The Dark Side

~19~

"You, are a monster," she stated coldly.

"And what does that make you, Neri'el Aspenstra?" he finally replied.

Neri'el refused to answer him, her lips pursed in a firm line.

Quickly losing patience with her, Kylo Ren turned towards Olga.

The older woman looked shaken yet refused to reveal her fear to the man.

"I want her in the Interrogation Room by 1700 hours."

With one final look in Neri'el's direction, Kylo Ren left the room.

Immediately both women dropped to Astrid's level.

"Astrid," Neri'el said quickly, "Astrid, can you hear me?"

The girl shook violently and didn't reply.

"She's in shock," Olga realized. "Help me get her to the bed."

Neri'el grabbed Astrid under the arms and tried to lift her up. Her metal foot caught on the tile and they fell back onto the floor. Astrid fell on top of Neri'el and dug her elbow into the girl's side. Wincing, Neri'el strained to get back up.

"Come on, you're alright," Olga said stiffly, "Up we go."

With Olga's help, Neri'el managed to push Astrid upwards and scramble to her feet. She then helped Olga lead the poor girl over to the bed.

Once she was lying down, Olga turned towards one of the many machines and began to hook the girl up to it. She typed away furiously at a tablet of her own as she read over the girl's vitals.

When she was sure that Olga wasn't watching, Neri'el waved her hand across the Astrid's head.

Astrid's whimpers ceased immediately as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Olga shuffled over to Neri'el's side and blinked in surprise. Muttering to herself, she returned the syringe with the sedative to a tray before moving back to Neri'el's left. A silence filled the room as both women stood side by side staring down at the unconscious girl.

"What you did back there," Olga began, "It was brave."

"Thank you," Neri'el replied quietly.

"I wasn't praising you," Olga stated crisply.

Neri'el turned to look at her and Olga met her gaze. The older woman frowned at her.

"It was brave but foolish," the woman continued, "Commander Ren does not tolerate defiance. It's a miracle you're still alive."

"I don't believe in miracles," the blonde replied as she returned her gaze to her sleeping friend. "I was prepared to die to save her."

Olga scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

"He would've killed you then killed her right after. You would've died for nothing."

Neri'el looked at her and blinked.

"At least I would have died in defense of a friend."

Olga rolled her eyes and gently patted the girl's arm.

"Someday you'll come to realize that nobility is not synonymous with longevity," she said gently as she strode past the girl towards her desk.

"Yes, but I would rather die attempting to save someone rather than as a coward."

Olga's eyes flashed.

"I am no coward," the woman snarled, as she turned back around to face the young girl.

"Then explain to me why you have joined a demonic, murderous, power hungry organization? Unless of course the answer is that you wanted to save your own skin," Neri'el retorted fiercely.

Olga's mouth twisted into a grimace. Her wrinkled face contorted with fury. She raised a thin finger and stabbed it in Neri'el's direction.

"Don't try to know me, Child!" she spat, "You know nothing. Nothing of people nor the galaxy."

Neri'el bristled.

"You are evading the subject," she retorted, "You have not answered my question."

"I CAME FOR MY SON!" Olga screamed.

In that instant, Olga broke. Her unshakable aura vanished as she buried her face in her hands. Sharp sobs escaped her as she raised her face from her wrinkled hands to send Neri'el a hateful glare.

"They took him! And I came to save him!" she snarled.

Neri'el sat down in the chair opposite her.

"I'm sorry," she began quietly. "Did you-?"

"WOULD I STILL BE HERE TODAY IF I DID?" The woman yelled.

Neri'el stayed quiet and Olga continued.

"My son, Trystan," she began quietly, "was, special. He grew up on a First Order controlled planet. It was impossible for them not to find him. He was recruited when he was fifteen."

The woman's hands were folded tightly in her lap. But Neri'el saw her begin to dig her finger nails into her hands. Crimson crescents slowly began to ooze scarlet rivers across her wrinkled skin.

"My husband and I followed him here," Olga said once she managed to regain some of her composure. "I became a nurse and he, a storm trooper."

She closed her eyes.

"My husband didn't last four months," she said in a broken voice. "I continued searching for our son. I searched everywhere, data banks, old files, anywhere and everywhere I could look."

She opened her eyes and stared directly at Neri'el.

"I didn't have to look for him for long," she said quietly, "He was brought to me."

She visibly cringed as though she could see her child, mutilated on the table, sitting in the far corner of the room.

"He was dressed all in black but the material was scorched. Burns and other fouls marks covered his body," the older woman whispered, "Blood was spattered all across his face. I-I still don't know if it was his or someone else's." Olga's face clouded with pain.

"He died right in front of me," she finished quietly.

"I'm sorry," Neri'el replied, feeling a terrible regret for her earlier words, "And I apologize for what I said before."

Olga swallowed slowly before looking over at the young woman before her.

"Next time," she said bitterly, "Don't be so quick to judge someone."

Neri'el was quiet as the woman stood and walked over to check on Astrid.

"I won't," the girl murmured softly to herself.