I feel a light breeze caressing my face. Strange. My body feels so good. I don't feel any pain, which seems so... relaxing.
Question.
"Am I dead? Or do I just not feel my body?" I wonder.
I open my eyes. Ok, I'm not dead. The first thing I see is the ceiling. It's made of reddish wood, which looks so clean. I notice a small window with a flower pot on it. I like flowers.I try to get up, but it's a big mistake. A sharp pain shoots through my right shoulder, where I was wounded. Twice. I notice that my body is bandaged. Haha, it's strange to see myself bandaged. It's funny to take care of intruders. Especially when you know you are the one.
I begin to examine the room. I notice that the room isn't quite spacious, but neither too cramped. Perfect for a lieutenant if we were on an Imperial airship. But I know I'm not on an Imperial ship. I've been treated too well. My wounds don't ache, suggesting they've been well taken care of. That's something you'd dream of on an Imperial ship. Plus, the room is decorated in a style… I can't quite pinpoint it, but it feels like someone's sanctuary. A fairly large mirror adorns the opposite wall with copper edges. Next to it, a bookshelf and a few maps. I spot a wardrobe. I presume it's for clothes. And the last thing that catches my eye is a quiver of arrows.
"Could it be?" this question echoes in my mind like a flickering light bulb.
"I don't think so," I tell myself. It would be very strange if it were true.
I also notice my clothes on the edge of the bed. They are clean and even neatly stitched. I thank whoever took care of them. Now I just need to get dressed and leave.
It takes me five minutes to get dressed. The wound on my shoulder, even though it was well taken care of, still aches, and I limp now due to the knife that was stabbed into my leg. But it's okay. I'm not dead, which is a relief. I just need to escape from the ship.But how? I have no idea. Plus, I don't know where I am. The barometer in my head indicates an altitude of 6583 meters, and the weather I see through the window is beautiful. I'm too high for an escape. So the only thing I can do is to investigate where I am.
I approach the bookshelf and take the first map I see. It's a map of the Empire. I put it back. I need a larger map. A map of the Free Territories.
Why?
The last time I was caught, I was there as a spy. I needed information. I was looking for a Rebel.
I find the map on the third try. The Free Territories. It looks like a continent, but it's more like an island with about a thousand tiny islands in it. Imagine a city with roads full of water. Well, that's what the Free Territories look like. To cross it takes about four days of flying with the fastest Imperial ship, and this, I'm sure, is not an Imperial ship. I notice an X marked on the map. Possibly the position of the ship, but I'm not sure. I don't see any specific date or time, but it's a start. I try to look for more details when the door opens. Involuntarily, I rush to attack, grabbing an arrow from the quiver I saw earlier, but I stop.
The eyes.
It's the first thing I notice. The same gray eyes I saw that evening. So she saved me, but I can't manage to say a word before I find a knife at my throat.
"Easy, cowboy," she says. "Is this how you show gratitude? I saved your life, nursed you back to health, and the first thing you do is attack me with a measly arrow? Thanks would be nicer than all of this."
Ugh, she has a darn beautiful voice. Pleasant. Perfect.
"Thanks," I say, smiling at her. "I hope I didn't cause too much trouble." She remains silent, looking at me, then glances around the room. She notices that the map I used is not in its place.
"You caused trouble," she tells me and pushes me towards the bed. The knife is still pointed at me. "The arrow," she says, gesturing for me to throw it. I comply. "Sit on the bed and try not to make any sudden moves," she says. "I don't want a bloodbath in the room," she tells me. Again, I comply. So, it's her room. I notice she's turned her back to me. She puts the map back in place. I could attack her, break her neck, use the arrow on the floor to kill her painlessly, but I stay still on the bed.
I analyze her.
She's stunningly beautiful. I think she's about five feet seven. Her body is well-defined, her hair is beautifully cut short, and the scent she emanates I associate with… lilac flowers?
She turns back to me. I think she's analyzing me. I notice she has hundreds of questions for me, but she doesn't ask them. She doesn't ask me any questions, nothing, just looks at me. Then she lowers the knife. She goes towards the door and signals. A gesture. She's calling someone, and those someones are two damn big men. Even if I fight them, I'll die instantly in the situation I'm in. They grab me and pull me along. They don't say anything to me, and I keep my mouth shut.
I let them take me, trailing behind her. There's something strange about her. It's like I've seen her somewhere before, or maybe I've heard of her. It doesn't last long as we're led through the maze of corridors of the ship when we enter a huge room.
The control room.
I see several people in it. They might be part of the crew, plus a whole brigade of infantrymen. Damn it. I think I was being watched in the room because they were prepared.
In the middle of the room, there's a huge chair, and on it, a silhouette.
My eyes widen.
I gulp.
In the middle of the room, there he is.
The man I'm after.
Why?
Because I had a mission.
To kill Captain Deanus.
The leader of the Rebels.