Chapter Text
Rabiah stood quietly, sitting down in the dark corner of her office, as sizzling noises came from the other side of the room, from Sabine working on repairing Rabiah's prosthetic arm. Looking at the prosthetic now, Rabiah would feel scornful. Her efforts for the Yatagan were all washed away, for nothing. Just to discover that she was just another puppet for a corporation bigger than her wit. A greedy, violent, and ignorant corporation who treats its members like machines rather than people.
She quietly groaned out of frustration, and lowered her head, hiding her face with her hand. The sizzling quieted down, and Sabine turned around to see Rabiah's big, but vulnerable frame in the dark. Their sharp eyes were clouded with worry, and they softly approached her.
"Are you alright?" Sabine's voice was quiet, but clear in the quiet, poorly-lit room. Rabiah looked up to see Sabine's concerned expression directed towards her.
Rabiah sighed, and she allowed her facial expressions to soften up, still demonstrating her upsetment. "I just can't believe that… everything that I believed in, what I fighted for was… completely no use for Yannick." She spat "Everything the Yatagan stood for… it came around to a wrong turn. Next thing I know is that they are against everything they preached. I cannot let Yatagan become what Yannick wants it to be. Yatagan… is not what they think it should be."
Sabine looked down at Rabiah, feeling a pang of sympathy for the worn-out fighter. They understood what it felt like to be betrayed and used by something or someone you trusted most. Sabine comes closer to sit beside her.
Rabiah continued, her eyes fixed on the ground, but lost in thought "I feel like I was only leashed further into this mess. I can now comprehend the fear and disgust of the others in The Eye towards Yatagan and our peers. We ended up no different from what Essen-Arp is. A terrifying, and cruel organization, who convinces us with lies that they are doing things for a better future. But we stay living in this mess."
The lieutenant leans back, stressed and tense from the situation unfolding around her. Sabine quietly sighed, understanding her frustrations, but raised their head to reply to Rabiah.
"You're not wrong, but that doesn't mean you're fully at blame either." Sabine paused, and Rabiah looked around to see the doctor's face "You and I both have our ideals. But we were manipulated and tricked to believe that what we were following was for the good we believed was possible. However… now you can now change your path to follow what you believe, do what you want to do, and change Yatagan for better."
Rabiah's face felt clearer, at comfort by the doctor's words. Sabine leaned back at the wall, as if they were about to tell a long story.
"I also believed that by joining Essen-Arp, I would be changing the lives of people. Workers, spacers, everyone. I thought… that the technological advances being done there were astounding, and that we would be able to make life easier for many systems and colonies if we keep up…"
"But what I slowly found out there was not what I expected." Sabine muttered darkly "They were all being used. We were all being used. Nothing that Essen-Arp did was authentically ethical. They harmed people and families for what they wanted to construct, they would destroy and discard what they needed if it meant to improve their personal gain. People were being used as puppets and test subjects without their knowledge. When I realized that, I couldn't bear to work for them anymore. But it's not so easy to run away when they know that I have the whole truth of their misdeeds and flaws in my mind."
Sabine stared at the window on the other side of the room. "So I ended up in The Eye, and expected to live a better life here, and I believed the Yatagan would protect me. But every cycle, our relation felt more uneasy, and I knew something was seriously wrong. It was hard for me to find someone to really trust, and I'm glad I found Sleeper. But I also was unsure, and felt guilty for contributing to the pain and agony they have to live with."
Rabiah wiped her forehead "Well, in the end, we were all their test subjects. We all hurt each other, or tried to kill or ruin each other in this shithole."
Sabine sadly nodded. Both of them stayed quiet, busy with their personal thoughts. Rabiah looked at Sabine once again, her expression changing to regret as she remembered something.
"Sorry for the way I treated you before. It ends up that we are all in this same shitty situation…" Rabiah apologized "I have to thank you for opening my eyes to the truth. Or, I would have been Yannick's guard dog for the rest of my life, blindly following orders until I die…"
The doctor looked at Rabiah another time, revealing a warm smile.
"It's okay. All it matters now is that we can both change this. Let's build a brighter future. For us, and for everyone."
Sabine raises their hand to gently touch Rabiah's hand. She looked down at her hand, surprised, but then Rabiah softly smirked.
"You're a good doctor, Sabine."