Chapters (57)
- Cover
- Doctor Aphra
- DRAMATIS PERSONAE
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- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
But…I was starting to piece together at least part of the story. I could start to see the full picture coalescing, the pieces of who Vader was—
and what made him tick—coming into focus.
And it was a very interesting story indeed.
SCENE 28
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF BAR’LETH. DAY. FLASHBACK.
APHRA (narration):
Okay, okay—I know there’s something I said before that you really, really want to come back to. I can just picture you staring at me all earnest-like, batting those long lashes…
“Chelli,” you’d say, “that bit about you ‘barely having feelings.’ How can that be true? You’ve been through so much, you’ve survived so many cruel twists and turns of life!
“And you certainly still have plenty of negative feelings about everything from chatterplants to Utani Xane and Sava Toob-Nix treating you like the tiniest, most squashable little bug.”
Sure, ya got me. But remember I said “barely.” You’d call that qualifier a convenient out. I call it finding a door.
Same thing, different interpretations.
The truth is, there’s been a time or two when I’ve let my softer feelings out.
It’s always ended badly.
Take this sweet little moment I had with Sana, not long after we got together. It was a beautiful day, sun filtering through the trees and casting dancing light patterns over the picnic lunch we’d packed. We were sprawled out on one of the Bar’leth campus’s grassy expanses.
Relaxing.
She was playing with my hair. She’s the only person I’ve ever let play with my hair. I think in part because she was always so stoic. Fiddling with someone’s hair is, like…tender? It felt like a secret that was just for us. A little tiny window into the psyche of the unknowable Sana Starros.
I think she always prided herself on that “unknowable” bit. So I’m not sure why she wanted to know me better.
SANA STARROS:
Okay, so…Kalandra, Yoshi…who else are you seeing besides me?
APHRA:
Darlin’, I told you. It’s hard to keep track.
But I’ve been avoiding Kalandra since she started staking out my classes, waiting for me to emerge—such a stalker. Who needs that?
And Yoshi came down with Wookiee flu right after we had our first…
encounter. Blech, I can’t be around that level of snot and vomit. It’s Wookiee-level. Don’t try to picture it, it’s too gross.
SANA STARROS:
Wait a minute—are you saying…the only person you’re seeing right now…is me? We’re each other’s only…people?
APHRA:
Ew. Keep talking like that and I’m going to vomit. Wookiee-level.
SANA STARROS:
Chelli…
APHRA:
Ugh, fine. What can I say, Sana Starros? ’Tis a very hard task to keep my interest. But I can’t seem to stop being interested in you.
SANA STARROS:
Mmm. The… interest is mutual.
APHRA: