

~ 7 ~

The time was ticking into evening as Bailee washed her face, anxious as one more day led to no answers about her vetting and whether she could return to work. Or, be executed. Her mind continued to wander as she plaited her hair lazily, trying to think over, for the millionth time, if there really was anything incriminating in her history with the Order. But nothing came to mind. Everything with the Resistance had ended the second that first blaster shot had hit. 

She hadn't seen her boss at all the last few days, week nearly, and was starting to wander if he was distancing himself because something was wrong. But then, he had said he trusted her so who knew, really. 

She got back to one of the many books she'd tried to read in her time off, slumping down in the little chair in the corner of the room. The general had been kind enough to give her and Grace an upgrade from their tiny bunks to something a bit more spacious - the real highlight being their adjoining bathroom. It had been a far cosier place to spend this time and much appreciated. 

The stars drifted by as she flicked through the pages but got lost there, just watching them. A ship rushed by occasionally on some distant mission. 

A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts and she sighed as she got up, expecting a trooper with some kind of arbitrary message or Grace who had forgotten the passcode again. Instead, the general looked back at her and she stood a little straighter. 

"Sir." 

"Latt," he said, datapad in hand, a rather officious nature to him. "I realise it's quite late, may I come in?" 

"Of course..." 

He stepped inside, the datapad, she now realised, opened to her file. This was it, then? She took a deep breath and gestured to the chair where her book still lay. 

"Keeping busy, then?" 

"Not really," she replied, taking it and sitting on the end of her bed. "Can't concentrate much...Grace's shift won't be over for a few hours...so..."

He nodded briskly. 

"You have news then, I imagine?" 

"I do." he said, looking back at her worried but still hopeful expression, a fear in her eyes. It wasn't a guilty fear, but rather of something going wrong. 

"Well?" 

He turned to the datapad as he spoke. "When you told me about your situation, I truly wanted to believe you." 

Her heart sunk, insides twisted and feeling like they were slowly turning to jelly. Her hands shook violently but she staunched them by placing them in her lap. It's okay...it's okay...

"I apologise this whole process has taken so long, I'm sure you've been anxious to know the result." 

Just get on with it!

"But, as you can imagine, it's taken some time... I have here, however, a list, an extensive one, of every communication or message - anything - that was even flagged as suspicious." he said and her heart practically stopped as he reread what was on the screen. Oh, stars...this was it. Was this it? 

She closed her eyes briefly and awaited those words, those fateful words. She had everything to fight for though and she knew she would. 

"Uh..." he said, handing the screen over. "Here...see for yourself." 

With reluctant, shaking fingers she took it, looking up at him. "Sir, I promise you, I would never -"

She stopped when she saw the screen, stopped entirely in her tracks. The datapad that she was looking at was...blank, save from the First Order seal in one corner. Nothing...not a word, so she looked up at him in confusion, almost ready to cry.