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freereignastarwarsstory · 5 years ago

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Chapter 18: Before Dawn

Disclaimer: We (@zazabelle and @draksisreborn) own nothing but our OCs. Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm and Disney. Please review and enjoy this latest installment.

Vis peered around the corner of the door frame.

She wondered if making her freckles the same color has the flickering light of the holo-transmission would hide her presence from the image of the woman Soron was talking to.

It had been nearly an hour since the attack and it had all happened so fast… How had everything so suddenly gone so wrong?

“He knew exactly where we were Beebs! He knew exactly where we were and why we were there!” Soron’s confrontational tone held deep anger.

Vis could sense the tense tone of his voice from the other end of the ship where she had resumed hiding in Nek’s tool cabinet. After a while, she’d decided to stop wondering what he was talking about with the scary lady and just listen in.

“So you’ve mentioned. Several times now.” The woman, “Beebs” said with impatience, “They were likely tipped off.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Soron growled, looking up at the blue hologram of Beebs.

Beebs let out a huff and Vis caught a roll of her eyes, “Soron, if you have something to accuse me of please do it already. Honestly, you’re not making any sense.”

“Sorry, must be the blood loss,” Soron scoffed back as he turned to limp around to the other side of the table.

Vis could see, even from her concealed spot, that the sliced fabric around Soron’s upper thigh was still dark with blood where he’d been slashed through. Cenden had offered to treat the wound but he said he couldn’t help the healing process along with the Force until he had enough energy back to heal his own injured shoulder. BX had suggested pain medication/sedative to the old Jedi, but Cenden had just glared at him and muttered, “I can’t imagine I’ll be doing zhat again with you anywhere near me,” before he’d gone off to his room to sleep.

Additionally, Captain Soron hadn’t let Cenden treat him, instead, he’d gone straight off to call the boss lady while Chol piloted the ship somewhere random and safe.

“Soron, please! Your crew had a run-in with CAD BANE! He has connections all over the criminal underworld and even obscure bounties like Mrs. whatever-her-name-is. He probably recognized the girl while he had her in his custody.”

‘Then why not keep her in his custody?’ Vis thought to her guide, pulling them closer around her as she tried to get a better read of the situation.

Soron continued, “You’d said that it would take a great deal to earn Bane’s trust back... What did you offer him?”

“That cost me a great deal, actually, as I offered him the most priceless thing I own: a favor,” Beebs answered, crossing her arms defiantly as her long bluish ponytail fell gracefully to one side of her head, “But he hasn’t cashed in yet.”

Soron crossed his arms in retaliation.

“Oh come on Soron, have a little faith! I didn’t contact the psychopath! I relatively care about our relationship, and I would never put you at death’s door like that,” Beebs said defensively, her chin raised high.

“Could’ve had me fooled with the kind of jobs you’ve sent us on these past few weeks,” Soron said tiredly, leaning his weight on the holo-table.

“So you can’t finish the supply run?” Beebs questioned, completely diverting the subject.

Soron let out a deep long sigh, his voice shaking a little as he did, “I’m not sure we have a choice now, do we? Where was the shipment heading?”

“I can send another group to rendezvous with your location-”

“No,” Soron interjected.

Beebs rolled her eyes, “Fine, I was trying to give you a break from near-death experiences, but if you’re really that paranoid about being followed…” the holo-transmission suddenly shifted to an image of a star chart with coordinates pinging onto the bottom right of the map.

“My boys were heading to Iego. The planet has a history of being…”

“Oh I’m aware of Iego’s history.” Soron again cut in, “What are we bringing them? I have a right to know now that I’m completing the run.”

“I know what you’re thinking, and no. Iego is a spice export not import. The shipment contains agrinium scrap metal. You’ll be meeting with an old pirate group that uses the planet as a waypoint. And before you ask, they’re not associated with the slave trade. At the moment anyway. They’re a Weequayian group from Florrum that’s been around a while.”

Vis saw Beebs glare down at Soron’s bloody leg with a doubtful raise of her eyebrow, “And you’re sure you can complete this run?”

“If not me then someone else on my crew. I’ll talk to you later Beebs.”

He ended the transmission without another word and jolted a little as he turned around to see Vis standing in the doorway. Her freckles had shifted from the light blue of the transmission to a deep orange of concern.

“Hey, kiddo.” he breathed a sigh of relief, “How’s Lerti?”

Vis rubbed the back of her neck as she’d seen Soron do, “She’s holed up in our room right now so I’m not totally sure. I know she feels…” Vis’ freckles began to melt through phrases of the darkest purples, reds, oranges, greens, and blues that Soron had never seen.

The colors bordered on pure blackness, as Vis struggled to explain what she was sensing, “She feels… sad. But at least she isn’t throwing and breaking things anymore.”

Soron nodded and took a shambling step forward. Vis ran to his side, attempting to use her small stature to support her captain. He settled to putting a hand on her shoulder as they walked out of the ship’s armory where the transmission broadcaster was installed.

Vis had noticed that this ship was a lot like the armor she had received from their trip to Tiss’sharl; a hodge-podge of pieces randomly scattered throughout the three levels and eight rooms of the Raving Titan’s interior. From what Vis could tell, the interior of the ship had been heavily modified from carrying cargo to holding living spaces for permanent crew members that obviously hadn’t been apart of the original equation for the ship’s design before. Not that she knew a lot about ships, but from the way a lot of the walls looked welded to the ceiling, she could at least give her best guess that they’d been installed later.

The two of them made it into Soron’s quarters where Vis promptly went and took her place at the small porthole window near Soron’s bed to look outside,

“Whoa… Asteroids.” Vis whispered to herself as the shadows of an asteroid belt enveloped the ship.

Soron keyed on his commlink, “Chol? Where are you setting us down?”

“If your calling me means you’re looking out your window right now, don’t worry. I’m not trying to fly us through that minefield, just settling on a bigger hunk on the belt’s outskirts until we’re good to head off to…?”

“Iego.”

“Yeesh… What a fun week we’ve been having. Ambush, double-cross, ambush, evil planet.” Chol grumbled over the comm.

“The planet’s not evil Chol. Those were just rumors during the Clone Wars, and besides, what do you care? You’re just flying us there.”

“Soron, the planet was called “The Ship-Graveyard” for most of the War.”

At that, Vis stopped admiring the flocks of asteroids outside the window and was now looking wide-eyed at Soron, her freckles turned pale-yellow. Soron noticed this and more loudly announced into the intercom, “Chol, I’ve been to that planet a dozen times since the war, it’s perfectly safe. Save for all the pirates and smugglers with all their treasure.” He smiled and glanced at Vis whose freckles had turned vibrant green. She then smiled and gave him a thumbs up while mouthing, “Let’s go there!”

“Chol, what’s our ETA?” Soron asked.

Chol sighed audibly into the comm, “About 5 hours if we take a few back-route hyperspace lanes.”

“Perfect,” The comm in Soron’s hand beeped as he keyed in two more crew members, “Nek? BX? How’re you two feeling about a solo mission?”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Two hyperspace-hours later Nek and BX were all debriefed for the requirements for their mission to Iego. Soron had bound up his leg in that time as well, and Vis had fallen asleep on the floor with her kyber crystal orb balancing precariously on the indent of her rising and falling stomach. The balance of the orb was probably also assisted by the fact that Vis had her legs propped up against the wall just below the port-hole window which gave the appearance that she was sitting side-ways; her arms sprawled out above her head.

“It’s important that you two are careful with these men,” Soron continued his mission debriefing, “Even if Beebs thinks we won’t get any trouble. Pirates can be unpredictable, especially if this is the group I think it is,” Soron explained.

“Yeah, not getting into trouble doesn’t sound like us.” Nek poked fun as he continued studying the map of the location they’d been given off a small holo-projector he held in his hand.

“Trouble does seem to have a way of finding us.” BX agreed, turning to look at a sleeping Vis.

Soron noticed a strange look came over BX’s face, if that’s how it could even be described, and the droid’s memenor changed as she focused on the girl.

“Sir, before we continue further, there needs to be a discussion about the attack we endured from the Mandalorian known as 'Darius’.'' BX addressed the captain.

Soron nodded at this, “Yes, I was actually hoping to talk about that with everyone present, but was there something in particular you thought necessary to point out to me now?”

Soron went silent as BX explained the figure he had observed and fought. The dark gray skin of the captain’s face had become pale when it came to the detail that the assailant Nek and BX had faced had appeared to be a Zabrak woman and wore no Mandalorian armor.

Even if she’d been less obvious about it, there could still be no doubt. That creature had been Force-sensitive, and if BX was right, it had been trying to get into the ship. Did it somehow know about the artifacts they held within their spacecraft? Or… were they after something else?

Soron now also found himself also looking at the sleeping girl on the floor with the mystical orb on her stomach.

“Have you talked with Lerti since the attack?” Soron inquired of them.

“No… Last I saw, Cenden was treating some of her injuries…If the Zabrak was trying to get into the ship then what was Darius really after? They roughed her up pretty good, but they didn’t seem like they were trying to kill her. They tried to take her.” Nek observed cautiously.

“I suppose I might have some theories, but ultimately only Lerti is the only one who could know for sure.” Soron said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, “You knew of Lerti’s ex. She’d mentioned that much at least right?”

“Yeah. I’d asked her a few years ago what she was doing so far from her people and tribe. I’d only recently joined the crew at that point so all she really said was that she had crazy psychopath for a mate and she’d left to be rid of him.”

“Well did she tell you that her ex-husband was also a low-level enforcer for a group previously known as “Death Watch”?''

Nek and BX were silent for a moment before Nek breathed in a hiss between his teeth, “Nnnooo. She hadn’t mentioned that.”

“Well, lucky for us, Lerti and her husband weren’t apart of the particular time in the group’s existence when they’d overthrown Mandal’or and slew their Duchess.” He took a breath before continuing, “My sister and I had a knack for getting into information without getting involved in conflicts. We poked around as close as we dared to but we’d heard the whispers enough to know at least some of the truth. “Death Watch” was in league with some organization called “The Shadow Collective”. It was long scattered by the end of the Clone Wars, and Lerti joined a splinter group of “The Shadow Collective” at her husband’s direction. But according to what Lerti’s told me from Darius, and from what Dava and I learned, the splinter group was still run by the same man that overthrew the planet of Mandal’or to begin with. A man named Maul.”

Soron paused for a moment, examining his small audience for some kind of reaction. When he received none, he shrugged and continued.

“Whatever Darius’ beef was with his family and clan was I’m still not sure, but from what I understand, Darius joined the group the splinter organization at the promise of stable employment as a mercenary and bounty hunter, but it soon became so much more than that. The man became a fanatic. Lerti had never met Maul, but Darius practically worshipped the being. Saying he had “mystical powers”. Lerti thought he was just crazy, but from what she described, it sounded as if Maul was, or claimed to be, a Sith.”

Nek frowned, “The horns on their helmets?”

“A symbol of their leader from the time of Death Watch super commandos under Maul’s reign. But after the Clone Wars, and Mandal’or falling to the Empire, Maul’s “Shadow Collective” became the criminal organization known as “Crimson Dawn”.” Soron explained.

“Didn’t Darius call Lerti, “Crimson”?” BX recalled.

“Purely a coincidence, I suppose, that that is Lerti’s birthname. But a coincidence that Darius didn’t take lightly.” Soron had Nek hand him the holo-projector and keyed a file from the device’s database on the ship.

A symbol came up through the projection. A simple design of two circles, one inside the other, and the colors inverted over each other to symbolize a rising sun.

“If the Rebellion wasn’t soaking up all the Empire’s attention, then this organization would be the Imperial’s first target to destroy. I’ve been keeping tabs on the organization’s activity since Lerti’s joined on as my right-hand man, but as of late, they’ve been rather quiet.”

“Why would Darius care if Lerti was apart of this or not?” Nek interjected, “Why try to take her back!?”

Soron sighed, “You have to understand, there’s much more to it than that. Maul was never a public figurehead. Most people that worked for “Crimson Dawn” didn’t even know of his existence. Hell, I’M not supposed to know of his existence! However it was that Darius made his acquaintance… well the situation became much more to him than simply respect for your secret shadow-leader. It’s like he worshipped the man, believed him to be some kind of deity. I don’t know why they wanted to take Lerti back, or if Maul is even still alive, hell, if he’s even real! But whatever Darius wants Lerti for, it can’t be for any good or sane reason. Especially if the rumors about Dathomir are true... Now THAT is an evil planet.”

“What?” Nek asked puzzled, “I mean, I know the rumors. Dathomir probably isn’t called “the witch’s planet” for nothing, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“That was the last time Lerti saw her husband, up until yesterday anyway. He’d caught her trying to leave so he’d drugged her and they’d been en route to Dathomir when she’d escaped.”

From her place on the floor, Vis suddenly snorted and rolled over, letting the orb fall to the floor as her eyes locked on the door, “Lerti?” She mumbled still half asleep.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard running away from Soron’s room.

Vis jumped to her feet, still dazed from sleep, and dashed out of the room in pursuit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

My bare feet slapped up against the cool metal of the ship’s interior as I chased after the fading footsteps. I’d taken off my boots before I’d fallen asleep and now I sort of missed them.

I barely knew why I was running, only that it felt a lot like when my guide had rushed me to consciousness back at the temple to set a trap or observe passing ships. I didn’t know what would happen, only that my guide needed a person to fill out a request.

And apparently, Lerti needed something as well.

I hadn’t been completely asleep on the floor then, sort of in an in-between space of dreams and awareness. My stomach tightened as I suddenly remembered the dreams I’d bee having… but at the same time, I’d heard what Soron said, and I knew Lerti had been listening.

I could feel her, like I was looking at her standing outside the door. It felt, at the time, like she’d been in a cloud of swirling pain and anger. She’d wanted to barge into Soron’s room to stop him from saying what he’d said, or to join the conversation but… She was so tired. Paralyzed, somehow. Like she knew she should care deeply, but couldn’t muster up the energy anymore.

While I had been lying on the floor, I’d simply been the watcher of the one watching. But then it dawned on me, that hey! Lerti is listening! For real outside the door! And now she’s running!

‘And now I’m chasing her.’ I said more as a statement to my guide than to myself.

I didn’t have to listen for her footsteps.

The thoughts and feelings pouring off of her felt tethered to me, leading me along like a fish on a hook.

After several more twists and turns through the ships interior I burst into the cockpit on the upper levels.

Through the windows, the stars enveloped my every line of vision and made it feel as if I’d been swallowed up by space itself.

That’s when I heard her breath.

Turning around, trench coat flaring out behind me with the movement, I found Lerti pressed up against the frame of the door. She’d obviously been planning on slipping out, but that feeling of paralysis had stopped her.

I could feel it, swarming through my own heart from hers,

‘What’s the point? ...What do I do now? ...What am I supposed to do? Any fixing this? Is there any escape?’ The sound of the emotion hissed. It felt so… Cold.

“Hey Lerti.” I said quietly.

A groan escaped her swollen lip as she slid to the ground. The sound came deep from within her chest, clawing to free itself. Clawing its way up to tear her apart. She didn’t wear her armor, it was the first time I’d seen her go without. Her face and arms were covered in cuts and bruises from where the fight had penetrated the armor.

Pushing down my own fear of the emotions coming from off of Lerti, I wrapped myself in the Force and went to join her on the ground; closing the door so I could slide down next to her.

We were quiet for a while, we looked at the stars as she wrestled with the clawing feel in her chest, and screaming silently. I tried to wrap the Force around her too, like a blanket to keep out the cold. But the cold was coming from within.

Another small sound escaped her lips and she buried her face in her hands. I could see her wince at all the bruises on her face.

“Lerti…? Why… Why did he do that to you? Why does he make you feel like this?” I asked quietly, looking down at the now dark reddish-black freckles that covered my legs and arms which had changed color to mirror Lerti’s feelings.

Lerti let out a laugh that actually made me jump, “Why? Why does he do it? How can I even begin to explain everything he’s done? There’s so many layers of wrongness and it’s not fair! I don’t even know if he knows why he does the things he does...” She didn’t look at me when she talked, as if she was talking to her own guide like I do.

She took a deep breath, and let out a deep sigh.

“You know that thing Cenden was saying to you during your training lesson earlier?” Lerti began, “How… Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering?”

I nodded, she continued.

“Well, Darius was more afraid than anybody I’d ever known. Even before “Crimson Dawn”. He’d never admit it, and he’d almost never show it, but all my life I knew him, he was afraid. And I couldn’t understand what it was he was so scared of. Fear of the expectations put on him. Fear of what he couldn’t control. Fear of loss. Fear of himself. Of being alone… I was never sure. I wanted so badly to help him. I wanted him to know his worth. But I think all he ever saw was the worth of others… my worth. So when the fears within himself turned to anger at himself, I calmed him. And when his anger toward himself turned to hate of himself, I reassured him. But when his hate of himself turned towards hate of me… I lost myself.”

She drew inward.

“I truly believed what he said about he. I truly believed that if I were a worse person, if I was less than him than he would be truly happy. And I know that thinking is wrong. I KNEW IT. But I could never put it into words. I couldn’t make myself aware of how wrong it was because… I was all he had. And I knew he was afraid of being alone, but being with him… I’d never been so alone in my life. Vis, I- ...I can’t even begin to describe all of what he’s done! I lived with it for so long! I justified it for so many years that I can’t even begin to understand anymore what was right and what was wrong and what was his fault and what was mine… I couldn’t think clearly anymore!”

As she spoke, her eyes grew more frantic, her chest rising and falling more rapidly as she dove rapidly back through her mind, and through her memories. But as the last words reached her lips, she seemed to deflate. All the pain rushing out of her only again to settle in the lower aching of her chest.

She seemed to be focused now on my leg, maybe she was watching the colors shifting by as she spoke. They faded to a deep turquoise as she closed her eyes.

“I was a Mandalorian warrior. I was trained to fight and survive anything. My tribe thrived on the idea that if you’re strong enough and smart enough, you’ll never be broken… But I was never trained to fight this.”

Tears began to swell out of her equally swollen eyes,

“He broke me. I’m… broken.” She wept silently, “And I hate it.”

For a moment, I just watched her weep.

Instead of trying to wrap the Force around her this time, I just wrapped my arm around her, and surprisingly, she leaned into my shoulder and continued to cry. I just hummed softly, a song that didn’t exist, but in a way that I felt like it would make her heart feel better… whatever that meant.

“It’s okay Lerti. He doesn’t matter anymore. You aren’t connected to him anymore. It’s just you and me and Soron and everyone on this ship. And if you’re broken, we can help fix you up. I may not be great at healing like Cenden is, but any friend of mine is a friend of my guide. We can help you heal.”

Lerti breathed out, the clawing feeling temporarily leaving her chest. I could still feel it hanging around, waiting to settle in her again… I frowned into space and wondered if I could shoo it away somehow.

“Thank you Vis.” Lerti breathed, finally looking at me and gave me another squeeze.

“You’re welcome.” I smiled back.

She was quiet for a moment as she contemplated something, “I want justice.” Lerti finally whispered.

“I want that for you too,” I whispered back, “But I’m not sure if you’ll find it with him.”

We sat on the floor, looking off into space for a while, watching the galaxy go by and trying to feel better.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Cenden lay on his bed, his shoulder aching as he attempted to sleep. If he could just sleep then he could help the healing process along. But sleep doesn’t come easy to people with a thousand voices in their heads.

‘You know what it was. You know why they attacked. They’re coming for you. They’re coming for her. And it’s all your fault. You just keep breaking one promise after the other. Have you no loyalty? Look how far you’ve fallen. Look up, just try, and see how far you’ve fallen. They’re coming for you.’ A cold voice whispered over and over again.

How in the galaxy could the Force entrust him with a child… When he was to blame for her fate?

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