New Thal, Part Four
Nothing was going like planned.
She knew that unpredictability was a reality of war, a reality of life really. But to see it happen with her own eyes was almost disheartening. General Zat had sound reasoning behind his infiltration of Skaronite. It was a part of a bigger plan they had developed alongside the New Thalian Council throughout the past week. General Zat wasn’t the only man growing tired of the war. There were those in power on both sides. President Dav the Third had agreed fully.
They would take Skaronite with help from inside forces. Those who still supported the war and sectioning of the planet’s people would be jailed and later tried. They would reunite the planet. Bloodlessly too, with little loss of life. It had been easier to convince the Council of that than Jenny thought.
That wasn’t what had happened, though. A spy in the Council had leaked word to Supreme General Fastif, the man who had placed himself in charge of the rebels - the purebloods as they went around calling themselves. Units had been placed at all the previously hidden entrances into the city. Rather than being the powerful force that would take Skaronite with one swift and easy blow, they had become something akin to lambs going to the slaughter. At least, that’s what Jenny thought the metaphor was.
It didn’t matter. No matter how many rounds she or anyone in her squadron fired, they were still outnumbered. According to Voule, it looked like Fastif had recalled all his troops home for this battle. With communicators jammed and the fight looking more and more hopeless, she sent her friend off to find General Zat and suggest a possible retreat. They needed to develop a new plan before any more lives were lost.
With a grim frown on her face, Jenny continued to shoot the Pureblood New Thalians convinced they were fighting for the proper cause - for extermination of anything remotely connected to the Daleks. It was a stupid cause, she thought again, not for the first time since General Zat had explained the war to Jenny. It was just as stupid as all those human prejudices against those different.
While she tried her best to aim for legs from behind the fallen tree that she and a few others were using for cover, sometimes Jenny missed. Dad might have claimed that she had a choice but in a time like this, she couldn’t believe that. Oh, she tried hard not to kill. And yet, Jenny knew that the majority of the death toll for the Purebloods fighting to defend the Eastern Exit was her fault.
Her squadron wasn’t that good.
And they were outnumbered with no orders yet to leave. She despised this. Instinct told her she couldn’t break her superior officer’s orders. Her inheritance told her to fight. But all she wanted to do was get the survivors to safety. Jenny wondered what her father would do in this situation. He’d have the solution. After all, he was a full trained Time Lord. She was just a Time Lady in training who had gotten in over her head.
Who now jumped at the slightest sound. The leaves rustled to her left and without thinking twice, Jenny turned, aimed, and began to fire a rapid round of ammunition towards the approaching soldier. It was only when the man fell, a look of surprise on his face and her name on his lips, did she realise who he was.
The battle was forgotten as she dropped her blaster to the ground and ran over to Voule. Tears blurred her vision as she picked him up and cradled him in her arms. Jenny gulped and stared down at him, unable to rationalize what had just happened. How could she have been so stupid? How could… oh, oh Rassilon!
“Jenny,” he choked out, smiling at her despite what had just happened. “Don’t… no retreat. No… not blaming.”
No. No, this couldn’t be happening! They could get away. The camp medic had seemed good enough. Jenny could find him and he could heal Voule and then she wouldn’t feel this horrible guilt welling up in her hearts.
“Good soldier. And… and cutest girl I’ve ever…”
“Stop,” Jenny snapped. Tears were falling and for a moment, all she could see was her father’s own face peering down at her while he held her in his arms. She had been dying then but she had gotten a second chance. She had been born for second and third and fourth chances.
“Just stop. You need to hold on, Voule. I’ll get you to the medic, you’ll see. And then we’ll get out of here. I’ll take you travelling! Show you that there’s more to life than this and it’ll be great. We've got things to do, you and me."
Without realising, she had begun to echo the words her father had told her as she had died in his arms three months ago.
"Hey? Hey, Voule? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose. It’s gonna be great. No, it’s gonna be more than great. It’s gonna be amazing. You hear me? Voule?”
His chest had stopped rising as she talked. While the silly grin was still on his face, that silly stupid grin that looked too much like Bart’s, the boy’s eyes had gone glassy and still. Voule had died in her arms and it was all her fault.
Suddenly, Jenny couldn’t take it. She couldn’t be here. Edward was wrong about her. She didn't hesitate. And now? Now, she needed to get away. A good soldier never abandoned her mates.
Gently placing Voule back on the ground, she ignored the shouts from the other boys. She ignored anything and everything as she ran, determined to make it back to her shuttle and away from all of this - off planet and across the galaxy. Or maybe even a new galaxy. Anywhere that wasn’t here, wasn’t New Thal or any other sort of paradise planet.
She ran.
In the end, Jenny knew that she wasn’t a good soldier after all.
She knew that unpredictability was a reality of war, a reality of life really. But to see it happen with her own eyes was almost disheartening. General Zat had sound reasoning behind his infiltration of Skaronite. It was a part of a bigger plan they had developed alongside the New Thalian Council throughout the past week. General Zat wasn’t the only man growing tired of the war. There were those in power on both sides. President Dav the Third had agreed fully.
They would take Skaronite with help from inside forces. Those who still supported the war and sectioning of the planet’s people would be jailed and later tried. They would reunite the planet. Bloodlessly too, with little loss of life. It had been easier to convince the Council of that than Jenny thought.
That wasn’t what had happened, though. A spy in the Council had leaked word to Supreme General Fastif, the man who had placed himself in charge of the rebels - the purebloods as they went around calling themselves. Units had been placed at all the previously hidden entrances into the city. Rather than being the powerful force that would take Skaronite with one swift and easy blow, they had become something akin to lambs going to the slaughter. At least, that’s what Jenny thought the metaphor was.
It didn’t matter. No matter how many rounds she or anyone in her squadron fired, they were still outnumbered. According to Voule, it looked like Fastif had recalled all his troops home for this battle. With communicators jammed and the fight looking more and more hopeless, she sent her friend off to find General Zat and suggest a possible retreat. They needed to develop a new plan before any more lives were lost.
With a grim frown on her face, Jenny continued to shoot the Pureblood New Thalians convinced they were fighting for the proper cause - for extermination of anything remotely connected to the Daleks. It was a stupid cause, she thought again, not for the first time since General Zat had explained the war to Jenny. It was just as stupid as all those human prejudices against those different.
While she tried her best to aim for legs from behind the fallen tree that she and a few others were using for cover, sometimes Jenny missed. Dad might have claimed that she had a choice but in a time like this, she couldn’t believe that. Oh, she tried hard not to kill. And yet, Jenny knew that the majority of the death toll for the Purebloods fighting to defend the Eastern Exit was her fault.
Her squadron wasn’t that good.
And they were outnumbered with no orders yet to leave. She despised this. Instinct told her she couldn’t break her superior officer’s orders. Her inheritance told her to fight. But all she wanted to do was get the survivors to safety. Jenny wondered what her father would do in this situation. He’d have the solution. After all, he was a full trained Time Lord. She was just a Time Lady in training who had gotten in over her head.
Who now jumped at the slightest sound. The leaves rustled to her left and without thinking twice, Jenny turned, aimed, and began to fire a rapid round of ammunition towards the approaching soldier. It was only when the man fell, a look of surprise on his face and her name on his lips, did she realise who he was.
The battle was forgotten as she dropped her blaster to the ground and ran over to Voule. Tears blurred her vision as she picked him up and cradled him in her arms. Jenny gulped and stared down at him, unable to rationalize what had just happened. How could she have been so stupid? How could… oh, oh Rassilon!
“Jenny,” he choked out, smiling at her despite what had just happened. “Don’t… no retreat. No… not blaming.”
No. No, this couldn’t be happening! They could get away. The camp medic had seemed good enough. Jenny could find him and he could heal Voule and then she wouldn’t feel this horrible guilt welling up in her hearts.
“Good soldier. And… and cutest girl I’ve ever…”
“Stop,” Jenny snapped. Tears were falling and for a moment, all she could see was her father’s own face peering down at her while he held her in his arms. She had been dying then but she had gotten a second chance. She had been born for second and third and fourth chances.
“Just stop. You need to hold on, Voule. I’ll get you to the medic, you’ll see. And then we’ll get out of here. I’ll take you travelling! Show you that there’s more to life than this and it’ll be great. We've got things to do, you and me."
Without realising, she had begun to echo the words her father had told her as she had died in his arms three months ago.
"Hey? Hey, Voule? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose. It’s gonna be great. No, it’s gonna be more than great. It’s gonna be amazing. You hear me? Voule?”
His chest had stopped rising as she talked. While the silly grin was still on his face, that silly stupid grin that looked too much like Bart’s, the boy’s eyes had gone glassy and still. Voule had died in her arms and it was all her fault.
Suddenly, Jenny couldn’t take it. She couldn’t be here. Edward was wrong about her. She didn't hesitate. And now? Now, she needed to get away. A good soldier never abandoned her mates.
Gently placing Voule back on the ground, she ignored the shouts from the other boys. She ignored anything and everything as she ran, determined to make it back to her shuttle and away from all of this - off planet and across the galaxy. Or maybe even a new galaxy. Anywhere that wasn’t here, wasn’t New Thal or any other sort of paradise planet.
She ran.
In the end, Jenny knew that she wasn’t a good soldier after all.