Private Soldier Side

[Sid Berik]

THE ROOKIE

NABOO
70 Degrees and Sunny, Light Breeze.

Living Wasteland​

Shore leave.

He'd been given shore leave. He'd done a lot. Tython. Then Corsin. Two major battles, in such a short time. He'd been given a promotion, places on propaganda posters, interviews here and there. But he didn't want any of that. It didn't bring his dead friends back. He felt aged. He felt ugly. He was 20 years old, and his face was permanently scarred thanks to the Alliance.

His friends were dead, thanks to the Jedi.

They laughed when they killed them. Sang songs. They just wanted to survive that fight- but the Jedi, the motley crew of them, delighted in their slaughtered. Called them fascists, scum, inhuman. He looked out to the landscape, endless rolling fields of green. He was told by his new Captain to take a few weeks. His performance had been slipping, his mind elsewhere. That, and he was being considered for a special program- they wanted him rested and in the best shape possible. Mentally and physically.

He picked Naboo for several reasons. It was a historically beautiful planet, and it was in a neutral zone, free of outside influence, free of everything else. No politics, no Alliance patrols to dodge, nobody asking for his serial number, just-

Just peace.

But he wasn't going to get it. Probably not for the rest of his life.

But, he was going to sit on this bench outside the spaceport- a fresh arrival, a bag of all his clothes and the like next to him, and a lovely, locally made sandwich. He unwrapped his sandwich, taking a deep sigh. Naboo was nice. Even the view from just the spaceport was nice. He had a long list of things he wanted to see, and more importantly, to do. But, for now, he'd just sit there- alone, sitting in the bright sun, eating his sandwich.

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Sid Berik would see a very familiar red-headed girl making a beeline for the speeder-taxi stand a little beyond and down from the bench he was sitting at and enjoying his sandwich. She was wearing some cargo pants, boots, utility belt, dark brown shirt with a deep green jacket. Making her eyes look greener than the swirls of blue, green, and hazel that were usually present. A small bag was slung over one shoulder. One hand clutched tightly to the strap.

She paused in the line and glanced around.

Busy day at the spaceport. Lots of new arrivals. Her attention turned back to the front of the line as she shuffled forward with the others. Anxious to get going. If her lead was right, she hoped the gungan she was going to meet wasn't going to be a dead end in a long line of dead ends. At least it was sunny out. A beautiful day.

 

[Sid Berik]

"Naomi."

He said, eyes deceiving him. Or at least, he hoped they weren't. He didn't even think of the odds- the thousands upon thousands of planets, the thousands of spaceports, the millions upon millions of benches. And she was here with him.

But he looked different now. More square in the jaw- thanks to a surgery. Scars on his face, synthflesh embedded in the wound for the moment- the scars were deep, cruel. Shrapnel had pocketed his unprotected face where his helmet was split, and had scarred him deeply. The scars ran up from his neck to the side of his head- a litany of small scars, and two larger ones, cutting into his lip and nearly into his nose.

He stood up, walking over to the redhead. She wasn't in a uniform- neither was he, to be fair. He stood there, slack-jawed almost- standing up above her, leaving his sandwich and his bag on the other bench. Not that he was worried about anyone stealing it. Not here, at least.

"Is it- is it really you?" He said, sitting down next to her. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to, but he couldn't.

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Had someone said her name?

It was said loud enough that it made her gaze flicker around the spaceport at least in front of her. She must've just heard something...

"Is it- is it really you?"

She finally turned, eyes looking greener than blue in this Nabooian light settled on him. Confusion...then recognizion as her eyes widened. Traveling down his face at the new scars. At seeing him outside his plasteel armor. With no rifle pointed at her face.

Freckled brow furrowed.

"Berik?"

The 'verse was a really small place sometimes. She looked around, as if expecting him to be with a platoon or something. To be traveling with others.

"What are...what're you doing here?" She noticed the way he held himself. As if he carried the weight of the whole 'verse on his shoulders. Were those dark shadows beneath his eyes? "You okay?"

 

[Sid Berik]

At least I made it back.

Naomi Carolina

A pretty face in a pretty place.

A scarred face in a pretty place.

He stood over her, blinking in disbelief. Yes, she really was here. Yes, she was really talking to him. "I- I'm on leave." He said, his voice shaky, unsure. He sat down next to her, his hands gently folding in front of him. Meek, defensive- a tell-tale sign of shame, regret in his body language.

Why was he ashamed? It hadn't been that long since they saw each other- but to him, it felt like the "before" event. There was the before in his life, and then the after. The perpetual pain would still be there, forever. The hum would go on forever, a perpetual noise inside his head. No peace. Not ever again. He'd hear the artillery forever. Hear how the Jedi slaughtered his friends. That hum would stay with him.

Unceasing, unending.

"No, not really- been... been a rough couple of weeks." The young man fought back tears. He felt guilty, he felt shame, he felt- he felt quite a bit. Loss, grief, anger, betrayal. But how to tell her that it was her people- or the people she was with, that did this? That it was the Alliance and the Jedi who attacked Tython again- and killed his friends, sang songs, and acted like the heroes while slaughtering men by the dozens?

He looked at the ground, unable to look over at Naomi. His eyes glazed over, full of regret.

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Naomi felt at a loss.

She owed this guy her life.

But they barely knew each other. And it was clear he'd just gone through a lot of bantha poodoo. The redhead felt very much out of her depth. Not to mention she was trying to meet an important contact.

One look at his scarred face made her hesitate to push on toward that meeting. That emotion behind his eyes. Did this have something to do with the recent alliance activity at Tython?

Probably, though, she and her squad hadn't been there personally.

"Do you...,: she swallowed and looked around. Again, feeling way in over her head. "Listen, I owe you my life from before. If it wasn't for you I'd be rotting in some prison. Or dead. You wanna talk about it? Get something to eat?"

 

[Sid Berik]

"Dead. Not a habit of the Empire to make friends out of Alliance spies and pilots." He said with a somewhat grin- though his face could only move so much now. He stood silent for a while, mulling over how best to respond.

He wanted to see her again. In some ways, he was desperate to.

"Sure. I'll take a bite to eat if you're up for it." He looked down at his feet, but finally over at her. "I'd risk it all again, you know." His position, even now, if they found out what he did for her-

Well, he'd be shot right next to her.

"You look good, by the way. A lot better than when I last saw you."

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

Dead.

Her freckled face paled. A reminder of the difference between their worlds. The Alliance would've taken prisoners. Then a scrunch of her rusty brows followed by a scowl. "I'm not a spy." Indignation flashed across her face. She was an ace pilot. In the wrong place at the wrong time.

"C'mon. There's a place on this lake that has a view of the mountains. They serve the best soups and teas. Not too expensive, either." Naomi was a volunteer fighter squad-leader. She wasn't exactly rolling in credits. A speeder-taxi pulled up and she got in, scooching over so Berik could join her in the back.

But she had to know something.

"Why? Why would you risk is all again?" She wasn't naive. She knew what punishment he faced if he'd been caught along with her.

 

[Sid Berik]

He didn’t hesitate to grab his bag and move with her again.

“Got my deployment money now. It’s on me.”

The Taxi took off and he stood silent again, clearly thinking of how to answer her question. His eyes were the bearers of his thoughts- his facial expressions were going to be lacking from now on.

“Who wouldn’t save the angel that fell from the sky?” He said out the window, watching the world pass the two of them, before turning back to her.

“I asked myself that for days after. But ultimately I came up with one answer out of the many.” He said, thumbing his chin.

“I wanted to help you. We’re just kids in all this mess anyways-“ He looked gloomily out the window again.

“Just kids.”

 

[Naomi Carolina]

An angel?

Her face warmed. She'd been a dirt and blood-streaked kid getting out of a crash. A small shake of her head even as she turned and listened to him. Lips pressing into a thin line.

Other speeders zoomed by. Shops and neon signs blurred past. But there was so much green here. So many trees and other hills. And just past the other buildings, she could see the sparkling blue of the lake they were headed toward.

Oh chit, just kids. Did he really know about her age? Nah, no way. Plus, it wasn't like he was going to rat her out to anyone that would do something about it. Besides, she was just a few months away from 18.

She stayed quiet for a moment before agreeing with him.

"Yeah, it's all a mess."

It was true. Easy to agree with. She didn't understand why someone like him was with the Dark Empire. Then again, he probably didn't understand why she was with the Alliance.

"You ever think about leaving? Getting out and just going somewhere like here or further to the Outer Rim?"

 

[Sid Berik]

Just a few months ago, Sid had turned 18. He was pushing 19 now, a Corporal.

He took a deep breath when she asked. He knew his reasons, and she had hers. He looked at her- those damn beautiful eyes of hers.

“The Empire saved my family from starvation. It’s not perfect, I know but-“ He held the look, basking in her glow. “What is? I’d trade one Emperor for a thousand of them in the Senate.” He looked back out the window, his hands rubbing together again.

“What kind of peaceful Alliance always has to gather more power and planets- by force or by treaty?” He said with a frown. He had his qualms with the Alliance, and she probably had righteous ones with the Empire. “The Jedi they-“ He stopped himself, nearly choking up. He looked down at his feet, then back the passing world outside. He couldn’t go back there mentally, not now, at least.

 

[Naomi Carolina]

They were treading dangerous ground. She’d heard arguments like his before. And he wasn’t wrong. Every major power in this verse had blood on their hands. War was atrocious. Terrible. She’d lost a lot against the sith and dark siders.

And the look Sid was giving her now.

She could recognize that loss.

She didn’t know what to say as he looked away. War sucked. Loss sucked. The verse wasn’t a fair place. Could she really comfort someone who’d just as easily shoot down her friends in their x-wings? Would Sid so easily have shot down her ship?

Without a doubt.

But now? If he knew it was her?

It didn’t matter.

Sitting next to her in that speeder was a guy who’d gone through war and loss. Like her. Even if they were on opposite sides. Reaching over, she took his hand and squeezed it. Sometimes actions were easier than words that would fall flat.

 

[Sid Berik]

The speeder moved fast, the world blurring by the two of them. He was alone- or so he thought. A hand, soft, smaller than his but strong and capable in its own right interlaced with his.

She squeezed and everything melted away, everything stopped being… so bad. Even for just a moment.

“They were good soldiers.”

He said quietly, after a long moment of silence.

 

[Naomi Carolina]

The speeder began to slow. That lake very much present in their view now. A small, rustic looking lodge was nestled along the bank, bordering the lake. A few other speeders and bikes were parked out front. The place had ample seating outside to enjoy the view. Folk even brought their own blankets and were lounging in the grass with picnics. Kids ran across the field playing and yelling.

Naomi reached forward and paid the speeder driver.

"Sid...you wanna talk about it more?"

Naomi didn't know what else to say. Other than a listening ear. She'd lost people in the war, too. What they had to go through? It was awful and she didn't see an end to it any time soon.

 

[Sid Berik]

When the taxi stopped, part of him was upset their proximity was going to be interrupted- he liked being close to her, or for that matter, anyone.

He looked around the serene landscape, his eyes darting to and fro. He knew what Tython looked like before the battle- it was a shining moment of Imperial victory, power and stability.

There was silence. Not the breeze. Not the kids playing. Not the water moving, not the hostess and waitresses in the distance, nothing. Not the swaying of trees and plants.

He heard only silence, and for a moment he smelled the cordite and plasma scorched earth again. Just for a moment, before her question snapped him out of it.

“The Jedi came to us. We were defending our position, the hillside- they came at us with a few tanks, infantry but… mostly Jedi.” He took a seat on a nearby bench while she stood, looking out to the plains and grasses.

“They attacked and slaughtered us. Some of them laughed while they did. One of them, a girl, sang a song. They were singing, laughing, smiling. And killing my friends.” He said grimly.

“My entire company was wiped out by a handful of people. My best friend, my commander, everything. By just a handful of people.” He was silent for a moment.

“I’m the last survivor out of all of them. Every single one.” He looked up at her, finally.

“What do I do now?”

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

She shivered when he spoke.

How many war stories had she heard from her own people that's what happened to them? How many had died on Barkeesh that day just like that? Except it was sith. Perhaps not singing...that was new.

And made her gut twist.

She looked down at him, her green eyes looking more like glittering jewels in the Nabooian sun and landscape. "I don't know what to say," she finally broke the silence that stretched between them. It wasn't a silence like an uncomfortable thing - like a stretch of a rubber band about to break. No, it felt more like a natural thing. Like a silence only two friends could be comfortable with.

"That sounds awful and wrong. And like a cycle that will never break," she said, looking inward for a moment at what they all did fighting on this side or that. "What do you want to do?"

 

[Sid Berik]

"I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill them all. Go after the whole Alliance myself. All the Jedi."

He took a deep breath, looking over at her. "But after a while, part of me never wants to touch a gun again. Wants to go back to my parents. Hear them be proud of me." He looked over at the green jewels. She was beautiful, in every light. But definitely a lot better now that she wasn't shot down.

"I guess, now, I want to be here. With you. I think that's what I want right now. I don't think I want anything else, Naomi." Unfiltered, raw, honesty. Something Sid wasn't normally able to share with his comrades, or the Empire at large.

"It made me feel small, powerless. Helpless. The whole thing."

Naomi Carolina

 

[Naomi Carolina]

She winced as he talked about going after the Alliance. Killing them all. She could've been there. How many missions had she gone to blow something up? He could've been there. She'd be lying to say she hadn't thought about it since he'd helped her get off that Sith Empire world.

"Yeah," she echoed his words, looking out at the vast, glittering lake. What were they other than ripples in a pond? Small things to last a moment. She turned to him. "This won't end, Sid. How do you think I feel when the Empire invades or takes over another world? When my friends are blown up in space? For a long time I thought I was fighting for something better. But look at us?"

A low, dark chuckle as she looks at the half-eaten sandwich in her lap.

A paper thin pause as she hesitates to share something she hasn't told anyone else yet.

"I think I'm going to leave the Alliance."