It’s Written in The Stars
Oooh Here’s chapter 3. I’m getting better at this. Chapter 4 will be up soon. As usual, please R and R. Enjoy!!
Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Star Wars Characters.
Chapter 3 : Time
Nightmares. Why did he even bother trying to sleep anymore? If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. If it wasn’t that he couldn’t sleep, then it was that he was having nightmares. If he wasn’t having nightmares, then his brain was working over time. Tossing and turning, thinking and plotting, screaming and sweating.
Again, Carth awakes from yet another nightmare panting, his heart pounding in his ears. The sweat blanketing his skin on his chest and forehead, slowly begins to bead and makes it way down the rest of his body. His appartment always seems so dark and empty when he awakes in fear.
He begins rubbing his neck and tilting his head from side to side.
“Might as well get up old man.” Carth swings his legs over the side of his bed and wills himself to take a shower.
The floor feels so cold on his bare feet as he makes his way to the bathroom. In minutes the water is hot and inviting. His muscles loosing their tension. Resting his head against the wall, he goes over the events of his nightmare.
A small slender figure standing in a darkened room. His heart racing. The figure reaches out for him.
He rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands. Laughing at himself for being so terrified of something so ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense. He’s been having these weird dreams ever since the Exile left Telos eight months ago. They never make sense, but always seem to have him waking up in the middle of the night.
He ends his shower, steps out and begins towelling himself dry. Studying himself in the mirror, he realises that his numerous scares don’t look as defined as they once did. The blaster shot he had taken to his left shoulder during his time with Keira, had faded a great deal that he almost forgot it was there. The vibroblade scar that hugged against his right rib cage and abdomen was no longer a light pink, but a faded tan color. Not that he really cares about the appearances of these scares. It just reminds him how long Keira has been gone.
Carth wraps his towel around his waist and makes his way through his bedroom and towards the hall. Along with his promotion, came many privileges. One being a four bedroom apartment. He had insisted that he didn’t need something so big, but it was something that apparently came with his new rank. Grinding his teeth, he had accepted.
The bedroom closest to the entrance, he had made into a guest room. Usually, Mission would use it when she would come to Telos to visit him. However, there was the odd soldier that didn’t have somewhere to go when there was time off, so Carth would offer the room. Then there was the second room beside that one, which he had given to Dustil. Although, he wasn’t around much. Due to the fact that he was now following his father’s foot steps, Dustil had decided to become a soldier of the Republic. So whenever he did have some down time, Dustil stayed on Telos with his father.
Then there was the third room. His second office slash work out room. He really didn’t know what to do with it, but felt that he had to use the space.
He reaches the living room and plops himself down on a sofa chair. He rests the back of his head on the comfort of the chair and stares at the ceiling.
“Now what?”
Nothing to do. He didn’t have to be at his office for another three hours. Still nothing to do. For once, there’s no paper work. Carth smirks as he finds himself actually wishing for paper work. At least he would be occupied. Glancing around the room, he realises that he hasn’t really ever spent more then ten minutes in this very spot. Finding this an odd thought, he laughs out loud and sighs hard.
“Onasi. You’re sitting in the dark, basically naked. Laughing by yourself.”
Shaking his head in disbelief of his borderline insanity, he forces himself from the chair and back to his room.
“Guess I can at least get dressed.”
Two hours later, after he’s made his bed to military standards, washed the dishes and ate, he heads for his office. How he hates walking the long distance in his Admiral uniform. He wishes he could just pull his tattered orange jacket from retirement and walk with ought any glances. Although, he wouldn’t be catching the eye of anyone today, seeing that it was even day break yet.
He pops his key card in the slot and the office door opens. From the corner of his eye, Carth can see that his assistant is just arriving as well. Her papers and bags slumping and slipping out from her arms. Smiling, he makes his way towards her, helping her pick up the mess on the floor. One by one he picks up her never ending load of office supplies.
“Carth, dear. You’ve always been such a nice young man.”
“Young.” He snorts. “You know, you’re not much older then me Mrs. Lawson.”
“True, true. But ten years is ten years sweetie.”
She pats him lightly on the cheek and heads for her desk.
Curious, Carth finds himself a bit stung by her words, for reasons unknown to him. What was it about ten years that bugged him so much. Deciding it’s not important, he shrugs it off and deposits Mrs. Lawsons supplies neatly on her desk.
Mrs. Lawson. Carth had met her here on Telos, working in the cantina. She had spotted the Admiral at the end of the bar, seemingly drowning his sorrows in ale. She had approached him and congratulated him on his heroic deeds. Somehow, he had managed to get her to tell him the story of her past. How she had lost her husband in the Mandolorian War and how she was struggling to keep food on the table for her and her daugher. With ought a moment of hesitation, Carth had offered her to become his assistant. He promised her that she would be well paid and that he would pay for her daughter to go to school. Still to this day, she could not get over his generosity. Because of this gentle and kind man, her young Alicia could now go to school. Oddly enough, Alicia and Mission had signed up for the same all girl school and were assigned to be roomates. The two had become inseparable friends.
Smacking his forehead with his palm, Carth admitted that he had forgot a data pad at home which contained the maintenance schedules for some of the fighter ships. He jogged back to his apartment picked up the data pad from his desk and headed back to work.
“Wow, you really are getting old.”
Coming to a slow stride as he got near his office, Carth could feel that something was different. Not wrong. Just different. Again, he slides the key card into the slot and the door opens. To his surprise Mrs. Lawson greets him with a pleasant smile.
“Admiral. You seem to have a visitor.”
“Huh? A visitor? At this time? Who is it?”
“A young woman. I told her to wait in your office and that you would be with her soon.”
“Thank-you.”
Nodding politely, the assistant continues her work. Carth pockets the key card and curses under his breath.
“Damnit Mission. I told you to visit after the exams.”
Then it dawned on him. Mrs. Lawson knows what Mission looks like. Why would she say ‘young woman’ and not her name. Odd.
