Vora woke up few seconds before her alarm went off.
She'd accidentally slept in her new uniform. She smoothed it down and headed to her mirror to fix-up her appearance. Once she'd washed her face and brushed her teeth, she concluded her time in front of the mirror by braiding her long hair and stuffing it up into her new dark cyan cap.
She headed to the coffee machine to get the Starkiller stimulant sludge for the last time for a while. Hopefully the Finalizer would have a carbon copy of the very practical machine. Vora had spare time to sit in the room and drink a steamy-hot coffee before heading towards the cafeteria to get a quick breakfast. Vora was glad to have the spare time as it was seen as unprofessional to take food or drink on shift. The medical team got away with it because of their long shifts and seclusion in the medical bay rather than parading about the base. However, they often had to make do with their drinks going cold due to the nature of their busy days.
Vora arrived at the hangar a few minutes early. As a new ranking officer this was mandatory to set an example for the other MTs. Commander Ren was already in the hangar waiting as final checks were being done to his tie fighter 'the Silencer'. He stood still as Vora approached, seemingly unphased by her presence. He'd probably expected her early arrival as the new leading MT. She wondered if he was assessing her. It seemed like a trivial thing to do as a commander, but the only other superior on the mission was the lead for the stormtroopers who had no decision-making clearances for Vora or her MTs. Therefore, Commander Ren was the only one who could order her on the mission, and she would have to comply.
"Officer Sabina, congratulations on your quick recovery and your promotion." The Commander seemed to say it as if it had been scripted. The praise coming from him felt constrained and unnecessary. Perhaps he was obligated to respect her promotion or trying to make peace after tossing her out into Ilum.
You cast me into the cold and left me to die. Vora thought about saying it to him. However, she was not sure she wanted the stormtroopers near her to hear of the incident. After she had thought it, Commander Ren walked closer to her. Vora had a feeling that she'd not got a handle on the telekinesis just yet.
"Yes, you would have died if I had not sent the Starkiller medical team to extract you. I told you I have no intention of killing you." He explained. "I do, however, have intention to make you aware of your place if you should cause any grievances."
"Well. It's hard to learn whatever lesson you are trying to teach me if after I get cast out to near death, I end up getting a significant promotion." As soon as she said the statement, she worried about her rank being taken from her so soon.
"Your promotion was a unanimous decision amongst the generals. We needed our best MT to lead the mission."
Best MT. Vora let the praise perk her up, intermingling with the caffeine she'd drank only half an hour before. She then felt her negative thoughts swarm in, reminding her about how she'd already had that title before the First Order had forced her amongst them. She felt a strange sensation inside of her. It was a mixture of pride and annoyance. It took long enough for her to be awarded with status after all she'd done for the First Order.
She felt the pressure on her head again. She felt more vulnerable than before as Commander Ren tried to read her undiagnosed inner turmoil.
"Leave my head alone, thank you." She looked up at him. It was too early to deal with whatever the Commander would throw at her.
"You can feel when I read your mind. Interesting. That normally takes training. That won't stop me though." She felt him pushing on the walls of her mind again. She tried to push back but she knew it was a desperate attempt with her lack of training.
He stopped.
"You have work to do, and you have wasted enough time already daydreaming in the hangar."
"I think you'll find that I can work efficiently while thinking of whatever I want." Vora defended.
"Anything?" The statement felt more like it was muttered. Once again, he emitted feelings of being amused by her and Vora was none-the-wiser as to why. All she could theorise was that it was better than anger.
The two engineers who were working on the silencer walked out of the ship and nodded to Commander Ren before walking away.
Vora decided to kill time by checking through her kitbag to make sure it was fully stocked. She assumed the Finalizer would have more supplies if she got low. Her MTs were due shortly.
"Report to my ship once you have inducted the MTs. We leave in 1 hour." Commander Ren ordered. He stood by the entrance of the Silencer.
"Your ship, sir?" Vora could not hide her surprise.
"Yes, you've been assigned as my personal medical technician. In the unlikely event that I need medical attention, you are the primary MT with clearance both on the Finalizer and the Silencer. The journey to and from the Finalizer, therefore, will have you on my ship in case there is an incident."
"I see." Vora processed, trying to take it as a compliment but also being met with images of those who have been harmed by Commander Ren. She was quite sure he had once destroyed a Medical Droid who had been attending to him. Perhaps her role had been decided due to her luck of not being immediately killed by him compared to others who had experienced a less fortunate meet-and-greet with the Starkiller's infamous commander.
Vora sighed audibly. Her time at the First Order was about to change significantly.
Commander Ren entered his ship to begin his flight checks. The new MTs began to slowly appear. Vora greeted them and gave them their personalised team communication systems before they got on the numerous shuttles, along with the stormtroopers, that would move them to the finalizer. Vora assumed they were separated out in case there was an attack, so all the medical team (and soldiers) were not immediately lost. How hopeless and ironic that would be. The training of new MTs had been a surprise to Vora. The First Order had normally been quite dismissive of stormtrooper lives. Perhaps they were beginning to become low on them. Vora found herself smiling lightly at the thought. It was a miracle if Commander Ren hadn't mind read how much spite she had towards the First Order. When she had been in the command room being promoted, Vora had wondered if it had been a way of pacifying her bubbling rage against the First Order. Vora had walked out of the command room telling herself she would never be 'bought off' with any bribe.
Most of the shuttles left before the Silencer had.
Vora tentatively walked up the ramp and found herself lost as to where to go. She headed to the cockpit and announced her presence to Commander Ren who sat in the pilot seat.
"Commander Ren. I am aboard and need instruction for where to be for take-off."
"There is a vacant chair to my left, Officer. Sit."
Vora walked over to the seat and took in the control panel. It was a complexity she was not so familiar with.
A voice came over the intercom letting Commander Ren know he was cleared to take off. He did not hesitate to flick switches and shoot out of the hangar, causing Vora to slam back into her assigned seat.
There was a good amount of time where there was silence, save for the ship's whirring. Vora watched the stars move around them as they flew through space. She would occasionally look over to Commander Ren and watch him flick switches on the control panel, somewhat mesmerised.
"How are you feeling about your new promotion?"
Small talk? It was a question Vora had not expected from him. In fact, she hadn't expected any questions at all directed her way save a few relating to her use of the force.
"I am content. The medical team seem very good, and I am confident in them already."
"I am not the board of generals, you do not need to tell me what they want you to say."
"Oh but I do." Vora laughed. It was the first time she had laughed in front of the commander. "You killed a man for disagreeing with you and you cast me into freezing snow for irritating you. I have had to tend to many people on Starkiller who have been injured by your hand. I am hesitant to speak anything that would not please you or the other generals."
'I told you I have no intention of killing you'. He had said in the hangar. She could at least feel a strange form of relief from the words coming from Starkiller's biggest domestic killer.
"The truth would please me." He pushed. However, the way he spoke sounded flat and disinterested.
Vora sighed, bracing herself for whatever whirlwind was to come. "I deserve it. I am very good at what I do. I had respect back home for simply doing what I do. In the First Order I must have a rank and follow the rules, but ultimately, I am just a tool."
Commander Ren did not respond but Vora could feel that he was pleased with her honesty. She could feel positive emotions emitting from him. It confounded her.
The Silencer stopped randomly, and Commander Ren got up from the pilot seat. "With me, Officer."
Vora followed. She wondered if she was about to be tossed out of an air lock.
They entered a room which looked like a small training room.
"I can feel it in you. The dark side. You just need to let it in." He explained. "Those feelings you had in the hangar were only the beginning. You can use them to use the force."
"I didn't like the way I felt in the hangar." Vora protested.
"When you pushed away my lightsaber what did you feel?"
"I thought I'd die if I did nothing. I was afraid and I thought of what I had to do to survive."
"The will to survive is powerful. It's ruthless. It's a perfect carrier for the dark side."
Gosh. It sounds so easy to go dark side. Jedi must have to abstain from everything. Vora thought glumly.
"Resist me." He ordered.
"What?" Before Vora could process, he had flung her backwards with the flick of his hand. She thought fast and put her forearms in front of her face and upper chest to protect against impact. As soon as she got up again, he flung her back once more. By the third time she realised she had to try to fight back. She stuck out her hands and thought about pushing him away from her.
Nothing happened.
Vora wondered if using the Force was like using a muscle. It needed training to go up in size. She probably wouldn't be able to cast aside the towering Commander Ren just yet.
She focused on one of the items on the shelf behind him. It was a sphere which looked like it had blasters on it. She mimed a yanking motion with her hands and to her surprise, it flew off the shelf with great velocity and into the back of his head. He reacted, surprised. The sphere began to float and fire intermittent laser blasts. He deflected them with his lightsaber and Vora ducked to avoid the ricochet.
"Very good." His lightsaber disengaged and the shooting sphere fell to the ground. "Put it back on the shelf."
Vora moved towards the sphere with hesitance, expecting it to start shooting at any moment. She was shoved back once again by Commander Ren. "Without touching it."
Once again, Vora found herself surprised by the commander's patience as she tried to levitate the sphere back onto the shelf. It kept falling just before it got to the shelf. She imagined she would be stuck on the task forever. She took a breath and felt the commander's feelings.
"You're irritated. I won't be able to do it. You'll just get more irritated."
He didn't reply. She decided to keep going.
After another few attempts, the sphere had successfully returned to the shelf. Vora couldn't help but have a smile spread across her face.
"I did it!" She turned to the Commander, "I did-"
She found herself, once more, contacting the wall of the training room. This time she was pinned onto it.
"Do not read my emotions again, Officer or your privileges will be revoked."
What privileges? Her rank status? Her learning of the force? Vora was dropped to the floor where she decidedly sat.
The sphere was knocked to the floor again and rolled towards her. The other objects on the shelf were also knocked down.
"Put everything back on the shelf. I will know if you have failed."
With that he walked out of the room.
Of course, he will know. The shelf is too high to reach. Vora imagined if there'd be a way, she could toss the sphere and the other objects onto the shelf, but she worried for the consequences if she was found out.
Rather than immediately going to perform the task, Vora tried to become aware of herself and the items she was levitating. She felt like she could slow down when the commander wasn't watching her. She visualised placing the sphere back on the shelf first. She visualised the power flowing from the environment around her, to her and then to the object.
Then she put out her hand.
The sphere slowly flew over to the shelf, although shakily. There were four more items that looked like old training gear. After placing the last item down, Vora jumped up enthusiastically. "Yeah! I got it."
Strangely, a part of her wanted to rush to tell Commander Ren. He was the only person who knew about her power, and he was the one bringing it to light.
She compromised with her wants and walked to the cockpit, restraining her excitement. The Commander sat in the pilot seat once more. Vora hadn't felt the ship start moving again.
"I completed the task, Commander Ren."
"Good. The medical room is across from the training room. It will be your quarters on this shift. We will approach the Finalizer in an hour or so."
"Yes Commander." She assumed that meant to go there immediately. As she was about to turn around to head out, she noticed a small screen on the right side of the control panel. It showed the training room.
Commander Ren had been able to watch her progress after all.
The medical room, like the training room, was small. It felt like a storage closet that had been expanded slightly. There was a bed and numerous shelves housing different first aid and emergency care necessities. Vora was surprised to find herself alone in the room and not in the company of a medical droid. She imagined they were more reliable.
Vora used the quiet time to wonder about her new role. Had Commander Ren chosen her as his medic because of her rank or because she could use the force? He had just given her a first lesson – of sorts – on how to use the force. Had her rise in rank been because of her use of the force which then enabled Commander Ren to have her as his private medic and tutee? After all, he had told her to tell no one else she could use the force.
She was apprehensive of the consequences of asking. She hoped the answers would reveal themselves soon.
She got out her tablet and searched the database to find Commander Ren. It said classified but she clicked it anyway. She had access, as he'd said. The files were completely bare other than stating his rank and his ability to use the force.
She headed over to the cockpit, tablet in hand. If she was to be Commander Ren's MT, she would assume the appropriate role.
"An issue, Officer Sabina?" Commander Ren sensed her entering the room. She was momentarily caught off guard, but then straightened up and cleared her throat.
"Commander Ren, sir, I checked your medical files as your assigned MT, but you have no data. I would normally request that you have a baseline exam. I am assuming that you will reject this, but I recommend it."
"Thank you, Officer, dismissed."
"but-"
"Return to the medical bay and stay seated until we have landed."
Vora could now see through the pilot window that the Finalizer was not far. She reluctantly returned to the room and sat down in case of impact. There often was an atmospheric change when entering the hangar from space.
After landing, Vora got up to leave. From behind her, a firm hand curled over her shoulder, and she was pulled back.
"I will disembark first, Officer."
Of course.
"Yes, Commander." She stepped to the side, allowing him to pass her. For a moment she was overwhelmed by the deep musky scent she had smelled days before when he had been next to her before casting her into Ilum. It made her falter for a moment. She was grateful no one had seen her reaction.
She left a minute, both for Kylo Ren's ego and for her composure to return, before coming out of the ship. Her medical team was lined up, awaiting her. She took a deep breath as she emerged from the ship, reassuming her position as team leader.
"I trust you've all used the hopefully uneventful flight to review your tablet files. If you have not done so already, you must also ensure that your own files are up to date. If you are particularly knowledgeable of a certain subject, make it known." She stood still in front of the team, hands clasped in front of her. "We will go to the medical bay now and then you will be assigned your living quarters. Your tablets will inform you of your numbers and shifts after I have reviewed all your finished data profiles. I recommend you all sleep well tonight and expect that any of you could be chosen for the first morning." There were two troopers lingering near the medical team. Vora turned to them. "Are you here to take us to the bay."
"Yes ma'am." One of them replied. She urged them forward. The MTs followed behind. Vora took another glance back at the Silencer and thought about her impromptu force manipulation class.
She smiled.