Starstruck [CLOSED APPLY FIC]

(7)

"We met after my parents died," Sanii began hesitantly. "I was adopted by some Terran mechanics. There was one woman, who I was closest to, named Ashley. She had a daughter, one of the only other children who was a permanent resident on the space station. We grew up together, but when I joined the Academy, we went our separate ways." 

"Even if Mathilde was your buddy as a child, that still doesn't explain why you shot her."

"She always knew how to get under people's skin, and I did not... leave for the Academy with our friendship still intact." Sanii tried to keep her tone neutral but she could hear the bitterness creeping into it. 

And we will be best friends? Forever? 

I promise. 

Sanii, please...

How can I even look at you right now?

He sighed, and Sanii recognised the haunted look in his eyes as the look of someone who knew firsthand what it was like for their family to be ripped apart by the rebels. "We're in enough of a mess as it is, Sanii, and the last thing I need right now is you killing her because it's some lifelong revenge plan of yours—"

"It is not a lifelong revenge plan," she interuppted, voice not as emotionless as she would have liked. "Mathilde Griffin is not worth it."

A̶r̶e̶ y̶o̶u̶ s̶u̶r̶e̶?̶

She's not worth it. She's not worth it. She's not worth it. 

The sad truth is, you're just not worth it, Sanii. 

"I—" Errick scrubbed a hand over his jaw. (He had way too much on his shoulders for a guy his age.) "We have to hand her in. You know that. But... do you need to talk to her first? To get closure, or something?" 

She hadn't expected that. "Allow me five minutes alone with her." 

"No can do." He stood firm. "Locksley will take a break from the front, and he can stand in with Ronnie while I talk to the others. I don't know who I can trust, and Locksley's the only exception to that." 

She didn't know what was worse: talking to her in front of others or not talking to her at all. Mathilde would purposefully mention something Sanii wanted to keep buried. "Of course."

—

"Ah, you're back," Mathilde grinned, but Sanii saw the tension in her eyes. "Come to finish me off?" 

Locksley opened his mouth to speak but Sanii shook her head, turning to their prisoner. "I want to ask you something." 

"Doesn't everybody?"

She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "What are you fighting for?" 

"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows raised, almost of their own accord. "You want to know what I'm fighting for?" 

"Answer the question," Ronnie said warningly, their helpful schoolgirl attitude gone.

"I'm standing up against the people who suppress anyone who's not on their side."

"Please, elaborate."

"I'm fighting against the Legion who I've seen slaughter families to keep their so-called peace." 

Locksley scoffed. "Yeah, right. Stronte may be a pain in the ass but the whole point of the Aurora Academy is to promote peace, and killing kids is not peace. Even an idiot knows that."

Mathilde wasn't grinning anymore.

"We can't trust her." Sanii pointed out, crossing her arms.

She noticed the others exchange a look that she knew too well. They were asking each other if they could trust her, the Syldrathi girl who knew the leader of the rebellion.

Mathilde must have seen it too as she kept quiet, waiting to see how it would play out.

Ronnie looked between them, reading the room before finally speaking. "Do you have any evidence?" 

She didn't seem to expect this. "Yes. God, yes." 

"Show us then," Locksley backed them up.

Mathilde laughed. "As if I'm going to tell you, an Aurora Academy student, where the hideouts are. I can take you to the dwarf planet, and then you can decide where your allegiances lie."

"Why should we? What's there?"

"Your kind, doing exactly what they promised they would never do. You should see it for your own eyes, Sanii. If you don't want to, I can just as easily escape by myself."

Sanii held her gaze, but Locksley left the room. There was no way they were going to do what she said. They would be idiots to believe someone like Mathilde.

—

"She said she has evidence?" Errick raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Locksley shrugged. "On the dwarf planet." 

"It could be a trap," Bryony pitched in, examining their holographic image of the planet. "Have any of you ever heard of this before, anyway? She could just be trying to stir up trouble." 

"There were whispers of it on Trask," Val didn't look up, but now all eyes were on her. "That Stronte was corrupting the Academy, and we should join the rebellion before it's too late."

"And?" Errick demanded, his impatience getting the better of him.

"They came recruiting. There were protests and they backed off after that, but by then they'd taken some of us with them." She wrung her hands. "It was only a couple of days, and I was kept inside for the duration of it."

"So why did you still sign up for the Academy?" Errick persisted.

"I wanted to see the stars for myself," she looked at him then, raising her chin. "If you're worried about me betraying you, I wouldn't have told you all of this if I was going to stab you in the back later."

"She's right, Errick," Bryony touched his arm.

"Yeah," he exhaled. "Sorry." 

"We should probably come to a decision," Locksley sat down in his piloting chair, stretching out.

He hesitated, weighing up his options. Could he trust the rebels? Should he, or would he end up like...? Errick shook his head. This wasn't about him. "Make for the dwarf planet. We need to find out who's telling the truth." 

A/N

so, I am aware this chapter is pretty s**t but it's what I have written

do you understand everything that's going on in the story atm?

this is a lot less jokey, and as the story progresses there will be more humour but also more seriousness 

still injured but on the road to recovery

love you <3

edited A/N - the dwarf planet is gonna be completely different just so you know <33